Zapped
I have to admit that is how I feel 'zapped' of all brain power.
I have never done so much blogging!
I have struggled with finding the time to blog daily and to find something to blog about.
Have I enjoyed it though - yes despite not really having the time. I have enjoyed the way this challenge has taken to new and interesting blogs, I have enjoyed the increased traffic to my blog and the new followers. I have enjoyed being made to think outside my normal blog and to find new and other things to blog about.
it has left me feeling pretty zapped though which is not good seeing as though I am sinking in work as well and have been for a while.
so on the note, I am zooming out of the A-Z Challenge to get on with it!
Monday, 30 April 2012
A-Z Challenge Y is for....
Yearning
Definition : an intense or overpowering longing, desire, or need; craving
Its there, I yearn for another child, a baby to hold, enjoy, nourish and watch grow.
My youngest is 5 and he is no longer a baby.
I have had what they call empty cot syndrome since, well, since he grew out of it!
I miss that complete trust in you, that dependance on you. Nothing can beat the way they lie and look at you while they feed, the smell and the warmth of a baby.
Despite having suffered bad post natal depression following my 2nd son, I would still do it again. It is so worth it.
Despite have had 2 premature babies and pregnancies that were not really as I had expected, I would still do it again.
I yearn for the labour I feel cheated out of.
I yearn to hold a new born baby within minutes of birth.
I yearn to get big and fat, and waddle about.
I yearn to have the chance to take my baby home when I leave the hospital.
Feeling like this makes me wonder how all the wonderful couples out there who are fighting for the chance to have their first babies and are going through the horrendous ordeal of IVF and infertility cope, for them it must be so much worse and that thought grounds me, makes me realise I am greedy and I should be thankful for the 2 I have. And I am, truely thankful.
It was not meant to be.
Definition : an intense or overpowering longing, desire, or need; craving
Its there, I yearn for another child, a baby to hold, enjoy, nourish and watch grow.
My youngest is 5 and he is no longer a baby.
I have had what they call empty cot syndrome since, well, since he grew out of it!
I miss that complete trust in you, that dependance on you. Nothing can beat the way they lie and look at you while they feed, the smell and the warmth of a baby.
Despite having suffered bad post natal depression following my 2nd son, I would still do it again. It is so worth it.
Despite have had 2 premature babies and pregnancies that were not really as I had expected, I would still do it again.
I yearn for the labour I feel cheated out of.
I yearn to hold a new born baby within minutes of birth.
I yearn to get big and fat, and waddle about.
I yearn to have the chance to take my baby home when I leave the hospital.
Feeling like this makes me wonder how all the wonderful couples out there who are fighting for the chance to have their first babies and are going through the horrendous ordeal of IVF and infertility cope, for them it must be so much worse and that thought grounds me, makes me realise I am greedy and I should be thankful for the 2 I have. And I am, truely thankful.
It was not meant to be.
Sunday, 29 April 2012
A-Z Challenge X is for.......
X-Rays
How do X-Rays work?
X-Rays were discovered by accident back in the late 1800's when a German scientist (not called Dr X-Ray) was using electron beams in a tube which was covered by cardboard and noticed a fluorescent screen next to it glow after the electron beam passed through his insulated tube, therefore the radiation was capable of passing through materials. He already knew that fluorescent screens would glow when exposed to radiation but in this case the special tube he was using was surrounded by thick cardboard so he realised the radiation was passing through it. He began placing different objects between this insulated tube and the fluorescent screen to see what happened. When he placed his hand in front of it he saw a silhouette of his hand and his bones. This German scientist (Wilheim Roentgen) had made one of the most important discoveries in medical history - imaging and the examination of bones, allowing doctors to see if any bones were broken. The letter X was designated as this new type of radiation was unknown and there was no name for it, so it became known as X.
X-rays are beams of light, more specifically highly energetic electromagnetic waves of radiation which we can not see. In our body soft tissue can not absorb the high energy rays so it passes straight through it like the skin and muscle, whereas the dense material in our body such as bone which is made of calcium absorb the radiation. When the X-rays hit the film, they are exposed to light in exactly the same way a photograph is. The black areas on the film are the exposed areas and show the parts of the body the X-rays can pass through while the white areas show the parts of the body which have absorbed the radiation such as the bone.
The X-Ray machine is essentially a camera with the patient placed between the camera and a piece of film and a photograph taken. This is now viewed on computers rather than the big pieces of films they use to use.
So there you have it, you now know how an X-Ray works!
How do X-Rays work?
X-rays are beams of light, more specifically highly energetic electromagnetic waves of radiation which we can not see. In our body soft tissue can not absorb the high energy rays so it passes straight through it like the skin and muscle, whereas the dense material in our body such as bone which is made of calcium absorb the radiation. When the X-rays hit the film, they are exposed to light in exactly the same way a photograph is. The black areas on the film are the exposed areas and show the parts of the body the X-rays can pass through while the white areas show the parts of the body which have absorbed the radiation such as the bone.
The X-Ray machine is essentially a camera with the patient placed between the camera and a piece of film and a photograph taken. This is now viewed on computers rather than the big pieces of films they use to use.
So there you have it, you now know how an X-Ray works!
A-Z Challenge W is for........
Won't fail at this late stage!
I WILL NOT be beaten! I WILL NOT fall off the A-Z Challenge right near the end.
I had all my posts carefully planned and you miss one and it is a slippery slope. I am now behind, really behind and worried I will not finish this challenge in time. I am going to have to publish more than 1 post in a day in order to do it now.
Why am I behind? No other reason than work. Work has been really manic the last few days with a few deadlines being pulled forwards and I am away at a meeting next week, so running against the clock to get work in good shape before being out for 3 days and then on Friday we are at a wedding.
So this is a very brief post for the A-Z Challenge, just to say I Wont fail and I Will complete this challenge in time
I WILL NOT be beaten! I WILL NOT fall off the A-Z Challenge right near the end.
I had all my posts carefully planned and you miss one and it is a slippery slope. I am now behind, really behind and worried I will not finish this challenge in time. I am going to have to publish more than 1 post in a day in order to do it now.
Why am I behind? No other reason than work. Work has been really manic the last few days with a few deadlines being pulled forwards and I am away at a meeting next week, so running against the clock to get work in good shape before being out for 3 days and then on Friday we are at a wedding.
So this is a very brief post for the A-Z Challenge, just to say I Wont fail and I Will complete this challenge in time
A-Z Challenge V is for....
Ventricular Septal Defect
Mini Man was born by planned c-section at 34 weeks after not such a good pregnancy with grade 4 placental previa. He was a massive 4lb 9oz which is pretty good for a 34 weeker (my 31 weeker had been 2lb 9oz).
However, he was a very sleepy baby who didn't want to feed and didn't tolerate his feeds well. Initially there was little concern about this as apparently 34 weeks is not the best gestation to be born at. At this stage in a babies development, everything vital has developed and the baby is gearing up to the outside world. His main concern at 34 weeks is growing and putting weight on so in effect all vital systems go into low maintenance mode to allow these 2 things to happen. As a result a baby born at 34 -35 weeks can really struggle with the world and can be in a worse condition than say a 32 weeker. So his sleepiness and lack of interest in feeding was initially put down to his gestation.
When his oxygen requirements started going up though and he rapidly started losing weight further investigations were performed. At 1 week old we were given the news that our baby had a congenital heart condition known as a VSD - ventricular septal defect. The visiting cardiologist from the Royal Brompton told us the VSD - basically a hole in the heart was large and may require surgery. It was a lot to take in and it had nothing to do with being premature.
Many babies are born with holes in their hearts. There are 3 main types - a PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus). This is caused when the duct (vessel) which carried blood from one side of the heart to the other before the baby is born remains open. Once a baby is born and starts using his lungs, the duct closes spontaneously. Often is does not fully close at birth however can quickly resolve itself or be resolved with a short course of medication. It is quite common in premature babies and can in some cases require surgery. Then there is an ASD - atrial septal disorder and a VSD - ventricular spetal disorder.
As you can see on the diagram the heart has 4 main chambers, the lower 2 are the ventricles, the upper 2 the left and right atrium and running down the middle is the septum. An ASD or VSD is a hole in this septum either between the ventricles or the atrium. The flappy bits (good medical terminology there) are the bicuspid (also known as the mitral valve) and tricuspid valve. Quick biology lesson here - the pulmonary vein carries blood from the lungs containing oxygen into the left side of the heart. As the heart contracts it pushes the blood downwards through the values into the ventricle. When the ventricle is full the values clamp shut to prevent the blood going back upwards. This oxygenated blood is then pushed round the body where is deposits the oxygen and nutrients in the organs and cells of the body, and picks up the carbon dioxide and waste products and brings it back to the heart. This returning blood enters the heart on the right side through the superior and inferior vena cava, and again the value clamp shut to prevent back flow. From the right side of the heart the blood is returned to the lungs, lets go of the carbon dioxide which we then breath out and picks up more oxygen and the journey starts again. If there is a hole in the septum, this allows this rich oxygenated blood from the left side of the heart to flow into the right side of the heart where there is deoxygenated blood. Less oxygenated blood then gets delivered to the body. Symptoms can be sleepiness, blueness below the nose and round the lips, breathlessness etc.
Mini Man had a large VSD. We didn't really know what this meant, how it would effect him. He was losing weight rapidly and did nothing but feed, but he only took an ounce or so before he was too tired and would be asleep again. I preserved for 3 weeks with the breast feeding but when he was labelled failure to thrive, we agreed his health was the most important and he was put onto high calorie prescription milk (infatrini), steroids and 2 different types of diuretics as although he had fallen over 2 centiles in his weight he was also retaining water. The steroids and the diuretics help ease the amount of work his little heart was trying to do. He was officially declared to be in heart failure and stayed that way for 18 months.
Over the course of Mini Man's first year, he had several readmissions for chest infections, he had 7 perforated ear drums due to infections, he was resistant to penicillin by 6 months old as he had had so many courses. Until the age of 2 Mini Man was on a daily antibiotic to keep all the chest and ear infections at bay. At the time I didn't realise how ill my baby was. The words heart failure no longer scared us, we lived with it and almost forgot it was there. The daily antibiotic, the steroids, the diuretics and then the domperidone, ranitidine, and gaviscon for reflux were normal to us. I look back at photos though and see a grey baby.
Three times we travelled to the Royal Brompton for a pre- heart surgery assessment and 3 times they decided there might of been a slight improvement in the size of his hole. The first time we were re-seen a month later, told actually he did need surgery and to book another pre-op assessment, Off we trotted again to the Royal Brompton, had a whole day of tests and seeing people to be told again at the end of it, that infact there maybe was an improvement and to see the cardiologist in another month. Which we did and repeated the same thing. However after this third time of maybe seeing an improvement there really was one and from 9 months old, the hole began to close. By the age of 2 the diuretics, the steroids and the daily antibiotic stopped. However Mini Man didn't talk until he was 30 months, he didn't chew any form of food until he was 16 months and it was all due to tiredness.
At the age of 4, Mini Man's cardiologist told us the hole was small enough for them to be no longer concerned, but there was a problem now with his tricupsid and aortic valve. The cardiologist explained as the hole had repaired itself it had pulled the tissue from near the values towards itself and therefore pulled the valve open slightly. This now meant that there was a minor back flow of blood through these value. This is known as value regurgitation or valve leakage which can be mild, moderate or severe but will never repair itself and will either remain the same or get worse very slowly over time. When it is severe heart surgery is required. Mini Man was only showing signs of mild regurgitation but at some point in his life, most likely when he is 60 or something, he will require surgery to his heart value and until that day we would just need a yearly check up. After 4 years of 6 weekly check up's, the longest period being 3 monthly, this was music to our ears and we were happy. Valve leakage has no effect on his life and if he hadn't of had the hole, its the kind of thing that often goes undetected.
At the age of 5 Mini Man had his yearly check up but with a new cardiologist in Leeds due to us moving. Leeds has a very good heart unit so I was more than happy to be referred there. Mini Man was very naughty though the day of his check up and would not lie still for the cardiologist and did nothing but mess around. The cardiologist was less than pleased. The cardiologist declared there was nothing wrong with Mini Man's heart and he was happy to discharge us. I was very confused after all out last cardiologist who we knew well, really liked and trusted had told us he needed yearly check ups for the rest of his life, had leaky valves and would at some point need surgery. This new cardiologist who made no bones about being cross with Mini Man for messing around and had little patience, was suddenly telling us there were no leaky valves and we never need be seen again. I questioned it which did not go down well, he was quite shirty with me and told me he knew what he had seen and there was no evidence of anything being wrong with the valves or heart. I still questioned though as it was very different to what we were told the previous year, and in the end we were begrudgingly offered another appointment for a final check up when Mini Man is 8, as it is hoped he will lie still enough for a good examination (the cardiologist did admit Mini man had been so active on the bed he might not of had a full view). He did make it clear we were only getting this extra appointment to put my mind at rest. I have been more than happy with waiting 3 years as Mini Man is healthy, he is thriving and despite his rough start in life is never ill, so I would only feel the need to demand to be seen earlier if he suddenly started getting tired or looked grey again. In hind sight I do wonder if we should of pushed for a 2nd opinion but as he is not ill I guess we felt he could wait. In some respects I wish we could return to the Royal Brompton and get a 2nd opinion there.
As an aside the left side of the heart is more muscular and stronger as it has to pump the blood right the way round the body while the right side only has to pump it a short distance to the lungs. The heart is actually quite central in the chest cavity but the heart beat can be felt strongest on the left side due to the left side being stronger.
So V has given you a biology lesson in the heart!
Mini Man was born by planned c-section at 34 weeks after not such a good pregnancy with grade 4 placental previa. He was a massive 4lb 9oz which is pretty good for a 34 weeker (my 31 weeker had been 2lb 9oz).
However, he was a very sleepy baby who didn't want to feed and didn't tolerate his feeds well. Initially there was little concern about this as apparently 34 weeks is not the best gestation to be born at. At this stage in a babies development, everything vital has developed and the baby is gearing up to the outside world. His main concern at 34 weeks is growing and putting weight on so in effect all vital systems go into low maintenance mode to allow these 2 things to happen. As a result a baby born at 34 -35 weeks can really struggle with the world and can be in a worse condition than say a 32 weeker. So his sleepiness and lack of interest in feeding was initially put down to his gestation.
When his oxygen requirements started going up though and he rapidly started losing weight further investigations were performed. At 1 week old we were given the news that our baby had a congenital heart condition known as a VSD - ventricular septal defect. The visiting cardiologist from the Royal Brompton told us the VSD - basically a hole in the heart was large and may require surgery. It was a lot to take in and it had nothing to do with being premature.
Many babies are born with holes in their hearts. There are 3 main types - a PDA (Patent ductus arteriosus). This is caused when the duct (vessel) which carried blood from one side of the heart to the other before the baby is born remains open. Once a baby is born and starts using his lungs, the duct closes spontaneously. Often is does not fully close at birth however can quickly resolve itself or be resolved with a short course of medication. It is quite common in premature babies and can in some cases require surgery. Then there is an ASD - atrial septal disorder and a VSD - ventricular spetal disorder.
Mini Man had a large VSD. We didn't really know what this meant, how it would effect him. He was losing weight rapidly and did nothing but feed, but he only took an ounce or so before he was too tired and would be asleep again. I preserved for 3 weeks with the breast feeding but when he was labelled failure to thrive, we agreed his health was the most important and he was put onto high calorie prescription milk (infatrini), steroids and 2 different types of diuretics as although he had fallen over 2 centiles in his weight he was also retaining water. The steroids and the diuretics help ease the amount of work his little heart was trying to do. He was officially declared to be in heart failure and stayed that way for 18 months.
Over the course of Mini Man's first year, he had several readmissions for chest infections, he had 7 perforated ear drums due to infections, he was resistant to penicillin by 6 months old as he had had so many courses. Until the age of 2 Mini Man was on a daily antibiotic to keep all the chest and ear infections at bay. At the time I didn't realise how ill my baby was. The words heart failure no longer scared us, we lived with it and almost forgot it was there. The daily antibiotic, the steroids, the diuretics and then the domperidone, ranitidine, and gaviscon for reflux were normal to us. I look back at photos though and see a grey baby.
Three times we travelled to the Royal Brompton for a pre- heart surgery assessment and 3 times they decided there might of been a slight improvement in the size of his hole. The first time we were re-seen a month later, told actually he did need surgery and to book another pre-op assessment, Off we trotted again to the Royal Brompton, had a whole day of tests and seeing people to be told again at the end of it, that infact there maybe was an improvement and to see the cardiologist in another month. Which we did and repeated the same thing. However after this third time of maybe seeing an improvement there really was one and from 9 months old, the hole began to close. By the age of 2 the diuretics, the steroids and the daily antibiotic stopped. However Mini Man didn't talk until he was 30 months, he didn't chew any form of food until he was 16 months and it was all due to tiredness.
At the age of 4, Mini Man's cardiologist told us the hole was small enough for them to be no longer concerned, but there was a problem now with his tricupsid and aortic valve. The cardiologist explained as the hole had repaired itself it had pulled the tissue from near the values towards itself and therefore pulled the valve open slightly. This now meant that there was a minor back flow of blood through these value. This is known as value regurgitation or valve leakage which can be mild, moderate or severe but will never repair itself and will either remain the same or get worse very slowly over time. When it is severe heart surgery is required. Mini Man was only showing signs of mild regurgitation but at some point in his life, most likely when he is 60 or something, he will require surgery to his heart value and until that day we would just need a yearly check up. After 4 years of 6 weekly check up's, the longest period being 3 monthly, this was music to our ears and we were happy. Valve leakage has no effect on his life and if he hadn't of had the hole, its the kind of thing that often goes undetected.
At the age of 5 Mini Man had his yearly check up but with a new cardiologist in Leeds due to us moving. Leeds has a very good heart unit so I was more than happy to be referred there. Mini Man was very naughty though the day of his check up and would not lie still for the cardiologist and did nothing but mess around. The cardiologist was less than pleased. The cardiologist declared there was nothing wrong with Mini Man's heart and he was happy to discharge us. I was very confused after all out last cardiologist who we knew well, really liked and trusted had told us he needed yearly check ups for the rest of his life, had leaky valves and would at some point need surgery. This new cardiologist who made no bones about being cross with Mini Man for messing around and had little patience, was suddenly telling us there were no leaky valves and we never need be seen again. I questioned it which did not go down well, he was quite shirty with me and told me he knew what he had seen and there was no evidence of anything being wrong with the valves or heart. I still questioned though as it was very different to what we were told the previous year, and in the end we were begrudgingly offered another appointment for a final check up when Mini Man is 8, as it is hoped he will lie still enough for a good examination (the cardiologist did admit Mini man had been so active on the bed he might not of had a full view). He did make it clear we were only getting this extra appointment to put my mind at rest. I have been more than happy with waiting 3 years as Mini Man is healthy, he is thriving and despite his rough start in life is never ill, so I would only feel the need to demand to be seen earlier if he suddenly started getting tired or looked grey again. In hind sight I do wonder if we should of pushed for a 2nd opinion but as he is not ill I guess we felt he could wait. In some respects I wish we could return to the Royal Brompton and get a 2nd opinion there.
As an aside the left side of the heart is more muscular and stronger as it has to pump the blood right the way round the body while the right side only has to pump it a short distance to the lungs. The heart is actually quite central in the chest cavity but the heart beat can be felt strongest on the left side due to the left side being stronger.
So V has given you a biology lesson in the heart!
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
A-Z Challenge U is for....
Unanimous
I saw a post on Twitter from Kate on Thin Ice advertising her latest linky to How to be a Groovy Mum and it dawned on me, Groovy mums are a group of mums who are all of one mind, agreeing on changing their lives, with determination, we are harmonious and unanimous in supporting each other and being part of a network, and there it was, the word unanimous.
So for those who don't know anything about Groovy mums it is simple. It is a linky for anyone out there who is looking for their mojo, who feels they have lost some of themselves since becoming a mum, who would like to find themselves again, time for themselves, rebuild confidence, form new friendships and remembering to put themselves first once in a while. For some it is a journey to share weight loss success (and of course the not so good weeks), or the courage they have had to do something. In Kate's words 'If you are a blogger, you write a blog post about how you are making tiny or huge changes towards a new you. This might be as simple as going for a walk or as radical as setting up a new business. It might mean talking to someone new or buying a treat just for you. It can be anything that makes sense to you as you try to get your va-va voom back or perhaps to discover it for the first time'.
It is never too late to join in, each week new people are joining and there is now a network as well The Groovy Mum's Ning network.
Each week Kate sets some challenges and it is up to you if you do them , some of us just add a blog post to celebrate something we may have done which has made us feel good (I promise not to harp on about running my first half marathon here - again, oops sorry I seem to have inadvertently mentioned it - again :))
Below are my response to this weeks challenges
1. Body – What new ways can you find to take exercise?
Sorry I may just have to mention running again. I have also got my Davina DVD out again which I was very excited about when I first got it, I did it twice and then it fell by the way side but I was a little upset with a few of the photos from the half marathon so have more of an incentive now.
2. Mind – It is Depression Awareness Week. Have you experienced depression? Do you know how to spot the signs of depression in your loved ones and others? Check out http://blackdogtribe.com for information and support with mental health issues. They are also asking for your stories.
I blogged about this only last week. I suffered depression following the birth of my 2nd son who was very sick as a baby, 2 prem babies and the feeling of being cheated out of a full pregnancy and labour (yes I wish I could of experienced labour pains), not being able to hold my new born baby and then being in intensive care myself after my 2nd son left me in a pretty bad way. I have recently been suffering again and have just made the trip to the doctors. Not enough is done for depression awareness.
3. Blogging – Did you know http://britmums.com publish round-ups of good posts on certain issues such a food, politics, special needs, green issues, health and more? Why not promote your posts to the editors of these round-ups and raise your profile?
Now that would take confidence and when you don;t have a huge following or a huge amount of comments, some days it doesn't seem worth it.
4. Special Days – This week saw us marking St George’s Day. Is there a dragon that you need to tackle in your life?
I think work is my dragon, oh and maybe the dragon that seems to have taken over my ironing pile
5. Charity Connections- Get shopping online and hundreds of retailers will give a percentage of what you spend to a charity of your choice. Click here http://www.give.as/kateonthinice and register for free for Give As You Live with your name and email address. Do it today! You don’t have to spend any money now but it means when you do shop online you can ensure some of the money goes to a good cause. Why wouldn’t you? When you click, you will see poppies because I am personally raising money for the Royal British Legion but you can register here and then when you shop, you can select a charity of your choice.
I will look into this
6, The Big Question – What has the last year brought you? Are you happy with it?
14 months ago I started to freelance and although I often feel overwhelmed with the work, I really shouldn't complain. I am earning a nice amount and I have very regular work, it sometimes feels too much. I have learnt a great deal from being home based and my own boss, the pros and cons of having no colleagues or office to go to. Overall I am very content with it but just wish I could handle it better and juggle work and the boys and home more efficiently. We also relocated 18 months ago and to see the boys so happy makes it all worthwhile. It has turned Little Man around so for what it has done for him alone has made this last year worth every second.
Now why not write a post about how you are changing things for you and link it up.
Being of one mind; agreeing in opinion, design, or determination; consentient; not discordant or dissentient; harmonious; as, the assembly was unanimous; the members of the council were unanimous.
I have to be honest finding something to blog about beginning with U initially seemed a real challenge but then.....I saw a post on Twitter from Kate on Thin Ice advertising her latest linky to How to be a Groovy Mum and it dawned on me, Groovy mums are a group of mums who are all of one mind, agreeing on changing their lives, with determination, we are harmonious and unanimous in supporting each other and being part of a network, and there it was, the word unanimous.
So for those who don't know anything about Groovy mums it is simple. It is a linky for anyone out there who is looking for their mojo, who feels they have lost some of themselves since becoming a mum, who would like to find themselves again, time for themselves, rebuild confidence, form new friendships and remembering to put themselves first once in a while. For some it is a journey to share weight loss success (and of course the not so good weeks), or the courage they have had to do something. In Kate's words 'If you are a blogger, you write a blog post about how you are making tiny or huge changes towards a new you. This might be as simple as going for a walk or as radical as setting up a new business. It might mean talking to someone new or buying a treat just for you. It can be anything that makes sense to you as you try to get your va-va voom back or perhaps to discover it for the first time'.
It is never too late to join in, each week new people are joining and there is now a network as well The Groovy Mum's Ning network.
Each week Kate sets some challenges and it is up to you if you do them , some of us just add a blog post to celebrate something we may have done which has made us feel good (I promise not to harp on about running my first half marathon here - again, oops sorry I seem to have inadvertently mentioned it - again :))
Below are my response to this weeks challenges
1. Body – What new ways can you find to take exercise?
Sorry I may just have to mention running again. I have also got my Davina DVD out again which I was very excited about when I first got it, I did it twice and then it fell by the way side but I was a little upset with a few of the photos from the half marathon so have more of an incentive now.
2. Mind – It is Depression Awareness Week. Have you experienced depression? Do you know how to spot the signs of depression in your loved ones and others? Check out http://blackdogtribe.com for information and support with mental health issues. They are also asking for your stories.
I blogged about this only last week. I suffered depression following the birth of my 2nd son who was very sick as a baby, 2 prem babies and the feeling of being cheated out of a full pregnancy and labour (yes I wish I could of experienced labour pains), not being able to hold my new born baby and then being in intensive care myself after my 2nd son left me in a pretty bad way. I have recently been suffering again and have just made the trip to the doctors. Not enough is done for depression awareness.
3. Blogging – Did you know http://britmums.com publish round-ups of good posts on certain issues such a food, politics, special needs, green issues, health and more? Why not promote your posts to the editors of these round-ups and raise your profile?
Now that would take confidence and when you don;t have a huge following or a huge amount of comments, some days it doesn't seem worth it.
4. Special Days – This week saw us marking St George’s Day. Is there a dragon that you need to tackle in your life?
I think work is my dragon, oh and maybe the dragon that seems to have taken over my ironing pile
5. Charity Connections- Get shopping online and hundreds of retailers will give a percentage of what you spend to a charity of your choice. Click here http://www.give.as/kateonthinice and register for free for Give As You Live with your name and email address. Do it today! You don’t have to spend any money now but it means when you do shop online you can ensure some of the money goes to a good cause. Why wouldn’t you? When you click, you will see poppies because I am personally raising money for the Royal British Legion but you can register here and then when you shop, you can select a charity of your choice.
I will look into this
6, The Big Question – What has the last year brought you? Are you happy with it?
14 months ago I started to freelance and although I often feel overwhelmed with the work, I really shouldn't complain. I am earning a nice amount and I have very regular work, it sometimes feels too much. I have learnt a great deal from being home based and my own boss, the pros and cons of having no colleagues or office to go to. Overall I am very content with it but just wish I could handle it better and juggle work and the boys and home more efficiently. We also relocated 18 months ago and to see the boys so happy makes it all worthwhile. It has turned Little Man around so for what it has done for him alone has made this last year worth every second.
Now why not write a post about how you are changing things for you and link it up.
A-Z Challenge T is for.......
Travel
So in my 30 something years I have been incredibly lucky to have travelled a fair bit. I have never been abroad with my parents instead all of our holidays were UK based, sometimes holidays were a tent less than 30 miles away from home up in the Dales but the bonus is I have seen the country I live in and the UK can be proud of its heritage, it boasts some beautiful places - Cornwall, Devon, the New Forest, the Peak District and the list goes on.
France
My first adventure abroad was at 13 with school when we caught the ferry to Bologna, France and spent 1 night in a hotel by the port!
My first time flying was at 14 to France again on the school French exchange to a town near Lake Annecy. Within 2 days of being there the girl I was exchanging with told me she didn't like me and just wanted a trip to England. I didn't have a very happy time there but did get to go into the Alps skiing and fell in love with Chamonix - the wooden cabins, the glacier, the mountains, it looked spectacular.
Canada and America
Next trip was a school band tour to America and Canada where we stayed in Salem, Ohio for 1 week with families. It was a tiny Quaker town but I have never experienced a welcome like it. I felt like I was family and am still in touch with them today. They really did love the British, everywhere we went people wanted to know more about us. I was on awe of the Malls and got my first taste and life long addiction to Jelly Belly's.
From Ohio we crossed Lake Eire, saw Niagara falls (image from Google) and went on The Maid of the Mist under them. The falls are well worth seeing, it was also October so we were treated to the beautiful colours of fall as well, only adding to the beauty of the falls. The town was too touristy for me, even at the age of 16, no doubt a product of my UK holidays as a child which always avoided the touristy places. We then spent a week in Ontario (image from Google). Another place I would recommend is Lake Ontario - again beautiful and climbing the CN Tower. I have cousins in Ontario do got to see them and an elderly great Aunt and Uncle. I would dearly love to return to Canada and see more of it.
Israel
Following this at 19, I spent 6 months in Israel on a kibbutz by the sea of Galilee. I love Israel. I could of lived there and have very, very happy memories. A kibbutz is like an escape from reality, working the land, growing avocados, citrus fruit, watermelons, driving tractors and picking bananas was an ideal job for me. While there I travelled and got well and truly bitten by the bug. I slept on roof tops in Jerusalem (image Google), climbed Mount Olives, left a prayer in the wailing wall, saw the horrors of the holocaust, met amazing people, lazed on the beach in Tel Aviv, swam in the sea of Galilee and floated in the dead sea. I spent 2 weeks trekking over the Negev desert with camels and a Bedouin tribe, sleeping under the stars and in their tents. I climbed Masada and saw sun rise. In Eilat I snorkeled and saw corals like I'd never seen before in the Red Sea. I slept on the beach and was woken by local soldiers pointing riffles at us telling us to move on.
Egypt
From here I crossed the border with 3 people I had met on the trek, spent 12 very long hot hours in a taxi with the Beatles blaring out. We saw Cairo, countless number of Mosques, the British museum with Tutankhamen's exhibit there. We galloped on horse back round the pyramids and were invited into the tour guides home to use his families toilet which turned out to be a grate in the middle of the one room, with the family sat round it on their rolled up bedding. We hired a Felucca and spent 3 days sailing from Cairo to Luxor down the Nile. On one side we would pass expensive cruise ships, turn your head the other way and you saw farmers cooling their cattle, girls collecting water and women washing clothes.
Luxor was beautiful. It was totally unspoilt. I believe it is now quite commercialised. We toured the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings. We saw temple upon temple but never bored. Onwards we went to Aswan and then back to Cairo. We spent our last week in a place called Dahab in the shadow of Mount Sinai. Here we met someone with a boat who took us out diving to shama sheikh, caught fish and BBQ'd them on board and provided all the drinks we wanted. All we did was get the alcohol with their money using our passports. In hind sight we could of been taken off to be sold but at 19 it's one big adventure. I then hitch hiked back to Tel Aviv and back to my kibbutz. I only returned home as my visa ran out!
Central America
Mexico
The following summer I set off to Central America during my first year of Uni holidays with someone I barely knew. Landing in Mexico we took in the sights of the east coast working our way to the Guatemalan border, saw the pyramids of the sun and the moon, Acapulco (horrid place), remote travellers beaches off the beaten track renting hammocks on the beach or beach huts, loads of temples and ruins again never boring. One place I loved was called Oaxaca (pronounced Who-hacka) with their cafes on the streets and small traditional bands to serenade you. The markets were amazing, the people friendly. My eyes were open to true poverty with street children and lepers begging on the street. We climbed mountains to remote villages and attractions and lazed on some idyllic beaches. Another favourite place was an untouched island off the West coast of Mexico, near Cancun called Isla Mujeres which was out of this world, and here I will insert a photo. I have never been on beaches like it, you could wade out in the clearest sea I have ever been in for about a mile. There were no hotels, we rented hammocks on the beach to sleep in, there was only a basic town and the small market. I believe now it has sadly become a much more popular tourist destination.
And then came trips with work.
So in my 30 something years I have been incredibly lucky to have travelled a fair bit. I have never been abroad with my parents instead all of our holidays were UK based, sometimes holidays were a tent less than 30 miles away from home up in the Dales but the bonus is I have seen the country I live in and the UK can be proud of its heritage, it boasts some beautiful places - Cornwall, Devon, the New Forest, the Peak District and the list goes on.
France
My first adventure abroad was at 13 with school when we caught the ferry to Bologna, France and spent 1 night in a hotel by the port!
My first time flying was at 14 to France again on the school French exchange to a town near Lake Annecy. Within 2 days of being there the girl I was exchanging with told me she didn't like me and just wanted a trip to England. I didn't have a very happy time there but did get to go into the Alps skiing and fell in love with Chamonix - the wooden cabins, the glacier, the mountains, it looked spectacular.
Canada and America
Next trip was a school band tour to America and Canada where we stayed in Salem, Ohio for 1 week with families. It was a tiny Quaker town but I have never experienced a welcome like it. I felt like I was family and am still in touch with them today. They really did love the British, everywhere we went people wanted to know more about us. I was on awe of the Malls and got my first taste and life long addiction to Jelly Belly's.
From Ohio we crossed Lake Eire, saw Niagara falls (image from Google) and went on The Maid of the Mist under them. The falls are well worth seeing, it was also October so we were treated to the beautiful colours of fall as well, only adding to the beauty of the falls. The town was too touristy for me, even at the age of 16, no doubt a product of my UK holidays as a child which always avoided the touristy places. We then spent a week in Ontario (image from Google). Another place I would recommend is Lake Ontario - again beautiful and climbing the CN Tower. I have cousins in Ontario do got to see them and an elderly great Aunt and Uncle. I would dearly love to return to Canada and see more of it.
Following this at 19, I spent 6 months in Israel on a kibbutz by the sea of Galilee. I love Israel. I could of lived there and have very, very happy memories. A kibbutz is like an escape from reality, working the land, growing avocados, citrus fruit, watermelons, driving tractors and picking bananas was an ideal job for me. While there I travelled and got well and truly bitten by the bug. I slept on roof tops in Jerusalem (image Google), climbed Mount Olives, left a prayer in the wailing wall, saw the horrors of the holocaust, met amazing people, lazed on the beach in Tel Aviv, swam in the sea of Galilee and floated in the dead sea. I spent 2 weeks trekking over the Negev desert with camels and a Bedouin tribe, sleeping under the stars and in their tents. I climbed Masada and saw sun rise. In Eilat I snorkeled and saw corals like I'd never seen before in the Red Sea. I slept on the beach and was woken by local soldiers pointing riffles at us telling us to move on.
Egypt
From here I crossed the border with 3 people I had met on the trek, spent 12 very long hot hours in a taxi with the Beatles blaring out. We saw Cairo, countless number of Mosques, the British museum with Tutankhamen's exhibit there. We galloped on horse back round the pyramids and were invited into the tour guides home to use his families toilet which turned out to be a grate in the middle of the one room, with the family sat round it on their rolled up bedding. We hired a Felucca and spent 3 days sailing from Cairo to Luxor down the Nile. On one side we would pass expensive cruise ships, turn your head the other way and you saw farmers cooling their cattle, girls collecting water and women washing clothes.
Luxor was beautiful. It was totally unspoilt. I believe it is now quite commercialised. We toured the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings. We saw temple upon temple but never bored. Onwards we went to Aswan and then back to Cairo. We spent our last week in a place called Dahab in the shadow of Mount Sinai. Here we met someone with a boat who took us out diving to shama sheikh, caught fish and BBQ'd them on board and provided all the drinks we wanted. All we did was get the alcohol with their money using our passports. In hind sight we could of been taken off to be sold but at 19 it's one big adventure. I then hitch hiked back to Tel Aviv and back to my kibbutz. I only returned home as my visa ran out!
Central America
Mexico
The following summer I set off to Central America during my first year of Uni holidays with someone I barely knew. Landing in Mexico we took in the sights of the east coast working our way to the Guatemalan border, saw the pyramids of the sun and the moon, Acapulco (horrid place), remote travellers beaches off the beaten track renting hammocks on the beach or beach huts, loads of temples and ruins again never boring. One place I loved was called Oaxaca (pronounced Who-hacka) with their cafes on the streets and small traditional bands to serenade you. The markets were amazing, the people friendly. My eyes were open to true poverty with street children and lepers begging on the street. We climbed mountains to remote villages and attractions and lazed on some idyllic beaches. Another favourite place was an untouched island off the West coast of Mexico, near Cancun called Isla Mujeres which was out of this world, and here I will insert a photo. I have never been on beaches like it, you could wade out in the clearest sea I have ever been in for about a mile. There were no hotels, we rented hammocks on the beach to sleep in, there was only a basic town and the small market. I believe now it has sadly become a much more popular tourist destination.
Guatemala
Another country I have fallen in love with. It is breathtaking. The first place we ended up was Chichicastenango, if the name is not enough to fall in love with the markets were.
We then stayed in the old capital of Guatemala - Antigua which again is beautiful and we discovered the best chocolate cake shop in the world while there. There is still an active volcano near Antigua which we could see smoking. One night in a bar we met a Guatemalan girl - their culture is so different, you are either very poor or very rich there is no inbetween. You go from rich marble floored buildings to shacks in a mere few metres. This girl was from the rich camp and had spent her summer travelling Europe. She invited us to her home (with marble floors, 6 cars and an indoor pool) and we stayed there for a night with her family.
Honduras
Honduras was horrid, I didn't enjoy it there that much, we felt very vulnerable but did the tourist attractions and the ruins and temples but didn't stay as long as planned.
Our plan was then to go up through Belize back into Mexico and do the West coast up to Cancun. However, half way from Honduras to Belize the bus driver turned round as the bus in front had been stopped by Gorillas and it was too dangerous. Our desire to see Belize was not strong enough to risk life and limb so we happily went back to Guatemala!.
Travelling for me then was holidays which included:
Greece
Rhodes - this was the first holiday I took staying in a proper hotel with my now hubby. I would love to back to Greece.
Tunisia
We took in the sights of Tunisia in 1997 on a 2 week all inclusive deal which we got last minute and paid £260.00 each. It was an amazing holiday as we didn't pay for anything!
Malta
This was where we spent our honeymoon. It is a lovely island although lacks any beaches but has a great history if you are interested in things like that. We also took a boat trip to Sicily and climbed Mount Etna which had only erupted 3 weeks before hand the lava in some places was still glowing.
Spain
This was a very sad trip as my father in law died in a car accident while living here so the purpose of this trip was to sort out his affairs. We spent the week over there though and enjoyed a few trips out and some shopping.
And then came trips with work.
San Antonio, Texas
I went to San Antonio for a weekend in 2009 for a works meeting I was running. The meeting was on for one hour but I got to spend 3 days there. It is a lovely town again with a great history - The Alamo, is a former Catholic mission and fortress compound, and the site of the Battle of the Alamo which took place in 1836. It is now a museum which I visited.
New Orleans
I was fortunate enough to visit New Orleans again for a works conference. I have mixed feelings about the place. It is actually very seedy and reminded me a little of Acapulco. Since the flooding the crime rate has really risen. The famous Bourbon street is incredibly seedy but well worth a walk down. By myself I would not of gone into any of the bars though!
This is another place where when taking a bus trip round you went from very rich affluent areas to very run down neighbourhoods. New Orleans did introduce me to their traditional foods like the Po Boy and the beignets desert which is mmmm.
Paris
This was my next destination with work for a conference but I was lucky enough to get an afternoon off to go and do the tourist things - I have always wanted to see the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, the triomphe etc. The only place I wanted to see which I didn't have time for was Moulin Rouge.
Switzerland
I trotted off in June 2011 to yet another conference for work to Lugano. I have never had much interest in travelling in Europe but was truly blown away by Switzerland. i would return there tomorrow if I could, who wouldn't want to wake up to this view every morning? Need I say more!
I again managed a bit of time to look around on my last afternoon and my friend who now lives in Switzerland came and stayed a night in the hotel with me and we climbed the alps the next day, took a boat trip etc.
Vancouver
Yet another meeting in July 2011 but sadly my trip to Vancouver consisted of airport - fly-taxi ride to hotel-meeting - sleep - meeting - meal out on same road as hotel - sleep -meeting - taxi ride-airport-home. I did see the Rocky's from the plane though!
Stockholm, Sweden
Yet another conference in Sept 2011. Again I was fortunate enough to get a little bit of time to look to look around - I got the train from the airport and was reliably told the hotel I was in was a 10 minute walk in 'that' direction. 'That' direction took me out of the city and on a very long walk. However on a plus side the 2 hours I spent walking to find the hotel was infact 10 minutes in the other direction from the station meant I got a good feel for Stockholm. It is a lovely place, again with plenty to see. it is also very expensive though.
Rome
Another place I have always wanted to see and never made and thanks to a works meeting in January 2012, i got to go and I paid for a nights extra accommodation so I could do the touristy things. The Vatican is something else, the artwork needs to be seen. ll over the town there are ruins and history. I got as far a as the Colosseum only to be told I could not go inside as I had a small wheel along suitcase with me. I would love to go back especially with t'hubby. The people I was with for the meeting said they would use it again and told me to make sure I was working on the meeting so we could make a weekend of it!
Frankfurt, Germany
This was the latest destination for work. I got a 2 hour walk around the town which was unexpected. I love seeing new places, their building, their shops and they way they live. This was only a snap shot of it but it was nice all the same.
Next week I am out in Madrid for a meeting, place I have never been and thanks to Northern airports and their flights time I need to go a day early so am looking forwards to a nice morning of sightseeing!
One day soon we hope to take the boys aboard and have a family holiday.
There are still many, many places I would love to go like Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Russia, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Brazil, India and those are only the ones I can think of off the top of my head.
I have been incredibly fortunate with the amount of places I have already seen. I would not have the confidence to just jump on a plane like I did to Israel many years ago by myself or trek across a country alone. At least the work trips, although alone are well planned! Maybe one day in my old age, i will get a camper van and just go and drive across the world!
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