Spring Cleaning

Spring is here, the weather is trying hard to brighten up and stay dry. Have you noticed how everything starts to look more positive when the sun comes out? I'm working on a healthier lifestyle - that started with my healthy eating plan, and we are still on it, nearly four weeks in. I've only had one unplanned slip, and I didn't even enjoy it. I picked myself up the next morning, dusted myself off and jumped straight back on the wagon, more determined than before to stay on track.
I continued my health kick venture with the Couch to 5k running challenge and I am at the end of week two. Six workouts in and feeling better - don't get me wrong, I still feel like I'm dying every time I am out there, but I feel better for it, and my fitness is improving ever so slightly with each run! I am a little less red in the face when I've done now, I am going a little bit faster and a tiny bit further each time. I'll take my successes where I can get them!

Now that spring is upon us, I've also gone into cleaning mode. It started with the garden a couple of weeks ago. I am by no means a gardener, but I do like getting out in the garden in the sun, which means I have to put a little effort in to make it look nice. Over the winter I just leave it to grow wild, so it took some serious effort to get it sorted. We enlisted the kids at the weekend and started tearing out the crap to find what was left. I pulled up all the weeds and turned over the soil, plus I tore up some of the crappy plants to make room for some new ones. Simon ripped out the dead ivy that was growing over the back wall after we had it poisoned at the end of last year, plus he cut down the ridiculous tree that grows up the garage. The kids cleared up after us and we found several stone decorations out there that we didn't even know existed.
The following day, Simon cleared the garden of all the rubbish and cut the grass, so this weekend, we made it outside to play before tea on Friday. The good old skipping ropes made an appearance and the kids loved the sticky bat and ball!


Now that the weather is improving, it is also bringing with it more opportunities for our weekend adventures. The kids love going out and it's one of my favourite past times, so I'm quick to pack a picnic and get us out for a walk and an adventure! This weekend we headed for Leeds and hit Roundhay Park. It was a great day, everyone loved it. Big smiles all round and lots of great photo opportunities. Plus there were castles ruins - always a bonus for me!

My cleaning habits kicked in again this week and Simon and I started spring cleaning the house. I started with the living room, as that's the room we spend the most time in, so after work on Monday, we dug in with a hoard of cleaning supplies and plenty of determination. I threw out all sorts of crap, moved a few things around, and Simon rearranged the sound system and projector to move all the cables to make the area more rabbit friendly. I have managed to do away with all the ugly bunny proofing for some cleaner tactics and well-placed items to block up holes. Not that it stopped the little monster from finding a way past my defenses overnight. There were some rearrangements made and I think I have it cracked this time. He is quite enjoying the new level he's realised he can jump up onto thought - it means he can come and say hi from a different angle when I'm sat on the sofa!

My workspace is next - either later today or tomorrow - we'll see how I feel. I want to rearrange a lot of things and make the space more usable, bearing in mind I use the dining room table. I need to be able to clear it off more easily to use for its actual purpose. I'll keep you posted on that and the rest of the house :) until then, I will leave you with my pretty flowers from Simon, they brighten up my living room perfectly!!