ONE WEEK TO GO

So, one week to go till the kids go back to school, I can't believe how long these holidays have been. I wonder if Griffin will go back to crying every morning? I do hope not. Don't suppose it will matter, cos he's going and that's all there is to it, I am hanging out for some peace from the constant demands, I am sick to death of hearing "Mummmmmm, can I?"

It looks like another nice day out there, might just go to the gym... I have missed it. Got on the scales this morning and they showed a gain of 3Kg in 4 days!! How's that, impressive eh! I can gain huge amounts in a small time, not fair. Wonder if the chocolate ice cream did that? Surely not! I think I still holding lots of water, and not going to the gym makes a big difference too I'm sure.
Oh well, must go feed the kids their breakfast... later...

I went to the gym, it was hard after 4 days and still feeling yukky, but I'm glad I did. I got on the rower today, first time in ages and rowed for 2km, not bad! Am now home, where it is a bloody mess as per usual... so want a housekeeper!

Just had a bloke in me kitchen (hmmm), he fixed me new oven door, it wasn't closing properly and me chook took 2 hours to get cooked the other night! Not good. AND our automatic garage door opener crapped out, so that's 2 things broken , wonder what the 3rd will be ? don't you always find things go in three's ?? Like births/deaths/ breakdowns? I do.

I am looking forward to the weekend, we are going shopping for a new dishwasher, ummm, that crapped out months ago (is that no#3?). What else, ummm, a wee upright vacum for the kitchen cos I'm sick of having to sweep it 5 times a day .... my kids are pigs! Oh yes, and I want a blind for the kitchen window, I can't work in there in the evening without getting full sun on my face, and that is not nice when you are slaving over a hot stove ... so roll on the weekend..

so, what happens when you can't use your garage? A traffic jam outside your house! We live in a little culdesac, with only 8 houses, and it's a one way street... all these vehicles are ours or friends! Hope they bring our new opener tomorrow, it's just a bit conjested eh? !...

Another quiet evening, watching Dr 90210 right now, some of it is interesting, some of it is just dumb! After that I'm going to bed, so nite nite.

SUNSHINE, OH YEAH !

Ok, so if I'm stuck at home today... at least the sun has come out ...I might just work on me tan! It doesn't take much for me to tan luckily, and when your legs are chubby, they look so much nicer a bit brown. So, that is about it for today, except for the usual housework.. oh bloody joy!

I am feeling really sorry for the kids, they are getting so bored, these holidays have been much longer than usual.... 8 more sleeps till school.

... thank goodness.

Aren't ya lucky you don't have a bad hair day EVERY day like our girl!! She wakes up every morning looking a fright, lucky she ain't at the age where it matters yet. ha ha ha. She is the spitting image of her mother (our daughter) ! later...

Ok, for you nosey buggers out there (just joking)... Brylee and Griffin have known that Stew and I are their Grandparents as well as their Mum and Dad from the word 'GO'... we slip it in conversations when we can, like when we see a pregnant woman, we might say "you came out of Lacy's tummy", and we tell people who don't know us that they are our grandkids as well as our "kids", in front of them all the time. There is going to be no confusion later on with them, they know where they came from, that Lacy wasn't ready to be their mother, etc. One day Lacy will have to explain herself to them, I will just make sure she doesn't bullshit them with crap excuses..... so there are the fact for you who wonder.

We have a nasty wind here today, so while the sun is shining, it isn't that warm... maybe I won't be getting a tan today afterall. darn...

I got tagged:
Four things about Me:
A) Four jobs I have had in my life:
- Medical typist
- Pottery Tutor
- Teacher Aide
- LayBy Storeperson

B) Four movies I would watch over and over:
- Ghost
-The Green Mile
- Forest Gump
- Fried Green Tomatoes !

C) Four places I have lived:
- Tokoroa
- Auckland
- Whitianga
- Palmerston North

D) For favourite T.V. shows:
- House
- Ugly Betty
- Coronation Street
- Boston Legal

E) Four of my favourite foods:
- Pizza
- Seafood
- Chicken
- Nachos

F) Four places I would rather be right now:
- A Huge shopping mall, with lots of money to spend
- Partridges Jewellery Store, Wellington, again with lots of money to spend
- Whitianga, on the beach
- At the Gym

G) Four friends I think will respond:
- Janene
- Michelle
- Slim Suzy
- Mandy
Ok, gunna go tag em now...

Great afternoon, shoo'd kids outside to play with Izzy, then went to Yamaha Dealer and paid off me scooter in full, great feeling! Got $10 in me purse, I'm still rich !!! lol
Not much else happening, felt yukky all day, tomorrow should be better.
Dinner tonight: homemade spagetti bologneise, yum.
Watching Boston Legal tonight, first night back for the new season... just love William Shatner's character... too funny. So that's me for another day... nite nite.

VALIDATION !

I just knew there had to be a good reason why I was craving chocolate.... and there was! TOM has arrived on time for a change, so that means no gym for me today or tomorrow, darn. Once upon a time it would not have mattered, but nowdays (going through menopause) my monthly is horrendous, flooding for two days. So I am pretty much housebound till wednesday. I can, however, get on my treadmill and exercycle at home, so all is not lost.

So, what to do today? I have promised the kids lunch in town, and I need to post away our passport applications too, so might brave a trip out later. Oh joy, will have to be VERY careful, and make a visit to a bathroom every half an hour... such a pain in the butt. How long will this shit last? 1 year? 5 years? later...

Thanks for the comment Linda re: Mirena... I have thought about that, but as I don't get pain as well, I'd rather not go there... I don't like the idea of having hormones in my system like "the pill" cos it causes me to get dark patches on my skin. I havn't had to take any form of birth control in 17 years, thanks to Stew visiting a surgeon! lol After having 6 kids in 10 years it was NECESSARY ! later...

Actually, that reminds me of our visit to the surgeon....
- Stew and I went to the hospital for his "procedure", taking 6 week old Michael with us.... we sit down in the office in front of the surgeon, who was the BLACKEST man I have ever seen, with a stong South African accent... and he starts to go through the procedure with us.... and tells us that this is irreversible, and did we really know what we were doing? He decided perhaps we needed some counselling first! Then he said "and your baby boy, what number is he, 2 or 3?" ... well, I promptly repied "He's bloody number 6 !", to which the surgeon said real fast... " NO COUNSELLING NECESSARY, WE DO YOUR HUSBAND THIS AFTERNOON".... fuck did we laugh !

later... Ok, went to town, saw cute dress and bought it. Great way to pep up my day... a bit of retail therapy never hurt anyone.... Brylee and Griffin got to spend some money in the $2 Shop too. I know I shouldn't buy clothes while so overweight, but hey.... it will still look ok when I've lost 10 kgs so there! I just love being able to go into an "ordinary" shop and get a dress, such a neat feeling after having to buy size 24 - 28 for years. YAAAAA Ummmm, I know this dress is probably too young for me, but I don't give a shit !

Ok, long day over, am off to bed. nite nite

MIGHT BE A NICE DAY !

It looks promising outside.... we might just get a nice day even though the forecast is for rain.
Top priority today is.... clean my poor vehicle! Honestly, it only gets washed once a year, and I am ashamed of it. On the way back from the beach last weekend I tipped some sticky fruit juice out my window (while travelling) and it went all down the side and it's still there, only now it's covered in dust as well. Not a good look. And there is rubbish and sand all through the inside too.... might just make that my "new years resolution"... clean the car monthly! hee he he later...

I spoke too soon, it's a mixed bag, some sun then some rain.. got my vehicle cleaned tho, took 2 hours with both Stew and I doing it!! Looks nice now so it was worth it... must never let it get that darn dirty again ! Lunch time now... hmmmm.... must be good! Think I'll have some brown rice and veges. later...

Lunch was brown rice, coleslaw and surimi... total of 6 points and delicious. Then took the kids and dog up to the shop for an iceblock... I did not have one.... dog drove me nuts pulling all the way. Then we went over to the primary school where Brylee swung on the bars too much and got a nasty blister that popped and is stinging her... DOH. It has turned into a really hot muggy day, nice under the trees with a good breeze to cool us down. later...

Forgive me for I have sinned... I felt like chocolate and had some! I know now that I shall have to work bloody hard all week to have a loss, but I will do my best! Sometimes the urge to have something just can't be denied, I tried all bloody day and got more and more pissed off, so decided to just have some and deal with it. It's the first sweet thing I've had in over 2 weeks so maybe I don't feel so bad about it ??? Am going to bugger off to bed now, and get up in the morning with my craving over, and get on with a good workout at the gym.
nite nite.

OH YEAH, I'M HOT !

lMAO... !! Don't know about being hot in my jacket Helena, but thanks anyway!!

Couldn't sleep again last night, I am sure I shouldn't be stressing so much about weigh in anymore! It's not like I havn't been doing this for ages and ages! I wish it didn't worry me so much, there is more to life than what I weigh!

Hope the weather is nice today, it would be neat to head out to Himitangi again with the kids and dog.... if we can get the garage door open! They took away the whole automatic opening mechanism, it's gunna cost over $500 to get a new one, fuck! So for now we have to try pushing it up manually, I'm sure the guys can do it.

Lost some of me post?
Bugger, gained .500 grams, my scales said I'd lost .500, but weight watchers say gain , damn and blast. Oh well, that just makes me that much more determined to do better next week!
Went out for lunch and had planned to have an evil evil lunch, but once I got there I didn't want to pig out, so just had a shrimp cocktail.... nothing else. WAs rather pleased with myself. I did however, have a diet coke.... so yum.... only drink it on saturday. That's my day off... shoot me if that's evil !

Stew and I went grocery shopping this afternoon, I swear to God it's a wonder we don't leave there and head straight for the "poor house", we have to spend so much! Now we broke again. Story of our lives. later...

I read this on Mary's blog, have changed a word or two, but the gist is almost identical....I loved it....:

"Succeeding is not about reaching your goal, it's about the growth, the journey and where it takes you".

I believe in order to reach our goals we do have to learn life lessons along the way, and we don't do it alone. In some way, we all take other people along with us, and we learn from them, as they learn from us. I think this is neat. Soppyness over. I'm not into soppyness really, but this just "hit the right note"...
Gunna go now, nite nite.

TGIF....

Last day before weigh in and my scales are being nasty to me, probably cos I'm holding lots of water... getting near "that" time of the month ... typical.

Steve goes to see the cardiologist this morning, I hope they can tell him when he's off to Auckland Hospital for his heart procedure, it's been a few months now since they sent the referral up there.... lucky his condition isn't life threatening or he could die waiting with our public health system!

Off to the gym this morning, now that I'm back in my routine I'm loving it again, it's so nice to meet up with the regulars and have a laugh and yak... later...

Does this ever happen to you? Got home from the gym, pushed the button to close the garage door, and headed off to the shower..... then remembered my clean pants were in the garage with the clean washing, so back I went, to find the garage door was only half closed, and DEAD.. SO rang the electrician, who said they'd come soon, saw the garage floor was a bit of a mess, so got out the vacum and did it, then proceeded to vacum the hallways and bedrooms.... and THEN remembered what I was doing before I started vacuming... DOH!!! SO I still stink.... hope the electrician doesn't arrive while I'm in the shower.. just my luck. later... lol

Our holiday plans are coming along well, looks like we shall be flying to Brisbane, spending 3-4 days there, then off to Coffs Harbour for a week, then on to Sydney for 3-4 days too... I know it's months away yet, but it is exciting just thinking about it!
So, to all you bloggers out there in Aussy, where are the "must see, go & do" places in Brisbane and Sydney for us ??? Bearing in mind I LOVE shopping, and buying clothes is top of the list !!!

What a great incentive to get back in shape, to buy new clothes on holiday !! YAAA . I smell nice again too...

Here I am in my "biker jacket", I have been waiting about 10 years to wear this jacket! It belonged to my brother Vern, who was killed in an accident in 1999. He gave it to me about a year before he died... said it was all mine if I could ever fit it (I was kinda big back then)... so now Vern, I am wearing it on my scooter... and I love it. Not just cos it's a leather jacket, but because it was his and now when I wear it I think of him. later...

NERVOUS ALREADY!

This is so weird, I'm already feeling nervous about weigh in on Saturday, probably because I havn't been 100% good this week.... silly me. So, I'm off to the gym again this morning (doing well there) and when I get home I am going to plan my meals for today and STICK TO IT.

I know sometimes I get shitty and eat cos I'm mad/annoyed etc, so must try to get over the emotional eating shit... got mad with Stew last night and ended up having more dinner than I intended... the stupid thing is I didn't feel any better, I felt worse. MEN, can't understand them sometimes! later...

Another good gym workout, and I even swam in the rain! Lunch today: coleslaw, surimi, tiny piece of edam cheese and beetroot. All for 6 points. Have been trying to remember to eat something in the dairy family, I can easily forget as I don't take milk with anything and don't eat yoghurt either. So a wee bit of cheese it is..... once a day, as long as I remember... must look after me bones eh?

A long afternoon looms, it's wet and miserable outside, wonder what I can do??? later...

Just got my mammogram results in the post, my boobs are A OK... no sign of breast cancer.... so that's neat. To tell the truth I had completely forgotten about the exam, so wasn't even wondering or worrying.
I've just finished preparing Mike's room for painting, yeah thanks 14pk! Now I have to put the darn undercoat on, and that stuff bloody well stinks, a real chemical smell that makes me eyes run....I am blaming you 14pk! Then again, I did need something to do to stop me nibbling....

I didn't do the undercoat.... sat on me arse and read a book! bliss. cooked family dinner, steak and home made wedges..... had some steak myself too. Yum.
Poor Mike has to sleep in his room with no curtain for the time being, took them down to strip the paper and won't put them back up till I've done the painting..... poor boy won't be able to even pick his nose (or anything else) without the neighbours seeing, ha ha ha. I'm not nice.

Am off to bed now, want to read for a while to try and fall asleep quicky and not stress about bloody weight again. nite nite

TIRED...

I'm feeling a bit tired, probably cos of the painting yesterday, gawd it was hot doing the hallways! Good exercise though, my arms are telling me about it this morning.

Am off to the gym again today, I'm really pleased I'm back into a routine, even though it's still the school holidays. Mike is a godsend, he drags himself outta bed every morning to watch Brylee and Griffin for me, ain't that so nice? He's a lovely guy.

Don't have much planned for today, have to find someone with a current passport to witness our passport applications, so that's high on the list of "to do's"... Michelle: surimi is this stuff that looks like fish, tastes like fish, but probably isn't! I think it might be crabmeat pressed into a block and made to look like fish! Whatever, it is very low in points and tastes lovely in a salad. later...

Here is a photo of one of the nicest things Stew has bought me lately.... LMAO !!! The roller extends so I can reach right up to the roof and don't have to stand on a box or chair... hmmmm, what a good idea. No more flying down the bloody stairs then!!

My gym workout today was cool, got really hot and then when it was time to jump in the pool I realised that I'd forgotten a towel, so had to have a sauna instead... shame that! It's a great way to unwind, and as there's a light in there I could read too. BLISS. later...

Sue: nope, it was Steve and Lisa who kept me awake for two consecutive nights, not my Mike. Mike can be a pain in the arse too, but nowhere near as much as the others!! I actually like Mike most of the time, LMAO ! I really do love all my kids, but sometimes I don't really LIKE them much... can you get that? It's weird eh!

Dinner: chicken drumbsticks and veges, not bad. Quiet rest of evening, Stew is now doing heaps of exercise in the evenings, I find it really hard to get motivated tho, usually just can't be fagged in the evening! Must try harder. nite nite

YO-YO, THAT'S ME

Went to bed last night pissed of with myself, I had way too much dinner and felt ill.... when will I learn? I am going to have to work like hell in the gym today to work some of it off!

It is cloudy, windy and looks like rain again this morning, stupid weather. Hopefully it will fine up by this afternoon like yesterday. Ok, off now to feed Brylee and Griffin, get the washing on, etc etc , then go to the gym...later...

Home again, did an hour intense cardio workout, treadmill/exercycle and rower, tonight am going to do free weights and more cardio. Now I want to get on to some housework, (more cardio?), and touch up the hallway paintwork (again!). KIDS.... scrape walls, put dirty hands on em, draw on em.... shit shit shit. Glad I painted them and didn't put up wallpaper again. later...

Have spent the last 2 hours in town getting passports organised for me and the little kids, we are going to Coffs Harbour, Australia in May for my Mum's 70th Birthday. So it was haircut for Griffin, photos for all of us, documents copied etc etc. My passport was lost ages ago, so had to get a new one, what a fag.... my new photo makes me looks like a criminal !!! This is a photo of Coffs Habour, doesn't it look beautiful? We havn't been overseas in 10 years, so looking forward to it. May is ages away!

Had lunch in town too, a ham/cheese toasted sandwich, not bad. later...

Dinner tonight was surimi, coleslaw and brown rice.. yum! Not much else happening, so am buggering off to bed! nite nite

WHAT HAPPENED TO SUMMER?

Ok, it's not cold, but it is raining... when are the gorgeous summer days finally going to get here and stay for a while?
I'm off to the gym this morning, Stew is looking after the kids, yaaa.
Both my kayaks were picked up (and paid for) yesterday, so finally we have room in the garage again... my scooter looks so cute in there... hee he. Amazing how such a small thing can boost your mood ... wonder when the novelty will wear off? later..

Home again, had a great workout, swam in the rain (lovely), and when I got home it was straight onto the vacuming... my house is such a mess with everyone home... those darn kids have fry ups in the middle of the night and leave it all on the bench for us in the morning , the shits. I would love to kick 'em out to go flatting, but they simply can't afford to go. One day.... later....

This afternoon, summer came back, so we headed off to Himitangi Beach with the kids and Izzy. Our Izzy had never been to the beach before and she LOVED it. So did we. I got lots of extra exercise cos I was running up and down the beach with her.... If she was not on her lead we would never have kept up with her, particularly when she spotted a seagull !! I think she would have run for miles chasing them.


The highlight for Brylee was when she got to piddle in her pants and dunk her bum in the water to clean off.... very funny. Home now and getting ready to cook nachos for dinner, so yum... later...

A quiet evening here, dinner - had too much, if I'm not careful I will gain this week!

This is my 100th Post since I started this blog, and I am still loving it. I have "met" lots of lovely women, on line and in person. Thank you all so much for helping me on my way to goal again..... and being my "friends". Gunna go to bed now, nite nite.

BLOODY TEENAGERS

Thanks to my bloody teenagers, I didn't get to sleep till well after 2am AGAIN! They went to a party, came home pissed, stumbled upstairs with some mates, proceeded to make heaps of noise till I got mad and went up and yelled at them.... so they buggered off somewhere and came back in about an hour later even more pissed. Poor Mike was their sober driver, and he didn't get to bed till after 2 either.

Now of course, even though I've had very little sleep I have to get up and look after the kids, do jobs etc... and they will sleep all bloody day! Sucks.

I DON'T LIKE KIDS... for those of you with cute wee ones, enjoy them now cos they morph into bloody monsters. And if you are wondering what's better, girls or boys (got 4 of each).......NEITHER ! They are all awful at some stage or other. If you have perfect kids who give you no angst, you are darn lucky. I ain't. later....

Ok, took my lovely new scooter to the supermarket for a few items, got there fine, did me shopping and loaded it in the box, put on me helmet and gloves, turned the key and.....NOTHING! Panic.... tried again, still nothing. So rang me trusty man who promptly came down with Steve to my rescue..... and Steve turned the key and it went! Fuck, I am such a dork, I was forgetting to hold the brake on while pressing the ignition button! Nothing wrong with the scooter at all, just a twit of an owner.
You can all laugh now, my guys sure did.

I'm just so glad I didn't ring the AA and have their breakdown vehicle come out to help me, that would have been so much more embarrasing eh? LOL

We are all having a lovely lazy day. The weather is only so-so, even had a few spits of rain. I did 40 minutes on the treadmill and exercycle this morning, may do it again tonight. Am right on track with my food too, overindulged yesterday, so am cutting back today. later...

Lovely dinner... pork pieces and veges in a sweet and sour sauce over brown rice.... and everyone loved it. Am now going to sit back and relax until it's time to do some exercise.... then bed. chow, nite nite and all that.

NERVOUS AS HELL

I can't sleep, again. Anyone would think I was off to the bloody dentist today the way I feel. I couldn't get to sleep last night till after 2am (partly nerves, partly noisy teenagers), and I woke at 5am... and that was it. So I'm up, and wondering what to do to kill time till I am off to Weight Watchers.... Everyone is still asleep so can't do the vacuming... ha ha ha.

Might be getting my scooter today, not sure if the bike shop is open cos it's a long holiday weekend. Will find out later I suppose. EXCITING !

So, wonder what I've lost???...later... Well that was fun! I lost ... 2.5 kgs !!!!
I have never felt so relieved, I was so thinking I'd not lost much. WOOOO HOOOOO
We are now off back into town for lunch, and I think I am picking up my scooter too! later...

Ok, now I'm a "bikey chick" LMAO !!! It is very cute, goes well, looks fine. Ok, it's not a Harley Davidson Helena, but it's cute!

We had a lovely lunch at Breakers, fast becoming a lunchtime favourite. The kids had burger/hotdogs with chips followed by a chocolate sundae. We had Burger/Chips (Stew) and Chicken sandwich/chips (Me), but I didn't eat even 1/4 of the chips. I'm back to my usual "saturday" off routine, where I allow myself to have whatever I fancy (within reason), then back on track for 6 days. It works for me, you don't end up denying yourself 24/7 and end up having a huge blow-out.

Now I'm kinda tired and might just have a Nana nap... only got 3 hours sleep last night.... later...

Didn't get me nap, ended up watching Mike, Lisa and Steve all have a go on the new scooter.... all thought it was cool! Even Mike, who a while ago said he wouldn't be seen dead on one... ha ha.

Both my kayaks get picked up tomorrow, so that's great, will have room in the garage for the scooters, Lisa's and mine.

Been evil today food wise, but hey, it's my day off. Well, that's me for the day... nite nite.

ONE MORE DAY TILL WEIGH IN

Can you tell what dominates my life at the moment??
Am off to the gym again this morning, after 4 days I am finally feeling a bit sore in a few places, especially my shoulders and arms (swimming), but not too bad. I thought I would be dying by now actually, so am quite pleased with myself. Must have been fitter than I thought.

I've got two HUGE baskets of washing to be folded sitting in the dining room, and do you think anyone else in this house would think to do it?? NOOOOO, they all walk past it as if it ain't even there. I tell ya, sometimes I just want to go on stike and see how long it takes for them to run outta clothes! Now I know it wouldn't affect Steve and Lisa cos they never wash anything anyway, but maybe Mike and Stew would notice ! I am sick of being a housewife, it sucks.
Rant over... later....

Ok, done the gym, am knackered! I think it has finally caught up with me. Am off into town shortly with Brylee and Griffin, taking them to lunch cos they have been such good kids this week. Wonder if I can get away with NOT taking them to McDonalds? later...

Had a quiet afternoon, did some of the washing (shitty), shaved me legs (1kg gone - lol), cooked sausages & bought chips for dinner (had none), and shortly I'm off upstairs to do some free weights (for me arms) and then have a sauna. Wish me luck for tomorrow.... nite nite.

MAMMOGRAM TODAY !!

This should be fun... I'm having my first mammogram today! ONe of my girlfriends told me I should as they are free for women our age.. so before I could chicken out I booked me one for today...I don't feel too worried about it though, flashing me tits is something I kinda do now and then anyway, ha ha ha!

Just love freaking out the teenagers - give em a flash just to get them back for driving me nuts, Steve and Mike just laugh at me. Did it once to a young nephew, don't think he's ever been the same again. What a laugh, and that's what life is all about, having a good time eh?

Got the gym first thing again, then the mammogram, later....
WELL !!! That was ..... interesting, and not in the least painful. It did feel weird having a total stranger manhandle me boobs, but in all not a bad experience. I get the results in a week to 10 days, so that's cool. Time to get the littlies their lunch and get on with some housework... later...















Two happy kids... and outta my hair... hee he. Amazing really, give them some water and they are happy for ages. Shame it doesn't work for teenagers. later...

BTW, I am amazed just how good I'm feeling after going to the gym 4 days in a row, after not going for 3 weeks! And I am TOTALLY in control on my eating for the first time in months, so I am on a "HIGH". This is how it feels when you know you are doing the "right" thing, instead of feeling pissed off and annoyed with yourself when you pig out... long may this feeling last. I am not going to blow it again. Can't wait till saturday!!


YES!!! YES!!! Adro won Biggest Loser, I am so happy for him!!! What a great result.... if I'd been on it and could have lost my weight in that time I would have won... hee hee. This programme has been so inspiring, loved it. later...

Another day 100% on track with food and exercise, yipee. It is hard to resist the temptation to get on my scales every hour though! I am feeling stressed cos last time I looked (yesterday?) I still was not showing a loss... Must resist.
Am calling it a day, nite nite.

PEDOMETER-LESS

It's another gorgeous day out there, and I'm going to miss my pedometer... may yet go and look at the other brands available and get one of them... I'm off to the gym a bit later this morning, and I'm really looking forward to it! The swimming is so much fun and a great cardio workout.

Got on the scales this morning (dumb move), and they havn't moved down at all.... HUH? I have been 100% excellent since saturday, so what's with that? I am not going to let it throw me off though, they WILL show a loss by the end of the week I'm sure. Oh yeah, and I've run out of me "piddle pills", so must be holding on to water... getting more today. That should help. later....

I'm back from the gym, did an extra 10 minutes each on the treadmill and exercycle, so am feeling very positive. Loving the swimming too, tho the first 3 laps are hard!
Am walking down to Doctors in a mo with Brylee and Griffin to get those essential piddle pills, and once we get back they can go outside in their paddle pools again... it's a great way to entertain them. later...

I'm watching the Biggest Loser right now, talk about a tear jerker! They sent Adro home.... it sucked. Harry shouldn't be there, so not fair.
Also, my kayaks auction on Trade Me finishes tonight, and they are going for amazing money... I shall have heaps of cash to put down on my new scooter... ya hoo!! later...

Above... some weights we just bought off my niece...she buggered off to Aussy (miss her heaps) and is selling lots of her gear so we scored on them! Now Stew and I can pump iron ... lol.

My kayaks sold for over double what I wanted on Trade Me, it's just crazy what people will pay in an auction! I ended up getting almost the new price for them! NUTS. But I'm happy!

Had a quiet evening, watching the auction unfold was so much fun! But now I think I need to get off me butt and do some exercise! nite nite.

IT'S GUNNA BE HOT TODAY !!

Wow, I have just got up and the day looks absolutely gorgeous! Not a cloud in the sky, yipee, I can get my tan back! I'm off to the gym again, supposed to be going for a big walk in the sun, maybe not! Might be too hot, so I'll do the treadmill inside instead I think. Might even have another swim, loved it yesterday.

later.....

Well, another fun day at the gym, did 45 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the exercycle, then 10 lengths of the pool (500 metres), followed by a 30 min sauna (just cos I could!). Zipped home on Lisa's scooter (fun), and am now having my breakfast at 11.45 !! I so can't face food first thing in the morning, I know it's bad not having "breakfast", but I never have.... too old to change now me thinks. I DID have it last weekend on the de-tox though. I am just loving the raw rolled oats, apple juice and banana I'm having right now.... later....

UMMM , forgot to mention before, I took my pedometer swimming again... IT DIED. When will I learn??? That's another $40 down the drain (or in the pool).. I am such a twit !

Just spent 2 hours outside with Brylee and Griffin, I filled their paddle pools (1 each), and put on the sprinkler, so they had a lovely time. I also gave Izzy a bath outside, she didn't seem to like it, but is looking much happier and cooler now. Such fun ! later...

This is an improvement... Brylee's hair was wet from playing outside, so I just left it and it's dried looking really cute! Obviously it's brushing it that makes it frizz.

End of the day, have been sooo good with my food, no slip ups whatsoever. I am feeling peckish, so will be heading off to bed shortly to read and get away from the pantry... I'm a sad tart. Just watched Ugly Betty, looks like a lovely programme, just another one to add to my "must watch" list... so many good one's are coming back... Grey's, House, Boston Legal... all favourites. It makes it easier to get on the exercycle at night if there's something interesting to watch on the telly eh?

Anyway, can't post any steps, and the one I want to replace it with won't be in the shop for a few weeks, and I am going to wait for it... so no step totals for a while (darn). nite nite.

*NEW WEEK, NEW START*

I am off to the gym !! Hope they don't give me a hard time for being away so long... ha ha ha. I have lots of friends there who usually tell me off if they havn't seen me for a few days, hell, I've been away for 3 weeks !!!

Poor Mike gets to babysit Brylee and Griffin from now on in the mornings, at least until school starts again, and that is still 3 and a half weeks away. My god, how did they end up getting 7 and a half weeks holiday??? It's crazy, far too long, even for the kids. Brylee wanted to go back today, I mean, Daddy is going back to work, so we should be going to school ! later....

Eeee Gads, that was hard! But I did it all, and I feel fantastic! And I'm still doing well with the food, have had rolled oats, apple and banana for breakfast, and apple juice. So yummmmm. Plan on having my "MAIN" meal at lunchtime... brown rice, salmon and coleslaw, with a wee bit of lite mayo. I can't thank Sue enough for introducing me to brown rice! Organic too no less, must be good for me.

Below are some up close pictures of the leadlight panels across the front of my Mum's beach house, they are awesome! We get heaps of people stopping to look and take photos, and tour buses full of Asians stop and get out and look too... so funny. We sit and wave regally at them.

They really are beautiful ..... later.... about the beach house, Mum and Dad bought it about 28 years ago, it was an exisiting house with the most tiny kitchen/dining/lounge room, two bathrooms, 4 bedrooms.... they extended out the front in 99-2000 to make the kitchen/dining/lounge rooms and two of the front bedrooms much bigger. In fact the kitchen/dining/lounge are HUGE and have the most amazing views for miles. So does the master bedroom, it has tinted windows so you can lie in bed and look out across the water without anyone seeing you. So nice to wake up to. It was just finished when my Dad fell off the Whitianga wharfe and drowned..... shit happens eh?

later...

End of another lovely day, I was good all day, no problems with the diet, exercise or anything. Did all my planned exercises, so am happy with myself.

Steps: 10454

FEELING GREAT...

Well, I must admit I am feeling great! Maybe this de-tox thingee is doing some good. I know yesterday I never felt hungry at all, in fact, I felt full all day. This is good.

Today: housework, play with kids, maybe go to the gym! Havn't been to the gym in over 3 weeks.... that's a record! Just havn't been motivated to do the exercise lately, I hope I can get back into the swing of things soon. Though, I think this long break has been good for my body, given it a good rest from all the hectic activity I force on it constantly. It needed a break I reckon. later...

Poor Brylee's hair !!! This weather is just making it frizz... so I put the hair straightener on it this morning, and it is looking a bit better. Don't know how long it will stay looking ok, but at least I tried! later...

The hair has frizzed again.... and something neat has happened.. our dishwasher has been stuffed for a few months now, and we didn't want to pay to get it fixed (again), so were waiting till we could get a new one... like after Xmas. Stew turned it on to see if it still was making it's awful noise and HEY PRESTO, it's going again!!! Must have just fixed itself! How cool is that? Might be temporary, will have to wait and see.

Not much else is happening today, the guys are watching cricket (YAWN), and I'm just muddling around doing bits of this and that, mostly tidying up, as per usual. Felt a bit hungry a couple of times today, probably cos of the lack of protein, but I still feel good. later...

It has been a GREAT day diet-wise, I am in control again..... thanks to Sue! and Janene! and all my friends in blogland... so THANK YOU ... for all the support and kind encouragement. I shall move into this new week with a better attitude towards my ability to lose the weight, and if all goes to plan I shall have a healthy loss to show on saturday morning. Roll on saturday.

nite nite.

Steps: 7267 ( not very good) but better than 000.

THE DAY OF RECKONING...FACING THE MUSIC

I'm off to weight watchers in less than an hour, I feel SICK ! I know what my scales say, so it's bad... but I have to do this now, or I never will. And once I've started weighing every week, it will slowly drop off again. I'm just ashamed of myself really, allowing myself to gain so much after working so hard to lose 61 kilos.

Weird thing is, I don't think I look too bad? Maybe it's just because I ain't as huge as I used to be? Dunno. The thing is tho, I am not happy being this size, it is not where I want to be, so am going to pull finger and start again. I don't think I shall be posting what I weigh right now, there are people who read this blog who might take great delight in rubbing it in my face... so won't go there.
later.....

So, I did it!! Not only did I weigh in, I bought a summer season pass ($216), so am committed to weighing in for the next 16 weeks... if I don't I have paid for nothing! I was exactly the weight my scales said (ain't telling), and my poor Leader did a double - take when she saw how much weight I had put on since my last weigh in.... which was last FEBRUARY !!!

So, it's done now, the worst part is over, now I can move forward and weigh in every week.... and lose weight! Just watch this space.

Am doing the de-tox today and tomorrow.... later...

Doing good .... been to town, the kids had an ice-cream and I had a cup of ice... then we went to the park and we all had a ride on the Esplanade Train. The de-tox is going great, couldn't manage to eat all of the rice and veges... I was full ! I feel really motivated. It is sooo hot today tho, can't imagine doing much exercise. later....

Its the end of the day, I have followed Sue's de-tox programme to the "T", and No, I have had no diet coke.... last consumption was Wednesday. Ain't having any more unless I am out and really feel like one, or am having a Bacardi and Coke. I don't think I need to commit to having NONE ever again, but I know that my days of drinking 3 litres a day are over for good.

Forgot to put my pedometer on today, what a shame! lol Have done bugger all today. Still in holiday mode me thinks. Nite nite.

I'M PEELING!

Does loss of skin count towards weight loss ??? I got sunburnt at the beach, and now the top of my shoulders are peeling a bit... boo hoo. Not that it matters much, I go rather brown in the sun, so if we have any more I shall quickly recover the tan.

It's a cloudy day so far today, and not so hot, so that's a relief cos the place needs a darn vacum already. I am feeling quite positive about my weight, even tho I know I had a huge gain over the last 3 weeks of gluttony..... I am going to do a de-tox this weekend like Sue... only fruit and veges mainly, and water (well, my version of water). Hope it kick starts me into losing regularly. I am going to Weight Watchers tomorrow, but not weighing as per usual.
Maybe at the end of the month I will face the music and weigh again. I have decided that this not weighing is what's doing me in, I have been able to go to the meetings, pay once a month, and never weigh !!! Obviously that does not work for me !! It just allows me to eat whatever I want and not face the consequences, put me head in the sand.... and it is going to stop!

I know that if I weigh in every week I will lose the weight again, so that is what I am going to do..... just give me two weeks to get my head sorted....
later.....

Well, Stew and I have been good wee vegemites, and have done all the housework except the vacuming... tidied up both of the linen cupboards, put all the suitcases and bags away, put heaps of winter blankets into storeage, and eeegads, it's hot and muggy.

The weekend plan: ( My version of Sue's de-tox)....

7am Hot water and lemon juice

9am Half cup rolled oats, grated apple, tiny bit of skinny milk

11am Fresh vege juice or just fresh raw veges

1pm Salad- half cup rice with lots of veges

3pm Fruit - 3 servings

5pm Salad - half cup rice and lots of veges

7pm Fruit salad

Lots of "water", my soda stream sugar free water that is !

I have never done a "de-tox" before, so this should be interesting ! later....

Sue and Janene, you are pains in the butt.... lol

Today: Steps: 8790, nothing else!

Agonised over what to do tomorrow at weight watchers, whether to weigh or not... am probably going to.

REALITY IS BACK..

We have much to do today... the sun is shining which means Stew gets to mow the lawns, hee hee he. I will be getting all the washing done, finish unpacking, and we must do a grocery shop, there ain't much in the house.



I have no idea what the teenagers have been eating, must have been takeaways cos the food we did leave for them is still here... it's a wonder they ain't huge... NOT FAIR... they can eat rubbish all day long and not gain a pound, I only have to look at it and on goes a kilo. I still havn't been brave enough to get on the scales, I am NOT GOING TO EITHER. I know that if I do I shall just get in a really really bad mood and go eat something else....



Anyone else like that? You see a gain and blow it some more? Kinda like in for a penny, in for a pound. What the scales say usually sets my mood for the day, so there is just no point standing on them right now, I shall work really hard for the next two weeks and then do it !! So, below is an accurate depiction of me at the moment....

Ok, better go and make a start on the day... later...

Well, we finished the unpacking... such a shitty job, then we went grocery shopping and managed to stay under $600 for a change! Lunch .. I had some veges and gravy and a huge banana ! Total points 6, so that was good. I've had no diet coke today, and I've ended up with a whopper of a headache! Didn't expect that after not getting one last time I stopped cold turkey. So I ended up having a wee nap in the afternoon to try and get rid of the headache.

I'm selling our kayaks as we just never use them anymore, and so I've just spent 30 minutes scrubbing them clean... we have someone coming this evening to view them. I'm selling them on Trade Me, so hope to get a good price for them. Whatever I get for them will go towards my new scooter..... later...

Well, already have an excellent price going on one of the kayaks... looks like I will have heaps of cash to put towards my scooter. Yaa.

Fairly quiet afternoon/evening. Made homemade ham steak burgers for dinner (8 points each), then Stew and I took Izzy for a walk (3kms). Am chillin out now before heading off to bed.

TODAY: Steps: 9518

HOLIDAY PHOTOS

Above....Beautiful Coromandel, we went over there for the Celtic Fair......

Brylee and Griffin having lunch after their swim..... Griffin never stopped eating the whole time we were there... and he put on 2kgs and Brylee put on 1kg !!!!! He's now 28 kgs, she's 18 kgs.

Meeting the "Stone Man" at the Fair.

Below.. the view from the lounge at my Mum's house.

Tide is in.

The kids (Brylee, Griffin and Joshua) on Buffaloe Beach, Whitianga.

Below... lunchtime....
Below... my Mum's house from the estuary, just across the road, and a gorgeous boat heading up to the Whitianga Waterways..... homes with direct access to their own piers....
They all have to pass Mum's house to get there, so we get to see all of the lovely boats as they go by.... I just loved this blue boat.... dream on Chris !

Stew and Mike ready to go for a swim in the estuary, which is just across the road....

No photos of me, I was behind the camera as per usual.... and am feeling too fat and ugly to get in the picture for now!!! That's all for now.....

HOME SWEET HOME

Well, after a long, long trip we are finally home... left Whitianga at 9 this morning, had a stop in Tokoroa for lunch and to put fresh flowers on the graves of my Dad and two brothers, and then home by 5.
Since then we have been unpacking, getting washing on, and generally tidying up... NOT that the house was a mess !!! Steve and Lisa had done a wonderful job keeping the place tidy... lovely wee teenagers eh? lol

Me thinks they knew better than to have it a mess when I got home, they have heard me scream a "few" times .... ha ha ha.

While it is nice to be home, now that I am I can see all the bits and bobs I need to do... like tidy up the linen cupboards, the kids drawers, the pantry (actually, done that already since getting home!), and a few other things that will get up me nose until I sort them out. I am a borderline obsessive compulsive tidier I think !!! I drive my family nuts, I know I do !

I am too scared to get on the scales, so am going to be putting me head in the sand for a while till I've had a chance to "repair" some of the damage..... chicken that I am. I know I've gained weight, my bra is digging into me .... not to mention me knickers!! Visualisation is not necessary by the way.

We havn't seen Steve (at work) or Lisa (asleep) yet, so that will be nice.... Griffin has missed them so much and can't wait to jump on them again... cute. And we had Brylee's hair cut off while away as well, so they will be surprised when they see her. It's all "fluffy" at the moment, hopefully it will settle down eventually. She had very fine, fly-away hair and lots of it, and it's just gone beserk.....

Photos later.....

RAIN, RAIN AND MORE RAIN

Hi, so it's raining ... and we are trying to get organised for the big trip home tomorrow.... the biggest thing is getting all the linen washed, dried and away before we go. I have had the clothes drier on all day so far!

We did the big wander around town this morning, and ended up having SubWay for lunch.... so yummmmm. I know I didn't have a "healthy" one, but it was better than a bloody pie! Roll on tomorrow is all I can say, once we are home I can get back into my "no coke" as well. I have missed the soda stream, and to buy stuff up here is darn expensive, so I have fallen back on the diet coke, as it is one of the cheapest drinks in the supermaket. WE have spent a fortune on food while here, it is much more expensive as they have a monopoly on the market... no competition.

I don't feel bad about the coke tho, contrary to some people's opinion, it is NOT A CRIME to drink it !!! And I know I can stop drinking it just like that *!#*!

Well, I better get back to it, Stew and the kids are cooped up at the house and I'm not there to help.... later.....

DOH - I just found how to read and publish comments.... thank you ladies for the lovely remarks ... hee hee he. If I have asked you to make a comment already.. ignore me! Thanks again.
later..... like tomorrow night once we are safely home.

MONDAY... TWO MORE SLEEPS TILL HOME

Another perfect day at the beach, we are spending ages playing cards, cranium, etc. It is just lovely here, sitting looking at the boats coming and going, the kids playing together so nicely.

I am kinda looking forward to going home now, want to get back into my fitness/diet routine before I am the size of a bus again! I have done absolutely nothing for over 3 weeks !!!! BAD BAD

I'm hoping this break is what my body and mind needed, so that I can start again with a fresh attitude for the new year. I was starting to get ho hum about it all last year, not really giving it my all and starting to slip back into old habits. I am going home refreshed and ready to start again with gusto.

I shall post some lovely photos of our time here, once I get home. I miss everyone back there, and my wee dog, and even Steve and Lisa ... a wee bit maybe !

I'm also looking forward to getting my scooter.... I want a blue one so may have to wait a while for them to get me one.... but good things are worth waiting for eh?

Sorry family shit has crept into this blog, I shall try not to annoy anyone else, so it doesn't happen again..... yep, and I have activated Comment Moderator, so no more nasty comments will be getting onto my blog....only nice ones!

later.....

MORE VISITORS, LESS VISITORS !!

Thursday: Kelly and her fiance left after just one day..... sad buggers got bored!!!

The rest of us having a lovely time, swimming, sunbathing, shopping, chatting, relaxing, etc, etc. That's a holiday eh?

Friday: the sun is shining, it's a beautiful day. Amanda and her fiance Andrew arrived, been down the beach, had my first swim !! Friggin cold getting in, then wonderful! Getting brown, hee he.

Plan on having more of the same over the next few days while the weather holds.
Hope every one else is having a wonderful summer, I sure am!
later....

AHH... THE SUN DOES SHINE

YES!! I'm getting a tan..... today has been a wonderful sunny day all day. Went to the Coromandel Keltic Fair yesterday and had a lovely day. Saw my dear friend Frieda again after 7 months, so nice to catch up.

The fair.... was so-so, lots of imported crap, a few good stalls of local craft, and heaps of food stalls.... hmmmmm, had a hotdog and chips (can't resist). I didn't end up finding anything for Stew's birthday, so am still looking, maybe he'll just get a nookie... ha ha ha.

Today our daughter Kelly and her fiance came up from Hamilton, and brought with them our son Mike (he'd been in Hamilton for a week visiting a friend) and also our grandson Joshua to visit with us. That will be nice, babysitters on tap!! Yaaa

Anyway, settting a story up: Mike was in a suburb called Huntington in Hamilton, Kelly had no idea where it was. She text'd Mike for directions so she could pick him up and it went something like this:

Kelly: Where is Huntington?
Mike: Thou shalt surely perish amongst the wilderness that thy doth get lost in upon thy journey...
Kelly: You a freak, I will find it or you will be walking.
Mike: Thou shalt not bear upon my forebearance with whimsical threats, for I shall surely smite you down as possiden doth rage upon his seas, bringer of death to those who so inadvisadly navigate his territories....
Kelly: What the fuck?
Mike: .... language as that of which you speak will not be tolerated if thou wishith to bear witness to the coming of the next day...
Kelly: YEAH, ok, where is Huntington????
Mike: If thou know not, then surely this gives indication that one is not of the proper readiness to be of recieving such paramount instructions. Yet I will leave you with a solumn clue.... we reside where the grass does wave, yet wind doth not blow. Follow this and thou surely will find me.


Suffice to say, Kelly could not find him and ended up ringing me for instructions.... this did make me laugh.

Well, that's me for another day, off to soak up some more sun and go home a happy brown girl.... with a white bum!

Not gone swimming, too cold. Not done much walking either. All will be sorted once holiday is over me thinks.
later.....

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Well, another year bites the dust.... Stew and I had a lovely quite "twosome" New Year's Eve... put Brylee and Griffin to bed (they were out to it in seconds), and we sat up a had some evil snacks and dips, a few drinks and then off to bed at midnight..... and did the time honoured thing and had a New Year nookie.... hee hee he!!!
Woke up this morning to the most glorious fine day, a fine mist covering the hills and water which cleared quickly, and I finally got to lie in the sun and start on me tan.... luckily I did it in the morning cos by the afternoon we had a small thunderstorm !!

It is just so nice here, blobbing out and enjoying the knowledge that I don't have to do anything.... no housework, painting, screaming at kids, vacuming, etc etc. I am loving it. My only concern is that I am eating too much, but I'm over it. When I get back from holidays I shall start the repair work, with gusto!

Tomorrow it's the Keltic Fair, and I hope to find something special for my hubby's birthday (8th January), and see my dearest friend again.
At the moment I'm waiting for our dinner to cook, pizza at the local pizzeria, there is a 45 minute wait.... there are just so many people here!! WE havn't been to Whitianga at this time of year in ages, we usually come up in the last two weeks of January... this place is booming I tell ya..... it's like the Mount.... MAD MAD MAD crowds, and young teenage boys and girls everywhere.

I hope to get some pictures up soon, just have to find the time! till then, I shall continue to have a fantastic time.....later.....