I have signed up at the Gym - Oh My Goodness!!!

Yes I've done it, I've signed up to the gym. To the average "Joe" this doesn't sound all that earth shattering. To this just turned 40 year old chic this is a little daunting. This body hasn't seen a gym since the year 2000! BC (Before children) and newly married, my hubby and I used to go to the gym after work; because married life had been a little too good to us and we were starting to look very well rounded. During that time I continued to eat large portions, slaving at the gym and no results of any weight loss or toning had occured after 6 months! So I quit the gym. Then I discovered eating in moderation was the way to go (I did a strict weight watchers diy) and with sporadic bursts of excercise got my weight under control. Walks and swimming with sometimes large chunks of no excercise - teamed with a busy travelling work position I lost 10kgs and maintained what you would call an average figure. But then kids came along including IVF treatments and the great weight gain and loss yoyo occured, with the births of my 3 children in under 5 years. Whilst I am at my pre-baby weight now, I have never been able to shed the 5kgs I put on doing fertility treatments prior to my first baby. So what has spurred on this soon to be gym junkie? A great deal at my husband's gym (he has also been on an amazing weight loss journey losing 25kgs in a year) and the fact that my body is falling apart! My new remedial massage therapist has brought me down to earth this week and reiterated what I sadly already knew - I have "no core" strength whatsoever, my muscles are weak, my scoliosis is worsening and my genetic hunch back genes are also increasingly getting worse!!! So if I want to improve all the sore spots in my back, I need to do some hardwork! Maybe, just maybe I'll lose a few kilos in the process! (If I can just stay away from buying cadbury easter eggs LOL)

So there will be Less of This.......

 

And More of This......
http://giphy.com/gifs/26hlSWMRwZkawfR9S/html5

GOMA & The State Library Re-opened today!

I was very excited to hear that GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art) re-opened today after the devastating Queensland floods. I find each time I visit the Gallery that I'm refreshed and inspired by the wonderful works of art that are on display. I visited the Andy Warhol exhibition twice, I loved it so much. The current exhibition is "21st Century: Art in the First Decade". So get along to GOMA and the state library and support a great Brisbane Art icon. There are celebration activities on this weekend - a great place to take the kids!

http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/reopening

Link to GOMA to checkout some of the works on display

http://qag.qld.gov.au/

Nervous Breakdown? #@$t Happens! So does Karma!

I got up early to start the day with some exercise and decide I should probably iron hubbies shirt. In the meantime a friend calls to see if I can take her daughter to school, "no probs" I say and then my mum phone's; and as we've arranged I'm going to pick her up from the garage while her car is serviced. So I get the kids in the big car (I'm doing the ballet drop off this afternoon) (no exercise has taken place yet) move hubbies stuff into the small car. Pick my mum up and drop her home. Washing machine has stopped on the rinse part of the cycle and won't start no matter how much re-arranging I do! Oh damn it, when my dryer fell down the other day (yes you heard me right- it fell off the wall!) it must have hit the washer (such a miracle no one was in the laundry and got pummeled and there were no dents or dings to be seen on anything???) and has broken the lid lock clip for the rinse cycle so now I'm on the phone to the service guys. Kids are asking me to cut paper for craft, they are still in their PJ's and manage to have a few tiffs too. Finally I get them dressed fed and my three plus one down to the car. We are about ten minutes late at this stage for school. But then the ultimate disaster strikes. My friends daughter walks right through the stinkiest fly ridden dog poop ever, right near the car and right near my front gate! I'd really like to know who let's their dog poop on peoples footpaths anymore? Don't we all carry poop bags in case? There is no way this shoe can go in hubbies car; so the kids get in I take the shoe after wiping on the grass is not successful and try and wash the poop off! This poop is not coming off, the flies are buzzing madly everywhere! I then find an old packet of wipes and get a minute amount off. I've used my super hand wash (no soap or water required) and I'm doing up the four kids seat belts when a woman comes walking past on the road around my car, walking the tiniest of dogs I'm sure her dog is the pooper - why isn't she walking on the footpath, because she knows the poo is there that's why! I bite my tongue (the Karma Chameleon will get her!) and I drive to school with the shoe sitting on the empty wipes bag. I drop the kids to their classes and explain to the teacher why my friend's daughter has to take her shoes off 'cause of the poo and she doesn't want this in her classroom on the carpet. I then have nominated to help in my daughter's reading class. This is chaos as my son climbs the verandah railings and has a melt down while I'm trying to get kids to cut out words from their story and stick them on their worksheets while the wind is blowing them all away! I am now home, I have picked up all the poop off the footpath, my two kids that are home today are now having a barney and it's only 11am and I don't know if I have the energy to exercise?? and then there's the very wet unrinsed and spun washing to deal with and the repair man might not get here till Tuesday! This day can only get better from here on!

Sing like nobody's listening, dance like nobody's watching, but clean when you've got an audience!

Why does it take so long to clean the floors in my house?? Firstly I have to pick up at least a thousand toys, shoes, bags, dirty clothes and anything else my tribe has decided to throw on the floor rather than put away. Then it just takes ages moving chairs etc. and hoping the little ones can keep out of the way. When in only a few hours I can feel the clean feeling under my feet slipping away, with only one meal time as rice or grated cheese is being strewn around the dining room table or sand and grass are walked in from outside. But I do feel if I wait for no one to be home they will not appreciate all the hard work to get the clean floors or other jobs done in the first place (and it's a dreadful waste of child-free time!). Often my hubby will walk in the door and I can see from the look on his face "what have you been doing all day this place is a mess" He never notices if the bathroom's been cleaned or the mirrors or most things for that matter. He'll happily wear the ironed shirts without noticing he hasn't had to iron any for a whole week or two. So I say iron the shirts while he's lazing on the couch watching the footy, and clean the loo while he's brushing his teeth! A mother's work is much more appreciated when you've got an audience! Maybe the next time you've got the house to yourself you can enjoy a book or magazine and watch a bit of Ellen!

Here's a joke that captures this topic perfectly!

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.
The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall. In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.
In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.
He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.
He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.
As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.
He looked at her bewildered and asked, ‘What happened here today?’
She again smiled and answered, ‘You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me sarcastically what in the world I do all day?’
‘Yes,’ was his incredulous reply.
She answered, ‘Well, today, I didn’t do it.’

Flood Relief

Sadly this month has been devastating not just in Qld with the Floods but also in Victoria as well as bad Bush fires in WA. I have been helping friends who've been affected and it really makes you appreciated how lucky you are. Driving through some of these flood affected areas has really taken my breath away - at how much destruction has been left for people to rebuild their homes. Here's a few ways of supporting flood relief initiatives.

http://writersonrafts.com/

or

http://www.powderfingerstore.com/music/detail.aspx?pid=97694

So get out and help any way you can!

Another cake

I have to say my six year old is a little more demanding of what cake she would like for her Birthday. But I have to say I really enjoyed icing this one and was reasonably happy with how it turned out. Unfortunately I just have huge inspiration late at night when there is no shops open (to head out for last minute supplies) But luckily I have a huge corner of the pantry with lollies and cake decorating stuff and was reasonably organised. The white icing is pretty easy to mould into any shape (like play dough!)and much easier to manage than butter icing and really less work. Decorations can be made before hand although I left it to the night before, and I just use normal food colouring to change the colour of the fondant. Happy baking!

I know Christmas is over but you'll get a giggle from this!

Not sure of the origin of this one but I thought you might enjoy.....

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mum all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my
children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my
doctor, sold sixty-two cases of choc bars to raise money to
plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you
could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had
to write this letter with my daughter's red crayon, on the back of a
receipt in the laundry between cycles, and who knows when I'll
find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any colour, except
purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap
in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child
out of the lolly aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the
seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like
fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult
music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs
containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret
compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the
phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says,
'Yes, Mummy' to boost my parental confidence, along with two
kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all
the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't
eat in the living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,'
because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing
range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for
enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same
morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room
temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to
brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to
declare tomato sauce a vegetable? It will clear my conscience
immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children
to help around the house without demanding payment as if they
were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw
my feet under the laundry door. I think he wants his crayon
back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by
the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or
leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,
MUM...!

P.S. one more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can
keep my children happy, healthy and always believing.

*Santa has asked that this gets passed on to all the mummies you
know*