how DO i survive?

I am always so amazed how many southern readers I have. Someone once asked me where the heck you all came from and honestly, I don't remember how I first connected with most of you! But I believe I specifically sought you out and through the blog of a blog of a blog -- and so on and so forth -- managed to pad my roster with SOUTHERN COMFORT and HOSPITALITY! Maybe it's the one-quarter Mexican in me, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I am actually a displaced southerner!!! So many of you have written in the comments over the last weeks that you don't know how I do it -- you just can't figure out how I live in such incredibly cold weather. So this post is for you.

It's hard to believe (especially considering THIS!), I know -- even for me, sometimes -- but there are actually millions of Canadians and Americans who survive through harsh climates every year! (In case you're wondering, the coldest temperature our outdoor thermometer has ever shown is -42/-44F. I think that was two winters ago and there was about three mornings in a row like that.) And, even more shocking, we don't move away, we procreate, and our population continues to GROW!!!!

I guess, really though, it's all about what we're used to. I had to laugh on Tuesday afternoon because in order to take out the garbage and plug in the van to make it possible to go out in the evening, I had to don EVERY.SINGLE.LAST.STITCH of winter outerwear I own!! It was brutal! Now, I've delved into the subject of winter outer-wear before, so we won't belabour that issue, but let's discuss a few other ways we snowbirds cope with our climate.

Are any of you wondering why the heck I said I had to 'plug in the van'? Have you ever seen gasoline- or diesel-powered automobiles with an electrical cord plug sticking out of the grill and wondered what the heck that's doing there? Well, that, my warm and toasty American friends, is what we call a block heater cord. Vehicles made for Canadian winters come equipped with an extra piece of equipment under the hood: an electric engine block heater. Actually, many vehicles in the north-western States do, too. It's pretty much essential for starting your vehicle if the temps regularly dip below about 5F. And especially if they STAY even lower than that!! Engines just don't like it that cold!

Even with a plugged-in, functioning block heater, it takes a few miles of gentle driving before the engine block is at its peak performance temperature. Travelling normal highway speeds when your engine temp isn't high enough isn't good for your vehicle. And it reduces your fuel efficiency. Many people also purchase or fabricate a cover for the grill of their vehicle to keep the rad and engine protected from the wind while travelling. We also have to "start" our vehicles, which, in Canadian winter lingo means "send your husband out 15 minutes before you need to leave to start the frozen hunk of metal so that it will be somewhat warm inside when you actually need to get in and start driving!" This, of course, also consumes more fuel, but it's essential to raise the engine block temperature and start warming the air in the vehicle.

Another way we, personally, deal with winter is to heat our house with a woodstove in the basement. We have an electric furnace, but our house is old, poorly insulated, and the windows need replacing, so the cost of heating our house with electricity is simply astronomical. The second winter we lived here, we bought the tiniest little woodstove we could find, put it into the basement beside the furnace, and hooked it up to the old brick chimney that had originally been used for that purpose when the house was built, but hadn't been in use since the furnace had been installed in the 70's. The results were amazing.

The Bushman's tried to cut and split all our wood ever since -- because then it's free -- but this year, he simply didn't have the time, so we bought 4 cords of birch already cut and split for $500. That might sound like a lot of money, but considering it will probably last us into NEXT winter (we only heat with wood from about the beginning of December until the end of March) and considering we save about $200/mo on our electricity bill during that time, we're still saving money. We store most of the wood in the garage lean-to, but we cart several wheel barrows-full into the basement every other week or so. We have an unused cistern under our kitchen that the Bushman eventually wants to open up so we can store a whole winter's worth of wood inside.

But the warmth! Oh, the deliciously CONSTANT AND ALL-ENVELOPING warmth!!! Right now, on this FRIGHTFULLY cold and windy day, my house is a cheery 75F. When I'm seriously house-cleaning or washing dishes, I'm occasionally forced to change into a T-shirt -- and even shorts sometimes! On warmer days, especially when the sun is out, we sometimes open a window or two because it's just getting too hot in the house. When I'm using the oven, the kitchen is often sitting at around 86F. A little too warm to be comfortable! Hard to believe, I know.

Or, I wash dishes. I don't have a dishwasher, see, and two steps away from my kitchen sink is the door to go down into the basement, where the woodstove is. So when I'm cold and my fingernails are turning purplish-blue like they are wont to do sometimes, I wash dishes. In the very hottest spot in the house. It usually doesn't take more than a few minutes and I'm sweating all over. (sorry, TMI!)

And then there's my favourite Christmas present -- my FOOTBAGS! I'd never seen anything like them before, but they are literally bizarre little sleeping bags for your feet. And cozy? I'm tellin' you, you don't know from cozy and warm until you've tried some Baffin(tm) footbags!!

The Bushman went to kindergarten to help Peanut with a project one morning while he was off work in December and he saw one of the mothers there wearing a pair. Since I'd been complaining about my old ones for a while, he thought they'd make a brilliant gift. My feet and hands are often not as warm as the rest of me, so these come in downright handy! Especially first thing in the morning before the fire's warmed up the house.

Other than that, dealing with and surviving winters up here is mostly just a 'make the best of it' kind of thing. School buses don't run when the combined temperature and windchill is -46C/-50F or lower and entertainment is definitely more of the indoor variety from November to April, but outdoor activity certainly doesn't stop just because we're frost-bitten. Oh no -- on the contrary, once you're numb, almost anything can be enjoyable! Skating, skiing, snowmobiling, and tobogganing are all national favourite winter pastimes (not particularly with myself, though!) and Canada is known for its winter carnivals, held in various locations all across the country during the winter months. (The list provided on this site is by no means exhaustive)

So that's how we do it. We're just a hardy bunch, us Canadian prairie-dwellers! The li'l Mexican in me still dreams of someday skipping the harsh winter though. Just once. To leave right after Christmas and come home at the end of March. And spend the intervening time here...

, or here ,

or here, or....

Well, you get the idea!

valley weather report

Well, I've seen the temperature lower than this, but I don't know that the wind chill has ever been this low before.

At our home this morning, the outdoor thermometer reads -37 (-35F).

Ahhh, but that's not the worst of it; there's a wind factor yet.

With the wind chill, the adjusted temperature is....

(drumroll please!)

-55 or -67F!!

I was going to go grocery shopping today, but I think we'll just make do with what we have!!

wellness wednesday

Click either of the buttons for more great ideas, encouragement, or to check out other participants.

Okay, well first things first: Please, if you read my diatribe on the evils of Coca-Cola last week, you must also read this post, in which I have to backtrack a little and eat some humble pie. Which, by the way, is fat- and calorie-free!! (But I'd recommend avoiding it if at all possible!)

All right then, now on to the next admission of failure: Last week, I promised Angela @ Refresh My Soul that I would pray before each meal for control, wisdom, and discernment when it came to knowing how to eat and when I felt satisfied. We both wanted to be better stewards of the human vessel God's given us. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I completely forgot. Angela, I hope you did better than I did!

Now that those unpleasantries are out of the way, on to bigger and better things. As in my weight, which, of course, I'd prefer to be smaller than last week. Dang it. So "bigger and worse things" would be more accurate. I'm up again -- in the last 3 weeks, I've gained back everything I lost during my week of illness at the beginning of the month. Not that we didn't all see that coming, I know, but it still sucks.

We haven't eaten well around here since about last Friday. I was lazy on Saturday after the hectic-ness of Peanut's birthday party the day before, and then Sunday was completely off the norm because it was The Bushman's last day at home. And since then, I've had two days where I just did nothing. But somehow manage to overeat. So all things considered, I'm lucky I didn't gain more than just 1.6 lbs.

I'd planned to hit this temporary single motherhood thing running, but I should have known it wouldn't work that way. Even when he just left for the week with his previous job, I always had an 'off' day. Now that he'll be gone for a little over two months, it seems reasonable in my lazy, justification-ready mind to have a few days to wallow in self-pity. I know that's not healthy though, so today will be an a$$-kicking day and we'll get this show on the road.

One thing I think I'm going to try while he's gone is to seriously address my lack of interest in eating fruits and vegetables. For Peanut's birthday party last Friday, I bought a ready-to-eat veggie platter from one of the local grocery stores for $15. The kids didn't eat much of it at the party (no surprise there, really!), but it only took us two days at home to gobble down the bulk of it. This got me thinking. I LOVE eating veggies and fruits, but only if they're already actually READY to be eaten. Like, already peeled and sliced. Yes, my friends, I am seriously THAT lazy!!!

I always buy fruits and veggies, but end up throwing out half -- or more -- because they've gone bad. (don't tell my mom!) So I think what I'm going to try is buying one fruit and one veggie platter each week. Yes, it'll cost me $32/week, but it'll actually all get eaten this way instead of when I spend half that much on whole fruits and veggies and then throw at least half away. Plus, we'll eat less other, unhealthier snacks, so I will be able to recoup some of that expense there.

What do YOU think? How do you train yourselves to get into a habit like eating well when for many years, that just hasn't been a priority?

wordless wednesday: "My camera barely survived" edition

Man, it is SO cold out here that even with my camera tucked inside my ski pants, under my parka, it refuses to work for more than one or two pictures every 10 minutes or so!! I snapped several on my walk on Saturday, but only a couple were more than a black screen later. The blog header is one of the few that worked, and this is another.

More Wordless Wednesday

a HUGE thank you

For all you who prayed for The Bushman and the rest of his ice road crew yesterday,

THANK YOU.

There was some blowing snow for the first 5 hours or so, but the visibility wasn't too bad -- it was daylight, so that certainly helped -- and the roads were clear. After that, there were no road or weather issues at all, other than extreme cold! They arrived in Edmonton, safe and sound, at midnight last night.

The overnight temp in Edmonton was -35C/-31F and with the windchill, -41C/-42F!!!!! Haha, that oughtta prepare them for the Northwest Territories right quick! Isn't that disgusting? It's actually almost that cold here, too. It's a few degrees warmer (and I use that term VERY loosely!!), but it's fierce windy here now. Our sidewalk's completely blown in, so I'll have to shovel before the girls get up -- I'm thinkin' we got more than just an inch of snow! I'm expecting the school buses to be cancelled due to the weather, though.

A little off-topic: I have to wonder, once the temperature gets below a certain point, can you really feel the difference? Like, does -44 really feel any worse than -35? To me it sure doesn't. It's JUST.TOO.DANG.COLD!!!! (sorry, it's 5 a.m., I got up to use the bathroom, thought, "since I'm awake I'll rebuild the fire -- which is having trouble since it's so terribly windy -- and then I thought, "what the heck, I'm wide awake now, I'll check my emails" so I'm a bit rambly....)

Anyway, thanks again for your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes yesterday. I know our church family was remembering myself, my cousin's wife, and our kids especially yesterday, and I was particularly moved by TechnoNana, who promised to tell some friends to pray for us as well. I seriously teared up at the thought of a group of complete strangers all the way down in South Carolina (some 3300 kms/2050 mi away) praying for my hubby as he rumbled along in his falling-apart semi in supposed blizzard conditions. Granted, yesterday was kind of an emotional day and I only gotten about 16 hours of sleep in the 3 nights before, but still, it was incredibly touching.

Okay, back to bed!

a little prayer request

Updated Monday morning:

Okay, today's the day. The Bushman, two of my cousins, and 5 other men will begin their 2475 km/1539 mi drive up to Canada's northern diamond mines. Bushman left the house this morning just before 7 to pick up one of my cousins and together, they're driving to the boss's house -- approximately an hour south of us -- where they'll meet the rest of the crew and pick up the semi trucks. From there, they'll head west, across the province of Saskatchewan and half of Alberta, to the city of Edmonton (a trip of about 975 kms/607 mi), where they'll stay for a few days of orientation before the last leg of the journey, the remaining 1500 kms/932 mi north up to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, and beyond.

Problem is, the forecast was for heavy snowfall and high winds starting last night and lasting until tonight or tomorrow morning for pretty much all of western Canada. We're talking forecasts of up to 8 inches of snow and extremely poor visibility. It's hard to tell how much fell here last night because it's been so windy, but I'd guess it's only been about an inch so far. Maybe a little more. There are drifts of about 4 inches on the driveway.

Needless to say, this is NOT the best day to be on the road in many parts of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta! If you would be so kind as to keep these 8 men in your prayers throughout the day, it would be much appreciated.

peanut's princess party

First and foremost, I have to say this: I SURVIVED!!!! I threw a birthday party for my little 6-yr old, knowing I would only really know one other little girl there, and you know what? I didn't have a bad time at all. But thank goodness The Bushman was there to entertain everyone while I raced to set up for a couple of games and manage the food!!! I don't know what it is about him, but kids of all ages everywhere seem to love to throw things at him. It's all very mysterious. But hey, it freed me up for a few necessities.

Anyway, here's how it went down... First we sat down in a little circle, introduced ourselves, and chatted a bit to get to know each other a little. There was one girl from church and one from Peanut's nursery school class last year who didn't know everyone else, so I thought this might help. They each got princess name tags that I'd printed out on label paper and then they each got a princess party hat. I'd bought a bunch of hats, but then I'd hot-glued a long, curly, trailing ribbon to the top of each hat to make it look more princess-y. Around the base of Peanut's, I also glued a twisty strand of silver and pearl beads. Plus she had four ribbons from the top of her hat instead of just one. You know, cuz she was the guest of honour -- the CROWN PRINCESS, if you will. And her name tag even said so, in case anyone forgot or something.

Then they played a few games of "What time is it, Mr. Wolf?" only we called it "Mr. Dragon" because usually there's dragons, not wolves, in princess stories. While I got the food out, The Bushman entertained the girlies by letting them throw balls at him and whatnot. (I'm telling you, it's just weird -- like he's magnetic or something!) The scooters are always a big hit, too.

After eating (veggies & dip, mini-bagel pizzas, pigs-in-blankets, and pop), we went back into the gym to play "Kiss the Frog" (a version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey") and the winner got to start off the gift. Then they played a little longer and we brought out the birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday. As soon as the cake was done, time was up, Peanut handed out the goody bags and thanked all her friends for coming, the kids disappeared, and within about 20 minutes, we were all cleaned up and headed home, too. Whew.

It was a good time, but I think next year, I'll just have it here at home. None of the mothers stayed (except the mother of the mentally handicapped kid who doesn't really communicate much with words, so it was nice to have her there!), so it certainly would have been easier to have the girls in a smaller space. Plus remembering to pack everything was a pain!

But yeah, I think a good time was had by all. I survived -- and even had a good time. One little girl told her dad that it was the best party she'd ever been to, so that made me feel pretty darn good about my efforts!

Woo-hoo! Now, since Fidget doesn't have any school friends yet, I can wait a whole year before we have to do this again!!

ahoy, mateys!

So, that bathroom we're having renovated in about a week's time? It's the only one we have. As you can imagine, this presents some challenges (like having to move in with someone else while it gets renovated!) and it's tricky enough NOW already. Can you imagine what it'll be like once we've got two teenage girls?!! Yeah, me neither. I'm hoping we'll have two bathrooms by then!!

Anyway, this was overheard yesterday afternoonwhile Peanut was in the bathroom and li'l Fidget needed to use the little potty at the same time.

(Fidget knocks on the door...)

Peanut: Who is it?

Fidget: Me.

Peanut: What do you want?

Fidget: Permission to come aboard, sir.

(pause)

Peanut: Granted.

Wha.....? Maybe if they're this civilized about it, they'll manage with just one bathroom even as teenagers.

You're right; who am I kidding?

a letter to Peanut

Peanut, my sweet baby girl, our li'l Big Mac, I love you.

You became a part of our lives about 7 months ago, but very suddenly, 7 days ago, you became very real. I didn't exactly know how to feel about you then. I was so used to thinking about the future and what it might be like once you arrived, but they whisked you away to intensive care before I could even hold you. So I just didn't feel anything.

Even when they let me hold you for a few minutes 16 hours later, I didn't think I was feeling the way a mom should feel. I thought I was instantly supposed to feel this powerful bond and I felt guilty because I didn't. I rationalized that it could partly be because I wasn't with you constantly. Only half an hour, three times a day doesn't amount to much quality time. I couldn't pick you up and comfort you each time you cried. I couldn't feed you when you were hungry. I couldn't change your teeny tiny diapers.

But something slowly started to change. The more I held you and talked to you, the stronger I felt it. When you looked up at me and tried to stay focused on my face, I saw it. When you fell asleep contentedly in my arms, I felt it. When I could tell my touch and my voice made a difference to you, calmed you, and you grasped my finger with your tiny wrinkly hand, I knew it.

You needed me. You trusted me. To hold you, to calm your fears, to feed you, to keep you warm, to kiss a thousand cuts and scrapes, to hold your hands as you learned to walk, to guide you through the future.

You trust me to be your mom. And I love that responsibility. Yes, it scares me and overwhelms me, but I am honoured to be entrusted with your care. Because I am your mother. Because I love you. My first, my only, my sweet baby girl.

love,

Your Mom

(written on January 31, 2002, a week after Peanut was born. She and I were both still in the hospital. I was released three days later and she another week after that.)

with egg on my face (and maybe some Coke)

Well, now that I've got everyone paranoid about Coke, I have an apology to make. You'd think I'd have learned my lesson by now. In the past, I've forwarded emails without thinking and gotten flack for it and now I've done the same thing here with the Coke "facts" I published yesterday. Two commenters on my last post indicated that at least SOMEONE has done a little bit of leg-work on this issue. Thank goodness for those kinds of people! Generally, I'd count myself as one of them, but I messed up yesterday.

From Mythbusters cola synopsis we have this information:

• Blood stain remover: BUSTED. It does not remove enough blood to be effective.


• Chrome cleaning: CONFIRMED. Coke can be used to clean chrome.


• Rusty bolts: BUSTED. Coke does nothing to a rusted screw.


• Penny cleaner: CONFIRMED. After 24 hours the only dirty parts on the penny were those exposed to an air pocket.


• Tooth dissolve: BUSTED. There isn't enough phosphoric acid to disolve a tooth.


• Steak dissolve: BUSTED. The meat was tenderized but not disolved.


• Battery terminal cleaner: CONFIRMED. But it works no better than some other, more conventional methods, like baking soda.


• Degreaser: BUSTED. Coke will not remove grease from clothes or engines.

Despite not being as deadly as initially stated, Coke and other soda drinks are still not healthy either. Duh. We all knew that. But just how unhealthy? Check out Liquid Candy, a great article by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), that looks at what has become something of a North American epidemic. Or this study by the biology department of the University of Cincinnati, Clermont College, which does a comparison of numerous soft drinks and indicates, most notably, their sugar content. The phosphoric acid may not disolve your teeth, but the equivalent amount of an average of TEN teaspoons of sugar per 355 mL (12 oz.) can might!! Yikes!!

Anyhoooo, just thought I'd apologize for being somewhat remiss in my 'reporting' yesterday. Sorry. But I have to admit, reading this doesn't make me want to drop Coke or other soft drinks, but it certainly makes me want to cut back. I've read a few times in the recent past that in partaking of such drinks, we're drinking empty calories -- wasting what's in the 'bank' for the day. I had a one-can-a-day habit a while back that I've managed to break, but I'm intending to cut back further. To be wasting 140-150 calories on something that isn't going to satisfy anything but my tastebuds is just not smart.

I will be reposting this in my next 'Wellness Wednesday' post for those who only visit my blog in relation to my participation in Tales from the Scales and Live Well Wednesdays.

Wellness Wednesday

Click either of the buttons for more great ideas, encouragement, or to check out other participants.

Well, after last week's stellar loss, I'm back up 1.6, but I guess that's to be expected when the weight loss is due to illness. I'm still 3 lbs lighter than I was 2 weeks ago, so that's awesome. I was worried I'd gain back more because I haven't been very conscientious this week at all.

Here's an interesting little tidbit I found this week about the differences between water and Coke. We all know it's better to drink water than Coke and other carbonated beverages, but here's why:

WATER

1. 75% of North Americans are chronically dehydrated.


2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.


3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.


4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University ofWashington study.


5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.


6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.


7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.


8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

COKE

1. In many states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident.


2. You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days!


3. To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the 'real thing' sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous China.


4. To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of Reynolds Wrap aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola.


5. To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion.


6. To loosen a rusted bolt: Apply a cloth soaked In Coca-Colato the rusted bolt for several minutes.


7. To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into the load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

1. The active ingredient in Coke is phosphoric acid. It will dissolve a nail in about four days. Phosphoric acid also leaches calcium from bones and is a major contributor to the rising increase of osteoporosis.


2. To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial trucks must use a hazardous material place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials.


3. The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean engines of the trucks for about 20 years!

Now the question is, would you like a glass of water? or Coke?

And with that, I wish you all a happy Coke-free week and a good weigh-in next Wednesday!!!

wordless wednesday: the dining dragonfly edition

I could seriously hear it crunching away on the remains of some poor, hapless insect!!

More Wordless Wednesday

Welcome

to the

NEW AND IMPROVED

VALLEYGIRL!!!!

Well, slightly new and somewhat improved, anyway!!

I'm sure you didn't think I needed improving ;), but I really wanted to switch to a 3-column format. It took a fair bit of trial-and-error experimentation, but I figured out how to change the coding to allow for a picture in the header and everything! I'm quite proud of myself. (this blog template didn't originally, but I'm just that smart!!!)

I know, it's not a huge change from before, but I think I'll like it better. My sidebar on the old blog was just getting too long. I'm a little worried about posts seeming SUPER long because I don't have as much writing area as I did before, but we'll see how it goes.

Take a look around and tell me what you think! And please, if something is too dark or too small or whatever, definitely let me know.

Intentional Living Upd8

I know it's not February 8, but in keeping with my desire to self-examine on a regular basis, just checking in once a month to see how I'm doing with my 'resolutions' isn't often enough. So I think I'll check in on the 18th and 28th of each month as well.

(just givin' y'all a heads up so that you can make note and skip those days if you get sick and tired of me yammerin' on and on about myself)

My plan is to TRY and keep these updates as short and to the point as I can. And so without further adieu....

1. Generate a bit of income - ideas still there, but none acted upon (well, unless you include inquiring about recommended self-teaching materials and deciding to enroll in an online distance ed course. We're talking really long-term on this idea though, I'd like to come up with something somewhat more immediate)
2. Give more of myself - I've definitely made an effort to include my girls more in my household jobs as well as spending quality time with them doing what they want to do, but there's still plenty of room for improvement here. I did, however, stay up until midnight last night -- thus forfeiting my valuable two hours of quiet time this morning -- to make Bushman's favourite Banana Chocolate Chip muffins so he could take them to work with him early this morning.
3. Practise hospitality - we've had people over only once since the new year started (in my defence, I was sick for almost a week) and we're having a younger couple from our church over on Sunday whom we've never really spent time with before, so I'm off to a pretty good start here.
4. Spend less time focusing on how much effort something will require, and more time focusing on the enjoyment - Peanut's birthday party is a perfect example of this scenario. I think I've done a pretty good job so far of spending a bit of time thinking about this almost daily. When I imagine all the little girls having fun playing together, organizing a few games, and chatting with the mothers over some warm layered taco dip, I think it will be an awesome two hours. When I think about making the food -- even the limited menu that I'm thinking of -- and creating some simple props for games and whatnot, I immediately get overwhelmed and want to cancel the whole thing. Which is why I'm trying to make sure I do a little thinking, planning, and doing every day. I've still got a week.
5. Practise cleaning up after myself and maintaining overall household tidiness - definitely still struggling here!
6. Finish bathroom and kitchen - specifically for the purposes of this post, I just phoned an all-in-one construction/plumber contractor guy about coming and giving me a quote on the bathroom and left a message! (see, if I'd waited until Feb. 8th to give an update, I wouldn't have phoned the guy until then!!)
7. Take health more seriously - well, like I said, I've been sick for a fair bit of the new year so far, but I've definitely been forcing down more fruits and veggies than before and have also cut my portions sizes and stopped having seconds. Snacking after 7pm is still a work in progress. I couldn't resist having a fresh muffin at 11:30 last night...
8. Spend more time in conversation with God - no improvement here yet. I'm currently reading 4-6 chapters in my Bible every day, but time in prayer is still pathetic. I pray periodically thoughout the day, of course, but I don't have a specific prayer time where I spend more than just a few moments talking to God.

There you have it.

*Update: Just minutes after I posted this, The Bathroom Guy called me back and will be here in about two hours to assess the situation. Guess I better shower and get dressed....

**Another update: I now have a quote on the bathroom and The Bathroom Guy is actually available for the first week in February!!! He seems like a very nice man who wants to make sure we have quality work done. Just gotta run the numbers by the financiers now....

They grow up so fast...... (sigh)

I've always been amazed at how INSTANTLY awake kids are when their eyes first flutter open in the morning. It just completely blows my mind how they can go from a dead sleep to wide awake, running around, and laughing and playing. I'm a morning person, but I just simply can't comprehend that. I may get out of bed at 5:30 for no other reason than to have two hours of complete silence all to myself, but I'm still never fully awake for the first half-hour! (which is about how long it takes to down my first of two customary cups of coffee. I'm a sipper.)

But I've noticed a bit of a change in how they wake up -- especially on school mornings. (Go figure!) As I've mentioned before, Peanut's in kindergarten this year, but that means she goes to school for a full day every other day instead of half-days every day. This is wonderful for many reasons, but has definitely made getting into a routine difficult. Especially since returning home after Christmas holidays and outlawing afternoon naps for Punkin. (whom, for reasons obvious to all who know her, we've re-nicknamed FIDGET in real life.)

On school mornings, they have to be up at 7:30 so that Peanut's outside and waiting for the bus by 8:15, but all the other mornings, they get to wake up when they feel like it -- because if they feel like sleeping until 9:00, that means I get 3-1/2 hours to myself!!!! I'm sure as heck not going to rob myself of that!!

I know, I know. I know what you're thinking. Yes, it's my own dang selfish fault that we don't have a routine, but hey, this is the last year they'll have any weekday mornings where they can sleep past 7:30. The harsh realities of life will set in soon enough; let them stay children for as long as they can, for pete's sake, I always say. Because I'm so infinitely wise.

So anyway, back to this morning.... As has often been done around here in the mornings to wake up the girls, I simply flick the lightswitch for the stairwell and hallway outside their bedroom door. Their bedroom door is usually open a crack, and it's always been enough of a wake-up call for that light to loudly switch on. (it's one of those really old light switches where you actually have to throw some weight behind your efforts -- good thing I have some of that! -- and it makes a fairly loud SNAP) Moments later, I'll hear the happy pitter-patter of their feet as they make their way to the stairs, anticipating another bright and beautiful day.

This morning was a school morning for Peanut and I was running a little behind, so instead of going upstairs to wake them up and pick out Peanut's clothes like I usually do, I opted instead for the lazier but tried-and-true light switch method. I listened for a moment, and sure enough, I heard little feet hit the floor and make their way across the floor. Good, I'll get breakfast started while they're in the bathroom, I thought brilliantly to myself.

And then I heard the soft click of a door being closed very carefully. And then I heard footsteps heading back to bed. And then nothing.

Dang, so much for letting them be kids -- this is teenage behaviour, I grumbled to myself as I sprinted trudged up the stairs. I thought I'd have to wait a few more years before this kind of thing started happening!

Wellness Wednesday

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Well, "wellness" around here is a bit of a joke, I have to say. But only because my dear friend the stomach flu is overstaying its welcome. It hasn't been the violent illness that it often is, but it's been long and drawn out. Now don't quote me on this, but after 6 days of just overall general ickiness, I might almost prefer the violent version. It's usually over in six hours! But shhhhhhh, don't tell the Flu Fairy.

BUT, I'm happy to be able to report a loss of
4.6 pounds!!

Obviously, this is somewhat due to my periodic lack of appetite over the last week, but hey, maybe it's what I need to kick-start my year. Despite HOW one loses it, when one's got an almost 5-pound leap, it's rather inspiring and the desire to hang onto it and build from there is decidedly a little more fierce.

I have, however, improved my intake of fruits and vegetables over this last week and since The Bushman's only working every other day this week, I've been able to maintain my average of walking outdoors four days a week. In two weeks, that will end because he'll be working WAY THE HECK UP NORTH for two whole months, so it will be time to dust off the elliptical.

We bought it last year so that I could keep up my walking while he was gone, but I hardly used it at all. This year, I'm determined to walk at least as often as I have been outside and once he's home again, my plan is to continue using it with the addition of outdoor exercise, so that I'm averaging an hour of walking, five days a week.

This coming week, I will continue to work on spending time in prayer, especially first thing in the morning to start my day, and incorporating the appropriate amounts of fruits and vegetables into my diet. How did you do?