Reader Appreciation Award!!

Well, well, well. Looks as if I've only gone and gotten a blinkin' reader appreciation award!  I'd like to thank the epically talented Miss Cisco for bestowing this honour upon my now very smug and gloaty shoulders.  Not only that, but I know it is a top (and completely legit) award because she is a top blogger type person who knows what she's on about, and she also happens to be very knowledgeable about biscuits!

However there are drawbacks to being so damn well appreciated...I have to tell you stuff.  You ready? Here goes..



What is my favourite colour is....


I like RED.  Scarlet red, crimson, deep velvety shades of red.  I think red is sexy, opulent, bright, & seductive but it can also be warming, festive and restful. I always wanted to be Miss Scarlett in Cluedo, she was a fox.  That being said, I wouldn't decorate my WHOLE house in red.  I do like red clothes, particularly dresses, I'm a curvy girl and I always feel a bit like a 50's pin-up wearing a red dress (although in reality I probably look more like a big round squishy tomato).  Red rocks!

How I'd like to look in red...

My favourite animal is...


Animal from the Muppets!  He is a wild one, and he plays the drums!  How could he not be my favourite animal?  He is very Rock 'n' Roll!

Animal magnetism....

My favourite non-alcoholic drink is....

Surely this is a trick question? No? Well, ok then.  Fairly partial to fruit juices (mango especially) and making my own concoctions. Like making cocktails (and I love those)!  I like mixing orange juice, mango and passionfruit juice.  It is yummy!  Sometimes add a bit of soda water or maybe some Sprite to give it a nice bubbly-ness!

I want to lie ship wrecked and comatose, drinking fresh mango juice...

My favourite pattern is....

Love leopard print, love tartan, love polka dots.  I own a lot of polka dot dresses.  Probably about 6!  So it must be polka dots I suppose!

Dotty about dots...

My favourite number is....

I don't like maths, so it strikes me as odd that I would have a favourite number...So to be nice I'll go for ONE.  They do say it is the loneliest number, so perhaps if I declare it as my favourite it'll make it feel a bit less lonely...?

Making 1 happy!

My favourite day of the week is...

I'm going with Miss Cisco on this one. Friday I am most definitely in love! I'm totally copying, but I would have chosen it anyway, as it is the day H's daddy finishes for the weekend and we are all together.  Well that and I love the Cure and  they have the best song about Friday EVER!  Don't believe me?  Take a listen and see...

 I defy you not to be cheered by this song...if you aren't you are a misery guts!

My favourite flowers are....

Roses. Probably because they make me think of this Burn's poem...

O, my luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June.
O, my luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I,
And I will luve thee still, my Dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my Dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun!
O I will luve thee still, my Dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile! 

*written in the original scots dialect

My passions are...

First and foremost my beautiful Holly and my wonderful David.  I'd be lost without my loves!

In general though...Reading, music, Jack Daniels, acting like a big kid, beautiful handwriting (I do a bit of calligraphy), fancy dress, tidying up (yes really), writing lists and organising stuff, travelling (in the UK and abroad) and last but certainly not least.... food, glorious food!

Well, you're probably bored now, but I'm hoping you haven't slipped into a coma.  So if not, well done!  Hope you have a lovely weekend.  I'm going to go off and listen to some more of The Cure.  Before I go though I'd like to cast my eye out into the blogosphere for the next potential award recipients...

My nominations are:

Chele Nic's Blog

Juicy juice and other drugs

Mummy Roc...

Milk Teeth Mummy

Babies, Bellies, Bums and Beauty


Apologies if you've already been nominated....just proves how fab you all are!

 

Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres

I'm sure many of you reading this post have been affected by Cancer.  Cancer is a disease that touches so many of our lives, with as many as 1 in 3 people being diagnosed with Cancer in their lifetime. For those living with cancer it can be an extremely frightening, uncertain and traumatic time.  That's were organisations like Maggie's can help.

What is Maggie's?

Maggie’s Centres are for anyone affected by cancer.  Not only those fighting cancer, but also friends, relatives and loved ones as well. They are places where people are welcome at any time or any stage – whether it be at diagnosis, during treatment,  post-treatment, recurrence, end of life or bereavement.  Maggie's centres provide a programme of practical, emotional and psychological support. There are Maggie's centres throughout the UK.


Would you like to find out more about Maggie's?

If you are in the Glasgow area on the 28th and 29th of June you can pop into Buchanan Galleries and visit the Maggie's "pop up" centre and see for yourself  what they have to offer and also speak with Maggie's staff and learn more about the great work the Maggie's charity does.  There will also be another "pop up" event in the St Enoch Centre on the 30th of June and 1st of July.


If you aren't able to pop along you can always check out the Maggie's Website for more info or to find your nearest Maggie's Centre .




Would you like to help Maggie's?

Did you know that providing these wonderful, vital facilities costs more than £3,000 a day?  Maggie's essential services for people affected by cancer are dependent on money raised by people like you & I, through a variety of events, activities and donations.  If you'd like to help, you can get involved or donate here.

 

Thank you for reading.

X

Acronyms - WTF or FTW?

I was reading through an online forum today and it just struck me all of a sudden how many acronyms (and initialisations) there are floating around the internet.  There are all sorts,  I notice more and more every day.  It is difficult to keep up sometimes! I have even found myself frantically googling the latest one to find out what it means rather than risk the ridicule of not knowing! God forbid you don't know what YOLO or BBG mean or some other completely unnecessary acronym!  I blame the youngsters!  Are they too lazy to type a proper word?  Don't they have time for proper sentences? I'm sure they would if they got off Facebook, stepped away from the XBOX or stopped watching TOWIE!  I find these things incredibly annoying.   As much as I don't particularly like this abbreviation culture, I do find myself occassionally doing it myself!  Ok, so I don't use WTF or LOL but the terms OH, LO, SAHM and DD have definitely made it into my online vocabulary!  What do you think of these abbreviations?  Are some ok, or do you find all of it infuriating?

Seriously though, who makes up these things?  Surely there could be more useful initialisations than WTF or YOLO? I mean, they are a bit pointless aren't they? As silly as they are, I have a feeling they are here to stay! So, as a bit of fun I've decided to make up my own!  Surely they can't be any worse that the ones already floating about?  Read on and you can decide! 



MINOA - Mummy in need of alcohol

MINOW - Mummy in need of wine/whisky

MINOV - Mummy in need of Vodka

with all of the above the letter M could be replaced with a P (parent) or D (daddy) as required.

(M)BOB - (mummy's) Battery operated boyfriend for those times you fancy sneaking off for some "me" time.

FSYI -  F***sake you idiot (great for not swearing in front of the kiddies!)


FM - F***ing moron (as above)

BOOMM or BOOMFM - Bored out of my (f***ing) mind (as you are when surrounded by tinies sometimes)

LLS/FLS - Look like sh**/ Feel like sh** (a common parenting side effect)

TLTC/TTTC - Too lazy  to clean/Too tired to clean


ADIDAS - All day I dream about shoes

ADIDAC -  All day I dream about chocolate

WISW - What is she wearing



What do you think?  How bad are they?  Would you use any of these?  Got any better, funnier or silly ones?  I'd love to read them!!

Versatile Blogger?

I feel humbled...my lovely blogging comrade, chief mischief maker and fellow biscuit lover Miss Cisco of The Ramblings of a Formerly Rock 'n' Roll Mum has bestowed upon me a great honour.  She has dubbed me a Versatile Blogger.

There was a catch though...I had to share with you all 5 random things about me you probably don't already know!  How very sneaky of Miss Cisco...


 1.  I have one tattoo and in my lifetime I've had 5 piercings.  4 of those piercings were in my ears the other was...my nipple!  My tattoo is (Gothic) angel on the base of my back.  I used to be a bit of a rock chick back in my late teens and early 20's.   My personal style back then was distinctly different.  Leather, safety pins, dog collars, biker boots... I have mellowed a bit since then, but I still like the music!

2.   I was once in a fairly serious white water rafting accident.  Our raft struck some rocks in a particularly bad patch of the river and several of our party where catapulted into the icy water (it was December).  They were swept a few miles down the river by the surging currents.  Myself and the OH (David) where stuck on the sinking raft and had to climb onto the jagged rocks we had crashed into or also face being swept down river.  We were then stranded on the rocks as the current was too strong to swim to the riverbank.  We waited hours for our rescue, by which point we had developed mild hypothermia.  The only way off those rocks involved being flung a rope which we then had to cling onto for dear life and jump into the rapids and be pulled to safety.  During this rescue the current was so strong the other people stuck on the rock with us couldn't keep hold of the rope and were also swept away.  Myself and David were the only ones to make it to the banks without losing grip of the rope.  Luckily everyone was found at various points of the river with varying degrees of (minor) injury and hypothermia.  We were extremely lucky that day, things could have been so much worse that day.  It was the scariest thing I've ever experienced in my life.  The mad thing about it all is that I wasn't even supposed to be going rafting that day.  I have a fear of deep water, but as there was a spare place in the raft I was convinced that it was perfectly safe and the river wasn't particularly fierce.  Reluctantly I had agreed...then look what happened!

3. I'm a secret agent Podiatrist.  That is right, I'm a specialist of the foot and lower limb.  It took 4 years at uni studying everything from anatomy, dissection, medicine, pharmacology, anaesthesia, biomechanics and all sorts of other gubbins including placements in about a bajillion hospitals.  I'd always wanted to start my own private clinic once I qualified but recession really isn't the time to start a business with such big overheads (I'd need a lot of fancy pants equipment - bah humbug). As I'm a mummy now I have no plans to practice any time soon.  However, if you ever need any advice about yer old smelly stumps, ask away! Whether it be a Subungal haematoma troubling you or onychocryptosis of the nail, I'm your girl!  Be warned though, being able to give a proper diagnosis over the internet without actually seeing your feet isn't likely!

4.  I have a phobia of creaky wool and putting wool in my mouth!  You know when woolly jumpers get washed out the wool goes all funny? That's what I mean by creaky wool! Also, if you put wool in your mouth it squeaks against your teeth.  That makes me wretch!  At school during knitting and sewing class we never had enough scissors the teacher used to make us gnaw the wool instead of cutting it! Urgghhh!

5.  I like gross stuff!  I suppose it helps when you are a podiatrist, I've seen some really gross and grisly sights doing that!  But in general I LOVE squeezing spots, lancing boils etc. The grosser the better! There is just something satisfying about it all!


I don't know if  after all that I come across as versatile or a total loon, but that's me I guess! So now I've sufficiently bored fascinated informed you about me, let's see who else would I like to know more about?   Who do I consider versatile?  I'm sorry if I seem to be tagging the same people constantly but, I think this has gone round quite a few people already!

Chele Nic's Blog

Leopard Print Mommy

amummysview

Juicy juice and other drugs

Milk Teeth Mummy


Hope you ladies enjoy!

Why?

Once again I have been tagged by another naughty blogger type person!  This time it was that pesky Miss Cisco over at The Ramblings of a Formerly Rock 'n' Roll Mum.  So being the good egg that I am I'll grudgingly answer her request and tell you about the things that make me go "WHY?"

• Why do companies offer "FREE gifts?" Since when has a gift NOT been free?

• Why isn't chocolate considered a vegetable, if chocolate comes from cocoa beans, and beans are vegetables?

• Why is Charlie short for Charles if they are both the same number of letters?

• Why do they call the small chocolate bars "fun size"? Wouldn't it be more fun to eat a big one?

• Why is Donkey Kong called "DONKEY" Kong if he's a monkey/gorilla?

• Why is there a difference between being murdered and being assasinated? Do only important people get assasinated?

• Why isn't science an incorrect spelling if the rule is "I before E, except after C"?

• Why is shampoo lather always white, no matter the colour of the actual shampoo?

• Why doesn't all the sealife die when lightening strikes the sea?

• Why do people have to get up early to go to church if Sunday is the day of rest?

• Why do so many people put more effort into their wedding than their marriage? 

• Why do they call front seat shotgun?

• Why do people say "heads up" when you should duck?

• Why are things typed up but written down?

• Why did some sick person named the phobia of the fear of long words Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia? That's just cruel!

• Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

• Why are boxing rings actually square?

• Why do thaw and unthaw mean the same thing?

• Why are tampon strings always blue?
  
   

So that is my very random list!  What are yours? Who will be tagged next?

Ready, Steady..Mummy!

Babies, Bellies, Bums and Beauty

Leopard Print Mommy

Milk Teeth Mummy

Chele Nic's Blog

Juicy Juice and Other Drugs

Hope you don't mind ladies!!!  I just know you will all come up with some great "WHY?" questions!

Remember to add it to the "WHY?" linky originally set up by Mummy Central HERE.

Being Pregnant Meme!!!

 

 

I have been invited by Trinket from Trinket of Treasure to partake in the fabulous "Being Pregnant" meme started by the curious Trinket of Treasure!

 

 

 

THE RULES

• We are a very nosey curious bunch, so please answer the following questions in depth. YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE ANY DETAILS OUT (only joking). But, please do write as much as you want, keeping in mind the joys of life are in the finer details. X

• Invite three or more women and link them to your blog post. As I don’t know many mothers or pregnant women, I’d appreciate it if you could invite as many mothers/ expecting women you know to participate. But please remember you don't have to be invited to take part. THE MORE THE MERRIER! x

• Leave a comment about what you think of this meme and a link to your blogpost HERE

• For lovelies that have been pregnant more than once, answer the question in regards to your first pregnancy.

So lets get down to business ladies!

THE QUESTIONS

 

What was your first reaction when you found out that you were/are pregnant and why do you feel you reacted in that way?

 

 

We had been trying for a baby, so I had spent some time dreaming about the day I would get that positive result on the "pee stick"!  Although at the time I was taking this particular test I was just sort of going through the motions as I had done in previous months and wasn't really expecting it to be positive!  I didn't expect to react the way I did at all.  I was in total shock to turn over that stick and see the positive result.  I actually had a panic attack.  I had to sit on the toilet seat with my head between my legs.  I felt excited, scared and sick. I felt out of control (and I'm a control freak, so it isn't a feeling I can handle). It is probably the strangest moment/feeling of my life if I'm honest.  The thing I had wanted for so long had finally happened but as much as I was definitely happy, I had this intense fear in the pit of my stomach.  It had all become very real all of a sudden.  As much as I wanted a baby, I've always had an intense fear of pregnancy, what it did to a woman's body always seemed horrific to me.  The sickness, the stretching, the aches and pains...and now it was my turn.  Then there was the fear of whether I was capable of being a good mum.  I look back now and wish I had reacted better, but I suppose it was best to let out all my fears then than let them fester.

 

What major changes did/does being pregnant bring to your life?

We had one major change while I was pregnant. We moved house! We had lived in our tiny flat for about 8 years and we now had to put it up for sale and pray we could get it sold and move in time for baby's arrival! It was a very stressful time, and I spent many sleepless night worrying how we would cope in our tiny flat with a baby if we couldn't move in time. We even had a sale fall through on us, but finally in Oct we got our flat sold (it had been on the market since April).  We had to find a new house quickly.  Baby was due Dec 4th! We were lucky, we found and bought our dream house just a few days after the sale of our flat! We moved in two weeks before my due date, and used the final weeks to do the only decorating which needed done, the nursery.  In terms of physical changes for me, I blossomed.  As it turns out my pregnancy wasn't in any way as horrific as I'd expected.  I was healthier than I'd ever been in my life.  I had more energy and despite a bit of sickness in the beginning and some general aches and pains I carried on as normal.  I didn't feel the need to rest, or change my lifestyle too much.  The way people treated me changed though, and I hated it! People treated me like I was ill or tried to stop me doing things.  I was pregnant, not ill. I know they were only concerned, but I was fed up hearing; are you ok?/should you really be doing that/you should be resting!  I would like to think I was the best judge of what I could or should be doing!  Trust me, if I wasn't feeling well or needed to rest I would let you know!  It isn't as if I was going skydiving or hang-gliding or anything like that! 

 

What did/do you like or enjoy about being pregnant the most?

I have to admit it.  After being so terrified of pregnancy, I ended up loving it!  I loved the energy it gave me, I loved every little (and big) kick from my bump, I loved my now glowing skin (my acne disappeared) and lustrous mane of hair.  There was very little I didn't like about it!  I know I was very lucky to have such a great pregnancy, not everyone is so lucky!

 

What did /do you dislike the most about being pregnant?

 

Well, the thing I absolutely hated was the way other people acted towards me.  I was either treated like I was ill and told off for not resting or doing too much (when I wasn't doing too much - I was being normal), or the inappropriate comments.  I had quite a very small bump even at 2 weeks overdue (although I still got plenty of stretchmarks) and someone actually said to me:

 

 "Aren't you worried about your tummy being so small, it probably means something is wrong with your baby."

Seriously, what a horrid, awful thing to say to anyone!

On a lighter note though, I missed some foods terribly! Pâté, Blue cheeses, soft cheeses, shellfish and especially my beloved rare steak!  Still, I think I substituted  these with cake instead! Also, I had terrible cravings for eggs, and I HATE eggs!

 

What are your overall thoughts and feelings on being pregnant?

 

It was the most exciting, nerve-wracking, wonderful time of my life!  I was extremely lucky to have such a great pregnancy.  Given the chance would I do it all again? Yes, in a heartbeat! Although sods law would mean my 2nd pregnancy would probably be awful!

So now I'm done, all that is left is to invite some lovely ladies to take part!

The unlucky individuals are:

amummysview

Leopard Print Mommy

The Ramblings of a Formerly Rock 'n' roll Mum

Enjoy ladies!

Syria

 

A Nightmare

You wake in darkness, the noises around you deafening.  You hear gun shots, screams, cries, banging, thumping, shrieking.  You are momentarily numb with confusion and terror.  You spring from bed, driven by fear and instinct, running to your child.  Running to protect your family.  As you run to your child's room, you collide with something hard.  It hits you in the face, the chest, the legs.  The butt of a gun?  Fists?   You are stunned, winded and knocked hard to the ground.  Yet still you rise, driven to your child by instinct and adrenaline.  Bright lights shine in your face and many hands grab, pull, beat and restrain you.  Loud voices ring in your ears, but you can only hear the distressed sounds of you child.  Your heart pounds in your chest and a sick feeling rises in your stomach.  Men in military outfits surround you and you watch helplessly, begging, pleading, crying out for help as many uniformed men with guns and sharp blades enter your child's room. You struggle with all your might, but again are beaten down by fists and guns.  You listen to your child cry for what seems like an eternity, then a shot rings out and they are silenced.  Your child is silenced, forever.  You topple to the ground, a ball of rage, pain, and terror.  Screams escape your mouth that seem to come from the bowels of the earth and you give in....you lie on the ground, shaking, shrieking and vomiting as the final gunshot rings out and you are finally silenced.  No one came as you cried out for help, or pleaded for the life of your child.

What you have read above is my nightmare.  I am lucky, for me this is only a bad dream.  Was it hard to read?  It was hard to write.  Yet still it was only a dream. A fleeting fear which I am never likely to have to face in this country.

For the people of Syria this is not a nightmare.  This is a reality.  A week ago 108 people were killed in Houla, Syria, 49 of them were children. Slaughtered with knifes and guns at the hands of their government's army.  Entire families wiped out.  Their cries for help silenced.  Their voices silenced.  You can see it on the news, read it in the papers if you don't turn away.  Please don't turn away.  It is hard to see and to read but the people of Syria need someone to answer their pleas, to hear their cries.  Their lives, and voices have been stolen.  They are helpless.  Unless we help.  I don't want this to be a reality for anyone.

So lets do what we can.  It may not seem like much, but we need your voice.  If you do one thing, please sign the Save The Children Petition.

You can also sign the Amnesty Petition and the Avaaz Petition.  

You could even write a post and link it on Britmums or tweet your support.

The Syrian Government have stolen the lives and voices of so many, lend them your voice. Speak out for those who have been lost, to protect those who can still be saved.

Thank you.