Over Coffee [11.03.14]

Let’s catch up over a cuppa, shall we

1. Cuppa? That’s the third Aussie-ism (technically British) I’ve used in the past 24 hours! Have I converted?

2. I have an adoration for pretty pottery and am loving my new coffee mug from Adam’s mom (pictured above)! It’s made in Poland but the print has a cute, Dutch feel. Makes warm beverages all the more exciting.

3. We are very happy to have Adam back on Australian soil. After spending 4 out of the last 6 weeks in Manila, I think we were all going a little crazy. Thomas is pretty happy to see Dad again. It kind of breaks my heart sometimes to watch them do the long distance thing via FaceTime. One night he actually wandered behind the screen to take a peek, probably confused as to why Adam was not on the other side! It’s difficult, and some days are certainly harder than others, but it makes our time together as a family more special.

4. Speaking of family, we got some photos done on Thomas’s birthday/a Valentine’s Day gift to ourselves. We found Maddie from Etta Photography here in Brisbane, and just loved her!

Cutest USB Ever!

Maddie followed us around as we just “hung out”, had a picnic, went to the park and a bakery, etc. Just a typical weekend excursion for us. I’m so happy we got them done! To me, photos are such a wonderful investment, especially since it’s hard to get all three of us together in one photo other than a selfie (as I’m usually the one taking the pictures). Here are a few from the session:

5. I taught Body Attack on the weekend and had it filmed for my certification review. I was absolutely sick with nervousness! It went well and I nailed the choreography, which is the most important thing. It’s so interesting to watch yourself back on video, teaching or otherwise. There are constructive criticisms and observations that I can make by watching back my class, and it’ll be quite helpful for making a few small changes in the future. I’m definitely sending in the video, though. Just have to finish off some paperwork, cross my fingers, and hope for the best! The process can take anywhere from 6-8 weeks for review, so I have some waiting around to do in the meantime.

6. We did a wine tour and tasting a few weeks ago at Sirromet, a winery in Brisbane. It was such an interesting experience, and I learned so much about the wine making process. I was fairly oblivious to the wine culture before our tour, so I’m glad we did it. As much as I enjoy having a greater understanding of how to properly taste wine, what to look for, pairing with foods, etc, it still bothers me to be around those who are “snobby” about their wine selection, or scoffing at others for their tastes. It’s certainly nice to be educated, but everyone’s tastes (and budgets) differ…so drink what you enjoy!

7. I don’t look at my blog statistics too often, but a couple of weeks ago I did a quick scan and thought it was quite comical that a popular search engine key phrase that led people to Femme Fitale was, “Been eating a little too much lately.”  Yep. That sounds about right! Whoever you are…It’s OKAY! KEEP EATING!!!

8. Since this is an “Over Coffee” (or any favourite hot beverage of choice) post, I will bring a recent article published by CBC which pointed out that many teas in Canada contain traces of pesticide that exceed the allowable limits. You can read about it a little more HERE, but it’s crazy to think that if a country like Canada (which typically has a higher enforcement of standards for food) is dealing with this, then I’d assume it’s going to be an issue in other countries, too. I haven’t been drinking much tea lately, but have been trying to do research before purchasing any more. If you look at the ingredients, many teas (Tetley, Twinnings, etc) have additives or chemicals that are unnatural, which kind of defeats the purpose! Just another food issue to be aware of and to always read labels; knowledge is power!

9. Do you have a computer, iPad, or phone full of photos, videos, music, documents, and important info? If so, go back it up. NOW! Seriously, guys. Our main desktop computer has somehow died. Adam thinks it’s an issue with the hardware and it’s very likely we have lost everything that was stored on the computer. Let’s just say I had a slight meltdown on Sunday night. We lost a lot of important things, including my blog stuff and every video I took of Thomas from birth to about 9 months. I had loaded them a couple months ago thinking, “Oh, I’ll back this up tomorrow,” but of course ‘tomorrow’ never came. Luckily, Adam purchased a new drive and backed up all of our photos a few weeks ago. I don’t know what I would have done had we lost all the pictures from the past year, our wedding, etc. Also, I sent many videos of Thomas to our parents, so hopefully we can get several of them back. Anyway, moral of the story…Back Up Back Up Back Up. You just never know when a computer will hit the wall. You don’t realize the magnitude of technology in our lives until something like this happens, and I don’t wish it upon anyone!

10. I’ve been loving my new Mizuno Wave Hitogami running shoes. I was recently invited by Mizuno Australia and The Athlete’s Foot to have a custom fitting and trial a new pair of runners. So far, I only have great things to say about the brand and this particular shoe. I will be sharing my experience and thoughts in a blog post very soon, as I want to give them a fair trial first.

11. Just got my new issue of Women’s Fitness in the mail! Can I just say how much I love this fitness magazine, and how the cover models are consistently healthy and fit?! I don’t want to go all body-image rant on you guys, but many health magazine covers out there really bother me. This girl actually looks like she works out, eats well, and takes care of herself…and is a legitimate surfer, not just a model posing as one. #refreshing #fitspiration

Hopefully I didn’t bore you too much with this Over Coffee post. Life hasn’t really been a thrilling adventure as of late. Just a lot of the same ‘ol.  My weeks typically consist of a handful of workouts, teaching Attack, eating similar things over and over again, playing/reading/feeding/going to activities with Thomas, play dates with my mum friends, laundry, tidying up the house (and repeat), and making dinners and snacks. However, we ARE gearing up for a jam-packed weekend with a few visitors, and then New Zealand in a couple of weeks. That should give me a little more to discuss!

How is your week going? What would you discuss with me over coffee today?!