Absent yet present?

Where o where have I been?
Fitness friday came and went. I know. Sorry. I will get back on it this week.

I can list everything that's been going on but for the sake of not boring you, here is the shortlist

Luke = croupe
Kyle = bad cold
Cole = ear infection

Luke + Kyle + Cole ALL cranky and begging for attention...from me. Only me. No one else would do.
This meant I was unable to even get off the floor to work during the day...unless I wanted 2 screaming babies and a whiney 6 year old after me....

BUT..I have been reading the blogs, and I thank you for all the laughs and interesting information you have all provided during my week from hell.

Did I mention it's freezing here so outings are "out" of the question.

And to top it all off. I was told this weekend that I seemed "upset"

No, it was not Tim who said it.

Apparently my balancing act does not include sick kidlets. Apparently I look upset after not sleeping for several days and trying to maintain peace in the house all day.

Apparently...I will have to try and smile more.

So I went and got a cut and color and threw on some makeup and smiled....

Done..and done.
Here's to a healthy week!

Looking out

It's cold here. We're talking really cold, a bundle me up in a parka, ski pants and balaclava cold.

Ahh Winnipeg, how I love you.

With one child, I could easily do it. With 2? Not so much. By "it" I mean venture outside. I have errands to run my friends. I have photos at Costco and the cupboards are bare...

But, for the past week, me and the boys have been hanging indoors. They have plenty of new toys from the big birthday to keep them entertained...but nothing is quite as exciting as this...
Snow!

Several times a day we sit in the front room and look outside. For me, it's simply cold snow and the fact that I'm stuck inside. For Luke and Kyle, I'm sure it's white, fluffy and looks like fun...how amazing it is to see them stare and smile as the snow falls down.

As cars and neighbors walk by. I'm sure the sight of these two staring out the window creates many of their own memories..

My mom had tears when she saw them...she said it reminded her of her time at home with my brother and I, and how it feels like yesterday that we were standing at the window, making handprints on the glass...staring, smiling.

The cold weather can continue on...I'm good inside...looking out.

The POWER of Oprah

The multi-million dollar talk show host has done it again.

She has cost me money.

No, I did not buy anything this time. I sold something.

Huh?

You see, she has that show every November called "Oprah's Favorite Things"....I like to watch it to see what goodies are hot ticket items in her mind. I also get a bit jealous of those in the audience, I admit it.

A few days ago Tim and I were looking to sell some stock. We decided our lululemon stock was a good choice. It was set to reach it's 52 week high, so we sold it at 49.50. A decent profit...

AND THEN IT HAPPENED...SHE SAID THIS...

'I've got to tell you, anything that cuts your butt in half should be your favorite thing too!'"

She was referring to the Lululemon Relaxed Fit Pant




Maybe viewers could miss her saying that...but then she brings out a bunch of models wearing the dang pants and has them turn around to flaunt off the butt.

You would have heard me yelling at the TV.....NOOOOOO, Off the stage people!!!

Maybe viewers don't really care about butts looking half their size?

Maybe I'm delirious

The stock jumped to $55 today.

DANG

The power of Oprah.

Bridesmaid...Round 3

Well, when it rains, it pours weddings around here..
Tim's brother just proposed to his girlfriend of a few years while vacationing in Jamaica.

Isn't it funny how the SECOND a girl gets engaged, the brain starts planning.. the wedding switch flicks to "on" and away we go...I was the same, aren't most girls?

Bridesmaid round 3 for me....I've got this honor down to a science now. No Problemo.

Saturday I met up with the lovely bride to watch her dress fitting. Yes, she had her dress within 3 days of being engaged. A gal who knows what she wants. Love it.

We went to one bridesmaid dress store and less then 2 hours later, all 5 of us were fitted, deposits paid and done. DONE..done. Can I say I LOVE my dress? Love it!

Voila

It's comfy, fun, cute and perfect for me. While I did not choose this dress at first, the second I saw it on another girl I had to try it. I'm still learning to NOT judge a dress by the hangar!

The good old Winnipeg Wedding Social will be next on the list. For those who are scrunching their face in confusion....Winnipeg is known for it's winter wedding socials. It's a big party where you sell tickets for $10 and you rent a community centre, a DJ, provide cheap booze and some food and you have local businesses donate prizes for everyone to bid on. Tim and I made $5,000 at our social and paid the deposit on our first condo with it. This social thing has been attempted in other cities, with no luck. I don't get it, but I get it...you know?

Also talk of a stagette in Vegas. Score!! Finally, a trip for me! Anyone wanna come?

Did I mention a date for the wedding has yet to be set?

Minor detail.

Will keep you posted!

Fitness Friday - Weigh In Week

124.5, up a pound in 3 weeks. Body fat remained at 11%, waist shrunk .5 inch but legs and arms grew .5inch. That 1 pound is all lean muscle...YAY.....here are my latest shots



Pleased were my trainers. Pleased am I. Feels like my muscles are popping out a bit more, less lean/skinny looking and more "fit" looking. Can I say my boobies are back! Double yay!! Only took a year and some serious chest work but I managed to pump them up again...

Side view...

Can we say a tan is needed? Yikes! Winnipeg Winter White in full effect!

Lots of oblique work these past 3 weeks and the results were good. Some definition on the side came through. Given my waist is pretty small, we don't expect huge changes there, just more definition.

Weigh in night means CHEAT MEAL NIGHT! Tonight I was ALL OVER the chocolate from halloween, I have been saving it until now! As I sit here, I feel ill and will likely have a headache from the sugar but it was well worth every little aero, kit kat and coffee crisp in my belly. Back on track tomorrow I go. Round 2, another 3 week program.

I worked DANG hard for that pound, heavy on the weights, lighter (ie:45 minutes a day) of cardio and ALOT of food. Amazes me how hard it is to gain muscle mass, I was worried I may get too big...not likely at the rate I'm going. We are switching to 5 days of weights now. I find my recovery time is not enough on a 6 day split. With my already active lifestyle with two babies at home, I need at least 2 days of active recovery. This will include yoga or light walk but no weights.

The shopping trip to Costco tonight included:
Chicken
Ground Beef
Veggies of all sorts..except carrots and peas, too high in carbs
Eggs
Milk
Yogurt
Cottage Cheese
Whole grain bread
Quinoa

Tomorrow I'll spend the wee hours prepping and cooking while the babies play and the house is quiet. Approx. 16 weeks out from competition. 4 more weeks of eating like this and then we will start cutting it down to get lean. Stay tuned!

NEW ON MY IPOD THIS WEEK:

• Give a little more -Maroon 5
• The Big Bang - Rock Mafia
• Wiggle Wiggle - Fulanito

Have a fit weekend!

365 Days Later

This was me just about a year ago..We were celebrating Cole's 5th birthday, knowing I was about at the end of my "pregnancy" rope...what you don't see is the extreme pain on my face from the pressure in my groin as the twins were both head down..and more then 6 pounds each....

I started this blog as a way to journal my infertility and IVF attempt. I was tired of everyone asking the same questions and I was tired of not having any answers. All I knew was that after Cole I stopped ovulating..nothing seemed to restart the cycle. Anger, frustration and sadness were part of my life.And then...we got these two...the only two that survived...how cute are they!!A week after implantation I felt different...things felt off...I remember laying on the table at the clinic and the doctor placing the ultrasound wand to my belly. I couldn't look, I was scared of seeing nothing....but nothing prepared Tim and I for this sight..
and after 37 weeks of carrying those embroys, watching them grow, feeling them move inside my belly, on this day, one year ago, Luke and Kyle arrived into this world.
We left the house as a family of 3 and came home as a family of 5. Sure there have been struggles along the way, sleepless nights, endless days of crying and whining...but Tim and I seem to manage through anything..supporting eachother and recognizing that some days are just tougher then others. Noone said twins was easy and they were right. Twins is double the work...but double the fun too...

As we struggle this week through a case of the croup for both twins, we will celebrate the big day on the weekend with family and close friends...double the cake and double the mess!

Kyle took his first steps yesterday and Luke is finally skootching around to keep up with little brother. The best part of the day is when I lay down on the floor and they crawl all over me, fighting for my attention, wanting to be close to mommy...will I always be so special in their eyes?

I stop and stare at them at least 20 times a day. They fascinate me. They. Are. Mine.
Wow.

Thank you...thank you...thank you..


Happy 1st birthday my boys...you are everything daddy and I had hoped for...and more.

My fitness wish list

We are interval training this week. Try this one out..basically you run for 5 minutes, walk for 1 minute, run for 4, walk for one...yada yada

Set 1
• 0-5 minutes. Warm up with a 5 minute jog. Speed 5.6
• (5-6 minutes. Slow it down for 1 minute. Speed 5.3).
• 6-10 minutes. Increase the pace and run for 4 minutes. Speed 6.0.
• (10-11 minutes. Take a breather for 1 minute by walking Speed 4.0
  
• 11-14 minutes. Increase the pace and run for 3 minutes. Speed 6.5.
• (14-15 minutes. Slow it down for 1 minute by walking Speed 4.0
• 15-17 minutes. Increase the pace and run for 2 minutes. Speed 7.0.
• (17-18 minutes. Slow it down for 1 minute by walking Speed 4.0
  
• 18-19 minutes. Increase the pace and run for 1 minute. Speed 7.5 or higher.
• (19-20 minutes. Slow it down for 1 minute by walking Speed 4.0
  

Set 2

• REPEAT Set 1.
The Finish

• 41-46 minutes. 5 minutes tempo run. Speed 5.8
• 46-50 minutes. Cool down with a 4 minute walk. Speed 3.5.

My b-day is around the corner and I'm dropping ideas left and right. Last year I got a dumbell rack! Yay! (seriously..it made me happy). This year I'm begging for this little number....I present to you the 6-pack bag!
Giddy me...a spot for ALL my crapola I carry around all day...It comes in grey and pink too....eeeek!
Apparently, per my Athletic Therapist, I should also be spending some quality time on a foam roller...me..not as giddy about this option...And finally, I need a set of these babies..
according to Tim I can just use my 10's or 15's but I really need the 12's....I really do..so if you're reading this Tim...pleeeeeeese?

So there you have it. My fitness wish list.

What's on yours?

My life revolves around hockey

I swore I would not be a hockey mom. I swore.

Guess what..I am a hockey mom and Tim is a hockey dad.

Do we watch hockey on TV?
Nope (shhhh...it's one of the reasons why I married Tim...sports do not consume his time)

Did we attend any Flames games when we lived in Calgary?

Nope
So why on earth would we put Cole into hockey?

"Cause every kid needs to play hockey" ....or so said my good friend ( who happens to play girls hockey)

When someone takes you by the shoulders and stares into your eyes and tells you so....you tend to listen.

And so after 2 years of skating lessons, we ventured into the world of hockey. How bad can it be?

The money for ice time is flying out of our pockets...weekly games and 1.5 hour practices for 5-6 year olds means an exhausted cranky pants Cole...

Weekends have gone from "what are we going to do?" to..

"It'll depend on when Cole plays hockey"

Tim never learned how to play when he was little, he remembers thinking it was too expensive and not wanting to put his parents out...deep down, every winter when the guys play a "pick up game" at a local community centre, my hubby becomes sad...it's pathetic. Really.

The hockey rink lures me by providing free Tim Hortons coffee...the babies will learn to skate through osmosis from spending so much time there.

And Cole? He is taking this gig seriously. He "trains" everyday with me, push ups, pull ups, rides the stationary bike..he wants to be Sidney Crosby.

And let's face it..it's pretty hard to say no to this cuteness..


No, I do not know how to put on all that gear...like I said, the free coffee is my gig!

Fitness Friday - Crank that incline

This week's treadmill workout is simple. Walk it out...but pretend you are in San Fran where the roads are not flat...
Get on that treadmill and crank it up high...

For mine, that means a 10 incline. If yours goes higher...by golly today is your lucky day!

0-5 minutes incline 3, speed of 3.7mph

5-15 minutes, incline 10, speed 3.1

15-20, incline 4, speed 3.8mph

20-30 incline 10, speed 3.3mph
30-35 incline 5, speed 3.9mph

35-45 incline 10, speed 3.5

45-50 cool down, incline 1, speed 3.5mph

It's nice to switch it up from always running...the incline will help tighten up that butt..play with the speed but do not change the incline I have suggested..

A tip I found this morning, thanks to my trainer..if you want to get ultra low on your pushups, place a set of large dumbells on either side of you (25's and up). Chest gets low to the ground and you WILL feel it. He graciously snagged a pic as I was cursing under my breathe..




I spent an hour getting manhandled by my Athletic Therapist this morning...my running injury was acting up a bit and my heels were sore...apparently I'm all out of whack..nothing major, just regular kinks cause by volume training. I've added him to my team...a weekly visit to him will keep me injury free...I hope.

New on my IPOD this week:

• Nuttin Nuh Go So: Notch
• Bumpy Ride: Mohombi

Stay Fit this weekend!

6 going on 16

Coley Bear turned 6 today.

Tim and I chatted a bit about the day he was born...how different things are now....we have lost loved ones...we have gained new loved ones...our own and extended...

You blink and your monkey goes from a toddling 2 year old..To a 6 year old little man...
I sent a little note in his lunch today...reminding him that at 11:30 he was officially 6 and that we loved him...simple things like that note made me smile. Nothing like your child's birthday to make you realize just how lucky you are to even be a mom.

Hockey, Nintendo DS, The Wii, Math, Reading Star Wars books consume his life..so Tim and I decided to get him a magic set! He spent the evening learning new tricks and impressing the family...he is one funny kid.

Tim's mom made a great cake which looked exactly like his hockey jersey....complete with his name...only grandma's have that kind of patience to make black icing!

We dined on sushi and homemade pizza..special requests from the birthday boy....we opened gifts..we laughed....

And now I sit here, writing this post, listening to my 6 year old as he sings to himself in his bed...

Happy birthday to me...Happy Birthday to me...
Bonne Fete a moi...Bonne Fete a moi

Ok, who taught him the french version?

Happy Birthday Cole.

BOO- We broke 500 kids

Jengo Fett, Darth Vader, a Walrus, a Monkey and I...the Spider Witch enjoyed one heck of a Halloween.

500 kids was the tally last night.

Say what?

$100 bucks in candy (and that is at wholesale price)...

25 people at our Halloween Howl Open House...

Great food, including meatloaf hand, snake bites and Ghost Pines Wine...
It was fantasticly (is that a word?) insane...Tim projected a movie in the front window to "spook" the kids..and once the youngsters were done at 7pm, I changed and stood out on the driveway looking like this...

For the older kids..you know the ones who pretend to be all brave...I scared em...good.

I think this may become a tradition....

BOO!