Where did my motivation go?

It's January which means it is a slow time of year for subbing. I should be cleaning and finding the few last touches to make our place a home and doing my online course, instead I have no motivation and have been doing next to nothing.

Growing up I was always on the go. Between school and swimming and music and babysitting I always had things to do, yet always managed to get everything done and have time to hand out with my friends. In University, I worked TWO jobs (YMCA and Roots), and even was the Aquatic director for a year, while doing a science degree with a zillion labs. How did I ever manage to do it?

When I work, I'm only there during school hours of 8 to 3. I do have Swim team four days a week (4-6pm M & F, 4-6:30pm W and 8:30-10am Sat). And yes I do organize everything for our miniphin program so I do spend time doing swim team stuff away from the pool. I play in the Holland College Band on Tuesday nights but that is only 7-9pm. Why do I have no motivation to do anything? Whether it is cleaning the apartment or doing my online French course, I find it so hard to convince myself to do the work. Part of the issue with the online course is that there are no real deadlines.... I have to finish everything in 1 calendar year, but as long as I do that, then I'm good.

Here I am on a day that I don't work. Sitting on the coach. I did do a bit of swim team work and then played around with an online room design app (which confirmed what I already knew about our computer room, that one desk and a futon would work well space wise).
I need to find my motivation! The kitchen is a mess. The bathroom should be cleaned. I should vacuum. I have course work to do. Yet I have much music on, thinking about reading my book and realizing that if I want to swim a workout before I coach, then I should make some lunch soon.

Blast from the Past

Happy 2012 everyone!
Matt and I had a great low key New Years. I spent most of New Year's Eve Day playing Minecraft then got all gussied up, and we went and had dinner at Sim's... I'll be honest, while I normally LOVE their food, it was only okay. We actually had to send back our side because it was WAY too salty. We just went home afterwards and watched the countdown on TV.... well actually I turned on the ET Canada New Year's Concert from Niagara since OLP was playing.... we actually missed our countdown because they are in another time zone, oops! But it made me realize how much I enjoy OLP.

I've always been into music, but got into it big time back in JR High, this is right around the time when OLP, IME, Econoline Crush, Bush, Moist, Tea Party were popular on Much. Tonight I've just been playing on youtube and listening to everything from the past. It makes me realize that there really isn't much NEW rock out there. Sure there's Foster the People (which aren't really rock) and there is the Sheepdogs, but they do more of a 70s vibe..... really I can't think of anyone who really does rock or alternative right now and it makes me sad. While I do enjoy pop and dance music, sometimes you just want or need to rock out.

I didn't make any real big resolutions for 2012.... just to continue to be happy and enjoy life, to not sweat or stress over the small stuff.  Things I am looking forward to? Becoming an Aunt. Going on a trip with Matt. Possibly getting a new car or a house. Hopefully getting a full time contract at a school. But you never know what life will throw at you. Just need to smile, breathe and keep going.

Looking back on 2011

Christmas Snow!

I've been thinking about the past year and realized how lucky we are. 2011 was an amazing year for Matt and I, and our families!. Here's a quick look back....

January: I was fortunate to have a fair about of subbing and several swim meets to coach at.
February: I had the pleasure of subbing during a school field trip. We went on a Sleigh Ride, went tobogganing and got to pet the horses.
March: Another busy month! Lots of subbing.
April: We moved into our lovely duplex! I really love living here, although we still haven't finished decorating... we're getting close though! We got new couches and curtains as well.
May: Things continued to be busy with PEI Swimming Provincials, then I went to Wolfville with a bunch of swimmers to the NS Jr Provincial Champs.
June: I completed my Learning Facilitator Training by co-facilitating a Swimming 101 course in NS. This also meant I got to go home to Halifax for a weekend and managed to squeeze in a lovely Pot-luck at Lindsay's!

July: Started with Mom and Dad coming up to PEI to spend Canada Day (and Mom's Birthday) with us on the island. Our weather wasn't the greatest, but I did manage to spend a few days at the beach. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (Prince William and Kate) came to the island. I ended up getting a bunch of great pictures of them when they were in town.
August: Laura and Sebastien came home for a visit ... at the same time Kathy and Jody and Heather and Stuart were here. It was great to see everyone. It was also when we found out that Laura was pregnant!
September: Everything started up quickly. Lots of subbing. Band started. Swim team started. I took a more active role in overseeing the Miniphin program with the Swim team - designing all the practices for the fall. I also finished all my paperwork so I could take a french course online to help raise my french level. I started teaching Swimming lessons again AND I started to swim and train again.

October: Electronic Arts (EA) bought Bight Games. This had been in the works for a while but it became official in October. Matt is guaranteed work for 4 years which is very nice. I also got an iPhone!! There was also Thanksgiving and finishing swimming lessons. We girls had a bachelorette for Kylee. Kylee and Jamie had us over for their annual pumpkin carving party which is always a hoot! And of course Halloween, although we did not dress up, but we did have some trick-or-treaters who came to our door.

November: Went by soo quickly! I worked nearly everyday! I continued to swim and coach and band. Matt had several big deadlines so he worked a lot this month which wasn't fun, but at least he had one day off each week, instead of having to work non-stop!

December: More subbing and Swim team. I got to go to Quebec City with 42 swimmers on the team which was a lot of fun.... I didn't like the bus ride home, but that was mostly because I couldn't sleep. We also had our annual "Elf Extravaganza" Swim Meet where all the coaches dressed up as elves which was fun too. Christmas was a good time. Dad came and got me. Laura and Sebastien were home so I got to see her belly-bump. We found out the sex of the baby and threw Laura a Baby Shower. It was a busy but Fun Time.

March Break!

I'm so happy that this week is March Break. I am really looking forward to not having anything that I have to do. That said I will have a lot of things to do in our apartment as we will be moving in less than 2 weeks! I'm so excited about our new place. Having a duplex will be so nice. Hopefully we will make it feel more like a home, rather than a place we are staying. I have been preparing big time for the past few weeks, going through things like clothes and books, trying to purge. I think I'm doing really well, although I need another few rounds in my closet. I know that logically, if I haven't worn something in a year, that I should get rid of it, but I am getting down to things that I either really like or are really good quality. Some of those are really hard to let go of, but I'm trying my best. I've gotten rid of 2 1/2 blue bags of clothes and have about another 1/3 of a bag started. That's without going through my summer clothes which are stored in a plastic bin. I'm also getting rid of a lot of my books. I have so many, but now with a kindle, I can get them electronically which take up a lot less space.

Today Matt and I had to be out of our apartment for over two hours while our landlord was showing the place..... well we really didn't have to be out, but it would just be awkward to hang around, so we left. We decided to go through the car wash since it was such a nice day, only to discover that the seals around the window on the driver's side are now so bad that they let water in. Oops! It really wasn't too bad, only a little spot up at the top and it only let water in when it was doing the big rinses that spray directly on that spot. It's making us really want a new car, although that really isn't in the cards until the fall. We own our car so to get a new one (or rather lease a new one like we are thinking) is a fair amount of money which we probably shouldn't spend at the moment. Our current car is 8 years old and starting to get expensive.

One annoying thing about today, we tried to go to both Leons and The Brick to look at furniture for the new place (new tv stand, & side tables for the living room and a couch) but they were both closed. Oh well, wasn't the end of the world. We ended up going to indigo, bulk barn and superstore then went for a little drive. It was such a nice day and the sun was so strong. I'm hopeful that the spring weather we have been experiencing for the last week or so continues.

Made a yummy stew out of leftover pot roast for supper. Paired really well with all the candy we got at the bulk barn. Ugh! I have such a sweet tooth!. I really need to cut back.

Lucky

Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Bean!
Bean who?
Bean a long time since I seen you!
I know, I know! But hopefully with a new layout and updated title, I can get back into the swing of things.

Lately I have been realizing how lucky I really am. I have found my calling in being a teacher. I am fortunate to be able to get enough work to support myself and can continue doing other things that I love such as coaching swimming and playing in the Holland College Community Band. It is times like these when I want to pinch myself. I don't have everything I want, but I have the things that count and make me happy. Those other things that I want are just bonuses.

Matt and I are getting readying to move. We are so excited. We are going to move into this nice little duplex, two blocks from where we currently live. It was gutted about a year ago and redone completely. The main floor has a living room and a nice big kitchen. Upstairs is two bedrooms (one we will use as our computer room) and the bathroom. It is probably not bigger than our current space, but the layout is better and we will have a deck and a washer/dryer/dishwasher which are all perks. We move in around the first of April and can't wait!
Along with this move, comes a lot of sorting and purging. I've been really good so far at getting rid of things such as clothes and old books. I mean I still love to read, but where I now have a kindle, I can start to transition my book collection over to digital formats and get rid of a lot of books I have already read. I'm a bit sad that I haven't been reading as much as I would like. Sometimes I find it had to get into a book, whether it is because of the book, or of my mood or that I'm using a kindle has yet to be determined. That said I have read two more books from the Betsy the Vampire Queen series in the last day or so. Working so much and having all these extra-curricular activities does not lead to much time to read.



I love coaching swimming and being around the pool. It is something I've done for years and years and I have been so fortunate to be able to continue doing with with my career. That said, this year I am experiencing some major challenges. I am coaching a group of 11-14 year olds who are competitive. and unfortunately at these ages kids either decide that they enjoy swimming competitively and are able to have a lot of motivation to do what is asked OR they just goof off. In my group I am at about 1/2 and 1/2 right now. It gets hard to try and get these swimmers who are goofing off to listen to me and do what is asked. There are some days when I want to pull all my hair out because they are being so frustrating. There is only one more training cycle left in our season (from after March Break, through to provincials May 13-15). I have made some progress with a few of them, so hopefully I can motivate the others and get some good training in so that they can meet their goals. I've been having issues with the parents as well, since they don't seem to understand how much time and planning and effort goes into coaching. I can't force a kid to swim. I can only do my best, and it is a crappy feeling when your best isn't enough.

Fashion Blogs

I have been a lover of blogs since I became a techno nerd. Its true! I had one way back in the day when livejournal was everyones main place to go and since then I've enjoyed creeping and reading others. There are blogs for everything and everyone. I used to write a daily "what I did blog" until I realized I'm crazy boring.... then I started this one and its still boring but meh. No one reads it.

My love of blogs stems from the interactions of its readers. Want to get a question answered? Join a community blog and ask away and then come back and read the comments. You get real advice from real people who have been in the same situations. I love reading about my various medical issues (Graves & Celiac) because I get to find out how others are coping; What medications they take; Tricks that they have learned; And of course, Gluten-Free recipes. Its one thing to read about it in a book but online, where others have commented, you know if the advice is really good... and if the recipe is worth trying! Recently I have discovered Fashion Blogs and have fallen in love.

I was surprised when I actually liked working in retail and ever since I started at Tabi back when I was 15, I have loved to work with clothing. Feeling the difference between the fabrics. Seeing the differences in the cuts. Helping people with various body shapes find what works for them. I really upgraded when I went from working Tabi to working at Roots. During my first year at the MicMac store, I started to really get into fashion, but it wasn't until I joined the Spring Garden store that I was hooked. Partly it was because of the girls I worked with, and partly because the Spring Garden store had such a larger selection than the MicMac store.
I was no fashionable when I was a teen. I pretty much rebelled and went the opposite way that most girls went. I remember spending grade 5 and grade 6 living in black leggings and super baggy t-shirts. I didn't want to look like everyone else. I didn't want to wear kaki pants. Then I went further away from the others. I dabbled in super baggy pants. I work tank tops with flannel shirts overtop. I went from only wearing leggings to only wearing jeans. I was almost in high school before I joined the "short t shirt" club instead of always wearing mens' shirts. Then high school....... oh dear.

Actually I look back and love it. I was an individual. My friends were all individuals. We didn't care if we wore the latest look, instead we enjoyed being ourselves. I think this is one of the main reasons why we are pretty much all still friends. We had figured out who we were and embraced it. I went through a period with some purple streaks in my hair (c/o some purple kool-aid - my mom was not impressed). Bracelets were one of my loves. I wore them everyday from wrist to elbow. I had a pair of mens jeans (they were so comfy!). I did own pleather. I had a shirt made of netting. University I wore a lot of Roots (because I wore it to work before or after class and didn't want to change).

I feel that by working with clothing (and trying EVERYTHING on) you get a good sense for what works on you and what doesn't. I'm a huge believer in trying things on. I know now that I have a super long torso so all those short t-shirts don't work on me (on other people they hit at your belt line, on me the hit at my belly button). I am curvy. I have to be careful about pockets. Working at Garage was an interesting experience as they are geared towards young teens.... thing 12, 13, 14 year olds..... I was 23, 24 working there. Again, working there you have to wear the clothing so you figure out what works for you and how to make something match you instead of you matching the clothes (been 16 once, don't want to look like I'm still 16 - although I have been asked if I am a high school student volunteer at some schools that I work at). I've learned not to really care what size the label says - it doesn't matter. What matters is that you like what you are wearing and that you look good in it.

I love leggings (I think it kinda brings me back to when I was little). I'm on the fence about jeggings but mostly because I have yet to see a good version of them. If a pair had the right wash and look, I might pick a pair up. I love dresses for work. I have lots of cute flats and a few pairs of nice heels (still scared of them since I sprained my ankle). I do shop too much because I get an idea into my head or when I see something I can picture an outfit that I need to have and wear. I'm trying to streamline my closet with pieces that I can wear for work and wear when I'm going out with friends. It is slowly working.

While fashion blogs are awesome ways to get ideas of how to wear something or what is "in style" I have mixed feelings about them. I like reading them but some of them are all about just taking a picture and showing people what they are wearing everyday. I like to look good... but I don't look picture perfect every single day. If I'm just going to the laundromat, I'll just throw whatever on and pull my hair back. Makeup? Ha! Not unless it is a super special occasion. That said I'll still continue to read them. :)

I'll end this with a question.... what is your favourite item(s) in your closet? Can be a new item or old one.
Mine are my brand new Steve Madden black heels. They have a small heel (1.5") and a round toe. The heel is also a bit thicker (not chunky but not skinny like stilettos). I also love my purple bench hoodie (because it is the best shade of purple!)

Oldies?

So I have the habit of making myself feel old by realizing that the kids I teach know nothing about the bands that I used to love. Check out some oldies below (They may not be "good" but they definitely bring back the memories).
P.S. You want these for yourselves, then check out iTunes :)


I totally used to know the whole dance to this one!



Again Kristen and I used to be able to do the dance :P


This song Screams Jr High Dances to me



I used to <3 Sugar Ray
This one screams Saint Anne's Trip to me... and that crazy time we went to the OLP concert and met up with people and had a fun but really random day.


Well this one is only because I recently saw the Movie "Date Night" and he was in it and he wasn't wearing a shirt.....