Mind & Body 4 Months Postpartum

This is a vulnerable post. This is where I'm going to talk about what my postpartum journey has been like. It's raw, honest and real. Sometimes I don't think this part of pregnancy and motherhood is talked about enough. And with social media nowadays, it's mostly the pretty and curated that is shared. Not that I don't too share that, or enjoy seeing those photos in my feed, I just think it's important to recognize and appreciate all aspects of the postpartum process, not just the beautiful baby that is the result of one's pregnancy.

I don't often talk about my physical appearance. I've never publicly shown "before and after" photos. While I don't completely refrain from posting photos of myself, I don't like to draw attention to my body either. But I try to remember where I've come from and where my journey is taking me.

Pregnancy is hard on your body. You grow and change shape, all while nourishing a little human being inside of you for ten months. Just when you think your belly cannot possibly get any bigger, it does. Everything you do, including breathing, becomes uncomfortable and it's hard to imagine that you will ever feel "normal" again.

But then one day, that little baby finally decides to vacate it's premises and all of a sudden you're not pregnant anymore. It's a really surreal feeling to go from pregnant one minute, to not pregnant the next. Your breasts are larger than ever, and mostly likely becoming engorged. Your belly, while flatter than you're used to, still resembles something like a 6 month belly bump, except it's soft and lumpy, not nice and round. Your muscles are soft and you will experience uterine contractions that rival any menstrual cramp you've ever had. Going poop will be a terrifying experience for the first several days. And you will bleed enough over the next few weeks to make you think you are making up for ten months of no periods.

And if you've had a c-section, like I did, then you can add healing of your incision, numbness and pain to the list. And don't forget that you can't pick up anything over 15 pounds, or drive, for the next 6 weeks.

My recovery this time around was a completely different experience than my first c-section. My pain was better managed, my milk came in right away, and my bowels woke up much quicker. I was up walking with assistance less than 12 hours after my surgery. I felt 100x better than I did after my first delivery and I was home 3 days later. I haven't experienced any baby blues this time around and I have more energy and motivation as well. Mentally, I feel fantastic.

Around 7 weeks postpartum, I remember thinking that the incisional pain/tingling/numbness was never going to go away. I was still periodically getting weird twinges and was very aware of my incision. But then, just like that, I woke up one morning and all those weird physical feelings were gone. It was also around this time that I finally felt ready to embark on my postpartum fitness journey, and at 8 weeks postpartum, I was cleared to resume all regular activities and exercise. But being cleared and actually resuming an active lifestyle are two different things. I've dabbled in the odd workout, but I've been unable to stick to any sort of routine.

I'm not happy with what I see when I look in the mirror. I am beyond happy with what my body has provided me with - another child - and I marvel at the true miracle of childbirth and I will always be thankful and grateful for what my body has given me, but no, I'm not happy with the extra 25 pounds I'm carrying, I'm not happy that nothing in my closet fits, that maternity clothes are more comfortable than regular clothes, that my breasts are larger than they ever have been, and that I'm self-concisous of the extra rolls around my mid-section.

I truly believe you can love your body but also not like what you see. And I'm also realistic. I know I just had a baby. I know it took ten months to grow and nurture my daughter in utero. I know I'm beyond lucky that breastfeeding is easy for me. And I know that it takes kindness, patience and time to get my body back to a place I want it to be at. But it's also hard not to want it "right now!". And I'm also finding it hard to motivate myself to work on that better version of myself. Taking care of a toddler and a small baby is exhausting. I'm not in a place where I want to get up early to workout and I definitely don't want to in the evenings. And during the day, well, I'm just trying to keep everyone alive and fed.

I also know that this is just the season of life for me right now. My baby won't always be as needy, my son will soon start pre-school, I will get more sleep at night, my breasts will change as the demand for my milk changes, and I will figure out a way, hopefully, to somewhat balance motherhood and the need for self-care. Because my babies are worth it. Because I'm worth it.

*I took these pictures 2 months ago when I was 10 weeks post partum, but I'm pretty sure I look the same today.

Currently // April

Hello, from Florida!

If you don't follow me on Instagram (but why not? you really should!), then you probably don't know that we're currently vacationing in Florida right now! Even though I was really organized leading up to us leaving last week, I was also super busy getting ready for the trip, plus mommying and the posts I had hoped to have posted before we left never happened. I don't generally blog much when we go on holidays, but since it's been awhile since my last post, I thought I'd share a little currently post - Florida edition!

Enjoying: just being. My in-laws place in Florida is so relaxing, it's hot out, and I'm just enjoying waking up every morning with my family and not having an agenda. We've been down to Florida many times, and we plan to return many more, so we never feel this urge to have to do and see everything while we are here. This family vacation is exactly what I have been needing!

Reading: Forever, Interrupted, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I started this on the plane and read almost 150 pages. I haven't picked it back up since we got here, even though it hooked me from page one and had me crying by page two. I'm just having a serious problem with picking up a book these days. Even Jim commented the other day on how he hasn't seen me read in weeks. That's because I haven't been, I told him. I can't even call it a reading slump, I'm just not in the mood.

Listening To: nothing. So, I downloaded a whole whack of podcasts for the plane rides, only to get my phone out during the flight and realizing that you need that dumb headphones connector for the iPhone 7! Ugh, never have I been so annoyed at Apple in my life! I looked at TJ Maxx here for a connector, but they didn't have any. If I make it back to Target before we leave, I will look there, but it seriously annoys me to buy something that I already have at home! These are the Podcasts I was hoping to listen to: The Minimalists, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, and That's So Maven.

Eating: all of the food from Trader Joe's! There's a Trader Joe's in Sarasota that's not too far from my in-laws place, but it's also not convenient to go to either. But we always make sure to go on our first or second day here so that we can buy some groceries from there to enjoy during our stay. I also stock up on some of my favourite nonperishables from there. I'm also indulging in all of the Chobani I can stomach, champagne from Trader Joe's because I have a serious love affair with champagne and it's so cheap from there, and fun cereal you can't get in Canada. Healthier eating can resume next week! ;)

Doing: cross-stitch. So, I haven't been reading or blogging because I've recently become obsessed with cross-stitching. I've been intrigued by some really neat cross-stitch designs I've been seeing on Instagram lately, and even though I haven't cross-stitched since I was a young girl, I just had this strong desire to start it up. I find it SO relaxing, and it's an activity that's much easier to do while watching TV or chatting with my family than reading or writing is. I'm pretty pleased with how my first piece is turning out and I'll be sure to share the finished product with you!

Looking Forward To: Our last few days in Florida. Sully started fighting a cold after the first few days here, and it's just getting worse. He is not himself and he just looks and sounds horrible. Then I felt like I was coming down with something, but thankfully, have been able to fight it off, although at one point I was convinced I had an ear infection, which has since gotten better with some polysporin ear drops my mother-in-law just happened to have on hand. Thank goodness for that! You can't purchase them in the States apparently, but she always brings them down from Canada with her. Here's hoping Sully starts feeling like his old self so we can get back to enjoying the pool, get to the beach, and just have some fun during our last few days here!

I won't be posting again until we are back from vacation next week, but I'll be posting over on my Instagram account if you want to follow along! And once we're home, I'll share all the highlights from the trip, as well as how traveling with both a toddler and an infant went!


Tell me something you're looking forward to!

How do you like to pass the time on plane rides? 

Currently // March

Well, February sure flew by in a flash, didn't it? February was a busy month for us, we had my sister visiting for a week (so much fun!), and we celebrated Sully's third birthday! I'm always a little happy to see January and February go though as it means we are that much closer to spring! Anyway, here's a little look at what I've been up to currently.

Thinking About: How amazing the human body is. As of today, I am 9 weeks postpartum, and 9 weeks post c-section. I have a post in the works talking about mind and body at this point after delivery, so it's been on my mind a lot. Up until about 7 weeks postpartum, I was still having quite a bit of weird discomfort in my belly in the area above my c-section incision and it was still very numb feeling. It's so hard to describe, but it wasn't always pleasant. Every day I would think, "Did I pull something? Am I ever going to feel better?" and then boom! I woke up one morning and there was no more pain, no more pulling, no more weird numbness. And that's when I finally started to feel "whole" again and more like my old self. This is also when I was like "ok, I'm ready to be cleared for exercise, I'm ready to move and workout!", something I definitely did not think in those first few weeks of recovery.

Reading: February was a slow reading month. I haven't been making the time for it in the evenings like I usually do, instead I've been interneting (totally a word) into the wee hours of the night because sometimes (especially during nursing sessions), interneting is just so much easier. I still have Faithful by Alice Hoffman checked out from the library that I need to read so I plan to devote some time to getting into it (I literally read the first two pages last week before shutting it and picking up my phone instead).

Listening To: Sully is showing way more interest in music lately than he ever has in the past. He asks me what every song is called that we are listening to and if he doesn't like the title I give him, he tells me what he thinks the title should be, (he calls the song 'Home' by Blue October, 'Dancing in the Kitchen', because that's a lyric from it).  It's pretty cute. I also have noticed that he is picking up song lyrics now so I have to watch what comes on the playlist. Anyway, all that being said, I haven't actually been listening to anything new. His most requested song of all time is Carol of the Bells by the Piano Guys. Yes, we are still listening to Christmas music over here, but I'm not complaining - this instrumental song is beautiful and The Piano Guys are so talented. Plus, Sully likes to imitate playing the cello when listening to this song and it's the cutest thing ever.

Watching: I've been working my way through the Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix (3 episodes left!) and really enjoying it. Have you watched it? I adore Drew Barrymore. This show is a little gruesome, but that kind of thing never bothered me, plus since it's a dark comedy, I don't take the gross scenes too seriously. Highly recommend it though! Otherwise, I'm still watching the same old stuff...Gilmore Girls, Riverdale (a few episodes behind), This Is Us (also a few episodes behind), and Love Sick (another Netflix original I highly recommend!).

Eating: I'm trying to clean up my diet in efforts to start living a more healthier lifestyle. When I'm pregnant and/or breastfeeding, I really start to let myself eat whatever I want, using those two things as an excuse. But even though breastfeeding burns extra calories, does not in fact give me the right to eat extra calories worth of junk (which I've been doing). I really have no will power when it comes to sweets in the house, so I told Jim he's going to start having to satisfy his sweet tooth at work as I am not bringing them into the house anymore. I've also noticed that I can go all morning without eating anything, sometimes as late as 2 p.m. before I even realize that all I've had is coffee. BAD! Not eating is not doing me any favours. So, needless to say, I've got some work to do in my diet.

Wearing: A mishmash of old clothes and maternity clothes (because ruching is a postpartum mom's best friend). Seriously though, my closet is the most depressing room in my house. Last night, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the VIP event for the brand new Women's Sport Chek at Chinook Centre that opens today (more on that tomorrow!), and I think I spent a good hour trying to figure out what to wear to it. Nothing fit how I wanted it to. My closet needs a serious overhaul.

Laughing About: This Buzzfeed post sharing 100 parenting memes. You guys, this is the funniest thing I've read all week because it's so, so true. I screen capped so many of them to text Jim throughout the day. One of my favs because this is my life 100% and why I go to bed at ungodly hours:

Looking Forward To: This weekend! It's jam packed full of fun workouts and dinner with friends. On Saturday, I'll be trying out another Boxing class with the Blog Squad and then a bunch of us will be going out for dinner to say goodbye to our good friend Jen, who will be leaving us for a year as her and her husband travel the world! Amazing, right?! And then on Sunday, we'll be hitting up a private Barre class (Emmy's coming with!), and then some of us will be heading over to Chinook Centre to take a fitness class offered by Sport Chek Women in celebration of their grand opening. It's going to be busy and tiring, but worth it!


Over to you! 

Tell me something you're looking forward to! 

Current favourite song? TV show?


*Linking up with Kristen & Gretchen for What's New With You? 

Currently // February

Happy February, friends! Intros are hard sometimes and I've been staring at this blank screen for far too long now, so let's just jump into it today, shall we? As most of you know, I had a baby at the end of December, but in case you were wondering, here's some other things I've been currently up to!

Thinking About: How glad I am that January is over. Not that I'm wishing for time to pass even faster than it already is, but January always feels like the darkest, coldest, slowest month of the year and I'm always glad when it's over. It's also the longest period we go with Jim not having an extra day off or a holiday day off, and I like any extra time we get at home with him. On the other hand though, January passed in the blink of an eye this year, mostly thanks to a certain little baby that is now a part of our life. We've been pretty much housebound most of January as I heal from my c-section, but even so, the weeks have passed quickly.

Reading: I read four books in January (go me!) and I'm glad that I'm finding the time to still make reading a part of my daily life. Some days are more challenging than others, and often I find myself staying up too late in order to get a few chapters in, but I guess some habits never die. I don't usually plan ahead for the month in regards to what books I'm going to read (I read based on what strikes my fancy at the time), but when my hold at the library for It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover finally came in, Faithful by Alice Hoffman happened to be sitting on the display shelf when I walked in. That book has been on my radar for a while now, so I scooped it up and then also grabbed The Lost Husband by Katherine Center since that book was also on the shelf at my local branch. Long story short, I'm looking forward to reading all three of these books! I'm just not sure which one to start with...

Listening to: I'm LOVING this song by Ed Sheeran right now:

Watching: Still working my way through Gilmore Girls (I'm halfway through season 3) and just about to finish up Season 12 of Grey's Anatomy. I will never tire of that show, I'm sure. When my mom was here for a few weeks, we started watching The Crown on Netflix (got through half the episodes) and I'm really loving it. I haven't gone back to finish it because I'm hoping my mom will be back this month and we can finish it together. Jim and I also watched the first episode of Riverdale last week and liked it more than we thought we would (I was a die hard Archie comics fan growing up!). It's got great potential and I'm looking forward to the next episode (they're releasing one episode every Thursday).

Eating: I'm working hard at being organized and meal planning since I can't exactly run out for groceries whenever I want right now and it makes me ridiculously happy when our meals are planned for the week and we aren't wasting groceries. Anyway, if you're a chicken fan, you need to try these two recipes: baked chicken breasts and whole chicken in the slow cooker. Both turned out fantastic! The baked chicken breasts one is awesome for having some extra chicken to throw into a salad for lunch during the week. And the slow cooker whole chicken - let's just say I don't think I'll ever be buying a cooked roast chicken from the grocery store anymore.

Wearing: Ha. Whatever is comfortable right now. Which means I'm still rocking maternity clothes since I don't like anything rubbing near my incision right now.

Laughing About:

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EVERY.SINGLE.TIME Ha!!

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Yup. 100% accurate.

Looking Forward To: My sister visiting in less than two weeks! She hasn't met Emmy yet, so she'll be flying out to visit us for a week. I can't wait to see her (it's been far too long), and I'm also looking forward to having the adult company for the week.

Also, my little boy will be turning 3 this month! I've been putting it off, but I need to get on planning his birthday party! And now that he's older, I'm hoping we can do some Valentine's Day related crafts and/or baking.


Over to you! 

What are you reading right now?

Are you watching Riverdale? Thoughts?


*Linking up with Kristen & Gretchen for What's New With You? 

Currently...{December}

I can't believe this is my last Currently post of 2016! I'm also having a hard time accepting that it's December 1st already. You guys, that means Christmas is a mere 24 days away and my baby, if she stays put, will be here in 28 days! The next time I write a Currently post, I will have two kids, two!

It's been a little quieter around these parts, but that just means that Jim and I are actually making some serious headway on home projects that I'd love to have done before baby arrives. Of course, her nursery hasn't seen any improvement yet, but once we get it painted, it won't take much. Plus, I fully intend on having baby sleep in our room for the first few months (at least) since that is what we did with Sully and I'm really looking forward to that part of having a newborn.

Anyway...here's a little look at what I'm currently up to!

Thinking About: How proud I am of Sully and how quickly he took to potty training. I decided that last Monday was going to be the day we started since we were just about out of diapers, but had a bunch of pull-ups on hand. I knew I was putting it off, and I also knew that once baby comes, I wouldn't want to be potty training a toddler on top of having a newborn. We will still have to work on nap-time and night-time training, as well as #2, but for now, I'm more than happy for him to be day-trained!

Reading: I haven't been reading as much this past month, mostly because our evenings are spent trying to finish up home projects or I'm just too tired to. But, I am on the second book of the Winter series by Elin Hilderbrand and it's cute, fun, Christmassy and exactly what I was looking for heading into December. My hold for December's A Slice of Brie Book Club also finally came in, so I'll be cracking that open right away in order to get it read in time for next Wednesday! Come join us for the discussion if you've read/are reading the book (Wrapped Up in You by Carole Matthews).

Listening To: All of the Christmas music! I adore Christmas music. It makes me happy and puts me in the Christmas spirit. I don't know how I haven't come across this cover of Little Drummer Boy by Walk Off the Earth before, but you guys, it's fantastic! They give Boney M a run for their money! And this video is pretty awesome (although all their videos are awesome)!

Watching: Not a whole lot...still trying to work my way through Gilmore Girls (currently half way through season 2), and now that Jess has joined the show, it's infinitely better! We also watched a few episodes of the Netflix original, Easy...which is kind of weird, but kind of good too. My plan is to watch all of the Christmas movies this month though! Last weekend we watched Home Alone 1 & 2 and they have got to be two of my favourites - still so good even all these years later. Even Sully really enjoyed watching them with us!

Eating: Not much! I'm carrying baby so high and I'm so short of breath that some days it's a challenge to eat much. I don't have any cravings really...except maybe Honeycrisp apples! Gosh, those babies are delicious! Thankfully, Costco had huge bags for an amazing price the other week because those guys are usually SO expensive!

Wearing: Well, you can read all about my signature maternity look in this post! ;) (spoiler: leggings/skinny jeans, plain t-shirt and cardigans).

Laughing About:

Cream for life!

Pretty much!

YES! WHY BRAIN, WHY!!

I do this ALL the time and Jim makes fun of me for it.

AMEN! Except, pile on the floor in the closet is more accurate. This drives Jim nuts and I've tried explaining it to him but he doesn't get it. 

Looking Forward To: Besides the arrival of baby later this month? Our mini family/maternity photo session coming up on Saturday! Of course, I still need to figure out what I'm wearing as well as what Jim and Sully will be wearing, but the weather forecast is looking decent for Saturday so I'm hopeful our outdoor shoot won't freeze our toes off! And of course...I'm looking forward to everything this month has to offer: all things Christmas, the Calgary Blogger Christmas party, Jim's company Christmas party, making new traditions with Sully this year, Jim's parent's visit, and the fact that this will be the first year ever that Jim will actually have time off BEFORE Christmas, plus a few weeks afterwards. It's an exciting month, that's for sure!!


Your turn! Tell me:

What's your favourite Christmas tradition?

Favourite Christmas song?

What are you most looking forward to this month?

Currently...{November}

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that it's already November. And I know I'm going to have an even harder time of this once December rolls around. Right now, it's hard not to think of everything in terms of baby: 8 weeks (8 weeks!!) until baby comes...8 weeks to get the nursery done, 8 weeks to transition Sully from his crib to a big-boy bed, 8 weeks to get the house tidied up and organized, etc, etc. Oh my goodness, 8 weeks is so short! I know, it doesn't matter what does or doesn't get done, baby will come regardless. But in my dreams, it would be nice if everything that was on my to-do list was crossed off in the next two months!

So November. So far, we're having great weather! A lot of October was cold and gloomy, but other than that one day of snow we had, we haven't gotten anymore and it's been pretty nice out during the days. I also run really hot when I'm pregnant, so my definition of a nice day might not be yours, haha.

I feel like I just did this post, but here's what I'm currently up to!

Thinking about: Baby. I mean, how can I not be? But also thinking about baby and Sully and how life is going to look in 8 short weeks. Even though there's this tiny little being growing inside of me, it's so hard to picture her on the outside. From the constant bathroom trips, to the shortness of breath, to the little pokes and jabs, she never lets me forget she's in there, but I still can't imagine two kids yet. My days are almost solely made up for just me and Sully. He's my little sidekick, my companion, my mini-me. At least until his Dad gets home from work. On one hand, I'm so excited to expand our family and provide a sibling for Sully, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't also terrified. And I'm not scared about having enough love for two children...I already know and believe that that won't be an issue. What worries me is having enough time, patience and energy for both my children. I try not to over think these things because I also know life will just happen and I will just have to take it one day at a time. I expect there to be a transition for Sully, just like there will be for me. 8 weeks, guys, 8 weeks!!

{31 weeks}

Reading: I actually, at this moment, do not have a book on the go. I just finished up The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain, and quite enjoyed it. I'm not sure what I'm in the mood for yet. I would get a started on next month's book for A Slice of Brie book club, but I need to get a copy of it first. I read mostly darker, heavier books in October, and I'm thinking I want to finish off the year with a bunch of light reads. Any suggestions?

Listening to: So the lead singer of Godsmack, Sully Erna, recently released a new solo album. While Jim and I are big fans of Godsmack, I think I love Sully's solo work more...I find his work eliminates the heaviness of a lot of Godsmack songs that I'm not as tolerant to in my older years (haha!). I'm enjoying the whole album, Hometown Life, but I think this fun song is one of my favourites.

Watching: I'm still loving This is Us (although I almost wish I was a season behind so I could binge watch it - waiting a week between episodes is brutal!!), and Jim and I also started watching Kevin Can Wait on TV. We are huge Kevin James fans, and since we loved King of Queens so much, we thought we'd give it a go. It's actually pretty cute and funny if you can get past the laugh track. We also just started Black Mirror on Netflix (2 episodes in) and LOVING it. If you haven't jumped on that band wagon yet, you should! After everyone was raving about it on social media, I jumped on Netflix and was a bit confused at first since season 1 and 2 aren't available on there (except for episode 1 of season 2). But turns out, Netflix bought the show and produced season 3, and since all the episodes are independent of each other (like their own mini-films), it doesn't matter where you start or what order you watch the episodes in. (I through that all in there in case you were confused like me!).

Eating: Um, is this a trick question? Halloween candy, obviously. You guys, I totally bought WAY too much candy this year. Kids seemed to start trick-or-treating later this year, and by the time we got back to the house after we went out, I assumed we'd still get a rush of kids, but we got two! Last year I left a bowl of candy on the front porch, but we were in such a rush to get out the door, I forgot.

Other than that, I'm pretty much just snacking all day long. I don't have the room for meals anymore, so I need to eat less, more frequently.

Wearing: Same old, same old. Leggings/jeggings, tanks/t-shirts and cardigans. It's basically my signature maternity look.

Laughing about: 

My sister tagged me in this one because it's so true! (Sorry Mom!)

{source}

Accurate:

This one makes me laugh every time I read it because it's totally me:

{source}

Guilty:

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YES WHYYYYYY?!

{source}

Looking forward to: We haven't booked anything yet, but we are hoping to escape to the mountains for a few days this month for a little "baby-moon"...although I'm not really sure it's called a baby-moon when you bring your toddler along, haha. Either way, we're hoping to go to Banff since neither of us have spent much time there other than to drive through. It will just be nice to get away from the city, from to-do lists and just be together as a family. 

Your turn! Tell me:

Have you watched Black Mirror? Thoughts?

Any fun book recommendations? 

What are you looking forward to?

*Linking up with Kristen & Gretchen for What's New With You? 

Currently...{October}

I have always said these are my favourite types of posts to do, yet somehow I haven't done a Currently post since May?! And you guys, somehow it's already October?! September, where did you go? I love fall though. Always have, always will. And so far, we are having a beautiful October. The weather is still warm (although there's no denying a nip in the air), the colourful leaves are still mostly on the trees (yay!), and I broke out my slow cooker last week! Not that I'm against using it during the summer months, I just don't find myself making slow cooker recipes that much when it's warmer out.

Anyway, here's a little look at what I'm currently up to!

Thinking about: how my baby is going to be here in less than three months now! I will be having another scheduled c-section with this baby (you can see more info on this in Sully's birth story post) and last week I received a letter in the mail with our scheduled date (December 28, 2016). Let me tell you, receiving that letter was both humorous and scary! Funny because, the letter is so "official", and it's kind of weird to be given the exact date and time to be at the hospital to have your baby. Of course, I could still go into labour earlier than this, but let's hope that doesn't happen! Scary because, it reminds me that this is all real and happening sooner than I think. Three months isn't a very long time in the grand scheme of things! Think about how quickly Christmas always sneaks up on you! I still plan to fully celebrate and decorate for Christmas, but I know I will have to be super organized and not wait until the last minute to put up the tree, shop for gifts, bake Christmas cookies, etc.

Reading: I just started Still Mine, a thriller/mystery about a girl on the run (Clare) and a girl that has gone missing (Shayna). Everyone in the small town that Shayna is from seems to be hiding something, and Clare must face her own secrets and demons, including what ties her to Shayna, in order to uncover the mystery surrounding Shayna's disappearance. It's too early to say if it's going to be any good, but I'm hopeful!

I'll also be diving into Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children soon here as it was the book picked for my online book club - if you missed that post, check it out here and come join us!

Listening to: Remember the band Blue October? I was obsessed with their album Foiled, back in 2007/2008. I listened to that album over and over. And then completely forgot about them until this past month when I happened to catch one of their new songs on the radio. I immediately went home and looked Blue October up and I can't believe I've missed FOUR albums since Foiled was released. I've only downloaded and listened to their most recent album, Home, and it's pretty great. My favourite song is Home, and it's been on repeat for days in the car. It even makes me tear up a bit when I pay attention to the lyrics. Such a great song!

Watching: So I haven't been reading as much these past two months and I think that's because I've been watching more Netflix than normal. There's just not enough time in the day to do both! Grey's Anatomy season 12 was FINALLY added to Netflix Canada so I've just started that, and same with The Walking Dead season 6. I also started watching Gilmore Girls from the very beginning because I just don't know which episodes I've seen and what I haven't. I never watched the show religiously, but my mom and sister did so I caught episodes here and there. I'm realizing in this first season that I've seen more than I thought, but I don't think I've seen as much in the later seasons. Anyway, Jim was painting our bathroom the other day while I was watching it in bed and he said it's the most annoying show to listen to because all anyone does on the show is bicker! I can see his point, but I still love it! Although, it's going to take me forever to get caught up in time for the reunion episodes.

And who's watching This is Us?! I've only watched the first episode, but I was instantly hooked! I don't often expect too much from a pilot and will usually give a show a few episodes before calling it quits, but you guys, this show (so far) seems like it's going to be a good one!

Eating: FIGS! Haha, I already talked about this in my last post, but I'm loving fresh figs right now and I'm going to be sad when my last clamshell is all gone. On Sunday night, thanks to Becky's inspiration, I made fig jam, chicken, arugula and Brie cheese pizza and oh my god you guys, it was DELICIOUS. I scored a beautiful jar of fig jam on sale at Homesense the other week and I'm going to need to go look for more as I ended up needing the whole jar for two pizzas. Totally worth it though!

I've also been going hard on the meal planning lately, including baking (somewhat) healthy treats for the week. I love my cookbooks, but lately it's just been easier to use Pinterest to meal plan. I make a lot of meals from Pinterest, and since I know it can be overwhelming to use, I thought I'd start a monthly post on where I share the meals I've made from it that I think everyone needs to try! Consider me your guinea pig. Check back tomorrow for that post!

Wearing: This question is no fun when you're pregnant. Or at least, not very interesting. I have to say though, I'm glad for the cooler weather as I much prefer to dress my bump in leggings and layers. I do think I'm going to need to invest in a maternity winter coat as 3 months of cold weather is too long to get away with just sweaters.

Laughing about: 

{source}

Haha remember this show?! Oh, Arthur.

{source}

Leggings for the win!

{source}

Looking forward to: Thanksgiving this weekend! I feel like I haven't had stuffing or turkey in ages and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to pigging out! We'll be seeing my nephews and sister-in-law and I feel like I haven't seen them in a long time (although it was only a month ago) so it will be great to get together with them.


Your turn! Tell me:

Current favourite song?

Are you watching This is Us? Thoughts?


*Linking up with Kristen & Gretchen for What's New With You? **haha apparently I can't read a calendar and got my dates wrong...link up is on Thursday! 

Thinking Out Loud {#11}: Tiny Houses, Figs & Pinterest

So you might remember from this post that my mom has been visiting us again, and this morning she left after two wonderful weeks here. I'm not sure who's going to be more upset when they wake up tomorrow morning: me or Sully. I decided to leave the house this morning around the same time my mom was taking off so that it didn't feel as much as goodbye, although I still started crying as I pulled away. After the library and a bunch of errands, we got back in the car to head home and Sully goes "LET'S GO SEE GRAMMA!" Gah, heartbreaking. I told him that Gramma wouldn't be at home and that we wouldn't be seeing her for a little while. "Well, let's go get her, Mama!". Sigh, I wish we could, little man, I wish we could.

{at Elbow Falls with Gramma}

I meant to get this post written up last night and posted this morning, but I figured it was better to spend my mom's last evening here with her.  Watching Season 6 of The Walking Dead of course. No spoilers since we are a whole season behind, but my goodness, the first few episodes are SO frustrating! I've said it before, and I'll say it again, I much prefer to watch a show in which I can binge watch it, because I don't know how people wait a whole week (or more!) in-between episodes!

Speaking of shows...I was at the dentist earlier in the week for a cleaning and the TV was tuned to HGTV. Tiny House Hunters was airing and I was immediately engrossed (and I usually find TV incredibly annoying to try and watch while someone is blocking your view while scraping your teeth). Anyhow...this show! I'm mildly obsessed (I may have gone home and recorded the whole series) and yet, I can't fathom wanting to live in something that's about as big as the shed in our backyard. I get the whole minimalist fad and the desire to pare down the things you own, etc, but I could NOT live in 150 square feet. I don't even think I would feel safe sleeping in such a small space. I mean, if we had a playhouse in our backyard of roughly the same size, even if there was a lock on the door, there's no way I'd sleep out in it!

{source//this literally makes me LOL}

OK, so, in my post on nesting, I mentioned briefly that I meal planned for this week (which is going awesome by the way), and I'm really hoping that I can keep this up for the rest of my pregnancy. I know, meal planning - it's nothing new, everyone does it - but for some reason I have a hard time being consistent with it. I'm even trying to bake one new "treat" each week, and I've had some pretty good success with my recipes considering I'm not a baker. I utilize Pinterest a lot for recipe ideas, but my recipe board on there was getting a little bit out of control. I had every single recipe that I either wanted to try or had already made pinned to the same board, and it was getting time consuming to go through it for meal planning inspiration or to remember something I wanted to make. So, last weekend I also organized my recipe boards into "RECIPES TO TRY", "DINNER RECIPES TRIED & TRUE", "BAKING RECIPES TRIED & TRUE", "BREAKFAST RECIPES TRIED & TRUE", and "SNACKS/APPETIZERS TRIED & TRUE" (the links will take you directly to each board). Anyway, I'm already loving this little bit of organization and if you want to follow any of the boards please do! Sometimes I'm overwhelmed by Pinterest recipes because there are a billion out there but how do you know for sure something is actually worth making? Consider me your guinea pig! ;) I also add comments/notes into the comment portion of the pin on my tried & true boards so that you can see what I thought or any changes I may have made to the original recipe.

One more thing about food. FIGS. You guys, until last week, I had never eaten a fresh fig in my adult life. I would say my entire life, but my mom promises me that I ate them as a kid. We were at the farmer's market two weekends ago and my mom bought a flat of figs for us. It was one of those things were I was like, these are SO delicious, but I also kind of wish I hadn't tried them because now it's all I can think about. Unfortunately, fresh fig season is short and they are really hard to come by in stores! I've spent more time this week than I care to admit, trying to track down fresh figs. Thankfully, the Italian Store came through for me today and I made sure to get down there and buy two clamshells. I choked a bit at the price at first (almost 10 dollars a pound), but then I thought, "wait a minute, why do we freak out at buying something expensive that is delicious and healthy for us, but it's no big deal to go buy a case of beer or a bottle of wine?!" And considering I can drink neither of those right now, this mama bought herself $20 worth of figs today. I do not plan on sharing!

And lastly...I'm sorry...I clearly have a lot I want to talk about today!...yesterday I had my second doctor's appointment with my OB team. There's only 3 more months to go before this baby comes and I'm finding that crazy to think about! I'm also at that point where I can't imagine my belly getting bigger or stretching anymore, even though I know it will. I remember in my first pregnancy dreading being weighed at each doctor's appointment. This time around, I don't care. In fact, I didn't even take off my boots on the scale, that's how little I care about the number that shows up. I may have gone into this pregnancy weighing more than I would have liked, but I don't feel like I've been eating out of control and my weight gain has been very slow so I'm comfortable with where my body is at. I'm still trying to get to BodyFlow at GoodLife Fitness when I can because I know it's worth the effort to get myself there. Also, I passed my gestational diabetes screen, so yay for me!

If you're still reading, then you deserve one of my figs! ;)

Happy almost Friday everyone!


Questions for you!

Figs: love 'em, or hate 'em?

Tiny Houses: could you live in one?

Linking up with Amanda from Running with Spoons for Thinking Out Loud! 

*This post was written as part of the GoodLife Fitness Blogger Ambassador program, 

however all opinions expressed are my own.

Walk A Mile in Their Shoes

Walk a mile in their shoes. We all know this famous quote (or some near version of it), and I would bet money that we've all made reference to it in some context or another. I know I sure have. Sometimes I say it jokingly, and sometimes I'm more serious about it. But what I'm not sure about is, have I ever really, truly experienced it?

Let's back up and allow me tell you a story. The other day, I booked my vehicle in to get something minor fixed on it, but it was something that required the dealership to have my car all day. Our dealership is located within walking distance to a big mall and a train station so I figured no big deal, I would drop the vehicle off and treat Sully to a train ride home.

Of course, the day of my appointment, it was so windy, a bit rainy and quite cold out. Murphy's Law. But off we went, dressing appropriately for the weather. After we dropped the vehicle off, we headed over to the mall to get smoothies (I had a 2 for 1 coupon burning a hole in my pocket). This required walking around and behind the dealership to get to the overpass in order to cross over the busy road. Walking over the bridge in the extreme wind was terrifying to say the least.

Anyway, after roaming around the mall for an hour, I figured it was time to head home for lunch and naps. This again required us navigating over a different overpass to get to the train station. Once there, I followed where I thought the handicap signs were leading me, which was up another steep ramp. Here, I purchased my train ticket and then I realized that there was no way for me to access the train deck which was below us. I either had to go back down the ramp or use the stairs or escalator (not happening since I had a stroller with me). But I was so confused, because I didn't understand how going back down the ramp would get me to the train deck since the signs lead me up it in the first place! Luckily, right away this young guy saw me and offered to help carry my stroller down the stairs (thank you nice, young guy!!). Then he showed me that to access the train, it was actually at the far end of the track on the other side. Sigh. I can't stand poor signage.

After a quick train ride, we then had to hop on a bus to get the rest of the way home. The bus ride is short, but it always sits at the bus stop outside the train station for ten minutes before it takes off again. Thankfully, Sully thinks trains and buses are the most fun thing ever, so he wasn't complaining.

Eventually, we made it home, just in time for an epic meltdown most likely related to being hungry and over tired.

Phew.

After a quick lunch and an hour and a half nap, it was time to do it all over again. That's right, we bundled back up, searched the house for twenty minutes for enough bus fare, headed to the bus stop, took the bus to the train station, ran for the train just missing it by ten seconds, then waited 10 minutes for the next one, took the train to the station where I thankfully now knew how to exit the platform safely, walked over the overpass to the mall parking lot, walked through the parking lot and then over the second overpass that led us to the backside of the dealership, arriving 5 minutes before they closed. All in all, this took us about an hour from door to door.

Anyway, the point of this post isn't to complain. Or whine. Or anything like that. The point of it is this: after spending the day utilizing public transportation I have a newfound respect for mother's (and father's) and caregivers with small children who have to rely on public transport every single day. Especially in a more suburban environment, where the public transit, while efficient in some ways, is also inconvenient at times.  I truly don't know how they do it.

So yes, I do feel like I "walked a mile in their shoes" the other day. Both figuratively and literally. And I know this quote is more directed toward not judging other's, but I still think the saying applies. I love days like this one described above because it reminds me to not take what I have for granted. It's so easy to go day to day not really appreciating all that I have, or how easy my life might be in comparison to someone else. The reminder was well-timed and welcomed. I never want to take my life for granted and forget to be thankful for what I have. And I'm not trying to sound superior here because I don't have to rely on something like public transportation in my day to day life (my husband does though). I'm just reflecting and acknowledging that while I always see people waiting for the bus and trains with young children, I guess I never really truly knew all that that entailed. And if you happen to be on a public bus or train, and a child is having a melt-down or crying, take a moment and appreciate what that mother, father, or caregiver is trying to accomplish that day instead of judging them for having a "mis-behaved" child. We never really know what is going on in someone else's life.


When's the last time you "walked a mile" in someone else's shoes?

Thinking Out Loud {#10}: Yoga Class Musings

It's been a long time since I've linked up with Amanda for a Thinking Out Loud post, and since they are some of my favourite types of posts to write and read, here you go! The random thoughts and going-ons in my life!

1. Working out hasn't been a priority in my day to day life ever since summer rolled in. I'm not sure if the hot weather is to blame for my lack of motivation or that my routine was thrown off by having lots of visitors these past two months, but whatever the reason, I haven't been going to the gym. I knew I needed to get myself back there so yesterday I committed to going once Jim got home from work. I decided to take a BodyFlow class at GoodLife Fitness and I was reminded of how much I love that class. You might not break out in a big sweat, but it still gets my heart pumping, and I'm always surprisingly somewhat sore the day after. It's really such a great class and I think I'm going to try and go 3 times a week for August. I'm not really feeling BodyPump right now, but that's ok, it will be there for me when I am.

2. Speaking of BodyFlow - for those that aren't familiar with it, it's a combination of tai chi, Pilates and yoga, and it's similar to other Les Mills classes in that a class is released every three months, using new music and new choreography. Anyway, the class ends like a traditional yoga class, with approximately 10 minutes dedicated to shavasana. I don't know about you, but this is my favourite moment of the class! Plus, I believe it to be beneficial to your practice. But you know what I notice every time I take this class? Almost everyone leaves before shavasana starts! (And some leave during it!). I don't get it! It's also kind of rude to the instructor and the other participants to leave nosily during what is supposed to be a relaxation period. Yesterday, the class started with 14 participants, and by the end of shavasana, there were only four of us left. FOUR!

3. Ok, one more thing I need to get off my chest about yoga classes. Why do people insist on wearing their socks during the class? And I'm not talking about proper yoga socks. I'm talking about people who don't take off their gym socks and then struggle to keep their feet in place during the poses. Again, I don't get it?

4. I think I committed the biggest sin at the gym yesterday and I'm kind of embarrassed about it. Since I was going just to do a yoga style class, I didn't wear socks and just slipped on my Toms for the drive to the gym. When I got there, I'm so accustomed to following rules and taking my shoes off, that I did so and I walked into the gym barefoot. (I'm cringing just writing this). Of course, as I was queued up outside the class waiting for it to start, I noticed my faux pas, as everyone was just walking  into the gym with their outdoor runners/flip flops on. I felt so foolish and embarrassed since I was literally the only person in barefeet. Also, gross, I know. I'm sorry, it will never happen again!

5. Keeping with the "theme" of this post (which wasn't planned, I just write what comes to me!), I have to share something adorable that Sully does. For a while there, I was practicing a lot of yoga at home up in my bedroom. Sully loved when we would do yoga together and now he always goes "Mama! Let's do yo-ya!", and then he gets down and does a plank, a v-sit, pike sit, straddle and tuck sit (left over knowledge from his gymnastics days!) It's the cutest thing ever and I need to capture it on video before he stops calling yoga "yo-ya".


Questions for you!

Yogis: Do you leave before or during shavasana in class? If so, why??

Do you go through phases of favouring one type of workout class to another, or do you always stick with what you know/like? 

*This post was written as part of the GoodLife Fitness Blogger Ambassador program, 

however all opinions expressed are my own.