Monday 27 May 2013

4WFF - Middle of Week 3

So we are in the middle of week 3, heading for a weigh in just 2 days...Do I think I will have lost more? Gee I hope so! 

I still haven't been "Perfect", but I am, for the most part, following the "rules". 

I feel more energetic. In fact, I feel more awake than I have in months. I have had a cold for the last week and a bit, but even that is clearing up quicker than normal. Rather than losing my voice for a week or more, it was a couple of days. Today, I almost feel better! I even went for a nice long walk this afternoon! First REAL exercise in a week.

More than just feeling physically well though, mentally I am in a better place. I know that I am still on Anti depressants, but now I am on the lowest dose. No, I attribute the feeling mentally better to a lot of things, including the change of diet and being more physical. I have said before I wasn't aware of just how many carbs I was consuming. Well, I think reducing them has not only lightened me, but lightened the darkness in my mind. I am not sure I can explain it properly, but....eating mostly the right foods, with only the occasional "bad" food, rather than the other way around has left me feeling less fuzzy, able to think more clearly. 


Fueling my body with the foods it needs, and regular exercise, has helped me in ways I didn't think of.

That's not to say this has somehow "cured" me. No, but it has HELPED. 

So, the importance of eating right and exercising, or at the very least, MOVING your body regularly, is for so much more than physical health. Its for overall health. 

This "life change" will stay around forever. It will change my life so completely, that it won't feel like a change soon. It will just feel like the regular way of life. I know this, because it has come at a time when everything in our lives is FINALLY falling into place.


Hubby has a full time job after being out of work for 14 months (so so proud and happy!!). Miss Teen has settled into high school and new friends, and is focusing on her passion. Mini Miss has settled into a good routine (FINALLY!!) and is happy. 

And me? Well, things keep changing. I am not a fan of change, this is not a secret. But all for the positive. This life change. Work is changing. God is moving me into serving our church in ways I never thought I would, and I am loving it. 

Yeah, for the first time in a very long time, despite certain stresses, and still my dark days.....

I AM LOVING LIFE!!!



Wednesday 22 May 2013

End of Week 2.

Well....we are at the end of 2 weeks.

I am feeling good. Despite the fact that I have the head cold from hell (I'm a bit like a man when it comes to colds....always straight to the "I'm Dying" man flu!), I feel positive. I feel motivated. I still WANT this!!

This week, despite everything, I have lost 800 grams. That makes 2.2kg in 2 weeks! That is awesome!! 

Earlier this week I fell off the wagon in a major way. Basically, I forewent every lesson Chriss had given us and just ate what I felt like. 


Well, actually no, that is not entirely true. Yes, I ate rubbish, but I was STILL aware. I was aware of the carbs I was consuming, the sugars, the calories. When I wasn't eating "whatever I felt like", I was eating properly. Balanced, low carb, high protein, low GI foods. 

Also, I was aware of MOVING. Sure, I wasn't exercising. I wasn't doing a set exercise or exercises. But rather than sitting still on my butt all day, I was up and about. I was doing housework, I was playing with Mini Miss, I was walking, I was throwing the ball in the yard for Jasper. I was aware that no, I wasn't being perfect, I wasn't even being good, but if I kept moving, I would keep burning those calories. 

And THESE things? They are what have made all the difference for me!! 

These are the life lessons I keep talking about. This program is designed FOR LIFE! It's not a quick fix, its not a detox, its a new way of living. Its knowledge, knowing the right things to do, being aware you are not always going to be perfect, but having that knowledge to get straight back into it. 

I know now, have a bad day? Do a Fat Flush day the next day to reset your body. Have your free day, because denying yourself the foods you love only leads to cravings, which leads to, in my case, over eating the food you crave. Exercise right, exercise smart, because exercising wrong only increases your appetite, and you are bound to give in and eat more than you need to as result, eventually.

So this week I have had a rollercoaster week. Ups and downs. I lost motivation. I went through the 

"i can't do this" 

"I have struggled with my weight all my life, so why would that change now"? 

Self doubt crept in. But, with the support of family, friends, work colleagues (yes, you know who you are Miss Boss!!!), and the very important support of like minded people going through the same thing, AND the support of the Personal Trainer helping me on this journey, I got through it. 

I took a running leap back onto that wagon and have continued on the ride.




Follow my journey.....

Part 1 - A New Beginning For Me

Part 2 - End of Week One

Part 3 - Mid Week Disappointment

Friday 17 May 2013

4WFF.....Mid Week 2 Disappointment

The last few days, to be honest, have been a disaster. The wheels have fallen off. 

If there was a 4 week Fat Flush Wagon, I just fell off and got left in the dust. 

I feel awful. I feel like I am letting people down, like I am letting Chriss down.....and I am definitely letting myself down......

This disaster is not Chriss's fault. It is not the programs fault. In fact, the program teaches you exactly how to deal with situations like this....I am just bad at managing it...

See, this last week our Mini Miss has been very sick. This has lead to a few very loooong nights and unplanned trips to the doctor, chemist etc. 

I am good at planning. Sunday night I sat down and wrote up a menu plan for the week. That included breakfast, lunch and dinner. Snacks were also included. I scheduled time for exercise. Sounds like good planning and organising right? 

Wrong. 

As soon as something unexpected and unplanned came along, all that was forgotten. A big lack of sleep 4 nights in a row has left me completely exhausted, unmotivated and unable to get myself going again. I do not cope well at all without enough sleep. I become moody and grumpy. I become unreasonable. I become physically exhausted and everything requires the biggest effort to get moving again. I need at least 6 hours sleep a night to function properly. I have not got that this week.

A good example is Tuesday where I had to rush Mini Miss to the Doctor before I started work at 2pm. I ran around getting everything organised for her to be with Gran for a couple of hours, I got my work stuff ready. I rushed out of the house. I was seriously worried about her. I forgot about lunch or at the very least afternoon tea. I had nothing. Come 2pm I was more than a little hungry, of course. I felt sick as I hadn't eaten since 7am that morning. The last week I have been careful to have small regular meals, so my body kinda freaked out! In desperation, and not wanting to work feeling that ill and shaky, I grabbed the only thing available to me where I was....a Mars Bar. It filled the spot, but I felt ill afterwards as well. Not the shaky kind of ill, just emotionally ill. Disappointed ill.

And so that is how my last 3 days have panned out, rushed, stressed, unorganised and in the end, lazy.

Normally this is the point at which I go "you know what? This is too hard. I can't do it. I don't have the time/patience/willpower/drive to do this right now. I think I will leave it and try again in a few months."

Not this time!!!!

I am determined NOT to let anyone down.

I am DETERMINED to make this work. 

Soooo, right here, right now, is my PROMISE. My AFFIRMATION

I WILL get back on track. I will strive ahead and still make my goal of 5kg.

HOW??

I will plan better. Sunday nights I will not only plan the menu's, but where possible pre prepare the food. Cut up the meat, cut up the vegies. I will prepare lettuce, carrot, cucumber, celery, etc so I can simply grab a container and fill it with salad. I will fit some, ANY sort of exercise into everyday.

THAT IS MY PROMISE TO YOU.......AND TO MYSELF! 

Now, lets see if I can keep my promises....I am not always the best at that, as I often promise what I simply cannot do......but I CAN DO THIS!!!

Follow my journey here...

Post 1: New Beginnings
Post 2: End of Week One

Thursday 16 May 2013

Here comes the bride....

So, a little over 6 months ago, I got married.. Hence the lovely picture at the top of the blog!!!

And I still haven't written about it! It was a crazy day, and I have to say for the first weeks after we got married, I would look back on that day and simply see a blur of happiness, joy, tears, people, colours and lights....and in the centre of it all, clear and in focus....my husband.


Now I have had time to process it. Look at photos, both taken by friends and family and our professional ones. I have watched the video and laughed and cried along with it. Now I feel like I can remember enough about the moments to write about it!!


Watch a short 5 min summary of our day HERE!

Our Wedding Day was more like a wedding weekend. Friends started arriving on the Wednesday to help us prepare and get organised. On the Friday night we had a pre wedding dinner with friends and family from all over. I was hoping it was going to be a chance to say hello to everyone and catch up with those I hadn't seen in such a long time. It was. Sort of. Like the actual day, it wasn't long enough. But it was a night full of fun, laughs. Hubby met some of my long lost friends, I met some of his. We all got to know each other. This was particularly helpful for the bridal party who came from all corners of Australia...from Townsville QLD to Melbourne VIC! They hadn't met each other before (well, the bridesmaids had).


Miss Teen and I stayed at Bonville Golf Resort on the Friday night before the wedding, the place of the event. We had an awesome night, just the 2 of us. Having been a single mum for 9 years, Miss Teen and I relived our past, hanging out in a hotel room, being silly, watching tv and talking, eating stuff from the mini and giggling. We had spas (unlike when she was little though, we had them separately lol!), and generally primped and preened ourselves for the big day.

We woke up reasonably early, and headed up to the main house for breakfast. I was surprisingly calm. I had had a good nights sleep, I was relaxed. I was able to eat a decent meal, which was good, seeing as I barely ate the rest of the day! Miss Teen was bubbly and excited! She could not wait to see me walk down and aisle and marry Hubby. She already called him Dad and treated him like Dad, in both the good and bad ways! 


 

We headed back to our room and the girls started to arrive! Then the hair and make up people arrived and the getting ready began! It was so much fun! There was bubbly, there was laughter, these was strawberries dipped in chocolate and a cheese platter, both barely got touched! But the bubbly, well, it got touched....a lot! 











We rehearsed our big moment, the Thriller Dance together. My photographer thought it was hilarious that we were dancing in the middle of the guest carpark! In fact, we stopped traffic with our awesome moves....ok, well, we stopped golf buggys....and maybe there was more laughing than awe....but hey, we had fun! 


With my hair and make up in place, it was time to put on the ugly, but practical, and very useful "suck in the bad bits" underwear and don THE DRESS! 


NOW.....Now the nerves hit! 




As my bridesmaids, who were already dressed themselves helped me into my gown, as the tucked in all my bits, grabbed and pulled and shifted my bust, as they held onto me and pulled the ties tight on my corset style gown (which was hilarious to watch, and be apart of by the way!!) the reality hit. This right here, right now was my dream. I was marrying the man I loved with all my heart. The man, whom from the first moment I set eyes on him, stole my heart. The man, I knew from the very beginning was my soul mate. And I was scared! I was terrified! I have no idea why. I guess this is the cold feet they talk about. I felt dizzy, I felt sick (although the bottle of champagne I had already consumed may have contributed to that!). Suddenly, even though I was already 37, I didn't feel like I was ready. But, I also wasn't going to let the man I love down. I wasn't going to leave him standing there wondering what the hell happened. So, regardless of my nerves, I was doing this!! There was no getting out of it, not that I really wanted to. 

 

So rather than let the fear and nerves overwhelm me, I handed out my bridesmaid gifts...they included their jewelry, a special personalised note to each of them, and, of course, a matching doll! Yes, thats right. A doll! These are no ordinary dolls. Those who have followed me for a while, or who know me, know I LOVE handmade dolls. My favorite doll maker Sam from Monkey Hugs had made all my girls, including flower girls matching dolls (she even made me one for me as a special surprise!!!). Another favorite handmaiden, Sharna from Sugar Punkz had also made likenesses of Hubby and myself, and they sat proudly on a table at the reception.



We had photos and suddenly the golf carts arrived to take us to the ceremony. This was it. Step into the cart, step into my new life as a Wife............

To Be Continued....obviously.......


I am going to a small series on this very special day, and our honeymoon, otherwise this one blog would be ridiculously long! I have so much to share, so many funny moments, so many happy moments...and of course, all there is to know about our themed reception!!

Monday 13 May 2013

4WFF end of first week

Well its Day 7,  the first week is almost over.... 

Have I lost weight? We will find out tomorrow!! 

This week has been a learning curve for me. I have learnt new things, such as the need for eating Protein with every meal. I've learnt that our bodies store carbs for a long time, and our bodies use that store for energy, rather than burning our excess fat. And so much more. I don't want to tell you too much, that is Chriss from Bod Squad Personal Training's job!! 

It has been a rollercoaster of a week. I have learnt that when I withdraw from certain substances, namely Sugar and Carbs, I get sick. Physically, actual sick. Its horrible. Its also the reason I usually give up on diet and healthy eating plans. My body rebels and it feels awful!! USUALLY within a week I give in and eat rubbish. 

However, not this time! 

I spoke to Chriss, got some good advice from others doing the program. I ate a small, balanced healthy amount of carbs, and bingo! I felt better! So, lesson learnt is everything in moderation! I will still do Fat Flush days, but will be a little more careful and eat a very small amount of healthy low gi carbs at breakfast (a slice of grainy toast usually!) Otherwise, lots and lots of fresh veggies and protein with every meal is certainly not as hard as I first thought! And it doesn't have to taste bland! Hubby and I have learnt to make tasty meals using herbs and spices and low carb, low gi sauces!!

So, have I followed the program perfectly, to the tee? No, I havent :(   I had 2 chocolate biscuits last night thanks to feeling so down yesterday (see yesterdays post HERE). NORMALLY it would have been the whole packet, or a block of chocolate, so its an improvement! There are other little failures here and there. I am not perfect. I am coming from a place where I was eating BADLY! I didn't realise just how badly. Even when I thought I was being good, turns out, it wasn't good enough!!

I also havent exercised enough. I need to get better at time management for that one. Especially now Hubby has a full time job (YAY!!) and I'm working part time! But I WILL get better. It is hard with a toddler in tow, but it won't be impossible! Our local PT runs a mums and bubs class most mornings, so I think I will have to give that a try in the coming week!

Overall I am happy with how I have been travelling. This is a long term thing. A LIFE STYLE change! 

"It won't happen overnight, but it will happen"

Want to know more about the program? Check out the link above or Chriss's facebook page HERE 


Sunday 12 May 2013

A Bittersweet Day

I love Mothers Day. A celebration of wonderful loving women all over the world. I found this quote just before mothers day, and it truly sums up my feelings over who this day is for, who it truly should celebrate.....

"To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you
To those who lost a child - we mourn with you
To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you
To those who experienced loss through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you
To those who walk the hard path of infertility, fraught with pokes, prods, tears, and disappointment – we walk with you. Forgive us when we say foolish things. We don’t mean to make this harder than it is.
To those who are foster mums, mentor mums, and spiritual moms – we need you
To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you
To those who have disappointment, heart ache, and distance with your children – we sit with you
To those who have lost their mothers – we grieve with you
To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst
To those who are single and long to be married and mothering your own children – we mourn that life has not turned out the way you longed for it to be
To those who step-parent – we walk with you on these complex paths
To those who envisioned lavishing love on grandchildren -yet that dream is not to be, we grieve with you
To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you
To those who placed children up for adoption — we commend you for your selflessness and remember how you hold that child in your heart
And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you
This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.
- Still Standing "


This is a day I celebrate being a Mum, a job that I love to do. My girls are my world and I am most happy when we are all together as a family. It makes me feel loved when they make me something, or take the time to pick something out when Hubby takes them shopping. It shows me, no matter how big or small it is, that they do care. 


Oh My Gosh Yum!!! 
I am also happy with a sleep in, a massage from my Miss Teen and good hot cup of coffee first thing when I wake up....I am easily pleased really!! (if my coffee is followed with bacon and eggs or french toast or even pancakes, then wow, I am in heaven!)





But.......

There is also a dark side for me on Mothers Day. One I try not to dwell on or let get me down. 

I want to celebrate my Mum too. 



I want to hug her and say a very big THANK YOU! for being my Mum. For raising in a house filled with love and security. For making sure I did my school work. For being there and celebrating my successes. For holding me tight and crying with me during my failures and hurts. 




For being my Best Friend.

I want to take her to have scones and tea together, like we always did. I want to take my girls to her house so they can smother her in love, and she would definitely do the same to them. I want to introduce her to my Husband, a man who she would have so so much in common with! (namely Star Trek, Stargate & Dr Who!). I want to just sit for hours with her and watch rubbish TV and read, and do the puzzles in Take 5 together. 

So many things I want to do.....but I cant. All I can do is say "I love you' and "thank you" to the sky. But its not the same. I can pray to God and thank Him for her. I can ask Him to give her a hug from me. But its not the same. 

The little girl in me....her heart breaks every year, every special occasion, that passes without her. The little girl in me stamps her feet, cries out loud "its not fair!". The little girl in me chucks a tantrum my Mini Miss would be shocked by! My internal little girls tantrum over this makes Mini Misses tantrums look like a sunny day at the beach! 

The grown woman in me.....well, her heart breaks too. There is an indescribable sadness. It is no longer overwhelming, but its still definitely there, and I think it always will be. But the grown woman in me also knows that this is what was best for my Mum. An end to her pain, her struggles. A place in a heaven where she can wait for and watch over us.

Then, this year, even more bittersweet, I remember my angel baby. The one, who, if I had not lost, would be 24 weeks gestation. We would know if we were expecting a boy or girl. I would be sitting here trying to type over a growing tummy. I would be feeling that lovely feeling, the movements of my baby growing inside me. I would be busy planning for his or hers future. 


Our Little Charlie

Instead I still feel empty. I have no baby inside me, its just an empty space. 

But......

I have 2 beautiful, healthy, happy, sometimes annoying, but nonetheless gorgeous girls who keep me busy. They keep me smiling. They make me feel loved, remind me, that thanks to Gods great grace, I am a MOTHER! The one thing I have ALWAYS wanted to be, for as long as I can remember. I am blessed! I have a loving husband who makes me feel like a queen, and 2 gorgeous princesses.....and what more could a MOTHER ask for?? 



How do you celebrate Mothers Day? 

Is Mothers Day a happy or bittersweet day for you?



HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the Mum's. 

I sincerely hope your partners, children and families celebrated you as you deserve.




Friday 10 May 2013

More New Beginnings....

I am very happy and proud to say Hubby starts a new job on Monday. He has been out of work for a long, stressful, trying and hard 14 months. I know this isn't long for some people, but it seemed like a lifetime to us. 



The financial strain, especially when getting married and going on an already booked expensive honeymoon, Christmas, birthdays, etc has been tough. We have, only by the grace of God, kept our heads above water, but we have
So now, we can finally start to tackle all our debt properly, and get rid of it. Cut up the credit cards, pay of the car and the rings (yes, we spent a lot on our wedding rings, we wanted them to last....well, that was my excuse!). We can finally get our finances back under control.


The most important positive though, is for Hubby. He has felt like he has let me down, and has failed his family by not providing financially for us. It has been a dark dark place he has been in these past few months in particular, so it is nice to come out on the other side with the sun shining down on us again!!

Yet.........

I am looking at the next few weeks apprehensively, nervously, in fact, I am not looking forward to them at all.

Why?

I think, and I am just guessing as I still haven't figured all this out yet (hence this post....its my "figure it out" platform!), that I have gotten used to him being home. As much as I have wanted to be the stay at home parent, the thought, after not doing it for so long, is a little daunting. 

I will still be working 2 or 3 days a week, at least for the time being, which means no "days off" to do the housework etc. My availability at work has been significantly reduced to an evening and a couple of days a week, namely, Molly's daycare days. This means now, like most stay at home mums, I will have to tackle the housework with a certain Mini Miss Tornado following close behind me! It means I will again responsible for running our family, organising dinners (I really really do hate cooking!), and all the other things a stay at home mum does, as well as still working. To me, that sounds a little exhausting! 

And, to be honest, I will MISS HIM being home. I will miss him being just a text or phone call away. I will miss his visits at work, and him coming in for lunch. I will miss our time together on the odd day when I had a daycare day off work (like today, it was loooovely! Some shopping, going to the movies, so lovely and peaceful). 

We will have to work harder at being organised, making sure we still spend quality time as a family, and as a couple as well as have time for extended family and friends. Most importantly of all (as I am currently TRYING to, seriously, is 10 mins of uninterrupted peace to write a blog too much to ask?!!! lol!) we will need to make sure we still have our "me" time. Have time for our passions, our hobbies, for just having some much needed TIME OUT!!! Well, in fact, we will have to live the same life most working couples do. I guess we aren't alone in all this. 

Yes, I do know it will all be worth it! I know we will tackle the new challenges together, as Husband and Wife, and with God as our anchor, we will find our way. We will pull together and make it work.

Yet, I am still a little nervous. I am not a fan of change....so I guess, all I can do is wait and see what this new direction, this new beginning, has in stall for our family.....

HOW DO YOU HANDLE CHANGE?

Wednesday 8 May 2013

A New Beginning........for Me

So this week I started an awesome new challenge. 


MY JOURNEY SO FAR........

As is well known, and I have never hidden, I have always struggled with my weight. Actually, I have always been overweight. As long as I can remember. In primary school I was chubby. In high school I was overweight. By the time I left school I was obese. It is in that scary worded place that I have stayed most of my adult life. 

Have I ever tried to lose weight?! Of course I have!!! I don't LIKE being obese. It sucks! 

When I was 23 I was successful in losing 35kg. I was young, became addicted to the gym, and ate healthy. Funny how that works hey? Exercise and eat good food and you lose weight! 

Then I got pregnant, has a few scares early on and was warned not to keep going to the gym. Then everyone told me it was ok to eat for 2 now....the excuse list is endless, but I put on 25kg during that pregnancy and never really shook it.

At my worst I am ashamed to admit, I weighed in at 130kg. 

Sounds disgusting doesn't it. How does any self respecting person let themselves get to that weight? 

I wasn't self respecting. I hated myself. I was beyond depressed at losing my Mum who was my strength, my rock. I had moved to a new town and knew nobody, I was working full time and basically I was miserable. So I didn't care what I ate at all. 

Then, I realised what I was doing, and I realised at the very least my daughter deserved better! 

My Mum left me too soon to be on my own, and her weight had a lot to do with that. So I promised myself I would never do that to my daughter. I dropped 20kg, and since then I have hovered between 100-120kg. I have had another baby, but somehow managed to not put on too much weight this time. 

Before we got married last year I attempted Michelle Bridges 12WBT. I lost 10kg in those 12 weeks. We got married, went on our honeymoon, came straight back into the holiday period, and by the end of it I was back up to 110kg.


AND NOW.......

So recently when a wonderful friend suggested I check out Bod Squad Training on Facebook I was like, sure, all the while being skeptical. She was asking for bloggers to trial her 4 Week Fat Flush for free, in exchange for blogging about our experiences. I did my research, checked out her website, then I wrote to the lovely Chriss, and I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the bloggers!!! 

So here we are. After a small technical difficulty, I am on day 2. The first 3 days are about cutting out carbs and sugars to "flush" your system. Then, its about exercising at least 3 days a week and eating fresh healthy food and eating it right! Funnily enough, that is how I lost all my weight 14 years ago! 

So after years and years of trying pills and shakes and "programs" and doing a lot of nothing, I have come full circle, doing what works!

What I am loving already is that Chriss EXPLAINS WHY! I love this. I have pretty much always known what the right and wrong things are to do regarding my weight, but I never knew why. She makes it so simple and clear I can hardly believe I never thought of it all before!!!! Also, she doesn't deal out a set menu plan. She gives recipe suggestions, tells you what foods to avoid, what foods to eat more of, and she lets you do the rest. This is a life skill. I am not here, doing this to be spoon fed then sent back out into the big wide world. She gives you exercises that you don't need machines or a gym membership to do. They can all be done, in my case, in our large spacious backyard. They can also be done at the park, on the beach, in someone elses spacious backyard (if they don't mind....or you don't get caught!!), somewhere with just a little bit of space.

So, here it is.....

 

These are my before photos. Taken Sunday. I have a LOT of work to do! My starting weight is 117.2kg. I look at these and feel physically ill, but that is going to change!!

My goals for the next 4 weeks are....

1. Lose 5kg (this is my realistic goal, I am hoping for more)

2. To be healthy enough and able to walk at least 16 hours at Relay for Life at the end of the month.

I am putting it out there.

Making myself accountable.

I HAVE to do this. For Chriss, because I KNOW her program works. For my family, because Hubby, Miss Teen and Mini Miss deserves a healthy happy Mum who will be around for a looooong time to come.

But most importantly, I NEED to do this for me....because I am WORTH IT!!!

I have a long way to go, and this is just the beginning!!!!

If you want to show your support of me in this challenge, please comment below, or even better, sponsor me in the Relay For Life <----- follow this link to find out how! 




Thursday 2 May 2013

Thursday's Madness

Back to school this week. 

And, yes that does mean that our bored Miss Teen is no longer sitting in her room, listening and singing to way too loud music, nor is she holed up in the same room reading story after story on some fan fiction app that she has downloaded. No, I am not complaining about the reading....no matter how rubbish the content, she is READING!!! Voluntarily!!!

It also means that our Crazy Thursdays start again. For some reason, thanks some weird glitch in universe, all our kids activities fall on the same day. All of them. It is a mad and crazy world I tell you! And Thursday's during school term is the peak of the craziness!! 

So, Thursday mornings are spent at swimming lessons for Mini Miss.


        

Usually this time is spent with Daddy, unless he has something on. Mini Miss LOVES to swim, so the end of the lesson usually ends in tears, but those tears are easily distracted by the awesome sticker and small packet of chips (judge me if you will, yes once a week my toddler eats some twisties!) and the promise of the next activity!

Next we are off to playgroup at Tabatinga. This is run by "Fairy, Fairy"! 



Mini Miss LOVES her friend Fairy! They play games, dance, sing songs and do craft. She also climbs all over the play gym designed for 3yrs+ like she owns the place. Nothing wrong with this kids gross motor skills! 


    

Her favourite time though, is craft time! She gets stuck right into making a picture, eating glue, oops,I mean, using glue, and pencils and sticking and drawing. 


      

All the excitement is over, and by 12pm Mini Miss is usually sound asleep....Avoiding the desire to join her is damn hard! By this time, I'm usually exhausted too! But, now we head home and do that boring thing called HOUSEWORK. And that's all I have to say about that.

Not soon enough comes the school pick up. I pick up Miss Teen and we have about 1/2 hour, just the 2 of us before her activities begin. I try very hard to use this time to have some afternoon tea (why is it, that they always finish school and are starving, like they haven't eaten for a week? Or is that just my child?!) and we, get this....TALK! I know, talking to a teen is hard work. Getting more than a Yes, or No, or uh huh is HARD! Thankfully though, Miss Teen and I, so far, have a good relationship and we can talk, sometimes with a little prompting, and removing of the mobile phone from her hand. We talk about school, friends, scouts, whatever she wants. Its never long enough, but still, its something.

      

Piano lessons then follow. She takes these very seriously! Miss Teen has decided she wants to do something in music when she grows up, so her aim this year is to get to Grade 3 in her piano. She also has an Eisteddfod this month, so fingers are crossed, hours of practice are being done, in the hope she does well!

Then we get to have a quick trip home, scoff down some dinner and then it is off to Scouts for the evening, before I head home again, and then head back in again an hour and a half later!

ANZAC DAY 2013

Its about this time every week that I realise just how busy I have been all day, and also, just how much petrol I use! It would be ok if we lived IN town, but living 20-25 mins away from these activities....ugh! I hate to think.....

But, Miss Teen is a girl with many facets. She loves to get all dressed up and act properly, like her recent entry in the local Junior Showgirl (check out this link!!) at our local show (more on that in an upcoming post!), but she also likes to camp, hike, tie knots and hang out getting dirty and messy and having all kinds of grubby fun with the kids at scouts.

     

Exhausted reading this yet? 

By the time I get home at about 9.30pm on a Thursday night, I am ready to fall into bed, and I usually do!

But, you know what?

I wouldn't have it any other way! 

The smiles on my girls faces, the fun times I get to spend with them, makes it ALL worth it in the end!!