Keep safe everyone.
Hugs
Mich
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Knowledge is Power!!
With reports of Swine Flu all over the news, I thought I should read up on it. Besides giving us symptons our Government hasn't done much else. As of this morning according to news reports they hadn't even issued a Travel Advisory notice for Mexico. Duh!!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Weight Watchers : Week 12 - only .2kg's down
Eeeeek, I didn't get to blog about Week 12.
Considering we had the long weekend and that we were away, the fact that I was .2 kg's down, I considered a miracle.
The struggle has been on this week. Lots of moments of self doubt, all the questions and the moments of 'I just want this gone' and not later, NOW!! Now I know picking up all this weight did not happen overnight although realising it was there did feel like 'overnight'. I woke up one morning and enough was enough. Now 12 weeks into WW and approx. 6-8 weeks of gym and I'm getting FRUSTRATED. I cannot look at lasagne, pizza, a packet of chips, biscuits/cookies without my body charging me a 1kg for trying and sometimes even looking. LOL
This morning I dragged my body out of bed just before 7:30, all the time motivating myself to attend a body conditioning class at 8am. Now, I usually attend the 1pm class but because today being a public holiday due to elections the only classes were this morning. The good news is I made the class but I had my moments. The ladies in reception were all cheerful and brought a smile to my day. I informed them that I had just dragged my 'sorry butt' out of bed, had not even had a cup of coffee yet and that the class had better be worth it. I get upstairs and the class is filled with I call the 'g-string parade'. The girls who hardly work up a sweat and are co-ordinated to a tee. Here is me - baggy t-shirt, a bra that just does the job as no sports bra fits yet and my comfy workout pants that I live in between washes. I uhmmmm, I ahhhhhh, about turn and head back down stairs. No way!! I'll grab my MP3 player and hit the treadmill and circuit.....I can zone out. The girls in reception want to know what is up.....I tell them that as I seem to be the only fat girl in the class that maybe this is not for me. I get the lecture...are you losing weight for them or for yourself. I sheepishly admit that I am doing it for me, smile, about turn and head back upstairs. I find the back corner of the class....get all my equipment and 'Just do it'....I did the class and I had fun while dreaming of the day I will be in a g-string, tight pants, tight top, perkier boobs (maybe they will hang less south) and remember to smile encouragement at the heavier girl while remembering that I was once in the same shoes.
I've been looking into Personal Trainers. Now considering I told DH (darling hubby) that I could do this without direction I am coming to the realisation that some direction, encouragement and a bunch of other stuff is needed. Hubby is behind this 100%, and I'll admit that I am surprised by his attitude on this because of 'well him being him' LOL. Now they don't come cheap - eeeeekkk!! - and I'm going to have to figure this out.
At the end of the day...I realise this has been a hard week for me. I broke the rules, I ate the lasagne and had some pizza but I resisted the packet of chips although God help me, that packet of Lays Basalmic Vinegar were calling to me each time I walked past them in the shop. I have not drunk near enough water each day. It has cooled down and I find drinking water harder...but my body feels it and I just have to work harder getting it into this body of mine. But I'll figure this out, I'll get through this crappy week, and work harder at it.
How has your week been?
Now I'm going to cast my vote.
Considering we had the long weekend and that we were away, the fact that I was .2 kg's down, I considered a miracle.
The struggle has been on this week. Lots of moments of self doubt, all the questions and the moments of 'I just want this gone' and not later, NOW!! Now I know picking up all this weight did not happen overnight although realising it was there did feel like 'overnight'. I woke up one morning and enough was enough. Now 12 weeks into WW and approx. 6-8 weeks of gym and I'm getting FRUSTRATED. I cannot look at lasagne, pizza, a packet of chips, biscuits/cookies without my body charging me a 1kg for trying and sometimes even looking. LOL
This morning I dragged my body out of bed just before 7:30, all the time motivating myself to attend a body conditioning class at 8am. Now, I usually attend the 1pm class but because today being a public holiday due to elections the only classes were this morning. The good news is I made the class but I had my moments. The ladies in reception were all cheerful and brought a smile to my day. I informed them that I had just dragged my 'sorry butt' out of bed, had not even had a cup of coffee yet and that the class had better be worth it. I get upstairs and the class is filled with I call the 'g-string parade'. The girls who hardly work up a sweat and are co-ordinated to a tee. Here is me - baggy t-shirt, a bra that just does the job as no sports bra fits yet and my comfy workout pants that I live in between washes. I uhmmmm, I ahhhhhh, about turn and head back down stairs. No way!! I'll grab my MP3 player and hit the treadmill and circuit.....I can zone out. The girls in reception want to know what is up.....I tell them that as I seem to be the only fat girl in the class that maybe this is not for me. I get the lecture...are you losing weight for them or for yourself. I sheepishly admit that I am doing it for me, smile, about turn and head back upstairs. I find the back corner of the class....get all my equipment and 'Just do it'....I did the class and I had fun while dreaming of the day I will be in a g-string, tight pants, tight top, perkier boobs (maybe they will hang less south) and remember to smile encouragement at the heavier girl while remembering that I was once in the same shoes.
I've been looking into Personal Trainers. Now considering I told DH (darling hubby) that I could do this without direction I am coming to the realisation that some direction, encouragement and a bunch of other stuff is needed. Hubby is behind this 100%, and I'll admit that I am surprised by his attitude on this because of 'well him being him' LOL. Now they don't come cheap - eeeeekkk!! - and I'm going to have to figure this out.
At the end of the day...I realise this has been a hard week for me. I broke the rules, I ate the lasagne and had some pizza but I resisted the packet of chips although God help me, that packet of Lays Basalmic Vinegar were calling to me each time I walked past them in the shop. I have not drunk near enough water each day. It has cooled down and I find drinking water harder...but my body feels it and I just have to work harder getting it into this body of mine. But I'll figure this out, I'll get through this crappy week, and work harder at it.
How has your week been?
Now I'm going to cast my vote.
Friday, April 17, 2009
...when we thought our parents had it 'oh so wrong', did they actually have it RIGHT!!
Ten Ways To Be A More Light-Hearted ParentBy Gretchen Rubin
One of my Twelve Commandments is "Lighten up," and I have a lot of resolutions aimed at trying to be a more light-hearted parent: less nagging, more laughing. We all want a peaceful, cheerful, even joyous, atmosphere at home -- but we can't nag and yell our way to get there.
Here are some strategies that help me:
1. At least once a day, make each child helpless with laughter.
2. Sing in the morning. It's hard both to sing and to maintain a grouchy mood, and it sets a happy tone for everyone--particularly in my case, because I'm tone deaf and my audience finds my singing a source of great hilarity.
3. Get enough sleep yourself. It's so tempting to stay up late, to enjoy the peace and quiet. But morning comes fast. Along the same lines...
4. Wake up before your kids. We were so rushed in the morning that I started getting up half an hour earlier than my children. That means I can get myself organized, check my email, post to Slate, and get my bag packed before they get up. It's tough to wake up earlier, but it has made a huge difference in the quality of our mornings.
5. I've been researching the hedonic treadmill: people quickly adapt to new pleasures or luxuries, so it takes a new pleasure to give them a jolt of gratification. As a result, I've cut back on treats and impulse buys for my kids. The ice-cream sandwich or the Polly Pockets set won't be an exciting treat if it isn't rare.
6. Most messages to kids are negative: "stop," "don't," "no." So I try to cast my answers as "yes." "Yes, we'll go as soon as you've finished eating," not "We're not leaving until you've finished eating." It's not easy to remember to do this, but I'm trying.
7. Look for little ways to celebrate. I haven't been doing holiday breakfasts long, but they're a huge source of happiness. They're quick, fun, and everyone gets a big kick out of them.
8. Repetition works. A friend told me he was yelling at his kids too much, so he distilled all rules of behavior into four key phrases: "keep your hands to yourself"; "answer the first time you're asked"; "ask first"; and "stay with us" (his kids tended to bolt). You can also use the school mantras: "Sit square in your chair;" "accidents will happen," "you get what you get, and you don't get upset" (i.e., when cupcakes are handed out, you don't keep trying to switch).
9. Say "no" only when it really matters. Wear a bright red shirt with bright orange shorts? Sure. Put water in the toy tea set? Okay. Sleep with your head at the foot of the bed? Fine. Samuel Johnson said, "All severity that does not tend to increase good, or prevent evil, is idle."
10. When I find myself thinking, "Yippee, soon we won't have to deal with a stroller," I remind myself how fleeting this is. All too soon the age of Cheerios and the Tooth Fairy will be over. The days are long, but the years are short.
Thanks go to a fellow lampworker who posted this on one of the lampworking forums I visit. This article seems to have come at a time when I seem to be at my wits end at what to do. Josh and I are clashing at every corner and I constantly feel like I am in 'yell' mode!! He definitely seems to go through these stages where he feels the need to test the boundaries and to see just how far he can push me. Last night it felt like he was clearly winning the battle of wits as I lost my temper which resulted in me yelling and screaming like a banchee....which is never good.
I got to thinking and this also got me frustrated as I realised that with 99% of his antics, if I had tried the same with my parents my lil' ol' bottom would have been in a permanent red state. We the clearly knew the boundaries and knew what would happen should we push them. There was 'NO, I won't eat this or that', there was 'NO, I don't like that' and there was definitely 'NO - yuck'!! Clearly I knew what the consequences were if I did not sit down and eat my dinner that had been graciously cooked for me. We live in times where disciplining our children, gets us parents being judged, we try to negotiate with our kids - apparently my parents did not believe in negotiation. I sometimes feel that my kids have me on my knees and I've lost control as a parent. When I end up yelling and screaming I am no longer the parent but the child throwing the tantrum.
Trying to get Josh home from nursery school has me wary and worried about the tantrum he is going to throw when I collect him. Trying not to go in to throttle mode around all the other moms who seem to be in control of everything or the teacher frowning at you and now you're thinking about what she is thinking and driving yourself nutz!!!
The moments at gym. After enjoying a great workout the fear of walking into the kid zone and facing yet another tantrum because he feels he hasn't been there long enough!! Then everyone staring at you in the reception area as you have this 4 yo throwing himself on the floor.
I get the feeling I would make a great NEGOTIATIOR one day because my kids are giving me all the training I need. I feel myself saying 'but when I was your age.......my mother.....blah, blah, blah'. My mother never ever NEGOTIATED and I love her for it!!
I crumble in shops. I'd rather get the wants and demands than face the tantrum that will follow. There is no one to blame but ME, ME, ME!! I have aided and abetted this behavior....I have allowed them to control me when I should be controlling them....I cannot follow this path of giving into his every whim - he will learn nothing from it.
Why does parenting seem so much harder in todays world than when we were kids and I have to wonder when we thought our parents had it 'oh so wrong', did they actually have it RIGHT!!
One of my Twelve Commandments is "Lighten up," and I have a lot of resolutions aimed at trying to be a more light-hearted parent: less nagging, more laughing. We all want a peaceful, cheerful, even joyous, atmosphere at home -- but we can't nag and yell our way to get there.
Here are some strategies that help me:
1. At least once a day, make each child helpless with laughter.
2. Sing in the morning. It's hard both to sing and to maintain a grouchy mood, and it sets a happy tone for everyone--particularly in my case, because I'm tone deaf and my audience finds my singing a source of great hilarity.
3. Get enough sleep yourself. It's so tempting to stay up late, to enjoy the peace and quiet. But morning comes fast. Along the same lines...
4. Wake up before your kids. We were so rushed in the morning that I started getting up half an hour earlier than my children. That means I can get myself organized, check my email, post to Slate, and get my bag packed before they get up. It's tough to wake up earlier, but it has made a huge difference in the quality of our mornings.
5. I've been researching the hedonic treadmill: people quickly adapt to new pleasures or luxuries, so it takes a new pleasure to give them a jolt of gratification. As a result, I've cut back on treats and impulse buys for my kids. The ice-cream sandwich or the Polly Pockets set won't be an exciting treat if it isn't rare.
6. Most messages to kids are negative: "stop," "don't," "no." So I try to cast my answers as "yes." "Yes, we'll go as soon as you've finished eating," not "We're not leaving until you've finished eating." It's not easy to remember to do this, but I'm trying.
7. Look for little ways to celebrate. I haven't been doing holiday breakfasts long, but they're a huge source of happiness. They're quick, fun, and everyone gets a big kick out of them.
8. Repetition works. A friend told me he was yelling at his kids too much, so he distilled all rules of behavior into four key phrases: "keep your hands to yourself"; "answer the first time you're asked"; "ask first"; and "stay with us" (his kids tended to bolt). You can also use the school mantras: "Sit square in your chair;" "accidents will happen," "you get what you get, and you don't get upset" (i.e., when cupcakes are handed out, you don't keep trying to switch).
9. Say "no" only when it really matters. Wear a bright red shirt with bright orange shorts? Sure. Put water in the toy tea set? Okay. Sleep with your head at the foot of the bed? Fine. Samuel Johnson said, "All severity that does not tend to increase good, or prevent evil, is idle."
10. When I find myself thinking, "Yippee, soon we won't have to deal with a stroller," I remind myself how fleeting this is. All too soon the age of Cheerios and the Tooth Fairy will be over. The days are long, but the years are short.
Thanks go to a fellow lampworker who posted this on one of the lampworking forums I visit. This article seems to have come at a time when I seem to be at my wits end at what to do. Josh and I are clashing at every corner and I constantly feel like I am in 'yell' mode!! He definitely seems to go through these stages where he feels the need to test the boundaries and to see just how far he can push me. Last night it felt like he was clearly winning the battle of wits as I lost my temper which resulted in me yelling and screaming like a banchee....which is never good.
I got to thinking and this also got me frustrated as I realised that with 99% of his antics, if I had tried the same with my parents my lil' ol' bottom would have been in a permanent red state. We the clearly knew the boundaries and knew what would happen should we push them. There was 'NO, I won't eat this or that', there was 'NO, I don't like that' and there was definitely 'NO - yuck'!! Clearly I knew what the consequences were if I did not sit down and eat my dinner that had been graciously cooked for me. We live in times where disciplining our children, gets us parents being judged, we try to negotiate with our kids - apparently my parents did not believe in negotiation. I sometimes feel that my kids have me on my knees and I've lost control as a parent. When I end up yelling and screaming I am no longer the parent but the child throwing the tantrum.
Trying to get Josh home from nursery school has me wary and worried about the tantrum he is going to throw when I collect him. Trying not to go in to throttle mode around all the other moms who seem to be in control of everything or the teacher frowning at you and now you're thinking about what she is thinking and driving yourself nutz!!!
The moments at gym. After enjoying a great workout the fear of walking into the kid zone and facing yet another tantrum because he feels he hasn't been there long enough!! Then everyone staring at you in the reception area as you have this 4 yo throwing himself on the floor.
I get the feeling I would make a great NEGOTIATIOR one day because my kids are giving me all the training I need. I feel myself saying 'but when I was your age.......my mother.....blah, blah, blah'. My mother never ever NEGOTIATED and I love her for it!!
I crumble in shops. I'd rather get the wants and demands than face the tantrum that will follow. There is no one to blame but ME, ME, ME!! I have aided and abetted this behavior....I have allowed them to control me when I should be controlling them....I cannot follow this path of giving into his every whim - he will learn nothing from it.
Why does parenting seem so much harder in todays world than when we were kids and I have to wonder when we thought our parents had it 'oh so wrong', did they actually have it RIGHT!!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Our Easter weekend away
This is what it is all about. Out and about and exploring. No layed on entertainment but heading out and discovering. Each morning we would wake up, make breakfast, pack a lunch and head out. I'm pretty sure we haven't covered every nook here yet which is not a bad thing. The photo above was taken at the rapids. Nothing major but fun to play in and explore. I've course there was a shriek from me as a little or not so little crab went crawling over my foot much to the amusement of my little guys.
We were very lucky this time around with the animals we spotted. We got to see a baboon, a 50/50 chance of having seeing a boomslang (a very poisinous green snake) but as we could not 100% confirm the identity chances are that it was possibly a harmless water snake but then who wants to take a chance and we made a wide birth around it while heading to the cave. We were lucky to have spotted this pair of Klipspringers, aren't they beautiful!! We spotted them on our way from the cave to the slide pools. Naturally, I was the scaredy cat who was perpetually living in fear of coming across another 'bad' green snake. There is no trail as such, the river is used as a guide to make your way to the slide pools. Alternatively, we could have head back on the trail and then taken the trail to the slide pools but what fun would that have been. We spotted squirrels at our camp - they would dart through the trees on our campsite. I also discovered a nest in the washing up area, which I think is a swallow's nest. Let's not forget the warthogs - we saw them again but they were not around as much as they were last time.
Can you tell that these guys had fun!! Josh constantly clowning around.
Aah, this picture is courtesy of Josh. I turned 36 rather uneventfully. LOL Yes, the boys did wish we Happy Birthday first before dashing off in search of their Easter Eggs. That bunny and I need to talk. He left way too many behind!! At least we had some long walks to work off the sugar rush. Josh seems rather sensitive lately and turns into Taz...spinning in circles and I cannot keep up.
Excuse the grubby hair but the bright spark in me left my shampoo and conditioner at home. Not very clever right!! On our first night, Ant and I woke up in the morning thinking our blowup mattress was losing air but just thought a good pump would help it. Next night we wake up. Bums on the floor, feet and heads raised. Not comfortable at all. Here is the sweet darling man pumping up the mattress at 4 in the morning and while trying to fall asleep again the realisation that we had a puncture was most definitely certain!! At the little shop at the camp I thought I had seen puncture kits, but just my luck that they had sold out the day before. Off Ant went in search of a puncture kit and finally found one in Buffelspoort, more of a resort area than anything else. Come Sunday night and we're expecting a blissful night of sleep, it was just not meant to be. This time at 2am (here's me - you got to be kidding right..lol) bums on the floor, feet and head in the air - not a comfortable situation at all. Up we get....pump the mattress and find puncture no. 2. The puncture kit is slowly becoming our best friend. We fix the puncture the best we can as there is no lengthy times to allow proper drying to this or that. We take our chances and fall back to sleep. Thankfully no more bums on the floor and feet and heads in the air. Woooohooooo!!!
On Monday I was really sad - the relaxation and peace had just started setting in and the last thing I felt like doing was heading back home. But home it was and after packing up, another quick walk and it was time to head home. We stopped off at our favourite farmstall called Jasmyn to break the trip and before we knew it we were back in city living.
I live in the comfort that we have booked a lengthy stay in December over Christmas and as soon as Spring knocks on our door we'll head out there for a quick mini break.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Weight Watchers : Week 11 - Never Ever Give Up!! Down 1.4kg's
With a lot of hard work, strict control of my WW points and a few changes at gym and Voila!! I am down 1.4kg's. I added some weights to my exercise routine which has turned out not to be a bad thing at all and I am enjoying the circuit more than I thought I would. When I walk on the treadmill I carry my 1kg weights that fit snuggly into each hand to help get that heart rate up....and YES, I am still having fun. {{big smiles}}
Those hiking boots are there for a reason. It is Easter Weekend and we're off on our 3 night, 4 day camping trip. Woooohoooooo!! The weather has cooled down a bit, but thankfully no rain is forecast and we're not in the dead of winter so it is 'just right' so to say. So I'll be packing in ernest sometime today.
For those of you travelling, travel safe and no matter where you are I hope you have a super long weekend and enjoy spending it just the way you want to.
Hugs to you all.
Mich
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Week 10: Weight Watchers......don't look
Yeah, the scale hates me. I'm up .6kg's which ='s 1kg up over the past two weeks. I got to the meeting earlier today as traffic was not as chaotic due to school holidays. None of us were looking to happy and got chatting and I'm glad I did as lots of ideas and thoughts were thrown my way.
* I am going to investigate changes to my treadmill routine and I got myself some 1.5kg weights to go with me on the treadmill.
* Change my routines - not eating the same things for breakfast and lunch. Change and variety. Hmmmm
* Doing more weight training and trying out the toning circuit.
* To stop being so hard on myself!! Yeah right.
* Drink more water.
* Persistance, Persistance, Persistance and NOT GIVING UP!! My fellow lampworkers - PPP
I just want to thank you all for stopping by and commenting. Your support means so much to me. My brain hears what you're saying BUT it is amazing what the # on the scale can do to one mentally. Yes, I can feel it in my clothes, I know it when I can buy a size smaller BUT I am amazed at how much that no. on the scale does to me mentally. This morning I had visions of the scale sinking to the bottom pool.
I am exhausted most of the time and I guess the late nights are not helping. A longing for being with my friends in the USA, it's been 2 years and I miss you all. Time flies.....one day!!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
The bathroom scale HATES me....yes, it DOES!!
Don't you just love that website : http://icanhascheezburger.com/
I'm getting panicky and frustrated!! The bathroom scale HATES me, I swear it does!! My clothes feel better and I've dropped a cup size as well as a bra size. Does that make sense?? But, the bathroom scale HATES me. The other day I bought a more comfy pair of pants to exercise in - dropped a size. Why doesn't the bathroom scale agree??
I'm almost living at the gym now in this desperation to lose weight. How long I can keep this up - who knows? Yesterday I upped my game on the treadmill and cycling machines. Then after that sweaty session, I bumped into Sanele, our water aerobics instructor who felt some abdominal exercises would be a good idea. I HATE Sanele, okay, I don't - but when I was doing the exercises, I did. LOL I think we have an appointment on Thursday to do some more. I love the exercise for the 'love handles' - had fun with those. LOL
Tonight is Tai Chi and I have done no research. I really must try and squeeze some time in and google it. I need to find a decent pair of slippers that do not have a 'Winnie the Pooh' character on (wouldn't that do down well in class) for class. A nice black pair. And no not slipper slippers, but slippers. {{grin}}
I might try and squeeze in some cardio and maybe some body conditioning as well. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving gym but I'm worried about how much time I end up spending there. I love the smell of pools, I find it refreshing and I also made a new discovery yesterday as well, I seem to do better with cardio when I'm listening to local artists who sing Afrikaans songs. I found that it was easier to zone out and do what needed to be done vs. struggling.
What has not helped either is a busy social calendar, it was hubby's birthday last weekend, our anniversary yesterday and my birthday coming up soon, and it happens to be over Easter weekend too. I've taken to smelling Hot Cross Buns....don't worry, I buy them and don't eat them. Pure torture....!!
Best to face the day. Stay strong and true and remember YOU CAN DO IT!! and so CAN I!!
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