Thursday, November 4, 2010

"simple"? maybe not. but definitely healthier.

wow, i can hear you thinking, three posts in two days! what has happened that i am being graced and gifted with so many beauteous thoughts from heather???


awww, stop, i'm blushing.

well, what has happened is this: the house is a mess, and i'm procrastinating. no, seriously, that's what it is. i'm not actually joking. it's kind of a disaster right now. {hangs head in shame} but it's going to get cleaned up as soon as i finish this post. promise. anyhoo...

i have decided that November is officially Getting Healthy Month in my little neck of the woods. i've decided to stop eating so much junk food and fast food. no more $5 pizzas because i'm too lazy/tired/short on time to cook. hence the slow cooker this morning. i'm also going to be better at housework (she types, not looking around the house). but also...

i've decided to actively work on getting healthier in other ways, too. in the last post, i mentioned that i was going to the gym. well, i just got back. i've decided that i'm going to go every weekday to do some cardio stuff, and 2 to 3 times a week, do some strength stuff, as well. i'm also going to take a couple classes a week. for example, tomorrow morning, i'm going to yoga. i can't wait!

so far, it's going nicely. i've been twice now. (don't laugh too hard, please.) i'm really enjoying it. my mood is better, and my energy level is better. sure, i'm not in as great shape as i'd like to be, but again, that's why i'm going every day. i have three very active young kids, and i'd like to be able to keep up with them.

the other reason i'm working out is this: i don't want to gain weight. or rather, more weight.

in march 2008, when i turned 30, i wore a size 18 (but i fit a 20. can you say, "denial"??) and weighed in at a whopping 270 lbs. and i didn't look good. now, about 2.5 years later, i'm wearing a size 14. and in fact, i have some pants and skirts that are a 12! 12! can you believe it?!?! i've worked hard for this, and i'm enjoying it.

in the last couple months, however, i've put on about 5 lbs. that makes me sad. and who knows, maybe no one else can tell by looking at me. but i know. i see it. and it bothers me. especially since i'd like to lose another 20 to 25 lbs.

as it stands right now, i can walk into a store, grab a large or 14, and buy it, without even trying it on (i seem to always have the kidley-winks with me when i shop), and know that when i get it home, it will fit. i hadn't been able to do that for a loooooooooooooong time. so it's nice.

so, yeah, maybe this is just adding something to my life, when i really should be trying to simplify, but to me, simplicity also means health, wellness and wholeness. and sitting on my arse for x number of hours a day just isn't cutting it anymore. so this is now my plan. i'm making a lot of changes around here lately, and it's good. i'm working out, i'm looking for work, i'm drinking more water, i'm trying to drive less, i'm trying to eat healthier, i'm trying to do yoga or mediation every day...

and yes, i know that i wrote "i'm trying." that's because i'm aware that changes like this take time, and there will be days that i don't manage to reach one or more of these goals. some days just get away from me. and i'm ok with that. as long as i do my best every day to make healthier choices for myself and the kids, it's ok.

but i gotta say... this working out thing better be worth it, because wow! my abs are tired!! and my arms a little bit (an old canoeing injury... yes, i'm just. that. canadian. haha) i'll be ok. i'm going to drink some water, put on the radio or an andrea bocelli CD or something, and get to work cleaning the house.

sigh... i really hate housework. what they need is a house that cleans itself. that would be awesome. oh! and make it in my price range, too. hey, a mom can dream, right? k, off a-cleaning i go.

mmm... slow cooker...

i think a slow cooker is the greatest invention ever. ever.

ever.

this morning, while making the boys' lunches for school (blithe stayed with her dad one extra night), i had asher help me with supper tonight. bram was confused by this, and kept saying, "not supper. breakfast. don't you mean breakfast, mommy?" "why, no, my young son. i mean supper."

i had already washed off some beans and dumped them into the slow cooker. so asher hopped up onto a chair and poured in the water. and then i turned it on.

and walked away.

and all day so far, i've been enjoying the smell of the beans as they cook. oooooh, supper's gonna be gooooood!!!!

  • beans
  • brown rice
  • fried onion
  • bacon (if i have any... which i think i do... but i'm not sure... i'll check later)
  • fresh, homemade bread
hold on a sec. my laptop is shooting sparks at me. i think i was drooling a little too much.

ok, it's under control now.

just ignore the smell of smoke.

and focus on the smell of beans and bread.

oh, wait. you can't. because you're not here. awwww, shucks, that's too bad. don't worry, i'll eat your share. i'll sacrifice my waistline for you like that. i don't mind. 

speaking of my waistline... maybe i should go workout this afternoon, before the kidley-winks come home. yup, that's what i'm gonna do. and so, toodles! i'm off to the gym! {grabs bag and flies out the door}

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

jealous? you should be.

because i make

hands down

the best

grilled cheese

EVER!!!!

ever.

i won't divulge all my secrets (like the bread recipe - that's right. homemade bread. sucka.). but here are a few:

  1. homemade bread. awwwww yeah...
  2. shredded cheese. melts better. gets nice and oozy. mmm... oozy cheese.
  3. i sing and dance while making it. (but i won't tell you the song. that's the secret. {wink})
  4. ham. shaved black forest ham. beautiful.
now, i'd take a picture of it, but to be honest, well, i ate the sammy before i even thought about photographing it. besides, i wouldn't want you to be blinded by the awesomeness. because, trust me, you would be.

admit it. you're jealous now. and yes. you should be.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

cool websites for home decor, pretty much custom and DIY designs

ok, so we all know by now that i hate housework. and oh! do i have tons to do today!! :S so, obviously, i watched Steven & Chris instead. and they had the coolest segment about DIY/custom home decor... websites. that's right, you can get custom-designed pillows, fabric, wallpaper... while sitting on the couch in your underwear. (fyi, right now i'm clothed. but i could still order some of these things. clothes are ok, too. they don't discriminate.) so here we go, some really awesome websites:

rollout.ca
custom wallpaper. nuff said. apparently, great quality. you can make your own designs or choose from pre-made stuff. can't decide between skulls or victorian? get them both on one paper! want a poem on your wall? don't give the kids a sharpie... nope. order it on wallpaper. :) awesome.

inmod.com
in addition to having cool everything!!!, you can design your own pillow. designs are not printed on the fabric, they're embroidered.

scotties.ca
yes, the kleenex people... or, um... i guess scotties wouldn't like being called "kleenex"... since they're... you know... the competition... but you know what i mean. anyhoo... here, you can design your own photo sleeve, which slips right over the.... oh, what do they call them now?!?!... "facial tissue" box. so cute!! and not that expensive, either. about $6, and you can use the photo sleeve over and over again. (ugh. you know what? i don't care what scotties says. they're kleenex.)

spoonflower.com
custom fabric. that's right, you can design your own fabric. and they have all the information you need when ordering fabric, to make it easier. and since it's kind of like etsy, you can contact the designers and discuss your needs.

jonathanadler.com
"customize your rugs, pillows & totes." seriously. how awesome is that!!!!

Monday, September 27, 2010

kittens!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 smokey brought james downstairs the other day, so we let her (yes, james is a girl) roam for a while. she's so tiny!!!!

 smokey, cuddling with her babies on the couch. the one peeking there is james.
mouse and james, cuddling with elmo and me. and the kitten trapped between my leg and elmo's foot... that's mouse. mouse is my favourite of the two.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

the only thing better than chocolate treats... is homemade chocolate treats.

blithe and i spent the evening together tonight, and i have to say, it was such a special time. we don't often get time together without the boys, so this was truly wonderful.

i will post in a little while about the why's and what's about the evening on blithe's blog, but here is what i want to post about here:

WE MADE CHOCOLATES!!!!!

we decided that chocolate would be a perfect treat for two ladies, so off we trekked to Bulk Barn and picked up some melting chocolate (milk and dark - i might be indecisive... i'll let you know when i figure it out) and some skor bits. mmm... skor bits...

so we came home and melted said chocolate. blithe threw some of the pieces into the pot and stirred it up, and then she tossed in the skor bits. together, we poured the melted goodness into these little cups and left them to set.

i'm about to try one now... unwrapping it...putting it into my mouth... savouring it as it melts in my mouth (well, the chocolate is melting. skor bits don't melt)... stroking out from the goodness...

oh, i don't think i should share these with blithe. i'm going to have to save her from them. they're just no good. [wink]

alright, alright. i'll let her have some. after all, i promised that she could take some (1 or 2 pieces) in her lunch tomorrow. and we're going to give the boys each a piece, too, because they will love it.

we have never made chocolates. usually i just buy a twix or kitkat or something... occasionally, i indulge in dark chocolate with red chili (which is beautiful, by the way). but the chocolate blithe and i made tonight... these are wonderful, and beyond easy, and we are sooooooooooooooooo making this again!!!!

i still have the dark chocolate pieces. i just need to find the right je ne sais quoi to put in it. so tomorrow, i will be adventuring in a couple shops i know. what fun!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

well, the kidley-winks are back at school...

... yes, yes, old news, i know. but! once again, it means...

lunches.

and so, i give you... tomorrow's lunches!

home-made chicken soup (sans peanut butter - see the next post for details on that beauty)
celery sticks (which i think are gross, i admit. but the kids love them, and i insist on at least one healthy snack)
apple juice
chocolate chip cookies. which i am going to make this evening.

now, i prefer to send all healthy snacks in lunches. but we're getting low on snack-y stuff in the house tonight, but i have all the ingredients for the cookies. and if i make cookies tonight, i can send some to school with blithe and bram, and asher will have a cookie when he gets home at lunchtime.

so i headed over to my fave site of all time, allrecipes.com and voila! here's the recipe i'm going to use tonight:

Chewy Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1-1/4 cups white sugar
1-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 375F. sift together flours, baking power and baking soda; set aside.
2. in a large bowl, cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. beat in the eggs and vanilla, until well blended. gradually stir in flour mixture. stir in chocolate chips by hand using a wooden spoon.  drop cookies by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheets.
3. bake for 10 to 14 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are light brown. let cookies cool on the baking sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

i can't wait to see how these turn out. and i'm going to try hard not to eat the dough. we'll see how it all turns out.

Why I Write Here

i like this blog. this is where i write about homelife. my kids, my pets, recipes, natural cleaning products, gardening, cool finds... that's what i write about here. this is the hands-on part of my personal journey. i'm reclaiming myself, a self i lost in a hospital somewhere, among all the meds, plastic, waste and complexity that comes with Special Needs parenting. i crave simplicity, and this is my journey to create it for my family and me.

i'm prolific! check out my other blogs!

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