Good Morning Everybody,

Another new week, We are trying to adjust to a different world without our Mum. It’s a very strange feeling because everything has changed and yet everything is still the same. Work, school, shopping, exercise, life in general just goes along like it always did. I have to keep reminding myself of what has happened to us.

  
However,the show must go on, and it is going on. I started back on my Unislim plan on Saturday & so far it’s been going good. I feel much better when I’m eating properly and exercising. It’s great weather for walking too as it’s been dry & fresh. Walking is great for the mind and it helps with any stress or anxious feelings. It also helps me to sleep a bit better. Just getting out in the fresh air for an hour is good for the soul.

 

 
We are lucky here in the West because our air is so fresh and clean. We have fabulous places to walk too. The Tourlough greenway is a great asset to Castlebar. My personal favourite is Lough Lannagh, I love the place. I also have a few walking trails that I use in Ballyheane where I live with my husband, son & father in law. There are also some nice walking spots out near Snugboro too near my home place. The Booster station trail is a great one. It’s a very steep hill. Killer on the booty has anyone done it???

 

 
Eating Well, staying hydrated, and making time to go for a walk is a great help to me through these dark times. Grieving is difficult enough without making it harder on myself. I’m taking the self care route to help me through. I’m talking to my family and friends about how I’m feeling. Looking after myself and indulging in a little pampering. Epsom salt baths, face masks, treatments in the hair etc. All these little things make me feel better and that’s what I’m going to concentrate on for now.

  

 

   
We are going on our Honeymoon next week. We booked it last April when Mum was on treatment. She had been doing well at the time and We never expected things to change so dramatically in a few short months. We were going to postpone our trip but decided to go ahead with it. If anything some rest and relaxation in the sunshine will do us good.  We are flying to New York first and then Cancun. I will keep you guys posted of what we are getting up to. Keep an eye on my here where I will be posting photos of all the fabulous places we see.

Thanks For reading this post,

Love Maria xxx

Hi Everyone 

So today I jumped back on the clean eating bandwagon. My diet had gone out the window with all the crazy running and racing over the past two weeks. I started off by cooking up a veggie brunch for myself and my two sisters. I forgot to take a photo I was so busy cooking and wolfing into it. 

We had, sautéed spinach with yellow peppers & oregano,roasted cherry tomatoes and basil, mushrooms & black pepper with garlic salt, beans & 2 fried eggs each. We also had a slice of brown toast and I had coffee. It was delicious even if I say so myself. It was great to get back to eating loads of veggies again. I love how adding a few herbs to veg can bring out the flavour.

I spent most of my day doing a few bits around the house organising clothes etc.  I had to have dinner ready for Dad and my brother. I was under strict instructions to have a “proper”dinner ready at 1.30pm. A proper dinner is meat, veg & potatoes by the way.” No fancy stuff” So I cheated a little and got a cooked chicken from tesco. I did some new potatoes, carrots and parsnips (from the garden) mashed and a bit of gravy. 

    

  
This went down a treat and I had the same for my own dinner later on. Sometimes it’s the simple meals that can be the tastiest. After the last few weeks of living on sandwiches and grabbing food on the go. I’m delighted to get back to a proper eating routine.

In the afternoon I went for a quick visit to the graveyard and to Aldi to pick up some fruit, veg and shopping for the week. Lee is starting back to school on Tuesday so it’s back to Lunchboxes, uniforms and the dreaded homework.

 

  

  
When I finally arrived back to Ballyheane in the evening my Father in Law had a dinner ready. Of course I couldn’t turn my nose up at a hot meal. So I ended up eating a second dinner. A chop, potato, cauliflower & turnip. I wasn’t too worried as I was within my Unislim allowance anyway. 

I headed off for a 5k walk after dinner. I find walking really helps to clear my head. I was going over a lot of things in my mind and I did feel a bit sad. I’m sure it’s perfectly normal, to be up and down. I felt much better once I got home. A good blast of fresh air is good for the mind. 

 

On my return home I threw a little melon, strawberries & blueberries in a bowl with a few spoons of fat free yogurt. I drank loads of water throughout the day. It felt good to be back in control again and doing the simple things that make me feel good. I’m going back to my Unislim class on Wednesday all going well. I will keep You guys posted on how the week goes.

One day at a time eh???

Chat soon

Love Maria

Xx 

  

Hi Everyone 

I’m starting to feel half normal again. I’ve spent the last two days at home just relaxing. Spending time with family and trying to process everything that happened to us has been therapy in itself. Every blog post I write I feel I’m a tiny step closer to coming back to reality. We were in our own bubble there for a while due to the circumstances. Chilling out at home, catching up on sleep and eating proper home cooked food again has helped to bring me back down to earth.

  
Unfortunately life is hard and there will always be tough times. There are some dark days ahead, but there are some bright ones too. Tomorrow I’m going to start by getting straight back onto my Unislim plan. Believe me there was no clean eating done the last two weeks at all. I’m going to get out for a long walk and clear my head. Getting back to a proper routine and doing the things I enjoy will definitely help me a little bit.

  
I know I have a long road ahead of me yet and I’m far from “fine” I’m devestated, broken, and I feel hollow on the inside from the overwhelming pain in my heart. However I still have my life and I want to live it. I have my eleven year old son going back to school on Tuesday. My Husband Paddy who has supported me through this terrible ordeal. My heartbroken Dad, I need to be strong for him and my brothers and sisters. I’m also due to become an Auntie for the first time at the end of September. I’m very excited about this new chapter.

  
Unfortunately death is part of life, and every family will get their turn eventually. We just happened to get ours a little too soon. I’m grateful for all the brilliant years we had and all the happy times. There are happy times yet to come, we just have to get used to this “new normal” 

For my regular readers I will get back to writing regular posts very soon. I find writing about my experiences and pain quite therapeutic. Thank you for reading these posts I know they are upsetting. I wanted this blog to be truthful and real that’s why I shared this personal information with you all. 

Chat to you soon,

Love Maria

Hi Everyone

Thanks to everyone for Your messages of condolences and to all those Who came to our home to pAy their respects to Mum. We really appreciate the effort people went to for us. We were blown away by the love and support wrapped around us by our Extended family, neighbours and friends. 

We held Mum with us in the home that she loved for two nights. We wouldn’t leave her alone in the church overnight. We kept her with us until it was time to say goodbye on the Wednesday morning. We walked after The hearse from our home in Snugboro, We did this as a mark of respect for all the years she dedicated to us. It was a lovely way to accompany Mum as she left home for the final time.

A huge crowd attended mass yesterday in Castlebar church. Everyone commented on the beautiful mass said by Fr Gerry Gillespe Mums first cousin. Fr Gerry Married our Parents thirty six years ago. We chose the readings, songs and prayers that Mum loved as a tribute to the wonderful life She had with Dad and us five and of course her grandson Lee. My brother David delivered a beautiful eulogy at the end of the mass. My sister Nicky spoke about Our parents thirty six year marriage. An achievement we are all insanely proud of. We were moved to see so many people there to support us on the day.

Thanks to everyone who followed us up to Castlebar Cemetery where we laid our Mum to rest for the final time. The lovely prayers and flowers and beautiful words are a comfort to us. We know that Mum is at peace now. We are eternally grateful to everyone who helped us through the last few weeks. Without the love and support we would never have coped.

Thanks again everybody, see you soon.

Love Maria xx 

 

Hi Everyone 

Thanks for all the lovely messages of support We have received following the loss of our beautiful Mum. Our lovely Mum lost her battle with cancer on Sunday 23rd August at 6.05 PM. We were all with her, Dad, myself, my brothers David & Padraig, sisters Caitriona & Nicky. My 2 Aunties Claire & Ann Mums sisters were also in the room.

To say our Mum suffered was an understatement. The last few weeks of her life were just awful. It has been the most horrendous ordeal of our lives. For us as a family to witness what Cancer did to our Mother was just horrible.We are all traumatised by the events of the last month, and It will take us a long time to recover emotionally. 

I could never have imagined in a million years how awful the harsh reality of this illness. Only the poor unfortunate people who have had to endure this torture in their own families could understand the pain and suffering involved. 

As a family we did the only thing that We could do. We pulled together & held on tight to every moment We had left together. We stayed by Mums side and barely left her alone in her final weeks except to sleep. Luckily with a large family we were able to take it on turns so Mum had company at all times.

Mum was cared for by the Nurses in the Lady of Knock ward  at The Galway Clinic. They were absolutely brilliant and they did everything they could to try and make her as comfortable as possible. We will never forget the kindness and compassion shown to us all through the most testing time of our lives. 

Thank you for reading this & I realise that it might scare the reader but my pain is very raw right now and this is how I feel. Mrsdillonsdiary.ie is about my life and times and sharing my pain is a little therapeutic.

Chat soon, love Maria xx 

 

Hi Everyone
As you already know our Mum has been very Ill lately. In fact our Mum is terminally Ill. Mum has been in hospital in the Galway Clinic for the last month. She has been cared for exceptionally well by the medical team there. The kindness that the nurses have shown to us all as a family has been just phenomenal . This has been the most horrendous ordeal of our lives. Many of my readers clients & friends have had to endure this in Your own families and You have been a great support to me over these sad and stressful times. Thanks everyone for Your messages of support We really appreciate all of Your kind words and prayers. Thanks for your patience and understanding of why my blog is quiet at the moment. I’m not working at all this week as I need to be with my Dad, Brothers, Sisters, Husband and Son at the moment so we can spend as much time with Mum as we can & be together as a family.
Thanks again folks & I’ll see You soon.
Love Maria xx

Hi Everyone,

I thought it was about time I wrote a post on HAIR seeing as Hairdressing is my main business and I’ve worked in the industry for fourteen years. There’s so much information out there from haircare companies at the moment, it can be confusing and overwhelming. Knowing what is the right thing or the wrong thing to do can be hard work. There are a few really simple things You can do Yourself that wont cost You the earth, that can make Your life so much easier when it comes to managing Your hair.

First let me explain a little about the hair structure. Each strand of hair has a sheet of cuticle scales on the outer layer, this protects all the inner bonds within the hair. These cuticle scales look like slates on the roof of a house. When we shampoo our hair all these cuticle scales are opened up, to let the product in. When we condition we shut down the cuticle, to seal in the inner bonds and protect the hair from damage.

Ok so basically, Your goal is to shut the cuticle scales as much as possible. You can do this with a good conditioner, leave it on for a few minutes for maximum effect. Now here’s the important part, a well shut cuticle is what creates shine on the hair, because it will reflect the light. DRYING Your hair properly is what really matters here. Yes You read that properly. You need to use Your hairdryer.  Now I realize that You were told for years that drying hair naturally was brilliant, but its actually not so great at all. The reason why Your hair is so shiny and smooth after a salon blow-dry is because Your hairdresser works hard to shut down those cuticle scales.

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Hi Everyone,

So great news I lost 3& 1\2 lbs last week. Of course 2lbs of that was the gain I had from Alcohol the week before, so technically I’m 1 &1\2 lbs closer to my target. I’m delighted as that is a total of 8 &1\2 lbs down since I started 5 weeks ago. I’m really loving the Unislim Plan as its easy to fit into my lifestyle. I have often referred to myself as “The slut of slimming clubs”  as I have tried them all. This is by far the easiest plan to stick to long term. Its pretty simple really, You just have to measure the carbs, buts its very easy to do. Heres a few examples.

Breakfast 30g, =1 slice wholemeal bread or 30g cereal, 1\2 wholemeal bagel

Lunch 60g = 2 slices wholemeal bread, a medium baked potato, a wholemeal wrap.

Dinner 60g= Wholegrain rice\ pasta\noodles 60g dry 180g cooked. Home made oven chips.

There’s great freedom with this plan as all lean protein is totally free. As are all veg, salad & most fruits, along with eggs, sugar free beans, chickpeas, some fat free yogurts etc. There are loads of recipes on the Unislim website so there’s no need to get bored of what I’m eating.

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Hi Everyone,

So dare I say it? But since I am in the mid thirties zone, my skin has really changed. I suffered with oily skin and breakouts for years. I had loads of excellent products to deal with oily skin.  I always used a full coverage foundation like MAC studio fix fluid, set with Mineralize skin finish powder. This combo worked brilliantly, for years. It covered up my breakouts, acne scars etc, it was fantastic. However that all changed in recent months, I began to notice my MAC foundation was really uncomfortable, my skin was patchy, itchy and red after use. At first I thought it was the product, until I realised. My skin has changed.

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Hey Everyone,

As my regular readers will know, We are all spending quite a bit of time in Galway as our Mum is in hospital up there at the moment. I took a wander into town today just to have a look around the shops. My mind was all over the place so a break from the Hospital was no harm at all.

While in town I met up with my brother Padraig, We decided to grab a bite to eat in Galway instead of waiting until We got home. I had heard loads about 56 Central, so it was the perfect time to try it out. I had to go move my car as I had stupidly parked at Debenhams which closes at 6pm Grrrrr. So I quickly moved to the Dyke Road car park and walked back in to meet Padraig

Once I made it back to Shop street  I had a quick look at the Menu outside the door first I saw a few salads and reasonably healthy things on the menu. Padraig asked me was it all women’s food they served???   I presumed this meant was there anything but healthy food on the menu. I spotted a beef burger and some other Cajun wrap, beef nachos, chicken wings, chips etc etc. So I guessed 56 Central would meet both our requirements.

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