Monday 30 January 2012

Grooving mums- late entry!

Actually the 'late' bit seems to sum me up entirely. I am late for everything, despite my best efforts and best laid plans, I am always arriving places or doing things by the skin of my teeth and it gets me down, really gets me down and yet it still happens. I think the only reason I can come up with is I am doing so much it is the only way I can fit it all in.  I always do things by the seat of my pants, spend my life running between things, screeching in at breakneck speed, apologising etc etc, so hey why should my participation in a linky be any different. 

Actually my plans for today are no different. It is January the 30th and I still have my tax return to do - if it is not submitted tomorrow I will be fined £100.00. Thing is I am also have a meeting I am organising next week and 12 people to get to it from all over Europe, presentations to finalise, dinners and lunches to finalise as well.  Anyhow wasting yet more time.

I started the week well, things were manic to the extent when I arrived at school on Monday afternoon I had that manic feeling about as I had been doing and still had so much to do. Tuesday was no better, I was meant to pick the boys up, spend some quality time with them, leave and drive to Manchester about 7.00 as soon as their Dad got home, and stay with some friends, so I could leave their house at 4.30am to get to the airport for my 6.00am flight. Ha, in true disorganised, useless fashion, I was still trying to sort work out at 9.00pm and eventually packed and went to bed at 12.30am. I then had to get up at 2.30am, and left the house to drive an hour and a half to Manchester airport. That went smoothly until I couldn't find the car park and somehow managed to get back onto the M56 going back towards home. I got there in the end with 40 mins to spare before my flight.

The flight then flashed up as 1.5 hours delayed and the people behind the desk were muttering things like technical fault etc. I had a connecting flight so things were not looking good. Then they decided infact the plane was OK so we boarded and took off 20 minutes late in the end - all good. Manchester to Paris and we circled and circled and circled, and then the captain announces that due to the plane having a technical fault we would be unable to land in Paris as there was ice so we flew back to Southampton and sat on the runway waiting for a new plane. Meantime my connection to Rome left without me. I eventually got to Rome. A driver picked me up in Rome but I didn't get to my hotel until 5.30pm - I should of arrived at 12.30pm so my afternoon of sightseeing was gone - the only reason I had gone out early. I then logged on to work with my 3 hour Internet card thinking I would just field some emails, skype home and go to bed. By this time I was exhausted and had a very bad headache. 11pm I am still working.

Thursday am I did my sightseeing - I saw the Vatican, lots of ruins, the Spanish Steps and walked to the Coliseum and was gutted when they wouldn't let me in with my little trolley bag suitcase - will have to go back there now. The meeting went well, the food was good and no-one complained about the choice of menu (thank god).

Friday I flew home - no delays this time although I only had 45 minutes between landing in Paris in one terminal and had to get to the other side of another terminal on foot to get my flight to Manchester - I was being called by the time I legged it up to the boarding gate.  I then got royally lost trying to get back on the M56 to go home, ended up going down the M6 and back on myself and then discovered the slip road onto the M62 was shut for roadworks so ended up in the middle of Oldham at 11pm, crying, hungry and very tired with a lack of diversion signs, and a dead mobile. I found a MacDonald's, charged my phone through my laptop and t'husband directed me through Oldham to the M62. I finally got home at 12.30am.

The weekend was weird, t'husband threw a strop over something and didn't really speak to me all weekend, then yesterday acted as if nothing had happened. I can't be doing with the sulking. I wish I knew entirely what it was about - I find it hard to believe it was because the kids wanted to watch a street performer in York and were really enjoying it and he wanted to wonder round shops, surely not?

I am really feeling my groove has deserted me, work overload, tiredness and a lack of confidence in myself are all thrown into the mix, I am feeling pretty low at the mo and know I need to pick myself up and dust myself off but wonder how many times you can do that.

Anyhow to the questions and challenges:

1. Body - This week, there is a campaign about eating a healthy breakfast for 5 days. http://shakeupyourwakeup.com/challenge

Not done so well on this as being away and in hotels there isn't always the best choice of food. I don't eat cereal but do try and have fruit most mornings and a slice of toast. I can take or leave breakfast but do try and have something.

2. Mind – It is Chinese New Year and I have just opened my fortune cookie. What I want you to think and/or blog about is if you had a guarantee that the fortune in your cookie would come true in the next 12 months, what would you want it to say? You can do something down to earth, humorous or something obscure and Confuscious like. It is entirely up to you.

I have no idea - I think we make our own luck although I also believe in fate but I do live by 'what will be will be'. At the end of the day life throws curve balls at you and you just have to catch them and deal with it. I would like my head sorted out, i would like to feel sure about things again but I am not so sure this is an easy one to tackle for various reasons.

3. Spirit – Sticking with the Chinese New Year, what animal are you? If you don’t know, look it up for fun. Does the description of the animal you are ring true? Which animal would you like to be and why? You can find all the information you need here http://www.life123.com/holidays/new-years/chinese-zodiac/chinese-zodiac-signs.shtml

The Tiger: (Birthdays in 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010) Tigers exude power and passion, and embrace impulsive decisions while stimulating others to action. Recklessness, foolishness and selfishness can also show up in Tigers.

Well, I think people would agree I am very passionate about things and can be very impulsive. I think I am a fool yes -  but disagree with the selfishness but as if I was more selfish perhaps I wouldn't feel like I did - I bend over backwards for everyone and anyone and never think of me.

4. Blogging – Have you heard the wonderful and rather exciting news? What do you mean “Yes, I have as Kate just won’t stop going on about it!” I am now a member of the Britmums team with a great initiative that will make a real difference too. Read all about it by clicking here http://kateonthinice.wordpress.com/2012/01/23/have-you-heard-the-news-i-have-a-new-and-exciting-role/
Your blogging challenge this week is to join Britmums if you have not yet done so and then join the Charity Connections – Blogging It Forward group on there. Don’t just join but get involved in some of the already fascinating discussions taking place on there. Have your say at http://britmums.com

I joined Britmums last week and also the charity group x

5. Special Days – As I have already mentioned special days in this post, my challenge to you is to make one day this week really special. How you do that is up to you. Will it be a day out? Some one-on-one time with your partner? You decide.

I wanted to make Saturday just gone a special day having been away which is why we went to York with the plan of taking the kids to the cinema to see Puss in Boots as a treat which I ended up doing by myself and t'husband opted to go off by himself, so although the kids and I enjoyed it, it wasn't the family day I had intended

6. The Big Question – This challenge is the one that is aimed at making you think deeply. Of course, the big questions come to me in all sorts of ways. This one came whilst watching Dancing On Ice on the telly because I am a very deep philosopher lol. Take it in whatever way you see fit. Let it mean what it means to you as an individual. So the question is, have you lost that loving feeling? Whether that is for yourself, your partner, your child, your job or whatever. Reflect on it in a way that is meaningful to you.

Yes I have lost that loving feeling - for myself and lots of things other than my boys. To be honest I don't want to spend time reflecting on this as I get my knickers in a twist and have too much work to do today to be upset and consumed by it. I have no idea how to regain it or what to do.

6 comments:

celebratingmums said...

Right, the first thing to note is that you are possibly the #groovymum who juggles more than any of us. No offence to any of the others but you work, you travel, you have a partner, you have very young children, you care about others... Need I go on? Ease up on yourself please. From the cyberfriend who thinks you are fab and is just down the road Kate On Thin Ice

celebratingmums said...

Sounds like both our husbands need a kick up the proverbial to me.

Cattowlson said...

i really relate to everything you have written, we are moving at the moment and i feel im pretty much managing this alone without much help. I think maybe the way forward is too delegate a bit more. A bit of free time for us mums would really help. xx

chickenruby said...

WOW, thought i was reading something of my own when did you come away with me? tthere's no point telling you to slow down, stop organising things for other people it's in your nature and you obv thrive on it. I've been reflecting on my blog this week about the person i was a year ago before we moved to South Africa and the person i am now, so many people know me as both, but you #groovymums only know me as a woman 'stuck' in a rut right now. I'm not usre envious is the right word, but I wish id made more of the time i travelled, juggled work with kids and a home life....i certainly miss it...it all sounds so much fun ;-)

claire@mummyplum said...

I'm so sorry that the trip to Rome was surrounded by all the nightmare travel stress. I know how much you were looking forward to it. It's always the way isn't it...best laid plans and all that?
It does sound like your life is manic but you know what, you always seem to make me smile when I read about it - it's the way you tell it. Your warmth shines out through your words.
Could you have a weekend or night away by yourself or (with the husband?). Maybe the grandparents could take the kids for a night and give you some down time to relax? x

Chloe@OurPeaGreenPod said...

I hope that things get back on the up for you soon. I can totally empathise with the late thing. I am late for EVERYTHING & I whenever I have plans I seem to be dashing out of the house in an angry wirlwind because I'm going to miss a train or whatever, but unlike you I have no good reason as I have nothing important to do most days! Sounds gruelling with the travel but I'm glad it went well obce you were there - that's the main thing. I hope you find some time this week. Take care.