Just T

Soccer-Fied!

2011-07-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

I played soccer when I was 12 or so and back then, girl's soccer wasn't like it is now. There was no girl's soccer team so I had to play on a team of boys which let's face it, had its pros and cons. It never hurts when there is a cute boy who you have a crush on playing on your team. But I digress...

At 12, being with friends starts to become more of a focus in life and because boys are much more aggressive than girls, I switched over to softball so I could play with my friends. When I think back on this now, it was probably the right decision at the time given my options of continuing to play soccer but in some ways, I wish things could have been different.

With the passage of time, soccer has changed and so have I. I now have 2 children, ages 11 and 7 who are both playing soccer. My girl has been playing since she was 5 and oh how times have changed. There's girl's soccer now and it is one of the most participated sports in our country. My boy wants to be a keeper. We are busy 4 times a week or more during the spring and in the winter where they both play..wait for it, indoor soccer! I know, crazy isn't it? If we're not on the field watching a game, or at a practice we're watching soccer at home. Most recently it was the FIFA Women's World Cup. My husband managed to PVR every single game and I believe, if I'm not mistaken, he missed only one of those games. It was an awesome tournament with some amazing soccer - I really enjoyed it and cannot wait to see some World Cup when Canada hosts this awesome tournament in 2015. The final game between Japan and the USA was truly inspiring! Both teams are an inspiration to their countries and to youth soccer players everywhere and my hat goes off to all of you.

Last year it was the FIFA Men's World Cup which also played host to some amazing soccer. May I present to you Exhibit A:

Diego (sigh) Forlan

Or, Exhibit B:

Fabio (my personal favorite) Cannavaro

If the fact that he's not wearing any clothes bother's you, well he dresses up real nice too!

Both play some pretty good soccer too, I might add!

Okay, where was I? Oh right, soccer. So if it wasn't enough that both kids were playing soccer and my husband was coaching our son's team, I signed up to play this season too. I felt I should be a good example to both of my kids as well as getting out there and getting some more exercise, in a game which I seem to have become obsessed with - Exhibits A&B notwithstanding - how about Exhibit C:

David (can't leave him out) Beckham

So I signed up to play for a team in the Master's Division, in what I like to refer to as beer league soccer. This division is for women who are over 35. I may watch the game and read about the game but I am far from an expert at playing the game, seeing as how I haven't played in over 20 years. I feel I have a lot to learn but really I, and I think most of my teammates are just out there to have fun for the most part and get some exercise, but some of these teams, WOW, they are something else! I'm all about competition but some of them are taking it to a whole other level, on a whole other planet which I have obviously never visited. Is the screaming coach on your bench really necessary? Stop pawing at me already, you're not my husband, and I don't even put up with it from him let alone some sweaty, mascara smeared stranger whom I've never met before. Are you really over 35?

While I appreciate competition as much as the next person, how much fun is it really to be hosing teams 10-0 game after game? I don't know all the rules regarding how they define these divisions, but maybe they want to think about dividing the Masters into the "We want to kick your ass so bad while our coach screams at us" division and the "we're only here to play soccer so we can go to Tapp's afterwards". In the end though, I'm sure glad I signed up. I'm having some fun and meeting some great ladies because if I wasn't, I might as well stay home and enjoy this instead which really isn't so bad!

Cristiano (Oh My!) Ronaldo

13 Years Ago...

2011-07-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

..I was headed to this location to celebrate my honeymoon with my new husband.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder it is said and can only be defined by your experience and while there are surely more beautiful places in the world, I have not experienced them. This little island near Redditt, Ontario still is my favorite place in the world and while I miss it immensely, I can only be thankful for the time I had.

Here Come Your Winnipeg Jets!

2011-07-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

I was 5 years old the first time my Dad took me to a Winnipeg Jets hockey game. I can still remember walking into the "old barn" and being enthralled with that place and all the sights and sounds. From that moment on, I was hooked and was in love with a team.

I spent a lot of time in that building over many years. I was there the night Temmu Selanne broke Mike Bossy's rookie record:

I was there for the last game the Jets played. I spent many, many nights in my room listening to Curt Keilback call my team's games, even when they lost 15-2. I went to Fingers before and after the games and even watched the post game show in the lounge in the Old Barn many a time. I was there. Through thick and thin for that team I was there so when they left for Phoenix, I was devastated. It was like a piece of me was ripped away, never to return and yes, I know, this is only hockey but for me, it was a part of my life just like it is for many people.

And now, 15 years later, they are back! Oh rah, rah, let's hear it for the Jets right?? Except, I don't know how to feel about it. And it's not like its the same team returning to the scene of the crime either. It's a whole different team with a different history and they are still going to call the team the Winnipeg Jets, with, I might add, a whole new logo:

Now, you didn't win me over by keeping the old Jets name and while I don't think it was the right choice, part of me gets it. But to my way of thinking, new team=new name. So you stick with the Jets name and design a new logo. Okay, makes sense but it just doesn't grab me, the new logo (and no offence meant to our esteemed military out there either). And this is coming from a hockey fan. A hockey fan who is shelling out some well earned $$$ to support this team by way of season tickets.

With all that being said and like it or love it, I'm still going to support this team but with reservations because there's something way back in the small recesses of my mind that says my heart just might get ripped out and stomped on again...

I'm Working On...

2011-02-25T13:22:00.000-08:00

This blog post idea yoinked from the very talented Ali Edwards! I love it so thought I'd do something similar!

I'm Working on...trying not to get stressed about the upcoming soccer season and the gong show that may ensue.

I'm Working on...my Project Life album which although I am slightly behind on it due to circumstances beyond my control, I am loving it! Going to a friend's house tomorrow to scrap and this is what I will be working on!

I'm Working on...trying to be a more patient mother. It's not always a successful endeavor!

I'm Working on...the blogs that I follow in Google Reader. I got quite behind (600+ posts) due again to circumstances beyond my control. Catching up slowly. There are some real gems in there!

I'm Working on...watching every single episode of Modern Family that has been made! Hubby and I discovered this show late last fall and we are loving it. Since Frasier, we needed a good comedy to brighten up our lives and this is it!

I'm Working on...planning my daughter's 11th birthday party and this after I thought we were done with birthday parties. Apparently not. She will come to know that This. Will. Be. It. well at least until she's 16 anyways.

I'm Working on...the last hour of my workday until the weekend! Hurry clock, hurry! Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

You're Only As Sick As You're Secrets

2011-01-29T22:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Theo Fleury was here in Winnipeg to do a talk at the University of Manitoba. I hemmed and hawed about going for awhile and finally decided to go, knowing that if I didn't, I would be disappointed in myself.

For any hockey fans out there, Theo needs no introduction but for those of you that don't know, he is a former NHL player, Stanley Cup winner, Olympic Gold Medal winner and recent author of his own book Playing With Fire. His book talks about his life and how he had to overcome major adversity to get to be the person that he is today.

My decision to go hear him speak was the right one and I was not disappointed. While I can't imagine all that he's gone through in his life, his courage, work ethic and desire inspires me to be a better person and while I can't take away the abuse he suffered as a teenager, my heart goes out to that young boy who is long gone and aches for all those that suffer and continue to do so.

After he finished speaking, I was able to shake his hand and share a few words with him and his talk stayed with me all day. 1 in 3 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be abused - that's 2 out of every 9 kids which in fact is a terrrible statistic and a statistic that shouldn't even exist yet it does! It does and it shouldn't and that thought just makes me sick and angry.

Theo's main message yesterday was "Work hard and give back". Theo's trying to do that, why can't we all in some small way?

Regarding Puberty and Other Things!

2011-01-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

So I think my daughter's hit puberty. She argues with me about that which I consider to be a sign. She'll be 11 at the end of March and she's argumentative as all hell lately. Don't like this, don't want to do that, (insert wahs and cries here). It might not be noticeable physically but I think all signs point towards it rearing its ugly head and I'm so not ready for it. I wonder really who goes through puberty, them or us?

I didn't make any big New Year's Resolutions this year but am just trying to keep things in perspective and be in control of what I do and who I am. Does that sound weird? I think it probably does but I just want to be the best that I can be in whatever I do whether its planning things better, being more patient, snacking less, cleaning more, etc, etc. With that in mind, I'm pretty happy with how productive I've been since the weekend. I got a few things done that needed doing and I'm in the middle of a ginormous filing project and moving around 15,000 or so pieces of paper. (I'll only just briefly mention that I hope to find my kids birth certificates that aren't in their usual location for some bizarre reason and I'm not going to get all in a tizzy about it either, its just not worth it as they will show up in the most unlikely of places).

Part of this is doing a few things for myself. I ordered a Becky Higgins Project Life kit and received it last week!! I'm tres excited and have already started organizing it. I don't necessarily know if I plan to document every single day but I will do it my way and it will be great!

So last Wednesday, I stepped on the scale which is something I haven't done in a long time. I was down .5 lbs to 119.5! Very happy even though I haven't been *trying* to lose weight on purpose, I've just been trying to watch what I eat - no snacking in the evenings is a big one for me. Last night I did my first EA Active Workout in just as long and today, my balance board had some shall we say issues. It warned me of low batteries but didn't die on me. However, it did indicate that I'd lost 4.9 lbs since last time! Um....no, I don't think so. I tried again and this time I lost another 2.2 lbs. Hmmmm...I say we'll scrap this one and start from scratch with new batteries maybe tomorrow.

And tonight since both kids have activities which don't involve me, my husband on his way to taking the boy to JackRabbits hockey, will drop me off at the Y where I will continue on my C25k path. I find running on the treadmill so much easier anyways so we'll see how it goes!

21 Days Report Card Time!

2010-05-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

Its that time again over at the Sisterhood for today is the end of the 21 days challenge!

This challenge had us choosing 3 new "habits" to form or change for 21 days! Let's see how we did, m'kay?

1. Spend at least 15-30 mins daily tidying up.

I'd have to say I failed at this one. Maybe not a total F but pretty close. Some days I did better than others but yeah, Suck.

2. 30 mins minimum of exercise a day

Well now, I'll give myself a B+ on this. Some days I was walking/running over 5 kms and some days like yesterday, I didn't get anything done. But I did put in a concerted effort to get some exercise almost everyday.

3. Eliminate night time snacking

Surprisingly enough, I thought I did a great job on this one! Granted, my eating choices haven't been that great but at least I was choosing poorly before 9 pm! More evenings than not I wasn't eating after 9 so I'm pretty proud of myself on this one! An A for effort at least.

My weigh in this morning wasn't surprising. I started at 120.4 lbs and have ended at...you guessed it, 120.4 lbs. I'm happy with this, its right around my healthy weight for me and in order to take off more poundage, I'd have to put in some serious and conscious effort. If I keep active, I'm happy with that.

21 Days Weigh In!

2010-04-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Over at the Sisterhood, they are starting a new challenge! I sooooo need this challenge or I need something to get me back onto the road, on the bike, back in it, whatever you want to call it *and* to keep me motivated.

First, February happened and with that came the Olympics of which I was obsessed and a major couch potato! In our house, we love the Olympics and watch as much of it as humanly possibly. Olympics+Couch Potato=No exercise.

When March came in like a lion, it was a pretty lazy lion! Not much exercising, snacking and then a vacation. It wasn't pretty. I knew I was forming some bad habits but couldn't seem to get out of my rut.

And now its April. I've been better getting more exercise since it appears to be spring but...we just got a puppy and she's a tremendous amount of work right now but she is motivating in that she needs to be walked so this is good. When I'm ready to throttle her, she can motivate me, nu?

So as May begins, I will endeavor to get back to some of my good habits that I was forming! And that will be hard, I tell you. Soccer has started so for my daughter that is 3 times a week at least and my son plays twice a week (both play on Tuesday nites, gotta love that) and throw a puppy into the mix, life should be interesting.

Opening Weight: 120.4 lbs. Quite honestly, I am floored that since I haven't weighed myself in 57 days but my weight has not changed! This is good, this is good!

My habits.

1. Spend at least 15-30 mins daily tidying up.
2. 30 mins minimum of exercise a day
3. Eliminate night time snacking

Final Weigh In - Rethink Your Shrink

2010-02-10T08:29:00.000-08:00

Well we have come to the end of another journey, another challenge and all I can say is Wow! So pleased for myself and for everyone's achievements over at the Sisterhood! I'll save the waxing poetic for Friday for my Monday Project!

I started this challenge on Dec 30 2009 at 125.7 lbs

I'm finishing this challenge on Feb 10 2010 at 121 lbs

Loss of 4.7 lbs

I am happy with this as you only get what you give and I could have given more but that's another story for another time!

So its time for the world to come together! Bring on the Olympics!! Its on my home soil and I am so stoked! For those that don't know, I am a huge Olympic nut and watch as much as I can. In Nagano, I was up at 4 am to see Canada play its first hockey game! I watched Adam van Koeverden (did I mention the eye candy appeal, nu?) at some crazy early time during the Summer Olympics, watched Sandra Schmirler bring home the gold so many moons ago in the wee hours of the morning...the list goes on and I will be there in the coming weeks to cheer, yell, scream and cry as I see our athletes make us proud! Go Canada Go!!

And....and the Olympics at the Sisterhood!!! I canna wait!

Fail! And I blame Haze-A-Palooza!

2010-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

My husband plays rec hockey for a team called the Haze and every year one of his teammates hosts an event called Haze-A-Palooza and its usually held on the same day as CBC's Hockey Day in Canada! They play sponge hockey, drink beer, watch hockey, drink more beer, enjoy the hot tub, eat fatty food and drink more beer...you know, the usual guy type of stuff!

Our daughter had an evening soccer game so due to the lateness of the game, hubby wasn't going to the event until well after 9 pm so he decided to bring munchies as his contribution as any appetizer type foods would be long ago eaten and probably not wanted!

Cue his return a few hours later *with* said munchies! All of them. A big bag of chips, a bag of Greek chips (mmmmm....Greek), popcorn twists and another bag of Mrs Vickie's chips.

And here's me whining "Why didn't you leave the snacks there??" I don't care that they didn't need them, better them than us! Needless to say, I find it hard to say no to the Greek chips and I ripped that bag open right then and there and so given all this, its no surprise today that my weigh in was less than stellar and I am up 1.1 lbs to 123.7.

Now really, I'm not blaming my husband or his hockey buddies. They didn't shovel the chips into my mouth, that was all me and I'll be the first to admit it! I'm a sucker for salty snacks, what can I say? (I haven't been ripping open the other bags of snacks though so I'm glad for that). I just need to remember "mind over matter" and if I do, then I'm good.

I did take some measurements the other day though and its been awhile since I've done that.

Hips - 39", Waist - 32" and Chest - 34 1/2". My last measurements are buried deep within the bowels of My Fitness Coach and I can see the graph bars, but not the actual numbers! I'm going to measure in a couple of weeks to see where I'm at

28 Day Organizing Challenge

2010-02-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

I'll be the very first one to admit, I am not the most organized person at least not in some ways. So I happened upon an organizing challenge (cause I've into the challenges lately) that fits the bill. Its the 28 Day Organizing Challenge hosted by Laura over at her organizing Junkie website! There's different categories and prizes. Now who doesn't like a chance to win a prize?

I've decided to tackle my scrapbooking room. Its messy, its cluttered, its disorganized and it needs help! I love my scrap space as its my own space so I don't feel that it needs to be spic 'n' span but it should be tidier!
This is the view from the door. My shelf is filled with my scrapbook albums, my pictures and various and sundry. The cat likes to scratch her nails on my albums so they've got to be moved higher. Beside my shelf is a card catalogue filled with embellishments and stuff. Another shot of my shelf.

And here's a shot of my workspace and desk. With two small kids, there are tons of papers and crafts that come home. I don't keep everything but I keep enough that it tends to pile up before I file it away. I have a box for each child for each Grade but getting them to each box...well, that's another thing!

This is the shelf above my desk. You can see the knick knacks and crafty stuff the kids have made for me. The baskets below also have a multitude of stuff in them which need to be sorted out!

Stuff, stuff and more stuff. Here's the corner of the room packed with well, you guessed it, stuff. My hubby has promised to put up a lower shelf or two there to help with storage.

This is a newspaper stand which contains a lot of my daughter's scrapbooking/craft stuff.

So that's my room that I hope to have organized by the end of the month. It's already homey, and I hope to make it even more cozy and homey! If there's some space in your home that needs organizing, join me in this challenge. Did I mention that there are prizes up for grabs?

Maintain, Maintain!

2010-01-27T10:50:00.001-08:00

Hello peeps and welcome to the Week 4 weigh in for the Rethink Your Shrink challenge over at the Sisterhood! Its still not too late to join, that is if you don't mind the occasional homework assignment. The mood is light and out spirits are up so come on over and join us!

I'll be honest and say that I haven't put a lot of effort into exercising this week. I've done some but not much so with that being said, I am happy to report that I maintained this week at 122.6. This I am happy with as my goal is to get between 118-120. If I could lose this paunch on front, I'd be really happy. I've been losing weight but I really wondering where I'm losing it from, if not from my front. My a** most likely, hmm? Which, is a capital A-Okay in my book too!

How was your weigh in this week?

Rawk, Roll and Boulder!

2010-01-22T06:50:00.000-08:00

Over at the Sisterhood, the Monday Project this week is to toot our own horns and list at least 5 reasons why we totally rock! And I don't mean to blast my own horn too much but I Rock, Roll, *and* Boulder and here's why!

#1 - I'm a Mom and it is the most important job in the world, I don't care what anyone says. It is also the job that is the most thankless so for this I RAWK! All you Mom's out there deserve a huge pat on the back. Pat your own back if you have too, I just did!

#2 - I make people laugh with my very sarcastic sense of humor. Quite often at my own expense, too. I was never a class clown but I do enjoy people chuckling with me. It does take less muscles to smile than it does to frown! For this, I ROLL!

#3 - I'm a good friend and will always be there for my friends, no matter what and for this, I BOULDER!!

#4 - I'm not perfect and will be the first to admit I have my faults but I refuse to stay stagnant and I'm always trying to learn or improve my self in some way. I think its important to show my kids that they are never too old to learn and improve!

#5 - I'm short, cute and spunky and I'm ME and for that I definitely RAWK, ROLL, *and* BOULDER!!

Let's Roll It All Into One, Shall We?

2010-01-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

* I admit to not working out much this past week. I've been to my Zumba class, went for a few walks but haven't made a concerted effort to really get back into it.

* Having said that, I haven't been snacking...much. A little here and there but nothing crazy which is a good thing. Snacking at night is lethal I say!

* My printer is out of ink so my Motivation wall is well, motivationaless. Last night my daughter wanted to print something out and we told her we were out of ink. She proceeded, unbeknown st to us, to leave reminders about Ink in various places around the house such as in my book, on my lamp, on her Dad's lamp and on my closet. I had a very good chuckle about that, even a LOL for realz like and told her so this morning how amused I was.

* Soccer and scheduling is driving me to drink or at least to stress out. I'm a planner and a scheduler and I *hate* not knowing what my schedule is like. I know its a minor thing, but its one of those things that really, really bothers me and stressed me out! We don't have a soccer schedule currently for our daughter who plays indoor soccer. We had the next 2 game sked but that was it. So this upcoming Saturday was going to be a busy day for us with a soccer game in the morning, my son's basketball game at noon, an out of town birthday party and then soccer evaluations at 6. I had it all worked out and then....BAM, they changed our soccer game right smack dab when the birthday party was to start so needless to say, we've cut that out of our day and my daughter is quite disappointed.

* I have been de-cluttering. I've gotten rid of a whole whack of old magazines, some old VHS movies that really if I ever want to see again, I'll just buy or rent the Blu-Ray, some bath toys and other things! Feels great to let some stuff go!

* Alas today is Wednesday and I almost forgot to weigh in this morning. I'm happy to report that I am down 0.9 lbs from 123.5 to 122.6! Check out how everybody else is doing over at the Sisterhood!

Let's Get Organized!

2010-01-14T10:14:00.000-08:00

I love this and I love the web! One of my "goals" for the year is to be more organized, and less cluttered and I've discovered 2 challenges to help me with this. (my word of the year should have been challenge I tell ya).

Amy over at The Finer Things has decided to do a 730 in 365 days declutter challenge. Make your home lighter by getting rid of 2 items/things per day (give or take). While I didn't sign up until today, I have been doing this since January started. Little things, maybe but none the less, I'm getting rid of it. Here's my motivation to really get going on this - I'll post updates and keep track right here on this blog!

Yesterday I came across this: The Organizing Challenge. The goal is to tackle a room or small area of your house during the month of February and have it in top notch shape by the end of the month. My scrapbooking room is in dire need of a good cleaning/organizing so this is perfect too!

Join me! I seem to be asking that a lot lately. LOL!

Boo-Yeah, Just Call Me Normal!

2010-01-13T12:17:00.000-08:00

Normal? What's normal anyways?

Well let me tell you, after 2 weeks without weighing in, I was a little nervous. I was sick last week so didn't work out much and wasn't generally in the best of shape so didn't keep on track with my health goals and such.

Before Christmas, I was doing a great job of getting up in the morning to do my workouts but I just can't get back on track with that. I don't know if its the darkness in the morning let's not talk about my late nights, that has nothing to do with it. or what but it seems to be difficult to get up. But I'm back at work this week, started Zumba, am drinking more water and feel good overall.

Then this morning its the bleary eye stumble downstairs, *^$#(%^& there's not 3 batteries in the damn board, stumble back upstairs to grab 2 more, CLICK! All right, back on track! After the last weigh in fiasco, my lines are all wrong, my weight goal is skewed, its lovely, but alas, the news is good!! Somehow, someway I am down 2.2 lbs and....*and* the best part is I am now in the Normal BMI range!!!! Did you hear that? Normal, stinkin' BMI!! Woo-hoo I tell you!! I am very happy about this.

So for those playing along at home:

Dec 30, 2009 - 125.7
Jan 12, 2010 - 123.5
for a difference of -2.2lbs!!

And on top of that, I have homework again? Ooh, what class am I taking, you might ask? Ah, yeah, that would be no class except for those hookers over there at Shrinking Jeans. I need to make a Motivation Wall for my Monday Project and while I already had some plans for a scrapbook page, only some inklings mind you, I have no idea what else to do with this. Maybe something will come to me at my crop on Saturday!

100 Miles

2010-01-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Another challenge, I know but this one I can't turn down and I mean to sign up last week and forgot. Its the 100 Miles Fitness Challenge! Click on the link to take you to the official rules. Its pretty simple. The goal is to walk/run 100 miles in 3 months! Other exercise counts too but only running or walking is mile for mile.

C'mon, who can't do 100 miles in 3 months? Thinking of joining and need a place to keep track of your mileage? C'mon over to Daily Mile and friend me! We can motivate each other.

Speaking of exercise, tonight is my first Zumba class of this session! Am looking forward to it, especially since a good friend registered with me and we're hanging out together for a bit afterwards!

The Monday Project - All About Me

2010-01-08T10:02:00.000-08:00

Call it what you will, its homework and I am totally admitting right here, right now, I haven't been a good girl this week. I've had a cold since Tuesday and just haven't felt like exercising, getting on the scale or doing really much of anything.

But for me, that's all part of it. I can't say as that I have a defining moment or a rock bottom moment. For the past year or so, I've known it in myself that I needed to make changes. I was aware of it but for the longest time I didn't do anything about it.

Like many people, I gained my weight after I had kids. With my daughter in 2000, I gained 27 lbs which for me is considerable as I'm such a small person. I lost it all the next day - literally. You never would have known that I was pregnant. Then I had my son in 2003 and that was a bit different. I gained about 30 lbs but it didn't disappear quite so easily - I think sometimes our bodies have minds of their own.

I've probably hovered around 140 lbs for quite a while which is not bad...but not great for someone of my height and while I'm active, I'm not actively active if you know what I mean. So I made a change. But in this case, it was something I wanted to do and I was ready to do it.

I'm a firm believer that with any kind of addiction, problem, whatever, the person needs to want to get help or change themself and its the same with weight loss. If you're not truly there and ready to do it, it just ain't going to work. Ask any of the contestants on The Biggest Loser - they really needed to be ready to change.

How was I ready? Ah, back to the whole mind over matter thing. I stopped snacking at night so much and noticed, rather quickly that because I stopped, I wasn't hungry anymore in the evenings. This was *huge*, I'm sure of it. The snacking is bad and for me, I'm a sucker for salty snacks like chips and the like but if you don't buy it, you can't eat it. (But we won't talk about the Xmas holidays will we?)

Coke. Its Evil Incarnate and I'm addicted and while I totally admire those of you who cut caffeine out of your life, I can't. I don't drink coffee and I rarely drink alcohol so coke is my one big vice but if I limit it to 1 per day, I don't feel so bad about myself and really why should I? I need to be healthier and still have some joys in my life food wise and if a coke a day is one of them, I'm okay with that. Slurpees, same thing. Love them, can't drink them so I have 1 a week and boy does it taste good.

I bought EA Sports Active back in the late spring and I just can't say enough good things about this program. It is truly a good workout and loads of fun and the best part is that it really does make a difference. I did two 30 day challenges with the original and I contribute my weight loss over the summer and fall to this and my determination to stick with it. More Workouts which came out in November is equally good and even better, I would say. I just completed the 6 week challenge on it and Wow! Did I ever sweat!! I encourage anyone who isn't sure to purchase this program and try it for yourself. Like anything, you get what you give into it but if you only have 20 minutes a day, that's all it takes and I guarantee, you will do more than you think you will. I myself, am going to head downstairs right after I post this to do a workout for the first time since Monday. I need to get back on track and I will. Today.

I hope to be down a few more pounds by the end of this challenge and even meet my goal but if I don't, I just know that I'll need to keep plugging along, putting one foot in front of the other and keeping my "mind over matter" mantra at the forefront of my mind. And you can do. Do whatever works for you to get it done but more importantly ask yourself this - Are You Ready?

Join us over at the Sisterhood to Re-think your Shrink or even if you just need some inspiration, I know you will find it there!!

Re-Thinking My Shrinking!

2009-12-30T21:30:00.000-08:00

It starts today. The Revolution over at ShrinkingJeans. A new challenge to re-shape your mind, body and spirit! And to start the challenge was a weigh in this morning at which I balked, whined and cried about last night on twitter and was threatened with "Don't make me get all Jillian on you!"

And so, 6:20 or so so me rise after staying up *waaayyy* too late last night. My weigh in went thusly:

-Bathroom break, struggle with my clothes for weighing in and stumble into the kitchen where I grab the camera which contains the spare batteries which came out of the Wii Balance Board. Trod downstairs and throw on the light switch. This is a new step for me, as normally the light from the tv is all that is required but with replacing batteries at this God awful hour, its needed. Flick of the tv, press of the Wii power, fumble with the Wii Fit and then struggle with the batteries....and the balance board doesn't turn on. Fuck. Fumble some more, check the tv remote thinking the batteries are dead...only to realize I've put them in wrong (Epic Fail).

At this point the game has started and is ready to go so I clicka clicka away to choose body test, step on and oh Wow, I've reached my goal and lost 119 lbs!!! Whoa, that is some sweet stuff! I also might note that my BMI is pretty much next to nothing, obviously there was an error in initializing....sooooo, let's try that again, one more time with feeling.

Okay, now that's a bit more realistic of a Body Test. 125.7, up 1.4 lbs. Not surprising in the least.

And with that, I can take this new challenge head on! In the next 7 weeks, I'd like to be at 118 lbs! My other goals include:

- Zumba starting next Monday nite!
- More Workouts Tues, Thurs, Fri
- If I can get to the Y once a week and hop on that treadmill and/or elliptical, I'll be pleased as punch!
- 1 walk a week, preferably outside
- Gonna be Bugs Bunny - salads, salads, and more salads

I'll re-define these in the coming days but I'm excited about this and I ask you, what are you going to do to Re-Think Your Shrink?? Join me!

Join the Revolution!!

2009-12-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

In November, I stumbled across this awesome website called The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans! They are a great group of women (and men) who are on a journey to better themselves physically and lose weight with the help and support of each other. Some are runners, some are walkers but they all are fighting a battle with themselves.

Since I joined the 'hood, I've participated in 2 challenges to help me better myself. I've pushed myself just a bit further and felt that much better about myself!

And now, starting tomorrow (Dec 30) is a new challenge, a Revolution if you will! They are being very secretive on the details but it starts tomorrow and I encourage you to join with me and Re-think your Shrink! I assure you you won't regret it!

I'm Going Down, Down, Down, Down

2009-12-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

Quick post. Really.

Weighing over in the blue corner is Tobey "I'm short but I'm feisty" with a current weight of 124.3 which is -1.3 lbs from last week's weight of 125.7!

Given that I've been indulging, and not exercising as much, I'm totally thrilled with this but I really have to get back on track. Been feeling so meh the last few days that I just haven't been able to get into it.

Gotta go. Got things to do!

Whoa, Really? For Real?

2009-12-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

I will admit to not having the best restraint this past week and indulging a bit. One thing I am grateful for is that I'm not a cake fan. You can bring in cakes, pies, jellied desserts and the like and really, I won't "bite" (pun intended). Not a huge, huge fan of chocolate (I'll eat it but only in small portions) and cookies the same thing. But with all the snacks and foods coming through work, its hard to resist all of it. And I made nuts and bolts the other night and I admit to being totally addicted to them but I wanted to bring some in to work and give some to the kid's teachers. I think the fact that *that* time of the month is on its way doesn't help with my willpower either.

And for the first time yesterday, I skipped my More Workouts challenge workout. My tummy hadn't been doing well for most of the day so I just didn't feel like working out after the kid's concert last night! (which was quite entertaining, I must say)

So with trepidation I stepped on the scale this morning totally expecting some kind of gain and imagine my surprise when there was a loss! And a loss of -1.1!! Total shocker but I'm really pleased so some of the guilt can go away now, thankyouverymuch!

At the start of the Shrinkaversary challenge I weighed 130.1 and I'm happy to be weiging 125.7 which is a difference of -4.4 pounds! Go Me!!

Sadly, I have not logged as many miles in the Globetrotting Challenge as when it started. Crappy weather here makes for walks outside non existent. My total mileage was almost 79 miles (I missed logging a mile in there the other day). I need to get back to the Y and on that treadmill. Its supposed to be only -11 tomorrow which is perfect Winnipeg weather but alas, there's a staff luncheon that I might have to go too.

Hugs congrats to everyone who participated!! You are all winners and all the "hookers" over at Shrinking Jeans are the best! You've inspired me, made me laugh and made me want to keep trying! Thanks so much and let's keep on movin'!

Spring Picture Layouts

2009-12-11T22:01:00.001-08:00

My girl, Tana!

My son, Gavin

Conversation in My Head

2009-12-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

There's me this morning after hitting the snooze button again, lying in bed with the cat curled up all snuggly beside me and me thinking:
I need to get up to weigh myself... as I drift back to sleep once again....

Now fast forward to my hubby shining a flashlight on me saying "You'd better get up, we've had a power outage"
Me: "Huh? What time is it?"
Him: "I have no idea" and off he goes to find out. He shuffles back in "Its a few minutes after 7"
I continue to lay there and then the cat takes off and I ponder:

Gee, I better get up to do my weigh in. Wait, there's no power, I can't fire up the Wii (I use the balance board being blind as a bat, I couldn't possibly read a scale...what am I gonna do? (major dilemma, I know)...

And it was solved by the power coming back on and me galvanizing into action and tromping downstairs to do my ritual. And I wasn't looking for miracles this morning as I knew I'd indulged more than once. What can I say, I'm weak.

But I was pleased to see a .2 decrease, down from 127 to 126.8! I'll take it and work harder this week and not indulge! Any kind of progress is good progress. And really, how can you not be inspired by last night's Biggest Loser Finale?? They're all winners!!

And then there's my mileage which has slowed down somewhat due to the cold weather (we don't have Snow Days or Cold Days here) that we have to suck up and it got awfully cold, awfully fast. Today is -34 with the windchill which is damn cold. The kids likely won't have outdoor recess at school but I digress....my current mileage total is 72 miles. If the weather warms up a bit, I'm planning a nice long outdoor hike on Sunday to find a couple of geocaches!

This Just In...

2009-12-02T07:06:00.001-08:00

...its Wednesday and Weigh In Day and although I didn't have a big holiday to contend with last week, my willpower wasn't amazing over the weekend so this morning I was surprised to find myself down -1.1lbs to 127 from 128.1! Woot! I swear that not snacking at night makes a *huge* difference!

My mileage is at 64.83 miles. I haven't been walking as much as our weather has changed from nice to chilly and really, I much prefer walking outside. If I could only get to that treadmill at the Y....