Stress relief and looking a little too young

Today, I re-registered at a fitness center where I was once a member, you know… waaaay back when I actually thought I would lose my pregnancy weight, it’s part of my getting back to me plan, and incidentally, I wore those same shoes to work out, because, just between me and you, I kinda miss them!

So, I was there re-registering with the Fitness Lady, who was pretty awesome, and no, not just because she thought I looked “good”!

Fitness Lady: and how old are you?

Me: almost 30

Fitness Lady: WOW!! Don’t you look young, I was going to ask if you were still in school! You MUST get that a lot though.

Me: haha, yes, actually I do.

Fitness Lady: well, you look good!

Me: [*fake smile] thanks! (I soooooo do NOT look good people! Like a 16 year old, perhaps, but not a “good-looking” 16 year old!)

Fitness Lady: so, what’s the main reason for joining?

Me: well, I have 3 kids, and I work from home

Fitness Lady: OK, so I’ll just write “NEEDS ESCAPE!”

It made me laugh too!

And also… Wow!! Excellent post!

Finding comfort

I’ve been sick for a while now… is it just me, or do sinus infections completely overstay their welcome?!

At some point last week, while I was feeling really crappy, I started craving French Toast, which is something I love, but rarely eat because I only like it the way that I make it and I don’t make it too often. It is one of those things that I find really comforting though, and since in addition to being sick, I was dealing with some really bewildering personal issues, I was seriously in need of some French Toast! Funnily enough, my 3 year old is now completely in love with it, and I’ve made it about 4 times since then.

Since my kids have turned into stereotypical boys, you know, jumping off sofas, sword fighting, transformer loving, headache inducing boys, I have been drinking a lot of coffee, it’s my crack people, I can safely say I cannot function without it! Somehow though, when I am in need of some tlc, I will choose tea in a second, I am not sure what it is about that substance, but I’ve just noticed that it is so charmingly lovely and calming.

I’ve had this conversation about finding comfort with my husband, who declared that sleeping is just about the only thing that comforts him, I wonder if that’s maybe just a “man” thing, because I honestly find very little comfort in just sleeping, although I would be easily swayed if there happened to be a newborn on my chest. I am one of those people that find enormous comfort in food, or is that just a “woman” thing, because for example, on cold, rainy days, I love really savory food, like lamb in hoisin sauce, or clam chowder, and when I am depressed, I’d have to go with dark chocolate truffles, (or pretty much anything, but let’s not go there!) and I think when I am just melancholy, French Toast is truly amazing!

Beyond my obvious and somewhat obsessive love of food, I find comfort in really sappy movies, the sound of a loved one’s voice, a hug, or just maybe a really good cry. How about you?

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Introducing Awareness Always & a beautiful bracelet giveaway

Awareness Always is a wonderful little company, providing beautiful, stylish and meaningful jewelry, to raise money and awareness for those affected by Cancer, Heart Disease and Strokes.

I finished up their online store just in time for the launch of Breast Cancer Awareness month! Working with Jane, the owner, was a wonderful experience, she’s not only an excellent client, but such an amazing person. She and her husband generously donated this beautiful bracelet for me to give to one of my lucky readers!

Please check out their site Awareness Always and get something to “wear for someone you love”!

To enter, just leave a comment here! Random draw on November 5th, 2007.

I’m going pink for October!

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and I am going pink!

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women.

In 2007, an estimated 22,300 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 5,300 will die of it.

An estimated 170 men will be diagnosed with breast cancer and 50 will die of it.

On average, 429 Canadian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer every week.

On average, 102 Canadian women will die of breast cancer every week.

One in 9 women is expected to develop breast cancer during her lifetime. One in 27 will die of it.

Breast cancer death rates have declined in all ages combined and in every age group since at least the mid 1990s.

Incidence and death rates for breast cancer have declined since 1969 in women aged 20-39.

source

One of the most important things that we can do is educate ourselves about breast cancer, and try to reduce our risk of developing it. I hope you take the time to visit some of the breast cancer awareness websites, test yourself, or get tested.

Just like last year, I am doing giveaways!! And the profits from the product go towards breast cancer research.

(these are sold by a client of mine, and I will reveal the source once I’m finished with the site)

For your chance to win one of these beautiful bracelets, either leave a comment here letting me know that you’ve gone pink or make a donation to support breast cancer research. (Open to anyone, worldwide)

To help you along, you may download Randa’s pinkforoctober WordPress theme.

Parenting strategies: how to feed kids

Since my first son was just a baby, we made a habit of eating dinner together – now we do it with all 3 kids! My mom was over last week to witness the spectacle that is dinner at our house, and her opinion was that we should feed the kids first and then we’ll be able to eat better afterwards. Although she does have a pretty good point, I decided that I would stick to our current routine.

My 4 year old has grown so accustomed to the family dinner that he completely misses it if we are out or if for some reason he has to eat alone. I found that having this routine with my kids, no matter how challenging it can be at times, has made them pretty good eaters. I mean, I know that it is possible that they just naturally love food, but I have a feeling that the practice is a key part in them not being fussy eaters.

While they were still within their first year of baby-hood, I did feed them before we had our dinner, but I would still keep them in their highchair with us and I think each of them grew comfortable and accustomed to sitting down at the table and eating a meal. Routines are greatly instrumental in the development of kids and really helps them to understand complex concepts and to have situation-appropriate behavior – simply by the virtue that they know what to expect.

When it comes to the actual dinner, I do try to make one meal usually, but I will not force them to eat things that I know they don’t prefer, like red peppers for example, I will instead choose the ingredients that I know they enjoy and this way I know that the chance of them finishing their meal is greater – and isn’t that the aim? Often parents may forget that the point is to get kids to eat healthy foods, and not necessarily to eat foods that we may enjoy! Serving kids a healthy selection of foods that they like is key in ensuring that they are actually getting all the nutrients they need, and not complaining about they stuff they may not be particularly fond of.

There are surely times when they refuse to eat – they are kids after all – but I don’t really push them at those times because in general I know they are good eaters, and because I am usually careful with what they eat at home, when we go out I don’t mind if they indulge in ‘not-so-healthy’ alternatives!

How do you feed your kids?