The funk - part 2

Update on The Funk

Work

In 2008 I'd started looking for another job and of course nothing happens until I'm pregnant and showing. Very frustrating.

April marks my 5-year anniversary with my company and as a long service award, I get 10 extra leave days. Leave has always been like gold to me so I definitely don't plan to leave until I get to take these leave days.

Also, I'm currently working a 6-hour day in the office and am supposed to work the rest from home. Thing is I'm so productive at work that I haven't needed to log on from home at all. I aim to continue in this streak since I'm underpaid anyway :)

Yesterday I got a call from a recruiter who found my CV (resume) online and who said she had the perfect job for me. Until I started quizzing her (I'm quite stroppy and REFUSE to drive more than 30 minutes to work), that is :) Also I told her my salary and said that I work a 6-hour day since I have twins and she said, "I really think you should stay there for a while because you have a good deal going and the babies are only young once".

That cheered me right up.

HOWEVER I've started being "aware" of goings-on in the company again because as much as I love my team and clients, clearly I'm in a comfort zone and they are taking me for granted.

I always think, "if they had to recruit someone from outside the company to do my job, they would pay them properly, so why not me and why not now?" I am now very open to moving to a new job within the company. I really feel that will be the best option as I'll keep my leave (!), my 6-hour day but still have the option to get a salary increase.

I'm really hoping and praying that another suitable job with a good manager opens up soon. There are suitable ones available right now but I would NEVER work for some of those people.

Strangely it's not the money because with our minimalist lifestyle we get by just fine but it would be nice to be able to move to a bigger house eventually and get a newer car (this year my car is 5 years old).

Anyway, hold thumbs!

Business

I did my sales analysis this week and happily saw that about 60% of my income comes from one-on-one coaching. Which now explains the terrible 2009 figures as I did nothing from July. In fact, I checked my time log and on 6 July, I have 3 entries - I worked on a new product and then coached two clients. Then, of course, later that night, waters broke and a few hours later, BABIES.

Have asked nanny to work a few hours overtime this Sat and next so I can do some decent business planning and think up some ways to get lots of coaching clients.

Any ideas?

Bickering

It's not about the baby food. It's like in that Vince Vaughn/ Jennifer Aniston movie where she says, "I want you to want to do the dishes"

(It's The Break-up - just googled the sentence - you'll be amazed at all the results LOL)

So I've given him the baby book, marked with post-its to read about the food thing. He is sweet - he reads 5 mins baby/ parenting stuff every day.

I am trying...

Group

Had some email conversations behind the scenes and have some ideas to streamline things. Mommy Esq, love your idea about it either being mommy time or mommy and baby time.

Friends

Strange, a work friend told me today that she needs to learn to stop being a people pleaser as her friends are walking all over her. She is a LOVELY person - I can't explain just how nice she is - EVERYONE loves her - so this is good that she's putting up her fences.

Back to the friends thing - one of the friends contacted me since I last posted. Is there some energy thing happening in cyberspace? :) We will see how that goes.

P.S. Have lost 0.5 kg. 2,5 kg to go.

Scrambled eggs

So, the weight thing...

I'd got back to my pre-pregnancy weight (59 kg exactly, in case you're interested) ONE week before I started work, to the day.

Then I relaxed.

Which is not a good thing when you still want to lose another 2 kg of fertility drugs weight.

We have a WONDERFUL canteen and coffee shop at work and I'm partial to their French toast and scrambled eggs.

I have a thing for scrambled eggs done properly (there's a restaurant at my closest shopping centre and that chef does THE BEST scrambled eggs, ever! I first ordered them when pregnant because I found myself craving eggs at one point and since then I haven't stopped. They serve breakfasts the whole day and I order those scrambled eggs every time I'm there. The waiters think I'm nuts because I RAVE about those eggs but seriously, that guy knows how to do good scrambled eggs :) It's Mugg and Bean, Bedford Centre, if anyone in Johannesburg's reading).

That, and the Christmas eating, and the chocolate and me eating my biscuits (cookies) have resulted in me GAINING a whopping 3kg.

IN ONE MONTH

I'm actually embarrassed to write that down but I'm doing it because I want you to hold me accountable.

I'm not one for making excuses so it's all me but I do think stopping the birth control has something to do with it. I am starving all the time!

You're asking why I stopped. Because I was going crazy on it - highly irritable and feeling like everything is wrong in my world the week before my period.

I know that's weird because usually you gain weight from going on the pill. Hmm, apparently not in my case.

BUT I'm going to eat properly for a month and go to gym twice a week and then see if it isn't only the effects of Christmas and scrambled eggs.

So far I have literally dragged myself to gym twice this month (the dance classes only started up this week and I can't be bothered with those machines - yawn...) and yes, I hate every minute, especially seeing my fat thighs and tummy in those horrible mirrors.

I am eating my usual breakfast and lunch so that's not torture (well, eating hardly is for me!) - wholewheat toast, chunky cottage cheese and cucumber slices/ cup a soup (if cold weather)

So that's the weight thing - I will tell you next week how I'm doing.

P.S. OH! Speaking of rude comments, yesterday at the gym a lady asks me, "so when are you going to get rid of your tummy" or something like that. I was very cool... and simply said, "well, they say with a pregnancy you should give yourself 9 months to get back your shape, so since I had twins, I'm giving myself 18 months" - not really true (I want it gone asap) but that shut her up. Also to be fair, she was a Chinese lady and her English was not that good so I don't think she really meant to be rude! At least I hope not...

Pregnancy weight and getting back into my work clothes

I'm a strange sort of person. I am VERY plain, don't go for anything "fashionable" and as a result, the things I buy generally last me years and years, especially work clothes.

Perfect example - this pic was taken at our Infertility Group's Bling Party. I'm on the left, R in middle (mother to twin girls) and Nat's on the right.


I wear my wedding ring and one other ring on the other hand, a set of pearl studs and that's it.

Handbags is where I have it going on. Not joking but I probably have 20 - 25. I'll count when I'm not feeling so lazy.

Tell me I'm not the only Plain Jane out there!

Back to the weight.

After the babies were born, I lost all but about 2,3 kg (around 5 pounds) of the weight very quickly (probably 3 weeks).

And then it took another 6 weeks or so to get rid of nearly 2kg.

I've had that last 0.5 kg (1 pound) for months and months and months.

It would help if I stopped eating huge slabs of Cadbury's dairy milk chocolate. And actually started going to gym. But mostly I was tired and couldn't be bothered.

Until I realised that I'm going back to work and I need to wear clothes in which I can actually see clients.

And nothing in the shops is the least bit appealing to me, being a non-fashion person. I have made a very slight effort by glancing into the clothing stores every week or so...

What do you do when you're very cross?

I clean, cook or organise furiously.

So the week when I was so stressed, my freezer was still full so it was pointless me cooking, the house was reasonably clean so I looked at my list of things to do and saw I still needed to fit on all my summer work clothes.

Which I did.

People, I don't recommend doing this when you're already in a bad mood.

It basically freaked me out a lot.

Of ALL my stuff (and I have about 12 - 15 skirt/ pants suits, 7 - 8 pairs of pants and about 3 skirts), guess what still fit?

3 pairs of pants and one skirt. And of course, my maternity pants which I'm oh so tempted to continue wearing.

It's this skirt I wore in my 14-week preggy pics and I was wearing the two pairs of pants up to 18 weeks so I don't know if they actually count.

And I was only 0.5 kg over the pre-preg weight.

On the bright side, at least I do have SOME clothes to wear. My tops were all fine though, probably because I don't wear very tight things.

I may have to stop being so cheap and actually go buy some expensive stuff that will fit well - I'll see.

But then... good news.

Last Thursday 3 Dec I jumped on the scale as I do every morning (yes, I like to torture myself) and lo and behold, I was back to pre-preg weight, 59 kg exactly.

I could hardly believe it even though I'd seen the scale going down to 59.4.... 59.3 .... so I took a pic.

I'm convinced everything moves around though because before babies, I didn't have the flabby tummy (have all the muscles inside just relaxed?) and my pants and skirts could actually zip up.

I did nothing to lose this weight, btw, I think it's all the running around after the babies at night. Seriously.

Now I need to lose another 2 kg which is all due to the fertility drugs from the IVFs. And I need to tone the flabby tummy so I can get into the rest of my clothes.

P.S. This day last year my babies were made. Here is a pic of bloated tummy with my 5 eggs just prior to egg retrieval.

P.P.S. This is my 30-minute post for the blog challenge.

P.P.P.S. Off to the gym now. Before you think I'm all virtuous, going to do a fitness assessment. Why do I persist with the torture?!

Old bones & a jiggly belly

I belong to a gym where you have to go 24 times every year to keep your membership active. Well, you can go less but then you have to pay the normal gym fees and I'm on a special. I paid a once-off fee about 6 years ago and nothing ever since.

When I fell pregnant, the clinic advised no gym and then even the normal obgyn said no since twins are a high-risk pregnancy.

So I went to classes at Preggi Bellies (do NOT sign up for them unless you know beyond a shadow of doubt you'll be able to complete all the classes - no refunds, etc. long story - email me if you want more info) until the second bleed.

Now that the babies are born, my gym gives you 6 weeks after a Caesar and 4 weeks after a normal birth before you have to go back. Or they switch you to a normal membership again. I am cheap so that won't work for me.

So I'm back. Kind of.

I went on Wed and Thurs last week, and then on Wed this week. I have to do a schedule so that it becomes a non-negotiable in my day again like it used to be pre-pregnancy.

But I feel like an old woman. I'm 35 so I'm not a spring chicken but still. I think the pregnancy's messed up my knees and joints and it's so difficult to exercise.

You know how overweight people complain about their joints? I think that's me. The Bump must have put a lot of pressure on my knees. It is sore to get up from a chair, sore when I start walking, sore when going up and down stairs, etc.

I thought it would all go after I recovered from the op but no...

But I will persist.

The jiggly belly, although small, is not pleasant. Wednesday's class was a dance class - the cardio was great but my boobs (forgot to put on a sports bra) and belly were jiggly! I'm also doing knee stretches whenever I remember, which is about once or twice a day, just to strengthen the muscles around the knee cap.

And of course, it will all help with these last 2kg of baby weight. When that's off, I want to lose another 2kg from the fertility medication.