grumpyishmum

2012-02-03T20:11:00.001Z

I turned 30 last month, and I had written a list of stuff I wanted to do in the next ten years. This happened to coincide with a meme that was being banded about, so I asked the lovely Lagos Mum at http://diaryofalagosmum.com/ to tag me. Seemed to make sense since I'd already half written the post! What I did find a little bit challenging though was trying to put down on paper the reasons behind my choices. The more I thought about it, the harder it became to explain why I wanted to do this stuff. Finally though, I realised that actually, it doesn't matter why. I just want to.

Here I go ...

Swim with Dolphins
Go to St. Lucia
Raise £1,000 for charity
Be a size 12 - for good!
Fly a plane
Ride in a hot air balloon
Climb a mountain
Be my own boss
See the maldives
Learn to play an instrument
Get a motorbike license
Spend £500 in one clothes shop
Make a difference in 10 people's lives

Madhouse Competition Entry

2012-02-01T19:56:00.001Z

An entry from my big boy :)

Louis' entry into the Appliances Online Cookers Yummy Food Competition

In case you're wondering, it's (L-R) a carrot, an apple, and some (rather oddly shaped) blueberries!

Wish me luck!

The Karaoke Meme

2012-02-01T00:00:00.000Z

I was tagged in this particular meme, at my request, by Garry at The Blog Up North and to be fair, it was absolutely yonks ago and I definitely should have done this post by now.

The thing is, I was looking for something. A video clip of me doing karaoke. I know they're out there - lots of them - but I couldn't find one. So you'll have to have photos instead, which I appreciate might seem a bit crap for a music based meme. But tough.

I love singing. Love it love it love it love it. Luuurve it. You catch my drift?

My favourite karaoke song has got to be Sweet Child 'o Mine by Guns n Roses, although I will attempt to wail pretty much anything, whether I know it or not ...

This is me at my, erm, best when I turned 30 recently ...

and here ...

aaaaaand again ...

So you see, I may not win the X Factor anytime soon but I'm not really shy when it comes to Karaoke!

And apparently, it's rubbing off on my boys too ...

Are you a karaoke queen or king?

Or do you leave the embarrasing tone deaf renditions to those around you?!

One Small Step for Grumpy ...

2012-01-31T12:28:00.000Z

So long, farewell ...

Today is my last day at work in my current job. I've been here for just over two years, and was on maternity leave for some of that. I'm leaving because I just can't do the job. Never in my life have I been employed in a role that I cannot do - more accurately that I cannot do well - but this job and I just don't gel. Never have and never would.

So I took the plunge and handed in my notice some time ago. That time has flown by and now here I am on my very last day as a benefits officer. Thank the Lord for that!

The one thing I will miss though are my colleagues. I know lots of people say that but for me it's true! I've made some really great people here, some truly inspirational people, and it's because of some of these people that I am now in the position that I am. With my new found courage and self-confidence I have started my own businesses (one catering, one cleaning) and I can't wait to get stuck into my new ventures.

I'm excited and petrified at the same time, but I know, deep down, that I'm absolutely doing the right thing for me.

Grumpy Business Woman

2012-01-30T00:30:00.000Z

So last September my friend and I offered to run the tea room at the local cricket club. Along with the tea room keys was the opportunity, we thought, to start and build on our own outside catering business. We had big ideas, we were so enthusiastic. The tea room was unloved to say the least when we took over, and we had plans to redecorate, to advertise, for a mums & tots group, for afternoon tea for the residents of the local pensioners - lots.

It quickly became apparent, however, that these big ideas would stay just that and would never materialise. The club is run by a committee and it seems that they're not really interested in our ideas. We tried, really tried, to encourage them to work alongside us in raising the profile of the club and bringing in business but to no avail.

Furthermore, it soon came to light that we wouldn't be able to run our outside catering business from the club either - insurance restrictions apparently.

So what we're left with is the responsibility of running a tea room which makes little money and the only upside is that we may get to cater a few of the functions held at the club throughout the year.

And I'm not sure it's worth it.

My business partner is keen to continue working there and to open the tea room as planned in April, but if I'm brutally honest, I really don't feel that I have the heart. I feel I've been let down repeatedly by the club and I'm pretty sure that there will be more disappointment in the future. Knowing me, that will probably end up in resentment on my part, and I don't have the emotional energy for that shit. It's not important enough.

So I'm left in limbo. Do I let my friend down and walk away? Start up on my own? Carry on putting up with the resistance of the club for the sake of a few functions?

Silent Sunday

2012-01-29T12:27:00.000Z

Blogging ...

2011-10-30T21:09:00.001Z

Blogging ...

I've been really lazy on the blogging front lately. I haven't posted in three weeks and even before then I only managed two posts after a long gap.

The reason is that I'm simply far too busy. I've set up a new business, Small has learned to walk so I've been practising the 'eyes in back of head' look, and we seem to have some social event or another to attend almost every week.

Truth is though, I miss Grumpyish Mum! So without putting unnecessary pressure on myself I'm going to try a little bit harder to find time to nurture the Grumpy inside me and maybe post once or twice a week. I hope I haven't lost too many of my beloved readers because you really do make my day :)

Love Karen x

Karen Hannah

Blogging ...

2011-10-26T20:48:00.001+01:00

Grumpy's Back - With Food!

2011-10-04T20:10:00.000+01:00

Our very first buffet ... aww!

As you may (but probably have not) noticed, I haven't blogged for over a month now, and tonight I've found the teeniest timeslot to tell you why.

I have been magically (not really) transformed from Blogger, Mother, Civil Servant, Wife into Blogger, Mother, Civil Servant Wife, Entrepreneur!

I don't really have the time, and I certainly don't have much money to put into my new venture, but for a reason I can't quite put my finger on I decided to team up with a colleague of mine and form All Occasion Catering Ltd..

We provide buffet catering both at outside venues and onsite (we operate from the local cricket club) as well as event planning. We have our first birthday party this weekend, we catered a funeral last week, we have a 30th birthday party booked in for November and we're catering for the civil ceremony reception of some friends early next year. It's all very exciting, albeit exhausting!

Did I mention we'll be running the tea room at the club during the cricket season? Phew!

If you fancy taking a sneak peek at what I've gotten myself into, have a look at our site here

Wish me luck - and sanity - I'm gonna need it ;)

Product Review - Moon Dough Supermarket

2011-10-03T21:22:00.000+01:00

A couple of weeks ago we received a Moon Dough Supermarket in the post from those lovely Moon Dough people.

With this being my first review, I couldn't wait to get started with it! Finding the time to actually sit down and type the review, however, has proved a little more difficult just lately, but I'm here now!

First of all, we had to collect the package from the local sorting office. Apparently, this is absolutely the most exciting thing to have ever happened to my 3 year old son - he was like a jumping bean all the way there. So when he opened the parcel to find this bright, cheerfully coloured box inside, he was beside himself.

When we opened the box, we found that the dough needed some preparation, but 5 minutes later we were ready to go. Louis even helped with the dough preparation, so he wasn't waiting around at all.

The surprising thing about Moon Dough was that I found it's texture to be practically indescribable! I feels as though it should fall apart in your hands and is unbelievable light weight, but it just, well, stays there! Although we did lose some bits of Moon Dough here and there, it 'hoovers' very easily if you just roll over the escaped bits with the rest of the ball. Even the bits that got squashed into the towel we used came out in the wash - totally stain-free clothing too!

The first job was to make coins for the till and the customer. Making coins is as simple as pushing Moon Dough into the top of the till and turning the handle. Excellent for small hands. Louis found this really easy to do after I'd shown him once, and although the coins weren't all perfect (he was sometimes a little too eager to turn the handle) they were good enough!

Put Moon Dough in the top, turn the handle, and out pops the coin!

We made sure our shop was fully stocked, and included all of the products we made with the simple but amazingly effective moulds provided.

Louis loved the fact that he could get on and make everything himself (even though I tried to muscle in once or twice!) and had a shop full of apples, pineapple, bread, milk, tinned tomatoes and chicken before I knew it. He was very pleased with himself!

Everything was so easy to make, and looked great!

We spent quite a while playing with our Moon Dough Supermarket, until eventually it was time to shut shop. I asked Louis what he thought of Moon Dough ... See our Moon Dough review straight from the horses mouth ...

Thanks Blog Match for introducing me to Moon Dough, and thanks to Moon Dough for bringing us such a great product!

Silent Sunday

2011-08-28T00:53:00.000+01:00

Eid Celebrations

2011-08-24T13:18:00.000+01:00

As you will know if you read my blog, I am a practising Christian. Next week, however, I will be celebrating Eid!

A few of my colleagues have to work on Eid this year, and so I thought it would be a nice touch to show them that their occasions and celebrations can be marked just as ours can. Granted, I can't give them the bank holidays we get for Christmas, but I can make sure Eid is duly noted in the office - and I'm always eager to get involved with fun stuff!

So next week, we're having an Eid Banquet. For just £2.00 per person, a small team of us are organising and providing an authentic range of Asian foods for participants to try. From the usual suspects (Samosa, Pakora etc) to things I've never heard of (Nihari, Ras Malai) and one or two things I've never tried but always fancied, such as Mango Lassi!

I'm so looking forward to our little event - I just hope everyone enjoys it!

Cadbury World Family Day Out - Review

2011-08-23T14:19:00.002+01:00

A few weeks ago, the lovely people at Superbreak asked me if my family would like to go to Cadbury World. I couldn't accept the offer fast enough - I love chocolate!

My youngest son was only 10 months old when we visited so we didn't take him with us, and the older one, who is three, took ill the night before our Cadbury World visit - so we borrowed someone else's child! Kieran, my nephew, is seven and was only too happy to accompany my mum and me to a place that makes chocolate.

Kieran in the gift shop

We have been pretty busy over these last few weeks, and have lots to fit in right up until October-ish this year, so we did have very limited availability for a date on which to travel down to Cadbury World. This wasn't a problem, however, as the people on the booking line for Cadbury World are extremely helpful. I even had to rearrange my booking after it was made but nothing was too much trouble for the staff in the contact centre and my booking was transferred without any problems at all.

Once we arrived, there was stress-free parking, with no long walk to the attraction, and although it was busy at the entrance (we are in the middle of the summer holidays after all) the queues were well organised, with different queues for pre-booked tickets, which made the entry process quicker for all concerned. You are allocated a 'tour time' for your group, and so there is no confusion as to when or where you are required to be at your specific tour time. There is plenty to do besides the tour, and so we made some new friends ...

As the tour started, we were given a complimentary Crunchie and a Curly Wurly each (no arguments from me!)

We made our way through the various zones including the Aztec Jungle which was a little bit dark but not enough to be scary for my brave little companion! There are lots of different zones which you can take as little or as long a time as you wish to work through, but the one we liked best was the packaging zone where we received even more chocolate (poor us!). It was quite something to see all the chocolate being wrapped and whizzed around the machinery in this part of the tour!

On leaving the packing area, we joined a queue for Cadabra – a small ride. I think my oldest son would have loved that – it was definitely aimed at younger kids but it was made interesting (in a lighthearted way) for older ones and adults too.

Next we visited the demostration area, and here was the only time we had any problems. There just wasn't enough room for all to see what was going on, and the opportunity to write your own name in chocolate was offered only to those that had managed to secure a place at the front of the crowd. Also in this section was the 'Shoe Lady' - decorating solid chocolate high heels - very clever and certainly impressive!

Next was a little trip down memory lane when we visited the Advertising department and were reminded of the old favourite from the TV (Kieran thought we were a bit bonkers when we sang the slogans!) and then into purple planet for a bit of fun and games where there was something for everyone to try.

The exit inevitably goes via a shop. Something for everyone’s pocket here, which is great for those on a budget because you really can't visit Cadbury World without a souvenier (or three) ...

we then moved onto the other side of the building and outside where there is a large play area for all kids. Apart from the odd rocking animal, mostly climing, swinging, sliding stuff. Quite a big area and well presented, and certainly looked safe enough.

From this area you can go into ‘Essence’ which is definitely worth a visit. Here you get warm liquid chocolate - twice - and it’s yummy!

After Essence is the Bourneville Experience. Not so interesting for the children but an informative feature about the history of Cadbury's which I quite enjoyed.

This isn't a full day's worth of activity, but definitely worth the travel of around 90 minutes from our house. If you wanted to explore more of the city though, there are plenty of other attractions and if you can't choose, why not make it a short break and stay over. There are some fabulous Birmingham hotels.

Thanks Superbreak for the opportunity to visit Cadbury World, we really enjoyed it!

Silent Sunday

2011-08-07T12:07:00.000+01:00

8 Fun & Finance-Friendly Family Activities

2011-07-29T21:55:00.000+01:00

Muuuuum! I'm booooooored!

Already sick of hearing this? I may just be able to help!

Last year I was pregnant until early August, and so I vowed to make the summer months leading up to the new arrival as fun as possible for my son who was then 2 and a half. I researched, budgeted, planned, collated spreadsheets and we did indeed have a really fun summer. We went to theme parks, on days out, on camping trips (even at 7 months pregnant!) ... we were certainly very busy!

The only drawback was the cost - entertaining the sprogs can be expensive! So this year, with my 3yr old and (almost) 1yr old, I'm concentrating on local family based fun. In this post are some ideas and some links to point you in the right direction in your area. I hope you find it useful!

1. Use Your Local Park

We take the kids to the park regularly, but we only usually go to the play area or kick a football around on the grass. We are lucky enough to live directly in front of a fair sized park which has basketball & tennis courts, a bowling green and a ranger base where there is plenty going on all year round.

Contact your local council park ranger for more information. You can find contact details for your local council here

2. Get Back to Nature

Got a budding Richard Attenborough on your hands? Get out and about and explore your local woodland area. Have a look for creepy crawlies and beautiful butterflies and log what you find. Or take a camera and make a scrapbook when you get home! You can make it even more interesting by planning a nature quiz, or a spot the creature game for you to do on your walk. See how many creatures you can find - can YOU name them all?

3. Go To The Flicks

Vue cinema screen a child friendly film every Saturday & Sunday morning at 10.30am. Kids and adults are admitted entry for just £1.25 each - it's a great way to spend some time with the small ones without spending a fortune. Find your nearest Vue cinema here.

4. Revisit Your Childhood

One of my favourite childhood memories is making a den with my sister. You know the kind - you get Mum's maiden (clothes horse/airer) anduse blankets or sheets to make walls, a door, an opening 'window' ... remember that? For those of you who never did this - you missed out! Make sure your small people don't - it's great for encouraging their imagination. Here are my two terrors enjoying their den on a recent rainy day ...

5. Take Advantage

During the summer months many companies have some great deals. Alton Towers & Drayton Manor Theme Parks both have 2-4-1 deals for adult admission at the moment, and if you're planning to go to these places you can save between £20 and £40 - not to be sniffed at! Try My Voucher Codes for where to get these great offers. I've been to both of these in the last twelve months and can recommend them! Drayton Manor is home to Thomas Land - a fantastic miniature theme park aimed at small people. We spent the entire day there and only managed to get on one 'adult' ride. Worth it to see the smile on your Thomas fan's face though.

6. Swim

Swimming is excellent exercise for the whole family, and most pools have sessions suitable for everyone. For the older kids our local pool has a fun session that runs throughout the school holidays, and for the younger ones there are family sessions where everyone can have fun!

7. Cook up a Storm

Planned a picnic in the sunshine only to be greeted by a thunderstorm? That's okay - just have it at home! Get your little ones to help with the preparation - they will be even more enthusiastic about the 'carpet picnic' if they're eating their own handiwork! Instead of sanwiches why not make pizza with them? Try this Mouse Pizza recipe, courtesy of Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.

8. Curl Up on the Sofa

Miserable day? Can't motivate them to get out and about? Why not have a movie marathon. While I agree with those who say too much TV is bad for our kids, I also believe that everything in moderation is okay too. So curl up on the sofa, throw a blanket over your feet and let the kids choose the films. Don't forget the popcorn!

Dear So and So ... The Getting My Act Together Edition

2011-07-29T00:01:00.000+01:00

Dear Brain,

Work, dammit.

Yours frustratingly, Me

Dear Kids,

I know it makes me a rubbish mum when I turn off Spongebob Squarepants while you eat your dinner, but I don't really need you to tell me so.

Yours indignantly,

Mummy

Dear Washing Machine,

Why are you making that horrid noise and making me feel like you're going to give up the ghost any day now? Is it because you know about the rather large plumbing problem in the loft and want your cut of the housekeeping money? Well let me tell you this - there are other washers out there. Watch your step.

Yours ignorantly,

The Woman Who Feeds You

Dear Employer,

I know I'm next to useless just now, but bear with me. It's all the washing machine's fault.

Yours,

The Part-Timer

I was going to blog tonight ...

2011-07-26T22:33:00.000+01:00

... but there were two little hurdles to overcome before I could sit down with my laptop and yak yak yak into my virtual diary.

One of these hurdles was this fella right here:

This particular hurdle had already been overcome earlier in the evening at around 7.30pm when he quite happily went to bed. As I finally settled down in my pj's and I put my blogger head on, however, he screamed. Now considering he was sound asleep when I checked on him not 3 minutes earlier I thought that screaming was rather a worrying noise to hear.

I jumped up and practically ran to his room, where he was sat upright in his cot, eyes closed, breaking his little heart. Scooping him up I took him to my room, lay on the bed and snuggled him in my arms. After a couple more minutes of crying, Small stuck his thumb into his mouth and went back to sleep. Just like that.

So now I'm here, wide awake, waiting for another outburst. Or at least sat waiting for nothing, which would be preferable.

Kids are bloody weird. And now, I am bloody tired. So I'm not going to blog properly, as I had intended. I'm just going to have a moan at you about screaming babies and then I'm going to snuggle into my duvet and drift off to ... Zzzzzzzzzz

MMMMMMMMMMMMonday!

2011-07-25T23:00:00.000+01:00

I have a fantastic recipe book at home.

It's specifically for people like me who just ~~cannot be arsed~~ don't have the time to gather a squillion ingredients for a recipe that requires a pinch of this, a dash of that and a sprinkling of the other. It gets to the point, gets the job done, and works a treat.

It's not a new book - I've had it ages and I got it from a bargain book store, but I'd recommend it to anyone! It's by Joanna Farrow, and is available on Amazon here.

So I'm gonna share a few recipes from it with you ... make your life a bit easier when it comes to tomorrow night's dinner.

Today, I'm sharing Joanna's recipe for Paprika Pork.

I last made this about a month ago, and it went down a storm in our house - even with the fussy 3 year old. Baby loved it too, even if it was a bit messy!

You will need:

2 red, 1 yellow & 1 green bell pepper, seeded
500g Pork Fillet
45ml Paprika
Jar of tomato sauce with garlic or herbs

Method:

Preheat the grill. Cut the peppers into thick strips and sprinkle in a single layer on a foil-lined grill rack. Cook under the grill for 20-25 minutes until the edges are lightly charred
Meanwhile, cut the pork into chunks. Season with salt and pepper and cook in a non-stick frying pan, until beginning to brown
Transfer the meat into a heavy pan and add the paprika, tomato sauce, half a pint of water and a little seasoning. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 30 minutes
Add the grilled peppers and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until the meat is tender. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

Now the photo shows the pork dish served with rice in the book, but I just served mine to the kids with whatever vegetables I have.

Lovely!

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

2011-07-14T09:51:00.001+01:00

My chosen prompt this week is:

On a piece of paper write down something that makes you happy…take a photo of your paper and wa la…there’s your post.

So here is my photo ...

D'you like my Bagpuss paper?!

For more random posts, visit Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop by clicking the button below

Dear So and So ... The Get it Off my Chest Edition ...

2011-07-09T09:36:00.000+01:00

Dear Cow,

You cause any more trouble and I swear I'll make sure you get your comeuppance. You're really starting to annoy me now.

Yours lividly,
The One Who's Watching You

Dear Applicants at Work,

If I phone you, pick up. You're wasting my time and yours. I'm not after money, I'm trying to give you some. Work with me here.

Exasperatingly yours,
The Voicemail Woman

Dear Boys,

I love you, but you gotta sleep more.

Yours sleepily, Mummy x

Dear Weather,

Sort yourself out. You're taking the piss now.

Yours,
The Drenched Woman

I might write a reasons to be cheerful post now I've got all that off my chest!

Not So Fat Friday: Week 3

2011-07-01T16:23:00.002+01:00

Oh. Third week lucky? Bloody hope so!

Mama Kat's Writers Workshop

2011-06-30T05:24:00.001+01:00

This week I chose the following prompt:

We often spend time and energy talking about people in our lives we don’t see enough of. Describe a person in your life you are in contact with often. What does he/she mean to you?

I knew immediately who I wanted to talk about in this post. This woman is fabulous. She's a great mum, she works really hard, she's intelligent, she's gorgeous and she's kind. Even though she ticks all these boxes, my friend wouldn't recognise herself from this description because she just doesn't give herself enough credit!

Mum to a beautiful 3 year old, this woman has no inhibitions whatsoever when interacting with her boy. Where I might be a little more reserved in public, my friend will sing and dance and generally entertain the little ones without caring who might be watching, or what the people on the next table might think. I love that, and wish I could do it more often!

With a zillion qualifications under her belt and a full time, important person job, she balances her family and her career amazingly well. She'd never say that herself, so I'll say it for her.

My friend has battled her weight for quite some time. She's happier when she's lighter and it's obviously better for her health-wise, so for those reasons I'm glad she's decided to embark on a weight loss journey this year. What i would like to say to her though is this:

you are beautiful inside and out, regardless of what the scales say.

This particular friend used to be an acquaintance rather than a proper friend. I actually knew her husband before I met her, but now he's more 'friend's husband' than 'friend' (although we do still all get on well!). She used to be quite rubbish at keeping in touch, especially when she was studying, but now we have work email (ahem) we're always saying hi.

The one thing that tickles me about my friend is her complete and utter love affair with the colour green - it's a good job it suits her!

I love this girl, I love that she is my friend, I love that our husbands get on but the thing I love the most is this ...

Our Boys

We, as friends, are helping our children to form and maintain friendships as good as ours. I hope that 20 years from now our boys will still be friends, and so will we.

I am, of course, talking about my friend Emma from Not Such A Yummy Mummy

Thanks Emma xxx

For more workshop entries, check out Mama Kat's blog here

The Gallery: My Weekend

2011-06-29T13:16:00.002+01:00

Last weekend was typical of our family weekends in that it was a busy one. Every weekend is busy when you have two children under four.

It was a little different for me, however, because I actually got some time to do a grown up thing. I went to a concert. Not just any concert - I had Gold Cirlce tickets to see my all time favourite band, Bon Jovi.

The only drawback for me was that after going to so many concerts with just a general admission ticket, I was ridiculously excited about having this ticket for the Gold Circle, and I'm sorry to say - I was disappointed. Not with the show - that was awesome - but I'd imagined that we would be really close to the stage with our super special tickets, and that the atmosphere would be fantastic. As it happened, there was a new feature to this concert - a Diamond Circle. This meant that I was quite far away considering I'd paid extra, and I was just a little bit heartbroken about that.

The other disappointing thing was that a lot of the other people in the Gold Circle just weren't paying enough attention! It was quite annoying really. I was almost like they'd paid extra just so they wouldn't get squashed in the general admission crowd.

I made the most of my ticket though - I am a serious Jovi fan. I stood in the pouring rain, singing my heart out and thrusting my fists into the air at every given opportunity. I danced like a crazy woman and make my legs ache. I absolutely loved it. I felt like I was the only one dancing but i just didn't care!

It was rather wet in Manchester that night!

Next time I'm going diamond!

After all the excitement of Friday night, we took the opportunity on Sunday to have a chilled out stroll around the local Agricultural Show with the boys.

We met some new friends ...

We showed our support

had a really jumpin' time

and made some new friends!

We always try to make the most of our weekends as a family, and do all the things we wish we could do while we're at work and the children are with their childminder. I hate wasted weekends!

Silent Sunday

2011-06-26T14:14:00.001+01:00

Not So Fat Friday: Week 2

2011-06-24T12:36:00.001+01:00

This week I haven't been a very good girl.

Week one and I'm already making excuses, I know! Truth is, I haven't been all that well, and I turned to comfort food. Not a lot, but enough to hinder my weight loss.

On the whole, however, I must've done something right because I managed to lose 1.25 lbs. Not a huge amount but a step in the right direction!

So I gave myself a pat on the back and turned my attentions to the week ahead ...

This week I'm trying to be organised. I think it makes a big difference when it comes to losing weight. If i have my low fat lunch prepared and ready to take to work with me I'm far less likely to nip out at lunch for a ready-made sandwich. If only the office 'tuck shop' wasn't so tempting!

So, today's weight is ... 13st 2.25lbs

Until next week ... xxx

Silent Sunday

2011-06-19T07:19:00.002+01:00

Not So Fat Friday: Week 1

2011-06-17T00:01:00.004+01:00

Hello, and welcome to my new weekly blog post, Not So Fat Friday.

Have you got a mummy tummy? Are you an eat-now, regret-later kinda gal, or do you really watch what you eat? Does being overweight bother you, or are you comfortable with your appearance?

I used to be very thin, to the point where I looked a bit ill, and that was a time in my life where I was desperately unhappy. When I met my husband I gained some weight, and before I knew it the GP was telling me I was obese. I didn't really mind that - I may have been overweight, but I was happy.

I was never overly concerned about my weight, and although I grumble about it from time to time I've never really been too concerned about the way I look. I went on a girls weekend away recently, and there were photos taken there that have shocked me.

Me, on the right

So I'm setting out to do something about it. I don't want to be 'skinny', and I'm not overly concerned about my BMI or even what the scales tell me really - I just want to be able to look at photos and not be disgusted by the size of my arms!

Not So Fat Friday will hopefully help me to do this. Each week I'm going to weigh in and tell you what the scales say. I'm not going to cheat, and I'm not going to promise that I'll be good every day. I will start to watch what I eat though, and even throw in a bit of exercise for good measure. Then each week I'll come back here and tell you all about it.

I'd appreciate your support with this - please do leave comments with encouragement, hints and tips.

And so, my starting weight is ... 13st 3.5lbs!

Yes, you read that right - but next week, it WILL be less!

Feel free to display the NSFF on your site, or add it to your own NSFF blog post:

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

2011-06-16T00:01:00.004+01:00

My chosen prompt this week is:

Barefoot and hormonal...describe an incident that upset you when you were
pregnant, but now looking back makes you laugh.

Well …

I was expecting my first child, and the doctors were a little concerned about his bone development because of the medication I had been taking for my epilepsy. They decided I needed an extra ultrasound and so I was due to go at 2pm on this particular day.

My husband was working away that week and so rather than going on my own I asked my sister to come with me. She would need me to pick her up from work though, so I set off in good time - about an hour before my appointment.

The only trouble was, I'd never been to my sister's workplace before. Nevertheless, she told me to get on the motorway and come off at junction 23. That made it a 21 mile journey to collect her, but I had loads of time.

I got on the motorway. Now I'm a bit scared of motorways, in particular the big trucks that dwarf my car and bare their teeth in my rear-view mirror. I was a grown woman though - surely I could manage to drive just 21 miles?

As I started trundling down the M60, I noticed that I was only at juntion 3 - loads of time to settle into the drive and keep calm. I whizzed past the junctions until gradually I realised that while I was getting closer to junction 23, my surroundings looked less and less like I was approaching Manchester and more like I was driving into the middle of nowhere.

At junction 22 I realised it - I was on the wrong motorway!

My journey, that should've looked like this:

Actually looked more like this:

and I was almost there. At the place where I didn't need to be. Oh.

To make matters worse the distance between junctions 22 and 23 of that particular motorway is mahoosive, and so I had no choice but to continue in what I now knew to be the wrong direction until I got to junction twenty-bloody-three.

Once there, I turned around and started on the journey back to whence I came! Lost, late for my appointment and highly emotional I phoned my husband in floods of tears.

I must've sounded desperate because he was hundreds of miles away but he immediately set off home!

Eventually I got to the hospital - 90 minutes late. The staff were quite kind really, but that was probably because I was a hysterical wreck upon arrival - they managed to fit me in at the very end of the clinic, I I came out with this ...

Baby Grumpy

These days I check my route before I set off!

And by the way - my sister never made it!

for more Workshop entries, visit Mama Kat's blog by clicking this button:

The Gallery: Dads

2011-06-15T00:59:00.001+01:00

This week for The Gallery I'm going to show you just how great a dad my husband is to our kids.

This is he:

and our boys idolise him.

He does all the fun stuff, while I'm the boring one who makes them brush their teeth and eat their greens.

From feeding ...

Daddy with Medium

and burping ...

Winding Small

to catching up after those sleepless nights!

sleepy Daddy

Days out ...

At the top!

and 'boys time' ...

Utd Boys

He's always there to play football with, dance around with, be tickled by ...

As far as Daddy's go, I'm pretty sure my boys have one of the best around!

Take the word of the expert ...

Happy Father's Day, Daddy xxx

For other entries to The Gallery, go over to Tara's blog by clicking the button below:

Hannah's Haven Holiday!

2011-06-13T13:22:00.002+01:00

Earlier this year we had a holiday at Haven's Rockley Park. We've got quite a busy summer planned this year so we could only fit a week's break in, and I wasn't convinced that the 6 hour journey to Dorset with 2 children under 4 was going to be worth it.

Off we went in my in-laws' motor home. Mr. Grumpy, myself, our boys and my father-in-law. MIL stayed at home because as you will know if you read my blog regularly, her own mother was very poorly.

On arrival my husband and his dad needed to do all the necessary 'sorting out' of things - water, gas and so on. I have absolutely no idea about all that stuff so I took the children to the main activity centre.

Whilst I had received out general 'funworks' passes on arrival, I was still due to collect the additional 'activity passes' that I had booked prior to our arrival. To obtain these I needed to go to another part of the site, which I did. Unfortunately the activity passes were to be released by the manager of the sports facility on the site, and she was off that particular day. It was late afternoon by this point, and so although it was inconvenient that we were unable to collect the passes we had ordered, it was certainly something I could live with.

The following morning was when our holiday really began. Haven have some fantastic activities for both adults and children, and we took part in quite a few although there were lots of things we didn't have time to do. There is certainly enough to keep everyone entertained throughout the week.

Medium boy (3yrs) turned his hand to Fencing and Archery - both were taster sessions adapted for children. He thoroughly enjoyed them both, and if we'd have had time I'm sure he would've gone again.

There was also an organised 'Teddy Bear's Picnic', a wildlife walk, swimming lessons and photo shoot opportunities, as well as a variety of indoor shows during the early evening, all aimed at the younger holiday makers.
Adults weren't left out though - my husband and I had a go at water walking, aqua gliding and bungee trampolining - just a selection of the fun activities to be had at Rockley Park.

There is a great deal to do locally, too. We visited nearby Studland Beach, a National Trust area, and had a lovely time despite the chilly weather.

Since it was my husband's birthday whilst we were away, I treated him to a massage at the site's spa, which was great value for money and even included a complimentary hour in their relaxing spa garden, usually available for £15 for 2 hours.

Add to that the clean toilet and shower blocks, friendly staff and well-kept site and you'll find a fun filled and action packed holiday for all the family.

Well done Haven!

Silent Sunday

2011-06-12T11:40:00.002+01:00

The Unforgettable Phonecall

2011-06-07T12:38:00.001+01:00

I wasn't even the one to answer the phone that morning. I didn't take the call that will forever scar my memories.

It was Thursday 11th February, 1999. It was 7.30am, and I was 17 years old.

I wore black tailored trousers, a cotton top and had my slipper socks on but not my shoes. I was getting ready to go to college. My first class would be Sociology.

I heard the phone ring, and was surprised because it was so early. It was a short call, from my Grandma. I didn't hear her words, or the devastation in her voice, but I know it was there.

The sound I heard just seconds after the shrill tone of the phone was my Mum's voice. Filled with panic and disbelief, she shouted out:

'My Dad's Dead.'

A statement rather than a question, though not intended to inform me of the news. My Mum's words were purely a reaction to the news she had received during that 20 second phone call. Words that will never leave me.

We ran down the stairs and to the car. My sister had already gone out to school so it was just the two of us. My mum had a red Vauxhall Corsa at the time and it was quite old. I remember telling her to slow down over the speed bumps - a silly thing to say in hindsight but I don't think we're fully in control of what comes out of our mouths when we're in shock.

When we arrived at my Grandma's house (which is literally around the corner) my Mum went upstairs to my Grandad. I never saw him myself, preferring to keep my fond memories and avoid them being overshadowed with any more sad ones.

There was a flurry of phone calls; people being called home from work and a call to the GP. The police arrived too, which seemed a bit strange to me, though I was reassured that it was 'routine' in those circumstances.

My uncle came to pick me up and we drove to college to collect my cousin. He knew, somehow. He knew what was wrong before I told him. I've always thought that was very odd.

Then I was out on another visit, to another family member. A lot of the events that day were a bit of a blur. This time it was my mum's youngest sister. It was me and my mum breaking the news this time. We went in the back door, and I walked through to the lounge where my youngest cousin was. He was 10, and doted on our Grandad.

I didn't want to tell him - I really didn't think it was my place to be honest, but when he heard his mother scream and break down I knew I didn't really have a choice. I don't remember the words I used, or what he said in return.
My auntie is a foster carer, and I found myself walking to school with the children she had there at the time. We played i-spy all the way there, and I told the headmistress of the circumstances at home.

Then I walked back to my Grandma's alone.

I didn't cry once. Not that day. Not on the day of the unforgettable phone call.

Back to Blogging

2011-06-06T21:39:00.003+01:00

It's been a bit patchy lately, my blog. I've been quite busy really. Busy enjoying myself and my family. A holiday to Haven's Rockley Park, then a crazy, jam-packed hen weekend at the beautiful Quarnford Lodge in Buxton.

So having taken a break from blogging, I'm finding it a little difficult to write my returning post. I did do Silent Sunday yesterday, but let's be honest - it's not a difficult post to do is it!

I will blog about my holiday, and the hen weekend too, but for now I'll leave you with a 'Hi, how are you?' and a photo that sums up the weekend I've just returned from ...

That's me, in the black and white top (I was previously wearing a dress but it was too grown up for drunken-me) jumping up and down like my life depended on it to Mr. Brightside by The Kaiser Chiefs with 32 other women!

Silent Sunday

2011-06-05T10:58:00.002+01:00

The Gallery: My Backyard

2011-05-25T09:31:00.002+01:00

This week over at The Gallery, the theme is 'My Backyard'.

I knew immediately what I wanted to say about mine. So I'll just get on with saying it ...

My backyard is just that. A yard. It's tiny, and it's got a shed in it too which makes it smaller still.on top of that, we also have a 'lean-to' built onto the back of the house, so we have something he size of a postage stamp. We bought our house as young and carefree non-parents, and so a garden wasn't exactly top of our checklist when choosing a property. Now, it'd be up there on the list of important features with a bathroom, and walls.

Anyway, I digress.

You know the back yards and cobbled back streets of Coronation Street? Well that's just like mine. Only without tram fragments, lifeless bodies or a barrel belonging to Newton and Ridley.

It is small, yes, and I couldn't swing my cat in it even if I wanted to - but we do have LOTS of fun in our backyard!

We grow stuff ...

We get arty ...

And we generally giggle a lot ...

As well as this we practise penalties and regularly chase Tiny the rabbit around when she decides not to come in at the end of the day.

So you see - while open spaces are great, you don't need acres of land to be able to have fun.

Love your yard - I do!

Silent Sunday

2011-05-22T09:20:00.001+01:00

When There's Nothing You Can Say

2011-05-20T16:11:00.001+01:00

This is Annie with her youngest Grandson, Jon-Paul. It is 1983.

Jon-Paul is now more commonly know (to you lot anyway) as my husband, Ted. He's all grown up with a family of his own. How things change, eh?

Today, Annie lies in her hospital bed, with Ted at her side, while the doctors take away the drips she's been on for 3 weeks to keep her hydrated. It appears to be only a matter of time for Annie now. So as my husband sits and holds the hand of the woman who took him on summer holidays, gave him sweets his parents had said no to, and spoilt him when he visited her, I write this post to ask;

'What will I say?'

What are the words I need to comfort him on his return, as he holds his children that little bit closer and silently mourns her, perhaps before she's really gone?

I hear the usual things that people say, but I'm not sure any of them will suffice.

Time is a great healer? Sure it is, but he's hurting right now.

I hear some things people say to someone who is bereaved and wonder if they think that's really gonna help. One particular one that gets on my quick is 'she had a good innings'. Like that helps.

I think in the end there really is no 'quick fix' of words you can say to someone who is grieving. So I won't use any words. I'll start with a hug, and take it from there.

I hope it helps.

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

2011-05-19T00:16:00.004+01:00

This week over at Mama Kat's one of the prompts is to write a poem about the person you last spoke to on the phone, based on your conversation.

My husband was the last to call, and this is what I came up with ...

I love the sound of the guitar playing

As you call me on my mobile

I pick up and hear you saying

I hope you all are well

You're 70 miles away from us

That's 70 miles too far

I didn't pick up the first time though, cos

You called as I drove the car

The kids are fine, I reassure

And I am okay too

I am quite tired though, I groan

And I am missing you.

It's half past six, you volunteer

Why are you not at home?

I stayed out for my evening meal

Since I would be alone

The children are asleep by now

It's been a long long day

What is the latest news you ask

What have you done today?

I've been to work, I drove to town

I went to collect the boys

They drive me crazy, don't you know

With all the piles of toys

In other news, I have to tell

You're Nanna isn't great

We already knew she wasn't well

Now she's in quite a state

They've moved her to a side ward now

With open visiting times

She hasn't had a thing to eat

And it's playing on our minds

With all this gloom about the place

You try to cheer us up

We go away on holiday soon

So don't you fret - chin up!

It's four more sleeps to holiday

Until we get away

Lord knows we need a little break

Away from the 'every day'

I better go, you say to me

I have some work to do

I will be home at half past three

I'll try hard not to wake you

Give my two boys a big tight squeeze

And get one for yourself

You three mean the world to me

Your happiness and health

These are the words you say to me

Before you say goodnight

I give the boys that great big squeeze

As I turn out the light

Who would have thought that Mama Kat

And her fabulous idea

Would prompt a poem just for you ...

I just wish you were here x

Not bad for someone poetically challenged, I thought!

For more posts like this, visit Mama Kat's blog here:

The Gallery - Mustachioed

2011-05-18T00:30:00.000+01:00

When I think 'moustache', for some random reason I think 'celebrity'. I suppose it's because none of my nearest and dearest have one themselves.

When I think 'celebrity moustache' I think of this fella.

One of the most iconic and influential artists of our time, Mr. Freddie Mercury was known for his facial hair (as well as his rather tight all in ones!) ad I'm proud to have him, and his 'tash, as my entry to The Gallery this week.

For more moustaches, visit Tara's blog hop:

Listography - Products I couldn't live without

2011-05-17T19:50:00.000+01:00

My 1st listography participation with Kate Takes 5.

Lately, as some of you will know, I'm lacking in motivation a little bit where my blog is concerned. To counteract my lack of hutzpah, however, I am joining in with several blog hop/ linky type things each week. Today it's Kate's 'Listography'. The prompt is 'Products you couldn't live without' - and these are mine:

1. My iPhone. As much as I try I cannot put my phone down. It is my secretary, my address book, my lifeline at times. I use it so much my supervisor even asked me if there were any problems at home since I was texting so frequently (I was tweeting)

2. My bread-maker. I'm currently a teeny tiny bit addicted to making bread, pastries, cakes and pizza bases - pretty much anything that will cook in a bread-maker! Unfortunately though I don't have (and haven't sought) any low fat ones!

3. The car. I am, by my own admission, a lazy cow. If I had to do without the car for more than a few days, I may have a nervous breakdown.

4. My dishwasher. I love cooking. I hate cleaning up afterwards. Enter, dishwasher.

5. Hair bobbles. I know my hair probably looks better 'down', but it gets in my eyes, gets greasy faster than chip shop spud and takes about an hour to resemble rats' tails. So unless it's absolutely necessary for it to be down, my hair tends to be partly or wholly tied up.

Silent Sunday

2011-05-15T00:01:00.001+01:00

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop - My First Car

2011-05-12T00:01:00.000+01:00

My first car was called ... 'The Beast'

A huge old tank of a car bought for me by my then boyfriend because he refused to 'let me loose' in his brand new one.

I loved and loathed The Beast.

I loved it as any learner driver loves their first set of wheels, and I honestly didn't mind that it was almost as old as I was, or that it woke the neighbours when I started it up in the morning.

I loathed it because it looked like this ...

Oh yes. The Beast was a 1989 Nissan Bluebird and I was a 21 year old girl living in a village where I had already been pigeonholed as 'That Weird Northern Bird'.

I will, however, be forever grateful for my time with The Beast. It taught me how to drive a large car as oppose to the Corsa I was taught in, and it definitely taught me to appreciate subsequent cars when we parted company.

Yes, driving a car with as much, er ... character(?!) as this was certainly a learning curve!

What was your first car? How long did you have it? What happened to it?

You've chuckled at my motoring misfortune - now 'fess up on your own blog, or tweet the shameful details!

The Gallery - Chilled Out

2011-05-11T12:18:00.000+01:00

This will be my first entry to Tara's 'The Gallery' blog hop, and this week the theme is 'Chilled Out' ...

I had a quick look through my photos and this one stood out a mile!

Now that's what I call 'chilled'!

This is my cat, Simba, without a care in the world, lying on the shed roof last week when we had our brief fling with the sun. Doesn't he look relaxed?

I'd love to be able to join him - only I'd take a blanket to lie on and a glass of wine!

For more chilled out blog posts, check out Tara's blog ...

Reasons to be Cheerful 1,2,3 ...

2011-05-10T13:16:00.000+01:00

I know it's not the right day for this particular linky, but I'm happy and you're gonna know about it!

So ... my reason to be cheerful today are:

1. We are going on holiday soon. The children are small and money isn't exactly in abundance so no holidays abroad anytime soon, but we are going all the way 'dahn sarf' to Poole in Dorset. It's a Haven site and you know what? I'm really looking forward to it. We're going with the in-laws but that doesn't bother me either - I'm one of the luckier ones with bearable (and dare I say likeable?) in-laws!

The Beach at Rockley Park, Poole

2. I've got a second job. While this may sound like a bit of an odd thing to be cheerful about, for me it's an opportunity for me to do something for myself. I work occasional shifts behind the bar at the local cricket club and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. It gets me out of 'Mum' mode and allows me to step into those old, increasingly unworn shoes of Karen The Individual. I can choose the hours I work, and even whether or not I want to work at all, and it pays for treats we wouldn't have. Win-Win!

3. My husband is my best friend. This year is a hectic one for us, and our family diary is jam-packed. While it's nice to be out and about and involved in lots of different things, being so busy has unfortunately meant that I've not seen nearly as much of Mr and that has had a bit of a knock-on effect as far as communication between us is concerned. I'm so happy to be able to say though that things are back to normal - and that is definitely a reason to be cheerful!

4. I'm in an EXCELLENT mood today for no real reason. I've not got much to be glum about, but this mood is the kind that gives you butterflies. I'm not complaining though!

For My Mum ...

2011-05-09T13:19:00.000+01:00

My Mum

When I was small
She knew it all
My Mum was on the ball
And as I grew
Still lots she knew
But couldn't fix it all
Now years have passed
I always ask
What she thinks I should do
She's always there
She always cares
If ever I feel blue
So here it is
A little rhyme
An ode to my dear Mum
My bestest friend
My confident
For now and years to come.

My Mum gave me away on my wedding day :)

Love you Patty :)

(With thanks to Mama Kat for the inspiration)

Silent Sunday

2011-05-08T08:21:00.001+01:00

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

2011-04-27T12:43:00.000+01:00

This week over at Mama Kat's one of the prompts is:

Tell us the story behind the title of your blog. What is it? What inspired it? What other options did you consider? Are you happy with it?

What is it?

I am fairly new to blogging, having only started it at the beginning of this year. I didn't read blogs much beforehand - in fact the only blog I did follow at all was my friend Emma over at Not Such A Yummy Mummy. You could say she was my inspiration to start a blog at all.

Why did I choose it?

Well, I think this is pretty self-explanatory to be honest although those that don't know me (most of my subscribers and almost all of my twitter followers/facebook friends) may assume I'm actually quite grumpy and stressed. In reality, I like to think I'm neither of those things for too much of the time! The thing is, I decided to blog initially as an outlet, a diary, a way to vent without repercussions. Whilst my blog has seemed to morph into something quite different, I fugured that most of my venting (as I imagine is the case for many others) is done when I am grumpy and/or stressed!

So on balance, I figured I am only a little bit grumpy - grumpyish!

What other options did I consider?

I created a wordpress blog initially, and called it 'Wine Usually Helps' but I have trouble keeping my gob shut at times and had told all my friends about it while the blog was still finding it's feet and then found that a lot of the things I had to say were perhaps unsuitable for an audience full of family and friends. I didn't pursue the blog after writing about 5 posts, and subsequently closed it down at the end of last year.

So new year, new start meant that I figured I'd have another crack at the blogging game and so created Grumpyish Mum. I wanted to remain fairly anonymous whilst I settled myself into the blogging world and so I chose to use clip art and wordart rather than photographs, and the stressed woman theme kinda stuck throughout the blog as well as both my Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Am I happy with it?

YES! I love my stressed little lady - though she is only a few months old so the novelty may well wear off soon.

So please read more of my ramblings - because I love doing it and I love comments too!

XxX

Silent Sunday

2011-04-24T07:05:00.002+01:00

Reasons to be Cheerful 1,2,3 ...

2011-04-20T19:57:00.000+01:00

The sun is out and I'm feeling all cheery, so what better post to do than this! Check out all the other bloggers' reasons over at Mummy From The Heart.

Here's why there's a spring in my step this week ...

1. Summer has arrived! I've worn a dress without tights and not frozen to death - in my book that's summer!

2. It's almost Easter. I adore chocolate (as do my hips) and Easter is a guilt free way of consuming all those calories! (followed by a family day out to burn off those calories!) Easter also means lots of bank holidays - yay!

3. My children are happy. I recently moved my kids from a nursery to a Childminder and was really concerned about how they'd settle in. It was a bit of a sudden change and children can be quite sensitive. They have taken to Julie like she's a new member of the family though - couldn't have gone better!

4. I did a good deed. Today at work I drew the raffle I've been running for a week or two. The prizes weren't amazing (they were mostly chocolate based) but the office bods did good and put their hands in their pockets, raising £21 on the raffle and £20 on the football card that was passed around with the raffle tickets. The 'tuck shop' from the office then kindly donated an extra £9.00 to make it a round £50.00! It's not millions, but it's a start.

Dear So and So ...

2011-04-19T18:05:00.002+01:00

Dear Louis,

I know you're three now and that is, like, well grown up but you answer me back one more time and I'll send you to your room for an eternity. Or at least ten minutes.

Love, Mummy

Dear Rowan,

Although you may like to wake up in the middle of the night for playtime and a general chit chat but Mummy has to work in the morning and as much as I love your company it's just not on. Wait until Friday?

Yours sleepily, Mummy

Dear Chavvy Scrubbers,

I appreciate that lots of teenagers go through the phase of thinking they're clever, sophisticated and/or glamorous but believe me when I say that sitting on my back street with a joint in one hand and a can in the other makes you appear to be none of these things.
Oh, and one more thing - swear like that in front of my boy again and I'll rip your overly made up head off your ridiculously orange body.

Forever watching you,

'That Woman'

Dear Boss,

I'm sorry, but it is actually impossible for me to leave my phone alone ALL day. Don't make me choose.

Many thanks,

The One That Does Least Work

Silent Sunday

2011-04-17T09:04:00.002+01:00

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

2011-04-14T00:01:00.004+01:00

This week over at Mama Kat's one of the prompts is:

'Based on their personalities, what do you think your children will be when they grow up?'

Now for anyone who reads my blog, you will know that I haven't done any blog posts since 17th March. That's a pretty long time to go in blogland without writing a post. The thing is, I lost my 'umph'.

This prompt is just what I needed to get myself back into the swing of things (hopefully) - what better subject that that of my small people!

Although I do have 2 sproglets, I am only going to write about one - Medium. Small is, well, small.

I'm pretty certain that Medium will be an entertainer of some description when he's 'big and big' as he calls it.

See for yourself ...

He really is the life and soul, and not just at parties!

His favourite artists are Seasick Steve and Jimmy Hendrix - no room for cheesy songs in this boy's life!

He loves to 'play' guitar and drums too. He has an electronic drum mat (which may or may not have been confiscated more than once in the dead of night when he decided to get up and play it) and a children's guitar (the type with the buttons as oppose to strings) but his rock poses are FAB!

If I ask Medium to say 'Cheese' for a photo and he pulls a pose like this:

and he even writes his own songs! See ...

So for all of these reasons, I'm betting you (yes, you) a fiver that Medium will, in fact, be an entertainer when he's 'big and big'!

And I will be the (drunk but) proud mother standing in the wings :-)

xx

Silent Sunday

2011-03-27T02:30:00.002+01:00

Turn That *$&%£) Music Off!

2011-03-24T21:52:00.000Z

Last week I went out for an evening meal with my sister and my children to a local family pub. Now, the pub is not the kind with a play area, nor do they provide crayon and paper, but this particular establishment does serve up lots of meals including those from the children's menu.

We sat down and browsed the menu, had a drink and a chat, played some quiet table games and waited for our food to arrive. It was nice enough, we've been to this pub several times before and knew what to expect. Monday night is apparently a fairly quiet night in The Wellington. There were a few people there though, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant and relaxed.

It was all going so well until ...

"SLOW DOWN MOTHER FUCKER"

I could hardly believe it, but those words came from the speaker right behind my three year old son!

I exchanged glances with my equally taken-aback sister before turning to the unfortunate waitress who was about two steps away from asking us if our meals were okay. She, too, shared our look of horror before blurting out that the pub was not responsible for the contect of the juke box and that she would get the details of the provider of said entertainment system straight away. She was clearly embarrassed, and practically talked me into making a complaint. Well, she would have if I wasn't already livid.

I was (for once in my life) totally speechless. I did eventually say something about 'radio edit' or something along those lines but seriously - what the ...?

So now I'm waiting for a reply from my strongly (but not that strongly) worded complaint email to gamestech. I sent it today, so hopefully they will respond quickly. I know if it was my company I'd be devastated on hearing about my experience.

We'll see ...

The Tooth - Can you see it?!

2011-03-15T23:07:00.000Z

Silent Sunday: My Boy Rocks

2011-03-13T07:52:00.000Z

Reasons To Be Cheerful 1, 2, 3

2011-03-11T00:01:00.001Z

1. My boy is better. Medium boy developed a rather worrying rash over the weekend and we had to take him to the emergency doctor. The problem was diagnosed as a streptococcal virus (which didn't tell us much) and we were given an 11 day course of antibiotics and calpol. He looked like he'd been spray-painted red and had a temperature but wasn't behaving like a poorly person so that was some relief at least. He went back to nursery this morning and my worry-o-meter came right down.

2. I am an official domestic goddess. Okay, not really but I am getting on top of things at home and it's making me happy to be there. There is still lots to do in the kitchen (decorating, tiling etc.) but I can see progress and it soothes me!

3. I've decided to take the plunge and apply for a degree course. It will mean leaving my job and turning our lives upside down but I'm going to do it anyway. I'm trying not to get too excited about it though because I don't have the right qualifications and have to present a portfolio of work to the university before they will consider me for interview. For now though I'm optimistic!

Writing Workshop: A Song With Significance

2011-03-09T00:01:00.003Z

"When love is blood you're never on trial,
it don't get deeper than a mother and child"

Lyrics from 'If I Was Your Mother', by Bon Jovi

My Boys & Me

Not so much an entire song but seventeen words that bring a lump to my throat each and every time I hear them. I can't sing them, they stick in my throat and my voice breaks.

I don't really know why these stand out over others, because I'm a great lover of emotional song lyrics, but when I read this week's writing prompts from Mama Kat these lyrics immediately sprung to mind and there was no doubt that this was the prompt I'd choose.

For me, these few words sum up what it is to have that irreplaceable, unbreakable bond with your child. I can't imagine how a mother would ever not have that, though I know that sadly some don't and I am sad for those mothers, because there is absolutely nothing that even comes close to that feeling.

I know of people who have been through an incredibly trying time with their child, and I've heard others make comments like 'I don't know why she has anything to do with him' or 'If he were mine I'd have cut him off long ago'. It's not always as simple as that though is it? I can't imagine (and I hope I never find out) what it must be like to have to do something like cutting your own child out of your life. It must be absolutely heartbreaking, like a bereavement.

Because when you love your children, you love them unconditionally, and if ever I find myself in a situation where that is compromised, I'm not entirely sure I'd cope.

Raspberry Blowing Championship

2011-03-08T13:36:00.000Z

I know who my money's on ...

Fill In The Blanks

2011-03-07T14:01:00.000Z

I was tagged in this (at my request) by Kate over at The Five F's Blog without actually knowing what it was, so when Kate introduced hers as something she's found more difficult to do than she thought I was a bit worried. So I've tried my best ...

I am ... soft. If people want favours, they ask me for a sure-fire 'yes'. If they are mad, they vent at me. If they are mad at me - I will hardly ever enter into a full scale row about it. It makes me hugely annoyed at myself quite a lot, because I will quite often decide not to speak up for myself if I am hurt by a friend or if something is really bugging me. That sometimes results in me bottling it all up and taking it out on someone close to me (always Mr. Grumpy) so I probably need to sort that out!

The bravest thing I’ve ever done … I'm not brave. Probably going through childbirth, though it's hardly an opt-in/opt-out scenario once the ball is rolling ... I will do something brave soon, I promise.

I feel prettiest when ... I'm happy. I thought about this for a while, and although wearing lovely clothes and being a bit slimmer always helps, I still don't feel my prettiest even if I'm thin, dolled up and sad. A few years ago, pre-marriage & pre-children, I wore size 8 designer clothes but whilst I was beaming on the outside I was dying on the inside. So no, gimme happy and fat any day thanks!

Something that keeps me awake at night is … My noisy house! Mr works away some nights and I am the most paranoid person ever when it comes to hearing noises in the night. I honestly pity the foo' who breaks into my house - I'm bloody ready for you! (My plan is to knock said burglar back down the stairs with the digeridoo in the bedroom - think it'll work?)

My favourite meal is... chinese/thai/mexican food of most sorts. I love food - and my hips know it!

The way to my heart is ... through honesty. I cannot stand fake people! I do have a hard time being honest about some things myself though ... (see the 'I am ...' section)

I would like to be... more assertive. Or more popular. Probably more assertive since I'm not very good at keeping in touch with the friends I do have. Even the online ones. sorry about that.

So there you go, you lovely people - a snippet of Me.

Care to return the favour Welsh Mum Wales, Not Such A Yummy Mummy, (Mostly) Yummy Mummy?

Anyone else that'd like to partake then please do!

Silent Sunday: Poorly Rash Boy

2011-03-06T10:03:00.001Z

Writing Workshop: I Believe

2011-02-28T13:30:00.000Z

I Believe That It's Okay To Not Be Perfect

When I became a mother, I had such high expectations of myself. I vowed that my son would never eat a McDonald's Happy Meal, that every day would be filled with fun yet challenging activities and the only toys in the house would be educational ones.

Yeah, right.

I look around my life now, three years on, and I smile at my own naivety as I recall yesterday's trip to the drive thru' because I'd just done the weekly shop with two kids in tow and was no-way-in-this-world-ever going to start cooking when I got home. I cast my mind back just a few more days when, at 7am, I dragged myself out of bed to get out paints and play doh for my son to amuse himself with just so he would leave me alone for half an hour.

When these (and the 100's of others I'm imposed on myself) unrealistic expectations began to fade I started to realise that motherhood is actually not about doing the best of everything for and with your child, but doing the best you can. So what if he doesn't have a bath every single day - will he die? No - I very much doubt it. If he eats chips more than once a week will he be fat? Nope!

I think of the mothers I hear about (but don't actually know any real ones) who tick all the boxes when it comes to being a 'great parent' - do they actually exist? If they do - are they happy?

In my opinion, a beautiful person is one that is real in every sense of the word. One who makes mistakes, one who cries, one who feels all emotions - including the yukky ones. Not someone who strives so hard to be their own version of perfect that they forget who they were in the first place.

Motherhood: I'm not perfect at it, but I'm good enough,

and there's nothing wrong with that.

7 Things About Me

2011-02-27T22:09:00.002Z

My friend Emma over at Notsuchayummymummy tagged me in her post waaaay back on Feb 1st so I'm sorry it's so late!

7 things about me ...

1. I once got absolutely wasted at a beer festival and stole someone's crutches in a local park because I thought it was funny. I still feel guitly.

2. I'm rubbish at making friends, but the ones I do manage to befriend tend to stay with me forever :-)

3. I want to be a 'better person' but have no idea what I mean by that!

4. I secretly think I'm quite a good mum.

5. I worry far too much about what other people think.

6. I probably would be divorced by now if my husband had done as he was bloody told when I told him to leave. I'm glad he didn't.

7. I'm a pushy mum. I don't care.

So there ya go. A snippet of Grumpy.

Silent Sunday

2011-02-27T20:58:00.000Z

Why I'm going to kill my husband ...

2011-02-25T12:10:00.000Z

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday: My Guilty Pleasure

2011-02-23T21:53:00.001Z

This is what I'm doing when I should be downstairs. I didn't even tell Mr I was going :)

(sort of) Silent Sunday

2011-02-20T21:05:00.000Z

I found Hipstamatic...

100 Book Challenge - The Story So Far ...

2011-02-18T09:00:00.000Z

OK, so I'm never, ever going to read 100 books this year. I accept that - just. What I am going to do though, is try and read one a week. So welcome to my newly christened '52 Book Challenge'!

I'm pretty sure nobody will string me up if I don't do this though, and I am concentrating my efforts on some fundraising projects just at the mo' - so we'll see how it goes - deal?

Next few books I plan to read are:

1. This Is Ozzy by Ozzy Osbourne
2. A Tiny Bit Marvellous by Dawn French
3. The Crow Road by Iain Banks

Wish me luck :-)

Fundraising Update

2011-02-17T09:00:00.000Z

http://www.mypurplepledge.com

As I mentioned in a previous post, epilepsy is a subject close to my heart, and
this year I'm trying to raise awareness as well as funds for The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy . I've had a few ideas, and the first event I'm trying to organise is a little 'Awareness Day' at work. I work for the local council though so I might not get the go-ahead for it, but I do have other tricks up my sleeve if they say no. Fingers crossed I'll know by next week. My plan is to have cakes, pies, treats in general donated to the cause then 'sell' them in exchange for a small donation from staff members. I'll also be handing out information, decorating the place and being generally fundraiser-like.

www.ncype.org.uk

I put a request out on facebook for people I know to donate any old clothes - even if they weren't fit for wear any more. I did get one donation of these and weighed them in at a local factory, rasing £8.00.

Tonight I have placed ads on all the free local sites asking for clothing donations, so hopefully something will come of that too. Anything I can sell at a table top sale I will keep hold of, and stuff that can't really be worn again will be weighed in.

I would welcome your ideas and suggestions for small but effective fundraising events! Please email me with your genius!

So although it's not much, it's a start.

Fundraising total so far: £8.00!

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The times I love my kids most:

2011-02-16T01:06:00.000Z

1. When they're sleeping!

2. When they're LAUGHING!

Things That Really Fuck Me Off

2011-02-13T19:42:00.000Z

1. People moaning about their shit lives (guilty as charged)

2. People who do not ever reply to emails/texts/private messages/missed calls. If you do reply, but days late, that winds me up but not too much to cross you off my Christmas card list.

3. My husband when he doesn't hear the kids crying in the night. Or even in the day if there's something good on Telly.

4. Running out of wine.

5. Toys. They are EVERYWHERE in my house.

That is all.

For God's Sake, Play Nice!

2011-02-13T14:38:00.000Z

Mr, Medium, Small and I go to church some weeks, and although we do try to go regularly we don't make it every week. If there are things to be done at the weekend then church does take a back seat. I'm what might be viewed by some as a part-time Christian. I'm sure plenty of people will disagree with my approach to church-going, but I won't apologise for it.

I see people in church who go only on the first Sunday of the month. These are generally the ones who have children who are in the brownies or scouts. It's kinda part of the 'deal' - you get to be a brownie/scout etc if you and your family show your face on a Sunday every few weeks. My boys aren't old enough to join yet, but they probably will go when they are. The thing is, some of those people go because they have to. We go because we choose to, and that makes a big difference.

So as you can tell, neither my husband or I are massively religious, but we were both baptised, went to Sunday school as children, got married in a church and we had our son baptised too. Small's baptism is booked for in a few weeks' time. We go to funerals and weddings, we both have Godchildren. Now I can't speak for Mr, but I can tell you how I feel about it.

I believe in God - mostly. I like the idea of having a faith, something to believe in when we're surrounded by a world full of badness. I like the sense of community at church, and the way you are made to feel welcome no matter who you are of how often you go. I believe that there is something for us after this life, somewhere better for us to go, somewhere we will receive our reward (or punishment) for the life we have led on this earth.

Some things do niggle at me though. Like science. It's a tough question to answer when someone asks how I can follow the church and believe in Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden and all that jazz when there is strikingly hard evidence behind evolution. I'm not naive - I can't just say 'I believe in The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit and every word of the bible' because I don't. I can't. At this morning's Eucharist one of the readings referred to divorced women not being allowed to remarry. This isn't something I believe to be true and right - if a marriage isn't working you can't always stay together. You shouldn't then be expected to live alone for the rest of your days because you grew apart from someone? Surely statements like this stem from a time when people didn't get divorced very often - today's society are all too quick to throw in the towel when it comes to marriage (IMHO) and of course things never used to be that way.

I also feel that sometimes I am judged by others because I choose to go to church. Many people have a little chuckle when I say where I'm going on a Sunday morning, or straight out ask me why on earth I'm going there. I used to be irritated by that. Now I just tell them it's something I quite enjoy, and sometimes I do feel sad for them not being able to respect what I choose to do. It's not like I go around quoting the bible - I'm no Dot Cotton - I just quietly go about my business when it comes to religion. I don't expect everyone to have faith in God, and I definitely don't go out trying to 'convert' people. Every one of us is an individual, with thoughts and opinions of their own and I respect that. It would be nice if everyone could respect that when it comes to faith. It irritates me when I read people's comments about believers (of whatever faith) being brainwashed, naive, or incapable of thinking independently.

So is being a Christian about believing absolutely everything? Because I don't meet the criteria if it is. Or about having faith in the important stuff, and making your own interpretation about the nitty gritty?

All I know is that I want to go up and not down when my time comes - and I'd like to think that being Christian means more than praying and attending church services - it's about being kind, thinking of others, trying your best. It's not easy, but I reckon it'll be worth it in the end. What am I asked for - really? Nothing - nobody asks me for anything in return for going to church, nobody signed me up to a contract, nobody demands money from me, and nobody treats me differently if I don't go some weeks. Seems to me that all I'm encouraged to do is be a better person. Who will benefit more than me from that?

I'm not perfect - I'm nowhere near - but I try to be a good person every day, and if going to church amongst friendly people and talking to someone I can't see gives me the opportunity to do that then I'll take it, thanks.

Food for a Fiver

2011-02-11T06:00:00.000Z

I like cooking, I really do, but I am ~~lazy~~ busy. I also like to bargain hunt, because I am ~~cheap~~ frugal.

So imagine my delight when I stumble across Sainsbury's 5 meals for £20

Here I found 5 well balanced, family sized meals - including easy to follow recipes and even a ready made shopping list!

I challenged myself to make all five meals over a week, without any 'tweaks' to the recipe, and without adding or removing any of the ingredients.

I made them all from scratch (obviously not the jar of green Thai curry sauce!) and only started making them when I got home from work at 5pm. We were eating by 6pm most evenings - and that's taking into consideration the fact that I was home alone with the (very distracting) small people.

I would definitely recommend trying this to anyone who ... well, anyone!

There were leftovers some days which I took to work with me the following day for lunch - so I certainly got my money's worth out of this great idea!

Thanks Sainsbury's!

Restless Sleepers - A Mummy's View

2011-02-10T01:34:00.000Z

My boy is fast asleep throughout this video, and while I thought it highly amusing at the time I do wonder why he doesn't sleep soundly. I try really hard to make sure he's happy, settled and content when he goes to bed. We try not to get cross with him near to bedtime, we read him a story, he's even allowed to watch a bit of TV or a DVD in bed before sleep time - we're really flexible because that's how we choose to be. Part-parent, part-friend. It works for us and our children are happy (mostly!).

But what is a mum to do when this restlessness becomes a regular occurrence in the middle of the night? There have been several occasions when I have woken up to find Medium Boy next to me in bed and I haven't heard him coming in - has he woken up and crept in? Has he sleep walked?

(Possibly relevant - This boy has a fantastic imagination. He has not one, but two imaginary friends (Durna and Dana) and they in turn have their own friends who come over to our house to play. Some days I have four or five of them in the lounge. They're great - well behaved, silent children!)

He also does a lot of shouting out in his sleep. Mostly random stuff, sometimes calling out for either me or Daddy, but sometimes he will open his eyes and say things that worry me. One night he looked me straight in the eye, pointed to the wardrobe door and said 'Get those birds off that roof!'. He was really frightened and I was really spooked!

It's not really a secret that in a previous life (before children) I was a little bit, well, wild. As a result of that I did suffer with some night terrors and some sleep paralysis. Both were traumatic. I worry about what goes on inside Medium's head when he's half awake - if anything? Does he remember? I don't recall him ever talking about an incident the following day.

I have done a small amount of research on this and it doesn't seem to be anything that should be cause for concern, but I obviously worry that if his sleep is disturbed now the problem might worsen when he's older (on the upside it might stop?).

It was suggested to me that I seek medical advice regarding his restless nights but I thought that perhaps I would leave it alone until a time where he starts refusing to go to bed or is screaming for help in the night. The last thing I want to do is to draw a 3 yr old's attention to something he isn't even aware of. What would you do?

I'm also wondering if the recent return of the bed wetting boy is connected to all this writhing around in bed. He always seems eternally sorry for doing it even though we don't usually make much fuss about it - and never fuss if he does it at night. Surely that's just an invitation for a child to be worried and do it again?

So lots for Mr and I to think about really - I just hope we figure it all out before things get any worse ...

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-09T12:00:00.001Z

He is settled in his big bed for the first night. Not just a nap.

This is where he used to sleep, right next to me.

He's growing so quickly. It makes me a bit sad.

Trust Nobody - Not Even Your Childcare Provider

2011-02-07T13:53:00.000Z

I go to the office 3 days a week since returning from Maternity Leave, and I send both my children to nursery for two and a half of those three days. My oldest son has just turned 3 and so now qualifies for early years education funding during term time until he reaches school age. This means that he, and all children of this age, can access 15 hrs of free childcare and education per week.

This became applicable to us at the beginning of January, and so to clarify our new weekly fee at nursery I asked to see some kind of evidence from them that stated the particulars of my son's now partially government-funded place there. They couldn't give me anything concrete although they did direct me to the DWP website. This stated what I already knew, that funding for the 15 hrs (5 sets of 3hrs) were to be provided without charge.

I drew up a spreadsheet at home to breakdown costs per week, split into paid and free hours, and took it to nursery to make sure they agreed with my calculations. Unfortunately, they told me, it isn't as simple as that. Here are your (higher) weekly fees.Well I'm no genius but I can read, and so I needed more of an explanation. So according to them, the 15 hrs were not free but subsidised, and so I was required to pay what was effectively a 'top-up' fee for these hours since the nursery's fees per hour are higher than the amount they are subsidised. Fine, I said - just show me where you got that information from and I'll gladly pay accordingly.

Again, there was nothing concrete they could give me. So being the wannabe detective that I am, I emailed our local Early Years Funding team and was told - not-so-shockingly - the following:

Since September 2010 parents are entitled to 15 hours per week over 38 weeks, any hours over and above 15 hours
parents will be charged the daily/hourly rate by the nursery setting

Provider settings cannot charge "top up" fees for the free 15 hours per week, there can be no charge for the 15 hours.
Bills to parents needs to be carefully set out the free 15 hours and only charge for the additional hours purchased over the 15 hours

So lo and behold - I'm being duped into overpaying for my children's childcare. Not just me either - all eligible children at both of the nursery's sites. What a rather large can of worms.
I'm not really a lover of confrontation though, and so I continued to over pay until the Early Years team had contacted the nursery and brought it to their attention (which they promised to).

I still haven't had any communication from the nursery, so today I am going to have to go and discuss it with them myself. I'm dreading it (I'm so soft!) but this has been annoying me for weeks and it needs sorting out.

Pass me a tin opener. Watch out for worms.

Birthday Love

2011-02-06T18:13:00.000Z

Messages left on my soon-to-be decorated kitchen wall from my house party ...

Reasons to be Cheerful ...

2011-02-05T23:59:00.000Z

Ok so my friend does this sometimes, and I dunno if you're s'posed to do these things on a particular day (like wordless wed etc.) but I've been feeling properly sorry for myself today so I'm doing mine ... NOW.

1. Next time it's my birthday, I'll be 30. I know what you're thinking - that's rather bloody odd - but honestly I can't wait! To me age really is just a number so all I'm waiting for is the major Me-related celebrations. I wonder in all seriousness if I can make my 30th last longer than a week ...

2. I'm done. I'm all done with the baby-making game. I had my second son last summer and was a bit worried that brooding for a girl might creep up and bite me. The other day though, someone asked me if I'd like to try for a girl and I thought d'you know what? No! I love my boys, but two is plenty.

3. I'm loving my new hours at work. 37 hrs per week plus new baby equals application for (and acceptance of) part time hours. Who knew 4 day weekends could be so much fun!

So there. Cheered myself up a bit now. Could probably think of some more but it's tomorrow now and I'm knackered.

Don't Feel Sorry For Me

2011-01-31T23:47:00.000Z

When I was 15 and revising for my GCSE exams, I suddenly started waking up in the morning unable to control all of the movement in my arms. One minute I'd be fine, the next I would have involuntarily jabbed myself in the gums with my toothbrush, or spilt an entire cup of coffee down my freshly-dressed self.

I had a 'Saturday Job' with one of the local market traders and we would go to a market in North Wales on some Sundays too. One morning my friend had stayed overnight because we had to be up at 5am for work. Being teenage girls, we had stayed up later than we should've gossipping and giggling as girls do. I'd only really had about three or four hours sleep, but a person of that age can quite easily manage the odd sleep-deprived night, right?

Wrong. I hadn't even got dressed yet and I'd dropped and smashed a bottle of milk in the kitchen, smeared mascara all over my cheekbone and thrown a hairbrush at my friend. By the time we were due to leave the house, I was regaining consciousness on the living room floor surrounded by the worried faces of my family.

It wasn't just the mornings either. Going to bed at night was horrible. You know when something frightens you - I mean truly terrifies you - and you get that sickly, worried, urgent fear in the pit of your stomach? Imagine having that feeling the moment you close your eyes to try and sleep. It's not helpful, let me assure you.

My parents were obviously worried sick. My mum would wake me gently, bring me a drink and breakfast in bed (it wasn't all bad!) in the hope that easing myself and my faulty body into the day would help. It didn't. Looking back now I can't imagine how she must've felt.

So inevitably we ended up at the GP's surgery, where they referred my case to the neurological department at the hospital. We'd probably have to wait a few months for an appointment they said. Fortunately my dad had the kind of job that comes with all these handy little extras - like health cover. I was fortunate because if all this had started just a few months later, after my 16th birthday, I would've had no choice but to wait for the NHS.

Within a few weeks, and after an EEG and a CT scan, I was diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and prescribed appropriate medication for my condition. The whole process from the first symptom to having my epilepsy under control took just a few motnhs.

It was a really difficult time in my life, and although I can now look back and smile at the times I threw things at my sister, I did find it all quite traumatic. I would never want my children to have to go through something like that - it's a frightening experience to have no control over whatever object you hold in your hand.

My friends and teachers at school treated me differently, and people looked at me with such sympathy in their eyes when I told them I was epileptic. I hated that. I wasn't allowed to go to nightclubs as I got older (I did anyway :-/) and I always felt as though I was missing out on one thing or another. Medication may have helped, but the fear of 'over doing things' and ending up back at the start was enough of a deterrant, and so I did miss out on some things.

I am one of the lucky ones. Epilepsy has affected my life, it will always be there, it is an important part of who I am. It affects the medication I can take, the birth control I can choose from, what kind of care I got during labour, and a whole range of things in every aspect of my life. Overall though, my epilepsy is something of an underlying condition. I drive, I have children, I work at a computer, I see whatever film I like at the cinema.

There are many, many people though who's lives are dictated partly, or entirely, by their epilepsy. I have told you the story of a teenage girl with a dodgy twitch but I got a happy ending. I was lucky to be able to take medication that fully controlled my seizures, but others don't always get that luxury.

Organisations like the NCYPE - The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy - help children and young people whose lives are more severely affected than mine ever was, and where society once would shun someone with epilepsy, places like these raise awareness of a condition that was once ignored. Lives have the same value no matter who they belong to, and the NCYPE helps some of those more severely affected by epilepsy to have a better quality of life.

From March until May this year the NCYPE are running a campaign called My Purple Pledge which aims to "help create better futures for young lives with epilepsy". Click on the link to see what you can do to help. It doesn't have to be a major event - there are some great ideas on the NCYPE website to help you raise as much or as little as you like.

To find out more about what's coming up and how you can help, you can follow My Purple Pledge on Twitter or contact the team via email here.

It's a very worthwhile cause. I'm sure that if people hadn't done anything to raise awareness of, and research treatments for epilepsy I'd be a rather different person than I am today.

I am not An Epileptic. I am a person with epilepsy.

Parenting Differences

2011-01-30T19:20:00.001Z

A few weeks ago, my 3 year old started wetting himself again, on a regular basis. It's frustrating to say the least - he's been toilet trained for a good while.

Mr and I took very different views on how to tackle this problem. On my part - I shouted. Loud. It's the first time I've taken this approach and it upset both me and medium, but I had reached my wits end.

Later in the day when medium wet himself once more Mr lay him on the floor and attempted to put a nappy on him. I was, to be honest, appalled. Shouting is one thing but humiliation was a step too far for my liking.

All this got me to thinking about the different views parents have on how to raise a child. Surely it's not just us that don't agree on every aspect of parenting, so how so other parents overcome these hurdles?

While I believe it of some couples, I just don't buy the 'we talk it through calmly' explanation - the nearly-nappy incident caused quite a row between Mr and me.

So what happens when a couple have totally different opinions on how to tackle a child-related issue? What if you each disagree with the others' view? How do they reach a decision without confusing the small person?

Bringing up kids is hard work at the best of times - what when your co-pilot is opposed to your direction?!

Small's first sleep in his own room!

2011-01-30T16:33:00.001Z

The Good Deed Diaries - January 2011

2011-01-28T18:30:00.011Z

A little bit too much going on for me at the moment to do spectacular charity-based stuff, though I do plan to do more in-depth stuff through the year. Suggestions welcome :-)

So January's Good Deed was a plain old donation to a really great cause, Cancer Research UK, just a small amount but if everyone donated ...

Check out Ashlee's Page - she's going to shave off all of her hair to raise some money for a charity that is very close to her heart. Ashlee's brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour 2 yrs ago and is - thankfully - slowly but surely on the mend. But it's not always a happy ending, and donating to charities like this helps to fund more research and more happy endings.

What's a fiver? 2 pints on a Saturday night (at best!)

Go on - give a little x

100 Book Challenge - Book 5

2011-01-27T11:15:00.001Z

Book 5: The Demon Girl by Penelope Fletcher

Amazon Says:

Rae Wilder has problems. Supernatural creatures swarm earth, and humanity is on the brink of extinction. Stalked by a handsome fairy who claims she is like him, demonkind, she thinks maybe it was a mistake breaking the rules by going over the Wall into demon territory.

Plunged into a world of dark magics, fierce creatures, and ritual sacrifice, she is charged with a guarding a magical amulet. The changes to her mind and body are startling, but rather than accept her purpose she struggles against who she is destined to be. Throw in a big lust for a vampire who can't keep his hands off her, and life starts to get complicated.

Rae is forced to make the ultimate choice: to live and die human, or embrace her birth-right and wield magics that could turn her into something wicked, a force of nature nothing can control.

My Thoughts:

I'm not a great believer in faries, really. Nor am I struck on Vampires. I've never been a fan of Buffy or Twilight, and so I did find myself muttering 'yeah, right' and 'as if!' at my phone whilst reading this. On the whole though I did enjoy it to a certain degree, and I probably would read the next one in the series - but only if it was on a free download.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T10:50:00.001Z

This is what happens when Medium gets hold of my phone. There are 150
photos almost exactly like this.

Small's First Tooth!

2011-01-23T13:52:00.000Z

Well I have waited and waited for this, but today (when we are in the middle of nowhere with zero reception and I have only Mr and Medium to share it with) - Small got his first tooth!

If only I could get a photo :-/

Trouble is, of course, that we (well, I) are already being subjected to sleepless nights, (which I haven't endured since he was 3 weeks old) excessive crying and Calpol at the ready! X

Medium :-)

2011-01-20T12:52:00.000Z

Small :-)

2011-01-20T12:47:00.000Z

Working Mum ...

2011-01-20T09:30:00.000Z

I just read Scary Mommy's recent post on her feelings about returning to work after having her children, and it got me thinking about my view on the whole thing ...

It didn't take me more than 5 minutes to decide whether or not I wanted to return to work. I decided before I even went on maternity leave that I definitely did not want to go back. I hated the job I was in (full time) and couldn't wait to get out of there.

Unfortunately money doesn't grow on trees and it's illegal to make your own so in the end it turned out that I had no choice but to return. My husband and I discussed it no end and eventually settled on returning to work part time. I was DREADING it, every time I thought about it I felt so sad. I didn't want to miss Small's first steps, first word or the first time he sat up on his own. I wanted to be a 'proper' mum who did productive and educational stuff with her kids every day, moulding them into brilliant and well-rounded little people. More than that though, I realised another, more pressing reason for not wanting to go back to work. It wasn't sadness over leaving my children in nursery - it was a more selfish sorrow I felt for myself. I didn't like the job before I left it, and although I would undoubtedly miss my children, it was this underlying dread of returning to a job that I disliked - and to be frank - couldn't do very well that made me so reluctant. I knew though, that whatever happened I had no choice but to return to work, and so when my youngest was 5 months old that's what I did.

And I love it.

I work 3 days a week, Mon-Wed, and so does my husband (although he fits in a full time job during those 3 days) and then we have a 4 day 'weekend' as a family. It's great to be able to spend time together, and although I do miss them while they're at nursery, I revel in the opportunity to be 'Me'. And you know what? I'm not so bad at my job now - perhaps my negativity was an obstacle before.

So no, leaving full-time employment is not for everyone, and I now doubt very much that I would stay sane if I stayed at home full-time, but yes, part-time was the way forward for me!

The Good Deed Diaries

2011-01-19T17:44:00.000Z

It's nice to be nice.

So for this year I'm setting myself a little challenge, giving-wise.

Last year I did one or two 'good deeds' but this year I reckon there's room for improvement and so I'm hoping to do something significant for someone each month of the year. It would be easy to just donate a fiver to a charity each month, but I'd like it if I could do something with a little more depth.

I just have no idea where to start ...

100 Book Challenge - Books 3 & 4

2011-01-19T09:20:00.000Z

Book 3: Guess how much I love you by Sam McBratney

Amazon:

Sometimes when you love someone very, very much, you want to tell them how great your feelings are. But, as Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare discover, love is not an easy thing to measure.

My Thoughts:

Another beautiful children's story book, this first came to my attention whilst training as a nursery nurse. It was one of the most read stories in the nursery I was working in at the time, and for good reason. A story of a parent's strong and loving bond with his child melts your heart - especially when the little person you're reading it to is your own personal heart-melter! This book has been followed up by for other 'Guess How Much I Love You' books - one for each season. They are equally as lovely :-)

Book 4: Old Bear by Jane Hissey

Amazon Says:

One of a collection of miniature editions of "Little Bear" picture books. Years ago, Old Bear was packed away in a box and taken up to the attic. There he stayed until Bramwell Brown remembered him and decided it was time he came back to the playroom. From the author of "Little Bear Lost".

My Thoughts:

If I had to give the name of my favourite childhood book, it would be this - without a shadow of a doubt. I just love the story - I always felt sorry for Old Bear as a child, and reading it as an adult I see a story of teamwork, social inclusion, and friendship - all things I would like my children to be ambassadors of!

100 Book Challenge - Book 2

2011-01-19T08:59:00.000Z

Book 2: Soul Identity by Dennis Batchelder

Amazon Says:

You can't take it with you...but what if you could? Most people believe their souls outlive their bodies. Most people would find an organization that tracks their souls into the future and passes on their banked money and memories compelling. Scott Waverly isn't like most people. He spends his days finding and fixing computer security holes. And Scott is skeptical of his new client's claim that they have been calculating and tracking soul identities for almost twenty-six hundred years. Are they running a freaky cult? Or a sophisticated con job? Scott needs to save Soul Identity from an insider attack. Along the way, he discovers the importance of the bridges connecting people's lives

My Thoughts:

The story of a computer geek drawn into the business of tracking souls from one life to the next, this book took me a while to get into but towards the end found I was returning to it regularly throughout the day, intruiged as to what came next. Very dubious to start with - but now I might actually read the sequel.

Birthdays

2011-01-16T17:35:00.000Z

I love birthdays. It doesn't really matter who's it is - I wanna be there. Especially if it's mine, or Mr's, or Medium's, or Small's. I mean Small hasn't even had one yet so i'm condierably excited about that. Mr hates birthdays and so I always spend much money, time and effort for everyone to have a great time (including him) but I do have to listen to him moan about not wanting any fuss for weeks, sometimes months, beforehand. Don't know why I bother to be honest, and neither does he - but I do, because everyone always has a great time :-)

Bloody Families

2011-01-14T21:27:00.000Z

Jesus H. Christ my kids do my head in! Medium is fully toilet trained and has been for ages, but of late he's been 'dribbling' or full blown wetting in his pants. Frequently. To be frank, it's driving me potty. Pardon the pun.

I mean, I obviously love him more than the air I breathe, but for pity's sake - I have enough washing to do.

So now I'm wondering - worrying - if it's my fault. I shout so much, sometimes for very little reason. Not at him, mostly, although when he's naughty obviously he is disciplined. But sometimes I do feel as though I've shouted unnecessarily. More than sometimes. So from now on, trying to keep calm during times of stress ... but it's so HARD!

Wish me luck ... :-) xx

100 Book Challenge

2011-01-11T22:47:00.000Z

OK, before you even think it, I know that this is practically impossible when you have a job, a house, a husband and some kids but nevertheless I thtink I'll have a go.

I'll post each book rather than posting them in groups (makes my blog look busier than it actually is) so here, my friendly blog followers, is book number 1 of 100 that I intend to read during 2011 ...

Amazon Says:

For broken-hearted Olivia Larsen, nothing can change the fact that her twin sister, Violet, is gone... until a mysterious, beautiful gown arrives on her doorstep. The dress doesn't just look magical; it is magical. It has the power to grant her one wish, and the only thing Olivia wants is her sister back.With Violet again by her side, both girls get a second chance at life. And as the sisters soon discover, they have two more dresses-and two more wishes left. But magic can't solve everything, and Olivia is forced to confront her ghosts to learn how to laugh, love, and live again.In a breathtaking debut from Alexandra Bullen, WISH asks the question: If you could have anything, what would you wish for?

My Thoughts:

I bought an iPhone at the end of last year and have installed kindle on it. I downloaded this book for free and am actually pleasantly surprised by it (for a freebie!). It's all a little hard to swallow in the beginning if you're the sceptical sort (as I am), as this is the story of a teenage girl who lost her twin sister, only to bring her back (as a ghost) by way of a magical wish granted to her by some weirdo in a run down shop. By mid-way through though I was hooked and it didn't take me long to finish this heart warming novel. It made me cry, and although that in itself is far from difficult, it did actually take me by surprise since I was rolling my eyes at the mere suggestion of ghosts not half an hour beforehand. Definitely worth a read, perhaps as a holiday book.

In The Beginning ...

2011-01-11T20:05:00.000Z

In the beginning I was a normal person. Then I had children and turned into a total nutcase.

I have little short term memory, little ability in the field of grown up communication and patience as thin as a thin thing. I was happy before I had my children, and I had a (very) social life, but I have swapped midweek parties and tiny skirts for cbeebies bedtime hour and Ugg boots. I've changed an incredible amount since they arrived - not all for the better - but on the whole I'm pretty sure it's a good shift in direction. Good job really - it's not like you can return them to the nearest branch of Babies R Us ...

So I've started this blog in an attempt to regain some of my 'other' identity. You know the one - where you have a proper name and interests of your own rather than being called somebody's mum who's specialist subject on Mastermind would be the life and times of Justin Fletcher.

I can't promise myself that I'll blog every day or even once a week, but I will blog when I have something to say and the energy to say it.

x