Pass The Turkey

Yesterday afternoon we all packed up and headed up to my mum & dads for Christmas Dinner.

Yes, Christmas Dinner!

My parents went on holiday to Tenerife over Christmas & New Year only arriving back on Saturday morning. So my mum had planned to have us all up for dinner, that way she wouldn't miss out. Why she put herself through the stress of cooking all that food, I'll never know.

There was 7 adults & 5 kidlets, crackers, party hats and dinner with all the trimmings! Yummy, didn't help the diet much but I refused the crackers & cheese and the chocolates.

Poor Caitlin was confused as my two sisters, one brother & I were handing over Christmas gifts to our parents and they were handing out holiday presents to the grandkids. lol! Poor child thought it was Christmas day again & no-one had told her!

Lauren had a blast. She just tore through the house chasing the older girls.

I love seeing the kids all together.

Families. I know they can be a touchy subject but times like yesterday make me appreciate mine even more.

Weekly Summary

Started back to work on Tuesday. Not so bad. Very busy and as usual not enough hours in the day! This month shouldn't be too bad. There is a couple of travel shows coming up over the next three weekends and various staff will be attending, making the office that bit quieter. I must be getting old as at was only a few years ago, I'd have attended all these shows (on your feet all day smiling & being nice, partying hard in the evening on the Company credit card and back on your stand early the next morning trying to drum in more business!).

I also started upping my water intake this week. No less than 1 litre a day, sometimes 2. I'm quite please with this and find it easier than I thought. I'm also trying to drink hot water & lemon through the day and cut way back on the coffee.

I've booked my induction at the Gym for next Thursday evening. They were booked up until then! Obviously everyone and their mother want to get fit in the New Year. This gym is a 'normal' gym, not for the 'Beautiful People'. You know the ones who arrive in the latest gym gear and full make-up, then run for miles, all the while looking in the mirror at themselves and not shedding one drop of sweat! The 'Beautiful People' are the ones that put me to shame and make me feel inadequate. God love them, it's not their fault! They don't even know the impact they are having on my confidence.

Food has been my big issue this week. Whilst I've made some healthy food choices, I've also made some stinkers! Only myself to blame. I need to get to grips with this and start writing down what I'm eating. I need to make more of an effort here or I will never see the positive results I want to achieve.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year & Best Wishes for 2007

Possibly TTC, if I can convince Ivan!

Well, the title says it all really.

He is not saying an outright NO! but he is not sure if he is ready/wants for any more kids. He thinks we are just about coping at the minute with both of us in full-time jobs and childcare always an issue. I can see were he is coming from but to behonest I'd love another baby to complete our family.

The funny thing is we had such a stressful Christmas, first with the mouse, then the car breaking down and being off the road for a week, then with Lauren being so sick and then with both girls having 'cabin fever' and going crazy. He just kept saying to me "And you want another one!"

We talked about it again last night and have decided that we'll wait and see what happens in the next few months before talking again.

We need to change our car immediately and the house is too small for another child as we have only two bedrooms, although we had talked about moving this year anyway.

So we'll see what 2007 brings.

Enjoy my job again

I use to love my job. I've been with the Company for nearly 15 years and cannot see me going any where else.

Got a new boss last April, went on maternity leave in June and when I came back in February of this year I had never felt so out-of-place, so unwanted in my life.

I guess they would rather I didn't come back!

I try to shake this feeling but some days the atmosphere makes you feel physically ill.

I'm all for changes, been there that long and been through so many in the past but I have bad vibes, I hate atmospheres and I hate cliques.

However, that said, I want to be happy in my job again. I will try to do everything in my power to make that happen.

Be more creative with our family time

I think we don't do enough together, he thinks we do!

I think spending time shopping or wandering around shopping centres doesn't could as family time, he does!



I want to go on little days out, trips here & there. Great in theory but given the weather here in Northern Ireland you can't always plan ahead. We did go for a lovely walk the other day, got the heads blew off us but it was fun. Caitlin & Lauren got to stretch their legs, round around and get fresh air. Both ended up covered in muck but that was to be expected.

It's little things like this that I want to do more often. Go to the zoo, go to the cinema, go for a walk and let Caitlin take her bike or roller skates.

I'm going to push for this in 2007!

Make time for me

This probably goes hand in hand with No. 1 on my list.

I want to make an effort with my appearance All.Of.The.Time not just when I feel like it, the times when I'm feeling confident. With regard to this, I've only myself to blame and no-one else can do it for me!

I also need to juggle my spare time better. I work full time Monday - Friday and only have a few hours to myself each night by the time dinner is over, girls are played with and then tucked up safe in bed.

One week I'm all about cleaning the house and do nothing for me. Next week I sit and scrapbook every night and the house goes to hell.

Surely I can make more of an effort to do both. Work out what needs done and work out 2/3 nights for me, especially if I want to introduce a little exercise into the mix now too!

This will improve things with Ivan too. I will not hear him nagging me about the hours I spend online, or the mess I make when scrapping, or the fact that the house is a tip!

This one should be easy to crack! I'll should make a little rota and stick it to the fridge, lol.