Couch to 5K

I have never been a runner. In fact I was told by my orthopaedic surgeon that I shouldn’t run. Well since having Catherine I had dabbled in jogging, mostly on the treadmill and a few times with her in the big trailer. I have enjoyed it and is hasn’t hurt my knees at all. Well summer hit and it got way to hot to even think about running, so I stopped.

I have been getting bored with my workouts lately and I haven’t been losing the weight I should be, so I decided to start the couch to 5K this week. So today was week 1 day 1, I ran for 60 seconds and walked for 90 seconds. I will do this twice more this week, hopefully on Wednesday and Friday.

Today I ran in the treadmill since its hot outside and Catherine has a fever and is unwell. It went fairly well. I made it though without stopping, but I wanted to stop because I kept getting a stitch in my side every time I ran and then it would go away when I walked. I had this problem in the past when I have been doing cardio, so I hope it was a one time thing and doesn’t keep happening.

On top of the couch to 5K, I am also going to do weights three times a week for 30 minutes.

I hope this will be the change I need to blast through the last 10 lbs I have to lose!

Trying not to compare

Catherine is very smart and she understands a lot of what I say. She babbles like there’s no tomorrow and has some words that she uses all the time. She also has a few signs (sign language).

That being said in total she has 10 words with signs included. I feel like I am failing to teach her how do speak and its hard when I see other children her ago or younger talking up a storm to not compare her.

I spoke with her doctor at her 18 month appointment and she agreed that I should get her in to the early words program before she gets any further behind.

So Monday morning I will be called to get her started. I hope that the combination of the early words program, starting preschool and starting gymnastics will help her start speaking more real words.

I’m hoping to that I am worrying  for nothing and that because she is so advanced with her motor skills (she can walk, run, jump, walk and run on her tippy toes, kick a ball and climb almost anything), she just hasn’t had time to work on talking.

Thankful Thursday

I know each of my Thankful Thursdays have been about Catherine, this week will be no exception. After a very sad night at work two nights ago. I can home with an even bigger appreciation for how happy and healthy Catherine is. I thank God everyday for the little miracle that she is. So I am Thankful for her today and everyday!

What are you Thankful for?

Wordless Wednesday

 

Well not so wordless today. Jeff has a new job at Bruce Power! We have known that he has the job for a few weeks, but we were waiting on his security clearance and official start date to start sharing the wonderful news. Well he got both today!

CONGRATULATIONS JEFF, WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful this Thursday for a healthy and well adjusted 18 month old. We had her 18 month appointment and she did great and only cried for a second for her vaccine.

Wordless Wednesday

30 Day Shred

I did the 30 Day Shred back in May and it helped me accelerate my weight loss. I have been doing various other exercise routines since they with a few day break here and there, but I would say I am in good physical shape. The last time I did the 30 Day Shred I made it the 45 Day Shred and did each level for 15 days because it took me longer to be able to move up a level.

So I decided to do it again because I really enjoyed it the last time and I want to jumpstart my weight loss again as I have been slacking some in the last few weeks.

WOW, I started yesterday and by about 5 am (I was working night shift) this morning I was super super sore! It hurt like h*ll to get though today’s workout but I managed to do it. I cannot believe how much it is kicking my butt again.

It will be well worth it in the end because I know doing it will get me the results I want and its only 30 mins a day!

Catherine is 18 Months Old!

I can’t believe that a year and a half has passed since we welcomed Catherine in to our lives, it seems so short and also so long ago. How fitting for her 18 Months Birthday to be on Friday the 13th since she was born on Friday the 13th!

She amazes me more and more everyday with the things she can do and say.

Happy Year and a Half Baby Girl!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for my wonderful family (my wonderful husband and almost 18 month old daughter!), the roof I have over my head and my health and wellness.

What are you thankful for today?

Wordless Wednesday

I’m not sure why this didn’t post yesterday, but here it is!

101 Things

So I'm going to break down and work on a 101 things to do in 1001 days.  I've had a few friends start this and I had also sort of started one about a year ago, but I haven't followed through.  It is so easy to think about the things we want to accomplish in 1-year or 5-years, but its a totally different thing to actually write it all down and do it all.  So here is my list.  I'll try to remember to check in monthly on how I'm doing.  Hope this inspires some of you to do the same thing.

This list is good from Aug 12, 2010 to May 9, 2013

Self-Help Section

1. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
2. Don't complain about anything for a week
3. Learn to be more patient
4. Complete Wedding Scrapbook
5. Complete Catherine's 1st Year Scrapbook
6. Read 101 books
7.  Not log into facebook for a whole week!
8. Learn Italian
9. Stop swearing for a month
10. Re-finish a piece of furniture
11. List 101 things that make me happy
12. Sew a blanket
13. Have Christmas Cards out by December 1
14. Get a digital SLR camera
15. Take a class to learn how to use the Digital SLR camera
16. Have a spa day
17. Host a wine and cheese party
18. Update this blog at least twice a week for 6 months
19. Do a Wordless Wednesday post every Wednesday for a month
20. Do a Thankful Thursday post every Thursday for a month
21. Sell our house and buy our dream home (or as close to it as we can afford)
22. Learn how to grow a vegetable garden and grow one 
23. Make a new friend
24. Use reusable shopping bags every shopping trip for a month
25. Make a list of 10 things I like about myself
26. Finish parent (and grandparent) photo books of our wedding
27. Make photo books of Catherine 6 months to 1 year
28. Not use the internet for a whole week
29. Not play on the computer when Catherine is awake for 3 months
30. Read Catherine 1 book a day for 3 months
31. Build a snow man with Catherine 
32. Complete a 500 piece puzzle

My Career
33. Apply to all offers for further education (ECG course, KCI study etc...) at work
34. Complete annual review paperwork and have Annual Review - Aug 23, 2010
35. Get serious about taking the breastfeeding and newborn assessment courses

Health & Wellness
36. Do yoga 3 times a week for a least a month
37. Reach my goal weight
38. Continue to exercise on a regular basis
39. With next pregnancy, continue to exercise and eat healthy food

Financial
40. Create an emergency fund
41. Pay off all debt (loan, CC) in 5 years
42. Stick with a budget for 5 months
43. Not use a CC for everyday purchases for 3 months

Helping Others
44. Give more to our church
45. Pay for someone behind me at a fast food or coffee shop
46. Put change in someone's expired parking meter
47. Do something nice for someone without being asked to help
48. Leave a 50% tip for dinner

Spiritual
49. Do bible study every day for a month
50. Go to church every week for a 2 months
51. Consistently journal my Bible reading daily for at least one month
52. Pray for others every day

Food
53. Buy an expensive bottle of wine (more than $100)
54. Only one small sweet or less a day for a month
55. No fast food for a month
56. Cook dinner for a week straight
57. Make ice cream from scratch
58. Make my own bread (not in the bread maker)
59.  Make an entire meal with organic food
60. Learn how to bake amazing cakes/cupcakes
61. Make Jeff breakfast in bed for Fathers day with Catherine
62. Organize my favourite recipes
63. Bake something once a month for a year
64.  Make soup from scratch

Trips/Outings
65. Go on a family trip
66. Build a sand castle
67. Attend a taping of a live TV show
68. Visit somewhere in Europe
69. Go whale-watching
70. Go skinny dipping
71. Sleep under the stars
72. Ride in a hot air balloon
73. Go on a picnic
74. Spend a day at the beach
75. Visit the Grand Canyon
76. Visit 3 provinces (I haven’t been to) in the Canada
77. Go somewhere Tropical with Jeff (no kids allowed)
78. Take Catherine to Disney World
79. Go camping as a family
80. Go scuba diving or snorkelling
81. Visit the Green Gables Heritage Place (Anne of Green Gables)
82. Go to Las Vegas
83. See a play, ballet or opera
84. Take a train somewhere with Catherine
85. Take a sister’s trip (when Sam graduates!)
86. Go to New York and see Time Square and Ground Zero
87. See the Toronto Maples Leafs play
88. Visit the Canadian Rockies
89. Hike part of the Bruce Trail
90. Visit Niagara Falls
91. Go visit a volcano
92. Take a random road trip
93. Take a mother/daughter trip

Jeff & I
94. Kiss in the rain
95. Have another baby
96. Have dinner by candlelight
97. Continue to communicate effectively
98. Have a designated date night once a month for 4 months
99. Go out for an expensive dinner at a fancy restaurant
100.Take a dancing lesson together
101. Take a cooking class together

Thankful Thursday

I am going to attempt to do Wordless Wednesday and Thankful Thusday every week for a month stating today!

So what I are you thankful for today?

I am thankful that Catherine didn't need stitches (and is ok) when she put her teeth through her bottom lip yesterday afternoon.

Loving the scale right now!

I am so happy that the scale is moving again. A few weeks at the same weight was really getting to me, but the last two weeks I have lost 1 lb or more. I was getting really frustrated, especially because I was trying to win the weight loss challenge at work, but it as since been cancelled. So now I guess the pressure is off and so the weight is coming off again. Only 10.8 lbs to go to my goal weight!

Car Seat Safety

If nothing else, consider this fact: children under age two are 75% less likely to be killed or suffer severe injuries in a crash if they are riding rear facing rather than forward facing. In fact, for children 1-2 years of age, facing the rear is five times safer. (Pediatrics Journal, 2008)

I am often asked why I want to keep Catherine rear-facing until she outgrows the weight limit for rear-facing on her car seat. Most parents believe that once a child reaches 1-year old and 20lbs, they should be switched from rear-facing to forward-facing. According to our road laws you can switch at 1-year old and 20 lbs, but what they don’t say is that’s the minimum requirements for forward-facing not what you have to do. Despite that, many parents following these guidelines. I have found, through researching, that forward-facing is not necessarily the safest position for a small child. Most of the sources I found say it is safest to leave a child rear-facing until they reach the weight limit of their car seat or when their head is within 1” from the top of the seat. Many car seats only rear-face to 30 lbs, so some bigger children can potentially outgrow rear-facing before it is really safe to forward-facing, so I urge parents to do their research when buying a convertible car seat and pick one that will work for their child to do extended rear-facing. This great website lists all the available car seats in Canada and their weight limits (be aware: many of the same models are available in the USA, but the weight limits differ in Canada due to our stricter safety standards). I am very fortunate because Catherine is on the lower end of the growth curve and the weight limit on her Graco My Ride 65 is 40 lbs, so she will likely end up rear-facing until 3-years old or older. This is one of the reasons I purchased this car seat because I wanted to make sure that I am doing whatever I can to protect her if we are ever in a car accident (God forbid!). This webpage lists all the reason why extended rear-facing is safer and I urge you to read this before you make any decisions on rear-facing or forward-facing. Also, please read this post from a blog that I enjoy reading. I'm so thankful that she has also spoken out about this controversial topic because I find that many people don’t understand extended rear-facing and say that is uncomfortable and not necessary.

I’m going to leave you with a video on the importance of rear-facing. After watching this video you tell me which one looks safer?