Not Just A Daisy

On Monday we had a sunny warm day. Perfect. We walked the dog to the little park up the street and sat until the sun went down with the kids chatting and having fun. My eldest ran round with the dog, only stopping to give me a kiss or a flower, "pretty flower for a pretty lady mummy". He's well trained and too cute.

Hat swapping loveliness.

I looked around at my family and felt so happy. I filmed and photographed for a few minutes as it just felt special, maybe I was just delirious from the sunshine or the overload of Easter chocolate, who knows.

I sat with my baby daughter who was scrunching her little face up from the sun wearing her cute little sunhat. This was the first time she had sat and felt real heat from the sun. She was born last summer and we had some heat (from what I remember) but she was newborn, wrapped up tight in the shade. Monday though was special.

Those eyes.

I reached for a daisy and twirled it in my fingers in front of her and tickled her little rosy cheeks. This was the first time she'd seen a daisy. I watched her hold this giant looking daisy in her tiny fist and stare at it for a while then softly flick the petals with a teeny finger watching them flap.

I thought to myself, this isn't just a daisy, this is her first daisy. This is important! I have so many memories of daisys as a child, school fields, daisy chains, making tiny bunches, mashing into perfume.

This certainly wasn't just a daisy, it was a first look, feel and smell of something new for her and a lasting memory for me.

Feeling the tiny petals.

It's amazing when you have children and you start seeing things through their eyes, suddenly you're aware of every bin truck, dog, postman and bug so you can eagerly point them out to your little person. I hope that feeling never goes, I'll certainly be making the most of them being small and excitable just in case it does.

I know for most people this is a big old sack of cheesy cheese balls but hopefully there are some parents reading this that will understand the importance of that daisy and my reasons for writing this post.

Not just a daisy...

Thanks for reading.

Wafflemama.

Silent Sunday Photo #1

Keeping Motivated: April Weightloss & Fitness

After recently seeing and feeling the benefits of my weight loss so far, I want to set monthly goals to keep me motivated and inspire me to carry on. I do struggle at times, particularly on days like today where I'm tired and the cupboards are bulging with chocolate (Cadbury's too - my favourite)! 

Maybe I should just go and have one big mega binge and get it all gone? Or maybe I shouldn't. Roll on Wednesday which is my cheat day. Showing restraint until then will be an amazing achievement by itself! Easter is once a year, I love chocolate and I will be eating some of this. I need to learn that I can eat whatever I like but these are treats and be realistic that I won't go the rest of my life not having them, just learning to not binge on them or have them every day.

Beautiful chocolate.

Here are my goals for April, hopefully nothing too unachievable but writing them down just might help me stick to them.

Lose 1lb per week

Last week I lost a pound and felt a bit disapointed as I felt I had worked so much harder than I had done recently. I am attempting to stop my negativity and remember that my one pound is the same as eight whole sausages - and that is quite a bit! I also need to remember that it's ok to come off slowly as I want to keep this up and change my lifestyle long term not just drop a load of weight. I have life long (bad) eating habits to break and I can't undo those over night. 

One pound a week now would mean another 37 pounds off by Chrismas, and thats whopping! Even half that and I would be more than happy and have made myself even healthier by bringing down my BMI even more. 

Matching my head wear to my sandwich, of course.

Drink more water 

I realised that some days I was drinking no water, not a sausage. I was drinking skimmed milk but more as a snack replacement than to hydrate. I was feeling really tired and rough and a couple of days of a little extra water really made me feel so much better. The hardest thing for me is the mornings, I feel I have to really force it down so I'll add some lemon juice as suggested by a friend or even a little squash to start with. Why is it so much easier to drink from a bottle than out the tap? I used to work in an office about three feet from the water machine and drank water constantly, whats changed? I think I just got lazy.

Water, it seems I need it.

Exercise 3 times per week.

This will be anything from an extra walk in the park, a work out DVD or a few activities on the Nintendo Wii. I'm not feeling brave enough yet to brave the outside world in sportswear, yikes.

And finally - Be positive about my body

Yep I'm a full on bag of cheese balls I know but all this positive thinking, self love crap stuff does seem to work so I'm going to keep it on like Donkey Kong for as long as I can. I've had to learn recently that life is too short to A) Not look after yourself and B) Be negative about everything, including myself.

My babies, the reason I need to be healthy and happy.

So that's it, a little late but my goals for April. I will bring my next update in a few weeks to see how I've got on.

If you would like to read about my journey so far please see the links below.

Thanks for reading,

Wafflemama

The start
20lb Down
Xmas Special
March Update

Son Instructions: Part One

Sometimes it beggars belief what my son can get up to. How we still have a house in one piece and that any of of neighbours still talk to us is beyond a mystery.

I've started compiling a list of thing's I have found myself having to say recently, which I'm sure will become one of many lists to look back on in years to come. 

It will be interesting comparing this list to his sisters, or whether I'll even need one for her (yes, shhh, please let me believe girls will be no trouble at all, just for a bit longer?).

My son, butter wouldn't melt.

So here we have it, a few of my latest barks that I've no doubt had to repeat on more than one occasion recently. If you'd like me to elaborate further please comment and I'll divulge, though I think they mostly speak for themselves.

Son Instructions Part One.

• Plugs do NOT go in dogs.
• Winkys (willies) are NOT for putting things in.
• Coins do NOT live in your bottom.
• Do NOT ride your sister.
• Do NOT wash your hands with milk.
• Mummy is NOT a donkey.
• Do you think the cat LIKES wearing a bucket hat?
• We do NOT clean things using spit (well maybe Mummy did once but we were in a hurry).
• Please do not call her (our neighbour) 'crazy cat lady' her name is Marie. (Oops).
• Dogs are NOT wheel barrows.
• Pete (neighbour) does NOT want to see your winky!
• Do you think next door like you singing about their old (dead) dog?
• Do NOT use the toilet as a bin OR a washing machine.
• The hoover is NOT a scooter.

Part one of many, I'm sure (hoping) many of you can relate!

Thanks for reading

Wafflemama.


See also - The Worst Things About Being Pale
Some Motherly Tips
My Top 10 Favourite Beauty Items

The Worst Things About Being Pale.

I'm pale. It's ok, we don't mind talking about it.

A lady from work described me as  'the white circle with lipstick' and calls me 'Hetty Palethorpe'. To be fair she is right.

Summer will soon be upon us, a time when us pale folk look forward to the heat, but recoil in fear of its threatening rays of doom! Winter has now been forgotten but the memories of being mistaken for a snowman and looking mostly half dead have not.

Morticia - a hero of our people.

So what are the worst things about being pale? Let me tell you.

• You look like a goth. 
  Whatever we wear, we are goths. If you're fat and pale like me, with a 'black cures all' wardrobe, you may as well give in to the 'gothdom' completely.
• The palest makeup still makes you look orange.
  Most brands lightest shade still makes us look pretty orange. With my aged skin this isn't such a problem now but as a teenager I used to use talc instead of powder to lighten things up!

This is not me as a teen.

• Sometimes you don't show up in pictures (white circle curse). 
  The slightest bit of flash and we look like an extra from Most Haunted. Brilliant.
• You're scared of the sun, it burns, IT BURRRNNNNNS!
  We don't even have to be out in it for long and we have a random red patch somewhere. Even on our scalp, yay!
• People always ask 'Are you OK? You look pale?
  It's because we ARE pale!
• You feel like a vampire.
  Pale, dressed in black recoiling in horror from the sun?
• You  DON'T tan. You go red and white again.
  Hard for some folk to understand, but we really don't tan, no matter how hard we try.

• No amount of sun cream feels like enough.
  Slimy slimy pale people, don't stare.
• If you go abroad they stare at you like something out of a sideshow.
  One holiday in Spain I felt like a celebrity, for some reason a pork coloured wobbly girl is quite enough for a whole pool side of people to gasp in horror! 
• Everyone thinks its funny.
  Haha you're so pale! *presents arm to compare colours*.
• You get freckles everywhere.
  Everywhere. 
• Your wobbly bits look worse.
  Did you ever see Gok Wan not put a tan on anybody? We have to admit it, people do look better with a little tan.

Look behind the tanned girl, that's me laying right there.

Over the years I've tried the odd home remedy which usually results in me looking like I've been sprayed with 'Ronseal' or that I have some sort of disease.

I'm yet to find anything that suits my skin, so I'm afraid that maybe the time has come to accept my milky future with all its annoyances and embrace the pale.

Any recommendations welcome!

Thanks for reading, 

Hetty Palethorpe - Milky bar selling, milk loving, goth vampire.

Waflemama

My Girl

Do you remember the film My Girl? If not this won't make any sense but you're welcome to stick around.

I've just realised how significant a  film can be and how often I actually think of this one.

I remember always being fascinated with it, the love, the sadness, the fact the girl 'Vada' was so pretty and perfect and everything I wanted to be at that age.

I remember my obsession with Vada's mood ring and the fact I just had to have one. I still think of the film when I see one.

I remember the funeral parlour and the way  death is just put out there as an everyday thing and how I'd have been equally as scared.

I remember watching it at a 'sponsored stay awake' for school and the other girls checking us all to see who was crying, me being the only one sat in tears and everybody laughing. I can picture it perfectly sat in my blue sleeping bag. Three on the floor three on the sofa, we must have been around ten.

I remember the total heartbreak of Macauley Culkins character Thomas dying and how Dan Akroyd played the most perfect clueless dad.

I remember at that young age feeling terrified that life could end so quick.

I remember feeling totally heartbroken.

I remember it whenever I see bees or people talk about wasp nests.

I remember watching the second one and I was in pieces, the desperation and heart pounding when he pretends the ring is lost.

Here I am at 30, 24 years after its release still thinking of it.  I've had the film on DVD for years and I just cannot watch it. my eldest is a sweet little blonde boy. He reminds me too much of Thomas in the film and just thinking of what happens to him makes my heart hurt.

It's amazing how one little 90s film can mean so much and stir so many memories.

Thanks for reading.

Wafflemama