100 book challenge – Books 6-10

 

We’re in the 2nd week of February now and I’m up to book 13. I’m pretty pleased with how things are going so far. I wanted to get a bit ahead of myself as I know I won’t have time to read as much soon when I really get going on my dissertation.

So, what have I been reading since the last post?

Image from Amazon

Louise Bagshawe – Tuesday’s Child

I love Louise Bagshawe (and her sister Tilly Bagshawe)’s books. She’s been described as a young Jackie Collins which is right up my street! Her earlier books weren’t that great but she has got better & better. I loved this ‘Cinderella’ type story which made me laugh out loud. Always a good sign.

Lionel Shriver – We need to talk about Kevin

I’m around 5 years later reading this. I remember all the furore over it when it first came out but had no inclination to read it at the time. When I saw it though in Waterstones a few weeks ago though I thought why not! I’m so glad I bought it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I found it a bit hard going to start with but by about page 50 I was well into it. I stayed up stupidly late to finish and sat there for a while afterwards very upset at the ending. The way everything is revealed is brilliant and heart breaking. I’d recommend this to everyone!

Image from Amazon

Chris Moyles – The Gospel according to Chris Moyles

After We need to talk about Kevin I needed something light hearted which was easy to read. This was a good choice then! I love the Chris Moyles show and listen every day. This book was fine if you’re a fan - Chris’s journey to Radio 1, a bit about the rest of the Team. It’s not Shakespeare obviously but it is, well, fine. A very easy read requiring little concentration. From these vacuous ramblings I moved to….

Image from Amazon

 Virginia Woolf – A Room of One’s Own

I am not good at literary books like this. Some parts I loved, some I didn’t understand what on earth she was saying. I tried, I really did but reading the 112 pages took me days and days – I just wasnt that interested. I have to say I’m worried about choosing a ‘classic’ to read in each group of 5. I really hope that I get into the right mind set.

Image from Amazon

 Polly Williams – The Egg Race

Another chick lit book (sorry!). This was pretty good, not fabulous. About older women getting married & wanting babies. Nicely entertaining but I wouldn’t run across hot coals to read it.  

So, onwards towards my next 5. I may have made a bit of a boo boo. I was looking at autobiographies & biographies in the library & the only one I wanted to read was Chairman Mao’s biography. Over 800 pages, oh dear.  I may have slowed myself down somewhat! 

On the upside my collection of books to read has greatly expanded. Thanks goodness for charity shops! I got 6 books for £3, including Lolita which I’ve been wanting to read for ages! Result! 

 

 

Things that have made me smile this weekend…

Opening a bottle of pear cider after a hellish journey home from work

Sam wearing my shoes

Sam learning to say bus, juice & Bob (the Builder)

Sam’s excitment at seeing the new Bob the Builder t-shirt my mum bought him

Mum buying me a lovely lilac jumper

Grandma being very thoughtful and buying Craig a lovely scarf

The chicken balti pie from my Dad’s cafe/deli (Bread & Basil, Congleton folks, pop in for fabulous food & drink!)

Sam demolishing a Lancashire pasty with gusto

Sam’s constant farting while eating said pasty making us all (and the rest of my Dad’s cafe) fall about in hysterics

Grandma asking Sam for a ‘big smacker’ and getting a smack in the face. Cue us & a load of people in Marks & Spencers falling around in hysterics.

Sam pushing the shopping trolley, admittedly into someone but she was fine

Craig changing the bedding, cleaning the kitchen and doing the washing for me before he went to rugby

Vodka and ginger ale. It’s the future…

Craig running  a bath (in his sleep) for Sam at 3.30am. If I hadn’t have woken up I’m convinced poor Sam would have had a rude awakening

Going for a Mexican on Sunday just the three of us

Sam’s obvious adoration of tortilla chips & salsa

Sam’s incredulous face when he first used a straw. His giggles whenever he had a drink were fantastic!

Sam running around the Mexican restaurant in his t-shirt and nappy because he’d weed so much he’s soaked his trousers

Having A WHOLE 1.5 HOURS to myselfwhen Sam was in bed, Craig was at the pub and all the cleaning was done. Bliss!

Sam’s new black & white stripy pj’s. He looks like a teeny tiny convict. Or a Frenchman.

Sam buffing his feet (!?) in his new convict pjs

Watching Music & Lyrics, singing along to all the songs (I have the soundtrack!) and laughed at by Craig

Sam smacking my Grandma (see above)…I just can’t stop laughing about it!!

 

Bloody Technorati!

 6AFT6H35VVGH

 

No-where-near Wordless Wednesday

Sam is growing up so, so quick. He learns new things every day and life seems to be speeding that little bit out of control.

This week he has finally grown out of the last of his 9-12 month clothes & babygrows (thank goodness, he is 19 months now) and he has new shoes again! My Mum & Grandma took him shopping this weekend and had his feet measured. In under 2 months he’s gone from a 4.5 to a 6! I thought his shoes were getting a little tight but wowzer! So he has new shoes, new babygrows for bed and I have even more stuff to sort out.

Here’s one of my current favourite pics of Sam which never fails to make me smile. He loves having toilet paper wrapped round his head and dancing to the Rocky theme tune! I’ll have to get it on video for his 18th birthday.

Bandana boy

Also (I have to share this), yesterday, on his 19 month birthday Sam finally called me Mama. Specifically he said ‘Hiya Mama’ on the phone, collapsed into giggles and then shouted ‘ca’ – he was watching the road again. My clever, gorgeous, funny little boy is finally finding his voice.

 

My Monday Memory Meme

Rainbow Brite and the Colour Kids

Erica @ LittleMummy has tagged me in a Memory Meme! I love things like this and have been racking my brains to think of something I loved many moons ago.

The first song I actually remember is Adam Ant’s Prince Charming. I still love him to bits even though he is now a near bald mental patient. Well, no one is perfect!

 The first song I actually bought was The Housemartin’s Caravan of Love.  I must have been all of 6/7 so why I didn’t go for cheesy shit I don’t know. I’ve followed Paul Heaton’s career ever since, buying all The Housemartins and later, the Beautiful South’s albums. When the Beautifiul South split a few years ago due to ‘musical similarities’ I was gutted. I think this is the best song in the world ever and I always sing my heart out to it.

When I was thinking about my favourite TV show I was torn. I loved My Little Pony, Care Bears, T-bag and T-shirt and Rod Hull and Emu. Out of the blue though it hit me, the show I watched over and over, the dolls I took to bed with me, the videos I begged my mum for – Rainbow Brite. Oh how I loved her!!! I wanted a teeny blue star on my cheekbone (possibly where my love of tattoos comes from? I still love the stars on the face idea – Kat von D looks amazing). I needed a sprite of my own (Twink), I needed my own horse (Starlite) and I definitely needed my own group of brightly coloured friends (the Colour Kids). Is it coming back to you yet? Can you remember all the names of the Colour Kids without Googling them (I didn’t!) Patty O’Green, Buddy Blue, Canary Yellow etc. Oh the memories!

While I was looking around for the names of the Colour Kids I’ve found this website which is obviously run by a mentalist  person with a deep love of all things Rainbow Brite. She/he has the details of the new series of Rainbow Bright which started last year! How did I miss that?! It must only be in the US at the moment. Looking at the new Rainbow Brite thought she looks a bit shit so I’m not over bothered.

For anyone who remembers it, here is a trip back 25 years. For those of you that don’t remember it, watch the magic unfold…

Now to tag. In the spirit of meeting new bloggers, being inclusive and highlighting new blogs I shall choose 3 people I have never tagged before but who’s blogs I love, love, love. I have no idea if they know who I am, if they’ll see this or if they do memes. But here we go anyway…

I tag: Louise at  Sew Scrumptious, Kathryn @ I know I need to stop talking and Kelly @ A place of my own

 

Writing Workshop #11

This weekend I had the most perfect time. I spent Saturday, as I always do with Sam, my Mum and Grandma. We went to Bury, had a nice lunch, went shopping, swapped the pram for a child’s yellow taxi which you can get free at the Millgate Shopping Centre. Sam screamed ‘ca, ca’ as soon as we saw it and didn’t stop smiling the 2 hours we wandered around shopping. He steered the steering wheel and shouted ‘Hiya’ to anyone who came within about 4 feet of him. When waiting for my Grandma to return something at M&S I spied a book to keep him entertained. It was about dinosaurs and roared at him when he pressed the button. He laughed so hard he ran out of breath, no noise came out and just his shoulders were shaking. My Mum, Grandma and I laughed so hard we had tears rolling down our cheeks. The people in queue were laughing and told me what a beautiful little boy I had. 

On Sunday Sam slept in until 10.15am. At 9.45am I woke up and ran into his room scared that something had happened to him. Nope, he was just snoring! After I had spoken to my sister we went to KFC for lunch (a very rare treat). It was Sam’s first KFC. He ate 3 chips and 2 tubs of tomato ketchup. I don’t think we’ll be going back! We had a walk around Next. Sam sat on the sofas, pointed out clothes saying ‘Oooo’, stroked the shoes (he is my son after all) and had a conversation with the lady working on the changing rooms which went:

Sam ‘Hiya’

Lady ‘Hello, aren’t you a lovely little thing’

Sam ‘Yeah’

We went to Tesco’s to play with the toys but not buy them (naughty!). Sam was fine leaving the talking Yojojo behind but got quite upset when he had to leave the vacuum cleaner.

When we got home Craig went to the pub, Sam went in his cot playing (refusing to sleep) for half an hour while I cleaned up and put some washing on. When he started screeching ’Emma, Emmmmmaaa’ at the top of his voice I brought him downstairs and we watched some Peppa Pig we’d recorded. We played jigsaws, read his dinosaur book AGAIN, did some lion and fish impressions (learnt from Waybuloo – who says TV doesn’t teach children anything?), ate a big tea, had a fun bathtime and got dressed in his big boy pyjamas.

After he’d gone to bed I cried because I had just had the best weekend ever with my gorgeous little man. With all the stress of exams and assignment I haven’t spent a weekend like that with him since about October. As I work full time too that means I’ve spent precious little quality time with him for months. That’s shit.

So for this week’s Writing Workshop I have chosen prompt #5  .

What exciting job would you like to do for a day?
- Inspired by my poetical musings this week.

I discounted a singer,  lottery winner (spending that kind of money is a job right? Well I intend to make it one anyway), shoe buyer, professional shoe wearer, make up tester and all the other things I’d love to do. Instead, today I can’t think of anything more fun or more exciting than to spend one day being a Stay At Home Mum.

I’d get up around 7am to put Sam’s milk on (he refuses all milk bar formula at the moment), put some laundry on and tidy up. Sam would wake up gently at 7.30am, not screaming ‘Emma’ at the top of his voice as normal. We have breakfast and get ready together, listening to the Mary Poppins soundtrack. We’d go swimming. Apparently Sam is getting really good at just using his armbands. I say apparently as I don’t know. I’ve only been swimming with him twice and not since last summer. I’d chase him round the changing rooms getting him dressed, we’d laugh, cuddle and I’d get slightly exasperated until he gave me his toothy little smile and giggled at me. We’d go for a walk around the shops hand in hand. Sam would run off and I’d have to hold onto his hood while he pushed everyone aside because HE was walking that way. We’d have lunch at Pizza Hut. Sam would devour tomatoes and cucumber from the salad bar and some garlic bread. I would devour everything else there.

We’d go home so Sam could have a nap and I could sort the washing/ironing/more cleaning (does it ever end?) and maybe get 10 minutes reading Grazia before Sam would shout Mummy (maybe) and he’d get up. We’d spend the afternoon at home, just playing, watching Gigglebiz (he adores that show) and Deal or No Deal. He’d have a healthy, nutritious meal that I’d cooked. He wouldn’t throw it on the floor and demand Jaffa Cakes. We’d have a splashy bath together and Sam would drink his milk, watch Waybuloo and got to bed, tired after a long, fun day with Mummy.

I know lots of people do this every day and it gets as monotonous and as stressful as all jobs but right now I can’t think of anything more exciting. He’s learning new words and dances every day (I think the Cbeebies Winter song has finally been accepted as he knows most of the routine!) and I’m missing out on so much. To spend a whole day together, just the two of us (sorry Craig!) would be wonderful.

 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Sam isn’t a big eater. We struggle getting much food down him at all. He likes most things but hates the actual process of being in his high chair and eating. Especially at breakfast. Porridge, weetabix, toast, bagels, pancakes, muffins, rice crispies and fruit have all been thrown over the side of the highchair for the dog.

Recently though we found one thing he will happily eat for breakfast.

Xtreme Smokin Rib flavour Pringles

 I would like to point out that Craig no longer leaves his Pringles in the living room. He was gutted.  As was Sam when we took them off him.

 

The 100 book challenge 2010

Pippa blogged about the 100 book challenge a few days ago  and asked if anybody fancied joining her. Meeeeee!!! I shouted.  If you know me in real life then you know just how much I love reading. My parents used to lose me shopping and I could always be found sat in the shoe department reading a book. Nowadays I’m never without a book in my bag, just in case I get a spare minute or so to disappear into another world.

I feel a bit embarrassed about the kinds of book I read, they’re not exactly what you’d call ‘worthy’ books. I’m a bit too fond of Jackie Collins, chick lit and escapism. Not that there’s anything wrong with this, jst everyone else seems to reading critically acclaimed, Booker Prize winners which my bonkbusters are not.

So I have decided that I will read 100 books this year and blog about them in groups of 5. Out of those 5, 1 will be a ‘Classic’, 1 will be an autobiography and I will only read books I haven’t read before.  I won’t review them but I will say if I enjoyed them.  (I only actually decided on these rules after the first 6 books but I’ve never read any of them so that one still counts!).

So, here are my first 5 books of the year!

Sue Townsend – Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years.

Craig bought me this for Christmas. I haven’t read Adrain Mole since I was about 13 3/4 but I thoroughly enjoyed this and laughed out loud more than once.

Cathy Glass – The Saddest Girl in the World

Another Craig bought for me. I never choose books like this, I don’t like being depressed in my spare time but I actually liked this one. Not bad at all.

Jo Carnegie – Naked Truths

A bit of a chick lit bonkbuster from the former deputy editor of heat (which was my bible until I thought that at approaching 30 I really should move to the more grown up Grazia). Loved it! Very funny, total escapism. Just what I needed when I wasn’t revising.

Chris Cleve – incendiary

Bloody amazing. I cried my eyes out and it gave me nightmares. It was wonderful (if you’ve read it you know what I mean). Craig also bought me book vouchers for Xmas (I’m such a geek) and I thought I’d try different authors. I’m so glad I found this, I’ll get all Chris Cleve’s books now.

Emily Giffin – baby proof

This was pretty good too. An interesting take on the ‘one half wants a baby, the other half doesn’t’ as it’s the woman who doens’t want children. Good escapism again although the ending was a bit pants.

If anyone would like to join in (you don’t have to be a blogger) then you can sign up here.  As of right now there are 654 people doing the challenge (I’m 637) although some smart arse is going for 500 apparently. She mustnt have kids, a partner,a  job, a life etc. Or the books are in fact all the Mr Men & Little Miss’s.

 

Bloggers for Haiti – please donate

It’s been a week or so since I’ve blogged, what with having my exams and Sam’s recent refusals to eat or sleep. I was thinking of blogging about Sam’s little issues, the wockachonga spot that has taken over my right cheek, the crossroads I have come to in my professional life. However, they all kind of paled in comparison to what has been happening in Haiti. I’m excellent at burying my head in the sand over things like this. I switch off the news, ignore Yahoo’s news page when I check my emails and avoid newspapers. I don’t like hearing about sad things and will do most things not to see them.

In this day and age though it is impossible. It’s everywhere. Twitter (where I spend much of my free time) included. I’m sorry but I’m not actually sure where this originated (I had an internet free weekend) but everyone was talking about #bloggersforhaiti.. Whichever kind soul it was has organised all the mummy bloggers to post about the crisis in Haiti (I think it was Erica at Little Mummy) and to (if possible) donate money so aid can be sent.

I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to afford to donate, we live very hand to mouth but when I asked Craig last night (he checks the bank account daily, I do my usually ostrich impression) if I could donate some money he was shocked I’d even asked. ‘This is about humanity, not the state of our overdraft’. Fair enough, I have now donated. Not as much as we would have liked but as much as we could afford. Now I’m not the most eloquent person in the world so I will point you in the direction of Little Mummy, Sleep is for the Weak, The Mad House and Chic Mama who write about this crisis so much better than I can. For those who can’t afford to give cash have a look at A Mother’s Ramblings for Pippa’s ideas on what you can do instead.

Craig & I were talking last night about a picture that had been in The Sun over the weekend. A father was carrying the body of his dead daughter. I keep trying not to but I can’t help thinking about how I’d feel in his position. We’ll never be able to bring his daughter back or stop the pain but we could help to put a roof over his head, to eat and to drink clean water. One of Craig’s friends said ‘Why should be help them, they couldn’t afford to help us if the roles were reversed’. What a load of shit! We CAN afford to help them, even a little bit. They were already an impoverished country before this tragedy hit. They didn’t ask for it. They aren’t asking for loadsamoney so they can buy designer clothes, Cristal and caviar. They’re asking for help for basic human necessities. Water, food, shelter, medicine, rescue.

As the site says ‘We want to raise enough money to send at least one Shelterbox to Haiti.  Each box costs an average of £490 including all materials, packing, storage and distribution to individual recipients worldwide. Based on six months use only this equates to 27 pence per person per day.’ As of just now when I checked the website Bloggers for Haiti has raised over £3000, enough for 6 Shelterboxes. Shall we go for 10?

Come on people, donate whatever you can here. We need to help this poor nation try to come back from this awful, devastating blow. Please help.

 

My favourite photo

There’s a meme going around the bloggers at the moment about their favourite photo. I loved reading about them and seeing them so I was so excited when Pippa at A Mother’s Ramblings tagged me in it!! Yay!! If you haven’t yet checked out Pippa’s blog then do. She’s being incredibly organised and will be doing preparations for Christmas on the 25th of every month this year. I’m definitely going to be stopping by for inspiration. I made Pippa’s home made chocolate this Christmas and they went down a treat!

So, my favourite photo. Three stood out for me straight away. Surprisingly my wedding picture wasn’t included in those. Nor were any of my parents or my dogs. I’m going to show you the top 3 with little explanations for each. Cheating I know, but I really struggled!

In third place was this picture of me on the Great Wall of China. Taken in January 2003 when I was coming to the end of my trip. I’d taught for 6 months and spent a month travelling with some lovely friends I met over there. I was such a homebody before I decided to move out there, my confidence was low and I was so down. This picture reminds me of an amazing adventure and shows me that I may now be an overweight mum & wife but once I was brave enough to move to China alone, to climb the Great Wall, to eat dog, to learn a new language, to teach for the first time ever and to make new friends. This picture really makes me proud!

 

In second place is this photo of my sister and Sam in Australia back in September. We were at Moore River near Perth, where the river meets the sea. It was a fairly warm day, Sam loved playing in the sea. We had a walk around the dunes and a picnic on the beach. We were relaxed, happy and just glad to all be together again! Helen hadn’t seen Sam for 9 monthsand they got on fantastically. I miss her very much and I know how much she misses us all, including Sam. As they now live in Perth the times she’ll get to spend with Sam is very precious and photo opportunities like this will be few and far between. Sam won’t remember this trip but I have 500 photos to show him and this is by far my favourite.

 

In first place (drum roll please…..) is this one! Unsurprisingly it’s one of Sam. It was taken last June in the middle of a heat wave. I call it Sam’s catalogue pose!  We’d been to our local pub beer garden for a late tea and had left Craig there while I took Sam home to bed. At the back of our house is a park. It was such a lovely evening that I thought I’d take Sam on the swings for 10 minutes before we went home. He was so smiley and giggly the whole time then a dog barked and he looked away. I adore his chubby little face on this picture. His skin looks so smooth, his eyes so blue, his beautiful feet so edible and I love him in that cute hat! The outfit (from next) is my most favourite one I’ve ever bought him. The photo is my gravatar for everything, is framed on my fireplace and was in an inscribed photo frame we bought my Grandma this Christmas. I just want to cry when I look at this picture. That’s MY baby – I made him! Incredible.

 

Sorry that I turned that meme round a bit but these 3 photos symbolise such different things for me and evoke such a range of emotions that I wanted to show you them all.

Now I’d like to tag my very lovely friend Josie at Sleep is for the Weak. I’m sure she’s already been tagged but as she’s a bit of a photographer I’m very interested in the photo that she’d choose!