Finally, a bit of colour on my legs!

Finally some colour on my legs, although red, brown and green wasn't exactly what I was hoping for this summer.

A couple of months of rain and summer holidays filled with trips to unfamiliar playgrounds and woods has left my legs covered in bruises and insect bites.  I have enjoyed my adventures with my young son: following trim trails and footpath signs, but I do feel like I am back at school when I look down at my shins.

Our lack of sunshine has left my legs distinctly moon-kissed as they have hardly had much exposure to the elusive sun.  I don't mind that so much.  I'm content to be the colour I was born, but it is nice to wear skirts and shorts when I can.  However, the added colour of bruises and fading bites is not exactly the sophisticated, well turned-out yummy mummy look I aspire to.

Am I really too busy for housework?

So many Mummies I know these days avoid ironing like the plague.  It is much considered to be a waste of time when there are so many other things to do in this short life of ours. So many are also lucky enough to be able to afford a cleaner who prevents them having to carry out most of the daily drudgery of keeping house.

I recall my own mother in rubber gloves more often than not .  She was always cleaning and frequently found ironing.  She had far more children than me.  This got me to thinking about how we (me) are all so busy these days.  And certainly too busy for housework.

What do mothers of this generation do with all this time that technology has given us?  It should now be quicker to vacuum, iron and clean than ever before.  We have elasticated sheets for the beds, washing machines with quicker spins, even tumble dryers if we choose.  Other lucky people (yes, I'm still bitter!) have dishwashers which prevent them being tied to the kitchen sink all evening as well.

Is it really down to Twitter, Facebook and Mumsnet?  That we fritter away our valuable time instead?  

I wonder whether some of it is because our local shops are no longer a few minutes down the road.  We have a round trip of half an hour's travel time just to get to the supermarket. 

It can take hours, if not days to renew the car insurance, home insurance and get cheaper energy bills.  We are now able to sort out our own banking online, at a time that suits us, but is it quicker than it used to be to pop into the local branch?  We have to keep all our own paperwork for our own pensions, ISAs, mortgages, etc. and take time to file them all away.  Our houses are bigger than they used to be in many cases.  An ensuite and downstairs loo all sound great until you realise that you have to find time to clean them all.  

Even booking a holiday online can take several days of your life to book as you compare prices, research destinations and compare seat space on the airlines available.  Sometimes I hanker for the opportunity to walk into the travel agent, give them my requirements and go back the next day to pay and pick up tickets.  Of course, this option is available and I would take it except for the fact that I believe I can find it a lot cheaper online.  

If I charged out my 'free time' though for all these activities, I wonder how much money it would cost?  I wonder how much less stressed (ignore the poorer part) I would be if I could just hand over the regular stuff to a willing and competent PA?  I'd no doubt be able to sack the cleaner (I don't have one right now to sack as can't afford one, but you get the idea) as I'd have more time on my hands.  I'd have more time in the evenings too.  I could maybe even take up a hobby instead of plodding through the ironing.

So, the question is: Am I too busy?  Or just too busy for housework?

Where have I been?

Well, I have been busy.  Busy working on my 'to do' list finally.  Things are picking up a pace and I'm feeling all nervous at the opportunity to change things at last.

One of the reasons is because I now have a huge list of things to do!  And very few of them are fun.  So, I need to make sure I get that balance right between having time out and gettings these things knocked off the list as well as keeping up some exercise.  Of course, it is also a good opportunity to test out more yummy chocolate.

They say moving house is the most stressful thing, so am not looking forward to it in the way I perhaps should.  However, I am really pleased that we will get other things sorted as a consequence.

So, I will be back more regularly, but for now there is a lot of things on my list.

Get the Life You Really Want

Just started reading this book by James Caan.....only on chapter two....not got the life I really want so far. 

Trouble is, he talks a lot about having goals and making sure you write them down and tackle each one in easy steps. 

So.....first goal: Make time to write down a goal.  That goal may well be: 'Find time to write down a list of goals'.

Time for bed to continue the book.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Doing a spring clean? Don’t forget your medical cabinet!

Ok, so this is going to sound a little ‘public safety announcement’, but it’s not meant to.

Going through our medical box is something I do regularly because we have space issues in the bathroom, so here’s my checklist:

1. Always check expiration dates on your medicines, including checking how long they should be open for (the little ‘lid up’ symbol with a number next to it)
2. Replace anything that you might need in the middle of the night or at a time when no one in the house is capable of getting out such as flu remedies or dioralyte
3. Make sure the instructions are in the right boxes
4. If something doesn’t actually have a full dose left in it then it’s probably sensible to ditch it
5.  Check for anything you might need for a new season, e.g. antihistamine ointment for insect bites for summer
6. Make sure any child medicines are age appropriate and ditch anything they’ve grown out of
7. If you getting rid of anything like antibiotics, check first if they need to be returned to the pharmacist
8. Always good to check to see if you have enough ‘normal’ plasters – not just the huge ones or tiny round ones.  Summer means shorts which means knees are exposed to the pavement

Maybe it’s the Girl Scout in me, but I like to be prepared and make sure that the medical supplies are there and ready when I need them.

So, if you are inspired, while you’re busy having a clean out, go through your make-up and toiletries too. 

Explaining China’s global market position... to a toddler

I don’t know whether you have noticed, but pretty much everything is made in China.  Don’t believe me?  I’ll send you my three year old who will systematically check everything in your house for you.  You may be surprised.  He certainly was. 

It started when he discovered all his books are printed in China.  All except two library books that is.   One of which is printed in Singapore and the other, strangely, in Belgium.

My son is intrigued by this and is audibly impressed and surprised when studying the underside of an object to find it’s made somewhere other than China.  I mention the audibly bit as he’s not fussy where or what he’s found to inspect for its country of origin.

The thing is, although he can read ‘Made in China’ he’s not yet there with understanding the globalisation of industry.  So how do you explain such a thing to a toddler?  And, why is everything made in China?  How do they get all the books here that they print there?  And why does Belgium get a look in on book printing, but not the UK, or Spain, Greece?  So many questions and so few answers...at least not many my son can comprehend at his tender age.

I’ve never seen a parenting book that covers answers to these sorts of questions.  Is there one?  

Is it printed in China?

What being a SAHM is all about

As much as being a Stay at Home Mum (SAHM) frequently drives me to swearing, cursing and crying (not in front of my son!) there are days like today which are fun and truly priceless.

This afternoon has been hot and humid.  A long walk along the river meant that the little hand running up behind me and grabbing mine was sweaty and sticky.  But, it was perfect.  I know that one day, sooner than I shall expect, that hand will not want to hold mine at all.  Then one day it will be a big, man hand and will dwarf mine.

After the little one announced that he wanted me to ‘snack him up’ (!), we settled on the grass by the river and watched boats, helicopters and ducks.  We took time to sit and search for four-leafed clovers and admired the daisies.  I sang (it’s ok, there was no one around...) ‘Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do...’ to him loudly, as my Grandma used to do with me. 

It got too hot so we continued on, following an official footpath sign.  However, we soon discovered we had no idea where we were.  Apart from the concern of getting home in time to cook dinner, I was a bit worried that we’d been out for some time in the heat.  I was expecting the little one to pass out from thirst as we powered up the last hill to discover the main road and a helpful bus stop to rescue us. 

An unplanned trip on the bus is about the best thing my son can think of happening in an afternoon so he was overjoyed, if a little worn out. 

Watching him after dinner watering the seeds he’d planted with husband, wearing just his t-shirt, baggy pants and wellies is an image I’d love to keep in my head for a long time.  Well, I did take some photos, but I think they’ll be seen only by a future girlfriend or for blackmail.