Silent Sunday # 2

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Its driving me POTTY!

Several weeks ago and I mean several, my boy was out of nappies during the day and a few weeks back decided that he did not want his nappy at night either, I pretty much go with him on these matters rather than force the issue, and yet again, he delighted me in his laid back approach to change and took it all in his stride, dry at night too!

What a boy.  Dusted my hands, chalked that one up on the board of stages completed.

Fast forward to a hot sweaty toddler that I mentioned in previous posts and the night time wetting started, even if I did pick him up for a wee around 10pm. I actually wondered where all the fluid was coming from, even curbed his enthusiasim for drinking the bath water.

But now it is happening during the day too, he seems to have lost ALL interest in going to the potty or toilet, he doesnt like wet pants but he doesnt bloody mind wetting them, then telling me he needs clean ones, like its my fault.

He is really good when we are out, telling me if he needs, but sometimes I sense it and he says no, I dont need to go mummy, then in the car, wham!, wet seat.

I have tried talking to him, asking him why he feels like he doesnt want to go, when asked.  He is not a fan of hand dryers but it never stopped him the past.

I think he is just bored of it in all honestly, to a toddler, there are two choices, stop what ever fun thing your am doing, which at that moment is THE best thing ever or leave the best thing ever, walk to the potty or worse still up ALL the stairs to the toilet, then take down your shorts and pants then climb on to the toilet, then wee, then wiggle, then wipe, then get down, then pull up you pants then shorts, then pull step out and climb up to sink, then turn tap on then get soup, then wash hands, then turn tap off, then climb down from step, then dryhands, then get back to what THE best thing ever is - I maybe can see his point.

But how do I get it back to being something that just needs to happen, he has lost interest and I am out of ideas.

Staycation.....Team Don style

Having the two wee ones, I'll be honest, the thought of a holiday, especially abroad seems daunting and you don't know if they will sleep, will we get any sleep? And anyone in the know, knows as a parent of two small children sleep is what keeps you sane and able to motor on.

And although I can handle lack of sleep at home am not sure if I could whilst also trying to enjoy the holiday type schedule.

So Mr Don was off this week and we made plans for the week of what we needed to and what we wanted to, obviously we had if the sun shines list and if it's normal weather list and on Monday we set about making the most of our week as a full time team....on holiday....at home.

This is what we done:
IKEA (my idea lol, but it got some household things taken care off)
We baked, well Mr Don baked a cake, first time, it was amazing and we gave it to my mum for her birthday
Got my girls glasses sorted (goggle shop as she calls them)
Wonderful long walk along Culross, coastal walk
Pub lunch
Paddling pools and slides
Mum's birthday (would have missed if we had gone away)
Bowling, kids LOVED it
Beach (sandcastles, picnic and kite flying included)
Fabulous dinner out with my husband to the wonderful orocco pier, kids at their grandparent for a sleepover
Hangovers
Face painting, (I'll not give up say job for sure)
Kids made me a cake whilst I napped ( like winning the lotto)
Movies
Long lies, yes kids and us
Swimming
Wine drinking
Eating lots of lovely food

I honestly couldn't recommend it enough, have the fun of a holiday bit your own bed to sleep in. It wasn't a cheap week but the accommodation was free ;-)

Team Don

What an absolute bunch of losers!

I have known this group of women for over 3 years and I have only ever met one or two, we met on a forum as we were all due our babies around the same time. 

We evolved onto a group on the old facebook, which was primarily discussing babies and life, one aspect that some of us shared was the battle with the baby bulge, so I started a wee sideline group with any of the ladies wanting to loose weight too.  

I love the group for several reasons but one of the main ones is that we have talked for many months before hand, we all knew what the other was going through and we all wanted the same thing, smaller clothes and healthier relationship with food.

I cant tell you how proud of them I am, we have been going for 1 year and we have lost over 25stones in total.

I am truly thankful to the best bunch of losers!

Slimming World Smoked Haddock Fishcakes

Serves 2 adults and 2 toddlers - Ready in about 3 hours, with prep and time in fridge - Free on EE

Ingredients

600 gms potatoes

400 gms smoked haddock, skin on and no scales on the skin, all bones removed

A small handful of fresh parsley
1 egg
1 tbs curry powder 

To prepare your fishcakes
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil

Peel your potatoes, chop them into even sized chunks 

Add the potatoes to the boiling water and bring back to the boil

When your potatoes have half way cooked, place the haddock into a colander, then cover this with foil, and place the colander over the pot of boiling potatoes

Turn the heat down and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the haddock and potatoes are both cooked

Remove the fish from the colander and put to one side

Drain the potatoes in the same colander, then return them to the pot and let them steam dry for a minute

Pick the parsley leaves and finely chop them, discarding the stalks

Mash the potatoes, spreading the mash round the sides of the pan to help it cool down quickly

Remove any skin from the haddock

When the potatoes are cooled, put it into a bowl and flake the fish into it with 1 tablespoon of curry powder

Add the egg and chopped parsley with a really good pinch of salt and pepper

Then mash and mix it up really well.

To Make Your Fishcakes
Dust a plate with a little flour. 

Divide your fish cakes into the size you want, I use Scone cutters, just fill the scone cutter to depth you want and gently lift up cutter

If you are going to freeze them at this point, wrap them in clingfilm and put them into the freezer

Otherwise simply pop them into the fridge for an hour before cooking – this will allow them to firm up slightly.

To Cook Your Fishcakes
I have tried frying these in frylight but they just break up, so I would put them in the heated over about 200 for about 25 mins or until golden colour

Serve straight away, with lemon halves for squeezing over.

The Dummy has left the building....

My boy has not long turned 3 and there has always been talk of when we shall dispose of his dummy, what approach shall we take, cold turkey, gradual removal, patches lol!

Whichever approach we decided on, we must do it sooner rather than later for his own sake...STOP!

The dummy is all about our sake, from the beginning it was, yes it comforted him to a small extent, but in that comfort came quiet and in that quietness came parental happiness, aahhhh how life seemed so simple.

Well the end of the story goes like this, my boy LOVES trains, obsessed, he wants to be a train, he sleeps, eats, talks trains.

He was looking through a magazine, about, you have guessed it trains, and one in particular caught his eye, "Mummy I would like that one" was soon the topic of conversation.  Now I know its July but I did pull out the Santa card, but you know what my boy is smart, we had previously discussed the Dummy Fairy, this wimsical little lady who had big presents for big boys if and when the big boy decided to give his dummy to the new wee babies coming into the world and quick as a flash, he says "Can the Dummy Fairy bring it?"

Mr Don and I jump into action, before the poor boy can say, wait a minute, the picture was cut out the magazine, a contract of terms were written up for the Dummy Fairy and the boy had signed it, it was folded, popped into a "Magic" envelope, sprinked with glitter, also known as fairy dust, sealed and sent on its way! Done! 

Wow, Mr Don and I looked at each other, can this be true, can it be this easy?  Hold the bloody phone, what about the said gift from the fecking Dummy Fairy - "Quick get on Google, who is stocking the train", stupid us the bloody Dummy Fairy is not real.

Mr Don hurries off on a journey of train hunting, whilst I settle my boy in bed, realisation strikes and he is upset but he's not crying, he is not beside himself, he asks if we can talk to the Dummy Fairy and get his dummy back, but I tell him his letter has gone and everything would be okay and to remember about the lovely big present he asked for in returned, all the time hoping that Mr Don's search around fife would be successful.

My boy done really well, all that was needed was a few extra cuddles and a bit later drifting off.  In the meantime, Mr Don comes back with a similar but not the same train set,  you know that is just the way of the world, not even the Dummy Fairy can control stock levels, a wee letter with the trainset apologising for not getting the corrent one will and did do the trick. 

So tonight is my boy's 5th night without his Dummy and normal service has resumed, fast asleep by 7pm, no mention of it.  What a brilliant boy he is.

Getting Overweight week 4, 5 AND 6

Well getting overweight is proving to be harder than I thought!

Its been a busy few weeks, with teething and poorly toddlers, my boy giving up his dummy, extreme tiredness and a wee holiday, but through it all, I ate as best I could, mostly Slimming World meals and I have been going to the gym at least 3 times a week.  What I havent been doing is keeping a diary or counting the calories and I think that is where I have fallen down.

Over all, I have stayed the same, I am a bit gutted, if I am honest as I have been working hard at gym and enjoying the forsaken place.

But look at it positively, if I had not been exercising it would be a different story!  I do want exercise to be the tool that maintains my love of food, a good balance of food, healthy and the not so healthy but I want to be lighter and a dress size smaller doing it.

I started a wee group of Facebook a year ago, with some of my mummy friends that all had wee ones in  May 09 and as a group over this past year, we have done some amazing things, a couple of the ladies have lost between 4 and 5 stone this year - I have lost two in total, which I am very very pleased with.

I have just bounced around this 14st mark for four months now and I really want to get past it.  The Gym is bringing my waistline in and I KNOW I should not think about the scales too much but I do.

So from this day forward, well tomorrow, as I had chinese tonight, shhhh, I shall suceed!

Busy doing nothing

Sometimes it's good not to plan anything or plan to do nothing.

We have had a busy couple of weeks, doing this and that, weather rubbish so trying to organise an activity to keep my toddlers entertained.

Sometimes I feel because they are at home with me, an unqualified childcare professional, they are missing out ono on the daily activity buzz that a nursery would give them and I try my best to get and organise some good things for them.

Today it's raining again and I've planned to do nothing but get some toys out and just play, my boy is multi taking by playing with his trains watching a train DVD ( yes he's obsessed) and my girl is going around washing all the toy story characters faces and hands, dancing with her babies intertwined with drawing circles and you know, they are happy and am sat with an actual cup of warm tea.

Rain rain go away......

Okay then don't! This summer has been exceptional so far, exceptionally wet.

I am on the east coast of Scotland and its dreakit!

During the cold but at least dry winter months I loved sites like pinterest to give me lots inspiration for keeping the toddlers entertained and yet in July I find myself back there and forgot how it is a genius place, just pop in what you have at home craft wise or food wise and your flooded with ideas.

My search today was coloured tape roads and above was our result, toddlers love it, pretty chuffed myself ;-)

Follow me on pinterest here *MrsDon Pinterest*

Getting Overweight - Week 4

I forgot to weigh in and it was a good week! Good food and good exercise.

It was a busy weekend and it wasn't until Saturday afternoon that I remembered, I was off out on the tiles with my hubby on the Saturday night, so there was no way I was going on the scales on the Sunday morning, steak, tirimasu, wine, cocktails - are not a scales friend!

I did have a sneaky wee go on the scales at the gym and I was two down but different scales, so I don't believe them hahaha.

I am off for the weekend, so I will weigh in on Friday morning this week, hopefully with a positive update.

Wish me luck!

We have a babysitter what to do????

So my first thought is, let's get glammed up, go out, go to a club, dance into the small hours, we will have a fabulous time, young like, carefree, spontaneous, lots of alchohol, loose ourselves in the cosmopoltian feel of the city.  Oh what will I wear, lost a bit weight, this could call for something new to wear, new bag, new shoes, lets have dinner somewhere smart, trendy, have cocktails.  What time can we drop the toddlers off, we should go on this adventure straight from dropping them off at my parents, sit outside if the sun is shining, ohhhhh its the life......

Or we will get a takeaway, DVD and a bottle of wine?

Curried Chicken with Khachumber Rice Salad

Serves 4 - overnight marinade - slow cook up to 8 hours - FREE on EE

Chicken
1 red chilli deseeded and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves crushed
finely grated zest and juice of one lime
1tsp ground cumin
2tbs of curry powder
salt and pepper
Skinless boneless chicken thighs

Put chilli, garlic, lime zest and juice, cumin and curry powder in a sealable food bag and mix up
Make slits in the chicken
put chicken in bag
Mix and massage with marinade
put in fridge for as long as possible up to 24 hours
Cook chicken as preffered, would be great on BBQ or griddled and slow cooked

 

Rice Salad
1 red onion and cumber finely chopped
4 ripe tomatoes chopped
1 deseeded and finely chopped chilli
juice of two large limes
salt and pepper

Put everthing in a bowl
leave to stand in room for 10-15 mins
stir salad well
Serve or mix with cooked rice
ENJOY!

Getting Overweight - Week 3

Well this week I was blessed with a cold, albeit not too bad but it makes me want to eat and because my chest was tight and nose was either running or blocked I could not attempt any great form of excerssion on the exercise front, I did however go to Yoga (although I did nearly pass out, ohh the shame lol) and swam a couple of times.  Steam room was great for the blocked nose.

So standing on the scales was a slight worry but I got 1lb off!!Whoop Whoop  that is me now at 14st 2lb - 2lbs lighter (AGAIN) that I was when I feel pregnant with my boy, back in August 2008.

NOW here is the thing, each time I have done this or got to 14st even, I seem to have no control and go a bit mad and put weight on again, I really hope with the help of the gym and making a good food plan this week that will not be the case.

I also have to remind myself that I would rather have inch loss than weightloss if I had the choice, talking of which I lost 7cms off my waist - that is 2.8 Inches - VERY HAPPY with that and 3cm on my hips, just over an inch, not sure about my arms, thighs etc.

I have not been doing the shred, due to gym attendance and you would have to be mad to attempt that with the cold!  I am going to use it when I just cant get to the gym or I feel I  need an extra boost.

So here it is - 3 weeks into getting overweight and I have lost 3lbs - 1st 4lbs to go - BUT that 13 stone bracket is just round the corner too!

Wish me luck!

Perfect Personalites

Having two kids so close in age can be incredibly wonderful, especially watching their wee personalities grow and evolve, my two are similar in many ways but my boy has a real gentleness about him and my girl is a real firecracker!

We took ourselves to the shows (fairground) yesterday and all got on the kids rollercoster, or train as my boy kept saying, after the first burst of speed, my boy cuddled in tight to his Daddy, but still loved it, whereas my girl was screaming in delight, eyes and mouth wide.

I think and hope as they grow and my boy is a little cautious his sister will take him that bit further into adventures and when my girl is just about to leap in feet first, her brother will be a restraint! LOL