Busy Busy Big Little Man

Big Little man has a new busy schedule this spring, today he started indoor soccer, on Saturday he starts Little Athletics (yes even though last year was such a dismal effort) and he also has his weekly drum lessons. So it's busy busy busy Big Little Man.

I'm so please he likes indoor soccer, really makes me regret not putting him in the winter season, but that was his choice and he chose not to play soccer then but wanted to now. I guess that is all it takes, if you really want to do something you do it well, good going son!

Busted my HRM

Bugger Bugger Bugger.

As I'm cheap it is not a super flashy brand but still cost me enough, but I can open the back to replace batteries and there was rust around the battery which means water or sweat has found it's way into it. P'd off as there is zero funds to replace it and I can't say I was happy with what it told me anyway (in terms of calorie burn), but that's not the point! Also it is the 2nd thing to break in the house and I hate to believer of superstitions but things do tend to happen in 3.

The first thing to go was my ipod - the USB is fried and will not charge or recognise in my mac or The Man's PC.
The second thing to go is the HRM
What will be the third? - better not be the car, or the TV or my computer...oh no I better stop or jinx myself!

Late add: I scrapped off the rust and let the watch dry in the sun without it's cover and seems to be working again, so I panicked for nothing - typical woman I am

Newtons 3rd Law?

"For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction."

Okay so it is a law of motion, but it seems to working on my body at the moment. As you are all aware I have taken up higher levels of cardio in an effort to shift my winter weight gain, but I haven't seen a gram loss at all although clothes feel slightly looser. It is all well and good that my clothes are looser but I would rather retain muscle and have a gram loss then lose muscle and retain fat. But I may be gaining muscle and losing fat at an equal rate, thus Newton law is working.

Newton's 3rd law is also working during a recent shopping outing, thanks to the onset of spring/summer season all the winter wear is reduced and how could I pass up $10 jeans (quality jeans too!) so I grab my usual size 10 and they don't fit, not tight but slipping off my hips. I could manage an 8 but came home with a size 9, hippsters I might add and no muffin top = extremely happy.

Then I went off to purchase some new underwear, bra's specifically, and wouldn't you know it, I am also no longer my usual size. Yes, I've dropped a cup size, now this isn't good, not happy, I'm starting to have the chest of a pubescent girl not that of a woman! = extremely disappointed.

So how do I think Newton's law is working here?: For every action there is an equalSize 9 Jeans, extremely happy and opposite reactionTeeny Tiny Bra, extremely disappointed.

The Man seems to also be suffering from Newton's 1st Law: "Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it." thus being extremely disappointed at teeny tiny bra of wife's ever reducing boobs.

I can run outdoors too!

For a couple of weeks now i have been working out on the treadmill to improve my endurance and running. It was slow going, thanks to the fact that I only every had the urge to exercise once a week, but I would get bored and just jump off the treadmill. But plod on I did and have been successfully running for a minimum 20 minutes at 8km/h.

As the ran eased up and no kids to watch over, I strapped on my new Navman and hit the streets. It was a lot harder then running on the treadmill but it felt great and I actually noted that I was running naturally at a pace of 8.6-9.2km/h with my highest speed at 11km/h. I didn't take the easy path all the way but added hills and even a bit of a sprint at the end and was very impressed with myself.

Yeah to me, I can run!

Bit of this, bit of that...

Not much going on these days so it's a bit of this and that blog.

I did buy my Navman X300 though and it looks totally cool, but I can't give you a real review because as soon as I bought it we have had nothing but rain and as the thing only works outside it has sat in it's box since day 1. I used that first afternoon with a quick walk to the shops across the road, it informed me that I walk at a speed of 6.2km/h and that the shops across the road is 300m away. Can't wait to use it for a run or bike ride.

Getting slightly sick of forums/message boards lately. I used to love them and would waste so much time there. It started many many years ago with a baby forum when I needed some advice with Little Man, the girls there were really nice and chatted about all sorts of things, but then as my son grew older and everyone on there had more kids I felt left out. At around the same time I decided it was time to shift all this weight I had and joined a site I had used the past. This site never had a huge forum community then so I assumed the same and never used the forums much in the beginning, but then my weight loss stalled so I jumped right in and it's been a real friend link for 2 years. But I just feel I have nothing to offer anymore, I find the posts from new members annoying and I love my old mates but have nothing to say, as we all know here my life is so boring! Maybe I shall blog more even though I have nothing to say.

Big Little Man has become a bionicle freak and we have been watching the movie, scanning ebay to see if we can buy the next 2 instalments. YouTube has been a saviour with it's little short movies of them and after an entire day of web reading, I can now download them and burn them to a disc so he can watch them on the DVD. Thanks to these YouTube clips we have now been trying to find all the songs from them and now my 6 year old is listening to Linkin Park and Korn. I have even taken time to read the Bionicle History in wikipedia. I'm not sure what light it shed on me and I followed links and end up at a page which left me in some fantasy place that obviously only 6-9yr old boys can understand. I did scream "knew it" when it stated the names of the Bionicles are Mauri based as I have been having this argument with The man for some time - I'm so cluey I should never doubted myself.

Here is a little clip from YouTube for your Bionicle enjoyment:

I too have been attacked

No one escapes! Just waiting for the Man to be struck down too.

Return of the Flu

Kids are sick again, Little man has conjunctivitis and Big Little Man has Tonsillitis - so I had a GREAT weekend (yes that is full of sarcasm)

100th post

Well who would have guessed that I would still be blogging? I always assumed I have nothing at all to say and I guess I don't but ramble on anyway.

Anyway today sees 4 weeks till Spring and I need to reclaim my fitness self or spiral back into flabby rolls of fat. I never liked the fat so I guess I will have to step up to the fitness. although I have given up my hope on a bike trailer I still want one but shall ride my bike and teach Little Man to ride his with more confidence and jog behind him. I have high hopes as I can foresee that I will be either walking behind him or pushing him a lot.

My plan of action is to firstly kill my addiction to coconut drops/macaroon, they are the most luscious cookie/biscuit I have ever eaten and when they are purchased they are easily (much to easily) devoured in seconds. I have no self control when they are in the room, they have powers I can not control.

Plan of action #2 is to exercise more then once a week- self explanatory

That's it as I really do feel I eat healthy all other times, my alcohol consumption is average and as they say a glass of red wine is good for the heart, so why deny my heart these health benefits.

Now my last task is what to do with the huge tax refund I got, a whooping $89. I want mid calf black boots but as winter is ending they will just live in a box for 2 season's till next Autumn so that's stupid really. $89 wont buy a wheel on a bike trailer or a pulse on a new HRM. Have seen a cheap Navman X300 which is a device that "incorporates (GPS) technology to provide information about the users performance via satellite. This includes distance travelled, cumulative altitude, speed, lap distance, lap time and a lot more! A stylish triangular-shaped unit, the Sport.Tool X300 boasts a fabric strap for fitting comfortably on to the upper arm, while an easy-to-read personal display gives the user performance statistics at a glance" for $69.99.

Check out my Eastside Gangster:

Little Man's New bike

Well I couldn't get the bike trailer so we let Little Man have have his first real bike:

Previously he was riding his brothers old bike but Deaf Dog has some how managed to eat the pedals. This new bike will be guarded in the garage with my bike and everything else that needs safety from the dogs jaws!

Harry stopped my world

Last Saturday the last Harry Potter book was released and I grabbed my copy with many other fans as soon as the store was open. I didn't have a chance to read it that day as it was Big Little Man's 6th birthday, but I did manage to sneak in the first few chapters during the wee hours of the night when The Man was on night shift and had to pry myself away from it at 2am to get some sleep. The rest of week found me with my nose in the book and all other duties left on the way side, everything literally ground to a slow grind whilst I tried to read.

I'm not a book spoiler so I will not give away any of the story but my review is positive. Of course I am slightly impartial to the Harry Potter books having been sucked in many many years ago and although it was quite a slow start, J.K Rawlings created a great book with the ending that warranted all 7 books. I'm currently reading the first book to Big Little Man and he is really enjoying and I'm finding it nice to go back to the beginning too.

The book is on the shelf with it's previous parts and now life can return to it's boring self again.

Here are some pictures from Big Little Man's numerous birthdays (3 days worth), with the finale at Hungry Jacks with his school friends.

I give up :(

For 4 days I have trekked all over Sydney to find a decent bike trailer and they simply do not exist for under $650. I was willing to go as high as $500 but this is not even enough and people obviously love them to bits as I can not even find any 2nd hand. Most of the bike retailers were really nice and 80% didn't even stock them as "they are just not popular enough". One retailer told me that Sydney was simply to dangerous and you would not want to risk your child as there were not enough dedicated bike paths and sadly he is right.

So I have given up my quest of the trailer, The Man sees my disappointment and was happy to see if we could import one from overseas but it would not be worth it. He is trying to cheer me up with the offer of a new iMac, it's seems to be working. But I would love a trailer, so if your reading my blog and would like to donate $650AU my way, I'd love you forever!

Thank you Scooter!

It is such a shame that here in Australia it is so hard to get Burley bicycle trailers, I would absolutely love to get the top of the line Burley d'lite but at $950AU and in another state (so extra with postage) it is completely out of my league. I was hoping on grabbing an ebay bargain in a Burley Bee from the USA but it's reviews are questionable - thank you Scooter , that if I had trouble with it it would be very hard to replace all the way on the side of the world.

I think I have convinced the The Man to buy me the most reasonable one I can find here in OZ The Croozer but still around the $500AU mark. I have to be realistic and know that I will only use it for another 1.5yrs as Little man will be 5 then and off to school and then I can ride on my own again. But The man said that maybe I could put the dog in it after the kids have out grown it and ride him to a big park for a good off the leash run, I like that idea.

So thank you again Scooter, I think it's best to stick with what's at home just in case I have troubles and need to return it etc and I think I've found a new blog friend in your friend Lissyjo.

Game addiction

At midnight on the 4th I queued in a ridiculous line to lay-buy a X-Box 360. (That shopping experience is another story altogether I can share later) As the thing cost so much, it shall be the group Christmas gift for the family but I told The Man that wasn't fair as I'm not really a gamer. Well he said that anyone could easily turn into be a gamer, I admit I was one in the past and so he went out and bought The Sims 2 on PSP to fire up my gaming attitude - bugger all to hell, I'm addicted to the stupid game!

Creepy crawly

Just sharing some pictures from a little bug show Little and I went to last month. I forgot I took them as they were on my mobile.

Knitting scarves are SO boring!

Now I recall why it took me 5 years to make a scarf, it's because it has to be the most boring thing in the world even if you have a fancy pattern it's the same thing over and over and over again! But I still like to knit, I made another sheep and searching the net for other toy patterns that even if no one I know wants them I'll donate them to charity and maybe another child can have it. Check out these groovy socks/booties! My niece just had a baby (no she is not old enough to have a baby but what's done is done) and if I speed things up he may get a chance to wear them.

I want again...

A few months back or possibly last summer I said I wanted to get a bike trailer and I want to get one again. Little Man is not that little and riding him on the back in a baby chair is almost impossible, our feet hit each other and if he leans to a side the whole bikes equilibrium is lost. also reading about Nod's riding adventures with his daughter in his burley makes me see all the positive reasons I can still have with one. So I just need to find a few hundred dollars to get one, even ebay second hand ones are on the expensive side so resale value is also very positive.

Thankfully everyone is no over the horrid cough virus that had invaded our home, The Man had to get chest X-rays and is too lazy to go find out the results but overall I'm so glad we all are human again.


My brother came down to visit us, sadly as we were all sick we couldn't really do to much, but the boys love catching up with their cousins and it was nice to have some girly chit chat with my sister-in-law.

We headed to the park and vandals have ruined the kids play equipment, why do these dick heads do this, really pisses me off and feel that for this sort of stupid crimes should be dealt with via extreme means, like breaking fingers, see really pisses me off.

Be gone you germs!

I'm over it, all weekend everyone in this house has been attacked by this horrible flu. This morning meant The Man and Big Little Man are off school and work and Little Man just can not seem to beat it at all and looks to be getting worse. Made a bulk doctors appointment for all the men so we can this germ infestation out of our lives and so I can finally get some sleep. I have cured myself with Cognac, I could feel it's power as it burned it's path though all those virus germs in me, shame I can't give some to the kids. Well I could but I don't think that is good parenting.

Baa Baa Black Sheep

Above is the picture/pattern of the sheep I have had since August 2002 that I was going to make for my first born but as I'm SO organised I have now made the little lamb for my second born, as they say "better late then never". As we are both sick and sat about all day I managed to make it 1.5 days and it is so cute to see him cuddling it, he says it's going to make him feel better. The loopy wool I chose was a total pain to work with and I think I made a few short cuts as mine doesn't look as good as the pattern. But he likes it, so no complaints.

Karma

humpf... I finished the scarf, I like it and like some sort of sick karma I wake up this morning sick with the flu. Maybe I was never meant to finish the damn thing. Oh well, we mothers are not really allowed to be sick, so I'm doped myself up on a concoction of "kick your flu in the arse" drugs and battled the grocery stores this morning but now I think they are wearing off and my head feels like a brick and throat a grater, my chest hurts to breath and it just plain yuck.

So not sure if I'll be on the PC much, will knit, read and seek peace.

My son's want me to knit them something now, I'll make a scarf for Big Little Man with his name knitted in it (how daring!) and will try and make a little lamb that I think I was meant to make 5 years ago, pre the scarf anyway for Little Man...

cough, cough....

Little Nutters Playgroup turns 5!

Today our playgroup turned 5, it's amazing for myself as I am 1 of 3 original members, where the first lot of children who started there at 6-8months old, just crawling around are all off to big school. I have seen our membership grow and dwindle but we are still here, we have had a total of 31 parents and 53 kids from my count and next year will be my last year as Little Man will be off to big school too, I know I will miss it.

I love my playgroup and have made so many close friendships through the mothers I have met there, so Nutters, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!