five on friday

This week my Dad had to spend a few unexpected nights in the hospital and it got me thinking how thankful I am that I have a spunky, board short wearing, and for the most part, healthy Dad.  My Dad is unique and like no other and today I dedicate my five on friday to him.

{one} My Dad has a unique sence of style.  He likes bright clothes.  Not just bright, but the brightest ones you can find.  Common colors to see my Dad wearing are orange and yellow.  It is often not uncommon to find him shirtless.  He has a pool in his backyard and he spends most of his time in the yard without a shirt.

{two}  Dad is a great shopper.  I don't mean shopping in the usual sense.  He is surrounded by a lot of woman, so he has a very defined role when we go to the mall.  He is the bag holder.  He stays in the hall and carries the purchases for all of us.  Trust me, this can be a big job.  Once there are to many bags to hold, he brings them to the car.  As a reward, at the end of the shopping trip, there is always Cinzeo cinnamon buns purchased and consumed.  I have to make sure I have lots of milk on hand as well since, according to my Dad, the cinnamon buns must be consumed with milk.

{three} My Dad is passionate about potatoes.  For real.  Thanksgiving at our house has been a tradition for the past several years and in year 2 I didn't hear the end about the potatoes I bought to mash for turkey dinner.  Apparently, red potatoes are the only ones you buy for mashing and he knew this because my Grandpa was a potato farmer.  I learned my lesson and now I only buy red for mashing.  Thanks for the tip Dad!

In the kitchen making sure the potatoes are perfect!

{four}  My Dad calls me, even when I forget to call him.  Before kids I was often the one to call and would remember that it had been a while since our last chat.  Now my Dad is generally the one to pick up the call and phone me.  If he calls a few times and I don't answer, because I never check the caller ID on the house phone, he texts my sisters to see if they have talked to me.

Putting together Grady's baby swing

{five}  My Dad is great grandpa.  He will do anything the kids ask him.  He has hot tubbed in the dead of winter, swam on a cool summer day, snow blown a rink at the lake, played goalie while the kids shot on him, and most important, shared his cinnamon buns.  Seeing my Dad with my kids has allowed me to see him in a different light.

This is one of my all time favorite photos.  Notice the bright orange shirt.

Here they are in the hot tub on a frigidly cold December day.  No one else was brave enough to ventrue out.  We watched from the window.

 I love you Dad!

What's up Wednesday

What's up Wednesday?  It's hump day, and I don't know about you, but I'm already for this week to be over!  What have we  been up to lately, well let me tell you.

What we are eating this week... Lots and lots of Mexican food. I adapted many recipes to come up with one that James and I love for a 'mexican' chicken.  I throw the following ingredients in the slow cooker in the order listed:  layer of salsa, chicken breast, pkg taco seasoning, can of corn (drained), can of black beans (rinsed), top with salsa.  We eat it in fajitas topped with cheese and jalapeños.  I love this recipe because it is also great as leftovers heated up in the oven the next day....

What I'm reminiscing about.... Is it odd I rarely reminisce. Unless I look at photo albums but who had time for that?

What I'm loving... the mild winter.  It has been a great winter for being outside, especially since we have the backyard rink this year.  It may even be to warm for James liking some days as the rink has started to melt on more than one occasion.

What we've been up to....   I don't think it comes as any surprise when I see we have been at the rink our fair share this month.  When we aren't at hockey, the kids are out in the back on the rink or playing mini sticks in the basement.

What I'm dreading....  Another busy week at work.

What I'm working on.....  Catching up on Scandal.  I am almost caught up with the season that is starting on Feb 11.  I love love LOVE that show.  When I am done I am moving on to Gilmore Girls.  I love having a show to watch when I exercise.  It makes me want to exercise!

What I'm excited about.... I'm looking forward to a few few trips coming up.  One involves snow and one involves sand!

What I'm watching/reading.....  I've already mentioned scandal many times so we'll bypass that.  I just stared the new Nicholas Sparks book called The Choice.  I'm only 2 pages in so too early to say what I think, but I've heard good things and it is coming out as a movie in Feb.

What I'm listening to....  I'm loving the Biebs, in particular Love Yourself.   Embarrassing, i know.

What I'm wearing...... When this shirt comes up in my closet rotation I am never excited.  I tried tucking it into a pencil skirt and I liked it way more than usual.  It survived this cycle!  I have 2 shirts in the past 2 weeks that haven't....

What I'm doing this weekend.....  Outside of hockey our weekend is pretty wide open.  I'm trying to schedule some play dates for the kids but other than that, I hope there will be some wine and relaxing coming my way.

What am I looking forward to next month... Our long weekend to white fish is next month and I'm super pumped since I've never been there but also, I'm dreading the 5 hour drive....  While one may think we are going to ski, we are actually going for a hockey tournament.  Our very first away tourney.  I've heard they are as much fun for the parents as they are for the kids, fingers crossed!

Another What's Up Wednesday completed.

My thoughts on.... Spin

Spinning.  Defined as Indoor cycling, as an organized activity, is a form of exercise with classes focusing on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity (race days) and recovery, and involves using a special stationary exercise bicycle with a weighted flywheel in a classroom setting.

There is just something about spin that is addicting.  It is that feeling you get after the hardest workout.  The one that leaves you dripping in sweat and feeling like you walked out a little stronger than when you walked in.  It is certainly not the class itself.

Spin is hard.  I don't really look forward to it per se.  But, I do look forward to that feeling when I am done. I absolutely love the feeling of sweat dripping of my nose and chin and running down my back.  Yes, you get that sweaty.

The best part is that it is something that James and I enjoy doing it together.  For over a year now, Monday night is spin night at our house.  We don't book anything on Mondays as it is insinuated that we will be spinning.  The kids even know that Monday is exercise night.  It works for us.  The couple that spins together stays together, non?

It wasn't love at first ride.  For either of us.  The first time I went to spin I worked so hard in the first song that I could taste blood. For real.  James when once with me ages ago and then didn't go again until about 18 months ago and we've been going weekly ever since.  I think spin is an acquired taste.  You start out hating it.  Then you try again and don't hate is as much.  Eventually you realize you want to go to spin class.  Then you become addicted.

There are a few things that make spin a bit more enjoyable.

This happens to me multiple times each class

1.  First and foremost, don't give it your all in your first class and especially not the first song.  For your first spin, focus on getting to know the bike and following the directions.  It will be a great workout even if you don't taste blood after the first song.  i promise.

2.  Find a workout buddy.  Every think is better when you have a friend.

3.  Find and wear your wildest workout wear.  Bright color, printed pants, backless tanks, everything goes.  There are things that I wear to spin that I would never wear to the gym or to regular classes.

4.  Wear a headband.  When I say you will be dripping in sweat, I am not kidding.  You will want to have something holding your hair back.  Some people with short hair actually wear hats to hold their back.  I use the claw clips that were popular in the 90s.  I promise I only wear them for spin, not in public!

5.  Find a teacher you like.  For me that is one where I like the music.  For the most part, spin is a lot of techno and songs I don't know. Our Monday night instructor has some of that, but also a lot of top 40, and event the odd 80s song.  When I know a song and can sing along, I work harder and have more fun.

I should also mention that going to spin at the gym is a far different experience than going to a spin studio.  A studio costs more but I think it is also more enjoyable.  The room is dark, the music is loud, and the room is full, the energy is high.

For me, fitness has always been about finding exercise that you enjoy.  If you like what you are doing, you are more likely to go.  In this case, I like the way I feel after.  Same thing.

Now go out and find a spin class near you.  You won't regret it!

five on friday

{one} It has been one heck of a week.  I am swamped at work.  It is to be expected given I am an accountant that does financial statements for a living.  But it really slaps you in the face when you come back from 2 weeks off at  Christmas to the busiest month of the year.  Over half way there....

{two}  I took the time this week to get caught up on The Bachelor.  I'm still binge watching Scandal so I am finding it hard to watch anything else.  I am nearing the half way point in the 4th season, I find myself wanting to slow down so the 'crack' can last longer.  So... when James was out I watched the first 2 episodes of The Bachelor.  For the record, I read the spoilers.  Some would say there is no point to watching if you know who he picks, but I like watching knowing who wins.  I look at the interactions between the lead and the woman totally different when I know who wins.

{three}  My reading is down this month as well.  I read Winter Street and Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand and loved them both.  I did not know it was a trilogy so now have to wait a year to read the third.  I also read Home Front by Kristen Hannah. It was only OK.  I was intrigued enough that I read it to the end but I found it predictable and I am rarely able to predict a book.  Next up is Inside the O'Briens.  It involves a family where one member is diagnosed with Huntington disease.  I can't wait to pick it up from the library and dive right into it over the weekend!

{four}  I started drinking a shake for breakfast instead of my trusty All Bran Cereal about 6 months ago.  Most recently, i was getting a bit bored with them.  This week I switched from a green smoothie to a peanut butter smoothie, and wow, it tastes good.  Different, but good.  The recipe I found is super simple

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

1 scoop of peanut butter (I aim for 2 table spoons, but don't really measure)

1 cup of ice

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1 tbsp of ground flax seed

I talked to my trainer about it because I thought that maybe it wasn't the healthiest of shakes and he thought it was good.  I just thought that it needed a bit of greens but we both agreed that spinach and PB doesn't really go together!

{five}  I am working my first five day week in a really long time.  I know, I know, you don't feel sorry for me.  I'm just not used to it.  Monday is my usual day off and I worked it in anticipation of having Friday off.  I did not meet my deadline, so back to work for a 5th day.  Sigh...  There will wine tonight, oh yes, there will be wine. 

Closet Rotation

Do you ever struggle with what to wear each morning?  I don't.  I am about to tell you my little secret...

Let's start with closet organization.  Everyone has a different way of organizing, whether it be by season, by color, or by sleeve length.  I organize mine by type.  I keep all my pants together, followed by my skirts, my shirts, then finally my dresses.  This is key to choosing my outfit.

I always choose my outfit the night before.  Let's be honest, I don't have time to ponder what to wear in the morning when I need to be up and out by 6:40 am in the morning!  When I choose my outfit, I start with the left hand side of my shirts and I must choose a shirt within 3 shirts from the left hand side.  With that shirt I can choose any bottom or sweater/blazer to add to the outfit.  Easy Peasy.  After I wear the item, I put it to the right hand side of the closet to wait its turn in the rotation, which generally is a few weeks.

If I choose to skip a shirt for more than a week, it goes in the recycle bin.

Just the other day, I wore a shirt that I don't love.  I skipped it for almost a week then when I finally wore it I wasn't digging it, so I put it in the donation bin.  I have a closet full of clothes that I love and make me feel good, why would I keep a shirt that is only so-so?

I follow this mostly to a tee, but there are a few times I allow myself to break the rules.

1. When a casual shirt comes up on a work day.  I generally pull it out to wear on the next weekend or casual.

2.  If it is a new shirt, I don't put it all the way to the right, I throw it in the middle somewhere so I get to wear it again sooner.

3.  If I am on a second outfit of the day, i,e. going out with my friends for dinner or a date night with my hubby, I can choose anything I want, this is how the favourites get worn more than the rotation dictates!

4.   Once every week or two I wear a dress or choose a skirt that I haven't worn in a bit.

5.  I am much better at following the rules in the winter, in the summer I wear mostly skirts and dresses and the rotation keeps a hit

I've told a few people about my closet rotation and most think I'm crazy and can't believe I follow such a rigid pattern.  But for me, it makes life easier.  I decide from 3 shirts instead of 30.  My closet is beyond small so if I don't wear something I want to get rid of it to make room for the new. This is an easy way for me to identify the items in my closet that need to get donated.

Try it for a week and see if you like it.  Or come back and tell me how crazy I am for letting a rotation dictate what I wear!

How do YOU decide what to wear each morning?

Daily Style Finds: What to Wear series

Lisa is a regular contributor of the Blended Blog and I've gotten to know her and her great sense of style over at her blog, Daily Style Finds, over the past year. Lisa is embarking on a new journey this year and is starting a new series that takes 15 pieces and mixes them into 20 different outfits. I have no doubt that it will be superb! If you are interested in reading more about her series keep reading and 5 lucky readers will get to the series for FREE!

Find out a little bit more about Lisa by clicking here.

In Lisa's own words, here is a some information on her new series:
Do you need some style inspiration this winter? Do you want to get to know other women - and share in some fashion fun?

Join a new series called DAILY STYLE FINDS: WHAT TO WEAR.

 Daily Style Finds: What to Wear will show you how with only 15 wardrobe essential pieces (the ones all women should have in their closet) - you can create 20 stylish, on-trend head-to-toe looks. Each of the 20 looks will be presented in a stylish format, along with some beauty suggestions. And so this meets everyone’s needs, you will be provided with both casual and work/professional options, so that each look works for all lifestyles.

In addition, as women, we like to seek inspiration and input from others - so as a participant, you will have access to an exclusive Daily Style Finds: What to Wear online community where you can ask style questions, share what you are wearing, and find more style inspiration.

 You can get this for FREE if you are one of the first 5 readers to sign-up using the discount code (Code: rsquared). In addition, for all that register, you will have a chance to win $50 PayPal cash or a $50 Nordstrom Gift Card. If you are not quick enough to grab one of the first spots, you can still register for only $9.95.

 The ultimate goal of the series is to help you feel more confident, save time figuring out what to wear each day, and shop more wisely. And, of course, have FUN in the process.

Click HERE to register. Registration begins January 19, and the series will begin on February 1. This is sure to be a fun, new, and stylish adventure!

five on friday

{one}  Lets start with my lack of blogging this week. Unless you want to hear about the Esso Minor Hockey Week tournament, I don't have much to say. Our team lost out in the semi finals against our rival team from our association. Tough loss for our kids, but somehow it seemed tougher on the parents.  We lost our first 3 games of the season to them and then the last 2 times we've played them we've won.  This week was not one of them.  They've gone on to the final while we've been eliminated.  It was good for them after not losing a game since October.  It would have been better if they lost a game after the tournament. Oh well.  It was super exciting as that was our first tourney this season, three to go, starting with Whitefish next month!  Go Wolves!

{two}  I was overwhelmed by how many people wanted to talk lipstick last week.  I got lots of great tips and on a whim decided to splurge and try the Stilla eyeliner that has been recommended more than once online and by my IRL friends. So far, so good!  The first time I practised was after I had consumed half a bottle of wine with a girlfriend.  As I was getting ready for bed that night, the same day I purchased the eye liner, I decided to give it a try.  Even after wine I still got the eyeliner on no problem!  I was terribly scared of the liquid liner but the reviews are right - it is the best.  Even the lady at the cosmetic counter said it was a hot seller and they had trouble keeping it on the shelf.  My line is by no means perfect, but I'll keep practising!

{three} This weekend is all about hosting.  We are having 2 dinner dates with our friends and their kids and are hosting our weekly family dinner with James' family.  What to serve, what to serve....  I am the first to admit I am no gourmet chef, but I do like to cook and try new recipes.  So far, I have Friday and Saturday menus set and am trying 3 new recipes.  Fingers crossed that they are tasty.  If not, there is always dessert, right?

Maple glazed Carrots

Curried Quinoa

Baked Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedges

(Stacey, you will get to eat the first 2 and Sandra, you get the last recipe).

{four}  While I have embraced the fact that brown and black go together, I still struggle with navy and black.  Realistically, they are both neutrals so they should go together, but I feel like they are almost to similar that it looks like you may have gotten dressed in the dark.  Today I deliberately wore the 2 colors together and I kind of liked it.

{five} A few months ago, my morning radio station station started a program called Blown Off every Tuesday morning.  Essentially, someone calls in and tells a story about how they were blown off by a date and they tell why they think they are being 'blown off'.  Then... they call the person and ask about the date before that person knows the person they've blown off is on the phone.  It is hilarious and I look forward to it each week.  Some of the reasons that the callers have been blown off have been so bad that I wonder if it was staged.  The one this week got a tattoo of the girls name after only a week of dating and dropped the L bomb while on the air. Another week it was a guy that had given his sister a long kiss on the lips good bye.  Another guy parked in a handicap stall with his Grandma's pass on his first date.  The list goes on and on. Are these people for read??  Nothing like a good laugh first thing in the morning.  You can listen to the calls here.

Happy Friday!

My thoughts on.... Kindergarten Registration

Today is Kindergarten registration day for my baby.  He turned 5 in November and is beyond ready for Kindergarten.  For various reasons, we opted to have Cooper start Kindergarten when he was 5 instead of when he was 4.  It was a hard decision.  You can read about it here.

Cooper has had a rough go this year.  He misses his friends from last year.  A lot.  The ironic thing is that even if he would have gone on to Kinder this year like his friends, none of them were going to be at the same school. Try explaining that to a 4 year old.  Cooper still talks about his Kinder friends (as he calls them) and we have occasional play dates and still go to their birthday parties.  It was a great group of kids.

This year, he has made some new friends but hasn't built the same friendships with these boys.  We've had one over and I can actually tell the age difference.  I didn't expect and maybe it is in my head because I know there is an age gap, but the age gap with these boys is the same as his friends from last year.

The night before school started after Christmas break, Cooper and I were laying in bed and he told me he didn't want to go back to preschool. He wanted to go to Kindergarten.  I had to tell him he couldn't go to preschool yet, again.  It turns out that he thought that he was starting preschool again with a whole new group of friends and i reassured him that it would be the same kids and he accepted that.

On to registration.  I am so excited to register him.  I know that nothing will change but I love being able to tell him that we are registering and reminding him that his day will come.

It feels like I just want the year to end so that Cooper can start his many years of schooling and meet his 'forever' friends. The one he gets to go to school with for the years to come.  In the back of my head i know that he will never remember this year and how he always tells me that he doesn't want to go to preschool.  He is not going to remember that.  The moment he steps into his Kinder class room, his third year of preschool will be forgotten by him.  For me, not so much, but I remind myself that his time come.

In 9 months, we will walk him into the 'big' school as a boy more than ready to succeed and ready to make new friends.  Cooper and I will be over the moon that the day had finally arrived.  There will only be happy tears for this Momma as she watches her baby walk into the school.  Until then, we continue to nurture his preschool friendships and make the best of the year before he starts Kindergarten.

five on friday

{one}  Last night we did our first post Christmas spin class and it was intense.  I'm not sure if it was because it was a different instructor or because I hadn't done a class in over 2 week.  Yikes!  I'm gonna feel it tomorrow.

{two} Did I mention I am addicted to Scandal thanks to a recommendation from my friend Gina. I am getting nothing done.  Well... sometimes I walk on the treadmill while I watch it or even run if I am ambitious.  I have never binge watched a show on my own, usually James and I do it together.  I may feel a bit guilty when I put the kids to bed and run to the laptop to catch an episode, but I'm pretty sure James is surviving.  My next show I'm going to watch is The Affair, also recommended by Gina.

{three}  As much as I loved my two week break, it felt good to get back into routine with my food, exercise, and even just putting on pants that don't have an elastic waist.  I dreaded going to work and had a horrible sleep the night before, but in the end, it was good for me.


{four} After a few years of telling the kids he would put a rink in the backyard, he actually did it this year.  It was spur of the moment over the holidays and after a few trips to Rona, snapping one hose, and a few days of cold weather we have a rink!  It takes up the entire backyard so the kids can actually play a little hockey back there.   I'm really proud of him and the kids love it!

He also bought a flood light.  Notice it is dark outside.

{five}  After my lipstick post got so many hits on Monday, I thought I'd also tell you about my new favorite nylons.  Let me tell you it wasn't only me that loved them.  Several of my coworkers and even a stranger at the gym told me how great they looked.  They are nude with a shimmer.  I can't even explain it but they make my legs look like they have a golden tan. They were $8.99 at Shopper's Drug Mart.  If I find them again I am buying 5 pairs!

Happy Friday!

December in Numbers

Today I'm linking up with Deena @ Shoes to Shiraz to talk numbers.  December was a good month.  Busy but good.

This month we had 18 hockey practices games in 23 days.  We took the holidays off of hockey and focuses our time on other things.  Like xbox.

Our house was overtaken by Minecraft.  The kids get 60 minutes of game time on their new xbox each day they have no school.  Not to mention the 7 figures or more they were gifted and the 1023 pieces of Minecraft lego in the form of gifts.

December brought our last game of the year for Grady and one recipient of the heart and hustle hat.  I was one proud mama.  He got 2 goals that game... playing defence!

December was also the month that James and I got our fitbits.  I hit my personal record of 18,378 steps on Jan 2.  But we'll just pretend it was in December.  This week I've averaged about 14,000 steps a day with the help of a daily run or walk. I was motivated after a week of averaging 5,000 steps while we were away to step it up when we got home.

Our month was full of Christmas parties.  We had 2 corporate parties, one children's party and a few holiday dinners.

This was one photo from my corporate party.  I may have consumed 7 (or more) glasses of red wine and suffered from a minor hangover the next day, I am no angel.

Cooper had his first hockey game and his first 2 game goals.  They also had a visitor on the ice from the big red guy.  The players became his 12 reindeer.

Since James' family was headed to Palm Springs for Christmas, the 7 of us celebrated an early Christmas.  It took 4 attempts before we got a decent one using the self timer since I forgot my selfie stick.

We had 2 trips to the doctor with a bad rash for Grady.  It turned out he had an infection that we suspect was caused by not airing out his hockey equipment after each game.  It isn't that I didn't know we should be airing it out... it was just laziness and lack of space.  We welcomed this equipment tree to our family to air out his 15 pieces of equipment between games.  Thankfully, the infection was cleared up after 10 days and the application of 2 creams twice a day.

The kids and Jasmin hosted a Christmas parties for the 4 neighbourhood kids and their 3 nannies.  They did a gift exchange and had a talent contest. I am so happy with how close these 6 kids have become over the last few years.

I've watched season one of Scandal and 17 episodes of season 2 of Scandal.  I'm hooked.  I can't stop watching.  If I calculate correctly, that is about 1,040 minutes or 17 hours of TV watching since December 19 when I watched the first episode.  The good news is many of those hours have been watched from the comfort of my treadmill.  It that doesn't' motivate me to exercise, I don't know what will!

37 Beverages.  Honestly, there have been countless 'beverages' this month.  From wine to cocktails to beer, you name it, I drank it.  Let's just say that I consumed at least one drink every day since my first day of vacation on the 23rd.  But who can say no to a cocktail that looks so pretty.  Good work Sheila!

The flow of presents for the kids seemed to be endless... I kid you not they got 15 presents each.  Every where we went there seemed to be one or two presents to open.  They are lucky to have so many people that love them.  Minecraft and Pokemon were the big ticket items at our house this season.

I tobogganed 6 times this month.  That is more than I care to admit.  But with the addition of the fitbit, it sure helped me add 3000 steps per outing and up to 50 flights of stairs.  I don't just watch when the kids go, I sled to!  It was the only exercise my body got when we were away with a hill right across the street from my moms place!

December was a good month.  A very good month.  I was a naughty elf this month so January we are back to getting healthy, consuming less wine, getting more steps, and finding white space on my calendar.  Wish me luck.

New Year, New Lipstick

Today is the first Monday after Christmas holidays.  The eating, drinking and sleeping in is over and life returns to normal....  Boo.

Today we are keeping it light and talking lipstick over on The Blended Blog.  Check out my most favorite ever lipstick brand and colors I love.