A blog for no reason at all

There is really nothing of note to say here, but we did finish the bathroom, which looks sooooo much better now. I will stick some pictures in my gallery for anyone who cares to admire our (that is to say mainly Richard’s) handiwork!!

I don’t know exactly when they will stop me accessing this as I have technically resigned from the University and wonder whether I’d be able to get this changed to an alumni blog rather than a staff one. Probably not. Anyway, I’ve decided not to come back to work at Warwick for the time being for a couple of reasons. Admittedly it just wouldn’t be worth my while financially to come back as nursery fees and petrol would account for most of my wages, but I have to say I am enjoying the stay at home mummy thing more than I thought I would and I’d rather be there for Jacob’s first words etc… It also means I get to do all kinds of fun things like baby massage and Sing and Sign classes. So I don’t spend all day on the computer, honest! In addition we are teaching Jacob how to ride a motorbike….

OK not yet, but he was fascinated by it, though he probably wanted to chew on the bike as he tries to chew most things at the moment – phones/ remote controls/ noses…. whatever is closest!

: 22 Sep 2006 09:22 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

No turning back…

So we finally started ripping the bathroom out. Yes, yes we should have done it before the appearance of the little monster, but you know how it is… Anyway we've pulled out the under sink cupboard (which was cemented to the floor). This in itself revealed what a hash had been made of the floor tiles, which now have to be redone. We also took the side panel off the bath to check the pipes so we know which connectors etc to buy, and lo and behold our bath is supported by a pile of rubble. I kid you not. A few bricks and assorted pieces of wood. This isn't the first discovery of this kind in our house, thanks to the bodge artist who lived here before then scarpered off to Belgium. Who goes by the name of Ronald McDonald by the way – the house deeds and junk mail we get will attest to this. But I digress…

So on Monday I will be ripping up the floor and on Tuesday I'll be laying a new one. Tuesday they are allegedly delivering the suite which my dad will then come and help Rich install whilst I go away for a couple of days with Jacob. Fantastic…

: 19 Aug 2006 22:05 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Boasting, my comeuppance and turning over a new leaf

Perhaps I should have made this a private post, but just really an update on the little man, who started laughing on 30th June (I remember, because I was out at the time and missed it – grrrr) and rolled over for the first time on 7th July. He has a very dirty laugh, especially for someone only four months old.

I think someone's trying to tell me to stop being a couch potato, as my DVD player has suddenly stopped accepting my favourite DVDs (but will take ones I don't want to watch and will also play CD) so today we are making do with dancing round the living room to a Disney CD. You know what? The kid inside me loves it. All of a sudden I have an excuse to act like a child again… such fun :–)

My Body Shop parties are few and far between, which is a pity as we're having a sale in July (50% off make up!) and if I had parties booked I'd be raking it in. Instead I am just spending money I won't have when my maternity pay stops completely at the end of this month. Boohoo.

Determined to be less of a lazy slob, I have signed up for Sing & Sign classes with Jacob and am trying to find out about baby massage classes too. Between those and the breastfeeding cafe, I should stay out of mischief. It's a completely different world to what I'm used to, but I need to take the plunge sooner or later.

: 10 Jul 2006 15:29 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

The party queen

On reading my last entry, I think I was a bit OTT. Apologies to anyone who had the misfortune of reading that entry. Well I got a whole load of stuff through in the post today to support me in my latest endeavour, which is…..

Hosting Body Shop parties. OK, so it may not exactly sound thrilling, but should be an interesting way of making a bit of extra pocket money and meeting new people. I'll get training in a couple of weeks' time and will then be all set to demonstrate products on willing volunteers. I'm quite excited because I do really like Body Shop products – they smell fab and really work. Then of course there's the fairtrade/ no animal testing/ protecting the planet side of it, which the Body Shop is well known for.

So if anyone wants a Body Shop party you know who to contact – we can do one of 3 themes – Flawless Facial, Pure Pamper or Make Me Fabulous. If you host a party you get all kinds of freebies, and the more your friends spend, the more free Body Shop stuff you get :–)

Good excuse for a girly night if you ask me.

Sorry if this sounds too much like a sales pitch, but if you would like a party just leave a message on my blog or email me! No obligation to buy things, but like I said, if you host a party, you get free stuff – woohoo!

: 30 May 2006 22:05 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Pining for something… though I'm not sure what

I feel strangely melancholy at the moment. Like I may be getting late–onset baby blues perhaps (which would serve me right for being happy about how well I thought I was coping 11 weeks into motherhood lark). Or maybe it has more to do with the fact that it's the 5th night this week that I've been home alone with the boy whilst the older boy (who likes to think of himself as a man, but lets face it, having a husband is akin to having a child to look after) is out.

Last night I rang just about everyone who I could think of an excuse to ring, desperate for some adult conversation. Needless to say, most of the people I know have more of a social life than I do these days. My mother is a classic example – she calls in between this and that and is rarely on the phone more than 10 minutes before making her excuses and scurrying off to do more interesting things. Even one of my best friends makes (increasingly pathetic) excuses not to see me – this evening it was "I really need to tidy my room." (What are you? 12?) Other excuses from her include "I have to change my bed" (And that takes all evening?) and "I have to get up at 7 tomorrow morning" (Oh, that's at least 2 more hours' sleep than I'll be getting then). Since the new arrival, most of my friends have kept their distance.

OK, so I just need to get over it and make more friends, but it's proving harder than I'd imagined. Mother & baby groups in my experience are horribly cliquey and most of my friends who are in similar situations live back in Surrey. A recent glance at rightmove.co.uk confirmed my suspicions that moving back down South isn't remotely feasible – selling our 3 bedroom house here would get us a studio flat in my home town… Sigh

Still, at least there are several things to be thankful for:
1. I'm getting more sleep than I was 6 weeks ago
2. I can fit back into just about all of my pre–pregnancy clothes now
3. It's a bank holiday weekend (though for me that means another day of exactly the same, but with the 'other child' at home, playing on the computer and thereby eliminating one of my means of passing the time)
4. My mum's coming to visit on Tuesday (I must be getting old if I'm looking forward to it… lol!)
5. My sister is still alive (I get a weird sense of relief when I ring and she answers the phone after a few months of being awol)
6. I don't have black death

Hmmm. Did I get out the wrong side of bed this morning? Hopefully my next entry will be cheerier.

: 27 May 2006 22:22 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

I never normally do these – what has become of me?

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1. Kate
2. Katie
3. Shortarse

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1. Kate
2. Littlekate
3. Littlelegs (though my legs are actually a pretty normal length considering I'm under 5ft)

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My hair
2. My post–pregnancy cleavage (3 cup sizes up from what it was – woohoo! – lets hope they don't shrink back… sorry if way too much info)
3. My bum's not too bad I suppose

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1. My stretchmarks & slightly spongy tummy (due to aforementioned pregnancy)
2. My scar (ditto)
3. My thighs

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1. Spiders and other creepy crawlies
2. Sleeping in the house alone at night
3. The thought of losing someone close to me

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1. Food glorious food
2. People to interact with, especially my little man – it already feels weird to go out without him… maybe I need to get out more often
3. Internet? (Sad eh?)

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1. My skinny jeans (yay!)
2. A top which got splattered with stuff whilst making dinner this evening
3. Sparkly socks

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS OR MUSICAL ARTISTS:
Eeeek! Only 3?!
1. Bryan Adams
2. Evanescence
3. The Beatles

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS:
These change almost daily…
1. You by Evanescence
2. Nothing Ever Happens by Del Amitri
3. Mr Jones by Counting Crows (or a rather cool recording of my sister singing it…)

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1. Love
2. Friendship
3. Laughter

TWO TRUTHS ONE LIE:
1. I used to have a perm
2. I used to wear legwarmers
3. I used to be a cheerleader

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1. Dancing
2. Music – singing, playing, listening to it…
3. Talking, chilling out and eating with friends

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1. Sleep
2. Be able to fit into my pre–pregnancy clothes
3. Go out and let my hair down

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING/YOU'VE CONSIDERED:
1. School teacher (until I tried it and came to my senses)
2. Actress/Singer (got sick of being told I didn't look right for the part)
3. Um…. University Administration…? Being a Stay–At–Home Mum is suddenly looking like the best option! ;–)

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1. Egypt
2. Back to Vanuatu
3. Definitely want to explore USA, Canada & South America more too

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1. Have more kids
2. Travel more
3. Make a positive difference to as many people as possible

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A BOY:
1. Like getting grubby
2. I have a filthy mind
3. I get bored with shopping pretty easily

THREE WAYS THAT YOU ARE STEREOTYPICALLY A GIRL:
1. I am a wuss
2. Occasionally, just occasionally, I get paranoid about leaving the house with no make up on
3. I love being treated like a lady

THREE CELEB CRUSHES:
1. None really…
2. …
3. … well maybe Colin Firth then… a little bit.

: 10 May 2006 23:05 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Sleep deprivation…

…is definitely a form of torture. The night before last I found myself almost in tears at 4am begging this frustrated, unhappy, kicking little bundle to go to sleep, having spent 5 solid hours feeding, rocking, singing, cuddling, holding, winding, nappy changing… You name it, we tried it. Eventually he dozed off at 4.30, giving my husband 2 hours sleep before he had to get up for work, though he woke up for a feed around 5.15, went off to sleep again about 5.45, woke up again at 7.30 and decided it was time to get up for the day at 8am. When the postman came with a parcel around 11am and looked at me quizzically in my dressing gown before saying "Are you still not dressed?' I could have taken a swing at him. All manner of answers went through my mind, some of them unrepeatable, but I started politely explaining that I hadn't had a chance before coming to my senses, realising I didn't have to answer to him, rolling my eyes and shutting the door.

That's probably the worst night yet, though it isn't affecting me as badly as it used to. At least I'm over the baby blues which hit me a couple of weeks after he was born. Somehow, when he laughs or smiles at me, I forget how rough I feel and everything is right with the world again. Mother Nature isn't stupid – this has to be the way, otherwise we'd never reproduce. It still amazes me though.

: 09 May 2006 15:00 |  Comments (4) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

I need a life!

I've decided I really do. Having spent 5 weeks at home doing very little besides feeding, changing, mopping up sick, feeding some more and looking at myself despairingly in the mirror when I realise it's midday and I still haven't got dressed or eaten breakfast (with the exception of last week, when I ran around like a blue-arsed fly all week having just been given the all-clear to drive), I have decided I need to get more done. Can't expect hubby to run round doing everything I normally do and work. So today I must pay cheques into the bank, go and take a fiver to the nice man at the garage who glued my wing mirror back on rather than ripping me off for £150 (for a flipping wing mirror??!!) like most of the garages quoted, go to Tesco, go to Boots and get a steriliser, buy birthday present for my mum, buy easter eggs or suchlike for various people I'll be seeing at the weekend, see if anywhere sells baby earplugs for band practice on Friday…. And it's scary how long these things take with a baby in tow.

Crikey I need to get a lot done actually. In addition to which, I'd love to do something I enjoy doing for a change. OK this being a mummy lark is fun to a point, but I am forgetting how to interact socially…Aaaarrrggghh! Hubby doesn't see this as a problem, but then social interaction isn't high on the list of things he enjoys – he'd rather spend his free time in solitude with his computer or a good book. I, on the other hand, am more high maintenance and generally can't amuse myself for that long – I need people!! Or a lot of money so I can afford a long pampering session – hair, make up, nails, full body massage, the works… yeah right. I hear this little voice telling me that's not going to happen for several years. Which is a tad disconcerting. Then again, where would I go once I'd got all glammed up? Back home to feed baby? Waste of money!!

This time is, however, a great opportunity to catch up on DVD watching and the like. Over the last week I've watched a few chick flicks and season 1 of The Thin Blue Line. Laughter is excellent for helping to kick those baby blues and feel semi-normal. Any suggestiond for comedies worth watching? I probably ought to be doing fitness videos or something during this time, but somehow cannot get the motivation for it. Ah well, another day…

: 12 Apr 2006 10:40 |  Comments (5) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Stepping out of the bubble…

Well, seeing as Jacob's a month old, it's just as well the doctor told me I could drive again – this week I've not stayed in one day!! Making up for the drama of last week –

Tues – flu type symptoms, couldn't sleep that night
Wed – worse – stayed in bed all day, getting up only to feed and change baby when he cried – shivery and feverish with a horrendous headache. TBH I probably cried more than Jacob!
Wed night – Even worse – at 10.30 I started shivering so violently I totally lost control – like I was having a fit – arms and legs flailing about, teeth chattering, couldn't stand up or speak – v scary, so by 11.45 I was in A&E at St Cross Hospital. Nightmare – to cut a long story short, after all kinds of tests and tablets and me telling a doctor there who had rather out of date ideas about things exactly what I thought, I was transferred to Walsgrave in an ambulance and stayed there overnight, rigged up to various IV drips… not that I got any sleep… Eventually sent home with antibiotics. At least in Coventry they knew their stuff – It took the doc in Rugby hours to diagnose and tell me what I already knew!!
Thursday – went to GP and he said I can drive again – woohoo! 3 weeks earlier than anticipated too!

So this week we've been out and about – off to show him off to my colleagues later today!! Hee hee. He'll probably be a grouch though, knowing my luck!

: 06 Apr 2006 09:47 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Mother's day!!

Today takes on a new significance for me now! Rich brought me breakfast in bed along with a present and card on behalf of the wee man! Ahhh bless! I was so happy I nearly cried – yeah I know I'm a sap…

Haven't quite got my head around it all yet. Feeling seriously sleep deprived and tend to be weakest at about 2am but I'm still loving it all. I'm printing out a bunch of photos to make a Baby scrapbook before I start forgetting things (hormones are still wreaking havoc with my brain and I feel like I'm in a little bubble).

Rich goes back to work tomorrow and I have to see how I handle it all on my own – aaarrrrggghhh! He has been a star over the past 3 weeks and I am not looking forward to being left solely in charge, but I'm sure we'll manage…..

Anyway I think a certain little person is hungry now so I'd best go.

: 26 Mar 2006 18:52 |  Comments (1) |  Close comments |  Report a problem