Sunday 30 September 2007

Friday 28 September 2007

Birthday Party

Just a little about Miss T birthday.

She had a great day, got up really early telling us all that she is 4 now. We have a rule in this house that you can't go downstairs until we are all ready and then we go down together. I'm sure this rule will upset my son in a couple of years when he hits his teenage years and his sisters are still little and excitable but he will have to get over it.

She opened her presents and we all had breakfast and were getting ready to go out, when my dad phoned from the UK. It was really good to talk to him, he works away from home a lot and is not always available to have long chats with so how could I cut him off and say I need to get ready to go out now. I passed him on to Jon to talk to while I got ready. I haven't seen my dad since I left the UK 6 years ago. His wedding is next year and I would so love to go, but it is highly unlikely.

Anyway to Miss T. We headed to Hungry Jacks for her party, she was dressed in her brand new sparkly fairy outfit with her hair all pretty. It was very cute to see 15 little girls, all mostly dressed in fairy outfits and one boy. My girls fight over this one boy, they both want to marry him. Dangers of having girls close together.

Hungry Jacks was her venue of choice, because that is where she had it last year and I think she thinks that is where she has her parties. I am not too worried about this as

1 It is much cheaper than all other party venues
2 It is less hassle than having it at home

After the party we headed out to the local spring fair.

A very nice day.

Wednesday 26 September 2007

Is it tomorrow, today?


This is a question Miss T asks all the time. I'm never really sure how to answer it. I know she asks because she is told something will happen "tomorrow" so to her it is logical to ask "Is it tomorrow, today?"

Child restraints - or not?

I had a really lovely couple of minutes with my youngest daughter today. Only a couple of minutes - and she was asleep. She is being really horrible at the moment. We had a huge fight at the petrol station and it all started because I made her hold my hand as we walked across the forecourt (because I wanted her to be safe or something).

She refused to get in her car seat, many threats and brute force later she still pulled her arms out as soon as I started the car. I ended up pulling into a carpark space and sitting there for 20 minutes with her screaming, me trying to ignore her and not look like a cruel mother. I even gave my other daughter juice to try and gain a bargaining (not bribery) tool with my youngest. My fear here is that Miss T would then need the toilet.

She eventually exhausted herself and we drove home. I gave her a drink, all that screaming and squirming must have made her thirsty, then carried her straight up to bed. When all was quiet, I crept in sat on her bed, watched her, kissed her and told her I loved her - all while she was asleep of course. Subliminally she knows I love her but consciously she will not have won our fight.

Sunday 23 September 2007

Happy Birthday

It's my daughters 4th birthday today so now I can stop saying 'nearly 4 year old'. She is so excited. It was really cute watching her open her presents. She loved everything and was clearly so excited, the wow look on her face and the shaking of hands gave it away. I hope she never grows out of that.

More later I have a party to prepare for, not here thankfully. I can just walk away when it is over.

Monday 17 September 2007

I am so hungry

I am desperately trying not to eat again for 30 mins to see if it goes away. What do you think? Will I need to eat or not? I am off to have a cup of tea and read my fitness mag. Hopefully by then the banana will have hit my stomach and I won't feel hungry anymore.

I have an awful feeling though that I am heading for a hungry evening.

Be positive, food is not the enemy. If I am hungry I should eat providing it is physical hunger and not emotional hunger.

Sunday 16 September 2007

Spa




Bought the spa, arranged the concreter. My outside is going to look soooo good in a few weeks.




I just need to make the time to enjoy it between working to pay for it all.

Christmas cards


I try every year to make my own Christmas cards. It is getting more and more difficult each year to find the time to do it. I'm also finding that our list is getting longer and longer.

I also have to think about this really early cos a lot of mine go overseas so I send them in bulk to my mam who distributes them for me.

Anyway, this year I got my kids to colour a couple of Christmas pictures. I have scanned the pictures, shrunk them and made them into Christmas cards. Easy, the kids loved doing it and seeing their pictures on the front of the cards. My 2 year old did the one above. Easy.

Oh what to write?

I'm sat here thinking what to write. I'm thinking not too much exciting has happened lately. My car is fixed and going very well. We just signed a contract and parted with 10% of $12,000 to get a pergola on the back of our house. It is a lot of money but it will give us an extra room outdoors.

I am too afraid to let my kids eat lunch out there in the summer, so a pergola will give us the shade we need to enjoy the outside more.

Next on the shopping list is a spa.

My physio agreed last week that I could do a little upper body work. It has been almost a year to the day that I really hurt my shoulder so this has been a long process. I still have pain but my pain free range of motion has improved heaps the last couple of weeks. I really need to resist increasing the weights too quickly.

I have done 2 sessions so far, no overhead or lateral movements though. I am happy to say that even with the very light weights, I have a slight muscular ache in my back and biceps, not DOMS exactly but I know I have worked and it feels good.

I have to admit to having slightly more pain in my shoulder and my pain free ROM was less yesterday but I expected that. What is important now is that I rest it properly again before I work it again, and no increasing the weights.

So from a few weeks ago my physio telling me that surgery might be the only option, to lifting weights again. I can hardly believe it. Long way to go but I will get there.

Tuesday 11 September 2007

Walking

The new ultra positive me has had a few challenges these last few days. My car got sick, about $500 worth of sick and trying to find a positive in that has been difficult. In addition to the unexpected cost, I had planned to go the the gym this morning, and take my girls to creche.

Instead of having the car collected or getting a lift from someone, I decided that we (me and the girls) would drive to the garage, walk to the gym, workout or play, walk home, rest and walk back to get the car later today. Another obstacle was that Miss T presented with a temperature last night - but no sign of it this morning so off we went. She did really well, it was quite a long walk for a 3 (nearly 4) year old. The 2 year old was in the pram, it would have taken a week to get there if I had let her walk as well. Everyone at the gym was very impressed that she had walked all the way and so was I.

The positives

1 we saw butterfly's
2 we saw pretty flowers
3 we saved on fuel
4 we got fresh air
5 we increased our incidental exercise
6 I may have got a little sun on my very white arms (no flashes of the legs yet though still too cold for me)

It may even encourage us to walk to the gym once in a while in the future.

Why all the positives? I was realised that half my conversations were with people complaining about something or other and then I felt the need to 'trump' them with the terrible time I was having. Well, no more - everyone has little challenges every day, but I want to live and focus on the positives, happy thoughts make for happy people and happy families. There are too many bad things in this world that we don't need to make disasters out of little challenges. So what, I am without a car for the day. I am thankful though that I have a car every other day of the year. I am thankful that I have the health to be able to walk this "one" day.

It's not really all that bad.

This does not mean I have become a happy, cheery, annoyingly "up" person, just that I will no longer be drawn into all things dreary.

Saturday 8 September 2007

This n that

Having a pretty quiet long weekend. Jon is in the Gold Coast for the weekend pretending to be 20 again.

The kids and I watched the Goonies last night. It is so long since I have seen it, I kinda didn't realise it had a bit of language in it.

This morning we went to creche well the kids did I went to the gym. My son doesn't really like to go he is a bit old for it but with Jon away I needed him to come with me. I just did a quick cardio workout, but man, I had to hold on going down the steps, probably like Jon was doing last night, but for totally different reasons.

The gym called me back and want me to go in for a trial next week. That is good. It is very local and they are so cool about me having kids - so I will give it a go.

We are in the market for a spa at the moment. We have found what we think is a good one at a good price, but I know not to trust sales people. Any advice?

Got a bit of a niggle in my left shin. It will not be shin splints!!! I refuse. Started earlier this week so been giving running a wide birth last few days.

What movie to watch tonight? Not sure. Last few nights have been reading, psychology of weight loss books. Think I need a night off.

Think happy thoughts and smile!

Thursday 6 September 2007

Personal Training jobs

Thank you for your comments.

I have applied for a few PT jobs over the last couple of months. I am still working hard on building up my own mobile business, I feel however that some experience in a gym will be very valuable to me.

I have found though that not one of these jobs was actually for a PT position. The positions vary from reception, sales, childcare to gym instruction and group classes, they just want a PT to do them.

I am very happy to get rounded experience and to help out with all of the above positions but I want to be a PT.

Today I am helping out at pre-school all day on kitchen duty. I've never done it before, I hope to get a bit of a fly-on-the-wall look at my daughter.

My glass is still half full.

Wednesday 5 September 2007

Running in the rain

I've got a job interview this morning and I had to slot it in when I had booked to do my gym session. It's difficult with kids to arrange a time and the gym said I could bring them and put them in the creche - a gym that understands that 30 something women often have kids!!

So I cancelled my gym session and vowed to run this morning before Jon went to work. I knew there was a high chance of rain, but got up and went anyway. It was very wet and very cold, I didn't enjoy it much, my ears were really cold. However now I am back, have had my hot shower, I feel good that my workout is done for the day.

I didn't say that as I was on the homeward stretch, the rain stopped, the clouds broke and a rainbow appeared - shame I couldn't have had that extra hour sleep and then gone for my run.

Tuesday 4 September 2007

Today

Just had a nice peaceful hour reading everyone's blogs and the news. I woke up early so it was nice to catch up in the quiet, no kids fighting or making demands. Dora was playing in the background but that was ok, my eldest daughter, Miss T was up but she is happy to chill for a bit as well.

Today after I have got my son off to school, we are heading to the gym (creche for my girls) and then we are off to the RSL for lunch and kids day. We are meeting friends there. The weather forecast is not too go for today though so may need to change to an indoor venue.

I am trying to make my workouts a priority again, life seemed to get in the way for a little while there and my workout time was suffering. I find routine is the best way for me, I am not very good at trying to fit in workouts, they need to be planned and probably started before 9.30am or are they are unlikely to happen.

It's also difficult because I need to book the creche a week in advance so if no planning, no childcare and no workout. Difficult but not impossible. A workout appointment is now kept, barring sickness but I think we have had more than our fair share of that lately.

Think positive. We all have problems, difficulties, barriers, but the best of us find a solution.

Saturday 1 September 2007

Difficult questions

Being English my neighbour thought it would be good to buy my son something Aussie for his birthday, he got an Aussie Joke book.

So my 8 year old son asks what is a brothel?

We are quite open with our kids (in age appropriate ways) and he knows a fair bit about, where babies come from, drugs awareness etc. I don't think he knows though that "special cuddles" are not just for making babies so how could I bridge from special cuddles to a brothel (why do I keep typing brother?).

I couldn't think of a way on the spot so it is the first time I have told him he is too young to need to know that yet, and he accepted it, well I think he did, he will probably google it later today.

Oh maybe I should let you know what the joke was........

An Irishman goes into a brothel (brother again) and sees a sign that says BYO - so he went home and got his wife.

I got tagged ..........

a long time ago, sorry its taken so long


Jobs I’ve Held; Paper-round, Newsagency, Meat market stall, Clerk for a shipbuilding company, Housing officer for local government, Tax Officer for Inland Revenue in UK, Tax Accountant, Tax Investigator for Inland Revenue in New Zealand, Full time mum and Personal Trainer


Movies I Can Watch Over & Over; Grease, Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1969

Places I have lived (in order); Cumbria, Manchester and Warrington - all in the UK, Auckland, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia

Shows I enjoy; House, 24, Prison Break, Ghost Whisperer

Places I Have Been on Holiday; Scotland, Wales, Blackpool, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Canary Islands, Barbados (got married there), Mexico, Jamaica, New York, Florida, Los Angeles and a road trip to various places including Las Vegas, Christchurch, Bay of Islands, NZ, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane.

Favorite Foods; Ice cream, veggies

Websites I Visit Daily; Blogs and SMH

Body Parts I Have Injured; Shoulder, pelvis, neck

Awards I’ve Won; Several at school but that was a long time ago.

I am tagging anyone that has not already been tagged.