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"When the ad's finished, Mummy!"
Jake likes ads. You know, the ads on TV. When the ads come on, his fullest attention goes to the TV and pretty much nothing we do would get him to look away. When an ad comes on that he recognizes, he gets a big grin on his face. He loves it!
As soon as the ads finish and the show resumes, he goes back to playing and running around. We can only imagine that he enjoys the music, narration and faster-moving images.
The ads will even, occasionally, wake him when he's dozing on the couch!
Any other parents have toddlers with a similar affection for advertizing?
It's so hot and muggy here today. It puts me in a bad mood. I can't stand feeling sticky and sweaty. I much prefer the cooler temperatures that Autumn brings, where long trousers and a light sweater are needed. You know, like you still need sunglasses but you're not dripping sweat from your brow. I'll admit; sitting here in front of my computer, I'm not dripping sweat from my brow. But it wouldn't take much!
Enough complaining...
I took Jake out for a walk today to a nearby park. I put him on the swing and he giggled away. We tried the seesaw, but it wasn't much fun because both he and I were on one end of it. And finally, I left him run free so that he could go where he liked. He ran to the jungle-gym with the big slide. There are stairs on one side of it and he started climbing them, only to stop when he realized that there tiny pebbles all over the steps. (Instead of sand, the park has a layer of pebbles.) Being just about the size of the chocolates he loves so much, he tried to eat the pebbles. One by one, I knocked them out of his hand and told him 'No', but he just kept grabbing them. So, after a quick run around the grass, he was back in his buggy and we headed home.
Lunch was some healthy skinless chicken, scalloped potatoes and peas. A slimming 530 calories! Yup, I'm counting again. Stephen and I are counting together and I have to say that it helps me tremendously to have him doing it alongside me. I completely lose my willpower without him. He says that that puts a lot of pressure on him but, unfortunately, that doesn't stop it being true.
To get to weight that I'd be happy with, I'd say that I need to lose about 50 pounds. Shocking, I know. It kills me to type that out and to tell the world just how bad it is (I know that there are those with worse weight troubles than me and I certainly don't mean to belittle that), but now that I've announced it, perhaps it'll help me stay on the straight and narrow. I'm not happy looking the way I do and it's finally time, at 33, to do something about it.
And although I've said this all before, I'm really hoping that I can maintain this same degree of dissatisfaction until those nasty 50 pounds leave me for good. I wish that it were as easy as telling them to get lost.
Time Flies
On this day one year ago, we arrived in Canada. By this time, 9pm, one year ago, we had been picked up from Ottawa International Airport, driven back to my Mum's in Montreal and tucked up safely in bed. We were exhausted and so glad to have our feet firmly planted on the ground again.
The year has gone by so quickly and so much has changed in our lives. And although we like being here in Canada and we love our new house, there is still a lot to be done to make our lives exactly what we want to them to be. But we knew that we'd need to give Canada a chance and give ourselves a chance to get settled. Homesickness has been an issue for Stephen and, strangely, for me too. (I say 'strangely' as Canada has been my home for most of my life.) I am thankful though that he has stuck it out, and is still sticking it out.
I am confident that Canada will continue to be good for us. We miss England, but we know that we have something good here. It needs tweaking, but it's good.
In fact, about a month ago, Sarah, my middle stepdaughter, announced that she wanted to return to England to attend university. We've heard her say many times that the UK was better at 'this' and better at 'that'. She didn't mind Canada, but England was for her. It was where she wanted her future.
So, on Saturday September 10th, we said our goodbyes and she flew home. She was to start university on the Monday the 19th and had her accomodation fully arranged. I think it was Friday, two days before she was due to leave for university and only about five after leaving Canada, she announced that she was coming back. She missed Canada, she said. She missed us and she missed her boyfriend. England, she said, was not as she remembered it. She called it 'small and clausterphobic'. And for the first time, she noticed the difference between the patriotic and proud Canadians and the not-so-proud Brits. She felt (please don't take offense, Brits!) that everyone around her was moaning and complaining.
She's due back on Friday and we'll be collecting her from the airport. It's like she's been away on holiday! Welcome HOME!
Dream a little dream
Last night, I dreamt that I was, ummm, propositioned by Nikki Sixx, the bassist of Motley Crue. In my dream, he gave me his phone number, but I never called him. As a teen and well into my twenties, I thought he was the hottest thing on two legs! And, although he isn't in the spotlight like he used to be, I still see the occasional picture of him and he's still a cutie.
Seeing these pictures, you may not agree, but...
Nikki, clean-faced:
Tattooed:
Interviewed on MTV:
And finally, his mugshot, from when he was arrested for allegedly provoking a crowd to attack an African American security guard at a concert after Sixx directed racial slurs at the man and poured liquor on his head. Sixx claims he only reacted to the security guard mistreating a female fan by shinning a light in her eyes while she was on the shoulders of another fan.
OK, not your run-of-the-mill hottie.
Not so hard
Remember how I said I was counting calories? Well, I still am. I figured out that, for my height, weight and activity level, I use about 2,000 calories a day. By knocking off 500 calories every day, the equation goes that I should loose a pound a week. Excellent, I say! So, I keep a spreadsheet and everything I eat gets logged in there. It keeps me on track so that I know how much I have left for the next meal.
With a 1,500 daily calorie limit, I started counting on September 9th. I weighed - get this - 182 pounds. I need to tell you all this so that I feel embarrassed and accountable to this ever-so-honest blog.
I've counted calories before though and made very little progress. At that time, I was even going to the gym. I felt very discouraged and soon gave up. But I was watching TV the other day and this show came on called Taking It Off. It's a show about weight loss. They take a group of over-weight people and follow them through a whole series. The suggestion from the show's trainer was that each contestant keep their daily fat intake to 25g. I'd never even considered my fat intake!
I did some research online and I now know how important the right kinds of fat are to our daily diets so, before you leave comments here, I'll say that I am by now means trying to cut fat out of my diet altogether. (Not that I could; everthing has a bit of fat.) And I must admit that I did wonder how I was going to lose weight when my calorie counting allowed me a chicken burger and oven fries for dinner!
So I now read every label and keep track of the fat in my spreadsheet too. And, interestingly, I feel like I'm eating more than ever. I eat small meals frequently. And lots of water! Afterall, it is soooo important to keep that metabolism going! I eat snacks of yoghurt, melon, apples, bananas, and the occassional chewy granola bar (with chocolate chips!) between meals. Cereal has very little fat! Wholewheat bread with lunch. Very little, if any, margarine and mayo. Baked and boiled patatoes. Lean meats. Salads. Beetroot sandwiches... mmmmmmmm.
Oh and every night sees a turn on the old exercise bike as well as trying to get out daily with Jake. And tummy-crunches. I hate those.
And, in the past two weeks, I've lost 3 pounds! A steady 178 now. And I'm not finding it all that hard to do. I want to keep this up, I want so badly to be the slim Nicola that I used to be. I want shopping for clothes to be fun again. I'm sick off looking and feeling like this.
Follow me here, people! I'll be petite again in no time!
Sniff
I'm as sick as a dog. I feel lousy. I feel like my head is full of mush. Jake was like this yesterday, but seems to be feeling much better today.
Yesterday, when my cold was just getting started, Jake moaned and cried all day. He'd slept only a few hours the night before (which means that I slept only a few hours) and was as moody as hell. We tried everything to get him to relax and sleep but he was having none of it. Finally, Stephen stuck him in the buggy and went for a nice long walk. Jake slept almost the whole time I was told, and his mood was much improved because of it. But he was obviously suffering with a sore throat and went in and out of sobbing fits for the rest of the day. Poor thing.
Today, I'm there. It hurts when I swallow and I'm having a hard time seeing straight...
Why am I typing here instead of lying down? Ummmm... seeking sympathy? Anyone?
