I am not a Gardener. I wish I was but I confess I don’t have a clue. I know from primary school science that plants need sun, water and soil so I wish it was that simple. I am envious of lavish gardens and I do have a magazine subscription for “House and Garden” but my green thumbs remain quiet. However I am proud to say we have grown STRAWBERRIES.

I lie. Nathan has grown STRAWBERRIES and MINT, and Lavender and Rosemary and we have little seedling shoots of tomatoes and watermelon (?? – “why Watermelon i don’t know”).

Growing vegetables have been trial and error as we navigate the areas of sunshine on the patches of dirt we have. When we moved into the property my father and sister knocked out all the overgrown trees so we have patches of bare land that had scraps of sun in between the houses and national park. The front yard slopes up to the road but it is good to get out of the house and count our strawberries.

I have officially let a ball drop. Yes, I am talking about the constant juggling of working, parenthood, cooking, cleaning, trying to be a good friend, taking time out for myself, and study. The ball is EXERCISE!  I cringe when I hear myself say, “I just don’t have time.” Make time dammit I say. I quit the gym after two months of barely attending and now I can’t think of something else to do. Try early morning, one would say. My sleep is precious is my argument and the idea right now to get up at 5am to go the beach in the dark and cold is not appealing.

I have dropped a ball

What about at night? After work on a 12 hour day sitting in my car and then at my desk I am afraid my poor Butt will soon double in size due to inactivity and afternoon snacks of chocolate. Not a good sign. Terrible in fact as I try to look at my behind in the mirror.

What about the days I am home with the girls? I am trying to find some kind of exercise to either involve or with a child minding facility. However I feel guilty about the childminding when it is my days to be with them. Excuses… I know. Any idea anyone?

Not always an Angel

“Human metapneumovirus (hMPV)” the doctor said, two days after our late night, four-hour excursion to the emergency department with a feverish and listless 18 month old. “But don’t worry it is the women’s blouses’ of viruses…”

Great. Well thanks to the test result poor Moana gave last Sunday night after two weeks of upper respiratory and secondary infections that affected our whole household we finally had a viral name. I do understand viruses have a gauges. I get there are bad and nasty viruses on the scale and there are wussy and wimpy viruses like our hMPV. However I am slightly perturbed and annoyed by the doctors and phoning hospital by they diagnosis.

So, I would like to share with you my calculations of the effect of the Worlds “Wimpiest” or as I was told today, the more medically defined in the literature “Women’s Blouse of Viruses”:

• 1 late Sunday night trip to the hospital emergency department.
• 3 trips to the GP (2 Bulk Billed).
• 4 prescriptions filled with antibiotics.
• My employer has lost a few thousand dollars in productivity as I went to work sick before taking five days carers leave to take care of my daughters.
• We spent honestly almost $200 at the chemist: the shopping list included antibiotics for the four of us, Panodol and Nurofen (adults and child), hydralyte ice blocks, cough syrup,Ventolin and tissues.
• Lost over $500 in un-attended childcare fees
• Fought and argued as we weighed up declining social invitations on the health of four of us – we really wanted togo to the birthday party, and then the Kylie concert and then the wedding. But then there was the guilt for attending with sick children while notfeeling all that great ourselves with the fear of infecting our friends and family for really was a selfish want to socialize.
• And countless nights of Sleep deprivation caring for crying babies which = parent low immunity= revolving door of sickness. Just as I get better; Nathn got sick then I got sick again.

So for the World Wimpiest Virus it sure takes the cake! <Insert swear word here>

Lisa

There are so many classes I want to do at the moment. Before kids, I loved filling up my week with learning new things, meeting new people and free to come and go as I please. But since my life has been consumed with babies, partner and work I feel desperate for another outlet. I just need to make it happen somehow…

My list includes:

• Boxing classes
• Art classes
• Photoshop/Graphic Art classes
• Cake decorating classes
• Meditation classes

Do you see a theme here? Creativity and Relaxation!! But unfortunately lack of time and trying to find the right course that fits around my schedule has been almost impossible. I was really disappointed last weekend when i contacted a local Graphic Design School inquiring about if their Diploma was available part-time (sorry doing a course 9-5 every day is no longer feasible) was told no.

I know meditation is good for you and I have been really stressed lately so when I picked up this brochure for a Meditation night it seemed perfect. For about two years before the girls were born I went to a meditation at least once a month and really enjoyed it but this one included access to Mineral pools, healing meditation and a two course raw organic feast afterward. So with a friend I went after work last night.

N took care of the girls and I totally relaxed for three hours trying not to think about all those nagging stresses in my life. “Little clouds” we were told. The initial difficulty people often say (and me too) in meditation is all the passing thoughts when you try to quiet you mind. By re framing them as “Passing Clouds – let them float by” was a very helpful analogy for a very relaxing experience.

Never slept so well in a long time.

What classes do you want to do?

L

I own a lonely green Fitball. I bought my Fitball when I am sure every gym group exercise listed Fitball Class in its timetable.  But where has the group class gone? I don’t know when but somehow I miss its drop from the program. Fitball was one of those classes I did join in. The instructor would inform you there were two sizes of ball, as the ladies (usually always women) would scramble to the corner with the balls. You would sit and wobble, jump in the air and bounce around in circles, sit ups and push up and holding balls in your knees. Fun but absolutely ridiculous. I suppose the fitballs took up too much room so they disappeared.

Later in my attempt of fitness adventure I tried a class called BodyJam. It is one of the Les Mills franchise programs that sits with BodyPump, BodyBalance and BodyStep. I wasn’t too bad by the time of weeks of practice I could do some moves only to see the program change. I see on my Fitness First Program poor Jam was guzumped for Zumba.  So I rocked up to my first Zumba class on my birthday ready to start a new year trying something new. And no. I did not get it. I must be the only one who could get the groove. As much as I think I like Latin music (I did go to South America when I was 18) the groove just did not get me. Then again anything more complicated than the grapevine always gets my left foot stepping on my right.

On the other hand, Bodypump is ok but just a bit boring. It’s predictable and besides from the change of music the moves are the same – warm up, quads, shoulders, biceps, triceps, lunges. Same repetitive moves while I stare at the clock praying for the time to hurry up and end.

I don’t mind an Aqua aerobics class. I should have done more of those when I was pregnant. But I confess I probably never work out as hard as I should in the pool but the ladies are lovely, they wear lipstick in the pool and they all go out for tea and scones after. Never joined them though.

Today I went to my first Thump Boxing class.  My personal trainer had dumped me a fortnight ago (its not you, its me – here is half your money back) and I had enjoyed boxing back in my hiking Kokoda days. My smugness soon turned into exhaustion as super fit women (once again it is women who take up group exercise) ran circles around me. The sit up and punches were a killer and my little petite partner kept chanting about a non existent vision of me in bikinis as a source of motivation. Argh I miss the Fitball class.

Now the poor lonely Fitballs at the gym only sit in the warm up and core exercise corner never to join a group again.

What classes do you enjoy?

Lisa

After threatening to quit Fitness First due to my lack of attendance (aka – the leaking hole from my budget), the gym offered me three free personal training sessions which I accepted. Consequently I have started back at least once a week back to the treadmills and pool. My gripe is the naked ladies in the change room. Why? I mean it, why do you have to parade naked around the locker room while getting changed? Honestly I am not too much of a modest prude but I don’t want to see breasts, boobs, bosoms and bottoms when I go to collect my bags. The Goldcoast is the place where breast enhancements are advertised on the radio with complimentary financial plans to pay for them. I have nothing against enhancements for sure I am seriously considering one in a few years time for a little lift. But as a major generalisation the women I see parading in the gym are blonde, tanned with and massive fake breasts. Which brings me to the story of the naked lady in the gym the other week.

I entered the changing room, alone and walked to my regular locker space. I don’t know why I chose this one as there are hundreds to pick. It was not busy. To my right there is one of those standing solarium’s. The one where you stand up and close the circular doors while all the rays tan you for a specified time. But this day there was a lady, full frontal naked, perky boobs, and a high pitched accent from somewhere European (although my pick in accents is terrible to rely on), with the door wide open and just chatting on the phone. I groaned to myself and gave N a quick text of another naked lady at the gym (I think he enjoys the stories) and off I went to the treadmill for fifteen minutes of pure boredom. After my little cardio I decided it was time for a swim so I walked back to the change room to collect my togs and towel. As I entered the change room, the naked lady accosted me at my locker, half yelling and screaming to get someone from reception. Grabbing my shoulder and waving about as I diverted my face to anywhere but jumping boobs, “I have been burnt, get the reception, I am going to sue Fitness First, Look at me. Arrrghghg”

Argh! Thankfully I was saved by the staff who ushered her to get dressed. She left to go the doctor to get a statement on the incident while the staff removed the tanning solution from the counters and added another sign to the solarium highlighting the dangers of self tanning.

I think I have had enough of naked ladies at the gym for a little while.

I was recently asked for my opinion of the benefits of Private Healthcare in planning to have a baby. You see if you do not have private healthcare and would like to when planning children you need to have cover for at least 12 months to qualify. Birth is such an unpredictable event my recommendation was better to be covered.

I have had friends who have had babies in the public health system but babies are so unpredictable and lots of things can happen (or nothing hopefully) so the best healthcare is what you want. One of the major benefits of private health is choosing your Obstetrician and Private Hospital. When you confirm your pregnancy with the GP they give you a referral to a OB of your choice. At 12 weeks you have your first appointment and then a scan. You meet with the OB every month until the last trimester then it is fortnightly and then weekly. For a single birth, medicare only pays for two scans 12 week (to get the nuchal fold scanning to test for downs syndrome) and then a growth scan at 20 weeks. Because twins are considered high risk pregnancy I had of course more appointments and scans so I am happy I went private health. Plus in the end I was very sick with pre-eclampsia and HELLP Syndrome. We had our 36 week appointment with the OB at 4pm and after checking my blood pressure we were admitted into the hospital. It all happened really crazy fast and scary but the twins were born at 8pm by c-section. I was hoping for a natural birth but babies what can happen can be so unpredictable. I spend the night in ICU and the girls were in NICU (special care) for a week.

In regards to money:

• Each appointment with the OB cost us about $65 (Although the initial appointment was probably over a $100). Make sure you are covered by the Medicare safety net because as soon as you reach the threshold (I think it is $500??) you get about 85% of that back. Download the medicare safety net information here.
• Around your 20 week appointment the OB will request a payment of about $2000 for the management of your pregnancy. I just put this on my credit card as we had met the medicare threshold and got the money back fairly quickly.
• The two scans are also covered by medicare but it depends where you go as well. If you go to a fancy imaging place you might have more out of pocket expenses compared to the standard x-ray place where it is cheap and you don’t get all the fancy photos. I went there for a scan at 9 weeks to diagnose twins but the rest of the scans were at a private clinic so there was a little more money there.
• The Private Hospital was 100% covered by private health. However we had to pay a $500 excess (it depends on you excess you have on your private health) only because we had twins – two babies. The first baby was 100% covered but we had to pay an excess to take the second baby home. If you don’t have multiples don’t worry. All special care was also covered as part of our private health.
• During my stay in hospital I had lots of blood tests and we did get a bill from QML for a few hundred but all the other tests during the pregnancy was bulk billed.
• During the birth a Paediatrician attended and assessed the girls before admitting them into special care. He oversaw the girls for the week but I never got a separate bill. However in “normal births” I have heard they do send a bill.
• After you leave the hospital you have wonderful access to the QLD health children community health. I had several appointments for weighing and breastfeeding etc. All free.
• At six weeks post baby you see your OB for the a final check up.

Also during the pregnancy I did baby yoga as some exercise programs are covered in private health but you need to check what is covered.

Another little tip is you you can track all your Medicare out of pocket statements online. Just register on the Medicare Australia website.

We were covered by MBF and you can also track the hospital expenses on their website as well.

All up I think we were out of pocket with private health by about $2000 but that was because we had twins and had to pay an Excess and I was a high risk pregnancy and needed more tests and interventions compared to a normal pregnancy. Saying that you never know what might happen. Babies come early, you might get sick, or you might conceive multiples, or there might be other complications but overall it was a positive outcome as we have two healthy happy little girls. Plus we received the $10,000 Baby bonus so all good.

On the other hand a friend of mine did not know she was pregnant until late in the first trimester. She did not have private health and her GP managed the whole pregnancy. She had no out of pocket expenses and only stayed in the hospital for a few days.

I stayed for a week. When you have a look at different private hospital, take a tour, ask what is offered and how long the standard stay is. But in the end it is the midwives and doctors who make up the stay. I chose a smallish suburban hospital compared to the city one who churns out babies by the minute. Although the facilities were not as fancy the staff was fantastic. Once the birth is over – and you have been discharge the hardest part is then looking after the little thing.

Adelaide (L) Moana (R) NICU

Its Day one of the annual Summer Holiday and if you want the weather report we can expect a wet Christmas and never ending Summer showers. No, not the good showers after a hot day at the beach only to settle back on the veranda with a beer to watch a Summer storm but the cold, wet, rain, rain flooding type. Bugger.

The last few weeks have been a little up and down. N had another accident at work, falling in a boat he was working and injuring his back. He has been off work now for three weeks on workers compensation.  A sick and injured man is not a happy one – quite grumpy, irratible understandably. Today he went off to get to get a spinal block to relieve the pain. I tried to reassure him that I am sure an epidural would be worse (that was killer! From memory) but it did hurt and apparently won’t kick in for another week. Next appointment is on the 4^th of Jan with the doctor to assess if he needs surgery. Then we can stress about finances and workers compensation or if he can work in his current trade anymore as a mechanic. I checked his insurances and I am so annoyed I did not have a closer look at it a year ago. I went through the exercise of getting quotes for death, permanent disability and income protection but I was adequately covered in my Superannuation. I asked N numerous times to check with his Superannuation and he assured me he was also covered adequately. Well I should have taken more notice as it really is not adequate. I just hope he get better and can work again as even though a lump sum payment might look good on paper, the amount will quickly disappear as the bills will still have to be paid plus the extra stress of retraining in a new career after working as a mechanic for 15 odd years.  

But let’s look on the positive side. We are all together for the holidays. In a few weeks we are heading down to Port Macquarie for a week. A nice little road trip which I am looking forward too but please stop the rain. Next year 2011 will be another busy but better year for health I hope. Onwards and upwards.

I met Tawna (@tawna6988) on Twitter and invited her to contribute to my Law of Attraction in Action stories after reading her blog “My Secret Experiment”. After watching “The Secret,” Tawna decided to test the theory with action by blogging her journey with the Law of Attraction. She sent me two stories, one on losing weight and the second one on spending money to receive money which we could all benefit from. Today I have posted how positive reframing can help you drop those kilos and I think I will apply her Positive Thinking tips as soon as possible. Another way to lose my post pregnancy weight.

You can find her latest post titled Positive thinking = 2 1/4 in weight loss in 6 days!

Tawna with her Secret Experiment.

I am absolutely loving this!  Changing my frame of mind and losing weight = perfect!  I have always struggled at both in the past but am not struggling anymore, especially with the weight loss.  I don’t want to rewrite my big long post with my measurement chart here so if you would like to see what I have done and my exact inches then click over to my weight loss blog.

I still have ups and downs with myself but it is coming along nicely.  You know what I am gong to do today, seriously?  I have not changed my summer for winter clothes yet and need to start that today.  Instead of keeping the “fat” clothes around I am going to donate them.  Seriously!  What good is it to keep them around because with the way I am changing I will NOT need them again?  So long clothes.  I truly believe that if we hang onto them then we are telling our subconscious we will need them again and I refuse to go down that road again!

You can follow Tawna at http://tawnasplan.blogspot.com and http://tawnassecret.blogspot.com/

I am not pregnant just fat.

I cannot hide behind the postnatal response any longer. Yes I was pregnant with twins in 2009 but they are now 10 months old. Those lovely pregnancy hormones are long gone and my jelly belly remains.

It is time for action and not just depend on a great set of shapewear. For the last two days I have been sitting in a Project Management professional development course at university eyeing off the free muffins however the only project I am focusing on is to reduce the fat gained from my belly that is spilling over my denim skirt. I desperately would like to wear a new pair of togs this summer. It has taken many months to lift my belly off my caesarean scar – mostly because even looking at the scar made me nauseas. It measures 14 cm if you were interested.

So what is my project plan for a yummy tummy by Christmas? How can I develop my own late postnatal exercise program? Do I dare post my a current photo of what my belly looks like after twins? Would that be motivation enough like the before and after photo from all those diet advertisments?

Earlier this year when I started my new vision board, the Yummy Mummy was a centre focus but I am afraid that focus has slipped. It is time to reaffirm and map out a plan on how I can feel like a yummy mummy with a nice acceptable tummy.