HI TRAZEY ~ yes, we are hearing from all our family down in Southern Ontario that they have very little or no snow at all right now. We have friends in North Bay who say they only have a little too. It is much milder up here (I'm up near Timmins), but becuz of that, we have a lot of snow -- we're getting buried in the stuff!!!

Oh well, that creates work too, and that's always welcome; and of course, the winter sport's enthusiasts love it -- and the Winter Carnivals and Snowfests are being held this month, so we need the snow for that ...

I was gonna say we might have an early spring; but we may end up flooded if the snow here doesn't melt slowly, but usually that is what happens here anyways. We have some thaws, then freezing, then more snow, and so forth. I think everyone is loving the milder temps we've been having, but it still looks and feels like winter up here ...

We had a good day here; foodwise as well -- we had leftover BBQ spit chicken and I made a nice potato & carrot scallop to go along with that and it turned out nice. Have a wonderful weekend everyone ...

Hi Ladies

I'm Amber, I live on Vancouver Island on the west coast. Hardly any snow to speak of out here this winter, as it usually is, but quite socked in with cloud cover lately. I can hardly wait to move up to north eastern BC where my hubby is already living so I can enjoy those nice clear winter days with SUN! Getting soo tired of this dreary weather...today is one of those days when there's no sun to speak of and all you want to do is get all cozy under a blanket in front of the fire with a never ending supply of comfort food. UGH...so here I sit in front of the computer sipping on a cup of tea to try convince myself that it's as satisfying as one of my normal bad sweet carb-loaded snacks.

I started trying to lose weight again on the 1st of this month and as of my first weigh in on Wednesday, I'm down 3 pounds! Yay! Could have been more but I let myself indulge in a couple of planned treats because it was my birthday on the 7th Now to try make it through V-day! There's always something, but I think I did quite well compensating for the treats this week.

Well I'm off to get ready for the inevitable disaster that will strike when my kids (Cole, 5 & Katie, 7) get home from school and drop everything at the door demanding snacks! lol

Hey, a Canadian thread!

AmberN, I lived in the Lower Mainland and I know what you mean about dreary days! All it does is rain, it barely snows winter time. Where are you moving to? I moved to Prince George, and though the winters are harsher, it's nice to have sunshine in the summer

Hoping it gets a little warmer and the snow clears up a bit. At least it isn't -40 anymore! I want to go for walks with the baby and our nice stroller for extra exercise. I did it once when it was -6 but my arms and thighs were killing me after from pushing the stroller through the snow. Maybe a sign I should do it more?

Other than the one week with -40 temperatures, Calgary has had awesome weather. Its been averaging between +5-8 everyday. Even on days like today where it was -4, the sun was still shinning away with a clear blue sky. I used to want to move to the lower mainland for the little snow, but I doubt I could handle grey skies all the time. I have come to realize that my mood really depends on how much sun there is. If the sky is cloudy with no sun at all, chances are I will be a major couch potato.

to our NEWBIES ~ glad you found our Canadian thread over here. I had noticed a lot of Canadians coming to the site this past month.

AMBER ~ Congrats on the WL, and for battling the goodies at this time. I don't blame you about wanting to move somewhere less dreary; I wouldn't like that either. I find November bad here; we had too many overcast days, but come December we had lots of days again, and that will continue all winter now.

STEPHANIE ~ good for you taking the stroller out in the snow; that would be a workout for sure. Dh took his bike out a few days ago; he said it was harder, but he made it back home OK.

CANDEKA ~ well this weekend the temps dropped down to -20 C last night, and it's supposed to get down to -29 C tonight , then climb back up again. I kinda thought we may get the colder temps in February -- it was just delayed a bit. Gonna just stay home and bundle up warm ...

We had a busy week; unpacking totes & boxes & hanging up pictures. We're getting there, almost done unpacking now, but still have some more sorting and organizing to do yet. We saved it for the winter, cuz we have lots of time to do it now.

Eating healthy; staying on target. Gotta make sure to eat enuff or I get really hungry the next day. Trying to manage some hunger pangs that come up in the afternoon with Cinnamon on apples & on cereal for BF; and hot tea too.

Have a great weekend everyone ...

Stephanie - We will be moving to Hudson's Hope, so a few hours north of you. We lived in Cold Lake Alberta when my daughter was 2 and my son was born there. We used to go walking in the snow quite a bit, tried the stroller once or twice but you aren't kidding about the crazy workout. We switched to carrying the baby in the front carrier until he got old enough to hold his own head up, then we used the MEC backpack. My daughter walked for the first bit then hopped in the sled the rest of the way. We used to have a blast in the winter

Candeka - You should see the people here on full sunny days. I went out for groceries the other day and people were so happy and cheery and actually spoke to me without me speaking to them first! When is blah, like it is today, it's like pulling teeth to get a smile out of some people. I have SAD, so living on the west coast, like I've done for 33 of the 36 years of my life, is hard on me. My mood is completely dependant on the sun. The house that we live in is sheltered from the sun most of the day, so it will be nice to go and buy a new house, and this time I will pay much closer attention to the tree cover etc.

Just - Fighting a tough battle with the snacks today. Not going entirely off plan, but did snack on a small piece of mango. I'm doing a diet that is a cross between Ideal Protein and South Beach, and I'm not allowed fruit on either of them. I ate the bit of mango with some protein, so I should be good but because I went off plan and allowed some cake for my birthday, today is my carb withdrawal day...not fun. Oh and thanks for the tea reminder, I turned the kettle on quite a while ago and I've been sitting here trying to avoid over snacking

AMBER ~ we now only have WHISTLE KETTLES becuz DH kept leaving them on and burning them out -- but, every now and then, I still catch him not putting the whistle top down ... arrgh!

We have a couple of porches on our house, but the back one is only a sun porch, so the sun can come through the roof; and the front one is at the right angle so that the low winter sun can come into our front rooms (livingroom & my pc room). So, they both provide only partial shade.

Our house (which is 90% brick) stays 10+ degrees cooler in the summer than our last place. The trees & bushes that lose their leaves are best for both the summer & wintertime -- cooling the house in summer; letting in light & warming the house in winter, which will save you money.

Well, the temps only got down to -24C and it is now back up to -15C; and next week is expected to come all the way back up to 0C (32F) which will be nice for us once again.

AmberN- I bet it'll be nice to get away from the rain! I've been really happy to not be constantly poured on this past year haha.

I worry about taking her out in the wrap I have because it's icey and I'd feel horrible if I slipped while holding her. I already slipped on the ice a few days before my due date and my husband freaked out. It wasn't easy for him to lift a 224 lb pregnant woman off the slippery ground! Haha.

Weigh-In Wednesday...down 2 more pounds! Woohoo!
Makes my total loss since I started Feb 1 at over 6% of what I need to lose! Yay for me!

Just - no whistle on our kettle, but it is electric so at least it's an auto shut off. We also have a big leafed maple in our back yard which loses all of it's leaves, which would be perfect if it weren't for the uncleared farm land behind us that keeps us in the shade most of the day. Very nice in the summer as we dont' get direct sun until mid afternoon but in the winter, it blocks all of the direct sunlight.

Stephanie - We've managed to get a few sunny days already this month, normally February is pretty dreary. Sun was shining for my bday and for Vday Today too actually Oh and you need yak tracks for your shoes...I wore those all the times when I was out walking in the winter with the kiddos.

Had a showing on the house on Monday, they were a no go but we have someone else coming in this afternoon...wish me luck!

Oh and happy belated V-Day everyone!

AmberN, I was looking for something like that when I was pregnant because of how often I almost slipped (and onetime did)

It's been sunny the past few days here too, went for a walk yesterday which was nice 189.8 so I'm down 7 lbs since starting up Atkins again.

LADIES ~ congrats to both of you on your recent losses!

AMBER ~ I'll have to keep a lookout for those YAK TRACKS too; they sound like a great idea! That would make me feel much more secure walking outside in the winter. That's right, I forgot about the auto-shut-off; now I won't worry about ya ... Hope the house sells for you soon; will send up a few ^prayers^ about that -- can't hurt, and may help!

STEPHANIE ~ I had a bad fall on some ice once too; now I get very nervous in the wintertime. We've had and milder temps since Monday -- really nice! The snow is even melting on some roads.

Eating is going well; doing my daily stretches, toning, and flex exercises; plus the hand-weights, and indoor walking right now. I also count my housework as exercise; I do something each day from M-F, and some Saturdays too. I try to rest on Sunday, just doing meals & dishes, etc.

It's snowing today, and probably will be for the next week or so so not sure if we will go for any walks. I mentioned to my husband that I was excited for spring time so we could go for longer walks and he kindly reminded me it is bear season. Somehow I forgot about the bear warning signs all over the park two blocks away and that we're near the edge of town. He says he will get me bear mace just in case but now I'm freaked out! haha

HELLO FELLOW CANADIANS ~ I am sure the reason visitors are scarce here is that you are all out enjoying all the mild weather we've all been having. It has been milder here too, with light sprinkles of *****, and some lovely intermingled with that. I think I can almost feel an early spring in the air -- just maybe???

DH has been recuping from injuring his ribs in a few falls and an accident with his bike & wagon -- it rolled over on top of him. He is finally feeling a bit better the last couple of days; just see him grabbing his side now & then. He is out & about again today, so he must be feeling better. At least he has been able to sleep a lot better.

I've just been keeping busy doing stuff around here; today, we did the sweeping and vacuuming. Made some homemade soup for lunch out of leftovers and we are having Chicken Stew for dinner with leftover chicken breasts I cooked on Tuesday. My eating has been good. I had fruit and cheeze for my snack last night; and that worked out fine. Been trying out different foods and strategies lately.

My mind has been on my family this past weekend. My sister & BIL had a big scare early last Sunday morning (5 am), as their home/B&B caught on fire from faulty wiring in the walls & ceiling/roof. We are so thankful & grateful to GOD that her furry baby angel, Emma, woke her up so they could get out. She was surrounded by fire and black smoke; and she could only see one foot in front of her. It was so close, but she made it out and that is the most important thing.

The fireman worked hard to save what they could. They hope to restore & rebuild the unique features of the main part of the house; well, the adjusters think it can be done anyways (with the right contractors). It was a very special place that would be hard to replicate, so restoring it is a better option at this point. The rest can all be replaced (clothing, furniture, appliances, etc.). It will take a long time but the insurance company has already found a house for them to live in the meanwhile.

Hope you are all OK out there; do take care ...

Wow! So glad that your family got out of the house fire safely! Hopefully their restoration goes smoothly and quickly. I had a small kitchen fire a few years ago and they restored the custom oak kitchen cabinets perfectly. It was very disruptive for such a small fire, I can't imagine what they are going through.

Just got back from visiting family in Vancouver. My mom, dad and two of my sibblings were all there at the same time for meetings so me and the kiddos went over to join them. We had a great time but the scale is definitely showing the negative effects of eating every meal in restaurants. I honestly didn't order unhealthy items, except for getting cupcakes at a local cupcake store. I did eat way too much though. It's amazing how much more you can eat when distracted by good company and food! I'm hoping that I can drop back down a bit before weigh in wednesday, but it's looking like I"ll be up a bit from my last declared weigh in a week and a half ago.

Oh well, I have 11 days until I take my kids up to see their dad for two weeks for spring break. Hopefully I can shed a few before our trip

AMBER ~ yes, just keep on going; and good for you making some good choices when with your family -- you know, that's a NSV in itself. As time goes on, you'll get better & better; and who knows, you may get a surprise, and not have gained anything.

Gee, they actually have cupcake stores; what will they think of next? A pie store, or a cookie store -- actually, I have heard of that, but usually they offer other baked stuff too. Not a place that I frequent these days though.

Well, the temps steadied at -7 C , and we had some fluffy ***** for a while this afternoon, but that has stopped now. We've had a lot of over the last week, including a little today -- that is so nice during the wintertime.

My eating has been pretty good this month; I am pleased with my efforts. I am doing a little tweaking and trying out healthier snacks. Plus, I have added in some dancercize about 3-4 times a week to burn more calories; I hope it works for me.

Have a wonderful week everyone ...