Too many toys?

In preparation for a car boot sale I'm doing at the weekend I've asked the kids to clear out their toy boxes and give me all the things they don't need/use anymore. Now considering they haven't touched these toyboxes in about a year you would think they didn't actually find any of the contents interesting, especially as I'm always telling them to go and play and they reply with 'I haven't got anything to play with!' Or 'there's nothing to do!' But no, all of a sudden everything seems to be 'awesome' and 'epic'

It's great that they now have a new love for all their old tat but in my attempt to clear things out I instead have a front room floor covered in toys and a tiny bag to take to my car boot sale.

I'm really not looking forward to tackling the wardrobes!

Wise words on a Wednesday #3

They say good things come to those who wait but I believe you need to do a bit more than waiting in order to get what you want. Im speaking in general here so it could be related to any situations, be it employment, relationships, fitness, etc

I would say im quite a pessamistic person but thats mainly to protect myself from the worst. If you think of the worst outcomes then you are prepared for them when they happen and when there is a good outcome then it makes it all the more pleasurable.

On the other hand I think if you dont believe you are able to achieve what you want in life then how do you expect it to happen? Believing that something is in your reach will give you the push to go and get it!

Superhero race

I was dressed as Mrs Incredible!

 

On Sunday I woke unusually early, (5:48 to be precise!) in anticipation of running a 5k charity race for which I felt completely unprepared...apart from the outfit.

I was running with a group of colleagues for the charity School-Home Support.

 

Their statement:

School-Home Support works with some of the most troubled families in the country, to get children back in to school and ready to learn whatever it takes. Our practitioners work to support families who are coping with complex problems such as; domestic violence, mental heath, bullying, poverty and severe housing issues.

 

I'm pleased to say we raised over £1000 for the charity and we all survived.

I know 5k isn't exactly a marathon but to a beginner like myself it was a challenge. As it was a fun run with children also invited to take part it meant that I didn't feel like I was cheating when I got out of breath and had to walk in between the running.

 

The best part of running for charity (apart from raising lots of money) is knowing that I can finally cross something off my Bucket list.

 

 After the run, very sweaty and red!

 

RIP Barbie

Before you despair the real Barbie hasn't gone anywhere, she is still in Malibu soaking up the sun with Ken and is as skinny as ever...bitch!

Our pet albino toad on the other hand...

It all started when he (or she, I cant tell the difference) was enjoying life in the fish tank, coming up for air every so often and eating all the fish's dinner of blood worms and dry flaky things, you know the kind that fish eat. Until someone spotted Barbie (don't ask why she's named that) enjoying herself a bit too much in the tank!

Here is a picture of my sweet little cat named Coco, she has been fish spotting for years, sometimes looking in from the side of the tank and sometimes having a nap on top of it.

I noticed a few weeks ago that Barbie wasn't swimming to the top of the tank when the food was put in but thought maybe she was under one of the many things around the bottom of the tank, like a log or plant.

The man of the house was looking for something the other day and asked mr15 to look in the drawer in the study. In reply he got a screeching cry for mr15 had found more than what he was looking for and there in the back of the drawer was the body of Barbie.

Barbie didn't seem depressed so I don't think she purposefully committed toad suicide and there were no witnesses as to what happened but knowing what a predator my sweet little cat is I know who my money is on!

Wise words on a Wednesday #2

This week, yesterday to be exact was my birthday!
I do joke around with people, as you do, with thee old 'Im 21 again' when they ask how old you are, but actually I don't really mind anybody knowing my age.

I do think there comes a time in your life when you have to act your age, I mean nobody likes a mutton dressed as lamb dancing it up in a club with the young ones, then again if you are (not that im accusing you personally) that mutton dressed as lamb dancing it up in the club with the young ones and you're enjoying yourself and don't care what others think then does it really matter?

So yesterday, for some strange reason, I was thinking what the earth will be like in 600 years time (thats a whole other blog post) and it got me thinking how our time on earth will be nothing but history, not even distant memories because nobody will even remember that we existed!

The point is we should be grateful for each moment and make the most of them no matter what age we are!

And incase you were actually wondering, Im now 34!!

Wise words on a Wednesday #1

I love weekends, I think everybody does. It's that time to relax, revitalise and get your energy back so that when Monday morning comes around you can face it head on with good intentions of all the things you're going to achieve that week, but it doesn't always go to plan and by the time you reach Wednesday you're just counting down the hours until the weekend will once again appear.

So now I've decided that each Wednesday I will post something a bit inspirational to give us (mainly me) that kick up the bum to keep us going for the next couple of days.

I saw this on one of my favourite sites (Pinterest) and thought how true is the saying 'Time stops for no man!' Its better to fill your time trying to achieve something than to waste it dreaming about what you could be doing.

This is especially true of a situation I was in.

I had given up my job in a shop as I was there for 5 years, which just seemed to fly by and didn't feel I was going anywhere with it. I looked into college courses and choose to do a couple of short courses, one of which was a counselling course. I loved the course, it gave me loads of confidence and my tutor said I should really pursue it as a career. After looking into it I realised it would take me 4 years to become fully qualified and felt that being a mum to 3 small children at that time it would be more sensible to find a job than to commit myself to 4 years of study.

However fast forward 4 years and I still seemed to be in the same predicament, I was working but didn't feel I had the career that I wanted and realised that if I had just taken that step then I could have been a qualified counsellor.

Now I have a job I enjoy but I am still working towards my dream. Instead of worrying how long it will take me to get there I'm just going to have fun along the way and hope that one day it will all fall into place.

Nice nails

Im not a morning person and having 4 children to get ready in the mornings; finding clothes, brushing hair, making packed lunches! Always meant I never had much time to do anything more than brush my teeth and apply a bit of moisturiser to my dry bits.

Now the kids are all a little more independant and can do the above things for themselves (with prompting) It means I have time to make myself presentable.
I still dont wear a lot of make up, mostly around the eyes and some lip gloss which I prefer to lipstick and I may even straighten my hair if I feel to have it out of its usual ponytail.

However one thing I have always done is paint my nails.

My nails have always grown quickly (apart from a short period at around 11yrs when I started biting them) and I have always had long nails.
I know its become a bit of the norm nowadays to go and get your nails done, for some it's a treat and for others its a part of their regular routine but I have never had a manicure in my life. Not because I dont want too, I'm sure it's quite relaxing having someone else paint your nails for you but ive just never felt the need to have mine done.

I actually like the process of choosing a colour, painting it on without going over the edge and having a sniff out the bottle. I don't do it to get high or anything... honest, I just love the smell of nail varnish!

Most of the nail varnish I buy is from Avon. I used to be an Avon rep so would always get the new colours when they came out and even though Im now a Bodyshop consultant (I dont know why they dont have a nail varnish range) I still order from Avon as I think they have some great value products and I love their range of nail varnish colours (They're not paying me to say that!)

When I want to splash out and go for something a bit more designer I wait for the latest magazine ie Marie Clair, Cosmopolitan or Glamour to give them as free gifts and I buy that! That way I also have something nice to read while I'm waiting for the nails to dry.

These are the last 2 nail varnishes I purchased which I think are really pretty spring colours. The first is called 'chilling teal' and the second is 'arctic waters' both as you can see are from Avon and I bought them as part of a half price offer for £3 each.