Wendy Sandwith

Wendy fills you in on what happens in the BT studio when the cameras aren't rolling!

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Make a Wish… Make a friend.

posted on April 20th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - No comments »

All week long we will be giving away gift certificates for Chianti Bistro and Red Robin Restaurants.

They, along with Swiss Chalet, Humpty’s, Sawridge and Fantasyland Hotel are hosting Sweet Dreams Dessert Day on April 30th, which is International Make a Wish day.

On the 30th, go to any one of these restaurants and order a dessert. That’s all you have to do! All proceeds go to the Foundation, one of the most amazing organizations out there.  To date, in Northern Alberta, 325 children and their families have had a wish granted through these fundraising endeavors. In the midst of all of the testing, treatment and worry about their illness, this gives a kid something to smile about and to look forward to.

Through a similar program in Northern Ireland, I had the good fortune to meet a wonderful young boy named James Baker. James’ wish was to see a Belfast Giants hockey game and to stay in a hotel. Not an extravagant dream to you or I, but to a boy whose life revolved around hospital stays and often excruciating treatment, it represented a chance to have a weekend like any other eleven year old.  The boost to the morale of James and his family was evident, and has resulted in lifelong friendship.

I am pleased to report that today James is 19 years old, and has gained quite a bit of fame as an accomplished artist. I am proud to display some of his work in my own home, most treasured is a beautiful painting of a ballerina he gave to my daughter to celebrate her birth.  I have known James through times when he could not eat on his own, when he was too weak to get himself out of bed, and the sight of this gorgeous dancer en pointe will always remind my daughter to make the most of the opportunities she has been given, and to be grateful for the most fundamental yet blessed of gifts: good health.

You can check out some of James’ most recent work here:

www.jamesdbaker.co.uk

And mark April 30th on your calendar!

A one-day treat for you can mean the treat of a lifetime for a deserving child.

xo Wendy

The best game you can name

posted on April 15th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 1 comment »

So I didn’t do so hot in our BT regular season hockey pool.

Although I did manage to make it to sixth place, that put me three spots behind Jespersen and I am not okay with that.

I am hoping to redeem myself in our playoff pool, although I am a little nervous that both Ryan and Reid seem to disagree with many of my picks.

Time will tell boys, time will tell.

Here’s what went down:

Britain’s Got Talent… cleverly disguised.

posted on April 13th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 8 comments »

I am such a sucker for a feel-good story.

Susan Boyle is a contestant on Britain’s Got Talent, and Ryan and I are hoping she goes all the way.

For the full performance, here’s the YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Tailor-Made Trickery

posted on April 1st, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 4 comments »

April Fool’s Day is not my favourite day.

I am extraordinarily gullible and fall for every single prank pulled, but can never think of anything to do in return.

Bridget and I covered a few of these on the show today, but for those of you who would like to customize your capers, as promised here is the list in its entirety. (Thanks to msn.com for this!)

When April arrives, it’s hard to resist playing practical jokes on your friends and loved ones. Just remember karma – what you put out comes back to you multiplied! For those of you who can afford it karma-wise, here is our handy guide for April Fooling by sign.

Aries
Your Aries friends are wise, witty, and although they don’t like to admit it, very gullible, not because they are stupid but because they take you at your word. Convince your Aries that you have a dire emergency and that the only way he or she can save you is to do something ridiculous, such as going to the lobby and screaming out his or her love for you. This Aries will do it but may never speak to you again afterward.

Taurus
Warning: any practical joke or April Fool played on a Taurus has the potential to destroy your friendship with said Taurus because Taureans never forget. That being said, try hiding something of great value to this person, and then act like you have no idea what he or she is talking about when frantically looking for it. Then go hide yourself.

Gemini
If ever there was a person who practically begs for a “kick me” sign, it’d be a Gemini, the only sign whose natives can really laugh at themselves. Not only will Gemini forgive you; he or she will also laugh hysterically with you as long as you discontinue the kicking within a reasonable amount of time, like an hour or so.

Cancer
Before you play an April Fool on any Cancer, for the sake of those around you, please ensure he or she is in a good mood. If so, the joke should be received well. But know this: you will pay. The best joke for Cancer natives is to change the clock at their desks not by just an hour, but an hour and a half. They’ll freak!

Leo
The best thing to do to a female Leo is to make her very self-conscious about her appearance. Swear that she’s got awful circles under her eyes or some huge blemish or hunk of food on her face; when she’s looking in a mirror going “Where? Where?” just act like she’s missing something obvious. With males, choose the topic of either weight or hair loss, whichever is more appropriate.

Virgo
The best thing to do is hide the Virgo’s calendars, address books, cell phones, or really any items. Just remove the object, stand back, and watch the fun! The best thing is that you can then act like you found the missing item, and you don’t even have to reveal it was ever an April Fool!

Libra
Librans analyze too much to get fooled by anything too simple or too complicated. For them, you might try to pretend it’s a different day of the week; for example, if it’s Friday, pretend it’s Thursday! If you are afraid that’s too simple, try talking about something that “happened” the day before, like how the office heard your Libra singing in the conference room! Or those, um, photos he or she accidentally sent you.

Scorpio
Scorpions are methodical, so the best way to mess with one is to distract him or her by removing an item, such as a cup of coffee or bottle of water, empty it, and quickly replace it. You might get a couple of empty bottles or cups. It will probably take the third before Scorpio figures out it is a joke. He or she should be laughing with you by then. What a good sport!

Sagittarius
Most Sagittarians are addicted to something: think caffeine, chocolate, cigarettes, etc. – sometimes all of the above. The best April Fool to play on Sagittarius? Yes, that’s right: hide the fix! Warning: do not hide item of addiction for more than 60 seconds. Use a timer. We are not responsible for attacks made on those who choose to play this joke on their Sagittarian friends and family.

Capricorn
Capricorn depends very much on technology. A fun trick to play on April Fool’s Day – or any day, for that matter – is to disable something on the computer. Then tell this person you read on the Internet that saying three rapid prayers over the computer and then spinning in a circle for ten seconds is a miracle fix for computer problems. Just try not to laugh as the poor, desperate Capricorn obeys.

Aquarius
Aquarians are pretty easygoing, and although this is good for assuring that they won’t be mad when you play jokes on them, it is frustrating because you often will not get a reaction. Have someone call your Aquarius from a blocked number and say that he or she won a contest and must sing three jingles in a row in 30 seconds to claim the prize. Adapt as desired.

Pisces
Like Aries natives, Pisceans want to take you at your word and can sometimes be gullible. So to have lots of fun with – or at the expense of – your Pisces friends, get them to do a spit-take! Offer water, coffee, or soda, and (after you stand back) wait until he or she takes a sip to say the most shocking thing you can think of. Note: do not try this while Pisces is eating; spit-takes are funny, but choking, not so much.

You say Sudoku, I say Sudoko…

posted on March 25th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 2 comments »

Whatever those crazy number puzzles are called, you no longer have to battle through them alone.

The mathematical formula for solving them has been revealed!

You can find it here:

www.ams.org/notices/200904/tx090400460p.pdf

Myself… I’ll just stick to the Word Jumble.

xo Wendy

The BT Family is about to get a little bigger

posted on March 16th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 6 comments »

The fact that I have been getting a little bigger myself has not escaped the keen eyes of our viewers.

Glad I could help some of you make some easy money in this tough economy!

Thank you so much for all of your kind wishes. They are greatly appreciated :)

xo Wendy

I’ve got a Peaceful, Easy Feeling

posted on March 6th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - No comments »

I am a big music fan.

I love a wide variety of genres and eras, but if pressed for my “top ten list” there is no question that the Eagles would be on it.  I was beside myself when I first learned that they would be playing here in Edmonton. And on a Saturday night, so I can actually sleep in until 6am the next morning!!! (Toddler wake-up time).

The tickets sold out quickly and I was unable to get one. Desperate, I put the call out to our viewers this morning. I was willing to buy a pair online but had never used any of the sites before and was looking for a little guidance with regards to credit card security. Thank you so much to all of you who talked me through the process, I feel confident that I could now handle an online transaction.

But that will have to wait for another day.

Here’s what happened:

 

A great big thank you to Jeff Nicholas and his family in St Albert, you just don’t know how you have made my week!!! (And best of luck to your son in his hockey tournament)

I will have a review on Monday, hope the rest of you are looking forward to your weekend as much as I am!

xo Wendy

And yet, I’ll eat Cheez Whiz…

posted on March 2nd, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 1 comment »

Today I was talking about Orthorexia. People who suffer from this disorder become obsessed with the purity of their food. They are unable to consume animal fats, processed foods, or anything that may have come into contact with pesticides. Orthorexics eventually become dangerously thin (to date there has been one reported death) not because they are trying to lose weight, but because they have so limited the foods that they feel able to consume.

It is not difficult for me to see how a person could find themselves on this path.  Last week I rolled out the “fun facts” about how the red colouring in many foods (including yogurt) is actually accomplished by crushing the cochineal bug, and that deli meats and cheeses are sprayed with “good bacteria” to fight the “bad bacteria” that may be trying to grow there. Now that was all tongue-in-cheek, in light of our expired yogurt challenge (see Ryan’s blog) but I do understand the drive to try and control our exposure to contaminants.

More times than I care to think about, I hear of young, otherwise healthy people who are being diagnosed with cancer.  And increasingly, we are hearing reports that everyday items and materials are being manufactured with known carcinogens. Teflon pans. Plastic food storage containers. Some cleaning supplies.  The evidence in a lot of cases is still circumstantial, but I would rather be safe than sorry.

I definitely do not think that I am an Orthorexic. But I feed my family organic foods when possible and lug super-heavy-and-perilously-breakable glass containers instead of tupperware around in my lunch bag. I’m not always great at it, and I do definitely fall off the wagon from time to time (note the title of this blog) but I am trying.  Will it help?  Can it guarantee that I will live my life cancer-free? No. But after feeling so helpless when a recent diagnosis hit my family, it is a small way to give myself a feeling of control. 

Here is a website that I like, that exposes the toxicity and environmental impact of some common household items.

www.goodguide.com 

Check it out. You may be surprised how often we are exposing ourselves unnecessarily to potentially harmful chemicals.

In good health,

Wendy xo

What a thrill!

posted on February 27th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - No comments »

So there we are, chatting away in the kitchen this morning when all of a sudden there was a huge commotion in the lobby. It was a little distracting, but I just assumed that whatever it was, security would take care of it.

Well, thank goodness that security knew that this was one unsolicited guest that they absolutely had to let on set.

RICHARD SIMMONS!!!!  I have to say, this is the highlight of 2009 for me so far :)

Loving the Long Weekend

posted on February 18th, 2009 - Filed in Uncategorized - 1 comment »

I think that we can all agree that a long weekend is a beautiful thing.

But I may be alone in thinking the Family Day weekend is the best of the bunch.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am certainly happy to not show up to work on a Monday in August. But you know, at that point, it’s August.  It’s warm. It’s sunny. School is out and Casual Fridays are on. Everyone’s in a good mood already.

February, however, is a totally different deal.

Christmas credit card bills have arrived. Tax season is around the corner. And it’s cold.

It no longer feels like the “as long as you dress for it you’re okay” Dry Cold that we brag about to Easterners.

By February we are into month 4 of Just Plain Cold. I Don’t Feel Like Going Out Cold. I Am So Sick Of Down Jackets Cold.  At this point, we need a reprieve.  And a long weekend is just what the doctor ordered.

I hope that you were able to get out and enjoy one of the free events around the city.  The Leg. was offering wagon rides, ice sculptures and guided tours. You could skate at City Hall and help yourself to complimentary hot chocolate.

My family chose to take advantage of the free admission at the Royal Alberta Museum. My daughter is a little young yet for most of the exhibits, but I feel duty-bound to let all parents of toddlers know that the Wild Alberta section will keep even the most hyperactive two year old captivated for a good hour.

(You’re Welcome.)

 
Hope you had a good one… from my family to yours xo