Spring has sprung and the challenge is done!!

In case no one noticed - and I won't be offended in the least if no one did - this Woman on a Mission was decidedly quiet during August: I gave up blogging!

I decided that for the final month of my year-long challenge I wanted to see how giving things up and taking things on had actually impacted my life, and see if I could do it honestly without having followers to report to: see, you guys keep me honest :-)

Sure, over the 12 months I didn't give up everything on the 'vices' list - dessert stays safe! - and I didn't get around to researching my family tree (though incidentally, I have loaded software to do that on my computer!), but I noticed a number of other things:

1. Some days I just look better without make-up. Except mascara: mascara is gold
2. I no longer watch morning television
3. I am relatively content with my life and meditation will not help me find peace
4. The God of Oven doesn't actually have a problem with tea towels hanging on the door: he helped me make a kick-ass choc-chip sponge a couple of weeks ago! The aforementioned tea towel is a myth invented by Feng Shui extremists
5. Kim Kardashian is an embarrassment to humankind
6. I'm fitter than I give myself credit for: I may not have totally completed the personal training challenge but this winter out of the 10 weeks I had to play netball, I played two games in 6 out of those 10 weeks, plus an hour long walk each Saturday morning, two indoor games a week and incidental exercise when I found the time - booyah!
7. I would be the size of a supermodel if I did the above exercise and actually gave up dessert and chocolate
8. I will have my children christened: hubby and I may not go to Church or really believe that religion is necessary but if my kids go looking for some spiritual guidance in the future, I'd like to give them an 'in' somewhere
9. I already volunteer quite a bit throughout the year and do good deeds when the need arises: I need to be kinder on myself and accept that I am human and sometimes being a little bit selfish is ok
10. The concept of living your life like you did as a kid is good in theory, but there's only so much your now-30 year old body can take....and your dignity
11. Making the usual unusual is harder than it sound

The past year has gone so fast and there has been so many ups, downs and diagonals that I've probably overlooked something-or-other but I think this is a pretty reasonable list.

Most importantly I've learned that life has no opposite. It's also not short: it's the longest thing we will ever do so be spontaneous, live in the moment and give yourself a break: who cares if you choose travelling over buying a home, dropped out of Uni, don't have a million dollars in the bank, if you eat more chocolate than you probably should or if your fashion-style would have you on the worst-dressed list of all time...

If you're comfortable, happy and surrounded by people you love, you have it made.

Mission complete :-)

Still being bested by a fiery crab....

So it turns out that after years of driving experience behind me, acquiring additional concentration and coordination sills, you can still suck at Sonic the Hedgehog.

In my attempt to re-live all things childish over the month I spent part of Sunday morning jumping, spinning and collecting rings through the original Sonic mega drive game (now on the updated PS3 console), which I have owned for the better part of 2 years but haven't really played that much.

I'm pleased to say I can still get though the "Green Hill Zone" without losing a life -by the fourth attempt. Learning to swerve potential roadkill, dodge potholes and crazy-ACT drivers while driving a car does not help dodge fire throwing crabs, jumping pirahna, and psycho 'bosses' on your quest to free the lovely rabbit and teddy-bear looking critters of the Sonic universe.

Still, there's something comforting about the old-school graphics,tinny-sound effects and little blue hedgehog who clearly suffers from ADHD:

In addition to working the Playstation buttons, I also embraced my inner 'tween' and jumped on the Bieber and One Direction bandwagons, watching with other 'Beliebers' as JB entertained the crowds at the Australia's Got Talent grand final and I was impressed with the kids' dance moves and the fact that unlike some more 'seasoned' performers - you listening Ms Spears? - didn't lip synch. 

Hubby wasn't too impressed I made him watch, but I didn't make him watch the follow-up where I searched for early "One Direction" footage from their time on X-Factor, unfamiliar with who they were, aside from the fluffy, squeal-inducing interviews the commercial stations were showing during their last visit here.

I don't know if I'm embracing my inner child too much, but I found them highly entertaining, though admittedly my favourite clip was of them performing a song that was around before many of their fans were even born...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dnj_EjE490E

The answer is: alfredo sauce

I've discovered the solution to eating too much pizza: alfredo sauce.

I've really made a conscious effort to improve my eating habits this month, which must be working as I had to convince my father I was still actually eating after he greeted me with "how much weight have you bloody lost?"

But I digress. Everyone knows theres no such thing as too much pizza, which is problematic when you're trying to a) watch your portion sizes, and b) share pizza with four over excited children.

I've recently discovered spinach and feta pizza. Not because I've been living under a rock for the past decade, but because I have coeliacs disease and the pizza franchises are only just starting to discover the wonders of gluten free catering. Sometimes I'll have it with bacon, sometimes prawns, but this weekend I thought I'd go chicken and just for something different thought I'd forgego the usual tomato base and try alfredo.

Worked a treat!

I've also been making an effort to eat more slowly during lunch and dinner which is supposed to help my stomach realise it's full. The problem is I'm also one of those people who eat when they're bored and eating slowly makes me bored so....notice the problem??

I wonder if there's a sauce that'll fix that??

Of diets and daisy chains

I turn 30 in a little over a month and instead of meeting the end of my 20's with trepidation, I'm celebrating by embracing all that it means to be young, and attempting to leave some old habits behind.

Giving-up: Bad eating habits

It's taken me a few days to figure out exactly what I wanted to give up this month, but looking at my 'Vices' list I realised I never really 'gave up' dessert and 'soft-drink' was still hanging out there unchecked so I thought I could combine the two and make this the month I finally give-up all those bad eating habits I've picked up over the years.

What habits are those you may ask?

Well, let's start with the fact I can generally finish any size meal in less that ten minutes. Yep, whether it's a small salad, a king size meal from the local cafe or even a home-cooked curry, chances are my plate will be empty in 10-15 minutes. It's something I've only started to become conscious of since I've started going to business dinners. I justified it early on by telling myself that "of course I eat faster than the other attendees because they're the ones doing all of the talking" but slowly I've realised that no, I just eat fast.

I don't eat so fast that I get indigestion, but I'm still the one twiddling their thumbs at the table while others continue devouring their delicacies.

Then, there's portion size. It's not uncommon for me to cook something at home to the specifications of a recipe designed to serve 4 people, and for hubby and I to eat it all. True, he eats more of the dish than I do, but I think the time has come for me to either learn how to adjust recipes, or learn to love leftovers.

I also eat far too much sugar, have butter or margarine on breads and will usually reach for a bikkie or chocolate instead of fruit for my 3pm sugar hit.

So for the next four weeks I'm going to:

1) Take at least 20 minutes to eat my lunch & dinner

2) Stick to recommended portion sizes

3) Limit my 'desserts' (ice-cream, cake, biscuits and chocolate) to three serves per week

4) Throw out the butter and marg

5) Eat 3 serves of fruit per day

As it is now the 4th of July, I've already used my dessert quote for the week - eek!

Taking-up: Being a kid

Remember when you were little and you'd walk through a crowded shopping centre practicing your arabesques without  care in the world? or how you'd practice your bowling technique in full view of the Friday night raffle patrons?

No? Just me and my brother then.

Kids really do have it good. Some people spend so much time wanting to grow up they don't fully appreciate the care free nature of childhood. I mean, surely I'm not the only one who gets jealous when they see kids running butt-naked under a sprinkler or wearing  Cinderella costume to do the groceries.

I am? Really?

My mission this month is to re-embrace childhood, whether that be through throwing handstands against a wall, or learning something I never got to do as a kid.

I think I'll draw the line at the sprinkler though.....

Not that I'd go back to a brick, but I could survive

This has been one of the more boring months of challenges I've undertaken, mostly because it didn't give me too many insightful things to comment and reflect on. Sure I couldn't use "Sound Hound" when I got a tune stuck in my head and I couldn't figure it out, I had to rely on the street directory to get around unfamiliar parts of town and I had to wait patiently for hubby to make his way out of work instead of flicking through the news headlines but at the end of the day going without a "smart" phone really didn't impact greatly on my life.

And as for a "Photo a Day" I really wanted to try taking a different a photo a day but life just got in the way so I relied on existing piccies I'd taken instead. It was interesting going through a list compiled by a total stranger and discovering what I had actually taken photos of over time. The final examples are below.

Day 18 - Something we don't know about you.

Even though I own them on DVD, I will watch any of the 'Lethal Weapon' or 'Die Hard' 

movies if they're on television

Day 19 - Imperfect

Marriage isn't about finding that perfect person, it's about loving an imperfect

person perfectly

Day 20 - Favourite Photo You've Ever Taken

Paris 2006, trying to work out what all the functions of my new camera did

Day 21 - Where you slept

Well I don't sleep here, but hubby has been known to take a nap on our hard, concrete

floor and I simply don't know how he does it

Day 22 - From a high angle

I've started to get into candles

Day 23 - Movement

Here comes the bride...walking down the aisle on my Daddy's arm

Day 24 - On your mind

I'm not worried about turning 30, rather how I'm going to celebrate

Day 25 - Something cute

Two of my nieces, Allyra & Chelsey

Day 26 - Where you shop

Far too convenient for my liking sometimes

Day 27 - Bathroom

The cleanest section I could find

Day 28 - On the shelf

The gluten-free pasta front and centre

Day 29 - Soft

Something appreciated after days of blowing your runny nose

Day 30 - A friend

I couldn't pick just one, so decided to show many!!

Photographic fail

So it turns out my life isn't exciting enough to warrant taking a photo day...or is it that I'm simply too busy to stop and smell the photographic roses??

I think it's 3/4 cup of column A and 1/4 cup of column B.

Still, pathetic as they are, my recent efforts are below

Day 7 - Drink

I wasn't drinking anything exciting this day so my niece's sippy cup did the trick :-)

Day 8 - Six O'Clock

So remembering to actually take a photo at 6 o'clock was problematic, so instead I took a shot of the one thing that permanently show's 6 o'clock: my damn alarm!

Day 9 - Your view today

No matter where I looked on Saturday, the view that greeted me was my beautiful niece Marli sneaking chippies :-)

Day 10 - The best bit of your weekend

 I had an issue with this day's assignment, because what if the best part of my weekend happened on the Saturday instead of the Sunday?? I didn't take a photo out of principal

Day 11 - Door

My messy bedroom door where my evening dresses - including a bridesmaid dress from my own wedding! - hang in the out of the way

Day 12 - From a low angle

As my husband, mother and best friend could tell you, I have a thing for shoes, and these are my newest acquisitions: pearl Tony Bianco's with diamante bows!

Day 13 - Art

The 'masterpiece' that hangs in our living room, procured from my cousin-in-law

Day 14 - Time

I can't go anywhere without this little baby

Day 15 - Yellow

The coconut cup that adorns my kitchen, left over from my father's surprise 50th luau

Day 16 - Out and About

Yeah, I play netball on Saturdays and it's a bit hard to take a photo of myself while I'm playing so I'll leave this up to your imagination

Day 17 - In your bag

Ummm this doesn't look great does it? A purse, make-up purse, a slither of a hair brush, ankle stockings, shopping bag and - sadly - a box of Voltaren!

5 things you can't do without a smart phone

1. Be mesmerised by the rain images on the BoM radar: while driving through the middle of a downpour
2. Enter your footy tips just before cut-off time when you're out of the house
3. Find out the ACTUAL lyrics to the J-Lo song on the radio so you can stop singing your husband's version (in case you're wondering she doesn't sing "...find a man and squeeze his balls...")
4. Find the closest loo to your current location - the F3 freeway - when you're busting for a pee and it's bucketing down with rain
5. Take your required "Photo a Day" when you forget your camera