Project: Get Fit – March
Last month I only managed 5 visits to the gym (although Im pretty sure I went more than that!) I havent been to gym over the last week and a bit due to one thing or another but its a new month and we get to start fresh.
So 1 x Pilates class and 1 x Killer Abs done and dusted.
Tomorrow is Killer Abs and Yoga.
Thursday its Zumba!!
Sunday is another Zumba class.
And so it goes. This month my goal is to get in at least 3 visits a week.
My stats as of 4 March 2013:
- Weight: 52.2 kg (down 0.7 kg from last measurements)
- Body fat: 28.5 % (down 1.7 %)
- Blood Pressure: 99/56 mmHg (slightly higher than last time)
- Heart Rate: 73 bpm (down 12 bpm)
- Tummy: 80 cm (down 2 cm)
- Thigh: 56 cm (down 2 cm)
- Arm: 28 cm (down 1 cm)
So happy with my measurements!
2nd annual Tattoo-A-Thon
What a fantastic initiative!
Last year Tattoo-A-Thon raised over R70 000.00. This year they aim to raise R500 000.00 by creating a recording breaking 1000 tattoos in 1 day!
From the Tattoo-A-Thon website -
The project originated out of an education course called the Self Expression & Leadership Program curated by {Landmark Education}, following the Landmark Forum. In order for the participants in the program to graduate, each participant must complete a community-orientated project using the structure taught throughout the program. Jordan Gray took part in this program in 2012 and what turned out to be a cool idea has snowballed into something with a life of its own.
So how does it work?
R700 gets you an hour of ink time and a set size tattoo. The funds raised from the event go directly to {CHOC}. The organisation does not receive funding from government and rely heavily on donations from caring corporates, individuals and parents of children with cancer. Donations and fund raising projects like Tattoo-a-thon are therefore the lifeblood of the organisation.
How do you book?
Contact one of the participating studios in {Jozi}, {Cape Town} or Durban and book your slot. That simple.
More info
If you dont want to get a tattoo or dont have time/funds at the moment you can make a donation directly to CHOC {here} or you can volunteer to help out {here}.
Follow Tattoo-A-Thon on Twitter {here} and on Facebook {here} and check out their website for {FAQ}
HIR – A tattoo
A while after my {brother died} I got a tattoo in his memory. In fact in memory of both my brother and {my dad} since it was my dad that taught us the meaning behind the words.
Honesty… Integrity… Respect!
Those are the words my father taught us and the words my brother lived by.
At first I wanted the words around my wrist. That was the plan when I walked into {Jaded Ink}.
Jade had other plans.
We hashed it out and this is the end result.
Photo by Paul Jacobson
Photo by Paul Jacobson
*The initials are a.d.h. and c.s.h., my dad and my brother.
I am hoping to add a butterfly to the top of the ‘H’ just below my shoulder, I want a 3D electric blue butterfly. I have to wait a while though since I am back on Roacutaine (and need to save up), so it will probably only be at the end of the year.
#JoziRedBus – The best way to be a tourist in your own city!
Yesterday was EPIC!
The launch of City Sightseeing {Hop On Hop Off Johannesburg}.
The first time I ever heard about the Hop On Hop Off bus was on {CBeebies}, {Boogie Beebies} show. The song was about a double decker bus and the bus was, of course, a Hop On Hop Off London bus. I googled it, since I had never seen anything like it and once I had read all about it I wished we could have one in Jozi. Looks like I got my wish!
{Gauteng Tourism}, Department of Transportation and City Sightseeing have revolutionised Jozi tourism.
Here are the basics:
- The buses travel a circular route with 12 stops along the way.
- Gautrain Station @ Park Departs: Safe, secure with parking (recommended starting point)
- Gandhi Square
- Carlton Centre
- Santarama Miniland
- James Hall Transport Museum
- Gold Reef City Tour Office Safe, secure with parking (another recommended starting point)
- Apartheid Museum
- Mining District Walk
- Newtown
- Origins Centre at Wits
- Braamfontein
- Constitution Hill
- You end up back at Park Station to complete your journey.
- Tickets cost R150 per adult (R120 if you buy them online!) and R70 per child (5 – 15 years old), kids under 5 are free!
- Busses leave each stop at 40 minute intervals. Starting at 9am at Park Station with the last bus arriving back at Park Station at 5:35pm.
- You can hop on and off as many times as you like during the day, stopping to visit any of the amazing attractions on the route.
- You each get a brand new set of headphones to plug into the onboard tour guide and you can listen in a variety of languages, there is even a special channel just for kids!
- If you dont get off at any of the stops the round trip will take you 2 hours and is filled with amazing stories about the City of Gold.
- Take plenty of sunscreen and a hat, especially if you intend to travel on the upper deck which is open!
- The following stops require an additional entrance fee if you decide to visit them:
Stop 3. Carlton Centre “TOP of AFRICA”
Stop 4. Santorama Miniland
Stop 5. James Hall Transport Museum
Stop 6. Gold Reef City Theme Park
Stop 7. Apartheid Museum
Stop 10. Origins Centre at Wit
Stop 12. Constitution Hill
I was totally blown away by the entire experience, the buses are clean and tidy, the tour staff are friendly and knowledgable and the onboard tour guide kept me enthralled the entire 2 hours we were traveling!
I cannot wait to take my family for a tour of our amazing city. I think we will start early and park at Gold Reef City, hop on the bus, visit a few of the stops, come back to Gold Reef City and spend the afternoon at the theme park.
Head on over to the {website} for more information and to book your tickets!
Before I leave you here are some of the pictures I managed to snap with my phone!
#JoziRedBus
On our way!
Jozi – true beauty
Reflections
‘That’ bridge
A park. Smack dab in the middle of the city!!!
Constitutional Court.
A more perfect day we couldn’t have asked for
Need I say more?
Old Standard Bank building
Looking up. I used to watch ice hockey on a Sunday night with my dad at the Carleton ice rink.
Iconic Johannesburg
I heart tech
I’ve said it before and I will say it again… Technology is AWESOME!
Like most families these days we are spread out all over the world.
My brother lives in Israel, my brother in law and his wife live in Cape Town and my sister in law, her husband and kids live in Australia.
Enter {Skype}, {Viber} and {FaceTime}!
Its one thing to send emails and texts, even chatting on Facebook or Twitter. Thats great for us adults. But what about our kids?
My kids get such a kick out of talking to their aunts and uncles and cousins and actually seeing their faces on the computer or on dads phone.
When they hear the Skype ring tone on my computer they come running.
Yesterday made the importance of these kinds of technology so clear for me.
Self portraits taken with mommy’s phone!
Faith and I were lying on my bed playing and she saw my laptop. She looks at it then at me and says ‘Call uncle Maffew!’
I Skyped him but he didnt answer, Faith was a little upset so I messaged him to see if he was there. He said he wasnt and we could Skype the next day. When I told Faith she stared to cry (my little manipulative princess!) so I called him on Viber, put him on speaker phone and the two of them chatted for about 5 minutes with a promise of a Skype call later today.
Faith was over the moon that she got to call uncle Maffew a stinky bum. And more over the moon that uncle Maffew called HER a stinky bum back.
The best part is that when my kids see their uncles, aunts and cousins, they know them, they have seen them and spoken to them and they are not ‘strangers’ 
Once again, I heart tech!
Project: Get Fit!
At the end of last year I joined {Virgin Active}.
I hadn’t been to gym in years.
But after {joining} a twitter group for moms with post pregnancy bellies and failing miserably at doing anything about getting my tummy trim I decided it was time to {get motivated} properly.
Needless to say I went a few times and stopped going 
But January saw me trying something different. Classes.
I usually do the step machine and weight machines but that meant self motivation and I was failing miserably at that.
I decided to do a Pilates class. I figured with an instructor I wouldn’t be allowed to slack off, I also mistakenly thought that Pilates would be easy. I couldn’t walk for 2 days afterwards. It was great!
I then decided to join a work friend at a{Zumba} class.
I am in LOVE with Zumba!
I go every Sunday morning and I try go every Thursday afternoon. And to my utter delight they have added a Friday afternoon class! Yay!!
Im getting better at all the different steps and can now occasionally add arm movements to the feet without face planting.
Im going to start keeping a record off all my measurements on the blog so I can track my progress!
As at 31 January 2013:
- Weight: 52.9 kg
- Body fat: 30.2 %
- Blood Pressure: 92/57 mmHg
- Heart Rate: 85 bpm
- Tummy: 82 cm
- Thigh: 58 cm
- Arm: 29 cm
Proof that the villain is cooler than the hero!
So you may or may not know that my kids are {Star Wars} fans.
Aaron watches Star Wars {Clone Wars} and has three light sabers and a multitude of figurines.
Faith loves play fighting her brother, each with their own light saber.
Aaron even plays the theme music (usually the {Imperial March}) while they ‘fight’.
Aarons favourite {Angry Birds} game is the {Star Wars version}!
If you ask Aaron who his favourite character is, or even just to tell you about Star Wars, he immediately tells you all about {Darth Maul} and {General Grievous}, funnily enough he seldom mentions {Darth Vader} and he will occasionally mention {Master Yoda}.
He very seldom if ever mentions {Luke} or {Obi-Wan}.
The thing is, he only vaguely understands the dynamics of who the good guys are and who the bad guys are in Star Wars. At least he didn’t in the beginning. Now he knows that Darth Maul is a bad guy but he still loves him. Why? Because he is cool!
He wanted a Darth Maul birthday cake! I figured the other moms might be a bit freaked out, so I searched for cartoon versions of all the characters and made Darth Maul slightly more prominent to satisfy Aaron.
For his present he wanted a Darth Maul light saber, “it is a double light saber mom!” He also would like a blue light saber to add to his collection (He has red, green and white).
Needless to say the villains are definitely cooler than the good guys in my house
Clouds and dogs, right now they are both black…
Right now I feel like I am sitting under a great big black cloud, just threatening to open up and drench me. Behind me sits a huge slobbering black dog, waiting to swallow me whole in just one gulp.
I take my Cipralex every night and even though my anxiety is being kept at bay I am tired…
Maybe its this time of year. 2 years since my brother died. Crappy money situation due to a very long December. Hit the ground running at work.
Maybe its because I feel like crap. I have never been heavier (unless I was pregnant) and I feel fat and frumpy. I am going to gym, I do Pilates, yoga and Zumba, I keep getting heavier. I am eating healthier, smaller portions, I am still getting heavier. My face is sore again, this thing on the side of my nose is sore and ugly. I have an appointment with the dermo later today.
Maybe its because I am physically tired. Darling Faith has been waking up nearly every morning just after 12:30 and wants me to lie with her and it takes me a while to get back to sleep.
Maybe its a little bit of everything combined.
I know it will get better, I know everything will be fine but sheesh, I am tired. Emotionally, mentally, physically.
Its of to the dermo I go… again!
For two days now I have been ignoring the sore spot next to my nose, the slightly red, raised sore spot.
If I ignore it, it will go away right?
Wrong!
It seems to be getting worse, so I called my amazing dermatologist and she can fit me in tomorrow. Hopefully I wont have to have anything {cut, drained or injected}!
This is the first ‘big’ issue I have had with my skin in over 5 months!
Not too bad
But Im not letting this one get out of hand, I will put on my big girl panties and see the Dr tomorrow and hopefully we can sort this out before it get worse!
Not the best photo, it looks better in the photo than in real life
How smart is my kid?
Yesterday afternoon I took the kids to visit my mom.
The adults, and Faith, were sitting outside on the patio and Aaron was sitting inside playing on the computer. He especially likes playing games on Cartoon Network.
So, he found a new game and since he cant read properly yet, he wasn’t sure what to click on. He kept coming to ask us what the game was saying, eventually after 3 trips inside I told him I was not getting up again.
About 5 minutes later he came outside and asked my mom if he could use her phone (she has some games on there), she said yes and he disappeared inside. A short while later he came back out and showed my mom a picture he took.
He had taken a picture of the computer screen so that he could bring it to us instead of us going inside.
I think its pure genius! I certainly wouldn’t have thought to do that…
Blessed Cupcake Book Club's bookshelf: read
15 members
For those who enjoy smultzy romance novels or something a little hotter!
15 membersFor those who enjoy smultzy romance novels or something a little hotter!
