Wii decided against it!!!

Well, we took the Wii back.  Actually, I took it back.  Alan seemed to be making me a list of things to do today, one of which included taking the Wii back.  We didn't like it, and we didn't use it.  So, why have it if you don't use it right?

Wednesday night, Alan got home.  He was away maybe 6 days or so.  He had worked on the dishwasher the following day.  He finished it off, then we leveled out the fridge and stove.  Fun times!!!!  And if I have to ask the shape and not name of a screwdriver again, I am going to freakout!  All tasks were completed in typical R&A Bond fashion.  We have learned over the years, that we can work very well together.  We see things differently, which means all bases are covered!!! haha

This weekend has been very productive so far.  I got off work early yesterday around 11 maybe?  When I got to work, I started sneezing, eyes leaking, and just feeling blah.  I took a Reactine. During our Friday mtg, I sat at my desk not at the table, and half listened while I used hundreds of kleenex's.  Pat and Michelle started popping vitamins like mad, and staring at me with disgust.  Pat then kept telling me that I was using the kleenex from my nose and wiping my eye.  I had no idea!!!  Sick!  So, then I said that if she wants to send me home that she is more than welcome.  She said after the mtg to go. So, after the mtg, I simply just shut down my computer, and walked out.  During the mtg I was copying and opening mail and stuff and listened. 

I got home, and started some laundry.  Then that ended up being 6 loads.  Mine, Alan's, Towels and bedding!  My head still felt it was going to explode and snot was everywhere.  I had a tea and read for a bit, then went to the dog park.  It was such a beautiful sunny day, and it felt great to be out.  When I got home, I did more laundry, and then napped with Kobe on the couch. 
Alan comes home, we eat, watch TV, get DQ and go to sleep. 
Alan was up some ridiculous time, like 5am.  All I remember is him kissing me bye and telling me Kobe was out already so I could sleep in, and Kobe was back in bed with his Mum!!!
I was up early, and started more laundry. I had to go to take the Wii back at Northgate, then the south side for animal food, then back north to the New Save-On for people food.  I did the groceries, alone.  I hate doing groceries, but at the same time, there is the hope of homecooked meals!!! And here i sit.  I am going to finish this up, then head to the Dog Park.  It isn't an overly nice day out, but it is +3'C.  I must be out there.  And I am feeling good.  a little stuffy, but good, and I haven't taken anything.

I then plan to make supper.  I am not sure what though.  Alan called, and said that he may have to go out of town today.  He hasn't come home for clothes, so perhaps someone else went.  Yay!!!  I have a recipie for Beef Strognaff that I want to try out.  I also want Taco Ground Beef Nachos.  They were really good last time we made them.  I love using the new "range" and oven!!!  So, we will have to make something!  And I have prep time too, which I never seem to have on week days!
Have a great weekend guys!!!

I happen to have a pic of Nachos from the last time we made them!!!! (This was in the old oven though!)

The Appliances Have Arrived!

Well, the day finally came!
The appliances were delivered on Thursday evening, and the old ones sold and picked up!
It was a very hectic night, with only 1 trip to Home Depot and no diasters.  The delivery guys were rude but we fought back.  They couldn't fit in the alley as their truck was too long to make the turn, they then said that id the neighbout didn't move their car on the road then they couldn't deliver it.  We have a little cut out from the sidewalk to the street, and we are the only house on the block that has this.  Perhaps there used to be a cross walk there or it was wheelchair access.  He then, came in the house, and didn't even consider taking off his shoes.  The then told me that I had to take the door off because "it was easier for them."  I instructed them that it isn't my job to make their job easier, and that I was not removing my front door.  They can go through the gate and use the patio doors as those doors are larger, and the extra 10 steps would actually make the entire process easier.  After this, I freaked out to Alan and told him to deal with them, and that they had to use the patio door, and that was final. They were very rough, and didn't work well together.  Here is what I don't understand though, they proceeded to bring in the new appliances without taking out the old ones.  Alan and I looked at eachother, both realizing that they were doing it all wrong, so he suggested it might be wise to remove the old stuff first!  They agreed.  After petting Lewis for a few minutes, and asking me questions, they finally got to work.  Alan still wants to inspect the patio, as they were fairly rough.  Hopefully they didn't scratch or chip it.

The old fridge had an ice maker, and we couldn't turn off the water, so Alan had to run out and grab a special thing for the tank.  All solved.  And thank god, because Alan left for work, so there would have been a hose running through the kitchen for days with water constantly running!  But, again, all sovled!!!!  Yay!

Here is a picture of me cleaning the old stove before we sold it. It was a lot of work, but worth it in the end.  When the man was looking at them to purchase, he commented on how clean they were!!!  Here of course it is filthy, but this was the very beginning!

And.....here are the new ones!                                     

   

                      

    

But here is the kicker. The dishwasher isn't yet hooked up as Alan had to go out of town with no notice, and the stove and fridge still need to be leveled off. If I open the fridge, and leave it open it smashes into the wall, potentially damaging it, so we must get that done ASAP!!! The fridge sticks out a little further than I had hoped, but I am happy with it, it really isn't as hideous as I thought it would be!  Alan was a little dissapointed that the stove looked so different.  The one we saw at the store was black with stainless on it, and it looked really really nice.  With all white, I think it takes away some of the effect.  We wish we would have gotton the other one with the outside light and the 2 plugs.  Since the plugs were something we really wanted, but in the end decided we could live without.

I used the oven last night to make a giant plate of nachos for myself, and I think it was on the wrong setting. There are a million different settings, so I need to maybe read the manual!

Alan loves that he doesn't need to bend down anymore to get things out of the fridge. I like that so much stuff can be stored in the door.

And, below is the most recent picture of Kobe and myself! I love how he is leaning forward!!! Like as if he really wants to make sure that he is in the picture!!! I think he was actually trying to escape my grip though!

Applying Cash for Appliances!!!

Tonight was a very nerve wracking night, I am still in shock.
We bought all new kitchen appliances tonight......Fridge, Stove and Dishwasher.  (Damn, I just bought a new bottle of dish soap!!)

Since the day we moved into this house, I have wanted new appliances.  Our current ones use so much electricity, the fridge moans, the dishwasher is currectly broken due to a water leak I found in the basement one day, but, the stove is in perfect working condition.  The current ones we have are by a manufacturer called "Concept II".  We never seen this elsewhere, and no one else has either.  We figure it a dollar store brand!  hahaha.  I think the salesperson asked if it was Asian made....isn't everything????

We went to Sears to look, but I think we both knew that we would buy....why change who we are!!!

The chap in the store was great! He knew a lot, and worked with us, and what we wanted.  As soon as he opened the bottom freezer, I knew I hated the drawer, I want the side opening style.  And he didn't try to persuade us into anything we didn't want.  We also had very detailed measurments.  I do not want to get a new counter, well, I do, of course I do, but we aren't going to.  The fridge is built into the wall, and this is one of my favourite features of the house. (Although, I have many)  One thing I will not do is change the width of the wall opening, I will only negotiate the height.  They had free delivery, but you had to pay for it ($60) , then after you received the items, you had to fill out forms, mail them in, and then wait for the money back.  I asked him to take off $60 of the purchase, so that we didn't have to do the paperwork, we get the money upfont this way (or free delivery).  Although.....I just had a thought.....I could still send it in anyway.......

So, we chose some great appliances, at great prices.  I had a budget of $2000, we spent $2572.  That being said, I hadn't researched the prices to a great extent prior to going, I just hoped it would less than $2000.  We got some features in all 3 that we hadn't thought of before, and we also lost a few.  The stove doesn't have any plugs on it.  We really wanted to have plugs, as our kitchen is seriously lacking.  However, Alan has promised me that when we do the new backsplash (very soon, research is in the works),  that he will install new electrical outlets, which is necessary anyway.  The dishwasher was the most difficult to choose, we have massive plates (which may reflect the size of my ass!!!), and I brought up a very valid point that I would rather spend $50 on new plates than a machine that costs $200 more.  The logical thing to do I'm sure!  The stove is also the glass top, I much prefer the coils.  I like the look of the glass top, but not the practicality of it.  Alan was for the glass top, but the stove is great, MUCH more modern than any stove/oven I have used before.

This is why I am having second thoughts though.....we paid cash and not credit!!!  I know, another logical thing to do.  For large purchases, we often use a credit card, and pay if off in increments, or use the store card and recevie no interest because we start paying double the monthly amount right away. 

I loved seeing this money in our savings every month.  I like to have a certain amount of money in that account, and now the balance has dropped by $2500.
These doubts started as I was swiping my debit card, I even asked if we could get full money back if we cancelled the order before it was delivered.  He assured me we could.  So, Alan and I talked about it as I crammed my face with poutine while reading the giant receipt.  All in all, it was a great choice to make, as we would have sooner than later, AND we own it!!!!  Paid cash, it doesn't get better than that!!! 

Now that the shock has worn off, I am so excited for my new appliances, and I hope they are everything I have ever wanted in appliances!!!  They are being delivered a week from today!!!

Sadly however, Alan will not be getting his new toolbox as soon as he had hoped!!!

Wii got our asses kicked tonight!

So, I decided that I do not really like the WiiFit, and almost took the entire console back.  But, I was too lazy to even do that, and in the end I decided maybe the game just wasn\t for me.  We went to Best Buy tonight, as we needed another controller so we could play Tennis, and so I wouldn't get mechanic on my nice white controller!!! 

We looked at games, and I saw the Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2010 Workout Game.  It was $19.99, so I decided to get it.  When the cashier rang it up, it came to $50.00.  I told her I thought it was $19.99, so off we went.  She then noticed that where they were on the shelf, the tag there was for 2009.  She walked to customer service, told them the story, and said that she had to honour it.  The ENTIRE time I was quiet, I didn't open my mouth ONCE. 
The Game is GREAT!  I love it.  It totally kicked my ass, and was fun as well, considering that I hate to work out. 
I am already so sore, I dread waking up tomorrow, as I know I will be so sore! 

DETAILS OF THE GAME
The game is divided into several sections (this is my memory, as Alan is currently participating in the 100m dash...his game choice, and i can't view it.)

There are 18 exercises in total.  You can do these individually or in a circuit.  Jillian has 2 pre set circuits, and upper body and lower body routines.  You can also create your own circuits, 2 styles, plus an upper and lower, based around all 18 of the exercises.  You can also choose your level of difficulty or how many reps to do.  For some exercises you use the remote, and others the balance board.  You will hear a "bing" noise every time it is correct (remote where it should be, or weight where it should be) and a "buzz" noise when incorrect, including wrong footing, so that you are equal on each side.
I love how the "buzz" is not loud or scary, it just right, a quick notification really.
I really like the routine I created.

The little booklet in the case is good too,  It shows a pic of each exercise and the health benefits to each, as well as the correct way to do it so that the board or remote pick up on it.

You can also choose your music, 20 options I think, although all just music, no lyrics, and many "metal" type ones.  I feel like I am on speed right now from it, that and I am wheezing...this is how out of shape I am!

There are several landscapes to choose as well. 

Of course, you can also do everything randomly.

I also liked that unlike the WiiFit you don't have to run on the balance board.  It can be very hard to balance on such a small board, without falling off and breaking your ankle. 
Also, remember mlast post I complained that it mangled my hands, and made them itchy, (we have a generic board, not the actual Wii one, well, I used a hand towel to put on it, and it worked just fine, so I can do the pushups now without having a hand full of little dents or itches.

One thing that I didn't like about the WiiFit was that it was really slow, and I was constantly pushing buttons, listening to her blah blah blah, reading the screen, just too slow to actually keep me motivated.
On this JM game though, you only press "A" once after your single excersise, which can last as long as you like.  That gives you a few quick seconds to attach the wrist strap, get down on the ground, or move the balance board!

I highly recommend this game to anyone who wants to use common exercises to work out.  There also seems to be a fair amount of cardo worked in, as you are not using weights.  Some exercises make you go faster than others, and this is where the heart rate increases and the cardio kicks in.

A great game, and I got it at a great price!!!!  Had they made me pay the $50.00 I wouldn't have bought it. 

To Wii or not to Wii

It's well known fact that I am NOT a fan of video games, or athletics of ANY kind!
Just thinking of any physical activity, and I am instantly bored.

As a child I didn't play video games, except a Game Boy which was short lived, and played only to "dual" in Tetris!!!!
It kills that now as an adult, when we go to someones house, and they suggest we play Wii.  Depending on where we are, I will go for a nap, pour another drink and sit down, or make a slight scene to show that I am not a fan!
I also don't like spending money on electronics or things which everyone has.  For years, I had to  listen to Alan and Cory play hockey for a few hours, then watch hockey for a few hours, and then again play for a few hours!!  I hated video games even more because of this.

I've gained...read this....20lbs since I moved out west here to AB.  Where 20lbs on my body is, I am not sure!  (I am not big by any means,  however, my clothes don't fit as they once did, and I am not happy with my current weight).  Let me also point out, that about a year after moving here, I was underweight.  I would go to the gym, and lay on the benches and chat with a friend...until I was asked not to do this anymore.  We would weigh ourselves and giggle that we weighed 108lbs!!
In the fall of 2008, I joined a bootcamp, and was in great shape!!!  It came with MANY challenges, however, even though I am a person who gives up, and simply cannot be bothered, but, from my Week 1 fitness test to Week 6, the results were astounding!  I DID IT!!!!  I was at a great weight, and the giggly bits were gone!!!!

Time passes, and I'm now the biggest I have ever been!!!!  Alan and I have a JOKE that I cannot get to 130, otherwise I am out.  I called him a couple weeks ago to tell him I was packing, cause I only had a pound or so left!!!  We joked, but I knew that I had to do something!

Back to the Wii.  I liked the WiiFit commercials, and decided I wanted one, but especially after seeing Just Dance Wii game played on Ellen! 

I have been playing everyday for the last 3 days, and today, I can barely walk.  I got out of bed this morning, and my right leg especially seemed significantly shorter, bent, and was very painful.   There are a couple things I don't like about WiiFit, it is very slow, always pushing buttons on the remote to go again or to switch activities or to stop all the words and talking! 
AND.........this is what I hate the most....the instructions are so detailed.  How to stand, how to hold the remote, attach the wrist strap etc, move people and furniture.  But....the one thing it doesn't tell you is to WEAR RUNNING SHOES!!!!  That's why I am in pain today.  (It seems so obvious, but I was in my livingroom!!!)  My weight wasn't evenly distrubuted.  Also, I don't believe that it is accurate....of course it can't be 100%, I hate that it is in cm and kg.  I also don't agree with the balance they say is best.  Again though, I think that goes back to the accuracy!!!


But, all in all, I am very happy with it!  It has only caused 1 minor domestic, and it is actually fun  to do. I am good at The Ski Jumping, and Tennis, so tonight Alan and I will play together, with our his and hers remotes!!!  Of course, this is only a motivator to help me work out, or to excersize at all. Clearly it works, today on the way home, I actually THOUGHT of going for a run!!!!