Motivational Monday – Words to Live by in 2013!

Happy New Year everyone! All the best in 2013.

Elf For Health – I am Thankful!

Yesterday’s Elf For Health challenge was to think of 20 things that I am thankful for.

With all that has gone on in the world over the last little while, it really has made me realize how fortunate I am to live the life that I do. I have so much to be thankful for and really enjoyed sitting down and putting it in writing. So, here are my 20 things….

1. My amazing children – they are seriously the BEST thing that ever happened to me!

2. My husband – he truly is the love of my life!

3. My family and friends – I have a great group of friends and a supportive family who are always there for me when I need them. Despite living hours apart from some and going weeks and sometime months between visits, I love each and every one of you!

4. My health – I’ve had a few minor health issues this past year and it has really taught me not take my health for granted. It has also taught me the importance of taking time for myself and making me and my health a priority. I am no good to my family if I am not healthy.

5. Living in Canada – there is no other place I would rather live.

6. Facebook – reconnecting with old friends has been amazing!

7. Vacations – whether its a week at a cottage with family and friends or a nice relaxing beach vacation, we are very fortunate to be able to get away from the craziness of everyday life and take some time to grow as a family.

8. Living where we experience all 4 seasons – seeing how excited my daughter gets each morning we wake up to even the smallest amount of snow, or how she giggles like crazy when the she jumps in a pile of fallen leaves, or watching her build a sandcastle at the beach…love, love, love.

9. My job – becoming a high school Health and Physical Education teacher was one of the best decisions I made. I absolutely love it!

10. My part-time job as a group ex instructor. I have met so many wonderful people at the gym and truly love teaching BodyAttack. Being paid to workout is a bonus!

11.Weekends – as much as I love my job, spending time with my family doing fun stuff rocks!

12. Nap time – a little uninterrupted time to hang with my hubby, read a book, fold the laundry, tidy the house or take a nap myself. Ahhhh heaven! I hope my kids nap forever!

13. Running – I don’t run nearly as much as I would like, but am thankful that I got back into it this year after a 5 year hiatus. I love that I run with my sister and that it’s a chance to see her regularly.

14. Lululemon clothing – my entire work wardrobe is pretty much lulu and I love it! It’s so comfy and lasts forever!

15. Bon Jovi – love his music and he’s not too hard to look at either! Only 51 one days till we see him live at the ACC!

16. Corona – love unwinding with a refreshing Corona after a tough week! So good!

17. Chocolate covered marshmallow – so yummy! Thankfully it’s only available in our grocery store a few times a year!

18. Technology – I’m totally loving my new iPhone and iPad. I think my most favourite use so far was FaceTiming with my husband while he worked out of town for 3.5 weeks! Not exactly sure how our kids would have survived without seeming him that whole time! Thanks Apple!

19. Good food – I love that we are eating clean as a family and that I have started to cook more, and I’m actually kinda enjoying it! I also love that my husband is such an awesome cook and although he doesn’t always make the most healthiest of meals, they are absolutely delicious!

20. My blog – I love having a place to share my experiences and try new things. I am grateful for my followers and those that share their experiences with me through their comments. I love that I have met some pretty amazing people through blogging! I hope to develop my blog further in 2013,

What are you thankful for?

Three Things Thursday!

1. We had a totally awesome Christmas! Lucky for us, our kids have not yet reached the age of waking up super early to see if Santa has come yet.

We actually didn’t get up until almost 8:30 – a sleep in on Christmas morning….who woulda thunk!

After a yummy pancake breakfast we spent a couple of hours opening presents. Ryan had a great time and although Tanner wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, he loved all the boxes and wrapping paper!

2. Last night we had a bit of a snowstorm so we took advantage of the fresh snow and hit the hill for a little tobogganing. Both Tanner and Ryan got snow toys for Christmas so we were super excited to give them a try. Tanner loved being towed around in his little sleigh and Ryan had a blast riding solo on her new princess saucer. Here are a few pics of our first tobogganing adventure of the season!

3. We have so much chocolate and candy in our house from our Christmas stockings its crazy! Unfortunately, I’ve been living by this motto and eating like an absolute pig these past few days:

Luckily I think all of the open stuff is pretty much gone.

Time to show a little restraint and grab a piece of fruit or veggie sticks next time my husband pulls out a box of chocolates or a bag of chips.

Wish me luck, I’m going to need it!

How was your Christmas?

How are you dealing with all the candy and sweets around your house?

Motivational Monday – Enjoy the Present!

Happy Holidays!

Just wanted to take a minute to wish you, your family and friends a very safe and happy holiday!

Three Things Thursday!

1. Last night was our Corona Crushers Christmas get together and it was awesome! Since I’m not playing hockey this winter I don’t get to see these girls very often, so getting a chance to hang out last night was super special.

We had an awesome time, shared a ton of laughs and had the best ever “My Favourite Things” gift exchange. The idea was to bring a gift for each person (9 total) for under $10 bucks. So, after a little creative thinking, I shared with everyone two of my favourite things: Corona and chocolate covered marshmallow…YUM!

Here’s a picture of my gift:

Other gifts I received were:

Seriously this was the BEST gift exchange I have ever been a part of. I loved everything!

2. Tonight I made Cookies in a Jar for the secretaries at work. I found the idea and recipe on Pinterest, you can find it here if you are interested. It took a little longer than I thought to make all 6 of them, but they turned out super cute, so it was all worth it!

3. I ran yesterday…for the first time in 3 weeks and only the second time since running the Niagara Half way back in October!

I’m still feeling the effects of my cold/chest infection, and would have preferred to rest for a few more days, but since Wednesdays are run days with my fitness class, I joined the girls for our weekly run.

We headed out to run the trails, the weather was perfect for running, sunny and +2. We did a new route, so I wasn’t exactly sure how far it would be, but in the end we ran 6.8km. I struggled thought
the entire run 😦 and had I been running alone, I guarantee you I would have quit about a hundred times! Luckily I had a running buddy who kept me going and we finished the run in 44 minutes.
Which works out to be a 6:28 km, definitely not breaking any speed records, but, I’m just glad I got back out there and ran!

Only 95.8 miles to go before February 28th to complete the Winter 100 Challenge!

Social Media Day of Silence

WooHoo! It’s the Weekend!

WooHoo, the weekend is here!

Here’s what’s up this weekend:

Saturday morning Ryan has gymnastics and immediately after that we are going Christmas Tree hunting with my sister and her family! I’m super excited for this, it will be Tanner’s first time and Ryan is now old enough to really enjoy it! We will be on the hunt for the perfect tree…stay tuned to find out what we actually end up with!

Saturday afternoon Ryan and I are going to see Max and Ruby in the Nutcracker Suite at the Sony Center in Toronto. Ryan loves Max and Ruby. This will be her first ever ‘show’, I hope she enjoys it!

Sunday morning I’m heading to the gym for a RPM class and then we will be spending the rest of the day decorating our tree and getting our house ready for Christmas! Also in the plan, building and decorating a gingerbread house.

What are your plans for the weekend?

Three Things Thursday – Being Sick Sucks!

It’s Thursday an I’m crazy sick so this is going to be a quick one!

1. Being sick sucks! – So I’ve had a chest cold for about 2 weeks now – well ever since I went back to work – and it’s killing me! I have no energy, I can barely breathe and I can’t lie down without having a ridiculous coughing fit! It totally sucks! I’m not a medicine person at all, but have actually resorted to Tylenol cold tablets (day and night) and Robitussin. I think they are helping, but I’m not sure masking the symptoms is really the answer.

2. I actually stayed home from work yesterday because of my cold. I got home from work Tuesday night and could barely help with the kids and dinner. I finally threw in the towel at about 6:20 and went to bed. I grabbed a book and had a bit of a snuggle with my daughter, but was probably asleep by 8 at the latest. It was awesome! I slept about 11 hours, got up to help with the kids in the morning, and was asleep again by 9 for another 3 hours. I definitely needed it, and actually felt a bit better today. I’m so glad tomorrow is Friday – all I want to do this weekend is get some rest – not going to happen, but a girl can dream, right?

3. I’m off to watch Grey’s Anatomy and go to bed! Despite my plan if this being a quick post, that was not the case and now I’m 20 minutes late for the only show I watch on tv. It’s okay though, I’ve got it PVR’d and now I can fast forward though the commercials! I LOVE PVR!

That’s all for tonight, any suggestions on how to beat this lingering chest cold?

Dear Monday…