Contigo cups!!

Now I am the first to admit that I love to buy things!! Lately I have been on a mission to find the kids good drinking bottles for school and weekend activities.. I am sick of them breaking as soon as I buy them from places like KMart and Target!!

I think I have found the perfect drink bottles/cups!! They are called Contigo cups and they are awesome!! I ordered 6 of them to begin with and am already loving them :) They have an autoseal technology where the only way you can make the liquid come out is to squeeze the large button near the neck of the cup. Between sips it seals off again and there are no spills and no leaks. It means that when the kids drop their bottles on the floor of the car it will no longer pour out everywhere all over the vinyl! I will also no longer have to deal with the inevitable soggy schoolbag/books and contents!

I ordered a 'Trekker' kids cup for Isla in Purple, Two stainless kids cups in Orange/Yellow and Green/Blue for Max and Blake, and three 'Swish' bottles in Red, Blue and Pink for the older three. The only complaint so far is that the smaller three bottles are really quite small and I am having to refill them quite frequently (not such a big deal) so I am thinking that I will keep those stainless ones at home and order Max and Blake (and maybe myself) another 'Swish' bottle for school use :)

Anyhow.. that is my little review and rant about our new Contigo cups - I am loving them!!

underway!

OK, so I am underway! I have resisted any junk food or carb laden food for a few days now and am actually feeling good. I have begun keeping a food diary to be accountable for my food intake and have decided to totally abstain from wine for just a little while to get me on track! After I have some new habits set up I will introduce a few glasses here and there but for this weekend I am best off staying right away from it!

I have also started using my treadmill. I realized that there was no point in waiting till the kids go back to school. I need to stop making excuses and start making it happen. (cliche I know, but it's the truth!)

I got Niamh to take some 'BEFORE' photos of me in my bathers....EEEEEK! Those shots won't be making an appearance anywhere soon but at least I have them to refer to and they really have helped me to see that I can't kid myself any more. People try to be kind and tell me I look fine or that I must 'hide it well' because they can't see that I need to lose 20 kilos. Well... let me tell you! There is no hiding anything in these photos!! LOL!

All in all I am feeling very motivated. I just need to realize that this is going to take a long time and won't be something I can do in a week.

In other news....

We are one week in to the school holidays and so far it hasn't been too bad. The kids are enjoying a PJ day today and have just been hanging out at home playing on the Wii and watching TV and movies. Yesterday we went to the foreshore and I bought them fish and chips for lunch, they day before that we played with some friends at their house and Tuesday was another day at the foreshore with a different set of friends (this time Neevie's school friends!)

My house looks like a bomb has gone off with this many kids around all day long but I have decided not to worry about it! I can't really control it and if I try to I will just go mental so best to let it go and deal with it in another week ;)

It's friday today so I am looking forward to spending some time with Dan over the next few days. We have nothing planned for tomorrow at all so might go out somewhere as a family. We can't really afford to do anything with an entry fee this week but we might just go for a picnic if the weather plays nice! On Sunday Lachlan and Cody are signed up for a Rookie Development Day at the Kart Club (Cody is now racing too! We bought Lachlan a new larger Kart and Cody is going to take over Lachlan's older smaller one!) Since they will both get a go on Sunday I might see if I can pop out there for a while and take some Video of Cody having a drive! Then Sunday night we are going to Wendy and Matt's for dinner with the whole family so I can't wait for that - should be great!!

So there you have it... All is good in the Horton household this week :)

M
xx

The ugly truth

OK - I can't avoid it any longer... I need to face up to the ugly truth and start to deal with it!!! I have always been bothered by my weight but never have I felt this bad about my body. Since taking the AD's I have steadily gained weight till I am now at the biggest point I have ever been in my life. There's no denying it! I feel fat. I look fat. My clothes don't fit me and I am extremely unfit as a result.... time to put my words into action!

I have about 20kilos to lose (OMG!! Even saying it out loud it sounds so hideous!!) It's time to stop making excuses and start doing!! I am planning on following CK again and just recently Dan and I bought a schmicko treadmill that is sitting in our toy room - ready and waiting!! We decided that since we have hired three times before at about $500 a pop we were better off to actually buy one and keep it :) It means that I will be more able to find time to exercise but I am still going to have to MAKE the time. I will need to get out of bed earlier in the mornings before the kids get up if I want to be uninterrupted. That means I will have to go to bed earlier at night times. I will also have to be more organised and plan better when it comes to meals and food. It's going to take practice and I am going to stuff up occasionally but I need to make myself remember that this time it's not all or nothing... it's a journey and if I stray occasionally the trick will be to get back on the right path ASAP instead of throwing in the towel and declaring the 'diet ruined'.

So there you have it. Short and sweet. That is my plan. There's no point going on about it - I just need to get on with it!

Marnie

A good weekend :)

It's Sunday night and we have just had a great weekend :)

Friday night we took the kids out to Dinner (just at Hungry Jacks) and then to the movies to see Cars 2! Cody has been busting to see it for 6 months now since he first heard it was being released so he was very very excited!! The kids all had a great time and loved the movie even though the little three got a little bored in the last half an hour (it was quite a long movie with a complicated plot for a kids story!)

Saturday I took the 4 youngest with me to Niamh's ballet class and Dan took the two older boys to Wagin for a dirt Kart meet. Lachlan as always was very happy for the chance to get back on the track and this time Cody actually got an opportunity to have a go too! They had a special day where unlicensed drivers could have a drive on the track so he was more than happy to give it a whirl!! Dan said he really loved it so that was good for him!

Today we spent the day filling up a huge skip bin at the Baldivis house. We still have a lot of stuff there that we never shifted out and have decided it's time to get serious and totally empty it all out. We need to clean up and spruce it up (a bit more paint and fresh garden beds etc..) and then we just HAVE to get rid of it and move on! I am so sick of living in limbo while it is for sale and the housing market is just SO dead at the moment :( It's a bad time to be selling but we are stuck where we are so we just really need to suck it up and get on with it!

half way through the Day the kids were getting really restless so I bought the little 4 home and left Dan, Lach and Cody there. We came home and baked cookies together and then miss Isla had a sleep and I even fell asleep on the couch too <3 aaaahhh.. bliss!!!

So there you have it!! Our full weekend and not a day of crying or screaming in sight :) I am feeling a lot better these last few weeks. I have upped my meds again and am starting to feel a lot more in control. I think I need to just accept that I can't come off these tablets just yet... maybe not till the kids are all at school even :( I had tried to reduce them myself (Dr said it was ok) but it turns out that it's not a good idea for me. It sent me into a spiral of depression and anger that I couldn't control. I don't like taking them but I don't like living the way I was much either so that is my choice!

I am also planning to begin exercising again from tomorrow. I have organised a treadmill so that I can fit it into my day and I want to start the couch to 5 k running program again soon. I have gained so much weight this last year that it's time to stop and reverse the trend! I think my medication makes it a bit harder but I have to do something and at least the exercise should help with my moods and attitude, if nothing else!

Well, it's now 10 o'clock and my baby girl has finally decided she will stay in her bed so it's time for me to go to bed also. Thanks to those that are still reading my blog and offering their support <3 it is much appreciated!! xx

M.
xx