June 1-Second Project

Here's our life, 1 second at a time in June. It was a great month for spending time with my kids and animals obviously.

2 Projects I'm Loving Very Much

I have a couple of little projects going on that I LOVE!

First, I'm doing the 365 Project where I take a video for 1 second every day then compile at the end of the year, but I have been doing monthly ones so far. I thought May was great, June will be coming soon...

My second thing is that I'm collecting vinyl and having the time of my life. I remember vinyl. The smell, the touch, the excitement of a new LP from the first time around in the 70's and 80's, so this is just a heavenly collection for me. I'm beginning to talk to collectors, sellers and such. Original vinyl ended about late 80's - 1990 (24 years ago!!) and not very many records were made by today's reckoning, so I think collecting vinyl is going to be something I really get into and love. I wish I could find T-Rex (no luck yet).

A lot of artists are now releasing on new vinyl. Even old records are being re-run on new vinyl. We have bought a few but the new vinyl is very thick and heavy, nothing like old vinyl.

So anyway, here's T-Rex ...

Weight Loss: Part 5 Million and Twenty Six

This is me in October 2008, nearly 6 years ago. I was five months pregnant at the time with Daniel but I was still living a healthy life pretty much every day.

This is right before my "sod it I'm going to eat what I want" phase which lasted for the rest of the pregnancy. I ate at least 50 cherry pies during that phase & gained at least 50 lbs by the time Daniel came. I've piled a few more on since.

My issues are a mixture of drinking too much wine, changing my job responsibilities so that I'm sat down much more than I ever was, and not being very good at what I eat.

I've blogged too many times to remember about getting healthy again, being on a diet, laying off the wine, re-joining WW etc.  I feel like like a broken record. What will stop me from repeating this cycle? A failed liver? Diabetes? Getting stuck on a roller coaster ride because I can't get my fat ass out of the seat?

I do know that I go through periods of fantastic motivation where my head in in the right place and then I have these periods where I literally say "f*** it!". But right now I'm in the motivated mood so let's see how I do!

I haven't weighed myself though. I think it might actually be a de-motivator for me if I did since I'm heavier now than at any other time of my life. This might seem weird but that's how I feel. I was talking to a woman at the weekend about it and she kept trying to harass me, saying that I must weight myself or else what is my motivation?!

Well my motivation is to feel normal again...

1. To get back into my normal clothes
2. Not squirm when I catch a side profile view of myself in a shop window
3. Not grunt when I paint my toe nails
4. Get out of the pool without looking like I'm also hauling a cargo net full of salmon in my swimsuit
5. Wear tank tops

Of course there's all the other motivational things about playing with my kids, feeling healthy, running a 5-K. All those kinds of things. But right now my motivation is just about me feeling normal again. Wish me luck. Again.  

Father's Day

I hope Craig enjoyed Father's Day. I had planned to make him breakfast in bed with the kids, like they did for me, but the kids slept till 10am (we went to a party last night) and he got up before them. But when they got up they showered him with cards and presents and kisses and we also got to Facetime with Leanne, which was lovely. I made him some pictures frames for his desk at work with pictures of the boys and Leanne and they got him a chocolate Harley Davidson and a new recliner for the garden.

He took Jack canoeing on the local river in the afternoon so me and Danny headed to the pool and proceeded to get severely sunburned even though I kept spraying us both in factor 50. Damn our Viking genes!

Craig and Jack had a little adventure when their canoe tipped over. Jack, ever the drama queen, insisted that he blow the emergency whistle he had hanging around his neck, repeating with great urgency "I want to blow the whistle, I want to blow the whistle!" until Craig calmed him down and reminded him that they were only stood in water a foot deep.  Craig was laughing his head off recanting the story to me.

After canoeing they met back with us at the pool and then we headed home for pizza and wine and Game of Thrones. All in all a great day. I think Craig would secretly have liked to go out on his bike but he said he wanted to spend time with the kids so he did. He's such a fantastic person, such a good dad. I can't wait for he and Leanne to get to know one another more.

End of School & Beginning of Summer

Jack's last day of class was last week (May 29th) now he has 11 weeks off school. Thank God for Linda. This time next year we'll be paying a small fortune for summer camps.

I have had 3 extra kids each morning for an hour before school and it's been really good. They've gelled with my two and it's been lovely to see them trot off to school together each morning.

Last Day of 2nd Grade

Trampoline + Hose Pipe = Fun

House finch chicks in our Boston fern

Cleaned up their graves. It still makes me sad

So we're getting geared up for summer. We've hit the pool several times already and it's in the high 80's most days. We've book Leanne's flight for mid July and we are looking forward to my  mum and Tom coming too. Should be a great summer!

Getting your feet up

Craig just went to bed and I was like a hyena, circling, just waiting for my moment to jump in his spot. We only have 1 recliner seat in our house and we both want it each evening. Who doesn't want to sit with their feet up each night after a day at work in 90 degree weather? We don't fight about it, we are very polite and would gladly offer it to each other but we secretly covet it. The precious recliner.

When I broke my arm it was mine for at least 3 weeks (I may have pushed it to 4). Even when I was told by my doc that the swelling in my arm had gone down and I didn't need to sit with it raised up I pretended I did. I even asked my physiotherapist if she might write a note to Craig telling him that since I had broke my arm I deserved the recliner for many months (she was a good egg and willing to oblige). But I didn't have her do it because I  know how much he wants it too.

Bless us both. We don't get a break. That recliner is our only little bit of relaxation.

Some people have grandparents close by. In fact I'm trying really hard not to be jealous that two of our friends have a kid-free week this week. Or they have enough money to have babysitters galore, or they just take care of themselves and not care as much perhaps about entertaining their kids as we do (the boys expect it now, is what I'm saying).  Whatever the reason, there's just no break for us. But that's ok, I love my kids and I know that many other people have much more going on than we do. But it's my blog so I can moan a bit if I want, right?

So, my favourite and best times when I alone was spoiled?  After Daniel's birth in the hospital (Jack's birth was so manic I never had a minute to myself) and when I first broke my arm. Yep, in the last 15 years I can think of 2 times I was cared for. I bet if I asked Craig he'd say none.  Which means I have to make this coming Father's Day all about him. But he does get the lion's share of the recliner, so there's that.

People need "all about me" moments sometimes.

365 Project Begins!

My friend and neighbour is very talented at photography and writing and has inspired me to start a new "project" this year.

Basically I will take a 1-second video every day on my phone (there's an app you download that does it all for you) and then at the end of the year I will compile it into one video. What I'm also going to do is merge it each month because I'm very excited about it and want to see how my first month of doing it has turned out.

So this is the month of May, captured by just one second each day.

A Concert & a Talent Show

In the last week we've had a concert and then a talent show. I am unbelievably proud that my boy had the courage to dance on a stage in front of 200 people at the talent show. That takes some guts.

Memorial Weekend 2014

What a fantastic weekend. The weather was sunny and warm, we did lots of fun stuff and we got some things crossed off the "to do" list. The downside was that Leanne wasn't here to share this and I got a stinky head cold. But we will be booking a flight for Leanne asap so that's something to look forward to.

Here's our weekend in pictures...

Friday Night: A curry and The Book of Mormon play with the Brits

The Book of Mormon play was fantastic - very funny, but the meal at India Oven was crap. Craig makes a much better curry and they made us wait 1 1/2  hrs for our food, making us seriously late for the play.  If you get a chance, go and see this play, but be warned there's lots of swearing and risqué stuff and it is a satire about the Mormon religion so if that's not your thing don't go. Anyway, here's the trailer for the play:

On Saturday  we worked hard in the garden for several hours then I took Jack to his breakdance lesson. And wonders never cease - Daniel went too! Jack encouraged him, jollied him along and made him go. It was great.

Saturday night we went to a Columbus Crew game with VIP parking and fantastic game tickets from our neighbours (we have the best neighbours in the world). They won 2-0!  and I saw a girlfriend from Hartlepool that I haven't seen in 10 years.

Saturday: Columbus Crew game. They won!

Sunday AM:  Three hours gardening at Jack's school. Getting it ready for graduation parties this week. It was HOT (>80 and humid and just horrid)

Sunday PM: Swim time! The pool opened - ahhhhhh

Don't be fooled by how great that looks. The water was frigid. So cold we all went blue. But we persevered of course because we are English  and it must be done.

Sunday night a friend came over for a BBQ and I got sick. I have a head cold but thought it might be allergies so took some medicine but  then I was floored. I have never left a guest before but had to say, at 8pm, "I'm really sorry but I feel ill and have to lie down".  So I left . Feeling horribly guilty ever since.

Monday AM: Jack's Scout Troop participated in the Memorial Day parade

Sunday PM; Summer buzz cuts

Sunday later: Pool again then at 4pm I did laundry and housework for HOURS, until 10.30 pm. Housework is the bane of my life. 

Artstravanganza!

The art show at Jack's school was lovely. Each class put on a performance outside, so we sat in the sunshine and watched Jack and his classmates sing songs like "I'd like to teach the world to sing". The kids put their arms around each other when they sang and I got a big lump in my throat. I love everything about his school: his friends, their parents, the teachers and staff. We're so lucky.

Jack's space shuttle

Milestone: first time climbing a tree!

The 3 Musketeers

There's a Car in my Garden

An elderly neighbour crashed into our house today. It happened when we were both at work but Linda and our neighbors Pam and Dave dealt with it, then Craig came home immediately and saw to everything.

My neighbor is 87 and has no business driving. I've drawn a little diagram on Google Maps to show what he did. He got in his car and reversed and then instead of putting his foot on the brake he hit the gas. HARD. He floored that car, in reverse, as fast as it would go across my other neighbour's yard, clipping the corner of their house, then drove across their front lawn and crossed the road. He then came up into our yard, cut through flower beds and lawn, mounted the front steps, destroying the railings, and landed in front of the chimney. All the while still in reverse.

What scares me? That white building is my kid's elementary school. 

My immediate reaction when Craig called me was whether Danny and Linda were okay at home (yes, but scared to death) and then for them, my neighbours Tom & Marge, who I've known for 9 years and they are lovely people. I don't care about the house really - it's all things that can be mended.

But then I got to thinking about what would have happened if Tom had done this at 3.30 pm and not 1 pm. At 3.30pm kids leave the elementary school at the door of that parking lot next to my house. Dozens of children, including my son, would have been in his way. He could have killed them.

As it happened he nearly killed the mailman and would have hurt or maybe killed Linda as she was taking a package from the mailman on the front steps, just seconds before he crashed.

Anyway, I'm glad that everyone's ok and I have to stop thinking "what if". But tonight Tom told Craig that he's looking for another car. What???? I seriously hope that his insurance company and the BMV have other ideas.  If I see him driving again I'm going to lose it.