Day 4

4.Today I really worked on my pictures. I was hoping the weather would smarten up so we could go outside to take some but unfortunately it’s a little too windy for that. The main thing I am working on is my composition, and trying to simplify my photo’s. Getting rid of background mess.

12.Create something brand new. Im thinking I may have taken on too much to begin with so I am just going to eliminate this one from my challenges this week.

15. Still working on the language. I seem to do fine all day until I am around adults! tisk tisk.
18. Did a lot of reading on Mockingjay last night. Im starting to realize when this book is over I don’t know what I am going to read. I have a few books but nothing that I have been this excited to read in a while! I won’t share much about my reading since I don’t want to spoil it for anyone else.
22. Got my 30 minutes of exercise in first thing this morning with a nice weight session in the basement! I need to do it more often because I really do like lifting weights. Its finding the time for it amongst all the running and ultra-marathon training. And later this afternoon I did a quick 4 km (indoors unfortunately due to the weather)
26. I don’t know if this qualifies as a conversation but I am sending letters to several family members that I haven’t spoken to in quite a while! Alexander’s Easter photo’s came back so I am sending a few pictures out to family, along with a little letter. 

27. as for the day we were very busy getting things done! As usual, but we had Aunty Elyse over for dinner (which was actually breakfast) and then went for a swim. It was a really good night. Despite being exhausted by the time we got home I still managed to read a bit before it was lights out! Good accomplishments for the list of challenges today. 

30 day challenge update

Day 1

Well Monday would have been day one, and I’m note sure how great of a start I got off to. So lets just go down the list and see how we did:

4.I did not take any pictures, practicing my new skill. Darn

12.Create something Brand New, again did not start this one.

15.Ditch 3 Bad Habits, Well I can say I worked on this, and I don’t think I contributed to the swear Jar

18. Read one chapter of a good book. This I can say I accomplished. Before bed I read at least one chapter if not more of my current addiction Mockingjay (third book in the Hunger Games trilogy) It is definitely cutting into my sleep time but Im ok with it!

22.Exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. Well I can say I more than exceeded this one! First we went for an hour long bike ride, around Ardrossan and two other subdivisions. We stopped at the park to play on the swings and slide as well. Later in the evening I had an hour of bootcamp, which included hauling tires, weight vests and body bars up and down a toboggan hill several times, plus the rest of the exercises we did during class. After bootcamp we went for a quick 4 km run. So all-in-all i think I can put a giant check mark on this one for day one. 

26.Have a conversation everyday with someone you rarely speak to. Oops. I don’t think I did this. But maybe it could count that I sent my neighbor a quick message to see how she was doing. Yes I am going to make it count!

27. Document each day with a photograph and paragraph. Well the photograph thing I already admitted to dropping the ball on. As for the paragraph, you’re lookin at it!

I may not have accomplished all of the items on my list but I had a really great day on Day One. It was absolutely beautiful outside, I voted, I spent several hours enjoying the outdoors and exercising. And my little man had a great time in a park swing for the first time! When all is said and done I think it was a fantastic day!

Day 2

Tuesday. Lets just see how we did for Day Two!

4.I did take a lot of pictures. None really worth sharing because they were all in my photography class. But that does count as practicing my new skill. We learned a lot about composition in this class and I must admit this has been my favorite part of my journey into photography thus far! Im looking forward to practicing a few composition skills this week. Maybe having actual homework for the class will force me to take more pictures!

12.Still no time for the project but we will get there

15.Swear jar may have had a few contributions...

18.Definitely, definitely covered this. I read a few chapters of Mockingjay last night. It is just getting so good I can barley put it down!

22.What did I do for exercise yesterday, a lot of walking. 

26.Ok I did not cover this one.

27.No photo evidence, AGAIN, but I’m trying to stay accountable with this paragraph summary part.

Other than all this, yesterday I treated myself to a nice massage and eyebrow wax. Sandy’s parents got home from Phoenix, and Alexander started crawling! Two days shy of turning 9 months old, he finally figured out the motion of hand knee hand knee. Just throwing it out there, it’s not a competition and I am so proud of my little guy for figuring it out no matter how long it took him. (That is definitely directed at a certain rude reader)

And of course Al decided to start doing it while mommy was at photography class, but that is ok there are plenty of firsts, I’m sure I will catch the next one! Daddy was even great enough to catch it on video for me!

Wish me luck for tomorrows list of challenges!

Day 3

4.Here is the challenge I am finding with my new skill that i am learning and practicing. A lot of the time my subject is Alexander or the dogs, and to practice on them can be a little tricky. By the time I get my camera settings just right, they aren’t doing the cute adorable funny thing anymore. Sigh, we’ll get there.

For now here is a shot of my two guys hanging out in the new teddy bear tent I picked up for Alexander today.

12.Lets give up on this one

15.Mommy might be getting better at this but Daddy sure isn’t. We really need to get the language under control in our house!

18.Mockingjay I will see you in about one hour!

22.Today I didn’t end up going to run stairs due to the weather! It was just too cold to take my little man out there. On top of that I realized I am running 20 km on saturday and with stairs, running and hill training on Thursday and Friday I definitely needed one day of rest for my body. So today, no 30 minutes of exercise.

26.

27. I think today went much better than the first two for completing my challenges. I’d like to hope that tomorrow will be even better but you just never know what will come up! For now Im just doing as much as I can. Alexander is now cutting a tooth, which I know for sure based on the large bump in his gums. Here’s hoping I get some sleep tonight!

30 day challenge (and it's not yoga)

So last week Chantelle approached me with an idea she had found on another blog. It is a 30 day challenge for 30 days of growth. It basically challenges you to try new behaviours or modify the ones you have for 30 days to push your boundaries and challenge you to become greater. The list looks like this:

30 Challenges for 30 Days of Growth

1. Use words that encourage happiness. 
2. Try one new thing every day.
3. Perform one selfless act every day. 
4. Learn and practice one new skill every day. 
5. Teach someone something new every day.
6. Dedicate an hour a day to something you’re passionate about. 
7. Treat everyone nicely, even those who are rude to you.
8. Concentrate on being positive at all times. 
9. Address and acknowledge the lesson in inconvenient situations. 
10. Pay attention and enjoy your life as it happens. 
11. Get rid of one thing a day for 30 days. 
12. Create something brand new in 30 days or less. 
13. Don’t tell a single lie for 30 days.
14. Wake up 30 minutes early every morning. 
15. Ditch 3 bad habits for 30 days. 
16. Watch less than 30 minutes of TV every day. 
17. Define one long-term goal and work on it for an hour every day. 
18. Read one chapter of a good book every day. 
19. Every morning, watch or read something that inspires you. 
20. Do something every day after lunch that makes you laugh.
21. Go alcohol and drug free for 30 days. 
22. Exercise for 30 minutes every day for 30 days. 
23. Get uncomfortable and face a fear every day. 
24. Cook one brand new, healthy recipe every day. 
25. Spend 10 minutes every evening reflecting on what went well. 
26. Have a conversation every day with someone you rarely speak to 
27. Pay down debt and don't create any new debt for 30 days
28. Let go of one relationship that constantly hurts you
29. Publicly forgive someone who deserves a second chance
30. Document everyday with one paragraph and one photograph

I've accepted the challenge and we are starting today with our 30 challenges. Since it would be a bit impossible to do all 30 things each day we have started by choosing a few from the list to work on this week and we will choose  a few next week and so on. For this week I have chosen to work on the following for my 30 challenges for 30 days of growth:

4. Learn and practice a new skill every day

I thought this was really fitting since I am really trying to commit to my photography skills. I am currently taking a class to develop my skills and use of camera so why not put those skills to the test everyday for a week (or better yet, 30 days!) I am going to take a photo a day, focusing on a different artistic vision, and photography skill. 

12. Create something Brand New

I have a fabulous idea for Al’s first birthday gift and I will use this time to start the project. It is going to be a short movie highlighting the major events from July 26 2011-July 26 2012. It will include pictures, music, news highlights, celebrity gossip and social media stories, all that occurred during his first year of life. I am hoping that it will be something fun, funny and interesting for him to look back on when he is a young adult. It is also something I am hoping to do each year until he is 18. Great aspiration, I know.

15.Ditch 3 bad habits for 30 days

Lets start with 1 bad habit for this week. And it is going to be cussing. I say Im going to fix it all the time but I just cant seem to clean up my potty mouth. This weeks plan is to eliminate it or pay up to the recently instated swear jar! 

18. Read One Chapter of A Good Book each day

Easy! Im currently working on the third book of the hunger games series so this should be a synch! 

22.Exercise for 30 minutes a day for 30 days

This shouldn’t be too hard since I usually exercise an hour a day or more, but I am going to really commit to my weight training this week. Gotta get those guns ready for the beach! (or maybe just for the tank tops)

26. Have a conversation everyday with someone you rarely speak to

I am going to do this with family and friends for the week, who I haven’t spoken to in a while or have lost touch with. Although it may be via facebook, email or text, I am still committing to opening up a dialogue with the long lost!

30. Document everyday with one photograph and one paragraph

This should be easy, with my goal from #4 Ill just have to add a small write up and post it on the ol’ blog every night. 

Easter Hunt

Last Friday we had Girls Night #3, hosted by Chantelle, an Easter Hunt! She had us divide into three teams and we searched the park for our eggs. She had great easter treats for us at the end of the hunt and we followed this with a buffet of Pinterest inspired recipes! 

For this occasion I decided to make Beer & Cheese Dip with Pretzels for the dipping as well as Turtle Cookies. Yum Yum 

Girls nights are always fun with something new each time. Our next Girls Night will be hosted by Kyla and we will be doing a self defence course! I can't wait to kick some serious attacker butt.

You might be wondering how our girls nights work or why we even do them. Well we were inspired to do little get togethers to keep us connected since life can get so busy and hectic. We preplanned about 6 months worth of parties and each are a different event or theme and hosted by someone new each time. To make it easy we chose all the dates in advance and marked it in the calendar so it's not a hassle to arrange each months party! So far we have had a cupcake decorating party, a pole dancing party which didn't quite work out but we made it a blast anyway, and then the most recent, the egg hunt! Im looking forward to all the parties to come!

Here are some great shots of our Egg Hunt Party, Enjoy!

HUNTING

Team superman, the winners of the hunt

Team batman, close runner ups.
Megan's darn pockets just couldn't hold anything this night

Team Star Wars
3rd Place Finalists... out of 3

The hunt organizer

Summer Bucket List

Summer is right around the corner, and I know this because all the critters are back in our yard. Birds, bugs and big animals and I can hear them morning and night. I just love living on our acreage. Sometimes the winter months drag on and I forget why it is so nice to be out here but as soon as spring rolls around I am reminded of the beauty of nature. 
Since I was so pregnant last summer I did not enjoy it very much! This year I am hoping to take full advantage of the great outdoors and I have decided to make a summer bucket list. Below are some of the things I am really hoping to do this year.

An afternoon biking in the river valley and a picnic lunch

A picnic at Rundle Park

A visit to a spray deck and or outdoor pool

A trip to the Calgary Zoo

Feed the birds at a lake

Take a trip to the mountains

Get back on my dirt bike

Have a bonfire in the backyard

Fill up the inflatable pools and have a pool day in the backyard

Alexanders first birthday

Host a baby shower for my nephew (coming soon)

Camping

Thats what I have so far, I am sure there will be more things to add as we go! Looking forward to the nice weather!

Almost Crawling

Well he's at it again, trying something new! This kid is ready to go, but he just can't figure out how. We've had a frustrating week or so with the little guy as we wants to crawl and move so badly but just can't quite figure it out. He's up on all fours, rocking back and forth and then flattens out on his tummy! He gets so frustrated with himself that he rolls over, shakes his head NO, kicks his feet into the ground and arches his back! If only we could just help them. I have a feeling I will be saying that many times over the coming years. I know he'll get it and I am in no rush for him to crawl but I just feel so bad for him. And like a friend pointed out to me the other day, it will probably happen when I'm not even looking! He is also really enjoying pulling himself up to a kneeling position, but he has a lack of furniture that is the right height. We're working on it!

Holding on to the furniture

As for eating, he is a machine! He absolutely LOVES to feed himself. He prefers it actually. For finger foods we've been offering him:
- soggy cheerios
- banana
- noodles
- rice
- baby cookies
- squished up peas
- bread
Basically anything he can squish up with his gums and swallow since he still doesn't have any teeth! He is finally getting over a nasty chest cold he had for a few weeks. Hopefully the warmer weather will ward off the germs and he will be healthy as a horse for a while.

I love my wagon

New helmets!

Snoozing in the trailer with Ben

Riding behind Mom

Otherwise things have been pretty normal around our place, sleeping like a darling 99% of the time, pulling on the dogs hair, starting to hold his own bottle, loving the bath as usual, the list goes on. We've been doing some bike riding in our new (used, but new to us) trailer, taking the wagon out in the backyard. We started our second round of swimming lessons last week. It's probably about time for Alexander to have his first hair cut (more of a subtle trim around his ears) but I don't know if I can emotionally handle it yet. Ive been putting it off.

Napping with Dad (notice the PJ's he's still wearing,
its because he had just woken up after a full nights sleep!)

Lastly we had some Easter Photo's done with Kaitlyne at GreenTee Photography! We have only gotten the sneak peak but I'd say he looks pretty darn cute! I just LOVE capturing all his little facial expressions on camera. These moments pass so quickly so I don't mind investing in photos, and often!

Spring Fashion

I have never been the most fashionable gal out there, lets face it I have never been fashionable! But having certain friends, like Chantelle, pushes me to learn more about the way I dress and develop personal style. Since I have spent the last year being 20 different sizes I decided now was a better time than ever to revamp my wardrobe! Thanks to the help of Pinterest and google I picked out some ideas and put together some outfits I might like to try out! I went on a couple shopping trips to compose these outfits, making sure I was shopping with full outfits in mind not just pieces. I photographed my attempt at some stylish outfits over the last week and wanted to share what I came up with!

A few of the items on my shopping list included 

- coloured jeans

- denim jacket

- girly tops

- a neutral blazer

- denim shirt

- hats

- fun spring colours

- a neutral flat shoe

Im still working my way through all the outfits but I wanted to share a couple of the new looks I tried out last week! Now hopefully this snow stays away so I can enjoy my skirts and dresses!

Grandma

Over the Christmas season I learned a very hard lesson. Well a few actually but for the most part it was to let go of grudges, live each day to the fullest and love those who are a part of your life. Basically s bunch of cliched lessons we all discover at some point. Unfortunately I've had a bit of a rocky relationship with my dad throughout my life. I didn't spend a lot of time with him as a child and as I became an adult we had our differences that separated us for a few years. Unfortunately he was not a part of my life during the time I got engaged and got married, which also separated me from his family as well. I have never been very close with my dad, relatively speaking,and I have been even less connected to his side of the family. Geographical distance has played a part in this but I'm assuming divorce and my lack of closeness with my dad has affected it as well. When I found out I was pregnant with Alexander I decided it was best to bury the hatchet with my Dad and try to make our relationship work, after all he was about to become a Grandpa for the first time. Things progressed slowly with us but it was a step in the right direction.  In the fall, after Alexander was born, my Grandma (dads mom), came for a visit to meet her great grandson, I had not seen her in 10 years! But unfortunately she came bearing bad news and it was that her health was deteriorating and she was ill with cancer. She had also brought some very special pieces of family jewelry which I am very proud to have in my possession. We communicated through photos and letters back and forth over the next few short months but in December she lost her fight with cancer and was taken to the kingdom of heaven. In the span of a few short days serval family members of whom I have never met, contacted me to send their condolences. I felt terrible for receiving these messages and felt as though I should be the one sending them! I felt undeserving because I had not known my grandma very well and because of the distance between my dad and I. I also felt strangely happy about the family I was connecting with. It hurt me that it took a death to bring family to together but I was very grateful to be meeting family I so often wondered about. I exchanged several emails and Facebook messages with cousins, aunts and uncles and began to leaner a lot about my family that I had never known. These exchanges helped me to understand the relationship with my Dad a lot better as well. Despite that it was a terrible circumstance to bring family together, I am grateful that we were able to unite. I am looking very forward to continuing to getting to know my family, and hopefully one day meet them. I am sure my Grandma is watching from heaven and pleased that her family is becoming more connected.