Mission Hot Bod- Week Four

 It's that time of the week where I recap my working out process! This week has been a bit chaotic. I started the week off somewhat normally, minus Alina's ever evolving sleep patterns. (Insert huge sigh here.) But mid week, we had to pack our life into three suitcases, three carry on bags, a diaper bag and a purse and tackle traveling with our nine month old, for the first time. But it was important to both Rob and I, that we keep at the exercising no matter what changes we experience during the week, including the traveling.

MONDAY-

 Day One was Fight Conditioning training and I only got to my third round before I was interrupted by an earlier than usual riser. It is frustrating trying to exercise with a baby because I am one of those people that really, really likes to be able to finish something I have started, while I'm in the middle of it. So having to stop, to nurse the baby in hopes that she'll fall back asleep makes me feel very frustrated, but that is something I have to just get over. She's not going anywhere and I'm not going to stop exercising!
 Goals: I still really suck at the Uchi Mata kicks. It was a goal last week to improve and I feel like I haven't reached it yet. So I'm keeping that goal!
Improvements: I just feel like I'm improving in a general way with this workout. I did this workout near the end of last week and have revisited it early this week so it feels like I just did it. So, I noticed more that I am having an easier time overall, which I believe is a great sign!

TUESDAY-

Yes, Alina's eyes are closed but it was the only picture I took with her and her buddy Lisa..! The second picture; the littles are taking over the stroller classes!!

 Day Two was my Cardio. Unfortunately Alina was quite the performer on Monday night, so we were up much, much earlier than usual. She was extremely tired but refused to go back to sleep before we left for the class. Somewhere along the way, I ended up being late even though I didn't leave late.. (Insert another heavy sigh here, please.)
Goals: I'd like a stab at doing more with the kettle bells. I just did the general drill that Lisa showed us. But I noticed the other two girls did a variation that was a little tougher. I am always up for the challenge.
Improvements: Wall push ups! They weren't nearly as hard at all this time! Something must be working. Whoop whoop!!

WEDNESDAY-

 Day Three was abdominal strength and core conditioning workout. I ended up getting up early and getting my workout out of the way before we left on our little Christmas vacation.
Goal: There's a combination in round five that is quite a challenge. I have been improving, but I'd like to improve and move a lot faster than I have been. (Next week!)
Improvements: I did improve on my leg raises and v ups from last week. I was able to have my legs a bit straighter than usual.

THURSDAY-

Look at all of the snow!! We took Alina and her Papa to get haircuts at Sears today!

 Day Four was supposed to be a cardio day. There's a three hour time difference from Vancouver Island to Ontario. So Alina woke when the sun came up, which was 9:00 local time, 6:00 our time. Needless to say, Rob and I were both pretty tuckered out when we got up. We made an executive decision to skip the cardio. I think we may have to skip the cardio days just because it will be too tough to run in the snow, or expensive to run at the athletic club.

FRIDAY-

Day Five was the Full Body Strength and Conditioning workout. This was the first time I have done this workout. Unfortunately we're in Thunder Bay and we don't have any weights so it was a lot less intense. I'm proud to say that Rob tapped out a few minutes early because he was, "done" but he snapped a few pictures of me trooping through round five.
Goals: I'd like to be able to do a Hindu push up better. My form isn't great but I also need to build up enough muscle to be able to do a full push up. I always have to do girl push ups!
Improvement: Air squats! I've definitely improved on those. I can go deeper and faster now.

To see my progress from the past three weeks- you can see them here:

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

  It's Friday - whoop whoop! I'm sure today is the last day of work for many of you that are lucky enough to get the holidays off! Keeping up with the theme of Christmas I would like to BackThatAzzUp with Yoga Pants to one of my favourite Christmas tunes of all time. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, enjoy!! Judy Garland's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas"...

 

Alina's Papa

This is my third time participating in the "Boys Behind The Blog" link-up. Five questions are posted on Mal or Stephanie's  blogs on the first Thursday of the month. On the third Thursday, you post your answers and link-up! The questions are directed at a male in your life, any male.. It could be your brother, husband, dad or I'm betting even your five year old son, if you had one!

 This month, the month of generosity and spending time with your family; I introduce, my father in law; Rodney. It's very appropriate that he would be my Christmas "Boy" Behind the Blog. He is the true definition of generous. He is a family man through and through. There isn't anything I could honestly think of, that he wouldn't do for his family. I'm not even exaggerating. I've joked that Papa is in trouble once Alina figures out how to manipulate him. He'll take her out and she'll come home with an outrageously expensive golden chain with a heart on it and a puppy. We'll be giving Alina hell for asking Papa for things she knows he won't be able to say no to. Then we'll be telling Rodney that he has to stop buying Alina everything she asks for!! But in all seriousness, Rodney is the one man in my life, that I can call dad. He's proudly stepped in, as my dad here on Earth and I wouldn't have anyone else stand there, but him. I also know that he will be the very best Papa he can be to his first grand baby. It is unfortunate that my dads passed away and that Alina won't get to know her other papas. But, she is lucky for the one that she does have because he is all that she will ever need in this world.

Rodney is always putting others first. Whether it be driving an aunt to a doctor's appointment, picking up stranded hitchhikers and bringing them home for a place to eat and rest, to helping his sister with a renovation. He is always there, every time you need him, no questions asked.
 So Rodney was off of work at eight at night, went to help a friend snow blow his driveway. There was some kind of trouble with the snow blower (isn't there always...) and then he was at his own driveway, hard at work. It wasn't until nearly eleven his time, that he called me back. I called earlier and let Andrea know that I needed to interview Rod for my blog. I was surprised and then immediately not surprised that he called me after his long day of work and then snow blowing. I got my answers and quickly let him get on with his night, which was made up of finally going to bed!

 I'll try to write word for word what Rodney's answers were for each question, with a little bit of my own commentary afterward.

//1 What is your favourite cereal?
Rod: Well I have two. Well no, there is one that we always have in the house. But my favourite would be Fruit Loops. Andrea buys them for me and I eat them raw by the handful. I could go through a box by eating them in the basement while watching t.v. But we always have Cheerios because those are healthier for you. 

 I agree! I love Fruit Loops. When I was pregnant- I requested them early in my first trimester. They were the only things I really wanted to eat first thing in the morning, for about a week! Mm-mm. AND- just the other day, Rob went to the grocery store for junk cereal and came home with Fruit Loops. Like father, like son.

//2 Do you prefer pancakes or waffles?

 Rod: Finn pancakes.

 Well this was a no brainer. Rodney is Finnish and there is this restaurant in Thunder Bay called The Hoito. Every time we're in Thunder Bay we go there for breakfast. It's in this dingy basement of an old building. It reminds me of a church basement. But it's like we're lining up to get into the Keg on a Friday night, without reservations. This place is packed in the mornings, especially during the holidays. They are known for their Finnish pancakes!

via

The Hoito is so famous Jordan Staal brought the Stanley Cup to it!!!

//3  What is your favourite holiday tradition?
Rod:  Family reunions- but that's not really a holiday tradition... The Christmas tree. Well until Andrea got it one year from A&P and it was a real Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. I ended up drilling holes into the trunk and taking branches from the bottom and sticking them in the empty spots. It worked out perfect.

 I mean, yes I realize that Rod is Rob's dad. But these two couldn't be more alike. They see a problem.. bingo bango- they find a solution. Very clever there Mr. J.. very, very clever...

via

//4  Finish this sentence; All I want for Christmas is . . .
 Rod:  I want everyone to be happy and healthy. Appreciate what we have because there are a lot of other people that are a lot less fortunate.

 I read him the question and then quickly answered for him; my two front teeth! Rodney was a daredevil when he was growing up and he ended up getting in many, many car accidents. He is missing his spleen .. and at one point some of his teeth. Ouch! So I jokingly said his two front teeth and he laughed and said he was thinking about saying that!!

Rod- the younger years.

 //5  What was your best moment of 2013?
Rod:  This Christmas coming up will be.. because it will still be 2013. We'll all be together again. Oh and when Alina was born too. That was the last time we were all together as a family.

 Aww shucks Dad...! You're too sweet. I agree that Alina's birth was definitely a highlight and I'm really looking forward to spending Christmas in Thunder Bay in just under two weeks!

  Alina meeting her Papa at the airport for the first time. Rodney dressed as Santa, to surprise us on the last Christmas we all spent together.

 I wrote this post ahead of time because we'll be arriving in Thunder Bay on the 18th. The link up is set for the 19th. Just think- Alina will be reunited with her Papa once again when you are all reading this! (The last time he saw her was when she was three weeks old).

 Not only is Rodney a great dad and a person that genuinely cares but he's also a total brat. They don't call him Rotten Rodney for no reason!  Here's a series of photos to show his sense of humour and some times that we've spent together...

Here's to another "Boys Behind The Blog" link-up!! I enjoyed interviewing my father in law and it was nice to reflect on how lucky I am to have him in my life!




 To read my posts from "The Boys Behind The Blog" that I've written in the past, you can find them here:

 1. He Bites

2. A "LINC" -Up

True Canadian Winter

 I'm half way through Wednesday and I am just getting to my blog post for the day. I wanted to write a short piece before we head off to the bitter cold of a true, Canadian Christmas! We leave tomorrow for Thunder Bay, on Alina's first long trip and plane ride. She will be meeting many, many, many of Rob's family members and many of his parent's friends. The food, laughter and snow will be plentiful and I'm looking forward to getting into the Christmas spirit there. (I still haven't done any of my Christmas shopping!)

Our Christmas in Thunder Bay a couple of years ago.

 This will be my first trip while I'm blogging full time. I do have some posts written in advance but we'll see how I am with keeping up on the blog demand next week during the actual holidays. I'm sure everyone else in Blogland will be on and off with the posts as well, so I'm not too worried about it.

 My house is chaos, I am so tired from Alina's new sleeping patterns (not so great) and I just finished rushing around packing and doing all of the odds and ends that need to be taken care of before we leave while Alina is napping. She has suddenly become quite clingy and cries very, very hard whenever I leave the room or sometimes when I just stand up. It's been frustrating and it is starting to wear on me a little bit. But luckily, the holidays are around the corner to change things up a bit and I will have Rob for the next couple of weeks to help me out with the clinging. Plus Alina does much better with a group of people, rather than just her and I, one on one. So she will probably be a little angel for the in laws once we get there. (That would be ideal, anyways. Fingers crossed.)

   Basically that is what Alina looks a lot like these days, at least whenever I leave the room. (Or stand up!) Our house is pretty small so when we're packing for a big trip we have very little space for opened suitcases lying around. This is a lovely little window inside of my life right now. The last picture is how I feel; like sleeping, but of course- this will not be happening.

  I just wanted to say a little 'peace out' to my blogging homies. I would also like to put my hand out and ask for good vibes to be wished our way for our plane rides. I think Alina will do fine, but it doesn't hurt to have some positive vibes coming our way! I promise to do my best to keep up with e-mails and checking other blogs but if I slip up, sorry! I'll be back to my (somewhat) normal self come January!

How To Do A Christmas Party Worthy Up-Do

 It is that time of year when we all have to get dolled up for multiple Christmas parties. I was that friend in high school that had her friends do her makeup, hair and sometimes I even had my girlies pick out what I would wear to school dances, or to simply go 'out'.
 When I moved away from my home town I was on my own when it came to the 'being a girl' department. It was tough at first to fend for myself. After a few years and make up tutorials on YouTube and DIY hair tips I think I've come along just fine.

 This year we had both my work Christmas party and Rob's fire department party on the same night. Which worked out great for us this year because we're going to Thunder Bay on Wednesday. This way we got to enjoy bits from each party.

 I found an easy hair tutorial online that I did for the parties;

The Steps Word For Word Are HERE

 I didn't want to do anything major because I knew I wouldn't have the time to go about getting it just right. This one hairstyle seemed fancy enough and very, very easy.

Step One:

 Take about two inches in width of the bangs and pin it back. Once pinned, pull it forward to create what I like to call 'the poof'. The bigger the poof, the better just because my ordinary poof is tame, but 'going out' poof is a bit wild.

Make sure you are happy with your poof before you get started on the rest of your hair because it will be a bit riskier messing with it, once the rest of your hair is up.

Step Two:

Take the same amount of hair behind your left ear, about two inches and twist it towards the back of your head and pin. Do the same on the on the right side. Pin those two pieces together at the back.

Step Three:

 This is where it gets a bit tricky. (For me anyways.) There is some hair left in the back, most people would refer to as the 'mullet'. In order to not look like Ellen Degeneres in the nineties, take one inch thick pieces of hair and with your forefinger and thumb roll the hair upwards until you can't roll it up anymore. Then pinch the hair and pin it in place. It could take a few bobby pins to get it pinned secure. Continue to do this until all of your hair is pinned up. Keep in mind that this is a messy look and it's okay to have some hair sticking out.

 That's it! If my instructions are a bit foggy- click HERE for the steps I followed to do this hairstyle. My hair lasted the whole night. I sprayed it well with a cheap, firm hold hairspray. Although, sadly enough; I didn't do any dancing, so I can't promise that it would last through a night of dancing!

The fam before 'Mom and Dad' went out!

Mission Hot Bod- Week Three

 Another Friday and I just finished my third week of RushFit! I realize that the weekly workout recap posts are a bit on the boring side. I thought about it and I'm pretty sure I would just scroll through the pictures and say something encouraging in the comments if I was reading all of this on another blog. So I will try to keep it relatively short!

MONDAY-

 Day One was the Strength and Endurance workout.
Goals: I'd like to improve on my burpees. They always wind the hell out of me and I'd love to be able to rock out a bunch with minimal effort.
Improvements: I can do the push up where I let my hands go when I reach the mat and then I push up from a lying position, much, much better than when I first started!

TUESDAY-

Day Two was my Cardio but also the day that I go to Happy Fit Stroller Classes with Lisa instructing. These classes have turned into something I look forward to every week. Even though I'm working out my body with sprinting and new stretches, it never feels like it. You know when a friend calls and you're folding laundry and then as you chat, you continue to do housework? Well, that's what Happy Fit Stroller Class is to me; housework that I don't even notice I'm doing, because I am enjoying the company of the people and babies around me!
Goals: I want to be able to do the Pigeon Stretch with more ease. I asked Lisa what the name of this stretch was and she offered to make a little video to show me how to do it. So now everyone can practice this stretch if you want! Thanks Lisa!!



Improvements: My regular push ups are still difficult to do but I am able to successfully get through two or three before my form begins to suffer. (I couldn't even do ONE before I started three weeks ago!)

WEDNESDAY-

World's worst photo ever.. I hate feet and mine aren't painted pretty enough to put them on the world wide web.

Day Three was the Fight Conditioning workout. I used to think this workout was an easier one because there isn't any push ups, weights or stretches. But I'm constantly moving in this workout and it really gets my heart rate going and I'm sweating buckets by the time I'm finished.
Goals:  I totally suck at the Uchi Mata kicks. I have no coordination for this one, so by the time I sort of have this kick figured out, I'm supposed to switch legs and it completely baffles me. I'll get there, it will just take some time!
Improvements: I'm working up quite a sweat with the striking kicks and level change combinations. It feels great.
 I also realized that I have lost one pound. I still don't care too much about my weight loss throughout all of this, but it is nice to see that I did lose!!

THURSDAY-

Lisa on the left from my RushFit video showing a Lateral Plank and Lisa from Happy Fit showing a Back Bend. (Thank you Lisa for sharing your Tumblr page with me.)

 Day Four was Abdominal Strength and Core workout.
Goals: I need to straighten my legs more with the leg raises and v ups in round three. I am doing okay but I know it would be a lot more challenging if I could straighten my legs.
Improvements: I can do lateral planks much easier than before. I also can now do what I probably incorrectly call the Back Bend. I couldn't do it last week and made it a goal and I've reached it! There's always room for improvement but I'm pumped that I can actually do it now.

FRIDAY-

 Day Five was a Cardio day. So I hit up the fire hall's gym and got to run/jogging. My average speed was 4.4 which isn't super great. But I think the most important thing with my cardio is  to never stop. I speed walk for the first few minutes then I turn it into a jog, followed by a short speed walk and then a sprint at the end.
 Goal: To have a higher average speed than 4.4 next week.
Improvements: I was much more consistent this week with keeping a steady pace. Many times before I would flat out give up on the run before I reached my mini goal. (Ex: I'll run until this song is over, etc.)

 So it went really well! I've been tending to Christmas duties, like baking cookies for the cookie exchange we do every year. So I got rid of my five dozen sugar cookies ( I ate TWO) and then I received oh, too many goodies to mention. My plan is to give most of them away and to let Rob eat the rest of them. I had a glass of wine at the cookie party and I ignored the treats and just ate the salsa, guacamole and tortilla chips instead. I can't say no to everything, but if I have to say no to some things, it's going to be the sweets. I like salty treats much more anyways!

 What are your healthy goals this holiday season?!!

It's BackThatAzzUp Friday with Yoga Pants. It's nice to have you back Whitney. In the spirit of the holidays, I thought I would share one of my all time favourite Christmas tunes. A few years ago, Rob picked me up from work on Christmas Eve blasting this song in the Jeep. It got me so excited and pumped up for Christmas! I also live on Vancouver Island, so it is an appropriate song for my island Christmas'! Enjoy Bing Crosby's "Mele Kalikimaka"!

The Good & The Bad

 The best present - the worst present I ever received...

 I was reading one of my favourite blogs, The Blogess today and she wrote a post about her best gift and worst gift she's ever received at Christmas time.. I thought it was a good idea for a post so I flat out copied her! Thank you Jenny.

The Best Gift I've Ever Received :

 The best Christmas gift I have ever received was actually just a couple of years ago. My mom bought me a Kindle. I absolutely love to read. It's one of my favourite things to do when I have a spare moment to myself. It's relaxing and enjoyable. I get myself in a comfortable spot, whether that be a bath or on the couch in front of the burning log wrapped in a cozy blanket. I love reading in the summer on the beach, or in the Westy camping in the rain. It's part of my life and that is why the Kindle was such an amazing gift. It's like when we finally bought a PVR to record television. I mean, seriously, we never watched t.v. the same ever again.

 At first I wasn't sure about the Kindle because I'm a creature of habit and I don't like to change something that is working just fine for me. But the fact that all I have to do to turn the page is click a button is mind blowing amazing to me! I also hated trying to read in the dark, with a light propped under my chin and then every time I turned the page it was excruciatingly loud in the quiet of our bedroom.

  As you can see, Rob knows me so well that he knew to take pictures of me opening this gift. He knew my reaction would be great and he was right! I couldn't believe she got me something so awesome and perfectly suited for me! Best Christmas gift, hands down.

 The Worst Gift I've Ever Received:

 The actual gift itself isn't that bad. But the reason why I was given this gift is why it was so awful. When I was fifteen I had my first 'real' boyfriend. His name was Derrick P. and he was only a few months older in age, but in a higher grade than me. We were the most pathetic boyfriend and girlfriend in history. First off, he was horribly clingy. As soon as I got to school, he'd be there sitting right beside me, trying to hold my hand. Puke. Then, he was always calling me and I would constantly tell my parents or siblings to tell him I was in the bath!! I basically wasn't ready to have a boyfriend yet. I was afraid of what being a girlfriend meant. I liked the idea of a boy liking me enough to want to call me, 'girlfriend' but I was really uncomfortable with having to kiss and all that comes with being in a relationship. He was my first kiss and it was AWFUL. I'm sure I had a lot to do with it, but he was sloppy and our teeth hit and it was just b-a-d!

 We shared one Christmas together. He ended up buying me a few different items. But one thing he bought me was a basket full of bath salts, bubble bath and all kinds of bath related goodies. He told me that he bought me the bath stuff because of how much I loved having baths. HA HA HA!!! The poor bugger bought me a Christmas gift based on my LIES. I knew then and there that I had to break up with this poor soul... Worst Christmas gift ever because I was a liar liar, pants on fire!

 That's me desperately trying to escape his clinging hold in the picture.. Poor guy!!

Let's hear it; what are your best and worst gifts ever received at Christmas time!?

The Little Girl Inside - Christmas Link Up

I found this picture and couldn't resist. What a vicious child!

 I was excited to hear that Helene from Helene In Between and Taylor from The Daily Tay were doing a Christmas related link up this week! I love any excuse to write about Christmas, but to be able to reminisce on my blog about being a kid during Christmas is exciting! I love that feeling I would get right before the holidays.. Once school was out for Christmas Break, then it was literally 'go time'! First of all, remember what it's like to not really be able to keep track of time once school was out? I would have to ask my mom or siblings what day it was and how many sleeps that meant before Christmas. I used to measure time by t.v. shows. I would go to the park and my mom would tell me to be home by two Sesame Streets. Oh, being a kid is the best.

 A hugely fond memory that stands out will always be decorating the Christmas tree. We would go out to the bush and pick out our very own tree. Rudi would chop it down and we'd all bring it home. Once it was home, it was always-
1. Cold in the house from the door being opened while my parents lugged that awkward, sappy tree through the door.
2. Time to be quiet and patient. It was a bit tense while they were trying to get that tree centered in the tree stand. For some reason they always had a hell of a time getting it in properly and straight. (Perhaps they should have bought a better stand).
3. Exciting because we knew that we would be decorating our tree the very next day!

 Mom always put the lights up the day that we got the tree. Then the next evening we would all get to decorate. Of course everyone had their own decorations that we liked to put up. The bunnies, Mom's mouse, the owls and the love birds. We would play Christmas music, drink eggnog and take our time because we never wanted that moment to end. Once the tree was all decorated, us three kids would crawl under the tree with our new colouring books and colour together, by the light of the tree. Colouring under the tree will always be a memory I will cherish. My sister's little ones now colour under their Christmas tree and once Alina is old enough, she will too.

 The best part of Christmas would have to be the night before Christmas. There was a time and it could have just been the one time, but it stands out so much in my memory that I can't help but think it was for a couple of Christmas'. An "I Love Lucy" marathon played all night long on Christmas Eve. My sister and I always shared a room and on this night, every year, my brother would sleep on the floor of our room so we could all wake up together. I remember them sneaking the t.v. on so we could watch the marathon, with basically no sound because we were being that quiet. (Yeah right. Our parents probably heard us and just let us think we were being sneaky.) That year, like every year whoever woke up in the middle of the night, would be in charge of waking the rest of us with a flashlight in hand. We would creep out of our room and check out first, the stockings to confirm that Santa came. Then we'd seek out our presents! We would point out the big ones to each other. I have no idea how we fell back asleep afterward. Oh this memory gives me festive butterflies in my tummy thinking about it! Heehee.

 Christmas morning. I can't help but think of all of those mornings of the past with a goofy grin on my face. One Christmas morning Santa left junk cereal under each one of our stockings. I got the Pac Man Marshmallow Cereal and I knew Santa was real because my mom would never let us have cereal with marshmallows in it! Another Christmas to remember would be when I got my first pet, Doodle; the hamster. I felt so special because I was the only kid in our entire history of Christmas' to get a pet for a gift. One year that really stands out is when I started to doubt Santa's existence. I wrote him a long letter asking for proof, a picture, anything to lead me to believe he was real. That Christmas morning I received a note with one word written on it in Santa's messy writing; BELIEVE. That's all the validation I ever needed.

 Let's all note a couple of things in the bottom picture... Let's start with our matching couches and end off with our gorgeous, one of a kind mustard yellow SHAG carpet. Hellooo 1989!

 Each year I feel the tickle of excitement in my tummy, at 28. I continue to have a hard time falling asleep on Christmas Eve. I still creep out in the middle of the night before Rob wakes up to take a sneak peak at my presents. Some things just never change at Christmas and that's the little girl that lives inside me. She comes out for a bit during this time and I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm not the only one . . .

 Thanks girls for giving me a reason to sit down and remember some of the fondest memories I have stored in the ol' memory bank!!

Tis The Season ...

Christmas is a time for sharing, for festive joyful spirits.. It is for baking cookies, Christmas parties and it's for kind, selfless gestures in the name of Christmas!

 Which brings me to Saturday afternoon. Rob, Alina and I went on a search for a nice, warm toque (Warm winter cap) for Alina. We're going to Thunder Bay to visit Rob's family for Christmas, so we need to buy some warm clothing. We looked all over the mall on Friday with no luck! We went to a consignment store nearby and I discovered a bin full of toques! It wasn't long before I found the perfect toque for my Alina! The cherry on the sundae! Or the strawberry on the shortcake, in our case. We put it on Alina and it was so cute. It was a strawberry cap with a green top and everything. It's Rob, Alina, myself, the store owner and one other shopper in the store. Rob and I took Alina over to the mirror with her new cap on and I tell her that she looks so cute in her brand new toque! We snap a few pictures of the two of us because we just can't resist and we're all pretty excited about it. Rob continues to put different hats on her head and we're giggling at some of his choices. I put her new scarf and strawberry cap on our buggy and join Rob and Alina in the hat fashion show.

 After a few minutes we decide that we're all finished. Rob asks me where I put her cap. I scoff and say, "It's on her stroller with her scarf.. just look!" We can't find it. I'm very vocal about insisting to Rob that I know I put it where I put it. The other shopper is paying at the till and I am frantically looking for this cap. The owner of the store finishes up and asks us what we're looking for. We explain that we put a strawberry toque on our buggy and now we can't find it anywhere. She gasps and says, "That lady just bought a strawberry cap!"

 My jaw practically hits the floor. I couldn't believe it.

 So the lady that quietly shopped around the entire time that Rob, Alina and I were there deliberately snatched the cap off of our stroller. She heard us talking about how cute Alina looked in this hat. She saw us taking pictures of her in it. How bad is it that someone could be that awful to take something from another person's stroller!? It wouldn't be as bad if she just walked into the store and saw that we had something she wanted and snatched it out of being competitive and unfair. But she was there the entire time we were! There's no way that she didn't hear us ranting and raving over this cap. We were so excited that we finally found something we both really liked. She literally experienced the joy it brought the young couple and their baby girl and she still took it. I honestly think that there must be something off with her to do something so ... wrong.

 I realize that it's just a hat. Alina didn't know the difference. It wasn't like we already bought it and then she took it from our Jeep. But the act was nasty. I didn't like how it made me feel. It was mean spirited and it made me feel ... bad. I mean, it's Christmas time!

 So in the end- I know Alina simply wasn't meant to have it. But the lady that literally stole from a baby will have some bad karma coming her way. Nothing big, just something that will cause her to have that bad, ugly feeling in her gut- just like I had.

 Thank goodness there is more good in my life to balance the bad that happens every now and then! So the next time you're at a door and a busy shopper is up close behind you, on their blue tooth yapping away unaware, open the door for that person. Or if a pushy driver is signalling to get into your lane, just let them. After all Tis the Season to be Jolly and Considerate and Kind! Oh and the next time you see something you want, but someone already has it ... DON'T TAKE IT.. bitch.

That's okay- Alina found an elf cap in our Christmas decorations to wear.

Mission Hot Bod- Week Two

 Another Friday has arrived. First of all, I want to give a shout out to the weather! That's right, I just 'shouted out' the weather because I'm cool and this is my blog and I can do that. It has been chilly, but the sun has been out and it's been absolutely gorgeous out. I live on the West Coast of Canada, people. It is always raining during this time of year. To put it into perspective for all of you that aren't from Canada, I live in a province above Seattle. I just heard a collective "ooooooooh" from my American readers... Now you get it.

 Friday means that I have completed my second week of RushFit. I feel pretty awesome about it too. I even had a bit of a speed bump that would normally deter me from working out. Anything would stop me from working out before, but nothing will now. (Hopefully!!!) My tummy was a bit bloated and I was a touch crampy, if you all are picking up what I'm putting down. A little bit of TMI, but again- that's okay.

MONDAY-

 

  Day One was the "Strength and Endurance" workout like last Monday.
 Goals:  I haven't used actual weights with the workouts just yet. I'm seriously very weak and didn't want to overdo it and discourage myself right away. But I plan to use weights after this week.
Improvements: My push ups and plank side stretches were a bit easier to do this week.
 I bought a new mat for my living room floor and for my Tuesday classes and it is working quite nicely. It sure beats the baby puzzle mat I was slipping on all last week!

TUESDAY-

 Day Two is always Cardio with RushFit but it is also my Happy Fit Day! I go to a neighbouring town and meet up with Lisa from Happy Fit for our Stroller Class. This time around Lisa brought her camera and I also made note to snap a couple of pictures of the girls. The class was more challenging than last week, which I was excited about. Lisa taught me how to do a push up properly, which is sad because I don't think in my entire life, that I have ever done one right. Lisa incorporated workout stations and I was a big fan of those.
Goals: I want to be able to do twenty wall push ups without almost collapsing. By push up sixteen my arms were trembling violently!
Improvements: During the stretches at the end of class I think I had a better time figuring out which leg I was supposed to put where. I'm impossible with my sense of direction so I think I improved slightly!

WEDNESDAY- 

 Day Three was "Abdominal Strength" workout like last Wednesday. I was seriously pretty sore in my arms and shoulders from those wall push ups from Tuesday. My legs were sore as well from two days worth of lunges and squats. But Wednesday was not a rest day, so I had to push through and take it easy on the exercises that hurt.
 Goals: I want to be able to do a full back bend, where you are on your back and then you lift up on your feet and hands and your head is in the position where you would be doing a head stand. It is really difficult to do without collapsing. I used to be able to do it before, so I know it's in me!
Improvements: I have improved on the Combination workout in Round 5. (Navasana- Sit Thru- Hindu Push Up- Sit Thru)
 After my workout, I had to get baby up and ready for our walk at the beach with some of our friends. We met at a coffee shop and made our way down to the boardwalk in another neighbouring town. It was quite chilly but it was a gorgeous day with the sun shining brightly on all of us. I ended up doing my RushFit in the morning and then I did a little bit of pleasant, easy cardio in the afternoon. I'd say that's a pretty good day!

THURSDAY-

 Day Four was a full on Rest Day! Hallelujah! I really needed the rest day because my body was feeling a little beaten up. So on this day, I just hung out with my baby girl and wrote a blog post about my Snail Mail Collective Experience #2 and if you didn't catch it, go and read it. It was a good one! Alina is watching her first snow fall in the first picture, right after waking. She's reading her book she got from Stephanie and she's eating her chicken and broccoli in the last. She started saying "ba ba ba's" that morning and she started her sitting version of dancing to some Raffi. It was a very productive day for my little Alina girl!

FRIDAY-

 Day Five was "Fight and Conditioning" workout. It was interrupted right after I finished the warm up because Alina woke. I tried feeding her to get her to go back to bed, but she was up..! So Rob took the baby girl and played with her for a bit. Later she watched while I grunted, gasped and sweated it out!
Goal: I want to get better at the combinations. (Jab, jab, cross, back kick, level) I need to improve on this so that I'm not wasting the entire round trying to figure out the combination. Before I know it, it's over!
Improvements: I have figured out the ground work. Before I wasn't taking it as seriously because I was frustrated and getting mad. Now I have it figured out and am not wasting time being pissed off anymore.

 Week two has been really awesome! Currently my legs are a bit sore. My right ankle, the one I have injured a few times is feeling a bit tender. But now I have two days of rest before I start at it again on Monday morning! This is all starting to feel really, really good.

Snail Mail Collective - What Are You Grateful For?

 Last month I signed up for The Snail Mail Collective. This would be my second time participating in the SMC and I was excited to see who my partner was this time around! My first experience with the SMC was good but I was eager to try it out again, seeing as I had a bit more time to really put a nice package together.
 My partner was Stephanie from Stephanie Leigh. She lives in New York City with her boyfriend. She enjoys basketball, traveling, running and snowboarding. (She didn't confirm the traveling, but I'm going to go ahead and assume by having "talked" with her a few times, that she does.) Stephanie exceeded my expectations of a partner this time around. She was excited, so friendly and personable and easy to 'talk' too. It was Stephanie's first time participating in the SMC and so I wanted to make sure she had a  really good experience.
 Alina and I slowly went shopping around town for Stephanie. I always cheat a little bit and buy more than what I actually make. I also spend a teeny, tiny bit more than five dollars. It's too hard to find things for people with only a five dollar budget. But I didn't go way over budget, I promise. We ended up sending her a funky bracelet, some earrings, Canadian mittens and a few other things. I did draw a caricature of Stephanie and her boyfriend because I had to do something creative this time around. Never mind what I did- you can read all about what I got her HERE..!
 I received Stephanie's parcel last night on my way home from the grocery store. I was super excited to open it and happy that Rob was home to enjoy it with me.

Here's a shot of my loot! Stephanie put a lot of thought into her package, with creative ways to show what she's grateful for. She sent Swedish Fish and a soup recipe because she LOVES food. (Just like me!) She sent neat little pictures that her friend makes to show how she appreciates and loves the good friends that she has. She sent two funky bracelets from Thailand and she made me a really cute headband because she loves living in a world where she can be herself, no matter the style. She sent me a pink warrior fighter figurine to show that she is grateful for laughter. (It's an inside joke.. Yeah, we already have those.. no biggy.) I saved the best for last; she sent Alina a book to teach her basic colours! I'm mostly excited about the book because I knew when I opened the package that Alina would just LOVE it and I was right, she totally does. She likes crinkling noises and books. This book has crinkles in it for her to poke and of course, she loves to chew on the cardboard pages. Stephanie was a total sweetheart for thinking of my girl and it made me realize how grateful  I am for blogging and link-ups like the Snail Mail Collective. My experience with Stephanie was a really nice one and I'm so glad that we were paired together.

Alina enjoying her new book today!

These are my favourite things that Stephanie sent me. I can't wait to make that soup! I am also really excited to wear my bracelet because I have been searching for a simple, but braided, brown bracelet forever!

I started by putting him in the fridge with the milk.. Then I decided to let him "surprise" Rob next time he was reaching for something. I'd like to think that the Pink Fighting Warrior is giving Rob a high five at a pretty deserving moment....!

 It was absolutely a pleasure having Stephanie as my SMC partner. I'm so glad I had a chance to converse back and fourth with her. I have another person to add to my list of blogging friends now. I really am serious about one day going to NYC for Christmas. Perhaps when that time comes, if we're still in contact, we can meet in person and have a drink (or five) together. 

 To sign up for the Snail Mail Collective, you have until December the 7th. It will be the final one that the girls will be doing. I'm sad to hear that it's the last one, but I'm sure they have their reasons for that. So thank you so much to Melyssa and Chelsea for creating such a great link up to be a part of for the second time!

Oh and this video is for you Stephanie, in case I don't get to meet you.. I wanted Alina to show that she is grateful for her new book, in her own way... 

Afternoon Bliss

 My idea of the perfect outing, that doesn't cost much money or effort on my part would have to be exactly what I did on Saturday afternoon...
 Rob is a volunteer fire fighter for our community. His title is "volunteer" but really, all of fire fighters are paid on call. So every time they answer a call, they are paid a rate. Say Rob made $15 per call. As soon as he gets to the hall and signs in, he automatically gets $15.  I believe he gets a bit more if he is on the call for longer. I'm sure of it, but I can't quite remember the specifics. Once a year he is paid right before Christmas for an entire year's worth of fire calls. It works out really nice because it's like a little bonus cheque before the holidays! Every year he gets to spend some of that cheque on himself, obviously. He earned it and deserves a chunk of that money.

Via

 This year he wanted to go to the mall, without me in tow tapping my toe in impatience and buy himself some clothes. He still wanted me to come along for the drive, but I decided to go to Chapters for a browse and a read. Chapters is a Canadian version of Barnes and Noble- for you Americans out there and for everyone else; it's a big, glorious book store. Aka- my personal idea of heaven. Or, the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Rob wanted Alina with him; bonus! So I was really happy to escape my little family and have some me time!

 I browsed in the gift department which is always really enjoyable for me. There are always really cool gadgets you can buy, especially around the holidays. They were selling marble cubes to act as ice cubes for hard alcohol drinks. So, instead of using ice and having the ice dilute the booze, you have marble cubes. Talk about hardcore drinking! I snapped a few shots of some of the products I thought were entertaining..

  But the best part of my little outing, was when I went to the Starbucks attached to the book store and bought a Chai Latte, a little treat and a seat to read in....! I obviously never get out much, but this was seriously such a great time for me. I started off in a seat in the middle of everyone and later when people left I relocated to the comfy couch facing everyone. I was so content, sipping my drink and reading my book. But, I was also really aware of everyone around me. Normally that would bother me while I'm trying to read. But because it was the first real shopping weekend for Christmas there was a buzz of excitement in the air. It was busy, but in a enjoyable, joyful way. I loved every minute of it. I read, I took pictures, I slyly people watched. Ahh, pure bliss. As much as I yearn to get a moment to myself everyday, I found that I missed my little family. I think I was away from them for about an hour. I received a text from Rob of Alina in her new jacket he bought for her. The image just brought a smile to my face and when he asked me how much longer I thought I'd be, I gladly told him that I was finished. I ended up walking over to the mall and meeting up with them for some lunch. It was so nice to have an hour to myself, but it was that much better reuniting with my people.

 You always want what you don't have... But always remember to appreciate what you do have because everyday is a gift. Truly.

(BUT, it is important to get time away because if you don't... mama might snap.)

What is your idea of the best way to spend some "me" time?

DIY - For Sophie- Love Auntie

 It's a complete miracle! Not only did I attempt a DIY ... I succeeded in completing and creating something that I had originally thought up in my mind! A bloody miracle!!!

 I wanted to create something special for my niece Sophie. She is a little spit fire of sass and a total goofy gus. We all just met her this August and I fell in love with her even more. She is a little red head that reminds me of her mom, my best bud and sister.

This is a picture my sister put up on Facebook this weekend. This is Sopha in a nutshell...!

 I have been itching to make something since I rejoined Pinterest months ago. My sister in law Erin is a DIY machine of a human being. I wish I had photos of some of the masterpieces she's created over the last year. She is the one who has been inspiring me to make something. I thought up the idea a couple of weeks ago and then this Friday (BLACK FRIDAY- duh.) I ventured out into the city, to the mall to buy my supplies.

 We went to Michaels for my craft supplies. Rob likes to refer to it as "Geekles" and I corrected him and said that "Nerdles" is much, much funnier. Whatever Rob! I like to craft okay!!!? I was telling Erin on Friday that I would love to craft more, but that I don't have the space.

Me: "I wish I could do more but I just don't have the space around here. I would just love to be able to get my Harry Potter box full of crafts out, colour and draw my caricature birthday and Christmas cards and just leave my supplies lying around." 

 Rob so graciously added that what I had said was simply the nerdiest thing he had heard in a long time. Whatever Rob! I like to craft and have a Harry Potter box that I keep my crafts in, okay!? (I ordered my hard cover Harry Potter books from Amazon like a zillion years ago and they came in this really "cool" Harry Potter box. I had to save it.)

What you will need to craft a personalized jewellery box for a toddler:
( I say it's for a toddler because it's a pretty amateur job. I'm not sure if a teenager or an adult would want something like this. So be easy on me.)

//1 ** Pictures! I ended up ordering some pictures of Sophie, Alina and I the day before. So the idea is to find a theme for the jewellery box. Mine is "The Shea's". My middle name is Shea and Ky named Sophie after me and I named Alina after me as well. I have always liked my middle name and wanted to keep it in my family. (Pronounced Shay)

//2   A wooden jewellery box. I purchased this box at Michael's for $9. I found some smaller ones at a garage sale last weekend. I bought those for .50 so it all depends on where you go and what you're looking for. I didn't end up using the smaller box because the pictures I had were quite zoomed in.

//3  Appropriate brushes. I ended up buying a little cheap starter kit for my project. Luckily if you are already into crafting, you probably won't need to buy the brushes. Decoupage or Mod Podging requires a foamy kind of brush. (pictured above.)

//4  Paint. I bought a Pepto Bismol pink colour! It ended up looking alright but it was pretty pink. I bought brown paint to paint the little wooden hearts that I planned on attaching to the jewellery box. The wooden hearts can be found at Michael's as well. I bought a bag of assorted hearts from the garage sale that I went to last weekend.

//5 I noticed that one of the most important tools is not in the picture I posted. It's the Mod Podge glue or adhesive. It is what you apply on the back of the pictures and over the top.

** After reading articles on how to decoupage a picture onto a wooden surface I realized that I was supposed to print my pictures on High Quality Glossy Photo Paper. Oops, I didn't.. So I tested out the Mod Podge adhesive with another picture on another piece of wood and it appeared to work. Perhaps, for your best results print your pictures on the paper. 

 So I got started on painting the jewellery box. It was a Saturday night and I was listening to some music and I decided to make some Hot Spinach Dip (Will add recipe later) and so I was inspired to have a little drinky-poo along with the beer I was enjoying. What better way to craft and make a DIY project than a shot of Sambuca to warm your belly!? Yes, I'm a mom. Yes, I was alone, crafting and making spinach dip. No, I am not ashamed. For the record; Rob was in the living room watching hockey so I wasn't alone, alone. Oh hell, even if I was, I would have done it! It made the crafting that much more enjoyable. As you can see by my face, I haven't done a shot in awhile.

 I ended up painting the jewellery box and some of the hearts I wanted to use. I didn't tackle the decoupage part until the next day. I decided which pictures were going to go where and I added the adhesive to the back of the picture. It is important not to put too much on the back because it slips and slides a bit when you are decoupaging the front of the picture. Put your picture in place and with your sponge type brush, smooth a small coat of Mod Podge over your picture. I also had a pair of tweezers handy in case, like me, you bought cheap paint brushes and the bristles fell off in your paint. Remember it takes about twenty minutes for the Mod Podge to disappear. But it goes on streaky and white at first. I put two coats over my pictures. 

 It was an easy project to do because it didn't take very long at all. It took me two days but I was taking my time because I was enjoying myself so much. It could probably take two hours to do, uninterrupted. Oh and the Spinach Dip pictured was a-mazing. I really enjoyed eating most of it Saturday and a lot of it for lunch on Sunday. (Spinach is healthy.....!)

 I'm proud of myself for making something special for my girl Sophie. I think it's something she'll have forever. She can keep dirty rocks and leaves in there when she's five. Or she can keep her birth control and love letters in it when she's in her twenties. I know it's something that she will look at when she's older and she will know how much she is loved by her Auntie. Mission. Accomplished.