40 days - Day 23

Wow! Talk about falling off track! I can certainly sympathize with Marie and anyone else who is trying to stick to something new. Not easy! Things were going well until the Easter weekend (surprise, surprise), but it's really not the food part of it that is giving me trouble, it's finding time to get the exercise in. I went to the pool on Easter Monday and they hadn't scheduled any lifeguards for some reason, so the swim was cancelled. The rest of that week was too full for me to go back until Friday. I worked some irregular hours during the day, and didn't get any running in either. This week is turning out the same way! Not good. The eating and water aspects of this 40-day adventure are actually going quite well. So, as I have been encouraging Marie to do, I need to remind myself that one day (or week) off track does not mean the end of trying! Every day is a chance to start afresh!

The main news at home has to do with teeth. Elizabeth lost her second tooth last week, and Rebekah got her first set of braces. These ones are just going to be on for three to six months, with the goal of getting her two middle top teeth over the bottom ones. She only has six brackets, but that's enough for some serious fun with colour! She chose pink and green to match her bedroom...
It's kind of hard to tell in this photo, but the walls are granny smith apple green, and the curtains and other accessories are hot pink. Now, so are her teeth! Her next set of braces will be a full set of train tracks, but that probably won't be going on for a few more years.
And in other news... our van driver's side window won't close. It went down yesterday and refuses to go back up. Off to the mechanic I go!
Mommy

40 days - Day 9

Well, I wish I had taken a picture. I had the greatest time with Elizabeth yesterday morning. She gets it in her head once in a while that she is, or should be, Hannah Montana. Yesterday was one of those days. She got herself all decked out in fancy jeans, a sparkly top, and high heels. While I was getting ready, she grabbed my round brush and, using it as a microphone, strutted around the bathroom singing whichever Hannah Montana song she could think of. It was fabulous! She actually has a great singing voice, and I tried to catch it on my Blackberry, but I can't record video with it, apparently. Too funny!
Not much else to say, though. Sunday and Monday were otherwise uneventful, and my 40 days for Marie is going well. I did 40 lengths last night in the pool and am feeling definitely better from all the things I'm doing! I can get the 40 ounces of water in much more easily now, I am completely off Diet Coke, and don't miss the junk food at all. Steve and I are talking about ways to further improve the quality of our food at home, and we seem to be making good strides! The discipline of better eating and consistent exercise is proving to be good for me and getting easier, even though I had intended it to be a way to somehow enter into the battle with Marie. Woohoo!
Mommy

40 days - Day 6

I completely forgot about writing last night. When I finished work, we helped a friend who was having car trouble and after I exercised (20 minutes of hills on the treadmill and then a 20 minute DVD weights workout), I went to bed! Yesterday was a good day - drank the water and didn't eat the forbidden foods! Today... well... today was going well until Earth Hour tonight. Steve brought out the veggie chips (yum) and made tea. We played Yahtzee with the kids. Turns out it takes over an hour for 2 adults and 4 children to finish a game of Yahtzee. Rebekah won! So, I ate after 8, ate chips and didn't exercise at all. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day! Sorry, Marie! We have to pick ourselves up and keep going!
Steve and I attended a 'Couples Connection' day today at the church. It was facilitated by our lead pastor and his wife, and featured four segments of talks by Andy Stanley. It was very well done and a worthwhile way to spend the day. It was well-attended, with about 50 couples present, and the kids had a blast in the program the youth put on for them. Jonathan missed most of it, having been at a sleep over last night and then going straight to gymnastics from 12-3 this afternoon.
I purchased a device today for loading the photos from my camera onto the computer! Yay! It's a disk reader and even came with a spare Scan Disk. Unfortunately, there wasn't much of interest! Just this lovely photo of the inside of our microwave. It's actually not ours anymore. It went in the garbage after I had a fire Monday. It was scary! The instructions on popcorn warn the person providing 'adult supervision' not to 'leave the popcorn unattended.' I thought about that warning as I left it to go to the ladies' room, shall we say, and I could hear the racket from there. I rushed back to the kitchen to a spectacular show in the microwave. I opened the door, and everything stopped, but the popcorn, sadly, was not popped, or even affected in the slightest by having been in the microwave, but the microwave was done. So, we haven't had a microwave all week. I haven't missed it, quite honestly.
The only other exciting thing to mention is that tonight we booked our trip to Virginia! Last year, we went to DC, and this year our plan is to get to Williamsburg. Let the planning begin!
Mommy

40 days - Day 4

Well, I just realized that I am out of pictures on my computer. That's due to the fact that I can't find the cable that links my camera to my computer. I'm going to go to the store where the camera was purchased and see if I can buy another cable. Too bad. So, for now, I will leave off with this picture of the lovebirds, taken around Elizabeth's birthday. Jacob gave her a sweet set of china furniture and a bear to go with it. So cute! He and his sister visited for a few hours this afternoon, and Jacob and Elizabeth spent the time playing "puppies." They are so happy together!
As for my 40 days, yesterday went well, and I did 52 lengths of the pool before I gave in to the discomfort of a cramp in my foot. Not fun. Even so, 52 lengths is 22 more than the distance I need for my race. Tonight I ran on the treadmill and listened to Robin Mark. We love his music and I found it very inspiring this evening, especially when all I wanted to do was stop running. I'm actually feeling much better without the tempting junk I usually snack on! I'm also praying a lot for Marie and her weight-loss quest! That's a good thing too!
Mommy

40 days - Day 3

As always, the Christmas season went much too quickly. I can't get enough of the music and lights on people's homes. We are still in the process of putting away the decorations!! But... the kids can't wait for January. Three of them have their birthday in January, and it's a big deal! I didn't do a special cake this year as I have in the past, but we certainly celebrated.

We saw my family, Steve's family, and Rebekah had a sleepover and a special day with my mom to celebrate turning 10.

Rebekah and my mom and I went to see Little House on the Prairie. It was wonderful! I wanted to see it again! Rebekah borrowed a sweet dress from some friends of ours, and had a matching one for her Maplelea doll. Rebekah is holding her Maplelea doll, Brianne, in the picture of the kids with Mom and Dad. It was a fun day, capped off by dinner out and a subway ride home.

The kids received lots of Webkinz, and Jonathan got a Wii game he had been wanting. He also got some new bedding for his bed! It's been a long time coming! He got the comforter from Rob and Mandy for Christmas, and then a matching pillow sham (and a pillow for it!) for his birthday. He was much more excited about it than I thought he would be! His room looks so nice now with proper bedding again.

Rebekah and Elizabeth got some cute outfits which they finally modeled for me by our Christmas tree. Rebekah's tights have horses on them - she loves them! January was a busy, but very fun, month.

So far, so good on my 40 days. I ran almost 7km yesterday, and made the interesting discovery that I don't really care for Diet Coke anymore. I think that must be a good thing! I do feel the temptation to eat 'forbidden' things when I'm in a hurry, but I'm persevering so far! I just think of Marie and the situation she is in, and think, as she says, "I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength!" I need the discipline. The water is my biggest challenge! I drank my last two glasses before bed again last night. Tonight I am going swimming, but I don't think pool water will officially count towards my 40 ounces.

Mommy

40 days - Day 2

After Steve and I got back from our cruise, we went into high gear getting ready for Christmas. Our service at church was really neat, with the 'band' behind a curtain and most of the service incorporating a live nativity play and lots of singing. We had a great time visiting with both sides of the family.

When we get together with my side of the family, my young cousins are there too, which makes for 8 children, ages 5-12.

There's something I love about being at my parents' house at Christmas. I am quite a nostalgic person, and thinking of my grandmothers, who were always there, and often slept over at Christmas, makes being at 'home' the perfect place to be at Christmas.

Rob and Mandy gave Elizabeth a princess outfit which she was very pleased with, and modeled frequently for the next few days!! A highlight for the girls was the gift of a Maplelea doll for each of them, and Jonathan was thrilled to receive a RipStik, which he has been riding around the basement, waiting for the better weather so he can take it outside. The kids all love their Webkinz, too, so Elizabeth is holding her new Himalayan cat in this picture too. She is at the home of Steve's sister and her husband in this photo. Their house is probably my favourite, and it dresses up beautifully at Christmas. We had a good visit with Steve's family too, and the kids got some fun new games for their Wii. Elizabeth has become a pro at Outdoor Challenge! She talks me into playing Mario Kart with her too, although I am not very good at it.

Before Christmas, we also had the opportunity to see the torch as it passed through our neighbourhood. I am ridiculously patriotic, so I found it a bit emotional! We all enjoyed watching the Olympics as they were broadcast on CTV, which we were able to bring in on our television using a set of rabbit ears!

As for Day 1... I learned that I am a carbo-holic! I was able to stay away from chocolate and chips and cookies, but crackers and peanut butter called my name all day. I managed to get in my five glasses of water, but the last two were downed right before I went to bed! I swam 52 lengths at the pool, so I got home quite hungry, but managed to talk myself out of a snack, since it was 10:00pm by then. Whenever I start to get tempted to eat something I shouldn't, or to skip the exercise, I can think of Marie, and pray for perseverence for her! It's a good memory aid, and hopefully I can encourage her from my own experiences with this.

On with the next day...

Mommy

40 days - Day 1

It's been five months since I've posted. Crazy how the time flies. I am planning to write quite a bit over the next few weeks, so I'll do a bit of catching up at the same time.

In November, Steve and I went on our first cruise! It was a great time away with our friends, Keith and Beth. Steve and I really benefitted from some relaxation and time together. For us, it was a perfect way to get away, see some new places, and yet not have to do too much work. I definitely want to go again, and take the kids. I think they would love it. We went with Carnival and the kids we met on the ship were having a wonderful time. I'm not sure they would enjoy a port of call like Nassau, but the beach would be a great place for them to spend a day. This is the beach we visited, Half Moon Cay, and I know Jonathan especially would enjoy it so much.

I have picked this up again in an attempt to journal my efforts of the next forty days. My dearest friend, "Marie," has been told by her doctor that she must lose 40 pounds, or risk having a heart attack. I have been trying to figure out how I can come alongside her, and I have come up with a plan. I don't need to lose any weight, but I could definitely use some self-control with my eating, do better at drinking water each day and be more disciplined with my training. I'm planning to do a triathlon on June 6th, and have been keeping up fairly well with the training, but a bit more incentive would be good.

So... for the next 40 days, in honour of Marie's 40 pounds, I am going to make sure I exercise for at least 40 minutes every day, drink at least 40 ounces of water every day (which is hard for me because I don't really like water!), and I'm giving up four things I enjoy - chips (big one), cookies (not so big), chocolate (sometimes a big one!), and eating after 8pm. The last one is especially significant since I work many evenings until 8:00 8:30 and find myself snacking when I get home, even though I'm not particularly hungry.

Here goes!

Mommy