I'm back in Action!

Well, we have recovered from the flood and the abrupt move and although my new craft space is a small nook it has potential and i'm ready to get back to crafting!  Despite the chaos I was able to submit my semi-finalist projects to Heartfelt Creations and do a two day craft fair and with nothing on my plate for this weekend I'm psyched for some crafting!  I'm babysitting my 4 yr. old niece so there will be some kid crafting involved which is always fun :)  I also have a home decor blog hop to prepare for by the 24th.  I'm really looking forward to the weekend!!!!  I hope you all have a great and creative one!!!  Vicki

Us, recently

 Waiting at Sydney airport for Granny & Granddad - much excitement although after a 50 minute wait we (the parents!) were a little frazzled as Finn & Isla had become very tired as it as 21:00 by then!

 Then all of a sudden they were here! A little jaded after a mighty long flight with a quick stopover in Singapore.

 Hugs.

 ....and more hugs...

A super special new scooter for a special little girl all the way from the UK....(where it was considerably cheaper to buy).....came in the oldies suitcase..

 Finn is a pro as he has had his for about a year now.

 Lets go fly a kite...up to the highest height... Kids loved it...but I wonder who had more fun?

My mum getting acquainted with the barbie at the local park - we had a fab day playing on the equipment, scooting on scooters, finding sticks, flying kites, playing in the sand pit and exploring the gardens.  Mum caught the sun on her feet.....the only bit she missed with the suncream!

Finn climbed all the way up there on his own, he was so chuffed!

  So did Andy...ha ha.

 When it all gets a bit tiring then a good strong Daddy is called in to help.

This is the project that Granddad took on.  Built over the course of 3 days and observed avidly by the small members of the family.  Much fun.  :)

Isla had her last swimming lesson in the water with me today as next week she moves up to transition where she goes in with 2 other children and 2 instructors.  I am sad to not be going in with her regularly as it is such fun but she is so ready to move on to the next stage.  She has started to dive down through the water to pick up sunken toys from the bottom of the pool and she loves it!  She will do it again and again....and again!  So I popped into the pool shop today and picked some up for her so that we can practice when we go swimming.  Finn has been doing so well in his new class and is learning how to swim and pop his head in and out of the water when he needs to breathe.  We all headed to the Olympic pool last weekend and had great fun in rapids and on the water chutes.  Can't wait to go again!

The Fitness Explorer

Many of us who embark on lifestyle improvement tend to work on short time frames - it helps to keep us focussed with a higher degree of success.  It is usually a 30 or 40 day programme often given the title of 'the [insert word here] challenge'.  Instead of commencing the process of long-term benefit that we want it to be, these become a punitive and relentless regime of self-sacrifice and guilt which often leads to failure.   

So, you decide you're going to get healthy? Well done! You decide you want this to be for keeps.  Great!  So you are about to embark on a big life change.  But there could be an issue.  The initial moments of excitement can become difficult to maintain in the long term - so here are a few tips to keep you motivated.

 Here are seven tips to ensure success:

 1.   Set a goal:   

Using the anagram SMART can help.

Specific - Can you specify exactly what you want from your goal in enough detail?

 

Measurable - can you measure and track its success?  Quantify it.

Achievable - set an objective you can realistically attain i.e. for some an 80% compliance is better than attempting 100% adherence and failing constantly.

Relevant- is this a suitable goal for you as an individual?  If not make it so.

Timed - set a target time frame for this goal.

An example of a SMART goal is to lose 5% body fat and decrease my waist size by 4 inches in 2 months.

2.            Make yourself accountable:  

Make a public declaration.  Enlist the help of those closest to you.  Inform your partner, friends, immediate family and colleagues about your intentions and why you're doing it.  As well as letting them know the difficulties you face - share your successes with them.  This will strengthen your resilience and commitment.  They may even choose to modify their behaviour based on your progress.

3.            Involve a buddy:

It helps if someone understands what you are going through, so find a 'buddy' who will follow the same process as you or at the very least will support your endeavours.

4.            Start small:

Set yourself regular checkpoints of small, measurable sub-tasks so it is easier to track progress.  For example each day, each week, make a checklist - what do you want to achieve?

5.            Create a commitment contract:

 

It's a good idea to write down a list of things that you want to focus on as part of the process, these are not goals but on-going tasks.  For example:

I want to focus much more on my health and well-being.  This will be achieved by making choices that will improve how I look, feel, think and perform.

I have made a conscious decision to not let negative thoughts, external influences, convenience, other people or lack of time - interfere with my determination to achieve my goals.

I promise that when contemplating breaking any of these commitments to myself I will re-read this contract.

 

When I'm tempted to eat something unhealthy, skip a workout or give up this process - I will remember why I am embarking on this life improving decision.

6.            Avoid negative words: 

Don't think of this as a '30 day challenge' - but a '30 day journey' that will create a better you regardless of the end result.  Don't think of this as a 'lifestyle change', but a 'lifestyle improvement'.  Don't use the words 'going on a new diet', but instead use the phrase 'I am improving the quality of the foods I eat'. 

7.            Don't expect perfection: 

You will have occasional lapses.  Be kind to yourself.  Minor mishaps on the road to your destination are normal. Make the decision to get back on track.  You are only one step away from the next workout, one meal away from a successful meal.  No one is perfect, so don't aim for perfection.  Instead aim for continuous improvement.

 

Darryl Edwards, The Fitness Explorer

Fitness Explorer Training

 

tel : +44 7956 552470

web : www.thefitnessexplorer.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/fitnessexplorer

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The dragon has landed...

My Mum and step-dad are visiting from the UK at the mo and they landed on Sunday night.  It has been so, so, so nice to see them.  :)  So lovely to show people we know around where we live and have made our lives.  Some interesting things to occur so far - my Mum has cooked an English cooked breakfast on the barbie!  Must get photographic evidence next time.

We had a teary welcome at the airport having spent the afternoon in the city awaiting the incoming flight.  I still can't really believe it that they made it all the way around the globe, to Sydney!  We have 4 1/2 more weeks and they have a small trip up to Uluru and a drive to Alice Springs in the middle.  
 
We have booked tickets to see The Gruffalos Child stage production in the city before they go.  We saw The Gruffalo in the UK shortly before we left - gotta love Julie Donaldson!  The Gruffalo's child was feeling bored...so she tip toed out of the Gruffalo cave.....  Can't wait!  Finn & Isla will love it.



Busy weeked planned for all of us as we are off to the Indian festival in Darling Harbour tomorrow, a spin on the monorail, up the Centrepoint tower, dinner and then the evening fireworks.  Then the St Patricks Day Parades and food markets on Sunday in the CBD & Hyde Park.  A full on few days should really knacker out the oldies!


More exciting news - Andy got headhunted for a new job.  Can't believe it really and it all happened pretty quickly in the end.  A company that he had an offer from when we first arrived in Sydney phoned him asking him to go to do some IT consulting and architecture work for them, and also head up their team of 6 consultants.  It's a dream offer and exactly the direction he wanted his career to take so a no brainer really - oh and a pay hike!  Smiles all around.  :)  Great opportunity which he totally deserves after a lot of hard work over the past 2 years.  Clever boy!  


Further happy points today were delivered in the news that Andy could get rid of the 'P's' on his bike.  Which he has done!  No further restrictions on his license and he can carry pillions now.....great timing while we have babysitters!  Off to get a helmet for me in the next few days.

Some more pictures from Perth

Now here are some more pictures taken on our compact camera.  Completely self indulgent and mostly of the little people in our life.

 Pringles on the ascent in the plane for the ear pressure.

 Snooze fest Isla

 Finn taking up nearly 3 seats!

 Ledge Point beach days

 The view from our base camp for the week.

 We watched the fishing boats sail back each afternoon and unload their haul - sampled some Ruby snapper one lunch time which was yummy.

 It's good fun on the beach you know...

 Some serious contemplation

 Sibling love

 Super squeezable cheeks

 Ledge point

 Hands in the air like you just don't care

 A man fishing with a pelican begging for scraps

 The jumping pillow was right outside of our cabin and great fun.....Finn & Isla loved it too...

 Action shot

 Like a true Aussie - driving with his shirt off.....mighty hot that day!

 A fab park in Mandurah

 

Waiting for his babycino on the coffee strip in Freemantle.

 Crocodile climbing in Kings Park

 Melt

 Smile

The last 2 weeks.....

Perth = awsome.  True.

We stayed with friends for the 2 weeks while we were there and Finn & Isla were very good considering they are only 2 & 3.  However.  Nothing can prepare people who don't have children for what it is like to have 2 small people invade their lives 24x7 while in the run up to a huge wedding.  Especially when said little people never really got into 'Perth time' and insisted on 06:00 starts to the day fresh as Daisy's.....  Thankfully we survived and are all still friends!

Some highlights were:

3 fantastic nights at Ledge Point in the Big 4 site in a lovely little cabin right next to the playground.  2 minute drive to one of the most amazing beaches I have ever been to.  We only ever saw 1 other couple on the sand at the same time as us.  White sand, azure water, 28c in the water and 30-35c out.  A little break of paradise.  Locally caught fish for lunch.  Shell collecting by the little people and even a little reading for the grown ups on the beach!  Heaven.

We took a day trip down to Preston Beach and I was almost lost for words (a rare occurrence!) when 5 feet away from where the water met the sand a huge stingray cruised past.  We had an amazing view of it and could see the rippling sides of it as it swam by and even the white underside.  10 minutes later and 2 dolphins cruised past not 20 feet from the shore.  This was really one of those days when we appreciated what an amazing country it is that we now live in and really just.....WOW.

The Wedding - a beautiful day.  Hot!  39c.  We melted.  Finn & Isla were pageboy and flower girl respectively.  They took on the serious task very well and I actually thought Finn may pop on the morning of the wedding due to extreme excitement.  They walked down the aisle holding hands which was really cute and then were actually very good during the ceremony, which may have been due to the large number of tic tacs I had in my clutch hand bag!

We also met up with Andy's cousin and her new husband who live in Perth for a play at Whiteman Park and then off to the Duckstein Brewery for lunch.  Had a very interesting chat with them as they both work for the mines and so had some great facts on the business of mining iron ore.  The mine is 90K's inland from the sea port where the ore is shipped out of Australia.  The ore is moved by trains that are 2.3k's long and pulled by 3 engines and pushed by 2.  25 trains a day make their way to the coast and each train has a profit of $1 million!  A great, interesting day with good company.

A few other things....BBQ's, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends, breakfast several times at a new wonderful eatery chain in WA - Dome!, beach time, roo spotting and happy days.

Slight disclaimer.  There are no pictures of the bridal party as the groom has a bit of a stalker and well you know.....just in case.....  :(  They both looked beautiful though!