Wedding Plans
Posted on August 27, 2009
OK folks I need your help. As some of you already know, Wal and I are getting married. We’re thinking sometime in May, during half term so our friends can come to the wedding. I would like a destination wedding which is the reason for a half term wedding date. Somewhere in Northern Portugal, perhaps a winery? Or maybe in Madeira although I watched 2 minutes of Kerry Katona on telly this evening and she was going on holiday to Madeira so she might have just ruined it for me.
So you’re wondering where/why I need help. I am ashamed to say that I don’t know nuthin’ bout weddings. I think Wal and I might just go to a registry office and do the legal deed then off somewhere for the party. What do I bring? Do I need wedding favors? A cake? A dance? A DJ/Band? I just want a really chilled out weekend drinking some fab wine w/ friends and family in a super cool winery. Basically not very ‘wedding’ like. Anyone have any suggestions of places to go or wedding ideas? Anything would be great. I don’t really want to start buying wedding magazines as they’re geared for the more traditional bride and that is something I am not. Wal and I have been together for a while, we have child together so all that wedding malarkey just seems a bit silly to me.
Is May too soon? How far ahead to we have to plan these things? Oh mah gawd I don’t have a clue… help!
Oh and a recent photo of Squidge…
I think I’m a country girl
Posted on August 23, 2009
This weekend I did something I never in a million years thought I would do, I participated in and won a snail race. I have said this before and will say it again I am a city girl through and through. I’d never seen a tadpole until recently. I’ve never ridden a horse. The first time I was stung by a nettle I freaked out thinking I had been bitten by a bug. Yes folks I am citified, my idea of wildlife was killing the roaches that crawled up the bathtub pipes in my high rise dorm building.
Squidge and I drove to Allostock in Cheshire on Saturday to join in on a family fun day. I dream of living in a big house in Cheshire so I jumped at the chance. The little village of Allostock is beautiful (and if my rightmove app is anything to go by veddy veddy pricey) and we had a fantastic time. Squidge ran around singing, dancing, decorating biscuits, staring at Shetland ponies, eating ice cream and picking the winning snail.
The city girl in me was a bit icked out by the bucke o’snails but Squidge just reached right in there and pulled one out.
She chose #38, we named him Bolt.
Bolt was a bit on the hefty side. I was going to have her pick another one but though hell it’s only 30p! We set our snail on the table along w/ the others and the race started. They were feisty little buggers which amazed me a little. Still, at the end of the day they were snails so we wandered off for a bit while the race went on. When I went back to check on Bolt he was in the lead– holy freaking slime ball! This is the point in the story were you see how pathetically competitive I am. A girl, no older than 10, was helping her snail along by waving some lettuce in front of her snail. I thought to my self OH HELL NO IS ISN’T!! Please visualize my best Shanaenae. Yes folks I took piece of lettuce and BRIBED little ole Bolt to the finish line. Booyah!!! All joking aside Bolt was going and wasn’t all that interested in the lettuce
So that’s the story of how this city girl won a snail race and came home w/ a bag of marbles. Good thing too as I think I might be losing mine.
Paperpod Rocket
Posted on August 23, 2009
Toy: Paperpod Rocket
Retailer: On-line
Web Link:http://www.paperpod.co.uk/index.htm
Price: £29.95 (+ £5.95 postage)
Score out of 4:5
Initial thoughts: I was a bit skeptical when I saw the box– it’s not the type of thing I would buy just because of its size AND cardboard! I was worried about the quality. I do love anything that Squidge needs to use her imagination to play with so I was keen to get into the box and assemble it. If you’re like me and a bit challenged in the flat pack department you might need some help. Luckily for me I had a friend who whipped it together in no time. Once it was up we had a hard time keeping the kids away from it. We set them up w/ markers and crayons and they had a fantastic time doodling on the rocket. If you have a crafty child this rocket will keep them entertained for days and days just decorating it. Our 3 were a little impatient and after a few doodles it was time to blast off!!
We Liked: It was a bit out of the ordinary and the kids just really took off and let their imagination run riot. If you have a child who is mad about space/planets then this will really get them excited. It’s made of some pretty sturdy cardboard. It’s made from recycled materials and is recyclable. CREATIVITY! CREATIVITY!! CREATIVITY!! No princesses, trains or explorers and it can be anything your child wants it to be. I would buy one for this reason alone.
We weren’t keen on: It’s size. If you struggle w/ space like I do then this is not the toy for you. Although it’s angled so it does fit easily into a corner and being cardboard it can easily be disassembles and stored away. I’m of two minds with this one– some of the things I love about it are also the things that I am not keen on. It’s a bit pricey for a cardboard toy BUT our three played w/ it for ages and ages. If you have the room for it then it is well worth the £35.
Overall: It’s creative. It’s fun. If you’re looking for something that will stimulate imaginations and increase role playing the range of Paperpod products fits the bill. The fact that it’s not “branded” is a huge bonus for those of us that try to find alternative products for our children. I think it is made in the UK– I had a good look around their website but couldn’t find anything that said differently. I’m always looking for locally made products so if it is in fact made in the UK it is another reason to buy.
I did submit this review to a fab new UK toy review website Great Toy Guide . I feel that although a lot of the toys can be purchased in the US it is nice to have one that is UK based and from what I can see some of the toys will/are by small toy companies so YAY for independent/ organic/green toy companies.
The one where I stop moaning and start doing
Posted on August 19, 2009
I’m FAT. I hate it and have been moaning and having a good old pity party for a while now. WHY-HIIIII-HIIIIIIIIIIII am I fAAAAAAt (as I shove a piece of toast in my mouth)?? I’m a stay at home mom w/ loads of opportunities to graze. I sometimes take a moment to think of all I’ve eaten and think WOW ok so I haven’t actually had a meal but I’ve had toast, some fruit, finished off Squidges meals, licked spoons, tasted bits of this and that and THEN at the end of the day I sit down and have a proper meal w/ my man. Usually keeping up w/ him bite for bite. I also do very little physical activity. Now granted I probably do more than someone who works a desk job but I also graze more than someone working at a desk job!
After my trip to the US I knew I needed to change. While home I realize that most of the people I know are doing/moving/running (marathons FFS!!) and I was having a hard time walking around the park. Here I am with all this time on my hands and all I do is moan. I used to work out a lot. Prior to my move to the UK I was a regular at the gym. Since moving my weight continues to creep up. I have gone up 3 sizes since May 2005. I blame it on the move over and having a baby. Well my baby is now 3 and they DO have gyms here in England– shocking. I joined a gym when I first arrived then proceeded to get knocked up and felt like crap for the first 4 months and then just couldn’t be bothered. I was preggers– time to eat ICE CREAM not work out!! When Squidge was about a year old I joined another gym. When I say I joined I really mean I paid £45 a month for an entire year and didn’t step foot inside the building after the first 2 months. My excuse? The creche was horrible. I joined this particular gym because I could drop Squidge there while I worked out. Only thing was you needed to book in advance (not mentioned prior to joining) and if you didn’t manage to go you still had to pay. Now Wal travels for work. He sometimes leaves at short notice (or thinks he’s told me when in fact he just thought about telling me) and Squidge was only 1. Anyone with a new baby knows that scheduling things can be tricky, especially things you don’t really want to do– like work out.
Excuses, every last thing I’ve told myself and others. If I really wanted to work out I would and could. Wal is home A LOT and I could make the time if I really wanted. I spoke to Wal about what I wanted and where I wanted to be. I told friends of my secret desire to run a 10K. I told them this while laughing because I’m not a runner. I never have been. I’m asthmatic and that has ALWAYS been my excuse for not running. I get winded easily. I get light headed. I don’t run. But Ooooh I so badly want to be a runner. I want to have the freedom to throw on some running shoes and go. No gym. No schedule. Nothing to restrain me. I tell Wal I want to have a personal trainer. Someone that will tell me off. Get me going. Not someone I know who will hurt my feeling or that I can tell to eff off. I looked around. I sent emails. I left messages. No one called me back. Odd seeing at personal trainers are EXPENSIVE and you would have thought they’d be on you like a fly on shit to get your money. So I looked around some more and found something called British Military Fitness. I read. I got frightened. I’m intrigued. I read some more. I signed up for the free trial. I almost died. I discovered a deep deeeeeply hidden masochistic streak which lead me to sign up and pay for unlimited sessions. I spend 10 minutes trying to put on this new bondage inspired sports bra. I persevered and got to my second class safe in the knowledge that by boobages are locked down tight! I might die but the puppies aren’t going anywhere– bring on the running!!
So there you have it. I’m now doing boot camp. It’s fantastic. It’s painful. It totally blows chunks. I hate it. I love it. I am the slowest, fattest, most uncoordinated person there. When we run I am ALWAYS last. I huff and puff my way through press ups, and scorpions and weird jumpy uppy lunge things that both frighten and amuse me. I crawl on my tummy while the instructor shouts at me to get my ass down or it will be shot off. I chase balls and wonder what the eff I’m doing. I may not be good at it but I’m there. I like that no matter how much I think it’s going to kill me it will be over soon. I like that the people there will hang back and make sure I’m OK. I like that we laugh and grunt and groan together. I especially like that it’s getting my ass out of the house and doing something.
Please keep me in your thoughts– I really do think it is going to kill me. Please keep me in your thoughts that I stick to it. I love it and need to do it. I have a new goal . That I am actually thinking about doing this is scary but thrilling at the same time. I hope and pray that this time… this goal…
PS: Those of you that have lost a lot of weight, did you take a nekkid (actually semi nekkid) picture of yourselves for a before/after thingie?? I’m thinking about doing this but the thought just turns my stomach…
Big Sky
Posted on August 18, 2009
words to follow… bed now. night. night.









