{mally powell}

t-22

Ah.

You see what happened there? Not the plan at all! In fairness, though, after some hard core festive feasting (and even more hard core post-festive 'eating up' of the leftover treats) it could be a lot, lot worse.

So. No more cheese binges, no more almond slices (so unprepossessing in the packet, so very moist and delicious in the mouth), all gone Christmas cake (I tried Dan Lepard's caramel one this year and it was delicious, but boy did it last!). I also tried Nigel Slater's stollen recipe (ticking one of my 101 things, yeay!) which was delicious but I didn't compensate for my turbo oven so they were a bit dry... enter Stollen bread and butter pudding: yum!

This afternoon I have my first session with the lovely Kate who is going to size me up and give me a programme to trim me down. Then I just need to make the time to work out three or four times a week...

t-18

Ah. Oh dear. The whole weight loss thing seems to have slipped my mind entirely over the last week. So here we are - I am - more or less back where I started.

Right. So. New week - time to start a-fresh.

In the morning I will exercise. Really.

I read an article by the tremendous Johann Hari today. A bit off his usual beat but it raises some interesting points about physical education - both in the sense of learning about ones body and how it works, and PE as taught in school - which struck a cord. It also provided a timely reminder that exercising is a good antedote to comfort eating - somehow the cheeky Snickers bar/handful of crisps/cheese toastie seems much less appealing after a decent workout.

I am, fleetingly, more or less on top of things at work, Kit leaves for nursery with his Daddy at 07:30 so no more excuses.

Davina DVD, first thing.

 

t-17

OK. So it turns out that you (I) can’t go away for the weekend to a family wedding, gorge on pub roasts, bangers and mash, brownies and ice cream… and come up smiling on Monday morning without any impact on the scales.

Curses.

I’m still a clear pound down on my starting point so its not all bad. However I still haven’t managed to make time to get some exercise – other than brisk walking with the buggy – into my day so that is a big fat to-do. I’m not yet sure when that’s going to happen this week but happen it must. Especially if the diet is temporarily in the hands of my Mr – and so, today at least, in effect in the hands of Mr Tesco’s and a slam-in feast for two. Slimming it ‘aint!

101 things update

 
My 101 things mission is underway. I am working towards the ‘hit my ideal weight’ target, and I have also started work on my ‘crochet a granny blanket’ goal. Oh yes. Despite the grotty image (that was the best 'daylight' that November morning had to offer, I will try to get a better shot) I am inordinately proud of myself.

Admittedly progress is slow, but it is progress nonetheless: some of the 'squares' are even starting to look square(-ish)! At the rate I’m going it might even be ready by the spring. Or maybe summer. Ideal for picnics in the park, right?

I’m also thinking that I can count ‘teaching myself to crochet’ as one of my ‘do something new’s. I might chalk that up for October, when I started, as I think the Monster Making Crafternoon (oh yes) I attended at the weekend might pip it this month.

T - 14.25

Well. This Monday morning I was 3.75lbs lighter than I was last Monday! That, my dears, is what is known in the trade as ‘a result’.

I’m not entirely sure how it happened. I’ve eased off the rubbish a bit, but by no means as much as I’d planned. I’ve done a lot of walking, as usual, but no specific ‘exercise’ (I have a deadline. Possibly even more of an enemy to fitness than a baby – I can put the baby in the jogging buggy if push comes to shove. Its trickier to do that with deadlines).

So, its onwards and downwards – I am on a mission to factor exercise in at least twice this week. Not just a brisk walk with the buggy but honest to goodness, All About Me(-time), exercise.

Wish me luck!

Seizing the day - 101 things

I am blatently and ruthlessly pinching this idea from Paola of Mirror Mirror. But it is a great idea. And it is, as Paola says, all about me and my goals for the next few years.

The Day Zero site is a very cool tool to set up lists of 101 things to achieve in 1001 days. I'm still working on my list but rather than waiting until its all done I've decided to post the work in progress (see #77) and keep adding things as they come to me. Some things on my list are big, some small; some serious, potentially life-changing even, while others are purely frivolous. Some are things I want or need to achieve, others are aspirations that I may never realise but want to at least give a good shot.

I have a very specific present-to-myself in mind for a big-and-scary birthday that is looming every larger on the horizon so I will be putting aside a bit of cash for each goal I tick off the list to go in the kitty towards that. Mostly, though, I want to use this list (and my embryonic Mighty list, of which more soon) to focus my mind and help me to live a bit more mindfully rather than just drifting through the months and years in a haze of '...ooh I must just do this' and never getting round to the things that I really want to achieve.

So, in no particular order:

1. stick to a £10/day budget for 10 months (0/10)

2. exercise all-out for 40 minutes, three times a week, for three months straight (0/12 weeks)

3. become a worthy Mighty Summit attendee

4. hit and stay at my ideal weight

5. blog at least three times a week

6. have a portrait painted

7. sort out my pension provision

8. make a family recipe book

9. become proficient in basic French

10. Learn a little more Italian

11. crochet a granny squares blanket

12. run a half marathon

13. have three baby-free weekends away with Mr (0/3)

14. Go stargazing

15. Be debt free

16. Drive

17. Do something new at least once a month (0/33)

18. complete a photo365 challenge

19. take a weekly self-portrait for one year (0/52)

20. move house

21. go sugar-free for a month

22. go caffeine free for a month

23. start a business, even a little one

24. Throw a (really great) party

25. Read all the books currently on my shelf

26. put up happy-making posters (You look great today) to make strangers smile

27. Speak to my parents every week

28. learn to live lightly

29. save at least £50/month (0/33)

30. make a playlist for Kit - favourite tunes

31. use music as background rather than tv

32. Make a Kiva loan

33. blog (rather than shop!) to feel connected

34. sketch Kit at regular intervals (at least every 6 months)

35. get a signature scent

36. get a fabulous hairdo (that I can actually maintain)

37. Do 10 nice things for people without telling them (0/10)

38. Do 10000 steps every day for a month (0/31)

39. Go swimming once a week for a month

40. Put aside £50 for every I task I complete to buy myself a fabulous birthday present

41. Donate £5 for every task I don't complete

42. Sew a toy for Kit

43. Make a quilt

44. Make a baby clothes momento quilt

45. Get an article published in a magazine

46. Do some volunteer work

47. Have an adventure

48. Go on/plan a big trip (Australia? China/HK/Singapore/Japan? US?)

49. Make ice cream from scratch

50. Clean out/organize my closet

51. Make a family tree

52. Make snow angels with kit

53. make a memory box for kit

54. maintain letters to Kit book

55. Edit and print my pregnancy diary (just for me)

56. Make up my clothkits skirt

57. Get my cholesterol within healthy limits

58. Attend the 2012 Olympics

59. swim in the lido at least once a week, whatever the weather, for 6 months (0/26)

60. Organise my photos

61. get contact lenses

62. Take a pottery class

63. make a family tree

64. make a measuring poster for Kit

65. practice patience - ranting inside when someone cuts in line, for instance, is not healthy. Stop it!

66.Get a Levi's body scan and buy a pair of jeans that really fit!

67. make streetscene illustration cushions

68. Volunteer somewhere

69. take a hot air balloon ride

70. ride a horse

71. swim in the sea

72. have a picnic

73. have a little red dress

74. give blood

75. participate in a craft sale

76. bake a christmas stollen

77. seize the day - an end to procrastination

78. twitter. properly

79. make annual christmas decorations - establish a family tradition

80. Make a gingerbread house (see 79)

81. ebay my unnecessary stuff. Put the money towards something I truly want.

82. Take Kit to get his picture taken with Father Christmas

83. Learn to decorate cakes

84. Have a little black dress

... to be continued.

four simple goals

I have been thinking about goals a lot recently.

Since having Titch, and more recently starting back to work, I have had a growing feeling and frustration that I'm not getting anything done beyond the basics. I'm doing what I have to do, but achieving very little that I want to do or that brings me closer to the life that I want to build for me and for my little family.

As is so often the case, the ethers (also known as the blogosphere) have come to my aid: firstly with the idea of a Mighty Life List, quickly followed by a Day Zero project (via the always inspiring MirrorMirror) and now Four Simple Goals from the ubercool productivity dynamo that is Elsie of A Beautiful Mess.

Four simple goals to achieve before 2011. Action-orientated goals that will improve the quality of my daily life. What a great idea! What a great way to install some happy-making habits and maybe get a few ticks on my ever growing list.

So that's the long, medium and short term planning framework sorted.

The medium and long term lists are taking a bit of thought so I will post about them seperately. But surely I can come up with four little things to do before the year is out! I've decided to resist the temptation to plan like crazy, chew over what is most practical at length and generally procrastinate. So my four simple goals are the first four that came to the front of my mind (I know! Such wanton sponteneity!):

1. Start my photo project. Inspired by Little Brown Pen's glorious images of Paris (the most photogenic city on earth?) I have a long-standing plan for Monday walks with Titch photographing our city. Looking for a particular colour or texture perhaps so we can talk about Red, say; or maybe Sesame Street style searches for Todays Letter or Number. Mainly, though, just to enjoy and celebrate where we live, get some exercise and improve my photography.

2. Start my granny blanket. I've been meaning to crochet a granny blanket for years (particularly having seen this beautiful one by the super-talented Sandra Juto) as an in-at-the-deep-end way of learning to crochet and to use up my wool stash. I'm realistic enough to know that I won't get it done by the end of the year, but I can get started right? I have a how-to aimed at eight year olds so I am preparing to face some serious shame if I can't work it out!

3. Exercise regularly. I've got out of the habit since getting back to work, but I feel/look/sleep so much better when I get out and do some exercise most days. Time to make an unbreakable date for some me-time.

4. Start drawing every day. I love doing little illustrations and have a long list of ideas for projects but rarely seem to make the time. A little bit every day quickly adds up...

Now I just have to get on with it!