LivingwithKids

In just one week's time I'll be jetting off to Florida with five other mummy bloggers. There's nothing like the thought of exposing your body to strangers to frighten you into dieting and so that's what I've been doing, since April.

 

This morning I jumped on the scales and saw numbers I haven't seen in over two years. I can't tell you how good that feels. I still have a way to go, but I'm determined to keep on with it. I've found my diet easy to stick to and when I've had a 'bad' day or snacking setbacks I haven't let it hold me back - instead I've treated the following day as a fresh start. I've also been doing more exercise (well, walking. I haven't joined a gym, or anything.) And gratifyingly, my combats are now so loose they fall off when I walk up the stairs.

Of course I'm not saying nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. I still love chocolate and cheese. But to paraphrase Joey Tribbiani, my clothes fit a little better, I have more energy and I'm definitely feeling more confident about going on that beach.

So farewell then, James 'Sawyer' Ford. You  (and your physique) kept us entertained for six fabulous, if not always coherent seasons of Lost. Don't worry, in case you haven't seen it yet, I'm not going to spoil it for you. But for me, that was the most satisfying series finale I think I've seen. Bar none. I laughed, I cried, I clung on to the edge of the sofa. And even though there were many questions left unanswered, I will miss Jack, Hurley and the rest.

I was very disappointed with the end of Ashes to Ashes - sorry, I know so many of you are huge fans, but for me it was terribly predictable. Heroes just seemed to fade away (possibly because they didn't know that would be the final episode).

No 1 Son argues that Friends had the best ending ever. But even though I loved it, the characters didn't stay with me in quite the same way as the Lost crew. I'd love to know what you think.

And meanwhile, apparently the boxed set of the entire series of Lost will contain 14 minutes of bonus footage. You can preorder now from Play.com. I know I'm going to.

I consider myself incredibly lucky in the friends  department, I try never to lose any of them. Here I am with four of them. I’ve known one since school, and the other three since uni – that’s over *cough cough* years. We’re all mums now with busy lives, but even though we sometimes don’t see each other for months at a time, we’re always just a phone call away. We’re there for each other in times of crisis and celebration. And when I do see them, it’s like we’ve never been apart. This post is my entry to The Gallery. To see more, click here.

 

Now as you know I’m a judge for the MADs. The award I’ll be deliberating, cogitating and digesting along with my fellow judges is the MAD Blogger of the Year. But there are nine other categories to vote for – if you haven’t voted yet, you have until June 6 (just click here).

I was familiar with many of the blogs on the shortlist, but I’m pleased to say there were quite a few I’d never read before. So I decided to read each and every one, including the ones written by my friends, and then decide which one to vote for, based on merit – ie, which one seemed to be the best in its category.  How did you decide which ones to vote for?

The thing I love most about the MADs is that it’s a celebration of parent blogging. If you haven’t read many parent blogs before, or you’re thinking of starting your own, or you simply want something new to read, do have a look at the list of nominees here.

And good luck to everyone on the shortlist – I look forward to meeting lots of you at the award ceremony in September!

Our eyes met for a brief nanosecond, and I could feel my knees turning to jelly. Fortunately for Jake Gyllenhaal we were in a room full of press, otherwise I might have been tempted to leap across and give him a big sloppy kiss. Because I’m happy to report that in the flesh he is absolutely gorgeous – easygoing smile, lovely eyes and a fantastic sense of humour (my favourite quote of the afternoon:  ‘I’ve always really wanted to play a prince – some people might say I am in a lot of ways a princess.’)

The occasion was the press conference for Disney's Prince of Persia, and in addition to Jake, Gemma Arterton was also there (absolutely lovely and SO pretty, *sob*), and the wonderful Sir Ben Kingsley. Plus the legend that is Jerry Bruckheimer, and director Mike Newell. Needless to say I was VERY excited.

Before the conference we were treated to a screening of the film which I enjoyed  – it’s a real swashbuckling epic, with blood, guts and sand, romance and drama. There are lots of laughs, too (Alfred Molina is particularly genius).

And Jake? Well Jake is superb, of course. He doesn’t just look the part (although it has to be said he does sport a very impressive six pack - who knew?) and even though he adopts an English accent that sounds as though he’s been hanging out in Albert Square for much of the movie he makes a totally believable action hero.

Later that evening I took the kids to see the movie. They loved it too, declaring it ‘awesome’, although the girls were a bit disappointed that Gemma’s character, Princess Tamina, starts off feisty and ends up soppy over Jake. But let’s face it, you so would, wouldn’t you?

*Prince of Persia is released on Friday

I can’t wait for the release of SATC2 (May 28). Not really because of the plot (I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end), but because of the clothes! Of course their designer gear is out of price reach for most of us – but you can still steal their style.

The good news is Debenhams, the movie’s official retail partner, has launched a gorgeous SATC-inspired collection. The halterneck dress is Principles by Ben de Lisi (£65), the Grecian dress (£55) and strapless dress (£50) are Star by Julien Macdonald, and the printed dress is Butterfly by Matthew Williamson (£80). And the Matthew Williamson tie-dye bikini is £18 for the top and £8 for the bottoms, the J by Jasper Conran green maxi dress is £40, the swimsuit is also £40, and the Red Herring maxi dress is £35.

You could also smell like a Big Apple fashionista with DKNY’s fabulous Love from New York fragrance (£29.99, available from FragranceDirect)...

or Be Delicious (from £38, available from John Lewis and Boots).

And if you want to know what Carrie and co get up to in the new movie, here's a taster. If you had to be one SATC character, which one would you be? I’d love to know.

OK to appreciate this post you need to click here for the song that goes with it. These photos were taken in Waikiki, Hawaii, one of my favourite places in the world. Whenever I’m feeling stressed I think about the colour of the sea and the sound of the waves...

...and the beautiful pinky gold sunsets. And nothing, not even the noise of squabbling/whining/barking (that’s the dog, mostly) can spoil it. Where do you drift away to when you want to escape from it all?

*This post is my entry to this week’s Gallery.

I'm a big fan of Simple so when they asked me if I'd tell you about a competition they're running to celebrate their 50th anniversary I was only too happy to help. Basically they're looking for a 'Simple Star' - you'll be an online spokesperson for the brand, and the role is perfect for a mum. No previous marketing experience is necessary and the incredible prize package includes a luxury trip to the Caribbean, plus lots of runners-up prizes. More details here - if you decide to enter, let me know how you get on!

 

I've been tagged by Karin at Café Bébé and asked to provide my 'Words of Wisdom'. She was inspired by Martha Stewart but I'm a Degenerate Housewife (thank you English Mum), so here are mine:

Don’t worry about what you can’t control. As parents we have enough stress in our lives already. Some things you have to let go.  Say you’re stuck in a traffic jam, or you’re waiting in a long queue, or your flight is delayed. These are things you have no control over, and you just have to ride them out. Instead, concentrate your energies on the things you can control. I promise you it’ll do wonders for your stress levels.

Always make the beds before leaving the house. This is something my Irish grandmother drummed into me from an early age. It stemmed from the time my grandfather was kicked by a horse and, with slightly skewed logic, Granny said she would have ‘died of shame’ if the beds hadn’t been made when they brought him in (fortunately he was OK). But anyway, it’s something that’s stuck, and being honest, it IS much better to go into a bedroom where the bed is made at the end of a long hard day. It also makes you feel as though you’re vaguely on top of things, domestic-wise.

Life isn’t just too short to stuff a mushroom, it’s also too short to iron. If you want to iron (because you like it?!) go for your life. But once you’re past the babygro/bib stage, well, personally I’d rather be doing other things. I buy school and work shirts and sheets made from non-iron cotton, and I never wear anything that needs ironing. No one has ever accused me of looking creased. Well, not to my face. (We do have an iron. And a board. I just don't know where they are.)

*What are your words of wisdom? I'd love to know - please share them below

We live not far from where I grew up (I went to the same primary school as the offspring) - although I have lived further away, this felt like the right place to raise a family, not least because my mum lives close by.

Recently I've spotted three women round about who I recognise. At first I struggled to place them, but then I clicked. They were in my class at primary school!

One of them was one of my 'best friends'. One of them didn't invite me to her birthday party. And one of them I didn't play with very much, but I always liked.

I didn't stay in touch with anyone from primary school, because we all went to completely different secondaries. And let's face it, I'm really not the same person now as I was at 11.

But it feels a bit weird. When I see these women on the street, we sort of avoid eye contact, but I'm pretty sure they must recognise me too. We're the same age, we obviously have a fair bit in common. I feel like I should say something. Does the fact we last spoke to each other 30something years ago make it a bit pointless? What would you do?