Wardrobe refashion

Eeek! I have have taken the pledge to commit to wardrobe refashioning for the next 2months!!

From over here. The pledge goes like this:

" I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself for the term of the contract. I pledge that I shall create and craft items of clothing for myself with my own hands in fabric yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. "

I do need to make one caveat though - at some time in the next couple of months I am going to need to go out and buy some plain white singlet tops and t-shirts. Being pregnant all last summer has left me with very little in the way of top half coverings and as I practically live in singlets and t-shirts when it is warmer - I can't get by without buying just a few.

I figured that I was pretty much doing this at the moment anyway - so why not take the challenge. That and I need to live simply and be thrifty for the next few months. I enjoy the concept and idea of it - but have been too lazy to do anything about it up till now.

Last week I made 4 skirts and I have plans for another 4. Yesterday I cut off a pair of old cargo pants into shorts and found a really nice pair of black shorts at Vinnies.

I'm ready to see just how creative I can be - AND - I really like the environmental aspects of a challenge like this. I absolutely hate the throwaway nature of our society and clothes sold in the shops now are so expensive considering they are made in China by people who may be living below the poverty line.

When I do come to buying those singlets I need, I'm going to do some research into a brand that is made in Australia I think.

I'll post a pic of my thrifting and sewing later on.

Blog Fatigue

I think I have blog fatigue....I'm sure it's a diagnosable condition by now.

Symptoms as follows:

- Lack of desire to blog
- Lack of desire to read other blogs
- Blogging leaves you feeling drained


I'm sure it will pass.

Until then..,... I'm having a Break.


(ahhhhaahah...it DOES exist see link)

Ahhh Spring....

A bit downhill

After my big gung ho start to the week, Harris decided that this week he was going to turn into a crying all night baby again - so the early part of this week really suffered.

Sleep deprivation certainly does make like more difficult. Looking at the baby in the picture above - you wouldn't know it. He looks like an angel!

It is his 6 month "half-birthday" today! Can you believe he is six months old already?

So last night was the first night this week that was back to normal (Normal is to only get woken up twice in the night -as compared to 5 times).

I missed my walk on Tuesday - mainly because I was tired I suppose - both from lack of sleep and from the gym session I did on Monday.

But I walked to mothers group yesterday and then went for an 8km walk today with a couple of the girls who also have heavy duty walking prams.

This week when it has been tough, I have had to remind myself that I didn't set out on this challenge to completely regain my fitness to the point where I was running half marathons again by the end - but simply to refocus my mind towards living an active lifestyle again and choosing the active approach rather than being a lazy bones.

It is important to remind yourself on a weekly (or even more frequently) basis about the WHY - What is your original purpose?
What made you set on this path in the first place?
Review of our goals is an important part of staying committed - so too is measuring how you are travelling along your path and ensuring that you are aligned with your original purpose.
Drifting too far in either direction (Where you are either not meeting your original goal pathway OR you are exceeding what you set out to do and in turn pushing yourself too hard and risking burnout) - is a surefire way to the beginnings of self doubt and possible failure!

A rainy day

I have been pretty focussed on exercise and fitness lately and it is eating into the crafting somewhat. However, I went to the Craft and Quilt fair here in canberra on the weekend and it was awesome to say the least.

I am taliking specifically about the quilt show because it was spectacular!

So - of couse - this has me on the verge of another crafting spree and I am really looking forward to recieving all the packages I have recently purchase from the US of fabric and crafting books and particularly a lovely pattern! (For wihich the fabric in the first picture is promised!)

I am also in the process of redesigning this blog - it is slow because it takes time - but it will get there - so stay tuned!

Monday Monday

I have started off the week on a good foot with a really nice session at the gym this morning.

I was only going to warm up on the treadmill and then go and do some back strength work, but there was some good music on the ipod so I pumped up the incline on the treadmill and walked for 30 mins and then I did 10 mins on the elliptical.

Then I did some back strength work.

I have decided that I really love feeling the pump from a good workout. The past few weeks have been really good for me in terms of the way I approach exercise mentally.

I used to be quite all or nothing - if I wasn't going to give it 100% with nutrition and 100% with the gym then I wasn't interested in going at all. I had it in my head that it wasn't worth making the effort at all if I wasn't going to give it my all.

Doing this 100 day challenge - and probably more so - setting myself the challenge of completing 500km over the course of the next 80 something days - has been great for helping me to break this thinking pattern. I realised that I was exercising for the purpose of regaining my fitness and feeling generally good - rather than for the purpose of losing weight. Any weight lost is a bonus!

This was the way I approached the half marathon training last year as well and it worked for me that time as well. I think that this is probably the best way for me to approach something like this because I don't value weight loss enough for it to be my primary goal. I think I valuethe challenge of something that is within reach but has an element of difficulty attached to it - so that I feel like I am accomplishing something of value in the process.

I think the trick to achieving a goal (and having the motivation to keep hacking away at it) is to find something that is important to you and that YOU value - rather than what you think you value. Sure I like being smaller than I am right now - but it is not something that I can conrol or that is tangible to me - so it's not very motivating.

It's simple really - find what works for you and make it something that will continue motivating you through the times when you feel like it's not worth it and 'what's the point anyway'.

There is my wisdom for the day!

Once Harris wakes up - I have adog to walk so I can make up my missing 2.5km for this week.

Phew! What a weekend!

It just seems to have flown by at warp speed!

Just got back from a 4km walk with harris in the pram and this morning I took my niece to an ice skating birthday party and had a bit of a skate myself.

For those who don't know, I did figure skating when I was younger and it is nice to have a skate every now and again to prove to yourself that you haven't forgotten how.


All I could think was that I must have had very strong legs when I was younger because it is hard work!

So I think that counts for at least 1km!

I am really looking forward to getting to the gym in the morning and doing a bit of a weights session! I think that this week I am going to try and do weights before cardio just to change things around a bit.

As for the 100 day challenge - I am still 100% on board and so far I have managed to not relinquish any of my bones. I do need to keep reminding myself of my original goal though of simply being active each day - and not trying to push myself too hard. I need to be able to be active and do something each day without getting too overly tired and grumpy.

Having said that - I am going to try and focus on the diet a bit this week - mainly because we have had a weekend of indulgence and I feel the need to have that nice feeling you get from having a few days of clean eating.

The scales are still annoying me because they are refusing to budge - but on a positive note I am looking to other guides - like what I see in the mirror and how my clothes are fitting me. That and the BF% on my scales is moving downwards - so that makes me happy enough.

I'm looking forward to a week of feeling pumped about weights!