Unconscious Mutterings: Week 169

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Out of place :: Uncoordinated
2. Helicopter :: Pad
3. Francis :: Drake
4. Ryan :: Giggs
5. Wedding :: Planner
6. Apalled :: Sickened
7. Historian :: Polybius
8. Powerful :: Strong
9. Sex symbol :: Benico Del Toro
10. Uncomfortable :: Rough

Unconscious Mutterings

My Folks Bought A House!

I just took a call from my folks who are still sunning it in Greece- they put an offer in for a property and got a call this morning to say its been accepted ..whoohoo! ...they're totally thrilled with how quickly everythings gone altho they were glad to have a local grecian on their side whilst the bartering was taking place *L ..apparantly there was almost fisticuffs *hahaha

The ivy has all been cut back since these piccies were taken and the walls are brand spanking sparkly white now - these are the photographs that appeared on the website advertising this place so i'm really keen to have a look at some of the pictures my dads taken- i let him take my new camera with him and he was made up so i think i know what i'm going to be getting him for his birthday this year =) ..they've been looking at this place online for a long time and i knew they were keen but with the tidy up job, my dad said they just had to go for it.. the house is in need of some repair but they will be able to live in it while they do that.. its exactly what they wanted- 3 or 4 bedrooms, a 'new-enough' kitchen to work with until they can upgrade, a greek feel and a sizeable garden of 300 square metres- enough for my dad to plant a few veggies no doubt =) ...and the courtyard is outstanding.. i think that outside/inside feel is something my mum is going to really relish..

..no further details as yet but its nice to know that my folks still have over 2 weeks of their holiday left now to finalise any details and they can actually relax and enjoy the rest of the time there- i hope!

The Contents Of My Inbox

Management Decisions:: The boss was in a quandary; he had to get rid of one of his staff. He had narrowed it down to one of two people, Debra or Jack. It would be a hard decision to make, as they were both equally qualified and both did excellent work. He finally decided that in the morning whichever one used the water cooler first would have to go.
Debra came in the next morning, hugely hung-over after partying all night. She went to the cooler to get some water to take an aspirin and the boss approached her and said, "Debra, I've never done this before, but I have to lay you or Jack off."
Debra replied, "Could you jack off? I feel like shit this morning."

Opportunity Group

This morning we had to be up bright and early as its our first week back at the Opportunity Group for 5 weeks. I managed early- bright, i wasn't so successful with ;)

Nina had such a lovely time.. and everyone was really happy to see us which was nice.. i took it upon myself to chat to people which is nothing out of the ordinary but i do always seem to end up sat on my own ...still, i didn't feel out of sorts and i really enjoyed it too.. even if i did want to throw up before we left =/ ..the taxi that took us was one we'd had before and so it was great that that was familiar too.. plus, he was asking questions about the group we go to with real interest as his sister, who's now 49, has Downs Syndrome.. it was great to be able to chat about the change in facilities and attitudes etc.. that was cool!

We were a little early today but Nina coped with not being able to open the doors.. she could see all the toys set out nice and tidy- they weren't to stay like that for very long *LOL ..when the doors did open Nina was the first eager beaver thro the door altho i held the door open for a lady with a pushchair- by the time i got thro the door Ninas cardigan had been discarded and she was already climbing the steps of the slide =)

Everything went so smoothly, she waited patiently in the queue for Rick to swing her around and she collected the balls when a little boy who wasn't mobile had pushed them out of reach ..infact, there was only one episode in the middle where she nearly kicked off- that was a little awkward but i sailed thro and managed to get her to sit with the other kids whilst she had a drink and a biscuit and she even responded to another adults offer of a piece of banana.. it seems that she's okay when everyone is in a circle and it all fun and games but anything that comes across as official and she HAS to do it then she objects.. i should possily mention that to Aileen tomorrow i.. so, she sat for all of 5 minutes with 6 other kids around a table and then wasn't the first, or the last to leave.. thats kinda cool.

There was even one point that i'll never forget.. there were quite a few new faces today and so the tea break was broken into 2 sittings.. i was on the first sitting and Nina was happily playing.. only i was watching her and after a few minutes she got up and was stood in the middle of the room shouting "mummy, where've you gone mummy?" .. might seem sad but it was wonderful to see that she cared and was a little fretful and wanted me.. i could have cried at that point- so i went to her, told her i was having a brew and that i would be 'over there' and pointed to the seating area and told her if she wanted me, then thats where i would be.. and she was happy with that and went back to doing what she was going- how awesome is that?? ..talk about progress =))

Before we left everyone help to tidy away and we all sat in a circle to have a bit of a sing-song- Nina LOVES the singing and was up in the middle dancing and singing at full pelt.. she even sat with Jill, the lady who supervises the Group, to do 'Row Row Row your Boat' and 'Round and Round the Garden'.. she was absolutely brilliant and was making everyone laugh... not at her you understand.. but she truly was the star at the end.. =)

So, we're home now [unscathed] and we're just having a drink of coke- it was so warm there today- i felt like i was red as a beetroot and extremely conscious of it too =( ...but once we've cooled down a little i'm going to make cheese butties ...yum!

Monday Madness: Name 5 Things That:

1. Make you smile: watching the girls play together; a certain someone coming online; photographs of the girls- actually, almost everything to do with the girls makes me smile; hearing Ben laugh and Green Wing
2. You can see on your desk right now: my giraffe money box; my enormous Manchester United cup that i use as a penpot; my cheque book; a plastic container with felt tip pens in that i need to lock in the filing cabinet before Nina gets up and an unopen printer ink cartridge.
3. Kept you busy this weekend: Nina- she's had a frustrating weekend =( housework; FA Cup semi-finals; People viewing my folks place; Mr Cookes visit- he's soooo funny *L
4. You'll be doing this coming week: we're back at the Opportunity Group on Tuesday...eek!; Aileens visit is Wednesday; organising the girls bedroom- Nina wants everything of Laurens that she can't have so we need to reshuffle and grocery shopping*- its like Old Mother Hubbards here *L
   
   * that constitutes 2 things as i have to kick into gear some kind of healthy eating regime- maybe going shopping rather than doing it online would be a start- that almost kills 4 birds with one stone =)
   
   
5. You've said to make someone else smile: I told my folks that people were showing interest in the house; i complimented my sister and her new haircut- she acted coy like it was no biggie- then flung her hair around like a L'Oreal model -she is SO not worth it *giggles; i finally proved to Lauren that she was perfectly 'normal' with regards her BMI- she's "well chuffed"; i told Ben i was really proud of him with regards work... and i couldn't leave out "WOW! Thats big!" ;)

Actually, this week i think i need to have a look at my 'puter.. its not well =( i think i might pull in a favour from a friend of Bens and get him to give it the once over.. suddenly i'm getting alsorts of issues and typically its now 14 months after i bought my set up with its 12 month warranty ...arrgghh!! ...its keeps 'firing' up as tho i've activated something but i might not even be sat at the puter when its doing that.. and its slowing down to snails pace sometimes -whats the point in broadband if my PC acts like its running on hamster and wheel!! ..plus, i keep getting connection messages and my AtivX controls are on the blink too =(( ..i run all the checks i can but even now i had trouble logging into Blogger- that was easily fixed but considering i haven't changed, or even touched, any settings, i'm terribly miffed =/

http://mmadness.blogspot.com/

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 168

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Rising :: Damp
2. Third :: Place
3. Disruptive :: Inconsiderate
4. Surround :: Sound
5. Distant :: Memory
6. Suction :: Leech
7. Fried :: Eggs
8. Nuggets :: Chicken
9. Clip :: Smack
10. San Antonio :: Strip

Re #8: i'd love to have said gold, but chicken came to mind first- that speaks volumes *LMAO

Unconscious Mutterings

How Big Is Your gMail ?

I have a gMail account and i like it.. only i've been using Yahoo so long that whenever i venture to pastures new i miss it and like the proverbial son.. i always come back home =) ...also, i just know that regardless of how many people, and how many times, i informed [people] of a change of eMail address, i'd still be getting eMails to my Yahoo account and whilst POPmail is cool, i don't want to start sorting thro all my eMails in the once place.. gMail is cool for its ability to keep all conversations in one thread without the need for duplication- i like that! ...an i like the labeling of messages as opposed to folders.. again, no need for duplication ...and i like how you can view all images in one message on the same page.. thats cool for all those home photographs and i'll often forward my eMails to gMail just to make life easier on myself.. so what does Google offer in its eMail package? i'm only commenting on this after stumbling on this article on one of my trawls- Just how big is your gMail? ..i thought it was quite funny - maybe thats just me =/ ..personally:

Special Invitation Only

Want a gMail invitation?
Mail me at tillybud@gmail.com

Out Count: 12 in 111

Okay- so it wasn't exactly far- we went to the bank to deposit some money for Lauren- but i did it because i wanted to rather than because i had to. I'm unhealthy- the unhealthiest i've ever been and its affecting me in pretty much everything i do now =( ...i've never been in denial- i've been overweight since as far back as i can remember and i know that if i don't do something about it now then i never will! ..i'm hoping that whilst the summer months aren't my favourites they'll at least allow for copious amounts of salad munching and light dry nights when we'll mebbe go out a little more. Ben knows how i feel but i think i have to put it to him straight so that he can support me and help me on the way.

Enough is Enough

Doherty Drugs Arrest... again *yawns ....Pete Doherty is a prick =)
Is that slanderous..? ...libelous..? ..whats the difference..?
Just a few pointers from the story linked:

1. He could now face jail if found guilting of breaking a community order.
2. Doherty could be jailed if found guilty of drug offences
3. District Judge Jane McIvor had told Doherty he was showing "significant signs of compliance and effort". But she warned him jail would be an option if the conditions were breached.

"could" face jail..?? ..what example does this set.. how many times before someone puts their foot down and says enough is enough.. ...arrrrrggggghhhhh!!

He makes me feel itchy ...ewwwww!!

Money For Nothing

One Red Paperclip vs Million Dollar Homepage

I've had money making ideas in the past- i've always had a couple that i thought could actually work floating around in my head but i've never acted on them.. i won't share them here.. i'm sure one day i'll see one of the products i thought of one the store shelves but it probably won't be because i actioned it ...anyhoo, i stumbled across the Million Dollar Homepage a long time ago when there was still quite a bit of advertising space left and thought that it was awesome in its simplicity.. pixels sold for a price amounting to $1m dollars.. depending on notoriety and the internet equivalent of word-of-mouth this was an idea that couldn't fail really ...nice work Alex Tew =) however.. i really have to tilt my hat to Kyle MacDonald of One Red Papercip on his quest to trade one aforementioned red paper clip for a house ...sounds extreme huh? he's well on his was to achieving his goal so check out his website to see how far he's gotten ... and check out the Million Dollar Homepage too... i think the ideas behind them both are real genius!

Old Rope

In my inbox this afternoon i found one of these:

FROM MR. AL-HASSAN YUSUF.
AUDITING AND ACCOUNTING UNIT,
FOREIGN OPERATIONS DEPARTMENT,
BANQUE TOGOLAISE POUR LE COMMERCE ET L'INDUSTRIE,
LOME- TOGO.

Dear Tilly,

My name is Al-Hassan Yusuf. I am the head of auditing and accounting section of Banque Togolaise Pour Le Commerce Et L'Indusrie Lome-Togo in West Africa. With due respect and regard,I have decided to contact you on a business transaction that will be very beneficial to both of us at the end.
During our investigation and auditing in this bank, my department came across a very huge sum of money belonging to a deceased person who died on 26th December 2004 in the Tsunami that happened in Sumatra island, Indonesia. From the information that our bank have gotten so far, the Tsunami killed him with his entire family.Uptill now, no other relation has been identified. The person that he used as his next of kin was his 17 year old son who died along side the family.

Although personally, I keep this information secret within myself to enable the whole plans and idea be profitable and successful during the time of execution. The said amount was (U.S$9.5M UNITED STATES DOLLARS).
I thereby contact you, to :
(1) Assist me in the transfer of the said fund into your account.
(2) Advise me on lucrative areas for investment.

Meanwhile, all the arrangement to put claim over this fund, as the bonafide next of kin to the deceased, as well as getting the required approval and transfering this money to a foreign account, has been put in place.I will relay directives and needed information to you, as soon as you indicate your interest and willingness to assist me, and also benefit your self with this great business opportunity.

I will not fail to inform you that this transaction is 100% risk free. On smooth conclusion of this transaction, you will be entitled to 40% of the total sum as gratification, while 10% will be set aside to take care of expenses that may arise during the time of transfer and also telephone bills, while 50% will be for me.Please, I advise you to keep this as a "top secret"* as I am still in service and intend to retire from service after I conclude this deal with you. I hope to hear from you as soon as possible for further information.

Yours faithfully,

Mr AL-Hassan Yusuf.

Wow.. its been a while since i got one of them.. even a chain mail come to think of it.. more so lately i just get offers to increase my penis size- thanks, but no thanks *sighs... so, whilst i decline Mr AL-Hassan Yusufs offer of part of U.S$9.5M UNITED STATES DOLLARS.. i thought i'd pass on his eMail address hassan_al01@yahoo.se for anyone who'd like to drop him a line ;) ..to add insult to injury, i was only a CC on this email =( how rood!!

* shhhhhh.. don't tell anyone ;)

Baby Boom

I've not been online long yet and i'm just doing my usual trawl around Sky News ...seems everyones been popping out kids overnight... TomKat had their 'silent birth' but i'm routing for Brooke Shields shouting just for the sake of it to piss off Tom *LOL .. she was open enough to admit that she suffered Post Natal Depression after the birth of her first child two years ago and Tom got on his moral high horse and condemed her, along with possibly half of the female population, for taking medication to ease the pain/anxieties etc... so, Tom and his vast knowledge of childbirth huh.. well, whilst i wouldn't wish a difficult birth on ANYONE, i sincerely hope that Kate screamed bloody murder from start to finish.. just for the sake of it =) ..i know i would have had to if Ben had told me i couldn't *L ...i wouldn't ever wish PND on anyone either.. but you know, i sure hope Kate doesn't feel she's inadequate in asking for medical help if she is struggling.. i've been lucky in that any depressive feelings i've had after my girls were born i have managed to control but i've seen far better mothers than me crumble under the secretive hold that PND can have =/

It's All In The Name

TomKat: Suri ..i kinda like it.. apparantly it means 'princess' in Hebrew and 'red rose' in Persian ...what i am curious to know is which did they find first- the meaning or the name..? a little contrived maybe..?
Brooke Sheilds: Greir Hammond i'm not so taken with this... it sounds really old hat, altho not as old hat as-
Gwyneth Paltrow: Moses ..apparantly, according to Sky, this lil chap was named after "a song that Chris penned for Gwynnie." ..bleurgh!

There's more to come- Lord only knows what Angelina Jolie, Gwen Sefani, Geri Halliwell, Rachel Weisz etc will come up with ....eek!

Monday Madness: Easter Weekend

1. What was the highlight of your weekend? ...spending a lovely day with my mum, dad, sister and Ben and the girls =) ...the more i think about them living abroad the more i appreciate the time i spend with them =(
2. What was the best meal you ate this past weekend? ...certainly the lamb ribs and beef stefado my dad made on Sunday... they were delish!
3. Did you spend time with anyone special? ...see Q1
4. Did the weekend seem to drag, or go by too quickly? ...a little of both... Sunday i was surprised when it was only 7pm... i thought it was much later... overall tho, the weekend hasn't been long enough and Ben going back to work was a kick in the ass this morning =(

http://mmadness.blogspot.com/

Strike Whilst The Iron Is Hot

Bens going to Birmingham tomorrow in an effort to assist the Orange workers there who do the same job he does as their turnover isn't as impressive as Bens is =) *vb'shit-eating'g ...a last minute call from Jack to finalise plans means that i've just finished ironing a suit and shirt and polishing shoes too ...Ben says he's capable but i've seen his idea of capable before *L .. whilst the iron was out i figured it was time i tried to put some transfers i bought way back before X'mas onto a couple of t-shirts that i bought for Nina (also purchase pre-X'mas but the iron isn't out that often here *L) ...the outcome was so grand that i figured i'd post for all to see =) ..Nina LOVES this one... in her own words "Wow! I love Pingu!" =)
PS: and yes, that is how my daughter eats her Weetabix!

Easter Egg-stravaganza!

Again- just another morning when everyone was shouting at each other =( i won't go into detail- even i'm getting bored by it now =/ ..we had an invite from my folks to go round for something to eat but i was just really irritated and weepy and didn't want to go =/ i couldn't bear the thought of cracking in the middle of a nice afternoon and everything being out in the open- my folk leave for Crete for a month on Tuesday to look for a new home and i don't want to put the kybosh on their plans- they were hoping to do this years ago and then Ninas premature arrival and my sisters ex leaving after 18 years threw a spanner in the works and now they feel we are all settled enough that they can continue their plans without guilt- i'm not about to tell them Ben and i are having problems now! i had two options- sit here feeling shitty all day or put a smile on my face and go spend some quality time with the rest of my family.. i'm glad we went- it was possibly the best time we've all had together for ages ...we all sat together to eat greek salad and lamb ribs ... the conversation was flowing and my sister even managed to not talk about herself constantly *gasps.. altho she did seem to walk around with her mobile phone permanently attached to her 'texters-thumb™' ...even my mother was in a good mood ALL day and Nina thought she was brilliant (which is unheard of) altho my dad got extra brownie points for rolling around the floor and dishing out twizers and aeroplanes on request *LOL ... you know, i'm actually starting to think maybe i dreamt it all because the likelihood of all these thing happening on the same day are slim to zilch!!...for main course we had beef stefado which (altho i am not well-up on how the greeks cook it) i believe my dad has down to perfection (Ben had 3 helpings!) ...pudding was copious amounts of chocolate of course and even the walk home was really pleasant.. possibly something to do with Lauren not saying or asking anything really stupid *LOL ...tonight i'm tired and so is everyone else- early nights all round after what eventually became a really enjoyable day =)

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 167

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Ambition :: Drive
2. Meatloaf :: Bat out of Hell
3. Celebrity :: Famous
4. Coach :: Carter
5. Slacker :: Shirker
6. Reflection :: Mirror
7. Original :: First
8. Risk :: Chance
9. Saved :: Goal
10. June :: July

Unconscious Mutterings

Good Friday...??

No! Not particularly... we all slept late which made a nice change altho all day i've been doing things like its a Saturday because thats just how its felt all day =/ ..i've dived in head first with the potty training as my first attempt a couple of weeks ago was thwarted by 'that virus' that we all had and Ninas throwing up issues which resulted in extra doses of 'pooh drink' .. so- not wanting to make more problems for myself, i decided last week to put it off a little. Aileen, on Wednesday, questioned how we'd gotten on with the training as we'd discussed it the fortnight before and i felt guilty for not managing to get anywhere so i'm hoping by the time Aileen is here next, Nina will at least be out of nappies during the day- no promises tho =) .. so, yesterday i started the day with Nina having knickers on inside her nappy but i don't think Nina was uncomfortable at all so by midday i decided to go all in and grabbed a new multipack of knickers out of the draw ...oh bless her and her cutee lil butt! ..sadly, she just didn't get it- not in the sightest and i was feeling really disheartened -i know.. i know.. Rome wasn't built in a day *sighs ..so this morning, after our lie in, i did the toilet routine whilst Nina impressed me by counting to 100 three times whilst perched on the loo but she wasn't giving up the goods so, to protests from Ben, i grabbed a pair of butterfly knickers and a potty and headed downstairs. She was great at first.. almost 2 and a half hours before we had any accidents and that was more my fault than Ninas ...so clean knicks and we're off again... only this time i was making dinner when the next accident happened =/ ..Ben was getting more miffed with each one and i was getting more pissed at him for mouthing off as Nina was going to end up associating the shouting with her accidents and we'd end up getting nowhere.. that just led to him mouthing off more about me never backing him up ..blah blah blah ..so, i'm doing this on my own.. i do expect the credit when its all done altho i'm sure that Ben will insist he played his part =/ ...don't get me wrong.. Bens here in body *L .. he's quite happy to take a potty and clean it up.. or hand wash lil dainty knicks if need be... but i think he thought this would be something that just clicked with Nina- i didn't have any expectations and am just happy that we finally did get somewhere today- it might have been 3 or 4 accidents into the day, but finally Nina sat herself down on the potty and watched telly for a few minutes.. i truly thought she was just using it for a chair til she stood up with a damp patch on her butt *L ..bless her.. i think i made her panic a little with my cheers but i was gobsmacked and excited =)) ...i dug out a star/reward chart that i was sent thro the post as Nina loves stickers and we opened one of the doors on it to reveal a bright shiny star- Nina was sooo excited about that- so much so that we had tears for the next half hour because i wouldn't let her open another one *LOL ...i was hoping that we might head out some place with Ben having the day off work but it was the brightest day of the year so far and Ben came back from the shops complaining he was sunblind and that we weren't going anywhere ...mebbe tomorrow huh altho i suppose i should see how well Ninas training is going first *L ..he did push that we should ask my sis to take us to the beach on Monday but i'm fed up of having that arguement with him so i cut him short and never brought it up again.. its a shame that the same couldn't be said for the constant bickering that went on ALL day between him and Lauren.. i've hit an all time low about this- if i'm not having to listen to them going on, i'm thinking about them going on and have realised that actually- this isn't something that will pass; it isn't something that will just disappear one day; this isn't something i/we* am handling particularly well; and this isn't something that someone else will make all better for me/us* and that i/we* DO have to do some serious thinking about where i/we* go from here =((

*delete as applicable

Battle Of The Sexes Pt 1,238b

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 166

I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Buck :: Rogers
2. Harry :: Potter
3. Play :: Time
4. Monstrosity :: Ugly
5. Nightclub :: Dancing
6. Missing :: Person
7. Sprout :: Grow
8. Flavour :: Banoffee
9. Identity :: Card
10. Saucy :: Sexy

Unconscious Mutterings

Monday Madness: Do You Like To Shop?

www.vimrod.com

Do You Like To Shop?

I can't really answer this with 'yes' or 'no' so i figure if i answer both sets of questions then i'll give a better overall answer..

IF YES, answer the following:

1. What is your favorite store? Why? ...i like Debenhams... they sell a bit of everything (and there's always a sale on) and for gifts, their items are nicely packaged- since our local store removed its Etam section tho i haven't shopped there much at all
2. Do you only shop when there is something you specifically need or want or do you sometimes go shopping just for 'something to do?' ...never just as something to do.. only if i HAVE to
3. Do you prefer shopping online or in stores? ...online for sure =)
4. Do you have a shopping buddy or are you perfectly content going alone? ...if i have to go then i go it alone... Nina doesn't like to shop at all ...if i can get Ben to come with me tho, then thats cool =)

IF NO, answer the following:

1. Even though you don't like to shop, where do you find yourself shopping most often? ...Debenhams, Sainsburys and Tescos
2. Do you try to send someone else to shop for you? if so, who and why that person? ...i send Ben.. he understands that i can't always go out and also, he knows my debit card details and understands if i am on a very tight budget =)
3. Do you think shopping online is as annoying as shopping in stores? ...i don't find online shopping annoying at all.. grocery shopping online isn't so much fun anymore with a tight budget but browsing the cyber-ailses and finding a product so much cheaper than anywhere else is extremely fulfilling- does that make me as tragic as i think it does...?
4. Does anyone close to you encourage to go shopping with her (or him)? if so, do you feel tortured and go or just say no? ...my sister will occassionally invite me out with her and won't understand if i say i haven't got any money.. she'll say it will be a nice break out or that she isn't intending to buy anything anyway but its crappy when she can just purchase anything that she likes whilst i haven't even taken my albeit, empty purse along with me =(

http://mmadness.blogspot.com/

Out Of the Loop

I feel like i'm missing a week of my life =( ..we got 'this virus' thats been going around and it put us all out of action for almost 10 days...Nina started first last Sunday but with her track record we never thought anymore of it once she'd settled.. Monday everything was okay-ish and most of Tuesday too.. but Tuesday evening 'it' decended on us like a black cloud =( ..i went from feeling perfectly normal to sleepy and sickly in a matter of minutes and fell asleep on the couch for no more than 20 minutes ...whilst i was out cold Ben had taken Nina upstairs to give her a bath but i think he thought i was just trying to get out of bathing duties and by the time i'd gotten upstairs, which was before they'd gotten out of the water, Ben had already fallen out with Lauren over something and nothing but i didn't care to intervene =/ ..we manaaged to get Nina to bed and i decided that i was going to do the same.. Lauren had complained to Ben that she wasn't feeling well but Ben thought she was doing it for effect so he was a little put out when i he was sat on her bed holding her hair back for her whilst she ralphed into the bin whilst i was doing pretty much the same into the loo... and we never stopped.. 12 hours of sleeping for 20 minutes then throwing up and Lauren and me feeling sorry for ourselves and each other =( Luckily (and i use that term loosely) we had Ben to help us and to mop our fevered brows (whilst cursing thro' gritted teeth) ..i was gobsmacked when i woke the next day and Ben had taken the day off work but it was neccessary- there was no one i would have been capable of looking after Lauren and Nina never mind myself =( ..some use he turned out to be.. by 11am he was on his knees worshipping the ceramic bowl whilst i arranged with my parents to come pick up Nina for the day =( ..i think that day Lauren, Ben and myself just needed to rest up and recouperate as we were all exhausted and we spent all day in bed sleeping... luckily Nina didn't come back til late and it wasn't long before she was tucked up in bed too -the strangest thing tho- Nina woke up at 2am.. threw up- then settled straight back to sleep til morning =/ ..the following day was like it had never happened and i thought that it was just a one off- until the same thing happened that night- and the following night too.. for 5 consecutive nights ..bizarre!!

Out Count: 11 in 100

After the weekend i figured it was prolly best that we got Nina checked out at the docs.. so.. my out count is on the up at least and the doc says that its perfectly okay for my 3 year to barf every night so long as she isn't dehydrated and she isn't in pain.. we have to go another 7 days and if no change then go back- well i guess he knows best *shrugs

Net Disaster!

Yesterday, a friend showed me this website http://www.netdisaster.com/ and i think in its simplicity, its absolutely brilliant- just type the web address of the site you wish to 'visit' .. choose your 'destruction' method and sit back and watch =)

I Love My Girls

Another photograph taken by Lauren on her mobile of her and Nina in their bedroom.. i suspect the orange and yellow walls are the reason for the 'warm glow' =)

Monday Madness: Thank you, Tricia =)

Thank you, Tricia, for the first two questions below! Thanks to all of you for playing! Have an excellent week! =)

1. Do you own any box sets of your favorite shows? ...for X'mas i bought Ben series 5 & 6 of Seinfeld which he was totally made up with ..since then i've bought him series 4 and also series 1 & 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm.. for myself, i bought the first series of Ally McBeal- i loved that show but missed quite a few episodes when i went into hospital and never caught up =( ..they are so cheap now i think i'll possibly buy them all =) ...i almost forgot, i've pre-ordered the first series of Green Wing- its awesome and half price- hopefully that'll arrive in the next few days ..series 2 started on the television last Friday.. yay!
2. Are you penpals with other people? ...nope... when i was younger i had penpals from the UK, China, France and America... i love to write altho my handwriting is deteriorating at such an alarming rate now =( ..i need to find a place that stocks chunky pens i think -i have kept in touch with a couple people thro eMail tho.. ..i don't really do enough to make my life interesting and therefore, worthy of a mail =(
3. Do you still send out real, paper cards in the mail? ...of course.. for birthdays, anniversarys, X'mas etc.. i send cards for those events if i know where the person lives.. i really don't like eCards and think they lessen any sentiment!
4. Have you ever bought or sold anything on Ebay? ...yup.. a few times.. 100% feedback score so far ...am very proud *L
5. Did you have to set your clocks an hour ahead this past weekend? ...not this weekend, but the weekend of the 26th March ...we're now 'British Summer Time' instead of 'Greenich Mean Time'
6. How many of your blog buddies' birthdays do you know? ...i know some of the birthdates of friends i chat to.. i know mebbe 2 or 3.. others i could tell you where i could find out =)
7. When is your birthday (need not include year)? ...21st January

http://mmadness.blogspot.com/

A Day Of Two Halves

Yesterday was a day of total differences.. the morning was disastrous and i was feeling so totally cacky i felt like grabbing my coat and going for a VERY long walk.. everyone was either bickering or sitting in awkward silence -that, with the combination of the left overs from the previous night -i just didn't want to have to deal with it. ..the ice was broken when Lauren sat slumped against the wall and Ben made some comment about it.. we quickly got into 'debating' the reason why we seem to be having these arguments daily.. hourly even, and the possible answers to stop them.. i didn't want to think that Ben might leave but it was a definite posibility =( ...i seemed to be watching Lauren and Ben discuss things but i didn't feel part of the conversation.. all i could feel was the hurt in the pit of my stomach.. =(( .. they'd talked about it between themselves and came to some kind of understanding just as my dad arrived.. it was the best possible timing as everyone put on a big smile and he remained oblivious to what had been going on.. phew! ...Ben decided that, in reality, he had been neglecting Lauren (for want of a better word) altho we both agreed that its nothing to do with Nina's arrival.. and whilst Lauren could feel left out as Nina does get a lot of attention from medical fields, she should be old enough to be grateful that she isn't in the same boat.. so Ben and Lauren decided to go into town for some retail therapy (what's the state of affairs when your 12 year old has more spare money than you do??!) Nina and i had a great time all afternoon: playing games, dancing around and reading stories and when Ben and Lauren got back everything (and everyone) seemed very much more civil =)
Later in the evening Ben took Nina upstairs to start the evening routine and i was in the kitchen checking up on my eMails and making a bottle of milk when i heard Nina gagging from upstairs followed by quite a few expletives from Ben...balls! i threw Nina in the bath quickly whilst Ben cleaned up and i thought it was just a one-off but that would just be too easy... we spent the next 2 hours, every 20 minutes, sitting with Nina whilst she tried to be sick on an empty tummy =(( ...it would have all settled down at this point if i hadn't taken a funny turn- i'm sat on the edge of my bed with my clothes sticking to me- drips of sweat collecting then pouring off me and i'm cuddling an empty bin (just in case) and holding a cold flannel to my forehead.. in my head my thoughts were clear but i was unable to communicate to Ben that i wanted him to hold my hand just because i was plain scared =( ...next everything became muffled- very slowly.. like someone turning down the volume on the radio or having cotton wool wrapped around my head... -pick whichever visual works for you best here ;) ..the whole thing lasted at most 10 to 15 minutes but it felt like hours and afterwards i just wanted to sleep .. Nina had other ideas and with Ben having to get up to go to work the following morning i drew the short straw and stayed with Nina thro'out the night ..7.30am i woke and for the first time in a while my first thought wasn't one of dismay.. just maybe, last night was to make me realise just how important those people around me are :/ ..this morning i'm feeling fine.. a little achy and wheezy and very tired but i'll not forget Ben telling me last night that "he hates it when i go blue!"

Snap Back To Reality, Oh, There Goes Gravity

I woke up this morning and for almost 2 minutes everything seemed 'normal'.. sadly, Bens whiney, exasperating, protesting moans at Nina broke the silence and i instantly came back to earth with a thud! ..its not that this is anything new to experience.. just that its constant, and with Lauren being a hormonal teenager i'm finding it really difficult to cope with the pair of them =( ...they dont' sem to be able to spend anytime together without falling out yet if Lauren spends anymore than 5 minutes out of the room then Ben thinks she is being ignorant..aarrgghh!! ...this isn't about having to make a choice.. i WOULDN'T allow anyone to put me in that position.. that doesn't mean i'm happy about what seem like the only logical conclusion, here ...i suspect we'll all trying another discussion about it today.. and that'll end up with a lot of shouting and tears.. i'm desperately trying to make this work but there is only so much i am capable of doing =/

Unconscious Mutterings: Week 165
I say ... and you think ... ?

1. Desire :: lust
2. Sleep :: deprived
3. Lost :: and found
4. 2006 :: year
5. Pump :: action
6. Space :: stars
7. Stuck :: glue
8. Reference :: job
9. Birth :: baby
10. Hand :: job *LOL .. sorry :/

Unconscious Mutterings