Why isn't it called kidsitting when they aren't babies anymore?

We ended up babysitting my little cousin on Saturday night.  She likes our house for some reason.  I think that we are kind of boring, but I guess I won't tell her that.

We played Monopoly Junior, made and decorated some no bake donuts, coloured and watched Alvin and the Chipmunks Chip-Wrecked.  You know, kid stuff.  I like it because Ryan hates playing games with me and pulling out a colouring book as an adult if there aren't any kids around is generally considered to be weird.

As soon as Dew (which is what we call her more than her actual name) arrived, she asked if we were going to go to the store and get a movie and a treat.  She seems to know what happens when she comes to visit Kaileigh and Ryan.  This was her third time sleeping over and she usually only sleeps over once per year.  Last time she asked if we could watch Tangled, which is what we watched when she slept over at the age of 3.  How she remembers this stuff I don't know.

It was a fun weekend.  And slightly exhausting.  I don't know what it is about kids, but I guess the forced early wake up, the entertaining and the constant questions is tiring.  But it's nice to spend time with the kid, and it's nice that she enjoys being around us!  For now though, I will enjoy my childless time and the ability (even though I don't always choose it) to sleep in.

Snow? It's October!

This is what I woke up to this morning.

Yes I got up when it was still dark out on a Saturday

It's October 26th people!  This shouldn't be happening right now!  And it's not just a little bit of snow, it was a couple centimetres and it kept on going for most of the morning.

If I want to look at the bright side, at least it's Saturday and I don't have to drive to work.  Because I definitely don't have my snow tires on yet!  But that's really the only bright side.

I'm hoping this melts and we don't see it again until late November.  I like snow at Christmas, that's it.  For living in Canada, it's amazing how much I hate snow.  It's cold and wet and even as a kid I didn't really enjoy it.  I did anything I could to stay inside at recess.  Now I will do anything I can to stay inside my house when there's snow outside.

Oliver seemed to be quite fascinated with it though.

Honey Badgers Don't Give a $#*!

First off, if you don't know what that title means, you must watch this video.

Ok, now that we've gotten that taken care of, I would also like to explain that my university mascot was the Brock Badger.  Which makes me a badger, an thus this is a post about things that I, as a honey badger, don't give a $#*! about.  (Maybe I should have put my positive pants on this morning?  Nah....this is more fun.)

Kim Kardashian's Engagement
This girl just doesn't learn.  Maybe it's time to slow things down a bit.  Do I think that things will work out any better with Kanye then with her past relationships?  Maybe they will last more than 72 days, but the likelihood of lasting forever is low.  Therefore, I don't give a $#*!

Halloween
I hate it and I will do anything I can to avoid dressing up.  I will hand out candy though, I'm not that much of a scrooge. My department is supposed to be dressing up in a Mexican theme.  I will not participate, and I don't even feel bad about it.

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Prince George's Christening
I love the Royals.  I got up at an hour I didn't even know existed to watch William and Kate's wedding.  I tried to stream the hospital for as long as possible at work to see them come out with Prince George.  But because my church doesn't do christenings I just don't get why it's such a big deal.  Because he's a baby and this is about God, I will say I don't give a baby poop about this one.  That seems more appropriate.

George is ready to Partayyy! {via}

But despite my cynicism about the things that have happened in the world this week, I hope you all have a great Friday and a fantastic weekend doing things that you actually do give a $#*! about.

This is Me

Who doesn't love learning some random facts about a person?  Maybe some of these are more quirks than facts. 

• I can't whistle
• I have a red birthmark on my back
• We call my mom Momma Bouchka sometimes- This came from a vacation where we were watching the Oksana Baiul story and apparently it's a thing in the Ukraine to call people Bouchka
• I almost always sneeze at least twice - Ryan (and myself as well to be honest) is shocked if I sneeze just once
• I get injured in the most random ways: for example by tripping over a curb or falling getting off a bus, those are probably both stories for another time
• I have a major sweet tooth
• Bathtubs gross me out.  I can't have a bath unless I clean the tub first and when I watch house hunting shows and people get into the bathtub I just cringe
• I wanted to be a teacher when I was little, I kind of still want to be one
• I fully embrace being a ginger, if you can't laugh at yourself life wouldn't be much fun
• I don't know if I have ever hit the snooze button on my alarm clock
• I can rarely wait out the last 5 seconds on the microwave
• My kraft dinner needs a hot dog.  And I don't trust that the hot dog is cooked until it is exploding

A Weekend With Harry

I finally checked something off my 30 before 30 list that I have been wanting to do for a while.

I watched all 8 Harry Potter movies in one weekend. 

How I feel about Harry Potter {via}

I know that people who don't get Harry Potter won't get this goal.  I don't really get why I wanted to do it.  Probably because I love Harry Potter.  And it was fantastic!  It wasn't easy, and it took a lot of commitment!  But I'm actually really glad I did it.  Of course while I was watching, I worked out, folded laundry and took breaks to eat and do a bit of cleaning.  Ryan was also away this weekend, so it was a great weekend to sit around and do (almost) nothing.

It's interesting watching all of the movies back to back, because you notice different things than when they are spread out.  There are some continuity issues and scenery that isn't consistent from one movie to the next.  I also feel like I noticed more things that were missing from the books.

Yes, I have an unnatural obsession with Harry Potter, but the release of the books and movies spanned over 14 years.  That's more than half my life that I was enthralled by this series, and that's kind of a big deal.  It's pretty amazing actually the impact that one story can have on your life.

I will leave you with this, the best line of the entire series:

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 And the second best line goes to:

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Confession: I almost didn't watch the last hour of the last movie, because I was running out of time.  But I stayed up last night and watched it.  So glad I did because it reminded me of how well done it was!

The Workout Mama Bootcamp

For the past 5 weeks, I have been participating in an online bootcamp put on by The Workout Mama.  Every week, Tamara would send us 3 different workouts to complete.  These workouts were challenging but doable.  I stuck with it, and completed these workouts every week and added in a few of my own.

I did take before and after pictures, but unfortunately I'm in a bit of a rut and didn't see any improvement or weight loss, so you aren't going to see those pictures.  

But despite this, I would highly recommend Tamara's bootcamps because I'm pretty sure the lack of weight loss is a me thing and not a bootcamp thing!  I have always had trouble losing weight, but eventually it just kind of falls off.  (She's doing another one in November and you can sign up here!  It's only $40 for a 5 week session, which I think is an amazing price to get 15 new workouts and some increased motivation).  It's a great way to change up your workout and get some new routines. 

I also found it easier to work out more frequently when I had three different workouts to try per week.  It's so easy to decide to skip a workout if you are bored with what you are doing.  But I never got bored doing these workouts.  Plus, they can all be done at home with some weights and a stability ball, so you can do them while watching TV.  It's a win win!

At the end of the day, fitness isn't just about weight loss.  It's about maintaining a healthy active lifestyle.  It's about creating good habits for myself that I can carry on for the rest of my life.  If you don't work out now, why would you start in 10 years?  Fitness makes me happier, both physically and mentally.  So although I would have loved to lose some of these extra pounds that I have added on, bootcamp was about more than that. 

Motivational images from here.

Thankful

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Today, on Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:

This Guy

This little girl

Family
 

Friends

A bed that keeps me warm at night


My health

And last but not least, Ian Somerhalder, because he makes the world a more beautiful place



{via}

Just kidding (kinda).  There are so many more things that I am thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving to all of the Canadians.  What are you thankful for today?

I'm Wearing Yoga Pants This Weekend

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is probably my favourite holiday because it is all about the food.  No distractions like gifts or anything, just delicious food.

I have been trying so hard to eat healthy and cut down on desserts and this week has not been good for my waistline.  But there is no point in trying to care now because I'm heading into a weekend of turkey, stuffing and pie, oh my!  Hence the yoga pants.  Jeans will just make me feel bad about myself.

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Every thanksgiving, my family heads up to the cottage for a family dinner.  Every year the family seems to grow whether it's by the addition of significant others or children.  This year there will be approximately 28 of us I think.  It's insanity.





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But despite the nut house that our cottage becomes when we all get there at the same time, I wouldn't miss it for the world.  


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BOTB

Oh hi there, my name is Kaileigh and I'm finally getting around to recapping what happened on Sunday night.  Maybe I should just start blogging a week behind and pretending that it's what happened on the most recent weekend?  It might make life easier.

We started with some Starbucks and West Elm in Liberty Village

On Sunday night, 5 of us ladies travelled down to Toronto to attend Battle of the Blades!  If you have never heard of this fantastic show before, it's basically like Dancing With the Stars, but skating style.  They match former NHL players up with professional figure skaters and these tough NHL guys have to learn how to figure skate.

The show is awesome and watching it live is even better.  It's pretty scary when this hockey player who has been wearing skates with toe picks for less than 2 months starts lifting girls above his head. 

 But luckily, nobody got hurt.  They never fail to amaze me week after week!

Marie-France Dubreil

 After the show, the participants all stick around for pictures and autographs.  There aren't a ton of seats in the arena, so it's kind of nice that they are able to do this.  The highlight of the night of course was the picture we got with judge PJ Stock. 

Spelling Lesson

Yesterday, I was writing a paper for my course and I couldn't for the life of me remember whether in Canada we spell it analyze or analyse.  (FYI, it can be either.)  So I came across this website that lists British, Canadian and American spelling of words, and there were some on there that I didn't even realize were different!

The obvious ones are things like colour (color), labour (labor) and all thouse other ou words. but did you know that aging can actually be spelled as ageing?  Here are some other fun ones:

• In England the actual spelling of airplane is aeroplane
• Canadian's and American's spell it artifact, but in England it's artefact
• Calibre in Canada is caliber in the US
• Centre in Canada is center in the US (I knew about this one and always spell it as centre, but how confusing is that for kids, I remember thinking that it was a dumb way to spell it!)
• We say lasagna, England says lasagne
• Canadians wear pyjamas, but Americans wear pajamas
• Apparently in England a tire is known as a tyre
• The appropriate spelling in Canada is grey, but in the US it's gray (but I spell it however I feel on that day!)
• Dependant in Canada is Dependent in the States

Do any of these surprise you?

 

And this is just because it's hilarious and it's hump day...

3-0

Today is this guys birthday.  He's 30.  The big 3-0.

So being a very important birthday, this week has been full of birthday activities.  We started with a party for Ryan with his friends on Saturday night.  One of his friends made a Plink-O board (or drink-o might be more accurate).  It was a dangerous game.

 It was also a game which resulted in some twerking lessons. 

 We also had a birthday dinner at my parents house on Friday night.  30 candles is a lot, so my dad felt the need to light them with a blow torch. 

And then last night Ryan and I went out for his birthday dinner.  We went to this local restaurant that has half price burgers on Monday.  2 burgers, a beer, a diet coke and the most delicious hot fudge cake ever came to $31 with taxes and tip.  And that my friends is the way to this accountant's heart.  I thought it was his birthday, not mine!

Anyways, back to the birthday boy.  So all of this took place before his birthday.  Last but not least we are off to his parents for another birthday dinner tonight.  He's obviously spoiled!  But I love food, so I'm not going to complain.

Ryan,
I can't believe you're 30 lil guy.  I hope you have an awesome birthday and enjoy every minute!  Can't wait to celebrate some more with you tonight. Happy Birthday fella.

Delirium: A Book Review

I recently finished the book Delirium by Lauren Oliver.  I'm all over the dystopian young adult books these days.  I really really like them, so I'm always looking for a new series to read.

Basically, Delirium is about a future world where the United States has decided that love is a disease.  When you turn 18, you receive a cure for this disease.  They match adults up with a partner whom they live with and have children with.  They think that they have fixed everything because the world seems calmer and the divorce rate is almost at zero.  (Well of course it is, because people have no feelings.  I feel that if they can't love, they probably can't hate either.)

So the book is about Lena, who is almost 18 and is really excited about getting her cure.  A lot of young people get the disease (fall in love) before they are cured and it makes them crazy.  She is sure it can't happen to her though.

I liked this book.  It wasn't as good as The Hunger Games or Divergent, but I still found it enjoyable.  I think that overall it was a love story first and conflict second, and that's maybe what didn't get my attention as much.  But the idea that love was a disease was fascinating to me.  I would recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian books.  I also read Pandemonium, which is the second book.  It has a bit more conflict in it and was more enthralling that Delerium.  Now I'm just waiting for 17 more people to read the third book requiem and then I can get it from the library!

Fall

Nothing like waiting to share details from your weekend until Wednesday.  I blame internet problems, hopefully that makes it ok.

I feel like this past weekend was our last relaxing weekend for awhile.  The next few weeks we have something on every weekend, plus I actually have to keep up with my school work.  So I guess it was a good weekend for me to get sick.  I haven't had a cold in about 2 years, and so this cold was making up for that I think.  But it didn't really slow me down.  Well, it slowed me down a little bit, but we still made time to head out to my in-laws for a walk and dinner.

 Fall is the perfect time for walks.  Not too hot, not too cold.  Hopefully this is the first of a few walks out at their property.

Do you see that little guy in the grass there?  He just sat there for awhile hoping that we couldn't see him.

Now we are into October, probably one of my favourite months!  Maybe that means I will have my camera out a bit more frequently.