Today was one of those days where things happened. You know, productive, I got answers, I ticked things off the list.
Firstly, I discovered that you can lodge money in to your AIB account in the Post Office. Did you hear me? IN THE POST OFFICE. Mind blown. I had NO idea about this and when I need to lodge money in to the bank, or sort bills being paid, I have to get a bus to a different area because there is no bank near my house. I also still don't drive. Worlds smallest violin and all that.
So today was just a normal day. I headed in to the post office and while I was there I happened to ask the lady behind the counter the following question, as casual as ever, playing it cool.
"Sorry, can I just ask you a quick question? My cousin told me that there are some post offices where you can actually lodge money directly in to your AIB bank account from there. This isn't one of them is it?"
To which she very matter-of-factly answered "yes, we've been doing that for about fifteen years".
Cue me wanting to kiss the face off her with happiness that there will now be no more bus journeys just to go to the bank, and equally wanting to thump myself for not asking MONTHS AGO.
I seriously can't believe you can do that. It's so handy and literally makes life way easier for me. When the rent is due I find myself stressing out trying to figure out a day that I'll go lodge money so it's there when the standing order tries to take it out. Weather, naps, and other plans can sometimes make it not the more straight forward of tasks. And now I need not worry, because now it's just a hop and skip down the road to my local post office. Go on An Post you little beauty.
THEN the lady says to me, quite casually, because she's playing it quite cool herself now to be fair...
"And do you know that you can also withdraw money? Even if you only have €4 in your bank account and can't withdraw it at an ATM, you can take any amount here".
Cue me thinking about various times (particularly at the end of the month when rent and bills are due) where I actually did have a small odd amount in my account, and I could have totally used it for bus fare or something.
Thank you post office lady for literally making my day.
Oh but the day gets better. You know those things that you have to do that are absolutely wrecking your head and hanging over you, and yet you somehow keep managing not to do them or you forget about them? I had two of those recently.
1. Buy Hoover Dust Bags
2. Buy Clothes Pegs
My poor hover is at the point where it's about to explode. That doesn't go too well with a 10 month old (almost) that throws food around the kitchen requiring many a hover. I have to hover probably twice a day, though sometimes I'm guilty of saying to myself that I'll wait till after dinner to hover because there is something soul-crushing about seeing egg and grated cheese be doused all over your freshly-hoovered floors. At least if I do it after dinner there is a good twelve hours before the food sprinkling begins again.
So for weeks I'm saying "I must", and the musting just isn't leading to the doing.
So today was the day I bought the dust bag. I had been flirting with a little hardware shop in the area, threatening to go in for weeks, and today I bit the bullet. Our hoover is a Miele so I figured they probably wouldn't have that brand, if they had dustbags at all for that matter. So I pranced in, asked your man behind the till, and he showed me to the little dustbag corner. And there she was, looking at me disapprovingly, in a sort of an "I've been waiting" manner. So I picked her up, gave her a little hug, and bought her.
I am now the proud owner of a five pack of Miele dustbags, for the very reasonable price of €8. Thank you Knocklyon Hardware.
And it doesn't stop there. While picking up the dustbag, I saw the second thing on my list. Clothes pegs. Two packets later, and let me tell you, I can actually say "there's great drying out there" without feeling like a phony. I'm on my second load of washing of the day, and a Tuesday just doesn't get more exciting than that.
So as I walked home I had a little spring in my step. AIB/Post Office win in the bag, hoover dustbags and clothes pegs (quite literally) in the bag, and a happy little baby smiling up at me from his pram.
And then I did it. In that very moment I decided that today was the day that I was going to start being kinder to myself. So here I am, "hanging it out to dry" if you will. Putting it out there, not hiding any more. I'm facing the music, jumping back on the horse, and any other dramatic terms that stand for DOING IT.
Today, my friends, is the day I start a diet. Nothing fancy, no particular plan, the obvious stuff. No crap, more fruit and veg, loads of water, fresh and home-cooked, and moving more.
I'm the girl who "just had a baby" but who actually had a baby ten months ago. I could have (kind of) had another one since then for Christ sake.
Too much cake, too many take-aways, too much chocolate, and too many excuses.
For ages now I haven't really cared too much and have been fluctuating up and down a few pounds, not feeling too bad because I haven't had a huge amount of time to stare at myself in the mirror. But I've reached the point where I don't feel good and I feel unhealthy. I do not like that feeling at all. All around me I'm seeing people lose weight and live healthy lives. I'm about to be one of them now.
It's completely hypocritical to care so much about feeding Billy the healthiest food imaginable and then to eat badly myself. The example is set by what he sees. It's really important to me that he lives as healthily as he possibly can. Watching me eat badly and live an unhealthy life isn't going to help him do that.
So there it is. I've hung it out to dry. Everyone can see it now (not that they couldn't see from photos anyway) and it's not a dirty little secret any more.
I need to lose weight (duh) and I need to stop making excuses. So here begins the weightloss journey. Once again. But this time there is no song and dance, there is no screaming it from the rooftops, there is no promise to be an angel. It's real and it's happening. There will be treats, there will be off days, and there will be mistakes I'm sure. But they will be just that - treats and off-days.
So to kick start this yoke, I'm doing a bit of a carb detox. I'm going to stay away from pasta, bread, potatoes, rice etc for as long as I can to try and fill myself with as much goodness as I can. I bought the following for €7 today in Supervalu. Bargain.
I'll keep you all posted with how I'm getting on. I'm already feeling better about it all. If you follow my Instagram you'll see that I made "zoodles" today. Basically noodles using a Courgette (Zucchini in America, hence the name "Zoodles") and they were actually gorgeous. I felt quite smug about the whole thing.
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I best be on my way now, sure isn't there great drying out there?
That is my actual clothes on my actual clothes line thing, with my actual own clothes pegs.
Labels: weightloss
