C'est L'Halloween, HEY!

It's coming! My favourite holiday of the year! Hallowe'en is drawing near, and for any of you out there that took French Immersion in the 80s, you'll remember this little dittie from Matt Maxwell's Comment Ca Va?

I'm telling you, if you don't have children already, get on the kiddie bus! What better way to humiliate your offspring than to dress them up as ridiculously as you can just to blackmail them in the future??? AWESOME!


Now, Hallowe'en is my fave day of the year, and it's not because I like to torment children, nor is it because I spent ages 16-18 sleeping in a coffin (for those of you who don't know this story - pretend like you didn't read that...), but it's because I love to open the door and see how all the kids in the area are dressed up. And NO, I don't mean those beastly teenagers, who wear their pyjamas as a costume (if they even bother dressing up at all!!!). I mean the little 4 and 5 year olds who are just grasping the concept that they can dress up in fun costumes and go door to door demanding candy. Can there be a better holiday? HONESTLY???


This year our neighbourhood tried something a little different. I came home on Thursday night to find a lovely little gift bag stuck in my door. In that bag there was a note, a picture of a ghost and 4 delicious chocolate bars .

The note read as follows:

YOU HAVE BEEN GHOSTED

Now it's your turn to "Ghost" two other people in your neighbourhood.

You should "ghost" these people within 2 days of receiving your treat.

Hang the ghost on your front door so that everyone can see that you have been "ghosted" and will not ghost you again.

This will also let you know who you can ghost.

Fill 2 bags with candy and treats. Copy this letter and the picture of the ghost twice. Include treats, letter and ghost in your bag of goodies for the neighbours that you choose.

After dark, and only with an adult, "ghost" 2 of your neighbours.

Do not let the person that you are "ghosting" see you, for it adds to the fun of it all. Place the treat bag on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and run!

It will be fun to see how many ghosts will appear in our neighbourhood by Hallowe'en.

Please keep it safe and enjoy.

Has the best day of the year just gotten BETTER? UM... YEAH! So last night me and my son went out "ghosting". I loved the novelty of it and my little guy thought it was awesome that he was allowed to ring peoples' doorbells over and over and over and over again, so it worked out! The only issue is that a two and a half year old sure drags you down when you're trying to make a break for it! I'm pretty sure we were caught red-handed on each of the drop-offs, but it made for some super fun! Anyway, I am ultra keen to see how many ghosts end up on neighbourhood doors before Sunday. I hope it spreads. It was a great idea, and an awesome way to get everyone in the area out and about! You all should try it too!

Now, as previously explained I love dressing up my children. And one of the MAJOR bonuses of sending my son to nursery school is that I can send him in his costume for the Hallowe'en party, right? WRONG-O!!!!!!! I emailed the teacher to find out what the deal was and was promptly told that there would be no costumes for the party. Not sure if it's because costumes are hot and get the kids uncomfortable, or if maybe my son is right and nursery school IS NOT FUN... You can't tell me it wasn't awesome to get dressed up in your costume and go to school? Remember the kindergarten parade????? C'mon! AS IF! Anyway, I'm totally bummed that it isn't going to happen this year for us...I mean him...and we're missing the annual Hallowe'en parade in my home town just so he can go to school (and get peeled off me...yes, he's still doing the ol' kicking and screaming at the nursery school's front door game. It's SO fun!).

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO in the literal and figurative sense.


Now to change the subject and discuss how many mini chocolate bars I've actually eaten this week...Here's the weigh-in:

Starting Weight: 148.8 lbs

Current Weight: 143.8 lbs

Goal Weight: 130 lbs

Dream Weight: 125 lbs

A tiny smidgen of progress but not enough. I think this coming week is gonna be a write-off for me too (not that I'm making excuses...BUT...I'm making excuses.) Anyway, a little weight off is better than none, right?

I'll leave you with some photos to get you in a spooktacular mood!

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN ONE AND ALL!

***Hallowe'en 2010 Photos to follow! ***

A Silent Night Would Truly Be A Holy Night!

There is something in the air this week, I can assure you of that (and yes, I do realize it's only Monday!!!!) I know I'm about to sound obnoxious, and I KNOW that most of you out there will think I'm a HUGE JERK for complaining about this...

BUT

My three and a half month old is driving me BANANAS! She (brace yourself...) slept through the night for 5 weeks straight up until Thanksgiving weekend and now she's out of control. She gives us grief when she goes to sleep and she wakes up 2, 3, 4 times a night. Yes...I know, that's what 3 month-olds do. I get it. But please understand my frustration when she did sleep through the night for 5 consecutive weeks. Okay. I know I'm spoiled. What three month old sleeps through the night??? But I can tell you this for sure. She WILL NOT DO IT ANYMORE! Last night was a doozy. We made the mistake of putting her to bed early (and when I mean early, I mean we put her to bed at 10 minutes to 9:00pm). This time, she went to bed without issue...and then the beast awoke. She started screaming and screaming. There was nothing I could do to settle her. I tried feeding her, but she was disinterested. My husband rocked her and bounced her and finally...she fell asleep...for one hour! And then she was up AGAIN! When she wasn't waking us up every hour and a half, it was my son who must've decided to get in on the action too (he was probably woken up by the racket she was making). Needless to say the adults in our household are very tired and at our wits end.

That's what lead us to the "crying out" attempt. Yes, I know...it's bloody early to let your baby cry it out. You don't have to tell me. But we had tried everything in our power and it was a last resort! So, she cried. And I winced. And she cried...Now, she only cried for 4 minutes...but as most moms know, 4 minutes of a screaming child is like an eternity. She fell asleep. And she slept. BUT only for two hours, and then cried again. So I fed her. And she slept. For an hour. And then my husband bounced her. And she slept...and so on and so forth.

So, what I'm trying to figure out is if it's too early to actually start sleep training the little one. I've completely given up on my preschooler. I've lived with his terrible sleep routine for this long, so I'm not going to even bother trying to work out a new schedule for him. Anyway, I know there are many schools of thought on sleep training. Most sleep doulas won't even speak to parents until their child is 4 months old. Other people say that a baby's stomach isn't big enough for them to truly sleep through the night until they're at least 6 months old (that's obviously a fallacy because mine had no issue up until now), then you have all of the sleep training books that say that you should start training them from birth. There's also the possibility that my little girl is just going through a growth spurt and, although she doesn't appear to be hungry, she really is and her empty belly is waking her up every few hours for a top up. But if that's the case, how long does one wait for this "so called" growth spurt to finish? And how do I know that this isn't becoming her new routine? What should I do?

Now, although you may not sympathize with my current plight, I'm sure you all can sympathize with the feeling one gets when they're sleep deprived. It makes you crazy! So, any advice you can send me would be greatly appreciated!

And to add to my unfortunate circumstances, after 2 successful weeks of nursery school drop-offs, this is the morning that my son decided he didn't really feel like going. He was psyched to go all morning, but once we walked up to the door and he saw his teacher, he changed his mind. I tried to talk some sense into him, telling him that he loved nursery school and all of his friends were going to be there to have fun with, but he grabbed me around the neck and wouldn't let go. It took both me and the teacher to pry him off, while other mothers walked by with understanding in their eyes. It just seems strange that he's never had an issue before today. The teacher assured me that she would call if there was any problem (and I haven't heard the phone ring...yet...). I'm just wondering if it's all a symptom of his lack of sleep last night. (At least that's what I'm hoping).

Please tell me this week is only going to get better?

Now for my weekly weight loss report:

Starting Weight: 148.8 lbs

Current Weight: 144.4 lbs

(Ugh! Not even a ounce lost this week. I guess it's my own fault for going gangbusters last week. Looks like I should be celebrating Thanksgiving more often!!!!)

Goal Weight: 130 lbs

Dream Weight: 125 lbs

Tonight is my first night back on Kickboxing after my tragic neck incident. Hopefully I don't puke! And hopefully my next week's weigh in will be a little more eventful than this one. Otherwise my Christmas dream is never going to happen.

PS - It looks like I'm not the only one suffering from this...but it also appears that there isn't a heck of a lot to be done about it either...Please click here to read an article about babies and their fickle sleep cycles

I'm Gonna Wash That Hair Right Outta My Hair

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! If you're like me, you spent the long weekend EATING, chatting and enjoying the AMAZING fall weather with family and friends. Thanksgiving is always a special time as fall is my favourite time of year. Putting on a sweater and jeans and walking outside with a slight cool breeze? Nothing beats it! Much better than sweating/freezing your butt off! (don't send me hate mail if you disagree...)

So, my hair is pretty long. Long enough that I can get away with washing it only once or twice a week (lucky for me, because my free time is few and far between these last three months!). Because I knew we were getting together with family over the long weekend, I thought it best for me (and the others - no one wants to sit beside the greasy-headed lady) to wash it before we set out for our trip to our Aunt's place. Now, I knew that at some point it was going to arrive...it happened a couple of months after my son was born and it blew my mind...so every time I wash my hair now, I wait with bated breath. And this time it happened. As I was rinsing the shampoo from my "locks", I pulled out a clump. Then I "repeated"...and I pulled out another clump. Then finally I applied and rinsed out the conditioner. CLUMP AGAIN!!!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen...The hair loss has begun! One of the only wonderful things about being pregnant (other than carrying your child, of course) is that you get beautiful, thick, glossy hair. It makes it look moderately okay when someone's holding it back while one's puking ones guts out with morning sickness. But of course, once the baby is born, everything goes south: the belly, the boobs, the hips, the thighs, the butt and of course, the MOP! As if we weren't punished enough...the powers that be thought to himself..."How do I make it worse?...Yes! The hair!"...Anyway, let the balding begin, I say. I mean, if Sinead O'Connor and Natalie Portman can do it, then I can certainly pull it off (YEAH RIGHT!!!!). With my luck, I'll look like this...

Anyway, there's not much I can do about it, other than just let it happen. I'll deal with the wisps that will find themselves at my hairline and tickle me CONSTANTLY. Those silly hairs that won't go in a ponytail and stick out like a sore thumb...Hopefully my husband won't kill me when he has to pull an entire head of hair from the drain. I'm trying my best to catch them before they get there, but I'd love a little understanding, okay?

Now, from one torture to another... This past week's weight loss progress:

Starting Weight: 148.8 lbs

Current Weight: 144.4 lbs

(Yes, I stepped on the scale THREE TIMES because I didn't believe it myself. I didn't do an ounce of exercise AND it was Thanksgiving weekend. I think someone was sending their good thin vibes to me...and whoever you are I thank you profusely. I can't guarantee that I can pull numbers like this again...! But this does give me hope that sooner than later I'll be able to wear pants that don't have elastic waists!)

Goal Weight: 130 lbs

Dream Weight: 125 lbs

So, with my neck back in order (thanks Balance Health Centre!) and no JUNK FOOD in my house (I ate the last ice cream sandwich last night) I'm hoping that this is only the beginning of my thinnification. Maybe I can hit my goal weight by Christmas??? Santa can you hear me???

School Daze

So, the day is finally here. My son is all grown up! Today was my little guy's first day of pre-school. Where does the time go????? My husband and I have been prepping him for the past couple of weeks talking about nursery school and reading him stories about first days and such. I think we did a pretty good job of making it seem like a lot of fun. He was very excited to start, and even had a little trouble sleeping last night (nothing like a 4am wake up cry begging to go to nursery school!). The fear, of course, is that one preps their child for this first experience and once they walk into the classroom, even the most independent child becomes a stage one clinger, so I was very, VERY wary as we entered the room.

We were even warned by some parents exiting the building that there were lots of T-E-A-R-S. I got my camera out and snapped a shot for the photo album before we got in (just in case). As soon as we entered, the teachers were there to greet us. He has his own hook with his little name and photo above it. He ripped off his jacket and started in...but then hesitated. "Uh-oh", I thought to myself. He grabbed my husband's arm and said "Daddy come too?"...but my husband and I both said, "we've gotta go home, but we'll be back soon." My son said "Later!" and ran off to play. EASY PEASY! Phew! Now, of course, knowing that my husband is abandoning me for work, I will be on my own for the dreaded pick-up. I wonder how many tears will be shed when I have to drag him away from the toys and the sand box. I'm crossing my fingers that it will be an easy transfer...but I'm not convinced that will be the case! Here's to hoping, right?

This past week has been a challenge to say the least. It started off swimmingly. My friend and I had our first kickboxing class and it was exhilarating! The teacher was just as I remembered him: EVIL. There were points where I couldn't continue, but he pushed...there were points where I thought I was going to faint, but he pushed...and there was even a point where I wanted to puke (but didn't!). When I got home I wanted to die, but I also wanted to go back and do it again. Then Tuesday night I had a date with Jillian, and although she didn't kick my butt, she still worked me hard. I weighed myself on Wednesday and lost a whopping one and a half pounds!!! IN TWO DAYS! Then, trouble hit. Over the past month my neck has been bugging me like CRAZY. I blamed it on poor breastfeeding positioning. I went to my chiropractor and she made it all better. Instantly! But when I woke up on Wednesday I felt a little bit funny. By Friday I could barely move my head from side to side. Saturday morning I woke my husband up crying because I was completely paralyzed. I couldn't move an inch. Thankfully, he was able to help out around the house on Friday (by coming home early), and did most of the work around the house on Saturday and Sunday to give me a bit of a break. That being said...all I did was sit (or lie down) and EAT. And no exercise and lots of eating makes me a fat girl.

Here is this week's progress (if we can call it that...)

Starting Weight: 148.8 lbs

Current Weight: 148.2 lbs (yes, the same as last week. So much for losing all that weight only to gain it back in three days! UGH!)

Goal Weight: 130 lbs

Dream Weight: 125 lbs

So, looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me. Unfortunately I'm still in excruciating pain, so I have to skip tonight's kickboxing class. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I, do, however, have an appointment with my chiropractor again tomorrow, so I'm hoping that I'll be back to my "workouts" by tomorrow night and I can catch up with my Jillian Michaels DVDs.

Again, I'm hoping that my neck gives me a bit of a break (in the non-literal sense) so my ass can shrink a little more...But I do know this...Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and although it is a time to be thankful for what we have in life, I also know it's a time to EAT and SIT, um...and did I mention EAT? So I've got to make a point this weekend, to keep my portion sizes down and try my best to be as active as I can. At this point, all I can hope for is that I don't GAIN weight for next week's weigh in...Wish me luck!