high five friday!

it's friday. can we seriously take a minute and talk about how fast time is flying by in my life right now? every tuesday afternoon i'm all 'it's only tuesday really?' and then all of a sudden thursday is ending and friday is here and it's time to look at what went down in those past 7 days.

1. my son is officially.completely.totally.dry.as.a.bone.in.the.night. potty trained. i have to move on or i will start to cry with pride. i'm not exaggerating.
2. i survived my first quarterly review with my new job! [sigh of relief + celebatory glass of wine this weekend? i think it so.]
3. i made a healthy version of kraft's simple lasagne roll ups this week and they rocked:

 it is not easy cooking healthy + delicious eats for two [1.5 on some days]. so i made the following subs:

- instead of lasagne noodles, i used the spinach enriched version.
- instead of lean ground beef, i used extra lean ground turkey
- i mixed one cup of vegetable primavera sauce with a jar of organic butternut squash puree.
- no parmesan cheese - just the healthiest shredded cheese my single mom money could buy :)

for real - these were so.easy. to make and they actually only took a total of 45 minutes. they were super clean to scoop out of my mini-loaf pan [couldn't be more perfect :)] which, for the record, this week i'm going to use to make mini-meatloafs or mini-sheppherd's pie.

4. i ran every day this week and made it to 2 hot yoga power classes. not as much yoga as my bod would like, but the weather is insane and i couldn't waste the opp to run in the sun.
5. i received a number of amazing emails/messages from old friends and it meant a lot :)
6. raspberry ketones came back into stock which meant another supplement riot in the gta west.
7. marcus got to spend yesterday with his dad and his two team mcaloon cousins who he absolutely.adores.but.seriously.he.seriously.adores.them. he morphs into a new child around olivia and owen. he suddenly uses this big boy voice and full sentances and laughs his tiny face off and loves his cousin life. props to james for making that magic happen. marcus came home with the sweetest smell of sweat on his forehead and i.LOVE.that.
8. marcus named olivia's doll jesus and told everyone that god was his father. i'm laughing out loud right now. he's funny. and smart.
9. we felt super lucky to make each connection we shared this week. every conversation, all the small accomplishments and the daily challenges were part of the path to being better versions of ourselves.

yep, that's nine. i hope that you take a few minutes today [tgif] to acknowledge all the goodness of yourself and the greatness you achieved this past week!

big love!
-kare

high five friday: arrogant bread.

1. i wrapped up february in sales [work] and have kicked off march. [ps. march? are you kidding me? it's march right now? time flies when you sell nutritional products.] work is super exciting to me, especially right now.
2. i started something super important for our new place! it has so much meaning wrapped up in it, and altho i might never.maybe.but.probably.not.ever.in.my.life share it with you, trust that it is part of my journey and already feels like i am pouring my big.freaking.wide.open.filled.to.the.brim.warm.and.fuzzy heart onto a blank canvas and loving every bit of it.
3. i spent wednesday night with erin - remember the time she shared her wicked rad high five friday last week? okay so have you ever tried to catch up with your long lost bestie after not seeing each other for a decade? well, don't plan on a short dinner. plan on 5+ hours. plan on basically.not.so.subtly. being asked to leave the vegan restaurant. plan on then finding a non-vegan bar. plan on ordering a glass of warm water with lemon, a shot of jd, and do-you-have-organic-decaf-cappucino? plan on laughing. plan on crying. plan on being super proud that said friend has grown through onehelluva decade and come out on the good side. the real good side. i told her how much i miss bread in my life. she sent me this:

erin elmore. 2012.

and i laughed my less-than-modestly-proportioned ass off and am so thankful we've connected after all this time.
4. i have been working on myself a lot in these past months and was reflecting on myself this week and those qualities i am focused on ... and i think i have actually grown a lot. i'm happy about it. i have so far to go. but i am really focused on my faith and working on expanding my contributions and just delighting in the way. it's good stuff. high five.
5. marcus has had some 'tired/toddler/push.the.buttons.and.not.just.the.ones.at.the.elevator' moments [cough hours] this week and i am staying positive, mixing it up and trying new tactics that are still aligned with our core values. and by mix it up, i mean i took him over to starbucks on his chopper to have a short frothy brown rice milk and settle that hooligan down. it worked. i will likely do this again. plus he is getting to know the baristas on a first name basis. not that you would ever know a barista on a last name basis. they'd have to be super official or something. "mr. starbuck".
6. i am appreciating naptime all.weekend.long and you want to freaking know something? i just might join the kid for a little siesta. i just might even let him snuggle into my nook and breathe him in for the whole two hours of glorious nap.
7. i only took one day of rest this week [from working on my fitness] and otherwise either ran or yoga'd everyday.
8. i finished all.of.the.ikea.furniture.assembly. do you think you're a great parent? patient? well-tempered? all of the above? try making an armoire, dresser, two organizer units & an enormous bed that even has a warning to use TWO stick ikea people instead of one during assembly - with a two and a half year old co-pilot. the positives? i didn't drop any bad words, marcus LOVES helping and LOVES tools, and i think we could now take on the world together. or at least another lack or expedit.
9:

just because. erin elmore again. 2012.

10. marcus is making progress with his numero deux in potty training! do you feel me on this? have you been through this? 100% potty trained with numero uno. numero deux? different story. any tips? throw them over. i don't like to push him so don't recco any voodo mindtraps but otherwise let me know what worked for you with the toddler numero deux.

i can't believe it's friday.

i hope you had a wicked week and stop today to reflect on what you did/didn't do/how you grew/how awesome you are/how you are better today than you were last friday.

yoga quota: "always align your shoulders right over your hips. don't put pressure to move forward, and don't get stuck in the past. the right alignment will allow you to grow naturally."

tgif.

-kare
xo

high five friday: the foreign edition

early this week i got one of the coolest emails of all time from an old friend of mine - erin. she has been reading the blog and making hilarious comments in her truest fashion and i have been loving every bit of it. the email was so cool i asked her if i could share it on here. it's her very own high five friday and i think it is wicked. enjoy:

1. I read your blog. It lit a fire under my ass..... or maybe it shone down loving purple light on me... whatever it did, it did some amazing things.
2. I started a 30 day challenge, that's right, where I run at least 5k every day. Some days more, some days a lot more, but 5k at least. Today is day 7 of my 30 day challenge... photo op:

3. I got pimples on my cheeks.

I've been a vegan for almost a year, and vegetarian for years and years. Recently, I've developed acne on the apples of my cheeks. I look like a rag doll who swapped her freckles for a few unsightly red bumps. Naturally I was like WTF?

So I got down and dirty at the library with some choice reads and I learned a whole lot about acne and nutrition. I've got to say, I had some very very serious revelations.

4. I educated myself. If I have anything to say about it, this will never stop

What I learned made me step back and really evaluate my diet. I've made adjustments and I am excited to keep feeding my body what it needs (and the vitamins too!) I am grateful that my nutrition deficiencies have manifested them selves in a benign way and that I have been presented with the opportunity to grown and learn how to better care for myself. I realize that there is still so much for me to know and I will continue to learn.

5. I bought an orchid.. it's wonderful.

6. I started and finished a 800 page novel

7. I had a lovely Valentines day.

8. I got shit done.

I made several calls that I had been procrastinating for weeks to make. I rode my bike down town to Services Ontario, on Bay and College, and got me an Ontario Health Card. I also made an appointment to have Waldo's balls chopped off. I baked hundreds, literally, of vegan cookies for my work and they all sold.

9. I hosted two kick ass dinner parties. Sans the bf Spencer as he was out of town.

I've made friends with this lady - shes has three children all over the age of 21, we're very different but we get along swimmingly so I had her over on Wednesday. Then my cousin Pat and his soon to be wife dropped in on me Thursday, they stayed until today. (Hence the high five Monday) The night they arrived I had a totally kick ass spread for them.

10. I quit drinking coffee.

If you knew the extent to which coffee has saturated my life, the revelation number ten would shock you. We have, not only a ball'n espresso machine, but also a bean roaster. We make our own blends, buy different (fair trade organic) beans from all over the world and do it up. It's kinda like a hobby.
Alas, the gang of hooligan pimples on my face dictate that my body doesn't need anymore adrenalin sandwiches. Which is essentially what coffee is... an adrenalin sandwich. I knew it was time, thanks for that gentle nudge in the right direction as well. 

I started my 30 day challenge on Tuesday and I hadn't read your blog since last weekend. Well missy, I just read it and all of a sudden my 30 day challenge doesn't seem so bad ass next to your 'i am still getting to 3-4 hot yoga sessions a week [which now i appreciate on a whole new level] but am also running almost everyday. 5k 4 days a week'

But I am still proud of myself. I have been doing my best to be mindful and present while I run and I've also been dedicating each of my runs. Which has been interesting in a really great way, I would have never thought to do something like that.

Anyways, I want to thank you again, from the bottom of my heart.  
Thank you Karen.

Erin

are you kidding me? is she not the raddest chick you ever read a guest-blog from? erin - i totally can't wait to see you and draw live naked people on wednesday [yes, seriously.] you are an awesome inspiration and i am so happy this blog has connected us again!


-kare

high five friday.

as a parent/friend/professional/person, do you give yourself enough credit and stop and smell the roses and recognize that you're probably way more awesome today than you were last week?

i am nowhere close to the person i see myself growing towards, but i am genuinely happy with the person i have grown to become up until today. and i think it's super important to stop and give yourself a few high fives for small successes, important milestones, and life in general.

so i'm totally naming today high five friday. and i think you should read my list of reasons of why i'm deserving of a big high five today, and then take 5 and make your own. it is an awesome way to reflect on the week in passing, and kick start your weekend:

1. marcus had his first dry overnight! [high five to marcus, not really me. but he doesn't have a blog yet so i'll take it on his behalf ok?]
2. we received our final paperwork noting the end of our marriage. it doesn't mean we are throwing a party, but it does mean we are starting a new chapter as a family and turning an important page.
3. i got a pair of boots on clearance from $280 to $29.99. and what could be a hard-to-coordinate-colour-of-beautiful-leather just to happens to beyond-perfectly-match a wicked designer handbag my soeur gifted me with recently. plus, these boots are basically perfect for working my sales-rep tail off by week-day and running hawt-mom errands by weekend. charlie sheen would say i am winning people.

4. my 30 day to inspiration journey at inspire hot yoga studio has come to an end. i didn't just 'meet' my first single-mom goal: i kicked it's ass, learned more than you know, and am a WAY better/stronger/ass is higher and tighter and this is just the beginning person for it.
5. i went for my first run. whose idea was it to spend one month in a sauna, then run outside in the freezing cold? well, i did it. and i will do it again today. and tomorrow. and so forth until i do my half marathon in may.
6. i made a sweet new recipe this week. these gluten free homemade mini pizzas. so simple. the perfect weekend toddler lunch or dinner. and i love that i can custom make each of ours so mine are loaded with veggies and his are loaded with sauce and secret pureed veggies. [evil laugh].
7. i got my hair did. it's not quite finito yet but it's on the right path. sexy victoria's secret hair - here we come.
8. i laughed a LOT this week. god it feels amazing to laugh. why don't people let go and laugh more?
9. i was so lucky to celebrate my dear friend/mama lindsay's birthday this week and connect with some great peeps who i see twice annually at the lorimer-stewart birthday/halloween fetes. luck would have her celebration fall on a wednesday, which meant i was in like sin [as e would say ;)] i have looked up to linds in a lot of ways since we met so feel super lucky to call her a friend:

"my face is cramping!"

10.  i met my newphew on skype this week! god he is perfect. my family is just so blessed. my sister and her hubs give me so much to aspire towards. baby james is all kinds of loved.

so there.

high five friday. totally self indulgent and sometimes that is absolutely okay. it's also super important [in my op] to celebrate the challenges in your week and reflect on what you learned from it, how you're better for it, and what you're going to do with it.

seriously, i want you to take 5 and write your list.
i also want you to share your list. by email, by facebook inbox, by comment below. leave it anonymous. leave it with your stamp on it. i just want to know where you're at and will totally celebrate all of your high fives too ;)

happy weekend!

-kare