Because I said I would!

So a little while ago I said I would write something everyday and I have realised that with a busy life thats not always as easy as it sounds, there are times like today when not only am I busy, I'm trying to get my lovely lot ready to go visit a dear dear friend, that makes us sound old so! scratch that , going to visit my BFF, too young? ok the fact of the matter is she is my best friend, my female soul mate, partner in crime and drinking partner! Better? I hope so!

So as I know it will be late when I return I am trying to get all the mundane tasks out of the way so I don't wake up to chaos in the morning, so I'm off now to eat good food, have a drink or 3 and a catch up.

Normal service will resume tomorrow if I can think of something interesting to write!

Very Superstitious , the writings on the wall! Well the Blog actually

Little bit tongue in cheek here( what does that even mean? Where does it come from?)but today is Friday 13th and as yet not a sign of Jason but hey the night is still young and I'm not a teenager Or at Camp Crystal so I should be safe!

The thing is I am ever so slightly superstitious I do walk round thinking "ooh it's Friday 13th better not break any mirrors while I walk under a ladder to avoid crossing a black cats path" but other than that I think I kind of take it with a pinch of salt which I then throw over my left shoulder of course!

Then there's the seeing one magpie? I admit I do say the little rhyme and salute him or is it turn around 3 times but I don't do it if I'm with someone who doesn't already know I'm insane.

I don't put up umbrellas indoors but then again why would I need to? I'd be quite concerned if I got a sudden downpour in my living room!


Now I could do loads of research as to where all theses superstitions come from but I'd rather hear from you, what superstitions do you know? And which ones do you believe in?


Touch wood I'll hear from you soon!

You've got to be in it to win it!

That's what they say isn't it? As a way of making you feel like you could be The one and god forbid if you don't buy a ticket! What am I talking about .......The National Lottery! And more specifically the new euromillions draw which tonight is ............wait for it .............. A staggering £85 million!


What would you do with that amount of money? I mean they say money doesn't buy you happiness and money doesn't buy you love but with that amount of money being miserable and lonely would sure be a hell of a lot more bearable!

But seriously what would you do?


I've planned out what I'd do with my millions so many times, a new house, car, holidays, money to family and friends to make all their lives easier, money to my favourite charities and then the part that I think would give me the most joy doing something for the causes that are important to me setting up an organisation that really understands what it's like to be a child growing up in inner city London and does something to support families, children and parents without being condescending or throwing money at the problem, the money would mean that the right resources, support and the right people could really do something to help communities.

I'd also start a charity to help with education and course fees from personal experience I know how hard it is to try and find funding to do courses and get back into the education system.


And after all that I would splurge on all the things that I'd always wanted, come on be honest wouldn't you? And to all those people who say "oh the money won't change me or my life" well it better bloody change me! Otherwise what's the point of winning it!


So you've got to be in it to win it! So will you be buying a ticket? And what will you do if you win?


Oh and please remember me if you do, I'll be your best friend honest!

up and down like a Yo-Yo!

Its end of week 7 on my 3 F's challenge and after last weeks tremendous result I had High hopes for this week , pah (thats a sound of disgust by the way just in case you didn't know) well this week in true monumental style as only I can do, I have put it all back on! I mean who does that, me thats who, I really am good at this aren't I , hope you note the sarcasm!

It's all really making me question myself and my motivation, I had it in my head that I wanted to be this fit,(in both sense of the word) and fabulous creature by time I reached my 40th birthday in August and by the look of it thats not going to happen well at least when it comes to the weight issue.


So I guess I have to ask myself is the weight loss about my health or is some kind of weird midlife crisis to do with turning 40, I must admit it does course a mild outbreak of panic and palpitations at the the prospect of turning 40 , oh god I'm going to be 40, how did that happen? where did the time go? where's the paper bag so I can breathe slowly into it!

I think that hence forth I should concentrate on dealing with my issues (how american of me) and being happy and healthy and maybe just maybe when I'm not quite so obsessed with my weight it might just naturally drop at least a bit!

Fabulous, Fab ice lolly with a Fab new flavour

The lovely people at Fab Ice lolly's kindly sent me a goody bag and some vouchers to try out their brand new limited edition Blackcurrant and Apple Fabs as I true fan of the original fab ice lolly, it's been a favourite since childhood, I was a little dubious of this new flavour, How wrong could I be! They are delicious! Actually more refreshing than the original strawberry.

I know it's down to personal taste but I tried them on my children and the neighbours children who all said they prefered this flavour, so Fab you're on to a real winner for a hot summers day! And at only 82 calories per lolly a nice treat for the weight conscious of us out there and it's the gift that keeps on giving because my lovely people once you've eaten the lolly, on the stick there is a web address www.myfabland.com where you can find out more about fab, enter competitions,download an activity calendar and find some summer survival tips!

My Daughter enjoying her Fab Ice Lolly!

And courtesy of Fab, I have a £2 voucher and a cute penguin badge for you to win so you can try them out for yourself! Just leave me a comment telling me your favourite summer survival tip and my favourite will be chosen at noon on Tuesday! you can leave your tips on twitter too!

Can someone stop the room swaying please

So last night was wedding number 2! Just the reception this time.

And so started my adventure in to Essex! Typed the post code into the sat nav it told me 1 hour 17 mins ok so we're supposed to be there for 7.15 , what time do we get there 8 bloody 30! We left in plenty of time or so we thought but thanks to London traffic, The Woolwich Ferry ( why is there only ever 1 boat! More importantly why am I stupid enough to think that might be quicker than one of the tunnels!)and the sat nav telling us in it's lovely robotic voice "you have reached your destination" when we actually in the middle of a field! It took us 2 and half hours! Oh the joy!

So here I was in Essex now I've never seen The only was is Essex, it's never appealed to me so I only know what I've read and what my eldest daughter has told me about it but let me tell you there were tango'ed people a'plenty! Now I'm all for a subtle natural looking fake tan but why would you plaster it on until you look like a magahony sideboard! Each to their own though.

The venue was actually really nice and there was a free bar! I know dangerous right, I mean it would be rude not to drink when they provided so kindly for their guests and I didn't have to drive home so I had 5 or 6 G&T's, just to be polite of course!

I have a slight hangover this morning and can't find the mute button for the kids but all in all it's been a lovely weekend!

Nice day for a bright wedding

Ok so one wedding down (yesterday) and one to go, tonight, I wrote on thursday about my dislike of theme weddings and weddings with dress codes but to my surprise yesterday's wedding was really nice not at all tacky! I did't strictly adhere to the dress code but I did dress quite brightly so as to 'fit in'! What I had forgotten was the brides parents are deaf as are a lot of their friends, so the service, the hymns, the speeches were all beautifully signed by friends of the family it was quite magical! The reception was at a castle and during the wedding photographs it had been arranged for a chinook helicopter to fly past and Then hover in the back for a few photographs, now that was original!

All in all it was a lovely day, great weather, great food and great music. My children tried to make me promise not to dance, silly children of course I would dance! At one point I was the only person on the dance floor! Ohh the embarrassment but they weren't there so I don't know what their problem is, although I did tell them that there was a video which had been posted on you tube and I'd linked it to their facebook pages! Hah you should have seen their faces they were mortified! I had to give in and tell them I was joking.


And tonight I have a wedding reception to go to , in Essex, apparently it's the only way but I won't be getting vajazzled and there won't be a drop of fake tan on my bod but I'm sure it will lovely!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Regrets I've had a few

It's funny I always tell people that it's better to regret the things you've done than to regret never having done them, well guess what I don't take my own advice, big surprise huh? Don't get me wrong I've done plenty of things to regret oh and I mean some really big stuff too but there are so many things so many things that I haven't done for me that I regret I guess it's down to fear of rejection, fear of failing, complacency or just plain old laziness the thing is I haven't done them.
So how do I change that at this stage in my life? Is it too late or is it never too late? How does one get over those fears that hold them back? So many questions so so so many questions my head just might explode! Well not literally but you know what I mean.
What is it they say "just take the bull by the horns!" well I was never very good with animals and that sounds bloody dangerous to me so I think I need to make a list and just try and go for it, one of my never done regrets is writing I have always wanted to write a book and I've had so many ideas and started so many times but I've just lost the confidence along the way and thought who want to read this anyway but maybe I just need to do it even if no one ever reads it at least I can say it's a regret that I had the courage to do!

Theme Weddings, seriously why?

Ok before I begin I don't want to offend anyone but seriously a theme wedding or colour scheme that guests have to adhere to is well in my opinion a little bit naff, I'm so so sorry if I upset anyone and I'm sure your pirates and princesses wedding was lovely but themes for me are for childrens parties.

I have had many of these themed dress coded wedding over the years and only one was beautiful, a dear friend of mine who was getting married for the 2nd time had a small wedding where the dress code was purple and fairy costumes for the small children(my girls were small at the time and loved this) the hotel was decorated in many shades of purple and there were fairy lights and candles everywhere, it was beautiful, they said their own vows, friends that were singers sang songs that were special for the bride and groom and it was a lovely day about sharing their love with the people they love. Oh I've gone all mushy just thinking about it.

I have 2 weddings to go to this weekend one tomorrow and one Saturday and it turns out that the one tomorrow has a "Theme" I however didn't know about their "Theme" until this morning when I checked the wedding website (and what is that about!) for directions to the church. There wasn't a word about a dress code on the invite and now it's the day before and the neither of the dresses that I have fit the damn dress code oh and to top off the dress code they would like the ladies to wear a hat or a fascinator, really!?

I'm all for making the brides big day a happy and memorable one but seriously how is me dressing up like a flamingo(sorry flamenco)going to do that! Shouldn't the day be about making a statement to the world that this is the person you want to spend the rest of your life with or am I just being over romantic?

Well I'm off now to find a flamingo costume wish me luck!

running away from it all

Does anyone else out there ever imagine running away from all the stress that your life has to offer and starting a new life somewhere else?

I do, all the time, I picture where and what I'd do and everything I'd leave behind me and the the amazing new life I'd have.

Perhaps its just a little escapism method that I've devised for myself to keep myself sane but there are days where I really think about planning it out!

What do you do to make those bad days a little more bearable?

S*#T, F*~K, BO![*@KS!

Ok I know it's not big and it's not clever to swear and I have always told my children that people only swear when they can't think of anything intelligent to say but lets face it sometimes you're just so frustrated that swearing like a sailor (do they really swear that much?) is all you can do and today it's one of those days!

It has been shitty since I got up , don't want to go in to too much detail some of it is a bit personal but it has officially been a CRAP day!

And that's the other thing if you're having a really crappy day and all you want you do is sit in the corner holding your knees rocking back and forth crying, you can't if you have kids or can you? Seriously I don't know what's best , as a parent you want to protect your children from all things horrible, but should they know that mum is having the day from hell? or should you put that brave face on smile like an idiot and just get on with it?

My choice today, apart from a small outburst at my teenage daughter who decided that she wasn't going to college today was to smile like a maniac, chat for England and pretend that all was right with the world but would I be fairer to them to let them know we all have bad days, sometimes we all want the day to be over with and wish we'd never got up and hopefully very hopefully things do get better!


Thoughts please?

Really , Its Tuesday are you sure?

It's Tuesday, ok I know I'm stating the obvious but after the long weekend it feels like Monday and I have that Monday Feeling! you know the one at the start of the week when you just think "Really,Do I really have to get up?" you put the alarm on snooze a few more times than is really practical then you do it, you get up, begrudgingly!

Yes it's Tuesday and I have the Monday Morning Blues , Isn't this the point I don sunglasses and start playing a guitar or harmonica? first line usually "I woke up this morning *dah duh duh da duh * (that's me playing the guitar)

Seriously though after a Royal Wedding, a long weekend and BBQ yesterday , today is a bit of a come down but I have not 1 but 2 weddings to go to this week so thats something to look forward to though if I'm being honest, not really as they're out of politeness invites, you know the kind , they're not really friends but they had to invite you and they're not really friends but you really ought to go, who knows, they may both have a free bar that'll make it worth it!

But as for now it's the real start of the week so I better get on with it and see what it brings!

What's your week going to be like? I'd love to know x

Woo and dare I say Hoo!

Well its the end of week 6 of the challenge I set myself and up until now I had more than let myself down on the weight loss side of things, I can't  blame anyone but myself for this predicament, I love cooking and I love eating not a good combination when it comes to weight loss but if you read my update last week you will remember that I said I had been watching my very slim, eats what she likes daughter and I was going to try and eat like her.........Well the results are in , drum roll if you please.............I've lost 4 count them 4lbs!!!! and I have eaten whatever I like just slowly and smaller portions , I am happy, amazed and motivated oh and did I mention 4lb lighter!



Perhaps I should patent it but what would I call it? suggestions please?

What a week!

What a week it's been here in the UK and more specifically my home!

It's been a week with not one but two bank holiday's, a Royal wedding, my eldest son moving back home after a year and a half and on Monday another bank holiday so it's been a lovely long weekend here in the UK!

The very short week has been lovely for my teens after 2 weeks off school they only returned for 3 days (they did try to convince me it wasn't worth them going in for those 3 days, yeah right! )and now another short week to come, then they have another week off at the end of May ( apparently there's no point in them going to school at all they're off so much, another nice try girls).

Then my eldest son has moved back home, a little adjustment in sleeping arrangements needed here, meaning that 2 of my girls are sharing a room again, oh the drama! Firstly it's not fair, then there's not enough room for all our stuff, " time for a sort out" I say, " no we need all our stuff" they say, I wonder exactly how many bags of discarded paper and general junk do 2 girls need, apparently a lot ! Then of course there was that lovely cry of "I'm going to kill her by the end of the week!"followed by "the feelings mutual" oh the love!

All that being said it is nice to have him home but I also want him to sort himself out and find his own feet, I should point out he hasn't actually lost them that would odd, its just an expression!

And then on to the Royal Wedding , what an atmosphere we had here in London, Street Party's, Lots of flag flying and red white and blue everywhere. I didn't get quite that enthusiastic and I wasn't that interested, Obviously I wanted to see 'The Dress' but I didn't think I was interested in all the pomp and circumstance, that was until I sat down to watch and there was an interaction between Harry and Wills as Kate was walking down the Aisle, Harry turned round to look then turned back with a very cheeky smile and said something to William and this private joke changed my opinion , I thought to myself they might be royal but they are two brothers sharing a milestone, I also thought, I wish I could lip read and I wondered if he said its not too late to make a run for it! I then started to enjoy it, all this pomp and circumstance and ceremony and I watched it with pride and delight and a little bit of a crush on Prince Harry!

 And now at the end of the week I have a barbecue to go to tomorrow and I'm looking forward to time with my loved ones, charred hunks of meat and hopefully copious amounts of alchohol to help make that all bearable!


What's your week been like?

One word

Well I did say so didn't I!