I was helping mummy in the garden and....

 well I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Day 2 Very Tired

Broccoli from my Garden.

I am very tired today from my big baby weights training program walk (Read 8.5kg baby in a back carrier up a mountain with a dog) and a weights session at the gym.

I am already feeling the DOMS and I'm thinking I won't be able to lift Harris tomorrow.

We are having evaporative cooling installed tomorrow so no gym for me - but I am planning on doing some gardening and a session on the spin bike!

That's all I can write for now because I am soooo tired (and I have to tidy up before the contactors want to come into my house!)

Fitness Monday

The Michelle Bridges program is split into Fitness and Toning - alternating each day. Today was Fitness and me being my usual self couldn't help but add to it. I guess I am probably a little fitter than many who would do a program froma book (but probably not much!)

Today's fitness session was a circut of two rounds, consisting of the following - each being 20 reps.

* Fast low step running Rt Leg
* Fast low step running Lt Leg
* Push Ups on Knees
* Freestanding body weight squat (and I just realised I forgot to do this entirely!)
* Standing shoulder Press with light weights
* Static Lunge with support
* Standing biceps curl with light weight

Abs
* Crunches
* Crunch with Right twist
* Crunch with Left twist

I also did 25 minute on the treadmill - 20 mins at 6% incline walking at 6.5min/km and 5 mins or 1 km running.

The great thing about this program is that it is designed to be able to be done either at home or at the gym. So if for whatever reason I am unable to make it to the gym (and with limited Childcare hours that is often the case)I can still get it done at home.

I found out this morning that due to increased membership they are limiting the childcare to 20 places per session - with 2 sessions tunning each morning AND you have to book them in on the morning of the day you want to go. It does make it that little bit harder and if you ask me I think they should just extend the childcare to 2pm. The gym offers a reduced fee membership for "Off Peak" times which allows you to go between 9am and 2pm each weekday. Considering that Childcare is only available between 9am and 12pm it really limits when you are able to go.
Next year I am going to have to change to the more expensive membership so I can go in the morning before work or in the evening (not that that will probably happen because Harris is always mr Grumpy pants in the evening). I might change gyms though - I'll have to wait and see next year.

I got thinking while I was at the gym that perhaps I needed some new gym clothes - my two pairs of leggings were a little threadbare and prone to falling down. I also decided that I needed a new pair of running shoes. When parts of the shoe are falling off it is probably time! So after I was finished at the gym thats what I did!

Now I just have to make sure I keep using it!

And So...

I come to the sombre realisation that in Two and  a half short months I have to return to work...BooHoo...

I am 100% positive that this is going to hit me like a steam roller even though I know it is coming.

So I am begrudgingly going to attempt to be all  grown up like and start being super organised and doing things properly and such so that it doesn't come as SUCH a massive shock to me and I lose the plot entirely.

Last week we were confirmed a place at the child care centre which is located on the hospital campus. I cannot tell you what a relief and weight off my shoulders that was! I was secretly stressing about it I am sure. Having Harris at this childcare centre will make it so much easier for both of us.

Once I get back into the swing of it all and Harris is a teensy bit bigger I am hoping to ride my bike to work at least twice per week.  We only live 5km from the hospital and I'm hoping to pack us both up and ride up there each day - that may be wishful thinking but I will at least give it a go. Mark can collect harris at 4pm on those days because he finishes work an hour or so earlier than I do. 

I am going back to work 3 days per week and I think I will stick to working that until we have finished having kids and they are at school. I think it is a nice balance.

What I want to do before we get to that point though is try and increase my stamina again and start going back to the gym properly. I am going to start scheduling it into my diary and making it part of our day and working the other things that need doing in around that and the general household organisational things. As boring as it may seem, I think it is important that I stop living in the little fairyland of coffee mornings and shopping and start living to somwhat of a schedule again. After all it will be enforced once I head back to work.

Its probably going to be hard and I'm probably not going to like it - but hey thats what life if like sometimes!

A while back I bought the Michelle Bridges book - "Crunch Time"  - I'm going to try and follow the training plan in there for the time between now and going back to work - just to increase my fitness and help me to not be so tired at the end of the day.

Having a baby is fun and I love playing with him all day but I think it is time to get down to business again.
My leg is still a little twingy but I'm hoping that some stretching each day will help it along.

So I'll hopefully be updating here a bit more in the coming weeks!

Hints and tips

Not much of anything except babycare going on in my world at the moment. As it creeps closer to the time I am planning on returning to work I find myself wanting to spend more time with Harris. I have had a sore leg for the past few weeks which has hampered my desire to get back to running

I thought I would do a post on the things I could and couldn't live without when I first had Harris. I didn't really overbuy but there were things I barely used.

Must have's
-sling/baby carrier - I have a baby bjorn and a baba sling but I could easily have bought a hug-a-bub and used it just as much. (And I just bought and Ergo baby carrier - but they are better for when the baby is bigger)
-Stretchy escape proof wraps- the baby may be small but they are certainly a good escape artist
-reusable cloth breast pads - these were much more comfortable than the disposable ones
-a baby bag that is comfortable, not too heavy when packed and that you love-I have two; a fancy Oroton one that I hardly use and a smaller lighter one that I love!(mine is from H is for Handbag)
- cloth flat nappies for wiping up after baby (Didn't think I would actually use these and they have been invaluable)
- a car seat/capsule
- my walking pram

What I didn't use all that much

- baby oils, powders, shampoos and washes. Babies don't really get dirty and usually have very dry skin, the only products have really used is Weleda nappy rash cream and moogoo moisturizer
- port a cot - we were given one and I haven't used it yet
- snuggle bed


other things
- I did't use our highchair until Harris was 6 months old and am glad I did' t buy one before hten. Hairchairs are possibly the most annoying creation on the planet. They get filthy, snap your fingers off when you are trying to clip them up and are brilliant food hiders - if you can borrow one to figure out what you need in a high chair then do that!)
- I didn't buy Harris a play mat with dangly toys until he was 2 months old and then by the time he was 6 months, he was destroying it so much that I had to pack it away. I would buy second hand You can pick up some great bargains on ebay!).
- cloth nappies would have been difficult for me to manage when Harris was a newborn but now I love using them. Green kids pocket nappies are great as are baby bee hinds.
- don't buy too many newborn nappies in bulk -we had three boxes of 108 and he was out of them before we could use them up.
- don't buy an expensive baby bath - ours from ikea was perfect for 14.95!




That all I can think of for now!