I'm in the doldrums....

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but sometimes life is just so hard. 

I'm moving slower, struggle to get out of bed and can't find the enthusiasm to do the stuff I enjoy, let alone the chores. I've always been able to find the time and energy to crochet or sew, but I've several projects languishing in the bottom of the bag, looking back at me saying 'just a couple of hours and I'll be finished' I. Can. Not. Be. Arsed! 

Slimming World has gone out of the window and I'm not even really enjoying eating chocolate. I know, it's THAT serious.

I've even been neglecting my blog, I'm posting infrequently and have stopped sharing my Brothers wonderful mails.What is wrong with me?

Not sure what's happened to me to over the last few weeks. I feel like the colour has faded out of my life and I'm seeing things in shades of grey. Energy has leeched out too, I feel like my battery warning light is constantly on less than 10 percent and I can't even be bothered to find the cable to charge it. (come on, we've all been there)

I'm not ill as such, just tired of feeling sick. I've been on the drugs trial 9 months now and think the novelty has well and truly worn off. The dose was put back up to the full amount at the beginning of March and I know that'll be affecting how I feel. When I first started on the drug trial, I wasn't working and was able to rest more and just take things easier. That's not an option this time round.

I've been mulling around in my head what I can do it about as I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired. I've come up with a five point plan, what do you think?

Point 1

Eating crap is making me feel crap, I'm putting weight back on. So I'm joining a group. I'm actually making a commitment to go to a proper meeting and have ditched Online Slimming World. It had a purpose and worked for me then (I've lost four stone) but I need a boost now, and think a real Slimming World group will help.

Point 2

This means I'm actually going out and 'socialising' albeit at a weigh-in. Socialising, get me! Haven't done that for a while. In fact the last 4 weekends I've not left the house once. I've come home at 6pm on Friday and my feet haven't touched the front doorstep until 8am on Monday, you must admit, that's not a healthy way to live your life.

Point 3

I'm going to count my blessings; I'm better off than most in my position and will commit to joining in with Michelle's Mummy from the Heart  weekly Reasons to be Cheerful linky. It'll help me celebrates the good things, which will outshine the crapiness. It'll make me appreciate what I do have and what I can do. 

Point 4

I'll also start to share the wonderfulness which are the emails from my Brother. I've a few to post on back catalogue! They'll make you laugh, I'll enjoy rereading and sharing them with you. A little bit of sunshine from the other side of the world. Click here if you want to catch up

Point 5

I will post a little more about things which interest me, get back into My Glass Half Full blog. It's never failed me yet, can't see why it won't help this time too.

What do you think? Will you keep an eye on me? Got anymore suggestions to add?

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful

Joshua J. Marine

And if you were wondering where the saying 'In the doldrums' comes from, take a look here, says it all really.

Meal Planning Monday w/c 18th March

I haven't posted to Mrs M's Meal Planning Monday for a while, totally fallen off the losing weight bandwagon but after my cookathon yesterday, I just could not post today.

Yesterday was a mammoth batch cooking day, it consumed most of it! (the day, not that I ate the results) They were all cooked following Slimming World recipes, so low fat and packed with vegetables and lentils. I now have in my freezer:-

2 lasagne's

2 family sized portions of liver and onions

2 vegetable packed beef bolognaise's

1 pasta bake

1 carrot and ginger soup

Numerous twice backed filled potatoes with leeks and smoked mackerel

Plus I cooked a full roast chicken with all the trimmings for Sunday dinner

I even cooked extra roast potatoes, and they are packed up in the freezer too!

It's all ready for me to pull out and defrost and whack in the oven. I needed to get organised as my chemo drug dose has been increased back to what it was before Christmas. I know it will make me feel crap, so need to be prepared. Feel quite proud of myself. I'm not saying I will do it every weekend, but I've already planned a couple of recipes for next weekend to keep things topped up.

I researched if I could freeze baked potatoes as I over ordered on my delivery and the consensus was they were better if filled first. If it works, I can see a few more concoctions creeping into my weekly meal plans

Onto this week's which unsurprisingly features a few of the meals above. In no particular order

Chicken thai green curry and rice (from Sunday's left over roast chicken

Carrot and ginger soup with bread

Liver and onions, roast potato and vegetables

Pasta bake and salad

Lasagne

Wedges, fish cakes and beans

Roast pork and all the trimmings

Simples!

Is it really sad that I have next week's menu planned too???

Get yourself over to Mrs M's for more meal plans!

If only I could stop bumping......

Was sent this by a colleague on Friday as we'd been talking, in a team meeting, about quality versus quantity or speed. I liked it and thought I'd share.

"Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it."

AA Milne, Winnie the Pooh

So very apt in lots of situations, but what do you think?