Keep your Moans in Perspective

I felt like moaning today.

Let me paint you a picture . . .

We're moving house and it's all very chaotic. Every box I pack, JC is right behind me pulling out whisks, spatulas and other household objects. 

JC is climbing, he loves heights, I am trying to run around behind him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

I'm back at work and I've had parents nights this week - always a stressful event for any teacher.

My band is 'breaking up'. Okay so it's not on a Westlife or Take That scale but it's still full of emotions and crushed feelings. It's all very disappointing and sad. 

JC keeps feeding Kaiya. She has a sensitive stomach so now she is vomiting up JC's snacks all over the house. He could be a ninja, he's so sneaky. 

Some evil person hacked Hubby's XBox account and run up £170 of purchases until we figured out what was happening. Not a great time to lose money when every penny is being counted for our move.

My husband thinks that the best contribution he can make to the move effort is to play his new XBox game upstairs in the bedroom as he is 'keeping out the way'. Saying that he did do the garden today so he might have to take the rest of the week off. 

But, I have plenty to be cheerful about too. 

I have a beautiful child who is happy, healthy and full of spirit. 

I have a husband who cares about me and looks after me. At least I know he is upstairs playing computer games and not down the pub getting up to who knows what. (He also makes a great cup of tea and he makes me laugh)

The stolen money will be replaced by Microsoft eventually, it's a short term problem. 

I have a large, loving family who support and help me by listening to my moans. 

I am moving to my new house next week and everything is signed and sealed. 

I have a secure job that I enjoy. My school kids are like my adopted children and I love them all very much. Parents night is a great night to hear about how parents and children appreciate the work I do. 

Kaiya will recover once JC learns that he can't feed her, this like all stages will pass. 

The band has been a source of great anxiety, time and pressure in my life and I will notice a positive difference when it ends. 

See, I feel better now. It's all about perspective. 

Check out more cheerfulness with Michelle's Blog Hop being hosted by Kate this week. 

Daddy Cool

The Gallery theme this week is Dad's. We went to visit my Dad in Czech Republic in April and these photos were taken of Hubby and JC in the garden.

JC - being a good Dad is someone who

gives me tummy tickles, raspberry belly, wipes my nose, encourages me to crawl, supports me to walk, brings me my toys in the morning, dances with me to Disney songs, throws me high in the air (and never drops me), makes the best Chicken Stir Fry ever, makes the most delicious pancakes ever and reads stories with the coolest voices (almost as good as my mum).

Steven - being a good Dad is

scary, exciting, emotional, fun, full of joy, full of worry, a huge responsibility, cuts into XBox time, getting to be a kid all over again, a challenge at times, hugely rewarding, tiring but the best job in the world.

The Gallery - Education

This is my 6th year High School photo. I am 2nd from the right, first row. My hubby (Scuba Steve) is standing behind me (2nd row, first from the right. Ah, the good ole days! Yes we are high school sweethearts and I wonder how many of my class said 'it'll never last!' Eleven years under our belt (married for 2) and now our wee Grumpinator. I was head girl in sixth year, much to the disgust of some of my year group. I was a tearaway at school until I turned things around in 4th year. Some of the more 'conscientious' pupils were not amused that they were overlooked for me. I don't think I necessarily deserved it but there was no way in hell I was turning it down!

A Well Deserved Break

I took a blogging break last week and I think it has done me some good. I was getting a bit stuck in a rut and choosing to stay in and blog (during JC's naps) rather than getting myself ready to go out when he woke up. So last week I was really busy and was out and about all week. I have to say I feel much better and more eager to get out and about this week too. Here is a run down of what I got up to last week for those of you who have missed me . . .

Monday
Was pretty relaxed and we mostly got our housework done in the morning (JC was a great help)

Then we went for a walk in the afternoon with the beasts.






Tuesday

Without fail, the busiest day of the week! We got the train through to Edinburgh in the morning as I had an appointment with the CrossReach PND clinic in Haymarket. I am going to be doing some fundraising for them in the near future so watch this space. JC spent some time in their crèche, which was a first for him but he absolutely loved it!  Then we got the train back to Larbert and we met up with our local Netmums group for the first time. The girls were all really nice and friendly and I am looking forward to our next catch up. Then we went through to Linlithgow for JC's swimming lesson. The great thing was that he was an angel all day!

Wednesday

We went down to Fife to visit my Mother in law (JC's Gran) and JC's great Gran was there too. We had a lovely day and John was in a fab mood.








Thursday 

courtesy of photos by Carolyn

We went into Stirling today to do some shopping and just a mooch around the shops. At night I went back to my band rehearsals for the first time since stopping to have wee JC. A few minutes after I walked in I was told that the band is disbanding after the New Year and that we will be going our separate ways. This was pretty upsetting as it more of a hobby for me than a second job. I won't be stopping though. Never fear though because Fee and I have plans in place for 2012 so watch this space!

Friday 


I don't go back to work until August and I am hoping to go back part time but I am already starting to explore my childcare options. I have had my name down for a nursery from August last year but there is a 18 month waiting list so I went to visit a local childminder. She seems really nice and I felt quite confident that we would be happy leaving JC in her care. So Scuba Steve and I are going back together for a second visit next week.

Saturday

World Book Night!!! I was chosen to be a World Book Night giver and I spent the afternoon holding an afternoon tea, cakes and book swapping event at my house. The book that I was chosen to give out was Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. It is a wonderful and beautifully written book about the the civil war in Nigeria from the personal perspective of three different characters. I read this book when I was stuck in Czech Republic last year during the 'volcanic ash chaos'. It really is a gripping and thought provoking read. Thanks to my Step Dad Big Gallot for his donation of brownies!



Sunday

Very drunk here, BJC (Before JC)

I left JC in the very capable care of my husband and I went to Ravelstone House Hotel in Musselburgh with my good friend Jemma. We had afternoon tea with very tasty cakes and a good catch up. We haven't really had a good catch up since JC was born as it's pretty difficult to have adult conversation when he is in the room, he is far too cute to ignore! It was a lovely day.




I am exhausted after such an action packed week but I think the break was positive for me and I think I have a better perspective on things now. It's good to be back though ;)

Cx

Trying to be Cheerful!

I am trying very hard to be cheerful although I am finding it difficult as I have been quite ill with a stomach bug this week. I am still not 100% but I am hopefully on the road to recovery. I still love to think up my reasons for being cheerful for Michelle's bloghop and I link these up to Maxabella for her gratefulness linky.

1.
My health - yes I know I've just been moaning about not being well but I realise that it is only a virus and I will survive. There are some people in my life who are suffering from illnesses that they won't necessarily recover from and that are in much greater pain than my tummy bug. So I am grateful for my health and cheerful that I am starting to feel human again.

2.
Scuba Steve - My lovely husband has done a grand job of looking after me and the Grumpinator this week. It is his half term holiday and we had such lovely plans that have been scuppered due to me being peely wally but he hasn't uttered a grumble. So I must give him a special mention this week.

3.
I have just bought a new hoover and I am sooooooooo excited about it. I don't know why I am excited but I have wanted a new hoover for such a long time. My old one (a 3rd hand Dyson) has lasted well but is failing me on suction these days. After much deliberation, I went for a Miele. I hear that they are really reliable and just as good as a Dyson and at less than half the price.





That's all folks!
Check out cheerfulness here:






Check out gratefulness here:

Cheerful and Grateful

This week has been a bit slow my Blog world and I feel like I am losing my mojo. Nevermind, I still have plenty to be cheery and grateful for. I am linking up my cheerfulness to Mummy from the Heart and my Gratefulness to Maxabella loves . . .

1.

My Auntie Beth turned 50 this week and my Mum turns 50 in July. A friend of theirs, that they went to school with, died this week, she too would have been 50 this year. I am grateful that my Mum and my Auntie Beth are both healthy and well. Nobody knows what is around the corner and it's a scary thought. My Gran, who is in the picture above with my Mum (the bride) and my Auntie Beth, is also still alive and kicking even though she has had periods of ill health for the last 20 years. I am so lucky to still have so much family around me. 

2. 

Continuing the theme of family this week, I am also grateful and cheerful for my newly acquired siblings. I was an only child up until my parents divorced when I was 18 (nearly 10 years ago!). My Mum remarried to Kev who already had two kids of his own (Kate and Shaun). Shaun was just a kid and Kate starting her teenage years when they got together. It hasn't been easy, I suppose family never is but I love having the two of them in my life and I treat them as if they were my own flesh and blood. My Dad also remarried and has gone on to have another son of his own (Danny) who is obviously my half brother. He is only 3 weeks older than JC and has a lovely wee smile. I am looking forward to watching him grow up and even though they live in Czech Republic, I hope to play a role in his life. Here he is . . .

3. 

It is Scuba Steve's half term holiday this week and we are planning on taking JC to the zoo. I love it when we can spend proper time together as a family. The weekends seem to rush by in a blink of an eye. We went our for lunch today to our favourite 'family' restaurant. It was the first time that JC has eaten out of the house in a highchair and I was so proud of him. It definitely made me extremely cheerful!

Check out more cheerfulness here: 

Or hop on over to Aussieland for some Gratefulness here: 

Truly Grateful No1

I am very grateful for lots of wonderful things in my life but if I had to choose 3 for this week they would be . . .

1. I am grateful that my little Grumpinator has started sleeping better at night. He used to wake up every 3 hours and sometimes every hour if it was a bad night! Now he sleeps from 7pm and will sometimes wake between 3 - 6am for a feed but has sometimes surprised me and slept right through until 7am. I do like our midnight cuddles but 6 months down the line, they were starting to take their toll on my face!

2. I am truly grateful for my dogs because they provide me with unconditional love and affection. They are also the main source of humour in our household. Especially Kaiya, she actually thinks she is human. Don't tell Cesar Millan but we do treat her like a human being so it's not surprising! Here she is trying out our garden furniture last summer!

 3. Lastly, I am grateful for my hubby and his willingness to clean up the garden. As much as we walk our dogs regularly (2x a day, more if it's not raining), we often get a dog poo collection in our garden. We have had so much snow this winter that it started to accumulate. Well, tonight Scuba Steve was out their with his wellies on with shovel in hand, in the dark I might add. He got the urge to clean it up so out he went. I am very grateful for this chore as I hate picking it up but I also hate looking at through the kitchen window too. I can see clearly now the poo has gone!