Crap-tastic. A welcome blend of crap and fantastic.

Well we went over to our friends’ house last night and I had a really fabulous time.

I do really like them both and they’re good fun to be with. A (the boyfriend) is an hilarious drunk and gets amusingly and frustratingly argumentative in a ‘jolly good old debate’ way when pissed which appeals to my infinite need to be right… combine this with my desire to make every person bend to my will, BN’s incapability to leave anything alone and A’s capability to turn any conversation into a heated debate and you always have a fun evening….

The fact that S will inevitability side with us as A is usually completely too drunk and talking bollocks and it is not unusual for the evenings to involve copious amounts of red wine, whisky and staying up till 5am.

I gave up at 3.30 this morning and went to bed. Not because I wanted to, but more because I was aware of how shite I would feel today if I didn’t.

I decided to be sensible.

Smug

Because although I do feel like crap…. I’m the only one that isn’t feeling like crap that someone else stood on. The other three are far worse.

A cooked a lovely meal - rack of lamb with dauphinoise potatoes and tomato courgette side dish with a Gu chocolate pudding and whipped cream for dessert.

It was gorgeous and delicious and yummy. And the only thing I’m sorry about is that I don’t have it again tonight!

Then took our time this morning to get back to the folks - loved seeing the girls and they were so excited to see us. They had a great time with G&G and the only down side was Ella has a bad cough again and woke herself and everyone else up at 5am.

Feel pretty bad about that…. … … …. almost.

But then the other half of me is just happy that I wasn’t there

I had amazing gorgeous & fantastic Mother’s day and got lovely treats. Some Body Shop Goodies (which I love) and Sweet Darling Perfume from Kylie’s range and two DVDs. One of Stardust which I’m really looking forward to watching and one of Pride & Prejudice (Colin Firth version) which I absolutely adore.

Tonight - the plan is…. get girls to bed, have bath, get to bed with Colin Firth

Boboville…!

Meeting up with a friend from School in a couple of weeks.. we were great friends and spent lots of time together between the ages of 11 and 15.

I loved going to her house cos her parents were super liberal and relaxed (as opposed to super uptight and over worrying Nut folks that I had) and we used to get up to mischief I’m sure.

I remember being outraged one day when my mum refused to let us go shopping to Nottingham because we wouldn’t be safe (YAWN!!) when only the week before we’d been there alone staying at Hannah’s house. We were 13.

There is no way that I would let Rowan or Ella go shopping with one friend in Nottingham now at 13 years old. It’s a crazy place!

Bless my parents for being so misunderstood when I was utterly outraged

So - I was going about my business on Facebook the other week and suddenly saw I got poked by Hannah. I was so pleased as I had actively looked for her a few times and was disappointed she wasn’t on there…

So - I find out, she has a blog and Flickr and we have ended up interested in so many of the same things.. amazing we have lived so close for years and didn’t know.

Bit disappointing really.

So anyway - pay a visit to Boboville (I shall also be adding her to my blogroll) and enjoy …. we are meeting up in the second week of February and I shall happily post piccies of the day

yay!

Bank Account Manager

So.

I have resigned from the position of manager. Of our bank account.

I hate doing it. It stresses me out. Particularly when we don’t have any money. Which is pretty much all the time. I hate feeling like it’s all my responsibility to look after everything.. and although BN doesn’t want me to feel like that at all, I find it hard not to when it’s my wage coming in. It feels like I am controlling everything alone.

It can be quite a lonely feeling. All that responsibility.

So I have resigned. I’m no longer in charge.

I really felt that I needed a break from it and BN is way more than capable of looking after everything adequately, I *think* it’s just that I haven’t really given him the chance of getting a look in. I absorb responsibility quicker than a Tampax soaks up blue liquid!

So the deal is that BN is going to be in charge of the wedding budget. HE is going to be in charge of the bank account. Bills are his responsibility and he is going to take all the worry away from me. Which is basically his mission in life I think. Lovely man that he is.

I am looking forward to it. I can release my inner child. I have relinquished all interest in it. Surprisingly easily in fact … and have started spending with wild abandon. Well maybe not quite wild abandon. But I *did* buy two pairs of trousers from Next for £50!

Get me!!!

We were walking through town and we were chatting about this and saying we should schedule a time to go through the account properly so he knows what he’s doing etc. etc. and I said to Rowan… ‘Daddy’s going to be taking care of the bank account now Rowan.. what do you think of that?’

Rowan kind of took on the accent of the kids from the Zafira advert and said ‘oh noooooooo’ …….. widely accepted in our family as a Franism.

We couldn’t work out whether the problem was that Daddy is so strict with money that she would never get another treat in her life or that he’s so bad with money that we were screwed!!  

Had a long weekend…

I always mean to blog and then some nights it’s just…. it’s just too hot!

We had a fab weekend and I’ve really enjoyed going to stay with the folks for my dad’s birthday party…

Mad Man murders cake in village shocker…

All the girls were there…

Mad brown haired midget gets stuck to girls back…

A Nana eats villagers in bogus barbeque…

But I’ll blog more tomorrow… because right now… I need to go and wash my work trousers otherwise I shall have nothing to wear tomorrow!!!!

(which would not be good)

Random Rowan…

This evening Rowan went into absolute raptures about her day in complete gibberish

Utterly adorable.. she was hyper since talking to her Grampty on the phone this evening after teatime and suddenly after her bath.. she went loony tunes and was just telling us all this stuff (clearly a run down of the day) ..

Such a shame we couldn’t understand any of it apart from the occasional reference to Grampty..

She did do something pretty cool today as well ..

As of today …. she knows her address!!

If you ask her our address she reels it off and she also knows that she lives in an yellow house!

Now how’s that for 2 an’  ‘alf?!?! 

What kind of Blogger are You?

Your Blogging Type is Kind and Harmonious

You’re an approachable blogger who tends to have many online friends. People new to your blogging circle know they can count on you for support. You tend to mediate fighting and drama. You set a cooperative tone. You have a great eye for design - and your blog tends to be the best looking on the block!

What’s Your Blogging Personality?

Weekend Catch up.

Just a catch up on the weekend.. we’ve had a really good time. BN and I have really connected this weekend. Not in any way in particular.. I’ve just really had a laugh and felt very relaxed.. drunk some wine and chilled out about my WW for a couple of days.

I’ve incidentally had a good weekend for weight watchers this week and as of this morning I’ve lost 2lbs since Monday morning.. which is great because that’s weight loss for two weeks in a row.. maybe the Mirena curse is lifting.. ? Hope I haven’t spoken too soon.. I have a habit of doing that!

We’ve finished the front room.. it’s looking gorgeous and brown and beige and cream and yummy and BN fixed an amazing solid oak shelf for a mantle that we bought from ebay for £40 … I didn’t think that was bad at all..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 So .. there’s that… we went shopping.. I bought a couple of new tops.. IN the NEXT SIZE DOWN!!! YAY!!

And then we’ve had super weight loss magic curry for tea two nights in a row. It really is amazing… every time I’ve eaten it, the next day - you’re like 2lbs lighter!

Every time.

It’s Magic Curry!

So… what else have we done..?

We’ve tidied out the dining room and shed belongings from the lounge. So we’re a whole lot emptier and I feel much better for it.

The house is starting to look better for it and I’m so pleased to have the lounge devoid of children’s things.

It might sound mean but I don’t intend it that way. They can have all their stuff next door… It’s just so nice to be able to sit down in our lounge and not see kids crap everywhere. All her books are on the bookshelf at the bottom where she can get them whenever she wants. And all their toys are next door in a toy box.. so it’s not that mean..

So the house is looking much better. Thanks to BN really. I have to give him his credit.

I’m off to bed soon after my lovely milky coffee… and hopefully we’ll actually get some sleep as my lovely 8 month old baby has seemingly forgotten how to sleep through the night … which is great.

In fact.. if I ever do get to sleep through the night ever again.. I’ll be quite shocked.

 

 

Well.

You won’t be hearing from me tonight because I’ve just received my new Ipod.

er..

YAY!

I’m happily loading away and pathetically disappointed at how expensive it is to download Harry Potter books.

I know. I am sad. But then at least I admit I have a problem.

People tell me that’s the first step to a cure.

ack yack slack

I’m v tired. Been a very busy day at work and things are hotting up with First Girl. Things there should all come to a head very soon. Which’ll be nice.

Home life is cool. My babies are doing new stuff all the time .. Rowan is saying more and more each day now and her language skills are developing at the rate of knots really.

She say things are mine, or my stuff, this is your stuff or it’s yours. ‘I don’t want it’… now gets reasons on the end… ‘I don’t want it, it’s cold’

Ella gets told off by Rowan a lot now for paying too much attention to Rowan’s toys. Oh yes… we’re really looking forward to when that particular argument gains momentum!!

Ella is desperately trying to crawl and I am desperate not to miss it. She’s really trying so very hard. Pushing herself up on her little arms and swinging around. Lifting her knees up and trying to work out what to do next..

I’ve been so lucky up to now that I haven’t missed any major milestones and I know that luck has to run out sooner or later.

It’s something you don’t realise you will ever be so affected by really.. but it’s so annoying to imagine that you’ll be working away one day on things you think are important.. figures at work… telephone call… interview … and at home.. your baby is crawling. Crawling! Making her way round the living room and into the … DINING ROOM!!! and I was on the phone doing something unimportant. Bah.

Work. There is an awful lot of guilt attached to work.

But.

I haven’t missed, rolling over (twice), crawling, first steps, first words… first mummy.. so many things… so lucky… so a bit more luck please!!

Anyway.. some photos from the weekend and the last few days…

Some up close lovin’ from me to you.. The most loving little cuddle from Amelie and Rowan..

Look mama! My arms! They go straight!

Errrm… A photo!!! Of me? OK!

Grampty Cuddles!!

Errrm.. This one didn’t really work! It was supposed to be a group portrait.. Instead it was kind of a group splodge!

Hmmm.. I never knew this was at my door

Hmmm.. I never knew this was at my door, originally uploaded by Little Nut Tree.

What was it I said to BN last night?

Oh yes.. Rowan never even gets out of her bed.. you put her in bed and she’ll play till she goes to sleep…

She hasn’t yet worked out that she can get out of bed and there is the house outside her door…

Next morning… I kid you not.. Children read blogs…

And minds!!!!

The Fairies

The Fairies is a children’s program on Nick Jnr in the morning..

Bear with me….

It’s an Australian program centered around two fairies Rhapsody and Harmony..

It’s the kind of program where they learn valuable moral lessons abut being honest and helping other fairies get their stuck head out of a flower…helping a friend in need…. (don’t ask me to explain more about this because I don’t know)

The Fairies say each others’ names at every opportunity in every sentence. Clearly this must also a valuable lesson… … … ?

Yeeeesss…
……we’re positive this must be a valuable lesson for every child….. we’re just not sure which lesson that may be… maybe it is fundamental for every two year old to be encouraged to repeat everyone’s name at least four times in every conversation.. I dunno…

Anyway.. I digress..

Thanks to this gem of a children’s program.. (as I was getting dressed for work this morning in our bedroom) …..BN lazed in bed and the girls were watching said Fairies… … … after a bizarre conversation..

my mammary friends are now… affectionately renamed… (by BN I hasten to add)

………….. you guessed it

Rhapsody and Harmony

Oh the weird and wonderful life of The Little Nut Tree !!!

Do you think I’m the only woman in the world who can walk around and say she has a coupla fairies under her top??!?

 

No, probably not …

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today wasn’t my first mother’s day.. It was my third.

But today felt very special. More special maybe even than my very first one ever. Because Rowan made my first ever Mother’s Day card at nursery and I didn’t know anything about it until today.

My first handmade card.. with a little help from Nursery…

I opened it and immediately sprung into tears.. shocker!

But she made it.. just for me. And that’s so special.
Also, when Scotty dropped her daughter off at nursery the other day, Rowan went up to her and asked her to say hello to her mummy at work.

Scotty called me to tell me, on the way in to work.

Even though I miss them all day anyway.. I only thought I knew what ‘miss’ meant until I was suddenly reminded that she was somewhere without me.. and thinking of me.

Sniff sniff… so cute.. I could just feel the strings of my heart being plucked like a toy guitar in the hands of a three year old

We had a great day today.. We went for a planned walk to the park and Rowan had a good run around and being that our park is on a hill … unsurprisingly she then slept for two and half hours, got up at 5pm and was back in bed at 7.30..

I love to climb… It frees thy soul…

Mummy and my girls.

The little hat that wouldn’t stay Velcro’d..

One tired little girl..

We then did the walk I will have to do to the new nursery, so I know where I’m going and suddenly all hell broke loose..

Well..

I say hell. Actually hail.

This gorgeous sunny day turned into the most freezing day for ages. We could see our breath and suddenly there was hail everywhere.

BN thought it absolutely essential to take a photo of the moment for my blog..

Now… granted you can’t see the hail here.. but trust me - it was there and it was cold and wet. I was not impressed to be 15 minutes walk from home at that particular time

Let’s give this little lad some support!

Now I found this blog after reading his mum’s blog after reading around this evening.

Her little 9 year old has SID, a disorder meaning that writing is not just difficult for him but painfully hard. He’s being home educated now so that she can give him some support and recently had the idea that a blog may just give him an interest to keep him going.

Well, he loved the idea and is intrigued that not only will people all over the world have access to his words, painstakingly written through masses of determination but also overjoyed at the thought of someone actually leaving him thoughts of theirs on what he writes about.

Please go and have a read of Freak Parade and see what they’ve gone through as a family to get him to the point where he was willing to have a try of something new..

And then let’s give him some support and encourage him to keep going…

Don’t do it for me, do it for him

OK. A Weightwatchers post for Oh, The Joys..

Since starting Weight Watchers I am pleased to say that the baby weight I’m wanting to get rid of, seems to be coming off fairly easily.

The last couple of weeks I’ve stayed exactly the same weight and I’m being very good and sticking to it exactly so I’m not sure why that is exactly but I have faith. For the first 5 weeks the pounds left me at the rate of 2 per week so I’m thinking .. don’t get disheartened or demotivated.. surely if I stick to it - it will start coming off again.

Has that ever happened to anyone else?

Anyway. OTJ wanted to know where she could get her hands on boxed cereal for low points and … this is the place!!

I am eating Shreddies. They’re tasty and relatively cheap compared to some cereals - like Special K (which is also zero points!). And.. if you eat them with skimmed (fat free) milk - on WW, you can have.as.much.as.you.like!

NO.KIDDING.

As . much . as . you . like.

Ummmmm..

Yes please!! I’ll have some of that!

These are shreddies. They are little malted waffle type square thingies.
They are yummy. Sweet enough to give you a kick but zero points!

Also zero points are Shredded Wheat

terrible photo sorry - but I think you can see…

So.
If you’d like to lose a bit of weight and sinch off an inch, then try these cereal ideas.

I’m not promising anything and I can’t say WW would probably be very happy about me giving away their secrets for free …. but .. hey..

WHO cares?

New nursery, new year, back to work..

Only a weeks and a half to go then.. Does it sound like I’m on countdown? Not too much
Got Rowan settled at her new nursery this morning, she absolutely loves it. Had made firm friends with one of the girls there and I really felt that the atmosphere was genuine and even though the majoirty of the staff are young, I didn’t feel they were there for a laugh. They all seemed to be genuinely enjoying the kids.

So, that is a weight off my mind to say the least and I’ll be perfectly happy to be leaving her there a couple of mornings a week to give Big a break at home.

And here’s the unexpected BONUS!!! They are going to toilet train FOR ME!! Woohoo!! Bargain or what? Having talked it through with them today about how far we had got and what her habits were so far, the girl there (I’ll call her V) just explained how they will help with whatever we’re doing and compliment it. I explained that I really didn’t have a clue and I was happy to take their lead seeing as they must have done it a hundred times and I’ve never done it in my life - she agreed. I supply the knickers and spare trousers, the wipes and whatever and they will train Rowan to use the toilet.

I feel as though I’ve struck gold.

Okay, well maybe not gold - but close to it.

Let’s just see if it actually works… I’m sure there must be plenty of people reading this, shaking their heads and thinking ‘wait till she learns..’ but hey, I’m full of optimism at the moment so let’s just see what happens

Next thing is I’ve joined WW to lose the baby weight. I used to be a slimming world junkie (I never paid for any of the info, I just knew people that did it and copied all the stuff) and I was very successful. I lost 6 and a half stone that way 8 years ago (I think) and kept it mostly off for a long time. It was only the pregnancies that really brought it back with avengance.

So, I’ve bought into WW (with advice from a very close friend who has just been v successful with it) and as with most things in my life at the moment, I’m online with it. It seems to be working well but I thought if you were reading this - I would actually tell you about it rather than just bragging that it seemed to be working and not really sharing in the method.

So basically - don’t eat bread, cakes, sweets chocolates … sound familiar? The point with WW is that you can eat these things but everything has a points value. It costs too many points to have it and to be honest I don’t miss that stuff that much. I do really like marmite toast I have to admit but I think I will re-introduce bread to my diet when I’ve lost a couple of stone.

All day everyday at any time you can choose from a list of free foods (any fruit or vegetable, lean meats (as long as all visible fat is removed prior to cooking and you don’t add any fat to cook), shreddies and Special K, rice cakes, skimmed milk, jacket potatoes, baked beans, tea & coffee (skimmed milk added) and loads more and then have 21 points worth of food spread over the rest of the week. I tend not to have my points, I agree with Oh The Joys on ‘On Pounds’… I don’t really don’t trust myself to count them accurately enough and I figure that I’m probably eating points somewhere along the line without actually realising it so I;m better off pretending that option doesn’t exist and just living off the free stuff.

AND it really is free. You can eat as much of it as you like (I am testament to this fact as I stuffed myself with shreddies, skimmed milk, bananas and jackets potatoes, tuna and so much more last week and lost two pounds) and still lose weight. Never be hungry again! It’s great!

I have started to live off shreddies and skimmed milk with bananas, apples and after a slow start it’s now dropping off I’m glad to say - so hopefully my post in a couple of weeks time with my photo will be a slightly trimmer image..!