E CAN-SKATE!

E has his first CANSKATE lesson yesterday morning, and despite a few tears at the beginning, I was very proud of him!

He was very gung-hoe to go skating... all week he had been asking how many more sleeps, and 'are we goin' to the wink now?' with much anticipation, but yesterday morning at breakfast he quietly confessed 'I don't wanna go no more'.

I half expected this, as this is the type of child he is... very excited, but nervous and shy when it comes to actually doing something he's never really done before, and with people he doesn't know.

The thing about skating for a parent is that its not as easy to say, oh go on, you'll be fine... because its a skill he has yet to acquire. Its not like dropping him off at daycare and knowing that he will actually be fine once you leave him.  But nonetheless, skating is a skill that can provide enjoyment for many years to come - and I think he will love it once he gets the hang of it - hence the need for the lessons!

So... yesterday morning we suited him up in some layers, splash pants and a warm jacket (despite the 30 degree weather).  We arrived at the rink in good time, he got his name badge, his skates on, and eventually we secured the helmet.  As he lined up to go on the ice he was clinging to PC like white on rice... but with the direction of the instructors, we handed him over to their guidance and that's when the tears came.

His teacher was extremely patient and once he could see us on the boards watching him, he sucked up the tears and started to listen to what she had to say. It was slow, but she worked with him and eventually he was standing on his own, and starting to take a few baby steps on his skates. He fell once - a good fall - and there were a few more tears, but with the teacher's guidance she helped him get back on his feet, and making forward motion.

The CANSKATE sessions at our club are only 25 minutes long, which was a great length for him.  When he came off... he was smiling (as in the 'I can't believe I survived that' type smile), and when we announced how proud we were of him for trying, his face lit up.

I was more than thrilled with how the lesson went, as I assumed it would go much worse, to the point where he wouldn't even try because PC and I were not there to help him.  Boy was I wrong - and pleasantly surprised.  I can't wait for next week... but I am sure E is glad he has a seven day rest ahead of him!

Here are a few pics from the morning skate... we *may* just have a future Olympian on our hands!

Fun at Calypso!

I've been meaning to post about the extremely fun water park that opened near our house back in June. We bought season's passes, and each time we have gone with E, we have had 100% F. U. N.

Calypso is largest themed water park in Canada... and trust me, a day at this place does not disappoint. PC and I actually had a hard time believing we were in Limoges, ON when we stepped foot inside this place. The atmosphere there makes you feel like you are down south or somewhere far far away.

I give this place two thumbs up if your looking for family fun! The kids area is excellent. E was just over a year and a half when we started taking him there and he is the PERFECT age for the kiddie stuff. He can go down the slides (with one parent up top and one below), but he absolutely loves it. There are baby slides too that he can climb up on his own and pretty much navigate them unassisted.

The Jungle Run river is a blast, the best part about the whole park is that the water is WARM every where you go, but in the Jungle Run (lazy river) its just a degree or two warmer!! The wave pool is ginormous, and also lots of fun! The waves are actually a little too wild for my liking (while I'm preggers), but the kiddies love it! With E we just stay in the shallow area and he has so much fun as the tail end of the waves roll into shore!

There are some crazy water slides and tube slides for groups of people, this summer I didn't get to experience them, but PC did a few runs and said they are pretty wicked!

There are lots of places to setup camp for the day too with picnic tables and lounger chairs - they have lots of places to eat and snack, but you are welcome to bring your own snacks in too.

If you have a chance to take your family to the waterpark before it closes on Labour Day, I highly recommend it - FUN. FUN. FUN.

Here are just a few pics from an outting to the park with E!

A trip to the Sand Road Sugar Camp!

Recently, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law purchased the Sand Road Sugar Camp... (soon to be renamed Sand Road Maple Farms), and this was the first weekend they were in full operation! PC has been there a few times helping tap trees, but this weekend was the first time I had seen the property this time of year.

We packed E up, and went down for a late breakfast. The place was jammed full of pancake hungry families... and the food did not disappoint. It was by far the best pancake breakfast I have had in a very long time! We will be back many times I am sure!

We took a walk in the sugar bush... and all I can say is that times have changed. No longer do they tap the trees and hang the metal pales on the spouts, and then go around and collect all the sap to make maple syrup. Now... they tap the trees and have a direct line that all of the trees connect to... and this allows the sap to flow directly into these huge holding tanks... which then they can use to make syrup and all other maple goodness (probably not the best description, but its what I observed in my short visit)! Its really something to see.

We spent a good chunk of the morning there, and a bit of the afternoon too. We had to call it a day two hours past normal nap time - and I think we can thank the maple taffy and all the people for keeping E running well past his prime!

If your in the area... or even a little outside the area, I would highly recommend a trip to the Sand Road Sugar Camp... you won't be disappointed with the food, the atmosphere, or the fun and friendly staff (wink wink)!!!

Uh-oh...all GONE!

Every Moment Matters

Its not too often that I come across a great find, but recently, I discovered an entrepreneur offering a service that I absolutely LOVE, and so I thought I would share it with you.

Every Moment Matters is a website that I stumbled upon a few weeks ago when I was searching for some modern birth announcements for Little E. Previous to my online search, I had been to Walmart, Shopper's Drugmart, and even Shutterfly, etc... but I hadn't found anything that I really liked.

What I found frustrating was that you couldn't design your own birth announcement at these places, you had to use their tacky templates, and while I did find one or two designs that I would settle for, I couldn't change the size of the font, or it would limit me to 2 or 3 lines of text.

This was frustrating because even though I wasn't satisfied with the product, I was going to have to pay almost a dollar an announcement for something I didn't like.

This is when I started the search online... and found Jill at Every Moment Matters. If you visit her site you will see that she does CUSTOM photo baby announcements. I was intrigued from the opening page of her website, and when I clicked on the photo announcement gallery, I fell in love. Her designs were exactly what I was looking for. Classy, yet modern... and flexible designs that could be alter to my liking. I was even more enthused when I saw that she was CANADIAN, as her business is run out of St. Albert, Alberta.

When I read the details of what Every Moment Matters offers to each customer, I was ecstatic to find out that the final product would arrive within 48 hours of me okaying the final design. This was quicker than what the other places had offered, and although Jill's prices were a bit more expensive per card, I was definitely willing to pay extra to have an announcement that was tailored to my personal style. The best part was she offers packages with different sizes of announcements for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends.

When I saw the packaged deals, I was sold: Every Moment Matters was the company for me. I immediately placed my order, entering all of E's birth details on an easy to fill out template...and while I was a bit leery of having to pay upfront for the service through PayPal (or by money order), I can definitely say now that no one should be worried about this - Jill does excellent work and provided me my first set of proofs with in 24 hours (she guarantees proofs for your review within 48 hours of receiving payment).

The first set of proofs were AMAZING. I had asked her to do a design similar to one in her gallery (the Noah design), which she promptly delivered, but she also provided me 3 other designs similar in colour scheme, photo options, font, etc.

I was very torn after seeing the first set of proofs, as they were all great and really captured my personal style. What impressed me so much about Jill's service is that when she emailed me the proofs, she really encouraged me to look at all of the proofs and choose elements from each them that I liked or remove elements that I didn't like. She seemed very willing to redo her work until I was completely comfortable with one final design.

I ended up going with one of her other designs that she created for me and the not the original one I had thought I wanted. I worked with Jill to incorporate some elements of the original design I had asked for.... along with some her ideas. After our discussions over email, she sent me back a second set of proofs, and this was the final one I went with:

Don't you just love it? I mean could the polka dots scream ME anymore than they already do! They completely match E's nursery too!

Once I okayed the final design, Jill sent me an email to confirm the shipping, and they arrived by ExpressPost, 2 days later!

When I opened the package, I was not disappointed either... the prints were just as nice in person as the online proofs, and all of the announcements came with their own envelopes. Jill even wrapped everything up in some nice ribbon (complimentary to my colours: green & brown) with her business card.

I have been busy these past two weeks finding time to write thank yous to everyone who dropped off or sent E a birthday gift... and I have already received so many nice compliments about the cards. I am so enthused with this company that I know Jill and I will have a long relationship - I am already planning to get my Christmas cards done by her, and probably so much more in the future as E grows up (she actually did the Halloween photo card I posted on Oct. 31st).

Thanks so much to Jill and Every Moment Matters for helping us introduce E to the world, in proper style!

My pants are too tight!

Not very often would I openly admit that my pants are too tight... in fact everything is getting a little snug on me. Whether I like it or not, my belly is expanding, and I am slowly going to have give into those horrendous looking maternity pants ... whether I like it or not!

I guess I should clarify, not all maternity pants are horrendous looking, but I tried to do some shopping this past weekend for work pants (dressy ones), and they were less than flattering. The styles just aren't me... my legs and butt don't seem to fit the shape of these maternity pants (well they fit, but they leave nothing to the imagination) - its all very depressing.

I guess the other issue I have with maternity clothes is that they are pricey considering that they aren't something that you are going to be wearing in 9 months time. Normally I don't mind paying more for clothes that I consider to be staples in my wardrobe... but in this case, I need some expandable staples, but by the time my belly has come and gone (hopefully) these clothes will be useless to me, and I will need to go out and by new clothes again (not that I am really complaining about getting new clothes at anytime).

I am trying to make due as long as possible... I haven't gained any weight on the scale, but I feel like I've put on about 10 pounds in my pants. The sad part is that right now I am down to three pairs of 'tight' work pants for a five day week. Every time I sit down at my desk, my pants immediately fold over and dig into my stomach. I envision the baby giving me the finger and cursing at me for constantly cramping his/her space - (after all this PC's child child we are talking about, he or she would definitely be cursing)!!!

The upside about being preggers in the summer is going to be that less clothing is required, and capris and skirts and shorts are much more flattering than the skin-tight maternity dress pants they have out there now. I shouldn't really throw in the towel on all dressy maternity pants just yet, as I've only been to one store ... so I think I may put in another effort to find something work appropriate this weekend.

What I have discovered for more causal clothes is Old Navy Maternity... I am so wishing that Old Navy Online delivered to Canada... because there are lots of sales on things on their website and I would definitely order up some of their styles. The good news is that I am going to NYC in May and hoping that I will be able to find something trendy (although probably pricey)... which could at least make me feel a little better about this so-called wardrobe I need to obtain, and soon!

For now.... I will sit at my desk, with my pants unbuttoned, unzipped, and hope to god that no one summons me to a meeting on short notice, as its quite embarrassing to stand up in your office, do up your pants, and follow someone down the hall to a meeting room!

If your a man, you probably haven't made it this far in the post, but for all of you experienced pregnant ladies out there... any good tips for shopping for maternity clothes?

Fragment Fridays

So... I've fallen off the mark a bit with my blogging as of late. Tid-Bits Thursday hasn't made a presence lately... so let me now introduce you to Fragment Friday.... much like Tid-Bits Thursday... here a few fragments of actual posts that I haven't had time to sit down and flush out!

• Spring... a concept I have yet to see fully develop. How depressing... we are officially in the season of spring and there is still A LOT of snow on the ground, and we are still being forced to bundled up in the below zero temperatures. I do have to say that it is s l o w l y getting warmer.... but it's not happening as fast as I would like it. I wish I had some secret powers to just make the snow disappear.
• Pot holes... honest to gawd, you can lose half your car in some of them. I particularly love the mornings where you are cruising down the 417 at lighting speed... eating your breakfast and all of sudden you hit a pot hot the size of Australia, and you think you need be rushed to the hospital because you're pretty sure you just bite off your own tongue. I hope the province has budgeted a lot of cash for road repairs this coming year... cause we are going to need it.
• Rrrrrrrrrrrooooll Up the Rim to Win (RUTRTW) season has been in operation for almost a month now. I don't frequent Timmy's like I use to ... but why would I these days? My luck has still not changed on this STUPID game! You may recall the extreme losing streak I was on last year around this time.... it appears I am destine to be a loser forever when it comes to RUTRTW, as I have yet to win a thing... nothing, nada, nil!
• Speaking of coffee.... have you tried the Honey Latte at Starbucks? I would highly recommend it... such a yummy treat in the middle of the afternoon, it may have infact just topped my regular Vanilla Latte!
• 4 day week/weekends.... now there is a concept I could get use to. I think these last two weeks have been the best work weeks I have had in a very long time. I mean... seriously, talk about work-life balance, I could definitively achieve that in 4 day increments... 4 days on, 4 days off, 4 days on! I think the Liberals should put a platform together for the next election that includes 4 day work weeks every week... and I am pretty sure they would win a majority government faster than you can spell 'hallelujah'!
• PC and I, PC BBQ'd for the first time this week... steak! It was such a good treat... he froze out in the garage while doing it, but it was well worth it! I think I want spring/summer to arrive just for BBQ season, meals are so much simpler during BBQ season... they take less thought, and there is much less clean up... I long for BBQ season to fully begin!
• Well... that's it that's all for today! I realized that I have totally slacked off on blogging this month... and I do have a few valid excuses for it, which I will hopefully get to on Monday... the last day of the month, and the last day of the fiscal year! Yee-haw folks.... bon weekend!

T.O isn't such a bad place afterall!

This weekend I travelled to Toronto to visit my BFF (Kristy).... she's been there since November, and has now settled into a place ... so I decided to hop on the train and reintroduce myself to T.O life.

I haven't been to the Ontario capital since I was fairly young.... to put it into perspective, the SkyDome wasn't built the last time I was there. I sort of remember T.O. as a bit of dirty hole to be honest. But this weekend I was surprise to find out that its not how I remember it all.

Friday night we headed downtown and out for dinner to a place called 'Fred's not here' on King street. We had a great meal... and just got caught up on everything that has been going on in our lives over the last little while.

Saturday we met up with two good friends from University (KL & Bee, former members of 130-O) and headed to Yorkville for some afternoon shopping. I loved Yorkville... the stores were quite big and roomie... and there was everything you could imagine. The only thing I purchased was some new M.A.C. makeup... but it was well worth the trip!

As you can see from some of the pics below, we had a great time in Holt Renfrew trying out some new styles!

We decided to stay in Saturday night (yes... we are old) and order in from Spring Rolls... so good. It was actually better than going out to a nightclub and screaming over the music to talk to one another, as we were able to get caught up ... and tell some funny stories!

Sunday.... KL took the GO train back to Burlington and Kristy and I headed to the CN Tower, as neither of us had ever been to the top before. 28 years of living in Canada and I hadn't done one of the most touristic things in the country. It was quite the experience... first of all I am not a fan of heights... I get a little bit of anxiety when I think about it, but nonetheless, I still wanted to do it. The elevator ride to the top was a bit much for me... some 5 year-old kid was saying 'I'm scared Mommy', and I said to myself 'I know exactly how you feel kid!'

When we got to the top I was relieved to see that it was fully enclosed, so I relaxed a little. The view was spectacular. It reminded me a lot of the look out PC and I did in Boston, at the Prudential Centre... but I know we were much higher in the CN Tower. Kristy and I made our way to the glass floor, which is where I had a mini freak out... I didn't think I could do it. Luckily for me there was another lady beside me (my mother's age) and she didn't want to do it either, but in a moment of weakness, I grabbed the lady's hand and said 'C'mon, let's go' and pulled her on to the floor with me.... all the while, Kristy and the lady's husband were dying laughing at us. If I am going down, I want to take another innocent bystander with me! Luckily, the floor held up... and we all made it out alive!!!

After the CN Tower we had time for a stop at Starbucks... and then I headed back to the train station to catch my ride home.

It was a great weekend... and I realized that T.O is a city that I actually like... its a nice getaway. I still don't think I would want to live there, but its definitely a place I want to go back and visit more, and with Kristy there - I definitely will.

Here are a few pictures from my weekend excursion.
Enjoy!

Pancake Tuesday

Check out this feast!

Tonight, PC and I celebrated Shrove Tuesday... (thanks to a reminder from a good friend). When I was in University, one of my roomies (Erin Boyd) led the breakfast-making supper fesitivities for 4 solid years - it was tradition at 130-O to have pancakes the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, but with my depature into the real world, I have not enjoyed pancakes for supper since then!

In all the years PC and I have been married (speaking as if its been decades!), we have never had breakfast for supper... this was first for us, and it was sooooooooo good, something we might have to do more often, rather than just on Shrove Tuesday!

Do you sometimes cook a big breakfast for supper .... ? Did you celebrate Shrove Tuesday with some pancakes tonight?

Hair Karma

Three months ago, I decided to take the plunge and switch hair salons. I had been going to the same person for over 5 years, and I really liked her, as she was a colour specialist and she did AMAZING highlights.

The problem at the time was that she was located in downtown Ottawa, near my old office, and she was rather out the way for me, in addition to being pricey (yet totally worth every penny). I had been saying to myself that I wanted to try someone that was local, and easier to access for me, and I figured that the best thing to do was just book an appointment in town and do it.

So that's exactly what I did, I called the local salon, and took the plunge. The best thing I got out of the whole experience was some extra cash in my pocket because it was a heck of a lot cheaper than the my regular person, but what I saved price wise, I sacrificed in quality and overall satisfaction.

At the time, I convinced myself I was happy with the price and the outcome, even though the highlight process was done in a compete and utterly different fashion that I had ever experienced before. However, two weeks after my colour and style, I was very disappointed. The colour faded, I could see my old highlights coming through. My hair felt like it needed to be trimmed again, or cleaned up in certain spots. It was and still is a mess.

I regretted ever leaving my original hair salon, and told myself I would never stray from the plan EVER. AGAIN.

So today, being three months later, I called up my old salon and asked to schedule an appointment my colour specialist.

The conversation went like this:

Me: Hi, I liked to make an appointment for highlights with Christine.
Salon: Christine?

Me: Yes, Christine.
Salon: Unfortunately Christine has taken an early maternity leave, and won't be back for at least another year, but we would be happy to book you with Carolyn, who is taking over her clients.

Me: Pardon? (It was like I stopped listening after she said 'Christine' and 'leave' in the same sentence)
Salon: Christine is having a baby, and she had to take an early mat. leave as per her doctor's orders, so Carolyn has your colour file, and would be happy to do your colour.

Me: Ummm, ah, well, I, I, I, guess so.

I am complete shock, and can only think one thing: Ka, ka, ka, ka-arma.

Honestly, it's like this was meant to happen. I bail on my faithful colour specialist of 5 years ONE TIME, one time people, and she goes off and gets pregnant in that 6 month window and has the nerve to take an early maternity leave.

Now what the hell am I suppose to do? I have an appointment booked with Carolyn - but I don't even want to go to it. Its not really the salon I enjoyed, it was Christine, and only Christine.

I am contemplating going back to the place that was cheap and local and trying a different stylist, giving the salon a second chance, but I don't want to disappointed a second time and feel exactly like I do now.

In addition to this colour, I would really like to get a decent cut, sort of different, a little refreshing, and now if I go back to the same place I went to before, I am not at all confident they can master a new style for me let alone a decent round of highlights.

Help... ! Any good recommendations for salons and stylists in Ottawa and the surrounding area?
Please feel free to market your favourite stylist or salon in the comment section.

Going Green

I have officially bit the bullet and bought the reusable grocery bags. I have been thinking on this for a while now, and wanted to do it, but had my doubts that I would remember to bring them into the store with me every time I went to do my groceries. However, I've been using them for a little over a week now, and so far, I've been successful in remembering them on each trip to the store.

I think the reusable grocery bags are great idea, and the fact that my grocery store (Independent in DT Embrun) has made them available for only 99 cents per bag, you can't go wrong. Supposedly one reusable bag will replace 100 plastic bags per year- that is huge in my world.

What I have also noticed lately, is that a lot of other people in this little town of Embrun are using them too. I think the marketing on this one is working, people are getting the message.

I know for years now certain grocery stores have sold bins, where you pack your groceries in the bins instead of in bags or boxes, but in my opinion, the bins are bulky and take up a lot of space in your car or house, when you are not doing groceries. The reusable bags are so much better because they fold up and you can store them in the driver's side of the car door.

In addititon to the grocery bags, I also bought a three pack of bigger reusable bags from Costco. For $4.99 I got 2 large sized bags, and 1 large cooler bag. I keep them in the back of the Escape for Costco trips, but we also used them when we went to the cottage.... they held all of our stuff, including all of the heavy items... they are durable little buggers! I think they will come in handy at Christmas time too, when we have to cart around a bunch of gifts from house to house - they were a great investment, and one that is helping the environment immensely- so it's worth it in my books!

What's your take on the reusable grocery bag? Have you purchased any for yourself, or are you still into the convenience of the plastic bags?

I suspect that dog owners will want to keep getting their plastic bags, to pick up their dog poop - so that audience might be a hard sell, but is anyone else out there still using plastic or paper? Are you thinking of switching but just haven't taken the plunge yet? What would it take to make you switch?

Do tell... please!

A whole new world

I am a woman, and I love to shop. Actually, love is a pretty strong word, I can scale that down to: like to shop, because I do like it (when I am in the right mood, which usually translates in well-rested and fed), so when shopping opportunities are few and far between, this is an issue.

When I worked downtown in the market, I was pretty much shopping and spending money every. damn. day. So when I learned I was moving to BFN (butt f%$# nowhere) for my new job, I was pretty disappointed that I wouldn't be accessible to the Rideau Centre, the market, and all the stores that suck me into spending money day after day.

The upside of not being near any mall is that you definitely have more money in your pocket at the end of each day, AND, BFN doesn't charge $170 a month for parking (its FREE). Its like getting a raise, but not paying income tax on it. A pretty sweet deal, in my opinion, minus the fact that shopping is not convenient.

However, to my surprise, BFN is actually not that bad, it's a stone's throw away from Merivale road, and Merivale road has just about anything and everything a girl needs. Pier 1, Winners, Home Sense, Home Outfitters, Sport Chek, Canadian Tire, STARBUCKS, good restaurants, you name it, it can be found on Merivale road.

The west end of Ottawa, in general is a whole new world for me, as is Merivale road. Whenever I used to drive on Merivale, (the three times in my whole life), it resulted in me getting lost, and at one point I ended up on the 416 (for those of you who don't know Ottawa, that's not even remotely close to where I should have been). For a long time I hated the west end.

However, I checked out Google maps, Google directions, and what do you know, the west end is not all that complicated. It's actually pretty straight forward... and to my surprise I am liking it, A LOT! Yesterday on my lunch, I ventured off in my car, to Merivale, did some browsing at a few stores, got a Starbucks, and headed back to the office after lunch, completely fulfilled.

It was the first day that I thought out loud to myself: I am really going to love this job!

This weekend we are off to great Grimsby (near Hamilton) to take in the stag n' doe festivities of my good friends Krista Lynn Smith & the Burch who will be married on September 1, 2007! You can look forward to seeing some pictures of the event, next week.

Bonne fin de semaine, tout le monde!

The New Job

I survived, the first two days of the new job.

Let me set the scene of the first morning. Me... dressed in causal capri pants, a white (very chic) hoodie, and my jean jacket. I was dressed down as per the orders of my new boss, because it was moving day. Everyone in the office was to be unpacking their office as there had been a major office reorg. over the weekend. According to the boss, nobody was to be too concerned about work, and her final words of our last phone call were 'make sure you don't wear good clothes', so I didn't.

30 seconds in the door, we are rushed off to a surprise all-staff comm's meeting. Perfect! I get to meet everyone and their dog under one roof. I roll into the boardroom with a look of distress, and I pretty much have this thought: Hi Sara, meet your new well-dressed colleagues.

Does anyone have a gun? Please shoot me.

If these people are dressing down, as per the orders, they all deserve an F for effort. To the credit of my new boss, she was in jeans, and runners, so I didn't feel completely out of place, but I am sure everyone will now remember me as: the new girl, wearing the jean jacket.

Luckily, I have thick skin... so after about an hour, it didn't really bother me, but I am sure the look on my face said it all when I first walked into the boardroom among 25 of my newest colleagues!

Other than that minor hiccup, I am thinking I am going to like the place. It's super upbeat. Everyone is go. go. go. and really positive while they are at it - which is far cry from the work environment I just left, so this is a plus.

I am going to be a while catching onto the files, how the department is structured, and who does what, but nonetheless, learning all these things is half the fun.

I have met a lot of people over the past two days, many faces which I remember, but not their names. I am hoping this will come. I was asked to do some work right off the bat, which didn't seem too bad, except for the fact that I don't understand any of the five thousand acronyms the department uses. Honestly... whoever permitted the use of acronyms in speaking and writing, did not work in government!

The files are interesting... I am learning a lot as I go along, but the scientific health research might kill me at some point. I used dictionary.com about 14 times today, just to grasp some of the lingo that medical doctors and such are using. I think that is going to be quite challenging to comprehend all the medical lingo, but hopefully nothing I can't handle.

My team is small, and I think we are going to along great. The senior management team seems very nice, and they were very welcoming, which made me feel great about being part of their team. It's a mix of men and women, but the majority of people are late twenties to mid thirties - which is very cool - everyone is on the same page when it comes to working styles, and I like that.

The one thing that is bringing me down is that the department uses Lotus Notes and not Microsoft Office for email - major bummer. I feel like an idiot, but I am starting to catch onto it. It feels old school, because it is, and after coming from Microsoft Outlook and knowing it inside and out, Lotus Notes feels like I have taken a step back in technology, however, I am coping with it - slowly!

I am so far finding the drive in not too bad... its a change of scenery for sure, and I think that in itself is good. The first day, I practically starved myself to death. I didn't pack a lunch, and I decided to get a small salad from the cafeteria, which was clearly not enough to hold me over until 6:30 pm, when I ate dinner. I was dying for snacks all. day. long. and had nothing stashed away. I am really going to be missing the market, and the afternoon strolls for Starbucks, Yogen Fruz, Laura Secord, etc., but in the same way, it will be damn good for the figure. Today I packed my lunch, complete with health snacks, and I was a much happier person at the end of the day - so this is something I am going to have to start doing... faithfully.

I am at the end of day 2, but looking forward to day 3... with each new day, comes more knowledge, and the more I know, the better I will be at my job - so that's a reason to get up tomorrow!

As well... the Sens play tomorrow night... we are down, but not out. I still believe. Its not over til its over, and nobody is going to be harder on themselves than the players, so I will continue to believe they can do it, until they have given their final effort.

GO SENS GO!

Coffee detox

This week I have been battling headaches... not migranes or anything serious, but the kind of headaches that rest on the front of your forehead, and although they are not painful, they are constant.

About Wednesday, I decided that I was coming down off a coffee high... a high I've been on for well over a year now.

Last weekend I was pretty sick and I did not want anything to do with coffee. I kept making my trips to Tim Horton's but for the green tea, not the coffee. I went 4 days without coffee, and on Tuesday when I finally returned to work, I didn't have time to retrive a coffee the entire day. I developed a headache Tuesday that reminded me of the headaches I had on Sunday and Monday... I didn't think much of them as I had been sick, but when the same type of headache showed up on Wednesday morning, I clued into the fact that I had not had a coffee since the Friday before.

5 whole days had passed and not a drop of coffee in my system. My body was telling me something... 'your coming down off the addiction' - at that moment I realized I was officially in COFFEE DETOX.

It was scary to think that the coffee was having such an affect on me... or more so it was NOT having the coffee that really affected me. I have never really owned up to the fact that I NEED NEED NEED coffee in the mornings. I like to think that if I wanted to quit I could, but since I like coffee, I don't want to quit, and that's why I continue to drink it, but again, if I really wanted to stop, I could (geez... I sound like my mother before she quit smoking 'I enjoy smoking, I don't want to quit, if I wanted to quit, I would, but I don't want to').

To test my theroy about the headaches, I waited things out until Friday morning, and when the headache arrived around 9 am, I dashed out of the office and secured a large coffee to soothe the pain. Sure enough, within 20 minutes my headache was gone and I was off to a productive work day (including overtime, which is a whole other blog topic).

I made the mistake of telling PC my theroy earlier in the week and when I asked him to make his usual Saturday trip to Timmy's for me this morning, the following conversation ensued:

Me: So... can you go to Tim's and get some coffee.
PC: No.

Me: Pardon?
PC: No, you're off the program.

Me: The program? What program?
PC: The coffee program.

Me: Coffee program.... oh no I'm not.
PC: Ah, ya you are.

Me: Nooooooooooooooo, c'mom just go get some coffee's and we will watch a movie.
PC: Sorry, I don't want a coffee, and neither do you.

Me: PETER, go get the coffee's.
PC: Why, you got a headache?

Ahhhhhhhh. My own information sharing processes working against me. PC held his ground and I never got my coffee today. I drank water, juice, and a pop today... all to avoid the coffee. Now I am on a mission to prove to myself that I don't have to have it everyday, and that I can function without it, but I can't get past the fact that I love watching TLC with a warm Timmy's on my weekends. Or how, just grabbing a coffee at work is a good excuse to get out of the office for a few minutes to clear my head. I even enjoy grabbing a coffee and browsing through Home Sense or Pier One. I love what I do when I drink my coffee, its not just about the coffee.

Drinking coffee has a type of lifestyle associated with it, and simply replacing coffee with water or a glass of juice doesn't quite do it for. Being in coffee detox or 'off the program' simply takes away a part of my life that I most enjoy. Its sounds silly, but I love the coffee lifestyle, and I may be on a non-coffee kick for a while just to prove a point (although, I doubt it will last long), but I am not about to change my lifestyle just because of detox!

Perks of the job!

I have been at this blogging thing for over a year now, and while there have been some highs of the job, I just recently received my first real 'perk' via Canpar express mail, Tuesday morning. I opened the package and was surprised to find the following:

You may recall my post Anyone feel like taking a leak on their keyboard? - to which I openly discussed how a university study showed that over half of workplace keyboards tested positive for traces of urine.

I mentioned (a few times) how disgusting I found these findings as I was thinking of my own workplace and keyboard. In my post, I referred to a product called Kleen Keys in which a company by the name of Vision Global Media Group is producing and marketing a medical silicone keyboard as a solution to avoiding the germs, dust, and traces of urine that sometimes can spread through a workplace causing god knows what kind of infections to employees and management. The solution in Kleen Keys being that the silicone keyboard can be sanitized using soap and water, which prevents the spread of bacteria and germs all together.

While I merely commented on the product, thinking it was just some sort silicone cover you put over your real keyboard, I did not expect the president of the company to contact me, nor follow up with sending me, not one, but two, Kleen Keys keyboards to try for myself.

I sent the company my information late Thursday night heading into the Easter weekend, and VOILA, Tuesday morning the parcel was delivered to my door. To my surprise the product is not a cover, its an actual functioning keyboard that comes with a USB cord and proper keyboard attachments. I was stunned to think that this keyboard would actually work, let alone be able to be subjected to soap and water. I am using the board as I type this post, and to my amazement the thing actually works, and works well.

The initial feeling of typing on a flatter keyboard is something that I have to get use to, but the part I love is that it does not make a sound when you are typing (however, in the office I almost want people to hear me clicking away so they at least think I am doing something)!

I just put the keyboard to the real test, detaching it and washing it in the sink with some dish soap. Believe it folks, you can wash this baby with your regular dish detergent and with in a matter of minutes the board is gleaming, and ready for use. You really have to see it to believe it, but you can roll the sucker up, throw it in your purse... practically do whatever you want with it, and I believe it will work.

Dead skin cells, chewed nails, eyelashes, and other natural germs no longer have a permanent home on my keyboard, nor will they spread to any other person using my computer, because as soon as I see the particals building up I won't think twice about washing up my board!

I love love LOVE this product, its cool, and best of all it's a pretty healthy choice (this coming from the girl who just got over a nasty cold that she probably picked up from someone in the office)! To boot... Kleen Keys is not only available in black, but this summer you can get the board in cool colours such as blue, green, or pink. Imagine having a pink keyboard.... its soooo me!!

I don't know... I had thought that Kleen Keys was going to be some knock off product that was just a gimmick, but I can definitely see that it's actually very useful, and the more people that use Kleen Keys in a common space, the bigger healthier advantages there will be for everyone involved.

Thanks Kleen Keys!

Another Bedroom Make-Over!

This weekend is painting weekend at the Coleman household. After months of deliberation over what colours to paint our first spare bedroom, I have finally chosen something I am really excited about, and we got underway last night with the bedroom make-over (actually it was I who got underway last night while PC reffed some hockey and then arrived home close to midnight to say, 'do you want to go to bed I'm tired'... but that's a whole other post)!!!

To give you the full trading spaces experience... I am posting a few before pictures of the room(rather dull if you ask me). We are half way through the painting phase (only the final coat left to do), so hopefully I will get the room back together tonight or tomorrow morning and have some photos of the final reveal up for your viewing pleasure!

Stay tuned!!!

SPARE BEDROOM BEFORE:

Pampered Chef... GENIUS idea!

Yesterday, I hosted a little Pampered Chef party for a few friends and I. It went pretty well... didn't absorb too much of anyone's time and it I got to see a lot of people that I haven't chatted with in a while, so from my point of view, things went well!

I have to say though, that whoever founded the whole Pampered Chef organization, really had a good idea on her hands (and you know it was a woman's idea if it was this good). Pampered Chef is all about getting a some women together in small bunches to discuss a common topic (kitchen gadgets), surrounded by a bit of food and drink, while at the same time learning a few things. These parties are social, somewhat engaging, and in the end everyone leaves with a few extra tips for the kitchen, and most of the time, some new products and recipes.

I mean... I know this innovation isn't rocket science... well okay... perhaps some of the products are border-line rocket-science... but the part that interests me the most is the implementation side to selling this stuff... the whole marketing of these products. Whoever put together the communications plan to get these products on the market should have definitely been paid a lot of money... because the plan is making Pampered Chef millions right now.

Its like an infomercial in your home... when you actually see the infomercial live you are more likely to think you actually need the products then the b.s. sales pitch that comes from the television 'and that's now all folks... if you call right now, you will receive... yida yida yida.

I find, when woman are with their friends, making a sales pitch is easier for the person selling. The saleswoman can say, this product is great for X,Y, and Z, but its the friends who reinforce what the salesperson is saying, driving home the final stage of marketing: THE SALE. Friends make marketing easy... and someone at Pampered Chef definitely knew this!

The great thing about Pampered Chef is that it just spirals... from the party I hosted, other people will probably decide to host their own party, and from those parties, more bookings will continue. Its something that circulates via word of mouth and continues to grow with every party.

Its GENIUS... down right GENIUS, and I love it!

My First Sushi Experience

Yesterday, a former colleague of mine (my hero when it comes to French training) took me out for lunch to celebrate my upcoming b-day. We frequently go for lunch... so I can bitch about French and she can recall all the bumps in the road she had before acheiving her C levels in French (which I may also mention to commemorate the occasion of passing she put the Quebec fleur-de-lis... where it belongs (behind her)!!).

At any rate... she had the idea to take me for Sushi... and since I was a Sushi virigin, I was all for this, as I have always want to try it, but never really knew what I would like, or what I should order. I thought it would be a great experience to go with a Sushi specialist for the first time.

So... off we went... to a little place on Bank & Slater... and within in 5 minutes we had our so-called orders!

This wasn't the identical platter, but it came out something like this. We grabbed the necessary chopsticks (usually not so good with the chopsticks), and then selected a small table near the window.

She carefully explained what everything was... and how to go about digesting the stuff.

I was literally fascinated. For one... the food looks so darn beautiful that you really don't want to do a thing to it, but just look at it. However, I watched in amazement as she dipped a piece in some wasabi & soy sauce, and flung the entire piece into her mouth and swallowed (with a bit of chewing of course!). All this was happening while people on Bank street are standing on the street corner, carefully watching you chew with your mouth full... perfect!!!

Now it was my turn... suprisingly the chopsticks were a breeze to handle... the sushi is so thick that it was rather easy to man-handle with these weapons... and the texture was pretty good. My worries about Sushi in the past were always that the texture would make it non-edible for me, but this was not the case at all. If you can handle the texture of some sticky rice... the rest is a breeze.

My combo was shirmp & saamon mostly... and while I absolutely loved the shirmp pieces, the larger pieces of saamon weren't doing it for me. A little too squishy for me, but one or two pieces wasn't bad at all. It was all very tasty and filling... I was stuffed by the end, and that was one thing I didn't expect!

All in all, the experience was amazing. Last night I was craving another platter of it, and was trying to convince PC that he needs to try it, but I think we are along way off from that! He will always be a meat & potatoes guy, and the fact that I brought home Thai food on Wednesday was probably pushing it for him in the new foods department, so perhaps I will have to hold off on the Sushi experience in this house for a while!!

However... I will be going back soon, it was a great experience, and a few more visits to that little place on Bank street, and I know I am going to be hooked!!!

Has anyone else had a good/bad sushi experience.... ? Please share!

The first one!

Well...here it goes, my very first post on my very own blog. This is something that I have been thinking about doing for a while, but wondering if I would have the time to keep it up...so we'll see!

If your reading this --- I probably sent you a link to say`check it out' -- I can' t guarantee that you will find anything overly whitty on this page, but you will find the update on me, my thoughts, and my regularly old boring life.

I guess part of the reason I wanted to start a personal blog, came from the notion I had that if someone was trying to track down S. Bellerose these days, it would be a bit of challenge. I wonder if people I knew in the past ever wonder, what ever happened to her? Likely not, but hey everyone likes to think that he or she is important to the world, so perhaps it's just an excuse to have a blog!

These days, I must admit that I get excited everytime I sign my married name on a piece of paper, but yet I still wonder if there is anyone out there looking for the original, the one and only, Sara Bellerose. To the world, I just want to say "It's ME, in the flesh, alive and well!"

No...nothing has changed other than the fact that I am now one letter lower on the alphabet, although this would have come in handy in grade school when they called you by the class list for speeches.

So...here is the petit history to bring you up to date on moi! 2005 was an exciting year for me, I turned 25, got engaged, bought a house, and tied the knot all within 9 months. I was on a bit of of high for quite some time, and I guess I still am in some ways...BUT, then came the beginning of 2006, when I turned 26 and started full-time INTENSIVE French language training. Every time I say that, I hear the words I spoke to my mother in grade 9 "I'm not taking French anymore, because I am NEVER going to use it." If I had only listened to reason, I would probably be running some part of the government by now instead of trying to adapt to it's demand for bilinigual civil servants. I don't want to drag on too much in my first post, but to date, it's been a challenging 2 months of 9-5 French training, and the bad news is I have 9 more months to go. Don't worry, this blog will keep you posted on how things are progressing, or not progessing. You can look forward to a few rants on this in the future.

I hope you will find this blog fun, a place to find out what's going on with me because most people know that I suck at returning calls and lately even emails. Feel free to post comments on here at anytime.....and if all goes well, I will respond promptly!

CHEERS...