last year, in a galaxy not so far away...

My camera's been hijacked by a cute little boy who's been making his own films. (Sorry, I've been sworn to secrecy. For now.) So, you're stuck with other cool stuff by me, while you patiently wait for Ask Nenette - Part 2!

1: I've written another post for Canada Moms! Please head over there, find out how I won't be losing weight anytime soon, and leave me some love!

2: Many of you have asked what my kids will be wearing for Halloween this year. I'm again sworn to secrecy, so I present to you the photo of the kids from last year: Queen Amidala and her son Luke Skywalker...


May the Force be with you...

because I am a girl

Because I Am A GirlIt's all about girl-power, people!

And when you're a girl growing up in Canada, you KNOW you have the power to achieve greatness and affect change in your homes and in your communities. I knew that as a budding then practicing female engineer, and I still know that today as a mom of a brilliant girl of my own.

But how about the girls in the poorest regions of our planet? Surely, they have the ability to do great things if given the opportunity.

This is where Plan Canada, and their 2009 series Because I am a Girl, comes in.
Plan Canada is filming a documentary across Canada, capturing the experiences of teens, tweens, young girls and their inspirations in an effort to raise awareness of and fight gender inequality all over the world. These experiences will be captured and replayed as a documentary to be released in Spring 2010.

I ask my fellow Winnipeggers to participate. The next public filming will be:

Tuesday, October 27th: Portage Place Shopping Centre, 3:00 – 5:30 pm

(Please note that you will need a consent form.)

Can't make it to the filming? Here are other ways to support...

1: Become a Because I am a Girl Fan on Facebook.
2: Become a Plan Canada Fan on Facebook.
3: Follow Plan Canada on Twitter.
4: Check out and subscribe to Plan Canada's videos on YouTube and Because I am a Girl pictures on Flickr.
5: Have a blog or a website? Put up a badge like the lovely one up at the top of this post.
6: Track the Because I am a Girl Caravan on Google Maps.
7: Donate.

Please take part in any way you can. And if you do make it to the filming, tell them Life Candy sent you! :)

random bits 04

Okay, I'm sorry, this isn't my Ask Nenette - Part 2 vlog. No, don't worry, my kids aren't sick. It's the camera. It's actually at the opposite end of the city. Roomie and Lam went to a party last weekend and forgot the camera there, along with Lam's "Hawaii" hat.

So, seeing as we won't be getting it until this afternoon, you're getting this...
  • I had the most lovely experience of getting a box of cookies from an awesome girlfriend -- pictures of "the big opening" (yup, Rougie, it still sound perverted) to come.
  • I've been drinking more coffee lately thanks to the stupid VIA sticks from Starbucks. As annoying as the commercials are, they don't lie. I really can't tell the difference between this stuff and the brewed stuff. And now, I'm hooked. DAMMIT!Oh, and because I can't drink coffee black, I've been having more dairy too. Stupid dairy.
  • Because the camera's in North Kildonan, I've resorted to using our older digital camera. Which sucks because I don't know how to download the pictures from this thing anymore.*

    I have to wait for Roomie to do it for me. I'm once again reminded of how dependent I am on him to download my pictures, repair major appliances, maintain our network of computers (don't let the fact that I'm an enginerd fool you -- I haven't even tried to figure out how Roomie's wired this place), reach high cupboards, and so many more things above and beyond the hot monkey lovin'.
    So, yeah, Roomie is not allowed to leave me for Jessica Alba.
  • I've been waking up to this kind of morning -- thanks to high pressure systems bringing sunny, yet FRACKIN' COLD days...

  • My Freebie List has changed a teensy bit. Check it out on my sidebar.
  • I've written yet still have to upload my latest Canada Moms Blog post. Stay tuned.
  • Mittens' relationship with her boyfriend Buddy has turned somewhat "love/hate". He loves -- She hates. He's always skulking around in our yard looking for her. If she isn't outside hissing at him, she's inside coldly gazing at him from across the glass.


    To demonstrate his love, he's even climbed on our garage roof to do this:


    Her response? Desperate mowing and clawing to get outside.
    To hiss at him. Weirdo.
* - Which was my fault, because last summer, when I was doing some template redesign, I did some testing on IE (I prefer to use FF), and managed to download the digital equivalent of VD onto my desktop computer. Which prompted us to go from Windows XP to Ubuntu, which also rendered the program to download pictures unusable. Yes, I rawk.

ask nenette: video #1

I know, I know, it's late! But hey, here it is! Finally!

I asked you to ask me anything -- and now I'm answering.
I woke up super-early to film it to avoid any interruption or disturbance from my little ones. So, please excuse my messy hair and gramma sweater. (It's so comfy!) I brushed my teeth, so I actually wished we had smell-o-vision. (Yes, I was minty fresh!)
And I put on some lipstick. Just for you, folks. It's all for you.

If you're having trouble seeing it here, you can watch it on YouTube.
And it may sound like I have a lisp. I don't. Just telling you now. Oh, and -- holy cow!!! -- my teeth look white!
Anyway, enjoy! :)



Thanks to Jessica, Snowbear, Mae, and WylieKat for their questions in this installment! xo

so thankful...

... for my beautiful, clever children, and their squishy hugs and slobbery kisses.

... that, despite the fact that my son has a cold, it's just a cold -- nothing worse.

... for awesome hand-me-downs that turn into Dancy-Dance dresses for my daughter.


... for my handsome, funny, and loving scientist-guy husband, who still thinks I'm hot enough to keep perving me at every opportunity.

... for non-fat caramel macchiatos from Starbucks, double-doubles from Tim's, mocha-on-chocolate cupcakes from the Cupcakery, and prawn & papaya salad from Wasabi Sabi.

... for the working dishwasher, washing machine, and garage door opener all of which were broken this time last year (and had been broken for over a year!)

... for the furnace that we turned on sooner than normal because -- OMG!!! -- it went straight from Summer to frickin' cold Winter totally by-passing Fall, you know, like on Monty Python & the Holy Grail right after they ate Brave Sir Robin's minstrels. (Check out the still green leaves on the trees!!!)


... for my RL friends and my online friends, who all make me feel smart, cute, spunky , hot, and not just a former axolotl tank -- but who's apparently still a super sci-fi nerd.

... for the family glazed ham recipe that saves me from ruining making turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter.

... for Dracula 2000, Timeline, Beowulf & Grendel, The Phantom of the Opera, and 300 -- the movies of my pretend boyfriend Gerard Butler that I've seen. Yes, I should see more of his movies. No, I'm not a very good pretend girlfriend.

... for the hula -- kahiko, which I love to watch, and 'auana, which I love to teach.

... for blogging, so I can subject all of my awesome Life Candy friends to my incessant brain farts fun stories and ideas.

... for online shopping, so I don't have to go to the malls and deal with crowds, because apparently, according to Roomie, I don't like people.

... for modern technology that allows my two nerd-boys to hang out at Starbucks and have some father/son bonding.


... for NewsRadio, 'Allo 'Allo, Friends, and WKRP in Cincinnati on VHS & DVD, for the times my son and I get sick and need something better to watch other than typical annoying daytime tv.

... for bacon.

... for SO MUCH MORE!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from me to you!
xoxo

Blogoversary Day 4: This Year's Faves

"Hey, where's the Q+A?!" you might be asking. Sorry, folks, my son is sick, so you'll have to wait until after this long weekend -- Gotta love Canadian Thanksgiving! So, meanwhile I present to you my list of LC faves of year 2...

I had a hard time deciding on my Top 10 favourite Life Candy posts. Really, they're all jems. Of course, right? So, I had to bump it up to 15.

Of the 171 posts I wrote over the past year, these 15 make me smile a whole lot more. Don't ask why. I can't really say. Anyway, here they are in the order they were published...

1: A Special Announcement

2: She's a Genius -- She clearly takes after Me.

3: Gettin' Busy in the Livingroom.

4: how does he come up with these things?

5: when lessons in table manners go curiously out of control

6: potluck, pals, and pillow fights

7: teaparties at my house are *always* this fun...

8: my f*ck it list - because life's too short to do everything.

9: the 2nd annual freebie list - who's on your list in 2009?

10: PSAs: Because you won't like me when I'm stabby

11: a barbeque with loved ones through the haze of pina colada

12: it's been 9 years? already?! wow!

13: mini's review from the land of lemonade...

14: 20 things I want you to know.

15: Q & A : the photographic interview

Do you have a favourite Life Candy post?

Blogoversary Day 3: That's What You Said.

Due to Mommyhood stepping in and throwing me a schedule-slashing neck punch, I didn't get a chance to do the Question/Answer vlog post I promised for today. (Thank you so much for your questions!) I'll be working on it today/tomorrow.
Instead, you will now get the post I had scheduled for Day 4, which of course is awesome too! Thanks for your patience...


You guys are funny! Here are some of my reader's comments from this past year that made me, you know, *LOL*... (in no particular order)...

"Why are poptarts on this list? it should be deleted and replaced it with 'greasy kitchen dust-bunnies' I mean I'm not (totally) against their existence (I've had them when I was a teenager & more easily influenced by the pull of 'buy this & you'll be as cool as they are'), but they shouldn't be on a list of *desserts*. Even jello isn't haute couture, but it is a dessert."
- Harmzie from The Sweet 100

"Thumbs up to all your sci-fi lovin. :-D But metal roofing? Really? That's just odd. *lol*
Also, you forgot to put boobs on your list. :-P Unless 'metal roofing' is another way of saying boobs."
- Snowbear from the list of things that I think are totally the tits

"!!! Bloody hell! Now I have another raving loony friend with a blog to follow!?! Don't you people ever stop talking?
:-)"
- Albert Bannatyne from Chop, Chop, Chop...

"That's exactly the time I hit saturation point, as well. We snacked on salad last night. By choice. As a snack. Salad.
It cannot get stranger than this."
- Wyliekat from so, self-indulgence *does* have its limits.

"I wear my tiara at least three times a week. Isn't that normal?"
- Country Girl/Rougie from we're all about the decadence.

"She's lying. The photo is blurry because it was a pillow fight. That's how they go.
Seriously, before I went out, I asked Max: "How do I look? Do I look good enough to hit with a pillow?" he said: "yes, you're pillow-worthy" (bad Seinfeld reference there, if you caught it)"
- Harmzie from potlucks, pals, and pillow fights.

"you can have mr.ferguson, I'll take the small gangster bondage guy."
- zandra from I luuuuuuuu Craig Ferguson -- and so do you...

"I licked my sister under your bed because that's how I roll.
Dang. How is it that everyone else came up with cute and funny, and I ended up with pervy and unsettling?"
- Wyliekat from not a meme for the weekend. really, it's not. sorta.

"... your ass IS hot. Get over it. It's all I can do to not touch it. Sometimes I fail. (Not that there's anything wrong with that) (Unless you think so) (But you seem to giggle) (school girl)"
- Harmzie from unfinished projects including my un-hot ass

"When you said to ask you anything, my mind went immediately into the gutter. It did not pass go, it did not collect $200.00."
- Paul Johns from random quickies 03

Thanks for the giggles, guys! Here's to even more giggles in Year 3. :)
xo

Blogoversary Day 2: A Look Back

Okay, it's your last chance to *Ask Nenette Anything*! I'll be working on the answers tomorrow, so be sure to get your questions to me by tonight. Email or comment.

So, holy crap, it's been another year! I can't believe it. And a lot has happened over the last 365 days (it isn't a leap year, is it? no? okay, good). Since it's my blogoversary, I hope you'll forgive me for a wee bit o' bragging... okay, a lot of bragging. I've linked out some lovin' as a thanks to those who helped make my year such a special one.

Since last October, I...

Okay, enough tooting my own horn. If you've read this far, thanks for listening me brag like a proud mama. It's been a good year, and a great deal of that I owe to you. Thanks for coming to read me every time I give birth to a new post, for participating through your comments and emails, and for thumbing up, retweeting, or just letting friends know about Life Candy.

You all rock! xo

Welcome to Life Candy's 2nd Blogoversary Extravaganza!!!

Look at this picture of my little girl on her 2nd birthday -- I know, SO ADORABLE!!!

This week...

Life Candy turns 2!!!

Does my blog look anywhere as cute as Mini? Pfft, of course not, but we're still SO excited!

Yay! I'm going to party all week, and I'm taking you with me!

We'll be looking back over our 2nd year at the awesome new (and old) friends, the "OMG!" events, my favourite posts, the comments that made this blogging thing all worth it, and so much more!

So, be sure to tune in everyday this week, and join in the fun and festivities!  xo

Recap...
Day 2: A Look Back
Day 3: That's What You Said (aka My Favourite Comments from You)
Day 4: This Year's Faves (aka My Favourite Posts... from Me)

sabotage.

Just a reminder that next week's Life Candy 2nd Blogoversary Extravaganza Week will feature an *Everything You Wanted To Know About Nenette* post. So, if you want to know something about me or want to know my thoughts on something, be sure to leave your questions in the comments here, or email me. Deadline October 6.

Okay, I turn 40 in just over a month, which means I have 4 weeks to meet all of my "Before I Turn 40" goals, which include run a marathon, learn Spanish, take singing lessons, have a portrait of myself painted... and...

... oh, yeah, wear a bikini at the beach.

Bahahaha! Wait, let me finish laughing before I go on... Ahem. Alright, I'm fine now.

Okay, that's NOT going to happen anytime soon. And not for the lack of trying, because I've tried, and tried, and tried!

I've fallen off the wagon so many times my ass is covered in gravel, horse-poop, and road kill. And do you have any idea how hard it is to wash that crap off?! It stays stuck on you, as a constant reminder of how much you look like Jabba the Hutt in Return of the Jedi, when he was too much of a fat bastard to walk on his own, and had to have his minions shuttle him everywhere. Yeah, like that!

I've gained about 20 lbs. since 2006, Halloween 2006 to be exact. Damn you, Kit Kat and Coffee Crisp "Minis", and your ability to deceive me with your tiny size and claims of "oh, I'm only 80 calories -- you can have as many of me as you want and stay teeny tiny :D"!

And that was just the beginning. Since then, there've been...

Starbucks' Mocha Frappucinos/Tim Horton's Iced Capps

When summer finally decided to come to town in September, this was the only thing that cooled me off. My usual favourite -- Iced Tall Light-Iced Green Tea Lemonade -- just didn't cut it.

This was sweet, tasty, and cool. And something I'm going to have to kill off drastically. Cold turkey. Gradual is not going to cut it.

FYI I actually prefer Iced Capps... made with CREAM! Take that, remaining cholesterol-free arteries!

The Cupcakery Cupcakes

I'm addicted. This last time I ended up with a dozen minis, a half-dozen regular, and a dozen day-old minis that we got for 25% and tasted JUST AS AWESOME!!!
But in all seriousness, I should just stick to the dozen fresh minis.
DAMMIT. Okay, a half dozen minis. And at least one of them has to be mocha.

Chocolate/Vanilla Swirl Soft Ice Cream

Ignore the cute little girl eyes at the bottom of the picture. I know, she's distracting. And she couldn't eat all of her ice cream. So I finished it for her.

We had this almost every day during our camping trip. They had a concession stand in a fort near the beach and campsites, so it was an easy walk over from our tent.
And now, I'm frickin' addicted.

Eating As Much As My Husband

I am not a 6' tall man who runs 5km twice a week. So, why do I constantly eat like one?
At our house, we have the "adult" portion size, and we have the "kids" portion size. Apparently, the "adult" size is enough to feed a tree.

If I want to be a slim 5'4" tall woman who practices yoga 2-3 times a week, I need to eat like a... well, YKWIM.

Treat Day

Frickin' day of enabling every single vice I have. It's the "eat whatever crap you want as long as you've eaten healthy the rest of the week" day. I usually end up ignoring the fact that I've eaten a few bad things the past week and eat whatever sugar I can get my hands on. Like this Skor bar, which I didn't really eat before until I had a Skor Blizzard at Dairy Queen.

Ya, it's like I'm a frickin' humming bird.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Remember this? Rougie said this was food porn. And yes. Yes, she's right. It's making me want, people.
Frankly, I want to just take the sandwich in this picture and slather it all over myself. And I'm only a little bit kidding.

As soon as I finish this post, I'll be making myself one of these.

And that's happening... now.

Yes, folks, I got some work to do...