That awkward moment

 

When mum takes a picture of you while you're doing a poo! 

 

 

not again mum!!

 

Fun Run

Competing in a running event is something I would never have seen myself doing. I hated running for a long time. Apart from a brief stint of morning running on my mission it was never something I enjoyed. I always felt heavy on my feet and it just didn't come naturally.
Since really changing my lifestyle over the last year my fitness became good enough to give running another go. When my friend Sarah mentioned an upcoming fun run that was on a Saturday for once, a group of ladies from church made the commitment to prepare for the run. It was 7.6km which I thought was the perfect distance for my level. Just challenging enough to make me work hard in preparation for the event. It was also for a truly wonderful cause. Kate and Turia were competing in an Ultra Marathon (that's 100 grueling kilometres) when a bushfire broke out. The race organisers failed to inform the runners and this resulted in the girls becoming trapped and then badly burned. It simply shouldn't have happened!!

One of the awesome trainers at my gym is a marathon runner and she helped me a lot as I was preparing for this run. She writes a race report after every event. She says it is a wonderful thing to look back on and it continues to inspire her to run because she can read how she overcame challenges along the way and can see how far she can push herself. She encouraged me to do my own race report so I've included that below.

Race Report: Ultra Spirit 7.6km 01/09/2012

After a pretty rough nights sleep of about 5 hours I woke up at 6am and had a big bowl of porridge with stra wberries and banana and half a smoothie. I dressed and then went out the door pretty sleepy. Had to wake up Peter to adjust the dicky car seat for me but I soon was on the way to my friend's house were a bunch of us were car pooling. It was really nice to have company and talk about our expectations and what not and we made it into the city in no time. We got a park quite close to the start line. It was fresh but the weather looked promising and it did end up turning into the most glorious spring day. 
 
There were 6 of us girls in our team and although we'd started off going for runs together it had ended up impossible to train together so we'd just stayed in touch and given encouragement along the way. Only a couple of us (including me) had done the whole distance before so it was a big challenge for our team. I'd done a practise run the Monday before the race and had done it in 45 mins (with a loo stop too) so I was hoping to be quicker on race day. 

A photo with my friend Moe. He is a friend at my gym who wanted to do his first fun run too

We registered really quickly and then did an all important loo stop. That was the one thing that I was nervous about because I have such a terrible bladder. I had drunk a little more than I wanted to but I had the beginnings of a sore throat for a couple of days and was just plain thirsty. I have 2 voltaren for my knee and hope it holds up well today.

I definitely felt the buzz of nervous energy as we chatted before the race. Pete got there about 5 mins before the race was due to start and I enjoyed a cuddle with him and Will before the race. Just as the organisers were wrapping up the housekeeping items I thought I'd better go to the loo again. I was coming back down the hill and I heard my team yelling out to me and waving madly. I ran down the little hill to the start line and made it to my group just as the race began (talk about cutting it fine). 

 

 

Although I was now all frazzled I was glad I'd gone to the loo again. The last thing I wanted was to be running with the urge to pee. We'd lined up around the middle of the pack but I kept my eye on Tiana (one of the girls in my group who is about my running pace). I basically followed her as she dodged and weaved through the crowd and we quickly got into a good pace. It felt quite fast but comfortable. However my headphones started cutting out after the first song on my playlist and I just took them out and ran without music. I found this really hard though as I hate hearing myself breathe and I like the music to help me keep a good pace up. So what do I do, I ring Pete and tell him to have my spare headphones ready to pass to me at the half way mark. I then keep running and just feel like I've lost my groove. I do however, start to notice the gorgeous surroundings of the Tan and the flowers smell incredible. I'm very happy to welcome in spring this way. 

It doesn't seem to take long before I'm at the half way mark. I've lost sight of my friend Tiana, which is a bit disappointing, but I've just gotta do my own thing now. I see Pete at the half way mark and just reach out and grab the headphones as I run past. I do my best to get them in and plugged into my phone and just get moving. As soon as the music starts I am feeling more energised and use the beat to give me a but of a push. However, the playlist keeps repeating the same song so I do have to reach down to the button a couple of times which is really annoying!! I think to myself, next time I'm going to have this sorted out so much better. What a stupid thing to throw me off. 

I'm so determined to do this second lap quicker and it does feel quicker (it wasn't in reality though...was about 45 seconds slower than the first lap). I have a drink at one of the fountains and check my watch. I have a rough idea that the first lap has taken me over 20 mins and I desperately want to do this in less than 45 mins. I run most of the way up Anderson Street hill but have a little break to walk. When I reach the top I start running and am soon overtaking the people who overtook me on the hill. I keep looking ahead and spot different people and make little targets of them and challenge myself to catch up to them one by one. I do pretty well for the most part and this combined with the music has me feeling pretty good. I don't even want to stop for water even though by now I'm getting pretty thirsty and have a little stitch just starting to niggle on my right hand side. In all the lead up to the race and all the runs I've done to prepare I hadn't experienced any stitches. I figure this is probably because I've drunk too much this morning (rookie mistake I guess). By now I realise I've got only a km to go and pick up the pace again. My glutes are sore and I'm feeling the extra pace put a bit of pressure in my hips but I'm not really in any pain and my knee is performing beautifully. Thank goodness for anti inflammatories :-) There is one girl who is going the same pace and we keep overtaking one another. I don't let her phase me but am determined that it will be me that finishes ahead. Silly, but the little competitiveness keeps me going. 

As I turn around the last bend I dig a little deeper and really pick up the pace. My chest starts to hurt just a little now and I can feel my breathing start to get heavier but I'm so close to finishing and have left the other girl behind. I see Pete and Will on the right hand side of the finish line and as I cross the finish line I actually think, I reckon I could run a but further than that! I notice that the time says 44 mins and I can't see the seconds but I'm so happy that I've managed to complete the race in 45 mins. I still can't help but feel disappointed that it wasn't faster and feel stupid because a lot of it was to do with fiddling with gadgets! I keep walking as I grab some water and a couple of lollies and enjoy a big hug from Pete and Will, who has thrown himself at mum for a hug.

 

I manage to hold onto him until Pete takes him from me. 13 kilos feels like 40 at the moment. 

I grab my goodie bag and medal and enjoy stretching on the grass and enjoy catching up with Tiana. She's finished it in 42 mins and I'm stoked for her. I know I could do that time too and already start thinking that my next goal is to do the same distance in sub 40! I catch up with my friend Moe from the gym and he tells me he did the race in 37 mins! I am super impressed and we have a photo together with our medals on. 

 

I'm so proud of the 2 of us and how far we've come. I am thrilled for my fellow team mates as they cross the finish line and see the look of accomplishment and exhaustion on their faces. We are very glad we did this! 



 When I was planning to do this race I didn't think I'd wan't to keep running or at least not do 'specific' training but as soon as the race was over my run started ticking over with goals I wanted to work towards. I really have developed a fondness for running. I'm definitely not a natural but I find it invigorating. I am buzzing for a long time after the race that's for sure.

The Big 3 0

Back in August I celebrated my 30th Birthday. I was thrilled that my parents could be there to celebrate with me too. I didn't want a big party but wanted to celebrate a little differently to normal. The idea of an intimate dinner with a few close friends came to me months earlier so I was happy to stick with that.

Pete asked me to keep the Friday night and Saturday morning free so he could take me out for dinner and then we would go off in the morning again for whatever he was planning. We would then come back ion the afternoon with plenty of time to get organised for my dinner party. I am very hard to surprise and have a knack for guessing when anyone tries to surprise me so I was just expecting a really nice meal out somewhere. I was going to pick Peter up from work and then he would surprise me with the choice of restaurant. 

When it came to time to get ready to go out I could not find my new jeans anywhere. Since losing a lot of weight recently I only have one pair of jeans that are dressy enough to go out in and I don't have a single pair of other dressy pants that fit so I was starting to get irritated. Mum helped me look and we turned my room upside down. I found a pair of jeans that were the same sort of style but a bigger size but they fit ok so I settled on those. I then wanted to find a nice bra to wear (for later on...if you know what I mean) and my lingerie was completely gone. That's when it clicked...Pete had taken my lingerie and my favourite jeans because we were staying somewhere overnight (And I guess he was hoping he'd get lucky ;-) I was almost mad at him because he'd inadvertently caused me to stress about missing all those clothes and by this stage I was running really late. I snapped out of my grump pretty quick though and packed a bag of clothes etc because I knew Pete probably would have forgotten something!

Pete met me on Exhibition Street and had me park in the Rydges car park. He told me that's where we were staying and that we were having dinner in the hotel. When we dropped my gear up to the hotel I was so excited to see our room. We had this massive apartment style room with a spa and little deck around it built into the area behind our bed. It was pretty cool and very fancy. I didn't get a photo of the spa unfortunately.

Our dinner was very nice and we enjoyed cuddling up next to each other in our own booth!

Me in the jeans that are too big and my new jacket that was a birthday pressie from mum :-)

Do not disturb!

The weather was so cold but we wanted to go for a walk and see if we could find something yummy for dessert. We noticed a cute little cafe that sold Macaroons. I had never tried them so we bought a few to share. Well, apart from the first one that was raspberry and very nice, the other flavours were revolting. I'm not sure if we just got a dud cafe but my experience with macaroons was a big let down. Darn you Masterchef for making them look delectable!

The next morning we had a buffet breaky and then Pete whisked me off to a day spa for a massage and facial. It was really lovely. He really went above and beyond what I expected and I felt completely spoilt. I now have to think of something great to do for his 30th. At least I have 2 more years to think about it

Mum and I had spent the previous day making food and preparing things for my dinner party and then I left mum to cook everything on the night. She also volunteered to make me a cake. It looked pretty wonky but in the end it tasted amazing.

Our menu was Thai style gyoza, crispy pork belly and braised fennel, black bean blue swimmer crab followed by Chocolate and raspberry mousse cake. SO GOOD!!

Sare and Bobbi about to tuck in

The lovely Nicki. So great to have you in Melbourne now Noodles. x

Mr Blue Swimmer Crab with his beady eyes looking up at me!

A bit out of focus but my pretty lanterns look nice

CAKE!!!

My lovely guests, minus Carissa and Essie who couldn't be there...

We couldn't find any candles so used the one we have in case of blackouts.

It was so nice to just relax at home with good friends, great company and plenty of conversation. It really was the perfect Birthday.

A visit with the Clarks

When we were in Tassie in July we enjoyed a couple of visits to the Clark's house. Will loved playing with Beattie and running around their backyard. I always thought things just wouldn't be the same visiting Annette and Kelvin once they left Alma Street but we love the new place in Perth too. Any house of the Clarks is bound to have that well known warmth and comfort and we love visiting them wherever they are!

It's getting nigh on impossible to get Will to look at the camera these days. He seems to respond the best when he has an animal companion. He is just far too busy these days for photos!

A wriggly photo with Nettie

Will loves to touch his and other people's noses. Pete has taught him to grab your nose and say "honk!"

He was a bit more gentle with Granny than he is with us!

It was great to see you Nettie and Kelv! We look forward to seeing you soon in Melbourne for our temple date :-)

Nursery Boy

In our church we have various programs for people of all ages. When children reach the age of 18 months they can attend Nursery (similar to a creche but with a more structured routine, including a very basic gospel lesson and singing time). 

Several weeks ago Will had his photo taken all ready to go on the nursery board at church. 
Can you see him???

We ended up being away for the last few weeks so he couldn't attend nursery in our regular ward. However, we were very lucky that his first ever visit to Nursery was with my wonderful friend Esther in the Epping Ward.

We had a lovely time and Will thoroughly enjoyed his very first visit to Nursery. Though who wouldn't want Essie as their Nursery leader! I basically dropped him in there and he went straight to the toys and barely noticed me the entire time. He wasn't even phased when a little girl kicked him when she wanted his toy :-( 

Don't worry, I got my teacher voice on and had her apologising and giving him a cuddle in no time. He he. It's great that he was so relaxed and it bodes well for the future. I'll be able to attend BOTH Sunday School and Relief Society - YAY!

Will's first take home work of art - he he. What a valuable lesson to learn too :-) 

In Tassie he attended Nursery with Angela and her hubby John Vinen as his leaders and he loved them too. It's pretty great that his first experiences in Nursery were with beautiful people I have known for a very long time. 

Some of you might recognise these little cuties!!! L-R is Gemma Guy, Angela? Finn. (I feel terrible I've forgotten her name), myself, Angela Vinen, Sarah Doran at the back and Heidi Wardle. I'm loving mum's long hair here too.  He he

This week we were back to our regular ward in Point Cook. I didn't stay in long enough with him this week though and he was a little teary apparently. We heard him crying right as church was finishing and collected him pretty quickly :-P I'm sure next week he'll be more settled and hopefully my lovely friend Tiana will be over her cold and back in Nursery. It's pretty cool that I know his Nursery leaders so well :-) 

I didn't get any photos today so will have to take some another time. Can you believe Will is 18 months old already? I can't!!!

Haircut number 3?

Being born with a full head of awesomely curly long hair meant Will needed his first haircut at 3 months old. He's now 18 months old and I think the most recent haircut brings us to haircut number 3!! I have kept his 3 month locks in a little plastic pouch and have 2 more plastic pouches to add so I guess the maths has been done for me ;-) I think I am going to lose count of the haircuts pretty darn quick if his hair continues to grow at it's current rate. He definitely gets his hair from Pete.

Before

After

Thanks Nettie for being Will's personal hairdresser. We'll have to pre-book you for all our Tassie visits :-)

Garage Sale

Pete's grandparents have sold their house and we had a big garage sale to help get rid of 60 odd years of junk...I mean stuff. However, we did find some great stuff. 

Cue cute photos of Will and Mummy sporting their new/old Cossack hats. 

I wonder if we can pull these off in public??

Clean living

This post may bore some of you and it may read like a biggest loser transformation story to others but I just wanted to document something I believe has been a major part of my life in recent months. I'm just going to launch right in....

I have drastically changed my eating and lifestyle habits over the last 9 months and feel better than I ever have before. Even when I was a young, fit 18 year old I wasn't this in shape and clean on the inside. 

I really struggled when Will was a tiny baby. I was in a new state, had very few friends and had only extended family on Pete's side. I definitely had the 'baby blues.' One thing that I believe turned things around was when I joined the gym and started associating with people who lived a 'clean eating' and exercise rich lifestyle. There were other things that helped me through this period and I have mentioned these on my blog before.

Don't get me wrong, I still will indulge in a non-healthy treat and occasionally eat a bigger meal than I should but for the most part our home is a non sugary, non processed healthy haven. 

Growing up in the Jones household, we ate a lot! Anyone who knows my mum knows that one of her greatest joys is to fill people up with her yummy food. When I say fill them up, I mean fill them up so much they almost need help getting up from the dining room table and have to be rolled out the door!! I also inherited a love of entertaining people, with food being the point of focus. However, I don't quite have the Italian Nonna vibe going on ;-) 

When you grow up eating big meals and indulging in regular treats it just becomes normal. I never felt that I was overweight as a teenager/young adult but always was conscious of my pot belly. I could never wear anything fitted without accentuating my problem area and whilst it didn't cause me to spiral into bad habits/depression, it did bother me. I never really knew what to do about getting rid of the excess either. I was quite active with sports but had such a poor understanding of the term "You are what you eat." When I returned home from my mission I lost a fair bit of weight through sticking to a low GI eating lifestyle, combined with regular walking and Pilates but put all the weight back on after Pete and I got married.

When I was asked to be part of a non-controlled group for a pregnancy study on "overweight and obesity in women during pregnancy" I was shocked. I know I was on the lightest edge of the scale for the group (at 64 kilos) but it was still a major kick in the pants! Working full time right up until I was 35 weeks also limited how much time I could dedicate to exercise etc and I put almost 20 kilos on during my pregnancy. I'm making this sound like I was in serious trouble with my weight (which wasn't really the case) but I guess I'm just painting a picture of the small but significant lifestyle journey I feel I've been on....

Will weighed in at almost 5 kilos (10 pounds 9 ounces) at birth so I know a lot of weight was him and fluid. I was so glad to be free of the excess and because he was a big eater right from the word go I was able to shed kilos quite quickly while I was breastfeeding. When he weaned off breastfeeding at 13 months my weight plateaued at 62.5 kilos and I knew I wanted to get into shape and get more energy. The main thing though was that I enjoyed exercise and knew it would be a great way to spend a bit of time for myself and get positive endorphins pumping. 

I had been going to the gym consistently for a few months without seeing visible results but I felt happier, had more energy and was enjoying my new hobby. I actually put on a little weight at first due to the muscles building up. It wasn't until I adopted the mindset of "70% diet, 30% exercise that I really noticed changes. I made the comment to a lady on a health forum I love that "you can exercise like a demon but until you realise that it's basically 70% diet and 30% exercise you just won't get results." With great advice from the instructors and fellow gym members I started eating 'cleanly.' Basically this means eating wholesome, non processed foods. I still followed the low GI principles and limited SUGAR and portion sizes. I have gone from 63 kilos to a much trimmer 57.5 kilos. It's not a huge loss but it has made a huge difference to my body. What is more important than actual weight loss is that I've shrunk. I have lost 10 cms from my hips, 15cms from my waist and 10 cm from my bust (one of the minor downfalls of exercise I guess ;-)

What is more important than that too, is that I feel clean on the inside and have heaps more energy. When I eat treats now I still often enjoy them at the time I eat them but afterwards my body rejects the bad food. I'll spare you the details but I simply have trouble processing sugary, fatty foods and as I said, my body tries to purge the rubbish from my system.

It would be remiss if I didn't mention Pete's achievements too. He has lost 10 kilos and is so much more disciplined with his eating habits. He still has a lot further to come than I do but long gone are the days when he'd eat a loaf of white bread in one sitting and have take out 2-3 times a week. Unfortunately, he's quit his gym but I'm hoping when winter is over he'll get that motivation for exercise back. I know I am struggling with my eating now it's getting colder and I just want to have a hot milo and a bickie after dinner :-)

I have made a lovely group of friends at my gym and they inspire me every day. So many of them have undertaken MASSIVE lifestyle changes and it's so refreshing to be around positive, healthy and just like minded people.

One thing I'd wished I'd done is taken some before shots and done a comparison. I do however, have a recent photo of Will and I swimming that I can compare against an older photo of Will's first swim lesson. The photos are 6 months apart and I think you can easily see some differences. Hate the first photo!

 November 2011                                                                  April 2012

I just want to list the amazing blessings that I have received through this change of lifestyle

• Constant exercise has given me HEAPS of energy
• Made me happier
• Makes me feel more attractive -
• which leads to greater confidence
• positive attracts positive - I have found that my positivity influences the people around me for good
• all these things have made me a better mum and wife
• generally promotes health - limits colds/viruses and other diseases. I have had one cold since joining the gym in October 2011 and it was gone after 2 days...

Our recent happenings

We were lucky to have a very brief but nice visit with Aunty Siona and Uncle John when Siona came to meet John after he'd been in Sale for the last few months for work. 

Building with blocks is one of Will's favourite things to do - especially with his dad.

I think his dad loves it almost as much as him!

Will has developed some funny little behaviours - climbing into anything

 that will hold him is just one of them!

 Pete has really gotten into a new hobby - carpentry. He's actually pretty good for a nerd! Will has loved going into the garage to check it out and join in with his toy hammer.

Will loves helping with chores. It's so precious. He loves to sweep the floors (or anything), vacuum, use the brush in the toilet, and unstack the cutlery holder in the dishwasher. He also hands Peter his shoes and socks in the morning when he's getting dressed for work. I love encouraging him in his love of helping people. I just hope he doesn't grow out of it as fast as my brothers and I did!

 

Will and I both had a couple of grotty days at home taking care of 

each other when we had colds.

 

 During which Will did lots of climbing

 lounging around

 And generally being cheeky.

 We watched some favourite programs like Thomas and Friends, 

Playschool and Sesame Street.

And did lots of eating. Like his mum, he rarely loses his appetite...even when sick :-)

June has been a good month and we've had lots on to keep us occupied. We've still got lots to look forward to - another outing to visit our besties in Geelong and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Watt.