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As I have aged and especially since I hit 40 (and some) I have found it much easier to put weight on and much harder to lose it and the weird thing is I am still pretty much the same weight - the area it seems to congregate has just changed. It seems to be turning up (very much unwanted) in my mid section.

I have also found issue with my lack of energy and I generally becoming a bit of a cranky pants. Now you can put all this down to just being a bit run down or the kids driving me into the ground but it just didn't feel right. It seems to me that anyone with kids, trying to have kids, just had a kid or even one who has older kids is going to be fairly worn down on a daily basis. It's difficult enough trying to get out there and make a mark in your own life without having to be in charge of other people's schedules, food intake and just generally making sure they are not eating washing powder or trying to ride the dog (that's toddlers - not mums of older kids, one would hope). So I headed off to see a naturopath.

Now the naturopath listened very sympathetically to all my issues and offered some herbal and such remedies to try and alleviate my problems. Part of that required me to keep a food diary just to see what I was actually consuming. I have a very sweet tooth - in fact I don't remember ever meeting a cake I didn't like (EVER). So trying to cut back on some of life's great joys seemed to me like one giant hill and here is where the recommendation comes in. Cinnamon tablets. Yep, tablets. We have all heard of cinnamon, you can sprinkle it on your toast, yogurt and chai latte but tablets?? You can pick them up at the chemist and take one before each meal and it works! (well it has for me).

What exactly do cinnamon tablets do, I hear you thinking. Well, basically they help with your metabolism - speeding it up (cause apparently it slows down after 40), so cinnamon gives it a bit of a kick start. But the really exciting part of it is that cinnamon helps regulate your blood sugar. Which means you don't get those mid morning and mid afternoon spikes when you have to have a chocolate right now!! This means no more sugar highs - when you get that immediate sugar rush and no more lows (when you could fall asleep waiting in the car at school pickup).

Since I started taking the cinnamon tablets before each main meal I have felt a lot more even. I don't feel like having a little lay down in the afternoon (good thing really since my toddler cut out his day time naps there's no time for that now anyway) and I have found it much easier to cut back on the sweet stuff and as a result I have lost 3 kg and 5cm off my waist! And I have more energy to deal with the washing powder eating, dog riding and occasional acts of nudity (the toddlers - not mine).

If you are feeling those morning and afternoon highs and lows and wanted to cut back on the sweet stuff, give it a go. I would love to hear how you go with it.

I also wanted to take a quick moment to announce the winner of the hallmark text bands competition. Drum roll please..... the winner is Wendy Williams. Congratulations Wendy, look out for an email in your inbox so I can get your text bands out to you soon.

Cheers,

Lee

P.S - In my next post I am going to let you in on a basic exercise I have just added to my regime which is simple and has really helped with all over toning and some interesting recipes I have been taste testing on the kids.



 
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As promised 2013 will see a few interesting changes happening  here at Mother Load, some of which I am going to be discussing in coming posts - but for now, let's get the ball rolling shall we?!

Put your hand up if you like to win stuff! (Seriously, who doesn't?!) Well, The first and in my opinion (most exciting change) to Mother Load this year has been the addition of competitions and giveaways. If you missed this bit before then I have to tell you, I love giving stuff away! I mean, I love getting stuff too, it's nice - but it makes me just as happy to make someone else happy. So here we go!

I went to an event a little while ago and Hallmark were in attendance and unveiling the release of a new product called Text Bands. They are aimed at kids who old enough to spell but are a too young to have their own phones (That's my take on it anyway - they didn't specify an age group). They look a little like a large digital watch and the idea behind Text Bands, is that you put a 10 character word into your band, pump fists with your band wearing friend and trade messages!  

Here's a quick video on them so you can see them in action.

The website offers lots of ideas and fun games kids can play with Text Bands and their friends like Super Animal, Name Game and Zombie Outbreak, which is a much better idea than having them sit around the house on their butts.

They sell individually so that you can choose your own colour and you can buy changeable bands for fashion and fun (including Disney, Army and Star Wars themes) but obviously you need more than one so that you can give another one to a friend to get a game going. The starter kit with one band sells for $14.99 (AU) in shops.

I have two starter kits to giveaway to one lucky member of the Mother Load community. One black and one purple. So how do you enter, I hear you thinking?? Easy peasy - all you have to do is subscribe to the Mother Load mailing list (That's the little box near the top of the Mother Load blog page - just put your email address in) and you're in!! If you are already subscribed and you want to be in the runnin for this giveaway just leave a comment below to let me know you want in!

The competition will be drawn in one week, (that's the 15th of March 2013) the winner will be picked at random and it is only open to Australian residents. Good luck.

Cheers,

Lee


 
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So here we are... back at Friday again and I have a very exciting announcement to make. Let me start by saying that I love getting presents but something that makes me just as happy is giving them, so you can only imagine how thrilled I am to announce the winner of the first ever giveaway on Mother Load today.

It goes without saying that I wish I could give an awesome personal planner to each and every person that filled out my survey and entered the competition but (sadly) there is only one winner. Drumroll please .... The winner is Sarah Armstrong. Yay for Sarah! Keep a look out in your inbox for details coming your way real soon Sarah.

Please don't feel too sad if you didn't win this one - you have not heard the last of Giveaways from Mother Load this year! So don't forget to subscribe to Mother Load and you won't miss out on my next competition or Giveaway!!

Happy Friday.


Cheers,

Lee

 
I am such a sucker for nice stationary it always makes me feel like I'm more prepared (whether I actually am or not is beside the point). Sometimes I go into stationary shops just to look at (oh, alright and touch) all the shiny new things and imagine what I could do if only I had more lovely pencils, pens and planners to do it with.  With that note book I could take over the world! Perhaps not - but it does make me feel a bit special to put my to do lists down in my pretty new planner and tick the things off as I go.

At this point either you're with me on the stationary love or you're shaking your head thinking I need a hobby. Well, don't you judge - what's your poison?? Garden shops, nic-nac shops, shoe shops.... don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.

I was recently introduced to personal-planner.com.au and I have to say I LOVE the idea of being able to make your yearly planner a bit special and personal. Go check out their website at http://www.personal-planner.com.au/AU/ and see all the lovely things you can do with a planner. Their specially designed website enables you to change the colour, text and design on the front and back cover of your planner as well as inlay and choose the start date for your planner.  There are also clever boxes for to-do list, gym session, preschool, idea of the week and weather. Friends and family member’s birthdays can also be added to the inlay directly from Facebook! Actually you can go and say hi to them on Facebook here and make sure you like them while you are there. A lot of paper products you buy online now are e-products so you buy it and have to print it out at home yourself. The thing I love is that personal-planner.com.au print and deliver the finished product to you. Nice.  

OK, so here's the thing - I need your help (it will be painless - I promise). In line with my vision to make 2013 something big and wonderful I have put together a short survey so I can get to know what you know and love and need more of to make Mother Load (and your world) even better. Just click and fill in the survey here. Now, here's the exciting part - I am not asking you to take a few minutes out of your life without thinking about how I can make your day nicer, so once you fill out the survey you go into the draw to win a planner from personal-planner.com.au  . Yep, you heard it right! The winner will be chosen in two weeks time and will be announced in the blog post on Friday the 8th of February.  The winner will be able to  choose any planner in any size and the shipping is included!! Woo hoo!! I have already had friends ask me for this one! But the prize will be drawn fairly and taken from the list of people who fill out the survey. (You can get to the survey by clicking here).

I wanted to let you know that this post has been sponsored by personal-planner.com.au  - not as in paid for but as in they have generously given me a planner and this prize to give to you and talk about it. Hey, it's stationary - not a hard ask for me.

So there it is my very first sponsored post, woo hoo - look at me go!!

Firstly, I wanted to let you know that because I am all about being open and honest with you and secondly I was quite excited about it. Mother Load started as me wanting to find some kind of purpose (let's call it retaining my sanity) and it has become something bigger than just myself and a handful of friends reading it. I have had comments on posts from all around the world  (I  can't tell you how exciting that is) from mums who are going through the very same things, or just letting me know that I made them laugh. How  wonderful to know that we are not alone!

So go ahead and help me out and fill out the survey and throw your hat in the ring to win this awesome planner to plan out all the exciting things you are going to do this year... and so you don't forget anyone's birthday!! Now is the time to start getting your organisation on for 2013 (don't tell me you already let some of your New Year's Resolutions beat you).

Just in case you missed it the link to the survey is here and don't forget you can always subscribe to Mother Load with the little box up in the right hand side of the page and never miss a post!

Cheers

Lee
 
As you may or may not have noticed I am currently part of a competition for the Top 25 Family Blogs written by Mums (or moms) at the moment. Well, it is almost over and I am still needing your votes. You don't have to sign in or join anything, or give anyone your email address or your first born - you just click on the link (the circle above) and scroll down until you see Mother Load and click on the little vote button. You can vote every 24 hours - so please feel free to go back and visit and vote for Mother Load again (and again) and please don't feel you have to keep this to yourself it's not a secret, let your friends in and ask whoever will listen to toss me a vote as well.

So, what do I win? A big screen tv and a maid for a year... kidding. I win a badge to put onto my blog that says I am in the top 25 (awesome) and it also opens my blog up for a little more publicity so we get more readers, more comments and more interaction which is also nice. After you have voted check out the Circle of Moms community there is lots of interesting stuff there as well.

Cheers,

Lee