Saturday 31 March 2018

Project 365 week 13

Four days of medical related stuff this week, if you include the vet as medical. Weather been nice and dry if rather cold.

Sunday

Made plans to go for a McD's and a walk along the beach with a colleague in our 2 hr break. Well we did the McD's bit but rain stopped play for the other bit as L did not have a jacket with her. Have to say McD's was a mistake as a) they are right next to the Sunday Market and b) the shows were there so the queues were massive.






Monday

Took Bob to gymnastics and then took Dixie to get her stitches out, well stitch anyway as she had chewed the others But when we got there it was standing room only, so we went for a walk for an hour and a half and went back, still people in that had been waiting when we first went in. Everything is healing nicely.







Tuesday

Hubby still has my cough from weeks ago and we are both fed up with him coughing half the night, so he went today and got a nasal spray and a cough bottle. I was watching a very large crane assemble a large crane. Was very interesting to watch. They are building a new super school opposite the GP surgery.




Wednesday

Hubby had his scan for his potential gall stones today. Have to say he has had no pain since the first episode. Had to take Bob with us as the twins were involved in a daffodil tea at Nursery and DD1 could not take him so I had agreed to have him. While hubby was in Bob and I took Dixie for a walk round the hospital walk.

Fifi came home from Cadets with Cadet of the month again. That is three times in the last year she has won it. This makes her Cadet of the year as well. Very proud of the young lady she has turned into.




Thursday


Dinky was back to the hospital for the results of the tests and more if needed. They reckon it is a haematoma as nothing else came back showing anything else. So I had the other three, and was down there for 1/4 past 8,  while her mum took her. We went to the park but did not stay long as it was FREEZING. Have to say it is an awful lot easier with two, especially as Spud goes when Minky goes.



After daughter got back as I was needing to do some shopping we headed to Irvine beach park. Dixie had a fab time, never seen her so lively and interested in her walk as she was today. So we had an hours walk, I did some shopping, we had a McD's and then another 45 minute walk. The McD's was to encourage my laziness and to save me making tea when we got home,


Friday

Meeting up with a friend today. She is feeling a but fed up and looking for things to do as she is stuck in the house. So I have put together a small package of bits and pieces to cheer her up and help her keep herself busy. She bought herself a sewing machine so I took her some material to play with as well as some stuff for other crafts. ps I did fold it all and put it neatly into a bag for her.









Saturday

Got a free pedometer from The Active Travel Hub last week, well got two one for hubby as well, Been messing with it to get it accurately picking up as it does not pick up if you stick in in a trouser pocket. Worked fine at the weekend with 30.000 steps over two days at work as it sits upright in a tiny pocket in my uniform pocket,  It did not stay attached if I clip it onto my waistband so I made a couple of little pockets for it to attach to trousers I am wearing so its stay upright.

They offer organised walks and cycle rides, including ladies only, but most of them are in my working hours.






Saturday 24 March 2018

Project 365 week 12

Got offered another prize for a giveaway after last weeks post.  Think including the ones I am supplying prizes for I am now up to eleven giveaways. I will run them every second/third day over the month of April. Started writing up the posts as much as I can now, will be running them all as Gleam giveaways.
Also filled in a job application form this week, first one in about fifteen years. It is an internal post that is half an hour longer than mine but doing the same thing. I sit around between shifts anyway so makes sense as this way I will have a ninety minute gap between shifts not two hours as I currently have.If I get an interview - great, if I get offered the job - brilliant and if I don't then hey ho I am no worse off than I am currently.




Sunday

A full day at work with some cross stitching while listening to an audio book in my break. Went to sit down for my tea. Daft dog was under the impression if she turned her head away I would not see her. Well it did not work so into her bed while we ate as is expected of her.




Monday

Dixie managed a bowel movement today. So that should help with her discomfort. The low grade moaning when we stroke her has gone as has the ear scratching that she had been doing, and the slight swelling of her top lip had gone down. Guess her teeth were bothering her to some extent. Still doing the odd cough but nothing major.
Dropped Bob at gymnastics and went for a walk round Auchincruive with dog and hubby.





Tuesday

Was a beautiful afternoon so we decided to go for a walk, managed three miles along the river near Coylton. Dixie dog just does her normal plod plod.




Wednesday

Dixie still has a bunch of strange symptoms, but her not wanting to eat is the one concerning me most. So I took a list of symptoms and took a visit to the vet. The vet thinks she is having a phantom pregnancy, fits with the symptoms we presented her with and the vet says she has fluid in her teats. All she wants to do is snuggle.





Thursday

Bob was back to the hospital in Glasgow to start on his new meds. He was suppose to be part of a trial but as he is on steroids he does not qualify to take part in the trial but will still get the meds regardless. Three hours wasted to find that out and now he needs an out patient appointment and to start all over again with blood teats.

So I had the three wee ones while she took him. We went to the park to play, then into the library to read some books and play with the Lego bricks before going home for lunch. Put Spud upstairs for a sleep and played a few games with the twins and then let them have their tablets for half an hour.





Friday

When I had had Dinky yesterday she had had a small mark on her knee and had said a few times her knee was sore. Time tea was over the lump had gone from peas size to sprout size so her mum decided to take her to A&E last night. The xrayed it and could not see anything broken and the mark did not show on the xrays. 5 hrs later and despite the xray passed to various people they still had no clue as to what had caused it. She did not seem to be showing signs of an infection at all. They said they would have a meeting in the morning. I was on stand by in case they wanted her in but  they phoned back to daughter this morning to say to bring her in tomorrow, The idea is full blood tests, an MRI and a biopsy of the lump.
I popped in to see them on my way home and she was under a blanket on the couch with a dummy. The kids are not allowed to bring their dummies out of their beds but daughter had let her as she really was not well. Don;t think I have seen her with a dummy in her mouth for over 3 years.



Saturday

Still trying to clear my hands up. They seem to get just about better and then flare up again. So trying this to see if I can seal them and hope that will help.







Friday 23 March 2018

When it’s Time to Kick Back and Relax – A Positive Lifestyle Change



Eventually, we all come to that time in our lives when it is time to slow down after years of hard work. Although we may not want to give up work and other responsibilities, we certainly welcome the prospect of having more time for ourselves – something that isn’t always possible when attempting to juggle a full-time job and time for the family.
As we begin to slow down and look to enjoy some of life’s finer things, it is only natural to evaluate what our current situation is. Such as your financial status (can you afford to go part-time or retire?), where you are living (could you move somewhere quieter?) and how close you want to stay to relatives. If you are in a position where you can begin to make life revolve around you and not the other way around, making more time for yourself is a healthy lifestyle change that you should be making.

Part-Time or Retire Outright?
Whether you want to reduce your workload and go part-time, or retire outright, completely comes down to you. If the thought of having no work to get up for in the morning sounds frightening, going part-time is for you – going from one extreme to the other can be a shock to the system, while a part-time job helps to keep your finances topped up.
Semi-retirement means that you can maintain a part-time position (ask your employer about this as they may be willing to offer the hours that you are looking for). A few hours in the morning leaves the afternoon open to spend as you wish where you could potentially take up a hobby, renew an old interest or simply sit and snooze in front of the television.






Move Out of the City
When you begin to slow down, you may find that you prefer to live somewhere a little bit more laid back than your current habitat. Big cities are awash with busybodies pushing and shoving to get from A to B – it’s something that you just don’t want to contend with on a daily basis.
Rural areas offer a sanctuary away from busy cities, promoting a lifestyle more akin to the one that you might be looking for. Green fields replace buildings and noisy roads make way for peaceful rivers. If you worry that you cannot afford to live in such sought-after locations, it could be worth looking into parks with residential homes. Here, you can keep the cost of living down to a minimum while making the most of a natural setting.




Making Time for Family
One of the biggest perks of slowing down is that you have more time for those that matter, your family. Life can be busy which means that families often don’t have time to see one another half as much as they’d like – now, with time firmly on your side, you can make more time for loved ones.
Grandchildren, for many, are the number one reason for cutting down work hours. If you are fortunate to have grandchildren in your life, no doubt that they, too, take their place towards the top of your list of reasons to make more time.



Time to Travel
Finally, reaching the point of retirement or semi-retirement means that, at last, you have the time to travel the world and see places that, once, you could only dream of. At this point in your life, you have earned the right to travel and think about number one, so what are you waiting for?
Reaching the age of retirement shouldn’t feel as though it is the end as, in reality, it is only the beginning. With more time for yourself, now the world truly is your oyster.




This is a collaborative post. 

Saturday 17 March 2018

Dear Elaine - #VicksBabyRub Challenge

Dear Elaine....a letter to myself. What would I tell my younger first-time-parent self by the time the second baby came along  or things I wish I knew as a first time mum? This is for the #VicksBabyRub Challenge



DD1 at two weeks old. 


Well first of all congratulations. There were no home pregnancy tests in these day. You had to make an appointment at the family planning clinic.You always wanted to be a mum, always wanted lots of children. Well wow your first baby is still under a year old when you found out that baby number two is on the way. Well now your second daughter is here and a month old, and your first born is now approaching nineteen months old, so what have you learnt that you wish you knew before No1 was born that is going to help now No2 is here? 


DD2 at 3 weeks old

Well to start with I think the most important lesson is to accept any and all offers of help that come your way. Try not to be stubborn and independent, people that offer help  only do so because they want to help. Having two children in terry nappies, living in a top floor flat with no washing machine, getting out to the drying green to peg out more dripping wet washing is a nightmare. let one of your friends or relatives take a load  away and bring it back clean and dried. 

Secondly they grow up far to quick, Child number one  was walking before she was a year old, talking in sentences already and far to clever for her own good. Enjoy them while they are young, worry less about the house and what people think of your abilities as a young mum, you can still be a good mum even if there is a layer of dust on the tv or some dirty dishes in the sink. 

DD1 at 27 months and DD2 at 9 months 


Sleep when they sleep, or at least sit and relax in the quiet gaps in the day. Yes I know it is  not quite so easy with a second one as the chance of getting two of them to sleep at the same time during the day is nearly impossible, but if it does happen rather than thinking you can get x.y.and z done, make your self a cup of coffee and a slice of toast or something else to eat, you are no good to anybody worn to a frazzle. 

Do you really need to bring in your first born and change her because she got grubby in the garden? Creating yourself more washing than is needed. If she goes to bed clean every night then clean dirt harms nobody, relax and let the poor child enjoy herself. 


18 months and a 3rd birthday 

Do not feel guilty when the in-laws come in and comment on the fact your husband is doing the ironing which is woman's work, just let them think what they want. Running a house with two young children is team work. 

So breast feeding did not work out, nothing there to feel guilty about, your first bottle fed baby is still alive and growing, healthy, intelligent and well adjusted no reason No2 will not be the same. 

You don't need enough clothes to change your child four times a day for the first year with some of them never worn. Don't keep good clothes for good, as they out grow the clothes before they get enough wear out of them to justify the cost of good. 

A play pen is an essential, even if it is to pop the baby in in her bouncy chair to stop the older child squeezing her feet to make her cry whenever you leave the room. A coach built pram is worth its weight in gold, as you get more than one child out of it, it comfortably takes a pram seat leaving the shopping trolley at the bottom for the shopping when you have to walk over two miles to the nearest supermarket. 

But I think the most important piece of advice is listen to your instincts, these are your children and you know them best. Part of listening to your instincts is knowing when they are ill. Have to say if my 40 year old self could have said to my 19 yr old self your second born will finish school, go on to university and become a successful person with a huge diversity of friends then I may well have worried less about the years she spent in and out of hospital and the operations and treatments she had, but that is another blog post. 

A parent usually knows best when their child is not well and what medication and natural remedies work best. One of them is Vicks BabyRub. It is a soothing moisturising product that you massage in. We all know how important baby massage is to help both the parents and the baby  bond and relax. 




Vicks BabyRub is great after a bath, before bedtime, if baby is irritable or unwell. The product contains natural ingredients - Rosemary, Lavender and Aloe Vera so can be used an time of the day especially great when they are teething or unsettled and massage is great if they are over tired, much better to spend five minutes massaging cream in than an hour getting both baby and parent stressed because baby won't stop crying. 
Vicks BabyRub is a non medicated product for babies six months and older. 


This post is an entry for BritMums #VicksBabyRub Challenge, sponsored by Vicks BabyRub. Specially designed for babies aged 6 months and over, Vicks BabyRub is available at Boots, Superdrug, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and all good pharmacy chains. RRP £3.99.




Project 365 week 11

Been a week of grandchildren and a not so well little dog.

Blog wise I have had some luck with so far three companies that are willing to supply a prize for a few giveaways I am planning on running for my 7th blogiversary at the start of next month. Had hoped for more but with them and a few prizes I am supplying myself it should add a few extra views and comments. Will need to start getting them into frat mode this coming week.

Sunday

Mothers Day is not something I hold big store by but I do love to get presents that are chosen with love. I have always got massive amounts of pleasure from my children, and the love I get from my grandchildren cannot be measured in presents, I just feel so honoured that they all want me in their lives and get so much love from them, snotty kisses and smelly nappies don't last forever and each stage is wonderful to watch.

Today I picked up one from DD1 and the grandchildren. Fifi had made a small 3d box  ( approx 1.5 by 2 inches) from popupdesigns and I also got a very pretty tin of teas. Some very different  flavours in there. May well need to go and find the chocolate vanilla and rooibos - very pleasantly different.






Monday

My present from DD2 arrived with the post today. A cushion which is now placed on the small coffee table so the dog does not lie on it.  I know they all appreciate us grandparents but this says the way they feel.







Tuesday

Bob had a Glasgow hospital appointment again today, sadly as he missed his last one due to the weather they had to start all over again with his blood tests. So her friend ran her up and I watched the three wee ones. The twins had been on a nursery trip and were rather tired, and mucky, so we popped into the library as I needed food bin bags, we read three stories, they each chose one, and then I let them chill out in front of the tv for a while as they had dancing after tea. Was quite nice as meant I got Spud on her own for over an hour and we played daft with the washing basket but she kept getting stuck in there so we changed it over for her tunnel.




Wednesday

A walk up at Auchincruive with hubby and Dixie dog.



DD1 was wanting to paint her skirting boards in her hall and up her stairs so as Bob can not tolerate the smell of gloss paint he was sent here over night.




Thursday

Dixie dog has been having some issues and she is reluctant to eat anything hard and seems to be in pain when we stroke round her ears, so last weekend we had taken her into the vet who thought it might relate to her teeth so today she was going to have them cleaned and looked at. As this involves a general anaesthetic the vet decided as she still needed to be spayed he would do the two together  save the risk of a general anaesthetic twice.

For those of you who followed my blog last year  you may remember little Lilly started off not eating and appeared to be in pain and had a low grade cough, so to say the least I am a bit concerned. I know they say lightning does not strike twice, lets hope they are right this time. Dixie is only just two this month.

Bob and I spent some time playing Happy Families.

When we went to pick up Dixie she had not recovered from the anaesthetic well and was receiving fluids to prevent her from  dehydrating. She had also passed blood from her back passage so they had done an ultra sound but everything seemed to be ok.
When she got home she did not have the energy to stand. Hubby sat with her until 3am encouraging her to drink. She had a mad ten minutes about 2 am running around and jumping on and off the couch. So hubby popped her into her cage to stop her from injuring herself.




Friday

Dixie is a little bit more with it this morning. Gave her her pain killers and antibiotics, got her outside to wee and she walked back on by herself. Spent most of the day lying on the spare couch on her cushion, eaten a few bits of chicken and is drinking. Not happy with her breathing or the cough she has so back to the vet as soon as I can get some video footage of her coughing. If she needs a referral then a few nights wont make much difference but thought it was better than taking her back in the car again tonight.





Saturday.

Made some flap jack last night for taking to work. Not quite sure what happened but it stuck to the tin foil I lined the tin with and came off it bits rather than being cut into squares. Hey ho it tastes fine.





Saturday 10 March 2018

Project 365 week 10

Sunday

Felt so awful, my nose would not stop running all day and made being at work very difficult.
This was my Facebook status for Sunday evening.

I would like to thank my eldest daughter and the five grandchildren for my early mothers day present. My hot burning eyes, my nose that wont stop running, my pounding head, the sore nose cos it wont stop running and it stings when I moisturise it., the chesty cough and the lowered peak flow, the sore throat and blisters inside my mouth and a cold sore to boot. Probably the most generous early pressie i have had in a long time

So went home to sleep. Find my chair easier to sleep in than a bed when I am like this.
It was really not fair to say it is their fault, there is plenty of it in the community and we could have got it any where.


Monday -Fri

been a lousy week, a week filled with antibiotics, steroids and throat sweets, paracetamol, hot and cold sweats, tins of soup as I have not felt like cooking or eating, coconut milk angel delight frozen as it does not thicken made with alternative milk. Spent a lot of the week sleeping and lazing in front of the tv. Hubby has been as bad, one day or so behind me so he has spent a lot of the week coughing and sleeping as well.

Did attend the funeral of a colleague on Tuesday, doubled it up with a GP appointment, her death has really thrown me, saw her a few days before she died unexpectedly. Really makes you think about how fragile human life really is.






1) watching Little House on the Prairie 2) some of this weeks medication
3) cracks on my hands back 4) a relaxed dog

Saturday

A lamb mince meat loaf in the slow cooker for when I get back in from work tonight, away to do a back shift.






Not quite seven pictures but all that has been taken this week.


Saturday 3 March 2018

Project 365 week 9

Wow what a week this has been weather wise. Lots of snow all round us but we got a few light showers but less than an inch in total. But it has been very very cold and the wind would cut you in half. Had the dog out most days with plenty of layers of clothing on.

Been doing more cross stitching and started on my next picture.


Sunday

While I was at work hubby finished doing the drain and used the rest of the cement to straighten the washing pole.






Monday

Dropped Bob at gymnastics and went for a walk along the river at Auchincruive with the dog and hubby.





Tuesday.

A walk round the fishery, not that there was any fishing going on the ponds were mostly frozen with a few small gaps that the swans and geese were making the most of. Loved the reflection on the ice.


 Later on in the week the swans and geese had moved to some of the local fields obviously looking for stuff to eat,


Wednesday

We had a little snow in the morning and a few heavy showers through out the day but we got off lightly in comparison to other places. We were on the edge of the amber warning. Roads were clear so we went to the poultry shop to buy more chicken pieces and walked the dog at the same time. Then got caught in a heavy snow shower on our afternoon walk down to DD1 and the grandkids.





Thursday

We had just gone to bed when hubby was gripped by an excruciating pain, so he went and got a drink of milk hoping it was indigestion but really not thinking it was.  After half an hour it was not getting any better so he agreed to me phoning 111, that is when I knew he was in massive pain as he hates hospitals, But just got a message saying we were in a queue  and our call would be answered as soon as possible. But twenty minutes later we were still on hold and I hung up. My thinking being if they were that busy it would probably take three hours or more for a doctor to phone me back, so as his pain was subsiding slightly we decided to wait on the GP opening in the morning and get an appointment. By the morning his pain felt more like bruising internally. GP thinks it may have been a gall stone moving so he has to go for an ultra sound to see if there are any more.

We then went for a cold walk round a local park, thought it would be a bit warmer in the wind surrounded by trees than the beach would have been. Started snowing lightly when we were walking.

A spot of babysitting in the afternoon as Bob had an ophthalmology appointment. He is just to carry on with the drops he is on. Was far far to cold to take them out, the wind was bitter so we stayed in and played games. Hubby walked down with Dixie dog and the wee ones were all happy to feed and stroke her.





Friday

Spud turns two today. Normally I would go round and take a cake etc but all the kids and daughter have a stinking cold, sore throat, aching joints etc, and none of them are in the mood for being civilised and they are not eating so seemed such a waste. They were suppose to be meeting up with the other grandparents for a visit to a local soft play but that did not happen either. She is too young to know it is her birthday. Have to say my throat is quite sore and I don't feel great either.

I got back with some shopping and popped the shopping bags on the floor and forgot there were some mini pork pies in there, so little miss helped herself to one. Wont eat good quality dog food but will eat human food.




Saturday

I was suppose to be going to The Free From Show in Glasgow with DD3 today but it was cancelled due to the weather, disappointed not to be going but can understand why they cancelled it.

Got four bars threw from Muscle Foods by way of an apology. Certainly makes me feel better about their customer service. Yes I tried the dark chocolate mint one as I have a soft spot for those two together.

Throat feeling a bit better but rather hoarse with laryngitis and a bit of discomfort in my glands.