Ex Duris Gloria..

well that pretty much sums it up.. Latin Proverbs can really come in handy to describe things..
& this one is going to be my Motto for now.

I've decided with a little ahem, help... ( big Thanks to you all. .:)
that I'm not going to let all this get the better of me , I'm not going to give in to the edges of whatever depression keeps trying to overwhelm me ..& I'm gonna just apparently "buck up"

Nuff said :)

Why.. why.. why do we do it??

In a moment of what must have been masochistic self destruction ....I decided that right about now (while TOM is still not quite getting the hint to Move ON!)
...& I'm been having nightly arguments as to whether to help me settle for sleep "just a bit of chocolate ( yea I'm back to the pure dark baking kind again)
is reaaaaaly an Awesome time to take a chance at work & WEIGH my self.

...BAD idea is all I'm saying... things do NOT look any improved...
& to be very honest I am panicking here gang... I have to do something drastically different & STAY doing it if I'm gonna peal off these extra lbs that followed me home from Holiday... & through Christmas have seemed to have settled in REAL well...
It's all just doiin my head in!..& I'm scared I can't fix this mess I've made..& it's adding to the feeling of being sucked into the vortex of depression that I've been fighting...

I need something - ANYTHING- a kick the Ass , a personal trainer to tell me what I should be doin.. Somethin real that is goin to work for Me - , & a boogeyman to come visit me after work.... so I don't start eating stupid mindless things at midnght becasue I'm lonely ...

K nuff blither for now ... I'll probably delete this any who...


anyone got a real good stapler for my mouth - that might help eh ?

It's MONDAY...

Ok so for some that must be like Uh Huh... ya big deal! ...& I think for most of you south of the border that is a Holiday today ... so the question is WHAT are you doin today??

I'm just on here catching up with blogs sending condolences to all of you with sick critters like Janel, Christie & Karenna & getting some much needed incentive from those that are Rockin things like Chantal & Laurie to get off my sorry butt & out into the pouring rain & off to the Gym!

So without further ado ...I'm off!!
Hope you all have a great day & survive whatever the fates & weather throw your way!

& for those of you that care...YES I'm drinking my water...warm- since it's cold out ..but YES I am :) HOW bout YOU??


* laughs slightly hysterically* ....& wanders off....

Happy Valentine's All :)

Good Morning.. its 7am & I'm up doin what any normal woman would be doing today ... ok scratch that
I'm doing what some insane Mother's might be doing....making Pink pancakes for the kids! ~lol~

Yea.. not exactly romantic in a traditional Hallmark way... but way fun...
then a normal day including the gym ( thanks btw my workout kicked butt yesterday complete with some VERY 80's "hairband music"!! Tee hee) then off to watch Volleyball after school , fit in dinner & Tai Kwon Do & Dance class before stuffing kidlets in bed ... phew

then the secret good stuff happens after that including the cutest pair of those little mule slippers with feathers on them ....shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!

Determination..or pure dumb luck..

don't know which of them it was.. but I'm feeling better.. I suppose a whack of Vit C, echinacea, Neocitran & a couple nights of actually getting to sleep at a decent hour probably helped! ~ Lol~

So needless to say whatever it was that I was fighting all last week seems to have turned tail & run. & today I feel pretty much human..
So I thought I'd post something new that wasn't all dreary!
I went to the gym this Am & did a 20 min HIIT followed by another 40 min steady state. & it felt Great!

I know tomorrow I should go do weights , but it seems lately I'm really uninspired about the endless , mindless "up down, up down " of all that- at least after cardio you're feelin sweaty & like you DID something.. or at least with the readout on the machines it tells you you "went" somewhere!

I wish there was someway to find something to excite me about doin the weights again..to be Gung ho about every workout day ...instead of just mostly going thru the motions..
anyone have any bright ideas??

& just for fun...

What Pamela Means

P is for Proud A is for Alluring M is for Mystical E is for Expressive L is for Loving A is for Adaptable

What Does Your Name Mean?

Someone stop that Bus...

Ok- so maybe I didn't really get run over by a bus this Morn' I sure feel like it tho'! Everything aches -Everywhere!

I don't know if it's that my poor bod is trying desperately to stave off whatever virus is going thru my workplace.. seems like half the patients are sick & the other day we were missing 4 nurses in just one shift! Or it could be whatever cold/cough thing Jamie had, then Jess , & now Steven is suffering thru.. !!
It seems this time of year EVERYONE is getting sick!.. with Something!
Can we just cancel Jan & Feb & go straight to Spring Pleeaaaaase??!

Or it could be being woken up in the middle of the night with darling daughter saying she had bad dreams- that she had to tell me all about & that she has a "sore tummy" -like the beginning of cramps... Poor darlin...
& Oh - did I mention that Mother Nature In her amusement has seen to it that we've gotten on the same cycle- sooooooo part of Me feelin like crap may be me "hurrying" to catch up .. guess the day will tell!

For now ..I'm off to do laundry.. that I can manage.

hmmmm alright then..

The True You

You want your girlfriend or boyfriend to be more open with you. With respect to money, you spend carefully and save your pennies. You think good luck depends on maintaining good relationships with others. The hidden side of your personality tends to be satisfied to care for things with a minimal amount of effort. You are tend to think about others' feelings a lot, perhaps because you are so eager to be liked. When it comes to finding a romantic partner, you will search and search until you find your perfect match.

Who's The True You?

doin better.. Sorry for being so pathetic... just had to get my head outta my butt! ..~lol~
Did great with eating & working out all week...who knew???

Off to get some house cleaning done before I have to go to work!

Humbled..

Can't decide whether to comment on the good or the bad first.. I haven't posted much in the past few days as I've been slogging along well enough ..but considering things going on with others- my day to day struggles seem really to pale in comparison..
I mean really- there are several Blends out there that are really having a much Harder go of things worrying about HUGE health, family,financial & emotional situations.. So really in comparison.. I have nothing to complain about my life is at the moment fairly mundane- & to be honest I never much talk about the dialog in my own head to anyone... let alone drag you all down with it. Just some days are rough..

So enough of that..
I should cheer up & say a Big Congrats to 2 of our Own who have run the BFL gauntlet & have been chosen as Body For Life Champions!
A job well done Jen & Sylvia! You have show us all that it can be done!
With a great combination of dedication & determination that I'd love to have- apparently , anything is possible :)

Jamie's Birthday Weekend..

So all last week I'm blithering about all the snow.. & what do I do as soon as it starts to warm up enough to melt a bit...Go find some MORE!

Well actually I had been planning for some time to take Jamie away somewhere for his 40th Birthday .. & what we ended up doing is pulling the kids from school Fri & heading up Thurs night inland about 4-5hrs to a place called Sun Peaks Resort for a weekend of something that Jamie LOVES -- skiing!

It was a wonderful time! & yea Stef.. we were thinking of you .. we even tried to call you from up there ( The Birthday Boy wanted to torment you & Russ about the new powder we were skiing in~lol~ ) but couldn't get thru :(

Anywho .. it was great all around! we stayed just down at the bottom of the mountain at a friends cabin that I've talked about before...very rustic .. ( read outdoor plumbing & getting up every few hours to stoke the wood stove to stay warm) but if that is the only cost..hey we're in!

We had snow on Fri & SUNSHINE all Saturday - it wasn't supposed to but Jamie figured I "ordered" it special for him since that was the Birthday day!

We put the kids in lessons for the first 2 days & by Sun AM Stevie was off with Jamie & a friend of his that we met up with doing a BLACK DIAMOND run!!!

Good grief ...Do 8 yr old boys have No fear or what??

Now today again its like after any trip ... me at home with about a thousand loads of laundry .. how do those of you with LOTS of kids do this??? ( Janel, Eileen...anyone??) akkkkkk! I can only imagine!!

The good thing is that my legs are just Smoked!!
As you can see in the pic taken inside after skiing-- you end up tired.. but it's such a Good tired!! Whooooo Hoooo .. :)
Three days of hard work for the Body... was GOOOD ..Now if only the food was ummm a bit "cleaner" I'd be way ahead of the game..
Yea well..holidays tend to be like that don't they?? .. So back at things today!

this past week..

Well I can honestly say it was a good week.. kept on track but I did NOT go to the gym.. umm it was about the weather!
We got an unexpected HUGE dump of snow which you can see in the pics was pretty in the AM .. but by nighttime there was a FOOT of it..The last pic is over at my parents a couple days ago.. So Pretty there on the the riverfront!
The thing is-we don't get snow like that here on the "Wet Coast." So it made for interesting workouts of shoveling & then goin for a 5k hike to my FIL house to shovel for him too since he was away & returning the next day!
the hike was fun ..just Jamie & I in the middle of the snow storm! LOL~

Then it has been COLD every since - yea below freezing -which again here is REALLY unusual - mostly here it turns to rain pretty quick & turns it all to mush.. NOT this time...So we still have snow -lots of it !! & Ummm right now it's snowing again! AKK..

So instead of taking my life in my hands driving around folks who do NOT know how to drive on Ice or snow & freezing by butt off going to the gym- I've been doing very entertaining workout "tapes" at home.. yep I did say TAPES .
I dug out the old FIRM fullbody work outs with weights & have been doing those.. It's good having someone to "boss" me around..& as I told Cheri.. seeing those Bodysuits & leotards makes it allllll worth it! ~lol~
Other than that I've been hiking back & forth to go sledding every day & waiting for Karrena to have her babby! --& he's finally here! Congrats to K!

Hope you all are safe in whatever Bizzare weather Mother Nature has sent you!

One week down..

So I've made it thru the first week of getting back to things.. it was kind of fun-- & funny .. & yes -it was a series of "baby steps" triumphs .
I managed to stick to eating healthy .. even ended up buying a whole chicken to eat the breast off it on the way home from Costco with the kids! ~lol~
let me tell you... avoiding the samples in there was HARD! akk! :P

Getting in workouts was a bit more of a challenge seeing as the kids were still home, & then I had to go back to silly work.. but I managed to get creative..
one eve at work, I did a body weight work out on my break & another - I took one of my girlfriends out for a 45 min speed walk up & down around the hospital grounds on our dinner break..& let me tell you for me this was something 'cause it was COLD!!!
but we talked & caught up while we went ..so it was good !
Yesterday we all went for a HUGE bike ride down the hill from us - thru some trails & up some more hills !! We did this since Stevie had got his " new bike" that he had desperately been wanting with his Xmas money & we had a decent day to try it! :D
again.. it was cold but really kinda fun & cool involving the kids & Jamie in my "cardio" .

& best of all - I even managed to say a very assertive "no thanks" to the orange cake * droool* that someone had brought into work last night.. & ate my veggies instead..
So all in all a really good week!! .. still don't really wanna talk about numbers or weights.. just trying to keep my hand hold on the "wagon!"

Thanks all for you words of wisdom & encouragement.. I've enjoyed & leaned on them this week!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Ok- so that isn't a very Original title.. having finally had a second in the past couple days to check in on every one.. I see that is a common theme! ~lol~

Hopefully the New Year has passed & you have survived it & come thru unscathed..or at least by now you have recovered if nothing else!

We ended up having a progressive dinner party that took us to a total of 4 different homes for 4 different courses of dining adventures .
I seem to spend Waaaaay too much time telling you about all the eatin & drinking goin on in our lives so I'll give you the Cole's notes version & say that we ended up here with about a dozen adults & 7 kids by the time Midnight rolled around! It was a great combination of both levels of fun- champagne & the Hot tub for the grown-ups & sparkling apple juice & X-box for the kids!
& everyone in the Cul-de -sac for sparklers & much banging of pots at 1200!


But Now.....

It is TIME ...

ok -it is SOOOOO way past time for me to ditch the Holiday mode that I have somehow slipped into & REMAINED in since the Trip to Mexico in November..

Today I began what I know will be the S L O W & painful trek back to a focus of fitness & health & eating right.
So it's been glass after glass of water ( or actually-warm cup since it's been bloody cold, rainy stormy all day) & throwing out all the spinach dip & other remnants of the orgy of food & drink that took over our household for December.
& it was a trip up the stairs to do a spin on the treadmill...nothing really exciting.. don't want to bugger my foot right off the get go.. since it's been almost tolerable lately- but Cardio none the less.

I know I have a LOT of work to do..
ALOT!
& frankly since I- not unlike some other blends- have dark moments of depression in the winter ..I don't know if I want to know the weight & numbers just yet..it might just send me into a bad spin :(

I'm not all excited & fired up .. maybe some of you could lend me a dose of your enthusiasm..cause I know some of you have LOTS right now..
I seem to have left mine somewhere... or maybe it's just general lethargy- I dunno
but I just know it is TIME.

Oh alright...

OK so it's time to get past vacation mode & get into the Spirit of the season!

Actually since we got home .. It been FULL go mode for Christmas -winter & general.. we came home to snow & since then have had a couple really wicked wind storms as well. Yep winter is HERE!
Yes that is a pic of a snow Bear... we decided to make it a bear when Steven went to the garden to find a carrot & came back with a BEET!~ ~lol~

As far as Christmas stuff.. gees I don't think we've had a weekend that was quiet in ..ummm ages & Worst of all-- it's been all about Food & Drink!!!
AKKKKKKK ! cooking , baking, decorating, Pot-lucks at work, crafts with kids ,appetizer parties , & now we're planning a progressive dinner party for New Years that strangely enough everyone decided would End here at our house! hmmmmm Geee you think they were thinking Hot Tub maybe??

I'm still trying to find time to hit the gym.. but my heart just isn't in it.. It's hard to when things like ... OH geees I forgot "that" for the kids stockings pops into your head! & " damn I better go do that before work tonight!"
Pressies are almost done.. & wrapping is underway... I just keep feelin like I'm running out of time!!

In the mean time Here's some pics of what we've been doin that are a little more "Seasonal "

OK so where have I been??...

Well I think I'll let the photos speak for themselves... these are only a few of almost 500 pics that our friends Brian & Kim took.. All I can say is having never been to an all inclusive resort... this was Quite the experience!!! Way , way , way too much fun was had by all! :)
a very lovely Anniversary pressie from my Jamie

Well that was fun!

Just got kids off to school this Am & wanted to share with you a little thought about yesterday..
We had a pretty good storm system hit the coast here.. & we were among the many who lost power.
I gotta say-to be honest...It was FUN!
Ok now that might sound a bit weird but it was... I was off work so I guess that makes a huge difference in my perspective. But really it was a great time.

it meant that in the afternoon when the rains started pounding & the winds really started pickin up.. I got smart & cooked dinner ahead...Got the rice cooked in the cooker & put the chicken in a sauce & into the gas oven. & well...since I had time.. made some homemade chicken potato soup in the slow cooker.
So by the time I walked over to the school to get kids .. Everything was well under way.. Our walk home was an adventure.. Watching the kids open their coats to try to "fly" & lean into the wind walking down the hill home..I had to just giggle since these are the things that childhood memories are made of!
the walk home continued as I hurried all the neighbourhood kids that were walking home along through the path under the trees ..when I heard a few cracks!! AKKKK ...Ok OUT from under the trees Gang! MOVE IT!

Safely thru the "forest" we got home where a warm snuggly fire awaited us..
The only thing that surprised me is that the power didn't go out & till almost 4.. So by then we had MOST of the home work done... Steven had kept getting up & looking out at the greenbelt trees behind us.. What a show!

The remains of the afternoon were spent lighting candles every where & finding the camping lantern when Jamie came home .
Dinner was a lovely candle lit affair & Jess decided we needed to have the soup as part of dinner ...since soup is what you eat on "stormy" days!
After dinner Jess asked about making something else "warm" for a special treat.. so she & I made stove top pudding & a sortof cake in a cast iron pan..( ok word to the wise... You have to peel off the bottom! ~lol~ put it all together & we had a a Yummy chocolate dessert ! Yep.. Having a gas stove does have some unique benefits!
later after cleanup where I got told that it's NOT as fun to wash dishes in COLD water.. We all wandered out for a few minutes in the hot tub..which without power.. is basically a big warm bath & that's all! Then back in & into pj's we cuddled up on the couch for some reading time under the blankies by the fire . Then finally up to brush teeth by candlelight & tuck everyone including our selves into bed..
So a night with no TV .. no computer , no lights was probably the nicest we've had in a long while! Sometimes it's good to remember the simple things like just spending quiet TIME together :D

Hmmmm ok different.. but Good :)

So I've had sucessful week of avoiding the sugar monsters...Yay Me! & part of that is in direct relation to what else I've been doing.. which is really cutting down on my carb intake in general.
I decided to try this when I went earlier this week in to the hospital for a bone scan on my ever annoying foot..Yes I AM finally doing something about it & being proactive instead of just moaning about it frikkin hurting all the time!
So.. that added to the fact that whether it's the weather or , just overuse in general.. my foot has been aching pretty much 24/7 lately.
AND... I HAVE NOT been to the Gym ALL week!! Geees this feels like going to confession...How many Hail Mary's ( or Bill's ) ( or Arnold's) or the Deity of your choice.. do I have to say??!

Ok .. so it's not really that bad ..but it's felt weird..but I have got lots of shoppin for my trip & or the kids & Jamie done! ~lol~

Any who... some of you ..especially those (Cherie) who have tummy issues..might be interested to find out that my experiment with cutting out pretty much all simple carbs has resulted in my lower tummy area "changing". The skin seems looser.. like the fat underneath has gone..somewhere..
Ok so maybe I'm totally out to lunch but it does!!
Has anyone else had this happen when they radically change what they are doing diet-wise??
any who that's where I am.. trying something a bit different since I am not able to go to the gym & do the cardio that I ususually do.

Now of course my brain wonders...if I DID do cardio as well as this , what might I be able to do?


Ah...It's Friday.. & in our house if I'm home..that is "play day" or "Free day" or Sqisheeee day" tee hee..so I'd better go...

Ok Nuff of that !

Well it's still raining...in fact we're expecting record rainfall in the next 24 -48 hrs & apparently some Huge winds along with it... so we'll see what that brings! Yiikes~!
I've decided that it's time to "step AWAY " from the candy & get my brain & bod back in gear as of the AM.. So wish me luck ! ...& PLEASE if you're around ..feel free to check on me or give me a kick or a poke!! I'm gonna make sure to sign in to both Messengers it's time to quit hiding & DO something!
& just 'cause they are fun..here's another more interesting ,cheery test!

Your Dosha is Pitta

You have a quick mind, a gift for persuasion, and a sharp sense of humor. You have both the drive and people skills to be a very successful leader. Argumentative and a bit stubborn, you have been known to be a little too set in your ways. But while you may be biased toward your own point of view, you are always honest, fair, and ethical. With friends: You are outgoing and open to anyone who might want to talk to you In love: You are picky but passionate To achieve more balance: Be less judgmental of those around you, and take cool walks in the moonlight.

What's Your Dosha?

just cause they are fun..here's another more interesting ,cheery test!

Yep kinda blue today..

Not sure what to write..since it seems that it's kinda quiet around blogville anywho...
Halloween was Great, kids had a wonderful time.. but now it's over & I'm left with the rain & too much damn candy! ( NOT good in the middle of a very emotional PMS week! )

I should be all gettin hyper about the fact we are goin away for a week at the end of the month ...but somehow I am just not all excited as I should be.
I really haven't got into this trip like I should... Don't know if underneath I'm worried about something happening ..or just I feel like a big fat blobby so staying home & hibernating seems like a better idea..

Your Aura is Blue

Spiritual and calm, you tend to live a quiet but enriching life. You are very giving of yourself. And it's hard for you to let go of relationships. The purpose of your life: showing love to other people Famous blues include: Angelina Jolie, the Dali Lama, Oprah Careers for you to try: Psychic, Peace Corps Volunteer, Counselor

What Color Is Your Aura?

Halloween party..

Last night was a great fun time..playing dress- ups always is! It was funny tho to see that there were a few folks who didn't dress up ...or had rather minmal costumes. The guy dressed as a fridge ( yep walking around in the whole BIG box thing! was the most original I'd have to say. :)
I'm still workin on seeing if I can get some of the pics out of my phone That's all I had with me to take pics.. I was worried about losing or muckin up the camera- or someone spilling a drink on it! ~lol~
So in the mean time here's a pic we took of my darling & I before we left home.