The Dark Side of the Blog...

Sometimes I wonder whether blogging is a good idea, whether I've opened up the people most precious to me to a whole world of dangers.

They didn't ask me to share their lives, and as much as I love to record our life together I wonder whether doing so in such a public format is sensible of me. If anything was going to stop me from blogging it would be this fear. That I've allowed strangers too much access. 

Obviously I think my children are the best things ever, the most wonderful, the most beautiful and the most perfect. I worry that the kind of people that I want to sheild them from will somehow spot them on here and think exactly the same thing. Am I a fool? Should I stop this? 

I rarely check the stats in relation to my blog, but the other day I thought I'd have a look. This is what I found:

I really don't know what to make of it. Has someone stumbled across us, looking for young pretty girls? What are the xx's? X rated? Kisses? I don't know, but it scares me. I also seem to get a lot of hits from porn sites. Is that something that every blogger has to suffer, or something I'm just unlucky with? 

Usually keyword searches just make me laugh and the crazy and varied ways that people have managed to stumble across this place, but my paranoid side can't help but sound sirens at this. 

I've never named my children here, never discussed where we live, or even named myself fully.  Is that enough?

I need your advice bloggers, your wisdom, your guidance. Should I be doing something more? Am I just being ridiculous? Should I cut and run? 

My Fitness Pal....

I mentioned the other day that I've been being a little careful with my diet lately, in an effort to shift some of my unnecessary flab. I've tried Weightwatchers before and had some pretty good results, but I start to resent having to pay so much for the privilege.

Instead I decided that this time I wanted to do something a little more easily accessible. I'm happy enough to weigh myself at home, and after the initial stages of a diet, when I'm usually starving, I'm pretty good at sticking to one.

I'd heard some really good things about My Fitness Pal, a free app you can use on your PC, or on your phone. Essentially it's a food diary, on which you record what you've eaten. You input your gender, height, the weight you are, the weight you'd like to be, the rate at which you'd like to lose weight and how active you are. It then calculates how many calories you should consume on a daily basis to reach that weight. 

You search for what you've eaten from a huge database and you can even scan the barcode on food to make sure you're being really precise. You can also record what exercise you've done and it calculates how many calories that exercise will have "earnt" you. It also breaks down your diet so you can chart whether you're eating the right amount of fat, protein and carbohydrate. Something I'd never thought to check before!! 

You can also interact with other dieters and use a whole social networking aspect, although I haven't done this, so can't speak from personal experience. I do love the idea of finding online support from other people in the same boat, but I hate the idea of sharing my weight!

It the end of each day it also gives you a prediction of what you "could" weigh in five weeks, based on how that day went. 

According to my prediction I'm going to be really flippin skinny in just five short weeks. A cruelly dangled carrot full of hope and promise. You can't eat the carrot, of course. If you actually dare to scoff the orange dangled one you will never reach the skinny malink status you so badly desire... it's just there to let you know what could happen... It's like Bullseye all over again with a dietary version of Jim Bowen saying "Here's what you could have won!" If only you hadn't got barmy with those Weightwatchers cookies when you thought no one was watching....

So far I've found it so easy to use, I'm really pleased with my progress. This is my sixth week of using My Fitness Pal and I've now lost 15 pounds. Only another eight to go and I'll be a very happy bunny indeed!! I'll scoff that dangly carrot yet!!! 

Have you tried My Fitness Pal? Do you prefer another weight loss method? Any recommendations for me? 

Love, love, 

Treasure in the bushes...

There are so many beautiful things hiding out there in the bushes right now. I've been pacing myself and it's been killing me, but I think, finally, by the look of these sloes, they're about ready to pick, at last! Next weekend we're off for a forage! 

Anyone else planning jam? Gin? Syrup?? :)

40/52

A portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2013.

40/52

40/52

This week saw Biscuit's first bowling adventure. I love how she's looking at the ball so suspiciously! 

Wiggles decided she would like to play with Biscuit's wooden farm. It entertained her for ages. The only downside was that we couldn't find the proper animals, she didn't seem to mind the giant dogs, dinosaurs and tigers though! 

Friday Treats....#6 Definitely No Tricks

Good evening lovelies! Another Friday, another treat for Biscuit! 

I enjoy Halloween, but I strongly disagree with the concept of Trick or Treating. It goes against everything I tell my children the other 364 days of the year. It's just a personal thing. 

Despite that I love a good Halloween accessory and I've always been a big fan of dressing up! I'd promised Biscuit that this year she could invite her friends over to enjoy a "Spooky Tea". This would mean she still got to enjoy the fun, but safely indoors. 

This week's Friday Treat is in preparation for that:

Friday Treat: Halloween Bowls, Halloween Cups, Halloween Plates, Halloween Party Bags and Halloween Party Invitations. 

Price: £1 each, so £5 in total. 

Reaction: Very, VERY, Very excited! She has taken everything but the invitations into her room "to keep them safe". I've been asked to promise faithfully we can write invitations out tomorrow despite a busy day ahead. She also wanted to know how any days until her party, and whether they could have green jelly with eyeballs inside. Yes, yes, you can! 

Have great weekends!

Love, love, 

What's going on?

It occurred to me that I have written a life update post for yonks and yonks, so I thought I'd better rectify this and let you know what's been going on round these here parts!

Two weeks ago we went to my dear friend Berg's beautiful wedding. It was so lovely. Apart from the bit where My Darling Boy got a migraine and had to have a little sleepy in the car. Poor love! One of the most memorable things was the amazing samba in the evening. It was ruddy bloody brilliant! Probably the closet I will ever get to Mardi Gras and certainly one to remember! 

Last weekend we had lunch with two of our lovely pals. They are both our children's Godparents and we are so, so lucky to call them our friends. They rock! They told us that not only are they about to buy their first house, but they're also expecting their first baby. Happy news indeed!

After enjoying a lovely lunch together we all went for a stroll through their local park. It had a bandstand with a fantastic brass band playing, I love a brass band! Wheel me over and park me in front of one when I'm an old bird! But I will be needing a tartan blanket...

I had a bit of a splurge in Sainsbury's last week, they had 25% off all their clothing so I took advantage and snaffled myself this little piece of gorgeous:

At only £22.50 it would have been rude not to, right? And I deserved it!  I've rather wonderfully managed to lose an entire stone in weight! I've been religiously calorie counting using an excellent app called My Fitness Pal. I've got a little way to go yet, but I'm very pleased with my progress. 

Having said that, I'm going to have to be a bit careful this weekend, it's my Mum and Dad's Ruby Wedding Anniversary. My Aunt and Uncle are coming to visit and I haven't seen them for ages. I can't wait! We're all going to a lovely swanky restaurant in Sunday to celebrate. I'm so excited! 

Hope you all have great weekends too! 

Love, love,

The Active Life....#6 Bowlin', Bowlin', Bowlin'...

 

This weekend saw Biscuit trying out something new. She'd been talking to a friend at school who'd been bowling with her Daddy and decided that she'd like to give it a try. We were happy to agree, the weather wasn't great this weekend and we knew we would be busy all day Sunday so we thought it'd be a good idea. I can't go bowling. It's not pretty. I get Bowling Rage. In stage one I get competitive, stage two means I get sulky. I am ashamed. 

Biscuit however took to it like a duck to water! No fear, no caution, just a lot of fun! 

We'll be going back on another rainy day.

No Bowling Rage for my girl!  

The last shot shows Biscuit's slightly nervous peering through Daddy's legs to see what's happening pose. Crazy. 

Hope you've all been busy, busy, busy too!

Love, love,