Shape up!

Behold the latest addition to my fitness 'regime'. I do quite a lot of walking around so I am hoping that these shoes will aid with my weight loss project! They are supposed to simulate walking on wet sand and encourage the wearer to adopt a better posture. They take a little getting used to, but the aches in my leg muscles suggest they are doing something. Let's hope so.

It's not all bad!

People often ask me if it's difficult being married to a Minister - an unpredictable job with strange hours, periods of intense busyness when the rest of the world is on holiday (think Christmas and Easter), working weekends etc etc. Do I ever wish he had a 'normal' job?

My reply often goes something like this;
No, I don't mind. I have never known anything different. As far as I'm concerned this is a 'normal' job.

Not only am I a Mrs Manse, but I have also been a Miss Manse since my father (Rev AA) is also a Baptist Minister. Having spoken to my Mum friends in the school playground, whose husbands are often gone to work early in the morning and not back until long after the children are in bed at night, or frequently having to stay away on business trips, I am increasingly convinced that there are some big pay-offs being married to a clergyman. Rev A nearly always takes the girls to school in the mornings, is generally around at tea-time and bed-time, rarely has to stay away overnight, and can be a bit flexible about where/when he is working.

So yes, it can be an unpredictable job. We can't easily go away for a weekend if the fancy takes us, Christmas and Easter revolve around work, not holidays. But would I change it? No! Always look on the bright side!

Project Wedding Dress

Rev A and I are approaching our 10th wedding anniversary (summer 2011) and in a moment of madness, I decided it would be a fun idea to attempt to lose enough weight so that I can fit back into my wedding dress by the time our anniversary comes around.

This, if I'm honest, is what has led me back to the blogosphere. If I have to account for my progress somewhere, and the thought that someone might be reading this will make me much more likely to stick with it.

My goal is to lose half a pound each week, which should see me back to my pre-wedding size by the summer. It will hopefully be achieved through a combination of Wii fit, walking the two miles home from town a few times a week, cutting down some of the less healthy snacking, and currently running up and down the stairs to settle and resettle the littlest Miss Manse (still only a wee small baby). She, along with her two big sisters are the main reasons this little project is necessary in the first place!

Life according to Mrs Manse .....

New year, new blog! Inspired by others I have read, I have decided to make another forray into the world of blogging. I've been here before, but never managed to keep it up, so time will tell how this one goes.

By way of introduction ......

Who is Mrs Manse?
I am the wife of a Baptist Minister (Rev A), mother of three Little Miss Manses, nicknamed Mrs Manse by Rev A, following the BBC series Rev in which his wife is sometimes called Mrs Vicarage. I'll try my hand at anthing crafty. I like languages, books, sweets, coffee, playing Rev A at word games, Desperate Housewives. I dislike washing up, Blackpool, steak and kidney pie and dark chocolate. I hope this will be a way of journaling my thoughts and significant events, and if anyone else wants to read it, they are welcome along on the journey!