Sunshine!

Today we went to the Bruce Power Children's Christmas Party.  The kids got to see Santa for the first time this year and ask him for something special.  They also recieved their first Christmas gift!!

Kathryn got a Bear Sled, Patrick got a Crayola doodle set, and Willy got a set of 6 bug-cars.  All of the kids were happy with their gifts.  We also enjoyed some snacks - cookies, milk, coffee, fruit and juice - before heading home.

Our time slot was right before lunch, so we picked up McDonalds as a treat on the way home.  Willy fell asleep in the van and went straight to bed.

The kids had fun making shapes with their nuggets and fries and I took this picture:

First snowman of the season

Shaun took the big kids out to play and build a snowman.  They'd been asking to build one since the first few flakes fell and hit the ground.  Fortunately it  was packing snow!

Hopefully the first of many this year.

Deb's Journey, December Update

About mid-November I was frustrated by the scale.  It became stuck and then rose during 1 week despite my strict adherance to my eating plan and exercise plan.... and it wasn't even a "hormone week".  I was feeling overwhelmed and quite frankly just run down.  So I decided to take a few days off... which ended up turning into a lot more than a few... to the point where I actually did NOT want to get on the scale because I thought I would have re-gained quite a bit.

I was still eating well, but there was junk... and there was no tracking of calories/foods which always means overeating.  And I was not getting up to exercise.... I was definetly feeling in a downward spiral.

I got my drive back but was still feeling run down.  I set my alarm to get up and get at it but I always hit snooze... several times... because I was just exhausted!  During the day I was run down and sleepy.... and I ended up with headaches a lot.  I think I had a virus and I really did need to give myself a break.

This morning, on a whim actually, I was feeling pretty chipper and decided I could handle whatever the number on the scale was without getting to angry with myself and to my utter shock and surprise I have lost more weight.  Despite the pizza and bits of chocolate.  Wow. 

I know I've lost some tone around my belly - I feel fluffy - and I know I need to get back to my program and tone up.  But I'm super-duper pleased.  I have now lost exactly 20 lbs - which was my Christmas goal. I would like to lose a couple more before Christmas so I have some wiggle room with Christmas treats. 

if nothing else, seeing that number on the scale has given me motivation to get back to tracking my calories and eating well.  It was exactly what I needed.

And I have also learned that I can give myself a break.  Its not an "all or nothing" thing - this is supposed to be life-changing and needs to be something I can continue for a long time. 

I think I'll aim to get up 4-5 days a week and let myself have the other 2-3 to 'sleep in'. I think this will help me not to get back to the place where I feel run down again.  Sleep is important too!

I also need to remember its not an all-or-nothing thing.  Despite not getting up to exercise I can still track my foods and eat correctly.  I tend to see a day where I hit snooze as a write-off and then I fall right off the wagon.

So, my goal for the rest of December is to eat properly and exercise 4-5x a week.  See you in Jan!

Professional pics - sneek preview!!!!

More Randomness

Patrick and Kathryn had their check up with the dentist this morning.  Both were EXCELLENT!  I wanted to snap a picture of Patrick as well but was distracted with Willy... next time!

Kathryn has a small cavity to be fixed on Friday and Patrick will be getting sealant on his adult molars next week.

This is another reason why mommy should never, ever, ever consider going pee while the baby is awake and unattended by another adult.

I will take him with me from now on!

Our trip to Woodbine Center

I had a wonderful opportunity to take the kids to visit my parents in Orangeville while Shaun enjoyed a guy's weekend here.  I decided to pull them out of school early on Thursday and skip Friday so we could have extra time with my parents.

On Friday we took the kids to Woodbine Center's Fantasy Fair in Etobicoke.  I hadn't been there in years and I thought it would be something different and fun to do.  Also, going on a Friday I hoped it would be fairly quiet.

We arrived right when it opened at 11.  We purchased wrist bands and then had  a blast on the rides.

I think we rode the carosel first - no pictures though.

Then I took W on the Ferris Wheel while the kids were playing in the playground.



Waiting in "line".  It wasn't busy at all.

He was OK the first 2 times around, but the 3rd he was ready to be DONE

Riding the ferris wheel with Mommy

View of the indoor playground where P&K were playing

 After that, I Dad and I took the big kids on the ferris wheel while Mom walked W around in the stroller

K on the ferris wheel with me

Dad and Patrick on the ferris wheel too!

 After this my memory is blurry.  I took K on some rides that P wasn't interested in, Dad took P on some rides K wasn't interested in and W got a few rides on the carosel and train with various people.  All in all, lots of rides happened and the kids had fun!  And here are some pictures of our fun!

Riding the train - W's favourite ride.

Riding the train with me

In the indoor playground - toddler area

Kids on the airplane ride

P in the bumper cars with Grandpa

K on the bumpercars with Grandpa

K in a bumper boat

P in a bumper boat

Bumper boats

K in the pirate ship.

We had an awesome day and are looking forward to going again next year!!

Patrick's Artwork

There were approximately 10 Million bits of paper in Patrick's mail bag yesterday (just my personal estimation), but among them were some pretty nifty pieces of artwork/deskwork.  Here are a couple we found particularly amusing (click to enlarge):

I love how all I do is "cook". 

Random Shots

was using my iphone camera today for some random family shots.

Mr. Nose Picker.  Its just not right unless he's got his finger burried to the first or second joint....

Snuggles!

Lunch-time

Kathryn loves little thing.  Of late, she's really enjoying playing with the little animals.  A lady on the Super Swap was selling a lot of the fisher price animals - ones we didn't have - so I picked it up for K.  On Tuesday, I gave it to her just before lunch and she spent the entire afternoon playing with them, making families for them, and creating elabourite stories.

They joined us for lunch too:

Birds

On our way home after a birthday party, Kathryn and I got to watch hundreds and hundreds of Canada geese take off from a field and fly towards the lake, right over our van!  It was so amazing I had to stop and try and get a picture. The birds were pretty spread out, spanning at least a KM, so the picture does not do it justice.  I opened the door so K could hear all the honking! Itwas was pretty spectacular.

In the distance, you can see lots of little dots - they are all geese.  Click on the picture to maximize it for best effect.

Sleep

I was certain Willy was tired so I tried to put him to nap.  He refused.  Kathryn was playing with her friend in the basement and my parents called so I put on a DVD for  Mr. Whiney and had a great chat in the kitchen.  When I checked on him, this is what I found:

Awww. 

Couch potato

Willy's TV watching position:

Remembering 2003

Its our 8th Anniversary today and I was feeling quite nostalgic so I thought I'd post some memories!

I had to take pictures of the pictures in my scrapbook as our wedding was not digital.  

8 happy, crazy years!  Love you, Shaun, and would marry you again in a heartbeat!  XOXO

Hats

Gramma Noot has been busy knitting hats for PK&W. 

I took this picture of W in his new hat one afternoon while waiting for Patrick at the school.  Doesn't he look cosy and warm??

Deb's Journey, November Update

Hello Fall!
As I hoped and anticipated, my desire and drive finally kicked into high gear just before Thanksgiving.  Although I had made some changes in the way I ate, it really wasn't making a difference overall.  Although I was making better choices and eating more fruits/veggies, I was also still eating a lot of crap that I should not have.  I decided to really kick it into high gear after Thanksgiving. 

I know myself, and I know that for me to be able to reduce my weight I need to exercise daily.   I had considered doing workouts in the afternoon during William's nap, but he's still napping at weird, inconsistent times so that hadn't panned out.   I considered a morning work out but Willy is often up by 5:30 and I had been waiting for him to consistently sleep later... which felt like it was never going to happen! Despite that, I decided I would get up and aim to be getting out of the shower when Shaun was leaving for work.  This way, if Willy got up when I was exercising, Shaun could put a movie on for him and give him his milk and I would be there to take over when he left. 

Shaun typically leaves the house at 5:50, so I decided to try 4:45 and see if that was enough time.  It is!  I aim to do an aerobics workout video 3-4 mornings, a strength training video 2 mornings, and on Sunday I enjoy some exercise games on the Wii fit for half an hour.  I also aim to sleep in on Sundays although with my internal clock set so early I've been getting up around the same time anyway.

I also started to track my food intake with a program on the itouch called "loseit" which is very helpful.  I also dug out my food scale which I'm using to weigh meat since all nutritional information seems to be calculated this way.  On top of calories, I'm tracking fat, fiber and sodium and attempting to keep them resaonable.  Fat fell into line easily and choosing higher fiber seems easy to me. Sodium is causing me issues - I love salt and salty foods!  Women should aim to have 1500 mg or less a day, with a maximum of 2500 a day.  I am rarely under 2000, unfortunately.  Its tricky, but it gives me something else to consider when I am choosing my meals for the day.  Besides, I figure less salt in my diet = less water retention = a lower number on the scale.

I started the morning after Thanksgiving and today my total loss was 13 lbs.  I am very happy about this!  I've also lost a bit of inches.  I am keeping track of 4 body areas.  My clothes are feeling much looser and random people have started to notice, which is nice.

My goal is to lose a total of 20 by Christmas.  Since that's only 7 lbs away I feel it is definetly doable.  I hope to maintain after the 20 lost, thru the Christmas season and then aim for another 20 by spring 2012.  I'm planing to join the Walk/Run club in the spring to add new interest to my fitness plan.

I've invested in a few new DVD workouts as well.  Its nice to have new workouts and I do remember reading somewhere that you should vary your workouts by times because you burn more calories learning a new routine and challenging your muscles in a different way.  It also gives me something to look forward to in the morning, and the challenge of conquering something is motivating.  Its also nice to have workouts I know by heart on days when I don't want to feel challenged and just want to get it done and get in the shower.

So what are my goals for this coming month?  To stay motivated and keep on track.  December will be here before you know it!

Monopoly Jr.

The big kids are getting more and more into games.  Patrick is a huge fan of battleship and plays chess with my Dad.  Kathryn likes Candyland, Mickey Mouse Yahtzee and memory. Both kids like Guess Who and others.

Monopoly Jr ..... they like the idea of it but they just don't have the attention span!  But we do give it a try when they ask.  I find its kind of like playing for all 3 people!  

But we're building skills that they will need for future 'big kid' games - like more complicated rules to remember, more pieces, and of course turn taking and the ultimate 'you can't always win'.  For me, its a game of patience and preserverance!

Happy Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween from our house to yours!



Little Eeyore, Princess Peach and Mario ready to go!

With Patrick's Jack-O-Lantern

With Kathryn's Jack-O-Lantern

Actually sitting still!  Our Eeyore is very busy!

For the first time, we both took the kids out to trick-or-treat, so we left a note and the candy on the portch and were happy to see some was still left when we returned.

We took the usual route over to Grandma and Grampy's house and back along another street.  The kids got a TON of treats (and a couple of 'tricks' too!).  We were out for about an hour and a half and by the end Patrick was really dragging his feet and Willy was definetly 'done'. 

After they changed into jammies, they sorted their treats and we checked them.  Daddy made out with a big bag of his own - the kids' rejects.  I'm sure we'll be eating it way past Christmas again this year.