Okay, this is the plan. I'm going to be very good for the next week. No treats (well except for the fruit mince pie I got this arvo from Bakers Delight but I had to test drive them for Christmas lunch -- two thumbs up!) and extra cardio. No greasy pizza breakfast at the market this week, no chocobana balls with coffee.

Then come Christmas day, I'm going to enjoy myself, foodwise without fretting over calories and such. We've got a relatively healthy lunch planned - just your basic turkey, ham and roast vegies - with some yummy desserts.

After Christmas I'm right back into it. I need to shake off the extra weight I've put on plus get into training for the half marathon.

I've almost finished Christmas shopping - woohoo! I just have to get a stocking of lollies for Andrew and that's it. Oh and maybe a fan. My mum told me to stop buying him stuff because I've already given him cash for Chrissie but I'm his mum, if I don't get him socks and jocks and stuff like that he'd wear the old ones until they disintergrated!

Oh and on Christmas shopping - do folk stay at home all year practicing their most annoying behaviour for this time of year? Why do people think it appropriate to stand around chatting with their friends in the doorway of shops?

I think the worst thing I saw was a woman buying her teenage daughter clothes in Dangerfield. She kept asking the daughter questions while the daughter chatted on her mobile. I'd have slapped her up the side of the head and left the shop without buying her a thing but then Andrew would have never dared treat me like that.

Time to go for a run then some creativity. I got a pad of these thick blank postcards and I'm planning to draw pictures on them then send them to my aunties and my nan with Christmas greetings. Much nicer than a card, I think.