Beware the hormones!

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So this afternoon has consisted of:

Happy chat

Grunting answers

Mad waving of hands in a ‘ WTF’ attitude!

Shouting at top of voice

Total meltdown complete with tears

Silence

Slamming of cups and plates

Then total chill out!!!

 

So if you take a quick look at the list you will probably come to 1 of 2 conclusions……….

I’m premenstrual  OR

teenage daughter is premenstrual!

WRONG…………………………………………Teenage boy must be ( I have no girls)!!!!!!  As this was the behavior we had in the space of about an hour.

SO GOD HELP ME AND SOMEONE PASS THE GIN PLEASE

The Campaign #blogging4madelaine

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I don’t know about you but I’m the type of mum that hesitates about giving my boys more freedom as they get older. I’m often told by my OH that I need to ‘cut the apron strings’ in his words. My boys are now 11 and 14 years old ( I cannot believe that I am now that old I have a teenager!!).

Since my eldest has started secondary school he has been going to school on his own as his biggest freedom. Now as time has gone on he will go to his youth club with a friend on the bus and then collected by us, he can cycle to friends houses and will occasionally pop to the shops for us as well. He is not a super street wise kid and likes to be at home with us. However, my youngest is very quickly catching up . He is just finishing yr6 at school and so walks with friends there and back. He will occasionally be left at home with my eldest for me to pop to the shops or a doctors appointment. However, his friends are constantly on the phone for him to go to the park which I have allowed on an odd occasion with times to be home and the obligatory texts to let me know he is there and when he is leaving.

It is increasingly hard to adjust to as a parent and a lot of trust is required.

However, I am a worrier and still remember the time when my youngest was still in a pram and my eldest walking beside me. We visited a clothes shop in town ( gladly I had my mum with me at the time) but my youngest went missing!!! It was the worst few minutes of my life………………..I TOTALLY PANICKED. Thankfully my mum ran to the front of the shop to get the security guard to shut the doors and I was left yelling his name at the top of my voive. I have never been so scared in my life that something had happened to him or worse Someone had taken him. Thankfully he panicked himself and ran out from the maze of clothes shelves and racks crying as he heard me calling. It was all over in minutes but I think it has stayed with me as the boys have got older. I still panic when they are out on their own but need to hope they will be sensible and play by the rules.

A week or two ago I watched a programme about the possible re opening of the case for Madelaine McCann who went missing whilst on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal on Thursday 3rd May 2007. I cannot even begin to comprehend what those parents have gone through in the last 5 years since she has been missing! My boy disappeared for seconds or minutes and I was a wreck. I am not a born coper in a crisis. I know when things happen in life we have to face them as best we can but I truly think the McCanns have proudly stayed strong in the public eye whilst coping with a truly unbearable pain. It must be so difficult to carry on with some sort of normality in such difficult circumstances.

12th May 2012 is her 9th birthday  and her parents are left to face another birthday without her. I cannot even bear to think about that with my boys.So take a moment to think about them, as parents, to still be without their beautiful daughter on what would be her birthday.

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AT THE WEBSITE LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION AND AN UPDATED PICTURE OF WHAT SHE MAY LOOK LIKE……………….SHE COULD BE ANYWHERE!

  • The campaign #blogging4madeleine on Twitter


Rowntrees Fruit Bottle Review

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I was lucky enough or should I say my boys were very happy to get the opportunity to review the new Rowntrees Fruit Bottles that have hit the shops.

As many of you know we are a sweet loving family!! My OH mainly who could eat a whole bag of wine gums without blinking an eye.

Anyway this is what we were sent:

Look good don’t they. Very retro with the bottle carrier and placed in bottles giving them an added curiosity.

So here are the bags on which you can see it states 25% fruit juice an they have NO artificial colours,flavours or preservatives.

Now although we love a sweet or two here we are also very picky about what we like. I’m very old style with traditional ‘sweet shop’ sweets being my fav’s…………..you know Cherry Lips, Fruit Salads, Cola Bottles.

My OH likes his wine gums and American hard gums.

The kids like a mixture and not the same thing either!! One likes fizzy and the other doesn’t.

So probably the best household to send them to as we all have our own opinions and don’t mine saying them!!

What Rountrees say:

fruit bottles are the perfect throwback to the retro cola bottles of old, only now they come in 5 fruity flavours and contain 25% fruit juice! We hope they give you a delicious blast from the past….

 SO OUR VERDICT ON THE ROWNTREES FRUIT BOTTLES?

Me : nice flavour and quite fruity but a bit too soft for me- sorry I like a chewy sweet!!

OH : loved them for taste and softness. A hit with the sweetie lover!

Eldest: liked them but Rowntrees Randoms are still his favourite!!

Youngest : Liked them, couldn’t say why, he likes sweets- all kinds and these were a hit with him!

So there you have it- you can’t please everyone but you can certainly please most! A hit in our view as a treat for your young ones or yourself if your anything like us.

You can visit their Facebook page atwww.facebook.com/rowntrees for more info.

DISCLOSURE- we were sent the above six bottle pack of Rowntrees fruit Bottles free for review purposes only.

M.E Awareness Week starts 6th May.

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Regular readers will know I have had M.E for the past 3 years. This affects me and my family everyday. I have lately introduced myself to a *cough* lovely walking stick ( Oh the Joys).

Anyway, most people hear M.E and think

‘ Oh yeah that’s the one that makes you a bit tired and lazy’!!!!!!!!

Not only would I love to change this attitude but I would love to raise more awareness about this ‘invisible’ illness. Some Gp’s don’t even recognise it and your a very lucky patient if you get an understanding GP who can direct you in the right direction for help. I have a great GP however when I was referred to a CFS ( Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/M.E) clinic my NHS borough decided they would refuse to pay for any treatment out of borough. Since then I have been left to deal with this illness in the best way I can, taking very strong painkillers and muscle relaxants to help with the pain I suffer everyday.

So take the time to take a look at the videos below which may help you understand what we go through on a daily basis.

M.E/CFS Sleepydust Video

M.E/CFS A Torturous Disease

What is M.E/CFS

These video’s can explain it much better than I can. I hope you have a better understanding now and no longer think us sufferer’s are lazy!!

If you know someone with M.E the greatest thing you can do is to believe them and understand.

My Mojo has left the building!

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It’s official my mojo has seemingly gone on holiday without informing me, gone AWOL without telling me when it will be back! VERY INCONSIDERATE I TELL YOU.

My last post showed I had a fab anniversary this year after 18 years of being married, check it out here

However since then I have no idea what has happened. I have hardly turned on the computer or logged onto my blog, I have tweeted the odd Tweet here and there but that’s about it. I have lost the will for anything really, I haven’t even picked up my knitting needles for around 8 or 9 days and that’s a long time as I have probably knitted everyday since the new year!

M.E doesn’t help. Lately I have been more exhausted and in more pain in my legs than normal. Maybe it’s been the weather ( as I always feel much worse in the winter anyway) as it’s felt colder and obviously wetter than what we have been used to lately.

Today I haven’t made it out of bed properly. I was up to help my eldest get ready and see him off to school. Then I took my flask of coffee up with me and went back to bed. However, when I woke and had my coffee my energy did not return. So I type as I sit here in bed with my son’s laptop and Frankie and Johnny playing on my dvd.

I am so behind with everything, the house is a mess and I have so much to do- but it’s not going to happen any time soon. I ironed yesterday which is probably why I am in bed today for so long. However, I thought I was being clever as I had set the ironing board up and used one of my breakfast bar stools so I didn’t have to stand. So I probably ironed more than I normally would.

But I have a review, a pet post, and have just become involved with #bloggingformadelaine so I need my mojo back PLEASE.

If any of you find it lurking in your cupboard, or a bin, or even on a street corner, can you please direct it straight to me…………….

MANY THANKS

Best Anniversary Ever!

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Yesterday was my 18th ( yes you read it right) wedding anniversary. I became his wife at the age of 23 after meeting in the Royal Air force. To be honest you don’t think of how long you are going to be together, back then you got married and that was that and it was taken for granted that you would be together forever- some people these days use it as an excuse for a party!

We have had lots of ups and downs just like any couple and in reality being married is never a bed of roses! But whatever we have had to deal with along the way he has always been there, he’s chilled, he goes with the flow, dependable ( meaning not very spontaneous!) and reliable ( well almost he still get’s the boys clothes mixed up and never gets the packed lunches right!).

Anyway, back to the day in hand, we saw the boys off to school and had decided to take a drive down to Tunbridge Wells for a wander and a nice pub lunch.

So it started with these:

18 red roses for 18 years- gorgeous!

Then when we arrived at Tunbridge it was this:

Vanilla Lattes and Tiffin!

Then after a lovely mooch around the shops and town it was time for:

Of course mines was the G&T as OH was driving! YAY

Early I know but it did accompany a lovely plate of pub grub which I actually forgot to take a picture of!

Up until then I had a really lovely relaxed time but things were about to take a turn in a strange direction.

Earlier during our meander we happened upon a great little pet shop ( can you see where I’m going with this!) were we had seen some lovely little KITTENS!! As regulars will know I already have one who totally rules our house and is treated like a princess even though she is only 2 yrs old. Anyway, there had been an unwanted litter brought into the shop on Friday at exactly 8 weeks old. There were only 3 left, a little black and white one and 2 tabby’s.

So to cut a long story short- AND TO BE HONEST I STILL DON’T KNOW HOW I GOT MY OH TO AGREE- we ended up bringing this one home!!!!!

I DEFY ANY CAT LOVER'S ABILITY TO LEAVE HIM IN THE SHOP!!!!!

HE JUST COULDN'T GET ANY CUTER!

So we got him and brought him home ( and who said my OH wasn’t spontaneous?????) and because we were married on St Georges Day we thought that George was a fitting name for him! And he suits it too.

HOWEVER THE PRINCESS (AKA THE TERRORIST) WAS NOT AMUSED!

Not a great pic but was obviously taken in a rush!

Today has been a lot better and they are still checking each other out- but he needs to leave her food alone or she will be having serious words.

But the day hadn’t finished there, oh no. My eldest ( now 14) decided to make us a celebration cake complete with decoration icing and yummy buttercream.

Decorated in the RAF emblem as that is were we met........aaahhh!

TOTALLY DELICIOUS!

 

That brings me back to my original statement……….BEST ANNIVERSARY EVER!

Normally this day is usually marred each year as I married on my dad’s birthday and he passed away almost 10yrs ago and really my anniversary hasn’t been the same since. However, this year for whatever reason I was determined for my OH’s sake that it wouldn’t take over the day……………….it was difficult but worth it.

So now we have to go some to make next years anniversary even better………………..best I stay away from pet shops next time LOL

Would you pass your driving test again?

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Answer to that for most people would be a big fat NO!

I have been driving for 20yrs now and lots of things have definitely changed in that time. The roads are much busier, some the junctions now can be very confusing and now we are sign mad to the point that it can be difficult to take in all the information!!

I recently had the ‘opportunity’ *cough* to attend a Speed Awareness course ( thanks to being snapped doing 37 in a 30mph road!). I hold my hands up and at the time didn’t really think that was that bad as I am an ex driving instructor and generally drive defensively, however I was in a rush that particular day as my youngest was nearly late for a panto performance ( but I appreciate there are no excuses).

Anyway, I’m no snob but I was really expecting a room full of chav’s and boy racers with attitude! To my surprise everyone was just like me, and by that I mean normal ( whatever that is!), a range of ages and personalities.

We met our course instructors and I was hoping that we wouldn’t be quizzed too much.

I hate to admit it but I actually enjoyed it! They weren’t condescending or asked about what you were caught doing, and they were light hearted but definitely got their point across.

One of the best things they said that I know I will never forget is

‘If you went for an operation and the surgeon last trained 20 years ago……..would you be happy for him to carry out the surgery?’

Err NO!

Even though I went through driver instructor training a few years ago as well I was amazed at how much I had already forgotten! It truly is frightening.

The driving test is so difficult now and for a good reason. They need to know that the people they are putting out on the roads are safe. Even the theory test and hazard perception test could put some of us through our paces.

There were some videos to watch on the day and they were straight to the point, and put any thoughts of further speeding to rest. Even a few miles over the 30mph could prove catastrophic.

Most people there thought that the most dangerous roads would be the motorways but they would be very much mistaken. It’s our normal urban 30mph roads that have the most horrendous statistics for accidents, injuries and fatalities!

So how much of the Highway Code could you remember? if you were asked would you know the relevant stopping distances?

Check out this video with Quentin Willson below to see that you are not alone. There are lots of us around who have been driving for many years and have fallen into all the same old bad habits.

Interactive test Web TV show with Quentin Willson

So how many of the signs would you have recognised?

It’s amazing isn’t it- actually how little we can remember!

So I would urge anyone who happens to get snapped on a speed camera to take the course instead of the points on their license. For me if I had taken the points I wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But after doing the course I have slowed down for the right reasons and I realise that even a few miles over the limit could mean fatalities and that I could not live with on my conscience……………………………..COULD YOU?

The truth hurts!

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Yes it does, really it does.

Yesterday the truth hurt me…………..

I became a mother of a 14yr old!! ( can you feel the pain?)

That means I have to accept I am now OLD enough to have a 14yr old- not quite sure how that happened to be honest. One minute he was a bundle of gurgles and poo, I have watched him learn to walk and talk, ride a bike, go to school, learn to read and write. I remember his little words when he couldn’t say things properly:

‘Daddy where’s my scoobydriver?’  meaning screwdriver!!

Yesterday I was hit with the hammer of truth and it nearly knocked me out. I HAVE A 14YR OLD!!

The candles say it all- it was nearly a fire hazard!

 

So what have I got left to look forward to?

Strops- yes he does that already

Independence- Oh god help me

Drinking- not going there

Girls- The stress is too much

LIKE I SAY- THE TRUTH HURTS (LOL)

 

 

 

Knitting Project #7-9 – 2012

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I have actually knitted lots but hate the sewing up part, that way I have lots of projects knitted but not finished!!

So here are a few I have managed to finish properly and photograph.

Girls sparkly hand warmers complete with bows!

Summer scarf- cotton mix so cool to wear

Beanie hat complete with sparkly flower

I still have more to post but I need to stop procrastinating and get on with the bloody sewing up!!

The projects are getting a little more involved each time so watch this space for the next few.

M.E Awareness- How much do you know about it?

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I have had M.E for 3 years now. I was diagnosed early which was fantastic however my NHS borough decided that they would not pay for me to have the available CBT and Pacing treatment available at Kings College Hospital in London.

It truly is an invisible illness. We can look fine to people on the outside however, on the inside our bodies are screaming out with severe muscular pain and overwhelming exhaustion.

I cannot begin to describe how I feel that would make a normal person understand. But if you think of the worst case of flu whilst running a marathon in a swimming pool, you may start to have an understanding how I feel everyday- AND THAT WOULD BE A GOOD DAY!! On a bad day I would not be able to get out of bed.

SO PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH THE VIDEO LINK I HAVE INCLUDED BELOW.

It will only take a few minutes of your time but could make all the difference in your understanding if you know someone who suffers.

M.E AWARENESS VIDEO

PLEASE: WE ARE NOT LAZY OR PRETENDING – THIS IS OUR LIVES- WOULD YOU WANT TO LIVE IT!!