Mummy at the School Gate

I was having problems buying a Christmas present for BH and hit upon the idea of purchasing a box of wine from a popular wine company.  It was half price so I realised I was snagging myself a bargain. Most of the bottles were delish, (as you can guess, we've drunk most of them!), and BH was delighted with his gift. Now we both like a drop of wine, but I gag at the thought of drinking Pinot or Chardonnay. That's not to say I'm a wine snob or even a wine buff, but I know what I like.  In the summer BH and I quaff van loads of White Granache (I don't even know how to pronounce it), and thoroughly enjoy our little tipples. I love champagne for special occasions even if there is nothing to celebrate, and will always buy a bottle when I see it on special in the supermarket.   Bart thinks we're both alcoholics, as he sees the bottles stacking up in the recycle bin and is worrying for our livers.  Now it's come to the time that I need to order another case at the fu

We've just got back from the snowy (just) alpine resort of Hinterglemm in Austria, injury free and shattered. I love skiing, and I couldn't wait until I had the kids so that they would enjoy it throughout their lives like I have.  We go as a family with a couple of other families and it's always brilliant fun. But...cheap it ain't!! From the accommodation to the kit, the sport has been designed to bankrupt you. Although the resorts we choose are child friendly with plenty of kiddie activities they come at a price.  In comparison our summer Holiday's are veritable bargains. BH loves taking his family with him, and so do I, but sometimes when the aches kick in I just wish I'd left them all at home.  I can barely lift my head in the morning, let alone attempt to get them dressed in their gear, with their boots on in time for the first run of the day. The kids are exhausted at the end of the day and plop into bed with barely a whimper. This year we stayed at t

I love a list.  I always have done. I buy notebooks, planners, diaries, and those long pads for "lists". I write my lists on scraps of paper, napkins, the back of old envelopes and new sheets of printer paper (folded in half). I wake up in the morning, sit down with a cuppa and plan my list.  Sometimes I write my "To do" list for the month and divide it up into days. I always write it for the day ahead. I know I'm not the only one in my family who loves a list.  Ma writes one for her shopping, and sis writes one just like mine and sometimes we compare lists and it's surprising how similar they are.  I like to write mine in the order of the day.  Sis writes hers as the ideas pop into her mind. Most of mine states the obvious and sometimes I cheat and add something which I've already done, like walk the dog.  I know, I know, it's something I do everyday anyway, but adding it makes me see how much I've achieved during the day. 1. Get up 2. Wash

Finn came home from school yesterday, and was looking a little disconcerted and a little out of sorts.  He kept looking in his school bag, taking out his books and pencils then replacing them. "Whats up honeybum?" When I call him honeybum, he giggles and tells me I always get it wrong...but this time he wasn't giggling and something was amiss as he wasn't hearing me. Not listening and hearing are two different things in my book. "OHH (ala Ness)..wha's occurin'?"  Finn looked up, his eyes as big as saucers, with tears just filling the edge of the lids. "What will I do at University?" he asked "Will they make me do maths..only I'm not very good at maths. Or will I have to do spelling? I don't know what to do! " "Hey, hey...what's brought this on? I asked "Oliver and Jamie were talking about what they were going to do at University. Oliver's going to be a Doctor, and Jamie is going to be an actor.

Arriving home this afternoon, I was greeted with the joy and love....and that was from the dogs! Mimi was surprised to see me..."But mummy..I thought you weren't coming home for another sleep! I wanted to eat pancakes for tea. Miriam promised!"  "Sorry to disappoint you sweetie, shall I go again?" "Yes please mummy.  Can you come back a bit later?" Finn was even more upset. "But Mum, Dad was going to take me to get a pair of rugby boots tonight and we were going to eat pancakes!" Looks like I've scuppered their plans for this evening! What on earth makes them think that their carefully laid plans are going to be upset? Am I such an ogre that I would stop their little pleasures. BH was disappointed too! "Aww..Miriam was going to make her special pancakes...I was looking forward to them!"  So, it sounds like Miriam is a bit of a whizz in the kitchen...a talent I never knew she possessed. She hates the kitchen and seems

I'm off again tomorrow for a few days (again...but this happens frequently), and am running around like a loony trying to play catch up and prepare for the week ahead. I'll worry about Peewee and the soft furnishings, I'll worry about the homework and the nutritious food that they won't be doing or getting...but there's little I can do about it, so I try and forget about it and have a moan when I get back.  I've got the ironing to do and I'm sitting here writing my blog when I should be doing 1000 other things of more importance. BH keeps looking over my shoulder, asking me what am I doing and have I ironed his shirts yet...get lost! While I look forward to some "me" time, I really feel guilty about being so far away.  They all love me when I get home and I know that they will  miss me, cry and beat their chests wailing, "Mummy, don't go.  Do you have to go?". Well, the answer could easily be no, but unfortunately it's alw

I've just been told to eat more if I want to lose weight. Whilst I know that it's logical, the thought of eating more food is really playing havoc with my thought processes.  I've spent the past 20 odd years starving myself so that I could fit in to my size 10 skinnies and now surprisingly find that I can't even fit into a size 12! Beautiful Ben (my nephew), has asked me to keep a food diary for the next 7 days, so that he can analyse my eating habits and see where the problem lies.  He's told me that most people put on the unexplained weight due to stress or issues within the individual and can generally pinpoint the problems when looking at the body.  He's a devotee of Charles Poliquin, a gentleman who is a renowned strength coach. Never heard of him!  It seems that he's very popular amongst the athletic fraternity.  Now I don't want to be an athlete, but I'd like a little bit more energy....and be able to fit into those size 10 skinnies! Every