Listography #13

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Meaghan

The May long weekend is upon us. That dreadful time of year when Leith abandons me and his offspring to go do boy things in the mountains beyond cell coverage. Ah, bliss. After a 3-way tantrum, both girls are fast asleep over the dinner hour (yay, 11pm bedtimes!!), and I am soaking up the sun on our porch and catching up on my celebrity gossip.

And blogging. You know, productive stuff. Like lists!!

List #13: Things that make me cry

TV shows
Constipated kids
Sad news
Happy news
Sappy movies
TV commercials
At weddings (but oddly, not at funerals…I feel like I should be stronger for the family)
Songs on the radio
Being tired
Being overwhelmed
Being stressed
Being mad
Being happy
Watching my girls sleep
Watching my girls dance
When my students break through a barrier
When my grandparents leave to go back home
When friends band together to pick me up
While reading books I’ve read a million times, yet hope that the pages somehow change the ending…

List #14: In my dream garden

About 2.5 yards of new garden mix (hopefully next week!)
No icky bugs or destructive bugs – just nice, helpful, pretty bugs
Fairy houses and toadstools
An absence of weeds, including encroaching wild rose bushes and poplar trees!
Lush, green lawn with no anthills or dead patches
A garden swing that doesn’t collect cobwebs
Wattle fences around some of the beds
An enclosed vegetable bed, with a fence high enough keep out the deer!
Stepping stone pathways, and chickens running freely
A bathouse or seven, to keep the mosquitoes away!
A huge lilac bush and a weeping willow
And NO ICKY BUGS!!

My goal for the weekend is to work up my raised bed and dig up the bed under my front window. I have a ton of bulbs and roots to plant that I bought from a school fundraiser, and they NEED to get in the ground! Hopefully I’ll have my new (live!) dirt on Monday if all goes according to my master plan.

What are you up to for this beautiful long weekend?

Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Meaghan

To all the moms in the world, with their own babies, others’ babies, husband-babies, and fur-babies. You are awesome!

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To my mom, who has set an impeccably high standard of mothering for me to live up to. I’ll never be as wonderful as her if I live to be a hundred. She’s the best ever. Love you, Mom!

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To the girls who made me a mom, and then made me the greatest, most bestest homemade gift I’ve ever received:

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And to my husband, for not only helping me be a better mom every day, but for finally giving in to my puppy demands and letting this little 17lb, 8-week old brute wriggle into our home and hearts in time for Mother’s Day!

No name yet, but Gracie has started to warm up…a little…

When life happens

Posted on September 26, 2012 by Meaghan

I’m still alive. Honestly. My mind has just been consumed with dance class wear orders and canning carrots and making pickles. And more class wear orders. And more pickles. And house-breaking the chiweenie. And parenting. And working.

And stuff.

So, what’s new? I’m on quite the motivation kick this week, and feeling great! Monday was sheer chaos, as I had to cancel $6000 worth of dance wear orders, resize them for a different company, and reorder them on a rush.

Yesterday, I canned EIGHT LITRES of dill carrots. All of the were from my garden. Yes, my garden grows carrots, zucchini, and potatoes. Nothing else. All my onions, peas, beets, radishes…nothing but greens. And truthfully, I only got one bowl of potatoes from twelve hills of potatoes, and only 5 small and 2 monster zucchini from six plants.

Yes, that is PURPLE cauliflower, from the St Albert Farmers’ Market!

But I have carrots!

Today is all about getting back on a health kick. I haven’t been running since my 30k at the end of July. I’ve been eating horribly, and if I get a litre of water a day, it’s a miracle. Ugh. I’m back on My Fitness Pal (add me: magzd), tracking and logging my food and activity. I may even start running again!

Then there is the house! I’ve finally narrowed down paint colours for my living room and I am getting rid of my red wall. It’s just too aggressive. I’ll keep my red accents, but it’s getting toned down. I’m also buying us an early Christmas gift as well:

And thanks to my dear Sku, my office is functional and tidy again!! We spent Sunday purging and organizing everything! I finished up on Monday, and it is SO nice to walk past the door without feeling massive anxiety… Yes, there is still a couple of boxes to put away, but as of yesterday, the desk clutter was completely gone!

And I took my long-neglected SCOBY, separated the layers, made a SCOBY hotel, and started brewing kombucha tea again, much to the horror of most of Facebook and Twitter

You can see that, while I’ve been absent from my blog, I haven’t been absent from life! I hope to be posting much more regularly now that dance is in full-swing and life has calmed down. I miss you all – and I have the winner from my 1000th post contest to post too!!

Now for the big question: did you miss me??

Web log

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Meaghan

Sometimes I’m tempted to write a post that is true to the meaning of the word “blog” – a web log of my day. Dry, unwitty, dull…but perhaps meaningful to historians hundreds of years from now as they research the lifestyle of the desperate rural housewife.

08/21/12

Dear blog:

Woke up. No coffee. Pot still hot, burner still on. Swore at husband. Made breakfast for children. Discovered cayenne pepper and nutmeg pancakes. Prepared children for outings. Remembered all necessary items. Drive to Edmonton. Outing at science centre. Note: buy more birth control. And pain killers. And coffee. And wine. Went to hospital. Met doctor. Results promising. More coffee. Took children outdoors for activity time. Wind was howling. Child also howled. Participated in organized swimming lessons. Children did not drown. Prepared evening meal. Bribed children to rest for the evening. Success. Two hours spent on paperwork for dance studio. One hour of bad television. Bed.

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This post is a part of the Summer Blog Challenge! Join the rest of us:

Natural Urban Mama
This Mom’s Got Something To Say
The Dulock Diaries
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Confessions

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Meaghan

I have never deleted a single photograph of my kids, no matter how blurry, dark, or horrible. I can’t do it.

I peed the bed once when I was 21 years old. What’s worse is that it wasn’t my bed…! I was dreaming that I’d gotten up to go to the bathroom. The rest is history.

I’ve never watched Pretty Woman. Actually, there are a lot of movies that everyone should see that I’ve never seen. I only saw Dirty Dancing for the first time last summer!

I was scared to wear pants as a little kid because I thought the fly made it look like I had a penis. My mom was cursed with stuffing dresses into snow pants until I was in Grade 3!!

I hate recycling, even though I know it’s good for the planet. And I shouldn’t hate it, but I do. Sometimes I just like being lazy and tossing everything into one bag…

C-boo was named after the style of cribs we bought for their nursery. Kit-Kat was (partly) named for her dad’s grandma. May they never read this…!

I haven’t been to church since Grade 6, other than a handful of visits to Airdrie right after we moved away. Funerals, weddings, and baptisms aside. I miss it sometimes.

What about you? Anything you need to confess tonight?

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This post is a part of the Summer Blog Challenge! Join the rest of us:

Natural Urban Mama
This Mom’s Got Something To Say
The Dulock Diaries
2 Plus 2×2

10 Things

Posted on August 15, 2012 by Meaghan

I have horrible taste in music. I love everything, but my goodness! My iPod is stuffed with nothing but country music and bubblegum pop lately. I think I’m secretly harbouring a 13-year old somewhere… One Direction, Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato…oh, my!
This is my desktop in the living room right now. I can’t even bare my office to you. It’s terrifying. I’m past the point of even helping myself. I think I just need to light everything on fire and walk away…
I really want one of these. It’s a bluetooth speaker from Bose. I have a sick love of all things Bose. The problem is, I just spent $500 on a SoundDock for the dance studio. This one though? It would mean having my iPhone/iPod in my pocket; not tearing back and forth to the speaker = smooth class transitions. It’s also SO small – about the size of a hardcover book – which would be amazing during festivals and competitions! I could have bought a refurbished one in Vegas for about $80 less…but I’m tempted to just shell out the $330. Ahhh, decisions….!
Can you picture me in this?? Hahahahaha…but seriously, I’m ordering it for dance parties. And maybe for Wee Dance classes. And Fridays, in general…
Where does one buy fabric in Edmonton? I remember there being many fabric stores once upon a time. I really want to get my sew-on, but where do I go? There’s a Fabricland in the west end…there’s Davey’s wholesale. Ikea? Where do my crafty friends go??
I am SO EXCITED to take my bugz to Calgary and Drumheller this weekend! We got an incredible deal on a hotel for Saturday night – free penguin slippers AND zoo passes!!! Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE PENGUINS??
Leith and I decided last night that our 1990 sofa bed in the basement has officially met its end of days and should be put out of its misery. Time to go couch shopping for a sectional that fits more than two people…laying down!
I took the girls to Cafe o Play yesterday for the first time in 5 months. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve outgrown the screaming hoards of toddlers, despite my always-tasty Yummy Mummy latte. Oh my. We were only there for an hour before I had to high-tail it or start drinking… But with the long winter looming, we decided to buy a family pass to Telus World of Science. It’s only $150/year for a family, which means that it pays for itself after only 4 visits. Done and DONE!
I am very excited about a couple of opportunities to promote KeyLime clothing in the near future! Suffice to say that I am a huge fan of their locally produced active wear, and cannot WAIT to share more…but I have to hash out the details first Patience, my friends!
This is the lamest post ever. I’m trying to find some redeeming quality…really, it’s just a time-waster and a post-filler. Sorry. Let me make it up to you: blueberries and chocolate almond milk. Thank me later…

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This post is a part of the Summer Blog Challenge! Join the rest of us

Natural Urban Mama
This Mom’s Got Something To Say
The Dulock Diaries
2 Plus 2×2

Stranded & Starving

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Meaghan

Well! So much for dinner…

I am currently stranded at the airport in Las Vegas with no money. Actually, that’s a lie. I have lots of money, but none that I can access. I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and I won’t be home until 2am at the earliest.

None of my credit cards will work here. One has given me a headache all week, the other has a mystery PIN. My debit cards don’t work at the till in the States, and the ATM keeps declining all FOUR cards! I have so much available, but not a single dollar that’s accessible.

It started Monday: I went to check in to my hotel with my business MasterCard and it was

declined

. I have a low limit (on purpose), but I’d over-paid it by $1500 specifically for this trip so that a) I wouldn’t need to get to the bank, and b) so that I wouldn’t have to worry about receipts for my accounting. My phone wouldn’t process the toll-free number, and I couldn’t check in without a credit card for the deposit. I finally got ahold of MasterCard, and they told me that, despit over paying, I still wasn’t allowed to use more than my credit limit in any given month.

Um, WTF?

Thankfully, they overrode it and I was able to check in. I didn’t have a single problem all week. I charged everything from the hotel to Starbucks, from drinks to cab rides. Then I tried to spend $8.64 on dinner at Carl’s Jr and it was declined. I went to the ATM. Declined. I tried both my personal and business debit cards. Declined. I even tried my personal MasterCard with a totally different bank. Declined.

Then I tried all four cards at a different machine. Declined. My online banking shows positive balances for every single account but I can’t get dinner. I am starving. My cell reception won’t let me call the toll free number – they can’t hear me, and it breaks up. I tried using a pay phone, and as soon as the automated machine picked up, the pay phone would scream in my ear and disconnect.

I know that there are far worse situations to be in, but I’m so frustrated right now! I haven’t eaten in 7 hours, and was outside walking all day. The next food I get will be when I get through customs at the Edmonton airport at 1am.

Sigh…not the best end to an incredible week.

31 Things

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Meaghan

I intended to write this post a year ago. I was so full of pizazz over turning 30…and then I got distracted by something shiny.

So instead of having a dry, dull 31st birthday tomorrow, I decided to kick off my original 30′s plan with a list of 31 things to accomplish this year! Some are borrowed from my list of 101 in 1001, and others are new interests and goals that don’t fall into that

Learn to use my sewing machine
Set up a sewing area in my house
Sew kitchen curtains
Create a new garden plot for vegetables behind the shed
Build 2 or 3 raised perennial beds
Plant our hydrangea and night bark trees
Make dill pickles and carrots
Give homemade Christmas gifts
Take the bugz berry picking at Happy Acres U-pick
Take the whole family back to the Calgary Zoo and Heritage park this summer
Spend a month actually following my girls celiac diet, instead of cheating
Having my wedding rings soldered now that the set is complete
Go to the whisky bar with Leith
Buy an acoustic guitar and keep learning
Finish the Okanagan marathon this fall
Bring home lots of Okanagan wine from the marathon trip
Spend a blissful week in Mexico this winter!
Go scuba diving
Build a sand castle on the beach
Spent an exorbitant amount of money on a bottle of funky wine. Drink it NOW.
Have Leith show me how to change the oil in a vehicle and change a tire on my car
Have an acreage party tweet up
Learn to ride a motorcycle…in a very controlled setting
Have a “YES” day
Find a really, really, REALLY good gluten-free chocolate chip cookie recipe. For real.
Send a handwritten letter
Use the rest of my Bikram 20-pass before it expires!
Buy houseplants…possibly keep alive
Buy myself something extravagant without guilt
Eat a freaky flavour of ice cream, like dill pickle
Go to the roller derby…hell, maybe even go roller skating!!!

30 was the year of growth, and healing. It was the biggest roller coaster of my life, and I wouldn’t trade my experiences for the world. The past year shaped me into the woman I am today: strong, confidant, beautiful, healthy, happy, loved, loving, and damn proud of myself.

It’s a pretty good platform from which to leap into 31.

The Run!

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Meaghan

I spent the weekend in Cochrane with one of my dearest, longest-known friends: Suzi, also known to me as just Sku. I am home after a long, rainy drive, and my heart is full and happy from so much goodness!

The main reason for visiting this weekend was to participate in the Footstock half marathon on Saturday morning. I knew that I was ready, but that didn’t stop me from having incredible pre-race jitters!! I took 2 melatonin tablets before bed and still tossed and turned all night, listening to the rain and thunder outside.

I woke up to a cold, dreary day. The ground was soggy and the wind was howling. Suzi and I bundled up into my car, cranked the heated seats on, and drove to town! And before I knew it…I was off!

The pack mentality was hard to shake. I knew what my goals were: keep a 6:30 km/min pace or faster, walk one minute every 5 km, and finish under 2:15. The energy swept me away from the starting line and I had to fight to keep from pacing with the crowd. I held back, knowing that I would be better off in the long run

Six beautiful kilometres along the Bow River, and then the hill from hell that Melinda had warned me about. Even knowing, I was completely unprepared for the monster that lay ahead of me. Head down, one foot in front of the other, don’t walk. And when I wanted to walk, I didn’t, because I was going to OWN THIS DAMN HILL! At the top, it curved to the right…and then KEPT GOING UP. Oh god.

And then…I crested the top and headed 3 kilometres down a dirt road that had been magically transformed into a mud pit. The wind beat down on me, and I could barely see through the rain drops dripping off my eyelashes. I was soaked and cold, and just like *that* – the turn around. Halfway done!! I hadn’t even paused to walk!

I passed the 12km line, and all of a sudden my right IT-band started screaming at me out of the blue. I’d had no pain until then, although I’d been expecting it. I promised myself to walk if it started hurting worse. A couple hundred metres later, it did. I have never stopped moving SO suddenly. It hurt.

I swore under my breath as I walked it out, trying to stretch and lengthen my stride without stopping. I tried to talk myself up. I had just over 9km left in my run…I could do this. I had to do this. I was NOT letting some nagging stupid injury foil my great plan!!

So I ran.

And as I ran, I played with my gait until I found a strode that minimized the pain and let me keep going. I vowed to adapt as necessary, but for the next 9 continuous (no walking – woo!), I ran with an imaginary Skip-It on my right ankle:

Yup. I can’t WAIT to go to physio on Wednesday!! Pleeeeease don’t kill me, Laurie??

But surprisingly, even though I swung my right leg out for 9km, it didn’t hurt. And post-race? My knees were tender if I sat for too long, but not stiff and definitely not painful! And today? I’m not the least bit sore, tired, or stiff!

I screamed down the hill of death, and into the river valley. I was on track for my pace, and the wind was at my back. My energy was high, and I was flying. I broke out of the trail at 18km, and a song came on my iPod.

And suddenly, 3km from my goal, I had a lump in my throat the size of Texas and was fighting back tears. I was completely emotionally overwhelmed by the magnitude of the day and overcome with gratitude for everything and everyone who got me to that point. I was also profoundly proud of myself and my body for making it happen.

Yes, I was bawling on a dirt path while I ran.

And then the finish line was in sight. I bucked up my pace to a beautiful 5:30km/min for the last kilometre. I saw my dear Sku at the finish line, camera in hand. I heard my name on the loudspeaker…

And I finished.

And now, I have this to add to my collection:

Sick

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Meaghan

I don’t do sick.

It takes a lot to knock me out, so rather than fight it, my body just opts to keep the bugs at bay. I enjoy my heightened immunity!

But yesterday? I got sick

We spent an hour splashing at the local outdoor pool, and another hour playing on the playground. Okay, the bugz played on the playground. I sat on the grass… We picked up some groceries and headed home. The bugz passed out in the car before we made it home.

I was feeling queasy. I attributed it to the combination of my weekly cup of coffee, no lunch, and not enough water. I pounded back 750mL of water and laid down to sleep.

2 hours later, I was pretty sure I was dying. Was this heat stroke? It wasn’t that hot out. It took all my strength to lay still so I wouldn’t yakk my non-existent food intake all over. My bugz slowly woke up and crawled into my bed. They played with my hair and stroked my cheeks. They foraged for Rice Krispies in the kitchen, instead of asking for dinner.

When Leith got home at 8pm, I was laying on the couch while my kids watched Megamind and ate dry cereal out of a sun hat. No, really:

He kissed my forehead and took my kids to find real food. I laid in the cold dark of our basement guest room while my hyperactive Chiweenie taught her 6″ tall body how to jump up onto the bed.

Sometime in the middle of the night, fever hit…then broke. The Chiweenie continued to jump on and off the bed, never resting.

This morning, I gingerly sipped tea and ate a piece of toast. I laid on the couch while my bugz watch Enchanted – surely Patrick Dempsey could cure me?? I had a little more tea, and some soup for lunch. Some strawberries.

Everything has stayed put, but this nausea? Can someone put me out of my misery?? The waves, washing over me, reminding me that I am not in control of this situation. Every time I start to feel better, my head spins and I’m down for the count.

Maybe another movie on the couch is in order. This is not a week to be sick: 2 full nights of dance classes, and a half marathon.

Rest…yup, time to rest…

MagzD Life

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Listography #13

Happy Mother’s Day!

When life happens

Web log

Confessions

10 Things

Stranded & Starving

31 Things

The Run!

Sick

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