My Fun Run results are in:

No : 615
Name: Fran Freeman
Age Range : Female 18 – 39
Ranking for age range: 45th
Time: 0:23:25.775
Overall ranking: 167th out of 360 runners

Woohoooooooooooo!!

I hope all you Yummy Mummy’s had a great day.

On Saturday morning I saw a bit in the paper about a Fun Run “The Mother’s Day Classic” for the Breast Cancer Association. It was on Sunday Morning, 8am and 4km. I tossed over whether I could do it, if I should give it a go etc etc, and on Saturday night decided I would!

So I registered at 7.15am, got my number on and my ankle clicker (it marks the time you cross the finish line) and waited with great anticipation for the start. I think there were probably about 400+ people there, all ages all shapes and sizes and all running abilities. I was pretty calm! The starter rose his pistol and we were off. There was a lot of jostling for position, but after awhile that sorted itself out and I could overtake or be overtaken without too much trouble. At halfway I was feeling pretty comfortable and saw a girl in a green t-shirt aways ahead of me and I thought to myself “I really want to catch her”. Anyway, I kept pace with another girl in front of me and then she stopped with a stitch. The end was close and greenie was in sight. Up a small hill (thank goodness for all my hilly training around the mountain) I gained a bit and then I could see the finish line. At one point I thought “Ahh just let her go” and then I thought “No Way” so I sprinted, yes sprinted, for that finish line and got over it just ahead of her. YAY!!! I cannot describe the feeling. I did it, I ran all the way and I beat greenie. I was overwhelmed with pride in myself and would have sobbed out loud if I weren’t in such a public place alone! All the way home in the car I was beaming. I never would have dreamed I could have done such a thing. Small, I know, but momentous for me. I’m positively stoked.

The kids were thrilled when I got home. I had a participation medal around my neck and Holly was screaming “Mummy won the race, she won, she won”. Justin had bacon and eggs on the go and the girls gave me some lovely presents. It was just perfect.

I could easily become addicted to the Fun Run…when is the next one…..!

Have a great day.

My neice is in a Photo Competition, and the winner is the pic with the most votes. So if you have a spare 30 seconds, can you vote for her?

Click here, go to ‘Competitions’ on the side menu and scroll down to the last photo. That is Zoe with all the pegs on her!

Thanks!!!

Dinner last night was going great. By 5.30pm I had the Shepherds Pie bubbling away in the oven, fresh bread being baked next to it and a butterscotch pudding on the go too. The guests arrived. Greeting over, lets have a glass of wine and sit down to eat.

ME: I’m starving. This is going to be great. I hope you are not vegetarian haha!

She guest: Um, actually yes I am.

ME: AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Can you hear how quiet it is here? Only the whir of my computer is audible.

Amy is sound asleep (been down 2 hours now), Jess went with Mum to drop Meg off at preschool and have the morning with her, and Holly is at school. How’s the Serenity!

I was laughing with a girlfriend the other day about Mother’s Day. It is her first and she is expcting great things!! I told her about my reality….

1) Made cards at Playgroup – I coloured them in!
2) Justin asked me what I wanted, then I bought it and carried it home.
3) Kids have a Mothers Day stall at school and preschool. I provided gifts for the stalls, then gave them money to buy things back.
4) I’ll probably have to make my own breakfast, lunch and dinner!

Yep that is how things go when you are a Mum of littlies. Really, all I want is no fighting!

Got people coming for dinner tonight. I don’t even know who they are – some couple from Sydney that are helping Justin with some work. Justin suggested an elebourate meal all decked out on the table, but it is looking more like Shepherds Pie and Salad. I don’t even have any wine in the cellar – don’t even have a cellar, it’s a wine rack!

Have a great day 🙂

Got all four home today sick with colds. Holly’s eyes are watering, her nose is dripping and she has a sore throat and cough. Poor baby!

Amy slept through the night, only waking at 5.30am. Pity I still had to get up to the other kids who were coughing and needed more Panadol. Anyway, a slow day today is ensured.

Maureen’s operation went well and she should be out of hospital by the weekend.

I had a great massage on Saturday. This little Chinese lady with hands of steel was a God-send for my aching muscles. Afterwards, as I was sipping green tea in their luxurious waiting area, she told me the muscles around my shoulders and neck were hard like bricks. She then went on to say that I was very toned. Me? Toned? What the…? I have never, in my whole entire life, been told I was toned! All that running is paying off 🙂 On Wednesday I am taking delivery of a Cross Trainer that I have hired for 3 months. Can’t wait to get it, for all those cold wintery Canberra mornings when I can’t run outside.

In breaking news with Amy – she has learnt to climb/crawl up the stairs. This is quite hair-raising for me because I am convinced that she is going to lean back too far and tumble down. So far so good, but I am still wary! The girls lie at the top and coax her up, and when she gets there they cheer and clap.

Last night Mum and Dad came for tea and took part in one of our “Let’s entertain oursleves for we aren’t allowed to watch TV ” pasttimes. The girls love this particular one – they run from one side of the loungeroom, into my study, hoot the horn on my desk, and run back. Justin times each run and they have to beat that time on their next go. We crack oursleves up by seeing who can be the biggest cheerer. So last night, the girls were running for gold and Mum got into the spirit and had a run too. Amy’s face is priceless and she stares at us and wonders “what the hell are these people doing?”.

One of the neighbours was telling me yesterday that they house had been broken into on a regular basis a few years ago and the robbers would put their faces up to the windows and try all the doors even when they were at home. All night I dreamt of people walking around the house, and I couldn’t scream. Hate those dreams. First thing this morning I called for a Security door for the front door. Even though it will cover my new gorgeous front door, I figure it is better to be safe, especially since I am home all day and we don’t have Dash to protect us anymore.

OK, got jobs to do – can’t sit around on computer all day…..!

It is another busy one for us here.

On Saturday we will all be like ships passing in the night. Kids have swimming, when they get home I leave straight away to help at a Fundraising BBQ at Magnet Mart for Holly’s school. Then I have to drop Holly at a party (a friend of hers is having her 7th birthday as a Scrapbooking Party!!) then go to get an hour massage that was a gift for Mother’s Day from my MIL, then pick up Holly after that. Phew – are you still with me?

Hope everyone else has a great weekend and a bit of a sleep in.

Isn’t this cool weather fabulous?

I am a bit of a superannuation fan. Not everyone is, but I reckon you have to plan for the future you want and aim for it. It is no good just hoping that by the time you get to retirement you’ll have enough.

Did you know that by the time you get to 65yrs old, you’ll probably need $627,500 as a couple to live comfortably in retirement. That freaks me out. How on earth are we going to get that much money if all that is being saved is just the 9% per year that our employer contributes from our salary packages? Could you live right now on 9% of your salary?

I have 2 words for you – Salary Sacrifice. If you put $50 per pay towards your super from now until you retire you’ll be miles ahead, plus that $50 is taken out of your pay prior to tax, so in effect you’ll be paying less tax on your gross wages. Another way to get ahead if you earn under $50 000 (like us Stay at home mums or part timers), is that the Government will top up your account with $1500 for $1000 that you contribute after tax.

Get saving – surely that is the most empowering thing you can do.