Mud & Mischief

And also, in case you had forgotten, it’s the first day of December.

Who stole the year? How the hell did we get to December so bloody quickly?? I know we’ve had the most incredible summer but I really like autumn and I feel like I’ve blinked and missed it this year. I haven’t even got the little advent dudes out of the loft and put the treats in the pockets for the morning. Will have to make it an ‘afterschool’ thing, I reckon.

I’m really glad it is December though - means I’m getting closer to my due date. Walking is now getting to be such a bore. The stupid elbow crutches are driving me insane. I feel so ungainly and unco-ordinated with them, but the thought of walking from the car up to school without them doesn’t bear thinking about. Just being sat here hurts. I’m actually looking forward to labour as I know it’ll help, in a warped sort of way - kind of like how hitting your thumb with a hammer takes away the toothache.

That and with a bit of luck, it’ll all start to go back into place once junior is here. Assuming it doesn’t get bad enough to put me in a wheelchair, in which case it can take several months (!). Was talking to one of the mums at preschool today and she ended up in a wheelchair at 27 weeks due to SPD with her second child. Am keeping everything crossed that this doesn’t go that far. My problem is the symphisis pubis disorder at the front needs rest, whilst the sacroiliitis at the back needs to be moved around to stop it seizing up. So either way I’m stuffed.

On a more upbeat positive note, I’ve all but finished my seasonal shopping When Mom comes up at the weekend, we’re going to pop into town and pick up the two little things on my list and a handful of stocking fillers. Apart from that, the one remaining thing requires a trip to Ikea. Shame, that means I’ll have to stock up on ginger thin biscuits and lingonberry sauce whilst I’m there. And a new bookcase for the old dining room, as we’ve finally got carpet down. Yippee - it looks like a real room! The fact all the bedrooms, the dining kitchen and the living room are stacked with all the accumulated crap that came out of the playroom/dining room and the hall/stairs/landing is completely besides the point. The house is starting to look quite good. All we need is that side room finishing off and I might even be able to live here for another year… as much as I desperately want to move, I can put up with it for another year if I have to. Guess I’d better start planning my garden. Could have put that bloody garlic in after all. *sigh*

Still, that means I’m going to have a pleasant evening browsing potato catalogues online That’s after I’ve been to the preschool committee meeting at 8pm. Such a fascinating, hectic life I lead.

http://www.numberonepig.co.uk/

I’m a Dodge Viper!

You’re all about raw power. You’re tough, you’re loud, and you don’t take crap from anyone. Leave finesse to the other cars, the ones eating your dust.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You? quiz.

I don’t remember being this bad tempered during my last pregnancy. Every little thing threatens to set me off and I have a hell of a time holding it all in.

School mornings I am the Mother From Hell. Dinner times I am the Shrieking Harridan. And in between, I am not much better than a Grouchy, Irritable, Miserable, Bad Tempered Cow.

Yes, I’m tired. Yes, I’m in pain. But that’s no excuse for being horrid to my children. Yesterday the physio gave me a bollocking for using a walking stick and issued me with a pair of bloody elbow crutches. Gee, I’m going to feel a right muppet using them for the next seven weeks or so. However, they do help hugely, as they keep me upright and central and it is easier to walk using them. It is not, however, easier to accomplish anything around the house.

I got up late today and had a shower, pottered around the bedroom sorting out clothes and laundry and decided that as I wasn’t a pathetic cripple upon wakening, that today I could do a ton of stuff. I lasted two hours, tops. Did the kitchen, put some laundry in, folded some drying and basically, that’s about as far as I’m going to get today.

Gave Myf a right earful too, reduced her to tears, which made me feel real big. *sigh* Anyone know of a way to get a seven year old to actually pay attention and do what she’s asked? I can’t take that many more toys off her as most of them are in the loft already. I ban tv so they go and trash their room/s. It’s not like they can trash the playroom - it’s a bomb site as the carpet chap is coming on Tuesday to finally lay the carpet… which should have been done in the middle of October.

I need to figure out some way of getting the stuff out of that room and distributed around the house so it can be finished. Once the carpet is down, the shelves that have been stood up the hallway in their flat-pack boxes for the past four months can be put together and the toys can finally be sorted out into their relevant gaps (is one of these kinds of shelves, and we got five of those drawer/boxes too). I figured 25 little slots ought to give us plenty of scope for books and toys, and then the rest can go to the charity shop!

I suppose it didn’t help that yesterday was manic - my timetable looked something like this:
7.30 - up & shower
8.35 - out of house, drop Tea and Myf at school, Piglet at preschool
9.15 - head into Doncaster, stop off at Lidl for some essentials, grab McD’s hash browns for breakfast as I forgot to eat, fill up truck with gas
10.40 - call in at home on way back to pick up Piglet’s forgotten lunch, the carpet sample and the preschool fees
11.00 - preschool, so I can have my tummy patted by 28 curious small people who have been doing ‘babies’ as a topic this week. They had a ten day old baby come to visit on Tuesday. Was actually fun and quite sweet to see some of their reactions. Piglet got quite possessive over ‘her’ baby bump!
11.30 - carpet place, to change the order to a different carpet - James had chosen in haste and when we got the sample home, we realised it looked even cheaper than it actually was. So I doubled our price limit and we’ll now have a much nicer one in the playroom. Arrange delivery for between 4 and 6.
12.15 - hairdressers. Yes, you read that right, I actually went and had my hair cut and if I remember to get James to take a pic, I’ll prove it. Is half the length it was, and layered… feels very odd to be able to wear it down, but I think I like it. It dried a damn sight quicker this morning!
1.00 - collect Piglet. Actually, I was late at the hairdressers, so texted a friend to collect her for me, so she was dropped off at the salon for me. Was gone quarter past when I finally escaped, loaded her into the truck and headed back into town.
1.35 - get to shop in town. Grab James, when he finally returned from his wanderings, and got him to drive me to DRI.
1.55 - physio appt. Piglet and Daddy went off to do whatever it is that they do whilst they wait for me. Got poked and prodded and tutted at, and a lot of sympathy for the varicose veins, which was nice as no other medical type person has even bothered looking at them so far. And got the elbow crutches. *sigh*
2.40 - dropped James back off at shop and high tailed it to school for the pick up.
3.35 - got home and collapsed in a heap on my chair, told offspring to bugger off and give me half an hour’s peace and quiet. I got about 12 minutes…
5.00 - fed small children
5.45 - went and got ready to go out.
6.20 - James came home, and got into shower
6.30 - carpet bloke arrives to drop off two massive rolls of carpet - had to retrieve James from shower to assit, baby sitter arrives
7.15 - finally get out, half an hour late, collect friends and head an hour up the road to Selby for a 50th birthday dinner.
12.30 - get home, absolutely stuffed to the gills and fall into bed at 1am
4.00 - Piglet decides she needs the loo and comes in to tell me all about it, instead of just going
6.15 - James’ alarm goes off

Sometimes I wonder how other mothers actually find the time to work.

Feeling down and grouchy and tired this morning, so needed a grumble. That SPD that niggled then vanished is now back with a vengeance, and anything short of lying down on my left side is downright ruddy painful. I’m using a bloody walking stick, of all stupid things, now. I have to get into town for two last things, and to swap some jeans, and the thought of having to do that makes me cringe. I need to borrow one of those electric scooter thingies. No one’s ankles would be safe…

It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just the front of my pelvis giving way, but the SI joints at the back are creaking ominously. I’m tired, the house is depressing me hugely and I’ve got so much to do that I can’t physically do. I spent over an hour sat on the playroom floor yesterday sorting through boxes and could barely move when I stood back up. We chose some carpet, but are waiting for the chap to ring us back with a quote for the hall/landing/stairs.

The builder continues to be a running saga, as he still hasn’t turned up. Last couple of excuses include being bedridden with flu for three days, and the high winds doing something with an RSJ and a brick wall that he’s now got to rebuild. Well, it’s a calm, sunny day out there, so he better get a damned move on. I’m fed up with my kitchen and garage getting flooded everytime it rains in the wrong direction. This afternoon, he said when James rang him last night. Or tomorrow morning. *sigh*

I ache so much I just want to crawl into bed and stay there, but it wouldn’t accomplish anything, except stopping me from sleeping tonight. At least I haven’t lost anymore weight.

Cold though. Think I’ll go put heating on for a brief spell - I can’t really put many more layers on otherwise the postie might think I’m off on an arctic expedition.

Anyone else ever had any trouble putting on weight whilst pregnant?

I got on the scales at the weekend and found I’d lost no less than two pounds in the previous week. WTF??? This bump is huge and yet my scales are telling me I’m barely half a stone over my pre-pregnancy weight. Granted I had about 3/4 of a stone to lose prior to getting pregnant, and I did lose most that through being so ill in the first four months, but to have actually lost weight? It just doesn’t make sense.

Thing is, I know I’m not eating enough - I just haven’t got my appetite back after the morning (noon and night) sickness. I can’t be bothered to eat, unless I’m absolutely ravenously starving, in which case, all it takes is two slices of toast and I’m replete. Breakfast is a chore, especially in the chaotic rush to get the girls ready and out of the house on time. When I get back from the school run, I might sometimes have a piece of toast with a cup of tea, but more often than not I’m chasing off somewhere and forget about it entirely. Lunch I eat if I remember, or on Tues & Thurs when Piglet isn’t at lunch club at preschool. And by the time dinner rolls around, I’m too bloody knackered to eat a great deal.

Which is why these size 12 maternity trousers are hanging off me, and the size 10 ones that I was given, and decided that I’d have to pass on to someone else, actually fit! I think I was last a size 10 when I was about fourteen years old.

Just made myself eat lunch, however - cheese and ham toasties, which should be suitably calorific for the bump. He seems to be growing just fine - saw the midwife last week and the bump measured the required 31cm which is good. I was half afraid it was going to be oversized for dates.

And we went out for a big Chinese meal last night for James’ birthday, and I ate so much I thought I’d go pop - but it was very good, especially the banana fritters! His dad had just gotten back from Malaysia and Dubai, so the girls got lots of presents too, including the most gorgeous soft camel for Tea. Will have to photo and blog, as it’s lovely. He gave me a beautiful pashmina shawl in red and golds and blacks, and it’s so soft. Was very touched. It was a difficult evening in one sense though, as it’s James’ first birthday without his mum, and you could tell he was thinking about it every so often, as was his Dad. But the girls had a great time and Piglet ate twice what Myf and Tea did. No surprise there. Myf did handle her chopsticks really well, though - I was very impressed with her. I don’t think she used her regular cutlery once, even for the rice.

Tonight we’re out with friends for a Thai meal, 9 of us for their buffet/banquet thing. Should be a good evening. And then on Friday we’re out with another set of friends for a serious steak at the Rythre Arms, for someone’s 50th birthday. (look at the menu and the size of the steaks…) Three meals out in one week!!! That ought to put a few pounds on me. And take a few out of the wallet, although we didn’t have to pay for last night’s Chinese as it was a treat from James’ dad. And the Friday meal is child free - haven’t done that in a while.

Feeling a tad queasy after the cheese & ham toastie now - better go make myself a cup of tea and have a sit down with the Piglet for a while, before she goes totally square eyed at Barney (argh) and co.

Have developed a slight obsession...

Think it’s allowed though. Don’t you?

And I haven’t even seen the film yet.

And found these in the same album as their Picture of the day.

by navywashington02

by navywashington02

Wow.

Oh, and this is the picture of the day.

by navywashington02

I like it Timeline clock.

Since uninstallig Norton antivirus and putting Mcaffee on the laptop, it’s been taking absolutely forever to boot up in the morning, and spends ten minutes pinging to itself, as if it’s about to show me an error message. I deleted Norton using the control panel>add/remove programs thing, but I’ve noticed there’s still a few stray Symantec files lurking around.

How can I sweep the puter clean? Its as if it’s looking for ways to update via the Symantec files, but missing Norton, it has a sulk. I’m sure I used to have a program on the other machine that swept up all the old, odd and stray files but can’t remember what it’s called.

Anyone got any suggestions?