My Family Means the World To Me

It is Hubland's birthday. It's also the Easter long weekend. The perfect time to tell you a little about my family.

I grew up in a close family - Mum, Dad, 2 brothers and me being the youngest. We always went on holidays as a family (usually camping on the beach), and spent plenty of time playing board games on the school holidays, going for family bike rides and just generally getting along the majority of the time. Although we didn't have a lot of money we worked as a team to make sure no one ever went without. I mean, we didn't have all the new, you beaut toys and gadgets, but we were lucky to have a roof over our heads, we never went without food, and we received gifts for our birthday, Christmas and Easter every year. Knowing so many people now who grew up in dysfunctional families, I am so grateful that I was part of a strong family unit.

I loved school...right up until the end of high school. Some of you who knew me then might remember me dreading the end of school. I loved the challenges, I loved the social interaction, I loved having the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular activities (ie. school band, sporting events, Student Council etc) and I loved knowing that I would see my friends every day. Anyway, it was during high school that I met Hubland. We went to a decent sized school (about 200 students in year 12 alone) and never really had the chance to get to know each other until right near the end. Luckily, we were accepted into the same university and quickly became friends. In fact, we started dating just before the very first semester of uni.

We were engaged about two years after we became a couple, and married 15 months after that (and that is a whole other story and blog post). We had Mr Magoo after about a year and a half as a married couple, and Cheeky Bear came along 19 months later. I am so very grateful that I have found my best friend in Hubland, and that we have our two beautiful boys. They all mean so much to me, and I would be lost without them. I can't wait for the rest of our lives together, as a family.

Happy Birthday, Hubland! I love you xxx

A Fitness Plan...that I would REALLY like to stick to!

I am one of those people who thinks of a project, gets overly enthusiastic about it, starts getting everything organised, and am extremely motivated to succeed...for the first week day. As much as I try, I can never seem to complete it. I have so many unfinished projects that it’s not even funny.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to try and change that. I thoroughly enjoy completing projects – whether it’s a one-off craft project, a cull of the kids’ toys, a change that I hope to turn into a new habit (such as a meal plan or an exercise plan) or even a challenge that I want to complete (eg. Fat Mum Slim’s Photo a Day challenge, house organising challenges etc) – so I will tell you all about it when I start one, and I will give you progress updates, even if things aren’t going well (hopefully it won’t come down to this, as I hate admitting failure to myself, let alone anyone else!).

The first project I will share with you is my fitness plan. This should be a relatively easy one for me to stick to thanks to a wonderful group of Mummies I have met. We get together once or twice a week for a group workout and a chat. It’s a chance for all of our kids to play together, we get the socialisation that is often lacking when you become a parent, but it also gives us a support group for our health and fitness goals. I have also come across an 8 week fitness challenge being run by a local college to give the students the practical experience they need. This includes a weekly personal training session along with nutritional guidance and whatever else we need to reach the goals we have set.

Combining these scheduled sessions with my own exercise during the week, this is what my plan consists of:

Monday:          PT session at college          OR          Early morning walk
    Late afternoon walk                             Mummies’ group workout

Tuesday:         Early morning walk

Wednesday:    Early morning walk
    At home strength workout

Thursday:        Early morning walk

Friday:             Early morning walk
    Mummies’ group workout

Saturday:        Early morning walk

Sunday:           Family activity (ie. Walk to the park for a play, go to beach, run           around in back yard etc)

That’s it. It’s not complicated, but will take effort for it to become a habit.

Wish me luck!!!

Take care,

Kelly xxx

Goals

I've been thinking about my goals a lot lately – both short-term and long-term, and in all aspects of my life – and have decided that for me to stick to them I need to make myself accountable. So, I am going to share with you my goals, in the hope that I will reach them, and maybe even motivate and inspire you to do the same.

Short-term:

• Lose 15kg by the end of May  (that gives me about 2 months)
• Eat healthy
• Get a job
• Sort and de-clutter the house

Mid-term:

• Create a meal planning routine...AND STICK TO IT!!!F
• Find more time for me – I have several hobbies, but currently I rarely get to spend any time on them.
• Maintain an active and healthy lifestyle
• Save money

Long-term:

• Buy a house
• Complete a university degree (ideally in Nursing, and possibly Midwifery)
• Maintain an active and healthy lifestyle
• Raise a happy, healthy family

So, this is my list for now, but as with most lists things will change and I will fill you all in when I feel the time is right.

Take care for now,

Kelly xxx

Welcome!

Hi there!

I just want to give you a bit of an introduction to me and my world...so here goes:

• I’m a happily married stay-at-home Mum to two beautiful boys – Mr Magoo (3) and Cheeky Bear (18mths).
  
• I am in my mid twenties, although often feel a few hundred years older.
  
• I am currently trying to get back into the workforce to ease Hubland’s stress while he completes the final leg of his PhD. It will also relieve the pressure for him to have a full time job straight after he finishes his thesis.
  
• I am working at being more organised in all aspects of my life, particularly in the home.
  
• I love reading, photography, craft, puzzles, spending time with my family, cooking and many other things that you will learn about along the way.
  
• I am trying to be a healthy and happy Mum – as they say a happy Mum = a happy family J

So that’s me in a nutshell.

Take care for now,

Kelly xxx