A Mother's Ramblings

What I was doing Eight years ago yesterday...

Top Ender was going up to her room to play on her computer, whilst I was working and Daddy was going to take Baby Boy out on Daddy Son Date Night. "Your very lucky Top Ender, I never had a computer when I was your age!" said Daddy "Were you born in the olden days then?" asked Top Ender

On Thursday I went to see my Doctor. I can wish can't I? Nobody knew that I was going, I didn't tweet, I didn't status update on Facebook and I only told Daddy because he had to drop me off there (I had the car that morning and he needed it earlier than expected or I wouldn't of told him at all!). When I walked into see him I launched straight into my rehearsed speech; "I'm overweight. I know I am overweight and for the past six weeks I have been making a really concerted effort to lose weight. The problem is that in those six weeks I have lost six pounds (two kilograms) and this week looks as if I have put them all back on." The Doctor looked at me and I could see that he was trying to get the measure of me, was I being serious about weight loss or was I just saying I was because I wanted a short term fix? He asked me to jump on the scales (I had put on 2lbs, but I was also dressed that counts for something right?) and then started quizzing me on what I ...

The other day I was talking to a friend on Facebook. She asked me about my weight loss and how I was finding things. I was honest with her and told her that it was hard, and that I had a long way to go. It was at this point that she asked if I had considered surgery as with my BMI being so high I could be considered for this. She knows a lot about this option, as earlier this year she had a laparoscopic gastric bypass. I told her that I hadn't considered this and I wondered if she would be willing to share her story with us all here. She graciously agreed so here is Angel's story with a few interruptions (I'll stay in black!) by me! Hello Everyone, Earlier this year I weighed 22 stones. Then I had a laparoscopic gastric bypass. This is more extreme than just a gastric band as instead of your stomach having a band it is where you have your stomach stapled and bypassed. Gastric bands are something that most of us know about. Everyone seems to know tha...

Today is the start of Week Five and The Master Bathroom and boy am I glad! I ended up not doing anything in my bedroom this week as I just didn't know where to start. Not an excuse I know, but if you could of seen it you would understand... Anyway today it was fairly warm out and Daddy didn't want to go for another walk in the heat and so he said; "Why don't we sort out our bedroom together?" Normally I would get defensive about this (its my junk causing the mess) but instead I was so glad to have the help! We got rid of four bags of rubbish, put five bags of clothes in the loft (for the next baby) and I had a good cry when I found material I had brought to make my Gran a new blanket to replace the one I made two years before that. As we only have one bathroom and it is tiny (only 6ft square!) cleaning it is a breeze and doing the tasks that are planned this week are simple for me as I have to keep them small as they are stored in other areas of the ho...

Top Ender and I have a lot of games that we play together, that tend to drive Daddy crazy. You see Top Ender and I have very active imaginations. For years when I babysat children I created imaginary worlds and situations to play in. I once took a group of eight children, with my sister, on a walk to a park and we pretended that we were walking through a zoo. As we went along we looked at each enclosure and watched what the animals were doing. This group of children are now young adults and I am still in touch with most of them. Those that I am still in touch with have mentioned this walk to me, and how they could really see the animals in the enclosures. Of course there were no enclosures or animals just my very active imagination which all young children naturally have. The thing is my imagination never left me. I have invisible pets that I tell stories to children about that cause the parents to look at me as if I am mad because I appear to really believe the things I am saying...B...

Last night I slept like a baby. Not that peaceful sleep that you see in adverts and hear about in Baby Books, but a proper Baby sleep. I know that it was a proper Baby Sleep because I am Baby Boy. This is what happened last night. 7pm Mummy started the bedtime routine for Top Ender and me. She got us washed and brushed my teeth whilst Top Ender did her own. Whilst Mummy put a nappy and a sleep suit on me, she let Top Ender get dressed into her pajamas on her own. When Top Ender came downstairs she was wearing her pajama top and her pink legwarmers, but no trousers or shorts! I thought it was funny as Top Ender kept wiggling her bottom and Mummy pretended to be annoyed, but I knew that she was just pretending! 7:30pm Mummy told Top Ender and me the story she calls Number 161 The Tale of Rose Red and Snow White whilst she gave me some Booby milk. I have heard the story so many times before but Top Ender and I like it. Top Ender pretends to be Snow White and I pretend to be the Bear/Prin...

After the story from And 1 more means four on Saturday about accidentally have an innuendo filled conversation with her boss I thought we should have a laugh at me for a change with a story from the archives of my mind! First DC was my male boss and his wife had just given birth to twin girls the fortnight before who were very, very, very, very cute. "DC the babies are so cute!" I said looking at a photo "Thank you" he said knowing already that they were indeed two of the cutest babies ever "Can I have your babies?" I said not realising what it was I was saying even when I had said it "Well I don't really know you that well" said DC with an evil (maybe not evil) twinkle in his eye "I don't think I meant it like it sounded" I said turning a very bright red "Too late, we heard it" said the HR manager (who I was rapidly going off at this point) And they only told everyone at the next company meeting in which I was at att...

Here are a selection of cakes that have been made over the years by me for various events! They are now all calorie free, so enjoy! If you want to see more cakes that I have made then please have a look here at the ones that are on my Flickr account - http://budurl.com/rypd

Top Ender and Baby Boy had been given a balloon by the lovely lady in the party shop last Wednesday, Top Ender took hers upstairs to her room when she went to bed. On Thursday morning when Baby Boy was feeling a bit grumpy (from his rude awakening of Top Enders rather loud rendition of "Big Red Combine Harvester") she fetched the balloon for him to play with under Daddy's supervision on his (and Mine!) bed. Baby Boy likes to hold on to the ribbon and bump the balloon on the ceiling before letting the ribbon go and then catching the ribbon and pulling the balloon back down. Unfortunately on one go Baby Boy wasn't quick enough and didn't catch the ribbon before it was beyond his reach. Top Ender fearing for her ear drums grabbed the ribbon and passed it back to him. "Thank you" said Baby Boy incredibly clearly "Thank you? Your the best baby in the world!" said an impressed Top Ender Not sure who was most proud me and Daddy or Top Ender!

Its been one of those weeks where I stuck pretty much to the diet and exercise plans, (but did have some extra calories on an evening in with Top Ender, that I know I didn't burn off before another evening in with Daddy), and learnt an awful lot about myself. It all started on Saturday morning when Daddy and I took Top Ender and Baby Boy for breakfast at Ikea, before our scheduled trip to the Supermarket for the weekly groceries. Whilst we were waiting to pay Baby Boy decided to spill his purple juice drink all over my white top. I didn't bother over this as I have had plenty worse on my clothes from Baby Boy or Top Ender in the past. Daddy however seemed to be more upset it and about my choice not to go home to change before going shopping. The resulting conversation (read heated exchange in muted tones as we were out in public) revealed more than I thought it would due to two sentences that Daddy said. "I like people to look at me and then to look who I am with and go Wo...

It seems that every week something that's bothering me turns into my post for the Challenge that week. This week is no different. As you have probably read this week I have realised that I have given up on looking good whilst I am overweight and this is not a good thing. There are several factors that need to be included if you want to look good and the first is the most important, the best and the most simple. Are you ready? Okay you need Good Underware. Yeah I said it. A good set of knickers and bra will not only allow you to look good and feel good. It will stop your Mum from worrying what the Dr's will think if you get hit by a bus. The first step is to find out what size bra you need. Go to a shop that you like to be measured at and get measured! A good bra will change everything and will make you feel better too! I go to Bravissimo to get measured (I find that at the department stores I get measured wrongly) and I go at least every six months. Don't forge...

This week is the Master Bedroom Week part of the plan. We start in the Master Bedroom making it clean and tidy and have a closet clear out too. I hate this week, as my bedroom is a mess. I will get it cleared and it will be lovely for a week or so and then my bad habits start again and things start to pile up. I have too much stuff and I know that. Maybe this year will be different. I think I am doing quite well with my holiday prep this year. I have been following the plan as normal, but with a lot of forward planning from earlier this year I realised that 75% of Top Enders Stocking gifts have already been purchased and around 25% of Baby Boys. With major gifts for both of them having been organised too and Daddy and I already having agreed that we only spend £25 on materials to make a gift for the other things seem to be getting on well! This year I can't buy a Christmas Pudding for the family to share (although getting to find a alcohol free pudding had been getting harder ...

I love the book The Five People You Meet in Heaven , I picked it up in a bookstore because it appealed to me as I like the writing style of Mitch Albom (who also wrote Tuesdays with Maurie which one day I will use as inspiration for "I'm one of the Wednesday People") and I like to see what others think Heaven looks like! The first time I read it, I knew that if this really did happen to me that I knew who the five people I would meet, would be. Some of them read this blog and if you realise that I am talking about you then I hope that you don't mind appearing here. I think that I have managed to keep you anonymous and if you want to comment I won't out you. The first person would no doubt appear to me as I remember her. A shy eight or nine year old girl with a huge heart and smile to match. It was this young girl that had completed a piece of homework and had allowed me to read it. It was this piece of homework that changed my life (but I don't t...

"So tell me about School Top Ender" said Daddy "What do you want to know?" asked Top Ender "Anything!" said Daddy "Well I sit on the triangle table, some sit on the circle table and some sit on the hooligan table." "Top Ender do you mean hexagon?" said Daddy trying to stifle the giggles "Yes Daddy" said an indignant Top Ender Knowing the children in Top Enders class, I can't help but feel that I know who sits on the hooligan table.

I didn't know what to write today. I had a few draft posts that I deleted today because they don't seem to be things that you would be interested in. I'm sure that the effects of divorce on an adult child would of bored you to tears and I am even more sure that the epiphany post I was trying to write would of caused you to throw rotten produce at me. I thought about doing one of those letter posts that are popular, but I don't have any pithy or witty letters in me or at least any subject that I could write said pithy or witty letters about. Isn't this a clever picture? I thought about doing a poo story, so that I could properly call myself a Mummy blogger, or maybe a birth story, or a feeling broody story but they seemed a little forced and we are back to the rotten produce being thrown at me. I thought that maybe I could tell you about the people that came into my life and changed it for the better, or about my religious beliefs, or my political ideals or my idea...

When ever I am not moving around the house (for example right now whilst I type this) I wish there was a way I could lose weight or tone my muscles. I don't want to wear one of those special Ab-Toner belts (bet they don't do one my size anyway!) but I do want to multi-task and this got me thinking. Sit up straight whilst on the PC! Did you know that sitting up straight burns calories and tones muscles? It's true. Sit up straight now. Feel that slight tingle or tightness in your lower back? That's the muscles coming into play. Imagine if you did that for 15 minutes everyday, or 30 minutes or 45 minutes or for an hour! I definitely spend at least an hour on the PC everyday and sitting straight is something I can add in! Instead of just watching TV, work out whist watching TV! No I know, TV is something you can relax with. Take a guess at how much TV you watch though. I watch way too much TV, so I decided to work out whilst watching some programmes. Neighbours ...

Last week the scales and I came to an agreement, if they show me weight loss, I carry on losing weight. We stayed up late chatting to each other, not eating the Ben and Jerry's that was in the freezer (I made Daddy eat it last night!) and giggling over our previous silly misunderstanding. This morning I stood butt naked in my kitchen (it's where my scales live, I don't know why they aren't in my Bathroom or Bedroom, they just live in the kitchen okay?!) and waited for them to read out my weight. I'm 18st, 12lbs! Normally when Daddy is at work (now three nights a week) I tend to take a treat (or four) upstairs and watch TV in bed. I realised that this was very bad behaviour and now I have started treating myself to soppy romance films which I watch downstairs whilst exercising. It is great as it means that I get extra exercise each day and as long as I eat more at lunch and dinner then I don't feel a need to snack either! My plans for this week are; Meal Plan Bre...

When Daddy and I married we sat down and talked about the traditions we had for Christmas in our families (amongst other things) and what ones we would like to have together in our family. When I first started on the Holiday Grand Plan I looked again at what Christmas meant to me and every year in Week Two (last week) I look again. I thought I would share with you my thoughts based around the questions asked, Do I see Christmas time primarily as a time for entertaining friends and renewing long lost acquaintances or as a time for family? Christmas is all about family. Every December I attend one Christmas party and that is my works Christmas Dinner. I keep in touch with distant friends and family throughout the year, so they get a Christmas Card, but I don't need to worry about calling them.

"I need to come up with an idea for my Halloween costume Top Ender" I said "What about a witch?" said Top Ender "Well, I am trying to think of something really cool" I said "An ice cube?" said Top Ender "Something related to Halloween Top Ender" I said "Mud" said Top Ender "Mud?" I asked "Mud is what pumpkins grow on" she said "No Top Ender, just No" I said

I remember eight years ago I was working in advertising for a local Newspaper when I received an email from Daddy (then just fiancé) telling me that a plane had hit one of The Twin Towers. I remember running down to the main news office, screaming to them to turn on the news and returning to my desk crying after having watched a few minutes of the events that were unfolding. I remember sitting in my parents home with Daddy watching the news until very late that night and knowing that the world had forever changed. I remember my prayers that night for everyone in the world, asking for them to feel some comfort from a loving Heavenly Father. Today I will remember and pray for us all.

Top Ender and I were watching the Television together when an advert for The Biggest loser came on TV. Top Ender has a fascination with this programme as she enjoys the concept of word play of a loser being a winner and she has a little thing for Bob. "The Biggest Loser? No way!" exclaimed Top Ender "Yes, but we don't get that channel so we can't watch it I'm afraid" I said "That's okay" she said and slid to the floor where she lay down "Top Ender get up off the floor. Top Ender what are you doing?" I asked "I faded. That's what people do when they get excited" she whispered "Fainted Top Ender, people faint not fade"