MY GUILTY LITTLE SECRET

I am quite ashamed of what I've been doing this week, it's out of character for me but necessary. I thought that if I share it, I won't feel so dirty!

I have started my Christmas shopping.

It's still September, it's another 3 months until Christmas - quarter of a year, it's so very wrong! I don't usually even buy a card until December. This year I will certainly not be traipsing around town or Meadowhall at 34 weeks pregnant with a whinging 3 year old, so I have decided to mainly shop online. Certain things (childreny things), need to be seen in the flesh before buying, which is why I bit the bullet and started this week. I have bought 5 presents already!

I don't feel so bad now, thank you for taking on my burden! & merry Christmas, ho ho ho!!!

THE URINE SAMPLE

I have been to see the midwife again today for a 24 week check up. All is going well. I briefly heard the heartbeat, as soon as we could hear it, the little minx turned round and all was lost! She couldn't find it again as the baby wouldn't keep still! Quite the story of this little wriggler.

Each time you visit the midwife you have to take a urine sample, this is just to check protein levels and make sure pre-eclampsia (high blood pressure, hospital stay, quite dangerous, not good) isn't starting - it isn't. Now normally, as any girl will confirm, weeing into a pot with a 2cm diameter is quite do-able - squatting, looking and bladder control is all that is needed. However, with a solid 44 inch stomach (if I stand up straight with one foot in front of the other & look down, I can no longer see either foot!) looking is no longer possible! So unfortunately at 6:30 this morning, I just held the pot there and hoped it would fill - inevitably pissing all over my hand, charming!

There really is no dignity in pregnancy or child birth!!

35 - OH DEAR!

Today has been my 35th birthday - if we still do our 3 score years and 10 then I'm half way through, what a great thought!
But enough of feeling sorry for myself, I am very happily married to a wonderful man, we have the world's most beautiful daughter and another little gem on the way - I don't think many 35 year olds can say the same.

This morning Alice sang "Happy Birthday" to me, then she helped me open my cards and presents(thank you everyone) before she went to school. This afternoon Mum, Alice and I went out to Chatsworth for lunch - which was lovely. I'm off to bed now as I have a chocolate headache. I always over indulge on my birthdays, usually on wine, but this time on cake, sweets and chocolate mousse - oh why not!

Finally, I didn't make myself a birthday cake as I realise that would be a bit sad, but yesterday Alice and I made some birthday buns - that's not too bad is it?

THE DALEKS HAVE ARRIVED...

...well my new compost bin is here and it looks like a dalek! I'm very excited with the prospect of making my own compost, I've only got a year to wait for the results. Oh my God! I know I will be 35 next week, but I didn't plan on being quite so middle aged. Oh well, take pleasure wherever you can find it.
I even outsmarted the garden centre by buying my dalek online. The garden centre was charging £30 for a 300 litre composter, I got mine from Derbyshire council who charge £9 for a 330 litre bin and free delivery - bargain!

Why so green all of a sudden? you may ask. Well it doesn't harm to start doing your bit for the environment, and mainly because our wheelie bin is only emptied every 2 weeks and I'm sick of it being too full!

BLOODY KIDS!

I'm knackered this morning. Starting at 4am, Alice was crying, I dutifully ran in to her to find out the problem. I think she'd had a bit of a bad dream, she garbled something about Tesco and went back to sleep - aah! Then over the next 1 1/2 hours I ran back in another 4 times to her cries, to find she just wanted different toys passing to her. I snapped in the end and told her to get to sleep.

Back in bed, how lovely, but no, Jr. decided to go to a rave and was kicking for a good hour, right until Christian's alarm went off at 6:30 - I threw the towel in and got up!

Kids! - who'd have them? Me, I love them really - they're brilliant!

I HAVE A VERY NICE HUSBAND

This weekend my very nice husband has bought me 2 top tickets for the British Grand Prix at Silverstone next July - and it wasn't even my birthday! (that just so happens to be next Wednesday 26th if any one's interested)!

We went this year and had general admission tickets (get there very early, find a good spot & don't move), we managed to get a very good spot at Club Corner but had to sit on the floor. Next year I will be in the Platinum Grandstand (not any of your gold grandstand rubbish for me - they will be sat behind me). I'll be right on the start/finish line! I could even get there just before the race starts and go straight to the front - how wonderful!

As I said, I have a very nice husband - now just to decided who can take me......

SORRY - NOTHING DOING

I really wanted to put a new post on this morning, but after looking at a blank new post screen for ages, I realized nothing has actually happened worthy of a post! How dull.

This week has been quite plain - highlights were:
Alice went back to pre-school.
I got in touch with an old friend from 10 years ago on facebook.
I made and ate(with girlfriends) a very good chocolate cake.
Christian's stepbrother Greg & his wife Ruth had a bouncing baby boy (as yet unnamed) - mother & baby both doing well.
Our baby wriggled a lot.

I'm obviously having an excitement lull, oh well life would be boring if it was nonstop everyday!

NOT SO GREEN ALICE

On the way to Sainsbury's bottle bank this morning, Alice asked "What are those bottles for?" "We're taking them to be recycled" I told her. "Why?" she asked. "Because it helps to save the environment" I replied. "Oh good" she said, "I like to save the fire engine". What!? you can imagine my general day...

FAMILY SUNDAY LUNCH

Yesterday we had the family (Mum, Dianne, David, Joyce, Eric, Justin, Ethan & Lucas) round for Sunday lunch, and a very good time was had by all - even if I do say so myself. We had Nigella's ham in coca-cola. Although this sounds weird, this is actually the best way to cook ham in the whole world and has to be tried to be believed.

2kg gammon (serves 8) in a large pan with an onion and a 2l bottle of coke (must be full fat).
Bring to boil, simmer for 2 1/4 hours (or 1 hour per kg plus 15 mins).
Cut off rind, leaving a layer of fat, score with diamond shapes and stud with cloves.
Smear with 1 tbsp black treacle, sprinkle with 2 tsp mustard powder and 1 tbsp demarera sugar.
Blast for 10mins in oven at gm9.

The rest of the lunch was as follows,

Canapes:
Smoked Salmon Pinwheel Pancakes, Red Pepper & Chilli Bruschetta, Kalamata Olive Tapenade Bruschetta & Spiced Bar Nuts.

Main Course:
Coca-Cola Ham, Roast Potatoes, Coleslaw, Green Bean & Red Onion Salad, Bazargan (bulgar wheat salad with pomegranate molasses, nuts & spices - yummy) & Braised Lettuce (not so good!).

Pudding:
Cherry Cheesecake, Chocolate & Ice-Cream Cake and Carrot Cake (Dianne made the carrot cake for the dairy free weirdos!).

And as usual vast amounts of wine was drunk by those not pregnant or underage. That all made for a lovely family day.

I'M GETTING TOO OLD

Yesterday, after the scan, Christian and I went to Uncle Sam's for a cheeseburger - as you do. I was sat facing Champs (dodgy sports bar opposite the restaurant) and was reading to signs in the window. I read - "Friday night, live music, starting at 9:30" "Ooh" I said to Christian, "That's a bit late to start, it's nearly bedtime." Thankfully he agreed! What a pair of sad old farts. What happened to the days of getting home at 3am and getting up for work at 7am 2 or 3 nights a week, before you even start on the weekends?