Easter Long Weekend Recap

Happy (belated) Easter weekend, my friends! From the moment I got up on Friday, it was go-go-go all weekend long! Not that I'm complaining, it was a great weekend, but I haven't had a moment until now to sit down at my computer.

Let's back up to Good Friday, shall we?

Earlier in the week, Ange was somehow able to convince me and Laura to meet her at GoodLife Fitness for a double workout. This means I actually had to set my alarm on Friday morning since I needed to be up no later than 7:30 to make it to the gym on time. I actually was up and out the door before either Jim or Sully were up!

The gym was actually nice and quiet that morning, and first up was an RPM (spin) class! I haven't done spin in years, and even then, it was a class at a YMCA and it was not very good. It was tough, but I didn't end up hating it as much as I thought I was going to. We followed up spin with BodyPump and my goodness, I was a big sweaty mess by the end! And then we had fun goofing off in the empty classroom taking selfies like any true blogger would!

Ange had originally sold the idea of a double workout to us by making brunch reservations at Wurst for afterwards. I am not one to pass up an opportunity for brunch, and I love trying out new restaurants. I ended up ordering the Mountain Breakfast, although what I really wanted was the Weekend Omelette, but sadly, it had mushrooms in it this weekend and I can't eat mushrooms, nor could the restaurant omit them from my omelette. My breakfast was still really tasty, but I kind of wish I had tried the french toast! I guess I just need to go back! We ended up brunching (is this a word?) for two and a half hours before finally deciding we needed to get on with our days!

I ran a few errands on my way home, and spent the rest of the evening relaxing and reading before calling it an early night.

Saturday I was up early (without an alarm - who am I?!) and got to enjoy the quiet of the house in the morning to myself for over an hour! Once my boys were up, we had breakfast and then Jim got started on preparing turkey dinner. When Sully went down for his nap, I snuck out of the house for a couple hours to go to a friend's daughter's first birthday party, and by the time I got home, my sister-in-law and her three boys were at our house.

We spent the rest of the day and evening eating, playing card games, and drinking wine. Once the younger boys went to bed, Jim convinced me and his sister and our oldest nephew to watch a horror movie with him. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately since I scare so easily!), the movie we ended up watching was more cheesy than scary. I can't even recall the name of it it was that bad. Then we quickly hid chocolate eggs for the morning and finally crawled into bed around 2a.m., ouch!

Thankfully, Sully slept in until after 8, so the Easter egg hunt didn't start till almost 9a.m. Sully still has no idea what Easter is or who the Easter Bunny is, but I was pretty confident that he would pick up on finding eggs with his cousins. When he first started coming down the stairs and we were pointing out eggs, he got so excited and started yelling "ball! ball!" and then picked them up and threw them down the stairs, haha! Then we showed him there was chocolate inside and he wanted to eat every egg he came across. Thankfully, he quickly caught on to the thrill of finding the eggs and putting him in his bucket! I will admit, I let him eat way more chocolate than any two year old ever should, and miraculously he didn't get sick!

We spent the rest of the day eating leftover turkey dinner (the best!), playing more games and just hanging out with our family. Patty and our two oldest nephews headed back to Red Deer in the late afternoon, and we kept the youngest with us for a few extra days. Sully adores his cousins dearly, but it's extra special when he gets one on one time with them. Fresh air was in order and we headed out to the nearby playground and then ended up going for over an hour long walk around our neighbourhood. It was a beautiful day out yesterday!

Everyone was in bed early Sunday night, myself included! I love long weekends SO much, especially when we spend them with family and I wish so badly that we could slow down time once in a while.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend!


Do you have any special Easter traditions?

Did you eat your weight in chocolate this weekend? (I did!)

*This post was written as part of the GoodLife Fitness Blogger Ambassador program, however all opinions expressed are my own.

Thinking Out Loud {#8}: Bulk Barn, Book Club & Instagram Love

Welcome to another thinking out loud post (my second favourite type of post after Currently ones), hosted by Amanda at Running with Spoons!

Let's skip the intro and get right into it!


1. This past weekend, Jim and I went to a house warming party for one of his old roommates. The host, my husband, and several other party guests are Engineers. At one point in the evening, they started to run low on ice in their automatic ice machine. Remarks were made that said machine was broken, and had been since they moved in a few weeks ago. When I saw the state of the remaining ice (frostbitten and stuck together in a large clump), I looked inside the freezer, and flipped the MAKE ICE switch from OFF to ON. I made Jim ask his friend the next day if he had ice in the machine and he sure did. That's right, in a room full of Engineers, I solved the problem!

2. Earlier this week, I was attempting to declutter one of the hundreds of piles of stuff we seem to have everywhere, and came across a half empty box of Sully's birth announcements. What am I supposed to do with these?! It seems so wrong to recycle them, but I've already mailed them out and kept a few for myself. Anyone want a two year old birth announcement?!

3. I tweeted this the other night:

Seriously. I literally popped in to get some cumin and came out with this. And I still can't decide if Bulk Barn is actually cheaper for things like chocolate eggs or if they are banking on the fact that no one has a clue how just how much 100grams actually feels like.

4. I've won a lot of really cool stuff on Instagram in the past, but the other week, I won one of the coolest things to date: The Meet Me in the Mountains giveaway. And it wasn't even things for Sully - it was all for me! I have been coveting all of these items for months now (I saw a few of them in person at The Alberta Adventure Girls Retreat back in January) and am so happy to have these awesome pieces, all from local artists, in my home!

Included was:

• an Alpine necklace (I chose gold), from Lace Brick Design  - I don't plan on ever taking this off I love it so much
• an adorable two sided infinity scarf - how cute are those deer?! - from Buttercream Clothing 
• a 3-peak mountain string art from Agnes In August - so many places I want to hang it!!
• and this beautiful hand-crafted shelf from salvaged and reclaimed wood from Needle & Pine -it's even bigger than I thought it would be and the hardest part is going to be deciding where to hang it. I have a serious love of miniature things and this will be perfect for displaying my little treasures on! I think I might need more than one in my home though...Sully also loves it because he thinks it's the letter "A", haha! 

There are still a few more Meet Me in the Mountains giveaways this month, so be sure to head over to Instagram and enter! (I've tagged the IG shops above!).

5. I have a serious love/hate relationship with Tim Horton's Roll Up the Rim coffee cups. I'm not even a huge fan of their coffee (McDonald's is SO much better), but I can't help myself from buying it during Roll Up the Rim season. I have issues. But what the heck is going on this year?! I don't even want to think about how many cups of coffee I bought from them and all I've won is a stinkin' donut! The game is pretty much wrapped up now, but I happened to stop at a Tim's today and they still had playing cups! Sadly, I still did not win anything. All I want is some free coffee, is that too much to ask?

6. Last week, after many nerves and much hesitation, I finally announced my online book club, and you guys, I couldn't possibly be more happy and grateful for the positive reaction it got! Like seriously, every time one of you tweets, texts, or snaps me that you've picked up the book or have already started reading it, I do a little happy dance. So thank you! This is going to be SO fun, because I promise, talking about a book is actually a lot of fun, and makes the whole experience that much better! It can be a big commitment to join a book club in real life, and an online one takes a lot of that stress away because you can participate in the conversation on your own schedule and from the comfort of your own home in your pyjamas. 

And if you don't know what I'm talking about (you can read more in this post - April's book is Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova), or if you've been on the fence about joining, just remember that there's no pressure or commitment (and you definitely don't have to be a blogger to participate). If you end up not being able to read the book, no big deal, but you can also decide to read the book the day before if you like too! And I'd also love to hear any recommendations for books you'd like to read in future book clubs so that I can use those suggestions when we vote on the next book. 

Bulk Barn: love it or leave it? What's your favourite thing to buy from there?

Old things like birth announcements: continue to hoard forever or let it go?

Any books you'd like to read in a book club setting? Let me know in the comments! (Or email me!)

My Breastfeeding Journey

My breastfeeding journey went nothing like I ever expected. Going into my pregnancy and then motherhood, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed and would do whatever was in my power to make it happen. As someone who grew up with IBD and Ulcerative colitis, it was really important to me to exclusively breastfeed for at least the first six months. While the research isn't entirely conclusive, I felt strongly that I needed to do what I could to positively effect my baby's immune system. (This doesn't mean I'm anti-formula, or anything like that, it just means that in my situation, I was going to breastfeed no matter what it took.)

First of all, breastfeeding is hard. And painful! At least at the beginning, anyway. Everything the books and learning materials tell you about breastfeeding is wrong! Your baby isn't born and just naturally latches and nurses away and all is right with the world. It's so much more complicated than that, and manoeuvring your itty bitty newborn into the correct position to properly nurse definitely didn't come "naturally" to me. I mean, I had an idea of what I was supposed to do, but it's not like I had any experience with it. And add to that, extreme exhaustion, pain from childbirth, a revolving door of visitors and nurses, and a feeling of "what the hell am I doing?!", breastfeeding was very overwhelming in those early hours and days.

Luckily, we did get the hang of it quite easily, but I still was not prepared for the pain. Everyone always says, if you're nursing properly, it shouldn't hurt. Well, I call bullshit on that! How can this possibly NOT hurt? Your beautiful, hidden away nipples, are all of a sudden a 24/7 all you can eat buffet for a ravenous little human being. In those first few weeks, you're lucky if you get an hour or two in between feedings. That is not enough time for your nipples to heal. I remember nursing on the couch, gritting my teeth and holding my breath when I would latch Sully. I would wiggle my toes to get through those first few seconds of suckling, and then the pain would slowly dissipate. I didn't want to put a shirt or bra back on in between nursing sessions because my nipples felt like they were on fire. Seriously, there is nothing in you life that prepares you for someone being so hard on your tender breasts, so it's no wonder it hurt!

Eventually, the pain does go away all together, and nursing, for us, did turn into a beautiful, calm experience. I don't remember when that exactly happened (after the first month maybe?), but one day you realize, "hey! This doesn't hurt anymore!".

Those first few months, you feel like all you do is nurse, because all you are doing is nursing. And I'm not even exaggerating. On a good day, with set up, nursing would take about an hour (20-30 minutes each side). But on a bad day, i.e., a cluster feeding day, I would literally nurse for hours with barely a pee break. Sometimes I miss those days of setting up camp on the couch with my baby, my snacks, and a show on Netflix. Sully was always a frequent nurser though and even as he got older, it was tough to go more than 2 hours between sessions.

I always felt confident that I was producing enough milk to feed my baby, but I definitely wasn't an over producer. My breasts never leaked, save for a few mornings when I had woken up and it had been several hours since Sully's last feed, and I was one of those lucky few who never had to wear nursing pads in their bra. I was also a terrible pumper and it would take me a good 40 minutes to get an ounce of breast milk from each side. So naturally, I despised pumping. (In hindsight, maybe I had the wrong size of shield for my breast pump? Something I will consider should we have another child in the future).

Anyway, pumping and I were not friends. I had to pump days in advance if I knew I was going to need a bottle for Sully. I took Motilium to increase breast production with some effect, and I tried fenugreek as well. I even took my paediatrician's advice and started having half a glass of Guinness beer an hour before nursing to increase production! I ate oatmeal everyday for breakfast. I did what I could to increase my milk production, but for the most part, I still remained a crappy pumper.

Since my goal with breastfeeding was to make it to the 6-month mark, I was clearly happy once we hit that milestone. From there, I aimed to make it to 9-months. That goal also came, and so then I said, "ok, let's shoot for one year!". Around the 10-month mark Sully seemed to lose some interest in nursing and became easily distracted. I wasn't confident that we would make it to one year. Around this time, he also started refusing bottles and it was a miracle if he would drink one if I was out.

Once we hit the 12-month mark, I knew that I wanted to take Sully's lead. Since I wasn't returning to work, I didn't need to worry about weaning him. I loved breastfeeding by this point - it was easy, convenient and quick - and I was hopeful that he would continue for at least a few more months.

When Sully was about 14 and a half months old, he was still breastfeeding 3-4x per day and wasn't interested in any other form of milk/milk products/formula, not even pumped breast milk. At this point, I even tried milk in a straw and cup and he still wasn't interested. Some days I really just wanted a break and I went through a love/hate period with breastfeeding and almost threw in the towel. This was also around the time that I went to NYC for a whole week without him. I pumped my little heart out for a month leading up to the trip, thinking that if I wasn't there and he had no choice, he would at least accept my breast milk from a bottle. I also bought a big can of formula and some hemp milk (high in protein) for other options. And guess what happened? My little nursing fiend refused any and all milk/milk products the entire time I was gone. He wasn't upset about it, he just wasn't interested. Go figure.

I pumped for the first two days while I was gone to try and keep up what supply I had, but I quickly lost interest in that, not to mention I didn't really have the time for it. And when I returned home, Sully easily resumed nursing! He had to work at it for a few days to get my milk supply back (it wasn't completely dried up), but it was like no time had passed. I had told myself while I was away that I would be ok if our nursing journey was over when I got back home, but when he made it clear he wanted to continue nursing, I was actually really glad.

The rest of the year, I just followed his lead. We mostly nursed in the morning and at bedtime, with the occasional nap time feed. Feeds were short, but I treasured all of them and all of the extra snuggles I got because of them. If I happened to not be home for bedtime, then Sully easily went to bed without nursing or a bottle. He still remains indifferent to milk to this day. He will drink a small glass of milk most days, but it's definitely not a staple and it doesn't worry me one bit.

Over the past two months, we were nursing less and less, but I didn't refuse him if he wanted it. Bedtime sessions were the first to go as Jim often puts Sully to bed. Morning ones took a bit longer to wean, but eventually he just stopped asking and I stopped offering. And that basically brings us to present day. I can now say that we are officially done nursing as the last time Sully nursed was the morning of March 14.

I never imagined I would nurse my child till after he was two years old, but then again, you just don't know how some things are going to play out once you actually have a baby. I feel really good about our nursing journey and the decisions I made, and I'm not sad at all that it's over now. I feel incredibly fortunate that we were able to nurse for as long as we did. Sully will never remember this time we had together - where it was just the two of us, just a momma and her baby, feeding and bonding without a care in the world - but it's a memory that I will forever hold close in my heart and continue to be grateful for.

Sully Says

I have been waiting a long time to finally be able to do a post like this! I've always enjoyed similar posts from my friends, and I knew I wanted to capture the things Sully says in a similar fashion.  Toddler speak never fails to amuse me, and even though Sully's vocabulary is just beginning, I don't ever want to forgot the way he says some words or expressions. Two is such a fun age and everyday he is saying more and more. Some days I can't wait till he can express himself better verbally, but then other days I don't ever want these early days of talking to go away. It's just too sweet and funny!

Here are some of the words and phrases (or "conversations") that Sully's been saying/we've been having, that Jim and I have been getting quite the kick out of:

Me: "Can I have a kiss?"
Sully: "NO kiss!"
Me: "Please??"
Sully: "NO pwease!"

"Tu-tu cheese": Cottage Cheese

"Yo-we": Yogurt

"Nacks!": Snacks (but more particularly, for crackers).

"Iss": His soother (no idea why he adamantly calls it that!).

"Close de doe-ie": Close the door.

"Dada on da twain!": Everyday we pick up Jim from the train station, and now whenever we are out in public, Sully tells everyone his Daddy is on the train.

"Nice! Ees nice!": whenever he pats babies on the head, strokes clothing or anything soft.

"Mo-bo bike! Yike Daddeez!": Sully is obsessed with Jim's motorcycle, and says this whenever we see a motorcycle out while driving.

"Ees gone!!": After anything is finished/over/gone.

"Ees here! Yets go!": When we get wherever we are driving to.

"Ees a mess! Ees a mess!"After he spills anything, throws his toys, or sees a "mess", complete with the action of waving his arms to show me said mess.

Sully can repeat the entire alphabet back to us (and identify most of the alphabet on his own), but sometimes when we ask him to repeat the alphabet and he doesn't want to it goes like this:

Me: "A"
Sully: "NO A!"
Me: "B"
Sully: "NO B!"
etc for the entire alphabet!

Needless to say, this kid cracks us up on the daily, and I can't wait to see what other great and funny things he starts to say.

A Slice of Brie Book Club!

It's here, it's here! The book club I've been talking about for weeks now is finally ready to go! I have to admit, I've been nervous to put this out there, (despite saying how it doesn't matter if anyone actually participates or not since I read books regardless), because let's be honest, I do want someone - anyone - to participate!

Let's also, for a minute, talk about how stressful it is deciding what book to pick to read! I tried to keep in mind that I just needed to pick a book I was planning to read anyway, but I still wanted to pick something that would entice you guys to also want to read it. Don't worry, if all goes well, and people enjoy this little online book club, then we will vote on the next books we read!

Now - on with the details!

It's quite simple really: read the book, come back on the day I post my review, and discuss the book in the comments (if you wish), and link up to your own post on the book (if you wish). You by no means have to be a blogger to participate, everyone is welcome! The whole point of having an online book club is to encourage people to read, and to have a space to talk about the book. I honestly find so much pleasure in discussing a book with friends - it really adds the overall experience of reading. Sometimes you miss something, or you interpret something in the book a different way than someone else. It can be quite interesting to hear someone else's thoughts on a particular book, especially if it's a book you loved and the didn't, or vice versa.

OK, more specific details!

Here's the book I've chosen for this month: Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova (goodreads link).

From Goodreads:

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighbourhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.

Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate. 

How did I pick this book? Well, I'm a huge fan of Lisa Genova's books (I've read them all except for this one, which is her newest book), and I told myself I would pick a book I already owned. I've had this book on my shelf for a few months now, and given the topic, I think it's a book that is sure to be an interesting and eye-opening read, and will give us lots to talk about. I also hope it will appeal to all the different reading genre preferences out there. Keep in mind - one of my favourite things about a book club is reading out of your comfort zone!

Book Club (for now, anyway), will be held on the 3rd Wednesday of the month. So everyone should have their book read by April 20! This gives you 5 weeks, which I think is plenty of time to get this read in. For local peeps: there are currently 15 copies (out of 43) available at the Calgary Public Library, and also some copies of the audio version (CD and downloadable).

On April 20, I will have my review of the book posted (spoilers allowed! - it is a book club after all!), with some questions included that we can discuss in the comments. If you have a blog and want to do your own review post (or include the review in another post), that's awesome, and I will have a link-up for you, but it is by no means necessary that you do so if you do not want to. If you do, please link back and feel free to use this photo (there's also a button in my side bar).

In that post, we will also vote on the next month's book, and I am definitely open to suggestions on books if you would like to pass them along!

That's it! Did I forget anything? I'm really, really excited about this, and I'm grateful for those of you who expressed interest in this and I hope some of you will join me next month!

Let me know if I missed anything or you have any questions!

Happy reading!

When a hike doesn't go as planned...

It's been awhile since we've been out to the mountains as a family, so when our friends Kate and Dan expressed interest in wanting to go for a hike, and then admitted that they'd never even been out to Bragg Creek, despite having lived in Calgary for over 5 years, we quickly made plans to go for a hike together on Saturday.

Our original plan had been to hike Fullerton Loop, an easy 7km hike, with wide trails and perfect for families. Of course, since it's been such a mild winter in Calgary, it's easy to forget that it's still winter in the mountains, and within minutes of setting out on the trail, we were met with extremely icy paths. Even though there wasn't a ton of snow, the snow that's there is hidden from the sun and the milder temperatures have turned what's left into ice. We passed several hikers at the start who were turning back and warned us that the conditions didn't get better, and where there wasn't ice, there were big sloughs. And then other hikers we spoke with in the parking lot said all the other trails around there were the same story.

It was a bit discouraging, as I was really looking forward to getting in the hike and exercise, but rather than packing up and calling it quits altogether, we drove a bit further down the road to Elbow Falls. Elbow Falls isn't really a hike, but it's a beautiful area and it was the first place we explored when we initially moved to Calgary last year, so we knew our friends needed to see it.

The highway is closed right after the Elbow Falls turnoff for the winter season, so after walking along the river for a bit, we took to the highway! It was pretty cool to walk along the road and take in the views. It's not everyday you can (safely) get a picture standing on the yellow line of an otherwise busy highway!

Fullerton Loop - we'll be back for you in a few months!



Local folks - any favourite hikes in the Bragg Creek/Kanaskis area?

Tell me something fun you did this weekend!

Linking up with Her Heartland Soul for Weekend Snapshots!

Fitness Friday: A Solid Week

Another week, another round of workouts under my belt! It's been a good week. I got in all my workouts, my meal planning was a success (meaning, not only did I cook dinner every night with an actual plan, but all our meals were delicious!), and I logged in almost 10,000 steps every day. No complaints from me for this week!

Friday:

• BodyPump at GoodLife Fitness. I made it there after Jim got home from work with a minute to spare!  I really wanted to make it to the class because I knew I wouldn't be able to go on the weekend since my friend Karen and her kids were coming for a visit. (12,905 steps!)

Saturday & Sunday:

• Off. Unless you count running after kids at the playground and going for walks?! Saturday I logged 11,146 steps so not too shabby, but Sunday was literally a complete day of rest and I only got in just over 4,000 steps, ha!

Monday:

• Usually, I take Monday's off because I've gone to BodyPump on Sunday and Monday's are for grocery shopping and Sully's library program. But most importantly, Monday's are reserved for The Bachelor date nights with my girlfriends. Priorities! Since I didn't work out all weekend, I got in in 2.36 miles on the treadmill. I'm still following Ashley's 5K training plan to work on building up my running base. So this run looked like this: 5 min walking warm-up; walk x1 min/run x 1 min x 10;  5 minute walking cool-down. (10,857 steps)
• For supper I made Vegetable Beef & Rice Soup and it was so delicious! Out of all the meals I made this week, it's the only one Sully happily gobbles up. And the recipe makes a ton, so it's been perfect for lunches and I still had enough to freeze a few containers. I will definitely be making this one frequently. 

Tuesday:

• BodyFlow at GoodLife Fitness. I'm really loving this class! My abs are still sore from it. (10,103 steps)

• Supper was Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quinoa Bowls, except I totally forgot to buy black beans, so we went without. These were delicious and filling and so easy to make. Also, I need to start roasting my sweet potato in cubes like this more often - so, so good! 

Wednesday:

• 2.7 mile treadmill run: 5 minute walking warm-up; walk x 1 minute/run x 1 minute x 12; 5 minute walking cool-down. (12,771 steps).
• Another meatless meal for the week: Pan Fried Sesame Tofu with Broccoli. Delicious, cheap to make and even my husband loved it. 

Thursday:

• BodyPump! (6,330 steps)
• For supper I made Quick & Easy Chicken Burritos. Oh man, these were SO good. And the easiest and quickest things to make, especially if you already have cooked chicken to use up, or cook the chicken a head of time. I dipped mine in plain yogurt and some salsa! I have a panini grill, so these were super easy to whip up and I'm already thinking about the different kinds of filling I could use in them. 

And that brings us to today. I have no workouts scheduled for today because I'm getting my hair done! I can't believe I completely forgot to mention that in yesterday's post as something I'm looking forward to, because I most certainly am. I'm tired of the length, and I'm planning on having several inches chopped off - see ya later, hair!

For the weekend, the plan is to get out for a little hike with our friends on Saturday, and then Sunday I'll be hitting up BodyPump as usual!


How was your week of workouts?

Anything fun planned for the weekend?

Linking up with Kris from Canadian Girl Runs for Fitness Friday!

Currently...{March}

It's March. March! Which means, St. Patrick's Day and Easter are right around the corner, and then my birthday, and then it will be summer and then fall already, and just stop!, time, just stop!

But seriously, every time (am I the only one who thinks every time should be written as one word: everytime? I do it every single time I type the word and my computer makes it very obvious that I'm wrong on that one, and yet I still felt the need to google it to make sure my computer isn't smarter than me. Verdict: it is). Wait, where were we? Oh right....every TIME I sit down to write my Currently post, I feel like I've just done one, even though it's been exactly a month since the last one. And then I think everyone else is going to think they just read one, but who cares, they're one of my favourite posts to write (and read!, not mine - yours!), so let's get on with it, shall we?

Phew.

Here's what I'm currently...

Thinking about: how hilarious and entertaining my two year old is. Like, some days I want to literally videotape every single thing he says and does so that I can show Jim and remember it forever. He's such a practical joker and his sense of humour is awesome. His vocabulary is expanding everyday (<---why is that one word but not "every time"?!), I'm just continually fascinated by how his little toddler mind works. Lately he's been going over to Jim's laptop, opening it up and saying "hi papa! hi nanny! Papa?? Nanny??" and then bangs on the keys (we Skype with Jim's parents quite frequently), so today I let him ring them up on Skype and he sat and talked and entertained them for a good 15 minutes! Isn't technology amazing? We only see Jim's parents twice a year, but Sully already knows who they are even though the last time we saw them in person was back in December.

Reading: my current book club's pick...The Best Laid Plans by Terry Fallis, and I'm bored. I always have such high hopes for a Canadian author (and fun fact: I met Mr Fallis once back in my bookstore working days), but this one is falling flat for me. It's a political satire, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the target audience considering I'm not a big fan of politics, especially reading about it in a novel, but sometimes you can still enjoy a book even if it's not your go-to genre. Of course, I will still finish it (I'm no quitter!), because book club is no fun if you can't even talk about the book!

Needless to say, I'm anxious to finish it so I can move on to my next read, Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom.

Listening to: you guys, this song makes me so happy! Sully and I have lots of dance parties (both in the car and at home) to it! And Jonathan Roy is pretty darn cute, so watch the video!

Watching: I honestly haven't been watching anything, I know, shocking! I did watch the first few episodes of Fuller House and it was everything that I hoped it would be and more. The first episode made me really emotional for some reason. Nostalgia? Or do I just cry at everything? I loved in the first episode, how they acknowledged and poked fun at all the little things that other shows would gloss over. Like when Danny says he'll let DJ stay in the house instead of selling it, and Uncle Jesse comments "don't you know how much this house is worth now?" Or when Danny says "Michelle sends her love, but she's busy in NY running her fashion empire", and then they all look at the camera and give "a look". So much awesome. And so much cheesiness, but I love it.

Eating: meal planning is back on track this week! I mentioned in Friday's post what our meals for the week were going to be, and so far everything I've made has been really delicious! I'll probably talk a bit more about the meals in tomorrow's post, but until then, you need to add this one to your rotation: Pan Fried Sesame Tofu with Broccoli. Even my husband was a fan, and he didn't once utter..."you know what would make this even better? Chicken!". Sully on the other hand...I give the kid props for trying several pieces of tofu, even if he did spit every piece out. Also, this meal is ridiculously cheap to make (like $6 for the whole thing, unless of course you don't have rice or soy sauce in your pantry/fridge).

Wearing: a lot of workout clothes. To actually work out in! And since I've amped up the frequency of my workouts and don't just workout at home anymore, I'm realizing I need to add some new pieces to my workout wardrobe. I'm good in the leggings/crops department, but I'm seriously lacking in the tank top area. The few older pieces I have are just too small, or too short because, hello big boobs. Time to go shopping! Except, I hate shopping. Also, holy laundry! Increased frequency of workouts equals an extra load of laundry every week.

Looking forward to: the weekend! I have big plans to finally clean and organize my pantry and fridge. Yes, when you're 32 years old, these are the things that get you excited. I would say it's sad, but it's not because having an organized pantry makes me happy, haha! We also have plans to get out of the city and go for a hike with some friends so I'm looking forward to that! I'm also dreaming of sneaking into the basement bedroom early Sunday morning to sleep-in...shhh! Don't tell Jim!


Tell me: 

Are you watching Fuller House? Love it or hate it? 

Favourite place to get decently priced workout tops?

Something you're looking forward to!

The Books I've Been Reading {7}

February was a bit of a slow month reading wise. I did read most of a fourth book at the end of the month, but didn't technically finish it until March 1, so I'm leaving it out of this post. 

Garth Stein's book, A Sudden Light, took me a lot longer to read than I expected. Not for any particular reason that I can think of...it's an average length at 432 pages and it's not a complicated book, but it took me over a week to get through. Isn't it funny how some books just take you longer to read than others? 

Anyway...here's a quick look at the books I read last month!

A SUDDEN LIGHT by Garth Stein: I didn't even know he had other books out since The Art of Racing in the Rain?! I was at the library one day and this was sitting on the feature shelves when you walk in, so I snatched it up. This book was completely not what I was expecting, but I think that's because I kept waiting for something similar to Racing in the Rain even though that's just silly because that book has already been written.

In A Sudden Light, our main character, Trevor, is reflecting back on the summer of his 14th year. He's travelled with his father to Seattle, where he spends the summer living at the infamous Riddell House and learns all about his ancestor's and their timber fortune. His father's mission is to sell off all the land to pay off debts, but Trevor soon finds himself succumbing to the spirits, ghosts and secrets that are hidden amongst Riddell House and it's grand estate. I wasn't expecting a supernatural element to this book, but if you can accept it, it works. The writing is beautiful and Stein does such an amazing job at describing the setting of this book that I couldn't help but feel transported while reading it.

If ghosts, spirits, dreams and big old houses with hidden stairwells and passages are your thing, then you'll probably enjoy this book!

THE CHOICE by Nicolas Sparks: This book has been sitting on my shelf for years now. I haven't read a Sparks book in just as long, but with the film adaptation coming out last month, I figured I might as well read it or donate it. There's not much to say about this book - it's typical Nicolas Sparks - a love story, a tragic event, and a resolution. I still haven't seen the movie, but I'm betting it's better than the book!

INTO THE ABYSS: How a Deadly Plane Crash Changed the Lives of a Pilot, a Politician, a Criminal and a Cop by Carol Shaben: I read this one for my upcoming bookclub later this month, but as it turns out, I won't even be able to attend the meeting. This was another flop for me. The blurb on the front cover really entices you, but the plane crash is such a small part of the story. And the events following the plane crash aren't that exciting. Plus, this plane crash happened almost 32 years ago (I was only a year old at the time!), so I feel like it's a story that should have been told, you guess it, years ago, especially since so much of the book focuses on small commuter plane safety, which I don't even know is relevant anymore. Is safety still an issue on the same scale now as it was 30 years ago? A bit of Canadian history that was at times interesting, but a far cry from an "Adventure-Travel" book. I would only recommend this to my grandparents.


Here's hoping March is better reading month!


What books have you read lately? 

Best book you read last month?

Did you read The Art of Racing in the Rain? It's one of my all-time favourites! I still think about Enzo from time to time.

Linking up with Jana and Steph for SHOW US YOUR BOOKS! 

*affilliate links have been used

Weekending: A House Full of Kids

It's currently 9p.m. on Sunday night as I type this up. I'm exhausted, in the best way possible, from the weekend's activities, and I can't wait to crawl into bed.

Friday started out with Sully sleeping in till 8:30am! I actually woke up with a start at 7:45, convinced I had slept through him calling (or crying) for me through the baby monitor. It's rare he sleeps past seven most days, so this was bizarre. As much as I wanted to crawl back into bed, we had plans to meet Nicole and her kiddos at Flip Factory at 9:30, so I got up, showered, did my hair and got all ready before Sully finally woke up. Of course, we were late for our play date, but there was no way I was waking him up early.

Flip Factory was awesome! We had never been there before, but Sully loves his weekly gymnastics class, so he felt right at home there. It wasn't very busy either, so it was nice that the kids could really run around and do whatever they wanted. The few pictures I actually managed to take make it look like we were the only ones there (we were not!).

The rest of the day was spent taking naps (sadly, not mine), cleaning up around the house, and a few loads of laundry. Then once we picked Jim up from the train station after work, I booked it over to GoodLife Fitness for their Friday evening BodyPump class.

Late that evening, my best friend Karen, and her three kids arrived to spend the weekend with us! She hadn't seen our new house yet, and it wasn't until she got here, that we realized we actually hadn't seen each other since September of last year! So a visit was definitely over due!

We didn't chat much Friday night, choosing to get a good nights sleep instead. Saturday, the kids were all up around 8a.m. and after breakfast, we got them all dressed and headed out for a walk around the neighbourhood before checking out one of the playgrounds. Getting four kids aged 5 and under to walk together and at a decent pace, is like trying to herd cats! But it was a beautiful day out, and after naps and lunch, we headed back outside and went to a different playground to let the kids burn off more energy.

Jim had plans to go to the local pub that night, so Karen and I knew we wanted to get all the kids to bed as early as possible to maximize our alone time in the evening. It's rare we get to talk without kids around, so we spent several hours drinking wine, and then beer, once the wine ran out! We stayed up WAY too late, but I like to think it was worth it. Next time we said we will leave all the kids at home with their dads, and we will just go stay in a hotel room somewhere, haha! That's the new mom dream.

Sunday morning was quiet and lazy, and shortly after breakfast and some attempts at taking a group photo of the kids (an impossible feat!), Karen and her crew headed home. I was sad to see them go, but am so grateful for their visit. I know how hard it is to pack up one kid for a road trip, so I can only imagine how hard three would be! Karen is a rockstar mom. Thanks for spending the weekend with us!

I'd like to say I made good use of the rest of the day, but that would only be true if you count reading, and watching Netflix as a productive afternoon. Oh wait, I did bake an oatmeal casserole for breakfasts this week. And, while there was no way I was going out for groceries today, I do have my meal plan written down for the week and my grocery list ready for tomorrow! Ok, so not all was lost.


On the menu this week: (You can also find all these recipes pinned on my Pinterest page).

Monday: Vegetable Beef & Rice Soup via Iowa Girl Eats

Tuesday: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Quinoa Bowls via Spoonful of Flavor

Wednesday: Pan Fried Sesame Tofu with Broccoli via Budget Bytes

Thursday: Quick & Easy Chicken Burritos via Gimme Delicious with Thick Cut Garlic Parmesan Oven Fries via Budget Bytes

Friday: Sweet Potato "Nachos" with ground chicken and an avocado cilantro cream sauce.

And now I'm off to bed!


How was your weekend? Tell me something fun you did?

How old is your oldest friendship? Karen and I have been friends for 12 years! We met our first year of nursing school. And now I feel super old.