December

It's been a bit of an off month for us.  On December 15th my dear father-in-law passed away.  He was 83 and had lived a full and amazing life. He was an amazing musician, playing the violin for most of his life.  He played at my wedding and I walked down the aisle to him playing Pachebel's Cannon. He was also a school teacher among many other things. He was ill and it was just a matter of time but it was still a shock and still sad.  My mother-in-law took care of him for the last several years as he became weaker and more frail.  She will be lost for the next while.  We spent the week leading up to Christmas saying farewell to him and helping her out.  There is never a good time for someone to pass on but this time of year it just seems so much worse.

The hard part was to keep things as normal as possible for the little girls while making sure they understood that Grampa John wouldn't be here anymore.  They are young enough that they don't totally understand death but are old enough to know that things have changed.  While every holiday is about spending time with friends and family and we have always emphasized this, we decided to make it even more of a focus this year.  During the planning and funeral we got to see many family members that we don't see often.  We spent a lot of time with family and talked to the girls a lot about why it's so important to stay close to family.  We talked a lot about the fact that Christmas isn't just about material gifts but more importantly the gifts of the heart.

Grampa John with Adryanna

Grampa John with Christina

Christmas wasn't all grieving though.  We had many laughs and shared many stories.  The girls got to spend a lot of time with their older siblings and got to be silly and be kids.  They waited anxiously for Santa to come and were so excited Christmas morning when the tree had gifts and the stockings were full.  We all enjoyed a day of fun.

Gram with all her grambabies and grampup:)

Now it is time to get ready for a new year.  The girls will start gymnastics for the first time in January and have both been moved up a level in swimming.  I will end this year with the 5k Resolution Run on New Years Eve and will be signing up for the Women's Half Marathon in Niagara Falls in June.  I will continue on this journey and will be a better mother, wife and person because of it.  Here's to making 2014 the best year!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

  

The Weekend That Was

Two more weeks of work until Christmas vacation!!!  Well two weeks and two days really.  I am working the Monday and Tuesday of Christmas week.  I have had to use too much of my vacation time for Adryanna's heart appointments and her surgery in the summer so I don't have quite enough left to take the full two weeks.

This post is about this weekend though:)  It's been a good one if you ask me (which is weird because there was a lot of shopping and I hate shopping).  Yesterday both girls had birthday parties to go to at different times and places.  Christina's was first so we dropped her off and I took Adryanna shopping for the gift for her friend and groceries.  We went to Chapters for the gift.  I got a Starbucks (there may be an addiction there) and then we went searching for the gift.  While we were there we also had to search for Booky the Elf.  He is an Elf on the Shelf and it is fun to try to find him in all the stuff at Chapters.  Thankfully they keep him to the kids section.  It took a while but we found him.  I enjoy taking Adryanna to Chapters because she loves books and loves to spend time there just looking.  She always wants to buy something of course.  She is a fun age to do that kind of thing with now.  She has some great interests and loves to learn so we had a great time.  Grocery shopping is always fun for me because I like to get new and interesting things.  I don't think I got anything new yesterday but it was still fun to pick out lots of yummy and healthy items.  After all the birthday parties were over Adrian and I got to go to the movies.  We had to do the late show which is insane because usually I am in bed before the movie even started!!  I made it through though and it was a great movie!

Today was an at home day.  We spent the morning cleaning the girls bedroom and getting rid of all the stuff they never use anymore.  I discovered that they have so many books that there are some I had forgotten about and some that I didn't even remember they had!  I then decided to run since I missed going yesterday.  I did about 4k which I was very happy with.  I am really stuffy and got quite wheezy today so I didn't push things too much.  Tuesday is another day and I'm sure it will be a better run.  After my run I decided to bust out my Jillian Michaels Ultimate Challenge game that I got for my birthday a couple of years ago.  I haven't used it much because when I got it I was starting my training for a half marathon and after using the game a couple of times I was in so much pain that it was interfering with my running!!  It's good pain but not when you are starting training for something that you aren't even sure about.  Today though I decided I could handle it.  I got stuck in the exact same spot as I did every time before.  The idea of the game is that you are on a mission to get through an evil drug factory.  The factory is working with an evil food company to make everyone sick.  You have to make it though and shut it down.  To make it through there are lots of different exercises that you have to complete and complete well.  It's a Nintendo Wii game so it can detect your movements and if you aren't doing things just right you get caught and have to start over.  I get caught every time.  So today I tried again and got caught multiple times.  I will defeat this game yet!!!  I think I'll to do it on nights that I can't get to the gym or run.  It's good strength training!

So now it's Sunday night.  I'm tired, I've had a great weekend and I'm ready for the week at work.  It's going to be a good week because I say it is:)

Slow and Steady:)

Last night I was feeling a little nostalgic (and maybe a little bored).  I was getting things ready for today's run and started thinking of the fact that it has been a little over 3 years since I ran my first 5k.  I started thinking of all I have done and all the miles I have put in.  I pulled up my Garmin Connect account and went back to my first recorded run.  It was in February of 2011!!  I had been running for a few months at that point but hadn't tracked any of it.  I was lucky enough at that point to get a friends old Garmin because she needed a new one with a battery that lasted more than an hour.  At that point I was definitely not running more than an hour so it was great for me.  The first run I have recorded with it was 4.95k and my "moving time" 46:15. That isn't completely accurate because I clearly forgot to stop my watch when we stopped to stretch and there is a huge chunk of time that I wasn't moving.  Since then I have trained for and run several 5k races, one 10k race and one half marathon.  I haven't run any races in a year and a half and that is very clear when I look at my mileage.  I plan to change that in the next several months starting on New Years Eve with the 5k Resolution Run.

The part that gave me a bit of a laugh was that my time today is very close to all the 5k the times in that list.  My pace has gotten a little better but only by about half a minute per kilometer.  I haven't worried too much about getting faster over my running time but I have focused on doing the distance.  Running for me isn't about winning races.  I started running to get healthy and live a long life for my kids.  I keep running for the same reason but also because it has made me feel so much healthier and happier.  After a good run my body feels better but so does my brain. I feel happier and clearer.  I feel like I can take on the world.  I feel more confident.  Before I started to run I wouldn't speak up for myself, I wouldn't volunteer for anything at work and god forbid I had to talk to someone new.  Now I still have a problem speaking up for myself but I am much better at it than I once was.  I volunteer for many things at work and I will spend tomorrow morning with someone I have never met and will answer a lot of questions.  I love the new confidence I have and I'm so glad I took that first, very difficult, step.

Who knew back in September 2010 that running would be such an important part of my life.  I may not get a whole lot faster and I will never win a race but all the other rewards are so much better!!

Upside Down!

This past few days has been nuts!!  Wednesday night I had an amazing workout at the gym and felt awesome.  Thursday things began to unravel!  It was a very silly day at work.  We took the girls to the doctor to get flu shots after work.  With Adryanna's heart defect we don't take any chances and everyone in our house gets a flu shot to be safe.  The last thing we want is for her to get really sick.  Christina seemed to be getting a cold but he said it was okay because she didn't have a fever.  Well it's a good thing we got the flu shot done when we did because the next day turned ugly for her.  She woke up with a "wonky tummy" and didn't want to eat breakfast.  She stayed home and ended up in bed until yesterday.  I know there are many out there that will say the flu shot is the problem but I really, truly don't believe that.  I think it was a coincidence and that she was already getting sick before.  She still has a terrible cough and is wheezing some.  If things don't clear up in the next day or two I will take her to the doctor.

Sick kids always throw my exercise for a loop.  Sometimes I will still be able to get out and do the usual things and sometimes it screws things up.  Saturday is a great example.  I had to work at an information fair and had to be out of the house by 10:30am at the latest.  I had to look presentable which meant that I needed to do my hair and everything. I knew if I was going to run I needed to be out of the house by 8am or I would not cool down enough to get ready.  Christina was up a lot through the night Friday and I was super tired so I didn't get up as early as I should have then she was so off that I just couldn't get myself ready to run in time.  I was disappointed that I didn't get to run but my family definitely needs to come first.

Yesterday was a terrible eating day and I snacked way to much.  I don't know what it was but I just felt hungry all day.  I was busy running around with my mom in the morning doing the stuff I would normally do on Saturday then Adrian had to move Meag in the afternoon.  I would have loved to go for a run or walk in the afternoon but I couldn't take Christina out since she still wasn't back to normal and I didn't want to leave her here with anyone in case she got sicker again.  This all showed on the scale this morning but I am hoping that today's water intake and better self control will show tomorrow.  I am choosing not to use today's weight as my official weigh in because of all of this craziness:)  I feel like things got turned upside down this weekend.  I'm really hoping that things will turn upside right but I suspect I have to wait until at least Wednesday afternoon for that!

Random Ramblings:)

This week promises to be as crazy as every other week has been lately.  I'm going to have to work hard to get my runs in and plan to eat well.  Yesterday I made a big pot of homemade pea soup which will provide healthy and filling lunches for the week.  I have lots of healthy foods in the house so eating well shouldn't be too hard.  I'm on Week 4 of my smoothie challenge but just starting week threes recipes.  I had to use up a bunch of the stuff I had left from the first two weeks before I bought more stuff.  Today I made one that is meant to taste like carrot cake.  It is very tasty!!  Even Christina liked it, but then that's not a stretch since she likes everything.  Christina is kind of like Mikey from the old Life cereal commercials.  Does anyone else remember that one?  Anyway I have enough left for tomorrow too and am looking forward to it.  

As far as my running goes this will be a week that I am thankful for my treadmill.  Besides being really cold at least one of my runs will have to take place rather late in the evening and I don't love the dark and cold combination.  It also works well when I am working late or have a later appointment because then the girls play in the room while I run and we get to be together.  

Yesterday we got our Christmas tree.  We always cut down a fresh tree and try to get out to the farm the first weekend they are open so that we can get the best selection.  We got a perfect tree this year, not too big and perfectly shaped.  I'm very happy with it.   With so many people decorating it was done in no time too.  Then last night our Elf on the Shelf returned!!  Her name is Jingle and the girls were so excited this morning to come out and find her.  She left them a note and even knew that Meag had moved out and Drew moved in:)  She's one smart elf!!  So now the Christmas season is well underway and everyone is getting very excited for it.  

I didn't get my weigh in done this morning but will get it done tomorrow.  I'm not expecting much since it's "that week" and I always gain 3-5lbs but hopefully by next week anything gained will be gone.  

What to do? What to do?

Earlier this week I went to the doctor to get my flu shot and a couple of prescription refills.  I didn't have an appointment but my doctor's office is connected to a walk-in clinic so I didn't think it would be an issue.  Turns out it was.  He would give me the flu shot but I would have to come back for the refills.  Really??  How long does it take to hit print on the computer?  I couldn't get an appointment but he was working the walk-in this weekend so they said to come back this morning as soon as they opened and he would be able to do it.  They said it would be really busy so to come before they open to get in line.  They open at 9am.  Usually I'm running at that time so I was a little torn but I needed the prescriptions.  As soon as I walked out I knew what to do.  I would run to the clinic.  It's almost 2k from home so I thought I could leave early enough, run a route that would take me about 5k to get there and arrive at about 8:45am.

Last night I planned out a route and got everything ready.  This morning I left the house at 8am in the freezing cold and wind.  It was a tough run with a little more walking than I would like. I was running into the wind most of the way and the cold was burning my lungs that are not used to that kind of cold yet. I had to cross some very busy streets and had to stop for red lights a couple of times.  It was really cold as soon as I stopped.  Luckily the lights turned green fairly quick and I was back on my way.  When I reached the clinic my Garmin watch said I had done the 5k in 46:11.  I was not terribly happy with that but then figured in the walking and was happier.  When I got home and plugged my watch in to upload I was much happier.  I didn't stop my watch when I had to wait for those 3 red lights!!  My actual moving time was only 44:12:)  I am signed up for the Resolution Run on New Years Eve and would love to run it in under 45 mins.  By under I mean anything that starts with 44:... is a win.  I have never finished a race in under 45 mins so that is my goal. I don't care how much under it is.  It could be 44:59 and I'll still be happy:)  Running to me isn't about winning or losing (except against the voices and people who say I can't do it), it's not about being fast or slow.  It's about health plain and simple.  I am overweight, obese even, and have chase away all those bad demons that threaten to shorten my life.  I don't have any weight related health issues yet and I plan to keep it that way.  I have health issues that are made worse by my weight or that make it harder and harder to lose weight.  I will not let my health get worse when I have total control over the outcome.  I run to save my life and set the best example possible for my family.

Fantastic Family Fun!

This past weekend we went far, far north to visit some of Adrian's family.  It was an awesome weekend spent with some great people.  We don't see this part of the family often at all because of the crazy distance between us.  It took us close to 8 hrs to drive up there and then another 8 hrs to drive back.  It's not really a great weekend trip but next time we plan to go for a whole week so that we can spend a lot of time with them.  Adryanna and Christina had a great time playing with their cousins too.  They have 6 cousins up there and they all had a great time.  We went to a Christmas parade Friday night which was a lot of fun.  Free hot chocolate, hot apple cider and lots of Christmas fun.  We spent Saturday morning watching Lincoln's hockey practice then went to Adrian's dad's for the afternoon and evening.  The girls had a great time checking out the house that Adrian grew up in.  One of my favorite moments from the weekend was when Papa told the girls he lived in "the bush" and on the way out to the house Adryanna asked me "Does Papa really live in a bush?".  It was so innocent and just hilarious.  She was happy to hear that he actually lived in a house and that saying someone lives in the bush is just an expression.

As for my goals for the weekend I am happy to report that I kept every last one of them.  Thursday night I made two smoothies, one for Friday morning and one for Saturday morning.  I also mapped out a run and planned to run on Saturday morning.  I did this as well.  We had to be out the door for hockey at 8:30 am and with 4 adults to get showered I figured the earlier I went out the better.  I set an alarm for 6 am, laid all my stuff out the night before and made sure I reviewed my map.  Now if you'll remember my last post I said the town was really small.  I felt pretty secure that if I got lost it would be pretty easy to find my way back. Saturday morning I set out in the dark and hoped that no one in town would be freaked out by the stranger running through town.  I managed to run from one end of town to the other and weave my way back to the house is 4.04k and 36 mins, yep it's a very small town.  Pretty good run if you ask me though.  I would have liked to go further but I had already disrupted every dog in town and didn't think it would be very well accepted if I were to do it a second time.

This was a very big deal for me. On vacation I usually let my eating go to crap and end up skipping whatever run I have planned.  This time I stuck to my plan and ate fairly well, even if I didn't have much choice in my meals. It also felt really good  to just put my shoes on and go before the fun of the day started and it felt great to know that I had taken care of myself and that I was sticking to my goals and dedication.

Overall it was a great weekend and I am looking forward to our next big adventure:)

P.S.  Almost forgot my weigh in!  Given the fact that my food choices were limited and I spent 16hrs sitting in a car in 3 days I am happy to say that I did not gain any weight.  I didn't entirely lose any either but my weigh in on Tuesday morning (forgot to Monday) was 229.6 which is 0.2 less than last week but not enough to really call a loss.

Another First!

This weekend we are going away to visit my husbands family.  My girls haven't seen this part of the family much because they live about 8hrs away.  A weekend away almost always means a weekend of poor eating and no running.  This weekend will be different:)

Tonight I prepared two smoothies so that I can have one for breakfast tomorrow and one for breakfast on Saturday.  I didn't want to miss any days of my challenge and didn't know what my options would be for breakfast.  This is a first for me.  I also have a bunch of fruits and veggies and healthy foods for the drives.  I have a bag packed with my running stuff and have mapped out a route around the town.  

We are going to a very small town that has a lot of rural area.  We are staying in the populated area of town.  I mapped the route around the perimeter of the populated area and it is almost 5k (told you it was small).  I want to do at least 5k Saturday so I may end up zigzagging a little to make sure I get the distance in;). 

It's going to be a great weekend!!  Keep a look out for the pictures and updates:)

The Little Things

Today was an awesome day!  I got to go to Christina's school and see what part of her day is like.  I got to have a talk with her teacher and find out that she is doing very well academically but there are a couple of little things she needs to work on.  She likes to repeat things, if she is excited about something everyone has to be told, several times!!  So we will now be working on reminding her that she has already told us ____ and that once is enough.

I also had a great day because I had a small victory!  Last winter I bought a pair of jeans that I guess are skinny jeans.  This was a huge deal for me because I have never worn tight clothing.  I just never believed that chunky people should wear things like skinny jeans or leggings.  I know many people who do and look great in them so I don't know what makes me feel that way.  Well that changed a little when I went shopping and saw these jeans.  I loved the way they looked on the chunky mannequin and thought "what the heck" and tried them on.  I immediately felt uncomfortable but the ladies in the store told me they looked great and I bought them thinking I could just return them later.  Well I got home and got approval there so went ahead and kept them.  I don't wear them often because they are quite tight and by the end of the day they hurt a little.  Today I wore them and they didn't hurt!!!!  Even at the end of the day after eating way to much food they still felt good.  There was even a little room in the bum!  I was so happy.  It is those small victories that make all the hard work worthwhile.

Tonight I ran 35 minutes with just a couple of walk breaks for a drink (I can't run and drink or I choke, it's a weird thing really).  That also felt great.  Its disappointing to me that I ran a half marathon and now 35 minutes is a big deal but before I know it I will be back to running longer distance and ready to run another half.

Yesterday was weigh in day.  Last week I was 231.2 and hoped to get into the 220's by this week.  I haven't been below 230lbs in so long that I don't even know.  I am happy to report that I was 229.8 which is not a lot below 230 but I'll take it!!!  A loss is a loss after all!!

Free from Excuses!

Tonight was a run night so naturally something had to go wrong:).  It seems like my world has been hit by the plague or something.  Everyone seems to be getting sick in one way or another.  Several people at work have been off and half the people in my house have been sick. Today was Christina's turn.  As any mothers reading will likely agree there is nothing sadder than a 4 year old that is sick.  Christina is full of energy all the time.  She is usually wound up so much that she can't sit still for more than a minute.  Today she didn't leave the couch for hours.  When I got home from work she was curled up on the couch, bright pink cheeks and warm to the touch.  I have a hard time leaving them when they are not feeling well.  Luckily for me we now have the lovely (old and rickety) treadmill.  So the computer came with us, Christina curled up on the bed and I put on Netflix for her.  We found an alphabet show with animals and singing that was 34 minutes long.  I started it, started the treadmill and before we knew it her show was done and I was beyond done:)

Before the treadmill I would have very quickly decided that I didn't need to run and would have stayed on the couch feeling guilty all night.  Today I was tired and didn't really want to run but knew I would be unhappy if I didn't.  Thankfully I no longer have the excuse of not being able to leave the house to use.  All it took was a little creativity, the beauty of laptops and Netflix and this momma got her run done:)

A Special New Goal

Today while I was at the gym I started thinking about goals.  I have lots of big goals but not many small goals. I think small goals are important to prevent getting frustrated when you don't meet the big goals as fast as you want.  So I decided I needed to set some small goals around my weight loss but I didn't want them to be number goals.  You know the "I will lose 10lbs by Christmas" kind of goals. Those aren't bad goals but not everything needs to be about weigh lose. I just needed to think of what those small goals could be!

Then when I was getting my stuff from my locker a small  goal came to me.  It's small and huge at the same time.  Nine years ago I got married. For the last 7 years I haven't been able to wear my rings on my ring finger.  They fit my baby finger, may even be a little big for it.  On a good day I can squeeze them on my ring finger but never leave them there long or they start to hurt as my hands swell through out the day.   A sane person might have had them sized by now but that's just not me.  We got it priced out once and the price wasn't too bad but  I have always had the goal to lose weight which would then mean they would get too big and have to be sized down again. It just didn't make sense to spend the money twice.  So tonight it came to me that one of my tangible and realistic goals will be to be able to wear my rings on my ring finger.  I suppose it has always been a goal but not one I have seen as a goal more of a want.  So given the fact that they can go on now, I don't think it needs to take a long time to reach this goal which makes it a small goal.  I feel like if I work really hard I might even get there by Christmas.  Officially I will say that the goal is to be able to wear my rings on the proper finger by my birthday which is just over three months from now.

As for my workout today it was spectacular!  I did my usual routine but found I felt much stronger.  Maybe it's the fact that last weeks was more difficult because I was fighting this throat infection before I even knew it was there.  Maybe it's because I have been eating better.  Maybe it's because I am actually getting stronger.  I don't care the reason right now I just care that it felt great.  I am very much the person that is motivated by things that feel good and discouraged when things are hard.  Running being the exception to that I guess because running is always hard!  

An Interesting Development

Tonight I ran!  I know, I know what's the big deal?  I have been a runner for 3 years but anytime I have been sick I end up out of running for at least a week.  This time I missed only one run!!  This is huge for me.  I didn't do a huge run but did what felt good.  I might have been able to go longer but my throat was starting to hurt pretty bad so I thought I would stop.  The rest of me felt great though!  The other thing I would like to mention is that I did this run without my inhaler.  It is in my car which is at work with Adrian.  I have never run without my inhaler.  I have only needed it a handful of times but I always use it 15mins before I start. That was what I was taught by the Asthma Educator about 12 years ago so that is what I do.  For anyone with asthma you may know that totally psychological reaction to knowing you don't have an inhaler, It's panic!  Shear panic! As soon as I don't have it I think I need it.  I've gotten pretty good at teaching myself that I don't but have never had to run without one.  I'm happy to say that I really, truly didn't need it.  

I'm full of surprises tonight!!  Go me:)

Sore Throats and Smoothies

Just when I think I am on track I get thrown a curve ball.  This time in the form of Strep Throat.  Saturday I spent the day in PJ's huddled under a blanket fighting a fever and chills along with a terrible sore throat.  Sunday when I woke up and my throat felt worse I knew it was time for a trip to the doctor. I always second guess myself when it comes to going to the doctor.  Am I being silly?  Am I really sick enough to go?  Is he just going to look at me and say you wasted an hour of your day sitting here because there is nothing I can do?  Well this time was no different until he pointed that light in my mouth and said "Oh goodness that is bad".  So off I went with a prescription for some antibiotics and instructions to take acetaminophen and ibuprofen (alternating between the two) for the pain and swelling.  Great I thought, I'll get these drugs started and be ready to go to work tomorrow.  Since I am sitting here writing this when I should be at work it is clear that I was wrong.  I feel somewhat better today but it still hurts right up to my ear when I swallow and feels tight and dry all the time.  So I called in sick today (except for one meeting late in the day that I can't miss) and will spend the rest of the day on the couch relaxing.

This weekend wasn't all bad though!  I started a 30 day smoothie challenge on Saturday which is fun.   They send me 5 recipes a week for the month and the idea is that you will then repeat two of them.  I have tried three so far and they have been great!  Smoothies are nothing new to me.  I have been drinking them for breakfast nearly everyday for a couple of years but never try anything new so I thought this might be a way to add a little variety.  Some of the recipes look kind of scary, some I am really excited to try and one is almost exactly the  same as the one I normally drink.  Today was "Great Ginger Zinger"  I thought it would be a good one for my throat.  I has spinach, ginger, pear, oranges and avocado.  I don't have the greatest blender on the planet so the texture wasn't as smooth as it could have been but it still tasted great.  I'm hoping the ginger and all the vitamin C will help to blast this throat thing out the window.

I mentioned in my last post that I was going to start weekly weighins again.  I was going to do this on the weekend but decided it would be better to do Mondays since that is generally when I weigh myself anyway. I had to look way back in my posts to see what the last weight I posted was.  I don't remember the exact number but it was 235.something:)  I said my hope was that I would be about the same as I was then and I was so happy to see that I was less!!  Today when I hopped on the scale I was 231.2 which is wonderful!  I have been weighing myself semi regularly but it has been a couple of weeks so this number was quite a surprise.  My first thought was that it was just because I have been sick but then I realized that being sick has nothing to do with it because I have still been eating regularly, soft foods but still a normal amount of food.  So I will take this number as what it is and go with it.  I would love it if by next week I can record a number in the 220's!!!  I haven't been there in a very long time.

Happy, Healthy and Back on Track!

The last couple of weeks have been pretty stressful so naturally I have been working out more.  I do that when things get stressful, it's my favorite way to let go and forget about things for a little while.  I shut everything else out and focus on me. This week has been a great eating week too considering it was Halloween and the candy was flowing!  I have been very careful to make sure I have been eating healthy so that I don't ruin all the work I do while exercising.  All in all it's just been a good week despite the stress.

I try really hard not to let things beyond my control freak me out but sometimes they just get to me.  Things like feeling questioned or not trusted, not being chosen for something I really wanted to do or people freaking out around me.  That gets to me the most especially at work.  I work in a very small office with 4 other lovely ladies.  Most times it's great, sometimes it's hard.  When someone else gets negative I have to work very hard not to become negative too.  This week I haven't done the best job of it but my workouts have been better because of it so that is the silver lining I guess.

I'm excited for the next few weeks.  I signed up for a 30 day smoothie challenge that a friend did a while back.  She posted pictures of her smoothies everyday on instagram and they all sounded so good that I thought I would try it.  I recieved all the recipes and bought all the ingredients for the first week.  I have a smoothie most mornings but it is always the same so this will be a nice change.  I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and share them:)

I think I will get back to sharing my weekly weigh ins too.  The nice thing is that while I haven't been working out or running as much as I once was I have pretty well maintained all the weight I lost.  I'll have to look back to see what the last weight I posted was but I think it is about the same as what I will post.  I will start tomorrow:)

Snack time:)

Old habits die hard but when the do they need to stay dead!  I have always been a snacker.  I grew up in a home where we had good meals and lots of snacks.  Now as an adult I find myself every evening looking for that "bedtime snack" like I had as a kid.  This is my undoing.  I can eat fantastic all day but as soon as the kids are in bed the rails fall off and the eating starts.  

For some reason this last few days something has clicked though.  I still grab the snack but it has been healthy. I have been working out more again and finding that I want nutrient dense good for my body foods.  Stuff like homemade granola and yogurt or apples and natural peanut butter.  The peanut butter itself is a huge thing!  I love it but have always bought the sugar and junk filled kind.  In the summer I discovered a natural one that had honey in it that I love.  Then I ran out and bought just regular natural peanut butter.  It is so much better!!  I love it!  

The more healthy food I eat the better I feel and the better I feel the more I want to do what is right.  I need to bottle this new inspiration and keep it going!  Unhealthy snacking needs to stay dead!

Treadmill Affair?

Today I didn't get to run with the two ladies that I have been sort of coaching because I cannot do mornings right now and they could not do evening.  Near the end of the day I was quite hyped up (maybe too much pre-Halloween candy?) and was so excited for my run.  The problem was that I was really cold and dreading the layers.  Then it came to me!!!

I own a treadmill!!  

It is very old and makes a lot of noise but it works great.  So when I got home I changed into my summer running gear, grabbed the laptop and headed downstairs.  I rigged up the laptop so that it was high enough to see, threw on some Netflix and fired up the treadmill.  I have never loved running on the treadmill because I find it boring.  Today I got so involved watching the laptop that the time flew by and before I knew it the time was up and my kids were asking to have a turn.  While I still prefer to run outside with fresh air I think I could enjoy this treadmill when the snow is flying this winter!

Constant Changes!!

It's been a busy week around here!!  My brother and his family came from Florida for the week and we did a lot!!  Well they did a lot, I did some and worked a little.  We took the kids to the Hockey Hall of Fame and Legoland in Toronto one day for our big outing.  They had a blast!!  We did lots of visiting and eating too.  I'm happy to report that I did not miss one run during their visit which is a huge thug for me.  Usually as soon as there is a change running is the first thing to suffer.  Not this time though!  I ran three times and even got up at 5:30am twice to do it.  

Yesterday Drew came to live with us.  He needed a change and some new people around.  He was having a rough go of things and we hope that this will be the place to get the support he needs to succeed.  

Today is Anna's birthday so we spent part of the weekend celebrating that.  She was sick on Friday when we were supposed to have her party but luck was with us and all of her friends were able to come on Saturday.  My favorite gift that she got was a giant moose.  She loves stuffed animals and this one is awesome!

Her sickness on Friday is a little concerning.  It is the second time since her surgery that she has woken up feeling badly, gotten sick and then been fine by noon.  She has complained about headaches a lot lately too.  We have another follow up appointment in December and had mentioned the headaches at her last appointment but they suspected dehydration to be the issue.  I think if they don't stop they will have to be investigated more.  

Things are forever changing in our lives but I wouldn't give it up for anything.  I'm finally in a place where I can cope with them and still keep my exercise routine somewhat intact, I'm eating reasonably well and everyone is happy.  Winter is coming and that is going to be the true test of my new found dedication!!  I hate to be cold!! I can do this though, I have too! 

New Shoes!!

There is nothing better than a run in brand new shoes.  That has been my running for the past couple of weeks.  I love the first runs after getting a new pair.  It's like running on a cloud:)  I got my new shoes on a Friday and while the next day wasn't a planned run I had to get out and test them anyway.  I joked after that they had rocket boosters in them.  My old shoes were past their prime and I was going slower because of it so when I got my new shoes they were so comfy that I was running faster than ever.  I have settled that down thankfully.  That first run with the new shoes had me going so fast that I was out of breath too soon and couldn't go as far!

I posted I posted about my new shoes on Facebook after I got them and got some interesting comments.  Seems some of my running friends aren't sharing that love.  A few have been forced to change brands or styles of shoes for various reasons and are having a rough time adjusting to their new ones.  I felt sad for them.  This sparked some thoughts for me, as well as some others, about how funny runners (or athletes in general) are about their gear. This week I have even come to realize that I am even funny about weather.  Fall is my favorite.  I can get away with capri's and tshirts for most runs and if I need to add a bit of warmth I can throw a long sleeve on. I hate it when it gets so cold that I have to add layers and can't move as freely just as much as I hate when it gets so hot you sweat standing still.   Right now the temperature is perfect for running.  I'm going to take full advantage of this and get as many runs in as I can before it gets ugly out!

Do you have a favorite piece of gear or time of year??

Renewing Passion:)

It has been more than three years since I started running!  My gosh the time has flown by!  The last year has been a little lack luster in the running department but I'm making up for it now.  A friend has been talking about starting running for a while but does not want to run with a group.  She does not want anyone to see her at this point.  I think she is nuts and should show off but she thinks different.  She has asked me more than once if I can "teach" her how to run and I keep telling her there is nothing really to teach but that I would be more than happy to.  Finally she has decided that it's time and in the wee hours of the morning before the sun and birds are up we are out there.  I have started her the way I started with just 10 minutes and adding two minutes at at time.  She will now be up to 14 minutes and is doing wonderfully.  

The bonus to doing this with her is that it has given me a renewed passion for running.  I have a purpose that isn't totally about me and it's great.  I have signed up for one race and plan to sign up for another if there is still space.  I am getting up half an hour earlier than I need to so that I can run before she gets here.  I am enjoying running fully again and it feels great!  I am excited about it again and can't wait to be back to where I was a year ago.  Next summer I am going to run another half marathon, maybe two!!!  I feel great:)

I haven't posted much over the last year because I felt like I fell off the wagon and didn't have anything much to post about.  I have found that more and more posts have been about the kids and anything but my journey.  All that is about to change:)  I think this blog is about to become more active again!

Adryanna's Heart Repair

On Tuesday August 6th Adryanna had her heart defect repaired:) I wanted to share her story but it took me until today to get it all written out:) On Monday we headed to Toronto to stay at Ronald McDonald House.  The one in Toronto is the largest one in Canada (perhaps the world).  It has 81 rooms and is the most welcoming and wonderful place I could imagine for people who are dealing with very stressful situations to stay.  We arrived and were greeted by a volunteer and shown around.  We completed some paperwork and were left to explore. We checked out our room and could see the CN Tower out our window!

On the way to Toronto!

Each room has a chalkboard beside the door that you can draw on!

 The first order of business was to get some dinner.  We were very close to Queen's Park so we walked past there and found a little restaurant across the street from the Royal Ontario Museum.  We then took the subway back.  Adryanna loves taking the subway so it was a must.  Once we were back she played Playstation with Adrian and found a Harry Potter game to play.  Then it was bedtime because we had a very early morning.

The CN Tower

Riding the Subway

Being silly at dinner

Playing video games

On Tuesday at 6:30am we arrived at the Hospital for Sick Children.  It is a wonderful hospital that people from around the world come to for treatment.  She was being cared for by the best of the best.  We had nothing but amazing care from the minute we arrived.  At 8am we went to the Cardiac Catheter lab for her procedure and were told that she was the doctors only case of the day and that it could be 2-6hrs before they were done depending on what they saw when they got in there.  Turns out they saw more than they expected but were done in less than 3hrs.  Her heart defect was much more involved than they expected and was quite large.  They were able to close off one end of it.  What they believe is that her defect (Aortico-Left Ventricle Tunnel) actually started out as her right coronary artery because she does not have one now.  They also found that her left coronary artery had grown all the way around to almost connect to her tunnel.  The end of it is completely blocked.  They have no concerns with that as many people have only one coronary artery and they are perfectly fine.  The concern they still have is that one end of the tunnel is still open and there is a little bit of flow still going into it when the heart pumps.  This is something they will still have to watch closely and may require repair later.  They thought about closing it off at the same time as the other end but this end is quite wide and the device they used may not be big enough.  They may have to do open heart to fix it when the time comes.  That's down the road though and not something to worry about now.

After the procedure Adryanna was quite sick.  She did not tolerate the anaesthetic well and spent most of the rest of the day throwing up and sleeping.  She doesn't remember much about Tuesday.  She took extra long to come out of the anaesthetic because they had to give her a little extra right at the end.  She was having some trouble breathing and they needed to help her out a little bit.  In the end she was okay though and after a few doses of anti nausea medications she started to turn around and by Wednesday morning she was ready to go home.  

Not feeling so well:(

Wednesday morning being silly:)

Before we could leave she had to have a chest xray and an echo done.  The echo was a bit of a surprise but that was because the doctor could hear a murmur again and wanted to make sure everything was the way it should be once that was done he was happy and sent us on our way.

We're free!!!

So now we are home and she is doing wonderful.  It was an up and down week but today is day 5 post repair and she is right back to herself.  She is eating and drinking and playing.  Tomorrow she can go back to soccer practise and get back to all her usual activities.  She is looking forward playing soccer this week and I'm happy to see her feeling better.  She will have three check ups in the next 6 months including echoes and chest xrays.  Two with her regular cardiologist at McMaster and then at the 6 month mark the third will be with the cardiologist that did her repair.  They work in collaboration so they will share everything they find.  It's going to be a busy time for her but one that is such an important part of who she is and who she will become.  She is a lucky little girl with a very special heart:)

Pass It On!!!

When I started running I had no idea how to properly fuel my body.  I relied on low calorie foods and getting the most food for my calories.  I was doing Weight Watchers and wanted the most food for my points.  I quickly came to realize that those foods were not going to fuel my runs and had to start doing some research.  I found out that the foods I needed to eat were not always going to be low calorie or low fat but were going to have lots of nutritional goodness that my body could use to keep going.  I asked a lot of questions and luckily had patient people in my life that didn't mind the multiple emails asking what to do next.  I figured out some great nutrient dense foods that would give me awesome energy.  I then started running further and longer and had to start looking at what my body needed before, during and after my runs.  I again asked a lot of questions and again was met with a lot of patience and great answers.  I was also given lots of little samples of things to try before I went out and spent a bunch of money on things I might not like.  I was and still am grateful for all of that.

Last night a friend who has started going to a boot camp class asked for some advice and I was so very happy to be able to share some of what I have learned.  I sent her some treats to try today and she liked them.  She jokingly said that she would pay me to make more of the little bars I sent.  I love helping people and love that I can finally be someone that people come to when they have exercise and nutrition questions.  I definitely don't know it all and need to practice more of what I preach but I have come a long way over the past 3 years and would certainly make the old Selena sit up and listen.  I think she would be very shocked and maybe even a little proud:)

Who Knew?

I think everyone knows I have struggled to find my motivation to work out over the past few months.  I have been better than my pre-running days but have slacked a lot and struggled to get back out there.  I knew I needed to change things up a bit and perhaps find a new exercise to throw into the mix.  I still really love running and the way I feel during and after but I'm having a hard time remembering that in the wee hours of the morning when I need to get up.  Add to that the fact that Adrian doesn't get home from work until 10:30pm most nights and I just haven't been getting out as much as I should.  Tonight I decided to get my running clothes on and run the track at the high school where Adryanna has her soccer practice.  She practiced, I ran, it was wonderful.

The thing that no one knew was that I might actually like swimming.  I really suck and have never been taught how to swim properly but how hard is it really?  Oh yeah, really hard.  Luckily the basic motions are not rocket science and I can get by.  I learned this weekend that swimming burns incredible amounts of calories and who can complain about an exercise that is in water and keeps you somewhat cooler.  I decided that through the summer I will play around with swimming lengths at my mother in law's house every chance I can get and in the fall I will look at lane swimming times at the YMCA.  We'll see where things go from there.  I have never aspired to be a swimmer and certainly don't envision myself doing crazy things like triathlons (you have to ride a bike for that, bikes and I don't really get along well).  For now I will enjoy my new activity and see where it takes me.

Our garden is doing very well still and we have started to get cherry tomatoes ripe enough to eat.  We cut down one bunch of celery but will wait a few more weeks for more.  The stalks aren't very thick yet but they taste good.  Our broccoli was delicious and there are a few baby heads of broccoli growing now.  Pretty soon I will be having toasted tomato sandwiches with homemade mayo(Adrian makes it so much better than the store) for lunch.  I'm super excited for that!!!

Gardener Extraordinaire!

Back in May we ordered a giant bag of black earth and went shopping for plants.  We have lived in our house for 5 years and every year I have planted a veggie garden.  Most years that garden has half succeeded.  This year I was determined that it was going to be awesome.  I did a bit of research but went mostly with the knowledge I have from my grandfather.  He lived three minutes from where we do now and he had the most beautiful gardens imaginable.  Armed with the memories of his gardens I decided what I wanted to plant and off we went.  I think I mentioned in a previous post what we planted but in case you missed it (or I am wrong) we planted: cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine lettuce, broccoli, celery, peppers, swiss chard, snow peas, yellow beans and left from previous years we have raspberry and blackberry bushes.  When we were finished we had teeny tiny little plants in the garden.

Teeny Tiny!

I've spent the last two months checking and watering those plants and tonight I am pleased to say everything has done quite well.  The only problem we have had are pests.  Something has eaten my snow peas to the point that they are not going to produce anything and something stole three out of our four broccoli plants.  Everything else is beautiful.  We will be eating most of our veggies from the garden for the next few weeks.  We had yellow beans yesterday and when I looked tonight there are enough for us to have them again on the weekend.  The broccoli that didn't get stolen is just about ready to pick and I understand we will get a little more from it once it's cut.  The celery is almost ready to start using it and I've had several salads from our lettuce.  Last night I made a swiss chard and quinoa dish to take for lunch today.   I'm looking forward to all the wonderful tomatoes to ripen.  This year I am going to can some and have Adrian make some sauce that we can use all winter long.  Of course several tomatoes will have to be used to make toasted tomato sandwiches!!!!

Here's the broccoli now:)

 I'm very happy with my gardening adventures and have learned a lot for next year.  The broccoli leaves got quite large so I will have to give them a bit more room next year and I planted my tomatoes a little to close together.  I learned that beans do much better at the back of my yard as opposed to the side where I have planted them in the past.  Usually they don't get very big and they get burnt.  This year with more shade they have beautiful green leaves and loads of beans.  The rest I'm growing for the first year and they have grown perfectly.  I often joke that my grandpa lives in my backyard guiding me while I do these things.  I suppose if you think about it most of what I know about gardening comes from spending time with him in the summers so even though he is no longer with us his knowledge lives on:)

It's been an interesting couple of weeks around here!  Christina is not slowed down at all by her broken leg and is getting more and more adventurous by the day.  She has now decided that it's a good idea to walk on her cast despite the fact that it is not a walking cast and she has been told not to walk.  She was at the doctor yesterday for a referral to a local orthopedic surgeon and her doctor thinks she might be just about ready to have the cast off.  We see the orthopedic surgeon on Wednesday morning and hopefully will leave with a castless kid.  I will be so very happy to have her back on two legs again and to be able to give her a nice long bath! We've been doing sponge baths and washing her hair very carefully but she is three and it just isn't cutting it!

I am proud to say that I have increased my distance running and next weekend will be running a 5k with no worries about whether I can do it or not.  I'm so very frustrated with myself for letting my distance get so low.  A year ago I ran 21.1k!  I should be able to run that still but I got lazy.  Lesson learned and I will not be making that mistake again!

I have been eating lots of new foods.  Not a lot of new recipes but I try something new every chance I get. I have caved in the pop department but only a couple of times.

Two more weeks of work and then a vacation week.  I am so looking forward to the time off and the break from the routine.

Boy oh Boy!

Well life sure does have a way of getting interesting!  Last weekend Christina broke her leg again!  Yep that's right Again!  Almost two years ago she broke her right leg and now she has broken her left.  It is making for quite the interesting time.  When she broke it before she was much smaller and easier to get around.  She was also much more content to just sit and play or colour.  Now she is much more active and getting her to stay still is proving hard.  When it happened I envisioned a month much like last time where we would have dinner, hop in the stroller and head out for a nice long walk before it was bedtime.  This time we only have an umbrella stroller and she is very uncomfortable in it which means she does not want to be in it. I am on the hunt for a jogging stroller because they allow the kids to stretch their legs out a little more.  Hopefully if I find one nice and cheap she will be more content in it and we can get out more.

As for all of my goals things are going fairly well.  I have not made a whole lot of new recipes but have worked on more variety to what I am making.  This morning for example instead of just plain eggs we had an omelette made with mushrooms, green onion and peppers.   I added a tomato slice to it and it was fantastic! I have been a bit slack on the exercise because I had a really wicked allergy flair up and just didn't feel like doing anything.  I actually went to the doctor because I was so plugged up I thought I had an ear infection.  He assured me that I was okay and that it was simply a really bad year for allergies.  I started taking some allergy medication and have been getting a little better each day.

This coming week I am hoping to get up most mornings and either walk or run plus go for a walk each night. Only four weeks until the cast comes off and hopefully stays off!

A Great Month

I just realized that it's been a couple of weeks since I wrote last!  Things are going along quite well.  I am running a little bit longer each time, not much but a couple minutes here and there.  I didn't do a lot of running this past week because I have been fighting a cold or allergies that have left me pretty exhausted.  I still made it out a couple of days though and felt great.  I am looking forward to this week.  The weather is going to be perfect in the morning for running.

As for new recipes I missed making one last week because I didn't make dinner on Sunday.  This week I made something new but it wasn't really a recipe.  My youngest stepdaughter, Ashlee, is a vegetarian and we were having burgers yesterday.  She said a while ago that she had used a portabello mushroom to replace a burger so that was this weeks new thing.  I made her one on Saturday when the rest of us had sausage and yesterday Adrian made her one to replace the burger.  Adrian's turned out better because he marinated it longer.  I had a taste of it and it was delicious.  I can see me using them in the future for myself!

Overall it's been a good month.  I am back to a routine of exercising and now that the weather is good it's a lot easier to eat well too.  The market is starting to get more fresh, local fruits and veggies too.  There is nothing better than good local food.

It was a long weekend here in Canada and the weather was perfect.  We got the garden all planted and the pool is almost full.  Summer is right around the corner (although it feels like it's already here) and it's going to be  a great one!

The Terrible Things Running Has Done!

It's been two and a half years since I started running and it has done some terrible things to me!!!  Okay so not really but when I started I heard all the things that were bad about running.  You know the usual "you're going to kill your knees", "People die running marathons you know?" (people die from sitting on the couch eating chips too), "My uncles, friends, cousins, grandfather ran and now he needs a hip replacement".   I heard it all.  I ignored it all and chose to hear the people telling me all the good stuff.

Last summer I ran my first half marathon.  The training was hard, long and exhausting.  I completed that half marathon in 3:17 and lived to tell about it.  I lost three toenails which have just finally grown back to looking like nothing ever happened.  I was so proud of my accomplishment and still am.  What I didn't do is keep up my distance or frequency of running when that half marathon was over.  Now I am back to short distances but building that back up.  Wednesday morning was my best run in a very long time and it finally felt like I was going to be able to get back to longer distances.  While I was on the last 500m or so I started thinking about all the things that have changed since that first hellish 10 minute run that I thought was going to kill me.  I decided to share some of the reasons I fell in love with running as well as some of the things I have learned since becoming a runner!

1.  I have become a healthier mom and better example to my girls.
2.  I have learned that the sunshine is beautiful while it is coming up at 5:30am in the spring and equally as beautiful when it is setting at 5:30pm in the cold winter.
3.  I have learned that I will not freeze to death in subzero temperature, while snow is blowing horizontally at me.
4.  I have learned that it can feel hot during the coldest days of winter.
5.  I can now run across a parking lot in fancy shoes, during a rain storm, and not be out of breath when I get inside.
6.  Running has helped me find who I am and has been a silent friend when I needed to vent.  People say that running is better than a good therapist.
7.  Running has made me a more confident person who is more willing to speak up for the things I believe.
8.  I have learned that I am stronger and more determined than I ever thought.

I'm sure the list could go on forever but I'll leave it there.   What has running taught you?

Wonderful Weekends

The weather in Canada is nothing if not crazy.  It went from snowing a couple of weekends ago to summer like this weekend.  I much prefer warmer weather because we can be outside more.  This weekend I ran early Saturday morning and spent most of the afternoon at the park with the girls.  Today we went to the Y  for a workout and swimming lessons then spent the afternoon in the yard.  The girls played and put on circus shows while I weeded the gardens getting ready for our dirt delivery on Friday and planting next weekend.  Both nights after supper we have pulled the girls bikes out of the shed and worked on riding them.  Christina is still using training wheels so she's flying up and down the road.  Anna is learning to ride without training wheels and is very nervous so her riding consists of many, many trips up and down the driveway.  She gets better with every trip and will be zooming up the street soon too.  I have a feeling I might need to invest in bike soon.  Then we will be able to ride to the canal together and watch the boats.  For now we will walk down a couple of times a week.  

Still doing well meeting my goals too.  I caved and had a small amount of pop yesterday but felt guilty immediately and didn't finish it.  That is a win as far as I'm concerned because I used to be able to drink an entire can and not even realize it was gone.  I have exercised 6 times this week and a couple of days ran in the morning and walked the dog at night.  I got up at  6am every weekday except Friday and was out the door by 6:05am.  It's easier to get up and out the door when the sun is up.

This weeks recipe went over fairly well but wasn't a favourite.  I quite enjoyed it though which is a very good thing since there is lots left over.  It was Curried Red Lentil Dhal that I found online.  I bought a bag of red lentils and searched for a recipe.  This one sounded like it would taste like butter chicken which is one of Anna's most loved foods.  It was close but not quite the same and she had a hard time with the texture.  I also made chicken fajita's today using a new spice blend that we got at the grocery store.  It was Garlic Lime  Fajita's.   Quite tasty and one I will definitely pick up again.

This weeks goal is to increase my distance a little bit.  I would like to get back to consistently running 10k but have a bit of a way to go.

May Run Everyday Challenge

One of the groups I follow on Facebook put out a challenge to everyone to run at least one mile everyday in May.  They did one a couple of months ago but I wasn't running nearly enough at that point to sign up so I didn't.  This month I have taken it as the motivation I need to get back into routine.  The past two weeks have been awesome.  I have stuck to all my goals but I know that two weeks in the grand scheme of things is peanuts.  So I clicked accept and made my own alterations to the rules.  I plan to run my usual three runs but I am going to start walking our dog every day as well. I have always wanted to be able to take her running with me but she can't walk in a straight line and I can't run in a straight line which makes for some serious tripping.  So I thought this might be the opportunity to try that again and build up slowly.  So my plan is that I am going to run on my own the three days that I would normal run and on the other days I am going to bring her for a walk and run part of that.  I don't plan to time those shorter runs or measure the distance but I think it's a good way to see if the dog and I can be compatible running buddies and it keeps my motivation going.

The other thing that is exciting right now is that I have changed my run times to early morning.  It is beautiful out there at 6am right now and I love watching the world slowly wake up.  A lot of my runs are through residential areas so I get to see lots of other people out for walks and runs, I get to see bunnies hopping across lawns and hear birds chirping happily.  It is peaceful and wonderful.  Today I took my first trip to the canal path since they re-opened it.  It was closed for most of the winter for repairs.  The amount of people out there at 8 am is amazing!  I was a bit sad to see that in their repairs they have yet to replant all the trees and a lot of the grass is gone but hopefully they will get that done soon.  I also got to see two big boats going through which is always fun.  Wondering where they are heading, where they have come from and what they are hauling.

It's really, really spring in Canada now and I'm so excited!

Chicken Chili

This was my new recipe this week! It was something Christina had at daycare earlier in the week and loved so I thought I would try it too. Super delicious and super easy. It cooks in the slow cooker all day and at the end you cook some quinoa on the side and mix it together. I don't have a recipe to link to this post but it was just 3 chicken breasts, a can of tomatoes, can of kidney beans, can of black beans, can of corn and jar of salsa. Chicken goes in first then cover with all the rest. Cook for 6 hours on low then pull the chicken out and shred it. Put the chicken back, in stir and serve.

I managed to exercise 5 times with two of those being runs. It feels so much better to be out doing things again and feeling good.

On the weightloss front I lost 1.5lbs which is just over my goal for the week.

I have not had pop despite a trip to the movies last night. It has been offered several times but each time I chose water instead.

Overall it has been a good week. We are off to the gym tomorrow morning and then Adrian and I are going to see Guys and Dolls at The Shaw Festival:). Looking forward to another great week ahead!

A bit of an update!

Recovery from tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is on average two to three weeks for children and a month or more for adults.  Christina is 9 days post op and is almost 100% back to herself.  The main reason for this surgery was her giant tonsils.  She did not have recurrent infections.  In fact she has only had one throat infection and that was only three weeks before surgery.  Her tonsils were just so huge that she would snore so loud it could be heard in another room and they believed that she had sleep apnea.  The hoped outcome is that she will no longer snore and will sleep without any interruptions.  In the end this should improve her mood, behaviour and eating habits.  She fit the definition of sleep deprivation almost to the letter.  She had trouble focusing, mood changed at the drop of a hat and she never seemed full.  So now that we are well on the way to healing and sleeping better the truth will show.  Already I can see an improvement in her eating but that may just come from the fact that it still hurts to eat.  Her focus has been somewhat better and she is listening better.  She's still not sleeping perfectly because her throat drys out and hurts but another week should do it and we can start to really determine if her wildness is nature or sleep deprivation.  I don't want to see too much of a change in personality but with her starting school in a few months I need her to be able to focus better and listen better.

As for me I got up and ran this morning.  I went back and forth on what to do and decided running was less work than going to the gym.  It was a cold and ugly run with lots of walking but I did it and am damn proud of myself.  Two days ago it was over 30c and today it was -4c with the windchill.  My lungs don't like the cold but held up pretty well.  The problem I ran into was the wind.  I failed to look at that part of the weather when I checked the temperature.  It was a very strong wind that didn't let up and would almost stop me in my tracks when a gust would come up.  I walked alot of the part that was into the wind and used it for an extra push on the part that was with the wind.  I then decided to sprint the last 100m or so just for fun:)  I wanted to see how fast I could go!  I'm a turtle runner for the most part, slow and steady.  My average pace is around 9mins/km.  For that last 100m I ran 7:15mins/km!!!  I'm pretty proud of that and the fact that I didn't die when I stopped.  Tomorrow is swimming for the girls and I think Christina might be well enough to go back.  I think I would like to go early and work out before they swim:)

Here We Go Again:(

I'm so frustrated with myself yet again.  I have got to get my shit together and get this journey headed back in the right direction.  I have no more excuses!  I'm loading up on new recipes, cleaning out the fridge and cupboards and going grocery shopping.  I will get things under control.

On the good side of things I may have fallen off the wagon a little but the positive is that it's not so far off that I have gained a bunch of weight and feel totally horrible.  March was a terrible month full of stress and way to much happening.  As a result my recurrent stomach trouble flared up, and I mean bad!  The plus side of that was that when I went to the doctor he didn't just fluff it off like my old one would have.  He adjusted my medication to help calm the problem and ordered some tests to see what else might need to be done.  The stress ended and with the medication change this week things have felt pretty good.  Tomorrow I will test it all out with a run or early morning trip to the gym.  It's supposed to be cold and I'm feeling like a wimp so the gym is looking probable.  I have also decided that I am going to work with some personal goals and see how that works out for me.  Of course I'll share them here since it has always kept me accountable in the past.

1.  Try at least one new recipe a week.  If anyone has a good one they want to share or knows good blogs to check for recipes please pass them along!

2.  Stop drinking pop!!  I've always been a big pop drinker and I know it is terrible for me.  In the past I have tried cutting down or only having it on special occasions.  This time it just needs to go!

3.  Exercise no less than 4 days a week.  I would like to make it daily but with kids and other obligations I know that won't always be possible.

4.  Be happier just being me!  I have spent many years hiding the real me in certain situations and I think that is detrimental.  I have a totally different side that people who aren't close to me just don't get to see often.  I will let that side out because it's a fun and often hyper side!

5.  Lose 1lb per week.  It has taken me 35 years to reach the weight I am now and I have no disillusions that I will be able to lose it all in a couple of months.  It's just not possible.

So there we go.  Hopefully I can get back on the blogging wagon a bit too and keep things up to date.  I stopped posting because I started to feel like I was always posting the same story about how pathetic I was being.  No longer!!  It's all up from here!

Surgery #2

Christina had her tonsils and adenoids removed yesterday and it went very well!  She is behaving quite well today too.  I was worried because she is a very energetic child who does not sit still very well.  She also does not stop talking most days.  Today she isn't talking much at all and it sticking to the couch.  She's still her silly self but just in a calmer way.

Her surgery was done at the brand new hospital which was a little exciting and a little scary.  With any new place there are bugs to work out and things that come up that you just can't plan for.  Our day went very well though with only minor bumps along the way.  They have state of the art equipment and great ways to keep the family informed while someone is in the operating room.  Each patient is given a tracker number and there is a screen that tells you where they are during surgery.  This is fabulous as long as the person responsible for updating it at each step remembers to do so.  We missed talking to the doctor after her operation because we went to get coffee and when we came back the screen said she was just at the prepping stage.  We went across the hall to drink our coffee because you aren't allowed to have anything in the waiting room (infection control purposes).  Less than five minutes later we went in and found out that she was done and the doctor had been out but since we weren't there we didn't get to see him.  Fortunately everything went as planned an there was nothing to worry about.  The only other minor bump in the road came when she left recovery to go back up to the Childrens Daystay Unit.  I was with her in recovery but Adrian was out in the waiting room.  No one told him we were going up.  Again we were fortunate that we had been told about an hour in recovery then she would go up.  When an hour passed with no word he asked and found out we were gone.  It was only about five minutes after we had gone.

Overall our experience at the new hospital was great.  All of the staff and volunteers were wonderful to deal with and we left feeling we got the best possible care we could.  Every step of the way we were asked for feed back from the volunteer assigned to us and we gave lots.  The biggest issue right now is communication as far as I'm concerned.  Practices changed to make things more efficient but people need time to adjust to change and things are still new.  I'm proud that we live in an area with such a great new hospital and that they are forever improving the way things are done to best serve the patients.

March Madness

Last week was a week off school for most kids in Ontario. Usually I take the week off as well but wasn't able to this year. I decided way back in the summer that I wouldn't because I am part of an organizing committee for a small conference happening in a couple of weeks. I didn't know how busy things would be at this point and didn't think it appropriate to take time off so close to the event. I did however take Friday off to spend with the kids. We had the big kids for the week too. For months we have been trying to plan a day with our close friends and their little guy so we made Friday that day. We all headed out to see a small aquarium and then did some shopping. We met back at the friends house for dinner and catch up time. It was great to see them and to spend the day chatting with them. I miss my friend when we can't get together . She is a friend that I have known for many years and through many changes. It's always nice to just chat with her and know that I can totally be myself.

I have also done a lot if thinking about my health and my stress level this weekend. Work is out of control busy to the point that last week I didn't even eat a proper lunch most days. That was completely my lack of planning and preparation. I know this and know that I need to work on that. Work itself is not going to slow down anytime soon. My caseload is not going to get much smaller and with graduating students it could well get bigger. Once this conference is over it will free up time that I can then use to catch up on things I have let slide. I don't like feeling that things are being left undone because of time issues. I don't like leaving things for weeks without doing them and I don't like feeling like the people I support are not getting the absolute best service possible. In the end it will all go back to normal and in a few months I'll be complaining that I don't have enough to do because it's summer and everyone is away. For now though I will have to keep on going and make sure that I do the best I can. I need to make sure I am planning lunches that I do not have to heat and things that I can eat while driving from one meeting to the next. I will also stop making excuses for why I can't run or exercise after work. I know if I do it I will not be so tired and will be overall healthier and happier. My health depends on me getting things in order and my family depends on my health!

I'll leave you with this little guy! He is penguin who lives at the Aquarium of Niagara. He was caught in the wild and was born in 1978 which is the same year I was born. He was a rescue and they have taken very good care if him. I felt quite the connection with him, perhaps because of our mutual age. His name is William:)

Something new:)

Tonight was our first Thursday at the gym in a long time. The programs for the girls are better on Tuesday and Thursday so those will be our nights now. Tonight I decided to give Zumba a try for the first time. It was very hard but very fun! I am not the most coordinated person around so it took even more effort than I expected it too. However this will now be my new Thursday night workout. Today I ran 20 minutes before Zumba but from now on I will do my runs outside on Monday and Wednesday nights.

It's starting to get a little warmer and is staying light later. This will be good for my running which has been terrible lately. Between the cold air and the cold virus I've been fighting I haven't been able to run outside so much. It aggravates my asthma and makes it very hard to keep running. This weekend it is supposed to get quite warm so I will take advantage of that to get a good long run in. We'll have to wait and see how long that long run actually is when I try to do it.

Next week is March Break for the kids here. Unfortunately I have to work most of the week. I will enjoy the break in routine though!

Finally!

It seems the cold that has been hanging around my body has finally decided to move on.  I've had a couple of really good workouts in the last week and got a good run in on Monday.  It was actually a really great run.  I planned a shorter one because I didn't know how it would go and because I didn't have a lot of time.  I was shocked when I realized I was already half done and wished I had longer to go.  I don't think that has ever happened.  I am looking forward to my next run!  I'm also looking forward to the weekend getting here.  It can't get here fast enough at this point.  I'm on the planning committee for a conference happening at then end of March and while most of the hard work is done the stuff that's left and the worrying about how it will all work out is exhausting!  One month from tomorrow it will all be done though and just in time for a long weekend.

Enough Already!

For longer than I can remember (since shortly after Christmas I think) I've been fighting a silly cough. It didn't bother me and didn't stop me. Two weeks (maybe 3) ago I started with a very stuffy head. It started not too bad but the last week has been terrible. I haven't been to the gym or running in over two weeks and I am dying! I want nothing more than to lace up my shoes and hit the pavement. I had hoped I would be able to start running again this weekend but that didn't happen. Today I am finally starting to feel like I might live through this and run again! Monday is a holiday so maybe I'll try to get out then and see how far I can make it!

Yay for Snow Day!

Yesterday Ontario (among other places) was hit with a wonderful snow storm.  The local news said the last time we had this much snow fall in one day was 1984!!  I was 6 and vaguely remember that snow fall.  I remember banks being taller than me.  This time around the news is telling me that we had the most snowfall in Ontario, with the highest amount at 44cm in the south end of our city.  I live in the north end and we got around 30 cm.  That's a lot of snow!!!

I have a love hate relationship with snow.  It's so pretty and I actually enjoy running after a nice snowfall (once the roads are clear).  I hate driving in the snow!  This time around I am fighting some ugly virus that has left my head feeling twice it's normal size, my voice has decided to go into hiding and my chest is full of cotton balls.  No snowy run for me:(  I will however try to have a nap this morning so I can play outside with the kids this afternoon.

I took lots of pictures of the snow and thought I would share some with you!

This was mid-afternoon looking from the front door

This was evening looking from the same spot

The snow was almost as high as our dog!
She had to run to get through it:)

The girls beside the snow pile in our driveway!  Almost 3 feet tall!