No More Morning Madness

Hello Everyone

Most of the schools around the country started Term 3 this morning. I have to admit that I am quite pleased that our first week back is out of the way and that we seemed to have gotten back into the swing of things quite easily...although Mondays are never easy. This week most of my kids' extra murals and sports matches start up again which means this Mama needs to have her ducks in a row to ensure that our lives are not one big rush. I have found that how our mornings go generally sets the tone for the rest of the day. So today I am going to share a few of my tips to keep mornings relatively calm and fuss-free.

I have found that the key to fuss-free mornings is preparation....

1. Pack lunchboxes the night before

Lunchboxes are my WORST! I detest trying to come up with innovative ideas of what to pack my kids for lunch. With Master J being the fussiest eater on the planet, they generally get the same thing every day - sandwich (marmite...otherwise it doesn't get eaten), fruit, yogurt and some sort of protein like biltong or droëwors. You can check our my Pinterest board here for some super cool lunchbox ideas, if you have the time or inclination to jazz up your kiddos school lunch.

Bentoboxes seem to be all the rage. In the hopes of getting a bit of inspiration I bought a Bentobox made by Sistema at Pick 'n Pay for Master J. I love all the different compartments and it's ideal for my little man who insists that all his food needs to be separate. I try to make their lunches while our supper is on the go and store them in the fridge over night so that in the morning I can just pop it in their school bags.

2. Invest in a coffee machine with a timer

The very last thing I do every night before bed is to fill up the coffee machine and set the timer so that my morning cuppa is ready and waiting for me as I walk into the kitchen. There is also no better way to wake up than to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. I don't think many moms could survive without a good, strong cuppa in the mornings.

3. Pack school bags and get clothes ready the night before

In South Africa we are fortunate that our kids need to wear a school uniform, which limits their options of what to wear. But it still is very handy to make sure that each item that is required for the next day is laid out and clean/ironed and ready to go. There is nothing worse that rushing about looking for that missing pair of school socks or having to haul our the ironing board 5 minutes before you need to leave so that it doesn't look like your kid got dressed out of the washing basket. 

Packing school bags the night before is also a must. It saves an enormous amount of time in the mornings and also ensures that your kids have all the books, sports equipment etc that they need for the day. And if you are as OCD as I can be at times, you could even pop those school bags in the boot of the car the night before (just don't forget the lunches in the morning). I have, on more than one occasion, opened the boot at school and realised that in our rush to get going, we have forgotten school bags at home.

4. Get up 15-30 minutes before the kids

I try to wake up and get dressed before my kids wake up. Granted, with my early risers it is not always possible. However, on the days that I do manage it, our mornings run much smoother as I have had the opportunity to start my day a little slower and I'm completely awake by the time the kids surface.

5. Before morning cartoons, the kids need to be completely dressed and ready to go

As I mentioned before, both my kids are early birds. Before, they would get up and watch morning cartoons and would get so engrossed that I would end up ranting at them to get dressed for school and nag and scream and shout. So to avoid the early morning fight and to start our day off on a better note, I implemented a rule that before they do anything else in the mornings (TV, Lego, Barbies etc), they needed to be dressed, faces washed and teeth and hair brushed. Only then are they allowed to watch TV or play.  I also then given them a 10 minute warning so that they can have a last play before we need to head out the door.

Well, those are my top tips for fuss-free mornings. Let me know in the comments below if you have any of your own.

Until next time,

XX-L

Progress, parkrun and personal bests

Hello everyone

I cannot believe how quickly our three week stay-home holiday flew by! In a previous blog post, which you can read here, you would have seen that I had planned a few activities for the kids and I to do. We had three weeks of slow mornings, a few pyjama days, fun outings, play dates and I even managed to get a few walks in.

June saw my return to Root 44 parkrun. I was dreading going back, purely because of that hill. But the parkrun bug has bitten me, good and proper and I have even improved my personal best time to 55:35...which I am very happy with as it means a shaved off more than a minute. Some Saturday mornings have been absolutely FREEZING and this past one was wet and muddy, but I have loved every minute of it.

The grass was covered in ice on our first parkrun.

 Those who have been following my blog from the beginning will remember that I came stone last in the first few parkruns I did in 2015. I am pleased to say that there are now about 90-100 people who cross the finish line after me. The day I walked my PB, I did it alone as my usual walking buddy is soaking up some sunshine in J-Bay for the holidays. However, having a friend to talk you through that loooong hill definitely makes it seem less painful (even if you cannot respond to their conversation because you need to concentrate on breathing), so hurry home, Lee! So I was so happy to see one of my besties, Ali, return to parkrun last Saturday. Even though we didn't walk together most of the way (Ali is training for a 10k race), it was good to know that she was there and waiting for me at the end.

Ali and I in the rain at the start of parkrun.

The kids went back to school yesterday, which meant that we can regain a little bit of routine. I will definitely miss the slower mornings and not having to pack lunchboxes but I love routine and my kids thrive when they know what's coming. 

When I started walking again, I was cautious not to over-do it as I didn't want to hurt my foot again. So I stuck to the safety of walking laps around our school field. However, after completing parkrun now and realising that I can actually do it, I decided to try out the vineyards surrounding our school. That way I can also train on an incline to prepare for the parkrun hill. The elevation of the incline at school is 71m compared to that of parkrun which is 87m. So hopefully that will help me tackle my Saturday morning nemesis.

Halfway down the hill at school.

I have also been seeing Amanda on a weekly basis for a quick weigh in and every fortnight for an in depth session with her. A couple of weeks ago I hit a bit of a plateau with my weight. After consulting my GP, Amanda increased my Glucophage to 1000mg per day. This seems to have gotten the weight moving again. Last week I lost 600g and 7cm in total. I am happy with that. After all, this way of eating is a lifestyle for me now and not a diet...so I don't expect miracles overnight. I need to make a conscious effort every day to make healthier food choices. I can tell you, it was not easy during the holidays when we were out and about and everyone was eating delicious smelling slap chips or drinking chocolate milkshakes! But I survived! 

My total weight loss since starting with Amanda is now 5.4kg and I'm not sure about the total centimetres....but I can definitely feel a difference in my clothes and generally feel so much better - emotionally and physically.

Until next time,

XX-L