Happy Boxing Day!

Christmas Day has come and gone but our biggest celebration is tonight. The big kids get here and my aunts and uncles are coming too. We'll have our big turkey dinner and just a fun relaxing night.

The other excitement is that we are supposed to get a snow storm! Since I don't have to work or drive any where I say bring it on! Last year we really didn't get much of a winter and I was happy with that but the kids like the snow and there are so many thing we can do.

I have stuck to my running plan so far. I didn't make it out on Monday but knew that was possible. I did get out this morning though. Man was it cold!! I cut things a bit shorter because the cold really bothers my asthma at times and today I was running right into the cold wind. It was still a good run though and about 20 minutes. Friday will probably be a snowy run but a good one! The beauty of running in the snow makes it so much more fun!

Time for Reflection

Another year is almost over and what a year it has been.  Lots of fun and exciting things have happened and I have been spending some time reflecting on those things.  Most of those things I have shared here already and hope that everyone has enjoyed reading them.  I kind of fell off the blogging wagon for a while but I'm going to work on getting back on track and hope to share more in the coming weeks.    Looking back at my first couple of posts from last year I can see how far I have come and how far I still need to go.  I felt like I hadn't lost any weight at all but have realized that I have lost 14lbs this year.  It's not much but when you look at the fact that I lost and didn't gain I'm happy with that.  Maybe my goal for this year can be to lose double that amount:)  Slow and steady wins the race right?

Running has been very sporadic since my half marathon in June.  I know that I just need to get out and do it and have created myself a plan to make things work.  Since I have almost two weeks off I am going to start by running every other day.  Yesterday was supposed to be day one but the wind was too scary so I went today instead.  That would put my next run on Christmas Day but that's just not going to work so I will run a short run again tomorrow then will resume the every other day.  My short, short term goal is to be able to run 8k on my birthday in 3 weeks.  It might be a stretch but considering I could run 21k just a few months ago I don't think it's too much of a stretch.  Now that I have put it out there I have to do it so I can report back!

So what about the world outside of running and weight loss??  Well we have had some family fun this year with camping and recently we stayed over night at a local hotel with a water park.  The kids are all getting older and growing up so fast.  In just over a month we will register Christina for school!!  It's so crazy that this September she'll be off to school with Anna.  Anna is doing so well with learning and handled the first of her surgeries like a trooper.  Meag has had a year of self discovery!  She started college and realized that she didn't really fit the program she was in.  She has made some changes to her schedule and will be doing something different at school in the next year.  It has been a year of personal growth for her and she is slowly starting to find herself.  Drew had a rough year at school but things seem to be turning around now.  He is also really finding who he is now and discovering what he likes and wants in life.  Ashlee has come to be a young woman instead of a girl.  She is becoming a real teenager complete with the boy band obsession that I remember all to well from my teenage days.

Over all it has been a wonderful year and I'm looking forward to the year to come.  

Merry Christmas Everyone!

It Snowed:)

It snowed yesterday so naturally I had to go for a run this morning! It's been a rough go since my half marathon 6 months ago. I blame it mostly on lost motivation but partly on the pain in my right leg. Either way I bought new jeans yesterday and they are a size smaller than my last ones which puts me that much closer to shopping in a regular store. That gives me motivation to go and boy am I glad I did! It felt great! It was cold and crisp and painful but the end result is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment! Tuesday is supposed to be warm and rainy! Sounds like another perfect day for a run:)

Surgery, new love and Christmas time!

I'm always amazed at the people who complain about wait times for medical care.  We have had many appointments with specialists for Anna and have never waited very long for anything.  When her heart murmur was first detected we waited no more than a couple of weeks for her first echo then less than a week for the second.  Then when they determined that it was indeed a defect we were referred to McMaster and didn't wait very long for that appointment either.  It was less than 2 months for sure because I was already a month pregnant with Christina when Anna's defect was originally diagnosed and was less than 3 months when we went to McMaster the first time.  Since then we have had regular appointments with no delays for extra tests.  When we first found her hernia we were told she would have to go to McMaster for that as well because of her heart.  I figured we would wait a few months to even see the surgeon but it was less than a month.  We were told at that appointment that it would be 6 to 9 months for surgery.  OK that's a pretty long wait but we were also told that if she had any complications or any issues we were to bring her to emergency and they would fix it right away.  Well we had no issues and we only waited maybe 4 months for surgery.  We went for pre-op just over a week ago with no surgery booked and less than a week later we were called to go for surgery.  So now only 4 months after our first appointment she has had the hernia repaired.  For a non-life threatening issue I'm happy with that kind of wait.  Now we only have to worry about the heart part again and that should be repaired in the next year or so too.  That will depend on how much she grows and how much her heart changes at the next visit.  

We also have some excitement in our house because Meag has found a new beau.  It's funny how things work and how when the right person comes along everything just falls into place.  Meag had been pretty stressed about life in general and all of a sudden everything has just worked out.  School was not going well. She didn't like the program she had chosen and was struggling with marks.  On the same day that she decided to switch programs and move forward she also met this new boy.  It happened by fluke really.  The family was going to Niagara Falls to stay overnight at a hotel and she had to take the bus to meet us there after school.  She doesn't know Niagara Falls and was saying to a friend that she was worried because she didn't know where she was going or where to get off the bus.  This guy overheard her and said he was going to the Falls and would help her.  The rest is history!  They have spent lots of time together since and she can't stop smiling.  This makes me happy!

Christmas is now only one month away and with two little girls in the house things are getting very exciting.   We get our tree this weekend and they are both now old enough to help with all the decorating.  I just love this time of year and all the time we get to spend with family enjoying each others company and just having fun.  I feel like this year I am looking forward to things even more than usual and can't wait for everything to be ready and the holidays to start!

Well Hello There:)

Wow it's been a while since I posted!!  I haven't forgotten about the blogging world but I just haven't had much to write.  Things are the same as last time I posted.  Still going to the gym and working out.  I haven't been running as much.  I'm blaming that mostly on a huge brain block where I felt like I had to run with the group or not at all.  In the last couple of weeks I've identified that as a problem now I just have to get out there and run.  I have to find my motivation again and I know that to do that I have to lace up the shoes and hit the pavement.  I know that the minute I step out the door and feel that wonderful rush of the fresh, late fall air I will remember what I love so much about running.  It's the getting out the door that has become the problem.  I know I can do it and will do it.  I just need to do it.  Tomorrow is a Y night but Thursday looks like a free and clear day so hopefully I can get my butt in gear and get out there.

Tonight would have been a running night but it was parent/teacher interview and I felt like coming home as a family and spending the night together was important.  I had no surprises at the interview.  Anna is doing fantastic at school and is, for lack of a better word, the teachers pet.  She is having no problems except for being a Chatty Cathy (I have NO idea where she gets that from lol).  I'm very proud of her and hope that she retains this love of school.  One of my favorite things is that she is a natural leader.  I have always known that but it's nice to hear that.  Her teacher said she is respectful to everyone, encourages her friends to do things and is always eager to work and help.  She is a rule follower but will also question things to understand better.  Her school work is always done when needed and she is right where she should be if not ahead of the game.

Anna has two surgeries coming up in the next year or so and one of my biggest worries was her missing too much school and falling behind.  Her teacher laid that worry to rest today when she said that Anna could miss an entire week of school and have no issues.  We go for pre-op for the first surgery next week.  I'm hoping that she has the actual surgery over the Christmas break so that she doesn't have to miss but if it lands during school time I won't worry so much now.

The teachers have all loved Anna so far.  She is a calm, happy child who focuses when she needs to and gets things done.  She is a rule follower and listens well.  Next year Christina starts school:)  Those teachers have no clue what they are in for next ;)

AWOL

I realized just now that I haven't posted anything in quite some time.  I don't really have a reason for this aside from the fact that I haven't been on the actual computer much lately.  Things continue to move forward.  I had a nasty cold over the last week and a bit but am much better now and returned to the gym today.  I've been eating well for the most part and continue to watch how much junk we are bringing into the house.  My knee is continuing to get better and with the week off from activity it was feeling really good.  It's tighter now but nothing that will slow me down.  It's almost Adryanna's birthday so this will be a busy week between work, programs at the Y and getting things ready for the party but it will all be worth it in the end!

I Love Fall!

Today as I drove back to the office from an appointment I passed through a very tree filled area.  The leaves were starting to change and absolutely beautiful.  I love this time of year.  Thanksgiving is this weekend and with it comes wonderful food, family and fun.  We'll spend part of this weekend at an annual craft show, part enjoying a lovely Turkey dinner and part just enjoying the great outdoors.  I love to run at this time of year too.  The air is fresh and full of comforting smells, the scenery is beautiful and it just feels great to be out there.  It's been a good week too.  My knee is getting better everyday and workouts are getting easier again.  I'm certain that I will be running totally pain free in the next couple of weeks.  I'll have to make sure to keep up my stretching so that I don't get tight and sore again but it's all worth it to be able to enjoy this, my favorite, season!