28 days and counting

Recently I was lucky enough to be selected for a 28 day trial on the Jenny Craig program.

I think it has been around for a few years in the US but has only recently come to the UK - basically for the first time of ordering, 28 days worth of food is delivered to you together with a program bible, 4 week menu plans and most importantly a telephone call !! - where the advisors talk you through EVERYTHING and any questions you have they are there to help you, the only thing you have to add is the fresh fruit and veg and any starch, protein snacks you want to add,

now with any diet/healthy eating program my main concern is - 'am I going to be hungry?' but so far with the Jenny Craig program my only concern is ' WHERE AM I GOING TO PUT IT ALL !!' I am used to bulk buying with having a family of 5 but there is seriously so much food - Im on day 1 at the moment - this along with my running there will be nothing left of me ! - I cant wait !

Living the Good Life

After a Loooooonnngggg break Im back !

Ressurecting this blog .......and do you know what ......Ive missed it !

hot much has happened during the hiatus, nothing spectacular to blog about, so Im starting afresh with a new look- so thank you for sticking with me if you are still here and welcome to any new readers.

The family mindset had changed gradually over the past few months and ill let you know more on that coming soon

So Welcome back and I look forward to sharing my family life with you ........all over again x

Out of the mouths of babes

Tuesday night - doing battle with my eldest over the dishwasher never a truer word said...



My daughter only has 3 main jobs that she has to do - Practise her cornet, do some reading, and unload/load the dishwasher.



At the end of the school year, all the kids get tired and ratty and to be honest dont want to do anything job-related, but as was with the reasoning on giving Aimee the dishwasher job, i think kids need to do the boring jobs so that they learn that life isnt always sweetness and light, and so the dishwasher still needs to be done otherwise we will be eating off paper plates !





So Cornet practise was done, then the complaining starts......





I dont want to........... its your job





But its boring .............. it may be boring but boring jobs still have to be done





continued on in this fashion for 35 min - would loved to say that I was cool, calm, and collected but alas not... my arguement was if you spent less time complaining and using that time to get the job done you would have more play time





Any way in the end job was done....hooray!! so off to bed she went, forgetting that she had to make her bed,



Aimee: 'There arent any sheets up here'

Me: ' go downstairs and see in the dryer - thats what I was doing today, the boring jobs so you have clean sheets'



so she turned to me and said 'THATS AN EASY JOB ITS ONLY MOVING THEM FROM ONE MACHINE TO THE NEXT' !!!



I was laughing that much - all I could say was ' isnt that what doing the dishwasher is??'



Made me think though..... thats technically all I do all day...





School Run - Move kids from home to school
Washing - Move clothes from one machine to the other
Cleaning - Move dust from one area to the other
Cooking - Move food from one place to another



Even when I go to work...... I move paper from one place to another



so basically a stand off on ONE job summed up my day completely,



My name is Andrea and I am a SHUFFLER ..... ho hum .......

Im still here !!

How long has it been? I cant appologise enough its one of those- things happen, and then time goes on and before you know it weeks, months have gone past, so I cant keep appologising but its onwards and upwards so Im sure that I have lost many of my regular followers but for those who have stuck with me - Im back - ! and with the start of the summer holidays and 6 week holiday with the kids just around the corner Im sure that we will have lots of adventures to keep you posted with - and in the meantime I'll try and keep you updated with what has happened since - (if I can remember !! LOL )

Good to be back x x

Make the most of every day x

Time waits for no-one

See the second hand move swiftly

And the minutes speeding on

Then the hours passing quickly

All too soon the day has gone

Always moving sure and steady

Certain as the endless tide

Father time is not your master

Let him always be your guide

Think of those whose days go slowly

Those whose moments creep along

Think of all the lost and lonely

Ofer hope to make them strong

Watch the minute hand still moving

As the hours slip away

Use each precious moment wisely

Make the most of every day

gone but not forgotten

I'm still here!

I havent forgotten about this blog but at the moment I am on the last few days left before my Walking Marathon, and rest assured I have not forgotten about you but shhh........ my loyalties have been with another blog ! ......... OK its my other one, the training one, but with life, kids, training, fundraising (dont look at the total on the blog thats not right!) I havent had the time to keep this one updated... so appologies for now but for the time being join me across the cyber space at www.letsfightthis.blogspot.com and see how our team has been getting on in the run up (or should that be 'walk up' !) to the marathon.... then I PROMISE YOU I will be back got lots to keep you updated on , the good and unfortunately the bad :( see you on the other side !!

Remember www.letsfightthis.blogspot.com !

No turning back now !!

Im officially in !!!

My Race number came yesterday #10737 makes it seem all that bit closer now - which it is of course 1 month away - Ive kept up with my training as much as I can through my coughs/colds/splutterings as well as the families germs and dealing with life in general - even through hubby sending me out on 10 mile walks and ignoring my pleas to 'come and pick me up' and .......'If you LOVED me you'd pick me up' but NO I had to walk the whole way !!

I must admit I am feeling better and have lost just under 2 stone in the process which is always a good thing - just a few more million to go now but we'll get there.. so now Im on the home stretch now then just the actual Marathon to walk (its ok if you say it quick enough :))

T Shirt that our nkotb team will be wearing:

Feeling so good that I am already looking for the next challenge - and I'm looking to run the race for life - debating whether to do the 5k or the 10k ? my thinking is - if I can walk a marathon it seems daft walking for 5k - so I think at the moment I'm going towards - - If I can run it (which is my next personal challenge) then I will do the 5k if Im still only walking I'll do the 10k - Ive still got a bit until I need to make my mind up so I'll let you know....

Paw Ridge Porridge

I was asked a few weeks ago to review a new product out on the market - Quaker Paw Ridge and to share my opinions with you. 2 of my kids love porridge and could eat it till it comes out of their ears.

We always have a difference in opinion I want them to have (or at least try) the plain oats which make into porridge - tastes exactly the same to me but with 'bits' in, but they both inevitably wan the all dancing, all singing all full of sugar and additives one with the brightest colours on and with the cute mascot, so when these arrived we were both happy.

Paw Ridge comes in individual sachets for ease of use and measuring and you add the milk and then ping in the microwave for 90 seconds - nothing new there BUT Paw Ridge is 'proper' oats milled finely so it has the texture of the instant cereal, no additives or sugar - other than whatever topping you add yourself (if any)

Whenever I have bought the instant cereal in the past I have always bought the loose box and not the sachets for two reasons:

1. With the sachets its not necessarily quicker by the time you put the sachet in, get the measuring jug out measure up to the line .......etc -

Solution: with Paw Ridge they have a measuring line on the sachet, so it really is empty in bowl and then measure milk in the empty sachet up to the mark, it is fiddly to start off with but in no time you will be an expert -no more searching for jugs first thing in the morning

2. Pound for Pound it does work out more expensive than the loose boxes -

Solution : Yes it is slightly more expensive but in our local Asda it is comparitive with the other leading brands, and the ease of use and knowing it is the pure oats is worth its weight in gold especially during the rush in our house on school days-

And Finally - MY KIDS LOVE IT !! which has got to be the best taste test ever ! if I can steer my kids away from the additive full version its a winner with me and they still like the taste and the look of the cereal its a win-win

Paw Ridge also have an interactive web site ( http://www.pawridge.co.uk/) for the kids full of jokes and activities etc and also has a page for parents information - obviously more detail than I can give you I can only give my opinion and what my family thought of it and know nothing of the technical side of it !

In the easter issue of the ASDA magazine there is a voucher for 50p off so give it a try - yum yum x xx

St Patricks Day Recipe

St Patricks day on Wednesday and many an excuse to have a few (responsible !?) drinks and to have traditional Irish Stew (or Scouse as we call it in Liverpool) which I know its not for a few days but this yummy dish ALWAYS tastes better the day after - dont ask me why- but it does

My Recipe:

500g Lamb or Beef diced

2lb potatoes peeled and cut up some small some larger

4 large Carrots peeled and chopped

1 Large onion peeled and chopped

4 meat Stock cubes I use Oxo

2 pints water

Brown the meat off in a LARGE saucepan then literally throw all of the other ingredients in the pan, crumble the oxos onto the top and add water. Turn the gas down and leave to simmer for 2 hrs onwards. you really can leave it for as long as you need, stir occasionally to make sure it doesnt stick to the bottom, add more water if needed and thats it

Its hard to put the ingredients down on paper this is really one of those recipes that you are born knowing how to make it and the quantities just 'feel right' or you know by looking at it and is one that will be unique each time you use it and you will tweek to your own families taste, it willbe a winner every time - and dont forget to double the quantites to freeze

Serve with a chunk of crusty bread

oh ...............

and dont forget a pint of the black stuff !!!!

Personal Grocery Challenge

I have noticed on a few other blogs, and other websites that there are a fair bit of personal challenges going on - decluttering, debt repaying etc, one that I like the look of (and indirectly helping in our debt repaying) is the Grocery challenge - Now as a family of 5 plus a dog we normally spend about £50 per week and this includes normal food, packed lunches, cleaning, toiletries, and pet food which I dont think is too bad? but there is always room for improvement - and so for the rest of March I am going to try and reduce this gradually by £5-£10 and then to reduce this by £10 permanently from April onwards so that our grocery shopping will be £40 per week, I have been inspired by the book title Family feasts $75 per month (I assume this is per person as it is a family of 10(I think) )which by my calculations is roughly £48 and I know I cant spend out £48 per month for a family of 5 (as much as I would love to !!) so that is the challenge and to obviously not scrimp on the quality or quantity of the food, I'll let you know how we get on.........

Where is everybody?

I follow a few blogs and if they don't post for a while I often wonder why - not in a nosey way but just out of interest is it because they have nothing to blog about?, are they ill ? or are they busy and havent had time?

Well in my defence .... again !! ....I have been busy (ish) over the past few weeks I have been preparing the garden and pots for planting the spring vegetables which always takes twice as long with little helpers !

So we have to date:

Seedlings: Early tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Sweet Peas (although technically I dont think they class as a vegetable !)

Planted: Potatoes, Carrots, Mangetout all waiting to come out of their snuggly seeds to burst out of the ground and hop onto our plates

Greenhouse is going up in a few days so will be able to repot the seedlings and sit back and wait patiently

So far if I do say so myself Im doing really well remembering to plant the seeds, in the right order, in the right month, and in the right spot.. making a really concious decision this year to maximise on the growing season, to save money and to store the produce well to last us a fair while, which is one side of the veg I need to do some more research on, we can eat it fresh but I need to find info on the canning, freezing etc ... hmm leave that one with me and Ill get back to you.

Mummy's Little Helper - hmmmmmm

ICE

Our eldest is now 9 (nearly 10 as she keeps reminding us !) and is wanting to start venturing out on her own to the local shops we are luck where we are because the shop is about 5 minutes away with one road complete with green man crossing, but that doesnt stop me for panicking every time she goes out of the door, but my head says that I need to start giving her a bit of freedom.

So before she goes out we always make sure she gives us the rules to make sure she knows what to do, we also make sure that she has her mobile phone CHARGED !! and kept seperately from her bag, but most importantly we have entered ICE into her contact list along with my mobile number - I must admit that I only found out about this service a year or so ago ICE stands for In Case of Emergency and is the first port of call any emergency service will use for an emergency contact.

Now all I need to do is to appreciate that she is growing up into a wonderful independant young lady, but my heart always wins and shouts out "but shes my baby" :(

yummy mummy Monday

I SPOKE TOO SOON!!!!

After doing really well yesterday on my walk we are now a man down !!!

Suspected broken little toe/ pulled tendons :(

Got up this morning getting kids ready for school, bowl of rice crispies for baby, walking through, tripped over chair leg, rice crispies up in the air, put other foot down, SLIPPED on Spilt milk and went flat on my back hence the toe, I wondered where I was going !!!

So after picking myself up, trying to keep my dignity with the kids laughing at me - I am now 2 toes down luckily it was my little one so I'm not completely out of action !

Ho Hum this exercise lark is a doddle its daily life that gets me every time !!

Thought of the day

I know its Sunday and I dont normally post on a Sunday but had a bizarre thought today.

I was doing my long walk as part of my training for the moonlit marathon walk and did my route worn out, legs tired - getting funny looks off people then realising Im singing along out loud to my mp4 (not good at the best of times lol) then getting home, having a bath, changed and then.................... having to go back out AGAIN in the car along the SAME route to find out how far I had gone so I could update my record - how bizarre and I was wondering how many other people go through all this ....hmmmmm that thought has kept me entertained all day ! walk went well by the way !!

30 day challenge

This should have been posted yesterday - I appologise !!

As part of my yummy mummy with no tummy ongoing saga, my gym, curves have issued a 30 day challenge to all members wishing to take part, we pay £5 to enter and are weighed and measured on 1st Feb then work out like machines for 30 days !! then get weighed and measured and the one who has lost the most inches (not weight) wins all the money and a t-shirt, so double incentive, one to lose the weight as we have 2 family parties in March and as you all know I have entered the Moonlit marathon walk so if I do win then all the money will go towards my sponsorship funds, so you will have to excuse me, I can write about exercise till the cows come home, but that doesnt get the challenge won !!!!! hup hup hup 30 reps 4 sets etc ..............

Sisters together

A young wife sat on a sofa on a hot humid day,drinking iced tea and visiting with her Mother.

As they talked about life, about marriage, about the responsibilities of life and the obligations of adulthood, the mother clinked the ice cubes in herglass thoughtfully and turned a clear, sober glance upon her daughter.

" Don't forget your Sisters,' she advised, swirlingthe tea leaves to the bottom of her glass. 'They'll be more important as you get older. No matter how much you love your husband, no matter how much you love the children you may have, you are still going to need Sisters.

Remember to go places with them now and then; do things with them.''Remember that 'Sisters' means ALL the women...your girlfriends, your daughters, and all your other women relatives too. 'You'll need other women. Women always do..

'What a funny piece of advice!' the young woman thought.

Haven't I just gotten married?

Haven't I just joined the couple-world? I'm now a married woman, for goodness sake! A grownup! Surely my husband and the family we may start will be all I need to make my life worthwhile!'

But she listened to her Mother. She kept contact with her Sisters and made more women friends each year. As the years tumbled by, one after another, she gradually came to understand that her Mom really knew what she was talking about.

As time and nature work their changes and their mysteries upon a woman, Sisters are the mainstays of her life.

THIS SAYS IT ALL:

Time passes.Life happens.Distance separates.Children grow up.Jobs come and go.Love waxes and wanes.

Men don't do what they're supposed to do.Hearts break.Parents die.Colleagues forget favors.Careers end.
BUT.........
Sisters are there, no matter how much time and how many miles are between you. A girl friend is never farther away than needing her can reach..When you have to walk that lonesome valley and youhave to walk it by yourself, the women in your lifewill be on the valley's rim, cheering you on,praying for you, pulling for you, intervening onyour behalf, and waiting with open arms at thevalley's end.Sometimes, they will even break the rules and walkbeside you...Or come in and carry you out.

Girlfriends, daughters, granddaughters, daughters-in-law, sisters, sisters-in-law, Mothers, Grandmothers, aunties, nieces, cousins, and extended family, all bless our life!

The world wouldn't be the same without women, and neither would I. When we began this adventure called womanhood, we had no idea of the incredible joys or sorrows that lay ahead.

Nor did we know how much we would need each other.

Every day, we need each other still.

:There are more than twenty angels in this world.Ten are peacefully sleeping on clouds. Nine areplaying. And one is reading this at this moment.

yummy mummy Monday

day late I know !

Yummy Mummy Monday update:

Well I did it - - I ventured back to the gym had to face the music after the Christmas indulgences.

I normally have a weigh and measure on the 9th (ish) of each month to measure, weight loss/inch loss and body fat loss and my last one was November missed December and before you know it weve moved onto January.

So bring it on getthe bad news over and done with and then move onwards and upwards and as it turns out............ I LOST 8LBS !!!!!! and 1/2 inch from somewhere and 0.5% body fat to be honest I dont remember much of what else they told me I was stunned that I had lost the weight - I dont honestly feel that I have lost the weight or feel that I deserve to lose the weight, I dont feel that I have put any weight on just all untoned through not going to the gym

I am so pleased to say the least though and am working hard to keep up the momentum and carry on in the right direction

Bubbling Boilers !!!!

I was asked via the British Mummy Blogger website to review the new Thomas the Tank engine series starting on Milkshake Channel 5 Monday 25th January 8.25am.


I had it all planned, I would get the kids off to school then when the post was delivered sit our resident Thomas Nut in front of the DVD to see his reaction and to watch it myself

- well all good plans and all that !!

I forgot it was being delivered next delivery so when the postie came at 8am that was it all notion of trying to get the school run done on time flew out the window.

DVD went on Owen plonked in front of the TV, sitting on the potty actually and we watched although we did actually watch it again properly after school run, with piccies thought it would be better taste than on the potty !

The series looks FANTASTIC !! we had a sneeky peek at the first 3 episodes.

From a Childs point of view, Owen LOVED it - all the same well loved engines with new characters being introduced. It was still the same classic Thomas storylines, where despite the 'confusion and delay' and japers that the engines come across everything always works, with a gentle moral ending, Thomas is still cheeky, Cranky is still .... Cranky, all this but with new and improved computer generated graphics, I must admit when I read that it was computer generated my heart sank a little I thought 'oh here we go theyve spoit another classic series - making it all new and modern' but no I was pleasantly proved wrong it does have a look of 'computer' obviously, and the main difference is that the mouths move rather than just expressions but I love the fact that although it has been updated it still has a feel of the old -

its hard to explain, but to me I loved the fact that you could watch the old Thomas which was an actual train set and then when you bought the toys you could continue the adventure, which I am pleased to say that is still the case.

I think Thomas was, is, and will always be one of those classic tv series, and like anything that has stood the test of time has evolved along with society, by updating it, it keeps the next generation interested but it really does have a feel of the original series and will appeal to kids of all ages, Owen is 3, Holly is 6 and Aimee is 9 and all of them watched it before school and totally enjoyed it, we will be an avid watcher when the full series starts on Monday

After that though it was a mad rush so they weren't late for school, try explaining that one to the teachers !!

REMEMBER: MILKSHAKE FIVER MONDAY 25th JANUARY 8.35am

What to do ?? Im so confused !

I appologise in advance if any of the confusion that is whizzing round in my head is on here !

Let me explain......

My daughter is 10 (nearly !) and going into year 6 in September, in our school we have the option to choose to as well as the standard SATS papers, whether or not to enter them in for the 11+ - which is basically an entrance exam into the grammar schools - I know thats not exactly what it is but considering you cant get into them without it, so as far as i am concerned it is essentially an entrance exam -

Now there is a HUGE difference in the results tables between grammar schools and state schools and obviously I want the best opportunities I can for the kids.

So herein lies my problem/confusion - the SATS are taught in one way, and we have been told by many, many people that the kids DO NOT STAND A CHANCE of passing the 11+ as it is taught in a completely different way ( I call it 'old school') and they need to do extra tuition starting in year 5 to even consider entering her into the exam.

So what do I do? I dont want to confuse her if she is being taught in one way in school, and another at home, as well as different practice papers, - We did start her with a tutor after school to get her geared up for the 11+ who said that she may struggle because she is so far behind in her maths and english (for which she is in the TOP set for both in school) but in daughters defense the tutor said it was nothing to do with Daughter and it is the problem of all the local schools they are not up to the same standard as local private schools.

I also dont want her to have any additional pressure by which I mean when I was in school the 11+ was the norm - you either passed or failed - I dont want her to feel like she failed, At the moment we are putting the spin on it that if you pass it just means that you have more schools to choose from, none of them are any better or worse just more choice.

I could take the easy way out and not put her in for the exam as many parents that I am speaking to aren't even considering it, for which option either dont want to , dont undersand I dont know but I dont want to do the cop-out route and not even give her the opportunity.

Then of course I then have to additional problem of - If I do do the extra work with her, she does pass and does choose to go to a grammar school is she going to stuggle with the work when she gets there??? I am so confused -

After all that I need to have a cup of tea and have a rethink !

I'll let you know what we decide when We decide !

x x

Walkabout Wednesday

Wednesday already ! where do the days go ??

so Walkabout Wednesday here we go, 3 blogs that I have found for you today.

1. www.funkymammy.blogspot.com a new one that I have recently started following, and I love the mummy/family blogs out there, me, as a stay at home mum, because I love the togetherness between the mums and the 'we're all in this together' attitude and if you are having a bad day you can always find another mummy blog to give you support or has been in a similar situation. love this one

2. www.budgetsarethenewblack.com this one I have literally just found this morning and it is great to find someone who is going through the struggle of getting out of debt, not someone who has been there done that and this is how it should be done but someone who is going through it as we speak, and does falter as we all do and learns as she is going through it.

3. www.letsfightthis.blogspot.com I have to be biased on this one - this is my other blog, charting my weight loss and training with my friends as we have signed up to walk the Moonlit Marathon in Manchester in April so come over and take a look, I do touch on my diet on here but dont go into too much detail.

so, follow, follow, follow x x x x x