drat that skirt

Really, REALLY bad day today. I was going out to a picnic with the kids at a friend's house and decided to try something on that I had worn on a sunny day two years ago. I was shocked at how tight it was and suddenly my internal picture of myself just crumbled and I felt totally cr*p. As is usual in these situations everything spiralled until I was the worst person in the world and have been blighting my own and my children's lives. My 9 yr old ds and 6 yr old dd have both been getting a bit chunky, well a lot chunky in my dd's case, since we moved up here 2 years ago so naturally it's ALL MY FAULT. Of course. We used to live in a town and we'd always be out and about walking the dog, popping into town, cycling or scootering down the cycle path etc etc but that just hasn't been possible where we live now. Have I mentioned this before? I'm sure I have. Getting enough exercise here seems a lot harder. Any nice walks are a drive away, which makes them harder to fit into an already crammed full day. The sports centre is half an hour's drive away. The road into the village is pretty dangerous, and besides that walk gets pretty boring if it's all you've got. The dog has aged a lot in two years. he's twelve and a half and really feeling it, so no more yomping. But I must stop looking back at how easy it was then and try and find a way to make exercising a priority. I think cycling might be the way to go. It feels like it'd be so much easier to get myself fit, but I'm responsible for all the kids getting fit too. Tall order.

Well, anyway. I calmed down a bit and told myself that the skirt may have been tight, but I did actually get it on (then took it off in disgust and wore my jeans instead). And I have already lost some weight, I just need to lose a bit more.

I have the feeling that this place is about to become a mini boot camp. No sweets, lots more healthy eating etc etc. Any suggestions on how to persuade the kids to become more responsible about what they put into their bodies and how much they exercise would be gratefully received.