I don’t know why. Maybe it’s his teeth. Maybe he’s too hot. Too cold? Maybe he has trapped wind? Maybe he doesn’t like his brand new space on the bottom bunk of a big boy bunk bed? But he liked it last night.
He’s not even a baby any more.
We went to the Oriental Museum today and played an Ancient Egyptian board game called Senet. It’s kind of like backgammon. Chris and I were in the middle of a game when Boy1 (perhaps understandably) got bored and we had to abandon play. We were supposed to look up the rules, find some suitable game pieces (buttons vs pennies?) and play tonight. We haven’t – instead I’ve been messing around on the internet in between settling the unsettled baby.
In not unrelated news, I’ve discovered Pinterest (thanks to Mostly Yummy Mummy) and I’m rather keen. Button to be added to blog shortly.
Finally, I haven’t forgotten about drawing my Phoenix competition. Winner to be selected at random and announced tomorrow, I promise! In the meantime, why not browse my Phoenix store using the link on the right? It really is gorgeous stuff.
Ever Monday at Boy1′s nursery they do Show and Tell. The idea is that each child chooses something to bring in and tell their small group about, perhaps something to show what they’ve been doing over the weekend. I’ve been treating this as an opportunity to prove to the nursery staff what a totally awesome parent I am. I like t let the boy think that he’s choosing something himself, when in fact I’m skilfully planting suggestions for him to follow.
One week I got him to take the map of our local branch of the National Railway Museum: look, I take my child on educational days out, and I’m encouraging his spatial awareness and analytical skills! Another I suggested he take his luminous orange arm-bands: look, I do healthy, wholesome activities with my kids, and let them express their individuality by bringing something a bit quirky to Show and Tell.
I’m not sure if other parents treat it as a challenge in quite the same way. It’s not like I really see what everyone else has brought – the only people who’ll see it are a group of three year-olds and their teacher. But I like to seize the opportunity to ‘do things right’ and impress the teacher – perhaps a throwback to my own school days.
Of course, given that we’re often in a little bit of a rush on a Monday morning, and that it’s the day I also have to remember his library book and a pound coin for the craft fund, I don’t always convince him to bring something perfect. A couple of weeks ago, we were already out of the front door before I remembered, so I left him standing in our front yard while I rushed back into the house to grab the first suitable thing that came to hand. I managed to find a craft project that we’d made a few weeks ago – never mind, they’d believe that we made it this weekend. But to my shame, it wasn’t authentic, homemade craft – it was a pre-designed kit from Cbeebies Craft magazine. That surely says something about the expectations we mothers place on ourselves, when I feel inadequate for having spent time making something with my child because the pieces came pre-punched into the right shapes and sizes.
The Cbeebies Craft Magazine cat badge - chewing to the eye area happened on the way out of nursery. And the 'squashed under a heavy box' look on the left was acquired just this week.
This week, I don’t know what came over me. Perhaps it was something to do with the fact that Boy2 hasn’t yet learned the concept of Greenwich Mean Time vs British Summer Time and has been waking before 5.00 am every day. Perhaps it was because I was too busy trying to locate three hats, three scarves and three pairs of gloves, and get them all on before the allotted nursery departure time (it turns out Boy2 doesn’t own a scarf and doesn’t like to wear a hat – luckily his coat zips up tightly and has a well-fitting hood). Either way, I made the unprecedented decision to give Boy1 free reign over the choice of Show and Tell item. What did he choose, to help maintain the illusion that I’m an utterly excellent parent? A creative masterpiece, a home-grown vegetable, a souvenir from a museum? Nope: he chose his Monsters Inc DVD.
I’ve been tagged in a meme by the lovely Penny from The Alexander Residence, and as we’re both taking part in NaBloPoMo, what better time to join in? This one is quite simple: 10 questions about me.
1. Describe yourself in seven words.
Reasonable, thoughtful, tolerant, quiet, determined, honest, hungry.
2. What keeps you awake at night?
My children, specifically Boy2. He likes milk in the night and lately has been getting up for the day before 5.00 am. Even at times when I have worries, they don’t stop me from sleeping.
3. If you could be anyone for a day, who would you be and why?
I’d be one of the children at Boy1′s nursery (don’t really mind which one) so I could see what really goes on when I’m not there.
4. What are you wearing right now?
Pyjamas (with vest and t-shirt, it’s cold).
5. What scares you?
Our finances. But it’s only really scary when I feel out of control – when I look at all the details and get organised it starts to feel ok.
6. What is the best and worst about blogging?
The best thing is the opportunity to build relationships and follow people’s lives. The worst is when it starts to feel like a chore and I feel overwhelmed by all the reading and commenting I’m ‘supposed’ to do. These things should be enjoyable.
7. What was the last website you looked at?
Apart from Penny’s blog for the questions… www.purenuffstuff.co.uk, planning some Christmas shopping.
8. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I’d like to be more patient and calm in the face of irritation. And thinner, obviously.
9. Slankets – yes or no?
I do own one (it was a Christmas present a couple of years ago) but I very rarely use it. I don’t sit still for long enough. Take a foot or two off the bottom and add a button to the front so that you can walk around in it without tripping over and I’d be convinced.
10. Tell us something about the person who tagged you.
Penny is an excellent mother who knows how to teach children to wonder at the world.
I’m tagging people who’ve been kind enough to comment on my blog: Emma at Mummy Mummy Mum who is taking part in NaBloPoMo, and Alli from Mum 2 Four who isn’t but who has inspired me this week by getting on the cross trainer!
Yesterday, as we all sat eating breakfast, the washing machine (which, until that point had been spinning peacefully) made a series of loud clunky bangs. I let it continue on its cycle and as it reached the spin it became unusually noisy, rattling and vibrating at twice its previous volume. After I’d removed the towels I gave the drum a push and it jiggled backwards and forwards with an alarming ease that wasn’t there before.
I spoke to a washing machine repair man. He thinks it sounds like the bearings have gone. He’s coming to tell me for definite on Monday morning. Until then, he advised that I don’t do any more laundry, so as not to make it worse.
My laundry basket is always overflowing. I could give some excuses: I have two young children. I don’t have a tumble drier. But to be honest, they’re just that: excuses. Since I left home, I honestly don’t think there’s ever been a time when I’ve been completely caught up on laundry. My laundry basket is never, ever empty. When I took part in a ‘Taking Charge of Your Life’ course a year ago, my target was to get to the bottom of the laundry basket. I never managed it. It’s as if something stopped me – whenever I made good progress and was half-way there, I’d think “phew, I’m doing well” and take a couple of days off. But of course, with the odd day off here and there is enough to make sure it’s overflowing again before long.
I suspect that the root of my inability to ever reach the bottom is that I know the satisfaction would be terribly short-lived. Imagine, the day I finally get all the laundry done, every dirty item of clothing washed – then mere hours later, everyone gets undressed for bed and my triumph is over. The never-ending cycle continues without any recognition of my ‘achievement’. This is what I hate: there’s no real goal. The wearing and washing of clothes is just going to go on and on forever.
I’ve created systems to make it easier for myself to sustain the laundry backlog. Chris and I have a giant, three-sectioned laundry basket (for cotton, synthetic and delicates). The boys have a separate basket, as their clothes are washed in special, eczema society-apprived washing powder. I have a separate basket for towels and a separate bag in the kitchen for flannels, cloths and tea towels. Even if I got close to the bottom of one (or two?!) baskets, there’d still be a pile lurking in the others.
My perfectionist tendencies cause problems too. I have to have the kids t-shirts and vests hung over the rail in a certain way, so that they can be picked off and folded in a single movement. Grown-up clothes get washed with normal softener, kids’ clothes with eczema-friendly softener, bedding with lavender-scented softener and towels and cloths with no softener at all. My jumpers and dresses have to be hung on lady-sized hangers, Chris’s tops on bigger hangers. My vest tops go on giant hangers that would put even men’s t-shirts out of shape (unless they’re the vest tops that I only wear as underwear, in which case they dry on the airer to save the hangers for other items). I don’t iron, so everything has to have a good shake and no edges folded in before it’s hung up to dry. If any of these rules are broken by a ‘helpful’ husband, I get more than a little twitchy. This (perfectly reasonable?) behaviour means that he leaves the laundry all to me – I don’t begrudge him this as, faced with my vast array of complex and totally-not-at-all-arbitrary rules, I’d do the same in his position.
So my point is, I am responsible for the laundry, and I’m always playing catch-up. Whenever I get some times to myself, I have a little nagging voice whispering “laundry” in my ear… a gnawing feeling in my stomach and an inability to completely relax because I know I should attempt to make a dent in the huge clothes pile.
This weekend, Chris is taking the boys to his parents’ for a few hours, so that I can have a little bit of time to myself. With the washing machine out of action, I’ll be free from the nagging feeling that I ‘ought’ to be tackling the laundry mountain. Perfect guilt-free relaxation. Maybe I’ll get the hoover out.
This is where I should insert a picture of my overflowing laundry basket. Or maybe a Diptic montage of three different laundry baskets throughout the house. But I won’t, because the level of laundry is really embarrassing.
Here’s one of the posts I’ve had in my head for a while, that NaBloPoMo has motivated me to get out on to the page.
I pretty much stopped wearing perfume when Boy1 was born. I worried that it would put him off breastfeeding – I wanted him to identify my natural scent. Then I was pregnant again, and had another baby, and life got away from me. And perfume costs a lot of money, for a small amount of stuff. I like to think that I’m at least a little stylish; I may not buy loads of the latest fashions, but I like to look interesting and feel ‘like myself’.
Perfume is my style failure at the moment. I have a bottle of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea that I occasionally remember to spritz in the morning, but it’s too daytime-y and relaxed, not quite grown-up enough. And no good for winter either. I’d like to buy a new perfume – ideally two new perfumes, one as an everyday signature scent and one for special occasions. I’ve been looking a little bit, but the vast array of fragrances is totally baffling and I have no idea where to start. I was hoping that you (dear reader) might help me narrow it down by offering some suggestions. My requirements are as follows:
I’m 28. I don’t want to smell like someone who’s 48. Anything too musky, heavy or generally ‘grown-up’ is out. But I don’t want to smell like an 18-year-old either – which I guess maybe rules out the latest celebrity scents? I’d like something fresh, natural-smelling, but that has a bit of depth. Something that smells like a competent, decisive person, not too girly, but appealing. I like fruity smells, but they need something else to give them a bit of oomph. Does that make any sense?
When I was younger I used to wear Contradiction by Calvin Klein for special occasions. Now, every time I smell it, it takes me right back to those early nights out, the little local pubs and the thrill of getting dressed up, going dancing and having hardly a care in the world. Something that smells kind of like that would be nice. But different.
I appreciate that perfume costs quite a lot of money. I’m prepared to pay a reasonable price, but nothing eye-wateringly extortionate.
In keeping with my clothes shopping policy, ideally I’d like it to be ethical. I’m not fussed about organic, but I’ve found that companies who care about paying their workers fairly and operating sustainably tend to produce things organically too. There probably aren’t a lot of ethical perfume producers out there, so I’ll settle for ‘not totally evil’. That rules out Nestle, then. Unfortunately, I sniffed a few of the perfumes in Lush and didn’t really like any of them.
So, over to you. Which perfume do you wear? Does it perfectly sum up your personality? Do you stick to one scent, or chop and change as often as you change your t-shirt? All thoughts gratefully appreciated!
Images via wendati on Flickr Creative Commons, edited with Pixlr o’matic.
As you’re probably very well aware by now, I did the Great North Run in September. I’m ashamed to admit, though, that I’ve hardly been running since. Yes, I’ve been busy, but I was busy before and I managed to fit the running in because I knew that if I didn’t, I’d really struggle when it came to the half-marathon. Now that I don’t have a target to aim for, it’s all too easy to let the running slip.
It’s cold outside. I’m tired. I’ve just had a shower. I need to do some laundry. My knee feels a little bit funny. The ground might be wet. EXCUSES!
When I was running I loved the sense of achievement. I also loved feeling fit and healthy. As my training progressed, I got used to being able to walk up a steep hill without gasping for breath. If I was feeling sluggish and worn out, running didn’t wear me out more – it made me feel much better. I miss all this.
I think these things are can really snowball – you go for a run, feel great and say “no thanks” to the glass of wine that evening because you don’t want to lose that great feeling. Or if you don’t run, you gradually slide back into the bad habits, the Diet Coke and the sitting around feeling glum when you could be out breathing fresh air. The guilt starts and you have another biscuit to cheer yourself up.
I eat a fairly healthy diet, cooking quite a lot from scratch, but there are definitely ways I could do better. I don’t think I’ll be adding smoothie makers and fruit juicers to my Christmas list, but reaching for a jaffa orange instead of a Jaffa Cake a little more often could help. I know I’ll feel better for it – I just need to make the push, find the time and get my momentum back.
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Another of those photos that's only relevant in a vague, metaphorical way - but it's more pleasing than no photo, yes?
Now that I’m committed to NaBloPoMo, I expect I’ll be joining in a few more blogging memes. When I started blogging I joined in with The Gallery every week without fail. It was a great entry into the blogging community and a lot of the blogs I found through The Gallery, I still read now. It was The Gallery that got me started taking serious photos and thinking of myself as a ‘proper photographer’, whatever that means.
This week the theme is ‘the letter T’. I probably won’t be the only one who’s chosen this interpretation of the theme, especially in autumn, but I can live with that.
We’re frequent visitors to the local university Botanic Garden and I’ve posted pictures of flowers more than once before. But right now, as the air gets crisp and the evenings draw in early, the Garden is all about the trees.
The filter on these shots is from the Pixlromaric iPhone app (which I just discovered you can use online and other places too). Most of the effects are anything but subtle, and the frames likewise. But you can mix and match any filter, flash and frame and you can use images in their original size rather than the ubiquitous square. It’s lots of fun and (like the vast majority of my apps) it’s free. Highly recommend.
Head over to this week’s Gallery to see other interpretations of the letter T.
I think it’s time for a new challenge. In September I ran 13 miles in 2 1/2 hours. In October I worked hard building my new business. In November I’m going to be joining thousands of other bloggers in the UK and in the US posting a blog post every day.
I’ve put a lot of time and effort into this blog over the past year and more. I’ve spent hours tweaking it, getting the look I want, crafting the ‘perfect’ posts. I’ve read dozens, if not hundreds of other blogs, commented and tweeted, building up relationships that I really value. As I’ve been so busy with other parts of my life recently, I’ve let all of the blog-related bits slip. I still want to find the right balance – I can’t start devoting so much time to my blog that it undermines my business or family life – but I need to spend more time on it. I want to catch up with people’s blogs, be connected with the bloggers I love reading, keep finding new people and keep putting my thoughts and creativity out there.
I talked recently about blog/life balance and admitted (not for the first time) that I need to be less of a perfectionist about blog posts. I need to get my ideas out there quickly, without re-reading and over-analysing. I’ve said it plenty of times but haven’t managed to achieve it. I’m hoping that the NaBloPoMo challenge will force me out of the perfectionist procrastination for good; that even when the challenge is finished, I’ll find it easier to move an idea from head to page.
The idea for NaBloPoMo derives from a bigger project, NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo is short for National Novel Writing Month, and it’s participants pledge to write 50,000 words in November. I don’t want to write a novel, but I have lots of respect (and some awe) for those who do. I feel a bit guilty for thinking of NaBloPoMo as a big ‘challenge’, when I know there are thousands of people out there taking on a much bigger challenge. I also feel that I ought to apologise to someone, somewhere, for the ‘NaBloPoMo’ name – it doesn’t flow nearly as well as ‘NaNoWriMo’ and I feel that I’m pinching their idea.
Those minor quibbles aside, I’m really excited about starting to love my blog again and getting reconnected with the blogging community. Bring it on!
Some lovely leaves from the Botanic Garden, to symbolise all the posts I'll write, or all the bloggers taking part... or maybe just because I get nervous posting a post with no image...
My poor blog has been a little neglected of late. I’ve been working hard getting my new Phoenix Trading business off the ground. I have some events booked for November (details on my Phoenix website) and buying in and organising stock for those has been really exciting.
My first Phoenix stall
I’ve been busy with other things too and I’ve struggled to find the time for blogging. Then it dawned on me… Why not run a Phoenix competition here on my own blog?!
Phoenix cards are great value. Their entire range of everyday cards are just £1.50 each, or £1.20 each if you buy 10 or more. They have something for every occasion: birthday, anniversary, new baby, wedding… and a brilliant range of general cards too. There’s also gorgeous matching gift wrap, accessories such as note pads and bookmarks and our fab organiser boxes that will make great Christmas gifts (I’ve stocked up on a few of the Gardening Organiser Box for my fair at a local garden centre!).
I love the Christmas range too – but more of that in another post!
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So, the competition… I’m offering one winner the chance to pick 10 cards of their choice from the Phoenix range (or, if he/she prefers, other Phoenix products of equivalent value). For a chance to win, have a look through the range and leave a comment below saying which card is your favourite and why.
The closing time is 8.00 pm next Sunday, 6th November. After that time I will pick a winner at random from all eligible comments. You must comment with a valid email address or leave some other way for me to contact you. If the winner has not responded within 48 hours of notification, another winner will be picked at random.
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I have a new Facebook page: Kirsty Younger – Independent Phoenix Trader. Liking the page does not relate to competition entry and will not affect your chances of winning. However, it will give you an easy way to stay up to date with how the business is going and to learn more about buying (or selling) Phoenix products. Go on, you know you want to. 
Good luck!
