We totally worked our butts off last weekend, trying to finish the renovations I so eagerly began at the start of summer. Baseboards and reinstalling the island then w00t we are set. Maybe you will all see pictures … at some point

Becca and Ethan have enjoyed the summer so much. They have enjoyed each other so much. They got along (with some minor blimps along the way) so well. Freakishly well. They play together all day long with few arguments, it amazes me. Ethan will miss her so much next week.

He won’t have too much time to miss her. He is registered in two preschool mornings. One swimming, one tumbling (as in lots of play!) all at our local rec centre. He will also be attending the preschool library program once a week too. We are going to make sure this kid is busy and socializing!

Becca has a brand new smile for school!

So to celebrate the end of summer vacation, J took today off and we headed to the beach for the day. The children all had a blast in the sand and water! Cordi is such a beach baby! She crawled right up to the water and in! She would stand (with support) and wait for the waves to reach her toes then squeal in delight!

Becca is a water girl, totally loving swimming in the ocean. Ethan headed in too! It was great! The weather was perfect, the water was warm and the five of us had a great day together!

I always love that J can take the perfect self portraits! So rarely do I like pictures of myself, so self conscious .. but this one makes me smile. As a family and as a couple we have had our best summer ever! How is your summer? On our way home we were listening to CBC on the radio and I was reminded that summer is not over till September 21 … I wish it could last longer!

This week I have worked out almost everyday, and started really watching what I eat. Although we did not crash into our old terrible eating habits, J & I have been a little too relaxed about eating junk food and drinking maybe a tad too much alcohol .. hehe. I maintained my weight but that is not very satisfying.

So imagine my excitement when Janice from the Fitness Cheerleader announced she would be releasing a Walk & Tone MP3 Workout. See I have a little hero worship with Janice (I have been reading her blog for almost 6 years! Oh did I mention .. totally Canadian too!). She is a full-time working mom of two, pregnant with her third, a runner and in totally great shape. She started up the Fitness Cheerleader website to share and encourage others to get active and get fit.

She shared with me a copy of the Fitness Cheerleader’s Walk & Tone MP3 Workout to review and share with you. So yesterday I “hired” Becca to keep Cordi company so I could focus on the MP3.  I did this workout on my treadmill but it could easily be done outside. You do need some weights. I used my 3lb weights and started walking. I had to smile when the music started, it is  dance music from the 90′s, I felt so young and it also reminded what I was working towards! So I knew the tunes, then Janice encourages and guides you through each exercise. The MP3 is 40 minutes and I was totally burning once I got going. My arms are sore today! I also realized I need to pay more attention to my triceps, ouch!

My only criticism were based personal likes, for example I always forget to suck in my gut and keep my abs tight. I have gotten spoiled with the Jillian Michaels workouts because she always reminds you to pull your abs in. So instead I did a whole Pavlov’s dogs idea, every time I heard Janice’s voice I sucked in. It worked The other thing, is Janice’s voice comes in loud over the music rather than the music fading a little. It gets your attention but sounded harsh through my bad treadmill speakers. I haven’t tried it with earbuds yet so it maybe alright that way.

Motivation and determination are the hardest aspects of getting and staying in shape. I love the feeling of a great workout …. after. For me it takes tools, like writing, being accountable, having videos that work for me. The Fitness Cheerleader’s Walk & Tone MP3 Workout, is another tool to get you motivated, moving and excited about the results. I so wish I had something like this when I was pregnant. The last month with Cordi, I walked but it never felt like enough, then I would get tired.

Janice is having a special on the Fitness Cheerleader’s Walk & Tone MP3 Workout right now you can get it for $3.99 (use coupon LAUNCH for a limited time, regularly $4.99 … seriously less than a trip to Starbucks!) Seriously a great deal for an awesome walking workout. I plan on using it on those days I just can’t run, but still need some cardio and strength training.

Have you been working out? Have you ever tried a MP3 based workout? (this was my first and I liked it!)

We had company in and out all spring, my Dad the last to leave at the beginning of July.

- Attended a great neighbourhood block party on Canada Day. We all had a blast and it was great to meet so many new people.

- I really wanted to repaint the living room and dining room. So I sold some of my maternity stuff and things the kids have grown out of to help fund the project. It has turned out way huger (is that a word?) of a project than I imagined. We are still working on prepping the walls to paint.

- We removed a wall that was dividing the kitchen and dining room. Every time I walk into our kitchen I smile, totally happy with the choice. J had to do some minor rewiring and it has been a lot of work. I can hardly wait to finish painting and put our lives back in place.

- Doing renovations, yourselves with three young children is hard. Yet very rewarding. Plus it always costs more than you think. grrr.

- J is totally the hero of the summer. He took a week off work and with money that he had made extra, he built the children a treehouse .. an amazing treehouse. I am so lucky to be married to a man that makes so many dreams come true.

- The kids and I have been taking advantage of the warm summer, hitting the beach and setting up the kiddie pool a lot. We head out and meet with friends and even made some new friends this summer.

– Becca has been loving her first summer holidays as a school kid. She wanders upstairs late, reads, lounges and has enjoyed the freedom. We have gotten a lot of the back to school supplies already including clothes, so she is eager to return. She is loving soccer and the girls have an awesome coach that really has taught them a lot.

- Ethan has had a rough couple weeks. We think he may have a bladder infection, even though when they test for it, it comes back clear. He is in so much pain and has to go potty a lot. He thinks he needs to pee all the time. We hope to investigate it more now that our family doctor is back form vacation.

- Cordi is so amazing. She loves her siblings so much and is eager to go and do everything with them. She is really laid back and loves to snuggle. She has had some issues with sleep this past week, but i think we have worked something out, as long as she doesn’t foil our plans!

- As for me, with life being so busy I have slipped off the exercise track a lot. I will have good weeks then not so good weeks. I am determined to get back on track, we have a wedding to attend next summer so I am using that as motivation to get into better shape. I am now stuck at my pre-pregnancy weight (unfortunately that wasn’t all that great). I got my hair cut shorter (on facebook it is straight but that was for that day only, still a curly girl). I haven’t been knitting, or really creating .. the kids keep me busy. And the house renovations.

- J is super busy at work with many students working in his lab, papers to write and things to do. He has even been going in at night to get more done before classes start up again in the fall. That and he built the uber treehouse!

I miss blogging. While I fold laundry I write posts in my head. But it is easy to write in our heads .. getting it down is the hard part. I miss being part of your lives, your community … hopefully I can get back into the groove and write more often. There are a few more photos on Flickr … and Cordi misses the photo-shoot because she was sleeping

How is your summer going?

This year has been so fabulous. Having three is perfect (and a lot more time consuming). Cordelia is a perfect fit into our family. I will miss the baby, however the emerging toddler is full of personality.

Happy Birthday baby girl!

]]> http://soodz.com/blog/2010/08/happy-first-birthday-cordi/feed/ 18 http://soodz.com/blog/2010/07/ww100-then-she-turned-six/ http://soodz.com/blog/2010/07/ww100-then-she-turned-six/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 14:55:30 +0000 Chelle http://soodz.com/blog/?p=3067

I hope everyone is enjoying their Father’s Day! We are low key, everyone napping or watching a movie at the moment. Later we are going to BBQ some steak and enjoy one last night before my Grandmother returns home and my Dad heads to PEI. Maybe, just maybe my Grandma will not totally slaughter me in Scrabble … again!