Snow snow snow

Snowman weather arrived!!! Finally, only -1 degrees and fluffy sticky snow...

The result?
285 calories burned in one hour of snowman building...who knew!

Dang, 5 snowmen....that's when it hits home, our family really grew this snowman season! This monkey has been couped up too long....he took to sliding down trees


2 hours later, rosy cheeks and all, we lured our snow bunny inside for some hot chocolate.... these are the days to cherish....

Celebrate snow!

Maybe we should go for #4?

When we found out we were having 2 more boys, many people asked if we would try for a girl. At the time I said no way, 3 kids is enough! Having had the twins, and loving every minute of this parenthood thing, I find myself asking...

Maybe a 4th child is a possibility?

Don't get me wrong, I would not do IVF again, knowing my luck I would end up with another set of twins...but I was open to simply "trying" for the next year without the use of fertility. If it's meant to me, it will happen right?

Which brings me to the point of my post. When do you know when to stop? When to be satisfied with what you have and shut the door on your child rearing days. I ask this as a result of what's happening with the Duggar Family. You know, the family of 18 who recently just had their 19th child at 25 weeks gestation.

I've watched their reality show a few times, and each time I ask...how did she manage to have 18 beautiful healthy kids? She is 42, the risks have been high for a few years now....I have friends who have one or two kids and either one or both have health related issues.

I myself had a scare in our own twin pregnancy...my blood work at 15 weeks showed and significant increase in protein levels which they told me was an indicator of down syndrome. (That's a whole post in itself)

MY truth is that we set out in pregnancy expecting to have no complications. To deliver a beautiful baby and go home with that baby. Life is hard enough when you have perfectly healthy kids and I while I know I can handle anything life throws at me, I hope to never tempt fate.

Did Michelle Duggar tempt fate by not closing the fertility doors years ago? She mentioned at one point how they would keep having kids until she could no longer conceive (ie: menopause). Now she has delivered a baby at 25 weeks, 1 pound 6oz.

I'm no doctor and I have no clue whether pre-eclampsia is associated at all with age..

I'm also not religious, don't fault me for my spiritual ignorance.

I do believe we are only dealt what we can handle. The question is whether our decisions play a role in the cards we are dealt? Wasn't 18 kids enough? Why did she need to shuffle the deck once more?

Get over yourself Julia

Over the years I have watched MANY awards shows. I like the red carpet thingy and I enjoy the main categories...what I don't like are the acceptance speeches. "I'd like the thank the lord, my parents, my dog", yada yada...enough already. Smile and thank US, the public, for seeing your movies, even in tough economic times! Half of the time I switch channels when the speeches are on.

BUT, it's become a bit of an obsession of mine to pay close attention to any speech provided by little miss Julia Roberts. If you listen closely, Julia manages (most of the time) to make the speech about HER...whether she is accepting an award or merely presenting one. No way you say?

2000 Oscars: Yes she won for best actress but was it truly necessary to call the conductor a "stick man" when he signaled his orchestra to play? Your speech was in overtime because YOU chose to waste 3 minutes giggling... AND then you did not even thank the amazing woman who provided the meat & potatoes for your role (Erin Brockovich)..which then placed you into the $20 million dollar per movie role club..

By the way.....$25M for her follow up role in Mona Lisa Smile? Really? Seriously? Did the movie even gross that amount?

2001 Oscars: While presenting the Best Actor Award to Denzel Washington, she made a "funny" saying she was glad the conductor Bill Conti wasn't there. He was the man who had tried to hasten the conclusion of HER Oscar speech in 2000.

Focus Julia, this is Denzel we're cheering for..you know, the amazing actor...we're not concerned about YOUR beef with Mr. Conti.

April 2009, Tom Hanks Tribute Speech in NYC: "Alright well, it's late and I'm paying my babysitter overtime and I have to pee"

Wow Julia, you think we actually care that you must PEE? The tribute should wrap up so you can relieve yourself? Potty talk is acceptable in public when Miss Julia says it?

Golden Globes 2010 (FYI last night): She starts by stating the ridiculous amount of texts she's received because SHE is sitting next to Sir Paul McCartney...and right before she announces the winner for BEST PICTURE (hello, the most anticipated category!) she throws in a shout out to HER kids and how they should be in bed.

Ok, come on...WHY must she always make it about her....she hasn't made a great movie in years (The Mexican?? Duplicity??).

I realize a handful of examples does not make a case..but it does show a slight pattern... a pattern for which I am obsessed with...what will she say next time? Who's spotlight will she overshadow?

You can count on me being glued to the TV on Oscar night next month....don't fail me now Julia!

weekly weigh in

136.7 lbs

Slowly but surely I am getting back to my pre-babies weight. The belly toning...well that's another story and will likely require thousands of crunches and hours of cardio. 8 weeks post delivery and I feel fantastic and my clothes fit (minus the boobies)....that's all I can ask for at this point.

I joined Goodlife fitness. I have a great home gym but I like the outing. 3 times a week I head there for resistance training and some time on this beast..


My ass thanks me for it.

I've also pulled out my crazy dance cardio DVD...

if you are/were a dancer and you want a challenge, get this DVD...it's fun to learn the 8 routines. It took me about 2 weeks to master the routines and be able to dance the entire 40 minutes.

My heart thanks me for it...and so do my calves.

My meal plan is clean and stacked with protein and fibre....I made some great coconut chicken fingers (thanks to Rachel Ray) last night for the fam....they were a hit! Simply cut up your chicken into fingers, and dip into beated egg, then panko crumbs and finally into unsweetened coconut. Bake at 350 for 20min or pan fry in some EVOO.

Stay fit and healthy this weekend!

Candid confessions

We all have secrets.

Yes.....you do too, admit it.

So today I discovered something I do, that many may find odd...or not.

Today is my confessional.

I love coffee. I'll take ANY coffee when I'm desperate (I have been seen running into a 7-eleven to get some weak, translucent looking brown stuff they call fresh brewed coffee). When a tightness starts in my forehead, I am withdrawing fast and unless I act as though the world is coming to an end and pull into whatever coffee joint I see, my pinch turns into a full blown headache.

But that's not my point as millions of people are addicted to caffeine...just like Moi!

My quirky behavior lies within the coffee cup..the Tim Horton's disposable cup OR the Starbucks take out cup. No other joints will suffice.

I confess that I will purchase a Starbucks coffee or a Timmy's coffee and enjoy every last drop of it...and then I will rinse out the cup and hang on to it.....WHY you ask?

Well, I will then make a pot of coffee later in the day (or the next morning) and I will pour my coffee into the disposable cup. In my odd, warped mind, the coffee tastes better then if it were simply in one of my coffee mugs. I also save money by tricking myself into not having to run out and BUY a cup of coffee.

This is not a daily occurrence (and I do not keep the cup for more then a day for health reasons!) , but at least once a week I will partake in this behavior. Today was one of those days. It's like my sanctuary, the twins are napping, Cole is playing quietly and I want to treat myself to a coffee...but I can't run out and get one...so I play pretend with my superstore coffee in my Timmy's cup which I purchased this morning after I dropped Cole off at school.

Odd? Maybe...but I'm betting there are many other "odd" confessions out there that simply make you who you are. Wanna share?

Twins Q&A

I get alot of emails and I get stopped by strangers all asking various questions about having twins (I can't blame people, it's quite the sight to see us shopping at Costco with a double stroller a shopping cart and a 5 yr old).

So I thought I would do a little Q&A here (disclaimer: this is MY situation, and in no way, shape of form does it indicate a universal belief!)

Q: How can you tell them apart!
A: They are fraternal twins. To us, they look nothing alike, it's pretty obvious. Let's take a peek. Mr. Luke looks very much like Cole did as a baby who in turn looks like Tim (larger noodle)


Mr. Kyle looks alot like my side of the family (peanut head included)



Q: Do they sleep in the same crib?
A: No they are solo sleepers and have been since about day 3. Not only are they in separate cribs but they have separate rooms, on either ends of the hallway. Luke has the Winnie the Pooh room and Kyle has the race car room.

Q: Why would you separate them, lots is said about keeping them together since they shared your belly?
A: We were totally open to trying them in the same crib but the boys did not sleep well. Luke likes his own space. He would swat Kyle out of the way. The night we moved them into separate cribs they slept a solid 3 hours at a time.

Q: Are they on the same schedule?
A: In the hospital the nurses helped me get them on a close schedule and I've continued it since. Lucky for me they wake within 20 minutes of each other so I rarely have to deal with 2 feedings at once.

Q: Are they similar in personalities?
A: NO. Luke is easy going (as you can tell by his picture)..often he will wake up and chill in his crib or swing without a peep....his cry is also more of a wimper....
Kyle is way serious (as you can tell by his picture)...he squawks when he cries and he struggles with gas badddddd.......when he "toots" you would think he was dying...his scream is so loud.
Ovul and some changes to my diet (no brocolli) and a change in formula seems to have helped alot.

Q: Are you getting any rest at all?
A: YES! Lots of rest actually. Luke is sleeping through the night (most nights) and by this I mean 11-5 or 12-6. Kyle is up once a night around 3 to feed. During the day they have a long morning nap and another one in the PM and then a few cats naps here and there. When they are up they're chilling on the play-mats, tummy time or being toted around in my arms or sling.

Q: Are you nursing them?
A: I am pumping breastmilk 100%. I have enough milk to feed 1.5 babies so they each get some formula to supplement the difference. Pumping was a good option for my lifestyle. Enough said, I really dislike the whole breastfeeding question....do what works for you is my opinion.

Q: How do you manage to go out?
A: I do my grocery shopping at Sobeys. They have mini carts for Cole to push so he helps. They also bag my groceries AND take them and pack them into the car for me..no additional cost. SOLD! We also x-mas shopped at the mall during the slow periods and usually a friend or family member would meet me to ensure I could run into some stores alone. The stroller does not do well in tight spaces like Lululemon!

Q: How has Cole adjusted?
A: Amazingly well. The hardest part is to get him to stop giving them kisses when they're sleeping. I managed to fix this by reminding him that if he wakes the twins up then his alone time with mommy ends....seems to have solved the problem and Cole and I enjoy quality time together every afternoon when he's home from school.

Q: Will we try for a girl?
A: Let's just say I will not be paying another $10k for IVF again. We have no eggs on ice so we would have to redo the needles and pay the $6500 to extract my eggs and who knows of I would get any. We decided to throw caution to the wind for the next year and see what happens. My chances of getting pregnant on my own are less then 1% but many people conceive naturally after undergoing IVF. I am 36 now and the risks increase every year for down syndrome and other issues. Having 3 healthy boys is more then I can ask for but I am open to one more if it's in the plan for us! Chances are I would have another boy though!

If you have any other questions...fire away!

Me...The Olympic Torchbearer

Ok, I take back everything I said about not wanting to be a torchbearer. Turns out it was an amazing experience. I think it hit me when I was sitting on the shuttle with the other torchbearers and the organizer said:

"When you carry the torch just know that you are the only one in the world carrying the Olympic flame which came all the way from Greece"

Ok, that's kinda cool.

We even had an Olympian on our segment of the relay. A figure skater who went to the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. There was also a guy who sold his car to buy a bike and raise money for cancer by biking across Canada. Lots of great people.

My nerves turned into excitement as I jumped off the bus at my transition spot. My family and friends were all there cheering me on, taking pics, I was all smiles.

The odd thing is the way people were wanting to take a picture with me....it was very paparazzi like...for 5 minutes I was famous! It was a small glimpse into the life of a star..and I am happy to report that I truly enjoy my simple PRIVATE life.


Check out Cole's face looking up at the torch, and the kids all around me...you can't explain that level of excitement....who doesn't want to be an Olympian at some point in their childhood?

My sister and her friend took video of my torch being lit, check it out on YouTube

I hold this experience dear to my heart. My husband was right, it was a chance of a lifetime and I am happy we bought the torch...(they are selling on Ebay for $2000!)