Oh, The Indignity.

So I've joined Weight Watchers.

This isn't the first time.

I have an 'excuse' of sorts why I'm fat - baby weight - but really, I've been a chubster for as long as I can remember.

I first joined Weight Watchers when I left high school. I have always been a stress eater (such a bummer, why couldn't I be the opposite?) and the move to the North Shore of Sydney with it's perfect looking people had been so overwhelming, coupled with depression leaving my life in Melbourne behind, caused me to stack on a heap of weight.

I promptly joined a Weight Watchers group after returning to Melbourne. This was, of course, before the internet took over the world, and I had to turn up to meetings and get weighed by a dutiful elderly husband of the group leader, be loaded with a heap of reading material and diaries and spruiking of snack bars.

Naturally, I didn't last.

Around the same time, I discovered night life, and my weeks became so busy with clubbing, racing from lecture to tutorial, racing from the campus to the bar, living on two minute noodles and vodka gimlets. I lost close to 30kg over the space of a year and was astonished to fit into a size 10. Of course, I wasn't fit, and I was still flabby. So when I looked in the mirror I didn't see someone thin. I still felt like my fat self. Only I looked better in clothes.

That was 10 years ago. Granted, it took 10 years and a baby to put those 30kg back on, but by gosh I managed and I enjoyed every morsel and every minute slobbing on the couch.

My in-laws bought us a video camera so we could take video of the baby and send them back to France. Looking back at the footage I've taken, I got my much needed wake up call.

I don't have a full length mirror in my house, for better or worse, and the batteries in my scales have been dead for some time.

So it's 2012 and I'm facing up and due to my distance from anything, I've decided Weight Watchers Online is the way to go. I'm 3 days in, and feeling pretty good about it. The best thing is I can eat whatever I want as long as it fits into my points allowance. Pasta? Sure. Chocolate? Only if I don't want to eat for the rest of the day!

As a breastfeeding mother, they only recommend a weightloss of 500g a week, so I'm not exactly starving on the plan.

I'm determined to see it through to at least December 1st, as I have a party coming up. I signed up for three months for $89.95, which is really quite reasonable given I have access to a food/exercise tracker, weekly menu suggestion and forums and communities.

At the very least, the fact that I shelled out for the program should give me *some* motivation to get pram pushing!

Now, where are those batteries?

Sew. A Needle Pulling Thread.

I have been itching to write lately, but the cursor has been flashing endlessly on an empty white screen, mocking me and my lack of... creative flow.

As I've mentioned before, I am fairly reclusive but my partner keeps telling me to get out of the house (which I don't necessarily disagree with, but with a five month old can be quite difficult). So I have been saying yes to everything, trying new things and seeing what this little pocket of Victoria has to offer.

I went skiing for a day with a friend I have known BC and who happens to be in my mother's group. Her parents are managing a lodge on the mountain so they were happy to babysit our kids for a couple of hours whilst we went out on what was an absolutely glorious 'bluebird' day. Unfortunately my legs struggled a bit towards the end of the second hour. The upshot though is that my boy was an absolute angel and didn't miss me one bit! It's great to know this as I will feel a little better about putting him into care, when the time comes (and it's coming a little too rapidly).

A baby free ski. Magic.

Another fantastic discovery has been that I have been introduced to and joined a 'sewing group' with a bunch of excellent and worldly women. I know, I know, a sewing group, it totally conflicts with my badass image right?! Truth be told, I have always wanted to sew and be decent enough at it to make things - cushions, quilts, customise clothing - I am not planning to make my own clothes by any stretch, but just to be able to have things exactly the way I envision them rather than search endlessly to find it, and it also fulfils a certain creative outlet I am desperately needing (though I should be putting more energy into writing!!)

 Yep, I raided the local variety store to create my very first non-hotel-issue sewing kit!

This group happens weekly and I am really happy to have discovered it. I do enjoy my mother's group most of the time, but I love the idea with combining chat with sharing ideas and learning something new.

I'll step back a bit, because before I give the impression that I am working on the next great American (Australian?) Quilt... so far I have managed to hand mend a pair of leggings and half start a broken fly on a pair of jeans. 

I have a tyrannical five month old, remember? I sew when he lets me!

I am definitely embracing this new world though and I already can't wait to get to Melbourne next to check out the fabric stores...