Honk if you wanna go faster !

This year has already been one of fundraising firsts. I spent February sugar free to raise money for Cancer Research UK - surprisingly no one was harmed in my sugar-free state. Well actually my macbook was on the receiving end of an errant cup of tea, but so far is appears to have survived any long term harm. I figured that as it's the shortest month it would be the best one to do something as radical as give up sugar and I managed it. Ok, there were a couple of notable exceptions - I did have a dessert on Valentine's Day and on the last day of February I had a pancake with sugar and lemon on it. Otherwise I did pretty well and I think it's given me an appreciation of how much sugar I was eating and how little I really need it. 

As if I wasn't a sucker enough for punishment I'm taking part in Dechox this month. Yep, I'm staying off the chocolate for a whole month longer to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation. At least at the end of this it's Easter so I can indulge, but from past experience the anticipation of chocolate far exceeds the need for it once the deprivation ends.

I put on my Comic Relief face on the train 

You will probably have seen by now that I spent yesterday in the company of fellow Team Honkers and we walked ten miles around London wearing Red Nose themed outfits and preparing meals at each stop. This annual fundraiser is for Comic Relief and this year we called it The Honk Line - I've been calling it Honk The Line Johnny Cash style all this time. 

A much needed cuppa and a borrowed tutu 

First up we met up in Highgate and had breakfast in Waterlow Park - just as we were about to leave we bumped into Jamie Oliver with this wife Jools and their kids. He kindly agreed to a photo with a gaggle of overexcited people in red nose day gear. (If you don't believe me check out my twitter feed).

The firepod 

The idea of preparing food at each stop was taken up with gusto by the lovely team at Firepod and they carried this amazing bit of kit around with us for the whole day. When we stopped for lunch they made us fresh and delicious pizzas to eat. 

Red Nose pizza 

Our final meal stop was afternoon tea at Lincoln's Inn Fields. We were all pretty tired by this point and needed the sit down. There were lots of people and dogs in the park enjoying the sunshine and a police helicopter overhead for a bit of local colour. Getting back up to do the final leg was not appealing in the slightest. Not least as my feet were really aching by this point and even today I'm feeling pain in my ankles. In total I walked ten miles and came home for a hot bath. I had hoped for breakfast in bed this morning, but for once the boys didn't wake up at 6am ready to rumble. 

It's not a tea party without a mad hatter 

Ok, so it was tiring and all that, but the point of it all was to raise money so here's as link to my fundraising page: https://my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/Swazi As a team we've already raised almost £3,000 and with more events to come next weekend with Come Honk With Me we hope to exceed our past efforts. Your generosity really will help to make a world of difference to people living unimaginably tough lives. Thank you.

Red Nose Day is actually on Friday 24th March and it's going to be fantastic. I'm thinking of going to this - a crafternoon sounds wonderful doesn't it ?

Of course as this is me it doesn't end here - this walk was mere training for the 26.2 mile Moonwalk in May - I'll keep you posted... 

Come ride with me - well with East Park RDA actually.

Having fun during a riding lesson

It's not a matter of public record, but I am a big fan of the Archers. It was while discussing this shared interest that the topic of the RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) came about. You see while the Archers storylines often feature horses and stables there is no mention of any riding by or for disabled people. It was this in mind that I was delighted to be invited by Comic Relief to visit a project they fund, East Park Riding for the Disabled Group in Surrey.

I met Sally who runs the riding school with her husband and daughter and the invaluable help of 80 volunteers. The riding school is a registered charity and they fundraise in order to provide the lessons at a subsidised cost for the children. Parents make a contribution towards the lessons and the school offers extraordinary support. The instructors and volunteers have expectations of the children and their abilities. This is not a case of putting a child on a pony and walking them round a bit. They work towards assessments and take part in competitions. Some children are able to concentrate here where they struggle at school and the teacher has noticed that one child who often needs time out in the classroom has been a lot calmer when attending East Park.

The hat and boot room 

As the children put on their riding hats and boots the ponies are led in and walked around. Then each child goes up one in turn to check the bridle and show they know how to take care of their pony. On the morning I went it was Michael's first riding lesson and his pony came up to say hello before the lesson started. Michael chatters incessantly, he is a twin and has a range of special needs. He was very excited about riding for the first time. I also met a girl who a year ago was fully sighted and has now lost almost all of her sight. It has been a life changing experience that has taken away her confidence. Another child has been in and out of school having chemotherapy treatment. It is hoped that riding will help all these children overcome their fears and anxieties as well as being great fun.

Michael meets one of the ponies before his first lesson

There were two lessons while I was there both with children from the same mainstream school. The children who attend have a wide range of different abilities including special needs and visual impairment and they all look forward to their weekly riding lesson. I observed how calm they were, the attention they paid to instructions and how they undertook specific exercises to encourage movement and co-ordination. One of the moves across the body supports physiotherapeutic work to help children with balance.

Practising a figure eight for competition

Comic Relief fund a great many projects in the UK and I'm so pleased that I got to see this one. I've been aware of riding for the disabled for many years, but haven't seen it. The children I met and talked to have benefited in so many ways and the ponies are lovely and so patient.

The stars of the riding school 

Once again I'll be taking part in a creative fundraising attempt as part of Team Honk. We're a group of bloggers from all over the country who have previously passed a baton from Lands End to John O'Groats (well the other way round actually) and danced for six hours at Wembley Arena. Last year three of us visited as many museums as we could in London in one day - we managed 27 of them. This year we are taking part in 'Come Honk With Me,' and I'll be travelling round parks in London with fellow London Honkers dressed for dinner and preparing meals as we go. I have no idea how yet - we never do before we begin - but I guarantee it's going to be fun and we hope to raise a lot of money to enable Comic Relief to continue funding fantastic projects like the one I visited.  

A carriage that has been donated to East Park RDA 

Thanks to Dara at Comic Relief, Sally at East Park RDA and Mrs Penny from St Stephen's School. 

It's all been a bit of a blur...

At the beginning of 2015 I knew a couple of things:

1. I was signed up to do a 6 hour danceathon for Comic Relief with my Team Honk chums and
2. There was a possibility that we would have a new child joining our family. 

Yep we danced for 6 hours !! 

I was a bit blasé about taking part in the Danceathon at Wembley Arena, but as the date drew closer I started to realise that I couldn't take a lot with me so I would have to think about how much to carry. There were all sorts of transport issues so I had to work out a route which would enable me to get there - and home again - without too much hassle. In the end it was an amazing - and tiring - day. I learned lots of dance moves, kept going for the whole event, we raised a massive amount of money for charity and the entire audience (on TV too) saw Mummy Barrow's bum. 

On a more sober note the reality of adoption really hit home in the Spring. We talked to Big Boy about how he felt and prepared ourselves for the matching panel. It was nerve wracking and frightening, but we did the best we could. Thankfully we found out almost immediately that we had been matched and could proceed to meeting him a week later.

The world changed completely on the 2nd April when Baby Boy came to live with us.

It also opened the door to an old friend. I found myself enveloped by overwhelming feelings of inadequacy and the inability to cope with 2 boys fighting for my attention and sibling rivalry on a level that even as one of four I had never experienced. It took months before I said out loud that I might have post-adoption depression. Hardly surprising as I'd had post-natal depression, but I wasn't even aware of the phenomenon applying to adoption too. I'm still working through it, but at least it now has a name.

I did a skydive - on board a cruise ship ! 

Not long after he came to us we were invited by Royal Caribbean to take part in an inaugural cruise on the Anthem of the Seas. It worked out that me and Big Boy went on the cruise and Baby Boy and Hubbie went to stay with Grandma so we had some special one to one time with a boy each. I've never been on a cruise before so it was really exciting and me and Big Boy did some exciting things like going for a sky dive on the deck and I also learned trapeze. It was terrifying - you could hear the clanking of the scaffolding as I climbed up to the bar because I was shaking so much, but I'm so glad I finally did it. Big Boy loved the kids club so much that I barely saw him, but I did enjoy a lovely hot stone massage, went to watch a show and even managed to have some quiet time with champagne on the balcony. I hope we can all go next time - I'm sure Hubbie and Baby Boy would have a great time too.

Following a car accident in the Summer we missed a great friend's wedding and I have been having physiotherapy to help mend a bad knee and shoulder injury. I still don't know how I finished the Shine walk - even though it was the half and not the full marathon - but I'm glad that I did. After the danceathon and the walk I think I'll take a year off from fundraising events next year. Remind me of that won't you ?

Baby Boy loves the beach

We took the boys on holiday to Cornwall and stayed at our favourite family friendly location - Coombe Mill. Baby Boy went to the beach for the first time and met lots of different animals. He seems to have the family love of trains and animals, we just need to work on his tractor driving skills.

Big Boy turned five and his best present was a brand new cousin. He completely loves the baby and is already planning what role the new boy will have in the little 'boy gang' that he has planned consisting of his brother and cousin. This also fills in the gap left by the arrival of a baby brother who wasn't actually a baby. Most important of course is that fact that I am finally an auntie ! I love that little dude so much.

It was a big month in December as it was the first time Baby Boy has celebrated his birthday and Christmas with us. I was so keen to get it just right for all of us as these will be his memories. 

There has been so much going on that I made two big decisions in the later months.

• I was thinking about it for a while, but in the end the decision was really simple. I went to see a nice man called Alan and showed him a photo then he went ahead and cut my hair short. I love it. 

My snazzy shorter hair

• After more than 15 years I've decided to give up being an Avon lady. It's been fun, but I want to simplify my life and give myself more time. In the process of decluttering the house I have realised just how much make up, skincare and general stuff I have in my possession, so even if I didn't buy any for a year I wouldn't run out of anything.

At the end of last year we had just returned from a fab Christmas at Coombe Mill and were looking ahead to some massive family changes. As this one comes to a close we're all exhausted. So much has happened and there is so much more to come.

Baby Boy starts pre-school in January, Hubbie has a new found interest in cycling and Big Boy is training to be a Jedi.

I love these boys

And me ? Well I have no plans so far. I'm taking 2016 as it comes. I think it will be just fine.

One, Two, Three, Four... reasons to be cheerful :)

OYou know how sometimes you need to remind yourself of the nice things in life ?

Well this week I really need that so here goes:

Not that I'm going to ask for chocolate of course

I popped into M&S earlier this week and spotted this little beauty. I loved it so much a took a photo to show Hubbie what to get me for Easter. Yep, it's a caramelised walnut swirl egg !!

Me and Hubbie posing with the famous pigeon

We first saw the Mel Brooks musical The Producers when we were on honeymoon in New York. It is everything we love; irreverent, camp as you like and very, very silly. This week we went on a date night and saw the latest touring production starring Jason Manford and the wonderful Cory English (who we've seen before in the West End production). As Miranda's mother would say, "Such fun !"

Arty shot of me at the Danceathon

Of course you know I took part in the Comic Relief 6 hour Danceathon last weekend. It was such an amazing thing to be part of and I'm delighted to managed to keep dancing for the entire 6 hours and am overwhelmed by how very generous my sponsors have been - thank you all so much xx

And finally we can resume our normal lives

After weeks of popping every Red Nose Day item into my trolley when I go shopping I finally did an audit of what we have so far. At last count I have a Lulu Guinness shopper, T-shirts for me and my boy, one china mug, red nose day sippy cups (x2) and red noses (x15). The good news here is that we finally managed to get the snortel nose that our boy has been searching for. Thank goodness !

*** STOP PRESS ***

We now have two Snortel noses thanks to lovely Ems who bought my boy another one :) 

My thank you dance for sponsoring me to dance non-stop for 6 hours :)

I promised to video a dance to say thanks for sponsoring me - so here it is :) 

Wish me luck with tomorrow. It's just struck me that 6 hours is a very long time to dance and I'm going to be pushing myself to my limit !

If you haven't sponsored me yet it's not too late: www.my.rednoseday.com/sponsor/swazirodgers

Thank you !!!!

So it's been a pretty eventful few days.

On Monday night I went to the first night of Anything Goes at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and it was absolutely fantastic ! I know all the songs (you probably do too) and it was just so vibrant and fun. It was a really great start to the week and seeing all the lovely dancers in their vintage outfits gave me some inspiration for my danceathon outfit next week.

It's been London Fashion Week - an event I used to take great interest in before it became entirely out of the realms of my reality - well since the Clothes Show stopped being shown on telly really. I always loved watching the catwalk shows (of course now it's called a runway instead which is part of the reason I stopped caring) and seeing what the designers had in store for the rich and thin. I am neither so you can see why it's less of a thing for me now.

To demonstrate how far I am from being a fashionista I got all discombobulated about a tweet I saw telling me that Krispy Kreme were giving away free doughnuts to celebrate their 1,000th store opening. I discreetly did up my cardigan (I said about the fashion thing didn't I ? I wasn't kidding !) and left the office. I did that fast walk that looks like you need the loo really urgently all the way to the shop on High Holborn and the nice man handed me a lovely and nutritionally questionable foodstuff in a bag. It made my day that did :)

Then Madonna fell off a high stage in a wardrobe fail that looked terribly painful and caused all sorts of reactions - from claims that she had done it on purpose to those leaping to her defence by claiming that she has super human powers. I don't envy the person who had done up her cape at the neck. While I've always been an admirer of Madge it's no secret that she is not a fan of failure. It reminded me of her on stage during the blonde ambition tour and thinking how hard she worked to get fit so she could dance and sing for hours. That is a woman who works hard and it shows. I'm pretty sure if it was me I'd have stayed down and actually cried.

I almost did cry on Friday actually. During the end of the week assembly at school my boy finally received a special celebration certificate and badge at school for writing. It is so heartening for me to hear that he has been writing pages and pages of words. His teacher even quipped in the assembly that he must be 'writing a novel." I hope so. That would make me even prouder - as if that's even possible.

On top of all of that my biggest surprise came today when I checked my Red Nose Day fundraising page to discover that I've smashed the fundraising target I set for the Danceathon I'm taking part in with hundreds of others - and a fair few Team Honkers - at Wembley Arena to raise funds for Comic Relief. It has been an amazing and kind of so many lovely folks to sponsor me to take part in this. I genuinely appreciate every donation and I know it's not easy for everyone to give so thank you from my heart for doing so.

It's not too late to give if you still want to. I will share plenty of pics from the event itself and I haven't forgotten that I promised to do and film a happy dance when I reached my target. Keep an eye on t'internet as I expect it's going to make the whole gold dress/blue dress thing pale into the distance when it goes live :)

Disclosure: The lovely folks at the Churchill Theatre invited us to see Anything Goes free of charge. 

A life in dance: From Madonna to Strictly

I'm not a natural dancer. I have neither the body for it nor the rhythm, but I do love dance and have done from way back when. 

In the '80s when Madonna was still wearing rara skirts, rubber bangles and those diamante boots that everyone had to have from Desperately Seeking Susan I was all about the funky leg warmers and ankle boots:

Then of course there were the uni years. It was a time of hard rock and some miserable goth music too, but mostly it was loud head banging music and long fringy skirts:

And post uni I was all about trying to be one of Prince's proteges. I knew I'd never been quite thin enough to be Mayte or Carmen Electra, but Wendy and Lisa inspired with their musical talent and seeming ability to work with him without ending up married to him:

Of course with the advent of girl bands it was all about girl power, but I'd always had a soft spot for Bananarama with their simplistic and barely choreographed dance style. I was pleased they'd moved on from wearing dungarees though :

Of course Baz Luhrmann changed everything with Strictly Ballroom which revived interest in the cheesy world of competitive ballroom dancing. Then when Moulin Rouge came out with the big anthemic dance numbers and flouncy outfits everyone wanted to wear beautiful dresses and do the tango:

And now ? Well on Sun 8th Mar I'll be at Wembley with thousands of other people dancing for 6 hours to raise money for Comic Relief as part of Team Honk. The dance styles and instructors will change every half hour so it's going to be challenging and hopefully lots of fun too. I'm not a great dancer, but I am keen and I'm really looking forward to taking part.

It would mean so much to me if you would consider sponsoring me to do this - I promise when I reach my target I'm going to make a video of me doing a dance as a thank you. Feel free to make requests - please note the more you pay the better your chances of influencing which dance I actually film :)

And now the one that got all of this started:

You can sponsor me here

Just like honey: resolutions revisited

Come to Mama !!

You know how the new enemy is sugar ? How we keep seeing diet plans encouraging us to 'kick the habit' of sweet stuff ? Even Davina has got in on the act and her latest New Year plan is to ditch sugar in five weeks. Well I've got news for everyone that will save you the money (or you can send it to me - I'll add it to my fundraising total for Comic Relief I promise !)

I've done it.

I've broken my dependence on sugar and no longer crave it.

In a month.

In January I decided to give my body a break from the rubbish I had been filling it with over Christmas. I stopped eating chocolate, puddings, cakes, 'treats' and alcohol. Not for money, not as a precursor to going sober or anything. Just. I did it last year and lost half a stone. This year I also cut back on bread and started making green smoothies in the morning which has been a whole other journey. In the mornings I've been blending up banana, spinach, avocado, coconut water, chia seeds and random fruit and drinking them on my way to work. I'm not sure if they've had any miraculous effects on my health, but I'm pretty sure it's better for me than a latte and a pain au chocolat.

Ok, it doesn't look green, but it actually is :) 

Anyway, I digress. So, I've cut out chocolate before and what I've noticed is that everything tastes far too sweet even a few days after stopping eating sweet stuff. I don't have sugar in my tea or eat cereals and I don't drink fizzy pop or squashes either. I do, however, work in an office were there are always 'treats' around and it's very tempting. I've been out to eat with friends a few times since I started this and I've skipped desert and stuck to water or soft drinks. It's been fine. No one even notices really.

So what happens tomorrow ? Well. I had been telling everyone that I'm going to have a binge on sweets, cakes and biscuits tomorrow and I did buy a nice bottle of wine this evening. Truth is though, I'm not sure I'll want to stuff myself now I'm out of the habit. I'm now used to stopping to think about what I'm going to eat and considering whether or not I'm hungry or just bored.

The greatest breakfast there is. 

I'm not saying I'll be blending green smoothies every day of the week or that I'll eschew french pastries in favour of porridge when I'm getting into work at some unearthly hour. What I will do is try and maintain some of the momentum I've gained from ditching the unhealthy food. So there's that.

Now where did I put that bag of giant chocolate buttons ?

No resolutions - in 2014 I have plans...

I've decided that I'm not making resolutions. It's always the same thing anyway, lose weight, win the lottery, get a real job, etc. so this year I've decided that it's far more productive to make plans rather than resolutions. There's a built in failure with resolutions that I am just not going to entertain any more. So, this time I'm being pro-active and setting myself goals with proper time stamps on them. I've made a decent start on the nuts and bolts ones:

- eating smaller portions and making healthier choices (except for today at lunch). This includes making sure I get myself something to eat as well as getting food for the boy and Hubbie. I may even get to drink a cup of tea or a piece of toast before it goes cold !! If this one lasts once Hubbie is back at work and the boy is at nursery I will have cracked it ! 

- trying to get to bed earlier every night so that I'm not permanently tired and grumpy. It is entirely my fault that I sit up with the macbook on my lap late at night rather than snuggling under my gorgeous duvet with Hubbie. I'm making an effort to get this one right.  

- making a choice to dress in my nice clothes rather than just wearing 'staying home' clothes all the time. It's fine to wear sweat pants for a trip to the swimming pool, but to still be wearing them to go to the shops is not ok (any more). 

- putting on a least eye liner and lippie to leave the house. I'm an Avon lady so I own more make up than the beauty counters at Selfridges. What's the point in having that much make up and never wearing it ? 

Then we have the stuff that's in the diary that will help me meet some of those other 'goals' (repeat after me - goals not resolutions):

January: There is a part time job and a training scheme that I am going to apply for that both represent things I am interested in doing and that I think I can do.
This is instead of 'get a well paid job.' I can also use the make up and nice clothes ones for this.

February: Team Honk Blogger relay from Lands End to John O'Groats. I'm part of the London leg and there is talk of four person cycles being an integral part of our section of the challenge. My dodgy knees will have to be up for this one as I am not going to wimp out and be the one that carries the water bottles !! Bring on the t-shirts ladies (and Spencer), I'm ready !!
This is to replace the usual, 'lose weight' as the other bloggers include very glamorous ones who I refuse to look lardy next to !

May: I did the full Moonwalk five years ago and I've signed up to do the half Moonwalk with my lovely friend Soraya this Summer. We're going to have such a laugh, not least as we can talk constantly for hours so the time will just fly by ! From memory it's pretty tough going, but I loved training for it and it got me very fit indeed doing all the walking.
This one is instead of the generic, 'get fit.'

June: We've bought tickets to a festival that the Pixies are headlining in London. It's a grown up day out and while I don't think seeing an act outdoors is the best way to do it, this is to get over my aversion to festivals. I'm sure it won't be all mud and botulism burgers really.
This one is to replace the 'do things with Hubbie.'

August: Last Summer me and Hubbie went to the Edge of the Sea two day festival in Brighton and loved it. Our boy stayed with Grandma and Grandpa (aka Grumps) and he loved that too. This time we're going to book a nice hotel and make a weekend of it instead of constantly ringing to check if he's eaten and if he's missing us.
This one is in place of, 'give the boy some independence.'

In September our boy will turn 4 and in October we'll celebrate 8 years of marriage. By that time I hope to have made great progress with my goals for the year. I hope in my round up of 2014 I'll be saying, "I love it when a plan comes together" while chomping on a pretend cigar rather than, "I ain't getting on no plane sucker" while sipping a glass of milk that's been spiked with knock out drops.

Whatever you are doing to see in the New Year I hope you have a wonderful time.

See you on the other side :o)