Tips On Passing The Good Mom Test

 I've been a mom for oh, one year and a bit. I tell people at work that Alina was being a real a-hole without thinking that it sounds harsh. I'm honest about it and I don't sugar coat how life is going. I don't pretend to know it all but there are certainly some things that I think I do know. (Not all of them are from my own hands on experience as a mom.) With Mother's Day around the corner (ahem- May 11th) I've put together a little list of 5 Tips On How To Pass The Good Mom Test.


//1  Marry a good man in hopes that he will be an even better father. I heard a quote and since then it has stayed with me; 90% Of Being A Dad Is Showing Up. Too true! My parents split up when I was very little and my mom met and remarried my step dad shortly after. I always had a dad and a step dad. I know how important a father is in a kid's life. I know even more, now that I'm a parent myself. If you can help it; pick a good one so that your babies will grow up with a positive, male role model.

...even if it's only 90% of him showing up.

//2  Listen! I don't mean on the other end of the phone line while your kid is talking either.  (Do they even have 'other end of the phone line' these days?) I think it's important to listen to your kids because there's a really good chance that you're not hearing everything that they're saying (and not saying.) It sounds confusing but I think that every kid asks for help from their parents in their own way, you just have to listen for it.

 //3.  Space and Trust. Even nine year old children need space. If your little one is quiet after school but doesn't want to share maybe just wait until she's ready to. If there's a diary; don't read it. Everyone deserves their privacy. Find ways to have your child open up, without being a helicopter parent. I give my mom lots of credit because I don't feel like she was a hovering mom, yet I opened up to her and told her things a lot of girls wouldn't share with their moms.

Although space is a tough one to give a one year old.. You always want to smooch or snuggle them!

 //4  Relax and adopt a laid back approach. Rob has helped me develop my laid back approach when it came to Alina's first year. Before she was sleep trained, there was a time when she would freak and lose her mind when we tried to put her down to sleep. We tried everything; rocking, singing, taking her for walks, changing her into cooler clothes, etc. The entire time it was Rob who would try different things. He was never flustered like I was and he attacked it like any problem he faced; with ease and common sense. I think I am very laid back for a new mom. But I also think I will be more challenged as Alina grows up and we're faced with different issues.

Like- it's okay for the baby to wander around on the counter tops eating full oranges all to herself.. peel and all....................................

 //5  Love her, be kind to her but still kick her ass when she needs it. I don't want to be Alina's best friend. (Yeah right, I totally do.) I want her to respect and like me. I want her to come to me when she needs someone to talk to. But I am okay with her going to one of her aunties for advice that may make her and I both uncomfortable. I can respect that. I'm also going to be understanding and open minded when and if she does come to me with those awkward questions. No matter how close we are; she will still always need an ass kicking. I know I sure did. I could be pretty disrespectful and bratty with my mom but she still scared the hell out of me. I think fear is important. The porridge theory; not too little or too much; juuuuust the right amount of fear.

I imagine this is Alina's future teenage eye roll...

 There are many more points that I thought of after, but let's keep it short and less preachy. Especially since I'm an amateur at this whole mom thing.

What do you think is key to being a good mom?

Adult Piggies

 Adult pig tails? Is this IN or OUT... If they're out I have most definitely not received the memo. Last week I wore them and wondered if I was too old to be rocking the piggies.

 I asked my co-worker and she let me know that I was in the clear, but not before mentioning that man pony tails were definitely out. So true. Some guys can pull off the pony tail look but they have to be incredibly gorgeous before it's okay. Even then, I find it difficult to be attracted to a man with long hair. It's just kind of weird.

 The adult pig tails did get me thinking. At what age am I going to be 'too old' to be doing things that I enjoy doing, or wearing or even saying?? When does calling someone 'dude' turn me into an outdated chick that grew up in the 90's? When do The Tragically Hip and the Counting Crows become classic rock? It's just all too much to think about!

 I see people that get old and it freaks me out. I am getting a bit ahead of myself when I say "see people get old" because those people are more or less in their 70's-90's. But still! People lose their finesse... Elderly people go from resembling themselves to looking just ... old. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but there was an older gentleman that bought coffee off of me back when I worked at a coffee shop. He had watery red eyes, shaky hands and was slow to respond. He opened his wallet and I saw a black and white photo of him from when he was in the war. That memory will always stay with me. For an instant, I saw him for who he was. He was once a young man, capable of fighting in a real war, never mind carrying a coffee cup to a table without assistance. The memory makes me sad because it just goes to show that we all get old. I saw him as an old man, not the man that he lived his life as. Each time that I am annoyed or frustrated with an elderly person, I try to remember that picture. I try to remember that that person was once young, like me. We all get old, and we need to remember to have a little patience and be kind. I will one day want the same from someone else when I'm shakily counting my change at the grocery store.

 When does my eye liner, tight jeans and pink lipstick suddenly transform me into a cougar? I have no idea. Or maybe I will know and I'll act accordingly. All I know is that for right now, while I'm still considered 'young', I'm going to continue to say, "Thanks dude.." when it feels right. I'm going to wear my bikini to the beach and the swimming pool. I'm going to wear pink lipstick and I'm definitely going to keep rocking my piggies to work.

I'm going to ride this 'young' wave as long as I can... And the piggies will have to ride 'em right along with me...!

So- what do you think? Are adult piggies in or out?

MHB- Week 22- Minimal

 This week I did what was required of me and that's about it. Although, there were two days that I did extra walking, which I totally include as some extra cardio. Hey, you take it where you can get it!

MONDAY-

Left to Right: Alina with her folks on Easter Sunday, the bunny on Easter and then a couple of pictures from Monday. I know.. I am looking pretty rough after my workout. It's the only picture I took!

Day 1- Fight Conditioning. Monday was a holiday for most people. Most people not being me. I had to work, which was fine. It was more of a low key kind of day. I ended up getting even more exercise though. I had to deliver medicine by foot to a house about six blocks away from the store. Then, I had to pick up a prescription from that same home and bring it back to the store. We filled the prescription and then I walked it back.. and then walked back to the store. I also walked to and from work that day as well. Soooo.. eight little jaunts in total! It was a good cardio day!

TUESDAY-

Two pictures of me waiting for my  manager to unlock the door at the store. The picture of me under the umbrella was from Monday on one of my many walks to a customer's house!

 Day 2- Rest! Tuesday started out really sunny, so I snapped a couple of photos while I was waiting. It was a busy day at work and I was rushing around all day until boom- it was closing time. I love days like that.

WEDNESDAY-

Alina had the remote in her hands and that was the best picture I could snap!

 Day 3- Fight Conditioning. I'm not going to lie; I cut some corners. Alina started to wake up and Rob has decided to return to the gym. He wasn't home and I was trying to speed things up a little. So when I missed a minute or so, I didn't rewind.. But, I was still a sweaty mess after, so I don't think it was a big deal. At the end of my work day I had to deliver some more meds on foot and then I walked home from there. More cardio!

THURSDAY-

 Day 4- Rest! The weather has been interesting here lately. Wednesday and Thursday the white pedals on the trees were being blown around by the wind and rain. So Thursday morning it looked like Time's Square on New Year's Day. Nature's confetti littered the sidewalks and I just had to snap a few shots while I waited to get into the store. Another good day. Although Alina really needs to try sleeping in a little so that I can get ready and maybe blog a bit before she wakes up...

FRIDAY-

 Day 5- Strength and Endurance. My workout was good. I have to admit that I didn't feel as exhausted as usual, which leads me to believe that I didn't totally push myself the hardest that I could. I snapped some photos of my body to refer to in a month from now, to see if I can maintain my current body with only working three days a week. I hope that I can.

 It's been a few weeks since I linked up with Yoga Pants. I was listening to Slacker Radio on my phone last night and I came across this song in my favourites.. Enjoy "Cough Syrup" by Young the Giant.

 

Happy Friday everybody! Did you do anything this week that you were proud of !? Come on.. I'm sure there was something! (Or something you did that you weren't proud of .. whichever..)

Wanna Read My Journal? Vol. 2

 I decided to grab one of my journals and flip through the pages to see if there was anything worth sharing. What I gathered from that time in my life (1997-98) was that Rudi and I spent a lot of time together. I would often go with him to work on Sundays in his big truck. We would drive through the bush dropping off and picking up heavy machinery. I seemed to enjoy our time spent together and that's nice. I also see that that particular year my mom went on a couple of vacations and I clearly missed her terribly. I loved my sister but always commented on how crabby she could be. HAHA- that one just makes me laugh.

 I prayed a lot. I prayed that my family members I was away from would be safe. I visited my dad and his family often. One thing I never thought of, was that my step brothers probably read my journal all of the time. My parents were amazing when it came to respecting my privacy but that gave me a false sense of trust everywhere I went!  I had a crush on my older step brother for years. How embarrassing! I bet he knew...

 My grades were good, I spent a lot of time talking about my friends and I often complained about 'sucky, boring' weekend days. The usual.

The beginning part of that entry is irrelevant. The chant that I wrote down was something I now totally remember singing when I used to play baseball. What. The. Hell. I have always been proud of the fact that I played baseball as a little girl, rather than ballet or swimming. (Not that there's anything wrong with those activities.) But my goodness.. talk about a totally sexist, ridiculous song for the little girls to sing about themselves. Song translation: I'm a stupid girl. Gah- Haley!!

 1998 which means I was ... still 12. What the hell am I doing talking about boys kissing me 'passionately'?! I was a really good kid. I didn't really kiss a boy until I was in grade nine and it was my first ever, real boyfriend. But, I can't believe I was already going to birthday parties and kissing boys as dares! I totally forgot about my 12 year old, rebellious self! I like my list of boys I'd 'date'.. If you don't like him 12 Year Old Me; don't date him! And by date him I mean say you're dating him but never, ever look or talk to him again. The boy that kissed you "passionately" made you feel like he liked you all throughout elementary and right up until after graduation. You never ended up together, but you always had cool chemistry.

 Oh poor sweet Doodle! I still feel guilty about his death. I was a bad hamster owner and failed to always clean his cage regularly. He did end up getting some 'dirty cage disease' and finally died from it.. It was totally my fault and I hope he is still up there 'having fun in his clouds'.. I had a way with words back then. I should have written animal eulogies. Nailed it.

 Were you as boy crazy as a little girl as I was?! 

I swear I always drew a picture of my animals in the clouds when they died. I plan to find them ALL and post each time they died just to show off those AWESOME animal cloud pictures.

 

I KNOW I Can

 So it's time to announce my 'big news' that I mentioned earlier last week. I am currently working as a pharmacy assistant in a quaint, little pharmacy downtown. The company that I work for focuses on the clientele rather than the products that we sell. Our front store is small and simple and I really like it that way. We're always telling people that the difference between our pharmacy and any of the larger ones is that we take pride in knowing all of our customers.  My role as a pharmacy assistant is to basically be the pharmacist's assistant. Personally, since my return my position ranges from taking out the garbages to closing till procedures to filling and counting prescriptions to booking appointments and answering phone calls. I fax doctors and direct customers to either the product that they're looking for or I encourage them to talk to the pharmacist to find the right product for them. It's a good job. I love my hours; Monday to Friday 9-5. I walk to work every day and I live in a really peaceful, gorgeous community. I have little to complain about.

  The pharmacy technician bridging program has been offered for the last few years. It is offered to currently in practice pharmacy assistants with 2000 working hours. I was not interested when it was first introduced. I didn't know what I wanted to do with myself, still knowing that I really wanted to start a family with Rob sooner than later. I also wasn't totally sure if the schooling would really be worth my while financially. I was also scared. Afraid that if I went for it, I would fail. Or hesitant to look into it because I felt like even the research of it was over my head. Well, it turns out now that I'm back, I know what I want. I want to further my education for the first time in my life...

 So- I had to register with the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia early in April. I registered for classes and I start in the early fall...! Eeeeeeeeek. I swear, the moment I received the confirmation e-mail that I would be starting in the fall, I felt like I could let out a huge sigh of relief and throw up all at once. The bridging program is only being offered until December 31, 2015. Which means, I have to complete and pass four modules over the next year and a half. (I won't have the time to complete each module in each semester. So I'm starting by taking two modules in one semester.. yikes!) Each semester is about three months and ends with a final exam. The courses I'm taking are all online. So I will be able to work full time and do my school work at night and on the weekends. I have to take an Evaluating Exam, a Qualifying Exam and a Jurisprudence Exam all of which are held only twice a year in the province. So I want to make sure that I have as much schooling under my belt before I take any of those exams.. This is literally my one and only chance to become certified with the bridging program and every last moment counts. I have to make sure to register for all of my courses in time, the finals within the registration deadlines and I absolutely must pass everything the first time around. No pressure....!

 It's not going to be easy. But, it shouldn't be. It's school! I'm nervous because I've never taken any other education besides high school and I'm afraid that I won't 'have it in me' to succeed. But at the same time I'm really excited that I'm finally doing something for me! Rob is going to have to sacrifice for me to be in school and for me to better my career. It feels really good. I want to push myself the hardest I've ever been pushed so that I can show Rob, my mom, my siblings and friends and other family members that I am smart enough to do this. I don't think I can.. ya wussy train- I know I can!

 So wish me luck! I begin in September and when that times comes we'll see how much blogging I can do.. Until then, I'll just keep enjoying my time and I'll be mentally preparing for a very busy time ahead!

If you could go back to school (for the first time OR again) what would you go to school for?! 

MHB- Week 21- Good

 I would say that this week was a good week. Nothing too special. Rob joined me for the workouts, which was different. He is slowly getting back into it and I don't mind the company. I'll try to keep the MHB posts brief because I know I've been doing these since November and people don't really care what I did with weights every week. I have to keep the posts up because they keep me motivated!

MONDAY-

 Day 1- Strength and Endurance. Today was unlike any other day because Rob joined me. He's decided that since my results have been really positive, he would like to jump on the RushFit train and get himself fit too. He was lifting weights and doing cardio religiously for awhile but once he returned to school he had to scale back. He was huffing and puffing through the first two rounds and decided to call it quits a bit early. (I don't blame him. It's not an easy workout to jump into. It takes some getting used to.) It made me realize that I am in shape and that felt, oh, so, so good!!! (Great way to start a Monday...)

TUESDAY- 

 Day 2- Rest days are the best days! I love being able to stay up a bit later on a Monday night, I love being able to sleep forty minutes later.. It's just enjoyable all around. Alina got a new hat from her dad on Tuesday, her Baba came over to drop off a new Easter dress and then her Nonna sent us a huge Easter package full of outfits and goodies for all of us.

WEDNESDAY-

 Day 4- Abdominal Strength and Core Conditioning. It could be how bright the mornings are getting, my decision to only do three days a week or the fact that Rob is up working out with me; but my attitude towards working out has completely changed. I'm really into it and I feel completely awesome every day that I finish up. It was Alina's Nonna's birthday today; she she got a little Alina message first thing!

THURSDAY-

 Day 5- Rest day! Alina's into biting the spoon every time I put cereal in her mouth. I had to snap a picture of her kind-of-cheeky-biting-smile she does.. She is also making crafts at daycare which I LOVE! Alina's first ever craft is the pink egg with the paint and she made another one, the following day with tissue paper that she scrunched up herself and dipped into glue. I have a kid that makes crafts at 'school'.. TEAR.

FRIDAY-

 Day 5- Strength and Endurance again! It's Good Friday, so we didn't have work or daycare. I had Alina up, fed, bathed and dressed and then I put her in 'jail' while we did our workout. She looked at us like we were completely craaaazy. Sweaty workout to put on the blog- check!

Happy Easter everyone! Enjoy your Good Friday and the days to follow with juicy ham and milk chocolate!

Slippery Slope There Mister...

I'm super sad to report that the last Boys Behind The Blog link up was right smack in the middle of my first week back to work. So- I missed it!  I made sure to write this one in advance. The series of questions this time around were created by the very men that we interview each month.

//1. Your significant other's blog; a blessing or a curse?
 Long pause. That devilish grin slowly appears on his face, so much so that his dimples show.
Rob: Blessing because it makes you happy.
Me: What did you really want to say?
Rob: Blessing because it makes you happy.

 Even though he said the right answer, I was a bit hurt by his reaction. He wanted to say curse, I could tell and I think that's complete and total bullshit! He has so many things going on in his life that take up his time and attention. I always think he's unfair that way. He can have time consuming projects, but my my time consuming projects aren't as welcome. Boo to that Robert- booooo!

An oldie of Rob.. but there you can see those dimples.. They only come out when he's really smiling, or up to no good...

 //2. Do you read your wife's blog?
Rob: Yes.
Me: Really?
Rob: Yeah.
Me: You don't read it everyday though..
Rob: No.

 Okay, so it appears as though this Boys Behind The Blog is going to get Rob into some trouble. He says that he reads my blog, but it's a pretty rare occasion. I wish he took more interest in it because it means so much to me. He often reads the posts that are about him, which is normal because we're all a little narcissistic, but I wish he took more of a personal interest.

//3. What is one thing you can do better than anyone that you know?
Me: Don't say everything..!
Rob: I don't know.. better than everyone else?! ..... Touch my toes! I can definitely touch my toes better than ANYONE I know.

 It's true. Rob is ridiculously flexible. He started playing hockey when he was three. He played for fifteen years and he was a goalie for twelve of those years. So you can imagine that level of flexibility hasn't gone anywhere.

//4. What is your favourite show from the 90's?
Rob: Fresh Prince of Bel-Air!

 Such a funny t.v. show. I would definitely have to agree that I watched my fair share of this one.

Via

 //5. If you were opening a small business or shop what would it be?

 I actually reminded him that we had this fluffy dream that we would love to open up an Irish pub one day. I don't think it would necessarily be a blast owning a pub, but it wouldn't be a bad gig... We love Irish music and absolutely love going to Irish Times when we visit Victoria. So if we could do that one day, it could be interesting..

A collage of a few times that we've visited Irish Times. The pictures alone, show what a great place it is! 

   I've been participating with the Boys Behind The Blog for several months now.  Here are the BBB posts from the past;

  Porcelain Bowl of Chocolate

(Rob on Valentine's Day)

Eeeeeediot

(Another look at my 'eeeeeediot' husband.)

Alina's Papa

(Featuring my father in law.)

A 'Linc'-Up 

(Featuring my brother.)

He Bites 

(Rob's debut on the blog, which inspired the chapters of Crazy Shit Rob Does!)

Say Wha?! Never Evers

"Never Ever".. you know, the game people play to find dirt out about the other people playing or to share people's dirty laundry for them OR a game you play completely unaware of the truths that will be revealed...
 It's a game young folks usually play. I remember playing it in high school. You would say the thing you've never done and the people playing that did do that thing mentioned, would drink. I was a good girl, (for the most part) so there were a lot of things that I didn't do. It got me thinking. Wouldn't it be neat to reveal some of the never evers to blogland right here, right now?

 Erin at Two Third's Hazel wrote a post the other day that also had me thinking. In it she mentions not having eaten a grilled cheese sandwich as well as never having made one ever before in her life. Say wha!? It inspired me to think up some of my own "Say Wha?! Never Evers."

//1  I've never ever seen any of the "Star Wars" movies. Neither has Rob, so that's probably why we're married. I know a lot of people who would gasp in horror at this little fun fact. I've never been really big into sci fi movies. Oh, but I have seen "Space Balls" many, many times. I bet if I had seen "Star Wars" "Space Balls" would make a whole lot more sense to me.

Apparently I've inserted myself in this movie. My blog.. my weird rules!

 //2  I've never ever been to the movies by myself. But I wouldn't mind doing it! It could be really fun, to just get out on my own and see a movie that I, 100% want to see. No compromise necessary. No sharing of my popcorn or arm rest. Just me, having some 'me time.'

//3   I've never ever had a pedicure before. I did get a gift certificate to have one a couple of years ago. I made an appointment and then had to cancel last minute. I never rescheduled and I have a feeling my certificate has expired. I'm just not that excited to let another human being be that close to my feet. I have no idea how someone would want that kind of a job! Feet are just.. gross. Not to mention- other people's piggly wigglies! Blech.. the hair, the dirt, the .. ugh, don't even get me started...!

Oh come on- you didn't actually think I was going to post a picture of MY feet... (Photo Via)

 //4  I've never ever had a passport and therefore have never ever been anywhere outside of Canada and the United States. (I've been to Louisiana and a few of the surrounding southern states on a road trip and that was over ten years ago.) This is the moment where everyone collectively feels bad for me. It's okay if you want to open up a "Haley Needs To Travel" fund.. I won't mind.

Me- super stoked to be flying OUT of North America one day...!

 //5   I've never ever been on a subway or train before. I've seen trains but I've only seen subways on t.v. shows or movies. Talk about a Country Mouse!

 I only named a few because it was getting more and more difficult to come up with good pictures to go along with each "Say Wha?! Never Ever"... Mine were pretty tame. What can I say? I've seen a lot of movies and I've eaten a lot of food. I met a girl that had never seen "The Wizard of Oz." I couldn't believe it!! How is that even possible. Unfortunately I don't have any of those wow factors to share today. I'll try to keep track of some good ones when they come up and maybe I'll have a Part II to this post.

 So spill; give me at least one "Say Wha?! Never Evers" ... 

Oh come on, don't be shy and tell me!!

Sunshiny Days

 Another weekend over and done with; I can hardly believe it. Every moment on the weekends is so appreciated and precious that I have been snapping pictures every chance I get. It makes for an easy recap post on Mondays...

Friday-

 I packed up Alina's supper, we all piled into the Westy and hit up the beach to eat our dinner, while we watched the sun set. (Although we were all too busy eating to watch..!) Alina had a ball. We tossed her into the back to play on the pull out bed. I can't get over how happy this kid is in her camper van. We changed her into her pj's and we had a bottle of milk ready for her. She laid down and drank her bedtime bottle at the beach. We took her home and she slept like.. well, a baby.. We had a nice fire in the backyard and had a couple of beers. It was relaxing and a great way to start the weekend.

Saturday-

 Oh what a lazy day. We woke up early and hit up a few garage sales. For lunch, Rob and I tracked down our favourite food truck "Extreme Eatz" and had the best burgers we've ever eaten. When we got home I was pooped. For the first time ever, (Rob gave me some pointers) I curled up on the couch with Alina and we both napped for a little while. The weather has been amazing all week and this weekend was certainly no exception. Alina enjoyed some fun outside and then later on, I went to a friend's for a couple of glasses of wine. Rob and I ended our evening with the final episode of The Walking Dead Season Four. Oh. My. God! This show is so insane. I can't wait for another break, I want more zombie drama now!

Sunday-

 Sunday was low key. We hit up a big 'mom swap' garage sale in the neighbouring town. When we got home, I busied myself in the kitchen prepping future meals for the week. Once I finished, we went outside to enjoy some sunshine. We bought Alina a water table for one of her birthday gifts and decided to put it together sans water. We filled it with her toys and she had a total blast.

 I love weekends and I'm looking forward to this week being a short one! We both get Friday off for Good Friday, so no daycare for Alina that day either. It will be Thursday before we all know it and then.. another glorious weekend with the family! 

What did you do this weekend!? 

What was one thing you wish you had done?!

(My answer; gone dancing with the girls on Saturday night. I think that will always be my answer. It's been yeeeeeears since I've done that!)

MHB- Week Twenty-Positivity

 This week was good. The weather was awesome, Alina has improved so much at daycare and my workouts have been reduced to three days a week. So I've had a great, positive experience and I can only look forward to more of these.

MONDAY-

Day 1- Full Body and Strength Conditioning. This is one of those 'once a month' workouts and it is always kicking my butt. I only managed to get one picture and that was at the very end, when I was laying on my mat ready to die. I also wanted to capture the sweat dripping on my upper lip! We also ended up having a bit of a fun day, as I mentioned on my post A Bonus Day. I dropped Alina at daycare and Rob and I hit the city for the day. (A fun filled Costco trip ensued.)

TUESDAY-

 Day 2- Rest Day! Alina is doing much better at daycare, each and every day that she goes. I received that little note last week from her daycare provider. It's hard to describe the feeling I would get knowing that she was sad and crying every day. I shared in her dread, every time that I'd buckle her up to take her there. But now I feel like a ray of sunshine is beaming on all of our moods, cheering us up every day.

WEDNESDAY-

Isn't that the best view a girl could ask for, after an eight hour day of work? (Top right picture.)

Day 3- Fight Conditioning. Another tough workout, but like my friend Lisa put it in my last e-mail;  

"You don't need to kill yourself 5 days a week to be fit - especially when you have a few months of a strong training base under your belt, which you do. I also think the less workouts I do per week, the harder I work at each one, since I know it's limited and I don't have to leave any gas in the tank."

 Anything Lisa says, I take very seriously. (She's a Canfitpro certified Personal Trainer, Pre/Postnatal fitness specialist, Agatsu certified Kettlebell and Joint Mobility&Movement instructor and a Precision Nutrition Trainer.. Need I say more?) The main thing that I took away from that message was that I can now afford to work harder with each workout that I do. Needless to say; I was pooped out when I finished!

THURSDAY-

 Day 4- Rest Day! Another daycare day for Alina. We hung out in the morning. She cruised around the living room, still holding onto furniture as she clumsily stumbled around. She was busy making 'funny faces' and pushing buttons on the keyboard while I checked blogs this morning. (Sound familiar Amanda..?)

FRIDAY-

  Day 5- Explosive Power Training. My goodness! I knew this workout was coming all week and I am always surprised by how explosive it is. It was a great way to end the week but, I am glad that it isn't a common workout because it does kick my butt.

 To check out my progress over the weeks; check out the links below: 

MHB- Week 1     MHB-Week 2     MHB-Week 3     MHB-Week 4     MHB-Week 5                                                                                                                                                         
MHB-Week 6     MHB-Week 7     MHB-Week 8     MHB-Week 9     MHB-Week 10    

MHB-Week 11     MHB-Week 12   MHB- Week 13   MHB-Week 14  MHB-Week15

MHB-Week 16     MHB- Week 17   MHB- Week 18  MHB-Week 19

Happy Friday everyone. I have some exciting news to share next week but I have a few things to do first before I want to spill.. No, I'm not pregnant! Exciting, challenging prospects ahead for me...

A Bonus Day

 Who would have thought that Rob having a procedure done at the hospital would be so enjoyable for me!? It's not a big deal, just a throat scope but he gets crazy drugs that make him forget the whole ordeal. So I have to be his designated driver for when he finishes. They say that the entire procedure takes three hours from when you sign in to when you sign out.

 Of course, the hospital is in a city, thirty minutes away, so I had to take the day off of work. Alina couldn't join us because once we're in the city, there isn't much of a point in me driving all the way home. So I get a few free hours to myself! Rob had the brilliant suggestion of bringing our Westfalia camper van. So I'm literally just laying on the pull out bed, with my lap top on me, checking blogs uninterrupted and now, writing my own post for the week. I packed myself my kindle, journal, lap top, tablet, a full on lunch and there's also a t.v. in here that I could hook up if I wanted to, but I don't think I'll need it! This is seriously the nicest, most chill hour and a half I've spent in a long time. Sadly, the nurse said I had to return by 11:30 and now, it is 11:27. So my little time to myself is over. Now I'm off to pick up Rob and see what he wants to do for the rest of the day!

Turns out, he wanted to go to none other than Costco! If there is one thing that Rob loves to do it's shop and then it's shopping at Costco. He manages to turn a fifteen minute trip into a full on hour plus. He has to go up and down each non-food aisle and stop and discuss why he needs whatever it is that he's found. I decided, for fun and because we didn't have anything else to do today, to take a picture each time he stopped to look at something. (In all honesty, I missed a couple because he stops to check everything out! But I think I got the best ones..)

  I think Rob is going to spend the rest of his life convincing me that he/we need everything that Costco has to offer. The first stop; shorts. "These are my kind of shorts, Haley!" Or when we walked passed the tiles for the back splash in a kitchen. He calculates carefully with his phone how much it would take for us to do our kitchen, so we can sell it. Suddenly we are selling our house? He shows me the tiles for our kitchen floors and then lastly he is absolutely tired of shaving with his regular razor and will one day definitely need a 50 piece razor kit. We went outside to check out the garden center so that Rob could show me all of the plants and trees that he will one day be planting in our future yard. "I want a banana tree! They just look so tropical." "Everything is so cheap here!"

 We sat on yard furniture, we went inside of sheds and checked out surf boards. Rob found swimming shorts and then he managed to find 'work' shorts. "Now these are rugged." He was very tempted to buy the 'work' shorts but I had to remind him that we were sticking to a budget and only came for two items.

 He looked at life jackets for Alina and then finally, finally he was ready to grab the two items we needed; toilet paper and diapers. Yup, I know.. we're pretty exciting people. We ended our little Costco date with Costco hotdogs and pops for $3.15. What can I say; I'm a cheap date! We ate our dogs in the back of our Westy; very romantic. Then we went over to Superstore for swimming diapers and Alina's rice cereal. There was a toy sale going on and I practically had to drag Rob away from the baby clearance racks. We had ourselves a nice day out, minus the little one and even though it wasn't your typical 'date'.. it was still nice to just laugh and goof around just the two of us.

 We cruised home and picked up our third stooge and goofed around in the van for a little bit before heading inside. It was a really nice 'bonus' day and I'm glad we made the most of it. Rob mentioned that it was a good day and I reminded him that he was 'throat raped' as he so gently described it as this morning..! Oh well, he already put it behind him... (Aka- the drugs worked!)

If you were granted a bonus day; what would you do with your extra time!?

Warning: Some People Aren't As They Seem

 Let's get real.. I mean really real. I've decided that it's been awhile since I've been vulnerable on this blog. I think the most vulnerable I've been was when I posted those awful photos of myself right before I decided to start working out again in a post called, "Mommy Haley Wants To Be Wedding Haley Again." I was reading through an old diary the other day and I came across some pretty funny and more shocking entries from when I was a kid. It inspired me to write about this one time.. that I'm definitely not proud of.
 

Perhaps I should have come with that warning...

 I'm ashamed of myself for being such a nasty, little kid. I was sweet as pie on the outside and a complete asshole in the inside. Seriously. I could be so mean and I have no idea what made me this way. I could blame my siblings for my bad language, sure. But other than that; I have no idea why I used to be such a brat. This awful story I'm about to share is one I am completely ashamed of, but I already said I was going to get really real, so I guess I'm hooped and have to spill..

 I'm riding the bus and there's this girl in my grade three class that no one likes. She's disruptive, immature and overall a real pain to be around. She wears her mom's cream coloured, silk nighties over top of her clothes. She clearly has a lot going on in her life and I so wonderfully added to her misery one morning on the school bus. She was curled up on the seat crying and  I remember walking by her and feeling a bit of pity for her and as quickly as the pity came, the down right cruel and nasty took over and I spit on her. My bus driver twisted her body around and told me that she was going to write me up for such disgusting behaviour. I was completely mortified and ashamed.
 That day after lunch, my grade three teacher asked me to stay for a minute during recess. I was horrified. I was totally busted, she knew, she must have known! She sat me down and told me that I was her nomination for The Christian Leadership Award that year. Say whaaa???

 Oh yeah, I mentioned earlier that I was sweet as pie on the outside because I was. I was polite, a model student and a total teacher's pet. Nothing mattered more to me than being the first  Student of the Day in September and the first to be called to 'watch the class' when the teacher stepped out for a minute. I was little miss prissy perfect. I actually hate that that was who I was back then, but that's who I was. To make matters worse; I could be really mean and nasty when I wanted to be and I hate that quality about my nine year old self much more.

 The following day my vice principal approaches me and asks if I 'spat' ( I still hate the use of that word.. lol.) on Jade Winters. I tried out my best acting skills (which still do not exist) and denied that this happened. I told him that I did remember sneezing towards her and that it was possible that spit may or may not have come out of my mouth... resulting in this horrible act I've been accused of.

  Needless to say; I didn't win the Christian Leadership Award that year, or any year after that.

 Jade Winters asked to be my friend on Facebook about five years ago. I added her. Then about a year later, I decided that I hadn't seen her in over fifteen years and having her as a friend on Facebook was just because I felt bad about spitting on her all of those years ago. Before I deleted her, I wrote a private message, apologizing for what I had done. She said that she didn't remember me ever spitting on her. I'm not sure if she did or didn't. But it doesn't matter. I learned that doing something like that was not acceptable. It doesn't matter how annoying or immature a person is, it is never okay to treat a person so badly.

 Now that I'm 28, with a child of my own I am completely horrified with my nine year old self. What the hell was wrong with me? What was going on in my life that was leading me to be so nasty? Why didn't I feel compassion for someone that was going through pain in her own personal life? Instead I just jumped onto the Mean Train and proceeded to help everyone else make her life hell. But it's silly to try and figure out the 'whys' in life... I'm not sure why I did what I did, but luckily I didn't continue with that kind of behaviour. I can say that I'm a pretty good person. I do have a tendency to talk behind backs a bit. I agree with people when I don't always want to because -
1. I don't understand the content and agreeing is easier and less embarrassing than admitting that I don't understand..
2. I have a hard time with conflict. I don't care enough to disagree because getting into a debate is the very last thing I'm up for.... ever.

 I think everyone has qualities that they don't like about themselves. I don't like that I agree with people when I don't always want to. I hate that I find myself talking about people I care about because I know all about the golden rule and am aware of when I am breaking it! I also don't like that I don't have the guts to disagree with someone, or that I find it physically painful to tell someone that what they are doing is bothering me. I don't like to make others feel uncomfortable, so I avoid the conflict because let's face it; I don't like to be uncomfortable either!

 Oh and I managed to dig up the diary entry about this very story ... it's pretty humorous to read me squirm. I even prayed to God.. in written diary form! I deserved it.. all of it!

Suddenly it's becoming clear the why behind my shitty little behaviour. I didn't mention; I grew up in a trailer park for ten  years and... I can see that the other kids in the neighbourhood maaaaay or may not have been influencing my behaviour...

Sounds like I really, really, really didn't want Mr. Kloster to find out!! LOL

I still wonder what this 'one club' was all about.... I thought I'd add in a little funny for everyone... !!

  Is there a story that stands out in your mind that you are ashamed of yourself for? 

What quality do you dislike about yourself, but have a hard time fixing?!