Friday 28 October 2005

What's in a name?

I have always been obsessed with names. I have spent many hours dreaming of what my husband and I will one day name our child. The problem is there are so many beautiful names to choose from and of course there is the Jewish tradtion that one must name their child after a deceased relative. In our case we have 4 grandparents' names to choose from as well as my father's sister so choosing a strong, dynamic, nice sounding, and probably biblical name is going to be no easy task.
Right now we really don't have to worry about this naming business but the article
got me thinking about the importance of a name. I don't think some parents give it enough thought about how the name will affect their child later on. Did Gwyneth Paltrow really think APPLE was going to avoid being name fun of just because of who her mom is??? Or how about 50 cent naming his child Bow-TY of all things...plain weird in my opinion...let's see there are also names like Calico like Alice Cooper named his kid...that name just reminds me of a big orange cat...
I often think about the fact that a name will be with you for life so when naming your child try to remember that it's not always cool to be too different and kids can be really mean to each other at times so be kind...
Names I like:
Girls Boys:
Rebekah Eli
Rachel Frank (after my aunt Frances)
Rose Ross
Ella Harris or Harrison
Ellie Eitan
Carli Hilton...
This is fun...thanks Jilly!!!
This Is My Life, Rated
Life:
7.8
Mind:
6.3
Body:
8
Spirit:
7.1
Friends/Family:
6.5
Love:
9.1
Finance:
8.6
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

oh what a week...

Wow what a long week this has been...I have been working Monday evenings at Dominion and that shift seems to make the week drag longer than normal...Don't know what it is about monday evenings but I find the busier I am that night the longer the rest of the week goes...It has been SOOO busy at work too these past few days. Cheque run always causes a lot of extra calls coming through. Luckily I had a couple of afternoons off this week to do things that can never seem to get done on the weekends. I went to the dentist which is downtown and then went shopping afterwards with my mom. I finally bought a white wool coat as I've wanted one for a year or two now.
I got Gavin an anniversary present a little early. He needed a printer for his BEd apps and also for school next year so I got it for him. Since the 1st anniversary is paper I thought it was appropriate!

Isn't it pretty?!?!

Sunday 23 October 2005

baby fever

Yesterday (Saturday) was a hard day...went to Steve and Robin son's 4th birthday party. There were tonnes of kids running around and so many of the women were pregnant with their 3rd children. It seems as though everyone has babies and had no trouble at all getting those babies...even Robin who had a miscarriage at 5 months is now pregnant again only a few months after the loss....I am really happy for her but also a little jealous (not in a green with envy kind of malicous way but a"it's not fair it's not me" kind of way)
I almost had a breakdown right at the birthday party but luckily the uncontrolable crying fit was contained until we got home...poor Gavin had no idea what to do to make me stop crying...finally I just fell asleep due to total exhaustion...
Gavin made me go out on Sat night in order to take my mind off the whole baby thing...SOOO
We went to see the movie Elizabethtown. It really sucked. The story was weak and the acting was lame the only good thing about the movie was Orlando Bloom...he is such a cutie pie!! Unfortunately he wasn't using his real voice...I love his English accent and he was playing an American in the movie...:(
BUT the movie did take my mind off the whole ordeal of the day.
Look at this face...how could you NOT want to squeeze these adorable cheeks!!!!

Wednesday 19 October 2005

Me

Only 18 more pounds to go to my weight goal...well on my way to being slim!!! Posted by Picasa

Introducing family!!



I have been an aunt for about 9 months now and I love it...it is such a joy to see little Ava grow from week to week. She is such a sweet little child. Lately she has begun babbling and cooing more often- especially if she wants your attention. She even sits up on her own now!! She loves her home made baby food her mom Debbie makes for her. She is her daddy's pride and joy!This picture was taken at my home on fathers' day 2005. My husband is holding is first neice with such caution (he hasn't had much experience with babies....unlike myself who babysat A LOT when I was young)..
We have a nephew too. He lives with his mom and dad in Zurich Switzerland. Little Daniel is about 2 months old now and the last pictures I saw of him were very cute. He was such a handsome new born!! We had the chance to meet him during his first week of life as we were visiting Switerland when he was born (VERY LUCKY FOR US!!!) He gammy and gampy would love him to live here in Canada so that we could all spend more time with him but he's staying put in Zurich for now as that's were his mom and dad live and work. At least he'll get to spend time with his paternal grandparents who live nearby in Lugano Switzerland.
The other pic is of my hubby and baby...here he is holding little Daniel- who is about 8 days old at the time.


Monday 17 October 2005

oh so frustrated...

I'm at an age where most of my peers are either in the process of starting families or have already entered the world of parenthood.
I do understand that having a baby changes ones life. How could the new responsibility of caring for another human beings' every need NOT entirely change things? Life is no longer your own.
This tiny creature relies on you for EVERYTHING. Without you this baby could not survive on its own.
My issue is not that you now allow for your schedule to molded around your baby. My issue is that so many mothers now use motherhood as an excuse to discard all responsibility to take care of themselves or to stop doing the things they once loved. They seem to forget that it is still important to take care of themselves. How hard can it be to apply a coat of mascara or dab on some lipgloss? Or how about leaving the sweats for the gym and putting on a decent pair of jeans and a top before leaving the house for a day on the town or an evening with friends. I do see plenty of good-looking, well put together moms pushing strollers, running after toddlers who are NOT wearing sneakers, a ponytail and track pants.
It has become one of my greatest peeves to hear some friends blame motherhood or parenting as an excuse for sloppiness . If I could lose a pound for every time I've heard "you don't have kids, you don't understand" I would be a very thin woman!!
I'm sorry but looking like you've just survived the lastest natural disaster cannot be blamed on motherhood. Nor does allowing your home to be constantly in a state of disarray because "we have kids" does not seem fair to the kids. I know plenty of women who keep their homes spotless without the existance of housekeepers or cleaning ladies. In fact one good friend of mine has taught her 2 and a 1/2 year old to sweep the floor and dust the furniture. Daily cleanup time has been incorporated in his daily play time schedule. Before bed every night it is a race to see how fast he can put away his toys. Now he won't go to bed before all the toys are away neatly in the toy chest. (of course there are other issues regarding parenting style I might have but really it is none of my business)
I have another friend with baby who NEVER looks bad. She always takes the time to put on make-up and straighten her hair before facing the world. Looking good makes her feel good and I have to admit I feel the same (although I don't have kids yet, I imagine I'll still try to look my best and not allow myself to get so caught up in mommydom to forget about what is important to me. )
It is my opinion that motherhood should not be seen as an excuse to stop caring about yourself. Just because you have children life doesn't stop. It is still acceptable to be hip and with it while doing the whole mom thing. I do understand that as a parent you definitely will have to give up some of the things you love because time is probably not an option but please don't blame your wee ones for this....

weekend...or wakeup...

The past weekend was a nice catchup on some much needed sleep. I ended up snoozing till past 11 am on both Sat and Sun, wasting away the whole morning. What will I do when we have kids and I no longer have the option of taking it easy???? Scary thought!!! No wonder so many people have nannies!!

Friday 14 October 2005

Spiritual Enlightenment????

Now that the High Holidays are over and I've been exposed to religion again after a year long absence from any practice of prayer I find myself full of so many questions.
Is synagogue and prayer supposed to leave one feeling enlightened or transformed from a "sinner" to a good moral individual? Yom Kippur, the most important or holiest day of the Jewish calendar is a day of contemplation and reflection of ones self. It is also a day in which one asks G-d for forgiveness of sins committed over the past year. As Jews we are asked to fast and refrain from doing all thing frivolous such as washing, using perfumes or lotions and from wearing leather shoes. As a non-religious Jew I do refrain from eating and drinking but cannot find it within me to refrain from washing. I absolutely need to brush my teeth. What is the real point in all these actions? Are they really leading us down a stronger moral path or are they just viewed as an inconvenience? Does G-d really treat those whose lives are filled with daily religious practice better than those who just attend services three times per year? Can those who do practice orthodoxy really judge those who choose to lead more secular lives? Doesn't the act of judging go against everything Jews are taught in the first place?

Wednesday 12 October 2005

WHAT IS A SEPTUM???

By definition a septum is a wall dividing a cavity into two separate cavities or spaces. The most recognized area in the body containing a septum is the nose. Thus everyday knowledge of correcting a deviated septum is now very common. There are other areas that contain the possibility of a septum that don't normal exist. In my specific case I have a uteri septum. I was never aware of this "birth defect" until an early term pregnancy loss. These defects usually go undiagnosed until a pregnancy failure occurs.
The septum extends to the internal opening of the cervix and in my case even further downward thus it is considered a complete septum versus a partial septum. With close inspection of the vagina the septum is quite apparent. It appears as an extra flap or hanging skin. The septum itself does not result in fertility problems but its existence does interfere with proper development of the fetus because the blood-starved median septum is covered by a poorer grade of endometrial than that of the blood-rich sidewalls.
This type of uterine malformation is one of several but appears to be the most common one found in about %30 of women with anomalies. About %1 of women on the whole have misformed uteri.
These types of malformations can be remedied through a fairly simply laproscopic procedure. Once upon a time these septum was removed through an incision in the abdomin but through medical developments this is no longer neccessary.

Monday 10 October 2005

Life of a cat




To be a cat...oh what a life a domestic cat has. Our two babies couldn't possibly have a better life. They both live like kings of the castle...and they definitely dictate a lot of our daily activities...like when to get up, when to eat, if we can use the bath tub or not etc...
A much needed night out on the town ended in way too much to drink and a long lazy Sunday doing nada!! Posted by Picasa

Battle of the Bulge

Weight has always been an issue for me. I have never been severely over weight but for some reason have always wanted to "lose a few". For as long as I remember I have hated some part of my body or another. Perhaps it goes back to grade seven when on more than one occassion one of the "popular" boys looked at me and called me "thunder thighs"- I was devestated and have never forgotten that feeling of desperation to lose weight-although I have never really acted upon my desire to be thin I can recall expressing my feelings in my journals over the years.

Recently though I gained a lot of weight. Probably due to a new marriage, excessive stress and some health issues. I decided that it was finally time to take action. I joined Weight Watchers. I had no idea what to expect and thought that the people there wouldn't like me because I wasn't extremely obese and only had 20-30 pounds to lose. I'm glad to say my fears were unwarrented. The leaders, staff and other members were all very friendly and also extremely supportive. I was never made to feel like an outsider and was always welcomed and greeted with a warm smile and encouraging words.
I have managed to lose 16 pounds so far and am on my way to losing the 30 I was aiming for. The process is slow and WW is not a magic solution-they don't give you a wonder pill so you wake up one morning a size 6. It is all about making healthy choices. There are things I thought I was doing right but were actually doing all wrong...who knew that too many fruits weren't that good for you. All that natural sugar actually adds up to excess points/calories.
I'll keep you posted on my successes and failures and hopefully by posting I'll actually stay motivated to stay on track.
UPDATE
FOOD JOURNAL: (today’s weight 148 pounds) GOAL: 130

OCT 17 2005

Food Points Balance
Oatmeal 2 18

Blueberry bran muffin 7 11

3 crackers 3 8

cheddar cheese 3 5

Review

I have struggled for years to get the smile I wanted. I have tried teeth whitening at a clinic, every type of toothpaste imaginable includin...