I'm Back!!

I'm Back!

Oh how I've missed this little part of the world.

Where do I begin?

First my laptop decided to have a little bit of a hissy fit and die. DIE i tell you. I felt like a part of me was missing for a while. I had so much time to do stuff when it was gone. Which means I was spending way too much time reading some amazing blogs and scouring Pinterest. Tut tut!! 

But I missed blogging. I missed connecting with people from all over the world and reading about their families who I have grown to love. I missed my fitness buddies and the motivation that they gave mt to continue with my training.

If the laptop dying wasn't enough, I get the mother of all flu's. It kicked my ass for 3 weeks and I could function with it. I never get the flu. Maybe a little cough and sniffles but never the flu. I think this must have been 5 years worth of flu wrapped up in one and it was going to kick my ass.

But I'm better and I'm back and I'm going to make this little part of my world better than ever... without sitting in front of the laptop all the time. Ha!

Check back tomorrow for my 5k story. It's long over due and I can't wait to talk about it and reconnect with my Health and Fitness buddies.

It feels good to be back.

Valentines with the kiddos

Valentines day can be difficult when you have kids.

Babysitters, booking a restaurant, trying to fit it all in to a couple of hours.

It can make it a teeny bit stressful.

But I am certainly going to try make our Stay at home Valentines special for all of us.

To start things off the kiddos got a "Bag of love".

I filled it with a Teddy, sweets and other bits and pieces I had picked up for them.

What do you get for the man who says he has everything?

I made a "Tub of love".

I filled it up with all his favourite sweets and chocolates. Simple but he was happy.

I try and make the food extra dpecial on this day.

Valentines Day Menu

Breakfast

Pancakes 

 Fresh fruit

Topping of your choice

Whipped cream

Dinner

Steak with mash and mixed vegetables 

Fried onions

Garlic bread

Dessert

Chocolate fondue with strawberries, marshmallows and mini cupcakes

Meringue Mess

I'm looking forward to having a quite night at home with the ones I love. Don't get me wrong. I luurve a good date night but I'm kinda looking forward to not having to find a restaurant, babysitter and hold in my stomach all night. I might just throw on a little black number and do my hair. He's worth the effort.

When the kiddos are in bed we will settle down to watch a movie.

Coin toss gets to pick the DVD.

How will you be celebrating Valentines day?

Love to all.

Road to fittness

One of my New year goal is to get fit again. Having two kiddos, a hubby and a house to look after doesn't make it easy. But I'm determined to make it happen.

My aim is to be able to run/jog a 5k race and then I might even try my hand at a 10k. You see I was meant to achieve this last year but my appendix got in the way. Not this year. This year I'm gonna do it. Nothing is going to get in the way.

That is once the kids, husband  fur babies and my body don't decide to have a meltdown or need something every five seconds.

I'm starting this plan I saw over at Mykidstime.ie. It look easy enough even for this mama to do it.

So wish me luck. Tomorrow is day one... I hope.

That time I was attacked!

Happy Little Womens Christmas everyone.

As I was scrolling through Facebook today I can across this post. It seemed odd that I found this today, a day devoted to women. But then I thought it must be fate that I found it today.

I decided to share it on here because it is close to my heart. I was set upon by a disgusting man one horrible night. It happened over 10 years ago when I was a teenager but thankfully I got away and  I'm here to tell the tale.

It has made me more aware of what is going on around me and yes, I am now one of those people that checks her back seat every time before I get in the car and I drive with the doors locked at night.

I would hate for someone not to know what to do if it ever happened to them and so I share this post with you.

Find it on Facebook and share it with your friends or share this post.

"THROUGH A RAPIST'S EYES" (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. it may save a life.) 

It seems that a lot of attackers use some tactic to get away with violence. Not many people know how to take care of themselves when faced with such a situation. Everyone should read this especially each and every girl in this world.

THOUGHT THIS WAS GOOD INFO TO PASS ALONG...

Through a rapist's eyes! A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interviewed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women whose clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don't have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn't worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas, or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you're not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can't believe it is so cold out here, we're in for a bad winter. Now that you've seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they'd leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can't beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and
armpit or in the upper inner thigh - HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy's parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you'll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of
trouble. Start causing trouble, and he's out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked
audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don't dismiss it, and go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you'd feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL....

I know you are smart enough to know these pointers but there will be some, where you will go "hmm I must remember that" After reading, forward it to someone you care about, never hurts to be careful in
this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans: if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you.... chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit
(doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS, LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side, peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. (DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB).

b. If you! U are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c. Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard /policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers,
wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better safe than sorry.

If u have a heart or compassion share this photo.

WE CAN SHARE JOKES AND SPAM MAILS TO OUR FRIENDS & NETWORKS
PLEASE FOR ONCE SHARE THIS AND
LETS TRY TO HELP THEM.

‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.
SHARE IT WITH ALL UR FRIENDS.

AT LEAST PEOPLES WILL KNOW WATS GOING IN WORLD.

Friends So Please Share....Your one share can Help to spread this information. We share So many Stupid Things on Facebook and ignore these types of things which can save so many lives’s...


Take care.

Be safe this year and every year ahead of you.

New year resolutions

Every year I make these and some where along the way I get off track and they go out the window.
This year I not going to give up anything but I going to start new things and accomplish some goals that I have wanted to do for awhile.

So here goes!

I'm also posting them up here as I think i will feel more accountable for them. ( I'll let you know how I go with these).

1. Give the blog a face lift.
2. Find more Irish bloggers.
3. Keep on top of the housework.
4. Run a 5k race.
5. Do more things as a family; outings and such.
6. Sort out my major fail of a garden.
7. Find time for me.
8. Have FUN and BE HAPPY with what I have.

Some of these are more reminders than resolutions but they'er all the same if you ask me.

Here's to making 2013 the luckiest, happiest and eventful year for my family so far.

More then just a Mom Meme

Kate over at Kate takes 5 is doing a cool link-up about how us Moms are far more than just moms. I hate it when people look at me and see 'just a Mom'.

I have done a lot more then be a mom. Now being a mom is properly one of the biggest things I've done in my life. But before I was a mom, I was very big into my horses and still am but being a mom means I don't have enough time to spend with the 4 legged love of my life.

This is Buck and for the last 10 years this guy has looked after me,.minded me and taken me on some of the best adventures in my life. He is my best friend and I would be lots without him. When I'm all stressed out, he is the one I go to and we head off and he sorts it out.

This is what I used to do every single Sunday for the winter months with this guy.

I am hoping that somewhere in the near future I will find time somewhere to get back to doing this as often as I used to.

Head on over to Kate takes 5 and check it out.

Happy Friday everyone!

One of those weeks!!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where, if it could go wrong, it did go wrong?
Or if it could break, stop working or blow up, it did?

Well I had one of those weeks last week.

Now nothing blew up, well except my mind from everything that happened.

Jasmin was on mid-term so I had loads of things planned for Halloween. We had a party on Monday and it went great. Eventually. I was late getting up that morning. The alarm never went off. Power must have cut out in the night and the clock never reset. No biggie. Just had to rush a bit.

Went outside to start the car to get it warm for the kids. It was COLD!! Only problem was... It wouldn't start. Now, this is the car that was in the garage to week before getting fixed. The car that had new spark plugs fitted, to help it start and go better and now it was dead. No way would it start. Not even for hubs. "Ok, don't panic", I said. Loaded everything for the party, we were having at my mom into the hubs car, Moved over 2 car seats and headed down.

An hour and a half later then I had planned, I started baking and making treats. I was so stressed out and busy making games, that i forgot to check the time. Guests started arriving and I wasn't dressed. No face paints or anything. :o( On the plus side the party was a hit. Everyone loved it! If you wanna see how the party went, click here.

Hubs got a car from one of our friends so I was able to get around but the car is still not fixed.

The next few days were a mix of me forgetting to bring my bag to town so I couldn't pay for the shopping. Embarrassing! Forgetting my bank card so I couldn't pay my car Insurance (I had to drive 10 miles home to get this. Not happy!) My microwave stopped working. I never realized how much I use my microwave. I'm lost without. Thought I lost Jasmins inhaler, my phone, the house keys, the yard keys, the list goes on.

To round the week off, I think I might have sprained my thumb or wrist yesterday hunting. It is killing me!!

I not saying my week was all bad. We had some great time with the kids at Halloween parties and friends houses. I did also manage to get most of the things I needed to pull Jasmins birthday party together.

I am hoping that by writing this post that the universe will see that I have had my run of bad luck and will send me some good luck this week.

As i was about to publish this post, the laptop died. It wont turn on. Not so much as a buzz. I am so aver this bad luck thing. I just hope the IT guy can get it back on so I can save all my photos.

Universe are you listening?? I need some good luck.

That is all.

When Hubs is away....

The hubs is away at the moment and life in our house is a little different when he's not here.

This is what goes on while he's gone.

When Hubs is away,

I stay up way too late.

I spend too much time on pinterest looking for cute birthday party ideas.

I don't dress the bed.

I don't cook a big dinner.

I treat myself to Chinese. (comfort food)

I get to watch whatever I want on TV.

I have to single mom bedtime. (not fun)

I try catch up on my blog work. (major fail here)

I have the whole bed to myself and ALL the blanket.(amazing)

I go around the house checking all the doors are locked and the window are closed. (boogie man)

I ring him 10 times a day. 

I clean up all the mess (that I've made and ignored while he was gone) 2 hours before he comes home.

I cuddle up to his pillows cos they smell of him and I miss him.

I think it pretty safe to say that our house and life is better when we are all together, as a family.

Hurry home Hubs. xx

Happy hump day!!

My 24 hours of hell

Warning!! I complain, a lot, in this post. Sorry

I've been lucky.

I've never needed to go to hospital for anything, aside from the birth of my children.

No broken bones or anything. (touch wood).

But the dreaded day came that I thought at the time would never end.

Woke up with a pain in my side. Didn't think much of it. Thought it might have been wind or something. Went for a ride on my horse, thinking it might help with the wind.

But it didn't.

Ate some lunch thinking it might be hunger.

But it wasn't

Now I'm no wimp.

I can deal with pain.

I gave birth to two kids with just gas and air for goodness sake.

I can handle pain.

But this was a burning pain that wouldn't go away and was getting worse.

On to the GP I go and she tell me I might have appendicitis. Go to the hospital. Don't eat or drink anything in case they need to operate. Now this was at 5pm. So I sorted out a babysitter and the hubs took me to the hospital. It was 6.50pm when I checked into A+E. 

The hubs hates hospitals. More then he hates anything. The smell alone makes him want to vomit. So he waited in the car.

The hours passed. People came and went and I was still sitting there waiting. Everyone around me was eating. I couldn't even have a drink.

Met some lovely girls who were painting their nails. They were dancers and one of them had burst their chin off the floor. ouch!!

 Hubs was still outside at midnight waiting. "Your're next" the nurse told me. So hubs said he'd wait for me.

I finally got in to see a doctor at 2.15am. She examined me and did bloods (which should have been done when I came in at 7pm).

Waited another hour.

Finally at 3.20am the doctor came is and told me that my bloods were fine and to go home. No appendicitis.

Come back in the morning at 9am for an ultrasound.

I was fuming.

Hubs was fuming.

Home we went and came back at 9am. Waited til 12 noon for the ultrasound where they were asking me about my ovaries and did I have any c-sections. The thoughts that were going through my mind were frightening. Was it a tumor or cancer?? I was told to go home. They would send out the results.

Now I know that hospitals are very busy places and that they are under staffed. I know that most of the nurses and doctors that work there are very good at what they do. I have friends that work in this very hospital and they work very hard. But I was sick of it.

This place was a joke!!

I waited 6 weeks for my results (they lost them) and it turned out that I did have appendicitis and they should have operated.

So now I have this grumbling time-bomb in my body that could explode at anytime. And I'm writing this now because I have that same grumbling pain I had back in June and I fear I could be heading back to that dreaded place... A+E.

Lets hope they get it right this time.