Mommys Boots

Were else can you get -40 warmth and waterproff to your knees for $40. Rubber Boots!!!

Maya Dressed Me

But I wear shirts and pants....

Dinner Tonight

A friend and I were recently talking about our blogs, she wants to make money and I just want to make mine interesting. Sooo here is dinner tonight.
From October 2009- Vegetarian Times which I got free from the hospital. Chickpea Croquettes with Greek Salad Topping.

Settling

As Luke and I got married at the rip young age of 20, I had to sit on the sidelines and painfully watch my friends and acquaintance discuss the 'perfect man'. In one particularly painful episode some woman in our bible study were talking about men and their desires to be married, and I piped up and said..." Ummm maybe do you think you are asking for too much? That didn't go over well.

Today I'm reading the Toronto Star, and it seems some single sad 40 year old is publishing a book with a movie deal in the works advising woman everywhere to ignore the annoying qualities and Marry Him! Well that is a few million dollars I didn't make.

Oh and thanks to Facebook, those woman appear to be quite happily married.

Comments

As you probably have not noticed. The comments system on our site is changing. Apparently Haloscan who we have used for comments for years (before blogger had their own) will be defunct in 2 weeks. So I will be fiddling with the templte and comments to see if I can get everything moved over to bloggers comments.
About time we changed things up in this thing anyway.

January Totals

Just for fun... not entirly accurate, estamations especilly since I am the only runner on the plant without a garmin, and my treadmill is not calabrated at all, and mybike computer is off. My bead method of counting laps is dead on though.

Swim-8.050 km
Bike- 48km
Run- 163km
Other- P90x- x2, Yoga x1

Cost of a Date

So dinner and a movie isn't really our thing, and really how is watching a movie at all interactive, and in fact it is IN- ACTIVE, and since everything in this house has to be active, last night Luke and I went skiing.
The last time we had been skiing was five years ago, how sad is that. For us to go skiing we had to pay for:
- My skis to be sharpened and waxed.
- The gas to get to/from Blue Mountain.
- Lift tickets
- Little plastic thingies for the end of Luke's poles. Little racket BM has going there I tell you.
- Junk food at Macs on the way home.

Grand Total.....I don't want to know. Is it worth it....well going once every five years doesn't do alot for my form, and comfort of flying down the hill. Apparently Luke's boots have gotten smaller, and although It was nice to spend time together, it was cold. Especially on the south side- which is where I like to ski best. Verdict- Undecided.

On Food

I am willing to spend money on food. I am willing to pay a premium for quality products. I will pay more into the hands of a farmer then the corporate grocery giants. I care about where my food comes from, and will not buy an item if I think it traveled too far to be sold.
Author Jim Algie published a little opinion piece about how my feeling on food were becoming more and more mainstream.... I wish it was true but really I do not think so.
I definitely think I am an oddity. Few people question in the produce department about country of origin, and what it comes down to people do not care and the lowest price wins.
I try to do my best. I store ahead from the farmers market, I pay more for pine river cheese- made in Ripley Ontario. I tend to buy Gay- Lee products regardless of price. Meat from friends only. But even I get lazy. I run out of eggs and buy them from the store instead of a friend. I want bananas, and oranges which are certainly not local. I buy fresh spinach year round.

The point I really want to make is that even the farmers do not seem to make the connection. A family that I spent a large amount of time with as a teenagers and even went grocery shopping with alot would go to great lengths to save money. If it was cheap and produced in God knows where "Yippee it is cheap". So if the farmers who need to paid for what they produce are not willing to spend a little extra on local, who can we expect as a society to do so.

Creemore Awsomeness

This 'local' grassroots run was put on by the organizers of the Creeemore vertical challenge. How grassroots?? It was run out of the race directors house. How great is that??
I knew one person who would be at the race, and knew that there would be some fellow Running Manics but really all except one would be strangers. I really didn't know where it was located but luckily I saw a runner who directed me to the fun... it was at her house.

The course was a 7.1 km loop. Run on approx 3km road and 4km trail. Snow packed steep sections trail. Now the interesting thing about running on a snow trail in the winter, especially in temperatures that hover around zero is that the trail changes. I did three loops of it and with each loop it got more and more rough footed. The hard packed sections got loose and steep and the hill sections were just slippy. All and all good times.

It was definitely a different crowd then I was used to. These people are hard core. There is no taking it easy, really they like to push and push and then throw up and keep on going. Seriously there was a guy talking about a race where he did something like 110km in 8hours and he was cursing himself cause he didn't do more. There were a few people training for 100milers, one guy pulling a sled. How great in that?? After talking to those people I felt like I could another loop... but time was passing, and I told Luke I would be home at a certain time sooo that was my excuse. But really I want to be the person training for a 100miler.

AND after I got changed there was some running fellowship beside a fireplace and as I was leaving i was given an amazing pottery bowl, and I am told that if I do well at the race in June I will get another bowl. Thus I will be back.

What I learned

I went to cardiology update the other day. Amazing how much I forget, and with two maternity leaves there was alot of time to forget. For my own fun I typed some of my notes of things I need to remember. Really nobody should read this post.

• It is not so much the size of the plaque in the coronary arteries, but the instability of the plaque that determines risk for MI
• Chronic inflammatory states are a risk factor. ie. Chronic gingivitis, HIV, RA
• TNKase is a fibrolltic not a thrombotic
• Chest pain is common post sent. It is not a MI but vasospam.
• Tropolin peaks early but takes longer to normalize. Where as CK peaks late but normalizes early, thus retesting with further chest pain post MI has the ability to see if the heart has re infarcted
• Men develop collateral circulation t/o life time. Woman only develop it post menopausal thus they are an increased risk for larger MI post menopause
• AVR should be negative on a ECG. Only lead that sees inside heart. Rt arm.
• Tall narrow Twaves = increased K
• Twave changes= Ichemia, ST segment changes= Injury.
• For Q waves to be pathological they must be wide enough and deep enough.\
• Q waves mean DEAD tissue.
• Reciprocal changes- II, III, avf= I, avl, V
• Takes 1- 2 weeks for T waves to return to normal post MI
• Very important to take pain free ECG- always mark if an ECG is pain or pain free.
• Inferior MI and Posterior often go together.
• Smoking makes platelets sticky
• Takes about a month to completely enbed a stent into the vessel
• Can expect 90 seconds of pain during PCI
• Plavix loading dose can be up to 600mg
• Should be given integrilin pre PCI
• MIAnterior expect conduction problems. MI Inferior expect pump and upper GI problems.
• If inferior MI suspect to a right sided ECG to rule out right ventricular MI
• V8= 5th intercostal space
• Ecg changes are only visible during an acute event for a RVMI
• Small ECG ampitiue r/t air, fluid , fat.
• NEVER give nitro or MOS with RVMI- give fluid- 5000cc N/s.
• Give fentanyl ofr pain. Goal- do not eliminate pain but make it tolerable.
• Wellens syndrome.
• Anything below 35diastolic = Coronary arteries not perfused.

Triad

Exercise- Clothes- Food

Resolution Run Durham Style

I can't believe I did a 'race' and didn't blog about it. Didn't realise until I noticed Westgrey Runners blog about it.

This year a dedicated member from the saugeen triathlon club desiced to put together a resolution run for our community. A totally free event, just for fun run that we could do in our own backyard as opposed to driving to a running room event in the city was the vision that organizer was following.

The race was held New years Day in the responsible afternoon. The day was crisp, and a little blowy but not bad. The course was a loop around the town of Durham on snow packed streets and ankle deep snowy sidewalks. Maya walked with another member and their new puppy and we will not say where Ever was BUT Luke and I got to run together. Of course he was hot and I was cold- really need warmer tights. We manged to stay together for 3km. We got lost only once , then I spotted Maya and I collected her and walked back to the school where it was staged. Luke finnished strong all by himself. Of course since Around the bay in coming sooner rather than later I headed out for another 5k. Thus I was the last one in. Anne last in a race...and it really wasn't that bad.

The best part of the outing was that Lisa was there. My 'encouagement ' worked and despite a painful leg she ran the furthest she has in 16months. Good work!

The Totally Expected New Years Post

Again the same old goals, dreams ambitions that I try to do every year. Mostly I fail but very occasionally there are some small victories.
Before I list them lets re-visit some previous resolutions and see how I am doing.


2005
I resolve to exercise more, Umm I think I got this one covered. however I need to get my pelvic floor in shape first. Well I'm told that I will have to work on this for the rest of my life. Also I want to do more crafty things but due to the lack of creativity I need to work on inspiration first. I now see creativity is something that you are born with and is nurtured at a young age, so frankly it is too late for me now so I should stop stressing about it. Some simple goals include making a list of every book I read, Have a profile on Goodreads and am rather faithful about putting down what I have read. However I didn't start that until 2008. and to brush my teeth at least twice a day. I will have dentures by the time I am 40.

2007
Official List Anne
Drink more H20. Develop larger bladder to hold it all as if not may have to take up permanent residence in the bathroom Constant battle
Do more fun things with Maya Add Ever to that list now
Run a two hour half marathon Down to 1:37
Pray more, Read bible more, Develop a more in depth relationship with God Ummmm yep gotta do some more work on that.
Keep track of running mileage Am doing now, but didn't start until October 2009- Bike and swim mileage in the book too.
Be more social Really who is reading this?

2008
Complete my La Leche League leadership DONE
Be more organized I would be be nobody else in my house shares this goal.
Be less lazy
Drive less

2010

• Run a marathon. Qualify for Boston 2011.
• Develop a master shopping list- would save many many trips to the store
• Do some sort of strength training.
• Stop wasting time surfing the Internet.
• Pray more- make a list.
• Have people to our home occationally.

United Kingdom

I admit it, I like the totally guilty pleasure of reading a good fun book. A novel that isn't going to win any award. Oprah isn't going to rave about, it isn't life changing, but it is fun. There is no sadness, nobody raped, homelessness, starving children, mothers unable to buy medicine for their children. Marriages are mostly faithful, everybody is employed, in fact there is barely a plot cause there is little drama.
The writing may be terrible, the story lines may not be tight but who cares.

My point... the best of the best seem to come from the British Ilse. Problem is they seemly all had the same high school English teacher cause I find these three authors vaguely the same..... but really it isn't a problem. I just wanted something to write about.

Sophie Kinsella

Marian Keyes

Cecelia Ahern

Post Secret

On post secret today I was disappointed because one of my secrets was sent in and it wasn't me who did so. My handy- work could have been famous.

Who wants to be the first to guess what it was?

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Really??!!!

On December 11 I wanted to purchase a toy from the Rocking Horse in Owen Sound for Ever for Christmas, they had sold out, and I assumed that it would not be re- ordered so...

On December 12th I purchased it from Grand River Toys. The cut off date for shipping in Ontario was December 20th so I assumed it would be coming soon.

On December 21th I realised late in the evening that I had not received the item and logged into my account and found it had not yet shipped. Thus I called and left a message on the customer service line.

December 22nd by 10am I had not yet received a call up- dating me on the status of my order so I called again. The customer service reporsenitive assured me that their website was not up to date but the item should be arriving in the next day or two- in time for Christmas.

December 22nd 5:20 I race to get the phone and it was Grand river toys letting me know they have cancelled my order due to supply issues. I was speechless, I could not believe it. I asked the minamon wage employee what I should now do for my sons Christmas but he didn't have any ideas. I was very nice I know he wasn't responsible but really... three days before Christmas, REALLY!!!

December 22nd 5:30. Mad Internet search for the item that could be expressed shipped here.

December 22nd 5:40 Mad calling to all toy stores within a two hour drive for the item. Oh yah there is NONE.

December 22nd 5;45 Just by chance call back to the Rocking Horse and they have it. Ask them to hold it. Thank God

December 22nd 5:50 Call back just to make sure it is the exact one I want- oh and the first employee failed to mention they only hold for six hours with out a credit card number, give my credit card number. Now make some more calls to arrange for the item to be picked up so I don't have to drive to Owen Sound again.... I had just been there that day.

I am just really upset that the company took 10days to determine they could not fulfil my order.

People of Wal- Mart

Oh so hilarious, and oh so addictive, and oh how I hope I never show up in its pages.

Movies

So i do not watch movies very often so I watched one tonight it was Zoombieland and I LIKED IT.

Why I wish I was a lesbian

....... cause I like my back scratched, and Lukes nails are just to short, and men with long nails are just gross.

Thank You for the dress Kathie!!

Definitely the way to Maya's heart.. a pretty dress. She was wearing shoes in the picture honest. The pained expression is from the snow seeping in. New black shoes from the village today.

Christmas Gifts... SHhh don't tell everybody.

https://plancanada.ca/NetCommunity/SSLPage.aspx?pid=1299&nccsm=15&__nccscid=11

Lukes Donkey

More Birthday

So the birthday celebrations went really well. Do not want to post pictures of the actually parters as some parents are all secretive about their children on the web net. Sexual predators and all. I am being RESPECTFUL.

Activities included races with balloons, pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, pinatas, mummy toilet paper games, general playing, guess how many marbles in a jar, and eating .

The pinata was one Maya and I made in the summer but never got around to finishing, Despite Luke thinking it would be broken very quickly I did have to sabotage it so we would be there all day. Do not ask me what it is supposed to be.

The candy apples were made it 5min. Very simple. I had bought the supplies in September but never got around to making them with the kids. New apples though.

The bags were made from scraps and took approximately 10min each to make so do not look at the seams cause there isn't a proper hem in the bunch.

The ice cream cones were made with cake. We thought they would be a big hit..... not so much. In fact I think our kids and us were the only ones to finish them. Oh well.... Punch wasn't a big hit either. "Too Fuzzy"? I thought everybody loved punch?

Birthday Creativness!!

The first born had a birthday, much celebration. Adult party with both sets of grandparents and adopted aunt Andrea done, Kid party to follow.

To mark the occasion I sewed Maya this little outfit, baked the 6 cake, made reusable fabric streamers, and celebrated somebodies Else's creativity by buying Maya footy Jammie's. She says they are too hot. The photo was from when she was talking to you Kathie.

Babysitting

Luke and I are extremely blessed to have family who want to spend time with our children. It gives them the opportunity to create relationships with family and it gives us a break. This break is used quite often for work, or sporting, or very occasionally quality time between Luke and I. So in that way I am blessed and in other ways I am not so lucky.

In the day time you know how you might need a hour or so to run to the dentist, chiro, hair, or meetings where children might not be welcome so you just need somebody to watch the kids for that hour. Well I just don't have somebody to trade that hour with. You can only take so many times before you realise that other people do not ask you for a hour. So I wonder why people don't ask me to look after their kids? Is it:

- They know I am not a big fan of little kids.
- They see how I do natural consciences with our kids and do not trust us.
- They know that we have many non christian influences in our house and do not want their kids exposed to the sin.
- Maybe people just do not like us... OR what? Cause I really want to know cause I could use a hour here and there.

He is going to be embrassed when he is 16....

"..... Ever stop colouring your Penis!!"

For Sale

All of my Maternity Clothes!!!

Since I have been pregnant with Ever my Maternity clothes have been through three different pregnancy's, and these clothes keep on coming back to me. Even when I just say to keep them. So I am selling them in large , medium and small lots. Why such a variety of sizes???
Well every time I give the clothes away they come back missing a few items, yet I also gain a few mostly ugly items.

One word Description

... she wrote it, not us.

She also named her boots, bossy boots.

Meet the newest member of our family.....

Treadmill!!!

Poor fellow, doesn't have a name yet. Figure we should name him as we will spending alot of time riding the poor fellow. Hope we don't wear him out too soon.

Notice the set up as well. Tv on a platform, also want a mointer mounter with a wireless mouse and keyboard connected to the network so I can access my shows I download. The key board is more for when I ride Chester the bike which sits beside Mr. Treadmill.

What Ever is doing....

Apparentlly Ever is practicing his mountainer skills via climbing the toy cupbourd, and when taking a break from that he nurses the Ken doll. Which is the only Barbie product in this house. Anybody know where it came from???

An Angel and a Monkey

Bath Time

Actual conversation at bath time...

" Umm Maya, so why is your Vagina green"

Mumbled response

"So it is really not cool to colour your vagina with markers, no matter how fun it seems"

Niagrea Falls HALF

After a series of unfortunate events, there was to be no fall Marathon- as hoped for Anne...the crowd should shed a single tear for this deviating news BECAUSE as there was no fall marathon there is no Boston qualifying and thus there is no Boston running and thus, the saddest news of all... There will be NO 2010 Boston Jacket for Anne.

To console myself I set my sights on setting a new personal best in the half Marathon on the very fast Niagara falls course. What was I thinking!! That was 1:37:36:9 of Pain- with a capital P. In the end I did beat my time by 2:20:9. I was kinda hoping for a four minute improvement but I guess it wasn't the day. My legs just didn't feel strong. I did come across the line as 18th female so top 25 ain't bad. Gotta take a victory somewhere.

Pictured is the reason why I did as well as I did. A stranger named Petro from Victoria BC started running with me cause he liked my pace, and for the next 18km we matched each other step for step. He was an amazing encouragement, kept the pace though the aid stations, and quite frankly was the nicest person I have ever met, I feel bad I dropped him with 500metres to go, but I had it in me to go slightly faster. I think I am going to web stock him and write him a thank you letter.

On another note.... how do I get faster? I need a coach, so listen up company executives. Give a age grouper, working mother a chance- sponsor me. I want to go to warm weather camps and be all I can be I just need $$$$ Cause I'm sure I have it in me to be great- just need a hand getting there.

TWO teeth missing Now

... and the tooth fairy visited.. and Maya gave all her money away to the foster shild the sunday school supports, this would be considered generous but Maya still really does not get money.

Hiking

Vinyl Cafe

We are a CBC family, generally we listen it in the car, and download pod casts for the shows we miss. A favorite of the whole family is the Vinyl Cafe, thus went we mentioned to Maya that Stuart McLean was coming to the area she really wanted to go to the show.
Really fun show, Reed Jamison was the musical guest. Two new Dave and Morley stories were read, along with the older toaster story.
The highlight of the show- well at least for us, was when the youngest audience member was asked to come forward which was Maya! (except for a one year old which didn't count). So our incredibly timid, shy child left us and went down the steps and all the way up on the stage alone to claim her prize. Stuart had her up for a couple of minutes and asked her to guess an age for the oldest audience member and she was too shy to answer.
We asked her afterwards if she was scared, and the said "no, it was like when she was on the stage at church but there was a lot more people."
Stuart and John Sheard the piano player mentioned afterwards that they were very impressed with her.
All in a all we had a great time, both on our own, and vicariously through Maya.

If Ever is driving you nuts...

Not that we sit the kids down in front of the computer much at all, but here are two sure fire videos to make Ever quite happy:
1) Monkey Video. Makes him smile and laugh every time.

2) Daft Punk Alive 2007 videos. They makehim happy and/or put him to sleep. The is the one we were at and Ever was there, if only as an 8th-month fetus. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Maya will just watch music videos endlessly if we let her...

Jumping

Something the kids enjoy lately is jumping off of various things. So far nothing has been broken (either household items or bone)

One of those firsts.

Yesterday, while celebrating Thanksgiving at my parents, Maya was swinging a purse around with her mouth and it slipped and caught one of her loose teeth. Much wiggling of the now much looser tooth over the next hour (with lots of blood I might add) and she eventually pulled it out.
She it holding on to the tooth until she gets a "tooth necklace" or something the get at school. The tooth right beside the missing one is also quite loose so I imagine pretty soon it will be gone as well.
Interestingly, the first tooth she lost is also the first tooth she got.

What I have learned about myself...

While other people may have big emotional Revelations, I am just not that deep. So my big Revelations in physically related.
Sometimes I am irritable, and unhappy, I don't really realise that I am unhappy, and in a grump until it is over. The reasons...

...I am in pain. I am not consciously in pain, but it is a subtle ache.
....I am cold. Not so good is a drafty old home.

Sad Movie

Last week my friend Dave and I went to see the movie District 9 at the local theatre. It was thrusday night. We arrive about 5 minutes before the movie was going to start.

We were the only ones there.

So they didn't show it.

We were sad.

But we got free movie passes.

So that was happy

Body News

I had two specialist appointments made for myself by my family doctor within seven days.
Results:

Sports medicine- October 16th 2009

Allergist- April 1, 2010

So many things to say, so little of it complementary of of health care system and the state of health for our population in general.

Loneliness

I spend alot of time swimming, biking, and running. On any given day I am alone with these pursuits for at least a hour. For the most part I do enjoy the solitude, the lack of demands, and the sense of peace I obtain from working hard. But I do get lonely. I am a self professed master of small talk. I can make conversation with almost anybody about anything. Problem is I can never find anybody to do these things with.

To keep the loneliness at bay I do listen to music, but that does get old. So just this summer I have started listening to pod casts. I mostly listen to triathlon related ones, the occasional CBC one, and an in search of a good nursing related one.
One that I enjoyed more others was called Tri N Realty. One woman's journey to iron man Canada 2009. Now that the race is over she has stoped posting her pod casts and I feel surprisingly abandoned. I feel like my best bud has just left me high and dry.

So if anybody has any good pod casts to help me feel like I have friends let me know.

A

Finished Douglas Copelands newest; Generation A. Feel like I should like it, liked the concept but not with him writing it, it just goes nowhere. Not that I could do better, I'm just saying.
His stuff his starting to feel pointless, and repetitive, and I feel guilty. I should like him. It is that Canadian guilt.

TWO

The little man celebrated his second birthday yesterday. Rather mellow day. Outdoor plans were cancelled due to rain. Took him to the indoor playground at the corportaion that shall remain nameless- purchased our way in with a icecream sundae. Took him for pizza for lunch. He helped to make his cake. Had a long sleep, painted himself and Maya then had a bath, ate french fries for dinner, ate cake, opened presents, played with presents, thought about poohing on the potty- didn't, then sleep.

The person who is to be responsible for birthdays, and shall remain nameless, did nothing so Ever is even lucky he had a present to open as I wasn't even going to do that but happen to have seen little monkey and a train book and picked them up a while ago. My parents dropped off a present of monster trucks so they saved the present day. I mean he doesn't need anything but it is nice to have something.

Ever really liked his monkey cake- that's what he is pointing to.