Weigh in 3

Another great week slimming and another loss, I hope I can keep this going!

I visited Dermalogica HQ today for more training, I just cant get enough.  Its easier to learn in a subject that you are passionate about, and helping ladies feel good in their own skin is very rewarding.

I pulled out my favourite scarf for my trip to the big city lol.

After my class I went for a back massage and even after losing only 8 lbs I could actually feel a difference in my body, I really needed that boost as I had no food prepared and the drive thrus and chip shops were calling me, really loudly!  I managed to get myself almost home and decided to pop into my local petrol station to pick up some fruit and there working away was one of the ladies who won a back massage donated by my salon at slimming world group just yesterday, I was so glad to see her face and share my driving past the drive thru story with someone who really understood, she agreed that some days are really hard but smiled and looked at my basket full of fruit. 

Dear Diary

It has been a busy busy week at work with new products coming in, Crest White Strips are in demand, exciting times.

My slimming world is still going well, lots of home cooking, fruit and vegetables, hoping for another 2lbs off this Tuesday.

I needed a little retail therapy this week and opted for these as I don't want to buy clothes, they are super cute, just hope Bentley isn't embarrassed by his mummy in pink wellies haha. 

A few hours later I found myself ordering a dress for my valentines date night - I wont post a picture as George sometimes reads my blog, and I want to impress him on the night.

Bye for now
Chelle

Blowing The Budget

Last night I had 23049823904 Slimming World syns, approximately.

We went out for a friends birthday dinner, it took me 15 minutes to decide between ordering a glass of wine or a bottle, only for the comedy of our waitress asking me how many glasses I needed with the bottle........... eh one thanks :)

The food was a lot better than I expected, I had only ever had lunch at The Pheasant before which was good pub grub.  Last night I dined on delicious fillet steak and the 23049823904 syns pepper sauce!

So all in all I had a lovely weekend, seeing friends and feeding my face.  I am totally ok with my synful dinner as we don't go out that often so in winter I wont be holding back from steak and dessert, in the warmer days however I will order delicious salads and not feel like I am missing anything.

Tomorrow I am meeting with my local Slimming World leader Caroline to arrange Bliss Beauty Clinic giving massage vouchers for her groups slimmer of the week, then its back to my tax return before visiting my friends new baby Emily.

Customer Service

Now before I start into my rant lets be clear that in any business there are going to be problems, the item you ordered hasn't arrived into store, the hotel has overbooked etc etc

I am not the type of person to get hot under the collar about these things, and usually the company does their best to address the problem and make you the client feel valued to ensure you will return and spend more of your hard earned £

However today I came up against an argumentative patronising employee, who wouldn't admit his team messed up, accused me of lying, and then - this is my pet hate - he refused to work with another dept of his business to resolve my problem, and told me to contact them myself.  Again let me stress that I do understand that in lots of businesses especially retail stores the shop staff cannot access information to resolve the problem, but this would not have been an issue for Mr Patronising, he simply didn't want to take responsibility for the problem, deal with it and ensure that I, the client was happy.

So now Mr Patronising has made this simple problem, a nightmare.

So when a customer approaches you with a problem, gives you all the information, and explains very clearly what they need to happen next, please either do what is necessary asap, or lift the phone and speak to your customer, explain the options, apologise and make a plan to resolve the issue.  Do not ignore them for a week and then when they call to follow up call them a liar, talk over them and be aggressive, this only makes the situation horrible, and makes me the client wonder why they give you thousands of pounds every year.

Be nice to your clients, or soon, they will be someone elses!

Chelle

My body is a temple

I am 14 stone and 5ft!  Now that is out of the way I can get onto telling you of my plan to slim down.

I am going to follow the food plan of Slimming World but have decided not to attend class, the last class I went to was simply getting weighed in and then the class leader calling out each persons weight loss and a round of applause for each, that's not really motivational for me and as Slimming World give most of their food plan upfront I feel well equipped to get going.

I am going to weigh in each Tuesday with my friend, using the Wii.  We might even have a "play" on the Wii and definitely get out for a walk on dry nights, I don't do rain.

I am also going to use my Silhouette faradic machine at Bliss, this machine contracts and relaxes muscles while you relax, it is a weird sensation, I love it!  It also increases metabolism, blood circulation and lymph circulation to help the body remove toxins.  It can be used on lots of areas, tummy, arms, thighs, and buttocks.

Blowing away the cobwebs

Today we headed to Tullymore forest park for a big walk to kickstart my slimming attempt and just to get outside in the fresh air.  I enjoy the walk but always forget about the hill climb at the end, I am soo unfit.

The day was very cold and so I was bundled up like this

Yes shocker, beauty therapists do leave home without makeup, infact I am not really into makeup at all.  Let me explain my huge sunglasses, firstly I was in disguise lol and secondly I have rosacea on my face and all the protection I can give to my upper cheeks the better.

My youngest sibling has been staying with us for a few days so I grabbed him for a photo, he doesnt really do hugging, my bad

Of course Bentley loves Tullymore, lots of new sniffs

After our walk we decided to visit click ---> Paws 4 Tea in Dundrum, a cafe that welcomes doggies.... Bliss!

Our food was simple home cooked snacks with lots of tea top ups, and it was soo lovely to have Bentley there, please check out their facebook page and go along and support them.

Day 1 in the 2012 world

Last night we had the usual new years celebrations at our friends house, we stay over with them as they have a baby and none of us can be bothered to go out, we were all in our jammies by 10pm...........  Next year I would like to go somewhere fancy and have a lush late dinner and some bubbles.  This wont happen, and even if it did I probably wouldn't enjoy it as I don't really relax at events, I feel a weird pressure that everything should be perfect and life just isn't like that.

Today I have been narky and irritable, like I want to stand on top of a mountain and scream my head off to release something.  I think this comes from days and days of holiday time, I need to get back to work and give myself some purpose.

And so I shall say goodbye and go achieve something.
Chelle

New Years Eve Eve

Today I am cooking for family, last minute arrangements and easy tasty food.  This is one of my favourite things to do.  A lot of us Murrays are feeders, this comes from Nanny Murray.

Later I am going to the pub with my brother James and hubby G, we will have a few drinks and shoot some pool - I will win.

This is me for today, cosy and comfy.......... Bliss

Cardigan - Zara
Leopard Top - Oasis
Leggings - H&M
Boots - UGGs

My bag was an amazing little bargain from a second hand shop in BT9

Chelle

Who I am

My name is Michelle, Chelle, Mrs Prentice or Mrs Michelle Prentice IRI ITEC CIDESCO, I am 35, married to G and have a boxer dog Bentley who is 5 and rules the roost.  In 2009 I changed my life by leaving behind 16 years in an accounts career to train as a beauty therapist and now have my own business which operates right beside my home, Bliss.  Everyday in the world of Bliss is different, but the main idea is to help others feel good in their own skin, be that working on skin conditions, massage therapies or the instant glamour of freshly manicured nails, I truly love it all.

Going forward my plans for 2012 are to shift the weight, yes I have a lovely relationship with food, its one of my best friends, a best friend who is secretly poisoning me and cutting years of my life, I need to delete this friend from my list, pronto.  I also plan to continue my education with Dermalogica and The International Dermal Institute, though this is not a plan for 2012, its been a big part of my life in 2011 and will be for the rest of my working life, learning about skin amazes me and in turn helps my clients.

I am the eldest of 6 siblings, its not an easy task, I want to help each of them so they dont make some of the mistakes that I have, but I have to accept that they live their own lives, its not always easy though.  I care about people way too much which usually only leads to me getting upset, sensitive little scorpio that I am.

My circle of friends is small, quality over quantity.  We dont see each other very often, and thats ok.

I shall sign off now and go read some blogs :)
Chelle