Yummy Mummy

Thanks and goodbye...

2008-10-21T10:57:00.002+11:00

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...

2008-10-08T13:57:00.002+11:00

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??"

2008-09-24T14:49:00.002+10:00

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..

2008-09-19T09:04:00.002+10:00

.... 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...

2008-09-15T21:13:00.002+10:00

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.....

2008-09-12T09:10:00.002+10:00

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...

2008-09-09T09:03:00.002+10:00

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...

2008-08-21T09:11:00.003+10:00

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....

2008-07-31T08:45:00.002+10:00

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...

2008-06-29T15:54:00.002+10:00

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....

2008-06-27T08:57:00.002+10:00

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.....

2008-06-17T08:46:00.002+10:00

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...

2008-06-13T08:56:00.003+10:00

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....

2008-05-22T14:33:00.003+10:00

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.....

2008-05-11T09:11:00.002+10:00

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....

2008-04-08T12:50:00.002+10:00

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....

2008-04-04T08:17:00.003+11:00

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.......

2008-04-01T12:39:00.003+11:00

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....

2008-03-24T05:48:00.003+11:00

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....

2008-03-04T07:29:00.003+11:00

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...

2008-02-21T17:10:00.002+11:00

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....

2008-02-06T17:58:00.001+11:00

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....

2008-02-06T14:14:00.000+11:00

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...

2008-02-04T14:48:00.000+11:00

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....

2008-01-31T16:18:00.000+11:00

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.....

2008-01-28T07:07:00.000+11:00

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....

2008-01-08T11:41:00.000+11:00

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....

2008-01-06T23:00:00.000+11:00

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....

2008-01-02T11:39:00.000+11:00

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!

Merry Christmas...

2007-12-18T09:59:00.000+11:00

I have been very very very busy and I haven't had much of a chance to blog... so just wishing everyone a safe and merry christmas and will be back in the new year with more exciting adventures...

Love

Kirsty xx

quickie...catch up post!!

2007-12-02T08:36:00.001+11:00

My lord.. it has been a busy week... so, and Dottie post for you to get you up to speed!

Jack's birthday today... Happy birthday hunny!!! I was very excited about his present!! I got him an ipod with a FM transmitter for the car!! I have spent HOURS trying to friggin' work out itunes and get all of his music on it. He was totally blown away with it! He has never seen one before (yes.. believe it!!) and was totally in ore of how things have changed since his days of a walkman! I put on his entire music collection (quite large) and I still have room for more... and as CKK suggested, perheps he might need a jogging arm band! I have a shuffle.. but this is WAY cooler.. Jack loves his 80's music, so this will be the end of the huge collection of cd's that he has floating around the ute!
Have been to Echuca for Jack's work christmas party last week.. that was great fun. If you are on facebook, there are a few photos. My mother came and stayed with the kids for a night. I really like Echuca.. it has sportsgirl.. I like sportsgirl..
I am worried that I am almost too old for sportsgirl. I read an article in one of the weekend papers months ago that talked about "Kidults".. women in their 30's used ipods, and techy phones, listerned to top 10 music and shopped at sportsgirl when they shouldn't! - dressing as teenagers... I hope that I don't! The article basically told you to act your age.
This week jack took holidays from his day job as a agronomist to work in a header for a week. He had fun!
Had an information night at Emilie's school on Wednesday night. I was fighting back tears. When they started talking about pencil tins and lunch orders, it all became a little too real for me!
I put in for a grant with the ABB for our kindergarten earlier this year (with many others.. I have been kicking arse this year with my grant applications...) anyway... when I picked up the kids from kinder on Friday there was a PALLET of resources for the kids to use! It was like Christmas... over $2000 worth of stuff for the kids! Just as well I have another kid going to kinder next year who will use them!
One of the instructors at gym isn't talking to me... not a nice environment to work out in... what did I do?? I showed a lady how to do an exercise that she was struggling with. The instructor jumped off the treadmill that she constantly seems to be on to spit at me something along the lines of that "perhaps you should take over as instructor and she should just leave.." with a screwed up face... like you could say something like that as a joke.. but she is a nasty piece of work this chick. The lady I was helping had been struggle for a few minutes with it, and the instructor was watching, but god forbid anything interrupting her workout! Anyway... she isn't talking to me and I have chosen to keep on going. MANY people have stopped going to the gym because of her attitude, but I need to go for me.. not her... scrag...
I have resown my back lawn this week. We got a dam fill and WE HAVE WATER!!! yeehah! So Jack and I have been watering and hopefully by the end of summer we will have a nice lawn again!
Had APEX Christmas party last night... a bus trip to the Little Desert lodge. (where the picture of the fire was in a previous post) Funny story... A little gross if you are eating..) there was three different Christmas parties on at the same time and in the group of tables beside us, there was a bloke who was pissed to the eyeballs when we got there. They served entree, this bloke (who was sitting beside the boss) spewed into his meal!!!!! noice... very noice...
My sister is home for the next 6 weeks before she moves to Tasmania. She works for KPMG and her boyfriend just finished uni, is a mechanical engineer, got a job for Rio Tinto in Launceston. So, they move on my birthday (7th Jan). they have brought a house that has a granny flat out the back, so our next holiday will be to tas.
Just had a call from jack, they are cutting up sheep and they need my help... yuck! Twice a year they do a huge kill and butcher. 24 lambs this time. I better go and take my freezer bags!

my body....

2007-11-20T09:08:00.000+11:00

Time for a body update post...
With three weeks left of my challenge, time to give you a little bit of an update...

Weight - down by 2.3kg
Chest - Down by 6cm
Waist - down by 6cm
Hips - down by 8cm
Thighs - Down by 4cm

So.. HAPPY with this so far...

Over the past week I have been involved with a little self-imposed experiment that I am going to call "Project Sodium"....

Over the past week or so I have weighed each day (I don't normally do this) and with Calorie King, I have tracked my sodium intake and firstly discovered a LOT of sodium hidden in so many foods and drinks... (usually processed foods - perfect example is corn flakes, they use salt to process the corn which results in a serving of 30 grams of these have 246mg of sodium!!! FFS and more sodium than the same size serving of potato chips - 138mg sodium!!)

Anyway... my weight chart pretty much followed the sodium intake chart... when I had high sodium in my diet, my weight the next day was higher!

Fluid retention sucks... I have reviewed my diet and found where most of the hidden sodium lies (coke zero was one) and reduced my intake further! Project sodium will continue... just from personal interest point of view.. interesting how the body works hey!

Anyway... harvest is going well! I am a Little tired today. Jack came in last at about 9.30pm, earliest he has been in all week, and heads to bed early! Great.. a little catch up!! But no... he heads back out to the header at 2am!!!!!! Got home a little after 7 to find all three of his kids riding bikes int he drive way while their mother is still asleep !

have a great day!

Big fire in little desert...

2007-11-18T20:59:00.000+11:00

Impressed????
These photos where just taken prior to sunset by my neighbour from the front gate!... freaky grey sky that is all smoke!

I do a 'proper' post soon.. just busy with harvest..just having tea myself now (9pm)!! Late for me!

Busy days...

2007-11-16T13:58:00.000+11:00

Just a real quick photo post... header has pulled into our barley... Jack... in the header
Jack and his support crew... and yep! You can fit a family of five in a case header
Emilie climbing up!

And Emilie had her first orientation day at primary school.. her at the gate. I was the mother with tears hiding behind my sunnies...

have a great weekend!

To eat like a child....

2007-11-13T08:17:00.000+11:00

My middle child in sitting on the couch, rubbing her tummy telling me that she ate to much breakfast, I am sitting here admiring her intuition on how she interrupts how her belly feels...

If only we could all get that back, i think we would be a thinner and healthier society!

Little Laura asked for Pancakes for breakfast this morning, she wanted two, one yellow and one brown (a little burnt.. - do you know how hard it is to burn a pancake when you are trying to??) with Golden syrup.

I made my little possum her request and she ate almost all of them, leaving maybe half a pancake. Many mothers would insist that she finish her plate off.. "come on there girly.. I just made all of this mess for your pancakes, the least you can do is eat it all!"

But, Laura knows when to stop, when her tummy is full! Most adults would ignore this feeling and just keep on eating, because they taste nice or the effort that went into making them, or "I might be hungry later"

Who am I to override her own hungry signals... I really hope she can kept them!

Remembrance Day

2007-11-11T09:11:00.000+11:00

In 1915, Major John McCrae, brigade-surgeon, First Brigade Canadian Forces Artillery, was working in a dressing station on the front line to the north of Ieper, Belgium, when he wrote In Flanders Fields:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved,

and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe;

To you, from failing hands, we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

In 1918 Moira Michael, an American, wrote a poem in reply, We shall keep the faith, in which she promised to wear a poppy 'in honour of our dead' and so began the tradition of wearing a poppy in remembrance.

.....
.......

It isn't even half way through November and the headers are rolling into paddocks! This is early but it will be well and truely over before chirstmas, so that is great!

Jack is like the local spare at harvest time... when ever someone needs an extra pair of hands Jack is called upon! So, hense, he has spent his weekend in a header for friends of ours. Hughie spent a couple of hours in there with him yesterday afternoon after swimming then we had tea (the kids and I ) with the wife of the farmer Jack was helping out.

This is quite usual over harvest, the wives get together and feed the kids and have a few drinks while their husbands work.. sort of breaks it up a little for the harvest widows!

The header will pull into our crops tomorrow sometime, so will post photos.

I started the day with a nice walk, before Jack left. Well, it was nice until my neighbour scared the shit out of me.. curse the MP3 player...

OK... time to clean!

We've been makin' hay...

2007-11-08T22:45:00.001+11:00

You have to say my heading with a country twang... while chewing a piece of grass....

Just a quick post with some photos of what has been going on here! Jack and his dad have been busy making hay (HUGE bales between 600 - 800kg each) and stacking hay!

The kids sitting on the back of the old truck we used to stack the hay...
Sitting in the shade of the hay stack, Pardie (Jack's Dad) and the kids
Jack with his 2IC.. hugh loves driving the tractor
Pardie.. a little puffed! He is flying home in the morning.. for a break!
The final stack!

Have been flat out! Will be back with more soon... and Jules.. I had to laugh at the McLeod's daughter comment! It is as flat as a pancake here! Not a hill in site.. or a horse for that matter!!! Much prettier at "Drovers run"!

Rain and road side assistance.....

2007-11-05T18:37:00.000+11:00

For all of your roadside assistance, please call 1800 JACK!!!

Not once, but twice! Jack had to come to my rescue over the weekend! I am so lucky he gets a laugh at my expensive!

It all started with the rain that I spoke about in my previous post! We DID get rain... quite a bit (just over a inch for those playing at home...) and it came down quite quickly! Here is our front drive.. it has been as dry as chips (that is just for you chris :-) for months and months then it hits hard with hail... the works! You would think that I would be excited that it FINALLY decided to rain, but with thousand of dollars of hay on the ground... I was so worried that it would be fucked. And then it hailed!!! When crop is ripe (which ours is) hail can knock the seed from the plant and your yield is reduced. Lucky for us, the hail didn't hang around long.

Anyway, back to my road side assistance. Jack was helping out in a shearing at our neighbours and after the rain had passed, went to take the kids down for a look, but I didn't quite get there. I took out normal 'short-cut' not thinking twice about the state of the road and I got bogged! I slid for about 50 or 60 metres before coming to rest at the side of the road. You can see how close I was to a tree.. and yes.. i did have my ute in 4wd!So I tried to get it out myself, but with the three little kids, I decided to call Jack to come to my rescue! He nearly got suck himself, but eventually got me out.

No need to ask how I spent my next hour... cleaning the mud off the ute before it set! The blokes in the shearing shed had a great laugh at my expensive, wanting to know why it took me 2 hours to get to the shed from home...

My second roadside assistance call wasn't really my fault! Yesterday morning i packed and got ready for the fun run In horsham. Jack's dad is flying into the Horsham airport tomorrow, so I was taking a spare ute over to Horsham so he could get back to us tomorrow. Anyway, the ute needed fuel and on my way into town before heading to Horsham I ran out of fuel!!!!! So Jack, bless him, raced into town and towed me the km to the fuel station. Filled up but by this stage it was pissing down again and I decided that it was too wet to run.. so I pulled the pin! Back home again and went over to Horsham a little later and left the ute at the airport for FIL...

The hay.. well, jack has just left to rack it! Fingers and toes crossed that it isn't too wet. Poor jack will be pulling an all nighter and hopefully they will be able to bale sometime tomorrow! It will be one less thing to worry about with that gone!

My PT is doing me a new program.. about time!!! so will be busting to get to gym on Wed! I am going to work more on strength and resistance training at gym and continue cardio at home! I can only get to gym twice a week, with the kids schedule, so it will work for me.

OK... time to get kids to bed!

Happy Birthday Hughie....

2007-11-03T14:57:00.000+11:00

My baby.. 3 days old in this picture... notice his black curls.. they soon fell out and was replaced my his blonde mop!
At Granny's today.. granny thinks that she is so funny. When any of us has a birthday, she buys a cake from safeway and pretends that she made it... funny granny... really funny....
Hugh with his "Paddock John Deere Cake" at playgroup yesterday...half the paddock is ploughed up..

My little man turned three this morning... and telling anyone that will listen!!! it took he several days to work out how to hold just three fingers up, without the pinkie sticking up!!

we went out for tea last night and he didn't get to bed until after 10, so the girls woke him to get him to open his presents!! He was a very excited boy!!

Then we headed over to Horsham for swimming and lunch with Mum... little man is asleep at the moment. Resting.. neighbours are shearing, so once he is awake I have to take him over to watch. A perfect day for him!

Rain.... today... on the way back from Horsham, we drove through the HEAVIEST fall of rain I think I have seen all year. Both Jack and I thought Shit... just when we don't need it to rain, it friggin' pisses down. We have hay on the ground that is nearly ready to bale and it is gets too wet, it gets downgraded and not worth as much. But, getting closer to home and it is as dry as chips!!! Fingers and toes crossed for once, we hope that it DOESN'T rain too much. I can still hear thunder...

If the weather is good there is a fun run in Horsham tomorrow morning and I hope to head over for it. Will post if I do!

Last night at tea, we had wood fired pizzas with a salad.. a came home and entered it all into Calorie king and in the reports it told me that "an average person could expect to maintain there weight with what I eat and did for the day".. so I thought.. I wonder what it would tell me if I ate crap... so I entered...

- Toast (full fat marg & vegemite)

- McDonalds Egg & Bacon meal (muffin, hash brown & Coffee)

- Hungry Jack's Whopper Meal (burger, fried and DIET coke...)

-KFC two piece feast

-Two large slices of Cheesecake shop cheesecake...

And the result...

3413 caloires eaten for the day "On a average person these figures would lead to a gain of 6.5kg over the next month..."

That wouldn't be so bad if I didn't actually once eat all of that IN ONE DAY!!!! I went to Ballarat with a friend for a day shopping (several years ago.. just prior to starting WW) and that is what we ate! I can't remember the snacks, but I have a feeling a couple of packets of Starburst lollies where also consumed!

yucko...

"If not dieting, than what" has me thinking a lot.. about guilt associated with food... will talk more once I have finished the book!

I shouldn't have said too much about the rain.. just started again now.. just not as heavy! At least I will have more rain water!

HRM...

2007-11-01T07:42:00.000+11:00

It arrived!!!!! I dragged jack through the streets of Melbourne on our lightening visit over the weekend looking for this... couldn't find one. Got home and googled it Monday morning and brought it online and it was here yesterday!

The reason I wanted this one??? It doesn't need a chest strap... and being to obsessive person that I am, I wouldn't want to take if off. I can remember going to a wedding once and strapping my pedometer into my handbag... just to count the steps I took there..** I KNOW.. I just said that I am obsessive**

But, I couldn't go to gym yesterday!! The two little ones go to occasional care here on a Wednesday morning. I pulled up out the front and one of the girls that looks after the kids was out the front, letting us know that the session was cancelled.

Fair enough... sure... I have been going there for nearly five years and this is the first time this has happened... how can I go to gym with the kids... can't...

I was a little pissed, then the centre manager came out to let me know that one of the carers collapsed while setting up.... she is ok... but I bundled my tribe back up and went home!

So, i couldn't give my HRM a workout there and then. I put the kids down for a nap in the arvo and couldn't wait any longer.. put them on their bikes and I ran while they rode. I should take a picture of this one day.. fuck it looks funny! Little Hughie plays games with me and pretends that be can't ride any further, so I jog back to him and as soon as I get close he gives me the biggest smile and takes off! And Laura.. middle child, she loves wearing skirts.. and long ones most of the time.. or princess dresses. My mum taught her to tuck her skirt of dress into her undies so it doesn't get caught in the wheels or chain.... great look!

So managed to get in my training zone!! cool and very happy with it!

The book.. "If not dieting, then what?" also arrived (finally) and have read a few chapters of it. The fitnation course refers to it, as well as several bloggers, so thought it might be worth the read. Will post about it soon!

And my other exciting discovery.. Calorie king... Thanks to CKK... it is so cool! I have downloaded the Australian version of the program (after initially downloading the US version) and it so cool.

**just re-read my post and I post about CK and If not dieting, then what? in the same post... ha ha ha**

Tried to bale hay yesterday but the moisture is still up at 18%, so it will be another few days before they will try again and harvest is going to be going in about a week as well! Busy times, but I guess it will be over quickly again!

My baby turns three on Saturday... little Hughie... so a party at playgroup and after swimming on Saturday, McDonald's for lunch and mum is making him another cake! Little monster...

Back soon...

Totally Fab.....

2007-10-25T08:06:00.000+10:00

Thanks Bri (private) for my award!!!! She has given me my first award as a blogger!!! The deal is that I now pass the award on to five other totally Fabulous bloggers!

This is so hard... but the one blogger that I get excited each time I see that she has posted is Beck! I think at times that woman has been to the moon and back in her short lifetime, but she is an amazing woman and a terrific mother!!!

Then we have the fit and fabulous Lia!!! CHECK OUT THIS BLOG!!!! Her determination and organisial skill are truly fab!

And our running bunny Kathryn.. man .. this woman can write! Not often i read one of her posts and not get a laugh!

God this is hard to only pick five... I love reading about all of you guys... but moving on...

I would have to mention Kate (Private).. see was one of the first blogs that I started to read. A beautiful person and mother... truly a Fab blogger

and finally.. Kerry... she is also a country gal, stricken by the drought! Quite often I can read her posts and totally understand the stresses of her life!

Now.. if CKK still blogged she would be up there!!! and there are so many more... but these are my five!

So Girls, if you haven't already done this, award five blogging awards yourself with a link to the blogs!

In other news, i think that I am finally getting over this frickin' cold! totally sucks blowing your nose for a fortnight.. but i think that it is slowing down. I haven't missed any training sessions, but man.. yesterday it was so hard. I laid down on a mat for 'mummy tummy time' and put my towel over my head and just laid quietly for 10 minutes.. with my eyes closed!!!! I had only had about 5 hours sleep and just needed a little me time!

The night prior I went to horsham for a fundraiser for breast cancer and saw "No reservation" with Catherine Zeta-Jones in it.. not a bad chick flick at all... tonight I have a dinner for jack's work and tomorrow night we are going to a production in Horsham of "Bye Bye Birdie". So, another two late nights and then first thing Saturday morning we are heading to Melbourne for my sister-in-laws 40th birthday party. Jack might be making hay over the weekend, so it may be just me and the kids.

The ball has started to roll with kinder enrolements for next year, with my little Laura. It looks like she will have 16 hours a week of kinder next year. Due to the low numbers of kids, they might going to offer 'user pay' session for an extra day a week. This will bring her kinder fee up over $900 a year.. taking me a little bit to get my head around that. If you have a health care card, the government gives the kinder a grant of over $700 to cover the fees.. huge difference!!! anyway... moving on.. nothing I can do about it!

Scales... finally seeing some movement of my holiday binge fat moving on! Back to almost normal weight again ! I am also being addicted to facebook again.. just worked out how to search for people!

Ok.. this isn't getting the housework done and I need to finish off an assignment today sometime, so must be off like a Jewish foreskin...

These are a few of my favorite things....

2007-10-21T07:37:00.000+10:00

Do others here read "Slimming & health"... and flick to the back page where they look into the shopping basket of some 'famous' person... well I am not famous, but here are some of my favorite shopping items...

Bakers Delight Cape seed Bread - my god girls, if you haven't been converted, do yourself a favour and try this bread... very nutty and a low GI! Nothing else compares when it comes to bread!

Fantastic chicken favoured Rice crackers - I know they are boring, but all the same a real staple for me! Sometimes I put a little of that extra light philly cheese with a gherkin (yummo!)

PUMPKIN - LOVE IT!!! Would eat an entire pumpkin a week - roasted with chili and penne pasta is my favorite at the moment... but I use it all the time!

Walnuts - I only started eating these recently! I don't eat fish.. (HATE IT!) so these little babies have a heap of Omega - 3 - just what my brain needs. I usually have a small handful with my muesli in the morning (no milk on my cereal.. don't really like plain old milk either..)

Earth Cleaning Products - No.. I am not a tree -hugging hippy greenie (nothing wrong with being a Greenie btw..) but we pump all of our household waste water (not the toilet) back onto our garden.. these products are friendly to my lawn!

Fresh Pineapple - I am not sure if it is a load of shit, but I only buy pineapples that I can pull the leaves from the top with ease??? Any one confirm this ripeness test?? But love them!

WW Sour cream - Always have it in the fridge! I use a mix of half this and half fat free mayo for a dressing for potato salad (just potato and spring onions and dressing) and I also make a pizza where you put pizza sauce, a layer of thinly sliced potato, ham, onion and cheese - cook then put sour cream and sweet chilli sauce on the pizza once cooked!

Fabric Softener - I have a front loading washing machine - if I don't use fabric softener, my clothes are as hard as cardboard!

Avocado - On a premium fat free crackers with cracked pepper... yummo...

REV Milk - We only drink REV! If we go somewhere for a coffee and they use other milk.. we can tell!

Coffee - We drink Moccona or sometimes I get necafe "Nuvo" (half caf) coffee.. if you are going to drink it.. it might as well be worth drinking

Coke Zero - this is more for Jack, then me! But we go through A LOT of coke zero! the kids have some over the weekend, but most of the time it is Jack!

So, girls.. I am looking for new items to include in my shopping trolley... Share with me some of your favorite things!

Golf anyone!!

2007-10-19T15:12:00.000+10:00

I have just returned from cooking a BBQ at a "golf day' for some of Jack's clients. I smell like burnt sausages and my skin is sticky from the fat that was splattering on me while I cooked a huge amount of cow...

I am not sure if this is just a country thing, but a 'golf day' is you invite all of your good clients to a 'free' golf day where they play golf (like derrr), eat and drink - all paid for my a company (in this case my who my Husband works for...) They have eskys with beer at each tee off... I really don't think that golf is the main reason for the day!!

Usually they come home in a bad state, as too many ales have been drunk, but a great day all the same! the Local golf club must love these days!! They will have to keep the bar well stocked! But... can anyone tell me why people tend to eat and drink more if it is free??? You wouldn't be any more hungry or thirsty, just because it is free??

The two little kids and i did I lap of the creek (bed... no water in it..) this morning instead of playgroup. They are all resting now, but swimming in the morning, I am working in the afternoon taking photos for the paper and I think that is about it!

Next weekend we are heading to Melbourne for my sister-in-laws 40th! It was going to be in Bendigo, but last minute change of plans, it was changed to Melbourne (where they live) But i will get to see my little nephew again!!!!!

Okey dokey.. better go!

Choices: I had a steak sanda for lunch.. left the sausages and hamburgers for the 'golfers'
ciao..

feeling better.... much better...

2007-10-18T15:31:00.000+10:00

One of the guys that we went away with sent over a CD with some photos on it from our Morgan holiday.. here are some!

This is the group!!! Ben and his son had gone home by this stage... but almost all of us! This was taken at Monash Adventure park..
Little Laura.. isn't she beautiful!
Hugh & Sam... observing the skiing operations! You should have heard the encouragement that they where yelling out.. so funny!!
Little Hughie... "talk to my agent"..is what his t shirt says... and yes.. he has had a trim since this photo was taken!!!

My post was just gobbled up, post! Hope I can remember what I had written!

I am feeling better, just a runny nose and cough left! I think i am lucky just to have had a cold, another round of gastro is going around again!

Anyway, I am very happy with my food choices and exercise this week, so far. I have clocked up over 15,000 steps each day, apart from Tuesday (the day i went back to bed..)

I am in love with oranges at the moment... I have always liked them, but I think I always thought that they where messy to eat!! But, I have been cutting them up in a bowl and eating them like a lady with a fork.. and I am in love with them again! I am 'almost' eating all of my food groups each day, but I seem to struggle with dairy! I am not a great fan of yogurt and I don't each cheese each day.. something that I will work on! Drinking at least 2 litres of water a day as well... nice when things become easy and not a struggle!

I also looks like we are going to be getting a Dam fill... Our domestic water is supplied by a channel filled dam, but since the stores have been so low, it looked like we weren't going to get a dam fill again. We didn't get one last year and we had to tanker in water for the house and stock! Will believe it when the channel has water in it, but it should be on it's way. It will be the last time that the channel system will run! The famous pipeline should be operational by next year.

okay, I better go and get tea organised. Chat soon...

Thanks girls....

2007-10-16T11:10:00.000+10:00

Thank you all for your comments!!!! I was totlaly shocked by the comment made to me!!! Not quite over it yet, but sure I will soon forget!!!

I have had a couple of really great days of exercise... a little sore even today after gym yesterday, but today I have hit the wall with a head cold! I really just want crawl back into bed and sleep, but three little people think otherwise!

Will post more soon... bout to go backto bed... just for a few minutes!

Thanks again ladies...

Are you expecting????

2007-10-15T08:13:00.001+10:00

What the fuck???

At one of the parties I went to yesterday, a 'friend' asked if I was expecting another child!!!!!

Get fucked!!!

Fat days...

2007-10-13T16:51:00.000+10:00

If you are looking to be inspired.. I think it best that you quietly move on and come back tomorrow!! A sook about to happen...

I am having a fat day!!! I don't often have them, but today I FEEL FAT!!!

i started with hardly any sleep due to a cold that has appeared from no where.. sore throat, running nose and could sleep.. tossed and turned most of the night.

But I still got up and went to Horsham for the kids swimming. But Before swimming, I thought I better pop into WW for a monthly weighin (i am 2 months off WW Lifetime GOLD membership) and i have friggin' put on 1.7kg in a month!!!! (i know that I have been on holidays.. but come on!!!!! I have been a saint since I got home!!)

I haven't been this heavy in 2 friggin years!!!!!!! Pissed with myself.. very pissed~! But I ate the food so I am going to have to work it off!

Then I went swimming... I am still self-conscious in swimming gear.. just not the day for it!

Anyway... whinge over and nothing to do but move my arse again to lose it again.

I have to follow Emilie to two birthday parties tomorrow, so in the morning the first one is at Brim, so I will walk for 90 minutes while the party is on and a quick costume change at a friends in town so she is right to go to the zombie party in the afternoon!

Feeding 13 for tea tonight.. must move on and get washing off line before they arrive!

I survived....

2007-10-11T16:03:00.000+10:00

the Warracknabeal Local show.. but only!!!

I really believe that you can't beat a good old country show! The ladies that bake for a week, grow flowers, vegetables and knit, just for the glory of winning at the show. Sheaf tossing, shearing.. all good old country stuff! All of the poultry lined up, and ribbons hanging from cages. The work that the school kids do, just for the show as well!!! they must do it for the glory, because the $2.00 prize money isn't enough to suck me in!

And the carnies... they are special... really special...

Kids had fun, but Hugh had enough and cried all of the way to the car.. asleep even before we left the carpark!

The funniest thing I saw all day was the "Little Miss and Master tiny Tot" - the stage mothers where priceless!!!!!!! Totally!! And the mutterings from the crowd! "She had a nicer dress on in Murtoa..." "She cried her lungs out last year.." and the mothers trying to get the kids to do bows from the sidelines... I hereby announce that my children will NEVER step foot on that stage!!! couldn't do it to them! And we all know that they would win.. and that wouldn't be fair to the other kids :)

Choices: I had morning tea (fruit) at home before we went and then I just ate a steak sandwich there.... no dagwood dog for me!!! No Donuts, no fairy floss... just one steak sandwich and a coffee... I also did 20 minutes quick exercise before I left.. just cos I had the time!

Yeah, he is cute.....

2007-10-10T19:34:00.000+10:00

But really.. it is just as well....

My son has just broken a window in the lounge room. He isn't quite three yet!! He threw a book and cracked it! He just looked at me a smiled! Thinking, that will melt mum's heart.. didn't work!

This is after, only this morning, we brought new plants for the vegie patch at kindergarden to replace the ones that he destroyed before term break..

and after we had new footings poured (small concrete slabs) for our new shed to be bolted to and out of the 12, 10 now two Hugh sized foot prints in them. I have kept his little socks that he had on at the time (found them outside) they set hard from the concrete.. will present them to him on his 21st.

That is the most recent incidents.. so it is just as well as he is cute.. and that we do love the little shit!

I had a great session at Gym today, but I didn't cool down as I had to wizz home again to get some paperwork for our hay contract, so VERY sore! Getting quicker for longer on treadmill and finding weights that I am lifting easier.. so might be time to step it up again.

Warracknabeal Show tomorrow.. I usually HATE it because it is a feral day, kids and weather wise, but this year is going to be different. This is the first time that I don't have to drag a pram through sand to get around... and in the past I have been either :-

a. - Pregnant
b. Baby in Pram and Pregnant
c. two babies in twin pram and VERY pregnant
d. Three babies pouring out of twin pram
c. Two girls running away from mother trying to push pram through sand
d. 43 degree temp followed by dust strom..

So, this year will be different. Jack is on the spinning wheel for APEX, so it is the one time that Jack can't help. Will report in tomorrow with photos.. but fingers crossed, it will be better!

Choices: I chose to take in an apple for morning tea in town, instead of my usual herb scone. I watched them make these scones last week and I was SHOCKED with the amount of cream that went into them... fine if it is a once in a while.. but I have, at times, had three or so a week!!! They don't offer much else. On Monday I asked them to make a small chicken salad for me. (We only have one cafe in town.. other then two bakeries that aren't that food friendly..)

Catching my breath...

2007-10-09T08:44:00.000+10:00

To say that we hit the ground running would be a total understatement!!! Once home last week.. only today have we had a chance to catch up a little!!

In recap... our holiday was brilliant!!! We went away with a heap of Jack's mates from Ag school, they are home all over SA and it was brilliant! All of the kids met for the first time (from 13 to 6 months old... 13 kids in total!) and we didn't get to bed before 2am for 5 nights in a row! Haven't laughed so hard in a lonnngg time! All being from farming land, they all needed it!

Watched the grand final.. well didn't really watch it after half time, one of the worse games I have watched all year. I loved that Geelong won (being a cats supporter) but it could have been a better game!

I got a heap of exercise while away. Morgan has lots of hills, so a little challenging at the same time! The first morning I took off on my own and started running down by the river.. but no paths so I ran through the caravan park and up on a dirt track. It was quite early (before 7am) and I had my mp3 player going in my ears. Next thing you know, friggin' 6 track motor bikes come belting past me. Scared the crap out of me, but i was walking on a motorbike track!!

Kids also had a ball making new friends! We are planning to catch up each year for a little holiday together!

Now.. my food choices could have been a little better while away and the only day that I did really let go was grand final day, but I still managed to exercise each day!

The scales did go up over a kilo, but this morning I am happy to see back to what they where before we left!
Some photos...

Jack sitting on the edge of the speed boat!
Hugh, pretending to drive the boat
the girls "dog paddling" in the deep deep water with life jackets
Hugh and I observing in the boat.
Laura trying to get warm after a swim!

It was great for the guys to all get together and talk about the season and just de-stress!!! I really don't think that many people, not living in rural areas fully appreciate the situation that many farmers are in. I won't get on my soap box, but I couldn't believe that they are relenting the water restriction in Adelaide (they can now water for 3 hours on day a weekend) and yet some of the fruit growers in the Riverland have to watch their crops dry because of the water restrictions.

When we got home, Jack had a shower and went to work. I loaded the washing machine (that really hasn't stopped since) and our two main water tanks where empty. We are down to our 'reserve tank' of water for the house. Our dam wasn't filled last year and we had to cart tanker loads of water in and it looks like the same situation is going to occur this year.

Jack spent the last three days cutting our wheat crop down for hay. Usually, wheat is grown for seed and harvested, but with the season turning as pear shape has it has, Jack had to make the call to cut some of our crop down, bale it up for hay. Bless Jack's little heart, he felt sick to the stomach and was shaking when he pulled into the paddock, just couldn't believe that he was cutting down such a great looking crop. Not sure if he had made the right decision, but a couple of laps in he saw more and more white tips.. heads of the wheat plant (where the grain is) had filled 3/4 of the head and the top had died.. so it was the right decision. Jack finished late last night and now we just have to let it cure, then bale and hopefully sell directly out of the paddock.

This was taken yesterday.. jack cutting his crop.

I think the reason this season is worse for a different reason than last year is because the season just looked so so promising. We spread urea and entered grain contracts. (Grain contracts is when you forward sell some of your grain from harvest, locking in good prices) But many farmers have had to "wash out" (at a cost) contracts because they aren't going to be able to supply the grain at harvest, because the season has gone to shit. I could not have imagined the season turning the way it has.

Anyway... moving on..

My Challenge.. I think I will totally forget that week and say that I am in week two still (cheeky i know.. but I make the rules...)

So.. since arriving home I have been eating well and exercising as I should. I have gone back to not eating after 7.30 at night. (hard on holidays when we don't have tea till 9pm!!)

My water has been great.. having no trouble in downing at least 2 litres a day with no challenge.

Headed into Gym yesterday and I was very pleased to see that they are going to keep on going until 30th April next year. I am also a little sore from Gym... cracked a new recorded speed for rower... yeah me!

Anyway... I have to head into playgroup this morning. We have just had a new kitchen installed. for two years I sought out funding to play for it and it is finally done!!

till later

Home again...

2007-10-05T08:40:00.000+10:00

I am puffed... Didn't get to bed before 2am for 5 nights in a row but we had a ball! I will post some photos soon but we are home... Came home tanned and two suitcases full of washing!

Will be back shortly.. I need to catch up on over 200 posts (thanks to google reader..)

Flash Back Friday...

2007-09-26T16:40:00.001+10:00

Well.. Wednesday night anyway... I have another post under this.. so scroll down once you have a laugh!

My bestest (that is a word!!!) friend Monica... I have spoken about her before.. but we have been friends since birth!! This was taken at her 21st!! She is nearly 30 as well! She is the total opposite of me.. but it works!!! We have never argued!!
Yes.. this is my Hen's night... I re framed from posting a photo of the stripper, but if demand is there I will post a photo!!! ;-) I am handcuffed to a wheel chair in fuckin' under ware! Beautiful... really beautiful... that is my sister pushing me around! I think the chair came from the hospital?? Not sure (mum is a nurse) My sister looks so young ! Is was just 18!
OK.. STOP FUCKING LAUGHING!! I did the mullet and it didn't work!! Ok.. and I guess crimped hair didn't really work either?? And what is with that fuckin' bow! My god.. what was my mother thinking! School photo from about 1986?? 85?? We went to primary school in the bronx (thanks to zoning...) but I guess the upside was we where the best dressed kids in the school and we had both parents still living under the one roof. I remember my sister coming home from school once asking my mum to get a "Step-dad" for her...
Taken and Jack's brothers wedding! Jack and I had just gotten engaged at this stage! One of the hottest day I can remember!! Followed very closely by our own wedding.. (those photos aren't far away!!0
4wd trip at the south east of South Australia.. my car that I loved! Just realised I have missed an album... the reason we bought the new car.. the photos of my old car on it's roof! I was about 70kg here... I had to sell that car because I couldn't fit three kids across the back seat with the twin pram that I had!
Photo of me at Naracoorte about 99?? We won the a grade netball premiership. We weren't that great but we had a great shooter..(OK... fringes don't work either)
This is Jack's parents house (Bless their hearts.. don't know how they live up there..) that little head bobbing in the water is Jack.. just coming off ski's... (1997??) that is where we are heading tomorrow night (after jack's finishes work).

On fire....

2007-09-26T07:23:00.000+10:00

That is how I feel... Example.. not even seven thirty in the morning, but the house is clean, washing line full and things are falling into place for yet another great day!

A day of organising and baking. We are heading away on holidays tomorrow, so need to pack etc.!

We have a hay cutter coming to our block this morning to have a look at our wheat! Sadly, i think it is coming down for hay and not be harvested! Pity.. the crop looks fantastic! But Jack doesn't think the season will be able to finish it off! Hard call to make, but I guess that ball is in jack's court (He is an agronomist) I think the crop will come down while we are away, so we don't have to watch it!!

So.. a week away... I might be able to post at Paringa when we get back to jack's folks house, but they have dial up and I have no patience...

BUSY.. weekend! The Wimmera Grand final was on here in Warracknabeal on Saturday. jack was on the gate all day for APEX and I took photos all day for the paper! Sunday.. more photos.. vote count and Monday was spent in Horsham.

I went to the new YMCA gym in Horsham and was almost in heaven! Very cool and a heap of fun! Bit sore yesterday, using different machines .

So... today will be spent baking a orange cake, chocolate cake and the WW sticky date pudding (3 pts a serve).. popping them into the freezer to keep them fresh until we arrive in Morgan on Friday!

Hugh.. looks like butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, but he was just washing his hands because he had ripped out Kindergarten vegie patch... yeah cute... really cute!! He has my grandmother totally bluffed. When she was here last week, he was kissing her and cuddling her, she was lapping up the attention, but the entire time he is doing this, he has one eye on my Mum, looking for a reaction from Mum.. little shit.

My beautiful girls... this is at the football on Saturday. So many people ask me if I have hundreds of photos of my kids and I do.. but I LOVE this one! In both this photos my kids are dressed from TOFI... (new season stuff in and they sell ESPRIT online now as well...)

Have a great little weight loss victory story to share. Before Christmas I went shopping with a friend for some pants and a top. My dear friend has to most gentle of souls and would do ANYTHING for you! Anyway.. shopping brought size 24 clothes for her. Last week we went shopping and brought her size 12!!!!! She went to a wedding in March after Christmas and she was so shocked with the photos, she did something about it! She was 104.9kg and now weighs 67kg. She hasn't used any program, but watched what she ate and very very determined! She look fantastic!!!! She gets it.. she will never get back to that size! But.. living in a small town she has been getting some nasty comments.. "I heard that your husband was looking to stray.. great that would lost some weight so he won't".."Yeah you where fat before".. "I heard that you weren't eating anymore.. are you sick?" Some might have been said in jest, but all hurt. I have said this before, that people never comment on your weight before you lose the weight.. why do they think it is up for open conversation once you have? A simple "You look fantastic!" is a compliment and acknowledgement of efforts without it also being a slap in the face at the same time! Yesterday, I dropped off a clothing store voucher for her. She will have to replace her entire warerobe. She still has a little more to lose, but she has two pairs of pants and three tops that fit! I am very proud of her!!!

WEEK ONE REPORT

Food: Definitely great and feeling great for it! I ate a lot more wholegrain foods and cutting out those nibbles at the end of the day made me feel very strong! (Strong with willpower that is!) I look more food was eaten and I drank more water!

Exercise: Great... pushed myself that little harder and feeling the benefits!

Choices: I was impressed with my own choices at Football! I ate a steak sandwich for lunch and ate apples for morning and afternoon tea!

This week will present some challenges, but none that I can't handle. I will not be able to get to Gym, but will have plenty of opportunity for extra exercise. I also will have to deal with not cooking meals, but that shouldn't be too hard either. My biggest hurdle for the weekend will be GRAND FINAL DAY!!!! YEEEAHHHH GOOOOO CATS!!!! there will be a lot of chips and beer to be drunk and I do intend on enjoying the day! I have my five year old converted. She was leaning towards collingwood..but has swapped team! My main hurdle with the game on Saturday is spending the weekend with 4 other families.. all from SOUTH AUSTRALIA and my husband is also from SA... so this situation COULD be dangerous!

So.. If you don't hear from me for a week, perhaps you might want to send a serach party to Morgan.. I might be hung up by my ankles from a tree, by my geelong scarf!

Stop, look, listen & think!!!

2007-09-21T15:03:00.000+10:00

My lesson for you all for the day...

It all started off well... i had to drop into Kinder this morning with the other two kids quickly to drop off some CD's for another mother and our kinder teacher... When i arrived the bloke from the "Tingle Toodle" (road safety education program with Vic Roads) was there and our director was looking for a 'helper' for Tingle Toodle...

sure I say.. no probs...

Next thing you know I am dressed from head to toe is this huge costume, trying not to laugh (cos Tingle Toodle doesn't talk.. just uses hand signs).. sweat was pouring off me after 15 minutes of high-fiveing, cuddling and helping them "stop, look, listen and think..."

Friggin' funny! there are photos... will have to get off kinder camera to share! Here is the photo of my grandparents (Dick.. my Dad's dad and Old Nannie my Mum's mum) with Emilie. It was great for Dick and Nanna to catch up as well. Nanna lives in Ballarat now, dick is still in Hopetoun (just turned 90).

The girls (my fairies) and me!

Choices

food: made a beautiful pot of soup for lunch for Nanna and Mum... tea could have quite easily been take-away.. but made pasta instead!!

Exercises: No planned exercise. but still a very active day!

choices: I choose to leave the left over cake at Kindergarten yesterday (from afternoon tea) there, so not tempted to eat it!

Choices...

2007-09-19T17:40:00.000+10:00

I have received this email previously.. but means more at the moment!

John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"

He was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it! You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"

He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or ... You can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood." each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or...I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or... I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the>positive side of life.

"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.

"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins..Wanna see my scars?"

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

"The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter," he replied. "Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or...I could choose to die. I chose to live."

"Weren't you scared? Did you lose consciousness?" I asked.

He continued, "..the paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read 'he's a dead man'. I knew I needed to take action."

"What did you do?" I asked.

"Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me," said John. She asked if I was allergic to anything 'Yes, I replied.' The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Gravity'.

Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.' "He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude... I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

After all today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.

Great little feel good email....

Yesterday was great!

FOOD: Great! Doing well... nice clean eating!

Exercise: I had a fantastic workout at the gym (little sore today - DOMS) and walked the streets to fill in time!

Choices: I did NOT to eat the chocolate that a mother brought to our playgroup meeting last night! Others mindlessly nibbled away at the maltesters and PODS... I just sipped my green tea!

Had Grandparents day a kinder today... Will post photos tomorrow. I got a little teary. My grandmother is getting old and walking with a walking stick.. made me sad, but I was so happy she was able to get down to see us again!

Anyway... gotta stir tea!

200th post!

2007-09-19T15:11:00.000+10:00

WOW!!! that is cool.. dashboard just told me that I clicked up 200 posts!!! Cool.. who said I wouldn't last hey!!

Anyway...
Organising our holiday for next week... we are heading to Morgan in SA on the Murray river for a little holiday with friends of ours from SA... Terrific group of people (five families staying in two houses - 13 kids in total from 13 years to 4 months...) and been on the telephone organising food, keys pick up, TV's for the house to watch the AFL grand final etc.. getting very excited!

One friend, N, just lost her mother (like in the last two weeks..) so she is really looking forward to a break. She was saying for surreal the whole situation was after her mother passed. I am sure a few of you could relate to this. But she said she walked out of the hospital and there are still cars driving around, people walking past her... the world continues! She had to get fuel after leaving the hospital, and crying at the petrol station, she just couldn't believe the feeling of 'life going on'... thinking one of the biggest life moments has just happened, in losing her mother, and the world just didn't stop!

I was telling her about my old WW leader who lost her son last year (9 years old) and how she went and brought a huge block of chocolate while they removed his organs (for donation).. lining up in myers with her huge 'comfort' food... while people just continued to shop around her, oblivious to her personal situation... that her son would be gone by the time she got back to hospital.. surreal.. totally surreal..

Anyway... kicking some serious arse at the moment! the only thing that I tasted that was a little naughty was a little bit of the batter from my Orange cake (well.. I should say Kate's (private) orange cake...) Pushing myself harder at Gym.. ticking all of my little boxes!

Day 2
Food: Great (one lick of Orange cake batter the only sweet/fatty thing)
Exercise: got up at 6.15am and walked without my MP3 player , was flat, in the fuckin frost!
Choices: Organised my house so I could study without a nagging thought of the housework!

Picture of health....

2007-09-18T07:49:00.001+10:00

that is what my Doctor told me yesterday....

That I am a total picture of health... blood sugar perfect, kidney and liver function perfect, hormones levels perfect, blood sugar perfect, iron levels perfect and my cholesterol was 3.1!!! Also.. I just need to watch my lumpy neck to see if they grow... Dr said that they don't seem like 'bad' lumps, but just need to watch them! I was very excited!!!

My Doctor then went on to ask about what sort of foods I ate and my exercise... "very good Kirsty.."

Even my blood is telling me that I am healthy!!!

So.. the weekend was VERY busy... I took photos all day Saturday for the hockey grand finals (both Warrack men & women won btw) and my in-laws where here on Saturday night. Went out for tea both Friday and Saturday nights and Sunday was spent trying to get some washing done, but it was wet (I am not complaining in the least). Yesterday, i left home at 8.20am and got home at 5.20pm! Busy day in town.

But...

With the modules that I am doing with Fitnation, has me so inspired, pumped or as Hayley (private) says I.AM.IN.THE.ZONE!!

Sometimes, when your head is in the right space, it just seems easier. I was a little stressed about my little lumps and once I knew that it was all ok.. head jumped back into five gear and the viewfinder became clearer again!

So... I have started the 12 week challenge. Took my measurements and photos last night and set some goals.

My goals are to have improved fitness levels (measurable)

Tighter and firmer body and lose the extra 2kg that I have been carrying over winter (another 1 or 2 would also be nice:)

How will I do this??

I will NOT eat after 7.30pm at night.(that is my danger time.. tired and tend to eat while not hungry)
Drink 1.5 litres of water a day
Make healthy food choices
Weight bearing exercise twice a week
Cardio 3 times a week

I have made these rules not negotiable! I can bend them, I can't twist them to make them work for me.. they are my rules.. really.. rules for my life!

I know I will have some reader tut tut me for starting a challenge (because they don't believe in them etc...) but I know that my body could be firmer and tighter.. and I am going to do it!

Started 17th September and ends on the 10th December - I will measure each month and weight each week. Took photos at the start and will again take them at the end.

At the end of each post, i will (for my own use) journal the previous day (s) activities, food, choices etc..

Day one.. (84 days...)

Food - Spot on.. even ate my fruit for the day

Water - Yep

Activity - Gym (both weights and Cardio) 1 hour kids sport in the afternoon

Choices - I choose to have chicken and sweetcorn soup for lunch... delicious and wholesome!

Flash back Friday..

2007-09-14T15:25:00.001+10:00

I should be cleaning my house for our weekend of vistors.. but it is flash back friday! These photo where taken from Dec 1996 to August 1997!! Jack and I moved to the Riverland in South Australia - and the day Princess Diana died I was on a paddle steamer "Industry" have a cruise up the murray before I started work the next day!

We lived in jack's parents house the brought to retire into at Paringa... right on the murray! they moved in just before Jack moved down south to Naracoorte and I stayed on with them for another 6 months until my transfer came through...

I am sitting in Jack 'tree house' from when he was a kid. Jack grew up at Bray - about 10 minutes out of Robe in SA... (Jan 97)

Feb 97 - on our wya to one of Jack's friends wedding at Murtoa.. check out the ute! It was hot!! Jack loved it! The dress that I am wearing, Jack brought for me.. still have it AND it is too big!!
April 96 - Theresa's (Jack's little sisters) 21st - 70's theme.. jack was going for the 70's porn star look! I wrote a car off about 2 weeks prior to this... very sore hips !
Sep 96 - First time I met Jack's best mates.. at another wedding... I think I got a good report (but that wouldn't be hard... they are nice blokes and his old girlfriend is a bitch!) got sooo pissed that night! We are all going away together at the end of the month! Thousands of km's between everyone.. but they are truely great mates!
See.. Jack still married me before I learnt to cook.. that is the bread in front of jack.. bless his heart

Rain... where are you?????????????????????????

2007-09-13T07:49:00.000+10:00

It is so overcast and grey outside... praying the rain does follow. I haven't said much, but the season for farmers will again soon turn pear shape if we don't get some rain soon! Looks promising today, but we have had so many days like this and the rain just doesn't fall!!!

I had a day of tests yesterday.. I had to fast overnight till 9.30 for blood test (iron, thyroid levels, HDL, LDL, Blood sugar, Kidney function, ,liver function) THEN i only had 30 minutes to eat before another 6 hour fast for an ultra sound in the afternoon. (Abdomen, pelvic and neck)

All that because I have lumps in my lymph glands in my neck!! My mothers family has a history of polycyclic disease, so I think my Dr was being very through. (my grandfather had a kidney transplant in the early 80's due to polycyclic disease)

But.. i felt REAL hunger yesterday!!! I have never skipped breakfast.. just don't function well without it! Or maybe it was the coffee that I was missing! I have swapped to drinking the new Necafe NUVO coffee, which is half caf.. taste the same as the other coffee we drink, but I really missed it yesterday! Once I had the blood tests, i went to our little cafe and had poached eggs on toast and before gym I ate a hand full of nuts. That was 10.30... I hunger pains really kicked in at about 4pm.. ultrasound was booked in for 4.30, but didn't get out till 5.30pm!! I was starving. Picked up the kids from a friends and grabbed a sandwich from her kitchen to stop me from pulling into the roadhouse for 3 fried dim sins (and yes.. i was so hungry I would so have eaten roadhouse food.. i was THAT hungry)

I am a real five meals a day person (two of those meals are snacks...) I have started the day today with baked beans on cape seed toast to get back into my routine again..and already a couple of glasses of water!

I went to the gym yesterday, explained my injury (I got a piece of glass wedged into my heel while cleaning on Sunday... see cleaning IS bad for your health) and my PT changed my program a little for me so I could work out! Still a little sore, but on the mend!

House is ready for in-laws visit!!! i even de-webed the outside of the house! Toady will be washing and then I have another assessment to type up for fitnation.

We have a combined Apex dinner tomorrow night and little Laura is having a sleep over at her friends Sophie's house, so my mother is coming down to babysit the other two for us!

Have a great day!

Sara????

2007-09-11T16:55:00.000+10:00

Do you think I should let EZIBUY know that I no longer need the SARA catalogue sent to me anymore???
Cos I will NEVER get back to that size again!!!

93kg?????

2007-09-11T13:32:00.000+10:00

When I was fat, i avoided the scales.. a case of burying my head in the sand and if I don't know, i don't have to address the situation... great plan! If anyone asked my my weight (close friends and family..) I would state... "About 74kg..." that seemed like a nice weight for me!

Anyway... I had a Dr's appointment yesterday and our family Dr ( a lovely man) took my arm when i walked in and plonked me directly on the scales in his office. "Kirsty.. you are fading away.. hop on here for me..."

Then he starts clicking away on his computer and tells me that in Feb 05, he last weighed me I was 93 friggin' kilos... That was just prior to me having my tubes done. Farrkk...

I can remember weighing in at 86kg at some stage.. but man... that is only 7kg away from 100kg!

I have to go back tomorrow for blood tests.. I am having my Cholesterol tested as well.. little excited about that. I am expecting it to be a little high, as it is in all of my family, but it will give me a great bench mark for future years...

Will keep you posted on my results!

I am working on my "lifestyle philology" at the moment.. almost a novel, but there have been some great posts out there with different opinions, so I am finding it very rewarding for my own mind, documenting what I believe in.

For the first time in a LONG time my house is clean from top to bottom... bring on the in-laws!

i couldn't go to gym yesterday... pissed about it as well.. but on Sunday i was cleaning and broke a photo frame and got a little slither of glass suck in my heal.. fuck it hurt. still can't put weight on it. Hoping I can get there tomorrow!

till later..

Cleanup...

2007-09-09T12:02:00.000+10:00

Nothing else would encourage a HUGE spring clean other then a visit from the in-laws!! Jack's dad visits quite often (he has a plane and flies down maybe four times a year...) but Mother-in-law only gets here a maybe twice a year... so spring cleaning has started! I have till next Friday to get the house spick and span!

Weighed in at WW yesterday morning and I lost half a kilo from last weigh in.. so :)...

Choices...
I chose NOT to eat any of the kids fries at McDonald's yesterday (that required REAL willpower)
I chose not to drink last night when everyone else was (that took no willpower at all..)
I chose not to eat Boston bun when everyone else was...
I chose to take fruit with me while taking photos yesterday, just so I wasn't starving when I got home and demolished the fridge.
I chose to again aqua jog while the kids where having their swimming lesson. So what if my hair got wet..

Flash back Friday....

2007-09-07T16:03:00.000+10:00

Thanks beck for the idea...!!! Here is my little flash back to 1993-1995!! I am a great photo taker.. there isn't much in my life that has been missed by a photo! But... when you take the photos, you are hardly in any of them!!! So it was a little hard to find many photos of me!

Mar 1993 - year 11 at School! can you see what I am holding in my hand??? A case.. a trumpet case... (and no.. I never went to band camp!)

the Deck - again 1993.. I was only having the discussion about where you sat at school with a friend that went to school in Melbourne. At our school, the Deck was as good as you could get in somewhere to sit. Usually the year twelve kids sat there and no one even tried to sit on someone Else's 'spot'... unwritten rules of high school. My friend said the same happened at her school. The year 12's must have been away the day this photo was taken as we wouldn't day sit there if they where around! (I am guessing that I was about 70 KG in this photo.. i still have my uniform and it is too big!)
My friend S and I BEFORE we got our first Tattoo's.. just 18. Don't ya love those fuckin' tencel jeans (can you remember them...) and those ray bans... I thought I was cool!
My sister Sally and I at an air show, Sally is 4 years younger then me... she was always the thin one! Now.. we are about the same! (she just has bigger boobs!) nice frogskin OAKLEY's Sal...
About the one and only time I have worked in a shearing shed.. other then smoko and lunch that is! Fuck knows where in hell I got the flannie from???

So there is a little inside into my past years.. more next friday!!!

Cellulite.....

2007-09-07T08:37:00.000+10:00

Ok... picture this....

Yummy Mummy decides to FINALLY cleanout her bathroom cupboards.. apart from the 198 hairties and about 1000 bobby pins, she locates a tube of 'magic cream' she forgot she brought several years earlier.

You see... a few months after darling little son was born, YM was finding is hard to squeeze into her size 16 jeans. , as her legs where getting a little large. Yummy Mummies legs where getting very dimpled, due to excess fat, cellulite (Otherwise known as Orange peel syndrome, cottage cheese skin, the mattress phenomenon, and hail damage) YM honestly believed that it was just a layer of "baby fat' from being pregnant that needed to go, just to make her jeans fit better... (YM was in denial at this stage about her weight!!! - she didn't think that she was fat.. just breastfeeding.. umm three kids in 2 and a half years... umm.. big boned.. denial.. total denial..)

On a shopping trip to Horsham one day, YM found the answer she was looking for! A body sculpting cream.. that would help remove cellulite! Perfect! Yummy Mummy thought that would solve all of her problems and her jeans would fit!

YM lavished her legs, arms and belly with the wonder cream.. everyday for a week... They jeans still rolled off her belly and her tops still burst at the front! YM threw the cream in the back of the cupboard... "bloody waste of money...."

Now... two years later Yummy Mummy 'discovers' the open tube in the bathroom cupboard...

She laughs... at what SHE thought the cream would do for her bumpy, cellulite covered thighs!

Then she thinks to herself... cellulite.. where in the fuck has it gone?? She strips her jeans off and starts to examine her once pitted thighs for cellulite!! In the end, she starts to pinch the skin together... hellloo there old friend.. you are there, just hiding!

Some of you must be thinking that Yummy Mummy has FINALLY lost her mind. Why in fucks sake would she think that a cream would help her jeans fit better??? She is a real natural blonde?? Cos' two years ago she didn't have a clue! But... she is sure others have tried some of these quick fixes without knowledge that it is actual FAT that needs to be lost to help.

As the tube of wonder cream has hit the garbage, YM again ponders the journey she has travelled since then...

Random things.... about me...

2007-09-03T22:51:00.000+10:00

I have an amazing memory of the 'little' things from my life. Example.. i can remember being sent into the bank to make loan repayments for my parents house with a pay in book.. I can even remember how much it was a month ($56..) I would have been 9 when they had totally owned the house... I remember many many little things.. like what I was wearing on my 8th birthday
My parents split up when I was just pregnant with Emilie... totally shocked for a day, then realised it should have happened many years prior.
My parents are now both happy...
I have had a friend since I was a baby.. she was born 11 months after me and she lived 5 houses from mine. We have never argued and still to this day i believe I could tell her anything and she would still be a friend forever...
I used to eye off Jack when he was going out with someone else. He would buy his lunch from an cafe across the road from my office.. I would just happen to time my lunch at the same time... I used to eye off his HUGE Biceps!!!
About 5 people last weekend at Jack's school reunion asked jack if he worked out!!! (he doesn't.. just has a great build naturally..)
I lived with my in-laws for 6 months before we got married. Jack was transferred to the south east of SA and it took me 6 months to get a transfer with my work... I loved living with them and cried when I had to leave!
I think that I am very close to my siblings. We speak each week.
I used to live with a lovely lady when i first started working and another friend would stay there on Saturday night so we could go to the pubs. We would often get home at 4 - 5 am, then her parents would collect her at 8.30am to take her to AOG church..
We moved in together not long after that and she left the church...
I still have one grandparent from each side of my family alive..
Some of my best childhood memories are with my grandparents on holidays.
My family where big on holidays when we where kids...
I always wanted to be a nurse but I feel ill at the sight of blood.. still do. I had to re-think my career path.
I don't think i could go back to my old profession now. I used to evicted families from houses.. once I put a family with 4 kids on the street. Sure.. they didn't pay their rent and had repeated chances. Heart strings get tighter once you have kids.
I once uncovered a huge crop of drugs in the riverland. The tenants had a huge water consumption on a out of town property. I went out to look for a water leak and found a huge dope crop. Made front page of the paper. scared the crap out of me.
I evicted them as well....
I once rolled my car... five times with no seat belt on... only scar is on my shoulder.
I was in be childhood bested friends wedding 8 days after the crash. Her mother had to alter my dress to cover the big scabs.
I named my sister... she was un-named for 2 days after she was born. On the family farm we had a cow called Sally...
Sally doesn't like her name....
My brother and sister think that I have only been funny twice in my life, but I try all the time. One time when they through that I was funny was on my birthday one year I rang everyone at 6.30 in the morning, asking why they hadn't rang for my birthday.
I can't tell you the other one.... very naughty
But I try... example. My sister is VERY protective of her good recipes. Over the top protective. I once rang the aunt of her ex-boyfriend to her a great salad recipe and i also spent over two hours going through her cook books for her lemon tart recipe. She cut up bad when she found out that I sourced them out. Emilie's kindergarten is producing a recipe book this year as a fundraiser and I have put in "emilie's aunt Sally's Spiniach, pinenut and noodle salad" and Emilie's Aunt Sally's lemon tart".. she doesn't know, but she will LOVE her christmas present from Emilie.. her recipes published!
I only learnt to cook in the last two years.. now I love it!
My aunt once told me I had "Thunder thighs".. i was about 10... I thought it was a compliment.
I love giving birth... If i could tag team and pregnant lady at first contraction, deliver the baby for them I would.. love it!
I have written off two cars.. both Bubble back lasers...
I kept all of my baby teeth.. I was saving them to cash in all at once..
Then I discovered the tooth fairy isn't real.
I still have them...
I better go to bed... another big day tomorrow..

Still here...

2007-08-31T16:40:00.000+10:00

Good god.. a week without a post.. sorry.. but it has been busy!

The weekend away with Jack was brilliant! The ute behaved and didn't miss a beat, the accommodation was great.. in fact.. I wish I could live there! The little gym on the second floor was also cool! I went out on Saturday night with firm muscles from my workout in the morning! That was nice! One thing that I couldn't believe was the shower head in the motel!!! I know that we are extreme with our water situation, but I swear the amount of water that poured through that beautiful shower head would have been enough water to keep our sheep going for a week! Amazing!!! even through we aren't greenies (as far from it as you could nearly imagine..) but man.. surely if there was a little more water conservation it would all help with the big picture!

Anyway.. this week has been flat out... but things have all been done and up to date! Gym and food have been great. A little ashamed to admit this, but there is a lady at gym in her 50's and she was on the rower forever... and I just asked how long she spends on there and she said 30 minutes.. farrk... I do about 15 (that is how long it takes me to do 2500m) so, not to have a 50 odd year old beat me, I sat of that fuckin' rower for 30 minutes also (after a previous 40 minutes of cardio...) well.. I had to roll off the seat and my arse still hasn't quite recovered!

The sun was shining yesterday, so I again bundled the kids up in the car with their bikes and we did the creek track in town! It must look funny.. three kids taking off too fast and their mother running behind trying to catch up and yelling.. "stop at the corner..." either way with was yet another hour of good cardio!

Did ya all read Kenz recent post about choices??? I love that concept! Everything we do is a choice! If you don't read her posts, please do!!! She is a brilliant writer and puts things in prospective with no fuss!!!

So.. i think I might follow suit as share come of my choices as well during my weeks.

Choices..

I chose to have a Coke Zero instead of the ice cream yesterday afternoon in the sunshine...

I chose to cook a beautiful roasted vegetable pasta instead of the normal take-away...

Have fun girls...

Take 3...

2007-08-23T12:39:00.001+10:00

of this post!! Having trouble posting!!

BEAUTIFUL weather!!! My god bring on summer!!!! I love the hot month. I get so much more excited about summer and summer clothes!
Kids are packed and ready to be shipped off tomorrow!! Jack and I leave at lunch time to head to his Pembroke school reunion in Adelaide, so bags are packed, WB Ute is clean (and going again after a new engine was put in..) Won't be much conversation over jack's 80's music and the roar of the v8!! Lucky I brought the new Madison mag (at a free Napoleon mascara as well!!)
I was sore last night from Gym.. legs!! much better today!
Food has been awesome! Looking forward to a few meals out in Adelaide.
Have a 2 year old birthday party tonight so I don't even have to mess up my kitchen again before we leave!!!
Emilie is enrolled into primary school.. forms are handed in!!
Had lunch with the girls yesterday.. NO ONE had cake (that is a first..) maybe I am rubbing off of people...
Went to the playschool concert on Tuesday on a bus with playgroup. Kids loved it!!! So many people I went to school with have had kids!! Great to catch up with so many!
Looking forward to using the gym at the motel that we are staying at in Adelaide... just different. Must also remember to pack the bathers!
Will be back on Monday with photos of the weekend (note to self.. pack the camera!)

till then take care and get some sunshine!

Tall and strong...

2007-08-20T14:27:00.001+10:00

If someone asked me how I felt at the moment... that is how I would describe it! I have been doing core body exercises every other day now for a few months and I feel great.. flatter, taller and stronger!!

I have about 20 minutes before I have to head into town again to collect the kids before our fitness for life program begins, but better type fast!

getting very excited about our weekend away this coming weekend. We have Jack's boarding school reunion in Adelaide, so kids have been farmed out and we are off! got a rate deal on wotif on a 5 star motel room (one of those mystery bookings..) so will be great!

Course is great as well!! Surprised how well I am absorbing the information! Been a while since the brain has been in gear.

I brought the kids christmas present the other day.. a Honda 50 motorbike!! I am excited, just hope that they are! They will LOVE it on the farm... just looking for all of the protection gear now.

Our neighbour just brought a new KTM motorcross bike, it kids had a ride last night... look at them posing in front of it! (excuse the feral clothes.. farm day at home)

Heading to the playschool concert tomorrow morning in a bus with 21 other kids... Hope George puts on the dress again..

Weekend was great.... Ok.. better go!

WW Slimmer of the year....

2007-08-17T08:41:00.001+10:00

is it a curse???? I think after reading a recent post, you would nearly give the award back (once you had flown OS to meet Fergie first)..

I am presuming that most of you guys read What about your hips?? Amanda recently wrote about how her sister Anita was one of the slimmers of the year with WW and how they tried to organise a reunion of all of the last 15 years of Slimmers of the year, but they had to cancel the reunion as ALL 15 of the winners had gained the weight back on!!!

My first reaction was WTF??? That is amazing... But as I said in an email to CKK, if this was published, most people would knock the WW program.. "doesn't work.." "You just put it all back on again.." but when you really think about the amount of weight the slimmers of the year lost, they must have had huge psychological issue to firstly get to that fat. Some have lost around 70 or 80kg!

This is just my humble opinion, but these might be some of the reason they put weight back on:-

The haven't dealt with the issue that made them put on weight in the first place. Not saying that they have huge scars that will never heal (eg. abuse, death of someone close etc.) But even low self-esteem could be a big enough issue. Not everyone thinks the same. Something as simple as a off-handed comment can be enough to make someone think that they can't keep weight off. "they will just put it all back on again..." or not being comfortable with the positive comments that could also come their way. Quoting jack "Sometimes it pays to pay for help.." I am sure that there are thousands of people out there that have overcome major issues that impacted on their weight and kept it off. But, perhaps they worked through those issues more thoroughly.
This one is related to the first reason, but if they do have issues etc., the WW program might have been their vice.. the thing that they focused on, sunk their teeth into, instead of what ever the problem might have been. Once they had lost weight, they lost their next vice...
I also think that some fatter people believe that their life will be perfect once they are thin.... they might be happy with how they look, but other areas of their life are still falling apart. Sure, you will be healthier but it doesn't make then control their kids better or deal with anything else better for that matter...

I am sure their are other reason, like Anita, Amanda's sister, she is pregnant with her third child.

Can you imagine the pressure on these people once they have been announced as a slimmer of the year... all of that publicly, firstly how much weight they weighed, the embarrassment of that being announced nationally.. then the pressure to keep that image going. That in itself could be enough to succumb to a deep fried donut eat day...

People.. deal with your head first... the rest will then fall into place!

I believe that the WW tools are great!! But they are just that tools.. You still need to do it and anything you change in your life to become healthier, must be done for life,! Not just until you fit into your honeymoon jeans..

What do you think???

Giddy-up!!!

2007-08-16T09:18:00.000+10:00

Opened up my in-box this morning and this greeted me!!!

Mail from Craig Harper...

Hi Kirsty.

A little birdie told me that you have lost a whole bunch of weight, have turned your life around, you’re now inspiring others and you’re undertaking some study to become a Trainer…
Giddyup Girl!
Good for you.
I also heard that you have been steering people in the direction of Fattitude… thanks.
If you need any help, advice etc. with your study or your PT/fitness career let me know and maybe I can be of some help (or not).
I started doing PT when no-one knew what it was… I think that makes me old.

Anyway Kirsty, take care and let me know if I can help.You can email me or call me on (xx) xxxxxxx after 2pm most days

Peace and hugs,

Craig

Chuffed...
totally chuffed...
Made. my. day.. (at it is only 9am!)

So thank you little birdies!!! (i think I have a fair idea what chick/s they are!)

Sore hips....

2007-08-14T12:50:00.000+10:00

Bit stiff and sore... and not sure what has caused it.... Had a great workout at the gym yesterday. I don't normally do a heap of carido at gym, as I have limited time there.. but machines where busy and the trainers where riding my back a little.. so I took the challenge and sore today... a nice soreness...

I should have taken my camera to the kids gym last night.. we have a Tai Chi for kids instructor for a few weeks! You should have seen the little ones! Will take the camera next week. I have never down Tai Chi before.. perhaps that is the reason for my soreness???

Neearly finished my first assessment for the fitnation course!! Surprising how I am fitting in little bits of study here and there!

My sister and her partner are in sunny Tasmania today buying a house. My little sister is moving there next year!!! So looks like a few holidays in Tas coming up. I have NEVER been there.. so will be great!

I have just made a pot of pea and ham soup (new WW cook book).. very yummo! Both Laura and Hugh love soup.. so it won't last long.

I have kinder duty tomorrow, but my Mum is coming up to do it for me. It does my head in.. I don't to craft well.. mum loves it!!

I just got an email from CKK... **waves** better go

cupcakes anyone...

2007-08-10T15:11:00.000+10:00

what a job to give me...

they look nice through....

My friend that had her baby at 26 weeks is home and we we having her belated baby shower tomorrow after lunch... my jobs.. games and cupcakes... they are going piss themselves laughing at my games... will let you all know how it goes!

I have sunk my teeth into the first module of the fitnation course... LOVE IT... I have had a friend ask me to help her with getting her head around food etc. and she commented to me what passion I speak about the issue with.. so that was nice that others can also see that I get very excited about helping someone else and begin to talk really fast!!!

Little Hugh has been a little off colour the past few days. We headed to Horsham yesterday to do a few jobs and by the time we got home, Hughie was hot (38.7) and I took him into the Dr's... all ok.. just keep the drugs up to the boy!!

I had a great workout at gym on Wednesday.. VERY sore yesterday. I didn't intend on running for as long as I did, but there was a bit of drama going on there and who would leave without seeing it to the end hey... Even if it does mean I stuggle to get out of bed!

Yet another busy weekend for us... will post again soon!!

It has arrived!!!

2007-08-06T14:39:00.000+10:00

Did anyone else read Craig Harper's recent post about being excited???? Well that is how I am feeling!! This has just arrived!!!

"You have nothing to worry about...."

2007-08-02T11:28:00.000+10:00

"It won't hurt you"

"Are you still watching what you eat?"

with me here....

can you get my drift....

Isn't it funny how people comment on what you eat... do you think they would tell me not to eat something if I was 150kg??? I think not...

I have been guilty of those comment above myself.. in my other life... now I know better!!

I believe that anyone who has been over weight and has fought the battle to lose it and keep it off NEVER stop watching what they eat.

Sounds depressing doesn't it.. but that is the reality. I can remember when that light bulb went off (I may have blogged about it..) and I was in a little bit of a depressed state for a couple of days when I realised that I will never be able to just eat anything my heart desires IF i wanted to remain slim. But then.. the second light bulb was turned on and it means more to me to he healthy, fit and slim then choosing to eat cheesecake, KFC and god dammed fuckin' Hungry Jack's Whoppers (31 friggins WW points in one of those suckers..)

It is my choice to eat what I do. I never make a song and dance about my food choices. I don't read a menu and get the "Food Police" pen out and work out which choices will keep me running for a week to burn off.

So why do people comment??? (they are usually ones with a weight problem themselves..)

My opinion... they would secretly love nothing more then to watch me blow out to 80 + kg again. I am sure that they (well most) aren't conscious what what they are saying and thinking at their back of their head.."see.. I told you she would just put it all back on again.."

Well my little saboteurs... my life.. my choice.. and I choose to be slim and fit!

Wheels keep on rolling....

2007-07-31T08:04:00.001+10:00

and pedometer keep on click over!!! My goal for the week is to keep my pedometer over 12,000 steps a day... each day!! I love having the kids ride beside me while I either walk or run. For something different we take the bikes into town and ride around the creek! The girls love it as there are a heap of 'jumps' around the track.

I love my hair.. will take a photo and share once it is dry.. having just hopped out of the shower, it is currently dripping wet!

Today is going to be a home day. The kids are buggered. They have a full on Monday! With kinder, childcare then they go to my fitness program we run for little kids. They eat well on Monday!!!

I have a bit of housework to catch up on and I took several lots of photos over the weekend, so need to sort and post them!

Have a great day!

Introducing....

2007-07-29T15:49:00.000+10:00

My beautiful nephew Cooper William John...

Isn't he beautiful...

he really did melt my heart!!!

Dan and his family came up to Hopetoun for my Grandfathers 90th Birthday party, so FINALLY got to meet him!

Ok.. more tomorrow. I have booked in to have my hair cut and coloured tomorrow. I am the only woman on earth that dreads having her hair done??? I hate sitting down for three hours!! Lucky for me i only do it twice a year!

Tummy shrinking...

2007-07-26T13:50:00.000+10:00

True or False??????????

I was just on the telephone with a friend that is on a new 'diet' program. (Tony Ferguson i think)

Anyway.. she has quite a bit of weight to loose and is going to do the program to loose the bulk then she believes that her tummy would have shrunk and she will be right then..

W.T.F....

I have said it before and will repeat again here...education...education.... education....

moving on.....

My new computer is cool....

very cool....

All set up with thanks to a file transfer cable and cooking with gas. I even shared with the girls!

I have been clocking up between 13 to 15,000 steps a day recently and really feeling quite firm. I also shoveled duck crap yesterday morning for a couple of hours... all helps!!

My food has been great also... moons are aligned!!!

did I tell you how cool my new computer is????

It arrived!!!!!

2007-07-25T18:04:00.000+10:00

I am nearly wetting myself I am that excited!!! I got home from the morning kinder run and a message was left by a courier that my new computer at arrived and was in Warracknabeal!!!

So I am sitting at my new 22 inch screen typing this!!! Very quick, but vista is very different!!!

Can't beleive how quickly it arrived, i only ordered it on Friday!!

Ok.. programs to install!!!

Gym...

2007-07-24T08:37:00.000+10:00

hurts when you try and keep up with one of the fittest people in town...

ok.. lesson learnt!! But I slept well!!

i need to de-clutter again!!! I find (like out Beck) that i tend to flounder a little and not sure where to start if things aren't organised. Neat home, neat mind. That "neat" home needs to start in my cupboards. I am sure I would be able to throw out something that no longer is worn. When girlfriends clean out their warerobes, they ask me around. I have then reputation of being the 'warerobe nazi' and throw out anything they hesitate over!! And, I drive a ute, so I remove all offending clothes before they have a chance to think twice! Time to do mine!

So.. that is job one today. My girls are growing like mushrooms and have outgrown so many items in their warerobe, so I need to go through theirs as well. The girls, being only 12 months apart, tend to share a lot of clothes, but Laura is very narrow, so some of Emilie's clothes just get handed on to friends!

I finally get to meet my new nephew on the weekend. My grandfather is turning 90 years old and they are coming down for that. Cooper is the only one carrying on the family name so far.. very important to my grandfather! Can't wait!

Ok... I am going to make a pact.. starting from now! I have become a little lazy with comments, but reading with Goodgle reader.. but from now on.. I promise to comment if I have read!!

Ok... time to make a walk date with my neighbour who is recovering from a little op!

Frosty...

2007-07-20T15:37:00.000+10:00

Burrrrrr... how friggin' cold has this week been. I have cleaned out the fire box of my wood heater for the second time this week, usually a once a week job. Imagine how big our carbon footprint is!!

Jack's dad flew home this morning, but was delayed by about 90 minutes as we had to wait for the plane to defrost. I know that it isn't an excuses NOT to exercise, but man, it is so much harder to get outside during this weather. At Gym, they heat the room that you do floor exercises in, I did a few more this week, just so keep warmer for longer!!

I brought a new computer today. Online.. Will be delivered in 10 days.. can hardly contain my excitement!! 22 inch screen (i currently have 14 inch!!) 500 Gig hard drive, 2 Mg RAM.. and windows Vista premium. I am excited, even if some of you aren't!

Emilie and Laura will have then their own computer for their Dora the explorer CD-roms... no Internet access, but hey.. they are 5 and 4!!

BTW.. my weight is almost back to my lowest. I am fronting up to the WW meeting in Horsham before swimming in the morning, so fingers crossed for me that my scales at home haven't been lying to me!

Tomorrow night I have the Apex changeover dinner.. just not sure what to wear. have a couple of choices, depending on how many degrees below freezing it is!

Okay.. gotta keep on ! Have a great weekend!

Fitness for life....

2007-07-17T08:22:00.000+10:00

That is what we are calling our new program that started last night for little kids!! I was VERY pleased how it all went. There was between 25 to 30 little people rock up at our gym for an hour of physical activity and fun. The basis is basic game

Not sure how many little ones would be attending, we sort of set up a program for pre-school aged and school aged based around soccer skills.

The kids loved it! It was amazing how quickly 1 hour went and how they soon cottoned on to what we where up to.. sure we had the odd little dummy spit with kids, but we worked through it!! Very happy!! Might even be a few more rock up next week!!!

We have just swapped Internet providers. We have been with Bigpond since they first started dial-up... we moved areas several times and where able to keep the same email address, but out here we have a two-way satellite. We where paying $70 a month plus excess usage (satellite expensive Internet service, but when you live in rural areas it is the only option other then dial up and 9kps download) but with our new providing it is only $9.95 a month... HUGE difference and worth the mucking around with changing email addresses etc!

But, when the guy was here yesterday (he cam all the way from Bendigo up to install one satellite) I got him to move the point. We have a large family room off the lounge here and we are going to split the room in two. It was once a carport and was filled in only a year after they built it, so you can't tell that it was a carport, but it is too big. So, half will be a bedroom/office and the other half will be storage until we get serious about moving my kitchen. Jack's Dad is flying in on Thursday, so that it the deadline for me sorting out the family room..

Have you all been out bargain shopping??? Love this time of the year. Check out my favorite kids clothing store. TOFI... Have brought a few things to get my kids through winter.

Okay... better go and deal with the kids. Home day today.. just as well, bit wet!!

Bones...

2007-07-13T14:58:00.000+10:00

Like our Beck and her recent visit to Hospital with Bradman, I have been feeling like a bad mother...

Bad mothering #846
Precious 2 and half year old son was jumping off the couch (like he often does... Helloooo.... he is 2 and a half!!!) anyway, i was cooking tea and I didn't see the actual incident, but a scream like no other was soon heard and my little man was hurt. He tried to get up to walk to me but he couldn't put any weight on one foot.
He was screaming, sweating - Must have REALLY hurt. His little foot was swelling and starting to go a little blue. Finally got him to settle down and rang the hospital (we are 55 km from after hours A & E)... They advised to keep him home as xray wasn't there and reassess in the morning.
The poor little man woke during the night crying "my foot.. my foot" a few doses of Nurofen seemed to calm him down.

Anyway in the morning he was able to put a little bit of weight on it, so I didn't take him in to Horsham. But as the day got longer he started using walls to support him and sitting a lot. So yesterday morning I headed over and it turns out he has broken a little bone in his right foot, but there isn't much they can do!!!

So my little man has been VERY grumpy with lack of sleep and I feel like a bad mother for
A: letting it happen
B: not taking him to Dr's earlier...

hmmm
hmmm

More VERY EXCITING NEWS!!!
I am a AUNT again.. first time on my side of the family!! My brother Danny and his partner Lamie had a little boy COOPER WILLIAM JOHN... so chuffed!!!

The ONLY one so far to carry on my maiden name. (Lots of girl cousins...) Can't wait to meet him!

We collected the girls on Sunday from Mildura and they had a ball!!! I think they saw a different side of their grandies..

I took a car load of kids to Horsham on Tuesday and took them to the YMCA for a swim, great physical activity for them!!

Ok.. so much more happens, should post more. Will try too!!
Ciao for now!

Boy for sale...

2007-07-05T09:13:00.000+10:00

My little 'angel' of a boy is driving me mad!!! I think he misses his sisters and his only way of showing is driving me up the wall. He has been SO naughty!!! Example...

Yesterday we went to Ballarat to see my grandmother for her birthday. Popped into Myers to shop quickly and I was in the change rooms trying on something, Mum pops her head in (Mum went with...) and says.. "Hugh with you??" No he wasn't, so she starts just a casual look around level 1... come back.. "Back yet??".. No sign of him. That is when the panic hits!! Mum and I are running around looking for him... (I knew I should have worn sneakers not knee high high heeled boots..) even into the Plaza that is attached to Myers and out onto the street.. no sign of the little shit. They put an announcement over the PA system and he was finally found (over 10 minutes !!) in the fuckin' basement with all of the toys!!!!!!!!!

Naughty boy...

I have made an appointment for his hair to be trimmed today.. he has the funkiest hair, but even I have to agree it is getting a little long. So that will be yet another adventure!

The girls are having a ball in the Riverland with their grandparents. Ten minutes before we where about to leave on Friday, Laura went for one more quick ride before the bike was packed and she came off and put her tooth through her lip.. blood everywhere. But, a little sad and sorry for herself on Friday and much happier on Saturday.. Still a little bit of a mess.. This is a photo Emilie took of me on the way to Paringa.. We stopped at Mildura for tea at McDonalds.. (Drove past Zest Jodie... Looks very nice!!!) Laura couldn't eat much, her lip was too big and sore... then headed on through to Paringa. We had to take two cars to bring home Tanks and benches and other stuff, so the kids rotated through all of the cars.

Saturday morning we had to buy two of the kids new helmets, Check out Hugh.. walking though the streets of Renmark with his helmet on (The plastic at the front should have been removed.. but NO... couldn't happen... woody boy)

Emilie and me at the fountain in Renmark... look at that sun!!

The girls Jack and myself walked/rode into Renmark. This is a snap of the girls crossing the Paringa Bridge over the Murray... they loved it!!!

Anyway.. loaded up and headed home on Sunday after lunch. I cried until we got to bloody Redcliffs (nearly 200kms..) then I pulled myself together, knowing the girls would be having fun!! I feel fine about it now. They are big girls, I am just a sook!

They have been fine.. just Hugh is driving me mental. I don't think I realised how much they played with him until they aren't here!!! We head to Mildura on Sunday morning to collect the girls... I am sure they will be yelling at one another again.. but I am missing them!!

Funny story... (no really.. but amusing all the same..) On the way home from Ballarat yesterday I was pulled over by the police in Rupanyup (only about 50kms from home..) I didn't slow down enough through town (was in the 80's in a 60 zone.. naughty I know)... but anyway I was driving Jack WB Holden ute (this is a ute that country blokes drive.... V8, loud, big bullbar... get the picture - I know CKK will..) anyway, late last year Jack brought another one. He always had V8 utes before kids etc, and decided that time had come again to acquire another one. It is pretty cool and I don't mind driving it... even with Jack's tragic 80's music playing on the stereo..

Anyway... the police officer's first question was "Is this your ute??" - What?? Don't I look like a v8 ute driver??? Anyway.. after telling me that I was driving too fast he starts going over the ute looking for faults... Asking me to start the engine and rev it to see if it was too loud, blinkers, brake lights etc.. this went on for twenty minutes or so and I begun to feel like a 18 year old hoon. Anyway.. goes to his car and return 5 minutes later with a defect notice for the ute (two tyres and a reverse light..) BUT no speeding fine!!!! Quite excited that I got off, travelled home and rang Jack to tell him.

Jack knew that the two things he found wrong where there.. no big deal.. but then he says.. "your not going to believe this... I am being pulled over by the police... I'll call you back..." He was in Dooen.

Anyway.. rings back 15 minutes later. The police asked him his name and address... the police officer said to him... "I just pulled over your wife In Rupanyup... you have a couple of jobs to do on the ute when you get home" how freaky is that!! Jack was also pulled over for speeding.. but he was also let off!!!

So thank your stars for being alignment right last night... could have been a very expensive little night!!!

Suitcases packed yet????

2007-06-28T11:49:00.000+10:00

With school holidays only one sleep away, my girls are getting VERY excited. See, for the first time ever they are going for a holiday on their own to their South Australian grandparents!!! Jack's folks live at Paringa (Just over the Murray river from Renmark) and the big girls are going there for a week!! **mother quietly swallows the lump in her throat**

Little Laura has had her bag packed for three days now, to say they are excited is an understatement!! So, tomorrow night, after the last day of Kinder for the term, we are heading north to deliver the babes, then bringing the boy back home on Sunday. My in-laws live on a cliff above the Murray and the girls know where to go and where not to go.. (i hope..) for Hugh, it is just one huge adventure and you need eyes in the back of your head, so a couple more years before he gets to have a holiday on his own!

I am have a fair bit of DOMS... not sure why, but have finished weights until next monday, time for them to recover a little. I always get a fair bit of exercise in when we go to the Riverland. Early morning walks (even if it is to the cafe at 6am for a decent cup of coffee..shh they don't know, they think I am exercising for 90 minute...he he he) and with the kids and their bikes, they take a bit of chasing!

The official kinder opening went well on Tuesday. The kids picture will be in the paper again.. this is a bit of an on-going joke here in town. I work for the paper taking photos and often they are the subjects or if my boss is taking photos for something, like the opening, he often uses my kids as he knows their names and knows that I don't mind. We get a fair bit of ribbing about it.. I think it is cute!!

Ok.. better go and do housework, so my house is in order before the weekend and all washing done.

Ericia Who???

2007-06-26T09:41:00.000+10:00

I forgot that some of the NZ and OS readerswouldn't know who I was refering to with the Ericia Baxter reference in my eariler blog.... here is a link... She just married Australia'a richest man James Packer... What would you buy for a wedding gift???

I have a little DOMS today.. gym hurt more then normal yesterday. Weigh in stayed the same as well.. no loss no gain..

We have the offical opening of our new children's centre today at 2pm, so the kids and I will soon go for a ride/run (then ride - I run) to bugger out Hugh so he will have a sleep early. Just waiting for the washing machine to finish!

Extra movements = chocolate???

2007-06-24T16:04:00.000+10:00

funny the way my brain works at times....

I spent a couple of hours helping Jack cut firewood this afternoon, loading the Ute and unloading again into the wood shed. Some heavy bits, some not so heavy. But all the same constant movement. WW is HUGE on extra movement, so a guesstimate would say that was worth 3 points or so...

So why do I then come inside and eat chocolate???? All of that fat burning work balanced our to zero again???? Did I feel like I deserved it??? Have I felt deprived?? I didn't totally pig out, just three squares, but usually I don't even touch it.

Either way it is done and moving on...

I wonder if Erica Baxter helps James cut firewood and ends up with tiny wood chips up her nose?????

New wheels....

2007-06-19T16:18:00.000+10:00

Red... cos' it will go faster....

Hugh got his first set of wheels over the weekend... Check out how proud this little man is!!!

He stood there with his hands on his hips watching Jack put it together, just making sure it was right and then he was off!

Both the girls had their training wheels removed as well over the weekend. Laura (4) took off like a rocket and Emilie (5) took things a little more cautiously (so much like her mother...) But both girls are now riding like 'big girls"

The only thing the worries me now is that they might decide to ride into town (13km) or perhaps head to the neighbours (8km).... hmmm... perhaps I best shut the gate!!

I am on the tail end of by bi-annual cold. Don't get sick often, so shouldn't whinge too much, but I do whinge... poor Jack... but it is nearly gone!

Since WW meeting here has closed I have taken to weighing here at home each Monday morning. A loss of 1.6kg this past week. I have slowly watched the scales creep back up. Last Monday it was at 66.9kg (OMFG) and this Monday back to 65.3kg. I like to be in the 63's... so still a little way to go back down.

Tracking has been fantastic. I find I only eat foods that I know the point value of and I don't want to right down that I ate $2 of mixed allens lollies, so I don't eat them... I read somewhere that often it is only one food that lets lots of over-weight people down, be it chocolate, cake, icecream or whatever. I could easily fit that rule to myself. Lollies...

I seems to be able to get away with a few, but only a few...

Anyway, another 2 kg's to whittle away at before it gets warmer and I need to start showing some skins again.

Ok... better go and catch the clothes line then fill the wheel barrow with wood. So bloody cold and windy. I am often lovingly referred to as the "Wood Burning Bitch" as i hate being cold and tend to burn a bit to keep the house warm... but hey... it is only 10 degrees!!

Cooking with gas....

2007-06-14T12:54:00.000+10:00

with a clean fridge and tidy pantry....

After a few weeks (well... months really) of over eating and a few too many wrong choices, slate is clean and motivated again.

I have found with this new healthly lifestyle, (that started almost two years ago..) if my fridge and pantry are clean, it gets me going again with my recipe ideas.. I will find some vital ingredient in the pantry that I brought two months ago!!

Often that is all the motivation that I need to get going again..

Gym has been going well and I think they will be staying here past the three month trial. So, those pesty three kilo's will be gone very soon..

Jack is so busy. I just made a pot of roasted butternut pumpkin soup and rang to see if he wanted some, but he can't stop!! He thinks that his mobile phone would have rung at least 35 times this morning. Over the weekend (we went to the coast) The phone was ringing heaps and little Emilie said to Jack... "Dad, your phone rings a lot".... for even her to notice!!

OK... Hugh is yelling at Laura, better go and sort out!

End of an era......

2007-06-08T08:33:00.000+10:00

Firstly... thanks for the soup idea... drooling thinking about my next pot!!! Thanks girls...

I am only about 5 months from receiving my GOLD lifetime membership to Weight Watchers... (For those of you that are WW Gals that means you have been at or below your goal weight for 2 years...)

But

They are closing our WW meetings in Warracknabeal... **sigh**

They need at least 15 paying members to keep the meeting going and over winter the numbers have slowly dwindled away. WW has been going in Warracknabeal FOREVER.. (well it seems that long anyway)

Hopefully, once people get a little more motivated in the warmer weather they might get it going again, but not sure. Ros, our ww leader lost her son in a car accident almost a year ago (he was only 9 years old..) so I feel for her. It was a real outlet for Ros as well.

So, I think I will find a meeting in Horsham to weigh in monthly... gotten this far.

In other breaking news, a friend and I are in the throws of organising a kids fitness program for kids 4 to 8 at our leisure centre. Most organised sporting activities are for kids 8 +.... This way kids get to get out and have fun and learn the benefits of being activie early. The school and kindas push the healthy eating program, so this follows on from that. We will rotate the kids sport to give them a go at a heap of sports. The first 4 weeks will be soccer, then Hockey. Both sports have a little kids version. Very excited about it and hope we get the support from the community. We will start next term, so planning in full swing!

Ok... if you have a few moments check out Kenz... a great read from a very motivated gal. I fond her blog through Kerry... thanks Kerry...

Winter Soup....

2007-05-31T16:13:00.001+10:00

Ok guys.... I need your favorite soup receipe of the moment....

Winter is here tomorrow, need to get the stock pot boiling...

I made at least a pot of soup a week.. but I need a little variety..

I am good at just throwing in what is in the fridge and pantry, but a soup with a little more thought and planning into them taste so much better...

Big fan of red lentil and pumpkin soup... curry chickpea soup (that is what I have at the moment...) please comment with your favorite for me!!!

Another wet day here... the is fantastic to see. I have just sent the kids out to get some fresh air while the rain has paused!! Better go and check tea~

The girl has muscles....

2007-05-29T07:57:00.000+10:00

How long have I been going to the gym for??? a month.... 5 weeks??? and i can already see the difference, especially in m upper body. Not wanted to look like Thomas from Big Brother, flexing in front of mirrors, but I can tell...

I really wish I was reading a book at the moment. It is raining and windy, a day to stay inside. When I read a book, Nothing else gets done. I become a little obsessed... so I don't start unless I have the time to finish.

Today, we don't get to stay home. Laura is booked in for her 4 year old needle and assessment, then I need to take some photos of a little baby then I think I will head to Horsham to have them printed. I had a busy day on Sunday with my photography, so have quite a few films that need to be put through the lab.

Our crops look magic... Jack go them in before the rain and they are going really well!!

I am really struggling with my water intake.. it is so hard to drink when it is cold!!! A friend of mine has started Ultra lite and going great guns, but she had to stop coffee etc... I wish I could ..

Anyway... will be back soon.

Craig says it all...

2007-05-26T13:21:00.000+10:00

I have been working on a post in my head for days and each time I start to write it, it sounds bad, so still working on it!!

For today, I ask you to read Craig Harper's post.... My Body is not who I am... just where I live...

Will be back with my post soon...

Cupboards are bare....

2007-05-17T11:31:00.000+10:00

I really need to go shopping....

My freezer is over flowing with meat, but running out of basic staples... I really don't think a chickpea and icing sugar dish would appeal to anyones hunger!!

I was chatting to a friend the other day about how I need to bake, fill the lard (as my grandmother would have said). I usually have at least a cake, slice or sorts here for the kids and Jack. My friend start to explain that "god, your good.... my baking consists on buying the 'fresh baked' biscuits at safeway... you can't tell me that you can bake 12 biscuits cheaper then $4.00???"..

Well.. i could... but that isn't the point.

Either you are into cooking or you are not. Eventually, she agreed that she is terrible in the kitchen, and doesn't even have FLOUR in her pantry!!! I started to wonder what in hell they ate, but my memory opened up and started to think about what I used to eat... kantong, frozen fish, meat and veg, kantong, stir-fry that just had to be heated up - vegies already in there, frozen chips, take away, kantong, sausages, kantong... not a huge variety that didn't need a heap of preparation.

Just ask Jack, I was very BAD in the kitchen. I tried to make soup twice in about 5 years. Both time resulted in a saucepan being burnt beyond the point of no return. Now, it is a twice weekly event. It is a wonder in the early years of our marriage, I didn't give Jack food poisoning. I even had one of Jack clients show me how to make mash potatoes, how embarrassing. But he walked into our kitchen once when some had boiled dry and the smoke had just begun to billow from the room.

It didn't even really improve once I left work to have Emilie.. still LOTS of Kantong, the Laura came, then Hugh and after the little man arrived I am guessing that my weight was over 90kg.

My turning point was joining Weight watchers... I did enjoy cooking before then, but once I UNDERSTOOD food, I enjoyed preparing food more. I loved being able to say that I cook healthily, well balanced meals, with the kids not missing out on nice home made snacks.

EDUCATION is the one and only key to long term health. I don't know if the timing was perfect, but once I embarked on losing weight, I sucked in as much information as I could. I can even remember being cross there for a while... "Why didn't anyone tell me all of this before.. surely there was room in my secondary school education for it". There was and I did study "health" . But I didn't have a weight problem at High school.. didn't sink in. Timing mustn't have been right. I would like to think that my habits will be natural for my kids. My chocolate on weekend rule and each time the kids pick a piece of fruit out of the fruit bowl they get a response of "Great choice"... in instilled in them. Time will tell..

I really don't think Jack misses Kantong...

Just a quick hi to Mummy-licious, many of you will know her, just a great new uplifting blog as she strives to become a Yummy Mummy... I know where she is, as many of you will also be able to relate on getting that pre-baby bod back... Please go and encourage her. Thank Kit for the shout out on your blog... still makes me smile when I see a link on someone elses posts!!

Just also a Gym Update - Can't believe how much I love it. I get there with all of the Granny's mid morning and have a great chat and work out at the same time. I am sure they have enough numbers to keep going. Thank you to Jodie and Jenny for thier advise. I feel better with the program as well, now I understand how I should feel after a workout... thanks girls..

Karma....

2007-05-15T08:21:00.000+10:00

I am a BIG believer in Karma.... You get what you put out there

You put out good.... you get good in return

You put out bad.... watch you back....

So.... just a message to the thief that has taken 20 tonnes of fertiliser out of one of Jack's clients silos... I hope your crop gets hit by a cyclone...

Random...my washing...

2007-05-13T16:51:00.000+10:00

Things that I am anal about # 1

Ok... Washing and ironing... such a housewife thing to start with...

We have good clothes and I look after them. Anyone that is lucky enough to be on the receiving end of my kids hand-me-downs would know that!

Clothes have to be sorted (dark denim, light denim, white, lights, under ware, towels, farm clothes..)
Soaked (if needed)
Stain removal used, (I love that oxy action preen stuff that mixes together just as you use it)
Fabric softener (always use a good brand, not a concentrate)
Turned in the right way before washed and inside out again before hung out.
Always do a full cycle on the washing machine. Figure if I am using the water anyway, might as well let it wash for the 90 minutes it is programmed to. (We have a front loader)
All our clothes have a certain way of being hung. Jeans from the legs etc..
All clothes are given a good flick at the line. Find it helps with the wrinkles.
I never hang under ware on the line. This a habit I formed when we lived in town. But I guess NO ONE but the sheep see what is on my line now! (and my undies are 4 sizes smaller...)
i iron EVERYTHING!!!! Looks so much nicer in the warerobe (i get a lot of grief about this..)
Just as a shower of rain hits, it also reminds me that I don't put clothes other then farm ferals into our clothes drier... they go onto clothes horses if it is wet. I reckon drier wreck clothes..

This may not seem bad to some reading, but i really notice it when my mother is here. She will do my a favour and 'throw' a load of washing in for me. She will through everything that the kids have had on straight into the machine, without sorting, soaking, spraying or separating, or even turning the socks in the right way.. usually, if I get there before she hangs it out, I will resort and rewash.. (why?? I am not sure, i am sure they are clean...) but if she hangs them out, things are hanging any which way, towels pegged up with joining pegs, 4 socks with one peg... my god. How did we survive as kids!!!

I am sure you are thinking I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but what can I say.. I am anal about washing!!

What are you anal about?????

Bouncing Baby boy...

2007-05-10T13:20:00.000+10:00

We have a new nephew... Little Thomas has arrived. ..Jack's sister, Tess (some who might remember went into labout about a month ago and it stopped again...) Only 49cm long and weighing 8 pounds, I am guessing he will make a nice rugby player!! Can't wait to meet the little man!!

Have been back to the gym twice since last posted. I do enjoy it and i think that it fantastic that there are so many people using it, but, I feel like the programme isn't hard enough.... not sure what to think. When I walk out, I feel the same as when I walked in. I want to feel a little buggered, like I have had a workout.. Any suggestions, or am I not used to it????? I guess if it toned up my body a little, who is to complain...

As mentioned in my last post, the kids and I had a tour of the public school here in town. For years, we have been leaning towards sending the kids to the private shcool, but after my visit I am on the fence!! I was totally blown away with the resources the public school has!!! The private school (that is catholic) has about 60 kids there and the public has 230 or so. My main concern with the private school is that they have combined classes (prep & 1, 2 & 3 and a 4, 5 & 6) The fact that they are combined doesn't concern me, but with my kids being so close together, they would be sharing classrooms and in the 4 - 5 - 6 year they would all be in the same class... anyway, I don't need to make a decision yet and I want Jack to check out both of the schools.

Jack will be working sowing our wheat all weekend. More rain is forecast for next week and would be nice to get it in before then. Hugh is on the tractor with our neighbour at the moment.

Had a huge meat buy up this morning, all in the freezer now, but have enough for about 25 meals.. Okay.. better go

Yahoo... we have lift off...

2007-05-07T14:21:00.000+10:00

I am quite excited!!!!

We have a gym now in town.... with trainers!!!!!

**Jumping up and down clapping with joy**

Headed in this morning for assessment and program writing... it was cool to train with 20 or so other woman for a change!!! Our local shire have a basic gym at the basketball stadium in town and two trainers from Horsham have just leased the gym from them.

Very cool... will keep you posted how it all goes... but so far so good!

Food has been great and even got a little exercise in over the weekend..

Jack put in the barley at home over the weekend... the oats are already a couple of inches high. Looking really good.... fingers crossed the season is normal!!!

We have a tour booked at the local state primary school tomorrow morning. I have been thinking for a couple of years that our kids will go to the private school in town, but it doesn't hurt to check out the other schools... so that it tomorrow morning. I will have all three kids, so it will be interesting!!!

Kids went swimming over the weekend, girls where great and Hugh is a sook!! Just hugged me the entire time telling me "Don't like it!!" He was so funny this morning when Jack left for work.. "Daddy, you are evil!!" - we often tell him that he is evil (you know... in the cute evil sort of way...) funny...

This weekend my sister is coming home from Melbourne for mum's birthday on Saturday and we will go out for lunch. Jack will be hopefully sowing wheat, so it will be just the kids and me. Friday night I am going to see Julie Cross speak.. she came down a few years ago.. very warm and fuzzy speaker... anyway.. I better go and do some more housework.

Almost forgot... look what I brought from Peters of Kensington... how cool hey! I brought my mother the "gorgeous grandmother" mug to add to her birthday present from the kids...

Time for focus again...

2007-05-04T08:47:00.000+10:00

I have just re-read a few months posts and hardly any mention of health and fitness... not sure why some of you are still reading.. (maybe it is my cute kids....)

It hasn't really been a major focus over the past few months, and I can feel it. Sure, I still eat well and exercise, not enough!!!!!! I am losing a little bit of my tone, but the worse thing is my energy levels are dropping...

So, enough is enough... time to move it!!

My Weight has stayed the same... might go up 500 g one week but it is gone the next. Food hasn't been an issue. My habits have changed for life with food... just need to exercise more!!!!

At the end of August Jack has is 20 year reunion at his boarding school he went to in Adelaide, so that will be a little extra motivation to keep going!

Jack has a couple of busy weekends with putting in our crops, but after that I think we will head up to Halls Gap for a mini-break. It is only about 1 hours drive to Halls Gap from here, nice and close! Jack is so busy, he will need to take a breath by then as well!

We are going to 'wag' playgroup this morning.. Have some washing that needs to be done, and a toy room that looks like a bomb has gone off. Kids are back at swimming in the morning, so I need to be organised. I find, if my house it clean and tidy, I am in a much better frame of mind... Taking some photos on Sunday, and Jack will be working here. He does well to juggle working full-time and farm after hours and weekends. We did really well with the lambs that where sent to market on Wednesday... that along with all of the rain has brought a smile to our faces!!!

Have a great weekend and drive carefully!!!

"The Boss"

2007-05-03T08:07:00.000+10:00

Em was the "boss" last night... be it all of 10 minutes, but she took her role very seriously....

Jack and I had to mark a couple of lambs last night (ring their tails) that where to little to be sold at market... long story... but we took Hugh down to the shearing shed with us and told Em that she was the boss...

Just as I left the house Laura said to her "Come on Em, lets play barbie...."

Em... ""No Laura, Bosses don't play!!"

Little giggle to myself and left them and headed down that back... 10 minutes later I return to the house and she has washed all of the lunch boxes for me... "Cos, that is what bosses do"

I like her work ethic!

Vampires....

2007-04-30T21:04:00.000+10:00

Energy sucking ones.. not blood... the 'energy' sucking vampires are much more common and can be found almost anywhere... sad but true.. you just need to know what you are looking for..

Read one of Craig Harper's recent posts ~~~ Link here~~ so you can see the signs.... you might have to scroll down a little to get to it!

Another great motivation i read only today was from Jodie in sunny Mildura.... "Because I was told I can..." please read... lesson for EVERYONE!!!!

Eating going really well... exercise has taken a back seat with the wet weather, I dare not complain! We ended up with over 40mm of rain .... heaps!!! Little Laura was confused on Saturday afternoon... In the back seat she piped up "Mum.. look at the dust" when it was actually fog.. poor little might thought it was another dust storm. Then excited this morning when I dropped them at day care, she told her care provider that "I can drink the water from the kitchen tap now..." :)

Have been very busy with computer jobs, BAS, grant applications, invitations ... list is long but almost on top of it again. I have two more grant application to apply for this week. With the wet weather on the weekend, Jack and the kids came over to Dimboola with me to take photos for the paper of football and netball... it was so great to see muddy footy players!! I got drenched on the sidelines (and so did the camera) but we got some great photos.

I didn't take the kids swimming on Saturday morning, Hugh had a runny nose and Emilie was still recovering from our very early start on Anzac day (like 4am early... went to Hopetoun where my grandfather lives, he is a WW2 vet), so we went shopping. They had birthday money they wanted to spend. The girls brought raincoats and "Dragon booster" DVD's.. (Dragon Booster is cartoon on ABC...) Laura got new shoes, jeans and jacket... all from my new favorite kids clothes shop TOFI (they have mid season sale on... check it out...)

I have a simple philosophy with my kids clothing... They don't have a wardrobe over flowing with clothes, but what they have is good quality. I would rather pay a little more for one jumper and have it last a season then have it lose shape or fall apart. My mother was the same with us when we where kids. We where the best dressed kids at primary school.. (mind you... that wasn't hard when you went to school in the Bronx!!!!) Example... we had "Real" track'n' field tracksuits with "real" converse socks to tuck them into... Most had those take-offs. (Like I said... I went to primary school in the Bronx) Anyway.. works for me...

Hope everyone is having a great week!