Christmas Card Solution!

I know it’s Christmas time when I get out my long and ratty list of addresses to prepare my Christmas cards.

This year, as it’s the babies first Christmas, we want to send out special family portrait Christmas Cards, something original and classy looking (no cheesy cartoons of Santa and his elves!).

As a mom to 6 month old twins I have been searching for a quick and easy way to prepare our Christmas Cards online (after all what mom of twins has time to download a picture to a usb Key, get dressed, drive in the snow to the mall, find a parking space, drag myself and the stroller out of the car and push and shove my way to the local photo store so that I can line up for 30 minutes all in an attempt to make some Christmas cards?).

I found the absolute perfect solution, Shutterfly. From the comfort of my home, while dressed in my pajamas and sipping hot chocolate (spiked with Rum!) I can select our perfect Christmas Card from their over 800 available Christmas Cards!

The only problem is picking out which card, here are some of my absolute favorites:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards/fa-lala-christmas-card-5x7-flat?fg=4096&sortType=1&storeNode=93476

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/bright-colored-lights-christmas-card

Not only do they have Christmas cards, they also have gift tags, and I simply can not resist ordering these:

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/mister-penguin-2010-gift-tag

Who doesn’t love penguins?

Be sure to check out Shutterfly for all your holiday needs!

Fitting in

You would think by now I would be used to not fitting in.

I have joined a mommy group. A twin mommy group and while I think I click with a few of them, I am reminded over and over again how, even now, with 2 babies, I am still not one of them.

I don't have a career.

I don't have a live in Nanny.

I can't lament about being pregnant.

I don't plan on having more children, even if I wanted more, it's just not an option.

I'm not obsessed with my babies.

I manage to cook supper and clean the house every single day, something no one else seems to do (except those with live in Nannies, their Nanny cooks).

I can't brag about how thin I am because of breastfeeding, I'm fat because of breastfeeding.

I don't have thousands of toys, swings,exersaucers . Matter of fact we have zero swings and exersaucers.

I'm not rich, with all the costs of infertility we are coupon clipping, borrowing movies from the library, making our own wine, buying things on sale kinda family.

I just don't fit.

Maybe it's because they all live in a richer neighbourhood.

Maybe it's because they all experienced pregnancy.

What ever it is, I'm seriously contemplating dropping out of this mommy group, at least until I loose 40 pounds.

Menopause already?

I stopped breastfeeding over a month ago and still no period!

As of my last surgery I have a tiny bit of one ovary left and I am beginning to wonder if my body has thrown itself into menopause, hopefully I will have some answers soon, I have an appointment scheduled for next week.

PS - the running is gone off track already! I have some serious shin pain after my run on Sunday and I've been in recovery mode ever since. Ugh.

redefining myself.

I've been busy setting some goals.

I need to get back in shape. I am now a whopping 38 pounds heavier then I was when I married the mister and a whole 48 pounds heavier then when we first met in 2002.

It's depressing.

Nothing fits.

Nothing.

So I'm taking back my health, I started a couch to 5k running program and I'm currently in week 3, only 5 more weeks till I can run 5k! I even have a long term running goal, I want to run the Yonge Street 10k which happens every May, if I start training now I should be able to run the 10K in May.

Swimming is going fantastically, and I plan on taking the next adult swimming lesson in January (the swimming lessons is part of my long long term goal of doing a triathlon).

I've also made one other major change, I've given up gluten, and my intestine thanks me.

The value of life

Today a good man is gone, and the world feels a little bit sadder.

A dear friend had a massive stroke today and died at the age of 36. Left behind in this world to pick up the pieces is his wife and his two young daughters.

I don't have much else to say, just hug the ones you love, because you don't know when their last breath will come.

Swim suit shopping

I know, it must be one of the worst phrases in the english language, right up there with "jean shopping".

But, I gotta do it.

See I have this crazy idea that I'm going to become a swimmer, ye know someone who swims for fun in that clean graceful way (as oppose to my current swim position which resembles the splish splash of our Aussie shepherd).

Next week I start my first adult swim lessons, stoller fit class and "baby time" at the library.

Wish me luck.

What is mom?

As a new mom, I find myself struggling with me.

Caring for my babies is relatively easy. Sure, they are a handful, after all there are two of them, but it's the discovery of who I am that is the most difficult.

Who is this women in the mirror who only wears stretchy pants because nothing else fits?

Somewhere around year three of infertility I lost track of me. My career went on the fritz and never recovered, and the only thing I could concentrate on was having children.

Now that I am finally a mother I feel like I need to start a new journey of self discovery.

What do I want out of life?

Do I want to put the babies in day care and go out and get a job?

Do I want to spend a few years with them, and if I do where will that leave me financially, emotionally, professionally?

This blog, will be my little journal, my little space where I can put it all together.