Lose weight by baking! JUST ASK ME HOW!!!

I wonder how many people will actually ask?
I'm obviously not serious.

I went to see my doctor yesterday about a couple of things.  I need to get my blood tests redone to see how my blood sugar, liver function and vitamin d are doing.  Now I normally don't weigh myself - I hate it, always have.  Even when I had a 7 day a week gym habit I would rarely weigh myself, only really when I had my assessments.  So anyway as part of my admission to the clinic I got weighed.  I was 112kgs (ugh!) so on the spur of the moment I decided to weigh myself - I'm 102kgs.  I've lost 10kgs over the past two months.  But I have been doing a LOT of baking.  I've switched my drinking addiction to baking.  It's quite sad! (And the reason why I weighed myself was that I weighed Olivia so it piqued my curiosity .  So yes out of stopping drinking and incidental exercise I have lost 10kgs.  I am left to wonder how much weight I would be losing if I didn't bake so much - it's basically me and the girls that eat most of it - and if I did some structured exercised.  I could be back to my gym toned self in no time (cue Mrs Krabappel from The Simpsons' HA!) - in all honesty I could be a bit thinner and healthier.  All in due time!

It's probably not that surprising that I have been losing the weight.  A glass of sparkling wine is 100 calories and if I honestly think about how much I was drinking... yeah I really don't want to think anout the calories but I understand why a) I ballooned up and b) I've lost the weight pretty quickly.

Other updates:

• I took my last antabuse on Saturday.  Which is fine.  I've not missed it.  My cravings aren't any worse without it.  So it's all good.  It was just another medicine I took so it's like I was consciously aware that this was my non-drinking medication.
• I'm not doing the addictions program - it's on a Monday and a Friday - I have the girls on a Monday so we'd have to get a nanny in and we can't afford it.  Also the addictions program is more to get people off their addictions (apparently baking wouldn't be covered).  I have spoken to my psych about this and he feels that I can't get away without doing it as long as I do what I suggested as an alternative - look at getting a job or getting out of the house to do "something" and go to AA.  I've found an AA group here in St Kilda so I will most likely be going to my first meeting in the next couple of weeks.
• I'm going to stay in the Transitions group for a little while longer (probably just a couple more weeks) mostly as I am getting some use out of it and my health fund does cover my psych appointments if I have group.  I'm turning into a cheap bastard really ;)

Apparently Michael Danby supports Marriage Equality

So here we go again...
Michael Danby (or do-nothing Danby as I have dubbed him) has decided to email me again on marriage equality *sigh*

So the basic gist...
"For the first time, we have an Australian Prime Minister going into an election with a commitment to supporting marriage equality.

It is my belief that allowing all Australians the same dignity, the same opportunities, and the same freedoms is the best thing for our country and I will support any future marriage equality bill."

and further...
"I have supported the principle of marriage equality for a long time and I am proud to be part of a political party that has put addressing this injustice on its agenda."

This is a man who abstained on the vote on marriage equality because he wasn't going to vote because it was going to be defeated anyway (or something along those lines).

So the obligatory response that will undoubtedly like all my emails to him will get absolute no response.

"Dear Mr Danby,

I really find it galling that you have the audacity to tell me that you are a supporter of marriage equality that when I have contacted you and your office at least 4 times over the last federal term to receive no response in regards to marriage equality issues.

Also I also find it quite insulting that you are saying that it is disappointing that Mr Abbott won't allow his parliamentarians a conscience vote - which as was proven - it is non-binding.  A liberal crossed the benches to vote in support of marriage equality.  You are telling me that you are a supporter of marriage equality, when the last bill came to parliament, why didn't you vote?  

Mr Danby you chose to not vote for marriage equality so in that spirit and considering the support you have physically shown - you can in fact not count on my vote.

I wish you the best of luck.

Regards,
Michael Verhoef

And also I have unsubscribed for your email list so please do not send me anymore unsolicited emails."

Trying to explain surrogate birth to nearly 4 year olds...

Is actually quite difficult...

We ended up having a conversation with the girls last night which turned into the first conversation about them being born through a surrogate.  I wasn't quite sure when we could expect to have this discussion.  I wasn't prepared for it and I have no idea of how well we covered it.

Louise and Olivia get they have two daddies and they are different from other families.  I really hate describing our family as different and have avoided saying that around the girls.  We have been able to highlight diversity in different family structures so they do know we are not that far from the norm.  They do understand that they don't have a "mummy" so then trying to explain that they came out of a surrogate's tummy was met with disbelief.  We do have the photos (see!).

I'm not sure if the larger confusion comes from the concept of birth in general, the lack of a mother, or trying to understand surrogacy.  "Babies don't come from tummies!" "She didn't eat us!"  It was an amusing conversation in some regards.

I guess the major thing is that we have crossed the bridge and introduced the concept that they were born via a surrogate.