Eight years on, but who's counting ?

Today it's mine and Hubbie's 8th wedding anniversary. We're taking the boy to stay with my parents and we'll have a night away in a nice hotel with dinner and breakfast - bliss ! In the evening, after dinner, we'll be on air presenting our radio show so we'll be online chatting to listeners in the 'shout box' which is a live interaction with presenters during a show. It's not a conventional way to spend an anniversary, but it's pretty much perfect for us. I get to have a swim, Hubbie gets to go to the gym and we both get to be on the radio together.

So, if you will indulge me this is my post dedicated to celebrating the top 8 things about being married to Hubbie. To misquote Ross Geller from Friends: "One for every year I have been married to and loved him."

1. He's a key member of any pub quiz team with his extensive sports knowledge. Don't ask him about popular culture or pop music though, it will not end well ! 
2. He's taller than me - well let's face it most people are - so he's very handy for reaching things on high shelves. This isn't quite as dim as it sounds. Hubbie has a genuine aversion to DIY, but he does the 'manly' stuff around the house which means I don't have to :)
3. His incredible patience with my backseat driving. I'm always pressing an imaginary brake on my side and will advise him what not to do when driving despite the fact that he's much better than I am at driving long distances - I rule when it comes to city driving though.
4. Even when I doubt myself and my ability Hubbie wants me to do well and is ambitious for me. He's not jealous or competitive, but supportive and genuinely happy when things go well. 
5. The songs - oh the crazy made up songs. Even before we had our boy he used to make up silly songs for and about me. Mostly to the tunes of current hits, but often just out of the blue.
6. Despite wildly different musical tastes we often go to gigs together. I went with him to watch the Fall a few times and he's been to see Prince with me. There's a mutual respect if a bafflement at our respective choices of music. 
7. When we're together we share the stupidest jokes and puns. No one else would find us as entertaining as we do each other - and ourselves. 
8. He knows how to make things all better, whether it's finding a 'kunkarella' to make me laugh or reminding me that I don't like salmon and shouldn't order it in restaurants. 

So, here's to us and our quirky married life. If anyone needs me I'll be in the hot tub worrying about the cat being home alone.

It's not all work, work, work you know :)

When the boy was born I stayed at home for a full year to be with him. Then I went back to my job and soon after decided I didn't want to be a working mum and took the redundancy package on offer and stayed home with him until now. As he's going to school in September I've decided it's time for me to look for work that fits in with this big change. As I review my work history it brings to mind something that Hubbie said to me recently. Hold onto your hats...

This is a good one...

You won't see this coming...

*clears throat*

I am the real Miss Rabbit !!

I know, it's a bit of a shock. I'll give you a minute to process that fact before we move on. *makes a cup of tea* 

Now you've had a few minutes to recover, maybe I should clarify what I mean. To be exact Hubbie calls me a cross between Miss Rabbit and Nessa from Gavin and Stacey. You see every now and again I will drop into the conversation a job I have done that is so random that it sounds like it can't be true. It's not deliberate, like a humble brag, "Oh, yes it was like when I parked cars for the Sultan of Brunei and he let me keep a Ferrari." It's far less exotic than that.

Would you employ this woman ? 

On holiday when I made the boys toasted waffles with chocolate spread and strawberries I mentioned that I don't eat them myself any more. Years ago there was a Belgian waffle van in Ealing Broadway next to the jewellery stall that I worked on. The woman who ran the stall was my Maths teacher's wife - he looked like Bluto from Popeye - and the lad who used to wheel the barrow out in the morning and back into storage at night was called Vince and smelled of weed. The lads on the fruit stall opposite used to undercharge me - the perks of being 'colleagues' - and I learned all the different names for semi-precious stones, but never worked out how to put the puzzle ring back together.

Hubbie laughed.

It was just the latest in a long line of jobs that I've done that sound made up but they really aren't. I mean why would I make up that one ? It's not beyond reasonable to have done so many different things. It is rare for anyone to stay in the same job for years and years any more and if you think about it I've worked since I was 16 and I'm 44 now, so my having done a crazy number of jobs isn't so unlikely is it ? So when I say something like, "I was interviewed for a radio show in Sierra Leone," I'm not trying to show off, I probably forgot about it until the moment I just said it.

At times it must sound like I'm lying, but I'm not. I really did work in Transylvania and yes the water was poisonous, but the alcohol was not. When you put it like that it does indeed sound a bit bizarre.  

Yes, I really did meet the actual Sheriff of Nottingham. No, I really did. His name was Mr Fulton. He was very friendly, not like the Alan Rickman one at all.

The other Sheriff of Nottingham.

It seems unlikely, but I did travel to Cork on Sept 12th 2001 with my boss and it took us over 2 hours to check in because they had suddenly introduced new security measures in light of the attack on the twin towers the day before.

When I worked for a paging company I was often mistaken for a doctor because I had a 'beeper.' Well, that and the fact that I'm asian, I guess. The boss really did say that he thought mobile phones were a phase and he had no idea who any of the acts were that he had voted for as one of the judges of the inaugural Mercury Music Prize.

And finally, should you ever find yourself in possession of a copy of the electronic version of the PUSH guide to which university (1997 edition) that is indeed my voice on the CD. I had high hopes of a career as a voiceover artist, but alas, it was not to be.

So, I haven't driven an Eddie Stobart truck or worked as a living statue like Nessa, nor am I part of the Mummy's volunteer fire service or a helicopter pilot like Miss Rabbit, but on my past form surely it's only a matter of time before those are on my CV too ?

In the meantime please wish me luck with my job search :)

Could this be my next job ?

Oh no it's the Gruffalo !! (trail at Bolderwood)

Our annual 'family staycation' started on the Thursday as Hubbie had taken a day off so that we could start our long weekend early. It began brilliantly with all three of us in the kitchen rocking out to the Prodigy - Firestarter. A sign that our son has inherited his parents' unfailing love of music and inappropriate dancing all at the same time.

Puddle jumping 

Exploring the forest

As usual the plan was to stay with the in-laws who live near the New Forest. We often see ponies, cows, sheep and even pigs when we're down there and now the boy is getting older we're hoping to treat him to more forest-related fun. To introduce him used to the great outdoors we've taken him to the woods near our house before now as he loves tromping around in wellies and - of course - jumping in muddy puddles.

Oh no it's the Gruffalo !

This year it's the 15th anniversary of the Gruffalo so there are a lot of activities being organised to celebrate and one of these is the Gruffalo trail that we took him to at the weekend. Like many kids our boy enjoyed then fell in love with then became obsessed with the Gruffalo. He has the books, the ones with the sound buttons, an advent calendar and a chocolate figurine as well as his last birthday party having a Gruffalo table cloth and some Gruffalo themed snacks - I did draw the line at crumble, but it will happen I'm sure !

Off he goes...

So, after a bit of a drive to get to Bolderwood in Hampshire we found the start of the Gruffalo trail. We had hoped that the boy would be excited about this, but he mithered and moaned about it. We did it anyway. You see he loves being outside and he loves the Gruffalo so I figured that the two would be a winning combination.

With Grandma

Checking the activities

As it was there was plenty to keep us all busy. Our boy enjoyed the change of terrain under foot from soft and earthy, to a bit tougher and twiggy then - his favourite - wet and puddly. Hubbie found a small stream and played pooh sticks with the boy. He seemed to really enjoy this so it's game we will definitely play again.

Grandma spotted the best - and weirdest - thing of all. This 'animal' foraging in the tree roots is actually a tree root !! I admit I find it quite creepy to look at, but it really is quite amazing.

Is it an animal ? Nope it's a tree root.

The trail was fun with some great activities involving collecting, counting, drawing and using all the senses in addition to experiencing some great forest to walk through. Towards the end our boy enjoyed hiding behind trees and us trying to find him. It helps that he's only just a metre tall I guess. The final challenge was the cattle grid to get back to the car park which both the boy and Grandma negotiated with some grace.

Hide and seek 

Careful...

At the end he was given a sticker and some lovely colouring sheets to take home - it's amazing how much a sticker will cheer up even the most miserable threenager.

This weekend we're going to take part in the big picnic to celebrate the Gruffalo's anniversary and we're hoping to spot one of the wooden sculptures of him that we've heard so much about. Fingers crossed for nice weather and me not forgetting to pack mine and Hubbie's wellies :)

This post is part of the fab and fun #countrykids linky from the lovely Fiona at Coombe Mill

We love bees :) 

Our cat is famous !!!

We love watching Modern Family. I mean, what's not to love ? Gloria with her hilarious mispronunciations, Cam and his sensitivities about everything and the crazy changing of Lily that resulted in one of most unpleasant child characters in a sitcom since Stewie tried to kill Lois in Family Guy.

Anyway, I was mainlining series 4 last week when I spotted one of our own family in the show. I shouted out to Hubbie to come and see and we both cheered when we spotted him.

Neo sitting with Lily (we don't like her)

Yes Neo is a star in a US sitcom !!

He tried to look all nonchalant and 'whatever' about it, but I could tell he was secretly pleased. Well, that was until I spotted him dressed as a mermaid that is.

Cam holding Neo the 'mercat'

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me when I see 'my cat' on tv. I know, I know stop staring at me like that. Even my boy got excited when we saw Neo's face on a lunchbox during the Mr Men show this morning.

This morning he was on a little Miss lunchbox !!

I will get a life precisely when this stops being so flipping entertaining to me and everyone I know on Facebook :)

This post is part of Mummy Never Sleeps lovely linky  "All the Small Things."

Baker Days wheat and gluten free cake: a review

As I've mentioned more than once our boy is going to be 3 at the end of this month. In anticipation of this I've had a practice run of his birthday cake and have enlisted my wonderful friend Sarah-Jane who makes the most beautiful cupcakes to ensure we have an endless supply for his party. So you can imagine how overjoyed I was when the lovely folks at Baker Days offered us a wheat and gluten free cake to try.

Baker Days can put any design on a cake and it will arrive through your letter box packaged safely and intact. I browsed the designs on the website - of which there are many - but decided to send an image to be put on the cake that I knew my boy (and Hubbie) would love - it's of their non-league football team Fisher FC.




Sure enough within a few weeks the cake arrived in a presentation tin complete with a birthday card, candles and a party blower thing.

The boy was very excited to see his team badge on a cake and we decided that we would have an early birthday cake cutting practice run.





It is quite a small cake - otherwise it wouldn't fit through the letterbox would it ? - but they managed to pack so much into the tin it was a lovely surprise to find the candles and balloons inside.

The cake itself is surprisingly moist, tastes nice and has a pretty good texture, which is not bad for a wheat and gluten free cake at all. The icing was a little overpowering for my taste, but the boys loved the sweetness of it so that's just down to personal preference really.

Overall it's a nice gift item to send someone. It's packaged really well so it arrives intact and with a complete ingredients list to check for any allergies.



As you can see we had a bit of a ceremony with ours and thoroughly enjoyed trying it.

If you place an order using the code BBLG Baker Days will give you a 10% discount - please tell them I sent you :o)

http://www.bakerdays.com/pages/gluten-and-wheat-free-cakes

Disclosure: we were sent this cake to write a honest review.

Dancing in the car and other toddler adventures in music

We love radio in our house. Music radio, talk radio, commercial radio, internet radio you name it we will listen to it. I have the radio on almost all the time so my boy has grown up with an awareness that the Archers theme tune means it's time for bedtime milk and that the 6 o'clock news beeps mean that Daddy's train gets into the station in ten minutes. He also knows that both his parents can be heard on the radio and loves hearing Mummy say goodnight to him on the occasions when I've done a music show in the evening.

I've taken him to Rhymetime at local libraries since he was a babe in arms so he knows all the nursery rhymes and he also hears us singing silly made up songs at home. He copies the ones we've created and he's started to invent his own songs too. My brother once asked if his nephew was requesting to 'get down get down' from his highchair in the style of Kool and the Gang - Jungle Boogie and I had to admit yes he was. What can I say we sing where just talking would be boring.

So he's got music in his bones and surprisingly strong opinions about what he likes to listen to. When he's in the car with me I veer between Radio 4 and XFM (Hubbie listens to LBC and it just makes me yell so we have to agree to differ). I've been doing an unscientific study of his tastes in radio music these last few weeks and have compiled a shortlist of the ones that have made me laugh the most.

Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box: I am personally delighted that my boy loves Nirvana - not least as he has very cool hair and we used to dress him in grunge style. It's not exactly toddler music, but I love the band and it makes me so happy that when this song came on I asked him if he liked it and he said "Yes Mummy - make it louder" (high praise indeed) 

Whigfield - Saturday Night: Ok I'm horrified by this one, but I get that it's appealing to a child. I mistakenly went off piste during the extended news and thought I'd see what Radio 1 were playing and this is what was on. My boy insisted that he wanted to hear this to the end. Even me telling him that Daddy would be really disappointed by this choice did not persuade him otherwise. When Hubbie got in the car my boy said, "Daddy you don't like it, but it's my favourite." (it's not - he's only heard it the once !)

The Cure - Pictures of You: I only recently discovered that Hubbie doesn't like the Cure. It's been a revelation as I just assumed that you had to like them if you have any indie music sensibility whatsoever, but apparently not. My boy, however, does seem to have inherited my love of the Cure so that's ok. 

Matchbox Twenty - 3am: On a long car journey recently I plugged my ipod into the car and played some of my favourite random songs and when this one came on the boy began to swing from side to side in his car seat. Just to be sure he wasn't just putting off a much needed loo trip I played it again and sure enough he was enjoying the music. So he even likes obscure American bands. 

The Strokes - New York City Cops: This was on in the car when I parked up on our drive this afternoon as we got back from nursery. I turned the key and the music stopped along with the engine and I heard a plaintive cry from the backseat, "NOOO MUMMY !! Don't switch it off !!!" I had to turn the car back on and sit on our drive until it was finished and then I was allowed to bring him indoors. In a bizarre twist me and Hubbie saw the Strokes play a gig at the Natural History Museum before the boy was born - who knew it would turn out to be his perfect gig ? 

So this is what my boy would have on his playlist. I haven't played him any Prince songs yet because I can't take the risk that he might not like them and that really would destroy me. He did reject a Foo Fighters song on Sunday, but I'm putting that down to him being close to nap time and not in the mood for loud music. He did seem ok with Rage Against the Machine (heavily edited of course) so it's not like he is averse to noisy tunes. 

This does bode well for my plans to make next year that one where we take him to festivals. 

He seems to have discerning taste (Whigfield aside) and frankly that's more than I can say for a lot of grown ups I know !