Lots in this update so I will try to keep it succinct …. and due to popular demand, this post will include the first edition of Mon’s Exercise, ha, ha, ha!

We’ll start with Wednesday – Ash had a great day at Legoland – probably the biggest rip-off amusement park I have ever seen but in terms of age appropriate activities and rides for her it was unbeatable! Mike did really well too and made them follow their disability act over here …. he got them to stop a couple of rides and help him on and I love his attitude “I am not going to stop trying to do things just because it takes me longer – other people can wait …. 90% of them would think it is awesome that I am trying to do stuff with my daughter and the other 10% can just complain”. Anyway, most importantly Ash had a fantastic time – she got to drive a legoland car (video to be attached just as soon as i can work out how!) and she loved some of the rides – I have told Mike that he owes me big time as I had to go on every ride with her and chase her around the playground while he was napping in his chair! I had to laugh when we came down the slide and he was fast asleep – poor thing, most of the guys at Project Walk have their rest day to rest – we nearly killed him on his rest day, we were up early and at Legoland as it opened. Probably one of the best family days we have had in a very, very long time. When asked what her favourite part of the day was, Ash’s considered response was “all of it”.

Yesterday Ash and I stayed at Project walk for Mike’s session and it was amazing – they get thru so much in the 3 hours. And I am really happy with the amount of time …. originally with mike’s level of injury they had suggested 2 hours 3 times a week but we figured that we were over here and should try for a bit more – after picking him up the first couple of days with him absolutely exhausted and barely able to sit in the chair to get home I worried we had ‘gone too hard’ but having seen the whole session yesterday I am happy – at 2 hours Mike is still fresh and ready to work it is only really the last half hour that is mind over matter. Anyway, the exercises are amazing and there are always people around to help out. They had mike doing some squats yesterday against a wall and I was embarrassed to confess that even as I gave him a hard time to do more I was thinking that I probably would have konked out already! They also managed to get him in to a couple of great stretches which must have felt amazing – he did his first hip-flexor stretch since the morning of the accident … OK it took 3 people to help but he did it! And in other VERY exciting news, Mike  has progressed to actually having some weight on his broom-stick weights bar – they put 2 * 1lb ankle weights on the bar and he could actually lift it up. Also – he made his trainer sweat …. she was joking that if he made her have a workout he got a discount and before the half hour was up she sure was sweating! It was good to see and very funny – again, I think they are enjoying working with Mike.

We move to the condo on Easter Sunday morning our time and will be able to set up Mike’s computer so he can do his own post. We can’t wait to have a little more space and somewhere for Ash to sleep. Also I am hoping that this gives me a bit of a chance to have a break every couple of days. I am hoping that the carers will hang around a bit more and maybe even be able to take Mike and Ash out a little bit some mornings

And now, the much anticipated Mon’s Exercise segment ……. (drum roll please……….)
Well, Michelle, rest assured you will be doing better than me! I have been giving my right bicep a massive (and very consistent) workout with a fairly constant stream of peanut butter m&m’s making their way from the packet to my mouth. Also on the strenuous exercise front, i do at least 2 laps of the hotel room each morning and night and that is a good 4 metres each way! I also do quite a lot of walking to the car (maybe 2m from the hotel room door) and there is plenty of glut work as I sit on my butt driving around each day. Oh, and I have walked the whole 2 blocks to the shops twice this week (and back!!!). I was thinking how considerate cars are of pedestrians (given that there are no footpaths in the shopping centre, you just have to walk in on the road) but then I realised I was the ONLY pedestrian and probably they either saw me as a novelty or were worried I had some sort of brain injury. My only other exercise to date has consisted of rolling over when I fell asleep at the park with Ash and when Ash drags me to the pool and I run from the pool to the spa to try to warm up (this is about a 2.5m dash!). So all in all, I am settling in well, eating crap and doing no exercise ….. oopla, not true, i just realised that I also turn over the waffle machine each morning when I make my waffle for breakfast so there you have it – I am bound to burn off more calories than I get from eating a maple syrup covered waffle!! Surely!! Seriously though … how do they do it – I am trying to work my way up to it but my best effort so far has been just over half a waffle when I was absolutely starving! Some kids over here have a couple for breakfast each day! I digress but I had to laugh the other day when I lady came in and fed her two kids “captain crunch” cereal (yep, it is as sweet as it sounds) and then a waffle covered in butter and maple syrup only to finish up with “now eat up boys, we are going to try to have no junk food on this trip so eat up your breakfast” …. oh my lord!

Speaking of no junk – have a great Easter!