Sticking at things.

Well I have been keeping up with my running.  

We are now on week 7/10 of our beginners group and going well.  I've also been able to manage 1-2 running practices a week in between sessions.  Running with people seems so much easier as there is that element of distraction which inhibits your mind from encouraging you to stop.  Some runs have been easier than others, but I am getting there. I hurt my knee around week 3, and was really disheartened.  My head was telling me not to run on it, but I couldn't bring myself to miss a session.  Thankfully ice and stretching seemed to work and it's been so much better and no pain when running now.  I also treated myself to a snazzy new pair of running trainers (see photo above) to try and reduce the risk of hurting my knee further.  Love them.  I wouldn't have believed the difference a good pair of trainers would make. I did have my gait analysed by doing the run on the treadmill in the shop...I did feel like a wally but I'm sure I looked like a gazelle!  Good job it was a quiet time of day.
I've found a running partner in the village too which helps with practicing and motivation and as of yesterday I have signed up for a 5k Race for Life at the beginning of June.  I'm looking forward and hope this will be the start of many to come.

I have also been to a local free buggy fitness group which sounds less hard core than it is.  But when you're doing your walking lunges, crunches, push ups, planks, sprints etc. you are soon the one that finds yourself wishing you could turf your baby out of the buggy so you can have a sit down and recover!!! 

I have also started a new circuits class that's re-establishing locally.  My first go at circuits and the class was small (just the 2 of us!) so there was definitely no hiding!! My favorite bit was donning some gloves and punching the stuffing out of the instructors pads...what a great stress reliever! 

All this fitness is making me feel a bit stronger in myself...fitness and self esteem.

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Making has been a bit on the slow side here as I feel I've just been buzzing here, there and everywhere.  We often are away at weekends visiting people and it always seems to fall in back to back weekends. It's lovely, but I've had enough now and am sticking at home for a while!  

I've been able to make something (a little commission I suppose) but it hasn't been given yet so I'll keep that under wraps for now.

So other makes have been focused on my little man. We have been having some success with sticker charts.  They never used to work, but after potty training, he was still looking for instant rewards, so the implementation of the sticker chart gave him a longer term goal to focus on.  The first was a pirate ship sailing to the treasure, the second a dinosaur.

He loved the idea that he was getting closer to the star.  He got a mini Haribo bag of sweets for each little star which he loved, and for the pirate ship he got a Spiderman Doll (or action figure as I've been corrected plenty of times!) and for the Dinosaur he got  a big Playdoh factory.  It's quite nice as his birthday is Christmas Eve so he gets one big present drop a year, and this is a way of re-enforcing good behaviours but also giving us a good excuse for us to get him some new toys once in a while.

The current one is a snake focussing on getting washed and dressed with NO FUSS! 

 

 I may be aiming too big as 'procrastinate' is his middle name!  All three year olds are the same I'm sure, but sometimes the battle is so irritatingly frustrating that it deserves a chance to change for the better!  We have had a few mornings/evenings with no fuss whatsoever and all happening in real time which have been delightful (yes three year olds also have no sense of time passing what so ever!).  Some he's still mucking about so he's gone without his reward.  I'm sure with time he might click on to the idea! His reward for reaching this one is a family trip to the zoo so he's quite keen for this one.

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Another little project this week was an up-cycle I suppose. My little man had a very cool dinosaur bag for pre-school which broke, but it was too good to throw away.  So I cut out the leather dino's and re-purposed them into a collage for his room.  I had a spare green Ikea frame kicking around so it seemed the perfect use for it for now.
 I used various bits of fabric, wool, ribbon etc.  and we painted the sun, leaves etc. together.  We did use bubble wrap to make some textured paint but for some reason the paper sort of made it disappear.  When he saw it half made he gasped when he saw it and said he really liked it.  When I showed him the finished one he carried on playing...and my husband laughed.  I'll take that criticism as I think it looks really nice hanging in his room so it will stay there until it grows old.

     The pictures not that clear here...and maybe that's for a good thing.  Every time I look at it it looks more and more pre-school!

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My littlest in now sitting for long periods, weaning is going well, and he is still rocking on all fours!
He is also getting into trouble around the house determined to reach for all of his big brothers toys.

My time on maternity leave is coming to an end with a return to work at the beginning of June.  My uniforms still fit (just).  That will be a whole new phase to adjust to... trying to keep all those balls up in the air.  I could stay off forever to watch my little people grow and learn. 

Enough for today.  I'm enjoying soaking up the warmth in my little sun room, making the most of nap time.  So I think I'll pop some more music on and enjoy some me time.

Love from me and my little men x