Mrs Brady, old lady!

Girlie weekend! Yahay! Who needs SATC2?

Had a fab weekend with my best friend who flew in on Thursday afternoon and we boogied the night away on Saturday at a dinner-dance at the Signet Library in the city.



Sunday was a bad recovery day - not due to large alcohol consumption, but due to the fact that I'd perhaps got a little over enthusiastic on the dance floor and now my dicky hip is playing me the repercussions! Couple that with the fact that earlier in the day we'd decided to hit the town to shop and by 11am I was ready to go home because I had had enough of pushing through crowds, makes me decrepit and creaking - must up the fish oil intake!

I'd love to be able to maintain the enthusiasm for Saturday morning shopping that I had when I was 20 odd - yeah, this is where the SATC similarity ends with a bump!

The cantankerous biddy in me grumbles at the shoppers who chat in the doorways, the families out shopping with their 15 children in tow who trip you up and just have to shop on Saturdays with all of them and the serious lack of cashiers on the checkouts despite the fact that Saturday must be the busiest shopping day.




I really think I need to be locked away at home until I've had my blue rinse and purchased a walking stick - it'll all be justifiable then - no?

Of course, today I'm back to earth with a crash.

A beautiful day outside - been lousy all over the weekend - and I've got my last exam to revise for - grrr... although keeping that cup half full, books are transferable, once it warms up, I'll take the revision into the garden.


Just like this....

Also got a new toy this weekend. An exceedingly early Christmas present. So, here are a few results from the weekend!





Dinner!


Bug on my bush ;-) - anyone any idea?






Orchid!

21st century boy

I am like a number 11 bus - nothing for ages, then two at once.

However, I did want to share;

Master Beehive the elder has been on a nature camp for the last few weeks after school. He's been learning to recognise plants, particularly edible ones and learning basic survival skills. It's been a dirty but fun experience as they've foraged in the rain, stalked in the wind and learned to light fires in the blazing heat - yes, come to Scotland - the weather is screwed!

He's about to go off on scout camp and is desperate to put these newly learned skills to good use, sadly, if he'd gone to scout camp when I did twenty odd years ago, he probably could have learned to dig a moat around his tent to prevent it floating away in the rain and learn to lash together a tripod to hold up his wash bowl or a shoe rack or even a small wardrobe - yeah Ikea, your flat pack is nothing to us old school girl guides, we laugh mwahahaha, in the face of challenge!

So...I digress, the activity list came through and he has to indicate whether he wants to abseil, do archery, go on the challenge course etc over the weekend. Archery is his number one choice because, as he told his younger brother in the car back from swimming yesterday evening:

"Archery is a very important skill to have."

Yeah - if you're wanting fresh venison for dinner


or are intending to take out your neighbour from the turret of your castle!


Or, if you happen to be a woodland elf!


I suppose the scout motto is "Be Prepared" and Lord Baden Powell never actually specified exactly how prepared one needed to be so...


Be afraid, be very afraid!

A bloggerary work of art...

I love these colours!

This blog entry is especially for my friend, Michelle, who, when she catches me at the school gate, will berate me for depriving her of the next installment of her bedtime reading. It's funny how blogs are fast becoming the new reality novel.

Personally I love reading blogs. I love reading books too and blogs cannot replace some of the amazing literature out there, but blogs are good in a different way. Perhaps in a fly on the wall type way, but more, I find, in an inspirational way. Blogs that I follow tend to inspire me in some shape or form, either for their craft ideas, beautiful photography, deep wisdoms, ideologies or unusual lifestyles and adventures. Currently mine is none of the above with any calibre, but I'd hate to deprive anyone of their relaxation and, much as I don't blog as much as I did in the US for fear of boring everyone, I will aim to update more often - so Michelle, this is for you xx


Is your crafting seasonal?

Mine is, but I'd never really thought much about it. In the winter I knit and bake, in the summer I garden and sew.

I don't know why either particularly. It's probably all just association; knitting with yarn for the cold weather, bake for comfort and then in the summer (that's a laugh up here - ours has been and gone over the space of this weekend!) I want to be outside and fabrics with lovely sunny prints just call to me and it's so easy to throw together a quick skirt or top. I feel I've really let the latter go over the last few weeks as I've been studying for my exams, but it's time to get some patterns and fabrics out of the stash and run up some new play clothes for the Little Miss.



The garden has done me proud over the winter. I was sure we'd lost a lot of stuff, not least an apple tree that snapped in the wind last winter and was bandaged (literally) to try to graft it back together. Sadly the graft didn't take, but the tree decided to flourish anyway underneath the snap.

We're going to have a great crop of redcurrants, gooseberries and raspberries this year as long as I've not just cursed us.
We've chosen not to grow much this summer as we're both incredibly busy, me with exams and a doula client and classes and Mr Beehive with random financy-person travel. We're just growing a few courgettes, tomatoes and spuds. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that the toms get enough sun this year to ripen.

We've got a fun packed summer set up, the boys are going to go on a cooking course and play lots of cricket and I'm trying to curb my enthusiasm for our big jollybob to Kenya.

I've also bought this book as it seemed to have some great ideas both for now and future summers in our own home where we can finally have our chickens, grow in the earth and make things like the clay oven on page 60!! - mmm.... woodfired home made pizzas baked in a clay oven - yum:


Anyway, it's been a while since I did one of my speedy throw it all together recipes for you, so here's one that is fantastic as a spread in a wrap with a load of veggies or as a baked potato filling with a bit of cheese.

"Good-Green avocado spread"

1 whole avocado
1 can of beans (butter or any white beans)
2 garlic cloves (or less if you're b-feeding)
1/2 a well chopped chilli pepper
1/2 lemon juice
salt
pepper

Summer days - kick back and relax.

May the fart be with you!

The sun is out,
the sky is blue,
there's not a cloud
to spoil the view...

finally, after the hail and sleet of last Monday!

Everything has kicked off into new life - just as I love it. Birth, life, greenery, hippity, hoppity ickle baby lambies...well, okay, not that last bit, that just sounds a bit barfy!

This weekend I've been at the NCT conference in Telford.

Surrounded by several hundred like minded women; mamas, doulas, midwives and educators. We were blessed with the presence of the guru of the birthing world - Ina May Gaskin. Think, George Clooney for the birky wearing, yurt livin', lentil knitting, home birthin' fans.


Friday she entertained us for the whole day with her biography...oh to be a hippy in the 60's in a bus in rural Tennessee...later leading us onto her stories of her mamas in that community who birthed whilst they were travelling.


This moved on eventually to Sphincter Law by means of:

A You Tube birth of an elephant in Sri Lanka;


A Sheila Na Gig from Ireland "tearing out her heart" - or not... probably the same guy that "discovered" the clitoris *wink*

And a story of a mole who went in search of the git that left a turd on his head...


Yes, sadly, we have incorrectly translated it for the American market (and sadly the British too) who seem to be far more reluctant than the Germans to talk about poop and farting, but somehow still seem to talk utter crap all the same when it comes to birth *see here*


Sadly, I have been trying to relive this event for poor Mr Beehive, explaining the weekend to him with great enthusiasm and gusto. I've even attempted to demonstrate Ina May's observations for birth by peering at him (yeah, didn't go down well at 6.30am in the morning), yelling at him to push when he's pooing to make it come out faster and threatening to "give him a poo-easy-otomy" to help him get the naughty little bugger out, but oddly, to no avail, guess she was right and there's the evidence *wink* - sphincter law, cos he sure ain't crappin' on my watch!

Why is it then, in the western world, we tend to walk into a hospital for our babies, don a rear opening robe (yeah, go figure!), allow the world and his mother to peer up our foofs and then shout at us when things don't fit the exact time scale or mould. I'm not even talking births that need assistance, this is often normal, low risk birth, particularly in the US, but sometimes (perhaps to a lesser degree) in the UK too - you saw it on "One born every minute".

Birth needs to be natural, undisturbed and allowed to happen with laughter abundant and the mother feeling safe and relaxed, intervening only when needed rather than routinely or without any sound evidence that it's required.

One of those, "you had to be there kind of weekends" - empowering women and sisterhood all under one yurt!

So....moving swiftly on as we are, after all British and one can't mention pooh (does that come with an 'h' or not?) or clitori (hmmm, one clitoris, two clitori?) or anything remotely sexual especially on the same blog as one featuring a lego death star...

This is what Master Beehive the elder has been working on since his birthday last month. I'm really proud of him managing to do this with minimal help - much to his Dad's disgust as I think he'd hoped for more excuses to "help out".


The jedi death star.


Oh, and Ina May again...
You're probably wondering why there's another picture of Ina May, but I feel the relevance of the Leia look and the death star was just too startling to ignore, couldn't help it!!


Finally, I just want to introduce you to this blog. I was directed this way and am in awe of this lady. Take a read, but you may want a kleenex too in some parts.

Have a sunny "Ina" May and see you again soon xx

Run, run as fast as you can...

So, somewhere between my last blog entry and this I made a rather rash and hasty decision to up my challenge of last year and start running again.

Last year I ran the 5K race for life, uphill (yes, please note that !!) at Holyrood. Now, much as sibling rivalry gets me down in my own daily life sometimes, there is a lot for that gentle undercurrent of competion.
Not to feel overshadowed by my younger sis I decided to join her and a friend and up the ante.

So, it's now all systems go as we prepare in earnest for the 10K Bupa Great Race in May.

Funnily enough, I've gone from not cherishing the thought of getting out to run, to absolutely adoring my "quiet time" pounding the streets, just me and my iPod.

I'm now managing a steady 6K just about every other day, which amazes me. I'm feeling so much fitter and I'm aiming to up it by a 1/2 k or more each time over the next few weeks.

I actually wish I'd started this years ago, particularly when we were living in the States. Running along the beach front certainly outdoes pacing on grey streets in grey weather.

Anyway, to up the stakes even further I'm running for Tommy's so, if you feel you could donate something to the cause, anything would be really appreciated. Perhaps you could donate per km or donate per molecule of fat that my arse is going to lose (hopefully!)

Thanks

And the result is....

Well, after a nailbiting few weeks since the interviews I have been offered a conditional place at Northampton. I just have to pass my biology GCSE with a grade C or higher. So pressure is now on!
I am still waiting on Bedford's answer, which should come either just before or just after Easter Weekend.

I'm thrilled to bits though to finally see the door opening for me to follow this dream.

So in the eye of this high I decided that I'd run the 10K with my sister on May 2nd WTF!? I'm running for Tommy's charity this time. Mad dogs and Englishmen and all that.

It's also been mother's day this week. I had a lovely lie in - of ten minutes - I could hear the banter downstairs, so gave in and went to sort out. My family have a wonderful way of telling me they want me to lie in, but then being so darned loud and argumentative between them that I end up having to get up to sort it out! Still, the basket of plants was beautiful as was the coffee in bed, made for me by Mr Beehive the younger and the lovely cards made by Little Miss Beehive. Thank you my darlings and it's the best thing I could ever be, your mama! xxx



This week I'm expecting my friend from the US and her son for a few days. I'm very excited. She's never been to Scotland and has a "loose" itinerary that includes a rather large radius of Edinburgh, but I guess that comes from being American and not thinking anything of driving 200 miles in a day! I envisage many castles, lots of "old" stuff in Edinburgh (a few ghostie things I think!) a lot of Highland cattle and a Loch or two oh and a wee dram or two !!

Well, back to the revision...

Lazy Sunday Mornings

How do you spend your lazy Sunday mornings? Are you lucky enough to read the morning papers? Drink your coffee? all whilst still in bed?
Our Sundays have become... no, what am I like?... our Sundays have always been early starts with a gathering tribe of smalls.

From babyhood where we'd have a baby in the bed with us and we were exhausted with night feedings and all of us flaked out whinging at the other to go and make some coffee and who was up most in the night competitions to try to outrank and prove it wasn't their turn to get up first, to toddlerhood with three smalls whereupon I'd normally lose the battle and end up comatose, but propped up, watching one, two or three toddlers happily playing and exerting ridiculous amounts of energy for 6am in the morning, to slightly older pre-schoolers who were, naturally "staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarving" by 6 and were observed by me (usually) with my eyes propped open by caffeine and matchsticks whilst they tucked into their weetabix like it was the last supper. My stomach, on the otherhand, wouldn't be open for business for at least another three hours!

These days things are much calmer. I'm returning to enjoying Sunday mornings (nearly!) once again. True, we don't have papers in bed, or coffee, but we do have longer lie ins. Kids are able to read their books, listen to their cd's quietly and without us in their face. This morning, for example, we were entertained by a puppet show at 7am. LMB had been up working on her project with modelling clay and sticks since 6 - so that bit doesn't change, only she's able to get on and entertain herself quietly whilst we're able to grab a bit more shut-eye.

Returning at 7, we're greeted with "lady going shopping", "ballet dancer" and "man going to barbers" (which was actually a head on a stick) and we were all told that we were one of the characters - luckily I wasn't the head! In she climbs. Hands all the puppets to Mr Beehive who was told in no uncertain terms to hold them and not drop them (he's still partially comatose btw but performed his task most excellently).

We're then joined by the next child, budge up mother! Usually we're then joined by the third one, who is more gangly and teen like as the weeks progress, he shuffles in, grunting about tiredness but isn't too big to push me over further to get his spot in the bed!

Of course, not wanting to miss a trick is Meggie, who spends all the night in her basket, but come family-bed-in, she doesn't want to miss out on the action and takes a flying leap (not bad for a tiny spaniel and an extra high bed) to land on the top of us all in a furry, licking heap!

"aggh, my elbow", "careful, you're on my hair", "that's my eye your nose is in" along with squeals of laughter and winces of pain and this morning's best "Mummy, you're on my finger!" "Sorry, but your foot is in my boob!". Still, we're all in, entertained by the puppet show and the made up song that goes with it, Mr Beehive playing his role of puppeteer to excellence with both eyes still closed. Eventually, usually the small one, gets hungry, or the old one needs the bathroom and we all pile out, but I'd not miss this, all the same. And, for all the bruises and squishes I receive (cos it'll always be me on the smallest square of bed!) I hope this will continue for a few more years to come.

Enjoy your Sunday morning lie in,
yours in squishes,
Big Chief Foot-in-Boob!

New Toy!

Did I tell you I've got a new toy?

Mmmmm, a Janome 8077! Early Birthday present from Mr Beehive.

So, as you can probably imagine, I've been busy.


Pair of summer pyjamas for the Little Miss (un hemmed at this point!). Amy Butler daisy chain fabric. I'm really pleased with the outcome, but the shorts could've used a few extra mm's around the butt!

This is a knitting bag for a friend of mine. I've lined it with a vintage rose fabric and it's fastened with a wooden button. It is long enough to take the longest needles and a current WIP or two.


This was an experiment in PUL. I'd wanted to do a lunch bag for myself (although someone already has her beady eye on it!) and had a spare remnant of Amy Butler fabric which I thought I'd use. So it's padded and lined with PUL so it's wipe clean with a padded handle. It'll happily take sandwiches some fruit and a drink.



A pair of checked baggies for my nephew with a couple of pockets for him to put his finds in. These were originally for Master Beehive the younger, but whilst I was sewing and he was at school, he grew! That'll teach me to make a pattern up from a pair of his existing baggies that he's obviously grown out of. He was showing a 1/4 inch of ankle out of the bottom sadly. Luckily there's a 4 year old who'll appreciate them (well, his mum will !!)




Next on the card I'm pimping a pair of my jeans and then I've had a delivery of a lot of pale baby blue and some chocolate brown needlecord. I'm thinking a cord pinafore dress for LMB with a cute applique dragonfly or something on the front. I've also got a friend having a baby, so I may have another attempt at a kimono top, I'll have a rummage in my stash box.

It's all just Madness!

We were in a rush today. I'd been out observing with an independent midwife all day at ante and postnatal visits and after tea Master Beehive the younger decides to inform me that he has homework in his bag due in tomorrow.
Pah, thinks I! Still, it's been half term, the soonest she'd have gotten it out to the children was yesterday, Monday, so there can't be much!
Pah! again! No, there is three pages of maths and then he has to write a page on what he was "going to do"(?) in the half term. Of course I am wondering whether he was actually given this before half term, but no, he insists not!.

So, we now have at least an hour of homework to do after dinner!
Pah! thrice!

Luckily for older siblings though - what a beauty they are. I packed the Little Miss upstairs with her elder brother under strict instruction for him to read to her, supervise face, hand and teeth cleaning and then sing her the song she likes before bed. Master Beehive the elder loves authority (of his own, not mine of course) bundles her upstairs, chivvying her along.
Suddenly I hear him singing at the top of his voice - "Naughty boys in nasty schools, headmasters breaking all the rules...." 8-O apparently at the request of the Little Miss. She had cool older bro up there tonight singing funky songs rather than mummy or daddy and their boring renditions of "I had a little nut tree". Big Bros Rock!

Like, totally mental maths and cannabis cardis.

It would be foolish to suggest that I am now back in the calm of the fold up here in Scotland! However, I am back.

The last few days have been just about the most stressful of my life so far - childbirth was far easier!
On Friday last week and Monday this I went to a couple of university interviews for a place on the Midwifery BSc Hons course starting in Sept 2011 - a realisation of a long time dream. Friday's interview wasn't so bad. We had to write an essay and then had a face to face. I came away feeling positive. Monday's however, was a totally different kettle of fish. For this day we had a selection procedure, if we didn't succeed in the morning by passing the maths test, essay and group exercise, we wouldn't be able to proceed to the afternoon whereby we were able to have face to face interviews.
As you can imagine, tensions were running high. Maths isn't my strongest point, it's not that I can't do it, it's just I don't work well under pressure. When I'm under pressure, for some reason my brain decides to shut down, so it doesn't matter how many times I've practiced dividing decimals, suddenly it looks a foreign language (oh and no calculators were allowed, before you all laugh and tell me to just press the right keys!!)
Fortunately I had obviously pleased lady luck as I managed to get through selection by the seat of my pants I think and got the opportunity for a face to face in the afternoon.
I don't feel too bad as everyone found the test hard, in fact some of the ladies who'd had maths tests elsewhere said it was, by far, the hardest test yet - so that's some relief.
Whilst I was being interviewed I managed to see that I'd gained 65% for the maths and 85% for the essay but didn't manage to see my group result - so I feel pretty okay with that. I won't be under so much pressure as a midwife and if I'm giving drugs then I'll always double check and then check with a colleague, as I said, it's not that I can't, it's just the pressure of three pages in 20 minutes - they say time flies when you're having fun...can I suggest it flies when you're not too?!

Saturday mum and I had booked to go on a quilting course. Mum wanted me to do something that got my head out the books and really I needed to get her out of the house as she's been tied down there for the last six weeks due to having a bunion operation. Dad has been a star, but she's limited with where she can go that has a wheelchair as she can't go far on the crutches and, let's be honest, Dad isn't wanting to spend a day quilting or doing something like that!
So we made these:

with jelly roll. I'm rather pleased with the end result. I have no idea what I'll use it for, but I now know how to make a bag, so can probably make some for the children with just one strip of patterned material too. However, the upshot of the day (or rather down!) is that I realised just how elderly my machine is. The "chugga chugga ping" is not actually a healthy sound and isn't "quaint". I did end up with janome and elna-lust (won't make any sense if you're not familiar with sewing machines). Luckily I'm teaching several times over the next couple of weeks, so should have enough earned to feed my habit!



The other WIP that's finally finished is the cardigan for a friend's baby. I don't know what she's having, so opted for the cream. The pattern was using a Sirdar yarn, but I wasn't so keen on working with that feel, I tend to pull it too tight, so chose to use a Debbie Bliss cotton. This was my first error as the cotton doesn't go as far, so I ended up running all the way into the city one morning for one more ball of yarn, paying more for parking than the ball and buying more yarn that I probably don't need for future projects that I haven't started *sigh*. Anyway, I still ended up short, so adapted the pattern in the end to introduce a contrasting colour in the edging. I actually prefer this result as I feel it's more unisex. Now I just hope she likes it - people can be funny with knitted items!

I did have a sudden panic when I caught sight of the motif on the cardigan in the fading light last night that it looked suspiciously like a cannabis leaf, but luckily Mr Beehive relieved my fears informing me that it was all in my head *hmmmm*? So this one is now known as canabis cardi, which is hardly surprising since I've been re-reading Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May and am probably totally caught up in the psychadelia and trips!!! (again - makes no sense if you haven't read it!)

So, now we wait; for babies and unis...

The week in photos

Squirrel theft!


Durty Dawgs!




Revision!

This:

has become these for LMB to put inside her boots when we walk to school.



and of course, no young lady is quite complete without sporting a headband with felt flower which I made up from a practice band of cable I'd been working on - waste not want not and all that! My sister now wants one in black!



The cardigan just needs sleeves. Next project is to finish the front of Master Beehive the elder's sweater and decide if I have enough time to knit sleeves before he grows out of it, or if it might be better as a tank top ;-)
Then I want to start on a baby cardigan for a friend having a baby in April.

What else? Hmmm, well, since reading The Red Tent, I've suddenly become anxious about the fact that storytelling is an important part of discovering who we are. I've bought a book for my parents as a start, to ask them to fill it in to pass onto the grandchildren. I know my maternal grandmother actually started to write a book about her life and I realise how little I know about them. She used to tell us all the time, but when you're a child or teenager, you don't always take it in. Now she's gone and I'm anxious to hear her story, so my challenge over the next few months is to track down her notes (which I think went to my aunt when my grandmother died) and see if I can have a copy to read. Perhaps this is middle age, or maybe middle age is Mr Beehive, who is now "in" the crate with Meggie, apologising to her for him squirting the "no bark" this morning and her taking the hump with him ROFL!

Blues and the Red Tent!

Eugh! If there is one month I really loathe in a year, it's January. After a lovely Christmas, lots of hunkering down with family in the warm, home cooking, playing games and laughter, everyone tootles back off to school and work and I'm left with the grey sky and endless mounds of washing.
It's a looooong month and everything always seems to be dragging it's heels and getting off to a really slow start.

My midwifery interviews seem like aaaaaaages away and now I'm worked up because, despite getting the interviews and doing OU Human Bio next year and getting 80 and 90% on all my GCSE Biology assignments so far, I'm all bothered that I won't be "science-minded" enough to do it, despite the fact that I'm strongly of the opinion that midwifery is a holistic vocation that slots neatly into both art and science. I don't know if I'm just chomping at the bit, anxious to get started, or really bothered about this. Too many grey days where I can't get out and get dosed in Vitamin D is doing something to my confidence.



Still, we've booked our summer holiday, which really is something to get excited about. We have decided to have a big blow out holiday this year as from next it'll be unlikely that Mr Beehive, myself and the kids will be able to have two straight free weeks together for a while, so...we're going to Kenya! I'm really excited. The boys have always wanted to see the animals in their natural habitat, so we're having a week in the Masai Mara and a week in Malindi - whoop whoop!



I'm also reading a great book at the moment, which I have to share with you; it's The Red Tent by Anita Diamant It tells the story of Dinah and her family (she was the only daughter of Jacob and Leah in the Bible) and the Red Tent, the tent used by all the females in the family or commune during birth, their menses or postpartum. It weaves a wonderful tale of the solidarity of sisterhood and motherhood, kinda like girlpower in the old testament!
This was the place the tales of birth were told and witnessed, stuff that used to be handed down from generation to generation and now comes from NCT classes or the NHS in the form of a handout, no wonder birth has become managed and clinical!

Well, it's time for me to get under my duvet with a cup of tea and my book - I'll see you when I come out of hibernation in the Spring ;-))

Sleep talkin' man

So, everyone's talkin' about sleep talkin' man!!

If you have a spare half hour, want to tone your abs and have a Tena lady suitably in place, then proceed, however, be warned you may want to wear custard in your pants or never eat a fishcake again...

http://sleeptalkinman.blogspot.com/

Enjoy xx

Young face and old soul.

I wish I could get warm. My toes are frozen when I'm waiting for the children after school!

My midwifery interview was cancelled for today and rearranged to the end of Feb. Selfishly I was fed up about this as I'd done all the preparation and felt I was as current as I could be and on top of it all. I'm nervous that five weeks later I'll have gone off the boil. Still, it was a good decision for them to make really considering the snow is so bad everywhere and the interviewers need to get in and candidates need to travel.

So, instead, I am at home this weekend, in the warm where, really it doesn't matter if it snows again as we have central heating and enough food to feed an army in the freezer. We have fresh water and blankets, we don't need to go anywhere.

Some people don't have that choice. I am saddened when I read about the suffering, particularly of the elderly at this time of year, that they're having to make choices as to whether or not to eat or put on the heating? Where they're too scared to go out because the paths are not gritted, they get no visitors for days on end. Does anyone remember the lad last year who was arrested for gritting his elderly neighbours path and drive with council grit *sigh*.
Little Miss Beehive spent her Friday sweet money on a sandwich today! She then proceeded to give it to the homeless lady sat on 5 inches of snow and a few layers of cardboard outside the store. Now, my feet were cold in my expensive boots, so goodness knows how she was feeling. I was very proud of dd I must say. It made me sit up a bit and think and I'm going to remember to try and do one good deed for someone each day for the next month. It was an easy forfeit for LMB but made a lovely difference for that lady. I urge you to do the same. If you live next to an elderly, infirm, heavily pregnant person or just someone that you could offer a hand to, perhaps you could check if they have all they need and if not, offer to loan, buy or help?

I'm not normally one for sanctimonious postings, but my five year old daughter has woken me up to myself today so I'm passing on her spirit.

Stay warm x

Hogmanay

Well, Christmas is done and dusted for another twelve months and it's been a good one. I've really enjoyed hosting this year, far easier than shipping out and we've been particularly blessed with the snow (well, once everyone arrived safely!) and have been able to sled and really feel the spirit of the season along with a nice backdrop!

The end of the first decade of the noughties too!

It's been quite a ride since December 1999!

I am not one for setting resolutions for the New Year. It means I always fail in something within the first two weeks of a fresh year and why give myself the grief, but as 2009 draws to a close, I always, along with most of the blogging population I think, find myself reflecting on what they year has brought for us personally and for the extended community and what I'd love it to bring in 2010.

So, whilst I'm not intending on sharing my innermost thoughts with you at this point in time, reflect with me on the first ten years of this new millenium, what did it bring for you? where will you be in another ten years on the verge of January 2020?

Have a wonderful and happy New Year and I hope that 2010 brings what you wish for.

Christmas coiffing

Christmas is a comin'
the goose is getting fat,
Please put a penny in the old man's hat!

I love this time of year.
I love the preparations and the carols and the decorations and the tears and the bickering and the upset and, did I mention tears?

We're having everyone to us this year and I'm very excited, as long as the weather can behave itself between now and then. For the first time ever we have snow in the run up to Christmas *sigh*.

Earlier this week LMB was in her first ever nativity. It was touch and go for a moment if she'd make the heavenly host or not, but sadly, she was relegated to the level of singing guest. She was just fine about that and I was just glad we got through the whole performance without any digital brain surgery being performed as she was on the front row!

I also love this time of year because it gives me an excuse to cook and create, and this weekend I've been making edible gifts. I've made bags of truffles and am in the process of making some marron glace.

It seemed a great idea when I saw "Pam the Jam" making them on Hugh Fearnly-Wearnly's Christmas cook-off, however, what they failed to inform us, the unsuspecting public, they take up to four days to make and peeling them...peeling chestnuts...have you ever done this? Well, apart from the fact that I can probably get away with armed robbery as I no longer posess fingerprints I can now see the appeal in buying the pre-peeled version. So basically if anyone says they don't like them, they'll be eating them through a straw *grrr*!!


(Look, the Himalayas!!!!! hee hee!)

What else? Well, I'm sporting a new wig...not exactly impressed with it right now. I decided to "try out" a new wig shop and went in to ask the young...young girl (you have to be older than 10 to cut hair right?) if she knew what Lulu's hair looked like...mistake number 1. Mistake number two was accepting that she had actually seen Twilight and knew what Alice's hair looked like (the closest modern Lulu I could think of). Odd thing was, despite not knowing Lulu, the end result was suprisingly Farrah Fawcett *eurgh*. So, I'm off back to my usual wiggery, picture in hand to get the real McCoy!

So, wishing you all a very merry Christmas, happy holidays and wonderful 2010, let it be peaceful and amazing for you all.


Oh and we're having turkey, not goose!

A new path and BF acronyms

Well, life is a changing again. I am forseeing the imminent change for this blog too.

In the last few weeks we've made one or two important decisions and for the first time in my life I've seized the bull well and truly by the horns and acted on them.

So, what's got me here? Firstly, we've sadly discovered that we are suffering from secondary infertility, so I'm now at a crossroads in my life. I've stepped over the precipice into "life the other side of having babies". Not sure how I'm feeling with it all. Somedays I feel desperately unhappy and would love to push this for all it's worth, but other days I feel remarkably calm and composed and excited to what is the otherside of the door.

I've gone through moment of feeling like life is kind of over, well the fun bits, I've left home, gone to uni, got a job, got married, bought my own home and had babies....what now? It actually has left me dangling a bit. In the last ten years I've been so busy, been pregnant, been studying, been travelling. Now it's all ended.

Obviously, I'm not going to dwell on this, because on the otherside of the precipice is life with older children, watching them grow up and make choices and become adults etc, which in itself is really exciting.

There's the opportunity to finally find my pre baby bod - I'm currently working out three times a week at the gym (well, nearly three times, if it wasn't for poorly kids and advent celebrations meaning that my Friday sessions are being put off *tut* lol!) and I am now going to take time to do the thing that I've been wanting to do ever since I jumped on the baby bandwagon.

I'm going to return to university and do the degree that, in hindsight, I probably should have done the first time around! I'm going to be a midwife (well....if I get accepted of course!)

I've spent ten years doing everything baby related, the NCT chair, being an antenatal teacher, being a doula, working with postpartum mums and babies - I think it's about time to answer that call.

Yesterday evening at about 6.30pm I pressed "send" on my UCAS application to do a BSc (hons) in midwifery. Now, I wait!

I've applied for 2011, so deferring for a year as I intend to start once we move in the house in Oxfordshire and the children are finally settled.

I'm terribly excited about it all- I think I also have a rather unhealthy relationship with my NUS card having had one for the best part of ten years of my 37 and likely (fingers crossed) to have one for another three or four!

I've decided I need to do my Biology GCSE, I don't actually "need" it as I already have a GCSE in Chemistry, but I personally think I do as my original leanings at sixth form were in the arts.

So over the next few years I'm hoping that I'll be able to update on my progress and change in direction, moving away from life as I've known it so far, into the realms of uteri (I'm sure there has to be a plural ;-)), SROM's, FBS, FHR and EDD!!!

OMFG WHILMSIF?

Fools rush in.

Little did I realise when I named my first born, ten years ago, that his name when wailed loudly by a four year old would sound so much like "mammy". The number of times I've gone running to be met by an exasperated tweenie sighing with despair "Not YOU, mammy" Still, I guess I get my workouts in most days with all the cardio stairs I do.

Then there is the time when you thought you were doing your children a favour by not dumbing down language into "ickle wickle and cutsie wootsie" and it backfires with your middle child coming out of school remonstrating how his new BFF isn't "ready to come over for a playdate yet because he needs to get a grip on himself, because today he has been a despicable git" (apparently he (the bff) got into trouble at school). I did have to inhale my tonsils at this fishwifery.

Or the time when you realise that speed reading the bedtime story probably isn't the best way forward to encourage your child to learn the words and Hairy McClary from Donaldson's Dairy is "most definitely" Hamey M'laney from Domalson Damey and nothing you can say or do will convince her otherwise.

And finally you realise that it isn't just you, when your nephew, who has had a slightly *emphasis on slightly* wheezy chest over the last couple of days, tells his teacher that "it's me heart, Miss" when his wicked mother sends him into school...

Oh well, when they grow up, they can blame it all on me when it goes full circle mwahahaha!