Will Work[out] For Bacon

Compliments are Amazing ...

2017-02-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Is it sad that it takes a journaling challenge to get me to blog?
I'm sure that I will get back into the swing of things soon.
What would I consider one of the best compliments that I have received?
There's the typical ones based on appearance. Then there's one of my favorites "You don't look that old".

But overall ...
The best compliments I think are related to the kids. That they are intelligent, caring, creative (and it never seems to happen when it's just me) well behaved little creatures.
Now, to just get them to behave at home, or let me use the bathroom in peace.

Accomplishments #knowingyourselfchallenge

2017-01-05T22:25:00.001-05:00

Most days, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything.

I see people I went to school with.
They have awesome careers, amazing houses.
The somewhat stereotypical American Dream type of thing.

And I look at my life.

I was doing good for a while.
Bought a house and brand new off the lot car.
While this may seem weird, they were goals of mine.
Got my debt to a manageable level.
Improved my credit score.

Still.
I don't have a career.
There's no opportunity for advancement.
Living pretty much paycheck to paycheck.

BUT

I have three awesome and intelligent kids.
They are kind and caring.
Respectful.
They are weird -- just like me.

I DID buy a house.
I bought a car.
I completed a nutrition program.
I've been a GNC manager for almost 8 years.
I lost 120 pounds. Even though I gained some of it back.
I had a successful decal business.

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Imagination #knowingyourselfchallenge

2017-01-04T20:00:00.001-05:00

Goals [2017] #knowingyourselfchallenge

2017-01-04T18:04:00.001-05:00

Goals.
I've always been really bad at setting goals.

I think I am getting a bit better in the short time that I have been using my passion planner.

So.
My Goals for 2017.

- Get healthy again
- Get my own place in Canada
- Go back to school
- Reconnect with my Canadian family

Short and sweet.
But this is what I want to accomplish this year.
I think getting my own place and going to school is going to be the biggest challenge.

I know I can do it!

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New Start #knowingyourselfchallenge

2017-01-02T07:30:00.000-05:00

I've always been afraid to branch out and start over.
But that is exactly what I am doing!
Still makes me a bit nervous.

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Let me Introduce Myself #knowingyourselfchallenge

2017-01-01T03:00:00.000-05:00

It's the start of

a new year!
I love starting things at the beginning of something.
Which sounds weird and obvious that way.
It just seems like things work out easier if I start at the beginning of the week/month/year.

So.
Me.
I am Melinda.
Call me Mel.
I can be random and change the topic mid thought.
You have been warned.

It's 2017.
This past year has brought about a lot of change.
Divorce. New Relationship. Decided to move back to Canada.
Pulled off Christmas, Holidays and Birthdays on my own.
Fixed my bathroom sink and dryer -- on my own.
I even fixed a small xmas eve dinner.
Kudos to those who pull off dinners on their own. I think a pot luck type of bring your own dish is totally the way to go.
Started talking to my dad again. Which I'm still on the fence about.
Had an amazing visit with my mom and sister when they came down.
It was nice to just be myself.

I always introduce my self as an awesomely average nerdy girl.
Mom to three kids: Ehren Brye, Freedom Reilly and Teghan Éire.
They're pretty awesome.
And that's not just the obligatory mom talk.

I'm 33.
I am told that I don't look my age.
While I love that compliment, I avoid sharing the meme on facebook about looking younger so I don't sound conceited. Being carded to buy alcohol makes me feel amazing.
I feel like I am young at heart.
I love to goof off with my kids.
I have a fascination with owls, narwhals and squirrels.
Those little things are just so cute.
I'm a total cat person.
Smart girls get cats. It's a meme or something.
I have two kitties, Hermione and Asimov.

I love to take pictures.

I enjoy weird/inside/random jokes that no one else gets.
Or are outdated.

I was called a cool mom by some middle school boys.
Who knew that Futurama and Pokeman was all it took.

I am drawn towards SciFi.
I was raised on Star Trek and Doctor Who.
Mixed in with a bit of Get Smart and many many hours of talking about aliens and conspiracy theories. I lived on a farm in the middle of nowhere in Canada. We had a swimming pool, so that made it better.

I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
In the next year, I want to go back to school.
For what??
Who knows.
Biology, biotechnology, environmental science and earth sciences all seem interesting to me.

This year I want to focus on me and the kids.
Self Love, Self Care.
Do things that make me happy and give my nerdlets a better life.

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Plans for a Healthier Self

2016-12-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

As I was looking through some old blog posts, I came across this one from February of 2014.
Which, made me kind of giggle.
Why?
I was desperately trying to get to 135 pounds.
Why 135?
I have no idea.
I ended up getting pregnant that summer and gaining 50 pounds.

Overall, I weigh 10 pounds less than I did this time last year.
So ... that's a plus.

I can never seem to get my fitness and nutrition to line up.

Starting today, I WILL strive to be healthier.
I WILL take better care of myself.

I do not plan of giving up my diet coke though.
Just cutting back. I need my carbonation.
Everything in moderation, right?!

photo credit: sirwiseowl Set Goals. Move it! via photopin (license)

So my plan?
-Eat 1461 calories a day, based on Scooby's Calorie Calculator.
-Track said calories using MyFitnessPal.
-Exercise at least three days a week. My current plan is Strong Lifts 5x5. They even have an app for your phone. Which is awesome. Means no having to keep up with weights and reps.
-Eat fruit and/or veggies at least twice a day.
-Try to get to where I only have two carbonated beverages a day.
-No more than two pizza nights a week. One is ideal, but having a kiddo with SPD, I have a lot of pizza around.

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An Attempt at Switching up Brye's Supper

2016-12-18T20:58:00.000-05:00

Tried a new kind of "pizza" for Brye tonight.

I dared not call them pizza rolls.
I took pepperoni, cheese and a bit of sauce and rolled it all up into a crescent roll.
I was excited to offer him something that he might possibly eat.
You know, to give him options.

He did not enjoy them.
They tasted and felt weird and funky.

I've gotten used to this over the years as I've learned to work with his Sensory Processing Disorder.

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The New Nameless Kittie

2016-11-03T22:18:00.000-04:00

I am slowly becoming a crazy cat lady.
Ok,
Maybe not that slowly.

Much to my neighbors dismay, I have adopted three outdoor stray cats.
Crowley, Castiel and Ron.

Freedom has her kitten Hermione.
She cuddles with me on nights when the kids aren't here.

Today, I acquired a new tiny kitten.
She is yet to be named.

We spent the evening trying to come up with a name.
We're still stuck.
We have a list.
It's a pretty long list.

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Teghan, The House Elf

2016-11-02T23:40:00.000-04:00

Thanks to an awesome friend, I was able to pull this costume together.
She crocheted the hat, at practically the last minute.
I regret that she wasn't able to see her on Halloween.
Teghan was napping when Freedom and I started our Trick or Treating.

It would have been so cute, Teghan the House Elf and Hermione.

Neptune. By Freedom.

2016-10-19T22:45:00.000-04:00

Third grade.
It's the year my kids are required to

complete a research project and model of an element from our Solar System.

The kids are given several weeks to complete their projects.
Freedom, as per her usual self, refuses to do her research until she gets to craft.

I'm fairly positive the idea is to apply what you've learned from your research and create the model.

She finally settled on Earth.
But that doesn't look like Earth
I know.

Freedom wasted a bit too much blue paint. We tried using some of her other paint to fill it in. By that point, it was too dark to paint continents.

But what do you do with a big blue sphere?

You make Neptune!
Sure, it has faint rings.
But it seemed easier than Uranus.
And Freedom was afraid that she'd pronounce it funny in claas.

In the end, her persistence paid off.
She painted Neptune, then completed her research assignment.
And we didn't have to paint continents.

Seriously.
Painting Styrofoam is hard.

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Our Sticky Note Wall

2016-10-17T10:40:00.001-04:00

Freedom.

Her name suits her.
She is an intelligent, strong willed little girl.

I've been having a bit of an issue with her and her very emotional outbursts.
We both agreed on an emotional sticky note wall.
It seems to help.
She expresses herself, and she seems to calm down as she's writing things down.

I've used it a bit myself.

It has been a constant struggle trying to get her to talk and express her feelings.
Now, we're making steps in the right direction.

A Harry Potter Birthday Party

2016-06-20T18:53:00.001-04:00

Freedom's most recent obsession:
Harry Potter.

For her birthday, she requested a Harry Potter themed party.
I had originally planned a party at a local park, but they decided that the end of May was the best time to renovate the playground.

We had the party at Pizza Hut.
That cut out the Quidditch game.

She also ended up with cupcakes and two cakes.
Cupcakes are a required part of a classroom party.
I was able to find Harry Potter cupcake ring toppers on Amazon!
She had her "family" cake at home on her birthday, and then her party cake.

The invitation

Outside of invitation

I forgot to put the location of her party on the invitations.

Customary cupcakes for school.

Her birthday cake for the house. She calls herself Hermione.

Party Decor

Surprised to find this at Food Lion.
The party cake.
They may need to calibrate their printer.

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The Mulch Eating Baby

2016-03-12T10:14:00.001-05:00

I'm *that* mom.

The one at the park whose kids are shoeless.
The one that doesn't hover over the older kids.
I'm kind of free range when it comes to things like that.

But apparently, I am also the one with the kid that tries to eat the mulch. The one with a kid who throws a tantrum when you remove the Mulch from their firm little grasp.

Reasons Why I Should Rent a Locker

2016-01-20T19:55:00.000-05:00

Over the last few weeks, I've been thinking of reasons why renting a locker that the gym would be beneficial.

I get ready for work here four days a week
I forget my brush
I have fear of my shampoo opening in my gym bag
Also have a fear of forgetting socks
I could have a set work clothes there, just in case
I could have a hair drier and straightener there, so I wouldn't have to worry about lugging it back and forth

I am forgetful, if you couldn't tell

Alpha Amino Extreme

2015-11-30T20:55:00.000-05:00

I work out in the mornings.

Usually within 30 minutes of waking up.

I've always liked using pre-workouts.

Here lately though, I've not been to fond of the beta alanine and creatine.

I recently tried Cellucor's Alpha Amino Extreme.

The grape is amazing.

Seriously, it tastes like kool-aid.

It combines a 14 amino acids, a well studied 2:1:1 BCAA ratio blend and a 3X Leucine blend. it may help tofuel skeletal muscles, preserve muscle glycogen stores and reduce protein breakdown. I like this because it also features caffeine, B vitamins, as well as the clinically studied ingredient XCELICOR™. It also has a unique hydration blend.

I used some before my work out this morning.

I didn't seem to get tired as quickly.
I also don't seem to be as sore tonight.

Overall, I am pleased.

Although I know it's just the first day.
It's not a miracle worker.

I know that I won't get results unless I put in the work.

But, this tastes great.

No creatine, and no beta alanine tingles.

Even though there are plenty of people who enjoy it.

"Mama"

2015-11-08T20:38:00.000-05:00

Babies.They grow up so fast.Teghan is almost 7 months old.I've yet to even update my blog information to include her.
I got to hear the words almost all Moms long to hear.Yep.Today, I got to hear Teghan call me "Mama".