APRIL - Health and Fitness Update

April you wanted me to fail in a big way with my health and fitness challenge, and although I did indulge more than I intended too at Easter, I am still quite happy with where I am at.

Four months in and I am still going strong. If you have read any of my other health and fitness posts this year, you would know the journey that I embarked on in January is following this month to month challenge that I found on good old Pinterest in the hope to to become a more healthier happier me. My goal is to ultimately loose weight, but in a way that changes my bad habits into good ones that I can manage and make stick to recreate the me that I use to be.
I am pleased to say that I am still drinking mainly water with only the occasional sip of juice or soft drink. I will never be able to quit coffee  Breakfast is still a challenge for me, but I am eating it more than before, just not every day. Sleep. well lets just say that that is an ongoing drama, I want to be a good sleeper, who doesn't, but right now it seems like an impossible dream to conquer.

That brings us to April and the challenge to keep a food journal. Yeah um, it didn't happen. It started well one day only  and went down hill from there meaning it didn't happen again
I don't know what it was about this challenge that I couldn't make happen. Its not like it is a time consuming task, and it wasn't a difficult task either. I kept my notebook and pen handy with all the good intentions in the world. I just failed to keep it going. Its as simple as that.

So now it is time for May's challenge. Walking every day. This is one that I am looking forward to as with the cooler weather finally showing its face here in North QLD, it makes it easier to enjoy exercising outdoors. And with walking being my most favourite way to exercise, you can bet that this is a challenge I will be able to make happen without failure.

So how is your fitness challenge going this year ? Have you been able to stick to what you planned ?
Are you on the way to a healthier happier you ? Or are you one of the good people who are always committed ? I am jealous of you if you are : )

beck xx

EASTER 2017

Easter passed quietly for us this year. There was no big fan fare or gathering of the tribes for a big Easter feast. Just each of us doing our own thing to relax and unwind before leaping back into the routine of work and school. It was good to just hang with the boys, watch a show on Netflix, do a bit of gardening, a bit of cooking and of course gobble down a chocolate egg or two.

On Good Friday we devoured delicious hot cross buns for lunch, and homemade fish and leek pie for dinner.
The weather was perfect and has finally turned. We had our first peak at Autumn which decided to show its face over the past few days. It has been welcomed with open arms.

With three out of four of our sons adults now the "Easter Bunny" no longer makes an appearance. Instead, placed in our kitchen is a large bowel filled with chocolate mini eggs and sugary sweet treats for the teenager who doesn't eat chocolate is he even my child? 

My parents came over on the afternoon of Easter Sunday, mum bringing with her, her traditional gooey chocolate cake slice for afternoon tea, and by the time they had left I for one was all over and done with chocolate.

I hope that each and every one of you had a beautiful Easter with your family and friends. That you all made yourselves sick with chocolate and celebrated the occasion with love, warmth and tradition. May you go fourth on the coming days remembering these past few and continue to show each other love and support and not just reserve it for these special occasions.

May we all live in peace and remember the real reason of Easter. HE LIVES.

beck xx

PLEASANTLY SURPRISED

When we became a household of six again, I thought the last of my sanity was about to walk out the door. I mean how were we going to co-exist as a full house after so long ? Would it even be possible to calmly have my four boys living together under one roof once more ? I was excited to have my nest full once again but I wanted a smooth transition, not one filled with drama and dare I say it a lot of sibling fighting and rivalry.

I knew that it would only be natural that my boys would butt heads. The youngest two had become used to being the only kids at home and had formed a peaceful duo that was about to be tested in a big way. For the oldest two, they had to learn to live at home with not only their younger siblings but also with their parents, and the household rules that would come along with that. That is a big step, a huge learning curve. Would it even be possible after all this time ?

It has been a little over a month now since we have re-entered this family status as a whole unit, and I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised and very proud of my sons. Not once has there been any bickering. There have been none of those sibling fights that make me want to tear my hair out at the roots. It has been a calm, smooth transition that has delighted me to no end.
Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that world war three could be just around the corner waiting to explode in my face.

I know that nothing can and will stay smelling like roses forever. All it could take is a side way glance at the wrong moment to bring our calm household to its knees, but for now I am going to bask in the glory that our train has so far stayed on its tracks. That we are living in harmony without a dark cloud in the sky. It is a mothers prerogative to praise her family when it is due, and to cross all her fingers and toes, hoping that the smooth sea that her ship is sailing on stays that way.

fingers crossed ... beck xx

Linking up for this weeks IBOT with the gorgeous Kylie

ONE THING - Clean windows

I can see clearly now. Well I can at least see out of my windows without a smudgy mess staring back at me. I finally got around to cleaning all the windows of our home for my #onething this week and now I am wondering why it took me so long to do so.

If you read and follow along with Beth of Babymac and I am sure that you do. One thing is where you complete a task that is not on your everyday list of getting things done. It is your other list, the one where you have a long list of things around your home that needs to get done, but takes longer to get through.

I do wipe the front windows over maybe once a fortnight, and while watering the plants I give them a quick squirt with hose, but this week they all got a good going over. Windows, tracks and sills. I got into all those nooks and crannies where dirt and dust settle and now they are as clean as they can be. I'm sure it wont be long before they will need doing again, but for now I am basking in the glory that is clean windows.

There is nothing like the satisfaction of completing a long overdue task. I have a long #onething to do list that will most likely take me the better half of the year to complete.

Do you follow along with Beth and her #onething ?
What was the latest one thing that you have completed ?

Happy Monday : )

beck xx

TAKING STOCK - March 2017

I love reading and writing Taking Stock posts. Reliving and finding out what everyone has been up to, gives me satisfaction that we have all made it through another month no matter how fabulous or trying.Pip of Meet Me At Mikes really has created something wonderful with Taking Stock.

March was all over the place here. Happy and difficult, thankfully we are all healthy and doing really well. Because that is what matters most.

Making more time to spend in the garden now the weather is cooling slightly.
Cooking a lot of new recipes this month, and baking more for my family again. I lost all my will for cooking anything exciting for a while there.

Drinking lots of water and feeling really good for it. Who would have thought !!!
Reading The Girl Before by J.P Delaney which I hear is being made into a movie.
Wanting more indoor plants in my life.
Looking into the Paleo Diet and reading everything that I can get my hands on.
Deciding if the Paleo Diet is for me. Its so hard to balance all the information that is out there on what we should and shouldn't be eating.
Wishing my husband and I could get away for a holiday. At this point it feels like we will never have a holiday again.
Enjoying having my two eldest boys back home. Although the circumstances of their return was unfavourable, for a mother to have her family back together under one roof is heartwarming.
Waiting for Autumn to arrive. I am quite over the heat of Summer.
Liking the new Soda Stream we bought. Sparkling water galore.
Wondering if we will get any days that we will be able to call Winter here in Nth QLD ?.
Loving that our wood floors are finally finished and I can now get on with choosing paint colours and painting our home.
Listening to Adele, the Dixie Chicks and more of our local MMM radio station than normal.
Buying bottled water  to get us through post Cyclone Debbie. Mackay is having trouble producing enough water for the town at the moment which is seeing us on strict restrictions.
Watching Big Little Lies. What a fabulous job they have done taking it from the pages of a book to the screen. I cant wait to purchase a copy and watch it all over again.
Hoping that the weight that I am loosing continues to drop off and stay off this time.
Cringing at the behaviour of Josh on MKR. I know it is most likely for ratings but I dont think that I am alone in saying it has all gone a bit too far.
Needing some time on my own. As much as I love having a large family, I dont think asking for a day of peace is too much trouble.
Questioning if I am doing enough. Always questioning my decisions and what I can do to improve things.
Smelling the mock orange blossoms through my front windows.
Wearing pyjamas for longer than I should be on the weekends.
Noticing how grown up my younger is all of a sudden and longing for the days when he was little.
Knowing that no matter how much I wish for my boys to stop growing up it will never happen. Why do the years have to fly by ?
Thinking of our holiday to Melbourne and wanting so badly to go back. Its been two years this August since we went.
Admiring how hard my husband has been working. He has always been a wonderful provider for our family. I must tell him more often.
Getting frustrated with one our dogs. Does anyone have any tips on stopping dogs digging ?.
Disliking the attitude of our back neighbours, it really makes living here awkward at times. : (
Opening the lid on a bottle of wine and having it last weeks in the fridge instead of days. I have been so good since committing myself to a healthier lifestyle.
Closing the door on all my bad eating habbits. I haven't felt this good in a long time.
Feeling so relieved that both of my boys have finally found new jobs.
Hearing about the Adele concert from so many and really wishing that I could have gone. Thank goodness for social media and all of you that posted voideos of the event.
Celebrating  two events in March. Our 23rd wedding anniversary and my youngest sons first event of grade 12. He had such an amazing time at Mocktail. He looked so grown up and handsome in his formal attire.

Pretending that my baby is not in his final year of school and thinking of going away next year to Brisbane for Uni.
Embracing life at the moment and all that it has to offer.

beck xx

Linking up with Kylie for this weeks edition of IBOT

MARCH - HEALTH AND FITNESS ROUNDUP

2017 is THE year of getting my health and fitness back on track. In the past three years life got tough and I let myself go. There is no other way to put it. I crashed and burned with nobody else to blame but myself. So come January first this year I thought enough is enough, its time to become the me that I want to be for the rest of my days.

And guess what you guys....
March has been all kinds of awesome.

My water intake is through the roof. I have only had one or two zero cokes and a couple glasses of wine (during the cyclone, so I am not counting them) and man I am feeling SO much better. My skin is also feeling the benefits. The difference has been amazing. Huh...who would have thought !!!

My diet is also much better. I have not eaten bread in more than a month now, and my meal portions have more than halved.

I have LOST almost 7 kilos this month alone. So guess who is feeling pretty good : ) I know there are so many more kilos to go that will take many many months to achieve, but I am on the right track now and feeling all sorts of happy with myself.

If you have been following along you would know that I have been following this month by month chart that I found on Pinterest to help guide me to a better, healthier lifestyle. For March the goal was to get more sleep. To be honest this was really hard in the beginning. I am not a great sleeper, so I knew that this one was going to be hard to achieve. However as time passed I was able to start sleeping much better. I am going to assume that my new diet habits have everything to do with it.

April brings a new month and for me a new challenge to be met. So for this months small change I will be starting a food journal. Fingers crossed my weight loss continues and that I can also keep up with the changes made in January, February and March.

Are you making changes to your health and fitness this year ?
Have you had success so far, and if so what changes are you making ?

Have a fabulous April everyone

beck xx