The Frantic Housewife

What a Beginning to 2013

2013-01-19T13:19:00.000-08:00

I hope that the last week or so isn't an indication of the way 2013 is going to go. My husband had to have minor surgery on the Thursday. We had decided that Friday would be the perfect time to get our furnace replaced. Todd could just sit in the recliner while the workers were here and relax. However, we found out a couple of days before that the teachers were planning to strike. I managed to book the day off so that my hubbie wouldn't have to chase the kids around and so that I could take the kids out for part of the day to let him rest.

As it turned out, Friday morning, the teachers' protest didn't happen. My oldest wanted to go to school and my youngest had spent the night with her grandma. Perfect, I could go to work. Before I could even think about getting ready, I started to throw up. That's right, the stomach flu. Poor Todd spent the day trying to do extra things around the house and ended up being sore the next day.

The weekend seemed to go smoothly. No one else got sick. Monday started out great. Todd was home for one more day, so there was no need to drag the kids out of bed at 6 am to go to the daycare. I got to work and took one step out of my car and before I could do anything, my foot slipped on a patch of ice and went out from under me and I was on the ground. On the way down, I scraped my shin on the car door and I banged my head on the cement. One of the women that I work with had pulled in behind me and said, "I happened so fast, that it looked like you dove out of your car head first." Although, I wasn't laughing at the time, now I keep thinking about how hilarious it must have looked!

Tuesday, we had the cable company coming. We were getting cable tv (we used to have satellite), internet and telephone. My mother-in-law came and waited at our house for the cable guy (I always think of Jim Carrey singing "Somebody to Love" when I say cable guy!) We got home and everything was working great. We got up the next morning, however, to discover that the phone wasn't working. My husband went downstairs and was checking the phone lines and wiggled a few things around and got it working. He came upstairs and about 5 minutes later, the phone was dead again. He went back downstairs and it started working again and then 5 minutes later it wasn't again. We decided that we would wait until after work and worry about it then, but it still wasn't working. We went through the same things all over again. Todd would go downstairs and would get it working and then 5 minutes later it would stop. Todd got looking around and realized that a cable line and phone line ran side by side to the other side of the room. There was a phone box and it was plugged into a receptacle that only worked when the light switch was on! So, everytime Todd went downstairs he would turn on the light and the phone would work. Then, when he came upstairs, he would turn the switch off and the phone would die

I figure that our luck has to change soon, I'll keep you posted.

Wine, Chocolate and Cheezies

2012-05-11T17:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, seriously?? I'm supposed to be watching what I eat. Well....technically, I am. I'm watching the wine I pour in the glass, the Easter chocolate that my daughter hasn't eaten and the cheezies that I bought that no one else in the house really likes. I am totally watching all of those things going down my pie hole (do people besides me even use that expression any more?). I can use any excuse that I want; it's Friday, I've been good all week (no I haven't), I'm stressed, I just don't care. My personal favourite is that the food companies have made me addicted to their products. The latter, although I am sure there is some truth to it, doesn't account for the fact that I still go into the store, pull their product off the shelf, buy it, bring it home and eat it....there are several step where I have a choice to say no and not have it. But really, I think I have discovered the perfect food combination.....wine, chocolate and cheezies.

What are your crazy food combinations?? Oh, my other favourite?? Peanut butter and chocolate chips....I try to avoid having both in my house at the same time :D

Please, Don't listen to Anything I Have to Say

2012-05-10T12:12:00.001-07:00

I'm not kidding. Don't listen to me. I have no idea what I am doing in any aspect of my life. I don't even know what I want to be when I grow up and I'm 33 years old! I have tried every diet known to man and I am still chubby (I don't like the word fat, but if it fits....). I'm not going to win the "Mom of the Year" award.

That being said though, I am relatively comfortable in my own skin. Could I be thinner? Sure, but I am what I am and have never been ashamed of that. Could I have a career that is more fulfilling and where I earn more money? Probably, but I generally enjoy my line of work. Could I be a better mom? Absolutely (particularly if you ask my kids), but both of my children are fairly well adjusted, do well in school and have manners (especially if they are at someone else's house).

I have come to learn that there will always be more that I think I could, should or would like to do, but I am not Supermom. I don't greet my husband at the door with the newspaper and a beer in my high heels. However, I do the best that I can every day. I may not be perfect (and neither is my life), but I can hold my head high and be proud of the family that my husband and I have created.

Are you Supermom (or Superdad)?? I (and everyone else in the world) would like to hear how you do it. Or just give suggestions of time saving tips. I'd love to hear it!

The Frantic Housewife
(aka Carol)

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Is This How I'm Supposed to Feel??

2012-02-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

So I have been attempting to reduce my consumption of animal products over the last week. In fact for the last 4 days, I have eaten a diet with no animal products whatsoever. The 2 days prior to that, I only ate meat at dinner and otherwise had no meat, dairy or eggs. I am very open about my life and love to share my successes and failures (hence, the blogging) because I know that other people go through them as well. This photo was posted on Facebook and was kind of an antivegan statement.

I get what it is saying. That animal products are everywhere, but in truth this picture just makes me feel better about my current food choices. I can't imagine that anyone likes the idea that charred cows' bones are used to refine sugar or that their blood can sometimes be found in cake mixes. It's reality, but it's also kind of gross. I'm not saying that I am against farmers or the meat and dairy industries. It's quite the opposite. I am amazed at the life farmers lead. It's definitely not easy work, they work 7 days a week and have to be available at all hours of the day. I don't claim to be an expert and I'm not even writing this to convince others to try a plant based diet. I am just making myself into a guinea pig and am sharing my results with all of you. My decision to attempt this is for one reason...to see how changing what I eat affects my health.

I'll be honest. I knew that I would feel better eating less processed foods and more fruits, vegetables and whole grains. And, I do. There are a couple of things that surprise me though. One is how much clearer I feel mentally. I am able to focus better than normal. The other thing that I found really interesting is that at the end of the day I would usually be dragging and counting down until I could go to bed. The last few days, I find that I'm not completely fatigued and falling asleep when I am supposed to be tucking the kids in bed. I haven't even had coffee the last 2 days (but I did substitute it for green tea).

By really paying attention to how I feel, I don't feel like I'm giving anything up. I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing.

P.S. I apologize if there are spelling or grammatical errors......I'm attempting to write this while the kids are still awake!!

Day 6 : Doing Fine

2011-11-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

So today is day 6 of my 30 day adventure into healthier eating...I think I've talked about it enough so if you want to know what plan I'm following, read back in my posts, or go to this link,http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S

So my day currently looks something like this.
     Breakfast :     homemade energy bar (great recipes in The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier.
     Mid Morning:   smoothie with one scoop of Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer, a bit of frozen fruit     and water.
     Lunch :      Large salad with homemade dressing
     Mid Afternoon: almonds, apple, veggies, or something similar
     Dinner : My usual (casserole, meat and veggies, etc.) I've kept that the same as it has always been.

I am still having one coffee a day and I've substituted my second coffee for a green tea. I am finding the Vega product to be quite sweet (which is a common complaint in the online reviews), as it is sweetened with stevia, which is much sweeter than sugar. I am slowly getting used to that. I also use only half of the recommended amount to save money as it is not the cheapest item to buy at the store. My salad varies from day to day with what vegetables I top it with. Then I add nuts or seeds and some blueberries.

I also mention that I have not changed my evening meal, but I have noticed a couple of things about it. I find I am quite full of energy most of my day, my stomach feels great. When I'm hungry, I eat. I just make sure that it is something healthy. After dinner, however, my stomach hurts or feels heavy and my energy level drops.

I am finding that I now am able to tell when I am actually hungry....at first, I had a feeling of not being full, but not true hunger.  This was probably because I just ate when I felt I should and put a large portion on my plate and ate it until it was gone and sometimes went for seconds. Now, if I put a large portion of salad on my plate, I feel satisfied, but not uncomfortable. I know that I can go back for more if I want to with no guilt because I am eating whole foods, not processed and refined foods.

At this point, the changes that I have made have been easy, although it may becoe more challenging as I start working outside our home again next week. I think with some planning, it should continue to go smoothly, but wish me luck anyways :)

Hmmmm.....Maybe This is Working....

2011-11-10T04:06:00.000-08:00

I have started incorporating the suggestions from Lesson 2 of Brendan Brazier's Thrive in 30. These are pretty simple.

1. Add more antioxidants into your diet. - I added blueberries and blackberries into my smoothie.

2. Add chlorella to your diet. According to Brazier, chlorella is a single celled algae and is high
      in vitamin B12. B12 is typically lacking in a vegan diet and needs to be supplemented.

3. Brazier recommends that instead of concentrating on removing foods rom your diet that you try
      including more healthful and nutritious foods. You will find that naturally you are eating less of the
      unhealthy foods that you were consuming before.

To ensure that I was getting the Chlorella and lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients (although I know that I am getting far more the way I am eating now than I was), I purchased some Vega Whole Food Optimizer. This is Brazier's own formulation. It also contains Maca (which I will talk about in a later post) which is said to increase energy.

I do have to admit that after I had my smoothie with the Vega in it, I did feel fantastic. In fact, I had a homemade energy bar in the morning, a smoothie midmorning and a large salad for lunch and I think I felt better than I have in a long time. For dinner I had an omelette and toast and again had that heavy feeling, but found it passed quicker than on previous nights.

The only complaint I have (and my husband made it quite clear as well) is how much I have spent on groceries. I feel that if I didn't need to buy the healthy foods that I am using plus the junk that MH wants, that it would not be as bad. However, the Vega supplement was fairly expensive, plus, I had to buy some things that only have to be bought on occasion (coconut oil, large amount of almond, etc.).

I do love the way that I am feeling by doing this, and am going to see it through for the full 30 days (especially so that I can post my results). After that, will let you know where I go from there.

Bear with me as I start Day 5!!

What a Difference a Day Makes

2011-11-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

So as you know (if you've been following my postings), I am participating in the Brendan Brazier's Thrive in 30 program. So yesterday was day 1. I was a good girl and followed my plan. I had a large salad or lunch. I had nutritious snacks. I had a smoothie to bump up my fruit intake. I even had 2 coffees instead of 3. I thought I felt hungrier than usual, but when I really thought about it, I wasn't hungry, I just didn't have that over full, heavy sort of feeling that I have from the foods I typically eat. I felt generally good. I didn't have the usual afternoon sluggish time when I want to have a coffee.

Today, however, I went out or lunch with a friend and decided that I was going to order a salad......until I got to the restaurant. I couldn't resist and had a wrap with fries. Bad idea. Now that I am listening more to my body's signals, I realized afterwards that my stomach felt like it usually did.....unsettled. I became so thirsty and I could not quench my thirst. I was very fatigued by early afternoon and I felt my stress level rising and my patience level sinking. So, what did I do.....I spent some time making energy bars from the recipes in Brendan Brazier's book, The Thrive Diet. I'm planning or a better day tomorrow.

I you are following my blog, you will find out that I am only human and that I tend to be honest about my successes and my failures and have a few laughs along the way.

The Frantic Housewife : Human Guinea Pig

2011-11-06T05:01:00.000-08:00

So I've been writing a lot about eating healthier and reading about vegetarianism and veganism. I have been reading a lot out Brendan Brazier and his web program Thrive in 30. Again, here's the link http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S It's free and new lessons are sent every few days to progress you through this 30 day program. I also have been reading his book The Thrive Diet. I mentioned in my last post some of the reasons that I am enjoying his book, but I don't think I talked about this. I have read a lot of healthy eating books of all varieties, but I have never read a book that describes why I should be eating all the foods that are suggested. I don't just mean, "eat vegetables because they have vitamins and minerals". I mean, Brendan Brazier goes into great detail about why he added these foods to his diet, what they specifically provide to the body and how that will affect your energy levels and overall wellness. I am actually reading the book for a second time because I feel that I may have missed something. There is also a 12 week meal plan and many recipes.

So after having received 6 of the 12 emails from the Thrive in 30 program, I have decided to actually participate in it. Which as you may remember from my last post, must mean that I am ready to divulge some personal information. I'm going to give you the basic stats plus some other information of things that may change during this process. Would I like to lose weight? Absolutely, but the main reason that I am doing this is to gain more energy and generally feel better.

Stats:
Age: 33
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 193 lbs. (stop snickering)

I generally lack energy. I get tired trying to keep up with my kids. I go to bed between 9:30 and 10. I usually can't sleep much past 6 or 6:30 am (probably because I go to bed early). I suffered from post partum depression after my second child was born (5 years ago) and continue to take 3 different medications for it (one of which is to help me sleep). I have frequent acne breakouts despite being in my 30s. I drink 3 (very large) cups of coffee a day. I drink alcohol rarely (due in large part to the medications that I take). I have a very busy family. My 8 year old is in hockey and Cubs, my 5 year old is in ballet and Sparks and my husband is a volunteer firefighter when he is not at his full time job. I am currently a stay at home mom, but in a few weeks will be returning to my old job 3 day a week on the days my youngest is in school. About 50% of the food we eat is processed. My kids and husband have a love affair with chips. Because I am the chief cook, some of the foods they eat will change slightly, but I will continue to cook meat and dairy products for them while I am going through this challenge.

The changes I am making for this first step are:

1. Eat a large salad for lunch each day (I plan to use some of the recipes in Brendan's book)
2. Have a smoothie each day (once I have a working blender?!?!?)
3. Have fruits and veggies for snacks (or my smoothie)
4. Reduce the amount of sugar I add to things (ie:coffee)
5. Reduce the amount of caffeine in my diet.

So at this point, I don't have to change my breakfast or lunch if I don't want to. The point of this is to make gradual, sustainable changes, so that it is a lifestyle change. I plan to post regularly about my progress, how I feel, etc, and occasionally I'll weigh in so that I can be held accountable. I plan to put up a before picture as soon as I can. If you decide to join me on this adventure, post some comments, or like me on Facebook and post comment that way. I would appreciate the support!!

I'm Going to Talk About the Plant Based Nutrition Guru, Brendan Brazier

2011-11-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

If you've been reading my previous posts, you know that I enjoy reading about plant based nutrition (note, however, that I am presently not following any real eating plan and I do eat meat <for now>). I have subscribed for a free online program that was designed by Canadian triathlete and plant based nutrition educator, Brendan Brazier. It is called Thrive in 30 and here's the link: http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/

I previously reviewed lesson 1 and have since received lessons 2 through 4. It is really worth signing up if you wish to get the full lessons. Brendan provides a video plus a written lesson where he goes into detail about the steps to change your diet. He explains why certain foods are very important in your diet and why you should avoid other foods. Below I will give a brief description of the lessons, but please, please PLEASE, consider signing up to the Thrive in 30 program. I will do it no justice and the information is amazing.

Lesson 2 - High Net Gain Nutrition
In this lesson, Brendan describes what he means my high net gain nutrition and in doing so, he talks about the importance of eating good quality whole foods. The reason that this is important is the typical diet of highly refined food lacks many nutrients and vitamins and is also more difficult for the body to digest. So, your body is expending a large amount of energy to digest the food and not receiving much usable energy in return. That's why many people are fatigued throughout most of their day. They are using so much energy to digest their food and are actually left with an energy deficit afterwards.

Brendan also shows that despite what you may hear, that plant based diets do not need to lack certain nutrients and vitamins and shows you what to eat to ensure that you are not deficient in these.

Lesson 3 - Myth Busting- The Whole(food) Truth About Protein, Carbs and Fats
In this lesson, Brendan explains why you don't need to eat animal protein and that plant based protein is easier to digest. I was surprised to hear that soy based protein isn't the ideal protein source, but the explanation he offer was great. He also encourages and lists how to choose good quality fats carbs and proteins. There are some great substitutes for some popular comfort foods.

Lesson 4 - Alkaline Vs. Acid. Why Your Body's pH Matters
One of the first things described in this lesson was that osteoporosis is affecting people at a younger and younger age. The cause? According to the Thrive in 30 program, the cause is the amount of acid forming foods that are consumed. Acid forming foods include animal products (meat, dairy, etc.) and refined foods. Brendan suggests trading in an acid forming meal for alkaline foods (large salad of leafy greens) for a couple of days and noting any changes in how you feel.

It is suggested that shifting to an alkaline diet will help improve sleep, avoid disease, increase energy and lose weight. Brendan makes it clear that this way of eating should not be looked at as a quick fix, but as a long term lifestyle change.

So that sums up the latest lessons I have received. I also must tell you that I ordered The Thrive Diet by Brendan Brazier and that I have almst completed reading it. I plan to read it through again before I comment much on it, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. I think that part of the reason that I am liking it so much is because it is in no way preachy. He explains everything based on his personal experience and although he is a high level athlete and he does write about that and ways that a plant based diet can be utilized to improve high level fitness, he also shows how it can be used by anyone to improve health and fitness. The other thing that I love about it is that I have read many vegan and vegetarian books that focus on animal rights and appreciate the education in that area, but I have already heard it. This book touches on environmental impact (which is very important), but it's main focus is nutrition and fueling the body properly. The last thing that I noticed about this book is that although Brendan is the founder of the Vega line of products, he rarely writes about them. There is imformation on the Vega line in the book, but he gives alternatives to using them. He gives recipes for energy bars and smoothies and mentions his products as convenient for when you don't have the time to prepare other items yourself.

I look forward to completing the book and receiving more lessons, so that I con pass the information on. At some point soon. I plan to start utilizing the Thrive in 30 and blogging my results with weight, energy and any other way it may affect me. I'm just waiting until I get up the courage to post my weight, measurements and maybe even a before picture :O

As Brendan stresss in his lessons, it's about making gradual change so that you can stick to it and so the body undergoes the least amount of stress possible while improving your diet. Feel free to join me on this adventure....I'd love to hear your feedback!

My First Lesson

2011-10-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

I just received my first lesson in Brendan Brazier's Thrive in 30 Program. This is a free program that is emailed to you for convenience. There is a written portion and a short video to watch. Check out my previous blog for the link.

This lesson focused on stress and diet. I had never looked at stress in this way before, but he talked about two types of stress; complimentary stress and uncomplimentary stress. Brazier defined these in simple terms. Complimentary stress is stress that benefits you or is positive. The examples given were the stress of studying for a test or the stress put on the body from exercising. Uncomplimentary stress is stress that has no positive effects such as psychological stress or environmental stress. The statistics that were given is that 60% of all stress that you experience is uncomplimentary and of that stress, 70% of it is what he calls nutritional stress, or stress put on the body from poor eating habits and choosing food that doesn't benefit the body nutritionally.

So let me get this straight, I can reduce the stress that I feel and that is placed on my body by feeding properly. Okay, that makes sense, but I have never heard poor nutrition linked with stress before. You may think that I am crazy, but when I hear it put like that, it kind of gives me an aha moment (Sorry, I think I just quoted Oprah). It's not rocket science by any means, but when something is explained in a different manner, it can really make you think.

He continues on to give several suggestion (and good ones) on how to incorporate more fruits, veggies and whole foods into your diet and although he is vegan, there isn't any mention at this point on giving up meat. It's more focused on making small changes to your diet to improve your energy and to reduce your reliance on things like caffeine and sugar to give you the stamina to make it through the day. There is even a smoothie recipe at the end of the lesson if you want to give it a try!

I'm interested to see the next lesson to see what it leads to. I'll keep you posted!

Fail!!

2011-10-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I failed last week with the Meatless Monday. I don't really know what happened.....okay, yes I do. I was good in the morning. I even ate Red River cereal with fruit. But when it got to be dinner time, I had cooked a chicken for the rest of my family. I couldn't resist. Meatless Monday wasn't meatless anymore. This week, just the way my menu planning worked out (yes, you did read that correctly, I plan my meals for the week on the weekend for the upcoming week), I am making my meatless day Wednesday. Is that allowed??? Can just change it to Meatless Wednesday??? Well, that's the way it's going to work.

I have been looking for more reading material on the subject of vegan eating. I had mentioned The Engine 2 Diet in a previous blog, but something that has caught my attention is The Thrive Diet. The creator of these books (there are a few) is Brendan Brazier, a Canadian vegan triathlete. He offers a free course called Thrive in 30. http://thrivein30.com/sign-up-now/?cid=PPC-T30CAN-S I have signed up and am waiting for my first lesson to arrive. Brendan also help with the formulation of the Vega brand of products.

Brendan's website is http://www.brendanbrazier.com/ I plan to review the first lesson when it arrives in my inbox. I'd love to hear it if you have followed a vegan diet and how it made you feel.

Meatless Monday Anyone??

2011-10-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

I have decided that with my hectic life, the first change I am going to make is to reinstitute Meatless Monday into my routine. This just means that for one day a week, I am going to avoid meat. The reason that I feel that this is an important step for myself and m family is because we eat too much meat. Typically at our house, breakfast is meat free, but both lunch and dinner involve some form of meat. I think that no matter whether you eat meat or are vegetarian or vegan, we can all agree that everything we eat should be in moderation (except maybe fruits and veggies). I think that, speaking for myself, I eat too much meat (and other animal products).

If you decide to try Meatless Monday, there is actually a website devoted to exactly that:
http://www.meatlessmonday.com/
There are great menu ideas and lots of information as to why Meatless Monday is important to ourselves and society as a whole.

Anyone up to the challenge of one day a week of eating meatless? I ask that you join me in this and post your recipes, successes and failures! Check out the Meatless Monday recipe link on my page!!

Will This Be a Controversial Topic?? Veganism!

2011-10-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

I have been having trouble deciding what to write about. It's not that there aren't lots of things floating around in my head, but I never know how interesting other people will find them. There is something that I would love to have a good discussion about. There are varying degrees of it and different names for it, but the idea is the same. Veganism....Plant Strong Living.....I went through a period of time this year when I spent a lot of time reading about it. Vegan's avoid all animal products. This means no meat, no dairy, no eggs, most avoid honey, some avoid refined sugar (which I have heard is refined using charred animal bones). Also no leather.....nothing that has come from an animal.

People who live plant strong eat no animal products and eat more whole foods, as close to their natural form as possible. Bill Clinton follows this style of eating. It has been touted by followers to lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of and possibly reverse the effects of heart disease.

I have been considering attempting the 28 day challenge that is on The Engine 2 website. Take a look.

http://engine2diet.com/tools

I'm still debating, but be sure that if I do, I will be blogging as often as I can about the day's menu and how I feel. Anyone willing to join me? Follow me here or on Facebook and let me know if you are up for a challenge, if I have a support group, maybe I can convince myself to try it for 28 days!

To the right of this post, is some recommended reading on this topic. Consider reading up on it if you are unfamiliar.

Sorry This Has Taken So Long!!

2011-10-02T07:43:00.000-07:00

I apologize for my absence. We have had a busy few weeks here......I suppose that justifies my nickname, The Frantic Housewife. Let me take a moment to fill you in. For those of you who are also stay-at-home moms, you know how busy life can be without anything else added in. You are a cook, maid, chauffeur, laundry service, nurse, and many other things to everyone. Then let's add in that I run a home daycare five days a week from 7 am to 6 pm. Hence the franticness.

My son's hockey season has just begun....and so has arena life. I try to be at as many games as I can be to cheer him on. My husband helps coach. This means quick dinners in the evening along with trying to squeeze in some homework time.

My son also begged to go into Scouts.

He has now joined the local cub pack. We had to make a deal though. The first sign that this is too much with hockey, if he doesn't get his homework done every week, he will have to give something up. Right now, however, he is on his first camp out!

We just heard from one of the parents who is with him that he is having a great time!! He doesn't want to head home until he has too!

My daughter just started ballet. She is absolutely loving it! Every week she comes home and shows us the new dance steps that she has learned. One of my daycare kids saw her in her ballet outfit and asked me why she looked so beautiful :)

Then we discovered that there is a Girl Guide Unit in our town. So we have signed her up as a Spark, and I signed up as a leader!

We are both so excited and are looking forward to having some adventures together.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my husband is a volunteer firefighter, so now you can see why life here is frantic!! I would love to hear what you do to make your life frantic!!

My kids are onely going to be young once and I hope that my husband and I can continue to support them as they participate in things to increase their confidence, independence and help them learn life skills.

Being The Wife of a Volunteer Firefighter Isn't Always Fun, But I Can't Help But Be Proud

2011-09-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

My husband has been a volunteer firefighter for longer than I have known him. It was always a part of our relationship. but I think it became more challenging after we had kids. Things became less predictable at that point, and throw a firecall in the middle of that unpredictability and it can be sheer chaos. I want to clarify what a volunteer firefighter is. They do get paid, but only when they are out at a call. They are on call pretty much anytime they are home or in the area. They wear pagers that notify them of the emergencies that they must respond to. They must live in the community of the fire hall that they work out of.

Basically, that means that volunteer firefighters' free time is only free until they get a fire call. Also, because they live in the area that they serve, many of them know the victims of the fire, the casualties of that car accident and the patient of the medical call. In fact, my husband has responded to calls for his family members, when his grandmother passed away and when his brother was in a car accident. They run into buildings when everyone else is running out, they console families and family members.

They run out on holiday dinners, hockey practices, school plays. They miss bedtimes and stories. They have even had to leave their own Christmas party to respond to calls. They've left dinner as soon as it's served and eaten reheated meals more times than you can count. But they do it because they love it. They do it because they care. They do it because they want to make a difference.

They acknowledge their successes, they mourn their losses. They are thanked, they are yelled at, they are loved, they are hated. They accept that in these situations, they cannot save everything and everyone, but they fight to win. They accept people's kind words and the words filled with anger and they continue to fight.

The fire department is a second family to us. They are truly brothers. When one bleeds, they seem to all feel the pain. I may complain from time to time about changed plans, late dinners, sad kids who miss their dad, but I wouldn't ask to change it. I am proud to say that my husband is a volunteer firefighter. I am proud to see his selflessness and concern for our community. I am just proud of him.

I Didn't Know Everything About His Past, But I Know That He Influenced My Future

2011-09-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

There have been many people in my life that have influenced the person I am and the way I want to raise my children. Most of those people are members of my family. I am extremely grateful for the family that I was born into. My parents have always been important to me, but if you take it one step further back, my grandparents raised a great family. My grandmother (June) passed away when I was 18. I can still remember the way her laugh sounded. I think that may in part be because I hear a little of it when my mom and her 2 sisters laugh. She was a remarkable lady. The person who I want to write about today though is her husband, my grandfather, Stan Hoar.

As I said in the title, I don't know everything about his history. I know he lived on a farm, he worked at a psychiatric hospital for many years and that he and my grandmother raised 7 children together. I can only hope that my husband and I still look at each other and act around each other the way that they did after all the years they were married. He and my grandmother moved off the farm several years after he retired. Once my grandmother passed, he moved to a retirement residence. He remained active in his retirement, volunteering at the psychiatric hospital where he had worked and as a driver for community care (taking people to there medical appointments), playing cards, going to dances and anything else that he was invited to do.

He was always a healthy man, so when he developed a lump on his neck , it was a surprise to learn that it was an aggresive form of cancer. There was a point during his battle with cancer that he was given a few months to live. By that timeline, it was unsure if he would be around to see my daughter born. As you can see by my picture, he did get to meet her. Not only that, but he saw her first birthday and her second birthday. He actually had almost 3 good years before he passed away. And by good, I mean that he was still able to enjoy life and do the things he enjoyed doing for a large portion of those 3 years.

This may seem like a sad story and I guess in a way it is. My family misses him, and my kids, despite how young they were when he died still mention him from time to time, as do my husband and I. He is lovingly referred to as Poppa Stan in our house (a name my son started). But this story is about more than sadness, it's about a legacy that was left behind. My mother and her brothers and sisters (keep in mind there are 7 of them) still get together on a few occasions through the year and manage to keep in touch much more regularly than that. I have never heard a disagreement between them. Their children (my cousins) and my siblings and I also keep in touch (thanks to the internet and social networking) and our children play together at family get togethers. We are lucky and blessed.

Thanks Poppa Stan and Grandma June!

Friendship Takes Time....Even If You're a Dog (The Story of Tucker and Mini)

2011-09-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

So this picture shows what I hoped would happen when we got our second dog, but I had started to give up hope that it would ever really happen.

I saw the dogs lying like this, and quickly ran to get my camera before they moved. I think this will always be my favourite picture of the two of them.

The story of how we got to these two dogs snuggling starts in May of 2009. That was when my kids and husband finally got me to give in and agree to get a dog. I was always the hold out. We like to travel and it isn't always possible to bring a pet with you and it can be challenging to find someone who will take in a dog for a week. It was around this time that an acquaintence of ours started a doggie daycare and boarding facility. My excuses were no longer valid. My husband, Todd, immediately began searching for a dog. We didn't know where to begin. We wanted a small dog, preferably trained already (we had no experience in this area). A search on Kijiji lead us in the direction of Tucker a shih tzu poodle cross.

When we spoke to Tucker's owner, she informed us that she had started to breed dogs, but that after having 2 litters, she no longer wanted to continue. She was getting rid of 8 month old Tucker, a litter of puppies, and the mother of both litters. We made arrangements to come to meet her and the dogs. When we arrived, we realized that she lived in tiny apartment and she didn't stop smoking the entire time that we were there. We walked in and sat down. The mother growled at us the entire time we were there. Tucker jumped up in our laps, was friendly to the kids and was downright loveable. He was covered in matted fur and was dirty. We excused ourselves for a moment, and talked briefly. Both my husband and I felt the same way. We wanted to bring Tucker home and we didn't want to wait a couple of days like we planned. We went to a pet store and bought everything that we would need and returned to pick up Tucker. We brought him home and gave him a flea bath (just in case). The next day, both my husband and I had to work, so we put him in the kitchen and put up baby gates. My mother in law, who works down the street from our house, offered to stop by and check on Tucker. When I got home, I was greeted at the door by Tucker. He had managed to jump over the gates. What I didn't know was that he had also greeted my mother in law at the door and she had put him the kitchen. Needless to say, Tucker had free reign of the house after that. He has been a great companion and we are very lucky to have found such a wonderful and well behaved dog.

This past July, I was on Facebook and noticed that my friend had posted some animals that were on Kijiji and offered free to a good home. Most are senior dogs whose owners are no longer able to care for them for whatever reason. What I didn't know was that these dogs are frequently picked up for use in experiments or are used as bait dogs in dog fighting. One of the ads that I saw caught my eye. It was for a Shih tzu named Minipoo. He was described as being only paper trained, constantly spinning in circles, not liking to be cuddled or petted. Really, in hindsight, I have no idea why I was so drawn to him. I contacted the daughter of the owner by email. I had several questions and received good answers. Nothing was sugar coated. They were very honest that Minipoo was not your average dog.

We scheduled a time to go meet Minipoo and brought Tucker with us. Minipoo's owners were originally from Taiwan and were returning there to look after an elderly family member. Apparently, the quarantine period for animals entering Taiwan is 6 months. Mini does not tolerate being crated and at the age of 10 this would be very challenging for him. We were told that more that 30 people responded to the ad and that most of them simply said that they would take him. The family seemed appreciative that we had asked so many questions and had brought our dog to meet him. I know that you by now have realized that we call the dog Mini and that I said "he". Mini may seem like a strange name for a male dog, but that was not always his name, we found out. He started as Popeye and the family eventually nicknamed him Minipoo. We shortened that to Mini. The two dogs did not interact much at this introduction. We took both dogs for a walk together and Todd and I discussed what we should do. We both agreed to give Mini a chance. He definitely did spin, he would let me carry him and would tolerate sitting on my knee. He has been more work than Tucker, but we are glad to be able to give him a good home for his retirement years! He doesn't spin as much anymore, he goes to the bathroom outside (most of the time), he loves to be near people and be petted and loves to play. When I describe Mini I like to say, "His teeth are bad, he spins when he is excited, he pees on the floor every time we leave him at home, he has warts on his back and he gets really grumpy when he's tired and will growl if you bother him, but I love him."

The dogs never bother much with each other, so seeing them sleeping together felt like a breakthrough. Unfortunately, we believe that Mini has been having a few seizures recently and will be taking a trip to the vet soon. Hopefully, it doesn't signal that his health is declining, but if it does, I know that we have given him a great home where he is surrounded by people (and dogs) that love him. Woof!

The Simple Things in Life Must Include Chicken Noodle Soup

2011-09-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days that you expect this time of year. The kids have gone back to school and the first thing that happens is everyone gets sick! Every member of our house has either a runny nose, a sore throat or a cough. What better thing to help than homemade chicken noodle soup. I use a great recipe from the book, The Eat-Clean Diet for Family & Kids by Tosca Reno. Check out the recipe on their blog http://eatcleandiet.blogspot.com/2010/12/day-12-of-25-days-of-giving.html

I love to make my own chicken stock. It makes me feel like I am making a meal for free. I've already made a meal with a whole chicken (or a precooked chicken from the grocery store).

You may notice that the recipe calls for a lot of vegetables to be cooked in with the stock and then discarded. This makes the stock so much more flavourful. Make sure that you don't skip this. Also, I don't recommend skipping the brussell sprouts that it calls for when you make the soup. I don't love brussell sprouts, but it adds a certain something. I didn't have any when I made the soup tonight and it wasn't the same.

As a mom, I like to make food from scratch as often as I can. It not only tastes better, but I feel good knowing that I have added wholesome ingredients and I have total contorl over what's in the food I feed my family.

What's your favourite comfort food or food you love to make from scratch??

Where Did I Find the Humour in Life Before I Had Kids?

2011-09-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

My son and I were driving through a residential area one day about a week ago and all of a sudden I hear,

"Mom, I just saw a yacht!"

Me: "You did?!?"

"Yep......well, it was either a yacht or a gazebo."

Me: "......"

"Mom, what's a yacht?"

Me: "It's a big fancy boat."

"Oh, then it was a gazebo"

Me: "......"

"Mom, what's a gazebo?"

Me: "It's a place you can sit and there's a roof above it."

"Definitely a gazebo then."

Conversations like this seem to be the norm in our house. Most of the time I manage to keep a very straight and serious face and then later, my husband and I have a laugh over it. Feel free to share your stories of things kids have said that have made you laugh!!

Sometimes I Wonder About My Mothering Skills

2011-09-17T17:00:00.000-07:00

So my 4 year old daughter and I were driving home from the grocery store and she starts this conversation.

"Mom, is tomorrow the weekend?"
"Yes"
"What about the day after tomorrow?"
"No."
"School?"
"Yep."
"Damn."
"Pardon?"
"Damn."
"That's not a word we use."
"Okay....that's stupid."
"Can we go with silly?"
"I guess"

Really?? I guess it's not as bad as the time she came home from junior kindergarten saying the F-word......
Well, I'll keep trying :)

2011-09-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

So it dawned on me today. Most of the things that I have experienced in life are relatively common. I was a full time working mom. Common. I quit my job to be a stay at home mom. Somewhat common. I now run a home daycare to make ends meet. Fairly common. I have a husband, 2 kids and 2 dogs. Pretty common. I suffered from postpartum depression after the birth of my second child. More common than people realize. I am chubby. I always have been (other than those short periods of time in my life when I lost weight only to gain it back eventually). Very common. So, I decided to start this blog to talk about my life and to hopefully hear from other (common) people about their experiences too. So sit back and enjoy!