Today I had a little breakthrough

It was only a little breakthrough, but an important one.

It might sound a bit small and trivial but it confirmed in my mind how far I have come in the last year.  I'm still having blood tests for my thyroid (which if it comes back with an underactive thyroid would explain sooooo much) but whilst I wait for them, I am monitoring my mood and monthly cycle to try to understand what is going on - and there is definately a pattern!  Before I had kids I never really noticed the 'time of the month' - now it's like all hell has been let loose!  It's almost like when the egg is released, I feel this amazing surge of rage and lack of patience and the same thing then comes back when my period comes! It's nuts! Why did no one warn me that this might happen (mind you, why did no one warn me about a lot of things after having a baby - like not quite being able to hold your wee in when you run too fast down a hill! Ha ha, the joys).  Anyway, Peter is surviving (just), although being a man he hasn't quite figured out the pattern and so is always a bit shocked when I am not my normal happy self!

Anyway, back to the breakthrough.  Basically, at tea this evening, Isobel and Arty were having yoghurt and fruit - you know, the frozen kind of berries which make the yoghurt go all lovely and pink....and it seems, stain the wall and anything which happens to be white!  Isobel declares she wants to sit next to me, I try to encourage to stay in her chair (she's got ants in her pants at the moment at meal times).  I fail.  She gets up, with pink staining fruit and yoghurt in bowl and in her hand, she trips and drops the bowl.  The yoghurt mess goes everywhere - really, everywhere.  Up the walls, all over the floor, up the chairs, all over Isobel etc etc.

This time last year, in mid-PND, that would have caused me to flip my lid and raise my stress levels.  It was that kind of thing which I just couldn't cope with - the thought of having to clear up again, the fact that Isobel wouldn't do as she was asked etc.  But today, I took a deep breath, gave her a cuddle, joked that it had almost reached as far as Scotland and sat her back down with some new yoghurt and fruit whilst the clear up took place.  And that's when I noticed that it stains - really stains.  Lesson learnt - don't have white walls in the kitchen!


Oh, and we baked today.  Chocolate brownies from the Hummingbird Cookbook.  Unfortunately, with friends round too we ate them all before any picture could be taken, but they were yummmmmmy and good for the soul.

My favourite food is.....gruffalo crumble!

So, last weekend I went to Brixton Market with a friend for brunch.  I've not been for years so it was nice to have a bit of time sans les enfants to potter about.  So many food options in the market and the 'Brixton Village', including of course, the well known Franco Mancas pizza place (http://francomanca.co.uk/).  We had noodles with chilli for brunch and it really made me think about those years I spent in tropical climates eating noodles for breakfast.  It's lovely!!

Anyway, I'm digressing.  So, Isobel has been very well, erm, 'spirited' (or maybe I should say challenging) lately!  Not helped by her sudden wish to get up at 4am - normally because something has broken such as the Peppa Pig watch or her hairband or.....anything she can think of really.  I'm wondering if we'll have to start some tough love as I hate that time of the morning. Always brings back those memories of insomnia!  She has clearly decided to be a defiant child of late though - I've moved on from marbles (I kept forgetting and we had to keep putting them away to stop Arthur eating them!) to a sticker chart.  It seems to work but let's see.  Today she has been quite delightful to her brother which has been lovely - and she loves telling him the rules 'Arthur, we don't hit, that's the rule'...followed by 'Arthur, I'm going to tell my mummy on you'.

We've had a weekend of cookery which has been a great way to spend the bank holiday, interspersed with trips to playground, swimming and a party.  Even daddy cooked - using the products from the garden he cooked up a Gruffalo Crumble (recipe can be downloaded from the Gruffalo.com website).

Isobel helped me make meatballs (Jamie Oliver again - god bless).  She wanted to smell the ingredients - rosemary (yuck mummy), garlic (yuck mummy), cumin (yuck mummy), chilli (can I eat this mummy?) and make her very own little meat balls - some of which were soooo small but when I tried to suggest making them bigger was told 'don't be silly mummy, they are for the children'.  So there you go.

We baked cinnamon buns too - which I have to say were the best start to the day this morning when suffering from a massive hangover (I blame Peter and his 'fancy a nightcap?' which consisted of a very large nightcap and subsequently a very very large headache!).

And, to kickstart the Jamie Oliver campaign again, I've made hummus.  For a light tea I think before going to bed at 8 to recover from last night!!!

So the Olympics are over.....but the sun is out!

Yes, we had a great time! It was such a happy two weeks, not sure it was quite worth £9billion but oh well - it's spent now and we all had fun (well, this family did anyway!).

One afternoon, whilst watching the diving, Isobel appeared.  She watched, quietly in the background as they dived off those 10m boards.  'Can you do that mummy?'.  Ha ha, how I wished I could but I think my fear of heights will stop me.  The next day she was practicing at the side of the baby pool.....now then, diving off 10m boards, not something I imagine I would be very good at watching her do if she did decide she wanted to give it a go!

I'm just posting a few pictures of the Olympic park as it looked so lovely.  Aren't these flowers great?

So, I've had a blood test for my thyroid.  Now they say it's fine but I might be anaemic! So another blood test is needed.  A friend who has an underactive thyroid said that there are links between all these things from the research she has done.  Let's see what happens!  Interestingly, there are also reports about the happy pills I took (Sertraline) and thyroid problems, although it doesn't appear to be statistically significant research in terms of a strong relationship! Still, it might explain it.

One of the highlights of the olympics was us watching Usain Bolt in the 200m semi finals.  My goodness that man can run.  I laughed though.  Mo Farrah runs a 5 km in what, 12 mins?  And looks like he's barely exerted himself.  I run 5km in about 30 mins and look like a beetroot!  Don't think I have those Olympic genes somehow!!!

Next week we plan to get back to some Jamie Oliver cooking as he's taken a backseat for a while.  However, there are two other contenders for our cooking attention - the Great British Bake Off is back! Hoorah.  And they made bagels last night - which has inspired me again!  The other contender is a 50s buffet party after I found a 1950s cookbook of my granny's in my mum and dad's loft.  Some tuna vol-o-vont, shrimp boats and babycham!  Bring it on

One week until our Olympic visit.

The excitement is building. We are off to see the athletics next Wednesday and we can't wait! Then we're off to the paralympics with the kids. Isobel declared she wants to 'go Olympics' and was even chanting "allez wiggo" yesterday. Very good. I'd be amazed if our kids end up cycling like that, they aren't the smallest. Swimming maybe. I was imagining what it might be like to have a child in an Olympic final after watching that south African win against Phelps and I think I would be rubbish. I would have to hide and not watch!!!

Anyway, its been Olympic excitement in our house this week. My good friend was over from Australia so there was an opportunity to refind a bit of the old me. How? I went for a walk in the country with an OS map and no buggy! It was great. Even had a cream tea.

Then it was off for more torch action, and I must say that we came across a lot of policemen from merseyside! They were having a great time.

We also went to an Olympic party on the friday night which was also a great reminder of the old me, staying out till 230 am and jumping around like a nutter!

Interestingly I've also been back to the doctor about some blood tests I had. Apparently my thyroid is underactive, or at least they think its going that way. Now that would explain quite a bit! I had my thyroid tested last year when I was feeling quitr low but it came back fine apparently. So this time there has been a dramatic shift. I've been told that changes in thyroid function can be related to childbirth. And symptoms of low thyroid include dry skin and hair, sleep problems, moodiness, depression etc. So quote a few things that I have had over the past years. I wonder if the next blood test will confirm it.....

Anyway, bring on the athletics next week. We are excited!

Teddy needs to go through a scanner..

But why?

Because he does....

And so went a conversation between mum and daughter this morning on their way to the beach volleyball...

And its so quiet in town its lovely!