Working Mum

Please look at this embedded video, I love skiing and I’m a supporter of the GB Paralympic Vancouver 2010 Ski Team. This is very inspiring, they’ve worked hard and deserve success at the Vancouver Games.

Go Team GB!

Welcome one and all. It’s Mummy Bloggers Carnival time and I’m indulging in holiday planning, so this carnival is all about holidays, days out and fab times. So grab a cuppa and a biscuit, those chocolate digestives are mine so hands off, and sit back and read. It’s better than the telly! Read the rest of this entry »

This morning I fell out of bed. Grandad came to help me before Mummy got there. Grandads are very useful.

We had croissants and pains au chocolate for breakfast. Izzy had Cheerios and toast with jam, again.

Then Mummy and Granny made some sandwiches for lunch while Daddy put suncream all over Izzy. I put suncream on myself.

Mummy took some photos of me and Izzy outside wearing our masks – look. Izzy was still wearing her jim-jams as well.

Daddy said we were all going for a ride in the car to see a big lighthouse and a big bridge, but we also had our swimming things because there might be a beach as well.

We drove all the way over a big bridge to the Île de Ré. Daddy complained about the cost of using the bridge, he said it must be a lot more than they need to keep the bridge open.

It’s a long way to the other end of the island. When we arrived there wasn’t anywhere to park, so we left the car in a field. We walked a long way to get to a great big lighthouse, called the Phare des Baleines.

I climbed all the way to the top on my own without a rest. It was a long way up – look at how many stairs I climbed. Mummy took the photo from the bottom. You can’t see me at the top.

Daddy followed me up and Izzy climbed up with Grandad. When I got to the top, I was tired and told Daddy I wanted to go down again. This made Daddy grumpy. So I took some photos with Mummy’s camera.

Daddy carried Izzy down and Mummy helped me.

We all met Granny at the bottom and played on the grass. I found a big log in the trees. You have to be very stong to lift up a log like this one.

We then bought some drinks to go with our picnic, but we weren’t allowed to sit at the lighthouse, so we walked through the village and found a space between the trees.

Izzy didn’t eat her jam sandwiches. She only had crisps and sweets. I tried really hard and ate a whole cheese sandwich with my crisps.

Then we climbed through the bushes and found the sea. Daddy took a photo of Grandad and Izzy.

When we came back, Mummy had thrown away my juice and I got upset. This made Daddy very grumpy again. I don’t know why. I just wanted my juice.

We went back to the car and drove a bit more. Izzy fell asleep really quickly. She’s only little, so she sleeps a lot during the day. She can’t help it.

After a while we found a car park next to a big beach. This was much better than the lighthouse.

Izzy was asleep so me, Daddy and Mummy put on our swimming things and went for a plodge in the sea. It was much warmer than the sea at Nonny’s house. It was sunnier than Nonny’s as well.

We filled Daddy’s hat with sea shells we found on the beach. While Izzy was asleep, the sea went much further away than when we arrived. It was 46 of Daddy’s steps further out.

When Izzy woke up she put her swimming costume on but she didn’t want to go in the water. She just stuck to Mummy.

Later we left the beach and we found a big yellow banana boat near the car. Look, I sat on it.

Then we drove a bit closer to home where we stopped for an ice cream. We didn’t find the one I wanted so I said I would have a red one instead. When Daddy said we’d go to another shop I cried again and Daddy got really grumpy this time. He carried me out of the shop and along the street. I don’t know why, because we didn’t find another shop and I ended up having a red one from the first shop. Silly Daddy. We also got some bread so we can have pain au chocolat for breakfast again tomorrow.

At home we went straight to the swimming pool. I made Mummy and Daddy very proud because I jumped in from the side. I must remember to shut my mouth next time.

Then I took my floats off and I swam on my own for the first time ever.

We had tea sitting outside. I had some brioche with butter and jam. Brioche is like half bread and half cake. It’s yummy. Then I had some chocolate cornflake cakes. They’re also very yummy. Izzy got covered in beans and chocolate and she had a lot of windypops. Smelly Izzy.

After tea I washed the sand off all the shells we collected in Daddy’s hat. Look, one of them tried to bite off my finger. Naughty shell !

After all this, we were so tired that we went to bed. Izzy went first and then I went afterwards.

I don’t know when the others went to bed, because I was asleep. Grandad says I fell out of bed again. I don’t remember it because I was asleep.

Then in the middle of the night there was a giraffe in my room and Mummy had to scare it away. How did that get here ?

This is an idea I’ve nicked from my friend Tracey on Facebook. So everyone, what is your favourite movie line (or lines) and from what movie (or movies)?

I’m looking forward to reading yours but I’m going to start with mine.

“It’s sort of social. Demented and sad, but social.”
Breakfast Club

Princess Leia: “I love you!”
Han Solo: “I know.”
Empire Strikes Back

“I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”
Steel Magnolias

“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a very bad mood for forty years.”
Steel Magnolias (again)

In the deep mid-winter…. OK, not quite but it’s another day and another forecast of snow. Here in the Gardner household we are looking forward to our summer holiday in St Malo, France.

We’re firm believers that you always need a holiday, day out or event to look forward to so for the British Mummy Bloggers carnival that will be held here on 2nd March I want to hear your stories about holidays, day outs or events.

Perhaps it could be your advice on what makes a great child friendly holiday, a special day out, an event you weren’t looking forward to but turned out brilliant, something funny that happened, a great reunion or something you are currently looking forward to. Perhaps you may want to write about your best holiday ever, even if it was without kids as we’re all individuals as well as parents.

So send me your posts and then pop back here on the 2nd March for some happy holidays, hosting houses holding happiness and helping hearts hurry home.

We all need a reminder once in a while so here are my top 10 ways to stay young:

1. Throw out non-essential numbers such as age, weight and height.
2. Enjoy the simple things.
3. Laugh often, long and loud.
4. See your cheerful friends more often.
5. Keep learning whether it’s a new hobby, career development or DIY.
6. Surround yourself with what you love whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, and hobbies.
7. Cherish your health, preserve it, improve it or get help.
8. Don’t take guilt trips, instead take a trip to the shops, to the countryside, or somewhere else, but NOT to where the guilt is.
9. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.

Now you may have noticed that I’m one short of my top 10 so tell me your top tip and I’ll post them.

I’ve just about had it up to here with Microsoft Office (if you’re not able to remote view I’m holding my hand up to my forehead). I got a new laptop about two months ago and since then I’ve been struggling. I followed the instructions and installed my previous software on my new machine but I’m having all sorts of problems. Registration problems, registry issues, Outlook having a hissy fit and crashing every time I try an open an email with embedded images, Word doing the same when I try to use the thesaurus, the list goes on.

But on the advice of a friend, John Baldwin of NETS Ltd, I’ve switched to OpenOffice.org. If you’ve never heard of OpenOffice.org, it’s time you did.

The programme has six full-blown applications: the Writer word processor, Calc spreadsheet, Impress presentations program, Base database program, Math equation editor, and Draw graphics program. But best of all, it’s free!

There’s a more detailed review at bright angels.

P.S. I used OpenOffice.org to write this post!

Ami and Izzy (accompanied by Kev and Kas) will be walking / running / toddling the 1 mile in Milton Keynes on the 21st March 2010.

So please sponsor the girls and help them reach our fundraising total. Their website is at: www.mysportrelief.com/gardners

The money you give will help people living incredibly tough lives both at home in the UK and across the world’s poorest countries. In Kenya, £2 could feed a child orphaned by AIDS for one day. In Africa, £5 could pay for a mosquito net to protect a mother and her baby from contracting life-threatening malaria while they sleep. Whilst here in the UK, £10 could pay for a volunteer to visit an isolated older person in the UK so they feel less alone.

And if you live in or near Milton Keynes why not sign up and join us.

Thank you for all your support!

Lots of love
The Gardners xxxx

I was sent an email yesterday by one of my networking friends, Peter Moorhead. Peter runs a personal training company called Celebrate Health and Fitness. Peter had been asked a question in the networking meeting about school sports and how could we avoid our children being a generation of fatties. The email was his response and as someone who shares his belief in getting the kids out and about I thought I would share it with you.

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I was asked today:

“What do you think about school sports, etc in this country and what exercise our children should take to prevent them being a generation of fatties!!!!”

And as my answer would take more than a minute, here is a more full version:

School playing fields are the first major difference I think of. We had them and the kids today don’t for the most part . I remember every lunchtime, the 30 something a side football game going on , Throwing and catching balls, bashing a tennis ball around and generally running around chasing and having fun. But I also remember most of us had to be pushed outside and it is fair to say, given a gadget to play with, in the dry and warm, I probably would have opted for that too, most often.

There is always going to be a new “must have” gadget and kids will chose a warm “safe” and comfy environment and so to keep them active they must be encouraged, motivated and at times shoved out into the fresh air. I support anything that will encourage our children to be in motion and the key to that is fun.

If they want to do street dance, encourage them. If they want to run, swim, cycle or walk, support them and if the fresh air approach does not work, better a wii fit than nothing. And if they don’t want any of this then take some responsibility and lead by example. Do it yourself and involve the kids too.

From my own experience my sincere belief that a love of exercise in the fresh air starts with a family walk. Make it a regular thing that, say every Sunday afternoon, you will all go for a walk somewhere for at least an hour. It works.

Exercise alone though will not shed the pounds and diet is a major factor. I would suggest that sugar in our diets is the major cause of weight problems in adults and children so take a closer look at the sugar content  in those foods that may even be low in  fat. It could be loaded with the evil addictive white stuff – too much sugar. And certainly don’t drink fruit juice to quench thirst, there is often as much sugar in fruit juice as the equivalent volume of cola. Opt for water, pure and simple and nature’s life-force.

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I totally agree with Peter, at school we had a huge sports field (sadly most of it has gone now) and we were pushed outdoors in all weathers. Generally we would run around but if it was wet we would try and blag our way past the prefects to get into the dry.  The main reason we chose the nursery our kids went to is because of all the ones we saw this one had the largest outdoor space for running around and as Peter suggests we do try to get out for a walk at least once each weekend, weather permitting.

What about you?