Slowly, but surely!

I have some numbers, and missed some others....but here is the big reveal for the week!  I had hoped that I would be in the 170's by now, but sadly I have not gotten there yet...I am at 184.  Which means that as of tonight, officially, thanks to my weigh-ins at Tops, I have gotten to just over my 20 pound mark!  I am now on my way to 30 pounds gone....I hope it picks up a little bit, and starts slipping off a bit more quickly.

I have started adding in a bit more exercise, so I am hoping that is going to help with the next few pounds.  My goal is to be into those 170's, finally by July 1st!  I can do this, right?  I wish there were a few more hours in the day, and that I had a bit more energy to feel like adding in exercise at the end of a busy day.

After a totally horrendous week last week, full of emotions, and some major stress eating, I am hoping to be back on track over the coming week....and I have to admit, I am still enjoying yoga, and I have added walking on the trails to relax and have some exercise.

Like so many others, June is an extremely busy month for us, and unfortunately Tim is away a lot lately...so I am hoping to stay on track and lose these next five pounds to reach my next goal!

If you have read this, would you mind clicking on the link on the top right to vote for my blog!  It is a website for "mom blogs", and I am currently sitting third in my category!  Thanks!

Yes, it was my first time!

So I went yesterday to finally start my fitness class challenge.  I signed up for Saturday morning yoga with Angela from Balanced Body Yoga here in Fort McMurray.  This class was a "good stretching class" and would be a good place to get my feet wet in the yoga world.  After having some anxiety about the whole "outfit" thing, and then realizing that my scaly dinosaur feet would be exposed for all to see, AND ten minutes before leaving thinking that I would probably need a mat, I pushed myself out the door before I found another excuse not to go.

Of course as I entered the studio at our local high school, Angela immediately put me at ease with a hug and some reassurance that she would walk me through the poses and help out if I needed it.  The soothing music in the background also help set the atmosphere for the next hour.  Luckily Angela is a well prepared teacher, and she had mats, blocks and other goodies to share with us newcomers, so I grabbed a mat, and a spot to experience something totally new.

The first thing that I noticed, and that stayed with me all day is that I lay there for those first few minutes and was suppose to be "leaving the outside world stuff to come to the yoga class"...so in other words I was suppose to stop thinking about the laundry waiting at home, if the baby was giving Tim a hard time while I was gone, if I had to go to the grocery store again today, if, what, when, etc.etc....and for me, I realized that I am not really spending much time in my body.  Sounds weird right?  But as I lay there I could not help but thinking when was the last time I paid attention to my breath?  When was the last time I was aware of how I was feeling?  I rush through the days making sure everyone else is where they should be, fed, dressed properly, feeling okay and having a good day....but I could not tell you the last time I sat with myself in silence for five minutes.  I am hoping if nothing else that yoga will teach me to do this better....every time Angela said to relax my shoulders, I realized that mine were completely tensed up.

So how did I do?  Not bad!  I did not know some of the poses, but others around me did, and Angela was demonstrating, so I could pretty quickly get into one...and my balance is not as bad as I thought it would be, as I proudly thought as I held my tree pose.  Oh, and I think the left side of my body is actually stronger, but if you had asked me I would have said for sure the right side would be(another weird find from the class).  And today my core muscles are feeling it, as are the tops of my legs, so I got a workout too.

But I think for my first class that I would say that I realized that the practice of yoga will be very relaxing for me, and it is going to make me aware of my body again....and that is something that I did not even realize I was taking for granted again.

Angela does drop in classes all through the week out here, and they are pretty cheap, so why not try one out with me?  You can look at her class schedule, prices and even some of the common yoga poses at her website, www.balancedbodyyoga.ca, or her facebook page.  I know that after one class I will be signing up for some more after this session.

And now this week to cross off my next class to try, Zumba!  If anyone in Fort McMurray knows of a good beginner class could you pop me a note?  Thanks, and Namaste!

See what I did in an hour and a half!

Alright, so some of the bags of out of season clothes got stashed in the garage, mental note to not let the anal retentive garage loving hubby throw any of it out.

The lasagna is in the oven, the floors got swept, the baby was changed, and I got clean clothes on the bed!  I am off to get Shayleen, and then Grampie at the airport.  This is how the room turned out, not bad all things considering!  Thanks for joining me in my cleaning fun, over 100 messages in an hour and a half....don't you guys have something to clean?  LOL!!!!

Oh my Lord!

I was sitting here texting Tim(hubby), who is once again in Edmonton, telling him how extreme this day was going to be.  I had a list of things that absolutely had to be done, which included some running around, all while dealing with a cranky baby that was up since 3a.m.

And then the phone rang, it was my father-in-law asking if I could pick him up at the airport, "Sure," I said very confidently like, "See you at 4!"  And then I hung up and totally panicked, there would have to be an added trip to the grocery store to find something suitable for supper.  And then I stopped in my tracks....he would be staying a few nights, and that meant I could not put him on the couch....I would have to open the spare room door.  I avoid opening the spare room door...it is a catch all spot for skateboards, out of season clothes and every knick knack that will eventually be a house warming gift or suitable birthday gift.  So while I got the hamburger on to cook for the lasagna for supper, I thought I would totally stop(and further delay the opening of said door) to post my panic, and a picture of what is causing the panic.  I have been proud of being open and honest with all of you about my weight, my life and my struggles....lol....so here is what I will be tackling for the next hour before I have to leave again to pick up Shayleen at school and head to the airport, all the while dealing the other said cranky baby.  For the Lords' sakes, wish me luck!!!!!!!!

The Rankins, and how they made my day more beautiful.

When people ask someone from Mabou where they are from, we say, "Mabou Harbour" or West Mabou or Mabou Coal Mines, like the outsider would know the difference.  And then we all add, you know the Rankin family?  Yes, well, we are from the same small village.  Growing up there we were fortunate enough to hear them play in the school band(I remember Jimmy being the cool band guy), and we would see them singing at church, with one of the girls taking their place beside the organ when the choir wasn't there.  They sang at our weddings, our funerals and all the Mabou Ceilidh concerts over the years.

The last few days have been mentally, physically and emotionally draining for me, but tonight just before supper I received an email from a foster child that was with us two years ago, in the email she had pasted the link for this song by the Rankins.

You see, when Shayleen, our little girl was small, we would spend hours walking and dancing her around the kitchen, and we were not sure if we were going to be able to keep her, and this song kind of became our theme, and one of her favorites to fall asleep in our arms to.  If you listen to the words, it fits perfectly for foster kids, if you can make them realize that your love goes with them where ever they go.  And so it has become a tradition of mine to either download or write out the words of this song when a foster child leaves us, and it goes with them either on their memory stick, or in their book. Today one of those kids felt the need to listen to it, and remind us that our love stayed with her.

As I headed out the door to drop Mitchell and his gang off at cadets I grabbed the cd, These are the Moments by the Rankins, and cranked it on the way home and belted out all the words like I could really sing, lol.  And here was where my second Rankin moment happened.  As I pulled up the lights in Thickwood and stopped, the woman in the van next to me rolled her window down and sang along with me to this song.

We grinned and sang the line, "Shake around your little behind." together and pulled away from the lights smiling.  By the time I pulled in the driveway, I was in tears again, as Raylene's haunting voice came on singing We Rise Again.  And I came in the door thinking about what a talented family they all are, but also thinking what a wonderful bunch they are....their mother was one of the classiest ladies I have ever met, and when I was sick years ago, she would give me pep talks every time she saw me.  She really had an air of grace, and she passed it on to her children, they are gracious and she would be so proud.  So this is my thank you tonight to the Rankins, from Mabou, who make us proud to be from the same small village.  Who showed us that you could go away and have a great amount of success and return to your roots and be as humble as ever.  They showed us younger crew that you could do what you love and make a living at it, and it didn't have to be a typical job.  They probably still don't realize how much they mean to all of us, how we treasure them, and how much we all love them.  The next time you run into one of them, tell them thanks for sharing their great talent.  And Raylene, you are still being missed.

A new week!

I am hoping a good start to the new week bring a positive change to the house.  I have to admit, the amount of hate mail that I received last week got the best of me, before all the love mail that I got turned it around.

So today I have lots to catch up on since I was avoiding the computer like the plague the last few days. First up, it is check in Monday!  And yes, I lost again tonight!  I am down another 1.6 pounds.  If I lose next Monday, I will have lost for 20 weeks in a row!  I think that is pretty cool, eh?  Now if I can just pull it off this week, I just want to be able to say that I hit that 20 weeks.

And I did not forget my house projects!  Here is what I did today....the before picture of my fridge!

Our fridge always seems to be overflowing...and it is the one thing that every time opens the door he is cursing, as being a typical man, he can never find anything in it.  I always remember his grandmother saying that a properly cleaned fridge had everything taken out, and all the shelves were scrubbed clean. So that is what I do every couple of weeks, and pulled it off today.  Here is the after pic.

Still a bit cluttered, but totally spic and span!  Tomorrow, I am starting on the kitchen book shelves.  But I might have to start kicking it up a notch, as my mother-in-law will be here in seven days!!  LOL....not that she has ever given me a hard time about my lack of housekeeping skills, but I would still like it to look nice when she arrives.  My poor parents when they landed, well, they surprised me, so I guess the mess of my house surprised them, lol!
Thanks again for all the love and support this last week, the people who know me were quick to jump to my defence and that made me feel better.

There will always be haters mom....

The title of this blog is what my ever so wise, almost 14 year old son said to me this morning.  As a rule now I don't go looking for comments on my columns or blogs any more.  I don't look at the websites, and honestly, it is because some days I cannot handle the anger and hatred that some people send my way by way of their comments.  Don't get me wrong, I have met some fantastic people through my writing, ones that share their stories and their lives with me, and for that I am blessed.  But every so often someone gets to me by sending me a personal email to my email box, and I click on it and it opens, and it usually changes my day.  This morning I had a few emails, and I must have been visably shaken, as Nathanial, the said almost 14 year old, asked me what was wrong, when I read him some of the comments, he just said, "Mom, there will always be haters."  Isn't that an unfortunate statement?  Why do people feel the need to attack and spread hatred?  It is so depressing.

What is the cause for all the hate today?  I wrote a column for the Cape Breton Post about a rant that a woman from Fort McMurray had on her wall over a month ago.  Lisa Boutilier felt the need to defend her community, and I, as always was intrigued by the huge and strong response that she got on her wall.  Here is the column that appeared in today's Cape Breton Post:


Fellow Cape Bretoner’s rant about Fort McMurray goes viral


Now I try to avoid the comments, and any drama, but this morning my email box was flooded with emails.  I thought I would share one with you to give you an idea why it affects me so much.  The man(I am assuming it is a man) did not sign his name, and his email address was C Mac...so really, it could be anyone.  It is always the personal things that people that say about my family that upsets me the most....here is just one of the emails I received today:

Lisa Boutilier not only disrespected Nova Scotia and the other provinces ( not Alberta) but herself. All her views were from behind the dollar. If that was money talking that would be what money said. People do not hate Alberta. People hate the fact that they love where they are from. End of story. Alberta is full of drug addicts and or people who live well beyond their means and who post regularly of their wonderful new purchases. People in other provinces work just as hard as Albertans. Canada is a country full of hard workers. People who are proud of a hard days work. Do not take away from the fact that some people do not want to leave their place of birth, their mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers and these people are the true to themselves. Their love runs deeper than the pocketbook. Those who go out there and choose not to relocate have deeper family roots that  take precedence over money. They go because they are usually in a tight spot and have no choice. Those that relocate know in their hearts that they are  "greedy"  enough and they make the choice to live the high life on a constant. So dont find fault with good decent people who "have" to go and sacrifice but cannot bring themselves mentally to call Alberta home. Some make a choice to have it all.  Others make a choice to survive without selling their soul.  
Cape Breton is one of the most beautiful spots in the world. Those who stay and fight on make me proud. They didnt give up and all pack a plane outwest. Those that left, gave up. So show respect to those who know a good struggle. They are teaching their children what really matters. Love!

As I read this email, I found it ironic that I have now gone three nights of sleep to help a child in our foster home right now, my life, and my house is in chaos, and one of my best friends had to come so I could at least get in the shower today.  Lisa is a single mom, who has raised fantastic children who have all become contributing members of the community, all with hearts of gold.  To judge us and say that we are greedy and not decent tore at me today in my already vulnerable, sleep deprived state.  How dare this person judge us all, and not just me, but all Albertans so harshly?  All I can do is wonder, because this type of email does not do anything productive, it just makes me sad for the day, and wonder if I made wrong decisions along the way.  But then I pull up my boot straps and think of how happy we are...struggling, but happy.  For you see, Tim, hubby, was off work for months, and living in Fort McMurray for months with no full income is no easy task.  But let me tell you, we did it, we did it with love.....love for each other and our children, and love from our communities both here in Fort McMurray and in Nova Scotia.  Because no matter what, we all come from some where, and we may move away and make homes in new communities to try to make a better life...but we are all just trying to do our best.  I wish I was never personally attacked and have a sad day like today, but then I would have to give up having an opinion and writing, and that's never going to happen, lol, as much as some might like that!  When you read the article link, you can scroll down to see some more hate(I couldn't help but look when I went to copy the link).  Too bad I couldn't meet all the haters to show them parts of our lives in Fort McMurray and maybe the next time they might think before spreading such hate.  

And finally, the Muppets!  Yep, I watch the Muppets when the world gets me down...there is your secret info for the day!