Life's Whirlwind Adventures

August 8, 2009 was the day I got engaged to my wonderful Adrian. I was almost seven months pregnant and we were at his Family Reunion. Adrian proposed to me on the dock after Chandler, he and I were finished fishing. He asked me how much I loved him, and me being the comedian I am told him that I wouldn't love him very much if he was planning on pushing me in the lake. He just had that glint of evil in his eye, I wasn't sure what he was planning, but I was not expecting him to propose. Adrian on the beach where he proposed to me, he looks so much better without that neck brace. After his proposal we told our friends and family.  I am sure it didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone.  Me, being almost seven months pregnant, having just bought a house together it seemed like the (il)logical next step.  Oh yeah and I told everyone that Adrian and I had picked out a ring.  It is a gorgeous ring!!! The Ring, isn't it pretty?? After the big announcement came the qu

I often wonder how many of us really talk to all our friends that we have on Facebook.  Or why certain people add you as their friends when really you aren't friends you are just two people who mutually know of each other. Here is an example of why I am curious about this today.  About eight months ago a girl I went to school with in Junior High added me as her friend.  I knew her to pass her in the hallway but we weren't in the same classes or anything so we weren't even friends back then.  But a really good friend of mine married her brother, and so this girl opens a Facebook account and sends me a message requesting I add her as one of my friends.  I am now trying to filter my friends so I don't add everyone that makes that request, but I try to be discreet about it. However, because of this girls connection to my friend I felt what harm could come of adding her to my Facebook friends.  So I added her.  I did this because I don't want to hurt people's feel

So Little Man has learned a new trick and I was able to capture it on film today. Here he is looking at the camera, while I wait to catch his new little trick. Now his tongue is coming out!! And here he is sticking his tongue out. The only picture I wasn't able to capture was when he curled his tongue.  My camera was to slow.  But it was so cute because he would stick his tongue out for thirty seconds at a time and if I stuck my tongue out he would copy me.  I know I am teaching him a bad habit lol.  But it was so cute!!

One of my most favourite authors is Marian Keyes.  My mother actually introduced me to her by giving me one of her books for Christmas.  The first book I ever read of hers was called Angels, and I also read her collection of articles and short stories.  She is a very humourous author and I have thoroughly enjoyed every one of her stories. Her latest novel is The Brightest Star in the Sky  I was a little skeptical when I began reading it. It had a somewhat  hokey beginning.  It starts off with a spirit drifting into this building and meandering around these four flats looking for something.  The chapters travel in days from Day 66 to Day 1.  But as I read on I became more and more engrossed with the character development.  I wanted to know what was going on, I had to know what was affecting these people and Marian did not disappoint me. Marian weaves a story of the interlocking lives of these people and describes in beautiful detail their woes and triumphs.  I am always excited wh

Being a parent is a very unselfish act.   To be a good parent you must do many things for your child in spite of your own wants and needs.   You must be willing to put those little ones first for the rest of your life regardless of what you want.   This is not a bad thing; it’s a reality check. However, it is sometimes necessary to be a little selfish and to do things for you. I have worked with many parents over the past year, in different capacities as a friend, a teacher and family development worker.   The one thing I have noticed is that the selfish parents are often the parents that find they have the most trouble dealing with their offspring.   Parents that refuse to acknowledge addiction issues, parents that treat their children like their friends first, parents that do not discipline their children and parents that are too busy with their own lives to bother with their children are the parents that are raising children who act out in school, act out in public and turn to

Today is January 15, 2009, yes I am telling you the date, because it is an important date.  Today is the day that the Olympic Torch comes through Red Deer.  It has been making it's way across Canada and today it is stopping in Red Deer, Alberta.  It has made other stops along the way, I have friends that have had pictures taken with it in Prince Albert and another friend went to see it in Devon, Alberta today.   After four years of preparation Vancouver is preparing to greet the torch and Canada is running with it across this great nation.  It is day 78 of the Torch relay.  Canadians are coming out to greet the torch and to celebrate with the world these 2010 Olympics.  It seemed at times that there were going to be huge problems.  Vancouver had to clean up it's down town, Whistler is closing down runs to save on snow.  I don't think having enough snow was a concern 22 years ago in Calgary, but with Global Warming all kinds of new disasters are coming forward. But now we

A week ago I started my weight loss regiment.  I am wanting to take some pictures of my before and after so I can see the changes but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  I am happy to say, though, that I have begun to notice a difference.  I am getting my waist back!!!! I also notice that when I am in shape I have tons more energy to do things.  I can function on less sleep and not be cranky or lethargic during the day.  I even want to do more things.  I have also noticed that it doesn't take me as long to fall asleep at night., which is a blessing because when baby is sleeping at night I need to get to sleep fast so I can get as many hours as possible. Sticking to the no empty calories rule and working out at least four times a week is really helping me reach my goals.  So far I have lost      2%     of my body weight.  It may not seem like a lot, but every little bit counts!! Now to find something to curb my sweet tooth....;)

I am finding that I am faced with new challenges everyday.  I try my hardest to empathize with my children and their plights and also with my friends that are raising children.  I have lot's of friends who are just starting their families and they speak of these terrible twos and trying threes and all those other toddler behaviours that can try a parent's patience.  I wish I could have those days back again, I really do.  Raising tweens and teenagers is a challenge  that I am not enjoying.  My tween and I I love my child and he's a good kid, he's polite, he's caring and he's funny.  I don't always get his humour but he is a funny child.  He does not cause me grief at home, it's a challenge to get him to do his school work sometimes, but he's smart and does his homework most of the time without me having to harrass him.  The troubles I am having are from outside variables.  He came to me this morning and told me that he's been feeling bad beca

And she could be heard yelling from the mountain tops,"And thank the LORD for that."  It has taken me three years to begin reading this series and I then finished the series in a matter of three weeks. Not, and I repeat, not because it was an exciting series to read, but because I just wanted to finish the books.  To be able to say that I had read the books.  I am glad that I am able to put these stories behind me now. The final book was the book I enjoyed the most.  Was this because it was the final book?? Maybe, but who knows.  I was more impressed with the storyline in this novel, and I liked how she told part of the story from Jacob's perspective.  I have always said I enjoy her development of her male characters so that fact that she told part of the story from his perspective was refreshing. It is this novel that we see Bella grow.  Apparently she is just an obsessive person, because she became obsessed with the idea of her baby, but this is an obsession I can u

So in the third book of the Twilight series, we see a major conflict in Bella.  Which boy should she choose??  Does she ultimately end up chosing the right one?? As many of you know from my previous posts I do not like Bella.  I find her snivelling and whiney, and why these two quote unquote good looking boys are tripping over themselves for her affection is beyond my comprehension.  But they are and she must choose. The whole story revolves around Bella, excuse the cliche but, wanting her cake and eating it too.  She wants to be with Edward but she wants to still be friends with Jacob.  Now in a normal world this would work out, but Jacob has become what he is because of Edward....hmmm this may become problematic.  Bella dwells on this connundrum the entire story, and it's so frustrating because as soon as you think she's come to terms with things she does the opposite of what she just decided and wants both boys.  I could totally imagine her imagining a scenario where she a

So now that I have set my goal to lose 20 pounds this year for a New Years Resolution I have to do things to help me achieve this goal.  Losing twenty pounds means I will be losing 23 % of my body weight at this moment.  Since October I have already lost 14% of my pregnancy weight. Having a baby definitely helped with that little bit of weight loss.  Now it's time to get serious and get back into shape. I have started a Biggest Loser Competition with my friends and my family. I figure I am a fairly competitive person so competing to lose the most weight should help me stay motivated.  I want to be healthy and to look great.  It was two years ago that I was down to my ideal weight and I want to get back there again.  Two years ago I was single, that comfortable place we get when dating someone really wrecks motivation to keep active.  Well, no that's not it, it's just that a lot of the time I devoted to the gym got taken up by my desire to spend time with Adrian.  It's

When my first child was born I was given the book Love you Forever by Robert Munsch. It was one of those books that when I read it I would cry because I was hormonal and because, honestly, I am a very sentimental person. So when I became pregnant again I wanted to buy my new little bundle another book. I found the book Someday by Alison Mcghee and Peter T. Reynolds. Now this is a book that talks about a mother watching her baby grow from a baby into a child and then predicts some of the things this child will experience in the future. I read it to my little baby today and I cried. So to all new parents out there if you want a super easy to read book with pleasant pictures I recommend this book. I can't believe how big my boys are getting and one day they will move out of my house and I will watch them become the great men I know they are going to be.

For many years I made resolutions and by the fifteenth of January they were chucked out the window. I find making and sticking to resolutions difficult, especially because they always seem so vague. Lose weight, be happy, find a boyfriend ( hahaha ), find a job you like etc. So then about five years back I stopped making resolutions. I just said I didn't have any when people asked me what my New Year's resolution was. There was no point making one if I was just going to break it. Now a new decade has begun and I have (gasp) made a resolution, actually three resolutions for this new year and new decade. I have changed how I have made my resolutions so that they are easier to keep. I find that with anything, details make it easier to stick to something. I mean my resolution could be to lose weight and if I lose two pounds I have experienced success in my resolution but it's not a great success. Resolutions are goals, and when you teach children how to set goals, well y