Slapped in the Face by the Wii Fit Balance Board

Since my last post I have finished uni and all my exams, but I am still a little torn about whether or not I want to continue blogging.

 

However, over the last couple of days things have happened that I have wanted to write a post about, so I have decided to come back, write when I want to write and not push it... so lets see how that goes! I am still concerned about having this all public, and falling off the wagon again for all to see, but maybe it could be my driving force? Who knows...

 

Anyway, now I figure I should tell you all what I have been thinking/doing.  I think I mentioned before that my goal was to get back on track once uni was over, so that I would have a bit more free time to dedicate to building up some routines.  Initially I had said that I would start on the 1st December, it seemed like a good place to start and it would give me a week to ease into it all...

 

However... I started yesterday! lol!!

 

I am feeling much more calm about everything, and able to focus on it all, so I figured, why wait if I am feeling like this... better just get on with it!

 

Not long after my last post I decided to jump back on the Wii, the Wii Fit Balance Board told me that it had been 665 days since my last weigh in... and in that time I had put on 22.8kg... Initially I was mortified... but leave it to a computer to tell you what you need to hear and give you that slap in the face!  Funnily enough, it was actually a really good motivator!

 

I used to use the Wii as my main source of exercise when I was single with a mortgage and a limited budget... and it worked really well!!  In fact, that day a few weeks ago when I first jumped back on, I remembered just how much I used to love it!

 

Both yesterday and today I have done at least a half hour workout, using both the Wii and the Xbox, although I have to say that I am leaning more towards the Wii... I think I just feel a little more comfortable with it, and at the moment I am really loving the step programs.  Yesterday I burned 397 calories, and today another 382... and it barely felt like a chore! (BONUS! haha)

Another really big motivator is feeling how much my body is struggling with not only exercises, but also in basic stretches and flexibility.  Not only does it feel a bit 'tighter' but there is a lot more fat in the way. At least I can see/feel the comparison.

 

Food wise, I spent Sunday afternoon organising my Menu Planner app on the iPad again, worked out what I wanted to have for dinners and lunches this week and then used it to help me sort out my shopping list (it automatically builds it for you based on your recipes/meal plan, and then I just delete what I already have).  Yesterday I was right on target for calories, and it looks like today will be the same... at this stage at least! haha!  In my shopping, I did also buy a fun pack of Freddo Frogs and I have popped them into the freezer so that they take longer to eat, and its more of a conscious decision to eat one.

I have also gone back to using Calorie King, it's actually kind of nice to come back to my old faithful... all of my recipes where there from before as well as the lists of my favourite foods. Plus, I know it, I know how it works and can just quickly sort it all out on the computer or iPad.  I love that its all correct and not entered in by the public, I have had a few burns from My Fitness Pal where the data entered was incorrect.

 

Before my exams were on, we basically lived on take away, so I need to tell you all that my weight has gone up... again!!! As of yesterday morning I am 107.9kg... crazy stuff!! However, at least I am feeling more relaxed and a lot more in control, which I am loving. Here's to the weight going down!!

 

At this point in time I have decided to pull down the Goals and Progress sections, as it wasn't working for me in the past... although that may have just been my mindset, but also because it's going to need an overhaul and a fresh start.

Should I Stay or Should I Go??

It is currently T-16 days until my final exam... the last of my final exams actually and I have been thinking a lot about my weightloss and what lies ahead in between all of the studying.

 

I have to admit, I have been considering falling off the blogging wagon for a little while... maybe trying to lose some weight on the quiet...

 

Mostly because I am sick of failing and having it all out there as public knowledge...

 

I don't know if this is the right approach to it all, but I do have to admit that I am still feeling very alone in it all... mostly because this is the position I have put myself into... and let's be honest, the weightloss journey can be a lonely one... especially because only you can do it and commit to it.

 

I look at where I was, where I have ended up and I know that it can be done, because I have done it before.  I have inspired friends and family to lose weight and be healthier... and I can't help but admit that at this point in time, I am actually a little jealous of them... haha!! Ironic huh?!

 

I really miss the local Healthy Inspirations, that closed down not long after the GFC.  The support and community of women there were helpful, uplifting and so supportive.  While I wouldn't want to do their meal planning again, I do miss that atmosphere and the easiness of the exercise.

 

I was committed!

I had time!

I had energy!

I was fit!

I was unstoppable!

 

I want to be there again...

 

 

Checking in....

I have a little bit of time before my anatomy lecture, so I thought I would do a quick post to let you all know that I am still around.

I'm a bit all over the place at the moment, I want to just get on with this whole weightloss thing, but it always seems to just get pushed to the side when everything else comes up. I don't want it to be this way. I want to get back into it and I want it to be how it was before... Eating better, regular exercise and feeling great.... Oh, and fitting into my clothes!!!

Sadly, I just don't think it can be like that again. I finally understand how people struggle when they have a family and how many time restraints there are, not to mention just feeling exhausted!

I don't want this to be my excuse though, I am far too stubborn to give up and to let it beat me... I figure as long as I am trying to do what I can and make better decisions the better I am in general.

Poor planning = piss poor performance

And this is where I am at he moment. I haven't done any meal planning, I've been busy with a little money to do a proper grocery shop and overwhelmed by Uni atm (exams in 3 weeks and I'm not doing so well!)

What I am thinking at the moment is that in 4 weeks Uni will be done for the year, while I will be (hopefully) taking on more shifts, I think it will be less pressure and stress overall and I would like to spend the summer time focussing on weightloss and hopefully putting some routines in place so that when Uni comes back I can keep those going.

'Cos I Said Sew - My little Etsy Store

Hi All!!

Just a quick little post on the run!  I thought I would pop in and let you all know that I have decided to set up an etsy store!  This is to sell all of my crafty bits and pieces along the way, as I tend to get into a tangent and then have too much of what I make!!

So, pop by and check it out :D

'Cos I Said Sew

Weigh In!!

Look! It's Wednesday and I am actually here, writing a post about my weigh in this morning!!!

(Although I should be writing up study cards for anatomy... you know, attempting to be organised and all that...)

So, weigh in...

I haven't really tracked anything this week, and I still haven't done any exercise, but I'm just taking each day as it comes and trying to do the best I can... although I seem to be having massive sugar cravings atm... no idea why though... I have wondered if maybe it was something to do with the whole 'missing out' concept...

I lost 400g this week, which I am happy with.  I have aimed for 500g a week, and considering there was no calorie counting and no exercise, this is a good place to be in!!

I think though, I will get up early tomorrow morning and get a walk in before uni... I need to get this routine going again :)  I also might go for another bushwalk this weekend... I loved getting out there... will be good to do it again!

Also, I have updated the Progress page with measurements, and I have cheated a little and put up the photo of me at the wedding a couple of weeks ago.  I know it's not this weeks one, but at least there is a pic there!

Update

Ok, so now that I have gotten that little tangent out of the way, you will have noticed that I haven't updated for a little while... this is because I have had mid semester exams on all week, so it has been heads down, bum up for a little while.

I am happy to come in and tell you all that at weigh in on Wednesday I lost 1kg!! I was pretty happy with that!!  It was good to see that tracking what I was eating and exercising each day (mostly walking) helped.

This week has been a bit of a different story, not that I have done anything outrageous or anything, but there have been a couple of days where I haven't tracked and I haven't done any exercise at all...  I am ok with this as my mind has been on uni and I am taking this as a long-term journey... and these things happen... like the Tupperware party I had yesterday where we made scones... haha!!

Environmental Impact

Today on Facebook there was an interesting conversations going on when a company I like and follow (Cushie Tushies) posted the picture below

 

 

Ever since I was young (primary school age), I have had an interest in environmentalism.  In fact, my family used to make fun of me for being a "hippy" or a "greenie"... luckily I am far to stubborn to listen to the teasing and have always remained a bit of a "hippy". 

 

The thing is, over the years, I have kind of dropped off on the whole environmentalism thing, but there are a few fundamental aspects that I still follow.

 

In my mind, I am always looking for ways to reduce my impact... like using the Nude Food Movers so that I don't need to use plastic sandwich bags, or having a separate bin next to the rubbish for recycling and then teaching Miss 4 to know what goes into which bin.  There is also the worm farm, which means that I can put my food scraps and coffee grounds in there which will act as a compost and can then go into my veggie garden which reduces the amount of carbon emissions associated with not buying food locally.

 

Additionally, there is also the aspect of buying packaged foods, not only can these be worse for us nutritionally, but there are usually individual packets, which then mean more waste.

 

One of the really scary things I noticed was that each disposable nappy takes about 450 years to decompose!!  I find this so scary as I can't imagine the amount of disposables that could possibly be in landfill right now!!

 

This is one of the reasons why I love the idea of fabric nappies...  I have had friends use them in the past and they have told me about them, and then I met the founder of Cushie Tushies through the 12WBT and I have been following her page ever since... I had decided that when I had a baby that I would use these nappies, but after seeing this picture, it has really solidified it for me.

 

Right now, I feel like the biggest preacher, but the point of all of this was actually noticing how much I do to actively make a difference... I know that I am not perfect, and that there is a lot more that I can do, but it's nice to know that I am doing a little bit each day to help.

Saturday Morning Bushwalk

This morning I went for my bushwalk as planned.  It was great to get out there again with the walking, and I was lucky to have a friend come with me. 

 

As I said in a previous post, I really love bushwalking, there is something about being out in nature that is so relaxing yet invigorating.

 

Unfortunately, the walk didn't exactly go to plan.  Our 2.6km walk which should have taken about 30 minutes, ended up taking about an hour... and was probably about 4.5km... the thing is, we got to a certain point, and then there were no signs and no clear path.  I had a quick look at the gps/maps on my phone and the road would have taken us the wrong way... so being the daughter of a ranger and having learned that only fools leave the path, we turned around and walked back the way we knew, hence the extra time and distance.

 

All in all, it was great.  It was nice to get out in nature, great to catch up with a friend, and an awesome but accidental extra workout.  I ended up burning 450 calories!! Haven't had a workout like that for a while... and the best part is, it didn't even feel like it!!

Fit Bit

Have you guys seen these? They seem to be all the rage at the moment.

I have to admit that I love gadgets!  When I go for walks at the moment, not only am I wearing my Polar FT4, but I am also wearing a pedometer and using an app on my phone to track my walk!!

The Fit Bit, from what I can tell is just awesome!  There are a couple of models, so as you go up in price the more features it has.  The best part about them all is that they are wireless and will actually sync to your computer or phone.  Which means that it's a great way to track all of your activity levels and graphs them out - I am a sucker for a good graph!! You can also 'challenge' friends and it also connects with other trackers like My Fitness Pal so that you can see the whole calories in/out ratios

The one that I have seen everywhere is the Zip, this one offers:

• wireless connections
• connects to the iPhone 4 & 5
• steps taken
• calories burned
• distance travelled

The Zip is about $70.

There is also another called Ultra, it offers:

• wireless connections
• connects to the iPhone 4 & 5 & Android (but what bugs me about this is that there is no Windows app for it!! bah!)
• steps taken
• calories burned
• distance travelled
• stairs climbed
• tracks sleeping patterns

The Ultra is about $120... and I have to say... I want this one!! I love how much that it can do, but I really love the extras.  We have stairs at home which I seem to always be climbing up and down, and I really like the idea of having it track my sleeping patterns as well, as I would just find it so interesting!

One thing I do wonder though, is how it all works, is it like a pedometer where it reacts to movement (although if it connects to MapMyRun it must have GPS in it), and I am wondering if it's better than a HRM... I can't imagine that it is... but I am not sure... I have to say that while the website looks flashy, it doesn't seem to give answers.

But, speaking of gadgets, while I was on their site, I came across a wireless scale called the Aria, now this is about $150, but I love it!! I love that it is a wireless scale!  No trying to trick yourself about when you weigh in - it logs it all for you!!  I just love that!!

It tracks:

• body weight
• BMI
• body fat %

Right now I am dreaming about these little tools, but as I said, I am a gadget girl!!

Walking

Well, I have been getting those walks in!!!

 

Yesterday morning I really struggled to get out of bed... I was just so tired!!  I managed to drag my sorry butt out though (20 minutes later!!) and went for a walk.  I followed the same route, but when one street further.  I still got the pains, but it wasn't until later when I was on my way back home, although after also working yesterday afternoon my legs were pretty tired when I got home!!  In addition to the sore leg and foot yesterday, I managed to get some pains up my shins... hooray for shin splints!!

• I walked for 20 minutes
• I burned 228 calories
• I walked 1.91km

 

This morning I made the decision to sleep, as I had planned to go for a walk this afternoon with my sister.  After an intense study day, I needed the break, so I headed over to her place so we could go for a walk. I don't have accurate measures of time as we also popped in to see my Dad on the way home, but:

• I burned 200 calories
• I walked for 1.8km

So far it's all going well!  Today the shin splints were the worst, but I learned that if I walk on the grass they don't hurt as much.  Tomorrow is a full day at work, so that is about 13000 steps there... so I won't be doing an additional walk as I don't think my body can take it right now.

 

However, on Saturday I have a bushwalk with my friends before my knitting group which will be great!  I love being out in nature (although I wouldn't call myself an outdoors girl!), it really relaxes me and makes me feel so fulfilled.

Accountability

Well, it turns out that telling you all that I am going to get up at 7am and go for a walk actually keeps me accountable!

Who would have thought?!

I cannot begin to describe how hard it was for me to get out of bed this morning... I kept trying to tell myself that I promised to go for a walk, and if I didn't actually go, it just wouldn't happen... followed by, its ok, go back to sleep, you need sleep, it's only walking and you can go for a walk later...

So, at 7:09am I got up and out of bed and got ready, so that I was out the door at 7:20am. I tell you, the first few steps were the hardest!! By the time I got out of bed and got ready, I then had to convince myself to actually leave the house!

But, leave the house I did.  My goal was 15 minutes, but while I was walking I decided I would aim for 20 minutes.  I am not sure if I am just not walking anymore, or what was wrong, but I had some pain in my left leg, and the right side of my right foot was also in a fair bit of pain... From memory I usually have these kinds of issues the first time I exercise in a while, so hopefully tomorrow I will be right to go and will be able to walk more.

Initially I had a time goal in mind (I reverted back to 15 minutes) and then I turned it into a distance goal, so I walked to the end of the block, turned around and walked back.  I am hoping to be able to walk the full 5km that I have mapped out.

In the end, I had:

• Walked for 18 minutes
• Burned 183 calories
• Walked for 1.75km

Wedding Celebrations

B and I have just gotten back from a wonderful weekend away in the Hunter Valley for a friends wedding.  The weather was simply beautiful and the bride and groom were stunning.

 

Overall it was just amazing to have a weekend away, just B and I and it was great to have a chance to dress up and let loose.

 

Boy oh boy did I let loose!!!

 

I ate what I wanted, when I wanted and didn't really think about anything nutritional. On Saturday night I drank so much wine... looking back, it was probably close to 2 bottles... yeah... it was a lot!!  Especially for someone who hadn't been drunk in over a year it was a pretty epic night!!

 

One thing I did find was that some of my passion for helping people with their diets/nutritional aspects of their lives.  A friend of ours has recently been diagnosed as being gluten intolerant and also cannot eat onion or garlic.  While she is seeing a dietician it was great to be able to talk about nutritional values to foods and help to give ideas.  She has the opposite problem to me in that she keeps loosing weight (I just keep finding it!), but didn't know how to eat more, and needed ideas on how to start eating breakfast.  I don't pretend to know as much as a dietician (hence why I am studying to be one) but I do know some tips on how I was able to eat breakfast, or healthy snacks and whatnot.  I also directed her to the Healthy Food Guide magazine which has lots of recipes for people who are gluten intolerant as well as some excellent articles.

 

As you can see from the above photo, the outfit went well, as did the shrug.  I was so glad I made it, not only to cover my arms, but it actually got a bit chilly with the wind that was there.

 

I have to admit that while I love the outfit... I am not very happy with how I look in it, or in any of the photos.  In fact, there isn't a single photo that I haven't cringed at, but I know the only person who can deal with this, is me.

 

Whenever I travel I always make excuses for how I eat.  It's almost as though when I leave town calories didn't exist, and nutritionally everything has the same value... which we all know is not the case.

 

While I ate so much crap while I was away, and B and I even had pizza for dinner tonight as we were exhausted from all of the travelling, I am really looking forward to getting some real home cooked meals in.  The thing is, the way I eat is up to me, so is how I exercise.  I keep putting blame on B for not cooking things that are more nutritional in that he may not like it, but I think I need to put myself first on this.  I know that B will support me in this (as long as there is some form of meat involved), I just don't want him to feel as though he is missing out... That I am forcing him to eat things that he doesn't like... but I have a feeling this is a common thing??

 

When I was tracking over the last couple of weeks it was nice to have that feeling of control, but it was also great to know that I could eat what I wanted, I just needed to make it work.  I had forgotten this and I love the freedom that it gave me.  I am looking forward to getting back to this tomorrow.

 

It is also now October, which means Walktober is here!  Don't forget to join my team if you want to!!  I think it's a great challenge, and I think it's going to be a great motivator.  In fact, I am putting it on here that tomorrow I want to go for a walk!  I am wanting to get up at 7am and go for atleast a 15 minute walk... just to start small, but to at least get started.  Hopefully once I get going I will just keep going... you know, like Forrest Gump... maybe I'll even get to the point where I will be running... hopefully not the way Forrest runs though...

 

I have also decided that I will keep the Progress and Goals pages as they are, but just keep adding to them now.  There is no point in deleting the information on them, because this is my journey... and there are going to be hiccups along the way.

 

Right now I am trying to think of a new goal to have.  While the wedding one didn't quite work out the way I wanted it to, the truth is, my mindset is so much better than it was back then, and I over the last few weeks I have managed to put a few things into perspective, and seem to have a bit more stickability and perseverance as well as a long term approach.  While I am not back to the way I used to be, I know what the building blocks are, and I just need to start putting them back into place.

 

Seeing as it is October, Christmas is now about 12 weeks away (I know!!!! I don't want to admit to that either!!), but in regards to losing weight it is a good goal to have!  At half a kilo a week, that would be 6kg.  While this next weigh in is probably going to be a gain due to this weekend away, I am hoping it will put me under 100kg!  Now that's a goal!!  I will update the blog with this goal after weigh in on Wednesday.

 

It's time to get this sorted, I keep talking about it all, but now it's time for action... and that means continuing to calorie count and also to include exercise!

Amazing and Inspiring Woman

I have just sat down and read this amazing story of Kazz's journey.

 

What an exceptional woman!!!! I am simply in awe of her!!! She has lost an incredible amount of weight and she has such confidence!!  Not only in herself, but in her journey and in taking control of her life.

 

Her journey has taken 5 years so far, but I love that it's not an issue for her (it annoyed me that I was at it for 4 years) and she is going so strong!!

 

She reminds me of the passion I once had for weight loss and nutrition, which I will honestly admit has diminished considerably, so much so that I have seriously considered whether I am doing the right thing in studying to be a nutritionist.  However, she has inspired me to find my passion again.  I want my confidence back!  I want to believe in myself again! I want to have the passion I used to feel back in my life!! 

 

This story has brought back so many memories for me tonight, how I felt, how much I achieved and how proud of myself I was.  It doesn't matter if it takes me another 4 years, all that matters is that I take control of the situation and learn to love and respect myself and my body again.

 

Kazz, I feel as if your story has woken me up again, and I am ready to get on with it, and get it done!  Thank You!!

 

 

Wedding Outfit

So, remember a while ago I asked you all to vote on a dress and shrug for an upcoming wedding?  Well, that wedding is this coming weekend, and I ended up making 2 shrugs!!  I thought I would put up a couple of pics of the dress with teh 2 shrugs for you all.

The shrugs are the same pattern, but different colours.  I decided to make the second shrug as I just don't really like the first one!!

This is the one I am going to wear with the dress:

Doesnt look so great on the hanger, but you get an idea.

This second photo is with the original shrug:

 I think it just looks a bit muted or something...

But here are the shoes I got too!

I like these as they are heels, but because they have the wedge in them they will be a lot more stable for this girl who doesn't wear heels!!

Today I also went shopping for a new bra to wear with the dress... you know, something to make them look a little nicer! haha!! I couldn't find one really (putting on weight means big boobs that you can't find bras for!!!!), but I did buy a new 'gut sucker' as I call them, but this one is a dress kind of one where it sits lower in the front so that you can wear what bra you want.

Hopefully I will get a nice pic of B and I this weekend, we don't tend to take photos and never seem to be in them together! haha!!

The Power of Tracking

I'm still here!!!  Exams are coming up so I have been focusing on those and haven't been blogging.

However, over the last week I have been tracking what I have been eating and any exercise I have done (which admittedly, isn't much) using My Fitness Pal. It's great to be just getting on with it and knowing that I am watching what I am eating without missing out and without stressing about it all.

The main reason I went back to My Fitness Pal is because they have apps for both my phone and the iPad, which means I can track from anywhere.  A lot of other websites don't have good apps, or good apps don't have websites.

I didn't post in here, but last week I weighed in at 105.5kg (not so great!!), but as of this morning I have lost 1.3kg, so it's a great start!!

I have also been thinking about restarting the Progress page, the biggest thing that held me up with that was not getting the photos taken, so I have asked a friend of mine to take a photo of me when we catch up each week, and I know she will keep me accountable.

Walktober - Join Me!

So, as you all know, I have been trying to get my butt into gear and get moving again... and eat better... and well, lose weight!

I bought the latest Weight Watchers mag today, and inside I found a little snippet on how October is "Walktober" in Australia.

I need all the help I can get, and I do love a good challenge!!  So, I thought I would set up a team and anyone out there who would like to join me in this can!  I have set up a group which I have named "Nutritionally Yours Teamsters" and I would love for you all to join me!!

To sign up, go to the website and click join on the left hand side.  When it asks you for a team simply find the one I have created, and enter the password (nutrition).

My goal will be to walk for at least 15 minutes each day... which will basically mean going from nothing to everyday, but I can aim high and go from there!!

Might be a good place for people to get started, or to reassess goals or even just to try something new!!

WHOOSH!!!! Over 10,000!!

WOWEE!!!!

I just had a look at my pageviews and it has just ticked over 10,000 pageviews!!!

Thank you everyone for visiting my blog!!  I can't believe I have cracked the 10k mark!!  You all keep me accountable, and for that I thank you all!!

Little Piggy

Oomph!  I don't feel so good!!

I have totally pigged out today and had far too much sugar... while I feel like crap at the moment, it has made me realise that my eating hasn't been so bad  over the last few weeks, it hasn't been great, but it's been pretty good.

Small win!!

I haven't posted on here for about a week, but I have been thinking a lot about posting something up, I have just been focussing on uni work, and trying to catch up/get through it all.

I have to admit that I have come off the wagon a bit with eating/exercising, which I have to say is mostly because I didn't see any differences on the scales which in turn made  me feel sad... and then the good habits started to fade.

My mental awareness of food is coming back though, and I think so is my positive attitude to weightloss as well, as I have been finding that I have started telling myself some of my old mantras:

"It doesn't matter if you fall off the wagon, it's that you're still trying"

"You haven't failed because you haven't given up"

"It doesn't matter how many times you try again, it matters that you are trying"

"Where would you be if you weren't trying?? Probably somewhere worse!"

I personally like these, as it does make me feel better to know that I am still here, and still giving it a go, because it could  be worse... I could be getting fatter...

 

And the fact that I have had a bit of a sugar pig out today reminds me that not only do I not like how it makes me feel, but that I don't want to be this way.

 

Yes, I am scared of trying... I am scared of it not working, but in all honesty... I am feeling lazy in that I don't want to try... I know how much hard work goes into losing weight, and it makes me feel tired.

 

This is such a lame excuse/reason!!  How ridiculous!!!

 

I know it is up to me... I am just scared that I am not enough... can I do this??

 

One person who always believes in me is my buddy Cas, who always manages to pep me up... and I never realise this until hours or days later...  She gets me thinking, and well, actually... she gets inside my head!!! I can hear her words going round and round inside my head.

 

The other night I set up my profile to get calorie counting again and I even set up my profile on an Xbox game to get exercising on that... so there are some positive steps...

 

Now, I just need to get my fat arse to do it!!

 

In fact... I might go and do something now... something fun, that I love doing... Might be time to do some step!

20 Day Cleaning/Organising Challenge: Day 6

Day 6: Bathrooms - The Organised Housewife

 

I'm a little delayed in writing this post... in truth, I am exhausted!  Last night I was just so shattered after finishing the bathrooms, that I decided to not only hold off on writing this post, but also to have today off from cleaning (more on this soon).

 

Cleaning: Bathrooms

As I mentioned in my last post, we have 2 bathrooms and 3 toilets, so it was no small job that I completed last night! haha!!  I bought myself another microfiber cloth just for the bathrooms - I have to say that I LOVE these cloths!! They are so fantastic!! The ones I have are 2 different brands and they are different from each other, I figured a microfiber cloth is the same as the next one, but the one I picked up yesterday seems a little more sturdy and would be better for cleaning whereas the yellow one I think is better for dusting.

 

Usually in the shower we keep a squeegee in the showers to wipe off all of the water afterwards to help with the soap scum, however there was still a little bit on the bottom of the shower screens that needed a little scrubbing... this is where my microfiber cloth came in handy!

 

One of the biggest parts of keeping up with the bathrooms are the clothes on the floors... I have spent today trying to catch up with the washing, so far I still have a couple more loads to go, but I might try to get those done before work tomorrow morning... then comes all of the folding... yuck!!  I am hoping to dedicate a portion of this weekend to getting it all folded and put away.

 

Overall, the bathrooms weren't too bad to clean, it was more the number that was the problem!!

 

Declutter: Bathroom Vanity Bench

Other than doing the usual stuff to clean the bathrooms, I also focused on decluttering the sinks, plus I went out and found a little plastic holder with suction caps because I liked the idea of keeping them off the sink to make it all easier to wipe down.  Another idea I really liked was keeping all of the face washers in a drawer for easy access.

 

Organise: Shower Caddy

I bought a few things to put my shower caddy together; the blue microfiber cloth and a scrubbing brush, and then I added a shower cleaner I had from before and I also took mirror wipes and shower wipes from my cleaning bucket from the first preseason tasks.  I have added this to under the main bathroom sink.

 

New Habit: Clear & Wipe Down Vanity

Basically, this one speaks for itself, it's recommended to clear and wipe down the bathroom vanity after brushing your teeth.

 

5 Minutes Only: Wash the Clothes Line

I have got to say... I didn't do this, for starters, it was  too late, plus right now it's just something I can't fit in.

 

As I mentioned before, I took today off from cleaning, this was for a few reasons:

1. Our fridge isn't too bad clean wise
2. The oldish food simply won't fit in our bin at the moment
3. I am exhausted... I just ache and I needed a day to recharge.

On a side note though, I had a friend over this afternoon who has seen our place at it's worst and she was so impressed with how the house looks... and I have to say, so do I!!!

 

 

20 Day Cleaning/Organising Challenge: Day 5

Day 5: Floors - The Organised Housewife

Yesterday I also completed Day 5 of the challenge... the floors!!  I wanted to wait until I had finished tidying the lounge room before I cleaned the floors.  I did only do the downstairs area, as upstairs is still in shambles and I don't think there is much point in attempting those at this stage (although the bedroom has been done from Day 2).  I don't have any photos today as I don't think the floors are really that exciting.

Cleaning: Floors

I really got stuck into the vacuuming, I vacuumed not only the floor (tiles and carpet), but I really got into all the corners, the skirting, where the carpet meets the wall and even on top of the windows, the sills and the window tracks.

Then I had to learn to use our steam mop.  Believe it or not, since we owned it, I had never used it, B always did it.  After a bit of complaining and maybe a little swearing, I did the kitchen, the entryway and also the little bit of vinyl under Miss 4's table and chairs.  I quite like that it uses only steam to clean the floors without the chemicals, but I do find it hard to wrap my head around the idea that the floors are clean without the chemicals.

Declutter: Out of Date Food

I haven't gotten to this part yet, but I do need to find some time to get it done. I think the title speaks for itself really.

Organise: The Pantry

Another one where the title says it all... I have to admit... I hate our pantry!  I really dislike corner pantries where the shelves are so big that I can't touch the back of the corner.  I find it hard to organise them and keep them tidy.  So, I have actually delegated this task to B... haha!! I am lucky in that he is willing to help me out on this challenge.

New Habit: Put Rubbish in the Bin

This one I am happy to say that I am getting better at, basically this task is to put rubbish in the bin immediately, so that there is no way it can build up and get out of control.

5 Minutes Only: Tidy Kitchen Bench

Oh Happy Days!!!  I didn't really have to do this one, as I have actually been keeping the kitchen spotless!! It looks exactly the same after I finished it on Day 1 - although at the moment there is a quiche cooling on the stove, so that I can have it for lunch this week.

Tomorrow is the dreaded bathrooms... in our house we have the main bathroom as well as an ensuite, but as we live in a 2 story townhouse, we also have 3 toilets... 3 toilets to clean... oh hooray... haha!!

I mentioned earlier that B is willing to help me out during this challenge, while this is true, I am actually really enjoying doing this challenge (never thought I could say that I would enjoy cleaning) as I am finding it so therapeutic, I already feel as though my mindset is changing.

 

 

20 Day Cleaning/Organising Challenge: Day 4, Part 2

Day 4, Part 2: Lounge Room - The Organised Housewife

 

Ok, so I have finally made it back in here to blog about my lounge room progress.  I have spent a little of each day (Friday though Sunday) getting up to date and getting through everything.

 

As it was just Miss 4 and I on Friday night, I decided that we would get pizza, put Wall-E on and start sorting out her toys.  I must say, I am so proud of her for the amount of stuff that she was willing to part with... I don't think I would have been that way when I was younger! haha!  We made 3 piles:

• to keep
• to give away
• rubbish

I think the biggest pile was the pile for charity!  I told her how there are some children who don't have any toys and that maybe we could give them the toys that she doesn't play with anymore.  Admittedly, she did get a little carried away with some of the toys to give away and I had to rescue a few of the more important toys. In the end we have 2 garbage bags full of toys plus a smaller bag full as well.

 

We put the toys she was to keep back into her toy box, and from being overflowing, it currently barely reaches the top of the giant cardboard box.  I am really looking forward to getting the bench I mentioned in my previous post, I can't wait to get her toys put away and have it all looking really tidy.

 

Yesterday we had quite a big day of errands, but I did manage to gather a few things that needed to go back to their original owners, or items that we were giving away to friends/family.  I also cleaned off the lounge of stuff I had started organising getting them ready to be put away, but one of the biggest tasks was to tidy the space near B's recliner which had a lot of my knitting stuff there and a lot of B's IT stuff... The majority of the knitting stuff got shoved into the walk in wardrobe with my other knitting stuff (I think I need more tubs to get it organised better), and I have sat B's IT stuff aside for him to go through, as I have no idea what I am looking at.

 

A few things that have been rearranged:

• My knitting bag/storage (thing), now only contains my circular sets and my current projects and it is now sitting next to my recliner
• My laptop is resting against the knitting storage next to the little table between the recliners
• Miss 4's pink bin is now next to her other toy box (cardboard)

 

I also got a squeegee for cleaning the windows outside.  It was fun to do!  I got my bucket, added hot water to a little bit of dishwashing detergent, went outside and washed the windows/sliding doors to the lounge room.  I do still need to do the inside, but they already look so much better having all of the dirt off them from the outside!!  Wish I could do the upstairs ones!!

 

There are also a few changes coming up to help with the layout:

• Miss 4's new toy box/bench
• A sewing table so that I can get my sewing machine and sewing 'stuff' out of the lounge room and into the study

Both of these I have mentioned before, but I am sure that I will blog about them once I get them!! I can't wait... it feels strange not having them in here when I know they are coming, I kind of feel as though I haven't finished the task yet, or that the rooms just aren't tidy enough yet.

Miss 4's toys for charity

20 Day Cleaning/Organising Challenge: Day 4, Part 1

Day 4, Part 1: Lounge Room - The Organised Housewife

That's right... I had to do the lounge room in 'parts' to be able to get it all done... so I have done a large portion of it tonight (at least I hope it's a large portion!!!)

 

What I did was try to get stuck into some of the bigger areas that needed doing, mostly the little table between the recliners, the sewing machine table (otherwise known as the dining table!! haha!! Not that we ever used it as that!), the buffet and I started clearing the stuff behind the lounge.

The buffet area was the first place I took to, and it actually went a lot faster than I thought it would.  It was basically full of papers that were waiting to be filed and there was quite a bit there that could be thrown away or rehomed.

 

Then I cleared the area between the recliners, once again it was full of papers, but it also had a bit of craft stuff and a lot rubbish that could be thrown away.  We have a universal remote now, so I also cleared away all of the original remotes that I came across.

Finally... the big one... the whole area I have been avoiding!!  The sewing table.  Who knew working at a craft store could mean so much fabric... holy cow I have far too much!!  I had to sort through not only fabric but buttons, threads, bias binding, patterns, etc.

 

But... it has been done!

The only other large area that needs going through is Miss 4's toys/area.  I have been trying to figure out the best way to sort this out for a little while now... so last night after I found out what today's task would be I started on The Great Toy Box Hunt.  I wanted something that would look neat and tidy, be practical, but wouldn't stand out in the lounge room.  Initially I had decided on a blanket box to put there, but after looking at it in the shop, I decided that it would be okay, but I had a few concerns (colour and the heaviness of the lid - I didn't want Miss 4 to get her fingers caught), so I had a bit of a wander around, and then I found this from Fantastic Furniture:

It matches in perfectly with our current furniture, and it has big drawers... meaning that there won't be a lid ajar when she tries to fit as many toys in.  Also, having the drawers means that it will all need to fit in there to be able to close... and hopefully (and I am hoping!!) that we can keep the toys to a minimum in the lounge room. The only downside is that they didn't have any in stock so we now wait "up to 2 weeks" for it to get here, but in the mean time I can start clearing out some of the toys.

 

Also, after cleaning off the sewing table, B and I have talked about me getting one of those sewing tables that pack up quite small and the sewing machine hides within it until needed.  We are hoping to put it up into the study which will not only keep the lounge room (main area) tidier and look nicer, but it will also mean that my sewing will be out of the way - so I suppose I have now taken over the spare room as I seem to have claimed the study, and it will now be my sewing room too!  We are looking at the Redi-Sew, from Spotlight.

 

I am hoping to get the rest of the lounge room finished on Saturday, as I will hopefully get tomorrow's task (floors) done tomorrow night.

 

I have to admit, I am falling a little behind now that I have had to split today's task, but luckily the other tasks will be fairly easy to get through.

 

Clean: Lounge room

Place decorative cushions on washing line in sunshine for a few hours to help remove dustmites

Wash throw rugs

Dust all units in your lounge room: TV unit, display cabinets, coffee table etc.

Remove all DVD’s, CD’s or video games and dust this area, giving consoles and DVD players a good clean

Reconsider the amount of ornaments you have on display to make dusting easier

Dust all photo and picture frames

Wipe over all TV remote controls and video game controllers to remove germs and dirt build up

Clean light fittings

Spot clean your couch

Vacuum couch

Roll up rug and vacuum underneath

Well... I honestly didn't get to most of these, but it's getting there.  We don't have decorative cushions, but I did wash the throw rugs. I dusted and wiped down the areas that I was cleaning today, but not all of them.

Declutter: Magazine Collection
I have to say that I won't be doing this, the only thing I will be doing with my magazines is organising them.  I only get The Healthy Food Guide and some Weight Watchers magazines.  I am happy to part with the WW ones, but I keep the HFG for not only the recipes, but the articles, as I do revisit those (comes with studying to be a nutritionist I suppose).

Organise: Pampering
I quite like this task... although I have to admit that my initial response to this was to avoid it... which is weird!! Why would I not want to have some me time??  What I would love is a nice massage, a relaxing bath and lots of candles lol, but I'll have to figure something out for this I guess.

New Habit: Say No
I have to say, I think I am generally ok with this... aside from the fact that my social life has dropped off dramatically, I just study, work and currently, I clean lol!  But I am also fairly confident in saying no to things so that I can get my work done.

5 Minutes Only: Clean Windows in Main Areas
I will have to do this on Saturday as well... the only problem is that having 2 stories, it's hard to clean outside of the windows on the top floor.  But, I will do what I can!

So, that's it for now... the house is getting there.  I think once the lounge room is finished and the floors are done, the house will look amazing!!

I am so glad I have decided to do the before and after photos, it makes it that more awesome to see the finished product.

20 Day Cleaning/Organising Challenge: Day 3

Day 3: Laundry - Organised Housewife

 

I know I am late in getting this post up, in fact, in 45 minutes it will no longer be Day 3!  What I did today was to focus on uni in the morning, work in the afternoon and then study a little more before getting stuck into today's room, the laundry.

 

I chose to do it this way today as first off I am running really behind at uni and secondly it was a pretty easy day for me today in regards to cleaning as our laundry is tiny and overall didn't require much cleaning.  As such, it also meant that there were quite a few tasks that didn't get done as they weren't required for us personally.

 

I did rearrange things slightly, I moved the steam mop to it's own little corner, I got rid of some of the cleaning products that we don't use anymore and then I finally started using the cupboard under the sink and put all the stuff we still need but not on a day-to-day basis in there and left all of the essentials on top in containers.

 

I even scrubbed the sink (not sure if that has ever been done since we have lived here - but we don't really use it anyway), wiped down the window sills and scrubbed the top of the washing machine where all of the cleaning products had leaked over time... yuck!!!

 

I didn't do the floors, mostly because I like to do all the downstairs at the one time, plus the laundry actually connects to 2 other rooms (lounge room and bathroom), and I just think that as a heavy traffic area, the mess from the other 2 rooms would get tracked into it anyway.

 

So, the bits and pieces today were:

 

Clean: Laundry

Wipe over the laundry sink

Clean all benchtops/surfaces

Using the brush attachment remove all dust and lint from your dryer

Dust your laundry walls (lint and dust does build up due to moisture from the dryer

Clean window

Clean floor

Declutter: Laundry Pile

This actually didn't happen as we don't really have or need a system like she has set up as we wash everything together. We have 3 washing hampers in our house, one in our room, one in Miss 4's room and one in the lounge room, just outside the laundry.  The only time this system doesn't work is when we (mostly me!) don't put the clothes in the hamper.

 

Organise: Laundry Routine

We really don't have one at the moment, however, I like the idea of washing towels on one day, linen on another, etc.  For us though, as I mentioned before, we wash everything together, so I have been thinking about is as being a routine for us:

• Monday: Clothes
• Tuesday: Towels
• Wednesday: Clothes
• Thursday: Clothes
• Friday: Kitchen stuff
• Saturday: Bedsheets
• Sunday: Off

New Habit: Load of Washing

I was going to say that I didn't do this today, but I actually washed my work uniform before my shift started today... I don't think it's exactly what she meant, but hey!  It was washing!!  Basically for this one, the strategy is to put a load of washing on in the morning or night and add it to the evening routine... I actually think adding it to the evening routine works best for me, mostly as I am not a morning person and struggle to wake up!

 

5 Minutes Only: Dust/Polish 2 Pieces of Furniture

I had a bit of a giggle about this... I actually don't think I have any furniture left to dust.  The only things I can think of will actually be dealt with tomorrow (lounge room) or the bookcases upstairs.  However there is a bit of decluttering that needs to happen first!

 

By the way - we're not alcoholics... I got B a home brew kit for Christmas last year!! haha!!