Today is a New Day

Today is a new day.  Today is Friday which means that it is Team Friday with Stacey-Lee at Get On With It Already, Things I Know with Miss Cinders at Saturday Morning Ogre Mum and FYBF with Grace at With Some Grace - why not join in with any of these lovely ladies and find some new and exciting blogs to read ?

Today I know that I haven't been able to finish either of the challenges for November for #bacnov3030challenge or #operationMOVE - not for want of trying - but because my body betrayed needs to heal itself.

Today I know that I am learning to love and accept myself more and more each day -  for who I am and how I look.

Today I know that eating a good healthy range of foods means that I have more energy to sit on the couch doing nothing but let my body heal and don't suffer from the 3pm slumps anymore.

Today I know that cutting sugar, wheat and dairy out of what I eat makes me feel so good. (Does this mean I will never eat these foods again ?  No, but it does mean that I have learned that when I eat these foods I don't feel that great and so eating them on special occasions is allowed, even encouraged, provided I can deal with how I feel afterwards !!!!)

Today I know that tomorrow I have my 5th appointment with the osteo in 2 weeks and I have to stay confident that he can help me.

Today I know that even though my 'baby' is 20 yo, she still wants her Mom when she is sick.

Today I know that our car just clocked over 200,000kms and we are probably going to have to start looking for a new one.

Today I know that last night I went to a camera class and learned even more about my camera - I am planning to have some more play dates with it this weekend (especially as A is working on Sunday).

Today I know that I need to be more diligent with my gratitude journal - it is a journal that I NEED to make the time to 'write' in every day because EVERY DAY there IS a list of things that I am grateful for.

What do you know today ? 

How are you preparing your body for the Christmas on-slaught ?

 

 

TFTD : An essential aspect of long term success is not being afraid to fail in the short term.

(This is totally for me today - I know I shouldn't look at an injury as failure but that is mostly how I feel !!!)

 

Things I Know

Linking in with Stacey-Lee for Team Friday, Miss Cinders for Things I Know and Grace for FYBF today.

Following on from my post yesterday, I know that if I listen to my osteopath and my trainer I will be back training sooner than if I listen to my head (may have something to do with all the training/studying they have had/done compared to me - not sure, just saying !!!)

I know that I have given my back until the end of the weekend before I will even tackle going for a walk on Monday after work.  Depending on how that goes will determine what my next step (pun totally intended) will be.

I know that I am TOTALLY proud of K for the work that she does with SES - especially the last two nights from 6pm-2am with schoolies.  She came home absolutely shattered at 3am this morning after the incredibly sad death of a 17yr old girl who fell from a balcony onto the pool deck at Chevron Renaissance.  What a waste of a young life - when will these kids get it ?????

I know that I am looking forward to catching up with a friend tomorrow, firstly to give her a reflexology treatment and then for us to go out and have a good old fashioned chin-wag catch up - it has been months since we have got together and I know we will have a good time.  Our stomach muscles will get the best work out - laughter !

I know that I am happy with how my eating plan is going.  I feel so much healthier and my energy levels are so much better - why would I change it and go back to eating the cr*p that I was eating ?  Well, I'm not.  I am going to continue with this, with an exception, if, on the odd occasion, I feel like eating something with wheat, dairy or sugar (like on the weekend), I am going to have it - and then see how it makes me feel so I can gauge just how often I can (or can't) have it. 

I know that it is getting closer to Christmas and I am no closer to doing anything about it than I was 6 months ago.  Having said that, I have at least been thinking about what we are going to do, which is a step closer than not having even given it a thought - so I suppose, in that respect, I am just a teeny tiny bit closer !!!

Have the best day ever - take care and look after yourself.  If you know anyone coming to schoolies from inter-state - please, please, please tell them to take care and look after each other to prevent another tragedy from happening.

TFTD : You are the author of your beliefs.  You get to write and edit them continuously.  And it's really important to tend and maintain your belief in your awesomeness because when you feel terrible, the people you care about suffer too.

A Great Place

Linking in with Stacey-Lee from GetOnWithItAlready - what place are you in right now ?  Not physically - but emotionally and mentally ?  Are you where you want to be ?  Are you close to where you want to be ? Or is where you want to be not even on the horizon for you ?

I didn't realise just how directionless (I think that is the word I am looking for) I was until I looked back over the past few months and realised that apart from a couple of events and a holiday to NZ, I really was just marking time.  No concrete goals to aim for.  Just marking time.

I was thinking about myself recently and realised that now I have direction - I have goals I want to achieve and I am following specific paths to achieve those goals.

1.  I committed to the LEANing Challenge with We Are Slimming
2.  I committed to Tracey's 30/30 challenge for November at Bliss Amongst Chaos
3.  I am involved in research for a book that involves all different areas of my life
4.  I committed to Kate's #operationMOVE for November at katesaysstuff (which I am doing in conjunction with point 2 above)

Looking now I see it is just 4 points - which to my way of thinking previously - was a bit piss-willy - really, all I could come up with was 4 ??????  But now I realise that maybe the smaller the number the more chance I have of achieving them - I tend to be an all or nothing kind of girl so often would tackle a million lots of things at once and then burn out without finishing most of them. 

I can't tell you how different I feel on the LEANing challenge  - no sugar, no wheat, no soft drinks, no dairy and I feel fantastic.  My energy levels are up and I feel so much clearer in myself (not sure that is an expression but that is how I feel !!!).  Yes, it takes a lot of preparation.  Yes, it means I have to be more organised.  Yes, I have to have a plan.  But, between K and I, we are doing it.

My newest 'sweet' - 70% cocoa chocolate

My child who is normally a grumble bum about most things that don't revolve around her - has become (for now anyway) a helpful, considerate, thoughtful young adult to have around the house.  She has been amazing - so much so on Wednesday night she came and sat next to me with her computer and said "Let's do a menu plan for next week so we can get the shopping done and we know what meals I'm cooking and which one's you are cooking." - as I said before whoever has swopped out my child, please don't swop her back anytime soon !!!!!

It looks like A might be getting a bit more interested in exercising and eating healthy food.  He has been for a run for me one night and was going to run last night but into our walk he was light-headed and didn't feel well so we walked home and I just went for a run by myself.  I hope that our good habits start to rub off on him - he used to be so fit and healthy.

Next weekend we have Warrior Dash at Kilcoy - I am hoping that it will be just as much fun as The Stampede. Tomorrow we are going op shopping to find clothes and shoes to wear because once you are finished, the bin is really the only place for your clothes / shoes !!

I am choosing to embrace the positives.  I will acknowledge, then let go of the negatives. This is the time for me to look after ME.  It is the time for me to accept that I may not get to be the weight that I think I should be but I can still have a healthy body - one that I nurture and nourish and treat with respect - not only with how I dress / look but how much I exercise and feed it.

I am off to have my next lot of water - have the BEST day that you can and I hope that your weekend brings you whatever it is that you need !

Also joining in for FYBF with Grace from With Some Grace - hop over and meet some other bloggers !

TFTD : Success is not a skill, it's a persistent attitude

Man I Hate Detoxing !

On Tuesday I posted about making decisions.  Last night I made one of them - to join the LEANing Challenge with We Are Slimming.  I had already paid my money but then, after getting the manual and menu plan, went all sooki and didn't know if I would do it.

I had three days of L&E this week anyway, so thought I would give myself a couple of days to look at the manual and decide.  Well, I didn't so much read the manual and skim through it, mainly because I find manuals boring to read and picked up bits and pieces about what I could and couldn't eat.

So, last night being the last day of L&E, I figure I am going to either have to go and do some serious food shopping or else it was going to be another day that I fluffed around eating whatever I could lay my hands on.    It was K's turn to make dinner so as soon as I got home from work we made a shopping list (for me and for her because heaven forbid she should actually have got all the ingredients for dinner before 6pm on the night she is going to cook !!!) and off we went.  Well $140 and 4 grocery packets later we were home.  She asked a gazillion questions about how to make the chicken with mushroom and asparagus sauce that she had chosen to make inbetween us getting home and me dashing off to get de-haired !

Her recipe says 20 mins prep and 25 mins cooking time.  I get home just over an hour later and she is still getting it together to go into the oven !!!!  But, once it was done and we ate, it was actually bloody nice - probably her best effort so far.

I had a quick look at the menu plan for today - some mexican taco for breakfast - well that ain't going to happen now is it ?  No way I am getting up earlier than 6am to bloody cook breakfast.  So I made do with a glass of OJ and a handful of nuts !

I was a little better prepared (although not by much) for lunch and had prawns and avo/tomatoe.  I nearly had a heart attack - $2,50 for an avo - and they recommend an avo / nuts every day (for the good fats of course !!!)  Anyway, it was actually quite tasty although I only ate half of it - thought that at that price I had better ration myself with how much avo I eat - I can quite easily sit down and eat a whole avo with a little bit of salt and a sprinkling of pepper !

For dinner we had a really nice dish called paleo pancit - (have no idea what the name means except that a paleo diet is one using raw food - I think - don't quote me on it in case you get sued for wrong information !!!).  I changed it slightly as it should have had chicken, pork loin and shrimps - but we only used chicken as the others were too expensive !!!  With grated carrot, cabbage and onion.  Throw in some crushed garlic, soy sauce, chicken stock and fish sauce - bloody nice it was and it made an absolute mountain of food.  So I have frozen it for another 3 meals each for K and I - gotta love things you can take out the freezer and don't have to cook from scratch every night !!!  Oh yes, and start it all off with some coconut oil !

This eating plan is pretty much -  protein, non-starchy veg, some fruit and fats - no dairy and no wheat / carbs.  Drinking is water - tea - coffee - with almond / coconut milk if you want.  Well I don't drink tea or coffee and while I try to drink at least 1L of water a day (Mon-Fri anyway) my drink of choice is Pepsi Max - well not for the next 30 days it isn't.  My drink of choice is now WATER !!!!!!  I know I can do it because I have done it before but man it is so bloody hard.

I started with a headache at about 11.30 this morning and it has gotten progressively worse over the course of the rest of the day.  Detox - I HATE YOU !!!!  Of course, if I didn't feed my body with all the cr*p that I have done in the past, I wouldn't have picked up the weight and I wouldn't be trying to lean my body down so I do realise that I am totally responsible for having to do the detox - it just doesn't make it easier.

I was all set to run this evening after work but by the time I got home there was no ways I could manage to get out there and run - not feeling the way I did.  So instead I got started on dinner because the plan was to make the breakfast muffins tonight and, as they freeze well, just heat them up tomorrow morning.  Well after doing dinner there was no way I was going to start all over again making egg and bacon muffin thingies so change of menu and we are having coconut smoothies for breakfast instead.  On Saturday I will make the muffins and freeze them to be used during the week.  I will also  be making some frittatas to freeze and use during the week.  I just need to be organised and I can do this provided I can get rid of this bloody headache before then otherwise I am going to be swanning around on the couch feeling very sorry for myself and watching the World Series games that we will have taped during this week !!

And, because detoxing isn't bad enough, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow morning !  I HATE the dentist (probably more than the detox !!!) and have put off going for more years than I care to think about but, given this is the year I am taking myself out of my comfort zones and starting to take care of me, I thought a check-up was in order.

Linking in with Grace from With Some Grace for FYBF and Stacey-Lee from Get On With It Already for Team Friday.  Wishing you all the best weekend possible !!

TFTD : There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond your control.

Team Friday

Linking in with the lovely Stacey-Lee from Get On With It Already for Team Friday because it has been a while since I blogged on a Friday (in fact it's been a while since I blogged three times in one week !!!!!) but work is a little less frantic and so I have found I have a little more time to breathe !

My exercise is starting to get back to where I want it to be - it isn't quite there just yet but I am working on it.  Thanks to Kate from katesaysstuff and #operationMOVE - I have been moving more than I would have had I not joined in which is fantastic !  It was just the motivation that I needed to get moving.

Some nights I go for a run and then when I get home  go for a walk with A and the two dogs.  I have learned that I can't go for a run then hang around waiting to go for a walk - my legs don't like that and neither do my knees - they battle to get moving for the walk after a break like that.  But it is all good !

Last week I did a couple of runs - one was just over 5kms - no walking - which I was really happy about.  Another run was only 3.7km but my pace was 6:36/km which I was EXTREMELY happy with - now to build up my distance and my pace.

What I plan to do is some nights run for distance and other nights run for pace - at some point it has to all come together, doesn't it ????  And, if it doesn't, I guess it isn't all bad - at least I have been exercising in the meantime.

Last night I joined the LEANing Challenge which starts on Monday (but it may be Tuesday or Wednesday before I get started on it) so will keep you all informed on how I am going with that.

Right now - LIFE IS GREAT - things are going well at home, with my family, with work, with my life and I am all sorts of grateful for that !!!!

Have the best weekend you possibly can.  I am looking forward to a picnic with K and the two little girls that she babysits on a Saturday down at Burleigh - after an appointment with the osteo who I know is going to rouse on me because I haven't been kind to my body !!!  Sometimes it just won't listen to me !!!!!!

TFTD : Regularly having fun is a key factor in having a happy life, people who have fun are twenty times more likely to feel happy.
{I wonder if that is why we were so happy at the 7's rugby on Saturday - it was so much fun ?????}

Out of My Comfort Zone

Linking in with Stacey from GetOnWithItAlready for Team Friday (one day late I know but better late than never I figure !!!) on how to get out of your comfort zone without even trying !!!

Yesterday was Gold Coast Show day which meant a day off work - great to ease back into work with a four day week thank you very much !!  Anyway, I had great plans of sleeping in, getting up and getting our NZ blog done, then a leisurely shower and get dressed session before having to go and get A from work (he finished up at the company that was closing down so didn't have a ride home) at about 4pm before heading up to Brisbane to have dinner with friends who are moving to NZ.

How does that saying go ........... the best laid plans of mice and (wo)men ..............

Well I did sort of get my sleep in - I had threatned A with death if he woke me but I actually woke before him - you know one of those days where because you don't have to get up you wake up earlier anyway - yes that one !  So I got up and started on the blog after checking mail and tweeting and reading a few blogs !!!!!  By the time Al left I was just padding out the commentary on our holiday.  His parting comment as he walked out the door

"So I'll see you for lunch about 12.30."

"What ?  No.  I have my day planned."

" Oh well we are only going in to hand back tools, computers, phones, utes etc and then we are going to lunch and we can go after that."

So I am thinking - well this isn't going to work because it means I have to leave home by 11.45 plus I have to get ready .......no - definitely not going to work.

"Luv, why don't you go to lunch with the people from work - they don't want me there as well - you are the one who works with them."

"Oh it doesn't matter what they want - I'd like you to join us."

"I don't think so - what about you go to lunch and I'll collect you at about 2pm and we can go to IKEA" (cos I'm thinking that the thought of IKEA might entice him to let me stay at home playing on my computer for longer !!!)

"I don't know if we will have time - we have to get through the traffic to get to G&S for dinner"

"We are only meeting them at 7pm."

"Yes I know but it's Friday afternoon - traffic is shocking."

"OK - I'll see you are about 2pm and we can see whether to go to IKEA or not."

11am I get a call - "I'm finished at work - coming home to shower and then go to lunch - do you want to join us ?"  (He is nothing if not persistent !!!)

"No thanks - see you here."

He gets home and I am still in my pj's - I mean it is a public holiday after all !!!  He dashed in - showers - and dashes out again.

K wanders through and says she is helping a friend decorate his cafe (Really - OK) so off she goes - peace and quiet at home with the dogs sitting on the blanket.

Next thing she is back - "What happened to the decorating ?"

"Oh - he is only starting to paint and I don't paint so I left."  (Well that was nice of you darling !!!)

So she curled up on the couch next to me and promptly fell asleep.

(I'm getting to the point of my comfort zone dilemma soon, I promise !!!)

I shower and get dressed in my uniform of jeans and top and boots and then think to myself - can I pull off a dress and tights ?  Hhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmmmm not sure I can.  So I get changed into a dress that I bought in NZ after going into and out of the shop about three times as A didn't really like the colour but as he said afterwards "obviously you can see something there that I can't" !!!!  Anyway, I put it on with a black long sleeve T underneath and black tights and ballet flats.  The tights are always a joy to put on and for some reason on the few occasions when I do wear them I always try to put them on standing up and land up falling over and then think - maybe if I sit down it will be easier to put them on (alternatively if I work my core muscles really well I might be able to balance and put them on !!!!)  Now I am not sure so I go into the lounge and try to wake K to ask her opinion.  Eventually she opens one eye and says "That looks OK" and goes back to sleep again.

Now I am stuck - do I wear it or not because I am certain that her "That looks OK" doesn't actually mean anything as she is probably still asleep.  So, hopping from one foot to the other with indecision I go back to the bedroom.  Then I look at the clock - it is already 1.30pm - I haven't done my hair or my make-up (because I came through earlier to see how K was and CSI was on so I sat and watched the end of it figuring I had plenty of time !!!) - so I figure I am going to have to go with the dress and tights because I just don't have time to change again.  So I run the hair dryer and straightener over my hair, throw some make-up on and am out the door by 1.50pm - given that it is about a 35-40 min drive to A's work and I said I would pick him up at 2pm (and he said 1.30!!!) - I am now going to be late.  I call him.

"Hi Luv - how's your lunch going ?"

"Good thanks - we are finished. Where are you ?"

"Uhhm - just left home."

"Oh OK - see you just now."

"Do you want to go back to the office with everyone and I'll pick you up there ?" (Cos it turns out that I have no idea where they are having lunch and the only road in the GPS with that name is in Red Hill which is I don't know where - turns out the GPS was taking me to a place nowhere near where he was !!)

"No, I'll wait here they are still having a few beers."

Ten minutes later I get a call from him.

"Can you get me from the office - they are all leaving now ?"

So I head to the office and get him there.  And as I stepped out the car, I saw his face and I knew that I had made the right decision to stick with the dress (never mind that I never had time to change again) - as far as it took me out my comfort zone (more so now because of the weight I have put on over the past month) it was worth the look that I saw in his eyes.  The appreciation that I had done something that he knew I was not comfortable with when I could have chosen the easy option of jeans.

When he got in the car he said that he was more than happy to wait for me especially when I turn up looking so good !!!!
(Now I am sorry I didn't get a photo - next time I wear the outfit I will take one to show you !!)

Do you find you don't do things because they are outside your comfort zone ?  Can I challenge you to do just one thing this week that is outside your comfort zone ?  My challenge this week for myself is to get through The Stampede next Saturday - what's yours ?

Have the best weekend !

TFTD : All things are difficult until they are easy.

Are you getting enough sleep ?

If you have been reading my blog you will know of my on-going struggle to sleep when A's snoring kicks in - so much so I often take my doona and pillow and move to the couch (which is really comfortable so not really a bad thing to do in order to get some sleep). 

It has been getting worse and eventually the other day I had the conversation with him that went along the lines of this :

Me : How many mornings of waking up alone do you think you will have before you think about doing something about your snoring ?
A : I don't know.
Me : Doesn't it make you sad when you wake up alone ?
A : Yes
Me : So why don't you do something about it ?
A : I don't know - what should I do ?
(By now I am thinking that maybe I am talking to a 3 yr old not a 48 yr old)
Me : How about going to the dr to get a referral to someone who can help you ?
A : But there is nothing they can do.
Me : Really - what makes you say that ?
A : Well X and Y have both had these operations and they still snore.
Me : Oh - how do you know that ?
A : Because they told me.
Me : The last time you spoke to them was before we left South Africa over 13 years ago - don't you think they have made progress in how to treat snoring along with everything else ?
A : I don't know - never really thought about it.
(Clearly at this point it is evident that he is never kept awake by me snoring !!!!!)
Me : Well let me tell you - I have thought about it plenty - especially when I am lying there and all I want to do is sleep and I can't because of your bloody snoring - GO AND SEE SOMEONE AND GET IT SORTED OUT ! (OK maybe I didn't quite yell it but I made sure he knew in no uncertain terms that I expected him to do something about it !!!)

He did land up making an appointment and got a referral to go to the sleep doctor and off we went to his appointment on Monday.  The problem is that the dr sent him straight to the sleep doctor instead of going for the sleep test first !!!!! Good work doctor !  But he saw us anyway - explained how many cycles of sleep we should have and how long each one should last and how if your sleep is interrupted this or that happens and what can interrupt sleep (elbows rated quite high in this category).  He drew lots of little pictures and throats and how they are open or closed or partially closed and then delivered the words that nearly saw me jump over his desk and kiss him :

Help is at hand - this can be resolved.

Those words were like a glass of Amarula after a cr*ppy day - pure gold to my soul !!!

So, he has a sleep test booked for later this month when we get back from NZ and then an appointment the following week for the results and a plan of attack for how we can sort this out.

Linking in with Stacey-Lee at getonwithitalready for Team Friday because when you don't get sufficient good sleep, life can becoming pretty over whelming. 

And linking in with Dorothy from singularinsanity because I know that snoring sucks, I know that he can't help it and I know that help is at hand - I've put up with it for so long another few weeks will be a breeze to get through (I hope !!)

Now to get through two weeks holiday in hotel rooms that don't have a loungeroom I can escape to !!!

Are you getting enough good sleep to allow you function when you wake up ?  Do you have any tips for me for dealing with A's snoring while we are away ?

TFTD : Obstacles are put in our way to see if what we want is really worth fighting for.