Time for ME! My fitness journey

So I am finally doing something for ME.

I always put my kids first, even before my own health.  Recently I decided that by doing something for me, I am actually doing something for them too.  Getting healthy.

I have struggled with weight for years, since my middle daughter was born, 6 years ago actually. I have made excuses for years and years, too busy, too tired, etc. etc. That and the fact that I am highly allergic to working out, getting sweaty and being out of breath. All those things made me put off getting fit and healthy.  I didn't want to do things I don't like even if it was good for me.  I have never been into sports, or the gym or anything really physical and avoided starting these things.  Why start now!  well now i have a reason.

I have decided to finally stop complaining and do something about it, even if I have to sweat and do physical activity I don't like.  So knowing myself, that I can easily make excuses  and avoid doing the things i hate when i only had to answer to me, i found someone i have to be accountable to.  A personal trainer.  Her name is Lori and she is the owner of Inner Motion Fitness.  She is going to kick my tush into action and get me healthy.

And so it begins.  At home training to become healthy. To make me even more accountable... i am going to share this adventure with you.

Working out at home with a trainer while your 3 year old is home is not easy.  The constant barrage of questions and calls for attention is quite distracting. However, it can be encouraging too!  While he constantly asks for a drink or a book or a TV show, he also tells me I did a good job, kisses me between sit ups and brings me water.

I learned fast to have his drinks and snacks ready, move toys out of the way and have the ipad fully charged.

So my journey has begun. My goal is to not die. or at least not pass out; which almost happened on our first day and of course to get fit.

I will tell you that after only a week i feel good.  I feel good that i have made a positive choice for me and my kids.  My body will thank me one day, when it stops hurting....

Apple Picking FUN!

It was a gorgeous day for apple picking1  The sun was shining and the air was crisp, a stellar Fall day!

The kids and moms were all excited to get started with our picking! 

While we waited for our turn on the wagon ride, we started the day off with a nice nature walk through a fun little trail near the orchard.

The little ones did great walking the forested trail, and the moms did too!!!

We saw lots of nature and one sweet little girl even found the fuzziest caterpillar we had ever seen!

By the time the wagon came to pick us up, the kids were more than ready to get to the fun part; picking apples!

We took our little ride around the orchard and learned about the apples and the orchard.  Once we reached our spot we jumped off and learned how to properly pick and apple; turn the "eye" to the sky and twist!

We had a great time walking the rows of apple trees picking the yummy Nova Macs!

It sure was a great day and lots of fun was had by all!

Welcome Fall!

The end of summer is always bitter sweet.  Our summers are so short here, that we really try to relish every moment.

Summer time brings the beach and picnics, farmers markets and fresh berries, trips to the bark and swimming.  

Summer are days are long and lazy and we take the time to enjoy them as much as we can.  I know I enjoy these short months to the fullest with my kids, but before we know it, they are over.

So while we love summer, and will miss the warm lazy days, Fall brings a new pool of fun and things to look forward to.

Fall brings the changing colours on the trees, the brisk cooler air, earlier nights and dark mornings.  Fall walks in the leaves, apple picking, and visits to the pumpkin patch.

One of my favourite things is being able to wear my favorite jeans and boots, big sweaters and warm mitts. 

Fall brings us Thanksgiving, which brings us Pumpkin Pie!  The kids get to trick or treat for Halloween, by far the least of my favorite parts (see my Halloween post of 2012!)

And as we enjoy all the things that fall brings us, the best part of all is that we are that much closer to Christmas!  (hate me now people, but you all know you love it!)

Our Jr. Chefs had a Chef Boyardee-licious Lunch!

This month our Jr. Chef Program was sponsored by Chef Boyardee.  This was a great chance for our moms to get their hands on some Chef Boyardee products and see how they can be used in quick and easy, nutritious meals!

Chef Boyardee makes meal time enjoyable for the whole family by providing quick and easy meal ideas!

Yummy enriched pasta, cheese and meaty tomato sauce, Chef Boyardee is a hot and hearty meal or snack.  It’s kid approved pasta, and has no preservatives!

We decided to make a big Ravioli Lasagna.   To make it extra healthy we added some super yummy fresh spinach and cottage cheese.

Once the kids were all decked out in their adorable Chef Boyardee aprons and had their little hands washed, we got down to cooking.

We used Chef Boyardee Ravioli as the base of our lasagna in stead of plain noodles.  This was a great idea!!

We shredded our mozzarella cheese and cut up our spinach.  The kids took turns helping.  We added the spinach and the cottage cheese to the first layers of Ravioli, it was already looking delish!!!

Then we added another layer of Ravioli and another layer of mozzarella.  Then off to bake!  Since everything was already cooked, it was just a matter of heating through and melting the cheese!  EASY!!!

To make our Lasagna we needed:

6 cans of Ravioli (we were feeding a big crew so for a family size you could use less)
2 cups of mozzarella
1 container of cottage cheese
1/2 cup fresh spinach chopped
Italian seasoning for taste

layer half the Ravioli on the bottom of a pan sprayed with PAM.  Add your cottage cheese and spinach, and mozzarella.  Add the rest of the Ravioli, sprinkle some seasoning and finish with the last of the mozzarella.

Bake for 20 minutes or until hot at 350

The kids enjoyed their lunch and were happy to be eating the meal they made!  You can make more great recipes using Chef Boyardee products by visiting their website!

 

Thank you Chef Boyardee!

Getting crafty with Art Innovators!

Our Art and Play last week was extra special~  We had the pleasure of having Tracey from Art Innovators of Barrie join us to do a Squiggles and Grin class.

It was so much fun to start the class with a little circle time to meet squiggles and sing some songs.

 But the real fun started when the kids got on their smocks and started painting!

We were creating an outdoor scene with a caterpillar.  Sounds a bit complicated for a bunch of 2 and 3 year olds right?  But not at all!  The craft was creative and abstract and fun!

Using spatulas, the kids spread yellow paint for the sun, blue for the sky and green for the grass!

This was messy but fun!  The kids really liked turning a few dollops of paint into something more.  Once we dabbed off the excess paint, giving the picture a nice texture, we were ready to add the caterpillar!

This was lots of fun for the kids using some red paint and circle sponge to create their wiggly caterpillar! 

To make the legs, eyes, and antennae, the kids used their finger in some black paint!

Voila!  A gorgeous outdoor scene with a pretty caterpillar!

A quick little goodbye circle with some parachute play and our class came to a close. 

We look forward to having Tracey join us once a month to get artsy with our tots!

Squirrel and Fox a great read about friendship!

Tales for Tots this month had a great book about friendship and about being different.

Our Scholastic Canada Sponsored program always has a great book for us, and one that one lucky mom gets to take home!

Today we had the luck of a heat wave and a chance to have one last park story!  While it was a little on the warm side, it was nice to be outside and read our book.

The illustrations in the book are bright and fun and the story is easy to follow and tells a tale of two unlikely friend who have so many differences, but are similar in so many ways too!

A great reminder to little ones on how people can be different and still be the best of friends!

Getting a family pet. My weak mommy moment

For 15 years I have said no to pets.  Well except for the cat we had for 5 days when my oldest was 4 and had to find a new home for because it attacked her constantly and was quite nasty.  And the hamster we had when she was 5 that died 17 months later.  But other than that we have never had pets. 

I like animals, but didn't grow up with them, so I am not a huge animal lover and really have no interest in caring for one on a regular basis.  I have 3 kids to care for, adding another living thing to remember to feed and care for was never an interest to me.

My kids on the other hand have always asked for dogs and cats.  They all love animals.  I have always had great excuses for not getting these pets.  We travelled a lot for sports and were rarely home.  The kids were too young to help with the care of a pet.  And so on and so on.

Well last week my daughter sends me a message from a friends house.  Her friend had found some kittens in the woods and had taken them to the local shelter.  Apparently the shelter is over full and was not able to care for the kittens, which meant the chance of them being put down.

My daughter and her friend could not bare to see this happen of course, as most humane people wouldn't, and decided that at least one of them should be ours.  And yes, I say one as she did try for more.  Baby steps here, please.

She played the "I will feed it and clean it's litter and even pay for it's care" card.  She is 15 and really I can fully enforce this right?  She is more than capable of taking care of a pet, I do let her watch the little ones right?   So I agreed.

After a $70 trip to the pet store and a short card ride for a meowing nervous cat, we brought our new family pet home.    The little ones were beyond thrilled.  They couldn't believe he was going to live with us.

In no time at all, our new kitten, Oreo, was fully at home and fitting it.  He is a sweet little thing as far as cats can go.  I am still getting used to having this little fur ball of energy around here, but so far so good.