Growing Up Too Fast?

Now, don’t get me wrong – we all have to grow up sometime.   Having a said that, a couple of things that have happened recently make me question why some parents do the things they do where their children are concerned.

I am fortunate enough to go to my fair share of gigs.  This has been the case for most of my adult life.  Just lately there seems to be a breed of parent who take their kids to gigs.  I’m not talking about family-themed picnic/gigs in the park type events but rock concerts.  I don’t have any children but I’m sure that if I did, I wouldn’t feel the urge to take them to see the likes of Motorhead, The Cult and The Manic Street Preachers – well, at least not until they’re old enough to drive me there! 

The first time I noticed a little ‘un at a concert was at a Motorhead gig.  The poor lad was about 9, looked bored stiff throughout the entire support act and then actually SLEPT when Lemmy and the lads took to the stage, being carried out by his somewhat bewildered dad at the end of the night.   Similarly, at a Cult gig, a guy had his daughter with him and she looked none too impressed at the thunderous guitars and Ian Astbury’s wailing (which I love, by the way!).   And just this last week at a Manics concert, two kiddies standing near us with their parents – on a school night – looked dead on their feet as James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire made our ears bleed.

It’s not just the volume and lateness but more the interaction between band and fans.  All of the 3 acts mentioned above spattered their sets with their  fair share of bad language  – all in good humour and aimed at an adult crowd, It just makes me feel uneasy at little innocent ears hearing, via a fifty million watt PA system, words which they really needn’t know until a bit later in life. 

I’m also uneasy about how some children are allowed to dress.  Yes, clothing manufacturers are partly to blame, but seeing pretty little girls wearing hot-pants and crop-tops in the summer  is just very, very wrong.    In the States, junior beauty pageants are a multi-million dollar industry – children as young as 5 plastered in make-up, their hair dyed and piled up high, teetering on a catwalk in kitten heels.   It’s just vulgar. 

We all grow up eventually (or so I’m told!)  Just let nature and time take their course.

Exercise Epiphany

So when did THAT happen? 

One minute, there I am sitting in front of the tellybox 7 nights a week slowly getting wider.  Then without prior warning I’m thrust into a world of doing stuff!

Stuff!  Me!  Swimming, weights, walking, Yoga, Zumba, dancing  ….. even hula hooping – and I have to say I absolutely love it and feel so much better for it too.

Of course, the exercise means I can still eat and drink the occasional naughty thing too.  Yes, visualising a large glass of red wine or two really helps you to move through the pool and notch up those feel-good points in the calorie bank:  although, obviously don’t drink the wine in the pool as it would only dilute it, and who wants their wine mixed with chlorine!?!?

Fifteen weeks in and the “eating plan”, combined with the exercise and a healthy dose of Positive Mental Attitude are really working.  20lbs lost, BMI almost acceptable and clothes size reducing - it’s lovely being able to buy High Street clothes now from regular High Street shops.  The charity shops are going to benefit too – the pile of “Big Girl” clothing is ever-increasing:  when there’s a bag full, it’s going ……

I've not paid a penny to any slimming clubs this time round.  I wish I'd done this years ago - I'd have saved a fortune instead of giving it to Weight Watchers / Rosemary Conley / Slimming World (delete as applicable ...!)

If I can do it, anyone can!

PMA all the way!

x

Time Please!

Apologies for the lack of blog updates lately – spare time has been somewhat absent, but all for good reasons ……

The healthy eating thing (I hate the word “diet”!) I told you all about back in January is starting to really notice.   I’ve now lost 17lbs and dropped 2 dress sizes and have had some kind of exercise epiphany:  maybe it’s all the fish I’m eating that’s making me so agile in the swimming pool!  Also loving my weekly yoga session – and it’s certainly not for wimps ........

( .. and yes, I can ....!)

My home study is thoroughly enjoyable too:  I’ve now submitted 2 assignments – the first one passed with really positive feedback and I’m fairly hopeful of a similar result for #2 (I should know by the end of this week). 

The first assignment was basic human physiology and anatomy.  It’s amazing what our bodies do to protect us and keep us functioning – complex machines doesn’t even come close!  Assignment 2 concentrated on the digestive system and how we process our food:  not exactly lunch time reading but certainly eye-opening nonetheless!

The Better Half is introducing me to the pleasures of The Lake District later this month.  Walking boots and comfy socks have been purchased and I am looking forward to attacking The Old Man Of Coniston and a few beers to celebrate my mountaineering achievement afterwards!

Yes, life’s busy but good.  I can almost feel the long, hot Summer days just around the corner .........

Brain Time!

Having taken the plunge and decided to launch myself headlong out of my professional comfort zone to retrain for something completely different, I was made to wait 10 days by those meanies at the college for my study materials.  But at long last, aforementioned study materials have now arrived so it’s time to Retrain My Brain!

I know the path to starting my own business is going to be a long one, and there will be twists and turns along the way.  I have a lot of work to do and (judging by the course materials) much learning to take on board.  I am going to have to be disciplined and give myself realistic deadlines if I am to achieve my goal of becoming a qualified Nutritionist. 

Without exception, everyone I have confided in prior to taking the plunge has given me their utmost support (thank you – you know who you all are!) and the positivity (and realism!) of those who know me best is making me even more determined to succeed (as opposed to suck seed, which is what birds do ….!)

The Nutrition course is just the first step of my great adventure.  Come September I’m hoping to enrol on a course with real live people (not a distance learning experience) to gain a Diploma In Counselling. 

So, pencils sharpened, notepad and biro at the ready …. I’m going in.

Wish me luck – I may be some time!

x

 

Where Does It All Go ....?

When you have your hair cut, you can see the evidence of your mission as the hair drops to the floor (and down your back!) at the mercy of the stylists’ scissors.  You can see the hair being swept up by some poor long-suffering sweeper-upper and disposed of.  Or sold to a wig makers perhaps ….

But when you diet, where does the weight go as you shed those unwanted pounds?  You don’t wake up in the morning and leave 1lb of blubber in bed, you don’t wash it away in the shower, or shave off a layer of lard as you get ready for work.  It just disappears, like magic! 

The same can be said for “Magic Pants” – without them, your outline may resemble the Michelin Tyre Man.  Don a pair of Magic Pants and hey presto – svelte and Kylie-esque in an instant (this of course assuming you can get into the bloody things in the first place!).  Although admittedly one has to be careful with Magic Pants:  the wobbly bits can have a tendency to roll over the waistband, thus giving the impression of some bizarre “I’m wearing a rubber ring under my outfit” outline, or at the other end of the garment, circulation to the legs can quite easily be cut off without the wearer realising – until you stand up and can’t feel your legs!

So, five weeks into the diet and half a stone lighter ….. but where does it all go!?!

x

Ranty Pants I

Well, I feel a stint in the ranty pants coming on.  A bit random, but a few minor irritations.  Please feel free to add your own to the list …..

• Fresh fruit and veg:  cucumbers/peppers etc really don’t need to be wrapped in cling film.  Likewise, apples and bananas do not fall off the tree covered in stickers telling me what they are! 

• To the skanky ones at work:  can’t you read?  The signs in the communal kitchen ask that you kindly clean up your crockery and cutlery after use.  That’s not an invite to dump it into the sink until someone else gets so fed up looking at it, that they wash it up for you.  Likewise, please leave the tea towels straight and stop nicking my coffee – buy your own!

• Recruitment Agencies:  you promise the earth and then deliver nothing.  You ring with “the ideal opportunity” for me, build me up and then close the door.  Or you contact me with the most bizarre job openings for skills I do not possess.  Did you read that CV you asked for?

• Recruiters in general:  how on earth you can find it justifiable to leave an applicant hanging around for 3, 4, 5 weeks without any contact is beyond me.  Surely, when you read my application you must have had an inkling as to whether I’m a yay, nay or maybe.   Communication is a great tool.  Use it!

• When you become a parent, do you lose your own identity?  Why do people ring a radio station to warn the nation of a traffic hot-spot, only to go by the name of “Bens dad” or “Annies auntie”.  

• The AmericaniZation of the English language.  It’s not called the English language for fun y’know!  Bloody Microsoft have got a lot to answer for.

And breathe ……..

x

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