Gender Reveal! It's A...

Girl!

And her name is going to be Victoria. I am happy that I get to pass down a family name too. Alice (which will be Victorias middle name) is a family name that has been passed down from mother to daughter for four generations now. It was originally my great freat grandmothers first name, and since her, it's been passed down to daughters as a middle name. I'm glad that I'm able to pass down

Aside from names, amazing news right? Okay, I know it's 50/50 shot of being either (Or if you're a weirdo like some of my friends, 33.333333 chance that it would be a hermaphrodite) but, I'm kind of glad. Girls are very helpful and like helping mom out with household tasks and like to help out with younger siblings. (Although my friend Sherrie has an amazing son who loves his little sisters very much.)

That, and I have a few really AMAZING halloween costumes in mind. I did have a few really cute ideas in case I had a boy, but dressing girls up is so fun.

Now, I just have to figure out what I want to do with Victorias nursery. I don't really want to have the walls repainted, but thankfully they aren't stark white - they're a very light beige. I'm thinking beige, with touches of pink and purple... mayyyybeeee a little bit of gold in there. I want to see if I can have fun with decorating while challenging myself to be creative, frugal and be spacially aware - since it's a pretty small room, I don't really want to fill it up.

I'll probably post pictures as things develope. Right now all I have in there is her crib and my crafting table - which I've brought up from the basement to do my Christmas Craft Challenge (Making home as Christmas-y and in the spirit of the holiday season, while spending as little as possible... so far, I've spent I think $10-$12 on it. Most of that is hot glue. The rest of the supplies I found around the house :D)

Anyway, that's my little Christmas gender reveal.

How is your holiday season going? Is there anything on your want list you'd like to see filled? Or, is there a gift that you are giving to someone special that you are really excited about?

My (Other) Baby

So, last week I had about a day and a half where I was just bummed out. I couldn't pin point exactly why (Thanks hormones.) but I missed my mom and I missed my other baby. I know that since there wasn't any chance that it was ever going to form into a person since all I had was just an empty sac, but you still have an idea of how your life is going to be with that new little life. And I, like any other mother, envisioned my life with a new little baby.

Like I said, during those couple days where I was feeling down, I couldn't remember when our first baby would have been due. And I couldn't find my old day planner, but knew I had kept it. And I haven't been able to satisfy that need to know.

When was my first pregnancy due to end?
Today I found my old day planner, went online to calculate my due date - and my other baby, would have been due October 31 and would be a little bit more than a month old right now.

I'm at odds how to feel about all of this. I'm not really sad. I'm happy that I'm not mourning the loss anymore. I'm happy that I'm pregnant right now and I'm halfway to my due date now. But part of me is upset that I forgot when my little bundle was due - and that the date came and went and I didn't notice or remember. I thought I would. If I don't remember, then who will?

I am glad that it doesn't take up all my thoughts anymore. I used to think about it everyday. Multiple times a day. Now there are whole days in between where I don't think about it and life is moving on like normal. (Which is okay).

Today, I go to the hospital to get my last ultrasound. The ultrasound where I will (hopefully) find out the sex of this little one. And while I know I'm going to have a good day and I will be excited no matter what it is, I think that today will be bitter sweet.

It's a good thing I decided not to wear makeup, because I might have left the hospital later with my mascara running.

This Past Week :)

This isn't going to be a super long post, I just have a few things that I wanted to share about the events and goings on of the past week.

This past week I've started to feel the baby move. At first I wasn't very sure that it was the baby, but after a few times I'm very sure that is what I have been feeling. It's neat when I don't expect to feel and and I'm talking with someone. I confuse them by stopping mid-sentance to rub my belly and say, "Oh, hello in there!"
:)

Another thing that has happened is that I got in with the midwives here! After calling them for ages, and leaving messages everytime they finally called me back! (It's one of the offices where they don't pick up their general line, you leave a message and they get back to you. I *should* note that when you do get in with them, you get the emergency numbers and pagers so you can get ahold of them right away.)

I had my first appointment yesterday morning. All we did was the medical intake stuff. How much do I weigh? How tall am I? Are the address and health card number correct? That kind of stuff.

Then we got to do something fun!
Using a doppler, I got to hear my babies heartbeat for the very first time! And the baby moved while we were listening. It's heart beat was going, "Whump whump, whump whump, whump whump..." It was pretty cool!
So, that's my news for this week. But how was your week? What events have taken place in your life?

Have a good weekend! <3

Healthy Eating - Eating Whole Ingredient Meals

Eating a healthy and balanced diet is definitely a challange at times. Especially when life gets in the way. Suddenly we have to balance and plan for weddings, birthdays, holidays, family events. (Oh, the joys of being an adult - please notice, I didn't say grown up *smirks*) And don't forget about the every day things like work, walking the dog, housework, and soccer practice or dance recitals. (Or those lovely days when everyone in your house gets sick and everyone has to take the day off.)

I myself, can be really bad with poor eating habits. In the past many of my coworkers have marvelled at my healthy eating habits, and they are there, trust me. I love finding new and tasty recipes to try so I don't get bored with my menu all the time. What my old work colleagues didn't see often were my snacking habits. This girl is a fan of nachos (with shredded cheese or movie theatre style, doesn't matter), Dill Pickle and Miss Vickie's Salt and Vinegar chips, Ice Cream, a long list of baking goods and powered doughnuts just to name a few. And sour candies! (sour keys, please, don't get me started.) I wouldn't just get one snack item, I had to get it all.

So while my eating habits is something some would envy, there is tons of room for improvement.

Another thing that makes healthy eating difficult is when you have a picky eater in your house or someone with different dietary needs due to allergies or health concerns. (Or someone who places restrictions on their diet.)

In my house right now, I am trying to focus on eating and cooking with more whole food items. Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed . Some examples are: apples, carrots, chicken breast, fresh spices or herbs (only because the taste is much different than the dried), cheese and nuts.

It's true that making meals from whole foods may take longer, but if you manage your time well you can really get it down to a science and cut down the time you take to do things.

Some things that I do to help cut down the time it takes to prep and cook meals are things like, taking the skin off the chicken legs before I bag them into portion sizes and freeze them; I wash and cut up veggies I use often so they're ready for salads or snacks; when I cook I make sure I have all of my ingredients and tools on hand and measure out the amounts I need so I don't fumble around looking for things (or, forget them. That is the sad, sad voice of experience. I can't tell you how many times I had to toss something because I forgot a key ingredient.)

This week, I've done some new things that I don't often get to do in my house. I *love* experimenting with new recipes and cooking. It's something you can't always do with baking. But like I've stated before, if you have a picky eater, you know how it can be. You're stuck eating the same foods over and over and slowly add new meals that are accepted - or, if you have someone whose gone on a diet, making two meals. Back to the original thought: this week, I've been able to try new things, as well as attempt some things I haven't attempted before. *Big grin*

This week I successfully baked potatoes! I tried it a couple of years ago with grim results and I haven't tried again since. I'm proud to say that they were awesome. I've also done some roasted veggies and herbed chicken. In my house, the good old reliable is "Shake 'n Bake" or if we're in the mood to mix things up, we make a fresh sauce which I prefer a lot more to Shake 'n Bake.

Today, I'm working on some beef stock to make a beef stew in the next day or two. I'm not a huge fan of soups or stews, but every now and then I try them out so there is some variety and hopefully it's acceptable. Also on the go today, I'm making some meatballs without the bread crumbs. I've done this before with varied results. Some didn't turn out so well because I was in too much of a rush, my skillet was too full and didn't handle them gently enough and they fell apart. Today I'm going to give myself lots of time so I don't need to rush or over-fill my skillet.

I'm also really happy that I'm using more fresh herbs in my cooking this week, and they can be super cheap. I love fresh herbs because they are more fragrant, they taste different than the dried stuff. And plus, who doesn't love the smell of fresh basil?

What are some new recipes that you are trying at home? What are some of your tips for making cooking easier and faster? Let me know!

How Much Is Too Much?

Since I've been pregnant, I've been stuck underneath a veil of tiredness - and definitely at time, exhaustion. While I do try to react from my bodies cues as soon as possible so I don't overdo it, and I've drastically cut down on the chores and activities in a day, I still wake up feeling groggy and my eyes ache. I drag my feet while getting ready to take Chatum on his morning walk. I lazily think about the chores that need to be done that day and try and set a schedule for the week in my head.

Pre-pregnancy, I could clean the WHOLE house in less than an average work day. That's *with* taking breaks for eating, Facebook, walking the dog and random sit downs.

NOW it's a very different story. I normally do two maybe three things a day (I might even do more, if you count things you don't even realize you do that have to get done). And I definitely find that I'm prioritizing my cleaning schedule more. "Should I vacuum or mop today, or should I do the laundry?" (Today, btw, is laundry day, since I'm out of clean underwear that *isn't* made of floss that don't seem to be nearly as barable anymore. Just sayin'.)

Last week was pretty bad for me, I felt so awful all week between 2nd trimester headaches, the constant tired mama-to-be syndrome, my bad hip (which has steadily been hurting and aching more since this little bundle has been growing) and taking care of the house that I haven't been enjoying my pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I didn't think it would be a cake walk 100% of the time and I'd expected to feel down at least every now and then and I'm not grumpy all the time. There are plenty of wonderful moments in my pregnancy that I think of fondly. (I'm really looking forward to my next ultrasound and seeing how the baby has grown since I saw it last time and getting new pictures. AND! If baby cooperates, hopefully I'll find out if this baby is a boy or girl so the spare room can be changed into the baby room :D )

For the time being, I've decided to stick with doing ONE chore a day. Whether that be cleaning the floors, laundry (which I won't have to do as soon as my belly gets a little bigger so I don't have to go up and down the basement stairs), doing the grocery shopping or cleaning the bathroom (because I'm a snob and I *can't* have a bath in a tub where I can feel skin cells from other showers or baths)

One thing is for sure, I am sure glad I'm not nearly as OCD as I was before. She would really be going nuts!

What sort of cleaning system do you have at home and how do you prioritize what has to be done? Do you have anyone who helps you, or is the bulk of the household to-do list on your plate?

Body Image and Miscarriage - My Experience Part II

Right after my day surgery, I was surprised how well I seemed to be doing mentally(Along with everyone else who knew I miscarried). I think it took me about two weeks for the emotions to really hit me - and when they did it felt like a speeding train had just knocked me on my ass. The emotions came in waves and just as soon as I thought I was going to be okay, another wave would hit and I would be just as devistated as before.

I think they only emotion I didn't feel was guilt. I didn't feel guilty for feeling the emotions I went through, or that I wasn't able to produce the child that I had already started to love. I didn't feel guilty about not finding a job after my last work contract had ended. I knew that I had to recover emotionally and mentally and that the emotions had to run their course.

I did however, feel disconnected from and betrayed by my body. I remember thinking, "I can't even make a baby - that's what I was made to do." My heart hurt. I was told that it would be okay and I couldy try to have another baby right away, which made me angry. I didn't want to get pregnant again right away. I didn't want to have another child growing in me while I was so hurt. And I really didn't feel right about trying to use another pregnancy to help me get over my loss. They just didn't understand.

One of my good friends told me of her moms experience when she lost her twins. She recalled a conversation on the phone where her mom said "Your twin siblings would be this old today." She asked if her dad remembered the date and her moms reply was no. While my friend and I were talking, she said that while your friends and family might be there to support you in an event like this, you really are dealing with it on your own. After that conversation I carefully looked at my interactions and conversations with those who are dear to me and realized that she was right. As much as my friends and family didn't want me to hurt anymore, I was on my own, and I was the only one who could help me.

I remember a short period of time where I felt like eating food was a waste. As much as I knew that it was the furthest thing from the truth, I didn't think that I was worth wasting the food I ate. And since I knew that these thoughts were untrue, I made myself eat, and I made myself eat well the entire time I felt that way about eating.

As time went on, the waves of emotion got stronger and there is one specifically that was absolutely the worst. I was out grocery shopping and even though I'd been abstaining from sexual activity while I was ovulation, I had "pregnancy test" on my shopping list. I walked up and down the aisles and put the things I needed in my cart, but for whatever reason (and the reason now escapes me) I decided not to buy a pregnancy test.

Well, I can tell you, that on the drive home I was absolutely regretting the decision. I was hyperventilating, my knuckles were white from gripping the steering wheel, my muscles were tense - I was having a panic attack and worrying that (even though I'd been abstaining from sex) I might be pregnant. I'd already passed the drug store and was over the bridge to get home, I decided that it would be best to drive to either of the two stores by my house. I walked into the first one and speed walked to the hygiene section. No pregnancy tests. I went across the parking lot to the next store. Bolted to the hygiene section on the verge of tears. No pregnancy test. "Well isn't this just my luck?" I braced myself for the (very short but seemingly forever) drive across the bridge to the Rexall.

The end result - I wasn't pregnant. I was so relieved that I didn't have to deal with my loss and also deal with being pregnant before I wanted to be again. It was also this panic attack that made me think that I had to start seeing someone that I could talk to. I got a hold of the mental health director in my area and she set me up with a great counsellor named Nancy. My first appointment all I did was cry. And throughout our sessions Nancy asked hard questions that really made me think and sometimes didn't even know how to answer.

The funny thing was, that very shortly after we started our sessions, I started thinking that things were getting better and I wouldn't have to do many more sessions and even though I was always expecting another wave of emotion to hit - it didn't. The last session I had, I ultimately cancelled, because I'd just found out that I was pregnant again and had an ultrasound in the afternoon after my morning session with Nancy. I really didn't want to take the chance of being upset by the time I was supposed to be getting the ultrasound. I wanted to make sure (and needed to know) things were okay before I saw Nancy again. Even though the woman doing my ultrasound wasn't supposed to tell me anything, I told her that I'd had a miscarriage, that I was going out of town for two weeks and wouldn't be able to see my doctor until I got back. She turned the screen around to face me and showed me what was going to be the baby I'm carrying now. Just the tiniest thing. So far it was just a yolk and sac. (In my previous pregnancy, there was no yolk or anything, jsut an empty sac) I had hope then. "I have a yolk!" I was in between 4 and 5 weeks, so really, we couldn't see ANYTHING... lol.

On the drive home somebody close to me said, "You're going to be a mom!" and I replied with, "We'll see..." They looked at me and said, "You are supposed to be the positive one, you aren't supposed to talk like that." All I could say in return was, "Look, I would rather be pessimistic about this and be wrong than get my hopes up and be excited and then be knocked on my ass again."

I went on my trip to visit my friends and family feeling a little more at ease. I dealt with nausia and my first actual experience with morning sickness (while I was sick with a cold, nonetheless) I had my sister give me a lot of reassurance and advice... and an awesome pregnancy pillow. I had my mom scold me for not taking it easy enough or for picking up my nieces and nephews - in her defense, one of my nieces is eight and my two year old nephew is the size of a four year old. Understandable, right? Shortly after I got back from my trip and I'd settled back in at home, I contacted Nancy and told her that I was doing well and no longer needed our sessions and thanked her for all the help she'd given me.

As time has gone by, I've grown more comfortable and excited with believing that things are going to be okay. I don't push myself when I'm doing my chores or walking the dog. I try to listen to my body as much as I can. I eat well most of the time. I sleep and rest when I have to. I make it a priority to not worry about things and and try to be calm and relaxed for my sake and my babies sake.

Now I'm nearly 14 weeks and in my last ultrasound I saw my baby kick and squirm. I laughed and was so overwhelmed at this amazing little person growing inside of me, litt heart beating and trying to get that little thumb in it's mouth.

I still get sad sometimes when I think about my first pregnancy and how excited I was when I took my pregnancy test and saw those two little lines. How shattered I was when I found out that it might not work out. How devistating it was when I found out that the pills didn't work, that I was still pregnant and had to have surgery. I think about all the crying I did and how I felt about myself and my body and all of the emotions that came afterward. And I think about how we have so much to look forward to in our life together.

And somehow, it's all worth it.

Body Image and Miscarriage - My Experience Part I

This is a topic that I wanted to cover shortly after I had my miscarriage and when I started the Body Image series (which, to be perfectly honest, I still have to finish... I have about 3 or 4 other body image posts just waiting in my drafts)

I think that body image is a tough topic to tackle on it's own. I think it's especially difficult to discuss when body image is combined with a loss that is as deep reaching as a miscarriage. And in truth, people don't openly discuss miscarriage. Sure, we talk about it with our close family members and friends or maybe even more distant family members or friends you don't see or talk to as often if they bring it up, but it's not widely discussed beyond those boundaries. Even doing a web search of miscarriage and body image, I found very little.

And with good reason. You feel betrayed by your body; some women feel guilty and it's easy to feel like there is something wrong with you or that you're defective.

My experience, was a roller coaster ride to say the least. For those who know me personally or have read my blog previously will know that in March I had to go to the hospital. I didn't know I was having a miscarriage for sure, but I wanted to be safe and be checked out. In the pregnancy books they tell you that with a miscarriage you feel severe pain and may have severe bleeding. I didn't have anywhere near severe pain, and there wasn't plenty of blood either. So I was hopeful that things would be okay and at most I would have to quit my job and take it easy at home.

That was the start of my miscarriage.

They found that my pregnancy hormone hCG wasn't nearly as high as it should have been. I was at the hospital for hours, had blood tests done and had an ultrasound. They told me I had to go home for two days and then come back to see if there was an improvement or if my hormones continued to decline. (I think we know what ended up happening) These two days were the most stressful I can think of in my short life, and it was full of worry, crying and not knowing what might happen. The doctor who had been taking care of me gave me some pills to help my body clear out what it needed to in a bit shorter of a time frame. I was sad, but I found a little comfort in the fact that there was nothing I could have done to change things. I went home and back to work. I was doing okay.

At a two week check up, they did more blood tests and another ultrasound - I was still pregnant. Oh-FUCK! The pills they gave me didn't work, and they didn't have much hope that they would work after a second dosage. They gave me some time to think about what I wanted to do. I decided that rather than take another course of the meds and possibly be disappointed again in another two weeks to go the day surgery route. I scheduled a D&C that took place in April. The recovery time was a week.

By the end of April, I had been dealing with the same miscarriage for a month, had day surgery - the exact thing they refused to discuss in the first place (Not that I would have chosen the day surgery at that point anyway)

I remember coming out of my snooze after the surgery, there was a woman talking to me saying that I was in the hospital and I was doing really well and that we were done. She asked how I felt, and (with closed eyes, since I was groggy) I felt a single tear roll down my cheek as I said "That was supposed to be my first baby..." I guess she already had a tissue on hand, because she wiped away my tear and put the tissue in my hand.

Pretty much as soon as I was coherent, I looked down at my belly. It was big, swollen and empty. It felt a lot like pizza dough. I've never seen my belly that big and it was strange.
Afterward, I felt A LOT better than I expected mentally. I remember talking to my sister on the phone saying the exact same thing to her. And I remember her saying something like, "Ohhhh honey, it hasn't hit you yet." She knew what she was talking about through her own experiences.

And little did I know, she was exactly right. It hadn't hit me yet, and it was just the beginning.

It's Been A Heck Of a While, Hasn't It?

Hi there reader!

It's been brought to my attention that it's been ages since I wrote and it's not something that's escaped my mind. My (few) readers will know that I launched this blog after a miscarriage and subsequently gained quite a bit of weight due to comfort eating. I wanted to have something in my control since my emotions were not in my control. (Far from it)

I've delayed writting anything recently because well, I have good news - I'm expecting a little bundle towards the end of April!

I did wait to tell a lot of people that I am with child and have only very recently made it 'Facebook Official". I was very cautious (and a little nervous) at the beginning of this pregnancy. I listen a lot to what my body is telling me. I rest or sleep when I'm tired, I eat when I'm hungry... and I eat even when I'm not hungry. I still get out and walk my dog and am staying relatively active. I've focused a lot on being relaxed and not getting too worked up about the negative or annoying things in life.

This pregnancy is also going really well so far. I'm at the end of my first trimester and so far and I have a little lime sized bundle growing inside me. My family doctor says things are looking really great so far.

All that being said, I haven't thought about the direction this blog will take and it's a little puzzling to try and figure out where I want it to go. Should I direct it more towards having a healthy attitude towards life/health blog? Should I direct it to more a "These are my thoughts" blog? I'm unclear on where I want this to go so far.

What is your opinion? What do you want to read?



A picture of my most recent preggo belly shots

A picture of my most recent preggo belly shots.

Through A Rapists Eyes

Now, I know this doesn't have to do with weight loss, but I figure that every woman (And men who have women they love in their lives) to read this. Take the time, it might save your life, or someone else's life!




THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. it may save a life.) Reblog this!

It seems that alot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a
situation. Everyone should read this especially each n every girl in this world. THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG…

FYI - Through a rapist’s eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:



1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle.
They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

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POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:


1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk:
can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would
not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our
instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using
much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel
little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

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FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go “hmm I must remember that” After reading forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.


1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or
purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be
hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .
b. If you! u are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.


If u have a heart or compassion reblog this post.
‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.

REBLOG THIS AND LET EVERY GIRL KNOW
ATLEAST PEOPLES WILL KNOW WATS GOIN IN THIS WORLD.
So please reblog this….Your one reblog can Help to spread this information.
I hope you all will Reblog. Lets See how many of you really care for this.
DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT NOT REBLOGGING THIS! IT COULD ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.

Photo Saturday! A Collection of My Favourite Pics!

This week, I celebrated Canada Day ina nearby park with great friends, free BBQ and cake and awesome activities.

It was great to see everyone get together in our small community and enjoy our countries 145 birthday. The weather was decent, with sunny skies and cloudy periods. By the time the BBQ ended we had some rain showers that didn't last that long. The cotton candy I brought home condensed in my shirt and wasn't fluffy anymore. (But hey, cotton candy is still cotton candy, isn't it?)
Then I went to the fire works with friends. And managed to get some pretty good pictures :D

Someone had some fun playing with sparklers, I had
fun taking pictures of people playing with sparklers

This is one of my very favourite pictures of the fire-

works that I took

This is a close second.

This is Chatum, the first dog I walked as an SPCA
volunteer dog walker! (adopted)

 I've also started volunteering at the SPCA as a dog walker!

I'm really hoping that eventually I'll get some time in for some training, but I'm glad that I can help out the animals none the less.

I think it's a worthy cause.

This is Brownie, a lil spit fire! (pre-adopted)



And Ruby, a 16 month old pup with eyes that are two
different colours. (adopted)

And! Here is the newest member of my little family!

From the first time I walked Chatum, I was pretty much in love! He is such a good walker, listens well and is such a happy dog!

I'm luck to have him!

"I'm so glad to be home!"

                                      At home for just a couple minutes, and he
                              already he has a favourite toy!

Photo Friday: A Collection of My Favourite Pics

 Lately, I have been doing A LOT of biking. I've been using my bike to get to appointments instead of driving to get in some exercise (not to mention, it's a lot faster than walking)

I'm REALLY grateful that I invested in my bike.


On my way to the beach today, I was startled to see a
doe on the side of the road. Thankfully when the shock
wore off, I was able to turn around and get some pics :)

I was surprised how close she let me get to her, although, for safety I did stay in the car. I took a lot of pictures, and out of all the ones I took, I liked three of them. (Always the way with photography isn't it? At least now we don't have to spend loads of money on developing a roll of film for only a few pictures that turn out :D )


Pretty girl, isn't she?

I spent a good hour and a half at the beach today. I didn't really do any swimming, but I did get some sun in and I did get out of the house. Now, hopefully I didn't get a bad burn - I did put on sun block... I guess we'll see later on tonight.

 Super young dragon fly! He was still trying to dry off his wings when I waded out to this log with my camera (Thank goodness I didn't drop it in the water!) He didn't seem all that worried with me there.

They Don't Call It A Challenge Because It's Easy

Let's face it, weight loss is chalk full of ups and downs. It's exhilerating, it's empowering and you feel great with a sense of accomplishment after a good workout. But then there are those other days, aren't there?

The other days where you didn't eat breakfast because you had an appointment to get to or you didn't eat protein in all of your meals because you had to go shopping or were lazy. You decided that "Hey, pizza seems like a great idea... and I REALLY don't want to make dinner in this heat tonight...". That craving for something sweet really caught up with you and you bought a tub of ice cream. OR your spouse makes it hard to stick to your diet commitment to healthy eating.

Since I have started my weight loss challenge on May 1st, I went from 180 lbs to 170 lbs (YAY!) but after a few weeks of inactivity and poor eating choices, I gained nearly four of those pounds back (nearly...)Since then, I have started the INSANITY workout with my friend Caroline, and I am almost back down to 170. One more pound to go until I'm back, baby!

Shortly after I started my weight loss challenge, I was having a rough time with my emotions from the miscarriage and found it difficult to get into workout mode. As I Was talking to one of my high school girlfriends she said:

"If anything, I have to look at you choosing a really hard time to make a change like this. Look at the good days as your time to relax and enjoy life, see what you are working for as something good for yourself and on the bad days, let them be bad. Go for a run, an fight it off. Like the punching bag effect I guess. Those feelings are so justified, I cannot even begin to understand or relate to them but just knowing you have to experience it makes me hurt. On and off (waves of emotion) is a good thing, that there are good and bad times now. Not all bad."

And she is TOTALLY right. I did chose a super hard time to try to lose weight and be disciplined when all I want to do (some days) is eat my emotions and take comfort in food.

The thing I have to keep reminding myself when I do have bad days is:

1. I do feel better when I am active and exercising, even when having a bad day.
2. I am worth it to ensure I am living a healthy lifestyle.
3. It is worth the effort to make sure that our future children have a healthy and happy mom who is a good role model.
4. It will (and is getting) get better, it just takes time.
5. I can let the bad days be bad and then move on.

I am also really excited to say, that as of tomorrow, I am starting to see a councellor about the miscarriage! Her name is Nancy and I'm looking forward to meeting here and hopefully together we can help me to move on and get prepared for my (eventual) next pregnancy.

How have you been doing lately? Are things crazy where you are or are you just strolling and enjoying the scenery?

Photo Friday! A Collection of My Favourite Pics!



This week there was a fire in a duplex down the
street from where I live.



 In the last pic you can see it started on the right side, (Left side from
 the front of the house) the fire fighters tried quite hard - but in the
end the fire spread to the other side.





At one point the guy who lived in the right side of the duplex
asked fire fighters if he could go in to get his TV. Is it just me, or
is that what insurance is for? You get a NEW TV!





You know, for someone who hates bugs as much as I do, I sure do

take a WHOLE LOT of pictures of them!

My view during yoga :)

More Monarch Catterpillars! I was sad when I realized that I ripped
out a LOT of milkweed from my front garden once they catterpillars
started to come around. They solely eat Milkweed.

Add caption

This little guy I found in my garden while I was watering it, and he
was unable to fly away. Instead of drowing him, I picked him up to
put him in a tree safe from harms way :)

  

See? More bugs :) But if you didn't know, dragon flies are bossy

and super territorial. They will chase other dragon flies or (try to)
chase me away. I was determined to get a picture though :) 

An angel statue at my new doctors office! Some
have waited for up to 5 years to get a dr here, I just
got lucky to be on the list to get one when they were
accepting (9 months later, but hey, not 5 yrs!)

Body Image - The Male Perspective

We hear a lot about the body image issues that young girls and women are facing every day, but what about the body image issues that the men in our lives face? They sort of get lost in the background don't they? Maybe some of the guys don't want to bring them to light, let's face it - we all have hang ups, even some of the most confident men we might know. (I mean, come on, doesn't everybody want at least someone to think they are sexy?


From the type of drink that a guy orders at the bar; what he wears; to how much muscle he has and how it's distributed on his body, men face a lot of body image issues. Some of those are similar to those that women face, that we women can relate to.

In an article I read recently trying to get into a guys head on these issues had a really interesting points. The "ideal male body" is steadily growing more muscular. GI Joe is to boys what Barbie is to girls, and over the past 20 years GI Joe has grown more muscular and in more recent years, have sharper muscle definition. The GI Joe Extreme action figure, if brought to scale at a height of 5’10”, would have larger biceps than any bodybuilder in history.

From another perspective, A Playgirl centerfold model of 1976 would need to shed 12 lbs of fat and gain 27 lbs of muscle to be a centerfold of today. Now that is a lot of time at the gym.

After talking to some of the men in my life (Who were VERY co-opperative with answering all of my questions, thanks guys! Big hugs to you all!) I got a little bit of an idea on what did and didn't affect their idea of body image.

The answers varied depending on the person, but there were quite a few common points. Most of the guys I talked to do feel pressure from the media to look a certain way. Those Calvin Klein underwear ads; the super hero movies that get those close ups of the main characters pecs, steel cut abs and firm ass as he's getting into his sexy rubber costume; movies with actors with the likes of Channing Tatum, Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling... these are the expectations they believe that us women have of them. And I can only assume (I didn't think to ask it at the time) that it doesn't make them feel good if they aren't up to that standard just as we don't feel great when we see guys drooling over the "it" girl in ads or movies. One of my very funny friends had this to say on whether men were affected by the media: "Of course! Ain't a damn fool alive who would wear skinny jeans unless he thought it'd somehow work in getting him laid!"

How men feel in the work place varied on the environment:
One man I know, is almost hyper aware of his weight and body shape as he works in an environment where physical fitness is a requirement. If he lets himself go for a while, he feels more self concious about it until he loses a little bit of that belly.

A friend of mine stated that in his place of work, most of the men are dressed down, and as such, "they talk about their own bodies far more than anyone else talks about them" (I know, surprising, right?) "They'll complain about gaining weight or needing to work out. All of it is self-directed."

Another friend of mine said that how men carry themselves in the work place depended on how they see themselves. "I know that I carry myself taller, I don't have a problem feeling like someone can see my shape under my clothing (I don't wear baggy clothing/tug at it to keep it loose), and have completely different posture and attitude best discribed as confident. Whereas, when I'm not fit, I hunch my shoudlers and ruin my posture. My personality doesn't change, but how I carry myself totally does."

While yet another one of my fantastic guy pals had this to say: "It doesn't really bother me. I'm there to do a job, and if I'm sweating, it just means I'm pushing myself harder than they (the other guys) are."

While I was reading on male body image, one point that came up was that men tend to be concerned with "real body factors" more than women, such as sweat, body hair and body odor. One of my patient fellows said that men are just as sensitive about sweating as women are, but men have a tendancy to sweat more than women do and the difference between the two is that when women sweat, it often doesn't smell bad until it gets to a certain point, whereas a mans sweat smells bad no matter what.

All of the men I asked, said that they have never thought of body image in relations to their parents or home environment, while the home environment and relationships to parents did affect the body image of most of the women I spoke to.

Many men, like women, are prone to suffering from eating disorders as well as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (A type of mental illness, when a person is concerned with a perceived defect of their physical features). One study shows by the University of Toronto revealed that one in every six people diagnosed with anorexia is male. As time goes on, it seems guys are succumbing to the same pressures as we women. The rate of eating disorders and body image-related problems in men seems to be on the rise.

So what do we do to kind of put a halt to the pressure that we all feel about achieving the toned body? Here are a few of the things that I thought of off the top of my head:

• I think that having healthy models (As well as anyone else) and not weighing them solely on the Body Mass Index which can never be really 100% accurate.
• Supporting the fashion based companies that have decided that the models who are wearing and selling their clothes won't be photo manipulated to look a certain way.
• Setting a requirement for fashion ads in magazines and billboards to have a notice on whether or not the photo was manipulated (Or, in my humble opinion, not manipulating the models body in the photo at all)
• More discussion between parent and child thoughout different stages of developement and teen years to see what the child thinks healthy body image is.
• Classes in school about healthy bodies as well as discussion on what may or may not be accurate about body image in the media.

How do you see male body image? What steps do you think society can start taking to help everyone have healthier lifestyles?

Photo Friday! A Collection of My Favourite Pics!

Hello! I'm so glad that you stopped by today! And TGIF hey?! I didn't have the opportunity to take that many pictures this week because both of my camera batteries died on me... I know, the nerve hey? But I did manage to get a few :)

Enjoy!



Wow! It's a monarch caterpillar! I've never seen one of these before
now and I just thought that it was the coolest thing ever!

I must have taken about 50 shots of this little guy, and this is my
favourite one :)