Twitter has changed me

I am very blessed to have such an amazing circle of people that I connect, engage and interact with on Twitter. In fact it's not one circle it's many interconnecting circles. I have a circle of local people I know, people I've met at "tweet-ups", people I follow strictly for entrainment, a handful or celebs I follow, the PPD Army (women who have or survived Post-Partum depression, my cancer circle, my thyroid peeps and my thyroid cancer friends. Of course these are just a handful of the circles there are many other more subtle ones and some people fall into more than one of these categories.

Twitter has brought me many things, but none more important than friendship and an understanding my who I am at the core. It's brought me people who have helped me, knowingly or otherwise. It's brought me a lot of laughs and even some tears.

When I can't sleep I can turn to the #ZombieMoms who will keep me company.

When I need a laugh I'll usually get one from a "cancer-girl", a "sly pig", someone who's "evolved" or someone "quirky" or some sage advice from an "old baker" perhaps even some words of wisdom from an "Auntie", or guidance from someone who "whispers at souls" it's there 100%

I don't even have to ask for it, it's already right there in my twitter stream.

Because of Twitter I met a woman who invited me to be on her TV show, forcing me out of a nearly 2 year hiding. Once meeting her and the others that day I felt alive again, after dealing with my cancer for so long and hiding behind it for nearly as long. Those women were kind, endearing and above all very very encouraging and inspiring. They were people I needed to get back to living. I am thankful because now I am living and enjoying life more than I ever have.

Twitter has allowed me to witness many amazing things such as the outpouring of love and the pulling together to raise funds when a twitter friend and her husband lost their son. We in a way, went through that with them. To this day I will never see Elmo without thinking of their family and how much their son loved him. I always smile a slightly sad smile. Collectively the many people who know them online or in real life, pulled together to help them raise money for Zach's Dream Room. Thanks to the a remarkable little boy and his inspirational family along with the social media masses, word of this story spread like wild fire! The goal, originally set at $25 000 seemed very ambitious to me. Imagine the overwhelming joy that was felt as that goal was reached and the goal was increased to $35 000. Currently they have broken that goal, and are over $40 000.

When a friend recently lost her husband the compassion was phenomenal. Her anger and confusion over why he was stolen from her resulted in some very emotional tweets and we returned with the most thoughtful messages of reassurance, encouragement and sympathy. Once again reminding me of how strong a community of social people can be when focused on the same cause.

A member of the PPD Army was recently hospitalized and upon learning of this flowers were sent to let her know she was not alone. She had a whole army of people pulling for her to get well. Once again the reminders of how important she is and how much she is wanted and needed was amazing. She is out of the hospital now and working through things but she's not doing it alone, she hasn't been forgotten as old news. People are still rooting for her and sending their beautiful tweets to her.

What it all boils down to is that one tweet CAN change the world, or make a huge difference in someone's life. I think you get the idea. If you are not on Twitter this might help you to see why so many of us are, and how we've found relationships. The only downside I have is the fact I didn't sign up sooner.

In the next couple of weeks I'll be celebrating my 1000th follower. For me that's HUGE!

If you are on Twitter and would like to follow me click here: @hippofatamus

New gadget!

I want to introduce you to someone I follow on Twitter @BalanceMyLife and the woman I was tweeting with was Kenda, but the trio of ladies (Kenda, Kelly & Kerry) have got a pretty cool thing going on over at Balance My Life. Two main things I love about the site are; 1, they are Canadian! Yay! and 2, they are not just telling you how to balance your life, they are right there with you doing their best to balance their own lives and sharing there tips, and tricks with you! Plus in addition to that they have specific sections on there site including LIve, Work & Family! But wait! There's more! They also have a section dedicated to Events and one for some amazing contests!

Speaking of contests let me get to my point of this post. About a month ago I clicked to follow them on twitter and at the time they were running a contest to celebrate 2000 followers! I know right? Holy smokes! That's a lot of followers, proving they're clearly doing something that people love. It turned out that I was the 2000th folloer and had won a prize! I was pretty excited to find out the prize was a Kobo e-reader!!

Last year when they first launched I was in line to buy one for my Dad for Father's Day. After my dad was diagnosed with severe carpel tunnel and trigger finger, making it difficult to hold a book, and almost impossible to flip a page. He has always had a strong love of learning through reading so my sister and I decided it would be the perfect gift. But it was so perfect that after I opened it, charged it and set it all up for him it pained me to put it back in the box, wrap it up and give it away! Secretly I wanted one too but one was not in the budget for me.

Now, thanks to these ladies I have one! It's beyond easy! Even getting a book into it is is a breeze. Right now I started out with one book. "The Help by Katherine Stockett. I'm still reading it and really enjoying it. Though now I have a few more lined up for when I finish it!

Wanna see this beautiful gadget?

The comfort food continues

Now that some chilly weather has hit us I am really feeling like the heart warming kind of meals that everyone craves when it's cold outside. Yesterday was a "Hearty Chili" that is perfect as a vegetarian chili, but we add a pound of lean ground beef to it.

Today it was a flattened chicken rubbed with herbs, and roasted on a rack in a pan with baby carrots and baby red potatoes. Roo was home when I was getting it ready so she was my little kitchen helper and I must say it was a blast! She's learning to love food, and is more willing to try new things if she's had a hand in making it. She thought this chicken was "adorable" because when flattened out well the breasts resembled a heart shape!! She's so girly!

I was super excited to be serving from a platter at the table. A good old fashioned family dinner! Imagine how my head spun around and I lost it on my son after he announced he wasn't joining us for dinner since he wasn't hungry. What?? How in the heck is THAT possible?? He's a 6 foot tall, growing 14 year old who is constantly eating or asking to be fed! When he kept going on about not being hungry I caved, but only a bit. I told him he didn't have to eat, but he did HAVE to join us at the table. Love having myself a frustratingly typical teen.

So, since I know this is a visual world we live in, how about some photos.

Flattened chicken and veggies all ready for the "sauna"

Roo posing with the dinner she helped to make!

Our final product! Roasted chicken and veggies, wild rice and stuffing (yup, it's Stove Top in case you were wondering!)

Roo anxious to get some on her plate!

Reviews from the family:

Roo: "yummy, I love my heart chicken!!!"

Hubs: "This is great, and I even like the rice. Hope there's enough left for lunch tomorrow."

Aussie: "Mind if I take some more, it really *is* good!"

You see, my son, who claimed not to be hungry just didn't think he'd like it and he was sitting there with no food staring at ours. Hubs made him try a bite at that was the end of the "hunger strike" He heaped up that plate with everything but the rice. He still wouldn't try it.

It was another successful family dinner in our household!

Comfort Food

Dang, it's c-c-c-cold outside! And with the sudden drop in temperature I am feeling like jumping full swing into hearty comfort food. One of the things I love most about Autumn are the dinners I make!

This is what's for dinner in my house. Or course I took a small sample for lunch!






Hearty Vegetarian Chili

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 cup chopped sweet green pepper3/4 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tblspn chili powder
1 1/2 cup quartered mushrooms (I don't add them... ewww)
1 cup cubed zucchini
2 can tomatoes (28 oz), undrained
1 can (19 oz) 3 bean mix
1 can (19 oz) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (12 oz) kernel corn
1 can tomato paste
1 tblspn ground cumin
1 1/2 tspn dried oregano
1 1/2 tspn dried basil
1/2 tspn cayanne pepper (or to taste)


Spray a large saucepan with non-stick spray. Add onions, green and red peppers, celerey, carrots, garlic and chili powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until vegetables are softened (about 5-6 minutes)

Add mushrooms and zucchini. Cook and stir for 4 more minutes. Add tomatos, rinsed beans, rinsed chickpeas, corn, cumin, oregano, basil, tomatoe paste and cayane pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You can also add cooked ground turkey,chicken or extra-lean ground beef (both drained of fat before adding) if you want a meat version. I personally add 1 pound of extra-lean ground beef.

If you try it, let me know what you think!

A new look

Today I have spent some time cleaning up the look of my blog. The design I had prior was all about eye candy, bright colours and whimsy. Have a look in case you don't remember (You had seen it right?)

I wanted to tone it down a bit without loosing beauty. I have selected a few designs I really like and decided to start with this one.

I'd really like your feedback, and feel free to be honest. I'm trying to make it nice to look at for my readers and me since I look at it often.

Did you like the old one?
Do you like the new one?
Do you think both are a complete miss?

So excited to share!

I have huge news! I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. Let me just get it over with:

"She's Connected" is an exclusive conference with Canada's 200 top digitally connected women, and brands who want to connect with them. Some of you may have heard of it and other are probably thinking "huh?". This conference is a really big deal to me. I have so much to learn from the amazing section of women I have been chosen with. I also have lots to share with them. This is not a conference you can easily buy your way into by purchasing a ticket. It is invite only, and I am humbled to have been grouped among women of this caliber. The speakers are amazing this year with my personal favorite being Celebrity Chef Christine Cushing she truly is "Fearless" in the kitchen. I could learn a thing or two from her. 

Ok, I could really go on and on about this, but suffice it to say; this conference is important, it's a huge event and I still can't believe I was selected!!

For more info on the conference click here: She's Connected

Now I have to figure out what I will wear! Anyone wanna help me come up with conference outfits for a plus size woman??

Just some updates...

So in the last while we've had some changes.

Aussie has graduated from middle school. He'll be moving to high school in September. I closed my eyes for what seems like a short moment and somewhere along the way he grew up on me. Did I mention he started his first summer job? He loves it! Finally feels a sense of freedom and responsibility to people other than family.

The soon to be grad!

Getting his diploma

One last shot in front of the "old" school

His grad cake made by my friend Laura, and his gift- a money tree.

How about a very rare photo of the two of them together? They happen but not very often! She had just given him his graduation card that she coloured on her own!

So now on to Roo, not much has changed with her. At least not in terms of the major changes Aussie has gone through, though she has changed in her own right. She's getting bigger, more beautiful and is becoming a wonderful little lady. Here is an update in photos.

Just a cute grin!

Captured on the trampoline

A post-haircut collage, complete with silly pose!

She may be cute but she's also secretly a nerd!

Sweet Seconds with Roo - Spring Shopping

Well I hit up a fairly new second hand shop in town. It's called Toys n' Style and believe me when I say the clothing is top notch. I didn't find much that was out of style. Most of the clothes seemed to be in great condition and very reasonably priced. I hope that doesn't change.

Anyway, my fashionista was VERY happy with our finds, and more than willing to do a fashion show!

She got all this and much more for under $50. SO if you are local check them out. They can be found on Facebook here; https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toysnstyle/109976895734607

and on their website here: http://www.toysnstyle.com

Sweet Seconds Tokyo Fashion edition

I love shopping but I don't love spending! So when I find a pricey look that I love, I try to recreate it from second hand shops or clearance bargains!

This is the look I saw online and wanted to recreate for Roo. With the turtleneck, the cardi, the dress and tights the outfit was a buget busting $178:

Only since Roo is only 3 I wanted to go for a slightly more fun and sassy version, and lose the romantic feel of the pink turtle neck and add maybe a black bolero, instead of a white cardi:

This is the look we came up with for a cool $13:

Leggings: Second Hand $2.00

Dress: Second Hand $6.00

Boots: Walmart Clearance $5.00

I can feel it

After dealing with having cancer for nearly 2 years, and losing my zest for life I am finally starting to see that I'm on my way back! I have interest again! Not necessarily in anything specific just in being alive in general. During my illness (which you can read about here: It's NOT the Good Kind), I had a complete loss of interest in everything. I know how this sounds, but yes, I even lost interest in my social life, my children and even just being alive. I guess I just kind of gave up everything to focus on having cancer. Not beating it, just having it. My life got very dark and meaningless. I pulled myself out of bed each morning out of obligation. I had kids, I had things I HAD to do, but when the day was done and my family was asleep, I let go and cry, ALL the time. I felt sorry for myself, felt sad for my kids and how confusing it all is for them, took pitty on my friends who were already very busy and were now making meals, taking me to appointments, babysitting for me and spending their time worrying about me. I wrote letters to loved ones telling them things I wanted them to know in the event I would die. I thought about all the things I hadn't yet done that I wish I could have, and turned it into a list of things I should have done.

So for me to look at the past couple of months I can recognize the signs. I AM WINNING! Not in the crazy-ass Charlie Sheen kind of way, but in the way that tells me and people around me I am on my way back. I am no longer just a cancer patient, I am still working on kicking cancer, but My Dr's have told me I am almost a sure thing now! Tests are showing only trace amounts and it's looking really good that I will be better soon! I had treatment scheduled for March, due to a medication shortage of one of the drugs I require, I've been pushed back to July but after that I am hoping to hear the words I've been fighting for! Cancer Free!

Remember that list I mentioned? Well, it's now been retitled. It's now called "Things worth living for" and include so many amazing things! Some as silly as make mud pies and jump in puddles with Roo & give dating advice to Aussie, but it also has big ones, like start a business, change up my style to find a new "look", speak in public, go back to school and beat cancer!

How do I know I am bouncing back? I see it in my interest in looking forward. In recognizing I have a future to plan for now! I am getting up and caring how I look, I am on the floor playing like a fool with my toddler- "Roo", I am talking about College options with my teen- Aussie and not just for him, but for ME too! We're both going!

Speaking of school, I never graduated from high school (read about it HERE) it was a sore spot for me, but I made the decision to go back and get my diploma (this is on my list!). Take something that bothered me and rectify it. This is another sign that the old me is returning (or perhaps a new version of the old me is currently evolving). I have spent the past couple of years relinquishing all responsibility for making decision to "Hubs". I think I shocked my family by working this one out and making the decision completely on my own.

The final tip that I know I am bouncing back, is that I am actively seeking like minded people to surround myself with. How can I not become great if I am surrounded by it constantly! My friends are great, I've told them a million times over. The ones who stayed with me without wavering their love and loyalty will forever be the people I draw strength from. Plus I am allowing myself to meet new people with their own amazing stories of success. Surely it's bound to rub off right? They say that positivity is infectious, so I wanna catch it! I think I already have! Can you tell?

I might have cancer, but I've NEVER been more alive!

Oh No I ditn't....

Yup sorry!

YOU

have just been Rick Roll'd

hehehehehe

Girls Day!!!

Today hubs and Aussie went to the Auto Show and that left Miss Roo and I to our own girlie devices! Yay! So we started out at Cora's for a yummy breakfast! Thanks to Laurel of Opti-Mom fame, for the suggestion!

It was PERFECT!

Then we hit up !ndigo so Roo could indulge in some retail therapy! She got a gift card from our friends for her birthday and was excited that it meant a trip to the book store.

She chose these books:

And in honour of the fact it was a birthday gift she also chose this one!

Then We were off to the mall. It (as always it was mostly a bust). I did however decide to check out Payless to see if they had anything pretty on sale. I found no shoes I really liked but did find a nice handbag. It was on sale for $19.99. Score! No picture of it because it was on clearance but Roo got this:

Then at the recommendation of a another friend we went to Penningtons, where they had a huge sale on. I did very very well I must say!

I got this casual shirt . It's very very comfy! $5.00

I got this really cute Ity tank top with ruffle $5.00

And I got this really cute 3/4 lenth cardi to go with the above tank $10

I got a great jewlery set complete with a necklace and earrings to go with the about outfit for $10 on a BOGO sale:

I got this really cool necklace it was FREE thanks to the other set I bought:

I got a couple other shirts though I was unable to find photos for them. They were both $5

It was a really terrific day with Roo and now the guys are home so we're about to relax as a family to watch a movie and enjoy a late dinner to be delivered  from Swiss Chalet! No cooking and very little cleanup on this Family Day weekend!

As promised

.

(albeit, a day late)
Remember this post about having a big secret?

Here is my big secret...

I DID NOT FINISH SCHOOL. So who cares right!? Lots of people didn't finish college or university right! I am like a lot of people!!!! Ok well let me start again:

I DID NOT FINISH HIGH SCHOOL. Yeah that got ya by surprise didn't it. You're horrified and shocked, right? Well I have told only a small number of people what this secret was. I had one guys jaw literally drop and his eyes got huge, in manner I've not seen in a while. Kinda like this:

Yeah, nice reaction buddy! I know he's gonna read this and swear he was cool with it, and maybe he is now but in the moment it was pure monkey shock and awe!

I mentioned it over coffee to a couple of close friends. One didn't have much to say, but I know that it was a surprise, and I also know she'll still love me anyway. The other one actually had guessed that that was my secret and since I trust her I felt confident that it wouldn't be a problem. After all my truest of friends won't care that I am not University educated in the art of friendship.

Getting past that, now what? Well I was faced with a few options.
1.) Do nothing and keep hiding my shame, go through life as I always have (suffering with a case of the "dumbs")
2.) Get my GED and be done with it. After all I get one of these that says I'm equal to a graduate
3.) Tackle the embarassment head on and GO BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL. What the f*ck? Did I just say that? Yup. It's an option right?

So what do you think I did? I chose option #3, yup the hard option. The one that will have me finish high school properly. I'll even get a cap & gown ceremony at a real high school (my son's high school actually.. can you say AWE-SOME! I can but her likely won't. Wonder how he'll feel when I tell him I'm deferring receipt of my diploma to 2015 so we can formally graduate on the SAME day!!) Yup I am the parent of the year, folks, did you ever doubt it? OK well you should have because after googling for an image of what that certificate would look like I learned that there isn't one. Ha! Jokes on me. I guess I thought it was real, because... well... I'm dumb. I have already proven that in my admission to bein a high school drop out. Are you following me still?

All joking aside. I am going back to school. I am doing it for me. I am proud of my decision. I hope my son will be proud of me too, and the secret shame he feels of having a drop out for a mom will be gone soon.

So now you know!! It's all out there! Now I need to enjoy my last few days of being a lady of leisure. Because next week, this chicka is rolling back the clocks and redoing 1994! School starts on Monday!
Wish me luck good grades!

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NOTE: The feelings expessed in this post reflect soley the views I feel towards MYSELF for not finishing school and how that impacted my career goals. This does not mean I feel that others in the same situation are losers or that they have less worth than those who finished.

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