Slimming World

http://www.cadbury.co.uk/products/Creme-Egg-2392?p=2392

As I sit here eating a creme egg I thought I'd write about my Slimming World journey (one of the phrases they insist on using!). I have been going to class since November 2011, embarrassingly, at this point, I have only lost 1 stone 3 pound, but some people give up after a couple of weeks and at least I haven't put it all back on.  I started at a size 16-18 and I am now around a 12-14. My aim is to lose at least three stone, but it's more about the dress size; I would like to be a comfortable size 10, possibly an 8.  I want that slim, yet curvy, fit and healthy body of most women's dreams.

I'm fantastic at many aspects of Slimming World; I cook from scratch, stay to class every week, know the plan better than anyone I know and you couldn't name an ingredient, problem or mealtime I wouldn't have a suggestion for.  However whilst slimming world is really flexible and lets you have a little of everything in moderation, I'm not good at moderation. I don't want the tiny glass of wine and fruit salad, I want the bottle and chocolate fudge cake! I could give lots of other examples, but that's basically what it boils down to. 

However I am going on the holiday of my lifetime with my partner and his family in July, the sort of thing my son and I would never have the opportunity to do otherwise and it's a hot hot beach and pool holiday.  His family will HAVE to see me in a SWIMSUIT! I'd love to have the confidence to wear a bikini (I feel like I should whisper that seemingly impossible desire!) So hopefully this incredible holiday will be the motivation I need, I feel like it should be, I keep window shopping bikini, so here's hoping.

The creme egg is my post weigh in treat.  On Wednesdays I get weighed and find out the verdict; today I stayed the same, which wasn't a surprise.  My meals have been ok, it's just been the bits inbetween, the homemade bread and wine... I could go on.  I'm hoping writing about it on here might help my face up to what I'm doing wrong so I can work harder on correcting it.  I may even treat you to some recipes or meal photos!

What I'm proud of this week- Swimming three times. I've always described myself as someone who can't swim, but I swam three times. And I have increased my achievement from 10 lengths to 18, something I never would've believed I could do. 

Children's parties and food allergies

http://www.kidsbirthdaypartieslongisland.net/

Sooo the invites to the party of the year (well hardly) went out on Monday and today we had the first reply. Together with a request from the mother about the food that is bring served; her son has a dairy allergy. She would like to know what we are serving so she can recreate it in a similar manner so her son won't feel left out. All very admirable and committed, which I'm sure you have to be when dealing with food allergies, however we intend to serve the supermarkets best bargains! Value sausage rolls, pizza slices, jam sandwiches on basics bread, cheesy puff balls, etc.

So what do we do? Do I text the mum in advance with a list of all the foods so she can sort it out? We weren't intending to buy the stuff until the day before, or maybe even the day as there's very little prep. Or are we supposed to serve dairy free food to all the kids (surely more expensive) so this boy won't feel left out? Risk him feeling left out and serve him special food?

I hasten to add the mum was lovely about it and her son is a nice little chap. She said that often people don't invite him because it's difficult to feed him, poor lad.

Model for a day....?

Some cheery faces from my front garden, in amongst the snow.

What a busy day! After a bitterly cold school run I rushed home to get ready for my close up! I have been asked to be in a marketing campaign my university is launching, and today I had some photos done. I had strict instructions about what I couldn't wear; no florals, patterns, or black and white. So basically all my wardrobe was ruled out! I managed to put something together that I felt comfortable in, which I would show you, but amateur-stylee have managed to delete the pics from my camera.  

As I approached uni today, it became apparent something different was going on; police patrolling, TV cameras and photographers, it was this http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/gallery_prime_minister_david_cameron_declares_immigration_was_allowed_to_get_badly_out_of_control_during_visit_to_ipswich_1_1990833 Well as lovely as it is to have a bit of excitement at uni, it was quite annoying not being able to access large parts of the area and all the extra security was a little unnerving.  

The photo's really weren't such a big deal, but the photographer was lovely and put me at ease, difficult as it was just me and her in a silent classroom! Afterwards I nipped to the shops and my beloved H and M before heading home.  I picked up;

http://www.hm.com/gb/product/06283?article=06283-B#article=06283-C

Cheery yellow like my daffs and wonderfully lightweight for layering until the weather warms up.

I was so cold when I got home I put it on straight away peeping out from underneath this.

http://www.hm.com/gb/product/07053?article=07053-E

An absolute bargain, though not such a nice range of colours and sheerer than the first one. 

http://www.hm.com/gb/product/03334?article=03334-M#article=03334-L

And I fell in love with the colour of this T-shirt, though mine is purple! I can't find the purple one on the website, but it's a lovely plum colour, which I always thinks looks decent with my blonde hair, definitely not the weather for T-shirts for a while though.

Glorious H and M, I love you!

Photo A Day April

1. Play: Take a photo of play. How do you like to have fun?
2. Blue: This is our charity prompt for Autism Awareness. Shoot something blue.
3. Something beginning with A: Find something beginning with the letter A, snap and share.
4. This happened today: Perhaps you’ll need to take a few photos today and share in a collage, or pick your favourite. What happened to you today?
5. Something good: What’s good in your life right now? Do share!
6. Air: This month we’re exploring the elements: air, earth, water and fire. Today share air. Tough, right?
7. Dreamy: To me dreamy is all about light and putting a filter over a photo that makes it a little whimsical. What does dreamy mean to you? Is it a place you like to escape to? Something you hope for?
8. On your plate: You could take this one literally: what’s on your plate for lunch etc? Or what you have on your to-do list right now…
9. Tiny: Look for the small things in life; little ants running across the path, a teeny flower just starting to bloom.
10. A place: Home, work, a cafe, your town, a place you visited… pick a place and share it. Perhaps even geotag it.
11. Detail: How can you show off the beautiful detail in something. Get in close and show it off, or just shoot something that has lots of detail worth appreciating.
12. In the middle: You can use ‘in the middle’ for composition and take a photo of something smack-bang in the middle of the frame, or choose to shoot something that is placed in the middle of other things. It’s up to you.
13. View from your bed: What do you see when you wake up or go to bed at night? Share it.
14. Water: Share the element water. Is it the sea? In a glass? From a tap?
15. Alone: Take a photo of alone. Perhaps it’s how you feel, what you’re doing, or a lone object sitting on it’s own.
16. Your favourite colour: What’s your favourite colour right now?
17. Busy: What’s the busiest part of your day? Share it, or share something that is busy {a bee, a line at a cafe, a person working, you!}
18. Hello!: Use your imagination on this one. Is it how you greet someone? A sign? A look? Or something else?
19. Button: On your clothes, or a button you press to start/stop thing… or a belly button if you may!
20. On your mind: What are you thinking about today?
21. Fire: The fire element! A match? Candles on a cake? A fireplace? Be careful!
22. Blurry: How can you get creative and make your photo blurry? Move your camera quickly, or have your subject move quickly past the camera. This should be fun!
23. Time: You can show how time passes… the sun rising, a clock, something growing, or another way to represent time.
24. I saw this person today: Who did you see today? A friend, a loved one, a stranger? Shoot them. Well, don’t shoot them… but take a photo. You know what I mean.
25. Life is…: How is life today for you? Hard? Beautiful? Wonderous? Exhausting? Express it in a photo.
26. Childhood: Share something that represents childhood to you. Perhaps it’s a photo of you as a kid.
27. Earth: The last of the elements, how will you share earth with us?
28. My Sunday: To me Sundays seem like a sacred day. Some people go to church, some people rest or make pancakes, others get adventurous. I’d love to see what your Sunday looks like. You can even share more than one photo {a collage perhaps?}
29. I wore this today: Share your whole outfit, or just part of it.
30. Glasses: Drinking glasses giving a cheers, sunglasses or spectacles? You choose.

Nabbed from http://fatmumslim.com.au/april-photo-a-day-take-a-photo-each-day-and-have-some-fun/

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6416313/?claim=2tzy26wxptg">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Here I go!

So.... After reading dozens of blogs for the past year I thought I'd start one of my own.  My initial plan is simply to try to do a daily photo challenge.... but I'm a busy girl so it may not come off! No commitments here.  I read an eclectic group of blogs about money saving, gardening, cooking, beauty, fashion and being a mum.  So that kind of sums up my interests and one of the biggest parts of my life, I'm a mum.  However I'm also a student, dieter and occasional gardener and homemaker.  Expect a wide variety of posting topics.....!