I always used to have a good laugh at the SNL parody for "Mom Jeans". I remember feeling completely baffled at the fact that mid-90's moms actually wore these hideous creations. You know the jeans I'm talking about: the high waists and roomy pleated fronts. Well, the truth is, these days I find myself yearning for a pair of mom jeans as a welcome alternative to leggings and other types of stretchy pants.
Once upon a time, before my life revolved around my beloved babies, you could often find me in the gym. I'd go to the Women's Goodlife Fitness on McPhilips at least 3 nights a week. I loved going to the classes rather than working out by myself because I'm not really very self-motivated. In the classes it's like, "OK if all these ladies can do it, I can too".
During my pregnancy with Hayden I made it a point to keep working out and walking because I really wanted to go back to my pre-pregnancy body without much effort. And sure enough, one month after Hayden was born, I actually weighed less than I had before even becoming pregnant. Because I was breastfeeding, I was always always eating and I still never gained weight. When I was pregnant with Deacon I gained the same amount of weight as I did with Hayden - 35 lbs.
SO I don't know what changed between my pregnancies with Hayden and Deacon. But I've recently realized that I'll be working a heck of a lot harder to get my waist-line back into existence this time around. This isn't so much out of vanity as it out of refusal to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe in a size bigger. Ain't nobody got time for that. Or money. My afformentioned lack of self-motivation is no longer a thing because every day at 11:00 am I tell Hayden, "OK it's excercise time!". Then I put on my pilates DVD and get to work. The lengths of my workouts vary depending on Deacon's patience but I can usually manage 10 minutes a day of cardio and another 10 of whatever else. Still, this extra baggage won't budge!
Foodwise, I'm not making too many changes besides quitting eating sugar. It's not like I'm any kind of a panic since I am breastfeeding and need the extra calories for that. I'm sure I will be into my old "regular" jeans in no time. If not, I might just try to bring the "mom jeans" back into style. Or I will remain happily comfortable in Lulu's for as long as necessary.
xoxo Liza
Thursday 30 January 2014
Saturday 25 January 2014
Updates!
I've been feeling a little boring this month. Our days have been pretty routine lately and with this weather and Tyler being out of town, I haven't felt like doing anything extraordinary. Personally, I feel super excited on days that I can shower and drink a hot cup of tea in silence but that doesn't make for a very thrilling blog post.
So here is what my kids have been up to...
Deacon is growing a ton every day. His newest feat is holding objects, though he often doesn't realise hes holding them until he bops himself in the face with said object. He likes to grab onto and manipulate his blankie, put his fist in his mouth, and lay on this back under mobiles. He's extremely sociable and will "tell stories" to anyone who will listen. I just love his little face with his furrowed brow and contemplative gaze. He's like a sweet little old man.
Hayden. Where do I even begin?!? She is just sooo darn sweet. All, "Please mommy..." this and "I love you mommy..." that. As she discreetly snips pieces off the tablecloth from under the table. Typical two-year-old stuff I guess. She's all of a sudden become extremely chatty since Christmas. I love our conversations. Here are some of our recent discussions:
"Mom, what's that sound???" (her favourite question)
Then I listen but don't really hear anything. "Ummm I don't know, maybe its the snow plow?"
"No, it is not a snow plow, its an airplane."
"Oh OK Thanks Hayden!"
OR
"Mom, look! My fruit snack has bunny ears!" (shows me her bunny shaped fruit snack)
"Cool, is it a bunny??"
"No Mom, it is not a bunny, it's a fruit snack."
I totally realise that these exchanges are probably way funnier to me than they would be to anyone else but you get the idea. She's a little smarty pants.
I'm not sure what else I can give you updates on right now. "How are the house plans coming along?" They are coming along. The subdivision has been approved so we are now in the process of getting the land title transferred...then we wait for the land title to come in the mail...then we go to the bank...then we order our house plans...then we apply for a building permit... etc. etc. It's such a long process. Longer than we ever imagined. I can see why people don't do this. But it all be worth it in the end.
That's all for now!!! Enjoy the rest of your Januarys!
XO Liza
So here is what my kids have been up to...
Deacon is growing a ton every day. His newest feat is holding objects, though he often doesn't realise hes holding them until he bops himself in the face with said object. He likes to grab onto and manipulate his blankie, put his fist in his mouth, and lay on this back under mobiles. He's extremely sociable and will "tell stories" to anyone who will listen. I just love his little face with his furrowed brow and contemplative gaze. He's like a sweet little old man.
Hayden. Where do I even begin?!? She is just sooo darn sweet. All, "Please mommy..." this and "I love you mommy..." that. As she discreetly snips pieces off the tablecloth from under the table. Typical two-year-old stuff I guess. She's all of a sudden become extremely chatty since Christmas. I love our conversations. Here are some of our recent discussions:
"Mom, what's that sound???" (her favourite question)
Then I listen but don't really hear anything. "Ummm I don't know, maybe its the snow plow?"
"No, it is not a snow plow, its an airplane."
"Oh OK Thanks Hayden!"
OR
"Mom, look! My fruit snack has bunny ears!" (shows me her bunny shaped fruit snack)
"Cool, is it a bunny??"
"No Mom, it is not a bunny, it's a fruit snack."
I totally realise that these exchanges are probably way funnier to me than they would be to anyone else but you get the idea. She's a little smarty pants.
I'm not sure what else I can give you updates on right now. "How are the house plans coming along?" They are coming along. The subdivision has been approved so we are now in the process of getting the land title transferred...then we wait for the land title to come in the mail...then we go to the bank...then we order our house plans...then we apply for a building permit... etc. etc. It's such a long process. Longer than we ever imagined. I can see why people don't do this. But it all be worth it in the end.
That's all for now!!! Enjoy the rest of your Januarys!
XO Liza
Thursday 9 January 2014
I Quit Sugar!!!
My name is Liza and I'm a sugarholic. I just can't get enough. As soon as Hayden and Deacon go for their naps I literally sprint to the kitchen for my "treats". It's my absolute favourite time of day!! I sit and relax with my sugary snack of choice and then I eat it in 1 bite. Then I keep going back for more until someone wakes up from their nap. Basically I'm a nap-time sugar binger.
Putting this fiendish behaviour into writing makes it sound so much worse than it ever was in my mind! Sadly, this is the reality of my sugar addiction. As of Jan.1, 2014 I decided to quit sugar.
The first week was the hardest with all the leftover Christmas sweets still lingering. Day 1 was actually a breeze. Day 2 I became acquainted with the addict's evil nemesis, "Mr. Justification". You hear yourself thinking, "It's so cold out, I NEED hot chocolate!", and "I can't let this baking go to waste!" (Trust me no baking will ever go to waste wherever Tyler is).
I was able to shake these justifications off for a few days until just a couple nights ago I fell off the wagon. Tyler and I decided to bust out the KitchenAid stand mixer we got for Christmas. Ty wanted to make cookies. Even though I had no intention of enjoying them myself, I still wanted to help. Alas, my will power crumbled as the first batch of cookies came out of the oven. I ate one. Was it worth it? NOPE! Anyone close to me has probably heard me complain about my crappy oven in any type of kitchen related conversation. The temperature is wonky!! We have to preheat our oven 50 to 100 degrees cooler than what you would normally bake at. The recipe said 375 degrees, we set it for 275. They still burnt. So I fell off the wagon for a burnt hockey puck. On that topic, nor I or Tyler have never successfully baked anything in our oven.
Besides this slip-up, the hardest part so far was when Tyler disposed of my stash of candy and chocolate that I'd kept on top of the fridge. I actually stared into the garbage in anguish at all the sugar that I would never consume. The strange part is that even though I'd quit sugar, I still wanted the treats in sight. Maybe just to keep my will-power in check. Like James Frey in 'My Friend Leonard' with the bottle of wine.
Now, I intend to maintain my sugar-freedom until my birthday in March. My will-power is actually pretty solid. At the store I can easily ignore that aisle with the sleeves of chocolate bars and the bags of fuzzy peaches. I don't drink pop or even honey in my tea. I just knew I had to quit because of how mentally unhealthy it feels to crave something so badly and not be able to say no.
My new nap-time treat is a strong cup of chai tea and I just love it. Of everything I've given up, I'm going to miss my driving coffee the most! I've decided to spend the extra $3 or whatever at the Itunes store instead. Not all treats have to be injested!
Faithfully back on the wagon,
Liza ;)
Putting this fiendish behaviour into writing makes it sound so much worse than it ever was in my mind! Sadly, this is the reality of my sugar addiction. As of Jan.1, 2014 I decided to quit sugar.
The first week was the hardest with all the leftover Christmas sweets still lingering. Day 1 was actually a breeze. Day 2 I became acquainted with the addict's evil nemesis, "Mr. Justification". You hear yourself thinking, "It's so cold out, I NEED hot chocolate!", and "I can't let this baking go to waste!" (Trust me no baking will ever go to waste wherever Tyler is).
I was able to shake these justifications off for a few days until just a couple nights ago I fell off the wagon. Tyler and I decided to bust out the KitchenAid stand mixer we got for Christmas. Ty wanted to make cookies. Even though I had no intention of enjoying them myself, I still wanted to help. Alas, my will power crumbled as the first batch of cookies came out of the oven. I ate one. Was it worth it? NOPE! Anyone close to me has probably heard me complain about my crappy oven in any type of kitchen related conversation. The temperature is wonky!! We have to preheat our oven 50 to 100 degrees cooler than what you would normally bake at. The recipe said 375 degrees, we set it for 275. They still burnt. So I fell off the wagon for a burnt hockey puck. On that topic, nor I or Tyler have never successfully baked anything in our oven.
Besides this slip-up, the hardest part so far was when Tyler disposed of my stash of candy and chocolate that I'd kept on top of the fridge. I actually stared into the garbage in anguish at all the sugar that I would never consume. The strange part is that even though I'd quit sugar, I still wanted the treats in sight. Maybe just to keep my will-power in check. Like James Frey in 'My Friend Leonard' with the bottle of wine.
Now, I intend to maintain my sugar-freedom until my birthday in March. My will-power is actually pretty solid. At the store I can easily ignore that aisle with the sleeves of chocolate bars and the bags of fuzzy peaches. I don't drink pop or even honey in my tea. I just knew I had to quit because of how mentally unhealthy it feels to crave something so badly and not be able to say no.
My new nap-time treat is a strong cup of chai tea and I just love it. Of everything I've given up, I'm going to miss my driving coffee the most! I've decided to spend the extra $3 or whatever at the Itunes store instead. Not all treats have to be injested!
Faithfully back on the wagon,
Liza ;)
Friday 3 January 2014
January 2nd
January 2nd is a strange day. We've all just spent a hefty few weeks immersed in holiday festivities. We've enjoyed the craziness of the Christmas season and the excitement of bringing in the New Year with our favourite people. And as hectic as it became to haul our families here and there, we did so with delight and a twinkle in our eye. All the while enjoying food and drink that we've waited all year to over-indulge in. Every Christmas seems so epic and magical.
And then... (sound of a record being stopped on the turntable)...back to reality on January 2nd. What?! Wait!? So I can't drink spiced rum and eggnog and eat fudge all night anymore? What do you mean "Set the alarm clock"? Where do all these empty boxes and bags go? Do I really need to stop singing Jingle Bells with my two year old? (Which by the way, is not even about "Christmas"). It's as if the holidays never happened! Now it's on to the next event on the calendar.
Tyler had 2 weeks vacation over Christmas! We LOVE having him around. He just never gets bored of playing Hide and Seek or Ring Around the Rosie. And he definitely keeps me on my toes. Tyler is not one for relaxing in his pj's all day. Even in these frigid temps he dragged us all out for post-Christmas shopping trips to Ikea and Cabela's one day and Polo Park the next. I would never have done this if he didn't instigate it, but it turned out to be very fun.
New Years Eve was uneventful. Deacon, Hayden, and I spent the night at the farm. Tyler went to a party. My initial plan was to wait until Deacon and Hayden were both sleeping at my parents house and then I would go out, making sure to be back well before Deacon's inevitable 3:30 feeding. This all sounded wonderful in theory, but Deacon didn't end up falling asleep until 11:45 so I rang in the new year snuggling my little baby :) . Next year, however....
I sincerely hope everyone's holdiays were as joyous as ours were! All the best to you all in 2014!!
Love, Liza
And then... (sound of a record being stopped on the turntable)...back to reality on January 2nd. What?! Wait!? So I can't drink spiced rum and eggnog and eat fudge all night anymore? What do you mean "Set the alarm clock"? Where do all these empty boxes and bags go? Do I really need to stop singing Jingle Bells with my two year old? (Which by the way, is not even about "Christmas"). It's as if the holidays never happened! Now it's on to the next event on the calendar.
Tyler had 2 weeks vacation over Christmas! We LOVE having him around. He just never gets bored of playing Hide and Seek or Ring Around the Rosie. And he definitely keeps me on my toes. Tyler is not one for relaxing in his pj's all day. Even in these frigid temps he dragged us all out for post-Christmas shopping trips to Ikea and Cabela's one day and Polo Park the next. I would never have done this if he didn't instigate it, but it turned out to be very fun.
New Years Eve was uneventful. Deacon, Hayden, and I spent the night at the farm. Tyler went to a party. My initial plan was to wait until Deacon and Hayden were both sleeping at my parents house and then I would go out, making sure to be back well before Deacon's inevitable 3:30 feeding. This all sounded wonderful in theory, but Deacon didn't end up falling asleep until 11:45 so I rang in the new year snuggling my little baby :) . Next year, however....
I sincerely hope everyone's holdiays were as joyous as ours were! All the best to you all in 2014!!
Love, Liza
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