Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Top Mama

I'm a Top Mommma!

Hey All! I was reading blogs and came across this cool site - TopMomma.com. Come and visit various mom's sites but especially mine. Let your friends know and refer them too (you can use the referral code http://www.topmomma.com/mommas/referal/1610) . It is a fun way to get more traffic to your blog. You click on one of the 25 pics shown and you are sent to there blog. Each time a new contender joins, the one with te lease amount of hits/points is pushed off the site. They "double dog dared me" to try it so here I am. How long can I last? All the pics I wanted to use were to large file size so I used an older one to get started but if/when I'm eliminated, I'll get a new & funny pic ready so I can enter again.

Polishing The Dull Side of Life

The other day when I was surfing different blogs from last year's Ultimate Blog Party, I came across a blog Named Simply A Musing Blog, I really liked the quote at the beginnig of the blog - "If You Can't See The Bright Side Of Life, Polish The Dull Side.". This simply quote really struck me and the way I've been looking at little things so negatively lately and made me step back and see things in a different light. This week, Karen who is a Homeschooling Christian Mom is also celebrating a very special thing this week. Her 500th post!! I sure have a long way to go myself before I reach that milestone. To celebrate, she is having a giveaway. I'm sure everyone likes candles, the candle that you can enter to win is a homemade triple scented soy candle. The scent is muscadine and it burns for upto 25-30 hours. So come celebrate with Karen and leave a comment on her site.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Need I Say Anymore?!




You Are Somewhat Overweight



Your BMI is 27.7 - a healthy BMI falls between 18.5 and 25

While you aren't obese, you could use to lose a few pounds (unless you're very muscular).

Your BMI puts you at a slightly higher risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.

Don't starve yourself or crash diet. See a doctor to learn how to lose weight safely.

Don't agree? Blame the government standards we based this test on!

What Season Are You?




You Belong in Spring



Optimistic, lively, and almost always happy with the world...

You can truly appreciate the blooming nature of spring.

Whether you're planting flowers or dyeing Easter eggs, spring is definitely your season!

HMMMM....

Long time no post.....sorry. You'd think that with the long break, I'd have lots to say. Unfortunatly that is not so. On the driving front, I think I've reached a "plateau" in my learning and now it is just practice, practice, practice. Even my driving instuctor told me that he doesn't think there is much more he can "teach" me rather I just need to drive every opportunity possible and get my confidence up and only then will I see improvements. I have three more lessons I've paid for so I'm hoping to practice mucho with Cliff (or whoever) and use those driving lessons as practice runs for my final exam.

On the topic of weight loss, I'm finding it difficult to get in time to do my daily exercise. Sure I walk the kids to school and back daily and that is a great start but days that I can't or there is no school I'm struggling to do other exercise. Sure I have good days, such as last Thursday I logged 21239 steps (!) on my pedometer but I also have not so good days. I would like last Thursday's activity level to be the norm rather than the exception. I recently tried doing Winsor Pilates. Wow, if only I was that flexible. That "if only" is actually what keeps me going. All the comments I've heard on the topic is that when you start you may not be able to do it but if you keep it up, after a couple months it gets much easier and your flexibility improves as well as the toning and weight loss. And even better is the fact that is doesn't take that much time to fit it into one's already hectic schedule. I read somewhere that it takes about 21 days for something to become habit. I managed to exercise daily for about 2 weeks (14 days), so I guess a new goal will be to make it 21 days and hopefully then I won't have to think about "fitting exercise in" to my daily routine, it will be a habit/ part of it.

The weather has actually warmed up and appears to be staying warm for a while. It feels so nice, it actually feels like spring is in the air. Snow is melting, I hear and see birds singing in the trees, depending on where you look you can even see (dead) grass on lawns. I even saw someone pulling a boat when I was out driving this moring!! Not a showblower or a ski-doo, but a boat! :) I realize this is only the end of February and March and April in Winnipeg are so unpredictable but I'm going to enjoy this weather for as long as I can right now.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

New Holiday

Apparently, our winter was too long without any holidays....so they created one. February 18, 2008 - the third Monday of February. In Manitoba, they named it Louis Riel Day. I was trying to remember if it is a "provincial" holiday or was this a new "national" holiday?. Someone told me in Alberta it is called Family Day. So again my question....do you all get a holiday Monday? If so, what are you doing? Guess I need to research more about Louis Riel as I don't really know that much about him or how we are to celebrate his new day.

Mail

Those of you whom I talk/cyber-chat to regularly are probably aware that I'm planning on going to New Zealand this coming June. So far, it has all been talk but things are finally starting to HAPPEN and it is starting to feel more real. Yesterday, I went to the post-office pick-up a letter that I had to sign for. I've had the pick-up notice since Wednesday but just haven't had a chance to get it until yesterday. Guess what it was.........my PASSPORT!!!!!! :D :D :D. Tuesday my mom and I are going to the travel agent to pay for and pick-up our tickets. My mom already sent me the itinerary and I must say I was pleasantly surprised to see all the times are decent hours:

DEPART WINNIPEG 22JUN AT 12:55 PM ARRIVE IN VANCOUVER 2:03 PM
DEPART VANCOUVER 22JUN AT 9:00 PM ARRIVE IN AUCKLAND AT 06:00 AM ON 24JUN\

DEPART AUCKLAND ON 04JUL AT 8:00 PM ARRIVE IN VANCOUVER 2:15 PM
DEPART VANCOUVER ON 04JUL AT 6:45 PM ARRIVE IN WINNIPEG AT 11:25 PM

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Happy Valentines's Day to everyone reading this. Love is in the air, paper hearts and cupids are everywhere, but where did it all come from. DH thinks the day (Feb 14th) has become too comercialized. Maybe so, but still, where did this particular day come from? I've read a few different theories and the one I really like is:

Valentine was a holy priest in Rome. He refused to renounce his Christian faith so he was jailed, beaten, and beheaded on Feb. 14 in the year 270. In prison, awaiting his execution, he is said to have converted the jailer and restored sight to his blind daughter. He also apparently wrote her a good-bye note signed 'from your Valentine'. In 496 AD, the pope apparently named Feb. 14 as a celebration to honour Valentine's martyrdom.
Another tidbit of info I recently read was among other things St. Valentine is also the patron saint of epilepsy. "After reading that , I have to ask myself - WHAT exactly does that mean?" I understand when it said he is known as the patron saint of engaged couples, happy marriages, love and lovers......but epilepsy???

Anyway...gotta run and take my daughter to school for her Valentine's Day party. Hope you have a great day and are reminded today of how special you are and maybe even take time to pamper your special self.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

New Poll

As some of you know, I'm on a "Great Adventure" to lose a substantial amount of weight/ tone up. Preferably by this summer as I'm going to meet family in New Zealand in June and see friends in New Brunswick in August. I have been doing well so far but there is soooo much information out there about dieting/losing weight/exercise. Most of it from strangers....... I was wondering what my friends found to work for them. Thus the question on my new poll, scroll down to the bottom of my blog. If you like, please feel free to leave any comments advice you may have. The last thing I want is to lose a bunch of weight just to gain it all back again. Rather than a "diet" that ends, I need to find a new "way of life" that is forever. Thanks! :D

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

An Update In The Ryden House

Wow, it's been almost a week since my last post. Before I forget and losr my train of thought, I just wanted to correct something I said earlier. I said about my legs being to short to reach the pedals in the car comfortably....since that post, I've had no problems so either I didn't have the seat ALL the way forward like I thought I had or I've just relaxed and am more comfortable....or both. Also, that is in the car I take my driving lessons in with my driving instructor. I drove our van yesterday (with Cliff) and had no problem reaching the pedals. Infact, the seat would have gone even closer than I actually needed (and this is the vehicle I'll be driving most when I get my licence). I had a lesson yesterday and did much better but am still making little mistakes that on the exam will result in a fail but in daily driving are acceptable. I have lesson number 5/5 on Thursday, and as I had my instructor tell me but I already knew myself, I have improved considerable from lesson number 1/5 - number 5/5. However, I'll still need more lessons before I even try going for my road test.

In other news, Autumn starts her rhythmic gymnastics again today that finished before Christmas. And she will be advancing to the next level class. Hopefully, she is feeling better this evening than she did this morning, I'd hate for her to miss her first class back after such a long break. All three of my kids have a bad chest cold and Autumn also has a runny nose and woke up with a fever this morning. Cliff is starting to feel better, with the exception of the headache he woke up with today. He is almost finished his course of antibiotis for strep throat that he started on Friday. So far I've been able to keep myself healthy amongst all the sickie bugs in my house. Also happening this evening, I register Autumn for kindergarten to night. It is a full day, every day program and she is really looking forward to going to school EVERY DAY.

Yesterday was my mom's birthday but since this past weekend was Super Bowl Weekend (my brother is a football fan), we are celebrating next weekend (Feb 10). She has requested we take her out for Chinese food. Also in birthday news, I'm getting everything planned and organized for Wynn's birthday party next month. He wants a Star Wars theme.

Also just to end, I should post that I accomplished a couple more of my goals on my "101 in 1001". A friend and I are both actively trying to lose weight and adopt healthier lifestyles. To date I've lost 6 1/2 pounds - accomplishing and exceeding my goal to lose 5 pounds. Also I got all my bills sorted and filed recently, now to file all the loose recipes I have piled on my baker's rack.