I have just ordered my supermarket shopping to be delivered tomorrow night and I am pleased with myself.  I have not done a meal plan as normal for the week as I just did not have the brainpower to do it tonight but I do need bread before Wednesday morning or my children will go sandwichless in school.  I am so tired I will probably be astounded at what I purchased tomorrow when the delivery arrives!  I normally get a surprise or two in a supermarket shop which is lovely.  Last time it was sponge cake flour.  What on earth is that?  I am so glad that somebody else ordered it and it was delivered to me in error!  I shall make sponges that are lighter than air now (but could never justify ordering it myself)!

My actual Christmas week shop is already waiting in its delivery slot to come just before Christmas and I am heartily pleased with my organisational powers and foresight to book a good slot nearly 3 weeks in advance!  Get me!  Goodness knows what we shall be eating for Christmas dinner but I do know that my 8 tins of chopped tomatoes will be delivered here in good time to make some tomato soup if I never get around to deciding on the meat for lunch.

Any ideas?

What time is dinner?

For a long time now, I have pondered on when the meal called dinner should take place.  Should it be in the middle of the day or is that lunch?  Should it be in the evening or is that tea?

I have always been brought up to have dinner in the middle of the day and tea in the evening.  I think that is a working class 'thing' and that is what we ate at home when I lived with my parents.  Since moving out (almost 20 years ago) I have vascillated between lunch and dinner and tea and dinner, not really feeling comfortable with anything.  I think dinner in the evening is when you go out for a meal (out for dinner) well into the evening but tea is eaten with the children earlier on at 5.30-6.00.  I don't feel right having tea at 8.  Similarly going out for dinner in the middle of the day sounds wrong but it is fine to go out for lunch,  Do I stay in and have dinner at home in the middle of the day?  Not really.  I think it is going to have to be lunch in the middle of the day and tea early or dinner later on in the evening.

I think that makes sense in my steam-rollered mind (crazy day).  It is just the whole middle-classedness of the whole thing that irks me.  Maybe that is just what it is.  I am a working class snob who has moved into middle class but is clinging to her roots, and remembering what Mum used to do.

What time do you have dinner?

So I'm being naughty but I just don't care

4 weeks ago my friend gave me a Christmas present in 2 parts. One in a box and one to be kept in the fridge. Obviously I guessed they would be foodie gifts and tonight I opened them.

I am looking after the kids whilst Mr Gherkin is out on a Christmas night out and I just had to open the box (posh black olive crackers, cornichons-she knows me well, chutney) and the packet (3 flavoured cheddars). Well the crackers ORDERED me to serve with white wine. So I did. I am smashing my way through all of the above and have given up on a shit Catherine Zeta Jones film after 19 mins and have put on the Royal Variety Performance.

Get in! Be naughty!

Small achievements, big picture

I love parenting. I think about it constantly. I love spending time with my boys. I make a conscious effort every day to to teach them about the good things in life that will help them grow. I am a bit of, well not quite a "stickler" but I do love cooking heathy food for them and I steer away from processed food, however convenient it may be. I am not totally against the odd trip to fast food places or the occasional frozen convenience food, but I really love making a special treat of eating out and making my own convenience foods and bunging them in the microwave for a quick 5 minute 'ding tea'.

Anyway back to my point in the title of this post. Cornichon has a packed lunch every day in school which I make every morning (as I really think that sandwiches made the night before can get a bit wet/dry/wet and dry and I've made my bed I'll lie on it so I am not complaining!). I make him a sandwich (he has had couscous/rice/pasta salads in the past but they come straight home and are wolfed down here as I think the other kids may take the mick when he has anything more interesting than a sandwich) and he has a little salad (veg/cheese/olive/whatever chopped up in a tub) and a dessert (yoghurt/fruit/flapjack/whatever). He eats most of it each day and I am pleased that he loves my non-processed foods. Yesterday he went shopping with Mr G and they came home with Mini Baby Bel cheeses as his friend has them. OK I thought. He can have them to see what they are like, let's see how they go, and I popped one in his box today.

"How was your dinner today sweetheart"

"Nice. I didn't like the cheese though. Friend A has that cheese but I didn't like it. It doesn't taste like proper cheese."

I did a silent punch to the air. I am bringing up a boy who loves "proper" food!

New Year - introspection

I always find myself every new year, in a resolving mood. I love a fresh start to a day, a week, a year, a new exercise book and a clean car interior. I do irritate myself when I let days, weeks, years, books and cars get into such a mess (and they always do). This year, I will not resolve to do lose a zillions pounds by February or read 12 books a week or never each chocolate again as they are easy resolutions to break. This year I will take stock of what I have, use things I need and charity shop everything I don't need or use. We have a reasonable sized house but we have limited storage available. I plan to go through every part of this house (and my life) and re-organise every little corner, understand what we have and what we need and clear out the excess shite and make the most of what we have. Today I tidied 2 cupboards in the kitchen and made a note of things we need and moved things that were in the wrong place and will charity shop the stuff we have that I hate. 2 cupboards down and it's only day 1!

I also spent a hour or so in the garden whilst the boys messed about. It was good to get some fresh air as we have a had a bit of cabin fever these last few days. I want to DO the garden this year. Get a greenhouse. Dig a border along the back fence. Dig up my pots. The front garden needs a LOAD of work done to it but I think that if I focus on the back garden and get that where I want it then I will be brave enough to tackle the front maybe later in the year.

I will re-visit the 101 list and go back to the monthly goals I started last year. When I was blogging and writing them I was doing them and it was good.

This month I shall ...

1. Write and start a weight-loss plan. I work well when I have it written out in front of me.

2. Clean the inside of my car (Mr G did the outside today and I feel compelled to finish it!)

3. Make a playmat for my best mate's little boy.

4. Get a gardening diary and work out my plan for the year.

5. Find a dentist.

6. Complete The Great Organisation of the kitchen.

Come on January - let's get sorted!

WW band wagon once again ...

Yet again I find myself jumping back on the WeightWatchers bandwagon. Honestly, I have been on and off that particular mode of transport more times than I care to think about right now.

This time I mean business. I pay £17-odd a month for something that I am not using. I have paid for it for another 4 weeks and I am NOT doing that again. I have 1 stone to lose then I stop my DD and the sooner the better to be honest. I am fed up with my stomach, my shape, with not fitting into my clothes and not being able to buy any new ones "because I am going to be 10 stone soon so I'll wait 'til then".

I was 11 stone and 1/2 a pound yesterday. Next week I will be 10 stone something.

I bought a pedometer yesterday and wore it religiously today and did well-over the healthy amount of steps. I cooked some low cal food today and stored it in the freezer for emergencies. I did a low point tea for everyone tonight and most importantly I TRACKED everything.

More tomorrow please.

Plus a run.

Happy Days (cough cough)

Things are good here right now. I went back to work today which was insane but not bad. I came home to two lovely smilers who are both leaning to sleep. We had a full night of sleep last night as LP is going to sleep on his own and I had the pleasure of being kept awake by my own little irritating cough - not an irritation from anyone else in the house! Strange but pleasantly true after 4 years of constant bad nights!

A night with the in-laws, on the wii with wiine in hand and currii on the table.

I'm happy, mii (as they say round 'year)

Small Challenges

I made a bet with myself tonight as I made tea for the boys. I bet myself I would be able to resist picking at their tea (frankfurter sausages in ratatouille with rice). And I DID! I love frankfurter sausages (they are soooo gross but sooooo addictive and once I pop I can't stop. Anyway I was strong all through teatime and did not try one (as I know that would have broken the seal) and even when clearing the table I did not break. I was so pleased with myself that I decided to go for a run after putting the kids down and I DID! It was was lovely too - through the woods which were bursting with wood anemones and threatening to explode with the promise of bluebells. I came home invigorated and refreshed and not hungry and very pleased with myself. I then shaved my legs and prepped my toes with the first part of a pedicure. I am soooo organised and ready for an early night! Get me!

Eating baaaaad stuff today

We went out for lunch at Pizza Hut which was good but Mr Gherkin and I shared a large cheese stuffed crust pizza and a bowl of salad which was waaaaay too much but did not stop me anyway. I then helped Little Pickle out with his nasty sweetie-laden ice-cream and regretted it. I had stomach and chest cramps when we came home and nobody wanted to eat proper tea. I have now just made a rum-laden coffee marscapone dessert for tomorrow night's dinner party with the in-laws and I HAD to keep testing it as I went along. I feel gross. I need to hop back on the WW bus big style this week!

Perfect Sunday at home

Today was lovely, just lovely. Mr Gherkin let me have a lie in until 9 and then he had one til 11. I decided to do a Sunday roast as I have never done one in this house! How awful is that? I took the meat out last night (how organised?!) and planned when it should go into the oven this morning and then planned the roasties and veg and gravy and it was all ready for 2.15! Mr G and cornichon went to Asda to do some shopping whilst Little Pickle slept. We all pottered in the kitchen, Mr G cooking tomorrow's tea, me with lunch, Cornichon with Power Rangers in hand and Little Pickle helping Mr Gherkin. I decided bloody Marys would be a great idea and then we opened and finished a bottle of wine with lunch. It was so perfect and relaxed and everyone was together doing their own thing. Lunch was relaxed with everyone around the table, doing plenty of "Cheers!"-ing and roaring with laughter. Even though both boys are not 100% (LP has a cold and C has a cough at night) it was so perfect. We finished off lunch with a session of Best Part of my Day, Worst Part of my Day and a dancing session in the lounge along with the Beatles of course! My sister arrived during this mosh session and stayed to play and catch up until teatime. Little Pickle has started to call her Bee! (Auntie Bee to give her full title) but it was the first time he called it to her face. She was super chuffed.

Best Part of my Day - being together with my family before, during and after lunch

Worst Part of my Day - thinking about going to and getting to work if it snows again tonight.