I don’t sleep.

Or rather I don’t sleep much.

Last night it was definitely after 4am before the sleep fairy came a’calling and it’s been a while since I dropped off before 2am.

Needless to say, I’m knackered.  I look and feel wretched and as tired as I may be when it comes close to time to catch some zzzzzs, they can be seen racing away in the opposite direction.

I’ve tried the normal things – not drinking tea before bed, having a warm bath, reading etc, but nothing’s working and I’m feeling more like the walking dead with every passing hour.

So, I’m looking for help.  What are your sure fire soporific solutions? Help me internet, you’re my only hope….

I want to look back one day and think that I really lived my life. It’s important to me.  No one wants to look back and see missed opportunities or paths not taken for fear of what might happen.  One life, and it’s short so live it to the full.

I like the idea of a list, but I know for a fact that as soon as I publish it I’ll remember all the other stuff that I meant to include, so I reserve the right to add to it at any time.

I’m going to divide it up a bit, starting with:

Places to Visit

Cities – Rome, New York, Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh, Vienna, Prague, are all on this list, and there’s so many more…

Beautiful places – Galleries, lots of them, full of awe-inspiring art and photography. Mountains, wide-open spaces with more sky that the eye can take in at any one time, crazy, bustling markets full of smells and spice, language and life, historical towns and buildings crammed full of memories.  That’ll do for starters.

New things to try:

Golf – I think I might be quite good at golf.  I base this opinion on absolutely nothing other than the fact that I used to play hockey and was pretty mediocre at that.

Crocheting – Having recently taking up knitting (and when I say ‘taken up’ I mean I’ve knitted a few scarves for the kids and we’re going to knit a blanket) I’ve decided I’d quite like to try crocheting.

Things to give up:

Biting my cuticles – terrible habit. Must also start using handcream regularly.  I have the hands of a witch.

Substituting meals with chocolate – never as satisfying as you think it’s going to be.

Old things to renew

Writing – I love writing and I’ve spent a year doing very little, other than that which I’m paid for.  Maybe it’s time to dust off the ideas for some stories and see where it takes me.

Skiing – I’m 30 minutes away from 365 snow (I’m talking MK, not Whistler but it’s still snow) and it’s brilliant for the thighs.

Exercise in general – 2011 was haphazard. I seem to recall making some crazy assertion about having abs for my 40th….. I’ve got 8 months.

Being a good parent – My kids are bloody brilliant, feisty, opinionated, hard work and full of surprises. And I want to be the parent that they deserve.

And that’s it for now I think.  Wonder how much of that I’ll be able to achieve in 2012. What about you?

Well hello 2012.  How VERY nice it is to see you, looking all dapper and swish with something of a dandy bounce to your step.

I’m very glad to see you’ve ditched that ne’er do well 2011.  He was a scoundrel, make no mistake.

Now, it might be prudent to mention here that 2011 was not the best year ever hereabouts.  That would be why I barely blogged – not being of the ‘my life is an open book’ persuasion.

I think I managed 16 posts and I’d wager that a good proportion of those were either reviews, giveaways or pitiful attempts to keep my poor blog limping along.  So thank you 2011 for finally doing the decent thing and disappearing.  Off you pop into your box and we can climb the step-ladder and leave you on the top shelf to languish quietly.

There *dusts off hands*.

There were of course some good things that happened in 2011.  Amazing friends and family, fabulous, resilient children and hell, at the end of the day I was still in my thirties and I found gin.

So what will 2012 bring?  Hopefully a few new adventures, and a big birthday.

Oh god *prepares the box for 2012*

Happy New Year from the four of us (The Boy Wonder is behind the camera) x

We started in half term with a trip into London to join a Perform Party.  On the face of it this seemed quite a standard ‘party with an entertainer’ day out but the kids got stuck in straight away and from the outset it was obvious that this was a cut above.  The party hosts are incredibly professional and completely engaging. Think children’s TV presenter and you’d be on the right lines.  My three were all in the same group and she managed to pitch the party so they all felt included and had a great time.  We can heartily recommend from a fun and enjoyment perspective but also as a great confidence builder.  Thanks Perform!

Right now we’re in the midst of a Wii frenzy, having been sent a swathe of Wii loveliness to play with.

Starting with The Black Eyed Peas Experience (£22.99 from Ubisoft) for age 12 and up.  Anyone familiar with dance games will know exactly what to expect with this one. As the self proclaimed dancing queen of the family I thought I’d ace this but it is pretty complex – the age rating is correct in that sense.  The 5 year old found it a bit of a struggle but still loved it. Choose your BEP character and dance along using their choreography to all the hits – it’s great fun, and probably a decent workout if I hadn’t had to bow out early for fear of upsetting the 5yo.

Just Dance Kids (£14.99 from Amazon) was an instant hit with the 5yo. The 9yo supervised this one and he summed it up thus: “Fun, active, like the selection of groups at the bottom, good songs for children, easy dance moves, good backgrounds.” For my part I loved the fact that even very young children can achieve really high scores – it’s a great confidence builder and lots of fun. As you can see, the 5yo really loved it:

Next up was Rayman Origins (£19.99 from Ubisoft) for ages 7 and up.  This one is already a firm favourite with the 9 and (nearly) 7 year old who have played it pretty much constantly since it arrived.  Great characterisation, fab graphics, and exciting levels.  The 9yo says it’s quite easy to get through the levels, but not so easy that you get bored. Really good fun as a 2-player game as well. A complete winner

And then there’s The Adventures of Tin Tin – The secret of the Unicorn. (£24.99 from Ubisoft) for age 12 and up. Again this was reviewed by the 9yo. It is quite a tricky game and IMO the skill level of the child, rather than the content is why this is pitched at 12+. This game has great graphics, multi character play (including the ability to play as snowy) and complex levels.  Probably too complex for the 9yo as the levels took ages to complete and there was no save option mid-level.  As a parent this is a negative as it leads to countless arguaments about when to turn it off. That said, the 9yo thought it was ‘very good’ and he thought they should definitely make another game.

ABBA You can dance (£22.49 from Ubisoft) ages 3 and up was another instant hit. Dance and karaoke of all your Abba faves – you really can’t go wrong. This one is the perfect post Christmas dinner entertainment for the whole family. The video shows the 9yo and I busting our moves. We think we rock – you have been warned!

And finally, something for you. On reflection the 5yo decided that much as she loves the Black Eyed Peas, it’s going to take her a while to grow into the game so she’d like to give it away.

I’d love to be able to get it to you for Christmas but can’t guarantee it. To enter, simply leave a comment below and I’ll pick a winner using one of those randomisers after the giveaway closes at midnight tomorrow – Tuesday 20th December and I’ll post it first thing on Wednesday.  Good luck!

T&Cs

Open to all

One entry per person

No cash alternative

Closes midnight Tuesday 20th December 2011

I’ve been tagged in a tandem meme, two for the price of one so to speak.  The first aspect is to reveal where I write, and the truth is that since the purchase of the electric blanket it’s mainly in bed.  But a girl has to keep some things to herself, so this is the alternative place:

That picture came in very handy in a client meeting today when I was accused of being organised and meticulous. I think they now have a clearer picture of how I work (amazingly, I’m still employed).

And now moving onto the ‘Versatile Blogger’ bit which seemingly means I have to divulge seven facts about me.

Great.

Like there’s anything vaguely interesting that you don’t already already know.

1/ I’m neither organised, nor meticulous

2/ I no longer own my own home – this is strangely liberating but not altogether satisfying

3/ I cried listening to ‘Dance with my father‘ sung on Songs of Praise yesterday

4/ I am not a regular Songs of Praise viewer

5/ I wrote a sex survey this week

6/ I just ate 6 satsumas – does that count as my five (six?) a day?

7/ I quite enjoyed the new Ricky Gervais comedy – what?!….

And now I get to tag others.  I’m going with :

Karen @ If I could Escape

Caroline @ Letters from your mum

Henrietta @ Marketing to Milk
because I know that none of them will feel obliged, *stares menacingly at HUN*…

But it’s worth it isn’t it? Worth the headlock manouevre to persuade the 6yo that yes she does want to put her coat on, and keep her coat on, and will she please stop undoing the zip in this weather?

It’s worth spending £2 on blue candyfloss and £3 apiece on three lightsabers that last approximately 20 minutes (two if you allow them to make physical contact with anything) and £1.50 on a hotdog with onions is an absolute bargain as far as I’m concerned – yes London dwellers, I said £1.50 -  I suggest you all hotfoot it to the sticks next year, it’s where all the best firework action is at.

And yes, after the first drum-popping rocket went off the 5yo begged to go home, and yes I did have to have eyes everywhere to ensure that I didn’t accidentally lose a child, and yes I’m pretty sure that there would have been a temper tantrum at some point, but actually it was lovely, especially the bit where we came home, drank hot chocolate and watched X-factor (yes, despite my proclamations that we were well and truly over).

The 6yo thinks that Frankie is the coolest thing ever.

The 6yo is never leaving the house with a boy, ever….

Just thought I’d pop in though and thank the good folk at Incahoot who invited me to take part in a blogger round table this week. If you’re not already familiar with Incahoot you might want to take a look, it’s a money-saving website run by a nice bunch of people IMO. Not only did I enjoy an afternoon of discussion and sharing ideas, I won a Blackberry Curve just for being there.  Now just got to figure out how to work the damn thing.

I also spent some time with my friends at Cash-is-Cool talking about the new directions that we’re going to take my blog over there.  We”ll be kicking off with a few case studies on family budgeting as an introduction to an extensive survey on budgeting habits that we hope will throw up some useful points. Hope you’ll pop along and take a look at some point.

In the Powder Room continues to be one of my favourite places to hang out. I’m so proud of the content that our brilliant writers continue to produce, and we’ve got some really exciting things happening very soon. If you’ve got any thoughts on how the site could be improved please do email us though.

That’s about it for now, softly softly as they say, don’t want to overdo it….

Then the Boy Wonder hit 9 and things started to change, very subtly, like a stealth bomber. Before I knew it my smart kid was suddenly a smart-mouthed kid with more than a soupcon of attitude. And joy of joys, being the big brother and therefore ring-leader, I also have a 6 and a 4 year old positively racing to accompany him into the “you’re too young to be acting like a teenager” padded cell.

So what to do? Short of banging my head against a wall, implementing YET ANOTHER incentive scheme and sobbing into my gin I thought “not a lot, we just have to ride this one out”.

And that’s exactly what we do have to do, but there is help out there. Actual, sensible, non-patronising help. And it comes in the form of a book from Netmums called You and Your Tween. Now anyone who knows me well knows my opinion on this kind of thing. I don’t generally look for advice from books and yes, that is a euphemism brought on by the cathartic burning of everything Gina Ford ever had published. But this book landed on my desk at just the right time with a “dip-in-and-out” guarantee. I like dip-in-and-out, that smacks of minimal effort and maximum return in my world, so I duly dipped.

I like the way that the book is divided up, firstly into different sections eg, Conflict and Communication, Education, Puberty Sex & Relationships *shudders*. And I particularly liked the way that it’s then broken down into ‘Expert’ opinion and ‘Netmums’ opinion, offering real advice and empathy to everyday problems. For me, one of the key chapters was ‘Independence and Responsibility. It delivered some timely reminders about all of the goals we’ve basically been working towards for these past 9 years and now that we’re there we’re refusing to take the next step and allow things to happen.

If you’re after a book that can give you a gentle nudge and a reminder of your parenting goals with practical advice of how to achieve them, this is the one. And remember, it comes with a “dip-in-and-out” guarantee. That alone is worth the price of £12.99.

You and Your Tween – Managing the years from 9 to 13 with Hollie Smith is a Netmums book published by headline. ISBN 978-0-7553-6109-0. It’s available on Amazon at around half the RRP so well worth nabbing yourself a bargain!

I am a member of the Netmums Blogging Network. I am paid an expenses fee to cover my time but Netmums have no editorial control whatsoever about what I blog about. Being a member of the Netmums Blogging Network means that I get to try out products and brands and get my expenses covered but that I retain full editorial integrity.

That friend is Chris Mosler of Thinly Spread. If you don’t already know her I’d be surprised. She’s an absolute gem of a women, someone who I’m proud to know and more proud to call a friend. Chris is a great writer, blogger, mother, wife, friend and teacher amongst many other things.  And now, in addition to all of that she’s going to be an Ambassador. How cool is that?

One of a small, select group Chris will be traveling to Mozambique with Save the Children to highlight the Cold Trail – the journey that a vaccine takes from the capital, Maputo out to the rural regions.

It’s really important work. Currently 4 million children die every year because they don’t get access to vital, life-saving vaccines. Vaccines that are freely available but can’t currently get to where they’re needed.  The world’s leaders have the capacity to prevent this and on June 13th the GAVI alliance of global decision makers will come together in a pledge meeting hosted by David Cameron to discuss making available the necessary funds to change that fact.

This is no fairy story, GAVI has already proved that it’s possible but, as with all things, these world leaders need a bit of a push. They need to know that there’s lots of people watching them and listening to the outcome of their meeting, and that’s where you come in.

All you need to do is sign a petition, and then Pass It On. And here’s a nifty way to do exactly that.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The Gift Tag*

Very simply all you have to do is:

1) Click here and sign the petition to save four million children’s lives

2) Click here to download your Pass It On gift tag

3) Print it, sign it and Pass it On, and on, and on, and on……

THEN you can either:

a) Blog about it, you can link back here or lift the instructions and place them on your own blog – doesn’t matter at all

b) Facebook it – post a pic of your signed Gift Tag to your facebook wall and tag all of your friends to Pass it On

c) Twitter – twitpic it and @ your followers to Pass It On

d) Print it out and Pass it On – to your neighbour, your mum, your local paper, your children’s school, the postman (you get the picture)

*School’s resource – if you’d like a black and white version to print out and distribute please click here for an A4 pdf with two Gift Tags aligned.

Basically just spread the word and annoy the hell out of everyone until they sign the petition. It’s not much to ask is it really?

What you can’t do is nothing, please don’t do that – go back to the start of this post and do something, okay? Thanks

Now I’m going to kick things off by tagging a few of you. This is open-ended though, please don’t wait for an invite, just click and sign, and print and sign and Pass It On…

I’m starting with Chris at Thinly Spread, for obvious reasons

And I’m going to ask Victoria at It’s a small world after all  because she’s bloody lovely and has got LOTS of time on her hands

If Garry at The Blog Up North has extricated himself from his George Foreman #notaeuphemism maybe he’ll help out too

And of course I’ll need to poke Nic at Typecast and see if she’s not too busy to lend a hand

And then I’m going to see if Nick at My Daddy Cooks will help out too

I wonder if Vixens LondonCityMum and MuddlingAlong might be up for some tagging? Let’s give them a try…

I think I’ll reach out to Kim at Diary of An Overachieveing Mom to join – she hasn’t blogged for a while so maybe this will prompt her into action

I’m also going to poke Jessie B at Booshy and ask her to Pass It On

And while I’m that side of the ocean I might ask Amy of Bitchin’ Wives Club if she’d consider it too

Ok., so that’s 10 and maybe a couple will help out – it’s a start….

Thanks for reading.  If you’d like to follow Chris on her very personal journey through Mozambique come and see us In the Powder Room every day that week (w/c May 30th) for exclusive video content from the (amazing) woman herself.