Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure:

Well, in less than 2 weeks, I am doing the 5KM Run for the Cure.

At my current state of (un)fitness, I am hoping to do it in around 40 minutes and expecting it will really take around 50 minutes.

I did a little practice 3km walk/run on my lunch break today and managed it in just 38.5 minutes. At the same rate of speed, I would do a 5km in just shy of 47 minutes, so hopefully I will be able to shave off those 7 minutes.

I have been doing Boot Camp classes to help get my fitness up and as I am still alive despite the pain, nausea and need to cough up a lung, I can only assume it is working.

Here's hoping this weeks boot camp and lunch time walks will get me that teeny bit faster so I can reach my goal!

Update on the TO DO list...

I could probably be doing a bit better on this so maybe looking at this may spur me on...

Projects
1. Paint Dining Table and Chairs
2. Sew and repair all items in the sewing basket that have now been waiting over a year!
3. Paint Playroom with Mural
4. Scan old photos and put some on Facebook (started this one, but we have several hundred photos, so this could take some time!)
5. Put all photos into new albums and only keep the good ones! Started on this too but have so many photos I think it will take the full 500 days!!
6. Finish embroidery on Sparks bag for Freyja - DONE!!  Yay!
7. Make personalised crossstitch item for both girls in time for christmas 2011  their next birthdays - amended this one as I have decided what to make them and would rather personalise them for their birthday gift.

Kids

8. Finish Baby Book for Freyja (now 6 years old)

9. Get Baby Book up to date for Rosie

10. Create Family Tree for kids - DONE but ongoing as we find out more info.

11. Finish 1st Year Photos for Rosie

12. Make a Fairy house for the girls in the garden

13. Spend a Mom day with Freyja getting hair done / Nails done without baby coming too. We did spend a day, just us at the Childrens Festival, but I think I'll keep this on the list to have a real girlie day.
14. Volunteer for a day (maybe Thanksgiving) with Freyja to teach her how fortunate she is.

Health & Fitness

15. Get weight down below 170 lbs (Was over 200 when I went in to have Rosie)  - OH DEAR!!!
16. Run a 5K - Signed up for May 8th! - DONE!

17. Run a 10K - August or November depending on how long it takes to get fitness level up.
18. Incorporate fruit or vegetables into Lunch and Dinner every day for 2 weeks to get into the habit - hopefully then I'll keep doing it.

19. Don't eat chocolate or ice cream for a month (now this one will be hard!)

20. Get up to running 2 km instead of just walking and alternate running and walking up to 10km

21. Take a Belly Dancing or Pole Dancing class

Family

22. Go on a family vacation (at least twice/yr.)

23. Take a spontaneous weekend trip to somewhere close - We went camping with the people from work for a weekend and are off in a couple of weeks for another camping trip.
24. Get family pictures taken

25. Go on a picnic. We did this with our trip out to Johnson Lake near Banff
26. Go on a nature trail with kids.

Personal

27. Write in Blog at least once a week. Trying hard to do this now

28. Put together a photo collage for both sets of parents and my grandparents of me, DH and the girls
29. Write a letter to my Dad (He's been waiting a long time for this) Done!!!! Yay - only took 4 years!!

30. Write a short childrens story for the girls

31. Finish reading "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies"  DONE!
32. Finish the Dragon crossstitch I started when I was 19 (I am now 36 and it will only take a few hours to finish)
33. Get dragon cross stitch framed and put up with pride of place.

34. Take a cooking or painting class.

35. Make a will and set up what would happen to kids in W.C.S. - Underway

36. Write a letter or make a video for kids for them to have of me if anything happened.

Finance

37. Save some money for a visit back to the UK next year.

38. Save to RESP's for girls (Now set up finally!) I suppose I can consider this done as they are now set up and the saving has begun - just need to up the amount next year when we have a bit more cash on hand.

39. Set up RRSP's for me and DH.
 

Home & Organization
40. Clean oven every 2 weeks so it doesn't get so horrible

41. Set up Chore Chart for me, DH and Freyja so everyone does something to keep on top of things

42. Organize Playroom Done

43. Organize Office Space and get rid of stuff that really is not needed

44. Organize closet and get rid of big clothes so I can't 'grow' back into them. Done some but still have a few more things to get rid of

45. Go through memory boxes and condense them down before they take over the house.

46. Have a Garden Chore chart for the summer / fall
47. Plant seeds for flowers and veggies and grow garden with Freyja

48. Go through house and get rid of EVERYTHING we don't use - if you don't ever use it, you don't need it!

Food

49. Get a Box freezer for the basement

50. Create a 2 week meal planner and use it to shop and cook
51. Create a batch of freezer meals
52. Use herbs and veggies from our own garden and MAKE SURE THEY DON"T DIE!

53. Cut out as much processed food as possible

54. Retrain Freyja to eat without the use of Alphagetti, Chicken Nuggets or Ketchup (again this one may prove impossible)

55. Cook a new recipe each week from one of the many cook books we have.

Stop being a crazy lady and pull it together!!

That's what I've told myself, and that's what I've done.

I am no longer feeling like The End of (My) World is Nigh!  Actually, I'm feeling pretty good.

I got my blood tests done yesterday and my ultrasounds are in the morning.  Someone I know mentioned the symptoms I had sounded like Endometriosis, so, yes, I went back to the dreaded Internet, but with an actual affliction in mind you get so much more reliable results.  Looking at the symptoms, I think my friend was bang on in her diagnosis.  It sounds like symptoms I've been having since I was a teen, just that they have gotten progressively worse until I am at this point and in pain most days.  The thing is, whilst it's painful, and damned annoying, it is in no way life threatening.  So, while the Doc still needs to do his diagnosis and agree with this, I am feeling in a more positive frame of mind, because it is something I can again have control over.

Because of my little panic, and my current sunnier mindset, I have been reminded of just how much I adore my darling hubby and our beautiful daughters, and consequently I have been making the most of my spare time with the kids.  The house perpetually looks like a bomb site (hopefully no visitors will come!) but I had a lovely weekend at the splash park on Saturday and a classic car show on Sunday with my girls.  Fun was had and quality time was spent.  Monday, Freyja wanted to head to the park in the evening.  Usually I am full of excuses, it's too hot, too cold, too windy, too rainy, too late etc.  But Monday, I moved my lazy arse, and off we went.  It was lovely!  Sure, my own personal ground zero awaited me at home (it still does incidentally) but hell, there are always more dishes to clean, clothes to wash, floors to sweep, but how many precious moments of childhood are there remaining.  They tick by so fast, we need to grab them with both hands, capture memories on film and enjoy each precious second.... And then embarrass them with the photographic evidence when they are teenagers!!! :-)