• I no longer sit in bed at the weekend drinking tea with sugar and eating digestive biscuits.
• I get up early and do a workout.
• I am wearing my tighter style clothes again.
• My jeans and trousers all fit more comfortably and in some shops I have gone down a size.
• I can say no to cake and desserts.
• I don’t have to have carbs with every meal.
• I’d rather order a side of vegetables than a side of fries when I am eating out.
• I can have one glass of wine or prosecco now and that is enough.
• I no longer drink at home.
• Our drinks fridge is now my vegetable fridge.
• I no longer cancel exercise sessions ‘just because it seems too much effort’ or I feel ‘a bit unwell’ or ‘tired’.  I get on and do it and generally feel better for it.
• I am beginning to enjoy exercise because I can see results.
• I meal plan every week and can now whip up a healthy meal from the contents of my fridge if I am in a hurry.
• I don’t skip lunch or forget to have lunch then pig out on rubbish at 4 pm.
• I drink more water.
• I am wearing my shorts outside of my house and garden!
• I am ignoring the scales and judging my health by how I feel.
• I can go out for a meal and not feel stuffed.
• I am taking my trainers on holiday and using the gym!
• I came back from my holiday in Turkey the same size/weight as I went.

I never ever thought I’d make a list containing these achievements.  I have wanted to be fit and lean for so long but never actually wanted to change my lifestyle to achieve it.  I still have a way to go, my tummy still needs to flatten a bit more for me to be 100% confident in a bikini but I have learnt that this is a way of life now and that slowly and steadily I will get there.  I’ve had wobbles, last week I was fed up because of a shoulder injury and it means I will need to take some time off my weight sessions and go back to HIIT only while I rest it.

But I can now see it is possible to get to where I want to be, it just takes time, patience and commitment.

Next goal – to rock a sexy dress for my 50th!

Michelle xx

When I was a child my hair was mostly long, lighter and slightly curly.  As I grew into my teens it became thicker and more difficult to manage until eventually I had a short cropped style and it stayed like that for years!  Until I had my daughter then suddenly it seemed important to grow it.  But it has never been ‘curly’ or ‘straight’ it is that annoying frizzy, wavy, not thick, not thin, difficult to style type!  Going through the in-between stage was pretty tough.

A few weeks ago I said to my daughter ‘how did I ever manage without my GHD’s’?  When I was growing it 15 years ago I simply couldn’t afford a decent pair of straighteners.  I dreamt of having them and it was big excitement when I could finally afford a pair.  Now I buy the latest model as soon as it becomes available, how times have changed.  My daughter will never have to experience the ‘no GHD’s generation’ as she has her own pair and equally as challenging curls!

But even GHD’s do not guarantee Good Hair Days!  So what do I do to keep it long but manageable?

• I wash it every other day. 
• In-between days I use dry shampoo, Klorane.
• I have regular Keratin blow dry treatments.
• I use Moroccan Oil shampoo and conditioner.
• I use a leave-in conditioner spray, KMS Silk Sheen.
• I use a blow-dry spray to speed up drying, KMS Free Shape.
• I have it cut and coloured every 5-6 weeks.
• I style it with my GHD hairdryer then my GHD straighteners.
• I use a ‘faster drying’ styling brush by EcoTools.

And I curse loudly when the weather is wet, humid or that horrible fine rain!  And I am not one of those relaxed ‘not a care in the world’ girls that goes out without a hat or a brolly in all weathers.  In these conditions my hair goes wild, not curly, just frizzy and messy.

I inherited my tendency to curls from my mother (who has very curly hair) and my younger sister has the same full head of curls and my daughter has inherited them too.  Of course those with dead straight hair would love some waves, but us curly haired girls would die for poker straight hair.  I dream of being able to ‘wash ‘n’ go’.

When I go on holiday the change in water and weather and the inevitable rubbish hairdryer in hotels or self-catering accommodation fill me with dread.  When we were in Austria earlier this year the hairdryer was one of those on the wall efforts, I had to embrace my curls for the week, there was no way to style it with that.

Michelle xx

Many years ago my parents discovered a beautiful caravan site in Dorset.  When the children were very young we tried it out too and it has become the place we return to time and time again.  We have so many happy memories of holidays there as the children grew up.  Playing ‘Trolls’ under the bridge in the playground, Emily picking up and trying to eat rabbit poo, the time she got chicken pox ….

​But as the children grew up we found we were using our caravan less and less and so a couple of years ago we sold it.  We like to go skiing and we enjoy guaranteed sun and so have started having hot holidays which are more suitable for teenagers.  And I admit now they are older, sunlounger holidays are much more relaxing for me!

But this year we fancied going back to Dorset.  And so we will stay in one of the site’s new Log Cabins.  It will be me and my husband and daughter and our two dogs.  And my son and his girlfriend will drive down for part of the week.

It is one of those holidays where we can just walk and relax and enjoy the outdoors.  No worrying about plane journey’s through busy airports either!  We don’t have to think about who is going to look after our two westies, Katy and Bonnie, they will love coming with us.

​The site has a restaurant, coffee shop, shop and leisure centre.  It is no ‘holiday camp’ though.  It is very classy and doesn’t get too busy.  I love their ‘Sunday Lunches’.  I love a walk down the cliffs to the harbour town to get fish n chips or a walk in the opposite direction to sit on the little secluded beach and watch the dogs play (used to be the children)!  There are lovely pubs nearby and places to visit but to be honest, we don’t go too far.  I am just happy enjoying the view.

Going through the photos I think we were last there in 2012 and first started going after we had our son in 1997.

You may recognise the area from TV’s ‘Broadchurch’ series? 

West Dorset Leisure Holidays, Highlands End, near Bridport.
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Remember to like my Facebook page and my Instagram for daily photos and inspiration.

Michelle xx

OMG they drive me mad!  Do you know the ones I mean?  Tiny little pin prick holes on the front of t-shirts, right by your tummy area?

​Earlier this week I wore a beautiful lime green t-shirt from Mint Velvet with my denim shorts.  I’m pretty sure it was okay when I put it on.  But by mid-afternoon I spotted two of those annoying little holes had appeared.  This is not the first time on my t-shirts.  Some I have taken back to the store (if it is the first time wearing it), some have had to be binned, some are still hung in my wardrobe with me wondering if they will show if I wear them.
So with another t-shirt about to be lost I decided to google it.  And I am not alone, there is a t-shirt hole phenomenon going on.  It is discussed at length on the internet, in chat rooms and by other bloggers.

Moths have been dismissed – not possible as moths are not that fussy, they don’t just eat at the front of an item of clothing.  Fabric quality does seem to be an issue and finer t-shirts are more at risk.

But it would seem the reason is simple.  The holes appear due to rubbing against the fastening / waistband / belt of your jeans.  And the fact that this is an area that is subject to extra wear and tear as it is ‘worktop’ height.

So that’s it.  And the solution!? 

• Iron on interlining to the inside of all your t-shirts to protect this vulnerable area.  There are YouTube videos explaining how to do this.  I don’t think I can be bothered to do this!
• Wear your t-shirts in a ‘half-tuck’ style.  I might do this more but many of my styles don’t suit this so it is not really a solution!

Do you have this problem?  Have you found a better solution?  If so, I'd love to hear from you.

Michelle x