Thursday, 5 April 2012

Best foot first forward...................................

Ah Spring is in the air so time to put away the winter clothes until the cold returns which will properly arrive in about two weeks. One of my worries is that people will realise that what they thought was winter padding was in fact me!

Then there are my feet, still two of them thank goodness but every year I feel that they have gotten larger over the winter, I am not kidding, they hibernate and come out looking like hobbit feet.

And then this Spring I was invited to a wedding so I had to wear something other than my birkenstockes. So off I went to get myself some nice shoes, well easier said than done.
My eleven year old daughter came with me and laughed her head off everytime I put on a pair of shoes with heels!
"No they are too high for you and bad for your back"
Okay I did tell her that but that was for HER not me!!!
Anyway I climbed into a pair of high heels and tottered round for a few minutes and I do mean totter!
I was never one to wear heels even when I was younger but needs must for a wedding, I must look like an adult for at least 10 minutes!!
I bought a pair and left the shop with a laughing daughter, my husband was even amazed with what I bought and said "you are actually going to wear these????", ah goody even after all this time I can still surprise him.

I was determined to master walking with these shoes for the wedding, I walked around the house in them - trot trot trot (that is noise I was making!), walked around the garden - trot trot trot avoid children playing as they think this is a great game, then actually walked the dog up and down on our street - trot trot trot the dog is giving me weird looks now and is embarrassed to be seen with me!!
No good I was getting vertigo been so high, I felt birds could build their nest on me.

What did I do? Admit defeat? No way!
Like the mature adult I am I hid that pair of shoes and bought another pair that had a heel but did not put me in the clouds - my daughter would know straight away but husband would not have a clue unless he found the first pair but that won't happen as they are well hidden - right in front of him!!!

After a few more trotting sessions and embarassing the dog I was fine, wedding went well, looked like an adult for 9.6 minutes (new record) needles to say the minute the dancing started the shoes were off before you could say "high heels" and flat shoes on and I was dancing my little butt off (okay it is not that little but thats another story).

And I am sure I will master walking in high heels before the next wedding...................now where did I hide those shoes?

Monday, 19 March 2012

102 Hours

Is this how long it took me to log on to Facebook? Nope

Is this how long it took me to clean my house? Nope need WAY more time for that!

Is this how long I was stuck in the bath when I was 9 months pregnant? Nope and that is another story!

That is how long I had all to myself in my own house. Great achievement really because the last time that happened was over 9 years ago when I was pregnant on my last child.

To say it was bliss would be an understatement. I do love my children and husband most of the time especially when they are at school/work or asleep but it was pure freedom to be at home and doing what I wanted rather than having people looking for food, drink or comfort on a regular basis. I could actually watch something on television without an age limit on it and could stay up late and not pay for it the next day by having a real lie-in!!!!

At one point it looked like that they wouldn't be leaving due to hubbie's work commitments but once it was finally decided after a very deep and meaningful heart to heart discussion "ye are bloody well going I want to catch up on Desperate Housewives" the suitcases were packed and loaded in the car before anyone changed their mind, to be honest I have never packed suitcases so fast in my entire life!

The dog and I happily waved them off on their 5 hour car journey - enjoy hubbie dear (he he he).
Two hours later as I sat lazily on the couch chilling out my youngest son rings me to check when he will see me again, yep the car journey must be going well!!

Besides catching up on televison I also sorted out paperwork, clothes, photos, my office  and falling down steps and twisting my foot - you see extremely busy!!!

As a mother you are in constant demand from someone whether they are little or big or have two or four legs, there is always someone or something demanding your attention so it is nice to have a break and do what you want when you wish.
I mean even God got Sunday off when he made earth so why can't I?

I joined the children on their trip and did the return the 5 hour car journey so very quickly my 102 hours of freedom were forgotten! So you know what that means? Yep hubbie will have to take them off for another trip so that I can remember those hours of bliss!!!

Wednesday, 8 February 2012

Opps begin again..........................

Ah just shoot me, I was doing so well and then BANG, back to the beginning, yep my friggin new year's resolution went out the window which is annoying because I actually got past January!!!

I have atempted different types of resolutions like:
stop writing to George Clooney, stop phoning George Clooney, stop collecting restraining orders from George Clooney .....amazingly the medication helped out on this one!!!!

So I moved on to other resolutions, one year I decided that every month I would send a letter to a friend, well I thought that the old fashioned way has its' charms and I certainly love getting letters, nice idea wasn't it, until September rolled round and I realised that I had sent absolutely NOTHING to anyone!! so like a homework assignment I wrote 9 letters and well when I say "letters" half of them were postcards, well the people who received were pleased.
(no George did not receive any I was cured that year!!)

And then of course are the old ones you drag up now and then, go on a diet, this is an easy one because at Christmas/New Year time all the women's magazines are just full of stories on women who lost LOADS of weight really fast, well it seems that way because first of all you see the 'before' photo on the cover and by the time you get to page 56 you see the 'after' photo you see how quickly it goes.
Certain women related that when they divorced their husbands that the weight just "fell off" - does that mean that they were carrying them?
Anyway the kids won't go for that idea.
"Children I need to divorce your father to loose weight!" no can't see that one working.

No this year I picked something simple and easy to follow, or so I thought.

My simple resolution this year was to be zen on school day mornings, yes Zen-Mum!
Seems simple right?

No more T-Rex Mum,screaming,crying, running around like a headless chicken or dinosaur, shouting "get up" "eat your breakfast" "get dressed" "brush your teeth, hair, body-hair etc" "get your bus ticket" "RUN"!! and that was just for the husband so you can imagine what it is like for the children.

I was doing so well and things were going smoothly and then this morning due to the snow I thought I would drive my eldest son to the bus stop because I was Zen Mum so I could do it all, it was literally a two minute drive, just as we arrived at the stop he announced that he had forgotten his bus ticket!!!!

Well in literally 2.5 seconds Zen Mum turned into T-Rex Mum yep I roared!!!!
And for the two minute drive to and from the house - do the math - yep 4 minutes, I roared !!!

Anyway all is well again T-Rex Mum has left the building (for now) and Zen Mum is due to land tomorrow morning to start the resolution malarky again and hopefully will not have to learn the lyrics of "Opps I did it again................."(but that is not a resolution!!)

Maybe I should go back to the George Clooney resolution..................





Tuesday, 8 November 2011

Today is for smiling.....................................

Today old letters will be read.

Today photographs will remind me of good times.

Today I will remind myself that I was lucky she was my 'Mam'.

Today happy memories will be shared with my children.

Today the jokes, the laughs and the endless cups of tea will be fondly remembered.

Today I will hum her favourtie songs

Today is a reminder that eight years is a drop in the ocean.

Today a candle will be lit in rememberance.

Today sadness will be pushed aside.

Today I will remember her voice, her laugh and her smile.


Today is for smiling............................................and maybe a few little tears.





Tuesday, 27 September 2011

Divide and conquer..................................not!

You know the film 'Clash of the Titans' well that is actually based on what happens in my household.

Granted chez moi it is a low-budget version of it but basically the plot of family members not getting on and causing mayhem in the household is quite present.

So like a film this is how it takes place;

1st Child enters a room looking for a sibling to bother (okay maybe not exactly looking for someone to bother but definately looking for 'something' to do)
2nd Child does not want to be bothered and therefore gets into 'defense' mode (this defense mode can take on many forms, shouting, hitting, throwing stuff at sibling, there even has been a case of biting!)
3rd Child either decides to be the peacemaker or joins in with the fight (either way he or she will also end up with injuries!)

Then follows lots of special effects - mostly shouting, stamping feet, slamming doors (well this is a low-budget version) and then someone gets hurt and cries and then I hear that sweet sound of
"MAMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
been screamed around the house in different voices until someone finds me
(I really need to find better hiding places)

This does not happen on a daily basis, only on days ending in 'y'!

I check for injuries, any cuts and bruises, any loose teeth, the usual inspection then rant like a fish-wife for five minutes, once I get my breath back I then become like Zeus I pass a sentence - everyone is 'banished' to their rooms and are 'forbidden' to speak each other.

Then calm reigns in the household and along come the closing credits with the words
THE END............................................or is it.

The first 30 minutes are calm and then I will hear a bedroom door creak open really quietly and Zeus-like I bellow up the stairs
"where are you going?"
a squeaky voice answers
"getting a drink/going to the toilet/finding my limb that fell off during the fight"

Then there is the whispering and patter of feet so been god-like and nosey I go to check it out and that is when I find the three of them all together in one room playing a game together like little angels and thats when I would like to turn into Medusa and turn the little blighters into stone!

Way back when I had more than 5 brain cells (B.C. before children) the idea of having lots of children seemed such a good idea but the thing we forget is that once we get past two kids you are actually outnumbering the adults in your household unless of course your other half is a big child and ah well can't help you there.

Of course you can attempt "divide and conquer" but this only works when you are using the following items - sweets, ice-cream, television and if all else fails - money!(technically can be seen as protection money).

There can be alternative endings (do not have to wait for the DVD box set to see this) they grow out of it, get bored by it or find quieter ways of annoying each other.

Ah bliss, the joys of parenthood.






Thursday, 8 September 2011

The "W" word

Two of the most scariest words in the world begin with "w".

Here they are
"weight" and even worse than that "waistline"
(hope nobody fainted)

I have been a big boned girl for a long time (ok I know we all have the same sized bones but this is my version) and have never ever been the slim willowly type woman more of an oak tree with large branches kinda of woman. Once I was complimented on my fine 'child-bearing' hips - yes the last of the great romantics lives in Ireland, he didn't seem to understand why this compliment did not endear me to him!! I occasionally fretted about it as you do when you are young but at the time I was using the memory of a goldfish and used the age old mantra
"ah feck it I'll do something about it tomorrow" and then "what am I suppose to do tomorrow?" see goldfish brain!
Of course now the funny thing is that when I see photographs of my younger self I think "why did you get your knickers in a twist sure you were fine" compared to now I was a bloomin top model!

Now I do have a waistline, it is round here somewhere (ha ha ha) and yes I would like to loose weight just as much as the next person unless that person is _____________ (fill in the gap with the name of anyone famous you think are too thin!) And granted my eating plan so far has been hit and miss, okay thinking that because I did not eat 10 chocolate biscuits my body should drop a kilo in weight in appreciation may not be the best plan but hey a girl has to try.
I have thought of alternative plans - wiring my jaw shut (ah no that was my husband's idea!)
not buying any food (funnily enough my children do not like this plan) and dare I even say it - doing sport (you see how desperate I became!!)

I have often read inspiring stories of woman who seemingly overnight lost 2 dress sizes, the only time I did that is when I accidently donated the wrong clothes bag to charity!! Or you know those 'chick-lit' books where the woman is so unhappy with her life and suddenly she turns it all around and the 'weight' just drops off her, well the only time weight actually dropped off me was when I gave birth or accidently dropped my slice of carrot cake!!

However I always took time to inspire others with a "w" issue, some years back I met a new Mum who had a little baby and she was complaining about how she hadn't yet lost any of the 'baby' weight she gained during pregnancy, I told her that it was the same for me,
Me - How old is your baby?
Her - Nearly 3 hours old (only kidding!) 6 months old so it is time I lost the weight and your child?
Me - Ah lets see, nearly 10 years old!
And she was fine once she stopped sobbing hysterically.

So now I have apparently hit the age of reason (ouch did not see that coming) and should be more grown up about this 'weighty' issue (har har har) and more serious (well it is a heavy subject!) and do all that serious malarky - eating well and doing sport (oh nearly had a dizzy spell writing that!) and then apparently that is when you loose weight (yep sounds dodgey doesn't it?) or else I could just hire David Copperfield to 'magic' it away!!Hey it could be the new 'diet',  forget Atkins, South Beach etc no do a Copperfield and "magic" it away or better still "saw" it away!

No?

Okay it was worth a shot, I will make an effort, yep I'll only eat 8 low fat chocolate biscuits now (see the effort I am making!! amazing huh?) and see if my body will at least drop 100 grammes in appreciation of my will power.

See I am not afraid of the "w" words.................................okay just a little!!






Saturday, 20 August 2011

No 4...........................................................

She is a brown eyed blonde that wants to be entertained on a regualr basis, thinks she is the cutest thing that has walked the planet and drools when she sees her food and is a right bitch, yep thats our dog.

It all started when my husband and eldest son went to the food market and came back with an appointment to see a dog (note to oneself send them to another food market).
Driving over there I remember telling my extremely over-excited sons - we are only going to meet this dog nothing else!
I was feeling smug because I said that we all had to like the dog and my secret weapon was my daugther!! Yep she strongly objected to us even visiting this dog oh yeah Little Miss Vocal kept repeating  'I do not like dogs" and "we have two cats already" and "dogs are smelly" and so for me it was in bag, we would be returning home without the four legged beast!!!

Within five minutes of meeting the dog, my daugther, my secret weapon, turns to me and says
"can we bring her home!!!!"
And presto there we have no 4 at home.
After living in appartment our garden must have looked like a field and therefore explained why she got lost between the back door and the washing line on a regular basis.

Her name is Calice (french for chalice), were we feeling religious when we got her?
Was it a case of 'oh God we have a dog!' no that is the name she came with so that was that. She was two years old when she came to us so in dog years that makes her a teenager, what were we thinking in bringing a four legged hormonal teenager into the house!!

So in the last two years I have had to drag myself out in all weathers to 'walk' her (okay I'll be honest in really bad weather I either run her to the end of my street - a whole 1.75 minute walk), getting a tick off her eyelid - they really do 'pop' when they are pulled out (yuck), bringing her to dog school (well she is a bitch - har har har) no needed a few tips on walking a strong dog and keeping my arms in my sockets, hoovering up all her dog hair - crikey we could make a new dog with all the hair that comes off her and then recently the highlight of my pre-breakfast routine had been  to spray a desinfectant up her ass  (due to an infection) - yes life cannot get any better after that!!

Ah well she does always seem very pleased to see me which is nice (does that make her gay?) and she does have the softest ears so alright we'll keep her for the time been, besides my husband is delighted to have a blonde who obeys him!!