Frugal Frump to Fab-u-lous Dharrrrrrrling Winter Solstice to Spring Equinox

WelshWoofer

Dog fabbing update (because I know you're all waiting with bated breath!:rotfl:) - he actually looks quite presentable now. She's managed to try to blend in the shaved bits (think a graduated bob on a dog:D) and he's clean and tidy.
You can see, now all the overgrown fur is gone, how much weight he's lost - no longer a porker, just a slightly portly little chap now. His raincoat needed to go on the smallest fitting this afternoon - bless!
Pity we can't just have a hair cut and look half the size instantly too!

heebie-jeebies

Good afternoon Ladies,

I'm a bit late but Happy New Year to all of you. I hope that 2013 is truly fabulous and wish you all health and happiness in the next 12 months. :beer:

EH - hope you feel a bit brighter today x

LL - good luck with the house move. 2013 is going to be your year. I can completely empathise with your DS existing and not living as I feel exactly the same way. NYE and an early Jan birthday are really reflective times for me and I am proud of everything I've achieved in my (almost) 30 years but also feel that life is on hold at the moment. So in the 3 days of 2013 so far I've tried to do more - unfortunately that led to drinking tequila shots on new years day and getting home at 2am on 2nd Jan but its not something I normally do, I was with my DH and we had a nice time. Then last night, went to see The Hobbit which is this months English film. I wasn't that bothered about seeing it but made myself go as it's better than sitting in front of a laptop on my own and really enjoyed the film (but I haven't read the book).

WW - love the description of the graduated bob, properly made me laugh :rotfl:but glad that he's on the mend and joining in with the fabbing!

I'm officially back at work but have eased myself in working at home today. My exercise has been house tidying and cleaning ready for visitors! On the fab front, my first delivery from Next arrived today and amazingly (my DH has claimed it to be a miracle!) everything fits! :T So my (in)famous baggy black work trousers can finally go in the bin as they have been replaced by a sleek slim leg pair in a length that actually goes past my ankle :T
However, the dresses I ordered haven't arrived yet so need to plan what to wear for my meal on Saturday night. I may go for a dark blue lace dress with coral shoes which I love - will see how cold it is before I decide.

heebie-jeebies

Bitsy_Beans wrote: »

I also realised I need to accept my lifestyle is different to others. I feel I ought to do as much exercise as Sparkles and WW do but it occurred to me their lives are different. I might be a SAHM but my life is still really busy with young kids and a H who is out of the house for long hours. Whilst lack of effort certainly has its part to play I need to accept I just cannot do things the way others do. Not suggesting you single ladies have less to do in your lives but demands on your time are perhaps different to mine. So time stop comparing, ditching the words "should" and "ought" and just doing what I can.

Bitsy, I've been thinking about you ever since I read this over the weekend and you are right, all of us are different with different lifestyles and expectations. I am married but don't have children, I work long hours and often travel with work so often find it difficult to find time for myself or exercise etc.
However, LL started this to tell us all that we're as important as those we're running around after so what would you like to do? Is there anyway you can incorporate exercise you want to do with something with the kids? Do you have friends with children who feel the same way? If so, maybe you could help each other out - as an example, you could babysit while she goes to a zumba class on a Wednesday and she returns the favour while you go to karate on a Thursday?
I know your OH works long hours and is out early, does cooking help you relax? Maybe you could have a weekly special meal with your OH after the kids are in bed, a new recipe or an old favourite but just time for you and him to chat, catch up and relax. And how do weekends work? As your OH is up early in the week, you could get out for an hour on a Saturday morning with the kids so he gets a lie-in on the agreement that he has some time with them on a Saturday afternoon/evening etc so you can have an undisturbed soak in the bath or read a book, catch up with a friend etc.
Sorry if these are all things you do anyway but they've been whirring around my head and I wanted to get them out!

Everhopeful09

Evening All,

Feeling bit brighter today just the dreaded stomach cramps to endure but as got time going to pop to Dr's in morning as been meaning to get checked out for months!

Did a few hours temping today but didnt realise it affects job seekers all so confusing I hate not having a permanent job, things will work out one way or another.

Eh xx

WelshWoofer

Just to make you feel better Bitsy.....

Absolutely no exercise today other than dog walking for me - no excuse, just couldn't be ar*ed!!! :D:D:D :rotfl:

Normal service will hopefully be resumed tomorrow.....

fedupandskint

Its my day off exercise today as it was my late night at work. Just short dog walks today as a result.

Hoping for a run tomorrow after work and errands and if I don't talk myself out if it too

SAVVYJADE

Evening!

Day off work yesterday, made effort to wear nicer clothes and bit more make up than usual. Felt better for it!

Keeping up the cleanse, tone and moisturising, along with eye cream. Moisturised body tonight and also wafched last nights Gok Wan programme which I quite enjoyed and also got me thinking!

Healthy eating wise going okay ... So far. Mum and I doing it together, once a week we meet and weigh. Weigh in is every Wednesday!

Good luck to those with house moves etc

Sj x

Wahini_Betty

Hello all

Lesson learned many thanks for the tips. I have had a look through all my recipes and have a list of herbs I now want to grow indoors. I will also give aldi a try for the weekly shop on Friday. It is a bit further away but hopefully the money saved will negate this.

Back to work on Monday and I have spent today batch cooking. All unused veg went into a soup which we have just eaten and it was very nice if I say so myself. OH is bemused as I am the queen of ping! We now have a lot of healthy fall back meals in the freezer for CBA days!

I have also steam cleaned my work coat and polished my shoes today in prep for Monday. Hair and face mask done too.

I used to surf a lot hence the user name. Three years and three stone on, my knees won't take it anymore. I still go regularly but am now on a stand up paddle board which is easier on the cartilage. Long term aim is to lose the weight and go back to it ( would love a Volkswagen camper to go away surfing/camping on the weekend too but that is another story!)

Everyone sounds really positive, It is definitely spurring me on. Hope I will stick to it once the work routine starts up again next week.

esmy

Evening everyone.

LL - hope your move goes well.
Bitsy - it's hard with small children to carve out time for you, isn't it? Just a little suggestion which worked for me when mine were little - I had a night 'off' when Dad took charge under strict instructions not to disturb me under any circumstances. I used to spend it in the bath filled to the top with lovely smellies, paint my toenails, or just sit and read my book without interruption. Could you and OH do this to give you a bit of time to exercise (or anything else you want)?

Seems to be a lot of sleeplessness around at the moment - I'm really struggling to get up in the mornings after 10 days of late nights and late mornings. Need to bring my bedtime forward gradually I think to make sure I get enough sleep.

Well, changing the way I eat over the last few days seems to be having a beneficial effect on my energy levels at least. Feeling much more alert than I have in a while. I've joined My Fitness Pal tonight and logged the day's food. I'm not doing a diet as such, more healthier eating with 1 'treat' per day - today was the last piece of home made chocolate cake, made with my new toy, a food processor! It took me just over my allowed 1200 calories according to MFP but I know myself and if I can stick to 1 treat per day(and not 4 or 5) I'm more likely to stick to healthy eating the rest of the time. Day off tomorrow so some exercise in order and 'proper' cleaning which hasn't really been done since before Christmas.

Can anyone recommend a fitness DVD, preferably with music, that I can do at home? Never done anything like that so don't know where to start. I'm still planning to do Couch to 5k later in the year when nights lighten up a bit but I feel I need to build up to it.

Fabbed my desk today, shredding a forest worth of paper - wouldn't be surprised if people think I've left over the holidays!

Cheerio

mineallmine

Hello all

I can't believe how much nicer the wardrobe is looking now LL. At first it felt well that's a waste of money, but now it looks lovely and the clothes take up less room and the hangers don't clatter about.

First positive:

A combination of decluttering, fabbing and back on the SW/healthier eating wagon are working nicely together :j

I'm targeting toiletries that have been knocking around too long to use up. I used a quarter of a bottle of hair mist on my hair. I'd lost the top. It was a freebie my hairdresser gave who said it's discontinued. And my hair drank up every drop and looked better than it has in ages. So if you have products lurking, dig them out and use them, lots! I always used to spray hair spray onto a brush and brush it through (something my hairdresser did). Again something I need to start doing again.

Second positive:
Hairy bikers programme. I agree there's a bit of faff involved but seeing them change shape and look younger, healthier is really touching. Tonight it was a curry which I didn't see all the way through. So will have to re-watch these on catch up.

Third positive:
Checking in here and reading what you've all been up to. And prompting me to think oh, yes, I need to do that too.