Less Squishy, More Fit!

So on Boxing Day I bought a DVD for $5, Jillian Michael's 30 day SHRED. This has got to be the best purchase I have ever made. I started the next morning with my sister, her two boys and my little man watching me attempt to complete this 20 minute workout (with 2 minutes warm-up and then stretching for 10 minutes, not the 2 the DVD does). I was determined to complete the 30 days. I didn't, not in one go that is. I got to day 18 and got a stinker of a head cold...so I stopped...for 9 days. 18 - 9 = 9...so I started again on day 9 and made it to day 27 before I had to start my next training plan, running.

So my latest training plan is a learn to run a 5km training plan in 9 weeks. I have signed up for a 5km in 6 weeks...so yeah, I'm on week 3 already. So my current training plan is run three days a week and Shred 3 days a week. Sunday's I get to rest (Hooray!). So I finished my 30 day SHRED by working it in with the first week of my running training.

I am now on week 3 of my Shred L3, Run, Shred L2, Run, Shred L1, Run, Rest training plan. Yes, I created it all by myself but I had gotten used to getting up at 5am to do the Shred that I thought, why not keep it up! I have done running training before and been SO sore in between my training runs but now that I'm cross training, I feel OK. Granted my legs do NOT want to do what I'm telling them to and I do have to stretch at my half way point but I'm surprising myself at how well I'm doing! Yay me!

On April 13th I am running the Free Run and it is 5km. I cannot bear to be last but there are only 1000 entries to this run...so I could be last...and this is what spurs me on.

It is now the end of February and I've been exercising consistently for 2 months now. I'm totally amazed by myself. I feel like something is missing if I've not exercised. This past Sunday I even cleaned the house I had so much more energy!

I've not lost loads of weight as I've not been eating quite so well and now I have another dietary hurdle to master (I'll post about that later!) but exercising is definitely making me feel better and I'm not quite so squishy!

I've joined My Fitness Pal which will hopefully spur me on. I want to be healthy and fit...tired of being so squishy!

Goodbye 2011...Hello 2012

So it's January...and I have some time...so I will do my first ever year in review! Bear with me...it was one hell of a year!

So for those of you who don't know or have forgotten, we moved from England in October 7, 2010 back to Victoria, Canada. So, January 2011 sees me without a job and no prospects at that point but I do get to spend loads of time with my little man which was awesome! We tackled potty training on the 21st of January and went straight from diapers to no diapers with no night pants or anything. Best idea ever! Zachary was pretty much accident free after a day and a half. We followed the potty training in one day method. We didn't buy the kit, I just found out the method online and did my own thing!
http://www.pottytrainingconcepts.com/A-How-to-Potty-Train-One-Day.html
After three nights he started having dry nights and now only has the occasional accident at night and usually when he's not feeling well. Yay!

February we celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary and left Zachary with a babysitter, the first time EVER! It all went well of course as my little man is a gem! I finally landed a job at the end of February with Fujitsu Consulting. I started in as an Assistant Project Manager and by this point I was willing to take anything. I found the job ok but not very challenging but better to have a job than no job at all!

In March we decided to go and visit our mortgage broker to see if we could get a mortgage or if we had to wait. Because I was working for a sister company they classified it as a transfer and didn't need wait the 6 months as we expected. So we started house hunting right away. It all happened so fast but we found a house we liked and took posession on the 9th of April, 1 week before we were due to go to England.

April was a very busy month with buying a house, and going to England. With the house we had to get the back yard landscaped because a new septic system had been put in and it was all uneven and new grass had to be planted.

We went to England as a surprise visit for Richards Mother. It was her birthday on Good Friday and we showed up on the Sunday previous. Richards brother picked us up from the airport and we arrived at the house and she had no idea. "Bloody 'ell" were her exact words when she looked up and saw Richard and Zachary standing there! We stayed for a week and agreed to see her in May in Crete.






We moved into our new (and first) home 3 days after we arrived back from England. I was at work and Zachary was at Daycare (which he started when he was 2.5 years old in March) so it was just Richard and the movers. This was good though. Everything was pretty much packed up and he didn't have us in the way. Everything seemd to go smoothly except for noticing the damp patch in our ceiling the first night we were there.

May saw us going to Crete for a week to spend time with my in-laws. A week is not long enough for such a lengthy trip! But all in all we were glad we went as this would be the last time we would see Rosa (other than on Skype). I can still feel her hug and remember her words so clearly as we said good bye.






I don't remember much from June. We had fathers day and went for a round of mini-golf and out for lunch at Smokin' Bones....We had a lovely day and the weather behaved itself. But other than that not much else happened (I don't think!). I also took part in the Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life. I failed to organise a team from work so myself and one lone co-worker joined another team consisting of young girls. Michelle and I walked most of the night and talked and talked and talked. It turned out we had a lot in common and we got on very well. Michelle has now become one of my closest friends in Victoria and we have done a number of things with her and her husband Oliver.

In July we decided we could no longer manage with just one vehicle as Richard's work was taking him over to the mainland more and more often. Where we live it isn't possible to catch a (three) bus(s) and still catch the first ferry.  So we bought a brand new Toyota Rav4. We love our new car and it holds six of us perfectly. My sister lives in Nanaimo and doesn't drive so it is very handy for that. Otherwise Moose gets transported about in the back.

Moose is doing very well. He was put on a strict weight lose diet again as he was getting way to heavy (just like his owners?). He has now lost 8kg! Yay Moose. He hardly struggles with his back hips now which is great as he is getting old.









August I don't remember much of other than going camping with Lynda and the boys and then starting a new project. I am no longer an Assistant Project Manager, I am now an Applications Analyst...basically, I work on a Service (Help) Desk. It's pretty dull but I love the people I work with and it is a fairly secure roll (and I didn't have to take a pay cut!).

September was Zachary's 3rd birthday! We had a fun party with 4 little friends, some games and cake and presents. I made the cake for Zachary in his current favourite theme. Cars! Miriam and Dave came over for the weekend as well and it was so lovely to meet long awaited baby Teagan born July 22, 2011.

I was quite ill the end of September with the flu and then numerous head colds. I was off work for 3 weeks in total. I finally kicked the germs out of my body the end of November as I was fed up!

Rosa lost her battle with Cancer on November 2, 2011. She was a fantastic person and my life will always be richer for knowing her. She was my friend and mother-in-law and a fantastic Gran to Zachary. She is missed by everyone who knew her.

We went to England for the Funeral. Richard and Zachary went on the 2nd but didn't quite make it in time. Rosa was told "Your boy is coming home, and he's bringing his Dad". She died later that night. I flew back on the 6th and we came home as a family on the 17th. It was a very hard trip but we knew it was coming. I just pray that she is now at peace.

December saw my 35th birthday (ouch!) which we celebrated with Michelle and Oliver and of course Christmas. Zachary was thouroughly spoiled and he still has more to open (Nanny and Papa's presents arrived yesterday!).

The past year drained Richard and I emotionally, physically and of course financially. We are ready to put the year behind us and start this one calmly and in a nice routine.

Becoming a Better Person

How does one become a better person? I mean, we all know there are things in our lives we can change. Knowing is half the battle right, but from there, how do you actually make the change?

Here are the things I would like to change about myself.

1) I would like to be less emotional.

I have always been a crier. I would like to be able just to not cry, but that doesn't work for me. I get sad, I cry (obviously!), I get frustrated, I cry, I get mad, I cry, I get overwhelmed, I cry, I get stressed...well, you get the idea! I find that I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be before I had 'Z' but I seem to be getting worse again. I'm putting it down to lack of pregnancy hormones in my body (erm...hun...should we do something about that?). So...how do I stop crying?

2) I would like to be less self absorbed. 

Now, this one covers a multitude of sins! LOL! I would like to not tell everyone how I'm feeling every second of every day and what is ailing me at this moment and time. This blog kind of goes against fixing this issue...but only mum reads it and sometimes writing about it helps, right! But whatever...I don't know why I have this incredible need to tell everyone everything about me, good and bad.

I also want to care more about other people and pay more attention to them. Ask them how they are, find out what's important to them and remember that stuff. I know this would make me a better friend.

3) I want to care less about what people think of me.

Hunny, do I look fat in this? erm...who cares right? I need to do what feels right to me. Do I like the outfit, yes...then darn it, wear it!

I need to be confident in all aspects of my life. This includes work. I feel this need to always be told if I'm doing a good job. Obviously for work I put a spin on it and insist that it's important to know where I can improve...but really...I like/need to be praised.


There are other things of course. I would like to lose weight, I would like to eat better and have more energy, I would like to spend more time with my son/husband/dog. All these things...But...internally, those are the big ones and yes, I know they're all related. It all comes down to self worth/love. But how do I get to that place?

Latest update...

Ok, so I know I said would post more often, and I've not been so good at it!


But tomorrow is a big day for us...actually it's a GINORMOUS day for us. We've bought a house and tomorrow we take possession! So we'll be busy the next few weeks. We're not moving till the 27th so that will give us time to pack and also clean our new house and paint and also plant grass.

Part of me is excited to be moving into my own house where I can hang pictures on the wall and where I'm paying money every month to pay off my mortgage, not someone elses but I'm also dead nervous because this is a huge responsibility. If the bathroom starts to leak this is now our problem, I no longer have a landlord to call on to fix things now. We are responsible for everything...that, is scary! But all in all, I’m excited to be a grown up and stop living like a student (Finally!)

So our house is in a very quite part of town to a very good elementary (forward thinking!). It’s on a bus route so I can still easily get into work even though it does add about 15 minutes to my journey time. There is a very nice park close by with trails and swimming holes great for doggy and little man. It’s also very convenient for our grocery shopping and everything we are currently close to. Although DQ is a little further away now.

But now the important bits, it has a family room and a living room, 3 bedrooms upstairs plus a large storage area, which Richard will use as his office, a dining room and a kitchen eating area, 2.5 bathrooms, a mud room (or two I guess) and two smaller bedrooms in the garage conversion. The Garage conversion could be updated to be a suite but we’d rather the room to have guests and we don’t particularly need to have the additional income at this time. The lot is level so no massive chunks of rock in the back yard and there is a huge deck for summer bbq’s. Lots of room for parking (take that Subaru man!)

It’s on the corner of a cul-de-sac but it faces in rather than on to the main road and even the main road is quite. It’s actually a 30 zone along that stretch of the road. Oh, and the pub is a block away AND they have a shuttle service! LOL!

There are some issues that we have to sort out but pretty much all can be done as we can afford them. The Septic system is brand new and NEVER been used before so that is something we shouldn’t have to worry about.

So tomorrow we take possession of our first house and our first task is to clean. I have honestly never been so excited to clean before! More pictures to follow but to whet your appetite, here is the listing picture of the outside of the house (there isn’t any more grass left due to the septic system being replaced)

I'm Back!

So I figure it’s about time I start blogging again, and no, not because I have more time but because, well, it’s a good idea!


It’s been a long time since I last posted and yes my little man is as cute as ever and up to all sorts of new things. But everything else has changed, well, almost everything else. We no longer live in the UK, we made our big move in October and a lot has happened. So, I’ll start a recap from August and we’ll go from there.

In August we sold everything we could and moved into the in-laws. They were SO good to us considering it was all going to end in tears.

Beginning of September we had a long deserved holiday and probably the last one for a long time (well, last one that doesn’t include camping! LOL!). We went to Crete with the In-laws for 2 weeks and had a fabulous time. We returned home to finish up work and packing and saying goodbye. We had a good gathering the Saturday before we left despite the torrential rain that fell! I refused to cry that night but it makes me so very sad knowing we left all those friends and family behind. I wish we could have just packed them all up and brought them to Canada with us! The Sunday before we left we have a scrummy lunch out with a few friends, a much more intimate gathering to say goodbye…now this is where the tears flowed…and they didn’t stop for a good week.

Saying goodbye to such good friends is never easy and even now I’m shedding a tear or two remembering how hard it was to say goodbye. The 3 days that followed I went indoor skydiving with Sandra and we had a family dinner out at a curry house. More goodbyes and more tears!

We left the house at very early o’clock as we had to get to cargo 4 hours before our flight. That’s right, our faithful companion Moose moved to Canada with us. This was not a goodbye we were prepared to say! After a heart wrenching goodbye with the in-laws I proceeded to cry halfway to Heathrow Airport! I love my in-laws dearly and they were such a help and great support while I lived there. I will always be grateful for what they did for us and how well they let us go.

So we’re in Canada…and this is where we start spending money…Oh, and I don’t have a job yet (at this point!). We need a place to sleep and something to sit on and since we’re not packing up and moving across the pond again, we’re doing it right. On the 12th we moved into our lovely 2 Bedroom basement suite that doesn’t look or feel like a basement suite with loads of additional space for storage and Smiley has made his office in the boiler room. He actually sits next to the water heaters but you get the point.

While I was looking for work my parents offered me a job at their company until they find a replacement for the girl that just left. So I worked full time for them till December and then part time till the beginning of January when they just didn’t have any more work for me to do.

We had Christmas Dinner at our house, our first ever time hosting! It was yummy and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, but you can never tell, it’s Christmas after all and my family is weird!

Lynda and the boys came down and spent a week with us and that made our suite feel VERY small but we all had a good time and I’m pretty certain the three of us drank WAY too much but at least the wii got a good workout!

I spent most of January feeling frustrated and discouraged and some of February as well. I still didn’t have a job and other than one ok interview and one very bad interview I didn’t have any nibbles! But then Fujitsu came along and I got one of two jobs I applied for and I started last Wednesday! Hooray!

So we’re feeling that we can now “Start the rest of our lives”. We’re in the midst of sorting out a mortgage so we can buy a house, our first ever. And with my new job things won’t be so tight and we can start planning things again. I like a good plan!

So my new job is great…I think. I’ve only been here a week and there is a bit of upheaval happening but I’m sure by this time next week I’ll be slaving away on some task given to me by my project manager…which I’ve yet to get! So in the mean time I’m just trying to do my best and making a hack job of some project schedules.

Z will be 2 and a half next week. I can’t believe how quickly time has flown. He’s such a darling little boy and just as cute as he’s always been! On the 14th we start him at Daycare 3 days a week and I’m sure he’ll be just fine. I really believe a good social environment is important to every child. He has started singing and we can understand so much more of what he is saying to us and he has been potty trained for 6 weeks now with only a handful of accidents.

There will be more to come over the next while (I will blog, I will blog!) but for now this is the beginning of the rest of our lives!

(written on the 2nd of March...not posted till the 23rd! Ooops!)

Monkey See, Monkey Do

On the way home yesterday Zachary was getting into a right state, so when it was safe to do so, I looked behind and there is Zachary trying to put his pink ball into his jacket...why you ask?


Well, Grandad had taken it from him and said “My Ball” and put it in his shirt pocket. (A little game they play but Grandad had never put it in his shirt pocket before). Zachary was just trying to do what Grandad did! Bless!

Prison Break Obsession Part 2

Season Three arrived yesterday and we've already watched 2 episodes! Yippee!