Flying high

Happy birthday Noddie, and happy bouncing!

Six

What adventures you've had, Noddie - and so many more to come now you're six!

Daddy and I are so happy you're becoming such a kind, funny, loving girl.

Happy birthday little mate!

I know how

Right.
The last four weeks, amigos, they have been the biggest scoff-and-slackfest seen in LBTEPAville since the great eat-a-thon and laze-o-rama of 2003 (aka gestatingly awaiting the arrival of the Noddmeister). There's been a lot of movement, I grant you - we are moving to the country, as I may have mentioned. In addition, my waist is moving out, my weight is moving up and my behind is heading south. This is Not Good.
But Enough Is Enough. So Far and No Further.
If I may be fanciful, the easy life is a bit like The Borg. Little by little you let things slide. A missed workout, an extra helping, a nasty comment when holding your tongue would have solved a problem. Listening to your own excuses for not being who you want to be. Before you know it you've been assimilated into the the slack, soft thoughtless life, and you don't recognise yourself any more.
This might seem an extreme response to a few very eventful weeks where I've actually exercised a fair bit, but this is my blog and I'll be as histrionic as I want to. I read a blog post once where a severely obese woman was listening to a friend grizzle about gaining five pounds, and she thought, five pounds? You're worrying about five pounds? And then she thought, what if I'd done something when I first gained five pounds? It was a good post, I wish I'd kept the link. The main point of it was that there has to be a point where you stop, look around you and say, no more. You have to Draw A Line.
Now the Plan Is This.
(of course the Plan includes charts and stickers and complaining and stuff ups and why am I bothering?s, but that's the day-to-day stuff). This is the guts of it. This is The Line.
I am LBTEPA and this is what I do.
I exercise almost every day.
I drink lots of water and eat lots of fruit and veges.
I seldom eat junk food.
I don't eat chips or chocolate (don't gasp in horror, I'm not actually all that mad on chocolate. And it's mince pie season soon.)
I feel uncomfortable as I break old habits.
I get tired.
I do things that are not always convenient.
I am patient.
I set high standards for myself.
I am LBTEPA and this is who I am.
Now, you're saying to yourself, ewwwwww. That doesn't sound like fun AT ALL. How long can she keep it up?
Getting back on to the straight and narrow always sucks. Oh yes, it does. But I've been here before. I know how to do this. I know the slog will be worth it. Uncomfortable and tired and sore and impatient will last for maybe three weeks. I can hack it for that long, becuase I know what comes after that - I'll feel really good again! I'll be on a roll again! And I know how that feels. Bring. It. On.
More anon, wave riders!

Lest We Forget

haven't seen you for ages

I'm feeling a bit bamboozled and overwhelmed (but in a sort-of good way) at everything that's happened since the first of October
- J noticed an internal ad for a new store in area we've wanted to live in for years, applied for the job and got it
- I handed in 8,000 words of uni assignments, due on the same day, four days after my first marathon
- we organised finance for the new house
- I sat my last exam for the year
- and cleverly gained 2kg through sloth and over-indulgence

We had a pretty big weekend too.......
- drove 300km to 'our new town'
- inspected 3 houses
- listened incredulously to astonishingly racist comment by second estate agent. Rang agency owner. Spoke strongly. Received apology
- looked at 6 more houses with other agents
- we bought a house! Right size, right area, right $$$. Thank you SO MUCH to the INCREDIBLY messy incumbent tenants for disguising the house's excellentness!

- then we celebrated at 'our beach', 25 min from 'our new town'
So when are you coming to stay?- we ate fish and chips on the jetty and laughed and sang all the way back to Gran's house!
On Monday we enrolled Noddie at a nice school less than 1km from the new house
- then picnicked with Gran at a park with an awesome worm slide
- and drove 300km home again
I've realised I'm going to have to clean our oven before we can rent out our house. Nooooooooooooooooo!

I think I might spend the next couple of days just doing nothing much while it all sinks in.
More anon, day-seizers!

Now I know what he really thinks of me

LBTEPA: I don't know if I'll do the Brighton swim this year.
Spousal Unit: Why not?
LBTEPA: I've hardly done any swimming this winter what with the marathon and uni and all, and it's only five weeks away.......
SU: what, you can't swim 4km?

Hopeful osmosis

Instead of sitting in my study this morning staring helplessly at uni notes in the faint hope that their content might ooze into my brain by osmosis, I have done my trainer workout, changed the beds, cleaned the kitchen, sent several FB messages and emails and run two loads of washing. Now I am back here. I'm not moving until I've put highlighter on at least 6 of the 12 topics. Putting highlighter on notes is how you learn things isn't it? This is the very first time in my academic career - and let me tell you, I've spent a lot of time acquiring bits of paper for the study wall - the very first time that I have utterly failed to engage with a subject. I'm not bored by it - I'm rarely bored - I Just Couldn't Give a Rat's Backside. Read it and yawn, baby. I do have to get enough of the principles into my noggin to earn a pass in three hours on Wednesday morning, however, and by crikey I am going to. Those exercise endorphins (and p&psi max and salt-and-vinegar rice crackers you're right, I LIVE ON THE EDGE) will get me through.
Of course it's not as though there aren't plenty of other distractions
-I've lost my address book! We've turned the house upside down looking for it, we're moving to the country did I mention we're MOVING TO THE COUNTRY!?! and Christmas is coming on like a train, and I can't get in touch with anyone. Waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
- J may or may not be relocating in about 3 weeks. Because of the "may or may not" thing, we have been unable to plan Noddie's birthday, which in sixteen days' time. I'm not sure if you appreciate the seriousness of this. Noddie has been talking about her sixth birthday party since April. She has a lot of friends, and we have a lot of family living not-nearby. We all like to be Organised Well In Advance. Excuse me while I take a short aarrgghh!!! moment. Ditto Noddie's dance concert rehearsal, ditto a going-away barbecue, ditto every bloody thing.
- I have no idea when I should resign from my job
- the financial planner is coming over tonight to let us know how much we can spend on the new house. He'll want to see some paperwork. Suddenly I'm regretting my macro-management approach to filing
- we need a shed and the Spousal Unit thinks he'll have time to build one hahahahahahahaha that would be rather sweet if it wasn't so ANNOYING
- I'm a month late making my Christmas cake. Friday's the day! Woot!
Now before you say it - I'm turning off the computer Right Now and Getting Back To It. I am. Really.
More anon, whirly-giggers!