Monday, December 20, 2010

Next year

What do you want to try next year? Is there something you wanted to try in 2010? What happened when you did / didn’t go for it?

Going dry in January
Get my running back up
Gym three times a week
False eyelashes
New recipes, especially fish ones
Going cold turkey online - to one hour a day (not counting Twitter on phone)
New authors (am desperate!)
Early nights with baths twice a week
make jam
Clear out wardrobe properly
see more friends more often
Go camping again

Five minutes

Imagine you will completely lose your memory of 2010 in five minutes. Set an alarm for five minutes and capture the things you most want to remember about 2010.

watching Octonauts with Ted
Brilliant night with Mike in Manchester in July - ooh the hangover the next day
Mike's £50 steak
39th Birthday party
Children all passing their English Speaking Board exam
Headteachers fighting to offer me a job
Day at Cotswold country Farm park with boys
Cardiff with old friends
Meeting Sandra
Ted's drawings of me
Excellent Sea bass at Jitrada
Seeing Colette in Scotland
Alfie growing up so fast
Alfie and Anna's friendship
Simon Mayo on Request Show "Groove is in the Heart"
Singing Rule The World and Pack Up with the children
Running a km for the first time - need to do that again
Hall stairs and landing looking fabulous
Booking Cornwall
Patrick Gale books
Reading The Help
Watching MadMen series 4

Gosh, that went quickly!

Friday, February 12, 2010

15 lbs

I weighed in at 15lbs lighter today than at the beginning of January - I am delighted and newly motivated! I have worked hard this week and made sure that I have tracked carefully, and also pushed myself at the gym - I'm now doing 3km on the cross trainer as quickly as possible - about 15 mins 30. That way, I know it's coming to an end! Then, the weights and making sure I swim every time too. I adore swimming!

It's been a great week - all my children passed the English Speaking Board exam this week, which makes me feel great, and everyone is really on board with the whole thing. It's lovely to have something tangible to refer to as an achievement! And, it's half term from 3.15pm! Yeah baby! Mike is away all next week, but it is all going to be fine, yes it is!

Off out for a curry with Tina, Tony and Karen tonight, I've saved points and will choose well

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Ambition

I hadn't realised it had been so long.

I've lost ten pounds to date, in four weeks of weighing - last week was a STS after a lovely weekend when Viv and Joff visited and then Sunday lunch with the Mansons - a boozy affair with Singstar and cheesecake. It was also PMT time, so there was water agogo. I'm feeling positive for Monday as I've had a great week food wise and been to the gym and really pushed it on the x-trainer - I'm now seeing how fast I can do 3 miles as I was getting a bit complacent and bored at plodding along at about nine miles an hour, so now I'm pushing myself and keeping up a pace of 11-14 miles an hour, and doing three miles in about 15 minutes. I'm lifting weights at 25-45 kilos depending on which one, and generally I feel pretty good. Not been swimming due to period, although went with Alfie today and had a nice time as bumped into a family we know, the Burgesses and the kids played whilst Sandra and I swam and chatted.

Mike and I had a long chat on Thursday night about ambition - he has been told at work that if "he wants to get to the nect level" he has to do x,y and z. He was saying to me that he oesn;t want to get to the next level; he loves doing what he does and he earns enough, so why would he want to. It tied in with something I've been thinking about about ambition; I've never really had one. I didn't go to Uni thinkning "then I'm going to do this" - my life has kind of "happened" to me. I've had goals: to get into Uni, to get my degree, to get a job, to have a baby, to train as a teacher, to get out of St Joes... but no great Life Plan.

I think that that's okay. I have no idea what the next 20 years will bring... I think that's for the best really. Let it happen, bring it on.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

This much I know about the gym

Why do only men sit on the chairs at the side of the swimming pool? Women go to the gym with a time frame "I'm fitting this in around family/life/work etc" There are men who will sit in those white, plastic slightly uncomfortable patio chairs either alone or with a mate, and while away the hours. Why? Why would you do this?? If you want to natter; get dressed and go to the bar. If you've nothing better to do, volunteer for a charity!!

Why, although there are four television screens, they are perpetually on: Sky News, Sky Sports News, Sky Sports one (two channels)

Only been twice this week, I felt quite poorly at the beginning of the week, with a sore throat and swollen glands, but it seems to have come to nothing. I went on Thursday and it was PACKED! I couldn't get on any of the weight machines and ended up giving it up as a bad job and going for a swim.

I've gone back to counting Weightwatchers points as I've discovered I need some kind of structure to my life, it's easier.

I am starting to feel like it is beginning to make a difference - my tummy feels tighter and I feel generally better, I will be interested to see if I've lost any weight tomorrow. It's not all about weight, well it needs to come off!!

Went to Strictly Come Dancing yesterday afternoon with Alfie - it was fab! We had a really lovely afternoon, it was fun and enjoyable and it was nice for us to spend the time together. It was a bit of a tricky journey there and back as it was a home match at Man U, and even though I took Alfie for a pizza afterwards to try to avoid the crowds, we still got squashed on the tram.

When I got home one of Alfie's friends' mums had rung to invite Alfie to play and for lunch, which was nice, and also quite surprising, as I haven't felt that she was not very warm lately. It makes me feel that I have done that thing that I always do: projected something onto someone that isn't real.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Happy New Year etc

Well, the highlight of the year so far has been that I went to bed on Monday night wishing for another week's holiday - and I got it!

Snow 8 inches thick fell on Monday night - although to be honest, we got up, got ready and I even went out and began to clear it from my car at 7.50 - and then the texts started: Mike's meeting was cancelled, then Alfie's school was closed... I called my Tuesday school and the caretaker said that school was closed. So - snow day!

It was quite nice in that we had a nice time in the garden, built a snow-woman (she has a boa!) but it was very cold - I particuarly loved that we could go out onto our road which is actually quite a busy one usually and play. We watched too much TV and sat about so, for the rest of the week (for it has become a snow WEEK!) I have pulled the plug on the TV and concentrated on doing other things - we dusted yesterday morning, we have baked, read, coloured, 11+ stuff... it's tiring, but tempers are better. Alfie is banned from computer for two days for taking Xmas sweets without asking as well.

Gym has been going well - 4 times last week, plus once with Alfie, went last night, but got period today, so I'm having a day off - planned to go on Friday and Sunday later this week. I've worked up to 17.5 minutes on the x-trainer, and 1km on the rower - the rower bores me a bit though, and some of the weights do too - I've added extra to the stomach ones, and I definitely feel better, but I haven't weighed yet apart from a scary one last night at the end of the day with 1.5l of water inside and prior to a period starting - I'm going to do it on Monday. Still had no wine or alcohol. Meals are good, but being at home is a bit hard work (scoffs chocolate orange...) But I am making sure that I think hard about stuff - I've cut back on portions and I'm trying to think about it.

I've not cut back to 1/2 hour on the Net, but i've cut back.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

New Years Eve Eve

Up at the crack of dawn with Mr Ted this morning, despite feeling groggy after a night with colette (here on a visit), Ally, Sarah and Nic, and all the kids - wine was flowing as were the bags and bags of crisps - how many weeks till I am fabulous and forty again???

I cannot remember when I last did not have a drink - maybe the 15th/16th December?? I need to have a complete break for the first two weeks of January. I was a bit pissed off that I appear not to have lost weight despite the gym trips etc, and then when I really think about the wine I have necked and the crisps I have nibbled and the chocolate I have picked at, really, I am surprised I am not in a worse state. At least I have been to the gym, imagine if I hadn't? Anyway, am not going to weigh myself until Friday 8th January as then it will be a bit more "normal".

It's time for New Year Resolutions - I had a look at last years, and having made 10, I kept 3 fully and 4 partially - I did keep a list of all the books I have read in the year (41), saw lots of my friends and I did get a new job, so that's good. Wine consumption, internet usage not so good. Fruit and veg consumption, being a good mother and wife. skin care and positive thinking went okay. So all in all, not bad.

Here are this years:

1. Keep a list of books I have read - really handy for new authors etc
2. Go to the gym three times a week and follow the set programme
3. Lose three stone. I think that that is a reasonable amount to go for, it's 42lbs and less that a 1lb a week. It will take me to my lowest ever weight again, and leave me with a goal of another 2 stone for 2011
4. Continue to proactively arrange to see friends and do stuff with them
5. Take my make up off every night. I am going to get Protect and Perfect day cream and night cream with my Boots points because it is brill.
6. Look after my nails - Nic bought me Clarins hand and nail cream and I had forgotten how fab it is - I willl use nightly
7. Do more stuff with the boys - I am rubbish at playing and doing, so I am promising that I will spend at least half an hour each day doing something specific with each of them - sometimes of course that will be something with both of them
8. Really cur back on internet use - I have taken lots of websites off my favourites, but then Facebook and Twitter are soooooo addictive. So I'm going to aim for 1/2 hour a day from 1.1.2010
9. I am going to cut back on drinking. I love wine, but it is stuffed full of calories and I worry about my liver. I am only allowing myself wine on Friday and Saturday. I can have a beer or a G and T on a Thursday or a Sunday.
10. I am going to have more sex in 2010. It's an area of our life that needs to be worked on, and efforts over the Christmas period have been much appreciated on all sides.

I want to look back at this on 30.12.10 and say - yup, did this. And be really proud.

And on that note, going to wake Mike up so I can go to the gym
xx

Thursday, December 24, 2009

I have been twice!

Quite pleased with myself really - done the programme that the twelve year old gave me - I am not a big fan of the cross trainer, but did five minutes the first time, and 7.5 minutes this morning - Cheryl Cole's Three Words helped me get through it! Rowing is ok, and I quite like the weights and am, of course, still swimming. I'm pretty sure that I've not lost any weight though, but I feel better and that's important.

Christmas Eve is okay here - Gail and Bob couldn't stay as long as usual (quote from Bob: "I've never been in this house so long and been sober") and all was fine until Ted decided to puke. He's fine otherwise but God only knows how this will pan out - so far he has been in bed for three hours and all's well - bit of a dampner on C Eve though.

funny moment - Alfie just coming downstairs when Ted#s toolbench was still being constructed - cue hasty shoving over of sheet and mad dash for the door by us!

Happy Christmas!