I Did It!

Goal Set. Goal Achieved. I am so happy and proud of myself.

Mid July I started running as part of my new fitness regime. The goal I set for myself was to run the 5KM Oktoberfest run on October 17th. I didn't know if I could really do it. In May I was out of breath walking to the school to pick up the kids. I have never run before and truly didn't like running but wanted to give it a try. Today I really like running.

Today was success. On this beautiful cool but sunny day I ran 5km without stopping and achieved my best time ever. BIB #912 - 5km in 33:14 minutes. I beat my personal best by more than 3 minutes. I was so excited and felt like I could have kept going. Andy and the girls surprised me at the 3.5km mark and it meant the world to me. This goal was about me, I trained for me and I did it for me.

The experience is going to be unforgettable. The beautiful day, the great colours in the trees, the sun shining on over 1000 people that set out on this race, the sea of people ahead of me as I ran down the hill on King Street, turning onto Bridgeport road knowing that I could do it, seeing those 3 smiling faces, the finish line with my time 33:14. All I could think was WOW that was me.

I have to say that this has been a great experience for me. It has been a long time since I have set this kind of goal for myself and achieved it. Yes I have the to do lists and things I want to get done but not for a long time has it been like this and yes it feels good.

Anyone up to the 10KM next year?

Yes It is Summer

For a stay at home mom, this means change. It means that the kids and I are interacting constantly and that can be challenging sometimes. I find with my kids that they don't really play that well together. It takes time to get into a groove and often they never get there. I feel like a constant mediator and I am running out of suggestions. I am finding it difficult. One kids likes constant interaction with other kids and she would have a playdate all the time. The other kids likes quiet time with no one around. One likes to watch tv, the other finds it annoying. One likes to always be in control and the other doesn't always want to follow. I am constantly feeling pulled in 2 directions. With late bedtimes it feels like the emotions are running even higher. Would love to hear your suggestions if you have them. Hopefully a trip to the library will settle everyone a bit and the rain stops so that we can get out and go for a swim.

We did have a great week away and had a great time at American Idol Live. Pictures to come later.

Family Activity

Before Christmas, a blog that I follow A Peak into the Fishbowl had a post about geocaching. I had never heard about it but was intrigued by the concept. After doing a little research I knew it was something that I wanted to get the kids for Christmas. I purchased a unit for my niece and nephew and my SIL bought it for my kids. Since then we have been having a great time geocaching. We plan geocaching outings but sometimes I will take it in my purse and turn it on when we are out and about. We have taken friends geocaching as well and it is a great activity for a group of kids. The cool thing is that you are walking around to find the treasure and you don't realize that you have walked 1/2 a mile or even more. It is a great family activity that encourages outside physical activity and something that everyone can have fun at. What we have found out is that there is geocaching everywhere in our city and almost everywhere we go. A friend of mine recently went to Maine and found a ton of caches there. Some are really easy to find while others are very challenging.

Here is Andrea's description about geocaching:

Geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting type of activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) to find “treasure” a.k.a caches. There is a sizable geocaching community out there and there are caches all over the world, plenty of which are in Ottawa.

Participants can hide or seek a cache, or both. Seekers keep a log of how many they find, collecting their finds as if they were pirate treasure. (Alas there is no real treasure - no gold coins or strings of pearls as far as I know.) I should point out that the caches are not kept, they are always returned to their hiding spot.

The caches themselves are made out of waterproof containers and contain small items. Finders are encouraged to leave things in exchange for others (although this isn’t strictly necessary), and everyone signs a notebook to prove they were there.

We use a kids version of a GPS made my Geomate Jr but the Blackberry and iPhones have GPS apps that you can use. In Waterloo Park there are more than 7 caches hidden. To date I think that we have found around 25 caches. There is also an official Geocaching websitethat you can join for free that allows you to track the caches you have found but also leads you to areas that have many.




You can see the lime green gps unit around Mer's neck in one of the pictures. Each of the caches have log books that you can sign and sometimes we will take treasures and trade items that we have brought along. I purchased the units on line at Amazon.com. If you want more info on geocaching,let me know.

For a Good Cause

Each year in April I get a table of friends together and we head off the to the Spring Promenade Fashion Show in support of the Waterloo Region Hospice. It is a time to see friends you don't see often, a chance to laugh and share stories with other women, a glimpse into what the fashionable people wear, but it is also a time to reflect on your life and raise money for a very worthwhile cause. The volunteer speaker from Hospice said words that were very moving for me and others at the table. We have heard the words she spoke often but for me last night I listened. Don't sweat the small stuff, live each day like it is your last, don't have regrets, forgive yourself for the mistakes that you have made. She spoke of learning from her clients about living not dying. We need these reminders sometimes for perspective. Last nights show was one of the best I have seen and I have attended more than 10. Way to go Jane and her committee.

I have been in a creative slump and haven't been doing much. A card here or there but that is it. Last summer Quickutz came out with a Letterpress tool. I have been coveting it since then. Two weeks ago I took the plunge and purchased it. The tool enables you to de-embossed an image with ink and allows you to replicate the card over and over again. I have been playing and figuring out how the tool works. It definitely comes with a learning curve but I am loving the results. If you have any need for a set of custom cards - invites, thank yous, birthday cards. Let me know. I will post a few samples to show you what it can do.

If you are looking for some sweet treats - Dana Shortt Gourmet is having a bake sale tomorrow at her store with the proceeds going to Kidsability.

Crazy weekend ahead - Scrapfest, Ravens party, Fundraiser at the African Lion Safari, Wildfire party, PD Day, Kidsability Bake Sale, and maybe a few reptiles thrown in for good measure.

Welcome April

Yes, it has been a long time. No, I do not have a good excuse. Yes, I have had lots of blog worthy material. No, I did not take the time to post. The winter was good and busy and short, which was good. Our family was busy every weekend from February until now with either Ringette tournaments or hockey tournaments or our trip to Florida. Hockey is over, Curling is over, Ringette is over and we have some time. This weekend was incredible. We had a family day on Friday. We went to Elora and did some geocaching. It is our new favourite family activity. We watched a championship game on Saturday. Avery's team lost 1-0 but it didn't matter. It was the girls best game of the season. We worked outside in the wonderful sunshine. We decorated eggs. We ate turkey and chocolate yesterday. The girls played, and played and played, uninterrupted. It was great. Welcome April and welcome spring. I think I am back!

Thanks for the push Dana!

It Was a Lofty Goal

However I do have pictures, I do have stories, just not quite enough time to get it all down here. Christmas Eve is just around the corner. The girls are excited. The presents are wrapped (a first for me). We are ready to entertain tomorrow night. Merry Christmas to all my friends and family. Enjoy the ones you love and take in all the fun of the holiday season!

So Excited & Letters to Santa

Today I won! I won a $100 Gift Certificate from this company Blend Creations. The jewellery is beautiful and unique. I am having trouble deciding which item I want, there is so much to choose from.






I had the opportunity to win this through a blog comment on "A Peek Inside the Fishbowl". Andrea writes this blog from Ottawa. She highlights cool products, ideas for family fun and many other interesting fun topics. Check out her blog for some great ideas. Thanks to Vivian of Blend Creations and Andrea. You made my day!

Yesterday after school we wrote letters to Santa complete with popcorn and hot chocolate. The ideas that were put on the list have been talked about for weeks, discussed, mulled, changed! It is so neat to see the writing process of both girls. Avery was concise, complete and organized. She wrote the letter on her own in the time span of about 10 minutes. Meredith's letter was more laboured, she tried really hard with the spelling and details, her letter took more like 30 minutes to write. I really like the artwork that they added to the letters.
Process





End Result





Today
Got most of the Christmas shopping finished up today. Just a couple of little things left to get. The kids have been loving the snow and despite the cold temperature, the kids played outside for an hour or more after school today. Andy was out tonight. We ate take out, cuddled on the couch and watched a Franklin Christmas Special in front of the fire place.