Weighting and Weighting...

I’m disappointed in myself.

I’m disappointed that my eating has been so bad. That’s a big one. I’m disappointed that I haven’t been exercising enough, or hard enough. And that I haven’t been hitting my running goals. And I’m disappointed that my health hasn’t been an even REMOTE focus for me during the past month.

But, do you want to know what I’m even more disappointed about? My attitude.

So I had a crappy eating month. Those used to happened EVERY month! And those horrendous bingey days? Those used to be weekly – or more!

So I skipped a few gym days. Last year I wasn’t exercising at ALL.

And so what if I still can’t run my 5k in under 30 minutes? This past fall, I could barely do it under 40! And that was really pushing myself!

I may have gained 9 pounds from my lower (3 above the top of my goal range), but I am back on track. I’m sure at least some of that will come off as quickly as it came on. I’m eating well and hitting the gym again, and what I SHOULD be thinking is this:

I’ve made so much progress over the past year. One bad month doesn’t erase that.

Let’s all agree to be less hard on ourselves. Sometimes, being our own personal cheerleader is all the motivation we need.

P.S. Want a tip on getting back on track when you've really blown it and just can't get motivated? Instead of saying "I'll start again tomorrow", say "I'll start again next week" (or whatever). You will get SO impatient waiting to relaunch your healthy habits that you'll probably end up doing it sooner!

Party Like a 4-Year-Old

Sunday, as you may know, was the first time I’ve ever hosted a kid-only party. My sister was there to help, but none of the other kids’ parents were present. This was a big deal for me. A very big deal. "Let the chaos begin" was my mantra.

It was scary. It was exciting. And guess what? It was a lot of fun!

We kept the party small – only 5 guests, plus the birthday girl. My son napped for the entire party, which was a blessing because I was busy enough! The theme was My Little Pony, and everyone loved it – even the boys!

I made some decorations…complete with removable stickers, so they can be reused for future parties:







I dressed for the occasion:





I went all out (for me at least) with other decorations too…







I loved this background…such a good idea for getting photos of the party guests!



We played some games…



We created new ponies...





We had some yummy food…





I baked a delicious cake…(the featured pony is Ploomette, FYI)



I even dyed some of the batter pink to create a marbling effect. The kids didn’t seem to notice though :P



We had a lot of fun, and my daughter got some awesome gifts…and when it was all over, prizes and goody bags were distributed.



(Here is an idea that I highly recommend: hand out the game prizes while the birthday girl or boy is opening their gifts. It gives the guests something to focus on so they don’t get jealous!)

The party lasted 2 and a half hours, and that was just a perfect amount of time for this age group. I am so glad that I decided to try out a “friend” party this year…and I can’t wait until the next one!

P.S. Would anyone be interested in a post about doing a party on a budget? I do have some ideas that I could share…

Party Like a 4-Year-Old

My daughter is officially four years old. Where does the time go?



It is truly infuriating how quickly children grow.

The festivities began on Thursday (her actual birthday). I had to work, but that was okay. Aaralyn had nursery school in the morning, and because her Auntie was on duty that day, the class got some special cookies during snack time. When I got home from work, we had a small family celebration with dinner, carrot cake (she loved it!), and of course presents. Her favourite gift of the night? The My Little Pony train set from her Aunt and Uncle!

On Friday, I had the day off from work. And it was MY duty day at the nursery school. It also happened to be "Princess and Pirate" day, which was a lot of fun for the kids. Aaralyn dressed up in the Cinderella outfit she received from my mom as a birthday gift. There were games and activities - such a fun morning! Afterwards, my husband and I took her out for lunch and off for some post-birthday fun. We took her on a big Ferris Wheel ride in a nearby city, went to a "Ripley's Believe it or Not" Museum, and then hit up a Midway area. That was a LOT of fun. She really enjoyed playing the games, and TWO separate families gave us their extra tickets. The tickets are used to buy prizes after, and we had enough for TWO Webkins! She picked out an elephant for herself and a dinosaur for her little brother. And of course we passed on OUR extra tickets to another family with two kids. Gotta pay it forward!

Sunday was her "kid" party, but I'll make a separate post about that later...and about how much weight I've gained, and what it took for me to get back on track!

Cranky Pants

I am a grump today.

I haven’t been eating well, as you know (actually it’s worse than you know). I’m struggling to find adequate time to exercise (this week is mostly a write-off). I miss my kids when I’m at work. And my husband is leaving for a month at the end of this week. Everything is just blah.

BUT…I am hoping that the next few days will put me in a better mood. Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday (insert clichéd “I can’t believe she’s 4 already” remarks), and even though I’m working, I’m looking forward to celebrating with the family in the evening. Also, on Friday, my husband and I are taking her out for some fun (can you say “big giant Ferris Wheel”?), and on Sunday she has a party with some of her little friends. It will be the first kid-only party that I’ve hosted, so it’s a little bit intimidating! I’ll make sure to post some pictures 

In food news, last night for dinner I had a poutine and a chocolate milk shake from Burger King. Today I am back on track, and I just feel that I am in the right mindset to get back on track. And I MIGHT be able to sneak in some gym time tonight. Maybe.

If only I could ditch this grumpy mood…

P.S. Yes, Shanny, I will post some pictures of my greeting cards soon. Just don’t set your expectations too high!

Scary Gain, Getting Crafty, and Summer Lovin’

Remember my post about hitting my goal, feeling awesome, and finally throwing on a bikini? Well, a few days after that, I started a week of eating like complete garbage. Why, I don’t know. “Too many events going on” was my excuse. So I ate and ate. And in that week, I gained 10 pounds.

Yes, you read that correctly. TEN POUNDS. Holy moly. In a few days of eating better,half of that is gone. But STILL. Why did I let myself go that far off track? I guess I just need to except that this eating stuff will always be a bit of a fight for me. There is no finishline.

In order to avoid shoving everything on earth into my mouth all evening long, I’ve been crafting up a storm. I still haven’t decided on a “bigger” project (probably something sewing related), but I decided that I needed to do something with the copious amount of scrapbooking materials that I had lying around. So I started making greeting cards.

Birthday cards, note cards, thank you cards…you name it, I’m making it. I’m even getting ahead of myself and making some Christmas cards using, among other things, old gift tags. And I’m making gift tags out of old cards. Creative AND good for the environment. Remember, “reuse” comes before “recycle”!!! It’s kind of nice having a little fun project to work on at night once the kids are in bed!

I’m also starting to really look forward to the summer. I do love spring, but ours has been a bit on the rainy and cool side. I can’t wait until I can sit outside in shorts and a tank (and not feel self conscious, like last summer), or duck into the pool after work, or share some ice cream with my little ones. Okay, that last one has happened already. A few times! What can I say? Ice cream + oreos = best combo ever!

I hope you all have a great week!

Warning: this blog post is serious in nature. However, I am really and truly hoping that you will read it anyway, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with fitness or food or crafting or kids. A tragedy has happened within my community, and it’s been tugging at my heart strings. I just can’t get it off my mind. And neither can so many others.

Last Monday, a man named Tim Bosma went missing after taking two men for a test drive in a truck he was looking to sell. A totally normal thing that people do every day in many countries of the world. Except it wasn’t normal this time – because he never returned home. I’m not sure what it was about this case that really got to me. Maybe it was because he’s around the same age as my husband. Maybe it was due to watching his wife’s tearful plea, begging for his safe return to her and their 2-year-old daughter. Or maybe it’s because of how innocent the situation appeared to be – and how scary that makes it for everyone.

A week went by, one of several suspects was in custody, but there was still no sign of Tim. Until there was. And it was not the happy ending so many of us had prayed for.

Tim Bosma was murdered, stolen from his family, friends, and community. A church-going family man, friend to many, with no hint of a troubled past, just gone. Here one minute, into heaven’s gates the next.

It is heartbreaking. It is angering. And it is so unfair.

As I mentioned, he was just trying to sell a truck. Another man had been approached by the same individuals the day before, but ended up safe at home. Whatever these monsters were looking for, he didn’t have. And whatever the motive, it is simply not good enough.

I’m praying for Tim’s family, who is relying on prayers right now to try to get through this horrific time. I am praying for his friends, who will never be the same. And I’m praying for the investigators, working so hard to bring those responsible to justice. I hope that they find them. And I hope that they pay.

More than anything, I am praying that when the cause of death is revealed, we will find that this young father did not suffer. His loved ones deserve to know that much.

I know that the family is relying on prayers like these right now to try to get through this horrific time. If you wish, you can leave a comment with your name and province, state or country, and I can pass it via the official facebook page. That way, they will know that prayers and thoughts are coming from all over the world.

I think that his wife, Sharlene, said it best when she summarized the senselessness of the situation (when Tim was still missing): It was just a truck.

(Note: Blogger is not currently allowing me to add photos. To put a face to the name, please go here.)

Creative Life Designs Giveaway WINNER!!!

And the winner is...

COURTNEY H!!!! (winner chosen by random.org)

You have won a 15$ credit to use on anything you want! I will be contacting you via email with details on how to claim your prize.

To everyone else: remember that until the end of the month, you can still receive 15% off anything in their shop! Just use the code "BABYSTEPS" during check out!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my second giveaway! If you have an idea of who should host a future giveaway, please let me know!

Have a great Tuesday!