changes for 2012

I read over several friends posts and facebook pages and many are changing diets and trying to loose those extra kilos.
We too are on this journey.
We spend a week with a lovely couple in Sydney, when Brid was attending the Ballet summer school. They had been loosing weight over a period of a year, using a low carb and no carbs after 6 pm diet.
These are just change of a lifestyle. Similar to when families begin homeschooling after taking a child out of school, or commit oneselves to The Lord, vowing to follow and spread his message of truth.
So I asked many questions of my dear friends and vowed to bring this change to our family.
We have been eating much much more fruit. Taking note of the amount of carbs and fats we eat, and reduce those as well.
My dear friends use an online calorie counter, but as per usual, I prefer to do my own thing. With this information in hand, I researched and found the best web pages on free calorie counting and exercise calorie counting that I could.
I have a fair knowledge on this anyway, so it was just a matter of tweaking a few things.
We have been following this 'new diet', for a few weeks now, and the results are obvious.
I knew Brid was not really needing to loose weight, she is rather slightly built, Dermot and I were the only ones who needed the diet. Brid is benefiting by us leading by example.
I knew when I put this extra weight on though. It was during a very difficult family crisis. It was not initially, but a few months later. I was interested in nuturing myself and my family. How does a mother do this; but by loving, feeding and in return she receives positive comments like 'that was lovely mum, great meal leanne.' Just what I needed to hear.
It was also around this time that I hurt a ligament in my knee and in the healing time, transferred that injury to an old hip injury. I was in need of being nutured and nuturing from my family and the friends  that were surrounding me.
It was while at summer school last month, at our 7 day retreat with our charasmatic friends, that I took this all to God in a big way and asked healing over it all.
He has rewarded me, with a new attitude, a strength and committment to honour The temple of the Holy Spirit- my human body.
I have diligently written up my own food exercise diary and write calories in and out. I know my Basal metabolic index and use those parameters to choose a realistic calorie limit.
The limit is not restricing at all., it does however, make you consider that chocolate or extra peice of cake is counted, and wouldn't a plate of strawberries and rockmelon be better.
My biggest thing I have changed is breakfast. I have difficulties eating huge breakfasts, so now I break it up, so I eat fruit with the family and a small carbohydrate meal a few hour later. The key is really to limit carbohydrates at night after 6pm.
We walk daily, but I have added a 30minutes on our exercise bike or a swim in the pool, or attack the garden weeds. Its pretty easy and We are seeing results.

So Praise God for his timing is perfect in everything.

Central Australia- Alice Springs part 1

We flew into Alice Springs after stopping in Melbourne overnight, courtesy of Qantas.
It was an amazing week, and I still pinch myself to think that we have been to this awesome place. Firstly we were surprised by the green landscape –we were expecting a red dust bowl. One of the airline hosts told us that the residents needed to buy lawn mowers, and after using them only 3 times they are sick of them.
Secondly, It was around 28-30 Celsius. Pretty comfy, nice temperature for us Aussies. I thought to myself, this is easy to cope with.
So we hit the ground running, trying to fit in as much as we could in every day we had in this outback place. So we needed invested the help of The tourist info for some very helpful advice. We viewed the Alice from Anzac Hill and could see the West & East MacDonnell ranges. Massive. We were asked by the hire car company, not to drive on dirt roads, so it meant lots of roads were unavailable to us. We just would not risk the insurance, if something happened.
It was suggested to us to drive through the East of ranges first, as we only had the afternoon. Amazing dry riverbeds was where- the gorges had their backdrop.
Next day, we took the Lippinjita Way and drove for about an hour or more, to reach the furthest Water gorge, Emmersiton, that way we could drive back slowly and see each sight, knowing we were driving toward our destination. It made sense at the time.

Before we did this, we needed to get food supplies, so while the other family attended to this, we chose to see the School of the Air. It was very interesting and the staff where very helpful. As most Aussies are aware, it was set up using the radio, by a nurse working for the Flying Doctors, now it is all done via internet satellite dishes now. The teachers have 138 students all throughout Central Australia, including 3 aboriginal communities. The students get private teacher time, class time and tutorial times on the air. I am so glad we took the time to see this.

The waterholes were full as it had rained in the last few months. It was cold and deep, but did it stop us lot, NO. Dermot & brid had a ball in the water, with rocks edging into the water. We saw an Ochre supply- where the Aboriginals got there ochre for their ceremonies to paint themselves with. There are so many different colours. We were asked not to take any from the walls, but there was some on a concrete path, so I dipped by finger to the dusty surface and pressed in into Brids' nature journal.