Excellence

Thursday:

Today Aiden's school had a special end-of-year assembly (only two weeks of school left) and we were warned beforehand that he would be getting an award. Tim took the morning off work so we could both go. Aiden got an award for Excellence in Mathematics. So proud! He's finishing year 5, one more year in Primary School before he moves on to High School.

Then I had an appointment to see an Apple Genius about Jasmine's iPad which wouldn't charge. I thought it probably just needed a clean inside the port, but the Genius couldn't get it to work either. So he gave me a new one! Free! That was unexpected. Apparently because there was no obvious damage (it hadn't been dropped or drenched with water, for instance) under consumer law we get a replacement, even though it was nearly two years old. Nice. 

I also got a replacement for my sneakers. You may remember nearly a month ago I bought three pairs of shoes: black almost-sneakers which are very comfortable and I still have, black "dress" shoes with a bow on which I hated as soon as I got them home and returned and bought black boots instead which are lovely but I haven't actually worn them except to try on as I've had no occasion to, and new sneakers (gym shoes) as I wear them nearly every day and mine were starting to fall apart. But the new ones just weren't as comfortable as sneakers should be and I didn't like the grey/bright fuchsia colour scheme either, so today I took them back. It was within the 30 day return policy so I got new (light blue, very comfortable) sneakers instead! Even though I'd worn the others quite often. One out of three is not a good average for me with shoe choices! But today was a good day for customer service. 

On the other hand, remember that Christmas present that was going on sale today? Yeah, sold out by the time I got there after Aiden's assembly. After a bit of a search I got it somewhere else on sale for a bit more than that place, but still a lot less than full price. Not too bad I guess. 

This morning I got an email from the gravestone (memorial stone, they call it) people about dad's memorial stone, it is finished and installed and they sent me a photo. So that is done. It looks nice. 

No Show

Friday:

I continue very tired, and now rather achy all over, and Aiden was also home sick today. This morning his voice was so hoarse he sounded like a heavy smoker. He’s much better this evening, but I’ve got worse as the day has gone on.

Unfortunately Tim and I were supposed to go out tonight, some time ago he bought tickets to see Guy Sebastian (he won Australian Idol about ten years ago, I think the first series) who we both like. We had some obstacles; difficulty finding someone who could babysit, my resistance when I found out I had to get to the venue by myself at night in the city and meet Tim there - Tim managed to solve all problems. But he couldn’t work around sickness. I'm never that keen on going out in the evening anyway, but I feel sorry for Tim who planned it all.

And now I’m worried about the exam I did yesterday. I thought it went ok at the time, but I did notice that I wasn’t one of the first to finish when I usually am. Today I feel so slow and foggy. I hope yesterday was just the slow part. I do know I added some extra information that wasn't strictly necessary, and also being puzzled over one bit for a while before I worked it out - talking to Lauren afterwards she didn't add the extra stuff and she thought the exam was easy... she finished way before me... and I don't actually remember checking over my work maybe I did... dammit I hate being sick!

I seem to be catching up on my sleep. Solid sleep at night, another nap this afternoon. can't keep my eyes open. This post has been written over several sessions.

That last job interview I went to, some weeks ago, I realised how shabby my “good” shoes had become. My usual footwear are sneakers, or a couple of variants of sneaker-like shoes. I have winter boots, and one good pair of black shoes which I keep in their box between occasional good-shoes-required events. But they had become rather scuffed and peeling, time for a new pair! Last week I went shoe shopping, a very rare occasion (I get new sneakers about once a year, anything else approximately never), and bought two pairs of shoes; comfy black almost-sneakers and fancier (and expensive) black shoes for work, should I ever get a job. When I got home I looked at the fancy ones again. What the hell was I thinking? Long and pointy with little black bows on the front? I was never going to wear those. So not “me”. I’ll be taking those back - I was planning to today except for being sick. Instead, I ordered online ankle boots that I’d liked in the shop except they only had brown ones and I wanted black. They arrived today and I love them. Now they are “me”. Here is the comparison me/not me.

I burned dinner tonight. Luckily salvageable. Just not thinking very well. But apologies if this post doesn't make sense.

Lunch

Saturday:

Tim went over to his father's place to help him pull down a fence while I took the kids shoe shopping. It was a successful expedition, but there was a moment I found myself in a shoe shop sitting in front of the mirror. And realising (yet again) that I am so much more overweight than I think I am. I know I am overweight, but in my head it's maybe 10 kg, not 25! Mirrors at home somehow aren't as blatantly cruel as the ones in shopping centres. Or photos.

It didn't stop me having doughnuts with the kids.

We joined Tim for lunch with the family at his dad's place. It used to be that my sister-in-law Ping and I took it in turns to cook Sunday lunch (or dinner, depending on schedules), and for a while I was cooking every week because of Ping's early pregnancy all-day sickness, but now extended family are joining in and it's a much bigger gathering, and everyone is taking a turn. This is sometimes a problem for me as I don't always like what they cook, I was glad when it was bought rotisserie chicken and salad today! It's not just that I am a fussy eater (although I am) but several times the food has been inedible and not just by me. Burned, or curdled, or a huge pile of stone-cold mashed potato. Some can cook, but some can't. Or maybe they can cook for their little family but can't co-ordinate for so many people - that takes practice. Which I suppose they are getting now! Oh well, I can enjoy the company and pick at my food and try not to worry about my children starving. They are usually filling up on sugary fizzy drink.

I didn't get out for exercise today, I'll make sure I do tomorrow. My foot is no longer an excuse! It has turned colder again with sporadic rain but if I can't get out to walk there are plenty of active games at home on the Xbox or VR.

CPAP and new shoes

Tuesday:

It's still school holidays here for another week. Today we had some things to do. First I had an appointment with the sleep doctor. They are changing the settings on my CPAP from automatic - where it increases the air pressure if I'm not breathing deeply enough,  to constant - a continuous higher pressure that keeps me breathing deeply all the time. They always try both on patients to see which works better for them. This should be the last two weeks of my trial before I decide what to buy.

I mentioned to the doctor that the first mask had been slipping off because it was too loose and not very adjustable, so I'd come in and the technician had switched me to the older model mask which was more adjustable. It was staying on very well but in every other way wasn't as good as the newer model I'd tried first. Louder, and bigger so made under my nose sweat and itch. And as I lie on my side, it was pressing against my face and I was waking with a sore tooth. So he switched me back to the newer model mask, but in a smaller size that fit me better! Why couldn't the tech do that! That's why the doctor gets the big money... Oh well, just glad to have it. Will see how it goes tonight.

Then I took the kids (who had been patiently playing their Nintendo DSs in the waiting room) shoe shopping. Aiden and I now have hiking boots for winter (not necessarily for hiking, but warm and sturdy and I love the look) and dressy boots for Jasmine. The heels they have on boots for ten year old girls! Ridiculous. Managed to find a pair with lower, wider heels that she liked (she was tottering like a newly awakened zombie in the narrow high ones), although they are having to order in the right colour.

I love my boots. They were on sale at a proper hiking store, and I was really disappointed when they said they didn't have a size 6 - normally the smallest adult size - the last ones they had were a size 5. But I looked at them and they didn't seem that tiny so I tried them on and they are fine. Plenty of toe-wiggling room. So I guess their 5 is my 6. Most places don't even have an adult women's 5.

Then the grocery shopping. I told the kids they could have a food treat at the end of all this. They don't need a bribe, they are always well behaved, but it would be afternoon tea time anyway. And I decided to get myself a chocolate éclair from the French patisserie. I was so looking forward to it as I trudged around the grocery store. Then we got there and the patisserie was all closed up, apparently permanently! Crushed! I got something else from another shop which I didn't really want and didn't enjoy all that much. I didn't finish it, but I did eat most of it. So I felt cheated and guilty both. That is when I feel the worst about eating unhealthy food - if I don't even enjoy it.

We had a sunny morning but it is grey and windy now. I think we are in for a storm.

photo from Kathmandu

Wobble board

Sunday:

Today my daughter and I left the boys at home and went out for a marathon four-hour shopping session (for her). Firstly we went to complain about a present I'd got her for Christmas; when she got around to opening the Sims 3 Pets expansion, there was no disk in it! It had a sealing tape sticking it closed, but whoever was supposed to check before putting that on wasn't doing their job that day. My husband had already been in but they wouldn't give him a refund/swap without the receipt (which I couldn't find even though I carefully kept all the Christmas ones together), even though it had their price tag on it and the sealing sticker also had their name. So today I took in my bank statement which listed their shop on it because I bought the game with my debit card and they were able to use the time stamp to bring up a list of all the things I bought on that day. Pretty amazing. And they gave me the game disk.

Then we bought Jasmine new jazz shoes for her dance class, other shoes, shorts, tops and underwear. And some shorts for Aiden (didn't need him there for that). By the end of four hours I was pretty tired, but she would have been happy to keep going and buy more stuff.

I had bought myself new exercise shoes (cross trainers) a few days ago and today I bought myself a wobble board. Not the Rolf Harris kind that he makes music with, the kind you stand on and have to balance while it wobbles. New way to strengthen my core and my ankles, all while watching television. I tried it out a bit in the shop and found it quite tiring very quickly, which is great.

Came home and slept on the lounge for half an hour. Lovely.

Shoes

Tuesday:

I took the kids shoe-shopping after school today. Totally failed to get anything (Jasmine is very very picky about shoes, they always "feel wrong") but decided while I was there to look at new running shoes for myself. My other ones are probably a couple of years old, I thought new ones might make a difference. They did all the various tests they do nowadays to find the right shoes and brought out three pairs with some padded inserts.

I guess I was hoping to find something that would miraculously make running pain-free, but even trotting up and down the shop made my shins hurt. I didn't buy anything, I will go back another time and do some more trials. And take my old shoes along to compare the feel.

I've pretty much decided not to do the Mother's Day run, I want to wait until I am closer to running a decent amount of that distance. I couldn't find anything else in the next couple of months, but there is always Parkrun every Saturday. And that is free.

I have PMS and I've been eating sugar and starch all day. Feel like rubbish (for both reasons). Tired and cranky and depressed. Oh well, it will pass.

Tango

Wednesday:

Tim and I had our first ballroom dancing lesson on Sunday, my ten-year anniversary present to him. We have both done some dance before -- I did a couple of years of ballroom and tap back in my Uni days, we had lessons for a while before our wedding, and Tim has done lessons in various other styles like jazz and is currently doing hiphop. But it's been a while since we've done ballroom so we are starting with beginner lessons.

This week it was the tango, which neither of us have done before. It was fun; and although tango is only walking pace, you have to tense your muscles a fair bit so it was at least a little bit of exercise. There were maybe 20 people there, unfortunately with a few unattached females so the men felt honour-bound to occassionally share themselves around. Still, most of the time Tim and I were dancing together. The kids played their Nintendos happily and there was a platter of food so that kept them quiet.

Just before we left one woman was chatting to us about how we would probably argue a lot about dancing -- on remembering the steps I think -- and how she and her husband fight all the time about it. She was quite insistent about it. Tim and I smiled politely but with inward scoffing. We don't really argue about anything, let alone something like who remembered the steps correctly. Our "argument" might go something like:

1. Is that right? I thought it went like this.
2. Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it was this way.
1. Oh, ok. I can't really remember. We'll do it that way and check next week.

I had a bit of a problem with my shoes. I never wear heels anymore, even with dresses I wear boots with no heel. But ballroom calls for high heels. I wore some but my feet were sore by the time we walked into the studio, so I changed into the sneakers I had thoughtfully brought with me just in case. They totally didn't go with the dress, but at least I was comfortable. I need to buy some kind of compromise.

W8 D4 - No more tears

I got up at 5.45am this morning (light drizzle, 6 degrees which isn't too bad for Canberra winter), and went to BodyStep. I got through the whole thing and didn't cry! Yay!

I don't have any boosters under my step, so I have the lowest step in the whole class, but I am certainly working hard enough. I didn't see my face until after my shower, but at that point I still looked like I had 2nd degree sunburn. Very red. And I was still sweating after my shower too. It is a great class, very hard work but fun. Step is my favourite.

My food is still a bit out of control, but I am not worried. I am not concentrating on that at the moment. Just working hard at exercise. I really should focus on drinking more tho.

I am quite good at choreography and picking up new routines, but by the end of the class I was so tired I had to stop a couple of times to catch up with what the instructor was doing, and nearly fell off the step twice.

I got new gym shoes on the weekend, but I am not sure about them. My right foot hurt through a lot of the class, even though I adjusted the laces a couple of times. They are less than a week old, I'm pretty sure I can still take them back if I want. I will give them a few more days. I'm not sure if they are supportive enough around the sides of the foot - I chose them for that light bouncy feeling but maybe I should have gone for the other pair.