It's ok to say no sometimes

I've often found it difficult to say no to people, I used to find myself saying yes to everything and everyone and over committing myself. Since becoming a mum I've finally started to feel more comfortable in saying no to people (perhaps it's a more common word in my vocabulary after dealing with a toddler!) I've often felt guilty when saying no, recently however, I attended a Buiness Chicks function where Zoe Foster Blake was speaking and she spoke about how when you say no to others you are actually saying yes to yourself. By not prioritizing doing something for someone else you are preserving time to do something for yourself. I'd never really looked at it that way before, but as I often find myself verging on the edge of overload this has been extremely useful advice to take in and last night I needed to give myself a kick up the bum and remind myself of this very advice. I was recently given an opportunity at work that could have been great for my career (it also could have completely set me up for failure), I made the conscious decision to say no and ever since, have felt guilty and worried that perhaps this could have been a career limiting move. It was only after talking to my dad last night (a great man of so much wisdom) that I realised yet again that it was ok to say no. With so many other priorities on at work at the moment, not to mention my priority to be the best mum I can be to my daughter I said no to ensure I kick ass at being a mum. Which right now is feeling pretty bloody tough when I'm also faced with sleep deprivation due to a toddler who now seems scared to go to sleep.

Sure sometimes my decisions may reflect poorly on the eyes of others, but right now at this point in my life there is only one set of eyes that are important to me, those big blue eyes of a 2 year old little girl looking up at me.

She is the reason I find myself saying no, because right now in my life she is my number one priority so I choose to say yes to things that make me a good mum, and if that means saying no to others then so be it. I've recently learnt to say yes to myself and reprioritize being fit and healthy because this makes me happy and being happy makes me a better mum. I found that I was prioritizing everything and everyone above my own needs and I didn't like the person I was becoming.

So if you find yourself in a situation where you feel guilty for saying no to someone, remember that you're actually saying yes to yourself. Prioritizing time is tough, even tougher when you've got little people that need your time to. Take a little time to prioritize you!

My Story

I thought long and hard about writing this blog, and then even harder about whether to post it or not. But here goes nothing.

I love my beautiful girl more than anything in this world, but truth be told I wasn't ready for a baby or the life that I now have. I fell pregnant having only been in a relationship for 6 months, and at the time it was a painful decision about what to do but in my heart I knew there was only ever one answer and that was to have the baby. I was happy, in love and whilst scared I was excited about becoming a mum as it was something I had always wanted. After getting through the initial shock that we were pregnant, we were both pretty excited. At 9 weeks though I had some bleeding and I knew something wasn't right, sure enough a scan the following day confirmed my worst fear, I had lost my baby. This was the hardest time in my life, I was so distraught by grief and I felt that the only way to ever be happy was to get pregnant again, holding a baby in my arms was the only way to cure my grief. In hindsight I should have sought help to deal with my grief. I should have realised that maybe this was a sign that I wasn't ready to have a baby, I wasn't in the right relationship. But at this point in my life I didn't think at all with my head, I let my heart rule the way and I became pregnant again very quickly. Now 3 years on I am a mum to a beautiful, independent and adventurous toddler, she is my absolute world and I now can't imagine a life without her. Yes I am now on my own, I juggle motherhood and a career as best as I can but I love my life

(most of the time).  

Gym etiquette!

So I've recently reignited my love for training. I've always loved to keep fit and for most of my 20's I trained for triathlons, however after completing an ironman and retiring from triathlon I've been up and down with training. Being a single mum and working full time also doesn't allow a whole heap of time for training either, but with a new found focus and something new to train for I have found myself spending a lot of time at the gym lately. Not quite to the same levels of my early twenties when I was there so often my dad started telling people I had a new boyfriend and his name was 'Jim'! It never ceases to amaze me the people you see whilst working out in the gym, I've been getting my fix of people watching at the same time as working out. 

There are the girls with the faces full of makeup that walk at snail pace on the treadmill whilst texting or reading trashy mags, making sure they don't work up a sweat and ruin their makeup.

The guys that go in groups and spend more time checking out their muscles in the mirrors than actually lifting any weights.

The grunters, those that can't lift a single weight without the whole gym hearing them. Sure if you are doing an absolute max effort and exerting yourself, but the other day I thought I was in the gym with Maria Sharapova, when a girl was grunting with every single rep.

There are the show offs, the guys like one today who set the weights on the machine so high that they have to use the worst possible form to even make the weights move. 

The ones that sit on the equipment on their phone for longer than they actually use the equipment, ensuring they piss those off who are waiting for the machine. Or worse, the ones who talk to loudly on their phone, again whilst hogging equipment. 

Or my personal favorite is when you are in an empty gym, there are 30 treadmills and only one person on them, but the next gym goer has to come in and set up on the one right next to you.

Then of course there are those who don't wear enough deodorant (if at all), don't wipe their sweat off the equipment, don't re stack the weights, hog five pieces of equipment and one time and spend 10 minutes in the shower during peak hour when there is a line waiting outside.

I'm loving getting back into some serious training, and do always love a bit of good people watching, especially when it gives me enough content for a new blog post!

Toddler Troubles

As an adult, I find many things to be stressful, frustrating or upsetting. Today I started to understand the frustrations a toddler faces, to me all of these things seem insignificant but to a 2 year old that has yet to experience much of the world, these were all moments that led to tears.

Firstly the concept of having to share, if I want a toy then why should I not be able to have it? Why should another child be able to play with it? And of course even in a room filled with toys, children always have to fight over the same toy.

Next was the babycino dilemma, whilst being a very well behaved little girl and patiently waiting for her babycino a look of disgust appeared when mummy's coffee arrived first. Seriously, do they not recognise that babycino's are far more important than coffee? Upon receiving the babycino I watched her little eyes search the plate for the holy grail that is the marshmallow. As she realised that one very important component of her babycino was missing the tears started to fall. We're not talking toddler tantrums but rather a really emotional cry, as if one had just lost her best friend. I mean what kind of cafe doesn't have marshmallows! Mental note to self, in future check if cafe has marshmallows before ordering a babycino.

Then of course are the bedtime dramas, when one insists on wearing the peppa pig pyjamas but doesn't understand why she can't? Wet washing, seriously mum, you should have thought ahead and made sure the pj's were dry before bed time. Then to add to the frustration when mummy really can't understand what book it is you are asking for. We do both speak English, so I don't understand how hard it could be to know that I want to read 'Dear Zoo'!

Today taught me that everyone has frustrations in life, things may upset some more than others. I realised that whilst my daughter's problems may seem insignificant to me, to her they were huge. Everyone's entitled to show their frustrations and emotions, we are only human afterall. 

Baking for the baby!

Well the baby is not quite a baby anymore, in fact she turns 2 on Monday. Last year I was smart enough to outsource the first birthday cake to a friend who makes amazing cakes, this year however in an effort to prove something to myself I decided to make her a birthday cake! I found the perfect cake and had my heart set on creating her something special (not that she'll care or ever remember it though!) From start to finish the whole thing has been a disaster! I found myself on Friday night baking 3 cakes to build a layer cake, after cooking them I decided the cake wasn't going to be high enough so I baked another two! Today in reading the recipe for the butter icing I decided it wouldn't be enough for the cake so I doubled the recipe, 1.3kg of butter and 12 cups of icing sugar later I had enough icing to cover a house. The icing was meant to be a pale blue but instead became a shade of green instead! The tower of cakes surrounded in butter icing actually turned out pretty well. However tonight came the hard part, pouring icing over the top to give it the drip look effect, now I just have one very messy cake with icing running everywhere! Nothing like the cake I had desired to make. Part of me wants to bin the whole thing and start again, the other part has no energy to even contemplate baking ever again! So here I am feeling like a failure of a mum all because I stuffed up a silly birthday cake for a 2 year old that will never even remember it. 

1 step forward and 2 steps back!

After a recent relaxing holiday in Fiji, I returned home feeling invigorated with a new lease on life. I threw myself back into exercise, maintained a positive attitude at work and stopped worrying about things outside of my control. 4 weeks later and I feel like I've completely gone back to pre holiday mode! I've managed to get the mum flu, it's kind of like the normal flu but nobody cares and there's no time to rest from it when constantly chasing an energetic toddler. Being sick has meant no exercise and craving winter comfort food! Whilst my positive attitude towards work has remained, juggling work and motherhood is one constant obstacle course. Monday I found out that Mia's childcare will be closing at the end of the year so I'm now on a mission to find a new one. Yesterday in the middle of my work day I was called to collect her from childcare as she was suspected to have hand, foot and mouth disease (turns out she doesn't). So instead of a productive afternoon in the office I attempted to work at home with a toddler hanging off me as I typed up emails and whilst on the phone to a work colleague I had to run after her around the house to stop her drawing on the furniture with crayons! The holiday now feels like a distant memory, though another one is now only 2 months away. I may have retired from triathlon but this new form of racing is far more exhausting and there is no finisher medal and towel and the end of the 12 hour event! Just a messy house, mounting piles of laundry, a work to do list that is ever expanding, and a beautiful sleeping toddler!

Travelling with a toddler

I've  always enjoyed travelling and according to my Facebook memories, June is a popular time of year for me to holiday! 5 years ago I was holidaying in Hawaii with a group of triathlon friends, I was in peak fitness and competing in the Hawaii 70.3. 4 years ago I was away on a girls trip in Port Douglas celebrating my 30th birthday where we consumed what seemed like a year's supply of wine and cheese. 3 years ago I found myself in a less tropical location, Ballarat of all places (though I was meant to be in Thailand - long story). The last 2 years with an impending birth and then an almost one year old, I found myself remaining at home. This year I am once again on holiday for my birthday, in the tropical destination of Fiji with my little mini me as my travel companion. Gone are the days of relaxing on the flight, reading books and watching movies, instead I found myself desperately trying anything to entertain an almost 2 year old for 5 hours, of which one I was stuck standing at the back of the plane as it was the only place she was calm!

I had visioned days playing happily in the pool, relaxing in the sun, reading whilst she napped. However it appears the water was too cold for my little princess, whilst other parents couldn't drag their children away from the pool I couldn't drag mine into it. She was happy enough sitting on the step splashing her feet and soon enough I realised that was actually pretty relaxing, so there we waded in the water, splashing and smiling.

We wanted to go on a cruise out to the islands and somehow a guilable me got roped into a deal where the day cruise only cost $5, the only catch was I had to attend a 90 minute sales pitch at another resort, sure, why not! Luckily for me, Mia decided to be cranky at just the right moment so we didn't have to endure the whole sales pitch and we still got the $5 cruise! Best $5 ever spent! We had a great day out on an island, the water was beautiful, I was relaxed, Mia was happy and the weather was amazing. We even ran into some friends of my brother Sam (small world!) Mia loved the Fijian music and dancing and she behaved so beautifully even having not had a nap all day. This warm weather holiday was benefiting us both! It would have almost have been the perfect day if not for this mornings disasters! When I got Mia up this morning I found her in a cot full of vomit, of course she didn't want to be bathed either! There were toys and books to be cleaned, a toddler to be bathed  and clothes to be washed. Ordinarily I would have found this to be a stressful situation, but not today, we were in no hurry, we were relaxed on holiday! So instead of getting frustrated with the toddler that refused to bath I remained positive and calm and in turn she co-operated. All was going well until she called out from the bath a little agitated, I went to see what was wrong, only to find poo floating in the bath! So spew and poo all in the one morning, great start to a day in paradise! So whilst I may be on holiday from my paid work, there really is never a holiday from being a mum and that includes cleaning up spew and poo. But the memories we made today are worth every single painful moment that sometimes can be motherhood. Tonight as I drank a glass of wine on the balcony, Mia came up to me with her bottle of water in hand and raised it up to say 'cheers', I couldn't have been prouder! On Friday I will celebrate my 34th birthday, Mia of course will have no idea, but I will get to spend my special day with one very special little lady in a beautiful tropical island and if all she does is raise her bottle for a 'cheers' then that will be the best birthday present ever! 

Feeling Guilty

With motherhood has come a feeling that I had rarely ever felt before, the constant feeling of guilt. 

When I'm at work I find myself feeling guilty for being a working mum and not spending more precious time with my little girl who is growing up far too quickly. When I leave work at 5pm on the dot I feel guilty that I'm not in the office working more hours, even though I know I'll be putting in those extra hours in the evening once Mia is in bed. I feel guilty that I'm not the same career driven woman I used to be, guilty that my priorities have shifted now that I'm a mum.

I find myself desperately wanting some 'me time' to cycle, to sleep in, to go out with friends but when I do finally get that precious time, I end up not enjoying it as much as I should as I again feel guilty for being away from my beautiful girl. I spend enough hours working that I should want to spend all of my non working hours having fun with my daughter.

Lately I've been tired and my baby is becoming a toddler that has attitude, by the end of the day I'm exhausted and at times feel frustrated when she doesn't co-operate. Again I find myself feeling guilty, she's just a very small human still finding her place in this world and it's my job to have the patience to guide her without getting frustrated.

So maybe you can try to do everything; juggle a career, be a mum and still be yourself. You just end up spending all of your time feeling guilty for not doing something else!

Travelling, Toddlers and Tantrums

Today I was that mum on the plane with the hysterical toddler, half of the plane felt pity for me whilst the other half probably wondered why I couldn't get her to stop crying. It was so horrific that the couple sitting next to me had to move seats. At one point I thought Mia was going to be sick she had herself worked up so much. A delayed flight combined with an overtired toddler are really not a good combination. I sat there in tears myself, willing her to be quiet and stop crying, I felt terrible for her, seeing her so upset, I felt bad for the other passengers having to listen to her and I wanted to be any place but there. She did eventually fall asleep and I sat there for the whole flight trapped under a snotty, sweaty little toddler, too scared to move even an inch for fear she would wake again and start screaming again. As I looked at her peacefully sleeping I started to think about our upcoming holiday to Fiji and now fear the trip immensely! I don't think I could possibly handle another flight ordeal like the one we endured today. Travelling solo with a toddler is certainly a challenge, as much as I love my mini me I fear the days of having a relaxing holiday are long gone!

Friends

Never underestimate the true value of a great friendship. So many different friends enter our lives over the years, some that will stay for a lifetime and others maybe only for a season. This weekend I have had the pleasure in being able to spend Easter with a number of friends and it's made me feel so lucky to have so many truly amazing people in my life.

There is my awesome kiwi cycling buddy who is always willing to meet at crazy hours of the morning, even at 6am on Good Friday in the dark. Couldn't have thought of a better way to start Easter than to cycle a few km's on the bike whilst debriefing about our week! This friendship was one that evolved through a shared love of triathlons and whilst we don't train to race any more we still like to push each other out on the bike.

To undo all the work on the bike I then had the pleasure of an afternoon of cheese and champagne with 3 beautiful girls that I've known now for 20 years. Makes me feel very old to say that out loud! I've known these friends since high school and whilst our lives have all gone in different directions and we really don't share common interests we're always there for each other. These are the friends I can laugh with, I can cry with and I never ever care what they think of me. With one of these friends so close that she was even there to share in the birth of my daughter.

Today I was invited to a BBQ at a friends place, someone who I also met through triathlon but only really became close with when we were both single and going through a slightly crazy time in our lives, I feel that this is a friend that came into my life for a reason! Since becoming a mum and our lives going in different directions I haven't really spent much time with her but when the espresso martinis were served this afternoon it did bring back some fun memories!

And finally tomorrow I will have the pleasure of having coffee with a truly dear friend of mine, who in some ways feels like a bit of a mother to me. She's my rock when I need advice, always so calm and collected. Again someone that I really don't have a lot in common with, we met through work and over the years have become very close. She's helped me move houses, bid at auctions for me, cared for my daughter, listened to me complain about work, life, anything! 

I feel truly blessed to have so many beautiful friends in my life, whether I see them weekly, monthly or only once a year. So thank you for being my friend!

Getting out of a rut

Lately I have found myself in a rut that I haven't seemed to be able to get out of. There doesn't seem to be one individual thing driving this rut, just a number of smaller things that I've allowed to compound into a deep rut.

I've found myself not exercising, finding a million excuses not to, no time, too tired, too many other things to do. Yet I know that being fit is one of the things that makes me feel good about myself and contributes to my happiness.

I've found myself getting frustrated with my job, but not for any real reason, I think the juggling act of full time work and motherhood has started to take its toll and I feel like I'm not doing either to the best of my ability which frustrates the hell out of me. I always love to put 110% into everything I do and so when I'm not I get dissapointed with myself.

I've been on the search for a new house, a place to call home for Mia and I. I fell in love with a beautiful place that would have been perfect for us, only to get outbid at auction last week which really got me down. The search is time consuming and draining and so not my style! I like to decide on something and just go out and get it, not have to fight for it!

I've felt like I've been in some kind of mid life crisis, where I woke up one day and started wondering how the hell my life got to be the way it is. 

Then this morning as I watched my super adorable little mini me walking around the house with her cute blonde pigtails with her hand out saying 'stop' I did just that, I stopped. I paused and took a deep breath and I let it out with a huge sigh of relief and a smile on my face. I realised that the answer to my rut was to stop all of my negative thoughts and think only positively. I gave that adorable little girl a huge hug and a kiss and we did a little dance as we walked out the door. I spent the day feeling positive with work, refocused and managing one thing at a time and not worrying about anything outside of my control. 

It's amazing how the power of positive thought can really change your whole outlook. Now if only the power of positive thought could just find me a new house for the right price!

Enjoy life - do whatever makes you happy!

It seems that all too often these days we are taking on the advice of others, whether the advice is coming from friends, family, or so called experts. Everyone seems to have an opinion on the 'right' way to live life. What you should eat, wear, drink (or not drink), how to raise children, where to invest money, the list goes on.

There is no 'right' way to live life, but there is only 'one' way to live life and that is to live life doing whatever makes you happy! Happiness will be different for every single person so don't ever feel guilty for doing what makes you happy. Don't judge others and what they do, as long as they are happy in life then what should it matter to you what they are doing! Don't envy others and their happiness, you choose everything you do in life so choose to do what makes you happy. 

I'm not busy!!

I'm not busy says she who by 11am on a Saturday morning has already cycled 70km, washed and hung out 3 loads of laundry, cleaned out the fridge and freezer, menu planned and grocery shopped and even washed one very dirty bike!!

This past week I attended a networking event hosted by Westpac Bank where the guest speaker was Kate Christie, author of a book called Me Time - The Professional Woman's Guide to finding 30 guilt-free hours a month! It was a great event and she spoke about being busy and how we can be less busy in our lives, sharing 5 key tips!

Positive Mindset

I don't know how many times when someone asks me how I am my immediate response is 'I'm good, but so busy at the moment' and quickly the conversation can turn to a negative one about how busy everyone is. So yesterday when a colleague asked how I was I replied with 'I'm really good!' Her response back was 'busy though right?' to which I laughed and said no! My response no doubt surprised her so I had to launch into an explanation about the event I had attended the previous evening. From now on I'm going to think of myself as being super productive which is far more positive than saying I'm busy! And to be honest 80% of my busyness is all of my own doing!

Stop Multitasking!

Apparently despite the common belief that women are great multitaskers there is only 2% of the population that are genuinely good at multi-tasking so to be more productive in our days we should all stop multitasking!! When it comes to the work place I completely agree with this, I know how disruptive a simple check of an email or text can be when I'm in the middle of working on something. I even pulled myself up the other day when I was trying to pull together 2 presentations at the same time and could quickly see a disaster unfolding so closed one and focused on finishing one at a time.  However at home I genuinely do believe I am a good multitasker so perhaps I fit within the 2% of the population!! I can cook 2 meals whilst doing the dishes and putting on the laundry! Sure there have been times when the recipe hasn't quite gone to plan because I've missed out vital ingredients, but largely at home I think I can multitask!!

Say 'no' in a nice way!

So many of my friends and colleagues complain all the time about how busy they are but they generally have one thing in common, they can't say no to people, they are too nice!! You don't have to be rude when saying no, but for our own sanity we have to stop committing to too many things and learn how to politely say no to people.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying no!! Choose the things you want to say yes to and politely say no to anything else!!

Put a price on your time

Work out an hourly rate for yourself and think about how much money is then wasted on time zapping activities, the example that was used on the evening was that if you value your time at $50 an hour and you spend one hour per day on Facebook then you are wasting $18,000 per year!! Now I'm pretty sure if someone said to you that it was going to cost you $50/hour to use Facebook most people would stop using it!! The other tip was to insource!! There are plenty of things your kids can be doing to help out and save you time, apparently a 7 year old is capable of making their own school lunches - hopefully they are also capable of cleaning up the mess afterwards! I wonder what chores I can start giving to an 18month old, other than of course the laundry which she seems to have mastered!!

Outsourcing

Going on with the theme of valuing your time she spoke about how often it can be cheaper to outsource activities when you put an hourly rate on your time, often you can get someone to do something at a lower rate and more efficiently!! I am all for outsourcing having recently rehired a cleaner  that has given me back my weekends to focus on activities that I enjoy and spending more valuable time with my precious little girl.  Sure I could be saving that money but if you value your time as money too then really I'm ahead.

After the event I started to think about where all my time went and how I could save more time, I realised quickly that I spend far too much time on social media and other online activities with this often eating into precious sleep time. So this weekend I am going out and buying an alarm clock so I don't have to use my phone as an alarm and each night when I go to bed the phone can stay in the kitchen! So many an evening I go to bed and I just do a quick check of emails which turns into a check of Instagram and then Facebook then realestate.com and so forth and before I know it I've lost an hour of sleep time!! I'm also going to be smarter with cooking, there is no need to cook gourmet meals each night of the week, no one died from eating just meat and veg, sure it's not quite as exciting but such a quick and easy option and still very nutritious!!

So next time someone asks you how you are, don't say busy and if you are super busy then think about what you can do to change it and what you would do with your time if you could get back an hour a week!!

Being Independent

As I watch my little girl grow more and more each day, I see her independence strengthen by the minute and I realise quickly that the young girl I see in front of me is just a pint sized version of myself. From a young age I've always been fairly independent. My parents raised me to be a strong and independent young woman.

Unfortunately sometimes I think perhaps I'm too independent, it's not always a positive trait. I struggle to ask others for help, for I am too proud and have to do everything myself. Yesterday as someone offered to give me a hand carrying my bags I politely declined and then I heard a little parrot pipe in "we're all good, thanks" at 2, she is already turning down assistance and insisting on doing everything on her own. I suppose I should at least be grateful that she used her manners!

I often find it hard to let others in, sure I have amazing friends but I often keep them at an arms length and don't share a lot of my feelings with them. I'd rather people see me as strong and independent with no weaknesses. I often believe that the reason I am single is because I'm too independent, I like my life the way it is, I like doing what I want and went I want. Perhaps that's just known as selfishness as opposed to being independent, maybe.

I'm self sufficient and have been for a long time, I earn my own money, I can change a tyre on my car, I can fix my bike, in most aspects of life I'm pretty good at fending for myself. I've always thought it's a great thing to be self sufficient and independent but as I watch my little girl grow I realise that it's not all it's cracked up to be. It's my job to teach her that independence is good, but it's also good to let others in to help you. Don't put up you wall so high that no one  can ever climb over, don't keep your friends at arms length, let them in for the good and the bad. Be self sufficient but don't be too proud to be resourceful and seek help from those around you.

A letter to all women...

Pour yourself a glass of wine and raise a toast to yourself, for you are truly amazing. As women we seem to have so much pressure on us, yet 99% of this pressure comes from ourselves. We cause ourselves so much stress and angst yet we continue to do it to ourselves. We need to stop! We don't need to be perfect, we shouldn't have to be!

To all the mums out there, don't worry if your house is untidy and your kids covered in dirt. This just means your children are having fun, houses and kids aren't meant to be too clean. Remember it's all just immunity building!

Don't feel guilty for leaving your children in care whilst you go off to work. You are teaching them equality, it's okay for both mums and dads to work outside of the home. If you are a stay at home mum don't feel guilty when people ask you what you do for work. Don't say you don't work, you do! You have an extremely important job, household manager, the most over worked and underpaid job that exists! If a job ad existed for it no one in their right mind would apply!

To the single ladies, enjoy being single, live and love life, be free and independent. Don't stress about finding mr right (he probably doesn't exist anyway). One day when your loving life he'll come along and sweep you off your feet when you least expect it.

To the dinks, if by choice then don't feel guilty for not having children, they are not for everyone and you shouldn't feel pressured by family and society to have them. Enjoy all the things that couples with children never have time to do!

To the dinks that are desperately praying for that bundle of joy, enjoy your full nights sleep and your peaceful romantic dinners. You'll get that baby one day, even if it's not the smooth journey you hoped for. When the day does arrive you'll appreciate it even more.

To the mums with loving husbands, it's okay to hate them sometimes. After all they can be huge pains in the bums. As long as you love them more than hate them then it's ok!! 

To the single mums, hats off to you, it's not an easy job but remember you don't have that grown up hairy child to care for as well!

So whatever your situation, relax, take some of that pressure of yourself. Ignore that growing pile of laundry in the corner, it will still be there tomorrow, let the kids run around naked in the backyard (at least then they're not contributing to the pile of laundry), let that husband of yours cook his own dinner, go out dancing with the girls and forget about mr right.

Love yourself, you are truly an amazing woman who does an amazing job every day of the week no matter what that job may be. Make sure you not only love yourself but all of the other women in your lives, remind them each and every day of just how amazing they are!

So cheers, I raise my glass of wine (so much for detox) to you!

Detoxing Disaster

So after far too much indulging in good food and wine over the Christmas period and then eating far too many chocolates at work last week (blaming stress!) I felt it necessary to undergo a mini detox. My face was breaking out in pimples, my jeans were starting to feel a tad bit snug and I was generally feeling run down and lathargic!

I got organized on the weekend stocking up on healthy foods, ridding the house of any bad foods and setting myself 3 goals for the week: Stick to all of my exercise plans, drink at least 2L of water a day and start each day with a glass of water with lemon juice. I recently read that the 3 things successful people do each day are rise early, exercise first thing and drink a glass of water with lemon. I figured I was ticking 2 of those boxes so why not add a third by drinking lemon juice!

To help further kick start my detox I decided to order some flat tummy tea which consists of an activate tea that you take each morning and a cleanse tea that you take every second night. 2 days into my detox plan I realised that there is a reason you follow the instructions on the cleansing detox tea. When it says to brew one teaspoon in hot water for 3-5 mins it's probably not a good idea to brew one tablespoon (my bad) for 35 minutes (may have just got slightly distracted). This mishap took place on Monday evening with the effects being noticed the following evening, severe stomach cramps followed by an evening in the loo!

Asides from this slight disaster by all accounts my detox is going great. I'm drinking at least 2 litres of water a day, leading to about 5 extra trips to the bathroom, really not convinced on the benefits of all this extra water when it seems to just go straight through me. I've exercised every day even if it's meant getting up at 4.30 in the morning, resulting in my daily caffeine fix being upgraded to a large, extra strong (and ok my detox isn't proper because I didn't give up caffeine, but I do need to function after 12pm!) I've drank my lemon juice each morning too, yet not noticing any effects of being more successful!

My skin is loving me, my abs are starting to reappear and asides from being ready for bed by 8pm I'm feeling pretty awesome! It's amazing what a little detox can do, just no more brewing detox tea for 35 mins, oven timer now set!!

Feeling Alive

Funnily enough it's the 3 things in the title of my blog that make me the happiest! Biking, baking and of course my baby (despite her really not being a baby anymore). After a week where I have at times felt quite down and angry with myself for feeling that way I needed to get out of my rut. Maybe it's the post holiday blues or the fact that I seem to know a million people that got engaged over the festive season that has got me feeling a little down. So this morning I jumped on the bike and pedaled, I probably wouldn't have actually got out of bed if it hadn't have been for the fact that I committed to meet a friend to cycle. The last thing I felt like doing this morning was ride, but I wasn't about to let my friend down! I warned her that I'd probably be a bit slow given the extreme exhaustion I felt after a week of sleepless nights. Once I started riding though I felt great, the further we cycled the better I felt, we rode along the beach through the hills at Mt Martha and I truly felt alive. I hadn't cycled down there since ironman training and had forgotten how truly beautiful it was. Before I knew it I was smashing those hills and powering along as though trying to prove something to myself. I managed to leave my buddies for dead at one point (sorry Sez and Lou!) and they remembered what it was like to ride with the little mountain goat!! Maybe it was all of the excess sugar that I consumed yesterday that provided me with all of the energy or maybe I aren't quite as unfit as I think I am! 

I'm feeling slightly exhausted and my legs somewhat numb but boy do I feel alive and realize just how much I love getting out on the bike, having time for me, releasing all of my negative thoughts and self doubt and just catching up with good friends as we pedal along.