You've Been Tagged

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Facebook. It's your friend and your enemy. It is the perfect way to keep in touch with family and friends. Seeing the latest pictures of your cousin's baby. Hearing about your co-worker's trip to Columbia. Making plans for the family reunion. It is also the most annoying thing. Blocking douche bag classmates from high school who won't stop messaging you. Checking your privacy settings for the umpteenth time because of yet another revamping of the site. And...being tagged in photos. 

Don't get me wrong, tagging can be a lot of fun - until that moment when you realize that someone tagged you in the most unflattering picture ever,  and it's already been on everyone's feed for the last day and a half before you could even intervene. For people who are overweight, this is a much more common occurrence, since most pictures of them have the potential to be unflattering. And let's face it, people only want the most flattering pictures of themselves on their profile.  It's called the "Leave if to Beaver" phenomenon - you know, when people want everything to look perfect and hunky-dory on their profile page, including their pictures.  I can't help but wonder, would I be less self conscious about tagged photos of me if I were skinnier? Thus my motivation to stay on track today.

RANT OR RAVE 

I LOVE summer, even with all the heat. I HATE winter, I have no use for it. Fall is pleasant, but can't be thoroughly enjoyed because it is like the count down to winter. But since I have been trying to stay in the present, I have been attempting to get Maya and myself outside as much a possible to enjoy it while we still can. Here is a 51 second rendition of photos,  in exact order they were taken, of Maya in the back yard yesterday morning. And let's not forget I added happy music to keep up with the Leave it to Beaver effect. 

I admit I am a little excessive with the picture taking. I think it's a symptom of FTMS (otherwise known as First Time Mom Syndrome). 

NOTE TO SELF

The Cookie Standoff

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Ok, so the place that I shop for groceries in my small town can sometimes be disappointing.  It has everything you need and more, except sometimes the quality is not that great, depending on the day. The bread is almost expired, the produce is looking a little weak, they are out of eggs, and so on.  Even some of the local produce on the road side stands are expensive and not that great (very disappointed in the corn this year). So I have been going to another place a bit father away. Today when I went there it was wonderful. The produce was so fresh and I couldn't help but fill my cart with all kinds of goodies like blueberries, strawberries, pears, apples, asparagus, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. I was like a kid in a candy store. Anyhow, lately this store has been having these promotions where if you buy more than fifty dollars worth of food you get something free. The last two times I was there I received a free reusable bag. This time when I checked out, I assumed it would be the same.  It all happened so quickly. The girl rang in my food and the guy was bagging the food and then all of a sudden she said, "and today since you have spent fifty dollars you get a free bag of cookies!", and wham, they got shoved right in my bag! And these cookies are the good kind, with extra filling in them. I have not had any cookies or other desserts since July and so I was about to tell the lady to put them back when a voice in my head said, "Yo! You are going to have to face the cookies some time or another!".  So I brought them home and here they sit on my counter.

No word of a lie - the image of these cookies popped up in my head at least four times today and I was thinking about how tasty they would be.  I couldn't believe it, I never thought that my thoughts would be so controlled by something as insignificant as a cookie. But the mere fact that I know that I can't have them made me want them. The forbidden food.  And so, the stand off with the cookies continues. The longer they are there the more convinced I don't need them, it is just a passing thought that I let in my head and then let out. So today my motivation is to continue to win the standoff with the cookies. It may seem like such a silly petty thing, but it is symbolic of something much bigger - my ability to make good choices in the face of temptation. 

RANT OR RAVE

What can I say I always like to talk about my itty bitty and rave about how she is doing. Whenever she does the slightest new thing I am telling someone about it. I know, it's annoying but I do it anyway. Today I was thinking I would have more to talk about and took some videos. One was of Maya trying to roll over onto her stomach (she's only mastered stomach to back so far) and the other one was of her trying a new food. Both didn't go the way I thought they would. Clearly by her behaviour she was telling me that she was not going to cooperate in meeting my expectations and it was very humorous. 

Make sure to have your volume on for the first one :) 

Classy.

This next one wasn't working earlier but should now....

Hope these gave you a good chuckle and if you have a little one may it bring back fond memories of your moments like this. 

NOTE TO SELF

You're My Inspiration

 TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Another shout out to a woman who inspires me, and who I happened to visit yesterday.  My grandmother. She is an inspiration because she has that wisdom that only a woman of her age can acquire. She had twelve kids in thirteen years. Imagine the diapers, imagine the amount of food, imagine the teenage years!  That is just but one part of her life story. The things in which she has seen in her eighty years has automatically given her the rank of one of the most helpful people to talk to when you want to gain perspective on life. There is so much that she has taught me over the years. Although the generation gap between us causes a difference in opinion on some things, I always value the advice that she gives. This woman has taught me about all the simple things in life which matter. She has had such a hugh affect on so many people, although she probably does not fully realize just how much. She is revered by all who know her, and is put on a pedestal, not because of her celebrity status in the family, but because of the immense feeling of being loved that she constantly bestows on others.  This woman is a true inspiration because of the family life she has created.  Her faith is unwavering, her efforts are sincere, and her love is never ending. She is proof that you do not have to become a surgeon or a famous philosopher to make a huge difference on the world...all you have to do is raise your family the best you know how, and have faith.

Other people who inspire me:

triplet lady, mountain climber

RANT OR RAVE

Some more beautiful things on my travels. Images from Montreal.

This trip had a lot of beauty in the things I saw and in the conversations that were had.

NOTE TO SELF

Leading By Example Continued

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

You may remembering me talking about how I want to set a good example for my cute precious baby girl. Well, not only do I want to model good eating habits, but I also want her to establish a high self esteem. This day in age, it is sooooooo easy for women and girls to feel like what they are, what they look like, what they do, is not good enough. They don't need to also learn it from their mothers. Over the last few weeks, I have realized that I can criticize myself with the best of them. Although there are many things about myself that I do like, I do not want Maya growing up with a mother that always hates the way she looks in the mirror. I have already started to be conscious about what I say about myself in front of her, because I know that children learn what they live. Although I vent on this blog about what I want to change about my body, I eventually want to get to a point in my life when I can just be happy with the the weight I am at and how I look. I am not shooting for super model status, just to look and be healthy.

Source: CW Network

I feel that little girls establish their first sense of self worth by how their mommy and daddy act toward themselves and towards each other, and also by what comments they make about others in the media and in real life.  So that is a goal I will remember today, to get to a point where I can model high self esteem for my daughter. I read an article once that got me thinking about how we talk to little girls, and I do agree with some of it. It really reinforces what influence we adults have on little girl's idea of self worth. I also want my itty bitty to feel like she is beautiful inside and out!

RANT OR RAVE

Ok I found this marinade for chicken tawook the other day, and I loved it. My best friend who came over for dinner and my husband seemed to like it too so I will share the recipe. 

Shish Tawook Marinated Chicken

3 tablespoons vegetable oil 

2 tablespoons plain low-fat yogurt 

2 tablespoons ketchup 

2 tablespoons prepared mustard 

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 

2 teaspoons paprika 1 

1/2 teaspoons ground allspice 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon curry powder (optional) 

3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves cut into bite-size pieces

Dipping Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise, fat free 

1 cup plain low-fat yogurt 

3 cloves garlic, minced 

1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, stir together oil, yogurt, ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, paprika, allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, and curry powder. Stir in chicken pieces, coating all sides with marinade. Cover bowl, and refrigerate overnight. To make dipping sauce, mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic, and salt. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Transfer chicken pieces to a shallow baking dish. Bake in a preheated oven 30 minutes. Serve with dipping sauce. Makes 12 servings.

We did ours on the barbecue instead. I also did not do the dipping sauce but instead opted for a tzatziki sauce recipe that has fat free yogurt and fat free sour cream. It was yummy!

NOTE TO SELF

Fight The Good Fight

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

I'm not gonna lie, yesterday I was starting to lose a bit of my motivation, but I kept on truckin along anyway. You see that's the thing. No matter what happens, I will continue to fight the good fight. If it takes my whole life, I will never stop trying, no matter how many times I fail, because I am not gonna give up on myself. I would rather spend my whole life fighting than just give up. Even if I never get there, I will keep fighting.

So today, I will remind myself that I am in this till the end! No matter what happens, all I can do is keep trying. I will do this my whole life if I have to! What other choice do I have?

RANT OR RAVE

A few complaints:

I am getting frustrated with the fact that the rate of my weight loss has been slow, despite efforts to follow an accredited weight loss strategy. I know part of it is because I am nursing and I am supposed to keep up enough calories to maintain my milk supply, but still, it is frustrating. I also know that many people who attempt weight loss go through this, and I also know that losing a bit at a time is better than doing a fad diet. Nonetheless it is frustrating. Just sayin.

As mentioned above, I have been trying to eat enough to maintain my milk supply but my milk supply was going down anyway.  A few people suggested taking fenugreek, and I was hesitant because I heard that it was used in Indian food and I don't do spicy. Then I found out you can get it in pill form so I started taking it. It immediately helped with increasing my milk supply and the stress of feeding my child was gone. All was good until it gave me and my itty bitty an allergic reaction. How horrible did I feel!  So no more fenugreek for me. Now it's back to square one. Time to talk to my doc. Good thing Maya is starting solids.

I looked at a picture that someone took of me today and it reminded me of how crappy I still look and that was discouraging since I have changed on the inside but still look brutal on the outside. I'm not saying this in a feel sorry for me, low self esteem kind of way.  I am just stating a fact, an observation if you will.  I do feel better overall since changing my eating habits, but it is frustrating when you know you still have a ways to go.

NOTE TO SELF

Setting The Trend

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

Today's motivation is thinking about the trend setters in the world. Specifically the ones who set the trend in kicking bad habits. For example, when someone decides to quit smoking and then their partner quits. Or when someone in the car pool gives up their daily doughnut at Tim Horton's and the rest of the group follows suit. The same thing goes when it comes to eating healthy. Just as there are enablers, there are trend setters. The one who decides to be the first to change their habits, often having an inadvertent affect on others.  Before you know it, the family meals change from having greasy garlic bread to a hearty salad. 

There are trend setters in my life and I think that my eating habits are beginning to rub off on some others as well! So there you have it, that is one thing that motivates me to keep going...I want to set the trend and hopefully it will motivate others!

RANT OR RAVE

Today I would like to Rave about puppy love. It's a beautiful thing. My doggy has a girlfriend. She is someone in the neighbourhood that stops by every day. We don't know where she is from, but she shows up at our patio doors every morning. This has been going on for a while now. He has other friends stop by all the time but she is different. Totally his girlfriend!

Here are a few photos I took this morning. They are kind a blurry cause dogs are fast! 

Ah, these are the things in life that help me keep things in perspective.

NOTE TO SELF

You Are Not Alone

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

What keeps me motivated today is knowing that I am not alone. The other day I was talking to someone and they were telling me about how they want to get back into their work out routine, eat better, etc.  I will do it after this, I will start after that, they say.  It's the constant intention of wanting to start fresh but being overwhelmed with life. Taking care of the kids, working the full time job, getting done the gazillion projects, meeting all the obligations. There is not enough time in the day, people say. I wish I could just win the lottery so that I would not have to work and then I would hire a personal trainer and get in shape. 

I can relate, I had those thoughts a million times. Sometimes I really did start fresh but most times I didn't, and the thing is, I never stuck to anything. It was distorted thinking at it's best and it was not productive. But lets save that discussion for another day. The point I am trying to make is, it is comforting knowing that I am not the only one who has struggled with this. It really got me thinking - almost every person in my life at some time or another has had this conversation. So many are not happy with the way they look, they do not feel a hundred percent in their skin. What surprises me is that many of these people are not overweight and are attractive people, yet they still strive for improvement of their bodies and their health. One time when I was talking about my worries of being overweight, my best friend (who is slim and very athletic) told me that even skinny people have these issues. The constant battle of wanting to lose weight or eat healthy is something they think about all the time as well. I believe her.  

So I guess I am trying to say that I acknowledge that I'm not the only one. This in some way makes me feel more motivated because I know I am not crazy for thinking the way I do. It also motivates me because it reminds me that I am breaking the old cycle and doing something about it.  

One day I had a moment where it hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that the only thing that was getting in the way of my goals was myself. "I wish I could be thinner", "I wish I could be healthier", "I wish I had the time to do this and do that". Well a voice inside of me said "Your wish is YOUR command".  Pretty clever voice, huh? I spend a lot of time in my profession helping people challenge their perception of their problems and finding active solutions. So many times I would think, "Wow, this person is the only thing getting in the way of what they really want".  It's ironic that the same thing was true of myself.  I admit, it is easier for me right now being home with Maya to focus on myself and stay organized. But the time will come when I will have to go back to work and I will have to find a way to keep this going. In the mean time, I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone....and neither are you my friends, neither are you. 

RANT OR RAVE

I love hanging out on my back porch in the mornings, especially when it's really sunny out. The perfect prelude to a healthy breakfast. 

NOTE TO SELF

Squeeze Me In!

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

So yesterday I was at the grocery store and some guy parked his car too close to mine and I had to squeeze into my car without hitting his car with my door. You know the manoeuvre - turn sideways, open the door slowly, throw your purse in, then squeeze on through. I was able to pull off this move with little difficulty, but I remember how hard this was to achieve when I was pregnant (amongst other things). Then it got me thinking of how nice it is to be able to fit into spaces again now that I don't have my big baby belly. 

The thing is though, there are still times when I do have to say "excuse me" to fit behind someone's chair at the dinner table, or to get through a line at the store, etc. I look forward to the day when I have a tiny caboose that can fit through tiny spots and I look forward to the day when my waist is so small I don't feel I am getting in people's way. Your whole spatial perception changes when your body changes. I look forward to that so this will keep me going today!

RANT OR RAVE

I came across this the other day and thought this was pretty cool. Since breastfeeding is health related I would like to give two thumbs up to this. 

Apparently these have been circulating online on various blogs and what not. I think they are great! I personally have no issues breast feeding in front of others, but I will say at first there were times when I was a little shy about it. Although I am completely comfortable in feeding my baby anywhere, I often worry about whether I am making others feel uncomfortable. Another thing. Although I love my nursing cover, it's pretty nifty with pockets and everything, I sometimes almost resent having to wear it. It's weird because I only use one around certain people and then others I could care less. It's not like I just whip out my boob for all to see. I'm discreet, and by the time baby is latched on it's not like they can see anything anyway. I find I am much more likely to use a cover around men. But really, I think that people who are uncomfortable with breastfeeding (cover or no cover) should just get over it, it's no different than a baby drinking a bottle - it just comes from a different source. Anyhow, that' s just my two cents. I also find that when you are around a group of Moms at a social gathering they often watch each other to see how the other is going to handle breastfeeding. It only takes one person to feed in public for the rest to follow suit. So I like these, they're cool. I may even hand some out. 

NOTE TO SELF

You're My Inspiration

TODAY'S MOTIVATION

You may remember last week I did a post about women in my life who inspire me. 

Today I would like to do a shout out to someone I have been thinking about a lot lately, because she just had a baby and it has brought back a lot of memories of when Maya was born five months ago. I often catch myself wondering how she is doing. Is she going through the same things I went through? The joy, the worry, the lack of sleep, the kisses and cuddles. 

This girl is my sister in law, and happens to be Maya's Godmother. She is an inspiration to me because she is a doer. When she thinks about doing something, wanting something, needing something....she puts it into action. She is a wanderlust at heart and has travelled (i think) to almost every continent and to many major cities throughout the world. She has climbed Mountains and sky scrapers (literally). She has rode elephants, gone on safari, and has seen the whales.  She has tasted unknown cuisines and has seen many of earth's beautiful landscapes. She is the type to move to a random city and will take a Sunday to explore new neighbourhoods all on her own. She has experienced all of this because she decided it was what she wanted to do and she made it happen.  She truly has a zest for life. I admire that in some ways she tries to live simplistically. Family and friends matter to her. She thrives on family tradition and togetherness. She is a wonderful aunt to her nieces and nephews.  She is going to make a great mother and is a great example for others. Thank you sister-from-another-mother, you are my inspiration and therefore keep me motivated in my own goals. 

RANT OR RAVE

You may also remember me talking about things that are beautiful to me. Here is a series of images from a trip I took last year. Enjoy. 

There were so many beautiful things on that trip. Thinking back on it reminds me to just enjoy the simple things in life. 

NOTE TO SELF