Fast Forward Family

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!

2011-12-16T21:54:00.000-05:00

So now that I'm settled into work and my online shopping addiction has reached a fevered pitch I'm back to my first internet love. GIVEAWAYS!

Lots to come....I missed typing on here to no one :D

Long time no blog...

2011-02-18T23:02:00.000-05:00

Gosh things have been so busy. Christmas, New year all that fun stuff. DH and I went on a trip to the Dominican Republic and it was AWESOME. My parents watched the kids and it was fantastic. Funny how when you have kids the simplest indulgences are 10x's what they would have been before kids. Just sleeping in was a dream! The beach and the rest of it...gravy.

Gosh I wish I could photo shop that! Like most couples we rarely have photos together.

I also haven't done much in the way of giveaways. I kinda got bummed out after winning a giveaway on abutlife blog back in October and the blogger not following through. I kept on top of it giving lots of time for her to contact the sponsor and I was severely disappointed by her response. She pretty much shrugged when no one responded to her email that I requested she send. I know lots of the other bloggers take that sort of thing very seriously, completely outing the company and what not. Not that I feel that was necessary but nothing? Like NOTHING. Needless to say I will not be entering giveaways on that blog. But the vast majority of bloggers are very professional and stand up ladies. I'm back at it!

Sooooo, back in the summer I was lucky enough to get to see Yo Gabba Gabba live in Toronto. It was AWESOME. My daughter really enjoys YGG but it doesn't hold a candle to her love for Toy Story. So to hear that Natural Baby Goods blog is giving away tickets to Toy Story 3 on ice made me giddy! Follow the link to get your entries in! You have until Feb 28th to enter. In the mean time use the code 'blog' to get $5 off tickets. Good luck!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2010-12-11T14:05:00.000-05:00

Was E's birthday a little while back. I can't believe how big she's getting! This year she wanted a Spiderman birthday. I LOVED doing that theme. First of all there is just so much Spiderman stuff out there it was really easy to find things. Also blue and red are the easiest colours to find for decorations.

The party was a success! We had all of our family over on both sides minus my brother's family out west and it was a bit of a crowd but worth it. Thanks again to Landa of Kangacrafts for the photo banner. It's my favourite yet and a fun keep sake, I've been collecting them.

We decorated cookies with spiderman colours. The cookie cutter shapes of spiders and webs didn't work out so well. the sugar cookies just turned them into circles anyhow. It was fun, not sure how I thought they'd not eat them before dinner lol but oh well, it is a party,

Some photos....

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-17T20:56:00.000-04:00

We had the most fantastic Thanksgiving this year. I love seeing my kids interact with each other, my family and their environment. We went to a local apple/pumpkin farm with a petting zoo and play area and the kids had a blast.

Lately I've been so bummed lately that my kids are going to get big so fast and I'll never get these days back. They're so freakin' adorable right now I'm not looking forward to the days they don't want to talk to me or are embarrassed of mom :( Oh well, part of the game I suppose. I'm going to enjoy every minute of it now.

Big girl bed time!

2010-09-04T18:57:00.000-04:00

So E's in her big girl bed now. She was just so super cramped it was time. After a little mistake about what size mattress we needed (ugh) AND trying to figure out how to convert her crib to a bed. Don't even get me started, this company basically sells you a generic bedrail set and makes you drill your own holes and get bolts. Um yeah that's not exactly convertible..that's a DIY dude.

Anyhow so now she needed new bedding. YAY! Her room is painted like this...

Her old bedding is on the chair there. So naturally I think brown and pink. I want something that will be good for more than just a 'little girl' room. So after lots and lots of looking this is what I decided on.

I am SO in love. It's by dwellstudio. As a matter of fact I HAD to get some for Jake too. This is his room

Just the one wall is like this and the others are the lighter blue. So the bedding I got from dwellstudio for him...

Adorable right?? I'm so excited to receive it. Jake won't even use it for another half a year or more probably. The kid isn't even eating solids more than baby food or walking *sigh* . But I digress...

The only thing I am now desperately in search of is some sort of space saving chair we can both sit in nice and cozy and read books. Enter Gorilla bags. I ran across these in a giveaway on Survey Junkie and it's a perfect fit!!! I've entered to win and you can too until Oct 9th. US only. (I'm willing to drive down :D)

My favourite is the brown passion suede 5ft.

Wish me luck!

It's always sad when a 'professional' disappoints

2010-08-24T20:27:00.000-04:00

So we had family photos done by a photographer who was selling a discounted sitting fee at a home show in the Spring. And when I say family, I mean my little family and my whole extended family. My sister and her two kids, my three brothers and one nephew and my parents. AND one of my brothers with his wife and son came out from Alberta.

SO, we show up and the 'studio' is in her shed, which is a good size and clean and furnished etc. No problems there but, it's hot as h*ll! Mid July and no air conditioning?? Not fun. To start she decided to quiet the kids all two and under by yelling EVERYONE BE QUIET! I'm seriously shocked that they didn't start crying. So I'm already not happy but out of respect for my parents I zip it. So then we're taking photos and she is SOOOOOO slow to take a photo and uber picky that the kids can't possibly stay still and are crying and sweating and really really hot. Also my sister is two weeks post partum with a messy cesarean section, she was very uncomfortable to say the least.

Anyhow we took some outside after everyone had to go outside to cool off lol. So a few weeks later my parents go to view the photos at her studio and the experience is odd. The photos are washed out and all in black and white, she makes a big deal about putting them in colour. We all know it's a freakin' button now a days. Eventually they agree to buy A LOT so she'll put them on her website so my brother in Alberta can see them.

So I go to check them out online and they are so washed out I honestly can't even tell where my arm ends and the white background starts let alone facial expressions. The kids faces are all crying...which SHE offered to photo shop in their faces from another photo. And the large family ones are so pixilated I can't even make the facial expressions. So we send her some less than happy emails and she fixes the washout. Only to find out the outside photos have been photoshopped using an inside photo and put outside then manipulated to fit the location. And my brothers faces are all distorted. I mean like almost Goonies monster distorted. Give me a break. By now I was actually laughing.

I can't even begin to go through all the other small things I had problems with but if anyone happens to be in the GTA avoid 'As it happens photography' in Mississauga. I refuse to pay for any of the photos even though my kids ones turned out great. I'm so angry she stole the opportunity for us to have photos with my brothers family when they were down from Alberta and I WILL be posting negative reviews on all photography sites I can find. I would be mortified if she was my wedding photographer and I want to save some other family from the disappointment. Sometimes it boggles my mind how some people work so hard not to do the job they present themselves to do. Pathetic!

And some photos just cause :D

Bring on the vacay!!!!

2010-07-31T20:54:00.002-04:00

I SOOOO needed this week off. I had a week off a couple of weeks ago but the hubbs was working and with the kids it was really just more work that work :D He's off this week and I'm thrilled.
We have plans to catch up on lots of chores around the house in and out. I weeded my backyard garden and got FIVE yard waste bags to add to the two from out front! My garden is huge but that's a project for next spring. We'll be painting/staining the deck and doing paint touch ups, weeding the lawn and the driveway (annoying).
But best of all we'll be making trips to the splash pad and to a place called ZOOZ in Niagara Falls.
We went to story book gardens with the inlaws. It was fun, pretty low key. Got some good photos to share :D

Giveaways:

* Leslie loves veggies is giving away a soft serve icecream machine from CSN stores. This thing holds sprinkles...are you kidding me?? Sprinkles! Wait maybe I shouldn't enter this giveaway. Oh well I'll let fate decide if I need to do more cardio :D Ends August 12th and is open to the US and Canada.

Special delivery from Alberta

2010-07-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

So my brother and his wife and son are visiting this week from Alberta. SO! exciting. We don't get to see them much for obvious reasons. This is only the second time (week visit) I've gotten to see my nephew. It's so cool to see him play with J now that they're both a bit older. He was only 7 months when he was here last.

Fun at the park with all the munchkins..

J is wearing his cousins glasses and clearly not used to how it feels.

Giveaways:

*Cartoon lovin' Mama is giving away a kung zhu pet package. My kids have never had a zhu zhu pet but I KNOW this is something that they'd love. My daughter is nutty for animals and loves track toys. Enter now it ends on July 26th.

He's here!

2010-07-09T21:42:00.000-04:00

The newest addition to the family.... my new nephew! He's absolutely adorable and I haven't gotten to hold him yet but I can't wait. Meet H...

I think he looks like my son in the eyes and nose....which is my side of the family... and his mom which is my sister.... for comparison...J

long time no typey.....

2010-07-04T10:14:00.000-04:00

I have been so busy! I can't even remember the last time I worked out, or blogged. I even skipped entering blog giveaways for two weeks :O I haven't done that since I began last Christmas! I've been working 15hour days for the past bit and it's been hectic. My poor Hubbs has been taking care of the kids at night by himself because I had to stay out of town. As tiring as working was, it was a nice break to only have to look after myself. Get home get dinner, have a drink and crash when I needed to. I even painted my toe nails lol.

So yesterday we took E and J to the zoo/safari to make up for some lost time. It was a BLAST. The kids loved it. It was a tad on the hot side but the water park totally made up for that and then some. I can't wait to take them back. E has a slight obsession with horses. So when we saw the pony ride we knew she'd love it. I'm not normally a worrier but with my kids it's a whole other story.... when I realized she was hanging on all by herself with no assistance I about had a heart attack.... I should have taken a picture of my face lol.

My heat was so full! She's getting so grown up, I am so proud of her.

Some other photos of feeding the animals.

My brother is coming from Alberta to visit next week and we'll have much more of the fun day trips to come!

Giveaways:

* Cocktails with Mom is giving away a Colby Snapp cam5000. It's a perfect size to fit in your bag on a trip. I wish we'd have had one like that for yesterday. We left our digital video camera at home because it was too big to carry easily. This cam we could have slipped in a pocket so easily and voila! Check it out. Closes July 12th.

My little man looks like a little man now :D

2010-06-11T21:38:00.000-04:00

J got his first haircut by Nana. He was suprisingly good. Not still but good. He looks so handsome!

of course this is the best shot I could get after :D. ADORABLE!!! If I do say so myself.

Wordless wednesday

2010-06-02T17:29:00.000-04:00

They enjoy the simplest things don't they? Think they'd want to play IN the sand? Nope, lets splash water on top after Mommy rinsed it. Gotta love em!

Looks like we skipped Spring!

2010-05-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

So the past week has been 30+ degrees! Scorching! Poor kids and my poor Mom trying to keep them entertained. So I bought a blow up pool and a new climb structure to add to the play house and smaller slide we have. It's great. So much to do and the kids love it. I had no idea they could play so much and so long with one slide! You've got to love kids for that. It's like they don't even notice the heat.

Playing in the yard...

Giveaways:

* Before I got pregnant I always used to wear my baby G watch. With all the swelling I stopped. BUT I came across the newest version. The Mini G shock watch. I am in LOVE with the white with pink face. I came across it on the blog Guessing all the way and she's giving one away! Head over and enter, ends May 30th.

Exhale :D

2010-05-24T20:26:00.000-04:00

Awesome, awesome, awesome weekend! Man it's been a long time. Got all the things done I needed to, spent time with family and old friends, the kids let me sleep in!!! Does it get better?

For the holiday Monday we went to a local park and E played and played on the huge playground and we waded in the stream. It was the closest thing to perfect.

My friend is doing better. It's amazing how friends and family come together in times of trouble. Makes me realize how lucky I am. I feel like I've never been happier and it's only going to get better : D Sending out the positive vibes.....I feel like just thinking positive has made such a huge difference for me, I challenge you to try it!

Some photos from our long weekend...

I love my life!

2010-05-18T18:25:00.000-04:00

My kids are awesome! I'm finally getting settled in with work after my mat leave. And I've been able to spend some time with my sick friend. Although it's rocky I don't take any time for granted. Got to hang out with the kiddos on Mother's day and realized what a lucky lady I am :D.

I won't be able to post much for a bit. With work and kids and hospital visits I'm pretty busy but I'll try to post photos if I can.

Anything can happen

2010-05-12T21:12:00.000-04:00

A more serious post today. I found out one of my highschool girl friends who is also my aunt (after highschool and a long story lol but not as gross as it sounds) is very sick. She had a stroke at 33 years. She's in the hospital and waiting on an MRI and it only reminds me how quickly things can change and how precious life is. Hug your families tight and say a prayer for my friend if you have a moment.

Backyard fun...

2010-05-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

My kiddos love to play in the backyard. We have a tiny slide/climb tower that E goes up and down...no joke...at least 100 times a day. She loves to stand by the compost (like in the pic) and wait for you to say 1-2-3 GO! and run down the mini hill. Such a small yard yet kids find a way to make the most of it. J is just happy to crawl around and rip grass out of the ground :D

I'd love to win the Hearthsong Giant Outdoor Ball from Lollidots. We'd have to take it to Nana and Grandads or a park but wow would they ever have a blast! Giveaway ends May 10

It's coming, it's really coming....

2010-05-02T20:17:00.001-04:00

Summer!!! The air was so humid today it was a sneak peak of summer! All we need is a good thunderstorm to start it off. We went for a long walk this weekend and spent some quality time with the fam. I've been trying to be more positive and I feel like it's really making a difference. The positive feelings last instead of being short lived. I no longer feel overwhelmed by chores or life in general. The walk didn't feel like an obligation or scheduled it was just as much time as we wanted to take doing what we wanted to do...which for some time was searching for ants and naming them :D It's the little things....

Giveaways:

* Northern Mama is giving one Canadian reader a YEARS SUPPLY of Sunlight Green Cleaner. An environmentally friendly laundry detergent. I'll tell ya with a one year old and a two year old playing in the grass all day this would be a lifesaver! Head over and enter. Ends May 6th.

A real hero...

2010-04-27T21:14:00.001-04:00

I came across this story on facebook. I verified it's true. Thank God for people like this man. It makes me so happy there are people like him fighting for the right.... Here is the story.

BELOW IS THE REAL WINNER OF THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE!
John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family was executed. The insurgents intended to execute the little girl also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing. He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to do.This, my friends, is worth sharing. Go for it!! You'll never see things like this in the news. Please keep this going. Nothing will happen if you don't, but the Canadian and American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize that what we're doing over there is making a difference.. Even if it is just one little girl at a time. James Gates U. S. Navy

Giveaways:

So I'd LOVE to win Jake a pair of Eleven shoes. He's just starting to get close to walking and I think it's SO important to have good shoes. Eleven shoes are stylish and adorable! Seeryus Mama is having a giveaway. Check it out.

The law of positivity?

2010-04-25T10:16:00.001-04:00

I've had a rough past few months. My best friend has been going through an incredibly rough time and it finally seeped into my life. You can't save someone that doesn't want to save themselves no matter how much you try. Long story short, I decided to part ways with her this weekend :( It was one of the hardest things I've had to do in a long time but, I felt I had no choice. She's in a bad place and she doesn't see the destruction she carries with her.

Ive been so down lately. Going back to work has been hard, I'm not doing my job I was doing before I got pregnant (not by choice). I've been assigned somewhere else and it's SO not fufilling. I worked hard to get my career. Hopefully once the summer is over I'll be able to get back to it but the uncertainty is stressing me out. I let that bleed into my home life too much. I come home miserable and stressed out and my poor Hubs has taken the brunt of it. Anyone who is married knows it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Add two kids 2 and 1 years and it's just work after work after work. It's easy to get overwhelmed.

I had a visit from an old high school friend last night to cheer me up and it made all my stress just go away for a night. Trust me, with the funk I've been in that's no small feat. It made me realize that you have to surround yourself with the right people. As much as it breaks my heart to say good bye to my friend I can only hope one day she is able to find what she needs to get back on track and maybe one day we will talk, but until then I have to remove myself.

I know I'm being general here and partly because I don't want it to be about her but more about positivity and moving forward. It's so easy to slip into darkness and sometimes you dont even realize you're there til someone turns on the light. I'm going to try to pay it forward and hopefully I can help someone else see there is positive things and help them look forward too.

J's 1st Birthday!!!

2010-04-19T19:46:00.000-04:00

Well as promised I have lots of photos to share. Poor J was so sick, both kids have a nasty cold that is just hanging on forever. He slept through some of his party and was miserable for parts of the rest. Got some good photos though...I really need to fix the ISO on my camera grrrr....

E helping to make the cupcakes the night before the party....

The leaf thing didn't work like I had pictured. The icing was WAY too soft. I made butter cream from scratch :D They look pretty good though, kind of like grass or a bush.

The finished product with my toppers from Kanga Crafts on Etsy love how it looks!

Goodie bags for the kids. I may have gotten carried away with the candy. I've been known to have a sweet tooth :D. Tags from Kanga Crafts for that fantastic personal touch!

The birthday boys chair. With his highchair photo banner. Photos from the first year. I'm going to keep this as a keepsake. double duty! I may even use it again next year with a new one and keep adding to it. Also from Kanga Crafts

.A closer pic.

The customized photo banner. It says Jake is one, there is a letter on each photo. Also from Kanga Crafts .

Poor guy was so sick. He wasn't even interested in the cupcake. He's taking forever to get accustomed to solids anyhow. You can tell how miserable he was....a big difference from his sister on her first...

Thanks for looking :D

Working Girl... Not that kind but you know

2010-04-12T19:52:00.001-04:00

Work work work! This is my second week back and boy is it tiring! That sounds like a bad stand up joke :D My Mom is watching the kids. Thank goodness for her. They get to stay home and she comes here. We are SO blessed. She's a real trooper watching my 2yr old and 1yr old and my niece who's 18 months. Id rather work! Not much else going on. I'm throwing a birthday party for J on Sunday. I have so many great ideas. Here is the cupcakes Im going to make...minus the animals.

I have toppers from Kanga Crafts on Etsy that I'm so excited to use. I also ordered a photo banner and highchair banner. I'm excited!

I'll definitely post pictures next week. I think I'm down to one post per week. but I'll make sure there are lots of pics :D

Giveaways:

*So many great giveaways. Piece of Me blog is giving away a pair of See Kai Run shoes for kids. They are such well made shoes and that is so SUPER important. I bought cheap shoes for E last summer and the poor kid had blisters so bad. I learned how important good shoes are for that and for their growing/developing feet.

* Mom's best bets blog is giving away a jar of Perricone MD's cold plasma cream. I would LOVE to get my hands on this stuff. I have recently become obsessed with my pores and now I've come to notice all my wrinkles. I feel so old lol. That and the bags under my eyes all the time. This stuff looks like it would really help.

* Moms best bets is also giving away a Fisher price kids digital camera! Finally E could have her own and leave mine alone. The fingerprints are driving me nuts lol. This blog has tons of great giveaways and is quickly becoming a fave.

Happy Easter...

2010-04-05T21:05:00.000-04:00

Happy belated Easter. We had a packed weekend. Visited the Hubbs family on Friday, a local Easter party at a 'museum-ish place' on Saturday then my parents on Sunday. It was great. I love that E is getting into it now. She was \SO excited, hunting for eggs at the ILs. Also my BFF took a bunch of pictures and they're beautiful! Here are some...

SCARY Bunny! But she was ok and actually wanted to go back a second time just to see the bunny. It was pretty adorable.

So I'm back to work tomorrow...I'm not nervous but I feel like I'm headed to prison. Extreme I know but, it was easier last time because I was pregnant and my days were numbered. Now it's going to be for 30+ years! Life as I know it is going to change forever. Send me good vibes. I'm going to miss my babies.

No wonder they call it a JOB

2010-03-25T16:30:00.000-04:00

So I head back to work on April 6th. I'm happy to go because heck this motherhood thing is HARD but I'm also sad that this is the last time I'll be able to spend this much time with my babies. Heck when they'll even BE babies. We're not having anymore so I guess it's kind of like the END of a time in our lives. Sad :(

Speaking of Babies J went from crawl position to sit for the first time! I was so proud. I can't wait til he's moving around and then walking.

I did a fun little exercise with E on my Mommies board. I asked her a bunch of questions and typed exactly what she answered. It's cute and gives a real insight into her personality. I should mention that each question I asked was repeated back by her. She is BIG on repeating and it was challenging to get an answer.

1. What's your name? "A baby!" She's pushing her baby stroller and looking at me like I should know the answer to that question.
2. What's your favorite color? First attempt-"No." She just repeats the question back. Yep this is my kid
3. How old are you? "Blue" stuck on the last question.
4. What color is your hand? Hand? Not answering that one either
5. What's your favorite toy? "Hand!" Apparently she's still on the last question lol
6. What does a monkey say? Ooooo oooo ahhh ahhh ahhh, she does an impressive monkey, my typing doesn't do it justice.
7. What color is Elmo? Blue (by the way everything is blue or yellow)
8. What do you like to eat for dinner? "Cooookie?" Can't blame her for trying.

I love this part of having kids. They are such a joy and a challenge all at once. But we'll never do this again and the moments where she calls me Mommy or runs to meet me at the door make EVERYTHING and more worth while!

Oh I didn't see you there...

2010-03-22T19:53:00.001-04:00

It's been a while. I've been super un motivated. And really TIRED....and no I'm not pregnant :D I'm back to struggling to get myself up and do much more than get dressed (which normally happens around 4pm). Thank God the Hubbs is home from work. I swear this place would be a fricken mess. Anyhow, Just thought I'd check in.

Things are good with the kids. I can't believe what a little sponge Emma is. She says the funniest things, she'll repeat anything which can be good or bad. Jake is dancing to songs now and starting to make sounds that sound like he may be saying Mama or Dada. Boys and girls are so different.

The In laws came back from Florida last week so we had them over on Saturday. We put together E's bike she got from them for Christmas and headed out to give it a go. It was WAAAAY too cold and we ended up just heading back. Of course they'll never do what you want them to because you want them to. She wouldn't even sit on the seat. But at home she gave it a go. It's an adorable barbie bike. I LOVED my bike when I was a kid I hope she will too.

Giveaways:

* J. Leigh Designz is having a See Kai Run Giveaway. I LOVE the See Kair Run shoes! Shoes are SOOO important and it breaks my heart seeing blisters or painful feet on a toddler. None of that with SKR. These are the ones I'd love to win for Jake above. Perfect for the summer.

Yo Gabba Gabba iiiiiis aawwwesome!

2010-03-18T16:35:00.000-04:00

So E and I met up with some friends we haven't seen in FOREVER (since they moved 5hrs north) to go to the Yo Gabba Gabba Live concert. SOOOO much fun. I think at the start I was more excited that she was but as soon as she figured out what was going on she got right into it dancing and singing. Poor thing hadn't been feeling well earlier but seemed fine after and we had a great time. The girls had a blast. My friend said it was the best day of her daughters life so far lol. That's pretty good!

Thanks so much to TS Giveaways for the giveaway! We had a blast and some great memories just E and I I'll always have. Here's a few photos.

I've been pretty busy with the concert and stuff so I haven't entered anything new but you'll be the first to know about.

Have you seen my workout mojo?

2010-03-15T11:55:00.000-04:00

So for the past 7-9 weeks I've been working out 5 days a week no exception. This past week I worked out three days :( I do have a bit of an excuse. On Wednesday I dropped a stroller on my pinky toe. I'm pretty sure I broke it. Just laying in bed hurt. Not exactly great for being physical. Then on Friday the Hubbs got snipped. So I have been running pretty ragged doing everything for the house and with both kids since then and trying to keep up with my Etsy shop.

So here I sit on Monday, the day I said I would for sure get back to it, trying work up to it. It doesn't help when in the last two days I've lost two lbs. Water, maybe. But who cares??

I need some motivation! What gets you up and going?

Giveaways:

* A latte in the morning is giving away the ever elusive Flirty Apron. So cute! Sexy and feminine, sounds like a win win to me! Ends on Wednesday March 17th worldwide.

The age old struggle to get kids to eat vegetables.

2010-03-11T19:30:00.001-05:00

One of the things I don't do so well with my daughter (my son eats babyfood he's easy) is getting her to eat her veggies. Fruit she'll eat NO problem. She will eat an entire pint of blue berries or strawberries AFTER dinner.

So online I read a neat tip to put out veggies as dinner is being made. So I bought some broccoli and tzatziki and it was a hit! We shared/ mostly she ate half a head (is that what it's called?) of broccoli. But do you think she'd touch her pita pizza? nope. How did that manage to back fire? She ate some breadsticks and cheese and strawberries so not bad in the end. Tomorrow we try carrots.

I'm determined to serve more veggies even if I have to hide them. Even better if I don't! Any tips? I'm open to suggestions. I put lots of chunky veggies in chili and she'll eat it. I'm going to try meatloaf...

Heck I even got some mmmm yummy! out of her!

Also I wanted to give a super big thank you to TS Giveaways! Thanks so much for commenting on my post and letting me know that you were having a Yo Gabba Gabba giveaway. I won! And now I get to take my daughter and her friend to the show....we're very excited and super grateful for the opportunity to win. Visit her blog for lots of great giveaways and blogging.

Wordless wednesday

2010-03-10T11:53:00.000-05:00

So lately what's been keeping me busy is Etsy so I figured a photo of one of my new bows might be appropriate.
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Mixed emotions

2010-03-09T17:55:00.002-05:00

I only learned of Layla a short time ago. She was one of the strongest two year olds I think this world has ever known. I was touched by her and her families strength and she taught me to enjoy the little things and hug my babies tighter. I look at every smile on my daughters face differently and every hug, kiss, cuddle is a treasure, Layla gave me this gift and for her and her family for sharing her story I am grateful.

I know that she is a beautiful angel in heaven now. So much for a little one to suffer and so tragic a life cut short. I am so glad that she isn't suffering anymore and I send my thoughts, prayers and love to her family, friends and the hundreds of thousands of us who came to love her. Rest in peace sweet girl.

Layla Grace's story

2010-03-06T15:03:00.003-05:00

I came across this family's story in my blog contest entering. I've read her story before, Layla has neuroblastoma and has only a short time left. At first my thoughts are how would I cope? How does this family keep it together in the face of such tragedy. But the absolute heart breaker is that poor little Layla is allergic to morphine and all of its cousins. So she has to take anti morphine medications to take pain killers. She is suffering. Her family doesn't want to say goodbye but agonizes watching her suffer. It BREAKS my heart. I sobbed for them and for Layla.

Layla Grayce boutique is donating $1 for every fan that joins their FB group. Please join, it's such a small thing and every little bit helps http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/laylagrayce?ref=nf. You can follow the family's blog http://laylagrace.org/ and/or follow on twitter http://twitter.com/laylagrace.

Giveaways:

*Fun and Funky Mommy is giving away a Dyson Breast Cancer vacuum. You even get to choose a cannister OR an upright! Ends March 20th and it's open to Canada and the USA.

A pleseant suprise AND a fantastic giveaways

2010-03-05T13:15:00.002-05:00

So I usually dye my own hair with box dye. It's always a suprise how it comes out. If you dye your hair blonde on your own you know what I mean. I've tried so many times so many types/shades of blonde that I can hardly remember which one worked how and why. I've tried ash, golden and beige. I always have a problem with too much yellow but with ash it always goes too grey. WELL for some reason I thought the last time I dyed it I used ultra light ash blonde. Anyhow long story, despite my best efforts I ended up with yellow/orange roots. I never used to have dark roots til after I gave birth to my daughter, that's another story. Anyhow, So I decided to use a toner. I've used toner before no problem. Here's my second bit of poor judgement. They didnt have my normal shade of toner so I decided the ashier one looked almost the same so it should be good enough right? WRONG. So my roots, still yellowy and the bottom of my hair grey/GREEN! Yes green. And the Hubbs could see it so you know it's bad. So after crying, fighting the urge to reach for the scissors and some internet research I decided to go with a golden/red blonde ot counteract the green. My wonderful husband ran to get it for me to save me donning a baseball hat and running to the store. I decided to use copper blonde and well now my hair is strawberry blonde. I don't hate it and it's SO much better than green lol. What do you think?

Before After

Giveaway:

*I have never been so lucky as to own a Dyson vacuum. We bought a bissell and while it does a good job with suction...it's like they completely neglected all thought for design. When I vacuum the vacuum cleaner attacks me. It topples over landing with a loud crash and has even damaged my wood floors!! Not to mention I WILL NOT vacuum with kids around. This beautiful Dyson Animal vacuum upright has the 'dyson ball' which allows for maximum maneuverablity. And it won't try to kill me, definitely a plus! It's also designed for animal hair which anyone with a pet knows can be mind bogglingly hard to get off a chair or pillow.

Organic Girl and Today's Diva are giving one of these beautiful Vacuums away. Visit and put your entry in! Open to US and Canada. Good luck!

* TS (time surge) Giveaways was thoughtful enough to let me know she had a Yo Gabba Gabba giveaway!! Yes! I am beyond excited to be able to enter to take my daughter and her BFF to see their favourite characters Live! YGG is on the tv as I type right now. And a trip on the Go train, it will be a blast. If you don't want to try your luck tickets are available from ticket master. But you can't win if you don't play! Head over and throw your own entry in...Ends on March 10th. Good luck!

FINALLY- A product that does what it says it will....

2010-03-04T11:38:00.000-05:00

Why is that so surprising? Nowadays it seems like you have to spend a stupid amount of money looking for the product that actually does what it claims, assuming it exists! The web is fantastic for that. At least you can get a bit of a clue from reviews and what not but still...trial and error.

I have been on a mission for the past two months or so to get rid of my black heads! It's like one day I realized how bad they were on my nose and they have been mocking me since then. I tried a professional facial, that did zip. I bought expensive Vichy cleanser and moisturizer, also did zip. I bought glycolic acid cleanser, you guessed it, zip. I tried scrubs, made my nose smoother but, nothing for black heads. I even did my own at home spa facial. Steam, two masks, scrub, biore strip more steam and ZIP. I can't even squeeze them out. I bought that fancy little black head tool.

I wanted to try the new Neutrogena numbered cleansers. I did the online 'quiz' and although I couldn't find them in the store, the cleanser it suggested was benzoyl peroxide. So I got the clean and clear benzoyl cleanser. Nice. Feels cool after kind of minty fresh on your face. But, for black heads, zip.

SOOOOO on to the winner. I read some online reviews about the clean and clear black head eraser.

I debated trying the neutrogena wave and but I thought since my problem is mostly my nose this might be a better size. So I bought it. It comes with the battery and some cleansing pads. The pads have salisycylic acid. Which I was skeptical about, I've tried it many many times. Anyhow to the meat.... the first time I used it. I thought it felt like it wasn't doing anything. It tickled my nose but it wasn't super uncomfortable. I looked in the mirror and believe it or not I thought I saw a difference mid use! Wow. Could it be? I used my glycolic toner and actually saw a little colour on the pad. What?? ok so I'm impressed but still blackheads. But after one use a difference? Not bad. Next night. Again a difference even less blackheads.

I have never been black head free EVER. I have only used it twice now but I'm actually excited to see if I can get rid of them almost all together. I wish I'd taken a before and after to show you. But if you're in the market for a reasonably priced option try the benzoyl peroxide and this little gadget and maybe you'll have the same results. I feel like I should be getting something free for this lol. But really I'm just so happy something actually works. Kind of sad that's unusual now a days.

Let me know if you try it and it works for you.

Back to work -- for realsies

2010-03-01T18:51:00.000-05:00

So it's been a LONG time since I've been at work not pregnant. Since March of 2007 to be exact. I'm feeling a bit intimidated at what to expect. Things move so fast I feel like I'm going to be brand new all over again. Not to mention people, probably all new faces..ugh. I hate being new.

I am looking forward to going back in the sense that I get some me time. I need work for a break! Speaking of...I need to bath J.

One of my newest fave photos. My Hubbs and my girl being silly....

Sunday Special giveaway post

2010-02-28T01:17:00.000-05:00

Giveaway:

Just because I know how much my daughter and her bestest bud would love to go to this show I can't help but blog on a Sunday! It's the last day to enter this giveaway on Toronto Teacher Mommy but you have until midnight to win {4} tickets to Yo Gabba Gabba Live! Fingers crossed!!!

Live preformance of the exorcist....tickets available!

2010-02-26T15:00:00.000-05:00

Now starring E as the possessed lol. Well that's not really fair of course it's not her fault, the poor baby is sick. She made a mess of her crib and the wall and herself. How does a body that little have so much puke in it? Poor thing. I gave her a bath, cleaned the walls and the crib, threw laundry in, got her all cleaned up and laid down in our bed with her, gave her some juice AND puke! In our bed now. More laundry and another bath and she slept the night, thank goodness, she really needed it. Phew lol, I have to laugh. So now all I day I do laundry and pray J doesn't get it. I took gravol cause I was feeling icky too but I think maybe I can just handle it a bit better and fight the feeling of puking.

She seems to be acting fine today. So I hope other than the runs (TMI I know) she's over it. And today all day laundry, not to mention the stains from what she ate, I may end up having to scrap some of it :(. Lets hope oxyclean comes to the rescue again.

Karma came to my rescue. I am the LUCKY winner of the Zooper stroller from Two of a Kind's blog She really does have some fantastic prizes including a bouncer and Boon products... and you know I'll be back to try my luck :D I really needed this today. Thank you so much!

Also I know I haven't been updating my weight loss journey but I have been keeping up with it. Calorie counting and working out five days a week and I'm proud to announce that I feel great, I have more muscle and tone AND I'm down 8.5 lbs. With the muscle I've gained I'd estimate it's closer to 10 actual pounds! I plateaued for a while but it seems to be starting again. Sweet!

I'm not so good with the self portraits. This was pre puke fest :D

Giveaways:

* Feisty Frugal and Fabulous is giving away {4} tickets to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live in Toronto!! I'm not sure who likes YGG more, J or E. Either way they'd be thrilled and I would be ecstatic to be able to take them. If you haven't seen the show it's suprisingly re watchable unlike most of those kids shows that make you want to claw your eyeballs out after seeing it the 3rd time. The songs aren't super cheesy and they have guest stars like Jack Black and Mya. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Any Bachelor Fans?

2010-02-23T19:36:00.000-05:00

I've been a 'fan' of the show for a while. I don't love it but it's a guilty pleasure. Is it just me, or are they not even trying to cover up how set up it is? I can suspend reality enough for a show, that's not the problem. I can pretend to believe that the Bachelor can't make up his mind til the last second and that he is genuinely in love with both women and has to make a heart wrenching decision, even though he most likely has a good idea very early on who he's going to choose.   I can believe that all these women are there for love and not just their fifteen minutes of fame. Heck I even belived the latest Ali story on the Bachelor until last night on the 'final rose' the women tell all.......... Could they have made it more obvious she is going to be the next Bachelorette?
Lets look at the facts....

* The Bachelor/ Bachelorette shows ALWAYS choose their next 'dater' from the previous season. They get big ratings from it and it strings viewers from season to season. Very clever. I'm not faulting them it's just a point in my theory.

* The audience must love this person aka they must be scorned, rejected in some way.

* I very much doubt that Ali knew the entire time how much time she had off yet had no idea until the last second when they called her to come back. She would have known it was approaching.

* When she she spontaneously decides in the rose ceremony she must talk to Chris/the host she very OBVIOUSLY mouths (likely to a producer) Now? with a head nod no less. Ok that alone isn't evidence. They have to make it look fluid, no problem.

* Then when she goes up to talk to Jake she has a half smile on her face virtually the whole time. We know she's not nervous on camera so what's the deal??

* The phone call back to Jake to come back is maybe the thing that tipped me off. She is CLEARLY in a hotel room. She's not at home in San Fransisco pining for him. They obviously planned the phone call before she left and therefore planned the rejection.   Bringing Ali to the woman rejected category. Just in case anyone though well she chose to leave...

I think most likely Jake knew he wasn't choosing her and so the producers told Ali they wanted her to be the next bachelorette and set it up for people to love her. She's cute anyhow, I think she was pretty popular. In my opinion they went overboard. They could have left her to the final two and just done it like they always do. I think ironically they wanted it to look like it wasn't the same old formula.

Am I right??

The wonderful 'gift' of being a woman

2010-02-19T13:00:00.003-05:00

The 'gift'? Who said this??? A MAN? Seriously I get the whole miracle of life thing and I appreciate pregnancy and birth for the incredible things they are but, having to go through this cycle every month, UGH.

I'm trying to lose weight, I've been exercising, at a challenging level, five days a week, counting calories and drinking enough water. And still since beginning six weeks ago, according to the scale this morning, I've lost a total of 5.5lbs :O WHAT? This is not worth the work I've been doing seriously! I am beyond frustrated.

I suspected my monthy 'gift' insert eye roll, might have something to do with this. Not just the normal PMS stuff but now ovulation bloating? I've been doing some reading about the female cycle, weight loss and water retention. It's a joke! Virtually two weeks out of four we're carrying excess water that our body doesn't need because of hormones. I never used to be like this. As much as I adore my kids I hate what pregnancy did to my body. I'm still 18 lbs above where I was when I got pregnant despite my best efforts I'm having a hell of a time losing it. Not to mention the sagging mommy pouch I have now. I highly doubt even when I do get to my pre pregnancy weight I'll even look the same as I did. Add to the list saggier breasts, receded gums and forever sensitive teeth, darker roots (believe it or not) skin tags I could go on....

Today I am not celebrating being a woman. I am tired of it! I just want to curl up and feel sorry for myself.

Here's my photo of the day...(not me but exactly how I feel)

That about sums it up.

Giveaways:

* While we're on the topic of annoying! What is up with razor burn and ingrown hairs? I have all but given up on shaving my unmentionables. UNTIL I read about Prince Reigns shave gel. It softens and straightens hairs so you never have in growns again. Hallelujah! Heck it has Gisele Bunchen and Oprah singing it's praises. Who am I to argue? I ordered two bottles! It's not much more than shelling out for Nair and way less trouble. In the mean time.... Cool Canucks is giving away a bottle, head over and throw your name into the hat.

ALMOST wordless wednesday

2010-02-17T00:08:00.001-05:00

My new Etsy shop banner Thanks Landa of Kanga Crafts

Giveaways:

* Sweeps 4 bloggers is giving away a pair of Hi Tec Men's V-Lite Eiger Quick Zip Boots (ARV $100 US). Super stylish, I know my hubby would love to have these. He's always wearing the bottom right out of his. Poor guy.

* ALSO Sweeps 4 bloggers is giving away a pair of Women's Hi Tec V-Lite Snowflake Chukka Boots (ARV $110 US). Beautiful boots. I have been drooling over them since I saw them. You can just tell they are quality boots by looking and SUPER comfy.

* A Mom's balancing act blog is giving away a Flirty Apron of the winners choice! I think I'd choose the sassy red. For someone who doesn't like cooking at all I think these aprons would actually make cooking fun!

Finally caught J's Cold

2010-02-16T11:09:00.000-05:00

Why is it when you're almost at the end of a baby's cold and you think you're out of the water all of the sudden the scratchy throat creeps in and ruins your day. That's how I woke up today. Great. I hope this moves fast or I can manage to miss it with food and sleep. Always two major factors for me, if either are missing I'm screwed.

Yesterday was 'family day'. I swear those holidays where everything is closed so your family can be together are the worst. That sounds awful but you try spending the day inside with a restless two year old who wont sleep and a teething infant. NOT fun. I wish the weather had been snowy and not too cold or warm enough to play outside. Instead we spent the day entertaining her in 20 minute intervals (that's as long as her attention span lasts most of the time). Back to normal today she's at daycare this morning and slept well. Now if we can only get J to sleep and not wake up 5 times a night crying for his soother or from teething pain. I love my kids but I will be sooooo happy not to wake up during the night anymore.

J is starting to lift his belly off the ground and rock himself back and forth. I can't wait til he crawls. I think he'll be more happy when he's mobile and the place is baby proofed anyhow. He's going to be more of a climber than his sister I think. Here's a photo of him practicing on his hands and knees.

Giveaways:

Apparently I had been neglecting Born 2 Impress's blog. I missed a bunch of great giveaways...

* Giveaway for a personalized stamp from Stamp Out...they're really cute and with the amount of mail I'm sending out nowadays it would really be handy.

* Another giveaway from Born 2 Impress for a Plasma Car. I think E would have a blast on this when the snow melts. We'd probably bring it to Nana and Grandad's where she could ride on the street with MUCH less traffic than home.

*ALSO they are giving away a Remington wet2dry straightener. I've been dying to try one of these. I swear it would save me so much time and when I go back to work those extra 15 minutes will be like gold!

Monday-Family day

2010-02-15T17:49:00.000-05:00

A day off...around here same old. With the Hubbs being off work and me being on Mat leave I barely can tell when the weekends are. No where to go and E was going stir crazy. She wouldn't nap and probably had at least four or five time outs some back to back. UGH...

Well here are some soccer photos I promised.

I love her little uniform. She seemed to get into it near the end. Ironically she just wanted to run around and it was mostly structured.

GIVEAWAYS:

* Cool Canucks is giving away a beautiful CityX3 Swivel Single Stroller from Tike Tech. It's a gorgeous stroller. I'd love to win and be able to get rid of that old Graco behemoth.

Techincally Saturday?

2010-02-13T00:11:00.002-05:00

E has socatots soccer tomorrow for the first time. I am SO thrilled! I think she's going to love it and for a kid with that much energy it's perfect for her. Sometimes we play a game where we just count 1-2-3 GO and she runs back and forth from the living room to the dining room. May as well give her a ball and a net lol. It's going to be adorable and I will be sure to post pics.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T18:32:00.000-05:00

Aaaalmost...got backward sliding down to a science.

Why did God make food taste so good?

2010-02-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ok so I've done pretty well I guess so far with the working out and weight loss. I've averaged about a pound a week give or take since I know I've gained some muscle. But dang if it doesn't seem to take foreeeeeever. Ok I have no patience, I was feeling kinda blah about it today but as I think about it, I've been able to do it with some exercise and really not missing out on much of the food I enjoy with some creative calorie placement. So I'm done whining about it and back on the treadmill tomorrow.

J isn't feeling well, seems he's got a cold. He woke up coughing on Friday night and it sounded like croup. I hate that sound, yet another thing to worry about. A humidifier seemed to help but we went to the doc today since it didn't seem to be getting better. Just a virus, no ear infection (which is what I worry about) and just a little chunky lung. That I can deal with.

No photo today. I'll stop slacking and do one tomorrow.

Super --- Bowl Sunday- Single 'football' Moms unite

2010-02-07T11:31:00.001-05:00

Super bowl Sunday is one of the days the Hubbs gets to go no questions with his friends for the day and I take care of the kids. So today with J being sick and E her usually squirmy energetic self. I brave the day. I hate football lol. But to be fair he doesn't make football a priority ever.

Giveaway:

*I don't usually blog on weekends but I had to for this amazing giveaway! Northern Mama is giving away (following taken from the website) Dyson is offering one Northern Mama reader a Breast Cancer Awareness Dyson DC23 motorhead pink canister model vacuum {$649.99}!Dyson DC23 Motorhead pink is a canister vacuum with Root Cyclone™ technology + core separator and a motorized brush bar to remove dirt and pet hair from carpets. WOW this would be just so handy in our house. Dragging the vacuum up and down the stairs is killing my back and our vacuum has become dangerous since it is so top heavy it topples over at the drop of a hat. With two young kids around no thank you. Wish me luck!

Friday--- No such thing as a weekend these days

2010-02-05T16:59:00.004-05:00

I remember when Friday used to mean something. When I was a student mostly. Other than that it was just that Fridays mattered for other people and that's when stuff was happening. Being a Mom on mat leave weekends might mean some extra help but other than that it's really just more work. Time to get all of the out of the house errands done like groceries and the trek to Costco. Packing all the kids up and a humungo diaper bag. And with E being a drama queen all the time we mostly just split up to run the errands.

Today is flying by. I have been entering the flirty apron giveaway on Tara's view of the world blog all day. She must hate me but hey, she said unlimited. I want that apron! lol.

So the Hubbs says today is my week end for weight loss. I usually do mondays but I guess this is the time we bought the scale last week so it's probably the most accurate. Anyhow down 2.5lbs Yes! Could it be because my Aunt Flo is visiting maybe, but I'm holding out hope that I'm still bloated and it will go down even more. A girl can dream right?

Anyhow for my photo of the day:

E and her cousin L. Adorable when E isn't pushing her out of the way. I'm sure L will get her back soon enough!

Have a good weekend! I hear E is awake from her nap. Perfect timing.

Giveaways:

*Snafood (cute title) blog is giving away a flirty apron, open worldwide til Feb 23. My favourites are the black and red sassy aprons. I can't decide!

*Nate Hines is giving away a flip ultra HD. I'd love to win this for my Dad. Click on this link to enter WIN a FLIP Ultra HD !!

* Sweeps 4 Bloggers is giving THREE (3) winners a $96 hair care kit. You have to visit the website. They have a progressive straightening treatment that is so ingenious I don't know why everyone doesn't have it. If you have annoying wavy hair like me you know why this is so remarkable. Ends Feb 13th. US and Can

Thursday already?

2010-02-04T15:45:00.001-05:00

Wow this week is flying. My love hate relationship with the scale continues. I'm back to weighing myself everyday only because this scale shows down to the .2 lbs so I can see it going down faster than on most other scales. It's good thing. I think I'm set to finish out the week down 2lbs. Now that I have my calories sorted and working out figured.

The week is flying. We've been busy. The Hubbs is going to be going back to work soon so we're focused on finishing a few chores. We're getting some new windows and a front door and painting the basement FINALLY I'm really happy about it. So busy but good.

Yesterday I cleaned main floor including windows and mopping. I did the 30 day shred and burned approx 160 calories and trust me it is challenging. I can't even do all the weight moves, mind you I'm using heavier weights but it's hard! Mopping and cleaning moderately for an hour (which I did at least) is 274 calories! Walking briskly on the treadmill for 20 mins is 100 calories. Why waste your time walking when you could clean? A win win. Why is this a secret? I actually have run out of things to mop lol. And my floor looks great.

Photo of the day

My little sleepy boy...

Giveaways:

* Feisty Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a 7-8mm Freshwater pearl stud earrings AND a 7-8mm Freshwater pearl bracelet set! (total value $86 USD ) From Pearl Paradise.com

* Feisty Frugal and Fabulous is also giving away a pair of Aiko Bootcut Mid Rise Jeans, by Silver. Great quality jeans. I used to love wearing silver jeans when I was younger. I think it's about time I tried them again!

Busy day

2010-02-01T17:22:00.001-05:00

Today was a good paced day. It feels good to get things accomplished how I'd hoped and not feel rushed and barely get done. Seems like things were busy but followed the schedule.

Battle of the bulge...
so weekly results are weight lost 4lbs. That makes the weight to lose 11.5lbs. But it seems to be picking up speed. I got my calories figured out with livestrong.com and I have a really good idea where things are at. My body fat went down 1% woo hoo! I am only .5% from being in the 'healthy' category. I think gettting under 151 (which is the lowest I've been since being pregnant) and getting below or at the healthy weight mark is going to mean A LOT. I'm actually feeling pretty good today. I did the shred and 20 mins of walking. Seeing my calories actually makes me want to exercise. You get to eat more and then it seems worth it. Otherwise I'd be eating so little it would really suck. That's the only part that sucks as your weight gets lower your calories drop. Boooo.

So I had my workout, and we had someone come by for an estimate on some of our windows...wow $$$$ and then I had some bows to make from Etsy orders in my bow shop Cushy Tushy Designs.

Today's photo. Compliments of E, photo essay of a two year old. These photos are within a minute span. I can never get her to stay still so I take them quick and weed them out later.

Mommy says... E smile....

E: No! Me: Here unzip your hoodie a bit. E: No Mommy don't touch.

Me: E come over here by the window so I can take a better picture. E: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *insert total melt down here*

Me: Nap time!

An all to familiar exchange with a two year old, lol. I wouldn't change it for a thing. I love her personality even when she drives me up a wall some days. As a matter of fact at one point today I said....You are TOO much like me! Not that I'm not wonderful ;) I just can't deal with myself. That's why I married my opposite lol. I think I'm lucky ;)

Giveaways:

I am super stoked to be the lucky winner of the purse at penny pinching Mama. I'm in a pretty good mood to say the least. :D

Got a new scale and I'm actually happy about it.

2010-01-29T16:41:00.002-05:00

I think the only thing worse than not losing weight is a scale that is so inconsistent you have NO idea what the heck is going on. This one will measure body fat as well as water and that is so awesome. Takes the guess work out of am I bloated? blah blah.

**update** NO I'm not telling how much I weighed but I am so happy to know I'm not OBESE (worst word ever) and I have more muscle than average like I thought. Yay! Imagine a scale making me feel better.

No new news. I just realized NEWS came from the word NEW...omg duh lol. Wow you learn something new every year (If it were day I'd have known that by now).

Photo for today....
E the little technology whiz (her daddy is so proud) and J her prodigy. I wish I could take pictures in low light that weren't so grainy. Any tips are welcome.

Giveaways:

* Leslie loves veggies has a fantastic giveaway from LuShae Jewelry. Winner gets to choose ANY item from their website ! I had a look around and I would die to win something from there. It's all very elegant. Open world wide and ends on Valentine's day. how appropriate <3

* Baby Goodbuys always has huge giveaways and great money saving posts. They're giving away a Britax Advocate Car Seat! Value $369.99! A good car seat is SO important and Britax is an excellent brand.

Thursday....I'm not counting the days anymore.

2010-01-28T10:17:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to take the pressure off myself and make this more about my life and not just my workouts. I read an interview with another blogger the other day and she mentioned her blog was like a journal for her kids to read and I thought that was a really sweet idea. I hadn't though about that.

I can't believe how fast my little girl is growing. Seems like just yesterday she was just crawling and now she's stealing Daddy's itouch to look at her favourite cartoons on you tube. I love this age. Terrible twos yes, sometimes but the great parts are really great. I want to steal every moment I can. I adore my baby girl.

Is there anything better?

Giveaways:

* Mint green with Envy is giving away a jar of Perricone MD Concentrated Restorative treatment. I've been dying to try the Perricone cream. I haven't been able to bring myself to buy it with the price and I'd love to win it but I'm afraid I'll be hooked. lol. I'm willing to take the chance.

* Aubut Life is giving away a $75 gift certificate for Zutano's new line Itzy Bitzy. The clothes are for newborn to infant and they are adorable.

* Natural baby goods is hosting a Zutano itzy baby giveaway. Their winter cozy blankets look so nice. I'd love to win one for J. His room is so chilly and the blanket he has is too small. I don't think he'd fit the infant clothes anymore anyhow. Well I know he wouldn't, my chunky monkey.

Wordless wednesday- A card for Kayla

2010-01-27T17:15:00.003-05:00

This family's story broke my heart. I cannot imagine the strength they have. Please if you have time read this post by Tammi of My Organized Chaos and send a card if you have a moment.

E and I will be making a card to send off to Kayla tomorrow.

Giveaways:

* Secret Suburb Society, a new blog I've come across is giving away a gorgeous Vera Bradley 'Morgan' bag. It's got vibrant colours and is the perfect size. Open to entries world wide. Ends Feb 28th.

* Aubut Life is giving away a $40 gift certificate to Chew Chew's Closet Etsy shop. She is very talented and sews some of the most creative and adorable boutique quality clothing. There is some great stuff in there I'd love to have for E and J.

Day 22 Toned down Tuesday

2010-01-26T13:15:00.009-05:00

Weight to lose: 12lbs (my math is bad, it was 12 yesterday too)
Exercise: 30 day shred

Got to sleep in a bit today ahhhhh, of course I was up with J til 2am so really it wasn't a sleep in as much as getting 8 hours.

I feel kind of weak today. Maybe it's because I haven't done the shred since last tuesday so almost a week. I had to skip it on Thurs because of the Hubbs surgery.

My blog is so completely boring. I need to add some photos or something. Heres one of J and I at Christmas. I love that little guy <3.

Customs Vent:
I got one of my winnings in the mail today. (It's wonderful. I am not unhappy with it in anyway or the blog I won it from. I want to be super clear about that) What I'm peeved about is that I had to pay almost $10 in customs! Something for Canadians to keep in mind when entering contests. It may not be free in the end. And how does that work? If you didn't pay for it is there really a value per se? I could refuse it but that's really my only option . Giveaway bloggers if you happen to be reading this is it possible you could talk to your giveaway suppliers about how they label their goods for giveaways? ~~It should be labelled as a gift when it wasn't purchased~~. I actually called Customs and they do not tax under $20 so labelling the value $20 or less would take care of the problem. Gifts are only between relatives etc.

Giveaways:

* Two of a kind working on a full house is giving away a Zooper Bolero stroller! ARV $300. Wow. It's beautiful. You really have to see it. I would love to win this. So gorgeous. I know it would get lots of use in my family.

* Two of a kind working on a full house has so many great giveaways. They also have one for an Evenflo Generations 65 combination booster. ARV $100!

* Two of a kind working on a full house is ALSO givingaway a Clarisonic Mia sonic cleansing system. That's a mouth full. I have recently become very aware of how much I neglected my skin over the last three years of babies and pregnancies and it's showing. I'd love to have this to help.

*Bizzie Mommy is giving away a Sealy posturepedic signature series 11 series mattress! I could really use this mattress, ours sinks into the middle. I have no idea how old it even is. With two very young kids and a lack of sleep we need the best sleep we can get when we get it!

* Like a warm cup of coffee is giving away a flirty apron. I WILL have one of these, I need to be careful it's becoming an obsession lol. They are just so dang cute.

* Kidglue is giving away a $25 Gap card. This would come in sooo handy buying clothes for J. He's already fitting 18 month clothes at 9 months and he's outgrowing before I can even buy lol!

Day 21 Rainy Monday

2010-01-25T10:26:00.007-05:00

Weight to lose: 11 lbs
Exercise: 40 mins treadmill intervals

So I am down 2lbs from yesterday and that's .5 for the week. I am going to just take it as "week 2" like on the biggest loser. There is always a week that stalls. I'm pressing onward! I think I've been gaining muscle too so even a pound of that will off set my 'weight loss'. I've decided to have the Hubbs take photos of me so I can SEE the difference and not rely on the stupid scale so much.

So yesterday sucked. It only got worse. On the way to my parents house with the whole family in the car some Ahole turned left in front of me (in the rain!) and I had to slam my brakes on and swerve to get around them then not to hit a light stand. I couldn't have missed them by more than half a foot. The Hubbs is still recovering from his surgery which is why I was driving and thank God! It shook me up but I really feel like there was an angel on my shoulder. I had already had the accident in my mind (that's how close we were) I was just trying to think of the 'best' way to hit them when I saw a tiny space I *might* fit through and I took it. I've had lots of drivers training and I know that is partly to thank here. Really I guess the day got better...it could have happened but it didn't. I am SO grateful. **huge exhale*

When we got there all the family was there and we had a great night so the day did redeem itself.

Giveaways:

Lots of great ones ending tonight on Mom's focus on cyber world I hope to get an email tomorrow telling me I won something. It makes checking email in the morning exciting :D

* I entered a giveaway on Mom's focus on cyber world for Iron Man: Armored adventures volume 2 . Three readers will win! My brother is a huge comic book nerd/lover :D I tease him but it's really very sweet. He's just a big kid at heart sometimes and I think that's why my kids adore him. I'd love to win this for him.

* Mom of Boys with Toys is giving away a $25 gift certificate to Eden's Fantasy ( warning it is for 18+). They have super sexy lingerie I'd love to suprise the Hubbs with.

* Another new blog.... Pretty Pink Momma, is giving away a flirty apron. I am dying to get my hands on one of these! They are so cute! Check em out.

Day 20 It's my body and I'll cry if I want to!

2010-01-24T09:38:00.000-05:00

Weight: -1.5!
Exercise: Debating

SOOO I broke my rule today. I have been feeling like I'm not losing so I stepped on the scale and voila.... I'm actually up. WHAT? I exercise intensely 5 times a week and I eat 1200-1300 calories (I'm not usually a calorie counter but I had to check just to be sure I wasn't off there). What the heck? My body hates me, I'm sitting here with a pulled muscle in my back AGAIN (oh yeah and I'm the only lifter in the house) and totally feeling sorry for myself. I don't get it. I wish I could just stay in bed today. BLAH, and that's the G version.

Day 19 Slow Saturday

2010-01-23T19:24:00.001-05:00

Weight ?
Exercise: day off

I stayed up way too late with my girlfriend having a glass of wine. I figured the kids would sleep in since neither of them went to be before 10pm. BUT of course they were up right at 8am. Ugh...so tired!

Maybe that's why I'm feeling unusually bummed about my diet etc... I don't feel like I've lost any weight this week and I don't know what I'm going to do if I didn't lose. I am working so hard and juggling mom duties to workout it's a major disappointment if I don't lose. Cross your fingers for me or I might not get out of bed lol

I took measurements too in case I'm building muscle and it's showing that way. I just want to see something!

Giveaways:

* Leslie Loves Veggies is giving away a personalized stamps from Mommy pads and more. These are really cute creative style not the old boring return label ones.

* Sweeps4bloggers is giving away a hair care kit with two in one conditioning shampoo, styling spray and leave in conditioning spray value of $43.50 PER kit! And there are {5} winners. I like those odds.

Day 18 I knew I was spoiled but I think I was REALLY spoiled.

2010-01-22T11:55:00.000-05:00

Weight?
Exercise: treadmill intervals 40mins

So the Hubbs can't lift anything, even his own arm. So that makes life with two young kids interesting. He helps where he can but really there isn't much more than supervising and calling for me that he can do. So I've been quite busy. Normally we are pretty evenly split with kid duties or if anything he does more than me. He's between jobs so we're both home all day. I've been so spoiled. With most of the kid duties and all of the baby duties I'm exhausted.

J was up a few times last night to boot. I think it's his top teeth. They seem like they're about to break through. But they've looked that way for a few days. E was never like this, until her incisors anyhow. Her teeth just showed up and that was that. It was really only from 18months on that it seemed to bother her. I can only imagine how it will be with J then...I don't want to think about it. I'm SO glad we're only having two. I'm tired!

Day 17...I'm tired already

2010-01-21T13:07:00.004-05:00

Weight: ?
Exercise: day off

Today I took the Hubbs to the doctor, he had minor surgery. It took much longer than we'd thought since the doctor was running super behind. So now I'm on my own with the kiddos for at least a week probably two since he doesn't have mobility in his arm and can't lift or raise it. I already need a nap lol. Guess I have to be a responsible adult and go to bed before 2am lol.

Giveaways:

* Organic Girl is giving away a $50 gift certificate to Cute as a Bug Boutique. They have adorable blankets, tutus, knit hats and bibs. My fave is the minky stroller blanket. I know J would love cuddling it to sleep.

* Cool Canucks is giving away a set of Stratus Instant Skin Perfector, Lux Lip Conditioner, Siren Lip Stick, Aura Multi Use Blush, and a Mesemerize Eye Color Treatment from Vapour beauty. To THREE winners. I've had my eye on the skin perfector for a while.

* Cool canucks is ALSO giving away a set of make up including eyeshadow palette, bamboo brush and compact and more from everyday minerals to THREE winners! I can always use a little glamour in my life.

Day 16 blah

2010-01-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

Weight to lose: ?
Exercise: treadmill intervals 40mins

So exercise etc as usual. Feeling fat today. I need to start measuring myself once a week. I feel like the scale is betraying me. My hormones are a mess and I'm beginning to get frustrated.

E is getting sick. Again... which means J may get sick and that's even worse. I managed to escape it last time they all got sick including the Hubbs. I hope again I can. Hubbs is having minor surgery tomorrow and will be down and out for a bit. That's going to be a challenge. His arm will be in a sling for a couple of weeks. I'm just feeling kind of bummed and blah and a little anxious I guess. I feel like just chilling on the couch.

BUT my best friend has some people at work who are sending supplies over to Haiti so instead I've been gathering clothing/shoes/toys/food/hygiene products/diapers etc... to send over. I feel so much better about doing that donating them locally. I still have my old 'skinny' clothes to go through. I have like three different wardrobes taking up space skinny/pregnant/after. I'm happy to get rid of some, if not most of this stuff.

I'm bummed I didn't win any of the giveaways I really wanted to win but hey I guess that's not how it works. I'm not angry just bummed. I can hear E coughing upstairs....crappy.

Giveaways:

Day 15.... Attack of the rubber arms

2010-01-19T11:45:00.006-05:00

Weight: ?
Exercise: 30 day shred

My workout felt hard again...weird. Might be because I upped my running yesterday so my muscles are weaker. It was mostly my legs giving out on me. Now I have shaky rubber arms and fingers. Its kinda tricky to type even. All good things in the end.

Had an awesome night over at my best girls house to watch the Bachelor. It's just not the same watching it with the Hubbs. It's nice to get out too. Tonight is his turn, seems like more and more we have to split up to get out whether it's errands or personal time, guess that's how it goes when you have two little ones.

J had a bit of a rough night. My Hubby is fricken awesome!! He got up with him all but once, even fed him a bottle. He's napping now, I don't blame him. Of course J is up and full of energy. We'll get this nap schedule figured out yet. I think maybe he needs just one long nap. We want him to go to bed at the latest 1000-1030 and last night it was more like midnight...ugh. A work in progress.

Giveaway news to come...

* Lille Punkin Reviews is giving away a flip camera. I would love to win this for my Dad. He's such a hard worker he really deserves it! Last day to enter this one but check out the other giveaways.

* Mint Green With Envy is giving away an adorable handmade dress. It has the most vibrant lemon print perfect for spring or summer.

* A Mom's Balancing Act is giving away a Slanket. One of those blankets with the arm holes. I have to admit I want one of these. How many times have I tried to rig the blanket so I can get my hands free and keep it on me.

* Organic girl is giving away two heat wraps and two warm buddies. Four winners! The warm buddies are great for the chilly winters so cozy. I'd love to have one for my kids.

* Two of a kind working on a full house, is giving away a Summer infant secure surround play yard! Wow would that be a life saver! Gates are so necessary and SO expensive.

* Sweeps4bloggers is giving away a Flirty Apron. I am dying to get my hands on one of these. You have ot see them they're adorable and still sexy.

Day 14 How is it possible to wake up with a headache like this?

2010-01-18T10:27:00.002-05:00

Weight to lose: 11.5lbs
Total for last week: -2lbs

Exercise: *headache went away* did 30 mins treadmill intervals

I'm sitting here waiting for my Advil cold and sinus and some tea to hopefully kick in and get rid of this strange one sided sinus headache. I would exercise anyhow if it weren't so bad but this sucks.

Anyhow, I weighed myself. Down 2 lbs! YES! I can feel it. It's likely more than that though I can feel it on my body and I was down to this weight before I started this diet and I didn't feel myself get bigger. So that makes me feel even better. There's no way I'm not putting on muscle with the strength training I'm doing and running. I'm pretty much built for muscle long before weight loss. At this rate I'll be at my first goal by the end of Feb.

I also had three cheat meals so I'm pretty happy about that. I'd rather exercise 5 days a week and partly diet than diet alone. I love food. I look forward to a meal with the Hubbs when the kids are in bed. I am very emotionally attached to that meal. It's like our reward for making it lol.

MUCH better night, J slept through the night without his swaddle! We practiced with him for naps and then at night he struggled a bit but with some comforting and rubbing his back (boys are so much more touchy feely it's cute) he fell asleep and stayed asleep til 10am! Finally a real bedtime for him and time for Mommy and Daddy with no kids yay!

Giveaways:

Today is the last day for the two of the Momstart draws I'm really hoping to win. The Perricone cream and Bumbleride Stroller. I really like that blog. I feel like she's real/honest and I can relate. Oh and wicked giveaways. Yes I still say wicked haha. Cross all your crossables for me.

* Piece of ME is givingaway a Mayfair gift pack valued at $75! They have super cute notepads and list pads and magnets.

Day 14 This n' that...the usual

2010-01-17T17:07:00.006-05:00

Weight lost: ?
Exercise: Day off

Day off today. Good thing too since Hubbs and I were up lots last night with our youngest. We swaddled him up til now and he's getting used to sleeping with no swaddle. I completely recommend swaddling! A few nights of adjustment now are fully worth months of no sleep. Both my kids responded very well to it sleeping through the night almost immediately.

So no exercise and tomorrow I weigh myself. I'm kind of excited but I don't want to be let down either. Here's hoping!

Spent most of the day just getting caught up and doing errands, groceries, putting laundry away, changing a TON of burned out light bulbs and I went through my drawers...they were a mess of a mix of maternity clothes over sized clothes (yay!) and just ratty old things. So I have a maternity pile and a donate pile.

Otherwise hanging out with my kids and it's been a good day. Anyone with a two year old knows a good day is just a minimal amount of melt downs and time outs lol. I had hoped the snow would be good enough for us to take her out and play but no such luck, we were going to take her swimming but we were way too tired.

Giveaways:

Did my tweets...check em out if you're looking for some links to on going giveaways.. Twitter

* Cool Canucks is giving away a Flirty Apron. I have been coveting one of these since I first saw them on a blog not too long ago. This might actually get me in the kitchen more!

* Experimental Mommy is giving away an Oreck Halo germ killing vacuum. It not only vacuums but it uses UV lights to kill bacteria at the same time.

* Found another flirty apron giveaway on Piece of ME. I'm new to this blog but I like what I see. Love those aprons! I never considered the red one before but it looks great on her.

* Pieces of ME is also giving away an adorable pair of shoes by Pedoodle. They have the cutest little girl shoes. My fave is the sugar plum so pretty.

Day 13 Operation DS and Giveaways!

2010-01-16T13:32:00.002-05:00

Weight to lose: ?
Exercise: Treadmill intervals 40mins

My visit to the chiropractor paid off. Seems I had a rib out of place. That's the second time that's happened to me lifting my little tank. I'm still sore but I decided to work out today so I could take tomorrow off and start again Monday. Thanks for the well wishes.

I don't know how much I've lost but I think not knowing makes you pay more attention to your body. I feel like I'm losing. My arms don't brush my sides as much. I hate that! So good. I'm going to weigh myself Monday morning. Exciting kind of.

A giveaway of sorts: I entered Weleda's Facebook haiku contest. I don't think I've written a haiku since public school. Anyhow I won all three products in their new pomegranate skin regenerating line.

The winner was:

Glorious sunshine/ Petals warm my wintry soul / Daydreams of summer

I wrote three an it wasn't my fave but they liked it so wooo hoooo. I love winning stuff lol. Thus my giveaway addiction. My sister in law is going to be so proud lol.

*something weird is happening with my font today, this is not on purpose lol**

Giveaways for today:

* Simply Stacie is giving away a Mrs Smith diaper bag. I am dying to get my hands on one of these. They look uber easy to organize and any Mom knows you don't have 5 minutes to search for a bib when they're hungry! Last day to enter is today.

Day 12 operation DS and Giveaways

2010-01-15T11:45:00.001-05:00

Pounds to lose: I have no idea :D
Exercise: none

So yesterday I did something to my back lifting my 23lb 9 month old in his car seat. It was achy yesterday and I put some heat and cold on it but this morning I woke up and yowsers! I couldn't even breathe without pain. So I'm headed to the chiropractor this afternoon. In the meantime no exercise today, I'm going to have to make up the two days off this weekend. We'll see, if I do even one day I'll be happy.

So we've put in a different car seat, not the bucket one, he's a pound over the limit anyhow it needed to be done. Believe it or not it's going to be tricker since I can't put him down and chase my 2 year old but I'll have to figure it out. I'm out of commission today. I only got up today to get a hot bath and now to post. Priorities lol.

So today will be mostly giveaways:

* Eighty MPH mom is giving away a pearl necklace form Louis Anthony Jewelers a $300 value! It's beautiful have a look. Ends Feb 3rd.

Day 11 of DS and Giveaways!

2010-01-14T13:04:00.005-05:00

Weight to lose: 13lbs
Exercise: The 30 day shred

I think I'm going to stop weighing myself every day and stick to once a week. So I think my next weigh will be on Monday morning. It's frustrating to see it fluctuate day to day and it could just be water or whatever...

Giveaways:

*Lucky Canuck is giving away a flirty apron, so much prettier than your Mom's apron. Makes cooking fun. Ends Jan 28th

* Jabbering Jessi is giving away a Hoover vacuum! I could really use this since our old one falls over all the time and with two little ones that's no good.

* Jabbering Jessi is ALSO giving away a Strider bike. If you've never seen one check it out. It's a bike with no wheels or pedals or chain for kids just learning to ride. Great idea!

* Mom's focus on cyber world is giving away a gorgeous, plush blanket from select comfort. Makes me feel all cuddly just looking at it!

* Mom Start is giving away a Bumbleride Flyer stroller!! These strollers are beautiful and fold up so conveniently into a carrying case. A great easy option! I'd love to have this for my rugrats.

* Mom start is also giving away Perricone MD cold plasma cream. I have seriously been eyeing this stuff for a while now. I would LOVE to be able to try it. Such a treat!

Day 10 operation DS and Giveaways!

2010-01-13T16:48:00.001-05:00

Weight to lose: 12.5
Exercise: treadmill intervals 40min

Down another .5lbs. Slowly but surely I suppose. I'll take it. I've been feeling a bit off. That feeling where you may be getting sick but you're not sure. I had to have a cup of tea before I worked out to get the motivation.

Had a nice lunch out with DJ today. Funny how when you get time alone all you do is talk about the kids or run errands since it's so much faster! It as nice anyhow. Thanks Mom :D

Giveaways:

* Lucky Canuck is giving away a flirty apron. I love these aprons. I don't like to cook but I think these might actually help motivate me. They're adorable.

* Feisty Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a Body Shop prize pack with all kinds of yummy things! Including a variety of make up brushes $150 value!

Day 9 operation DS and Giveaways

2010-01-12T10:48:00.006-05:00

Weight to lose: 13lbs
Exercise: zip

I had a headache last night...a good one and today it was still there so I decided to skip my workout, well post phone it really. I can make it up on the weekend or not. I'm really happy I'm still at -13 and it didn't go back up again. Makes me feel like it's actually real. I will get back to it though, I've only just begun.

My terrible two year old has the loveliest new bad habit. She tells everyone and everything to "shut up", whether they're talking or not. Great. We have a very vocal cat and we got into the habit a long time ago of telling him to shut up when he was whining and apparently we didn't stop soon enough and she picked up on it. Although her version is much snippier so I wonder where else it might be coming from. I tried getting her to say 'quiet please' if that's really what she wants but now it doesn't seem that's the real reason anyhow. So time out it is. EVERY time she says it we give her time out. She's pretty good with them and I think it's making a difference, it's our consistency that will make or break it.

Next up.... getting her to stop calling her Daddy by his name. It's hilarious but it needs to stop. I just need to stop him from answering to it first!

Giveaways;

* Today's Diva having a fantastic giveaway where they'll draw one winner every week to win everyday resort pallet and lavender lip balm from Everyday Minerals ends Feb 15th.

* Cool Canucks is giving away a personalized baby blanket from designs by Mimi and lola . They are seriously adorable!

* Cool Canucks is also giving away (well really they have a TON of giveaways you should check out these are only a few) a Spa Boutique prize pack.

* Cool Canucks is also giving away a 3 pack of Herbal Hugs. Seriously I NEEED these. I have an ice pack on my neck as I type. The only thing wrong with these is that I don't have it NOW.

Day 8 operation DS and GIVEAWAYS

2010-01-11T18:28:00.001-05:00

Weight to lose: 13lbs
Exercise: Jillian Michael's 30 day shred

Rushed morning. I had to workout run to get a shower and run to a doctors apt. I ate a protein bar on the way. But officially I lost 2.5lbs the first week! That's not too shabby. I actually feel like it's more. I doubt if I'd feel a noticable difference from 2.5 and I kind of feel my sides are less rounded. I'm doing a bunch of weights so maybe I'm gaining muscle. I got a nice compliment from my SIL. It's always good to hear it from someone else :D

What the heck is with Doctor's office secretaries? I swear the broads that work at mine are the most incompetent people. I'm sure there are many good ones but I have yet to meet one. Today they flat out lied to me, why? Cause I asked the Doctor to call me and she didn't want to ask so she said she was gone. I even made her go and look but I'll bet she just faked it. Why bother? What's the big deal really, I was in there for an apt not like I am trying to brush off an appointment. Then she (the doctor) called like 20 mins later...idiots. I love my doctor, it's too bad she hires biatches. Well that's my vent lol. Next up Costco Pharmacists.....

GIVEAWAYS

I didn't enter any *new* give aways today. I just re tweeted the old ones. I've got lots of bows to work on for my Etsy shop.

Check out my twitter page and follow me for the giveaways I'm entering. My Twitter name is Cushytushyshop

Day 7 operation DS and of course GIVEAWAYS!

2010-01-10T12:10:00.004-05:00

Weight to lose: 14lbs
Exercise: 20 minute intervals on treadmill

So I did work out today. That makes five days like I'd wanted. I didn't do the extra 20 minutes after the intervals but we had a skype call with my inlaws so I had to cut it short. I'm 'up' a pound but I suspect that will change even if just a bit. We had wings last night, they're my FAVE cheat. I'm sure I'm retaining water. I'm happy with my exercise for the week.

I seriously think I might lose my mind if I have to watch Toy Story one or two again lol. Isn't it funny how kids fixate on movies. First it was Bolt, then Nemo then Shrek (which wasn't so bad) and now anything Toy Story. Terrible twos are here so anything that keeps her happy I'm willing to do. When we get more snow we can go out and play.

Giveaways! Here are the giveaways I've entered today:

* Cool Canucks blog is giving away a bottle of White Sands ER (emergency repair) hair treatment. It looks so indulgent. I would love to try it. My hair is so dry lately. Kids'll do that to ya.

* Rave and review is giving away a T3 Bespoke feather weight hair dryer + extras! Value $200
My hair dryer is cracking and has seen MUCH better days. I would love to win this.

* Rave and review is also giving away an Oreck XL Halo UV vaccum! This is more than your typical vacuum, it has a UV light that kills bacteria WHILE you vaccum. A dream for moms with young kids crawling or kids with allergies.

* The B keeps us honest is giving THREE winners a set of Eco Tools by Alicia Silverstone. They are so pretty, check it out.

* Lucky Canucks is giving away a set of peach to pink pearl earrings. They are beautiful!

Day 6 operation downsize and GIVEAWAYS

2010-01-09T13:28:00.004-05:00

Weight to lose: 13lbs
Exercise: none, rest day

Down another pound! Of course the day after I had a cheat night with steak and drinks. How does that work lol. I'll take it! My original plan was to take weekends off of exercising but I think since I skipped Wednesday I'm going to work out tomorrow for a short interval set on the treadmill. Great progress. I'll be even happier if I lose another half pound by the end of the week to be a full 3lbs.

Giveaway news:

*Lille Punkin Reviews is giving away a Flip Ultra Video Camera valued at $150. I am new to this blog but I like her set up. And I love that she is very to the point and direct about things.

*Simply Stacie is giving away a three pack of Girl Gotch underwear. We will be starting potty training soon with my DD and I would love to have these for her. They are the comfiest underwear I've seen for little girls and that's exactly what you need when you're trying to make potty training fun. I hope to win some but I'll probably buy some anyhow.

* Jabbering Jessi is giving away a Kodak $110 Visa gift card! There's a great calculator on the Kodak site you can use to see how much you're overpaying for ink. You can link thru Jessi's blog.

* Sweeps4bloggers is giving away a CASE of Ritter sport chocolate. Are you kidding me? I am on a diet but I cannot resist this. I mean a case. They have a ton of flavours including fine dark chocolate and peppermint to name a couple of my faves.

* Sweeps4bloggers is also giving away two bottles of organic nail polish and nail polish remover. **FIVE** winners!

Day 5 Operation Downsize and Giveaways of course!

2010-01-08T13:21:00.002-05:00

Weight to lose: 14lbs
Exercise: 30 day shred

I'm not happy that the only weight lost was after the first day and was likely water weight. I have been working really hard. I have to hope that it's just getting my metabolism wound up and it will come off faster but then there's that dreaded time of the month that messes with my weight loss every month.

I was still sore this morning but not bad. I'm curious to see how sore I am tomorrow. Last time on the second work out I was considerably less sore.

Giveaways:

* Baby Good Buys is giving away an Indie stroller and Jam pack $520 value! Easy to enter check it out!

* Babybix is giving away a Britax frontier harness booster seat! That's a GREAT giveaway. Car seats are like gold lol and Britax is a fantastic brand.

Day 4 operation downsize and giveaway news

2010-01-07T14:08:00.008-05:00

Weight to lose: 14lbs Holding strong
Exercise: 20 minute intervals 20 minute fast walk on treadmill

STILL sore. But I can't keep waiting. I feel better now, I think it was good that I didn't workout yesterday. Soon I'll be able to do five days. I feel good. I already feel like the intervals that almost killed me on monday are a bit easier. I upped the speed on a couple of them.

My hormones are a MESS. That can't be helping but, I'm looking forward to seeing some more results. I hope to at least lose two pounds this week but more would be nice.

My latest obsession...GIVEAWAYS:

* I entered to win a Hooter Hider from Bebe Au Lait. I didn't breastfeed for long with my two but when I did or even for pumping the nursing cover was fantastic. The bebe au lait cover has a rigid piece at the top so you can see what you're doing under there and lots of chic patterns. Check it out on Simply Stacie.

*The B keeps us Honest is giving away a scarf from affordable scarves. They look so comfy cozy and luxurious. I'd love to have one to match my new hat.

* Organic Girl is giving away a $40 gift certificate to Kinderel. They have lots of different products including bibs, blankets and sleep sacks. A great value.

* The Fabulous Won (great name by the way) is giving away a jar of Perricone MD Plasma cream from Perricone MD value of $150! I've never tried anything that luxurious before. Looks like a great product.

* Feisty Frugal and Fabulous is giving away a pair of Sanita Professional Cabrio Clogs. They are beautiful leather clog shoes. They look so fancy. I think my hubby would love them for when he starts his new job.

* My Wee View one of my favourite giveaway blogs is giving away a pair of See Kai Run Shoes. I have never tried these on either of my kids but I know how important shoes are for young feet and I would love the opportunity to have a pair.

* A daily dose of Toni is giving away a Dyson DC31 hand held vacuum! Pretty sweet. They are such fantastic machines. I could really use one of those with the crumbs my kids manage.

Day 3 operation downsize and the usual giveaway news :D

2010-01-06T14:16:00.009-05:00

Pounds to lose: 14
Exercise: None, my body begged me not too

So I was sore yesterday but I decided to work out anyhow. I figure that they do it on the biggest loser everyday it won't kill me. BUT today, ouchie, I'm taking a break. I'll still do four days or I'll make it up on Saturday. We'll see. I feel good. The scale still says the same as yesterday which is good. I think the eating/dieting is going to help so I don't HAVE to exercise everyday.

Giveaways news aka my latest obsession: I am a WINNER. I won a giveaway on The B keeps us honest blog for the Dorian faux black pearl cluster set I blogged about yesterday. I can't wait to receive them. They look so beautiful. I 'll have to con my parents into babysitting so I can wear them out somewhere.

Today's entries:
* I entered a giveaway on Cool Canucks for Monave mineral make up. I would love to try their bamboo honey facial polish or maybe some of their setting powders.

* I also entered a giveaway on My Wee View for Reliable of Milwaukee Muk Luks. Anyone who knows me knows how I love my slippers. These would be a fantastic addition to my collection :D Check out the other giveaways on these blogs.

* I entered on Cool Canucks to win candles from Aunt Sadies Candles. They have a large and unique selection including lots of holiday scents. Who doesn't love candles.

*Also a Burt's Bees set worth $75. Canadians only . From Organic Girl. I've never actually tried Burt's bees products but I have no idea why. I hmm and haw about it every time I see them. Hopefully I'll get a chance to try them this time.

*Also from Organic Girl I entered to win a sling from Bambini Bags. I have used baby wraps before and they are really just the best thing if you have a baby that likes to be held and you want your hands free. I have never tried this style of slip before but from my understanding it is useful from newborn to toddler ages!

*Mrs Smith Diaper bag. Any Mom knows diaper bags are just an extension of purses. One to match each outfit? Each kid? Different sizes? why not! This giveaway helps feed my addiction. From Organic Girl again. She has great giveaways if you hadn't noticed.

*Kina lambskin booties. Shoes are awesome, baby shoes are even better! These are especially adorable keep babies feet warm without overheating. From you guessed it...Organic Girl.

*I just discovered this blog recently... Wishing penny. She's giving away a handbag from handbag heaven. They have a great selection of unique colours and styles.

*A daily dose of Toni is offering A superstar professional turbo ionic hair dryer...that's a mouthful. Must be good! This looks like a sleek machine. My old one is literally cracking up, the handle barely stays together. I'm tired of buying cheap hairdryers just to be on the search for a new one that really does what it's supposed to do.

Wish me luck!

Day 2 operation downsize... And the latest giveaways.

2010-01-05T14:01:00.006-05:00

Pounds to lose to first goal: 14 (that's right -1.5 since yesterday. Gotta love water weight)
Exercise: Jillian Michaels 30 day shred workout video lvl 1

I aaaalmost didn't work out. I as usual went to bed WAY too late and had a hard time getting up. By the time I dragged myself out of bed there were lots of other things that needed to be done. On top of my sore muscles from yesterday telling me just to skip it. BUT I did it. Mostly the threat of having to make it up on Saturday.
Tomorrow treadmill again. And tonight to bed earlier.

In other news aka giveaways: I am a WINNER! I won a Little Lasso from Organic Girl I can't wait to try it. No more fetch for Mommy!

Blog giveaways I've entered today:

- Lady bugs and Tonka Trucks is giving away a set of Bumma cloths for after the wipe and before the diaper. I'd love to win these for my little niece who has the hardest time with rashes poor thing.
- Entered the Oreck Halo vacuum giveaway on Feisty Frugal and Fabulous . This vacuum has a UV light that kills bacteria WHILE you vacuum. This is a godsend for people who suffer from allergies *hand raised*
- The B keeps us honest is giving away a Dorian Faux black pearl cluster set from Fantasy Jewelry box. It's beautiful in the photo I can only imagine how pretty it is in person.
- I also entered to win Lash Mantra eyelash serum. I am more excited about this than really I think I 'should' be. My lashes are stumpy at best. It's my own fault through bad habits of leaving mascara on while I sleep. I would love to try this serum that sweeps4bloggers is giving away.
-I entered a giveaway on the cool canucks blog to win Eleven Collection kids shoes, I'd never heard of them before this giveaway but they are adorable! I never realized how important good, quality kids shoes were before my oldest began to walk. My son is close to crawling and I'd love to win these shoes for him for when he begins to toddle.
- Back for more at Organic Girl. I entered to win a $25 dollar gift certificate to Aylings Great Baby Company to put towards any kushies product.

Day 1 of getting my (larger than I'd like) butt back into gear!

2010-01-04T13:38:00.004-05:00

Pounds to lose to 'first goal': 15.5
Treadmill 40 minutes

Today I did a 20 minute interval set on the treadmill followed by twenty minutes of walking. It was tough but it felt good! When I didn't feel like I was going to throw up :D I hate to exercise. I never understood people who really like it. I guess I don't get the same endorphins. But anyhow for the first day success. Tomorrow I shred with Jillian Micheals 30 day shred video.

In giveaway news....

I entered a giveaway from Today's Diva for a $40 gift certificate to Bra Allure, ending Feb 4th. I am guilty of not paying attention to the details I did when I was kidless, aka underwear and lingerie. I also entered to win Zuii cosmetics package worth $238! And also a Karmin G3 pro in white from My hair styling tools. Also...I know more lol.... A spa package from spa boutique worth $369. What I love about the Today's Diva blog is not only are most of, if not all, of their giveaways eligible for Canadians but they are for ME not baby stuff for me. Things I may never have tried otherwise. That's the second part of the working out is taking care of me too.

I also entered a giveaway from Cool Canucks another Canadian site for a gift card to Chapters/Indigo for $25 AND also another I've been putting entries into for a while for Stonz booties. If you haven't seen these booties they are the CUTEST things! If I don't win them I think I won't be able to stop myself from buying some and maybe even if I do win them who knows. I am also adding a button to the side of my blog for Cool Canucks.

Can't beat free!

2010-01-03T18:16:00.006-05:00

From time to time I'm going to post giveaways and links to free samples etc. Here's one to for some Free caffeinated soap

Click on the buttons on the right side of my blog for links to other blogs for great giveaways. Here are some of the giveaways I entered lately.

- A Boon highchair from Natural Mommie. Ending January 13th.
- A Kuerig and a Bumbleride Indie stroller valued at $459.99 ends Jan 11th ends Jan 31st from Fiesty, Frugal and Fabulous
- A Keurig machine from Mommy PR ends 1/4

Having been on maternity leave for two years now it's tight and any of these would be a blessing! Have fun and good luck!

Fast Forward Family

2010-01-03T10:23:00.003-05:00

December 2005 I met my husband and we went on our first date. New Years eve date #2 (no pressure right?). September 2006 Engaged! March 2007 we're pregnant and married! Dec, 3 2007 we welcome our daughter Emma. March 2008 we buy and move into our first house. August 2008 we're pregnant...again! April 20th 2009 Jake is born..... getting the fast forward part now? I wouldn't have it any other way :D well maybe a little different ;)

Anyhow life around here the past few days. Sick husband, sick kids. LOTS of snot. We've been hibernating, which isn't easy with a two year old with an attention span of a flea. I think I've watched Toy Story five times in the past two days.

New Years resolutions! Typical, eat better, exercise, lose weight! I need to get rid of this baby weight. Starting Monday I do cardio every weekday and weights in between. I will keep track on here maybe it will help me stick to it. Monday it begins!

First time blogger long time talker

2010-01-02T23:56:00.006-05:00

My first official blog. I'm awfully good at talking and over thinking so I can only imagine this will work out nicely for me.

My life...a very delicate balance between Mom and who I used to be. A struggle familiar to many women. Hopefully I can use this blog to help work it out. More to come...

Oh, and my latest obsession, blog giveaways. I'll be sharing a few of those ;)

Fast Forward Family

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!

Long time no blog...

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Big girl bed time!

It's always sad when a 'professional' disappoints

Bring on the vacay!!!!

Special delivery from Alberta

He's here!

long time no typey.....

My little man looks like a little man now :D

Wordless wednesday

Looks like we skipped Spring!

*Exhale* :D

I love my life!

Anything can happen

Backyard fun...

It's coming, it's really coming....

A real hero...

The law of positivity?

J's 1st Birthday!!!

Working Girl... Not that kind but you know

Happy Easter...

No wonder they call it a JOB

Oh I didn't see you there...

Yo Gabba Gabba iiiiiis aawwwesome!

Have you seen my workout mojo?

The age old struggle to get kids to eat vegetables.

Wordless wednesday

Mixed emotions

Layla Grace's story

A pleseant suprise AND a fantastic giveaways

FINALLY- A product that does what it says it will....

Back to work -- for realsies

Sunday Special giveaway post

Live preformance of the exorcist....tickets available!

Any Bachelor Fans?

The wonderful 'gift' of being a woman

ALMOST wordless wednesday

Finally caught J's Cold

Monday-Family day

Techincally Saturday?

Wordless Wednesday

Why did God make food taste so good?

Super --- Bowl Sunday- Single 'football' Moms unite

Friday--- No such thing as a weekend these days

Thursday already?

Busy day

Got a new scale and I'm actually happy about it.

Thursday....I'm not counting the days anymore.

Wordless wednesday- A card for Kayla

Day 22 Toned down Tuesday

Day 21 Rainy Monday

Day 20 It's my body and I'll cry if I want to!

Day 19 Slow Saturday

Day 18 I knew I was spoiled but I think I was REALLY spoiled.

Day 17...I'm tired already

Day 16 blah

Day 15.... Attack of the rubber arms

Day 14 How is it possible to wake up with a headache like this?

Day 14 This n' that...the usual

Day 13 Operation DS and Giveaways!

Glorious sunshine/ Petals warm my wintry soul / Daydreams of summer

I wrote three an it wasn't my fave but they liked it so wooo hoooo. I love winning stuff lol. Thus my giveaway addiction. My sister in law is going to be so proud lol.

***something weird is happening with my font today, this is not on purpose lol****

Giveaways for today:

* Simply Stacie is giving away a Mrs Smith diaper bag. I am dying to get my hands on one of these. They look uber easy to organize and any Mom knows you don't have 5 minutes to search for a bib when they're hungry! Last day to enter is today.

Day 12 operation DS and Giveaways

Day 11 of DS and Giveaways!

Day 10 operation DS and Giveaways!

Day 9 operation DS and Giveaways

Day 8 operation DS and GIVEAWAYS

Day 7 operation DS and of course GIVEAWAYS!

Day 6 operation downsize and GIVEAWAYS

Day 5 Operation Downsize and Giveaways of course!

Day 4 operation downsize and giveaway news

Day 3 operation downsize and the usual giveaway news :D

Day 2 operation downsize... And the latest giveaways.

Day 1 of getting my (larger than I'd like) butt back into gear!

Exhale :D

*something weird is happening with my font today, this is not on purpose lol**