some things you just can't un-learn.

So, this was the "Get rid of all the old VHS tapes" weekend. We have 2 boxes full of this crap, and this weekend, I plowed through the first one.

I reviewed a total of 53 tapes, you know, just in case there were things we should hang on to like our wedding, episodes of The Tick, and of course, my 18th Birthday Debut, aka Nenette's Wedding with Herself. Seriously, I had attendants, The Dress, and the reception hall with a head table. There were 300 frickin' guests -- most of them my parents' friends. It was unreal! -- and all the while, I was wishing my parents had given me a trip to Europe instead. Or a car. Oh, a car made in Europe! With a cute European dude in it.

Anyway, on the much-delayed upside, Roomie just last week realized that he's married to a debutante. Yes, Mr. Scientist-guy/Runner/Enginerd, you married a debutante!  


Sunday morning whilst I was viewing said video tapes, Roomie shouted from the family room the most bizarre combination of words I'd heard from him in about 3.5 minutes a really long time: "Hey, honey, what's the name of that cat poop coffee, you know, the most expensive coffee in the world?"

Cat poop coffee?! Of course, I accused him of making it up because I'd never heard of it before, and well, I know everything because, dude, I'm on the Internets all the time.
And we all know the Internets knows all.

Well, I looked it up and simultaneously felt horrified, fascinated, and out-of-the-loop. Out-of-the-loop, because this coffee originates in South East Asia, where I was born so I should have at least heard about it. Fascinated, because let's face it, this is interesting new stuff to learn. And horrified, because this is coffee made from beans that come out of a cat's ass, people!

Really, hey, Mr. First-guy-who-thought-of-doing-this, were you so desperate to have your morning cup of joe that you saw this and thought "this would be tasty"?!

Anyway, I'd go on about this, but Horrified is beating the crap out of Fascinated. However, I will not stand in your way of learning something new, so go and read more about Kopi Luwak here.

Kinda makes me glad I don't drink coffee anymore. You know, just in case I find myself accidentally drinking this. Eek.


And of course, just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, Roomie walked into the room wearing my yoga pants, looking better in them than I ever have!

Oh, he doesn't have to use the drawstring like I do, and his inseam's longer (not by much though -- my height's all in my legs), but the dang thing looked like it was made for him.

Almost makes me want to go and take up running. Almost.

Good golly, I could use some coffee about now...

of bread boxes & blog headers... and a poll.

I own a breadbox. See?


Can you tell me whats so odd about my bread box? Go on, I'll give you a few minutes...

Give up? No? Okay, a few more minutes.

Now give up? If you guessed that the odd thing is that the bread is ON TOP of the box, you're absolutely right! Our bread box is empty!

We bought it two years ago after our then-cat Neo killed the mouse in our house. The thinking was that the bread box would protect our bread from any future critters.

Unfortunately, we didn't know how to use it! I'd put bread inside. Roomie would forget about it, pull another loaf from the freezer, and put it on top, not having opened the bread box door at all.
Meanwhile, we'd have a lovely rotting loaf of flax bread inside the box. Yum.

I'm thinking of ditching the box. I think we're better off without it.
How about you? Do you have a bread box? If not, why? How do you deal with your bread?

Let me know by filling in our latest poll over there on the sidebar!

Onward...

In the great words of the immortal Britney, "oops, I did it again." What? Changed my blog header. Why? Felt like it. And because I just can't seem to LEAVE MY BLOG DESIGN ALONE!!! It's a disease I tells ya. I wonder if there's a support group.

It used to look like...
And now it's...


So, what do you think? Too much? Not enough? Classy or Klassy? Lemme know!

funky diva.

sun dress

+ splash pants
+ winter Barbie boots
+ Mommy's new sunglasses
+ touque that Gramma knit for Daddy when he was 5yo
= funky diva

7 red things.

I've been tagged by my buddy Su at VivelyOnline. It's an awesome blog. Go and visit! Now! Okay, then, after you read this post.

Two simple rules:
- Post photos of 7 red things in your home.
- Tag 7 people to do the tag.

Okay, here's mine...

1: Iced Tall, Lite-Ice Passion Tea Lemonade
Mini's favourite Starbuck's drink. Must have raspberry syrup. Yum.


2: Hula Sarong
As a skirt, this is part of my summer "uniform". In the winter, I use it as a scarf. It's warmer than a normal scarf, covers more, and reminds me that summer isn't too far away.


3: Ruby earring
This stone in this setting is cut from my grandfather's ring. It was given to me as a very young child, so, of course, I lost one of them. I wear this one in the 2nd earring hole in my left earlobe. (I only have one earring hole in my right earlobe. Two in the left. Yeah, I'm a little lopsided. On purpose. Really.)


4: My Wallet
It's small, thin, and carries only the essentials. You know, like the pictures of my kids.



5: Box for Chinese Meditation Balls, or Baoding Balls
I really should use open this box and meditate sometime. It might make me more zen and capable of doing origami.


6: DS Lite - Mario Case
Hmm. At this angle, you don't even see the finger prints and chocolate smudges.


7: Red Diningroom Walls
This view is of the mirror on the West wall of the diningroom. It's reflecting the North wall and the bookshelf in the livingroom. Confused? Don't worry, I was confused a little the day after I took the picture, looked at it, then thought, "What the hell is this?"


Hey, that was fun! I now tag those who I suspect of being fellow-photomanicas: Cyndi, Sareli, Laura, Harmzie, Maria, Shai, & Zandra
Oh, I didn't tag you? Well, I didn't know you liked taking pictures, or I would've tagged you too!!! Anyway, please do this anyway! Come on... you know you wanna! :)

amazed at you. amazed at me.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. I appreciate you all so much for coming out and commenting on Delurker Day -- especially those who totally showed me their privates by not choosing Anonymous! Together we've raised $130 (includes Canadian Gov't matching) to help earthquake relief efforts in Haiti through the SOS Children's Villages' Haiti Emergency Appeal. Total warm fuzzies over here in LifeCandyland. Truth.

Full On Shredhead.

I am 1/5th done. That means I've completed Day 6. Yes, you didn't come here for a math lesson, but please bear with me, as I'm still about 3.14% enginerd. Mmmm... pi...

Anyway, yeah, The Shred. All is well, and my arms reattached themselves just fine, dear Albert! :) I'm only starting Day 7 today, and already, I can't say enough good things about this workout. Seriously. I love this one beyond all other workouts I've done. Ever. And I should know. I've done The Firm, various Kathy Smith tapes, pilates -- I even had the Jane Fonda workout from the 80s. On Betamax. Yes, I totally rocked the legwarmers and leotard.

But really, this workout has blown me away, and I...

... can't believe I've stuck to it this long.

... can't believe I still enjoy it. If anything, I think I love it more with each and every workout.

... can actually do push-ups. And if you know me, you know that I'd rather stab my right eye with a Nintendo DS Littlest Pet Shop stylus, much like this one, except the beagle with the pink hearts like the one my daughter has, than do a push-up.
Anyway, I do push-ups now.

... am stunned at how fast the 20 minutes go. Jillian has you constantly moving, constantly changing. "Oh, look at me doing jumping jacks. Lalala. What? Oh, crap, we're jumping rope! Wait, wait!..." Okay, it's not really like that, but it seriously never gets tedious.

... sweat. A lot. Because I'm actually strong enough to complete each exercise without "phoning it in", as Jillian would say.

... am hungry all the freakin' time! Seriously. This month's Sushi with Larry excursion was even more embarrassingly expensive than usual. Anyway, this hunger I'm told is a good sign. My body is building muscle. It needs fuel to do that. But it sucks because the needle on the scale isn't budging... and I'm too much of a chicken to pull out the measuring tape.

... have energy to spare! My mall-shopping mojo dies off way before my mall-walking mojo. It's unreal.

Okay, that should be it. Gotta go. Must shred...

Delurk for Haiti.

It's here! It's Delurker Day! It's the time of year where we bloggers beg harass threaten invite all of you, our dear readers to come out and say "hi!".

Whether you're new to this blog (welcome!), are a die-hard commenting fan, or are a die-hard fan but have always been too shy to say anything, please make your presence known!

You can let me know what you have planned for today, tell me which Life Candy post is your favourite, or just say "Yo!". It doesn't matter -- just do it!

And this year, to add some extra warm-fuzzies and do-goodness to Delurker Day, for every comment left on this post, I will donate $1 to relief efforts for the earthquake victims in Haiti.

Updated: Where will I be donating the money?
I will be giving the money to SOS Children's Village's Haiti Emergency Appeal. My family and I sponsor an SOS Children's Village in Cape Verde near Africa, and we are impressed with their efforts to help families and children worldwide. Any donation given to SOS Children's Village will be matched dollar for dollar by the Canadian Federal Government. So, that's where the money's going!

Want to really celebrate Delurker Day?! Then you totally need to visit the truly awesome blogs of the fabulous Rougie, AndreAnna, and Cass who are also donating to Haiti.

So, PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!! Tweet, comment, and blog! Tell everyone what we're doing for Delurker Day, and send them over. Let's do what we can to help.

Thanks to my girl Rougie at Chez Rougie for the fabulous 'Delurk for Haiti' idea, to Chris at Rude Cactus for the Delurker Day heads up, and to Aimee at Greeblemonkey for the lovely Delurk Day art.

she is crafty -- I am not.

1: What do you think this is?


Give up? Oh, you're not done laughing yet? Go ahead, I'll give you a few minutes. It took a long time for Roomie to regain his composure when he first saw it, so I understand.

Done? Okay. It's the cat's newest toy. Created by our resident craftswoman Mini. And having been made with $50 worth of materials, it's easily the most expensive cat toy Mittens has ever had. Or any cat has ever had. In the history of cat toys. Except for maybe the Queen's cat.

But you have to admit, my little girl is super creative and awesome. Yeah, I'm proud. And relieved, because she didn't get my non-craftiness.

Want to see how non-crafty I am? Read on.

2: Origami is Zen... except for me

Because I was still wondering if my stomach was suddenly going to lurch and make me suffer for any evils I may have done in a previous life, I spent most of Sunday sitting and doing nothing. Oh, wait, not nothing -- I was doing origami with Mini. See? We made this. Okay, I made this.


The squiggles are Mario, Luigi, and Peach. My kids are SO into Mario Party video games.

Now, I am a spaz. And I spent most of the time folding, cursing, unfolding, cursing, refolding, and you guessed it, cursing. It was very un-zen. And apparently, very dangerous...


Obviously, my daughter is WAY craftier than me. And ew, I need a manicure.

shred day 1: jillian is trying to kill me... and I think I like it.

Okay, I did it! Day 1 of the Shred, and I'm still alive. For now. Because Jillian Michaels, my new bff, is obviously out to get me. As well as all the people who have chosen to do her workout.

While my legs are noodles and my arms are buzzing, she's in her castle with her rock hard abs and chiseled arms, sipping red wine, eating non-fat/non-carb pavlova that Naked Henri -- her 5-star chef and hot former-Chippendale's dancer -- made for her, and giggling like a school girl over the fact that her Instrument of Destruction DVD is, at this moment, mowing down all the crazy unfit people in the world while she eats, drinks and watches her naked chef prance around in his nakedness. In her castle.

Seriously, my body is screaming at me to hunt down the lady who did this to me, but surprise, surprise, I'm actually looking forward to working out again tomorrow. Heh.

So, Jillian? Despite my snark, I -- and my soon-to-be rock hard abs -- adore you. Truth.

In other news...

1: My friend Sareli Deraj has featured me on her blog! If you want to know more about the Nenette you've all come to already know and love, you'll want to read this interview.

2: Mini lost 2 teeth! It was about time because her two adult teeth were already waiting just behind. See?

My baby's growing up!

yes, jillian michaels, you may now kick my ass.

My son actually told me that my Mii didn't look like me, because she was TOO SKINNY. Well, hell. He didn't say "Momma, you're fat", but dang, that was close enough.

So,because I obviously can't do it on my own, I've decided to call in the big guns. And by that, I mean the gorgeously evil lady of torture here. My new bff. Jillian Michaels.

Like several awesome bloggerinas have done, I've decided to do The 30 Day Shred.

Yes, folks, I'm a Shredhead! See?





And really, it's time I got my act together and got healthy.

Because I'm 40 years old...
Because both my parents have blood pressure problems that started in their 40s...
Because my last check-up turned up borderline high cholesterol...
Because I have every intention of being around long enough to see my grandchildren's graduations...

... and because I will wear a hot new bathing suit to the beach in July. Like this one...



... wheather I'm a svelte 20lbs-less or blobby like I am right now. And I DO NOT want to be mistaken for a beached whale.

Okay, to be an official Shredhead, Shred Maven Kristen asked for some public humiliation baseline sharing...

a) Before pictures: Because I don't own a workout bra to pose in, I can spare y'all from a horrifying picture of me that will burn your brain and scald your retinas. You can thank me later.

Instead, you'll get this...

When I'm healthy, my face, belly, and fingers are not puffy like that.

b) Starting weight: 136 lbs

c) Goal: to be better, stronger, faster... actually, 118lbs, 21% bodyfat, or a size 5, whichever comes first (aka, my healthy 2006 weight)

d) Diet Plan/Rules: nothing drastic, just common sense stuff...
- no dairy or sugars
- portion control
- more veggies/fruit
- more water

e) Shred Plan: starting level 1 on Monday, then everyday.

Oh, crap, what have I gotten myself into?...

210 calories

fried egg + steamed rice = happy nenette

even goddesses-to-be have to-do lists.

My latest Canada Moms Blog post has been picked up for syndication! It's my 3rd, folks, and I'm more than honoured for the hat trick. Go and check it out!

I love a new year. Don't you? It's a time to start anew, to begin again. And that's just what I'm doing, because last year, I made 5 resolutions, and got none of them done. It just makes me want to scream or eat a lot of chocolate. So I did. Both.

Now, it's 2010! And folks, this is THE year. Really, I totally feel it. It's the year I finally step up and become Goddess. You know, claim my rightful title. Some people are Captain, Sargent, Doctor -- I'm Goddess. Tada!

Okay, The Goddess Nenette lives a pretty damn awesome life, so to be her, I totally have to get my shit together. That means work, and lots of it. No time to lose.

Here's my To-Do List of 2010. The central theme is Health and Simplicity. Check it out...

1: Get down to and maintain a healthy 118lbs -- like I did in 2006 -- and get into a new little bathing suit by July. How? More exercise, less crap food. You know, the simple basics.

2: Make a control journal or home management notebook to organize the hell out of my life -- and maybe my floors can get washed more often than once every couple of months.

3: Cut down on my number of commitments, including the number of blogs I write for. Just streamlining the brainfarts.

4: Spend more time playing with the family. And if I'm really lucky, avoid getting my ass kicked by them at all Wii Sports Resort games once in a while.

5: Go pro by September. So, I can make more money without having to get dressed. In outside clothes, and out of my pajamas. Sheesh, I meant problogging, people! Whatever else could I have meant?

6: Get to sleep by 9:30pm, because I always wake up at 6:30am no matter what time I go to bed. Totally sucks when I go to bed at 2am.

7: Go out for dinner with my pretend boyfriend Gerard Butler, dazzle him with my beauty and wit, and despite all his begging, refuse to run away with him. I obviously can't seem to let this one go.

8: Finish current home reno projects in the livingroom, diningroom, bathroom, and familyroom, so I can entertain friends for a change, instead of the other way around ALL THE FREAKIN' TIME!

9: Grow out my hair. (Check this one month progress!)

BEFORE - Dec 2, 2009

AFTER - January 2, 2010

Okay, those are my goals. I'll be writing about them in the future especially about my fitness plan. That bad boy's the big one!

How about you? What are you're projects/goals for 2010?