Healthy Living

Norm and I always try to stay on the healthy side but as we pealed our winter clothes we noticed what was keeping us warm throughout the harsh winter season.  It was an awful sight.  It gave us the kick in the butt that we needed to get back into shape.  Normally we go our separate ways at the gym - Norm goes towards the room with big, grunting men and I, to the ladies only room. Today we did something different.  This time we trained together and I got a dose of those crazy workouts Norm finds in Testosterone.  First he started me on dips and pull ups.  I've done this before but he was literally standing beside me yelling and hitting my butt to go faster.  Luckily no one was there to see the abuse.  Next I did leg lifts - because I refuse to do Norm's version of a sit up.  Try lying down on an incline, sit up, and ever so slowly go back down.  You only have to do this three times to get abs like Frank. I'm sure that's his secret.  Next we found an empty squash court and he made me do the unthinkable. It's hard to explain but picture me walking with my hands while my feet dragged a mat.  I was only able to do it three times across the court as my wrists were starting to give out.  Off to another room where we picked up heavy weights and just walked around the room.  Sounds easy enough but give it a try and you will be surprised at how much you sweat.  

Working out is easy enough to do but you have to pair it with healthy eating. Today we ate fresh fish, chicken, omelettes, brocolli, bok choy and instead of rice we had quinoa.   Looks like we're on our way back to our healthy lifestyle.  It's not going to be easy (or cheap) but at least we still have time to look good for bathing suit season.  

 

Patio Season

I got a call from a Blogger Police (who, i should mention, does not have a blog).  I guess the warm weather has kept me outside and away from my computer.  On Friday, Rachel & I decided to go out for lunch but only to a place that had a patio.  We headed over to Zelda's, home of the best sweet potato fries, and found their patio was booming with people who didn't seem to be in a rush to get back to work.  I guess we get really excited when the weather starts to warm up, especially after such a long and hard winter.  Although we skipped out on Baskin Robbins, our afternoon lunch in the sun was exactly what I needed.  Had it been a Laura Secord, I definitely would have ended it with a french crisp. 

At last...

I am now part of the Mac family. Today we bought our very first MacBook. It's not a Pro - which only experts like Sally can handle. Instead we bought a white 13". So to all of you Mac owners, Let's chat! But give me some notice so I can look presentable for my debut!

Bird's Nest

Something I've always wanted to learn was how to make a Phoenix Nest or sometimes called a Dragon's Nest. The nest was made by arranging thin pieces of taro in a bowl and quickly deep frying until it comes out of the bowl and is able to hold it's form. Once that is done, everything else comes easy. I made a quick chicken, shrimp and vegetable dish and put it in my edible bowl. I am really going to miss cooking classes this summer. The school is undergoing renovations so I guess that means I will have to find another hobby. For those of you who are interested, my teacher is offering classes at the Chinese Cultural Centre in Scarborough. See website for more details: http://www.cccgt.org/F.cgi/(en)/courses_by_category.html

Our Savior Sue

Sunday was Hair Day and as all of you know it's a full day affair. The three lovely, big haired ladies met at Pacific Mall where Sue and her crew were stretching their arms and wrists in anticipation of the 7 hours they will be spending with us. Knowing full well that it takes them even longer with me, I came with freshly clean, showered hair so off I went straight to the chair where they started the tedious Japanese straightening procedure. For me, it has to be done every 6 months and although it's expensive and long, it's worth my time and every penny.

A day with the kids

It's always amazing to see how fast kids grow right before your eyes. Jonathan has grown up to be a lovely young man with a mustache that Hayden wished he could have. Hazel is wonderful at being Mom's little helper. As we all pack into the van, she buckled both her little brothers into the car seat and made sure they had everything they needed within reach. Hayden has great fashion sense as can be seen when he sports his skinny, black tie. He apparently never takes this tie off, not even for bed. And lastly, Jeremy is the best baby in the world. He never cries and is content just watching everybody and slowly he drifts away and falls asleep.

All of these kids bombarded our place in the afternoon for lunch. They dragged me and my wallet to the Eaton Centre but thankfully the two younger ones were asleep. Whew. After we worked up an appetite, we went to Wah Sing where we met Mom and Wendell and had a feast to celebrate Jonathan's belated, belated birthday.

Triple J

Last night we met up with Jeff, Jen and Jasmine. It's been a long time since we've seen them but we just picked up where we left off had a wonderful evening at Richtree. We finally had a chance to meet Jasmine who is a little energizer bunny that keeps going and going...I wish I had pictures to share but I forgot my camera (i know, it never happens. must be old age). As always, kids shy away from us in the beginning but by the end of the night we wanted to take her home and I don't think she would have complained. Actually, Jen and Jeff probably would have welcomed a good night's rest! I have tried to recruit them to our blogger world in hopes that we can get weekly updates of Jasmine. Hope you can help me convince them, too.