Yesssss!I finished it!
I finished week1 of Couch25K!And at the end of it,I am 1 kg lighter and let me just tell you how much I love it!
I am more energetic..and I am loving it.On the rest days,I walked or did some yoga.
I know a lot of people do it and don’t make a big deal of this plan..but it is big deal for me,to even finish this first week,first because I don’t remember running/jogging at all in my adult life.I love walking and walk a lot..but no jogging..not even on the treadmill..so this is big step out of my comfort zone.
Second,blogging about it,just makes my commitment even stronger.
Third,I blog about it,because,I see so many changes in me..I know its only been 1 week..but a change is change.Earlier,if I was going out,which meant,I would be walking a lot,I would skip the walk/excercise,sayingthinking that,anyway,I am going to walk today.But,now,I do it even on the day that I am going out..simply because it gives my day a good start.
And last,but not least,your comments motivate me!!So,you see I have to blog!
So,Week1 is done!!and I will start week 2 in a day or two.
Category: Uncategorized
What does your Blog say about you?
I stole picked up the tag from Mystic Margarita.
When I saw MM’s post about Typealyzer,I knew it would be my next post.I am trying to write a post a day and my brain has died! Aadi is still sick,I don’t see any change in her,despite the antibiotics.She is very irritated and its taking every last ounce of my patience to not get mad.So,this came at a good time.
Here’s what typealyzer,said about me:
ESFP – The Performers
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead – they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.
They enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation – qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.
What does your say about you?Do you agree with what it says about me and about u??
Me- I agree with most of the things-except that I do like to plan ahead but I still exhaust myself at the last minute!!LOL!
Couch25K
If you have been reading blogs,you may already know about C25K plan.
I read about C25K first on Broom’s blog and since then,it has intrigued me..but I did not think,it was for me.I had never jogged/run in my adult life.
I have been following a diet for the last 2 months and have almost given up eating out…but the scale was stuck.My clothes are fitting better and I like to think that its the result of my efforts and not some miraculous stretching of fabric!
So,I downloaded the podcasts and decided to start today. It was a cold and sunny morning.I donned a hat and set out.There is a park,right outside my gate.I debated whether to do the walk/jog there or go somewhere else.I didn’t want to run into one of the neighbours..Dont ask me why-Just! In the end,I decided to walk rite there..because in case,Aadi woke up and/or DH needed me.
By now,I had warmed up and and Robert was telling me start my first jog.I started and it felt funny..then one earphone fell off..I have a problem-no earphones fit in my ears..they keep falling off..so very irritating.I put it back in my ear and immediately the next one fell off.I kept jogging..one hand on the earphone and jogging..60 seconds were up and I was walking again.
All this while,I was thinking-If there is a programme called-funniest excercise videos,then I could participate and hope to win.If there was a video that the fitness trainers showed their clients,of “what-not-to-do-when-running”,I would be in that!
A voice in my head said..”I am dying”..another said,”Listen if you die,like this,for the next 9 weeks,then,you will reach the fit-body heaven”..Now that was nice..hmm? I was thinking all this and more and before I knew it,Rob was telling me to walk the next 5 minutes to cool down.I was tired…and I knew,I would be tempted to go back home,immediately,so I walked off the park,onto the street in the opposite direction..that way,I knew,I would have to walk back home.
I came home..tiredddd and happy.DH was beaming with pride,as if I had conquered the world…but all I had done was completed the first day of Week 1 of Couch to 5K!!
Yayyy me..I have been sooooo excited all day long and been in high spirits..
Hopefully the scale will start moving again..:)
The first weekend of May-happy:)
Stealing a leaf from GM’s blog,I decided to write about our first weekend of May.
Most of the saturday morning was spent in bickering..we have hardly spent anytime together.When DH comes home,he is still preoccupied with work and we hadn’t had a decent conversation in more than a week.It made us both antsy and we were snapping at each other.To change our moods,we decided to go out,thats when Goofy Mumma called to tell me about the free books and we changed tracks and went there.Check GM’s blog for pics.
There were so many books..Imagine a huge dumpster,that was full of books and someone from the library,kept coming back with boxes full of books and dumping it in the dumpster.There were people standing around it and looking at the books,passing around what they picked and didnt want,everything was so nice and civilised-no pushing or shoving.I looked at some books,found some politics&history books for DH and was about to move away,when the Angel came back and dumped a heap of books in front of me..and guess what they were- Artsy-Craftsy Books!!As if they were dumped there just for me to pick up.I grabbed them,with both hands,carried as much as I could and walked away.
This cheered me up considerably and DH was happy to see his books too.
Oh and all over the streets were people dressed like Zombies..Their makeup was amazing..the white faces,fake blood and the works.I walked side by side a couple and they did their bit to scare me..another guy was knocking on the car windows and asking the people inside to “give me your Brains”..hehehe.
We went shopping after that and picked up some regular school stuff for Aadi,I still cant believe I am the mom of a school-going kid-so what if its just play school?
The rest of the evening,was happy and peacefully.
On Sunday,we took Aadi to the doctor and it turns out that she has an ear-infection and had to be put on antibiotics.In a way its good,because she was in pain and was having trouble sleeping and swallowing.Some more shopping was done-winter essentials.
Other than that,we watched two movies-‘HouseFull’ and ‘Jaane Kahan se Aayi hai’- Both were nice,light comedies..just right to drive the winter blues away.
And just before bed,when I checked my email,there was a message from my cousin- She’s delivered a beautiful baby girl.The picture just made me go,Awww..Another one from our group,who is now a mom of a girl-yayy girls rule.The little Angel is a miniature of her mumma,..just perfect.Another member to the next generation of cousins.I hope this brood gets to spend some quality with each other and thinks of each other fondly,as do we.
Hope the rest of the month is as happy as the first weekend:)
Edited to add link.
What Alice Forgot-A Book Review
[Image courtesy-Google Images]
Woww..We are already in the fifth month of 2010..This year seems to zooming at jet speed,isn’t it? Do you sometimes remember what you were doing,a month back,or a year back or may be ten years back?Now,just think,what would you do,if you woke up one day,and found out that you have lost your memory of the last ten years of your life.That is what happenned to the heroine of the novel,”What Alice Forgot” by Liane Moriarty.
Alice had a nasty fall at the gym and passed out.When she woke up,everyone looked different to her.But,more than anything else,she was worried about her baby.She was pregnant..But,it turns out,she wasn’t..she just had partial amnesia.She had forgotten the last ten years of her life-she had forgotten the 3 children,that she had given birth to and she had forgotten that she was separated from her husband. The old Alice,was ten years younger,expecting her first baby and madly in love with her husband,Nick.The old Alice cannot imagine what would have caused her marriage to break.
The old Alice was shy and well loved and cannot understand,why everyone seems tensed around her..why her own sister seems edgy around her.
She gets random memory flashes..and is trying to pick the pieces of her life..its like life has given her a second chance by taking away her memories.This memory loss gives her a chance to think about who she was,and who she seemed to have become..how some things got blown out of proportion..and how so much ugliness could have been avoided.
Alice’s sister Elisabeth’s life is running on almost parallel lines..They are walking along side,but never meeting..until now.Elisabeth’s story is written in her own words as a journal entry and makes you want to reach out to her..She has had multiple miscarriages and her pain of infertility is very evident in her entries..When she started bleeding in her last pregnancy,I had to stop..to catch my breath.I actually said a silent prayer hoping that this time,she had the baby…
But the most happenning part of the book is the honorary grandmother,who is all of 75 and living in a seniors home and get this -She writes a BLOG!! Yes!I thought that was really cool!
This is a wonderful novel..the story is beautifully written,descriptions most vivid and it makes you think.
If I were one of those acclaimed reviewers,I would have given it 4 out of 5 stars.
I finished reading this book in the early hours of today and since then,I haven’t stopped thinking about it.More importantly I havent stopped thinking about my life and how much,I have changed as a person.
I will write about that in a day or two..in the meantime,why don’t you try to remember what you were like 10 years back..
more later..
Vegetable Noodles
This is one of my favorite recipes..Easy-peasy yummy meal in minutes.Just right for the days,when you want to eat something fancy and don’t want to go out.The whole dish is ready in almost the same time,that it will take your home-delivery guy to deliver a meal!
Serves- 2-4
For this dish,you need:
250 gms dry noodles-egg noodles or haka noodles.
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1 carrot,cut into sticks
1 capsicum,cut into slivers
1 medium sized onion,thin sliced
4-5 green beans- cut into medium sized bits.
3 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1tbsp soya sauce
1 tbsp white vinegar
Preparation:
Cook the noodles as per the instruction in the pack.Drain,run some cold water in the noodles,toss with a tsp of oil and keep aside.
Add the rest of the oil in a wok,put all the veggies and stir fry.Add a little salt and pepper and let it cook till all the veggies are almost done.I like to keep the veggies a little crunchy.
Add Soya sauce and vinegar and toss the noodles with the vegetables.Mix everything together and serve hot.
If you eat eggs,you can also add some scrambled eggs.
I sometimes add peas and baby corn too.
This is a hot favorite in my house and I love it for all the veggies that go in it.
Look here:
To save time,I put the water for boiling noodles on the gas,and start chopping veggies.By the time,I am done chopping,the noodles are also boiled.Then,I saute’ the veggies,while setting the table.Done this way,it takes me less that 30 minutes to put this meal on the table.:)
This dish goes well with Chili Chicken ,but tastes good by itself too.
Enjoy!
Random winter rants..
Our days are just crawling.I hate short winter days,the over cast sky,the cold wild breeze,darkness falling at 5.00..and I think my dislike has rubbed off on Aadi.As soon as it starts getting dark,her mood starts getting darker too.She gets upset more easily,she whines more,she wants me to carry her,and reminds me,every few minutes,”Mommy,I am scared.”While,I let her sit in my lap and try to keep her entertained but,my mood is no better.Last winter,I used to spend most of my mornings in the Town Center,then,we’d come home and nap and the day would pass sooner.But,this year,we are out two days of the week and weekend and so,I like to stay in on the remaining days.
So,I have decided to do one new activity with Aadi each day..reading,painting,threading,craft,writing on her scribble pads-She now knows what standing and sleeping lines are and how to draw them.
She enjoys cooking,so today I let her measure the vegetables for her dinner and she was so excited.And we are counting her fruit/veg servings..In the last 3-4 months,she had almost given up eating veggies.So,I am trying to consciously introduce more veggies/fruits in her meals.If she doesnt eat it in her meals,I give it to her as a snack..sometimes,its frustrating.No,strike that Its frustrating..ALL the time!Aadi used to a very good eater and now suddenly,she is so picky about everything.I am not exaggerating when I say,that EVERY single time I ask her,what she wants to eat,her answer is the same- Dahi-Bhaatu-be it morning,noon or night!Its soo frustrating.Then last week I noticed a white patch on her face.I remember my mom telling someone,that those white patches mean vitamin deficiency.I havent taken her to the doctor for it,yet,coz I know her diet is deficient in so many nutrients.
Nothing frustrates me more,than hearing two demands-“Dahi-bhaatu” and “Candy”….Candy irritates me so much,I want to ban it.If not in the world,I want to ban it in my house.I just dont know how to tell it to our friends and visitors gently.If Aadi sees Candy,she has to eat it,till it gets over,and keeping it hidden somewhere else,doesnt make any difference.She is like a rat,sniffs her way to it.The only sweet,I dont mind giving her is the fruit jelly sweets or the fresh homemade cookie,halwa,kheer,whatever.I am seriously contemplating telling our next visitors,to please,not bring any chocolate for her.Will that be too rude?
This post is just very vague..because,I am in a weird kind of a mood..gloomy..weird,crazy-ish.I am having the worst acne break-out in my life.It makes me soooo mad.I didnt get Acne and pimples,even in my teenage.Almost whole of my right cheek is covered with painful acne..and I hate looking at myself in the mirror.When,I go out,my hair covers it,but..I know its there and that make me feel weird and ugly.Our regular GP is out of town and so,I booked an appointment with another doctor and the earliest,that was available is on Sunday..so,till then,I will just keep feeling weird…and hope to turn invisible.
Does anyone have any home remedies for this?
What else do you do to keep winter blues at bay?I made a scarf for someone,wound a skein into ball to start a cardie for Aadi,am finishing one book per day..what else..?The day,just disappears,its the looooooooooong evening,that just doesnt go away.
Hope your days are better than mine..:)
Which one do you like?
Before:
After
Woohoo..
Indiblogger ranks are out..and mine went up from 50 to 71!! soo I am kicked.
I am so tired today,I opened the new post page,twice,but closed it.I didn’t want to think what to write.I was bloghopping,and saw Maverickshree’s post about her Indirank..and just out of curiosity checked mine..and I was excited and so had to post.
Today,was school day.This was the second week and I see Aadi settling in.Last week,she was mostly on her own.Her interaction with other kids,was if she needed a toy or if she didnt want to share it.She wasnt interested in any of the activities..like conversations on the mat,craft and painting(which surprised me!) the only thing that she was interested in was the sand-pit and the singing and dancing.This time,the change was remarkable.
She was sitting on the mat,right in the front,instead of on the side,from where she could run away.The poor teacher had a tough time,bringing her back to the mat.Today,she sat there and actually contributed to the conversation.Ms.Cherie’,the teacher asked everyone,”what their mum was doing today?” some answered shopping,some said,sleeping,while others said working.My little princess,said,”My mummy is helping today!”I was excited..I was the mom-helper today..and it was interesting that she made the connection.
I loved volunteering in her class.Three years of being a SAHM,had me convinced,that I didnt want to do,anything remotely child-related..but,these last two weeks,that I spent in Aadi’s class,have refreshed my memories and I think,I would like to go back to teaching.
I will be announcing the giveaway,soon…now,its monster-story time..and Ms.Aadya is making up stories..I have to go and listen in!
Of School and other stuff..
I have been out of sorts..I didn’t feel like writing,or reading..I did lurk around but,just didn’t have the heart to comment.I did write a few private posts..but thats all.
I was feeling quite sick over the last couple of weeks..and I guess that took away whatever energy was left in me.Today,I am just making a conscious effort to write something:)
So,first let me tell you about Aadya’s first day of school.She was so excited about it for the last so many months.When the day arrived,I think she was a little edgy..she refused to eat and wanted to just sit in the car and go.I gave her a new napkin,with one of her favorite characters,Miffy,the bunny and she had her Ben10 bag.She was soo excited.
We got to the school and she just wanted to run inside.We were about 15 minutes early and that made her so upset.Finally,the doors to the classroom opened and she entered excitedly.
The classroom is divided in various activity zones- the kitchen,the mason’s corner,the blocks mat,the story mat and the craft center.Aadi loved the kitchen and mason’s corner.I stayed for an hour or so before stepping out.She seemed alright on her own.This week,I signed up to be the mom-helper..lets see how this week goes.
My blog stats show me that the visitor count is few hundreds short of 15K visitors..I am thinking of a give-away..so,watch this space.
Winter is here and so are winter-blues..I am a little down..depressed even and I dunno how to shake it off.When I was planning the party,atleast momentarily,I was happy…but now back to square one.
I am back in the weight-loss game-I have managed to keep the weight I lost,OFF..and I am happy about it.But those measly 5kgs,don’t even make a dent in my big FORM and I want to make a big dent!!That will make me happy.GM,thanks for making me hang up,today…I worked out with my excercise video.Its a little hard,because the video is really fast paced and moving my bulk is sync is not easy and to add to that,Aadi thinks,I am playing by myself and wants to join in,pulling my hand,pushing me…So much Fun!NOT!
Anyway ,hope aal izz well with you:)
15 Marbles 