Currently Jen

I haven’t blogged in two whole days! It wouldn’t be so bad except I CHALLENGED MYSELF TO BLOG FOR 365 DAYS STRAIGHT. 🤦‍♀️ Oh well, I suck at the follow-through, but if I hadn’t challenged myself, I literally wouldn’t be blogging at all, so I guess I can’t be too hard on myself! Also, my son is at his second tutoring session for the week, and I have some time to kill, so blogging it is! This week I’ve gotten back on track with Weight Watchers . My friend and I joined about four weeks ago, and I’ve lost about 5.6 pounds so far (as of January 30). It’s probably the most amount of weight I’ve ever lost in such a short time. I’m thrilled with my progress so far. My goal is to shed 25 pounds this year. Normally I would have said oh I want to lose 25 pounds in 4 months but I know that I don't' lose weight that fast. And, I'm most likely to keep it off if it comes off slow and steady. So my ultimate goal for 2020 is to lose 25 pounds and maintain the weight loss for the ye

This past weekend was really something special. It was a long weekend here (Family Day weekend) and also Valentine's Day on Friday. I woke up early on Friday morning to surprise flowers from my husband...it was such a nice way to start the day...especially since my day starts at 5:30 a.m. Roses in the morning  On Friday evening we made a special family Valentine's Day pancake dinner for the kids and we spent the evening playing board games. It didn't last long, the kids are super sore losers but I guess I can't blame them since we did parents vs. kids and we kicked their butts! 😅😅😅😅😅 Parents vs Kids Game Night Saturday night my hubby and I went out for an amazing dinner just us two. It was a much needed evening out and left us so full that I seriously had to lie down in the car the whole way home - I thought I was safe with stretchy pants but apparently, my belly was too full and my pants didn't want to stretch with it. Deconstructed Cheesecak

This month I'm staying true to my promise to read more books. Thanks to my awesome friend, I have Jessica Simpson's latest book... Open Book . I've poured over so many interviews about her book and have obsessed over everything she's printed about her ex-hubby Nick Lachey, and even though I feel like I pretty much know everything, I'm still so excited to read it. With only like 2 weeks left in the month, I'm starting this super late, but that's ok...CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! I will finish this book by February 28, even if it kills me! lol Anyone out there who wants to join in? Leave me a message in the comments!

I remember when I was a little girl living in Ottawa, Ontario, when my dad took me to buy my first pair of figure skates. I was about 7, and Elizabeth Manley had just won Silver in the 1988 Olympics (in figure skating). She was Canadian and trained at the Gloucester Skating Club in my hometown. I used to watch her skating on tv and imagined myself gliding on the ice in cute little outfits just like she did. I think it was around that time that I decided I wanted to learn how to skate, and I was finally starting lessons. Did I want to become a figure skater? I honestly don't remember, but I went far enough in lessons that figure skating would have been the next step. I think we moved that year, and I lost interest in skating. But figure skating has always held a special place in my heart, and skating in general stuck with me - I never gave it up ultimately. When I was young, my family would spend tons of time skating on Sundays throughout the winter, finding outdoor skating ri

I mentioned it before, but this is the year of me! The year where I stop putting my wants and needs last and start doing some things that make me happy! I used to read a lot of books, pre-kids. Then babies happened. Life exploded. And I literally haven't enjoyed a novel since 2010. This past January, the family and I went on vacation, and in an attempt to reclaim my hobby (and try to sharpen my exhausted mom brain), I packed two books with me to read. Kind of an ambitious goal, mainly because: Kids and   All-inclusive resorts have alcohol. Need I say more? BUT I am happy to report that I did get through one book!  I used to love thrillers and gory killer type books, but as I've gotten older, I'm a mega wuss and now only read celebrity memoirs and what I call "easy beach reads," also known as "chick lit." Last month was no exception. I downloaded I Owe You One by Sophie Kinsella and after just a few pages I was hooked. I

Homework at our house is almost never quick, and it’s always painful. My daughter is in grade 2 and cries if she doesn’t get homework. My son, in grade 4, cries when he does get homework which unfortunately for him is like every fricken night. It’s rare that I’m able to get both kids to sit down at the same time and do homework while I do the after-dinner cleanup…so you could imagine my surprise when I looked over and saw these two little hooligans side by side, not fighting, and helping each other with their homework. I was swooning with love and affection. Until. Yup – I knew it was too good to be true. Tyler: Mom can I watch tv? Me: No, you’re not done your homework. Tyler: It's ok, Adrianna said she would finish my homework because it’s just colouring and she can finish colouring my science title page. HE LURED HER IN BECAUSE IT’S COLOURING SO IT’S LIKE HER FAVOURITE THING TO DO…OF COURSE, SHE’D SAY YES! Needless to say, they were not too pleased with me for

This year I promised to stop making excuses and to stop putting things on my invisible wish list - and just start doing the things I “wished” I could do. Like reading again. My oldest kid will be 10 this year, and since we’ve started our family I can list on one hand the number of books I’ve read. Before kids, I was a reading machine, and I miss it! So for 2020 I’ve committed to reading 6 books - and I’ve already read 2 and I’m just about to start my third. More on those books later 😉 Next on my list was to make my health a priority as well as to be grateful for the things that I have. I’ve been doing a good job so far - I joined Weight Watchers and have lost almost 6 pounds in a few weeks. I’m more mindful of what I’m eating...but if I’m craving something like chips or a burger I eat it and try not to feel guilty! Baby steps! Did you make any goals for the year? It’s never too late to start, share your goals in the comments below.

I'm too tired to write a legit blog post...it IS Monday after all. There's just not enough caffeine left in me so I'll leave you with an inspirational thought for the day....you can thank Twitter's trending #MotivationMonday hashtag for this amazing post 😂 Source: BlairTurner.com

This weekend was sooo busy. Ok, it wasn’t much different than any other weekend around here but with Friday nights shared bottle of wine ( you can read about that here ), I was a tad tired and slow moving on Saturday so it felt totally brutal. Saturday started with hockey practice for my son, and while I usually sit in the arena to watch him, I was too crusty and cold so I sat in the warm waiting area....I spent the time drinking my much needed coffee, and blogging!  Then off to bring my daughter to gymnastics in the afternoon...which honestly I can’t really complain about because I get 90 minutes of either A) chatting up my friend Pam and catching up on our week or B) having 90 minutes to zone out from parenting. This week was option B and it was so fabulous! I was basically spoiled having an hour to myself at hockey practice, and then almost 2 hours again at gymnastics.  Then off to my parents house for dinner, shenanigans, wine, and hair dying! Yes I must confess,

Friday nights at our house are usually pretty boring. Everyone is exhausted from the week at school and at work, and you really couldn’t pay us to do anything! But last night was different. I invited my friend and her two kids over for dinner and a play date. We were long overdue for some mom -friend time and the kids really missed each other so it was perfect timing. The winter months are funny around here. Our kids are all close in age but not close enough to be on the same sports teams like when they were younger. So getting together with friends always feels impossible - everyone is pulled in different directions with their kid's hockey, basketball, indoor soccer and dance commitments. Add to that the early morning weekend games and practices (yes we are an 8:00 am hockey game family) it really leaves us with a less than stellar social life during the winter months. But last night was different. No hockey practice or games on a Friday night. No homework to plow through

I'm not much of a recipe follower, reviewer, or step-by-step shower. But my cousin got me hooked to this healthy turkey recipe and guys...I can't even tell you how good it is. Even my kids and husband liked these. I served it with zucchini noodles and roasted potatoes, but I've also made it with rice or mashed potatoes as the side...all options are great. The recipe is from Jessica Alba. Yup. I used a celebrity tried and true creation. It didn't disappoint. Here's the link if you want to try. I had to modify the recipe a bit because I didn't have panko bread crumbs, and I added more carrots and zucchini than the recipe called for - but only because I chopped up too many and didn't want to throw out any food! I added the ground turkey, seasoned bread crumbs, carrots, zucchini, red onion, egg, and dried herbs to a bow and mixed it up. Next time I might try fresh herbs to kick it up a notch, but these dried herbs were still good. It didn't tak

365 days of blogging…am I out of my mind? I think so. Besides keeping my children and dog alive, I don’t think I’ve committed to anything consistently for longer than a few weeks. The challenge to myself is this. Rather than focus on monetizing a blog with zero content, or content that doesn’t really feel like it has a purpose to me, I’ll use this blog for something good. Stretching my creative muscle and helping me ease my daily anxieties with some writing about anything that I want because it’s my blog (and I can if I want to).  I don't know what exactly I want this blog to focus on, but I gather within the next 365 days, the purpose will take shape...I'm excited to see what becomes of this. Ok well Day 1 was pretty was laid back and easy...tomorrow’s another story! 😂

I used to be obsessed with Pinterest...mmmm k I still am. I don't have as much time as I used to stalking the site, but last weekend we had a lazy Sunday and I was able to sneak in some Pinterest browsing. Here are a few pins I've been favouriting this week: My avocado toast game is strong...but not this strong! Adding that drizzle of balsamic vinegar and adding fresh basil...wow...next level! Pin/Source:   https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/833025262303906967/ We're counting down the weeks until our next vacation (Cuba here we come!) and I literally tracked down this cover up I saw on Pinterest...found on Amazon.ca and I'm seriously contemplating buying all the other colours it comes in too. Pin/Source: https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/374995106470202770/ Also, we had a bake sale at work a few weeks ago. Yup. Good old fashioned bake sale to raise money for an amazing cause. And someone (my new favourite person whoever you are) brought Hello Dolly bars. And holly-

I've always been a member of the "Resolutions are meant to be broken" camp and so I've wrapped them up in pretty new packaging, labelling them as goals, intentions, aspirations, pledge, promise, and my personal fave: purpose. But still, I always broke the new fancy packaging - usually by week 3, and sometimes, before I even started/attempted to start. Yet every year, on December 31, I find myself pouring over resolution hashtags on Instagram and Twitter, soaking in everyone's lists and imagining a world where I actually accomplished a legit goal. And this year is no exception. Here's to another year, another resolution! Like I've declared before (many many many times) this year I will commit to one thing, and one thing only. Getting healthy and in shape - once and for all. I promise to not set up unrealistic expectations about what "getting health and in shape" means. For me, it means losing 20 pounds and keeping it off. It means getting i