Tiring day

Oscar still isn't his normal self. Rob had yesterday off which was lovely - I went to the gym in the morning and came home to this...

That was what he was like most of the day (Oz not sleeping Rob) You can see he's awake on Rob's chest - very clingy, not active, not happy.

This morning he woke up at 6.30 very unhappy with quite a high temperature. He was miserable most of the morning, slept at lunchtime and was sleeping when I left him at the childminder's house. (I'm teaching today). When I went to get him he was miserable. He was quite miserable and easy to cry all afternoon. Been quite a tricky day really.

I'm not sure what's wrong but my gut instinct is teething. He's got his hands in his mouth all the time. He's eating but will start to eat a meal then stop after a few bites. He did eat a pancake though seeing as it's Shrove Tuesday and all. He's got a very runny nose - in fact his poor little face is chapped from having moisture on it and being wiped so much. He's coughing at night - I think it's a lot of saliva - he's grumpy and clingy and although I can't get near his mouth - he won't let me - he must be due some more teeth soon - he's still only got 4 on top and 4 on the bottom at the front...

I might be teaching Monkey Music tomorrow to cover another teacher's illness. Don't know how he (or Louise my amazing childminder) will take that! I'm shattered so am going to bed. I leave you with a photo of him yesterday (after being dosed up on Calpol so a bit cheerier) - he's obsessed with shoes!

Ok you wanted the meatloaf recipe....

This is courtesy of my stonecutter chums (actually it was Poppy that first made me want to make meatloaf after she made one in the shape of a house) This is a combination of a recipe by Tricia with a few adaptations and additions of my own

Warning - LOT of meat here - but you could halve the quantities - we've only eaten half the loaf by day 2 so I'm going to freeze some

1 ½ lbs lean ground beef (it's 2 for £3 on lean steak mince at Sainsbury's at the moment)
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs (2 slices worth)
1 medium chopped onion
1 chopped red bell pepper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Beef oxo cube
Tomato ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
1 cup shredded mature cheddar cheese

In a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, onion, salt and pepper. Crumble the beef over mixture, mix well. Add a generous squirt or two of ketchup, worcestershire sauce and crumble the oxo cube into the mixture. Press half of the meat mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a greased 2lb loaf pan. Sprinkle about ¾ cup of the cheese over meat to within about a ½” of the sides. Put remaining beef mixture over the cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° (Gas Mark 4) for 50-55 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake 5 more minutes. Let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

It was yummy. The thing all my stonecutter friends have told me is that meatloaf is a dish you can add anything to - some recipes use garlic, tinned tomatoes, oats instead of breadcrumbs, chili peppers, tabasco sauce - you can experiment and try whatever you like. Tricia's recipe is the only one I've found with cheese and I really liked it - other people put ketchup on the top mixed with brown sugar to form a caramelized crispy top. Have a go! See what you think.

Oscar had it for lunch with tomato rice (I had the leftovers and it was tasty) and Rob had a slice in a sandwich. It's a really tasty dish.

Tomorrow night I'm making another American classic - Tuna Noodle Casserole courtesy of Poppy's recipe. I'll post it if you like - if Poppy doesn't mind....

Weekend interrupted

So it's Sunday lunchtime. Oscar is still in his pjs - I'm in scruffy weekend clothes and really should wash my hair. Rob is the same. We're feeding Oscar - fish fingers, soup and instant noodles. Such nutrition.

Contemplating what to do after Oz has had his nap. Phone rings. It's Rob's work - the planetarium presenter for the afternoon has dropped out, they can't get hold of anyone, can he come in urgently and present 3 planetarium shows on Chinese astronomy.

Eek! Shove more food in child's mouth. Rob packs nappy bag while I dress child. (public transport in our area SUX on the weekend which is why I'm driving him in to work). He should be finished by 4.30 so my plan is - Oscar should fall asleep on the way - I can then go and sit in Starbucks for at least an hour, then take him to the park, wander round the museum and then drive Rob home.

We get to Greenwich with 20 minutes before Rob's first show - he dashes into the Museum - Oscar is asleep as planned - however as soon as I get him out of the car (gently so gently) he wakes up and is wide awake. I am determined and walk to Starbucks, then walk round and round trying to get him to go to sleep again. No joy. So we go to the park. Where for the next 2 hours he is inexhaustible. Chasing dogs and pigeons in the park. On the swings. On the slide. Kicking a can he found for ages....and it's really cold - 4 degrees which is cold in my book and no, don't ask me what it is in the other measurement, I don't know. (amended - ok I looked it up - 41 degrees fahrenheit for you foreigners reading)

FINALLY he falls asleep at 3.15 - I'm frozen. So is he. I get back to Starbucks - no seats. Crowded as all hell. I drink my skinny sugarfreevanillasyrup latte on the pavement. Walk back to the museum and wait for Rob.

Rock up to the planetarium as he's finishing and stroll in - all red faced and caffeine flushed- I've had a hat on so my hair looks atrocious. Only to meet - FOR THE FIRST TIME - Rob's boss. A lady called Liz - she's all in black, very stylish if slightly gothy, full makeup (serious bright purple lipstick) and she looks me up and down....eek! I've been wanting to meet her since Rob started work there 19 months ago. But I had the fantasy I'd be looking a bit more glamorous than today (wearing a fleece covered in baby snot, hat hair and red face). We both looked like the Slob Family. And Oz is fast asleep so he couldn't even cover for us and save family face by being adorable.

Ah well. Rob got MAJOR brownie points for saving the shows this afternoon. And he's got tomorrow off so it's not Monday tomorrow, it's Sunday Mark II.

Made meatloaf tonight for the first time ever. And it was rather yummy. There's a lot left over so I'm having meatloaf sandwiches for lunch tomorrow - i've been told it's a traditional american delicacy. Later this week we're having Chicken Parmesan and Tuna Noodle Casserole. I've gone all Americana cos I'm excited about my trip.

Poppy has tormented me with photos of IHOP dinners. Roll on May!

In defence of blogging

I've just had a chat with Wendy Lloyd on LBC (I'm becoming an addict to that radio station) who was very negative about blogging...so I rang in in defence! It was a good chat - her main point was that all bloggers are attention seeking saddos who blog for self-publicity in the hope of a book deal. Now i know of bloggers who are getting book deals from their work because they are amazingly talented writers. I even mentioned you Poppy! (but not your URL). But I think you'd have got a book anyway, blog or not, because you were a writer first and foremost. And had a magazine publish you already. That's not why you blog.

I also know of bloggers who, like me, blog for their own personal enjoyment. Or to keep family and friends who live a long way away up to date with their lives. I talked of how helpful some sites have been - especially about parenting. It's been refreshing and informative to read real life stories of being a parent. She made a sarcastic comment about "that's just what we need, more sites about motherhood" and then, when I challenged her, admitted she didn't have children so I told her she didn't know what she's talking about!

I don't think I changed her mind but I hope I gave a good impression that not all bloggers are fame seeking boring nerds. I wouldn't let her give out my URL on air so I proved I don't want the general public reading this. I love the people who read my blog - I know nearly all of them (or they know someone I know). The WWW is enormous. I can't imagine the general public finding this little corner of blogspot.

I think I'm going to have to join the LBC podcast for a month and download the show so I can check I didn't sound rubbish! My voice is very husky today after teaching 4 Monkey Music classes yesterday with a cold.....

18 months old

Today! Happy year and a half Oz! Can't quite believe it. He's so grown up you know....new words today include boobies, Frank and stinker.

Last night Rob taught him (accidentally) to say S H I T. He was giving him cough medicine and dropped the spoon....and Oscar parroted him perfectly.

Time to watch our language. Oz hasn't said it since (neither has Rob)

We got some new (ish) furniture today - some friends are letting their house and had to let it unfurnished - so we now have stylish 3 seater and 2 seater settees in place of the horrible sofa and armchair left behind by the previous owner of our house. We had to take our bannister down to get the old sofa out (which is why the previous owner had left it) but it's been worth it. Cost £100 for the removal men to pick up the settees and take away our old ones. But it looks so much nicer....I'll have to post some pics when I remember to buy some batteries.

Oz has horrendous nappy rash tonight - it's really nasty - he had diahorrea (sp?) and I didn't notice - it had dripped down his leg and formed a real sore - I feel so guilty (again) and he's not at all happy - we've left his pj bottoms off tonight - wish I could leave his nappy off as it's so sore - but if he did pee in the night as he usually does, it would make it worse. I've slathered him in sudocrem....poor little man. His cough is a bit better though.

Right - off to tidy up the living room - moving the old sofa out I found lots of interesting things - including an out of date cheque I'd never cashed for £57!....hopefully I can get it reissued from the University.

Another favourite photo

Taken on Saturday morning....


Thanks for the travel tips - I kind of like Moxie's idea of the overhead bins....coupled with Kel's baby valium! I think Phenergan is a good idea but you shouldn't give it to under 2's - I'll check with my doctor and might risk it as he's the size of a 2 year old!

If you think of anything else lemmeneaux. He's asleep at the moment - has been for nearly 2 hours - unbelievable - he hasn't napped this long in the day for weeks - he's a bit poorly actually - coughing so badly he threw up in the night last night. First I knew about it was when I went in at 7.15 this morning and smelt it - he hadn't been sick much as he hardly ate yesterday -poor little munchkin - he's had a banana today and that's it.

I feel bad about leaving him tomorrow but I have to teach....I'm sure he'll be fine. Ah...guilt....that feeling familiar to all mothers....

A little extra

stolen from Kara

Sally -- [adjective]: Full of bees 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

Interesting. And possibly accurate. I'm buzzing.....!

And yet again.....my sister rocks

She misses Oscar. A lot. And so with a little help from my folks (who are paying half) I got a ticket to Detroit in my email! Oscar and I fly out on the 27th May for a week.

WAHOOOO!!!

I get to see my sis. She gets to drool over her nephew. I get to hang out with a gang of stonecutters including Poppy (yay!) who are coming in to see us. I get to go to the movies in Birmingham and eat the best popcorn in the world. I get to go to Red Lobster and IHOP and shop for shoes and have a blast.

I'm lucky lucky lucky. Though I'm actually dreading the flight even more than I dreaded it back in November when we flew out. At least then he slept during the day. And wasn't as fast on his feet. And was amused for longer by smaller toys.

God knows how I'm going to entertain a 21 month old in a very confined and cramped space for 8 and a half hours. He hasn't got his own seat so will be on my lap, on the floor or (yeah right) strapped into his travel seat on a table in front of me. Any ideas? EEEEK!

My new favourite pics

Of Oscar and I....taken by Liz last weekend.... And of Oz - taken today riding in a yellow schoolbus thingy in a British Home Stores restaurant (he's got hs face pressed against the windscreen) ... I can't think of a witty enough caption. So you have a go - entries in comments please....be funny....

It's a scream....NOT!

Oscar has discovered his scream. When he was about 9 months he went through a screaming stage (spurred on by his little mate Frank who taught him how). It didn't last too long thank goodness. Now in the last couple of days he's started serious shreaking - this time taught by his little mate Elijah who is 2 months old and VERY loud. Elijah's mum, Louise, looks after Oscar when I do Monkey Music and he and Elijah have a great time....but Louise must be deaf afterwards.....

Any ideas on how to handle it? I try and ignore it but I flinch when he does it. And at the creche at the gym this week he taught all the other toddlers to do it - they might end up banning him!

This evening, about an hour after he'd gone down to bed we heard shouting - he was screaming IN HIS SLEEP......

Help!!!

To change the subject - I've been meaning to post this for AGES...thanks to the lovely Pearl for getting me a pic - it's the poster for Everything To Dance For and the reason I love it....can you guess? First time my name appears on the poster....though you can see my name on the Witches Hammer poster but I haven't got a pic of it - only seen it at the Director's house. There's a screening of it in Southampton in March so I'll see if I can get some pics or a poster to add to my collection.

I went to a friend of Julie's today for coffee and her kids recognised me from Basil Brush -the first episode I'd done which they've been repeating recently. They thought it was great fun and had loads of questions for me...felt very showbiz....

For my sister and sister-in-law

As you all know, my sister is amazing and is married to an amazing woman. Yes- two women got married. It was a wonderful wedding - both wore big white frocks and looked stunning.

I meant to post about this on Valentines Day - K and her wife went down to City Hall, along with around 15 other gay couples and requested a marriage license. Of course they were politely turned down. It was their way of peacefully protesting against the fact that purely due to their same sex gender, they have no legal way of cementing and protecting their union.

It makes me really angry. If my sister had married a man, she'd have a green card and be safe and happy - resident in the country that she loves with the person she chose to spend the rest of her life with. Because she happened to fall in love with a woman, she has no legal position in the USA and could be deported at any time - her residency is purely based on her job and she had to wait nearly 8 years to get her qualifications over here (yes, my sis the PHD) so she could get a job in America.

Anyway - I'm probably getting all the details wrong (sorry sis) but it is still a fact that she cannot apply for a green card even though she and her partner have been together for 10 years.

I got a great email today from the Human Rights Campaign and I'm going to reproduce it here - I hope you (and they) don't mind.

"ALERT: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), has announced that the discriminatory "Marriage Protection Amendment" banning same-sex marriage in the U.S. Constitution will come up for a vote on June 5, 2006. Your support is needed today.

Dear Sally,

There's a moment in the film Brokeback Mountain that moved me very much: it's when Jack Twist says to Ennis Del Mar, "Listen, I'm thinking, tell you what, if you and me had a little ranch together - little cow and calf operation, your horses - it'd be some sweet life."

They never did realize their dream. And for real-life gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender couples - the dream of a life together may be possible, but protecting their relationships is still a distant hope.

I recently read about two real-life cowboys who did realize their dream. They met, fell in love, and settled down for a quarter century on a ranch in Bristow, Oklahoma. Together, they raised three sons and tended 50 head of cattle.

But when one of the men passed away, his will, which left everything to his life partner, was challenged in court by a distant cousin and declared invalid. Everything was taken away - the land, the cattle, and all the personal belongings that made up their life together. Their dream was broken.

I don't have to tell you the obvious: if they had been a man and a woman, this never could have happened. Only seven states currently give gay couples inheritance rights through marriage, civil unions or domestic partnerships. Oklahoma isn't one of those states - in fact, Oklahoma recently amended its state constitution to ensure that neither marriage nor any similar arrangement is extended to same-sex couples. "

I just wanted to share that with you. It moved me very much. I'm very proud of my sister for making her peaceful protest on Valentines Day. I'm very proud that she's proud of who she is and who she loves. I cannot bear discrimination in any form and homophobic legislation hits me close to home (obviously).

In London we have civil partnerships for gay couples. (Elton and David proudly married the other week). I can't imagine this ever happening in a country where religion and politics seem (even though that's "unconstitutional") inextricably linked. Where the "Bible Belt" will never allow equality.

I don't believe it's anyone's business who you love or share your life with. I don't understand why you could be discriminated against because of this. It's incomprehensible to me. We're all PEOPLE. We all deserve to be equal.

I know. I think like a 7 year old and I'm a naive idealist. But I don't care. This is how I'm feeling today. Excuse the rant!

A little extra valentine

Nicked from Jodi (thanks babe - you have the best memes!!)

Your Candy Heart Says "First Kiss"

You're a true romantic who brings an innocent hope to each new relationship. You see the good in every person you date, and you relish each step of falling in love. Your ideal Valentine's Day date: a romantic dinner your sweetie cooks for you Your flirting style: friendly and sweet What turns you off: cynics who don't believe in romance Why you're hot: you always keep the romance alive

What Does Your Candy Heart Say?

Happy Valentines everyone!

Hope you're all loved up no matter what! Rob came through and came home with roses....bless the man - and a lovely self-deprecating card about how he worries that I'm leaving him behind - that I'm so dynamic and busy and he feels lazy and not worthy....ironically enough I got him a card that said "We may not be perfect.....but we're perfect for eachother"....

Had to post the picture above - sorry about the bottom - but Oscar has started yoga.....

He was SERIOUSLY over-tired this evening and was manic in the bath! Can't resist more pics - sorry...

Cake results

Ok - so many of you posted your choice so I couldn't wait to tell you the results of your personality dessert!

ANGEL FOOD CAKE...Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.

BROWNIES...You are adventurous, love new ideas, are a champion of under dogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up, you whip out your sabre. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor direction. You tend to be very loyal.

LEMON MERINGUE...Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.

VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING...Fun-loving, sassy, humorous. Not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE...Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people and can be counted on in a pinch. You tend to melt. You can be overly emotional and annoying at times.

CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE...Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Not afraid to take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.

ICE CREAM...You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.

CARROT CAKE...You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.

It's a bit of fun eh? Though mine (angel cake) is kinda true...

Another fun game

This one was sent in email by Moxie and I like it - so here's the challenge. Look at the picture below and tell me which dessert you would choose if you had to only have one. Leave your choice in the comments. I'll post either tomorrow or the day after telling you what it says about your personality. It's not brilliantly clear - but starting top left with carrot cake then clockwise...is vanilla cake with chocolate icing, brownies, chocolate on chocolate, ice cream, strawberry shortcake, lemon meringue and angel food cake (my personal choice)...

Tell me yours!

A fun meme

Thanks Jodi for this - click on the link below and it will take you to my Johari window - mapping my personality.

Tell me what you think HERE...

NCT Reunion

On Saturday I hosted my NCT gang's very late christmas party. It was lovely - 6 families in total, including us - all of whom met when we were about 30 weeks pregnant - at antenatal class. Since then we've become firm friends and the kids have grown up together. Oz is the eldest of the gang, and the tallest (but only just).

Here's a pic of them on Oscar's quilt the first time we had a gathering in November 2004....

And here's them on Saturday!
(though must just point out in case anyone is playing match the baby - that in the top photo, top centre in the blue dungarees, is Thomas who we no longer see and missing from the top photo is Grace who was in Yorkshire - she's in the bottom left corner with the white top on and curls. The others appear in both - can you match the babe with the toddler? Though actually it's a bit hard only seeing the tops of their heads....)

I love the fact they've all grown up with eachother - or nearly - Steve, Claire and baby Grace live in Yorkshire so we only get to see them when we get together like this. And Rick, Miranda and baby Lucy moved to Tunbridge Wells before Christmas so it's rare to see them too.

Oscar, Frank and Sam though, hang out together a lot and are great mates. I love it. And the mums have been my lifeline since late pregnancy. We've been through so much together that the friendship feels lifelong - not just 19months old.

I've made amazing friends since I've had Oscar. And I worry that I've lost touch or don't make the effort with friends I had before him. And those who read this - I love you all very much and I'm sorry I'm crap at taking the time to see you - it's just bloody hard with a toddler!!!

Today was nice - went round to Liz's house (yes, she's one of the NCT gang) and hung out for a while - to give Rob a chance to recover from Saturday (he doesn't do social, my hubby). Then went shopping in the afternoon.

Though I must just make one complaint - Sunday is my day to lie in. This morning at 6.45 I was awakened to the sound of my alarm clock coming from Oscar's room (he'd knicked it the night before). Took me ages to track it down (under his cot) and by that time he was wide awake as was I. I grumpily shook Rob awake - I hate that he's such a heavy sleeper - and attempted to go back to bed. Ten minutes later they started digging up the road outside my window to lay speed bumps. At 7.15 on a SUNDAY morning. I'm sure it's not legal. Lewisham Council....grrrrr! I nearly stomped outside in my sock monkey pjs and screamed at them. I went downstairs, growling at Rob that I was pissed off so don't try and hug me....had a cup of tea. Drilling stopped. Went back to bed. Drilling started again. Screamed in anger then shoved a pillow over my head and FORCED myself to go back to sleep. Which I did. For about half an hour. But I did.

I can't believe I just typed that para without swearing. I'm so fucking good....

Word Cloud

My sis told me about this - from snapshirts -course I'm too cheap to buy the shirt - just love the word cloud made from words on my blog. I think it's doing the rounds as Kel has one and so does Jodi

So here's mine!

I like the fact that the first words that jump out at me are good, happy, home, oscar

I was on the radio today

talking to Anna Raeburn on LBC97.3 - about parenting! I was the first caller on the show...I talked about how much harder it was than I anticipated and how my NCT gang of mums was such a support to me. It was lovely.

Of course Oscar was screaming his head off in the cot in the background - it was naptime - I didn't put him in there so mummy could be a star on the airwaves honest!

Paul McKenna and stuff

I've decided to try the Paul McKenna "I CAN MAKE YOU THIN" plan...it's incredibly simple really - you follow 4 rules....

1. Eat whenever you're hungry

2. Eat what you want, not what you think you should

3. Eat conciously and enjoy every mouthful

4. Stop when you think you're full

Kind of obvious really. But he goes into a lot of detail in the book along with exercises and visualisations to reprogramme your thinking about food and get back in touch with your body. He's very good really - I used to think he was a smarmy git when he did those hypnosis programmes....but I actually like his tone in the book - he makes a lot of sense.

one of the things written really hit home - overweight people tend to think about food all the time - except when they're eating it. And I do - I'm always thinking about what I'd like to eat, or if I'm going somewhere if they have a certain shop that sells certain food or a takeout or something. And yet when I have food I eat it really quickly- shovel it in - often because I feel guilty for eating it or am watching TV instead.

And I've heard those 4 things before but never really consciously made the decision to follow them so I am now.

Last night, partly cos I was so tired and partly cos I have Oscar's cold, I wasn't hungry. So even though it was "dinnertime" and I "should have" eaten - I didn't. And I felt fine! In fact I didn't eat till this morning - had a croissant with my Mum at 11am and enjoyed every crumbly mouthful. I had a snack sushi later that afternoon and a bowl of tomato soup at 4pm. I didn't eat all the soup because I felt full before I got to the bottom of the bowl. If I'm hungry later I'll eat - if not, I won't.

I immediately feel more in control. And I'm not obsessing on food.

There's a CD which came with the book and I'm going to listen to it later. I'll keep you posted - though I won't be weighing myself every day - he recommends once every 2 weeks if you absolutely have to - but you can tell in yourself if you've lost weight - it's all about getting in touch with your body.....(one of the exercises is to stand naked in front of a mirror and appreciate yourself.....not sure about that one yet!)

He has a 70% success rate. And should be paying me commission for flogging him on my blog!

I think to lose weight you have to find the way that works for you. Weightwatchers worked for me before I got pregnant - lost 5 stone on it, without much difficulty. But since having Oz, I haven't time to count points and I cook differently now I'm cooking for him too - I want to make meals that we all can eat and I know I can do that healthily without weighing and counting and obsessing on high point food vs low point food. And I can't make any meetings as they are either when he's awake and grumpy over lunch or before Rob gets home from work.

In other news - Oz has had a nasty cold and now I'm getting it - though I went to bed at 8.30 last night and feel much better for a long sleep again. Went to Greenwich today to meet Rob for lunch (though Oz was the only one who ate) and bought myself some books - Just starting "We Need to Talk About Kevin" by Lionel Shriver which won the Orange Prize.

Really looking forward to this weekend - my late NCT group christmas party - 5 families -we all met at antenatal classes and have all kept in touch - 1 family coming down from Yorkshire, one up from Tunbridge - all the babes together and a good fun afternoon at our house. Then the mums go out in the evening and catch up. Fab.

Tomorrow is Monkey Music with Oscar where I get to watch Rebecca and then in the afternoon Julie and I have a one to one meeting with a small business advisor at Lewisham Business Centre. Very exciting.

Ok - have been waffling too long now. Going to put the washing on.

Up and down and up and down....

We had a lovely, if subdued, weekend - thanks to my dodgy tummy....went to Olley's for fish and chips on Saturday night - I couldn't eat much but thoroughly enjoyed my rock salmon and chips - Rob had battered tuna - very posh! Then a long night's sleep - we didn't wake up till 11!!! I planned a snuggly breakfast in bed but we had to pick Oz up at 11.30 so that didn't happen....it was so nice though - probably the most uninterrupted sleep I've had in 17 months. Even when I have a lie in on a Sunday I wake up when Oscar does then try and get back to sleep - not always managing it.

We went to Gambado on Sunday which was fun as Oz hasn't been there in ages - they put their prices up - so he was going mental - screaming with joy.

He's got a stinking cold this morning. Woke up at 6....the earliest in months - and has been in a totally shitty mood all morning. Had the biggest tantrum ever earlier - I was trying to put him down for a nap as he was KNACKERED but he fought and fought and nearly made himself sick with screaming. I got him up, took him back downstairs (this was after about 15 minutes of screaming) and he continued. I ignored it for another 15 minutes then put him back to bed. Cue another 20 minutes of screaming and fighting so I took him out of his cot, dumped him in front of the telly and walked away.

And to think I couldn't wait to see him yesterday and now I can't wait till he's out of earshot....

I just took him down the road to the charity shop - he was desperate for teletubbies this morning and they don't come on until 10.15 - so I've found a video for £1 of them so I can put them on anytime. I remember my Mum telling stories of me having mega tantrums because my TV show wouldn't come on - "make playschool come on NOW" I'd scream at her. She couldn't obviously but ain't technology grand....certainly makes my job easier.

He fell asleep on the way back and I've put him in his cot. Peace at last....

Off for a cup of tea.

Strange feeling

Oscar isn't in the house. He's at my mum's overnight. It's a very wierd yet very lovely feeling. Tomorrow morning, for the first time in 17 months, my husband and I can lie in bed TOGETHER and not get up if we don't want to.

We went out for dinner tonight too. It was lovely-ish....I've had mild gastroenteritis since yesterday so dinner tonight was the first thing I've eaten since Thursday night - it was lovely - fish and chips - but I couldn't eat much and we didn't stay out too long as I still feel quite rough.

But I'm looking forward to lazing in bed tomorrow....but I miss Oscar too! How wierd is that?

Very sad news

My friend Moxie lost her baby. I'm aching for her - it's her second miscarriage in a few months. It makes you so cross - as she said to me on the phone - Fred West had children, crack addicts have babies....she and her husband have so much love to give and want a baby so badly.

Please send her all your love. I'll write about me later. Just can't stop feeling sad for Moxie.

Am I sad?

For the last couple of weeks I've become addicted....to my phone. I changed networks to 3 mobile and got a funky new phone with the contract. It's free to browse the web services on it (and it's damn fast) and I get £10 a month free downloads for games and stuff.

I have a ring tone that sings "Sally....it's ringing....Sally....phone for you....Sally....pick up the phone" in a sultry voice and if you call me on my mobile, instead of hearing bring bring as you wait for me to pick up it sings you a song "you're calling Sally.....oooo oooo oooo". I'm an egotist remember. I love it! Except when I'm on the train or bus and everyone then knows my name. Actually no, I still love it then.

Unlike my previous cheap crap phone, it also has really good games. I've become addicted to playing townsmen which is like Civilisation - you build a little village then go on raids. And I have a game like Sims on there too set in New York where you have to become famous and popular....

I'm sad aren't I?

Talking of sad - how sad is this...and I can't believe I'm telling you this - Ikea on Sunday - one thing I didn't mention. While I was queuing up for the meatballs, I felt a funny sensation down my leg - I was wearing jeans that I'd also worn the day before and miraculously hadn't got Oscar fingerprints on.....I'd picked them up off the bedroom floor (I'm such a slob) in my half awake state getting dressed that morning. As I stood there in the queue I felt something slithery down my inner leg. Yes you guessed it. My knickers from the day before which had been inside the jeans were working their way down my trouser leg.....Luckily I grabbed them before anyone spotted them (they were bright green too).

Mortified!

Thank god it happened when I was standing still. Imagine walking through Ikea, innocently on a Sunday afternoon, and some big blonde woman in front of you has a pair of bright green panties sticking out of the leg of her jeans. What would you say?

My life.....bonkers.

That was a real "confessions" post!