Monday, 23 July 2012
Holiday shopping fun!!
Oh the fun of doing the shopping in the school holidays with all the kids! The first challenge is getting everyone into the car. I thought everyone was in, but then Abbie jumped back out to change her outfit and get a pair of dressing up heels (? teenager alert!!) Then Georgia was back out to get a dolly (because she’d found out that Hannah was taking a buggy with her) Next, Millie was back out looking for sunglasses. Finally, everyone’s in and we’re underway. We pile out of the car at Tesco, and what a sight we look – Hannah (also wearing dressing up heels) is pushing a buggy and, on the hottest day of the year so far, is wearing a long sleeved top with the hood up, she is also wearing a pair of fairy wings and pushing a buggy, overflowing with various dolls, teddies and toys. Abbie is tottering in her chosen footwear and Millie insists on pushing the trolley (with two dolls sitting in the child seats) with no help from me whatsoever, therefore she nearly takes out a number of displays and a couple of older people who weren’t quick enough to get out of the way. Georgia wants to help put the shopping into the trolley and so I have to take things back out nearly as fast as they are going in. Our Tesco has just been re-furbished and re-opened today, so as we arrive we have to get our gaggle past the Mayor and small opening ceremony going on at the door, we try to slip in unnoticed but obviously don’t stand a chance of that given the state of our little gang & the fact that Millie VERY nearly took out the table of sparking wine put out for the opening with the trolley!! Also, to make things harder, with the new layout, I have absolutely no idea where anything is or where to find anything I need. Add to all this, four demanding kids who want sweets, treats and anything they see that they like the look of – nightmare! When we get home, Millie immediately opens the box of Cheerios all over the kitchen floor, so that’s another job to do in-amongst putting all the shopping away! I’m loving the summer holidays, but roll on shopping again without any ‘helpers’!!
Friday, 29 June 2012
Coast to Coast
Well we made it!! We saw the sea on one side of the country and then saw it again on the other side! We made it in one piece too! I have no back brake left on my bike and had to take the final, very steep hill into Sandsend with extreme caution, but apart from that – all good!. I’m not sure that I can really put into words what an epic and brilliant experience it was. It was definitely one of the best things that I have ever done. It was so worth all those hard, muscle killing training rides in the snow, wind & rain (and all the tears at the top of particularly tough climbs when I thought I couldn’t do it anymore!!) I would so do it all again – like a shot! It was actually a bit of a come-down on the Monday morning when we no longer had to kit up & get on the bikes. We had been training and working towards this weekend for so long & it was such a fab three days that I was quite sorry when it was all over.
The first day (Friday) started early in the morning as we set off from Rob’s parents to Grange over Sands. When we arrived it wasn’t long before the heavy rain started, and that was pretty much the theme of the weekend. I have never ridden in such constant and torrential rain as we did on that day. We had to lift our bikes over trees knocked down by the weather, we rode through flooded roads and tracks. Near the end of the ride for that day, we passed over a bridge where the water from the river had flooded it, a van was coming towards us and created such a ‘wash’ that was very hard to pedal through. Five minutes after passing the road was closed as it was deemed too dangerous. It was a long, hard ride with lots of climb, but I really felt that the adverse weather had really bonded the group together. That evening we dried everything out on radiators in the youth hostel and went to the pub next door to get warm in front of the open fire! The next day was more miles (just under 60) but less climb and fortunately less rain! Rob’s parents brought the girls to see us at the lunch stop and it was a great boost to see them, and some other friends who came to offer us their support. The final day was a number of hard climbs, rocky hills, icy rain & muddy fields as we made our way over the North Yorkshire Moors and down the other side into Sandsend near Whitby.
The people that we met were absolutely fantastic, the banter and laughter really made the whole thing a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The Purple Mountain Crew and the guides were absolutely brilliant and we had nothing to worry about excepct to ride the ride. We spent the Sunday night in a spa hotel & had a lovely meal, speeches and dancing – the perfect finish to a totally awesome weekend! All the training definitely paid off and I found that I was able to enjoy the riding. We made lots of good friends and I really hope that I see them again for more riding! It’s great that I got to do it with Rob too, spending that time together was great & now we have that experience in common, if just one of us had done it, it would be hard to look back and reminisce about all the fun times! I would definitely do it again, show me where to sign up!!....
The first day (Friday) started early in the morning as we set off from Rob’s parents to Grange over Sands. When we arrived it wasn’t long before the heavy rain started, and that was pretty much the theme of the weekend. I have never ridden in such constant and torrential rain as we did on that day. We had to lift our bikes over trees knocked down by the weather, we rode through flooded roads and tracks. Near the end of the ride for that day, we passed over a bridge where the water from the river had flooded it, a van was coming towards us and created such a ‘wash’ that was very hard to pedal through. Five minutes after passing the road was closed as it was deemed too dangerous. It was a long, hard ride with lots of climb, but I really felt that the adverse weather had really bonded the group together. That evening we dried everything out on radiators in the youth hostel and went to the pub next door to get warm in front of the open fire! The next day was more miles (just under 60) but less climb and fortunately less rain! Rob’s parents brought the girls to see us at the lunch stop and it was a great boost to see them, and some other friends who came to offer us their support. The final day was a number of hard climbs, rocky hills, icy rain & muddy fields as we made our way over the North Yorkshire Moors and down the other side into Sandsend near Whitby.
The people that we met were absolutely fantastic, the banter and laughter really made the whole thing a wonderful and unforgettable experience. The Purple Mountain Crew and the guides were absolutely brilliant and we had nothing to worry about excepct to ride the ride. We spent the Sunday night in a spa hotel & had a lovely meal, speeches and dancing – the perfect finish to a totally awesome weekend! All the training definitely paid off and I found that I was able to enjoy the riding. We made lots of good friends and I really hope that I see them again for more riding! It’s great that I got to do it with Rob too, spending that time together was great & now we have that experience in common, if just one of us had done it, it would be hard to look back and reminisce about all the fun times! I would definitely do it again, show me where to sign up!!....
Wednesday, 20 June 2012
Girly Shopping!
18th June 2012
So Abbie wanted to go ‘girly shopping’ with her birthday money, so on one of the wettest days of half-term we set off together to Meadowhall. Fortunately Rob was at home so the others all stayed with him. It’s much easier in a shopping centre without four kids who all walk in different directions to look at different things and Georgia wandering off constantly and climbing on every railing, bench and feature that she sees. As it was Abbie’s day, I let her choose where we went. On arrival we duly headed straight for Build-a-Bear. Abbie was in her element, she couldn’t quite believe that we were in her favourite shop and she had money in her purse! I tried to take a step back and not influence what she bought and I was pleasantly surprised, she actually chose sensibly, all those years of nagging her about wasting money on things she didn’t need must have paid off. When she got to the till the lady told her that she’d spent enough to get a free towel – well, she couldn’t hide the excitement on her face! She turned to me and whispered, “Mummy, I saw that offer, but I NEVER thought I’d spend enough to get it!” We looked round a few more shops and she purchased some Moshi Monster items, and in Primark she bought herself a pack of two shorts and a pack of two vests. She then asked if we could go for a hot chocolate. So we found a cafe and she sat at a table. By the time I returned with the drinks and cake (of course) she had opened various toys and packets and they were spread around her on the table! She was having a fantastic time and so was I. It was really nice to be spending time, just the two of us. I should make sure I make more effort to do something individual with all of the girls, although of course that’s a lot easier said than done. When we nipped to the toilets later she asked if she could change into her new vest and shorts (she was so excited, she couldn’t wait until we got home!) She stripped out of her trackies and t-shirt and emerged from the toilets in a blue vest and a pair of pink shorts. As we began to head for home she sighed “I wish I had some flip flops” so we decided to nip back to Primark while we were still there and take advantage of their bargain prices. She left Primark with a new pair of flip flops (£1.50 can’t beat it!), sunglasses and a new swimming bag. Once outside the shop she took off her trainers and changed into the flip flops, she put her sunglasses on her head. She wouldn’t have looked out of place on the beach! As we stepped outside the doors into the car park she realised that it was ABSOLUTELY chucking it down with rain – with much giggling and shrieking we made it to the car and we headed home with presents for all the others. I am looking forward to many more happy shopping days with my girls.....
So Abbie wanted to go ‘girly shopping’ with her birthday money, so on one of the wettest days of half-term we set off together to Meadowhall. Fortunately Rob was at home so the others all stayed with him. It’s much easier in a shopping centre without four kids who all walk in different directions to look at different things and Georgia wandering off constantly and climbing on every railing, bench and feature that she sees. As it was Abbie’s day, I let her choose where we went. On arrival we duly headed straight for Build-a-Bear. Abbie was in her element, she couldn’t quite believe that we were in her favourite shop and she had money in her purse! I tried to take a step back and not influence what she bought and I was pleasantly surprised, she actually chose sensibly, all those years of nagging her about wasting money on things she didn’t need must have paid off. When she got to the till the lady told her that she’d spent enough to get a free towel – well, she couldn’t hide the excitement on her face! She turned to me and whispered, “Mummy, I saw that offer, but I NEVER thought I’d spend enough to get it!” We looked round a few more shops and she purchased some Moshi Monster items, and in Primark she bought herself a pack of two shorts and a pack of two vests. She then asked if we could go for a hot chocolate. So we found a cafe and she sat at a table. By the time I returned with the drinks and cake (of course) she had opened various toys and packets and they were spread around her on the table! She was having a fantastic time and so was I. It was really nice to be spending time, just the two of us. I should make sure I make more effort to do something individual with all of the girls, although of course that’s a lot easier said than done. When we nipped to the toilets later she asked if she could change into her new vest and shorts (she was so excited, she couldn’t wait until we got home!) She stripped out of her trackies and t-shirt and emerged from the toilets in a blue vest and a pair of pink shorts. As we began to head for home she sighed “I wish I had some flip flops” so we decided to nip back to Primark while we were still there and take advantage of their bargain prices. She left Primark with a new pair of flip flops (£1.50 can’t beat it!), sunglasses and a new swimming bag. Once outside the shop she took off her trainers and changed into the flip flops, she put her sunglasses on her head. She wouldn’t have looked out of place on the beach! As we stepped outside the doors into the car park she realised that it was ABSOLUTELY chucking it down with rain – with much giggling and shrieking we made it to the car and we headed home with presents for all the others. I am looking forward to many more happy shopping days with my girls.....
Sunday, 17 June 2012
Coast to Coast is here......
17th June 2012
Well the training is done! In so much as we are now out of time!! What is done is done, that’s it, time is up! The real thing is upon us. I have run, swum & cycled for miles, in some quite extreme weather conditions (snow, icy rain and wind that meant we had to pedal hard to get DOWN the hill and the uphill’s were virtually impossible – to the point where I was swearing under my breath and vowing never to get on a bike again!) in an effort to be match fit! I even went to ‘Kettlercise’ (exercise whilst holding weights) to try to strengthen my cycling leg muscles, but instead it resulted in me being unable to walk downstairs for about a week and as for standing up and sitting down – forget it! At Easter time we were on top form, we managed long, hard, off road rides followed by the same again the following day. We went on an official training ride with the Purple Mountain team (who are organising the Coast to Coast) and it was really great to meet some of the other people hoping to take part in this great event. But then we got back to work, school and life in general and inevitably the training tailed off a bit and had to take a back seat to life, kids and all that goes with it. However, last week we managed to get babysitters in order to get out for one last Peaks training ride and we set off to tackle long, hard, rocky hills. About half an hour from the end of the ride my legs were really starting to struggle and I started to worry about what lies ahead. While I have no doubt that I will complete the challenge (one way or another) what began to worry me was whether I would be able to actually enjoy it along the way, rather than just enduring it! But only time will tell on that one! We have also been very lucky with our fundraising for Marie Curie, our very generous family and friends have done us proud and shown us great support, so I really feel that others will benefit from us putting ourselves through this. The bikes are prepped; the gear is waiting to be packed. So all in all, I feel that I am ready, I just want to get on with it now, bring it on....let’s get started!
Well the training is done! In so much as we are now out of time!! What is done is done, that’s it, time is up! The real thing is upon us. I have run, swum & cycled for miles, in some quite extreme weather conditions (snow, icy rain and wind that meant we had to pedal hard to get DOWN the hill and the uphill’s were virtually impossible – to the point where I was swearing under my breath and vowing never to get on a bike again!) in an effort to be match fit! I even went to ‘Kettlercise’ (exercise whilst holding weights) to try to strengthen my cycling leg muscles, but instead it resulted in me being unable to walk downstairs for about a week and as for standing up and sitting down – forget it! At Easter time we were on top form, we managed long, hard, off road rides followed by the same again the following day. We went on an official training ride with the Purple Mountain team (who are organising the Coast to Coast) and it was really great to meet some of the other people hoping to take part in this great event. But then we got back to work, school and life in general and inevitably the training tailed off a bit and had to take a back seat to life, kids and all that goes with it. However, last week we managed to get babysitters in order to get out for one last Peaks training ride and we set off to tackle long, hard, rocky hills. About half an hour from the end of the ride my legs were really starting to struggle and I started to worry about what lies ahead. While I have no doubt that I will complete the challenge (one way or another) what began to worry me was whether I would be able to actually enjoy it along the way, rather than just enduring it! But only time will tell on that one! We have also been very lucky with our fundraising for Marie Curie, our very generous family and friends have done us proud and shown us great support, so I really feel that others will benefit from us putting ourselves through this. The bikes are prepped; the gear is waiting to be packed. So all in all, I feel that I am ready, I just want to get on with it now, bring it on....let’s get started!
Thursday, 23 February 2012
Coast to Coast
23rd February 2012
So Rob and I have entered a Coast to Coast mountain bike challenge in June. I am both hugely excited and absolutely terrified in equal measures! The thought of being part of it, completing the 150 miles and finishing is brilliant – however the thought of getting back on my bike on the first afternoon for the second 25 miles of the day fills me with terror!! (not to mention getting back on the next day and the day after to do it all over again!!) We have begun our training – which needs to be fitted in around kids, work and family life. We have drawn up a big calendar on a large white board to keep track of when we are getting out on rides and when we have babysitters that allow us to get out on rides together. Rob is able to get out more often on his bike, so I am going for the multi training approach, which involves running, swimming and biking – let’s hope it works or I’m stuffed!! My problem with getting out for training on my own (while the kids are at school) is that my bike maintenance skills are not as good as they should be - once when my crank/pedal dropped off, I had to phone Rob to come & help me (he had to load all the kids in the car & come to rescue me!!) Also, I am not that brilliant at changing a punctured tyre on my own – and although Rob has been giving me lessons at home, I’m not sure how I’d get on at the side of a muddy track! The ride itself is 150 miles over three days; we stay in Youth Hostels on the Friday and Saturday evening and then a spa hotel for the end of ride celebration on the Sunday night. I am so looking forward to that Sunday night!! The Purple Mountain team (who organise it) crew the weekend, they take your bags to the next youth hotel and sort out meals. I am really looking forward to doing the ride, but I just hope that, by then, my fitness levels (particularly my ability to do that many miles on a bike without my muscles going into agony) are up to it!
Also, I am trying not to feel too guilty about how much doing this challenge involves asking family & friends to have the kids for us. I know everyone is only too happy to help us out, but I am always mindful of what a big ask it is to expect people to take on four young children. I know that (usually) for other people, they are well behaved but it’s still hard work having them & a lot to expect people to take on.
Right...better get half an hour on that exercise bike......!!
So Rob and I have entered a Coast to Coast mountain bike challenge in June. I am both hugely excited and absolutely terrified in equal measures! The thought of being part of it, completing the 150 miles and finishing is brilliant – however the thought of getting back on my bike on the first afternoon for the second 25 miles of the day fills me with terror!! (not to mention getting back on the next day and the day after to do it all over again!!) We have begun our training – which needs to be fitted in around kids, work and family life. We have drawn up a big calendar on a large white board to keep track of when we are getting out on rides and when we have babysitters that allow us to get out on rides together. Rob is able to get out more often on his bike, so I am going for the multi training approach, which involves running, swimming and biking – let’s hope it works or I’m stuffed!! My problem with getting out for training on my own (while the kids are at school) is that my bike maintenance skills are not as good as they should be - once when my crank/pedal dropped off, I had to phone Rob to come & help me (he had to load all the kids in the car & come to rescue me!!) Also, I am not that brilliant at changing a punctured tyre on my own – and although Rob has been giving me lessons at home, I’m not sure how I’d get on at the side of a muddy track! The ride itself is 150 miles over three days; we stay in Youth Hostels on the Friday and Saturday evening and then a spa hotel for the end of ride celebration on the Sunday night. I am so looking forward to that Sunday night!! The Purple Mountain team (who organise it) crew the weekend, they take your bags to the next youth hotel and sort out meals. I am really looking forward to doing the ride, but I just hope that, by then, my fitness levels (particularly my ability to do that many miles on a bike without my muscles going into agony) are up to it!
Also, I am trying not to feel too guilty about how much doing this challenge involves asking family & friends to have the kids for us. I know everyone is only too happy to help us out, but I am always mindful of what a big ask it is to expect people to take on four young children. I know that (usually) for other people, they are well behaved but it’s still hard work having them & a lot to expect people to take on.
Right...better get half an hour on that exercise bike......!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
