As I was late with my A-z post yesterday I thought I ought to try and get today's post done early in the day.
For three years I have unsuccessfully entered the London marathon ballot - this year I have entered again. I don't find out until October if I will have a place and at that point a fully six month training program is provided. I feel that for me six months won't be enough so I am already running regularly.
People ask me why I want to run it and I can't really answer other than that for me it (and for many others) it would be a huge achievement, to be able to train for and run a marathon is something I have always wanted to do, it is the last thing I aimed for as a child that I need to tick off my list, the other two were to be a teacher and to write a book.
Other aims have come along and been added to the list but this one remains, I am hoping that I get a place but if not I will have another try but to run in Olympic year would be special. Keep your fingers crossed.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
S is for SUnshine
Sunshine is bathing the garden and play stuff at the front of the house, a heat haze shimmers across the road and bees are buzzing in between colourful flowers that are already in bloom. Not only that but there are bank holidays aplenty to enjoy.
Yesterday we went to a local farm park whilst Heather had a day at the stables. The kids had great fun leaping about on the bouncy pillow and looking at a whole variety of animals, even decorating a biscuit in the shade. Lucy managed to turn herself into an ice cream as she worse as much as she ate but we all had great fun. Our attention turns this weekend to Easter egg hunts, preparing the driveway for the street party next week and unfortunately study. I have tried working outside but there are just too many distractions.
Still if previous years are anything to go by the sunshine won't last for long, if it is nice now if probably won't be in the summer, after all the year Lucy was born it was still snowing at this time of year!
My intention is to enjoy it while it lasts, paddling pool here we come!
Yesterday we went to a local farm park whilst Heather had a day at the stables. The kids had great fun leaping about on the bouncy pillow and looking at a whole variety of animals, even decorating a biscuit in the shade. Lucy managed to turn herself into an ice cream as she worse as much as she ate but we all had great fun. Our attention turns this weekend to Easter egg hunts, preparing the driveway for the street party next week and unfortunately study. I have tried working outside but there are just too many distractions.
Still if previous years are anything to go by the sunshine won't last for long, if it is nice now if probably won't be in the summer, after all the year Lucy was born it was still snowing at this time of year!
My intention is to enjoy it while it lasts, paddling pool here we come!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
R is for Rabbit
Well with Easter on the horizon I thought they deserved a mention. I was thinking the other day how easily we all believe in the myth, Father Christmas, Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. Then we say to our kids if you don't do xxx then yyy won't visit. The kids tow the line for a bit and then we repeat the pantomime.
I am hoping that the Easter bunny will make an appearance and with good weather forecast I may even set up a mini egg hunt for the kids, as well as letting them eat some of the eggs although Matthew is convinced you have to eat only real eggs, wonder what Cadburys et al would think of that idea.
Anyway Happy Easter and I hope you all see the white rabbit with the floppy ears, should he have a clock and be muttering about being late however, best let him get on with it, I am sure the real one will be along later.
I am hoping that the Easter bunny will make an appearance and with good weather forecast I may even set up a mini egg hunt for the kids, as well as letting them eat some of the eggs although Matthew is convinced you have to eat only real eggs, wonder what Cadburys et al would think of that idea.
Anyway Happy Easter and I hope you all see the white rabbit with the floppy ears, should he have a clock and be muttering about being late however, best let him get on with it, I am sure the real one will be along later.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Q is for Questions Questions
If you have ever been around for kids for a reasonable amount of time you have probably encountered their innate talent for asking embarrassing questions at inappropriate times!
'Mummy is this swearing?'
'Mummy why does that person smell funny?'
Mummy, why is that person buying so many cakes when they already have a big tummy?'
and perhaps worst of all; 'Mummy does that lady have a baby in their tummy?' when they haven't.
There are plenty of other examples but they always seem to ask them when the room is quiet in their loudest possible voice!
Sometimes though one question simply leads to another, take the swearing one, having stuck her middle finger up and having had it confirmed that it was indeed swearing Heather wanted to know why people swore if it was such a bad thing.
'Why can't they just say bother?' hmm, answers on a postcode for that one and the perennial favourite;
'If I was in your tummy how did I get out?'
'Mummy is this swearing?'
'Mummy why does that person smell funny?'
Mummy, why is that person buying so many cakes when they already have a big tummy?'
and perhaps worst of all; 'Mummy does that lady have a baby in their tummy?' when they haven't.
There are plenty of other examples but they always seem to ask them when the room is quiet in their loudest possible voice!
Sometimes though one question simply leads to another, take the swearing one, having stuck her middle finger up and having had it confirmed that it was indeed swearing Heather wanted to know why people swore if it was such a bad thing.
'Why can't they just say bother?' hmm, answers on a postcode for that one and the perennial favourite;
'If I was in your tummy how did I get out?'
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
P is for priorities
It's funny how things change. Once upon a time my main priority was rising with the larks and whizzing off to school to prepare for the day filled with 30 11 year old's. Nowadays my main priority is trying to get enough sleep to get through the day.
Priorities seem to change throughout the day, for instance today I had planned to drop the two big kids off at school, let Lucy play in the garden and study outside, instead I ended up nipping to the local shops to run a few errands, spent half an hour in the library and another half an hour with Lucy in the coffee shop which she thinks is the the height of sophistication!
Now the school run is approaching and I am trying to think of ways to avoid the kids homework and enjoy the sunshine instead! I wonder why everything seems to squeeze together as the day seems to stretch forwards in the morning but as soon as we start doing something time slips away quickly!
At the moment my priorities remain with the kids and while I do try and plan ahead and ensure that deadlines and commitments are met, on days like this I try to seize the opportunity to get out and enjoy life, if there is one thing I have learned over the last twelve months it is to enjoy as much as you can when you can!
Priorities seem to change throughout the day, for instance today I had planned to drop the two big kids off at school, let Lucy play in the garden and study outside, instead I ended up nipping to the local shops to run a few errands, spent half an hour in the library and another half an hour with Lucy in the coffee shop which she thinks is the the height of sophistication!
Now the school run is approaching and I am trying to think of ways to avoid the kids homework and enjoy the sunshine instead! I wonder why everything seems to squeeze together as the day seems to stretch forwards in the morning but as soon as we start doing something time slips away quickly!
At the moment my priorities remain with the kids and while I do try and plan ahead and ensure that deadlines and commitments are met, on days like this I try to seize the opportunity to get out and enjoy life, if there is one thing I have learned over the last twelve months it is to enjoy as much as you can when you can!
Monday, April 18, 2011
O is for Opportunity
Every day we have lots of opportunities and this is another word that gets used a lot. Recently I have been thinking a lot about my writing, I am considering doing a journalism course so that I can do some local reporting and get an 'in' to the publishing business, make some contacts and maybe make some inroads to getting a decent book deal for the forthcoming bestseller residing in my brain! Frustration hits though s you need to do a fair bit of 'on the job' training and whilst this can be arranged the ability to only be around for school hours proves to be a bit of a sticking point. At some point I will consider getting a minder in but at the moment I love being able to be with the kids and pick them up from school.
This may seem like an opportunity missed but in the end I decided that I am still young enough to persue my dreams when the kids are a bit bigger, I can still write at home which is convenient as I can do it around the kids and their holidays. I must admit to missing teaching a bit now but even so I don't regret the decision to be a stay at home mum most of the time. There are moments when I wish I could have a little more time to myself, to have somewhere to go to on a regular basis that isn't home and have goals to work to. I got as far as making a sort of timetable listing all the things I wanted to achieve, it lasted for 24 hours, something else needed doing that took precedence.
The most frustrating thing is that there are lots of ideas I want to write down and develop, several of them have gone into my notebook for later use, I am going to try and write every day but this can be difficult, school runs and clubs, housework and a three year old to entertain until September as well as the school holidays mean that life can be busy and for the moment I have availed myself of the opportunity to be with the kids.
The opportunities that are open to me are many, some involve work but many of us give them up for what we hope might be the greater good, however come September I will be taking the opportunity that 2 childfree hours gives me to do all sorts of things and watch out in 2012 when I have three kids at school all day, that book deal will be done!
This may seem like an opportunity missed but in the end I decided that I am still young enough to persue my dreams when the kids are a bit bigger, I can still write at home which is convenient as I can do it around the kids and their holidays. I must admit to missing teaching a bit now but even so I don't regret the decision to be a stay at home mum most of the time. There are moments when I wish I could have a little more time to myself, to have somewhere to go to on a regular basis that isn't home and have goals to work to. I got as far as making a sort of timetable listing all the things I wanted to achieve, it lasted for 24 hours, something else needed doing that took precedence.
The most frustrating thing is that there are lots of ideas I want to write down and develop, several of them have gone into my notebook for later use, I am going to try and write every day but this can be difficult, school runs and clubs, housework and a three year old to entertain until September as well as the school holidays mean that life can be busy and for the moment I have availed myself of the opportunity to be with the kids.
The opportunities that are open to me are many, some involve work but many of us give them up for what we hope might be the greater good, however come September I will be taking the opportunity that 2 childfree hours gives me to do all sorts of things and watch out in 2012 when I have three kids at school all day, that book deal will be done!
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