Tina's Journey

For Chris H

2011-03-19T12:28:00.004+10:30

These photos are on facebook but I know Chris doesn't use facebook much. The room is nearly finished. Just have the floorboards to do and then we can start moving stuff in. The photo of our existing family room shows how cluttered we are. So I can't wait to swing open those doors and finally have more room.

My poor neglected blog :(

Life just keeps getting in the way of updates here. I guess that why I prefer facebook. So easy to update on there.

We've had a crazy few weeks. Unfortunately not all good. Bullying has reared its ugly head again but not with Ashleigh this time.

Nikki has been the victim this time. She tries to be friends with everyone and it has backfired big time. She got caught in the middle of some of her friends fighting this week and 2 of these so called friends turned on her and verbally abused her nearly to the point of a physical punch up. Luckily it didn't get to that. The school were great and I got phone calls from the head of the middle school but unfortunately one of the girls father has bikie connections and they are intimidated by her family. In the school's words - 'We just don't know what to do'

This girl has had so many run ins with other kids and she is still there. The school told us they know Nikki is innocent and just got caught up in typical teenage lies and rumours but she has learnt a very valuable lesson. To keep out of things that don't concern her. She can't solve the world's problems as much as she wants to try.

It was Jarryd's 10th birthday last week. I can't believe my baby boy is 10!! Where did that time go. He had a laser skirmish party with 11 friends which was a huge hit. He asked for money because we bought him an ipod touch and he had to contribute some money towards it. Well he got so much money from family and friends he also managed to buy a new ds lite console and the new pokemon game. So he is a very happy boy.

Ashleigh has a part time job at a local footy club. A good friend of ours has taken over the contract to do all the meals on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday so she will be doing some cooking, dishes, taking orders and taking out the meals. She is absolutely loving it and is getting $10 an hour cash in hand. She is saving for a laptop.

Steve is off to Alice Springs again for 2 weeks. He is getting a lot of breakdown work now so the finances are looking a bit stronger. Just as well. The mortgage has sky rocketed due to all the renovations we are doing. He has been offered another job within the company which is a step up and will get him off the tools but it means being the co-ordinator for all the jobs and he's not sure if he really wants to do it. He's asking for a big pay rise and along with the car that comes with it so we shall see. If they come to the party money wise, then it's meant to be.

My weight loss has stalled a bit. I haven't gain but haven't lost either in the last month. I know peri menapause is playing a huge part in that. I had a blood test the other day and my iron levels are way to low again so I'm back on iron tabs and have been told to eat 3 red meat meals a week. Hopefully that will boost things again when I have the next blood test in May.

I've been trying to post a YouTube link of Nikki playing ukele and singing on here but it's not playing the game. I'll keep trying. She is amazing and so many people have commented on facebook. She is so passionate about her music and I am very proud of her because she has never had any lessons. She has learnt to play the ukelele from the internet. She sure doesn't get her music ability from me!!!

Ok maybe blogger doesn't let you link YouTube so if you want to look go to my facebook page or search YouTube for ukelelefreakxo

Ooops

2011-02-13T14:09:00.004+10:30

8 days later and I am back to finish my last post. I had meant to put up some photos of the new room so here they are. The big hole you can see on the side photo is going to be french door to match the existing doors.

The part I hate about rennovating is all the crap lying around. As you can see in the side photo, the airconditioner is sitting my the back door.

Interrupted again. Just got a phone call from a friend coming over for coffee. Definitely be back..........................

We have concrete.....

2011-01-29T13:34:00.002+10:30

I have been so busy that I completely forgot about getting quotes for flooring, painting, a new split airconditioning system and lighting. All of which is going to cost money. Well it will increase the mortgage. Just hope the interest rates stay steady for a while.

We are thinking floating floorboards for the new room and a mocha or coffee colour paint scheme. Sort of African. I will have to ask for african or balanese type things for my birthday. There is so much still to do. Before Nikki can move into the lounge, all the above has to be finished first so we can move all the furniture into the new room. Then we will pull up the carpet in the lounge which is awful with kids spills from the last 13 years. And maybe paint Nikki's new room before she can move into it. It will be so good when it's all done.

I had a small loss this week. 300g. That's ok. Slowly but surely. I need help with my sugar addiction though. I have come to the realisation that I am fat because I eat too much sugar. Some people have problems with savoury, cheese, dips, etc but for me it's sugar. My current addiction in this warm weather is zooper dooper iceblocks. Yes they are ok but I have about 10 a day!! And it's all sugary things I crave. Might have to get me some hynotherapy!! Any suggestions on how you beat this demon, please feel free to leave a comment.

Have to go and get Nikki from work so will finish this later. This is the reason I never get to blog - LOL!!

A Date at Last

2011-01-24T17:46:00.002+10:30

I just got confirmation that our new room is starting Thursday. So exciting. We have definitely outgrown this house as it is. Ashleigh needs her own bedroom. At nearly 13, she can't keep sharing with her brother. So they start preparing on Thursday. Lucky Steve gets to have a 5 day weekend. Even though he has work to do. He has to take down fences to get the bobcat in from the street behind us. And because the room is going on the neighbours boundry, that fence has to come down too. But it is going to be so worth it.

Weight wise, things aren't so good. I gained over xmas and the week after for no reason apart from this crazy peri menapausal body. I couldn't go last week but the scales are down slightly as of this morning. I am getting a period every 3 weeks but it last for a week to 10 days. I have read lots of information about menapause so I think this is very normal but I need to get it checked. Something I am putting off. I have made myself accountable now to go and make an appointment.

Nikki got some bad news yesterday. Her job at Boost was a christmas casual job. She reckons she was told when she went for the interview but she didn't tell me. It was quite a shock. Surely after all the training she has had they could keep her on for 1 shift a week?? They told her they were very impressed with her and they want her to fill in if needed so that's something I guess. She needs to get another job because she has a phone to pay for.

Ashleigh and Jarryd spent a week at Steve's parents in Kadina. Steve's dad hasn't been too good so I think it gave him something else to think about having them there. They didn't take any computers or consoles. Just DVD's and lots of fresh air. Love it!!

Back to school for them all next Monday. I can't believe how quick the holidays have gone. Next ones will coincide with Easter in late April.

It's been an incredible few weeks here in Australia with all the flooding. I have family in Brisbane but no one was affected. A few blogger and facebook friends were in the areas and it would have been just devistating. Now the water is making it's way all the way down to our rivers in S.A. So hopefully by the time it gets here it can do some good instead of the devistation it has caused in so many areas.

My decluttering has continued. My computer has been shutting down and I suspected it was overheating. I had no idea of the crap at the back of the computer desk until I got at the back to clear the area. Years of paperwork and crap that had fallen down the back. I wish I had taken a photo because it was disgusting :( Bad me!! Just one of those jobs you never get to because you can't see it. Anyway it is all cleared and vacuumed. And the computer box cleaned and dusted. Guess what!! No problem since. Touch wood - haha.

My job for this week is to take down the christmas tree!!!

Be back tomorrow with my result.

:)

Weekend Update

2011-01-09T16:34:00.003+10:30

You can sort of see what I have done today. Still have to move the bricks but it got too hot.

The house that has sprung up next door. We need higher fences.

Blogger will put these photos where it wants but you can work out the before and after photos.

The concrete is about to be laid for our new room. We don't have that much more to do. Moving pavers and taking down the pergola. The concreter reckons he can get the stump out with his bobcat. I hope it's a big bobcat. If you look at the before photo with the tree still there and the birdcage and the current view, we have come a long way.

Luckily we have a street behind us so the bobcat will have to come through the back fence. That's what I have been doing today. The cubbyhouse used to be in the corner I cleared today and there was a lot of little bits of old toys and rubbish still to remove.

We had a great night last night. A really good friend of mine had a yiros night. Gary buys the yummiest lamb and chicken yiros meat and everyone adds what they want. He made his own tzatziki. Good company and good food. Some of Karen's friends make the best desserts. The choices were pavlova, cheesecake with a hot caramel sauce, a selection of chocolate pieces, my evil bounty balls and a plate of fruit. I had a piece of pav, 3 bounty balls and lots of fresh fruit. Definitely dipped into my weekly points but hey that's what they are for. The kids ranged from 18 - 9. Jarryd was the youngest. Nikki and Karen's son entertained us with guitar and ukeleles. Their house backs onto a creek with lots of ducks. A playground and park so we didn't see much of the kids.

I am off for a walk with Martine and Sandy tonight along the beach. Unfortunately the 4th member of our ww group Tania couldn't make it. It will be a lovely night for a walk. Something I still am not doing enough of. The paper run starts again Wednesday night so I will be back into it again.

So Tuesday night will be interesting. I can honestly say I have tracked all week. I have used maybe 1/2 of my weekly points but I didn't track them because most of them were used last night while I was out. Not sure how to point bounty balls!!

Hope your sunday is a good one. Please leave a comment if you visit. Very few of you do. I would love to see if there are any lurkers out there or just regular readers. I always wonder if my blog is interesting to read but I know there are lots of different readers from around the world because of the location tracker.

On Track and Feeling Great

2011-01-05T20:13:00.002+10:30

Dare I say, I am loving being back at work. I'm drinking water, tracking because I am on the computer all day with my job, and feeling the support from everyone.

I went to my meeting for the first time in 2 weeks, since the Tuesday before xmas and have gained 800g. I deserved the gain, I had a good time with food over xmas and now it is over and it is time to get serious again. I think there were a few of us that gained over christmas at our meeting and 3 out of 4 of us that go together had a gain so it sure is a hard time of year to stay on track.

Work is crazy. We only have a few back this week and it is soooo busy but that's what I thrive on. The time goes quick and I don't have time to think about food. I've been taking cut up rockmelon and watermelon the last 2 days and by eating more fruit, I have noticed I'm definitely not so hungry.

I like these short weeks. Thursday already tomorrow and before we know it will be the weekend again. Not a lot planned this weekend. We have been invited to a friends for a yiros night which should be good.

My heart goes out to all the people in Queensland affected by these devistating floods. I really can't remember seeing floods that bad anywhere before. We travelled through a lot of these areas a few years ago and it is such a beautiful part of Australia. These communites are strong though and will come through this.

It looks like the ww forums have settled down and the bullyers have been kicked out. I don't belong to too many online communities but have been shocked by the crap that was coming out of those 2 peoples mouths on the weekend. There is no justification to be calling people who have a lot of weight to lose the names that we were subjected to. Has anyone ever experienced this on any other forums or are we just soft targets because we are overweight. Well like someone said, the best revenge is to get to goal and become healthy which a lot of us are well on the way to doing.

Full of Inspiration

2011-01-03T17:57:00.003+10:30

Beautiful Glenelg. Wish I had got further down to take some photos of the beach.

After yesterdays debarcle on the weight watchers forums I realised how much wonderful support I have on this hard, long journey of weight loss. Yes there are always going to be people that just want to stir and name call but for every one of them, there are 10 times the amount of lovely people who just want to get support and help like I do. Enough said on that subject!!!

With that in mind I am even more determined to get this weight off this year. I am still over 15 kgs lighter than I was 2 years ago but it should have been a lot more. I know Tania will be yelling at me on this comment because I could have put all the weight back on but I still feel so much frustration that I could be nearly to goal by now.

I had a lovely day today. Nikki and I met some friends at Glenelg for coffee and a walk around the shops. As usual I am counting the $$ especially after christmas but money burns a whole in Nikki's pockets. Now that she is earning her own money, she has become a spendaholic and why not!! She bought a long jumpsuit for $15 from Ice and although it is a little big on her, it is her all over.

I had to laugh when I checked my comments from my last post. Sammy told me to go and cut up some fruit which I said I had been too lazy to do. But guess what Sammy???

I had already been to the shop and bought some watermelon and rockmelon and cut it all up before I saw your comment. Mind you I spent $10 of the fruit and that is all I bought. Fruit and veges have gone up so much and it is only going to get worse with all the flooding in Qld. I'm sure we grow watermelon here in SA so why is it $4.00 per kg when it's usually $1 - $2 per kg?? I really need to get off my butt and go to the local markets on a sunday morning.

Anyway better get off this computer and go and make tea. The maid and the chef didn't turn up today - LOL!!! Then we are off for another walk to the beach after tea to make the most of this glorious weather.

I NEED Routine

2011-01-02T13:58:00.003+10:30

I have come to the conclusion that I need a strict routine. When it comes to eating anyway. I find myself so often picking at easy, convenient food. Food that comes out of a wrapper that I don't have to prepare. That is just lazy. Fruit is free on this new plan so I should have cut up fruit in the fridge all the time. But I am on holidays and I am lazy.

So even though I am going back to work on Tuesday, I am glad for the routine starting up again for me. I drink lots of water at work, I am too busy to mindless eat and I am happier.

The paper run has stopped for a few weeks and I am not even exercising. How lazy is that!!!

So I am going for a walk later and will take some photos to prove it. The weather is perfect and I live 10 mins from the beach so there is no excuses really. I haven't even been tracking and still I get on the scales every morning and expect a loss. In fact what I saw this morning was an even bigger gain than 3 days ago. So Christmas and New Year are over. The party is over and I need to get back on track. Tracking, drinking water and a bit of walking.

Later...........

Well I did go for a walk after tea and took the camera and then forgot to take photos - LOL!!
I had forgotten how nice it is down there. Ashleigh rode her ripstick and Jarryd rode his bike. Got to see the sun set and I promised myself I will walk down there at least twice a week.

I managed to get involved in some crap on the weight watchers forums today. I just can't believe how much trouble some people are out to cause. From asking an innocent question to a person that has been causing trouble for months to being abused was just incredible. Unfortunately these people cause trouble on weekends and the moderators aren't around to ban them. I shouldn't have bought into it but it made me so angry. Anyway it made me realise how much support I have on there as well because I got some lovely messages from a lot of lovely people.

Anyway points have been spot on today and I have tracked and exercised so we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Night all xx

New Years Goals

2010-12-30T11:46:00.003+10:30

Well I am pleasantly surprised. As of this morning the scales are up 800g.

Not too bad considering I have been treating myself to some yummy food I only eat once a year. I think christmas lunch is generally a healthy meal. Turkey, ham, prawns and salad. It's the sweet stuff that I find hard to resist. Steve's mum's apricot balls are the best I have ever tried. This year I made some bounty balls and mini xmas puddings both dipped in chocolate. I ate sooooo many but they are all gone now and I am back tracking. I enjoyed christmas this year and didn't deprive myself. My meeting was closed on Tuesday night so I have just under a week to lose that 800g +

We had a lovely family christmas. I got an ipod shuffle, my port power membership, a sunshade for the car, money, garden solar butterflies, body shop coconut shimmer lotion from my working girl Nikki and other little bits and bobs. I did get spoilt because I got presents from Steve and each of the kids. We all gave each other something this year with money saved by the kids. From Santa, Nikki got a notebook laptop, Ashleigh got an ipod dock and speakers and Jarryd got an ipod nano. Of course the kids were very spoilt but it was lovely to spend time with families.

We went to Kadina for a few days to stay with Steve's parents. Steve's dad has heart problems and had just got out of hospital after having a turn last week. His medication has been adjusted and he has to take it easy for 6 weeks. They couldn't even find his pulse because it was so sky high. The doctors were amazed he was alive. It is a testiment to his good, clean living that he is here with us today. They moved from a beautiful seaside country town to Kadina which is a bigger country town with a hospital 8 kms away. They had to do it for Steve's dad and it has already paid off because the doctors told him he wouldn't have been here this xmas if he lived in Stansbury. The nearest doctor is too far away.

Nikki has broken up with her 1st boyfriend. I think I am sader than her because he really is a nice boy but too quiet and shy for her. He doesn't show much emotion or feeling which is not like Nikki at all. She is way too outgoing for him. I married one like that and believe me it doesn't get any better - LOL!!
She has a great friendship group so isn't so sad. She is loving working at Boost. Lovely bunch of kids as far as I can tell. Unfortunately most of them are much older. She has been invited to a 21st of one of the guys at a nightclub in the city and can't understand why I won't let her go. She is 14 and wouldn't get in anyway. 14 is such a hard age because you want to be partying with the older teens but are way too young to be doing it. Well in my opinion anyway. Would love to hear your views on that topic.

We are having a new years eve party tomorrow night. It's going to be 43 deg here in Adelaide so we are having a pool party. Not sure who or how many will be here but I know 43 deg is good drinking weather to bring in the new year. With so much of Australia under water, I am not going to complain about the heat.

So as this year comes to a close, I want to thank each and every one of you reading for your support especially with my weight loss journey. It is a hard journey that a lot of people don't understand but I know lots of people who read my blog have the same struggles. Struggles we can win. Have a very safe and happy new years eve and may 2011 be a year full of happiness.

Merry Christmas :)

2010-12-24T10:43:00.005+10:30

Wow......

Where did that time go. 2 months since my last post. And here it it Christmas Eve already.

Life is good. Steve is happy I think. We are happy. There is no conflict that I can feel so life is good. Long may it stay that way.

Weight wise. I am now up to 9.2 kgs lost since the end of July. I have pulled my finger out and lost 4 kgs in 2 months. I have the most wonderful support group at ww and to those special people who know my daily struggles, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Tania, Martine and Sandy you have saved me this year. Or we have saved each other.

Nikki is working at Boost and loving it. She is perfect for Boost because of her bubbly personality. She is getting around 10 hours a week which is perfect.

Ashleigh has just finished year 6 and is a happy child. She has a lovely new group of friends and I haven't heard about any bitching between these girls.

Not like her old friendship group. Some of them are the biggest bitches I have ever encountered. Nasty people. Unfortunately things have blown up with her former best friend who was getting other people to do her dirty work. I worked out that she didn't want to be Ashleigh's friend after 6 years and I saw many signs that pointed to this over the last 2 years. Best friends don't treat each other the way this child treated Ashleigh during that time. Anyway I decided to get the facts on what was really going on and spoke to a couple of girls and their mums about what was happening. I had confirmation from 2 of the girls that this is what was going on. The 'best friend' got other people to tell Ashleigh that they didn't want her hanging around them. Bitchiness at it best. I gave this child, in front of her mother 2 chances to tell Ashleigh if she didn't want to be her friend anymore. I knew she had outgrown Ashleigh because she is more outgoing and makes friends a lot easier than Ashleigh.
Twice she looked me in the eye and told me she wanted to be Ashleigh's friend and she should be standing up for Ashleigh. Well how could she stand up for Ashleigh when she was the one instigating all the trouble??
And now the mother who was a good friend for 6 years has decided to backstab me to mutual friends because I have been saying her daughter is a bully!!!!
For the record, I have never said that she is the BULLY. She is the manipulator. There is a difference. Now the mother will not take my calls to talk about this as we have a few times over the last 12 months. Unfortunately this child is like this because of the way her mother is to people. And that is very sad. I feel gutted about this. I just want my chance to have a talk and put the record straight and put the facts on the table which I can back up. But no, she is the one calling all the shots. She has told me in no uncertain terms, not to contact her or her family or friends. Well hello, unfortunately we have a lot of mutual friends due to a 6 year association of our kids and you will not dictate to me who I can and can't talk to!!!!

Sorry I had to get that off my chest and onto paper, or electronic paper as this is my diary.
I have never met a person like this in my life and I hope I never do again.

Will have to update this later because I have to pick up Nikki from work. And battling the shops on Christmas Eve is something I would rather not be doing.

Ok back later than I thought. Presents are all wrapped and under the tree. We made some christmas goodies today that were yummo. The children are all in bed and we are ready for Santa to come.

I want to wish all my wonderful friends a truly special christmas. I hope you are all very spoilt. Have a fabulous day and a happy and safe new year.

One Day at a Time

2010-10-26T23:04:00.002+10:30

I went to ww tonight after missing 2 meetings due to family issues. I gained 700g which is nowhere near as bad as it could have been. I think I would have gained about 2 kgs if I didn't get my arse into gear late last week so I am pretty happy with that.

I have been back to meetings for 3 months and have only lost 5 kgs. I really need to change that. I know I shouldn't say 'only' 5 kgs but it should have been so much more. Then again I could have gained 5 kgs if I didn't go back so no looking back, only forward.

The Sun is Shining at Last.....

2010-10-24T10:13:00.002+10:30

In many ways.

I seriously think I have winteritis or some sort of disorder where I can't function in winter. I need sunshine in my life. I need to feel the sunshine in order to feel human. I HATE winter, I HATE rain (unless it's tropical rain) and I have got to the point in my life where I am seriously considering where I go and what I do as the kids get older. I have always wanted to live in Queensland. I bet we have all thought that. But I can see myself living in Queensland. I have even been googling real estate around Cairns because that is where I would ideally like to live. I have travelled a lot but I always follow the sun. The only not tropical holiday I have had is the snow when my best friend was living in Wangaratta and we could get there in a couple of hours. I think if it wasn't for my mum and Steve's parents we would be out of here.

I have talked about coming out of the fog. I can see a bit clearer. I am still with Steve. He has been away so much since our last big blow up which I can honestly say has been a good thing. We are seriously thinking about a mining job that may have fallen in our laps. A friend who is in recrutement mentioned about a driving job in a mine near Roxby Downs in far north SA. At least $30,000 more than Steve is earning now. Working away would work for us. I function very well as a single mum but I do miss him when he is away and things are good when he comes back so it would definitely work for us. Watch this space.

I still haven't had any counselling. I am on the waiting list through medicare. I must follow that up because it was supposed to be 3 weeks until I heard and I have had no contact as yet apart fromt he initial letter. I had to cancel the appointment I had through another avenue when Jarryd had his accident at camp. I definitely want to go down this path because I need help to deal with these situations with Steve. I won't be bullied by him. Sound familiar. Maybe Ashleigh is more like me than I realised.

Nikki had a big campout in our backyard last night with 7 other 14 year olds. I wasn't sure at first when she asked me because I remember what I got up to at 14!! 4 boys and 4 girls all in seperate tents. Hope it stayed that way - LOL!! They were pretty well behaved and I didn't hear them when I went to bed. But then again, my bedroom is at the other end of the property so the neighbours might say different.

Nikki is changing daily. Gone is my little girl. She is a typical, selfish but loving teenager. She is lazy. CBF as she says!! She isn't motivated to do anything. She wants a part time job but won't get off her bum and do it. I had to nag her to write her resume which took a couple of months and then nag her to print it off and put it in an envelope with some references. But she has done it now so hopefully will get a phone call soon. She also might not because the minimum age in SA is 14 yrs 7 months and she is 14 yrs 1 month. She has put applications in at Boost and Wendys so far. Bugger Hungry Jacks and Maccas. I'm not being a taxi at 3am or 5am for an early start. Something in a shopping centre would be ideal. Fingers crossed.

As with any time in my life when I am under extreme stress I turn to crap food. I am happy that my weight has staying exactly the same and not ballooned out of control as usually happens. But I have been back at weight watchers for 11 weeks or so and have only lost about 5 kgs. I am motivated by some bloggers and facebook friends who are doing amazing things with Michelle Bridges 12 week challenge and might look into the next one. The great thing about blogging is that I got into it through the weight watchers website where a lot of us have or had a lot to lose so all these friends are or have been in the same situation as me. Lots to lose and yoyo dieters. We are all the same. Some are conquering their weight and some like me are just hanging in there. But we understand each other where a lot of people don't. I know there are so many out there, my husband included, that think we are fat because we eat too much and if we just cut down the weight will come off. Well yes, it will if we follow the guidelines. But many of my online friends have the same battles. I truly believe it is a mental issue as well. I know I shouldn't be eating the crap I do and I know I need to lose this weight for my health so why don't I?????? The million $$ question. It will be a battle for the rest of my life. And I need to find a way to win that battle.

I am going to try and write something about my weight loss journey most days. Whether it be winning or losing. I have this outlet here so why don't I use it more as a tool for this journey?
I can do this. I am so sick of being fat. I don't want to be fat anymore :)

Have a lovely Sunday everyone. The sun is shining and I am definitely going for a walk to the beach. Enjoy whatever your Sunday brings.

Life is a Blurrr!!!

2010-10-17T10:18:00.002+10:30

Where do I start??

Firstly, I am blown away by all your support. I have so many wonderful friends. So many people go through the same things in their relationships. Some make it through, some don't. I'm still on the fence - LOL!! Thankyou so much. I value all your comments and opinions so much. There is a lot to think about. I don't want my marriage to end and Steve needs to know that I won't tolerate the abuse I have been putting up with for so long.

When Steve isn't ranting about money and how hard his life is, we get along fine. I have started to print a copy of the credit card statement every day and leave it for him to see. There is no complaining from him about money at the moment because he has had 2 mini holidays in the last month. Which has been good for me to have time alone with the kids and see how I feel. He is away at the moment at Phillip Island for the motorbike grand prix. He gets back tomorrow morning and then in the afternoon he is off to Alice Springs for 2 weeks for work.

I had a counselling appointment for Friday but had to cancel because Jarryd had an accident. (He's fine, see below) It was the date of our 16th wedding anniversary and Steve wasn't even around. I am on the waiting list for medicare funded counselling which I must chase up because I should have heard by now.

It all comes down to communication and I have definitely noticed that Steve is talking more than he has in the last few years so hopefully he has taken it all on board. Time will tell.

My weight has stabilized again. I'm not moving anywhere up or down. I guess I should be happy that in the most stressfull time in my life, I haven't turned to food. Drink a bit, but not food - LOL!! The warmer weather will motivate me again. And daylight saving is soooo welcome. To have the extra daylight hours in the day has just changed my whole mindset. Maybe I am coming out of the fog.

Jarryd went on camp last week. His first school camp. So exciting for everyone. He was a bit clingy a few days prior. I got more cuddles than normal and his sad little face on the bus pulled at my heart but I knew he would have a wonderful time. They left Wednesday morning and on Thursday morning I got a call at work to say he had fallen and skun his knee very badly. It wouldn't stop bleeding so they wanted my permission to take him to the local doctors clinic. My heart jumped. It would have taken me an hour to get there so I said take him and ring me as soon as you get back. 2 hours later, I got the phone call. 6 stitches in his knee!!!!!!

OMG I was so sad for my baby. They put him on the phone and he was quite upbeat. He said it didn't hurt and I told him we were coming up because he had to have antibiotics (which I had to get the presciption filled) He told me he didn't want to come home and I told him we would make that decision when we got there.

The rest of the day I just wanted to be with him, but I knew he was in good hands. The teacher rang me a few times to update me. We had to battle peak hour traffic by the time I got organised and got up there just after they were having tea. He was fine. He was having such a good time he didn't want to come home. So we made the heartbreaking decision (for me) to leave him behind and we headed home. The teachers assured me he would be well watched and he had pain relief if he needed it. And they were coming home the next day anyway. It was horrible driving home without him but I knew he would be fine. And he was. I rang the doctor who did the stitches and he said it was a very nasty cut. Not a straight forward cut. We have to keep a close watch on him in case he gets an infection. Because he fell into gravel and dirt, he cleaned it out under the local anisthetic but we can't get it wet for 2 weeks. It is all bandaged up and has to stay that way for 2 weeks and then we have to go and get the stitches out. I think getting all the bandaging off will be the worst part. He is very well patched up according to the doctor.

So that is the story of Jarryd's first camp. He will have a lasting war wound to show!!

I am also battling different emotions with Nikki. She has just turned 14 and her social life has taken over. She wants to spend every weekend Sat and Sunday with her friends. I can understand this but I have told her she needs to find a balance between family and friends. So we have compromised. She can spend one of the days with her friends and the other one with us. Life is changing so fast. I don't like it!!

So far she is a good kid. We have our battles but she can see where she is wrong. I have seen 2 of her grade 7 friends go totally off the rails this year. Through facebook, they have abused their mothers to the point of writing 'I wish she would die'

I cannot believe a 14 year old can be so disrespectful and I thank god every day that Nikki is not like that. Is it the parents of these kids or the kids themselves that has let it get to that point. Nikki was horrified when she saw one of the girls update on such a public forum like facebook to the point of discussing it with me. Unbelievable!!! I also thank god that Nikki doesn't have friends like that. From what I can see (and facebook is good for keeping track of them) they are all good kids from nice homes.

I have come to the conclusion though that teenagers are extremely selfish. Some of you might say, I could have told you that - LOL!! I know Nikki loves me, but it is absolutely all about her. I was never like that. I bet my mum would say different!!

Gosh, this is turning into a novel. I need to update more often.

Something else that has been going on in the last week (as if I haven't had enough to deal with) is that Ashleigh is getting bullied again. She told me about a girl that was being mean to her last term. Stupid things that Ashleigh has been ignoring. Well it got physical this week. She was shoved out the way going up some stairs by one of these girls and told to f.....g move!! Charming!!!
My reaction was well did you shove her back? And she said well if I did that she would probably punch me in the face. And Ashleigh couldn't do that anyway. This is why she attracts the bullies. She is too nice and can't stand up for herself. We have tried to teach her but she just can't do it. It's not in her nature. So the time has come to get serious about getting her to stand up for herself. Anyway we reported it to the school and it was addressed within an hour, not like the old school where it would take days to even get a phone call returned. But the problem was that the bully denied everthing and turned it around on Ashleigh doing the bullying which again for anyone who knows Ashleigh, that is just laughable. So both girls had to apoligize. I wasn't happy but knew we would just keep a close eye on the situation.
Well yesterday Ashleigh was on facebook and the other girl of the 2 bullies answered a stupid questionaire of random questions. The question was: 'What does Ashleigh like to eat' The girl wrote - 'Donuts, that's why she has such a big butt' Ashleigh responded with , 'that's not very nice' and the response was - WHAT!! men go for the big butts. And on the top of the post it says - 'sorry I am telling the truth'
OMG how stupid is this child and she is a child. These kids are 12. I know there will be questions of kids not doing facebook but Ashleigh only plays the games and chats to a couple of old friends she doesn't see very often on facebook. I monitor every thing the girls do on facebook and this was blatent cyber bullying. Ashleigh did the right thing and deleted this girl and then blocked her so there is no way she can get back in and delete anything. It's still on her page and I have printed it for evidence. I will be at the school tomorrow morning and won't be leaving until this is dealt with. I wouldn't want to be in this child's shoes. Not only bullying but sexual connitations (sp??)

So this is to be continued..........

If you have got this far of this epic post, I commend you. I get carried away sometimes - LOL!!

One thing.......Life is never dull.

Thank God for Friends :)

2010-09-25T09:23:00.003+09:30

I don't know what I would do without all your support. I am going through the toughest time of my life. I need to find the strength to leave my marriage after nearly 17 years. I need to do this for myself and my children. I hear everything everyone is saying. I know I can't keep living like this. And I say to myself that if I was in a relationship were there was physical abuse, I would be out of there in a blink. So why can't I do it when there is mental abuse???

I love Steve more than ever. I look at the relationships where the partners can't do enough for each other. And I envy it because I have never had that. Steve never does anything for me unless I ask. It took him 16 years to organise a weekend away just us. Yes we have had time away together but it's always me that plans it. I am lonely. Pure and simple. He doesn't communicate and whatever I do he critisizes. After 17 years I have snapped. I can't even talk to him about things anymore because of the things he brings up. My weekend away 12 months ago was just brought up this week because I had double booked and it was inconvenient for everyone even though I had sorted things out before I left. Why the hell didn't he tell me this 12 months ago. He brings up the past every argument.

This is an example. Every year he gave me flowers for our anniversary. He rang a florist and got flowers delivered to my work. As much as I love flowers, I thought maybe we could spend the money and we could go out for dinner together. So I mentioned it and the following year I got flowers delivered to work. Again I said, honey I love the flowers but don't send me flowers. Dinner together would be a better way to spend your money. When I got flowers the next year I couldn't quite believe it and mentioned it to my best friend in Melbourne when we were having a heart to heart one night on the phone. Well Steve was eavesdropping on the conversation and I have never heard the end of it. That probably happened about 5 years ago and he brings it up every argument that he will never buy me flowers again because I don't appreciate it.

He has never been a communicator. I knew that when I married him. He hates the way I am running our lives financially but he won't take it over. I have everything set out in a book and he knows where that is. The money we spend on every bill. I have been writing the weekly extra expenses like birthdays, extra food shopping, things that crop up on a white board on the fridge so he can see where the money is going but he still yells at me that he doesn't get enough money for himself. He works 50 hours a week so he is entitled to more money. He says I have luxuries in life like the cleaner, my Port Power membership and ww that he would get rid of if he was doing the budget. I am doing a weekly paper run with the kids and secret shopping to bring more money into this house. That well and truly covers those things.

I have a counselling appointment. 15th October which is my 17th wedding anniversary. Steve will be away at the Bike Grand Prix in Melbourne.

I still don't know what I am going to do. I don't have the strength at the moment. I have counselling in 3 weeks. He will be away for a lot of that time. I need to get stronger. I need to talk about it. Though people are probably sick of hearing this ongoing saga. I know I don't deserve to live this way but bottom line is I love Steve. If I didn't love him I would have gone a long time ago.

How!!

2010-09-18T11:41:00.002+09:30

How can it be over a month since I posted. I am the slackest blogger. I have all intensions of writing a post but evil facebook takes over!!

So.....Life is crazy. Nothing new there. WW is going well. One hiccup 2 weeks ago saw a big gain but alcohol and TTOM will do that. So overall I have lost 4.9 kgs in 7 weeks. I have the best support network a girl could get with ww. There are 6 of us now that go to the same meeting. And we all started off as very big girls. Well over 100 kgs. One of the girls Sandy is doing an amazing job. Her head has been in the right space for a while now and she is very close to the 20 kgs lost. We're hot on your tail Sandy. I was doing the sums yesterday and in nearly 2 years I have only lost 11.4 kgs. I know I'm not allowed to say 'only' on this journey but that is pathetic. Up, down, up, down is the pattern of my life. Need to ponder that more.

Steve and I are going through a rough patch again. Another pattern in my life. More to ponder.
I have organised some counselling for me. I cannot continue to be belittled about my position in this marriage. Because I don't work 50 paid hours a week like he does, I am not as worthy as him. Because I ferry the kids around to this, that and everything else, it's not hard work so it's not worthy. If I or any mum added up the total hours she works every day, I bet it would be far more than her partner. Well in 95% of cases. I sound like a broken record when I talk about my marriage because this outburst happens every 6 months or so. It's always about money. Money is tight this month. We have got ourselves back on track by putting some credit on a low interest credit card and paying it off that way. No big deal!!! It will get paid off. And we are living within our means but every now and then a big month of birthdays and parties comes along and throws the budget big time. I always get the blame when I ask Steve to stop using the credit card for himself for a few weeks. I get yelled at because of the extras I get in life, like weight watchers and a cleaner. Well darling I figure if I am working 31 hours paid work a week, I can afford those luxuries.

Weight watchers is not a luxury for me. It is a necessity and I wish the powers that be would consider us being able to claim weight loss programmes on our private health insurance or even medicare. I have an illness. I am a compulsive eater, like a compulsive drinker or smoker. Obesity, smoking and drinking are probably the things that cause the most hospital related illnesses. It's not rocket science, pay for programmes to help people like me get healthy. OK off my soapbox now.

Back to me - I am going to seek counselling for myself because I feel I have been mentally abused for 16 years. I get the blame for every little thing going wrong. I get no love and affection but am expected to give love and affection. Things that happened in the past should remain in the past. Stop bringing them up every argument. We have tried marriage counselling but our views are so far different about things that it didn't work. I need counselling for myself. I know people would be thinking, get out of the marriage but the bottom line is I love him very much. He is a wonderul father and provider. I love my house and my life here. Why should that change? The house would have to be sold. I don't want to sell my house. I am lonely. Very lonely. The kids are growing up. Nikki is nearly 14 and has her own life. Ashleigh is 12 and soon will. Where do I go from here? I don't want to be lonely.

There are people that have critisized (sp??) me for venting on facebook. I know facebook is not the place to vent but Steve doesn't have facebook and that's where most of my friends are - LOL!! I got abused by a so called friend for saying I needed to get help for myself because I can't do this anymore. She said some nasty things and I had to delete her posts. So I am writing my feelings here. On my blog.

As I said, I am going to get counselling and I do ask myself every day if I am doing the wrong thing staying in this marriage but the answer at this stage is I just don't know :(

Where do the Days Go?

2010-08-12T23:07:00.005+09:30

Before and after photos. If they stay in order that is. I'm sure you will figure out which is before and which is after - LOL!!

Our beautiful new car. I just love it.

Our twin baby budgies. Unfortunately one of the babies had an accident and was trying to fly while the kids were holding him and had hurt his back or leg. He can't stand up so we are just hoping with a lot of TLC he will come good.

I can't believe it's been 2 weeks since an update. Life just goes by in a blur!!

Firstly weight loss.................

I have lost 6 kgs in 3 weeks and couldn't be happier. It has clicked back into place and I am very happy with such a good start. Just need to keep it going. One thing I have worked out though. Weight Watchers is for life. I need the accountability. Too many times I have left thinking I can do it on my own but I don't. I definitely don't agree with everything to do with weight watchers but I love my leader and it is still one of the cheapest weight loss programmes I know of.

I have just had my kitchen upgraded. A very long overdue project. When we moved into this house 12 years ago, the kitchen was the only thing not finished. The couple we bought the house from had split up and she had taken a tafe course to built the kitchen. She didn't get to finish it. As you can see from the photos, I have been living without cupboard doors for all that time. So we decided to do that and also put in extra cupboards and a rangehood over the stove. We had to put in a whole new pantry because she hadn't built that right and it was totally out of square and we wouldn't have been able to put doors on the old one.

I am thrilled with the result. It is getting finished off tomorrow. Unfortunately one of the panels by the rangehood was cut short so they couldn't put the doors on those cupboards.

Netball is finished for the winter season. I enjoyed coaching Nikki's team but am glad it's finished. Training Monday night and games Saturday afternoon takes a chunk out of the week especially when it is a 30 minute trip each way. But I coached a beautiful bunch of girls who got along so well and although we didn't make the finals, they all had fun and we had lots of laughs.

We have signed up with a builder to have the extra room built. Unfortunately it could take up to 16 weeks for council approval which could take it right up until christmas so I just hope we don't have to wait that long. With the new TV Steve won, our family room is so crowded. We have definitely outgrown the house as it is.

This weekend is going to another busy one. Jarryd has laser skirmish parties on both Saturday and Sunday. Nikki has a netball breakup which of couse I will go to. Football Saturday night and catching up with a friend on Sunday. I need to find some time to fill up a green bin for the green rubbish next week. We need to fill up a bin every week so get this area cleared in readiness for the new room.

Thanks again for all your comments and support. It means a lot.

Week 1 Weigh In & Other Stuff

2010-07-29T22:40:00.003+09:30

These are Ashleigh's newest babies. Twin budgies who are just starting to come out of the nesting box.

Some photos of the area where we are going to build onto. As you can see, lots of work to do.

Well first week back and I am thrilled to say I lost 4.1 kgs. Goodness knows why I lost that much but I do know I stuck to the points 100% and did some moderate exercise. Nothing crazy, just basic healthy eating and exercising.

It doesn't make much sense though when my good friend Tania who I have started back at weight watchers with, did all the same things as me, has about the same weight to lose and lost 600g. Very disappointing but I know she will bouce back with a big loss this week.

It's been an amazing week in our house. It started last Friday when Steve won a radio competition on Triple M. He won a $5000 home entertainment package which included a 58" 3D plasma TV, a surround stereo system and a cabinet. He picked it up tonight and it is huge. Until we build this new room, it will have to live in the family room which is already cluttered.

Then on Saturday we bought a new car which we picked up tonight. Our poor old car had done 250,000 kms and was very worn out. We were looking for a commodore and found a VZ Calais that we did a good deal on. It is a beautiful car and obviously very well looked after. I was looking at the transfer papers when I got home and realised it used to belong to a beautiful blogger friend of mine, Bec's parents who live in a different state to us. What's the chances of that!!!

We have had some builders in to quote the new room and they have both said to get some plans drawn up and go from there. Our other option is a company coming out tomorrow that specialize in just additions and handle everything from start to finish so we will decide what to do after tomorrow. We have an area to clear which is shown in the photos and a lillypilly tree to remove which is going to be a big job. Steve wants to do it himself which will save us some money. So every weekend I will be filling a green bin. Busy times ahead.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments on Ashleigh's bullying situation. She is a different child since she made the move nearly 2 weeks ago. It's so nice to see her smiling when I pick her up from school.

Back into It.

2010-07-21T22:31:00.002+09:30

Well I went and faced those dreaded scales again last night. I was surprisingly nervous to walk through those doors but Tania held my hand - LOL!! As I already knew I had put on about 10 kgs in the last 6 months. Good effort hey!!

My old leader's face lit up when we walked in but she looked sad as I was telling her I had failed to keep the weight off by myself. I told her that I wasn't sad. Disappointed but not sad. This is just a bump in the big journey of my life. I will never get up to my highest weight that I started at 18 months ago so even though I have put on so much, it will come off again. I have come to the realisation that I cannot do this alone.

So day 1 has been a good day. Ate well and within points and did the 1.5 hours walking delivering the local paper so off to a very good start. One day at a time!!

Ashleigh is loving her new school. She has made friends already and comes out smiling every day which is a far cry from the last few months. She is hardly getting any homework compared to having to do hours every night. I am not a fan of homework. Kids have too much to do with sport and family committments that they don't need to be sitting down to hours of homework every night. I feel so relieved that we have made the right decision.

We had our first builder come over tonight and he has put us on to someone to ring to get some plans drawn up and then we can take them to a few builders and get some quotes. I must check with the bank but he said it is common in his game for people to have to get 3 quotes. I must start taking some photos of the area that we are building onto. We have a monsterous lillypilly tree which has to come out. Something else I need to get quotes on.

On a good note, I have got my tax back already and have done Steve's. He is getting about $5000 back which is fantastic for him. They have been taking out too much tax because his overtime is all over the place so it is nice to get a big lump sum. He is going to buy a laptop, golf clubs and stuff for his motorbike. I get some to pay the school fees and council rates. Big bills that only get paid at tax time.

Thankyou so much for all your supportive comments here and on facebook. I think things are turning around for the better. New beginnings.

Helloooo out there!

2010-07-17T09:32:00.007+09:30

This is one of the reasons I hate blogging. The photos never go where you want them to. Ashleigh and Jarryd were lucky enough to be picked to be on the ground when the players come through the banner. Well we got the day where it was torrential rain. OMG it was awful. But the kids loved it. Well Jarryd did, Ashleigh spat it and wouldn't even let me take her photo on the ground!!

Took the kids to St Kilda playground on the way to Kadina to Steve's parents. They have been away all week :( I have really missed them but it is soooo good not to cook every night. And the house is the tidiest it's ever been with all my decluttering and no kids!! Must take some photos.

Ashleigh and one of her bestest friends. One who sticks up for her and one she will really miss.

Well I bet some of you are shocked to see a post. I got really bored with blogger. There are so many outlets out in cyberpace to find friends. I have found the most amazing people through my weight loss journey. But I find most of my friends are on facebook so it's easier to update things there.

As with most journeys, we can go off the rails. I have. AGAIN!! I have gained 10 kgs (well probably more. I will find out Tuesday.

Lots going on in the Lehmann house. First we decided we needed more room. Then we thought we might buy a bigger house with smaller land. But after working out the costs of changing over, our wonderful state government would get around $30,000 and the real estate agent would get $5,000 + comission. We have a 900 square meter block so the obvious choice in the end is to build on another family area and give Nikki the lounge. Then all the bedrooms are at the front of the house and 2 family areas at the back overlooking the pool. I do love our house but we are going to be stretched in the beginning with the extra mortgage. Well you can't take it with you, can ya!! So we are borrowing enough to rennovate the kitchen, build the extra room and buy a car. Ours is going to stop some time soon and never start again - LOL!! Lucky I have a mechanic for a hubby. I knew there was a reason I've kept him around.

We have also been dealing with the trauma of bullying. Ashleigh's so called best friend of 6 years has got other girls to do her dirty work because she has decided she doesn't like Ashleigh any more. We have finally figured out that the bullying for the last 2 years has been her doing because she hasn't got the guts to tell Ashleigh herself she doesn't want her hanging around.

I have never met such a horrible 12 year old. I have asked her so many times to tell Ashleigh if she is doing something wrong but she always says she wants to be Ashleigh's friend and she knows she should stick up for her. WRONG............ She has been behind it for 2 years. Getting other girls to be mean so she won't hang around her. One girl has been coming up to her for the last 6 months and telling her to go away and stop following the group. Ashleigh has other friends in this group of girls so that's why she wants to hang around.

So very long story, short she is starting a new school on Monday. It's the R-12 school where Nikki goes to high school. They will both be in middle school. Ashleigh year 6 and Nikki year 8.

Huge relief to everyone. My question through all this is how can a child who has been friends with someone for 6 years be so mean and manipulative!! All the while showing her other face and pleading her innocese in all of this.

Nikki has been in Year 8 for 2 terms and is loving it. She got straight A's term 2 and term 1 straight A's except for PE. She has her first boyfriend and a great group of friends. I feel confident going into the teenage years to say I am loving who she is turning into. Hope I can say that in a few years time - LOL!!

Jarryd is in Year 4. He has a best friend who is now part of this family. He is here most weekends. We were clearing up after dinner the other night and I asked the kids to clear the table. Cody helped and Jarryd told him not to because he was a guest. I told him to keep going because he's more than a guest now. He is playing school soccer in a really nice team and loving it. He has asked to play club soccer but it is soooo expensive and I just can't find any more $$

especially with the rennovations.

Steve is Steve!!!! Still the most unromantic people I have ever met. Still grumpy but a great provider and father. And I do love him after nearly 16 years. Lots can't say that.

So I plan (not promise) to update my blog more often. Weight loss progress, house rennovations and life in general. I can't believe how my kids grew up so very fast. I still have control but there is a day looming sometime very soon, that I won't have that control and that scares me. I look at my online friends like Corin who is pregnant with her 3rd bubba with envy because I want to go back there. I am so happy for her but I miss my babies. Treasure every moment because once they start school life gets busier than ever before and it's goes by in a blink.

Please say hello if you have popped in. That is probably another reason I don't update as often as I have is because I probably don't have many readers anyway so why bother!! But I love looking back on the photos and different stages of the Lehmann world.

My Week

2010-02-07T13:52:00.002+10:30

Actually it's nearly 2 weeks since I updated. School is back and life is super busy again.

I have joined Curves. I am loving the format and the one on one you get. I know all the staff already and they are all super friendly and helpful. I couldn't get them to waver the joining fee so I am paying off the $124 over 12 months. It's only $2.50 per week which is nothing when you look at it like that. I know Curves is not for everyone but it is right for me. That might change down the track but I will commit to 12 months and see how I feel after that.

Unfortunately my good work has not shown on the scales. I gained 200g and 300g in the last 2 weeks. Although when I jumped on my home scales last Wednesday morning I was down 1 kg and they are still down. Because my meetings stopped last Tuesday night, I will weigh every Tuesday morning and record my results here.

Nikki started high school on the 27th January and is settling in very well. She seems happy and has already made new friends. It is a juggle to get her to a different school each morning and afternoon though. I have to be super organised especially in the mornings because I drop Nikki off at a friends at 8am and then 3 days a week Ashleigh, Jarryd and I walk to their school. Then back home and get to work by 9am.

It's amazing when you get into an exercise routine how much you enjoy it. I have gone from being horribly lazy over christmas and of course gaining weight to being active and focussed on continuing this journey. Yesterday I went to Curves in the morning and then rallied the girls and walked into Semaphore. A round trip of about 5 kms, half of it carrying heavy shopping bags. I was totally stuffed when I made it home but it was such a good feeling.

Steve and I are having a hard time again but we are talking things through this time before it gets out of hand. Money is our biggest issue. We had a credit card christmas this year because of a few circumstances beyond our control and the money just wasn't there. So I am in damage control and have redone our budget. How scary is that!!!! Mind blowing how much every bill has gone up in the 3 years since I last did a budget. Steve can't understand why when he works so hard (which he does) why the money isn't there to spend on himself. As everyone with kids knows, spending money on yourself is a rare luxury.

In the last month we have had over $1000 in bills I haven't budgeted for like rates and ambulance fund. Plus the extra we have to pay a month for Ashleigh's braces and a holiday to save for in March. Thank goodness Steve earns good overtime money which is all extra but he works bloody hard for it. But I know there are many families in the same situation. We are lucky to have our own home and not renting like so many.

Steve is going to Darwin in a couple of weeks to have a break with his best mate who lives up there. I'm jealous but I get my trips to Melbourne and god knows we all need time out!! Then 2 weeks after that we are off to Cairns. I am counting the days. We are going with a beautiful lady and her hubby and daughter I met through the ww forums and have come to be the bestest mates. Sammy has exactly the same struggles as I do with my weight and it's amazing to have someone who I have clicked with so well as a good friend. We have booked the most amazing house to stay in and I am so looking forward to sitting by the pool on the beachfront and doing nothing!!!!!! This is a relaxing holiday. We always go away and do things every day but this time we will do a couple of things and then spend the last week doing very little. I can't wait.

I am very excited about the turn this weight loss journey has taken. Some big changes for me but I know they are good changes. 2010 is our year girls!!

Happy Australia Day

2010-01-26T15:00:00.006+10:30

Steve did this computer collage with some old photos he found of the kids. Good memories.

Jo (standing) and from left, myself, Jo and Kazz. From our lunch last Saturday. Awful photo of me. I had come straight from Curves and still had my hair up (Yuk!!)

Aarrggg. why does Blogger never put things were I want when I upload photos. Enlarge the collage. There are some great pics.

I just realised I haven't been here to update my weigh in last week. Another good week. I lost 1.2 kgs which takes me to 19.8 kgs lost. Still another 6 kgs to go to get to where I was and I kick myself every day realising where I could have been. But that's life. Full of bloody ups and downs, especially on this journey.

I am in the 2nd week of my Curves free trial and am loving it. I know it's not for everyone but I truly believe it is for me. Number 1 is the fact that I can go anytime I want. That is so important with my busy life. I don't feel like I am taking away time from my family because I can go during the afternoon, especially on a Friday when I finish early and the kids are at school. Every staff member I have encountered has been friendly and helpful and most of all interested in ME!!

They are about to start a Biggest Loser challenge which I am really interested in, especially as I finish up ww next Tuesday. The only hurdle is the joining fee. I have to see the manager on Friday and work this out. I can't afford a joining fee so if they want my business, they need to waive it. So I'll keep you updated on that front.

No meeting for me tonight because of the holiday so I'm going back to my old meeting on Thursday. Wonder if there are any familiar faces still there.

I had a lovely catch up with some ww friends last Saturday. We met at the Chinatown food court and I had vietnamese soup full of noodles, chicken, prawn, calamari and pork and cold rolls. I have no idea how much we have lost between us but it is a lot of weight. Kazz blows me away every time I see her. She has lost over 45 kgs and is a gym junkie - LOL!! Even though she weighs more than me, her body is looking so toned and it is testament to what you can do if you put your mind to it. Kazz is in the black singlet top in the above photo.

School goes back tomorrow. How quick did these holidays go!! Nikki starts high school and is really looking forward to it. It is a whole new chapter in both of our lives and I can't help but feel the slightest sadness. She is growing up way to fast for my liking.

I'll be back later in the week to update my weigh in and what is happening with joining Curves.

Feeling Good

2010-01-17T21:39:00.002+10:30

Thank you all so much for your comments about the gym. I really appreciate the feedback.

I started my 2 week free trial at Curves on Friday. The staff were lovely and I honestly told her that I was gym shopping but she made me feel very welcome. She told me to look around and find something that suits me and my lifestyle. Didn't push Curves down my throat which was good. I loved the concept but I knew I would. The big plus is being able to go when I want not work around classes. And as for cardio, it's up to you how hard you work on the recovery boards. I really feel like I need toning and weight resistance more right now. I have a treadmill at home and walk with a friend who pushes me so I feel I am getting a reasonable amount of cardio.

I'm going to use up my 2 weeks and then try another couple of gyms and make the decision after that. I have cancelled my ww membership. I have a couple more meetings before it expires. Tuesday night should be interesting. The state manager is going to be at our meeting this week and I am going to have a talk with him. I sent an email 10 days ago now telling them my feelings about the new format and still haven't heard back. Pretty disappointing and it only makes me happier about my decision. They just don't care!!!

I have had a great weekend. Why do they go so quick?? The kids had friends over for sleepovers and on Saturday Nikki and I did shopping for all her high school supplies. This was an eye opener. I've never had to buy stationery before. It's all part of the fees in primary school but not in public high school. So with books and new uniforms this week it's an expensive time.

Today we went to Marion which is a big Westfield in Adelaide. We walked around there for 2 hours and I felt good. All 3 kids were whinging about how tired they were. Wusses!!!!! Jarryd saved his christmas and pocket money and bought a remote control helicopter which he is very pleased with. The girls spent their money in their favourite store - Diva which is a jewellery chain but really groovy and cheap jewellery.

Then I walked 40 minutes with another friend so I have definitely had my exercise for the weekend. My eating has been good so I am looking forward to weigh in on Tuesday night. I am in a weight loss facebook group with some friends who are having friendly competitions to see who is the biggest loser each week. Watch out girls, I'm going to beat you this week - LOL!!

Well I didn't win lotto this week so it's back to work for me tomorrow - BUGGER!!!!
Have a great week everyone.

Big Decision

2010-01-14T22:59:00.002+10:30

If you are friends with me on facebook you already know this but after 18 months, I have decided to stop going to Weight Watchers meetings.

I still wholeheartedly believe in the concept of ww and will be following the programme but I have become very frustrated with the new meetings format. We are now down to a 20 minute meeting and I just don't think I am getting my moneys worth. I have always wanted to rejoin a gym but with money being tight, it was meetings or gym, not both. I needed the meetings in the past, I needed the accountability but something has changed. I have the most wonderful, supportive friends on facebook, most of whom I have met through the ww forums. I belong to a couple of facebook weight loss groups and have accountability there.

So I am going to put my money to better use and join the gym again. I have a 2 week free pass to Curves so I am going to check that out tomorrow. The positive of a gym like Curves is that I can go anytime which really appeals to me. Time is limited and to be able to do a 30 minute workout anytime is a great idea. On the down side, a few people have said it might become boring doing the same thing all the time.

I used to belong to a gym that has aqua classes which I loved. I can go back there but the classes I could go to are only on at night and most nights I have committments. Anyway I will do the 2 week Curves free trail and see how I feel after that.

I've had a couple of mini blowouts with my food this week. The night time munchies are my problem area but I have eaten less during the day to try and make up for it. Time will tell when I get on those scales next Tuesday. My ww membership is paid up until 2/2 so I will continue meetings until then. And I figure, if I realise I can't do this alone, there is no shame in going back to meetings. I probably will go back when I have 10 kgs to go because I have always had the goal of getting to Life Time membership.

I can't believe there is less than 2 weeks left of these school holidays. Where is that time going? Nikki is very excited about going to high school. We have to go and get a heap of stationery this weekend for her because it's not supplied.

Ok I'm heading to bed. This post was meant to be a very quick one - LOL!!

Thanks so much for all the support I get here and on facebook. It really means so much.

Easy Dinner

2010-01-10T21:39:00.004+10:30

Because I am home alone tonight, it would have been so easy to get take away.

But I didn't. I got some prawns and made cold rolls.

Yummo and so easy. I put in vermicilli noodles, prawns, bean sprouts, snow peas, cucumber and corriander and added some sweet chilli sauce. I stuffed them full and was surprisingly very full after 3.

A Fresh Start

2010-01-10T16:22:00.002+10:30

Life is good!!

I love the start of a new year to get everyone inspired again. In my case and a lot of friends I have met it's weight loss.

I lost 25 kgs in 12 months. Then over the last 6 months put 7 of that back on. Yes I am still 19 kgs down, but it could have been 30.

No regrets!! I'm just determined I'm not going back there.

I have the most wonderful support group on facebook. I belong to 2 groups of girls that are dedicated to losing big amounts of weight this year. I want to use this blog to do the same this year. But it's going to be about family too because I love looking back over this blog and seeing the kids grow up in front of my eyes.

Maybe that should have been my new year's resolution - To blog more!!

As I said the groups of girls that inspire me and motivate me are endless, and I really feel 2010 is going to be a big year in terms of weight loss. What I also like about these groups is that we are going to keep a tally of total weight lost. I remember being blown away when I went to Melbourne last year for the Run for Kids, we tallied up the total amount lost of all the ww girls and it was amazing. Can't remember the total amount so if anyone reading this can remember, leave me a comment.

I have had a very good start to the year. I weighed in last Tuesday and had put on 2.8 kgs from the last weigh in before christmas. Now that is a lot but believe me it could have been a lot worse. I back into it 4 days before I weighed and I was at least another 3 kgs heavier. Goes to show what eating crap and no exercise can do very quickly.

But that's over. I am looking forward to seeing the result this Tuesday because I have been pretty spot on with my food. I had a big night last night drinking but I only ate fruit during the day and although they were bringing plates of fried food out at the party I stuck to pita bread. mussels with tomato and bacon and chicken skewers that were char grilled. The scales looked good this morning.

It's been in the 40's here for the last 3 days in Adelaide and we still have today and tomorrow predicted to be 43. Walking is out the door. Still 34 deg at 9pm last night. I will try and see what I can do on the treadmill later.

The kids have been at Steve's mum and dads all week and are coming home on Monday. Back to cooking again. Bugger!! It's been nice not cooking every night. Steve and I had a few meals out thanks to the Entertainment book so it's been a lovely week.

Stay cool to those in heatwaves. I love getting comments as most bloggers do. I would love some support from anyone who reads. If you lurk, please say hi. I can see I get people reading from many overseas countries but don't comment. I would love to know your story or your blog.

I'm off for a swim. It's 41 and the shade has just come over the pool.

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-02T11:23:00.006+10:30

Thought I would start the new year off with some photos of our last month.
Jarryd has inherrited 2 guinea pigs. Boy do they grow quickly.

Stansbury back beach. There is so much bird life and it's lovely to go down and feed the birds.

The girls riding their ripsticks.

Ashleigh on xmas day.

We bought the kids a trampoline.

I bought Steve a signed and framed Essendon print off of ebay. Unfortunately it arrived the day before xmas with broken glass so I had to race around and get someone to fix it.

Jarryd with his Bakugan he got from Santa.

I don't mind this photo of me for a change. We had a mate's 50th at our place the week before xmas.

Steve and I at my work break up.

We took the kids to see Santa. I think it might be our last year :(

I hope 2010 is a very special year. We have a Cairns holiday to look forward to in March.

Unfortunately my weight loss efforts have gone backwards the last few months so I need to refocus and get this journey finished.

Well as usual blogger isn't putting the comments next to the right photos but I hope you get the idea of what has been going on in our lives.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T22:27:00.002+10:30

Just wanted to pop in and say to everyone that still reads my poor excuse for a blog, a very happy Christmas.

This year has just flown and I can't believe it is Christmas Eve. The kids are so excited and I am having a hard time getting them to stay in bed but I wouldn't have it any other way.

I hope you all have a beautiful Christmas with your family and friends and a very safe and happy 2010.

I'll be back soon to post some christmas photos.

Pretend Blogger!!

2009-11-08T13:10:00.005+10:30

Ashleigh proudly showing off her braces.

The halloween party. The girls look great.

A winery we dropped into on our Mildura weekend. Would be nice to do a houseboat holiday and stop at places like this along the way.

The pool area where we stayed.

The entrance to one of the best thai restaurants I have been to in downtown Mildura.

Ashleigh modelling a dress I got for $15 on Bridge Road on my Melbourne weekend. You can really see why she needed braces in this photo. Those eye teeth have nowhere to go.

Harbourtown area in Melbourne.

Our disappointing Japanese Tepanyaki dinner. Company was unreal though.

Jarryd with my neices bearded dragon lizard.

I love reading blogs. I read blogs every day and used to comment on so many blogs, but life has got in the way. I am spending so much time on the computer just with facebook, the blog has taken a back seat.

I started this blog mainly as a diary of events that the kids can look back on hopefully one day. It's turned into a bit of a weight loss saga at times but the one thing I can truly thank the blog for is the wonderful friends I have made. I hate writing. I love reading well written blogs and wish I could write like that but the truth is that it is a chore to blog. I will never shut down my blog but will use it for photos and milestones and interesting things that happen in our lives.

My marriage has been a disaster for the last 2 years but we went to Mildura a couple of weeks ago and made a fresh start. The past is the past. No bringing up of old crap that we are never going to agree on. My part is less computer time which I totally get.

We have a house guest at the moment that has been here for 6 weeks. It's not an ideal situation but he is a good friend and he is down on his luck losing his marriage and business in the last few years. Not good timing for our marriage recovery having someone extra in the house but he would be on the street if we didn't take him in. He has been a great help around the house and has looked after the kids a few times. He has 2 boys that he has here occasionally. But this house is so crowded and I am over it.

Ashleigh got her braces on a last Monday and is coping really well. She had to have 4 teeth out prior and it was horrible. But she looks so pretty. Jarryd is heading down the same path. He has a baby tooth that should be down but isn't and the dentist is concerned something is stopping it. So she did xrays and we find out next appointment in January.

Weight wise, I am the same as I was 6 months ago. I guess I should feel good that I haven't blown out over winter which always happens. I am still 20 kgs down but it is slowly creeping back on so the journey continues.

Nikki has turned 13 and I am officially the mummy of a teenager :( She had a halloween party that got a bit big as you can see from the photos. Lesson learnt for Nikki. They were all pretty well behaved though except for the kid that decided it would be fun to throw food around a wet area. She won't be coming back - LOL!!

I'll try and do at least photo posts more often I promise.

Neglected Blog

2009-08-12T22:07:00.002+09:30

Yes I know, I am very overdue for an update. Thanks for the reminder Penny.

I do get very bored with this blog sometimes. I am not a natural writer so just can't be bothered sometimes. I really admire people like Chris H who updates her blog several times a day. I'm more a reader than a writer - LOL!!

I'm up and down with my weight loss again. I have stayed the same, lost and gained over the past 3 weeks but have still managed to stay just above the total of 25 kgs lost. I know girly issues have a lot to do with this but I also have had trouble staying on track so no excuses here. I am taking it one day at a time. Tracking has been perfect the last 2 days so we'll see what tomorrow brings. I'm not stressing about it.

Nothing hugely exciting happening here. Nikki's netball has finished for the winter season so that has freed up Saturday afternoons. Jarryd is still playing soccer until mid September and then we are sport free on the weekends.

We have had our share of winter sickness. Jarryd is my worry at the moment. He picked up a virus a couple of weeks ago which triggered his asthma. We went to the doctor and he told us to get straight on to the puffers. Flexotide - a preventer and ventolin 3 times a day. His main symptom was a dry cough which got better but over the last couple of days has got bad again. He was hospitalised when he was 4 with asthma but has been ok since then. No real flare ups so we took him off the preventer after discussions with the doctor. He is well and truly back on it and I think he will be every winter now. We'll see how he goes during spring and summer. I am well and truly over winter now. Roll on summer and some hot weather. My poor baby is coughing in his sleep as I type. Might be a trip back to the doctor tomorrow I think.

Steve and I are going through a rough patch again. He went away for work last week and I did miss him. Since his shed has been rebuilt, I just don't see him. He has his computer set up out there with his music library and I know he is still trying to set things up but I seem to be getting the blame for me not making the effort to spend time with him. Well hello, I know where I would rather be on a freezing cold night. In the lounge in front of the tv with the heater going. He is very welcome to come and join me but the thought doesn't enter his head. Ashleigh made a comment the other night which hit home. She said she liked it better when daddy didn't have a shed because he was inside most of the time with us. Most nights he doesn't even come in to say goodnight to the kids. Very sad really.

I know people don't change and he has never been one to communicate his feelings but I really thought after the counselling, he would make more of an effort to talk to me. Just isn't happening. I find more things out through friends than I do from him. He just tells me, when pushed, that he thinks nothing has changed in our lives. Well I say the same, nothing has changed on his part either. We are still living seperate lives in the same house with the occasional intimate moments. Very occasional.

I am reaching that time in my life when things are probably starting to change. The dreaded menopause. My periods are becoming more irregular. This month it came a week early and was really heavy. Steve just doesn't get what is going on with me. I guess not too many men do understand womans issues. Sex is the last thing I feel like sometimes. I know this is also a reason my weight is up and down so much.

I got home last night from my meeting and Steve asked how I went. I told him I had gained this week and his response was that I was very bad and made a big deal of how he wasn't allowed to have a cigarette so why was I allowed to gain weight. He gave up smoking nearly 12 months ago. I was very hurt by his comments and just don't understand why he has to compare my weight loss with his giving up cigarettes.

Ok enough about that. I don't think I will ever understand how his minds works and he probably thinks the same about me - LOL!!

I finally did my tax online and we are going to get a nice big return. We were thinking of going to Thailand in March but that may have to be postponed to later next year. So we will definitely have a family holiday possibly during the Christmas school holidays. I so need a holiday. It's been nearly 2 years since our big Queensland holiday. I would love to go back up to the Whitsundays so we shall see what is on offer.

I have a couple of mini breaks coming up. A trip to Melbourne with the girls in mid September and a 3 days break in Mildura in mid October that Steve booked ages ago with one of those travel auctions on TV. I am actually looking forward to it. Probably just what we need. A weekend away just the 2 of us.

OK I won't promise when I will be back. But I do promise to post some photos next time. I just went and got the camera to see if there were any decent ones to upload and there is nothing. So I will take the camera with me in the next few weeks and take some interesting photos.

Til next time..........

25 Kgs Gone Forever

2009-07-21T22:17:00.002+09:30

Yes I did it. I needed 700g at weigh in tonight to make it 25 kgs lost. I lost 2.1 kgs taking the total to 26.4 kgs lost since the end of October.

I wasn't sure how I would go this week. I have been sick since Friday and haven't done any exercise since last Wednesday so I was pleasantly surprised. Our wonderful weigher Don suggested I probably shocked my body because I had gone from exercising 5 times a week to nothing. All good I say, but I am keen to get back on the treadmill. Wow didn't think I would ever say that!!

I have been totally blown away by the support I have received this time around. I have met some wonderful people on the weight watchers forums who have kept me going in the very hard times. Jo and Sammy have lost huge numbers and have become very valued friends in real life. Also I am going to the most supportive meeting I have ever been to. There are 3 other friends I go to the meeting with every week. Tania, Karen and Sandy. You girls are especially inspiring. Tonight we lost over 5 kgs between the 4 of us. So to everyone who has commented here, on facebook and the ww forums, I thankyou so much.

We have been bitten by the winter bugs in our house. Nikki started coughing last Monday. Just a dry, annoying cough. I got her to the doctor on Thursday and he said it was a virus and gave her some puffers to take to help with the cough. They have really helped and by today the coughing has totally stopped. She kindly passed it on to me, but because I'm asthmatic, it has gone to my chest and I had to get some antibiotics which I started last night. I'm feeling a lot better today. But now Steve is coughing and blowing his nose and dying of the 'man flu'

The kids went back to school yesterday so all the sport has started up again. Nikki has only 3 weeks of her competition netball left. They won't make the finals this year. It seems like a really short season but she did miss the first 5 or so weeks with her ankle injury.

So now that I have lost 25 kgs I am looking forward to getting to the next milestone of 30 kgs and that magic 99.9 kg mark. Only 6 kgs to go!!

Up, Down, Up, Down

2009-07-14T22:36:00.002+09:30

That is the story of my last 4 weeks. The scales are ultimately moving in the right direction. I lost 1.8 kgs this week but that was after a 1.3 kg gain last week. Very frustrating!! I am 700g off of losing 25 kgs and I want to get there so badly.

I look back on this journey. I lost 20 kgs in 5 months and it has taken me 4 months to lose the last 4.3 kgs. Having said that, I am now at 108 kgs which is the lowest I have been in a very long time.

My mission for the next month is to string 4 losses together in a row. I am so sick of yoyoing. I have no-one to blame but myself for this. I really don't know why I lose the plot but I am sure I am not alone. I do know that I get my best results when I track HONESTLY!! This is something I intend to put a lot more effort into.

I look at how far I have come in the last 9 months and do feel proud. I was on the treadmill tonight before I got picked up for weight watchers and my friend Karen was very surprised at how much I have improved in that area. We were regular walking partners in summer and she commented there was no way I was able to exercise like that 6 months ago. I do enjoy the treadmill because I push myself to levels higher than I would if I was walking along the beach.

I have joined a challenge on the weight watchers website to lose 15 kgs by christmas. It is 23 weeks until christmas. How scary is that. If I lose 15 kgs that will take my total weight loss to 40 kgs. I think it is totally doable and I am going to do it. My main motivation is Steve's works christmas party. It would be 12 months since I have seen a lot of these people and I want to blow them away!!

Onto other news. We have know for a while that Ashleigh will have to have braces but now the time has come. Her 2 eye teeth haven't come down because they have nowhere to go. She has to have 4 double teeth taken out asap and then a month after that the braces go on. She is very scared to have these teeth out and so am I. They will do 2 at a time in the chair so she will need to be very brave. Originally we thought she would have to have a top and bottom plate for 12 months prior to all this to make room but after having full dental xrays done, it won't be necessary so I guess that is one thing on our side. It will be a long, expensive process as many of you probably know from experience. My poor baby!!

My nephew did indeed have swine flu but has recovered and didn't pass it around to anyone thank goodness. We thought my mum might have been next because she was in contact with him 2 days before he got sick, but 2 weeks on, she is fine. It has been a dreadful winter for sickness. Nikki has been coughing for the last few days. No other symptoms, just a very annoying dry cough.

We are well into the second week of the school holidays and as usual they have flown. Nikki and Jarryd were supposed to go to Steve's mums for the first week but we got a phone call the day we were due to take them over to say Steve's uncle had collapsed at home and wasn't expected to last the night. He has very advanced cancer. Nearly 2 weeks later, he is still lingering. Existing on morphine. The doctors are amazed he is still going. Just awful for everyone around him. They don't let animals suffer like this!!! I don't get it.

Steve is off on a motorbike rally this weekend. Why he is going camping in the middle of winter is beyond me. Couldn't think of anything worse. I just hope the rain lets up so they don't get too drenched. We have had a lot of rain here in Adelaide in the last few weeks. Very badly needed but still not enough to break the drought.

I'll be back next week to let you know if I've cracked the 25 kgs. You better believe I will be giving it my best shot.

A Great Result

2009-07-01T21:54:00.004+09:30

Well after 2 gains, I decided to put everything into it this week. I tracked everything and the result...................

2.7 kgs loss taking the total to 23.8 kgs gone.

I made the decision to commit 100% and it paid off. Now I just have to back it up next week.

One of the big things that has helped the hunger this week is home made vege soup. I made a big pot full of vegetables and added 1 cup of barley to bulk it up. I'm really enjoying it in this very cold weather. Nothing like a big cup of steaming hot soup to warm you up.

Speaking of the weather. It has been shocking here in Adelaide in the last 2 days. Yesterday we had some very strong winds and lots of rain. We so need the rain but I hate it when it is so windy. We live in a beachside suburb and copped a lot of damage about 10 mins from here. One street had about 15 concrete power lines flattened. We lost our power for most of yesterday. It did go on in time to watched 'Packed to the Rafters' last night. Just as well!!

When I got home from work this afternoon, it was out again but soon found out it was just us. Because they still haven't finished the work on the shed, the filter for the pool is still out in the weather. Because of all the rain, the temporary power cord from the pergola to the filter had filled with water and tripped the safety switch. Luckily it was easy fixed when Steve got home.

My 5 year old nephew is waiting on tests results to see if he has swine flu. He started school this term and a child at his school was diagnosed last week after an overseas holiday. My nephew is a very active child and was falling asleep at school yesterday and had very high temps. So him and my sister are in quarantine. Luckily we haven't seen them for a couple of weeks although my mum has been in contact with them on the weekend. So we will be keeping away for a week or so. Test results should be back tomorrow.

School finishes here for the term on Friday. Where did this term go?? Nikki and Jarryd are heading over to Stansbury to stay with Steve's parents for the first week. I wish this year would slow down because my big girl will be finishing year 7 at the end of this year which means she is off to high school next year. That makes me very sad. I can still clearly remember her first day at school and now she is only 6 months away from finishing her primary years.

I'm really looking forward to the holidays though. All the sport stops for a couple of weeks which means no Saturday games and no practices during the week. Bliss!!

Have a great week everyone.

On Track

2009-06-25T23:18:00.002+09:30

Why do the old habbits creep back in without me even realising it?

I find myself reaching for that bag of chips without thinking, or biscuits. without giving it a second thought it is in my mouth. I want this so badly but yet again I am doing things to sabotage myself getting further in this journey. I have been stuck around the same weight for 3 months now and I have no-one to blame but myself.

I had an interesting weigh in this week. I wore my sandshoes instead of my usual thongs. It is getting a bit cold to be wearing thongs at night in the middle of winter. I truly thought I could weigh in socks. I knew I couldn't weigh barefoot but thought socks were ok. Wrong!! I had to weigh in my sandshoes and I gained 600g which was recorded in my book. After the weigh in, I asked if I could weigh my sandshoes and guess what?? They weighed 600g. So technically I stayed the same this week.

I have made a pact with myself that I will track every day. I have been struggling with wanting to eat chocolate or sweet things at night. Janice from the ww forums suggested meringue nests with ww chocolate mousse and it really did the trick.

So I am very determined to have a loss this week. I have still lost just over 20 kgs but I look at what could have been in the last few months and to be honest it really depresses me. I know everyone goes through a slump in their journeys and when this happens I tend to give up. Not this time. I have made so many new and wonderful friends this time around and the support is amazing so there is no giving up.

Not much happening this weekend, thank goodness. The usual soccer and netball on Saturday but nothing planned for Sunday at this stage. It will be nice to have a quiet day and hopefully catch up on some cooking. With the help of Nikki and Ashleigh, we have been baking cakes and biscuits for their lunch boxes. I have also been making vegetable soup which I am loving and it is good to take to work on these cold days.

I'll be back after weigh in on Tuesday night to update hopefully with a nice loss. I am certainly due for one.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Slackest Blogger Award Goes to ME!!!

2009-06-21T21:49:00.004+09:30

A few photos of our last few weeks...............

We made a cake tonight. A honeycomb vanilla cake. Might have the smallest sliver.

Ashleigh got her ears pierced today with some birthday money. She was braver than me!!

Our backyard is still a building site. Progress is being made though.

Not the best photo because of the flash, but I got my wedding and engagement rings remodeled with the Krudd money. I had lost diamonds in two rings and my engagement ring needed a lot of work because all the claws were breaking. It is 17 years old now!! Also I've had them joined together because I was so sick of them all spinning around my finger in different directions. I've also gone down 2 ring sizes.

Ashleigh's 11th birthday party.

This was our present to Ashleigh. A portable dvd player. A huge hit!!

Nikki's new bunkbed I got on ebay for $230. A brand new double futon. She has wanted a double bed for ages and now she also has her own room. Jarryd has to share with Ashleigh for a while until we can one day afford to build on another bedroom.

My weight loss is still going well. Although this month I have managed to gain 900g, then lose 2.7 kgs, then gain 1.2 kgs in 3 weeks. Nothing I am really doing different except a few comfort foods are creeping in with the colder weather. I made a pact with myself to challenge myself on the treadmill 5 nights a week which I have done for 2 weeks now. I have decided to get the EA Active wii game. I have been tossing up between that and the wii fit for a few weeks now so if anyone has an opinion either way, I would love to hear it.

Our backyard is finally starting to take some shape again 3 months after the fire. The shed is up and we have extended it a bit so Steve and his brother are concreting the extra bit tomorrow. Because they didn't rip up the old slab and it is not perfect, they have to come back and paint the concrete and then Steve can start moving things in. Wonder how long it will take to become cluttered again. NEVER I HOPE!!!!!

I must admit that I am again struggling with blogging. I just can't be bothered updating because I guess most people who read keep up with my life on facebook. Maybe I need to make it into more of a blog about my weight loss at the moment to keep me accountable and to motivate me to keep going. My main goal at the moment is to get my weight under 100 kgs. I have 10.6 kgs to go. I haven't been under 100 kgs for god knows how long!! I saw a friend today who I hadn't seen for a while and she told me she can really see the difference now. I know that is what is more important than what the scales say.

So I will be back sooner rather than later.

Quick Update

2009-05-27T17:27:00.003+09:30

Ashleigh's healthy salad. Made all by herself for tea last night.

My bestest friend Lee and I .

My poor neglected blog!!

I guess because I am always on facebook, I forget to update here. I have never been the best blogger. But I won't ever give up because this is more like an online journal of my life. Something the kids can look back on and read when they have kids. To remember their childhood.

This month has been crazy. The kids are all doing winter sport so there are 3 games and week and 3 practice times a week. Saturday is soccer and netball. Must take the camera and take some photos. Nikki is finally allowed to start playing again. She has had 6 weeks off with her ankle and she got through practice on Monday night so I can't wait to see her play on Saturday. 5 weeks of watching her team play without her.

We went to the best party a couple of weeks ago. My best friend Lee, who lives in Melbourne came over for her brother Wayne's 50th. OMG I am now going to 50th birthdays. Aarrrggg!!
But it was my sort of party. Wayne is a surfer and the party was 1 hour from Adelaide so it was camping. And everyone camped and partied. There were many who didn't sleep and were still drinking the next day. They had the best band I have ever heard at a party. And Wayne and his kids all jammed together. It was awesome. I drank far too much but managed to stay around until 3am. The music went all night. No kids either. Made for a fantastic night.

And the best part, everyone I hadn't seen in ages commented on my weight loss.

I've had a shocker of a week. I don't know why but I've been craving salty food. Salt is not good. I notice it bloats me. My downfall at the moment is the kids snack packs of chips. I need to hide them. But I'm not stressing at all. If I put a kg or two back on, it will come off again.

I lost 700g last week taking the total to 22.5 kgs.

I'm going out for dinner tonight with some friends. We are going to a stonegrill restaurant so plenty of healthy options there.

Have a good week everyone.

Getting Serious

2009-05-15T20:23:00.004+09:30

I have to admit I have been very complacent over the last 6 weeks. Definitely old habbits creeping back in. Having said that I have now lost 21.8 kgs. But it has slowed right down.

I know the exercise I am doing (thank goodness) has helped with the bad choices. All good though. I am still losing and not stressing about the scales. It's such a good feeling.

I am down to my lowest weight in years but I still have 40 kgs to lose so the job isn't done by a long way.

I am back to tracking online as of today. It keeps me accountable. This way I can eat and drink anything and still lose weight because I stop when I reach the end of my points each day. End of story. When I honestly track, I lose bigger numbers.

Ashleigh's bully situation is getting better. The school has finally addressed the problem. I am very annoyed still because they won't tell me if this child has been dealt with. Do I have rights here or does the privacy act prevent me from knowing how they have dealt with her?
Ashleigh finally understands that she needs to stand up to these type of kids so we shall see what happens next.

Busy day tomorrow. Soccer, lunch with Tania and Martine which I am really looking forward to, netball and then we are off to my best friend Lee's brother's 50th. He is having a party near Victor Harbour which is about 1.5 hours away from us so we are camping along with a few others I imagine. It is going to be freezing and probably raining so I will have a few drinks to keep me warm. Quite a few - LOL!!!

Then we have to be back by 12pm Sunday for the Port V Richmond game.

I'm going to make some soup tomorrow. I'll be getting up early because there are no hours left. I am hanging out for soup. Isn't it funny how you crave thick, hearty soup in this weather. Yummo.

Nikki's ankle is improving. She is walking without pain now but she hasn't been allowed to run yet so that will be the test. It's been about 4 weeks now so it shouldn't be too much longer.

I have really been enjoying the exercise I am doing. I have cut down the walks outside because of the weather and it being dark so early. So instead I am walking once a week and twice a week on the treadmill. I have been doing 45 minutes starting at speed 5 and going up to 6 at the end. I am surprised how much harder I am working. I was really sweating by the end this afternoon which I don't do when I walk. So I am definitelty upping the intensity and enjoying it. I am also doing 1 weights session a week with a friend who has a home gym. I know once a week is not enough but honestly, I can't fit in any more. With 3 kids doing sport and sports practice, there are not too many free nights.

I'll be back next week to update with some good weight loss news.

Happy Mothers Day Mummies

2009-05-10T22:06:00.005+09:30

What a wonderful day!! I got up to have a shower and Nikki had made me the most gorgeous breakfast. She really put some thought into it.

She cut up some fresh fruit and I had the choice of vegemite or jam for my toast. And a cup of coffee. What a nice healthy breakfast.

I bought myself something I have been wanting for a while now. A slow cooker. I'm really looking forward to experimenting with it. The kids all made cards which was so much nicer than a bought card.

Jarryd's read, I love you mummy because you take me to school - LOL!!

We had a lovely family lunch at mums and then headed to West Lakes to spend some of my birthday money. A long overdue pair of sandshoes.

I got to try them out straight away because I had planned a walk with a friend to meet Jo for coffee. Well my friend had too much mothers day red wine so I decided to walk by myself. I have put up with a crappy old pair of sandshoes for so long, it was amazing how much more comfortable my walk was and how much faster I went. It was great to see Jo. I've missed walking with you mate. She is looking unreal and well on the way to recovery and back walking with Tania and I again.

My weight loss has really slowed down. I definitely have got complacent and after losing 21 kgs in 5 months, I only lost 400g for the whole of April. I have already blogged about how easter was a struggle but it took most of April before I could get out of the mindset of eating lots of crap again. Last week I gained 700g but I did get TTOM very suddenly so that was definitely part of it but this week I lost that 700g again.

I feel good and in control again. Upping the exercise has helped. I had slackened off a bit in that department. I have a friend who is into body sculpting and she is helping me with some weight training. Once a week at this stage. And boy did my muscles feel it. No pain, no gain hey.

Nikki's ankle is improving slowly. She is off the crutches but still can't run for a few weeks. We have been going out to watch her netball team and she is itching to get out there. But I'm not going to rush it, she has a partial tear of the ligament in her ankle and if she goes back to soon, she will risk tearing it completely and that means surgery.

The winter sports have kicked in this term. Ashleigh is playing school netball which I put my name down to help coaching and Jarryd is playing soccer. So apart from matches, there is another afternoon each week for training. I've become a taxi!!

So I am determined to reach a goal for May. Try very hard to get as close as I can to 25 kgs lost. I have now lost 21.5 so 3.5 to go.

Unfortunately I think I am in for a fight with the kids school. As some of you know Ashleigh was being bullyed last year. The school split up the 2 girls but the worst of the 2 has ended up in Ashleigh's class this year. She is a nasty piece of work and is very sly. She is trying to split Ashleigh and her best friend up. And these girls, Ashleigh included are too scared to stand up for themselves. I addressed it with the deputy principal again last monday and as at friday had not heard a word from the school. Neither had Ashleigh. I rang again on Friday and the deputy principal was away on a conference for 2 days. Ok so why wasn't it addressed before she went away. I had also asked the school counsellor to talk to Ashleigh and try and put some measures into place to learn how to speak up for herself and not be pushed around. So the school counsellor dealt with it by bringing Ashleigh and her best friend into her office along with the bullyer and they played out a scenario of getting along with bloody finger puppets.

Does anyone else have a problem with that? Ashleigh does not want to get along with this bullyer and I would love to ring her neck. Not play finger puppets. Why does she have to try and like someone who puts her down all the time and is vendictive and nasty to so many other kids. Her problems need addressing. She is very 2 faced and sweet with the teachers but I've witnessed her bullying and so have Nikki and Jarryd. I am angry!!!!!!

So I am going to make it my mission to speak to some other parents who's kids are having problems with this child and make them do something about it. Yes I am angry that my daughter is on the end of this and comes home crying some nights but i am also very angry that she is getting away with it. I would speak to her mother who I know but I also know that she doesn't think that her kids do any wrong.

Sorry to rant but this school is supposed to have an anti bullying policy????

Anyway I will keep you posted.

Have a great week everyone.

Back on Track

2009-04-24T12:53:00.002+09:30

Just a very quick entry to say a huge thankyou to everyone who has commented here, on the weight watchers forum and facebook about my struggles.

I am very happy to say I feel so much more motivated and managed to lose 300g at weigh in last night taking the total to 21.5 kgs.

I know I am not alone in this struggle and I feel truly blessed with the wonderful friends I have made who know what it's like on this journey.

Thankyou!!!

Struggling

2009-04-22T10:37:00.002+09:30

Yes I am struggling!!

I have been on this weight loss journey a million times now. My best results have been between 10-25 kgs. But............................................

I get to this point and go back to a lot of my old bad habbits and I can feel myself slipping into those bad habbits again. I have lost 21.2 kgs so far but have lost the plot since easter. Well maybe I am being a little hard on myself because I have not put any weight back on, just not losing any either. Since I posted the picture of myself in my new jeans, I have had so many wonderful compliments and I thank everyone for that. But it's had a negative impact on me. It's like my head is saying you look great so you can eat what you want again. What's with that???

I have been sneaking the kids easter eggs and have now asked them to hide them or there will be none left - LOL!! Chocolate is my new best friend. I am craving it every day. And I feel I have no control over it.

Anyway this is not a cry for help. I know what I have to do and I will do it. I am proud that with all the crap I have eaten in the last 2 weeks, I haven't put any weight back on. Time will tell when I weigh in tomorrow night. I stayed exactly the same at weigh in last week which I was very happy with because of all the chocolate I ate over easter.

I won't give up. That is not an option. I just need to work through where my head is at right now and get past it. Any advice would be very welcome.

Onto other things............

Nikki is starting netball again this Saturday. But, she had training on Monday night and her ankle was a bit sore which it has been on and off for a few months now. She didn't make it through the training. By the middle of the session she couldn't even walk properly. I took her to the doctor last night and he thinks it could be tendon related and we have to go for an ultrasound next week. So she is very disappointed. First game Saturday and she will be watching on the sidelines. We won't know anything until after the ultrasound next Wednesday.

The insurance claim is progressing. The shed has been demolished. A much bigger job than anyone imagined. It took them nearly 3 days just to clear all the crap out and then a day to pull it down. We have had the go ahead for the new shed to be built so now just waiting for paperwork to come so we can sign and get it back to the contractor. In the mean time, the pool filter is not running because the pump is stuffed. Luckily it's not hot or the pool would be well and truly green by now.

We have been paid for all the contents by the insurance company and Steve has been shopping. I have had to stop him because obviously we've got no where to put anything so there are boxes everywhere in the house. We also managed to upgrade the home fridge and tv and the ones we have in the house will go into the shed. So I'm happy, a new 2 door fridge and an LCD TV for me!!!

It's my birthday on Saturday. How did that roll around so quick?? I've asked a few friends out for a Thai banquet at my favourite thai restaurant so it should be a great night. It will be a big day. Mum wants to do brunch and then Nikki wants to watch her netball team who are playing on the other side of town, then dinner.

I'll be back after tomorrow night to update my weight loss/gain.

I Love/Hate Easter

2009-04-11T23:30:00.004+09:30

I love easter because my precious children are so excited getting reading for the easter bunny. Nikki went to so much trouble making name tags for everyone and Ashleigh got things ready for the easter bunny to eat.

Not the greatest photo of me but this is the first pair of jeans I have worn in 30 years!! So exciting.

This week I lost 600g taking the total to 21.2 kgs. I am feeling so good about the way things are going. I can see lots of differences in my body and my fitness.

But this week is Easter!!

And I am struggling. I have been able to limit chocolate for just over 5 months now without too much trouble. But yesterday was like a green light to eat as much chocolate as I can. I think I had it in my head for the last few weeks that easter was going to be a hard time and has definitely sabotaged myself. The kids have chocolate already and I have been picking and sneaking just like I used to. Though having said that, I was chatting to some friends online tonight and the last few years I have had to replace bags of eggs before easter because I have opened them and eaten them. This year that hasn't happened so that's a win!!

So tomorrow when the kids get their eggs from the easter bunny, I will get them to hide them in their bedrooms so I can't see them in my face. What is it about easter chocolate. It tastes so much better than normal chocolate - LOL!!

I am not stressing about eating chocolate. It's not something I do every day anymore. Easter is once a year and I will get back on track. I am not going to put 21.2 kgs back on this weekend!!!

The insurance company has settled the claim for the shed and the ball is rolling. We have builders coming in on Tuesday to bulldoze the shed. I can't wait. Everytime I go out the back door I can smell the smoke still and looking at it is just a sad reminder of what happened. Steve is excited to be moving on and he is looking forward to a spending spree at Bunnings as soon as the new shed is built.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful easter break.

What a Week!!!

2009-04-03T14:46:00.004+10:30

Pictures from the kite festival last weekend. I was very disappointed with it compared to last year. The picture of the close up kite is the kite Nikki is flying.

What a mess!!!!

First up, I had another small loss at weigh in last night - 200g taking the grand total to 20.6 kgs. Very happy with that. TTOM is due tomorrow and it is consistant with the pattern every 4 weeks or so.

For those who haven't read my news on facebook, we have had an interesting week. We were awoken with a start out of a deep sleep at 2am Sunday morning by people banging on the door and windows. At first I thought it was yahoos in the street letting off firecrackers but when our hazy minds came too, we realized that Steve's shed at the back of our property was on fire and the firecrackers were acually exploding paint cans and all the flammables a hoarding mechanic has in his shed. Our saving grace was our wonderful back neighbour who's bedroom window is next to the shed. She smelt smoke and came out to investigate and rang the fire brigade. By the time we had herded 4 kids out the front (we had one extra sleeping over) we could hear the fire brigade coming.

Thanks to our neighbours very quick actions they were able to contain the fire to just the shed. I shudder to think what could have happened if it was a windy night. Luck was on our side because it was a very still night.

Our wonderful neighbours on the other side took the kids back to their place and got blankets and hot milo for everyone. Steve and I were just in shock.

It turns out it was an electrical fire possibly from a faulty pool light transformer. I cannot heaps enough praise on the firemen. Steve has 3 tonne of firewood between the back fence and the shed and it wasn't touched. They did an amazing job. The cops showed up and all they wanted to know was if it was hydroponics!! As soon as they establised it wasn't they took off.

Anyone who knows Steve will know what his shed looked like. He is a shocking hoarder and had 30 years of his life in that shed. He has lost so many memories, all his trade school workshop manuels, boxes and boxes of magazines, tools, 3 glass cases of die cast bikes and cars and all the usual shed stuff. We've estimated about $30,000 all up. The insurance company SGIC have been fantastic and have already sent money for the cleanup. The pool area is a mess too. Because the filter and pump were next to where the fire broke out, the filter is stuffed and making dreadful noises so that will all have to be replaced.

The only good thing is that Steve will be able to start again. Sure he won't be able to replace all his old stuff and collections, but he will be able to have a brand new shed and contents to try and keep in order this time. I hope he's learnt his lesson about hoarding!!

So now we have the long task ahead of demolishing the shed and starting again. I just wish I could click my fingers and it all be done!!!

Woohoo I Did it!!!

2009-03-28T10:14:00.003+10:30

Yes, I got to 20 kgs lost this week. Well 20.4 to be precise. Since the 31/10/08. So I am very happy with how far I have come in 5 months.

It's a great feeling and I am really starting to feel the difference now.

I'm off for a walk in about 5 minutes so just a quick update now. I'll be back later with some photos. It is the annual kite festival at Semaphore this weekend and we will be walking right past so I'm taking the camera. It's a gorgeous day so all the colourful kites will look fantastic.

Later......................

Thank God It's Friday!!

2009-03-20T14:14:00.002+10:30

I lost 100g this week. Woohoo!!!!!!

You would think I lost 2 kgs wouldn't you? I had a blowout this weekend for the first time on this journey. It was Jarryd's party and out came the chicken nuggets, potato gems, chips, lollies and icecream cake. I had some of all of those and when I got on the scales Monday morning my weight was up about 1.5 kgs. I didn't feel the slightest bit guilty about eating what I did because it's a very rare thing not an everyday thing.

So I made the decision to get back on track on Monday and by last night I had lost the 1.5 kgs + 100g extra. It was a great feeling.

I have another doctors appointment this afternoon to get my blood pressure checked again after it was slightly high 2 weeks ago. Not sure if it will have gone down. I feel my stress levels are definitely higher than usual and dealing with a 12 year old daughter who thinks she can say and do what she wants is not helping. I need to try and step back and not get involved in a yelling match with her because I am not going to win. I was the same at her age. Thanks Chris for your comment on my blog yesterday about this. I take on board what you said. I know you are talking from experience.

I have a fairly quiet weekend planned. Steve has had Hoyts picture tickets to use since October last year and they expire at the end of March so we are going to see something tomorrow. Then catching up with a lovely friend I met on the ww forums a couple of years ago for coffee on Sunday.

I'd better go. I want to go for a walk before I pick the kids up from school.

Have a great weekend everyone and please if you drop by, leave a comment to say hi. I know so many people read my blog by the location counter but so few leave messages. Even if you just say hi, I can then read your blog too. I love getting comments. I need to feel the love - LOL!!!

So Close!!

2009-03-12T23:18:00.003+10:30

I took Ashleigh and Jarryd on a walk with a fellow ww friend and her kids on Saturday morning and stopped at one of the many beach playgrounds we go to.

I am very happy to report a 1.6 kg loss this week taking the total now to 19.4 kgs. So close to 20 kgs gone forever. I guess I went against all the rules this week and didn't eat enough so I am very happy to have lost that much.

I have felt quite depressed about losing our dog. She was so much a part of our family and it's just so hard to get used to not having her around. When I am depressed or anxious about things I just don't feel like eating. I have been having 3 meals a day but just haven't felt hungry for much else. Oh well, like I said, I have stopped counting points anyway so I'll just keep going with what I am feeling and see where it takes me.

I've been tagged by Carlton and Jo, so I'll have a think about it and post it at a later date.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Bittersweet Weekend

2009-03-09T13:52:00.005+10:30

Our night out on Saturday night with the ww girls

Saturday was truly one of the worst days of our lives. We had to have our german shepherd Bonnie put to sleep. She was nearly 15 years old and we had been expecting something like this to happen but it's still very hard to deal with. I came home Friday night after picking Ashleigh up from girls guides and she was dragging her back legs along the concrete. We knew straight away it was bad. Steve was out on a boys night so Nikki sat with her for hours. She didn't seem to be in pain or wasn't showing it. When Steve got home, he too sat with her for a few hours. I guess we all knew this would be goodbye. Saturday morning her breathing wasn't too good so we said our goodbyes and Steve took her to the vet. We knew she wouldn't come home.

Nikki was so upset. We all were but Nikki took it the hardest and cried most of the day. Nothing I could do but comfort her. Steve came back from the vet and broke down. I've never seen him like that. She was our first baby. We got her just after we got married 14 years ago. It's the little things that are so hard like her not greeting us when we drive in the roller door. Or she always sat out by the back door waiting for someone to come outside. And last night we had leftovers which I always put in Bonnie's bowl.

It is so very hard. She was one of our family!! RIP Bonnie. You will be very missed.

Onto a brighter note. We had a get together of some of the Adelaide weight watchers. We formed a facebook group with ladies who have or had over 30 kgs to lose. Derry, Sharon and Sonya are all very close or at goal and looked unreal. The others, Joanne, Jo, Tania, Kazz and myself are at various different stages of our journeys and we all looked hot too - LOL!!!

We had dinner at a thai restaurant and I think everyone really enjoyed their meals. Then onto Cibos for a coffee and a few of us headed to the casino. I had to catch a train home but a few of the others partied on and had a great night by all accounts. Thanks girls. It was just what I needed to take my mind off of things and I really enjoyed meeting the girls I hadn't met before. We'll definitely do it again soon.

Yesterday we had a family lunch for Jarryd's 8th birthday. It was a lovely day and Steve's parents and sister and kids drove over from the Yorke Peninsular for the day. My mum, grandma, sister, brother and SIL and their kids were there too so there were quite a few of us. Some of the kids went in the pool but I think it was pretty cold. It was a great day.

Then last night, Tania came over for our usual Sunday 5km walk. She brought her 6 month old daughter Mikayla with her and she was just delightful. Lots of smiles and chatting along the way. Thanks Tania. It was lovely to walk and chat about life.

This morning I caught up with a friend and her kids and we went for a walk in the sunshine and then came back to the Largs kiosk for coffee and got the kids some hot chips for lunch. It is a holiday here in Adelaide today for Adelaide Cup.

So like I said, it sure has been bittersweet this weekend!!

Gotta Love Long Weekends

2009-03-06T18:44:00.002+10:30

It's Adelaide cup weekend here. And Jarryd's birthday weekend. We have lots of family and a few friends here on Sunday so I have some cooking to do tomorrow. I will post some photos next post.

I had a 1.2 kg loss this week taking the total to 17.8 kgs. It was more than I hoped for considering I am on antibiotics for a stye in my eye. I am loving the freedom of not tracking. Well I am tracking but it's already done each day because I am following a broad menu plan that is up on my fridge. Basically 3 meals a day and fruit for snacks during the day and some sweeter things at night to combat the night munchies.

I had to go back to the doctor this afternoon to get my eye checked which is improving. I have to use this thick cream for 2 more weeks and then go back again. He checked my blood pressure and I was a bit shocked to see it had gone up a bit. 140/90. I don't know much about blood pressure because I've never been on the high side so not sure if it's anything to worry about. He asked if I was stressed. After coming home and thinking about it the answer is YES!!

I am dealing with a very head strong 12 year old who thinks she is 18 and can do what she wants and tells me often that she doesn't have any rights. I need to learn how to deal with this because at the moment I just blow up. I need to learn to ignore her because it's normal. I was the same. Always had to have the last say. And it is effecting my stress levels. I am getting crankier if someone drives slow in front of me and can feel myself getting stressed so much more these days. Any ideas for stress management????

I am off for a girls night tomorrow night with a group of Adelaide wwer's that are on various stages of our journeys. We are going to a thai restaurant for dinner and then we're going to hit the casino. I must remember the camera or Jo will kill me. So there will be photos.

Talking of photos. Lots have asked for progress photos. Do you know I still don't see a lot of difference. When you have 60 kgs to lose - 17.8 kgs is not alot. Yes that's right. I don't think I've admitted here that I have 60 kgs to lose.

I took progress photos at 10 kgs lost and I will do the same for 20 kgs and post them. But you might be lucky enough to see some from the girls night or Jarryd's party. If I can't avoid the camera that is - LOL!!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone.

Happy, Happy, Happy!!!

2009-02-26T21:58:00.003+10:30

After my gain last week, I went back to basics and drew up a weekly menu planner taking into account lots of filling foods. I stuck to it to the letter and was rewarded with a 1.7 kg loss this week. Woohoo!!!! The total now is 16.6 kgs in 17 weeks.

Looking back on my gain last week, I truly believe it to be fluid. Last Thursday, weigh in day, I ate very little, drank about 3 or 4 cups of coffee and hardly drank any water. I hardly went to the loo and looking back I know that was the problem. Martine left a message on my last post that was along the lines of............. It's sometimes good to have a gain so you can go back over things and reaccess. That's exactly what I did and was duly rewarded.

So I am one very happy girl here tonight.

Very busy weekend coming up. Tomorrow I have a doctors appointment to check out a stye like growth on the inside of one of my eyelids. It's on the bottom of my left eye. Of course I have been thinking horrible thoughts. That's me so I'm going to get it looked at to put my mind at ease. Then I'm off to a vegetarian restaurant for dinner with a couple of girlfriends.

Saturday I have a dentist appointment to get a long overdue filling. And then I'm going to the Port V Geelong NAB cup game. Is it still called the NAB cup - LOL!!!

Sunday will be flat out. I'm catching up with another friend for lunch and then Nikki has netball trials in the afternoon. Then my Sunday walk with Tania and Jo. Hopefully Tania will make it this week. We missed you last week.

I can't believe it is only 2 weeks until Jarryd's birthday. My baby boy is going to be 8 :(
Where did those 8 years go? We were going to have a party on the Saturday but he came home last night with an invitation for another party that day so it might have to be next weekend instead. OMG that only gives me a week to organize something!! It can't be nearly March.

Have a fantastic week bloggers and thanks so much for all your support about my weight loss. I have made so many wonderful friends on this journey. True friends!!!

First Unexplained Gain

2009-02-19T22:59:00.006+10:30

Andrew McLeod was great signing all the kids things and so patient. He even got handed a newborn baby to hold and have his photo taken - LOL
This was taken at the 20/20 cricket game for the bushfire appeal.

This is our gorgeous sunset the other night and skinny Jo at the kiosk after our walk.

I think I spoke too soon last week about 15.6 kgs gone forever!!

I put on 700g this week for absolutely no reason. I haven't done anything different and it isn't TTOM so I will move on. Nothing I can do about it now. Thanks Jo for making me realise that it's not all about the scales. I can see so many differences now in my body and my fitness so it's all good really. Just disappointing.

I have revisited my tracker because my leader advised me to change things around a bit. I might be having too much salt and in the last 2 days not enough water so I'm probably retaining fluid. Water isn't an issue most of the time but I do have days where I know I haven't had enough. Also I need to eat more fruit. Although I am staying within points, I can see I am eating too many water iceblocks and also too many cruskits.

Anyway I am not dwelling on the gain. Next week will be a loss for sure.

Steve surprised me on Valentines day with a gorgeous gold bracelet. Things are going very well with us. We have both worked on the things that bothers us and we are both much happier.

I have put a couple of photos on of the fundraiser we went to on Tuesday night. The Adelaide Crows and Port Power AFL teams had a 20/20 cricket game to raise money for the bushfire appeal. It was a great night and the kids got lots of players autographs. They raised a lot of money and it feels good to be able to donate some money.

Have a great weekend everyone.

A Little Loss

2009-02-13T14:34:00.002+10:30

Well after losing 4 kgs in the last 3 weeks, I was fully expecting a small loss this week because of TTOM. I lost 300g which I am very happy with. Taking the grand total to 15.6 kgs gone forever.

Nothing much interesting to report this week. Just the usual work and school routine. The kids have all settled very well into school and they are all happy with their teachers. Ashleigh, who was the subject of bullying last year is happier than ever. One of the girls who bullyed her is in her class again and Ashleigh has come home on many occasions saying how nice she is to her now. Not sure what has turned her around but I'm not complaining. I am very happy with the way the school handled this because splitting up the 2 girls this year has worked out very well for us.

I, like everyone else has been devistated by the fires in Victoria. My best friend in Melbourne knows a few families that have lost loved ones and some of the stories are very distressing. The only good thing to come out of all this is the way Australians are pulling together and helping these people who have been left with nothing. It is going to be ongoing for months and years to come but I know they will be looked after and not forgotten.

Just a short post because I am about to walk and get the kids from school so I'd better get going.

Have a fantastic weekend everyone and a lovely Valentines Day for those who celebrate the one they love. Steve might even get lucky - hahahaha!!!!

I've got my 10%

2009-02-05T22:03:00.003+10:30

Sunset on Australia Day at Semaphore. The beginning of the heatwave

My new hair. I had it coloured last night and am very happy with the result. And yes I know my computer desk needs tidying - LOL!!!!

I am a very happy girl tonight. I lost 2 kgs taking the total in 14 weeks to 15.3 kgs and I got my 10%. I am loving this journey and the wonderful friends I am making so I really want to thank each and every one of you for your support.

I truly believe it has finally sunk in that I don't need all the crap I used to eat and I'm not craving or looking for the chips, chocolate and lollies anymore. I'm enjoying trying new, healthy food and I'm loving the way I am feeling.

We had an interesting week. For those that don't know, Ashleigh had an accident in the pool on Sunday night. She accidently got hit with a plastic water pistol and the bleeding from her nose wouldn't stop. To make matters worse, the blood was coming out of her tear duct which I have never seen before and it really freaked me out. I called an ambulance but because of the heatwave in Adelaide, they took over 40 minutes and it had finally stopped so I cancelled it. The next night, she woke up at 1.30am and the bleeding was worse so I called the ambulance again. Luckily they were only about 10 mins away and advised us to go to the hospital to get it checked on case it was broken. Luckily that was ruled out and it hasn't bled since but it was very scary.

The weather has cooled down a little. After 7 or 8 days of over 35 degs with most of those days over 40, the last couple of days have been around 33. Bliss!!! Although tomorrow is going to be 43 again. I'm over it!!!!

The kids have settled back into school and life is a blur of school, work, sport, homework and normal household duties but I wouldn't have it any other way. I love this busy time in my life.

Steve and I are getting on so much better. He is communicating better and life is good. He even surprised me by winning one of those travel auctions to Mildura which will be fun. Not sure when we will take it though, maybe later in the year in Spring.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Weigh In

2009-01-30T10:53:00.002+10:30

Just a quickie to let you know I lost another 1 kg last night taking the total to 13.3 kgs lost in 13 weeks. Very happy with that because I know I am retaining fluid with this disgusting hot weather.

I guess you would have to live on Mars if you didn't know Adelaide is having a record breaking heatwave. It's day 4 of 40+ temperatures. Wednesday got to 45.6 deg and it was just disgusting. It was like a sauna outside. We are expecting a cool change next week of 39 deg!! Up until last night's 7 day forecast there is just no relief.

So our pool is getting a big workout. Thank god for a pool in this weather. Steve is always complaining about the maintenance he has to do on it but when you look at the fun we've all had in it this week, it sure makes it all worth it.

I haven't walked since Monday which I am missing. This weather really takes it out of me and I just have no energy by the time I get home from work. Plus most nights have still been 40 deg at 9pm so there is no way I'm walking in that. I have been trying to do some laps of the pool but it's hard when there are so many people in the pool all the time. Oh well, I'm not too worried. It will cool down eventually.

So needless to say, all we will be doing this weekend is staying at home in the air conditioning and pool. I just hope we can see a change come through by next weekend.

Happy Australia Day

2009-01-26T12:44:00.004+10:30

Ashleigh's pavlova dessert. Looks so good but I didn't even crave it.

We saw so many pelicans.

Ashleigh looking for crabs.

I hope everyone is having a lovely day off for Australia Day. We've had an awesome weekend.

Went to pick up the kids from Stansbury and had a great couple of days away. It was so good to see Ashleigh and Jarryd after a week with nana and pa. Steve's mum suggested we go to the pub for tea without the kids but 2 volunteered to come with us. We walked along the beach to the pub and it was so nice. Pelicans, albatros and lots of seagulls made the trip very enjoyable. I love living and holidaying so close to the beach. I am truly blessed.

I got stuck into the sparkling rose and Steve and I ended up a little drunk. God knows how - LOL!! Made for a very funny walk home. I should mention here that Steve's Aunty took the kids back to Steve's mums for us in the meantime.

And even better we came home with so much garfish that Steve's brother caught.

Tania came to get me last night and as we had organized a walk along the beach. We both had a surprise when Jo turned up as well. Good old facebook network. We were just going to do jetty to jetty which is 3 kms but Jo pushed us further to do the 5 km walk I'm training for. Now 5 kms might not seem much to some of you but hey I wasn't walking at all 3 months ago. It was so nice to have such great company on a gorgeous night. After we had a coffee at our local beach cafe and we were talking so much, we had no idea it was nearly 10pm. Thanks so much girls. I really look forward to making this a regular event.

So today I'm having a lazy one. Got rid of 2 kids but gained 1 and they are in the pool. Adelaide is in for a big heat wave me thinks. 41 for the next 3 days and then high 30's for the forseeable future. Thank god for the pool and the new air conditioning in the car.

Have a wonderful Australia Day everyone. I'm so glad I live in this wonderful country.

Slack Blogger

2009-01-23T22:45:00.003+10:30

Thought I should take an updated photo of me. Like most overweight people, I shy away from cameras but like someone pointed out - WHY!!

Photos don't lie. This is how other people see me. So in this photo I see a slimmer face. When I work out how to put photos on the side of my blog, I will put a disgusting before photo and then I can add my progress photos.

So talking about progress, I lost 1 kg this week taking the total to 12.3 kgs. Very happy with that. I have upped the exercise in preparation for a fun walk I am doing in Melbourne with SamH. I have about 2-1/2 months so be able to walk 5 kms without stopping. I have done this distance but always stop 1/2 way for a coffee. Don't think I can do this on a fun walk - LOL

As I mentioned in the last post, Steve and I had marriage counselling last week. Initially I was disappointed he still can't see my side of things but after having dinner out that night with some friends, I decided to make the effort to try and do what he wants. Like going to bed together to talk instead of him going to bed and me sitting up watching TV or being on the computer. Must say, we are communicating much better and this week has been a good week for both of us. I know I am expecting too much for my blokes bloke of a husband to change completely but he has definitely made an effort. He has even come walking with me twice this week which is something he didn't do before. So we shall see how things progress, but I am feeling a lot more positive about things. I also talked to him again about yelling at the kids so we shall see how that goes when all 3 are home together.

Ashleigh and Jarryd have been at Steve's mum and dads this week and we are going over to pick them up tomorrow. Back Sunday in time to walk with Tania and then Monday I am going to walk 5 kms with another friend and see how long it takes me. That night there will be fireworks at our local beach for Australia Day. Then the kids are back to school on Monday.

Also tomorrow we are having our car airconditioning fixed. It needs a whole new condenser which is going to cost about $500. Bugger, more expense but I'm not complaining about this one because we are expecting a week of very high temps next week. I think it will be up to 40 on Wednesday.

I want to say to every one of you who reads my blog or comments on facebook that I couldn't do this weight loss journey without you. I have so many people I look to for inspiration and motivation and I feel that I am winning this battle because of you. Please leave me a comment if you visit my blog. I love reading blogs and love getting comments on mine.

Have a fantastic long weekend everyone.

Weigh in Day

2009-01-15T21:35:00.003+10:30

Well the scales are still heading in the right direction. I lost exactly the same as last week - 900g taking the total now to 11.3 kgs. I started fast start yesterday so it will be interesting to see what the scales say next Thursday.

I'm also still very much on track with drinking 3 litres of water a day and have even got all the girls in the office motivated with the ww principles. I'm trying to walk 4 times a week and I'm really enjoying my walk to the beach to see the sunsets. I read on another blog about a website called MapMyRun.com. I googled it and have worked out the walks I do. I am managing about 3 kms at a time. The other night I walked from Grange Jetty to Henley Jetty with a friend. It felt a lot longer than my normal jetty to jetty walk I do from my local jetty and I was totally buggered when we finished. When I tracked it, it was 5 kms!! No wonder I was stuffed!!

All good though because another wonderful person I have met through the ww forums - Sam (her blog link is in my side bar) has asked me if I would like to do a fundraising walk with her when I am in Melbourne in a couple of months. It is 5.1 kms I think. So I definitely need to do some more of those 5 km jetty walks before then.

I can't believe next week is the last week of the school holidays. Ashleigh and Jarryd are heading over to Stansbury to stay with Nana and Pa next week so it will be a very quiet house next week. Just Nikki, Steve and I.

Speaking of Steve. We have our counselling session tomorrow afternoon and I am feeling strangely nervous. I really wonder what we will get out of it. Nothing has changed despite me sitting him down and spelling it out a month ago. I'll let you know how we get on.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Busy Sunday

2009-01-11T20:54:00.003+10:30

We had a very productive day today. It was a glorious day here in Adelaide and we were up and out of the house by 10am. Mind you Steve left at 6.30am to play golf. Anyway I had organized to meet a friend at our local beach kiosk for a coffee this morning and I stood her up last week because I totally forgot we had arranged to meet. How bad is that?? I've never done that before. I blame old age!!

Ashleigh and Jarryd rode their bikes and I walked. I checked my mobile before I left and there was a message to say my friend couldn't meet us because her son was sick with an ear infection. We still went and I really enjoyed the walk in the sunshine. It used to be a 30 minute walk a few months ago but we got down there in 20 minutes today. Had a coffee and the kids had some chips for an early lunch. I had 5 chips and I tracked them - LOL!!

Then we had to drive to pick up Nikki from Port Wakefield. Half way point between Adelaide and Stansbury where she had been all week.

On the way up there I noticed a market garden shop and we dropped in on the way back. I spent $20 and came home with so much fruit, veg and even a 5 kg bag of spuds. Well worth the effort.

Jarryd has been missing Nikki so much. He told me Ashleigh's no fun because she doesn't fight back. She's the quiet, passive one. And Nikki and Jarryd are always tormenting each other. Well I kid not, within 5 mins of coming in the back door, Jarryd had sooked off to his room because of Nikki. Our peace has been shattered. It was so quiet without her.

I have been 100% on track so far this week. One thing that has been letting me down big time is drinking water. I was so busy at work last week, hours went past and I realised I hadn't even drunk one bottle of water. So this is day 2 of my water challenge. I challenged myself to drink 3 litres a day and so far, so good.

Back to work tomorrow but at least we have a few more coming back from holidays so hopefully the pressure will be off a bit.

Have a great week bloggers.

Scales are Heading Down Again

2009-01-08T21:53:00.003+10:30

I have just finished week 10 of weight watchers and this week I lost 900g taking the total to 10.4 kgs. Woohoo I finally made it to 10 kgs lost. I have been dancing around that figure for 2 weeks now. Christmas certainly didn't help.

I had a lightbulb moment this week. About a month ago I bought a couple of work shirts which I hadn't worn yet because I hadn't been at work. Just plain button up shirts. I buy them at a factory outlet and they don't size them by number, they size them by M, L, XL, etc. I bought XXL which I really wouldn't know what the equavalent number is. When I put one on on Monday morning, it was like a potato sack. It looked ridiculous and it was swimming on me. I took them back today and got XL. So although I haven't noticed a huge difference in my journey so far, I realise that is a victory. I have gone down a size. I really don't want to buy too many new clothes at the moment for obvious reasons.

So my first week back at work has been crazy. Like a lot of places at this time of year we are on skeleton staff. There are only 3 of us there instead of the usual 10. We can't keep up. There have been days where I haven't even had lunch because I am the only one in the office. Oh well, I only work 9-1 tomorrow and then we have a few more coming back next week.

Nikki has been in Stansbury all week by herself staying with her Nana and Pa (Steve's mum and dad) I don't think she wants to come home and I don't blame her. She has been swimming and kneeboarding for the first time. Apparently she was a pro and didn't fall off at all. She'll be back on Sunday and then next weekend we head back so Ashleigh and Jarryd can have a week over there. When they come back on the Australia Day long weekend, it will be the start of the new school year.

Steve and I finally have a counselling date. Next Friday the 16th. I am looking forward to it and will be writing down a list of points to bring up so I don't get sidetracked. Wonder what we will get out of it.

Well I'm off to update my weight watcher tracker and head to bed. It's been a long week.

Have a great weekend everyone.

400g Gain Over Christmas :(

2008-12-30T15:22:00.004+10:30

Had a glorious beach day while we were away. I love the beach. Very rarely have holidays away from the water.

Steve's mum and dad bought the kids their table tennis table and Jarryd got a Ben 10 bike from Santa.

The only photo I have from Ashleigh's dancing concert. This outfit was for the Grease Lightning finale.

Well I bit the bullet and weighed in this morning. I gained 400g which is what I lost last week so back to pre christmas weight.

I'm not even disappointed. I enjoyed christmas and I haven't gone out of control. There were a couple of days where I couldn't stop eating the chocolate that was lying around but it's outa sight now and I don't even think about it.

It just goes to show I truly don't have any willpower. If tempting foods aren't around, I don't really think that much about them but have them where I can see them and they wear me down - LOL!!!

So New Years eve tomorrow night!! How did that happen??

I'm not making a new years resolution this year because I never stick to them. We have nothing planned which is fine. Last year it was 40 deg and we had so many people over it was crazy. This year it's going to be 24 ish. Our local beach has fireworks so that's where we will go. I think I partied too much over christmas so I really don't mind staying home this year. But you never know, it's still 36 hours away. Anything could happen.

We all got very spoilt on xmas day. Nikki got a ripstick and Ashleigh and Jarryd got bikes.

Steve was in charge of my present this year. I had no idea. I got a sandwich press and some outdoor solar hanging lights. I would have preferred jewellary - LOL!!!!!

So it's all over for another year. Back into healthy eating and exercise. Thanks to everyone for your motivation and support through this blog and the ww forums. I am feeling more positive about my weight loss than I have in years.

Have a fantastic new year's eve whatever you decide to do. See you in 2009

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T16:48:00.003+10:30

Just popped in to let you know I lost 400g today taking the total to 9.9 kgs!!

Bugger just missed the 10 kg mark but I will do that next week.

I am very happy with 400g gone. I have had a few days drinking this week and although I didn't go over my points, I haven't eaten enough food because I've counted a lot of alcohol points. Never mind, all the parties are finished until new years eve. I'm not drinking tomorrow because I might have to drive to Stansbury which is 2 hours from Adelaide.

We are going away until Sunday. Steve has to go back to work on Monday. It will be a wonderful, relaxing break with Steve's family. They live in a beautiful country coastal town and I love going over there. We just don't seem to get over there often enough.

I wish everyone a very special christmas with family and friends. Enjoy the holiday whatever you do.

Another Good Week

2008-12-18T22:18:00.002+10:30

I'm happy to report I lost 1.6 kgs this week taking the total to 9.5 kgs in 7 weeks.

Again I was shocked by the loss especially since I had a huge night last Saturday and drank far too much. I had been very careful during the day and didn't use too many points and I think I drank more than I ate on Saturday point wise - LOL!!!

The exercise has dwindled a little this week. When the kids were at school, I was in a very good routine that I would walk and pick them up at least 3 times a week. Now they are on holidays that routine has gone so I need to make sure I am still walking. The kids are getting bikes from Father Christmas and Steve bought a bike recently so I will definitely be investing in one early next year. I haven't been on a bike for about 30 years so that will be a laugh!!

I am ready for christmas. I just need to get one more present for my next door neighbour who always spoils the kids rotton. What do you get a 26 year old kid??? And she is still a kid at heart. Last year she bought all 3 of my kids a nintendo ds game each. She's very naughty. So I really need to put my thinking cap on and think of something special for her.

Ashleigh's budgie has had another 2 babies. They are still in the nest so that makes 5 babies altogether. The 1st 2 died, but the 3rd one survived and he is fully grown now. There's lots of chirping going on in the nesting box so we'll see how these 2 go. After they come out we are going to take the nesting box away. Sky (the mummy bird) needs a rest - LOL!!

I work a 4 hour shift tomorrow, 5-1/2 hours on Monday and then we breakup at lunch time on Tuesday. Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can't wait. Even though I only have about 10 days off, it's a break and I need a break.

If I don't get back here before next Thursday, I wish everyone a very special christmas. I hope you all have a lovely day with family and friends.

2 Weeks to Go

2008-12-11T22:26:00.003+10:30

First things first.

I lost 1.2 kgs this week taking the total to 7.9 kgs in 6 weeks.

I am so happy with tonight's loss. My scales are really playing up at home and I totally thought I hadn't lost anything this week. I am going to try very hard not to use my home scales. It does my head in.

I have finished all my christmas shopping and all the presents are wrapped and under the tree. I have not written one card though. Just can't be bothered. How bad is that? And the funny thing is that we have only received 1 card so far. I think everyone is in denial!!

I bought something off of ebay for my sister to give the kids and after 2 weeks it seems it has gone missing in the post. Luckily I insured it so I will get my money back but what a pain in the bum. It's a buzz game and buzzers for the PS2 and the bundle is around $100 new in the shops. I got this one for $40 so I doubt I will get another one so cheap.

School finishes here tomorrow and I have mixed feelings. I am happy the routine will stop for 6 weeks but it means when they go back next year my first born will be in grade 7 and I'm not ready to accept that yet - LOL!! They all got their reports yesterday and because the teachers have been involved in industrial action for a lot of this year they decided not to write any report summarys of the year in their reports. How bad is that?? A report card with ticks and nothing else. It's so impersonal and I think it's very bad on the teachers parts. I agree with what they are asking for but not writing end of year reports is absurd. They didn't have an end of year concert either for the 1st time in 8 years for us if you include kindy events. It doesn't feel right.

They also got their class placements and I was floored when Ashleigh came home and told me she is in the same class as the kid that has been bullying her all year. After discussing it with the principal today, we have decided to keep her there for the time being. There were 2 bullys and they have been seperated so hopefully that will make a difference. But I do agree that Ashleigh needs to learn how to stand up for herself so I am going to make this problem known to the new teacher and the school counsellor as soon as they go back to school next year.

She is actually feeling very positive about next year which is a good thing.

I'm counting the days until work finishes. 7.5 working days to go and then I am off until 5th January. It's not much but I am so looking forward to having a break from work and doing nothing.

Have a great weekend everyone.

A Little Loss

2008-12-04T21:50:00.003+10:30

I lost 600g this week taking the total to 6.7 kgs in 5 weeks.

I was a little surprised I only lost 600g this week because I have been very focussed and have not gone over my points in the 5 weeks I've been on this journey.

The only thing I noticed over the last couple of days is feeling very bloated and because TTOM is next Tuesday, I should be grateful that I had a loss this week. In fact this time last month I only lost 300g so I think that's going to be the pattern every 4 weeks.

I have my work christmas show this Saturday night and traditionally it has been a huge night of eating and drinking. We are going to a dinner and show package so there is 5 hours of drinking. I really think I will try and pace myself but I'm going to save lots of points so I can enjoy without feeling guilty.

I am planning on finishing my christmas shopping on Saturday morning. I'll get over to the shops when they open and shop til I finish. There is no way I want to go anywhere near the shops in the last couple of weeks before christmas apart from doing food shopping. I don't have too much else to do so hopefully it won't take me too long.

Ashleigh had her dancing end of year break up last night and came home with a lovely trophy. She did say towards the end of the dancing year that she didn't want to do it again next year which was fine by me. But after 4 weeks off, she is already missing it and she's saying she might do it again next year. Bugger!!!!! I was really looking forward to having a break.

We've had a traumatic couple of weeks with Ashleigh. She has had a couple of girls bullying her all year. Nothing too serious, niggling her and putting her down. I have tried to get her to stand up to them but she's just not that sort of kid. If it was Nikki there wouldn't be a problem but Ashleigh doesn't want to rock the boat.

Well on Tuesday night she came home and told me one of these girls had threatened to bash her up if she told me about them harassing her. Well, I did something I should have done months ago. I was on the phone to the school that quick, Ashleigh didn't have time to think about it. It was addressed very quickly and the girls were all brought together. Of course they denied it. But they have left Ashleigh alone for the last 2 days. Thank goodness there is only 1 week left of school. I have been assured they will not be in the same class next year.

We as a family have never had to address bullying. I can't believe how bitchy some girls are. From telling Ashleigh what she should and shouldn't be wearing to telling her how slow and crap she is at sports. She is picked on because she is too nice and wouldn't hurt a fly. I really do worry about the future for her because she just won't stand up for herself and she certainly would never tell a teacher what's been going on for fear of upsetting the girls who have been bullying her.

I feel very sad when she tells me what they do to her. I just want to wrap her in cotton wool!!!

Sunny (for now) Saturday

2008-11-29T12:41:00.006+10:30

These are the photos that I took of our duck pond visit. The earlier photos are from Ashleigh's camera.

Jarryd in Steve's bike leathers!!

The girls are holding another blogger Tania's baby girl Mikayla.

How old is she now Tania? It goes to quick. And you can fill me in on how old she was in these photos.

Our afternoon in Stirling in the Adelaide Hills. Such a pretty town.

Jarryd and Ashleigh are having afternoon tea at a bakery.

It took me a while to download these photos. We are saving all our photos, so I will post some more archive photos later. It's so much fun to look back on the kid's early years.

I have 2 extra kids here today so I'm about to take them to the beach for a walk. I wonder how many will come home wet again??

Ashleigh played her last cricket game of the year this morning. Can't say I will miss the early mornings.

I had coffee with a blogger I met through the weight watchers boards. Joanne has lost over 30 kgs and is 1/2 way through her journey. I feel like I had a free counselling session because she was so inspirational. Thanks so much Jo, I had a great afternoon. We'll do it again.

We did take a photo but you'll have to visit her blog to see it. I hate it of course but I'll have another one taken next time we are together and see how far I have come.

And if anyone know how to link to another blog (so I could have linked Jo's and Tania's) please let me know.

I am definitely feeling fitter. I have gone from the couch potato stage to the starting to enjoy walking in the sunshine stage. Still slow compared to others but it will build up slowly.

Having said that, I am off for that walk.

Look What I Found in the Archives..................

2008-11-27T21:36:00.007+10:30

I found some of these old photos of the kids

I can't believe Nikki is now 12, Ashleigh is now 10 and Jarryd is now 7.

Where did that time go?????

Nikki's 1st netball game. She was 5 or 6.

This is a better photo of my hibiscus. It is just stunning but the flowers only last on the plant about 3 days.

I am very happy to report I lost 900g tonight taking the total to 6.1 kgs in 4 weeks. I'm very happy with that.

I've been doing some christmas shopping on ebay and picking up some bargains. I got Nikki's christmas present that was in the Target catalogue last week for $100 on special for $60. Can't say what it is in case she gets to read this - LOL!!

Ashleigh's budgie has finally come out of the nesting box but we have discovered that it has a problem with one of it's legs. Instead of going under the bird, it is out to the side and after doing some investigation on the internet, it's called splayed legs. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about it now so it is going to be a special needs budgie. If we had caught it while it was still in the nesting box, we could have tried tying it's little legs together and it could have corrected it. But because the bird is now nearly fully grown, it won't fix itself now. Ashleigh was so upset but she has realised that the baby will adapt and is already climbing the sides of the cage. It probably won't be able to sit on the perches like other budgies but she has already held it lots of times and it is becoming quite tame.

Can you believe the naughty mummy and daddy have been at it again and the mummy is sitting on 3 eggs again!!! We might have to seperate them if this keeps happening - LOL!!

Photo Post

2008-11-23T11:12:00.007+10:30

Yesterday was interesting. Choices of meat at the bbq were sausages, patties and marinated chicken thigh. The salads were all swimming in thick, creamy dressings so I just had a small amount of pasta salad and a piece of chicken and a pattie. When I came home and tracked I was amazed to find the pattie had 10 points for 1 serve. It didn't say what a serve was but they were small patties so I counted 5 points. Needless to say I will not have a pattie again.

I went over my points for the first time today. Not concerned at all. I'm maybe 4 points over and I made that up by walking home from the waterslide which was about 40 minutes walk along the beach. Very nice. No-one wanted to come with me because they were so tired and I really enjoyed being alone. Of course I found a house I would love to buy on the Esplanade. Probably would go for $1.2 million!!!!!

I forgot to take the camera to the waterslide party yesterday. I am hopeless. It was a great day even though it was a cold start. Nikki and Ashleigh went on the waterslide but there were lots of little kids who came down with their dads and definitely didn't want to go back on again.

Father Christmas came and some of the presents were amazing. Jarryd got disc shooters that shoot out foam discs. There are 2 of them and Nikki and Jarryd spent ages when they got home rigging up a battlezone with chairs and blankets. Ashleigh got an electronic diary and Nikki got a lava lamp which she was disappointed with because she got one at the same party 2 years ago - LOL. There was a clown that entertained the kids. I wish my kids were little again. Nikki was so synical about this clown that had all the little kids in fits of laughter. Jarryd sat with the little kids.

This is at the magic cave when we went to see Santa. Sorry about the red eyes but I couldn't find my camera software.

My sister made this pumpkin for Nikki's halloween party she had nearly a month ago now. She had about 12 friends and they spent most of the time in the pool. Absolutely no sense of feeling cold. It was 20 deg. We did have the spa on though to warm up.

This is the most amazing hibiscus plant. When it flowers it has the hugest flowers. So hard to see in a photo but they are massive. Easily bigger than your hand outstretched.

As you can see, some of the girls were still in the pool including my crazy daughter Ashleigh in the middle of the pool.

These photos are all off of Ashleigh's camera. I finally got around to downloading the photos and then my camera went totally flat.

We live 10 minutes away from West Lakes and there is a lovely park and duck pond with walking trails and bridges. I wish I lived closer to walk around there every night. We went to feed the ducks and Ashleigh spotted this cute little baby duck. It was funny watching it dart around trying to get the bread. Entertained the kids for ages.

Great Week

2008-11-21T00:18:00.002+10:30

Just a quick update to tell you about my weigh in tonight.

I was hoping for a loss but when they told me I lost 2.2 kgs I was in shock. I have now lost 5.2 kgs in total in 3 weeks.

So I'm very happy tonight.

Plodding Along

2008-11-16T11:01:00.002+10:30

Things are no better and no worse here. We are still waiting for the phone call about the counselling but I am not holding my breath. If it was me, I would have tried someone else instead of just accepting that we are on a waiting list for god knows how long!!! But I am not doing it this time. It's time he took some responsibility. We are keeping it together for the kids but things are very tense between us. He still has made no effort to sit down and talk and I am not going to initiate it AGAIN!!!

Ashleigh still won't spend time alone with Steve. She has come to me for the 3 weight watchers meetings I have gone to and I just can't convince her to stay with her father. The other 2 are fine and things have improved there, but Ashleigh is such a different child. So sensitive and easy going but when things bother her, she is very clingy to me. I really need to look into some counselling for her.

Sorry again for the lack of photos. I still haven't got around to loading the software for the camera onto this new computer. In fact I still haven't got around to finding the software!!

We took the kids to the magic cave yesterday to see Father Christmas. Mainly because Jarryd keeps changing his mind and I need to know - LOL!! I was so pissed off with David Jones. They have banned you taking your own photos so I was quite prepared to buy some photos but after waiting in line for over an hour, we were told their photographs weren't working. When I asked 2 people if I could take my own photo, they told me I couldn't because it was against store policy. I spat it. Fair enough if their equipment is working but I don't think they can ban you if they can't take photos either. I was nearly tempted to ask Father Christmas but I didn't want to get into an argument with him!! I am definitely going to send a letter to David Jones management. And in the end Jarryd asked for a surprise because he couldn't decide. Nikki asked for a rip stick which is like a skateboard and Ashleigh asked for a bike.

In my second week of weight watchers I lost 300g which brings the total to 3 kgs. I always have a tiny loss in week 2 and it was also TTOM so I was ok with that. Bigger one this week.

Nikki had a birthday party to go to yesterday afternoon and when we dropped her off, the parents asked us to stay for a drink. They are good friends and have a heated pool so Nikki and Ashleigh both had a swim. Well a quiet drink ended up with us staying until around 11pm. And I did have a bit too much to drink. I don't think I would have gone over points for the day because I had only had fruit for breakfast and then hadn't had time to eat until we had a BBQ tea at the party. Needless to say, the wine went straight to my head because of the lack of food and now I feel like crap today!!

Ashleigh had her end of year dancing concert last Sunday and I was so proud of her. She is going through such a tough time at the moment and one of Nikki's friends who is in the same dance group told Nikki that Ashleigh was embarrassing because she kept forgetting the steps. I was furious when I heard that. Girls can be such bitches. Well she didn't make even 1 mistake and I was the proudest mum there!! I wish I could have gotten some photos in her costumes but they won't allow cameras in the theatre and I was too slack to get backstage photos. She has decided to have a year off of dancing because she has been doing it for 5 years and wants a break. Can't say I'm unhappy about that. It was becoming a chore to get her to practice every week and I can put the money into my weight watchers meetings now. Something for me at last!!!!!

I have done very little Christmas shopping. I have a few things on layby but I need to do a lot more. K-Mart had 20% off toys this week but I am just not going to get the chance to get over there. We had a huge day yesterday and today we are going up into the Adelaide Hills for a BBQ with Steve's golf club. I really could stay home. Might get over there one night this week.

Like most people at this time of the year, we have something on most weekends now until christmas. Steve's work are putting on a christmas party for the kids next Saturday at a waterslide which is very close to our place so I'm hoping for some warm weather next weekend. Then we have a surprise 40th and my work show and then Steve's work show for the next 3 weekends after that. Crazy time of the year.

I'll be back next week to let you know how week 3 weigh in goes.

Thanks again for all your support for the dramas in my life. It really means so much to have such caring friends.

Quick Update

2008-11-06T20:59:00.002+10:30

Firstly I really want to thank everyone for their comment to my last post. I can totally relate to each and every one of you.

I know this is not an acceptable way of living for myself and the children. It has been going on for far too long and I can't do it anymore.

We sat the children down and had a good talk to them. They all told Steve how they are feeling and that they had been too scared to tell him the truth in the past. It broke my heart. Anyway it prompted Steve into making a phonecall and putting the wheels in place for counselling. I think we are on a waiting list which is typical!!

Things are still very strained between us because he still hasn't sat me down and tried talking. Like I said I'm sick of trying and things being ok for a couple of months and then it all happens again. He just can't communicate!!

Anyway I will wait until we can see the counsellor. I just can't face thinking about moving out or packing a house up before christmas.

He is going away on a bike rally this weekend and I think it is perfect timing. I just hope he can have a good think about things while he's away.

I really appreciate everything you have said. It's nothing I haven't thought a million times and I know this treatment is totally unacceptable but I just don't know how things are going to change.
Can people really change???

Anyway onto some good news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I LOST 2.7 KGS THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!

Finally something to put a smile on my face.

Lazy Blogger!!

2008-11-03T21:41:00.003+10:30

Yep, that's me - a very lazy blogger!!

One of the reasons I haven't updated is because we have had a few computer issues and apart from losing all my photos from the last 6 months, I haven't downloaded our camera software as yet.

I hate posting without photos.

Big news for me is that I have finally stopped procrastinating (sp??) and started weight watchers again. As I have said many times, I have absolutely no support in this family when it comes to weight loss efforts and I have finally realized that I do love the support you get from going to meetings. I have joined unlimited which only works out to $13.50 ish per week which is quite good. With that you get etools for free which is great for online tracking.

I know there are lots of bloggers out there that don't agree with weight watchers but I know it works for me if I stick to it. And after all, it is just sensible eating. Nothing more, nothing less.

I have changed my hours at work which now gives me time to walk to school and pick the kids up 3 times a week. Hey it's a start. I am soooo unfit!! I'll build it up very slowly.

The other big thing in my life at the moment is my marriage. Things aren't great - AGAIN!!

I honestly don't know what to do. I have tried so many times that I just don't know where to go from here. We had counselling 12 months ago which I instigated but got that thrown back in my face because the counsellor was on my side!!!! So we didn't go back. I have asked him to organize his own counselling and it hasn't happened.

We have honestly just grown apart. His children are scared of him and that scares me.

He wants love and affection yet I get no love or affection. And I am so sick of trying!!!

He doesn't talk!! He won't sit down and start a conversation. It always ends up with him yelling at me because his life is so tough. For example - picking up the dog poo, cleaning the pool and taking the bins out are his pet hates. I have so many chores I hate too but I don't complain about them. It's part and parcel of bringing up a family and running a household.

I know I'm not perfect but how do you live with someone who is so grumpy ALL the time??

I really don't know where that leaves us!! I still love him but it's not enough anymore!!

I have one request. I need so much support right now. If you are still reading and I know there are lots that are, please leave me a comment to let me know you are there. I love reading blogs and have made so many friends online. I have lots of people reading from overseas, but hardly anyone comments.

Please say hi!!!

And give me some advice if you have ever been in this situation.

Random Photos

2008-10-03T22:02:00.003+09:30

It was Nikki's 12th birthday on Wednesday.

How did that happen?????

We gave her a bike that she is very excited about. It took her a little while to get used to the gears but now she's riding it with confidence. Can't wait for daylight saving to start this weekend so we have more time to walk and ride after I finish work. We had a family lunch on Sunday and I whipped up the big cake - lol!! No, not really, I cheated and bought it.

I am loving this time of the year. Spring is here and our plum tree is full of blossom. Actually I took this photo a few days too late because the blossom has started to blow off, but it looked spectacular when it was in full bloom.

Had to laugh at Jarryd. We were walking out the door for school last week and he lined up his pokemon toys on the lounge, put the pillow under their heads and told them they could watch TV while he was at school. So funny!!

Update on the budgies. Sky has laid another 3 eggs. We're not getting our hopes up, but hopefully she will do better this time and maybe, just maybe we might get a baby budgie that survives this time.

Ashleigh is away on a camping trip with her girl guides group. She left 3 days ago and we pick her up on Sunday, so 5 days in total. I can't believe how much I am missing her. I keep wondering if she is warm enough, if she is getting enough to eat, if she is sleeping ok and many other things a mummy thinks about when her baby is away. It's been raining here quite a lot today so I hope she didn't get too wet. I can't wait to go and pick her up on Sunday.

I'm sure a lot of you have been reading Beckie's blog over the years. Well her last post this week had a huge effect on me. Not just because she has decided not to blog anymore, but because of the reasons why. She wants to devote all her time to her beautiful family and I don't blame her for one second. My baby just turned 12 and I just can't get over how quickly that time has gone. It just seems like yesterday that she was a tiny baby. I am guilty of spending far too much time online. I don't regret that because I have made so many friends through blogging but I realize that I need to spend every moment I can with my family before they are living their own lives.

So now the weather is getting better, I sure have no excuses to get out in it. I am really looking forward to starting to walk again. There is something about winter that just makes me want to hibernate. I turn into a grizzly bear!!

Have a great long weekend.

Beach Photos

2008-09-22T16:51:00.005+09:30

It was such a perfect day yesterday so a friend and I met at a local beach kiosk for a coffee. It is a beautiful setting and you can watch the kids easily from the verandah of the kiosk.

It wasn't long before they wanted to go to the beach and of course we didn't have any towels.

When we left I had 3 children with wet and sandy pants so they had to go home in their undies.

Hahaha maybe we'll remember the towels next time.

We do have some sad news to report this week. Ashleigh's 2 baby budgies died. Not sure why but I don't think Sky was feeding them. They were the 1st eggs she hatched so hopefully she will be a better mummy budgie next time. And yes, they are already trying again!!!

I'm Still Here!!

2008-09-14T20:44:00.003+09:30

We went to the Royal Adelaide show yesterday and it was an unreal day. It was a beautiful, warm September day and we all were exhausted by the time we got home.

If you look at the photo of the swing ride, you can just see the girls to the right of the photo. They were screaming the whole ride.

We stayed for the fireworks and saw some shows like the motorbike stunt riders. Unbelievable!!!

Ashleigh and her 2 best friends all in different teams. These 3 have been best friends since reception.

We've also had the kids sports day last week. You can just see Jarryd at the end of the tunnelball waiting for the ball.

So, I can't believe it's been a month since I have updated. So much has happened.

In my last update, I showed a picture of Ashleigh's budgie's egg. Well since then, she laid 3 more and in the last week 2 baby budgies have hatched. We were amazed. Here I was telling Ashleigh that they might not hatch because it's the 1st eggs she has laid and trying to prepare here for the disappointment and now we have 2 babies. I haven't been able to take a photo yet. Mummy bird is very protective. They are tiny and have no feathers so very ugly really.

Ashleigh had a dancing competition about 3 weeks ago and they came 3rd. A bit disappointing but they really weren't up to standard and probably shouldn't have entered but it was all good practice. Just a pain all the preparation beforehand. Like sequinning!!!!

Jarryd was invited to 3 parties that weekend so it was a crazy time.

We went to the best party the weekend after that. Friends of ours turned 40 within a couple of weeks of each other so they booked out the balcony of a local pub and put drinks on the bar. I decided to drive but my darling husband got so drunk, I don't know how he was still standing at the end of the night which was around 5am!! We ended up back at a mates house who had a very well stocked bar. It was fun staying sober and watching all the crazy drunks around me. There were about 100 helium balloons and we were taking some home for the kids. Steve had so many wrapt around his hand while he was dancing they got tangled up and he couldn't get them off. I am waiting for a friend to email me a photo of him walking down the street with so many balloons attatched. It was hillarious. And then of course, the inevitable happened.

Sucking the helium balloons!!

Probably why he was so sick the next day. Hahaha - Suffer baby!!!

The next day, I left him at home and took the girls to meet a blogger friend Tania for coffee and cake. Tania was then 38 weeks pregnant and has since given birth to her little girl Mikayla.
Congratulations Tania, Michael and Lachlan. I can't wait to see you all and have a cuddle of your precious bundle.

The following week which was the beginning of last week, I got a call from the school to say Nikki was in the sick room. She had been having a couple of dizzy spells and headaches for about a week so it was time to see the local GP. She examined her for quite a while and was listening to her heart for ages and then told us she was concerned about an irregular heartbeat. OMG did that freak me out thinking all the worse things like I always do. She started writing a letter for the Childrens Hospital and told us to go straight up there which freaked me out even more. Steve was away for the whole week working in Mildura so I dropped the other 2 at mums and headed up to the hospital. Well after a 4 hour wait and lots of prodding and probing and testing like an ECG, reflex testing and neurological testing, the doctor ruled out anything nasty
THANK GOD!!

So they have put it down to a virus and pre teenage hormones. We have put her on some multi vitamins and watched her diet and she has been fine. No dizzy spells in over a week now.

Last weekend Steve and I went to Melbourne and left the kids with Steve's parents in Stansbury. It was a lovely, relaxing few days although Jetstar were absolutely terrible. Firstly we had a 2 hour delay in Adelaide and we didn't get to our hotel until 8pm Saturday night. Then our 9pm flight home got changed to 6am!! Huge difference. So we had to stay in a hotel near the airport the night before because the 6am flight is the only one that goes from Melbourne to Adelaide each day now. We were up at 4.30am. Then we had to drive 2 hours there and 2 hours back to get the kids from Steve's parents. An exhausting day!!

But we did get to have some quality time together in Melbourne. We went to see 'In Bruge' at the Crown Casino cinemas at gold class which was unreal. Then spent a couple of days with my bestest friend Lee. Always goes too quick. I had last week off work and it has flown. I am hating that I have to go back to work tomorrow.

This is the last week for school netball and soccer so that will free up our Saturday mornings and a couple of nights during the week. I can't believe that we are nearly at the end of Term 3. Where has this year gone??

Have a great week bloggers.

Winter Is Making Me Sick and Miserable!!

2008-08-10T18:43:00.002+09:30

When I went out to get the paper this morning, I found that it had been hailing. So I decided to play a trick on the children.

I took some photos and told them it had snowed!!

They were so excited. I am so evil.

We have had so much rain over the last week which is unreal but I am over it now. It is cold and wet and today it only got to 11 deg. If we get much more, Steve will have to drain some out of the pool. It is full to the brim.

I have developed a chesty cough and very clogged head. I have felt like crap today but I am going to tough it out for a couple more days and hopefully I won't need to go to the doctor. Being asthmatic I usually get a couple of chest infections during winter but can mostly fight them off without having to get antibiotics.

Jarryd had to play soccer in the rain again yesterday and I felt so sorry for him. He was in the backline and because his team is so good, the ball hardly ever came down to him. I felt like taking a towel out to him to dry him off. He was standing on the field all by himself - dripping and looking so miserable!!
The blogger in me was so pissed off that I didn't have the camera - LOL.

We had a few friends over last night for a meal and a card night. This is something we used to do every couple of months but lately it has been more like every 6 months. It had been ages. Everyone bought a dish. I made laab - a spicy thai chicken dish served with rice and tuna mornay. Someone else bought lasagna and the other couple got a cheesecake from the Cheesecake shop. It was a great night and I think we won a little bit of money.

Speaking of money, my ebay auctions are doing really well. I have sold over $200 so far. Pity ebay have taken $50 of that in fees. And I still have a lot of interest in the things still going.

I bought myself a treadmill on ebay. I have been watching one that was pickup near us and it started at $300. A hardly used York brand. It had no bids for days and then there were a couple yesterday. I went in at the last minute and got it for $406. Considering I had $500 to spend, I was very happy with that.

Not that I feel well enough to be exercising right now, but as soon as we get it I am going to start with 20 minutes a day and build it up from there.

Not much else to report this week. I have finished sequinning Ashleigh's dance costume for her competition next Sunday. They have a full dress rehearsal tomorrow night so hopefully it is right and I don't have to do any more to it.

Jarryd has 3 birthday parties next weekend so he is going to be very busy. Steve is playing golf on Sunday so next weekend is shaping up to be very busy for me.

Have a great week bloggers and stay warm.

Long Overdue Update

2008-08-06T16:50:00.003+09:30

This may sound very boring to some but on Friday we went for a walk over our new Port River Bridge. It was a huge day for people in our area because they have been building this bridge for over 3 years and it is finally open. It was a freezing cold day as you can see by how we are all rugged up.

This Bridge cuts about 10 minutes off my trip to work every day so it is very exciting to finally be open. Ashleigh was involved in the opening ceremony. She made this flag and along with lots of other local school kids, they displayed the flags.

In other exciting news, Ashleigh's budgie has laid her first egg. She is going to be a mummy. Sky (pictured with Ashleigh) and Barney, her new bird have been going for it for weeks. The kids have been fascinated - LOL!!
So we went out and got a nesting box and she has been sitting on the egg. So hopefully, we will have a baby budgie very soon.

What else has been happening???

Everyone in our house has coughs and sniffles. It is so cold here and thankfully we have had lots of rain with it so that's good. God knows, we need the rain so desperately.

After reading about a few bloggers decluttering, namely Chris H and Kate, I got into the decluttering mode as well. I have so many piles of clothes that the kids have grown out of, I sorted and photgraphed them and listed them on ebay. Very time consuming, but I have listed some good things so hopefully I will get good money for them. I have 2 pairs of tap shoes and 2 pairs of jazz shoes that are listed and so far there is a lot of interest, so it will be good to get rid of them.

And then spend again. In the last week, Nikki and Ashleigh have needed new sandshoes. Everything Ashleigh has put on so far in this cold weather has been far too short so she has grown the most in the last 12 months. I wish I could put a brick on their heads. I am so enjoying this stage of being a mummy.

I got a letter today from Medicare Dental Care for teens!!! What the???? How did Nikki get to be nearly a teenager? I am entering the next phase of my life with trepidation. I know all you mums of teens and even my mum will say 'It only get's worse!!' I have been thinking so much about my eldest daughter becoming independent and living her life - not mine. I don't think I like it :(

Please any mother of teenagers - I need advice. Don't be shy - jump right in and leave a comment. Come on I know I have a lot of lurkers. Please stop by and say hi.

I need to get creative with this blog. I need colour in my life!!

And for all you Collingwood people, thankyou, thankyou for taking the spotlight off my team - Port Adelaide. I'm looking to next year now with the talent in our team. Some of those young boys are good eye candy. Isn't that why us women go to the football!!

Anyway I better go and get tea ready. Home made pizza tonight. My eating went off the rails this weekend. Ashleigh bought home the fundraising chocolate. Bad idea Ashleigh!! Evil stuff.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Lucky Ashleigh!!

2008-07-27T19:50:00.002+09:30

Even though Port lost today, Ashleigh had a win at the football. Nikki didn't want to go because we had a late night and she had heaps of homework to finish so Ashleigh came with me instead. We were hanging around the kids area before the game and there was someone with a microphone interviewing one of the injured players. Then he said they were going to give out some footballs. We just happened to be in the right place at the right time because Ashleigh was given a brand new leather Sherrin football signed by Nathan Krakour.

Steve reckons it's worth around $100, but I wouldn't pay that much for it!!!
She is very excited though and wants to take it to school tomorrow to make all the boys jealous - hahaha!!! Unfortunately the boys let us down again and got beaten by Fremantle.

I caught Jarryd playing with his sister's little pet shop toys the other night. He was funny because he didn't want his photo taken with girly toys. He is such a boy!!!

I've been a slack blogger again the last couple of weeks. Probably because I have nothing interesting to say. It's usually all about the kids and what they are doing so I feel like I'm kinda boring.

We went to a fantastic Christmas in July dinner last night with a friend I know through Nikki playing netball. We didn't know many people there but it was the kind of crowd that made you feel very welcome and interested in getting to know you. And the host and hostess, Karen and Gary thought of everything. There was so much food, it certainly felt like the feeling you get after lunch on Christmas day. Everyone took something and the table was all done up with lots of christmas decorations and the room was decorated with christmas lights. So a very impressive night.

I can't believe it's only 5 weeks until Steve and I go to Melbourne. I booked earlier this year when Jetstar were having a bring a friend sale. I only paid $80 for both airfares. We are dropping the kids off at Steve's parents so they will have a couple of days out of school. I have booked the first 2 weeks off in September and I am so hanging out for a holiday. I wish I could go back to working 4 days a week but I know we would go backwards again.

We did get a good amount back from our tax which paid off the credit card, paid school fees, 6 months worth of council rates and a little bit for Steve and I. He has bought some accessories for his bike and I am going to spend mine on a treadmill. Hopefully I will get a good second hand one for around $500. Surely there are heaps of treadmills out there that are hardly used!!

I have been extra good with my eating the last couple of weeks. I have been weighing every Monday and recording my weight but I'm not going to reveal anything except to say it is going down!! I'll post a monthy result at the end of each month.

Have a great week bloggers.

I Love Weekends - Why do they go sooooo quick??

2008-07-13T17:15:00.003+09:30

This is what we have been doing all weekend!!!

Hanging out in our pyjamas and trackies. It has been so cold and if it wasn't for having to go and see my useless football team play last night and then having to pick Nikki up from a party today, I doubt I would have got dressed at all.

It was freezing cold last night. I had that many layers on I would have hated to have jumped on the scales. I thought about staying home in front of the heater watching Port play North Melbourne, but I am too loyal to my team. I mean they might just make us rugged up against the bitter cold fans, have something to cheer about for a change. But NO!! Of course not!! It would be different if you could see them putting in 100% because that's why they get paid the big dollars but no. Again we leave disappointed.

Sorry for the huge whinge but I have paid good money to see an AFL team perform this year!!!

I'm convinced they are playing for draft picks.

I have been doing a bit more gardening this weekend. Just planted a couple of plants from pots. I have a beautiful pink frangapani that was in a pot by the pool, so I transferred it into the ground by the spa. I need Steve to dig out a couple of dead tree ferns I have in 2 wine barrels and I am going to fill them up with strawberry plants.

I need to go to the nursery but I know I will spend too much money.

Nikki went to a sleepover party last night with very little sleep. When I picked her up the father of the girl who had the party said he threatened them for the last time at 3am. I am so not having any sleepover parties again.

Steve played golf today. Actually it was a perfect, sunny winters day today, just very cold. We've had a lot of rain this week which was very much needed. I think I suffer from winter depression. I have very little inclination to go anywhere!! I like pottering around the house and yard. I guess because we always have lots of people here in summer because of the pool, I find it so nice to hibernate in winter. I must be part bear!!!

Second week of school holidays coming up. Steve has a couple of days off again so he will take them to the pictures. I think Speed Racer or Get Smart this time. They saw Indiana Jones last week. I have a week off in early September. Steve and I are going to Melbourne for 4 days and the kids will be going to Stansbury with Steve's parents. It's not really that far away considering we are in the middle of July.

I am still waiting for Steve's group certificate so I can do our tax online. It will be interesting to see how much extra we get from Kevin Rudd like he promised us struggling working families. I just hope we have some over after we pay the school fees and credit card.

I am still waiting to get the decluttering bug like a few bloggers. I feel very sad that it hasn't hit yet!!!!

Have a great week.

Port Power Kids Day

2008-07-07T20:03:00.003+09:30

I know this could be very boring to some people but to my Port Power mad daughter and myself it was very exciting!!

This afternoon the Port Power Club had a event for the junior members. Unfortunately because of the rain a few things had to be cancelled on the oval but the highlight of the day was getting to meet all the players and getting their autographs.

The players were great with the kids and Nikki got every autograph on her guernsey.
Some of the players were unreal with the kids and had a good chat to them. Nikki was too embarrased to have her photo taken with the players so this is the closest I got with her head in some of the photos - LOL. All the kids got pies and pasties and doughnuts (All very healthy) and flavoured milk to drink.

There would have been a footy clinic on the oval with the players but because of the rain that was cancelled. But overall it was a great afternoon.

A Very Relaxing Sunday

2008-07-06T17:27:00.003+09:30

After a crazy day yesterday, I was looking forward to a much more relaxing day today and I got my wish. I organized to meet a friend at the kiosk at our local beach for coffee. It wasn't until I went outside this morning to put some washing on the line that I realized how cold and windy it was.

It was freezing!!!

Anyway I rugged the kids up and we went and met Karen and her daughter Krysten, one of Nikki's netball friends. So what is a kid to do on a cold, windy day when it's too cold to go on the beach or the playground....................

Play their nintendos of course!!

Not sure where blogger will put these photos but there is a photo of Ashleigh ice skating last week. She was so good. I couldn't believe it. She has never ice skated before but she roller bladed quite a lot so she has very good balance.

As soon as she got on the ice she was off. Doing laps while the other kids and even the big kids that were there, were falling down around her. Gosh some of those teenagers came down with a thud. The bigger they were, the harder they fell. By the end Ashleigh was doing twirls which I sort of caught on video. I might try and upload some video of her but because there were so many people there, it was hard to get a clear shot of her. Too many bodies in the way.

By the time she finished and took her skates off after 1-1/2 hours of skating without a break, she was in agony. Her feet were so sore and she was limping out. Lesson learnt, next time have a break and give feet a rest!!!

On the way home from our coffee date, we dropped into West Lakes, our local shopping centre because Nikki wanted to buy this book of dresses that you make. She had saved her pocket money and luckily Dymocks were having a 20% sale off of kids books. It's hard to see from the photo but you make little dresses from different sorts of patterned paper and decorate them and hang them on tiny hangers. Really cute and something to get the girls away from nintendos, computers and TV during the holidays.

I can't promise I will update much during the week. Back to work for me while these lazy children get to have holidays.

Have a great week bloggers.

A Busy Saturday

2008-07-05T20:19:00.002+09:30

I did the soccer juggle this morning. Jarryd and Nikki both had matches around the same time at different venues so mum to the rescue. It was an early start to the day getting the kids ready and down to mums this morning. Nikki's team played a team that hasn't been beaten this year.
This team was full of african kids and man, can they run!! Anyway our team did a great job and scored 1 goal to their 5. But considering they had averaged 10 goals to nothing most games, I thought our kids did well.

This afternoon I decided to make a start on tackling our back yard. We are having a hard rubbish pick up on Wednesday and there is so much crap out the back, I've had enough. I filled a green bin with cuttings, weeds and leaves and made a pile of things that are going out with the rubbish. I have taken before photos so I will show you the after photos in a few weeks.

Then I went to K-Mart to put some toys on layby from the toy sales that are happening at the moment. They have layby until Xmas Eve and I have up until then to pay it off. I got everything I wanted for Jarryd and Ashleigh but I really struggled with Nikki this year. She will be 12 in October and has very much outgrown all the girly toys. Mind you she has never really been a girly girl.

So I think I will wait until just before Xmas and take her clothes shopping as our present to her this year. She is really into fashion so that should be fun.

So I'm pretty tired now. It's been a busy day.

End of Term 2

2008-07-04T16:45:00.005+09:30

Jarryd put a bit too much bubble bath in the water and this is what I saw after I asked him to get in the bath!!

It's traditional with our family to have a Wendy's icecream cake for our family birthdays. As you can see I took the photo after Ashleigh blew out the candles. Derrrrrr!!!

Wow it's hard to believe that the kids have just finished term 2 at school. As at 2.15pm they were officially on school holidays. Yahoo!!!

I love the holidays. Even though I have to work, it is so good not to have the school routine for 2 whole weeks. I am so lucky that my mum has the kids most of the time during the holidays and because she only lives 15 minutes away, most mornings she comes down and picks the kids up. Steve has managed to get 2 days off in both weeks so it will be bliss on those days when I can get up for work and leave my family sleeping and just get myself ready, instead of getting 4 people ready to leave the house.

There are quite a few pictures on at the moment that the kids want to see so Steve can do that with them. I think Kung Fu Panda is at the top of the list, followed by Get Smart, Speed Racer and Indianna Jones. They will have to pick 2 because the finances won't stretch that far. We are lucky though, there is a cinema in our area that does all movies and all sessions for $7 a ticket.

Nothing much planed for this weekend. Nikki and Jarryd both have 11am soccer games tomorrow in different venues and because Steve is working, it's going to be a juggle of dropping off and picking up. Then nothing planned for the rest of the weekend.

My kids were given fishing rods each from by Melbourne friend Lee when she was over a few weeks ago and we haven't had the chance to get out and try them much yet so I think we will do that on Sunday.

I'll have to make sure I take the camera with me.

You may have noticed that I put a location feeder on my blog just out of interest to see if anyone is reading my blog. I have been very surprised to see that there are quite a few overseas people that click on my blog for whatever reason. Now if you are one of these people, overseas or Australian, please, please leave a comment. I love reading new blogs. I now know that people are reading but rarely commenting. Please just drop by and say hi and I will do the same on your blog. I have made so many fantastic blog friends both here and overseas. It really is a great community.

Have a great weekend bloggers.

Winter Sux!!

2008-07-02T17:35:00.002+09:30

I hate Winter!!!

There is nothing good about winter. My kids are sick. I am miserable and I need a holiday!!!!

Sorry but that's how I feel.

I have decided to try and lift my mood by getting into the blog habbit. I love reading and commenting on blogs but as I have said before, I don't enjoy updating my blog. So am going to do little posts more often and make it more of a journal.

My weight has crept back up a bit in the last couple of months so I'm going to blog more about that too. And how I'm going to get it back under control.

Anyway, I'm off to the end of term night for Girl Guides with Ashleigh. They are going skating.

I've made some unreal blogger friends and it's amazing when an event happens, how excited I get. I've not met many bloggers but I feel like I know some of you like an old friend.

So I really want to send a huge congratulations to 2 bloggers who have just had babies.

Beckie and Lisa. May your new baby boys bring a lifetime of happiness to you both. Welcome to the real world and blogger world - Morrison and William.

Also to Chris H in NZ who is in hospital. You sure gave your family and us bloggers a scare. I hope you are feeling so much better now and I can't wait till you get home and can get back to blogging. I miss reading your stories every day but Stew has done an unreal job updating us.

I'll be back later to upload some photos.

Ashleigh's Party Photos

2008-06-15T10:09:00.006+09:30

I love this photo of Ashleigh. We gave her the outfit for her birthday and her best friend gave her the scarfe. She looks very grown up.

Nikki's friend Madeline wanted to curl my hair and this is the result. Pretty good effort I thought. You would pay a fortune to get that done at the hairdresser.

Ashleigh and her best friend Olivia hamming it up for the camera.

Every birthday, we always take a nice group photo and then a silly group photo. Notice Nikki and her friend Madeline look the same in both!!

Nikki playing the chocolate game. The kids had so much fun with this game.

Happy Birthday Ashleigh

2008-06-14T22:54:00.004+09:30

Just a quick post to say hi and that I haven't fallen off the face of blogland again!!

We've had a huge day. It was Ashleigh's 10th birthday and she had a makeover party. I really find it hard to believe that 10 years ago I was holding my 2nd baby daughter in hospital. Where did that time go???

I'm going to post some photos of her party tomorrow. I haven't downloaded them yet because it's 11pm and I have just stopped for the day.

The day started at 6.30am. Nikki had a 8am soccer game and we had to be there by 7.30am. How rude is that!! Steve had to work so mum had Jarryd and Ashleigh overnight. Too hard to get all 3 up and ready on such a freezing cold morning.

Then Jarryd had a 10am soccer game at a different venue. They both won their games so that was a great effort.

Then home to set up for Ashleigh's party. I really hadn't done much to prepare so we had to wrap the pass the parcel. Luckily we got some cheap lolly bags from Coles already made up for $1.50 each. How good is that. They weren't too bad either. As any of you know who have made up lolly bags for a party, it is so time consuming and expensive.

Ashleigh wanted a supermodel makeover party. She is really into makeup at the moment so got lots of makeup for her birthday. We took before and after photos. Nikki and her friend Madeline helped to do the makeovers. We curled and straightened hair, put hair mascara in hair and lots of makeup on faces. The girls looked unreal.

Then I had about an hour to clean up before we were off to Ashleigh's Girl Guides Bingo night.

So it's been a huge but fun day.

We have a family lunch at Fasta Pasta tomorrow so it sure is an action packed weekend.

I will definitely post some photos tomorrow. There is one of Ashleigh where I swear she looks 18. Very scary!!

Picture Post

2008-05-27T19:22:00.004+09:30

How good are these photos?

I can't take the credit. My BFF, Lee,took them on Sunday at Largs beach.

We had a fantastic relaxing afternoon sipping coffee and waiting for the sun to set. Well worth the wait!!

I Hate the Cold!!!

2008-05-17T19:06:00.002+09:30

These photos were taken at my birthday on April 25th. How cool is the chicken skewer my brother had. It was massive. I had a lovely day. We went out for lunch with my family and then back to mums for coffee and cake.

Bring back the hot weather anyday. I promise never to complain again - LOL!!

It has been freezing the last couple of days. Nikki played soccer this morning by the lake at West Lakes and the wind was blasting across the lake. It was icy. I guess I had better get used to it. Nikki and Jarryd are both playing soccer this year. Nikki's team have won both games and Jarryd's team have had 1 win and a draw today.

Steve is in Darwin at the moment. One of his best mates lives up there and that was his birthday present this year. I have no idea why I let him go up there without me when it is so bloody freezing down here. He rang when he got there yesterday and was happy to tell me it was 32 deg while I was all rugged up with the heaters going at work. I think it was about 12 deg. YUK!!! I am definitely a summer girl.

Nothing very exciting has been happening here. The days just keep flying past in a blur of work, kids school, kids sport and trying to catch up with friends in any spare time I have. I must confess I was looking forward to doing nothing this weekend with Steve away, but that's not going to happen. Soccer this morning and then I did manage to sit down this afternoon and watch Port get beaten by Hawthorn :( Tomorrow was going to be a pj day but I have to pick up Nikki from a sleepover party in the morning. Then Jarryd wants to see a friend of his who broke his arm very badly this week. And I have arranged to catch up with a friend for coffee in the afternoon. So there goes my weekend!!

So life is rolling along here as busy as ever. I have an appointment on Friday for a smear which I have been putting off. Naughty me. I must get them to check my iron levels as well because I haven't had that checked for about 6 months. Not looking forward to that appointment. Oh well, I know it has to be done.

If you can be bothered, please go to my daughter Ashleigh's blog and say hi. She is so much better at updating than me and I think she has done a great job of her blog.

http://ashleighkate.blogspot.com/

Have a great weekend everyone.

Hello, Is there anyone there???

2008-04-24T20:38:00.004+09:30

Flowers from Steve for my birthday. A lovely surprise.

This is Nikki's latest pet. How gross are they. She has inherited 4 stick insects from school. When I said she could have them, I imagined them to be about 2" long like you find in the garden. I nearly had a heart attack when she brought them home!!!

I wouldn't blame you if you couldn't be bothered reading this blog. I really don't have the inclination to post most of the time. I really enjoy reading and commenting on other people's blogs but it's a chore to update my own. I have thought about stopping blogging altogether but I really don't want to stop completely. So for the moment, I will see how I go even posting monthly. Most people have google reader so please leave a comment if you are reading so I know there is someone out there.

So what's been happening???

Kids are just finishing school holidays. My mum has been a godsend as usual. They have been with her every day. She has taken them to the pictures, the park, the school playground across the road from her house and luckily with some help from my sister, they have survived the 2 weeks.

Football season has started again and Nikki and I have Port Power membership this year. They have had a shocking start but we are really enjoying going together just us. A couple of weeks ago, I was luck enough to get into a corporate box with some of the people from work. I had far too much to drink and was very sick when I got home. Bad me. Nikki was disgusted with me and told me she was never going to drink like me. I will remind her of that in a few years time - LOL!!

The weather has been unreal for the last couple of weeks. After our disgusting heatwave in March, April has been so good. Perfect low to mid 20's every day. The kids have been really lucky with the weather for the holidays. We have spent a lot of time outdoors on the weekends, making the most of it before winter starts.

My sister has been through a very rough patch again which has been just horrible for us all. Long story short, she has finally taken out a restraining order out on her ex partner after he kicked in her roller door and broke into 3 out of 4 locks to get to her in his drugged out state. His 4 year old son was screaming in fear and she had no option but to call the police. Something she hasn't done in nearly 20 years of physical and verbal abuse. Thank god she has finally got some support and help from domestic violence and the police. They are both getting counselling at last. It's been a very long and tough road for her and unfortunately I don't think she will ever be free of him.

It's my birthday tomorrow so we are all having a lovely family lunch together and on Saturday, 3 of my friends are taking me out for lunch at McLaren Vale which is south of Adelaide. It will be great to catch up with them.

I had a lovely surprise when I walked into work today. There on my desk was the hugest bunch of flowers from my darling husband sent for my birthday. It brightened my whole day.

Have a great long weekend everyone.

Easter 2008

2008-03-29T17:16:00.005+10:30

Ashleigh has always had long hair and since Nikki had her's cut shorter about 12 months ago she has been pestering me to get hers cut shorter. It can't be too short because she does dancing. But it was definitely time to do something different. After a long, hot summer of swimming in the pool, her hair was definitely in need of a good cut.

So this is the result. It is now layered and I'm thrilled with the result. So is she!!

As you can see the kids did very well from the easter bunny. Apart from one big egg each and a couple of bunnies, he also left lots of little eggs to find in the garden. We went to Steve's mum and dad's for easter and they have a huge backyard so it was great to see the kids running around looking for easter eggs.

Jarryd got a huge lego set for christmas that his pa helped him to start at christmas time. We took it back with us and Steve helped Jarryd finish the submarine. It's funny how you never get time to do these things in normal day to day life.

Nikki and Ashleigh have a tradition every time we have a get together with Steve's side of the family. As soon as we got to Stansbury, the girls were getting everything out to do some baking. Ashleigh made the easter cake and the cup cakes and they both iced and decorated them.

We had a lovely, relaxing easter away. I managed to finish a book I started a few months ago. It was so good just doing nothing.

I put on 1.5 kgs over easter which is very bad. But I'm not worrying about it. It will come off again and I must say I am a bit sick of chocolate - LOL. I did cut back on the kids eggs this year, but they still get chocolate from grandparents. So I've been picking what is around the house.

My mum gave me a good tip. Last year she heard from a friend that you can freeze chocolate. So she got hers at the after easter 1/2 price sales and it was as good as if it was bought yesterday. So today I went to Coles and bought up all next years eggs. And spent $30 instead of $60. Mum has a big upright freezer so I have no problems with storage.

Nikki is at a sleepover party tonight and I have my nephew here for the night. My sister has a quiz night to go to and being a single mum it will be great for her to get out and have a night without Maddok.

Speaking of my sister. She was trying to put an ikea steel bunk bed together by herself last weekend and dropped it on her foot and has 2 broken toes and a very black foot. They haven't put it in plaster but she is hobbling around and won't be able to work for a while. She is too independent for her own good. I hope it has taught her to ask for help!!

Well I had better go and get tea ready for these hungry kids. Have a great week everyone.

Thank God - The Heatwave is Over!!!

2008-03-18T21:41:00.004+10:30

Ok, Ok I know. It's been a whole month since I have updated. Thanks for the reminder Tania!! I promise not to make anymore promises about updating - LOL.

Mostly the lack of updates have been simply because I couldn't be bothered. Adelaide has had 15 days of over 35 deg temperatures and it has been so draining. All I can say is thank god for airconditioning and a pool. The computer is in a room that doesn't have airconditioning so I really haven't spent much time on it in the last 2.5 weeks. We have spent so much time in the pool. Even Steve who hardly ever goes in the pool, caved in and went in as the above photo shows. It was such a relief to have a cooler day today.

So what have I been up to in the last month?

Jarryd had his 7th birthday last Wednesday. While I was writing out the invitations, I saw the forecast for the week ahead. It was going to be 39 deg the day of his party so I thought GREAT - a pool party!! Too easy. The kids had a ball and I didn't have to amuse them at all. In fact I had to drag them out of the pool to get them to eat and sing Happy Birthday. It was the best party we've ever had.

I had 4 days in Melbourne without Steve and the kids. My best friend lives in Melbourne and I go over once or twice a year. We lived it up in a 5 star hotel in the city on the 1st night I was there and then went to see '27 Dresses' in Gold Class style at Hoyts at the casino. I never go to the pictures at home. My friend Lee has just got engaged to a wonderful man who has made her very happy after years of an unhappy marriage so it was great to see her so happy and content.

I caught up with Kate and her new baby Caspar. Unfortunately it was very rushed but it was unreal to see her and big brother Felix. And the rennovations they have done are unreal. The same day I caught up with another friend I met online - Penny. We had lunch together and then she dropped me at the airport. Again much too rushed but great to catch up. Thanks for making the time girls.

Unfortunately I must have caught a bug on the plane because the next day I was very sick with gastro. Luckily it was only a 24 hour thing.

I have slowly but surely continued on the downward path with my weight loss. I have now lost 5.6 kgs this year. So considering when I last updated on 18/2 I had only lost 2.1 kgs, the last month has been really good. The heat helped. I think I sweated it all out - LOL.

Ashleigh has started girl guides and she is loving it. Lots of fun activities including cooking, outdoor pictures, beach nights and fun and games. Next term they are going for a sleepover at the zoo which she is really looking forward to.

Tonight was the last netball game. Nikki has decided to have a break for a while. She wants to play school soccer instead over winter. Yahoo!! Can't say I am disappointed. I have coached her Tuesday night team for the past 3 seasons so I will be very glad to have Tuesday nights back.

We are having a bit of trouble with Nikki at school this year. She has gone from a 4/5 class with a wonderful teacher who mothered the kids into a 6/7 class with her 1st male teacher. I guess looking back her teacher of the last 2 years probably didn't do her any favours because she is really struggling this year. We have a parent/teacher inteview in the next couple of weeks so I have made a list of some things I want to discuss with him. These girls are all 11 and 12 and if they are like Nikki, they are extremely hormonal. She just doesn't seem to be coping very well which is most unlike her. We have never had a problem.

The kids are all looking forward to easter and I am sure looking forward to the 4 day break. We are going over to stay with Steve's parents. This year instead of giving easter eggs from us, I have bought the kids something little instead of chocolate. They all still believe in the Easter Bunny so there will still be chocolate. Just not as much this year!!

Nikki and I are off to the 1st AFL game of the season on Thursday night. We got Port Power memberships for christmas and they are playing Geelong in the 1st game. I just hope they do better than they did in the Grand Final!!

Have a fantastic easter everyone. I know I will.

Weeks 5 - 7

2008-02-18T16:32:00.003+10:30

How did I miss 2 weeks?? Just slack I guess.

I have done a great job of maintaining for the last 2 weeks. No actually I lost .1!! Total is 2.1 kgs for the year. Not too good!! 2.1 kgs in 7 weeks. Lack of exercise is definitely to blame. I have no motivation to exercise. How do you motivate yourself to exercise. I can't afford a gym. We are overstretched now, so my only real option is to walk. So why don't I???

I am determined to post a loss next week.

Steve and I had a great weekend in Sydney. There were a few people I would have loved to have caught up with but because we were only there for about 30 hours, I really wanted to spend all that time with Steve. And we had fantastic quality time. We got in around 8.30am and I didn't think our room would be ready but it was. So we decided to go for a walk. It was very overcast and had been raining all week but it wasn't cold. I should have thought to pack umbrellas. We ended up buying a couple of cheapies because it started to bucket down. It was nice walking around in the light drizzle but it got a bit too heavy to walk around without umbrellas. We were staying by the Rocks area and circular quay so it was really nice to walk around those areas. There was a huge cruise ship in. I'll post a couple of photos next post. We got on the monorail and had lunch at Darling Harbour.

We got an unreal deal with the hotel. We got the room, seafood buffet for 2 on Saturday night and breakfast the next morning for $250. Very nice and something I intend to do more often.

It's heated up here again in Adelaide. I wish we could have some of the east coast rain. It's so dry here. I can't remember the last time we had a good downpour. Well we did when work flooded a few weeks ago but that was so isolated it only rained in one tiny part of Adelaide. Today was 39 with no airconditioning at work. Yahoo, it decided to pack it in last Friday and it was just horrible today. I couldn't wait to get out of the place. 36 again tomorrow and then maybe rain on Wednesday. Yer right!!!

Saturday night we went to a chinese banquet with the dragon dance show for chinese new year. It was a great night but of course I ate too much fried food. When the dragon came out, they started playing a very loud drum and Jarryd came and jumped on my lap saying 'the drums were hurting his tummy' He was so scared he barely look at the lion. He's still my baby.

Then yesterday, the kids and I caught up with fellow blogger Tania and her nearly 2 year old Lachlan. We went to a play cafe and the kids had a ball. It was nice to have a day away from the playstation and nintendos. It was great to catch up over a couple of coffees while the kids were entertained.

The Biggest Loser was very interesting last night. I know they all lost so much weight in the 1st week, but from experience you never do as well the 2nd week. They were all so disappointed with there 2-4 kgs losses. Hello, I would love a loss like that every week. And why don't they show what they eat instead on concentrating totally on the training???

It still gets me in though!!! I'm a reality junkie.

Have a great week. I promise not to leave it so long next time.

Week 4

2008-02-02T15:07:00.000+10:30

Not such a good week. Seems to happen every 4 weeks. I can't control the sweet things. Nothing else will do. I put on 400g :(

Oh well, onward...............

Kids are back at school and things are back into routine. Funny though, the girls set their alarms for 6.30am on Tuesday and were up and dressed before I got up. By Friday, I was dragging them all out of bed again.

I love the photo of Nikki lying in her towel after a swim. She was so tired after a day in the pool. The girls did the paintings over the christmas break. They were given a picture to colour with real art paints and they turned out really well.

I have been looking in the paper and on ebay for a cheap lounge for the family room. Steve sits out there and watches TV in an old deck chair. I would love a leather lounge but it would have to be in either cream, green or beige to match the colours. There were heaps in yesterdays paper under $500, so we might have some to look at this weekend.

I went to the hairdresser this morning to have my hair streaked (foils). It was September last year when I had them done last so it was long overdue. I found out my hairdresser of 13 years has sold the salon and as she is pregnant with her 3rd child, she's going to be a stay at home mum with 3 under 3. I have had my hair cut by the other girls in the salon but I am never as happy with it.

I was then catching up with a fellow blogger Tania for lunch at the beach but she came down with gastro. I hope you are feeling better soon Tania.

I'm also thinking about another blogger Kate who could be having her 2nd baby any day. I'm very exited for you. I hope you have a wonderful birth experience.

Here's hoping for a good loss this week.

Have a great weekend.

Edit.. I've noticed that whenever I post photos, it doesn't show the breaks between the lines and when I don't post photos it's well spaced.

WHAT'S WITH THAT!!!!

Week 3

2008-01-22T20:31:00.000+10:30

I had a great week. I lost 1.1 kgs taking the total to 2.6.

I have been making good choices and it has paid off. I still find my worst time is around 8pm. I'm sure it is habbit but I am always looking for sweet things to eat. I have been having the stick ice blocks which are only 1/2 point each and that seems to do the trick. Mind you some nights I have about 4!!!!

I'm looking forward to the Australia Day long weekend this weekend. We are catching up with friends for a bbq on Sunday. We have some friends coming over from Melbourne that I haven't seen in ages. I did a contiki tour of America 15+ years ago and met some unreal people. Tony is from Melbourne and we have kept in touch ever since. We have been to each other's weddings and our kids are months apart so it will be unreal to see them again. They got their family of 4 from Melbourne to Adelaide on the new Tiger Air for just over $100 return. How good is that.

Then the kids are back to school next week. I must say the holidays have flown but then again I have been at work while my mum has had the kids for most of the time. I'm looking forward to them going back to school but I'm not looking forward to everything starting again. This is definitely Nikki's last netball season for a while. She's been playing for 5 years and I have been coaching for 3 so it's time for a break. Ashleigh will still do dancing but I think Nikki wants to play soccer this year. So that will be both Nikki and Jarryd doing soccer this year.

We had a scary day on Friday. I was at work and around 2pm the heavens opened and down came the heaviest rain I have ever seen. I wish I had the camera. The road outside work was under water and it came into my boss's office. So there were 4 of us empying buckets and mopping up the water so it wouldn't spread. It went as quickly as it came but left a big mess. Our phone system was destroyed by lightning. Two people were on the phone at the time when the phones died so they were very lucky. It was amazing watching all the semi trailers going through the water. Incredibly it only hit our area. I live 20 mins away and we didn't get a drop.

I have booked a surprise for Steve on the 9th February weekend. We are going somewhere but I can't say where in case he reads this. I can't wait. It's going to be a wonderful, relaxing weekend away without the kids.

Have a great week everyone.

Week 2

2008-01-17T20:33:00.000+10:30

Sorry, I am a bit late with my week 2 update. I lost 800g this week taking the total to 1.5 kgs. I'm consistent. I had hoped it would be a little more but I am happy with that loss.

This is a picture of our new buffet. The picture doesn't really do it justice but I am thrilled with it. We needed something to fill an empty spot in our family room. It looks smaller in the photo than it really is.

I can't believe there is just over a week left of school holidays. I am so lucky because my mum looks after the kids while I work. She has done a great job of entertaining them. They have been to the pictures a couple of times and my sister took them to the beach today. The girls have had sleep overs at friends so the time has gone very quickly.

We are off to Steve's parents again this weekend. It's Steve's dad's 70th birthday tomorrow and we are having a big family get together on Saturday night.

Work is still crazy. In my industry (the steel industry) most businesses have there big break at christmas so the first couple of weeks are usually fairly quiet. Not this year. We still have one of the sales guys off until Monday so it makes it a bit harder with one short. It sure makes the days fly by when you are so busy.

Ok, i'll be back next week to let you know how week 3 went.

Week 1

2008-01-08T19:27:00.000+10:30

Just a quick post to say I lost 700g this week.

I'm good with that. Considering you know what is about to come!!

Back to work has been crazy. I have already done 2 1/2 hours overtime in 2 days.

Good luck to everyone who has or is weighing in for the 1st week's results.

Happy 2008

2008-01-06T14:58:00.000+10:30

I just realised this is my 1st post for 2008. I'm getting slack with this blog.

I've been gardening. Just a small area by our pergola by the pool. I 'll show you the finished product soon. I just hope the palms will survive this scorching Adelaide weather.

This is Jarrryd's impression of a bee. We have lived in the pool this summer.

Thankfully today is much cooler. But not for long. It's supposed to be 41 again by Thursday.

I'm back to work tomorrow :( I have really enjoyed this break. I know it was only a couple of months ago we went to Qld but that was such a busy holiday with only a few days doing absolutely nothing. Well this holiday I am proud to say I have done very little.

The kids are going to be in for a huge shock tomorrow when I wake them up at 8am instead of 11am!!!

I have used the new year as another start date to get healthy. I just have to follow it through and keep going. I need to set some targets to get to throughout the year. I will do that today and post on Tuesday when I record on this blog my 1st weigh in result.

There are so many inspiring blogs around that I am enjoying reading. Sounds like there are a few of us in the same situation of putting weight on over christmas. I have to stop drinking. I turned into an alco during the holidays - LOL.

OK, it's cooler here so I'm going to make the most of the afternoon. Steve and I are off to our local beach cafe and playground. Kids get to play in the fresh air by the beach and I get a cappuchino. Win, Win.

Have a great week everyone.

Goodbye 2007

2007-12-31T13:46:00.000+10:30

Ashleigh made this cake at Nana's. She was very proud of herself.

Does anyone else think the Santa with Jarryd is a little creepy??

Because it's been so hot, the kids have spent lots of time inside playing with their christmas presents. Jarryd has spent too much time on the PS2 but hey it's new. Ashleigh is into the 'Little Pet Shop' toys and got some new pets.

We had a lovely few days in Stansbury. The weather was perfect so we got outdoors a lot. Nikki got a skateboard for christmas so she spent a lot of time trying new tricks.

We are having a New Years Eve party today and tonight. I'm expecting people in about an hour so I'd better get my act together. It's been in the 40's for the last 3 days and I haven't moved very far from the pool and airconditioning.

I'm looking forward to starting afresh tomorrow. Something about a new year that helps the motivation. Sounds like there are lots of us motivated to make 2008 our year.

I hope you all have a wonderful and very safe New Years Eve and a happy and healthy 2008.

A Very Merry Christmas

2007-12-22T21:19:00.000+10:30

We are off to Steve's parents tomorrow morning to spend christmas with his family.

I am very much looking forward to spending time with his family. We haven't seen them since before we went away in October. It is such a relaxing time doing nothing. The kids have all their cousins over there to play with.

I have to pack bags tonight and tomorrow morning it's Steve's job to pack the car with all the presents (from us and santa) and all the presents for the rellies over there.

We caught up with my family today which was fun. My mum bought a PS2 for us which was very naughty but the kids were so surprised. They had no idea they were getting it.

So I won't be back until Boxing Day. Unfortunately Steve has to work on Thursday or we would have had more time away.

I wish all my blogger friends the most wonderful christmas with your families. It really is a time to look at what we have around us and to be very thankful.

Is the Weekend Over Already??????

2007-12-16T22:07:00.000+10:30

We had a fantastic day today. It was Steve's work kids Christmas party. We went to Greenhills Adventure park at Victor Harbor. The kids had a ball. So much to do for all ages.

The girls wanted to try rock climbing. It was very high and they both were very keen to do it but when they got up there, they both froze just before they got to the top. Great effort though.

It was an action packed day and the kids were all exhausted when they got home. They all got a present from Father Christmas. Nikki got a lava lamp, Ashleigh got a bag with some bath gel and hair glitter and a Happy House book to write all her friends in and Jarryd got an unreal racing car set with a race track.

The only problem was it said on the racing set box it took 'D' size batteries which were included but when we got it apart it really needed 'C' size batteries (Bloody cheap chinese toys - LOL) So we had one very upset little boy and a dad who had to make a trip to the local servo to find the right batteries. All ended well.

We had a very sucessful gargage sale yesterday. We ended up selling about $180 worth of stuff. Considering we had nothing over $5 we did very well. Most things were $1 or $2 so it really was a good day's work. Lots of hard work though getting it all together over the last few weeks. Cleaning out all the clutter from the kids rooms and then setting it up on Friday night. By last night I was exhausted and was in bed by 9.30pm which is unheard of for me. I must have really needed it though because I slept until 8.30am this morning.

I am totally organized for christmas. My sister took the kids for a few hours yesterday after the garage sale and I wrapped all the kids presents. The tree looks great with lots of pressies underneath it. I still can't get motivated to write cards though. Does anyone else feel like that?

I just can't be bothered. I know once I get started I'll be ok but I just can't face them. It's the first year I haven't had them all out by now. I guess I am just so mentally tired it's all too hard.

The kids finished school on Friday and came home with glowing reports and they are all very happy with where they are placed for next year. Nikki is in a grade 6/7 class (she is grade 6 next year) so that will be interesting for her. I can't believe next year we will be thinking about which high school she will go to. And my baby Jarryd will be in grade 2. Ashleigh will be in a 3/4 class. She will be in grade 4. Not sure why they have these mixed classes. Do other states and countries do the same thing?

I only have 4-1/2 days left of work. We break up at lunch time on Friday and then I have 2 weeks off. My best friend Lee is coming over from Melbourne over christmas and I can't wait to catch up with her and another good friend is moving back to Adelaide from Melbourne after 5 years away so I am very excited about that.

My diet has been ok but there have been far too many social occasions and christmas parties. I have been having a few too many alcoholic drinks. I am glad to have maintained over the last couple of weeks so I'm not stressing about losing weight over christmas. I will just be happy to maintain and get back into it in the new year. Life is too short to be worried about what you eat and drink over christmas. Especially as most of it is free - LOL!!

This week will be much quieter here. Everything has stopped now for the holiday break. Yahoo!! I am really looking forward to christmas day. My kids all still believe in Father Christmas and there is nothing better than seeing the look on the kids faces when they see what has been left under the tree.

Only 9 more sleeps!!!!!

3 Weeks Until Christmas!!

2007-12-02T22:19:00.000+10:30

Here is the promised photo of our christmas tree. You can tell the kids decorated it - LOL. It has character. It looks so good at night with just the lights on but I couldn't capture that in a photo.

Don't you just love my little tigger!! Jarryd comes jumping into the lounge after his shower. The kids all have a different pooh bear character towel.

OK, where did the last couple of weeks go???

I think, like a lot of bloggers, I have lost the inclination to post again. I love reading and commenting on other blogs but just can't be arsed writing in mine. I don't want to stop blogging but it just gets so much harder to spend time on the computer at this time of year.

I have taken on a huge task 3 weeks before christmas. We are having a garage sale on December 15th. It started off as an idea when I decided to have a clean out of the girls room. And as I was going through their room I realized how much good quality stuff they have to get rid of. So I thought maybe if we have it before christmas I can advertise it as "stocking fillers" and "christmas presents"

And it helped that the house 2 doors down is going up for auction that day so it will mean more people in the street. Next weekend it will be Jarryd's room that gets a clean out.

The girls room is so much better with the bunk beds in. Being the hopless blogger I am, I totally forgot to take a before photo but I can tell you it was disgusting the amount of crap we took out of that room. We have a temporary wardrobe in there that came out of our room to help with storage but I eventually want to get built in robes in there. I promise I will post a photo in the next post.

We went to my grandma's 96th birthday today. Mum put on afternoon tea and it was lovely to sit around and catch up with my family. Grandma is amazing. She still lives in her own home and gets out and about most day with the help of the council bus. She is starting to slow down a bit now but she is incredible for a woman of her age.

I had my work show last night and had a great night. We went to the Mawson Lakes Hotel for a 3 course dinner. I had prawn salad for entree, atlantic salmon for mains and Death by Chocolate for dessert. The only problem was all the meals came out one after the other and we didn't get much of a break in between. I was very good and only ate a small amount of dessert. I wanted to save all my points for drinking - lol. I didn't overdo it and was very proud that I didn't have a hangover today. Must have been all the water I drank in between.

I did a bit more christmas shopping this morning. I really don't have a lot more to get. Just stocking fillers. Hey maybe I could recycle some of the things I have put in boxes for the garage sale - LOL. I wonder if they would notice!!!

I am pleased to say I have been following the ww plan for 2 weeks now and have lost 3.9 kgs. I have made up a plan of basic healthy eating with a few treats along the way and it seems to be working. I know christmas will be an obstacle but it's all managable.

It's going to be a very busy week. The girls have their end of year dancing presentation on Wednesday night and the school end of year event is on Thursday night. Then we have Steve's work break up on Friday night.

I can't believe it's just over 3 weeks until christmas. It's going to be a very busy 3 weeks. Thank goodness I have 2 weeks off over christmas. I'll need it!!

Where did the Weekend Go??

2007-11-18T22:59:00.000+10:30

We were in the pool this afternoon when Nikki's friend's dad came to pick her up. I asked what the time was and it was 6pm. I honestly thought it was about 3pm. Where did the day go??

We had a lovely relaxing day in the pool today. It was hot (not sure of the temp) and we had a few friends over and also my sister and her 3 year old boy so it was a great day. I sure didn't feel guilty about doing nothing today because yesterday was a big day doing a few jobs that needed doing.

I seem to go around in circles. By the time I finish all the tidying of rooms and all the other chores, it's time to start again. Like tidying of kids rooms. Why is that always such a big job? Our main problem is total lack of storage space in the girls room. It is bursting at the seams. So our next project is bunk beds for that room and then it frees up a wall so we can put built in robes. I can see a trip to Ikea coming up.

So yesterday we got lots of little jobs done like unpacking the suitcases properly and putting them away and emptying out the shoe basket (which was overflowing) and getting rid of all the shoes that don't fit anymore. I also swept around the pool and entertaining area. And our last job of the day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

After much pestering by the kids, we put up the christmas tree!!

We went to see Father Christmas Friday night so I guess it was ok to put up the tree. I know it's early to see Father Christmas but there is method in my madness. Firstly there were no lines, we walked straight in to the Magic Cave in the city. This is always packed most times we go and we usually have to line up. So it does pay to go early. And secondly I have put the kids presents away so this way they can't change their minds.

Nikki was going to ask for Bindeez (but can't now because of the recall) so she asked for a skateboard. Ashleigh asked for Rainbow Magic books and Jarryd asked for Lego.

I will take a photo of the tree and post it next time. It really does look nice.

Then after our big day yesterday we went to a quiz night last night. We had a great time and came home with lots of goodies.

So already it's back to work tomorrow. The weather is supposed to be 38 and 39 deg for the next 2 days. Roll on Christmas. I get another 2 weeks holiday!!

Have a great week everyone.

Another Weekend Gone

2007-11-11T20:44:00.000+10:30

But I'm glad this one is over.

The girls had their end of year dancing concert today and it went really well. I have spent most of the week catching up on things I have missed over the last 3 weeks while we were away. So it has been rather chaotic.

Unfortunately I haven't got any photos to share because we had to drive around for over 1/2 an hour looking for a park so I didn't get backstage before the show started. And you aren't allowed to take photos when the kids are on stage.

The concert is held in the city and it was chaos in there today. Apart from it being rememberence day, there were markets on at the festival theatre and some sort of rally through the city so it was very busy.

And the best part . . . . . . . . . . . .

It's all over for another year. No more dancing on Monday and Wednesday nights.

I want to do a plug for my daughter Ashleigh's blog. She is getting very good at updating it herself and is very proud of herself so have a look and leave a message to say hello.

http://ashleighkate.blogspot.com/

Have a great week everyone. It's getting hotter during the week and it's supposed to be mid 30's by the weekend. We might get a chance to get into the pool.

Warning - Long Photo Post Ahead

2007-11-07T23:41:00.001+10:30

The following photos are a few of the 450 photos we took. We had the most amazing holiday and we will all have lifetime memories.

Just a shame it goes so quickly.