Saturday:
I took the shell off my racing snail to make him go faster - but it just made him sluggish.
It will be my birthday on Tuesday. So I haven't started my diet yet. Or lifestyle change, or whatever you want to call it. My challenge to be healthier by 50. I have a little party tomorrow and then a dinner out on the day. Then I'll start...
Two weeks left at my current workplace, then a week off (it will be school holidays) then I start at the other Library, four weeks on then four weeks off then (hopefully) another 3 months. Another good opportunity has just come up elsewhere that I'm also applying for. It is a great job with the downside of a longer commute. I'm thinking if they offer me the job I will ask if I can go part-time, five days a week but shorter days so I can get home before dinnertime to see my kids - and avoid the worst of the traffic too. We'll see.
A really bad flu has been going around. I had it and was sick for two weeks although I only took two days off work. Then Aiden had it and now Jasmine. She had this whole week off school, very unusual for her. I left her home alone most days but left work early. Today she came with me to do the grocery shopping but had to go and sit outside the supermarket while I finished and went straight to bed when we got home. She started to get sick last Sunday during an Acrogymnastics competition, her trio managed to qualify for the State Final but were definitely not at their best. Luckily it's a few more weeks to the Final, she's missed a lot of training.
The house and yard are shambles at the moment. We get no time during the week, and precious little on the weekends. Welcome to the working world.
Showing posts with label weekend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weekend. Show all posts
Friday, June 28, 2019
Sunday, March 26, 2017
Wedding
Sunday:
We spent the weekend at a beach wedding, my cousin Lara who is the youngest of my generation on my side of the family - she was flowergirl at my wedding! And now all grown up and married. We drove down the coast on Friday evening, arriving about 9:30pm. In the morning the weather was as it had been for weeks - cloudy with intermittent rain. The ocean was beautiful but not something you'd dare swim in.
But this was the view from our cabin! Very friendly resident kangaroos.
Back to the same café for lunch (nowhere else to go without driving to the next town), and just as we were finishing it started to rain in earnest. An hour before the outdoor wedding! But luckily the rain stopped just as the bridal party arrived.
So many people in the bridal party! Seven groomsmen, five bridemaids, lots of little flowergirls and a couple of page boys. (They stood in the traditional lines for the wedding, this photo was grouped afterwards, also father of the bride on the left and father of the groom on the right.)
Finally I present to you Mr and Mrs Walker! Lara was/is absolutely stunning. She is probably the most beautiful person I know. Also very smart and super athletic. She has a double degree and plays five different sports competitively. James is a doctor, and has climbed the highest mountain in South America and done seven marathons in seven days across a desert so I guess they are suited. He proposed five weeks after they met.
The reception was ok but I don't really have much to talk about with my relatives, they are nice but we just don't have much to say! I enjoyed chatting to a few cousins and seeing my Poppa (he will be 99 this year!) but there is one cousin who I am not fond of (I don't think he realises though!) and he managed to insult me about four times in his "joking" way - like commenting I was "pigging out" as I had a tiny prawn canapé... Anyway, we went back to bed early, after the speeches and a little bit of dancing.
Sunday dawned bright and clear and we actually had a sunny day. We went down the beach and Aiden had a splash in the waves while Jasmine and I took lots of artistic photos.
The kids patting a sleepy baby kangaroo.
We drove back up the coast with a long break at another little town for lunch. It was a good weekend away, we should do it more often!
Oh, and I got back to find I'd received 48/50 for the exam in my more difficult subject, yay! Haven't got any other results yet.
We spent the weekend at a beach wedding, my cousin Lara who is the youngest of my generation on my side of the family - she was flowergirl at my wedding! And now all grown up and married. We drove down the coast on Friday evening, arriving about 9:30pm. In the morning the weather was as it had been for weeks - cloudy with intermittent rain. The ocean was beautiful but not something you'd dare swim in.
But this was the view from our cabin! Very friendly resident kangaroos.
We had breakfast at the café by the resort pool, walked along the beach, then lazed in our cabin or on the little balcony. I sat for a long time with a cup of tea just enjoying the sound of the waves and the smell of sea air. We were absolute beach front. The kids had a very short dip in the pool and came back blue with cold.
Back to the same café for lunch (nowhere else to go without driving to the next town), and just as we were finishing it started to rain in earnest. An hour before the outdoor wedding! But luckily the rain stopped just as the bridal party arrived.
So many people in the bridal party! Seven groomsmen, five bridemaids, lots of little flowergirls and a couple of page boys. (They stood in the traditional lines for the wedding, this photo was grouped afterwards, also father of the bride on the left and father of the groom on the right.)
Finally I present to you Mr and Mrs Walker! Lara was/is absolutely stunning. She is probably the most beautiful person I know. Also very smart and super athletic. She has a double degree and plays five different sports competitively. James is a doctor, and has climbed the highest mountain in South America and done seven marathons in seven days across a desert so I guess they are suited. He proposed five weeks after they met.
Me and Tim.
The reception was ok but I don't really have much to talk about with my relatives, they are nice but we just don't have much to say! I enjoyed chatting to a few cousins and seeing my Poppa (he will be 99 this year!) but there is one cousin who I am not fond of (I don't think he realises though!) and he managed to insult me about four times in his "joking" way - like commenting I was "pigging out" as I had a tiny prawn canapé... Anyway, we went back to bed early, after the speeches and a little bit of dancing.
Sunday dawned bright and clear and we actually had a sunny day. We went down the beach and Aiden had a splash in the waves while Jasmine and I took lots of artistic photos.
The kids patting a sleepy baby kangaroo.
We drove back up the coast with a long break at another little town for lunch. It was a good weekend away, we should do it more often!
Oh, and I got back to find I'd received 48/50 for the exam in my more difficult subject, yay! Haven't got any other results yet.
Sunday, January 8, 2017
Family Tree
Sunday:
On Friday Tim was home sick, yesterday I felt awful, neither of us is fully recovered. This flu or whatever it is keeps going around and around the family, or I suppose it could be more than one virus. This bit was nasty.
We were supposed to have my aunt and uncle over for lunch today. My dad's brother and his wife, they live in the country (retired farmers) many hours away. I've probably seen and spoken to them more times in the past two years, due to my father's illness and death, than all the previous twenty years put together - but before that when I was a child a spent a month every summer on my grandparents' farm. They lived next door and had three kids, my cousins, around my age; so I spent a lot of time in their house. Anyway they were visiting their son (my cousin Ashley) only an hour away from here and were going to come over and see us and our "new" house. I was feeling rotten this morning and also worried about if I was contagious but didn't like to cancel when the visit was such a rare occurrence. But Ashley called to say that they were sick so couldn't come. Of course I am sorry they are sick but for myself I was so relieved! Wouldn't have to spend the day cooking, cleaning and being cheerful and social when I just wanted to collapse in front of the TV with a book. I hope we all feel better soon.
It turns out Ashley and his sister have been investigating our family tree and have put quite a lot online on an ancestry website. They gave me access and I was able to give them some more info about my branch of the family. It's fascinating!
Tim's dad and brother came over in the afternoon to play Dungeons and Dragons but I don't play any more so that didn't bother me or interfere with me resting. Jasmine looks after little Emma. My sister-in-law has been confined to the house for 30 days after giving birth to her new baby (Chinese tradition, to let the mother rest and get to know her new baby) although she did come over for Christmas, we haven't seen her much due to the illness going around so we haven't gone over there with our germs. That "moon time" is over in two days and hopefully we'll all be well and able to socialise again.
On Friday Tim was home sick, yesterday I felt awful, neither of us is fully recovered. This flu or whatever it is keeps going around and around the family, or I suppose it could be more than one virus. This bit was nasty.
We were supposed to have my aunt and uncle over for lunch today. My dad's brother and his wife, they live in the country (retired farmers) many hours away. I've probably seen and spoken to them more times in the past two years, due to my father's illness and death, than all the previous twenty years put together - but before that when I was a child a spent a month every summer on my grandparents' farm. They lived next door and had three kids, my cousins, around my age; so I spent a lot of time in their house. Anyway they were visiting their son (my cousin Ashley) only an hour away from here and were going to come over and see us and our "new" house. I was feeling rotten this morning and also worried about if I was contagious but didn't like to cancel when the visit was such a rare occurrence. But Ashley called to say that they were sick so couldn't come. Of course I am sorry they are sick but for myself I was so relieved! Wouldn't have to spend the day cooking, cleaning and being cheerful and social when I just wanted to collapse in front of the TV with a book. I hope we all feel better soon.
It turns out Ashley and his sister have been investigating our family tree and have put quite a lot online on an ancestry website. They gave me access and I was able to give them some more info about my branch of the family. It's fascinating!
Tim's dad and brother came over in the afternoon to play Dungeons and Dragons but I don't play any more so that didn't bother me or interfere with me resting. Jasmine looks after little Emma. My sister-in-law has been confined to the house for 30 days after giving birth to her new baby (Chinese tradition, to let the mother rest and get to know her new baby) although she did come over for Christmas, we haven't seen her much due to the illness going around so we haven't gone over there with our germs. That "moon time" is over in two days and hopefully we'll all be well and able to socialise again.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
Thirty three and thirty four: The Entrance
Saturday:
We spent the weekend at The Entrance with Nick, Ping and little Emma. It's a town on the beach a couple of hours North of home. It didn't start auspiciously at all. We booked our accomodation more than a week ago, and as we got closer to the time we found that the forcast was for rain all weekend! Nick and Ping were staying in a cabin at a campground, we had a serviced apartment. We didn't want to be confined inside the whole time.
There was a lot of traffic getting out of the city and we didn't get here until 1pm - Nick and Ping came earlier and already had lunch before we got here so we didn't meet up yet. We didn't know where to go to eat. We were on what we thought was the shopping strip on the Main Street, but there wasn't much open. Seemed odd for a Saturday. We eventually went to a crowded cafe, it turned out to serve what I would call hippy food. All organic bean sprouts and macrobiotic chicken. Tim and Aiden both loved their lunch, mine was partly to my taste and partly not (and I gave a lot of the nice bit to the kids so I ended up a bit hungry), Jasmine couldn't find anything she was willing to eat. So after a while I walked with her up to the local pie shop. It had literally four pies left sitting in the warmer, and all stuff Jasmine didn't like, like curry beef. We walked a bit more and I bought her an American muffin. It was raining and a rather gloomy.
Time to check into our accomodation. But there is no reception desk!?? We reread the confirmation email and it turns out we have to pick up the key elsewhere, from a locked box in town, for which they had sent us the passcode. Bugger. But the benefit was that at least we then found the true heart of town, down by the beach of course! We got our key and came back to find it didn't work. Couldn't get it to turn. So there followed an hour and a half of trying to call people, leaving messages, waiting for someone to call back, waiting for the guy to get here, and of course messages back and forth with Nick and Ping as to why we still couldn't meet them yet. The guy's master key wouldn't work either! But luckily he was able to give us another room and finally we got to go down to the shore. I was a bit annoyed that it was 4pm already! But at least it wasn't raining any more.
The Entrance is where the sea meets Tuggerah Lake over big sand flats that you can walk on at low tide. Lots of pelicans! We just missed the pelican feeding time.
The shore front is pretty, with playgrounds for children, grass, palm trees, benches, and lots of restaurants. Ping and I sat and had a snack and a chat while the menfolk looked after the kids, then walked a little before going to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was very nice (I had pasta with a spicy tomato, olive and bacon sauce). We came back to our room and the kids ignored the cold to have a quick swim in the pool before bed. So the last few hours of the day were pretty good.
Until Tim's allergies attacked, obviously something in the room, maybe the ancient sofa. He spent the rest of the night sneezing and blowing his nose.
Sunday:
We woke to the sound of heavy rain and thunder. But by the time we'd packed up and gone back to the seafront to find breakfast, it was merely drizzling. I had a lovely brunch of bacon and eggs. Then Nick and Ping wanted to go fishing, they had brought their rods with them. I found the rest of the morning boring and cold (I gave Aiden my jumper to wear over the top of his own so he wouldn't freeze, he has no body fat for insulation) but on the up side the kids got to try fishing with little hassle or expense. And Aiden caught a tiny fish.
We spent the weekend at The Entrance with Nick, Ping and little Emma. It's a town on the beach a couple of hours North of home. It didn't start auspiciously at all. We booked our accomodation more than a week ago, and as we got closer to the time we found that the forcast was for rain all weekend! Nick and Ping were staying in a cabin at a campground, we had a serviced apartment. We didn't want to be confined inside the whole time.
There was a lot of traffic getting out of the city and we didn't get here until 1pm - Nick and Ping came earlier and already had lunch before we got here so we didn't meet up yet. We didn't know where to go to eat. We were on what we thought was the shopping strip on the Main Street, but there wasn't much open. Seemed odd for a Saturday. We eventually went to a crowded cafe, it turned out to serve what I would call hippy food. All organic bean sprouts and macrobiotic chicken. Tim and Aiden both loved their lunch, mine was partly to my taste and partly not (and I gave a lot of the nice bit to the kids so I ended up a bit hungry), Jasmine couldn't find anything she was willing to eat. So after a while I walked with her up to the local pie shop. It had literally four pies left sitting in the warmer, and all stuff Jasmine didn't like, like curry beef. We walked a bit more and I bought her an American muffin. It was raining and a rather gloomy.
Time to check into our accomodation. But there is no reception desk!?? We reread the confirmation email and it turns out we have to pick up the key elsewhere, from a locked box in town, for which they had sent us the passcode. Bugger. But the benefit was that at least we then found the true heart of town, down by the beach of course! We got our key and came back to find it didn't work. Couldn't get it to turn. So there followed an hour and a half of trying to call people, leaving messages, waiting for someone to call back, waiting for the guy to get here, and of course messages back and forth with Nick and Ping as to why we still couldn't meet them yet. The guy's master key wouldn't work either! But luckily he was able to give us another room and finally we got to go down to the shore. I was a bit annoyed that it was 4pm already! But at least it wasn't raining any more.
The Entrance is where the sea meets Tuggerah Lake over big sand flats that you can walk on at low tide. Lots of pelicans! We just missed the pelican feeding time.
Until Tim's allergies attacked, obviously something in the room, maybe the ancient sofa. He spent the rest of the night sneezing and blowing his nose.
Sunday:
We woke to the sound of heavy rain and thunder. But by the time we'd packed up and gone back to the seafront to find breakfast, it was merely drizzling. I had a lovely brunch of bacon and eggs. Then Nick and Ping wanted to go fishing, they had brought their rods with them. I found the rest of the morning boring and cold (I gave Aiden my jumper to wear over the top of his own so he wouldn't freeze, he has no body fat for insulation) but on the up side the kids got to try fishing with little hassle or expense. And Aiden caught a tiny fish.
At noon we decided we'd had enough fishing and left them to it. The drive home was a bit nasty, I was driving and missed a turnoff when we got to Sydney and was forced into the complicated city streets. Tim took over and we managed to navigate back home, the trip taking about half an hour longer than it should have.
The weather and the hotel debacle made it not an ideal weekend, but still better than camping! And I think it was a nice area.
I didn't focus on my diet over the weekend, but neither did I binge like Friday. I just ate normally. My tongue is a bit sore though, too much sugar (three cups of tea with brunch!). We have family coming over for dinner tonight. I'm making roast lemon chicken, yummy, dessert doesn't really appeal to me right now.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Weird plant
Monday:
It's been too hot here to do anything much, what we mainly did on the weekend was play World of Warcraft (computer game) as a family team of four. We've been playing together since we moved a few months ago, and just got to level 60 (out of 100 levels). Of course there are challenges playing with children. Aiden's character sometimes leaps ahead into combat whether we are ready or not, Jasmine has a tendency to run away if things are going badly. I act as the team's healer, so as well as fighting it is my job to watch over them all and keep them alive. And it's a job I take very seriously! I also do the virtual cooking. It's a lot of fun. Tim gives the kids virtual money, and gets overexcited during combat and shouts instructions.
Have I posted this picture before? It's Aiden's Kylo Ren lunchbox - which I bought before we saw the movie, after we saw it we weren't so keen on him! Sulphur-crested cockatoos (big white parrots with yellow crests) are a problem at his school and the kids are told to keep their backpacks zipped up and turned to face the wall outside. According to Aiden, one actually unzipped his bag. Not sure if that is true but they are pretty smart birds. This is the damage they did to his lunchbox trying to get in to his sandwich and apple!
He has a Minions lunchbox now.
Here is a random photo of our wild backyard. So far as I know, this weird plant is called a "black boy" (ie Aboriginal child) but it's likely they've changed the name to something more PC. It's doesn't look exactly like a child to me! Hmm, maybe that's not what they mean by the name...
It's not burned or anything, it just looks like that. You can see some little ones on the ground around it. A bit creepy really. It's probably old and valuable, but I think it's horrible. Interesting though.
It's been too hot here to do anything much, what we mainly did on the weekend was play World of Warcraft (computer game) as a family team of four. We've been playing together since we moved a few months ago, and just got to level 60 (out of 100 levels). Of course there are challenges playing with children. Aiden's character sometimes leaps ahead into combat whether we are ready or not, Jasmine has a tendency to run away if things are going badly. I act as the team's healer, so as well as fighting it is my job to watch over them all and keep them alive. And it's a job I take very seriously! I also do the virtual cooking. It's a lot of fun. Tim gives the kids virtual money, and gets overexcited during combat and shouts instructions.
Have I posted this picture before? It's Aiden's Kylo Ren lunchbox - which I bought before we saw the movie, after we saw it we weren't so keen on him! Sulphur-crested cockatoos (big white parrots with yellow crests) are a problem at his school and the kids are told to keep their backpacks zipped up and turned to face the wall outside. According to Aiden, one actually unzipped his bag. Not sure if that is true but they are pretty smart birds. This is the damage they did to his lunchbox trying to get in to his sandwich and apple!
He has a Minions lunchbox now.
Here is a random photo of our wild backyard. So far as I know, this weird plant is called a "black boy" (ie Aboriginal child) but it's likely they've changed the name to something more PC. It's doesn't look exactly like a child to me! Hmm, maybe that's not what they mean by the name...
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Visitors
Sunday:
We had Tim's family here this weekend, seven extra people (so eleven including us). Blow-up mattresses on every clear bit of floor!
I spent Friday in an extremely housewifely manner - shopping all morning (including finding these cushions to style our lounge):
And then I spend all afternoon cooking in preparation for the visitors. And cleaning the house, of course.
Saturday we went ten-pin bowling in the morning, and played board games in the afternoon and evening. Of course I also did a lot of cooking! I love cooking for the family.
Sunday they wanted to go to laser-zone (running around in a dark maze shooting pretend lasers at each other, hits get scored on the body armour but it doesn't hurt like paintball does) but it was booked out, so we walked to the school oval to play cricket.
It was utterly freezing so I turned straight around and came back home to the warm! It gave me a chance to get started on lunch, anyway. Everyone else returned when it started to rain, and we played another board game.
It was my birthday a few weeks ago so I was given a cake:
(This is the leftover quarter, not a slice!) We had it for dessert after lunch, then everyone settled into a stupor for an hour or so - except for my two year old niece Emma who ran around with a whistle and a toy sword stopping anyone from slipping into a coma. Then everyone went home (taking most of the leftover cake) and I packed the dishwasher for the billionth time, made dinner for the four of us, and finally got to relax! It was a really great weekend. Sometimes when they go I feel like I've been working the whole time and not enjoying the company, but this time I made time to join in the games.
You don't want to see my report card for the past couple of days, but my mental health is good!
** Just after I wrote this a Current Affairs program came on TV with the subject of how the citizens of Norfolk Island really really don't want to be taken over by Australia. They are nominally part of Australia now, but with their own laws etc. They don't pay taxes or get any government help. The job my husband applied for, and didn't get, was for part of the team to help the year-long transition to full Australian-ness, with our laws and taxes and health care. We knew that some people weren't keen on the idea, but this looks a bit more extreme than we thought. Maybe lucky we didn't go!
We had Tim's family here this weekend, seven extra people (so eleven including us). Blow-up mattresses on every clear bit of floor!
I spent Friday in an extremely housewifely manner - shopping all morning (including finding these cushions to style our lounge):
And then I spend all afternoon cooking in preparation for the visitors. And cleaning the house, of course.
Saturday we went ten-pin bowling in the morning, and played board games in the afternoon and evening. Of course I also did a lot of cooking! I love cooking for the family.
Sunday they wanted to go to laser-zone (running around in a dark maze shooting pretend lasers at each other, hits get scored on the body armour but it doesn't hurt like paintball does) but it was booked out, so we walked to the school oval to play cricket.
It was utterly freezing so I turned straight around and came back home to the warm! It gave me a chance to get started on lunch, anyway. Everyone else returned when it started to rain, and we played another board game.
It was my birthday a few weeks ago so I was given a cake:
You don't want to see my report card for the past couple of days, but my mental health is good!
** Just after I wrote this a Current Affairs program came on TV with the subject of how the citizens of Norfolk Island really really don't want to be taken over by Australia. They are nominally part of Australia now, but with their own laws etc. They don't pay taxes or get any government help. The job my husband applied for, and didn't get, was for part of the team to help the year-long transition to full Australian-ness, with our laws and taxes and health care. We knew that some people weren't keen on the idea, but this looks a bit more extreme than we thought. Maybe lucky we didn't go!
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Weekend
Sunday:
Not much to say about the weekend. I rested, mainly. Continuation of less-than-stellar food, no exercise, not enough water, poor sleep. But I feel ok mentally and still determined to somehow get that all fixed. Being relaxed about food is not working for me - I'm putting on weight already. I need some kind of plan.
We haven't heard about the Norfolk Island job but they called Tim's work referees so that is a positive sign. The more real it gets, the more scared I get! Not so much about living there, but the process of moving and getting this house rented out etc. so much to organise in a hurry, if it happens.
Report card:
Diet: Poor.
Exercise: Poor.
Water: Poor.
Sleep: Poor.
Mental health: Ok.
Determined to do better tomorrow!
Not much to say about the weekend. I rested, mainly. Continuation of less-than-stellar food, no exercise, not enough water, poor sleep. But I feel ok mentally and still determined to somehow get that all fixed. Being relaxed about food is not working for me - I'm putting on weight already. I need some kind of plan.
We haven't heard about the Norfolk Island job but they called Tim's work referees so that is a positive sign. The more real it gets, the more scared I get! Not so much about living there, but the process of moving and getting this house rented out etc. so much to organise in a hurry, if it happens.
Report card:
Diet: Poor.
Exercise: Poor.
Water: Poor.
Sleep: Poor.
Mental health: Ok.
Determined to do better tomorrow!
Monday, March 9, 2015
Canberra Day
Monday:
It was a public holiday here today, Canberra Day. Just local to my city. Nice to have the day to recover from the weekend. I decided the gym would be too crowded. I did an hour of Fantasia then took my daughter clothes shopping. My husband helped a friend move house. In the afternoon I listened to a meditation and had a short nap. Good combination of rest and getting things done.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Back to unprocessed healthy food.
Exercise: Great. An hour. Ending the day around 9000 steps.
Water: Poor.
Sleep: Good.
Mental health: Good.
It was a public holiday here today, Canberra Day. Just local to my city. Nice to have the day to recover from the weekend. I decided the gym would be too crowded. I did an hour of Fantasia then took my daughter clothes shopping. My husband helped a friend move house. In the afternoon I listened to a meditation and had a short nap. Good combination of rest and getting things done.
Report card:
Diet: Great. Back to unprocessed healthy food.
Exercise: Great. An hour. Ending the day around 9000 steps.
Water: Poor.
Sleep: Good.
Mental health: Good.
Friday, November 14, 2014
My cousin's wedding in a heatwave
Saturday:
Yesterday was my cousin's wedding. We left the kids with a friend for a sleepover, taking them over before school so we could drop off overnight suitcases. Then Tim and I set off for the four hour drive. It was a stinking hot day, 37 degrees C (98.6 F). And an hour into the trip there was a weird rattle from the engine, a bit of plastic may have fallen out (or I may have just driven over a bit of plastic on the road, not sure), and the steering became very sluggish. I pulled over and we looked at all the tyres and under the hood but there was nothing for our inexperienced eyes to see. I drove on cautiously and we realised that the air conditioning was no longer working. And Tim connected this to the resistant steering wheel (power steering gone) and that something must have gone wrong with the electrics. Not much we could do on the road in the middle of nowhere.
We continued on, the steering seemed safe enough it just took a lot more strength than usual to turn the wheel, especially at very low speeds like trying to park. Losing the air conditioning, on that particular day, was much more of a problem. The car got hotter and hotter. Opening the window was like opening an oven door, and the fan just blew hot air around. We had drinks, but I felt very dehydrated and horrible.
We got to mum's, dripping sweat and exhausted. There was no option of a different car as mum's had recently been rear-ended and hadn't been fixed yet. A drink and a quick cold shower was the best we could manage before getting into our wedding gear and back into the hot car. Tim had a stressful 45 minute drive through unfamiliar territory but we found the church and made it just before the bridal party.
The ceremony was nice if very short (less than 15 minutes, cut to the bare bones - it was a Catholic church for the groom and I would have expected something much longer) then we stood outside under the shade of trees for as long as we could bear before Tim and I with mum and my brother headed off to a nearby pub to sit in the air conditioning and have about six cold drinks.
Mum was coping amazingly well with the heat, considering. Actually she was getting cold easily and carried a shawl around. She has been really tired again lately. Very worryingly, her whole abdomen has swelled up and is hard and uncomfortable. She looked pregnant. Her GP (family doctor) had no idea what was going on so she is waiting to see her oncologist (she has breast cancer that has spread to her bones) in two weeks to have a new round of tests.
The reception was at a restaurant right in the middle of the city, almost directly under the end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Poor Tim had to drive us through the middle of the city in heavy traffic as people left work for the day. It was nice being right on the water, by that time we were starting to get a little breeze as relief from the horrible heat. My outfit looks hot but actually it was light and floaty with air vents and I don't think I was much hotter than in shorts and a T-shirt.
The reception was nice with good food, funny speeches and a good band. I didn't overeat and I drank a lot of water as well as some juice and a couple of soft drinks. I was chugging down liquids all day but hardly had to go to the bathroom at all, I guess my body wasn't willing to give up any of that precious fluid! No alcohol, it only makes me feel a lot hotter.
Of course my cousin looked lovely. And very slender.
Almost as soon as the formal part of the evening was over and the dancing started, mum said she was tired and the music was too loud and she was ready to go home. So we drove back in the much cooler evening and stayed at mum's house. She tried to check we had everything we needed but after she went to bed I found I didn't have any sheets. I was sleeping in the spare room (where my kids usually sleep) and Tim had the tiny futon that we usually share all to himself. I just draped the quilt thing over one leg and that was fine. I was too tired and hot to care.
Today was much cooler, thank goodness, and we made it back to pick up the kids before lunch. And came home to find our hot water heater had sprung a leak and the laundry floor covered in water. I rang and organised someone to look at the car Monday morning and Tim rang and organised someone to come and fix the hot water tank Monday afternoon and then we both collapsed.
The new expansion for the computer game World of Warcraft just came out on Thursday. We tried to log in then but there was a long queue because so many people are playing, and I went to bed before we got to the front of the line. Tim stayed up and played a little bit but we like to play together, as a team. As soon as we got home today we logged on to get in the queue. That was two and a half hours ago. Tim's computer currently says "Position in queue: 2121. Estimated time: 822 minutes". So I don't know if we'll get on before tomorrow! Oh the estimated time has changed to 316 minutes (it changes a lot), so maybe tonight? It will all settle down in a week or two, usually there is no queue at all, but right now everyone is excited about the new content. We'll get to play eventually. I just glad to be home in the cool.
Yesterday was my cousin's wedding. We left the kids with a friend for a sleepover, taking them over before school so we could drop off overnight suitcases. Then Tim and I set off for the four hour drive. It was a stinking hot day, 37 degrees C (98.6 F). And an hour into the trip there was a weird rattle from the engine, a bit of plastic may have fallen out (or I may have just driven over a bit of plastic on the road, not sure), and the steering became very sluggish. I pulled over and we looked at all the tyres and under the hood but there was nothing for our inexperienced eyes to see. I drove on cautiously and we realised that the air conditioning was no longer working. And Tim connected this to the resistant steering wheel (power steering gone) and that something must have gone wrong with the electrics. Not much we could do on the road in the middle of nowhere.
We continued on, the steering seemed safe enough it just took a lot more strength than usual to turn the wheel, especially at very low speeds like trying to park. Losing the air conditioning, on that particular day, was much more of a problem. The car got hotter and hotter. Opening the window was like opening an oven door, and the fan just blew hot air around. We had drinks, but I felt very dehydrated and horrible.
We got to mum's, dripping sweat and exhausted. There was no option of a different car as mum's had recently been rear-ended and hadn't been fixed yet. A drink and a quick cold shower was the best we could manage before getting into our wedding gear and back into the hot car. Tim had a stressful 45 minute drive through unfamiliar territory but we found the church and made it just before the bridal party.
The ceremony was nice if very short (less than 15 minutes, cut to the bare bones - it was a Catholic church for the groom and I would have expected something much longer) then we stood outside under the shade of trees for as long as we could bear before Tim and I with mum and my brother headed off to a nearby pub to sit in the air conditioning and have about six cold drinks.
Mum was coping amazingly well with the heat, considering. Actually she was getting cold easily and carried a shawl around. She has been really tired again lately. Very worryingly, her whole abdomen has swelled up and is hard and uncomfortable. She looked pregnant. Her GP (family doctor) had no idea what was going on so she is waiting to see her oncologist (she has breast cancer that has spread to her bones) in two weeks to have a new round of tests.
The reception was at a restaurant right in the middle of the city, almost directly under the end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Poor Tim had to drive us through the middle of the city in heavy traffic as people left work for the day. It was nice being right on the water, by that time we were starting to get a little breeze as relief from the horrible heat. My outfit looks hot but actually it was light and floaty with air vents and I don't think I was much hotter than in shorts and a T-shirt.
The reception was nice with good food, funny speeches and a good band. I didn't overeat and I drank a lot of water as well as some juice and a couple of soft drinks. I was chugging down liquids all day but hardly had to go to the bathroom at all, I guess my body wasn't willing to give up any of that precious fluid! No alcohol, it only makes me feel a lot hotter.
Of course my cousin looked lovely. And very slender.
Almost as soon as the formal part of the evening was over and the dancing started, mum said she was tired and the music was too loud and she was ready to go home. So we drove back in the much cooler evening and stayed at mum's house. She tried to check we had everything we needed but after she went to bed I found I didn't have any sheets. I was sleeping in the spare room (where my kids usually sleep) and Tim had the tiny futon that we usually share all to himself. I just draped the quilt thing over one leg and that was fine. I was too tired and hot to care.
Today was much cooler, thank goodness, and we made it back to pick up the kids before lunch. And came home to find our hot water heater had sprung a leak and the laundry floor covered in water. I rang and organised someone to look at the car Monday morning and Tim rang and organised someone to come and fix the hot water tank Monday afternoon and then we both collapsed.
The new expansion for the computer game World of Warcraft just came out on Thursday. We tried to log in then but there was a long queue because so many people are playing, and I went to bed before we got to the front of the line. Tim stayed up and played a little bit but we like to play together, as a team. As soon as we got home today we logged on to get in the queue. That was two and a half hours ago. Tim's computer currently says "Position in queue: 2121. Estimated time: 822 minutes". So I don't know if we'll get on before tomorrow! Oh the estimated time has changed to 316 minutes (it changes a lot), so maybe tonight? It will all settle down in a week or two, usually there is no queue at all, but right now everyone is excited about the new content. We'll get to play eventually. I just glad to be home in the cool.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Comicon or Strictly Ballroom?
Sunday:
On Friday I was feeling defeated and frustrated, and I'll admit I spend the weekend eating whatever I wanted. But I'm ready to give myself a shake and trudge onwards now.
We drove up to Sydney on Friday night. Tim and the kids were going to Comicon along with a lot of Tim's family. I had no interest in that and had originally planned to stay home. But without a dog it was suddenly a lot easier for me to go along and do my own thing and then visit mum the next day. We stayed at my brother-in-law's, which was great except for the horrible guest bed which feels like you're lying on an unpadded concrete slab (their own bed is the same). I didn't sleep well.
Saturday morning they all got dressed up. Pirate husband, superman son and unidentified cute animal (from pokemon maybe?) daughter.
Doing my brother-in-law's Green Arrow make-up. My SIL was Anna from Frozen, her 18 month old daughter (not pictured) was Elsa.
We drove into the city, in two cars, after deciding it was too hard taking the pram on public transport. When we were nearly there Tim realised he'd left his ticket back at the house! He couldn't even turn around for the long drive back because he didn't have a key to his brother's house. He'd have to meet up with them first. The plan was to see if he could buy another ticket, but we didn't know if there would be any left for sale. The kids didn't need tickets, they could get in free. At this stressful point we got to my drop-off spot and after some dithering I got out of the car. Then felt so guilty for leaving him to cope! The worry coloured my next hour or so until I heard that Tim's cousin had had a spare and they eventually got in ok, after a long search for parking.
It was a cold a grey day with some rain, so after wandering through Hyde Park ...
I went into the Natural History Museum. It had skeletons,
And rocks,
And stuffed animals like this seven meter salt water crocodile,
And of course dinosaurs.
I have fond memories of walking through with Aiden holding tightly to my hands. Not scared of the dinosaurs, not really...
Then I went and had lunch at Darling Harbour. Gnocchi with duck ragu. As you can see, the place wasn't busy. It really wasn't very nice weather for strolling along the harbour front.
Ever since I decided to come to Sydney, I had planned that as a special treat I would get an éclair from a favourite chocolate shop - but I couldn't find the place. I was quite disappointed. But then as I headed over to the theatre I found an Adriano Zumbo café right next door. Zumbo is a celebrity dessert chef who has set some particularly fiendish challenges on MasterChef. I bought a slice of chocolate cake there. And then, (I call it a "café" but there were no tables, just a long counter full of pastries) I tried to eat it outside the theatre. A bit messy. I only had a few bites of the actual cake, saving it for later. But I ate the fancy bits off the top - the little passionfruit/honeycomb macaron and the meringue swirl.
Finally it was time for the big event, "Strictly Ballroom". My mum had given me money for my birthday and I hadn't spent it yet so I bought myself a ticket. This show was made into a movie quite a few years ago but I don't know if it was seen outside Australia. It's about defying the strict rules of federation ballroom dancing to do your own steps and follow your heart, and a romance (of course). It was a lot of fun. In a word, exuberant. Even the seats were sparkly.
By the time it was finished, everyone had left Comicon and were nearly home, so I caught the train as we'd planned. Only problem was my phone died! It's weird how helpless I felt without a phone. I wasn't even sure if they still had payphones at the station! Luckily they did, so I was able to call to be picked up from there.
My SIL had planned to go out to dinner with her mother's group (child free) and invited me along. It was a big leap for me, I'm a bit shy with new people and I was tired. But I thought it might be nice, and also meant I could avoid my father-in-law's favourite pastime of arguing about politics. So I went, and had a great time. The other women were lovely, and very welcoming. The food was good too, but the service quite slow so we didn't get home until after 10. The kids were peacefully asleep, the adults had finished discussing politics. I went to bed content after a good day, trying to make the best of the horrible "mattress".
And woke in the dark hours feeling sick and ended up vomiting into a laundry bucket. Urg. I don't think there was anything wrong with the food. Either my recurrent stomach bug, or an inability to cope with two days of rich food.
Felt tired and a bit unwell all today. We went to visit my mother for lunch. The kids built a tent structure out of sticks and giant leaves.
Long drive home. Dinner at a Thai restaurant on the way, which I felt ok at the beginning of and terrible at the end of. And here I am.
On Friday I was feeling defeated and frustrated, and I'll admit I spend the weekend eating whatever I wanted. But I'm ready to give myself a shake and trudge onwards now.
We drove up to Sydney on Friday night. Tim and the kids were going to Comicon along with a lot of Tim's family. I had no interest in that and had originally planned to stay home. But without a dog it was suddenly a lot easier for me to go along and do my own thing and then visit mum the next day. We stayed at my brother-in-law's, which was great except for the horrible guest bed which feels like you're lying on an unpadded concrete slab (their own bed is the same). I didn't sleep well.
Saturday morning they all got dressed up. Pirate husband, superman son and unidentified cute animal (from pokemon maybe?) daughter.
Doing my brother-in-law's Green Arrow make-up. My SIL was Anna from Frozen, her 18 month old daughter (not pictured) was Elsa.
We drove into the city, in two cars, after deciding it was too hard taking the pram on public transport. When we were nearly there Tim realised he'd left his ticket back at the house! He couldn't even turn around for the long drive back because he didn't have a key to his brother's house. He'd have to meet up with them first. The plan was to see if he could buy another ticket, but we didn't know if there would be any left for sale. The kids didn't need tickets, they could get in free. At this stressful point we got to my drop-off spot and after some dithering I got out of the car. Then felt so guilty for leaving him to cope! The worry coloured my next hour or so until I heard that Tim's cousin had had a spare and they eventually got in ok, after a long search for parking.
It was a cold a grey day with some rain, so after wandering through Hyde Park ...
I went into the Natural History Museum. It had skeletons,
And rocks,
And stuffed animals like this seven meter salt water crocodile,
And of course dinosaurs.
I have fond memories of walking through with Aiden holding tightly to my hands. Not scared of the dinosaurs, not really...
Then I went and had lunch at Darling Harbour. Gnocchi with duck ragu. As you can see, the place wasn't busy. It really wasn't very nice weather for strolling along the harbour front.
Ever since I decided to come to Sydney, I had planned that as a special treat I would get an éclair from a favourite chocolate shop - but I couldn't find the place. I was quite disappointed. But then as I headed over to the theatre I found an Adriano Zumbo café right next door. Zumbo is a celebrity dessert chef who has set some particularly fiendish challenges on MasterChef. I bought a slice of chocolate cake there. And then, (I call it a "café" but there were no tables, just a long counter full of pastries) I tried to eat it outside the theatre. A bit messy. I only had a few bites of the actual cake, saving it for later. But I ate the fancy bits off the top - the little passionfruit/honeycomb macaron and the meringue swirl.
Finally it was time for the big event, "Strictly Ballroom". My mum had given me money for my birthday and I hadn't spent it yet so I bought myself a ticket. This show was made into a movie quite a few years ago but I don't know if it was seen outside Australia. It's about defying the strict rules of federation ballroom dancing to do your own steps and follow your heart, and a romance (of course). It was a lot of fun. In a word, exuberant. Even the seats were sparkly.
By the time it was finished, everyone had left Comicon and were nearly home, so I caught the train as we'd planned. Only problem was my phone died! It's weird how helpless I felt without a phone. I wasn't even sure if they still had payphones at the station! Luckily they did, so I was able to call to be picked up from there.
My SIL had planned to go out to dinner with her mother's group (child free) and invited me along. It was a big leap for me, I'm a bit shy with new people and I was tired. But I thought it might be nice, and also meant I could avoid my father-in-law's favourite pastime of arguing about politics. So I went, and had a great time. The other women were lovely, and very welcoming. The food was good too, but the service quite slow so we didn't get home until after 10. The kids were peacefully asleep, the adults had finished discussing politics. I went to bed content after a good day, trying to make the best of the horrible "mattress".
And woke in the dark hours feeling sick and ended up vomiting into a laundry bucket. Urg. I don't think there was anything wrong with the food. Either my recurrent stomach bug, or an inability to cope with two days of rich food.
Felt tired and a bit unwell all today. We went to visit my mother for lunch. The kids built a tent structure out of sticks and giant leaves.
Long drive home. Dinner at a Thai restaurant on the way, which I felt ok at the beginning of and terrible at the end of. And here I am.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
It's back...
Saturday:
The stomach virus I thought I shook off earlier in the week? Not so much. I've been feeling pretty unwell the last two days. But aside from being annoyed at missing valuable weekend time, I'm doing ok. Just a bit sick of being sick.
The stomach virus I thought I shook off earlier in the week? Not so much. I've been feeling pretty unwell the last two days. But aside from being annoyed at missing valuable weekend time, I'm doing ok. Just a bit sick of being sick.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
Weekend
Sunday:
Very quiet weekend. Apart from a family walk with Thor this afternoon I didn't leave home. Tim took the kids to their swimming lesson yesterday and for a bike ride today, but mostly we were all here. I spent the time watching the Commonwealth Games on TV, playing computer games, reading, and napping on the lounge with a puppy draped over me.
I've really been struggling all week with tiredness. I spend the right number of hours in bed and I seem to be asleep for most of them. I typically have my CPAP on for around six hours then get irritated with it in the early hours of the morning and take it off then sleep another couple of hours without it. Even if those last couple of hours and not very restful, I should be getting a decent amount. If it continues I should probably get my CPAP checked. Or try to keep it on all night. Today I got to sleep in until 9am and I still feel sleep-deprived.
Today we had lovely weather, almost like spring in the middle of the day. Sunny and a little bit warm. Not bad for the middle of winter. Great day for a walk.
I'm afraid I don't have much to say today, thought I should check in anyway. Those of you behind Australia in time, have a great Sunday!
Very quiet weekend. Apart from a family walk with Thor this afternoon I didn't leave home. Tim took the kids to their swimming lesson yesterday and for a bike ride today, but mostly we were all here. I spent the time watching the Commonwealth Games on TV, playing computer games, reading, and napping on the lounge with a puppy draped over me.
I've really been struggling all week with tiredness. I spend the right number of hours in bed and I seem to be asleep for most of them. I typically have my CPAP on for around six hours then get irritated with it in the early hours of the morning and take it off then sleep another couple of hours without it. Even if those last couple of hours and not very restful, I should be getting a decent amount. If it continues I should probably get my CPAP checked. Or try to keep it on all night. Today I got to sleep in until 9am and I still feel sleep-deprived.
Today we had lovely weather, almost like spring in the middle of the day. Sunny and a little bit warm. Not bad for the middle of winter. Great day for a walk.
I'm afraid I don't have much to say today, thought I should check in anyway. Those of you behind Australia in time, have a great Sunday!
Saturday, June 28, 2014
Day 38 and still going strong!
Saturday:
I can't believe I'm up to day 38 of healthy living. More than five weeks. I haven't been perfect, but after each slip I get back on track straight away. There have certainly been a few moments when it would have been so much easier to just give up on the whole thing and dive into food, but I've resisted successfully.
I'm feeling very content today because my family decided not to go away. I tried hard not to mope but my husband could see how unhappy I was. I was really struggling with it. It was to see his extended family who live quite a long way away, for a birthday lunch. Usually we would all go, and in only one more week Thor will be old enough and fully vaccinated so could go in a boarding kennel if we want to go somewhere we couldn't take him (today's event was in a restaurant, so even if we were prepared to have him in the car for four hours each way we couldn't), but because it was this weekend I would have had to stay home with him.
We haven't been able to visit my mum either (both our families live in the same city, where we both grew up) but in a few weeks we'll arrange a boarding kennel and go and visit them all for the weekend.
Another reason I am feeling good is that Thor slept right through until after 7:00am, so I got to sleep and wear my CPAP all night. It makes such a difference to your mood when you get a decent night's sleep.
The kids had their swimming lesson this morning then I took Jasmine shopping for clothes this afternoon, quite successfully which isn't always the case.
Then Tim and the kids started up one of our Xbox dance games.
A conversation with myself about exercising:
Me: I wanted to go for a walk today but it is raining and freezing so I can't. But the intention counts right? So I don't need to do anything else.
Myself: Ah, no, it doesn't work that way.
Me: But I will have to change all my clothes into workout gear because I get so hot when I dance.
Myself: Yeah, so? It won't take that long.
Me: And then I will have to change again afterwards back into winter gear.
Myself: I can have a lovely shower first, and then I won't have to worry about a shower before bed when I'm tired.
Me: My sports bras are all uncomfortably tight around the back these days, and I can't put a bra on by myself with my shoulder stiffness, but I have to wear one to jump around.
Myself: Lucky Tim is home to help then. And you won't be wearing it long. And it won't be as tight as it was five weeks ago.
Me: I will be cold at first in my workout gear.
Myself: You'll warm up quickly.
Me: Then I will be too hot.
Myself: Really, me? You're going to complain about too cold AND too hot?
Me: Sorry.
Myself: Nothing wrong with a bit of sweat. Shows you're working. And it comes off in the shower.
Me: It is hardly worth exercising today, I probably won't exercise again for a week so it's not like I'm building up fitness.
Myself: The solution to that would be to exercise regularly. And even if you don't, dancing will be fun and good for you.
Me: I still don't really feel like it, but I guess I'm changed now.
Myself: Good. Off you go.
I ended up dancing for about 45 minutes at fairly moderate intensity, worked up just enough sweat to need a shower, and enjoyed the exercise.
I can't believe I'm up to day 38 of healthy living. More than five weeks. I haven't been perfect, but after each slip I get back on track straight away. There have certainly been a few moments when it would have been so much easier to just give up on the whole thing and dive into food, but I've resisted successfully.
I'm feeling very content today because my family decided not to go away. I tried hard not to mope but my husband could see how unhappy I was. I was really struggling with it. It was to see his extended family who live quite a long way away, for a birthday lunch. Usually we would all go, and in only one more week Thor will be old enough and fully vaccinated so could go in a boarding kennel if we want to go somewhere we couldn't take him (today's event was in a restaurant, so even if we were prepared to have him in the car for four hours each way we couldn't), but because it was this weekend I would have had to stay home with him.
We haven't been able to visit my mum either (both our families live in the same city, where we both grew up) but in a few weeks we'll arrange a boarding kennel and go and visit them all for the weekend.
Another reason I am feeling good is that Thor slept right through until after 7:00am, so I got to sleep and wear my CPAP all night. It makes such a difference to your mood when you get a decent night's sleep.
The kids had their swimming lesson this morning then I took Jasmine shopping for clothes this afternoon, quite successfully which isn't always the case.
Then Tim and the kids started up one of our Xbox dance games.
A conversation with myself about exercising:
Me: I wanted to go for a walk today but it is raining and freezing so I can't. But the intention counts right? So I don't need to do anything else.
Myself: Ah, no, it doesn't work that way.
Me: But I will have to change all my clothes into workout gear because I get so hot when I dance.
Myself: Yeah, so? It won't take that long.
Me: And then I will have to change again afterwards back into winter gear.
Myself: I can have a lovely shower first, and then I won't have to worry about a shower before bed when I'm tired.
Me: My sports bras are all uncomfortably tight around the back these days, and I can't put a bra on by myself with my shoulder stiffness, but I have to wear one to jump around.
Myself: Lucky Tim is home to help then. And you won't be wearing it long. And it won't be as tight as it was five weeks ago.
Me: I will be cold at first in my workout gear.
Myself: You'll warm up quickly.
Me: Then I will be too hot.
Myself: Really, me? You're going to complain about too cold AND too hot?
Me: Sorry.
Myself: Nothing wrong with a bit of sweat. Shows you're working. And it comes off in the shower.
Me: It is hardly worth exercising today, I probably won't exercise again for a week so it's not like I'm building up fitness.
Myself: The solution to that would be to exercise regularly. And even if you don't, dancing will be fun and good for you.
Me: I still don't really feel like it, but I guess I'm changed now.
Myself: Good. Off you go.
I ended up dancing for about 45 minutes at fairly moderate intensity, worked up just enough sweat to need a shower, and enjoyed the exercise.
Friday, June 27, 2014
What do you turn to when you can't turn to food?
Friday:
I'm feeling a tiny bit sad today. Probably intensified by the fact I have a bit of a cold, as do my husband and daughter. But what I'm sad about is that the rest of my family will be away a lot of the weekend and I can't go because someone has to stay home with the puppy AND I can't comfort myself with food.
Typically if I'm feeling a bit lonely I turn to food. In fact sometimes I looked forward to it - oh, I'll be alone all evening so I'll have plenty of time to eat all that stuff I don't want to eat in front of my family. Yay.
So what do you do when you no longer use food as a drug? Where do you get comfort, companionship, distraction?
Some people turn to a new addiction, like alcohol. Obviously I don't want to do that.
I've had this problem a few times lately, when feeling stressed or bored or whatever. Not allowed food but I want something... I pace around aimlessly, flitting from task to task and abandoning each, unsettled. It was particularly bad on the scamming day because I couldn't use my computer to distract me either. At least I have that back.
Oh well, I'll survive.
I'm feeling a tiny bit sad today. Probably intensified by the fact I have a bit of a cold, as do my husband and daughter. But what I'm sad about is that the rest of my family will be away a lot of the weekend and I can't go because someone has to stay home with the puppy AND I can't comfort myself with food.
Typically if I'm feeling a bit lonely I turn to food. In fact sometimes I looked forward to it - oh, I'll be alone all evening so I'll have plenty of time to eat all that stuff I don't want to eat in front of my family. Yay.
So what do you do when you no longer use food as a drug? Where do you get comfort, companionship, distraction?
Some people turn to a new addiction, like alcohol. Obviously I don't want to do that.
I've had this problem a few times lately, when feeling stressed or bored or whatever. Not allowed food but I want something... I pace around aimlessly, flitting from task to task and abandoning each, unsettled. It was particularly bad on the scamming day because I couldn't use my computer to distract me either. At least I have that back.
Oh well, I'll survive.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
No cupcakes for me
Saturday:
Quiet Saturday. I stayed home with Thor while Tim took the kids to swimming lessons, and in the afternoon I did the grocery shopping. Had a disrupted night with the puppy up at 3:00, 4:15 and 7:30, and Aiden coming in to cuddle at 7:00. But on the other hand I got to stay in bed until 9:30, which was lovely, so I may have made up for the frequent sleep interruptions.
Tim and the kids made lemon & raspberry cupcakes. I didn't have any. I am feeling pretty strong. Thursday's weigh-in only showed a 0.2 kg loss this week but I have dropped another 0.8 kg in the two days since. I really am feeling a bit thinner, and seeing progress makes sticking to my plan easier.
I have a big overflowing folder of recipes, some I use regularly and some I haven't tried yet, and many years worth of cooking magazines full of sticky bookmarks. My project at the moment is organising all this into four folders. I'm just doing a bit each day, gradually getting things transferred into the new sections and throwing out some recipes I have never used. Tearing out three or four pages from each magazine instead of keeping the whole thing will free up a lot of shelf space. But it is going to take a while. I have tried putting it all on computer, but it turns out I prefer paper.
Quiet Saturday. I stayed home with Thor while Tim took the kids to swimming lessons, and in the afternoon I did the grocery shopping. Had a disrupted night with the puppy up at 3:00, 4:15 and 7:30, and Aiden coming in to cuddle at 7:00. But on the other hand I got to stay in bed until 9:30, which was lovely, so I may have made up for the frequent sleep interruptions.
Tim and the kids made lemon & raspberry cupcakes. I didn't have any. I am feeling pretty strong. Thursday's weigh-in only showed a 0.2 kg loss this week but I have dropped another 0.8 kg in the two days since. I really am feeling a bit thinner, and seeing progress makes sticking to my plan easier.
I have a big overflowing folder of recipes, some I use regularly and some I haven't tried yet, and many years worth of cooking magazines full of sticky bookmarks. My project at the moment is organising all this into four folders. I'm just doing a bit each day, gradually getting things transferred into the new sections and throwing out some recipes I have never used. Tearing out three or four pages from each magazine instead of keeping the whole thing will free up a lot of shelf space. But it is going to take a while. I have tried putting it all on computer, but it turns out I prefer paper.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Queen's birthday
Monday:
Today was Queen's Birthday public holiday. Some of our guests were still here so we had a more elaborate breakfast and lunch than I would normally make but I didn't overeat. I didn't have any of the chocolate I offered them, I had an apple for my snack. And tonight I only ate until I was full even though there was more yummy food available and I did briefly consider it.
One reason I was so careful was that I was saving up calories for a treat. Tonight for supper I am going to have that leftover chocolate mousse! I have been looking forward to it all day and it has actually helped keep me from straying. I didn't want to have to tell myself I couldn't have it because I had no calories left.
So I am doing excellently well sticking to my food plan, and I give myself lots of credit for that. Now I need to work on my exercise. I plan to spend the mornings working, Thor is happy to sleep on his daybed next to the computer and sleeps for about three hours with only a short wakeful period when he needs to be taken out, so I have plenty of time to get some writing done. Then after lunch I will try using the Xbox to dance. I'm not sure how my little puppy will react to that! I don't want to trip over him. He'll get used to it if I do it regularly.
Today was Queen's Birthday public holiday. Some of our guests were still here so we had a more elaborate breakfast and lunch than I would normally make but I didn't overeat. I didn't have any of the chocolate I offered them, I had an apple for my snack. And tonight I only ate until I was full even though there was more yummy food available and I did briefly consider it.
One reason I was so careful was that I was saving up calories for a treat. Tonight for supper I am going to have that leftover chocolate mousse! I have been looking forward to it all day and it has actually helped keep me from straying. I didn't want to have to tell myself I couldn't have it because I had no calories left.
So I am doing excellently well sticking to my food plan, and I give myself lots of credit for that. Now I need to work on my exercise. I plan to spend the mornings working, Thor is happy to sleep on his daybed next to the computer and sleeps for about three hours with only a short wakeful period when he needs to be taken out, so I have plenty of time to get some writing done. Then after lunch I will try using the Xbox to dance. I'm not sure how my little puppy will react to that! I don't want to trip over him. He'll get used to it if I do it regularly.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Fruitful weekend
Sunday:
I had a couple of good nights sleep this weekend which set me up for a productive couple of days. I'm still going to see the doctor tomorrow morning, last time I cancelled an appointment after some decent sleep but then the bad times came straight back. But I've felt pretty good.
I was finally strong enough to throw out the rest of that chocolate frosting (my kids and I had had one more go at it, then put it back in the fridge, earlier in the week) AND most of a packet of chocolate biscuits that someone else left here AND a family sized block of chocolate that no one but me liked and it wasn't anywhere near my favourite type so not worth the calories. So that was a good start to de-junking the house a little bit. I'm trying to turn the eating around. Resisting is much easier when I am not beaten down from lack of sleep.
Then I spent many hours studying which was very fruitful. I got a good handle on last week's Chemistry and did the online quiz and got 90%. I did that online Maths test that I had to get 80% in to continue in Chemistry, and got 100%! I am very proud of that, I worked damn hard for it. I went over and over every module until I was really confident with it all and it paid off. Over the degree I get four electives which I can choose from any subject and I am thinking about doing some Maths.
Then I read ahead for the coming week's Chemistry and Biology and answered the questions and examples in the textbooks and watched an online video and printed out all the stuff I need for this week's labs. It is kind of daunting that I will have to do this much every weekend to keep on top of it all (if I want to do really well, which I do) but I am enjoying it too. I love learning. And it gives me a purpose in life, which I haven't had for a little while.
So basically I did uni work all weekend while Tim minded the kids and did a fair bit of the cooking and housework too.
It wasn't exactly a fun weekend but it was a good one because I felt like I accomplished a lot.
My mum is doing really well, and we helped her buy a new dishwasher when we were last there so that and getting a cleaner in every week means she can relax and not worry about much housework. She can save her energy for things she actually wants to do. And she has a lot more energy now since the radiotherapy.
Here's to a new week.
I had a couple of good nights sleep this weekend which set me up for a productive couple of days. I'm still going to see the doctor tomorrow morning, last time I cancelled an appointment after some decent sleep but then the bad times came straight back. But I've felt pretty good.
I was finally strong enough to throw out the rest of that chocolate frosting (my kids and I had had one more go at it, then put it back in the fridge, earlier in the week) AND most of a packet of chocolate biscuits that someone else left here AND a family sized block of chocolate that no one but me liked and it wasn't anywhere near my favourite type so not worth the calories. So that was a good start to de-junking the house a little bit. I'm trying to turn the eating around. Resisting is much easier when I am not beaten down from lack of sleep.
Then I spent many hours studying which was very fruitful. I got a good handle on last week's Chemistry and did the online quiz and got 90%. I did that online Maths test that I had to get 80% in to continue in Chemistry, and got 100%! I am very proud of that, I worked damn hard for it. I went over and over every module until I was really confident with it all and it paid off. Over the degree I get four electives which I can choose from any subject and I am thinking about doing some Maths.
Then I read ahead for the coming week's Chemistry and Biology and answered the questions and examples in the textbooks and watched an online video and printed out all the stuff I need for this week's labs. It is kind of daunting that I will have to do this much every weekend to keep on top of it all (if I want to do really well, which I do) but I am enjoying it too. I love learning. And it gives me a purpose in life, which I haven't had for a little while.
So basically I did uni work all weekend while Tim minded the kids and did a fair bit of the cooking and housework too.
It wasn't exactly a fun weekend but it was a good one because I felt like I accomplished a lot.
My mum is doing really well, and we helped her buy a new dishwasher when we were last there so that and getting a cleaner in every week means she can relax and not worry about much housework. She can save her energy for things she actually wants to do. And she has a lot more energy now since the radiotherapy.
Here's to a new week.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Staying away from the party food
Sunday:
I managed to avoid two kid's birthday parties today, and all the junk food that entails! My husband took the kids to the first one and hung around because it was a low-supervision party in a park, then straight from there he dropped the invited child to the other party and came home, and I went and got him later. Parties are a dangerous place for me so I was glad to skip them. I had a healthy lunch at home. And in addition, I got an hour and a half of very productive writing done when everyone else was out.
I don't expect to have lost any weight this week, though. I was sick enough to not exercise for three days, lazy enough not to exercise a couple of other days, but only sick enough to be off my feed for one day.
My mum has been feeling unwell for at least a couple of months now and she finally just found out she has a kidney infection. She's a bit annoyed because she's been to the doctor lots of times and they failed to diagnose it before. I know doctors can't be perfect but she feels they should have picked it up earlier and that it's time to find a new doctor. She's in bed with antibiotics now and taking some time off instead of trying to drag herself into work every day. She's 72!
Why does the weekend always go so fast? Sunday night already.
I managed to avoid two kid's birthday parties today, and all the junk food that entails! My husband took the kids to the first one and hung around because it was a low-supervision party in a park, then straight from there he dropped the invited child to the other party and came home, and I went and got him later. Parties are a dangerous place for me so I was glad to skip them. I had a healthy lunch at home. And in addition, I got an hour and a half of very productive writing done when everyone else was out.
I don't expect to have lost any weight this week, though. I was sick enough to not exercise for three days, lazy enough not to exercise a couple of other days, but only sick enough to be off my feed for one day.
My mum has been feeling unwell for at least a couple of months now and she finally just found out she has a kidney infection. She's a bit annoyed because she's been to the doctor lots of times and they failed to diagnose it before. I know doctors can't be perfect but she feels they should have picked it up earlier and that it's time to find a new doctor. She's in bed with antibiotics now and taking some time off instead of trying to drag herself into work every day. She's 72!
Why does the weekend always go so fast? Sunday night already.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Dungeons and dragons
Sunday:
Having a quiet weekend home with the family. We decided to introduce the kids to Dungeons and Dragons. We don't let them play violent computer games but they watch us play some (nothing too bad) and they're allowed to play games designed for kids, some fighting but no actual blood. The younger child is about to turn seven. D&D, if you don't know, is a game of the imagination. One person, the DM or "Dungeon Master" (me, in this case) creates an adventure and the other players create characters and decide what to do. You have certain skills and you roll dice to add a luck component to actions. [So for instance, to see if you could balance on a narrow bridge over a ravine, you would add your dexterity to your training in acrobatics and roll a 20 sided dice to add a random element. If the total number is high enough ("high enough" determined by the DM) you walk over successfully, not quite high enough means you stand still wheeling your arms for balance and can have another try on your next turn, a lot too low and you fall into the ravine.]
I made a short adventure where they had to rescue some people from kobolds (little lizard people). It involved fighting, but nothing too scary or adult in theme. It's good maths practice for them, lots of adding and subtracting.
They loved it! We played for about four hours on Saturday afternoon, and they wanted to play again today so I worked out another little adventure and we played for another couple of hours, this time not finishing the story yet. Tim and I play every Tuesday night with some friends and have done for years, it is a great game. A campaign, or long adventure, can go on for years. I've heard some Christian groups object to D&D because it has supernatural elements, but most people play as heroes, defeating the forces of evil, so I don't see how anyone can object to that. It's like getting to be a superhero.
The only bad thing about D&D is that it is nearly always accompanied by junk food!
Having a quiet weekend home with the family. We decided to introduce the kids to Dungeons and Dragons. We don't let them play violent computer games but they watch us play some (nothing too bad) and they're allowed to play games designed for kids, some fighting but no actual blood. The younger child is about to turn seven. D&D, if you don't know, is a game of the imagination. One person, the DM or "Dungeon Master" (me, in this case) creates an adventure and the other players create characters and decide what to do. You have certain skills and you roll dice to add a luck component to actions. [So for instance, to see if you could balance on a narrow bridge over a ravine, you would add your dexterity to your training in acrobatics and roll a 20 sided dice to add a random element. If the total number is high enough ("high enough" determined by the DM) you walk over successfully, not quite high enough means you stand still wheeling your arms for balance and can have another try on your next turn, a lot too low and you fall into the ravine.]
I made a short adventure where they had to rescue some people from kobolds (little lizard people). It involved fighting, but nothing too scary or adult in theme. It's good maths practice for them, lots of adding and subtracting.
They loved it! We played for about four hours on Saturday afternoon, and they wanted to play again today so I worked out another little adventure and we played for another couple of hours, this time not finishing the story yet. Tim and I play every Tuesday night with some friends and have done for years, it is a great game. A campaign, or long adventure, can go on for years. I've heard some Christian groups object to D&D because it has supernatural elements, but most people play as heroes, defeating the forces of evil, so I don't see how anyone can object to that. It's like getting to be a superhero.
The only bad thing about D&D is that it is nearly always accompanied by junk food!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Empty house
Saturday:
Usually during the week there is the hustle and bustle of getting the kids ready for school, then they and my husband are gone and the house is quiet. It is nice, peaceful.
Today (Saturday) there was the hustle and bustle of getting the kids organised, then they and my husband were off for the day. And the house feels empty and lonely and cold.
I didn't go with them because I've been sick for a few days. Still washed-out and a bit unwell today and I didn't want to pass on my germs (especially to my baby niece) and I couldn't cope with being social all day either. The plan was originally to go for the whole weekend but they are coming back tonight, which is nice.
The house is missing them already.
Usually during the week there is the hustle and bustle of getting the kids ready for school, then they and my husband are gone and the house is quiet. It is nice, peaceful.
Today (Saturday) there was the hustle and bustle of getting the kids organised, then they and my husband were off for the day. And the house feels empty and lonely and cold.
I didn't go with them because I've been sick for a few days. Still washed-out and a bit unwell today and I didn't want to pass on my germs (especially to my baby niece) and I couldn't cope with being social all day either. The plan was originally to go for the whole weekend but they are coming back tonight, which is nice.
The house is missing them already.
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