Friday, November 30, 2012

Lochlan's 6th birthday

Clanettes!!  We have had a virus this week and so I abandoned you all! I apologise!! We are all on the mend now and I am eager to share some pics of Lochie's birthday weekend..

Lochie in Utero
A few days old








 
 
 




Thank you for his fab cake Magda!

I don't know where the time has gone Lochlan Behr Christie, but you are an amazing little boy with some huge ideas and I look forward to watching you grow. I love you bestest x x x

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Sum it Up Sunday

Today is Lochie's 6th birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOCHIE!

Monday
I did a quick 5k on the exercise bike, followed by a swim. 36 lengths in 25mins.

Tues
Lucy and I went to the beach for a run, in the wet and wind.. with Niamh in the pushchair! The headwind was fierce, it took your breathe away and we were soaked within minutes but we battled on and really enjoyed the 7K. Treating ourselves to a coffee afterwards!

 Niamh slept for half the run, so she was clearly nonplussed by the weather!

I am having an issue with motoactv watch, because it registered the route, but no stats, then stopped recording and started recording again. Frustrating.



Weds,
'rest' day

Thurs
I went to the gym with limited time, so I warmed up on the exercise bike 5K in 12 mins and ran 3K in 20 mins, before cooling down and stretching.

Friday
5k run with Paul whilst in Reading. 

Saturday and Sunday
'Rest' days enjoying a birthday boy weekend - a post on that to follow, naturally!

Summary:
W/E 25.11.12
Cycle: 5k (3.1miles)
Run: 15k (1 x 7k crazy run, 1 x 3k treadmill run and 1 x 5k road run)
Swim: 900m (1 x 900)

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Being a mother

In September Bebe started school into Reception (R) class and Lochie moved from Reception into Year 1 (Y1). Today was parents evening at school and I wanted to use my little old blog to shout from the roof tops about my amazing children and their achievements - rather than my own for a change!

Being a mother wasn't, and isn't what I thought it would be before I became a mother. I don't think I took to it like I thought I would. I envisaged lots of happy, waltons-esque time where I was allowed the space to be the mother I wanted to be. In my version, we would do lots of reading, baking, playing board games and spend huge amounts of time outside, at one with nature.
What I didn't bargain on was the whirl wind that being a mother of three is. Don't get me wrong, we bake and read and play games, but I realise more and more that I am not supposed to have the space to be the mother I want to be. I am supposed to be the mother THEY NEED me to be. Entirely different. Sometimes it's hugely stressful. Sometimes I shout when I shouldn't. But it's always amazing. I am still baffled by the trust and love that these small people share with me and Paul - how did we get so lucky?

The age gap between the biglets is small and they have always been lumped together as one. It has only been since Bebe started school really that I have started to see her in her own right. She has a wicked sense of humor, she is cheeky, she enjoys 'helping' me and she likes to draw. She has taught Niamh how to draw and they spend a lot of time together at the dining table. Her teachers raved about her tonight. What a lovely little girl she is, always polite. Great at role play and making sure to include everyone. Always one of the first to try something new. She is bang on for her reading and writing and they are very happy with her.

Lochie, in contrast, is more reserved than Bebe. He thinks about things and maybe takes them more to heart. He is more gentle (although this is hard to believe when you see him tussling with the other boys in the playground!) and giving. I was expecting a good report from school, but we got an outstanding one. Lochie is on the gifted and talented register because he is exceeding the requirements of Y1. We knew he could read well, and his writing is great and he is keen on maths, but I just assumed that all the children in his class were. He is having additional help twice a week to keep him challenged and enthused. I am so so proud of him.

In addition to school, their swimming lessons continue to amaze me. We spent so long going without progress that I had started to wonder if the lessons were any good. Suddenly though, they seem to got the hang of it and Lochie last night swam two breadths on his own, unaided. Bebe can dive underwater for huge amounts of time and they are both in love with the water.

That just leaves Niamh. Last but by no means least, my precious Niamhy New. She will be two in February and I tell you she is already going on three. Her words are coming on and she can do most things for herself now - from feeding herself soup to getting dressed. In a morning as we leave for school, she will do her own shoes and thrust her coat at everyone until someone helps her with it. She is feisty, she is funny and she is well aware of her own power - woe betide anyone trying to pull the wool over her eyes.

Being a mother isn't what I thought it would be. Its way, way, WAY better.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

WIAW #13

A bakers dozen Clanettes! I took a break from WIAW because I couldn't think of a new way to present porridge, but this week its back with a vengeance - porridge rules my world and doesn't need presenting differently to be cool!

So, with that in mind, today's food in pictures goes like this...

Orange juice, porridge with banana and dried fruit & seeds, then a little while later a coffee.

There is no picture of lunch. Lucy took me out and treat me, we had jacket potatoes and tuna (Niamh ate most of mine despite me having a packed lunch for her) with salad, together with a latte. Yummers.

Grapes and ryvita with cheese this afternoon - but I didn't have time for a much needed herbal tea in a tankard! There is always tomorrow.

Lochie is 6 on Sunday, and he was very excited by the bunting I made my Friend Emma a couple of weeks ago (see here) and requested the same for his birthday. My pleasure Lochie Behr xxx

I have been a very lucky girl today and Paul sorted tea! We had fishcakes (tartare sauce ahoy!) with my fave selection of salads.. Cous cous, coleslaw and edamame and peas.


Sunday, November 18, 2012

Weekly round up

A great exercise week here. I have felt strong and 'constant' during every session, I just feel capable at the moment - do you know what I mean?!

Monday
As I posted at the time, I ran a new PB at the gym on Monday night on the treadmill. 5k in 33mins. Followed by a swim. 32 lengths in 25mins.

Tues, Weds,
'rest' days


Thurs
I went back to the gym without a plan really, just to go and burn some cals. I had a great session on the exercise bike. I warmed up for 15 mins, broke myself for half an hour and then cooled down for 15 mins and totalled 20K.

A typically sweaty shot of me

And one of the amazing supper I had when I got back. 2 crumpets, soaked in one egg, and dry fried with bacon and drizzled with honey. Hello goodness!

Friday and Saturday
'rest' days

Sunday
I have decided that Sunday mornings are my favourite workout of the week. I spend all week thinking about when I can fit in a session (and then dreading it!) that I really enjoy that for 2 hours on a Sunday morning its all mine and all about me. No rush, no stress, just me and my ability.
Today I met Lucy at 7.30am and we went for a run. IT WAS COLD. 0 degrees to be precise! My lungs wheezed up, my thighs froze and I wondered what on earth we were doing. Then the sun came out and all was right with the world. 
I managed to end my workout 1k before the end, frustrating, so the end of the run is logged separately.
I followed the run with a swim and set my second PB this week. 30 lengths in 17 mins. I am delighted!

This morning would have been the perfect time to take some amazing photos of running in the frosty sun, but naturally I didn't have my phone. So you'll have to make do with a shot of the snack I ate when I got back - Cottage cheese, apple slices and rye crisp bread. Yummers!



W/E 18.11.12
Cycle: 20k (12miles)
Run: 10k (2 x 5k runs)
Swim: 1550m (1 x 800 and 1 x 750m sessions)



Saturday, November 17, 2012

Shed heaven

Today we have cleared, sorted, organised, cleaned and furnished the shed..









This is a random shot of the kidlets and their friends - in the background you can see the state of the end of my kitchen (known as the 'pool room' because my birth pool went there when Niamh was born and the children made the name stick).  That tiny space housed all the bike paraphanalia until today...
Tonight it looks like this!!  Hard to believe its the same space hey!! How is that for some MAJOR de-cluttering!!

We've had a very productive day and I couldn't be happier!

Friday, November 16, 2012

Inspiration on a Friday

I am reading lots of blog posts looking to next year at the moment. I'm a bit behind here I think, I'm not sure I'm done entirely with 2012 yet.

Rebecca over at Weight Wars, is gearing up for a triathlon in 2013 and has launched a new challenge called '13 in 13' - go and take a look here. Looks like a great idea - as we all know, I'm always on for a challenge! But I also need to think about what I want to achieve next year - so I'm still mulling it over.

While I do, I thought it was about time I reminded myself (and you!) why I continue to push myself. Found some beauties today!

















Have a killer weekend Clanettes x x x