2013: Chilkoot

A friend has asked me to hike the Chilkoot trail in 2013....  and I said sure.

Panic!

Here is what the website says about the trail:

The Chilkoot should only be attempted by persons who are physically fit and experienced in hiking and backpacking. It should not be attempted by novice hikers. Individuals who have previously injured their ankles, knees or back, or who have chronic pain frequently experience flare-ups while hiking the Chilkoot. To avoid unnecessary problems test your strength and endurance on shorter, less demanding overnight trips prior to hiking the Chilkoot. Hiking with a partner or small group is preferable.

Physically fit.
Experienced in hiking.

I am none of those things.  But it sure does give me a goal now doesn't it?

This morning a friend from Whitehorse put this quote of facebook:  

"A man would do nothing, if he waited until he could do it so well that no one would find fault with what he has done." —Cardinal Newman

While she was talking about performing musically, I have found that it applies to so many situations in my life as I reflected on it today.  Even to this idea of a week long hike.  I am scared shitless of the idea, but I want to do it so badly.  I could have come up with a heap of excuses not to do it, but I said yes.  

 This is something I could have never done at over 300lbs.  But at 250 and dropping fast, I know I can get my body ready for it.

 Now I am going to have to come up with a training plan for this adventure!  Send all advice my way. 

Thank you Jill for giving me something so amazing to look forward to. 

Departure.

This is going to be a sad week for us and the kids.  Some close friends of ours who have lived in Faro for the last three years are heading back to Ontario.  I have been trying to prepare Hunter for their leaving, but the poor kid just bursts into tears anytime I mention it.  And me?  Well I just try to pretend it isn't happening so I won't burst into tears!

It has been a fantastic three years with the Autio family.  Nicole had written me after finding my blog when her husband decided to accept a transfer to Faro from Ontario.  We wrote a lot back and forth before their big move.  I was really excited since they had two children right around Hunter's age.  I have run into my fair share of people who write me after finding the blog and then move to the community I am in.  Some of those people turn into friends, some acquaintances, and others that I wish had never wrote to me!  Thankfully, Nicole and I become close friends as did our kids.

For the last three years our kids have grown rather close.  They have all attended playgroup together and now Hunter, Tomas and Maija are all in kindergarten.  There have been numerous trips to Fish Eye Lake to play in the sand and water, even more visits to the playgrounds in town and lots of runs down the sliding hills together.

On Saturday we had a big going-away party for the kids at the rec centre.  What a turn out!  Happy kids everywhere.  I sure hope we have helped send them out on a happy note!

Faro is going to seem rather empty without them after these three years of fun.  Thanks for everything Autio Family!  We wish you the best of luck in your move and new start.

Our little kids!!  Summer 2009- Tomas and Maija are side by side on the right.  Hunter is the green hat on the left.

Hunter and Maija at Fish Eye Lake 2009.  It was so cold and they didn't care at all!

Playgroup fun!  Who needs toys when you have a friend and a rubbermaid.

Hunter, Tomas, Maija and Cavan

Doing The Impossible.

I have been really challenging myself a the gym this month.  For starters, I have stuck to my schedule of going three times a week.  Then I have been upping my weights every week and trying new exercises.

Today though, I did something I have never done before.  Okay, I did two things.  The second was whack my head off a piece of equipment and thought I had cracked the back of my head open.  But the first was much more impressive.

I RAN ON THE TREADMILL!

Did you get that?

I RAN ON THE TREADMILL!
 Okay, it was only for 1.5 minutes, walking a minute, and then run another 1 minute.  But it is a
start!  I don't run.  And I have never run on a treadmill ever.  It wasn't fast- just 4mph, but I had a huge grin on my face the entire time.  The grin wasn't just because I was super proud of myself, it was also because I couldn't get this out of my head:

Morning Fun

Everyone knows that I love mornings.  I am just one of the odd people who is bright eyed and bushy tailed hours before the crack of dawn (although my husband says I can still be cranky).

This morning Cavan was up at 5:30 and Hunter at 6.  But I lazed in bed with a book while they played in their rooms until the monkey alarm clock woke up at 7am.  Then I went into full gear!  We enjoyed breakfast and some CBC Kids shows.  Then the productivity (and fun) began:

Painting on our new (to us) easel! 

Proud of his name painting!  He was dressed, but the cat drooled on him, so he hung his clothes up to dry.

We played pirate cowboy!

We baked five dozen chocolate cupcakes (from scratch of course) for a party tomorrow.

Cupcakes were sampled and approved.

A vat of butternut squash soup was made.

 So what am I avoiding?

Well I am doing the laundry... I just have an issue with folding.

About 6am while I was reading my book, the boys were practicing their synchronized peeing.  Cavan came to tell me he got pee on his nose.  I don't even want to know how that happened, but cleaning the bathroom is now on my to-do list today!

Two More Sweeps

Only two more sweeps (sleeps if you can pronounce your L's properly) until we get to see Daddy/Hubby!

Matt has been working in Pelly Crossing for the last week and will be working there until the end of the month.  This weekend though, he has taken Friday and Monday off of work and we will meet up with him in Whitehorse for the extended weekend.  On Monday the boys and I will head back to Faro and Matt back to Pelly.  I see a lot of tears on that drive home!  The boys have really missed Matt this week, as have I. 

This last week has been chock-full of events and I am exhausted from doing it all with no hubby for backup.  Events and activities from the last week:

• baking and decorating cakes to donate to a fundraiser
• attending the cake walk fundraiser
• baking and decorating 130 cookies for a school lunch
• helping set up for a school luncheon and helping out at the lunch- which also included watching in horror as my kid yakked all over the floor during the luncheon.  Thankfully he wasn't really sick, he had just chugged a glass of water too fast.  He was fine afterwards!
• coffee shop meet-ups with friends
• cat barf cleaning
• skating class
• Hunter had a buddy come and play two afternoons this week
• teaching my friend how to sew mittens
• attending a workshop on encouraging physical activity in children (I will have to do a whole post on this one!)
• more cat barf cleaning
• helping Hunter make handmade Valentine's cards
• going to the gym three times a week plus going to play squash with a friend on the weekend
• attending a community health fair
• spending time outside every day, mainly at the climbing hill by our house, so we can take advantage of this unseasonably warm February
• fending off zombies... oh wait, that was just my children on the attack
• volunteering in Hunter's classroom for a Valentine's craft
• making homemade lipbalm with a friend
• baking three dozen cupcakes for a bake sale
• playgroup for Cavan
• a wee bit of sewing

My gosh.  Just looking back at this list is tiring!  And inbetween those activities was the usual housekeeping which I really like to keep on top of when Matt is away so the house never gets too untidy.   I have even folded all the laundry!!  Wahhooo!  Tonight I was going to go out to a friends house to watch tv, but I opted to stay in and put my feet up.  I even outsourced the cupcake decorating I had to do to a teenager keen on making some money. 

Tomorrow is going to be just as busy.  I have playgroup and my workout in the morning, packing for Whitehorse, cleaning before I leave, filling up the truck, and then in the evening a Family Literacy Event at the school.  The literacy event is going to be fantastic!!  It starts with a pancake supper and then there will be games and activities going on.  I am helping out with a bake sale that will go on then as well.

Thankfully I have gobs of energy to take on crazy weeks like this, even with only taking in 900 calories a day.  My body is doing an excellent job of burning off the excess energy (aka. fat) that I have been carrying around.  People are really starting to notice the weight loss and I have received so many lovely compliments from people around town.  That feedback really helps boost my confidence and keep me going!  This weekend I have to buy some new clothes since everything I have is starting to fall of me.

I am looking forward to hopefully having a wee bit of me time this weekend in Whitehorse.  Perhaps call some town friends to meet up for tea while Matt takes the kids to the park to play.  I need a few hours of kid free time! 

Cavan heading up the climbing hill.  This is such a great way to burn energy off the boys!

Hunter enjoying the warm weather.

Some of the gazillion heart cookies I baked and iced.

New fur muff that I finished off.

Crafty Michelle stirring our lip balm concoction.

Hunter's Valentine's Day cards.

Kids and Gadgets

Our house has been a rather gadget free realm.  Our gadgets consist of my MacBook Pro, Matt's small crappy netbook, an ipod that is six or 7 years old, and a first generation iPad.

We have no cell phones, no video game consoles, and no satellite tv.

Matt is a full on hater of any video gaming system like Wii or Playstation and has said we will never own one.  Cell phones just have no use in our life right now since service is still patching between here and Whitehorse and they are so expensive.  Matt doesn't watch much tv, we buy movies for the kids, and I watch the shows I want over the internet. 

But the iPad....  I was thinking of buying something like a leapster a year ago but got a great deal on a used iPad.  Hunter was the only one who used it and I have it full of little educational games plus a few extras like angry birds and some train games.  The rules for Hunter were pretty simple: he could play when Cavan was napping in the afternoon. 

But recently, Cavan has stopped napping and he has discovered the fun that is the iPad.  For a while I searched online to find a second one so they could both play, but boy they are pricey!  I came to the conclusion that this could be a good way for them to work on sharing, helping and patience.  A couple of weeks ago I set up the new house rules on the ipad.  They can play once they are both done their breakfast and are dressed.  I have a timer that gets set on my computer for five minute chunks of time.  When the five minutes are up, my computer howls like a wolf and the boys have to switch.  They are allowed to play until we have to take Hunter to school, so they usually get between 3 and 5 turns each.

The new system is working quite well.  Hunter is being a helping big brother and teaching Cavan how to play some of the more complicated games.  Cavan is improving on being able to share.  From time to time he has to spend Hunter's turn in his room so Hunter can play in peace.  That usually only lasts five minutes and then he is fine to sit quietly during Hunter's turn.  And by limiting the iPad to only that chunk of time in the morning, they are not asking to play the it during the rest of the day.

I wonder what our house will look like ten years from now.  How many gadgets will we have?  Perhaps we will have updated the ipod by then. 

What are your house rules for gadgets and kids?

Hunter doing some puzzles with Handy Manny while Cavan snacks and looks on.

Losing Pounds... and Hair

I knew this could happen. 

My hair is falling out.  A lot of my hair is falling out. 

It is a normal side effect of extreme weight loss and especially weight loss surgery.  Mostly commonly between months two and six after surgery hair will start falling out, but it will end.  I had bloodwork done for my three month check-up and everything is normal.  I am going to add a bit more iron and zinc to my diet to see if it helps since I was within normal limits, but a bit at the low end when my blood results came back.

I have very thick hair and I am not worried about going bald.  So far it is just a bit worse than the hair loss I experienced after being pregnant.  But still, it is a little sad to see my hair everywhere around the house instead of on my head.  I am just hoping that it doesn't get any worse!

Here is a link to hair loss and weight loss surgery if you are interested:
http://bariatrictimes.com/2008/09/19/the-latest-on-nutrition-and-hair-loss-in-the-bariatric-patient/

Ah well, I guess if I do go bald I can just wear some nice red fox fur on my head!

The newest item from my craft lair- an adjustable red fox fur headband.

ps.  60lbs down so far!