A Little Healthy Competition Is Good ... But This?

I spent some time last night on the Vancouver Olympics live stream.

I was very sad to see how angry and mean people were getting over Canada/USA medals, attitudes and today's hockey game.

There was talk about "owning the podium".

USA would comment on the arrogance of Canadians.

Canadians would comment on the arrogance of Americans.

Phuc (is that not the coolest name EVER??) was telling this other guy to "Go and died!"

That guy is getting nasty about Phuc's broken english and being equally cruel in general.

There was talk about hockey being Canada's game and that we'll show them how it's done.

Talk from the Americans about the "stench" of Canadians.

It was truly horrible.

You know what? It's a bunch of professional, million dollar hockey players just changing up teams for a bit.

Personally, I think that USA has a pretty damn fine goalie who will be tough to put anything past. And I think that Canada has some equally fine players who also know how to play their game.

It's hockey.

I hate that this game is taking away from all the other athletes who have worked so hard to get Canada's 25 medals and USA's 36!

All those other medals matter too. And not JUST the gold ones. And NOT just the hockey ones!

Personally, I hope that Canada wins of course. But I don't have anything negative to say about Americans.

I think they have done a great job. They have broken the record for total medals. That is awesome!

And I have friends who are American and I think they are pretty darned awesome!

So good luck to our neighbours today.

May the best over paid professional team win!

500th Post and a Giveaway!

I feel like the most fortunate gal on the planet right now.

Well, second to Angelina Jolie.

Of all days for me to celebrate my 500th post, it is the one that follows my 499th post.

Truly amazing, isn't it?

Really, though, I felt so connected to my blog community yesterday. All the support and cyber hugs .... I felt them all.

The people who commented via my facebook link also totally rocked my world.

So this, my 500th post, is dedicated to you. My blog friends.

You guys make this fun.

You make me want to keep going.

You let me pout and whine and get mad.

You just shake your heads and don't judge me when I share some of the stupid things I have done.

You laugh and hurrah my open letters and have my back when I get in trouble for them.

And most importantly, you made me not follow through with my move when I threatened it. By wanting to come with me.

I have worked hard on this blog. And I've enjoyed meeting all of you. And I won't let the lurkers spoil it for me by moving and possibly never finding you again.

So, my friends, I thank you for coming by to read whatever my wee little brain puts together.

I thank you for the hugs and the laughter.

And I would like to reward a couple of my peeps with a gift.

Just a small gift. A token of my appreciation.

I will be sending out Starbucks cards to a couple of you. I'm not sure yet how many. But I'm pretty confident that however many there are, they will be small.

All I ask of you in return is that you visit each other.

Leave a comment with a link back to your favorite post from your own blog, then visit at least one other commenter's link and let him/her know that I sent you.

Because I adore you all, and it would make my heart happy to see you get a chance to meet each other.

That's all. I'm pretty easy, wouldn't you say?

Don't answer that if you were at that party back in '88, okay?

Moving on....

Ready ..... Set ...... GO!

A Time For Self Reflection

My 15 year old daughter is telling me that she is making plans to move out on her own.

I'm not telling you that to give you chuckle or scare anyone with younger children - Well, okay, maybe a little bit of the latter...

I'm mentioning it because all of her talk of no privacy, no independence and too many rules is making me think of my own teen years.

And because I know that I can trust my blogging community to be supportive.

And lastly because according to my poll, you guys want to hear more about my parenting failures. (lol ... See sidebar.)

There is a huge difference between girl teens and boy teens.

Boys generally don't leave home early. I think this is partly because it's easier at home where mom makes suppers and lunches and does the laundry. Boys are freer to come and go and can stay out later and just generally aren't as harped on as girls are. Lastly I think that they want to enjoy spending their own money because they know at some point some girl will come along and use it all up.

Girls, however, have to tow the line. We are harder on girls, I admit. But they/we don't realize that it is partially to keep us safe. Both from the men out there and from ourselves. Girls do stupid things for attention, and guys take us seriously. We can't go out after dark for fear of random acts of violence. We have to go to the bathroom in pairs. More is expected of us and so we rebel in ways that make us sorry later.

I know, because I was a girl once.

A long, long time ago, I moved out on my own. Well, with my boyfriend/soon-to-be-fiance, actually. I was 17. Just going into grade 12.

I didn't move out for any negative reasons.

I moved out because I was hopelessly in love and wanted us to be together and make a home and start our forever.

You know how young girls are. We dream big. Impossibly big.

So when Asia tells me she wants to move out, I can't help but think back.

I remember how hard it was going to school full time and working seven days a week to pay the bills.

I remember having to clean my apartment, which did not happen regularly.

I remember having to have change handy to do my laundry in a communal laundry room where any Joe-Blow could steal my panties.

I remember the first time I went shopping after I moved out and I bought all those fun things like cleaners and toilet brushes and laundry hampers. I also remember damn near crapping myself when I saw the total on the cash register window and hoping to God the check cleared!

I remember the parties I could have gone to no questions asked and curfews I didn't have to worry about. And I remember being too tired and too beyond my years to find those things important anymore.

I remember being free to come and go. Although, with work and school, I wasn't able to enjoy it.

I remember the looks of envy I got from people at school when they found out that I was living on my own. But those looks didn't last long when they saw how hard I had to work to keep it going.

The thing is, though, I don't regret a minute of it. The fact that I remember it so distinctly is a good thing. It was part of what made me me. It was the one and only act of 100% independence I ever truly experienced.

But I didn't move out because I hated my family. I didn't move out because I felt caged and angry. I didn't move out for any negative reasons at all.

And that is what gets me about Asia wanting to leave. It is for the reasons I just mentioned. It is because she hates being here. She thinks she will be happier in a group home, with troubled kids coming from troubled homes.

The roof and clothes and food and love and dancing and soccer and cheerleading and trips and bingos and other fundraisers and being her biggest fans through it all hasn't registered even one iota.

So even though I can't hold her back once she turns 16 and even though she turns this house upside down with hormones and anger and even though part of me longs for peace, I hope she will stay a little longer.

Just long enough to move out for the right reasons. So she will not look back with any regrets.

I hope she will wait until she has her head on straight and a direction to set her sights on.

I hope she will take some time to enjoy the busy-ness that she has always demanded in her life instead of resenting us for giving her what she has asked for.

Regardless of what she does, though, I hope she always knows that she can come home.

To Accept Your Apology Or Not To Accept Your Apology, That Is NOT The Question....

The question is "Why the fuck should you be apologizing to ME?" And every other freaking Joe Blow on the planet.

Do you need to make amends with your wife and children? Yes.

Your sponsors? Maybe.

But to me and the rest of the world? No.

Don't think for a minute that I haven't chuckled at some of the jokes going around.

And don't be so foolish as to think that I feel sorry for you. Or for any of your sluts.

You are an ass and a cheetah, yes.

But you are a man.

A mere man.

A pathetic little man with all the money in the world and female parts being waved around in your face.

Doing exactly what would be expected of any man in a situation where he thinks he is all powerful and the women are willing to compromise themselves does not make your situation newsworthy.

However, getting the shit kicked out of you by your tiny little pissed off wife? That's a good story. An inspiring story. Hhahahah!

But this clip? This is NOT something I'm proud that I have wasted five minutes of my life on. (Including copy/paste/post time of course!) This is just plain old stupid.



Are you people for REAL?

He just got jiggy with, like, a million women and is living every guy's dream life, and you think he might be SINCERE?

And that he just might cheat again within two years?

Well, holy shit.

Shocking.

Just shocking.

Monday Fitness Report

This was going to be my big Olympics post. I was going to tell it like it is from the Canadian perspective, which is something I think needs to be done.

However, I think I'll save that for later.

I think that today, you need to hear about me.

I'm happy to report that I tried on some clothes today and they fit me almost better than they did last spring, before I was tied up with my cast and was forced to sit on my ass drinking slurpees and eating chocolate for almost two months.

They are still tight, but I can put them on, do them up AND sit down and all the hang over is only marginally embarrassing. How's that for progress?

So, if you are just tuning in, I am training to complete (yes, I said complete, not compete! lol) in a dualthon at the end of April. I'm trying not to pay too much attention to the weight loss and keep April in my sights for now. I tend to get to 20 pounds and then get bored and put it all back on again.

So every day is a new day. I look forward to my work outs. I forgot how much I love the gym. I love walking in there and knowing that while we are all at different stages and progressing at different rates, our goal is ultimately the same.

I love the energy of the gym. I love the music on my ipod. And I love the TV that is hooked up to my treadmill.

I have discovered, through the Olympics, that I love to watch sports when I am on the treadmill. Those athletes inspire me to do great things. Like complete my run! lol

While I am not eating the greatest and would definitely see faster progress if I could control myself a little better, I'm okay with what I'm doing. Every now and then I kick myself, but my main goal is exercise for right now, and I'm sticking to that.

I am also competing in a friend's local version of "The Biggest Loser" and have until June to lose the highest percentage of weight. This I likely won't win because of my diet, but the main prize is $500, so it's worth a go.

So, let me share with you quickly what it is that I am doing. (This is mostly for me to look back on. Sorry to bore you!)

Sunday is the first day of every new week. This is the day I will increase my running time. I am following the 5K training program from my Running Room journal. This week is 10x1(2), 6x1. The 10s and the 6 are jogging minutes and the 1s are walking. The 2 in brackets means that I am doing two sets. I'm also increasing my speed slowly. I started out running at 4.2 and am now mostly running at 5.0-5.2 with a few bursts of 5.5. This is, for me, a huge deal. I'm very excited that when I get tired, I slow it down to 4.8, which does seem very slow these days!

Mondays are cycle fit (a stationary bike class) and if Leon is home, then I do one hour of yoga. He is working Monday night, so it'll just be the cycle class this time.

Tuesday is another running day.

Wednesday is soccer practice.

Thursday is kickboxing at lunch. My co-workers and I signed up for a cycle/core class, but there wasn't enough room for all of us. We signed one into kickboxing with the intent to rotate, but I love it so much I sort of took over! It is the full meal deal with gloves and pads and I am having a blast!

Fridays are my soccer games.

Saturday is a running day.

There is usually one of these days when life gets in the way and I can't get to the gym, but by planning every day in advance, I don't kick myself for missing one here and there. You'll also notice that I don't do any weight training yet. With full time work and soccer several times every week, there is just no time. Soccer is almost done for a bit, and then I will implement some weight training on those days.

There you have it. If, at some point, I find myself discovering the "runner's high", I will let you know. So far the only high I get from running is turning the treadmill off when I'm finished.

I am beginning to think it is just a myth...

Fart Cloud Etiquette

Today I was reminded of a situation our friend got himself into.

It involves a guy, an elevator and a high-protein diet.

Oh, and a cute young gal.

You know where this is going, don't you?

And you would be right.

A lone guy in an elevator, thinking he's free to let one rip.

And it is a fart cloud to beat all fart clouds.

So intense you can almost see it!

Suddenly, the doors open and a young lady walks in.

The doors close.

And she quickly puts her hands over her face and says, "Oh my GOD!"

Tee hee hee.

How embarrassing, right?

So, let's talk for a moment about fart cloud etiquette, shall we?

1. Shoulder check. It's okay to let one go when there are people in front of you going in the same direction, but don't subject some poor soul behind you to your direct fart cloud. Not nice.
2. When you MUST send out a fart cloud in a crowd, proclaim your innocence by looking around once you discover its potency with a look of horror and delicately put your sleeve over your nose, or tuck your nose into the collar of your jacket.
3. If ever there is a question of it being a fart with real substance, just don't do it ... cause that's just yucky.
4. Do not EVER send out a fart cloud where, in a pinch, you cannot blame the person beside you.

'Nuff said.

Avatar

Okay, so finally Leon and I saw Avatar.

If you have not yet seen it .... You should not read on.

I was disappointed that the female in charge had to be the typical bitch.

But I guess to keep it real for both sexes, they also had to make the male in charge an idiot.

I have to admit that I am a sucker for a love story. Any love story.

(Well, maybe not ANY love story. Bridges of Madison County makes me want to throw myself in front of a bus.)

Even a love story between imaginary blue people.

With skinny little bums and lights on their faces.

Tall blue beings with wormies in their hair.

When the blue people were sad, I was sad.

But when dude got his face squashed I couldn't have been happier.

I felt sorry for JakeSully every time he went to sleep in their world and had to wake up in the "real" one.

Oh, except at the end. When he opened his eyes. And you just knew all was as it should be.

I was worried, as movies that get this much hype are usually a disappointment.

But, just on the off chance that my opinion means anything to you....

I give this one a 5/5

I No Longer Only Cry During Hallmark Commercials

How totally sad is it that I get weepy over this commercial?

It toally does NOT make me want to support low-salt options!

Salt, anyone?

Valentine's Meme, Stolen From My Friend Betty!

♥ What are your middle names?

Not altogether comfortable putting these answers down. We are vulnerable enough on the internet without giving everything away.

♥ How long have you been together?
Married since April 1996. But we've been together 18!

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Not very long.

♥ Who asked who out?
He asked me to a pool party.

♥ How old are each of you?
He is 44, I´m 38

♥ Whose siblings do/ did you see the most?
Definitely Leon's. Two of my brothers have moved away, and we don't all get together very often.

♥ Do you have any children together?
Three girls.

♥ What about pets?
Ringo, our English Mastiff who thinks he's a person.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Parenting.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Are you kidding me? I was still just a baby! lol

♥ Are you from the same home town?
You bet!

♥ Who is the smartest?
Our minds are completely different. So I'll take the fifth.

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Him I think. Although I did get a little weepy during the latest Sidekicks salt commercial which will be my post for tomorrow.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
McDonalds. Romantic, huh?

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Belize

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Mine doesn't erupt often, but when it does, watch out!! He, though, has his moments, which is mostly due to the whole parenting issue.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I did for several years, but since joining the fire dept he has learned a lot of great things from a guy there who was a professional chef. Now he does the cooking and I'm happy to leave it to him.

♥ Who is more social?
I prefer to be a fly on the wall. He likes to be around people more than me. I'm quite happy with my few close friends.

♥Who is the neat Freak?
Neither of us can keep up. I think a better question would be who gets more frustrated?

♥ Who is the more stubborn?
It depends on the situation. We both have our moments.

♥ Who hogs the bed?
It used to be him, but I like to think it was only because he would come over to snuggle and then just fall asleep there. Now though? The dog.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
We wake up to alarms all the time for school, work and soccer. If we could sleep in, though, it would definitely be me!

♥ Where was your first date?
A pool party at Al's house.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Leon. Five siblings. I have three, but two live in BC.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
I used to. I told him to stop, though, in favour of something more useful, like chocolate.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
In a word? Chaos.

♥ Who is more jealous?
Leon

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Only a few months.

♥ Who eats more?
I think we eat about the same, but anything I eat, sticks to my ass and thighs..... Weird how chocolate will do that....

♥ Who does/ did the laundry?
Both, but I'm the one who will usually get cranky and haul it all upstairs to be put away.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Me. But even I'm not very good. It's all pretty over my head technically.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Usually me, because we use my van. I love the summer, because then we usually take his truck and my van gets to take a break.

Six Word Saturday

I'm

Just

Thankful

That

It's

Over!

Go see Cate if you want to have your six word say!

Moving

So, since discovering that more people than I realized have been closet readers of my blog, I'm going to be moving.

I welcome my regular readers to just leave a quick comment to let me know if they want to new URL once there is one.

It should happen sometime in the next week.

Have a great day!

Mama Bear Strikes Again ..... And Takes Out Innocent Bystanders Along The Way

That is what I told Leon last night, feeling as crappy as I did about certain parts of the email I sent to Cassie's coach. I do not regret it all, but some parts I absolutely would take back if I could.

I would take back my opinion that I gave in anger when I was told Cassie was benched for playing lousy. It was petty and childish and I hope those who visited Monday's post will venture back today. I let the issues with school meld with the soccer team issues and ranted and raved to avenge my own daughter's "lousy" game.

I am truly, truly sorry.

I hope that the person who is talking about sending the email copy out to others just to be vengeful realizes that it is only the kids that will get hurt and takes the high road.

I am sorry that I posted it on my blog, even though it IS my blog and I am free to say what I choose on here. In my defense, I had no idea that anyone from soccer even knew that I blogged, let alone took the time to come and read it. My blog is automatically linked to my facebook, which has all the highest security settings on it, so again, I felt it was a safe place to vent, since I am not "facebook friends" with anyone related to the team.

Is NO blog sacred anymore? Sigh....

I regret that my actions may make things harder on Cassie at school. I have instructed her to let the kids know, if they try to beat the hell out of her, that her mother spoke in anger and is very sorry.

I have expressed my regret at my line at the end of my post. Most of you know that my serious posts end on a funny note, because I'm not one to take life too seriously for very long. However, it was a shitty thing to do.

Mama Bear is heading back into her cave for a while. She is working on an ulcer and will probably take a sleeping pill and crash to just make this day end.

Shitfuck.

And This Is What Happens When You Piss Off Mama Bear

Is It Thursday Already? THANK GOD!

The Prompts:

Which one will YOU choose??

1.) A song you can’t escape.
(inspired by Stefanie from I’m not much into health food, I am into champagne)

2.) Explain a time there was an emergency. What “mode” did you go into? Freaking out, calm and collected, etc.
(inspired by Jennifer from Momma Made It Look Easy)

3.) Write an open later to a cartoon character.

4.) Write a poem about a moment you would like to relive.
(inspired by Mama B. from Peanut Butter in my Hair)

5.) List 10 things you never knew until you were mom. Mine?
(inspired by Christy from Life With Triplets)


Today I'm writing about option number 5. Please note that some of the ones I feel strongest about may be repeated....

1. I never knew what a prison camp felt like before. I know now.
2. I just barely tolerate my own kids and cannot STAND other people's children. (Babies don't count.)
3. It's not such an easy job after all.
4. I was never meant to be a teacher. Apparently, "OMG! How can you NOT understand this stuff?" is not much of a pep talk.
5. I'm a bitch. I'm no fair. And I suck ass. (That last one is my personal fave.)
6. Sometimes my kids just won't love the same boy for them that I do. Sigh....
7. How easy it would be sometimes to just beat the hell out of them. Or put a one-way ticket to somewhere tropical to good use. Either one is fine, I'm not picky.
8. I'm not very good at it.
9. I started too young, which has probably led to my more than occasional selfishness now.
10. I love to squeeze little tiny Lemoine bums. Is that wrong?

You should join in! Go see Kat to link up, for some writer's block ideas or just to visit some other participants

A PEP TALK TO ME

I have a dream.

And in that dream I am a healthy size 8.

Okay, 10.

Fine. 12 then.

I joined The Biggest Loser - Friend's Edition in January.

The incentive is supposed to be the $500++ dollars I can win if I succeed.

The truth is, though, my ass hanging off the sides of my spin class bike are just revolting enough to keep me going.

And that same ass, that seriously slams down via gravity a split second after my feet hit the treads, which has caused me to lose my rhythm more than once, is also helping. Because it doesn't jar me like it used to. Oh what a feeling!

The very, very round face, with second chin? Yup. That's working it too. (Although that face won't stop eating the good stuff, albeit in smaller portions with much more good-for-me food thrown in! Yay me!)

I've only lost about 7 pounds. Which is great I suppose.

But this contest works by percentage, and let me tell you, that 7 pounds doesn't count for much there.

I think I am losing some inches though. Thank God.

I had to keep pulling my pants up the other day. It. Felt. Great!

The Plan:

I am currently running (other people would consider it a moderate walk, but me? Full out run, people!) three times per week, following The Running Room's 5K plan. Right now I am at run 10 minutes, walk one minute, twice, then run another three minutes. The goal is to work my way up to three 10 and 1's. And then head outside when it's warm where it's going to be even harder without the momentum of the treadmill, and the thought of the humiliation of falling off, to keep me going.

I take spin classes three times per week. I LOVE spin classes. Love them. Once upon a time, in my way-back-when fit days, I considered instructing spin classes, and may still take it on at some point when my lungs can take it.

I am playing soccer twice weekly. But there are only a few weeks left of this.

I am training, if you can call it that, to participate in a dualthon in April.

Run 2.5K, bike 10K, run 2.5K.

Then die.

But bury me in a tank top and short shorts, because I WILL LOOK GOOD AGAIN!

I will Damnit!!


Amen to that!