Hallowe'en is FUN! -- and aren't my kids cute???

Aurora as a princess cat



For boys and girls club there was "Western Night". Asher's cowboy costume was only retired for last night's dragon.



I finally got one of them standing together and slightly still!!!



Sibling sillies!




Asher The Friendly Dragon



Aurora the Kitty sittin' pretty!



Rrrrrrraaaouuuuwwwwww!!!!!

This Made Me Giggle...for my Mom Friends

Update

I'm down 2.4!

Working My Tooshie Off

I have found some great videos that I have been enjoying working out to. Two beginner pilates videos and a Fit Moms Total Body Workout (cardio). I have managed to work out 4/5 days. For this time in my life, this type of working out seems to be doable and not time-consuming. It's also empowering and a little fun. I'm surprising myself. Hopefully it'll show up in my weigh-in wednesday morning. We'll see.

My weekend was full of great times with good friends. Sunday I got a three hour nap in the afternoon. Ahhhhhh....heavenly.

On Weight Loss

I've been on a 12 year journey of weight loss. This has been an issue for me since I went to Germany in Grade 11 and gained 15 lbs. I didn't try to get it off until I was in university where I joined various gyms and never succeeded at attaining my weight goals. Then I got married and had two babies. I gained 30 more pounds. I've been on various diets, joined at least 6 different exercise programs. I'm just a quitter.

The thing is -- I don't walk around feeling disgusting and gross. I've always kind of just dealt with it by changing my wardrobe and hair. I love to look pretty. I love to dress up and put on make up. I love having my hair done. But I am fully aware of the fact that it is not "skinniness" that makes one pretty. But don't get me wrong. I'm not contradicting myself in this post by saying that I don't want to be thin. I TOTALLY do.

But the truth is, as much as I want to look "hot" by today's standards, I also want to know that I have CONTROL. I want control over my eating. I want to have control over my muscle strength. I want control over my appearance. I want control over myself. I think the weight problem for me is more about willpower. And there are a lot of things in my life that can use more of that.

So this time I'm going to do it. I'm going to will myself into a change physically that will probably change me spiritually too. I'm ready for that. I'm going to change my thinking on eating. I'm going to make exercise easier and less time consuming. I'm going to believe that I can get there. 32 pounds. And by making this public I'm taking a pretty big risk. I could fail in front of everyone I know and love. Even some I don't know. I just want to be my best. I want to be healthy, in less pain, active and strong. The side affect of hotness is a great bonus. I'm down 6.2. Only 25.8 and a whole different mindset to go.

The principle of the matter.

I had a little run-in at the uniform store today. This is the only store in Hamilton that holds the license to put the St. John the Baptist logo on clothes. A monopoly. Today I discovered, first hand, why a monopoly never is good for the consumer. Aurora will only wear two uniform items without a major meltdown in the morning. So we alternate between her school tunic, and her gym clothes (drawstring shorts or jogging pants -- that have the logo). Today it was gym day. She put her jogging pants on and the string, on the one side just pulled right out of the waist band. Apparently they made this drawstring in a STUPID way so that it isn't one string -- but two -- sown in at the back of the waste band. One side just frayed and came out, the second time she wore them! I was slightly miffed by this but just thought, "Oh I"ll take them back and have them sew it into place or replace them". That's what they'd do at Zeller's, or any other place right? Wrong. The uniform store showed absolutely no remorse for the defect in their product. Apparently it is my daughter's fault that it broke. I told them that if these clothes are supposed to be made for children, the assumption would be that they are durable, beyond the second wear. Apparently I am wrong. Apparently I am the first complaint they have had. Even if that is true, I said, that it might be possible that this particular pair is faulty. Am I wrong? They could've mis-sewn it in the production of the pants -- not properly attached the string??? Apparently I'm unreasonable. They weren't prepared to fix it because it has a triple seam and that would be too much work for their seamstresses and it would be better for ME to just replace it. AND, here I am. Stuck between a rock and a hard place, so to speak. I have no choice but to buy these pants -- they are the only pants that my daughter will wear and is allowed to wear -- they are the only store in the whole city that sells them. Fuck. Pardon my french. But I'm mad. And the manager, sales clerk, store owner and 20 other customers heard, LOUD and clear knew it. But they shrugged their shoulders and gave me 10% off. A whole $1.50. Yay. Monopoly allows the retailer to mistreat the consumer with little to no recourse. Anyway, it isn't the $15.00 -- it's the principle of the matter. Damn it.

Ahhhhhhhh.....

I am looking forward to a weekend with very little planned. I have a brunch date with some bridesmaids (which is so fun for me!) on Saturday and that's IT. SO excited to do laundry (for REAL!). I also have several dates with my PVR. Doesn't that sound grand???

Oh and I lost 3.4 lbs despite my CRAZY week. Food everywhere and I managed to beat it. I'm pretty proud of myself. ahem.

Family Photos by Krista Jefferson Photography

If you are interested, we had our family photos done by a good friend Krista Jefferson of Krista Jefferson Photography. Here is the link to the pictures she took of us last Sunday. She is a phenomenal photographer.

Canada's Wonderland....

I have so many fond memories of Canada's Wonderland as a kid. Being reasonably close made it easy enough for me to have a season pass for many years. I would be dropped off before the gate opened and stay until the gate closed. I loved EVERY ride. I could do the spinning ones, the dropping ones, the fast ones -- AND, my favorite -- the coasters!!! I would go and eat, and eat, and eat. I had places I just had to visit...the burgers in Bedrock...the pizza at International Fair...the Cookie Hut...the FUNNEL CAKE!!!!!!!! So much fat, sugar, spinning and tossing! I could to 13 hours in the park and keep it all down. I WAS AWESOME.

Today, I went to Wonderland with Aurora for the first time. She had a blast. We did Hanna Barbara Land, Kidsville, Clockwerks...we went on everything we could get her on. She did amazing. She even rode a little coaster! It was great watching her experience it for the first time and remembering all my favorite places, rides...food! Through her eyes... made me remember the magic.

But let's be honest. I am no longer AWESOME. I went on Jimmy Neutron's Brain Washer first thing with Aurora -- and got motion sickness. MOTION SICKNESS!!!! In Kidsville there was a mini-swings ride and I witnessed a child puking. I had to stand over the garbage can for a while...wasn't sure I was gonna make it. I went on Top Gun (my favorite) and though it still holds first place in my heart, I got a massive headache. The last time I went to Wonderland, I ate and ate and ate...and ended up in emergency with a severe gallbladder attack -- resulting in surgery. This year, I'm on Weight Watchers -- so a turkey sub, three $3.50 bottles of Disani and just a few bites of funnel cake for me. It was just not what I remembered.

However, spending the day with Aurora was great. It was awesome to see her happy, careless and having fun. So I'd go back again next year...just not on the Brain Washer.

Hi, my name is Dawn and I'm a....

makeup addict. Yes. I think I have a problem. I love MAC makeup. I love it hard. Damn I love being pretty. I'm so vain. Damn it, I say.