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Reno Challenge: Week 3

I would be lying if I said I wasn't already really sick of living in a construction zone. I'm a homebody, but being home isn't very fun, and definitely, isn't relaxing right now.

One thing that has helped is buying a booster fan to help cool down our bedroom. I followed my friend's advice and bought this little gem:

Its for rooms in your house that don't heat or cool down efficiently.  Since we are still in the midst of a f$cking heat wave here, I decided this was essential. I've been doing a lot of phone/Skype counselling from home lately and midday our room gets so hot I feel ill.  Meanwhile, the workmen downstairs get all the nice cool air from our air conditioner. Grr!

There have also been some fairly major hiccups. First, the new fridge we ordered wouldn't fit through any of our doors and had to be returned. We had to then find a fridge that would fit, which meant we ended up not getting our top choice. Then our front door broke. yes, I kid you not. It won't open. Our beautiful, expensive front door that's just a few years old. A call to the installer got me a, "You are sh*t out of luck" response because the warranty was only for 1 year. Two visits from a locksmith weren't enough to fix the problem (our door broke is saw), so he has to come back a third time today. I'm laughing, its all so funny. Okay, not really, but I am trying to take it all in stride. It will all get fixed, it will all get worked out. So what if the workmen now have to get all their tools, equipment and our new furniture in and out the back door? No big deal, right?

The girls are pretty happy to eat convenience foods which is both good and bad. They aren't exactly getting stellar nutrition, but it makes things easy. Our local grocery store has a lot of prepared items, so I have been able to buy them tuna and ham and cheese sandwiches and wraps (on whole wheat) for a quick pre-soccer game dinner, They are still loving frozen lasagna, but have already tired of macaroni and cheese. I bought a few soba noodle soup bowls from the Korean market, and those went over well. Breakfast is now easy because Big A, the pickier one, has fallen in love with whole wheat bagels with chocolate cream cheese. Healthy? Not really. Whatever. We have also been stocking up on a lot of Greek yogurt to help try and keep their (always hungry) tummies full.

Adam is still getting delivery from Fuelfoods.ca and enjoying it and going to his gym every morning. He loves his gym but hates the extra time it takes compared to working out at home.

During the week I am fine with my simple meals, but on weekends I start to miss having the opportunity to cook up more elaborate things. I really want to make homemade pizza! I really don't mind working out in our bedroom, especially now that I've found a way to cool it down. Nevertheless, I can't wait for the basement to be finished so I have a true designated workout space again!

One of the biggest changes to my routine is I am not currently drinking coffee. Yes you heard me right! As much as I love it, I am not an addict (though the girls always tease me I am). I am a fast metabolizer of caffeine so it doesn't really have an effect on me. In winter, what I crave most is the whole routine of wrapping my hands around a warm mug in the morning and the aromatic aspects of it.  Right now, making coffee is just one more annoying thing to do in our construction mess of a house, and its so darn hot here that I am not in any way craving coffee. Not even ice coffee.

Though I am sure I will eventually return to my morning coffee habit, I think I am going to cut out the majority of my ice coffee drinking, because I think the high acid content of coffee doesn't do good things. I am really enjoying having to pee much less often right now!!

The girls survived their first week back at school. It wasn't that traumatic for us or them as neither of them get nervous about these things. They are so confident, both of them, its wonderful. I hope they are always this way!

This weekend is going to be busy. We have a cousin's birthday party tonight, Little A has a soccer tournament tomorrow, and Sunday is my birthday. I don't really want to go out for dinner, but cooking something fancy isn't going to happen. I've settled on a spinach salad with blueberries, red onion and goat cheese, and a massive cinnamon roasted kabocha squash. To me, this is total yumminess, and simple. I have been roasting veggies these past couple of weeks in our toaster oven, and it works beautifully. Since its my birthday, there might be a few craft beers or ciders had this weekend too.

The somewhat good news is the weather is supposed to start cooling off soon. Hallelujah! Wednesday set a heat record here. It was ridiculous. Like truly disgusting, obscene and utterly revolting. Actually, there are not enough words to describe how bad it was.

Well folks, stay well and have a wonderful weekend.

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