UH OH FOUR OH!

I am 40 today! I am really not bothered about being 40 in fact, I think I am the happiest I have been in years. I have come to a new understanding about my life - since having kids, I am finally doing things for me and my family and I don't care what other people think. Of course I don't particularly like parts of my body since having kids, but I have got to the point in my life where rather than worry the heck out of myself, when I take my kids swimming, I truly think "I don't know these people and I am never going to see them again". Yes I am the person that wears the bikini with the stretch marks, I am the person that leaves the house with my hair all over the place and no make up, I am the person that doesn't make their guests take their shoes off when they enter the house (I value my guests over my carpets).

Admittedly growing up there were expectations of what I would have achieved by 40 and to be totally honest I am lucky enough to have exceeded many of those expectations. I truly feel blessed with my wonderful family and friends. So in honor of my four oh, I am giving you 40 details of my life that make me the person I am.

1. My children make me happy, they are beautiful inside and out and although they sometimes make me crazy, I can not imagine my life without them.
2. My husband is incredibly thoughtful, he makes me laugh constantly, I still fancy him and I still look forward to seeing him at the end of the day, he truly is my best friend.
   
3. My home is on land facing a nature reserve and is so peaceful, I love it.
4. My dogs, our first "children" they have made me passionate about their breed and I am drawn to educating people about them.
5. My father, the first real love of my life, a man of incredible strength, honor and respect. A man that can bring up 3 kids on his own, back in the 70's!
6. My sister, the strongest woman I know, not physically I am sure I can beat her at arm wrestling - a major influence on my life.
7. My brother, a man I love and respect - I just wish he would call me more often.
8. My education - suprisingly enough I have a Masters degree in Education.
9. My friends - they have become my family here in the USA and they are true.
   
10. My countries - UK and USA - I love them both and they are both home.
11. My photography - I could do day in and day out - for a while I got paid to do it.
12. My travel - I get itchy feet and I love to visit new places as much as I can.
13. My food - I LOVE food.
14. My grandparents - both influenced me in different ways.
15. My love of the outdoors.
16. My passion for sports, (playing not watching).
17. My need to help others.
18. My inability to say NO because I worry about hurting people's feelings.
19. My worries about not being a good enough mum.
20. My jobs - I have been a teacher, a sports development officer, a coach, a bar tender, a waitress, a photoshop retouch artist, a photographer, a shop assistant, a production manager, a sports center manager, a lifeguard, an events co-ordinator and a rabbit mascot.
21. My luck - I think I am pretty lucky to have what I have.
22. My empathy - I am the pathetic girl that cries in way to many movies and shows.
23. My eclectic taste in music.
24. My love of animals.
25. My desire to teach my kids that good manners is so important.
26. My poor eyesight - not an affliction - but a part of my everyday life, plus it has brought about many laughs when I think I am seeing things I am not.
27. My clutzyness - constantly makes me laugh.
28. My long hair - I love it (except the gray).
    
29. My eye color - gray blue - I love it.
30. My need to connect with friends and family, old and new - I have been referred to as the "hub" in the past.
31. My traveling experiences - I have been to England, Ireland (North and South), Scotland, Wales, France, Germany, East Germany (before the wall came down), Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, Crete, The Balaeric Islands, Bermuda, USA, Canada, Mexico and Iceland. I wish there was more
    
32. My lack of need to follow fashion, its all about comfort and has been for at least the last 15 years.
33. My love of chips and salsa - the best comfort food.
34. My feelings towards Molly-Mae and Charlie the most intense I have ever felt.
35. My love of sunrise and sunsets.
36. My favorite sounds the kids giggling and the ocean waves.
37. My favorite smell, fresh cut grass and Cadbury chocolate mini eggs.
38. My ability to love 2 countries, and the luck I have had to live in both.
39. My fear that I will lose my husband or one of my children.
40. My life - I wouldn't change one thing - OK maybe one, I wish we lived in a bigger house, I just need one more bedroom and that's it.

There you go - my 4o things that make me.

How to impress your new employer

I am back from Colorado, Boulder was beautiful, the hotel was fabulous but like normal I managed to be as clutzy as ever. Here are my top 5 tips I learnt from my little trip while trying to impress my possible new employer.

1. When wandering around airport after visiting the rest room it is always best to check if your belt is done up.
2. Do not try and stab slightly overcooked sweet potato fries with a fork, while sitting opposite new boss, they act like harpoons.
3. While fellow employee comments that you have a little something on your nose, check to see what you are wiping it with, DO NOT USE napkin covered in mayonnaise. This might cause a lot of hilarity at your expense.
4. Try not to flick knife into your lap as you are talking at dinner.
   
5. When dyeing your hair before trip, (yes I finally got rid of those grays), try to wash it at least once before you use the hotel's super white towels. They don't really appreciate the red all over the towels.

Outcome even with the clutzy moments I start my new job May 11th, part time, so I get to work mornings and hang out with my kids in the afternoon - brilliant, I get the best of both worlds.

Oh and one more thing, you know I was so looking forward to having a full nights sleep without any 2 legged or 4 legged visitors, well, it didn't happen. That bed was so comfortable and I was so tired, yet I could not sleep. It was like torture. One night I got back to the hotel at 1am from picking someone up at the airport, I fell into bed and I was wide awake. I eventually fell asleep only to wake at 5am and was unable to get back to sleep. I am sure my body has decided to pay me back for all those years of mistreatment!

Oh and for those that wanted pictures - I didn't take 1! I get to go back in June though so hopefully I'll take some then.

I'm off to Colorado

Remember I told you I won't be commenting as much because I had a little project going on, and I had visitors here for the whole of the month. Well my little project has turned into a bigger one involving me going to Colorado for 3 days/2 nights WITHOUT KIDS!!!

Now normally the thought of going to Colorado without kids would be fabulous except for one thing. Nic and I have not seen each other for longer than half an hour since March 31st. He was in Europe for 2 weeks and when he got back he was straight into a big cycling event here in California. So although he has actually made it home at night, I have been in bed asleep and he is out early in the morning. Sunday evening that event finishes and in the early hours Monday I go to Colorado.

Nic's parents were here for the early part of the month which has been great and I was very sad to see them go and now my stepbrother is arriving, while I am in Colorado, and he is here until the end of the month.

So you see, I have mixed feelings I have never been to Colorado and am sooooo looking forward to it, even though I will be working, but I haven't seen Nic in so long that I kind of don't want to leave. As for my little ones this will be wierd leaving them for 2 nights, although I have to say I am so looking forward to a full nights sleep without any 2 legged visitors in the middle of the night. Knowing me, I probably won't be able to sleep!

So bloggy buddies I will be back later next week, I'll be missing you (I am not taking my laptop), missing my hubby and definitely missing my kids.

What happens in Michaels stays in Michaels

The other day I had to take my kids to Michaels Craft store to look for something specific. My kids were model kids as we crossed the car park, holding hands and giggling with each other. Some other customers looked at them and said "how cute". Then we walked into the store and somehow the red eyed monster came out and they became the kids from hell. Seriously, I have never been embarrassed to take my kids anywhere before, but for some reason they literally managed to cause havoc in 20 minutes. I so wanted to leave but I went out of my way to go to this store and I needed to get specific items by Monday. Here is a breakdown of the 20 minutes from hell:-

• Run round as many aisles as you can away from parent and scream loudly
• Knock over crayola boxes
• Play sword fights with trowels
• Get out wooden ornaments and put them all in the wrong place
• Climb racks
• Scream loudly when parent is talking to the girl who is trying to help her
• Interrupt while girl is talking to parent
• Pick up bags and drop them on the floor
• Touch everything you can
  
• While girl is talking to the other store on the phone and parent has child in arms to stop child from running like a maniac round the store - scream "put me down" as many times as possible, at top of lungs
• Get everyone in line at checkout to feel sorry for child because parent will not put child down
• When parent does put child down, don't put feet on floor making it look like parent dropped child and banged head on counter
• Scream even louder
• Older child say to parent with disgust "mummy, you shouldn't drop Charlie"
• Parent tries to remain calm without wanting to say "what the hell did you just say"
• Parent wishes she could leave shop but is on a time goal.
• Parent gets in car and lets rip on children
• Parent cries.
  

The best thing about being an older mum

One of the best things about being an 'older' mum is having friends who have kids that have gone through all the stages of growth. They give you great advice when you need it and best of all you get hand me downs.

This was our latest hand me down we were given - FOR FREE! We are turning that little playhouse at the top into the guest suite - it has amazing views - I think it will be a selling point for the in-laws.


It took a whole day taking it down and a whole day to put it back up - but what an Easter present for the kids.

Quote of the week by Lilah aged 3

I was visiting my friend the other day and she had her grandchildren with her. She relayed to me what had happened just moments earlier.

Nico - "G Bear (that's what they call her), Lilah's eating my cookie"
G Bear - "Lilah are you eating Nico's cookie?"
Lilah - "NO! I am just looking at it with my tongue"

How to make me cry

I have this friend who is incredibly generous, funny and is the most creative person I know. She is an amazing photographer and does it on an amateur basis, but really should get paid for it. And she does things like this which makes me cry, when I am least expecting it.

Bad Hair Day

You know I told you that I really, really needed a haircut because my gray hair has taken over. Well I have been examining other people's haircuts to see if they will suit me as I fell like I need a change. Then I saw this:-

Please tell me the mullett is not coming back into fashion along with bad 80's clothes.






Ps. Sorry I haven't been commenting on your blogs - I have been reading, I promise - all will be back to normal at the end of the month

Annnnddd.... three more bites it is!

Wild Child over at Naked Opinions wanted me to participate in the game of three more bites. You know that annoying game you play around the dining room table that can last for hours.

My daughter actually is not a bad eater, my son on the other hand is awful. Last year there were days when he literally ate 2 mouthfuls of food all day. In 6 months he gained 1 lb. At his 18 month appointment he was still only 21 lbs and was on the 5th percentile. Every night I would put food on his plate and every night it would either end up on the floor or in the dogs mouths. My dogs would hang around the highchair and sing the "Magic chair, magic chair throw some food down" song - you know like Rapunzel.

My Dr wasn't worried about his weight gain and told me to watch him over 4 days - and I would find that he would eat a balanced diet as long as I kept putting the good stuff in front of him. Charlie is an active boy - like his father - both of them, the moment their eyes open they are on the go! The one thing my Dr said was "he is not going to starve himself" and those words stay in my mind when Charlie still doesn't eat.

He won't eat any meat, except sausage, on the other hand my daughter could be all carnivore. She will just eat the meat on the plate sometimes. (Just a note I am vegetarian but my kids and my husband eat meat - the kids are on the understanding that I don't like chicken etc. and before you even think it - it DOES NOT influence Charlie he is just picky and always has been).
We have been out and my husband bought my kids a hot dog, Molly-Mae would eat the hot dog and Charlie would eat the bun. In contrast, Charlie loves lettuce, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, in fact most vegetables and all fruits that he has tried. He is also my carb guy, he loves all the carb stuff.

As for Molly-Mae she is a pretty good eater, and overall is pretty healthy. She doesn't like breaded anything, fries (I know amazing) and there are even certain cookies she is just not interested in. She won't eat a whole bag of sweets at one time, she likes to save some for later (unlike her mum).

We do however do the dining room dance some nights - you know just 3 more bites! I was not allowed to get down from the table until I had eaten everything on my plate growing up, I still have issues with this, and even when I am full, I hate to leave things on my plate. I still can't eat peas, as they remind me of the peas that used to be on my plate, cold and greasy after being at the table for an hour. Some nights its a struggle to get those 3 more bites, some nights there is bribery and some nights there are raised voices. But overall I think my kids have a good diet.

So I think I am going to tag September Mom as she is bound to have dining room table stories as she has 4 kids.