My good friends laughed and laughed at me last night........I was almost not game enough to bring out the layout I was working on..........(grin) because it is the same layout I have been working on for over three weeks! Fortunately I am not getting paid an hourly rate...... But boy don't I have some fun.
I have been having alot of fun with flowers and with sewing of late. I have even added the odd bead on the 'Caloundra' layout. Thanks to my design consultants Sue and Alison, I have some great guidance.
Here is my kitchen.........okay maybe I am being a little premature here....... I was so excited when the truck pulled up with all these bits. I hope the guys know what they are doing. Hopefully the old floor will be pulled up and replaced with the new floor on the Anzac Day holiday. I hope they can do it quickly and without lots of problems. I know these things never go to schedule/plan but I can live in hope hey......
I couldn't wear these on Tuesday. (Gosh I wish there was an easy way to put the images where you want them, instead of where blogger puts them............) So if you are still with me........ I had to go to the dr for a checkup yesterday and I thought while I was there I would get my ankle looked at. Can you imagine my fright when he said, "I think we should get it x-rayed, you may have broken it." In my head I was saying "Ahhh, you don't understand, I cannot have a broken ankle. I am a mother of three young children, I am taxi, I work, I work out, I DANCE!!! So you see I cannot be that badly injured." The polite me, said "Oh!" So I went and had the x-ray, had a coffee and a whinge at Daisy's, felt better, went and got kidlets, took said kidlets to footy training, went back to radiology to collect images, went back to doctor, (with Mickey), read the results on the way and saw it wasn't broken, phew!! Waiting at the dr. and then had heat and ultrasound on it. I bought a compression ankle thingy at the chemist today which I will wear when I am dancing. I had treatment today and will go back on Monday. My new gym program is good. Luke has me doing alot of strengthening exercises. Standing on one leg with my eyes shut, and that's on a disc on top of a flat ball which wobbles everywhere. I can do it, so that's good. I hope to strengthen up the ankle, so I can go back to aerobics one day. (I didn't tell the doctor I dance - methinks he would't be too impressed. The thing is, it doesn't hurt when I dance, as long as I don't go over it again, like I did on Tuesday, but I can do that easily on flat ground in flat shoes.........
Scrapbooking tonight. I love it! It's a fabulous night, I always hate it when it ends, at around 1am!!!
As I mentioned before I have a new gym program. I haven't had a full workout yet, have just spent two sessions going through the new program with Luke the new trainer. I am so sore today. Everytime I sit down or get up, I do it very gingerly. Heaven only knows how sore I would be if I hadn't been doing anything of late. I am looking forward to this, I love lifting weights and getting stronger. The cardio component is okay too, I do bike and treadmill. I prefer the walking to the bike.
Will see if I can fix these images on this post.....
I have started a new blog, just to document our renovations. That way it keeps everything in the one place.
I am totally peeved..........no I am pissed off! And it's at myself. I did my ankle several weeks ago, and it's been slowly getting better. I was really lucky, in that I was able to get around okay, and I didn't really reduce my exercise. Mind you, when I did my calf muscle, they banned me from aerobics............... I have never been banned from anything, and then I am banned from one of my favourite activities........... Anyway I was recommended to do gym workouts with a rehab component to strengthen the ligaments. So today I organized that..........and did some creative accounting so I could afford to do it. I will enjoy the gym, but I loved the aerobics. I will miss Pump and yoga the most. Anyway I went over my ankle this afternoon outside Lanhams. One of the kids hadn't shut their door properly, and, because of the child safety lock, I had to get out of the car and open it to shut it properly. When I walked back to the car (peeved because I'd had to get out in the first place) I rolled my ankle on a slightly uneven bit of bitumen. I felt ill! It was that painful, that I couldn't even talk and the kids were asking me what the matter was. I have iced it, taken pain medication, but dancing tonight is out of the question. I tried my dance shoes on three times, and I can hardly stand straight in them, let alone dance.......................
Anyway, it's dinner time now, will maybe post a more positive post afterwards. It's a big episode of Biggest Loser tonight, so will be good. I can't believe it's nearly finished and then "Big Brother" starts.
I have had a funny week. A very quiet one. I have good days and I have some pretty crappy ones too. I think I have realized though, that the powder I am taking in replacement of my anti inflammatory medication, is working really, really well. If I am slack and forget a day or two in the week...............I feel like I have been hit by a bus. It's awful. I knew they (the pills) helped me alot, enough that I knew to take something else, rather than just stopping............but I had no idea how old and decrepit I would feel. I want to live, look after my family, move, go to gym, dance and do all those fun things..............and without a little help, that just would be so much more difficult. I just hurt .........my neck, my upper back, my hips, my knees, my elbows.........shit there' s almost nothing left not to hurt.............. So, I am now a good girl and take the stuff every day. I have changed the time so that if I am out at night, I will still have had it during the day........
So, because of that, and school holidays, I have been busy reading about other people's Easters and have been slack and haven't written about mine..........
We always have a great Easter. On Saturday we had a 50th to go to, which was good fun. Mil and Fil looked after the kidlets, so they had an absolute ball. We picked them up when we went around on Easter Sunday, had a lovely morning tea and then came home and prepared for our BBQ lunch with my family. We had loads of yummy food, yummy champagne........(dh bought me Henkell Trocken, which I just love........) and we spent a great afternoon. We had so much food left over we did the same again the next day........
My brother and his wife came for a bit, so that was good, and a little unexpected.....
I have edited one photo so far from the day. I love the Easter Egg hunt........
I am an Australian...............through and through........or so I thought, once upon a time. My parents are German and Austrian, and that has put a huge inprint on me. Every Christmas, my specialties, which I love to bake, are Austrian. Mind you I make a pretty mean fruit cake, which surpasses every fruitcake I have ever tasted, even if I say so myself - that's my Australian component of my Christmas cuisine.
Every Thursday, (when it's on) I watch "Inspector Rex". It's not the fact that it's an excellent show that I watch it, it's because it's in Austrian. Austrians speak German but it's as different as Australian English to English English! I hear the program come on and it gives me goosebumps. It takes me back to all the years that I spoke the language at home. German is my first language! I spoke only German until I went to school, and I still always had to speak it at home. It's funny, but I can come across someone in the supermarket talking to their friend/partner in German and I want to respond in German, especially if they are asking a question about something and I think I could help........bizarre, because I would never be so rude as to actually butt in. But the whole 'German' thing is so strong and so close to my heart. Even my dh pricks up his ears at the language and feels a closeness to it, which I find really sweet........
I am a proud Australian, with extrememly proud German and Austrian roots..........
These were taken on Sammy's birthday. We took him down in the backyard and Opa brought the bike down the side of the stairs while Billy-Joe covered his eyes. It was a delight watching his response.
Mickey's first day of school. I also journalled about Billy-Joe and how he takes care of his younger brothers. I am so proud of these kids.....
I took this photo on Sammy's 7th birthday and the layout says '7 things i love about you'
It's late, midnight in fact - and I am heading off to bed after a marathon weekend of scrapbooking. I went last night, and was home at midnight, so, earlier than normal and then ran around this morning like a hairy, old goat doing my housework and washing while dh took the kidlets to the football. By the time he came home I was organized and almost ready to head out again. I am taking part in a survey which looks at the road system on the coast. As I am often complaining about the constant influx of interstaters and yet the total lack of infrastructure to cope with this - I felt obligated to take part when I was asked. I have to map everything thing I did yesterday, plus my kids and my dh. I had 12 stops yesterday!!! It couldn't have been on a day where I stayed home all day............no I had alot of things to do, and I had to write about every stop, the whys and wherefores........so I did part of that this morning before I left. I have spent the day with my best friends, laughing, eating, laughing and scrapbooking and having a fabulous time. I actually did some layouts too, I will upload the finished one tomorrow. I am home now............hoping for a better night's rest than I had last night.... I just wanted to wind down before I headed off to bed.
I took a photo today of Sammy with his missing teeth.........oh he looks so cute, and more mischievous than normal. I will upload that tomorrow too. In the store, Barbi had these little gauze bags for the tooth fairy to collect the teeth from........(bit more flashy than a tissue) - Sammy will find that under his pillow in the morning and believe that the tooth fairy left it for him. I am so lucky that the kids believe in these wonderful things. Billy-Joe will be 11 and his faith in the tooth fairy, Easter Bunny and Santa is still very strong..... I am bracing myself for that to change. He has already asked about it, but is not prepared to let go of that magic yet, and I am grateful for that. I think the biggest gift I can give my children, is their childhood and all the mysteries and magic that comes with it...........
I've had two nights on half dose of my medication and I am doing great. I feel a bit headachey in the afternoons, but have surprisingly been sleeping quite well. I have been waking up alot, but my ipod is my saving grace, and I turn it on and just drop back off to sleep. I wake up rested, which is great.
I have still been going to the gym even with my foot, I have been modifying what I do...........(I know some think I have gone back far too early..........even dh wonders why I am not sitting around resting.........duhhhh..........imagine that!!!) Anyway, I think the strain of favouring the other foot, was too much for my left leg, and I pulled a calf muscle in my left leg. It's very painful. It's pulling me up more than the sprained ankle did, as far as putting weight on my leg and being able to walk. I have an appointment with my masseuse tomorrow, who will hopefully work her magic. I can't stop the exercising, I feel like I am finally seeing a benefit as far as muscle development goes, and I don't want to halt that. I lose condition really quickly, when I stop.
Today I was at a seminar all day. It was run by Literacy Solutions. I asked my school where I do most of my work whether they would pay for me to attend, thinking that as I was 'only' a relief teacher, they would probably not. I was pleasantly surprised, especially as the principal is new and doesn't know me..........I had to put in a formal application, and when it was approved I was very pleased. It was at the RSL club and we got lunch and morning tea. The foot wasn't crash hot, but still nice to be out. The content was presented well, and I felt like I learnt something. It makes me wish that I had my own class. Maybe I need to research whether or not me having a permanent position would ever be possible......... I have never done country service, so a permanent position in this part of the state is something I have been told I would never have! Food for thought anyway......
Thanks Michelle, Tina, and Suzy for your comments and support. It's much appreciated, and Michelle, if you are willing to give me advice, that's fine........you take the time to read, and I respect the fact that you take the time to reply and comment......and you are right drinking lots of water, can make a difference, so I have been working on increasing that again. I get slack........you drink, drink, drink, and spend half your time, (and night) having to pee........so I get lazy and don't drink enough, so the reminder was timely.
Do you ever second guess yourself? Do you ever thing about something, and a part of you thinks you are doing the right thing, and the other part of you is really unsure and quite nervous about the thought of change.
I have come to a point in my life where I am evaluating everything that I am doing with my body. I have kissed dieting goodbye............. Do you know, I have had enough! I don't want to eat low fat, low taste crap ever again! I don't want to have to weigh my food, I don't want to have to feel guilty about eating something nice. If I am hungry, I will eat. If I want something yummy I will have it and to hell with the guilt. It's very liberating.......... And the amazing part of it all, is that I haven't put on any weight. Can you believe it??? I am actually more satisfied with my food, feeling more content and am eating less. I am eating good quality food, and I still eat healthy 90% of the time anyway, because I actually prefer wholegrain breads, and I love salad and vegetables, and I love lean meat, chicken and seafood. I love yoghurts, I now eat low fat Vaalia which is yummo, but I buy some greek yoghurt for a treat too. I drink full cream milk sometimes, or I buy low fat, I won't have skim anymore, I can't drink it. I drink about 1-2L of milk a week, it's not going to kill me if I don't have skim. And it tastes like real milk - not like insipid blue crap that only passes for milk if you squint and drink it really quickly. I had been drinking it for over 20 years.............. I don't have cake in my house very often, and when I do, I am going to eat some. I don't have chocolate in the house all the time, and if I do I am going to have some. I don't eat chips and other snack stuff. I have maybe one take away meal a week, and it's usually a Thai meal with a girlfriend. I love that meal. I have pizza about once a month........... I do everything in moderation...... I can hear my Mum's mantra........." Everything in moderation " I think I get it now......... I love to drink wine. I pour my wine into a huge goblet and put the smallest amount of wine in it, because I don't like it getting warm. This way I have three wines and I have probably had two small glasses in reality.........
Okay, so I have looked at the food and the drink, I exercise at the gym, which I love doing. I do a pump class with the weights and I love doing the old fashioned style aerobics with legwork that nearly kills you. I don't jump around like a lunatic........the high impact stuff went out a long time ago...thank goodness. I love the feeling of developing muscles and getting stronger. I also really enjoy the pilates or yoga classes when I can fit it in....... (you know, sometimes life just gets in the way lol..........)
So that left one more thing which I ingest..... My medication. I have despaired over my body shape for the last few years (post kids) I always had a good figure and now I feel like I have the body of an old lady. You know the ones, fairly slim everywhere but have a tummy like a bubble...........that's me. Muffin pants to the max - just the most beautiful look....................accccckkkkkk!!! So what am I doing wrong?? I do alot of reading and research on the 'net and I have come to the conclusion that maybe my medication is the problem. Dh has read an article too, where it states that anti depressants, HRT and anti inflammatory drugs can lead to resistant weight loss. Well - have a guess what?? I have the trifecta!!! I am on all three drugs. So,I have some changes to make here. I have been on antidepressant s on and off now for 17 years, and continuously for the last 4 years. I feel fantastic~ maybe now it's time to go off those. So last night I started dropping the dose, and I lay in bed with my heart going a gazillion miles and hour. You see they help me sleep and I was literally shitting myself that I wouldn't sleep! I was all set to just relax, listen to my ipod and just be prepared to ride this through, because the next week or more can be a bit tough........ I had a great night's sleep. So I will continue with half a pill for a week and then I may try a quarter for a week and then none................. That's the change that is really scaring me. I have felt so good for the last two years now, that I don't want to go off the drugs, because I am scared of what I may go back to. But I guess, it's that kind of thinking that may head me in the wrong direction,so I just need to be confident in myself that I can do this. I feel good about this decision........... The next thing I already changed was I stopped my anti inflammatory medication. Since my back surgery in 1989 I have been on them on and off, and then in the last couple of years i just take one every day. When I had my breast reduction done, I had to stop those tablets before the surgery and I was in so much pain. I didn't realize how much those pills helped me. And it's not just my back, my hips, my achilles and my thorasic spine, all gave me grief, all the arthritis and old injuries came back to haunt me big time..... So I have bought a big tub of Glucosamine, MSM and Chondroiton powder which I now take instead. Does't taste the best, but I can stomach it, because it's better than taking a pill. So that leaves the third medication.
On Friday I am seeing a new Doctor about natural HRT. He has some great success and will monitor me closely with blood tests, so I am confident that he will look after me. If it was someone who said, just use this cream and you will be right, I would be dubious, but he redoes the bloods to keep an eye on me........ I just wonder what will he think when he meets me. I am a hormonal cocktail. I have my oestrogen from my current HRT, progesterone from my Mirena, and testosterone from an inplant!!!!!
I will report back when I have spoken to him. It will be very interesting indeed.
I have had the most amazing week. I can attribute that to many things. I started the week badly with spraining my ankle - and from there it went sharply uphill. As I hobbled with assistance out of the gym, I had no shortage of sympathy and assistance. Alicia, whom I have known for many years, and Di a new friend, both offered to drive me home. (Which in hindsight I should have accepted, because I felt quite ill when I got home.......probably from the pain). I had ice, help and advice on how to look after myself. On Thursday I saw Lu and had my nails done. Alicia came in and saw that my foot was swelling while I was sitting there, she took off my shoe and made me put my foot up. Di, brought out some cream and rubbed some into my foot..........I felt like a queen. Anyone walking past would have wondered who on earth I was that I was receiving so much attention.
During the week, as you know I put a deposit on an amazing range of kitchen items. My parents took me down to the store, so I could do that as driving was still a bit painful. I am so lucky that I have my parents around, and that they are close by too. We always get on so well, and when I work so much, I don't see them near enough, so with my sore ankle, it meant we spent some time together which was great. I realized that another reason why the week was so great, because I have all three children at school, and I didn't work the whole week, so I felt organized and not like I was running around chasing my tail. I had more patience for my kidlets and felt very content with my lot in life.........
Yesterday I decided to attempt a pump class, as you don't really need your feet other than for standing on. I did lunges, but without the weights, and then stopped a bit before ...............I hate lunges!!! Afterwards Alicia and I went to coffee. Three hours later we decided to check the time!! We hadn't moved, hadn't had lunch, just had a ball. We ordered a lunch which we shared and then I came home after 3pm. Time to organize my clothes off the line, have a shower and then go to scrapbooking. I had to shopsit last night for about 4 hours. I had a great night, Al was there and Kerrie was there too..... I had lots to chat about.
I have a lot more to add later. I am considering a few things....
We got a late call last night, that our finance was conditional. Apparently they had already done the driveby evaluation, and the rest of the process is just a formality........so........today I went and paid the rest of the deposit on the kitchen goodies, as I am 99.9% confident that all will be okay. Plus Kleenmaid has said that if for some reason the money doesn't go through, then we get a full discount. If I hadn't paid now, I would have missed out on $1800 savings, which is a huge amount. I will include some pictures of what we have bought..........Can you tell I am over the moon, very impressed and incredibly excited. I have always, always, always wanted a large kitchen with scmick appliances........and I never ever thought that I would actually get it.
I had another run through on all the appliances and am really impressed with all the functions on everything, I can't decide which appliance I am more excited about, the dishwasher, or the oven. The oven and the really awesome rangehood, are bonuses.........I never expected to get top quality of those, because I knew how expensive they are.
Deb, the manager at Kleenmaid, made me a divine coffee, from one of their machines and then just took her time with me, I am so impressed with the service. She knew my name, and was very, very helpful........
I had a brief chat with a gf on msn this afternoon, and her Kleenmaid oven died, and, instead of having it fixed, (without a quote) she was given an oven from a friend who was remodelling her kitchen. She is not happy with the 'new' oven at all and is sorely missing her Kleenmaid one and she is sorry she never had the repair quoted on. She said the difference in quality is amazing......
I did it, I put a deposit on our new Kleenmaid appliances. Not only are we getting the dishwasher, but we are buying the stove and rangehood as well............ Spending quite a bit more than we had planned - but I feel happy and content about our decision. I was happy with the service when I walked into the store. The showroom is fantastic. The manager of the store served me, and even though I was only interested in a dishwasher she told me about a fantastic deal, that if you bought the oven and rangehood you would get the dishwasher half price! In the car on the way home I thought that after my intial thoughts of it not being manageable, I decided that if we wanted to do it we could!! I told Peter about it, he was inititally reluctant, but after thought has decided it was the right thing to do. I feel that we are planning on staying here for a long, long time, and I want quality products. If I can afford them now then I think it's worth it. This is our first house, a house we never thougth we would own, and I think we owe it to ourselves to get the best we can possibly afford. I am so happy with the quality of the goods, and the customer service is fantastic.
I am very happy with our decision.
Now if only I could say the same about Homeside Lending...............nearly three weeks on and I still don't have a definite answer yet about our finance. The mortgage broker assures me there is no problem, but I would like to know for sure. Kleenmaid would even refund our deposit if for some reason the money didn't come through.......
I am so mad at myself. Just when my fitness regime was going well and my fitness levels were increasing - I had to go and badly sprain my ankle. I started the Taebox class yesterday morning, my foot stuck on the carpet, because I didn't lift it high enough as we were travelling across the floor and I went head over heels.........must have looked like a lead weight rolling across the floor. Today it's a little better. I can put weight on it, but can't twist, turn, crouch or do anything with my foot, like push things aside etc. This morning I woke up and my other leg is quite sore too, from doing all the work. I stood and cooked last night, on one leg. My main worry is how long it will be before I can get back to the gym. I am really disappointed about that. Everyone at the gym was fantastic, they took such great care of me. I have only been going there for about 2 months and I had offers of lifts and help with hobbling around, ice packs and comfort. They are a great bunch of people, the other class mates and the girl who owns it.
I am off to the Kleenmaid sale today. I can't buy anything as yet, because the finance still hasn't been approved, but I can research and see if I can afford their dishwashers. Maybe the sale will still be on by the time the money is approved. I should have heard yesterday, but the bank is dragging their heels. I think when you are not borrowing several hundred thousand dollars they aren't really interested.........
It's Sunday, and the weather is glorious, although a little on the hot side, but that's okay. We have had the most amazing summer this year. It has rarely been unbearably hot like it normally is. We have been very, very lucky. We have also had alot of rain of late which is good, but I think the places that really need it are still not getting anywhere near enough. We really do live in a wonderful place. I love it here.
Our middle son played his first game of football yesterday. I must admit we were worried. I was worried that he wouldn't cope, that he wouldn't get near the ball and that he would become extremely disillusioned very quickly. He absolutely amazed us...........I don't know why we even thought to worry. He was fabulous - even scoring his first try!! Can you believe it? I have attached some photos - I only took 182 of them, so I was lucky and there are a few keepers. He is so proud of himself. We had a great afternoon. His brothers, especially Billy-Joe were delighted with his skill. This will be so good for him - will do his confidence no end of good. He just loves playing, and now it's good leverage to get him to work even harder at school. The kids know that if they don't behave/work well, the sport goes....... That's just the way it is in this household.
So today I sit back and enjoy the photographs and wonder why I ever thought to worry about him playing a competitive game. We even tried to get him to play in a younger group because his birthday is on the 29.12. But their rules are strict and they wouldn't allow that.
I have worked alot in the first four weeks of term, which has been great. Last week was only one day, but that was okay because I didn't feel well for a couple of days. I don't have anything further booked, so I hope something else comes up.
The mortgage broker seems to feel we will have no problem getting the extra funds for our kitchen, so we should find out this week.......... Can't wait for all that to start happening. Can you believe I will have a huge kitchen soon? I am still shopping around for a new dishwasher, and haven't decided on a brand or model. I am tossing up Asko, Miele and maybe Kleenmaid. I have yet to go to the Kleenmaid showroom, they may be out of our price range.
I don't think there's too many that read this, but I know maybe a couple of people have wondered where on earth I have disappeared too. I got the bright idea one day to change ISPs and went with Dodo.......not the wisest consumer choice I have ever made. I have had huge dramas. I won't put all the boring details here, but, suffice to say - between sigining up with Dodo, not being notified of my new connection and only finding out when I ring Optus tech support because one morning I have no dsl!!! Then I spend hours trying to connect to DoDo, and after many fruitless hours, and, them telling me my modem doesn't work, not does my line work, I have decided to cut all ties with DoDo and return to Optus. That decision was the start of new troubles. Dodo was determined to have me pay out the term of my contract................. so after many more fruitless phone calls and then finally getting a good resolution through a contact given to me by the TIO, I was able to leave DoDo without having to pay any fees, rightly so I might add. Then it's taken another couple of weeks for Optus to take the line (phone) and dsl connection back. Mind you they haven't been much better in all this. Was I not computer savvy this whole affair would have been impossible!! I spent a couple of hours on the phone on Monday night with Optus, and finally got my new connection going. The bizarre thing is, though, that my old email address is still active............strange!!
So where is my life at the moment.........Well - it's incredibly busy. I have been working my butt off for the last four weeks. And I thought I wouldn't get any work at all this early on in the piece. I have really enjoyed being back too.........I just wish my self confidence didn't take such a battering after every hiatus that I have. The Christmas break was even more damaging, due to its length. I just feel like I don't really know what I am doing, and think that what little knowledge I have will disappear again. Obviously those that call me in have faith in me, so that's always heartening. Yesterday I put an application in to do some Professional Development. I didn't think they would accept the application.......it's $185 plus GST, so not cheap and not something afforded to casual teachers. Today I got a phone call to say that the new principal had approved my application. I was really pleased about that. It's a literacy workshop, and takes place in March. I am looking forward to learning some new skills.
We are in the throes of doing all the homework to do up our kitchen. My house is very small (the tissue box) and the kitchen is extremely tiny. We are going to extend over the verandah and have a beautiful kitchen built, complete with dishwasher, large stove and canopy. Our finance guy is coming on Monday, so when we have the money approved I will be really excited. I don't envisage any problems there......... How many people have a mortgage where the repayments are $160 per week????? We are truly blessed, and with my work and Peter's extra work, finance won't be a problem......... Mind you I will still be very happy when it has the rubber stamp on it. I will post a picture of our kitchen, so you have a before and after.........although on the photo the kitchen actually looks bigger than it really is......
Life is good......
The kids have settled back into school really well. Mickey, my baby, started grade 1! He is doing really well. It's great having them all at school together now......I have to make the most of it, as Billy-Joe only has two more years of primary school left!! Unbelievable!!! The Bunny Rabbit is well.......working hard, as he loves to do. We are all healthy and enjoying a busy and happy life.
My first class was a Fitball class. Goodness, I never imagined you could do all those things with the ball. At one stage, I even had to step, two step, or grape vine while bouncing the ball.......... Now I am not the most athletic person in the world, but thankfully I am quite co ordinated........so didn't make a goose of myself at all. Tomorrow is a Pump class, I am looking forward to it already. Then it's the weekend, so I will have a few days rest and a few days to allow the pain to subside. Mind you, these days I don't get as sore as I once did. Plus the muscles build alot more quickly too. An old gym instructor once told me, that it's like the muscles respond quicker as they have done it before. I can remember aeons ago, I went to an aerobic class..............my Mum came too........ For days afterwards I struggled to get up from chairs or the toilet. My legs were in agony.............. I don't remember how many times I went....it may have only been a couple of times, but the pain will remain in my memory forever.
I did a good thing yesterday. I sliced up all the cake and put it in the freezer for the kids' morning teas. Out of sight out of mine.... I've been known to eat frozen chocolate in the past, but not frozen cake......... :)
A kitchen guy is coming today. Wonder what the verdict will be.
No, no, no..........don't groan............I know I have said it all before. But I am determined this time. This is it! Today, (actually I started earlier this week) I am beginning the road to a newer, healthier me. And I am not using the word 'diet'.............I hate that word, loathe it's conotations, and restrictive vibes. I know that places like WW etc, are trying hard to put out to everyone, that it's all about lifestyle changes, not just something you do for a short time.......man am I living proof of that or what? I am about to head out to my first aerobics class in over 7 years. It's a fitball class, so a good one to start on. The gym I checked out has a good range of classes, there's something different everyday, including yoga, pilates and pump classes which I used to love. I want to do my exercise in a set time, so I can't procrastinate, and if it's a led class, I won't slacken off either.
Spending time on the internet and receiving alot of forwarded emails, you read alot of different things. Quite often I check them out and find out that the story about the man giving you a perfumed card to smell wasn't really true.............and people believe that there are people out there giving people cards to smell which have chloroform on them......... So many of these things are simply urban myths. Also many of these things are repeated and repeatedly so!! They just come with different pictures. Many things are touching, but again, one gets a little blase at times, because there is just so much of it about.
Then I came across this........... If you have broadband, take the time to read the story and watch the video.......
I read it, watched the video.........listened to the song......and cried!
[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly]
I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.
But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.
Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.
Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?
And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life. This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.
"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''
But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''
"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''
Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''
That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''
And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.
``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.
Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''
How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.
Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?
Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.
This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.
``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''
And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.
Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.
That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.
``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''
I have to make the most of this! When my boys were little, they wouldn't go and sit with Santa. They were absolutely petrified! This photo is the second one I have had done, and I know they are expensive, but it's great and the kids just love it. This one is actually the one I took, as I wanted to be able to convert my own to B&W. Their clothes are so bright, it makes choosing scrapbooking papers really tricky!!
Like I said this is the second year in a row that we have had photos done. The boys love it, and are so good too. We then go and have morning tea at Donut King, which they love. When we got home we had lunch, and then we made our bon bons (kids call them bom boms) for Christmas Eve dinner. That was alot of fun too.,
As I sit here drinking my glass of champagne.......Henkell Trocken no less, I am in the throes of preparing for the weeks ahead. No, I am not talking about Christmas shopping, partying or even baking, I am talking about how tomorrow I start on the CSIRO : Total Wellbeing diet. I bought the book yesterday, and am starting this tomorrow. It's higher protein, lower carbohydrate, and supposed to be really good. My plan is to go until Christmas, and then to review progress after the Christmas/New Year week. I may return to NO Count Weight watchers, or just revert back to Wellbeing Diet. The higher levels of protein are good for curbing hunger, which is necessary as there is no snacking. You can have 300g of fruit per day which isn't huge amounts, but still okay. I can also stick with low fat milk, as I am never going back to skim milk again. The thought of it makes my tummy feel icky. B is keen, he is always there to support and encourage me, hopefully he will lose some weight too. I will keep a log of my weight on the blog, to keep me honest. If you are interested in reading about the diet, go here
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