Rasita My Family, My Animals, My Food

Happy New Year

Goodbye to the old year and hello to the new year of 2012.

This past year has been one of ups and downs. Life has been a struggle but also a blessing.

This past year

- I saw my grandfather pass away

- financial struggles as we continue to learn to live on a salary (it was a blessing also as we could finally budget knowing what our income would be)

- I had to stop running due to an injury of overuse and bad shoe inserts

- conflict in our street, which now seems to be resolved

- weekends away with friends doing something I would never have done before

- a house move at the beginning of the year

- nutrition studies done and finished with the best possible score (99% on one and 100% on another). I now want to continue this line of study, though it will have to wait

- progress in my dyslexic daughters school work

- the offer of a traineeship for my eldest daughter

- and lots more.

I am glad the year happened as I feel that I have learned much from it. I feel that it has given me direction for next year, and the coming years. I feel that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that I won’t always be stuck doing this, that I can achieve, but that life will still suck some times and pull me down, but I can get back up and keep going. I have friends, I have family, I have God, I have somewhere to live and food on the table.

It has been a week of ups and downs, exciting stuff and mundane stuff.

I have had the opportunity to spend some of it with some awesome kids (young and old), some awesome friends (young at heart) and my own awesome family.

Saturday saw my family descend upon another and for those few hours I got to walk in the shoes of a single mother of 8 kids. I now appreciate more how hard it is. I still had a good time though.

Sunday

Church and a reassuring word for our pastor

Monday

We splashed about in a freshwater creek before heading out on a rewarding bread run (we got prawns and chatted with new friends)

Tuesday

A relaxing day at home

Wednesday

A full on day spent with friends, swimming lessons and family

Thursday

Spent with my gorgeous and intelligent niece, and a walk around the large block (5km), in the rain, with my hubby. We talked!

Friday

The laptop had an accident but still works fortunately, then I had fun with a dear friend, no kids and a shopping centre

Tomorrow and Sunday

more friends, and gorgeous kids, and I am looking forward to it

I asked my 12yr old (nearly 13 as she would remind me) daughter to draw a couple of pictures of mums on the run. This is what she came up with.

I could see these on a shirt somewhere

My knees hurt, I need to loose weight and I am tired.

I hate complaining, but we all do it, and sometimes it even stops us from getting out and running. I know it stops me and that is why I have given myself a challenge, well, more of a lifestyle change. I am giving myself until Christmas to change a few things, get ready for the new year and form some good habits.

There are stretches, and exercises, that I can do to strengthen my knees and legs. This should take away a lot of the knee pain.

There are diet habits which can be changed, and will be easy since we are in the time of the year when salads and fresh fruit are plentiful (and my garden is blooming), so loosing weight and still enjoying food shouldn’t be a problem. This will help all three complaints to disappear.

I have started planning a daily exercise regimen which will include a variety of exercises (strength, aerobic, stretches). I have made it easy to achieve and simple enough that my girls (7yrs through to 15yrs) should be able to replicate in their lives. It is only short so time shouldn’t be a problem, and it can always be expanded as I get fitter, stronger and healthier.

I want to be able to do more and not be held back by injuries, so I need to start now, not later. There will be no New Years resolutions from me. Next year is already starting for me and I am setting small, achievable goals which will hopefully rub off on the rest of the family also.

How do you get past the complaints?