Heading in a new direction

June 25th, 2010

I have not written a word on this blog in over two months. I have not missed it at all. Reason being, I have been busy. Busy with kids, busy with visiting family, busy with the house, busy with trying to get me back.

I am running a half marathon next weekend and training with a group to run a marathon at the end of the year.

I love writing and had hoped that writing a blog would be good for me but I changed my way of writing along the way. I wanted to fit in I guess but it wasn’t me.

I love that a lot of you out there are happy with the way your blog is heading. Whenever I looked back at my posts I wasn’t entirely satisfied that I wrote exactly wanted I had wanted to say. I held back so it seemed watered down to me.

Part of the reason why I wasn’t happy with my blog was in part to do with the readership. It’s so hard getting noticed. I felt like I was writing and it wasn’t reaching anyone. What was the point then?

I got an email today which was about the number of mom blogs who were writing a year ago but aren’t writing anymore. The blogs just ended. I am one of those. It’s sad. I wrote for a year exactly.

The last few months I have been thinking of turning this blog into something else. I’m not sure yet though. It might be more about me venting, writing more openly, saying what’s really going on with me. It will definitely be taking a different direction.

I think I am at a crossroads and I just need to decided which road to take.

Thanks to the few people who did drop by from time to time.

Don’t be surprised if you come back in the future and it looks and sounds a little different.

Peace

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Done and dusting

April 12th, 2010

My mum is visiting from the UK next week. I am so excited. I have been cleaning like mad.

Over the weekend I washed the windows which were due for a spring clean anyway. We have a lot of windows in this house. Leo my 3.5 year old was really into helping until a dead bug took him by surprise and he announced ‘I’m done.’ With his departure this would speed up my finishing time of getting the windows washed so I was secretly pleased.

Leo decided to help daddy instead who was washing his car.

In the time it took me to wash the windows inside and out and then shine them up nicely, Adam managed to wash one car and those teeny tiny windows of the car. It took me just over two hours and was taking Adam longer than that. Big, big sigh.

Yesterday, I went into the guest room and began bringing that room back to life. It was last occupied by my mum in November. I also cleaned the guest bathroom and did some vacuuming down the stairs and along the hallway.

I  then got dinner prepared and the kids bathed.  It was a busy day.

I was tired the whole time I was doing this. I actually got up to run on Sunday but had slept badly. I made it out of the house and was saying to myself that  didn’t feel like running. I walked and then started running but I wasn’t into it at all. I decided to do a Leo and give up on this one telling myself I was done. I ran home after running less than two miles.

I think I kept going on Sunday because I knew Monday was coming. Monday is the day both kids are at school all day. I could have left the cleaning for Monday but knew I mostly wanted to relax on the day.

I am so glad I did.  Off to relax now.

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Rainy days

April 6th, 2010

I’m a Londoner, born and raised in the UK.  I live in Portland Oregon and right now it’s raining. It’s been raining for the last 7 days though it feels like an eternity right now.  I think it rains more in Portland than it does in London.

Yesterday, it rained. Surprise, surprise. It was windy and stormy but it could not have been more perfect for me because on Monday’s from now on I have the entire day to myself, until 5 pm anyway when I have to pick up the kids from daycare.

The day started perfectly with me working out. I then did some cleaning and sorting out of kids clothes for Goodwill or for keeping and packing away. They are growing so fast. I can’t believe they are no longer babies. I have a 3.5 year old and a fast approaching nearly 2 year old. Anyway, I then had lunch and thought I would watch an episode of Madmen that I am watching courtesy of Netflix. I am loving watching it commercial free on DVD.

I did some reading after that and thought I would get the dinner prepared. So far so good. All was running smoothly until 3:45 when I was stirring the onions and added mushrooms and boiling the sweet potatoes. The electricity went off. It wasn’t just our house but the whole street and surrounding area.

The wailing winds, swaying tree branches and falling pine cones hitting the roof must have cut the power out.  It was so stormy.

An hour later still no power. No Oprah Winfrey show either as it goes out here at 4 PM. I was really looking forward to it. Damn.

I called Adam but only got his voice mail. I had to go and get the kids from daycare and went to press the garage door open and realized the door wouldn’t open because that too is powered by electricity. Great. I tried to get Adam yet again. No luck. I must have called 6 or 7 times in all. It was getting late and the hope of getting Adam to pick up the kids was fading fast. I would have to get the stroller and brace the wind and rain by walking. This is no problem for me but it was cold. I got hats and gloves for the kids and got out of the house.

Do you know that Adam eventually called me the minute I reached the doors of the kid’s daycare. Thank goodness we live relatively near the school. On my own, I can walk it briskly in 10 minutes.

The rain, thankfully only picked up when we were minutes from reaching home but the kid’s looked so cold. Their poor noses and cheeks were red. My hands were freezing.

Normally I have the kids home by 5.15 today we got home around 6.15. Adam got home about 6.25.

I hadn’t run but just worked out on our Boflex gym, this morning, but after lifting the stroller and carrying it to the daycare and then pushing the stroller up and down hills to get home, I must have burned twice as many calories than the workout I did that earlier.

It’s supposed to be dry tomorrow followed  by more rain of course. It’s Portland for goodness sake!

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Go get it, you can do it

April 2nd, 2010

After cleaning the crayons whirls and squirls from the TV screen and rescuing a fallen toddler from her crib – she was laid splayed out on her back waiting for me to pick her up, poor thing, tears and screams a plenty, the morning turned into the afternoon and then the evening.

The weather went from very wet to dry and then wet again with the wind thrown in there. I had planned to run this morning but the rain and rain was relentless so I turned off my alarm clock and went back to sleep.

Saturday morning I will run even if it is pouring with more rain and the wind is accompany it.

I just signed up for  a half marathon in July and need to start training now. No more excuses.  I am actually excited to run again. To push myself and put myself out of my comfort zone. You all should try it. It’s good for you. You’d be surprised what you can actually accomplish when confronted full on with your fears or what you have told yourself that you cannot possibly do.  I am not just speaking about running here. Any thing that you feel you want and cannot have because it feels too monumental once taken and looked at and broken down into stages is accomplishable. You just have to believe in yourself and your ability. It’s what I did and hey presto with training and actually breaking through the fear I did it. I ran my first marathon in 2005 and then again in 2009 and intend to do it again this year. I ran my first half marathon last year and will run it again this Summer. I am excited. I am not nervous. Not anymore anyway because I have done it already. Who knew I would have the confidence to ever write those words down.

Happy you to going for  that  thing  that you have feared in the past.

Go get it.

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Just for laughs

March 28th, 2010

What an awful few days I have had with regard to this site.

All I had intended on doing was adding a new wordpress plugin and the entire site disappeared.  I have had no blog/site since last Thursday but thanks to my very patient husband Adam, he fixed it.

I have no energy to write anything. It has been a frustrating and horrible experience so instead I will leave you, for now, with this.

Have a good one.

It’s good to be back considering I thought I had lost the last 1 year of posts.

This is my 100th post, by the way.

Funny that.

Happy blogging.

Just for laughs, read this:

After it was marked and the girl brought it home  she returned to school the next day with the following note.

Dear Ms. Davis,

I want to make this very clear on my child’s illustration.  It is not of me on the dance pole on a stage as a stripper.

I work at B&Q ( UK version of Lowes or Home Depot ) and had commented to my daughter how much money we made in the aftermath of the recent snow/sleet.

This picture is of me selling a shovel.

Mrs Harrington.

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just testing after updating

March 28th, 2010

after lots of SQL themed fun, just seeing if my blog lives…….

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Car washing fun

March 22nd, 2010

Whilst driving last week, Leo happened to see someone washing their car. This practice looked strange to Leo. Why? Because as far as Leo is concerned all cars are washed in a car wash. Mmm. This bothered me. Before moving to the USA, before having kids, when it was just me and my car I always washed my car by hand. Adam, my husband has a car and I have a car. When my car is dirty Adam takes it to the car wash. In the four years we have been married I have never seen Adam wash his car by hand  though he claimed he always used to do so. Mmm. I felt a teaching moment brewing up in me.

Day: Saturday.  Time: 1 pm

Adam said he had some car wash in the garage and this would prove that he used to wash his car himself. So once Roma was napping, I informed Leo that he would be helping me to wash the car. Leo was so excited. Adam, Leo and myself went down to the garage. I reversed the car and positioned it near the pipe where the hose would be attached, for the great car wash. Leo was at the ready with sponge in hand. We just needed Adam to produce the car wash shampoo. We waited. We waited some more. Nothing happened. This did not come as a huge surprise to me. Adam could not find this wash.

I jumped in my already reversed car and went up to the local gas station to buy some. They had everything else but car wash. I then drove to the nearest store but they didn’t have any either. I ended going all the way to my grocery store, Fred Meyer, and finding countless brands of car wash there. ¬†I made my selection and hurried home.

Adam was waiting. I had thought for a moment that maybe he might be stood waiting with a I told you I had some car wash smile on his face with and the bottle of car wash in his hand but he wasn’t. I think he actually felt bad that I had been gone so long.

Leo, tired of waiting, had gone off to play with a neighbor. ¬†A few minute later Leo happily joined Adam and I ( yep, Adam couldn’t resist getting involved or was it guilt ? ) to hose down the dirty car with a good rinse of water, sponge the soapy ¬†wash all over the car, give it another hose down and then a wax. ¬†The car looked wonderful. Leo truly had a ball. He really enjoyed cleaning the car. ¬†Imagine that. ¬† Adam would never ¬†have thought of showing Leo that cars can be washed by hand. It took the genius of mummy to do this. Ha. I feel pretty good about that.

A great teaching moment which got the kid outdoors for an activity which provided exercise and fun at the same time .

Leo is already looking forward to washing the car again.

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Corn on the cob conquered

March 17th, 2010

About a week ago, Leo came home with from daycare with a hoarse sounding cough. He stopped coughing after a couple of days.

A few days ago, Roma started coughing in that same hoarse like voice.

The last two nights have been horrible for her and not that great for Adam and I. She didn’t want to stay in her crib so we put her between the two of us until she eventually fell asleep. ¬†The hour this occurred : 3:30 am. The previous night was a similar scene and time.

Roma won’t eat a thing. She pushes the plate or spoon out of the way or tells you a very definite ‘No’ ¬†to the food offered. She has lost her appetite, only drinking her milk and water. It’s so strange because normally she eats everything. Roma is not a fussy eater.

The other day, running out of food to offer and getting more frustrated and worried as to what to feed her I thought I would try her favorite food of all foods to eat.

Roma loves corn on the cob. It has to be on the cob though the kernels alone won’t do.

In the morning, she drank her milk at breakfast time but left the Cheerios, she didn’t eat the fish sticks or peas at daycare ¬†during lunch so now here was dinner time. Let’s see what would happen.

Roma refused the lasagna, the red cabbage but hooray devoured the corn on the cob. She pointed to the second piece that I had left for her on the side of my plate. She ate that too. Leo took two bites from his and didn’t want anymore so Roma happily obliged to finish his piece. She wasn’t done yet. Adam cut a piece from his cob and she ate all the corn on that too. ¬†I quickly ate my corn before she wanted to attack that as well. Adam began chomping on his piece at a greater rate too not wanting to succumbed to her need to feed on all the corn on the cob in sight.

When she was done feasting she said she wanted out of her high chair. She was over the corn fest. Her deed was done.

Adam and I looked at the pile of cobs and laughed.

Roma is 20 months old , off all food right now due to constantly coughing and a runny nose  but loves her corn on the cob however she is feeling.

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Our kids very own indoor trampoline

March 15th, 2010

These two yellow jumping beans or whatever they are represent my two kids. Why? Read on if you haven’t guessed by the title of this post.

Leo loves to jump up and down the sofa. He loves to somersault. He loves to cartwheel. He loves to dive. He loves to leap from the chair or table, if he knows no adults are watching, onto the sofa.

If  I had to give Leo a favorite pastime, while he was indoors, I would say that jumping up and down the sofa was definitely it.

It’s Leo’s very own indoor trampoline.

Roma has recently discovered this hobby of Leo’s. Roma has recently started copying everything that Leo does. Needless to say, Roma has taken to jumping up and down the sofa too.

Leo should know better but he isn’t listening to me, no, jumping up and down the sofa is necessary and fun and must been done regardless of what mummy says. Mummy can shout, scream, give hard stares whilst he is in the middle of a tumble and landing beautifully, I must add, that he smiles sweetly or wickedly knowing full well that he shouldn’t be doing this and encouraging his little sister to follow suit.

I do not know why I am wasting my energy telling Leo and Roma to sit on the sofa. Oh, yeah, I do know because one day either the long and skinnier of the two ( Leo )who used be built like the smaller one (Roma ) who is now losing her soft and squishy  baby body, might fall off the sofa and break a bone or worse knock a tooth out! This is my biggest concern and it freaks me out.

I do try not to worry. Kids will jump on beds and sofas. It’s too irresistible not too. I remember jumping up and down and sofa at my mum’s and granny’s house and jumping back down quickly to a seated position when we could hear a grown up coming or a door opening. ¬†I remember my mum shouting at my brother and I constantly about ruining her sofa. Did that stop us though? ¬†Of course not.

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Sausages

March 13th, 2010

At Costco this morning, we bought some more Aidells chicken and apple sausages. We get them a lot. They are delicious ¬†and ¬†I thought I might try the Gruyere cheese and roasted garlic sausages too by Aidells. ¬†I had a sample taste even though I had already picked up the double package. ¬†They are very tasty. I looked at the sausages being offered and noticed that the look of the sausage wasn’t as cooked or burnt looking as the way I cooked them. Perhaps I was cooking them for ¬†too long.

When we got home and as we normally do after a Costco shopping trip, Adam  took the sausages out of their wrapping and packed 4 sausages each into a zip lock bag for the freezer. This is great but I have realized that I never see the original packaging and how Aidells suggests that the sausages should be cooked.

Oh dear.  Those poor sausages. I have been beating them up in the oven for way too long. I have been cooking them for nearly 45 minutes until the skin is almost burnt. I have been treating the already cooked sausages as if they were regular sausages fried on the stove in a frying pan.  It turns out that these sausages only need 8 Р10 minutes max on the stove or baked in the oven. I feel terrible about my past treatment of the Aidells sausage and did them justice this time by cooking them for 10 minutes only.

When I served dinner they looked almost anaemic though compared to how we are used to eating them but at least they were easier to cut into. It was always such an effort!

Anyhow, here is the retrieved wrapping that I managed to dig up from the trash can.

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