Sandra Says...

DIY - Shampoo and Conditioner Alternative

2013-06-20T00:21:00.001-04:00

I, like most other people, have been washing my hair with store bought shampoo all my life. I have never really thought about what's in it; naively trusting that the company who made it and the governing bodies that approved it all have my best interests at heart. Over the years I have been told about all the harmful chemicals that are in shampoo and other body care products but I didn't really pay much attention.

So there I am, happily washing my hair with my TRESemme Luxurious Moisture Shampoo and I think to myself... "what's in this stuff anyway?".

I decided to take a gander at the ingredients list.

Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cacamidopropyl Betane, Glycol Distearate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Biotin, Asorbic Acid, Cocamide Mea, Sodium Chloride, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-47, Polysorbate 20, Disodium Edta, DMDM Hydantoin, Fragrance.

From this list I have what I would call, a good working knowledge of two of the ingredients. (Guess which two!) So I decided to look it all up! (scroll down to see the list of ingredients with notes as to what I found)

To make a long story short; of the 17 ingredients listed on my bottle of shampoo, 8 of them are known irritants; and some of them may be, or may contain, known human carcinogens. And I'm putting this ON MY HEAD!!!

Well no more!

Luckily there are numerous "make your own shampoo" recipes out there so I have decided to try some.
The one I tried today was the simplest recipe I found (credit to diynatural.com)

Mix 1 tbsp of baking soda into 1 cup of water. Squirt some on your head and massage into scalp for a minute or two before rinsing.

I followed this with their conditioner (1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar mixed with 1 cup of water, massage into scalp and rinse).

Surprisingly enough this worked like a charm. My hair looked and felt clean and once it was dry there was no vinegar smell at all. (I had three separate people smell my hair numerous times just to be sure!).

I do have to say I missed the suds, even though they do absolutely nothing. Also, I have short hair and I don't think I would have liked this if my hair was still long. It felt like tossing some water on my head and rubbing it in. Therefore I will be trying another recipe tomorrow.

I will do my best to update the blog at that time... but you know me; I wouldn't hold my breath!

For what it's worth I would rate the shampoo recipe form diynatural a 2.5 out of 5.

TLDR; Store bought shampoo, and other body care products, are toxic; learn to make your own at diynatural.com, instructables.com, or wellnessmama.com. Or just google it ;)

Below is the info I found on each of the ingredients in my shampoo.

Water - I think it's safe to assume we all know this one, so lets move on.

Glycol Distearate, Panthenol, Niacinamide, Biotin, Asorbic Acid, Sodium Chloride, Polyquaternium-47 - are all considered safe and I could find no information to the contrary.

Sodium Laureth Sulfate - besides being known as a potential irritant to skin and eyes, Sodium Laureth Sulfate may be contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane depending on the manufacturing process. Ethylene oxide is a known human carcinogen and 1,4-dioxane is a possible human carcinogen according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. (learn more at davidsuzuki.org)

Cacamidopropyl Betane - also known to cause irritation and allergic contact dermatitis either as a result of the ingedient itself or as a result of possible impurities within the ingredient such as 3-dimethylaminopropylamine which, according to the MSDS has the following potential health effects:

Eye: Causes eye burns.
Skin: Causes skin burns. May cause skin sensitization, an allergic reaction, which becomes evident upon re-exposure to this material. May be harmful if absorbed through the skin.
Ingestion: Harmful if swallowed. Causes gastrointestinal tract burns.
Inhalation: Causes chemical burns to the respiratory tract. May be harmful if inhaled. Inhalation of high concentrations may cause pulmonary edema.
Chronic: Repeated or prolonged exposure may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

Tocopheryl Acetate - this is vitamin E with Acetic Acid added to it. It is generally considered safe although the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) did report at least one animal study that showed tumor formation at high doses and strong evidence of human skin toxicant or allergen.

Cocamide Mea - is generally considered safe although there is a chance this ingredient may contain traces of Cocamide DEA, which according to the FDA may lead to the formation of carcinogenic nitrosamines.

Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride - I thought for sure this would be the one that came up as "the killer"; Hydroxypropyltrimonium? Doesn't that just scream DANGER!?! But nope, it's safe; at least so far as I could find.

Polysorbate 20 - this ingredient starts out as harmless sorbitol (sugar alcohol), but then it's treated with 20 parts ethylene oxide, a known human carcinogen. There is also the risk that it could be contaminated with 1,4 dioxane a possible human and known animal carcinogen.

Disodium Edta - levels of disodium EDTA are too low in body care products to cause direct harm when products are used as directed. According to my research though, you should be aware of disodium EDTA content in processed foods and beverages, where disodium EDTA in reaction with active and unstable ingredients like Vitamin C and sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda), forms benzenes, a potent carcinogen. Also, EDTA is becoming an environmental pollutant due to large quantities used in industrial applications, medical applications and manufacturing.

DMDM Hydantoin - DMDM Hydantoin works as a preservative by releasing formaldehyde and is a strong skin, eye, and lung irritant. It has also been known to trigger an immune response that can include burning, itching, blistering, or scaling of skin.

Fragrance - Turns out my working knowledge of this ingredient is a lot more limited than I originally thought. "Fragrance" can, and often does, represent a complex mixture of dozens of chemicals. Some 3,000 chemicals are used as fragrances and most have not been tested for toxicity, either alone or in combination. Many of these unlisted ingredients are irritants and can trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma symptoms.

Check out http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ for more info on what is in that lotion you just slathered all over your body! Good ole David Suzuki has you covered too at davidsuzuki.org.

My Vegan Adventure - Week Three

2013-06-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry this update is so very late. There is just so much to do and so little time to do it.
Besides, the blog is really only for me anyway so who am I apologizing to? It's not like anyone was out there waiting for this post... but I digress.

So week three of the vegan adventure was a total bust. I just don't have time to make everything from scratch each night. By the time I get home it's already 5:30pm and the family and I are already starving! By the time I get dinner sorted out it's almost 7:00pm and we are just not enjoying eating that late.

I may try the meal plan again now that I know what it's like. I can take some time on the weekends and make most of the dinners and put them in the fridge or freezer.

Even if I don't do the plan again at least I have some great recipes to pull from when making my own meal plan.

Since we stopped the vegan plan we have been eating like crap and feeling even worse. How do people do it? How do people work full time, keep the house clean, eat healthy, exercise and still have time for the extra circulars like visiting friends, watching a movie or reading a book? How do people stick to a schedule? I just can't seem to do it! It always starts off good but quickly falls by the wayside.

Anyway, guess I just have to keep on trying.

My Vegan Adventure - Week Two

2013-05-18T20:39:00.002-04:00

Week Two is over and I messed it up quite a bit. You see, Sunday was Mother's Day so hubby and daughter did all the cooking; and the meal plan (especially on the weekends) is quite a lot of work. Besides that I REALLY wanted eggs for my traditional Mother's Day breakfast. We got our eggs from a local farmer who treats his chickens quite well so I have no guilt there (the bacon and sausage is another story but we'll pretend it didn't happen : / )

Since I didn't do any of the cooking on Sunday we didn't have the left overs to use as lunches for the next few days therefore we were forced to improvise.

Also, on Friday my daughter's best friend slept over. Long story short we strayed from the meal plan on Friday and Saturday. :(

Ah well, pobody's nerfect as they say.

For the most part we stuck with the breakfasts and had a few of the lunches and dinners as scheduled. There were actually a few items on the menu this week that I regret not making; like the kidney bean burgers and the Tamari Stir Fry.

One thing we did have, and it turned out marvellous, was Coconut Rice with Sweet Potato Curry! Another surprise was the Lemon Dill Bean Dip. Surprisingly good.

Tonight's dinner, Mashed Potatoes with Peas and Tamari Sautéed Mushrooms was good but not very filling. Guess it's time for a snack.

Tomorrow is shopping day for the start of Week Three and I am going to try and pre-cook some of the main
items to help stay on track the rest of the week. I am also going to try and give up milk for the week. I've been resisting. I really enjoy a glass of milk with dinner but I think it's time to try and forego it.

Until next week!

My Vegan Adventure - Week One

2013-05-11T23:03:00.001-04:00

As promised here is more about my foray into the world of Vegan eating.

I have completed week one and I feel great! I have lost 6lbs!!! And that is solely from eating on this meal plan as I have not increased my physical activity to any great degree.

Some of the highlights, surprises and disappointments from our first week.

1) It does still take some work and preparation as the goal is to make everything from scratch. This means I made guacamole, peanut sauce and hummus from scratch for the first time ever.

2) The amount of "sweet treats" in the plan is AMAZING! I have not felt deprived once. There have been no mid-day cravings to grab a donut at the coffee shop or a chocolate bar from the corner store (which were pretty daily cravings before this plan!) My hubby even survived a cupcake day at his work without any real struggle!

3) The amount of food in general is a lot. I don't think I have been able to eat everything on the menu for the day, yet.

4) Some of my favourite meals has been a Black Bean Taco Salad over Quinoa, French Toast with Raspberry Sauce (who knew you didn't need eggs and milk for that!), Mushroom Marinara Pasta and Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I am blown away by the types of food I get to eat. Even my twelve year old daughter is loving the plan. (she's by no means a picky eater but I was worried she wouldn't enjoy the change in diet as she loves cheese and ham!!)

5) There was one night where I just didn't have time to make the meal that was planned for dinner. Had I reviewed the plan for the week more thoroughly I would have thought to make the main portion of this meal ahead of time and just put it in the freezer until the day of... live and learn.

6) My only real problem with the plan is the amount of peanuts used... and the only reason it's a problem is that my daughter isn't allowed to bring anything with peanuts in it to school which makes some of the snacks a little hard. Other than that, all is good!

Thank you so much +Heather Nauta for creating this plan!

My Vegan Adventure

2013-05-08T18:40:00.000-04:00

Wow... over a year has come and gone! I did get back on track fitness wise for a little while but than the autumn came and I soon found myself falling back into my old routine. Little to no exercise and slowly started increasing my carb intake until the next thing I knew I was up 11 pounds! What is wrong with me!?!

Anyway, I've been hunting around trying desperately to put together a vegetarian meal plan but it is so much WORK! After months of trying I gave up and was just trying to add more veggies into my diet and substitute where I could.

Then I watched Vegucated and thought "hmm... what would it be like to go vegan??" So off I went again scouring the net for info. Trying to make sense of all the contradictory information and weed out all the irrelevant arguments. After a few weeks of looking I thought I might like to try a few vegan meals but every time I looked for recipes everything had tofu in it or soy.

And then I found her. Heather Nauta and her website Healthy Eating Starts Here.

I read through her site and found that she has created a four week vegan meal plan with recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner and two snacks! Not only that but it's customizable, so I put in my height, weight etc and that of my hubby and daughter and the system will calculate how much of everything to buy (and gives a great shopping list), calculates how much to make and how much each of us should eat! AND there's NO tofu!!

You can further customize the recipes to be low glycemic, gluten free etc.

After hmm-ing and ha-ing over it with my hubby we decided to opt in. I am SO HAPPY we did. Best purchase ever!

I'll tell you more about it later but right now I must go feed the family.

Health and Happiness to all!

2012-03-13T16:58:00.000-04:00

I fell of the wagon and it HURT! Up 8.8 lbs.... yikes.

Okay... time to take responsibility and get back on track. Doing a biggest loser challenge at work again. Goal is to lose 29 lbs in 10 weeks.

Wish me luck!

Sandra 1, Perkins 0

2011-08-28T22:25:00.000-04:00

So a few months back we had gone to Perkins (probably sometime in May or June). At the end of our meal they gave us a coupon for $10.00 off our next meal when we spend $25.00 or more (before tax). I tacked this to the fridge and promptly forgot about it.

Today I found it, and Trin decided she was going to eat at her friends house so my husband and I decided to go to Perkins for dinner. After scouring the coupon looking for an expiration date I came to the conclusion that it was still good and we were on our way.

After a pretty decent meal (I love breakfast for dinner!), we went to the counter to pay and I presented my coupon. Rather proudly I must say as I usually forget and pay full price!

The guy at the counter took one look and said we can't accept this anymore.

"There's no expiry date." I said

He looked the coupon over and asked where I got it. I told him I got it from Perkins. He asked "From the hotel?".

"No, from here."

"Well I don't think this offer is valid any more, we're not doing it anymore.

"There's no expiry."

"Well, if you got this from the hotel..."

"No, I got it a couple of months ago from this Perkins restaurant and there is no expiry date."

The guy looked very put out but decided to honor the coupon anyway. Although I felt rather agitated I managed to stay impressively calm... anyone who knows me would have given me an oscar!

Normally in situations like this I would have just rolled over to avoid the confrontation (I'm not always good at controlling the volume of my voice and my temper flares at times so it's usually just easier to give in.) However, I am rather proud that I stood up for myself and managed to not make a scene.

:)

The Shred

2011-08-24T18:11:00.000-04:00

Today was Day Five (Level one) of the 30 day shred.

For all of you counting - Yes it did take 7 days to get here. I'm a pretty good negotiator and quite successfully talked myself into sitting comfortably on my couch the last two days, rather than getting up and working out.

I didn't want to make my daughter and husband leave the room just so I can do my workout and lord knows I can't do it in front of them. Besides, I'm tired and I worked hard today, plus it's late and a good show is on. And look at the cute cat sleeping peacefully in the middle of the living room floor! It would be an absolute sin to wake him just for my vain, selfish reasons.

These same reasons would have kept me on the couch again today, if it wasn't for my wonderful sister-in-law.

I was puttering around the computer and decided to check my email and there was her latest blog post.

She described a very similar argument that was going through her head but she managed to move past it and reminded me that if I did my workout I'd actually feel better, less tired and more happy. I'd be more alert and better able to focus on my husband and daughter and whatever we were going to do for the evening. It was exactly what I needed to hear. (Thanks!)

So, I got up, put my workout clothes on, kicked every other living being out of the room and pressed play! Jillian welcomed me back as if I hadn't forsaken her for the last two days. It's nice to have a trainer that doesn't hold a grudge. :)

I'll do my best to update you all on day 10. Oh and by the way, I'm down 3 lbs!!

Ta for now!

The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred - Day Two, Level One

2011-08-19T05:45:00.000-04:00

Wow! Day Two was only slightly easier than day one. Sweating my butt off literally. :)

I'm so glad I got up early to do the workout this morning. I missed yesterday because I stayed late at work, then went to have my hair done and by the time I got home and ate dinner it was 8:30pm and I was way too tired to convince myself to get my butt up to do it.

But now it's done and I don't have to worry about it again until tomorrow!

The Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred

2011-08-17T18:58:00.001-04:00

Day One, Level One

O.M.G!!! A 20 minute work out has never made me sweat as much as this. My calves were already tense and hurting from the work out I did on Monday (not Jillian's) but I decided to go through and do this one anyway. (I almost wimped out... I'm such a wuss!)

I am happy to say I did it! Although there were two or three times I had to take a quick (3 second) break. The fantastic thing about this workout is you get strength, cardio and ab work all together and you cycle between them so you never get bored or stressed out and the fact that each section is so short it makes it easier not to give up. When you only have to do an exercise for 30-60 seconds at a time you really push yourself to finish.

Tomorrow is day two and I'm excited!

Hmm...that was a complete failure

2011-08-07T11:18:00.001-04:00

... well not a COMPLETE failure. I did get up early, but I didn't do my workout.
New plan.

A good friend of mine lost some weight a few years back and she found it helpful to have some accountability for her actions, or in actions as the case may be. What she did was email a friend everyday with a log of what she did and ate for the day. Just a quick note to say whether she was on track or not.

In a way I have been trying to accomplish the same feeling through this blog, the calorie count website and facebook but it's not working so well. Maybe having just one person to report to might help. I'm going to try it!

Running Update

2011-08-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

Well, well, look-y here. It has been almost FOUR MONTHS since last I blogged! I really am no good at staying with things. So it will come as no surprise that I have not ran or completed any workouts since sometime around the middle/end of May. I managed to get up to 22 minutes. Then the rain came.... it rained for a million days and by the time the rain stopped I had completely lost all momentum.

Good news is I have not gained any weight since I stopped running.
Bad News is I have not lost any either.

So, I need to get back out there. I would like to start running again but I think I'm going to start with my morning work outs.

Let's see if I can get my arse out of bed tomorrow at 5am, do a work out, shower, get dressed etc and be ready to go for 6:30.

Wish me luck!

Running

2011-04-19T22:23:00.000-04:00

For my birthday this past January (you should jot that down), my wonderful friends all pitched in and got me a gift certificate to the Runner's Edge, a running club here in town. It had all started when a friend joined and I said how much I would like to do it but couldn't afford the registration and new shoes! Then a second friend joined, I repeated my desire to join along with my prepared excuse as to why I couldn't. Then a third friend joined and once again I whined about how much I wanted to join but alas my funds were limited. My friends being the most wonderful, caring and generous people on the face of the planet all got together to cover a large portion of the cost so that I could start the beginners clinic with them on April 5th, 2011.

I was so happy and terrified. On one hand I had always wanted to try running and seeing all three of them join and excel (none had any prior running experience) I was more than a little keen to see if I could do it too. On the other hand it meant running, and possibly falling, in front of a coed group of complete strangers.

With the overwhelming support of my compadres I mustered up the courage to try it. I think I was hooked right away! The feeling of doing something you never thought you could possibly do, and pushing yourself just a little past your comfort zone and surviving.... it was amazing!

So for the past two weeks I have been going there every Tues. Thurs and Sat. to run with a group of around 50 beginners. Everyone there is so supportive and kind. No one judges you or makes snide comments about your outfit or how big your butt looks in yoga pants (thank goodness!)

They start you off slow, run for a minute, walk a minute, run two, walk one, etc and slowly build you up to where you're able to run a full 5k and approximately 35-40 mins. Day one wasn't bad but I was still very proud to be able to run the full set (10 minutes total broken up into intervals with 1 minute walks in between each set). Today is day 7 and I was able to run a full 14 minutes straight without stopping. I'm completely amazed!!

I looked a little bit like Homer after the marathon but it was worth it! If you have any interest in running at all but have little, or no, experience I highly recommend finding a running club in your area and joining. Alternatively, you could use the Couch to 5k program on your iPhone or Android Phone however, the support you get at a running club is well worth the little bit of money to join.

Oh, and buy new shoes... get fitted properly at an athletic store and spend a bit of change on a decent pair of runners that will support your feet. Your tootsies, and legs, and hips and back with all thank you!!

The Plan

2011-03-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

A stray thought planted itself deep within my brain and quickly took root.

It sprouted and began to grow to an idea.

The idea blossomed into a hope,

and my hope has pollinated into a plan.

If I tell you my plan I would jinx it!

Buy a Cookie, Save a Life

2011-02-06T00:04:00.001-05:00

The Canadian Cancer Society is doing their annual Relay for Life event and this year I've decided to participate. Instead of the traditional "I beg for money, you give me money and receive a fuzzy good feeling knowing that you have helped someone, somewhere" I thought... why not offer a little something extra!?!

So this year I'm doing a BAKE SALE!

Below is a list of the types of things I will be making, of course if there's something specific you want let me know and I'll see what I can do!

Chocolate Chip Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Shortbread Cookies

1/2 dozen $2.50 / Bakers dozen $4.50

Banana Bread
Gingerbread Loaf
Cinnamon Loaf
Lemon Loaf

1/2 Loaf $2.50 / Full Loaf $4.50

If you're local to the St.Catharines / Niagara Region and would like to place an order send me an email at (savealifebakesale@gmail.com). All proceeds will go to the Canadian Cancer Society - Relay for Life!

Of course if you would prefer to just make a donation please visit my Donation Page. (If the donation page link does not work please copy and paste the URL below into your address bar.)

https://secure2.convio.net/cco/site/Donation2?idb=1991737352&df_id=16841&FR_ID=8762&PROXY_ID=3772747&PROXY_TYPE=20&16841.donation=form1

Wow... time truly flies

2010-12-30T13:41:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving was quiet. Halloween was a lot of fun. I took Trin and her friends all over hells half acre collecting candy. She raked it all in happily and was disappointed when I insisted on calling it a night after 3 hours.

November just flew by. We celebrated a few birthdays and saw a magic show which was good but before I knew it *POOF* November was gone and we were two weeks into December.

I ended up working a lot of overtime and spent every free moment shopping, wrapping, cooking and cleaning. Christmas turned out pretty nice despite Trinity discovering her hamster dead in his food bowl on Christmas eve. Poor Trin was so sad the poor dear. It helped that she was spoiled by Caleb's Uncle Les and Grandma the next day! She got some books she had asked for, $500.00 to spend on clothes etc and a digital camera!
Caleb bought me a gorgeous dragonfly broach which I pinned to my jacket on December 25th and noticed it was missing on December 28th.

Now it's December 30th and we're going to celebrate New Year's eve tomorrow by spending the evening with my sister and then on Saturday we'll be visiting my other sister for a late Christmas dinner, then it's back to work on Monday.

Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas. and Happy New Year!!

SOS Cuisine

2010-09-11T20:18:00.000-04:00

So I found this website today and I just have to share it. It's called SOS Cuisine (http://www.soscuisine.com) and it is fantastic!
After signing up (which is free) you have access to weekly dinner meal plans designed specifically for your preferred diet.

For example:
Do you need to feed a family on a budget? They have a meal plan for that.
Do you like to eat locally? They have a meal plan for that.
Do you follow a vegan lifestyle? They have a meal plan for that.

That's just a few of the meal plan types they offer, but that's not all!

Each meal plan an be modified to suit your needs, plus it creates a grocery list of what you'll need to make the meals listed on the menu, plus it gives you an action plan of what you should prepare and when (many items can be prepared in advance.)

If that's not enough, each meal plan lists the nutritional value of the meal and the servings of Canada's food guide. That's right CANADA's food guide... it's a Canadian site! It was developed and is owned by Sukha Technologies Inc., of Montreal, Canada and has been in operation since 2005. I can't believe I just stumbled upon this now!

And just to make the site super awesome it actually lists all the specials you'll find in your weekly store flyers for many of the grocery stores you visit everyday! You see them listed in a nice little chart and can compare who has the best deal on apples this week!

One other nifty little feature I just found is the "Best Deals this Week Search". The site will search all the recipes it currently has and will list which recipes you can save the most money on based on the deals listed in the weekly flyers.

I'm so excited I could just cry! Finally a well designed site, stuffed full of useful features, that accommodates Canadians! Take a minute to check it out; you won't be disappointed.

Terry Fox Run

2010-09-04T21:45:00.001-04:00

Almost 30 years ago Terry Fox inspired a nation and now each year thousands of people gather in cities across Canada to continue what he started.

This year, inspired by my friend Tracey, I plan to lace up my running shoes and get out there and do my part to support the Terry Fox foundation in their ongoing work to fund innovative and progressive cancer research programs.

I'm very much hoping to raise $500.00 for this worthy cause. Please consider pledging me by visiting the link below. Or if you are unable to donate online please do not hesitate to contact me and I can send you my mailing address.

I am very lucky to have Tracey in this with me and our good friend Lori will be helping us train for the run. It's going to be tough going from no running at all to running 5km but I know that with my friends beside me I can do it!

Wish us luck!

Please visit my pledge page to make a donation!

I would like to dedicate my run to the memory of Sarah Marsh as well as to the cancer survivors in my family (Caleb, Jonah and Audrey)

Movie Review - A Serious Man

2010-08-20T23:17:00.000-04:00

Plot - A lot of drama with a few small chuckle moments, centered on Larry Gopnik, a physics professor who watches his life fall the hell apart.

If you watch movies because they're well written, have a good score and some nice shots, you'll LOVE this movie. If, like me, you also want the movie to be at least slightly interesting, you should probably pass this one by.

Don't be fooled by this films 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. I spent most of the movie waiting for something to happen while the main character constantly reminded me that he "didn't do anything". Ya, we know.... and we're waiting!

But I didn't give up and my patience was rewarded when things got a little interesting around the 105 minute mark; a mere 60 seconds before the credits rolled.

I won't bore you with an in depth discussion about what "happens" but I will tell you the morale of the story -

Life sucks, and sucks, and sucks some more. Then a small piece of good news comes your way right before you die a horrible horrible death. (Or perhaps just get badly maimed and lose a family member or two).

It was nominated for a BUNCH of awards by people who watched something better on their iPhones during the showing of this film. However, it only managed to pick up a couple of Best Screenplay and a few Best Cinematography awards. Also, one well deserved Virtuoso Award went to the star of the film, Michael Stuhlbarg, presented by some drunk guys at a vodka party.

Suggestion - Do Not Buy this Movie. Rent it if you feel you HAVE to see it. Better yet, go watch it at a friends house!

Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min.
Genre: Drama, Comedy

Theatrical Release: Oct 2, 2009 Wide
US Box Office: $9.2M

Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick

Director: Ethan Coen , Joel Coen

Summer...

2010-08-18T23:23:00.000-04:00

We have had a pretty fantastic summer so far. We visited family, went to Zooz, enjoyed a few birthday parties, went hiking, swimming and of course to Canada's Wonderland. I tried Zumba and boxing which I loved but unfortunately I am unable to continue classes at this time. Trinity has gone camping in the backyard, at a trailer qith her best friend and she's at Circle Square Ranch right now for the rest of the week. It's been busy.

And with all the summer fun came struggle. I have been having a hard time sticking to my new healthy lifestyle with all the birthday cake floating around; and the muggy muggy days have encouraged me to stay indoors when I should have been out walking.

Don't you worry about me though... It hasn't been all down hill. I've managed to lose a few more pounds over the last 10 weeks and tomorrow is the final weigh in for our biggest loser challenge at work. (Wish me luck!)

I'm going to come up with some way of being able to join the Y so I can start Zumba classes there and a friend wants me to start running with her in September but I have to save up $80.00 for the running assessment. I have plans. I will get to my goal weight of 150 lbs. I will be able to shop at a regular clothing store rather than a plus size store. It will happen. I will make it happen!

Zumba etc

2010-07-24T14:11:00.000-04:00

I was doing so well! I had lost over 30 pounds and was feeling great but then I gave in. Price Chopper had a sale and I ended up pigging out on chips, ice cream and cookies for the last week or two and haven't done a lick of exercise. So, not surprisingly, I ended up gaining FIVE pounds this week!! I am so disappointed in myself.

However, that is in the past and today is a new beginning. With the help of a friend and my sister I forced myself to face ... da, da, DA!!!.... a gym!

We went to Diamond Fitness on Ontario St. and, although their website leaves much to be desired, the staff were fantastically nice and supportive while the three of us tried Zumba for the first time! It was a lot of fun and even though there were many times I lost track of the beat or went left instead of right, I still managed to get through the whole thing (It was only half an hour but we worked up a nice little sweat).

Afterward, we spoke to the owner and asked about their other classes, membership fees etc, and were pleasantly surprised when she gave each of us a 1 week free pass so that we can try out a couple of other classes and see if we like them.

As a result we will be trying Zumba again on Monday (for an hour this time) and on Tuesday we're going to try boxing. I especially can't wait until Tuesday! I've always wanted to try boxing and ever since a friend of mine at work started going I've been keen to get out and do it.

Next step is to earn some extra cash so that I can afford to get a membership once the free pass expires... doesn't give me much time! Wish me luck!

WOOT!

2010-06-30T21:36:00.002-04:00

As of today I have lost a grand total of 31.4 lbs and I'm only 28.7 lbs away from my next big milestone!

To make things even better; for the first time EVER I actually weigh LESS than Caleb! ...and, my sister Dee and I are able to share clothes!! (almost makes me want to move to Oshawa for the extended wardrobe.... almost)

But the BEST part is I haven't had to eat like a rabbit and I'm not dieting. I just had to change my way of thinking about food and cut out all my excess carbs.

Of course I still need to try and get some extra work outs in if I ever want my tummy and arms to be toned instead of flabby. That's something to work towards anyway.

A Successful trip to Wonderland

2010-06-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday Trinity's school was having their end of year trip. It's supposed to be an extra special trip to somewhere fan-freakin-tastic so this year they decided to go to.... Marineland... again... yawn! So we decide to take her to Canada's Wonderland instead!
We got there an hour early and snagged a fantastic parking spot and because we weren't in peak season yet and it was raining we never had to wait in line! It wa great!
Trin and Caleb rode the Behemoth! Trin absolutely loved it.
Some of the highlights from our trip include:

1- No Sunscreen! Since it was cloudy and rainy I didn't have to slather on the sunscreen which is awesome.
2- It was cool out so we weren't tempted to buy any drinks while we were in the park. We just took a couple of breaks to walk back to the car for water and food.
3- No lines, as mentioned above, which means we got to ride A LOT of rides.
4- Very few annoying kids and the one group of twits that we kept running into faced karmic retribution when they were stuck on the stand up roller coaster for 15 minutes. Ha I say... Ha!
5- Trin and her friend Brittany we're great! No whining, no fighting, no putting each other down. They got along and had fun and did not cause me even an ounce of embarrassment!
6- We came in WAY under budget! and that's even with having to buy rain ponchos and spending $30.00 in the arcade to pass the time during the heavy rain.

All in all this was probably the best trip to Wonderland I have ever had!

Monday

2010-06-14T16:43:00.000-04:00

Well Today was a good day although I didn't go to bed early enough yesterday so I just couldn't force myself to get up at 4:45 am to do my work out. Oh well, there's always tomorrow!

On a brighter note we picked up our Canada's Wonderland tickets today so we're definitely going! Woot! I'm pretty excited. Trinity wants to go on the Behemoth first... I want to go on the Bat first. I think I'll win :)

The End and a New Beginning

2010-06-12T13:52:00.001-04:00

Well it's been a while since I updated everyone (all three of you) on my progress : )
First of all, the biggest loser challenge at work has come to an end. I didn't win but I did manage to lose exactly 20 lbs over the 10 weeks which put me in 4th place! (out of 30 people!). That's pretty exciting. So a few of us at work decided to do it again.

I'm sticking with a healthy weight loss goal of 20 lbs in 10 weeks although I'm going to work towards 35 lbs. I'm really going to have to work hard and push myself. Although I don't have any problems keeping up my new love for long walks I have once again floundered at keeping up my morning workout ritual. I NEED to start going to bed a little earlier so I won't miss that extra hour of sleep in the morning.

The real hurdle for me getting up early is seeing Caleb still sleeping. Two things in me war against my thoughts of getting up. First, the desire to just cuddle up in his arms and sleep until his alarm goes of and the second is jealousy... why should he get to sleep if I have to get up? Yup, I'm pretty messed up but the first step in conquering these issues is to admit them, right?

So I'm declaring here right now that Monday is going to be different! Monday morning I will get up and do my work out diligently. I will not convince myself that I should just cuddle with Caleb and I will not be jealous that he gets to have an extra hour of sleep. It'll be hard but I will succeed...... maybe I can convince him to get up with me : )