Thanks and goodbye...

Time has come for me to close down this blog.... after years of support and encouragement.. i have evolved and moved on.

A million thank you's.... doesn't seem enough.. but thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you.. thank you..

Find me on facebook... (Kirsty Daniel)...

Goodbye and goodluck!

Yeehaw...

I took my first group fitness class last night!!!!!!

Excited much???

They Guy that normally takes it is crook, so I got called in!

LOOOOVEEEED it!

Saw a couple of the girls this morning and they are sore.!!!! Great! Means it worked!

Can't wait for more (just need to get through this stupid management module...)

"how can I make my arse not look like mum's??"

That was the questions my little sister presented me with this morning after doing a pump class and catching sight of her arse in the mirrors...

My mum is small frame, big boobs (which Sal also got, but happy about that) and not arse.. flat as a pancake!

My answer to Sal was "not much" sure she can built muscle and make it tighter, but no exercise is going to defeat genetics! It would be like me wanted to look like Nicole Kidman, but genetically that is just not possible! My body is wider, she is taller..not gunna happen. Have to make the best body you can out of the one you have! a better you!

My new goal!

16% body fat!

i was reading a great article in W H & F about body builders, figure etc and they listed the body fat for each category. Sports model is 16%! So, I thought "Why not!"

I work so much better if I have something to work towards, so it is more muscle mass and reduce body fat further.

When I set my first ever goal to weigh 68kg i really didn't think that I would get there and I proved to myself that goals are achievable.. so is this one!

Heading away Fri, so back soon!

nearly holiday time..

.... after this last week... I am ready for school and kinder to end for a few weeks..

... Emilie has been sick (my kids hardly ever get sick and I am not a nurse so it is just as well) But she has had to solider on. The primary schools in town (Primary, St Mary's and the SDS) have been working for months for the festival of healthy living with street parades and two performances of the most amazing show at the town hall. It was all focused on feeling, mental health, acceptance, responsibility.. FABULOUS.

We are just so lucky that Warracknabeal was chosen. There has been artist coming into the schools for months to work on songs, music and puppets. I have some photos on facebook. (Ask to be a friend if you aren't already)

Anyway.. back to my sick daughter.. I have been running in and out of town taking her to rehearsals and back home again, then drugging her for performances and letting her sleep till 10am in the morning. She is finally getting better and has gone to school for the last day of term.

Camping.. we are going camping for the night tomorrow night. the kids are pumped, there mother is nearly there. The swag is near the office door ready for packing but I must be getting a Little soft in my old age and I am sort of not looking forward to a night on a 2 inch high mattress. We are going to these sand dunes things with about 25 other people motorbike riding. I rang the local (bush) hospital to see if there was a doctor on call.. there isn't, but at least they are aware that there is going to be there if something does happen.

Then we are home for a few days before we head west.. we are going to Lock in SA. Any SA reader who know where Lock is would be wondering why would we be going to the middle of no where.. well we have great friends there and are travelling with another family over. Spending a night in Port Pirie, a few days with them in Lock, check out Port Lincoln then head to Jack's folks for a little while in the Riverland. Jack's sister who also lives in the Riverland is in Zimbabwe at the moment, so no little cousins to play with but will be a great unwind time!

I have also been thinking about by new goal to work towards... will share soon..

Better go and do some house work

ipod...

sitting here bopping to new tunes...

Who else has fallen in looovvvveeee with Women's Health?? New mag that has been out for about 6 months I guess.. like men's health.. but it's for chicks.. very cool and easy to read. They had a great article this month about how your tummy actually works..

Anyway..
they had lists of 'workout' songs for different workouts and I have just downloaded the 'running' songs... not that I am doing much running at the minute.. but maybe it is just the tunes to get me going..

If you want the list, let me know and I will post it!

I fav exercise at the moment is the grandstand stairs.. undercover and it shits the 14 year olds off who hide up there to smoke...

better go and bop through the dishes..

Morning ride.....

I pinched my Mum's bike.. she has been away for ages and last weekend when I was in Horsham, I borrowed it. I have a bike, but it is too big for me and Jack has been riding it. Anyway.. mum's bike is newer and easier to ride. I would say cooler, but mum has one of those baskets on the back... that isn't cool.

The kids are all on 'big' bikes now (16 inch) and they move at a reasonable pace, so we have had a few family rides.

This morning, at 6, I rolled out of bed and rode for 8km.. felt the 'burn' and came home again. I needed my sunnies on the return trip cos the sun was just rising. I had on jack's ipod and was in my own world for 40 mins.. great way to start the day!

Tomorrow, we have to take one of our tractors into town (been sold for upgrade) and then i think Jack and I are going to ride into town.
Will let you know if we do and how we get on..

Make the most of the sunshine and do some outside exercise!

Placement...

is finished...!!!...

I had a great few days at the YMCA in horsham absorbing as much info as I could!!! It really did cement that I wanted to help people with reaching their own goals... very interesting people walk through those doors and made me appreciate my own health! I think at times I live in a bubble and don't realise what issues/injuries/conditions people have to live with!

Just need to work through assessments, including a video assessment... so close....

I just read a post about a big mouth dietitian in Tully's blog... a professional being so unprofessional... no ones' health is a joke.. and surely a professional dietitian would know that..FFS..

While I am ranting... I brought my summer dress a few weeks ago.. when I say my summer dress, i mean the dress that will be worn to all christmas parties and outings etc.. I am lucky that most of our parties don't cross, so different people at different parties... anyway... it is cool... and I would wear it now with a pair of leggings and a black top under it (from www.body.com.au - summer collection)
Anyway, in our local target store sat morning buying flannie shirts for my boys, and I asked this teenage shop assisted if they have leggings??? She headed over to the ladies section and started flicking through the rack and say "They only go to size 16.. let me look over there..." (I think she headed to the option plus rack...)

Fuck

Me

A didn't follow her across the store....

I Stood there, mouth open wide...

Speechless (for once...)

I just walked to the checkout and brought the flannie shirts and size 10 undies that I had in my hands while she was yelling out from the other side of the store that there are "... bigger ones over here...."

Get fucked....

Anyway... home day today. Tomorrow my Mum is coming home. She has been away for a MONTH and can't wait to see her and I also have duck shed clean out.

Back soon..

I fear...

I have had a life-long fear of fish!!!!! Fear of eating or cooking... finding that I had eaten something that had seafood mixed into the sauce (Caesar salad dressing... perfect example!!!) or to take a mouthful to then be gagging just with the thought that it contained fish...

Where did my dislike come from... my only guess is that when I was a wee little kid, my father and half dozen of his mates would go out at night and gill net a local lake (when it was still legal... can't do to now... no water and can't fish with nets anymore..) and they would bring back 100's if not 1000's of red fin. These huge plastic tubs full of them. My dad had made this giant 44 gallon drum sized fish scaler and they would be put into that, to de-scale, then a team of men would fillet and place on freezer trays and would be split up between them. They would do this maybe twice a year and the de-scaling and filleting would take place in our shed.

I can remember playing in piles of fish scales that would have been washed out of the scaler and the piles of guts, with that fishy smell just getting bigger and bigger..

I NEVER ate that fish. My mother would cook me fish fingers instead and I would happily eat them, but couldn't come to the actual fish. Jack, who grew up in a fishing area has told me if you saw what they made fish fingers out of, you wouldn't eat them... but they didn't look like fish, smell like fish...

Anyway... over the past few months, knowing how great fish is for you, I have been trying. We went out for tea and someone else ordered grilled fish... It looked beautiful, fresh and smelled Divine. So next time we ate there, I nervously ordered the fish! It was Divine!

Last night, I brought home fillets of whiting from the butchers, seasoned very lightly with cracked pepper and flour... conquered!!! Jack thought that I had lost my mind! 31 years old and got over my biggest food hurdle to date!

I fell like I am glowing from those home cooked omega-3 oil's already....

I suck....

at doing posts....

I 'think' posts all the time in my head, but they never get here.. and by the time I do sit down to type something, it's gone...

I find facebook so much more quicker... on and off in five minutes...

Ok.. what has been going on...

Well I sat my last exam for fitnation!!! YeeHAA.. and have placement organised to start in a couple of week with the YMCA in Horsham... quite excited about that and they are looking for a female instructor.... but... so Is the gym in Warrack.. so will see when I am finished which way I will go. Fitnation changed the course a little, so the last exam I sat is the final one.. the rest are just assessment.

Kids are Great... Laura's old kinder teacher who left for another job is coming back... yeehaa!!! So she is very excited about that, Em is going well and school and Hugh has started three year old kinder this term and is toeing the line, so far.

Have been making puppets at the school for the Festival for healthy living that is coming up.. this is a great program about mental health for all the primary kids from all three school in our town. They are having a concert and procession, and these huge puppets are for the procession. they have these great artist that have bee hired by the school to come in and help the kids write songs, dance and make puppets... wonderful to see the kids get an opportunity like this!

We are also planning a trip to the west coast of SA in the next holidays. A bloke that Jack went to school with in Adelaide lives over there, so a road trip with another family (that also went to school with Jack) has been planned... kids are very excited (and so is their mother)

So much has been going on, (Photos on facebook) so won't double up here.

Hope that you are all well and will try and post with something mind-numbingly great soon!
Love
k

Fitness assessments...

I have all of my gear to do fitness assessment and have arranged for a few girl friends to become testers this week! Quite excited - love new toys...

Have had a plaster here to day finally plastering the wall in the study. have chosen the colours of paint. There is never a long debate with colour choice in my opinion.. usually have an idea in my head and pick them quickly (Haymes Gucci and Harvest Time - green and brown).

Kids are still sleeping having a catch up nap and I am feeling a little bloated (TTOM) should go for a walk to shake it up a little, but having a bad case of the can't be fucked...

OK.. ciao for now.

Like totally on a roll....

I am really in sync again... but friggin' time!!!

In a great rountine and things are getting done!

Just a quick post between assessments, but Emhad her first parent-teacher-student meeting the past week and we have a star of a child! her rport was also glowing! Very, very proud parents.

GOODLUCK BECKIE AND SCOTT!!!!!!! Can't wait for photos and to find out what you call this little man!

weakness.....

I started my 'better me' journey in September 2005 - nearly three years ago!!

So so so much in me has changed since then...

But... having a cuppa with a girlfriend yesterday (with multi-grain crackers, mind you), I got talking about some of weakness that I still have to work with every day (or opportunity)

So, being the sharing sort of person that I am, will share...

- water!!!!! one of the most simplest and most important things, I struggle with! I start the day with a glass of water (with my supplements) then sort of forget about until I have exercised and feel like I am going to die, or lunch time! From time to time I get back into the swing of it again, then it falls to the wayside!!!! When I went to the natropath the other day she looked into my eyes (can't think what it is called.. does have a name) and from what she saw, she gave me a flash card with info on it with what she saw and one of my tendencies was to be de-hydrated!

- Food functions... Example.. last Friday night I went with a heap of friends from Warrack to Horsham to see Sex and the City, it was a fundraiser for the Breast cancer research, anyway there was tables full of cheese, dips etc and cosmos and champers getting passed around continually! I dealt well with the situation (i had a diet coke and nibbled on crackers) but it was a real power struggle not to pick up then entire wheel of brie and just start munching on it! I wasn't hungry, I didn't need to eat! But that party sort of situation is difficult! If I am entertaining people at home I have no problem at all. I like playing host and handing out the food, just not that great on the receiving end!

- Lollies - I blame my mother.. no, not really.. but we didn't grow up without softdrink and lollies and chips and crap in our house... (I should congratulate my mother really) so I don't know if I still seize opportunities to eat lollies or if I just like them?????? This is usually simple to control. I don't buy them.. but the occasional party bag comes home with lollies (Em doesn't like them) or I go to my grandmothers and I crack my teeth on her stale lollies. Not a huge issue, but still a weakness.

But in listing my weaknesses, there are so many things that I am more in control with.

Cheesecake... haven't eaten in almost three years.. it's crap, but I used to eat it whenever the opportunity arose! Crap take-away... couldn't tell you the last time I ate take-away that would have gone straight to my hips! Beer, wine - simply just don't drink anymore... just not worth it. Meals in jars.. I used to me the Kantong queen.. no more...

Anyway, I think that I am constantly fine-turning myself.. to be a better and fitter self.. no magic pill and program was going to make me stop some habits that have been life long over night.. still stake constant work!

Have a nice day!

Hello again...

Mad house... my life at the moment in two words... but it is great!!!!!



What has been going on...



Lots....



School, kinder and childcare runs.... (i live in my car). Emilie gets her first report card next week and I am excited!!! She is really going so well at School. You think you know your own childs abilities, but she has even been surprising me! I can not believe how quickly she has begun to read! Jack is a HUGE reader, and i think Emilie is going to be the same. She already takes books onto the bus to read on the way to school!

Meals on wheels... first time in YEARS, like school, since I did this service. (where you deliver meals to older people still living in their own homes provided by the hospital) did it with a great friend and had a huge laugh the entire way. I had all the kids primed with this cheesy grin at each door - they got lollies and Hugh didn't put a foot wrong the entire trip (My three year old has turned into a bit of a monster recently) This is a photo of him with the meal about to go into someones house!

A mini-break (aka Bridget Jones) Went to the coast near Warrnambool. This photo of me was taken by me EARLY - see the sun rising in the background and I had been out before it was light!! at Petersborough... very nice little seaside town! Excuse the hair/face.... it WAS early

I have never been to the 12 apostles before... OMG.. they are like huge!!!! And so was the crowd! There was at least 7 helicopters buzzing in the sky and the photo below just shows how crowded it was!

This was taken at Warrnambool... cute kids.. must be their breading! I ate and exercised really well while away! Lean meats and lots of fruit where possible! Even went to a chocolate factory and wasn't tempted by the free samples!! (Not saying that my will power would have been as good if it was a allens lollies factory:-)

Study... (must be working cos it is making sense.. finally), Had my bi-annual hair cut and colour yesterday and got another assessment done while waiting, and waiting...

Sick of waiting for tradespeople... like really sick of waiting! Our family room is a brothel! The book case unpacked and Wall built waiting for the plaster! I hate nagging people to do what asked, but getting very sick and tried of this mess!!!

Rain... = Mud.... = Money.... to say we are happy to see the rain is a total understatement!!!!! Great to see!

Sex and the City.... going to see it tonight with a group of girls from Warracknabeal! Will report on my thoughts. Took the kids to see the new nardia movie last weekend in Warrnambool. Loved it! Kids loved it also!

Slow cooking... the ONLY reason i like winter is the food you prepare and eat in the cold months and have been using my Le Crusset pots heaps... any new recipe will be keen to see!!!

I am sitting here in jammies, better go and shower (and wash my new fur - Jodie - ) and back soon!

Things I see....

Hi all...
I have some photos of things that I exercise around.... these where taken this morning (VERY chilly morning...)


Our front paddock... Jack hasn't sown the crop yet, but as you can see, it is ready to go! I will post more photos as the crop grows! It is going to be wheat... (some of you may even by eating the bread that it makes next year!!!)
One of the many puddles that need to be avoided.. have any of your run through one of these suckers (at dawn, easily seen but before 7am... can be easily missed!!!) What a mess it makes of your sneakers!!!! - But puddles = rain = $$$
Our neighbours cropping outfit... parked in the corner of the paddock, waiting for it to dry out a little more. They are going again now, but have had a few days off because it was wet!
Our house it to the right top of the photo... within those trees!
The other end of that long road... the bus stop! Cute hey!

Things are falling back into order a little here. Once the crops are in, Jack might be home a little more as well.

I need to post more often, so many little things to report on!

Happy mothers day.....

Happy mothers day to all of those mum's out there!!!! I have had a very special morning, with breakfast made more me and presents....

Little Emilie (6) wanted to buy a present by herself this year. Yesterday morning, I went into town with her and Laura (5) and I asked where she wanted to buy my present... the Jeweler shop.. fair enough. I pull up into front of the shop and went to give Emilie some cash from my wallet. She says, "No Mum.. I'll use your card..."

Okay...

I ask "Do you know how??"

"Yep".... I press in your number which is XXXXX.. then the green button and say "savings"...

So she knew my pin number...

I let her go in with the card while I waited.

She purchased my gift.. with my card... no problem at all!!!

We are really breeding a cash-less society aren't we!!! The girls found my a beautiful blown glass vase with a blue glass rose bud in it! Love it...

Went to see Kasey Chambers last night... doesn't country music drag the strangest people out from under their rocks....

Just a quick update, sorry for lack of updates. With Jack working at home, we have to fight for the office and Internet connection!

HAVE A GREAT DAY MUM'S!

Books....

For a change, i thought over the week that I would read something that isn't health, weight, fitness related, just for something different.

I read an article in one of the weekend papers about Jodi Picoult, sucked me in so I borrowed one of her books from the Library and begun to read.. Second Glance.

For me, to read a novel, it really has to suck me in from the beginning, otherwise I soon get bored and start thinking about all of the others things that I should be doing rather then reading...

Anyway... the kids where lucky that they got fed on Friday!! I got sucked in... and NOTHING else happened until I finished that book!

Is anyone one else like that???

I might only read like that a hand full of times a year, because time doesn't permit to many days of doing nothing, but I love getting totally sucked into a book to the point where I wake in the morning and want to get up and read...

The book itself was great... but won't be picking up any more for a little while.. got muscles and bones to read about!

Raised dust, raining mud, marshmellow sneakers and new job titles....

My Lord, how was that wind??

We went to Donald to have lunch with Jack and came home to a house FULL of dirt! I had flash back to my grandmother going mad when I was a kid at the farm in the Mallee! Cleaned the kitchen and mum is coming up today to help with the rest! The trip to Donald was a little hairy. On two bents in the road, I had to slow down because i couldn't see the while lines on the road! I decided to wait in Donald until it calmed down a little. The kids where walking down the street and it started to rain. the kids tops had all of these reddy/brown spots on them. It was raining mud!!! I have NEVER seen anything like it before! In 2002 we headed up to Paringa when Emilie was only a couple of months old and we drove through a heap of raised dust then, but nothing like what we had here! Bring on the rain!!

Marshmallow sneakers??? I had a little incident with my sneakers...

I emptied the bin out the other day and when i lifted out the liner a yogurt tub toppled out and tipped up on my sneaker. Yuck! So i threw them into the washing machine. I do this often, not sure if it right or not, but I don't like dirty shoes. Anyway.. they were still a little wet so I turned them upside down and sat them on top of the wood heater. I wasn't that hot when i left them there. Came back 30 minutes later and they had puffed up like a toasted marshmallow!! All of the little air pockets had expanded in the sole of the shoe!! Not wanting to think to worse, i slipped it on thinking, they will be alright, but no!! Totally stuffed! I had been investigating new shoes for few weeks, but I had to get them straight away, so settled for Asics.. can get them here in town...

They got a good test yesterday morning. The kids when to gym for sport in the morning, well the girls did and I put Hugh on his bike and he rode and I ran to keep up with him. I think he is a great PT for me. He does interval training without even knowing what he is doing! He starts out slow then speeds up, slows down a little and then speeds up again and he even threw in a few sprints for me! I should hire him out!

Lastly... new job titles!! Jack started his new position this week. Jack is an agronomist, adviser for farmers. On day one, he was chatting with the kids at the breakfast table and they kids wanted to know what he was doing dressed in 'work' clothes. He explained that he was going to work today (after having nearly two weeks off). He asked the questions, what does daddy do?? the kids looked at him, without an answer so Jack promoted them a little... "I am an "a" (making the "a" sound") - Little Hugh piped up and said "arsehole"! Terrific langauge for a three year old, but he does spend a lot of time in shearing sheds and in tractors with other farmers...

Anyway, both jack and I had tears in out eyes trying not to laugh out loud, while telling him that that word is a 'shed' word and mustn't be said inside...

Ok... kids are starting to fight.. back later!

Routine.......

Are you one of those people who love routines????

I am....

I love school and kinder days, because I just know how the day is going to go...

I know that the kids have to be up at 7am so they can catch the bus at 8.33am...

I know that I need to be at kinder by 12.45pm for pickup 4 days a week and that I need to be at the bus stop to collect Em at 3.38pm!

I know that I will have at least two mornings with no children at home to exercise and do errands!!!

I love holidays and having the kids around, but I kind of miss the routine of Monday to Friday...

Today, we having nothing to do... litially nothing. I had a huge day yesterday and all of the housework is done, the wardrobes are cleaned out (including that pantry... ) so today is just a day at home. The kids are running around, looking like little feral in track pants, they aren't stressed about nothing to do.. so why I am???

jack started his new job today!!! I just emailed CKK and described how I felt.. I was so excited for him. Like Em's first day of school! His new Ute also arrived, black twin cab... (that is going to be fun to keep clean living on a dirt road...) So the next chapter has begun for Jack...

OK... I better go and do something and thank you Jenny for message about IPOD, next update will email.

It's all about me....

It is nearly 6am.. had a little nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep! We are heading north to jack's folks in a few hours, so I will slip in a little cardio once I have updated 'Jack's' ipod with some new music.. (and what is with converting the files to this wma??? It i had of known the work unvolved updating these little babies I don't know if I would have got one!)



So much has been going on.. here are the highlights!

• Jack finished work with elders Thursday. He will be working for a private consulting firm from the 1st April. He and I are very excited about this! I have been busy organsing a little reno for an office for him at home. My dad (who is a builder) will be up some to install a new wall, air con is in, downlights etc hae been installed, new floor are arrived, ordered a built in desk.. will be very funky!


• He has a week off and we are heading to the riverland to see his folks. Jack's dad a little stroke a few weeks ago, he is ok, but we haven't seen him. So in a few hours we will be heading up there!


• BOth em and Laura had a great first term! This year will be over before you know it!


• It has been damm hot! I was very pleased to see that cool change last week.

OK... it is now FRIDAY!!!! I have been to the in-laws and it rained while we where away so we had to come back early. Jack has been in the tractor since we got home and is still going!!!

I am mid- house spring cleaning.. if I was pregnant, you wold say that I am nesting. But I am not pregnant and I am having a break from the pantry. Does anyone else just detest cleaning the pantry???? My chooks love it as they get all of the half eaten packets of biscuits that where lost in behind the flour.. yes.. it is time that it needs to be done!

Now.. I have totaly lost track of where my post starts, but i think I wanted to mention mt new pink "it's all about me jounral" get one... they are cool! I have been writing all sorts of stuff in it and (including eating and exercise) it is great!

I also am on the hunt for a new pair of runners. My last ones (Mizuno - wave inspire) didn't quite make the cut. Great light shoe, but they just didn't quite feel 'right' - anyone go any suggestions????

Just got a batch of soup cooking (pumpkin curry with chickpeas - odd combo but yummy!)

So a heap to do this weekend, got to pack up so much stuff from out family room so I can take out the capet.

Better go and get hugh off the tractor!

back sooner then later!

Catch up post....

Have i told you how my feet aren't quite touching the ground yet??? My lord, it has been busy!!! But Life is great when it is busy and the wheels are staying on and my old time management skills are getting put to work...

I have about 10 minutes before I need to get the kids moving to get them on the bus, so a little now and a little later!

Firstly... I have been weighing in a group of nurses weekly. These lovely ladies are all in there 40's and are struggling with the 'weight' issue! So we have a weigh in and a little pep talk each week. These ladies have all been on 'diets' before and can't quite yet, get their head around the eating for life idea.

My personal philosophy with weight loss/maintenance is that you need to do it in a way that can be maintained for life. So that doesn't include weighing food, counting kjs or points, eating only soup, running 5km before breakfast .. cos you will not do that for the rest of your life! The classic yo-yo of eating really well, lose the weight and start feeling happy about your weight, then many often jump back up to their old habits again.

I am really enjoying 'coaching' them through this and love talking about healthy living with them!

Okay... better go and get the girls ready for the bus!

Back again.... (nearly 2 hours later!)

Just changed my child care arrangements till the end of term. Each Thursday and Friday until the end of this term I will be at kinder. For a number of reasons, they need another set of hands.

Other exciting news is that Jack has resigned from Elders! No more pink shirts for me to iron yeehaa!!! Jack was offered a role as a consultant agronomist and has accepted. He gave notice a few weeks ago and has two more weeks left. One of the many joys of this is that he will work from home. We have a family room on the side of the house that was once a carport. My dad (who is a builder) is coming up in a couple of weeks to put in a wall to split the room, then a new timber floors, air cond has been installed, built in desk, new fan and down lights and a new blind in the "office". So, he will be able to work in comfort! So that has been very exciting !

I mentioned in my last post the sustainable families workshop that Jack and I did over two days with local farmers here. Brilliant workshop! It was based on health etc, eating well, safety on farms.. great workshop. Part of the course was a full health assessment. Very interesting stats came from that. Out of all of the men there only one bloke was in the "healthy" range of weight! Only one! The women??? three of us! That was amazing!

The stats that they shared with us indicates that us country folk are generally not as healthy as city dwellers.. we are heavier, drink more and don't live as long! Who would have guessed! The program was great. My blood sugar was high (???) and i failed the lung capacity test three times and I have little spots near my eyes that I have been referred to the GP for. My combined HDL & LDL cholesterol was so low that we couldn't get a reading, my fat %, waist circumference and BMI where all in the healthy range. My blood pressure was 96/60... fighting fit!

They have another day in 12 months where they do another health assessment to see if things have changed. A part of the course was a tour of the supermarket and we compared food that we eat. That was a real eye opener to many of the blokes!! I don''t think they will be eating meat pies for a while! It was great to be a part of it!

Study... have been studying muscles and bones and joints! All very interesting!

Ok... morning tea call here... better be off!

Busy bee...

I guess that is the only way to describe my life at the moment... seem to be running from one thing to the next...

So much going on that I will share with you shortly.

Have been feeling buggered most of this week.. not sure if it is the schedule catching up with me, but have been struggling a little.

Em's cast came off and looking fine. Will take up to six months to get full movement back into her arm, but all ok.

I took part in a "sustainable families" workshop last week... very, very interesting couple of days, but more on that shortly.

Okay.. going to keep moving, just letting you all know that I am still here and going! Hopefully my schedule will settle down a little in the next week or two..

Jolie-Pitt are trendsetters....

but Hughie worre them first!!!!

Last week there was an article in the Melbourne Herald-Sun about a local kids clothing company.. see below...

click on article to open to read clearer...

Seems that the Jolie-Pitt family have been seen wearing Hugh's jeans - Sudo's Skinny leg rockers... (Stockist TOFI)

Told mum... her response "Really.. are they really wearing them? Hugh worn them LAST season..."

the pain....

i dad my first REAL hard workout this morning since christmas and my lord.. the pain.. the sweat and i flet like spewing... but I had to do it!

The DOMS is already settling it.

But, i felt so good to give it a real push and see how far I could push it..

Mightn't be as happy tomorrow, but that is another day!

and then there was one...

Little Laura this morning.. first day of kinder!

Anyone who has yet to have their children and ponder how much 'gap' between each one, can I give you my opinion....



This may be bias, but my children are close together (5, 4 & 3) 27 months from first birth to last and it totally works for me!



My little Laura started kinder today... My little black headed baby that just 'went with the flow' started her first little independent world.



With Emilie at kinder last year, it is such a natural progression for Laura to start. No nerves, just pure excitement with what she is going to make and who is she going to play with.



She even went to kinder on the bus! Such a big girl!

The girls getting on the bus! (Jack also goes with for the first time... don't think there was any need with laura, but it made us happier)

So.. it is just me and Hugh at home. Just the two of us! Bizarre.



Three years of kinder in a row, three years of starting school in a row... brilliant!!! It just goes with the flow and the kids just wait their turn!


Emilie's arm is ok. She seems to manage very well with the arm in the cast. She is even carrying her backpack on her back! Laura had a great day of kinder as well... the excitement and 12 month build up did not disappoint her!

So, this mean a routine for me again. Back to regular gym visits (instead of getting there when I can) and regular studying tiems again. I passed by last exam and received in the post today my her muscle and skeleton system charts... very exciting!

Hope all are well and getting heaps of exercise in now things are back to normal!

Proud parents....

My Emilie Kate had her first day of school today!!! Proud isn't a strong enough word to describe how I felt this morning... I was totally in awe of Emilie and how she handled herself.. In the car on the way to school I asked how she felt and she told me that she was very excited.. not nervous at all!


Photos??? Of course there is photos!!!

The sling??? On Monday Emilie was riding the motorbike and she went through the channel, when she got to the other side she fell off. Wasn't going fast, but it must have been funny angle. Anyway, picked her up, put her back on the bike (she was crying) and she rode the bike back home. She put herself to bed and I put some ice on her elbow. Two hours later, she was still in a fair bit of pain so took her to hospital. It turns out that she fractured a little bone her elbow and she can't bend her elbow.

Here is Jack & Em waiting at A & E in Horsham!

Things I discovered while on holidays.....

• If you ever find yourself wandering around Albert Park in Melbourne you MUST, i repeat MUST stumble into Avenue Bookstore. I have never been in a bookstore like it. Very impressed

• Kids can ride the motorbike for hours!!! They brought back our sheep from another paddock to home... over 10 kms! All I could hear at the gate when I met them was Laura's little voice "move you bastard..."
  
  Skinny Bitch - a book that i purchased from the above mentioned bookstore! Have you heard of it? Apparently Posh Spice was caught buying this 'diet' book and immediately it became a best seller. My friend brought me the Cook book for my birthday and I saw the book sitting by itself on the shelf, so it became mine! I was reading it in a cafe in Albert park with all of these "fucks" and "shits" and every time someone walked past I would shield the words, but man the book is funny.


• My kids travel really well! I alway knew this, but they did quite a few km's over the past few weeks with no gameboy or in-car DVD player.
• The girls where impressed with the view from our room onto North Terrace. Laura could see the 'Princess castle" in North Adelaide (St Peters)

• There is a new trams system in Adelaide. New, clean trams! And there is no chance of ending up on the wrong line, like in Melbourne. There is only one!!!!

• You can go away for a holiday and not have to eat McDonalds at all the entire time you are away!!! Even in the noodle bar we eat at they had a little kids menu of hokkin noodles with chicken!

• Not everyone was happy with taking PT to the beach.....
• Once Hugh got there he was happy!

• Give a three year old a camera to take a photo and above is the result!

• and buggered him out... on the Tram back into the city!!!

• Five hour drive home, two hours to unpack the car, check the sheep and 6 hours sleep is all you need before heading off again to the beach. This time Robe!
• This time it was too cold to swim, but that didn't stop them!
• Hugh discovered what happens when you knock down a sand castle. You get buried!!!! Wasn't happy about it, but he didn't do it again!

• Wobbly teeth Do end up falling out... and the tooth fairy believes in CPI inflation!
• That farm kids like doing things that most kids never get the chance to see. This example - spot lighting!!! The thrill of being on the back of a ute (above) in a spot lighting rig chasing down foxes is one of the best things that you can do in your holidays!

So all in all we had a terrific holiday and things have slowed down and gettingback into rountine again. Emilie starts school on Thursday and Laura will start kinder on Monday! Exciting times!!!

I sat an exam last week as well and I think I went ok. There was a section of questions that I wasn't that sure about but I came home and checked and I was correct. Will have to wait and see!

Must go and will be back with more soon!

cheers

Fat days....

Just read a great post from Kenz about a un-flattering photos and how we tend to get rid of them! I know that EVERY SINGLE one you of out there has either torn up a photo or deleted it before anyone else saw it! So, in reflection of this, here are some of the most unflattering photos that I can find of myself! I did have a little bit of a struggle to find photos that still existed, hence the photos with babies!

Leaving Hospital with Laura - April 2003. I would have been about 95kg! I was over 100kg before I gave birth!
Same year (03), in December! Look at my arms!!!
Just after I had Hugh... I was very happy how much smaller I was after Hugh then Laura! Still 90 odd kg!
Look at my arms!
My official FAT photo! I thought that I looked great - Christmas day 04 - 90kg??

I have question marks with my weights as I never went on scales for years, I remember weighing at 69kg before jack and I got married, 77kg when I got married and 86 kg when I decided to lose weight officially! So... these are a pick of my fat photos and truth be known, there would only be about 5 or 6 other photos from these years, they just no longer exist! Now, i think that is very sad that there isn't more history of those important days with my babies, but I either avoided the camera or got rid of the photos.

Even though I refer to these photos are being fat, i am still proud to show them off! Proud that I had three amazing children and to show you that once you have kids there is still hope of losing weight again. I am remember clearly thinking that I would NEVER get to the 60's. never, ever did I think that I could weigh that after having kids. No reason for the negative thoughts, just that I didn't think it was possible for me to lose that much weight.

I proved myself wrong.

Also... thank you so much for all of my birthday wishes! I had the BEST day! Just the way birthdays should... all about me :-)

Okay.. better go and pack a suit case for Laura to have a sleep over at a friends!

It's my birthday today....

Well.. tomorrow (7th) but just getting in early!!!

Jack is out shooting foxes, I have three little kids sleeping in a tent in the back yard and just having a quick cuppa before heading to bed!

Tomorrow, I turn 31!!!! Having lunch with the girls and tea in Horsham with my mother and sister. Low key day planned with a few weigh ins with friends who have bit the bullet to lose weight and get in shape in 08!

I have been online tonight looking for school camp style accommodation for the Daniel family Christmas next year. There will be up to 25 of us together and jack's folks house in big, but not that big! There is a heap out there, just a matter of finding them!

Sorry for the short post again, but busy days !

My new fav quote!

Do or do not... there is no try
Yoda -

Thanks Lia for that one!

BRING IT ON....

2008.. that is!

2007 was a fantastic year.. not really being one for reflection, but it was great! i am healthy, Jack is fit and my kids are little energiser bunnies! What more could I ask for!

We had a terrific Christmas new year! Many of you are friends on facebook would have seen some of the photos (if you are a reader and on facebook, add me as a friend - email address is profile :-) the kids had a ball.

Now.. 2008 the focus for me is shifting from weight maintenance to fitness! After being at my goal weight for over two years, i think I have maintenance down pat and not to worry too much about the scales. I think once you have been overweight, it will be difficult to never worry again, but my goals this year will be fitness related rather the "to maintain my weight"

My sister is still home at the moment and will be moving to Tas is a little over a week and we are also having a holiday in South Australia in a little over a week as well. Kids are sleeping in due to late night and school holidays as we are in slow mode!

Just a quick post and will do a photo post shortly!