Hey folks!
I know i've been completely MIA. Not going to promise that i'll be writing here more regularly, but for anyone still following me, i've started another blog to share my experience of challenging myself to lose 30 lbs before i turn 30.
If you're wondering if i can do it, you can follow along over here: www.30beforeimthirty.blogspot.com
Ciao for now!
-Roz
Monday, May 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Lululemon lacks metta
Went to Lululemon today to exchange a gift, and couldn't get over the 'tude i got from the staff.
Here's what i sent to their feedback department:
Here's what i sent to their feedback department:
***
My in-store experience left much to be desired, unfortunately.
When I asked one girl (after she asked if she could help) if she had the hoodie I was holding in a different size, she said “everything we have is out”. Ok…I started to look through the piles of sweaters on my own. Then I asked her if another store might have it since I couldn’t find it on the table, she responded “I don’t know off the top of my head”. I asked her if she would be able to call and she said she could, and then walked away to ask someone else if they needed help. She seemed annoyed that I took her up on her offer to “help” me.
When I went to the cash to exchange the hoodie for one that was given to me as a gift, the girl (different from the one who “helped” me earlier) announced that I had “just made it”. Confused, I asked her what she meant and she said “you only have 2 weeks to return or exchange. You just made it”. I looked at the receipt and according to the date on the receipt I still had 5 whole days left to return or exchange the item, even though it said Holiday gifts could be returned or exchanged until January 2011.
Not sure if the staff were having an off-day, but I did not have a pleasant experience in the store, and quite honestly felt snubbed and like I didn’t belong there for some reason. As someone who practices yoga, this really bothers me because Lululemon is a yoga clothing store, and yoga is about respecting, embracing and being kind to others. Not snobby and rude.
Just thought I’d share.
***
What's been your experience at Lululemon?
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Favourite go-to meal
DaniGirl has a great post and giveaway where she asks people to share a favourite meal idea to help each other alleviate the meal-planning burden.
My current favourite, quick, easy and healthy meal is bean burritos (thanks Bonnie!).
It's soooooooo easy and soooooooo quick and pretty darn healthy.
Here's how i make mine:
1 can refried beans
whole wheat tortillas
shredded low fat cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream
salsa
diced tomatoes
chopped green onion
guacamole
lettuce
whatever
Open can of refried beans, and transfer to microwaveable bowl. Heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Layer each of the above ingredients on a tortilla. Roll and eat. You're eating in 6 minutes.
Some people like to spice things up a bit by mixing dry taco seasoning in with the beans. Personally i like the taste of plain refried beans. This has become such a staple in our house, that i always make sure that we have at least one can of refried beans in the pantry.
What's your go-to quick and easy meal?
My current favourite, quick, easy and healthy meal is bean burritos (thanks Bonnie!).
It's soooooooo easy and soooooooo quick and pretty darn healthy.
Here's how i make mine:
1 can refried beans
whole wheat tortillas
shredded low fat cheddar cheese
fat free sour cream
salsa
diced tomatoes
chopped green onion
guacamole
lettuce
whatever
Open can of refried beans, and transfer to microwaveable bowl. Heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Layer each of the above ingredients on a tortilla. Roll and eat. You're eating in 6 minutes.
Some people like to spice things up a bit by mixing dry taco seasoning in with the beans. Personally i like the taste of plain refried beans. This has become such a staple in our house, that i always make sure that we have at least one can of refried beans in the pantry.
What's your go-to quick and easy meal?
Thursday, November 11, 2010
So this is Christmas
Christmas is fast approaching and i couldn't be more excited.
I've been thinking a lot lately about what i love most about Christmas (there's a LOT), and what makes Christmas special to me.
For me, and i'm sure for many others, it's all about the traditions. Something about doing the same things over again is comforting and cozying (yes, that is a word - true story!).
Here's a few of the things my family has done over the years and a few things that i've started to do on my own:
1) Getting a real Christmas tree and cutting it down ourselves.
Ever since i can remember (probably from about the time that i could walk) my family has gone out to a tree farm and cut down our own tree. The group consisted of my parents and sister, my 2 cousins and their parents. It was always so much fun and we continued this every year until i graduated university. Venturing out into a field of trees covered with snow, searching for the perfect Christmas tree and then cutting it down ourselves and dragging it back to the car was the start of the Christmas season in our house. My dad always had my sister and i cut it down ourselves and often we'd have to drag it back too. We'd always enjoy hot chocolate afterwards and then pile back in the cars covered with sap and snow for the ride back home.
I haven't gone to cut down a tree in a while (probably since moving permanently to Ottawa) but Mat and i do buy a real tree every year. The glorious smell of a beautiful, fresh pine tree in the house is more than worth the expense of buying a fresh tree every year. I hope that when Mat and i have kids that we'll pick up my family's tradition of going out and cutting down our own tree.
2) Decorating the house, inside and out.
Growing up, my mom would literally deck the halls and nearly every other room in the house for Christmas. It was beautiful and i always looked forward to when she pulled out the Christmas decorations and hung garland from the banister and mantle. My dad on the other hand always put up lights on the outside of our house and on our front trees. Not one year went by that we didn't have lights, and i remember one year it was Christmas Eve and my dad hadn't gotten around to putting up the lights. It was literally CHRISTMAS EVE around 10 pm and he said - "Roj (that's what my dad calls me) c'mon - let's go put up the lights" (no he was not intoxicated in anyway...) Of course being a teenager, i whined and told him it was too late, but he insisted and there we were until about midnight in the snow and the cold hanging lights outside our house.
Mat and i both love decorating for the holidays, and just like my parents, i tackle the inside of the house and Mat takes on the outside. Each year we buy more and more lights as our own front trees get bigger and bigger. I love the way the house looks when it's decorated for Christmas, and it's always a little hard to take them down in the new year.
3. Giving and receiving Christmas cards.
Another one of my favourite parts of Christmas is checking the mailbox for new Christmas cards throughout the month of December. Since moving to Ottawa, i have sent Christmas cards to friends and family and have been receiving them in return. I proudly hang them over the dining room doorway (just as my mom did) and they become part of the decor.
4. Food
My dad's side of the family is Polish (as is Mat's mom's side) which means that we celebrate Christmas Eve with a feast. The FOOD is what i look forward to the most - perogies, borscht, kapusta and cabbage rolls (i always pass on the fish...) are just some of the delicacies that we enjoy. Some of the food on my mom's side of the family include Christmas pudding with hard sauce and lemon brandy sauce, shortbread (oh, i eat her shortbread all day everyday that i'm "home" for Christmas - breakfast, lunch and dinner), Fruit cake with marzipan, rum balls and so much more. If i don't get at least a taste of each of these things, it just wouldn't be Christmas.
5. Potluck dinner with friends
Back when i lived in Oshawa, my group of friends would host a Christmas potluck dinner (they still do host it every year). We would pick one night before Christmas where we would gather at someone's house and each of us would bring a dish to share. I so loved those dinners, and i still try to go if i'm in town when they're being held. Even though i miss my friends at home during Christmas, i've started a "Friends Potluck" here in Ottawa. It's the same principal where i invite my co-worker friends over for a potluck and gift exchange. We all cram into our house and drink and eat and laugh. Warms my heart, and i look forward to it every year.
6. Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
'Nuff said - wouldn't be Christmas without watching this movie.
7. Recent Christmas Traditions:
I'm always eager to add new traditions to my Christmas celebration, and a couple of ones that we've added recently include:
*Secret Santa. Both sides of my family are big (siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins), so with each of them we've started having secret santas so that we only need to buy for one person each year. I find this works really well because it relieves a lot of the financial pressures of the season, and is another tradition we've added to the mix.
*New P.J.s. This is something that my sister and i started with each other. Many families do this, but we thought it would be nice for us to have new p.j.s to wear on Christmas morning. We exchange these on Christmas Eve with each other.
*Christmas tree ornament. I've tried to acquire at least one beautiful ornament for my Christmas tree each year, and then my sister and i decided that we would start our own tradition of buying each other a new ornament each year. I think this started because we realized that as we decorated our own Christmas trees (in our separate cities) that we missed having the ones from our childhood that held so many memories. We wanted to create new memories and decided we would do this for each other. This too is one of my favourite parts of Christmas.
*Drinking champagne while decorating the tree. This isn't a tradition - yet. I heard of someone who does this, and i want to make it one of my own traditions. I love decorating the Christmas tree, and think it would be that much more special if we popped a small bottle of champagne and took our time hanging ornaments on each bough. 2010 will be the first year of many for this new tradition.
Even though my family has quite a few traditions, i'm always eager to add more to the list. What are some of the things that your family does and which are your favourite?
I've been thinking a lot lately about what i love most about Christmas (there's a LOT), and what makes Christmas special to me.
For me, and i'm sure for many others, it's all about the traditions. Something about doing the same things over again is comforting and cozying (yes, that is a word - true story!).
Here's a few of the things my family has done over the years and a few things that i've started to do on my own:
1) Getting a real Christmas tree and cutting it down ourselves.
Ever since i can remember (probably from about the time that i could walk) my family has gone out to a tree farm and cut down our own tree. The group consisted of my parents and sister, my 2 cousins and their parents. It was always so much fun and we continued this every year until i graduated university. Venturing out into a field of trees covered with snow, searching for the perfect Christmas tree and then cutting it down ourselves and dragging it back to the car was the start of the Christmas season in our house. My dad always had my sister and i cut it down ourselves and often we'd have to drag it back too. We'd always enjoy hot chocolate afterwards and then pile back in the cars covered with sap and snow for the ride back home.
I haven't gone to cut down a tree in a while (probably since moving permanently to Ottawa) but Mat and i do buy a real tree every year. The glorious smell of a beautiful, fresh pine tree in the house is more than worth the expense of buying a fresh tree every year. I hope that when Mat and i have kids that we'll pick up my family's tradition of going out and cutting down our own tree.
2) Decorating the house, inside and out.
Growing up, my mom would literally deck the halls and nearly every other room in the house for Christmas. It was beautiful and i always looked forward to when she pulled out the Christmas decorations and hung garland from the banister and mantle. My dad on the other hand always put up lights on the outside of our house and on our front trees. Not one year went by that we didn't have lights, and i remember one year it was Christmas Eve and my dad hadn't gotten around to putting up the lights. It was literally CHRISTMAS EVE around 10 pm and he said - "Roj (that's what my dad calls me) c'mon - let's go put up the lights" (no he was not intoxicated in anyway...) Of course being a teenager, i whined and told him it was too late, but he insisted and there we were until about midnight in the snow and the cold hanging lights outside our house.
Mat and i both love decorating for the holidays, and just like my parents, i tackle the inside of the house and Mat takes on the outside. Each year we buy more and more lights as our own front trees get bigger and bigger. I love the way the house looks when it's decorated for Christmas, and it's always a little hard to take them down in the new year.
3. Giving and receiving Christmas cards.
Another one of my favourite parts of Christmas is checking the mailbox for new Christmas cards throughout the month of December. Since moving to Ottawa, i have sent Christmas cards to friends and family and have been receiving them in return. I proudly hang them over the dining room doorway (just as my mom did) and they become part of the decor.
4. Food
My dad's side of the family is Polish (as is Mat's mom's side) which means that we celebrate Christmas Eve with a feast. The FOOD is what i look forward to the most - perogies, borscht, kapusta and cabbage rolls (i always pass on the fish...) are just some of the delicacies that we enjoy. Some of the food on my mom's side of the family include Christmas pudding with hard sauce and lemon brandy sauce, shortbread (oh, i eat her shortbread all day everyday that i'm "home" for Christmas - breakfast, lunch and dinner), Fruit cake with marzipan, rum balls and so much more. If i don't get at least a taste of each of these things, it just wouldn't be Christmas.
5. Potluck dinner with friends
Back when i lived in Oshawa, my group of friends would host a Christmas potluck dinner (they still do host it every year). We would pick one night before Christmas where we would gather at someone's house and each of us would bring a dish to share. I so loved those dinners, and i still try to go if i'm in town when they're being held. Even though i miss my friends at home during Christmas, i've started a "Friends Potluck" here in Ottawa. It's the same principal where i invite my co-worker friends over for a potluck and gift exchange. We all cram into our house and drink and eat and laugh. Warms my heart, and i look forward to it every year.
6. Watching National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
'Nuff said - wouldn't be Christmas without watching this movie.
7. Recent Christmas Traditions:
I'm always eager to add new traditions to my Christmas celebration, and a couple of ones that we've added recently include:
*Secret Santa. Both sides of my family are big (siblings, nieces and nephews, cousins), so with each of them we've started having secret santas so that we only need to buy for one person each year. I find this works really well because it relieves a lot of the financial pressures of the season, and is another tradition we've added to the mix.
*New P.J.s. This is something that my sister and i started with each other. Many families do this, but we thought it would be nice for us to have new p.j.s to wear on Christmas morning. We exchange these on Christmas Eve with each other.
*Christmas tree ornament. I've tried to acquire at least one beautiful ornament for my Christmas tree each year, and then my sister and i decided that we would start our own tradition of buying each other a new ornament each year. I think this started because we realized that as we decorated our own Christmas trees (in our separate cities) that we missed having the ones from our childhood that held so many memories. We wanted to create new memories and decided we would do this for each other. This too is one of my favourite parts of Christmas.
*Drinking champagne while decorating the tree. This isn't a tradition - yet. I heard of someone who does this, and i want to make it one of my own traditions. I love decorating the Christmas tree, and think it would be that much more special if we popped a small bottle of champagne and took our time hanging ornaments on each bough. 2010 will be the first year of many for this new tradition.
Even though my family has quite a few traditions, i'm always eager to add more to the list. What are some of the things that your family does and which are your favourite?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Housework
It’s been a long while since my last post, but I was inspired by Jennie’s post about how housework is divided in a person’s house (evenly or unevenly) and thought it would be a good topic for discussion.
My husband and I have swung from one side of the pendulum to the other and I think we have landed somewhere in the middle (although he might think differently).
When we first started living together, I did everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. I think the most he did was bring his dirty plate TO the sink. This went on for a while until I finally broke down and just started screaming and yelling about how I couldn’t do it anymore and how I wasn’t his mother. And he got it. I mean, how couldn’t you? He started doing more and more and more without ever being asked. Then I got lazy and I started slacking, and we literally came all the way over to the other side where he did EVERYTHING and I sat on my fat butt and did nothing. One day I just realized that I wasn’t being fair to him and I started to do a few things around the house. Now I think it’s mostly even, although he does more of the crummy jobs. I do all the meal planning and cooking and some of the dishes. He walks the dogs twice a day, does all the outdoor stuff (mowing the lawn, shovelling snow, taking out garbage). Saturdays are pretty much our cleaning days and once we’ve had our coffees and lazed around for a bit we both just kind of get on with the house work. I’ll tidy up, he’ll vacuum, I’ll wash the floors, he’ll start the laundry. We just keep going until it all gets done.
I have to say that Mat does do a lot more, but that’s because he WANTS to. For example, he INSISTS on doing the laundry. I don’t like how he does the laundry and he doesn’t like how I do it, and we actually fought over who got to do the laundry. He promised me he’d do it the way I like just so that he can do the laundry – go figure.
Another “chore” that Mat does that I don’t: washing the cars. I have no interest in this whatsoever, but Mat apparently enjoys it, so I’m not going to argue with that.
I’ve taken over the meal planning and cooking, because let’s face it. We’d only ever eat chicken fingers and frozen pizza if I left it up to Mat.
And the dog walking? We used to do that together, until I hit that “super lazy” phase, and now he just does it. God bless him.
How do you divide the chores in your house? Do you feel it’s “fair”? What would you change (besides hiring someone)?
My husband and I have swung from one side of the pendulum to the other and I think we have landed somewhere in the middle (although he might think differently).
When we first started living together, I did everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. I think the most he did was bring his dirty plate TO the sink. This went on for a while until I finally broke down and just started screaming and yelling about how I couldn’t do it anymore and how I wasn’t his mother. And he got it. I mean, how couldn’t you? He started doing more and more and more without ever being asked. Then I got lazy and I started slacking, and we literally came all the way over to the other side where he did EVERYTHING and I sat on my fat butt and did nothing. One day I just realized that I wasn’t being fair to him and I started to do a few things around the house. Now I think it’s mostly even, although he does more of the crummy jobs. I do all the meal planning and cooking and some of the dishes. He walks the dogs twice a day, does all the outdoor stuff (mowing the lawn, shovelling snow, taking out garbage). Saturdays are pretty much our cleaning days and once we’ve had our coffees and lazed around for a bit we both just kind of get on with the house work. I’ll tidy up, he’ll vacuum, I’ll wash the floors, he’ll start the laundry. We just keep going until it all gets done.
I have to say that Mat does do a lot more, but that’s because he WANTS to. For example, he INSISTS on doing the laundry. I don’t like how he does the laundry and he doesn’t like how I do it, and we actually fought over who got to do the laundry. He promised me he’d do it the way I like just so that he can do the laundry – go figure.
Another “chore” that Mat does that I don’t: washing the cars. I have no interest in this whatsoever, but Mat apparently enjoys it, so I’m not going to argue with that.
I’ve taken over the meal planning and cooking, because let’s face it. We’d only ever eat chicken fingers and frozen pizza if I left it up to Mat.
And the dog walking? We used to do that together, until I hit that “super lazy” phase, and now he just does it. God bless him.
How do you divide the chores in your house? Do you feel it’s “fair”? What would you change (besides hiring someone)?
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Really? My clothes are still tight?
Ok, so it's been about a month give or take since i started working out every weekday.
In my last post i mentioned that my clothes feel even tighter since i've been working out, and that hasn't changed.
This, my friends is VERY FRUSTRATING.
Tell me if this makes any sense:
In my last post i mentioned that my clothes feel even tighter since i've been working out, and that hasn't changed.
This, my friends is VERY FRUSTRATING.
Tell me if this makes any sense:
- I've been working out every weekday morning and taking yoga once a week (thanks Bonnie!)
- I haven't changed my diet (neither better nor worse)
- I've lost inches off my waist and hips (not many, but still, inches)
- I've lost one or 2 pounds
HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? how can i only have lost max 2 lbs this whole month?
Also, if my measurements are smaller, WHY DO MY PANTS FEEL TIGHTER?
seriously -is there something i'm missing here?
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
weight update
Since my last post on my weight, a few things have happened:
1) I had my annual physical appointment. I knew going in i had gained quite a bit of weight and told the nurse who took my measurements and vitals that i didn't want to know the number. He was kind, and didn't tell me. When my doctor came in to carry on with the rest of the appointment, we talked about a lot of things (when i might be having kids, how certain prescrptions are working for me etc. etc.).
When i thought we had finished all of our discussions, she pulled up a graph on her computer. It was a chart of my weight. The line had spiked from last year.
She turned around and said "i see you've put on some weight since your last visit".
"mmm hmmm" i answered
"are you concerend about this?" she asked.
"well.....are you?" i asked back
"well......" i could see she was searching for a way to be nice about it
"it's not a problem today, but if it continues like this, it could be a problem down the line. Weight starts to wear on your joints and other things. If it continues, you might need to worry about blood pressure and diabetes" she answered.
Then she continued "do you exercise?"
"no" i answered - i didn't even try to bluff it
Our discussion went on about why i think i've gained weight (i flat out told her that i'm lazy and i don't exercise and i eat out regularly).
She strongly encouraged me to exercise on a daily basis, which let's face it, is a polite way of saying "you're overweight"
So, of course, i know i need to lose weight. It was super hard hearing it from my doctor, but i think i needed that talk, that scare. I needed someone to look me in the eye and say "Roz. You need to lose weight. Now".
2) I've been working out every weekday. I didn't work out during my conference or the week after (i wasn't looking for excuses not to work out, but when you work 16 hour days for a week there is literally no time for a workout. The week following the conference i went to bed incredibly early every day because i could barely muster enough energy to dress myself in the morning).
It's going well. Don't get me wrong - i HATE exercising with a passion. Ho boy! i am ANGRY at the world for the first 10 minutes of my workout. You should see me (well, no you shouldn't - no one should, not even my dogs who - i'm not even kidding - i lock out of the room when i workout). My faced is scrunched, i scowl at the t.v., i yell at Jillian Michaels to SHUT UP JUST SHUT UP. But it's going well for a few reasons:
a) I WANT and i FEEL like eating healthier because i don't want to undo what i just struggled to do that morning. This, i would like to add, might be a first for me, because i am ALWAYS craving the junk food
b) i can feel myself getting stronger. I can't see a difference on my body, but i can do a whole whack of pushups (when i started i could do 2) and i can tell my shoulders are also gaining strength
Results seem to take forever to show for me (in fact it feels like some of my clothes are even tighter! ~sigh~) but everyone i've spoken to swears by the 30 day shred, so i'm sticking to it.
I was going to post my weight here as a way to keep me motivated, but i'm still not ok with that number and i think i'll save it for some "before and after" posts (let's hope there'll be some "after" posts...)
1) I had my annual physical appointment. I knew going in i had gained quite a bit of weight and told the nurse who took my measurements and vitals that i didn't want to know the number. He was kind, and didn't tell me. When my doctor came in to carry on with the rest of the appointment, we talked about a lot of things (when i might be having kids, how certain prescrptions are working for me etc. etc.).
When i thought we had finished all of our discussions, she pulled up a graph on her computer. It was a chart of my weight. The line had spiked from last year.
She turned around and said "i see you've put on some weight since your last visit".
"mmm hmmm" i answered
"are you concerend about this?" she asked.
"well.....are you?" i asked back
"well......" i could see she was searching for a way to be nice about it
"it's not a problem today, but if it continues like this, it could be a problem down the line. Weight starts to wear on your joints and other things. If it continues, you might need to worry about blood pressure and diabetes" she answered.
Then she continued "do you exercise?"
"no" i answered - i didn't even try to bluff it
Our discussion went on about why i think i've gained weight (i flat out told her that i'm lazy and i don't exercise and i eat out regularly).
She strongly encouraged me to exercise on a daily basis, which let's face it, is a polite way of saying "you're overweight"
So, of course, i know i need to lose weight. It was super hard hearing it from my doctor, but i think i needed that talk, that scare. I needed someone to look me in the eye and say "Roz. You need to lose weight. Now".
2) I've been working out every weekday. I didn't work out during my conference or the week after (i wasn't looking for excuses not to work out, but when you work 16 hour days for a week there is literally no time for a workout. The week following the conference i went to bed incredibly early every day because i could barely muster enough energy to dress myself in the morning).
It's going well. Don't get me wrong - i HATE exercising with a passion. Ho boy! i am ANGRY at the world for the first 10 minutes of my workout. You should see me (well, no you shouldn't - no one should, not even my dogs who - i'm not even kidding - i lock out of the room when i workout). My faced is scrunched, i scowl at the t.v., i yell at Jillian Michaels to SHUT UP JUST SHUT UP. But it's going well for a few reasons:
a) I WANT and i FEEL like eating healthier because i don't want to undo what i just struggled to do that morning. This, i would like to add, might be a first for me, because i am ALWAYS craving the junk food
b) i can feel myself getting stronger. I can't see a difference on my body, but i can do a whole whack of pushups (when i started i could do 2) and i can tell my shoulders are also gaining strength
Results seem to take forever to show for me (in fact it feels like some of my clothes are even tighter! ~sigh~) but everyone i've spoken to swears by the 30 day shred, so i'm sticking to it.
I was going to post my weight here as a way to keep me motivated, but i'm still not ok with that number and i think i'll save it for some "before and after" posts (let's hope there'll be some "after" posts...)
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