Do you gym?

Hi everyone.

As I've had this awful cold for the past two weeks I've slacked off with my gym attendance. (as in no attendance at all)

Of course this has made me feel guilty which makes me think of the gym...then I feel guilty again. Quite stupid really

I'm not a gym junkie by any stretch of the imagination. I go because I have to. Simple as that. Sometimes I enjoy it, most of the time I just feel sweaty and yuck.

The gym I go to is more of a Heath club then a straight forward gym, so it attracts a wider variety of clients than some places. Many of them older people or mums like me who use the onsite crèche.

I'm not one of those people who dress up nicely to go to the gym. Although my BIL asked me the other day if I was wearing makeup to the gym. Ahhh no! But I will take the compliment. It started a discussion in my super full household (5 adults + 1 toddler + fluffy dog= FULL!) about people at the gym. BIL was saying that he know a girl who has to shower and do her hair and a full face of makeup before leaving the house and then needs another shower to remove the reapply the sweat shifted war paint. Apparently she go to the gym much as she doesn't have enough time. (I'm sure she could fit in the hour at the gym. The two hours of pre and post primping may have to go)
It made me start thinking about the people I see at the gym.
One "group" of people that always catches my eye is the people (mostly women) who look so self conscious and uncomfortable being there I just want to give them a hug. They alway look like they want to disappear into their oversized T-shirt like a turtle into its shell.
I usually see the same people a couple of weeks later with a completely outlook. They have realised that most people who go to the gym aren't supermodels. They are ordinary people who are so focused on getting what has to be done and out of the way they aren't paying any attention to anyone else.

Which brings me to "the ladies only section" my gym has. That small curtained off semi private area scares the crap out of me. I would prefer to stay on the main gym floor and just be one of the masses, red faced and sweating like a pig on the treadmill. The ladies only area seems cliquey to me What are they doing in there? Dealing in illegal south american weightloss pills?? Why do they need the curtain? It's like a velvet rope to a VIP area you need a vagina to access! No thank you!
Everyone knows women are far more judgmental of other women than men are.

So do you gym?
Any gym stories?

Much love.

Cie

Entering the real world as soon to be former stay at home mum.

Hey everyone!

As I previously mentioned my 4 year old daughter starts school in less than 4 weeks (part time kindergarten here in Western Australia) Full time Pre-primary starts next year.

As shes an only child (at this stage) this will mean I have to re-enter the world of adults.
<cue dramatic music!>

{To childless peeps this sounds all very strange I'm assuming, I will try and explain}

• I can no longer live in jeans and a t-shirt that don't flatter, using the excuse of comfort and practicality.
• I can no longer spend endless days hanging out at home with limited outside world contact (without a child involved it just seems lazy!)
• I will actually have to wear all the super high heels I own and have told my husband that I WILL wear them when little madam isn't with me.
• I cant duck to the shops with unwashed hair and no makeup hoping people will just assume that I'm an overtired mummy (always helps when little madam has a tantrum while we are there, adds to the illusion)

The truth is that I could have started my transition back to the real world years ago as the demands (especially physical) have decreased exponentially as she has gotten older and more interdependent. So why didn't I change?

Honestly....I was scared.

As much as I hate the term "just a mum" the stereotype gave me comfort.
If people found me boring at a backyard BBQ and ended conversation abruptly it was their problem not mine as it was because I was "just a mum"
If I looked for part time work and was rejected it was because the employer saw me as "just a mum" not because I have no concrete qualifications.

Maybe it had nothing to do with being "just a mum"... Maybe it was just me!

I have, for the most part, LOVED being "just a mum" and staying home to raise my daughter. I have watched her grow and not missed a single milestone. I'm very fortunate to have been able to do this as I know many other mums (parents) can't stay home full-time for a million different reasons. (and this isn't about judging that one way or the other)

But I'm a bit jealous. Do mums who return to work earlier have this feeling of being completely lost when school time comes around? Do they flounder at the idea of 2.5 days a week alone?

I would love to hear from everyone.
Childless peeps- How do you feel about "just a mum" people?
Mums who returned to work early- Do you still feel lost as your child/children start school, Like a loss of identity?
"Just" mum's- Am I alone in feeling this way?


much love
Cie

Days 12-21 The mother of all problems.

And yet again I have slacked off with regular blogging. Dammit! I'm not great with regular commitment..I'm surprised I've managed to stay married for as long as I have to the one man!

Things with my pin up mission are plodding along. I have started a better skin routine and have been making an effort to wear things suit my shape ( pulled in at the empire line either by design or belted in with one of the many belts I found lurking in my wardrobe after my cull.)

Many of my thoughts recently have been directly related to being the mother of a daughter. For most girls the most influential person in their lives is their mum.
So I have been deliberating about how my focus (or until recently, lack of focus) on my physical appearance. And how it influences her. I have been reading about a UK campaign called "pink stinks" (will add the link in later) it looks at the products available to young girls. I was horrified to see the number of beauty related products for sale directed at the pre-tween age bracket. After watching some of their videos online I went an wandered around the local target toy section. It's scary!!
So now I'm trying to figure out how much of my new "lifestyle" to expose my 3 yer old daughter to? At the moment she thinks lipstick is for covering her dad in kisses and that's all. She hates having her hair brushed let alone pulled back into pigtails or similar. I love that she tells me I'm beautiful when I'm in my pajamas and I want to maintain that childhood innocence.
I knew an 8 year old girl who refused to leave the house unless her mother straightened her fair because she had "ugly hair" Terms she had heard her mother using when about her own hair. Now I never use self deprecating terms anywhere my little madam but kids are like sponges. Does focusing on my outwards appearance more mean I'm damaging my daughter? She isn't aware of the mental journey (god I hate that word!) that goes along with the physical changes.

So I would like to be reassured that I'm not going to have to start saving for therapy now! Tell me I'm over analyzing...PLEASE!

Any what have you done/do that you ou think may damage you little ones?

Day 4 - ooppsie daisy!

Today I had a day of pure teenage angst mixed in with a whole heap of body hatred and a pinch of how the hell did this happen!! I think the results of the scales at the fat fighters...opps I mean weight watchers meeting shook me more than I cared to admit. I've gained over 15kg since my friend Fi's beautiful wedding in April. I worked so hard to lose it and it all came back and found me and brought along a couple of friends to party on my backside.

The basic idea of weight watchers is each food is worked out to have a set number of points and based on your age, weight, height and gender you get a number of points for the day.
At the moment I get 30 points per day.
Today I consumed over 80 points.
EPIC FAIL!
I could make all the excuses in the world like
-I'm doing the grocery shopping tomorrow and the fridge is looking empty.
-PMS makes me crave crappy food
- The day ended with the letter Y
And so on.
But truth be told I have just stopped thinking about what I'm putting in my mouth. It's not until I started writing it all down. Scary stuff!!

At least I know where I went wrong an can correct my mistakes tomorrow.

Do you keep a food journal? How do you think it helps you keep on top of your food intake?

Cheers

Cie
xox