Operation Renovation - aka The Christmas Countdown

[HelgatheHairy]

It's 115 days to Christmas Eve!

You can use this thread exactly like you were using the previous thread to keep track of what you're doing, have lists, ask advice etc. As its about renovation rather than strictly beauty, nothing is off limits so beauty, clothes, exercise, healthy eating.

So here we go!

Aftern

Try again [blush[

Afternoon all
This morning went well we all left the house on time!! I did my morning routine make up and a cordinatined outfit plus earings and blingy watch. Vitamins have been taken and im halfway with my water. Br

Sorry!!! Broke another nail today so they will all be coming off tonite so will mani and polish them. Back to afternoon clubs but i will be avoiding the vending machines!!!

On the lifestyle side bills have been paid and food shop and meal plans done. Bought a small peice of salmon but dont know what to have with it! Any ideas? And i bought lacure moisturiser from aldi £1.49 for a big bottle so wil report back as to what its like. Does any recommened there eye cream or q10 cream?

Having a crap day. Put on a maxi dress and felt quit good until dd said I looked pregnant. I am quite bloated, dp has been off all week and seems to have a carb fetish so that's all we've eaten. Have eaten ryvita topped with cottage cheese and home made salsa for lunch. 4 days til the wedding, I have two spots, tan strap marks in the wrong place and I look pregnant. Would quite like to cry at this point. Trying to busy myself packing (wedding in my parents home town).

Goinggrey you posting on a phone by any chance?

I have just been up and got semi scruffs out for tomorrow. Light pink fine ish jumper and knackered skinnies. Will still wear full face of make up but going to avoid accessories so I don't snag or break anything. I don't appear to own a single tee shirt apart from those I have pinched from dp ....

Just been for buckets to transport fish water and fishes in (quid shop jobbies) .....my dad is going to pay for van. Everything we don't need is boxed just in case. Hopefully it won't need to come back out again until we are in new house tomorrow

I was going to mud mask my face tonight but think I will save it for tomorrow and use it as an excuse to hide for a bit if we move

Right Dd1 at nursery for the afternoon & dd2 sleeping. I should be doing my kettle workout. Instead I'm am MNing & eating toffee yoghurt.
Must go get changed now!

lucysmam you really don't hang about! Well done on the speed-move, I take it the area you are going to is far nicer in the evenings?

sevenreasons thank you, I will lurk there whilst getting a few shreds under my belt and hopefully that will motivate me enough along with the darker evenings to get going on C25K.

goinggrey loving the multi posts

I was so relieved not to be fasting this morning that I completely forgot to have hot water with lemon On the plus side, Superdrug are doing a promo on the extraordinary oil so I bought a good sized pump bottle, but couldn't see any mist - think it must have sold out. Also got some clear nail varnish - couldn't find OPI so went for Max Factor Seven Day Gloss.

Ta da (so far)
Early night last night - 9.30
Fruit n fibre for breakfast, brocolli (with gammon, yum!) for lunch.
Vits are all lined up in a little box for the next four days, including yucky fish oil
Wearing high(ish) heels as my contribution for 'dress for the job I want not what I have'. Can't go major clothes shopping until after pay day.
Tried something new - hair straighteners and the gibson tuck. Oh lordy, how did I get to be nearly 37 without knowing about the wonders of these two things? They have changed my life!

To do
Put clear nail varnish on - can't guarantee to do it tonight, I have lots of knitting to do.
Need to shred this evening if I'm not too hot and knackered by the time I get home

Can anyone recommend a good tooth whitener for a snaggletooth? I've tried Beverley Hills Smile (or some similarly named thing) but you put it on with something resembling a bingo dabber, and it doesn't get into all my nooks and crannies

speed move. Yeah it's a much nicer area! Kids will actually be able to play out without me needing to stand over them so none of the little *&!@$/^)'s around here start on them.

And.....dd's school is just over the road. I've run out of boxes to finish kitchen not needed stuff And, I have no clue how to transport all our clothes so am going to have five on here then wash the few pots on the side.

Could do with getting a wash on too but erm....cba so it can wait

Ah kettlebell workout done! :)

Pots done.....they didn't give me a flash of inspiration as to what to do with the clothes at such short notice so am stood here fixing makeup for school run....
feel a tad dragged through a hedge backwards now One hour & we know for definate!

Paintyourbox Eek! Glad it was only the bike and handbag and not you that was damaged, it could have been a lot worse.

knowler Remember that not all of us have newborns, my DC are 7, 9 and almost 11. When they were newborns I looked like Wurzel Gummidge

Well, am back from work. Very pleased at the compliments I got from colleagues and parents who haven't seen me since the end of last term, mainly about my haircut (I went from a long bob to a pixie cut mid summer) but also saying that I look like I've lost more weight. I've only lost another 3-4lbs over the summer so I am quite pleased that I am looking slimmer!

Ta Da
Been for a run
Had a shower and moisturised
Washed conditioned and styled hair
Hot cloth cleansed and moisturised
Make up (pretty full face as going to work)
Clothes: slim fit jeans, black fitted top, black longline cardi, grey and black scarf, black wedge boots, pearl stud earrings.
Cycled to work and back
Drank 5 glasses of water
Took vitamin
Ate healthy breakfast, fruit at breaktime and a fairly healthy lunch

Off to do school run now

Went for a run @6.30am plus gym for an hour
showered
moisturised
makeup
clothes erm was in gym/running clothes all morning then jeans for school run
water 1liter so far the other will be dran while I am at work.
vitamins taken first thing
healthy food eggs for breakfast tomatoe homemade soup for lunch spag bol for tea

Just in from seeing house...not at all keen but it's better than where we are. hopefully it'll just be a stepping stone.to something nicer!

Dp has gone to sort paperwork so just doing salmon & broccoli fishcakes for me and the kids then showers. Got a cracking headache brewing & nothing to pack anything in & no paracetamol.....tomorrow's going to be interesting

On a better note....I've drunk almost 1.5l of water today so far

Failing today, I've hardly drank anything and haven't done my face because DCs were misbehaving and I didn't have time this morning.

Off out for dinner tonight so I'll try to wear something nice at least and put some make up on.

hmm, well something's gone wrong but dp not sharing

Mud mask tonight as planned for me and maybe a (for stress relief purposes).

I'm in - made a few adapations because I'll be on the ca,bridge diet for the first 2 months. Then planning to follow a primal diet and start doing the shred to lose the last stone/maintain.

below is my list. haven't 'officially' started yet.... need to get on top of the house first:

1. 8 glasses of filtered water a day ?I?m on the Cambridge Diet so drink GALLONS of sparkling
2. Exfoliate (everything...within reason) ? will do at the weekends when I have more time
3. Use teeth whitener ? have crest strips and toothpaste to use
4. Use anti-aging face cream ? I?m using a rosehip oil ? seems to make my skin nice
5. Intensive nail care (feet and hands) ? using cuticle oil/soap and glory file and foot butter.
6. Use eyelash growth serum OR eye cream ? waiting for my lash stuff to arrive!
7. The Shred / other intensive exercise ? will be doing lunch time walks, weekly yoga and ex bike at home (can only do light-ish exercise at the moment because of CD ? will step it up when I come off it and move to primal eating)
8. At least 2 extra fruit & veg every day ? CD so can?t do this
9. Healthy breakfast daily ? CD so can?t do this

10. Use hair oil (moroccan hair oil for eg, or kerastase etc) ? need to buy something 11. No alcohol during the week & no boozing it up on weekends ? Doing 2 months on Cambridge Diet so should be able to stick to this 12. Take vitamins every day ? just bought some new ones and fibre (for CD) 13. Body brushing ? I hate the sensation so might exclude this 14. At least 2 servings of salmon or other fatty fish per week ? bought fish oil supplement 15. One early night once a week. Suggest 9PM. ? am a night owl but always shattered so will try 16. Regular hair removal ? need to get brows threaded again 17. Give up one naughty favourite item e.g. chocolate/crisps ? on CD 18. No more fizzy drinks ? I need the odd can of coke zero to keep me going on CD. Will give up when I?m done 19. DAILY body moisturising ? weekends 20. Warm water with lemon first thing in the a.m. ? will get some lemon tea (CD) I am adding: 21. Colour hair, lashes and brows every 3-4 weeks ? just started brows/lashes ? it?s fab 22. Get up earlier so days don?t start in a frantic rush ? 6.30 on weekdays 23. Plan cinema visits so I can easily go out and be social but avoiding food/drink 24. facemask once per week/paint nails 25. Get some contact lenses 26. learn to sew (books/youtube) so I can take up the mountain of clothes I need to shorten.

I feel tired reading that list!

Argh just ate a go ahead and a packet of quavers, luckily last in both packs, so as long as DH doesn't buy more i should be ok tomorrow.

Dog bathed!

knowler I have a newborn and am managing to shower every day and that's about it. I knew I wasn't going to be doing a huge long list - just enough to make me feel human. I have buffed my nails today and they need a file.

And I'm having too much

It's my first proper day today. Had my lemon and hot water first thing and took my vitamin. Have eaten loads of fruit and been for a brisk walk. Did my nails and exfoliated last night and will do the same tonight while watching and drooling at GBBO.
All in all not a bad first day!

I think it is only during the past 12 months or so that I have really got myself together again after having the DC. I wasn't too bad after having DS1 as I went back to work FT very quickly (he was 4 months old) and the job I worked in then involved wearing a suit and looking presentable. I was overweight though, around a size 16. 2 years later I had DS2 , packed in the FT job, retrained and went PT to a job that didn't involve looking so presentable. By now I was a size 18. 2 years later I had DD, and was a size 20. And exhausted I was still working PT and didn't have time to worry about looking good. The best word to describe my look was "mumsy".

Eventually they all went to school and I felt like I got the occasional 5 minutes to myself. Last year I decided that I didn't want to stay fat and frumpy and that I was going to do something about it before I turned 35. So I lost 5 stone, started exercising, started looking after my skin, got a decent haircut, started trying to dress nicely. But I still need reminders to keep me on track, which is why this thread is great for me.

When I had 3 DC under 4 I used to completely avoid the Style and Beauty boards through fear. But I was also suffering from PND. Maybe if I had found the time to worry more about how I looked I would have ft better about myself. Who knows.

showered
shaved
moisturised
eye makeup
hair straightened
rather fab trendy top on
chicken skewer salad with spinach and a jacket potato for tea
strawberries and melon for snacks
even took my own raw veg and aubergine dip for lunch despite a buffet being provided
early night tonight as children are back in school with us tomorrow!

Marking place and reporting :)
I won't start till the 15th for various reasons, but I have been 'gathering' stuff to set me off in the 100 day mission.
First, I weighed myself. I have put on half a stone in two weeks. I need to lose a whole stone now.
I bought a big pot of eye cream and a body lotion.
Still to do is buy lemons, vitamins and a notebook.
Well done to you ladies who already started, I am following you soon.

Just had a quinoa chicken salad was very yummy!
Didn't manage to do very much today. Going to try much harder tomorrow!

Quick update - showered, actually used a hair drier and straighteners, and used L'Oreal extraordinary oil. Instead of getting into my slobs or dressing gown afterwards, I put on black leggings and a pretty top. Realised the top is now too big for me; need to go shopping.

lucysmam Hope all is still good with your move, sorry it's not the perfect place you were hoping for, but hopefully the area and convenience will make up for it until you can find somewhere better with the same benefits. Fingers crossed DH is just picking up on your reservations.

Bumped into the president of my WI branch while I was waiting for the train this morning - was sooooo grateful for having put in the effort the last couple of days, because she always looks so perfect.

Managed 5 fruit and veg today and only one coffee, not broken the seal on the shred yet but will do soon.

Have also sorted through some tops that I can fit into again after losing the first bit of baby weight.

Not much else to report today but will aim to do better tomorrow