my favourite things

A few from today. I took the time to do some photography just for me. This was the morning I was to run my 42.2 km. But my body let me know about a month ago, that I would not be running. So, for over a month I really have done nothing for myself. I needed a few moments to reflect on really just how far I had actually run before I got hurt. 32 km and it felt great. I know that next 10 km I will get to run. I am hoping in October. 

I am renaming October...

 ROCKTOBER. 

I will run my marathon a few months later than I had hoped and planned for. I am going to rock my race in October.

 I LOVE love love the cherry blossoms, and the spring colours. It was a nice few minutes away. It goes to show you can find beauty a few minutes walk from your home. And find joy in other ways and places.

Blonde

OK, so I went back. And I cut quite a bit of length off! I watched it all fall to the floor.

 I swear, blondes have more fun. LOL.

Happy Birthday Caroline Mae

Almost three. Your last day as a two year old.

About one year ago.

About a year ago.

Three.

We have made it through another year of the twos. That means we only have one year of twos left with your baby sister Courtney.

You are loud, you smile huge. You like to wear pigtails now that you have some hair. Cleaning up is is something you really like to do. You know what you want, and when you want it.

You wanted a yellow cake and a teddy bear. You had both.

You are still is diapers (and in fact you are the only sib that has gone to age three in a diaper) you want to wear undies, but you still want to be little. We get that.

You have a hearty laugh, you want to walk to school, and soon you will. You are doing so well with your walking.

I love how you take care of your sister Courtney, and how you have taken easily to being the 'big sister' at your small age. You help unload the dishwasher, you know where to put the cutlery, you also know how to count to almost 20. You also share so well.

We also love how well you sleep in your big girl bed. How you get yourself dressed in the morning! 

And how you want to read, and request *two books* and we love how you walk around the house with my old purse.

We love you so much Caroline Mae. You keep doing what you do. You bring us so much laughter in our home. 

You have added so much sunshine into our Spring. You, who was born in my very favourite season, and favourite month.

We cannot wait to see how much you learn and grow this year!

Love,

Mommy xo

Photobooth | Fun with my kids

One two three stick your tongues out!

I am going to be three tomorrow Mom!

Me and some of my girls. 

Courtney is all about her Momma. She is still my baby girl after all.  

Her day begins and ends with me (and all through the day too LOL)

And one of Cameron and me during the week. 

Oh how I love my boy. My soon to be double digit boy!

Please help my friend!

My friend Shawna, is *this close* to winning a Benjamin Moore contest. She and her husband renovated their kitchen after they bought their place and they did an amazing job! 

I think you all should see it. If you love it, please vote for her! 

She does so much good in her kitchen, and she bakes the most beautiful, tasty cakes in her kitchen too!

Good luck Shawna! I hope you win!

organizational mess

Yes, I am talking about myself. It seems lately I just cannot find enough hours in the day to correct my messes. I guess with all that goes on at home, and with my photography business. And of course thing called life, it gets really busy. So, tonight my husband went back to work in the evening. I took that time to reorganize my office space. File away papers, ideas, dreams etc. I have for my business and file them into proper categories. I am after, One Organized Chick. Today, I am One Organized Chick. I moved my desk around, I wrote up my to-do list. Filled out my daybook, and also cross-referenced with my ical. (I love my ical!) I love my MAC.  I don't know what I would do without my MAC either! 

Anyways. So desk is moved, I moved the other one in-front of the window. It feels more organized. I have a long way to go, to make it LOOK like my office. I really don't suit dark brown walls. Or a brass nipple light. So, I will have to change some stuff up in here. Especially more important now, as many women have their make up and hair done in here. So, I have to spruce it up a bit. Make it guest worthy for them. Image/brand is everything. This room does not = Cathy. So, time to change that up.

Speaking of organizational mess...Caroline is turning three on Saturday. And absolutely NOTHING has been officially planned for her. Poor kid. She just wants a teddy bear, and a pink cake. I love the simplicity of our kids. So nice! I know one day they will ask for way more than this, but for now. We roll with this. 

Trying to figure out where to take her on Saturday. Any ideas? We usually take the birthday child out--one on one time with Mom and Dad. They love it, and so do we. I remember taking Catie to Starbucks for hot chocolate and a cookie for hers, for Carly's the Walmart McDonalds. The others...I forget now. I think we took Cameron to the zoo. Claire, we had a fairy tea party for her with all of her friends. 

Albums. That is what I have to work on next. I need to buy three more albums. Carly's 6th birthday party photos from August are still waiting to be filed away. Same with some other photos. 

And usually you need photos for albums right?! Well I haven't been taking any. Except for photobooths, and of course my camera phone. I am going to book in personal photography in my planner so I can just shoot for fun. 

Our big old van is in for servicing as we are having a transmission problem. Thankfully covered under our extended warranty. So, they gave us get this...a seven seater mini van. Cliff told the nice gentleman that we actually need a LARGER van as that doesn't hold our whole family. They will have one for us tomorrow hopefully. It is hard to stay in and not go anywhere but walk. I love the walking, but just getting out to grab a coffee is nice once in awhile. So, hopefully only a couple of more days until it is fixed.

these bug me

Do you have a list of words/sounds that bug you? 

I do, maybe I am weird? I know my sisters will agree with some or all of them. 

Words:

• curly cues
  
• cold cuts
  
• new potatoes
• suckling
  
• suckles
  

(I know there are more words, but of course my mind is blank right now--sisters can you share some more in the comments please!) I would love to hear yours! Post in the comments if you want! 

Sounds:

• the sound of others eating, and sometimes myself eating.
  
• clicking jaws
  
• clicking knees
  

Colour me?

If I could be represented as single colour or couple of colours? 

Which colour or colour combo would you pick for me? Please leave your colour choices in the comments.

Thanks :D

EARTH DAY | Pass it on!

{PASS IT ON}

Photos speak volumes

This morning...somebody still misses me!! Check out the hand action...

I was getting stronger and leaner...until I had to stop running. 

I miss my blonde hair...

Big smiles for me!

You know you have a large family when you cannot fit all of the family in front of the photobooth!

My crazy busy life full of ups and downs! I wouldn'thave it any other way!

Not much to say again

Me having something like my fifth glass of wine! (OK so I am making up for lost time...so what!!)

I think I was maybe dancing back there, or showing off my muscles (the kids ask me to do this for them!)

Cliff and Cathy (with two peepers on the top of the stairs)

The eight of us...

The nine of us...

I am afraid my blog is getting really boring. I go through these phases. With so much on the go, and so much going on. This poor blog is the last to get the love. I have my eggs in so many baskets. And, with this non running business aka injury. I am not really enjoying blogging that much.

We had a nice Easter at my parentals over the weekend. I will snag some photos from her, for this blog (thanks MOM!) I drank wine, I ate lots of dessert (OK two servings and ice cream right Nick!! ) and two servings of dinner. It was really good. The kids had fun playing restaurant. They kept taking our orders which was really cute.

Anyways. That was Easter! Next up...Caroline's 3rd birthday...and what I should be writing here is that my marathon is the day after. But you all know that I won't be running. I will be trying some new things around here. I need to keep active somehow. So, I am researching, and I will come up with a good plan.

Laundry Fun

OK, so I lied. Playing with my new camera, when I SHOULD have been putting away my laundry is fun! 

Not

I am not running, I am not eating right. I am not doing much of anything. Just my day to day grind with the family.

So, sorry not much to blog about these days. I don't feel like blogging. 

I am in physio and my marathon is 26 days away. It is doubtful that I will be running it (although it COULD happen) of course pain comes AFTER I have paid the 110 dollar entrance fee when I was feeling excellent. I am disappointed and I am not sure what direction to take from here. Running is pretty much my life, and now there is no running. I broke into the Girl Guide cookies last night. I am eating to feel better. Not really what I want to do. 

Any ideas for me? Fitness wise, eating wise. How to pull myself together. I have tried and nothing is working.

HELP ME LOL.

FREEDOM, and a trip down memory lane.

The above photos are a series from my computers photobooth. I would sit there in that same spot, the same nursing pillow, a receiving blanket, an a cozy blanket and breastfeed Courtney. Ever so often,  I would snap a photo of us. As I knew this was the last time I would do this for one of my kids. I also like to see how much I have physically changed over the past months. I am so thrilled with MY transformation.

I was lucky, and I was able to successfully breastfeed each and every one of my kids. I know breastfeeding isn't for everybody. So I count myself lucky I could do so with such ease. Without any trouble. Often I would be told that my milk was golden. Liquid gold. And that I had great milk. I am happy I could provide the best I could for my kids. Although not easy to sit down and feed, while the other kids were all over the house etc. We did it. I did it. I think breastfeeding was a wonderful experience for me, especially the MORE kids I had. I didn't like breastfeeding all that much with my first couple of kids. I was younger, I wanted to keep being me. I wanted not to sit and breastfeed. But, once the older ones grew, that time became SO important to me. For my sanity. A time to sit down an relax and just be. And savour every moment with each and every one of them. To keep that special little bond with each and every one of my kids. I feel so glad I could have that one on one time. The more kids I had, the easier it became. Dare I say I enjoyed it?! Sure. At times I was of course impatient, grumpy. But for the most part. I did my thing. 

Today, is always a weird sort of day for me. I will always remember being pregnant for the very last time. It seems as if I am going through a lot of lasts, and at the same time a lot of firsts! This is freedom! TODAY is FREEDOM! 

I posted my last positive pregnancy test two years ago today. Can you believe that! Last year Courtney was in 9-12 month clothes. And today in 18-24 month clothes. And she runs, and climbs. And dances. Smiles. Laughs giggles. And sucks her fingers. And she holds my chest LOL. This girl is a Mama's girl that is for sure! She says Mama. And not Daddy LOL. She has me captivated that is for sure. Our bond is very strong. 

Time sure has flown!

Today, my sixth child is almost 17 months old (well on the 16th of April) And can you believe I just weaned my baby from breastfeeding. It has been I think a week now...since her last feed. She looks longingly at my chest. And grabs for me. And cries for me. It really breaks my heart. But it was time for her to stop. She likes her milk cup. She doesn't really need it. So we did it. Sad, but also now I am F R E E! FREEDOM!

A little bit of Cathy trivia for you all:

• I have been pregnant 7 times (about 56 months of pregnancy total or almost five years of pregnancy for me)
  
• I have breastfeed all six of the kids (that is 70.5 months of breastfeeding or almost six years of breastfeeding)
• The first one for 5 months full time and quit at 6 months
  
• The next four for about 1 year
• The last one for 16.5 months (was planning to quit last October when she was 11 months)
• The last two kids didn't use any bottles, just straight to a cup.
• We never used a pacifier for any child (they didn't want them, and OH how we tried!)
• There was no 'try' to get pregnant for us.
• I have been changing diapers with my husband for almost 10 years straight...and probably have about 2.5 more years to go! Yes!
• We usually have two in diapers, with a month or two with only one in diapers. Right now like in the past we have two. Caroline is close to being ready, and hopefully by May when she turns three.
• Potty training we don't actively work on. It just happens around the age of three. We tried actively with the first one, and then we let go. We didn't push. We just talked about training EVERY diaper change. We have done a lot of talking about our bodies. And their lovely functions. Our kids potty trained over night. And were done. No troubles. We expect the same to happen with the last two.
• We only have one in a crib now, the rest all in big kid beds.
• None of our kids have asked us where babies come from. If they should ask, we will tell them the truth. We always use correct body part names with the kids.

I am so thankful for the experience I have had over the last ten years. I would never be this person that I am today without all of the life experiences that have shaped me over the last decade. I find it hard to believe that my first born will be ten this summer! Double DIGITS! Life is moving on in such a thrilling way!

Letting go...

It is time for me to let go. Time for me to sort through the closets, and collect up the baby gear, big ticket items, and other items. It hurts to see the baby items in the closet. I have been holding onto these items in hopes that my family can use them. But, really I have to let them go. I am going to wait until my cousin has her baby in June to see whether she has a boy or a girl. Once I know, I am letting go. I will of course offer the items to my family and friends, but I will not hold onto them any longer than necessary. 

It has to be done. Just like the breastfeeding is done? I will do a post on that later...

I think in order for me to move on, and watch the kids grow and become little people etc. I have to let the baby stuff go. Every time I open up their closet, I feel these feeling like should we have a 7th. Other people are having babies at my age. Have we made the right decision? Of course we have made the right decision. I have my body pretty much back and then some, (some parts not so much, but hey I have worked as hard as I COULD) and soon, very soon I would think Caroline will be out of her diapers. Her third birthday is just around the corner. I have my fourth entering Kindergarten. And Courtney, assists me when I get her dressed. She listens to simple requests and does them. She is growing up, and is fun. And it is really nice not to have a crying baby around me, or sitting around breastfeeding watching life happen as I sit on the couch and feel frustrated.  In fact I can now look at babies and say, aaahhh cute. And that is enough. Funny how that happens. 

My family has been really interesting with my growing children. Usually at this stage of the game I would be almost due with the next child. This time, nope. But we are finding interesting ways to fill our extra time now. 

 I don't ache as much anymore. I am excited to watch the kids grow.

Yesterday, a family trip to the pool. With help...lots of help! Six adults, and eight kids. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. Lots to look forward too. 

Various photos | camera phone

Catie, can you sleep with ANYTHING more on your bed each night?!

A gift from Aunty Amy and Uncle Tyler for her birthday (belated new boots!) She slept in them the whole night!

We found Courtney in Caroline's new big girl bed and she was just cozied all up 'reading' her book. She tries so hard to be the big girl (even though she is only 16 months old) We love how she tries VERY hard!! 

On another errand run (Do we have to go? I don't want to go...I want to stay home...grumbles...whining etc.) and here is one of Caroline's fabulous 2 year old pouty faces! And Cameron with his 'DS eyes' like blahhhhh this is all I like to do these days because I am almost 10.

Claire the Rocker!

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

This is how we keep the kids having fun in the van when we drive around and do our errands. Sorry it is sideways, but I had to share. I will have to record it again when the rest of the kids join in! Can you tell they are kids of parents who grew up in the 80's/90's! :P

Happy Monday!

Cathy

OMG 32!

Seriously, that is the name of our run this morning. The 32 km - OMG Run (20 mile run)  It was quite the run! The sunshine was out, it was about 10 degrees. Warm, sunny and a happy run with my wonderful marathon group. That is my longest run to date. And come marathon time, we will add another 10 ish kms to the run. The full length is 42.2 km (or 26.2 miles for my American friends ;D )

We ran for 3 hours and 18 minutes, and I felt pretty darn good. Except for my knees and hips that started to ache around the 23 km mark. I pushed through, stretched out. And all was well. I feel very happy with today. Next Sunday a 'recovery' run of 23 km. The following a 29 km, and then one more 32 km. Then the TAPER runs begin. I am six weeks to the marathon. It is going to be something else, and I cannot wait to reach that GOAL! FINALLY! I have been patient and I have waited to get to this point. And now, my training will get me there. And my willpower to see me through those final 1o km. 

I am relaxed, and tired. And proud. What a great morning. 11 years ago, I would have never seen this as a possibility. Newly married, pregnant with my first. Never. And now, over a decade later, six kids and here I am. The will to run is strong! I have this desire to compete like never before. Only to prove to MYSELF that I am able. So cool. I am already planning my next marathon in October...

Happy Friday, Happy Spring!

Wow, it sure doesn't look like spring around here. It is cold and raining, but I am just happy that WINTER is OVER!

The signs of spring are budding all over the place, and our lawn is really green! (Thank you rain!)

Have a great day!

Middle of the Week

The three big kids are at day camp today. I have my three littles at home. Nice quiet time, except for the usual stuff. Like getting into the taps/containers and water. Every one of my kids have gone through the stage of filling up cheese packages, containers and baggies with water. It is Caroline's turn...and Coco is learning a lot from her siblings. She doesn't have to say anything. She grunts (both fingers in her mouth) and points. She gets whatever she desires. Now that Courtney is over 16 months she sure is developing THE BEST personality! She is smiley, she makes us laugh. And she tries to sing a long to the DVD of 'Mama Mia' when the kids watch it OVER and OVER and OVER. I know we already have another dancing queen! It is really cute actually. The fun part is when all of the 'big girls' meaning Claire, Carly and Catie (and sometimes Caroline) stand on the ottoman, and jump off just like the women do in the DVD into the water. I love how their sense of fun and adventure is developing. Watching them all grow up is fascinating and lovely. 

Claire passed a swim test yesterday at swim camp, and now is able to swim in the pool without a life jacket (no lessons, just self learner--except for the lessons when she was really little) makes us so proud. She offers to help us in the kitchen. She tells us she is going to be a Baker. We tell her to go for it! 

Carly, is almost out of a life jacket! She really wants to learn so that she can get out and swim too! We love how hard she tries. And we love how gentle she can be with the little ones.

Cameron, he is swimming like a fish too. He was doing this last year already. He cannot wait until August! Either can we. He loves hanging out with his best girl J. They are so cute together. He spends a LOT of time there. They say they will get married, so you'd both better wait until you are 25 at least LOL. Cameron also gets along very well with Catie. They do so nicely together. I love seeing that brother sister bond develop. 

Catie, well she thinks she is going to high school in September! (maybe too much High School Musical?!) we keep telling her, no KINDERGARTEN. LOL. She cannot WAIT to turn 5 this September. She is so small still that she can fit into the back basket on our double stroller. She loves to hide, and get into things! 

Caroline, still in her diapers. Can totally go to the toilet, but won't. She is almost three, so I just have to be patient, and I KNOW she will do it on her own time. She also still is the loudest of all of the kids. She also has the best pouty face I have EVER seen. I will have to post a photo! She also has transitioned to her big girl bed with not a problem. We are so proud of her.

Coco, our dear little Courtney. She tries so hard to be a big girl. She is practically walking down the stairs on her own. She climbs, she gets into our cabinets. She can grab knives off the top of the island already (oh dear!) like I say she grunts a lot. She plays well with the others. The others help her a lot. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good. She gets carried around a lot. They take off her footwear. They take her sippy cups and drink her stuff. They take her food. They love her very much. She is very drawn to her big brother Cameron. I often find her on her Daddy's old rocking chair in their room 'reading' books quietly.  She often brings books to me with a grunt and we 'read' together. 

Anyways, life has been crazy busy. At times I feel like I am flying by the seat of my pants...pulled like crazy in every direction. Our house is very loud, to the point where sometimes our ears crackle at of the noise, and the screams. Cliff and I barely have a moment to ourselves. It has been a time of transition for us. It gets easier in some ways, and in other ways much more difficult. We do do do do do do do. And do some more. Life with six kids. 

I feel bad for not connecting even with my own family, and with my friends who I feel like I have deserted, and not kept in touch with. Phone calls are difficult because of the noise factor. And of course at night the last thing I really want to do is talk. I am thankful for twitter, Facebook and email for re-connecting with family and friends. And even then, it is hard to keep up with all of our demands. I often have guilt about not spending more time with my family. But as I have aged, I realize too that I have a family and I need to direct my attention on them more. I am trying not to feel guilty, and just seek balance in my life. Stay positive, keep smiling and keep moving forward as I get nearer and nearer to that next decade. Seeing my FIL pass away early makes me want to take life by the horns and go for everything! Not live a life of fear, which is how I think I lived for many years. I am taking steps to get past my fear, and just focus on trying new things. Stepping out of my comfort zone, and just being me. The authentic Cathy.

I am thankful that I can maintain for the most part a happy disposition, that I can laugh when times are stressful, I can run when I want to get away. Thankful for this time in my life. I know it will always be busy, but there are so many interesting things going on right now. My life is very colourful and full. Like restaurant service. I am much more productive when I am really busy. And when it slows down, I become slow and not as productive. As I have said before I would rather be very busy, than very bored. As I tell my kids a lot, boring is as boring does! Get interested in SOMETHING and go for it!

My life is full of laughter, crazy times, loud kids, whispers, inside jokes, taps on the legs, twists of my hair. Laundry, picking up stuff. Kissing owies, kisses, and hugs. I feel very fortunate to have this life that I have.

I am also thankful for the man behind the scenes Cliff, who helps me become the person I want to become. He is always there in the shadows. I often get asked, how do you do it all. And believe me, I am no super mom. Seriously. I have a very modern, supportive husband. He cooks, he changes diapers, he bathes kids, he cleans, he takes the kids out when I have shoots, he cleans toilets and mops. He loves us like nobody can. And that is how I do it. He believes in me, and for that I am grateful. 

My crazy amazing life! Who knew life could be this exciting. Truly there are so many facets to life that I am just beginning to realize. So many opening doors, and I have to think which one to open first! 

I have been training hard for my marathon, and lately I have been running a lot. I am busy with my fitness pretty much every day. I feel better when I exercise. Exercise to me is mandatory. I am happier, and that makes for a happy family. It is my time to release the stresses of the days and weeks. Helps me to cope better. I think about what I want to work on next, or solve my life problems when I am exercising. I am about 8 weeks from the race. This Sunday I will run 32 kms. The longest run ever for me. I am so excited! 

Scared | Road Rage

It is times like these, that make me scared. We were travelling in our big van, going to get me a snack after running my 29 km run this morning. I ran for 3 hours and I was really hungry. So, Cliff was driving, and a big black van was really tailgating us. So, Cliff tried to switch lanes, he was closer. He motioned for the guy to move over, take the lane. He got closer. Cliff was swerving, to the left, to the right. Road rage. It was scary. Guy pulled over, on another street. We kept driving, heading to get some gas before treats. Van follows us into the Safeway parking lot. I yelled at Cliff get in the van! he is here!! He was looking for our van. And us driving a big passenger van, really makes us stand out! So, quickly, without gas off we go. Low tank of gas. Very low. Another reason to keep your tank full. We drove, to stay away. He turned, we turned the other way. We started to get a little scared. I had my cell phone in hand (another good reason for a cell phone) ready to dial 911. I was feeling threatened, and we were all getting scared. All of my most precious cargo on board. My family.

We kept driving. We took the back route back home. And as we headed towards the RCMP shop, there was the black van. In the round about. Cliff got a good look at him, but not the license plate. I couldn't read it either. It pays to pay attention. We went straight, right up the road to the RCMP. Black van went straight through the round about. We parked there looking. Wondering. It was over (so it seemed)

Most likely a misunderstanding? Cliff was doing nothing wrong. We were driving, Cliff tried to move the van out of the way. That is all. Man in van, takes it the wrong way? Was he trying to harm us? Scare us? Just nothing? I am not sure. All I know is that I felt that we were in danger. So did we all really. My Momma powers kicked in. I was scared, and strong. Thankfully nothing. Danger? Possible danger averted? Hands shaking. Legs quivering.

Kids all scared. We calmed them down. Cliff calmed me down. He peeled me off of the roof so to speak. All I know, is that we handled it the best way we could today. And when we reached to safety and comfort of home. We hugged, and I handed out hugs to my family. I told my kids I loved them. Extra hugs, and reassurance for the kids who now fear black vans. (And me too really) You just never know. 

Especially here in BC. Shootings everywhere, almost every day. Not like the days when I grew up. Yesterday in the city, another fatality. The same city we drove through today.

Moral of this story: I take nothing for granted.

Today, taught me that only my family is important, and every day is a gift. You never know when that might change.

So seriously, go hug your family. 

One heck of a week

This week has been a very crazy one. All weeks around here are crazy, but this one really just wore me down. 

I am just glad that Friday is here. I mean, the weekends are crazy too. Thankfully Cliff is around though. I have a shoot tomorrow, and I have a huge run on Sunday morning. Another 29 k'er. Those are exhausting, and so I have to just deal.

Anyways! I wish you all a Happy Friday!

Cathy

I don't feel like myself

I seriously don't feel like myself with my dark hair. Why oh why do I do this?! I just want to go back and get my blonde back, but after spending WAY too much to get it this way I just will have to wait. I even asked my kids and they said I look better with my light hair. I think that blondes have more fun (well atleast me anyways!) I think I look older like this. I don't know.

Anyways, tonight I am off to hill training. Eight blasted hills! Long HILLS! So, I need to prepare for that!

I forgot...

I forgot to SPRING FORWARD this morning, and then I missed my running group. This morning was a 29 km run. So, I came home changed all of the clocks. Pouted for a bit. Cried a bit, then I gathered my stuff and headed out of the door. I ran 31 km today. My run took me 3 hours, and 17 minutes. But I did it. All by my lonesome. I know I will be ready for next weeks 32. If I could run today, under crazy circumstances, hills and obstacles. I will be able to run the 42.2 km May 3rd. Without a doubt. This run today made me stronger!

Cathy | Self Portrait

Here is a self portrait assignment I was working on today. 

It is hard to shoot self portraits especially with my very short arms! 

We submitted them in black and white, but I still prefer  the colour version. 

I hope you all are having a sunny, beautiful day! Even if it has to be in your mind.

Cathy xo

Out of TV Land

Sorry, these published backwards! So, did you see it? 

Meet Fiona Forbes on my right, and Michael Eckford on my left! They were just as charming, funny and down to earth as on their show Urban Rush! They made me feel completely comfortable and at ease! 

Cathy...it is your turn! I was waiting to sit down on the familiar to me yellow Urban Rush couch! My segment was about 7 ish minutes, and it went by REALLY fast!

Really cool to have a couple of 'Smart Cookies' in the greenroom. Remember Carly filmed a little segment for them, well Sandra (the Savvy Spender!)  was her host. Small world. So, I re-inroduced myself to her, and I asked her for a photo op! Why not, it is not very often you get to meet somebody who has graced Oprah's stage! Wow! The other smart cookie was Robyn (the Cash Councilor) she was in make up. SO awesome to be on the same show!

And of course, me with that darn slate! I stressed for days over this thing! So, I figured it out. I even got to pick which colour I wanted. I chose pink of course. Oh, if you are wondering why Cameron was not in school, well we decided to give him some 'life experience' instead of school. Are we the coolest parents Ever?! LOL. He had a great time, eating something like four pastries/cookies off the greenroom table! He met Michael, Fiona, and the Smart Cookies too!

********

I am back, no wait...I have been back since Tuesday, and today (well late yesterday evening) between bites of my Subway sandwich tonigh I downloaded my photos from my trip to the Shaw Studios/Urban Rush set. I have been busy with my marathon training program too. Last night 7 km steady, tonight 7 big bad hills and about 13 km later we were done! Whew. Next week 8! Anyways...sorry to side track like that. It has just been so crazy!

It was a wonderful experience, and I made some pretty wonderful people. Here are couple from that surreal day! 

Cathy xo

Cathy | Into the TV tomorrow

As my kids say, I am going into the TV tomorrow. 

It is true, although I will be ON TV tomorrow. Yes, I was invited to be a guest on the local TV show called  'Urban Rush' (based in Vancouver, BC Canada.)

I cannot believe that I will be seated on a couch across from Fiona Forbes and Michael Eckford talking about my boudoir photography! Talk about surreal! Unreal!

I am so excited, and so nervous!

The details are posted here, if you are in the Vancouver area and want to watch me.

I will try to update a bit tomorrow sometime!

Cathy xo

With this ring...

I feel blessed today, because I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings because they slide right off. So, today my Mom-In-Law said come take a look in my jewel box. And low and behold, her original  gold wedding ring fits me like it was made for me. So thank you Mom. You have made my day (and Cliff's day too...saves him money LOL)

So, I am happy to look 'married' and it pretty much matches Cliff's ring. I think that is wonderful, don't you!

Photobooth | Fun with my kids

New Hair

Sorry quality is not so great. I used my photobooth. I WAY darkened my hair (and kept the front panel my 'Cathy' blonde) 

What do you think?! Be honest please. Honesty matters!! 

So, I updated my look a bit. Do you think it is good enough for TV? 

More on that on Monday.

Happy Weekend everybody!

Quick update...

Life is busy busy busy. That is to be expected. 

The kids are all good. We have snow today, and lots of ice. The big kids LOVE it. Me, not so much. I was over the snow, and now it is back.

I have some exciting stuff going on right now that is keeping me busy, but it will be good. Expect to hear about that on Tuesday.

Happy 8th Birthday {Claire}

Well, today my eldest daughter you are eight. It is hard to believe that eight years ago you surprised us with an early birth (24 days early to be exact!) You are girl who knows what you want, you are passionate. You love to help us in the kitchen. You LOVE watching cooking shows. You know how to flip pancakes, cut up veggies. You help change diapers, and love your little sisters. We couldn't be any more proud of you Claire. I cannot wait to see what cakes you create! I know they will be bold and amazing just like you! I know your creations reflect who you are inside. You are filled with passion Claire! We think that is so great. 

You are artistic, you colour boldly with bright colours. You draw happy images and you love to create things. You work hard in school, and you do your best! 

We have watched you from tiny little baby girl, to a beautiful young girl who has so much to offer the world. Claire, we know you are going to be successful, because you have a positive attitude, you care about others and you love everybody around you. We are proud of you because you help out in the special needs classroom, and you give everything your ALL! 

I love how you dance and sing. You know how to have a good time, and you do things the way you want to do them. We think it is fun that you love to wear your brothers shoes, you fashion outfits out of materials around the house. Like towels, blankets and even belts. Even wearing your night gown like a strapless dress, or tying the arms around your neck to make a cool fashion statement. We think it is even more fun when you help your little sisters do the same, and then model them for us. Even how you colour your nails with felts!  We also love seeing what hair styles you give yourself and your little sisters. 

We especially love how you smile at us! Your smiles are huge and welcoming. Never stop smiling. Let that beautiful inner light shine through!

We hope this year is full of fun eight year old things! It is so fun to watch you grow up!

Happy Birthday Claire

Love Mommy (and Daddy) xo

Eight tomorrow?

It is hard to believe that tomorrow my first born daughter (number 2 in the line up)  

Claire turns eight, and she cannot WAIT! 

Number Four

Today, I registered my fourth child Catie for Kindergarten. I am so happy for her, as I know she is excited to join the school with her sibs in September.  I think it is really awesome that for one year I will have four kids in school at the same time! Next year is Cameron's last year at the school. He moves onto middle school. I find it hard to believe that Catie was born on Cameron's Kindergarten intake meeting. And now here I am almost five fast years later...registering her for school. Cameron hits the 'double digits' in the summer! I remember being very excited about that. Now, not so much LOL.

I am fighting a cold, combine that with only 3 hours of sleep...not so great! I am exhausted. But good.

This Happens

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Well, I spend a few minutes in my office working. And, of course I come out and I find this!  And yes, we all worked together to clean it up! We are very good at cleaning up!

Some happy for your weekend!

What life is like with five girls ages 7,6,4,2 and 1 (big brother was out swimming with his friend Jennifer) they now control our iTunes LOL.

13 years ago today

Today, marks 13 years (and today is the 13th of February) when Cliff and I went on our very first date. That first date we went to Milestones for dinner, and then we went to see the movie  'Sense and Sensibility.' The next day, was Valentines Day 1996 (and tomorrow will be our 13th Valentines together) and we went to the Flying Beaver (a local pub) for a fun evening.  We ended up leaving and heading to a vancouver bar and playing pool, and then eventually hanging out at Prospect Point in Vancouver's Stanley Park until something like 2 am in the morning (on a work night---remember those days!?) 

Last night, Cliff and I headed into downtown Vancouver to the Queen Elizabeth Theatre to go to the Cultural Olympiad - Vancouver 2010 One-Year Countdown Celebration. This was an evening to celebrate the countdown of 365 days until the 2010 Olympics here in our hometown of Vancouver, BC Canada. This evening had many amazing sights and sounds (And we had great seats!!)  It was a great program that had all Canadian talent. It started with a Four Host First Nations drum dance, Joel Plaskett, Alberta Ballet that performed an excerpt from Joni Mitchell's (another very famous Canadian) "The Fiddle and The Drum", then we heard Adrian Anantawan on his violin (and he was born without his right hand!), Luke Doucet, and of course a very famous Canadian Sarah McLachlan. I would have to say Sarah was the highlight of our night. We have always wanted to see her in concert since the Lilith Fair days. She did not let us down. AMAZING. Her playlist was great, including two new songs, and old great songs like Ice Cream, Building a Mystery, Adia and many more! It was so incredible.

I felt extremely proud to be a Canadian yesterday, and I  cannot believe that yesterday marked 365 days until Vancouver 2010! If this was just a taste of what is to come, I cannot WAIT to see what the 2010 Olympics will be like. I encourage you to Google some of the links and listen to some of our Canadian Talent. I hadn't heard of any one of these artists (except for Sarah!) 

I would have to say on a side note, I was walking up the stairs from the long, very long washroom line up during a 20 minute intermission and guess who starts talking to me. Silken Laumann. She was talking about the bathroom line up, and how inspiring the ballet was. And, of course how exciting this whole evening was. She shook my hand, and introduced herself as Silken,  (and I was star-struck!!) and I introduced myself as Cathy (and then I introduced Cliff) and she shook his hand. If you are not sure who Silken is, well she is of course Canadian, and Canadian champion rower. Amazing person! So cool.

Wow, it was beautiful night. And it was so wonderful to spend that evening with just me and my husband of almost 11 years. It was much needed, and much appreciated. Thanks Mom in Law for the sitting so we could get out for the evening. It is nights like this that have become so very important to us, to remember and cherish our love for each other. A night that allows us to be just Cathy and Cliff. Who cares if we ate at Burger King...it was just for us.

5 beds, 1 crib

Today the five beds were delivered. It took a good while to have them set up, and the old beds to be taken away. Tonight, all of the kids are sleeping soundly. Today, I washed lots of bedding, and I made 5 beds. It was worth it. Especially tonight after I got in from my run I asked Cliff how Caroline did in her first night of her bed. She did great! I was so happy to hear that. (We left her crib assembled in her room just in case) I went in to see all of the kids in their beds. They looked so peaceful and sweet. We are down to just one crib. I wonder how long Miss Coco will sleep in hers?! First kid, out by 1 year old. Second kid, didn't sleep much in her crib. Third kid...cannot remember. Fourth kid...cannot remember. Fifth kid...almost three. Six kid?! Who knows. 

Today, I made the girls that lunched at home, buns with cream cheese, and strawberry jam in sticking with my funk up February/Valentines plan. They loved it, right down to the heart napkins. 

We had gorgeous sunny day, so I called the school and let the kids know they could walk home together (strength in numbers) today I had free range kids. And I liked it. So did they (I watched them from the bedroom window) 

I may have to try that again!

Pink is my Favourite Colour!

Last night, I FINALLY got to use the polish that Cliff and I picked out for the kids' (well our girls') nails. In the spirit of February 2009, and making it feel good. I decided February 1st was a good time to start. So, I grabbed that polish and started painting. Four of the girls' - Claire, Carly, Catie and Caroline now have sheer pinkish sparkly fingernails and toenails. Most of them got 2 coats. They really enjoyed it. So did I. Although I didn't have time for this, I MADE time for this. It was worth it. It made them so happy, and in turn made me feel happy. 

And, on Wednesday we have FIVE new beds arriving. It is time to get rid of the old beds that we slept on etc. So, Cameron, Claire, Carly, Catie and Caroline will have brand new twin size mattresses and boxsprings on Wednesday night. 

First we took Cameron's bed apart (going to my Cousin's place for M) and then once the girls saw that Cameron was sleeping on the floor they wanted to too. So, down came the beds. And three of the kids slept on the floors in their rooms. It was so cute to see Claire and Carly with their mattresses pushed together. And when we went to check on them before we went to bed. They were side by side. I love that. Sisters. 

Caroline at age 2 (soon to be three beginning of May) will be getting her FIRST bed on Wednesday. She LOVES her crib, but the crib will be put away (hopefully to be used by somebody in the future) This leaves us with only one  child left in a crib. So, another first will happen this week for Caroline. And for us.

Hopefully her diapers will be next. She is so ready, but we are waiting for her to make the switch. We are hoping the bed will be the factor that helps with that transition.

Next I will be on the hunt for cute Valentine's Day t-shirts for the kids. I like buying them something special for the fun days. This is something I have recently started. It makes the kids happy, and in turn makes us happy. And what a great photo op for them ;D

February will be Fine, February will be FINE!

I am almost afraid of February. I mean I love that my daughter Claire has her birthday, my MIL and I love the fact that around the Valentine's weekend that Cliff and I will have been 'together' for 13 years. So I love that. 

What I don't love is all the bad things that seem to fall in the month of February. I won't go into details, but usually it means sickness, diagnosis of sickness and death, and then more death. Not as happy as I would love, but that is the truth.

My hope is to keep this a February that is full of love, life and laughter! Light hearted, beautiful days ahead! I bought some happy Valentine's fridge magnets to remind my self that once upon a time that I really looked FORWARD to February, and not dreaded the month. Thankfully it is a short month, and then I remember last year when our dear cat Albert died on the leap year. I cannot believe how fast a year goes by. 

So, happy February to you all! I have been a busy woman, to the point where I just want to stop and do nothing. I had a lazy week last week. I didn't run. I didn't eat right. I felt grouchy, worn out and moody. I had a mole removed, 4 stitches put in. I have been fighting a weird painful stomach virus (so have some of the kids) and I cannot not lie, the last week has not been my best. Thankfully after a long run this morning I feel WAY better. A run is like therapy for me. So, I am glad I got back at it. It could have been very easy for me to quit.  This month will bring a few family challenges, that I will handle together with my husband. I am thankful I can depend on him when I need him the most.  

I am re-doing my office, and my bedroom is almost complete. I am looking forward to a start of photo sessions beginning next weekend, that go all the way until the end of June! So, that will be good for my creative side! I think I am missing that right now. So, that will be good to get back in the groove of my life.

So, day one of February! Woo hoo!