My (Nagging for 24+ hrs) Wish

Now I want to preface with that I don't usually ever wake up wishing my life away or that things would be different, but today I have had a nagging thought in my head.

Today I can't stop thinking about how I wish my children could have a summer home of sorts that we could spend all day and night lounging and relaxing at.  This and this summer home I would love for it to be on a sandy waterfront so that my kids can continue to do what they absolutely love to do: play in the sand and get wet.  I want somewhere that I am confident taking the kids alone while DH works and everyone is safe and comfortable.  I want somewhere I don't have to pack up every weekend and that we can entertain family and friends who visit.

I don't know why this thought just won't leave my head or why all of a sudden I am aching for such reality, but I am trying to figure out how I can fix it.  It is not that we cannot afford a summer home, but more that we are so busy that beyond the summer months we would be pressed to make good use of it. DH is admittedly not a handyman, so he's not into tending to landscaping and projects more than he has too.

This weekend we are going to visit a cottage/second home of a former coworker of DH, so it will either calm this nagging thought or make it even worse!  In the meantime, the kids and I have retreated to our backyard where we will continue to make amazing memories of Summer 2016.

Sunshine & happiness today and for always!

Stephanie :)

Accountability Check: Getting Back on the Bandwagon

Now that summer is here so is the dreaded bathing suit season. I am not one to usually get hung up on what I physically look like, but I do like to feel comfortable in my clothes.  Like anyone else, the winter brought on lots of hardy soups and breads plus the results of having two little ones literally just over 2 years apart.  I made a commitment to DH that I would focus on getting my body back into an appropriate shape over the summer, and he is on the bandwagon with me.

So far, both of us have been up and at 'em before our days start working out in the basement, him on his stationary bike & me on my treadmill. It is a love/hate relationship I have with my treadmill because as everyone has, there are good runs and ones that you'd much rather be somewhere else.  This time around, I have to also time my workouts to #TeamA & #TeamO's schedules so that I can actually work at working out instead of constantly being interrupted.

One of my biggest challenges is going to be the accountability to myself.  I can't start cutting corners, taking time off my run, not doing my weights etc. I find it very easy to finish my run and then sit down on the floor with the kids and start playing instead of finishing off with the weights.  I need someone more to check in on me & hold me accountable.

I am loving my time at home and can't let a day go by without working out so that it becomes second nature to jump on the treadmill before starting my day.  I have a weight goal in mind, but I also have a routine goal in mind once we head back to school in just over 8 weeks.  I want to still be able to workout before school so that I don't fall into the winter slump again.

Please keep checking in with/on me over the summer to see how the routine is going.  Don't be afraid to ask me if I got through my whole workout or if I cheated. I won't be offended!

Do you have fitness goals? If, yes, what are they? How to you keep yourself accountable and motivated?

Hello Summer Vacation!

Today was the first official day of summer vacation and if it is the one that sets the tone, I'm looking forward to the rest of the 9 weeks.

We had been away for the long weekend watching baseball and daily routine was totally mixed up. Nap time was almost non-existent and we were certainly not eating our normal diet.

I was not sure how this summer vacation would work out since it is our first with two very mobile children. Questions that kept creeping into my head included: what are we going to do all day, how am I going to entertain both at the same time with likely two different activities, what am I going to make for lunch that they will actually eat, how can I make sure that I'm able to workout each day?  Today all questions were answered! It was like a picture perfect day. I woke up just after DH left for work and waited for #TeamO to rise so that I could jump on the treadmill. In hindsight, I would have had time to workout before he woke up, but I needed to play it safe to not be interrupted. #TeamO and I headed for the basement for a long run on the treadmill to the tunes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and #TeamA joined us part way through. We spent the better part of the rest of the morning playing outside in the backyard with a mix of blowing bubbles, sandbox and climbing on the structure.  Lunch brought me some stress, but the kids seemed to enjoy a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  (I'm not sure why I keep thinking I need to make a whole meal for lunch time when this and that work just as well, if not better).  Then came the coveted nap time!  This has to be a highlight of our days at home as it sets the tone for the rest of the day and into the evening.

After dinner we headed back outside for more bubble blowing, sand boxing and a new feature...a dish pan of water! #TeamO is a stereotypical little boy that loves mud, trucks, tractors and more mud. I was thinking how I could help fuel his curiosity in all things dirty and remembered I had brought home a white dishpan/bin from school. It would be perfect for outdoor play!  I filled it up with water and watched the excitement explode.  He came out dirtier, happier and certainly more tired than usual.  Once we headed inside, he chose 3 different stories to read before bed and at the end of the third one, he headed straight for his bed.  No fight to sleep tonight!

I can't wait to see what tomorrow and the rest of the week has in store.  I've got a plan to go for a walk to the grocery store in the morning after my workout to pick up a few fresh snacks. It's supposed to be beautiful out, so a walk should be perfect.

Keep checking back in to see what adventures we get up to over the next several weeks.

Sunshine & happiness, today and for always!

Stephanie :)

Summer...Sweet Summer

As I lay in my backyard catching up on some much needed vitamin D, I can’t help reflect on what it was like to have a summer vacation. As of yesterday at 1:45 pm I am officially on summer holidays until July 28th. Yes, on July 28th I return to the class room, but in the mean time I am face to face with the blades of grass that I usually despise because I have to cut them. I went this morning to the grade 5 class and it was just oo much for me to handle on a hot day like this...I mean desks are being cleaned out, bulletin boards are being taken down and instead of a math lesson and homework they are playing math games...Those were the last days of school as I remembered them to be...tomorrow they will even have a substitute teacher! Some of the fondest memories as a kid came from our summer vacations...camping in Bon Echo Provincial Park, soccer tournaments, pool parties and who can forget being allowed to stay up later...now that we’re all out on our own those things seem so trivial and everyday. This past weekend I spend the days studying hard for an anthropology exam I wrote yesterday, but the nights were full of what real university students do...heading downtown with a bunch of friends and hitting 3 or 4 bars in the market. I have to say I missed out on a part of my life with my school career and working career overlapping...but I’m well on my way to making it up now! I do have to admit that 4 am is late and then 8 am is a little early...in the same day. But you do what you have to do to be a university student! I’m looking forward to having Marc on vacation with me next week...the weather looks like it’s going to be ok and we’ve got plans to build a deck in our backyard...no more laying on the grass to catch the vitamin D! We felt a little behind the times when our neighbour Bob put up a deck and shed earlier in the summer and the neighbours beside him did it last year...apparently we’ll even have a fence by the time I go back to school...it’s all way toooo exciting around here! I leave you now with a little hope that you will get some well deserved vitamin D intake soon and once my deck is build you’re more than welcome to come test it out.

Thanks for the Questions Grade 5!

Thank you to Mr. Mayo’s grade 5 class at Our Lady of Wisdom School for the excellent questions about my vacation...I’m going to try and answer them the best that I can... During our trip we have been in 2 different countries that speak different languages...in Barcelona, Spain where we started our vacation and will end our vacation their first and most popular language is Spanish. Spanish is similar to French in a few ways so even though I don’t speak Spanish I can slightly understand the locals and they can slightly understand me when I speak back to them in French. A lot of the people that work in the port (where the boat is docked) speak French or English as it is a popular tourist spot with people who are not from Spain or speak Spanish. While we are in France, the first language is French. I am able to speak with the local people a little bit, but Marc and his family are fully able to have a conversation with them. Even though we all speak French, the French in France and the French in Canada are slightly different. I find that there is a little more slang in the Canadian French than there is in the French French. Marc and his family are able to help me with translation if I need it. Marc has 2 brothers and a sister that are fluent in Spanish so it helps when we order a taxi to take us somewhere and we can’t tell them where to take us! I have meet a few interesting people, mostly the employees on the cruise boat that we’re on. Most of the employees are from Asian and south American countries. The employees on the boat work 7 days a week for 12 hours a day. They are on the boat for 10 months of the year before they are able to go home to their families for 2 months. Everyone is extremely happy to be on the boat and serving the people who are on the cruise. We see one employee every day in the cafeteria who greets EVERYONE with a Good Morning...Happy Happy in the morning and at lunch time it changes to Yummy Yummy, Happy Happy...he is like a Walmart greeter that absolutely enjoys his job and the people be greets. Many of our taxi drivers have been very interesting people...they are very knowledgeable about their cities and the history about landmarks. We haven’t meet any famous people as in Brad Pitt or the Pope, but everyone is interesting or has an interesting story in their own way. The best tourist attraction for me so far is visiting the Vatican and Vatican City in Rome, Italy. Being a Catholic, I never imagined that I would be able to visit the Vatican once in my life time but I have been fortunate to visit it for a second time. When you walk into St. Peter’s Square and see the Vatican and the Basilica, it is just like any pictures you have seen. Since I am studying Religious Studies at university it is especially special for me to take everything in and understand the meanings behind some paintings and the history of the buildings. Second to the Vatican is the leaning tower in Piza. Like I said in my last blog post, the tower is still leaning! It is an amazing structure that continues to stand even though it is leaning at 3.99 degrees. There are 294 steps on the inside of the tower that tourist can pay to climb and see an amazing view of the City of Piza. We wanted to visit the beaches in Cannes, France, but the weather was a little too cold for us to get in the water. The waves were about 4 feet high and the wind was gusty, so instead of being cold on the beach we went back on our cruise boat and swam in the heated pool there. The pool is at about 104 degrees F and the hot tub is close to 100 degrees F. Here is a picture of the beaches in Cannes, France, pools and hot tubs as well as a picture of us enjoying the sun beside the pool... Here are some pictures of the Coliseum...Maybe Mr. Mayo will allow me to show you more pictures and describe to you what is in them when I return... The chocoholic festival was not very impressive...I was a little disappointed actually. There was a chocolate fountain that we were able to dip our pieces of cake or fruit in. We actually visited a chocolate store in Nice, France a couple days later and got some REALLY good chocolate there...there was milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate with pistachio nuts and many different kinds if truffles (fancy chocolates). We bought some chocolate to bring back to Canada, but it didn’t make it home...there was a little late night snack that ate it all! Thanks Pascal for the advice not to drink the salt water at the beach...the water in the pool and the hot tub was salt water directly from the Mediterranean Sea and I have to admit that I got a little bit in my face. I don’t make too much of a habit of drinking the pool water so don’t worry about that! Once last picture, here is the boat that we travelled from city to city on...there were 2500 passengers and another 2500 employees working on the boat. I look forward to seeing all of you when I get back to Canada. Please keep sending me questions and I will show you more pictures when I’m back at Our Lady of Wisdom! Mrs. Ranger

The Tower is Still Leaning!

What was first discussed as a relaxing day on the boat proved to be a full day of visiting and travelling. We started out via taxi to Florence...about 1.5 hours away from the port...once at Florence we embarked on a race through the city to see as much as we could...churches, museums, bridges etc...we took plenty of opportunities to take scenic photos and relish in the memories of our last visit to Florence and close the book on the chance of returning...Our excitement rose as we headed to Piza to see the leaning tower and the surroundings...we can officially confirm that the tower is still leaning...ever so slightly more than it was when we first visited in 2004!! We didn’t climb the interior this time, but took time to tour around the adjoining park and do a little shopping...I set out on our European vacation to bring back another leather handbag/purse as I did in 2004...one of my fondest memories of our last trip across the ocean was purchasing my leather purse in Piza...I added 2 more to my collection today...and if I remember correctly I paid less today for the 2 than I did for the one five years ago!! Both purses are black, one more of a small purse that can hold the minimum essentials and the other a midsize handbag that I can use for night and day (big enough for my school stuff, but not a gym bag size!)...I had the best lemonade slush I have ever had in my life...I wasn’t too sure about slush, but it wasn’t like the typical Canadian Slush Puppy you got after a hockey game or public skate...it was real lemonade that was partially frozen...just what I needed to boost my back up after a long day of visiting...back on the boat was the chocoholic festival on deck 12...yummmmm, but I ate too much!!! Reality is starting to show its face again to us...we have just one more day of exploring before we have to strategically pack all of our things up and make the trek back home...the topic at the dinner table tonight was the destination of our next trip!!! Hopefully the day tomorrow in Cannes & Nice, France is as beautiful as today was in Florence and Piza and we can enjoy it to the fullest.

There’s something special in Rome, Italy

With an early start to the day, we were off to Rome, Italy and Vatican City. The weather was perfect for the day long events, over cast, yet warm. We purchased the hop on, hop off tour bus excursion to be sure to see all the important locations throughout the city. It worked like a charm! Starting out with a bang, we visited the oldest sporting venue in the world...the Coliseum. Marc and I had been there before, but never inside. With a short line up for tickets we decided to take this last opportunity to tour inside and see it for ourselves...it was fantastic...we could finally place the events and the proceedings that happened 1900 years ago and try and imagine an event in action...the steps were steep, the building made of brick and stone and the tunnels underneath the stage for the fighters and their combatants (lions, jaguars, tigers, elephants etc)...after leaving the Coliseum we toured by the State capital building and the tomb of the unknown soldier...the monument is guarded 24 hours a day, everyday...you are not permitted to sit on the steps leading up to the monument nor to talk once within a certain distance of the tomb...our travels continued to the Pantheon...a dome covered chapel that has an opening in the top for the sun to shine in...the tomb of the first king of Italy in housed there...with a slight detour we found our way back to the tour bus and hoped on to the next stop...the Vatican and St. Peter’s Square. This was the location that I was looking forward to the most...It has peaked my interest even more since going back to school and studying religion, but this time I could take everything in and connect the dots between the meanings of statues, paintings and names...I can’t imagine being able to go to the Vatican once in a life time, but I have been ‘blessed’ to be able to go twice...I took lots of pictures this time to remember this forever...with the day winding down we headed for the tour bus to take us back to the train station for our 1.25 hour train trip back to the port to board the boat... The evening was a quiet one with the daily dinner in the Grand Pacific dining room at the Captain’s table and then retiring to our cabin to catch up on homework and the news of the day. Tomorrow we’re off to Florence and Pisa...we’ll see what the day brings us...hopefully it doesn’t lean too far to one side than the other and we’re able to handle what is thrown our way... P.S. – the seas are a little rough tonight...we can hear the waves hitting the boat from our cabin, but the sway isn’t as bad as last night.

Naples/Pompeii, Italy

Fantastic is all I can say about today...we were fortunate enough to be able to rent a mini van and a driver for five hours to take up to Pompeii and through a brief city tour of Naples...Pompeii was a resort village in the early first century that was smothered in molten, lava and ash from the neighbouring volcano that eventually buried the entire village...excavation began in the mid 1750’s and still continues today...it was fascinating to see the structures and the forums that were excavated and recreated to show how the village was arranged...today 45 hectares of the 66 have been excavated for people to walk through...one of the artefacts that have been uncovered include pottery pots, columns, statues, tombs and even people with their dogs...our day continued with breath taking views of the city of Naples, from high on the coastline...our driver Salvador was nice enough to frequently stop for us to take photos and tour around the points of interest...Naples is a very risk taking city...there are no rules of the road, literally a free for all...there are thousands of motor scooters that weave in and out of traffic, passing on both the left and the right, sometimes coming within inches of an oncoming vehicle...not something that we’re use to seeing!! Naples has a high rate of crime especially pick-pocketing. In 2004 there were over 150 Mafia related deaths, but apparently the crime rates are improving...The seas were very rough once the sun set...it felt like the table was swaying at dinner time...I had to sit right back in my chair and not stand for too long or else I would really feel the sway...not a comforting feeling in public!!! Tomorrow I am super excited to be going to Rome...we don’t know how we’re going to actually get to Rome as it’s about 2 hours away from the port, but that’s tomorrow’s worry...tonight’s worry is just trying to ignore the sway and the banging of the waves hitting the bottom of the boat.

A Day at Sea...

Today was a full day of sailing the Mediterranean Sea...the weather was sunny but windy. With a day to catch our breath and acquaint ourselves with our new home, we took advantage of the sights and services...We woke up a little later than we thought...11 am! It is very easy to lose track of time when you don’t have a window in your room. We have an inside cabin on the port side of the ship and are about mid-ship...it is taking some time to get use to the room riding the waves and taking a shower in a wind storm!!! It is just a slight sway to the boat that I feel most when I’m standing...I try and sit the most I can!

We went for a good workout this afternoon...it’s not every day you can work out with the Mediterranean Sea passing you by as you run into nowhere!

The food has been fantastic...lots of selection and plenty to go around.

We’re docking in Malta tomorrow for our first off-ship experience. Hopefully the sun keeps shining and I’ll be able to report back the sights and sounds Malta has to offer.

Embarking the Norwegian Gem!

Today is embarkment day! We’ve packed up all our things, piled into four taxies and headed for the port to board the ship. What a MASSIVE SHIP! Board was soooo easy...it is better than any airport or entrance/admission I have ever had at any event...within 30 minutes our bags were checked in, we had out embarkment card and we were seated in the buffet lounge having lunch...you can’t over eat on the first day or it’s gym for you every day after that...it’s had lived up to the hype so far...lots of variety and the food is fresh (no excuses...we haven’t left shore yet!!!). Our cabin is cosy...no room for making a mess, but plenty of room to be organized. We tested out the hot tub before going to bed and it provided a great night’s sleep...tomorrow we’re at sea all day and the pool is on the list of things to do. Here’s to my sun chair and a good book...

Day One- What an Adventure!

Day one of the Ranger Family vacation as been quite the adventure so far...the 7 hour plane to Barcelona took the road in progress route...there was so much turbulence that I thought on several occasions that I was going to be sick...sitting in the middle seat next to a women who insisted on planting her elbow and/or her hip into me for the entire trip, being sick didn’t seem to be an option. I didn’t take any gravol this time, and in hour 5, 6 and 7 I was beginning to regret that oversight. Once we arrived in Barcelona we were greeted with wide open arms of Marc’s sister Marie-Josee and her boyfriend Mathieu. MJ and Mathieu continued to guide us through the airport and onto the train to head into the city. So far so good...nothing out of the ordinary happening. Once we climb up and down many....and I mean M-A-N-Y flights of stairs we were on our way on the metro to our hotel/apartment. The REAL fun started once we got off the metro and started walking towards our hotel...now...I thought that I was in shape, but clearly after walking close to 30 city blocks to our hotel, I had had enough. My patience, energy and strength to continue on with the trip were tapped dry. I impatiently revealed that I needed to get out of my wool sweater and fleece pants if I was going have any way to continue on with the day. The hotel/apartment that we are staying in was not going to be ready until 3 pm...not good news to the group that had just walked (more like hiked) for over an hour with all our baggage...all we wanted as a place to have a shower...hot, sweating and tired...all we wanted was the shower. It worked out that we could get one of the two rooms and the shower rotation has begun. As I sit and write this paragraph, I had the fourth spot in the shower...and man it was nice! Jet lag is starting to set in so I’m going to get Marc’s Red and my pillow and camp out on the floor for a little while. OK...my do-do was excellent...the floor was the best thing I have felt in a few hours!! We explored the city for a few hours tonight...we hopped on the City tour bus and it took us all around the city’s prominent destinations...with the city trek over...pizza is on order for dinner...a quiet night ahead is promising a good night’s sleep! We embark on the boat tomorrow afternoon...there is excitement in the air!

Vacation Eve

So the time has come...it is the eve of the big Ranger Family vacation to Europe. Marc and I started to pack our suitcase last night and for once it is not me having to pare down the selection of clothes!! Marc officially made our suitcase bulge at the sides and just about maximise the weight allowance. We debated long and hard about what could be eliminated and what could be moved over to the carryon bag. In the end, nothing really had to be eliminated, but rearranged to other places. Marc will now carry his jeans, 2 pairs of shoes and our snack treats in his carry on knapsack along with a few other important items. Marc has never brought a carryon bag before so this will be interesting to see who in the end is carrying it. I too have my knapsack for my carryon bag, but I have to pack a week’s worth of homework that needs to get done before we get back. I just have the last minute things to pack tonight before we try and get a good night’s sleep in. I wonder if it will be like trying to sleep on Christmas Eve knowing what happening in the morning? The weather looks nice and sunny in Spain and Italy...it was 34 yesterday in Rome...ummmm I can’t wait to get there! Marc and I had a little pre-vacation this past weekend in Toronto...Marc as I’m sure you know is a huge Toronto Blue Jays fan. We didn’t get to any games last year with my school schedule and the way our holidays fell with their home schedule so we more than made up for it this past weekend. We battled the traffic on the 401 on the Friday night to get to the game in the 5th inning...not bad, still time for a slice of pizza and an ice cream cone. Saturday’s game was interesting with Marc refusing to let his Jays loose 1-0, but in the end they prevailed...the weekend was a fantastic get away that we both really needed, but it was made even better by our good friend Jeff who is the GM at Rogers Centre...he’s hospitality was second to none with spectacular seats in the VIP club right behind home plate and the outstanding food both on Sunday and Monday...it beat that slice of pizza and an ice cream cone from Friday night by miles! We definitely owe a few to Jeff the next time we’re in town. Here are a few snap shots from the weekend...the intense fan and my favourite...

I am hoping to update my blog once we’re on the boat so that you can track our progress and adventures. Keep checking back and don’t forget to leave me your comments! Stephanie