Mrs Badcrumble's Diary

not a good day for tantrums.  Took alister to football training today and he kicked off big time cos I asked him to give his coach the money for the class when he went in.  I could understand if it was a stranegr and he was being shy but Roger is my little brothers best mate since primary school and Alister knows him really well and all of his family.  So he got himself into a massive tantrum over it.  I said you can either calm down, go in and go to your class and pay Roger or you can just go home.  In the end I had to pack up all his clothes into my bag and physically carry him kicking and screaming out of the community centre.  He got himself into even more of a tzz standing outside just roaring 'I WANT TO GO TO FOOTBALL' at me then he lost it and punched me in the face.  What on earth can you do???  I couldn't carry him all the way home cos he is just too big now, but I couldnt let him stnd there and almost hyperventilate through crying and screaming.  eventually calmed him down enough to get him to walk home himself, still only in a football strip.  In Scotland in January.  Not good.  Surprised Social Services didnt follow us home.

He got sent to his room to have a think about everything whilst I straightened my own head out.  So chuffed cos I didnt lose it with him.  After 5 mins I went into his room and told him he wasn't sent to his room for having a tantrum but for punching me. He honestly doesnt know why he acts like this and he sat and sobbed that he loves me and you cant love someone you punch and I would think he doesnt love me etc etc.  We had a long talk and he decided he would like to read a book on his bed for a bit so he did.  All was well after that.  We laughed and sang walking to nursery but he had an appalling afternoon there. hitting kids and adults and throwing chairs and sliding over the lunch table.  Awful.  Its so tiring being asked into the office for a chat every time I go for him.  I haven't even handed out his birthday patry invites cos at the moment I am worried none of the kids will want to come.

Anyway, the nursery are still trying to get hold of the health visitor.  As much as I am handling things just now it is only going to take one major episode for me to suddenly snap and I really would rather help him than end up walloping him in sheer rage.  That's not going to fix anything.  But I am just exhausted with it.  I might not have resorted to comfort eating but i think i will have a cheeky G&T tonight.  I wish I understood him.  I wish he understood it himself.  I just feel so helpless and not even particularly cross at him now.  I just wish I could make it better for all of us.

Am going to do a Tesco online shop for now.  trying to keep his diet as additive/preservative free as I can but it's amazing - everything has them in.  Fruit squash, cooked meat, yoghurt...everything.  Will try my best though.

Night all.
Big Love
Jill
xxxxx

well what a grand day Alister had today.  Started the sticker book up again and he got every one of them, plus a couple of extra shiny animal ones for being so good.  no tantrums today, he got to watch HSM after he had reached 4 stickers and it was all a bit like something from the Waltons (but with a DVD player, stickers and ummmm well, electricity and running water!).  I am not holding my breath that tomorrow will bring more of the same but also not writing it off as a one off cos I know he has it in him.

This afternoon, after nursery, we made flapjacks together with HSM playing on his portable DVD in the kitchen.  A jolly nice time we had too.  And if you ever have the urge to make flapjacks can i suggest you add a mashed up banana into the mix?  Very nice indeed.

So this morning I did the cleaning, then took Alister to nursery,i went for my swim.  it was sooooo busy in the pool today.  Everyone bumping into each other.  I woke up with a nightmare of a stiff neck and back, have no idea what I was doing in my sleep but I remember there was a certain plumber involved in my dream last night so was probably trying to knock his block off..... And I still have a wobbly tap and a bit missing from the light over my mirror. Harumph.... Thought the swim would sort it out and it did for a bit but by the time I got some food shopping in M&S and traipsed back down the road in the pouring rain with a swim bag, bag of shopping and trying to hold an umbrella it was really sore again.  Just had a lovely jacuzzi and it feels better again for now. 

Oh I got a call from nicky who booked our holidaytoday.  Our lovely handy 7am flight to lanzarote from Edinburgh now leaves at 4 in the afternoon and gets us home at 2 in the morning!!  Nonsense!  Luckily they are going to transfer us onto a much pricier Glasgow flight for no extra charge.  it leaves at 9am  and we get home at 7pm.  Not as good as the Edinburgh ones but better than 2am!!

So that's about all that happened today.  It's been rainy, grey, yuk...  Martin (my big brother) was supposed to be staying here tonight cos he was going to the Dundee Utd v Aberdeen game in Edinburgh but the game was called off.  he got as far as Gretna and had to turn back.  Awwwwww.....

Night all
Love you lots
Jill
xxxxx

I was about 3 paragraphs in to this blog, hit F5 as my fingers took it upon themselves to have a small fit and everything vanished.  brilliant!

so here goes again, will save as I go!  got new laptop last week but then discovered my modem doesnt have a driver for Vista.  booo. but am changing broadband provider soon anyway so will get a nice shiny new wireless router that will work with it.  yay! 

Friday was supposed to be a quiet night in with a few glasses of wine for Lynne's birthday.  she left at 10, all very good.  Then somehow I ended up staying up all night and got HAMMERED with an old colleague from edinburgh (just dont even ask.  it's toooo random....) and Lynnie turned psycho bitch on her bloke and couldnt remember the next day.  Brilliant!  Was there a full moon on friday?????

So saturday was a no go.  I could barely stay awake all day.  Thank god for high School Muscial 1 & 2 keeping alister amused all day.  Poor wee soul didnt get out the house at all.  Phone Childline!  Ordered a dirty big Domino's pizza for tea and as a resultof my piggery only lost 1lb this week.  Will work extra hard to shift more this week, feel mightily cross at myself for wasting all my efforts.  I'm chuffed I lost something but I really shouldnt have!

Alister's behaviour is still proving to be very trying, particularly at nursery.  Am bringing back the sticker book for me and the nursery staff to complete and if he gets 4, 5 or 6 happy faces and stickers each day he can watch High Schoolmusical.  he didnt get to see it tonight and the wee soul broke his heart about it.  Hopefully it will hit home eventually that it's just easier to behave well most of the time.  i don't want an angel just a less frustrated, angry little boy

Right am off for now.

Night y'all!
Love ya.
Jill
xxxxx

Was hoping the new laptop and DVD player would be here before I took Alister to nursery but no such luck so far.  Need to leave in about 20 mins though so there is still hope.  If it doesn't come I will have to forego my swim today but then might skip Al's footy class tomorrow morning and put him into the leisure centre creche so I can have a quick swim then. Hmmm sounds like a plan actually.

If i come home this afternoon from dropping him off and dust off one of my old fitness workout DVDs and do that for half an hour and then half an hour swim tomorrow it will bump up my calories for the week.  Ah-ha a plan is formed....  I had a bit of an episode last night, well 2 actually, with this stupid night time eating thing again.  No idea why, its usually if I am worried about something but I really can't think what is on my mind.  Think I will put a sign on the kitchen door befoe i go to bed.  Maybe a picture of Lanzarote and a swimsuit or bikini!  And the words ARE YOU ACTUALLY HUNGRY??? in very big letters!  it might make me stop for a second and wake up properly and make a better choice.

OOOOO 138 sleeps til Lanzaraote!

Will possibly blog again later.

Have a nice day y'all!

Jill
xxxxx

first proper weekly weigh in of the year and have lost 6 of the 8 lbs i put on since november.  Splendid.  A fine start.  will take this opportune moment to remind you all that it is possible to sponsor my downsizing at www.justgiving.com/jillblair

Blatant but effective I hope.  So lynnie has just been round and we realised we were sitting on the sofa talking about boys like a couple of schoolgirls!  Mental, but fun!  We do have smashing girly chats!  Wish I would stop having big crushes on people I know I can't get heavily involved with.  I tend to hone in on guys who are a)married, b)involved with someone else, c)gay or d)miles away (yes, or even e) all of the above....).  And i know fine I only do it because then I tell myself it can't happen, give myself a shake, never tell them how i feel then get over it til the next one comes along.  Brilliant heartbreak avoidance technique but not psychologically very healthy!  At the moment I am putting myself through double torture via 1 who is a b) and 1 who is a d).  excellent!  But needless to say once my studies start again I will channel my thinking time into that and my head and heart might hurt a little less

Sigh...... anyway, onwards and upwards.  What a bloody miserable day today!  Grey and pouring down all day.  Was in a child protection training course til 2pm so once i got back from lunch at 3 it was a nice short afternoon.  Alister stopped his recent bedtime nonsense and was asleep by 7.20pm god love him.

Day off tomorrow.  Should get my new laptop and portable dvd player then too.  Al is in nursery from 12.30 - 3 and I ahve to enrol him at school!  I know he really needs school now, he is so bored at nursery but it seems very real now I have to do this! 

Right, off for an early night. Since Ally had an early one he will probably be up early-ish tomorrow.  After all, there's a whole lot of singing to be done!

Love ya
Jill
xxxxx

...another one of these quickies that doesn't deserve a number.

I was racking my brains thinking what would alister like for his birthday?  It's not til March 24 but there is nothing he needs. Like I say he LIVES for high school musical but I dont want to buy him a load of Disney tat that will never get used.  So I thought i would chance my arm and see if there are any tickets left for the stage show in Edinburgh in February. Quick answer, unless you are booking for 1 person, don't bother.  I came off the phone gutted.  I knew there would be none but still I know he would just love ti.  Then I got to thinking.... even if I got 2 seats together he would want to cuddle up on my knee or would be dancing around.  so i called Ticketmaster back and asked if I could pay for 2 seats but have him on my knee and only actually use 1 of the seats.  They said that was fine!!!

So on Friday 29th Feb at 5pm my boy and I are going to see HSM the stage show.  And i am not going to tell him til we get there!  I dont know how I will keep it in cos he will be sooooo excited but if i tell him he wont sleep til the show is about a week in the past!

Aw, you know what? This does deserve a number.  and Alister Blair, I love you soooooooooo much!!!!!  I would have paid any price to just see the look on your face!  Oh and Fi, if we could possibly stay with you that night???  Show is at 5pm. I am planning to take a half day and come over, give alister a dirty big sandwich or pasta or something then maybe meet you for a bite to eat after it?  Sounds goooooood!!!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo excited! 

We're sooooaaaaring, flyyyyyyyying, there's not a star in heaven that we can't reaeeeach!!!
Nighty night!

Jill
xxxxx

first off, re: the title of today's blog.  Is it sad that I have a favourite literary device???  Or sadder that it is alliteration??? Answers on a postcard...

So, yes, far be it from me to provide free advertising on here to anyone other than rock bands from Leeds with a damned lovely bassist but I feel the need to big up Bravissimo.  And since they manage to provide gorgeous, sexy, colourful bras that can even hold my ample bosom in place then 'big up' seems an apt phrase indeed.

If any of you are ever stuck for a birthday or christmas present for me then I would be EVER so grateful for Bravissimo.com gift vouchers!  E-vouchers actually, I tend to buy online.  My email is jill_blair@hotmail.com.  Ta very much!  I have just bought 3 beautiful new bras and am excitedly waiting for them to arrive.  The hot pink one is on its way I believe, the other 2, 1 in cornflower and 1 in pale blue, will follow swiftly on when they get a delivery in.  JOY!  They even have swimwear in my size which I plan to treat myself to for going to Lanzarote (19 weeks today!).

So that's my hoorah for big booby companies over.  Thanks for listening.

At the moment my boy is cavorting in the jacuzzi bath.  I washed his hair and the tiny bit of shampoo I used caused a bubble explosion when I turned the jets on. soooo funny!  It's like the Magic Porridge Pot in there!

So we went to the cinema yesterday, saw the Simpsons movie.  it's ok, nothing hilarious.  Then went to the Brewers Fayre where he is having his birthday party and paid the deposit and had some lunch.  I was very restrained and stayed away from the scampi and chips that was screeching my name.  Instead i had a half baguette with ham and mustard and salad and chose to not have chips and coleslaw but just the salad that came with it.  Positively saintly!

Then came home and bought a laptop and a portable DVD from Asda online.  Sick of having to crank up my old desktop and sit in my bedroom at night.  Will get a wireless router from Talk Talk (or actually, would consider moving comms company and getting a free one so if anyone can recommend a decent company for Wireless Broadband and phone then i'd be very interested.  Cheaper the better!) and get that sorted so I can merrily blog from the comfort of my lovely new leather sofa.

Now what else have we been up to... Sunday School today then home for yet more Hgh School Musical.  Alister is really obsessed with it.  He sings the songs in bed before he goes to sleep, he asks if he can watch/listen to the DVD/CD as soon as he gets up. Obsessed.  But it's lovely, it's really captured his imagination and he LOVES performing songs from it for anyone who will listen.  I'll have a rock star son yet!!  I'm sure even the great rockers started off singing bubblegum pop in their bedrooms aged 4!

Right i MUST go and do some ironing.  It's all on my bed and if i dont do some of it I can't go to bed tonight.  Neat trick, eh.  I have been putting off ironing for about...ooo....about 3 months now!  Not sure where I will put it all once it's ironed but hey, that's tomorrow's problem...

Night all, sweet dreams.

Jill
xxxxx

just had a wee thought - my boy is getting the Mr Men box set for his birthday and I just got him a used set on ebay.  Got it really cheap cos theres a few missing so if you have any of these and either would like to merrily donate them or I will pay you a teeny weeny amount for them could you give me a shout!???

Mr Bump
Mr Funny
Mr Clumsy
Mr Perfect

and there are 3 newer ones which i'm not too bothered about finding but would be good:

Mr Cool
Mr Good
Mr Rude

thanks all!
Jill
xxxxx

... starring Alister Blair!  yaaaay!!!  Yep, my boy is DESPERATE to be in HSM one day and started drama classes at my work tonight.  He loved it.  And to ensure he got to go he has been an angel.  Tidied up when i asked, went to bed with no fuss, just faultless!  So funny.....

OK last time i wrote ummm...what happened....damn I can't remember... oh yeah!  Alister had been playing up horrendously.  But yeah as I said he has been lovely since then.  So that was Tuesday.

Wednesday - ummmm...oh curse my crappy memory!  I was working on Wednesday afternoon and Al's swim lessons were off cos the boiler had blown up at the pool at my work.  I was sure I had something semi-interesting to write about Wednesday but i'm buggered if i can remember what it was. 

Thursday - Alister got his hair cut after work, looking gorgeous.  I booked myself in to get a cut and colour on 3rd Feb.  Sod it, cant really afford it but i just need a nice Me treat.  Bex and Caroline came over at night for tea. We were VERY saintly!  had linguine with turkey, onions, brocolli, mushrooms and reduced fat pesto (from Sainsbury - Gorgeous!), then meringue nest with greek style natural yoghurt and raspberries and blueberries.  nice...

so it's finally friday.  thank god.  nothing planned this weekend.  possibly takign Al to the Odeon kids club tomorrow but other than that and sunday school we have no plans.  And it's 9.30pm and i'm bored already!  DOH!

have a good weekend all.

love ya
Jill
xxxxx

My 4 year old son Alister is driving me to the very edge of insanity tonight.  He went through a real crazy patch recently (see previous blog about therapy session about his dad!)  but after we had a big heart to heart he has been a dream again, as he used to be.  But this afternoon about 4pm suddenly all the HUGE tantrums and throwing things and hitting and kicking and general evilness popped up again.  and tonight he is just trying to push me to my limits by lying in bed not going to sleep but making stupid squeaking noises that after an hour and a half is like bloody Japanese water torture.  or chinese.  or whatever.  It's flaming driving me NUTS!!!  No idea why it started. one minute we were making cookies together, he left the kitchen and came back in as the devil!  Barmy....

Have just been for a shower to drown him out and so it doesnt wind me up anymore cos i was going balistic at him due to extremely frayed nerves which i know only makes things worse.  but a mum has to snap when a mum has to snap!  We all have our breaking points.  Am currently typing this with the Editors playing VERY loudly on my ipod so I can't hear him.  Ignoring is the only way to shut it all up but if i hear one more flaming MEEP!!! or rendition of a song from High School Musical i will flip!!!!!  actually the singing doesnt bother me, its just when its intertwined with the squeaks which he does to irritate me.

Who the hell invented 4 year old boys!!?????

Anyway, thats my rant over!

Had a really good swim today and bought a new pair of trousers in the Monsoon sale.  they are a size 18.  i usually buy a size 20 then once I've worn them for 10 mins they go all floppy and way too big. These ones are a bit too tight just now but hopefully a few weeks of eating well and exercise will see off the extra pounds and they will fit fine.  Have decided they are the trousers I will guage my weight loss success on!

Right, better go and dry my hair before i look like Wurzel Gummidge.  at least the hairdryer will drown out the squeaking.  I know you are all laughing at it!!!!  Turncoats!

Oh a wee word to Scott for if you get round to reading this - hi! 

And for the rest of you, if you ever fancy a night of live rock music in the Yorkshire area then I'm sure you could do worse than these guys.... http://www.twistoffate.org.uk
In fact judging by the reviews you'd be hard pushed to find better!  (Scott - still no pressure to sponsor me.  ahem.....)

Night John-Boy, Night Mary-Ellen, Night Elizabeth, Night Jason, (agh help me here!!)ummmm Night Dave???, Night Ma, Night Pa....... Night all

Big Love
Jill
xxxxx

Just a quickie for now.  To all my lovely friends and family who might read this blog, please feel free to post comments, no matter how random.  I am not the greatest at keeping in touch with everyone so use this page to let me know what is going on with all you guys too.  It's free to subscribe to the blog and you will be notified when there is a new entry so you won't need to check it every day (hmmmmm.... I may have a slightly unrealistic image in my head of you all frantically switching PCs and laptops on every morning the second you wake up just to see if i have posted!)

And now the news.... the Sky man came today to re-align our dish following the blustery days last week so we have telly again.  phew..... alister was having withdrawal symptoms from the Disney Channel.

The boy is off to nursery at 12.30 today and I will have a walk into town to go for a swim then back to pick him up at 3.

Having a very much appreciated break from studying just now.  many thanks to the lovelt Maria at the Open University for arranging it for me.

Right, better stop farting about and do some housewaork.  Yaaaawn....

Laters dudes (sorry, been reading Tommyland by Tommy Lee!)

Jill
xxxxx

....has made a sneaky attempt to live up to the bad name left behind by 2007. Fi called tonight to say her ex, Jon, died today. He was, i think 27 maybe 28 (Fi?), and those who know Fi will know all about the history. No matter what went down in the past, at one point he was a lovely, charming, intelligent guy with a shiny bright future stretching ahead of him and my heart goes out to all those hit by his premature departure from this world. God bless you Jon Gravestock, because alongside all the heartache and troubles you also gave Fi a lot of happy times and wonderful memories. Xxx

I really hope this is just a blip for 2008 and after a spell in the time-out corner it will be back to its angelic self.

Other than that today has just been a busy day at work and a rainy day in Dunfermline. Went to buy new scales today. The spirit living in my old ones has taken the piss for too long now. I weighed myself about 25 times this morning and got every reading possible between losing 1 pound and losing 1 stone. ridiculous! My new ones are all singing, all dancing scales, BMI calculator and body fat monitor and were reduced from £39.99 to £14.99 in Lloyds Pharmacy. A bloody bargain!

But because they are different scales they show me having no weight loss this week but I know i have. So will just re-start my progress tracking with this as week 1.

Heading off to have a jacuzzi in my lovely bath now.  Oh, that reminds me, tomorrow is my swim afternoon.  Yahoo!!

Fare ye well!

Jill
xxxxx

So on Friday it was a pretty mad day at work,.  But after Al's big therapy session on Thursday night he was an absolute angel at nursery on Friday.  Seems like getting all that shit out of his head did him a treat.  He has been a darling all weekend too.  Sigh, my poor wee lamb......

So the health kick has been going well.  Even ordered thin crust Dominos pizza tonight with veg and half fat mozarella.  Almost saintly!  but then had a bottle of red wine and a HUGE glass of Glayva and ice!  hell, the old halo needs to drop now and again!  Sunday School starts back tomorrow but thankfully no lesson plans needed til first week in Feb.

Would love to write something meaning ful but since I am half way through HUGE glass fo Glayva that is a pointless task!!!

148 sleeps til Lanzarote. WHOO HOOOOOO!!!!

MA-HOO-SEEV love
Jill
xxxxx

We usually have Radio 2 on at work but today I switched it to local radio, ForthOne cos I asked them to let people know that our swimming lessons are cancelled for a week due to our boiler blowing up.  And for my efforts I was rewarded with one of my absolute favourite songs of all time! As I heard the first couple of notes of the intro to Van Halen's Why Can't this Be Love a very wide smile stretched itself across my face and stayed with me the rest of this very crazy day.  Bliss!!!

Alister didn't have a great day at nursery today.  He is going through a bit of a crazy patch and when he gets angry or doesnt get his own way he's just lashing out at people. had a long talk with the management to see what we can do about it.  he is not too bad at home but a nightmare in nursery.  They are aware that as he only just missed out on school this year he is needing stimulated more and they think he is a very intelligent wee chap indeed.  Clever he might be but anyone who excuses their child's mentalist behaviour on the grounds that they are just too clever etc etc need a good slap.

I am very lucky to have such a pro-active, supportive nursery staff around.  They are going to talk to the health visitor linked to the nursery to see if she can help them come up with strategies to help him and the staff and me.  it's so nice to have their support and vice versa.  However, during our chat it did come out that Alister ahs been talking about his Dad and his half sister Chelsea a lot.  His dad has chosen never to be part of his life as yet but it would appear that the wee soul has all these thoughts in his head.  Sonia, one of the nursery staff was down in England recently and brought back a Mr Man game for the PC.  Alister got it into his head that if it came from England, and his dad lives in England, then it must be his dad's.  We had a good talk about it all when we got home and he got really upset about his dad not being in his life and how he thinks his dad doesnt even like him never mind love him.  And when I look down and see my little boy's face streaming with tears saying stuff like that that is just too old and grown up for a little boy to be stressing about it just breaks my heart.  So of course I got upset too, which made him worse, which made me worse etc etc!!

I haven't had any feelings, either positive or negative, towards his dad, Tim, for years now but tonight I can honestly say I would have merrily got hold of him and throttled some damn sense into him if I could have.  As it is, this was the first of many conversations like this we will have over the years to come.  And I don't expect them to get any easier. 

But on a brighter note...... 150 sleeps til Lanzarote!!

Going to sneak into my boy's room and give him a big kiss.

Night all.

love & hugs
Jill
xxxxx

I forgot something in yesterday's blog that happened at the end of last year.  I passed my OU Humanities course.  Got a B and also awarded a Certifcate in Humanities. Rock on!  A proper grown-up-bloody-hard-but-worth-all-the-effort qualification!

So today - still rolling with the health kick.  Am trying to plan the following days food the day before so I know what I will be planning to eat and will be less tempted to just grab whatever is to hand.  I only work 2-5pm on a Wednesday but it always feels mad.  The Forth Road bridge was closed tonight because of the crazy winds (which have also knocked my Sky dish off kilter. sigh...) so a few tutors and coaches couldnt get home from work on time to come in and I had to phone what felt like a million people to say their class was cancelled.  then dashed up to the nursery for Al and back to my work for his swimming lessons.  he is so funny in the water.  All splashes and doesnt get far!  You know how they say swans are garceful on the surface but paddling away frantically below the surface?  Alister isn't even the opposite of that.  he just gives it hell the whole way across the pool.  And my god he loves every second of it!!  He's dead confident in the water which is just as well considering he damn near drowns himself every week!

So - only 151 sleeps til we go to Lanzarote!  Must stop counting, I will irritate myself! 

Right, off to lounge quietly in the joyful peace for an hour or so then off to bed.

Night all.

Love ya,
Jill
xxxxx

Bloody hell, not blogged since October!!!!! SOoooooooOOooOOoooOOoooo much to catch up on!

Ok first was the holiday to Disneyland Paris.  Flew to Paris at 7am in the morning, cheers for the ride Lynnie, and for picking us up again on the way back - superstar!  We had 4 crazy days in disney, it was the start of the Christmas celebrations and boy do they do Christmas!  fake snow being pumped out, christmas tunes ALL day on Main Street.  fantastic!  The hotel was fab. The characters milled about at breakfast so loads of photo ops but Alister was terrified of them at first.  once he realised they wouldnt tak to him he got over that though.  If you ever go to ANY Disney park you have to go on Crush's Coaster in the Disney Studios park.  absolutely amazing!  we went on it every day!  wont spoil it for you incase you go.....

So lots of cool rides, lots of junk food (we'll get to the weight loss later.  ahem....), 1 afternoon spent lazing in the beautiful pool and jacuzzi and then on to Eurostar into London.  Spent 5 nights with Ross and Laura and did LOADS.  Tower of London, Lnodon Dungeon, HMS Belfast blah blah blah.... just masses.  Then back home exhausted and the next day?  Well, the next day I thought it would be a laugh to get our bathroom ripped out.  Brilliant planning.  Nah it was ok and i love our new bathroom.  Jacuzzi bath, big shower enclosre over the bath, lovely black and white tiles.  its all just brilliant.  Thank you very much Bathrooms 4U and i apologise cos when i first phoned i thought you were going to be a right bunch of cowboys! And in the middle of that upheavle I got a new sofa delivered.  Now i measured the door and one side of the sofa would fit in fine.  Only thing was the hall was too narrow to get the damn thing to turn to get that end in.  So for about 3 weeks it sat on its end in AListers room whilst I was fed lots of promises from someone doing the bathroom about how he would sort it for me.  No names mentioned.  Terry.  So eventually i got a joiner in who managed a bit of jiggery pokery and it was in for Christmas.

I think Christmas was the next thing on the calendar worth writing about.  It wasnt as bad as I thought it was going to be without my dad.  The laughs definitely outnumbered the tears andf that has to be a good starting point??  all in all it was lovely having everyone together.  And when i did get upset it was nice to have my brother around to give me a hug.  Alister is a lovely cuddly boy but sometimes you just need grown up arms to make you feel better

Then on to New Year.  Lynne came round and after an hour or so of us all singing karaoke with the High School Musical game on the Wii he went off to bed.  And lynne and I sat up all night boozing and getting texts from a drunk plumber.  No names mentioned.  Terry.  we had a couple of hours sleep when alister got up cos he was sitting watching HSM over and over again.  Thank you Disney!!

Now waht was next?  Oh nicola's 21st.  by then I was back into serious health kick mode and i think its the first time i have been at a party at Alan and Camilla's house and not had a hangover next day!  Had a few white wine and sodas and was home by 11pm.  OO look at me!  But it was a cracking night, Alister fell in love with Nic's mate Cat.  lovely.

Which pretty much brings us to this week.  I weighed myself, reluctantly, yesterday only to discover that although I have put 8lbs on since October I am still 12lbs lighter than i was when i first launched my sponsored slim last year.  So all good!  Have started using calorie counting site again to keep track of exactly what i am eating.  Plus today I went for a swim when Alister was in nursery and my new step machine arrived which is very cool.  So I am feeling all full to the brim of fruit and veg and bursting with energy.  I treated myself to some lovely Champneys sugar body scrub just for the hell of it and have just used it in the shower.  I just have to tell you all my dear readers that I smell bloody grand!  I am sitting here inhaling myself.  Gorgeous!

So to sum up 2007?  It was a right royal pisser.  Today is the anniversary of when the witch at BNY kicked off her hate campaign last year and boy do i feel like I have kicked sand in her face since then!!!  Shitty things have happened to lots of people I know though, although lots of people I love got married in 2007 too so not all bad.

2008 has been told that we are playing by my rules.  No faffing around with shitty things going on.  ok, maybe the odd 1 or 2 will slip through but all in all this is going to be a very different year.  Yesterday Lynne and I and Alister booked a weeks holiday in June in Lanzarote and we are all so excited.  21 weeks and 5 days.  Very nearly 21 weeks and 4 days actually! 

So watch this space for weight loss updates.  I am fully back in the swing of it all.  I send out all my love and best wishes to everyone reading this for 2008 and hope to god you take it by the scruff of the neck and make it play ball for you too!

Big Big BIG love,
Jill
xxxxx
p.s. to all the people who came from near and far to my dad's funeral in March - thank you with all my heart and Iw ill try harder to keep in touch this year!  Dave & Mel, Keith & Amanda - i WILL be in touch soon!!!