Wednesday Check In

What a crazy week it has been. Good crazy and not so good crazy.

1. I worked out four times in 3 days. I'm pretty impressed with that.

2. The running sock is almost completed. Yay!

3. Did you know that your neck ages quicker than your face? I won't be scrimping on face cream down there anymore.

4. I have learned my lesson not to leave ANYTHING on the floor. Spent 3 hours at the Children's Hospital yesterday because I am sure Little One ate one of these.

The little doohickeys that attach price tags to clothing. Sigh! They were not worried (I'm glad Somebody wasn't) and the only thing I could do was watch for vomiting and when it comes out the other end. Charming! Mummy learned her lesson.

5. I have been interested in using natural ingredients for skin and hair care. I watched City Line today and I'm going to try the following recipes:

HONEY CONDITIONER
Ingredients:
1 tsp honey
2 tbsps olive oil
1 egg yolk

Directions:
Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Massage on hair in small sections. Wrap head with shower cap for 30 minutes. Rinse and shampoo.


EGG CONDITIONER
Ingredients:
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup lukewarm water

Directions:
Beat egg yolk until it is thick and light colored. Add oil beat well. Slowly add and beat the water into the egg mixture. Pour mixture into a container. After shampooing, massage all conditioner into hair and leave on for a few minutes before thoroughly rinsing.


MAYONNAISE CONDITIONER
Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayo

Directions:
Rinse and towel dry. Apply mayonnaise to the hair. Massage in. Let sit for 10-15 minutes, shampoo again lightly and rinse with an apple cider vinegar and water solution. This will help with the smell and remove any residue.

For more recipes go to: http://styles101.homestead.com/nathairrec.html#TOP

Am I Nuts?!?

I think this was what my girlfriend meant to say when I told her about my latest improvement. I will be taking a picture of everything I eat in a day, every day, and posting it on my blog. Yup, that's right, I will be naming it and shaming it.

My snacking and grazing has gotten so out of control that I have to do something. Counting calories doesn't work for me, I end up fixating on food all day. I did Weight Watchers many moons ago, once "successfully", the other two times not so much. The latest idea was to keep a food journal, but I've done that before without any success.

The whole point of the blog is to be accountable on my 12 month journey to being fit and fabulous before I turn forty. I'm already writing about everything else so why not go that one step further? So here I go. Starting tomorrow morning I will be photographing everything I eat and then posting it on Thursday. So far this has already made significant changes in my food choices. I didn't buy the large bag of Ruffles (only $2.00 !!!) on Saturday or the cambozola cheese (half price!). Hah!

I will be doing this until my meals are fewer, smaller, and healthier.

Monday's Motivation

I made it through the weekend. I don't know how I am not a knotted up pretzel today, but somehow I made it through.

I mentioned early last week that I would be attending a Yoga for Runners workshop at Yoga Shala with Mike Dennison. This is not your PBS yoga. Oh no, this was yoga that literally brought me to tears. It was a wonderfully informative workshop as well as the HARDEST yoga I have ever practiced. Saturday night I was a walking corpse. My ass was handed to me on a platter.

On Sunday, I went back for seconds. (How masochistic am I!). But not before I did my practice session with the Running Room in the morning. 8:30 on a Sunday morning, starting my first set of run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, thinking "What the hell am I doing here?!?" I referred to Dory again and kept the mantra "Just keep running, just keep running" in my head. The second day of the workshop was much better, all about the stretching of the body, and boy did I need it.

Today, my only plan was to walk to the clinic to get little one's shots. That plan promptly failed when the jogging stroller needed air in the tires. I am the worst stroller tire air pumper in the world. I must be, because here I am, pumping away like there's no tomorrow and there's NO air going in the tires. Sigh! Tomorrow I need to go out again so I will get Tim to do it tonight.

My only motivation this week is to get out tomorrow for an extra practice of the 2 & 1's. Maybe attempt Mike's Yoga DVD that I bought.

Crafty Saturday

I finally got a new memory card for my camera so here are a few pics of finished projects and my current works in progress (or WIP's).

These are felted slippers and are they ever cozy. Tim loved mine so much that he started to wear them around the house. Ummm, excuse me! Get your size 13 feet out of my slippers ! Thank goodness you can re-felt them. I made Tim's in time for Christmas (yes I actually finished on time) and was he ever pleased!

He had no idea I was working on them. (Some serious stealth knitting had been done). Now I want to make a pair for little one.



My next Christmas project was for Lucy, my friend Gayle's daughter. She was lamenting about how most of her daughter's wardrobe was pink.

Me:  Well what do you want?

Gayle: Clothes that I would wear.

Me: So,a camel coloured cowl neck sweater and skinny jeans? (She had bought these items at the GAP a few weeks prior).

DING! (Imagine a light bulb over my head)

I had to make up the pattern because I couldn't find a baby cowl neck sweater pattern. I think it turned out quite lovely.


Next up was a reworking of a scarf I had made for Tim two years ago. He never wore the sucker because it shed like crazy and it was itchy. The funny thing is that he picked the yarn. So I got different fibre and this was the result.

I'm not sure what the pattern is called, but if you're interested, I can send you an email as to how it's done.

The baby blanket is finished (sorry, didn't take a pic), and now it's back to projects for me. Currently I am working on fanny socks. I'm not sure if I like them but to adapt a phrase from Finding Nemo, "Just keep knitting, just keep knitting." Maybe my needles are too big. Hmmmm....

I am going to finish this one sock, then do the second sock in this pattern called Padded Footlets. I'll wear both and see what feels most comfortable.

After that I want to make a pair of thrummed mittens. These are wonderful for bitter windy days. The pattern I use is from Have a Yarn, my favorite little yarn store (LYS) in Mahone Bay, N.S.

Last night I bought the circular needles I need for the yoga ball cozy. Thank goodness for Michael's coupons.

They are US sized 19 needles (or 15mm). Just to understand how HUGE these are, my sock needles are 3.25 mm.

Now I need to find a nice, cheap yarn.

Fabulous Friday!

Fashion and downsizing all in one.

Last week I was watching Canada AM and was intrigued by this segment. Angela Self is a member of the Smart Cookies, a group of five women who offer everyday advice on how to achieve financial success and conquer debt. She is now taking on a new challenge -- wearing a six-item wardrobe for the next 30 days. She will be filing weekly blogs on her adventures for CanadaAM.ctv.ca

Wow! I have to say that this wouldn't be too challenging for me right now, but when it's time to get back into the work force I could use the tips. What would you choose?

Eat Pray Love

I am devouring Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat Pray Love. I saw the movie and wasn't so impressed. Now that I am reading the book I wonder how did they ever think they could get all of this into a movie?! I don't think I would have been as receptive to her book until now. Now I am at a place in my life where I am open to reading about her physical and spiritual journey.

I was sitting reading of her time in India when the strangest feeling came over me. It was like a lightness and clarity filled me all at once and I thought, "BE happy." I know this sounds strange, but I really just sat and thought, holy ****, BE happy (or happiness if you will). Happy is a verb, not a noun, and really shouldn't be an adjective. Happy isn't a place. Happy is a verb. pure and simple. No amount of striving for happiness will bring it. Once I stopped saying to myself, if only... when... I wish..... did I make room for happiness to just be.

If this is too deep for a Thursday I apologize, but on Monday evening I was doing the little tasks that make up "putting my home and family to bed", when it hit me. A completely pure feeling of contentment. I have never felt this content, not even at an all inclusive resort in Jamaica.

Another new thing for me is that I have no idea what is going to happen to me this year. Normally this would scare the bejeezus out of me. Now, I really don't care. Something will happen, we can be sure of that, but for now I'm not worrying about it. Will I go back to work? Don't know, in fact I don't know anything right now except I will be running a marathon at the end of the year (if fate doesn't have any other plans for me).

So that's me, calmer, happier, content.

Namaste

Wednesday Check In

Hello! It's mid week and time for another check in.

1. I'm feeling pretty proud of the fact that even in -24 degrees, I didn't bail on my practice runs. The weather has warmed up now so there are no excuses for not getting out there.

2. I'm test driving a jogging stroller this week. Thanks to my fellow "chick" for the loan. This will give me a chance to see what I need when it comes to comfort for the both of us before I invest in one.

3. I'm in the middle of making a pair of alpaca running socks. Hopefully I will have them ready for Sunday morning practice to keep my tootsies warm.

4. Love this new sugar free (for me, I used sugar free*fake* maple syrup) granola recipe. I am always on the look out for new sugar free, gluten free recipes. This one has quinoa, a super food I want to try to use more often.

5. I woke up at about 1 am on Tuesday morning. It was so bright in the apartment, I thought the gas fireplace had been left on. There was a light snow coming down and the sky was a beautiful coral pink colour. I looked out the window in time to see a coyote crossing the soccer fields across the road from us. EEEP! Okay, anyone know how to scare coyotes away? I'm thinking an air horn.

I can picture it know, little one and I are out for an early morning run, the birds are chirping, the neighborhood is silent, and then the quiet is ripped apart from the blast of my air horn to ward off coyotes. Nice huh?