A New Haircut and a New Lease on Life

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. at least that’s how I feel tonight

I came back from the cottage yesterday so that I could get my hair cut. I went into school this morning and managed to clear away all my ‘stuff’ so that the caretakers can clean my room. Well I guess it’s not ‘my’ room anymore.

I’ll probably go back next week to sort through some more papers and move some of my things to the library. I could leave it for the week before school starts but I think it’ll be too big a job and then I’ll start the school year tired and not refreshed. I have to come back to the city next week anyway to drive K to his doctor’s appointment.

I stayed at school until 3:00 and then I went home, showered and drove downtown for my hair appointment. After listening to the radio I thought I would be spending time in traffic but I actually got to the appointment early. They took me right away and in the next 45 minutes Dee did her magic and gave me a new hair style.

I called K and told him we needed a date night. We ended up going to a restaurant we hadn’t been to in almost 2 years. The owner recognized me right away and I brought him up to date on K’s health while I waited for him to join me. The restaurant has undergone a few changes, one of them being that Tony no longer does the cooking. He has hired a new chef who is passionate about good old fashion Italian cooking.

We had a great meal. I had the baked bass and a Mediterranean salad. I have to admit that I did have one glass of white wine. While there a young family came in and sat at the table next to us. The woman recognized me from when I taught at Hilltop. I was her Family Studies teacher and taught her how to sew and cook. Her partner and K had a long discussion about soccer.

It was a perfect evening and I felt like a princess. I’ve decided to use the picture that was taken at the hair salon as my first official ‘after’ picture. As I write this I’m not sure what I’m going to use as my ‘before’ picture but anything that was taken in the last 3 years will do the job.

Before After

Friday, July 13, 2012 – 23 pounds lighter. Who said Friday the 13th is unlucky?

Cheers!

Crazy Hair Day and a Relaxing Weekend

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. how one preceded the other

On Friday I wrote how I was getting ready for Crazy Hair Day at school. When I walked into school I felt like I had the day wrong. I don’t normally have my hair up in 3 pony tails with pink, red and black hair ties. For a change it was other teachers who had forgotten the ‘theme day’ and not me.

I didn’t feel out of place for long. When the students arrived there were a number of them who sported unusual hair styles. What surprised me was that most of them were boys.

….heading up north for a relaxing weekend!

Driving to cottage country on a Friday, after work is crazy. A trip that normally takes 1 1/2 to 2 hours took 3 1/2 hours this weekend. There’s a reason why I normally go up north in the middle of the week and that was it.

Anyway Saturday proved to make it all worthwhile. It was the perfect day, warm but not too hot, and sunny. I actually went swimming. I can’t remember the water ever being this warm so early in the season. I guess the mild winter, early spring and recent heat wave all contributed to the warm lake water.

The weekend was definitely relaxing. I had two nights of great sleep and I’m ready to face the remaining four days of school with the kids.

When I got home I made a great salad that I would like to share with my dieting friends. It’s an Italian Mushroom and Celery salad that I found on 5 and Spice. It is on the previous post to this one. Try it. If you like mushrooms I’m sure you’ll like this.

Cheers!

Holding Steady at 18 and the Potato Salad Wars

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. if I write about it, it usually changes the next day.

After the race yesterday my friend L thought I would drop 3 more pounds, based on the effort I put out during the run. Today my thighs were actually a little bit sore. I notice it mostly when I walk down stairs.

Unfortunately a drop in weight did not happen and certainly not 3 pounds worth. The one side effect of the race is that I am extremely tired and find myself drifting off in the middle of doing something (like checking my email and scanning things on the computer). It looks like it’s going to be another early night.

Yesterday I had a few challenges with eating because of Father’s Day. I’m happy to report that I passed on the KFC, the wine, the apple pie, the bread and the tarts. I did have a small sample of my homemade potato salad. My baby sister and I are having a bit of a disagreement as to whose potato salad is closest to our mom’s original recipe. I’m sharing my version with you.

German Potato Salad With Bacon

5 lb of new white potatoes, skins on

1/2 lb sliced and diced bacon

2 ribs of celery

small bunch of green onions

3 large radishes

3 small dill pickles

pickle juice

mayonnaise

salt and pepper

1. Boil the potatoes with the skin on. If they’re not new potatoes you may want to peel them after cooking.

2. When a knife pierces the potato easily, remove from the heat and drain. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

3. In a frying pan cook the diced bacon until the bacon is crisp. Let it drain on a paper towel. Save the fat.

4. Finely dice the celery, radishes, green onion and pickles.

5. Slice or cube the cooked potatoes and add to a large bow. Add the diced vegetables and bacon.

6. In separate small bowl mix together about 1/4 cup of pickle juice, 1/4 of bacon grease and 1/2 cup of mayonnaise. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you like your dressing tart add more pickle juice or reduce the amount of bacon grease. To be honest I never measure the ingredients for the dressing. I go by how it looks and tastes.

7. Add the dressing to the potato mixture and gently toss. Start with half the dressing and if you like it more moist add more as needed.

Best Served Warm

Serves 10 to 12 people

My version of Mom’s German Potato Salad

My Sister’s Version

Potatoes

Bacon

Mayonnaise

Pickle juice

Salt and Pepper

The steps are identical to my recipe but she omits the pickles, celery, radishes, onions and uses way less mayonnaise.

You be the judge!

P.S. This is definitely not a recipe for people trying to lose weight!

Just a Quick Update

Posted on June 16, 2012 by Mama Cormier

.….down another 1/2 pound for a total of 18 poundsItalic (Ctrl + I)

It’s been a hectic day. When I woke up this morning I heard the answering machine downstairs leaving a very long message. My aunt was admitted to the hospital with congestive heart failure. I’ve been trying to connect with her over the last 2 two weeks because my baby sister is coming to T.O. today and she wanted to visit our aunt H.

After breakfast I drove to the hospital, not really knowing what to expect . Aunt H is 86 this week and I haven’t seen her in 1 1/2 years. I’m happy to say that she looked good and she was in good spirits. We had a great visit and I promised to come and see her again with my sister.

It turned out that both my sisters came to the house today. We all went out for dinner and for the first time in a long time I felt uncomfortable after dinner. I’m hoping it was the 2 pots of tea that I ingested and not the food I ate.

I’m planning on doing an extra long walk tomorrow with my baby sister. If I did any damage tonight that should help.

Middle sister, CJ and baby sister, CS

Hubby, K and me.

Another Thing to Check Off the List

Posted on June 14, 2012 by Mama Cormier

….. 10 days and counting

I just got in from our annual school musical production. It was suppose to happen every two years but somehow it’s back to every year. The students of course did a great job, the parents loved it and the teachers are happy to check off another thing off their ‘to do’ lists.

As a staff we decided to go out for dinner before the show started. Fourteen of us went to a nice Italian restaurant close to the high school where we were performing. We made reservations early so that we would be at the school by 6:15. Apparently when you have such a large group making up individual bills is a bit of a problem and we didn’t get out of the restaurant until 6:20. By the time we got to our cars, four of us found $30.00 parking tickets under our wipers. Ugh! I was 6 minutes late. Double ugh!

I had no problem finding something I could eat at the restaurant. I enjoyed a lovely piece of grilled salmon and a salad. As with most fish it was the most expensive thing on the menu, which I excepted but the thing that I didn’t realize until it was too late was that my bill already included the tip. To add insult to injury I ended up adding another $8.00 to the bill because I didn’t want to wait for change. Lesson learned. Eat faster. Just kidding.

I tried taking pictures with my iPhone but most of them were blurry or too far away and the camera that I had with me ran out of juice. I’m hoping some of the parents will send me some of their pictures for the school website.

Tomorrow my baby sister and her husband from Calgary are coming to visit for the the weekend. I guess I better clean up around here. I still have a few things to do with my report cards and a few more things to mark as well. It would be nice to check that off my list as well.

The Girls on the Run 5 km is this Sunday and after the race my father is expecting us to come over for lunch. He’s looking forward to KFC (his Father’s Day wish). I’ll be picking it up and I’ll probably make an extra stop to get a regular roasted chicken for me. A bag of salad and I’ll be all set.

My goal was to be down 20 pounds by the run. To date I’m down 17.5 pounds. I might be down one more pound by Sunday but I’ve decided it doesn’t matter if it comes off now or one week from now. The important thing is that the weight is coming off and I feel great. I have no desire to change my new eating patterns and go back to the old ways. When I reach my goal it will be time to set a new goal.

Cheers!

Late for My Appointment, Lost My Glasses

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. not sure I feel any smarter

I was so looking forward to going to the Genius Bar and learning the nuances of my new laptop. The problem was I started to mark projects after school and I totally lost track of the time. When I looked at the clock it was already 5:45 and my appointment was at 5:00.

I decided to go to the store anyway, apologize for missing my appointment and book another time. However, as I was packing up to leave I couldn’t find my glasses. I remember taking them off to read and mark the projects but I could not find them. I ran between my 2 classrooms looking for them but no luck. Luckily I had my prescription sunglasses in my purse so I was able to drive.

I got to the mall shortly after 6:00 and waited to be served. Normally when you walk into the Apple store you are accosted by an employee within seconds. Today the store was busier than ever and after waiting about 10 minutes I finally found someone to help me. I apologized for missing my appointment and moaned about some of the problems I was having with my new computer. The receptionist quickly booked another appointment for 7:00 that same evening.

I went back into the mall and grabbed a package of sushi and an iced coffee (no sugar) and found a table to sit and eat my ‘dinner’. I find sushi works well in a pinch when you need to eat something on the run and sitting down at a table is key for me. I actually feel like I’m having a proper meal. I know it’s all psychological but it helps because I am focused on what I’m eating.

My new laptop in all its glory at the Genius Bar.

Back at the Genius Bar a very nice woman helped me with some of the ins and outs of my laptop. It’s amazing how much has changed in less than four years. In one hour I was able to transfer all my photos from my old computer and copy all my songs, videos, and films from iTunes. We also set up iCloud on my phone and I learned how to stream my photos from my phone to the computer. She also showed me how to transfer my contact list from the computer right to my phone. I couldn’t believe how fast it was. I had actually started to add each contact individually. It was going to take me forever.

When my hour was up I still had to transfer my music from iTunes into my new iTunes and I was under the impression that it was as simple as dragging the folder into the new folder. Well apparently not! Another technician came over to help me and my ‘copied’ music was downloading again but this time it took over an hour. The store literally closed down, the cleaners had arrived and the staff was leaving before I could leave.

When I got outside it was actually dark and because I had lost my glasses earlier I had to drive home with my sunglasses on. A very strange feeling indeed. Needless to say I arrived home safe and sound.

I’ve Got My New Computer

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Mama Cormier

… but now I have to figure out how to use it!

I thought I knew how to navigate around Apple computers but this new MacPro is giving me some challenges. I have an appointment on Friday at the Genius Bar. I was hoping to have my photos ready to go but I can’t transfer my data from my external hard drive into this new laptop. So unfortunately today’s post will be sans pictures.

This time of year all my non teacher friends and the parents at school ask if I’m ‘winding down’. I know that there are only 3 weeks of school left but I can’t even allow myself to think about that. I have report cards to write, report cards to proofread, correct and print, costumes to cut and sew for the year end production, Girls on the Run to train for, soccer practices, soccer tournament, grade 5 visit to next year’s middle school, biography and social studies projects to finish and mark and the year end activities to organize. I’m tired just thinking about it.

On a personal note I’m continuing to have success on the scale. I’m down 15 1/2 pounds and I’m finding that making good food choices is becoming second nature to me. I’ve had a few challenges, such as attending a retirement party, preparing snack day for the staff and buying $50. worth of chocolate for 20 gift bags that I made up as thank-you gifts for the staff. I can honestly say that I don’t feel deprived. My reward is the large number of compliments that I’ve been getting on my ‘noticeable’ weight loss.

The weather has not been great and I haven’t been as successful with getting out for my walks/runs. I’ve been wearing a pedometer and I’m only tracking 4000 to 5000 steps a day. My goal is at least 10 000.

Anyway I have to ‘run’ and proofread about 25 more report cards.

Cheers

A New Week With Many Challenges

Posted on May 27, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. bigger class, EQAO testing, report cards, more soccer practices, Girls on the Run, and K’s last round of chemo

I’ve probably forgot some things but I have to take one day at a time and one task at a time. Of course on top of all of this I’m trying to to get through the curriculum and I’ve assigned more projects to keep the kids engaged.

Today was a good activity and food day. I started the morning off with a nice walk/run with K and Frances. About 3 km. I spent about 3 hours working in the garden, cutting grass, trimming the edges, pulling weeds from the brick work on the patio and washing down the deck. We have birds nesting in our tree and our neighbour’s bird feeders attrack pigeons, so we have a lot of “fall out”, so to speak, to clean up.

Later in the afternoon I did a little bit of shopping and then I went to a “NOT a book launch” party. Unfortunately the word NOT did not come up in conversation when I was told about it and I expected to go there and buy a book. I stayed away from the usual party food and nibbled on some turkey and vegetables. No wine, chips, nachos, spring rolls, etc.. Feels good to be in control.

Till tomorrow!

The Long Weekend is Finally Here

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Mama Cormier

…. but I’m too tired to enjoy it.

What a crazy week! Three days at Mono Cliffs with 56 grade 5 students, an all day soccer tournament (the girls won), Girls on the Run, and an all day library/computer workshop. I’m falling asleep over my laptop again.

I never get home before 6:00 from work but today, because my workshop was only 5 minutes from my house I was home before 4:30. I avoided all the sweets and crackers that were being offered during our breaks but when I got home I was famished. Luckily there was some homemade leftover vegetable soup in the fridge and I warmed up a cup to tide me over till dinner.

I should get out and go for a walk before dinner but I think I need a nap.

I don’t have any big plans for the weekend other than going to the AGO on Sunday and seeing the Picasso show. It looks like it’s going to be a good weekend to get some gardening done and I think a trip to the Farmers’ Market is in order as well.

I seem to be avoiding the topic of walking/running. Maybe I’ll be in a better state of mind after I take that nap.

Sweet Dreams!

Can Barely Keep My Eyes Open

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Mama Cormier

When I got home today from Mono Cliffs I set up my laptop and checked my emails. I was literally falling asleep over my keyboard. If it wasn’t so early I would have gone to bed but I hate that feeling of waking up at 8:00 or 9:00 pm and not knowing where you are.

I’m pretty proud of myself and even if I don’t lose any weight I feel I have conquered a major hurdle in the last 3 days. I passed on dessert, the homemade bread and fries for 6 meals in a row and for snack instead of the homemade cookies I ate vegetables and salad that I brought from home.

The other thing I noticed on this trip is that I purposely took longer routes for my walks and didn’t look for short cuts when travelling from activity to another. The one thing I haven’t been too successful with, though is getting to bed earlier. Part of the problem is that I’m sitting at this computer longer because I’m writing this blog. So tonight I’m going to keep this post short so that I can get at least 6 hours sleep.