Brought to you by the Flu...

So being quarantined at home by your physician really sucks. And also provides a lot of time for reflection, introspection and quiet reading. HA! If you believe that then you don’t know me at all!

My thoughts have been scattered and my adrenaline too high and this*, of all things has become a major decision for me. Since the girls went back to school and life got much busier I have not been able to keep up with all my programs. The weekly ones aren’t too bad and I can usually watch them before they are on again. The one that really gets me tho is the Young and the Restless. I’ve been watching since I was put on leave when I was pregnant with Lea. So almost 4.5 hears ago. That’s a really long time!

Some would say too long and to walk away now! lol but I feel like I’ve invested so much in these characters and have been watching them grow and change all that time. I am almost 3 weeks behind (therefore 15 – 1 hr recordings) and yet I can’t bring myself to just let it go and delete them all. A friend suggested I follow it online, or in episode recaps and I know I can watch it On Demand too but it’s just not the same.

This is so lame, I mean that’s hours of my life reclaimed! (or room for potential new shows???)

What to do!

* addiction to the Young and the Restless

Another privy tale

As a parent of two children close in age, I was thrilled at the prospect of cutting our diapering in half. As soon as Lea showed an interest I was on it. Once she set her mind on it (and the prospect of candy! Yay for reward systems!) and after several failed attempts something clicked. When she was ready, she practically trained herself. She had 1 accident while playing outside with a friend, and has wet the bed only once, the first night. Of course I thought this was normal. Silly me.

Along came Anna. My stubborn little girl. I tried to go at her pace but she fought us quite a bit. I figured that she wasn’t ready and gave up. But never underestimate her. A few weeks later I started encouraging her to use the potty or wear her big girl undies. I was going to say that she was having a much harder time of it than Lea but I realize that that is not entirely fair. I cannot compare. She just does her own thing on her own time at her own pace. Ahem. She has had several accidents, the worst of which in a Home Depot with an unprepared and inexperienced Mommy. But, a month later, I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel.

She has now graduated from the little potty to the regular folk toilet. I don’t want to proclaim myself diaper free for fear of jinxing it but I think I am pretty darn close. Pull ups are now worn solely at night and she is waking up more or less dry. She has also woken up during the night to use the facilities (which means I get up to get her out of her crib and take her to said facilities – sounds like fun doesn’t it!) But, she has started preschool and not had any problems. She is napping in her undies and still waking up dry. I think she may possibly be potty trained and diaper free. Diaper free. Ah, I love the sound of that!

Summer recap

Sunshine then rain, then more rain. Rainiest July on record. Park playdates, Backyard bbq’s, camping weekends, Freezies, Swimming with floaties only, baby pools, sprinkler, eating al fresco, painting on the fence (not to be confused with fence painting!), bike riding, hats, sunscreens, summer camp, birthday parties.

I think that about sums it up. In all seriousness tho the summer has been truly wonderful (except for all the rain!). We have made some great memories, shared great moments with friends and just really enjoyed ourselves. It was the first summer that the girls were old enough to go out and do stuff unassisted (like the park) and I made some great new friends that have become like family.

I think the girls have had loads of fun and that they remember it fondly. I have tons of pictures that I will be able to share with them when they are older. Now on to the next phase of our life, kindergarten!

Gluten Free Update: Day 5

After feeling sluggish, bloated and gaining a few lbs (and all it’s frustrating side effects) I decided to resume eating Gluten free. It’s a great time of year to change my diet. Especially since I can easily replace delicious, in season fruit and vegetables for my beloved bread and other wheat products. I knew going into it that the first few days were going to be tricky. I tried to plan for it by making sure that I always had healthy, gluten free snacks on me at all times, just in case. Now that it’s been 5 days, the momentum is rolling and I have noticed some encouraging changes. Mainly an increase in energy, better quality sleep, waking up more refreshed and just a general sense of balance in my body. I know it sounds hokey but it’s the only way I can describe it. I remember last year after following the diet (and I hate using that word!) for several months I felt “light” in a way that I hadn’t, possibly ever.

I know that it will not always be easy, and that I need to get better organized and work on planning my meals. I don’t like eating something different than the rest of my family and that can be avoided by making gluten free meals for everyone. I am sure we can all benefit from cutting out much of the processed, refined foods not to mention the intestinal benefits.

Julie and Julia Movie

The world is a really funny place sometimes.

A few years ago I read this blog called The Julie/Julia Project. I found it towards the end of her experience but I really enjoyed her writing and her humour. Basically she had decided that she was going to spend a year making every single recipe from a Julia Child cookbook. I believe that she began working from the beginning of the book but later mixed it up a little. She had lots of successes and some really funny stories along the way. It was a great blog about discovering food, and what one person was capable of doing. As a novice cook I loved reading her interpretations of French cuisine and also her mishaps. Last I read on her blog, she was in the process of writing a book and hoping to get it published.

Fast forward to last night. I’m sitting on the couch watching What Not To Wear (and btw, I SO need that show!) when I see this trailer for a new movie called Julie and Julia. As I watch the preview I think: “self, this all sounds so very familiar, could it be?” So I pull out the trusty old laptop, do some google-ing and find out that I was correct! Her story has been made into a major motion picture! How cool is that!

I was so excited that something that I found in the early stages could become a movie that will be shown in theaters all around the world. As big as the internet is, it is also a pretty small network.

Congrats to Julie on getting her story published and made into a movie, and alongside Julia Childs own story as well. Fabulous!

Jumping!

One of the first of many interesting facts that I learned about my friend Mireille early on in our friendship is her love of jumping. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking jumping? Really? but, what she meant was jumping on a trampoline. Not a backyard trampoline, not a small round circa 80’s aerobics trampoline (although she does have one of those!) but a full size, competition size trampolines. She is always on the lookout for people to join her to keep the class running and to save money. After talking about it several times, I decided that it was something I would like to try and we decided to go together.

My first reaction upon entering the gym was “Wow, it’s been WAY too long since I had been in a gymnastics club”. I never realized how much I had missed the smell, sounds and sights of a gym. Not since I was a preteen had I spent any time among balance beams, uneven bars and vaults. It was almost like coming home. Then I turned and saw the trampolines. They are much bigger than one would think, and very tall! I was a little nervous to say the least. I wondered what I had gotten myself into and whether or not I would actually be able to do this.

As I first walked on to the tramp, I was surprised at the give and the support that it offered. It took me what seemed like forever to get up the nerve to actually start jumping. In fact, I think I just bounced for a bit, trying to get a feel for it. My first day was spent learning some of the basics and conquering my fear of falling through the trampoline or being bounced off. Once I realized that I could trust the mesh I was able to try new sequences.

I have been 3 or 4 times now and every week I am improving. I am still working on some of the basic moves but last night I decided that it was time to try front flips. I started small, and with a crash mat and by the end of the class I was able to do it alone, unassisted (although spotted!) and was so proud of myself. I was ecstatic and on such a high at having achieved something!

I realize this video is not very flattering and it’s not a perfect flip but I thought I’d share it with you, my faithful blog readers J Enjoy! And THANK YOU! Mireille for introducing me to this awesome sport, and YES! It is an Olympic sport! I love the time I spend jumping with you and am so glad that I have someone to share this new interest with!

My newest Idea

I always get these great ideas, mostly about ways to save time or money. My newest one involve saving money on our hydro (electric) and gas bill. You see, as much as I love my dishwasher, I am debating going the old fashion route for a couple of months to see the impact a change like this will have on our monthly bills. See, I run my dishwasher daily, but I could just as well be doing those same dishes by hand throughout the day. I want to see what kind of savings we would have with this new way of cleaning dishes.

I could be totally crazy and not make it through a month or two but I really want to try. I plan on getting a drying rack very soon and am going to set a date. I will keep you all informed of my progress. I am sure you are all just dying to know the outcome! ;)

Anyone want to place any bets? Have any thoughts?