Sunday, October 9, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Planning ahead
During our outing to the Riverdale Art Walk this past weekend, I couldn't resist buying a couple of gorgeous little dresses for Viv. Normally I find the prices from independent vendors a little too steep for our budget, but these ones were both on sale for less than half-price!
They're not going to fit her for quite awhile, but she's going to be damn cute (and chic!) when they do!
They're not going to fit her for quite awhile, but she's going to be damn cute (and chic!) when they do!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
36 random things about me at 36
Happy birthday to me!
1. I’ve learned all the words to 6418* songs.
2. I’ve come to terms with the fact that long hair does not suit me. But it can't be too short, either.
3. I fulfilled my dream of being paid to sing onstage.
4. I had the good sense to realize that being paid to sing onstage was no longer my dream.
5. I fulfilled my dream of working on a fashion magazine.
6. I had the good sense to realize that I didn’t enjoy trying to keep up with the fashion magazine crowd. (Rarely wore the latest trend/had nice nails/liked after-hours events. The swag, however, was pretty awesome.)
7. I realized there are other magazines out there.
8. I recognize the value of weight training and actually quite enjoy it.
9. I’ve given up on finding high heels that don’t make me want to cut off my own feet after 30 minutes. (Not that I’ll never wear them! Just that I’ll likely complain to the Husband about them the entire time.)
10. I can own the fact that pineapple is my favourite pizza topping.
11. I’m totally proud to have a song on iTunes.
12. I’ve accepted that a well-fitting bra costs (a lot) more than $19.99 and can make more of a difference than a ten-pound weight loss. Also that I need a professional to help me find it.
13. I’m never going to be a great housekeeper or a handy person. That’s okay. I’ve got other things to do, anyway. (I can, however, tidy and organize like a mofo!)
14. I love the following feelings: putting warm boots on after skating or skiing, drinking cold water after having a mint, being enveloped in a hug by the Husband, and putting my cheek on Vivi’s warm head.
15. My biggest challenge in life is inertia. Momentum is my friend.
16. I love to cook and bake, but I need the roadmap of a recipe. Although I'm getting better at taking some detours.
17. I do best with schedules and routines. Sometimes I really suck at going with the flow. Obviously this is a bigger problem now that there is a child in the mix.
18. I would rather be up early than stay up late.
19. My chocolate chip cookies are the best.
20. I keep thinking I should make a bucket list and then cultivate a plan to cross some items off of it. (See #15.)
21. I used to force myself to finish every book I started and read every magazine from cover to cover. I’m over that now.
22. I am too easily swayed by other people’s opinions. Always have been. Still working on that.
23. I miss blogging regularly.
24. If there were parallel universes, I would also pursue the following careers: photographer, shop owner (stationary store/bakery), broadcast journalist, television producer, bon vivant.
25. I’d like to stop caring so much about the unchangeable “unattractive” (according to the media) parts of my body, such as having short, wide nail beds and translucent skin that shows every little vein and pore. How do I do that?
26. I love, love, love buying art. And since discovering Etsy and the million other awesome websites that sell original art, I can’t imagine ever purchasing art from a chain store again.
27. I’m currently suffering from my first true health issue that gets in the way of doing everything I want to do. It’s stupid foot pain that may or may not be plantar faciitis. Physio is helping, but I still limp first thing in the morning, wear ugly Crocs around the house, suffer after long walks and cannot even conceive of going for a run. This is a good reminder that I better take care of this body or things could go downhill very quickly.
28. Vivi inspires me to sing every day, multiple times, which I hadn’t done for many years. Feels good.
29. Every time we buy a lottery ticket, I really, truly think we’re going to win.
30. I have a couple famous-ish friends and plenty of famous-ish acquaintances. I have no shame about namedropping.
31. I don’t have the vision to turn other people’s garbage into my treasures. I wish I did.
32. Shopping for pants is incredibly hard on my self-esteem.
33. I’ve cultivated friendships that keep me happy, challenged and, most importantly, sane.
34. I found one of the good guys and tricked him into marrying me, buying a house with me and bringing me flowers now and then.
35. I gave birth to a cute kid. I hope she always likes me as much as I like her.
36. So far, every year has been better than the last. Bring on the next 36!
*This number could be a little high or could be grossly underestimated. I’ve never kept hard data, but turn on a car radio and I can probably sing along.
1. I’ve learned all the words to 6418* songs.
2. I’ve come to terms with the fact that long hair does not suit me. But it can't be too short, either.
3. I fulfilled my dream of being paid to sing onstage.
4. I had the good sense to realize that being paid to sing onstage was no longer my dream.
5. I fulfilled my dream of working on a fashion magazine.
6. I had the good sense to realize that I didn’t enjoy trying to keep up with the fashion magazine crowd. (Rarely wore the latest trend/had nice nails/liked after-hours events. The swag, however, was pretty awesome.)
7. I realized there are other magazines out there.
8. I recognize the value of weight training and actually quite enjoy it.
9. I’ve given up on finding high heels that don’t make me want to cut off my own feet after 30 minutes. (Not that I’ll never wear them! Just that I’ll likely complain to the Husband about them the entire time.)
10. I can own the fact that pineapple is my favourite pizza topping.
11. I’m totally proud to have a song on iTunes.
12. I’ve accepted that a well-fitting bra costs (a lot) more than $19.99 and can make more of a difference than a ten-pound weight loss. Also that I need a professional to help me find it.
13. I’m never going to be a great housekeeper or a handy person. That’s okay. I’ve got other things to do, anyway. (I can, however, tidy and organize like a mofo!)
14. I love the following feelings: putting warm boots on after skating or skiing, drinking cold water after having a mint, being enveloped in a hug by the Husband, and putting my cheek on Vivi’s warm head.
15. My biggest challenge in life is inertia. Momentum is my friend.
16. I love to cook and bake, but I need the roadmap of a recipe. Although I'm getting better at taking some detours.
17. I do best with schedules and routines. Sometimes I really suck at going with the flow. Obviously this is a bigger problem now that there is a child in the mix.
18. I would rather be up early than stay up late.
19. My chocolate chip cookies are the best.
20. I keep thinking I should make a bucket list and then cultivate a plan to cross some items off of it. (See #15.)
21. I used to force myself to finish every book I started and read every magazine from cover to cover. I’m over that now.
22. I am too easily swayed by other people’s opinions. Always have been. Still working on that.
23. I miss blogging regularly.
24. If there were parallel universes, I would also pursue the following careers: photographer, shop owner (stationary store/bakery), broadcast journalist, television producer, bon vivant.
25. I’d like to stop caring so much about the unchangeable “unattractive” (according to the media) parts of my body, such as having short, wide nail beds and translucent skin that shows every little vein and pore. How do I do that?
26. I love, love, love buying art. And since discovering Etsy and the million other awesome websites that sell original art, I can’t imagine ever purchasing art from a chain store again.
27. I’m currently suffering from my first true health issue that gets in the way of doing everything I want to do. It’s stupid foot pain that may or may not be plantar faciitis. Physio is helping, but I still limp first thing in the morning, wear ugly Crocs around the house, suffer after long walks and cannot even conceive of going for a run. This is a good reminder that I better take care of this body or things could go downhill very quickly.
28. Vivi inspires me to sing every day, multiple times, which I hadn’t done for many years. Feels good.
29. Every time we buy a lottery ticket, I really, truly think we’re going to win.
30. I have a couple famous-ish friends and plenty of famous-ish acquaintances. I have no shame about namedropping.
31. I don’t have the vision to turn other people’s garbage into my treasures. I wish I did.
32. Shopping for pants is incredibly hard on my self-esteem.
33. I’ve cultivated friendships that keep me happy, challenged and, most importantly, sane.
34. I found one of the good guys and tricked him into marrying me, buying a house with me and bringing me flowers now and then.
35. I gave birth to a cute kid. I hope she always likes me as much as I like her.
36. So far, every year has been better than the last. Bring on the next 36!
*This number could be a little high or could be grossly underestimated. I’ve never kept hard data, but turn on a car radio and I can probably sing along.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Pour less sugar on me
Um, hi.
Yes. I went missing there for a while. And yes, I totally fell off the wagon. I tried to run alongside it for awhile, with every intention of hopping back on as soon as possible. But I stopped for a minute. Probably to buy a cookie. And it took off without me.
As most of you know from my slightly bitter Facebook posts, we are in teething hell over here. It feels like it's been going on forever! Her top teeth (or side teeth or back teeth or ALL of her teeth) are giving my poor, sweet girl a really hard time. Which makes everything hard. And while I was soothing her with medication, cuddles and non-stop nursing, I soothed myself with treats.
And I don't know about you guys, but I'm an all-or-nothing kind of a girl. Either I am fully committed to eating well or I am making a beeline for the nearest pastry.
But then the ground shifted a little. (Under me, not Vivi's teeth, unfortunately.)
It started with the adult swim class that I took a few weeks ago. It was nine one-hour lessons spread over two weeks. Yes, I already had the swimming basics down pat, from my childhood lessons, but I've never known how to do very many different strokes or how to put my face in the water. I'd like to swim for fitness, so I figured this would give me the tools and the confidence to do so.
Well, about halfway through the lessons, while still indulging in many a sweet craving, I hopped on the scale and was down a couple of pounds.
Huh!
Then I had a little epiphany out of the blue. Imagine what would happen if I shelved the sweet tooth for a while? I had recently noticed how awful my beloved sugar was making me feel, both physically (headachy, lethargic) and mentally (moody, short-tempered). So what if I cut WAY back?
Well, it's been almost two weeks and I'm happy to report that the scale is currently at 166.5 lb. I've given up my nightly frozen yogurt (which has been my tradition for YEARS) for a smoothie, which is totally satisfying. (Finally bought an immersion blender and am currently having a bit of a love affair with it.) I'm still having treats here and there, rather than several times a day, and I'm not counting for now. Counting points was just one more thing on my currently long list of things to juggle.
Amazingly, I didn't feel any drastic withdrawal feelings and I'm not crazy with cravings at all.
We'll see how far this takes me!
More celebrity mom inspiration:
Yes. I went missing there for a while. And yes, I totally fell off the wagon. I tried to run alongside it for awhile, with every intention of hopping back on as soon as possible. But I stopped for a minute. Probably to buy a cookie. And it took off without me.
As most of you know from my slightly bitter Facebook posts, we are in teething hell over here. It feels like it's been going on forever! Her top teeth (or side teeth or back teeth or ALL of her teeth) are giving my poor, sweet girl a really hard time. Which makes everything hard. And while I was soothing her with medication, cuddles and non-stop nursing, I soothed myself with treats.
And I don't know about you guys, but I'm an all-or-nothing kind of a girl. Either I am fully committed to eating well or I am making a beeline for the nearest pastry.
But then the ground shifted a little. (Under me, not Vivi's teeth, unfortunately.)
It started with the adult swim class that I took a few weeks ago. It was nine one-hour lessons spread over two weeks. Yes, I already had the swimming basics down pat, from my childhood lessons, but I've never known how to do very many different strokes or how to put my face in the water. I'd like to swim for fitness, so I figured this would give me the tools and the confidence to do so.
Well, about halfway through the lessons, while still indulging in many a sweet craving, I hopped on the scale and was down a couple of pounds.
Huh!
Then I had a little epiphany out of the blue. Imagine what would happen if I shelved the sweet tooth for a while? I had recently noticed how awful my beloved sugar was making me feel, both physically (headachy, lethargic) and mentally (moody, short-tempered). So what if I cut WAY back?
Well, it's been almost two weeks and I'm happy to report that the scale is currently at 166.5 lb. I've given up my nightly frozen yogurt (which has been my tradition for YEARS) for a smoothie, which is totally satisfying. (Finally bought an immersion blender and am currently having a bit of a love affair with it.) I'm still having treats here and there, rather than several times a day, and I'm not counting for now. Counting points was just one more thing on my currently long list of things to juggle.
Amazingly, I didn't feel any drastic withdrawal feelings and I'm not crazy with cravings at all.
We'll see how far this takes me!
More celebrity mom inspiration:
Monday, July 25, 2011
Aaaaaand... we're back!
Okay, I know that hitting the reset button on a Monday morning is horribly cliché. But clichés exist for a reason. Monday seems like the perfect opportunity for a fresh start!
I made it to the gym this morning after a week off last week. Felt hard, but good.
The gym is having an interesting effect on me. You know how people who lose a lot of weight often say that they still think of themselves as heavy? Well, all the mirrors at the gym are reminding me of the extra weight I'm carrying! We only have a couple of mirrors actually hung in our house at this point (yes, still moving in) and the image of myself that I carry around with me is the pre-pregnancy one. So I am extra motivated to get moving.
Daily target: 32
Daily total: 36
Activity earned: 6
Flex points bank: 35
I made it to the gym this morning after a week off last week. Felt hard, but good.
The gym is having an interesting effect on me. You know how people who lose a lot of weight often say that they still think of themselves as heavy? Well, all the mirrors at the gym are reminding me of the extra weight I'm carrying! We only have a couple of mirrors actually hung in our house at this point (yes, still moving in) and the image of myself that I carry around with me is the pre-pregnancy one. So I am extra motivated to get moving.
Daily target: 32
Daily total: 36
Activity earned: 6
Flex points bank: 35
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Wee break
Okay, I know I'm only two weeks in and I don't want to lose my momentum, but I'm putting the plan on the back burner. Just for a couple of days. I've got a bit of a perfect storm happening, with a cranky teething child who won't nap, helping my bestie out with childcare for her kids, and, well, woman troubles. If you catch my drift.
I know lots and lots and LOTS of women deal with much more difficult situations than I'm experiencing. They are awesome. I am just tired.
And sometimes fatigue requires a piece of chocolate chip banana bread.
I know lots and lots and LOTS of women deal with much more difficult situations than I'm experiencing. They are awesome. I am just tired.
And sometimes fatigue requires a piece of chocolate chip banana bread.
Two weeks down
Okay, no time for a proper post! More soon.
Sunday
Daily target: 32
Daily total: 39
Flex points bank: 22
Monday
Daily target: 32
Daily total: ?? (Yes, I got sort of lax.)
Second week weigh-in: 170
DOWN 1.5 lbs
Total loss: 4 lbs!
Sunday
Daily target: 32
Daily total: 39
Flex points bank: 22
Monday
Daily target: 32
Daily total: ?? (Yes, I got sort of lax.)
Second week weigh-in: 170
DOWN 1.5 lbs
Total loss: 4 lbs!
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