Changes...

The hardest thing about making changes is sticking to them. They say it takes at least 2 -3 weeks to develop a new habit. Well there is one habit I’ve stopped and I’ve reached the month mark… I’ve given up Soft drinks. Even though I drank the diet versions, I would normally drink a couple of glasses a day.

After reading an article about the health risks and became alarmed. I went cold turkey then and there. I no longer have the same amount of migraines or aches and pains. And my lethargy has reduced substantially. Sleep wise, I’m actually getting through the night without waking up. Weight wise, I’ve lost a few kilos without trying.

For at least a week I was one cranky woman. Worse than PMS and my family were a tad scared! I guess that was the major caffeine withdrawal. The rest of the family have now followed suit but quite frankly they had no choice as I wasn't buying it anymore. I have no proof that soft drinks caused my health problems but I know I feel a million times better already.

Damn you Elle Macpherson and those diet soft drink advertisements! Yes, I bought into the hype years ago. The message was "drink this and you too can run along a beach looking like this". I'm still bloody waiting...

On the upside I still indulge in this...

The perfect drop to go with home-made lasagne. I tend to gravitate to red wines in Winter but in Summer I'm more of a white wine/Champagne girl. But then again, there is never a bad time or occasion to have Champagne. It is probably my drink of choice.

My little man only drinks water and milk. He's 8 but he absolutely detests the taste of juice, soft drink or flavoured cordials. He can't stand the sweetness of those drinks. It just goes to show how many of us have become desensitized to the taste. He complains it is way too sweet. A splurge for him is having Milo or chocolate powder added to his milk. Sometimes he'll sit down with me and have a little cup of tea (decaf for him) but water is his drink of choice.

Therefore when I banned soft drink from the house, he was the only one walking around with a smile on his face for a few days while the rest of us "detoxed". Thankfully the bad moods have lifted and sanity has returned to this house. So three weeks to make a change seems to be spot on.

I'm about to see if I can do this with exercise next. I'm not a fan but I need to get fit. Three weeks and counting. Wish me luck!

Getting ready for Spring

Today I am very happy for two reasons. One, it is 26 degrees (78 F) here in Sydney today. Not bad considering we haven’t yet hit spring yet. And two, I had a couple of packages arrive on my doorstep from the States. I’m sure my husband thinks I’m having an affair with the parcel guy as he is here that often.

 

My sandals have finally arrived...

I definitely lean towards "Sparkly" things. Including these...

Enzo Angiolini Killy Sandals

 

Yes, I did buy two but they were "On Sale" (and I will emphasise this point when I tell/convince Mr FM). I tend to wear both colours in Summer. Black is good for most occasions, but The Silver/Light Gold will be perfect for parties and events over the next few months.

And the best part of all?

The price was amazing.

 

I don't think people overseas realise just how expensive shoes are here in Australia. When I went to Hawaii last year, I went a bit crazy in the shoe department of Macy's and Nordstrom. The young man who assisted me in finding sizes seemed genuinely surprised at how much we would pay for the same shoes here. Although he did say that Australians tended to go a bit crazy shopping wise. At the time our dollar hit $1.10 US and so I definitely took advantage.

I was like a kid in a candy store and by the time I finished I'd bought about 13 pairs of shoes. It also coincided with their sales and the discounts were absolutely amazing. I literally shed tears of joy. Don't even get me started on buying shoes for the children and Mr FM. We all needed extra suitcases. I often wonder what the person cleaning our apartment in Hawaii wondered when she came across piles and pile of empty shoe boxes to throw away after we left. To fit everything in our bags we had to discard them.

I still buy all my shoes from the US and either get them posted directly to me, or if they won't ship here I use a parcel forwarding service. Which technically means there isn't anything I can't buy worldwide. The only downside is the postage. In this instance I only paid around $40 dollars so I am very happy.

Best of all, the US sales of summer stock always coincide with the start of our spring/summer so I never pay full retail price. Same thing happens when they sell off winter stock. Bring on Summer!

On another note, I need to organise all my Jewellery into some sort of order. I bought these a while back from Aldi of all places. Much cheaper than buying them from retail stores like Howards Storage.

I bought about 6 of them and they can stack on top of each other. I'm loving the fact they are clear and I'll be able to see everything I have at the one time. At the moment I have jewellery stored in jewellery pouches and boxes so it take me forever to find what I need. So this is my first task for Spring cleaning. Getting organised.
Now, if I can only find space for these new shoes...

Getting Organised

This morning after I returned from dropping the children to school, I found this in my letterbox...

 

So I went inside, made a cup of tea and sat down to pour over the catalogue. It came right in time for my annual spring cleaning, where I try to get the house into some kind of order, where I organise a council clean-up and throw away a ton of "crap" and where I try to establish some kind of organisation to our house.

 

"Me-Ing - Ideas on how to squeeze some me-time into every day, and find some me-space at home"

 

Oh, yes please. I would like some "Me-Ing". This could be the new buzz word despite the fact it sounds like what I normally order from my chinese takeaway. If getting organised creates more Me-Ing, Me-time or Me-Space then I'm in. So I scan the pages and make a mental list of all the things I need/want to buy. And then I wonder if Scandinavian houses are really this organised and quirky. I also secretly wonder if they have a junk drawer in the house.

 

My junk drawer is the kitchen and is the bane of my life. Spare batteries, screws, hair ties, superglue and all odds/ends lumped into a drawer. I would love it to look like this...

 

There is nothing more satisfying than getting rid of clutter. This time last year I threw out a ton of "stuff", gave away over 6 big bags of clothing to charity, re-arranged my whole pantry so I could actually see everything properly and cleaned out the toy boxes. However I am convinced clutter breeds and in the space of one year I am ready to do it all over again.

 

The BIG job is to get my wardrobe organised. I share a walk in closet with Mr FM and although I take up most of it, I still need more space. And better organisation. If I had my way, I'd totally renovate it and do this... (be prepared to be in awe).

 

From the fabulous wardrobe of British Heiress Tamara Ecclestone - a wardrobe with motorised rotating shoe racks. She also has another one for handbags. Be still my heart!

 

And the floor plan of her wardrobe. I simply have no words...

 

I don't know if I'm feeling motivated now...or depressed. Tamara certainly has "Me-Ing" all worked out. Off to look at the Ikea catalogue again and to see if Mr FM knows how to make revolving racks. I can live in hope.

Off to the zoo

Spring is nearly here and the weather is finally getting warmer. Although not beach weather yet, it was the perfect day for the zoo. So we all piled into the car and headed off to Sydney's Taronga Zoo. I love it this time of year. Less crowds, no queues or packed out shows. The children can also get up closer to the animals without having to crane their necks for a glimpse.
Nursing coffees, Mr FM and I wandered around whilst Master R held the map and explained where to go. On the way he gave us a running commentary with astounding facts. I am sure he will become the next David Attenborough! One of the quirks of Autism is the amazing retention of facts. I now know everything there is to know about Kookaburras.

 

Follow the man with the map!

 

One of my favourites is the Giraffe enclosure. Simply because they look absolutely stunning with the City, Opera House and Harbour Bridge in the background. Imagine having that million dollar view everyday.

 

Giraffe feeding time

 

Elephant Enclosure with the three baby elephants.

 

 

Then it was off to see the free Birds of Flight show. Every time we've been to Taronga we've missed this show because it reached audience capacity or we forgot. It is very popular and now I know why.

 

This time we got there early and sipped coffee whilst enjoying the afternoon view.

I love watching the boats and ferries rushing around the harbour. It is certainly a view I never get sick of.

Now I will confess at being a hopeless Blogger. I forgot to take photos during the actual show as I was too blown away (so that is why I've used some photos from Taronga Zoo's website). It was amazing! Watching trained birds swoop overhead and across the audience was breathtaking. Feeling the swoosh of air as an eagle, black cockatoo or owl flies across is something new. Miss E and Master R like all the children in the audience were beyond excited. Actually from the gasps and claps I think the parents were just as much in awe.

At the end of the show, "Newman" the Galah collects money and drops it into a donation box for conservation. It is very clever and very much deserved. If you go to Taronga then see this show. You won't regret it.

Girls Lunch

Today I took Miss E to the Orthodontist to have braces put on. She was actually quite excited which I found strange as her teeth aren't that bad, just needing a small amount of straightening. Apparently it has now become cool amongst her friends to get braces. Parts of the braces can be colour coordinated in fashion or sporting team colours (Miss E chose pink and purple). So when you smile you can at least look fashionable. Who knew?

All up it will be about $7000 worth of work. (Ouch!) I think it cost about $3000 or so back when I had them, which was a huge amount of money. I hated them even though I knew they were for the best. For a couple of years I did a Victoria Beckham and refused to smile, or I covered my mouth with my hand self-consciously. I had mine removed the day before my Year 12 (End of High School) formal. I keep telling Miss E that she'll thank me later. So will my Orthodontist who must be making a fortune given the trendy premises he works from. I knew I chose the wrong career.

Afterwards I suggested we grab some lunch before her mouth hurt too much to chew anything. And since it was just us girls, I decided to take her out for Yum Cha (aka "Dim Sum").

 

Spring Rolls, Fried Scallops, Pork Buns - All very good for the waistline - NOT !

 

Steamed Prawn Dumplings and Chinese Broccoli with Soy Dressing

A friend on Facebook commented that Miss E looked like an expert using chopsticks. Which is true because she learnt as a very young child when we travelled around Asia. When my husband worked in Malaysia we spent a long time over there with him and she just picked it all up. She is very easy-going and will try anything unlike Master R who is very fussy and the complete opposite.

 

We've travelled to Hong Kong a few times when she was younger. The locals absolutely loved her. In restaurants they kept slipping her treats and commenting on how she ate like a local. In Malaysia she charmed market stall holders and they'd give her exotic fruit to try. She is wonderful to travel with because she goes with the flow and is quite easy-going with what foods she will try.

 

All in all it was a wonderful lunch even if Miss E was more excited in getting a day off school.

The Olympic Hangover Begins...

For the last two weeks we’ve used this as our mantra…

 

Yes it can be very exciting watching the Olympic Games. But after two weeks of non-stop TV viewing excitement we are absolutely exhausted. Being “down under” means we are watching it from a whole other time zone. So watching the Olympic Games means setting DVD recorders to tape events or setting an alarm clock to get up at an insane hour.

We actually do this every Olympics when they are in a different hemisphere. (Which is most of them unfortunately). Just like having Christmas in summer, it is just one of those things that you become accustomed to as an Australian. The only problem is now that I’m getting older I find that I don’t bounce back the next day as quick.

Walking down the street you can spot the zombies (sorry, “Sports Tragics”), all nursing a very strong coffee and sporting glazed eyes. With a nod of recognition we pass each other. It seems quite a few people are in a daze.

 

Our children have been own playing sports and recreating gold medal moments of their own. I’ve never seen my daughter practice her basketball shooting so much. My little man is running around the garden in circles cheering himself on. I don’t have the heart to tell him that you have to run in straight lines. If there was a gold medal for running in circles and chasing the Labrador, he’d win hands down. I am just happy they are outside being active. It is great to see them inspired.

 

 

Workers begin the Olympic Clean-up – (Reuters)

 

So now it is all over and I remember how it felt in Sydney 2000 after our Olympics ended. There was a bit of sadness and it took a while for everyone to get back into the swing of things. Coming down from such a high and returning to normality is hard. So now the clean-up begins and I know how they feel as I’ve neglected the house, the washing, the garden and running errands. Driving past other gardens, I see I’m not alone.

This morning my husband said that on a postive note the local Pizza place did a roaring trade on take-aways. And that the Soccer World Cup (“Football” in other parts) is only two years away.  Bring it on…

 

 

A Return To Blogging

After a very long hiatus from blogging I decided to return. Start afresh so to speak. Partly to share my experiences with family and friends, but also to connect with others. And let’s face it, blogging is cathartic. I’m a mother of two gorgeous children (8 year old son and 14 year old daughter), wife to an amazing husband and mother to one large, crazy Labrador. Think “Marley and Me” and you will be understand our lab.

My son (8) has Autism and ADHD and life has been a struggle since his diagnosis. However as a family we don’t want it to define him nor us. We try to live life to the full and so our experiences run the gamut from wonderful, depressing, strange and downright hilarious. At times we are like a comedy sitcom. However I’ve also cried, laughed and despaired but I’ve always tried to see the silver lining.

It is easy to become lost in the daily life of being a mother. And that is why I call myself “FlyMum”. I am always on the go, flying from one appointment to the other and looking after everyone else first. Which is essentially what most mothers do best, isn’t it? A state of perpetual motion but how often do we get to stop and smell the roses? If it is anything like my experience, then clearly not enough.

So this blog will be about finding myself, to get out of my “rut” and find the girl who existed before she became a mum. Don’t get me wrong, I adore being a mother and wife and wouldn’t trade it for anything, but somewhere along the road I just got sidetracked. I put on weight, let myself go a bit and stopped going out as much. Partly because of the challenges our family faces, but mostly because I became “lost” and didn’t know who I was when my career was cut short. I know other mothers out there understand what I’m talking about.

So this blog is about finding ME. And let’s face it, blogging is way cheaper than therapy! So I’m putting it out there partly to keep myself accountable.
My first goal is to get out and see more of Sydney with my family, and by myself in my spare time. I know that sounds strange because obviously I live here, but I often take it for granted. “Oh, I’ll get to that one day” or “I’ll do that next time” and then it never happens. Life gets in the way.

I can’t remember the last time I went to a gallery, exhibition or historic house (which is ironic as I was a Tour Guide for a Historical Association here in Sydney. I miss those days! I loved being a tour guide and speaking to tourists, running education programmes and taking part in special events here in Sydney.

When my son was diagnosed and things became tough, I had to give it away. It was a no brainer but I still often miss it. And then it dawned on me that I can use this blog to still do that. So I will be sharing my Sydney stories with all that come to my blog.
My other goal is to lose weight, get strong, healthy and have more energy. I want to run around more with my children and when I feel more energetic, I’ll take up a sport again (socially).

Let’s face it, my chance of Olympic fame is well and truly over. Although I do often dream at the moment whilst watching the Olympics! Rest assured there will be NO pictures of me in workout gear on this blog! Unless or course I am ready for the “Mrs World” competition. I live in hope.

When I thought about blogging again, I wondered how I should define the blog. Should it focus on Autism to help others? Should it focus on motherhood - the trials and tribulations? Should it focus on weight loss? It actually took me a few days to work out what I wanted to talk about. And the answer was…all of the above.
My life is the sum of all parts and so I decided the blog should be the same. Everything is very much intertwined.

I look forward to connecting with people worldwide and sharing my life in Sydney!