Our whole family loves smoothies for breakfast every morning, but we’re total creatures of habit and they end up tasting the same every single day! The team from Nutribullet sent me the recipe and ingredients to make Pineapple Lump Smoothies last week and they’ve definitely …
Somehow or other, it’s all working out. Today, after quite a lovely, sunny weekend filled with friends and fun I hauled ass. I hustled through a 5k, 2 loads of laundry, ALL the beds made, a writing deadline met, 3 GST returns completed, a walk …
I know not everyone has aspirations to be a runner, but I always, always have. I was pretty good at a few sports growing up and fair to middling at the rest. I gave everything a go and joined every sports team there was on offer at school. But I was never a runner. Cross country days hurt me, deep down in my young soul. God I hated them.
So I cannot really explain what happened last December, 2 days before Christmas, when I put on some sneakers and decided to run. It really was as simple as that.
I’ve written about it before (here) so I won’t elaborate too much, but over the past 10 months I’ve increased my distance, improved my pace and settled into running in a way I had never imagined I would. I have gone from struggling to run 1km to where I’m at now, which is comfortably running 5km in under 30 minutes.
I’m proud of that. It’s no Olympic time, but it’s an excellent Melissa time.
So December 2014. No running. 23rd December 2014, I power walked 4km and ran 1km at the end.
This was honestly the hardest kilometre I’ve ever completed in my life. And I barely made it to be honest. I wasn’t prepared for how uncomfortable, wobbly, jiggly and out of breath I would feel. I was self-conscious and full of negative self-talk.
But I was secretly pretty stoked I did it.
I did this walk/run combo 3 0r 4 more times. Then I increased the running distance to 1.5 km and followed the same pattern. Repeating the increased increment 3 or 4 times before adding another half km onto the running distance, always working within the 5km parameter – I think this was a big mental milestone for me!
I took it slowly and after a couple of months, I made it to 5km.
I COULD RUN 5 FREAKING KILOMETRES!!!! Huge milestone for me. To be honest, I haven’t progressed much further distance wise since. I’ve hit 7km a couple of times when I was pushing hard, but I really love the short sharp burst that a good 5km gives me.
But. Next month, on the 15th of November, I’m running the Skechers Women’s 6k in Auckland. My friend Penny from Little Housewife and I had been discussing doing a run or race together and there were heaps of reasons why we decided to choose the Skechers event;
6k is a great distance which suits all levels. Trust me, this is a totally achievable distance for either walkers or runners – and you can do either, it doesn’t matter!So, what do you think? Ready to give it a go with us? Online registrations close 13 November and Penny assures me this is such a fun event – she did it last year!
Plus, Skechers have an amazing prize pack to give away to one lucky reader! Valued at over $250 it includes a pair of Skechers GOwalk 3 shoes, a Skechers Performance towel, sports-bag and drink bottle, a range of Sculpt product and a shaker, and tickets for you and a friend to attend Skechers 6k – the perfect pack to provide you with everything you need to get up and on your feet!
Competition closes 30/10/15 @ 5pm.
I’m one of those people that wear sunglasses 365 days a year. I NEVER drive without them, I never hang the washing out without wearing a pair, I run in them…….I simply love sunglasses. And I want my kids to love sunglasses too. The benefits …
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is hitting our house in 2016 as Ethan heads off to Intermediate. Paying for this is probably a worry that I share with many kiwi families but don’t sweat it as I’m about to share with you my little Gem …
It’s about this time every year that Ye Ole debate starts, you know, the one that starts with this gem; “ugh, I HATE Halloween, it’s so American humpfff”.
Yeah well, I pooh-pooh those haters and say BRING ON HALLOWEEN!
I love decorating my mantlepiece every opportunity I get so I decided to up the anti and take #thescarehouse to a whole new level this year! Before I began I went room-to-room collecting anything that fit my ‘brief’ – basically black, black and creepy. I grabbed a print and coat hanger from Nixie’s room, some swallows off the wall (the orange paint was perfect!) some black and white pottery, a framed owl print, a calendar (turned to the 31st – All Hallows Eve :::::::whoooooo::::::) and a black clock. Random and easy.
I then mixed these up with some inexpensive Halloween decor essentials from The Warehouse;
Skull Goblet Bone Colour $10, Hanging Small Skeleton $10, Skull Mug Bone Colour $10, Spooky Spiders $3, Spider Web with Spider $1, Skull with Moving Jaw $10, Skull Bone Bowl $10, Dummy Gauze Cloth $10, Rubber Spiders – Check the toy department, Rubber Snakes – Check Toy Department.
If you don’t have a mantlepiece, get creative with a themed centrepiece and get ghoulishly ready for a creepy dinner party – Halloween is on a Saturday this year! FYI, one of the $1 bags of cobwebs covered all four dining chairs! 
And, it wouldn’t be Halloween without costumes would it? Finding age appropriate costumes for littles is a bit tricky here in New Zealand, definitely easier if you have a little girl I think? Yes? Princesses and fairy wings and all that?
Needless to say I was beyond excited to find this super-cute Pumpkin Costume for Nix also at The Warehouse, it’s comfy, not too hot and he can move easily in it – winning………….so far! We’ll see how our Neighbourhood Fright Night works out lol.
If you would like to win a $50 gift card from The Warehouse just let me know in the comments below; Halloween: YAY or NAY?
Contest closes 26/10/15 at 10pm.
You know, there is one phrase I like to remind myself of when I’m in need of a little giggle, for those (frequent!) scenarios when I don’t get this mummy-thing going as smoothly as one would hope; “God loves a trier”. I tried cloth diapering, I …
So ladies, primer. Do you or don’t you? Do you every day? Should you? What the heck is it and why do you need it in your life? Got it. Welcome to the beginners guide to primer and blur products, from the Beginner …
When I was thinking about this post, I realised that I really needed to find out what you guys think and feel about breast cancer. I asked you on my FB page and those are your words up there. It’s sobering how scared breast cancer makes ALL of us.
I know cancer. Believe me.
My Dad died from Melanoma and I was there by his side with my Mum and family for the entire 9 months from diagnosis until his passing. Dave and Ethan and I had moved into my parents house, so when I say I was THERE, I mean, really there and really present.
Like Melanoma, I find breast cancer so scary because it feels to me like there is a weight on my shoulders, an obligation to do what I can to be vigilant as I’m not yet eligible for free mammograms (these are for women 45+). I must be responsible in the sun, I must not let my kids burn, I must initiate good breast checking habits because right now I don’t have any. And that’s not going to save my life.
The unknown is scary. Not knowing what is normal and what’s not, not knowing who to call, when to make an appointment, how to ask for help.
I don’t know how to give myself a breast exam and the truth is, I don’t know why I’ve failed to learn. I’m a smart woman who only takes calculated, well-rehearsed (at least in my head!) risks. But in this instance, ignorance and keeping my head in the sand is the risk.
So I’ve asked myself these questions, but I also want you to consider them and ask your mother, your sister, your daughter, your best friend, your aunt these very same questions;
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in New Zealand women, affecting 3000 women every year. 8 women per day. That’s a massive statistic. These days, however, it’s highly treatable if diagnosed early.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation have compiled a wealth of resources to help us as women navigate this lifelong commitment to breast health awareness. Early detection is something we must all own personally and take responsibility for.
Text ‘PINK’ to 4644 to donate $3 to October’s Pink Ribbon Appeal and The New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation
The beautiful team at Estée Lauder Companies have donated a gorgeous prize to help spread the word about October’s Pink Ribbon appeal. Enter via the widget below and SHARE, SHARE, SHARE this post far and wide!! One winner will receive Estée Lauder Modern Muse Fragrance + Bobbi Brown Rich Lip Color in Pop Pink valued at $217! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Our last ‘organised’ excursion in Rarotonga was also the one that I had been looking forward to the most. We had the amazingly good fortune of booking our trip during prime whale watching season – I cannot impress upon you how excited I was when …