When things don't quite go to plan!

Holidays (the school variety, when does a mother really get a holiday?):

In Tassie not so much the Sun, Surf and Sand that a lot of main-landers tend to enjoy at this time of year, but as a lifelong Tasmanian, it is all about those things for me!  Well when I can be bothered with the packing and moaning by kidlets, that seems relentless!

Completely prone to a lack of organisation I find myself still packing when we reach our designated leaving time and getting increasingly frustrated as the minutes pass and things don’t quite fit in the car the way your had hoped, and you find yourself leaving items behind.

Eventually we are all in the car and off on the 2.5hour (ish) journey!

Thankfully no one was travel sick on the journey, which is actually quite regular with my children.

I had BIG moving plans!  Almost 2 weeks away, sun, surf and sand... and half of that time I had adult people available to CHILD MIND!!

I started off well, I arrived Sunday afternoon, unloaded the car and set about making the little shack into a temporary home!  

Monday saw me arise at 6.05am (who am I?) to complete W1D1 (week1day1) of the Couch to 5K app – EASILY! OMFG!

My first attempt on the treadmill at home I failed miserably!  But who fails when they have fresh sea air and THIS view!

I had all these plans that meant moving every day but by Monday night I flicked off the alarm for Tuesday morning! Driving around to new places, walking to all these amazing views:

Then eating a huge seafood basket for lunch, had me not wanting to move at ALL, let alone at 6am!

So Tuesday we pottered around and didn’t do much of anything!  Some cooking with the kidlets, which is a HUGE treat for them, as I am a ‘no kids in the kitchen kinda cook’!

By afternoon I was well over everything so I headed out for a steady walk around the place to clear my head!

Wednesday was a new day and I was determined to fit in another run.  This time I thought I might as well push myself, so W2D1 C25K it was...

Completed!  Plus some extra cool down walking time along the water’s edge watching the birds!

It was harder than W1D1, but I completed it without too much pain, so I will stick with W2 until it becomes easier for me!

Bringing us up to Thursday when my youngest developed a tummy pain, fever and spots! I was desperately hoping the spots were just a fever rash, and was entirely relieved when they faded to nothing after her first ‘vomit then sleep’ bout!  While she slept I made a quick dash to the shops to stock up on special dessert treats! 

Did I mention this was Holiday Junkfood Fest?

The rest of the day was spent snuggling 4yo sickie, in between doing the endless washing and dinner prep for everyone else!

Friday morning saw the 4yo jump out of bed bright and chirpy feeling “I’m not sick anymore" and Mummy not so chirpy after spending a wakeful night in a single bed with her! Can you tell yet that Friday was a right off too?

My Sister and children arrived Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with us.

Saturday morning we checked out the local market and opshop and wandered around the town checking out the sites, then back to base as we were expecting another arrival.

My Sister in Law arrived later that arvo and took a bunch of the children to the playground.

Sunday was a great day with hardly any wind, so I went out in the back yard for some Badminton – movement total for the holidays creeps up to about 2.5 hours, plus incidentals.

SIL left at about 11am with my eldest kidlet and my 17yo SIL (and main childminder) in tow.  So Sunday arvo we headed off to the jetty for some fishing and sand play!

Then around to another beach for some rock pools, rock hopping and heart stopping moments from Miss 4’s antics and some more beautiful views again! 

Brings me to Today – Monday (Yes I wrote this post in a notebook while on holiday with no internet access)

My sister and children left this morning leaving me alone with 2 kidlets.  We cooked a vanilla Tea cake, Painted and Potted around the house the rest of the day.

Tuesday and Wednesday are a bit of a blur and a mix up, there was a walk to the playground, (with some laps around the fence for mummy), a trip into town and a stop at another playground! This one had Swings and Mummy enjoyed that!  Also bubbles! Lots and lots of bubbles, and popping of bubbles...

Thursday saw us head home, with a lot of vomiting and pulling over on the way... also a lovely stop of at my other sister’s house for lunch and a quick visit.  Home in time for Miss 4 to walk into the carpeted lounge room before vomiting AGAIN.  Then off we go to Badminton, and I did some walking and running around in between games!

School goes back Monday and day to day life goes back to normal for us.

Kicking Goals!

It seems the month to start kicking goals on this journey of mine!

By that I mean - I am moving at least 3 times a week - Playing Badminton for between 60 and 90 minutes 3 times a week.
I have also kicked my first BIG weight-loss goal and am currently down to 94.4kg! I have broken through the 95kg barrier that sees me at my lightest weight in around 12 years!
I fit into the wedding dress I was married in on the first of September 2001!
So important stats for anyone who wants to know:

I have lost a total of:

10.1 kilograms

  12cm from Waist

 10cm from Hips

9cm from Thighs

5cm from Arms

13cm from Chest

in 15 weeks! 

Here are the photo's in my undies to prove it ;)

14th June 2013 vs 27 September 2013

I am very happy at my current results and am not planning to stop anytime soon!
There is still a lot of fitness work to be done for me to reach those goals!

Oh and also check out my new 'Get Moving' gear....

Isn't Kate AWESOME, also, check out the AMAZING ACHIEVEMENT some of our OpMovers pulled off last weekend!

SOOOOO INSPIRATIONAL

Taking Charge?

Some would say "It's about time" others "Why would you do that?"

The truth is I am completely unsure, but I need to do something and when I have no idea where to go, or what direction to take to get there, this is as good as any leap of faith right?

So with that there, I guess one should explain my situation.

I have decided to apply for a real life job, at a real life business, that will take me away from home most days a week!
It is most certainly something I can do, and be good at, although maybe not enjoy? *shrug*
The challenge will be in actually getting the job!  I have had all of 2 'real' jobs in my life, then I have been a mother!

For 4 months at the end of 2001, I worked as a casual Sales Assistant, I was pregnant when I finished that Christmas Casual contract, so I didn't ask to continue on.
2 years later I did a 4-6 month stint working in a family operated cheese factory. The owner was a family friend and needed workers, I decided we needed the money.  It was a great work environment with only a few small issues, but after working full time from 7am-3pm, coming home to an almost 2yo and a husband, who was doing night shifts delivering pizza's, and also realising I wanted more children sooner rather than later!  I moved on from that position as the dairy season came into the 'slow' winter season. 

I haven't worked a 'real' job since, and I haven't had a 'real' job interview since 2001!
I have very little experience and am quite nervous and shy when it comes to 'new people'
But things have to change and move on.

My youngest child is 4, she will be attending school 5 days a fortnight next year,  although I would dearly love more children... because, BABIES, this is off the cards for me now.

I need to move on, I need to contribute more than just the very little housework I do.  I need to move and activate myself and my brain in ways other than playing house and parent! 

Whether I enjoy the job, whether I get the job, whether I hate the job, whether I fail dismally and never want to work another day in my life!  None of this matters, I will not get the opportunity if I don't take the leap of faith and TRY.  I have not failed if I try, I have only failed if I don't attempt it at all.

It is time to transform, it is scarey, exciting, nerve racking and mind blowing.  It will be hard.
It will require me to step up, to organise, prioritise and organise again... and I am going to try my best to take charge and be what my family needs and provide for them in an altogether 'better' manner than I have managed in the past!


In other news... I am still sitting at 96.9kg this is my 3rd weigh at the same weight, I am ramping up my exercise in september with a daily ARMS challenge (push ups, dips, bicep curls and punches) and I have started the Couch to 5K program.  I want to be 85kg before christmas, and I am aiming to run 10km's in under 60minutes by June 2014...
These are my current goals! Hopefully I will kick it!
Thanks to Kate and Blackmores, for OperationMOVE and the MyBlackmores program, they provide much needed support, encouragement and information.

Blogfast - Smile

Day late for the Blogfast Club this week!
Had a full day yesterday, the car went in for repairs and is out for a week and a bit!


Better late than never? Judge for yourself on the result!

A Haiku on the Prompt 'Smile'

Lost to a world

Confused by what I see

Your smile lives

Linking up over at Kop's Kattery today, well yesterday! 

Head over and check it out!

Blogfast - Magical Fantasy Land

It seems the challenge I set was a little harder than I thought!
Having been totally busy for the last week, with sick children, sick friends and a Surprise Baby shower planned that turned around completely with the birth of babe 7 weeks prem, the night before the shower.  An all nighter (1.5hrs sleep between 6.30 and 8am) Friday night due to the baby arriving at 11pm, playing Taxi (LOVINGLY) for the support people and family Saturday morning, cooking and cleaning for all those in need, I collapsed into bed at about 8pm Saturday night and fell fast asleep until about 8am Sunday morning! But I still didn't get up! ;)

So what is a Magical Fantasy Land?
And Descriptive Writing? Did I really? OMG!

In reality my Fantasy Land, involves Miracles not magic! The miracle of winning lotto, so there is money available to build a new house and set up our 30 acre property to be our dream!

But we are not talking reality here are we?

So lets leave the house, with it's leaking roof and float up through the ceiling, attic space, and roof, into the heavy mist and rain that pounds loudly on the tin, but hardly touches your skin and instantly dries on your clothes.  Higher you float through the Thick grey clouds pushing past the restrictions of heavy moisture laden air to burst forth into the blinding sunlight.  Hovering gently, eyes closed slowly adjusting to the new source of warmth and light before you, absorbing the heat gifted to you by the sun.  you turn your back to the sun and slowly open your eyes allowing the pupils to contract and adjust to the bright expanse of yellow light reflecting off the surface of the clouds now beneath you.
Staring around in wonder at the world around you, you notice behind you just a short way it a towering castle, it appears to be made of an intricate network of stone masonry, a huge tower in the centre, with 5 smaller towers around forming the points of a star.  Moving under the arch in the circular outer wall you reach out a hand, expecting the rough texture of stone to reach your finger tips, you find only wisps of mist swirl around and between your fingers returning to stone as they pass.
On the inside of the outer wall, you stand and survey your surroundings, far off to your right and left are walls slowing closing in on you, as you move closer to the centre tower.  There is no sign of an entry here and no way to turn off in the walls of stone.  Remembering the mists of the arch way you reach out tentatively and find your hand engulfed in mist, you take a brave step forward, feeling a rush of warmth when you never realised you were cold, completely surrounded by mist, you begin to feel constricted, but edge your way forward hoping to find...


Thanks for reading ;)
Join in with The Blogfast Club, thanks to KateSaysStuff, hosted this week over at Mummalish!
Check out the other writing pieces for the week and take a trip back through the posts to find some other challenges we have done!