My Happiness File – Day 5

Posted on March 15, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..spending the entire day with my husband brought many happy moments today

Today was my first day off the detox cleanse and I was able to enjoy my first coffee in four days. Heavenly!

My husband took the day off work today so that we could spend the day together. After our walk this morning and enjoying the first solid food I had in over three days we got into the car and went for a day trip north of the city. We had a great time checking out the Apple Factory and buying a few vegetables and some specialty items for our Irish dinner on Sunday and then we made our way to Spirit Tree where we had a nice lunch. I’ll write more about our experience in my next post.

After lunch we started driving around looking for the Cheltenham Bad Lands. K set his GPS on his new phone and off we went. We got so lost. I’m sure we drove 20 k in the wrong direction before we turned around. We did eventually find it. For the rest of the afternoon we found our surroundings pretty uninspiring. The one thing that did amaze us was how much snow was still on the ground just 30 k north of Toronto.

On our way home we decided to stop at the movie theatre and take in a show. We ended up seeing Zero Dark 30. I really liked it and I didn’t think I would. Before the show started I made K set his phone so I could play the interactive pre show on-screen game. I came in second and won a slice of pizza that I will probably never redeem. Made me happy anyway.

All in all it was a great day.

Results of the Dr. Oz 3 Day Detox Cleanse

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…… and my first happy moment today

For the last three days I was following the Doctor Oz 3 day detox cleanse. I felt I needed to give my body a boost. I’d recently experienced a hormonal change in my body, my weight loss had come to a stop and I had just gotten over a cold.

Dr. Oz’s cleanse seemed very doable. All the ingredients were easily accessible and some of the ingredients I already had in my house. There was also variety. Each meal for the day was a different recipe. Finally the smoothies were about 350 calories each and because each of them had some kind of fat in them they were very filling and satisfying.

The Dr. Oz 3 Day Detox Cleanse

Here is how each meal looked for the last three days.

Breakfast

Lunch

On the first day we forgot to add the coconut oil. It makes a difference and shouldn’t be skipped.

Dinner

The surprise ingredient in this blueberry mango avocado smoothie is cayenne pepper.

This morning when I got on the scale I was down 6 pounds. Yippee! Now I know that a lot of this is water loss but it’s enough incentive to keep me on the right track with my eating and move forward with my weight loss journey. Plus I do feel better. My skin looks better and the aches I was feeling during the cleanse apparently were due to my body getting rid of the toxins. All good.

Life of Pi and Day 3 of the Cleanse

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…..two more things that made me happy today

Earlier in the week two of my friends and I made plans to see the Life of Pi. Today was the day. It was a perfect day to see a movie. It was overcast and winter temperatures have returned. I guess old man winter is not done with us.

I was surprised that the movie version we were seeing was in 3D. I’ve never seen an entire movie with 3D glasses and I’m pleased to say that it was a very pleasant experience. In fact it was downright beautiful. Having the birds fly towards us and the fish swim in our direction was magical.

I read the book years ago and was curious how such an unusual story could be made into a movie. The animal scenes in the life boat were tastefully recreated but I know some people that would find them somewhat disturbing. My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it was easy to see why it won four Oscars.

The last thing I’m happy about is that I completed the Dr. Oz Three Day Cleanse tonight. As you know I had to do the last two days on my own. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it without my husband’s support but it wasn’t as hard as I thought. Tomorrow I’ll explain the program and reveal my results.

Have you seen a good movie lately?

Cheers!

Paper is not Dead

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Mama Cormier

..… a great video that made me laugh

Paper is Not Dead

Number one for my Happiness File

Did it make you laugh?

Cheers!

My Happy File – Day 3

Posted on March 12, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. found this great YouTube Video on Simple Tom’s blog

Happy moments I experienced today:

At the start of our morning walk (a happy moment in itself) we ran into our neighbour J. After talking to J for a few moments you can’t walk away without a smile and a laugh. J is one of those people who is always happy and sees the good in every situation. He also has a sharp sense of humour and that twinkle in his eye can light up a room.

J and his partner own a small business in town where they design and manufacture the Buddy Belt, a great harness for dogs of all sizes. When we got Frances six years ago they started giving us Buddy Belts to ‘test drive’. I guess you could say we’ve become part of their consumer test group for their product.

Today Frances was wearing one of her original belts (as a puppy she chewed through her first one after we forgot to take it off) and J decided it was probably time for a new one. K jokingly said something about St Patrick’s Day coming up and the look in J’s eyes told me he was searching his memory for a green belt. Wouldn’t surprise me if one is hanging on our door knob in the next day or two.

The second happy moment took place this afternoon. My husband and I needed to get out of the house so we decided to check out the new hardware store up the street. After looking around for awhile K was need of coffee so we headed over to one of our favourite bistros. Just before leaving I looked up and saw a former student and his mom. I couldn’t get over how tall he had grown.

When I walked over to their table they were both surprised and pleased to see me. EC was 6 foot 3 and very handsome. He wasn’t particularly tall when he was with me in grade 5 but now at 16 he stands out in a crowd. It was good to hear that he was doing well in school and the problems he had when he was in junior school had pretty much disappeared. I love it when kids experience success and are working towards attainable goals.

Yesterday I told you that my husband couldn’t complete the 3 day cleanse with me and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to do it without him. I’m happy to report that I completed my second day and it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. As an added bonus the smoothies were even better today.

Did you experience at least three happy moments today? Feel free to share them with us in the comment box. As you know those comments make me happy.

Cheers!

My Happiness File – Day 2

Posted on March 11, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…despite sad news I still had moments of happiness

Not everyday will be perfect. Sometimes the job gets stressful, people disappoint us, goals aren’t met and bad things happen to good people. Unfortunately a colleague’s partner died unexpectedly and I learned of it this morning. After sending a message of condolence, reflecting on a similar personal experience and phoning and emailing friends to notify them of the death I had to move on.

So today is more about what I’m grateful for. Any problems, that I may have, seem insignificant to what happened to L yesterday.

I’m grateful for my husband’s healthy heart. In the last eight months since his chemo treatments I have my old husband back. He feels better than he has in a long time. All good news.

I’m grateful for good genes. Most people who are as heavy as I am are not nearly as healthy or as fit. I took the “What’s Your Real Age?” quiz today and discovered that I am five years younger in real years. Now that’s something to be happy about. If you’re interested in the quiz go to: http://www.doctoroz.com/realage

I survived my first day of the Dr. Oz Three Day Cleanse. I’m happy about that but my husband couldn’t do it. Without his support I’m not sure I can continue. I’ll keep you posted.

I’m happy because we got out for our walk early this morning despite the rain. Being out in the fresh air just lifts my mood and makes me feel better.

I hope you’ve had to time to reflect on what made you happy today.

Cheers!

My Happiness File – Day 1 Continued

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. now that the day is coming to an end I can complete my list

Earlier today I introduced ‘My Happiness File’ and I posted one thing that had made me happy. Since the idea is to post at least three things that you are grateful for or happy about I need to beef up my list.

Today was a very satisfying day. Here’s what made me happy.

2. I’m always happy when new people come to my site and make a comment and I’m doubly happy when they answer a question that I post. Today I was introduced to Erica at Gratitude Equation. It’s a lovely site with quotes, challenges and reflections about happiness and gratitude. You should check it out.

3. The weather was beautiful and my husband and I got out to a favourite organic market in the Junction. We’ve decided to try a 3 day juice fast (more about that later) and everything we needed we were able to purchase today. I love it when things come together when working towards a goal.

4. I saw a recipe recently on Lattes and Leggings that I wanted to make. Pasta with Kale, Beans and Turkey Sausage I made a few changes to the recipe. I replaced the recommended pasta with 1/2 the amount of Kamut pasta (gluten free, low GI), doubled the amount of turkey sausage, increased the amount of kale by 50% and replaced the mascarpone cheese with cooking cream cheese. I found myself singing and dancing while cooking dinner. I was in a happy place. The recipe makes enough to serve 4 and with a salad possibly more. My husband loved it and that makes me happy as well. Good thing because we have at least one more meal in the freezer.

5. We got out for our evening walk again tonight. I love how my legs feel lighter and my pants fit comfortably. Being able to walk quickly and without pain makes me happy and makes me feel good.

Did anything make you happy today?

My Happiness File

Posted on March 10, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. I’m going to try something new

I came across an interesting article about the benefits of gratitude. The author, Linzi Wilson talks about how every day she writes down three things that make her happy that day. It could be as simple as a smile from a stranger, a compliment from a friend or enjoying a favourite food. Perhaps you received an unexpected gift or achieved a goal that you’ve been working on. The idea is to write down what makes you happy.

Here is a list of Linzi’s benefits of recording your happy moments:http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-8048/want-a-5-minute-practice-that-will-change-your-life.html

Here are my top three reasons for starting your gratitude practice today:

When you get into the habit of appreciating things, you tend to see life with a fresher, more optimistic perspective. Who doesn’t want that?
You’ll start creating a blueprint of what makes you happy. Certain things will keep popping up again and again. They say success leaves clues… Well, happiness does too.
Your journal will serve as a beautiful reminder. Whenever I’m having a sucky moment, I can take some time out and read through random entries. It always brings a smile to my face.

I’ve decide to use this blog to record my “Happiness File”.

Here is one thing that made me happy so far today:

Recently the school was gifted a large number of cheap digital cameras to use with the students. I didn’t have very much success with the camera itself until today. I’m happy to say that I was able to get some pretty good pictures from this simple, shoot and point camera. Now I have to come up with a project that uses these cameras. Suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Here are a few pictures from the camera.

What makes you happy?

Dogs’ Nirvana

Posted on March 9, 2013 by Mama Cormier

…. took the dogs to High Park off leash area today

It was a beautiful day and our youngest daughter came over with her basset hound, Lucy. There was a bit of a nip in the air but the sun was shining and when you were in the sun it felt warm.

We decided to take the dogs to a great park we have in here in Toronto called High Park. The park sits on 161 hectares (400 acres) and was gifted to the city of Toronto in 1876 by John Howard. One third of the park is still in a natural state and there is a large fenced-in off leash area for dogs. I like this area because there are lots of options for dog owners. You can stay in a large area where dogs can socialize or you can opt to take some of the trails where dog owners can also get some exercise. We chose the latter option.

As you can see from the photos, winter is starting to leave us but sections of trail are still snow covered and pretty icy. Where the snow has melted it has been replaced with lots of mud and puddles. I’m glad I wore my rubber boots.

The dogs loved it for the most part. Lucy doesn’t like water but mud didn’t seem to bother her. Frances on the other hand loves the puddles. Doggy heaven!

Eating Out, Food Poisoning and March Break

Posted on March 8, 2013 by Mama Cormier

….. health wise it’s been a difficult weekI

It all started with a sore throat last weekend and then it became a full blown head cold by Monday. A friend of mine was supply teaching at my school and she suggested that I take off a morning so that I could sleep in and get the rest I needed to recover. She offered to come in and teach my library classes. I took her up on her offer Wednesday morning.

Getting that extra rest really did help and I started to feel better. My cold is pretty much done. On Thursday my husband took me out for dinner. We went to a new restaurant where the menu was completely unfamiliar to me. There was a lot of pork and sausages on the menu but there were some healthier options or so I thought. I ended up ordering an arugula salad with mushrooms and a small grilled steak. To drink I had a mineral water with a wedge of lime.

The food was delicious but soon after I finished my meal I started to feel sick again. At first I thought that my cold was coming back but it was worse than that. I started running a fever, I had a headache and I ached all over. Once I got home I knew that I probably had a case of food poisoning. After being home for about an hour and a half I was violently ill. I never throw up. In fact the last time I did vomit happened over 30 years ago when I was pregnant with the twins and suffered from a bout of food poisoning.

I felt immediately better after losing my dinner but I wasn’t 100% so I went to bed. Later in the evening I woke up and I realized that I was dehydrated. I took some water and went back to bed. In the morning I didn’t feel too bad so I decided to go to work.

I probably should have taken the day off but because it was the day before March Break I knew that the board could insist that I get a doctors note to say that I was ill. Without a note they could dock me a day’s pay. When I got to school I had a terrible headache. I found some Tylenol and it did help. I had no appetite. I had a coffee and 3 small cookies. I couldn’t even eat lunch.

By dinner tonight I was looking forward to comfort food and my husband made a mashed cauliflower, chicken marsala and a vegetable succotash. It was perfect. After dinner we did our 3.6k walk. I think I’m on the mend.

Tomorrow we’re planning on getting out the bikes and going for a nice long ride. Do you have a March Break or Spring Break? What kind of things are you planning to do?