Get Fit: Week Two Check In

How was it for you??? I have been fighting a chest infection so my body has been really tired and I've been listening to it.

Exercise: I still managed to do the elliptical for 20-40 minutes a day, one run, and one Jillian workout. I took one day off.

Food: I have to say that I have been doing really well and it's just because we have no baking in our house:) Poor Gary!!

Weight: I have maintained the 4lb weight loss and lost nothing else. My goal from here is to lose 1lb per week because I think that is realistic. My blood tests shows that for the second month in a row, my thyroid hormones are in the normal range. Awesome.

Looking Forward: I would love to go for at least 2 runs this week but need to get healthy first!

Let me know how you are doing! As my brother in law, Tyler, mentioned...each pound lost around this time of year is really like two pounds lost because of what you might have gained during this food filled time:)

PS To lose 1lb per week, you need to decrease you caloric intake by 500 calories/day. I guess that means I could just increase my exercise to burn off 500 calories/day.

Emotional

{Sami came over today so there are some pictures of my super, duper, adorable 8 month old niece in this post.}

So, I am most definitely an emotional person. This week I'm feeling a little extra emotional because it would've been my mom's 58th birthday on Friday. That's still not that old considering she's been gone for 4.5 years. I'll probably have more of a post later this week but ya, she was in incredible shape and took excellent care of herself. It just really shows that anything can happen to anyone, at anytime. That's one of the reasons I blog so much about my boys. Well, let's be honest, I'm a journalizer (is that the word?). I wrote in my journal every day from grade 7 until I got married. Then I just talked to Gary every night. However, if anything happened, hopefully my boys would have a lot of the details of their childhood recorded and they would know how much their momma loved them.

I think when you experience any loss, it just makes you appreciate those you do have a bit more. I love Gary and the boys so much. I look at my boys each day and get teary eyed. They are so incredibly amazing and I just can't believe that they are ours! How do I have a 4 year old son? How do I have two incredible boys?

Lately I just look at them in disbelief. Kai, who has grown up in so many ways these past few months. He looks huge to me. He has such a great imagination, a huge desire to learn more and more (he loves learning about artists lives and styles, and is also really into rhyming), and a great understanding of complex ideas. He demonstrates some great empathy (Poor daddy, he must be so cold getting gas right now!) and a great love for his brother.

Koen is just adorable. He talks non stop all day and is growing up so quickly!!! He is my monkey...he broke an ornament today (after being up for 20 minutes) and his face is currently covered in grease. But man, is he ever cheap entertainment. So many squishy hugs and kisses.

The boys are at an age where we can go out for dinner together and enjoy our time. This is an incredible stage and I am LOVING it. I may have even looked into tickets for Hawaii for over spring break:) I don't think we will go, we will just continue to save that `extra' money for when the boys are older. I cannot wait to go to Kenya and just travel North America with them. Good times for the Chapmans!

{Koen is so infatuated with Sami!}

I'm pretty sure we made a choice about Kai's schooling next year. I should've been more clear about one thing; it wasn't public school vs. Christian school (although I had it set up that way). It was comparing two particular schools, one being a Christian one. I will post on our decision later but I do want to thank you for your input and suggestions. I respect all of you so I feel a bit like I'm disrespecting some people's opinions by not following your suggestion:) Our decision is not final because Gary still needs to `think about it' a bit more...if you don't know him, Gary really, really, really takes his time:)

Okay, time to work but I hope you had an excellent weekend. I have my weigh in tonight and I'm just hoping that the scale shows I haven't gained any weight this week. I don't care if I lost anything, I just want to maintain this week. The holiday baking is the hugest test of willpower ever!!!

Love, Louise

Monkeys In The Tub

There is another post below where I seek your perspective on where to send Kai to school so please check it out. In the meantime, how could I not enjoy giving them a bath?

Kai's School

We are giving ourselves one month to figure out where Kai will go school in September. Honestly, I just want the decision made because we (really I) have been thinking about this for FOREVER. So, I would appreciate feedback. That doesn't mean tell me what to do, it just means, please point out what I am forgetting. Please note that for high school, we plan on sending him to the Christian school with Gary because then he can just go back and forth with Gary and the main thing of driving won't come into play. Also, both are great options. The reason I care so much is that wherever he is, he will be spending more time there than with us, which is crazy to me!

I have briefly considered homeschooling, for kindergarten, but that is not going to be one of the options presented as I need to work during the day and that happens when Koen is napping (or when our baby will be napping). And, I think that for our family, the two schools are two fabulous options.

So, as my dad would say, make a list of pros and cons!! Let me know if there is something that I'm missing. I'm basing this on visiting both schools and talking to multiple parents from both schools.

Christian School Pros:

-smaller class sizes (kindergarten this year has about 14-15 kids per class)

-option of part time kindergarten (60%)

-I know many of the teachers and I know he will be known and loved

-great community feel and also spending time focusing on the global community (supporting the school in Sierra Leone)

-ample PE, library, music and computer time AND running club two times a week during the school day.

-helping Kai grow in all areas which includes spiritually

-great playground AND a very fun forest to play in (Kai would love that part)

-my heart feels like this is the best option

Christian School Cons

-it does cost money (although part time kindergarten is just under $3000.00 which is just twice the cost of preschool this year AND there is a tax deduction. Also, once you have two kids going, you get a deal...and I love a deal!)

-THE DRIVE. I will be able to carpool, but still, it is a 20 minute drive each way. This means packing up the kids and driving 20 minutes there, 20 minutes back, two times per day. YIKES. I don't even like driving to preschool just 4 minutes away.

-Kai will live further away from his friends which I had to deal with growing up. I didn't like it one bit. Who we invited to our birthday parties depended on who lived closest.

Public School Pros

-SUPER DUPER CLOSE. Like, one block away. This means, no time spent in the car. Saving at least an hour of driving per day, or, an hour more of him being away from home.

-brand new school (2 years old)

-free

-Kai's friends will be close by for get togethers etc

-if we bring home our baby in 2011, it will be VERY practical to have the school right there. No packing kids into carseats etc.

-new playground

-I know I said this but I am a super practical person and the fact that I can WALK to school one block away is huge. My head loves this.

Public School Cons

-overpopulated school which means less gym, music and computer time.

-I don't know the teachers (but I would once they were there!)

-larger classroom sizes (still within the limit but def. meeting that limit)

-no Christian education

By the way, you know what is most important to Kai? He says learning about artists. They do it at preschool and he loves it. I have to admit that I am learning a ton with him:)

I would love your feedback. I am basing this on two particular schools so it will be harder to comment. If you are a lovely student who attended that very Christian school I am talking about, please let me know your thoughts! I guess we could always try one and if it wasn't working, we could switch. I know Kai would handle that quite well.

23 months

My baby is almost 2. Wow. It's such a crazy feeling because I miss having a baby but at the same time, I'm thankful to have a toddler. Koen has recently exhibited some two year old type behaviour where he will fall on the ground when he doesn't want to do something or he will say `no' a lot. For example when he was frustrated with me, I started singing `Take Me Out to the Ball Game' and I always leave blanks for him. This time, I said, `Buy me some peanuts and...' and he said `NO CRACKERJACKS'.

He is obsessed with colours. All day long pointing and saying `Yellow. Green. Purple. Blue. White'. He is right maybe half the time:)

From 6-7pm, he is all about cuddles, hugs and kisses. For everyone. I love it!! Anytime he hears music he says `Party! Dance! Party! Dance!' and does his little moves. So cute. I do it have it on video and should spend some time figuring out our new 7D's video capabilities.

He weighs 29lbs. His eczema is under control, and has been for months. We never use soap on him and we always use eczema skin care on him when we bath him. We try to limit chocolate and oranges because those seem to make it worse. The one thing that is really tough on his skin, is the pool. He will break out so badly after that...but he loves it so much.

He has broken out into a lot of words, but not more than 3 words together usually. He loves pairs and looks for them everywhere. `Two trees!' `Two tractors!' `Two boys!'. His joke is then to say,`Two mommies!' and he thinks he's hilarious.

This month, he started using a pillow and blanket and night. Now, he `needs' it all the time. He loves to play `night night' and will gather all of his stuff into the toddler bed which is in his room, but he doesn't use yet. We tried it. Didn't work:) He has become a much heavier sleeper so I am less worried about Kai and Koen sharing a room when our baby comes home (whenever that may be).

The boys grow closer and closer each month and are actually quite respectful of each other. I am very impressed with them and their ability to work together. I hope and pray they will always be close. I'm currently making his 2nd year slideshow and boy, it's been a wonderful year getting to know this monkey. He is amazing.

We love you so much Koen.

Nana Jo and Opi

Yesterday, I dropped off the boys and Nana Jo and Opi's house for the day. The plan was that the boys were going to make a gingerbread barn and they were soooo excited. I was excited to have 8 hours to myself for I think the first time? Just me. Thank you Nana Jo for taking pictures while the boys were there!

I have to say that I love traditions and I love people just spending time with my kids. They don't need presents or gifts, just great memories. I hope that their grandparents are around for years and years so that they can maintain these great relationships and have even more great memories.

My dad has always made a point of taking Kai out for coffee. He comes in his sports car and brings him to the local Wired Monk where Kai gets hot chocolate and a cookie. Usually there is a Princess Auto or Home Depot stop in there too. It is so special to Kai and he loves that one on one time with Opi.

My dad and Nana Jo live about 45 minutes away so we don't really go there often (and they travel a lot!!) but the boys always love it there.

What did I do with my time? I got a blood test (without the kids running around the lab!), went for a run, bought a board game to donate (Kai's preschool does it and it's so good), visited with a friend (without my kids running around!), and worked. The house was lonely without them and I missed them. Three hours was good but after that, I missed them. I also found that without the pressure of `Okay, I have 1.5 hours to work as Koen is sleeping', I didn't work very hard. If Gary had been home, we could've gone on a date!

Thank you Nana Jo and Opi for taking the boys and creating memories. They had a fabulous time and now I get to hear them ask to eat the barn for the next 3 weeks:)

Get Fit: Week One Check In

How did you all do? What kind of exercise did you do? Meal changes? What did the scale say (last night or today?)

Exercise: I worked out a minimum of 40 minutes per day, for 6 days. It was mostly elliptical as we have one in our house and I'm trying to work up some kind of fitness level before running more and getting back to my Jillian Michael's workout:)

Food: I thought a lot more about what I was eating and was pretty smart about it. I snacked on carrots, apples and oranges instead of cookies and muffins. I did allow myself one small `treat' per day (home made hot chocolate, piece of chocolate etc).

Fitness: I feel much better already. Running up the stairs feels easier already. I went for a 15 minute jog and it was great!

Scale: Okay, so you first have to understand that I'm not normal. My Graves' Disease makes my body weight fluctuate drastically depending on my hormones. For example, in two weeks from now, I will normally put on about 5lbs so it will be interesting to see if I can keep it off/prevent any weight gain. From one week ago, I have lost 4lbs. This whole trying to get fit while having GD is going to be a whole new experience for me, that's for sure!

Can't wait to hear about your week!! Let me know!!

Handsome

No more blog posts about cuteness...the boys/men in my life are just plain old handsome:)

{Koen wanted gel like Kai...awww, his hair is so fine but we managed to get it a little spiked up:)}

My husband is particularly awesome as he spent all day in the kitchen (he loves it) and made 5 meals for the week.

You know how people are passionate about their jobs or hobbies or whatever it might be? The greatest joy I get is from being with my boys (Gary included!!). It must be because I always get a good 8 hour sleep that they seem so awesome. I know once a newborn comes along, they may seem a little less fun:) They make us laugh all day. Kai's conversations, Koen's goofiness. Seriously, life is good. I am so blessed.

Love, Louise

PS I had to call poison control on Friday. Koen got into the toilet cleaner and I couldn't tell how much (if any) he had ingested as it was all over him. They were super helpful (asking about symptoms..can he drink milk? Is he complaining about a sore mouth? Is he irritable? Is he salivating a lot? They told me to give him a bath to get it off his skin and then they called half an hour later to see how he was) and he was totally fine. Oh Koen. Good reminder to make sure all of your cleaning products are locked up, even if your kids have never seemed interested in them. We always have it locked up but it was recycling day and the recycling container is below the sink and we had just taken it out...

Kai on Breakfast Television

If you missed it, you can check it out here! He is on at about 2 min and 50 seconds in. His favourite part is at the very end so don't stop it:)

Fortunately the roads were good and we made it there in about 45 minutes (we were super early). It was really cool to see how it all works and we had a great time. We had gone into the studio for a run through but then went right to the real thing instead of a practice, good thing he was okay with that! There was a moment when he was about to go on when he did his whole `collapse on the floor and act like you have no energy thing' so I had to remind him that we were going to be going to Subway if he had good behaviour. Phew. He didn't get to keep the clothes:(, but it was still fun and he really enjoyed it. He especially liked the orange juice in the green room and his new friend, Jaclyn, the 4 year old girl. He was actually smiling most of the time which I had encouraged him to do, but I forget to tell him not to wiggle so much:)

Have a great weekend!

Love, Louise

Lego & Cuteness

Thank you to all of you that are joining in a 5 week challenge of trying to get fit (and hopefully lose 5lbs!). I'll be honest, I think making smarter eating decisions will make a world of difference. I'm eating a carrot as I'm typing away:) I've exercised 1 hour each day for the past 3 days. It's not easy to find the time but I feel better already. Hope you are all finding ways to get fit too!

I was going to buy them this for Christmas but I have such a hard time waiting when I know they could use it now, especially now that it's so cold out! This will be moving down the basement soon...but for today, they played on it for half an hour while I did the elliptical. AWESOME. I just need to give the disclaimer now: I know Koen's hair is hideous, it will grow back. It's just sooooo thin and there were some super long pieces so now it looks super choppy. I think it will look much better in a week or two. When I cut it, I realized he has the skinniest head ever.

Just a reminder that Kai is going to be on Breakfast Television on Friday at 7:40am (City TV, channel 13). We went in for a fitting and they need to get a bigger outfit for him as he's grown so much lately. It's a Columbia rainsuit and Sorel boots. I'm nervous that he will just lay down on the ground and have his grumpy face but I'm hoping that because they have us come 40 minutes early, he'll adapt and be his normal self!!

When I took Kai to the fitting, Koen slept at my sister's house. Kai actually cried in the van because he was sad to go somewhere without Koen. These two love being together so much, it seriously is the greatest thing.

I feel a little `off'. Not sure if it is because my friend is having her third boy on Friday and we've always had our kids together (and all C-sections). Not jealous, just wishing I knew how close we were to having our baby. So thankful for my boys and for baby nieces to hold. I just know that our family doesn't quite feel complete. Feeling a bit like I wish there was some way for people to know we were expecting without the belly, you know?

Basketball has started. This means that Gary is gone for many dinners each week. Dinner time is family time so that's a bit harder on the boys (and me!) Do you want to know my trick for relaxing dinners? I put on the `spa music' channel on the tv during dinner. It totally calms them and me down, I love it!

Okay, I've only got 45 minutes before I need to get Kai so I better get to work. In the meantime, aren't they cute?!