This year a great number of my friends are going to the BlogHer Conference (yes – a blogging conference, can you believe that I have NEVER been to a blog conference?).  The conference even has a 5k Fun Run that I’m putting together a learn-to-run forum and clinic to help other bloggers train for this run.  I really really want to meet my friends in person, and meet the people that I’ve helped train for this event. In particular I really want to attend this seminar: “Fitness Blogging: Motivate yourself and Your Readers“.  But, I can’t afford to buy a ticket to go.  Hubby has enough air miles for me to get to NYC, but we don’t have enough cash to pay for my conference ticket.  But wait!  There’s a contest!

I want to go to this conference and meet my bloggy friends so badly that I’m entering a contest to go.  Moomette, who has a product reviews and giveaways blog can’t go due to other commitments, so she’s giving away her conference pass!!  Moomette – please pick me so I can meet my friends, run the 5K and cheer on the gals I’ve helped train for this run!  Thanks!

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This week my responsibility was Valentine’s Day.  More specifically to make sure Sierra and Brooke had Valentine’s Day cards to hand out to all of their friends.  This seemingly simple task is complicated by the fact that Sierra needed to bring cards to both her daycare class, and her Kindergarten class.  (She goes to full day Kindergarten Tues/Thurs and generally every other Friday).  Her schedule is a little wonky to say the least.  I needed to make cards for close to 50 kids for Sierra and another 21 kids in Brooke’s daycare class.  Due to the volume of cards, I didn’t even bother addressing the cards – I simply wrote “To My Friend”.  Now this where we get to how mommy screwed up.

Wednesday night at 11 pm, I was dog tired from 3 busy week nights but I was up in my PJ’s addressing cards, slipping tattoos into the corners of the cards and taping heart-shaped lollipops to the cards.  The Type-A part of my personality simply won’t allow me to just have the kids show up with the bare minimum of what’s required for the event.  Oh no – they need to have the best cards and something a little extra for their friends.  On his way to bed hubby hugged me good night and I got all pissy on him.  Why should I be up doing this while he gets to sleep?  They’re his kids too!  Anyways, he goes and looks at the schedule and tells me that Sierra has Kindergarten (big school) on Friday.  This meant that all of the three Valentine’s Day parties were going to be on Friday and none of the cards were due the next day.  I happily packed everything up, went to bed and didn’t give it anymore thought – I finish all of the cards Thursday night.

The schedule Sierra’s Kindergarten teacher sent home was wrong and Brooke’s class changed their schedule… both of their class parties were on Thursday. Only Sierra’s daycare class party was Friday.

Both girls came home sad Thursday night – ‘cause mommy screwed up Valentine’s Day.  Sigh – this parenting gig would be a hell of a whole lot easier if the school and daycare would at least send home accurate schedules.

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This year I made a few resolutions so I’ve decided each month to go back and re-visit them. To re-cap, my resolutions were to:

1. Learn how to cook
2. Eat healthier
3. Feel better about myself
4. Train for a half-marathon
5. Lose 16lbs (get back to my wedding weight)

So how am I doing with my goals?

1. Learn how to cook
   I’ve definitely been trying and making a big effort in this department. This has been a rather expensive little goal because previously all of our meals came from packages, so I had no spices in the house with the exception of pepper, salt and cinnamon. Purchasing all the spices I need has been expensive, but it’s been worth it. I’ve made a few things that my family has loved: Banana bread, Low-Fat Turkey Chili, Tuna casserole, Beef stew, Beans & Bacon Saute (These recipes can all be found on my Fitness Cheerleader site) and I’ve made some stuff my family hated: Tufu & Veggie Stirfry in a Peanut Sauce (Peanut Butter FAIL), The Best Ever Mashed Potatoes (Parmesan Cheese FAIL). I also made a Quinoa & Black Bean Salad that I love and have been bringing for my lunches.
2. Eat healthier
   This goes hand-in-hand with learning to cook. So far I’ve been successful with this. We’ve definitely eaten a lot less packaged foods, though there have been a few nights where my kids ended up eating a bowl of grapes and a peanut butter sandwich for dinner because the meal I tried to cook didn’t turn out very well. I’ve had a lot of healthy left overs for my lunches, and I even made healthier choices the few times I did eat out. Oh yeah! I almost forgot! I CUT OUT COFFEE!! I’m now drinking decaf green tea instead. I haven’t completely given up caffeine though – I do have one caffeinated green tea from Tim Horton’s each day. This is as much a social thing as a nutritional day because I walk over, and line up at Tim Horton’s every day with one of my co-workers. The nice part about this is that I now sleep WAY better! Yay!

3. Feel better about myself
   This one has been really hard, though I’m starting to be more aware of my mood cycles and have picked out some triggers. Such as:
   • Sleep (or lack of it)
   • Too much caffeine
   • Processed foods
   • Not exercising
   • Missing hubby

Thankfully most of these things I have control of. I can go to sleep earlier, minimize my caffeine intake, eat healthy (clean foods), exercise. I’ll keep working on these things over the year.

4. Stop rushing around and plan ahead
   I did well with this for the first two weeks of the year but I’ve totally slacked off in this department. Brooke has been sleeping horribly (she’s transitioning to a big girl bed) so I’ve been “too tired” in the evenings to pack stuff up, then sleeping in because I’ve spent an hour or more listening to her whimper and try to fall back asleep each night. I’ve done a great job planning meals, grocery shopping and having food on hand. I really need to make more of an effort on the packing and preparing lunches ahead of time thing.
5. Train for a half-marathon
   I’ve really done a great job over the past month sticking to my training plan. This week has been a bummer due to my calf injury, but I got my 10K in this weekend which was completely awesome!
6. Lose 16lbs (get back to my wedding weight)
   I have no idea why being larger than I was 6 yrs ago bugs me so much. I have had two kids after all. But I know I can be fitter, leaner, stronger with more energy – the kind I had before kids. The training, sleeping, healthy eating and planning are all helping with this goal and so far I’m down 6lbs. Not bad for 5 weeks! At this rate I’ll be down to the weight by our 6 yr anniversary on April 6, 2010.

How are your resolutions going? Have you been sticking to them? Don’t worry if you haven’t – you can start over again any time. Every meal and every day is a new fresh start!

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Please donate

Last week, as I was leaving work I encountered what was obviously a daycare centre taking a group of toddlers out for a walk. I don’t normally pay attention to the people I pass on the street, my mind is usually in over-drive thinking about my work day, what I should cook for dinner, and what fun activities I can do with my children when I pick them up. For whatever reason (fate?) I looked down at the children to flash them a grin because they appeared to be the same age as my daughter Brooke. Unfortunately instead of happy smiling faces, I was greeted with the faces of toddlers bawling their eyes out, snot and tears streaming down their faces, with tiny little red hands … That day we had our first snowfall of the winter season and the temperature was hovering near 0C (32F) – the darling kids’ hands were freezing!!!!! At first I was apalled at the daycare – who would send their children to this place? But then I realized that the care providers were rotating their own mittens around to the children. They were doing all that they could and were trying to get the kids to walk as fast as possible to return to the centre.

I contacted the day care centre first thing the next morning and offered to bring winter clothing for the children and learned that many of the children in their care are dropped off by their parents without proper attire. This is a subsidized daycare and they told me that many of the parents don’t send them with hats & mittens (or extra clothing in case they get wet – ie: underwear and socks) and that they are badly in need of these items to loan the children when they go outside. Here in Ontario, the Day Nurseries Act states that children must go outside for two-hours of fresh air every day. This is great for the kids who have proper attire, but doesn’t fit well with these kids who would be better off in a warm child care centre then out getting frost bite.

Today I gave that daycare centre an early Christmas present, I gave them a bag of mittens, hats and socks that I bought over my lunch last week and I also gave them clothes that my children have outgrown. I’m blogging this to urge you to consider doing the same – there are children in our communities who need more than toys for Christmas – they need the basic necessities too. Please consider these children when doing your Christmas shopping, when you contribute an unwrapped toy (as I know you all do), please drop in a pair of mittens and a hat too – their poor little red hands will thank you.

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Pools are dangerous

On Monday night, when I got home from work I read the most heart breaking tweet from my Twitter friend Shellie (@Military_mom) regarding the drowning death of her two year old son Bryson in their back yard pool (her original tweet has now been removed from her account, so I can’t share it with you).

In that instant my heart broke.  Shellie had just moved into a new house with an inground pool.  I don’t know the exact circumstances surrounding the accident, but that doesn’t matter – the fact is, her two year old son Bryson fell in the pool and drowned.  Shellie and I have tweeted for about 18 mos.  We don’t know each other well – but we have tweeted and she has offered tweets of support over the past while as I deal with my hubby’s frequent travelling. So I find this accident particularly heart-breaking. Her son Bryson was the same age as my daughter Brooke.

Pools are dangerous and accidents can happen very very quickly.  Contrary to popular belief – you don’t “hear” someone drowning.  They slip in with a small splash and sink to the bottem.  A weak swimmer may attempt to swim and make some splashes, but a non-swimmer will simply sink, panic underwater and swallow water.  I’m a trained lifeguard (NLS) – so take my word for this.

Bryson’s death is tragic and a very unfortunate accident.  It also serves as a reminder to us that water of any volume is dangerous.  A person could slip, fall, hit their head and go unconscious - if there is a volume of water high enough to cover their mouth and nose they can and will probably die – they may not suffocate, but they could drown from what is known as secondary drowning – fluid in the lungs.

We all know we should watch our children around pools, that our children should wear life jackets if they can’t swim, to keep our pool gate and sliding doors locked etc…  But are you aware of these tips that aren’t so obvious?

1. Never, ever leave toys in a pool – these are child magnets, typically a child falls into a pool while reaching for a toy.  This includes any pool – wading pools, above ground pools and inground pools.  Clean up all of the toys when exiting the pool so these won’t tempt a child.
2. Teach your child to lay belly down on the pool deck to reach for toys in a pool.  I have an inground pool in my backyard and have taught both of my daughters how to reach for toys. Model this behaviour – when you reach for things in the pool, lay down.  The chances of falling in are greatly reduced when your center of gravity is low and children will do as you do, not as you say.  (This also applies to those of you who don’t own pools as children visiting a house with a pool often don’t know basic pool safety).
3. Keep a working phone on your pool deck.  You never ever know when you’ll need to make an emergency call. (I’ve actually dropped one of our phones into the pool while following this advice – hubby was mad that we lost one of our handsets, but at least I was trying to be safe).
4. Don’t answer your phone if it rings while you’re on the pool deck with your kids. Accidents can happen in that second when you turn your back to answer the phone – turn the ringer off if it’s too much of a temptation for you.
5. If you ever have to rescue someone that has fallen into a pool keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be pretty – jump in and grab them by anything you can grab – their bathing suit, hair etc.  The goal is just to get that person out of the pool ASAP.
6. Educate your guests.  Before allowing your friends and their kids to go into your pool go over some safety rules ie:* Tell your guests to watch their own kids.
   * Tell them where the phone is
   * Teach them and their children how to reach for objects in the pool
   * No running on the deck (this is because you can trip and fall in)
   * If you can’t swim wear a life jacket
   * Model pool safety

My final bit of advice is so important that it deserves to be bolded and in a paragraph of it’s own:

Please do not put a pool in your yard, or buy a house with a pool without taking a lifeguarding course. Swallow your pride and join the 18 yr olds at your local community center and learn some pool safety, learn how to rescue submerged victims, perform A/R, CPR and some basic first aid.  Why live with a ticking time bomb in your backyard without learning how to detonate it?  The cost is minimal compared to the cost of a human life.  You will learn a ton about pool safety that will eliminate the need to ever do a rescue.

I know it’s winter and pool safety is not the first thing on our minds right now – but because of this tragedy I wanted to write and share this post before I forget.  I also will be republishing this ever summer as a PSA. Have a safe and happy winter folks and please keep my friend @Military_mom in your thoughts and prayers.

PS – Money is being raised to help Shellie and her family pay for Bryson’s funeral.  Please help.  Thanks!

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As I returned to running I felt like a complete newbie, even though I knew what was around each corner.  I knew how to dress in various kinds of weather.  I knew I should stretch, eat well, get plenty of rest when training etc…  But building my endurance and reintroducing myself to running was hard, but with these few tips in mind, I recently was able to train for and complete a 10 K race.

1. Buy New Shoes
   Chances are, the shoes you were wearing had a lot of mileage on them, and over time the shoes become “stale” losing their give.  Your feet have also probably changed, in my case pregnancy left my feet (and the rest of me) slightly wider than they were.
2. Start Slow
   Don’t expect to run the pace you were running before.  You’re older now, you’ve lost strength and you’ve lost leg-turnover speed.  Run 45s – 60s slower than the pace you were running before.
3. Be Consistent
   It’s hard to build endurance when you only run 1 or 2 times a week.
4. Run A Little Further Every Week
   You need to build up a good endurance base before adding speed work, however to build up endurance you need to go a little further each week.
5. Run at the Same Time Each Day
   It’s easy to start skipping out on your runs if it isn’t part of your routine.  Try to run at the same time every day.  ie: Run in the morning before work, on your lunch or after work.  If you don’t have a set time to run, you’ll procrastinate and skip that day’s run.

Got any other tips to share for getting back into running?  Leave a comment below to share them.

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If anyone in your family becomes ill, below is a list of the key differences between the common cold, and H1N1. If you or someone in your family is diplaying the symptoms in the right column, then please ensure they stay home. Thanks!

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It’s actually very important to take time for yourself every day.  In fact studies have shown that people who find balance between their work and their life sleep better, eat better and enjoy life more.  They have less stress – and having less stress means they live LONGER! 

This past weekend I found some time for my balance.   I took the kids to the park, spent some one-on-one time with my oldest daughter Sierra and I hung out with my BFF (sidekickgirl) at Donnie Wahlberg’s I GOT IT release party.  Here are some pics from the party:

My BFF and I	Donnie Wahlberg	Joey McIntyre (surprise guest)

It’s really important to your well being to take time to do stuff for yourself – so this week I encourage you to do something extra-special for yourself. 

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‘Crazy Love’, Michael Bublé’s first CD in two and a half years, features two original songs along with his always original take on 11 standards from various eras. The multi-Grammy winning artist hunkered down in recording studios in LA, Brooklyn , New York and his hometown of Vancouver for the last six months to make his ‘ultimate record about the inevitable roller coaster ride of relationships.’ The first single, ‘Haven’t Met You Yet,’ written by Bublé (with Alan Chang and Amy Foster) is playing on radio now.

Buble’s unique style, combined with his jazz and big band influences, really give these classic love songs a special touch. Bublé has such an amazing voice and a knack to make timeless love songs appeal to all generations.
The songs on Crazy Love will touch anyone who’s in love, ever been in love, or is looking for love. It’s a song that spans the different emotions you feel when you love someone, and it’s simply a great CD that you may find yourself listening to over and over again too!

Here’s a teaser of his song ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’:

Shop: You can purchase Crazy Love on Amazon.com and at other retailers online and nationwide.

5 of my lucky readers will have the chance to win a CD copy of Crazy Love by entering this contest.

To enter:
Leave a comment below telling me how you find balance.  It doesn’t matter what it is – just leave a message telling me what it is before the giveaway closes at 11:59 PM WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2009 to enter!

Extra entries:
Click that Retweet button in the top right corner to tweet about the giveaway and leave me a SEPARATE comment below telling me about it!

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• The companies making H1N1 flu vaccine have been making seasonal flu vaccines for years and have good track records of safety. They are working alongside government bodies that will fund the complicated safety reviews needed for the swine flu vaccine.
• Primarily, the safety trials are looking for side effects such as allergic reactions and something called "oculorespiratory syndrome," which would likely show up within a few days of administration and in relatively small numbers. At this point, at least 200,000 people have received a Canadian form of the vaccine worldwide.

(The information presented here on down is from the CTV News website, which CTV has obtained with the help of infectious disease expert Dr. Neil Rau – I’m presenting it here because I trust it as a reliable source)

What is an adjuvant and why is Canada using one?

An adjuvant is a chemical additive used in some vaccines to ramp up the response the immune system generates to a vaccine. Adjuvants aren’t new in Canada; they’re already used in pneumococcal and meningococcal vaccines, for example.

With an adjuvant, less pure vaccine antigens are needed, so one dose of vaccine can be stretched into four doses. An adjuvant boosts immune response so that recipients are more likely to develop antibodies to the swine flu virus. It also makes the immune response more "durable," so it lasts longer, and it creates a wider response, so that if the swine flu virus "drifts" or changes, this vaccine should still offer some protection.

Adding the adjuvant made the Canadian version of the pandemic vaccine different enough from seasonal flu vaccine in its design that a new licence was required and more clinical trials were needed to assess safety.

GSK says its vaccine contains its own proprietary adjuvant system, called AS03. It is a based on squalene, an organic compound obtained from fish oil and mixed with water and vitamin E that is safe, despite Internet-based rumours to the contrary.

What is Squalene?

The adjuvant used in the swine flu vaccine is made with vitamin E, water and squalene derived from shark liver. Squalene is an organic substance found in all humans; our bodies use it to synthesize sterols – such as cholesterol — and steroids. It is also found in all animals, plants, and a variety of foods, cosmetics, and medicines.

Some websites have linked squalene to the anthrax vaccines to Gulf War Syndrome, but those allegations have been shown to be false. Squalene was never used in the vaccines. And while anti-squalene antibodies were found in some of those with Gulf War Syndrome, they are also found in the blood of people who have never received a vaccine containing squalene.

Over 22 million doses of squalene-containing vaccines have been administered around the world, mostly in adults. "The absence of significant vaccine-related adverse events following this number of doses suggests that squalene in vaccines has no significant risk," says the World Health Organization.

Is there Mercury in the Swine Flu Vaccine?

The flu vaccine contains a small amount of thimerosal. That’s because the vaccine is delivered in multi-dose vials, so needles are inserted into the vial more than once to extract doses. For that reason, all flu vaccine bottles (seasonal and swine flu) contain small amounts of thimerosal as a preservative.

Thimerosal is a mercury-based preservative, but it’s made of the ethylmercury, which is organic, not methylmercury, which has been linked to neurological damage.

The levels of ethylmercury in vaccines are minute and have not been shown to cause harm, says the Public Health Agency of Canada. It’s estimated that there is four times as much mercury in a can of tuna fish than in the thimerosal in the H1N1 flu vaccine.

I Feel the Vaccine is Safe – But the Choice is Yours

Alright – so those are the facts from one of the leading television and news agencies in Canada – I’ve shared the information with you because I trust it.  For me it answers a lot of my questions regarding the safety of the vaccine, but like I said in my previous post – vaccination is a personal choice, I’m just providing you with information so you can make an informed choice.  (In other words – don’t shoot the messenger).

If you would like more information about H1N1, and why you should protect yourself, and your loved ones, please see my post: Protecting Against H1N1 – It’s Not Just About You.

Source:

CTV News

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