Did I not JUST talk about this?

I had known for over three weeks that Adam Lambert would be a guest on Oprah on Tuesday, January 19. A week prior to the show I received a text from Amber reminding me. The day of I made sure to check on the Shaw listings guide exactly what time the show was coming on. 5pm, I could hardly wait!

Around 3:45pm Gunnar arrived home from school and asked if he could go to a friend's house after he delivered papers. I didn't see why not so he called up his friend and made arrangements. He then informed me that I would have to drive him to his friend's house in Ryder's Ridge; here I'd thought the friend lived in Westwood. Oh well, no prob. I had to get a few things from Walmart anyway. I'd just drop Gunnar off, do my shopping with the other three kids in tow, then pick Gunn up on my way home. An hour to shop, an hour for him to 'play' at his friend's house (whatever 11 yr old boys do), it was a good plan.

Well, good plans are meant to go awry, right? An hour of shopping turned into an hour and a half. It was 6:15pm when I picked him up, giving us half an hour before I had to have him at the arena for a hockey practice. Thank God the friend's mom thought to feed him supper! We had just enough time to drive home, unload the groceries, get the hockey gear and race to the arena.

On the drive there, I had a nagging thought in the back of my mind. What was I forgetting? Then... it hit me. Adam. Oprah. A 3-week standing date with my obsession, missed! Because I went SHOPPING. At Walmart.

When the thought struck me, I was so shocked and horrified that I slammed on the brakes (good thing noone was behind me!) and looked at Gunnar with angry dismay, "YOU! I missed Oprah because YOU wanted to go to a friends house! Ohmygod, I can't believe I missed Adam on Oprah! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!" (Of course I reassured Gunnar later that no, it wasn't really his fault, obviously it was mine for being such a forgetful airhead.)

I literally felt sick to my stomach. Didn't help matters when I returned home and saw someone had called and left a message while we'd been gone. It was Christine, informing me that Adam Lambert was on Oprah right now and there was some behind-the-scenes stuff going on and it was a great interview but I was probably already watching it right now, she just thought she'd call, you know, in case I was missing the show.

I am such a bad Glambert.

But guess what? YouTube to the rescue! I watched and favorited all four parts of the interview; was a little disappointed he sang Whataya Want From Me instead of Fever (I'm so obsessed with that song) but it was a great interview. And here's a part I found most interesting...

Adam: (talking about life before Idol, working in theatre and feeling bored) "I kinda asked for something to happen."
Oprah: "Asked who?"
Adam: "The Universe."
Oprah: "Okay, and HOW did you ask?"
Adam: "Positive projection. Affirmation. Really imagining what my life could be, and what I really wanted out of it."

He later stated the obvious, "The Universe came through in a big way."

But I find it so cool that Adam's comments mirror my theory exactly, that of positive thinking and true belief and how it really does work. Put something out there in the universe, with pure intention and thought, and it comes back. See, you guys? I'm even on the same wavelength as the guy! He is so totally mine.

Here's a clip of the first part of the interview; the convo starts around the 4:30 minute mark and his comments are at about 5:00.

Coming soon!

How many celebs can you recognize? Does this commercial make you a little emotional? It did for me. They're almost here! (The Olympics, I mean)

Turbo Jammin'!

Soooo excited! My Turbo Jam DVD came yesterday! I got the weighted gloves too. Did the Learn & Burn workout this morning before the kids woke up, then the 20 Minute workout after they'd left for school.

Wow. Good thing I'm somewhat used to a cardio workout, from the Wii, because it was pretty intense. But super-fun! I made it through the 20 Minute workout, only flubbed a few times when the quick-change of combination moves confused me until I studied what they were doing so I could repeat it.

And I can definitely see how a person's abs get sculpted because you are working them the entire time. Can't wait til tomorrow's workout!

Adam Lambert: "Fever"

Thankyouthankyouthankyou Amber, for getting me For Your Entertainment for Christmas! Every song is amazing and awesome but I have some definite favorites already. Y'all know about my obsession with the title song; now I've discovered Fever.

Here's a youtube vid of a live performance. The bass kind of screws up the sound but you can still hear his incredible vocals and his wicked dance moves -- ooooo those hip thrusts! The man can DANCE. And you know what they say about a man who can dance...




Here's the song in its perfect glory from the album

The power of positive thinking and true belief

The raffle table at Ardan's home tournament this weekend was truly awesome. Every package, no matter its 'theme', had a big framed picture of a hockey star (like Sydney Crosby, etc); there were electronics, movies, a tool box, golf clubs, hockey equipment. There was a package with just "boy" stuff like Bakagan toys, another with Tech Decks (eeny-meeny skateboards); and a "girl" package with a puppy Webkin, a purse, Hannah Montana makeup sets, a video game, an electronic diary, etc.

I shelled out $10 for 20 tickets and the kids and I went around and put a couple tickets in for each basket we were interested in. Ardan wanted the Bakagan and Tech Decks, Lena the Webkins one, Gunnar wanted the package with a PSP, I picked an entertainment package that had that new Wii Dance game (I want that soooo bad), and we picked the golf clubs and tool box for daddy (even though I said I'd steal the tool box for myself, haha). The draw was the next day and the kids were so excited!

Later that night at home I was thinking about the prize table and I just had this feeling that I was going to win. I was positively SURE that my name would be on the list of winners. I told the family that and they were like, "Okay mom, sure, whatever you say."

Sunday mid-morning they posted the winner's names up on the board and I went over to check it out, just knowing somehow that I would be on there. And... there I was, winner of prize package #9.

Yes! I knew it!

Went over to the table to see which one was #9 -- the little girls package! (Which was like fate or karma or something, because Lena had just been having a little meltdown over something or other and was sitting by the window sobbing into her arms). I cupped my hands to my mouth and, uncaring of anyone nearby, yelled to her, "Lena, come see, come see! Hurry!" Her head jerked up, she whipped around in her chair and seeing me gesturing, came rushing over.

"What mommy, what? We won a prize?! We did?! Which one? THE LITTLE GIRLS ONE WITH THE WEBKINS PUPPY?!?!" And in started the happily-hysterical little girl squealing and giggling and jumping up and down. When she discovered that the little purse in there was a Wizards of Waverly Place purse, well that was it. (One of her new favorite tv shows.) You've never seen such a thrilled little girl. Into the purse went the Webkins puppy and off she went to parade her new winnings around for everyone to see and admire and envy.

Of course I had to rub it in the boys and hubs' faces that I had known all along we'd win something. Ardan couldn't understand how I knew it. "I just felt it inside, like a knowing, I sent out that thought into the universe that I would win and it came back." He 'huh'-ed like I was crazy, which maybe I am but that's truly how I feel about it.

I believe with all my heart and soul in the power of positive thinking. If you have that true belief in something, then in most cases your belief will be proven reality. I can't tell you how many times this has come true for me over the years. In our early years, when times were tough and we were struggling, I would just have this belief and hope and optimism that something would happen to help us, and sure enough it would; whether it was an unexpected GST cheque in the mail, or birthday money, or a bank error in our favor.

This ingrained sense of belief and optimism is maybe what has allowed me this 'charmed life', I don't know. Does anyone else feel this way or have any examples of this in their own life?

Oh, and yeah, Ardan's team won their tournament! They won four straight games, taking them to the final where they were up against Bentley. By the end of the 2nd period we were losing 5-2. I yelled to the team, "Don't give up Sylvan, you can turn it around! You can do it!" When they came back after intermission, the coach must've given an awesome pep talk or something because they were on fire! Bang, bang, bang -- goal, goal, goal. Tied 5-5 with ten minutes left. (Ardan scored one of those goals, btw.) One of our players scored us goal #6 and Bentley was unable to recover from that. It was awesome!

Who's awesome? I'm awesome!

Did I tell you guys how I fixed my washing machine a couple months ago? Can't remember if I blogged that. What happened is that the spin cycle or whatever that cycle is called where the water is wrung out, wasn't working and the clothes would be sitting in like six inches of water when the cycle finished. So I googled it, found the info I needed, and fixed the machine all by myself! Turned out there was a clog in the drain hose, just like the website had suggested. I was so proud of myself for figuring it out on my own. But while I was doing that, I noticed that the drain hose had a major kink in it, which is what caused the clog. I rotated the hose so the kink was straightened and re-tightened the clamp. Everything was fixed and working, end of story.

Until this morning.

I noticed the same thing happened again in the washer -- clothes sitting in inches of water. Checked the drain hose and here the darn thing was re-kinked. Then I remembered that Tyler had come across another hose in our furnace room a while ago; found it and went through the process of replacing the old one. The old hose was thick rubber, whereas the new one is a light, flexible corrugated plastic hose and its long, so I was able to move the washing machine to a better position farther away.

But here's the best part!

My washing machine has been un-level (is that a word?) for years. It didn't start that way but at some point one of the back legs became shorter than the others. I've tried repeatedly to move the leg to a lower position by unscrewing it a bit but it was rusted in place. So because of the unevenness, my machine tends to dance around the laundry room, often ending up many feet away from its original position. I have to move it back at the start of every new cycle.

But this morning, after I'd fixed the hose problem and was riding that handywoman-high, I just got so darn fed up with that stupid leg that I grabbed my screwdriver, jammed it in at the top of the leg and levered it really hard. And wouldn't you know it but the damn leg shot down that half an inch!!

So all these freakin' years I've been cursing that machine and its tendency to tango, and here all it needed was a good levering!

I immediately put the machine on spin cycle to see how it performed while level, and it was amazing, it didn't even move!

So yeah, who's awesome? I'm awesome!!

Wow, I guess dieting & exercise really do work

I am now entering week two of my WLJ and its going pretty good. I've already dropped 7 pounds and I can feel that my shirts are a bit looser around the waist. Yay! I've been drinking water like its going out of style, at least 10 glasses a day, usually more. Been pretty good about the diet as well; choosing healthy, nutritious foods low in calories and watching my portions. I have a food/exercise journal where I keep track of everything religiously, from calories consumed and burned, to water intake; even writing down moments where I want to want to binge, what I'm craving, and why I'm feeling that way (boredom, stress, etc).

When I started this WLJ I was just planning on doing it all casual-like. Do my workout and eat less. But I realized after the first few days that in order for me to really see results and stick with the program, I'm going to have to fully immerse myself in this new lifestyle. I'm not the type of person who can just eat whatever, as long as its healthy, day to day and just be content with that. I mean, yes, I have done that in the past and maybe lost ten pounds, but then I get bored and start eating 'normal' again and back comes the weight. So I need to be a little obsessive about it I guess, plan out what I'm going to eat, how many calories that will be. If I can see on paper what I'm doing, it helps keep me committed to the WLJ.

Also, when you know exactly how many calories you've already consumed and how many you have left for the day, and you know exactly how many calories were burned during the workout, you are FAR less likely to let yourself cheat a bit with a cookie here or bit of ice cream there. I understand now how my BFF Christine was able to refuse gravy, pie and all that yummy stuff over the holidays.

I did cheat though, the other night. Ty had been called to work earlier that day, sent up north to Slave Lake for two days, so I was all alone that night. The kids were all in bed, I was at the computer killing time, and I had the thought, There are Reese peanut butter cups in the cupboard. Of course, for the next ten minutes that's all I could think about, obsess about. Finally I caved to the craving and in what seemed like seconds, had SIX cups wolfed down. Well, once the binge is started its hard to stop so down went a tapioca pudding as well. I'd been so good that day for eating, so really all that binge-food still kept me within my day's calorie allowance, but STILL. Chocolate, sugar and fat.

I immediately felt nauseous, as much from the food as the feelings of guilt and shame. But I wasn't about to do the old finger-down-the-throat thing, so I just went straight to bed. When I woke up in the morning and weighed myself, I was up two pounds. And it was such a miserable feeling, knowing that there went two days of hard work just because of a binge brought on by boredom and loneliness. But you know what? I think in the end it was a good thing because it just made me that much more dedicated, that much more confident that I can power through the next craving and binge impulse. No way in hell am I setting myself back two days just because I'm feeling snacky! That's like two more sessions of hour-long workouts!

So talking about workouts-- I'm still doing the Wii Cardio, at least until my Turbo Jam DVDs get here (should be one more week!). I really like it because it shows how many calories are burned for each workout routine. I am seeing great results in my arms and upper back. And I really think I could kick someone's ass if I had to. I know all the different punches (jab, cross, hook, upper, body shots, etc) and how to execute them properly. I've been waking up an hour earlier than usual so I can do the workout before anyone else wakes up. Its just too hard to fit in the time during the day; Ryder is a maniac and requires constant supervision (right Mom?) and I have too many other things to get done during his nap time. And the morning just works for me. Its quiet, there's noone about watching me, when I'm done I wake up the boys and go about the morning routine. You're riding the exercise-adrenaline high for a good hour afterwards, you feel so good about yourself. Plus, you are more likely to stick with the diet and water routine throughout the day if you know you've already done the hardest part of the WLJ in the morning.

I actually just read in a fitness magazine that the best way to lose weight around your middle is not through stomach crunches or sit-ups, but through a cardio routine. Sure, crunches and sit-ups will strengthen your abs but they won't do anything about all the fat surrounding them. That's where cardio comes in. Active fat burning. So that made me happy to hear. I hate crunches! Haha. I also read that to see a loss of 1-2 pounds a week, you need to decrease your caloric intake by 250 a day. That can be done by eating 250 calories less; exercising 125 calories off and eating 125 less; or exercising 250 calories off. I have restricted my diet from god-knows-how-many-calories before, to 1000-or-less now, per day; and burning between 200-300 calories per day. That's why I'm seeing such great results. And just wait till I start Turbo Jammin'! The website said one hour of TJ burns a thousand calories! Holy cow. I am going to be ripped.

Funny Gunny

After supper tonight, Gunnar started clearing the table and I turned to look for Ardan. He was supposed to help, but he had disappeared. "Ardan?" He slunk out from the hallway.


"Aha!" Gunnar said, "busted!" (Ardan pulls the Stephanie-trick on a regular basis, disappearing to the bathroom when supper chores need to be done.) "I caught you right-handed!"


I looked at Gunnar, "Right-handed?"


"Left-handed?"


"No, actually, its 'red' handed."


"Oh. I guess I've been saying that wrong this whole time."


Oh Gunnar, don't feel so bad -- at least you weren't saying hores de vores or orgees.

My Tarot reading

On Monday I decided to do a Tarot reading on myself, about my Weight Loss Journey (WLJ, haha). I allowed my mind to wander while I was shuffling (seven times, my lucky number), thinking about my goals, inspiration, commitment, doubts in regard to my WLJ. I then cut the deck, in three piles from left to right, gathered them back together in 2-3-1 formation (second pile, third, first); then I laid the cards out in the Star spread. A few cards were upside-down, or Reversed, but for this reading I chose to ignore that. There are 7 cards in the Star spread and they represent: The Present, Feelings, Thoughts, Significator, Subconscious, Known Desires, and Outcome.

It always amazes me, every time, when I do a reading because I find that everything is dead on. I get goosebumps. So I thought I'd share my reading with y'all and you can see what I mean.

Card 1) The Present: 10 of Cups
Cups is the suit of love, family, emotions, feelings; 10 is highest number, which means the outcome of a situation will either be a complete failure or success. The 10 of Cups represents ultimate satisfaction and contentment. I interpret this to mean that presently I am experiencing the ultimate in emotion and feeling, and that the end result of my WLJ (failure or success) will be influenced by that.

Card 2) Feelings: The Fool
The Fool card represents new opportunities; new beginnings requiring wisdom and courage; a quest for self-knowledge; a fresh start; freedom from past restrictions and constraints; a new phase of the soul's journey. There is exciting energy and endless optimism, but you must temper this idealism with practicality -- be aware of the hard work required. Now is the time to take a risk or seek adventure.

Card 3) Thoughts: Knight of Swords
Knight cards represent action, quest and movement; Swords represent strength, courage and hope. This card is all about ideas, action and conflict; can symbolize being goal-oriented. There is a great surge of energy and events in life speed up; drama unfolds.

Card 4) Significator (the heart of the matter): 9 of Swords
This card is not one you want to see in a spread, especially as a Significator! The 9 of Swords represents self-inflicted cruelty and ultimate conflict. The mind races with negative thoughts that come to no conclusion but to jab at the soul. It shows a situation that is either comfortable or uncomfortable. Its not all bad news though, because there is always an outcome and a way to move forward; be patient and bolster your confidence. This card is so incredibly dead on. Of course the heart of the matter would be about self-inflicted cruelty -- aren't all overweight people incredibly cruel to themselves? This card says to me that now is the time to overcome that, to stay positive and patient and look for ways to feel good about myself and boost my confidence.

Card 5) Subconscious (what is hidden and what will surface): Ace of Wands
Ace cards represent new beginnings; Wands are all about action, will and drive. This card reveals the start of something new, a personal decision, a quest of action. There is a rebirth, a time to emerge and do something new and exciting; its the beginning of a whole new phase of life. Yay!

Card 6) Known Desires: King of Cups
Kings represent mastery, power and strength; Cups are about emotions, family, love, feelings. This card reveals kindness, charity and artistic potential; mastery of emotions, emotional maturity, and the ability to nurture and assist others. This card can signify the head ruling the heart; its better to use both. Act as the King would -- respond calmly in a crisis, use diplomacy not force, reach out to help, accept others views.

Card 7) Outcome: 8 of Wands
Wands are action, drive and will; eight represents stability. I interpret this to mean long-term, stable strength of will and purpose. Which is excellent news for my WLJ! The 8 of Wands represents swiftness, stability and infinity; an adjustment to a faster pace of life but a time to reap reward. There is freedom and restriction, decisions that need action. This card signifies change, life-changing decisions, an entry into a new phase of life which stands a good chance of success. There is a need for assessment and judgement based on self-acceptance. Rise to the challenge and believe you can have it all; this is a time for you to shine.

So what do you think? Pretty accurate, eh? Makes a person shiver.

Let me know when you want me to do a reading for YOU.

LOL

Twitchy McGee

So, my 30th birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. 30 - the magical age, where, according to my mother, us women will get a corn on our baby toe if we don't go up half a shoe size. Since I already went up half a shoe size after the birth of No.3, does this mean I now have to go up to 8.5?? Please God no. I'm staying at 8, corn be damned.

But do you know what I have developed over the last few weeks is a freaking TWITCH in my right upper eyelid. It comes and goes, usually when I am stressed or over-tired. And seeing how events over the last while have conspired to rob me of my precious sleep, my eyelid has been doing the riverdance constantly. And always while in public. I have to pretend I'm rubbing my eye to try to disguise the manic tic-ing.

So there you have it. Most women get a corn at 30, I get an eye twitch.

New Year, new body

After learning that my BFF Christine lost a combined total of 80 freaking pounds, I've been inspired. How did she do it, you ask? Well, the little witch did it the old-fashioned way, dieting and exercise. *sigh* There's never an easy way is there? She now wears a size jean that I used to wear before I had Gunnar. Good on ya Chrissy!! I am so happy and excited for her. She said she always thought her body shape was a rectangle, only to discover that she does indeed have a waist, and a fairly muscular one too! It goes to show you that you may think you are predisposed to look a certain way, but your body can surprise you with its potential.

Chris used a series of workout videos called Turbo Jam (which I just ordered today!) and she did an hour, religiously, every day for four months. Every. Day. I am sooo in awe of her. She continues to do this and so it will be interesting to see how much her body continues to change.

So now I am on my own weight-loss journey.

The kids got a Wii for Christmas and one of the games that came with it is this Gold's Gym Cardio Workout, basically a boxing game. It teaches you the basic punches and moves and you work your way through a series of increasingly harder and more complex workouts. The first time I played I lost track of time (that's how fun it is, srsly) and overdid it, played for an hour and a half, and the next day the muscles of my entire back, arms and shoulders were clenched rock-hard. Serious pain and agony. That's how it is with me though, I do a workout, my muscles protest for a few days after, then never again. So I had to wait three days for my back and arm muscles to relax and unclench (hubs and the boys mocked me mercilessly) and then it was back to the game. (Honestly, it was so bad that I couldn't even push down the soap dispenser. I know. You see why they were mocking me.)

And how obsessed I am. Watch the video above and you'll see what its like. When I first start out my shins and calves get a little achy, but after about 20 minutes I reach this zone where my entire body is engaged in what I'm doing, I'm breathing hard and sweating but I don't feel sore or tired. Its amazing, its like I could continue for hours and hours. And in fact, today I was doing so good I kept unlocking new workouts so of course I had to then try them out, and Ty finally said to me, "Uh, you realize you've been doing that TWO HOURS now? You maybe want to come change Ryd's diaper and help feed them lunch?"

So my plan for the new year is to continue on with Gold's Gym Cardio, doing a little bit every day, at least until my Turbo Jam gets here. With Christine as my inspiration, I am so motivated and truly excited to see what happens.

Mom or Amber, you guys ever want to come over and Gold's Gym or Turbo Jam it up with me, feel free! We could call ourselves the "Bulging Bridal Party", even though I'm the only one of us bulging at the moment, haha. (You know that show, Bulging Brides?)

So here's to a New Year, and a New Body!!