We've had a bit of a mouse problem, as you've seen if you've read my blog before. I put some traps out the other day and they all got set off by something, but no mice. Today however, I came home from the beach, I just set the traps new yesterday, and one of the traps was tripped and half under the deck. I went to grab it to see if it had actually been set off by a mouse, and the damn thing was in there and STILL ALIVE!!!! Oh the screaming!
I texted my husband, who had no sympathy by the way, and I bet he was laughing to himself. He knows I hate those dirty creatures. He used to dispose of them for me, but won't anymore. (I'll have to bribe him or blackmail him with something to make him do it now.)
So I went out and checked the trap again to see if the mouse had died yet. No....and cue the screaming.
I told my sweet, adorable 9 year old son, and he was desperate to see the filthy thing. I showed him, and the mouse was kind enough to move, again, and make me scream, again. I really had no idea what to do. I suggested dropping a rock on its head, my son wanted to poke it with a stick. Gross. We decided to spray it with water and try and drown it. I didn't want too much trauma, so I sprayed it with shower. Yes, thank goodness, now it was clean....and very much still alive. My son decided that he was going to take over and spray it with jet. I am proud to say that my son killed his first mouse today. Well, I think it's dead. I am going to leave it out there for a while and check it later. Maybe let my son spray it a bit more just in case. I will definitely wait for my husband to dispose of it. I might have to cry about it, but it'll be worth it to get him to get rid of it.
Are these disgusting creatures ever going to leave me alone??? I hate them! They are gross and carry diseases and will one day try to get in my house! I can't have that. If that happens I will be very tempted to move, or burn the house down. It just makes me feel like I need to wash my hands to look at those repulsive things. I have nightmares about the offending rodents.
Right now I have poison, snap traps and glue traps in the yard, mostly up against the house and along the deck. I hope they all die and never bother me again. I know that won't ever happen, so if you have any other good ideas to get rid of the feculent varmints, please, do let me know!!
Monday, August 20, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Adventure Getaway
This week my sister and I took our 4 kids to Revelstoke for our annual adventure getaway.
On Monday we went rafting with Apex rafting and had a blast! Our guide, Corey, was awesome, full of jokes and personality. We had great rapids and a lot of fun. At one point, we missed the right path and ended up on the rocks in the middle of the river. We ALL had to get out, take the boat off the rocks, move it to a spot that was safe to relaunch and get back into the boat. It was a bit scary. I had the kids all hold onto a branch in the river, I held onto that as well as we maneuvered the kids and the rest of us back to the boat. They were all troopers, no one freaked out, and when we got back to the boat, they were all impressed that we had a little extra adventure on top of the adventure. They all felt like we had saved ourselves. A little bit further down the river, one boat got stuck on a huge rock, we bumped them and that made them get off the rock. So as we floated away, they could hear my nephew yell - "We just saved your lives!"
The raft trip was so much fun! The water was freezing, but I hopped in for a swim anyway. The kids all did it last year and I figured I should try it. (None of the kids swam this year as they knew it was ice cold) So I hop in the water and just about passed out it was so cold! Corey let me stay in for a minute and then dragged me back into the boat - that part was hilarious. It's a weird position to be in - he yanks you up by your life vest and it just feels weird. My sister and another Mom that was with us both took a swim too - the second they got in the water, they both said "what were we thinking!". They had a laugh over that.
The next day we went to Sky Trek - just beside the enchanted forest. This was our 3rd time, with the exception of my son, who was only allowed to go last year for the first time. He was first on the course, followed by me, my 2 nephews, my daughter and my sister took the end. We got through the first 2 courses very easily. Once we got to the end of the second, my son had been waiting for us for 20 minutes on the third - he is so quick! I let my 12 year old nephew go in front of me, and he and my son we off like lightning! They both finished the course! I got to double black and just about wet myself a few times. One challenge was to step onto a wire and swing to the next one...and there were about 10 of those! It was so scary, but I just decided I was going to do it. After that, nothing seemed so bad. I did have to climb across a web that was about 50 feet long. It wasn't bad, but my gear kept getting stuck, so I am covered in bruises from keeping myself on the net and unsticking my gear over and over again.
I wish I could do these "adventure" things more often. Last year on the big zip line, I hit the end hard and couldn't get myself back up. I had to be assisted to the platform. This year I had no trouble at all! I have lost weight, but I have also been working on my upper body strength, so I was able to pull myself up when I had to. These kinds of activities are just so fun and they get my adrenaline pumping! I just feel so strong and capable after our adventures!
I am going to have to find stuff like that in Calgary and just go do it more often. It's good for my body and good for my self esteem too! I sometimes wonder if I am going to turn out to be an adrenaline junkie!
On Monday we went rafting with Apex rafting and had a blast! Our guide, Corey, was awesome, full of jokes and personality. We had great rapids and a lot of fun. At one point, we missed the right path and ended up on the rocks in the middle of the river. We ALL had to get out, take the boat off the rocks, move it to a spot that was safe to relaunch and get back into the boat. It was a bit scary. I had the kids all hold onto a branch in the river, I held onto that as well as we maneuvered the kids and the rest of us back to the boat. They were all troopers, no one freaked out, and when we got back to the boat, they were all impressed that we had a little extra adventure on top of the adventure. They all felt like we had saved ourselves. A little bit further down the river, one boat got stuck on a huge rock, we bumped them and that made them get off the rock. So as we floated away, they could hear my nephew yell - "We just saved your lives!"
The raft trip was so much fun! The water was freezing, but I hopped in for a swim anyway. The kids all did it last year and I figured I should try it. (None of the kids swam this year as they knew it was ice cold) So I hop in the water and just about passed out it was so cold! Corey let me stay in for a minute and then dragged me back into the boat - that part was hilarious. It's a weird position to be in - he yanks you up by your life vest and it just feels weird. My sister and another Mom that was with us both took a swim too - the second they got in the water, they both said "what were we thinking!". They had a laugh over that.
The next day we went to Sky Trek - just beside the enchanted forest. This was our 3rd time, with the exception of my son, who was only allowed to go last year for the first time. He was first on the course, followed by me, my 2 nephews, my daughter and my sister took the end. We got through the first 2 courses very easily. Once we got to the end of the second, my son had been waiting for us for 20 minutes on the third - he is so quick! I let my 12 year old nephew go in front of me, and he and my son we off like lightning! They both finished the course! I got to double black and just about wet myself a few times. One challenge was to step onto a wire and swing to the next one...and there were about 10 of those! It was so scary, but I just decided I was going to do it. After that, nothing seemed so bad. I did have to climb across a web that was about 50 feet long. It wasn't bad, but my gear kept getting stuck, so I am covered in bruises from keeping myself on the net and unsticking my gear over and over again.
I wish I could do these "adventure" things more often. Last year on the big zip line, I hit the end hard and couldn't get myself back up. I had to be assisted to the platform. This year I had no trouble at all! I have lost weight, but I have also been working on my upper body strength, so I was able to pull myself up when I had to. These kinds of activities are just so fun and they get my adrenaline pumping! I just feel so strong and capable after our adventures!
I am going to have to find stuff like that in Calgary and just go do it more often. It's good for my body and good for my self esteem too! I sometimes wonder if I am going to turn out to be an adrenaline junkie!
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
198!!!
Yup - 198 this morning on the scale. May I just say that I am amazing!
All that portion control....even at DQ...and the exercise is really paying off! I've also decided to play up a few games in soccer, so I have 3 this week. It'll hurt, but it will be worth it!
I bought new jeans the other day and I am the same size I was in high school, which is weird because I am quite a bit heavier now. I guess I am just muscle bound now and back then I was soft. I was never into sports or anything that was physically demanding, but now, I love all of that stuff! It makes me feel so strong and powerful. I actually need to go out and get exercise, like a food craving, only better for me!
Next week my sister and I are off on our annual adventure get away - the Sky Trek and white water rafting. The kids are going with us, and they love this stuff too. It's a good thing, otherwise I'd still go and leave them at home. I get such an adrenaline rush off that stuff. Just like I do when I run, score a goal or lift weights. At least I am addicted to something that is good for me!
All that portion control....even at DQ...and the exercise is really paying off! I've also decided to play up a few games in soccer, so I have 3 this week. It'll hurt, but it will be worth it!
I bought new jeans the other day and I am the same size I was in high school, which is weird because I am quite a bit heavier now. I guess I am just muscle bound now and back then I was soft. I was never into sports or anything that was physically demanding, but now, I love all of that stuff! It makes me feel so strong and powerful. I actually need to go out and get exercise, like a food craving, only better for me!
Next week my sister and I are off on our annual adventure get away - the Sky Trek and white water rafting. The kids are going with us, and they love this stuff too. It's a good thing, otherwise I'd still go and leave them at home. I get such an adrenaline rush off that stuff. Just like I do when I run, score a goal or lift weights. At least I am addicted to something that is good for me!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
My son is amazing
Last night I had a soccer game and so did my husband, so our son stayed with me and our daughter went to my husband's game. We didn't have a lines person for my game, so my son offered to do it.
He set up all the flags at the beginning, took them all down at the end and did lines for the whole game. He is very good at this, he likes the rules and is very sure of the rules in soccer. Part of being lines person is getting paid $2 by each player that shows up. If we have someone to do lines, it means that we don't have to do it, and we pay the person because it's a pain in the ass for us to do it ourselves.
So he got $20 for doing the lines last night and was very excited about it. Today, he and I went to Husky to fill up my daughter's new bikes tires. Of course I left my change purse in my soccer bag, so I had to borrow a loonie from him to get air (yes, I had to pay for air!). He brought his money so he could buy some candy at Husky while we were there. He gave me the loonie and I told him I'd pay him back at home.
We got home and I gave him his loonie back. He told me to keep it. I said no, you earned it, you keep it. To that he shrugged and left the laundry room. 10 minutes later, I was on the computer and he came in the den to give me the loonie back. He decided that I already do so much for him that I deserved the loonie! He said that I gave birth to him, clean for him, make him food and I don't need to do anything else for him as I already do too much (his words, I swear!).
He actually had tears in his eyes because I think he finally understood what it means to be appreciated and he wanted me to know that he appreciates me. What an amazing kid I told him he was. He said that he was amazing because he had such a good mother. And this is just another example of why I love my kids so much!!
I think I'll be keeping that loonie forever!
He set up all the flags at the beginning, took them all down at the end and did lines for the whole game. He is very good at this, he likes the rules and is very sure of the rules in soccer. Part of being lines person is getting paid $2 by each player that shows up. If we have someone to do lines, it means that we don't have to do it, and we pay the person because it's a pain in the ass for us to do it ourselves.
So he got $20 for doing the lines last night and was very excited about it. Today, he and I went to Husky to fill up my daughter's new bikes tires. Of course I left my change purse in my soccer bag, so I had to borrow a loonie from him to get air (yes, I had to pay for air!). He brought his money so he could buy some candy at Husky while we were there. He gave me the loonie and I told him I'd pay him back at home.
We got home and I gave him his loonie back. He told me to keep it. I said no, you earned it, you keep it. To that he shrugged and left the laundry room. 10 minutes later, I was on the computer and he came in the den to give me the loonie back. He decided that I already do so much for him that I deserved the loonie! He said that I gave birth to him, clean for him, make him food and I don't need to do anything else for him as I already do too much (his words, I swear!).
He actually had tears in his eyes because I think he finally understood what it means to be appreciated and he wanted me to know that he appreciates me. What an amazing kid I told him he was. He said that he was amazing because he had such a good mother. And this is just another example of why I love my kids so much!!
I think I'll be keeping that loonie forever!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Weight loss Goal 1 - achieved!!!!!!!!
I do not like to talk about my weight, and it's not for reasons that most people might think. My weight does not define me - it doesn't matter what I weigh (within reason of course!) I love me just the way I am. Of course I think about my weight and I worry about my weight, but more from a health stand point. I also would like to weigh less simply because extra weight drags me down when I run.
I don't normally tell people my number.....mostly because it's no one's business but mine, and because most people lie about their weight, I weigh more than I might look. So here goes.....for the first time in over 16 years, I weigh under 200 pounds. Please don't ask me what that is in Kg, I don't get Kg and I go by the Lbs on my scale and in my mind. I am officially 199 pounds!!!!!!!
You can't imagine what I felt like when I saw that one the scale. Especially (as one friend mentioned) because I just got back from a 3 week European holiday where I ate Gelato pretty much every day, some days twice a day and at least 3 times a day one day! It was YUMMY!
But I have realized, (thanks to many things, including my sister who once asked me if I needed a whole meal or just the half order. Thanks a lot Tricia..and I am not saying that in the nice way, but it ended up ok, so I forgive you!) that I don't need nearly as much food as I once thought. Oh I'm so hungry, I need a full portion, appetizers, dessert! When we are in Europe, we usually share a meal with a kid. So I get one meal to share and my husband gets one meal to share. If we are still hungry we get gelato. Or we just get gelato anyway. But after 3 weeks of shared meals, the fact that I have been watching my portions over the last few months, and the fact that I think my stomach finally shrunk, I no longer can eat the way I used to, and I don't try to.
I exercise my ass off and I eat really healthy, but my portion sizes were out of control. So now that I have that under control, and I mean that I just know that I am full after about half of what I used to eat, I seem to be losing weight almost effortlessly. I guess the fact that I like to eat healthy and it's just normal, the fact that I exercise all the time - soccer, running - and that's just something that I do, I don't have to work at it, the weight is coming off because I am doing what I need to do and it doesn't take any special planning. This is just my life. The whole "lifestyle change" is not a joke. You change how you just do things, and you'd be surprised at what will happen.
When we were in Europe we walked all the time, we also ran around a lot like fools, played like crazy in the water and found time for soccer practice almost every day. That's just life, and I love it! Once the kids go back to school, I will go back to my regimented running routine, not because I have to, but because I love it! I love running, I love being in my own world, with my ipod and just running. It's not work so much as it's something I love and something that makes my body feel great!
Anyway, I think I might be babbling now. I'm just so excited that I reached my first goal and it just happened - without any heavy dieting or crazy things to help. I am so freaking proud of myself and it just makes me want to work harder. For example, I played soccer last night with a team that needed call ups and I play tonight with my own team. I totally get why my husband is a soccer whore, I think I will be one soon too! I also made my kids start their running routine yesterday. They were so happy to do it too! We are going out again tomorrow and they can't wait. They both want to increase their endurance! I love it. I LOVE my crazy, full of exercise life!
I think I will have a glass of wine one of these nights to celebrate my 199! Here's to me and to the 198 that will be next!!!
I don't normally tell people my number.....mostly because it's no one's business but mine, and because most people lie about their weight, I weigh more than I might look. So here goes.....for the first time in over 16 years, I weigh under 200 pounds. Please don't ask me what that is in Kg, I don't get Kg and I go by the Lbs on my scale and in my mind. I am officially 199 pounds!!!!!!!
You can't imagine what I felt like when I saw that one the scale. Especially (as one friend mentioned) because I just got back from a 3 week European holiday where I ate Gelato pretty much every day, some days twice a day and at least 3 times a day one day! It was YUMMY!
But I have realized, (thanks to many things, including my sister who once asked me if I needed a whole meal or just the half order. Thanks a lot Tricia..and I am not saying that in the nice way, but it ended up ok, so I forgive you!) that I don't need nearly as much food as I once thought. Oh I'm so hungry, I need a full portion, appetizers, dessert! When we are in Europe, we usually share a meal with a kid. So I get one meal to share and my husband gets one meal to share. If we are still hungry we get gelato. Or we just get gelato anyway. But after 3 weeks of shared meals, the fact that I have been watching my portions over the last few months, and the fact that I think my stomach finally shrunk, I no longer can eat the way I used to, and I don't try to.
I exercise my ass off and I eat really healthy, but my portion sizes were out of control. So now that I have that under control, and I mean that I just know that I am full after about half of what I used to eat, I seem to be losing weight almost effortlessly. I guess the fact that I like to eat healthy and it's just normal, the fact that I exercise all the time - soccer, running - and that's just something that I do, I don't have to work at it, the weight is coming off because I am doing what I need to do and it doesn't take any special planning. This is just my life. The whole "lifestyle change" is not a joke. You change how you just do things, and you'd be surprised at what will happen.
When we were in Europe we walked all the time, we also ran around a lot like fools, played like crazy in the water and found time for soccer practice almost every day. That's just life, and I love it! Once the kids go back to school, I will go back to my regimented running routine, not because I have to, but because I love it! I love running, I love being in my own world, with my ipod and just running. It's not work so much as it's something I love and something that makes my body feel great!
Anyway, I think I might be babbling now. I'm just so excited that I reached my first goal and it just happened - without any heavy dieting or crazy things to help. I am so freaking proud of myself and it just makes me want to work harder. For example, I played soccer last night with a team that needed call ups and I play tonight with my own team. I totally get why my husband is a soccer whore, I think I will be one soon too! I also made my kids start their running routine yesterday. They were so happy to do it too! We are going out again tomorrow and they can't wait. They both want to increase their endurance! I love it. I LOVE my crazy, full of exercise life!
I think I will have a glass of wine one of these nights to celebrate my 199! Here's to me and to the 198 that will be next!!!
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