London Calling

Yesterday was quite a big day for me. To some people a trip up to London may seem a walk in the park but for me it was huge. I am you see a total home bird and very rarely do I venture too far on my own. If I am with the family or a group of people I am fine but for some reason when on my own I tend to stick local.

The Husband works in London 2 days a week and has been pestering asking me to come up by train and meet him for dinner. The thought of this turned my tummy and made me get the sweats so I managed to find excuses reasons not to go.



So to cut a long story slightly shorter.........I went. YIPPEE, YAY ME!!!

I smiled the whole way there at the fact I was on a train, on my own going up to the big city. The train ride took about an hour and a half and once the first 3 stops had gone and the school kids from The Teenagers class had got off (bloody hell they can talk some rubbish) I relaxed into my journey. The Hubby kept in constant contact the whole way as I gave him a running commentary of the people on the train....A real mixture of people including...

1. A very loud business man who talked very loudly to his secretary Katie and said the word b*****k's every time we went through a tunnel as he lost reception.

2. American business people who didn't like someone called Clayton and didn't trust him with their money and then promptly said very loudly that in 6 hours they would be on a plane and out of this freaking awful country.....Nice!!!

3. Depressed looking woman who at one point sneezed so loud I very nearly wet myself.

4. ME..........A smiling loon that looked like I was on day release and had never been on a train before.

So there I am all proud and bubbling with excitement. The train arrives at London Bridge and the words of a good friend of mine ring in my ears...."When you get off do you no which exit to take because there are a few ways out". How hard can it be I thought to myself, surely you just follow the other people.....WRONG WRONG WRONG! I followed these people up some stairs and suddenly realised I was no where near the exit. I went back down the stairs and stood for a while looking at the unorganised chaos before me. I know, I thought. I will ring the Hubby...
"Hello, its me....I cant get out"
"WHAT!! What do you mean you cant get out, are you still on the train.....wait there I'm coming" was the reply I got.
"Oh no hang on, I can see an exit sign. " I said, then the phone cut off, and in the words of the loud business man I said......b****k's.
As I walked down the very long platform to the EXIT sign I suddenly realised that somehow I had managed to end up 3 platforms away from the one I came in on. The barriers were fast approaching and I heard raised voices...

"MY WIFE IS STUCK ON THE TRAIN AND I NEED TO GET HER OFF BEFORE IT HEADS BACK"
"Sir, you need to calm down, we will get to you wife just tell me which platform she is on" the ticket man was saying.

Ooh I thought, I've only been here 2 minutes and already I am witnessing a case of train rage. It was at this moment I realised that the shouty man was in fact my Hubby and he had misunderstood me when I had said I couldn't get out. WHOOPPS !!!

I sheepishly went through the barrier and tapped him on the shoulder, "Hi"....The look on his face was one of those looks you give a child when you have lost them, you know the look I mean the one where you don't no whether to slap them or hug them. Needless to say he didn't slap me (he wouldn't dare) he hugged me like I'd just been rescued from a burning building.

As happy as I was that I was with him and in London there was one thing that was causing me a great source of discomfort.......My shoes. I do have this rather annoying habit of wearing totally inappropriate shoes in the name of fashion and then walking like a ......well like a.........like a person wearing very painful shoes (sorry couldn't think if anything at that moment).
As I hobbled off with The Hubby as if by some force of magic a mirage appeared in front of me.........Next Clothing Store. I ran in only to be told they were just about to close, I don't know whether it was the desperation in my eyes or the fact I was holding a credit card between my teeth that the lovely young assistant waved me in and asked me to be quick. Seeing exactly what I needed I grabbed a pair of flat loafers and put them on my throbbing feet.....Ahhhhhhh !!!!

The evening was fantastic and we took in some lovely sights as well as having a beautiful dinner, I even tried mussels which up until this day always made me think of lady parts but with this new found courage I tried one, then two, then three. Yummy yummy yummy. As we boarded the train to come home The Hubby looked at me and smiled "I am so incredibly proud of you tonight" he whispered in my ear. And I was too.

So there we go, I'm still feeling on a bit of a high today and planning my next trip up there, one things for sure.......I wont be wearing wedges and next time I am not following any crowds.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy my pictures.




Lots of Love
Me
xxxxxxxx

 

 

I'm linking this old post up with the lovely Charlie over at Olivers Mad House, Magic Moments

Silent Sunday 23.6.2012

Silent Sunday 24.6.2012

#silentsunday

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Mocha Beanie Mummy. Check out the rest of the entries using the tag #silentsunday on twitter.

Sun Sun Go Away.

I must be the only person in the country who wished that the rain would continue until the end of this week. Things were looking hopeful up until yesterday and then as the chippy annoying weather girl looked out onto TV land she said the words I have been dreading....."Tomorrow will be a lovely sunny day". Bloody marvellous, rain for the past 6 weeks and then on the one day of the year I could do with thunder,lightning and hail its scorching hot.



The reason for this selfish attitude is down to one thing and one
thing only.....SPORTS DAY.
It comes round once a year and I hate it, not because I am a misery or a spoilsport but because I just don't understand why things had to change. What happened to the egg and spoon race, sack race, three legged race and the good old fashioned skipping rope race. Apparently you cant use eggs anymore in case of salmonella, sack races are seen as dangerous and I have no idea why 3 legged races have been outlawed, I mean what could be funnier than tying yourself to 2 other people and running.......Pure comedy.
The Whirlwind equally hates sports day and tries a variety of excuses to get out of going. This mornings excuses were as follows.

1. I have ear ache. (but am currently listening to music with earphones in)
2. I have a sore throat (but am able to shout that" I HATE SPORTS DAY" quite clearly)
3. I have tummy ache (but would still like to eat those sweets from last night)
4. My legs feel like they are going to fall off. (but can still kick my clothes down the stairs with them)


In normal circumstances I would of rushed him to A&E but knowing how the past 7 years have mirrored today I knew what was going on. Once I had told him that he could stay at home (but he would have to stay in bed all day with no TV or Xbox) he soon discovered that he felt right as rain and got dressed and went off reluctantly to school. (God will I feel bad if he really is poorly, but I'm sticking with my mummy's instinct today).


There is one sad thing about today...It is his last one ever in Primary School, maybe that's why I am so reluctant to go today but I will go like I have very year and when they come onto the field I will be whooping and clapping my little heart out. Even when its time to watch the poor little things run round the field for the long distance race and collapse at the end I will still cheer and clap. I find myself cheering loudest for the ones who never win and are always last and clearly hate every minute of it The Whirlwind being one of these poor souls.
I guess its just not everyones cup of tea, I don't remember hating it as a child but I do remember feeling a bit of a prat as the eyes of the whole school watched me do silly races.

Anyway, I am going and I will look like I am enjoying it and The Whirlwind will never know my total hatred of it. I will sit in the blazing sunshine and get sun burnt and I will walk round the field following each event until my feet hurt. Because that's what mums do and one day when he's all grown up I know I will miss it.

I suppose it could be worse, they could still do the mums race at which point I will be using the very same excuses that The Whirlwind gave me this morning.................And I would be happy to stay in bed all day without TV and XBox trust me.



Happy Sports Day Everyone

Love
Me
xxxxxxxx

Silent Sunday 17th June 2012

#silentsunday

This is a Silent Sunday post as inspired by Mocha Beanie Mummy. Check out the rest of the entries using the tag #silentsunday on twitter.

Tears and Tissues.

WARNING!!!! This is not my usual style of blog. Tissues may be needed. (I am only putting this warning on as my Mother is currently crying down the phone after I read it to her).



Today I am recovering from feeling like a total failure as a parent. I know we all have days like these but I am in need of someone to give me an instruction sheet.
This feeling stems from something that happened yesterday. The Teenager who is in Year 10 is currently sitting her GCSE's.........This came as a bit of a shock to me as I thought that GCSE's were all sat in Year 11, I don't know how I managed to miss this fact but somehow I did. Turns out that they now sit a percentage of each subject in Year10. Yesterday was her History exam which was 25% of her final mark, she has been amazing at revising and we are so proud of her for her dedication to learning.


As I waved her off yesterday from the upstairs window I was filled with love and pride at what a truly beautiful young lady she has become. Nothing is too much trouble for her and she has a heart of gold. Being one of the youngest in her year I have often thought about whether we should of kept her back a year but seeing how she is now I am glad that we didn't. As she disappears round the corner she looks back and blows me a kiss just to acknowledge that I am there and that secretly she loves the fact that I still wave goodbye. For me that little act of blowing a kiss confirms that she is happy and knows how much she is loved. (It is at this moment I must point out that the Whirlwind gets exactly the same treatment as he walks off but the response is slightly different.......He does look back but all I get is a slight nod of his head and a wink....I guess that's the difference between boys and girls.)

My day was much the same with things needing doing around the house and errands to run but always in the back of my mind was the little thought of The Teenager about to walk into that exam, I don't know why it kept niggling at me but it did, none of the other exams have made me feel like this. I looked at my watch at 1.45 and my tummy did a little flip. She would be walking in there now with all the other kids, sitting down and turning that sheet over.

I can remember doing my exams and feeling very small in amongst all the uniformed tables and chairs and the teachers walking up and down in silence. I can remember my eyes darting to the clock to make sure I was doing OK for time. I can remember the smell of the dusty sweaty gym hall and the sun shining through the window so I had to squint. I can also remember thinking how the girl in front had revolting hair and that if I had that hair I would do something about it.........Attention Span 0/10.

Anyway, 3.45 came and I sat waiting for her to come home. Suddenly the phone rang and a little voice said "Mum........."
"Whats the matter? Are you OK? Whats happened?" I replied.
"It was awful," she whispered " I lost track of time and thought I had 25 minutes left when I realised I only had 5" it was at this point she dissolved into floods of tears.

As I ran round the corner I was met with a sight that was the complete opposite of the young lady that had blown me a kiss goodbye, instead I saw a frightened little girl that needed her mum. I scooped her up into my arms as we walked back up the path. She then had a total breakdown at how much pressure she feels and how 2 of the other teachers have now decided to do some mock exams next week so they know which sets to put them in next year.

I must stress that her form teacher has been amazing with them all and I am now in contact with her so that we can work together and make it a bit less stressful for her. But my main focus was helping her to relax at home and making her less fretful.

This was the moment I realised that I didn't have a magic answer, I didn't know what to say or do and quite frankly it took me a couple of minutes to regain some degree of adulthood. She probably cried for about 20 minutes and in amongst the tears, snot and sniffing I decided that what she needed was a glass of wine and a cigarette........No just kidding.....Honestly........What she needed was a warm bath, a cup of tea and her mum wiping her tears away.

Eventually after a while and much tea and chocolate she calmed down and then that little smile reappeared as The Whirlwind offered some life changing advice........."All you need to do is breathe slowly then find something to take your mind off it.........How about a game of Super Mario on my X-Box". He gently took her hand and she followed gratefully.

And that is exactly what she did. I watched them as they battled their way round a virtual world in their little cars laughing and joking as they crashed into each other. There were no exams in Super Mario Land and no pressure to get an A* just a couple of guys in dungarees making weird noises when they jumped.

So there we go, I have no quick fire answers to help anyone in the same situation except to just be there with tissues and chocolate, all we can do as parents is support and guide and not put any unnecessary pressure on them at home, and if all else fails .............Get Super Mario involved.


After writing this post but before publishing it I put an SOS on Twitter asking for any advice, I was so grateful to all those gorgeous Twitter people who responded with ideas and general kindness. One fantastic lady called @The_Moiderer gave me some amazing tips on how to relax teenagers going through a stressful time. Please go over and look at her web page it really is very good. The Moiderer .

Sorry for being a bit emotional.

Lots of Love
Me xxxxx

Shoe Love is True Love.

I love Saturdays but I particularly love this Saturday. You see tonight The Hubby and I are off to a very special party. My darling American friend is having a joint 50th Birthday/25th Wedding Anniversary party. She has also set a rather gorgeous colour theme......Pink/Purple. Well what a dream for me as although I don't own a lot of pink clothes due to the fact I am wary of looking like Mr Blobby pink is one of my all time favourite colours.


After ordering 6 different tops in various shades and patterns of pink I set about trying them all on for The Teenager to give her approval....BIG MISTAKE !!!
These are the comments received for each top:-

          Top 1. "OMG, you look like you should be a singer on a cruise ship".

Top 2. "Hmmmm nice but they make your boobs look massive".

                Top 3. "Now your boobs look saggy and are hanging out the sides".

Top 4. "Now you look like you should be on The Only Way Is Essex".

                Top 5. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha......NO".

Top 6. "Nice.....If you were 16 and really skinny".










Bloody great, what a fat lot of use that was. All tops were then shown to The Husband who confirmed everything The Teenager had said all except Top Number 2 which he strangely loved and asked me not to send  back. (Pervert).

As I stood in my bedroom feeling just a twinge of panic The Teenager suddenly produced a beautiful pink silk top from my wardrobe "What about this one....Its still got the tags on it" she said.

God bless her ability to find things in my bedroom that I had forgotten about (not always the case when she has nicked my nail varnish/makeup). I had purchased this top for another friends 40th party last year and hadn't worn it. Yippeeeeeee that was me sorted then. I thought.

After teeming it with a pair of skinny jeans I was feeling OK about my choice until The Teenager pointed out that I didn't have any shoes that would go with it. Panic levels rose again as I grabbed the laptop and went onto my favourite online shop. That was when I first saw them......it was as if they were waving at me as if to say "Yes yes buy me, I will make you look tall and slim and 20 years younger" so that is exactly what I did....I hit the buy button and chose my delivery day. How exciting, how I love shoes, how I wish I had ordered them sooner so that I could wear them every day.

After waiting for 2 days I awoke with excitement at the thought that they were coming today. I watched as the delivery man walked slowly up the drive wishing him to walk quicker. Suddenly as if magic they were in my hands and then on my feet.....Oh Sweet Mother Of Jesus I loved them even more than when I first saw them. The Hubby looked on with complete bewilderment as I stood there in my pj's and my new shoes. "Are you sure they aren't a little bit too high darling?". I gave him
The Look that only a woman can give (come on you know the look). Luckily The Teenager jumped to my defence "Dad they are platforms so although they look high they aren't really ". God bless her again.
I continued to wear the shoes all morning even when I had to dust and hoover, I will admit that I do not usually wear shoes quite this high but this is a special occasion.
After showing them to my lovely friend who wears shoes like this all the time and looks amazing in them she showed them to my equally gorgeous heel wearing neighbour who both confirmed my feelings for them. They loved them as much as I did.

I know many of you will understand my feelings for shoes, I normally spend a fortune on the Hubby, kids and house but very rarely do I spend any money on just me. But when it comes to shoes and handbags I just have this weakness that I cannot control.

So there we go, tonight's the big night and my shoes first outing in public. Lets just hope I can walk/talk and stand all night. Otherwise The Hubby will be giving me a piggy back home and that in itself would be a disaster......... And probably end up on You Tube.

Lastly I would just like to wish my dear friend a very Happy Birthday and a very Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary to her and her lovely husband. Thank you for inviting us all (thats me The Hubby and My Shoes) to share in you wonderful evening.

                                                Lots of love

Me and My New Shoes. xxxxxxxxxx

Bikes, Boats and Boobs

I am back from 4 of the most wonderful days. Myself, The Hubby, The Whirlwind and The Teenager headed off for a fun filled adventure to Centre Parcs in the middle of Longleat Forest.
It would take me ages to blog about everything so here is a slightly edited version of our time away....

Thursday Day Time.................Kids at school, Hubby at work, Me...........Clean house, do all washing and ironing, charge up various electrical forms of communication, shop for food and drinks to take with us, pack clothes for summer and winter for all of us, pack shoes for all weather, take a medicine bag with everything from plasters to Rescue Remedy in and finally sort the dog out.
Please note:- The reason I pack for everyone is that last year when I let them pack their own bags we ended up with no trousers for The Whirlwind , no underwear for The Teenager and no shoes for The Husband.

Friday morning ....Time to leave the house (45 minutes late due to The Hubby deciding to go and get his hair cut at the last minute)............Yippee we are on the road.........Nope, we are going back as The Teenager has left her bag with all her art homework in.............

We are really off this time........ Journey going well until we get stuck behind a caravan for 2 1/2 hours, with no chance of overtaking we just look at the back of it. As we fly past Stonehenge and finally overtake them, the old man gives us a 2 finger sign and calls us a very rude word. (OAP rage or what).

We reach our destination........ Kids are both asleep and wake up with the hump and stiff necks, Hubby needs a wee so badly that he cant walk properly and I am in need of a Gin & Tonic and its only 2pm.
Friday Afternoon....Check into our cabin. All lovely, kids happy, Hubby happy, Mummy very happy.

Off we go to pick up our bikes.....(This is something that I was dreading due to the fact that the last time I rode a bike it hurt in all the wrong places and gave me a nasty case of chaffing.) 4 bikes all ready and waiting for us. Kids jump on excitedly, Hubby has managed to have a wee by now so he mounts his and cycles off to find the kids. This just leaves little old me........Walk my bike outside and find a secluded spot, get on the bike with all the grace of a rhino and have a little practice ride around the pick up area. Find that I am quite surprised that not only did my nunny not hurt but I actually really loved it.....Whizz past the kids and Hubby with my legs outstretched shouting "YIPPEEEEEEE" !!! (Receive a round of applause from a group of women on a hen party).

Saturday....... Everyone slept like logs and we eagerly get on our bikes to head on down to the lake where we were to board a pedalo.
It is at this stage I must explain something to anyone who doesn't know me and the Hubby. I am terrified of boats, water and fish, The Hubby is not terrified of anything but is 6ft 2ins and built like a shed. The kids begged me to go aboard so I had to leave my fears on the beach and grow a pair.
The pedalo itself was very sturdy, so myself and The Teenager sat at the front whilst the boys peddled at the back. The trouble was that there was no room for anyone over the height of 5ft to pedal so my poor husband was in agony the whole time.

The Teenager then swapped places with The Whirlwind and I screamed as the boat rocked back and forth threatening to capsize me and revealing the hundreds of fish underneath me. They then thought it would be funny to drive it into a set of bushes whilst I was looking through my bag for travel sickness tablets thus ending up with more screaming and twigs, leaves and foliage getting stuck in my hair as well as one very cross moorhen who then chased us away.
Sunday.....Another good night sleep was had by all. Today we had promised the kids a day at the water park. With swimming bags all packed we again took to our bikes ( I, by this stage thought I was Lance Armstrong and had even ventured into 5th gear).
The Lagoon/rapids/swimming pool was a short journey away, myself and The Teenager arranged to meet the boys by the waters edge.
As I appeared round the corner the Husband looked at me very strangely (not the reaction I was looking for as I was wearing my new swimsuit). "Have you got full make up on?" he enquired. "Yes, I have" was my reply. "What about when you get your face wet" he said........."Don't worry, I have no intention of getting my face or hair wet" I said.
Well that was the understatement let me tell you. As I flew down the first rapid holding my nose and straining my neck to stay above water it all went horribly wrong. The only way I can describe how I felt was a bit like being put in a washing machine and then spun. As I came up for air choking and spluttering the kids and hubby watched on with hands clamped over their mouths...."Has my make up run" was the first thing out of my mouth. "Errrrrrrrrr......Just a bit" replied the kids.

I managed to catch sight of myself just before I was thrown down the next slide, if Alice Cooper went swimming then this is what it would look like.
As if this wasn't bad enough, my left boob popped out of my costume just in time for the same hen party who cheered me earlier to see. Another round of applause. GREAT !!!!


Monday....Last day, so we decided to take the kids to Longleat Safari. A fantastic day was had by all, although we lost a few bits of the car due to the monkey enclosure. Hubby NOT HAPPY !!!!!

Kids had a great time and we all said that we would definitely go back next year. Said our goodbyes to all the animals and headed home.
Monday night.........Basically repeated the packing process but in reverse, said hello to a very excited dog and collapsed into a heap.

So there we go, my holiday in a nutshell. We had such a great time that we have already booked up to go back next year to do it all again...........This time I will be taking waterproof mascara and a swimming hat.

Apologies for it being such a long one.

Lots of love
Me xxxx