We live in a hard water area so limescale is really problematic.
Today I got out my trusty bottle of white vinegar and some kitchen towel. I soaked pieces of kitchen towel with the vinegar and wrapped them around the bathroom taps.
Also cleaned the shower hose and removed the shower head to also soak that with some white vinegar.
Chucked all the bathroom towels, the shower curtain and bath mat in the washing machine too.
That didn't take long so also made a note to buy some limescale remover for the kettle and also googled the best way to remove a patch of mould that I have just noticed in the bathroom.
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
15 minute challenge Day 3
Just recently I have noticed that several walls are looking a bit grubby where either sticky hands have been or where something has slashed, or a small person has scribbled. I keep thinking to myself 'I must wash that wall down' and then I promptly get distracted by something more pressing.
Well not today. I decided this morning that the 15 minute challenge for today was to finally tackle those horrible walls with a cloth and some warm soapy water.
However, after collecting the kids from school we had to trawl around three different DIY stores to buy wood and hinges for Seb's DT project. By the time I cam home and had started cooking the dinner I didn't particularly feel inclined to start cleaning. But I reminded myself it was only fifteen minutes and donned my plastic gloves.
Now feeling very satisfied.
It was quite hard work as I had to use a lot of elbow grease on some particularly bad scribble but various walls now look a lot cleaner with fewer horrible marks.
Actually once I got started and was taking a close look at each internal wall in the house, I realised how bad some of them were actually looking - eek! Quite embarrassing to look at your own house from the perspective of how visitors must view it.
And there are definitely some walls that really need a fresh coat of paint but at least now I can tell the difference.
Glad I made myself stick to the challenge today. Would have been so easy to duck out of it but in the end it didn't seem to take very long at all. now I can reward myself with a cup of coffee and a phone call to my best friend.
However, after collecting the kids from school we had to trawl around three different DIY stores to buy wood and hinges for Seb's DT project. By the time I cam home and had started cooking the dinner I didn't particularly feel inclined to start cleaning. But I reminded myself it was only fifteen minutes and donned my plastic gloves.
Now feeling very satisfied.
It was quite hard work as I had to use a lot of elbow grease on some particularly bad scribble but various walls now look a lot cleaner with fewer horrible marks.
Actually once I got started and was taking a close look at each internal wall in the house, I realised how bad some of them were actually looking - eek! Quite embarrassing to look at your own house from the perspective of how visitors must view it.
And there are definitely some walls that really need a fresh coat of paint but at least now I can tell the difference.
Glad I made myself stick to the challenge today. Would have been so easy to duck out of it but in the end it didn't seem to take very long at all. now I can reward myself with a cup of coffee and a phone call to my best friend.
Monday, 17 November 2014
15 minute challenge Day 2
Today I tackled the cutlery drawer. Removed everything, cleaned the drawer and the compartmentalised tray and returned everything in it's right place. Found several things I had misplaced.
Am feeling very smug and pleased to have made this one small step towards creating a more pleasant home environment and the short time limit is a fun challenge - ensuring the job does not become an unpleasant or onerous responsibility.
Am thinking I might extend this to include 15 minutes a day on a Christmas related task. Today's contribution - a bit of Christmas present wrapping!
Am feeling very smug and pleased to have made this one small step towards creating a more pleasant home environment and the short time limit is a fun challenge - ensuring the job does not become an unpleasant or onerous responsibility.
Am thinking I might extend this to include 15 minutes a day on a Christmas related task. Today's contribution - a bit of Christmas present wrapping!
Sunday, 16 November 2014
15 minute challenge Day 1
When you are a working mum it can be really difficult to stay on top of all the household chores. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the number of jobs and tasks that I just don't seem to get around to.
Things are especially tricky this year as with Seb's GCSEs coming up I seem to be spending every spare minute helping him with revision or writing out revision cards.
I do hate to feel out of control though so have decided to be realistic about what I can actually achieve.
The fact is that I am not going to have an entire day, half day or often even a full hour to tackle some of the niggling tasks around my home but I don't want to do nothing either.
Solution - identify little jobs I can manage in no more than 15 minutes a day to start chipping away at that oh so long to do list.
15 minutes a day is very achievable and hopefully will make me feel satisfied that I have improved at least one tiny corner of my home.
Day 1 - a lovely mild November day so I took the opportunity to sweep up the leaves in the drive. I even took up the cover from the drainage ditch and used a trowel to clear out all the dead leaves and detritus. Now the next time it rains the water can drain away and there is no longer a risk of a flood seeping under the front door. yay!
Things are especially tricky this year as with Seb's GCSEs coming up I seem to be spending every spare minute helping him with revision or writing out revision cards.
I do hate to feel out of control though so have decided to be realistic about what I can actually achieve.
The fact is that I am not going to have an entire day, half day or often even a full hour to tackle some of the niggling tasks around my home but I don't want to do nothing either.
Solution - identify little jobs I can manage in no more than 15 minutes a day to start chipping away at that oh so long to do list.
15 minutes a day is very achievable and hopefully will make me feel satisfied that I have improved at least one tiny corner of my home.
Day 1 - a lovely mild November day so I took the opportunity to sweep up the leaves in the drive. I even took up the cover from the drainage ditch and used a trowel to clear out all the dead leaves and detritus. Now the next time it rains the water can drain away and there is no longer a risk of a flood seeping under the front door. yay!
Wednesday, 9 July 2014
Jug of flowers
Saw this jug today, it was reduced in Waitrose.
Couldn't resist buying it.
A few carnations and it has nicely brightened up the conservatory.
Sports Day and Pre-school Graduation
It has been a really busy week.
Monday - Sports day at Nat's pre-school.
It was very amusing watching all the children in their little races.
The running race, bean bag on head race, bear race (where they ran on hands and feet with their bottoms in the air)
Hopping race
Plus the egg and spoon race
Running backwards race
The sack race
Long distance run
Nat and all the other children seemed to be really enjoying themselves and were quite oblivious to who was winning each race, they were just having great fun which was lovely.
Nat was delighted with his medal for participating.
Today was his 'graduation' ceremony.
The children sang some lovely songs before receiving their graduation certificates.
Nat was very proud to go up and receive his certificate. He received a special commendation for being imaginative and articulate (we think articulate is code for talkative)
Nat had great fun sharing a joke with his friend Charlie.
Tomorrow and Friday he has settling in sessions at his new school. Busy, busy week!
Monday - Sports day at Nat's pre-school.
It was very amusing watching all the children in their little races.
The running race, bean bag on head race, bear race (where they ran on hands and feet with their bottoms in the air)
Hopping race
Plus the egg and spoon race
Running backwards race
The sack race
Long distance run
Nat and all the other children seemed to be really enjoying themselves and were quite oblivious to who was winning each race, they were just having great fun which was lovely.
Nat was delighted with his medal for participating.
Today was his 'graduation' ceremony.
The children sang some lovely songs before receiving their graduation certificates.
Nat was very proud to go up and receive his certificate. He received a special commendation for being imaginative and articulate (we think articulate is code for talkative)
Nat had great fun sharing a joke with his friend Charlie.
Tomorrow and Friday he has settling in sessions at his new school. Busy, busy week!
Wednesday, 25 June 2014
Lazy Summer Days
The weather has been beautiful recently and we have been trying to make the most of it.
Seb put up a paddling pool for Nat in the garden.
On Saturday evening we went out for a BBQ in the park.
Chilled and relaxed drinking Pimms and lemonade.
We took a disposable BBQ to cook sausages.
The boys played Frisbee
and piggy in the middle
Then we toasted marshmallows.
Yummy food, glorious sunshine and quality time with David and the boys.
Seb put up a paddling pool for Nat in the garden.
On Saturday evening we went out for a BBQ in the park.
Chilled and relaxed drinking Pimms and lemonade.
We took a disposable BBQ to cook sausages.
The boys played Frisbee
and piggy in the middle
Then we toasted marshmallows.
Yummy food, glorious sunshine and quality time with David and the boys.
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Paddling and Pebbles
After five weeks cooped up in the house it was lovely to get out in the sunshine this afternoon.
.
I collected Nat from pre-school and we went down to the park, paddling pool and beach.
Nat was very excited to splash around in the paddling pool. I sat on a bench and watched him have fun then we enjoyed a picnic lunch.
After a play in the park we went down to the beach where Nat collected seaweed in his bucket.
We chose a few nice pebbles to paint at home.
Nat had another paddle, this time in the sea. Unsurprisingly his shorts got completely soaked.
Nat found a lovely shell on the way back up the beach.
Nice to spend some quality time with my youngest one.
.
I collected Nat from pre-school and we went down to the park, paddling pool and beach.
Nat was very excited to splash around in the paddling pool. I sat on a bench and watched him have fun then we enjoyed a picnic lunch.
After a play in the park we went down to the beach where Nat collected seaweed in his bucket.
We chose a few nice pebbles to paint at home.
Nat had another paddle, this time in the sea. Unsurprisingly his shorts got completely soaked.
Nat found a lovely shell on the way back up the beach.
Nice to spend some quality time with my youngest one.
Saturday, 14 June 2014
I'm Back!
Hello There
Gosh it has been a while since I last blogged.
We had an amazing holiday in April when my parents took us all on a Caribbean Cruise. At some point I will get around to uploading some photos. It was a really wonderful holiday but I was in a lot of pain with sciatica, the long-haul flight there and back seemed to really exacerbate the problem. Back in England I had three weeks of absolute agony waiting for my back operation. The final week of which I was unable to drive and my dad had to give me lifts to work as I couldn't afford to take any more time off work.
Anyway on 13th May I went in for spinal decompression surgery. It was a very long day nil-by mouth and because I was not allowed to eat or drink anything I was also unable to take any pain killers. I was admitted at 1pm and had been expecting to be taken into theatre around 2.30pm but due to complications with the surgery before me I wasn't taken into theatre until 5.30pm. I was just relieved not to be cancelled like the patients after me.
The surgery took a couple of hours because I had a dural puncture which the surgeon had to repair. I was then put on complete bed rest laid flat for the first 24 hours to allow the dural tear to repair. They took out the herniated disc and some cartilidge and bone and they inserted a small spring to replace some of the lost cushioning. The main aim though was to relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve and I am relieved to say that the sciatica was immediately improved.
When I first came around from surgery my lower back and left side went into horrible spasms so I was given morphine to manage the pain. However, compared to the knee surgery the back operation was no-where near as painful. I have been very limited with what I have been able to do. No bending, twisting, lifting etc. I am not allowed to sit for more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time so lots of lying down to rest the back. The wound has not healed brilliantly. It is now just over four weeks since I had the operation and I had to go back and get the wound re-strapped to try and get it to heal up better.
Had my first physio session this week but they still can't do very much with me.
The consultant wanted me to have another 3 weeks off work but I am keen to be back after another week so am hoping I might be fit enough to be allowed back soon.
I have some residual pain down the back of my right leg when I walk but I think that may be due to the swelling from surgery and hopefully it isn't permanent nerve damage. It does feel numb down the back of the leg too but compared to the pain I was in before I can't say I am overly concerned about that!
It is just such a relief to be out of pain again. There is still some tenderness and discomfort of course but I really can't complain about that.
It has been a challenging year and I hope that I will soon be able to return to some degree of normality. I simply can't wait to get back to being able to go for picnics and to the beach, to take the kids swimming and to go on a family bike ride.
Every week I feel stronger and stronger. Also getting fatter and fatter from sitting around and munching my way through each day though. Another reason to get back to work where I am too distracted to eat!!
Gosh it has been a while since I last blogged.
We had an amazing holiday in April when my parents took us all on a Caribbean Cruise. At some point I will get around to uploading some photos. It was a really wonderful holiday but I was in a lot of pain with sciatica, the long-haul flight there and back seemed to really exacerbate the problem. Back in England I had three weeks of absolute agony waiting for my back operation. The final week of which I was unable to drive and my dad had to give me lifts to work as I couldn't afford to take any more time off work.
Anyway on 13th May I went in for spinal decompression surgery. It was a very long day nil-by mouth and because I was not allowed to eat or drink anything I was also unable to take any pain killers. I was admitted at 1pm and had been expecting to be taken into theatre around 2.30pm but due to complications with the surgery before me I wasn't taken into theatre until 5.30pm. I was just relieved not to be cancelled like the patients after me.
The surgery took a couple of hours because I had a dural puncture which the surgeon had to repair. I was then put on complete bed rest laid flat for the first 24 hours to allow the dural tear to repair. They took out the herniated disc and some cartilidge and bone and they inserted a small spring to replace some of the lost cushioning. The main aim though was to relieve the pressure on the sciatic nerve and I am relieved to say that the sciatica was immediately improved.
When I first came around from surgery my lower back and left side went into horrible spasms so I was given morphine to manage the pain. However, compared to the knee surgery the back operation was no-where near as painful. I have been very limited with what I have been able to do. No bending, twisting, lifting etc. I am not allowed to sit for more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time so lots of lying down to rest the back. The wound has not healed brilliantly. It is now just over four weeks since I had the operation and I had to go back and get the wound re-strapped to try and get it to heal up better.
Had my first physio session this week but they still can't do very much with me.
The consultant wanted me to have another 3 weeks off work but I am keen to be back after another week so am hoping I might be fit enough to be allowed back soon.
I have some residual pain down the back of my right leg when I walk but I think that may be due to the swelling from surgery and hopefully it isn't permanent nerve damage. It does feel numb down the back of the leg too but compared to the pain I was in before I can't say I am overly concerned about that!
It is just such a relief to be out of pain again. There is still some tenderness and discomfort of course but I really can't complain about that.
It has been a challenging year and I hope that I will soon be able to return to some degree of normality. I simply can't wait to get back to being able to go for picnics and to the beach, to take the kids swimming and to go on a family bike ride.
Every week I feel stronger and stronger. Also getting fatter and fatter from sitting around and munching my way through each day though. Another reason to get back to work where I am too distracted to eat!!
Sunday, 16 March 2014
Clowning Around
It's hard to believe but little Nathaniel turned 4 this week. We got him a Buzz Light year toy which he was very pleased with.
We celebrated on Saturday with a circus themed birthday party.
Nat looked great in his clown costume.
David, Seb and I wore clown face-paints and wigs to join in the fun.
Nat's Grandma Hazel also donned a clown costume.
I hired Brillo the Clown to entertain the kids.
The children were enthralled and delighted with the Clown show.
It was great watching them laughing at Brillo.
Their shock and horror when he started juggling with swords was very amusing.
After the show the kids sat down to eat some party food.
The adults enjoyed a few nibbles and a drink too.
Each child had a clown cupcake (I had to make 35 and they took me ages to make!)
We lit the candles and the fountains on the birthday cake and sang Happy Birthday to a very excited little boy.
Next the kids enjoyed parachute games and balloon modelling.
At home Nat opened all his lovely presents.
I was exhausted but I think it was all worth it.
The highlight of my day was when Nat came into the kitchen and said "Thank you for my lovely four birthday mummy".
We celebrated on Saturday with a circus themed birthday party.
Nat looked great in his clown costume.
David, Seb and I wore clown face-paints and wigs to join in the fun.
Nat's Grandma Hazel also donned a clown costume.
I hired Brillo the Clown to entertain the kids.
The children were enthralled and delighted with the Clown show.
Their shock and horror when he started juggling with swords was very amusing.
After the show the kids sat down to eat some party food.
The adults enjoyed a few nibbles and a drink too.
Each child had a clown cupcake (I had to make 35 and they took me ages to make!)
I was exhausted but I think it was all worth it.
The highlight of my day was when Nat came into the kitchen and said "Thank you for my lovely four birthday mummy".
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