I love food, I love wine & I like to cook. I work fulltime and write in my spare (?) time. So it is hardly surprising that by the time I have done the work thing and the commute thing and the running to & from to swimming thing that my level of enthusiasm for creating something brilliant & creative for dinner hovers at around the “can’t really be faffed” mark. And yet, I am really quite lucky. As long as I do the hunter gathering bit, my husband is quite happy to execute the vision in the kitchen, so to speak. My daughter will eat anything & everything I put in front of her without complaint & all 3 of us like to experiment with spice & taste.

I start every week with great intentions. In true sweeping Piscean style I declare most weekends at least one of the following:

•  Next week we are eating more at home
• Next week we are eating more at the table
• Next week I am cooking at least one new recipe out of the multitude of foodie magazines & cookbooks I have
• Next week I am taking my lunch to work
• Next week we are eating healthy

My ever lovin’ family usually exchange raised eyebrows and despite their disbelief will say things like “Absolutely, we love salad” or “Are you giving up wine too?” or (usually) “whatever Mum”.

My Piscean vision may be grand, but disorganisation and lost focus usually sees me queuing up at the food-hall for lunch on Monday & tearing into the grocery store between swimming drop offs and pickups. I need to take a lesson (or two) from my Virgo opposite.

But this week is different. No, really it is… My BFF & I are doing this 12 week body transformation challenge thingie which, in theory, after 12 weeks should have the world unable to tell the difference between Jen Hawkins & the two of us- except that Jen Hawkins is taller, 20 years younger, blonder &, well, a gorgeous supermodel.

What makes this very different from my weekly declaration to husband & child every Sunday night as I am sipping the Ironing Wine in front of the weigh in for The Biggest Loser is that my girlfriend told a mutual friend about our commitment- someone who means a lot to me & who I will not be able to fail in front of. In doing so, the “it doesn’t really matter because no one knows I tried” excuse was wiped out. I am glad she told him. And now I am telling all of you.

All of which means I need to somehow organise myself well enough to avoid the excuses which will come at 6pm on Monday night when I am racing against the clock to think of something nutritious & quick to cook before daughter does boot camp & I go to gym.

The plan we are doing comes with menu suggestions, recipes & calorie counts, but I have a real aversion to being told what I can & can’t eat (the rebellious Sun/Uranus opposition) and like to take either full control or no control (Sun-Pluto opposition). Also, I tend to think that if things are being done for you, you never really unlearn the bad habits. Finally, I have neither the time nor the inclination to play short order cook, so my family will be eating what I am eating- although possibly with a few more carbs.

So, I spent yesterday afternoon getting in touch with my inner Virgo. I organised my desk, I went through magazines & cookbooks & I substituted my own menu items in place of stuff I knew my family would turn their nose up at- all within the same calorie guidelines.

The weekly menu is now pinned to a magnetic board on the door to my study, a shopping list beside it. I got all the groceries today (except the fish, which I like to buy on the day). My workouts for the week are in the calendar. I spent some time this afternoon cutting up vegies for afternoon dip snacks & whipped up a bean & tuna dip which I separated into portions (boundaries are another challenge of mine). My friend & I have declared our goals to each other & broken them down into lovely Virgo bite sized (excuse the pun) portions.

Tomorrow morning we have a Full Moon at 10 degrees Virgo (at about 2.39am Sydney time, 6.39pm Sun 28/2 if on GMT). This is another “Super Moon”- one where the Moon is extremely close to the Earth & one which will bring higher than usual tides and a similar pull on the fluid within our own body. Jupiter will be conjunct the Sun in Pisces (to the degree). Jupiter is the traditional ruler of Pisces and close to being a sun in its’ own right, so plenty of heat here. Venus (representing unconditional and all encompassing love in Pisces) and alternative Uranus are also about to join forces- exciting times ahead! In short, this is a Moon where it is OK to dream big, but a reminder that in order to make your dreams become reality, a little planning, organisation & a lot of hard work will also be needed. Us Pisceans often tend to forget about that rather inconvenient bit, which is where Virgo comes in.

Check out what part of your chart is being highlighted by this Full Moon.  In my chart, the Full Moon is in the 6^th house- the place where healthy routines are born. So, I now have a plan, some goals (which I have to try very very hard not to be distracted from), a clean-ish desk and a really cool magnetic board. Jen Hawkins should be very worried…