College Mummy

It's all for charideee

2011-09-25T12:09:00.001+01:00

Well, there's quite a few amazing people I know right now that are about to cause themselves all manners of pain and fatigue in aid of a few different charities over the next wee while:

First up, in exactly one week, my husband is going to run 10k in Edinburgh in aid of the British Heart Foundation. His donations page is looking a bit sad and lonely right now, if you feel this is a charity that you would like to help out (and lets face it, most of us are touched by heart disease at some point in our lives, whether it's ourselves or a loved one) then please pop a couple of pounds on his page. If you can't spare the pennies - retweets and sharing the page are just as helpful!

Second up - my big brother is going to run the same 10k but this time in aid of the ME Association. His page is here and if you can throw him a few pounds, it will help him get closer to his target (he's halfway there!). Again, if you can't spare the money a wee retweet is always appreciated.

And thirdly, two of my favourite girls Emma and Sara are doing the River Ness 10k (also in a weeks time) in aid of MND Scotland. Their page is here and they surely deserve a wee donation in appreciation of the chuckles their bio raises. (again, RT's always good).

So anyway, I hope you can manage to spare some pennies for at least one or two of the fabulous people and charities that I've posted here. All very worthwhile causes and all very amazing people that are partaking in the running!

2011-09-23T10:52:00.002+01:00

I feel that every time I post a blog on here I'm coming back after a lengthy absence, so lets now just accept that I',m always going to be a sporadic blogger, yes? My life isn't interesting enough to warrant daily posts anyway. But, we do have a new laptop (praise be!) so at least that won't be an issue now. So! University has started! And it's really good! We've had some great lectures so far and next week seminars start. Have also kept up the college tradition of visiting the pub on a Thursday, by managing to get to a couple yesterday in between lectures. The diet is going pretty rubbishly and for the past week or so I haven't really made it to the gym at all however I am going to allow myself the time to get used to the new routine before I beat myself up about it. But next week I plan on joining the Uni gym and that means in the gapos between lectures I should hopefully get along for a quick run or swim. Anyway, I think that's all for today.

That's not Autumn arriving, it is Summer departing!

2011-08-14T12:50:00.000+01:00

Only a few more days of the kids summer holidays left - they go back to school on Wednesday (I can't be the only person who is completely not ready yet?). I've still got almost a month until University starts - but I am now all registered online although I still have to enrol for classes. I'm now only about 10% scared and 90% excited!

In other news, I have given up chocolate since the beginning of July (anyone who knows me knows this is A Big Deal) and crisps since the beginning of August. Also getting back into the gym again and once an ankle injury I gave myself a week or so ago goes away, I shall start running (fast walking) again. You would think with all of this, I might have lost weight but no - not even 1 lb! Sigh. But I shall not let myself be put off. I will be skinny!!!

So, who else is started the dreaded ironing of school shirts and sewing on of name labels this weekend?

Just keep swimming...

2011-07-20T14:55:00.000+01:00

I think my brain has turned to mush. This no deadlines, no essays, no thinking required has been great but I'm now really looking forward to going to University in a few weeks! I have even started my stationary purchases (three pads and an academic diary for fellow stationaryphiles)in preparation.

I finally chased up SAAS to find out what was happening with my funding as I hadn't heard anything - turns out my application was processed the day after I applied way back at the beginning of June but a letter had not been generated. Odd, but I now know how much funding I'm getting. On top of that I have been looking into other funding I can apply for. After the debacle of organising childcare funding last year I am going to be much more prepared so that I do not break down in tears in the Funding Department office.

Despite looking forward to getting back into studying, I am thoroughly enjoying having more time with the children. Elise is absolutely hilarious at the moment and comes out with the funniest things. Example: 'I'm playing at crocodiles...ribbit ribbit ribbit'. due to the typical Scottish summer holiday weather we've been partaking in one of our favourite family pastimes - watching movies! I now know Finding Nemo off by heart.

Anyway, it's that exciting part where they get swallowed by a whale! Must dash!

Not so technologically illiterate after all!

2011-06-15T10:53:00.001+01:00

Look! I'm blogging from my phone! Oh, I do so hope it works. The laptop has finally gasped its last desperate, wheezing breath and is now in a better place... THE BIN! Not really but I was very close to launching it out a window at times. Thankfully I am now finished college more or less and no longer need it for that! Oh, and we got our end of course results - three A's! Very happy with that - I needed ABB to get into my first choice University (glasgow) so I am actually, really, going to Uni in a few months! It's really happening! I'm quite scared now!

Inevitable Zombie Apocalypse

2011-05-30T13:12:00.001+01:00

It's coming for us!

So today I decided it was time to start the diet. But I forgot. My breakfast consisted of one raspberry and white chocolate cookie (homemade) and two cups of coffee. But that's salvageable, I reckon. Just eat better for the rest of the day. This is the continuation of a better lifestyle, healthier me type thing I've been trying to do. I've been going to the gym fairly regularly now since about March. Originally it was in preparation for the Race For Life in May there, but that's passed now and I want to keep it up so am planning on signing up for a local 10k in September too. This is to hopefully motivate me to keep it up.

In studying related news, I am now coming to the end of my Access course at college. I have two more assessments (Sociology and Philosophy) and once they are done, and passed... that's me! It's quite exciting. I've absolutely loved being at college and I really feel it has given me a massive boost to my self esteem and confidence. The next step is University in September - Glasgow is my firm choice and I plan to study English and History there. I can't wait, but have to say it's a bit daunting too.

Anyway, this Bank Holiday Monday should be getting used for studying, not blogging so adios!

Busy times

2011-05-17T09:28:00.000+01:00

Well this week is going to be utterly mental, methinks. We have Andrew's 8th birthday on Saturday and to celebrate he's having a wee sleepover on Friday night, so this house needs gutted. On Sunday we do the Race for Life and there's costumes to be made for that (for explanation go here. I also have my Politics assessment on Friday and need to prepare for that (help!).
The fact that I almost have an 8 year old is quite terrifying. It really seems like no time since he was a tiny wee chicken-legged bundle, and now he's too big for me to lift up without doing myself some sort of injury.
Anyway, today is an anti-Procrastination day. There is much to be done and I have to do it.

Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James

I can type!

2011-05-14T18:26:00.000+01:00

Well, I haven't updated here in absolutely aeons! This is due to the slow and tragic demise of our laptop. Firstly, the right-click on the trackpad went... then the enter' button, and the 'g' and 'h' keys... and I didn't have the will to copy and paste them from another source for every word that needed them. So, as a result - no blogging for more than 2 months. But now, although we're still struggling with a decrepit and dying laptop we have a keyboard and a mouse so at least I can actually do things without resorting to my mobile every time.
Anyway, since I was last here I made a firm acceptance of my offer to Glasgow University so all things going well, I should be off there to study English and History in September! I'm half terrified and half excited. Right now we're in the final few weeks of college and so it's obviously assessment city here - added to which my husband has exams in June as well so we're trying to fit in as much studying time as possible for both of us around the kids and other stuff.
I'm also doing the Race for Life in Falkirk on the 22nd, so I've started going to the gym regularly and even went for a jog - outside, in the real world - last weekend. And then my whole body seized up and I was in agony for all of last week and have only got back to normal today. To celebrate, I'm going to go for another jog this evening, just to relive the experience. That's just how good it was.
And for those blogs I follow - I have been reading, and appreciating, but due to obvious keyboard related issues I haven't been able to comment at all. I hope you still say hi!

Happy March!

2011-03-01T10:19:00.000Z

Well I gave up on the 3 things February meme. I suck. I think I have to accept that I'm just rubbish at doing these things where you have to remember to blog every day, because some days I just don't have time or I forget. I'm rubbish, so I am.

So, other than failing in my blogging duties, I've not been up to much. Oh I did get some exciting news actually - my first offer from a University! That was very exciting!

Anyway, that's about all for today.

3 things February - 9th February

2011-02-09T23:00:00.000Z

1. Due to holidays, an inservice days and ANOTHER timetable change, I'm off college for a whole week! Wahey!

2. Had Philosophy today and really beginning to enjoy it - I even went and got a book out the library to read while we're off! That's dedication for you.

3. Elise kissing everyones heads, then making everyone kiss hers - was very sweet and adorable.

Recommendations needed! Setting myself a challenge!

2011-02-08T10:58:00.000Z

So, I've applied to do English at University. The problem is, I haven't read a book to completion since I started my college course (I'm normally a big reader but I just haven't had time). And in recent years my choice of reading material has taken a nosedive in quality.
Growing up, I always read books that were probably aimed at a slightly older demographic, and managed to work my way through plenty of classics - mostly thanks to the shelves and shelves of books my parents built up at home which we were always encouraged to pick through. These days, though, it's been more about just reading *anything*.
So, this is where I'm asking for some help - I'm quite a quick reader and I've got til September to get a bit of reading done so please recommend me your favourite book/books/poems/short stories! Let me know why you love it and wanted to recommend it. And I promise I will try my utmost to track down and read every suggestion made!
And spread the word - if anyone else wants to join in we could have a Twitter based book club.

3 things February - 8th February

2011-02-08T09:20:00.000Z

I think I will just have to accept the fact that I'm never going to remember to do this every day. Anyhoo, today I'm smiling because:

1. Elise slept in her own big girl bed for the first time last night with no problems.

2. Tuesday's are my day off college so it's just me and the wee yin here today

3. Passed our last Sociology NAB

5th February - day 4 and 5

2011-02-05T17:12:00.001Z

I forgot to do this last night! Oops, I blame the fact I fell asleep on the sofa for it. Because I missed yesterday I'll combine the two ays in one post.

1. Watching Cookery School with Andrew last night

2. Going shopping this morning with my sister

3. I'm going out tonight and that definitely makes me smile

3 things February - 3rd February, a trying day

2011-02-03T17:27:00.000Z

Today has not been the greatest. It started off around 3am this morning when I woke up on the sofa and realised I'd fallen asleep there last night. Off to bed I went where my 6am alarm gleefully woke me up to do some studying before organising the kids and myself for school and all that. 'Not a chance' I thought. So I got up for my normal time and looked out the window to see... snow! Great.
At college we had our final NAB of block one, for Sociology. Not fun. I've never been so under-prepared for an assessment and if I'm truthful I'll be extremely lucky to pass. Right before sitting the NAB I checked my mobile to discover a text from my brother saying Elise had been sent home from nursery with a dodgy tummy! Luckily my sister-in-law got her so I didn't have to walk out on my assessment. And now because it's likely a tummy bug, she can't go to nursery tomorrow!
Anyway, I reckon days like this are what 3 things February are made for - to force you to think about the good things and not focus on the negatives. So here goes:

1. We started Literature class this morning, which I enjoyed

2. Snuggled up in the living room with the children while gales and torrential rain rage outside

3. I don't have any assessments to study for now for the forseeable future!

3 things February - 2nd February

2011-02-02T19:26:00.000Z

It's about that time again.

1. Having a conversation with Elise this morning before we left the house.
2. I PASSED my Media Analysis NAB - no remediation at all - and got some really good comments on it from the lecturer.
3. We're having a chippie for dinner, speaking of which mine has just arrived so I'm off to munch my pineapple and peppers pizza!

Adios!

3 things February - counting my blessings

2011-02-01T19:00:00.001Z

My rather lovely friend Emma over at Made by Paddy blogged today about the 3 things February idea thought up by Sarah Rooftops. The idea behind it is every evening throughout February you blog or tweet (hashtag for this is #3thingsfebruary) 3 things that have made you smile that day, no matter how big or small. What a lovely idea, I thought, I'd be well up for joining in with that! So I am - and so should you. Spread the smiles.
So my first entry is at the end of a particularly trying day. I've developed a kidney infection throughout the day and feeling rather poorly and sorry for myself, but instead of feeling miserable I'm going to look at the positives (3, in particular):

1. Went to soft play this morning (pre- kidney agony) with the wee yin, Elise and my best friend Lyndsay, where I described the mental posh singing lady on One Born Every Minute last night who was singing to her husband. Cue tears of laughter and terrible off-key impressions in the middle of the soft play cafe.
2. My husband is amazing, instead of going to play geek-fest Magic tonight with his pals, he's staying home to look after me.
3. I have chocolate brownie ice-cream and mini eggs. All medicinal.

This is more exciting than anything ever!

2011-01-30T21:27:00.004Z

click me!

I NEVER get weird keyword activity so even though I'm meant to be Sunday silent-ing, I just couldn't not share!
I *DO* want to punch someone in the face! With joy!

Silent Sunday - Sunday night therapy session

2011-01-30T21:08:00.000Z

Making Monday!

2011-01-24T13:59:00.000Z

Well I've finally started on my resolution to sew more, by making a mattress, pillow and blanket for Elise's wee toy pram.

I've had the fleece lying about for ages and thought it would be nice to use for this, and the blanket is reversible with a stripy panel cut from an old shirt!

Andrew assisted by stuffing the mattress and pillow for me. Elise seems to be very pleased with it all and is playing with her pram as I type!

Manic Monday

2011-01-24T12:51:00.000Z

Andrew's not well today, he has a sore throat and a barking cough. So he's home from school today, which is fine as it's catch-up week at college and we don't need to be in today. Because there's no college, I didn't see any reason to take Elise into nursery so she's home too. And poor wee Lewis had to go to school so I though it would be nice to let him come home for lunch and cover his uniform in tomato soup for the afternoon.

I've been listing things on Ebay this morning and discovered as my account is fairly new, there's a 10 listings per month limit til I get my Paypal verified. Frustrating!
Anyway, I *should* be studying for two NABs we have on Wednesday.

Silent Sunday

2011-01-23T21:18:00.002Z

Checking in!

2011-01-18T11:54:00.001Z

It's all a bit mental round here at the moment. I still haven't got quite into the swing of things with the morning routine and Block 1 of college is ending so we're snowed under with assignments and assessments. I'm also dealing with a little madam who refuses to go for naps now and needs potty trained (we're trying our best on the days we have at home together). Hoping to get that one done over the Easter hols as the original plan to do it over Christmas was scuppered by a nasty tummy bug she had.

Our new timetable has been put up on the colleges website, so I now know what I should be doing in a couple of weeks - new classes include Philosophy Literature and Numeracy. The first two I'm looking forward to, the third - not so much. Maths is *not* my strong point. We should also get our interim grading soon, eek!

Anyway, there is much housework beckoning me.

image copyright: Daeveb

Birthday times!

2011-01-04T19:32:00.000Z

My little tiny new baby girl somehow appears to have manage to turn 2 yesterday. This is confusing me as I almost certain I just came home with her just a couple of weeks ago. I must be mistaken. Anyway, it was a lovely day and the birthday girl was spoiled rotten! She now has enough clothes to clothe several little girls but I'm not complaining as choosing her outfits and dressing her is one of my unashamed joys in life.

Sadly as our laptop is gasping and wheezing its way into early retirement (the bin!) I am unable to get the photos from Facebook onto here, except, oddly, this one of the birthday girl oohing over her new Peppa Pig DVD (she's just a little bit obsessed)

and this AMAZING one of the cake my DAD baked (I was just too busy and my Mum was unwell) and my amazing wee sister Sarah decorated. She's ever so talented in this area and I think she should become some sort of cake guru lady and live in a house made of cake.

Unfortunately the only way you can see the birthday girl in full swing (lol! you'll get it when you look at the picture) is to click on this link here (I hope it works). I know clicking on things is tiresome but go with it! It's a lovely picture.

Then for comparison purposes click here and see her exactly a year before at her 1st birthday party as a birthday fairy, with a lot less hair but much more cheeks!

Anyway, if you've indulged all that (and put up with the terrible quality photos from my mobile) then I thank you kindly.

Happy Birthday my bestest, beautifullest girl xxx

Resolute!

2011-01-02T16:04:00.003Z

It's about that time of year again, time to make myself some resolutions!

Crafty times

1. Try and sew all the projects in the book I got for Christmas

2. Learn to crochet!!

3. Teach the boys to knit

Home

1. Start on Flylady again

2. Spring clean! I didn't do this last year and oh but you could tell!

College

1. I've managed to keep on top of homework and haven't missed an exam. My aim is to keep this up and to keep myself organised.

Bits n bobs.
1. Almost forgot this one, but facebook kindly reminded me: get a fish pedicure!
2. Try the couch-5k again and try and jog the Race for Life this year
3. Drop a dress size for the summer!

That's really what I want to achieve for next year. Have you made any resolutions this year?

Its been a while...

2010-12-29T13:35:00.000Z

Wow, I'd almost forgotten I had a blog. Life has been hectic, with Christmas, college work and assessments and everything! And our laptop is being very temperamental at the moment as well and who knows if it will switch on from one day to the next.

So Christmas is done, and what a stressful, busy and enjoyable time. I have to admit a part of me is glad it's over but it was nice - I feel like I have been quite spoiled this year with some very lovely and thoughtful gifts.

Now we've got the New Year and birthdays coming up, including Elise's 2nd birthday on 3rd Jan (how has that happened?!) and my *whispers* 30th in March. Not sure how best to enjoy my last couple of months of being in my twenties... gin and tears? Or should I save that for the day of impending doom itself?

Its also that time where I need to start thinking about my resolutions for the year ahead. I know not everyone subscribes to the idea of making new year resolutions but I like doing it, not that it necessarily means I'm more likely to keep them but in a years time I can look back and see what I wanted to achieve throughout the year and if I've been anywhere near successful. One in particular I want to make is to become better at sewing - I got a sewing book for Christmas from my Mum with loads of projects in it, so I'm going to try and make time every week or so to sit and work on something out of that. Perhaps my aim will be to finish the book by this time next year?
And one I make every year - to become more organised! I started last year using Flylady with some success - although I have to admit it fell to the wayside a bit with college taking up so much time. I've got myself a family organiser/calendar thing for the wall too which should help with not forgetting things (assuming I remember to fill it in of course...). Any tips welcome from the more organised people out there reading this!

Anyway, there will undoubtedly be more to come but that will do for now. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to a happy and prosperous New Year!

Christmas ideas

2010-10-18T17:00:00.000+01:00

Did you know it is less that 10 weeks until Christmas?

I was feeling vaguely smug about it as I've organised each of the kids main presents, until I realised how little time that really is and how much other stuff we have to buy!

If you're at a loss as to what to buy for the little ones in your family, Tesco are having a great sale on children's toys right now, there are some fantastic bargains - the Fisher Price little people caught my eye as I know a little girl who would love playing with it.

Elise was born just after Christmas and Santa made sure to leave her a few little thing - if there's a new arrival on the way around Christmas time in your family, this Fisher Price bouncer is amazing value for money - I used a bouncer chair for each of my children as little babies and in my opinion they're a necessity.

So, how are you doing with the Christmas Countdown? Have you got everything wrapped and stowed away in a cupboard ready for the big day, or are you gearing up for a Christmas Eve trolley dash?

This is a sponsored post

Fitting in Homework

2010-10-14T09:21:00.003+01:00

I've been quite naughty since we've been off. It's now Thursday and I haven't even looked at my pile of homework yet. But I'm going to get started on it today.

I've had quite a few people ask how I manage it with three kids about - in all honesty, it's not easy but it is doable. The boys are old (and well behaved) enough to be told to leave me in peace or go outside to play, the only problem is the wee one... I've actually sat in the bathroom while she's in her bath before working on something we've been given to do!

I think it's all about exploiting opportunities - she still goes for a good 2 hour nap each day so I often utilise this time to get a bit of homework done - usually instead of the housework. And the other one is giving up my evenings at times. The only problem with this one is that I really need quiet and peace to concentrate, which is something my darling husband doesn't understand - he usually has the telly on while I'm trying to work which just doesn't help. I really need to get my study area sorted out in our bedroom so I can shut myself away in the quiet.

Anyway, I think it's time to go and open my college bag and see what's lurking within for me.

photo by jaqian

Holidaaay!

2010-10-12T15:04:00.000+01:00

Hurrah, it's the October week! Now it's Tuesday it's slightly less than a week til I go back to college but never fear, we have been given a mountain of homework lest we forget about it!

Finally finally got the childcare funding sorted out - unfortunately it won't cover the after-school care for the boys and it's just too much for us to manage ourselves so they're finishing up there in a couple of weeks and my Mum is going to help out with that side of things for the time being (thank you Mum).

Our assessments start in November (eek!). Sociology is finally beginning to make more sense to me now, so I'm not so panicked about never being able to figure it out. It's getting there, slowly but surely.

Anyway, hope you're all enjoying your half-term break.

A multitude of birthdays and discovering interests I never knew I'd have!

2010-10-04T09:35:00.001+01:00

First of all I have to wish my lovely Dad a very Happy 60th Birthday today, a (slightly) belated Happy 6th Birthday to Lewis and Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, Shona!

Happy Birthday Lewis xxx

Well it's the start of week 6 of college today. I, however, am at home today as Miss Shortie is ill again - this time some sort of throaty-coughy bug. So I thought it was really about time to update the blog (I hope I don't end up only ever updating here when one of my children is ill).

I thought I'd talk about the classes I'm most enjoying. Comm. 4 is definitely a fave - it's basically English which was the one class I was actually good at at school. But the most surprising ones for me are my History and Politics classes - I honestly thought I'd tolerate them to get through the course but I'm actually becoming very interested in them - so much so that I was considering getting a book about WWI, even though (get this) it's not something we get tested on. I may have to lie down in a darkened room.

I have to admit I'm struggling to 'get' Sociology right now. There's so much to remember! I've done quite a bit of revising on it over the past week so hopefully it's going to start sinking in soon.

The Inevitable...

2010-09-15T09:40:00.001+01:00

Well it's happened. I'd hoped I would have a couple of months before it came to this but no. In my third week of college, I'm having to take the day off because I have an ill child. I knew, as a mum of three, that there would undoubtedly come a time where someone was ill and I'd have to stay home, I just didn't think it would happen so quickly! And now I'm crapping myself about how much I'll be missing today - I have texted a classmate to let me know what homework we have and I know I'll be able to get notes from someone, but it's not the same as actually being there.

Elise's 'not well' face.

Anyway, she seems to be on the mend today so fingers crossed we're back to normal tomorrow and I'm only missing one day - I know it could be worse - she's been not well since Monday but Stewart was off work on Monday so that was fine, and I'm off on a Tuesday anyway. If it had started today I'd have had to take the rest of the week off. Send us some luck please!

I'm still here!

2010-09-11T11:40:00.001+01:00

Apologies for the dearth of updates recently - I have started college and have just finished my second week! It's been very very busy and is taking some getting used to.

The course is great - I'm really enjoying it and it's helping me open my mind up to things I never thought I'd enjoy - like History for example! Never thought that'd be my thing but I've been really enjoying it. It's also a really good class. It's obvious everyone is there to learn and not just to waste time so there are good discussions in the classes.

There's been a lot of homework as well which has been taking up some time - that's what I should be doing right now but I reckoned I had a bit of time to jump on and batter out a quick update.

Anyway I hope there's still someone out there reading this. If so please say hi!

Back to School

2010-08-20T09:25:00.000+01:00

Okay I'm slightly late with this as the boys went back to school on Monday, but it's still their first week! So that's okay. Here they are in their uniform:

I've had a few people comment on how early it seems for them to be going back to school - here in Scotland the schools break up towards the end of June and they go back in mid-August. I have no idea why it's different up here but perhaps it's because August here is more like Autumn than Summer, and we're more likely to get better weather in July (HAH!). Ironically our best weather was back in June when they were still at school, wee shame.

Lunchbox ideas - Bottom of The Fridge Pasta Salad

2010-08-18T14:56:00.001+01:00

I currently make a packed lunch for the two eldest to take to school about 90% of the time. In a couple of weeks I'm going to have to be packing one for myself and for the wee one to take to nursery as well. Although the boys are, for the most part, quite happy with sandwiches I know full well I'll be sick of them after a week if I have to eat them every day. Elise is quite a good eater and will have a go at most things for her lunch so I'd to make sure her nursery lunches are as varied as the ones she currently enjoys at home with me.

I boiled some eggs last night to make the boys sandwiches with today and ended up with a couple spare sitting in the fridge. I quite fancied some pasta so decided to make a cold pasta salad with whatever we had in the fridge for me and Elise's lunch today (Hence the name) and what I came up with was really very tasty and would be perfect to pop in a tupperware tub and take for a packed lunch. It's also pretty healthy for you and the kids.

Ingredients

* Dried Pasta
* Low fat mayonnaise
* 2 hard-boiled eggs
* Cherry tomatoes
* Cucumber
* Red onion
* Cheddar cheese

Method

* Boil your eggs and allow to cool completely (I made mine the night before and put them in the fridge overnight)
* Cook your pasta until cooked, drain and rinse in cold water. Drain thoroughly (you don't want it too damp)
* Put the drained an cooled pasta in a bowl and add a good 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise - enough to coat all the pasta well.
* Chop up your eggs, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion and stir through. Grate some cheese through and mix it all up.
* Season lightly - obviously if you are making this for kids you might want to leave the salt out but it is very nice with a little bit of pepper through it.
* Serve on its own, or with some nice crusty bread and a leafy salad.
* Enjoy!

Really simple and you can add whatever veg you want - whatever you have in the salad drawer! I think it would be nice with some grated carrot through it too. You can really add or take away whatever you want from it. I'd love to hear from anyone who gives this a go.

Um... what?

2010-08-18T09:43:00.001+01:00

Look what I just discovered: http://www.accreditedonlinecolleges.com/blog/2010/40-best-adult-education-blogs/ (skip to no. 14 under 'Personal Stories'... and then go have a look at the other blogs as theres a few in there I read regularly and are very good).

A whole new world

2010-08-16T11:57:00.000+01:00

Well the boys went off to school this morning and Elise had her first nursery visit - which, in all honesty, could have gone a little bit better. To start off with, the woman I had been dealing with was off on annual leave. No-one else knew we were supposed to be there today and after some gentle enquiries we managed to get a tour... of the wrong room!
We got a very in-depth tour and explanation of the room for the 3-5 year old's, despite me saying she was only 19 months. As I was getting shown the miniature toilet block I was frantically trying to calculate the logistics of toilet training a 1 year old in 2 weeks. I finally managed to convey to our tour guide that I thought we were being shown the wrong room - we got a look around the younger kids room and are now booked in for a proper visit to prepare Elise for starting at the end of the month - so we go back tomorrow morning and I will try not to cry as she shoves me out the door and turns her back on me.

An update that is actually related to college!

2010-08-12T13:52:00.000+01:00

I've not had much college related news to update with what with it being the summer holidays here but this morning I got a letter in with my registration date! It's Thursday 26th August, wahey!

Now I just need to do an entire re-arrangement of out house in preparation. Hey it's FIIINE I've got two weeks. My plan is to create a study corner in our bedroom (our house is far to small and has too many children living in it to have it anywhere else) which means I need to sort and pack away all my craft stuff to free up my desk. And give up any sort of crafting. The procrastinator in me is not keen on this but the pragmatist says it must be done.

Growing Grey Gracefully?

2010-08-03T14:50:00.000+01:00

I was reading this article on the Guardian website with interest there as it strikes a chord with me. I enjoyed the 'celebs' saying 'oh I started going grey in my 30s'. I started going grey when I was 23. No, sorry, correction - I noticed my first grey hair when I was 23 - who knows how many were hidden away underneath that I hadn't yet seen. Its been one of those strange things - I was fairly confident I would go grey pretty young as both my parents did, but it was still a bit upsetting as it made me suddenly go 'Oh. I'm an old person now.'

I do dye my hair, although I went through a phase of growing out the colour to see just how much grey I had accumulated until they horror set in of just how much there really was. So I dye over it, although I'd never lie about it. Once it's all gone grey I've said I'll grow it all out and leave it long.

I point out with glee any grey hairs my husband (last count - 6) and middle-younger sister have (4/5). I don't do this to my youngest sister as she has inherited the same genes as me, so we just share a young-person-gone-grey solidarity. She's 23...

Filled with the indignant rage of 1000 mothers

2010-07-27T13:42:00.001+01:00

I have been sitting here trying to write my 'Intro to Andrew' post as I hadn't got around to doing it but I just can't get the thoughts out as I am absolutely furious. This fury is brought to you by the letter A. A is for 'arsehole' (sorry Mum). This is the description of the person who stole Andrew's bike last night.

I can't actually describe how angry I am about it. He's had it for two months and now it's gone. And I can only blame myself - he got vouchers to go to Halfords to buy a new lock and suchlike for it, and we hadn't got around to doing it so it had been getting kept at the bottom of our stairwell. Someone has walked past, seen it and just lifted it.

I want to punch things. Mostly myself.

Paperwork Mountain.

2010-07-19T12:01:00.000+01:00

I've not managed to update over the past couple of days because I have been doing some overtime at work. I work for a large, rather well known retail chain who has a rather famous sale, and the weekend was our summer sale - and that means all hands on deck. But back to normal now.

When I got home from work yesterday I thought to myself - what do I like to do after a weekend of working hard and not enough sleep? Ah yes, that's right. Mountains of form filling:

Note: not my actual pile of forms, but I like to think it is an accurate representation. Now I have my bursary in and Elise is definitely going to nursery, you'd think my form filling days would be over but oh no, now we have other wonderful things to apply for. Firstly, as a full time student in Scotland I should qualify for a council tax rebate, and this in turn means we qualify for a school uniform allowance (take note if you have children and are studying - it's quite hard to find out these things from one source. Much of the information I learned about what to apply for was from other parents who have studied). We're also applying for funding for Elise's nursery place. I want to try and get these all sorted today or tomorrow. Top of the to-do list.

Courgette & Mozzarella Fritters - Recipe

2010-07-15T14:10:00.002+01:00

I've had a bit of a thing for courgettes recently but other than grilling them on the barbeque and adding them to homemade pasta sauce I've been at a bit of a loss as to what to do with them. Somewhere in the back of my head I was certain I'd heard of courgette fritters and a quick google turned up this recipe. I didn't have any parmesan so I subsituted it for mozzarella, which made it much harder to flip them over as it went all melty but was pretty darn tasty anyway.

Courgette & Mozzarella Fritters
(makes 4 generous fritters)

Ingredients
1 courgette, grated
1 125g ball mozzarella, chopped up
2 tbsp's Flour
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine the courgette, mozzarella and flour in a bowl. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium -high heat. Divide the mixture into four, roll into a vague ball shape, flatten slightly then cook for about 4-5 minutes each side, until golden brown.
Serve with Homemade Tomato Ketchup. I will post the recipe up for the ketchup just as soon as I remember everything I put into it.

Also, today my bursary award letter came in - good news! I *think* I'm getting the full amount which is of course going to be very helpful - it's not a huge amount per month but it's more than I earn in my part time job. My first payment is before I start college so that means I can get folders and suchlike in preparation.

Sunshine on a rainy day...

2010-07-14T17:17:00.004+01:00

Yesterday I was perusing a few blogs and came across the perfect rainy day crafting project to do with the boys - so I had a wee practice (nothing worse than them slaving over something only for it to not work out, nothing to do with my childish sense of impatience at all) and posted a little teaser picture on Twitter to see if any of my followers could guess what it was. I thought it looked like questionable scrambled eggs, however I did receive one correct guess (and a few wrong ones) - it's a PVA glue/tissue paper window sticker, as inspired by this blog post over at Cooking, Cakes and Children by Amy Lane. If you check out Amy's post, it tells you exactly how to make one if you or your kids fancy having a go at it.

This morning my practice sticker was all finished, and it was fitting that it was pouring with rain given that I had made a sun.

Here are the boys busily working away on their own stickers. We all decided to make rainbows.

And here they are waiting to dry. There is a lot of PVA glue on these bad boys so I'm expecting them to be ready to stick up around about November.

The boys thoroughly enjoyed making their own window stickers and it was very easy for them to get on with and do themselves. It's a nice, simple little activity for a day stuck inside and takes up enough time to keep them occupied for a while but not so long that they get fed up. Definitely one we'll be filing away to do again.

In other 'sunshine on a rainy day' news, Elise's nursery called today to make a date for her first nursery visit (16th August) and to confirm what date I wanted her to officially start on (30th August). So in less than 4 weeks my baby is going for her first nursery visit then at the end of August she will be officially attending nursery! I explained all this to her earlier, and her response was to laugh in my face and say 'Muummaayyy' in a slightly condescending fashion. I have a feeling we're going to have to take Important Big Girl Nursery Business a bit more seriously than that! Like the 86 forms I have to fill in before she starts.

Have you had any rays of sunshine on this rather grey and dreary day?

Baby got Back

2010-07-13T10:49:00.002+01:00

We're home! Had a truly lovely two weeks in the sunshine of Normandy but I'm glad to be home.

We stayed in La Vallee, Houlgate through Keycamp and I think we would definitely do this kind of holiday again - the kids loved it and the park itself was lovely.

I flew out with Elise and my sister Sarah - long story short - the rest of the family drove/ferried over and once they arrived my brother was meant to come get us from the airport. It was all timed to perfection. So of course something went wrong - my brother was late to the campsite so we had to entertain an 18 month old who had had NO SLEEP from around 6-9pm in the stifling heat and metropolis that is Beauvais Tille airport (shop count = 1). I also informed my sister 'Oh it's okay I've got enough money to get us some dinner while we wait' before realising it was all Sterling. We had muffins and went for a wander (or 6) around the airport.

That evening, we got lost and eventually arrived in the campsite at 5.30am. I should point out we should have been there for around 9pm the night before if everything had gone to plan.

So that was exciting. Apart from that neverending nightmare of a start, the holiday was a great success I think.

We went to the beach!

We wore our special holiday purchases that Mummy had been getting stressed about arriving in time (and looked adorable)

We met some interesting creatures.

There were waterfights...

And games of cricket on the beach.

And sometimes it just all got a bit too much...

Are you going anywhere nice this year?

*The observant amongst you may have noticed theres a heck of a lot of extra children in these pics - they are my nephews as this years holiday was a big family affair with my brother, his wife and their kids, both my sisters and our parents.

Au Revoir

2010-06-26T23:37:00.003+01:00

See y'all in two weeks!

We are victorious!

2010-06-25T10:08:00.000+01:00

I just got some truly excellent news - we have a nursery place for Elise! I am so happy - and it proves a little determination pays off as I have no doubt my phone calls pestering them probably helped (we're all best mates now). So I have one less thing to panic and stress about!

Join me while I do a little jig of victory why don't you?

30 day Meme - Day 2, A favourite movie

2010-06-24T12:20:00.001+01:00

Okay so I'm doing Day 2 of the 30 day meme now, which is where I tell you what my favourite movie is. Except, I can't tell you what my favourite movie is as there are too many. So I'll try and chose just one.

Out of all the films I've watched and loved over the years, the one that sticks in my head has got to be Stand By Me. Yes, it may be a cliched choice given that I am a child of the 80s but god it's a brilliant film.

It has a nostalgic air around it that reminds me of being a child myself (minus almost being run over by trains and going on a hunt for a dead body). But I think everyone who watches it can probably see a little bit of their own childhood being played out on screen. It puts me in mind of long hot summers when you stayed out until hunger finally drove you to go home, adventures in the woods we lived beside and thinking that the friendships you had then would last forever.

I read the Stephen King short story that it is based on a few years ago (The movie is based on a short story called "The Body" by Stephen King from a book of short stories called "Different Seasons) and it has got to be one of the most successful book to film adaptations I've ever watched - but perhaps I'm biased as I read the book after falling in love with the movie. And I am rather partial to a Stephen King novel or three.

Even if you're not taking part in the meme, I would love to hear what your favourite film is of all time.

An Introduction to... Lewis

2010-06-23T10:18:00.000+01:00

I'd like to introduce you to my lovely second born, Lewis, today. Lewis is 5 at the moment and just coming to the end of his first year of primary school. Despite being incredibly intelligent (I've been calling him Baby Genius since he was about 5 months old), he's not into blowing his own trumpet - that's my job. On numerous occasions recently he has managed to work out a mathematical problem before me, which is beginning to become a bit of an embarassment.

My mum is so silly. Everyone knows that 457x23 is 10511. Sake!

He has also been on the receiving end of Head Teacher awards in school for his fantastic story writing - in fact his writing has been compared to being of the level expected of a child in P3! We're incredibly proud of how he is doing in school.

Last year we discovered that Lewis has glue ear and he had to go in for a wee operation to have gromets put into his ears and his adenoids removed. He recovered really well and we've noticed a huge difference in him. He's not called Lewis...Lewis...LEWIS...LLEEEWWIIISSSS! any more. Just Lewis.

SORRY, WHAT DID YOU SAY? WHAT?

Lewis loves swimming - he's like a penguin. Slightly awkward on dry land and beautifully graceful in the water. Although not the sportiest of children, this seems to be his activity of choice as not only does he have a knack for it he really enjoys it as well.

You're still here?

So that is my little Lewis - not that he's all that little any more. After the summer he will be going into P2!

Getting behind...

2010-06-20T17:44:00.000+01:00

Well it does not bode well that I am already behind with the daily meme I was participating in. But I have had an upsetting and stressful week, one which I am incredibly glad is over. Onwards and upwards, as they say! But I think I might just leave the rest of it to spread out for days when I want to update but have nothing to talk about.

I phoned second choice nursery last Monday to see if I could find out any news on whether or not E has manage to get a place for next year. The lady I spoke to was very nice but couldn't tell me anything as the roll has not been finalised yet but she did say she would look into it and get in touch as soon as possible. Unfortunately I've not heard anything - and I'm panicking a bit as if we don't get a place then I need to sort something else out but the end of August. Oh yes, good luck with that. Not to mention getting my funding application sorted out as well. Is this Monday too soon to chase it up?

I'm also in the midst of washing/ironing/packing/sorting/stressing for our summer holiday to France which we go on next weekend. I am really looking forward to it - I can't wait to get away in fact.

Anyway it is time to get back to the seemingly endless pile of shorts and t-shirts needing packed! Cheerio for now!

30 day Meme - Day 1

2010-06-16T10:25:00.000+01:00

I'm nicking this meme from Emma over at Paddymade who in turn nabbed it from here. I'm thinking that not only will it get me in the habit of updating often, it will also be a good way to get to know me a bit better. So here goes.

The idea is to update every day for thirty days with a favourite thing or something interesting about you based on this list:
Day 01 — A favourite song
Day 02 — A favourite movie
Day 03 — A favourite television program
Day 04 — A favourite book
Day 05 — A favourite quote
Day 06 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 — A photo that makes you happy
Day 08 — A photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 — A photo you took
Day 10 — A photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 — A photo of you taken recently
Day 12 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 — A fictional book
Day 14 — A non-fictional book
Day 15 — A fanfic
Day 16 — A song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 — An art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 — A talent of yours
Day 20 — A hobby of yours
Day 21 — A recipe
Day 22 — A website
Day 23 — A YouTube video
Day 24 — Whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 — Your day, in great detail
Day 26 — Your week, in great detail
Day 27 — This month, in great detail
Day 28 — This year, in great detail
Day 29 — Hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 — Whatever tickles your fancy

So, today is day 1 and that means my favourite song! This is quite hard for me... I love all different genres of music and my favourites change all the time but a song I've loved for a very long time is What It's Like by Everlast:

I remember when I was a teenager watching some rock music show late one night and this coming on and totally falling in love with it - it's rare a song lasts the test of time with me as I get fed up very easily. Everlast was originally the frontman in House of Pain but it's his solo stuff that I enjoy. I was very lucky to see him play live at T in the Park many years ago.

If anyone else is taking part in this meme then leave me a wee note so I can go check it out on your blog too.

An Introduction to... Elise

2010-06-15T10:43:00.000+01:00

I thought it would be nice to take some time to introduce you to the important people in my life, starting with the children. First off, allow me to introduce you to the little diva of the house - Elise!

Elise is the baby at only 17 months old. She was induced 11 days early due to oligohydramnios on the 3rd of January 2009, a beautiful little girl to complete our family. There have been no lasting effects of this condition (it can sometimes indicate kidney problems in the baby), and has never been explained (my waters hadn't broken). It was a very quick labour (44 mins in established labour) but this was preceded by 2 days of NOTHING happening. By the time she was born at about 7.45pm I was desperate to get home and managed to get them to let me leave the next day - I went to the local supermarket to pick up some pink things (we hadn't found out the gender) and the checkout girl asked how old she was - I'm not sure she believed me when I told her 22 hours!

She is the most sunny natured little thing for the majority of the time, however she has also mastered the art of tantrumming perfectly and a lot younger than my boys ever did. Stay on her good side though and she'll keep you laughing.

She started suffering from eczema in the winter there which at times was quite bad, thankfully the better the weather has got the more her skin has cleared up - and we hope that she will grow out of it altogether as she gets older. It doesn't hinder her cool quotient in any way though

Anyway, that's a brief introduction to my gorgeous girl! Stay tuned to meet the rest of the madhouse over the next few days.

Here we go...

2010-06-14T18:35:00.000+01:00

Well I've decided to start a new blog to fit in with the changes in my life that are going to be occurring in the next couple of months. If you want, you can still go look at my old blog and who knows I may still update it from time to time but I think for the forseeable this will be where you are most likely to find me.

Those who know me fairly well are probably aware that I have taken the plunge and am going to college in September to start the journey towards gaining a degree in Primary Education. My first step is this college course - Access to Social Sciences. Then after that it's hopefully off to the big bad world of University!

Currently I am stressing about finding childcare for my daughter while I am at college next year - we didn't get a space in our first choice nursery due to an overwhelming number of applicants so fingers crossed we get a space in our second choice (which is still a brilliant nursery - my eldest went there - and is only second choice in terms of proximity to the college. First choice is actually *in* the college).

I'm also having a bag/stationary dilemma. When I went to college the first time around, I was (fairly) fresh out of school and went for a backpack and a couple of pads and folders. This time around I need to be incredibly organised from the get-go or I'll end up sending scribbled notes to children's teachers on the back of assignments and losing all my pens bar the pink sparkly one with the massive feather sprouting from the top of it! So although I have held off until now, I can sense a trip to Paperchase or WH Smith on the horizon (pretty or functional? a lifelong dilemma).

If there are any parents out there who've successfully juggled parenthood with their studies reading this, I'd love to hear how it went (or is going) for you.