#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (April 2014)

I've reverted back to a very quick iPhone selfie for this months photo.

As you will notice, I haven't been about this month. MC only went back to school after the Easter holidays on Monday and the week before that we all had a tummy bug.

I've spent most of the month - tummy bug aside - just enjoying 'real life' (and the glorious warm weather that April brought us) but I've enjoyed it that much I haven't thought to take any complete family photos. It's a shame as we've had trips out to the sea, trips to the zoo, trips to the park and trips to see family and friends. I've taken lots of photos but none of the four of us.

Big fail.

My homework for May is to try and get at least three photos. I'm sure we will be able to do it. We are away for the May half-term at the end of the month too and ending it at the Baby Tilda Barn Dance! I also have some extremely exciting news that I'm holding back on at the moment too.

So, anyway, this photo was grabbed last night. The kids insisted on pulling silly faces. They'd spent most of the afternoon, after MC got home from school, bouncing on the bouncy castle in the back garden. They were tired but full of fresh air and happiness. It also resulted in a 6.30pm bedtime so Matt and I were pretty happy too!

#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (March 2014)

March is probably the busiest month of the year for our family.

Both children were born in the month.

MC on the 11th (she was 5) and TC on the 28th (he was 2).

Throw in Mother's Day, a themed Minnie Mouse party and a few other prior engagements and I'm ending the month feeling pretty exhausted... but full of love and happiness.

I have been taking a lot more photographs of the children with the 'big camera' this year but it's very rare that I'm in the photos. Setting up the timer can be a bit hit and miss and the kids get easily distracted but asking other people to take photographs is probably worse - especially when it's my mother-in-law. She's good at a lot of things but sadly she's no photographer (not that I am but you know what I mean).

The day before Mother's Day we met up with my in-laws at Trentham Gardens. It was a lovely warm but slightly breezy day. Lots of scooting, fun, laughter, bickering (Matt and his mum - not the kids!) and ending with drinks and ice cream. I only have one half decent photo of the 4 of us that my MIL took that I'm including this month but I have lots of quite nice photos that I took of the kids enjoying themselves.

This month has been all about them so I wanted to share them with you (even if MC had fallen over 2 days earlier and is sporting a huge graze/bruise on her forehead!).

*Sports the voice of a newscaster about to mention that funny bit at the end of a broadcast*

And finally…

After MC's Minnie Mouse theme party earlier in the month we did have this photo taken - I wanted to share it because even though I'm exhausted on it, I couldn't stop laughing at Matt and TC sporting exactly the same expression. Priceless!

#MeAndMine - A Family Portrait (February 2014)

Confession time!

You know what I'm going to say, right?

Yes. I took this photo yesterday.

On my phone.

A 'selfie'.

I know.

Epic fail!

Although I do have good reason. After the trouble we've been having with MC lately I had decided that this week (it's half term here) I was going to spoil her. I had each day planned out pretty much. Even including a day when I was just going to go out with her, have lunch, let her choose a new outfit and take her to the cinema to see the new Tinkerbell movie. A real girly day.

It all went out the window.

Matt and I were at a wedding on Saturday and MC became really poorly Saturday evening whilst staying with my parents. She didn't get any better and Monday she was even worse so her half term started with a trip to the doctors. A viral stomach bug coupled with a chest infection (needing antibiotics) which was seeing her cough uncontrollably and being so sick at the same time. I knew she was seriously poorly when she just wanted to stay in her bed in a darkened room. With the antibiotics and some TLC, I'm happy to report she's feeling much better (can't you just tell by the photo!) as of yesterday. But our half term plans have been snatched away from us and that makes me sad for my little girl.

She deserved a special time.

However, I've savoured the extra cuddles and downtime with her - I haven't savoured the sleepless nights but I've dealt with them as they are part and parcel of being a parent.

This week Matt has been working from home all week. It's been such a relief to have him here but I had planned for us all to have a couple of hours out together, as a family of four, one day. THAT was when I wanted to capture our Me and Mine photograph.

It wasn't meant to be.

As this post goes live I'll be preparing to travel to Kent with Susanne and Lisa where we'll be staying overnight. We are all attending Matilda Mae Remembers on Saturday morning.

As much as this week has been tough, I've stayed positive because I know just how lucky I am.

The Gallery - Travel

I almost whooped when I saw the theme to The Gallery this week.  I adore travel so I'm VERY excited to look through the entries this week.

I've been lucky enough to have been to some fabulous places in the world and have already blogged about seeing the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle (The Gallery - Green) and travelling the path of Route 66 across America.

Ah the good old US of A.

I have a great love affair with that place, have travelled over there a few times now and it even featured a couple of times in my Top 5 Places I've Visited (one of my very first blog posts).  I find the country so vast and so different from state to state - I think I've visited about 17 of the 50 states so far - and I have quite a few relatives over there too which is always a bonus!  We've travelled to the major tourist spots such as New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles and also been off the beaten track in places like Amarillo in Texas and Yukon in Oklahoma.

Then there's it's sister Canada.  Again, I love that country (I do SO wish I'd added it onto my list).  The scenery is stunning and the people are lovely.  My husband and I spent our 1st wedding anniversary at Chateau Lake Louise which was just amazing.

So, it's only right I dedicate this post to my favourite photos from my trips to both those beautiful countries.  I've not been out there since BMC (before Mini Cheddar) but I'm hoping to get back there someday soon to notch up some more states and provinces.

I think these photos sum up the diversity of the countries perfectly.

An icy Lake Louise, Banff, Alberta

Peyto Lake Lookout, Banff National Park, Alberta

Reflections of Patricia Lake, Jasper, Alberta

Night time in Vancouver, British Columbia

Dusk over Shuswap Lake, Salmon Arm, British Columbia 

The Space Needle, Seattle, Washington

Pike Place Market, Seattle, Washington

Sunset in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii

Hotel view over Waikiki Beach, Oahu, Hawaii

Capitol Hill down Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC

The Grand Canyon, Arizona (see the people on the cliff edge on the left)

Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois

'The Bean' (Cloud Gate), Chicago, Illinois

Just off Broadway, NYC, New York

If I haven't bored you already and you want a nosey at my other photos then most of them are in my Flickr stream.

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

Silent Sunday #25

Silent Sunday #22

Silent Sunday #21

The Gallery - I'm Grateful For...

As our blogging friend Chris over at Thinly Spread embarks on her epic journey in Mozambique for 'Save The Children' this week, it's time for The Gallery to reflect on the things we are grateful for.

But before you do anything, if you haven't already done so head over to the Save The Children website and sign the petition to plug the funding gap for vaccines for children across the world.

Thank you!

There are a lot of things I'm grateful for in this life, such as the health and happiness of my family and I'm grateful for the lovely home and things we have to fill it - although material things pale into insignificance compared to the love and happiness that's inside the walls.  I know that sounds naff but it really is true when you sit and think about it.

For me though, there is one thing that stands out that I'm grateful for.

I'm grateful for my family and my friends.  I don't know what I would do without them.

I'm grateful that I found an amazing husband and that we were able to have Mini Cheddar together. I've already mentioned on this blog that my parents went without when my Sister and I were younger so we could have things we needed or wanted and I've be forever grateful for what they did for us and how they continue to love and support us even now we are in our 30's.  I'm grateful for my older Sister who is like my best friend and she is a brilliant Aunty to Mini Cheddar.  I'm also grateful for the fact I got to have 4 Grandparents in my life for such a long time.

I'm also grateful for my extended family, even though they are a strange mixture of characters sometimes!  I'm grateful for my young Brother-In-Law (pictured below) who makes me laugh and Mini Cheddar adores him - he is fantastic with her.

I'm grateful for all my beautiful friends who I've known for years and who have supported me through the good times and the bad. I love them all dearly for various reasons.

So thanks to my family and my friends I'm grateful for the love and happiness that fills my life.

I'm grateful for a lot.

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

Silent Sunday #20

The Gallery - My Backyard

Blimey, is it Wednesday already?  Where are the weeks going?

I know I've been saying the past couple of weeks that I wasn't going to join in with The Gallery but this week was definitely going to be the week. Yeah yeah, I failed again.

By the way...did anyone else snigger childishly at the theme of 'My Backyard' (metaphorically speaking)? Just me then? Moving on...

I wasn't going to join in this week as my backyard is not that exciting.  Basically I'm no Alan Titchmarsh (I would say Charlie Dimmock but I wear a bra) and I really dislike gardening. My fingers aren't in the slightest bit green. We have a fairly large back garden but it's mainly just grass and patio. Oh and the 'den'.  I have a few pots with some crappy flowers in it but that's about it.

So, I ran out in the garden yesterday afternoon and snapped these. At least I joined in and I can sleep at night (damn you Tara for causing my Gallery addiction).

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

The Gallery - Mustachioed

Now this definitely was going to be the week I didn't join in with The Gallery...but I failed. I don't know what it is but I'm totally addicted to it...it's like a drug. *shakes fist at Tara yet again*

Such a totally random theme this week - mustachioed. Gee, thanks Tara.  Although I probably should blame Laura at Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy for the idea.

Thankfully I can delve into the archives and share this with you...although exactly WHY I'm sharing this is anyones guess.  I think I'm just used to embarrassing myself on my blog now.

One of my closest friends had one of those Murder Mystery Nights at her house a good many years ago. It was a 60's theme and we were all given our characters beforehand and told to dress appropriately. There were lots of wigs, fake eyelashes and plastic dresses (and that was just me!). It was great fun and lots of hilarity ensued - we had a sit down dinner for the 10 of us and it all started out so civilised.

Then, as usual, too much alcohol came into the equation.

Another of my friends decided to pinch her husbands fake handle-bar moustache (mustache for my American friends) and we ripped it up into little pieces.

Alcohol + fake moustache = stupidity

(obviously)

               

 

If I ever divulge my blog to my friends, I really hope this one forgives me for posting this. Oh and I'm sure you will have guessed but that's me on the right with the dodgy blonde wig.


Now head on over and check out all the other entries...

Silent Sunday #18

The Gallery - Chilled Out

I really can't believe it's Wednesday again and time for The Gallery - where did the last week go?  I only checked the theme out late on Monday night and have been running around taking a couple of pictures for todays post.  So, the theme this week is 'Chilled Out'. What's chilled out?  The way the year is passing me by I sometimes wonder.

For me though, chilling out is simple - whether it's snuggled up on the sofa with my husband watching a film, watching some comedy or reading a book or maybe having a natter with friends over a few glasses of wine.  I've been taking a lot of time out over the past few weeks to chill and it's been lovely.

There are also a few other ways I like to chill out.  Believe it or not I can be most chilled when I'm simply watching my daughter, Mini Cheddar.  She can be sleeping or even playing, it doesn't really matter. Sometimes I feel most relaxed and contented watching her seeing the world, learning and absorbing information.

I also chill out by taking photographs.  Nowadays these mainly involve Mini Cheddar but I'm hoping to pick up my photography again and maybe sell my old Nikon D40 and upgrade.  I'm hoping that Mini Cheddar will also enjoy photography when she's older....although she loves messing around with my Mini Diana already.

Finally, the ultimate chill out...red wine and chocolate.  My husband has gone away to London for a few days so I had the Chianti already poured last night and the Minstrels already opened (oops, how did that happen?).  A bit of Absolute 80's station on the radio in the den and hey presto!  Chilled out to the max.

Now head on over and check out all the other entries...