My 1st "Halfie"

This weekend I completed my first Half-Marathon. It was quite the learning experience, and also, tonns of fun! I finished in 1 hour and 58 minutes, placed 39th out of 186 people in my age category (women 25-29), and 212th out of 1126 women over all. So for a first experience, I think I did better than most.

LIVING IN THE GHETTO

Well it may not technically be the "ghetto", but to me it feels that way. It's a good reminder not to get too comfortable with what you have because, in uncertain times like these, it could all be gone in the blink of an eye... And this is what you'd be stuck living with!

The lot has two 4-plex's side by side. In our 4-plex, the walls are paper-thin, so we hear the farts, the fights, the T.V.... We hear EVERYTHING! And our neighbour is extra special because he never takes his cowboy boots off, he just clunks around all day until he finally decides to go to bed at night. I have to be real sneaky when I get my mail because our mail box is right outside and he sure loves to talk. He'll come outside with his little chihuahua in his arms, and it's so hard to get away, because there never seems to be a pause in his talking where you can say "well, I should get going..." I'm not sure if that's just his personality, or if it's because he loves me! lol But I've always thought that senior citizens have a need to talk allot, especially if they've lost someone, they have a need for company and a need to be heard. So I feel obligated, and besides they usually have very interesting stories, for anyone who loves history (which I absolutely do)!

The single-mom next door is a constant reminder of my past. The loneliness and exhaustion I'm reminded of every time I see her. I would love to offer to watch her kids for a while, but they are just so bad that I can't even bring myself to do it. They're always outside playing on the small patch of grass between our buildings that they call "a yard", with mom nowhere to be found. The other day they were fighting, one with a pitch-fork, the other with a shovel. I felt obligated being the only grown -up out there to say "you need to put those away right now, before one of you gets hurt"! Well the older one laughed at me! And so I could tell that these were the type of kids that needed a bit more firmness, so I said "I'm not laughing, you need to it right now... while I'm watching you"... Then Tim came outside and told me to get in the house, and then yelled at me because those kids aren't my responsibility. But seriously, I think it was worth getting yelled at, over a 5 year old being stabbed with a pitch-fork!
I feel a little bad for them though, they've had their bikes stolen twice this week. They were lucky to get them back the first time and they should have bought some locks, but they didn't and the bikes got stolen again. They have so little as it is, seriously, who would do that?!

The rest of the neighbours we never see, either because they're depressed and never leave their apartments or they work nights. Not really sure, we just try to mind our own business and not spend allot of time here. We are here just long enough to do our school work, eat and sleep... The only comforting sounds in our apartment is the sound of Tim singing, and the train whistles blowing almost constantly has become a comfort to me.

Well we're about to start our day, one of my kids just woke up... We've got to take our toys back to the toy library, and twice a week I take the kids to the Parent-Link Center to make a craft. It really helped us to not have to buy stuff while we were here. I'm going to miss everything that this town has to offer... The indoor, play park, the spray park, the running trails, and stores... Even the schools compete with each other for who has a better play ground. The schools out here all have better play grounds than the big Hanover park.. But it's because the parents raise money for the parks, and a better park means better (well really just richer) parents, so they actually do compete with each other... I think people in Ontario can take a lesson from these guys.... Instead of whining about lack of government funding for the schools, consider it payment for "childcare" for having the schools raise and teach your kids!

Anyway, now too many opinions are being conjured up and I fear I may break out on a rampage, so this is where I will end this blog... I'm not looking forward to going home and losing all my friends, so I'll just say "THE END". Love you friends! Be home in 3 weeks! =D

FINALLY A CHANCE TO POST!

It's been a while, but as predicted in the beginning, I wont have time to post regularly. So I will give a quick run-down on the last week or two...

Last weekend was great! Tim, for the first time ever, showed his spontaneous side! He came home from work Saturday night and said "pack the kids some overnight stuff!" He wouldn't say where, but it didn't take long to figure out (he's not very good at hiding stuff). So we went to Drumheller, which is about 2 hours south of here. And let me just say, apart from the mountains, that the Badlands are the most beautiful and amazing thing I've seen in my whole life! We had a great time and the kids loved the dinosaur museum! But I think the part that everybody enjoyed the most was the Hoo Doo's. Kalvin and Tim climbed right to the very top of the Hoo Doo cliff, while Abi, Jared and I crawled around and explored the small caves and crevasses below. I took lots of pics on my cell phone, but we'll have to see how good they turn out before I post them. Anyway, we had blast! If anyone reading this should ever find themselves in southern Alberta, Drumheller would definitely be number one on places to visit! http://www.traveldrumheller.com/

We've finally been having real summer weather. The spray park has been crowded all week, we've been there ALLOT! There aren't any real beaches out here... Many people have tried to tell us that there are, but I don't call a small lake with a 20 foot patch of sand "a beach". We'll just have to wait until we get home... Which FYI will be in 4 weeks.... That is unless Tim takes another job.

There is a possibility that Tim will be working on another pipeline that would run from Edmonton to Winnipeg, a job that would take 3 years to complete.... So we shall see... But it just may be that our family will be traveling between provinces over for the next 3 years of our lives... Like I said before, that wouldn't bother me a bit! It's Tim that's the homebody, I really could care less!

Anyway, I'm drawing a blank here.. Obviously lots is happening and I should have lots to share, but I'm sitting here trying to think of things to say, but all I can think of is all the things I have to do. So for now I'll just say so long and I'll post when I have time to think.

It's the little things...

In a two bedroom appartment, furnished with three queen sized airbeds, a blow-up couch, and boxes for night-stands, things are being put into a very different perspective for the Quesnel family. There was once a time not too long ago when such a situation would have put me into a depression... Most of my friends would remember the days of the duplex when I was so overwhelmed and complainy. But take away the clutter of furniture, toys and unnecessary junk. And all that you're left with is opportunity for new adventures... All that you're left with is each other! No distractions, no meaningless phone calls and time wasting activities... Just good old fashioned family fun and plenty of room for personal growth! Taking time to enjoy the little things that you may otherwise be too busy doing other things to notice.

Although I will confess there are things that I am missing, like Internet and my leather sofa (I really love that couch), I am excited about the opportunity for a fresh start for our family! I realize that the things and people I have grown dependant on, I really can live without. But to my friends back home, I DO miss you (most of you).. Just that I've come to realize that true friendship will last no matter how many provinces may lie between us.

I enjoy traveling and new experiences, but even more I enjoy being with my family! While part of me misses the comfort of my own bed, there's another part of me that could care less if I ever see our house or Hanover ever again. I needed this. And I think alot of people need to do this, leave, leave with nothing... Take your family and realize that, in fact, you have EVERYTHING!

THE 3 M's:

THE MALL:
Wow! Very big and very fun! I don't know how many visits it will take to do everything, but we sure didn't on Sunday! We arrived at opening time and went straight to the Water Park! The kids had such a great time! Of course my camera had to break right before our trip so I have no pictures to post. But I think some friends of ours that went may have taken pics so I will post them if I can get ahold of some... Here is a link to the West Edmonton Mall for those who are curious about what's there. http://www.westedmall.com/home/default.asp

The weather's been pretty freaky out here, stormy weather mixed with sunshine makes me think of one thing constantly... TORNADO'S! ... I think I need to get over my paranoia, I'm sure we'll be safe in our basement apartment anyhow. One great advantage to the pooey weather though, Tim's had lots of days off work to do family stuff. Little road trips and outings... I'm loving the time together! Which brings us to another cool destination: the Reynold's-Alberta Museum and Aviation Hall of Fame...

THE MUSEUM:
I'll post pics soon too. But for now I'll just say, I thought it might be boring for the kids, but don't let the name fool you... There was lots of cool old fashioned cars to go in and airplains and helicopters... They had alot more fun than I would have thought. And so did us grown-ups, although it would have been nice to take the time to read all the information on the exhibits, rather than just the name and year it was invented! lol

THE MEN:
I'm so glad that Tim has another daddy friend to hang out with. His friend from work brought his wife and daughter out here too and we've been doing alot of family stuff with them... The guys are so much alike it scares me... Big, macho, meat-eaters... I think we could get used to this life-style of traveling in trailers and homeschooling our kids... We could be neighbours everywhere we go... And maybe even start a commune with the other Wilbros guys! lol I think Tim and I have come to a point in our lives where criticism doesn't even bother us anymore. I would totally do it, without a care about what anyone thinks! Life's too short and we're gonna do what's best for our family!

Anywho, that's my mini, meaningless update, for the friends we've left behind... We miss you all!

After a very long time of not posting, I have finally decided to post... From the public library in Cmrose Alberta... And for those of you who have missed out on that obvious note, yes we have made it to Alberta safe and sound!..

What a journey, oh baby... We're talkin' 3 kids in a car, 8 hour days, times 5 days... A broken down mini-van at the side of the trans-Canada highway for over an hour before CAA finally decided to show up, then $650 in repairs just to get us back on the road again... A dumpy motel in the middle of nowhere in Saskatchewan run by a very scairy man who looked like Bin-Ladin! But all those great experiences aside and it was a journey we will never forget!

The kids were so well behave... At some points I caught myself looking in the rear view mirror just to double check that I didn't take some one else's kids by mistake! They were just so good and I am really proud of them!

It's been hard on all of us to get used to the time change, and especially the fact that it stays light out here until 11:30pm... (That's like 1:30am our time). Last night the Canada day fireworks didn't start until 11:15pm, way too late for us, we went to bed at like 9pm, lol... But the darn neighbours had their kids out playing outside after the fireworks, so it was like 12pm and there were little kids running around outside our windows squealing and playing in the middle of the night! Totally insane!

The other thing that irks me a little is the price of food out here! $10 for a brick of cheese, makes me glad to be dairy-free! The cheap food at the cheapest grocery store here costs more than buying Organic at Zehers or Independent... But the part that suits me fine is that the Organic food out here isn't more expensive, it costs the same as the regular stuff... So yea for Alberta, Organic it is!!! :) ...Maybe I can even convince "the beast" to go raw vegan! (here's hoping!)

Anywho, that's all for now... Until the next time I hit up the Public Library! lol
CHIAO!!!

How crazy people make decisions:

Well most people already know I'm all over the place... When it comes to making decisions, I can decide something one day, and do the complete opposite the next! It drives prople crazy, but it makes me who I am. So forget about all that I said about summer plans, because none of that matters anymore, there's a new plan now!

I am driving to Alberta with my three kids for the entire summer! That's right... Five days in car with three kids... WOOHOO!!! What a joy-ride!
Daddy misses us, kids miss daddy... And well, I guess I miss daddy too. So we've had a crazy week of cancelling activities and making all the arrangements... Trying to be organized, which people tell me I'm a little too good at... Our suit cases are packed two weeks in advance, but not only that, they are already IN THE VAN! ..The only thing left to pack is the cooler with fruits and veggies for the road, but something's telling me to wait on that one. lol
We are very excited! I will have to find that USB for my camera and post some pics of our adventures.

Anyway, just had a few moments to "re-rase" (as Abi would say) what I had shared in the last few posts... Until next time... Adios amigos! :)

Summer Activities:

Swimming lessons came to an end last night. Kalvin's quite upset that he has to repeat the level. I told him it's not called "failing", but they have a check list of things that you need to do and when you can do everything on the list then you get to move up. I told him to think of it like a video game, he's just got to beat this level so he can move on to the next one (there's no shame in that)! Anyway, he's going to take the first session of the summer and it's every day for two weeks, so he'll have his badge for this level in two more weeks. lol I don't see the big deal, but for some reason he's pretty distressed about it. I think he takes after me, I'm very hard on myself too!

I decided I needed to give something up with all this triathlon stuff, so I gave up the swimming. People are making me feel bad that I'm not swimming 2 nights per week, biking two days per week, and then running 3-4 times... Well I think maybe this triathlon stuff isn't for me, since my calling in life is to first take care of my children. Sorry, I'm not that kind of mom! The kids come first in this house! (not ME before everybody else) I have no respect for the people who are in their 30's and act like they're going to the Olympics... Training everyday, making their husbands be the mom and their kids neglected of a true mother! It's so sad.
I've decided to only do the races that the kids can participate in Fun Runs at the same time, and I'll just take my babysitter with me. I will continue running, for 2 hours 3 days per week on my own, but it's not fair to leave them more than that. We also made one family track workout day and one family biking day... I feel good about involving my kids. And they are happy about it too!

They have activities this summer also... Kalvin will be doing swim team 3 days per week, as well as golf camp. And Abi will be taking gymnastics in Owen Sound and dance (which I will be teaching). And both will be taking at least one session of swimming lessons. So our weeks are full of activities, everyday. And to most people's surprise, we still home school in the summer! College for me, grade 1 for Abi and grade 3 for Kalvin. I've decided it's time to finally give up babysitting permanently, Ahhh.... Yes, this will be a good summer! :)

Yesterday we started out the day in Durham helping my best friend with her packing. Not only is my BFF moving to Hanover, but she will also be right around the corner from us! I'm totally excited! (And so are the kids)

This summer's going to be better than I thought! And I'm starting to realize how quickly this summer will go by, we will be going to Quebec for two weeks, and to Alberta for two weeks... I will have company from Oshawa come up for a few days and my friend and her sister coming from Quebec for a week. And lots of little road trips with the kiddies. Not to mention the work that will be done on our house this summer, trying to fit in my Holistic Nutritionist course... I'm feeling overwhelmed and busy already!

Today the kids and I will be doing a family track workout and going swimming. Tomorrow is church and then I'm running 16.5 km out to my mom's farm (she's watching the kids, and then we'll eat supper out there)... Monday's biking in Chesley and Tuesday's lane swim... And it goes on like that all week... It's great! I need to get out, and especially I need some training time before my first triathlon in July. I'm a little freaked out about it, but mostly just excited!

Here's to a summer of GREAT FUN and ULTIMATE HEALTH!!!

Random ramblings and some words of wisdom...

Last night was the Saugeen Triathlon club kick-off at Queen's Bush. Good times. I was amazed at how many people signed up this year, it seemed like double from what there was last year. I think that's great! I had missed out on supper so I decided to get a grilled veggie wrap there... But then I got busy talking away, and the next thing you know I was leaving and forgot to pay. I didn't realize until about 45 minutes after I got home that I "dined and dashed", but I did go back, I felt so bad! ...At least they weren't to hard on me, since I was a first-time offender.

Abi sliced her foot open on glass last night and I had to rush her up to the hospital for stitches, so I thought. Apparently they don't like to do stitches on young children because they freak out and won't sit still, so Abi's foot was "crazy-glued" shut. I don't know much about this so-called glue, but something's telling me it's not supposed to keep bursting open and oozing blood... I'll give it until tomorrow morning, but then I'm definitely taking her back! (Poor little thing)

Today I scored some awesome new clothes Volcom, Roxy, Guess and Billibong... Super cheap! That made for an awesome day... From not knowing what I should wear because I have nothing good, to not knowing what to wear because I have way too many options! I was excitedly trying on outfit after outfit and twirling in front of the mirror, as if I have never gotten anything new in my whole life! ...Well it really has been long time since I got any new clothes. So it made for a pretty happy day!

Just waiting on mom to get here to watch the kiddies so I can go to lane swim. I thought I was in pretty good shape until I started swimming again... I've committed myself to doing a minimum of 30 lengths and then I'm usually ready to go home! I'll try to increase my speed and number of lengths as the summer goes on. I might not be one to really push myself, but at least I'm out there trying, and at least I'm not a quitter! One of the coaches last night said "you're already winners because you're here"...

If you want good health, you've got to work for it, not just sit and whine about how out of shape you are... The real winners are the ones who keep trying, whether they are great at something or not! Make up your mind what kind of person you want to be and be that person, don't let anything (including you're own laziness) stop you!

"THIS IS WHY I'M FAT"


The kids came up with this one: "I eat lots of fruit, and then I take a poop! This is why, this is why, this is why I'm skinny!"... "I go for a run, 'cuz it is lot's of fun! This is why, this is why, this is why I'm skinny!" Much better than the "big-but butter" song!

BYE BYE BEAST...

So Tim left Sunday night for Alberta... Driving... It's driving me crazy... It's Wednesday and they still aren't there, and everyday that they're on the road all day I'm filled with anxiety for their safety. That's alot of driving for 2 guys to do straight. And I know that Tim sometimes has a hard time staying awake driving to and from Oshawa. But I will pray and leave it in the Lord's hands, take some deep breaths and just believe that God is in control.

It's 6:30 am and I'm awake with a kid that's not my own right now... I really hope today is better than Monday. He had a melt-down in the middle of the garden center at Independent and humiliated me beyond what any of my kids ever has. I wanted to stand up on a pile of top soil and announce to every one that he is NOT MY KID!!! But that would have been equally embarrassing and drawn more attention to the already humiliating moment. What made it worse was: #1. he's 6 years old, and #2. he's not even cute (well being cute always seems help people overlook a child's behaviour, but he just happens to lack that quality). Yes I know I'm mean, and maybe I shouldn't have said that. But a little humour is all that will get me through this loooong summer with all these kids... And NO husband.

I think the main thing I will do is to just keep BUSY! Beach days and road trips and play dates with friends. The only thing is this extra kid who makes me feel like I can't take him out in public. I've taken him to play group and kids events and they've all ended the same... UTTER HUMILIATION!!! So maybe I will have to think about letting him go. Or he could just move in with us for the entire summer, guarantee he wouldn't have ADHD by the end of the summer.

People are so stupid, they wire their kids up on crappy food, children go absolutely insane (or "ADHD" as they call it), and then they try to put them on drugs for it! It's just makes me so mad! And honestly, I don't think it's a coincidence that 10 times out of 10 the parents are obese. Open your eyes people! Drugs are NOT the answer... FRUITS AND VEGGIES!!!

Family road trips: part 2.

Definately as I predicted... The blogs will not be happening on a regular basis! But well, eventually I will get to it.
Our weekend in Oshawa ended long ago... It was a nice little family vacation, but I've learned a few things about the city:
#1. Keep a leash on your toddlers.
#2. Don't talk to strangers, nobody has time to be friendly!
#3. Always pretend you know where you're going, even when you don't. And don't slow down when driving,even if you've missed your turn.
#4. I never want to live there.
#5. Burger King has the crappiest veggie burgers I have ever tasted.
Well, I hope that little tid-bit of info was useful to someone...

Thursday was a great day of family fun. We took the kids to London to Story Book Park. It was great for all ages of children, ours 8, 5 and 2 years old all enjoyed themselves equally. And I wouldn't want to exclude the biggest kid in our family in that equation, my husband. He had just as great of a time as the little ones. It was scorching hot, so we spent alot of time at the water park... Honestly, I love when it's hot like that, it's the only way I know Tim and the kids are drinking enough water.

Hot weather and sunshine, happy kids and family fun! Here's to summer!

SLAP CHOP: Making Americans skinnier, One slap at a time!

One way to get your husband eating healthy... Guess what Timmy's getting for his Birthday?! ...I LOVE IT!!!

May Road Trip:

Right now we're on a little road trip for the long weekend. This makes for some free time to blog and many little experiences to write about.

We've been here four days now and, although I enjoy the city for a change of pace and scenery, I'm starting to get a bit homesick... We're staying at the duplex that my husband rents, where he lives through the week when he works down here. The property absolutely gorgeous! It's like a nature reserve in the middle of the city, with trees and flowers and a little stream that my father has built a beautiful bridge across... My father's landscaping is amazing! Most of our time here has been spent outdoors... Which is the way I like it! ...Trips to the park, walks through the trails behind the house, climbing the "dirt cliff" in the back yard... Regretfully, I packed our nicest clothes because I wanted us to look our best for the family and friends that we haven't seen for a while... I wish I had known the kids would be grass-staining and wrecking stuff, because they just look like little hobos anyway!

Today I had to go to the laundry-mat and do laundry because we've already gone through a weeks worth of clothes in four days! I wasn't expecting to have to do cleaning on my holiday... And seriously, I have cleaned ALOT! I knew my husband was a pig, but I expected better things from my brother... He's more the clean and organized-type, or so I thought. I had to clean the bathroom just so I could be comfortable taking a shower... The first day I was here I spent the entire day cleaning! I'm sure everybody else thinks I'm a snooty little princess, but I just can't help it, I'm easily grossed-out by dust and dirt, and especially dog hair... Okay, well enough about the pigs- I mean men...

The highlight of yesterday was having a really nice visite with a friend from Hanover that moved here last summer. Seeing how big the babies have gotten since last summer and watching them toddle around and interact with their unique little personalities was so entertaining for us. My friend's little guy likes to put EVERYTHING in his mouth, even scrapes gum off playground equipment at the park- YUMMY! He also doesn't like to share toys, so when he would take one toy away from Jared, Jared would cry a little and then find something else to play with, but "YOINK!" Nicky would take the next thing away. This went on for the majority of our visite, and honnestly I was happy when it was nap time, the crying was too much for me.

When we went home and the kids found a frog getting close to the road, so they caught it in a yogurt container and carried it back to the pond and set it free. The kids were so proud of themselves for "saving the frog", after they had a little fun poking it with a stick and making it jump of course.

Eating here in the city was very interesting, but an easy solution to our usual family arguments of what to have for dinner. Last night I had Thai take-out, with an awesome mango salad and an iced-chai. The kids ate some of the vegetarian pad-thai and some veggies, while Tim had Burger King... Big surprise!

Today was a little slow, we basically sat around most of the day watching movies while it poured rain outside. We took the kids to an indoor park for a bit, but Tim got sick of it fast, so it was back to the tube again... Well, the kids thought it was a treat, since we don't have channels on our TV at home. Tonight we took our dairy-free kids to Baskin Robins after supper... Oh my gosh, was it ever good! I really miss ice cream, but I'm sure I will come to regret it tomorrow. Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum- PUKE!!!

It's almost bedtime, so I should end this for tonight... I'm looking forward to a little romance tonight with my husband... And when I say "romance" I mean an immature comedy, a bag of chips and a cuddle. Hey, I'll take what I can get!

Making a new start:

Remembering the days of old, when I had three blogs on the go and nothing better to do with my time than read blog and write blog... Those days are dead and gone. With all the stuff in my life, I won't very likely be able to post daily, but to my dear friends who have asked me time and time again to start up a new blog... THIS IS FOR YOU!