*ahem* I do believe it’s time for a little bragging on behalf of Adam:

Oh yes, I’m married to an MCAT-ass-kicking-machine!!!
So, for the unfamiliar MCAT scoring can be very confusing. Here’s more info:

Four separate scores are derived from the MCAT, one for each section and the total score. Each score that you achieve on the multiple-choice sections (Physical Sciences, Verbal Reasoning, and Biological Sciences) is based on the number of questions you answer correctly. This raw score is a reflection of your correct answers only…The scores for the multiple-choice sections—Verbal Reasoning, Physical Sciences, and Biological Sciences—will be reported on a scale ranging from 1 (lowest) to 15 (highest)…Your raw score on the Writing sample will be converted to an alphabetic scale ranging from J (lowest) to T (highest)...In addition to scores for the individual sections, a total score will also be reported. This total score will consist of a combined multiple-choice score conjoined with the Writing Sample score, e.g., 42T. {via the AAMC}

So, just to clarify, Adam got a good great score. I am not surprised, but I am proud, very proud. He is very smart and he worked very, very hard.
And now, I’m pleased to announce the start of a new series of posts which will be ongoing for the next million 8 or so years here on Domestic Dork:

Seeing as this is the inaugural post in the “Med School Mama” series I’ll give you some background info {for those of you who don’t already know it}. Adam has a bachelor’s in film. In his final year of classes he realized the film industry was not where he wanted to spend the rest of his working days. He spent some time in construction before deciding to go back to school. For the last year and a half he’s been taking pre-med classes with the intention of attending medical school. It was a big decision that we made together. We both knew that if he was going to pursue this dream I would need to be on board. Well, I am. And I’m doing what I can to help, starting with making the application process a little smoother.
Applying for med school is kind of a big deal. It’s exciting, and scary, and expensive and stressful and confusing. Different schools have different requirements. Some schools want your MCAT {Medical College Admission Test} scores to be this good other schools want them to be that good and some schools don’t care at all about the MCAT. This summer the med schools begin accepting applications for school beginning in fall 2011.
There are 17 accredited medical schools in Canada {versus 132 in the United States}. The Quebec schools were easy to eliminate.It didn’t take long before the list of schools Adam was interested in applying to was whittled down to 5 {though we’re not yet completely ruling out the others…except the ones in Quebec}. They are {in Adam’s current order of preference}:

1. University of British Columbia
2. McMaster University
3. University of Calgary
4. University of Alberta
5. University of Toronto

Basically, this is how the application process goes:












We’re not even to step one yet and already we’ve done plenty of the “cross fingers and try not to freak out” bit. See, we had to wait about a month before we knew how Adam scored on the MCAT. Since he did well we’ll move on to applying. If he hadn’t done well he would have had to write the test again and we’d start applying under the promise of sending in his scores after the retest. The MCAT is a big pain. It’s not cheap to take {$230 ouch!}. Plus it required that Adam drive to Edmonton. And, of course, it’s an important and loooong {5 hours!} test that required a lot of studying. So we’re both happy he won’t have to re-do all that {Adam especially is happy about that fact}. But either way it’s time to start preparing for the application process. So look forward to more Med School Mama posts. Next time I’ll show you how I’m helping Adam keep himself organized!
And again, a big, fat congratulations to Adam! Way to go, Love!

The good news?

• I’ve lost 2 pounds this week.
• UHEAA finally decided to be rational and accept a foreign check.
• The weather here has been beautiful.

The bad news?

• I’m dropping Good News Bad News as a meme. In the poll lots of people said they wanted to do it. But last week I had one participant. And the week before I only had 3. It’s kind of a pain to organize GNBN each week. And I’d rather spend my time writing than messing with code for a meme no-one seems particularly interested in. I may continue writing my own GNBN posts, but we’ll see.

The good news is that Lucy handled all day travel really, really well both to Ohio and back. The bad news is that she was super shy and clingy while we were in Ohio.
The good news is that Mom had no idea we were coming and we succeeded in surprising her! The bad news is we had to say goodbye.
The good news is that Adam won 1st place and $200 in a video contest for the school science club. The bad news is that he ended up sleep deprived in the process.
The good news is that I’m starting to get Lucy’s toys more organized. The bad news is that I’ve still got a long way to go.
The good news is I resisted buying all kinds of junk food at the store this morning. The bad news is I caved when Adam put a box of mini-donuts in the cart.
Have your own good news and bad news to share? Go right ahead! Sign up below {link to your POST not to your BLOG}, link back to this post {you can use the button if you’d like}, leave a comment below and have fun! You don’t have to format your good news/bad news the same way I do {but you can if you want to}.



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The good news?

• I’m bringing Good News/Bad News back {by request}!
• The weather has been beautiful!
• I have not yet killed my orchid that we bought a few weeks ago.
• Spring will be here soon.

The bad news?

• We all seem to be fighting off colds. Lucy’s got a pretty horrible-sounding cough in the mornings when she wakes up.
• Adam has test after test after test coming up.
• I saw the movie “2012” and can never get that time back.

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Good News?

• Adam is doing really well in his classes.
• Lucy has another tooth and it’s soooooo cute.
• I was able to help somebody out today just by taking pictures.
• I’ve got a great giveaway going on.
• I’m almost done with my Christmas shopping.
• Adam’s little brother confirmed that he WILL be visiting us for Christmas! Yay!
• We had beautiful weather today.

Bad News?

• I forgot to call my grandfather yesterday…on his birthday.
• I wasted about half my weekend doing something frustrating and pointless.
• I really, really miss my best friend.
• There aren’t a lot of entries in the giveaway, and a lot of people have entered incorrectly.

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The Good News?

• Lucy looks adorable in her winter hat.
• We get a three day weekend for Canadian Thanksgiving! {Happy Thanksgiving!!!}
• Pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin donuts are at Starbucks and Tim Horton’s. YUM!
• I’ve got a giveaway lined up for a product I’m really loving lately.
• I’m starting to catch up on my graphic design projects.

The Bad News?

• I forgot to do Good News Bad News last week! D’oh! Who forgets to do their own meme?
• It’s been cold and snowy.
• It’s National Coming Out Day but my GLBT friends still don’t have equal rights nor can they serve openly in the military.

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It’s time for another round of Body After Baby on Mama Notes. Part of me is dreading it because I’ve put together a really challenging plan for myself. But part of me is looking forward to getting back in shape {I’ve been slacking for several weeks now}. Things are being done a little differently this time, so I’m *not* sharing my before pictures or stats yet. That will come later.

My plan includes an eight week Galloway walk/run conditioning program. If I do this program I can then begin marathon training and complete it in time for the Calgary Marathon next year. The conditioning program is actually a little below my level. But since I’ll be doing the 30 Day Shred again and playing Wii Fit I figured I’d better not push myself too hard on the running.

I’m also going to try doing something a little, well, off-the-wall. I’m going to be doing self hypnosis to supplement my exercising and eating healthy. I think it will make a bit of a difference. But if nothing else, it’s a chance to take 15-30 minutes for myself each day and really relax.

This week we’ve been challenged to drink water. We get 1 point for each glass of water we drink so I’m tracking my intake on my dry erase board. Points will help us at the end of the challenge when a winner is chosen. I guess if we reach our goals we’ll all be winners. But let’s be real…I want to win a prize too!

Wish me luck!

The good news?

• No epic hair fail, just a hair WIN.
• Lucy cut a tooth.
• Adam got our basement almost completely organized for us.
• I get to pick a winner for my giveaway tonight and I love doing that.
• I’m doing another round of Body After Baby.
• I got to see an Iridium satellite flare.
• I was introduced to this and hilarity ensued.

The bad news?

• I’m doing another round of Body After Baby and it’s going to be hard!
• My cats are driving me crazy…mostly the older, dumb one.
• Lucy has been having nightly freak outs for no apparent reason.
• My house is kind of, maybe, sort of what you might possibly call messy.
• I’m trying to get my holiday shopping done early and I have absolutely no idea what to get Adam.

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The Good News?

• I’m starting to get caught up on my graphic design projects.
• I have an awesome giveaway starting tomorrow!
• Beatles Rockband arrived and it’s awesome!
• I ordered my NaNoWriMo hoodie!
• I found fifteen bucks I didn’t know I had.
• I got to see the International Space Station orbiting overhead.

The Bad News?

• I had an epic hair FAIL.
• I have had a hard time falling asleep lately.
• My neighbors like to scream and curse at each other at 10:30 at night {which might have something to do with the tough time sleeping}.

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The good news?

• Lucy can say Mama, Daddy, and kitteh now.
• Adam is enjoying his classes thus far.
• Now that the semester has begun I have opportunities to use the car during the day.
• I have some awesome giveaways lined up for you guys!
• I’ve gotten my Wii Fit age down to 23 and younger.

The bad news?

• I spent all day working on clients’ projects and didn’t complete a single one.
• Adam’s classes are really hard and time consuming.
• I did NOT win the SITScation contest. :(
• I forgot to make a post yesterday.

All in all it wasn’t a bad week. How was yours?

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The 8 week “Fit By Labor Day” mini-challenge has ended. My weight change?

Zero.

I lost some pounds early on, but gained it all back in Ohio.

My eating habits changes?

Zero.

I still need to drink more water, and have a new weakness to overcome {Vanilla Cherry Dr. Pepper Slurpees…WHO has the will power to resist that?}!

My 5K progress?

Zero.

Well, not exactly zero. I can run longer than a mile now, but only about half a 5K.

Visible difference {sorry for the crappy “after” pictures}?

You be the judge:

But you know what? I’m still going. I’m doing the Wii Fit and I’ve got a new 5K picked out {I just need to register and begin training again}. And if I win the trip to SITScation {winner announced tomorrow!!!!} then I’m also going to do the 30 Day Shred again.

You only fail once you give up.

And just to reinforce that idea here are some of the lyrics to one of my favorite songs:

Get Up – Superchic[k]
I'm not afraid to fall.
It means I climbed up high.
To fall is not to fail.
You fail when you don't try.
Not afraid to fall,
I might just learn to fly and
I will spread these wings of mine.

If i get up I might fall back down again.
So let's get up, come on.
If I get up I might fall back down again.
We get up anyway.

We'll just jump and see, even if it's the 30th time.
We'll just jump and see if we can fly.
I'm not afraid to fall.
I've fallen many times.
They laughed when I fell down.
But I have dared to climb .
I'm not afraid to fall.
I know I'll fall again.
But I can win this in the end.

The good news?

• I hit {and passed} the 100 follower mark on my blog! {That had been my goal for the end of the year.}

• I hit {and passed} the 500 follower mark on Twitter!

• The SITScation contest closed for entries and 30 people like my story! {Now I’m just waiting anxiously to see what the judges think and if my Canadian location will be a problem should the judges like my entry.}

• I got a hair appointment for next week…big changes are coming!

• My video tutorial was featured on Her Cup Overfloweth!

• I have a new nephew!

• I added a bunch of work to my online portfolio. And one of my contest winners is very happy with her header!

The bad news?

• I fell down the stairs…again…this time while carrying Lucy. {Fortunately we’re both OK. I have a major bruise. She escaped without injury. But we were both very scared and upset at the time and I now hate stairs forever.}

• My Wii fit says I’m as healthy as someone 10 YEARS older than me.

• Apparently the world has a finite supply of helium. So if we don’t find something else that works we can say goodbye to MRI’s, super computers, balloons at birthday parties, and funny high pitched voices in 100 years or so.

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I know, I know, I’ve been bad about posting about the challenge. It’s no surprise I didn’t update while I was on vacation. But what’s been my excuse since getting back?

I didn’t want to admit how poorly I’ve done.

I did run three times while in Ohio, as promised. But other than that I’ve been a lazy bum. I missed my 5K because I just wasn’t ready {because I didn’t stick to my training plan and because of illnesses}. I’ve been drinking soda {though, not every day or anything like that}. I haven’t been exercising other than a few runs.

I’m pretty disappointed in myself.

But I’m not letting it deter me from going forward. I once heard a running mantra {from here} of “pain is temporary, giving up is forever.” Well, the same is true for failure. Failure is temporary, giving up is forever. I’m not giving up folks. I’ve picked a different 5K to go for in October. And I’m currently on the prowl for a good price on a used Wii fit.

But you know what, and this is where you can be jealous of me, even when I don’t do anything the breastfeeding is doing wonders for my figure. My pre-pregnancy pants are even a wee bit too big on some days. How’s that for progress? This is the last week of the mini-challenge. So I’ll see you on Monday with another update.

As you can probably tell, I’ve totally been procrastinating this post. I could give you some song and dance about being busy with the new site or getting ready to leave for Ohio on Sunday. But the truth is I just don’t want to fess up to my bad behavior this week. When I say “bad behavior” I mean total lack of healthy eating and exercise. And when I say “this week” I mean “for more than a week.” Also? I am the world’s worst vegetarian {pork ribs anyone?}.

I have no idea if I’m still on target with my 5K training because I haven’t run in over a week. Tonight, when Adam gets home, I will run. I will run a nice slow 4mph and I will see how long I can go without stopping. And when I say “stopping” I mean “keeling over and dying.” If I can keep going I will keep going, even if I get bored, even if it’s hard. {And I’ll update this post to let you all know how I did. -update: I did a craptastic job. Half a mile before I hit a wall, freaked out, and gave up. Booo!} And you know what else? I will run while I’m in Ohio. Rain, shine, heat, cold…I am going to run. I’m going to be the freakin’ United States Postal Service of running!

I’m ready to climb back on the Body After Baby wagon. I’m sick of the way my eating and sedentary habits recently have affected my mood. Plus, as much as I love my, new slimming swimsuit*, I don’t want to need a “tummy tamer” panel on my swimwear thankyouverymuch.

I’ll return and report after out trip. And if I didn’t keep my word to run 3 times then I’ll do another giveaway or something. How’s that sound?

*By the way. I got that swimsuit for $10.50 CAD thanks to clearance and SCOP. Not bad, eh? Now I don’t have to keep wearing my maternity swimsuit.

*pant pant pant pant*

I ran…*pant*…one full mile…*pant*…for the first time…*pant pant*…since high school!

No lie. I ran a mile without stopping nor walking! It’s only the second time in my life that I’ve done that. {Yes I realize how pathetic that is.} I’m very proud of myself. I was even more excited when I checked my Nike+ data and saw that I ran the mile in about 11 minutes! 11 minutes! Holy cow! I didn’t know I was that fast! But then Bear reminded me that my Nike+ needs to be recalibrated because it isn’t measuring things quite right. Oh…yeah. I forgot about that. Sooooo I didn’t run my mile in 11 minutes. But you know what, I’m still damn proud of myself! Now I just need to be able to do an additional 2.1 miles and I’ll be ready for my 5K. Can I do it? I guess we’ll see…

Also? My eating is getting cleaned up again. I bet I’ll be eating super well by the time I go to Ohio…the place with the BEST DONUT SHOP IN THE UNIVERSE. Uh-oh. I foresee a problem.

Ohio weather is also miserable in August. It’s going to be hot and humid and I’m not going to have the luxury of an indoor treadmill to run on. But run I will. I guess I’ll just have to get up early to beat the heat.

I’m getting to know my BAB team {GO YELLOW!} through our own private blog. Seems like everybody is doing the 30 Day Shred. And I’m considering doing the strength moves again on my non-running days.

Speaking of running days, today is one of them! I wonder how far I’ll run this time…

You know how “they” say after giving birth a woman has no shame? Yeah…it’s true. I know because Samantha of Mama Notes is hosting a challenge within a challenge and asked for “before” pics. And I obliged. OK…so it’s not a bikini…but close enough! Eee gads! What was I thinking?!

About 3 years ago (shortly before getting married) I looked like this:

Wow. I’m not sure what is more amazing…how much I’ve changed in 3 years or that I posted it for the whole world to see. Truth is, my feelings about my body are mixed. On the one hand I love my body. I love her for all she has done for me (like incubating and birthing my Lovey-Girl!). I love her for her strength and beauty. On the other hand I can’t honestly say I wouldn’t prefer to look a little bit more like I did way back when. I looked good. I looked healthy. And the strangest thing is that though I may not look it I’m actually healthier now. I’m stronger, eat healthier, and have more endurance. I want my outward appearance to better reflect my inner health.

The mini challenge is 8 weeks long. And my goals for that time are to run my 5K race without having to stop and walk, to stop eating junk (including soda*), and to do my best to make my body even healthier. I won’t set a goal weight because I can’t know what weight my body is capable of being now that I’m nursing (hellooo bigger boobs)! Plus I’m trying not to focus on pounds so much as health (remember?). I am however willing to do before and after weigh-ins. My before weight (according to my lame-o scale which is probably way inaccurate) is 156 pounds. That’s quite a bit for my 5’2” frame.

I’m really glad this mini challenge popped up when it did. I already told you how poorly I did the week before last. Well…last week was better food-wise, but awful as far as exercising is concerned. I need this extra motivation to get back on track.

The Fit By Labor Day Challenge begins today! Wish me luck!

*With the exception of the occasional mojito.

1 Body After Baby mama + 2 holidays / 1 week x giving in to treats = 1 blah mama

It all started with Canada Day. Just days before I had commented to friends and family that since I had been eating such a healthy diet my cravings for junk, and even my taste for unhealthy food had changed enormously. But then I found myself indulging in all kinds of foods on Canada Day. It made me feel tired, and blah. So did I get back on the healthy eating bandwagon? No. I continued to eat blah foods and feel blah for some mysterious reason.

So….I’m considering doing a sugar free challenge (one week, one month?). I’ve been looking at the 30 Sugar Free Days website. But I don’t trust an eating plan that entirely cuts out the bottom of the food pyramid. So I’m still figuring out what I want to do and for how long.

But how’s my training going? Eh. Not bad. I’m one day behind (which isn’t a big deal at all) in the 5K training. But I haven’t been doing any weight training. The running workouts are soooo much longer than the 30 Day Shred workouts were that I haven’t really felt like there’s time for long strength training sessions in addition to that. So I’m considering doing this 10 minute routine a few times a week. I think I can handle 10 minutes at a time.

I guess I’m in fitness limbo right now. I really need to get back into my groove as far as eating goes because the junk has me feeling sluggish and befuddled which makes getting out of fitness limbo that much harder.

So, what have we learned?

DON’T EAT JUNK FOOD.

Visit the Body After Baby Challenge. And tell me how you feel when you eat poorly in the comments.

This weeks Muffin Tin Meal theme was “Patriotic.” And since I’ve spent most of my life celebrating the 4th of July and only this year and last celebrating Canada Day I decided to go with a Canadian theme rather than a US theme. But…things didn’t work out so well.

I was going to make French toast shaped like maple leaves. But we were out of bread. So I tried doing maple leaf pieces of tortilla to dip in tzatziki sauce. I tried to make it red…but red food coloring and white sauce = pink. And tortillas don’t cut into shapes as nicely as bread does. {sigh}

The rest of the MTM consisted of plain yogurt sweetened with {Canadian} maple syrup and died red pink to make a Canadian flag, red cherries, and red fruit punch. It didn’t go as well as I hoped. Fortunately it was just for me so I’ve got no disappointed kiddos!

Check out the original post to see some truly amazing MTM’s. I looooove the one the Masked Mommy made!

This past week was an exciting one! On Wednesday I did my very last 30 Day Shred workout! I’m very happy with 30DS. I am stronger, leaner, and my endurance and confidence have increased. But I’m also glad to be moving on. 30 days works well because it’s long enough to see results, but not so long that the boredom kills you.

I’m on to training for my first 5K. I’ve registered for the Calgary Women’s Run which is in August. I am not looking forward to running in August heat. But I am looking forward to doing my first race! I began training on Thursday with a nice long walk/run on our new-to-us treadmill. My exercise was cut short by a hungry baby but it was still long and hard! The training continued on Friday with a loooooooong walk through the nearby coulee. I always enjoy this particular trail. The views and wildlife sightings are fantastic (see the pair of deer?)! Plus it’s very hilly so it’s quite challenging.

I was very sick on Saturday (I will spare you the details*) and that totally threw off my groove. It means I’m having to shift around some days in my training schedule. And I’m starting the strength training later than I wanted to by a few days. But such is life. I’ll still be on target for the overall training schedule. I’ve just had to switch my rest days for one week.

I also discovered this week that I’ve been eating healthy foods for so long now that I can’t handle junk the way I used to. Overly processed and super sugary foods just don’t agree with me anymore and I’ve lost the desire for {most of} them. Not even Oreo cookies appeal to me! I used to think that heating healthy would mean resisting temptation for the rest of my life. Boy, was I wrong! Given enough time a healthy diet turns previous temptations into disgusting prospects. That said, I don’t eat perfectly and I still like old fashioned goodies (like homemade cookies) on occasion.

This week my goal is simple, get back on track and keep the momentum going!

Be sure to check out the Body After Baby post on the host site (Mama Notes) for some tips on “accidental exercise.”

What kinds of things throw off your exercise routine? How do you deal with them?

*You can thank me later.