A work out or two, a busy day, a late night and a short post! :D

Well!! Today shot past!!! I decided to add some Umph to my work out / diet regime and work out aerobically in the morning and strength and yoga~y in the evening!! It did help my day get straightened around this morning since it started out with the dog peeing on Jack's bed ( AGAIN ) and the cat puking on the floor, not to mention misunderstandings and miscommunications to boot. Bleurgh! Anyhoo.... it all worked out!! We gathered up our library books, cares and woes and eventually made it out the house about 2:30 pm!! Normally if I'm not out the house by noon, why, it's not going to happen, but I kept pressing on! ;D We're hosting a little valentines party for some kiddoes on Thursday and I wanted to pick up some things for that so Super Target was calling!!! :D

We made it out to Target, spent HOURS there as usual and got home in time to make supper! I was so hungry that taking pictures of my plate was not an option tonight, but I had left over soup from yesterday and a spinach salad with mushrooms cooked with just a smidge of olive oil wiped over the pan, a delicious Gardenburger Portabella mushroom burger, some avocado and some roasted red pepper hummus. Followed by a banana. Yeah... I WAS hungry!! ;D I topped all that off with a 34 minute workout on the Wii and boy, I feel GOOD!!!!!!

The kiddies worked out with me ( by "worked out" I mean mostly lay on the floor and squabbled!! )then I put them to bed. Now I'm supposed to be watching a movie with Hubby AND I was trying to put a How To post together for you to show you the neat Valentines I'm making for a swap.... but.... eh.... it's not working out so well! ;D Maybe tomorrow!!; D

G'night folks! ;D

Don't let the sunshine fool ya....it's really cold out there, one shouldn't do the recycling at 12 degrees without gloves and boy my thighs ache!

Another SUPER day!! ;D Seriously! Since I finally remembered I'd not been taking my Vitamin B for months and started taking it again, life is PEACHY KEEN!! ;D **note to self, and others, if you don't eat meat and don't eat enough leafy greens, you DON'T get enough Vitamin B. That's some bad juju right there. **

So, I asked everyone I work for or with to not call me today so I could get some work DONE and some things around the house done, you know, little things, like raising my children, digging us out of the laundry mountain, FEEDING OURSELVES!! ;D **second note to self, did you know that 2 cups of spinach, one third of a yellow bell pepper and 2 tablespoons of Roasted Red Bell Pepper Hummus is a whopping ( and I'm being sarcastic here... ) 100 calories !!!!!! That's tons of food and power packed nutrition for barely the calories of one dry slice of bread!!! WOWZAH!! Oh and PS... it's flipping delicious!!**





So I spent the day working and focusing more on the children, and we really did seem to have a lovely day. The sun came out and the sky was blue again. Jack played with his toys making shadow puppets



and Lucy flaked out catching some rays.




I looked out the window and saw this.....



A vision of sunshine!!! I suggested we all go out for a walk, to blow the cobwebs out. It's a good job I thought to check them temps.... um .... 12. Degrees Fahrenheit. Ya. Dat's cold. That's minus 11 centigrade. hmm. It would do more than blow the cobwebs out that's for sure!!! Darn sunshine and blue sky! I decided that it would be best if I quickly took the van and picked up some stamps from the post office and dropped off the recycling by myself whilst the kiddies stayed home in the warm. I realised once I was in the car that I had forgotten my gloves. I debated going back in the house to get them but didn't want to take the keys out the ignition to unlock the front door. Yup. That's what it will say for the record. Bone idle. Anyway, I shrugged it off and drove to the recycling. Well. It may have been only 12 degrees, but it was also windy. Hmm. Wind at 12 degrees, for those who may not have experienced it, well, let's just say it's really unpleasant. I only had a couple of bags of recycling to drop off but truly, it was so cold, SO cold, my fingers started to curl up. The skin went red and began to pucker as the blood retreated from my extremities. I could NOT feel my fingers. I soldiered on, because I AM an idiot and put away the last few things. It seemed like an eternity before I got back to the van and then I couldn't feel my fingers to open the door. Never. Again. My hands eventually recovered but the feeling of the blood returning was quite painful. LEARN FROM ME FOLKS!! **sigh**

Anyhoo!!! Once the feeling returned to my phalanges I was able to make a delicious dinner ( when did this turn into a food blog?!?! ) of roasted vegetable soup using some left over roast veggies from the other day, more spinach, onion, garlic and some stock made up to half concentration to cut the sodium down. I also added some canned tomatoes and some chick peas. Jessie came down whilst I was cooking and said, and I QUOTE here...." What is that DELICIOUS smell!!!!! " Everyone LOVED this soup and we all snarfed it down despite the very obvious vegetables floating in it! I was going to puree it and started to, but the color went a little, um, odd, so I stopped. Jack wasn't thrilled at the idea of all the veggies so I told him I'd make him another kind of soup and pureed his! He did question the color, which I thought was funny, but then he ate the lot! It was SOOOO tasty!! ;D Totally on the diet sheet, looooow calorie and high in fibre and nutrition!! AND VEGAN. Man I rock! ;D



After dinner the kiddies and I did another Wii work out! I thought of Risa as this time I programmed a 30 minute workout, 15 minutes strength training and 15 minutes of Yoga. Both workouts were almost as hard as each other!!! My muscles are ACHING tonight!!! ;D I'd never have believed that a "virtual" workout could be as effective as this is!! ;D This ain't no boot camp for sure, but it IS doing something!! My legs are testament to that!!! ;D

A great day, eating out whilst dieting, a trip to the sports show and leaving the camera in the car..... tsk.

We had a GREAT day today!!! YEAHY!!! ;D Jack was a REALLY GOOD KID all day long!! ALL DAY!!!!! ***swoon!!*** Rex needed to go visit his Mum and we hadn't been out the house for a week so I asked if we could go along for the ride. We always pack things to do in the car as whenever we are out with Daddy we need to be prepared for anything! Jack took his huge backpack full of toys and his MagnaDoodle, Jessie took a book she was reading and I took my knitting AND crochet. When we got to the home the children waited in the car whilst Rex and I went inside. His Mum was looking well which was a nice change. We visited for a short while then we left and Rex suggested lunch at La Paz. I can usually eat Vegan food their quite easily, the Fajitas are delicious, but this time I not only had to have Vegan food, but also no carbs!!! LOL!! Oh what fun!!! So, I opted for black bean soup, no chips, sour cream or cheese and a side order of guacamole. Oh my... it was SOOOO good! ;D After our yummy lunches we then went to the grocery store to pick up all manner of delicious food that's on The List and even found the elusive Ezekiel Bread! ;D The children came into the store with us ( sounds like a small thing, but this is HUGE people!!! ) and they were so good!! ;D Yesssssssss!!!

After the store we went to the Sports Show at the event center.....! Not really my idea of a fun time usually, but hey, it's February and we'll take any amusement we can get!! The kids and I had so much fun trying out all the RVs and the enormous vacation buses !!!! MAN those things are fantastic!! Some of them have more counter space than my own kitchen!!!!!!!!!! Jack couldn't resist trying his hand at fishing for a trout and much to my horror he caught one. He was delighted and I was mortified. I made sure they let it go again...! Poor fish. I thought Jack just wanted to watch the fish but a very helpful lady took his hands, thrust a pole in them and basically helped him out. It was very nice of her.....!?!?

Whilst at the sports show we saw a gentleman herding geese though the displays.... quite a number of geese.... all wearing diapers. I kid you not. It was only then I realised that my camera, that I had specifically brought to take pics for my blog, was NOT in the bag I had with me, but rather was languishing at the far end of a wet and cold parking lot in the van. ** sigh** I did what I could with my camera phone....




LOL!

Anyway, after the sports show we headed home, lit a fire, made dinner ( I had a grilled portabella mushroom with olive oil and garlic along with a wilted spinach salad with balsamic vinegar dressing topped with soy bacon pieces! MAN it was delicious!!!!) watched America's Funniest Videos, worked out on the Wii for about 35 minutes, bathed Jack, put him to bed and now... here I am!! ;D

We're going to watch Sean of the Dead tonight and I'll no doubt do some more of my knitting and crochet!!! Got to get those dishcloths made!!

Diets stink, Wii works and not much happened today!

Good evening...!! ( to be said in odd Wii chap voice whilst wobbling your head slightly and not quite syncing your lips...!! ) LOL!! ;D So.. remember I mentioned, weeks and weeks ago ( ok, probably only a couple of days ago, but it SEEMS like weeks ago ) that I am going to go on the Shredded Diet with Lisa as I am not signing up for the boot camp??? Yeah. Well I'm such a good friend! Rex assured me that "Men wouldn't do that!" He's probably right, but it's nice to have some moral support when you are trying to give up eating everything you love. I don't need to lose a lot of weight, 5 lbs would be nice, but this diet is really about portion control ( which I don't do well apparently! ) eating healthy food regularly, and skipping the candy, chocolate, pasta, breads... you know, anything you really FEEL like eating. It's a challenge, folks! :D On the plus side I am eating a LOT more vegetables which can only be good for me AND I am hoping to break my sugar cravings... or at least knock them about a bit!?!?! :D

Anyhoo... I also said I was going to try and work out every day this month ... and....I have so far!! ( I've just checked my planner and about died when I realised it's only the 6th !! !LOL!! Ah well..!!! 6 days down eh?!!? :D ) I really have to exercise as Lisa is doing this kick ass boot camp and she will slaughter me when we get out (finally) on the bike trails!! Her endurance is going to be phenomenal and mine...??? meh....!! ;D SO anyway, I'm growing closer to my Wii guy. He's starting to know my foibles and scolds me should I accidentally put my foot down or if my legs shake too much. He knows I don't go to bed early enough and he guilt trips me about my stomach muscles. Man, that thing is good! ;D

Other than wondering when and what I could eat next, knitting a whopping TWO rows on my dishcloth, tidying the house a little bit, but not nearly enough, NOT doing ANY work ( !! ) and watching the kiddies play out in the snow, not much happened today! It was a quiet slow sort of day. The snow is starting to melt and so is wet and drippy everywhere. I love the snow and I love the sun, it's the in between stuff I can't stand!

Well it's awful quiet upstairs so I'm going to guess that Rex has fallen asleep whilst putting Jack to bed! It's easily done!! I'm going to go wake him up and maybe knit another row!!! WOW!! The lives of the rich and famous eh?!! :D

A reasonable day, a cat on the lap and a bird in the hand.

Well! Today was better! ;D **breathes sigh of relief!** It wasn't PERFECT by any means, in fact my Facebook status today read "It's like the Lord Of The Flies over here..." meaning as I was working and basically leaving the children to their own devices ( which to me means they read quietly and absorb historical facts, humorous trivia or various math theorems ) they were busy finding ways to drive each other crazy and then simultaneously beat on each other whilst screaming "MOMMMMMM" at the top of their lungs. Lovely. This time however I dealt with it a little better than yesterday... I shut myself under the stairs. I didn't. Not really. I wish I had, but no, I tried to reason with them and then sent them to their rooms. Happily the day passed fairly quickly, I was able to chat on the phone to friends and once Daddy came home the switches flicked and the children became little darlings once again. USUALLY they go batshit when Daddy gets home but their wires must have become crossed!!! Ah well!! I think we could all use some sunshine soon!! Poor kiddoes. I can't keep working like this, it's really not fair on them. When I pay them any attention whatsoever they really become good children. This weekend I'm determined to try an experiment to find DNA and also to work on probability from Risa's blog. That will make me feel a little better anyway!

So not only do I have the children who need my attention, I'm obviously failing my pets too.... !! 'D Herman sees me sitting at the computer and knows I'll be there for hours. He never seems to want to sit on me when I'm on the couch as he knows I'll be up and down all night, but at the computer, why his luck is in! ;D

Here are some photos of my lap and it's occupant! ; D









whilst looking out the window at the fresh snow (!!!) this afternoon Jessie suddenly gasped and sounded horrified. A bird!! A bird in the snow!!... only this poor bird looked like it had taken a crash landing and was beak first in the snow with it drifting up over it's back. It's wings were out akimbo and it looked like it might be trying to make snow angels... Dead, I thought. Yup. A Goner. Nevertheless I thought it might be interesting viewing for the children as it was a Downy Woodpecker and we don't get to see them up close very often so I donned boots and gloves and headed outdoors. I went out to gently scoop him up... and he was alive! I held him gently and stroked his back talking calmly to him and he sat happily in my hand. The children watched out the window and Jessie took a couple of pictures...







After a while I took him over to our spruce tree and he flew up into the shelter of the branches. It was a very special treat! We got some more suet this evening and will put it up tomorrow and see if he comes back to say howdy! ;D

A rough start, some friends stop by and The Mentalist whilst knitting.

Today Jack gave me fits! First thing.... ok... I should rephrase that.... rather early in the....ok... about 9ish this morning he decided to just be a royal pain in the ass and start beating on his sister for no good reason that I could see. I suppose there shouldn't EVER be a good reason to beat on your sister, but in small children sometimes the lines are a bit more blurry...!! Anyhoo... he was a pill and I handled it.. poorly. Yes yes... I did not do my best, I did not stop and think, I did not pull out any tools, recite any rhymes, use a sing song voice, distract, placate... nothing. I yelled. And when that didn't work I threatened and when THAT didn't work I smacked his butt. *** hangs head for shame and sighs *** This is where I have come, folks. The one parenting "tool" I abhor. The one thing I swore I wouldn't do to my children.... and what does it take? I could try and explain myself, come up with a dozen reasons why I was at my wits end and I'd tried everything else... but excuses excuses... I still did it. Ugh. I will say I didn't lay into him, I didn't whack him ... but still. I went upstairs with him, talked to him, got him dressed and explained that he should stay and play in his room until he felt ready to be a nicer boy and until he was ready to apologise and make friends with Jessie. He did come down after about 15 minutes and was in a much friendlier mood, even going so far as to offer Jessie his new "swissyfying glass" "to look closer at things...." !!! For the rest of the day he was his normal nice kid self. I don't know what demon had possessed him this morning, I really don't. Anyway. Let's draw a line under THAT mess and move on. Please.
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Thanks!

So, the rest of the day improved rapidly when our friends Mary, Charlotte and Will came over to play! I wasn't sure whether they would be coming today as the weather was set to turn foul and I couldn't get to my computer since Jack was on it so missed their message letting me know they were on their way. So, naturally, not knowing for sure if anyone was coming over I did the sensible thing.... nothing at all. I did NOT clean my kitchen, tidy the table, vacuum the floors or run the laundry.... uh huh.. "just in case" is clearly not the way I am programmed!!! Happily Mary pretended she didn't notice the mess and we sat drinking tea, knitting and watching the feather sized snow flakes tumble from the sky. Jessie was thrilled that the kids came to play and her overall demeanor changed noticeably. She needs to see more of them, they are good for her soul! ;D

Rex ran something of a rescue mission after work, helping out a friend who had got himself ( and his 3 year old daughter ) stuck in a ditch thanks to the treacherous roads. They came to our house until his gorgeous wife could come and pick them up. Once they had set off back home we had a quick dinner, got the kiddoes into bed and hubster and I sat and watched The Mentalist. I really enjoy that show! I'm working on my second dishcloth which is coming along nicely and is going to be pretty fancy I think... provided the instructions don't send me cross eyed before I'm finished!! I'll post pictures when I'm done, but hey, don't hold your breath.....!! "}

Night all! ; D

Homemade muffins, a stuntman in the making and a new dishcloth to boot!

One thing I don't enjoy so much is starting the day watching my 7 year old son ride his bicycle head first down the stairs. Yep. NOT fun.... (He's fine, just broke his glasses which we managed to fix!!!) however things I DO enjoy include having a little girl who is big enough to make Vegan Chocolate Muffins ALL BY HERSELF!! Not a BIT of help from me!!! YEAHY!!! Oh man I'm so happy about that!! ;D












And they were SOOOOO good!!! Especially gooey and warm out the oven when the chocolate chips were just melty and delicious!!! YUM!!!

And look! I had time to finish a project today!! Behold!!! Dishcloth Number One...!! ;D




The trouble is, I'm not going to want to use it..... I won't want it to get dirty....!!! ;D

We went to visit Lisa this evening and she told me all about the Boot Camp she is going to... Sounds a bit like hell to me, but I told her she had my full support!! I'm going to try and do the required diet along with her but I'm going to exercise on the Wii for a month and we'll see who has the best results...!! I'm thinking SHE will, but I will still be able to walk down the stairs when I'm finished!! ;P

I haven't done my required exercise yet today so ...off I go....!! ;D