The List Girl

When the girls were little and I was a stay at home mum, every night I would make a list of everything I wanted/needed to get done the next day.

The list was pretty thorough...everything from "finish ironing and put away" to "fruit and veg shopping" or "ring Nan" was on that list. Needless to say, there were days when not all the items were ticked, but they made their way onto the next day's list and so on.

I wrote those lists down on paper, usually a pretty notebook that someone had given me for Christmas or a birthday, or the type you get for free with magazines like Country Style.

I've kept many of those notebooks (horder, me?) and they are fun to look back on as I sometimes used to write down stuff like the weather, and how much I weighed that morning (daily weighing goes back a long way with me)


Then, for some reason I stopped writing my lists...I still plan my workday in a big plain notebook every morning, but that is just work tasks. I like the structure it gives my day and it also serves as a record of events if ever I need to recall something.

I guess I thought I had my homelife/housework down pat and no longer needed my lists...but in reality it's more like work took over and personal/family life took a back seat, something to be fitted in around work. I hear it's not uncommon when running your own business from home.


This morning as I was hanging out the washing, I realised I miss being really organised and on top of all things domestic. I also realised I need my lists back.

So I decided I will start doing my lists last thing at night again, and hopefully reap the rewards of being more organised in this area of my life...


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On a totally different note -


My mother in law has gained about 25kg since I met her in 1992. It has been a fairly steady gain, I recall it all started when she sprained an ankle, then retired, so she wasn't as active as before and being home all day with a husband who has a sweet tooth and controls the grocery shopping is as good an excuse as any to let yourself gain weight...

She has joined Weight Watchers more times than I can remember, usually loses about five kilos max and then of course there is a wedding/birthday/funeral/Easter or Christmas party where apparently people are just there to hold her down and shovel food into her mouth so she loses count of her *Points* and the five kilos (plus some more) go back on again...

When we caught up with her and my father in law just after Christmas, she was complaining that her surgeon would not consider a knee replacement and apparently his advice to her was to "take it easy" and wear a band around her knee...I suggested Krill Oil, as both hubby and I are having a lot of success with it. I also tactfully suggested that if she lost some weight, the stress on her knees would be eased and she may experience some relief. So she accepted my advice and I gave her some guidelines to clean up her diet and hopefully see some results.

She and my father in law went on a three day cruise to celebrate his 80th birthday and got back last Sunday...I've been sending her weekly suggestions and updates, so I was a bit disappointed when I got a reply this week that went along the lines of - "With all the eating on the ship and B's birthday, I lost all sight of diet. Monday will be a new beginning"...
Here is my gripe (I suspect I'm beating a dead horse here) - eating well and for weight loss is all about choices, you can choose *what* you eat, and you can choose *how much* you eat...if a cruise that costs you $2,000 for a couple of days around Sydney Harbour does not offer you any fresh produce or leaner alternatives, then I want my money back...and even if the food on offer is not the most conducive to weight loss, then you can control your portions the *how much* to eat part of the equation. The other thing that bothered me was the statement "with all the eating on the ship"...was it an "eating cruise"??? Surely there was swimming, walking and other activities available? Or did they go there just to eat?? It certainly sounds like it...
Apparently, the week that followed was one celebration after another for my f-i-l's 80th, their Rotary Club, their neighbours, their choir, their church, ALL put on a celebratory lunch/dinner/afternoon tea...I know it takes some discipline, but if she were serious about losing weight, she could have said "NO" to cake - I am no weight loss guru or wonderful example, but I only eat cake on *my* birthday, and then it has to be a cake of my choosing, and a small slice by most people's standards, and hubby and the girls know that I want that cake out of the house and out of my sight within ten minutes...
And the final gripe about her message is - "Monday will be a new beginning"...what's wrong with *TODAY*??? Why wait til Monday???

aaargh!!! I should just butt out, I know...but it really angers me that she is just another contributor to the stats that place Australia as one of the most obese countries in the world.

The one good thing she has achieved is that her son (my hubby) has always said he will not be in the same state of health as his parents, and so far so good. He has never been overweight, his blood pressure is always normal and he is a very fit man.

At least we can break the cycle....


Rant over.