My first photo shoot....boot camp!

My friend Paul...who is also my trainer has a boot camp 3 mornings a week all summer long....I used to attend this camp but now I'm on the other side of the city...and 6am is an early start for this gal.

BUT...

He asked me a while ago if I could take some pics for him at camp one day. I noted that I have no clue what I'm doing...but I would try. We can all use the practice right!.

He then sweetened the deal by giving me a free pass to his camp all summer. Drop in whenever I want free of charge. SCORE!!! I will get up at 5:15 for a freebie butt kicking!

So last week I went and I shot LOTS of pics...it was fun, I was nervous as heck...but I managed to get a few goodies..

Swing set pull ups...a crowd favorite...especially if the swings are all dirty from kids spit up and water and sand...



Fresh air at 6am...nothing like it!

The gals were more than happy to smile for me...

He may look nice but he's evil...in a good way..

Open your ears my dear...

This post is to my dear Cole.

You must have something stuck in your ears as your listening skills seem to have disappeared. I have checked your ears and they seem just fine. Your doctor also confirmed that your hearing is perfectly in tact.....humm, I'm therefore at a loss!

Is it because school has given you new found freedom to do what you want...when you want? Your teacher does not watch you like I do.....she does have 22 other munchkins running around....and I'm pretty sure she does not have eyes in the back of her head like your mommy does...

Or maybe you expend all of your listening skills from 8:30-11:30am at which point the listening tank is depleted...??

Is it certain friends at school? Are you being influenced by others? I'm hoping you are not a follower. I try to instill in you the confidence to make "good" decisions. I may have even pulled a phrase from grandma's book..

If (insert child name here) jumped off a bridge, would you jump off too? Is jumping off a bridge a smart decision? Will it result in a "good" outcome?

Oy, I'm showing my age.

Whatever it is...I am willing to remain consistent in my expectations. Respect, Compassion, Love. I accept nothing less.

You have lost your scooter for a week because you chose to "follow" bad behaviour. It pains me to take away any "fun" because someone with "other rules" is influencing you. I know you are only 5 and I'm trying to be patient.

I expect once school is out and you are mine 24/7 that those ears will magically become unclogged....

How many days until school is out??????

Oh NO I Didn't!

Oh no I did NOT give Kyle a french fry to suck on.

Oh YES i did...and a burger too....a Grand Beach Lanky's Burger....to be exact!

This kid is HUNGRY. He salivates at the sight of us eating anything. The mush is not cutting it anymore....he wants BIG PERSON food.

Buddy, you have no teeth. Choking is not something I am prepared to deal with.....but it's hard to resist this content face....

NEVER would I have even touched Cole's lips to such food....funny how you become a bit more relaxed with number 2 and 3. Over the weekend we tried avocado, oranges and watermelon......I'm running out of ideas,

Any thoughts?

Fitness friday..2 days late

I suck at posting on time.
Sorry about that.

How was your week for fitness? Did you try something new? Did you push a bit out of your comfort zone? Do it.

I had a weigh in this week (friends with body callipers are great friends to have). Another .5 pound lost but 1.5% body fat gone. Not far to go now, my goal is 10% bodyfat. I feel that would be a maintainable %.

My friend did drop a bit of a bomb on me at my weigh in...she asked me if I wanted to compete. She said I have the right "build". Small waist, broad back and shoulders and an overall athletic build.

Humm....I love watching fitness competitions but to actually get up there on stage? Never mind the 12 week starvation diet I (and my family) would have to endure...plus the 2 hours of cardio a day I would need to fit in.

I'm undecided. I'll keep you posted.

Are you curious who this friend is of mine....check her out for inspiration...she looks pretty much like this year round...amazing.

Happy 6 months my twins!

6 months old.

Time is flying by....STOP! I am loving this stage of my life so much that it saddens me to think the boys can only get older and older from here on.

Little Lukey....you are so gentle and easy going. Mommy takes for granted that you too need just as many snuggles as your brother. This is why Kyle goes down for a nap/bed 15 minutes before you...that way we can spend that precious time snuggling alone and uninterrupted. You rarely fuss, you are sleeping so well and the eating.....well you are "getting it"...slowly. Less food is ending up on your clothes these days. You just discovered the exersaucer (the jumparoo was too much work for you...I understand...)



Peanut Kyle. You are fiesty, just like I was as a baby (hence why my mom took a 4 yr break from having another child after me!). Now that you have discovered food and the jumparoo (the exersaucer is not enough work for you...I understand) , you are one happy camper. When you're tired you scream like a teradactyl...it hurts my ears..seriously. I see a future full of climbing and getting into trouble....you will keep me on my toes. I'm ready for it...no worries.


Ironically, we ran into my fertility doctor at Costco on Saturday. His name is Dr. McTavish....but I called him Dr. McTasty. He is yummy...

I digress..

Anyways, he runs over to Tim and I and drags his wife from the car, all to meet our twins...we thanked him for the work he does we reminded him of how he changes lives. Without him there would be no Luke and Kyle. I am forever grateful.

And to wrap up a great 6 month celebration...we got a phone call from the local TV station wanting to interview us. Manitoba is now providing a 40% tax credit towards IVF expenses and they wanted our thoughts (we have a connection...thanks Eleanor!). A camera crew came (thanks for the 2 hour notice!) and at 6pm we saw this:

http://winnipeg.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100517/wpg_fertility_tax_100517/20100517/?hub=WinnipegHome

It was a fantastic weekend and I cannot imagine what the next 6 months will be like. Crawling, walking, talking....but for now, I will sit back and enjoy this stage...my boys..my loves.

Fitness Friday

This morning....

6am boot camp

Fresh Air

Fun women (and a few serious men)

What could be better?

How about pushing my trainers truck around the park once (1.2 miles) while he steered, played cheesy 90's music (aaahh push it, push it real good!) and laughed at us.

I was worried I may be tired by 10am nap time but 3 cups of coffee, a 2km walk to and from school...with all 3 kids... and I feel fantastic!

Many of my readers have done, or are doing a boot camp class. If you have never signed up for one...do it. Especially an outdoor camp. NOTHING rejuvenates a person like exercise and fresh air.

What's a fun exercise your boot camp class has done lately?

Happy Weekend!
Eat well & stay moving!

My strange addiction

Did anyone see it last night on TLC?

My strange addiction.

Crazy stuff my friends.

• A chalk eater
• A runner
• A tanner
• A shopper

Ok, I will admit that I do/have done 3 of the 4 listed items.

Anyone care to guess which one I have NOT done??

The runner ran 20 miles A DAY! The tanner tanned 2 hours outside and then 2 sessions indoors A DAY!, The shopper had $75k in shopping debt. The chalk eater also ate dirt and....wait for it.....took a "swig" of laundry detergent when she did clothes.

Ok, how she is not dead I don't know....she claims she only read the warning on the back of the detergent bottle recently. I think the chalk is messing with her intelligence.

I don't think I have any strange obsessive habits/interests (although Tim may disagree but he can comment if that's the case!)

I do remember when I was young, I HATED (and still do) room temp sandwiches that have lunch meat in them. My mom would pack one in my lunch (bologna, yuck!) and instead of throwing it out at school, I would bring it home and HIDE the whole sandwich in the backyard of my parents house. In the spring when all the snow would melt, there would be these plastic bags with moldy sandwiches scattered around the yard in the bushes.

BUSTED

Why on earth would I bring them home? To this day I am still amazed at what I did, the lengths I went through to hide them. Why not just tell my mom that sandwiches were not my thing?

What obsessive things have you done or are doing now?

Come on, it cannot be as sad as the chalk eater!

My mothers day!

I truly don't need a day in my honor. BUT....since someone has placed this special day upon me.. I try to enjoy it!

Mothers day 2010 was great. My first one as a mom of 3 kids!!! While breakfast in bed may appeal to some...for me, I headed out for a 9 mile run and came home to fresh coffee and an egg white omelet...oh, and a clean kitchen. HEAVEN!

Then came the gifts...handmade cards by the one and only Cole. Again, only a picture of me and Cole drawn on it...no twins. No daddy. Can we say "mommy time" needed? Tim purchased a lovely dumbell rack for my home gym. Before you "boo" at him...keep in mind that I did ask for one and I did squeal when I unwrapped it. Now my dumbells are all nicely lined up from lightest to heaviest in their nice little home.. off the floor!

I know I'm sad... (PS: last years gift was a weighted vest that I wear when I treadmill)

The best gift from my hubby though.....he managed to sleep train the twins last week. 7-7 my friends with NO FEEDS! Both boys! Again, HEAVEN.

He sent Cole and I into the basement for bed and he pushed through the crying and comforting at all hours in the night for 3 nights. By Sunday, I was able to move back upstairs and sleep a full 9 hours straight. Now THAT is the best gift ever...no?

We had brunch with my parents, my bro & new wife Tammy and my sister and her new fiancee (YES she is getting married in Sept...when it rains it pours flippin weddings around here!)

I guess the upside to a funeral is that is does bring the living together. In this case my mom was able to have all her kids around her during such a tough time. We all found our smiles that day.

Hope yours was a special one!

A weekend of sadness - funeral

The weekend is over...finally. I rarely hope for a short weekend.

Funerals + Me = Anxiety

We buried my aunt this past weekend. Viewing was friday night and the funeral service was on Saturday.

Funerals sure have changed...unfortunately I have attended my fair share of them. The first funeral I ever attended was for a friend in high school. He had been drinking under a bridge by the river and fell in and drowned. I will NEVER forget it. It was the MOST sadness I have ever seen in one room. He was only 16. It made me think, does the level of sadness heighten when it's a younger person? My aunt was 75, I heard alot of "she had a good long life" ....there was alot of sniffling but no sobbing and screaming like at my young friends burial.

Is there an age limit on when it becomes "ok" to die? Do we rationalize and accept death more at an older age?

I also noticed that funeral homes have embraced our age of technology...a nice slideshow was put together celebrating my aunts behalf, perfectly timed to suitable music (Frank Sinatra....her favorite!). There must be a team of elves working feverishly behind the scenes as there were 4 viewings and 2 funeral services happening at once! Either the funeral home director profession is a dying breed or we are dying in larger quantities then 20 yrs ago!

What I can say about this added technological service was that it really gave a sense of who my aunt was. Painting, playing piano, pics with her kids, laughing with friends, grandkids, and of course snuggle pics of her and my uncle brought smiles in a time of sadness.

I looked around the packed chapel and whispered to Tim. "I want people to come visit me, hug me and tell me they love me while I am ALIVE. I want a slideshow of my life that I can watch." It may not have been the place to start talking death with my hubby, but I need him to know these things.

Do you talk death with your spouse/significant other or family?

My dad did a eulogy. He read a poem that hit home for many I'm sure. If you have a chance to read it please do. It's called The Dash.

Fitness Friday...a day early!

Everyone grieves in their own way. For me, I run. I also head to the gym. My aunt was amazed by my dedication to fitness. She inspired me to age gracefully like she was doing and over the years we shared many walks in the park talking about health and fitness. For 75 years old, she was a picture of health and I was so proud of her. Whenever she asked what she could do to stay fit, I told her to just keep moving...and she did...as much as she could.

So, this week I ran....alot... I also hit the gym alot. Tim knows it's where I can find my peace. I also had a weigh in this week and although I was down 3 pounds this month, my bodyfat creeped up .5%. Eek! Nothing major...I know..I earned that .5% increase, trust me!

Tim reminded me this morning of how far I've come in less then 5 months of training..let's take a peek. Here is me on the way to deliver the twins.....50cm belly....ouch! Still rockin the lulu's though!


Here is me this week...29 inch waist (I am striving for a six pack this summer...right now I have a 2 pack. Ha! Also ignore my white belly....if the weather here would cooperate I would tan that belly to match my arms!)


This just shows that hard work will pay off...all you mommies out there who email me (ps: why not post a comment?) asking for my tricks. THERE ARE NO TRICKS. I use no supplements or fat burners, I train hard and eat clean. Plain and simple. These past 2 weeks I have been skipping meals, inconsistent with my protein intake and overall just too many "treats" This resulted in lost muscle even though I have been training. If you are putting in serious gym/cardio time, you must eat.

Ok, lecture over..(it's more of a self lecture to remind myself to practice what I preach!)

So for fitness friday I will post my treadmill run this AM. You can vary the speed/incline according to your level but here is mine.

Minute 1-5: warm up walking at 3.9mph
5-10: light jog at 5.4
10-20: hill training 1min (incline 8, 4.5mph), jog 1min (incline 2 5.5mph)
20-25: sprint training 30sec (incline 1, 7.0mph) walk 30sec

REPEAT the hill and sprint training for a total of 30 min high intensity cardio.

Cool down by walking at least 5 min and stretch!

ON MY IPOD THIS WEEK

• Not myself tonight (Christina Aguilera)
• Billionaire (Travie McCoy)
• OMG (Usher)
• Alejandro (Lady Gaga)
  

Have a great weekend!