Social media and raising awareness of little known illnesses and incredible people!

This is a bit of an odd post, but one for some reason I feel compelled to write...... 

Now social media like Facebook and twitter can cause a lot of problems for some people - you only have to watch an episode of Jeremy Kyle and hear about some relationship destroyed by facebook. In fact there are TV programmes devoted to mishaps from social media sites. 

But Facebook can be useful in many ways..... Through it I have being educated on several inspirational people who are undergoing difficult times but still remaining positive and who work endlessly to promote awareness of their suffering. 

The main page that I follow is Claudia's Cause this is about a young girl who has Metastatic PineoBlastoma  a rare and aggressive tumour within her brain. Her family are a huge inspiration to me when I am feeling low and fed up, what they are going through on a daily basis is unbelievable. As a mum I find the whole family brave and incredible and I do feel honoured that through the regular updates we can be a part of the struggle with this horrible incurable illness. 

As well as round the clock intensive nursing the family are big fundraisers and advocates for charities such as  Headsmart an organisation devoted to helping diagnosis of brain tumours in children and young adults. Clic sargent a charity for children with cancer and Believe in Magic who help provide wishes and dreams for really poorly children. Only recently a Ball was held as a fundraising project and over £8000 was made to help these well deserved causes. It is this I find truly inspirational..... I don't know if I could have the energy or love to work tirelessly for others at the same time as witnessing the huge suffering of my child. I would like to think that I would be as generous with my time and as positive as Claudia's mum and dad, but in reality I think if I was in a similar situation I would fall apart. 

Only a couple of years ago I watched my dad going though a similar illness and I thought it unjust and cruel because he was only 50. Perhaps it is witnessing his pain and strength that made Claudia's story appeal to me so much? She seems to have the strength of a million men and seems to be fighting tirelessly against this disease which is debilitating her. 

It has touched me so much that I log into her page on a daily basis just to see how she is and how her amazing supportive family are doing. But when I have been reading the updates it seems to me that people are messaging offering their 'not so supportive advice!'  This annoys me so much-  how dare people pass judgement on this family when they are not walking in their shoes???? Could they help raise awareness and funds to help others when going though such life changing events?? Yes we as readers all have an opinion when someone is sharing intimate details of their lives with us....but respectful people would keep these opinions to themselves. 

That is just my thoughts anyway.... I wanted to help raise awareness of this amazing family and worthwhile causes they campaign for. I would love to be able to contribute more and offer a financial donation to the charities but until I get a job I am unable to. So if this post makes a few more people aware of the illness then I feel that is ok for now.... as soon as I am in a position to donate then I will. 

(If you want to read more of Claudia's cause then there is also a webpage here   http://www.claudiascause.co.uk/  ) 

12 Years on - September the 11th 2001 (Not the happiest post but a reflective one!!)

I remember this date 12 years ago very vividly. I know a lot of people will because of the enormity and scale of the attack and those in America specifically will remember it even more and probably for more personal reasons than me. But I still like to show my respect and think about those who experienced 1st hand the events of that date. 

I was 18 when it happened and had a 2 month old premature baby, which is why I think it hit home to me a lot more than if it had happened before my little boy was born. My son was ill when he was born and spent some time in special care - however he was cradled in my arms and I was snuggled up on the sofa watching my daytime soaps and telly. As a new mum I was absorbed in every little facial expression and movement my son made when all of a sudden I looked up at the telly. (I couldn't hear the change from the soap to breaking news bulletin because I was still deaf back then!!) But what I witnessed live on the news shocked me to my core! 

From the moment I turned the volume up I was engrossed in the events unfolding before my eyes. I wasn't even aware of these 2 skyscrapers towering above New York until this point - and to see the 2nd plane hit and then the subsequent falling down of them both made me cuddle my son that little bit tighter. 

As the years have passed I have always spared a thought to those involved closely to the days events, I have also since watched documentaries which focus on the events and heroes of the day. But today it is really important in my opinion to think about how lucky I am to be able to watch my kids grow up and become young adults. 

Broken arms and operations - the 2nd week of summer holidays! ! ! ! ! !

So it is the 2nd week of the school holidays and I decide that my son (who is 12) needs to come off his XBox for a bit and get some fresh air and exercise. With 2 dogs needing to burn off some excess energy and a 8 yr old daughter wanting to go on a bike ride I had the bright idea of taking them all the field at the top of my street!
It was about 3pm on Tuesday and the sun was shining and all 4 of them were having fun..... until my son fell off his bike! As a mum you can tell with the pitch and tone of their cry that they are in pain so without thinking I set off into a sprint to see what was up with him!
Holding his arm gingerly he said "Mum Ive broken my arm!!"

As you can see from the photo it really did look like he had done some damage! It was banana shaped!!! 

So we took him to the local Accident department where he was seen very quickly. An xray did confirm that it was broken but the break was bad with the bones not aligning! He had a plaster cast put on and then another xray which told us that unfortunately he needed an operation to realign the bones so they healed right! 

The hospital we were in did not have an orthopaedic team so we ended up travelling to Pinderfields hospital- children's ward. With his operation first on the list for the following morning we brought him home so he could rest here and have some nice food - I am firm in my belief that you feel better in your own surroundings! It was a bad night for both of us though - I didn't get a wink of sleep and he only managed a hour at the most! He was in so much pain!! 

By 7am Wednesday morning we were back in the children's ward and he was booked in for his surgery. I went down with him for his general and found it so difficult to see him so vulnerable and in pain - but thankfully all went well and he didn't need a pin putting in. By 1pm we were at MacDonalds drive through buying him his happy meal to take home! 

Settled on the sofa his shock finally set in and he was sick a lot - he still couldn't sleep much because he couldn't get comfy but he looked a little bit better than the day before! 

Now it is 2 days later and although he is fed up - he doesn't hurt and can almost manage to get back on his Xbox!! 

We have some more appointments at the clinic to see that it is healing right but hopefully things will go ok!!! 

I consider myself lucky because this is the 1st time in my 12 years of being a mum we have had to go to casualty with a childhood accident! The hospitals were amazing but even better my little girl is being fantastic and so helpful. Even though it is horrible he has gone through this it is nice to see how close we are as a family and supportive when times get tricky! 

Royal Baby Ramblings - viewpoints on the whole excitement from me and my daughter!!

Whilst watching all the coverage of the Cambridge's birth and the following celebrations I got called a Royalist! I would not say I was a Royalist exactly but as a history lover I think anything to do with the Royals will be talked about for years to come so I like to make sure I am aware of it and keeping an eye on current affairs! 

I did fully get caught up in the hype of watching the Lindo wing door on a live webcam even though I knew that the likelihood of seeing something was slim. I got so engrossed I even missed out on about 4 days worth of entering competitions! (Even the many comps that were about the Royal birth!!) Yesterday when I was waiting for the new family to emerge I even delayed making food for the kids so I didnt miss anything! So yeah perhaps you could say I have Royalist tendancies! 

But I never saw any significant Royal Births before and I do admire Will and Kate so much for their obvious love for one another so think they will do a fantastic job of combining royal duties with making happy memories. 

Watching the coverage was a first for me having been to young for Wills and Harry's - but to me this was even better because my kids watched it too we get to share the memory together. Now in years to come me and my little girl can say "Yeah we watched Cambridge Junior on the telly for his 1st royal wave!!" 

My daughter wrote some of her thoughts about it all down, so I thought I would include them on here to preserve them....

(From the mouth of an 8 year old girl.......)

"I think the Royal Baby will be a King full of courage and keep to the law. When I watched the News I thought he was so cute and I thought that Will and Kate will make good parents. I also think he will be clever when he is king! His mum and dad will look after him very well and the Queen will also love him."

It would be nice now if the family could have some time out from all the media intrusion, although I think William will ensure that they do! They should be able to go about things like walking in the park and meeting up with family without the fear of Paparazzi following them everywhere! But I probably have this view because of what happened to Princess Diana - you can't help but think of her at this emotional time. She would be so proud of how her two boys are handling themselves in this modern world! 

Where is my motivation?? (And not the Greenday lyrics but just in general!!)

Ive got no motivation (and even though I can not say that without the Greenday song dancing around my head) this lack of motivation is not helping with my blog posts!!
*What blog posts??? hahaha

I would like to say I have been super busy trying to change the world or training for a marathon - however that would be lying!! Ive spent more or less this past month trying to sort out the families financial situation seen as the other half is now unemployed due to his ill health! Entering competitions (for a change), battling with my ears and the ENT Docs (for a change!), helping kids with their homework (both have huge projects due in within 2 weeks). I have also been signing up to Uni after finally coming to a massive decision about my career!

So in a quick round up - being doing well with my competitions - won quite a lot this month (Feel free to check out the specific page on this blog dedicated to my wins!) had to sell quite a few of the prizes so I can afford clothes for the kids. But I have had some nice beauty treats which I have kept because like any other girl I like to have a bit of a pamper every now and again. I'm now trying to win a few things to put away for Christmas! I know that it is months away but unless my lotto numbers come up it will be a huge struggle financially - if I can win a few things to stash away and wrap up in December I am sure my purse would be grateful. So fingers crossed I will have a few more wins - I got a £10 cheque this morning so I am hoping it is a sign of things to come!

The financial situation is too boring to explain and I will end up going on a rant about the economic climate and current affairs - but slowly we are battling agencies and government policies to try and stay alive.

My ears are even more boring to talk about but its a massive part of me so I am not going to spare the details - since November 2012 they have been leaking that yucky gunk! Well finally they have just stopped piling me with Anti-biotics and drops and have changed their tune. Apparently it is mucus which is leaking from my ears - so I am now on an intensive course of flushing out my nasal passages for 6 weeks to see if this helps? At the moment it is painful on my sinus' and does not seem to be working on the wet lugs - but its early days and I want to give it a fair shot! In general my hearing is rubbish and sometimes even with my aids in sounds are muffled and can be difficult to understand! It is so depressing when it is constant and the hospital just seem to shrug it off as it is nothing. Would they like gunk dripping from their ears for 6 months? Probably not so why do they seem to think that it is nothing to me??

Oh and saved the most important update for last - IVE SIGNED UP TO UNI!! Again - and at the moment it is only Open University but I have studied with them before and am happy to have another couple of years with them whilst I try to sort out a degree! Because them I am going to a local Uni to do my PGCE which is Post Graduates Certificate of Education! I want to be a teacher! Well always wanted to be a teacher but life happened and circumstances told me otherwise! Well now since I have been volunteering with my daughters school I have realised how fulfilling and rewarding I find it so I figured why not reach for the stars and get my degree!!

So in a nutshell you have the reasons I have been absent from here for a while. I am sure I will add more updates on Uni and my ears in the future - I will also pick up my A-Z of dislikes when I get the chance!!

A - Z - D Drink drivers and the drinking youth culture!!

According to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Road accidents in 2011 there were over 10000 people injured by drink drivers. 280 people were killed whilst 1290 were seriously injured! (See source here...)

But most of the victims of drink driving accidents are those who are not under the influence - this includes the elderly and young children. Yet still some drivers still insist they are ok to get behind the wheel of a car!! I do not drive and nor do I drink but I am a daughter and a mum and worry on a regular basis how many idiots are on the road whilst under the influence. It is my worst nightmare that something could happen to my mum or my kids because someone could not make a responsible decision and either not have a drink or have a drink but not drive....

Times are hard in this country and I do not begrudge someone wanting a tipple to take the stress of the day away! But I do believe that one drink can lead to more and stresses can mean some people find it hard to stop drinking even when they are over their personal limit! 

And there are those people who do not work who spend all day watching telly and drinking - using benefit money to sit there paralytic  How does this happen?..... Looking around the supermarkets it is hardly surprising people can afford to drink so much and so often. There are offers on bulk buying alcohol all the time - and own brand alcohol is so cheap therefore it is not surprising that so many people drink so much so often......

For this reason unfortunately I can not see this problem getting better in the future- the government make so much tax on the sale of alcohol that they will not take measures to prevent this excessive drinking. They will not make it harder to buy alcohol when they can earn money from the sales. The state of the economy will mean more people will want a drink to eradicate the stress of life and in my opinion the country will get worse before the country improves. 

So I have a feeling this pet peeve of mine will continue for a long time - how many people will suffer from alcohol related accidents in the mean time???? 

A catch up with me..... (kids, easter, comping, Maggie Thatcher and life in general)

Firstly I was going to apologies for not writing in so long.... but then I figured that I have never set a rule to what and when I will update this blog of mine so I should not feel so guilty for not been on here in a while!!!!

I haven't been particularly busy as such I have just been entering a lot of competitions. My hubby on sick now and his sick pay run out so we are 'attempting' to live on £800 a month. I say attempting because it is so hard and emotionally draining with every day been a battle to sort out some money and battle some other organisation. Looking for jobs is depressing when you have been trying for so long and sometimes life just seems cruel and unfair!! So I have been on a comping frenzy to win things to make me smile and things to make my life easier! I haven't done bad if you check out my comping prize tab!

I've still been on the job hunt, and trying to settle in our new puppy (Buddy) and the Easter holidays were a fab time to chill with my kids without the early school runs and homework panic! But I was happy to see them off in their uniforms yesterday morning ready for a day of not been at beck and call every 2 seconds! I'm human and although I love my babies they are full of energy and noise and beans..... a break from them is needed once in a while. (And I get no help from our parents or families so the only time out we get is when they at school!!)

My ears have still been bad... it has got to the stage where they are bad all the time so I am used to gunk leaking all the time!! Nice imagery I know but its not nice to live with neither! I really need to make another hospital appointment and see the specialist!

Finally in this rambling mess of a post MAGGIE THATCHER... I am in the group of people who are disgusted with the amount of expense and fuss that is been made over her funeral. I do agree she needs to be shown some respect but not to the extent that it has been planned. Coming from Yorkshire I know many people who were affected by the mining strikes and other protests that happened when I was a twinkle in my dads eye! (My grandad always worked down the pits and suffered lots of upset at the hands of this woman.) I admire her straight talking and everything she did for feminism but still think she caused more problems for people than she solved. Out country is in a financial mess and children and their parents are going without meals to survive and yet the country is paying to bury a woman who caused financial hardship for many. Why can't her own funds  pay for the funeral? She must have plenty of money and so must her family who did well off her name... so why dont they put their hands in their pockets and the money tax payers have spent on her funeral could be used for families who can't afford to eat?

So there a rambling post complete with a rant... not everyone will agree with me but I wanted to have my say non the less.....

COMPETITION LINK - £30 Amazon Voucher - Attachment Mummy Blog!

Attachment mummy has reached her blogaversary and to celebrate with her many monthly readers she is running an INTERNATIONAL giveaway. 

I have been following this blog for a while now and really enjoy all the posts and updates. 

Attachment Mummy   is a really interesting and informative read.

Click on the link above to check out her posts and perhaps enter into the competition too? It is a rafflecopter form with multiple entries! 

Good luck 

I can't wait for the pitter patter of 4 small paws......

Just a quick post today because I wanted to introduce the adorable, cuddly, amazingly lovable pooch who will soon be the 6th member of my family.

His name is Budd - which is short for Buddy if you ask my little girl, or short for Buddha if you ask me!!! 

He will be five week old on tuesday and is a little chunk!! 

Im sure in a couple of months I will be writing to complain about chewed shoes and wet cold puddles in the middle of the night.... but right now I can't wait to see what fun and mischief he will bring!!!! 

My early Mother's day treats!

When I picked my little girl up from school she came out with her hands behind her back and a furtive sort of look on her face. It was cute because she was the only one in her class to be hiding her creations, all her classmates had them in full view - so I had some sort of idea what delights awaited me. 

She is as impatient as me and could not wait to show me my card - which I love. She picked my favourite colour and did her writing so neat! 

Such a simple yet beautiful card and one I can display for a long time! 

But that wasn't all - she had also been baking. 

I am a major chocoholic and she has made some choc truffles with her class and she told  that whilst making them she sneaked to the loo to lick some chocolate mixture off her hands. I asked "Why in the toilet?" and she very cleverly replied "Cos Max got told off for eating it off his hands and I didn't want to get into trouble!" 

I love these little conversations we have that reveal some of her quirks but as a 'responsible'mum I did advise that perhaps the loo wasn't the best place to be testing the mixture! 

But I am so pleased with her and really happy with the effort she has shown - despite needing the loo break!! 

And she says there are still loads of surprises to come yet .... 

(I know the photos are not the best - I am blaming my phone! But I get to upgrade in a couple of weeks - so the photos should be a lot better!! 

My cooking - Chocolate Treats! Fudge and Hot Choc!

 I like chocolate! I like making new things with chocolate - here are two things I have made recently that both kids (and me) really enjoyed!

Hot Chocolate 
The kids wanted some hot chocolate but we didn't have some - however we had a lot of chocolate bars and treats in the cupboard so I decided to make my own! I melted chocolate in milk (using the microwave) and then to mix really well I used a blender - this created a frothy top. I added to this froth with some yummy whipped cream, crushed maltesers and some orange chocolate matchmakers!! They looked amazing but tasted a lot better!! I was quite proud of myself. Within minutes I went from being the mum of two disappointed kids to having two happy chocolated up kids!

Chocolate fudge (quick & easy) 

This was a personal challenge to myself because over the years I have tried unsuccessfully to make fudge about 3 or 4 times. It hasn't worked out so I have become frustrated. For some reason this morning I woke up determined to try something new and found an easy recipe for fudge!! I thought I would give it another go because this version looked simpler. 

To make I warmed up 400g dark choc (50%+ cocoa solids) with 25g of butter and a tin of condensed milk. Once all these ingredients were melted together I whisked in 100g of icing sugar (sifted). Once it is stiffer then put in a greased lined tin and set in the fridge before cutting into squares. 

In hindsight (that wonderful thing) I should have used an electric whisk because there are still icing sugar crystels showing - but that does not effect the taste! It is yummy!!!!! 

The Great Spring Clean 2013

In all the time we have lived in this house I have not given it a proper spring clean. In my mind a spring clean involves a deep clean and vacuum of all rooms, a massive de-clutter and organisation of household items and 'junk/treasured possessions' - all done in the same time period.

I don't want it to seem like I haven't cleaned at all - I have done all the above - in all the rooms - but not in the same weekend / weekly period.

I officially can not live with it any more though. Yes I have been recovering from my operation and so has the other half. But all the books, cds, dvds, games, teddies, clothes and ornaments are making me feel like I am drowning in crap!!

Slowly but surely I am de-cluttering - the other day I did music magpie to reduce some of my cds and jeans. Then yesterday I sold some old, unwanted and broken jewellery. I've donated some books to the local library and I've stockpiled items for a car boot.

But today I have bitten the bullet and made a somewhat small start to my huge, ginormous list!! It might take a while - but I will just work my way through it and tick them off. After all an organised tidy house leads to an organised tidy mind?

RANT - The current meat scandal!

I have been writing on here for many weeks now and still have not really had a rant... which is what the blog is named for. So I've made the decision to voice my opinions on the meat scandal that is in the UK headlines at the moment. 

I understand this might offend some people and for that I apologise but I feel like I want to make a note of this topic for reference in later years. (Look at me planning on years worth of writing this blog!! - haha

Without going on too much about the facts - which can be found on most British news sites - it has come to light that Horse meat has been sold in many products within the food market. I have two main issues with this; 

INCORRECT FOOD LABELLING - I am a meat eater, my children eat meat too and I believe animals can be breed for meat and food purposes. However I do think that all food should be labelled with the exact product that it contains. Personally I have tried several of the more 'unusual' meats like Ostrich and Kangaroo- so I would not be adverse to trying Horse. But I do want to know what I am eating and in turn feeding my children. 

THE USE OF DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN THE FOOD CHAIN - If Horse has been introduced to the general food chain and the meat is not regulated then there is the risk of ingesting chemicals which are dangerous to us. Again because I am feeding children this is a huge worry to me as I imagine it is to many other parents? 

I am not here to try and challenge the government and I am not (totally) anti-government but I do believe that the root of all this scandal lies at their hands. Slowly over the past few years the economy has worsened and normal working families are struggling to provide healthy meals for their kids. Parents are even going without meals to make sure that their kids have enough food. I am sure more mums and dads would love to be able to afford a weekly trip to a proper butcher with controlled meat products but it is simply too expensive to afford the best meat all the time. Therefore cheaper products are bought and it is these inferior ones that are the main issue. 

Thankfully when I do purchase ready made burgers I do only buy the better brands, but what about the families that can only afford the 8 for a £1 variety? I can only imagine their worry, and it doesn't exactly install us with hope when the Big Boss managers of these stores admit they wouldn't even eat their own products. 

The more that comes to light in the news about the economy and how messed up the countries finances are it is becoming more apparent that there is a 'Rich / Poor' divide again and the gap is widening between the two.  The government officials do not seem worried that their children will potentially be affected by the meat scandal but then again I can't see them shopping at cheaper budget supermarkets when they can afford organic and the best products.

I can't see much changing in the short run, but I do hope that it does not come to light about ill effects in people because they have ingested inferior products. Unfortunately it may take something like that for the politicians to sit up and realise not all of us are privileged enough to shop in 'proper' places. And not all of us are educated enough to be able to provide a cheap but balanced and healthy diet for our children. Reporters on day time TV can see it, the general public can see it but our representatives in Westminster seem to be blind to the problem. 

I would be interested in seeing what other 'normal' people think to this current news topic..... 

3 Appointments 1 day (hospital and School!)

Tuesday the 12th was a busy day for me - finally I had an appointment with the specialist who operated on my ears. Since I had been having non-stop trouble with them I was looking forward to hopefully getting some answers and knowing why they have not stopped leaking. However it was not going to be that straight forward.

It had been several months since my hearing aids had been serviced and the tubes were becoming brittle so needed replacing, trying to save petrol I made the appointment at audiology for roughly the same time as my ENT appointment. Arriving on time we were seen by a lovely lady who changed my tubes and insisted on trying to talk to me whilst I wasn't wearing them, you would think that someone used to working with people hard of hearing she would wait until I could hear before speaking!! haha

Tubes changed I was pleased that had gone easily with no issues - it wasn't until I got home I realised that she had cut them the wrong lengths and it was rubbing me!! But hubby managed to sort that thankfully!!

Anyway as I was waiting to see the specialist I got sent for a hearing test, this is a must before any hearing appointment. But the guy doing the tests told me he couldn't do it until my ears had been suctioned because there was too much 'gunk' in them! (My words not his!!!) so back to the waiting room we went! Eventually we were called to see the specialist after been sat in total for about an hour. She attempted to suction my ears out - which is a very unpleasant experience and then informed me that the T-tube they fitted in the operation was not there anymore!! I am renowned for loosing things but this was implanted into my body so was not something I had expected to misplace. Then she informed me that because my ears were so 'wet' (her words) she couldn't do anything else until I had used a course of drops to dry them out!!

So all in all it felt like a complete waste of time and I was super frustrated that the operation was not a success and that they couldn't tell me anything there and then! It also took several hours for me to cope with the pain the suctioning had caused and the pain the ear drops give me when I put them in. But as i spoke to hubby about it I realised it was probably a good thing because now they have seen me when my ears are at their worst and have a vague idea of how I am coping daily! (Or not coping!) Now it is a case of waiting for the drops to hopefully dry my ears out and seeing where we go next. I am not prepared to be in pain with pressure and leaking ears forever so I will be making sure when we visit again in a couple of weeks that I make my feelings clear! The operation was painful and I didn't want it anyway but I believed it was for the best so I went ahead - now it seems like it was a waste of time and has caused me more problems! But we shall see......

My final appointment of the day was my little girls parents evening! And it was Proud mummy time - she is an excellent pupil and more importantly in my opinion a lovely and polite child who is always offering to help the others in her class who are not as fast / efficient at their work. The only  (minor) problem is the issue of her wanting to be everyone's friend when she does not always get on with them so then the teacher has to solve silly little girl arguments. But this is true for several girls in her class and something I have spoken to her teacher about a few times. We have reached the conclusion that this group of girls have a love hate relationship and is something that might not be fixed until they all mature that bit more - if ever cos some girls can be clique all the time. In general though her attitude and school work are fabtastic so I am more than pleased and made her well aware that she was doing brill!

January - the month I turned 30. (An overview)

Well although I am a day late the month of January is now over. Like many others I do generally feel fed up and skint in the month following Christmas. But having always had a birthday at the end of the month I do have something to look forward to which helps me through the 'down' days.

This blog has been running over a month now and I am so surprised and pleased to have now had over 500 people viewing it. I am still learning a lot about blogging, including the etiquette etc... But I don't think I have offended anyone yet!!

I know I write a lot of competition posts with a lot of links for you guys to enter the comps, I post lots because I enter a lot. But because I don't want to be predominantly a competition blog I am trying not to post too many. Perhaps when I finally find a job I won't post the comps but write more about lifestyle and family things? Who knows....? The aim of this blog was not to focus on one thing alone so because of that I am trying to vary it.

So my January was hard, financially and emotionally. My laptop broke leaving us with 3 broken laptops in the house. I've had no call back from the thousands of jobs I am applying for. Sick pay has been brought into force for my husband so incoming money reduced to a worrying figure. My son has been upset because still no sign or contact from his biological father. Both me and hubby still suffering from the operations we had in November last year. This ear infection has been going on for over 2 months and I have had loads of different antibiotics to try and get rid of it. Thank fully the children seem to have escaped illness (touch wood)  so it could have been worse!

I am trying to stick to the list of goals that I wrote on here - I'm looking for work on a daily basis, slowly de-cluttering the house, I am logging on weekly to see if there are new council houses for us. Each day I am trying to achieve something positive, but there are days when even the littlest task seems too hard, the delights of living with depression I guess?

All in all though I am pleased with myself, I have had more good days than bad and am actively trying to change and better my life rather than sit and mope like I did last year!

Birthdays, Broken Laptops and Lost hearing aids!!

Well today is my 30th birthday. I was one of those people at 12 who thought that 30 was ancient - now i'm there myself I still feel like I am young. And I guess I am - but a lot of times I feel old and tired. 

I've got no huge plans to celebrate, I had a lie in this morning and woke to find cards and gifts off my children and hubby. My mum visited and had a coffee - and told me her dog having puppies so we could be getting a new doggy in a couple of months!!! The remainder of the day is going to be spent on the sofa entering competitions and watching mindless kids TV. Perfect!! My hubby cooking a Sunday dinner so that will be fabtastic too!!

The worst thing happened to me this week and my Dell laptop (2years old) bit the dust! We had just bought a new battery and the motherboard went. This is the 2nd laptop I have killed in the past 3 years - although the 1st one died from a large latte been poured over it. Been super super skint - a new one isnt an option so hubby is hell bent on repairing one of them in the cheapest way possible. Until then I am using my cheap and slow android tablet and his tiny web book. Which are more than adequate - but I am used to my laptop and do miss it. Im also one of the most impatient people ever and always want something yesterday. 

So until I do get my own machine working my posts will be sporadic. And will probably not include photos because I don't want to clog his memory with all my pics. 

I've also lost my left hearing aid - which is a nightmare! I've got a kidney infection and still got a bad ear infection so am on strong antibiotics and painkillers- this seems to have given me a forgetful brain - because my hearing aid has vanished!! Turned the whole house upside down and even been in the bin (with yellow marigolds on!) but still no joy!! Hopefully I can be fitted for some more soon because I don't know how I will cope with any future job interviews with lopsided hearing!!! I'm laughing about it - because it has just been one of those weeks! Hopefully next week less things will go wrong????

Snow Fun !!

7am this morning when I looked out! 

After waiting several days for a decent amount of snow we woke up this morning to a text from my son's school telling us it was closed. We went downstairs and opened the curtains to see a white over!! I love seeing the white blanket which covers everything.

Mr Cool Bear!! 

cola bear

It did mean though that I could put off the snow man building no longer. Me being me though wasn't happy with just making a run of the mile carrot nosed man. I wanted something a little different - originally I wanted to do a Skull - the goth in me escaping again!! But that idea was not a popular one - so it was bears!

My son was not up for getting cold again - especially not when he had his warm room and Xbox to keep him amused - but his little sister and I got snuggled up and set off building. He watched and provided commentary from his cosy room above us!!

We are very pleased at the results and the funniest thing is every time we let the dog out she stops and stares at them like she is wondering what the 2 strange things are stood in 'her' garden. Keep expecting her to begin barking at them!

the snow bear family

 My daughter built the little snow bear herself with a little help from dad. She thought that the big bear was lonely so it needed a fruitshoot friend so she grabbed the sledge and started building. We recycled most bits e.g eye's nose's and accessories. 

'To Do Lists!' that multiply.

Why is it that on a weekend my 'To Do list' gets longer and longer? I seem to cross one job off with my left hand whilst adding a new chore I've just found with my right.  (In fact cos I am so picky about my lists and hate to have lots of crossings out I write about 3 new neat ones in the duration of the day!)

Take for example this weekend - I am doing usual family jobs like getting the kids to clean their rooms and do their homework - but some how as I am going round 'reminding' everyone what they need to do my eyes discover new jobs that need to be done. (It may be worth mentioning that whilst I use the verb 'reminding' the family say 'nagging'.)

I feel so bossy every weekend - but in my opinion there is nothing worse than getting to a Monday morning and rushing around and discovering homework not all done, shoes not polished, crumpled up school letters in the corners of bags etc...

So why not do it over the full weekend and not leave it until Sunday? Well that's the annoying thing - I do try to spread it out so it's not so intense on the one day. But with Brownie outings and clubs and parties and this weekends sledging fun - it isn't so easy to get them settled down to the table in front of their books.

Which means every weekend my lists will be redone - I consider it a good Sunday if it gets to 9 o'clock at night and the kids are tucked up in bed and I am smuggled in my P.Js watching all the historical TV. (Call the midwife, Mr Selfridge, Ripper Street are on remind tonight and I can't wait!)

REVIEW: Cadbury's egg + spoon!

I am a sucker for new product's and a big fan of Cadbury's.So when I saw this small purple egg box in Co-op I needed to try this yummy chocolate. Unfortunately the £3.99 price put me off a bit.Then the next week during my Iceland shop I saw the yummy chocolate again for £2

The big kid in me was SO excited to sample this new novelty yummy treat and my kids shared my enthusiasm.

It consists of 4 small foil wrapped eggs and 2 mini purple spoons.The idea is once you have eaten the top of the egg you get a mini spoon and eat the chocolate moose filling inside.Like a chocolate boiled egg almost!!! I shared them with my family and my daughter smashed the top of her egg with her spoon!  Both kids loved them, they thought the chocolate mousse inside was so creamy. I saw 2 flavours, the chocolate one I bought and another one with creamy mousse inside. Been a die hard chocoholic I opted for the chocolate one and I did tend to agree with the children because it was a lovely creamy and sweet mousse.

All in all for a novelty treat this is another good idea from Cadburys, however I personally couldn't eat all four myself so it was lovely to share them. With Easter only a few months away I am definitely considering buying some more (as gifts). I am a big believer that food and snacks should be fun and memorable. Its the fun things that are creating memories for them as they get older and fun shouldn't just apply to days out and games.

The first week of the year!

Seen as I am trying to keep a record of my (ordinary life) I thought some weeks that I would try to do an update.

The 1st part of the week was mainly child centred - getting the routine back for school runs and early mornings. However I did apply for some jobs and enter lots of comps, read lots of books and learnt a new skill.

It wasn't my intention to learn a new skill - but my sons hair was becoming unmanageable  He was beginning to resemble cousin It from the Addams family. Been short of funds I decided I would once again attempt to cut his hair myself. In all honesty I have tried before and not one of those bowl style cuts from yesteryear, but it always went a bit pear shaped  Then I had an idea - why not watch a couple of videos on YouTube  So i did - the result was a resounding success. He likes it. I like it - and better still now you can see his lovely blue eyes. I did have some drama whilst doing it though as my daughter who watched the clips too also thought she should be able to have a go at chopping her brothers hair. When she realised I wasn't going to let her loose with the scissors she threw a tantrum like only a stroppy 8 year old can. She still isn't happy about it days later but she understands why her being an hairdresser wasn't an option. (Would she let her 11 yr old brother loose on her long locks?)

On another note there has been a bit of drama on the street too. Next door there was a minor chip-pan fire and the lovely guy who lives there had to be admitted to hospital for smoke inhalation. Thankfully there was no major damage to the house and the fire brigade didn't need to be involved but it definitely served one of those moments where you count your blessings.

The other incident happened today when the 83yr old living in a bungalow across the road fell face first on his return from the shop. Again he was lucky to the extent that no serious head injuries happened - however he had to spend all afternoon at the local A&E for his badly cut hands to be cleaned out and all the gravel removed. There were several of us who helped him until his son arrived and not only could we not believe his age once he had told us we also couldn't believe the amount of blood caused by hand injuries. The worse part is he loves playing piano and the keyboard and now until he has healed he will struggle to do this. We had never spoken to this elderly man previous to this, he hadn't lived their long. But now I know we will be more aware of him as we go about our day to day business.

Right last bit - TV i am loving at the moment includes BBC's The Ripper Street and Mr Selfridge on ITV, I am determined to not get into the hype of Celebrity big brother though!! haha