Resolutions

For those of you who were very brave, dedicated, bored and actually managed to make it through my last blog (5 torturous cute minutes of my kids doing a puppet show), you will be pleased to know that:

a - we had to sit through HALF AN HOUR of that.

and b - this post has nothing to do with my children!

I made a few new years resolutions, as I do every year.  This year I tried to keep them realistic and achievable in the hope that I may last longer then 2 days keeping them.  I posted them on facebook as follows:

I am pleased to report I am actually making headway on these goals a whole TWO WEEKS into the new year. Progress report:

Resolution ONE:  

Ok well i have enrolled. It's official - I am a student again! I even managed to score me a scholarship cause I am awesome somehow.  I am a little nervous about this undertaking on top of everything else I try and accomplish during the school term, but I know God will take over and thats good enough for me.  I start in February, doing just one paper a semester for 2 years (not that unachievable really after 3 years of teacher's college full time).  At the end I will hold in my hot little hand a "Certificate in Children and Family Ministries".  Note the use of Capital Letters because its Such An Important Title. hehhehe.

 Resolution TWO:

I have spent lots of time with the kids, not just because its the school holidays(although that certainly helps) , but because I actually made the effort to sit down and hang out with them.  We have been to the beach (Jaimee said I am the best mum in the world cause I took them even with daddy at work), played skipbo, built lego towns, done some art projects and oh yeah - watched terrible puppet shows.   I love that my kids think its cool that mum shares ipad games with them.   I have even managed to focus on home life enough to get Luke toilet trained.  This morning he went out to two shops and the library without any incidents - yay! To have all children out of nappies is a MAJOR accomplishment, which perhaps you may not understand remember unless you have kids under 6 years old!!

Resolution THREE:

This is a harder one because i love blobbing in front of the TV after the kids go to bed.  However, blobbing in front of the TV means I don't do any exercise, read any books, spend time with Marty...and I end up pigging out on snack food while I watch.  BUT that said, I am making headway here.  Yesterday I realised that (without really thinking about resolutions at all )I had series linked "The Bachelor, Australia" to watch when I saw it was coming on soon.  Not exactly stimulating wholesome TV and not really something that I need to watch if I want to cut DOWN on TV.  So I hit the delete button and the series disappeared from my life.  No Bachelor this year Nikki.  Instead, I have been exercising (more on that soon), playing board games with Marty (see, there is the date side of my resolution!) going to bed earlier and doing other constructive things like baking in the cooler evening weather.  Marty and I have booked in a weekend away in Gisborne for our anniversary at the end of this month which helps with this goal too - can't wait! :) 

Resolution FOUR:

I have not a drop of coke in my house.  I finished the last can at New Years and haven't replaced them.  Do I miss it?  Yep.  On these hot summer days, an icy cold coke sounds so so good.  But I know I am doing good things for my body and icy cold water doesn't leave me bloated or with regrets.   I have been doing pretty good on the chocolate side of things too - I only buy 1 block a week now for both of us (we were going through 2 blocks of choc or 3 boxes of scorched almonds a week for a while there).  Last night I only had ONE square, unheard of a few weeks ago.  The exercises part of my resolution has definitily helped me with this one, and also less TV (my trigger for snacking).  Of course, ask me how I am going during that time of the month and the answer may not be so positive!!!  

Through the exercise I am focusing on, and the resolution to eat better, I did get really inspired to make some changes though and made a list of all the good things I could feed myself and my family when I hear "I'm hungry" whined at me.  Yesterday ALL my home baking was done without a drop of white flour in it - I only used wholemeal, including for the wholemeal multigrain bread I made for toast.  Following from that "salad in a jar" idea floating around facebook, I made up 5 salads for my lunches with brown rice and loads of vegies in them.  I brought some of those baby tins of flavoured tuna and shredded chicken to add to each salad and yum - healthy lunches sorted.  Jaimee loves salad for lunch too.  

Resolution 5:

YAY! This one has been great, It has really helped with all the other resolutions I have, AND I am feeling (looking?) great for it.  I started doing pilates when we first got married and I brough the "Winsor Pilates" VCR Video set from TV for $99.  I love Pilates because I hate getting sweaty and all hot and gross.  Pilates is much more my style - all focused on toning and specific target areas.  I have tried lots of other workout DVDs, including some of those dreaded "make-me-die-hot-sweaty-and-puffed" ones, some of which I have loved but I keep coming back to Pilates.  Pilates has helped my heaps with taking on Gymnastics this past year too, I can plank longer then anyone else in the adult class!  So I have some new DVDs and equipment all catered for this form of exercise that I got a couple of months ago to re-inspire me, now I just have to get back into a daily groove.  

I am aware however, that my nature is to get really bored really fast with the same old same old, so I was delighted when one of the young people at church suggested I look at the website "blogilates" for some added flavour and a difference.  Well, after doing a few of her workouts on YouTube, i realised this instructor is TOUGH - she take pilates to a whole different level, with crazy amounts of repetitions (where normally I would only do 5-10 of each exercise) and unique pilates based moves.  Ew, she also does that dreaded cardio stuff, but even so - I have challenged myself to do her month long beginner's calendar.  I begged asked Marty to do it with me to help me stay motivated and to give us something fun new to do together each evening and he reluctantly agreed.  So we have moaned giggled our way through the first 2 days now, and It is not easy.  I knew I was in for trouble yesterday when I had this conversation with a teenage girl at church:

"Hey, I am doing that Blogilates calendar with Marty! We are on day 2 - Abs!"

"Oh cool...Oh wait, is that the ABC Abs video?  That is SO HARD....(and then follows explanation of horrible moves I will be tortured with that night)"

Yep.  She was right.  It was tough - and I normally don't struggle with Ab workouts, but that one required upper leg strength as well - my weak area.  And Marty found it super tough too...It has been quite funny watching my totally fit husband struggle through a plank that I can hold for ages.  FINALLY - I win!  

RESOLUTION 6:

Well, so far so good I reckon.  Please do ask me about these through the next few weeks, check up on me and hold me accountable because I really do want to keep up with them!