|
|
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting! I think I mentioned here before that Maisie & I have recently had to go wheat and dairy free. It hasn’t been easy but I’m also surprised at how well we’re eating (at home anyway).
Part of the reason why is all of the amazingly varied free from food companies that have popped up since the first time I had to go wheat free which is about seven years ago!
Even more exciting? There is a Free From Food Festival (love the alliteration!) THIS weekend at my favourite London venue, the Southbank Center. Not only does the festival run Friday, Saturday and Sunday, it’s also FREE! (making it the Free Free From Food Festival!) and as always there’s a ton of other amazing things happening around the Southbank.
I think Maisie & I are going to go along to sample the wares, walk the wobbly bridge and take a ride on the recently improved River Bus service. Sounds like a good day out!
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
Ok this might be the saddest post I’ve ever written (and by sad I mean pathetic not grab your hankies!)
It is Saturday night & I have had an AWESOME night. Wanna know why? Because of this:
Oh yes folks my life has been revolutionized by a £4 paint pad.
See I LURRRRRRRVE to decorate & redecorate but problem is I actually hate painting, hate the mess and, hey now I’m on my own with a toddler hate the idea of having everything out for so long. I also hate mint green, which happens to be the colour the landlords decided to paint the walls in the entranceway, up the stairs and ALL of the common space on the second floor. Most of the rooms are totally neutral but the largest area of the house – MINT GREEN. So I’ve got a bit of time this week so I thought I’d tackle the job but as I was taping all my edges I suddenly remembered how much I hate painting. Luckily, because of a throwaway comment my BFF made weeks ago, I had grabbed a paint pad on my way out of Homebase today. I was convinced that it was going to suck but holy crap folks! It didn’t drip, it covered the walls quickly & easily, used very little paint and I was DONE the space I wanted to do (the lower end of the wall under the dado rail) in less than an hour – and that includes the 15 minutes where I didn’t get anything done because Maisie woke up & wanted to watch me paint. Which was slightly annoying but then she kept saying, in the most enthusiastic way ever, “Mama I LOVE the colour. Good choice Mama!” and giving me kisses so who was I to banish the only person who loves my work on a daily basis??
So there we go – in less than an hour on a Saturday night I was done the first batch of colour. If I’d known it was going to be that easy I would have bought the complementary colour but I honestly thought I would be looking at DAYS to get it done. That said, if you had told me even a couple of years ago that the thing that would get me really fired up on a Saturday night was a £4 paint pad I would have laughed out loud – I guess I just wasn’t that awesome back then!
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
I have wanted, desperately, to see Wicked for several years now. Arts and culture was one of the things I missed desperately while we were in Canada (well let’s say affordable arts & culture). So shortly after my arrival I decided to organize a group trip and roped in a bunch of friends to come with me. Despite some last minute cancellations (sickness and a sister in labour!) we grabbed dinner beforehand and hit the theatre.
The show was incredible – the story (which I didn’t really know beforehand) was original, inspiring and clever and the voices of the cast were incredible – especially Rachel Tucker (Elphaba) and Louise Dearman (Glinda). I cried. At least twice. Once unsurprisingly during my theme song which rings even truer than it did before. (As an aside I can’t believe it was more than 18 months between that post and actually getting back to London!)
It was everything I needed right now – true food for my creative soul and everything that I’ve felt like my life was missing. (And for only £22.50 I can afford to feed my soul on a more regular basis!) This week I’ve been basking in the joy being back in London has brought and I’m so excited by some of the projects & opportunities that are starting to crop up.
Every day I feel more and more like the Emily I thought I lost forever and that? Is wicked.
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
I am not a quitter. This statement may seem incongruous with my life of late – what with me walking away from my marriage, a country and a certain way of life but I’m a resilient cow and will generally fight to the end to avoid having to quit.
I quit my job yesterday. My “lifeline” job, my “something to fall back on” job. My insurance benefits job.
And it was terrifying. And exhilarating. And now it’s done. And I’m free. Free to be more open here on the blog, free from unhealthy stress & anxiety about having to go back, free to succeed, free to fail – free to be a better me. See, to me, quitting isn’t about the end. It’s about a new beginning.
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
Have you seen the incredible video below? It’s timelapse footage taken from the International Space Station between August & October of this year – it floored me with it’s beauty when I first saw it. Maisie came over and we watched it another two times together and it was so wonderful to see her try and understand that this amazing, thriving, living thing that we were watching is our home.
Earth | Time Lapse View from Space, Fly Over | NASA, ISS from Michael König on Vimeo.
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
- Last night I started mentally composing a post about how I’ve managed to actually give up my prescription sleeping medication. Then I was up until 4am. I will not be mentioning said sleeping medication and how clever I am ever again.
- Whilst being sick is generally a pain in the ass, the time it’s given me to think about a whole pile of things has been nothing but brilliant. I’m feeling a lot more together and clearer about the future.
- Have you tried Waitrose Heston spiced mulled cider? It tastes like Christmas in a cup (warm it up for full effect) and, aside from a few festive cocktails, I can’t see wanting to drink anything else this season.
- Speaking of Christmas – I am going to be hosting a Mad Men inspired evening of Martinis and Mistletoe and I can’t wait to share everything I’m planning.
- I need some new (more) Christmas traditions to start with the monkey – what are some of your favourites?
- How are you finding NaBloPoMo? I can’t believe we’re halfway through! It’s been exactly what I needed to get my butt in gear and I’m hoping that the momentum will see me through. I also hope I haven’t bored anyone to death!
- And finally… sigh… here’s my little Christmas present to myself. I’m considering wearing them to the theatre on Thursday when I head out to see Wicked:
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
I read somewhere that it takes the average working parent a team of 5 – 7 people to get through the trials and tribulations of modern life. I would double that number for a single parent – working or otherwise. I don’t have any family close by to help out but thankfully one of my neighbours suggested I check out Sitters.co.uk.
Primarily a service to provide evening baby sitting service, they have repeatedly saved me – even during the day and even at very short notice. When I just thought I had the flu last week I called them in the morning and within 90 minutes I had a sitter at my door ready to take over. I booked another one to take Maisie to the park for a couple of hours when I knew I wasn’t going to rally any time soon. I’ve also booked them in advance for several events I’m going to this month. If I can’t find a sitter myself it doesn’t mean I can’t go out – which is massive!
I love that once you’ve registered you can place your bookings on-line or over the phone (you can also change them if need be), all the sitters have professional childcare experience and most of them are registered with OFSTED and you have a say in whether or not you get someone back or not. I actually had issues with one of the sitters and was phoned within an hour of leaving my feedback to be told that they were taking it up with the sitter and that she would never be sent to us again. Brilliant customer service means a lot when you’re leaving the most precious thing in the world with someone.
I can’t recommend them enough and the rates are always competitive (and so far consistently lower than what I’ve been quoted by private sitters in my area.) So if you’re looking for a sitter or just looking to make sure you have a back up plan for a night out I would say check them out & you won’t be sorry – I certainly am not!
*** All opinions and reviews on this site are my own. I won’t be paid, bribed or buttered up for my opinions because, let’s face it, a false economy doesn’t do anyone any favours. ***
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
I haven’t slept till noon since I was in college but this weekend, thanks to my BFF I got dwell in blissful sleep for hours after Maisie woke up. The sleep was full of crazy nightmares about death (I’m still fighting a fever on and off) but it was sleep. SLEEP!!!
I’ve never been a big one for lie ins (I’d love to be able to but my body clock was always set far too early) but since becoming a parent I can never have too much sleep. There is a constantly accumulating day to day deficit similar in size to American debt that will never be repaid but this weekend I made several deposits to the sleep bank and it was GLORIOUS!!!
I’m wondering if this year Father Christmas could bring me sleep? I’ve been a very good girl this year!
Come back tomorrow for more because I’ve committed to blogging every day in November as I’m crazy as part of National Blog Posting Month!
|
|
