Happy Halloween!

Finally, the BIG orange pumpkin costume with gOOgly eyes made its début trip out of my closet and onto my little boy Francis this morning! He was so excited to wear it today, but sadly once we got it on him he wasn't so keen. Today is the Halloween party at his nursery so at least I can say it stayed on until we arrived at the party! 

Dylan is a bit too young to really understand Halloween this year but next year he'll probably be able to fit into proper costume. He did put in his best effort and was decked out in a cute little pumpkin suit and hat that Grammy sent him from the US. 

This week was a busy one with the count down to Halloween. There was pumpkin carving, seed counting (and sadly burning in my attempt to make some sweet and salty seeds) and most exciting was the pumpkin chocolate chip bread which this year turned out amazing! I did in fact make it from the insides of Jack our Jack O'Lantern but I am still on the look out for canned pumpkin...someday. I ended up making two loaves but split one up to give to my mother in law and a friend. The loaf that was left for us is now completely gone so no more pumpkin goodness until next year. Boo ;-(

This week I have also been totally slacking in the exercise department. I haven't done a single workout yet and here it is Wed. Yikes! I may try and squeeze some yoga in before I pick up Francis from nursery tonight but I guess that all depends on sweet little Dylan and his rather demanding feeding schedule. 

The husband and I don't have any Halloween plans tonight, but we will gladly open the door to any trick or treaters that come our way (last year we only had 2). 

What are your Halloween plans? Are you off Trick or Treating with your little ones tonight?

Take care and have a safe and scary Halloween! 

Sleep...zzz...

Sleep. Who needs it?

Oh dear do I ever! It has been a bit of a rough week as far as sleep is concerned; waking up early for car MOTs, friend's visits, and trying to fit in exercise. Of course there is also the getting to bed late, early into the morning or not at all (post pregnancy insomnia)!

Image from Google Images

One night this week we had a long night with two sick boys awake, crying and coughing. What is a mum to do but stay up and rub their backs, give some cough medicine and rock them back to sleep- even if it takes all night. I love my two little men and hate seeing them suffer.

Then there was a bonus sleepless night when my husband decided to sleep talk, walk and turn on lights. It ended in a climax of him turning his bedside light on waking me up and stating 'There's a big ugly spider coming your way!'. Thanks sweetheart.

So, in a week of a lot less sleep and an eagerness to get on with my new workout schedule what wins? Well, let me spell it out S-L-E-E-P! So far this week I have only had one workout a run/walk and I have very knowingly shut off my alarm two other times. It isn't that I don't want to workout, I do, very much but at this stage post pregnancy I still consider sleep the more important commodity.

I also vaguely remember reading somewhere that if you are sleep deprived your workout doesn't count as much. Maybe that is because you aren't putting in your all or you are working out with less than perfect form I really can't remember. One thing I do remember is that getting your Zs is also a useful tool in losing weight so that is what I went with this week.

I am posting this however while setting my alarm for an early morning running wake up call!

Has there ever been a time when you have chosen sleep over something else that was important to you? Did you feel better for it or guilty? 

When Things Don't Go To Plan

Hello everyone! Well, this week was a little bit different than I thought it might be. First of all, there wasn't too much rain and each day was pretty sunny! This meant that we were able to get out a bit more than I thought we might, however there was also a completely unforeseen element of both boys coming down with very chesty coughs that kept us a little lower key than we had hoped.

Monday everyone was happy and healthy so we took a walk to the local park to play on the swings. Dylan spent the time chillin' while Francis slide down the slide, swung on the swings and went on a strange little rocking horse thing. Francis also decided to ditch the children's play area, dig a hole under the fence and try to escape to where the bigger boys were playing soccer. All this while I turned the double pram around to face the swings (that is about 30 seconds...yikes!!) He never made it but it didn't stop him from shouting BALL for the next 5 minutes or so ;-) One of his current obsessions!

Tuesday we spent with a friend of mine and her little boy playing. It was nice to have some girlie chat too!

Wednesday was nursery day and then Thursday and Friday were spent doing puzzles, colouring, singing and practising walking as the cold/cough had properly set in by then.

Also, poor Dylan had to face his first set of injections on Friday, which made for a seriously unhappy camper :-( No real side effects though so we were lucky.

We did have a great day yesterday walking around a lake, but it took a toll on my two little coughing soldiers and today is being spent lying low again.

So being a mum is more than just having a timetable in place to keep the boys learning and entertained, it is about being flexible and having a Plan B just in case things don't go the way you hoped. I think we did ok and still had fun despite not feeling our best this week.


Is anyone else dealing with the first round of Autumn colds this week? If so hope they clear up soon!

The Great Pumpkin

It is this time of year that I really crave coffee and I don't mean just instant decaf. I would like a wonderfully Autumny (new word I know) Pumpkin Coffee from Dunkin Donuts...YUM! But over here in the UK, not a chance. It seems in England they don't have quite the obsession with pumpkin that we Americans do.

Although I have managed to find big pumpkins for carving and or painting at my local supermarket, I have not been able to take the boys pumpkin picking (no farm near us grows them). I have also not been able to locate canned pumpkin to make my delish pumpkin chocolate chip bread! In fact last year I used real fresh pumpkin from the pumpkin we carved but there really wasn't much there and picking out all the seeds was a nightmare. It has been recommended that I just use squash but will it be the same?

The blog world has definitely been making me jealous with everyone's posts that include lovely pumpkin beers or coffees and there is even one that has indulged in a glorious sounding pumpkin chai latte.

Which brings me to the question; Is pumpkin just an American thing? I am hoping that the UK will convert but in the meantime I continue to long for that Pumpkin Coffee.

Are there any things that you crave this time of year? Are you living in a place that doesn't have one of your favourites? Tell me I'm not alone ;-)

Getting Ready For A Rainy Week

Another weekend is quickly coming to a close. It was a lovely sunny weekend and it was great to get outside! Unfortunately however I have just checked the weather for this coming week and it looks awful. Rainy and cold. I guess I should probably expect as much since we live in England but I am always hoping for some sun.

In preparation for this rainy week ahead I am going to plan out some activities for the boys. Well, mainly my one and a half year old as the 8 week old will just soak up the atmosphere of whatever we get up to. I am going to check out some local websites to see what is on and child friendly in our area but so far I am thinking of a trip to the library for some new books, working on new puzzles that Francis got last week (a belated birthday present from a friend), colouring with new twisty crayons and maybe even a trip to a soft play centre.

Also on my to do list - photos!  I know this blog has been looking a bit dull since I haven't posted any pics but I am going to be making a conscious effort to post some this week!

I am also looking forward to continuing my new workout schedule. I am hoping to stretch a little further, run a little longer and lift a little more easily this week ;-) Wish me luck!

What are your goals/to dos for the week? Have any of you been to a soft play centre before? This will be our first time if we do go. Are any of you trying anything new this week?

Working Out

It has been a pretty long time now since I have had a proper workout session. I guess because I was pregnant, nursing and then pregnant again I haven't really had the time or energy to keep a realistic workout schedule. So this week I wanted to change that.

I got the all clear from the doctor last week, so there was no reason to put off getting back in shape any longer. Even though I used to be a real workout expert (in my own mind anyway) I wasn't really sure how to begin. Eventually I decided that a workout for 30 minutes every other day would probably be the most I could do. So here is what this week's workout schedule looked like:

Sunday: Yoga DVD - Shiva Rea Flow Yoga for Beginners
Tuesday: Run
Thursday: Pump DVD - Davina McCall My Three 30 Minute Workouts

Here is how it went:
Sunday's yoga session showed me just how out of shape I really am after two babies and very little exercise in the last two years. But it felt good to move and stretch!

Tuesday I was a bit optimistic. I set myself what I thought would be a pretty easy run. Well, about 2 minutes in I was walking, so it turned into more of a run/walk which was fine with me. I really just wanted to see what I could do. I also had the added issue of a much bigger bust than the last time I ran so I have to say it wasn't the most comfy run I have ever been on.
New to do list item; find a sports bra that can do the job!

Thursday I was able to keep up with the pump section of Davina's DVD but the 2.5lb hand weights I used (which previously seemed way too light for me) felt like 20lbs at least!

Now I have an idea of where I am in terms of fitness. I have very little flexibility, I am pretty weak and I don't have the stamina I used to when it comes to running. I think some people would be put off by all this and maybe give up, but I am glad to know and sure that I will see improvement in the coming months/year. I also know my body is amazing after all it did house and give birth to two little boys!

First Ever Post!

Hello, welcome to my very first blog post! This is a bit of a strange moment really. I have been wanting to start a blog for ages and just couldn't bring myself to do it, probably because I was nervous about what I would write, whether people would like it and whether or not I was really comfortable sharing my personal thoughts and experiences with everyone, but alas I have decided to bite the bullet and bare it all (not literally don't worry).

I hope that this blog will be humorous (where appropriate), insightful, helpful at times and interesting.

I am 33 years old and have been married now for just under 7 years. My husband and I met in Spain and have lived in both the US (where I am from) and the UK (he's English) since then. 

Whilst living in Texas 5 years ago we added to our family when we rescued a spaniel mix pup. He is a handful but we love him and he made the big move with us back to the UK almost 3 years ago. Then in March 2011 we had our first -a baby boy. Just a year and a half later our second little boy arrived and I became a mum of two! 

So far, life as a mum has been wonderful, terrifying, fun, exhausting and one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had.

Most people who know me know that besides my family I love food but more specifically chocolate. I am most definitely a chocoholic. Also ever since my first date with my husband (an 8 hour bar/cafe hopping night) I have become a bit of a coffee addict, and it doesn't matter if it is a decaf, latte, mocha or espresso...if it is well made I love it.

Additionally, I love being fit, getting fit and keeping fit which as a new mum (and chocoholic) has been a bit more of a challenge. So I hope my blog will show how I have been able (or in some cases not) to keep fitness in my life.

Phew, I've done it, my first post. Well, I think that should do it for now. Take care!