What I wore Wednesday - Put On Purple 2013

Recently I started reading a fantastic blog (which also happens to have the worlds most awesome blog name) called Luck Fupus. Please do take a second (after reading this awesome post of mine of course :p) to visit it! The owner of this fabulous blog is inspirational and hilarious (in a good way) in equal measure and is fast becoming one of my favourite reads.

So when she tweeted this....

Tomorrow, May 10, Put On Purple for World Lupus Day!! #PutOnPurple #WorldLupusDay #LupusAwarenessMonth #lupus #spoonie ������

— MarlaJan (@marlajan) May 9, 2013

And then this...

oh shit, I lied. Put On Purple Day is May 18. Can I blame it on lupus fog? #LupusAwarenessMonth #PutOnPurple May 18!! #lupus

— MarlaJan (@marlajan) May 9, 2013

And then eventually this...

I lied. Again. Put On Purple Day is Friday May 17. #LupusAwarenessMonth #PutOnPurple #lupus #spoonie #thirdtimesacharm

— MarlaJan (@marlajan) May 10, 2013

What choice did I have (once she'd finally decided on a date :p) but to obey??? So I know technically I'm cheating by wearing my outfit today for the photo but I will take it off right now and save it for Friday ;-) Anyone else feel like busting out some purple? Any excuse eh!?


Watch | Skirt
PS - Apologies for the crappy mirror shot and the lame hair - I will defend the lame hair by saying that I've just had it cut and it's not quite 'sitting right' yet. The photo is because I am at home all day and a 20 month old doesn't take great photos :-)

Linking up with Transatlantic Blonde for WIWW

From a baby to little boy

Over the weekend something happened. It's a long story (haha!) but I'll make it a short version (HAHA!)...




How does one simple haircut make him look about 2 years older??? I love it but I want my baby back! We've always just had it neatened up and kept short at the hairdressers in the past but he has slowly been developing an absolute hatred of the hairdressers (so much for getting him used to it!) which culminated at the weekend in a full on screaming, thrashing and writhing tantrum and we knew there was no way that poor hairdresser would be cutting his hair that day unless she felt like cutting her own arm off in the process.

However. We have a wedding to go to this Saturday and not only did he have a rats tail at the back (completely unacceptable) but his fringe was covering his eyes and all in all it just wasn't a good look. Especially to go with the super cute wedding outfit I got for him to wear (more on that next week - hint, it involves a bow tie which means that it's already beyond amazing). Anyway, so we decided to bite the bullet, buy some clippers and buzz it off (number 6) while he was in front of the TV. I won't lie and say it was entirely tantrum free but it was certainly a vast improvement on the debacle at the hairdressers earlier that day and, more importantly, in the comfort of your own home you can happily pin your child's arms to his sides without fear of judgement ;-)

I think we will continue to do this from now on but if we ever decide to brave the hairdressers again, does anybody have any tips for me? (Unfortunately bribery and distraction did. not. work.)

A confusing development

As many of you know, I've recently gone 'public' with this blog. It's never been a secret or anything, it's just that in connecting it with my real life Facebook account, I'm making the fact that it exists a bit more obvious. As a consequence it feels a little more awkward to be writing about the more personal side of things but that's what this blog is about so I guess I'll do it anyway. It's time for an update on the ectopic pregnancy.

I think when we left off (to be honest I can't remember and I'm too lazy to look it up!), I was about to take a pregnancy test. I did so and while at first I thought it was negative, after a while I wasn't so sure. I know about evaporation lines but in the many (many!) pregnancy tests I've ever taken, I've never had one before so I was suspicious. Suspicious enough to take another test a few days later, to which the same thing happened. So what to do next? I waited and waited, knowing that the hospital would want me to go back and being too lazy to go (I know, naughty) but they were such faint positives that I couldn't even be sure that they were - I would have taken a photo of them but I doubt the lines would have even shown, they were so faint. I asked David if there was something wrong with my eyesight but we both agreed the lines were there.

Fast forward to the Bank Holiday Monday (three days ago) and something unexpected happened. It shouldn't really have been unexpected but because it's been so long since my last one, it was. While in the shower I got some 'oh so familiar' abdominal cramps and sure enough, what appeared to be my monthly friend arrived not long after. So of course I was confused, if those two tests were positive surely I couldn't have ovulated and then gotten a period so quickly after (we're talking what, three weeks ago max?) so either they weren't positive or this wasn't my monthly friend visiting after all but something potentially more sinister. You'll be pleased to know I finally decided today that I can't possibly figure this one out on my own and thankfully the hospital agree so I'm back in tomorrow morning for another blood test.

*sigh*

Will this saga never end? All I want is to reach the 'three month ban' mark (one more month) and then let nature take things over again. I've had enough of worrying, I've had enough of preventing and I've had enough of the impact it's having on our lives. I'm in no rush to have another baby right now but I'm sick of having to not have one.

Cybher 2013

So I have exciting news... for me...



I am really excited to have been given to opportunity to go to this bloggers event in June! I want everyone who is going and reads this to step up and say so because I want to meet you all (unless you're a psycho)! Less than a month to go!

Blogging from the car

So right now I'm in the car on the M25 and writing to you on my favourite thing - in our house he's known affectionately as Paddy. I am, of course referring to our iPad. Sneer all you like Android fans (Kip I'm looking at you!) but I'm never converting. Never! Muhahaha.

Anyway. Moving on. I'm sure you're wondering exactly why I'm blogging from the car. We're on our way up to (hopefully!) sunny Norwich to spend the Bank Holiday weekend with my parents and as an added bonus, my uncle and grandma are coming to stay with them at the same time so it'll be a full house! I don't think my parents have had so many people under their roof in a long time... It'll be interesting to see how six adults manage to share one bathroom!

So here a some nice photos of some of the spring/summer loveliness we are leaving behind at home... Hopefully I'll get some equally nice ones 'up North' to share with you. Have a lovely weekend everyone! Xoxo

Pieces of parenting 'advice' I hate the most...

"Don't worry if your house gets messy, it's normal"

I don't give a tinkers toss if it's 'normal'. I don't want a messy house. I never had a messy house before I was a mummy and I won't have one now. I don't care if it does mean I will spend nap time tidying up and cleaning rather than resting or doing something for me. Mess = stress for me. And on that train of thought.....

"If they make a mess with their toys, just leave it and tidy it up at the end of the day"

Ok I can see the sense in this one, there is no point in tidying up the same mess twenty times a day. But if you're a certain type of person (ie. like me) then you just can't. I physically can't leave it. Things need to be in their place. Don't suggest that I change who I am just because I had a child.

"You won't be able to do that *insert fun activity here* once the baby arrives"

Ermmmm.... why? I can take my baby to a restaurant. I can take my baby to a friends house. I can take my baby on holiday. I can and have done all of these things. Somebody, please think of a place where babies are actually banned. Then, and only then, will I believe that there are things that I can no longer do. Even though, I could always ya know, get a babysitter. That's what parents are for isn't it?

And finally, my favourite from the older generation (this one can be adapted to work similarly for people who have no children)....

"We never used to bother with that/do it like that when mine were little!"

*insert sarcasm here* Oh God you're right! I forgot that this is, in fact, 30 years ago and my baby is an exact clone of yours! Of course, I'll abandon my own parenting methods and immediately adopt yours... what was I thinking???

Anyone else got any gems they'd like to share? Let off some steam? This is fun ;-)

A big step

So any of you who are friends with me on Facebook will see that I took a big step a few days ago... I shared a blog post on my profile. I don't know why this is such a big deal, I've been sharing on Twitter etc. for months but most of my 'real life' friends only use Facebook so opening myself up to criticism or judgement from them is a big thing I suppose.

The other thing that has stopped me in the past is that my recent posts have been of a much less personal nature due to the fact that my readership has jumped a fair bit since I first started. I don't want to segregate the earlier posts into a separate blog as they're a part of the story but I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you find your way here and starting delving back through the archives to find me writing about my sex life and people who have pissed me off (hopefully not you!) then please don't take offence. Those posts were mostly written back when I had no audience at all and, while I still write about exactly what I want to in this blog, I tend to write it in a more crowd pleasing way now that I know people are reading it. So if you think you don't want to know all the intimate details of my life, I suggest you stick to 2012 onwards.... and if you do, I'm not to be held responsible for what you find ;-)