Ho Hum!

Having one of those days.

I wish I had a million dollars in the bank.
I wish I had a new car.
I wish I was here ....


DESPERATELY!

School '09

It was Ashleigh's first day back at school yesterday.


She had a great day.
She loves her new teacher Mr Cecil.
She came home very tired though.
Not used to working so hard!!

We got her some new sneakers for the new year.
I want to get some for me - they are as light as a feather! Very comfy.


It's funny, at the beginning of summer we couldn't get Lauren anywhere near the pool.


Now we can't get her out!!
She just loves waddling around in the pool.
It's just like a big bath really.

Lastly, I lost another 1.5kg this week!! I'm on my way!

Will Power

Aaron did the grocery shopping today.
And as a result, this is what I have sitting in my fridge.


The temptation is overwhelming.
But my will to lose weight is even greater!
I joined Weight Watchers (again) 2 weeks ago.
I WILL resist!
I MUST resist!

Balmoral

Here are some photos of our trip to Balmoral Beach on Saturday.




It was a very HOT day.
The water was cool at first but once my body adjusted to it - it was goooooood!

I decided to make my blog available for all to see again as I had a few people complain that they couldn't view it.

I finally got Ashleigh some new shoes yesterday.


Another step closer to starting school for 2009.

What else have we been up to? Well ....

We made our own sushi a few weeks ago.
It turned out well. The girls love sushi.


We also decided to make some pet rocks
Yep, that's what it's come down to people - out of sheer boredom we made pet rocks.
The girls had a lot of fun making them!


Today's Aaron's birthday.

I love this man.


He makes me happy.
And I wouldn't swap him for anything!
Happy Birthday baby!~

Random

Sorry I haven't blogged for a while.

Been busy doing nothing really.

Our neighbours moved out last week.
So A. no longer has a play mate next door.
She's managed to survive .... so far.
Lauren gets a lot more playing time with her now - which is good .... and bad.
More arguments. But that's what having a sibling is all about - right?

It's hubby's b'day tomorrow. The big 3-5.
We don't have anything special planned.
He's not big on birthdays.
I STILL don't know what to get him.
Better get my finger out!

I need to get Ash some new shoes for school.
Probably do that today.
Lauren needs her 4 year old immunisations done.
She's 5 next month! Oops.

I've just sold a stack of clothes on eBay so I need to post them off sometime today.

That's about it.
Like I said, busy doing nothing.
I can't believe school holidays are nearly over.
Time flies!!

Today

I washed bed sheets.
Unfortunately last night wasn't very successful with Lauren.
She came in to us this morning soaking wet.

So, tonight she's in a nappy!
I don't want to have to wash sheets two days in a row!

Also on the agenda for today:

Vacuumed floors (even under all the lounges!)
Mopped floors
Did 4 loads of washing
Sorted through Ash and Lauren's clothes and put old (good) clothes on eBay
Moved Lauren's tallboy to the garage ready for painting!! Yay!
Moved Ashleigh's bedroom around
Loaded some more music on to my MP3 player
Paid some bills
Went for a 45 minute walk
Swam in the pool (it was HOT today!)

All in all it was a successful day!
I accomplished A LOT.

It was Lauren's first day of kindy for 2009!


She was so excited to go back which totally surprised me.
There were no tears.
Like I said, she's growing up fast ~ TOO FAST.

Tomorrow ~ Weight Watchers weigh in. Fingers and toes crossed!

Our Little Girl's Growing Up

Tonight Lauren asked me to put her to bed in undies instead of a pull-up.
It's the first time she's done this.
She decided that she didn't want to wear pull-ups anymore now that she's a BIG GIRL.

So, reluctantly I put her to bed in undies.
Fingers crossed she wakes up dry.

It's been a fairly momentus month for her - first she starts losing teeth and now she's asking to go to bed in undies. What next??

My baby's growing up! ::weep::

Back To Normal

Yesterday I took the Christmas tree down.

Now the house is back to normal (well, almost).

I also got Lauren's hair cut.


I think it looks cute.
Nice and cool for summer - especially the 40 degree days we've been having.

Last year Ashleigh brought home a letter she had written in class to Santa Claus.
When I read it I was shocked (happy shocked).

It reads:

"Dear Santa,
My name is Ash. Can you give the poor people some money plese santa and toys for them."


What a good girl. So some of those lessons about being charitable have paid off!!

That's it for now.

WW

I'm back to Weight Watchers tomorrow.

Starting weight is 8kg over the top spectrum of my healthy weight range so I need to lose at least 10kg to feel healthy again!

Goodbye junk food, chocolate and sitting on the lounge.

Hello counting points, fresh fruit and vege and lots of exercise! Although, I think I'll wait until the temperature gets below 41 degrees before I start walking again.

Going Private Now

I have decided to go private this week so you will need to get permission to read my blog by the end of the week.

It's simple, just send me an email (melbrown_75@hotmail.com) telling me you would like to continue reading my blog (except for those who have already done so) and I will send you an email back giving you access to read my blog.

New Year's Resolutions

I don't usually make New Year's Resolutions because I never follow through with them and just get disappointed.

But this year I've decided to make a few and hopefully follow through with them.

So here's my list:

Enjoy my last year at home with Lauren
Lose weight (at least 10kgs).
Repaint Lauren's tall boy.
Save for a family holiday.
Spend more "quality" time with the girls and Aaron.
Exercise more
Have FHE every week
Cook more often
Eat less take away.
Pay off credit card.
Spend less (waaaay less)
Save more
Gossip less.
Love more
Do something that scares me, at least once.
Try something new.
Laugh more.
Don't take things for granted

Nothing too challenging, just small changes that will hopefully make a difference.

What's your New Year's Resolutions?

Happy New Year!!

As I look back on 2008 I can't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

It was a year of accomplishments, loss, triumphs and trying new things:

Amanda and Richard got married.
I found my first grey hair. Lucky for me I haven't found one since!
Lauren was toilet trained.
Aaron travelled a lot.
Lots of illness for all of us.
I started and finished the Twilight series of books.
I tried accupuncture for the first time and was pleasantly surprised.
Sadly, we've lost friends from cancer.
We got Lauren assessed and was given a diagnosis on her disability.
Mike and Sheila came to visit.
And I got a new dining room table and chairs!!

I'm excited about what 2009 will bring and can't wait to get a new car (hint, hint Aaron!)

I hope 2009 brings everyone all they hope for and more!!