Christine Cogger

Packing up and logging off…

December 19, 2012December 19, 2012 Christine Cogger

Tonight, we head to Vancouver to begin our Christmas road trip. We’ll have an early Christmas dinner with the family and in the morning we’ll load up the kids and our gear and start heading south… I’m equally excited and nervous about what this experience will bring. I’m looking forward to seeing new places, being with the family without too many domestic distractions and seeing the sun. I’m nervous about being in the car for so long and I hope that we haven’t built it up too much in the kid’s minds. Time will tell, I suppose. The goal is to make it to San Diego by Christmas and then meander our way home in time for school in January. I plan to take lots of pictures and write updates on our journey, so stay tuned. That is, if I’m not in some kind of road coma.

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The self-imposed cooking challenge is now officially over. While I wouldn’t rate it as a complete failure, it wasn’t a complete success, either. I did manage to stick to my plan of 2 new recipes a week, and I think that I’ll continue to do that when we come back from this trip. However, I failed to fall in love with cooking. I think it’s time to face reality: cooking and I will maintain a healthy respect for one another, but there ain’t gonna be wedding bells anytime soon.

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What will 2013 bring, I wonder? I’m not one to make resolutions but I’ll admit that I want to set some new goals and challenges for myself in the coming year. I’ve already committed to 2 races and I am pondering what else I can challenge myself with to fill the calendar. I think it should be the “Year of Yes”: time to try new things and say “yes” to whatever comes my way. And I’ll admit that I am not at all sad to see the backside of 2012.

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I’m planning on ending 2012 by taking a break for news, social media and digital distractions in general. On this trip, it’s time to re-connect with my family, rest and re-charge. I’ll bring a notebook with me and actually use a pen. Time to shut off the noise for a while. Digital detox!

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I’ll leave you with some recent pics. See you in the new year.

photo 4-1 — Renewing an old love. I hope to do as much of this as I can this winter

photo 3-1 — Winter weddings are fun! And so is pink champagne.

photo 2-1 — Bridey! Can you guess her blog alias?

photo 1-1 — Despite the lockout, I am quite certain the NHL won’t come calling anytime soon.

Riveted by the school Christmas concert. The worse the performance, the louder the applause.

These are unnatural. I’m not sure what to make of them, except that my toes miss each other.

Biking, Day-to-day life, Family, Kids, QOTD, Racing, Running, Skiing, Triathlon, Whistler

In which I blab on about a variety of topics.

December 4, 2012December 4, 2012 Christine Cogger

I spent the weekend in Vancouver with the kids, the plan being to take in the Stanley Park Christmas train, city lights and the Santa Claus Parade. Then, this happened:

Being sick when you are little sucks. It’s hard to communicate what you feel and you can’t help much beyond back rubs and cuddles. And midnight/2am/4am Tylenol and kleenex doses. Thankfully, they both seem to be on the mend.

Rory and Will rallied for the parade, Anja fell asleep…

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QOTD:

(scene: Rory is having a hissy fit because we’d planned an adult evening without him).

Me, to Will: “What’s going on?”

Will: “Oh, Rory’s losing his marbles because you’re leaving”.

Me: “Hmm, well – are you ok with it?”

Will: “Me? Oh yeah. You should go, you guys totally need a break”.

(scene: Rory, on the couch, legs in the air)

“I feel a celebration coming on!”

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Knee surgery looms in January. In the meantime, I’ve been running and kind of biking (and by kind of, I mean hanging on for dear life on the rollers while staring at a dot on the floor so as not to lose focus). I’ve also been trolling the internet and planning 2 types of race schedules.

1) The one I’d do if I were single, rich and responsibility-free (read: Phuket, South Africa, New Orleans, Texas, Mexico, Hawaii… just to name a few destinations).

2) Reality. I’ll be coming off of surgery, have 3 kids to focus on, don’t have that much race mojo anyway. Any suggestions? Oh, I’ve been talked into the Test of Metal after a 9 year hiatus.

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The cooking project continues and I’ve been diligent about trying new recipes. In the process, I’ve learned a few things. First, don’t try to fool the kids with things like “These quinoa burgers are just like real burgers”! They’re kids, not idiots. Truth helps.Next, I’m much more of a 1 dish kind of gal. If I have to cook a main and 2 side dishes to all be ready at once, something is bound to be over-done, under-done, too hot, too mushy, etc. Plus HEY LOOK SOMETHING SHINY! I’m too easily distracted and there are always 3 little people talking to me at the same time between 5-6pm. Finally, I keep waiting for that love of cooking to spark. But I’m thinking this is one blind date that’s going nowhere…fast.

On the bright side, I made myself laugh the other day when Will came barreling into the kitchen demanding to know what was for dinner. I answered “Windowsills. Now get out of my kitchen”. Verbatim what my Mum used to say to me…

aftermath — Aftermath of the gingerbread house building event. I had to wrestle the beer from Rory.

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If, like me, you harbour romantic notions of living in Canada’s north, do check out Tandi’s blog. A healthy and funny dose of reality!

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It’s here… another ski season. Day 1 for me started with these two and it was both painful and awesome. Anja delights in folding in half and laughing when she hits the ground. Rory seeks jumps like it’s his job. The two of them collided more than once and I ended the day with sore legs (snowplowing is evil) and a full body sweat. Here’s to more days on the hill and less days of plucking them off the ground!

: Have you ever seen anything cuter? No, you have not.; —; Wedding weekend coming up!

Day-to-day life, Random

True Canadian?

December 4, 2012 Christine Cogger

Much to my sister-in-law’s dismay, I’m a big fan of the CBC. I’m still mad that they got rid of Rick MacInnes-Rae (the best voice on radio, in my humble opinion), but despite that grudge, I listen almost every day.

I love that the program “Q” has created what is sometimes described as the “Survivor” of books. How very Canadian… a reality show about books.

I’m making it my personal goal to read all these books by 2013, regardless of which ones get kicked off the island first. So who’s with me? We can have our own virtual book club!

Family, Kids, Travel

Road tripping, Ho Ho Ho.

November 30, 2012 Christine Cogger

A few months ago and for a variety of reasons, I decided that I did not want to spend Christmas at home this year. Last year, I missed the buildup to the holidays due to the fact that I was in the Middle East. To my surprise, I didn’t miss it; the hype, the commercials, the spending at all (I did, however, miss the egg nog lattes).

If I ruled my own universe, no one would be allowed to start decorating, singing, tinselling or egg-nog latte-ing until December 15th. Ahem, moving on.

This year, we’re planning on loading up the Suburban and heading south to San Diego. We haven’t done much planning for this adventure, other than to promise the kids we’d hit Legoland as our Christmas excursion. That’s it. As for the rest of it, we’ll play it by ear. This is either going to be a great idea or a foolhardy mission.

It’s roughly 2250 km from Vancouver to San Diego. We’ll bring camping gear because I’m optimistic enough (naive?!) to think we may be able to camp for a few nights in California. It’s always warm and sunny there, right?

The kids are psyched. I’m… working up to it.

Anyone got any great road trip ideas to keep kids happy? Must-see places on the way south?

Random

Still waiting

November 28, 2012 Christine Cogger

I was walking in Vancouver yesterday and saw this. I actually laughed out loud before I snapped a picture.

Needless to say, I don’t share the author’s belief… but the challenge continues.

For the record, this week I had one success, one fail and I’m still waiting to feel the love.

Random

One year ago

November 23, 2012 Christine Cogger

I was here. It seems so improbable and far, far away…

Day-to-day life, Kids, Pemberton

Pointless rant.

November 21, 2012 Christine Cogger

I’ll admit it. I judge people by what they put into their shopping cart at the grocery store. In line to pay, I glance back and wonder why you’d buy the white wonder bread that is stocked right next to something a teeny bit more wholesome. Pushing my cart past the produce, I wonder why someone buys 6 frozen pizzas but not a single fruit or vegetable. It’s none of my business, but I can’t help question it.

I avoid going to our local grocery store here at lunch time for the simple reason that it both depresses and enrages me.

Why?

Because that’s where the high school kids go to buy “lunch”. I stand back (or, let’s face, get bowled over half the time) and watch these kids, many of whom are overweight or clearly headed in that direction make their purchases. Chocolate doughnut and giant can for Rockstar? Check. Family-size bag of doritos and a 2L bottle of Coke? Yum. Can of Monster AND a can of Coke? Bring it on!

I can’t help but feel sorry for the teachers who get to witness the sugar crash/food coma that must follow this intake of junk. I want to take these kids and shake them! I wonder if they know better and are simply making the choice to ignore what they know. Or worse (is it?) are they legitimately ignorant of the basics of normal nutrition?

I’m by NO means a saint when it comes to what I eat. I have a sweet tooth that is rivaled only by my salt tooth. In fact, last night I dumped out all the leftover Halloween candy, ate what I wanted and dumped the rest in the trash. But that only happens once in a blue moon and I understand that moderation is a good thing. Plus, I know how to work it off.

How do we convey this moderation to our kids? I’m proud that my kids request salad for dinner and think fruit salad is “fun”. Do they love candy, chips and treats? Absolutely. Do I hope that someone regulates the intake of energy drinks in kids soon? You bet I do. In fact, take that crap off the market or sell it in a liquor store. There is nothing you can argue that will convince me that kids need that kind of stuff, much less in the middle of a school day.

–end rant–

Biking, CITS, Day-to-day life, Family, Kids, QOTD

Progress report

November 19, 2012November 19, 2012 Christine Cogger

Yeah, you’re all dying to know. Did I or didn’t I bail on the week 1 cooking challenge do-over?

I attempted a few new recipes and re-jigged a few kid favourites (to their ABSOLUTE HORROR.) Among other things, I “invented” a veggie stir-fry that I really liked, the kids thought it was essentially poison. Have you ever watched a 4-year old pick grains of rice out of a plate one-by-one? Entertainment at its finest. Chocolate pudding? WINNING. I didn’t tell them it was made with avocado.

I’ll continue on with my personal quest this week and see what I manage. True confession, though: it’s a lot easier to learn to like wine than it is to like cooking…

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What is it with this time of year that ignites my inner consumer? I’d been doing a pretty good job of purging and keeping my desire to acquire things in check, but lately every time I turn around I see something that I have. To. Have. It’s ridiculous.

I think I need to initiate some kind of reward/earning system for myself to justify some of this desire… (that being said, I can pretty much talk myself out of anything, so maybe that’s what I need to be working on). That elephant ring on Etsy? Must cook 15 original meals. That new cycling kit? Must… um… earn it somehow?

Is this something you do? Tell me more, if so. How do you justify your treats?

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Rory, trying the guacamole I made: “I don’t really like it but I kind of love it”.

Will: “Sometimes, when you slow down, things come to you rather than having to chase them”.

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CITS is kind of in hiatus these days… it’s just me and my bike. I can’t run comfortably so I’m trying to get re-acquainted with my mountain bike. I wonder why I like riding more in the cold and wet than in the warm sun? Weird.

Clearly not a food blogger. HA. Perhaps I need to work on plating?

Day-to-day life, QOTD

QOTD

November 12, 2012 Christine Cogger

This is my imaginary conversation while rehearsing for a job interview:

Me: “I’m brilliant! I’m eloquent! You need me! I’m indispensable!”

How I think I sound during said interview:

Me: “um, ah, aksiiuwiuhrt hgiusyirudhg sudhgius (wipes sweaty brow with shaking hand) uh, yeah yup us kajhrtkuhkjndkgj hkjhadskfj (ohgodohgodohgodwhatamidoing).

Hangs up phone. Resumes eloquence.

Sigh.

Family, Kids, Travel

On accomplishments, grief and a confession

November 11, 2012 Christine Cogger

Standing on the beach in Kona, it was such a tremendous feeling to watch Will accomplish something he was initially so nervous to try. He’s never been the bravest kid around water and it took him a few days to get comfortable but he worked up the guts to try boogie boarding on our second or third day there. I know he’d been thinking about it for quite some time and it took Rory trying it first to give it a go.

Watching your kid succeed at something that scares them it so amazing. I highly recommend it to those of you who are contemplating kids – ha. I felt like jumping up and down (I suspect I did) and telling all the grandparents on the beach to check out my kid. I was certain they’d never seen a kid in Hawaii do it quite like mine had!

Granted, he got smashed by a wave a little while later and that turned him off of it for a while, but he went back in. I’ll be the first to admit that I stood by watching like a mama lion trying not to go in and snatch him up. Still, I was filled with pride.

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Grief hits me at the weirdest time. It’s like being on a roller coaster with my eyes closed: it’s up and down and I can’t see what’s coming around the corner, or even when we’ll go around that corner. I’ll be fine one minute and the next, I’m knocked down by overwhelming sorrow. Will caught his first wave and my first thought was, inevitably, that I wanted to tell my mum because I know she’d want to hear details and see pictures. And for that split second, I reach for the phone before I remember that I can’t do that anymore. It makes me sad, sometimes more than others but eventually the feeling dissipates and I move on.

I am beginning to think that perhaps I’ll always feel this way. For eight years, my days and weeks were often dictated by how my mum was feeling. Almost daily we’d touch base and when I didn’t hear from her, I’d get anxious that something wasn’t right. I’d always breathe a sigh of relief when I’d get an email in the morning; even if she wasn’t feeling well, I knew she was thinking of us. I still feel like a part of my day is missing because I don’t do that daily check-in.

As much as I enjoyed this family holiday, it was also very difficult for me because it was the first time I couldn’t share the milestones with her and it made me miss her all the more and that feeling of grief and sadness became a little more raw again.

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I must confess: my personal cooking challenge has been a total failure. I clearly wasn’t thinking straight when I thought I’d start this outside of the comfort of my own home and my under-6 test group.

In Kona, it was too easy to let other (much better) cooks take over and I wasn’t brave enough (or perhaps I was being lazy) to give it a go.

SO! It kicks off tomorrow as it’s time to get re-acquainted with vegetables, un-acquainted with wine and chips and to toss out the Hallowe’en candy. Round 2 begins before round 1 even got started…

Wish me luck and send me recipes.

I’ve got a few other challenges up my sleeve to keep me motivated through the dreary fall… so stay tuned.