In a Funk

I'm getting sleepy so I'll make this one short: I'm in a bit of a boredom funk...still.  I'm not sure how or what I want to do but I need to do something. I'm so funked that I even, briefly, thought about going to Grimshaw for like a month to hang out with my Mom. Grimshaw.  Crazy!  When I came back into my sanity I remembered the millions of reasons why that would suck.  Anyhoo, I'll keep you posted on this.

P.S. I would also like to earn some extra money in a easy, non-sales, non-committed way so that I can go shopping more often and without guilt. Any ideas?

Coupon & Hair Challenges

Finding a great hair stylist that listens to you, knows your hair and has a similar style to your own is tough.  In my life, I have loved two stylists: one back in Grimshaw (who is probably no longer very current) and Megan in Red Deer. I found Megan six years ago and we had many lovely hair styles during those years (and a few flops looking back). While I enjoyed our time together, I was looking forward to a fresh relationship with someone local here in Leduc.  I still cherish Megan as a friend, but we were running out of hair ideas together...plus I didn't want a three hour round trip commute every time I needed a trim.

Tyler had bought a coupon book for Leduc & area businesses and it expires April 1. I was feeling in a real funk about my hair so decided to use the "free cut" coupon as a way to test out a new stylist. I asked her to keep my length in the front, clean up the back (I like an inverted bob which is short in the back and longer in the front) and was thinking about some bangs so asked for a semi-bang.  Well she cut AND styled my hair in 15 minutes.  That is not very long. I often don't like the way someone styles my hair so though I didn't like the way it looked I thought I could fix it by de-poufing it when I got home (a.k.a. straightening iron).  At home, I discovered she basically did the opposite of what I asked: too long and bulky in the back, too short in the front. My hair will grow back, but unfortunately for the stylist, she blew it and I won't be going back to her. As I stared at my botched cut and my 2 inches of graying roots I decided to use a box dye of brown.  A few hours later my cut still sucked and though I didn't have gray anymore (woo hoo!), my hair still looked bland.

I decided to go to a more trendy salon in town and get some streaks and see if they could fix my cut - no coupon this time.  Apparently I wasn't specific enough when I said streaks (I prefer more chunks of color than an all over look). Though it still looks better than my drab brown. She was able to somewhat fix my cut by thinning out the bulkiness and making it less round (though still too round for my tastes). She also gave me some real bangs as I opted to try those. Again, she styled it way unlike me - and she was a young thing. But I came home looking like a Grandma.  So I went into the bathroom again, straightened it, cut my bangs a little shorter and came out looking halfway decent. It's sad that I had 2 cuts and came out still unsatisfied but hopefully I'll fare better next time. I'll definitely go back to the same salon but I might try to get into a different stylist, one I was recommended to by another Mommy (who's hair I like).

The other coupon fiasco is one I had for a free manicure, coincidently at the same place as my first haircut. This was after I had my hair fixed so I conveniently wore a hat & I don't think she noticed - if she did, she didn't let on. The nail lady was different than the stylist so I thought I'd give her a shot. While she did take a little more time for me and I didn't feel rushed, the paint job was pretty pathetic.  Especially considering she's suppose to be a professional.  She missed the edges of my nails, only did one THIN coat, and it chipped pretty quickly after. She seemed nice enough but the whole salon had a negative energy that I didn't enjoy.  I'm not one to really go to get my nails painted but I do like to get pedicures sometimes and I wouldn't go there for that. Not a very relaxing atmosphere.

$pending Money (making up for lost time)

Our house is mainly laminate with the exception of our two bedrooms being carpet (as well as the basement but that is a whole other story).  Tyler & I aren't the biggest fans of carpet - even though I think it helps a home feel home-y, so it was on our To Do list to replace them somewhere down the line. The carpets looked relatively new and in good condition when we bought the place but when you get a closer look - well, they've seen better days. With Dexter's health being an issue recently, and my allergies bugging me I decided to ask my dad if he'd have some time in the near future to change out the carpets. He said he could do it on Easter weekend and then he did one better and said he could get us a deal on our flooring. We have to go look tomorrow, but chances are we will be able to afford some hardwood - which is pretty exciting. It makes sense to redo the whole upper floor for continuity, plus the laminate we have is kind of cheap & not well put in and it's only 450 square feet anyway. I'm also looking forward to being able to screw Dexter's subfloor down better as it is SUPER squeaky...making bedtime sneaking out so hard to do.

When my friend Diana came to visit a few weekends ago, I was showing her our place and I realized I am feeling pretty blah about it. I bit the bullet and finally picked a paint color out for our bedroom. I was stuck on the fact that we have blue bedding and brown furniture, thinking I had to pick one of those two colors to paint. But I got a little crazy and painted "Pinot Noir": a really pretty purple color on two walls. It's balanced by some beige walls. I feel it compliments the bedding and I also bought some purple curtains.  The whole effect is a bedroom that I now LOVE the look of, though I still want to find some lamps that add a little glitter to my room. I found some beautiful ones at Homesense but I'm not ready to pay that price yet.  Besides, I should try to savour this buying journey.

I also decided to jazz up my bathroom a little.  When we were at Kim's on the weekend, she had a really cute and bold shower curtain that was white with dark blue, apple green and turquoise circles on it. I liked it so much that I asked her where she got it (Zellers) and decided to go buy it for myself. I bought a co-ordinating bath mat and painted a small section of the wall a light blue color. I don't love the paint color but I do LOVE the curtain & mat. Perhaps I'll repaint the wall...we'll see as the bathroom will eventually get reno'd once we finally put our 2nd bathroom into the basement.

In case you're wondering, yes Tyler is freaking out about my spending spree.  It does sound a little crazy, but I did shop around and get some good deals. Plus all the stuff I did wasn't impulsive so much as it was something I've been thinking about for months but felt I couldn't do as we didn't have any income and I didn't want to risk spending our savings.  While Tyler just started work, we also got his tax return this week which was higher than normal with our moving expenses factored in, so we have a pretty good cushion again. Which feels SO good compared to worrying how long your savings is going to last :-)

For Dexter's room, we are thinking about stealing some of his closet space to make a hall closet (currently our towels are stored in our master walk in closet - & who wants their guests to see their laundry?). I'd love to get started on this but I'd probably electracute myself by sawing into a cord so I'll have to wait for Tyler's expertise. I would like to paint a castle on his wall as 1) I'm inspired by my friend Shannon's playroom & 2) I love castles. 

Toddlers: A Cesspool of Disease

My poor little man is pretty sick. He had a mild cough that I wasn't too concerned about for about a month when my mom watched him in early March.  His cough got pretty bad over the weekend so my mom really wanted me to book an appointment with my doctor. My doctor was not available on short notice so I took an appointment with another doctor that I don't really like (she doesn't inspire confidence in her diagnosis'). The female doctor told me is was likely environmental and prescribed an asthma like inhaler for him as well as telling us some other tips: don't use a humidifier as it can mix up the germs and dust in the room, clean all his clothes & bedding in ultra hot water and two rinse cycles, watch his contact with smokers (my mom and brother both smoke outside only, but the yuckiness still clings).  So after buying a $50 attachment for the inhaler, following her advice and also removing his crib bumpers just in case they were germy I saw minimal improvement. I decided to book an appointment with my regular doctor here in Leduc for a second opinion.

In the meantime, Tyler agreed to an air purifier salesman coming to do a pitch for us. We both liked what we heard but were hesitant over the price, even though the value seemed to be there: 5 year warranty, purifies up to 3000 square feet, air filter replaced and machine serviced annually for no extra charge for 25 years, and multiple uses of technology that made sense.  So after hesitating, the salesman called his boss and got us a better "deal" where we saved $700 and delayed any payment for 6 months (seeing as Tyler was still unemployed on this night). So we opted to try it as we had 10 days risk free. 

The first night we put it in Dexter's room and his coughing went down 95%!  I credit the machine, Tyler thinks it was a coincidence.  So when I got to see my doctor 3 days later I had less concern (though the cough hadn't disappeared entirely). He said any cough that lasts for more than 2 weeks warrants a chest x-ray, so he gave me the rec form and said to use it if the cough didn't improve.

It seemed to be okay until we came back from Tehya's birthday party.  Since then it has been horrible, so this morning we finally took Dexter to the hospital to get the x-ray.  I should find out more this week.  It probably wouldn't be so back if I could give him some cough syrup or something but it's tough when all you can use is Advil/Tylenol.

On top of that, he has had an on again, off again fever that may be related to his 18 month immunizations. Plus as of Wednesday he woke up with pink eye. Tyler took him to the doctor that night and got some eye drops only which have been so much fun to give (dripping with sarcasm). It has been four days and I haven't seen any improvements in his eyes. It looks like he has two black eyes and his eyes are all blood shot.  I tried to take a picture of him today as he looks like a little zombie but he wouldn't behave for the shot. 

With all that is going on with him, Dexter has been pretty cranky and hasn't been sleeping well.  Which means Mommy isn't sleeping well.  Hopefully he'll be on the mend soon.

Back to Normal?

Tyler is working again. That is mostly good news, especially since his job is in Nisku (about a 15 minute commute). The challenge is that he is on night shift.  He's only done two nights so far, but it could make life interesting. The bonuses are that 1) he has a local job - slim pickings right now, 2) he gets more awake time with Dexter with these hours, 3) there is a few extra dollars to be made doing the night shift.  The job is scheduled to go until July or possibly longer and he will most likely be on this shift the whole time.  It's kind of weird in that now his weekend doesn't really start until Saturday morning and now I have to try to hit the hay earlier.  It also means that during the week I am the one to put Dexter to bed at night, get up with him in the morning and put him down for his nap - all of which have their own challenges.  While Tyler was off work, we were alternating which was nice.

That being said it does give me the opportunity to build a better routine for Dexter and be more consistent as it will be just my way, as Tyler & I have a different way of doing things.  So far, Dexter & I have survived the additional time together and it should only get better once he is done being sick and we can go to our playdates again.

One thing that has already been tricky is that I have some "events" on the books for evenings that now I need to look for a sitter for: 2 book clubs, a cake decorating class (one night), and I'd like to go to a weekly meditation circle. Tomorrow night I have a meeting with my Mommy Group as I signed up to help co-ordinate events. My mom is coming down for a trip to Medicine Hat so hopefully she will be here in time to help me out. When I get back from the Hat I plan on trying a few teenaged sitters as I want someone who will get down on the floor and play with Dexter (so it's a benefit to him and not just to me). 

Losing my Voice

I have had a chest cold since Thursday but it wasn't until I woke up this morning (Sunday) that I totally lost my voice. My loudest effort is a whisper.

In some fabulous cosmic coincidence this was/is my horoscope for the day

"Life would be a lot easier if you could just discuss problems frankly. But recent efforts to talk things through have only made things worse. You should be selective about what you say. Telling other what they can't deal with achieves nothing."

Crystal

Detox Disappointment

After 3 days of monitored eating & drinking inwas really hoping to feel different. Perhaps fresher, more alert, more energy...just more alive basically. And to be honest I didn't. Kyla, told me that three days isn't very long & I shod try to stick with it. While these is partially true, I just don't see a benefit to doing something without a payoff & let's be honest, I thrive best on immediate payoffs.

This doesn't mean I'm throwing everything out the window. I definitely enjoyed eating more fresh fruit, but I don't crave raw veggies too often. I enjoy using hamburger for a few meals so that will be coming back. Instead if eliminating caffeine, pop & alcohol I will just be limiting it. I plan on continuing to opt for home meals rather than fast food by keepingthat goal at the forefront of my mind. I had some McDonalds yesterday & it just wasn't as satisfying as it was the week before (and it seemed to lack in flavor too) so I think I have the detox to thank for that. Now the key is to keep that in the forefront of my mind so I don get re-addicted.

Another positive is that i finally tried agave nectar, a more natural substitute for sugar, honey & other sweetners. While it has the same calories as honey (60 per 2 tablespoons), it is a lot sweeter so u don't use as much. I enjoyed the flavor & will be keeping it in my better eating tool belt.

I was also binging quite a lot on sugar snacks so I will continue to work on choosing more nutritious options more often. Like most addicts, I am trying to fill my "happiness hole" with non-authentic happiness things. I think I need to go back to my counsellong to re-sort out my life.

3 Day Hump

I was re-watching "Super Size Me" this weekend, a documentry about one healthy guy eating only McDonald's for 30 days and the effects it had on his health. His name is Morgan Spurlock and I personally think he is a genius film maker and also pretty hilarious. He made an off hand comment during the film about the "3 day hump". He said he experienced it with quitting smoking and then on this McDonald's experience where it's tough for the first 3 days but if you can get over that hump you're good to go. His comment, plus the re-iteration of the terrible effects of fast food inspired me to try a 3 (maybe 4) Day Detox.

My thinking here is that I am currently addicted to fast food and other junk food. And, no I am not using the word "addicted" loosely. On a Vegan exploring episode of Oprah's the Veganist said that people get legitimately addicted to fast food and when it is "threatened" to be taken away from them, they can experience anger, strong emotions and other similar behavior to drug addicts.  Fascinating and scary!

My detox method will be self made. I've done a little bit of research and I'm still in the drafting stages, but here's some of my plan.  I want to start on Friday and go to at least Sunday night but hopefully even Monday night (as then I'd offically be over the 3 day hump). During this time I have some events on my agenda but so far they keep me safely out of danger places such as coffee shops and food courts. I have to go shopping with Vanessa on Sunday but am leaving a fairly safe "Subway" open as an option for eating if necessary. I will make a list of all my good choices and hopefully come up with 3 full meals and snack ideas for each day ahead of time.  Oh, I should also mention that I will not be restricting portion size at all in the cleanse. My focus is simply on making quality choices and I'll worry about quantity later. I don't intend on doing any radical new recipes as I don't want to waste any food or take any chances, giving myself a chance to slip into old behavior. Tomorrow I am going to do the majority of my grocery shopping and preparing as much as possible, having all healthful snacks ready and visible. I hope to pre-cook my brown rice and anything else time consuming so that I am completely set-up for success. At this point I am not planning on taking any additional "cleansing" beverages or pills but I may decide to take some vitamins &/or some sort of herbal cleansing tea if I can find something like that, that doesn't seem disgusting. 

In addition, if its not too overwhelming, I would like to get in a bit of exercise each day and perhaps some meditating.

The end goal for me is to have this small but hopefully achievable success under my belt and get through those crazy cravings. I hope to feel cleansed, energetic and mentally lighter but stronger by the end of this sprint. In the past, I have really struggled with the whole "life style change" concept as it feels like you will be deprived FOREVER. Perhaps by applying this 3 day hump principle it will be more managable. In no way is this a "diet" and while it would be a bonus to lose weight, it is not my goal of this detox plan.  I simply want to feel full and satisfied with real, healthful food and hopefully lose the hold that junk/fast food has on me.  I'm not sure if I'll have time to blog after each individual day or if it'll have to wait for the end but I am really, honestly looking forward to it. Wish me luck!

Avoid foods:

-any fast food with the exception of sandwich type places.

-any kind of candy, chocolate, chips, etc & just plain sugar.

-beverages other than water & herbal tea.

-overly processed or packaged food.

-extras like mayo, butter, etc. I might not completely eliminate them but hope to at least keep them minimal.

-caffeine & alcohol.

YES foods:

-any fruit, fresh & frozen.

-any veggies, either raw or hopefully steamed. Trying to avoid frying.

-some lean protein choices such as fish, sirloin steak, chicken breast, unsalted nuts, and I'll try some beans.

-whole wheat choices such as brown rice and whole wheat toast.

-yogurt (full fat probiotic type. I personally don't believe in sugar substitutes).

-maybe some rice milk as I might try to makes some smoothies for breakfast.

-rice cakes and plain popcorn.

-chicken broth.

-non salt spices such as garlic, cinnamon, paprika, Mrs. Dash, etc.

Molely Molely Mole

I have had a "birthmark" or mole between my left shoulder and neck for as long as I can remember, but at my last physical my Red Deer doctor suggested I get it checked out as it is bigger than the end of a pen. Today was my appointment with the specialist in Edmonton. I was so proud of myself as I drove there alone, and found parking downtown and everything LOL Yeah, I still get a little anxiety being in busier section.

Anyway, the doctor lady looked at it for about 30 sections (discussed irregular shape, measured it) and said she'd recommend a biopsy. I said sure, since if the doctor recommends it, you might as well do it. I was pretty nervous to get the freezing needle and have them slice it off, but it turned out to be a breeze. We'll see if I still feel that way when the freezing comes out! LOL

She said two weeks for some results (as it could be cancerous) and that no news was good news. I made a reminder in my phone to call back as i don't want my results to fall through the cracks and be bad news, though I am extremely optimistic.   That's my exciting adventure of the day!

Fun & Functional App for your Smart Phone

I am all about trying to budget & being aware of your financial situation. But it can be SOOO time consuming reconsiling everything. I heard about an app on a talk show this week, installed it yesterday & think its great so far.  It's from http://www.mint.com/ (it was in my app store under mint.com).

The first step is that you add your debit card info (basically your internet banking info). Then the program can tap into your transactions. It starts a budget for you and you can personalize it. I started by adding all the appropriate categories & then categorizing the transactions it missed or was unable to categorize on its own. It's pretty smart on its own though. It knew Safeway was "Groceries" and that Reitmans was "Clothes" and WalMart was simply "Shopping".  I used the website via my computer to do all the budget stuff.

Anyhoo, then going forward, each transaction will automatically deduct itself from the appropriate categories. This is where the smart phone app comes in handy, you can see at a glance how your budget is doing that month. Very cool! 

Extra cool, the app is FREE!

This app can be as simple (as outlined about) or as detailed as you like (you can add credit cards, investments, goals, etc). You can also see graphs of your spending trends...so much geeky fun :-)