It’s been a while since I wrote a Happy Days Linky post. Mostly because we’ve been sitting on a secret. A big one!
As announced this week by Isabelle we are looking forward to becoming parents again in June 2018.
Whilst we’re extremely happy with this news, I’ve been feeling really poorly and was slightly worried about announcing to the world as we did have a bit of a scare at about eight weeks.
I am officially 14 weeks today and the exhaustion that I’ve been feeling has eased off enough to feel half-human.
I feel a bit sorry for Isabelle as I’ve not really had the energy to do very much so we’ve watched quite a lot of films snuggled on the sofa where I may have had a sneaky catnap or two.
Advent Calendars – Isabelle has been on countdown for ages to the day she could start opening her calendar. We got her a Smiggle one this year and Nanny got her a My Little Pony Chocolate one. Ryan has two also but he’s far too grown-up to show interest either way. We also got Charlie (the dog) one which is full of gourmet dog treats.
We went to Isabelle’s Christmas Fair at school on Friday where there was a game where you either got a prize or a Brussels sprout. Isabelle asked what she did if she got a sprout to which I told her she had to eat it. She won one prize and one sprout. I burst out laughing when she turned around with her mouth full of chewed-up sprout, crying that she was going to be sick. Of all the times to take any notice of what I say it was then. Bless her.
Happy Days Linky – A weekly round-up of all the things, big or small that make us happy. I’m linking up with Katy from What Katy Said and Sian from Quite Frankly She Said.
The teen getting a sprinkle of humour- for those of us with teenagers you will know all too well how they seem to have a serious lack of sense of humour. We saw a glimmer of return when my two had a pants fights. It started off with Ryan putting a pair of his pants on Isabelle’s head (clean of course). Isabelle grabbed a pair off the airer and the fight commenced. No shouting or ending in tears (Isabelle’s). It was silly but fun!
The ukulele
I was greeted the other day by a newly bought blue ukulele which Nanny had bought for Isabelle. She can’t play it for toffee but wholeheartedly gives it a go. She sang and played everything she said to me for the rest of the evening. Yey!
A lie-in
I had one! Until 9.30 and then breakfast in bed which I ate downstairs. My sleep pattern has been shot to pieces for a long while so I spend most of the time feeling exhausted. I woke up at 6.30 and nearly got up. I read but I must have dropped off as the next thing it was 9.30. Perfect!
Work Free Evenings
I work on my blog in the evenings every night. There is a lot to do and I get stressed if I have an evening off. Anyway, as I haven’t been sleeping that great again I thought that I would try and reduce the amount I did which wasn’t a lot as my brain was so fuzzled I was quite often sitting in front of my laptop but actually watching TV. Not productive at all. So this week I’ve had Friday and Saturday night off and it felt good. I think I’m going to try and do this on a regular basis. We watched the newest Purge film which was pretty rubbish.
Decluttering
I’ve been watching What Katy Said’s decluttering videos (which are awesome) and it’s got me motivated to do the same. My starting point is storage so I need to go and buy some boxes/baskets etc so that I can start to sort and have somewhere to put things. The amount of NEW pink plastic we have since Isabelle’s Birthday is ridiculous.
Baking
Isabelle and I with the help of one of her Brats dolls made Jam Heart Biscuits yesterday. The weather was pants as it kept bucketing down and Isabelle gets a bit stir crazy if you don’t give her something to do. They were really easy to make and it was something to show Daddy when he got home as well.
Walking
I love walking Charlie. It gives me time to think or not. Yesterday the little pain in the butt took himself off to the skate park to scav for food. There’s usually pizza boxes and McDonald’s wrappers so plenty to choose from. Every time I think he’s got over this he does it again. How he doesn’t get run over by a bike or skateboard (they don’t stop) I don’t know. This probably shouldn’t feature on my Happy List but after the fact I always find it funny. I do wonder if I’m going to end up on You Tube entitled ‘Crazy Dog Catcher Hits the Skate Park’. Charlie thinks it’s a great game to run up and down the ramp thing, usually with some stolen food hanging out of his mouth. Little sod!
Happy Days Linky – I’m really glad that I started linking up with the #HappyDaysLinky with Katy and Sian as it does help you to reflect on the god rather than dwelling on all the rubbish.
As I write this post we’d just heard of the terror attack in Barcelona where Chris and Ryan were the day before the attack. The other attack is just six miles from where we are now. We watched the news in the bar along with all the other guests with disgust at these senseless losses of lives.
It’s scary knowing how close this is, especially as we’re in a foreign country that we don’t know all that well.
Holiday – for the past week we’ve been on holiday in Salou, Spain with Chris’ parents and sister. It was much needed and we did the usual beach and pool combination. I’m not a sun worshipper at all and at times I think I was pinned as a bit of a killjoy but I cannot stand too much sun. I have sunburn and blisters to prove this theory! Actually, at the time of writing this paragraph, I was sat in our hotel room with the air-con up high smothered in aloe Vera gel with two soaked tissues on my legs to help cool my burning hot legs. I also have cleavage blisters I’m not doing a down-the-top shot for you!
Time with the teen – Ryan has been with us on this holiday. It’s likely to be one of the last as he’s way too cool to hang out with us. However, he was here with us and talked at dinner which is a step up from the usual eating in his room or not at all. As Daddy’s birthday treat we paid for a trip to Barcelona to tour around Camp Nou, the zoo, and also see the sights which they did as a ‘lads day out.
Sibling rivalry – not sure this should be on my Happy List but it does make me chuckle (not at the time). Standing in the dinner queue we have the usual:
‘mum tell Ryan to stop looking at me’
‘Mum Ryan’s smiling at me!’
‘Mum Ryan’s looking at me in a mean/rude/horrible way’
At the time it drains me, but I think it’s like a right of passage for kids growing up as I remember doing the exact same thing with my brother and sister. It seems that an 11 year age gap still doesn’t abolish this age-old family way.
Birthdays – we’ve had two birthdays this week with both Daddy’s and my mothers-in-law’ so we’ve had two gorgeous really light cream-filled sponge cakes. Being birthdays we took them out for a lovely meal and drinks at the all-inclusive hotel restaurant – ‘order whatever you like’ we cried ……… ‘No expense spared!!’
Swimming – Isabelle has Ben like a little fish this week. She’s either been in the sea or in the pool. She has armbands but she’s learned to swim with her head under the water and jump in off the side. She’s been going to the deep end of the pool so can’t stand and she’s also been doing a bit of lilo surfing at the beach.
Reunion with the pooch – Although we were all sad when the holiday came to an end, I was looking forward to seeing Charlie again. He was really excited to see us and it was great to hear that he’d had a great week of long walks on Dartmoor with his new bestie Zac. He did have a wiggy on with me which lasted from Saturday until late Sunday afternoon which I think was my punishment for leaving him.
What have been the highlights of your week?
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Happy Days Linky – I’ve done it! My first day in my new job is done and dusted. I found it quite unnerving going from knowing my stuff to being the new girl not knowing who to pay the tea fund money to. It went fine. I was useless but it was fine!
Sharknado 5 – One of my guilty pleasures is cheesy films featuring monster sharks, huge crocs, or such likes. Tonight is the premiere of Sharknado 5 so what better way to finish off my first day in the new job. If you haven’t watched them then you have to. My favourite film of all time has to be Lake Placid. Don’t judge me!
The funny things that Isabelle says – At six years old she comes out with some crackers in total innocence that have me snickering and face away laughing. On our dog walk, Charlie seems to like peeing in the river but he always cocks his leg towards long grass along the edges. Isabelle says “I think he does that because he likes the grass tickling his willy” whilst she eye-rolls and sighs ‘boys’!
Holiday – We can finally say that we’re going on holiday ‘this week’. There are clothes all over the house in bags and ready but not quite packed for the final pack on Friday morning.
We made it to Spain. The flight was absolutely fine. I set off the beeper so had to go in the machine and then be frisked. Here’s to a week off.
See you then.
Lisa x
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Happy Days – Monday started off with a grey sad-looking sky so I suggested a trip to the museum or the library. Isabelle fancied the museum with a Trip to the park on the way. We got ready in such a leisurely manner that it was almost lunchtime before we left the house. I was going to make a little picnic but there’s a great chip shop near the park so I thought we would be naughty and get some chips and eat them in the park. This part went so well. We got the chips and found a picnic table at the park. Isabelle ran off to the play equipment whilst I went to the bin where I was mugged by a seagull who was determined to get the chip wrappers. The seagull won!
We had a play on the equipment for less than 10 minutes before the heavens opened and it poured down with rain. Parents and kids all ran off in different directions looking for shelter. We started off under the slide but big blobs of water started to drop through the gaps so we had to run to a big tree to camp under until it stopped. Isabelle thought it was hilarious! When it finally got to drizzling we decided to make a dash to the museum – which of course doesn’t open on a Monday. We ended up at home wet but happy!
Tuesday was a workday for me and Isabelle was at Nanny and Papas. I did the final bag check for Ryan. It’s the last time I’m going to see him before he sets off on a plane to Spain tomorrow. I’m going to miss him but on the plus side, there will be snacks in the cupboard for the rest of us!
Thursday I was a bag of nerves as it was my last day in my current job. I’m going to miss my job! I’m going to miss my colleagues and I’m going to miss my desk. They made my last day lovely and I walked out with a smile on my face.
Friday Isabelle and I spent the day together. We took Charlie out for a walk and played games. It was my leaving do in the evening so I ate, drank and laughed the night away.
Saturday Isabelle went to the cinema kids club to watch Sing and later on we went to a reptile birthday party where we met all kinds of animals including a baby skunk, a tenrec and a tagu. The tagu was enormous but it was so so beautiful. We even touched a snake!
*This post may contain affiliate links which means that I receive a small payment should you click the link and make a purchase at no extra cost to yourself.
My Happy List – last week I didn’t post anything as it really was a week of slog at work and not much else.
However, this week has been a bit less stressful.
Sleep – I’ve slept a lot better than usual this past week which is always something to feel happy about. This was a big deal especially since Chris has an awful cough and he’s been hacking away most of the night.
New working hours – I was a bit worried about changing my hours at work as three days seems like the best work/life balance and my new job is four days a week. However, given that this is going to be a different job completely I’m up for the challenge (and I have been working full-time for the past year). I have also wangled a Friday off which fits in better for childcare.
Holiday Shopping – we’ve done a bit more holiday shopping this week and I’ve actually bought some swimwear that doesn’t make me want to throw-up!
Park Day – we went to my brothers yesterday and took the kids to the park. It was lovely just sitting in the sun whilst the kids played. Now that they’re eight, six, and six you don’t have to chase them around the park and help them on and off stuff. It also meant I could have some baby cuddles from my nephew. ?
Dog walking – I love walking Charlie, preferably on my own. I can walk and think, or not. He has no expectations or demands, just walking. I can see my old age in front of me where flashes of 100 stray dogs and no people spring to mind. Haha!
Happy Days Link – This week has been pretty much a working kind of week with not so much in terms of having fun. However, we have managed to sneak in a couple of bits during the week.
Subscription Box – Isabelle received a Mila & Pheebs Kids Activity Subscription box. These boxes are amazing so we spent a bit of time doing an unboxing video which I will share with you once I’ve done all the prettying up. Isabelle loves YouTube kids so she’s loving doing the little videos, but we have to try and tone down her Americanised barbie voice that she keeps putting on.
Dog Walking – With the lighter evenings it’s been much easier to get in an after-dinner/before bed dog walks with Charlie. I’ve had to do a bit of bribing with Isabelle, but once she is out she really enjoys it especially if she takes her scooter.
New job – With all the excitement of getting a new job, this week has been a bit of a comedown as since being offered the job I’ve heard nothing more. Every time I think about it my stomach does a little flip of excitement……
Holiday – 5 weeks and 6 days to go…..
Sleep – I’ve slept slightly better this week since the stress of last week with my interview prep. In the last week I’ve probably on average only woken about twice a night which is good for me, and I’ve managed to drop back off straight away. I need to do a bit of research on insomnia as it’s become my norm for over a year now. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Blogger Night Out
Blogger Night Out at Revolution Torquay– I met with some fellow bloggers in Revolution, Torquay for some scrummy cocktails and yummy food. The cocktail menu was awesome. It’s great getting together for a natter about all things bloggy, as I’m sure for most of us our regular non-blogger friends have no idea what I’m talking about. I had a burger with cheesy wotsits (actual wotsit crisps) in it which was very nice.
A new beach – We thought we’d try a new beach this weekend so today we went to Anstey’s Cove in Torquay. It’s not a sandy beach it’s pebbly but it was a total treasure. We had Charlie with us so we had a bit of a paddle, but next time I’d love to take out a Kayak and go and explore the other coves which you can only access by swimming, sailing, or climbing over the rocks to get to. We’re really looking forward to going back.
That’s it from me this week. Having said that I would still consider it to have been a good week.
Lisa x
If you like these types of posts, then have a look at our Family Life tab at the top of the page where you can find out what we’ve been up to.
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