Photo day

We had kind of a lazy day today. One of those stay in your pajamas until 11am kind of days and it was great! We did take a few photos, Chris worked on some fencing and I had a puppy person come for a visit so it wasn't a complete right off, but it sure is nice to just relax on occasion. Here are some of the pictures we took:

My favourite line of facial products

You might be surprised to see that my favourite facial line is a drugstore brand, not a professional line. There are a few different professional lines that I like but let me tell you, Olay Regenerist works just as well and costs a lot less. It is definitely on the high end price point of a drugstore brand but much cheaper than a professional product. I have four different products from this line and have been using it for about a month now and I can really notice a difference. I have the detoxifying pore scrub for cleansing, it has little beads in it for scrubbing, but as a scrub it isn't that effective in that respect. What I do like about it as that it doesn't dry my skin out and it removes my make up, that is all I ask of a cleanser. Next I have the daily treatment thermal mini peel, it has glycolic acid in it and warms up when you put it on your face. This treatment is amazing! Skin feels so soft and smooth afterwards and I have noticed a difference in pore size, this is probably my favourite of the four products I have. Coming in a close second to favourite would be the regenerating serum. Again, amazing...skin feels so smooth as soon as you put it on. You can use it as a light moisturizer during the day and it also makes a great under make up primer, love this stuff! And last but not least I have the micro sculpting cream. This is a very nice moisturizer, and I use it as a night cream. While this product isn't super heavy I generally prefer something very light during the day and I find it just a bit much for daytime wear.

Overall, I am a huge fan of the Regenerist line and would highly recommend it(no I don't work for Olay..haha).

I also thought I would do a quick book review. I just finished reading Before I Go To Sleep , which turned out to be quite a good book. Here is the synopsis:

"Christine wakes up every morning in an unfamiliar bed with an unfamiliar man.

She looks in the mirror and sees an unfamiliar, middle-aged face. And every morning, the man she has woken up with must explain that he is Ben, he is her husband, she is forty-seven years old, and a terrible accident two decades earlier decimated her ability to form new memories.

But it?s the phone call from a Dr. Nash, a neurologist who claims to be working with Christine without her husband?s knowledge, that directs her to her journal, hidden in the back of her closet. For the past few weeks, Christine has been recording her daily activities -- tearful mornings with Ben, sessions with Dr. Nash, flashes of scenes from her former life -- and rereading past entries, relearning the facts of her life as retold by the husband she is completely dependent upon. As the entries build up, Christine asks many questions. What was life like before the accident? Why did she and Ben never have a child? What has happened to Christine?s best friend? And what exactly was the horrific accident that caused such a profound loss of memory?

Every day, Christine must begin again the reconstruction of her past. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more unbelievable it seems."

It was a nerve jangling thriller end and it got me hopped up enough that I had a hard time falling asleep right away after finishing it. I would probably give it a seven out of ten.

I didn't get a chance to get on the treadmill today, just got too busy, but I did get on last night and put in a 5km run. When I weighed myself this morning I was down 4lbs which was a nice treat. :)

Ok, that's it for me, I'm off to bed. Goodnight!

Hairstyles and laundry days

I tried a little something different with my hair today. These pictures were taken when Ella got home from school so the waves are looking a little flatter than they did this morning but it was super easy to do and I like how it turned out. Just a simple twist gathering hair in the front and then just twisting all the way to the end and securing with an elastic(I need to find some clear or brown ones...this yellow one was from Ella. :P ).

This is the gorgeous weather I woke up to this morning. I took this picture at about 7:30 this morning and right now it is dumping rain outside. The sun was just a tease! I can't wait for summer.
I was finishing yesterday's laundry this morning, and Marshall wanted to share with you how his mother dresses him on laundry days. Ella's old pink tights work great as pj's in a pinch...haha.
This is just a quick one, just heading out the door to gymnastics! More later tonight, I want to talk about face products and the book I finished reading.

Ciao!

Two days in one

I ended up getting home too late last night to write a post so I'm going to do yesterday and today in one.

Tried out a fun side braid yesterday. I tried doing the reverse or dutch braid but it's really hard for me to do it behind my head so I went for a french instead.

I am VERY happy to report that the van did NOT have a dead fuel pump and that it was indeed the fuel filter. What a relief, as well as way less money. We replaced the fuel pump on this same van just a couple of years ago and I know just how expensive it is.

As soon as Chris got home from work last night we drove into Victoria to pick the van up as well as return our rental car. Rather than go all the way back to the airport we were able to return the car to a rental in downtown Victoria which turned into the perfect excuse to go to one of my favourite restaurants, Cafe Mexico! More info here: Cafe Mexico

Ella having fun outside the restaurant with the statue of Michael Williams.

Heading into the restaurant.....

I couldn't get Marshall to look up from colouring to have his picture taken.

Not a problem with Ella though. ;)
The decor in this place is very Mexican and fun.

I know the food pictures aren't great but the restaurant was starting to get dark and these pictures were taken with my iPhone. I had the pulled beef soft tacos, and it came with mexican rice and refried beans. I didn't think the tortilla itself was all that great(filling was good though) but the rest of the food was yummy!
Dessert(which was shared by all four of us) was deep fried ice cream with chocolate sauce.

It ended up being kind of a late night for the kiddies but Marshall had a big long nap just before we left and took everything very well. Neither one even fell asleep on the van ride home which surprised me. It may have thrown Marshall off in the end though because he was back to his waking up in the middle of the night shenanigans again last night. :S

This morning was another round of getting kiddies up, fed and Ella off to school before coming back to do dog chores, clean the house and attack the mountain of laundry that was waiting for me(which I get to fold tonight while I "relax" ;) ).

At about 10:30 my friend Cherie stopped by so I could take her for her yearly eye appt. Because she gets drops in her eyes that make it difficult for her to see she isn't supposed to drive so I was happy to help out. While she had her appt I ran errands such as going to the bank, grabbing the free Tim Horton's coffee that Chris won on "roll up the rim", grocery shopping as well as a quick trip to Wal Mart. While picking up the things on my list I found this great Thermos brand travel mug in a purple colour that I love, it was marked down to $7, a great deal!
Once I was done running errands I picked Cherie up and then we went back to my house for lunch, tea and a catch up chat. After that I went and picked up Ella, home to flip laundry and quick snack for the kiddies and back out the door for swimming lessons.

Chris is away overnight for work tonight so dinner was a simple affair of rotisserie chicken sandwiches, salad and corn on the cob(I decided to pretend it was summer in the hopes that the weather would follow suit....so far not happening...). Dinner was a big hit for Marshall for once(that boy can be so picky) and he ate a ton.
Now the kids are bathed and once they are in bed I am hoping to get a run in on the treadmill as I haven't been on there since Saturday(although I'm eating like I run a marathon everyday :S).

After that it will be dog chores again, laundry folding, shower and I'm hoping to finish the book I've been reading called: "Before I Go To Sleep". I'll give you my review as soon as I'm done.

Sleep well friends! :)

A very eventful Sunday

Yesterday was another gloriously sunny day for our fun family day and I was so thankful. We decided to get out of town and headed to Victoria to take the kids to Cadboro bay to play at the park that Chris used to play at as a kid. His grandparents lived in the Uplands area of Victoria which is close to Cadboro bay and when he would stay with them they would often make trips to the beach. The beach itself is fantastic, big and open with lovely sand(no rocks!). The park itself could use a little love, but it was busy with kids and parents enjoying the sunny weather. I didn't get any pictures because my camera battery was dead and I left my phone in the van. Once the kiddies had played their little hearts out and Marshall was getting a little tired we decided to head to the new Uptown mall to check out the recently opened Noodle Box. Both Chris and I had been wanting to check it out, and the menu looked very yummy.

The layout was fun and modern with a nice selection of food. Chris and I both ordered the combination thai chow mein box to go and I ordered the kids chicken and vegetable box for Ella to try out. The combination box has chicken, pork and prawns in it and is $11.75. If we had ordered only one kind of meat it would have been $9.75. The kids box is made with a light soy sauce and was a hit with Ella for $6.75. Chris also had some chicken wings which is said were just ok. We all loved the boxes though and when I first saw them I thought it didn't seem like that much food for the price but let me tell you those boxes are packed full of food! Chris had his spicy which he said they got just right and I had mine mild as I'm not really into heat. I would definitely go back. My biggest drawback of all was how long it took to get the food, half an hour! Don't go there if you are in any kind of rush.
Once we had our late lunch we made a quick trip to Costco where I picked up a couple of things we needed as well as the book Wheat Belly which I am looking forward to reading. I will let you know what I think when I'm done.

We had just left Costco to head home when the day started going downhill.....our van just suddenly died right before we reached the Malahat(thank goodness!). We could restart it, but then it would just die again. After checking all the fluids etc...we managed to limp it through a construction zone and over to an automotive place where a couple guys were still hanging out after closing. They confirmed what we were suspecting.....the fuel pump.....ugh. We are an hour from home with two little kids on a Sunday when everything is closed. We decided we needed to rent a car because this could take a few days so we called a cab to take us there. After calling around I found the only open rental place was at the airport! It ended being an $80(!!) cab ride to get there. The rental fees for the vehicle were very high thanks to a 25% tax but at least we finally had a vehicle, a brand new(400km) Subaru Outback. We got home to some very grateful to get outside dogs and after putting the kids to bed Chris and I enjoyed an alcoholic beverage. What a day....
Ella is back to school today(woke up crazy early this morning with excitement) and I just got a call from the automotive place saying that it looks like it might just be the fuel FILTER, not the pump..keep your fingers crossed!!

Sun, sun, glorious sun!

Well, I'm so happy to say that Marshall made it through the night last night, and look at how happy he is. ;) He did wake up just as Chris and I were going to bed, but was easy enough to get back to sleep and then slept all the way to 8:30 this morning. I was so happy! Chris and I were so tired that we both fell asleep with our bed side lamps on and books on our chests. Chris woke up at 2am and realized what happened and managed to rouse himself just enough to turn the lights out. Yes people, babies are where wrinkles and grey hairs come from, it's the lack of sleep that ages you!

When I woke up at 8:30(only minutes before Marshall) I thought it was much later because the sun was coming through my bedroom window so brilliantly. I must admit I almost didn't recognize the bright yellow light, but once I had a few minutes to orient myself I was thrilled to see it. It lasted all day and the the kids and I(and Chris) were able to get our much needed dose of vitamin D.

I managed to get in a good run on the treadmill this morning, putting in 5km in 35 minutes. Not super fast but I am getting better and that included my three minute speed walk warm up. I am also struggling with a shin splint which makes me start off with a bit of a limp run but once I have put a few minutes in it seems to numb and then I can run normally. I wonder if 5km cancels out last nights pizza dinner and the cheezies snack I had just before writing this entry......? Yeah, I didn't think so.... Must work in more salads...

When babies don't sleep....

Rocking my new BIC Band. :)

Marshall has not been excelling in the sleeping through the night category lately. He initially took much longer than Ella to sleep through the night...MUCH longer. With the move to this house in September he seemed to come leaps and bounds, and boy was it appreciated around here. No more switching off nights for Chris and I to get up, sit with him for half an hour, give him a little snack etc... then back to bed. It's hard having your nights sleep disturbed for so many nights(months!) in a row, almost like he didn't get beyond the little baby stage(or he was seriously pulling the wool over our eyes and just felt like watching the boob tube at 3am.....hmmm....). Anyway, he has been sleeping so well for the last few months that the last three or fours nights have been quite surprising(and tiring...yay Tetley Perk!). I'm hoping that tonight brings a good seven hours, we'll see....

I started sending puppies home today, with the first going this morning, and the second this afternoon, and more will go over the weekend. It is bittersweet to say good bye, this litter took a good deal more work than the average litter and was very physically and emotionally draining. It is sad to say good bye because they are such sweet little things and this litter was bottle fed so I spent many hours with them, but I won't be sad to say good bye to all the poop and play barking. It does make it much easier when you know they are going to the best of homes.

Kiddies are finally in bed, and I think after dog chores are done a nice glass of wine might be in order.....yep, that sounds just about right. ;)

BIC Bands and visiting friends and family

I had a wonderful visit with my friend Lee yesterday. Lee and I seem to go through these big chunks of time where we don't see each other hardly at all but then when we visit again we always pick right up where we left off. It's just so easy. Why do we let it go so long when we always have fun together?? Seems so silly.

Today the kiddies and I packed up and made a day trip to Black Creek to visit my sister in law Mandy and the kids. It was so much fun and Mandy is always the perfect hostess(delicious soup today girl!). Every time I go up there I always wish we saw more of each other(are you sensing a theme here??). It's so important to make time to visit friends and family. Life gets so busy and it often just gets put off...before you know it weeks or months have passed and you haven't seen anyone. It's important to make the effort.

When I arrived home today and picked up the mail I found that my new BIC Bands had arrived! Apparently these band do NOT move. People run marathons in them and rave about how wonderful they are. I have bought countless bands that have ended up in the trash because they are totally useless...slipping back on my head within minutes of putting them on, and I wouldn't dream of working out in them. Ella and I have been wearing these new BIC Bands since we got home and we have been giving them all kinds of tests(jumping up and down and whipping our heads around) and it's completely true! These babies don't move! I love them! Here's the link to check out their website: BIC Bands . Another added bonus of buying these bands?? They donate a portion of their sales to a different charity every month. I got two different bands to try out, a mini black glitter and a skinny gunmetal glitter. There are TONS of different designs so I'm quite sure I will be ordering more. :)

Only three days left and my little Ella goes back to school. I sure have been enjoying having her home, I'll miss her little face around here during the day. Making plans for a little family fun day on Sunday!

Have you heard Taylor Swifts new song called Ours? I'm really diggin' it:Taylor Swift - Ours Lyrics (full) - YouTube

A weird weather day

I fell asleep last night to rain dumping down in buckets and pretty much woke up to the same thing again this morning and then the weather did what they always joke about in BC....changed pretty much every five minutes. From pouring rain, to brilliant sun, to overcast and even a 30 second snowfall. Now it's overcast again. I had a quick look at the weather report and it's calling for thunder and lighting tonight and then the sun is supposed to arrive. Apparently a gorgeous weekend coming up with temps in the double digits. I can hope. :)

I had a great catch up chat with my friend Lee this morning and I'm hugely looking forward to our visit tomorrow, it's been way too long! Lee and I originally met when I was working at a day spa and she came in for a pedicure, we've been friends ever since, even had our babies at the same time.

And speaking of babies....apparently mine wants to be a doctor. This is what she put on her door, isn't it adorable? When I asked her if she wanted to be a doctor she said "yes, just like Dr Seuss", ah yes, that makes much more sense. I sure love her. :)

If you are in the market for some new jeans than be sure to check out Warehouse One right now. They are having a buy one, get one half off sale and I really like the styles they have. The service here was spectacular, a great relief after the Sport Chek incident. :S Belts are also buy one, get one half off and shirts are buy two and get 25% off. If I had more time I would have looked a little more but I am always on a time crunch shopping with Marshall. That kid does not like to shop. Thank goodness for iPhones and YouTube or I may never get to go anywhere. I did come home with two pairs of jeans though which is why I went there to begin with.

Once we got home I fed the kiddies some lunch and put Marshall to bed and put in 4kms on the treadmill. I started out doing the fastest power walk I could do on a number 5 incline until the backs of my legs were burning, then I put it back down to flat and started running sprints. I really worked my lungs with todays workout, a good test of trying to control my breathing. By the end of each sprint I needed the one minute power walk to catch my breath. I did a few minutes of easy running at the end and finished feeling like I got a good workout in even though it was only 4km. I rehydrated with a huge glass of water in my Starbucks cup(this cup is very popular with my kids...there is just something about drinking out of a straw I think), and sat down to write this entry.
I can't believe it's already after five, where does the day go?? Time to make turkey spaghetti(ground turkey breast is so cheap at Costco, how did I not know this before??? It's half the price that it is at Thrifty's!)for dinner, and if it stops snow raining(ugh) than I will get to cleaning out that darn van too!

In the meantime I'll leave you with my new favourite running song: Tiësto vs. Diplo ft. Busta Rhymes - C'mon (Catch 'Em By Surprise) - YouTube

See you tomorrow!

I think there's a homeless person living in my van

I can't believe how much stuff a family of four can get in to a vehicle and leave there! We have been doing a bit of driving lately so that means packing snacks, diaper bags, stopping for coffee, grabbing the mail on the way by the mailbox etc....somehow all that stuff never seems to make it back out of the van. It just collects there, breeds, and double(triples!) the mess! I can't show you pictures because then I would have to kill you. Suffice it to say that it's bad and cleaning out the van is on my must do list for tomorrow. :S

Once I got all the morning chores out of the way the kiddies and I headed out to Nanaimo to run some errands and see my friend Melissa. Melissa bought a dog from me four years ago and we've kept in close touch. We had fun wandering the mall and then took a Starbucks break to chat. Thanks for the visit Melissa, it was good to catch up!

Heading out the door to Nanaimo. I don't know what I am going to do for pictures when Ella goes back to school.

I have been trying much harder to be careful of what I am eating(Starbucks doesn't count right?? I get mine non fat and half sweet so it's really just getting my daily calcium. ;) ). I did end up going out to dinner last night after cleaning the house like a maniac (who wants to mess it right back up again making dinner??) and I had a Santorini Chicken Salad. It was really good, and I felt full with no draggy I ate too much grease feelings.

A little chicken and a little naan bread were the perfect addition to the salad. Dressing on the side of course.

Had to include a picture of the new Sanuk shoes I bought in Nanaimo today. They are so comfy and lightweight. I decided on the mens as I liked the style much better. The mens has a boxy square toe, while the womans is more oval shaped.

Must run and get a trip to the library in before the kiddies have to go to bed(Daddy's working late tonight). I have several new books in!

A not so lazy Sunday

I had an easy morning this morning and then jumped on the treadmill. The one thing I love about the weekends is that I can get on the treadmill whenever I want. I don't have to wait until Marshall is napping and it's so great to get it out of the way in the morning, it makes me feel great for the rest of the day. According to my treadmill I burned a cool 650 calories doing another 5.5km. I split it up between a steady long 10min mile pace(for 20min) and then alternated 1min sprints(7min mile pace) and 1 min speed walks, followed by more running at a 10min mile pace. I had planned another ab crunching workout with my NTC app but as soon as I got started I decided to leave it until tomorrow, my muscles need another recovery day. :S

The view from my treadmill, dirty nose prints and all! Aren't they cute? :)

Next I had a shower and even though yard work was next on the list I had to try out my new make up palette from Urban Decay. Normally I wouldn't put on make up to work in the yard but I couldn't resist. Look at those awesome colours!

The palette comes with a great eye shadow primer, it's now 3:30pm and it still looks like I just put my make up on. This stuff works! I love it. :)

Next on the list was more doggy chores for me and Chris got to work setting up the space for the new heat pump. Can't wait until that baby's installed, the last hydro bill was redonkulous!

Working hard!
The rest of the day will bring housecleaning chores and the like, getting ready for the new week, and maybe..possibly...dinner out? I'll let you know in the morning. ;)

Ella says "BYE!!!"

A fun day in Victoria

First off, Happy St. Patrick's Day! The weather was gorgeous, so all that positive sunshine energy I have been putting out there definitely paid off, and it made for great road tripping weather. Well, I don't know if an hour out of town counts as a road trip but I'm going to say it does. ;)

The handsome "Captain", which turned to "Skipper" which turned to "Skippy" which he was definitely not a fan of.
Ella, sweet as ever. Both kids were so well behaved on our trip today, and it was a long day so I was thrilled.

Marshall decided to have a pre festivities nap. Good thinking on his part, made for a much more enjoyable day.

Moi.

We started out by going to the Royal BC Museum to check out the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. There were some really spectacular photos. So many good ones in fact that I don't think I could have picked a favourite. Check out this one of a mountain goat defying death in an attempt to get to a salt lick: Gallery - Wildlife Photographer of the Year - Image 5 - New Scientist

We also checked out a little bit of the regular museum exhibits(had to show Ella the mammoth) before Marshall started racing around and we decided it was time to blow off a little steam with some outdoor running around. The best place for that in Victoria is Beacon Hill Park, and the kiddies had a blast there. Ella learned to go to down the fire pole all on her owned which she was thrilled about, and Marshall laughed and laughed going down the slide repeatedly. Neither kid wanted to leave of course but there were still a few more things to do, such as.........going to Sephora!

If you haven't been to this store, and you love make up and skin care products(and all other things beauty) than you will LOVE this store. They have every brand you can think of and can't get anywhere else. My purchases today? Nars blush in Orgasm, which I have wanted for so long(and yes, it's as nice as they say), and the Naked palette from Urban Decay(love!). I was like a kid in a candy store, I could have stayed there all day and emptied my bank account. :)

After that a quick trip to Costco, and a post road trip Starbucks and it was home to relax. A really fun day overall.

Last night I tried out the new Perogy Factory that opened in Duncan at the beginning of February by picking up some of their potato and five cheese perogies for dinner. They are quite pricey so I don't know if I will be going back($7.95 for seven perogies), but they were pretty tasty. I just pan fried them in a little oil and ate them with a little salt, pepper, sour cream and green onions(didn't I tell you I need to change up my diet if I want to lose weight?? Why are all the yummy things always so bad for you??). More info here: www.perogybuffet.ca

Had a very good run on the treadmill last night, putting in 5.5kms and ran most of it. I felt awesome afterward, so worth it. For me the first part of the run is always the hardest, the part where I am getting my sore legs moving, but once they get going the soreness seems to go away and I feel like I can go for a long time.

I was quite sore this morning from my NTC workout(check out the link in my last post) and actually took an advil before we headed out on our trip this morning. I'm so out of shape..lol. Only way to get better is to stick with it though and I fully intend to. As they say "you can feel sore tomorrow or you can feel sorry tomorrow" and I definitely choose the sore.

Wal Mart for the win!

Took a trip to Wal Mart with the kiddies yesterday and had a wander through the clothing section where I found this little number. This grey sweater was only $16 and it wasn't even on sale. What a score! I also came home with a shirt to wear under it that I was a little unsure of (remember how hard it is trying on clothes in fitting rooms with small children??) but when I tried it on at home and showed it to my husband he informed me it was a fail(nicely of course because that's the kind of guy he is). I was afraid it made me look pregnant(and isn't that the look everyone is going for these days?) and he agreed. Of course, it could just be my stomach making me look pregnant but we won't go there.....

Sweet little E took the above picture of me. Not bad for a five year old, she loves to take pictures. I think I may even use it as my "before" picture.

In trying to get to the "after" picture I did an ab workout this morning with my Nike Training Club app on my iPhone. If anyone reading this has an iPhone(not sure if it's available on other phones) I highly recommend this app. It's free, you can sync all the workouts to your own music and it kicks your butt! Here's a link to check it out: App Store - Nike Training Club .

Looks like the only time I am going to get a treadmill run in today is this evening so I hope I can get it in at a decent time. Working out too late at night just wakes me up and I can't sleep. Seeing as I am already a night owl by nature this is the last thing I need.

I have a wonderful friend who works for Coty and she stopped by for a quick visit yesterday to see the puppies(she owns the sire) and brought me a new Roberta Cavalli fragrance to try(don't I have the best friends??!). Can't wait to see what it's like.

I'm still trying to figure out the pictures on this blog. I can't seem to put them where I want them, very frustrating. I did however finally figure out how to do live links with a Mac computer and I'm thrilled about that. Now you guys can actually click on the links I post.

The morning started out so sunny and I thought maybe my wishing for sunshine comment yesterday might have worked but no, it's back to rain. I haven't watched the news in ages so I'm not sure of the upcoming weather report, maybe it's better not to know....

Clothes shopping with small children

Yesterday afternoon I decided to make a little trip into town to check out running capris at Sport Chek. I have been running in my Lululemon capris that are about seven years old and I really do need a back up pair of something now that I have made a real commitment to running regularly. First the customer service in this particular store...TERRIBLE. I have two little kids with me(carrying one) and no one so much as came over to ask me if I needed any help. Then I had to track someone down(twice!) to get into a fitting room. I was not impressed.

I gathered up several pairs of capri's and gave them to E to hang on to since she was racing around the store like a maniac and I was hoping it might weigh her down. Once I flagged someone down to let me into a change room I started trying on the five or so different types I had. The Adidas ones were a total bust, ugly and fit weird. Adidas has never been a good brand for me so I'm not sure why I even decided to try them. The Nike ones were quite nice until I looked at the price tag....$80!! Ack! Sticker shock! Not going to happen. Then I tried on two different Under Armour ones and ended up going with these babies: Under Armour | Women's Shatter II Capri Pants | 1221793 | $54.99 CDN | CA . This link doesn't show the colour I got(black with lavender points), but it tells you a bit about them. I have never had compression anything before and I love them! They hold everything nice and tight together, which is awesome because quite frankly who wants to feel jiggly when you are running. I want to feel like a star!

Thankfully I was able to get into a large fitting room with the kids, but all that extra space just gave them more room for shenanigans. While I stood in the middle of the room trying on capri's they proceeded to take off shoes, coats, and socks and chase each other in a circle around me, deaf to my admonitions to be quiet and stop running. When M started to throw his shoes at his sister and finally bloodied his toe I knew it was time to throw in the towel. I gathered both kids, my new capris and headed for the door.

I did manage to get in a run on the treadmill once I got home and put a tired M down for a nap. I have been doing a combination of running(10min mile pace), sprinting(7 min mile pace) with a couple of two min walking recoveries thrown in to rest my legs. I go for about 5km total, working my way up to longer distances and faster paces.

It's a good thing I got in a run because I ate the tuna casserole I made for dinner like it was going out of style! Major pasta belly..... :S The running I have on track..need to work on the diet end of things too.

Pouring rain again today...what I wouldn't give for a little sun. Better than snow though!

Good Morning!

After staying up very late on the phone last night with my poor sister who was having doggie issues I am hanging onto my morning caffeine with both hands! And since we are talking about caffeine I have to put in a little plug about my favourite tea. It's called Tetley Perk and it has just as much caffeine as coffee...I'm in love. Tetley only rolled out this new product in November and so far I have been able to find it at Wal Mart and that's about it. I hope it catches on!

It's another rainy, windy day here on the "wet" coast, and with the threat of snow looming on the horizon I feel a bit thwarted in my attempts to make daughter E's spring break a fun one filled with trips and adventures. My plan had been to go to Victoria today to check out the bug zoo among other things, but after talking to a friend of mine there who informed me the gale force winds had knocked down her fence and pushed a tree down through her friends bedroom(!!) in the middle of the night I have decided to delay our trip just a little bit.

Hopefully things are better by this weekend and we can go ahead with our visit to the Royal BC Museum to see their Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit: http://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca/Exhibit_Gall/wpy.aspx . It looks really good.

The kiddies are just finishing up their late breakfast of hashbrowns, and tea(decaf) with fruit and then we should be ready to roll and we can check out a few things closer to home. Once two year old M has reached his limit it will be home for a nap so Mommy can hit the treadmill!

There were so many birds on my feeder this morning that I wanted to take a picture and share it but when I grabbed my camera they suddenly became shy. Only one brave soul decided his picture was worth the yummy seed.....

First post

Wow, I already feel like I have writer's block and I haven't even started yet. I have all these ideas and thoughts just rolling around in my head of things I want to say, but putting them into a properly formed blog entry seems to be the difficult part....

Maybe I'll just start with an introduction and see where that takes me. I'm a stay at home Mom (just as the blog title says) of a five year old daughter and a two year old son. I love this job, truly, I feel so lucky to be able to stay home with my little ones. I get to be there for every event in their little lives, whether it's putting a bandage on a phantom cut that only they seem to be able to see or helping them learn to read their first book. I get to be there, and nothing could ever replace that for me. I am also lucky enough to be married to the most supportive and loving husband and father a woman could ever ask for. Life here is good. :)

I wanted to write this blog as more of a journal for myself. A way to talk about what it's like to be a Mom(the good and the bad), getting in shape again after children(hopefully this blog will keep me accountable for my eating and workouts), hopes and dreams for the future(sometimes it easy to get wrapped up in your children and forget about yourself), and beauty products( I am an esthetician by trade after all :) ). I also love to read, watch movies and show dogs, so some of that stuff may slip in here too. My plan is to try to write an entry every day, or at least every other day, so with that I will see you tomorrow morning with coffee cup in hand! :)