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Monday 30 March 2015

April Monthly Plans

This is something I used to do regularly on the blog back in the day so I thought I would try it out again, especially as I do have a couple of things planned for once!

Murder Mystery Night




I got a murder mystery game for my nan for Christmas and we had so much fun doing it a couple of months ago that my mum bought another one, which we will be doing on Friday night. This one is based in the sixties and I can't wait to dress up and have another fun night in with the family and Ed. It should be really fun.

Boxing Social



I have been to one of these before, technically, for the Christmas night out, but that was before I started going to class and I was going only as Ed's plus one. This should be fun as I now know more people and Megan will be coming along too. It is at the dog racing, which I have been to once before with the Work Christmas party, so it should be quite fun.

Easter Sunday



I may or may not have already consumed around 6 Easter eggs, but it doesn't stop me being eggcited (couldn't help myself, sorry) for Sunday to eat all the Easter Eggs and make myself sick of Chocolate, hopefully for the remainder of the month so I have a chance in hell of losing weight for May!

Wedding Season



I am probably really sad to be excited about this, but I happen to love my job and I can't wait until 11th April when we have our first wedding of the season! April is busy with weddings so I really get thrown back into things- yay!

Series 5 of Game of Thrones



Ok, so as I mentioned in a previous post, I am a little obsessed with Game of Thrones. It is back on TV on April 13th and I am very excited! No spoilers please as I still have 8 episodes to go on series 4 before this!

Fake Birthday



As Ed is going to be away on a Boxing thing for the entire weekend of my birthday (Friday-Monday, I could, and may already have, cry), we are doing a 'fake' birthday the weekend before. He has told me we will be going away but not where so it's quite exciting. I have a wedding at work on the Friday but straight from there we will be going wherever it is we are going. Very excited! And I guess it makes up for the fact that I won't be able to see him at all over my actual birthday (still very upset though).

Healthy vs Unhealthy

I feel I am living a constant battle at the moment. I am aiming to lose some weight and tone up in time for my brother's wedding at the end of May and the start of Summer, but at the same time I love food, and wine, which makes things a little harder!

I have been generally eating healthier meals lately. Ed cut out carbs so a lot of our meals have been just meat and salad or veg, which is obviously better than some of the meals I used to eat in the past, but when I eat bad foods I tend to go overboard... These are a few of my good, and not so good, and downright awful things I have been eating lately...

Steak with Salad



This is what Ed and I will eat on a Tuesday after Boxing as it is very quick and simple and pretty good for us too. We use Caesar salad but I don't like the dressing so have it plain.
 
Hunters Chicken



This isn't too bad, depending on how it is cooked. I have also started replacing the baked potato with sweet potato, which makes it better for you. This is usually something I will put together on a Monday night as I won't have had work and it takes a little more effort than some of the dishes I make.

Lamb Steak


This is actually a creation of Ed's. He is a much better cook than I am and this had a pear and parsnip puree, which is something I wouldn't even know where to start on. It was very yummy. Ed is good at making me try new things.
 
Fried Egg & Bacon Sandwich

 
I never used to like eggs until recently when I started having scrambled egg on toast for breakfast. Unfotunately that then changed to fried egg sandwiches, which are my current breakfast obsession, which is not good and something I am trying to get out of doing. I don't usually include Bacon as well as Egg so it's not as bad as this... but still, not good!


Baked Sweet Potato with Cheese & Chilli Dressing


I actually saw this on another blog and fell in love. I used to eat baked potato with Cheese and Tuna before Boxing but it left me feeling a bit bloated and eurgh so I started swapping it for this and it makes me feel so much better.

Chocolate dipped Strawberries


Ok, onto the truly bad stuff. I am in love with Chocolate dipped strawberries, or just chocolate in general. I try to kid myself that having the strawberries makes it better for me, but it really doesn't. Oh so yummy though!

Pancakes with Chocolate Spread and Strawberries

 
Ok, so I have a confession to make. I am addicted to chocolate spread. It has to be Cadbury's own brand and it can be in pancakes with strawberries, or it can be straight from the jar. It is the main reason I am not losing any of the weight I planned to, and in fact am putting more on. Not. Good! (But so amazingly tasty)




Some Further Learning

I love learning and broadening my knowledge. Since having the children and graduating from University, I feel I have neglected this a little. Working full time, I am obviously using skills and my brain to an extent, but I felt the desire to learn something new. This may be down to the fact that my boyfriend is halfway through an open university degree in Maths, which makes me feel rather stupid in comparison sometimes.

Clearly I need to exercise my brain some more!


I decided to go with a Child Psychology unit as this will help me understand my own children as well as it being Psychology, which I did at A Level and loved. I am also redoing my Children's Writing online course as I didn't get round to completing it when I started last Spring. I am looking forward to learning new things, but unsure how and when I will fit all this extra stuff in- eek!

Wish me luck!








Cameron and Carly- An Update

It seems like forever since I last did an update on the children so I thought now was as good a time as any. They have grown up so much in the last year and I am so proud of them as they grow into intelligent, headstrong, beautiful children. They are my greatest achievements.

Cameron




Cameron is now four and a half and will be going to school in September. He has been ready to go since he turned four so I am very excited for him as he is going to love it. He loves learning new things and he wants to be able to do everything and know everything so his thirst for learning is definitely there. I find out which school he will be going to next month so that is both scary and exciting. Cameron and Carly both attend nursery full time whilst I work so he has become a lot less shy over the past few months. He has his own little group of friends who he enjoys seeing and spending time with. Cameron loves Dr Who and seems to have taken after me in getting obsessed with things easily. At Christmas, everything was Dr Who, and I think he may end up having a Dr Who themed birhthday party come September. I had never watched the show before he started watching it, so it's nice to be able to see it for the first time with him.

Carly




Carly is coming up to two and a half and has such a strong character. She is a right little madam like her mother! She is very feisty but also fiercely loyal and so loving. Her language has really come on in the last couple of months and she has such a huge vocabulary now. The things she comes out with are hilarious! Carly absolutely adores nursery, as I knew she would from when Cameron used to go alone, she always tried to go in as well. She runs straight in and gets on with it each morning when she is dropped, and she is loved by everyone at the nursery. At home, Carly loves nothing more than watching Frozen and running around in the garden. She is quite a tomboy and is braver than her older brother. She is going to be very jealous of him when he goes to 'big boy school' in September.

I will try and do more regular updates on the children as I do love talking about them!



Game of Thrones Addiction

I have a new obsession... and yes, I know I am pretty late to the party on this one but I have only just been introduced to this amazing show by my boyfriend and now I can't get enough. Which is fine, for now, as I have been overdosing on episodes in an aim to catch up before series 5 begins on 13th April. However, I know that after series 5 ends I am going to have serious withdrawal symptoms having to wait along with everyone else for the next series, which I'm also told is going to be the last (please say it isn't so)?



Having only started watching it a couple of weeks ago, I am now averaging 3 episodes a night and am two episodes into series 4. Of course I knew a couple of things that happened, largely due to my Facebook obsession and the fact that fans of the show had been posting back when it was aired on TV, but overall I have been able to watch it without huge spoilers.

My favourite characters are Daenerys and Tyrion and my obsession has become so bad that I even did one of those online quizzes to see which character I am and was annoyed to have got Cersei rather than Daenerys (I also made Ed do it and he came out with Jon Snow).







So yes, I am fully addicted to the show now and cannot wait to finish series 4 and to be able to watch series 5 along with everyone else in a couple of weeks time. Very excited (and I don't care how sad that makes me)! 



Friday 20 March 2015

Where in the World...

I love going on holiday. Unfortunately working full time with two young children this isn't that easy. But a girl can dream...

These are the top ten holiday destinations I would love to be jetting off to:

1. Santorini




Greek islands in general look pretty lovely but there's something about Santorini which just makes it look so bloody gorgeous I want to be there right this second. When I feel low I look at beautiful pictures of this place. I will go there very soon!

2. New York




I have wanted to go here for a few years now and haven't managed to yet. I want to go just before Christmas, as it looks even more magical and amazing then. The only problem is, this is when it's A. really, really expensive and B. totally busy.

3. Antigua



Ever since I watched Pirates of the Caribbean I have wanted to go here. It looks beautiful but oh so expensive and far, far away!

4. The Maldives




Another beautiful location and somewhere I MUST go to before I die. It is true paradise.

5. Canada




Technically I've been here before but it is somewhere I would love to go to again. I would like to explore more as well as so far I have only been to Vancouver Island where my aunt and uncle live. Totally amazing place.

6. Italy




I am not specific, I just really want to go to Italy. Any part. It just looks cool.

7. L.A




My mum's cousin lives here and I love how it looks. I have been told I wouldn't like it there but I think I would. Although maybe this is a feeling I got from watching too many chick flicks....

8. Egypt




No real explanation other than it looks amazing and I might finally get to ride my camel I've been wanting to ride!

9. Lapland




I want to take the children to meet Santa (and I totally want to meet him too!). Looks so cold but such a truly wonderful experience!

10. Mexico




I love Mexican food. This is the home of Mexican food. I could fall in love with this place a little!









Monday 16 March 2015

25 Reasons You Know You've Reached Your Quarter-Life Crisis

Turning 25 for me wasn't a huge deal, and I've been somewhat calm about it for the past 10 months. But now, with just 6 weeks to go until I turn 26, I'm starting to panic a little. That's only 4 years until the big 3-0, eek! Ok, so having a boyfriend who will be 40 in just over the same amount of time does make it a tiny bit easier but still... There are some things I've only really noticed since turning 25 last May.




1. You start exercising. And not just attending that class once a week that kind of makes you feel like you can justify eating a pizza and a 'sharing' bag of chocolate buttons when you get back home. When did it start becoming so hard to keep the weight off? Damn you slowing metabolism! 

2. You start to make an effort with your skincare. Although I am pretty good at taking my makeup off each night (although not when I'm in the first few weeks of a new relationship), I've not really bothered with anything more than a quick face wipe and moisturiser. Lately I've been thinking I need to add some more steps to my routine and maybe even go down the anti-ageing skincare route... 

3. You start caring about nutrition and healthy eating. And no, I'm not talking the latest fad diet. I'm talking proper science stuff in order to try and fight off the pitfalls of that damn slowing metabolism. I've ordered Cameron Diaz's body book, which has amazing reviews so I'm hoping a read of that will equal her body? Crossing my fingers on that one... 

4. You start actually craving sleep. Like, you'll wake up wishing you could go back to sleep, dream about sleeping all day long and then when you're back home from work, you get into bed as soon as physically possible. Since when did turning a quarter of a century equal stockpiling on sleep? 

5. You start thinking about the future and wishing you had a proper savings account, you know with more than a couple of hundred quid in it, and regret not taking part in the pension scheme at work, and thinking maybe it's about time you got yourself a mortgage and sensible things like life insurance and a will. When did life become so serious? 

6. You go out in town and feel like your mum. Why are there so many teenagers around wearing barely any clothes? Surely you weren't out clubbing that young? Surely you didn't dress like that? And why do they have to make you feel so bloody old next to them? 

7. You begin to favour CDs to the radio on your daily commute. A sing along to Bat out of Hell beats random chart songs I've never heard of hands down. Bonus points for saying things like 'music was so much better when I was younger' 

8. You start shopping for clothes in places like Next rather than River Island and Top Shop. It just starts becoming too hard to pull off the latest trend alongside those teenagers you're in town next to. 

9. Your supermarket trolley starts looking all sensible- fresh meat, vegetables, eggs, yoghurts, cheese, even sweet potatoes! Once your trolley stops resembling the menu for a kids party you are officially an adult.

10. You find yourself ordering wine, or even better, Prosecco, with your meal. You can totally act sophisticated whilst eating your pasta.

11. Your house is filled with candles. There may even be Pot Pourri in your bathroom. And you secretly love shopping for things for the house, sometimes more than clothes shopping.

12. You've actually started working on your pelvic floor, rather than just saying you're going to.

13. You own blankets/a throw, a onesie, fluffy socks/slippers or big fluffy dressing gown or all of the above and are not ashamed to put these on, in the house, as soon as you get home from work.

14. You enjoy nothing more than a nice long walk in the country, followed by a meal and a glass of wine in a cosy country pub with your partner.

15. You read your teenage diary and cringe. And then cringe some more. What. Were. You. Thinking??

16. You're no longer embarrassed to do a pee sample, buy a pregnancy test, take a trip to the GUM clinic, have a smear test or buy condoms.

17. You can remember things like butterfly clips, Keenan and Kel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Goosebumps, Jaqueline Wilson books, Pokémon cards, Bewitched and Aqua. And miss these simpler times. Ahh growing up in the 90's...

18. You have at some point in you life owned a Spice Girls branded item of clothing. And may still own it. And may now be considering pulling it out and seeing if it will still fit (FYI- it won't).

19. You've started counting down the years/months/days until you turn 30... And despite being concerned about it, you've planned your celebrations down to the last detail. Even though it's still 1507 days away...

20. You can't quite get over the fact that the child film and TV stars you grew up with are now in their 30's and no longer resemble the cute faces from back then.

21. You start craving holidays, almost as much as you crave chocolate spread on pancakes.

22. You go out at the weekend and are still recovering by Wednesday.

23. On said night out you find yourself feeling like going to bed at 11.30pm. You may even catch yourself yawning. Staying out until the early hours feels like actual torture and trying to function on a few hours broken sleep will probably be the second biggest mistake you made, the first being the late night subway you ate on the way to the taxis.

24. You become obsessed with social media, in particular checking to see what stage the people you went to school with are in their lives. So, Jenny from Psychology is married with two kids now... And the guy you had a crush on in Business Studies owns his own successful business... Why am I not at that stage yet?

25. You realise that you're halfway to 50 and a quarter of the way to 100, if you even make it that far. And you have a little panic/cry/hyperventilation session.
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