Happy 2nd Blog Birthday!

I can't actually believe that this blog is still going! I'm not one for really sticking to things. The amount of times that I have decided to start something (guitar, photography, a new exercise regime) and I've managed for a week and then lost interest. When I opened this blog 2 years ago, I did so for the purpose of venting my new mum frustrations, finding a place to deal with the depths of post natal depression and as a way to connect with people, which I was finding impossible to do in face to face situations at the time.

In a relatively short space of time I became part of the bloggers circle, I was chatting regularly with some great blog writers and getting some fabby feedback on posts I had written. I have always enjoyed writing but it is not an area in which I would've described myself as talented. I've since discovered that I do have a knack for self depreciating, humorous posts as well as honest, heartfelt and raw emotive posts. I think that this strongly reflects my character!

I have toyed with the idea of closing down the blog now that I am 'well' or should I say 'better'. I have thought about the fact that I never seem to find the time to blog now that I am working full time. However, after a bit of soul searching, I've decided to keep going. I would miss having this opportunity to lay myself bare to the nation! I enjoy writing about my life. I love to have a record of my little Grumpinator's early years. I think this year is going to be very interesting with some big changes ahead for us as a family. I would miss my blogging friends (you know who you are) and after the passing of Kerry recently, I feel I owe it to her to keep going.

I feel like I should do an overview of my year but it's been a pretty shitty one if I'm honest. Most of the joy and pleasure of this year has come in the simple moments with my boy. The moments when I look at him and feel my heart bursting with pride and adoration. The moments when he looks at me a certain way, hugs me unprovoked or tells me he loves me. It's those moments that have been significant for me yet I don't seem to blog about them! However, I've scraped the depths and come up with some highlights for you!

January
I started my 366 project so there are plenty photos on my blog (at least until I got fed up and stopped taking photos!). Christmas is a tough time for me in terms of post natal depression. I don't know why. Perhaps it is the extra stress on my emotions at this time of year. January was quite a dark month with posts about feeling useless and about my overeating in the wardrobe of all places. It wasn't all bad though. I went to see Ed Sheeran in Edinburgh which was Amazeballs! I had a night out in Stirling with one of my best mates which included an overnight stay.

February
I wrote one of my favourite posts about my friends, My hubby showed me he could still be romantic, in his own unique way. February was filled with fun times with JC and lots of outdoor fun.





March
I was so happy to share in the joy of my friend Paula's wedding. There was more outdoor fun with a trip to the beach.  There was lots of indoor fun due to rubbish weather so we some baking, painting and water play - mummy of the year award!

April
Saw the arrival and the sad departure of our first bunny, Rabbie :( JC got his first bike! We got the opportunity to review a Polarn O Pyret jacket which JC wore constantly throughout last year. My Dad, Barbora and my little brother Danny came over from Czech Rep for a visit. It was lovely to spend time as a family.

May
JC developed a love for horses! We got some lovely weather which meant lots of time spent outdoors. My Mum and Step Dad got an allotment which meant loads of veg for us! We got a new rabbit (Boris) who I am happy to report is still alive! We investigated the option of sending JC to an outdoor nursery. Our good friends, Greig and Fiona got married. I blogged about how my weight is holding me back from having another baby.




 June
My life at work took a bit of a nose dive. Things were pretty much awful. This is when my 366 started to fall by the wayside. I met up with my bestest Alana for some emotional support and cake of course! Things got so bad that I knew I needed to get out. So I picked myself up, put on a suit and went for a job interview - which I got! This change was bitter sweet. It meant less commuting but a return to full time employment which I still haven't adjusted to.

July
In some sort of moment of craziness, I decided to embark on a 5km a day for 100 days challenge. I raised £200 for Alzheimer's Scotland. I blogged about my Grandad losing his mind to vascular dementia. 







August 
 I didn't blog for the whole month. I think I will need to do a back blog for this month as I can't believe that I didn't even blog on JC's 2nd birthday! Anyway, we had a big party at the house and we went to Almond Valley for a kids party. I started my new job the next day which is probably why I haven't blogged this month. I was incredibly busy!

September
I wrote about the positive impact that walking was having on my life and how I wasn't really cut out for cycling. 

October
We saw that start of JC's vivid imagination and we started taking him ice skating which he just loves!

November 
I blogged about making children more resilient and I blogged about my friend Kerry (who blogs at Multiple Mummy) as she was in hospital after a brain haemorrhage.








December
We had much fun reviewing toys from Ikea. I wrote a post about toddlers being capable of torture. Sadly, I blogged about the loss of people in my life this year including an inspirational woman. RIP Kerry, you live on in our hearts and minds.

Phew! What a year! I can't wait to see what awaits in the year to come. Thanks to everyone who reads this blog and for the support you have given me over the past two years.

 xxx

Grrrrumpinator - The Lion Tamer

I think this has to be my favourite stage so far. They call it the terrible twos but there is a wonderful side to it. 

JC has the most fascinating imagination and I could watch and listen to him playing with his little figures and toys for hours. He loves listening to stories and most of the 'scenarios' come from the books we read to him. 

Ikea are repeating their Annual Soft Toy Campaign again this year which means for each soft toy or children's book you buy from them between October 21st - December 23rd 2012, they will donate €1 to UNICEF and Save the Children. This will ensure support to worldwide education programs, ensuring more children around the world can go to school. As a teacher, this type of campaign is close to my heart. The campaign has been running since 2003 and so far has raised a total of €47.4 million! 

I love the toys in Ikea. I don't always take JC with me when I shop there because he would manipulate me into buying half the children's dept. The good news is that the toys are a fantastic price, with soft toys starting at £1. They have launched their new Klapper Cirkus and Vandring range of toys and books this year which I think are fabulous. 

We were sent the lion puppet to review which is only £3 to buy. It's a lovely toy which is made to the usual high standards that Ikea set. Don't let me bore you with details. Watch JC road test it . . .

We had lots of fun tonight trying to get decent video footage of him playing with the puppet. So much

so that even Dad got involved in the fun . . .

We were also sent a lovely book from the Vandring range called 'The hedgehog leaves home' (£5 or £3 for members) which is about a little hedgehog who is old enough to leave home and fend for himself. There are lots of dangers for a hedgehog like snakes, pine cones, hare poo, mushrooms and foxes so it's just as well that he has his friend the field mouse to help him. 

It a beautifully illustrated book and the messages of friendship, independence, overcoming adversity are wonderful themes to have in a children's book. It's also a chance for children to learn more about the forest and it's inhabitants. The characters in the book are available to buy as a soft toys and the forest theme and illustrations from the book are available as textiles such as bed covers a rug and curtains. 

We love Ikea as a brand and the fact that they are donating to charity for each soft toy or book purchased is super. There are an abundance of soft toys to choose from so if you are looking for some stocking fillers, head off to Ikea and bag yourself a bargain. By supporting this campaign, you are not only giving a gift to your own child, but to millions of underprivileged children around the world. 

Disclaimer - We were given the puppet and book to review but this is not a sponsored post and all views and opinions are honest and my own! 

What I've Learned in 50 Days

For those of you just joining me, I started a challenge 50 days ago. The challenge is to walk/run/cycle 5km a day for 100 days. It started off as 50 but in a moment of madness I decided to increase it! Today is Day 50. I'm halfway there. I felt this was a good day for a pause to evaluate and reset goals. The initial purpose was to lose weight and to make activity a part of my daily life. I decided to raise money for charity at the same time which you can read about here.I originally joined up with the 5x50 team but as I started early I have been doing the last 50 days on my own. Today I join the other 4423 challengers for the last chapter of my challenge, the final 50!

What I've Learned About Myself

• I like planning what I am going to do but I'm not that enthusiastic about actually doing it. 
• I have an 'inside' voice that tries to sabotage me by telling me things like; "Nobody would know if walked to a café and sat there for hour, just run for the last 5 mins to get home and arrive sweaty". Resisting this inner voice is really difficult. 
• Finding an hour in the day for myself is nearly impossible. 
• The biggest obstacle to my weight loss and fitness is my utter lack of endurance and consistency. 

Just back from a walk together

What I've Learned About Walking

• I like it. It's my favourite activity! I find that for an overweight person I am actually quite good at it and I'm reasonably fast paced. 
• My favourite time of day for walking is either sunrise or sunset. I like to take photos on my walk and this is the best time of day for it. 
• Blisters are awful and the type of socks you wear really make the difference. My feet eventually adjust to the trainers and the pain of blisters reduces. 
• It's easier to do the hilly part of the walk first and get it over with. It's a great warm up then the rest seems like a breeze. 

I just love walking/running when the sun is setting

What I've Learned About Running

• I'm not awful at it but I am most definitely a beginner. I am amazed how quickly my body adapts though. I went from not being able to run for more than a minute to running for 15 mins by the end of the week. 
• My pelvic floor muscles are not what the used to be. Running is like the equivalent of sneezing for me.
• Carrying the amount of weight that I do is not great on the joints when I'm running. I think running will be something that will be easier for me when I'm lighter. 
• Blisters are worse when I run compared to walking. They appear in different places so my running feet technique must differ from my walking feet. 
• Running downhill is easy, running on the straight is manageable, running up a hill is stupidity. 

What I've Learned About Cycling

• Bum Sores - need I say more?
• Any women who have had a baby really need a bigger bike seat or it simply disappears. 
• Cycling is much harder than walking or running but you can complete the challenge in much less time.
• Despite it being quicker, the pain last twice as long. 
• If you find it too hard you can get off and walk but you look like a loser and you should really come up with an excuse like "My bike has lost it's pedals, that's why a walking, I'm not a lazy git". 
• There is nothing quite like the exhilarating feeling of zooming down a hill on a bike. It releases the inner child. 

What I've Learned About Weight Loss

• It's 70% diet and 30% exercise. On the weeks I only exercise I lose less or stay the same. It really takes both. Exercise is brilliant for tone, fitness and wellbeing but alone it won't shift the pounds. 
• It shouldn't be a diet, it should be something that fits well with your life. If I exercise regularly and show some self restraint around food I'd be thinner. 
• I don't feel better after I go on a food bender.
• My stomach is flatter when I eat more protein than carbs. 
• I've lost a stone in the last 50 days but it's been really slow. I jump from one diet to another which totally confuses my body. I find it really difficult to be consistent with a food program. 

Where Do I Go From Here?

• I am really excited about the next 50 days. I am going to focus more on walking faster and increasing the periods of running. 
• As I like the mornings and the evenings for walking, I aim to walk at these times. I think if I walk before work I will have more energy but this means committing to going to bed earlier at night.
• I'm going to eat well and make positive choices towards food. I am going to think less about dieting and more about fuelling my body effectively. I am going to eat things I know make me feel good, cutting back but not eliminating carbs and increasing but not overdoing the protein. 

Run! Run! As Fast As You Can!

You can't catch me, I'm the ....

Well I'm not the Gingerbread Man and I'm not much of a runner but I'm still managing to take part in my charity challenge of 5km a day for 100 days. I wrote about the motivation for my challenge a few weeks back, at which point, the 5km a day was for 50 days. I decided to up the challenge after reaching my target of £100 in 2 days!

Just back from a walk together

So gluten for punishment I made it 100 days and I started last Sunday. Tonight was walk number 8 and I've trimmed 10 minutes off my time. I average round the 5km route in about an hour but I have started running  jogging part of the walk, admittedly, it's the down hill parts but we all need to start somewhere!

I've been walking with the dogs and with JC. The dogs are great as the pull me round most of the route but taking JC in the buggy adds an extra dimension of difficulty. At this rate I might have arms like Terminator by the hundredth day.

My walking music of choice this week was recommended to me by my next door neighbour and is 'Now That's What I Call Reggae'. Okay, it's probably a little laid back for this type of challenge but then that's me all over! 

7lbs lost and things are tightening up nicely. Send me positive thoughts this week as I'm going to my Dad's in Czech Republic on holiday this week so avoiding the pivo and forcing myself out walking will be a real challenge.

Laters ;)

pssst
If you want to sponsor me or just browse my just giving page you are more than welcome
Click Here

You'll be old one day too you know!

I remember my Mum saying the phrase 'You'll be old one day too you know' every time I moaned about dottery old folk walking slowly or driving carelessly or forgetting things. She was right, I am getting older. I'll be thirty next year!

I'm starting to feel my age a bit these days. My knees are creakier, my boobs are further south than I'd like them to be and it takes a lot longer to shift the excess weight but a lot less time to put it on. I only need look at a cupcake and it's appearing on my thighs.

One of the other worries I have about getting old is my memory. I had a brief encounter with memory loss during my pregnancy. It's not fun feeling like you are losing your marbles. It's uncomfortable when other people look at you like you are falling apart at the seams.

My Grandad has Vascular Dementia. He has been progressively getting worse over the past 6 years. My Gran was his main carer at home until a few months ago when things got so bad that he had to be admitted to a care home as an emergency transfer as she could no longer care for him. She was devastated. She had cared for him for 6 years at home on a measly carers allowance of £11 a week. Yes you read that right, £11 a week. She is now struggling through a period of grief and loss. This transition period is most definitely just as stressful for the family as it is for the patient.

Alzheimer Scotland are a charity who provide services to people with dementia and their family and carers in my community. They are a friendly voice on the other end of the phone, a smiley face at the door and a source of information and support to many people. We are an ageing population and charities like this should be supported to continue and extend their services.

I am pledging to walk, run or cycle 5km a day for 50 days to raise money and awareness for this charity. I start on the 9th of September and it ends on the 28th of October. I hope to increase my own fitness in the process. If you are interested in finding out more, check out my Just Giving Page.

12/365 Book Worm

Image Courtesy of Barefoot Books

I've been to the library with JC a few times for the Baby Rhyme Time classes but never to purposefully look at the books. He loves books and as I am a keen reader, I love to encourage his interest. I took him along to our local library today to register for his very first library card. He enjoyed having a wee rummage through the books and we picked 6 baby board books to take home. He also liked being in the library as it's a really inviting and comfortable place. Lots of beanbags and cushions to crawl over.

I thought I would take this opportunity of a book related to post to mention something which I am working on.I am trying to raise money for the charity CrossReach who run a Post Natal Depression service in Edinburgh. I am also an ambassador for Barefoot Books which produce wonderfully original books for children. I am combining both my interests and for the next year I am going to try and sell as many Barefoot Books as I can through my online marketplace and the profit I make over the next year will be going straight to the charity.

So please pay a visit to my marketplace

Not only are Barefoot Books beautifully written and illustrated they are also fabulous for exploring diversity and issues that effect our planet. 2 of the books I borrowed from the library were Barefoot Books and I had picked them for JC and I didn't notice who had published the books until I got home. I hope you enjoy them as much as me and JC do.