Precious Time To Myself

It's funny how little thoughts flutter and sprint into our minds during the day. One minute I'm trying to figure out how many days until Mr. X's Ativan will be covered by the provincial government the next I imagine the greatest idea for a blog post. The trouble with being inspired and merely writing down the idea, is that once it's written and cast aside, it loses it's gumption in your memory. When the idea is fresh is best. I always feel a sense of drive or a real desire to write those thoughts at that moment. I know now, that if I just write down the idea in bullet form, the next time I read it (months from then) all of the passion has been drained out of me. It's just a fact.

 So tonight, while I was watching the second season of Orange Is The New Black at 11:30 while the rest of my family dozed into the world of z's and blissful dreams, I was inspired. I paused my most favourite new show to date and decided that I'd jot down my thoughts while the passion was freshly flowing.

 I feel like after being married and having a child, the ME in me can get lost. My personal desires and wants are there deep inside of me but I find them drowning with the wants and desires of my girl or my guy.. Alina is two and some.. and she's honestly been an angel from day one. I can't lie. We've been lucky AND I think we're just doing shit right. She has an attitude or whines, we give her hell.. nothing drastic, we just tell her straight up that she can't be that way. She gets it; she doesn't rule the roost. Alina is a sweetheart and she's been really good while I've been going through this whole school process. I'm really close to the finish line. I find out if I passed or failed the Jurisprudence Exam in July and then my big, two day licensing exams are in September. I'm close.. but Alina suffered. She experienced at a young age what it was like to have a very distracted mommy. A girl needs her mom, what can I say? But because of how much I had to study and do my own thing on the weekends I feel like it's really affected her. I'll tell her we're going to visit friends or that there's a carnival in town and usually her first question is; "Mommy coming?" I've had to pawn her off on her dad so many times during the last year, that she's just used to it. I've created this cling on monster and it is essentially my own fault.

 So now, with only a few months left in this entire process, I can't take a pee or change my clothes without the boom boom boom boom.. down the hall.. Imagine the sound of stomping fat toddler feet against the tile at a dangerously clumsy pace just seconds behind your own... That's Alina. She is my shadow and I love her and the fact that she wants to be around me-however, it gets tiring too.

 Which leads me to this post...
I stay up late on the weekends because it's MY time. Yes, I am a bit of a night owl and have always appreciated my nights. But now, now that this is truly my own time to myself without Rob calling me outside to look at his shrubs or his newly built hot tub step or Alina's "Mommy.. what doing??!" nearly every three minutes, I really, really cherish this time. I love my family, don't get me wrong. But there was a time in my life when I could be completely selfish. I miss it. Remember having a job and all of that money, ALL OF IT.. went to little old you? It was a pretty cool set up. Now, if my whole pay cheque went to me, I probably wouldn't even know where to begin. I'm desperate for a new wardrobe. Luckily I have this friend that gives me her hand me downs on a regular. I think I've been wearing Holly's old styles for the last oh... five years. Same with Rob's sister, the shopping guru. She used to be my main clothing supplier before Holls took over.

 I need to find time for me, without school or the fam. I need to be able to buy myself some clothes, sans baby and husband. I need some time for myself and it can't just be early in the morning before everyone wakes or late at night when everyone is sleeping.

 There, those were all of my thoughts and I got them down. I wrote everything down during my favourite show, it was close to midnight when I finished. Now, I'm proof reading it to see if my thoughts actually made sense with the words and sentences that I used. It's a gorgeous sunny morning and I have my little shadow watching her Princess and The Frog movie and my husband just woke up and is currently singing "Break My Stride" while he makes coffee in the kitchen. My peeps are up and I'm sure my services will be needed quite soon... Even though I lose some of my own desires it does feel pretty damn amazing to be needed and wanted around here.

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The Haley Pie Chart

 Am I a blogger? It doesn't feel like it much lately.. I started this blog nearly ten years ago. I can honestly say it got me through a bit of a low time in my life and then when things picked up, I dropped Truth Be Told. I didn't do it on purpose, it just happened. Years later, I was on maternity leave and had all of the time in the world to start it back up again. So I did and that year was by far my best work at Truth Be Told. Now, I am back at my lull.

 With Mother's Day being a relevant topic for discussion, I've been inspired by a little cartoon that's being shared around Facebook these days.

 I thought the cartoon was cutesy funny and I shared it with a friend. But it made me think about all of the parts of me that are stretched every which way. Yes, I'm a mom and that's a large chunk of the Haley Pie Chart, but there are so many other roles that I am on a day to day..

The Student

 Sigh.. we've all heard enough about my year of schooling. It's been intense, it's been challenging and I'm not even there yet.. Le Sigh.

The Cook

 Oh am I ever THE cook around here. No matter what, even if I'm working full days, I get home and I have the lovely challenge of making dinner. Every Sunday I sit down and grudgingly focus and think up at least five suppers for the week. I write down my ingredients and hit up the grocery store. That way, I don't have to think about what I have to make, I just have to make it. The making it part sounds easy on that Sunday when I plan, of course once I'm physically doing it.. it's not so effortless.

The Wife/Seductress 

 Not only am I someone's wife.. I have to remember to 'keep it real'.. as in, TRY. Haha.. That's funny because there are so many times when the very idea of shaving my legs to my knee seem like so much work. However, I think the minute you stop trying in your relationship, things get too boring and ordinary. I do put on makeup on the weekends and try to wear something that my husband might comment on. (He doesn't always..) But at least I feel good about myself and the fact that I'm still putting in the effort to look and then feel nice.

The Recycler/Dishwasher/Retired Sweeper

 I say that I am those things because I am the one that does those things. Oh! I forgot bathroom cleaner. Rob has never declared that he doesn't 'do' those certain chores. But he doesn't do them very often. Luckily, we got ourselves a new house with a sweet miracle maker aka dishwasher and the sweeping has been taken off of my shoulders. We are the proud owners of well.. one Roomba we named Gary and a Bobi that is the Canadian version of the Roomba. Bobi is being returned and the Roomba is taking its place and MY place as this primary sweeper. The new house is wonderful but there is a lot more to sweep!! I also take the garbage out, empty the compost and take the recycling out to the drive every other week. Rob does plenty of other things around here but it would be nice to get his voluntary help more often....

The Mom

The early days with Alina

 That's about it... I'm a mom. I think I'm pretty good at being Alina's mom and I think she's pretty good at being my daughter. It works.

The Blogger

 Even though I haven't been the best blogger lately, I have had a blog for ten years, so I suppose I have the right to call myself one. I love writing and writing about whatever I fancy on a public forum is exactly what I enjoy doing.. I hope I've been entertaining enough for those few followers I do have.. It's the most consistent form of writing I've been able to do for all of these years (besides my own private journal) and I feel like if someone took my blog away, I'd be lost without it. Less dramatic: I'd be pretty bummed out that it was all gone.


The Friend

 To be fair, I think I'm kind of a shitty friend. Lately, for sure. I'm just too involved with my own stuff to have the time to give to people that don't live under this roof! I love the friends I have back home .. the girls! The very girls that I rarely get to see.. The ones that have made their own friends in their adult lives and I feel some sadness that I don't get to be there for their gatherings.. But, those friends we make in high school seem to last and I find I miss them the most! The new friendships I've made are good and I'm grateful for them.. Friends are important to have!

The Daughter/The Sister

 Too much for one little paragraph! I miss my peeps..! My sister lives across the country on the opposite side of Canada. My mom and brother live in the same province and I don't see them too often either! So I definitely have a void in my life that is my immediate family but when we do get together, it's special..
 My in laws were amazing at making me feel at home in their house when I first met them and they continue to make me feel like part of the family. I've known them for nearly ten years and I am so comfortable around all of em! They have always been there for me through it all and I love them to bits for it.
  I'm a lot of things.. I'm not even done but I don't think I have enough time to finish up all of my roles in this life!!! So.. what's your FAV role in your life? Aww shucks, you guessed it.. the most rewarding one is being a mama!






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The Miracle That Is My Dishwasher

Dishwashers. That's right, I dedicate my post to the most useful invention ever created. EVER. I'm dead serious. When I moved in with Rob we were young and in love and excited to be together. However, our little two bedroom house did not possess a dishwasher. We lived in that house for eight years. Eight. Years. We probably would have been a lot happier in our relationship if we had just had a machine to do all of our dish washing.

 I can't explain how fantastic it is to finally have something that just hides the ugly, sticky dishes away in. It's literally a cupboard where you stash your mess until you are ready to push a button and in an hour, boom.. your mess is clean. Imagine explaining that to your great grandparents? The dishwasher would be a serious Jetson-like invention to your great grandparents.

  However, I am ruined for life now that I have tasted the fruits of Eden's Garden; my Kenmore dishwasher. I now make it a goal, a true accomplishment to avoid cleaning anything by hand. There are the exceptions; the wok that is too large or my giant cutting board that I don't want to risk ruining with too many dishwashing washes. I swear I will rearrange the entire dishwasher to fit a tiny bowl that would probably only have taken me a moment to clean by hand. I am ruthless at the idea that I will not ever clean a dish that can be easily stowed away and forgotten in the miracle that is my dishwasher. Loading the dishwasher properly is a fine art. It must be done properly and when I have company over that wants to help I cringe at their loading styles. When I am cooking a big dinner, for Thanksgiving or Christmas, I usually do a couple of loads if I can. By the time we all eat, those dirty gravy smeared plates can head right into their rightful homes.

 Did I take a couple of pictures of my freshly cleaned dishes to show my blogging viewers.. you bet your ass I did! Did I take a selfie with my clean dishes and dishwasher.. but of course. Do I need a life!? .............................maybe.

Monkey See Monkey Do

 It's incredibly crazy how much your little one IF/WHEN you have one.. watches your every move. Alina is our little mini-me. She repeats everything we say.. 'Alina, let's go get you some milk from the kitchen..' To which she replies, 'Go get milk in kitchen?' Or, 'Daddy stinks.. he tooted..!'  'Daddy tooted." Or.. my favourite, "Oh shit!" when I drop something, hit my foot, you name it, I think I must say it often enough. The lady that watches her everyday told me that when the kids drop things or when she drops her food from her tray she replies with an "Oh shit..."  (However, I would like to add that that information was from a few months ago and I'm hoping she isn't still saying it. I haven't asked...)

 As I've mentioned before and the reason why I haven't been blogging for the past several months is because I am in the painful process of getting my certification as a pharmacy technician. I am doing a bridging program that is only offered until December of 2015. So I had to double up my courses and hurry to finish so that I could qualify to take the evaluating, jurisprudence and qualifying exams this year. So far, I have five exams under my belt. (Four finals from the bridging program and I passed!) The evaluating I did last weekend and have to wait ONE MONTH to see if all of my hard work has paid off. If so- onto the next hurdle. My two finals were on March 18 and April 01st then my evaluating was on April 12. So I was studying A LOT and Alina got used to it. Her dad was the main parent on the weekends while I hid away in the basement trying to memorize everything that I could. There were a few times where Alina would run over to my desk and sit in my chair, pretending to use the mouse. Rob asked her what she was doing and she would say, "I'm studying." So there's the proof that I was working hard right there.

There's my girl.. studying.

   Rob has always been very open about his guitars, when it came to Alina. He always let her touch the guitar when he was playing or let her bang on it when she would crawl over to it. There have never been limits with her with it and she definitely respects it. So when he bought her her very own little guitar, she was pretty excited. He has it sitting beside our guitars and I think that makes her feel pretty special and included.

 So there it is, Alina is both of us wrapped into one. Kind of a given, but it's still fun to see happen right before our own eyes.

Night Off

 That's it! I officially took the night off. No studying, no math, no catching up (which my goodness I have a lot to do!) and no math.. did I mention NO MATH! Today I took my final for my Product Prep course. If I didn't mention before, it has a lot to do with math and it's horrendous. Yes, I sound dramatic. However, I am really terrible at math and for me, this has been the most challenging thing I have done in the whole 'getting registered' process.

 So today, I finished the exam with 58 seconds to spare.. (Gulp.. still not so sure how I did....) and I had the day ahead of me to jam pack full of a bunch of things that basically ate up my entire day. Of. course. I did get to clean the hell out of my house, which felt AMAZING.. since I've been seriously neglecting it for some time.

 I've been away from Blogland AND life for quite some time. I just finished my Product Prep (which includes compounding and a lot of math) and I'm currently in the last couple of weeks of Professional Practice (which includes legislation and ethics, scope of practice, etc.) Once that final is finished on April 01st....  I have the provincial Evaluating Exam on the 12th. (Eeeeeek!!! Why so soon after you ask!? Because I didn't have a choice!) Then in June, the Jurisprudence and in September the Qualifying. IF- I pass this final that I did today, which is still a genuine question.. then I think I may just be able to pull this off. However, if I failed that exam I will have failed the course and I would have to repeat the entire class again, which would be very, very, very deflating.

 ANYWAYS!! Onto more fun things... Sweet Alina turned two on the 8th and she is bigger than ever. She's talking up a storm, calling "Mommy!" every moment she can. She's very nurturing and plays 'mom' to her babies all of the time. She loves to colour with markers and is a big fan of eating. She just had her grandparents here for a few weeks and had the time of her life. Her "Monster's" birthday party with family was a hit.. She got a tricycle from us and a wagon from her grandparents. So anytime we can, we're either taking her for trike rides around the hood or pulling her around in her wagon.

 I hope to tune in more often after the exams are done in April. Rob was called to an accident (fire department stuff) and Alina's bedtime was eight. I felt like I should probably have started my catch up in the other course, but I vowed to myself that I was going to get a true night off. So I blogged instead! I miss all of my followers and blog friends out there.. and again, hope to return soon to comment and catch up on blogs and to post more often!! Until then...




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A. Special Friend

 I'm not even sure how old I was when I met this very special person. She was first a friend of a friend's. Mom and Rudi met her at the mutual friend's house and my mom and her hit it off immediately. Soon after their first encounter, she was over for a visit. They became instant pals. A. was single and living on her own without a family nearby. We sort of adopted her and she became ours..

 It has probably been nearly twenty years since I last saw her. But, thanks to Facebook, we all still 'know' each other. She was the one that inspired me, with her own blog to start mine up again.

 The very best part of A. was that she was literally a friend to all five of us in the family. My mom and A. drank wine and giggled and vented and chatted about life. I have no recollection of what they talked about, but I can only imagine, now that I'm a venting, giggling adult. Rudi and A. had a cute friendship too. She was like his little sis he never had and like everyone, she easily became good friends with him. My sister and A. had a pretty cool relationship. Kyli is the oldest and she never had the opportunity to have an older sister to look up to, until she met A. The two of them had just as much fun gabbing and giggling as my mom and A. did. The two of them would smoke cigarettes, eat junk food, all while chatting about inappropriate stuff. I know this because I was usually there. Not only did A. invite Ky over for those sleep overs but she included me. I can't express how important that was to a twelve year old with older siblings. Being included was all that I ever wanted. We would rent movies, eat as much junk as we could physically stuff into us and go to bed late. One thing about A. was that she always had awesome treats. Even after she met someone she still had time for us. I used to lug my electric typewriter everywhere with me and if you've ever experienced an electric typewriter they are anything but quiet. A. and her new man friend would settle in to watch a movie, snacks in hand and I would decide to keep writing my novel in her dimly lit kitchen. TICK TICK TICK TICK CA-CHUNK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK ... you can imagine the noise. But, she still had me over and always acknowledged my 'talent' and 'drive' to become that novelist I always aspired to be. She appreciated me and I sensed that and cherished her for it.
  My brother and A. also understood each other which wasn't an easy thing to do when he was fifteen, sixteen years old. He wanted very little to do with any of us, what with a phone attached to his face and Much Music playing on the t.v. 24/7. But, somehow A. got through to him too. She went skiing, he went snowboarding, despite his horrid hang over and they bonded in their own way. She earned his approval and I'm sure he has his own fond A. memories.

 I think that all families experience that lull.. Life gets mundane and boring.. Quiet Christmas' are nice but it's always nice to have that something, that someone to make it more interesting. That was our A. She did that for us...

 Now, nearly twenty years later, she is still part of my life. She may literally live on the opposite side of the country; the Pacific Ocean is my home, the Atlantic her's ..
  I'm not sure how long ago, but she started posting pictures of paintings she was working on. I commented, explaining how impressed I was with her work. I can't remember how it all started; but she said she wanted to paint something for little ol' me. I was thrilled! This Friday I received a personalized painting from my good friend A. It was everything I could have expected. Even after seventeen, eighteen years A. knows me well...

 So this post today has been written and dedicated to an amazing friend to my mom, a sister to both my step dad and sister... A perfect aunt to me. A. you are one of a kind and I'm so grateful that my entire family was lucky enough to have met you.

  The mess that is my desk.. Notice that the picture painted by A. is sitting there amongst the chaos that is my life. Blends right in... like it always belonged... just like A. 

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Where is January Anyway?

 It's nearly been a month and I'm shy by about.. two days!? Holy man, it's been a busy month. I can hardly believe it's nearly over.

 This month of January I've been back at the school thing full time.. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
This semester has been a busy one with more than enough of a work load in each course. I've been very busy trying to keep up with the weekly course work and reviewing and learning MATH. Yikes. However, I'm feeling okay these days. I have a test on Saturday and hopefully all of my hard work will pay off in the math department...

 The working out started out good in January, as most work out regimes do in the beginning of any new year. Then things began to slide. I always blame the schooling because I swear my brain gets tired and then I'm suuuuper tired in the mornings and have an incredibly difficult time dragging my bottom out of bed. Although... the sun is rising earlier and setting later and that alone is enough encouragement to get me up and well, isn't it nice to see some light after work folks? I think so! Rob purchased a bike so we were having Friday night dates in the 'gym' of ours. We took turns one half hour on each and then we'd swap. It was fun while it lasted. Then poor Rob had a scary fall at fire practice and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance on a SPINAL BOARD. Luckily, everything was okay but it was still a scary moment for us. Needless to say, he's taking a break from the working out. I have no excuse, other than I'm tiiiiired.

 Alina. Oh boy. That child is growing at a ridiculous rate. I don't even know where to begin. She said or should I say, shouted her first f*bomb a couple of weekends ago. We were watching a movie and it was shouted a couple of times and she looked over at me and shouted it once, then twice and then a third, fourth and fifth time. I gasped exactly how you are NOT supposed to, which encouraged her that it was the thing to say. I just said, Oh silly, you mean a duck. Ducks go quack, quack. Then she started to quack like a duck and things were okay again. But just yesterday I was told that Alina exclaims "Oh shit".. when she drops things from her high chair. I have yet to hear her say that at home... Then, I was talking on the phone with my mom and dropped something and I heard myself saying, "oh shit!"  Soooo, I guess she got that gem from yours truly.... (oh shit.)

 Alina also got into some blue paint, as you can see from the above picture.. Ask her dad about that one. All in all, it's been busy but memorable. Life is happening and even though it's nutty, I'm grateful for it.

 I'm loving the longer days and I can hardly wait for the weather to really warm up !!

Any exciting summer plans coming up?!

Back At It

  So Monday has arrived. THE Monday, where my holidays are truly over. Alina goes back to daycare on a regular basis today, school has begun again and my eating like a loser and not working out has come to an end. I'm getting up early and doing my regular workouts and eating better. Blah, blah, blah. The same thing I'm sure everybody is swearing to.. exercise and eating better in 2015.

 This is the year that I turn 30! The year that Rob and I reach our 5th wedding anniversary and our 10th year of knowing one another. Alina turns 2 and I finish school. Every year seems significant and important but this year feels like a hurdle. Next year at this time I'm going to feel really glad I got through it.

 I have little to report and I know I won't be around again, for awhile because of school starting up. So I leave my few followers with a good ol' Rob text..

Rob's usual silliness.

 

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Bring It

 That's it.. I'm depressed.

 Nah, not really. But I think everyone feels similar post Christmas blues. For some reason, t.v. land doesn't realize that Christmas is over, so the commercials are still about Christmas and holidays. I don't know what it is, but the moment the calendar flips to the 25th, those commercials and songs are instantly annoying or hold no real excitement. That's why I always say that Christmas Eve is still my favourite day during the holidays. Even when I watch Christmas movies, I love the days leading up to the big day but once it's the day, it's less interesting to me.

 Now that Christmas is behind everyone, the New Year is ahead. I often forget that Christmas means that the year is nearly over. I think for fun, I'll steal a picture from each month of 2014 and throw out a one liner or two..

January-- We just got home from our awesome trip to Thunder Bay for Christmas. Then Rob decided one fine January day to chop the Christmas tree up with his new Bear Grylls knife. Yeah, I may have written an entire blog post about it. No biggy.

February-- Not too much to report. Auntie Erin visited. (Although Auntie Erin has made a point to see Alina every month since the day she was born. Thanks Auntie- that's awesome.) We went to Auntie Wendy's (2nd cousin Wendy's) in the city for a dinner and to visit with the rest of our family
there.

  March-- This was a big month for our family. Alina turned 1- I went back to work and Rob's folks were here to celebrate the holiday. My last weeks in March with Alina were very special.. The family was all together for the first time and our girl had a great 1st birthday.

April- Easter time! All of Alina's little friends were already walking, but Alina was not there just yet. Her Easter hunt was cute because she rode her little ride along toy from her b'day to find her treats. We went to church and had a great Easter experience.

 May-- This was the month that changed.. everything. Our hot water tank leaked into our bathroom and kitchen and that was it.. We had to move to a beach resort for a little bit while the restoration crew rebuilt our floors. Alina even learned how to walk at the resort!

June- The stay at the beach resort extended to June.  Rob helped renovate the rest of our house. In no time, we were move out ready. Little did we know... we would be moving out very, very soon.

July- Even though things were less than ordinary, we made the best of it and still decided to go to the beach, eat lots of ice cream and enjoy the summer time weather.

August-- This was a surprising month. Friends of ours had been mentioning us moving into their house for a few years. It was something that I never really considered. In the spring we decided to take a look at this house and decided that it probably wasn't the best time to be moving. Out of nowhere the renters were moving and before we knew it, we were moving into our new home! August was a very, very fun month. We moved into our dream home and had Rob's folks for a visit.

September-- That was a big month for me, personally. I started my schooling and was completely blown away by the changes that took over. Rob's family that usually lives in other parts of Canada came by at the very beginning of September for a wedding and we were lucky enough to get to visit with everyone. It was a moment in our lives where we really, really took a moment to appreciate those folks.

October-- This was a fun month. Thanksgiving in Canada, Rodney (Alina's Papa) was visiting. We had some good time with family and friends. We had the chance to truly enjoy ourselves.

 November-- The beginning of Christmas is in the air! I volunteered for the first time in my entire life. One of my friends couldn't believe that it was my first time volunteering. I feel embarrassed to admit that it was! Christmas was around the corner and I was getting super excited for the festivities!

December-- The last month of the year is all about family, friends and get togethers! I officially got a break from my schooling, so the stress was completely gone. Rob and I entertained in our new home for the holiday season and that was fun.

 So that's it. 2014 has come and gone and I feel good about it. I have this 5 year journal question book I bought last year. Each year, for five years the same questions are asked and already my answers are so much different than last year. It's amazing how much can change in just one year.

 Let's review;
  I started school in September, which took most, if not all of my time. Rob has been taking officer courses with the fire department. My mom moved away in October. Alina is changing and growing and developing each and every day, it's almost a challenge keeping up with her. If I'm being honest, which I always am here at Truth Be Told- things are going to get challenging as hell. Prepared or not, I'm doing it.

 So-- 2015 I may be a wee bit nervous with what my future holds within this year. But, at the same time- I feel ready to take on this year's challenges.

2015- bring it on bitch.




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The Night Before Christmas

 I always get kind of sappy and sentimental during this time of year. Today, I will be at work until 4 pm which I personally think stinks a little. I think it's nuts that we are expected to work that late on a day that holds such importance to Christmas. Christmas Eve is the day to be excited about. Christmas is still coming and it's literally ONE SLEEP AWAY. All of the anticipation is built up to this day and then boom; it's Christmas. Before you know it; it's over my friends.

 I reminisce of Christmas' past and I remember last year on this day... It was very cold out and Rob's parents house was always really, really warm. So it was tough convincing me to leave the warm and cozy bubble I was in. We packed the little nine month old Alina in her snow suit and we took her 'skating'. She didn't really skate, but we did and it was really fun.

 Even though I'm working until late, I know that Christmas Eve will be happening for my family at the house. Rob's sister and her family are spending Christmas with us this year. So we have a five year old that Alina adores, to watch experience Christmas in her own five year old way. Alina already took well to receiving a present from Santa last weekend. So I think she just about has it all figured out..

Merry Christmas to everyone! Enjoy this special day and night leading up to the big one!


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A True Reward

 What says Christmas more than driving out into the woods to buck some wood for the household?! Nothing, that's what! Well, the weather was the opposite of a typical winter's day. It was sunny and crisp, no snow and no rain! It was seriously perfect.
 
 We had some friends over last night to celebrate Christmas coming and for an excuse to get together. It was fun and we had some drinks. I didn't wake up hung over but I was a bit parched and slow to get out of bed. Alina's Auntie Erin is in town for the holidays and she decided to take her for the day. Rob informed me that this was our last chance before Christmas that we had to get some wood because we were running dangerously low.

 I grudgingly agreed to go with him. I know it's a lot of work, and doing it alone is not an option. He lured me into it with the promise of Tim Horton's for breakfast. (You can pretty much convince me to do anything with the treat of Timmy's.) I wasn't so sure that things would go well. Rob and I are great friends, we've built this life together and we for the most part, get along great. However, when we are doing actual physical activities such as gathering and chopping wood, we tend to butt heads a little bit. We ended up getting along great this time around. Either I got nicer or we've both just grown into this couple that can contently spend the entire day together searching for, bucking, loading, chopping and piling wood.

 One thing I noticed was how different men and women are. The entire time I was full of questions..

"Where are we going?"

"How much further?"

"Do you want me to stand over there or help you?"

 Rob was obviously his very focused self. He would patiently answer my questions and never once did he get annoyed. I love him for that. 

 Weeks ago, he went with a friend to do exactly what we did. There was a way better selection there when they went and it was a pretty quick process. The logs of wood are so heavy and at one point, Rob picked one up and threw it closer to the truck. I actually yelled to him, "You're so strong!" Then I burst into giggles. What a girl thing to say. "Good job honey, you're so strong.." I am betting his friend never uttered those words when they went together. Girls are so encouraging. 

 Girls just want to communicate, that's all. I like to know where I'm going, when I'm going to get there and once we're there, what the game plan is. Boys, well they're much simpler. Man chop wood. Man build fire. Man warm, keep woman warm. Basically.

 Overall, it was a very positive experience. The weather has been the total shits lately with crazy winds and downpours of rain all day and all night long. It was so nice to be outside and in the sun at this time of year. While Rob was finishing the last log, he left me a little surprise engraved in the wood. Awww, it's like that one time when he gave me that token for no reason.. I'm a sucker for those little cute affectionate gestures.

  I'm not even done! We got home and we had His and Hers blocks of wood to chop on, so that we could both chop at the same time. Once we were finished we piled it all for the cold days to come. There is nothing more rewarding than providing warmth for your house, with wood that you went out and gathered and chopped yourself!

 Guess what I'm doing right now... 

... just enjoying some of my hard work.

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MHB- Week 37- Focus

 Well, my intentions are good. I want to keep active and run three times a week. However, Wednesday came around and I somehow convinced my half asleep self that I was far too tired and 'sick' to run that morning. I was tired, but sick? My nose gets stuffy in the mornings so I sleep with my mouth opened and then my throat is pretty sore. I think that's what I misinterpreted as 'sick.' What a cop out, half asleep me..

 I do need to focus on the running, not so much the episode of Gilmore Girls that I happen to be watching. I found myself slowing to a speed walk, to stop the treadmill from squeaking, so I could hear the dialogue. Terrible!

 I cheated and forgot to snap a picture Friday morning, so when I got to work I snuck in a quick Hiya- it's Friday picture!

 Not much more to report, other than that I am trying to ignore my desires to sleep in (with Wednesday as an exception) and I'm doing what I do!






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Christmas Magic In The Air

 This is by far my most favourite time of the year. Our house was made for cozy winter nights. It's made for giant Christmas trees and twinkling lights that illuminate the front yard. I love coming home to a crackling fire warming the rooms and a house filled with a mixture of Christmas music and Alina's little voice.

Everything is so magical in the eyes of a child..

This weekend was filled with Christmas related activities. We finally put decorations on the tree and we went to this gorgeous seaside garden that hosts a Christmas light festival. Every year the members and volunteers outdo themselves. We took her last year, but this year she was a bit older and really appreciated the light displays. She also was excited to see Santa, that is until it was her turn to sit on his lap... Although, he did get a high five out of her.

 We also went to pick out a couple of Christmas trees from our friend's tree lot. Rob had an idea to put two trees on each side of the front door and it turned out really nice. Again, another excuse to get together with friends and eat Christmas crap food! (My fav..!)

  I'm so looking forward to the holidays this year! I can't believe we're almost ONE WEEK until the big day. Rob's sister and her family are coming up next week and I'm excited for the company.

What are you doing for the holidays!? 

Do you have any holiday traditions you absolutely MUST do this time of year!?

MHB- Week 36- I'm Back (for now..!)

 Well, I had to quit with my Mission Hot Bod posts because well, life got insane and I just had to stop getting up early to work out. It's crazy how you can go and go and go with doing something for almost ONE YEAR and then all of a sudden, you just stop. Without even realizing it; it's been a few months.
  So here I am.. back at it. It's my first week and I'm just easing into it. I'm not getting into Rush Fit because that seems too huge of a commitment if I'm being honest. I'm running on the treadmill while watching reruns of Gilmore Girls! It's honestly so much easier doing it that way because I hardly think about how tired or out of breath I am feeling.

 Monday- I ran on the treadmill for thirty minutes, watching the pilot for Gilmore Girls. It felt great to get back at it and especially now with the holidays upon us. I'm going to continue to enjoy holiday treats BUT I will still run even if it means nothing to my body. This way, I can feel less guilty about Christmas crab dip and chips... Mmm.

 Wednesday- Same as Monday. I ran and ran.. and took a couple of walking breaks. Feels good to be back at it!

If Alina keeps eating those banana chocolate chip muffins she might have to start running on the treadmill too....

 Friday-  Today I had off because Alina has another cold. It was brought to my attention that she needs to stay home for the early days of her cold. So I had Thursday and Friday off with her. We ended up sleeping in until 8:30. During Alina's nap I decided to run because I didn't get a chance to in the morning when I was sleeping... I watched my Gilmore Girls and ran the full thirty minutes and it was awesome because I was so distracted by my show. I love it. Later on in the day, I chopped a big bin of wood so I could have a cozy fire during the day. I realized after, as I was carrying it up the stairs that that in itself is a workout.




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Holiday Hair

  'Tis The Season for... Christmas parties! My HAIR IDEAS Pinterest board came in handy last weekend. I needed some inspiration and I sure found it. The Freckled Fox posted a pin linking this great hair style to her blog. I followed her easy steps and I ended up really loving my hair!

 I didn't have anyone take my photos while I was creating the hairstyle. (Plus, wouldn't that be so weird? I always feel like a major ass when Rob is taking my picture for my blog...! I am the world's worst model.) The up-do is really, really easy. The best part is that for a moment, it looks really awful and then there's one last step and boom- it's great!

 I look so mad...

  The hair turned out great and I would seriously consider pinning some of the Freckled Fox's pins because she has some great hair tutorials out there.

Via

 As you can see from my picture and the goddess that is the Freckled Fox.. the outcome was much different. However! I still feel like my hair looked fancy enough for my Christmas party.

  I have another Christmas party coming up and I think I'll be doing another hair tutorial. I'll be sure to keep the blog world posted...

 What do you do for your Christmas parties? Do you have that awesome sister or friend that just knows how to do hair? Or do you get brave and attempt it yourself?! 

Christmas Movie Magic

 Christmas isn't Christmas, without the classic movies to accompany the days leading up to it. I don't know about the rest of the world, but I know that in my household, the Christmas movies are taken very, very seriously. For example, if we see a Christmas movie on t.v. that we really love we can't watch it. Oh no, not unless we're both there willing to watch it together. IF the movie is on in the early days of December, like now, then it has to be ignored and saved for a time closer to Christmas. Weird- I know. But that is us.

 Some animated Christmas shows I personally get excited over are Prep & Landing, Shrek The Halls and Arthur Christmas. I'm such a kid. I am absolutely loving that I can share these with Alina now. She's already starting to get into them with me.

 Then, there are the classic cartoons from the past. How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Mickey's Christmas Carol, A Charlie Brown Christmas and my all time favourite; A Garfield Christmas. I'm sure there are more favourites out there, but those ones I seem to watch every year. Those movies are special because they actually take me back to that time when I was just an innocent kid, believing in exactly what my parents told me. A place where time seems to stand still when waiting for Christmas to arrive, a time when magic and the spirit of Christmas lived and thrived inside of me. Christmas movie magic.

   There are the classic films that are a must-see during the holidays like National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Home Alone. Both of those absolutely can not be watched without the other and NLCV is saved specifically for Christmas Eve. We watch both of the Home Alone movies, even though the first one is better. We also have to watch A Christmas Story. That one takes me waaay back to being a little one too. I would say that those are the classics.
 Then there are the movies that are secondary to the classics, but still important, like The Santa Clause, Elf and Bad Santa. If I don't see the secondary films I'm okay with it.
 The movies that are set during the Christmas holiday, but aren't completely centered around Christmas are also fun to watch during this time of year. (Or in my case, all year round.)  The Holiday, The Family Stone; which I adore and Love Actually; a true classic.

 So during the holiday season, I am very busy watching my favourite Christmas specials because they bring me back and completely get me into the holiday spirit.  What are some of your family's must-sees during the holidays?!

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