A Weekend of Pampering

Last weekend marked the occasion of my big sister's hen weekend. It was an intimate family gathering, and we all had a wonderful time.

 As the chief bridesmaid, or maid of honour as she prefers to call me (I think that makes me sound old!), it was my job to organise it. My sister is fairly quiet, so the usual wild hen night would've been highly inappropriate. I was under strict instructions not to go too crazy. So we settled on a spa weekend. It was just myself, my two sisters, our mum and her two sisters. It was really great to just have some downtime together. 

The hotel was stunning. Very spacious rooms and lovely modern facilities. The spa itself was very basic, just a small pool, a Jacuzzi, a steam room and a sauna, but it was ample for a weekend. And with the treatments included in our package, we had plenty to be doing. We had a scrumptious three course dinner on Saturday evening, followed by a few drinks and lots of laughs back at our room. 

After not nearly enough sleep, we woke to a delicious full English breakfast. I think I ate my own body weight in sausages! Then my sister and two aunts tried their hardest to convince me to join them in the gym. We all know that was never going to happen! I don't even own a gym kit, so I certainly hadn't packed one in my case! Anyway, the Jacuzzi was far too inviting to waste time in the gym. My little sister and I spent the whole morning bubbling away. Mum chose to spend her morning dozing in the relaxation room, with an endless supply of tea. 

At lunch time we dined in our spa robes. That was an odd experience, mingled in the dining room with none spa guests all fully dressed, whilst we wore just our swimwear covered by a dressing gown! Of course we weren't the only underdressed people in the room, and I suppose when you stay in a spa hotel you expect to see it, but that didn't make it feel any more normal. After a slow and relaxed afternoon we finally got dressed and went home.

 We had such a wonderful time that we've decided to make it an annual event. Not the hen party of course, there's only so many weddings six women can muster up. But the weekend away together was heavenly. I could definitely get used to being pampered. 

My Not So Secret Secret

So, last week I found out I'm pregnant. Unexpected but thrilled to be adding to our brood. We told all the important people; parents, siblings and close friends, and decided that would be it until the first scan. 

Well, I'm clearly rubbish at keeping secrets! It just keeps falling out of my mouth. I'll be having a conversation with another mum on the school yard and blurt out that I'm having a baby. So many people know that I've now forgotten who I've told and who I haven't. I swear I need my mouth taping shut (which could also help me to stop filling my face with food! I just cannot stop eating!!)

Someone asked me the other day what I'll do with myself when my youngest starts nursery in September and instead of just coming up with a general 'oh, I'm sure I'll find something to occupy me' I said 'that won't be a problem come January once the new baby's born'. I'm so excited about it, I just can't help myself! 

Then there's my old work friend. She has a nearly 1 year old and is about 10 weeks pregnant with her second. When she told me about it I'd said that we were planning on trying next year. She told me to pull my finger out because she wanted a bump buddy. So of course I had to tell her that she'd got her own way! 

I'd arranged to have gossip over a bottle of wine with one of the school mums and when she text me to ask when we were doing it I told her she might have to wait 9 months or so. Technically, I didn't tell her, she guessed! But still, another one to add to the tally! 

Mr P on the other hand has been excellent at keeping the secret. He puts me to shame! I wish I knew how he did it. I just have zero control over my mouth. I even told the lady who runs the cafe I regularly drink at. I can't even explain that one. We weren't even having a conversation that could have led to me revealing my pregnancy. I think my husband needs to give me lessons on keeping quiet! 

Birthday Musings

It's my birthday today. 27 years young! I honestly don't know where the years are going. My little sister takes her first GCSE exam today, and it seems like only yesterday that it was myself in her position. I struggle to comprehend where the last 11 years have gone.

I remember wishing my school days away, as most people probably do. Wishing I was old enough to 'do what I want'. And I remember my school days dragging by so slowly! But since I left school, someone seems to have hit the fast forward button and I wish I knew how to slow it back down. I'm fast approaching 30 and the thought terrifies me. I can't explain why it fills me with such dread, but being in my twenties sounds so much younger being in my thirties.

Then I look at everything I've got in life. I'm just 27 years old and already I've met the man of my dreams, married him and had 3 (soon to be 4) children with him. We own a beautiful home in a lovely neighbourhood. How many people my age are able to say they have all this? I'm incredibly lucky that I'm able to be a stay at home mum. I love being the one who takes the children to school, and the one who collects them again at the end of the day. Or if one of them gets sick and needs collecting early, I'm there. I wouldn't want it any other way.

So, back to the point. It's my birthday! I love my birthday (aside from the fact that it makes me another year older!) I've had some lovely gifts, a camera, a bracelet, a purse and some smellies. Mr P and I went out for a celebratory meal on Saturday, which was wonderful. And my children are behaving for once! This in itself is a very rare occasion. This evening I'm going to treat myself to a lovely bubble bath, rock and roll I know, but my usual glass or 2 of wine is perhaps not the best idea in my condition, so a bubble bath it is.

Well, there you go... Happy birthday me! I'll be back again soon.

I'm Pregnant!!!

Well here's a blog I wasn't planning on writing for at least another year! If you've read my introductory blog you'll know that Mr P and I have 5 children between us. We found out yesterday that I'm expecting number 6! 

Our youngest is coming up for 3 in June, and we'd decided that we wanted another baby, but not until he was in full time school. So September 2014. That meant we would start trying to conceive in January next year. Well, since making that decision, we've perhaps not been as careful as we had been previously. Ok, there's no perhaps about it. That pink line on the home pregnancy test shows we definitely haven't been very careful. We're both a little bit shocked if I'm honest, but thrilled all the same. 

I don't know why I'm so shocked. We've never really had to try to fall pregnant. My first baby was conceived the month after finishing on the depo provera injection. I'd come off it so that it was out of my system by the time we got married 3 months later and we'd be ready to start trying for a baby straight away. Apparently I didn't need that long for my body to find its rhythm again! Then my daughter was conceived when my son was just 6 months old, again without really thinking about it. Then I was pregnant with my other son by the time my daughter was 6 months old. That whole 'breastfeeding acts as a natural method of contraception' is a myth! So the fact that I have fallen pregnant again without really trying shouldn't come as such a surprise.

I sat here yesterday, a day after my period was due, with a gut feeling that I was expecting. But I didn't want to allow myself to think it in case I was setting myself up for disappointment. The only thing I had to go on was my absent period. And then I noticed the distinct blue-black bulging veins in my ankle. I'd first had them when I was pregnant with my daughter, and then again with my son. That's how I knew I was expecting him. I'd not had any periods since my daughter was born, and when I saw my ankle was bad again I just knew that was the reason. The same happened yesterday. The penny dropped, so to speak. 

I told Mr P and he insisted I took a test. I wanted to leave it a few days in case my body was throwing a wobbly. I hate the disappointment of seeing a negative pregnancy test, and although deep down I knew it wouldn't be negative, I didn't want to risk it. He won in the end though. He convinced me to test. I did what I had to do then handed him the test and he closed the bathroom door on me. When it flung open again not 30 seconds later I just knew it was positive. I didn't even need to see the emotional grin on his face to work that out! 

We are both over the moon. Ok, so it's earlier than we had planned. I didn't want to be doing 3 school runs a day with a new born in tow, but it's not the end of the world. I'm a firm believer of what will be will be. Obviously it's very early days, so it wont be public knowledge for some time, but seeing as very few of you know my true identity I thought this was a nice way to document it. 

House to Home - Finally

Just a short entry today. Things have been a bit busy here recently. 

This time last year, Mr P and I decided it was time to move house. We lived in a three bed Victorian terraced house and our family had rapidly outgrown it. We had four children, all sharing one bedroom, and our fifth in the box room. We needed somewhere bigger! So we bought this place, our forever home. 

We'd been saving for a long time and we spent every penny we had in order to move. The house we bought was a new build, so we had a lovely blank canvas to work with. Unfortunately we didn't have the funds to do anything with it! So for the past ten months we've been surrounded by magnolia. And nice and fresh as it was to start with, it soon started to look grubby. Cream walls plus three little people are not the best combination! 

We've gradually found our feet again since we moved in and have recently started to decorate. I cannot tell you how good it feels to finally be adding some colour to the place! We're attacking it bit by bit, one room at a time. At the moment we're half way through the lounge/dining room. We have tried our hand at wallpapering for the first time ever and we've done a pretty good job if I do say so myself. Ok, so I mainly stood and watched while my husband did all the work, but I did a great job of making tea! 

I can't wait to go shopping now for all the little bits and bobs. Lamps, pictures, the finishing touches. After being our new house for nearly a year, it's finally starting to feel more like our home. Hopefully by the end of the year, every room in the house will have a little bit of our personality stamped on it. My daughter has already requested a rainbow in her room. I'm looking forward to seeing that one become reality.

So this is why I've been a bit quiet lately. I've barely found time to sit and have a coffee, never mind think about writing! Hopefully you won't be waiting too long for my next entry.