The Book Club Blog

Oh My Word, and suddenly we are at the end of March already! Goodness, this year is flying by without a hand brake.

So, because I have been so slack lately I thought I would do a Currently: and catch up post in one.

Feeling: sore arms and gluet from a triple Pilates session and silks

Loving: the cooler weather and slow entrance into Autumn

Trying: to get in some extra playtime with Bean

Working: on cardio lesson plans for Love Pilates

Enjoying: working on my body for the upcoming silks showcase in August

Eating: High fat and Low carb BUT I have been eating chocolate AND went out to share cake this morning with a group of girlfriends BUT can feel the difference in my energy levels with eating more fat AND don’t need to snack often!

Drinking: way too much coffee, thoroughly enjoying the Trebodore Coffee which comes in all sorts of delicious flavours

Coveting: some new clothes for Winter, really do need some interesting and funky clothes

Wishing: there were more hours in the night to sleep

Reading: The Happiness Project, which is greatly inspiring and have already implemented some changes into my life.

For the last couple of weekends, I have been sitting in on a Prime Movement Pilates Course which has been extremely interesting and have been exposed to some new ideas which have really changed the way I think and move.

It was my daughters birthday a couple of weekends ago and she turned 6! She really is the most beautiful little girl, inside and out and I am really enjoying watching her grow into herself. We got her report last week and had our teacher parent meeting which was fabulous as she has settled well into school(I was a bit concerned about the size of the class compared to her previous school) and she was one of the few children who got 5’s in her report for maths and reading. It just goes to show I am not biased when I think she has a brain on her;-)

Work is going well, I am loving working from home, having extra time in the days to spend with Bean and not having to rush around quite so much any more. My clients are lovely and the new ones are beginning to feel the benefits of Pilates in their own bodies, which really make my job worthwhile.

I will be doing a Wall Springs course in April together with my partner in crime to add some new elements into the Pilates schedule and I am highly looking forward to learning some new information.

On a completely arbitrary note, I am extremely tired at the moment for no apparent reason. I had my iron levels checked, all fine and so decided to have a Vit B shot, so am hoping that will bring that extra spring back into my step.

And you? How are you doing?

I LOVE  getting things in the post! Be it a parcel or a letter (personal not bill related…) and this year I have decided to TRY and be more thoughtful and send mail. I have already decided that my party invites will be snail mail delivered, (now just to come up with an invite and decision on what I am doing for my birthday- I love celebrating, in case you hadn’t noticed…) and I would like to randomly write to people. I don’t mean long involved letters, just a note here and there or a small gift which I think might suit somebody.

Funny that I had this thought at the same time that Facebook has a thing going around at the moment where you sign up for a random something in the mail… So, if any of my readers fancy getting something randomly in the post, please would you email me your physical addresses? You can go to the submit review section on this sight or you can just leave it in the comments or inbox me on FB.

I also want my daughter to receive things/letters in the post so if you have a child that would like to converse with my daughter that would be just awesome too. She is going on 6 and we check the post box every day and she has just understood the concept that in order to receive a letter, we need to write a letter.

So, if anyone is interested, please yell!

planning my birthday party which is coming up next month, yippee

going to work tomorrow, after 5 weeks off from massaging, I think my hands are going to feel it

becoming addicted to interesting earrings

watching Downton Abbey and loving it, heading onto season 3

reading Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

listening to my daughter sing to her favorite song from Frozen (beautiful and clearly resonates with her!)

celebrating fact that my daughter is such a beautiful soul

loving LIFE

eating all sorts of different lentil dishes, healthy options and NOT eating sugar

enjoying my first cuppa coffee in the mornings, freshly ground and individually  bodum-ed

wearing right now, my swimming costume, so very hot today and had to take a dunk

collecting quirky little bowls, love the uniqueness of them

working on getting new clients into the studio

trying to come up with a fabulous inexpensive Valentines idea for the studio

feeling a little sore after a wisdom tooth removal this afternoon

waiting for the numbing sensation of said tooth removal to wear off so I can eat my dinner (lentil and quinoa burgers…)

wishing I could afford a plane ticket (but that WILL be happening this year!)

What a Lovely holiday I have had! In fact, I have managed to get into the zone and I have to admit that I could do with a little longer…. Though I fear if I did have any longer, my belly would so not be happy with me as I have just been eating and eating and eating. ( A good thing about that is that I have managed to pick up my weight which I had lost at the end of last year due to stress so I no longer look gaunt and my clothes fit me again, yay).

But apart from eating well, in-between I have formed a love affair with Lays salt and pepper crisps and watermelon and in-between that, chocolate! Tomorrow starts the No Bad Snacking, working out and being as healthy as can be! Then in another weeks time, I will omit caffeine from my diet and only have it on occasion. (its amazing how much more energy I have when I don’t do coffee…)

I recently purchases Its All Good by Gwyneth Paltrow and it is exactly what it says on the cover, All Good. The recipes are easy to use, the food tastes great and its not bad for you! I have made her ‘candy bars’ which are healthy treats, full of nuts and coconut and topped with chocolate. Delicious! I also tried her almond butter biscuits but I didn’t have almond butter and wasn’t prepared to pay R160 for a jar, so used peanut butter instead. They taste just like peanut butter cookies, yum!

Green juice will become a staple again, if thats one thing I can recommend on a daily basis, its green juice!

Right enough about food, I am not sure how this turned into a food post but anyway I will end off with a quick update as to what my holiday consisted of:

* BIL’s 50th Birthday Party (still waiting on photos from my sister as I didn’t take any…)

* Spending some QT with my brother

* Hiking up Lions Head with my daughter. Was Awesome and will so be doing it again!

* A quiet Christmas

* Having some quality alone time and spending some time on me

* Movies, went to watch Frozen, thought was fab!

* Went shopping in the sales

And spent this last week beginning the wake up to Monday. And yes, I am ready!

Are you??

So, we are 3 days in to  2014 and on FB, there are peoples ‘words’ coming out, I have to admit to this being one of my favourite times of the year in regards peoples words.  Mine is the same as  another blogger, but we can’t help that;-) Last year, my word was dream. This year, my word is brave. And yes, this year I need to BE brave, FEEL brave and DO brave. In most aspects of my life actually. Lets see:

Physical: i need to be brave in my Silks, both with doing drops, and with the duet  work. I have high aims for myself in regards this, I just need to BE BRAVE. Trust my body. I need to teach myself how to do the snatch with the kettle bell so I can officially get my kettle bell trainer certificate.

Emotional: I need to feel brave and decipher what on earth is going on in my relationship and if needs be, am I brave enough to ‘let it go’.

Spiritual: I need to be brave and step out of my comfort zone, I need to fill my cup, feed my soul and tend to my garden

Intellectual: Definitely need to add in some extra brain work this year! Again, brave enough to trust that the funds will come so that the two courses I am aiming to do this year, will be done. 1 being the Yoga for Kids course and 2nd Plant Essences. ( I have wanted to learn about Plant Essences for years now, but have just never done anything about it since a good  almost 10 years ago. Now is the time to be brave and do brave!)

Work: I need to be brave and go for it! – Which I have done, now keeping the faith while growing and trusting in the process.

Play: Definitely need to play more with my daughter. it doesn’t take a lot, a few tickles and some down time. There will be a bit more ‘free’ time in my days from now on, working from home. I also definitely need to chill out a bit more and laugh more with her. She is growing up so quickly that I really want to capture each moment as much as I can can. Even amidst my bad moods, my grumpiness, tiredness or need for alone time.

Balance: I am hoping this year, there will be even more balance between all aspects. Again, trusting, having faith and being brave.

I leave you with this:

Today, I was looking in the mirror bemoaning the fact that my skin has been Sun Hit, and my daughter said to me: Your face is beautiful mommy.  And it doesnt matter what you look like on the outside, you are beautiful on the inside. I replied, thank you for reminding me.

I am blown away by her beauty and the fact that my words do have an impact on her even if I don’t think so.

And though this may not be a vision board per se, ( I have decided that I would like to do one of those this year, I may just do it on pinterest) it is the start to actually figuring out what I hope this year will bring with it.

Goodness, I can almost not believe that it is 2 days until 2014! What  a year!

I thought I should do a year end post with the remarkable things that happened and didnt happen this year…

* We moved into our house that we plan to buy ( didn’t happen this year)

* I participated in the Aerial Silks Showcase doing fancy schmancy things on silks!

* My daughter finished Playschool and starts Grade R next year

* I started teaching at my own home studio and have slowly started growing

* I resigned from teaching at another studio (cue nerves!)

* My sister spent Gemma’s 5th birthday with her and helped me do her cake

* I met Prime Circle and had my stomach autographed;-)

* I will be going to the Rocky Horror Show tomorrow night, but I am sure that will deserve an entire post on its own…!

And so, here is to 2014, may it be an awesome year, with growth, changes, love, confidence and many many blessings. This year, was truly blessed.

And if I don’t post before the first, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Considering that it is 3 sleeps till Christmas and I haven’t blogged since November sometime. And right now,I should be doing my Sunday sorting but instead I have been on Goodreads, checking how many books I have read this year(about 80) and now, blogging!

What to tell you, lets see,

* I had a two day holiday up in the Eastern Cape with my daughter, brother, sister and her family to enjoy a 50th birthday party, which was great fun! (And we swopped Christmas pressies, ours are under our tree, waiting patiently to be unwrapped…)

* I have resigned from the studio that I have been working at for the last year and a half and am now going solo. A bit nervous, a bit excited, a bit sad but change wouldn’t be change without change….

* And with going solo, I will have another instructor teaching at my studio with me, Very excited about that, I feel all grown up being a ‘boss’

* My daughter is growing up too fast. She has finished playschool and will be heading into Grade R next year. I have her uniform bar for two pairs of shorts which will be purchased in the New Year, stickers for her stationery and again a small feeling of sadness at the leaving of her old school. It truly was a delight to be there. A small farm school with divine teachers. Ah well, we all have to grow up sometimes. ( And I don’t only mean her;-))

* Christmas will be quiet this year, there will just be the four of us at home so will be keeping it simple but hopefully very very tasty!

* I have had a good book reading year, a couple of my faves of the year have been Wool, The hundred year old man, Me before You, The strongest Librarian but I think this needs an entire post on its own…but I think my favourite favourite, was Mr Penumbra’s 24 hour book store.

And with that, I wish you a very merry Christmas and a most blessed New Year! Here’s to all those books we can read in the next year!