things I hate about the gym

I will not be the first one to speak about this, but there are a few things I hate about going to the gym. It ruins the fun experience and just annoys the living weights out of me. Luckily, I listen to my music most of the time and don't catch these annoying things, but when I forget my earphones, I am subjected to some of the most atrocious crimes of gymming.

1. The surprised people. The girl or guy who sees someone in the gym and proclaims loudly: OMG! What are you doing here? I would reply with something like: "you know, just attending my pet fish's funeral."

2. The stupid fat people. In no way or manner am I picking on fat people, or saying that all fat people are dumb. But I have noticed, from obnoxiously loud conversations, that the same overweight people who love to tell people how fat they are and how nothing that they do actually works, are the same ones I always see walking around meaninglessly and are the same ones who never gets on the equipment. Perhaps that's where you are going wrong.

3. Burpees. Damn them to hell, I hate them! But they work, people. They actually work, I should just get myself to do more of them, because normally I want to start crying after 5.

4. The guys. Not all of them, most guys are cool and not at all irritating. But I'm sure you know the ones I'm talking about. The one who says "jeezlike, I'm going to burn some steel today, hey." or "That oke didn't stand a chance, I would have..." and then follows a number of ugly Afrikaans cursewords. Finally, the ones who flex at themselves in the mirror and says "check my guns, hey. I'm mighty fine, hey". Yes, they really exist. And yes, I think my gym has the biggest concentrate of them in the universe. 

5. The couple. Guys, it is okay to gym with your other half, but let go. This is not a date, you can let go of his hand, she will be okay without you. 

6. The pretend personal trainer. {I might be guilty of this, but only in a joking way} The people who try to tell you that you are doing something wrong and that you should be doing something this way. Okay, I'm so guilty of this, but only with my friends and never with someone I don't know.

7. The unbelievably gorgeous girl. Just because I'm jealous. I have seen a few of them at my gym, so pretty and so fit. She doesn't even break out in a sweat, and afterwards, she meets her friends at the restaurant or coffee shop just outside the gym for dinner or drinks. Damn you.

8. The hogger. You and I pay the same price to use the same equipment, but time is also money so move the eff along to the next thing and stop being such an ass. If the equipment says max 20 minutes during peak hours, then do your 20 and move on

Arthlete picture

What are some of the stuff that drives you against the walls when going to gym?

 After writing about what it is like to own a staffie, I thought it would be great to expand this and focus on other breeds as well. SFL rounded up a few other bloggers to tell us about what it is like to own their dog.

 This will be a weekly feature, each week showing a different breed.

 ..............

First things first...

Frenchie= French bulldog

(just didn't want you to be confused throughout this whole post!)

and this is Ernie, our 2 year old Frenchie...

Owning a Frenchie is one of the most rewarding things in my life, second only to my faith and marrying my husband. They aren't a common dog but have been in the media quite a bit lately (Modern Family, Sketchers commercials), making them a hot dog, no pun intended. I actually had never seen a Frenchie in person until we went to pick up our bundle of chunk from the breeder. For those of you unfamiliar with the breed, interested in getting one, or just want to see cute pictures of Ernie, I am going to give you some info on owning one of these cuties.

Size: this is what attracted me to Frenchies. Ernie is an average sized Frenchie standing about a foot tall and weighing 24lbs. He is really muscular and lacks rolls which is not the Frenchie norm. Larger Frenchies are 30-32lbs and smaller ones, like Ernie's parents, are 19-20lbs. Seriously Ernie's neck is so thick and he is super barrel chested.

Look: Frenchies are known as "frog dogs" and have a very distinct look about them. They have Brachycephalic syndrome meaning flat faced (along with pugs, Pekingese, etc). I love his squishy little nose and die for his batty ears that always stick up! Because of their flat faces, Frenchies often have breathing problems and bad gas due to inhaling their food without chewing it. Ernie is definitely an offender! Frenchies come in many different coats and Ernie is a reverse brindle- black with blonde highlights. They also come in fawn, cream, and fully black. All Frenchies have a white spot on their chest varying in size, Ernie's is really small. They also have nubs for tails!

Personality: Frenchies (and most bulldogs) are really stubborn. We tried to break this from the beginning with training but Ernie is still pretty stubborn. He is such a happy guy but knows how to push our buttons. For example, we will take up his ball so he will eat and he runs right up stairs and finds another ball that he has stashed away. He wants to do things on his time. Ernie is such a ham and literally stares and poses at the camera when I pull it out. He loves licking babies and is quite the party animal at parties. 

Activity: since Frenchies are normally chunky and sometimes overweight, most of the time they are pretty lazy...but not Ernie! He spends lots of time sleeping and cuddling during the day but that boy has more energy than any 2 year old  I know! His favorite toy is a tennis ball and he could spend hours playing fetch. He also loves playing with other dogs, wading in the water and "hunting leaves", going for walks, and chewing on empty water bottles. When we tell people how active he is, they are amazed! We thought it was a phase but man he has got some energy! He loves when my husband chases him around the house too.

Health: Frenchies have a 10-12 year lifespan but we are hoping to extend Ernie's by feeding him a holistic, grain free diet. Frenchies have lots of nasal/breathing problems because of their squished nose so we make sure Ernie gets lots of rest and water after he plays. They also have hip problems because they are so top heavy. Something interesting is that Frenchies have to be artificially inseminated because most of them are too top heavy to mount and they have to be born via C section.

Cost: because they take so many resources to conceive/birth, Frenchies are expensive running between $1,500-upwards of $3,000 for AKC show dog parents. Healthcare can be an added cost but prevention is the best medicine!

If you are looking for a sweet, loveable dog to become a not only a pet but a true family member, I highly recommend Frenchies. Ernie can be a major toot and definitely isn't as obedient as his lab retriever cousin, but we love him so much. And he loves us. He gets so excited when he sees his mom and dad and gives us unconditional love, support, and cuteness with his big ol' smiley face. He will make a wonderful big brother to our human babies one day, but for now, he is our chunky first born fur baby!

Check out more Ernie posts here!

Rusks - a recipe

Don't you just love that word? Rusk-s. It sounds like you are calling a cat while pronouncing it, no? Well, rusks are definitely a breakfast or snack favourite of mine and the 'healthier' it is, with seeds, and raisins and bran, the better!

I explored the internet a bit and found this lovely recipe from Ideas Magazine's website, which got my mouth watering and me pining to buy an apron. Or baking utensils for that matter.

Seed and bran rusks
Makes: about 40
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Baking time: 45-50 minutes, plus drying time
Oven temperature:170°C


• 545ml (500g) butter
• 350ml (300g) brown sugar
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 500ml buttermilk
• 1kg self-raising flour
• 10ml baking powder
• 200g bran flakes
• 500ml (135g) digestive bran
• 150ml (115g) raisins
• 100ml sunflower seeds
• 30ml sesame seeds
• 30ml linseeds

1 Melt the butter and the brown sugar together in a saucepan. Set aside to cool. Add the eggs and the buttermilk.

2 Sift the flour, baking powder and 5ml salt together. Add the bran flakes, digestive bran, raisins and seeds. Stir in the egg mixture. Shape into balls and place next to each other in a greased roasting pan. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes.

3 Turn onto a wire rack and cool slightly, then break into rusks. Place the rusks onto wire racks and stand them on baking trays. Reduce the oven temperature to very low then return the rusks to the oven and leave them to dry out for 8 to 10 hours. Store the rusks in airtight containers.

Easy peasy!

On being alone

I have never like the idea of being on my own. Perhaps it has to do with my, now dissipated, love for horror movies, particularly the Paranormal Activity series. But my fear of being alone isn't solely to blame on films, but rather the fact that I simply cannot be left with my own thoughts, it tears me apart.

This sounds more psycho than it is intended to be, but I mean it in a good sense. I love to talk, I love to share what I'm thinking. It's the feedback that thrills me, hearing what other people have to say about certain things, listening to stories about their day, their likes and dislikes, all those little things that intrigue them on a day-to-day basis.

Time has now passed, and I'm not alone anymore, but this past week Flip had to be in Cape Town for a business trip, and I could not accompany him, as I had no annual leave left. However, the whole loneliness thing wasn't all that bad. Besides now having had more space in the bed for the dogs and myself {haha, poor Flip never gets any space}, I also made a few observations of things I did on my own.

1. I listened to my type of music {which Flip loves to shoot down} as loud as I wanted to, without being phased. I do that when he is home anyway.

2. Bubblebaths. Those things are pretty awesome and I haven't had one in years. Not because I can't when Flip is around. But I'm actually allergic to soap and I hate baths, but I decided what the heck. I'll just grin and bear this one. Also, the fact that it brings me much entertainment in the form of my dogs trying to get into the tub, but also being too scared of the water was hilarious. And watching their heads tilt from one side to the other as I blew bubbles at them was just priceless. Perhaps bubblebaths can stay?

3. Going out with old friends. Mutual friends of Flip and myself, I must add. This is a bit bittersweet. I love going out with friends, but I also love sneaking a smooch from the beau every now and again. And he pays for my drinks. Whaaat?

4. Getting to appreciate what you really have. There is seriously nothing that can make sparks fly like time apart. You know that saying, distance makes the heart grow fonder? Absolutely true. I believe that having a bit of distance from each other can sometimes be a great healer to a relationship, even a very healthy one.

5. Having more time in the gym.{who am I kidding, I didn't gym when Flip wasn't here. I'm afraid of the dark, and can't bare getting home after it.}

6. I had to cook for myself. It sucked.

But no we are one big happy family again.

 Gotcha! I'm kidding,

This was taken yesterday at this cute baba's Christening, where I got a bit teary eyed.

It's Flip's brother's baby Andrea.