The Frivolous Bibliophile: Review: Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Mem...

The Frivolous Bibliophile: Review: Mastering the Art of Soviet Cooking: A Mem...: First of all, I love the cover of this book, which resembles cookbooks from the 1960s.  I also love the title, which is of course a play ...

Ready, set... STOP and feed the baby!

This Blog is about to become my 12WBT diary. I have only one follower and I completely understands if she stops but here goes... Oh and incidentally I am not sponsored by or commercially affiliated with Michelle Bridges in any way. I just like her stuff!

So I'm back after a looong hiatus. What have I been doing? Working full time and raising my vivacious, precocious, hilariously funny son. Plus the usual committments.
Right before I fell pregnant with my second son exactly one year ago, I embarked on the Michelle Bridges' 12 Week Body Transformation. My husband and I knew that it was time to start trying for our second child, and I knew that losing weight would help me to conceive. With our first it took 11 months so I was prepared for a wait, plus I was confident that I could complete my 12 week challenge in plenty of time. Right?

Wrong!

At my seventh week of the program, having lost 10kg, I discovered that we conceived from our 1st cycle! Yikes! Exalted, I immediately changed to the 12WBT Pregnancy an Breastfeeding Plan but lasted only another couple of weeks as exhaustion and morning, afternoon sickness overwhelmed me. Ho-hum. Well I put on about 12kg during my pregnancy, gave birth to another beautiful son and here I am, back and committed again to 12WBT. But a few things have changed:

• I now have an almost three year old and a 12 week old baby who is exclusively breastfed
• I know that the 12WBT works
• I am fitter that the first time I joined even with a 12 month period off
• I am on maternity leave

I was surprised by my fitness test results that placed me at the intermediate level as recommended by the 12WBT team. I am not using the breastfeeding program because of my level of fitness and because my Dr and I decided that 1800 calories/day was too high for me and my super-high BMI. So I am on 1500 calories per day instead, which is slightly higher than the usual 1200 that a non-breastfeeding woman would be allocated. What does 1500 calories look like?

According to: http://weightloss.answers.com/calories/what-to-know-about-the-calorie-count-for-a-big-mac-meal a large big mac meal is over 1500 calories.

On 12 WBT however, eating whole foods, fresh and prepared myself 1500 calories is suddenly too much food to fit into my distended stomach! Here is a picture from Google images of a healthier 1500 calorie meal allowance, spread throughout a whole day of meals and snacks:

But take it from me, the 12WBT are a helluva lot more appetising than that!

I love the recipes, I love the shopping lists and meal plans and I love the planning and organisation. I love that my husband enjoys 90% of the dinner meals and is willing to support me by joining me in eating the same thing each night (the exception being the addition of meat to his plate for any vegetarian dishes lol and he refuses to eat yummy lentils and chick peas)

My challenge is to fit the exercise in around my kid's needs. I am a morning exerciser. Yesterday was perfect. My baby woke at 4:45 for a feed and was settled back into bed by 5:20am. I was out the door by 5:30 for my run, back by 6:10 for ab work and cool down and showered by 6:30! Success! Husband and babies slept through the whole event!

This morning was not so great... baby's last feed was at 4am, my alarm woke us both at 6am. I settled him as best I could but was downstairs doing my warm up when I heard BOTH boys screaming at my husband from their beds. Poor man's man-boobs were not cutting the mustard for the little one while his brother just joined in because he could hear his little sibling. So I was back in bed feeding the baby in my workout gear by 6:15. That means that this workout will have to happen in the precious little time between 4 and 7pm when my husband gets home from work, the babies get bathed, fed and put to bed and we have some family time. BUGGER!

To be clear it wasn't all because of the breastfeed mis-timing. Having exercised for the first time the day before I was IN PAIN this morning. Ever tried to tiptoe with tightly strung hammies? Agony! I was tired as are all mums with the broken sleep that comes with caring for a newborn, and I ran into everything, bumbling around like a drunk until I'd had a drink of water and eaten a tiny apple. I then went downstairs and found that I'd forgotten to tidy up the toy room yesterday that doubles as my workout space so I had to silently put all sorts of signing buzzing contraptions away to clear a space. I hadn't retrieved my yoga mat and fit ball from upstairs since using them to labour with my recent child. In short? I was disorganised.

So organisation is the key. For future workouts to happen I will:

1. Set up this afternoon after my workout. Fit ball, yoga mat, workout clothes, heart rate monitor, running shoes all laid out with a copy of my workout plan, my apple and my water.
2. Express breast milk to have sitting beside my husband ready to go in case our little one is otherwise inconsolable and I'm off halfway across town pounding the pavement.
3. Leave straight after bub's early feed if possible, or wake him for one before I go.

Lets face it, if I'm going to do this I need to make it work around my kids with minimal disruption to the household, otherwise I will use that as an EXCUSE TO QUIT. I don't need anymore of those.

 

 

 

 

Awful or Awesome? The Bossiest To-Do List Ever | iVillage AU

Awful or Awesome? The Bossiest To-Do List Ever | iVillage AU
This is hilarious! ! !
People are forever saying, "Let me know if there is anything I can do", and though of course most people would never ask for any of this stuff (far too embarrassing and awkward), I know that after I had Coop, some people didn't ask but just showed up and did some of this stuff for me anyway I will never forget it!

Finding Zen where you can

I am finally writing another blog entry but from a rather more interesting location than my usual corner table in the dining room; this morning, an overcast Saturday, I am sitting in a lovely little café/deli in Cooks Hill savouring a latte and some peace, having just enjoyed an amazing Aveda massage.

Massages are one of my absolutely favourite things in the entire world, but not something I ever treat myself to so this morning’s extravagance was courtesy of my brother and sister in law, and their generosity in giving me a gift voucher for my recent birthday. Last year I received the same gift from them in the form of some intensive pampering and as I had recently recovered from the birth of our beautiful son, the experience was so perfect that I actually got rather emotional. The funny thing is that this year’s was no less perfect, no less appreciated, and no less needed!

For those who have never experienced an Aveda massage, you generally are greeted with a lovely cup of tea and a foot bath to relax and unwind with while contemplating how you are feeling so that the masseuse can best match the essential oils to your needs for the day. That is just the beginning of a perfect, perfect hour but I won’t go into further detail except to stress that I am now transformed completely into a more relaxed and serene me.

While I was blissed out, I found myself wondering how I could prolong this feeling and try to feel like this all of the time. The past year has been full of the wonders of our son’s first year of life; things are pretty good for me. I work three days a week, we can pay our bills (just ;o/), we are healthy and excited about the prospect of two more beloved babies entering our lives via two very precious couples.

But just because things are good, this doesn’t mean that I am great and I find myself wondering why.

Clearly I need to do something about this. If I, with all of my blessings, can’t honestly say I am firing on all cylinders and fully embracing my life, than how can I teach my son to?

I suppose it’s all about resilience. Life happens to all of us in varying degrees of good and bad. There is no point in lamenting the sorrowful moments, they are supposed to make us stronger right? But it seems to me that while these events certainly make us appreciate the contrast, they also just seem to chip away at our defences and our psyche until one day something has got to give, and it always does.

According to my psychologist (yes I see a psychologist now- a new thing this year, recommended by my GP, the same way she recommends exercise, a balanced diet and regular check-ups) I am a sensitive person. This is news to me but it kind of makes sense. I can be pretty obtuse about a lot of things and often berate myself for jumping in to situations without adequate consideration for myself and others. I am impulsive but not insensitive. When people around me are hurting I really take it on. It hurts me the way a punch in the guts can wind you, and I have learned that for me- while we all keep keeping on- sometimes you have to acknowledge it and have a good shout or cry before you can move on.

Right now I am deeply affected by knowing that someone I love more than life is hurting emotionally, to the point of it manifesting itself physically. I hate knowing that she is so exhausted.

I am affected by the image I was shown at school yesterday of an MRI comparing the brain of a neglected three year old with that of a ‘normal’ toddler. It haunts me that the abuse that many of my students have been suffering their whole lives is causing them brain damage!

I am most affected by the knowledge that I am completely powerless to help the people I care about reach their full potential. I like fixing things and I like feeling that I am in control. I also know that most of the time you just have to suck it up, drink a cup of cement and harden up, get on with it.

But on getting back to real life after such an amazing morning, I am not quite willing to surrender this calm just yet.

So all I can do is look for those moments we all search for when you can stop over thinking, fretting and directing yourself and others and I suppose meditate a little on what is most important to you. For me it is family, friends, faith and integrity and I am best able to remember those things when holding my sleeping son in my arms.

I can look down at him, at his perfect red bow lips, listen to and smell his sweet breath, admire his long, thick, brown lashes resting gently on his smooth cheeks and know that there is peace in the world. I can put him down in his cot, walk out to my husband and share that feeling that together, for just the two of us, there is evidence that together we are a perfect thing.

Spring has sprung!

I have spring fever! There is new spring in my step!

There is one day left of winter but this week, at least for me, spring has sprung!

The reason is a combination of factors. The weather has started to warm up this past fortnight here, so that flowers are blooming and we are finding ourselves flinging the windows and doors wide open to let in the warmer air.

The winter sales are petering out in the shopping centres and, although there are still bargains to be found, most people are looking at the new colours and styles. I am finding the new season fashion very inspiring. It's pretty and pastel and feminine and here in Australia there's still colour blocking a-plenty providing gaiety and simplicity (especially for a woman such as myself who is print- and pattern challenged).

In a less-obviously-connected thread, at work (yes this week was my first week back) the end of year reporting season has kicked off, year twelve are on the count down toward the HSC exams, and we are revising, dotting I's and crossing T's. Next term as we start to farewell our oldest kids (some with sighs of relief , a couple with whoops of joy, but most with tenderness and genuine nostalgia) we begin the task of evaluating and updating programs and resources, cleaning out the rooms and preparing for a fresh new year.


If none of this is explaining my suddenly heightened sense of joie de vivre, let me remind you that two weeks ago I started my diet...

 

AND IT IS WORKING!

 

I have lost 3kg in two weeks. I feel more energetic, I feel invigorated and in control. Best of all, I'm not feeling hungry or deprived! It's been easy! I haven't noticed any change visually yet, except that I am obviously happier, but I am hoping that in another two weeks I will start to feel some of my clothes are a little bit looser.

So next, while continuing my physical transformation, I am turning to my home. I have started the "20 Days to Organise Your Home Challenge" on one of my favourite blogs, The Organised Housewife. Nothing much to report yet as it officially starts on Monday but if you wish to have a peek at what it is all about then click here.

 

I am also reminding myself of some valuable lessons.

1. It is not how much time you spend doing something, or being with somebody, but the quality of that time that is important.
2. If something isn't working, then change it!
3. I am capable of far more than I generally give myself credit for.

So here are some inspirational quotes to finish with:

 

“It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
― Babe Ruth

 

“I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it”
― Thomas Jefferson

 

"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."
--Henry Ford

Groundhog day

So I am starting over. Again.



at 21 and up to mischief

Like alot of women I never had a weight problem until I hit my mid 20's. I don't know why I let myself get fatty boombatty. Lot's of things happened in my life around that time, mostly really good things!

1. I moved back to Port Macquarie after enjoying a few years in Sydney cheffing in some iconic restaurants and meeting some amazing, unforgettable people.
2. I met, and subsequently moved in with, the love of my life.
3. I quit being a chef and went to uni to study for my teaching degree.

Aged 25 with my wonderful man.

Since that time I have graduated uni, gotten married, lost one of my Grandfathers and an equally beloved uncle, spent two action-packed years teaching in the Outback, had my Dad diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, returned to the coast with a permanent teaching position and had our beautiful son. Phew.

I gained well over 30kg (about 6-7 stone).

I must make it very clear that I managed to do that BEFORE having our baby! After the birth I was 7kg lighter!

I don't really know where I went wrong, all I know is that I have done this to myself and I need to fix it, but I just haven't been able to wrap my mind around it. I have been sooooo lazy! I have dieted before, sometimes quite successfully (like the pre-wedding shedding of 10kg) but then I put it all back on- plus some! I am fed up. Sick and tired of buying clothes whose only appeal is that they fit! Where has MY unique style gone? Oh that's right, it's in a box in the cupboard labelled "Do not open until size 10-12". Sigh.
I want to change my lifestyle and get this right! I know it's not easy so rather than facing up to another diet like it is groundhog day I decided it is high time I tried something different. So last week I went to my psychologist (my second ever visit and I think she is marvelous- more on that another time). I asked Dr Melly* what I can do. It is not as simple as telling myself to get up and get moving because I have no energy, no drive, in short I feel like BLAH. Or is it?

I was asked to brainstorm a list of all of the excuses that I come up with and it was quite a long, long list. She told me that all the excuses, like-

• I'm too lazy
• I hate exercise
• I cannot afford Weight Watchers or gym membership while on part time maternity leave

-etc, etc, are just that: excuses, and that I have the learn to manage those 'voices', and any hunger pains.  She told me to liken it to the way that chronic pain sufferers manage their pain; by disassociating the emotion or the physical sensation from the thoughts or excuses. Like as if you are acknowledging the thought or feeling but then tucking it away as being just something that is happening and does not bear dwelling on. Having recently given birth, this was an idea I could definitely get my head around!

The wise Dr Melly then put me onto a free IPhone app called My Fitness Pal, that is a massive database on which you can track what food you are eating throughout the day so that it can count your calories consumed. It also records your daily exercise, tracks weight loss progress, and links to the website. It is everything that works for me in Weight Watchers but it is FREE! FREE! FREE!

Finally we discussed the all important Goal Setting that is prioritised by ANY weight loss program. She stressed that in order to give myself a focus away from the scales, I should incorporate strategies into my diet goals and have exercise goals as well. Here are mine for today:

Time Frame	Diet	Exercise
This week...	Lose 1 kg Track everything I eat	Take Bub for three 30 minute walks.
This time next month...	Lost 5 kg Tracking still and looking at portion sizes.	Exercising every second day for at least 30 mins
By Christmas...	Lost 15kg Tracking, controlling portion sizes and drinking 2L water every day.	Able to go for a 30 min walk but jog for half the distance.



A more recent pic :0(

So today is day 4. I have been counting calories and am finding it to be not too bad, though I have noticed just how much I put into my mouth without considering it, such as left overs I nibble as I put them away, and bits of the foods I prepare for our Cooper. That's the benefit of tracking. If you are completely committed and track everything you eat, you soon become much more mindful of what you are doing.

I am concerned about how I will go next week when I start back at work two days per week.

I am yet to do ANY of my walks. So I am signing off for now in order to do just that. If I leave in the next couple of minutes Cooper will stay awake and we'll get home just as my husband does.

So fear not Penelope, I'll keep you posted.


* names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Letter to me

Letter to my 16 year old self.

In the Australian Woman’s Weekly each issue they have a feature a letter written by a celebrity to their sixteen year old self. As I am about to turn the ripe old age of thirty two (!) and as I have recently become a mother, I have that “fountain of knowledge” feeling and so have decided to indulge this fantasy by completing this exercise myself.

Dear Amie,

I realise as I am writing this that you will be very tempted to laugh me off, and while I love that about you, I also hope that you at least remember these words as they may come in handy in the not too distant future.

Firstly, you are not immune to illness. One day quite soon you will discover yourself to be saddled with the oppression of mental illness and it will break your heart. The good news is that you will discover new depths of resilience if you allow yourself to accept it. You can take charge of your health and take action to keep yourself well but it is hard work and it never goes away so stay vigilant and live on. Don’t doubt yourself, you are the happy person you’ve always believed yourself to be, you just have to fight a little bit harder for it than others.

Sex is NOT love. Enough said.

Keep on kicking those boys to the kerb! I know you love feeling like you are in love but remember that an imperfect relationship will prove faultier with time. You can’t ‘fix’ him with your love and faithfulness and devotion. Relationships must have a strong, deep and personal foundation that is born of experience and mutual respect. But don’t worry, love is mostly always fun. If it isn’t than he isn’t worth your time. Not to give too much away but you will find a man who is perfect for you, quite soon, though he may be nothing much like your sixteen year old self imagines!

Keep reading. Read lots and lots and challenge yourself to read as widely as possible. The World Wide Web is around the corner but you will never tire of grasping a good book, and this will give you much needed escapism, holidays when you cannot afford it, consolation and inspiration. Try to join a good book club if you can.

Every situation is temporary. This is sometimes a relief and sometimes a burden, but you need to know that if you are dissatisfied then you can change that. Do not allow yourself to remain stuck in a rut, living out your less inspired choices, because all that change requires is hard work and persistence and not a little courage. The flip side is that you must make the most of every happy moment, it sounds cheesy, but take time when you are happy to pause and take stock, dig deep and try to remember the feeling. It will carry you through the low points.

Similarly, in spite of what everyone is telling you, the career choices you make as a sixteen year old are not permanent. One day they will refer to your age group collectively as Generation Y. They will generalise, saying that your transient and non committal (Generation Why Should I), but it is actually about knowing your worth and working hard to keep challenging yourself to rise to your full potential. Work really bloody hard. Loyalty is a virtue but beware of it being misplaced. Don’t be discouraged by fear. Change is frightening but no good ever came from hiding from it, so face challenges head on. Just look before you leap.

Don’t be too hard on your friends. It is always better with friendship to have quality over quantity, but sometimes your people will have a lot of difficulty supporting you if it involves them seeing you in a different light. They rely on you to be and act a certain way, but the true friends will adapt with you and love you just the same.

Don’t get involved in other people’s tragedies. You want to save the world. You want to help the people you love and you have a lot of love for a lot of people! Just be warned that interference will result in you losing some very important friendships. You have to learn how to be supportive without stepping in and trying to solve the ‘problem’. Particularly when it comes to your friend’s relationships! They have to make their own mistakes too.

Lastly, treasure your family. Try to discover early on that your amazing parents were people before they were “Mum” and “Dad”. Respect them as individuals as well as loving them for the strength they bring as a partnership. As I write this, your child sleeps peacefully in the next room. This child will be the magic that really awakens you to how amazing your parents are. Keep an eye on your big brother but let him be him. He’ll get everything he wants one day; he’ll just go about it differently to you. Every second with them is more precious than words.

Don’t change more than you have to.

Say nothing else but THANK YOU when someone compliments you.

PLEASE DON’T DANCE TOO CLOSE TO THE SPEAKERS!!!

Love from your older self.