Squally Showers and Diary Dedication

The Food Diary Hero :)

I am the food diary hero this week. When I first started SW I really struggled for some reason to fill it in and record what I had eaten – I thought I could remember just fine so why? I have realized my memory is not ideal, and has a selective quality where it misses out synful items – they just slip in my mouth and right out of my head – so this year I started to record a food diary again as I go through the day – hence feeling very pleased with myself, I am hoping the honest and detailed recording of all my nourishment will mean I stay totally on plan (or at least know how much off plan I am, if I am) and I will see the result on the scales tomorrow night????? Heres hoping. Ridiculous isn’t it, I am sure the majority of people have no trouble with this at all, but it has taken me nigh on a year to get the hang of always having the diary and a pen with me when I eat, and always writing it down – simple concept !!

I did get up early enough to make it to the post office today, and a lovely deep purple fluffy blanket I ordered before Christmas was there for me, which is a nice surprise, if a tad late.

It was chucking down with rain, and not the most inspiring of journeys – so I was relieved to get back to my work with that little chore ticked.

So my brekky was Dorset cereal (HEB), free yoghurt and banana (SF), with Tea (milk HEA):

Work, work, work then followed, with a lunchtime squelch thrown in, by squelch I mean a trip round the fields with the dogs – I swear the weather forecaster on BBC keeps pointing directly at my house and saying ‘squally showers’ – enough wet stuff already. First person to say hose pipe ban to me in 2014 gets it.

I had some French Fries to keep me going:

Then at lunchtime I made some wholemeal tuna pasta with lowlow (2.5 syns for my portion) and used up the salad from last nights supper:

My actual dinner today was SW cottage pie, veg and small SW roasted new potatoes (when I travelled I lived veggie due to not knowing where the meat came from, feeling like I may need a veggie day or two now for different reasons – too much home cooked local meat):

Short blog today, I hear you all cry out thank heaven for that rambling loon  :), and I ended my evening with a cheeky Peccorino – BAD JANIE! WI tomorrow, think of me tomorrow evening xx

Early Start to the most Depressing Day of the Year…?

Early Start to the most Depressing Day of the Year…?

Well, my plan to be up and at them early was a destined for failure – the alarm went off at just before 6am, and we turned it off. It then went off at 7am, and I fell back to sleep – sooooooo we woke up at 8.15 am knowing we were already late off the blocks. Oh dear.

Hubby went to make the tea and I logged on to begin my day, I am privileged in that I can for much of the time work from home – but that is wonderful and flexible, however it works both ways – if I can get up early and get all my work done plus fit in other things then great, if I don’t and I am still working at 9pm – then that’s my own fault/responsibility and therefore just tough. So I did start with reading a long and not very exciting document and making notes for the call to discuss approach – and hubby did drop a cup of tea next to me :)

I also saw on good old Facebook that today is allegedly the most depressing day of the year, doesn’t feel quite that bad surely? Having decided I’m just not that fed up, I helped myself to a quick banana and second cup of tea at about 9am, and continued to plough through – I had been momentarily distracted by remembering one of the reasons I wanted to get up early was that there is a parcel at the Post Office I need to collect – damn – that is now a job for tomorrow. Also, Henry let himself into Lottie (our daughters) room and stole a teddy which I had to chase him to return to its rightful place. Our daughter doesn’t live with us anymore as she is nearly 26, but she does still have a room that is considered hers full of many girlie treasures, she sometimes stays and if possible, Henry likes to sneak in there and leave a nice reminder of how much he loves her in the form of moving said treasures around, slippers, socks, underwear and teddies are his personal favorites…..

Anyhoo – I worked solidly till lunchtime, then rushed the hounds round for a walk, and ate spaghetti hoops on my HEB of toast, with spread on my toast (2 syns), some swede (don’t ask, it was left over from yesterday so despite not really going with spaghetti it was thrown on as part of my SF), and followed by an apple, and a curly wurly (6 syns of choccyness. It is unfortunately the week leading to * week, so choccy craving going on. Normally would rather a plate of roast tatties J):

When I got back from a very chilly dog walk, I lit the log burner as I was shivering and my hands were icy. So then a couple of hours working and feeding the burner with logs as required followed.

Early evening saw me cook a chicken and pea risotto, and a big salad – it was very delicious and made a change, we don’t often have risotto, not sure why:

After Christmas, as well as publicly stating my objectives for Jan, Feb and Mar on here, I also decided that I would do the same as my SW Consultant (Liz) – and re-do all my body magic awards from scratch – so I have been filling in the FitLog on the SW website all week too – started, of course, with bronze. I measured everything manually last time, and I have to say, it’s more fun on line.

So duties carried out, SW website updated and syns calculated on my food diary for the day, I planned tomorrows food and made myself take poor hard done by Henry out for a short second walk (he is not the slightest hard done by so I have no idea how he manages to guilt trip me into these things. Both dogs have constant access during the day to the garden, and get walked for at least an hour – but guilt trip me with his soppy big chocolate chops he did, so out we went – here is his ‘you really don’t know how sad my life is face’:

 Sensibly Harry yawned at me and stayed put:

Then I really was chilly so I warmed up with an apple and cinnamon tea, and read my SW magazine for a bit of inspiration, and, had a quick squint at my personal email address – where I found a lovely Groupon offer for the London Motor Museum – now I couldn’t really give a fig about that, but I knew my hubby would love it – so in a very naughty moment I bought discount tickets so we can go (please please please let there be a coffee shop for slightly bored wives feigning interest???). Hubby was needless to say a happy chappy when I told him, so it’s all good.

My evening was comfy but dull, so I won’t bore you any more – I had an options meaning a total of 9.5 syns today, and settled down knowing apparently the most depressing day of the year is now nearly over, for all of us – hope you had a good journey today J x

The Very Hungry Catterpillar Day

The Very Hungry Catterpillar Day

Well after I had watched Total Recall in bed last night our son came back from work and asked if I would mind dropping him and a couple of his friends into town, so me, my onesie and an anorak drove them down to the only place open late on a Saturday hoping not to break down :) Not quite the peaceful snuggle down after the movie I had in mind, but it must have been the final push to sleepy town as once I got home I was out like a light.

I woke up much more positive than yesterday, and felt fresher all round, a few days on plan has probably helped. So, I got to work on my magic pancakes with blueberries, strawberries and a very luxurious but not to be repeated 7.5 syn M&S honey and ginger yoghurt (it was reduced to 50p when I went to buy fresh pineapple and looked so lush....) It was yum but 7.5 syns on a yoghurt is a bit high for me:

After breakfast I had a second cup of tea. So my HEA and HEB were pretty much all gone by 9.30am.

A quick shower and change and I took the doggies out quickly before the bad weather got back to Chesham, it was due to start raining again lunchtime - shocker...

Anyway, in my wisdom I decided to do a path walk to avoid the 30-40 mins of dog washing that field walking requires when we get home. Mistake. They were both strangely and uncharacteristically when walking, unco-operative in the extreme and after returning home I felt like I'd been wrestling a tiger. Henry kept wanting to push forward relatively fast, and Harry will not be rushed and just stops and shows his stubborn face if you try to hurry him - so I did have another cup of tea once home as I was pretty dishevelled.

It was lunchtime by then, and I microwaved the left over pasta arrabiata from my fridge:

Did I say lunchtime, ah, well that was when the 3 teenage boys appeared from their slumber and started making bacon sandwiches, I resisted and watched them tuck in.
 
I spent the afternoon doing some pre-decorating cleaning at our daughters flat, and it definitely felt like body magic. After getting home I spent some time surfing the SW website recipes and choose a lamb shank casserole, having created that and popped it into the oven I sat down with a diet coke and some snacks (freddo 5 syns, so up to 12.5 syns)

The lamb shank casserole and SW roast veg with sprouts, green beans and swede was totally lush, and it finally filled the hole I seemed to have been carrying around all day whispering about hunger, finally I was satisfied and not hungry :)

A Come Dine with Me couple of hours followed, and then we went for yet another early night ahead of our first full week back at work, and watched Bad Teacher in bed whilst cuddling Henry (Harry had gone to his favourite place - a big padded basket at the corner of our bedroom by the radiator in the bay window - and he was asleep as fast as I was last night).

I did take an options to bed with me, at another 1.5 syns, total syns for the day a bit high at 14.

We also managed to put together our new log store down the side of the house, and move all the logs from various places into it, proud of that:

So, a relatively productive day - if not very exciting. I also importantly resisted the temptation to spend any money by going to look at things in the Sales, very tempting but an expensive Christmas has been enjoyed, and now I am trying to focus on keeping spending low in January - bet I'm not alone there.

Feeling good about staying on plan, but a bit worried about how much I have eaten - all on plan, but big in volume, I really hope I have a reasonable result at WI this week, which is back to normal and on Wednesday night. Toes and Fingers crossed.

I've rushed to blog tonight, before I move into a busy week - so please forgive all grammar and spelling errors, or send me the corrections!

Happy Sunday and good luck tomorrow xx

An Ally McBeal Kind of a Day

An Ally McBeal Kind of a Day

I woke up a bit lack luster, and later than I should have, and I knew if I wanted to shake it off I needed my own personal singing backing track, like Ally McBeal and her Pips :) For those of you too young to remember, I apologise, but it was a series about a woman, a legal/comedy drama - you would have liked it I'm sure!

Anyway I was listening to my own personal orchestra sing and play the Lightning Seeds song 'Sometimes when I wake up slowly, paralysed by the fears within me, waiting for today to happen........la la la la' all the while I struggled up and out to sort out some kind of fueling breakfast to kick me up the bum and onwards....
 

I tried to make a full english SW style, but I ended up eating the beans, toast, tomato, mushrooms and leaving the one sausage and bacon, so just a couple of syns for spread on my toast then:

After I had finished breakfast and done the usual clear the things away, wash up, put washing on and generally tidy round a bit, I headed out into the appalling wet day with Henry and Harry for their walk - my Pips were gaily singing Cruella Deville and Do the Hustle, I have no idea why but that’s just how it went.....

Not far from home Henry spotted his friend Cassie, became very over excited, side swiped Harry accidently with his bum and sent him rolling over - thank heaven he was wearing his coat, but still, poor short stuff. 

Harry played briefly with Cassie, showed precisely no knowledge of his having sent Harry acropper - so therefore no remorse, and we all kept going up and down the hills, through the mud and across the River Chess:

An hour and a quarter later when we got home I spent the next half an hour washing and drying 2 dogs, nice, not.

I did rest for 20 mins and grab a cup of tea as I felt pretty wiped out, but then I kicked myself up the bum, AGAIN by listening to my Pips singing Life of Riley and headed to the gym, where my real life iPhone instead of my imaginary Pips sang me much needed running music for me to keep going too (I think i picked up the pace with Blue Mondays, Mr Saxobeat and Avril Lavigne singing about Never growing up - which seems likely in my case). I did manage a reasonable workout - and headed back home hoping to catch my son before he went to work, we cooked him dinner together quickly so he had eaten before he started work, and then when he left I realised I was missing the Pineapple for my and hubbies dinner - so I drove to the local M&S, which isn't that local really - about 2 miles ish, and bought some fresh chunks to make sure our dinner would be delish.

When I got back I had a quick yogurt to appease my rumbling tummy, and I let Henry and Harry lick out the pot (bad Janie): 

My Pips sang Food Glorious Food whilst I made our SW dinner of Gammon, Egg, Pineapple, Peas, Cabbage and Leek, Tomato and SW chips - lots, but I was SO hungry I knew I needed to fill up on Free and SuperFree to avoid temptation (speaking of which that set 'Temptation' by Heaven 17 off in my head LOL - the soundtrack to my day is a little strange I will admit):

I had only used 4 syns so far (spread and yogurt), and after dinner I had a 0 syn treat, a drink and a sharon fruit:

By then the need for a hot bath using my Crimbo smellies and a laze around in my onesie was definitely in order. So hubby lit the fire for me to snuggle next to with a hot drink after my bath:

So after my bath a snuggle by the fire was lush, and I watched about the Terricotta army.



Then finally, having learnt how to do Magic Pancakes from the Purple bus, I put oats and yogurt to soak, and then when we headed to bed (with my Pips singing away to Shakespeares Sister) I took an options 2.5 syns, and a film to watch in bed:

So nearly an all free day, with just 6-7 syns :) Some days go well and when they do I think a low key little smile to ourselves is definitely in order. Today did not start off looking very promising, but it turned out just dandy. My food was all delicious, and I am not remotely hard done by - I do love the Extra Easy Plan.

Night Night x

First Fridays

So First Friday of 2014

 

So my day started well with weetabix, milk and banana – both Healthy Extras sorted early.

I am back at work now, so after breakfast, which also involved some tea, I logged onto my laptop and checked email, did expenses and admin and generally had a tidy up of my desktop and email before the real work hits – but then, an RFP arrived and I volunteered to help the Sales guy with it – so, I was immersed in reading it after a short call to discuss the background. Yep, officially essential but quite dull as mornings go :)

At lunchtime I managed to take the hounds out, and get wet, cold and hailed on. Really the hail was pea sized - photo below! Henry didn’t mind, but Harry seemed relieved to get into the house and onto a warm bed - here they are after there walk and a long rub with a towel to get them dry:

 

I also managed a large portion of homemade wholemeal pasta arrabiata – yummy (it had a whole red pepper, whole green pepper, garlic, tomatoes, and a whole chopped fresh red chilli in there - so plenty of super free).

After more reading and note making I popped into town and grabbed some bits I missed off my shopping list, due to my brother coming for dinner later.

A bit more work, and I managed to fit in collection of a prescription, cooking of dinner and some snack-tastic time too. Snack was a yogurt and a bag of french fries (6 syns all together):

I also sat with my son, so UCAS application checked and in with added additional Universities as options, dinner for tomorrow planned, some items still outstanding on my tick list but hey ho, a good start to being back at work and on plan.

My brother turned up for dinner, pre warned that I am back on SW and he is very very welcome, but would have to eat SW friendly with me :) So we had SW Chicken curry, brocolli, rice and I did have some syns in the form of a glass of red (6 syns):

 Then we sat up talking till late, and I eventually got into bed and was asleep in seconds, first Friday of 2014 done, on plan - YAY.

So tomorrow I have a busy day planned, and my food planned also - it is apparently going to rain all day so more getting wet looks likely, I will need a boat and have to teach the hounds to paddle alongside it if it doesn't stop raining soon......

Good week end to each of you x