Pimp A Post Sunday

OK, well I may as well join in especially as I have been nominated for this by @mojojomilo (her blog is Wonderments. Thank you so much for mentioning me. I've not been doing this blog for very long at all (less than a month) and it means so much to have people reading and enjoying it.

I should also mention that Mojojomilo found out about this via SuperAmazingMum. Here is Mojojomilo's blog post on the subject. 

The post that I would like to nominate for this week's Pimp A Post Sunday is by the lovely manicmum4 whose blog I have been reading right from the beginning (since I discovered her a few weeks ago - I decided to go back to the beginning of her archive and I feel like I've been on a journey wiht her - if only from a distance). I recently got to the moment when her life changed dramatically and this post of hers moved me to tears. I feel so humbled by her strength and lucky for the life I have and I think she is an amazing brave woman. Please check out this blog post of hers: This week from my perspective.

Tamsyn I hope you don't mind me taking this photo from your blog. If you do, let me know and I'll remove it. xxx

No title as I'm being harrassed to come down so hubby can do brewing

I LOVE how my new blog looks. I might just give up writing posts in favour of staring at the pretty pink and black format all day!!!

Its Saturday morning and I've been up with the kids since about 8. They woke up earlier but we've managed to get them in the habit of chilling in their room for a while in the morning at the weekends. Plus its nice for all of us to not have to rush out anywhere so nice to make the most of it.

Hubby is taking them out this morning. Have given him a list of things to buy/do. I might have a bath when he's gone. Or watch TV or write in my blog (although technically that's what I'm doing now). As well as writing this, or rather in between writing it - and listening to crying kids downstairs (getting them ready to go out is not going so well for hubby it seems) I'm organising my Twitter lists. I have recently added a load of new people (mostly ppl I have been #FF'd with or people who have followed me - only polite to follow them back) but I am kind of anal and I don't like to not have them in a category. So I am using Twitlistmanager to find all my UNcategorized twitterers and adding them to a New Followers (actually it should probably be new followees) list so that once that's done I can go through that list (you can't see uncategorized list on Twitter) and add them to the relevant list.


Great. Have just found out from hubby that he thinks daughter is too poorly and tired to go out with him. Great. Just great. Not that I mind chill time with my girlie but was actually quite looking to a bit of child-free time.

Got him to change a big pooey nappy she's just done to make up for him not taking her out too. So nurr!!!

Right, am back. Put girl child to bed with milk (with anti-biotics mixed in - she STILL won't take that stuff off me although our lovely childminder number 2 - who I have to say I absolutely adore and will be so sad when she has her baby - only kidding. I can't wait to see her little baby but I love her having Lala - I always know she's so well looked after and entertained and happy - er... what was I saying? Oh yes, childminder gets her to take her yucky yellow medicine no problem! Just not sure what I'm doing wrong).

Back to sorting out my Twitter Lists. These are the ones I've set up:

•  Uncategorized (was called New Followers but as per my comments above, that didn't really make sense)
• Favourite People (I previously called this Top Bloggers but changed that as some of them may not actually be bloggers. This is where I will put people I have made a connection with)
• People I'm following (this was called Bloggers - as most of the people I'm following are mummy-type bloggers)
• Friends - for people I actually know personally
• Celebs (obvious really)
• Blokes (just added this one - for those bloke bloggers or tweeters for when I fancy reading something not by a woman)
• Organisation (for shops, organisations and people who do nothing but tweet about stuff they're selling - am keeping them as a) I may be interested when I need something b) its only polite to follow back Twitterers that are following me but I don't need this in my main newsfeed tbh)
• Uninteresting - now, don't get me wrong. I love all you lovely people but while I don't want to be rude and unfollow you, some people only seem to tweet about offers or competitions or clubbing or stuff like that which I'm not really interested in - sorry :( )
• Oh and another new one I've created - Working Mums. I might create another one called Mummy Bloggers and put all my mummy bloggers in there. Obviously (do you love how I like to state the obvious)

Hubby went out. Lala went to sleep and I ran a bath and lay in the steaming hot water reading @manicmum4 's blog. I had been trying not to race through the entries quickly as I knew that any entry would be the first one after her husband had to go into hospital. You know when you are reading a book and someone has given away the plot and you kind of want to race to find out what happens. I know that sounds horribly callous and I don't mean it that way but her blog has been for me like reading a book - only I know she's a real person so in a way it has so much more meaning. The funny bits really do have me chuckling my head off. There was a bit where she said her little girl had put a penny in her front bottom - I was reading this at bedtime while in bed next to my husband and he thought I had gone mad, I had such a sudden laughing fit. I have so thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I have to say I have completely neglected any other blogs I have subscribed to. I'm such an OCD mad person - have to do things in order and when I'm hooked on one thing I hate flicking between other things - for instance, I've never understood how people can read 2 or 3 books at once. Anyway, I digress. I was in the bath reading her blog. I got to the first entry where she explains what happened to her husband and what she has been going through in the first few days after his health issue - hard to know what to call it. Not an accident. I have had to force myself to put my phone down and stop reading as hubby and Joshua are back and I needed to write this down. I have been so moved by her story. I lay in the bath reading, with tears rolling down my face. Feeling a little ashamed of my own selfishness that I want hubby to take the kids out so I can have some me time, send my daughter to bed so I can have a bath.... but then we all have our little daily dramas. The important thing I suppose is to occassionally step back, take the time to appreciate what we are lucky enough to have. I have my little things that bug me. Things about my hubby and things he does. I worry too much about the little things - my weight and how I use food to comfort myself rather too much, the house and how (even though I'm too bloody lazy to do it) I still have too high standards and wish it could all be perfect all the time (and it can't so I just won't bother at all, cos really, whats the point?). But I know deep down the truth. I have a wonderful husband. My family (although not always understanding me, or me them) are very lovely and caring. My kids are beautiful and precious. I am so amazingly lucky to have had good fortune, decent jobs etc to enable us to love in a pretty amazing house - and to be considering moving to an even MORE amazing house (fingers crossed - but if it doesn't happen we are still incredibly lucky). And I couldn't forget to mention my wonderful friends. Especially the ones that tell me that I've neglected them and I need to buck up my ideas and be there for them a little better.

Manicmum4: thank you for sharing your journey with me (not just me obviously - with the world). I'm not done yet. I still have 140 posts to read until I'm up to the present day and (darn you) you keep writing more!!! haha. Just kidding.  Honestly, I feel humbled.

Must go as hubby wants to do his brewing stuff.

Feeling guilty

I feel a bit guilty.

Have been reading Manic Mum's blog and absolutely loving it. But to me it is an enjoyable read. A distraction. She is a really funny writer. I know that I have yet to get to the very sad event in her life and I suppose for me it hasn't really happened. I commented earlier that she should try to get it published and asked her some questions about her earlier life. I now feel bad that I'm treating her as if she is a story with no feelings and just there for my entertainment.

Is that silly? Maybe I worry too much.

Chocolate spread and angry birds Star Wars

Why does my dog insist on barking her head off at the one time of day we need to have a little wind-down time. My dad dropped the kids home and they wanted food - dog is incessant beggar and thief and won't leave kids alone and I didn't have the energy to police her today (after my hard day! haha not really) so have locked her in her room (we have a dog room - get us!) with other dog just while they eat their chocolate spready bread.

Am quite proud I managed to get my son into Chocolate Spread just now. He's never gone for chocolate spread or peanut butter before no matter how much I try and tempt him (so never before managed to use my kids as an excuse to buy it when really I just want it cos it makes me feel cosy and warm and reminds me of being a child - I have no idea if I had chocolate spread as a child but its just that kind of food).

Dog is STILL barking head off. You would think husband would consider it his responsibility, as he's currently downstairs with kids, to go in there and tell her to shut the f*** up. God knows what the neighbours think of us - actually I think I know what they think of us.

Just had to go downstairs as kids upset about something & hubby was giving chickens a late night snack (its only 18:50 but is past chicken bedtime) as they were refusing to go to bed (PS am not making up having chickens so I can be more like ManicMum4 (her early catalogue anyway) - I really do have 6 chickens but mine have never tried to lay an egg on my car seat. They have however laid in the flower beds and I think there have probably been quite a few eggs laid under the decking (where they hide from the dog))) (not sure how many brackets I put to start with - I give up now. Sod brackets.

Anyway, son had obviously been playing Angry Birds on iPad and clicked on an advert to Angry Birds Star Wars and wanted to download that game. Of course I had to get the iPad HD version and also the iPhone version so my daughter could play it on hubby's phone too. The kids aren't allowed my new iPhone 5. I made that rule before I got it and I have managed to stick to it. Some friends told me I'd keep to it for a couple of weeks before I handed it over to the kids to shut them up. But thankfully we have the trusty iPad (a bit rattly now) and my old iPhone (it had some issues so I decided it wasn't worth selling and its become the kids spare now - with no Sim Card in so they can't make calls).

Oh, I forgot to say. I was hiding upstairs writing this and then the kids started climbing up the stairs and I thought. Oh here we go. Anyway, hubby says "child 1 [he said his name obviously but I'm trying to stay anoninimous] wants to ask you something. He'd like to know what Aunty Helen's name is?"*. Cue giggles. Its quite funny really. I said "I don't know son, what is Aunty Helen's name?". Cue more giggles. "Helen". Hehe. He's not stupid, my boy.

*Note: Aunty Helen's name isn't really Helen but I thought making a name up sounded better than Aunty X or Aunty insert name here.

My day

As I've already said. Totally engrossed in the blog Anecdotes of a Manic Mum and I'm loving her style and as I'm a little bit of a copy cat - well, actually I like to think that I'm open to ideas of improvement - I thought I might do a blog post about my day today. Have just put the kids back to bed for the umpteenth time and my cheese and onion pie and chips are in the oven. I can still hear the kids running around upstairs but have got to the point of just ignoring them unless they are actually downstairs in my face. If that happens I will probably resort to shouting loudly. Hubs has gone to the gym. Which means I'm free to watch as much crap TV as I like, at least until he comes home.

So the drive in this morning wasn't so bad. I drove the kids to their places this morning. I was going to get hubby to do it but he said he needed to walk the dog and do more housework in time for viewing this afternoon (only just put house on market and already have a viewing - quite impressed and hopeful). I left the house at 7.30am and managed to get on the road to work before 8am which means that I was actually early for a change.

Just had to take a break from writing this to put kids back in bed again. Daughter had done a poo so had to change her nappy and son was insisting on being a rabbit (wearing my girl's pink furry dressing gown with rabbit ears) even though its steaming in their room as the heating has been on all day and he has a slight temperature as he's got a bit of a cold. Girl child refused to get back into bed so just left her and shut the door. 

Back to journey. Got into work with time. However, no work to do so spent the morning reading Manic Mum blogs. Took break from that to do some work for flirty bosses boss. Uneventful day really. Left even before 5pm as colleague J was as busy as me (ie not at all) and she decided we should leave early.

Got to daughter's childminders just before 6 then went to pick up boy child at my parents house.

Kids still running round upstairs like baby elephants. Sod them. 

Just put kids to bed for 400th time. Son wanted toilet and insisted on staying on loo for 15 minutes so left him to it. Then he came down to get me to put him back to bed. Thanks son. Am sweating my arse off from going up and down those stairs and am stressed and now got tummy ache from scoffing my pie and chips too quickly. Oh and while I was tucking son in, daughter decided it was the right time to show me her feet. "Feet, mummy, feet" (rolling on her back grabbing her feet). Very cute but WHY AREN'T YOU ASLEEP!!! 

Anyway, back to my day. Picked up son from parents house. Had to go in to see all work son had put into decorating their xmas tree. Son now insisting on putting our tree up as soon as possible - I managed to placate him by saying we'd do it at the weekend - he seemed confused about why I was saying we should go out and buy one together ("but why mummy when we have one in the loft")....

Great. Child is crying again. Think is girl child. Off I go again.... or might just wait and see if it stops. They must go to sleep EVENTUALLY? Have visions of them still jumping around their room at 1am.... OK crying seems to have stopped or at least quietenned enough that I can ignore it (#terriblemother). 

Back to xmas tree. Problem is if we do sell our house quickly (which we probably won't but if we do...) we may have to move before Christmas which means no point putting tree up. We could probably do a small tree...

Child 1 (boy) still awake and making his way slowly down the stairs. Am thinking of hiding behind the sofa. Watching hubby's location on Apple Find My Friends app. Hurry up hubster! 

Run out of steam on recounting day now. Wasn't that interesting. Drove, pretended to work a bit, surfed net, drove, herded kids upstairs (using husband as human shield). Decided I'm going to work from home (use sick son as excuse - he's not really that sick that he can't go to granny's and I don't have enough petrol to get to work (Friday is payday).

Put kids to bed for 6000th time. Both insisting on going in top bunk and getting 7 or 8 kisses each. I'm done!!!!!

7 Things you didn't know about me

OK, so suddenly have this idea for a blog post which I have shamelessly STOLEN from the lovely Tamsyn from "Anecdotes of a Manic mum" blog. Here is the blog post in question.

I am currently totally addicted to her blog. I am a little bit anal about things - I hate coming to TV shows in the middle of the series and if I really like a show, if I miss an episode I'll download it to make sure I don't miss anything. So, I read one of Tamsyn's blog entries and loved her style of writing - she is so witty and entertaining - that I decided I had to start at the beginning of her blog and catch up to the beginning. So Tamsyn, if you are reading this, please STOP WRITING BLOG POSTS until I've caught up. Not really. Am actually catching up at a hell of a lick.

So anyway, back to my "7 things you don't know about me".

1. I used to sing in bands and actually applied for this years X-Factor. Sadly they thought I was rubbish.

2. I am a shopaholic. No. Seriously. Not just someone who occassionally treats themself to make themself better. I was using shopping as medicine. Not massive purchases although I did order a Mac Laptop on a whim the other night (had to cancel the order the next morning). I had to give my hubby access to my account and give up carrying cards with me and only carry small amounts of cash around with me a while back until I could get it back under control.

Wow. This is a lot harder than I thought.

3. I secretly long for the day my kids leave home to go to university (I am going to be the "Woman who went to bed for a year" - see book by Sue Townsend).

4. My father is an alcoholic (currently not drinking)

5. I lived abroad for most of my childhood (from age 5 to 16)

6. I once earned money by dubious means. I won't say how for fear of shaming my poor children. But lets just say I'm now a totally reformed character and it was only 6 months when I was 18 or 19 years old. Hmmmm. Leave this bit in or delete?

7. When I am really down or poorly, my favourite things to eat are: Sainburies Walnut & Gorgonzola Tortellini with 3 cheese sauce, Guerlain sea shell chocolates, houmous and pitta bread (sometimes chilli houmous and often will be sundried tomato and olive pitta bread - sainsburies),

8. (yes, I know its meant to be 7 things but I'm on a roll now) I only drink earl grey tea without any milk in it.

There you have it. Do you feel blessed to know me better? lol