A Mother's Ramblings

I remember when I first read the Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus (Thats right guys you get the planet with the scary monsters). If you haven't read the book then the main thing that I remember from it is that one of the big differences between the sexes is the way they tackle problems. Men will see an problem and will start to fix it, however they think is best. This however is different to how Women react. When a problem is brought up Women will think about it and will listen and will then offer a few words if they think it is appropriate. I know that I keep saying this, but this is my problem. I need to tackle my weight problem like a man. Rather than looking at it and saying a few appropriate words I need to kick my butt into gear and deal with the problem head on. I know that I need to exercise more, but I don't. I know that I need to eat better and drink more water, but I don't. I know that I need to be firm with myself, but I'm not. I'm ...

When Top Ender was 20 months old there were only two places that she was taken... Thats right Mummy took her to Gambardo's and Daddy took her to the computer shop and her concept of amounts and time wasn't all that great either... It wasn't exactly true however as Top Ender was also taken swimming (as you heard Daddy saying there) and it was only a few months later that I suggested that once a week Daddy and Top Ender went on a Daddy Daughter Date Night and do something fun on top of the weekly swim session. When I first suggested the Daddy Daughter Date Night I think that Daddy thought that I was a bit odd (Haha, I heard that). Then as he thought about it it made him feel sad that he didn't get enough time with Top Ender that he had to set aside special time to spend with her. I remember him commenting that he felt like he was being looked at with pity, that he felt he was look at as if he was divorced or a single parent and he didn't like tha...

I was tagged by Angels and Urchins in one of the best meme's around, a Stories and Songs Meme that was started by Brits in Bosnia . The idea is great one, you have to talk about a song that reminds you of something, that has a story for you. Not necessarily your favourite song or a even a song that you love, but a song that instantly takes you back to that time and place. Now Angels and Urchins song was Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now. Great song and it stirred up memories for me too, but as they had already chosen it I couldn't choose it! So I started thinking and shuffling through the music on the PC. Now something you might not know about me and Daddy is that we LOVE music. There are 500 CD's in our living room on shelves. There are probably the same amount in a cupboard. There is probably that four or five times over in boxes in the loft. Luckily with Daddy being a technology genius they are also all available on the PC and so I can use any PC in any room (We have a PC...

If you didn't read my January Christmas Club post at the start of the week, you might not of realised that I am preparing for Valentines Day with Top Ender and Baby Boy in the evenings, making decorations and cards and getting ideas together for gifts. Last year Top Ender and I made Gluten Free Gingerbread biscuits for Daddy (and us!) and Top Ender decorated them using icing pens.

(I know its supposed to be Wordless, but pretend you can't see this, thats why I have made it small and everything. Top Ender has had Daisy for several months now (almost a year) and it was decided that for her Birthday she would make Daisy a husband. Daniel was made at Top Enders Birthday party at the start of the month and as you can see we did the reveal in true Blind Date style! They are still dating, but will be going at it like... err Rabbits once they are married this spring....)

Daddy walked into the living room to find this sight greeting him.  Guess I must do some exercise occassionally then!

Today is Robert Burns birthday, and so traditionally today is the day where there will be a celebration of his life and poetry works... altough a Burns night can be held on any day you like. My Mum is Scottish, and so I grew up knowing about Burns and about his poems and even memorised one which my Mum taught me (To A Mouse, on Turning Her Up in Her Nest, with the Plough) and I can only say in my fake Scottish accent (I say fake as I am 100% English and my Scottish accent is very dodgy) but I have never been to a Burns Supper. Tonight however I will serve neeps and tatties (mashed turnip and potato) with mince and onions to my teaghlach (Yes I know a few bits of Gaelic, the best bit when I was growing up was learning Gaelic swear words to use during school until we got a Scottish Teacher and luckily she laughed it off) and we shall have a mini celebration of Burns. Luckily I know the proper format of the evening thanks in part to a conversation with my Mum yesterday...

Well, if you have stumbled upon me today not knowing that I was planning on preparing for Christmas please don't run for the hills screaming that Christmas is coming soon, you haven't fallen asleep for a really long time, Christmas Day was really only one month ago and the big event for 2010 is still a whole 11 months away... but who doesn't like to be prepared before the big event? If you too want to prepare for Christmas, then you are welcome to join me! And if you have any ideas or suggestions the comment box is always open! What I am planning on doing is each month tackling a small area of Christmas planning as well as the planning for celebrations in the month. Like for example today is Burns Night, and so last month I made sure that as I was going to have a small celebration with my family that I would remember to buy a Turnip for neeps and tatties to go with the mince and onion. (And tomorrow we will have Stovies, but thats another story) Today however I am g...

I've been thinking this week. Its a dangerous habit, but one I haven't ever been able to kick. I think that if I could I would live inside me head, but I know that it is selfish and dangerous so I won't try it (for extended periods of time anyway). I have been thinking about what stops me from doing what I want to do, what I need to do in order to lose weight. And the answer didn't surprise me at all. You see it isn't that I don't want to or that I can't. It's not that I don't have the time or even the tools. It's not that I am lazy (although I am sure that I am!). Its the same problem that causes me to want to follow the Flylady system for keeping my home clean. My internal voice says to me "If it isn't going to be prefect then why even bother?" and that internal voice isn't the Still Small Voice that tells me that I am loved by a Heavenly Father... this one is a mean internal voice. When I realised this it all sudde...

At Christmas Baby Boy was a lucky young man and got two new plates and bowls. Daddy had been with me when I got them. Daddy had actually seen them, held them and paid for them. Daddy was sitting with Baby Boy as he was unwrapping his presents. As such this meant that Daddy was able to examine each new gift after Baby Boy had passed his own judgement on them. When Baby Boy got to the plates and bowls he immediatly passed them to Daddy, with more interest in the paper that had previously been wrapped around them. "Bit self indulgent isn't it?" muttered Daddy "Pardon?" I answered having really not heard " Yummy Mummy " he quoted showing the plate to me It took an "Oh-my-goodness-can't-you-read" glare and a second for Daddy to realise.

I don't think of myself as materialistic and of course I would love for the world to be free of war and famine and disasters, but sometimes what I need is something for me. And so I dream about what I would buy, and I look in the shops and touch all the pretty things. I don't buy them though because I'm not materialistic. So with that being said I would love; A New Camera. After Top Ender accidentally dunked my old one, it didn't work properly, but it did work... until it well and truly gave up the ghost. I would like one that has a view finder and a screen on the back and lots of little extra functions like my old Sony Cybershot DSC-W55... but I wouldn't be too fussy. A New Dirty Laundry Hamper. It needs to be one that you can sort the clothes into at least three categories and not something that cats could scratch to pieces as they have done my last three hampers. And it would be nice if it had a magical elf that came with it to fill it up with the dirty...

On Christmas Day my Mother In Law had popped round to see us and to swap gifts. Whilst she was here Daddy had to quickly use the Carpet Sweeper (or the hodduhuduhduh as it is known in our house thanks to Eddie Izzard) and she made a comment about how she didn't have one and would like one. "Brilliant!" I thought I made a mental note for a future gift for Mothers Day or Birthday or one of the other million reasons there are per year to show apprecation for those around us and carried on enduring enjoying her visit. It was decided between Daddy and I later that day, that because she has been having a bad time of it of late, that we would purchase one and take it round on New Years Day, a clean start to the New Year sort of thing. So we took it round on New Years Day and discovered that she had already brought one... It was the Digital Camera debacle all over again, but that is a story for another day. It was with thanks to my MIL that I made sure ...

"Sorry, but Mummy is suffocated on my bedroom floor" That got Daddy running upstairs quite quickly, but he soon realised he didn't need to worry as he could hear me giggling into the carpet. You see if we rewind back 15 minutes you would see that Top Ender had been throwing a bit of a strop in the car. It got to the point where she was repeating "Turnaround" every few seconds. After a minute of this I started singing "Total Eclipse of the Heart" well actually Daddy did because he knows the words better than me (Can you say Karaoke King?) and whilst Top Ender was still in a strop at least she had the decency to giggle at our OTT performance. When we got home it was suggested to Top Ender that she might like to go upstairs to her room for a little while. I went with her and we sat cross-legged on the floor talking until she had calmed down. She climbed on to my lap to give me a hug and in doing so accidentally banged my head o...

"Top Ender, can you please go up to my bedside table and get me my mobile phone?" "Okay!" she answered Top Ender returned a few minutes later with my alarm clock...

I stopped watching the news years ago. It seemed that everyday there was something terrible on the news and I would fret on things that were not in my control. I don't like hearing about people being murdred, children being abused or about Terrorists who have blown up innocent people because they think it is the only way for their voice to be heard. I get my news online, I know that if the title of a piece looks like it is going to make me upset that I don't read it. Of course that doesn't stop me hearing about big disasters. I first hear about the Haiti earthquake on Twitter. I knew from the trending topics that it was something that I was going to fret on. I knew that I would want to give to the people of Haiti who will of lost family and friends and homes and the ability to carry on with a normal existance. And Bloggers responded loudly with donations at a specially set up Just Giving page . Currently the donations will allow four (nearly five) Shelter boxes to be ...

I read a lot. I read in the bath, and in the shower, whilst on the toilet, whilst cooking dinner, whilst sitting in the car, whilst sitting in bed, whilst on the PC, whilst I am at work, whilst I am hoovering, whilst I am breastfeeding, whilst sitting in the garden and once whilst I was donating blood. It makes me wonder why I have never taken part in a reading challenge before. This year though I am going to do something about it. This year I am taking part in a 100 Books Challenge. So far this year I have read; 1) Honor Thyself by Danielle Steel 2) Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult and I am now reading; 3) Last Christmas by Julia Williams And that means that I am already two books behind schedule, as to read 100 in one year I will ned to read on average two a week! Now the challenge does say that you can read anything that has an ISBN, which does mean that some of Top Enders and Baby Boys books, which take minutes to read, could be included to bring up ...

We have been on lots of holidays Daddy and I. We stayed in a tent in Wales when we had really only just met. There was the time that we went to Greece (our Honeymoon) and swam in clear oceans and hired a little motorbike that when we were riding on it we were overtaken by people walking. Then there was part two of our Honeymoon where we went to Geneva and on our first night it snowed and we woke up to a beautiful wonderland and we spent a fortune on a trip to Mount Blanc, but it was worth it because we had out own private tour guide. There was the trip to Paris, a few more to Wales, one to Scotland and countless others that I have probably forgotten, and even if I got a visual reminder then I would still swear blind that the event never happened... not that that has happened or anything (Good job Daddy never comments on this blog!) because my memory is great and I never forget anything. But none of these were my best trip ever. We have been on a few with Top Ender too. A...

I didn't really try this week, I was careful not to eat too much rubbish and junk, and to try to exercise as much as possible but my heart wasn't really in it. I'm at the point where I know that I want to lose weight and I know that the only way to do that is to modify my diet and increase my exercise but I'm bored of being good and healthy. I'm bored of looking at clothes that I want to buy, but can't because they don't do my size. I'm bored of meals that although nutrious and healty and yes tasty aren't what I really want to eat. I'm bored of being hooked on junk food. I know that this week if I don't make an effort that I will end up giving up and that isn't something that I want to do. Tomorrow the newest NEWO ( No Excuse WorkOut ) challenge from Jonathan starts and this time instead of just being half hearted about it I am really going to go for it. This week I am going to be the one that changes.

Now those of you who know me in "real life" are going to be divided into two camps over this post. The first lot of you are going to have one of those "aha" moments about me and the other half of you are never going to believe it. I'm shy. When I posted last week about how Making Friends Sucks , I didn't really talk about the friends I do have or why I have more online friends than "real life" friends, but the true answer is because I am shy. If you do know me in real life you will know me as a quite bubbly character, who either never shuts up or who is a bit of a comedian. I admit that these characteristics don't exactly scream shy, but this is because it is a persona. This is the kind of person that I want to be and so I have created a front that is this person. Its easier with Online friends. For a start they are a lot easier to come by, there isn't always somewhere where you can find someone to talk to who will have something in...

This was a man I saw. He was pushing a pram, and so I guessed that the woman that was with him was his other half. I just hope he was wearing it for one of the following reasons; A: He lost a bet B: It was all the seaside shop had in stock in his size and he couldn't wear his top for some reason (like Baby Sick) C: He is hinting to his partner And not one of the many other reasons I thought of.

Top Ender uses some phrases that we have to explain to her as being "Grown up phrases", and just confirm with her that maybe she shouldn't use them in front of others. Sausages looking like they are having Sex is one of them, Pole Dancing is another. To her pole dancing is something that is fun (well thats true for the Grown up Pole Dancing too isn't it chaps?) and involves dancing round a pole (again nothing different there). When she shouted at the top of her voice at Adventure Island in Southend that she was Pole Dancing whilst wrapping herself around a pole we explained that it wasn't something to shout about in public due to it being a Grown up Term. Especially as the wrapping of her body around the pole was quite contortionistic. Pole Dance Originally uploaded by kularock I was in the kitchen preparing dinner when Top Ender called to me; "Look Mum I am pole dancing again!" "What did I say a...

Todays posts are all on a similar theme, and that theme is Not Safe For Work. Please, please, please, don't read these if you are at work as I don't want to be the reason you are fired. Or the reason why your IT department are annoyed with you because there is coffee all over your screen and in your keyboard. That being said if you have an understanding boss read on! Top Ender Giggles - X-Rated And Whilst we are on the Subject

Daddy looked in the cupboard and decided that breakfast for Top Ender and Baby Boy would be porridge seeing as the snow was still quite thick on the ground. He was helping Baby Boy to eat his when; "This doesn't taste right Daddy" said Top Ender "What do you mean?" answered Daddy "Mummy makes it with flavour" said Top Ender Daddy did tell me, but grudgingly so.

"Mummy, when I am older I am going to be ruler of the world and hold contests for seeing who the most beautiful person is... and you will win." said Top Ender "Ahh! Thank you Top Ender" I said feeling all smug "I'm going to make it so that only ugly people are in the competition" clarified Top Ender And thats the reason why there is this embarassing photo of Top Ender's accompanying  this post.