No more excuses

Today marked the end of eating badly with a delicious high tea at The Tea Salon: a cute little white picket fence sectioned off retreat in the midst of designer heaven Level 4 at Westfield in the city. We were able to choose between tea and coffee and were given the choice of flavoured scone (I went with lavender, Marlo with rose) and I ordered the children's lunch for the Toddler.

(Note: do not bother ordering the children's lunch, the serving sizes were paltry, the high tea alone is enough for 1 adult and a hungry little mite.)

Knowing it was my last exciting calorific splurge for a while I concentrated more on actually eating it than photographing it but it was super pretty as one would expect. Whoops!

As i've mentioned Christmas and Boxing Day/Holiday eating has messed with my body big time and watching Rousey vs Tate was a big wake up call.

There's a bloated tummy hiding under there

With UFC 170 Rousey vs McMann announced it's given me the inspiration and deadline I need to go from a body like above to something more leaned out, toned and ripped in the right areas.

Turning the corner ... to health!

My holiday eating has come to an official end. If Christmas and Boxing Day eating was an experiment then the results were damning. I'm bloated, cranky, water retentive and worst of all: fat. For the past couple of days I've been gagging to do a bit of exercise but just couldn't prioritize it. This morning started with a sleep in, a skinny flat white, and a trip to the park for the kids.

Heh. My flat white is twice the size of my small yoghurt with muesli.

The toddler is still enjoying her holiday eating.

View from the kids playground Coogee

"Higher, higher," she says.

What kid doesn't love a boat?

Yesterday in Maroubra when I was supposed to be watching Little One play with her Dad in the surf I was too busy watching a pod of dolphins instead. Apparently I missed everything. Sorry! But dolphins ... you know?

Today was a big day! Sunday 29th meant UFC 168 Rousey vs Tate. I'd been waiting for this fight throughout the entire season of The Ultimate Fighter and barely any pub in our area was playing it. At the last moment we decided to go to The Beach Road Hotel, Bondi and watch the final 2 rounds before Rousey got Tate in her signature armbar. A.W.E.S.O.M.E She's such an inspiration. I swear, if I was even just 1/10th as fit as her i'd be a happy girl.

And the winner is Rowdy Ronda Rousey!

What followed was the most disturbing UFC fight i'd seen in a while. Weidman vs Silva. The collective ARGH!'s and near-dry retching from the audience watching the slow-mo replay of Silva snapping his shin in two against Weidman's leg was deafening. We were all gagging. It physically hurt to watch. I'm still traumatized thinking about it.

Afterwards, and with Little One asleep and in the care of her Nanny & Poppy, we decided to walk back to Coogee from Bondi along the Ocean Walk with some dips in the pools at various beaches along the way. I'd never done the walk before and it felt funny to be a tourist in my own country. As picturesque as beachside Sydney is all I could think is that there are a lot of places one could kill themselves if they really wanted to. One jump and you're on the rocks.

Icebergs

I can't do selfies.

Tamarrama?

Bronte

Trying not to do this while waiting for A to take his dip.

The Ocean Walk website promised me a picturesque view of one of Sydney's prettiest cemeteries. Heh.

Clovelly

Discovered I don't have to walk all the way to Bondi for my green juice fix, this is right around the corner.

This may all be for nought because tomorrow we have planned a High Tea for the Toddler with Marlo. Although if we have a green juice before and after maybe those calories won't count. ;) Yeah right.

Family Holidaying

Somehow, months ago when we planned it, going to Sydney and having a family Christmas and an extended "holiday" in Coogee with my pseudo-in laws seemed like a good idea. Now the family Christmas, yes, that was a good idea. Staying by the beach with a toddler though ... groan.

Even prior to getting on the plane I had the idea that my days would be spent outside reading long awaited novels, taking long ocean view walks and getting fit and toned while living on a diet of fresh fruit, salad and sunshine.

I also assumed the toddler would be so worn out by the days activities of running about the backyard area, visiting the park, playing inside with her new Christmas toys that she'd be asleep by 8pm and sleep well into the morning.

The reality has been far from this. Even after letting her stay up to watch Jaws last night (oh yes, she passes out alright then wakes up again just as we want to go to sleep to start her second round of partying) she wanted to dive head first into the treacherous beach and "swim with Jaws the shark".

And the apartment we're staying in, a great little place for a couple, is not exactly kid friendly. And by kid friendly I mean, indestructible.

Still, I shouldn't complain, should I?









Another reason why we wanted to extend our visit was because the Little One's aunt and uncle were expecting a baby and we wanted to be there for the occasion. Especially as it meant the two Toddler cousins could enjoy each others company while Nanny and Poppy took over while her mum and dad were at the hospital. Well, the little squirt arrived and although the two Girl Toddlers get along famously they have some brutal fights of late. The most notable today over a Swiper the Fox figurine.

Tomorrow I shall attempt to escape Cabin Fever by doing some much needed but dull shopping at Eastgardens and taking a long walk from Maroubra back to the apartment to work off some of the calories i've been consuming during the festive season (my festive season, though only 2 days long as far, has I swear made me gain about 5kgs. I am officially Not Young.)

This time next week i'll be at the beach

Until then ...

This is the only joy I will be experiencing on the bus too and from work.

My work schedule is so effing ridiculous up until we leave next Monday for (hopefully sunny *fingers crossed*) Coogee for family Christmas. I am working pretty much non stop until then. Not cool.

And in the meantime I'm on a 7 day diet to magically get my body bikini ready (read: lose water weight) so I'm sticking to low, low carb and cucumbers basically. Meat and green veg and some 0% yoghurt. Yep. It'll be interesting to see if it pays off or not. I even took before photos and everything. I'm so prepared.

I have big plans for Christmas. Well, sort of. As someone who completed her Certificate III in Commercial Cookery I am in charge of the sides on Christmas Day. And since we have a coeliac it's going to be all gluten free. Which is actually easy considering we're not in the thick of winter and sides can be pretty fresh and light. I'm making potato salad, coleslaw and green bean salad. Way to be health conscious. But i'm also determined to make these for the kids cause they're sooo so cute.

I also plan to make a meringue as opposed to sponge based Buche de Noel with marshmallow toadstools. The above is my inspiration.