Questions of Twelves

Questions of Twelves


I've been tagged in a game. The rules are as follows -
1) You must post the rules
2) Post 12 fun facts about yourself in the blog post
3) Answer the questions the tagger has set for you in their post and then create 12 new questions for the fellow bloggers you plan to tag
4) Tag 12 people and link to them on your blog
5) Let them know you tagged them


I was tagged by Caz who tweets as @cazem and has a great blog over here




12 fun facts about me:


1. I LOVE Christmas. It doesn't matter how old I get I just get wrapped up in the whole 'magic' of it all. It's got to the point where I have to not think about it too much until December arrives as otherwise I think V would kill me!


2. I can't make a decision. I don't know why, I just can't. It's not because I don't want to offend/ disappoint people with the choices I've made; I just genuinely am easy going and go with whatever is happening.


3. I feel sorry for random things. If I have three of something, say a log for our fire, I can't use two and leave one on it's own. I'd feel sorry for it and think it's lonely. So I have to put it on the fire too! Lol


4. I name things. Every household item has a name in our house, From Dillon the Dyson to Sally the Samsung. There is no reason for this, I just do it. Maybe because I'm insane?


5. I love snow. Maybe even as much as I love Christmas? I wait patiently every year for a blizzard and huge drifts but they never come. Where I live we always end up with grey slush that doesn't really settle. I'd rather no snow than being teased with slush!!!


6. I can cook pretty well. Baking not so much, I leave that to V but I do enjoy cooking!


7. I snore. Sorry, I mean SNORE! I have no idea how V puts up with it or how LC slept through it when she was in our room? It causes me great amusement when on a stag do/ lads weekend away to not warn people about this :)


8. I can down a pint in around three seconds; I learnt this aged 15. I can also down a bottle of red wine in around 10-12 seconds. The joys of playing rugby taught me these skills! I haven’t tried this out for a while though so any challenges welcome so long as it’s your round!


9. I love cars, well and bikes too. I’ve owned some great cars in my eleven years of driving, but my favourite was easily my Ford Capri. I’ve been in to cars since I was two years old and fell face first on to a Ford Crossflow engine in my mum and dads garage. Hooked since then!


10. I pick my nose. I know, I know, it’s horrible. Well to others anyway, I love it myself!


11. Incorrect singing of lyrics drives me up the wall. Sing a long by all means, but please don’t make up the words as you go along. Especially when singing karaoke!!! The words are on the screen you numpty, READ THEM!!!!


12. I’m addicted to my iPhone. I seriously am in love with it. It can do so much and is so clever. I can waste hours of time just sodding about playing games or looking up random info. I shed a tiny tear when it runs out of battery L




Questions set by Caz


1. Cat or Dog?
Tough one, I have two cats but I do love dogs. If really pushed I’d say dog but it’s very close.
2. Apple or Banana?
Apple. Bananas only recently came in to my life when doing the London to Brighton bike ride. They’re okay but nothing like an apple – only Granny smith or Pink Ladies though!
3. Tea or Coffee?
Coffee. Caffeine makes Neil a happy man!
4. Favourite day of the week?
Saturday. I hate work so waking up on a Saturday is just a fantastic feeling.
5. Favourite month of the year?
December – Christmas and a chance of snow!!!
6. Favourite year of your life so far?
2011. LC arrived, before that it would have been 2009 when I got married to V.
7. Favourite shape?
Really? I have never thought about it before? Silhouette of an AC Cobra 427 probably.
8. If you’re happy and you know it, what do you do?
Clap my hands! Or share my happiness with friends on Facebook and Twitter.
9. What is your worst habit?
It used to be smoking but that’s long since passed. Maybe alcohol now :)
10. What animal would you want to be and why?
A Dog, they seem to enjoy everything and are really enthusiastic
11. Favourite children’s book?
I used to love “Teddybears Go Shopping” by Susanna Gretz and Alison Sage. I still remember the shopping list: “Ice cream and peas, soap and cheese, cereal, buns and bubble bath, [something] and pears, tooth paste for bears, mustard and custard and carrots”. Modern days, you can’t beat a bit of Harry Potter.
12. What did you have for tea tonight?
Roast Beef for dinner last night (it was a Sunday) round at my parents. Plenty of ale and wine consumed too J


Questions for my tagged bloggers:


1. What movie would you watch over and over again?
2. If you had a snail that could magically grant wishes, what would you name it?
3. The world is going to finish in 1 hour. How are you going to spend that hour?
4. Do you have a tattoo? If so, what is it? If not, why not?
5. If you could live anywhere you wanted to where would it be and why?
6. What sound do you love?
7. What chore do you absolutely hate doing?
8. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?
9. What story does your family always tell about you?
10. What’s the most played song on your iPod?
11. What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
12. Are you afraid of the dark?


Well, that didn’t actually take me as long as I thought! It was quite fun too. So, who do I now choose to take part in this Meme?


I tag:

World of 0ddness (@0dd1)
First Time Daddy (@_firsttimedaddy)
DaddyNatal (@daddynatal)
Bump Birth and Beyond (@BumpBirthBeyond)
The Perfect Bad Mummy (@mrsaimeehorton)
Pink Oddy (@PinkOddy)
The Pieces of Me (@plasticrosaries)
Blogger Father (@BloggerFather)
Urban Vox (@UrbanVox)
Chloe Witters (@Khloeee)
Tricky Customer (@tricky_customer)
French Yummy Mummy (@FrenchYumMummy)

DaddyNatal

So, that's it... All training sessions completed. I am now ready to face the expectant dads of the world (well, Bromley) and tell them how they can go about helping support their partners during labour and birth.

FEDANT accrediation will follow once my portfolio is complete and I have taken a final exam, but for now, I'm able to "teach" as a student! Scary!

Poor V and LC have now got to sit through me running through the whole presentation over and over again while I practice getting my delivery style sorted. I think, by the time I'm finished, they'll both know how to give the class too! :)

I am excited about getting going now, I want to strike while the iron's hot and start making a difference to the dads in my local area. I live within the area of the UK's largest maternity services provider so if I could even reach 1% of the dads in their area I would easily have a full class every time I ran it.

If I'm totally honest, I am nervous about my first session. What if I forget everything I've learned or give the dads the wrong information..? I guess it comes from knowing that I have the potential to massively change their, and their partners' birth experience.

When I think of it that way is when I get nervous so I'm trying to think of it just as me imparting information and advice to expectant fathers with a view to helping them better support their new families. That sounds much less intense and that's how I'd like to think my classes wil run: relaxed and informative.

So, wish me luck in this new venture as I try to help dads become the birth partners that mums want and need. 

Thanks for reading

Snow - Random Post

Anyone who knows me, knows I love snow... No, not like it, LOVE IT!

There's no one reason why, it's a whole raft of things:

FUN: I find it great fun to do anything in the snow: walk, skid about, kick it, throw snowballs at people or my mum and dads dog.

COLD: I have no idea why but I hate being hot. At the moment it's about 3-4 degrees in Bromley and when I get in from work i'm happy to just sit about in shorts (t-shirt optional) whilst V is snuggled in ten layers of clothing. So snow is perfect for me, I may wee a coat when it snows but only as melts snow gets wet, not because I'm cold.

PRETTY: snow makes everything look pretty. A blanket of white over the most ugly building/ car/ whatever in to a dramatic scene.

KIDS: children, generally, love snow too and I think nothing is better than watching kids play in the snow and have good old fashioned fun.

SLEDGING: great fun! I love throwing myself down a massive hill on a bit of plastic. My old office had a long, downhill drive and I always took my sledge along for lunchtime games.

All in all, I love everything about it and am doing a now dance every hour on the hour in the hope that Bromley gets a nice coating before the warm weather returns.

Hopefully we'll get some and I can show LC what it's all about. Surely 6 months is old enough to make your first snowman???

I you get snow, enjoy it an pray that I see some too :-)

Silent Sunday

January Update!

I really must try to blog more often. I just struggle to find the time to do it. When I'm home I want to spend all my time with V and LC and when I'm at work, well, I'm at work!

So, Christmas and new year have been and gone. We had a lovely time and did our best to keep LC entertained with her new toys. Obviously she had no idea what time of year it was but I'd like to think she had fun.

We've moved on to weaning now; LC is 5 months old but watches V like a hawk when she eats porridge and is putting everything she can in her mouth.

We made a bulk batch of blended produce on Friday night (finished early Saturday morning as it took a while to figure out consistency of the purees).We cooked, blended and froze: Carrot, apple, pear, sweet potato and butternut squash.

On Saturday we gave LC her very first try of a puree, choosing the carrot option. Lets just say she prefers her milk to carrot!!! Lucky we bought some extra wide bibs for her as there was more carrot down her front than in her mouth - mummy and daddy need to practice their aim!

Sunday we decided to gve her a taste of baby rice. This went down much better than the carrot, Iguess as the taste was familiar and she just had to deal with the texture difference. Good work LC, you did very well :)

Yesterday, V gave LC some banana porridge, again made with her normal milk. She loved this but not as much as V!!!

Today, I'm told, LC will be trying out a mashed baby weetabix. As it's with her own milk again we're hoping for good things but I'll let you know!

These steps in her life make me sad to be at work while she is developing. I'd love to sit and watch her all day, every day. She is moving on so quickly - we even have the very first signs of crawling now - and I don't want to miss any of it.

Things are progressing well with my DaddyNatal training. I only have one more 'face to face' course to go and some coursework before my portfolio can be submitted for full FEDANT recognition.

I really can't wait to get going now. I attended one of Dean's classes before LC was born so I know the difference that the teaching can make to dads and consequently mums and babies.

It's just baby steps at the moment but I'd love to get DaddyNatal known in and around my area to the level where it is almost the norm for dads to attend it. It would also be amazing if I could take it to a level where I could give up my job and use it as a sole income. Don't get me wrong, money wasn't even a consideration when I chose to train as an antenatal educator, but it would free up my time to watch LC grow and develop rather than sit at my desk and wish I was home.

Anyway, I've blatheredon quite enough for one blog. I'll let you go now but I promise to blog more often from now on.

Have a great day and make the most of the time you spend with your children :)

It's Christmas Time!

Wow, time really does fly!

LC is now four months (and five days) old and Christmas is upon us! Needless to say that the whole family are going to spoil her rotten over Christmas and she has even sneeked in a few early presents too - cheeky thing!

I'm really looking forward to our first Christmas all together; I suppose, in theory, LC was with us last Christmas, just finding her way out of mummy's Fallopian tube, but this year will be the first when she is actually with us and we can enjoy her company!

She has turned in to a real character over these four months and has really made my life complete. Granted she may nag me from time to time - and yes, I do mean nag! - but she also has the cutest little smile I have ever seen. That smile can brighten my whole day, even if I return home from a hard day at work.

On the nagging front, she is quite amusing. Unless she has your undivided attention, she shouts at you - not crying, shouting! She has also learnt to "talk" to us and really tries to immitate the movements of your mouth when you talk back to her. The most amusing part of LC finding her voice is that around 3-4am every morning, she "sings" to herself. It must be to herself as our room is pitch black, unless the cat has found a way of opening the door while we sleep!? Once she has finished her "song" she settles herself back down and we don't see or hear from her again until morning!

We have had, about three weeks ago, some giggles but these haven't been heard since, although they must be just around the corner when she smiles so big her head nearly drops off!

It's been a wonderful four months and five days and Christmas is the perfect end to a wonderful start to family life. 

Merry Christmas to you all - if there is anyone who actually reads this :) - I hope yours is as good as mine will be xx

Phoneless

So, as those of you who follow me on Twitter may have heard, I am phoneless for approx 5 days.

It started with an innocent drop of the phone when coming down the stairs and has ended in me becoming a social outcast. I have so far survived for 1.5hrs without my beloved iPhone and I feel completely distressed by the whole situation.

I use my phone for everything, Twitter, Facebook, emails (work and personal), keeping in touch with V whilst at work and receiving pics of LC to get me through to hometime. I listen to podcasts on my way to work and even use it as a satnav when I hit traffic. What am I going to do for 5 whole days?

I'm going to go in to an O2 store as the team on the phone said they would lend me a phone whilst mine is repaired or replaced. I am already panicking that they'll say they have none in store or that they won't as reported the repair over the phone. I don't know why I think this is what they'll say? Maybe I'm preparing myself for the worst. 

So, my plan is to just be brave, keep in touch with V by email for the time being and take sleeping tablets for four days until the return of my connection to the outside world. 

Have any of you ever been without your phone for any length of time? If so, did you cope better than I currently am?