My hair has three ’states of style’.

1. A la Naturale (which means quite curly)
2. Blow dried
3. Pin curled/Vintage

So when I get my hair cut it has to look good all three ways.  Thankfully I have a hair dresser who understands both my hair, and my styling needs.  I try to stick to one of these, for the vintage styling purposes.

These are the basic shapes of hair cuts through the 1920’s to the 1950’s.  I do tend to modify little bits, as I don’t (yet) set my hair every day, and it needs to be flexible (as per my list above).  So I’ve gone for a “Baby” cut length around the base, but have left the top of my hair about 6″ long. It’s roughly the shape that Nicole Kidman had in “The Others”.   This allows me to wear it ‘natural’ or when I style my hair I can do some barrel curls on top, but still keeps it off my neck and away from my face through the hot months.

I haven’t taken any pictures yet, as it’s been a madhouse between the Boy, the Mister and Spring Cleaning.

I think little victories help when you think that you’re not suceeding in what you’re attempting to achieve.

I’ve had a rough couple of days here, nothing major, just those days where the universe (and your 3yo) think that you need a challenging day.. or three.

But I stepped on the scales this morning, and found that I have lost 2.6 kilos some time in the past month-ish.  This might not seem like much, but every time I try to exercise, I end up getting a cold or something that knocks me around.  I had certainly not expected to have lost any weight recently.  But there it is!

So I feel a little good, despite having a couple of bad days. Yay!

So I won’t be going from Frumpy to Fabulous in less than 60 seconds. In fact, I see this being a very long and slow transformation.

I have to start slowly, I can’t overwhelm myself with ‘mandatory changes’ or I’ll just get freaked out and won’t continue on. Baby steps are definitely the key.

My first baby step has been to make sure that every time I go out, that my hair is done and my face made up. I’m also making more of an effort to wear some of my nice shoes, rather than resorting to my Crocs all the time.

I’m hoping to be able to make myself a new dress for Christmas, I really don’t have much summer stuff in my wardrobe at the moment and it will be nice to have something new to wear.

I’m on the countdown to my hair cut, and have decided not to touch the colour just yet. I think the shorter hair by itself will be a whole new look. And quite frankly, I don’t want to freak my son out too much all at once.

It’s hard to move forward without some kind of starting point… I need to change some things, but too much at once will get overwhelming for me.

Things that are going to be the easiest to start with.

Hair – I’m going in a whole new direction with my hair.  A few months ago I was seriously considering staying a la naturale and growing it obscenely long.  But I realised, that’s really not who I am.  Going grey doesn’t bother me at all, but I like the option of being a different colour when the mood strikes.  And really long is nice if one has no intention of styling in vintage hair do’s… but I do.  So I’m going for a cut that is going to be very easy to style and to take care of.  I will take before and after shots when the time comes (appointment is later this month).  It will be versatile for up and down, casual and dressy, styled or a la naturale (I have curly hair).

Clothes – I do not love my current wardrobe.  Not just because of the size, but I have compromised the styles I enjoy wearing for whatever fits.  To combat this I’ve compiled a list of patterns that I want to buy across all of the main brands.  As they come on sale, I’m buying them slowly.  I have a stash of fabric, some of which is earmarked for special vintage patterns that I already have, once I’ve lost some of the weight I have put on over the last decade. So it will mean more fabric shopping (which I love, so that’s ok), but it also means a lot of alterations on patterns, which I don’t mind at all, because the final fit is always much better.  My biggest hurdle is sewing clothes for my current size, which I have to get over if I want to have clothes to wear now that I love.

Exercise – While heading into summer is the wrong season to start thinking about walking and getting outside (for fear of melting into a puddle), I have new joggers and some great walking routes in my area, so I’m going to get out there and pound the pavement.

So those are the three things that I can do now.

I have no specific plans or timelines.  I have a starting point and an ‘ideal’ goal.  I should have more of a plan, though.  Not just so I know in which direction to head, but it will also help me keep things a little more organised.

Yesterday I had taken time to style my hair a little before going out, and I thought it was worth preserving a little of the body of the ‘do.  So before bed last night, I pinned just my fringe area (or bangs) into some pincurls and pulled the rest of my hair back, to keep it neat.  It worked great as my fringe went right back into it’s nice full semi-pompadour.  It’s a small thing, but it made me smile this morning.

I want to start exercising again, too.  I have an exercise bike at my disposal, as well as a Wii Fit (so much fun!), not to mention a pretty view if I head down to the bay to go for a nice level walk.

I think the key here for me is small steps, and not expecting too much from myself all at once.  I know if I start feeling overwhelmed I’ll go into ‘hiding’ again because it’s just ‘easier’.  And yes, it takes no effort at all, but it’s not easier on my mental and spiritual health.

I want so very much to share my journey.

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