A Day of Two Halves

My fitness/healthiness journey hit a little bump yesterday. It was a honeycomb type of bump. Maltesers to be precise. Oh and it was also curry flavoured. Possibly with wine….. In the words of my two year old… Oopsie dear!

So it was hubby’s birthday and we indulged a tad. It’s ok. Tomorrow is another day and all that. In my defence I also did some hula hooping, Davina’s thirty minute exercise, and my two favourite activities – bouncing on the trampoline with my wee man (child not husband) and going for a very nice (if incredibly slow) walk with one and the same plus little one in the pushchair.

So technically I had a setback. So what? It was nice, it was an occasion. Hey and I forgot to say that I managed four full press ups two days before. Yay me! (Oh and the maltesers were buried in an incredibly creamy cheesecake. Yum yum!)

😀

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Day Three – Inspired by a Seven Month old

Day three of my twelve week challenge started with a Davina thirty minutes work out. I say started with, I mean I did it at about half seven after the kids were in bed. I then did some hula hooping, stretching, a few dumbbell exercises. I had a sudden flash of inspiration from watching my daughter effortlessly lift her leg above her head then stick her toes in her mouth (she’s seven months old so not entirely strange). While I don’t particularly aspire to being able to put my toes in my mouth it would be nice to know I’ve got the option of I should decide that’s how I want to spend my afternoon.

The almost embarrassing truth is that I’ve always been naturally flexible so I know it won’t actually take that much to get me back to a reasonable level of fitness. So why am I not doing it??? Tonight or tomorrow I’m searching out a yoga exercise video on YouTube.

My other turnaround is that I’m finally starting to think about food as fuel. Ooh la la! When I eat or choose food I’m making an effort to think ‘what is this doing for my body?’ To me it’s a bit airy fairy but it’s actually quite satisfying. I’m not going to lie though – tonight I’m making a maltesers cheesecake for my husband’s birthday. What will this do for my body? Well provide calcium for strong bones obviously! But also it will bring some pleasure. And sometimes that’s just fine.

Xxx

Day Two…. Who gives two bottles of wine as a thank you anyway???!

So yesterday wasn’t bad. A brief stint of hula hooping. Took kids and dog on a power walk (pushing double pushchair with about four stone of children in it counts as exercise. Trust me!) I made a start on some gardening so the thought was there (do thoughts tone muscle? Interesting concept) but events overtook me so had to call that a night.

Had fruit and nuts as a snack and pasta, peas and bacon for dinner. I guess that wasn’t too healthy due to the cheese and creme fraiche content (and the fact I had two helpings. Is it possible to watch Masterchef without eating???)

So overall not bad but not brilliant. I managed to resist the smarties biscuits that are in the kitchen. Also my husband announced that someone has given him two bottles of wine as a thank you at work. He doesn’t drink wine and it would be ungrateful not to enjoy it….. However we’re going away in three weeks so standards are allowed to slip slightly then so I’m determined to save it til then to indulge.

Need to focus now on what exercise to do tonight. Hmmm. I might turn to my old favourite – Davina. With a few twists on the bits I don’t like 😀

Xxx

Day One…

Day one was yesterday. I wasn’t feeling particularly focussed so it consisted of some press ups (I can do one whole full one! I hope to have improved on this by the end of my twelve weeks…) Lots of hula hooping (I intend to at least hula hoop every day). Some squats with weights, some chair squats and a bit of skipping. Whatever it was it was moving.

Today food wise I’ve had a cup of tea,  cup of decaf coffee, and water. Porridge with cinammon, raisins and semi skimmed milk for breakfast and a bean chilli with bulghar wheet and quinoa for lunch. Oh and an activist yoghurt. Or activia even.

So far so good. I’m undecided on what I’m going to do today/this evening. My intentions are good but my eyelids are heavy……
Xxx

When I grow up I wanna be a weightlifter….

That’s this week’s plan anyway! Previously I’ve wanted to be an ice skater, ballerina, gymnast, yoga guru….. You get the gist.

However I’m now 36 so I think I’m now pretty much past all that. What I really want to do is get a toned butt, a decent level of fitness and some more energy.  So…. (And this has never happened before honestly!) I’ve decided to set myself a twelve week goal. I WILL get fit, toned, etc. There’ll be before and after pics (not for the faint hearted). I’m going to embrace my scatty approach and just do whatever I feel like on any given day. I’ll keep you posted. Please give me some suggestions of exercises to try and I’ll let you know how I get on…

Selection Box Left…. Sweet Pain???

So this year I’ve resolved I WILL get fit and toned. I’m v lucky in that I don’t put on weight (don’t hate me) and even after two babies I sprang back to my pre-pregnancy size and weight (ok, hate me if you want) but sometimes that makes it more frustrating when I say I want to get fit and I get the same old response ‘But you don’t need to lose weight!’ Why are the two always seem as intrinsically linked???

So now with no ‘But I’m pregnant’ excuses to stop me from exercising, and no ‘But it’s Christmas’ excuses to stop me from eating healthily I’m making a valient attempt to make the best of the body I was given. And its bloody hard! I’ve spent months tucking into the biscuit tin whenever I have a cup of tea (an awful lot), and eating what I like when I like. Cheeeeeese! During my second pregnancy (girl) I also developed a sweet tooth. My husband has always had one and will inhale a pack of hobnobs without even noticing but I used to be able to take it or leave it. Not any more!

But as I have said I am determined. I’m cutting down on bread, pasta, cheese etc and increasing salads and veg (which incidentally I also love. They’re just not very comforting). I’ve never thought about food so much or felt so hungry though I surely can’t be.
The trouble is we still have selection boxes and tubs of sweets lying around from Christmas. Not to mention the blue and smoked cheeses that were in the fridge that I polished off yesterday. But I am DETERMINED. And somehow by ignoring those tubs of chocolate that call to me every time I reach past them for a carrot I feel just a little bit more virtuous.

Happy New Year… Just wait a bit will you.

So here we are again. New Year, New You. Actually for the first time ever I’m intending to start my good intentions on Jan 1st (so today then). I normally defer til Feb 1st figuring it’s boring to follow the crowd and it’s more achievable to start your goals in a shorter month. But this time I’m four months post cesarean, both children are sleeping for a decent chunk of the night and I really am feeling flabby and unfit. So new year, New fitness plan, New organised, motivated me!

Only problem is I could do with another six weeks just to finish last year…. The show cupboard needs sorting, the dining room needs decorating, there are things to go in the loft and things to come out of the loft. I’ve baby things to sort; some for charity, some for now and some for the loft for later. This year I was proud of my organisation for Christmas (started shopping in November, finished early December and most things wrapped BEFORE Christmas morning doncha know!) But in all that I forgot to plan for my clean slate. How can I be an organised scrummy mummy from this state of chaos??? All’s not lost though – I’ve planked for thirty seconds 2015 will NOT beat me! 😀

TVM
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Saving Time with the ‘While You’re Waiting’ Jobs…

So, having read a Mumsnet post a short while back in which another Mum said she saved a lot of time doing one job while waiting for another, I.e clearing out a drawer while waiting for the kettle to boil. A brilliant idea I thought (probably everyone does this and I’ve just been lazy…). Anyway I tried it today again. Just a spot of weeding while my toddler was happily playing in the garden…. And then he came to help…. And so did the dog. 

The result is the garden is partially weeded but my son is covered in soil and the weeds have been carefully emptied from the bucket and distributed over the lawn. I look forward to bedtime when I can clear it all up then leave the established weeds to carry on growing.

You know what though? We had fun. He had  fresh air and sunshine and he loved ‘helping’ mummy. Although time is precious, precious time is better.

TVM

Xxx 

Oops I did it again….

Or strictly speaking ‘we’ did it again…. Yup, the virgin mummy is now going to be a second time round mummy. My first born will have just turned two when our newest addition comes along. And do you know what? We’re petrified!

I almost feel guilty writing this because actually our gorgeous son is really pretty good (generally). I think we’ve coped fairly well with the first 22 months (or is that nature’s way of making you think you’re ready to procreate again?!) But whereas the first time round we were full of hope, excitement and good intentions (though I did draw the line at my other half deciding what the baby’s sleep pattern was going to be… I knew THAT wasn’t going to be up to us), this time we know what to expect… but twofold!

Don’t get me wrong I can’t wait, but already this pregnancy is SO different from the first. With him I could tell you, up to the hour, how far along I was. This time round I’ve got an app on my phone that I have to consult whenever anybody asks. We haven’t yet done the big shopping trip (though to be fair we’ve got pretty much everything we need. Poor hand-me-down baby!), and I’m constantly having to check when midwife and other relevant appointments are.

I like to think that we’re actually taking a realistic view of things now. I know so many parents who say that their second child was harder work than their first. My theory has always been (even pre-children) because you somehow get complacent about it. ‘Been there done that’ etc, however the first thing to remember is that nature does have a funny habit of playing tricks on your mind, and the second is that every baby is different… Just ask all those Mum’s whose baby slept through the night from two days old whereas mine held out until 18 months. Maybe Daddy’s sleeping schedule will work with baby number two after all….

 

TVM

XXX

A Scary Night

So my little one has now reached the ripe old age of eleven months. All in all we’ve been very lucky. We had a LOT of problems with him sleeping (probably more our fault than his) but other than that he has been a very happy, healthy little boy. I wouldn’t change that for the world but it meant it was even more of a shock to the system when last week he was out of sorts and had a high temperature. We managed to bring it down with Calpol (I remember months ago being reluctant to use it but don’t knock it til you’ve tried it!) and he seemed to perk up a bit. We then went off to the seaside with him for the day. He still wasn’t quite himself but he was able to lie in his pushchair and enjoy the sea breeze, which is more of a breeze than he would have had at home. We actually encountered, I think for the first time, him crying uncontrollably in public. He really isn’t a very tearful baby as a rule. We returned home and he perked up again. Bedtime came and he went to bed with no trouble. He was a bit restless but it was a hot night so I’d imagine a lot of babies across the country were hot and restless too. Then at about half past midnight I was woken by him crying. I went to fetch him and could immediately feel how hot he was. He was also shaking and I could tell that he smelled different to usual. I stripped him off (he’d only been wearing a vest and nappy) and woke my husband to fetch the thermometer. I actually now can’t recall what his temperature was, I think it was 38-something. Not knowing the best thing to do we called an ambulance. When the first paramedic car arrived the paramedic took his temperature again and got a reading of 40.3. This was after my little one had been in front of a fan and the open door for about ten minutes while we were waiting for her to arrive. She initially said we should take him to the local hospital’s minor injuries clinic but then after disappearing outside to her car it transpired she had called an ambulance to take him to A&E. The ambulance arrived a few minutes later and it was at this point that I started to become a bit disappointed in the service we received. The first paramedic relayed the details to the ambulance team but also added, ‘He’s been to the seaside today so another baby that’s got too hot.’ I didn’t really have time to respond to this as we then got loaded into the ambulance and were away. On the journey the paramedic told me this was the third baby they had taken into hospital that night. I assured him that my child had not been out in the sun, had been in the shade nearly all the time, had suitable sun cream, hat, clothing etc and had been relatively cool given the heat. He also asked me if we had considered taking him to an NHS walk in clinic earlier in the day. A fair question I suppose but as our son had appeared to be more or less ok through the day, no we hadn’t. That question, however added to my feeling that I was being looked down on as a bad parent and was wasting the time of the paramedics. When we arrived at the hospital again the facts were relayed to the Nursing staff with the added comment of, ‘Another hot baby – been at the seaside.’ Accompanied by an exasperated look from the Nurse. She later told us, ‘Babies just can’t take the heat you know.’ Grrrrrrr! I know that, WHICH IS WHY WE KEPT HIM COOL AND SHELTERED ALL DAY!!!! She also said that they would test his urine to see if there was any infection though she didn’t think there was… It turns out there was. He was prescribed anti-biotics and is now as right as rain.
A few people we have spoken to have said that they would have complained about the attitudes we encountered. I personally think the frontline staff of the NHS do a tremendous job under very difficult circumstances (with very little funding/resources) so am always reluctant to make a complaint. On the flipside we couldn’t have been more happy with the service we received when my son was delivered by C-section, and I made sure I wrote in to express my thanks, not only to the staff concerned but also to their Manager’s.
My concern is that not only are parents being treated as if they are stupid but that things can get overlooked. Had the staff dismissed my son’s symptoms without doing any tests I would have… well I would have hit the roof, and there would definitely be letters of complaint going in, however they did do their job and I was happy that my son received the correct treatment.
As I have said previously I know they are working under difficult circumstances and on a daily basis will meet parents who have not taken proper care of their children, however it is wrong to make assumptions and make people in a vulnerable and upsetting situation feel even more vulnerable and upset. A serious blog I’m afraid but it was something that upset me quite a lot. Just wondering what other people’s experiences have been. I have to add that when we previously took him to A&E with a rash (that turned out to be nothing) we were constantly reassured that we had done the right thing in taking him to be looked at. Swings and roundabouts I guess but professionals… Please don’t think you know me before you’ve got to know me…

TVM