Ooooops almost a week since my last update... boy time certainly flies by when one is busy!

So what have I been busy doing... mainly work, being a wife and mummy, and all the other stuff in the middle!

Went to the gym tonight for the first time in a week... missed last Thursday as I was still not feeling well and then just totally forgot all about it on Sunday! Oooops! But when I text my gym buddy to let her know that I had promised Rachel shopping and baking she was quite happy not to go as she was hungover and was sleeping on a friends couch! LOL Loved the workout tonight - Marianne did a circuit while I stuck to my programme, I might try the circuit with her on Thursday night as it did look like it was just a little bit of fun :-)

I tried knocking myself out on Monday morning... got to work and stopped by the kitchenette on our floor to put my salad in the fridge (under the bench) and whammed my forehead straight into the edge of the bench!! OUCH!!! My bosses boss witnessed it and we both initially laughed then I realised the pain that I was in! I completed an incident report just in case something happened later in the day... but all I have to show for it is a little bump and a headache coming and going.

I had a nice phone call from the gym on Friday afternoon to say that I had won their recent "refer a friend" competition (with Marianne joining the day after me) and that their was a cheque waiting for me to collect! That really made my day/week though most of the money is going on upcoming dentist bill but am also planning to buy myself some new sneakers and trackpants as well as taking Marianne out for lunch tomorrow to say thanks to her for joining on my recommendation.

Rachel is doing fantastically well with the toilet training... she must have been so ready for it when she started at creche last week. We have not had any accidents since Friday and she is even doing No 2's on the toilet too most days! She wakes dry each day after her nap... and is wanting to use the toilet first thing each morning! Her night nappy is still generally wet but she still has a lot "inside" :) I have already started only washing nappies every second night as there is no point in doing a load of washing for 3 nappies each day (2 at night as she can wet through if only wearing one and then one for her day nap too). Am so proud of the fact that it has happened so easily and smoothly (touch wood) and that we haven't even had to use pull ups or training pants... straight from nappies to little girl knickers!

Anyway, time for me to head to bed... still have a bit of headache and want a good nights sleep. Donating blood tomorrow so hopefully it will be a bit easier this time, this is my 3rd time and they have so many problems finding my small and very deep veins! But I want to preserver in donating blood after seeing Dad and my friend Jude needing blood transfusions and how I can help so many people.

Night all

Have been at home today not feeling the best... starting feeling yuck yesterday afternoon but still managed to get to the gym with my buddy who kept threatening to throw her water bottle over me whenever I lost my motivation. I managed to do it but came home, had tea, did the dishes, showered and went to bed! Had a restless sleep and then when I woke this morning, I decided that I was going to stay at home as I was still feeling "blah", headachey, fluey etc... so managed to get Rachel to creche, then back home to bed until midday. But it did take me 2 hrs with the electric blanket on high to warm up enough to sleep properly! Feel better after that sleep/rest and have had a very quiet afternoon with the most energetic thing being folding some washing.

I sometimes wish I could be home more often as I eat so much better at home (i.e. no snacking etc) so just have to work out how to manage it while at work.

We seem to be making progress on Rachel's toilet training which is good news... slowly but surely and lots and lots of praise when she does it in the toilet. Though she is insisting on the fact that poo's get done in nappies... so that part may take a bit longer.

Right, time to bath madam and its taken me about an hr to do this post between getting her tea and 2 toilet stops for Rachel.

Another wild, windy day in Wellington! Though apparently it has cleared up in the city, but out in Hutt it is still very blustery! Just hung a second load of towels out on the main line for it to break off the fence a few mins later! So am not impressed at all! The lines in the carport already have clothes on them so the only option is the dryer! Bugger! Stephan has said it is just a matter of getting bigger bolts for the clothesline so might try to stop at Bunnings while we are out later on to see if we can pick some up. Admittingly, we don't use that line a lot during the week in the winter (as it loses the sun early) but if we don't get it fixed quickly, it will get forgotten about until I go to use it and then I will curse and swear away! LOL

Oh anyone want to buy a house in a mortgagee auction? The house next door to us is on the market and will go to auction in a couple of weeks time. The owners moved in about the same time as us (just over 3 yrs ago) but have not lived there for the last 2 years! It has been empty! No tenants no nothing! They would show up occasionally to mow the lawns etc. They had it on the market prior to Christmas and turned down a great offer (well great for the market and would have cleared their mortgage) so now the banks have taken it over! Check it out on www.open2view.com (ID number 202487). The Bank just wants it sold, so I think it could end up going for a good price.

Went to the gym this morning with Marianne and had another great session. Marianne was a bit hungover so she just did about 45 mins cardio while I did cardio as well as my programme. It was a great time to go (10am) as it was quiet :-) Just how I like it.

Still got to suss out my eating as I am finding hard to break some habits that I have had for about 2.5 years! But I am trying and I am sure I will get there eventually. Overall, my three main meals are relatively ok - it's just the snacking especially while at work that is real bad!

Off out shopping once Rachel wakes up, need to get her a booster seat as she is outgrowing her current ones (one in each car). And according to her she is getting a pink one! Just like she is going to wear pink bra's when she is bigger and is going to have a pink car etc! Ooooops, anyone would think she likes the colour pink! LOL

Until next time....

Ooooops didn't realise that it had been a few days since I had done an update.

We had a very full on weekend, but lots of fun at the same time. It certainly was a very full house with three extra adults in the house - and 2 of them with long hair which I am still finding around the place! LOL Then on Sunday being Mothers Day, my mum, my sister (and her extended family) all came for lunch (pot luck) so it was a very full house but lots of laughter and fun!

Been to the gym both Tuesday evening and tonight with my new gym buddy Marianne who is a friend from work. It has been lots of fun and she certainly has kicked my butt to get me there as I have lacked a bit of motivation but once I am there - its look out here comes Karen! LOL Next workout is on Sunday morning as I just have to much on on Saturday already!

My eating still needs some fine tuning in some place, but am sure I will get there eventually. Oh weighed myself on Monday morning (after a full on weekend with no gym) and lost 500gms in my first week. Little disappointed but lots of extra food in the house so have moved on and getting on with it.

Rachel is doing really well and we are slowly starting toilet training with her - well creche are doing the hard work... though as I have said to Stephan, once they get her going wearing knickers etc that we will have to follow it all through over the weekends too which will be hard work but am sure we can do it.

Right, almost 9.30pm and time I was in bed as I am still struggling to catch up on my lost sleep from the weekend - late nights and early starts don't go down very well for me who is usually a 8+ hrs a night for sleeping!

Catch ya later :)

Just thought I would pop on and do a quick post while the family are out visiting other family on the "other side" of their family who live around the corner from us. It is great fun having A, K & R here though it does make for a full house and for 2 cars to be used if we call go out to the same place. The three gals and I went out to Queensgate yesterday and shopped for 3 hrs! Well they shopped, and I just walked around keeping them company and helped them make decisions. They spent money, and I didn't! I may have been more inclined to have spent some, but had spent an hour at the dentist earlier yesterday morning, so after paying for that, I knew we couldn't really afford to spend money on impulse shopping! They did try to get me to spend my Farmers vouchers but what I liked and tried on just did not suit me at all which was unfortunate as I really did love one of the tops and would have gotten it had it fitted nicely. After that expedition, A and I went and picked up Rachel from creche and surprised her with a visit to see her old friends at her old creche which she just loved! K & R headed into town on the train for tea with a friend, and we stayed home and had fish and chips and then watched "Jack and Sarah" - a chick flick! :) Both A & I would loved to have opened a bottle of wine but A had a headache so wasn't feeling up to it and I was so tired that I knew one glass of wine and I would have been fast asleep!

Today, all the girls (i.e. everyone except Stephan) went and did the groceries which was quite a sight I think esp with A & I having discussion after discussion about who was paying for what! LOL Once we were home and unpacked, they borrowed the car and have gone visiting... Steph is reading the paper, Rachel is outside playing on her bike and I am here. Did contemplate going to the gym but am still sore from the dentist and the last thing I feel like doing is doing a work out and besides the PT did suggest only twice a week for the first 2 weeks or so until my body got used to it again.. I guess it does sound like excuses and they probably are but hey it's my decision... and as I type this I am starting to feel a bit guilty, so perhaps I may end up going afterall...

Got our pot luck dinner tonight, so that should be a good night out. Not sure how long Rachel will last but will play it by ear. Then tomorrow, we now have my mum, my sister (and her family) all coming here for a Mothers Day lunch! So that will be lots of fun!

Best I get going as Rachel is wanting to get her paddling pool out!!! Just a wee bit to chilly for that now! Must put it away in the shed so its out of sight!

Well two sesssions and I feel good! Though only did some cardio today as I was still quite sore in some places from Tuesday so had a chat to one of the PT's and she suggested 30 mins of gentle cardio so did some time on the treadmill and bike. Roll on Saturday morning - all going well that is as we have family (stephan's cousins from Timaru) coming to stay with us tonight for 4 days.

Stephan has just headed to the airport to go and pick up his cousin, her daughter and her daughters friend. Gonna be a full house for us but also lots of fun, laughter and some drinking too!

Eating has been pretty good over the last couple of days, with a salmon salad yesterday and a chicken salad today. Have had a can of coke and a small pack of chippies too! Still have a way to go with my healthy eating but am DEFINTITELY better than what I was just a couple of weeks ago.

Work has been chaos the last couple of days with 2 staff down. It's probably quite lucky that my workload has been quite quiet (quite scary really) so I have been able to do lots of their work for them! Tomorrow they will be 3 down as I have booked a day's leave, one is still sick and the other one is on leave as well. I am planning on spending a great day catching up with A and the 2 girls. Though its now gonna get off to a great start with a dentist apt at 9.30am as I have had a filling (or two) fall out yesterday.

Right, time to get moving as there are still a couple of things to get done before Stephan gets home with our visitors.

Have a great weekend everyone.

I survived!!!

Yeap I survived my first proper session at the gym! Was lots of fun and I really did enjoy myself once I got there! Did contemplate coming home instead for a couple of reasons but decided I should go to the gym to release my stress which I did and I am so glad I did go! I think I will be sore in the morning, but it's all worth it!!! Just gotta work out my routine for when I get home re tea, washing etc... am sure it will all fall into place once I get used to it!

Similar food to yesterday except replaced the salmon with tuna... definitely prefer salmon! No chocolate, but did have a can of coke and small bag of chippies! That was my "comfort" food for the way I was feeling with things that were happening! Trust me, all I wanted to do was to leave the salad in the fridge and go and buy something comforting i.e. pie, chips, something hot and yummy! But I DID resist that which I am very proud of!

Right off to hang out the nappies and put the next load of washing on...

Still a bit sore today but getting there slowly...

Been a good day today - walked to work from the station (have been busing a bit lately) and then had a few crackers and grapes for morning tea. Salmon Salad (lettuce, tomatoes, baby carrots, cucumber and egg with tinned salmon) for lunch. Apple, grapes and some more crackers through the afternoon. One small bar of chocolate but am over that already. Am very proud that I have got through the day without my daily intake of coke and chippies! And oh can't forget almost 2 litres of water too... I certainly can't forget with the number of toilet stops I have done!!!

Gym tomorrow night - getting a bit nervous now but am sure I will be just fine.

Catch ya later

Firstly make sure you are sitting down before you continue reading...

Are you sitting down???

Yes??

Good - now don't fall off your chair....

The news is......


I have joined a gym!!! Yes you did read that right - Karen who has gained 32 kilos back since losing 42 kilos has joined the gym!!! And yes I have indeed gained 32 kilos back since March 2006 when I discovered I was pregnant with Rachel!

It is something I have been contemplating for a while now, but money and time have always been the two biggest factors in my consideration of this desire! And seeing photos of me at my nephews wedding gave me a bit of a shock too and also upset me a wee bit!

Anyway, the other night Stephan and I were talking about many things... and it came up that now we are "saving" $70 per week with Rachel being in her new creche that I would like to consider either a gym or WW membership. He quickly got out of the rubbish a flyer that had come in the junk mail earlier that day, advertising a small local gym membership for $8.95 per week!!! Now that is one offer I could not refuse - and there was only 25 deals left at that price! So I rung the 0800 number, got my reservation number and went and met them on Thursday evening. All went well and Miranda who I met there was really helpful and understanding and I decided that if I didn't join up there and then that I would walk out of there and would probably not go back! So I signed on the dotted line and am now a member of the gym for at least the next 3 years!! Yeah it is a 3 year deal, but as I thought about the logistics of it all, when I was at the gym a few years ago, I went for just over 2 years and was only just at a decent level of fitness then... so to join for 3 years is not actually that bad when you look at the bigger picture of losing the weight and gaining the fitness and MAINTAINING the both of them!!!

Had my first assessment yesterday morning, all went well. 20 mins minimum of cardio per session and I then have 7 different weight/swiss ball exercises to do - all of which target different areas of my body! So I went through all of those with Annie, and then did 20 mins on the treadmill! BOY I FELT GOOD!!!! Okay, it was no where near as fast as I used to be but that will come with time! I am just a WEE bit sore today in a couple of areas but it feels good and as Tania said on Facebook - "no pain no gain" which is so true! So at this stage, I will be going Tuesday and Thursday evenings and on Sat mornings. So roll on Tuesday is all I can say!!! And oh even better, I have a friend from work who wants to lose a little bit of weight and increase her fitness join up as well, so we will be going together to keep each other motivated etc!!! BRING IT ON BABY!!!!!

So that's my news of the month!!! Now with the exercise more or less sorted out, time to work on the bad eating habits! I am NOT going to go cold turkey on it all, but will work on them slowly but surely! To start off with, I have bought a whole range of salad stuff when I did the groceries and also tins of salmon and tuna so will be having salads with either tuna or salmon for lunch. Couple of cruskits with Vegemite for morning tea.... and probably fruit for afternoon tea. A pot of yogurt in there somewhere too! Tea will be the same sort of things but more vegetables!!!

Rachel is doing really well at her new creche - has been asking for her old one a bit but is still happy enough to be dropped off at her new one. I think it is just the adjustment of the size difference. The old one had a roll of about 55 in total (over 3 rooms) and the new one is 22 in total (from 3mths to 5yrs)! She is definitely showing her stubborn traits at the moment causing run-in's with both her father and I at varying times! She is spending time in time out but is learning what is acceptable behaviour and what is not acceptable!

We have visitors coming to stay on Thursday through to the Monday which shall be lots of fun! Stephan's cousin from Timaru is coming up with her 21yr daughter and her daughters friend. They managed to get $10 flights on grabaseat sometime back and asked if they could come and stay with us! So am organising a pot luck dinner on the Saturday night with all of Stephan's family so it gives everyone a chance to catch up properly!

Anyway, time I was moving, it's 2.30pm so I need to wake Rachel (so she goes to bed ok this evening) and we are off to Queensgate to do a bit of retail therapy!!! Catch ya all later :)