the one with the train
Posted on October 30, 2009
Are you ready for some football?!?! American football that is.

Are you ready for some football?!?! American football that is. On Sunday we headed down to London town to watch my beloved NE Patriots play at Wembley. To say we were excited would be an understatement!

I picked up a white turtleneck (rollneck to you Brits) shirt for Squidge to wear and Wal danced around like a loon when I tried it on her. LOL wish I had a camcorder! We had a fantastic time but I wish we had more time. We decided to have Portuguese food for lunch so headed toward Stockwell(?). Lunch was good but that meant we were running waaay behind and missed all the pre-game stuff. Live and learn I suppose, that is the only thing I would have changed about the day– oooh and missing our train and having to pay an additional £130 to get on the next train!! But, other than that we wouldn’t change a thing! We were hauling it up to the stadium and could hear the national anthem being sung. Did I mention Wal had Squidge on his shoulders at this point?!?! Once inside and settled we finally were able to relax and enjoy the game. I taught Squidge to say “GO PATS!!” and she spent the first quarter shouting it and dancing– sooo cute I wanted to eat her up!! LOL gotta love this kid!

We had fantastic seats– row 20 on the lower level! I don’t own a zoom lens (85mm is all I have as i don’t need one in my day to day business) but I would have loved to have one during the game. Ah well next time I’ll rent one… or not!

Squidge was sooo good during the game. We were worried that her attention would wander and we’d end up trying to keep her entertained. Luckily she became fascinated by the cheerleaders and spent a lot of time standing on my thighs and trying to copy their dances– again, wish I had a camcorder! At one point she was thirsty and Wal went to buy her a drink. He came back w/ a JUMBO (although they called it a small) Fanta.

She drank it all up, barely letting me have a sip. Whoo boy did she have a sugar rush– it was funny to watch. It lasted until the end of the game and then it was a mad dash to try to get to Euston to catch the train back to Manchester. As I said before we missed the one we had tickets for. I thought we would just be able to get on the next one but nope they made us pay full whack to get on the next train. Pretty heartless of them and it’s no wonder people don’t travel by rail much– it expensive!!

We can’t wait for the next NFL game but we also know that this was a once in a life time event. I mean really when will the Patriots play another regular season game in London?!? Probably not for a long time.
the one where you are what you eat.
Posted on October 27, 2009
Yesterday I watched Dispatches on Channel 4. The program was about what is in your breakfast, but it also went into product labeling and how misleading they are. To say that I was shocked by the program would be an understatement. As a stay at home mom we live a very 1950’s life, or so I like to think! I cook all our meals from scratch (or almost from scratch), I clean *coughbullshit* and take care of Squidge. Wal works and brings home the bacon. I would like to say he always has a freshly laundered and iron shirt each morning but that would be a total lie! I’m working out again after 4 yrs and hopefully setting a good example for Squidge. I try to make healthy food choices and try to limit the amount of sugar we all consume. I do give Squidge treats but I like to believe that the only sugar she is getting is from the chocolate button I’m giving her and not from her Cheerios! Yesterdays program just brought home to me the need to be vigilant. I don’t want to set Squidge up to make bad choices. We eat a lot of fruit and veg and I want to keep it that way. I think the part of the program that concerned me the most was the Heart UK labeling and the Omega 3 labeling. I didn’t know that the omega 3 in margarine is from plants and not fish. Did you know that it is only Omega 3 from fish that is beneficial to your brain?!?! Are you swayed by the Omega 3 label on the package when you purchase your margarine? We’re a split family here, I use butter and Wal uses margarine as he feels it is better than butter. I have always maintained that butter is a more natural and therefor healthier option. After finding out that the healthy claims on the packaging may or may not be total and complete fabrications, £25k and I can get one of those labels stuck on my fat ass, I am even more certain of my choice. I will no longer be buying margarine for Wal he’s just going to have to suck it up and use butter!
Now let me switch to cakes. I was born and raised in the US. I think I mentioned before that I never baked a cake from scratch until I moved here. I LOVED Betty Crocker and didn’t know what to do when I moved here. Baking here is soo different, everything needs to be weighed on a scale and I had never done that before. In the US butter comes in sticks and recipes that use butter use sticks not grams. I didn’t know how many grams in a stick and I had to turn to the interwebz for help. Imagine my surprise and joy when I went into a Waitrose and found Betty Crocker on the shelves! Oh i could go back to adding oil and an egg and calling it homemade! I didn’t buy any BC mix as I didn’t need any, but let me tell you the first time I did I hightailed it back to Waitrose and clutched my box of cake mix lovingly in my arms. I got home, made my cake and waiting impatiently for it to bake and cool. I frosted it with some Betty Crocker frosting and took a big forkful– nom nom BLECH!!! Oh interwebz I have been corrupted!! Betty Crocker cake mixes are awful!! Ooooh the horror! LOL, I have found that I much prefer my from scratch chocolate cake. How could this have happened?!?!? After 4+ years of living in a Betty Crockerless society and surviving nicely, thank you very much, I’ve noticed that I can now find Betty Crocker mixes in more and more shops, this makes me sad. I also heard that all you can eat buffet restaurants are taking hold here. Ooooh of the one thing to be exported from the US to my adopted country why all you can eat buffets?!?! Nothing good can come of it. They’re nasty vile disgusting placing, troughs to overfeed the masses!
I think that being a SAHM I have more time and freedom to cook from scratch but also think that with a little foresight and planning anyone can have a nice home cooked meal. Spend a few hours and cook and freeze for the coming week. We need to spend a little less time in from of the tv/computer/xbox and take care of ourselves, the Betty Crockers of the world are not going to do it for us. If we don’t the future will not be pretty.
there one where I beg
Posted on October 22, 2009
Oh head over to LDM, pleeease!

It’s just because I’m absolutely in love with how these photos turned out! Tell me what you think. Are they good? Don’t quit my day job??
the one where I’m proud to be me
Posted on October 20, 2009

Oh it’s been a long long time since I was last tagged. Probably because I’m crap at meme’s and never do them or pass them along. So imagine my surprise when I was tagged! In an attempt to turn over a new meme-leaf I’m actually going to do this one AND pass it forward. I think it’s just a fantastic meme– a celebration of ME eeer You uuuuh you know what I’m trying to say…right?
I was first tagged by Josie over at Sleep is for the weak and then Sally at Who’s the mummy tagged. Go read them they’re fab. So I’m supposed to list 5 things I’m proud of…*tumbleweed*…
Uno: I’m proud of the fact that I have started to work out again. After months years of moaning about it I’m actually doing it. For the purpose of this here Proud to be Me meme I won’t mention my actual lack of any weight loss. Just the fact that I’m bustin’ my ass in the cold and sometimes rainy nights is enough to make me proud. The weight thing… it will happen.
Dos: Of Squidge. Despite the fact that I thought I wasn’t cut out to be a mum I don’t think I’m doing too badly. She’s clever, inquisitive, sassy, adventurous and loving. I think she’s turned out OK thanks to me. Well except for that one time she sighed “oh shit” to herself– possible low point in my parenting abilities.
Tres: I’m very proud of my expat-ness. I love that I didn’t let fear of the unknown stop me from making the move. It wasn’t and isn’t easy living in a foreign county– even one where you know the language, but I’m here and I’m making it work. I’m proud that I’ve learned to take a bus, did I ever tell you about the first time I tried taking a bus? I’m proud that I can jump in my car and go anywhere without fear– thank you TomTom! That I can bake cakes from scratch! I’m talking flour, sugar, butter and eggs- that scratch! Before moving to the UK I thought baking a cake from scratch meant you opened a cake mix, added oil and an egg then mixed well. Coming here and not finding an entire aisle filled with Betty Crocker cake mixes was one hell of a shock!!
Quatro: I’m proud of my flexibility. No! not the bendy body way but my ability to go with the flow… roll with the punches… #3 reminded me of all those little things you have to learn about and to do when you’re in a new environment. Taking a bus in New Bedford is different from taking a bus in Manchester. Did you know you have to flag them down like taxis here?!?!?! Lightbulbs w/ bayonets instead of screw on ones– ya almost shattered the bulb trying to unscrew it. GP’s are different. We pump petrol here not gas. If tell you I can’t find my pants depending where you’re from a different visual image will pop into your head. First time someone invited me over for tea I got it completely wrong. Learning to drive on the ‘wrong’ side. In a thousand different insignificant yet fundamental ways I have had to be flexible and adapt– it think I’ve done alright.
Cinco: My photography. I love it! Since picking it back up again I see the world differently. I love that I’ve learned so much and that I still have so much to learn. I’m soo proud of the fabulous photographs I have taken. Of the smiles it has brought to people. I’m proud of myself for getting myself out there even while I’m quaking in my boots from my insecurities.
I tag:
Carol @ new mummy
Karin @ Cafe Bebe
Byrney @ 3 kids and 6 1/2 minis
Karen @ If I could escape…
Jo @ Jo Beaufoix
the one with the pathetic pumpkin patch
Posted on October 19, 2009
I was told by two people this weekend that I’m neglecting this blog– oops! In my defense… ahem, I don’t really have a defense, other than to say that I suck. Also, I don’t really know where to add commas. I think I need a grammar refresher course!


This past Saturday I met a bunch of friends out at Kenyon Hall Farms for a little pumpkin picking. Visions of pumpkins piled hip high danced around my head on the way there. I hoped there would be hay rides, roasted chestnuts and warm apple cider. BWAHAHAHA! Not likely!! It was such a pathetic little patch– a few straggly looking pumpkins scattered around.

Still the kids didn’t know any better and they spent a little time picking the pumpkins and putting them in the basket. One of the reasons why some of the pumpkins were squooshed might be that the kids would pick them and when you told them to put them down they would chuck them. Afterward we went for a nice lunch at a nearby pub. A nice afternoon all around.

Squidge also had her first day of ballet and tap. She was sooo excited and looked freaking adorable!! I’m going to try to take pictures, can’t guarantee as the main instructor looks a bit mean– Eeek!!
