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My Mojo has left the building!

- TracyB Leave a comment

My Mojo has left the building!

It’s official my mojo has seemingly gone on holiday without informing me, gone AWOL without telling me when it will be back.

VERY INCONSIDERATE I TELL YOU.

My last post showed I had a fab anniversary this year after 18 years of being married, check it out here

However since then I have no idea what has happened. I have hardly turned on the computer or logged onto my blog, I have tweeted the odd Tweet here and there but that’s about it.

I have lost the will for anything really, I haven’t even picked up my knitting needles for around 8 or 9 days and that’s a long time as I have probably knitted everyday since the new year!

M.E doesn’t help. Lately I have been more exhausted and in more pain in my legs than normal. Maybe it’s been the weather ( as I always feel much worse in the winter anyway) as it’s felt colder and obviously wetter than what we have been used to lately.

Today I haven’t made it out of bed properly. I was up to help my eldest get ready and see him off to school. Then I took my flask of coffee up with me and went back to bed. However, when I woke and had my coffee my energy did not return. So I type as I sit here in bed with my son’s laptop and Frankie and Johnny playing on my dvd.

I am so behind with everything. The house is a mess and I have so much to do, but it’s not going to happen any time soon. I ironed yesterday which is probably why I am in bed today for so long. However, I thought I was being clever as I had set the ironing board up and used one of my breakfast bar stools so I didn’t have to stand. So I probably ironed more than I normally would.

So, if any of you find my mojo lurking in your cupboard, or a bin, or even on a street corner, can you please direct it straight to me…………….

MANY THANKS

The ABC of Me!

- TracyB 6 Comments

A while ago I was tagged by the very lovely Mummy on The Edge for an A-Z of Me!! This has taken me ages to do as there has been so much going on recently. But at last here it is.

Some of these you may already know and some you definitely won’t.

A- Age, Ok I hate to admit it but I am 41 ( quickly approaching 42)

B- Belfast, the place I was born and grew up.

C- Caring, but find it hard to show it.

D- Determined to win the lottery one day.

E- Exhausted ALL OF THE TIME!

F- Food I love it in all it’s lovely forms.

G- Galaxy my all time favourite chocolate.

H- Husband, I have one and have been married for almost 18 yrs.

I- Indecisive, quick at making my mind up but just as quick to change it!

J- July, my birthday month.

K- Knitting, something I have gone back to recently and just love it.

L- Loyal, or I like to think I am as a friend.

M- M.E something I was diagnosed with almost 3 yrs ago!

N- Nap something I do A LOT due to the above.

O- Old, I hate the thought of getting older ENOUGH SAID.

P- Presents, lets face it who doesn’t like getting them.

Q- Queue‘s I hate them with a vengeance

R- RAF, I served around 7 years many, many moons ago.

S- Stubborn!!  Say no more.

T- Tracy, that would be my name.

U- U2, one of my favourite bands ( early years only!)

V- Vertically challenged at only 5ft 2″

W- Wing Walking, something I have done twice!

X- Xray vision– come on are you telling me you wouldn’t love this??

Y- Yummy Mummy.…………Yeah- a girl can dream can’t she?

Z- Zoo’s even now my kids are older and bored of them I still love a Zoo.

Ok so now I nominate:

@TheRealSupermum

@trouble_doubled

@Amummysview

Back in the land of the living!

- TracyB 2 Comments

Well almost anyway. After the last few weeks of activity my body definitely isn’t used to and crushing recuperation in between has seen me absent from my blog for a while.

I’m getting back to some level of normality, but only just!

It started with :

 

On set of the short film he’s been doing recently
Him and his ‘on screen’ sister!

This was a gruelling ( for me anyway!) four 12hr days with travelling on top. I really cannot explain how I managed to stay standing ( my lovely new walking stick came in very handy). I don’t think I have pushed my poor M.E body that hard for a very long time. When it was over I went to bed and lost almost 2 days in bed and the rest of the week sleeping while the boys were at school. However, he had 2 more auditions in London the next week and a day on location on Norfolk to finish the film!!

That meant another day spent in bed afterwards for me and very quickly my days were disappearing. I haven’t blogged or been on Twitter, I haven’t knitted for what seems like ages ( although I managed to do some whilst chaperoning my son. Even watching mindless TV would take it’s toll.

However, other things have been happening all be it around me:

YUM!

 

Like this great chocolate swiss roll that my eldest decided to make at the weekend!! It tasted just as good as it looks too, although I might have had to have several slices just to make sure.

Proud mummy moment!

We also found this, a copy of the paper my eldest was put in for his efforts to raise money for the London’s Air Ambulance. That’s him in the middle of the picture with the crew who got a call literally seconds afterwards and we got to watch them head off on an emergency call- fantastic!

Oh and of course the recent sunshine (most of which I have missed by being in bed) brought out the ‘Diva’ side of the cat…………………life is good, feed me more treats!!

However, the down side is I am sooo behind with everything, cleaning, ironing, cooking even to some extent. That’s without mentioning the blog. I have emails I haven’t responded to, posts that I need to write and networking to do.

So be warned, I have some great posts coming- an A-Z of me, a review that might interest those of you who value a restful nights sleep, a few of my knitting projects that I haven’t taken pics of yet!

I’M BACK…………

Versatile Blogger Award! For me???

- TracyB 9 Comments

 

I have very kindly been awarded the Versatile Blogger award from the lovely Mette from Oddparent Thank you so much. So if you haven’t already heard of her pop over and take a look.

Now apparently I have to tell you 7 things about myself………………mmmmm………….Ok here goes:

1. I LOVE chocolate.

2. I am from Northern Ireland now living in Kent with my lovely family.

3. I absolutely HATE spiders!!!!!

4. I served 7 years in the Royal Air Force.

5. Sadly I am now old enough to be a mother of a teenage son ( Oh God where have the years gone!).

6. I have (thankfully) NEVER smoked.

7. Stand By Me is one of my all time favourite films.

So there you have it!

Anyway now the difficult task of nominating others, I thinks it’s supposed to be 15!!! But here’s a few as some that I would have nominated already have the award……

notsuchayummymummy

clairejustineoxox

amothersramblings

jazzygals-steppingout

confessionsofasinglemum

mummyontheedge

Now I want to hear 7 things I didn’t know about you all.

 

Top tips for keeping warm – M.E Related

- TracyB 2 Comments

I have decided to  share my experiences of M.E with you in the hope of raising awareness for what seems an ‘invisible’ illness. Click here for more information.

As anyone with M.E will know we can still feel cold in the summer, let alone deal with winter temperatures.

I have put together some of my own tips that I use in order to keep warm without breaking the bank by having the heating on all the time!!

Top Tips:

1. Wheat heat pads are a great investment. They are relatively inexpensive to buy (but you can aways check in your local charity shops too). I have several of these and they only need heating in the microwave for around 1m 30 secs and you have instant heat!! They are also good for muscular aches and I use them to ease the pain in my ankles and neck but also as ‘instant heat’!!

2. The good old hot water bottle, it never fails. You don’t need to buy fancy or expensive either. At this time of year they can be found in abundance in the pound stores. I also have a mini one that is great to take with me on the school run as I can warm myself in the car before getting out into the cold to collect my son. Also, a cover is great and helps to keep the bottle warmer for longer…………..but don’t buy unnecessarily- use and old jumper that the kids have outgrown to cover it or make one if your ‘crafty’ enough.

3. Thermals- underclothes and socks. They are truly a worthwhile investment. Again these don’t have to cost much, I have seen leggings and long sleeve tops available in Primark- but sports shops are great for this too. Thermal or ‘heat’ socks I have in abundance and again can be found just in sports shops.

4. Thermal insoles for shoes/ boots. These I cannot do without and you need to invest in a decent set that will last. I have one set at the moment and I transfer them to whatever boots I am going to wear for that day……………….they truly make a difference.

5. Wrist Warmers! I have recently knitted myself a basic pair of these just for wearing indoors. My hands are always cold ( even in the summer) and when I am working on the computer they get absolutely frozen. Knitted wrist warmers either made or shop bought are a great way to keep hands and wrists warm whilst still being able to type, read a book, knit or whatever else you do!!

Hope some of these tips help. I have lots more to share and would love you to pass on to anyone you know who suffers with M.E/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or similar.

It would be great to have an online ‘help’ community that could share what works for them and therefore may help others.

 

2012….I get my life back!

- TracyB 4 Comments

2012….I get my life back!

2012

Well, relatively speaking anyway.

My son has now finished his run in panto this season and my body is very, very thankful it is all over.

The last few days have been spent looking through all the presents again. Taking time to read through books and listen to CD’s and actually play with some of the games that the boys got.

The decorations have come down and have been put away until next Christmas, and the house has resumed it’s normal look and feel. It has been the boy’s last day off today before they return to school and Mr B returns to work. So tomorrow will be blissfully quiet for me.

I managed to enjoy a fabulously chilled Christmas day with the family and my Mum and brother who had come to stay.

That was until my cat made a quick escape past us and caught my mum on the face millimetres away from her eye. These events are not unusual in my house as a few years ago she came and fractured her pelvis trying to play tennis with the boys. Last year we were all ill with ‘Swine Flu’…..     I’m sure you are getting the picture now.

Anyway, the last panto show was on New Years Eve. After, we headed off to Bluewater for a nice meal and a cinema visit before returning home to see in the new year and let off our lanterns with 2012 wishes on.

I haven’t caught up on all my blog reading and Twitter following yet so haven’t seen all of your New Years resolutions. I’ve decided to learn new skills this year and get back to my knitting, something I really enjoyed doing many years ago. But also to learn how to crochet as it’s something I have never attempted.

I cannot go down the route of exercise and diet as my body is taking a long time to recover from the panto schedule. Conventional exercise for me is out of the question at the moment as I suffer with chronic pain and chronic illness.

I’d also like to do more reading as this is something I have neglected for some time. I’ve been given a copy of ‘We need to talk about Kevin’ as one of my Christmas gifts and I’m really looking forward to starting that.

So, that’s me back to normality, with a regular routine about to start from tomorrow.

A New Year.

A New Start.

A New Skill.

How has your New year been so far and what are your resolutions?

Organised chaos or festive meltdown?

- TracyB Leave a comment

I have to appologise big time for complete neglect of my blog over the last few weeks.Also for the very late reviews of a few products that should have been done a long time ago.

I HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT M.E AND PANTO SHOWS DO NOT MIX!!

Virtually everyday since the end of November my youngest has been rehearsing or performing in Panto ( Chatham Peter Pan- with Vanilla Ice! if your close enough to go!!!). However, it truly has taken a toll on my health. I thought I had my M.E under control to a certain extent. With that I mean I know what I can be capable of from day to day and how much rest I will need in order to get through the day. But this has knocked me off my feet……..literally.

I am now at the stage where I spend most of the day in bed in order to cope with the drive to Chatham and chaperone duties before driving home and going back to bed. I haven’t eaten a proper meal in over a week ( great diet before Christmas LOL) not because I don’t want to but because of the constant nausea I have. I seem to be living off plain biscuits and the odd slice of toast- not great when I have to try and take Tramadol to counteract the muscle pain in my ankles and neck!

I am completely behind on Christmas and have to fit in a food shop at some point for my fresh veg etc. My house looks as though I have refugees living in it and my washing pile is taking over my little study room!

I have spent my day off today in bed until 1pm and then went shopping with my OH as I realised I had no stocking presents for the boys and had some presents still outstanding! I have managed to eat out tonight- my first main meal all week.

I have not even logged online to update or read my usual blogs I like to keep up with. I have Christmas products still waiting to be reviewed. I am back to the panto tomorrow with the next day off at Christmas day.

One thing that has become very clear is confirmation that I would struggle to go back to my job! I have often thought that maybe I could manage a few days a week or a few hours each day. But I have realised that I am able to do the things I do normally because I do not work! If I was to go back then my quality of life would go dramatically downhill. We have had no family time since this panto has started as I am in bed recovering either before or after. I am missing time with the boys and with my OH who also works shifts ( so sometimes is not there when we are!)

So without being a bah humbug I truly cannot wait until the last panto show is over on the 31st December.

In the meantime I will try to get organised, try to enjoy Christmas, and try to at least eat my Christmas dinner!!

Panto is a great opportunity for my youngest who loves his acting, and I would hate to stop him doing something like that due to me. But next year I really will think twice before committing to it!!

 

HOPE YOUR CHRISTMAS PLANNING IS GOING WELL

IF I DON’T MANAGE TO GET BACK ON HERE…………HAVE A FAB CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR!!!!!

Are you a Record Breaker?

- TracyB Leave a comment

No neither am I however, I know a woman who is!!

It all happened over half term when we were invited to and event at the Guinness World Records HQ, and maybe in true Guinness World record style I will round up the day in the fastest time possible!!

Set your watches…………………and here goes:

Arrive GWR HQ

Meet and greet with other lovely bloggers

Eat some yummy food

Meet Worlds Biggest rabbit, Darius

Listen to Craig Glenday our very funny host for the day

Watch a few pics of weird record breakers

Demonstration by the World’s Fastest talker

Demonstration by John Farnborough

Tour around office

Sam Sam The Bubble man

More Tea and food

Attempt at breaking world record

Watch a real life Record breaker at work

Ride on the world’s fastest sofa

PHEW………..done it but it doesn’t do it justice!

We really did have a fantastic day and it was just as enjoyable for the adults too. It was lovely to meet some lovely bloggers to Rosie Scribble, Violet Posey,  How I like my Coffee,  Jo Beaufoix , Are we nearly there yet Mummy,  Sticky Fingers and I am Wit Wit Woo .

The World’s largest rabbit , Darius, was a real hit with the kids who swarmed it initially

and then we all got to get up close.

Yes nearly as big as a normal dog!

Craig Glenday the Editor-in-chief who was our main host for the afternoon was just brilliant. A real funny guy who was simply a mind of information with everything World Record related. He talked us through how they approve (or not) any new attempts- even the weird ones.

Sean, from Canada who is the world’s fastest talker was amazing and managed to recite ‘Bohemian Rhapsody in just 47 seconds!!

John Farnborough was a real hit with his football skills, although I think the adults appreciated this more as they knew how difficult it was. He holds a total of 5 world records for ‘keepy uppy’ ( not the technical title obviously) style football tricks!!

Not forgetting Sam Sam the Bubble man!! He did a great show and the kids absolutley loved him although some just couldn’t contain their excitement with the huge bubble…….just hilarious.

Oh and did I mention I now know a real Record Breaker? Yes I witnessed it with my own eyes that day as Kate from I am Wit Wit Woo became the world record holder for Domino Stacking!! No easy feat I can tell you. Other attempts from the rest of us were at Dice Stacking and Mr Potato Head ( putting him together the quickest!)

Me and OH with matching competitive streaks!

 

Youngest doing Mr Potato challenge!

 

 

Eldest trying the Dice Stacking

So, just as though we thought it couldn’t get any better we managed a ride on the World’s fastest Sofa! A real highlight of the day, we loved it.

 

I know it’s dark……..but it’s the FASTEST SOFA!!!

 

So a big thank you to the Guiness World Records HQ for a fantastic event!

Disclosure: I was sent a 2012 GWR book and my children left with fab gift bags!! So they were very happy.

Advice needed.

- TracyB 5 Comments

I started blogging way back in March for something to occupy my mind and hopefully keep it active. I have been off work now for 2 years having gone through a series of consultations and eventually being diagnosed with M.E.

I miss my job though. I worked hard to become qualified as a Driving Instructor and built up my own business that fitted perfectly into the school times as a second income. I had a great pass rate with my students and I felt as though I really had found a job, not only that I enjoyed but something I was good at.

I fully expected to get back to work after treatment and really thought that this illness would not last this long. However there were many delays along the course of my diagnosis ending up with my NHS Borough refusing to pay for the treatment that is available at Kings College Hospital in London. Don’t get me wrong I know there is no miracle cure but the 12 week programme at the research centre helps to keep it under control and enables you to get back on your feet quicker after any relapses.

So after being told that the treatment was not going to be paid for my GP ( who has been excellent along the way) advised me there wasn’t much she could do about the decision and that I had to do the best I can to manage the M.E myself. So apart from the painkillers I get on prescription for the muscular pain I am pretty much left to get on with it.

Don’t get me wrong it has been difficult to get my head around it. In fact you almost have to grieve for your old life in order to accept and get on with your new life. This for me is easier said than done!!!! Some days ( like today) it just gets right on my nerves and I feel like punching someones lights out!!! I hate the fact my body hurts all the time…….and I mean ALL THE TIME!!!!! I hate the fact that I am exhausted all the time……..and I mean TOTALLY EXHAUSTED ALL THE TIME!!!

You get where I’m coming from. Think of a time you have been knocked off your feet by the Flu. That literally is how I feel ( without the head cold) all the time. It gets right on my bloody nerves!!

Anyway, I started my blog back in March and it really has given me something to concentrate on. Something that’s mine and somewhere to go to be someone other than mum and wife!!! That independence I lost when I had to give up work.

But I was thinking the other day about blogging about my M.E experiences. Not necessarily on this blog but maybe if I was to start another blog just for the M.E related stuff. A diary of my experiences up to now. Articles that relate to the condition. Maybe tips or lists of things that could help other sufferers on a daily basis or to get through busy times.

The main problem with M.E is that it is invisible. People look at you and because you look fine they think there is nothing wrong with you, or take the approach ( whether they mean it or not) that you are a malingerer!!!!! There is no tell tale visible signs, for example. no plaster casts, no scars, no wheelchair etc.

So advice is needed. I would love to raise more awareness for this condition, I personally have no support group as my nearest one is in  Maidstone and I live on the London/Greenwich border!!! So I have no one that I can talk to about my condition. Family try to understand but I never really let them know how bad it can get. I always just go ‘I’m fine’ as otherwise it would feel that I am moaning all the time.

So I wondered would it be a good idea for me to start a new blog not only to help myself but hopefully help others too in  the process. It not only affects the person with the condition but also the families too. My OH is fantastic. He works shift work and thinks nothing of coming in and taking over at home ( with the exception of cooking!!) however tired he is. My 2 boys also cope well and are very helpful too. They will come shopping with me to steer the trolley and lift the shopping into the car. They are also helpful in the house. My bedroom is 2 storeys up so they are my fetchers and carriers!!! They also take on responsibility when my OH isn’t there at the weekends and get me up with a coffee in the morning or in the afternoon if I have had to go for a lay down again.These are the the things I am not proud of but have become the norm in my house.

So I would like to keep the M.E stuff separate from this blog so that people don’t start seeing me in a different light or feeling sorry for me. That way I can continue this blog as normal but hopefully raise awareness of the condition and help others on the new blog.

So what do you think? Is it a good idea or would I be biting off  more than I can chew (so to speak).

All advice welcome  and would definitely be appreciated.