Low HCG

Lately I haven't been feeling sick. Which is awesome :)

I went to the doctor and I am no longer deficient in anything. My HCG was really low. It was 695 for about 6 weeks. That combined with not feeling particularly nauseous makes me wonder if I have a missed miscarriage.

The doctor wasn't concerned and said it doesn't mean much. Maybe I conceived later than I thought. those HCG place me at 3-4 weeks.

So I have booked in an appointment with another doctor to request a dating scan. I want to know whats going on in there. Is there a heart beat? Did I get the dates right? Am I about to miscarry?

Spinning and sick

Last time when I miscarried I didn't find out until I was 8 weeks pregnant. I didn't have any tiredness or nausea and when I did the test there was a relatively feint second line. I think it had stopped growing a few weeks earlier than the miscarriage.

This time is not like that at all. Yesterday I bought ginger and vit b6 pre-empting morning sickness. I was glad to have the crackers in the bedside table and the tablets ready to go. It hit hard last night with vomiting and vertigo from low blood pressure.

I have had a much easier day today. I remember vomiting a lot with Jules, and having almost no vomiting with Geordie because of the Vit b6.

Hopefully I will get through this next 40 days relatively unscathed. Last night was dreadful.

Why Mums keep Mum

There seems to be a lot of judgement when someone announces they are pregnant. Some people are delighted, indifferent, jealous. There seems to be lots of judgements, good and bad.

Thats probably why some women keep pregnancy secret for three months. Officially is because of miscarriage risk, but also I think its to help keep the mother in a happy bubble away from people's opinions.

It is also special for the mum to take one person at a time into the circle of trust.

6 Weeks:Sweet Pea

I am six weeks pregnant today yay! Bubs is the size of a little pea :) Hopefully a heart has started beating.

Glasshouse Mountains Family Exploration

Considering that it was a lifestyle change that got me pregnant. It seems especially important to continue that journey.

It was a lovely cool day (got to love those Antartic Breezes), and so we could have a lazy start to our morning. We got to our destination about 10am.

We started out at Matthew Flinders Rest Area near Mt Tibrogagan. It was lovely, shady and away from civilisation. While the trees stayed looking pretty much the same the roads changed a lot over a small area.





It didn't take long for us to come upon a few obstacles. Jules was ahead of us so by the time we had caught up with him, he had walked through it. We taught Geordie the smarter method of going around it!

Soon after the puddle we came across some 4WD drivers that got stuck at the tree. In all we came across 3 different adventurers. All of those we met were very friendly.

Initially Geordie struggled with the rough terrain. But once he got his confidence up he was quick and was soon leaving me behind :)

Jason is in his element and having lots of fun :)

In some places the road got very sandy.

Mt Tibrogagan in the distance. Look at that beautiful red dirt.

We had a lovely ride. Moments of peace and togetherness.




















When we got back to the Rest Area, I cut up some chilled apple and orange and pulled out a bag of salad. Exercise causes oxidation within the body and quality fruit and veggies help mitigate that.

Its is amazing how good a salad tastes straight after exercise.

We decided to have a little explore around the town of Glasshouse Mountains and grab a treat for the second part of our lunch. We got a seafood basket to share and enjoyed having some prawns, calamari, scallops, fish and a few chips.














After we got home we returned the kittens to the RSPCA and I went inactive as a foster. This is largely because of the toxiplasmosis risk, and I could also do with a break as I don't have much energy to spare these days. Although the exercise helps.

Look at those cuties! Each of those kittens is very loving would make a great pet. When we returned them the Staff were very surprised to see how calm they had become.











When we got home again, Jason and I headed out to clean up the broken glass at the bmx track. Someone had also tipped out the bin that had lots of dog poo in it.

Because of my pregnancy I ended up just supervising Jason as he tidied it all up for our boy and all the others that enjoy the skate park.

Dad's Surprise

When I discovered my happy surprise it was late and Jason was still at a work Christmas party. I was so excited, but rather than calling him up. I thought I'd tell Jason know in a way that was fun.

After the work he put into proposing. It was my turn to put some thought into my news. I got a box and put in it a cute baby hat and baby sunglasses and a positive pregnancy test. Attached was a tag that said "Congratulations! Due 10th of August 2015.

First thing in the morning I came in with the box. I asked him to sit up. it took a a bit of persuading as he was tired. By the time he was sitting up and looking at the box, I was grinning from ear to ear. it made him very suspicious like Jokey Smurf was giving him a gift that was about to blow up. When I tried to film it it was too much.

He was very happy, loved the gift and we had a great moment together. It was a great way to let him know he was going to be a dad again:)

A secret

Come here. Come closer. :)

A little bit closer. That's good that's very good.

I want to tell you a secret :). I have some exciting news to tell, that only one other person knows about. I've been a bit late lately, and when I did my pregnancy test, I had two amazing lines. Two beautiful, gorgeous, inctedible lines.

A profound feeling of joy, surprise and relief over came me! Jason and I have been trying June 2012. Month after month we only ever got one line.

Now we have two! Our world has been turned upside down in the most happy way :)

Let the holidays... BEGIN!!!

I am so glad that the term is over and the start of the holidays have begun. This term has been filled with healthy eating, a little too many calories, more exercise than I have done in years and so, so much Christmas shopping.

I was reflecting over my goals and I didn't make the weight related ones. I pretty much stayed stuck in the 103 kg's remarkably consistently. Still I didn't gain and I am very happy with that.

My long term goal was "To have a body which can get off the sidelines (ropes course, swimming pools, trampoline park) and enjoy what life has to offer. To be the weight and fitness which maximise my health and energy."

This I am achieving! I trampoline every Monday with the family, and it is soo much fun! Seriously it is the most fun way to burn a lot of calories :) I jump very simply and my favourite trampolines are the olympic ones as they give you more lift for your bounce :)

Cycling wise I started the term out at about 6km a week, and now I am doing about 28 km a week :) I am no longer the slowest of the five females that ride my route and I only need to shave off 20 seconds and I will be the third fastest! I am now five mins faster than Jules who used to be faster than me. I really recommend Strava. It really helps to see the progress you are making and it is so supportive with all the "Personal Bests" and "trophies" it gives you :)


Getting exercise in the school holidays is a bit harder. This morning I woke up at 7:30 and I realised that James doesn't leave for work until 9am. He sleeps for most of that, but he is in the house. Today he was awake and I asked him if he minded babysitting. Of course he didn't at all.

So I did a quick ride. It wasn't my normal hour, but it was still a good little loop. I hope to do this most days :)

Freedom Marathon

On the weekend we set off to NSW to go to the Freedom marathon. Its a beautiful spot in the rainforest near Nimbin. Its good to find shady spots to ride this time of year.

Here is our little set up :)

Camping is such a lovely thing to do.

Jules rode around the campsite standing on his bike and Gerodie got basic biking lessons from Jase. Chalk and cheese, but they have an amazing brotherly bond :)

<--I see this, and I think "he didn't get that from me!"
Then I think, we better get some knee and elbow pads stat!





There was a patch of burnt grass were someone There was a patch of black where someone had a fire before. It was a bit of a challenge to use the exact spot so as not to damage more grass. It was also harder with no rock ring as a wind break. So I am pretty happy with the little fire I got going.

We roasted marshmellows :)

The third room in our family tent was useful for storing our bikes safely and away from the elements.  

 Riding 5km is one thing. Riding 5km trying to keep up with Jules is completely another. He had to wait for me on occasion, but I did manage to cycle up all the hills. One of them I managed up in middle gear because my bike wouldn't change into low gear so I am happy with my effort. Here are our post event flushed faces, mine notably more pink than Jules'.


I wanted to look better in this event than I did in the Epic Family Fun ride. And I did, but pretty much only because I am lighter. I still have a very long way to go to learn to wear make up and do my hair and all that jazz. It was only a small event so there were no sports photographers, and I really didn't care. I was happy just to live in the moment. I didn't get many photos of myself because its not fun when you are obese.

 This is Geordie's first 5km family fun ride. He was so proud of himself when he finished. They gave him a sticker and he beamed with joy.

This is the start of the 45 km ride for Jason. Its a much more intimate and casual event than the epic but much more comfortable.








Here we are luxuriating while Jason wrangles with the hills. I can see the finish line from my campsite! Ahh this is the way to wait for Jase!









He's back!

Cold drink, feet up and some hot food!

(This gets you big brownie points with exhausted athletes)

After that we headed off to Ballina to see Jason's family. We were so happy with the dinner. They had two salads, watermelon, strawberries, chicken and pizza. Mostly I hoed into the salads and loved it. Jason is becoming much more nutrition conscious too which is fantastic.


Driving home again. Have to say I am so happy that all that fit into our weekend and our itty, bitty car!

Coco-Cherry-Crunch

Coco-Cherry-Crunch. One hell of a nutrient punch 

Delighted with finding frozen cherries in the supermarket I made a yummy brekkie today.

I blended chia seeds, cherries, cacao nibs, dark chocolate and light coconut milk. Add in a couple of whole cherries afterwards for a pleasant munch. Mum recommends adding in agar agar or gelatin to help it set. I started out with 1/4 cup of chia seeds and it was too filling to finish.

From the cherries you get: Melatonin, potassium, beta carotene, vitamin C, anthocyanins, quercetin. This helps with gout (lowers uric acid), fights cancer, relieves sore muscles, better sleep, reduces C-reactive protein(inflammation).

From the Chia you get: fiber, protein, calcium, antioxidants, omega-3s, magnesium, iron, phosphorous. Two tablespoons of chia seeds contain 18 percent of the DRI for calcium, 35 percent for phosphorus, 24 percent for magnesium and about 50 percent for manganese.

From the chocolate you get: Magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc, copper, potassium and manganese, A, B1, B2, B3, C, E and pantothenic acid. Polyphenols (flavonoids), catechins, epicatechins, procyandins. Caffeine and phenylethylamine. The flavinoids reduce the blood's ability to clot and thus reduces the risk of stroke and heart attacks. Phenylethylamine is a slight antidepressant and stimulant similar to the body's own dopamine and adrenaline. Cocoa and chocolate can increase the level of serotonine in the brain. Serotonine levels are often decreased in people with depression and in those experiencing PMS symptoms. Cocoa would be fine instead of cacao, just use what you have ;)

From the coconut you get: Manganese and copper and many would argue more as well. 

And it is pretty, which is important with food :)

I get to play too!

For Halloween I took the kids to a playcenter called Game On. It wasn't as Halloweeny as I was expecting but they had a really good time together.

One thing I liked was that the adults could go on the playstructure too! I actually did that for a few minutes untill Michelle turned up and I decided to be a good host and sit down with her.


I didn't have to sit down with her the entire time though. There are all these opportunities that I haven't seen as I have been viewing the world with fat thinking.

The kids loved the mini golf, electric animal and car rides, there was a disco as well. They wanted laser tag too, but I had to save money somewhere.


I tried really hard to choose a healthy meal. I got a salad. It was okaaay. In hindsight what I should have done was got the dressing on the side. I also ended up picking on the kids left overs... After that we snacked on some lollies. It is Halloween after all... It was a nice lazy way to mark the season without going to a lot of effort. Their friends slept over and got picked up Saturday morning.

On Saturday Jason got up early and went on a 65km bike ride!  It is with a group of great role models so I am so happy for him. It was a good time to do it as I was at circus most of the day. I know circus takes forever but it is great to see them be mentored by a group of lovely skilled athletes so its worth it to me.

We had an hour or two to chill together when I got home when we were off to... another party! Karen was hosting this one and there were heaps of yummy salads. I skipped the desserts and I don't think this one did much damage :) The kids had a really good time, riding scooters, bikes and pogo sticks. They were so well behaved. Jason and I spent most of the time chatting with the adults :)

Sunday we rested for a bit, did some chores and then took the kids to a skate park.

Geordie needed lots of encouragement, but got the hang of it. He was going down some impressive ramps by the end.

The traffic is chaotic. There are frequent near misses. But the kids just pull up quickly, and brush it off.



Ironically I think its very good for training road safety. Because you have to look out for 5 directions at a skate park, but only 3 or so on a road.









So yes, it makes me cringe, but as a whole its a smooth surface to fall on which means they don't get the nasty gashes you get from gravel.
















Jason thought buying them new scooters for Christmas was a bit over the top until he watched them for a couple of hours. Now he wants one of his own!

Monday morning I went for a bike ride, I took my dog Penny with me. She loved the run, but slowed me down unfortunately. It would be most convenient if she could be off leash and have a basket on my bike to jump into when she needs a rest. Thats not going to work though, as its not fair to owners if she runs up to their dog and they have a more aggressive dog. Still its ok to go slow sometimes for our lovely, loyal dog.

I was saying to Jason we shouldn't go to Velocity Park last night as we have his bike event on this Saturday and with Christmas coming I am starting to really feel the financial strain.

We decided to go anyway.

t was the very first time I was game enough to have a jump at Velocity Park.

I was concerned about jiggling. I was concerned that I couldn't do it. I thought it would be embarrassing.

I got a sports bra on, I put it on the tightest setting. Then I got a stretchy Sports top that had a breast support shelf in it. I didn't move a millimeter :)

I was able to jump quite a bit and I also spent time talking to the staff, watching the kids and shooting hoops.  It was so much fun and I bounced about half the time which was a lot more than I thought I could do.


I tried to do the climbing wall, but I am scared to fall in the foam pit at the moment. Babysteps.

We go on the last session of the day on a school day. Jason has time to come home from work and it is really quiet.  One staff member played lots of games with the kids. He seriously was incredible and another one gave Jules tips on his double spins. He needs to put his knees apart during his double spins so that he doesn't break his nose if he over crunches.



This morning my arms, foot, butt and back are tender. But my legs are fine due to bike riding lol.

The weight loss has been very sad with all these parties, and there is a birthday dinner coming up tomorrow night. Weight wise I am not getting anywhere. However my lifestyle is changing, and I am realising that that is a victory in itself







!

I hate parties!

Yesterday I had some watermelon for breakfast, chicken and salad rice paper rolls for lunch. To the girls afternoon tea party I brought the rice paper rolls and watermelon. I tried to munch mostly on them. Other people had the same idea, so there wasn't as much for me as I thought there would be. Towards the end I had a few crackers with cheese and some of the whole grain chips and some grapes.

Karen stayed for dinner so we did some quick chicken in the oven and a small serve of oven chips.

The scale kicked my ass today with a 104.0 weigh in.

sigh.

It takes forever to get anywhere and so quickly to slip back.

Grannying up the hills!

Got the prize today. Finally into the 102's with 102.7. Yeah haaa! That only took forever.

Battled with myself to get on the bike. Said to myself its just for 30 mins, you will feel great afterwards. Finally got on. I set out to go a different way to avoid Mr Magpie. The other way also had a magpie :( So I decided to go around the river to come back home on the Lawnton side.

I noticed that I was able to "granny gear" up all these hills! What? I never make it up hills. Some of these hills were really big too. I also found myself switching into high gear on the flats. A very nice surprise! I think I was on the money with giving myself a rest yesterday.

I also noticed that I was riding my bike near Natalie's house. A friend I haven't seen for 6 months. So I rode to her place, and swung in for a chat and a nice rest.

I ended up riding for 1 hour and 10 mins (without the rest) which is half an hour more than usual, with steeper gradients. After that training run I feel better about the 5k mountain bike event coming up in 2 weeks time :)

I didn't get sunburned, but came close. I will have to be more careful in the future as the Queensland sun is very hot. Maybe some sort of helmet hat and a long sleeve shirt I can pull out of a saddle bag might work well. Certainly will amuse the magpies anyway.

I didn't end up avoiding magpies. I had another 3 attacks but no pecks so its all good.

I got home and flopped with a cold glass of water. Then I remembered that I had a bowl of spaghetti ready to go in the fridge. Heaven sent. Its amazing how good food tastes after a workout. I spent quite a bit of time on the couch recuperating.

After I felt human again I went and made some zucchini banana brownies. Essentially take a 2 egg and butter brownie recipe and add in zucchini and banana and sultanas and cut down the sugar and butter a bit that is what I made. I also put in a third wholemeal flour, two thirds plain flour. I completely processed the banana and zucchini so the kids wouldn't reject the slice based on finding little green bits in it. I made it up on the fly.

I made the brownies to have something to put in the kids morning tea, and also as an option to have something to take to the parties. I put a dusting of icing on the top. I am really happy with them. Sometimes healthy baking can get a bit rubbery, but these are great!

I made some small squares ones for parties. 

And I gave some to Jules' teacher too.

I ate some, kept some for Jules and Geordies afternoon tea. 

Then popped the rest of them into the freezer where they would be safe lol.

Food glorious food!

I had the intention of going for a swim today, but when I woke up my arms were quite sore. It took me a while to figure out why. It turns out that you get sore arms from pulling up on the handlebars when you go up a hill.

I decided to give my body a rest and hit the shops to sort the food out. I made spaghetti mince. It has more veggies in it than mince and I also added some lentils which were totally invisible in the final product. As well as feeding the family I got three freezer meals out of it.

Its really good because the variety of what I have in my freezer increases as time goes on. I have fallen behind in a lot of things while I was so low on energy. I am glad I have enough energy to start to pick up the pieces and start moving forward.

Its a good thing to join your kids on their extra curricular activities. From riding the bike path I have realised that the magpie that swoops is aggressive enough to recommend Jules take a different route for the next fortnight - by then the babies will have moved on and Daddy magpie can calm down.

I have also started a rule that people need to wear cycling sunglasses to protect the eyes from the bits that can fly up into your face when you ride as well as Mr Cranky Magpie. Magpies have been known to attack eyes.

The path Jules rides is mostly off road or roads are crossed at lights. There is one point though where the cycle path is forced to cross a busy road. I have requested that the council install a pedestrian crossing at that point to make it safer.

I didn't notice all these points when I wasn't riding my bike. Being more active makes you a better parent in more ways than one :)

3 rides in 4 days!

Feeling pretty proud of myself as I have ridden 3 times in 4 days. Thats 24 km of riding, and 2.5 hours of exercise.

My iron and magnesium is picking up and I am able to function again.  Having half a cup of oats in the morning with some fruit does wonders for my cravings and exercise suppresses my hunger.

I am hoping to get into the 102's before Sunday!

Stress, its coming lol

I got up Saturday morning and weighted 103.0. I was disappointed it wasn't 102.9 because I have been stuck in the 103's for two weeks now, and I knew it would go up after my Aunties 60th.

I had a lovely time with my mother when we went to my Aunty's 60th birthday lunch. We ate well, we shared a cold seafood platter between us and had prawns, oysters, crumbed calamari and Moreton bay bug. It was great to catch up with people, particularly my cousin Lyndell who is into nutrition and who it turns out lives in the neighbouring suburb.

My Auntys reaction when she saw the cake her friend had made for her was priceless. -->


She had expected a simple slab cake and when she saw the effort her friend had put in had burst into tears. It was exceptionally sweet.

This cute gorgeous girl had been making sure that the cake was getting set up and cut up properly.

Below is Helen getting comforted by her son. It was lovely.




While I was out, Jason took the kids to the park. They were on their scooters and he was attempting to ride a skate board. I couldn't be happier with him right now.

All this exercise seems to be making him much more patient and calm. Our love just grows every year. I can't believe how much I love him :)

Shortly after this Kai and Asha came over for tea and a long visit. Having guests over means the dinner is a little more fattening than usual. They came over again the next day and we had a swim together and took them for a bike ride. We shared another dinner together. I thought I had been pretty good, but the scale said no and I am up to 103.8 again.

I was pleased that the bike ride seemed easier though. Every gram I get off makes it a little easier to haul my ass around lol.

The next two weekends will have kids over again as there are girl parties to go to and Jason is happy to babysit Kai, Asha and Liam so that the Mums can go. The third weeked out from that I have the biking/camping event (I need to sort the camping stuff for that).

Theres only about 8 weeks of term left and I am realising how much I have to do. Theres the Christmas, shopping, wrapping, delivering, and events. I have to chase up the school to see where they are going to put Geordie to try and get a cruisey teacher otherwise next year will be hell. I can't tell you the difference it makes when you have a good teacher.

I need to start sorting the camping stuff for our bike event in three weeks. I need to sort the photos for the Christmas books that I like to print for grandparent gifts. I also grab other family members photos off facebook so it makes a good year summary for the whole family.

I like to be ready for the school holidays as soon as they start. Its even more important this year as there is only a week of holidays before Christmas week hits, then soon after we go on our holiday early January. The last week of the holidays I am having Evie and Nellie so that the cousins can have time together and I will have no time to do all that back to school stuff.

I also need to do more research into our holiday. We are driving to the Jenolan caves and back and seeing lots of family along the way.

So there is a ridiculous amount to things to do and socialising along the way. This is going to be a hard term, but a great school holidays!

Broccoli Extract Autism Study Low down

I read the autism study that looked into broccoli extract today. Given how many people are affected by autism I thought some people might also be interested in my layman synopsis.

Basically they extracted 50–150 μmol sulforaphane (a phytochemical) and gave it to some autistic men for 18 weeks and then stopped for a month. They found very significant positive behaviour changes. They also found side effects of some weight gain and 12-19% had vomiting, headaches, fever and two had seizures. When they stopped the treatment the gains started to regress.

So I thought I would look into broccoli sprouts and sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a lovely phytochemical which is made by mixing glucoraphanin and myroxsinase when we chew. These are found in things like broccoli. Broccoli maybe has more nutrition than broccoli sprouts, but three day old sprouts have much more glucoraphanin than the average mature broccoli (73 mg v. 11 mg per serving, respectively).

Prepared extracts tend to lose their myrosinase activity. The glucoraphanin remains, but you need to mix the two to make the bioactive sulforaphane.

I am all for getting the nutrition from the whole food. Broccoli fights cancer. There is definitely a lot of fibre in broccoli that will help feed the happy bacteria in our gut as well as sweep away toxins. Broccoli will never make you fat. Have you seen how low it is in calories?

So I am interested in adding some servings of broccoli sprouts to our weekly meal plan. Keeping it in moderation and hoping for some of those payoffs, without the 12-19% risk of side effects.

Here is a sensible overview on the awesome power of broccoli sprouts!

Recovering

I am getting my energy back and starting to be able to function again. I haven't lost anymore weight since Monday. Mostly its been about getting my head around what's going on and what's the way forward. 

I went and saw a dietician at the medical centre to try and get some help designing meal plans that are more plant strong. I am not talking whole nine yards plant strong, but some ways we can move more in that direction. The fact that he had not even heard of Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn or Colin T Campbell is shocking to me. That seriously is not good enough.

If you have any health problems I urge you to watch this video put together by Dr Greger, "From Table to Able". This guy spends all his time reading 1000's of nutritional studies and they puts them together in an entertaining, scientifically backed sort of way. He is amazing.

The whole food plant based diet is the only one I know of that can REVERSE HEART DISEASE, given its one of our top killers this is a big thing for me. One amazing study he was talking about was that diabetics which had neuropathy (nerve pain) for 10 years had huge pain relief within DAYS of a plant based diet. Seriously this is amazing stuff it should be making headlines. But instead no one I know has heard of it. It can't stay a secret forever the research is pointing to this diet again and again. 

Three days ago on the abc newsite a study was done that found broccoli extract for being transformational in treating autism. The article concluded that eating a plant based diet was sound advice. Well thats great! I have two children with Autism.

Do you think I can find a dietician to help us along our way towards the more plant based side of the continuum? NOOOOOOOO!

My frustration is high. I am spending my time learning more about this stuff and the more I learn the more insane it is that this stuff isn't known by doctors, dieticians and people generally!!!!

Ground to a halt!

I have been going to a doctor trying to get myself approved to see a dietician because for some reason my iron runs low. I got approved for some sessions which I am really happy about! I got some iron tests done and asked for my magnesium, potassium etc to be checked as well.

On Saturday morning I got a call from the nurse "the doctor has your results and needs you to come in tommorrow". Of course thats all they can legally say. And that's terrifying. Your test results are meant to be a bit of pro activity, not critical!

So I spent all of Saturday freaking out, and consequently ate as well as I could. I had oats and fruit for breakfast, Tuna salad subway for lunch. Vegetable Dahl on a big bed of spinach for dinner and a juice of celery, cucumber and pear for a night cap.

And the scale loved me for it. That day I lost 0.7 grams!

The next day I found out what has been wrong with me. Low iron as suspected, it is 4.3 (should be between 10-30). But the magnesium was what was scaring the doctor. It was 0.41 (and should be between 0.7-1.1). He was worried about me having a seizure at that level.

So I have spent the last two weeks with very little energy and now I know why. The low magnesium has given me some weird sensations in my hand and feet and a tight feeling in my chest.

On top of supplements I spent yesterday eating: spinach leaves, nuts, salmon everything I could to boost my magnesium levels. I had ice cream rather than tea, as I wasn't game to have a diuretic. It was not a dieting day. And I was surprised how much I missed my cups of tea.

Right now I have very low energy and I am just trying to get through the most basic parts of the day. I don't know why my nutrient profile is down. I consider myself to eat quite well.

Life has started speeding up!

What just happened? One moment I was in happy weight loss land and now I have plateaued! I have been eating right, but my body is starting to adjust to less calories.

While I have been trying to figure out how to survive on less food. I noticed that life just sped up! Three friends have set dates for three parties in the next three weeks!

Halloween is just around the corner and to entertain the kids I have started decorating. The kids will probably have a sleep over party with their friends as Halloween is on Friday night this year!

My aunt's 60th is next weekend too! ARRGH 5 Parties in three weeks! THIS ISN"T SLOWING DOWN!

Okay don't panic.I can bring a plate of Thai Chicken Rice paper rolls to two of the parties and safely eat that... I am sooo grateful for my little freezer of take aways!!!

With the plateau, I haven't changed my eating, my body has just stopped losing. I need to drop my calories further to keep it moving. It's a bit of trial and error on how to do that as I really hate being hungry.

The party train is coming and I had better get my head around it or it will be a party train wreck!

I got my kilojoules down to 5456 today and I am hoping for some scale love tomorrow. Up until now 7500 has been good enough for a loss.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...But it's not even Halloween yet!

Seasoned mums know to slowly accumulate for Christmas across the year. Sales, stuff you get given that would be perfect for someone else, where ever the inspiration comes from. Often we pile it in the back of a closet. Then we forget what we have, go to the shops and then buy more than we need and still have Christmas stress.

I do presents a bit differently. I keep a spreadsheet of all my gift giving. Oh. My. Goodness. When you see it all written in one place. The amount of gift giving when you have kids is insane.

I do my spread sheets with Google drive. Then I always have access to the list. When I am at the shops and thinking of getting something for someone I can check my phone and decide whether I already have enough for that person yet. I don't need to rely of memory :)

The spreadsheet allows me to have a different tab for each year. Its fun to look back on what you did in previous years.  A lot of it repeats itself. The one that sneaks up on people is the end of year school and extra curricular teachers gift giving. There is the teachers, maybe the teacher aides, the music teacher etc... I like to give my teacher gifts on the Tuesday of the last week of school. They are extra appreciative as they haven't received many yet and if your child was sick for a the last two days you have gotten it out the way.

Having last years list means that you remember everything and everyone you did last year. It stops you from getting caught out and having to hunt down candy canes for the classmates that have disappeared from three different department stores, even though you saw them everywhere in mid November.

Its about saving time, money and stress.

It means being done before the school holidays hit so you can spend more time holidaying and less time dragging the kids around the shops. It is about minimising the the stress of an unavoidable annual social event.

I aspire to be done with Christmas shopping by the 1st of December, save for those entirely optional last minute bargains that you can only buy from mid December. I am to have everything ready to be posted in that first week so that it has heaps of time to get there, but doesn't get there too freakishly early.

So along with a spreadsheet reminder it is important to see everyone's stuff in one place. To gauge if its enough and to have it ready to go I love these little gift bags for this. In the past I have used click zip bags, they work well too. I have put sticky notes with a little bit of sticky tape to stop them falling off.

They store pretty well in the cupboard and my kids presents go in pillow cases. Hiding presents in pillowcases makes them pretty much invisible to the kids.

There is nothing better than having Christmas out the way with as little effort as possible.

Well not gaining weight from the stress and having a bit of smug satisfaction comes a close second lol.