Exercise....and why I don't do the gym

I am 30 years old and I have had three children.  I reckon I look pretty good actually.  Compared to most people, I am doing rather well.  I wear a size 8 jeans and I eat rather healthily most of the day (it all goes downhill once the kids are in bed, but hey, we all have our snack time!).  But just lately I have started to notice a wee bulge in the stomach area, not much, just enough to give me a "3 month pregnant" feel to the area...and a rather alarming growth in the kumu/thigh region.  Not enough for others to notice, but enough for me to start thinking "Hmm..perhaps it is time to revisit that (convieniently) "forgotten"  New Years Resolution I had made to exercise regularly"....drat.  Eating chocolate and corn chips in front of the TV seems a much better way to spend my evening, but my body apparently disagrees.

So I made about the sixth 'exercise schedule' of the year - you know how I love to make schedules - and pleaded and begged Marty to workout with me in the evening when the kids go to bed and just before I sit down, thus losing all energy completely for the day.  He wasn't that keen, but I reasoned my case well enough: A - I get bored with exercise...its not a social thing and nobody else relies on me to do it, so why bother?
B - I need someone to motivate me and hold me accountable - it worked well establishing my quiet times routine.
C - What on EARTH is the point of being married to a fitness/sports crazed man if he can't help me along my own health journey?!

So Marty caved, up went the new schedule on our calendar and yesterday we started off with a 30 minute total  body workout (it was on a 'Shape' DVD I have).  I love DVD workouts - they can't see me, but I feel part of a group and they give me encouragement and I don't have to think, just copy them!  And best of all, I can do it at home, after the kids are in bed.

Anyway, It was intense.  Unlike the rather deceiving smiling pretty girl on the front cover, this instructor was just downright MEAN.  We were both huffing and puffing as we did short cardio bursts that were crazy and brought the kids out of bed to find out what was making all that banging.  "Get ....(puff)...back in bed (huff)....we're just exercising (gasp)" we both yelled out as we performed squat jumps.

I was rather sore this morning, but not as bad as I thought I would be.  Tonight I went to jump on the exercise bike as Marty had done a bike ride at lunchtime and was off to homegroup...but alas, it seems our bike has broken.  Drat.  Must ask Grampa Muz to look at that.  In the meantime, I popped in my old 'Aussie Fit' fat burning workout.  Normally I save this DVD for the target area workouts, I try hard to avoid the fat burning routine for reasons you are about to read.  
Bright lycra filled my screen as headband clad 90's Australians beamed at me.  "Wahoo!" they gleefully yelled out as they grapevined across the screen.  Ah....THIS is why I don't want to join a gym (that, and the lack of funds).  I am always 3 steps behind them, and am always frowning in concentrated confusion and frustration as I attempt to master their steps.  And then, just when I get in sync finally....they change it and I am left jumping up and down on the spot waving my hands around, hoping they will move to something else soon.  Hey, jumping must be burning fat even if I can't keep up, right?!

I tried Zumba once.  I love to dance, figured this should be fun.  I managed ok as they taught me the first foot steps to each basic move...and then they told me to put it all together and away we go.  Or not.  Oh gosh.  The music started, they added in some fancy hand movements that they had NOT taught on the DVD may I add...and those amazing hip swaggers and I was left jiggling around like a lunatic again, wondering what on earth just happened!  Thank Goodness I had attempted this at home with a DVD and not at a class.

 Crazy stuff, that Zumba.  Give me squats, sit ups and lunges over aerobic dance any day!!   My FAVOURITE workout hands down is Denise Austin's "Shrink your female fat zones" (when you can get past her breathy voice purring at you "ohhh....that feels so gooood") but perhaps Marty might not be so keen on that one.

Well, lets hope this 'get fit' thing lasts and I can stop feeling like I am at the end of the first trimester.   I want to look great, it makes me feel great...and I really want to be able to run around kicking a ball with Luke one day without huffing and puffing after 5 minutes.  Feel free to ask me how I am going, I need a bit of peer pressure with this one!  Unlike my husband, I would much rather read a good book with a bag of Jalepeno Corn Chips at my side.

Dancing Queen

To my children,

You must know this about your mother.  I love to dance.  This may cause you some embarassment over the years, especially at school discos which I am really really looking forward to 'helping' with.  I hope that you will dance with me like I have always done with my own dancing queen mother, but who knows.

When I was a child, I would make up dance routines and then perform them to my very patient parents .  As a teenager, I would turn my music up loud and dance like crazy, jumping and grooving all over the house.  As a young adult, I hit the dance clubs every weekend with my friends, and even with my mother in Scotland!! I didn't care who was watching or how many people are on the dance floor, if a good beat was playing, I was up.  As an adult, I am much the same in my attitude to dancing - the light party disco that I throw each year is not done just for the kids you know - I LOVE it!

A couple of weeks ago, We hit the town with our good friends after a dinner out.  The night was spent laughing and dancing - and yep, I was first up there when they finally got the music pumping.  We joked that they really need to have a 'parents' night at these dance clubs - the music doesn't start until after 11pm, and let's face it - we are just about ready for bed by then!  If they started at 8pm, I would still be dancing at midnight I reckon.  As it is, daddy had to tear me off the dance floor.  Anything from Footloose to Wham, Lady GaGa to Adam Lambart, I love it.

As a mummy, I am now relegated to dancing with my ipod on full volume in my ears as I dust and vacuum while you kids are at school.  I have games like "wii dance" that I am not ashamed to say I love busting a move with.  Even in church, I can't stay still for long, tapping my feet, clapping my hands and swaying - its all part of the way God wired me to worship and live.  

So kids, sorry if I embarrass you...I really can't help myself...I just LOVE to dance.  And I won't stop....so I hope you will join me, and together we can dance like no-one is watching.

Happy Birthday Lukey-Duke!

My baby boy is 1 today.  It seems like only yesterday he made his dramatic entry into this world - very almost born on our kitchen floor in a half hour labour which began in a sudden flood.  We were so delighted to hear the news "ITS A BOY!"...and Luke has been nothing but a delight to us all from that moment.

Poor Luke is celebrating his birthday the same way his biggest sister did on her first birthday - full of a cold.  But that has not stopped him from gurgling and smiling as he explores his new toys, or from launching himself back and forward on my lap as we play his favourite game: "row row row your boat".

Yesterday we had a wee party to help us celebrate everything Luke, and our house was full of love as he sat surrounded by family and friends and enjoyed his first taste of marshmallows and cake (we laughed as he screwed up his face at the marshmallow as if it were a lemon and spat it out!).








I made our wee blond man a cake with rainbow icing - keep in mind that I don't have any skill with cake decorating at all (for the girls first few birthdays I got friends and family to do the cakes!) so when I saw the simple icing solution on a facebook photo, I was quick to jump on board with this idea...and everyone loved it so mission accomplished!  All I did was make seperate icing colours and then pop them in the piping bag together so they came out in a rainbow.....pretty simple eh?  Of course, it would have been even cooler on a train, dinosaur or some other fancy thing but hey, the kids were happy and Luke loved eating cake for the first time!

We are glad he is not on his feet yet (except for standing still)...don't start walking just yet darling, we love the way you crawl super fast with your cheeky giggle.  Happy Birthday Luke, we love you so much.  xxxx

Luke with his ever adoring sisters at 2 weeks old.

Kids will be kids....

Yesterday Kate asked me to make her a milo when I was boiling the jug for my coffee.  "Put salt and pepper in it" she instructed me as she peered over the bench top to see.  Hmm...I am pretty sure she means sugar with the milo, but it sure made me giggle.

At playgroup on Thursday, I introduced Luke to the good old shape sorter.  He found it fascinating, watching as I helped him push each shape through and then grabbing the container, shaking it and peering through the holes to see where the shape had got to...big frown on his face as he searched for it.    Ah there it is!  I pulled off the top for him and got it back out, and he tried very hard to put the lid back on again before handing it to me with a "a" (ta).  I love watching him work out these new things, it is so special.

And finally, just now I sneaked into the girls room to capture this scene - Jaimee reads Kate a bedtime story, as Kate snuggles up close to her beloved big sister and best friend.  Both girls had just finished reading their bibles and doing devotions with daddy, and now it is time to settle down for bed (Kate reads her beginners bible without much assistance now while Jaimee reads an 'adult' bible with daddy).  

Earlier in the day, I was woken on my Saturday by Luke at 6.45am.  I then had to get the girls ready for swimming lessons at 9am, put a load of washing on and then I made Luke's birthday cake and biscuits for his party....all with a blocked nose and an earache may I add.  At 9.30am  I was still in my PJs because I hadn't had a moment to have a shower yet, let alone had my morning coffee(Marty had taken the girls swimming, but Luke wouldn't settle down for a nap).  I was a grumpy mummy, and turned to Marty later and said "imagine if we didn't have children......I would be working full time, we would be travelling the world because we had more money and we probably wouldn't even be out of bed this early on a Saturday!"   I know that is a horrid thing to say, even to think, but let's be honest, sometimes parenthood is hard and we all feel a tad selfish at times!    

But, and its a very big loaded BUT....

 as I look back on these priceless moments, I remember that it is all worth it.  

Guess who....

I love looking through our albums.  A few months ago I pulled out these photos as part of a faithbox night we were doing, and Marty found it really hard to figure out which kid was which!!  They look so similar at this age (around 5 months) Can you work it out?  I have mine and Marty's baby photos in the mix too at the same age to give you some comparision!! I will pop the answers up in the comments box below.......so don't peek until you have guessed!  

A

B

C

D

E

 Right? Worked it all out then?  The answers are in the comments box......

...and I just had to pop this one up of the girls, best friends even at this age.  I reckon Luke looks just like Kate!  

A Tribute to Marty

Check out those chunky thighs and pudgy arms....and just look at that boy in blue - its not Luke, that's his daddy!!  Who would have thought this stocky wee fella would turn out to be the love of my life and the most amazing father to our three children 35 years later.

Marty, I just love you so much.  I reckon we had the most perfect start to our relationship by doing things the old fashioned way - meeting and dating via the internet!!  Seriously though, it may not be old fashioned, but we were able to spend hours and hours just talking and writing to each other, so we got to know each other inside out before we even held hands.  Because of this, nobody knows me better then you.  Nobody gets me like you do - you are my best friend in every sense of the word.    

Check out this good looking kid in the pics below - I bet all the girls at school had a crush on the sports nut and class clown.  I have seen video footage of you at this stage of your life, and It always makes me laugh to hear the total confidence and cheerfulness in your voice.  You had such character and spunk!   

These next photos make me smile too - what were you thinking!  You obviously had lots of fun in your high school years, I have heard some of the stories about your antics and they always make me laugh!  From blond hair to pipe cleaners in your curls, to getting all your friends to wear dressing gowns to church, to becoming a christian, I would have loved to have been a part of this time of your life - but our time was not yet.  I love that many of your friends from this time of your life are still in our lives now, and I have developed my own friendships with their wives - also friends you knew long before I came into your life.

Marty, your ability with numbers, facts and tables always astonishes me.  I know that you wanted to be an accountant and wish you had stuck it out.  I am always grateful for the way that you effortlessly look after our accounts and finances.   You spend hours writing quiz'es or playing  sports management simulator games because you just love tables, graphs, facts and figures...I don't pretend to understand the joy this brings you, but I am always grateful for your clever mind because you look after our family so well.  

Here we are not long after we met in Scotland.  I was 19 and you had just turned 24.  When we very first met, my mother turned to me and whispered "honey, I don't think he is the one for you".  Well, it didn't take her long to change her tune - my mother adores you!  I will never forget that you flew across the world to meet me in Scotland, or moved your life to Auckland to date me when we returned to New Zealand.  You have always put me first, you treat me so well. You are so loving and generous to me.  I love hanging out with you, watching TV together or playing games.  We have so much fun together and laugh together every day.  We talk about everything and anything and I couldn't imagine a life without you in it. 

And wow, what a father!! I just knew that you would be the kind of father you have proven you are, God has wired you for fatherhood and you do it so well.  From bathing the kids since the day each of them were born to getting up to them when they wake at night, to playing card and board games with them endlessly, to reading them their bedtime stories and devotions each night - you really are the most wonderful father.  I love the way that you don't think twice about making time with us as a family every weekend, and I love the way you 'hunt for the lost Kate' every night when you walk in the door because you know she is hiding from you in the same spot as always, awaiting her daddy to find her. You make my heart well up and then overflow with love as I watch you with our children.  

So Happy Birthday my love, my knight in shining armor.  

I love you.

Mothers Day!

Mothers Day was greeted with about 5 cards from each of the girls....all telling me they love me and that I am as beautiful as the sun - just the way to start my day!  I had purchased my own present a couple of weeks ago, as I do every year (that way I get JUST what I really wanted!), but was very surprised to get a lovely card from Marty who is not really the card giving type normally! Well done darling!  I had the obligatory coffee in bed before getting up to go to church, although I must admit that Marty brings me breakfast in bed just about every day, I am so spoilt rotten.

We had a couple of hours lie down after church, the kids were exhausted after their late night for Marty's birthday (see previous post) and more then happy to oblige, so I laid on the couch and played 'draw something ' with Marty and some other friends over the ipod - so much fun playing pictionary like this!  

Our mothers (and family) joined us for afternoon tea, where we had birthday cake leftovers and yummy coffee before I introduced them to our new favourite party game - "Just Dance".  It was so funny challenging my sister in law to dance the steps to New Kids on the Block with me....she won too (true 90's kids that we were)!     All four kids danced away to "Girls just wanna have fun" (Kate calls it the "pretty girl song"), with Brianna taking the lead.  Granma even had a go - who says gaming is not social?!  

It was a pleasant way to spend the day, and I am once again so grateful for the wonderful family that God has given me.  We have a good time together.  

Marty's Birthday Quiz

When I asked Marty what he wanted to do for his birthday this year, I didn't really expect to hear "host a quiz night" - but that's my husband for you!  I wanted a dance for my birthday, but he just LOVES quiz nights.  At work, he is the quizmaster - at 3pm each day, everybody turns to him with a coffee in hand and he rustles open the newspaper to read out the daily quiz.  I have phoned at 3pm occassionally, to be thorougly told off by his colleagues for interrupting one of the most important parts of the workday!  

So a quiz night was on the menu for his birthday this year (actually, he tried to do one last year but I was ready to pop with Luke and it just wasn't good timing), much to the delight of our family and friends, who are quickly coming to appreciate this skill.  

All our babysitters were invited, so we packed up the sleeping bags and turned the church hall into a cinema, with Dora playing on the big screen much to the kids delight.   We thought they might lie happily and watch until they fell asleep - wishful thinking!! The cousins were delighted to have free run of the hall and each other's company and the novelty of the sleeping bags wore off far too quickly.   Don't be fooled by this photo, they were running around until we went home at 10.30pm!!  

With questions like "who are the top 8 twitter celebrities" and "what country has won the most winter olympic medals", I was not a particularly helpful member of my group, but we had a great night and everybody enjoyed themselves.  One of the pitfalls of being married to Marty is that I don't get to have his amazing random trivia knowledge on my team because he is always hosting the event, a point that always makes me grumble when it comes to the sports rounds.  What is the benefit of being married to a sports buff if you don't get to have him as a secret weapon on quiz nights?!  

Ah well, Marty had fun and celebrated his birthday just the way he wanted to.  So Happy 35th Birthday to my darling husband...I love you so much...even if you do write quizes that I can't answer.  Mwah! 

A kiss for the birthday boy

Brilliant pic of our mates the Dempseys!

A Play

Jaimee has reached the much coveted level 15-18 books at school (for those without wee ones - this is the equivalent of an A+ for a year 1 child) and is so excited to be bringing home 'chapter books' - you remember, those wee books that consisted of a couple of simple poems or songs, a non fiction and a fiction story or two...and a play.  Jaimee LOVES the plays.  She has come home with several familiar stories now: Goldilocks, Chicken Licken, The Three Billy Goats.

She struts around the house, assigning everybody a part (of course, she gets to be the narrator and also has the lead role every time) and then reminding us for the next 45 minutes what our part is going to be until we finally cave and 'perform' the play with her.  Then she sits in the 'narrator' spot on the couch, legs crossed like a little lady and book held out in front of her while us lowly performers wait on the floor for our cue.  I love her 'narrator' voice: she does it to perfection.  Jaimee has really started using expression in her voice as she reads...so often she will start a sentence in one voice, then realise it was meant to be said in a baby voice or a surprised voice, so she giggles a whoops, then repeats in the correct tone.  Even Kate gets given a part now that she is reading, and me and Marty give each other goofy grins as Jaimee and her sit huddled over the pages while Jaimee points at Kate's lines for her to read in her cute little voice.  Marty gets right into character, making Jaimee laugh as he gobbles like 'Turky-lurky' or "CLIP CLOPS" as the Great big billy goat gruff.  I do my best...enough said.

All in all, it is a sweet family moment, and  I love the memories we are creating together.  So thanks NZ primary schools for keeping those 1970s books around - they are just as fun the second time around!