Super Mummy

Photo by jcsizmadi

Today I was Super Mummy (well at least I felt like it.)
I have had a hugely productive day.

Here are some of the things I have got done today...

I visited and filled out all the necessary forms for H 's new pre school.
I filled out all the forms for H's free child care entitlements that start in April.
I brought my nephew's birthday card and present and wrapped it.
I ordered flowers to be delivered to my mum for mothers day.
I cooked the kids a healthy and filling lunch.
I donated a load of the kiddies old clothes to charity, trying to clear out before the move.
I brought and posted a birthday card for the other half's Nan.
I got people to sponsor H in his easter raffle for pre school,
I ordered H's special dairy free easter eggs. Having one child with a dairy intolerance means Easter is a nightmare in our household!
I spent the afternoon playing with the kids in the garden.
I even baked my first ever Victoria Sponge, although it would be wrong to call it a sponge and a more appropirate name for it would be Victoria Rock.
You should know at this point that up to about 4 months ago I had NEVER cooked anything before in my life. Bascically a mix of having a partner that's a qualified chef and living in a pub with our own chef for the last 2 years has meant I've not had to learn. Bad I know, but I'm making up for it now... well trying to.
I was quite proud of my sponge until the other half came home, took one look at it and burst out laughing. Not the reaction I was going for.
Now don't laugh but here's a pic


So that was my day, probably doesn't look like much to anyone else but to me it was good.

Last Holiday of Freedom

This weeks gallery theme is Light.

I have chosen this picture of my sister, I love the lights reflecting all around her.
This picture was taken on my last ever child free holiday. I was three months pregnant and my partner had gone away to Le Mans so my sister and I booked a last minute holiday to Spain.
It was quite a subdued hoilday, obviously with being pregnant, but still will be one I will remember forever.
I spent most of the time being terrified by ever twitch or slight bit of pain I felt, having never been pregnant before I was a little paranoid. It was also the only adult holiday I had been on without enjoying the all inclusive bar.
This was my last week of freedom, in the sense of no responsabilities, and although it definatley wasn't the most fun filled or action packed holiday I have ever been on it will always hold a special place in my heart. x

See more Gallery entries over at Tara's blog at http://stickyfingers1.blogspot.com/

Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

I've recently been watching Big Fat Gypsy Weddings and I find it fascinating learing about their values and ways of life.

I was watching it the other night and I felt a bit jealous of the massive support system that the mothers have around them at all times. It must make raising children that bit easier.
Maybe that is why they all seem to have a lot of children and appear to cope really well. (I have two and struggle to cope most of the time.)
These women are actually quite amazing, they still live in a very male dominated society, they are expected to get married and have children when they are still just children themselves and on top of that they are expected to keep an immaculate home. I say hats off to them.

Photo by beamillion

I have been reading a lot of articles recently about mothers of today and how they cope with motherhood and the general consensous seems to be that modern day mothers are struggling more with raising children than our grandparents did because of the lack of support from family. The main reason for the lack of support is because families now tend to live further apart than we did before. This to me makes a lot of sense and I often feel that if I had better support from family it might make, raising children, just a bit more bearable.

This is why I love watching Gypsy Weddings, I love the fact that they hold on to traditional old fashioned values. They all look out for each other and it must be comforting to have that around you, especially in the child raising years which can be very isolating and lonely.
I look forward to watching it again tonight.

Panic Attack

Yesterday was a horrible day!
It started out fine, the kids had spent the night at their Aunties and my man and I had a bit of a lie in (first in years).
We then got up, got dressed and had a nice peaceful breakfast, all lovely.
Then as we went to leave, to go and pick up the kids, I suddenly felt like I had been stabbed in the chest with a knife. The pain was unbearable, my whole chest got really tight and I couldn't breathe. Everytime I took in a breath it felt like I was being stabbed again.

I have suffered with panic attacks since I ws 16 and have learnt over time how to handle them. I'm use to the shortness of breath but I've never had pain like that before and because of that I paniced and then proceeded to have a full blown panic attack as well as the pain.
Before this I had gone nearly 4 years without a single panic attack and thought they might have gone for good, obviously I was wrong.

I don't really remember much after that, I think the adrenaline had kicked in, but I know we went to the hospital.
When we got there they did all the necessary checks, blood pressure, heart monitor, lungs etc and all came back normal.
They decided that I must have a trapped nerve either in my back or neck. I had know idea that a trapped nerve could cause you that much pain and make you unable to breathe. I had convinced myself that I was having a heart attack. Clearly I wasn't.
They said it could take up to a week before I feel better and it hasn't helped having the two little ones hanging off me all day. I feel worse now than I did yesterday. So I shall drug myself up with pain killers, fill up my hot water bottle and go to bed.
The only thing I'm worried about now is that because I have had that panic attack I now might have more, it's almost like once you have one you then have a whole load in one go. Also now that i'm worried about having another panic attack, I ultimatley will have another one becausee I'm tense and worried about having one, it's a vicious cycle.
However just getting that off my chest has helped. Does anyone else suffer from panic attacks? If so what do you do to control them?

Top 5 Hangover Cures

We went out last night for an adult evening, not a fruit shoot or chicken nugget in sight. It was great, don't get me wrong I love my kiddies to bits, however when we do get the rare oppourtuity to get out minus children we do enjoy ourselves.
Infact I may have enjoyed myself a bit too much, as I feel a little peaky this morning.
Gone are the days when you could wallow in your own self pity in bed all day and the worst thing is having to change that first morning nappy. Yuck.
It doesn't take much these days for me to feel three sheets to the wind (since having kiddies), 3 glasses of wine and I'm anybodies. It is cheaper though so suppose that's a plus.

When I feel a little 'under the weather' in the morning I have 5 things I do to make myself feel better and I thought I'd share them with you...

1) Glass of Berocca, a good hit of vitamin c really helps.



Photo by jez` Jennie

2) Eat a bananna , increases your serotonin levels (apparently).



Photo by Robin_24
3) Glass of Dioralyte, contain rehydration salts & helps replace lost body fluids.
Photo from http://www.pharmacyathand.co.uk

4) A shower, makes you feel fresher and slightly more human.



Photo by stevendepolo
5) A nice greasy fry up, this one either kills or cures but hey it tastes so good!



Photo by jayneandd

The best cure by far though has got to be palming the kiddies off with grandparents for the day so you can die in peace. That's just wishful thinking though.

So what do you do when you've had a bit to much the night before? I'd love to hear it.

Nervous Energy

I constantly seem to have that nervous feeling at the moment, you know that feeling in your stomach a bit like butterflys before giving a big speech. I know it's because of moving again and all the up-heaval that that entails.

It's H i'm worried about the most, with his need for routine. He's already showing signs of nervousness.
I compare his behaviour to how a dog starts behaving just before you go on holiday, when it knows that something is happening but not quite sure what and they start doing weird things like running round in circles. Well H isn't quite running round in circles but he is doing weird things. For example when I dropped him off at pre school the other day he wouldn't let go of my leg and started screaming 'Don't leave me mummy'. That was horrible and I felt awful about it for the rest of the day. He has never done that before and has always loved going to school.
His general behaviour has also gone from bad to worse, he screams at me, pushes me and throws himself on the floor at any opportunity. Couple that with trying to pack our house, sell our old car, buy a new one and arrange moving vans etc the stress levels in our house at present are really high.
I keep telling myself that it will all be worth it in the end though, as the house is ideal for us.

Phil is stressed to the max because not only is he trying to work but also make sure that this moves goes as smoothly as possible (If moving house can ever be a smooth process.)

Lj is the only one in our household that seems quite content just doing what she's doing, toddling around without a care in the world. As long as you feed her and give her a quick cuddle every now and again she's quite happy. Oh how nice that must be.

Out With The Old

As we are moving at the end of the month I have decided to have a mammoth clear out. Anything that creates clutter or mess in our house must go.
Therefore I have two children for sale, they come complete with runny noises, temper tantrums and sticky fingers. Pick up only. Also as a extra bonus I'll even throw in the mountain of toys they seem to have accumulated over the past 3 years. Please note they are sold as seen! Happy bidding.