Thank You!

Every Friday, the great Chic Mama counts her blessings with a Friday Gratitude post. This is a wonderful idea which she has taken to a whole new level with creating the 'Gratitude Award'. I believe it does help to put things in perspective and helps you look at the positive happening in our lives, and even for just a moment, forget about all the negative that might occupy our minds. So, in order to accept this beautiful award, I believe we have to list things that we are grateful for this week.

I'm grateful for:

- The past week. I'm grateful for the whole lot of last week. The weather has been great. Mr Foodie was off work for a couple of days and we really made the most of it. We went into town 3 times this week (bear in mind we never really go into town, the only times are usually court appearances so not really good times). I am on top of the washing, the house doesn't look like a bomb hit it and I have had time to cook and try my hand at new things (like this!). So all in all a wonderful week.

- Noelie. She has been great. She is half crawling now (she only uses one leg to push herself around). She has loved being wheeled around town and smiling away at whoever was pushing her. Her fits of laughter when her sister plays with her have just made my days. She is trying to communicate a lot more with us and has full blown unintelligible conversations with us.

- Marie. Like her sister, she has been very good this week. She has just finished her 4th Harry Potter book and I'm really proud of her (it is a huge book and she only turned 7 two months ago.) We baked bread together. She has been very helpful around the house and with her sister. We went to the zoo today and she had a great time. I only wish her two front teeth which she lost two months ago would start growing!

- Mr Foodie. If you read this blog regularly, you know that I am forever grateful to Mr Foodie. What he has done for me and Marie took a lot of courage and determination. I am also grateful for the good times we have shared this week. Not being in work, he was able to help around with the girls and the house which was a welcome relief for me.

- The wonderful hands of Noelie's godmother. For Christmas, Mr Foodie got me a full hour for a reflexology treatment with Noelie's godmother. Me being me, I kept putting it back and back. Until yesterday, when he pushed me to book it for today. She has recently opened her own reflexology business in town (if you want the details, just drop me an email here). So I went in today, and it was the most deeply relaxing experience, I have had in a while. At times, her hands felt like feathers. Something to be repeated!

- The weather. I don't know who I am supposed to thank for that one. But whoever it is, please keep it going. I have loved opening my wardrobe and smelling the wonderful smell that comes with outdoors dried clothes. I have loved just sitting out on a blanket outside with Marie and Noelie, trying to prevent her from eating the grass.

I will now tag other great bloggers and ask them what are you grateful for?

- Beth at My Good Life.

- Jen at Autism, the King and I.

- Caroline at Last of the Mojitos.

- Emma at Young and Younger.

- Hayley at Single Motherhood Challenges.

- Emma at Life of a (not so) Single Mum.

What are you grateful for?

Another award!

I'm being showered with awards lately and I want to thank everybody who sent one my way. This last one is from Caroline at Last of the Mojitos and is just for fun. I've had my eye on it for a while (not for the graphics of it, mind you, but for the content). I have been drooling over other people's lists for the past few weeks and now it's my turn (well I hope some people share my taste, although I'm not that much into big big stars).

All you have to do is list 5 men (fictional or not) you 'so would' with. And tag 5 wonderful bloggers.

Number 1: Stefan Salvatore from 'Vampire Diaries' (Paul Wesley)


Soooooo would (love him to bite my neck).

Number 2: Adam Carter in Spooks (Rupert Penry-Jones)

Soooo would (not mind spying on him).

Number 3: Nino Quincampoix from Amelie (Mathieu Kassovitz)

 Soooooo would (I had to put a frenchie in there somewhere!).

Number 4: Noah 'Puck' Puckerman from Glee (Mark Salling)

Sooooooo would (I'll change my name to Caroline so he can sing Sweet Caroline to me)

Number 5: Anthony Kiedis (Red Hot Chili Peppers)

Sooooooo would (under any bridge).

So now, it's time to tag some people:

- Jen at Autism, the King and I.

- Chic Mama.

- Treasa at Irish Mammy on the run

- Diney at Older Mums are Fun

- Young Mummy at Young & Younger.

Ladies, it's now over to you!

Happy 101 meme

I've been tagged yet again! The great Caroline at Last of the Mojitos and the wonderful Chic Mama have both tagged me for the Happy 101 meme. Doesn't it look yummy?

Claiming this mouth watering badge couldn't be easier.1) List 10 things that make you happy.
2) Tag some people. And the lovely award is yours to keep.

So here is my list (in no particular order):

1. My girls. Noelie is cutting her 3rd tooth and is becoming a real little person. Marie can be found buried in a book most of the time. She is finishing her 3rd Harry Potter now. She reminds me so much of myself at her age.
2. Mr Foodie (when he behaves himself!). People often tell me that I have 3 kids at home and not only 2. But he has the ability to make me smile. And I just love watching him with the girls. And we never run out of conversations.
3. My family. My parents just left after spending 5 days over here (hence why I have been so quiet). My mum is just a wonderful cook that puts me to shame, and my dad is the most calming presence I know.
4. Our new cat, Nama. In just over a week, she has become part of the family.
5. Sunshine. I can't wait to be able to spend most of my days with the backdoor open popping in and out and playing with the girls and Mr Foodie outside.
6. Food. I love to cook and I love to eat. A very fitting comment my mum made the other day: We don't eat to live but live to eat. Sums it up just perfectly.
7. Books. I love to loose myself in a book and forget about everything.
8. Baths, along with a good book and a nice glass of wine. Bliss!
9. A nice, clean and tidy house. I manage it (sometimes), I long for it (most of the time).
10. When things go as planned. I like nothing better than when things run smoothly. I'm not very good at dealing with sudden changes.

So there you are, 10 things (amongst others) that make me happy.

I believe this meme has been going around for a while now and after looking after quite a few blogs, I can't seem to find anybody who hasn't done it yet. So if you haven't done it yet, well, consider yourself tagged.

X

Foodie Mummy.

Shoe Showy Meme

Another tag! I have been tagged by the lovely Emily over at Babyrambles for the shoe showy meme. I thought this was going to be a bit of fun and it was. But it also actually turned out to be quite an eye opener. Shoes reflect your personality. Yes, they do. I never really stopped to think and look at my shoes. Well, I do sometimes look at my shoes (in embarrassment mostly). But I never really took the time to think much about how they reflect me.

The first thing I thought was 'Oh no, I don't have any of those really trendy shoes to show. Or those special occasion shoes.' Now don't get me wrong, I love shoes. I know about the Louboutins and the Manolo whats-his-name (only joking, I know who Manolo Blahnik is). I love looking at shoes in the shops, I am strangely attracted to the wackiest Red or Dead ones, or very very high heels. But, when it comes to buying them, well, not for me thanks. The risk of spraining my ankles and falling flat on my face with a baby in my arms is too present for me to even consider buying high heels. Not such the yummy mummy, I guess. I have shoes though, of course I do. But I'm not that big of a shoe owner (some would probably argue that 7 pairs of shoes is plenty but really, it's not). But, in the spirit of the game, I took a good look at my shoe collection and I realized something. I'm all about comfort. And I'm quite flat, well not me, my shoes are. And it is not necessarily a good thing when you're only 5'4. I own 2 pairs of heels. One boring black pair that I used to wear to the what- do- you- call- it, office, that's it, the office. And a more fancy (by fancy I mean that they have a little flower on them. Whoo hoo talk about fancy!) brown pair that comes out, well, maybe twice a year if they're lucky. I have had a lot of problem with my toenails (but don't worry, you won't get any of the gory details) and hate my toes too, so I have none of those peep toes ones.

I am also a creature of habit. I believe that when you're onto a winner, you don't let go. Which probably explains why I own about 20 tops from Petit Bateau, usually the same type in 2 different colours. Or 2 pairs of tennis flats, again same model, different colour. Or that I am on my 4th pair of Kickers. Now, before you think that I took a picture standing on my tippy toes or that these are Marie's shoes, I wish to confirm that these are MY feet, flat on the ground, and these are MY shoes. What can I do, I am only a teeny size 3. So without further a do, here are my shoes.


I bought my first pair of Kickers at the tender age of 17 and never looked back. This is now my 4th pair. And when these will be in such a shape that I need to buy shoes, I will go and get another pair of them. Some will say I am holding on to my youth and I probably am. I just LOVE them, they are fun without being too crazy, classical in a non conformist way, comfortable and durable. What's not to love.

And when I grow old and consider myself not rebellious enough to wear them, well, I'll probably move onto these. A pair of ballet flats from Repetto. Although sadly not in my budget right now, I would probably buy a pair in every colour they have. They are just the most comfortable shoes. If anybody is interested in buying me a gift, I would be delighted! Just remember the size (sure, it's probably the same one as your kids), 3!

It is now time to tag other wonderful bloggers:

- Caroline at Last of the Mojitos.
- Jen at Autism, the King and I.
- Diney at Older mums are fun.
- Chic Mama.
- And Heather at Notes from Lapland.

Go on, ladies, show us your shoes!

My 10 Favourite things

First and foremost, a big thank you to Working Mama at Last of the mojitos for the tag. I can't believe that less than a month ago I had never been tagged, and this is now my third one.

This meme reminds me of a book I used to have, one of the many books I had to leave behind and never recovered. It is a french book by Philippe Delerm, a collection of 35 short stories, of no more than 1 or 2 pages each, all about The small pleasures of life (incidentally this is the translated title of this book, when the original french version is called La premiere gorgee de biere et autres plaisirs minuscules. In other words, the first sip of beer and other small pleasures). It also reminds me of the beginning of the film 'Amelie' (another translated title, but then again who, in their right mind, would go and watch a french film called 'The fabulous destiny of Amelie Poulain'). I think that we (by we, I mean French people) are somewhat experts at this, little pleasures, I think it is in our nature and culture. The French are often portrayed as people who know how to enjoy life and its little things (amongst other stereotypes). I often reflect on the little things that make me happy. So here is my (non exhaustive and in no particular order) list.



1- Watching my girls playing together. Noelie has developed a fascination with her sister lately. She will do anything to get a laugh out of her. She also has started to sit up and Marie seems to be less afraid of playing with her (not to mention, that it is a lot more comfortable).

2- The smell of freshly brewed coffee in the morning. Not instant coffee (that smells more like some kind of dirty socks having brewed overnight, tastes like it too). We bought a monster of a coffee machine recently and it just makes the best coffee. And it fills the house with the most wonderful smell.

3- Sitting outside and feeling the sunshine on my face. It doesn't have to be for long, just a few minutes are enough to recharge my batteries.

4- Having a long hot bath, with a good book and a nice glass of wine and topping up with hot water after a while (candles optional). The most relaxing experience.

5- Watching a film with all the family. We tend to do this on rainy Sundays. Mr Foodie in his chair, Marie with me on the sofa under a nice cosy blanket. Mr Foodie and I are big film lovers and we want to pass this on to the girls.

6- A walk with the family on a nice, sunny, cold and crisp winter day. I already wrote about this in a previous post but there is nothing like wrapping everybody warm and heading out. And nothing better than coming back into the warmth of the house afterwards.

7- The smell of an old book. As a girl, I used to love reading (and still do) and I used to raid my grandmother's library anytime I got a chance. Some of her books were quite old, the pages yellowed by time. When opened, that smell would draft from them, musty, ink and old paper.

8- Getting into a nice warm bed on a cold night or alternatively, getting into a nice cold bed on a hot night (although it very rarely happens here that the nights are so hot that you can't bear to sleep with any covers on whatsoever).

9- Sitting at the terrasse of a french cafe, watching the world go by. One of my favourite pastimes. I could sit there for hours, sipping coffee.

10- Cooking and baking of course. The smells, the tastes, the textures and the sense of pride and pleasure that comes with seeing the plates emptying in silence. Not because we have nothing to say or are just to hungry to talk, but because it's so good that everybody is engrossed in just that, the taste, the smell, the textures...

And so many other favourite things that I haven't listed but are equally up there, little things that make life beautiful (and more bearable at times). I will now pass this meme onto the following great mummy (and daddy) bloggers:

• Josie at Sleep is for the weak


• Tim at Bringing up Charlie


• Jen at The king and eye


• Young Mummy at Young and Younger


• And last but not least, Northside mum

Happy blogging everyone!


X

Foodie Mummy

Favourite photo meme

First off, a big thank you to the wonderful Working Mama at The Last of the Mojitos for tagging me for this meme!

People would probably expect a picture of myself or of my girls, or even the family but, not unlike Hot Cross Mum, as a rule, I do not want to put pictures of the girls on my blog (or even myself, wouldn't want to scare readers away now, would we!). The amount of pictures I have of the girls and the family would put Helmut Newton to shame (well at least in quantity, not so sure about the quality though).

My dad is photo mad. We are not talking mobile phone photo, we're talking proper photo, no digital cameras or automatic zooms or gizmos like these. Proper photo as in films (choose from colour or black and white), as in different lenses, as in coloured filters, as in around 1000 photos for a one week holiday in Italy. I remember some fair few years ago, when he used to turn the bathroom into his own dark room. You were either in from beginning till end or you were out from beginning till end. I remember him changing the light bulbs to those red ones, so that the pictures would develop correctly and blocking all light coming in from the window (funnily enough the only one in the whole house that doesn't have shutters). The equipment was put up. The his and hers sinks and the bidet (yes, we do have one of those, although never used for its intended purpose but rather to wash smelly feet and babies, not in the same water though), were filled with various chemicals. A line was put up over the bath to hang up the developed pictures. My mum had no interest and my brother was too small to stay around all those chemicals, so I would sometimes be allowed in to help (or get under his feet). I used to love that uninterrupted time I got to spend on my own with my dad, just watching him and discovering his beautiful pictures. As a child, it felt like such a long time without being able to open the door, in reality, I don't know how long it could have been. Maybe an hour or two at the most probably.

For his birthday last year, we offered him a gadget that allows him to transfer all of his negatives and slides (which are gathering dust in a press and get taken out just about once every 5 years) to his computer. He is retiring next year and this promises to be taking much of his time (that and playing golf of course). So I probably will have to wait for a similar meme to come around again sometime next year to pay a better tribute to his beautiful photographs.

In the meantime, this is the picture that graced my work computer for years. It is my mum and dad's back garden on a frosty morning. It reminds me of home and those childhood's winter mornings.

I would now like to pass the torch to another 5 fabulous bloggers and I can't wait to see what their favourite photo is:

• Mumtalk


• Celtic Mamma Chatter


• Taz


• Mandie Dempsey


• Northside Mum
  

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

X

Foodie Mummy.

High Five or my first ever meme post!

OMG! I only started this blogging thing last month and I have already been tagged for one of these 'meme' thingies (thank you so so much Hot Cross Mum)! OK, the subject is '5 highest points of 2009'.

Now, I am not usually one to dwell in the past. As one of my previous posts entitled 'I don't remember' suggests, my memory is not the greatest. My fiance likes to say that I have a short memory and I have to admit I do. Two pregnancies and a couple of 'anni horribiles' (declared by Queen Me, not the Queen of England) mean that I usually leave the past where it belongs and don't want to look back but rather get on with the Now and the Tomorrow. Useful in some situations (particularly the bad ones), but no so useful in others (particularly this one). A perfect example of how short a memory I've got happened no later than today. I remembered that tomorrow is bin day (if the poor binmen make it on the icy roads and that's a big if.). So bin day means bin tag here. So far so good. The paths being so treacherous, dear fiance suggested he pick up whatever we need in the shop on his way home. So I mentioned the bin tag, this morning... when I thought of it.... This afternoon, he calls me from the shop and asks me what do we need. And as you would have guessed, I forgot about the bin tag.. Sorry Mr Foodie...

So, I have been racking my brains all day (cleaning and tidying around leaves your brain free, unlike your hands) trying to come up with 5 high points to 2009. A couple is easy enough, more and I'm struggling. Not struggling to find some high points, there are a good few, but struggling to find some interesting ones, some significant ones, some that do not sound like I'm committing the ultimate act of plagiarism. Then I realized, the hell with it, it will probably taste like reheated food but they are my high points and as such are unique.

So without further a do, here are MY 5 high points of 2009:

1. The birth of baby number 2, Noelie. Indisputably, the highest point of my year. After Marie being 5 weeks premature, we were the most prepared parents I had ever met. But it's funny how it still all takes you by surprise. She came on the day I started maternity leave and I didn't even know I was in labour when we got to the hospital. A pain free labour, a pain free delivery (she was breached so I had to have a C section) and a beautiful baby at the end of it all. Isn't life just wonderful.

2. Being made redundant. Or rather, being told I was to be made redundant. It is still not yet finalized, and I am officially on annual leave. It should all unravel in the next few weeks. So I will keep you posted. After the initial panic, I realized it was a blessing in disguise so that I could spend more time with my girls.

3. Visiting and visits from my family. I have never had so many visitors as this year. My parents came over for a week after Noelie was born to help me out after the section. We went to visit them for 2 weeks a couple of months later. My brother came to visit for the 2nd time in 11 years (he is a busy busy bee, between work and extra curricular activities, it is hard to find time to travel!). And my cousin also came for a couple of weeks. This year I reconnected with them all and I am so glad.

4. My fiance's new found love for cooking. He cooked his first meal by himself the day I found out I was pregnant. And his skills have improved tremendously during the pregnancy and subsequent months. So thank you Mr Foodie for all your help and efforts on that front!

5. Discovering blogging (and loving it). Once again thanks to Mummy Mania and Hot Cross Mum for being so enthusiastic about it on the show. It was obviously contagious!! I intend to keep up with it and received a beautiful Creative Writing box set from Mr Foodie at Christmas, so who knows, I might have a book in my head too, I just need the tools to let it out!!

So here we are, my 5 high points of last year. Hopefully, I will have loads more high points this year.

I believe you are supposed to pass this on to 5 people, so the nominees are:

- The last of the mojitos
- Northside Mum
- Celtic Mamma Chatter
- Mummy Mania
- Mumtalk

So I hope you enjoy the exercise as much as I do.
X.
Foodie Mummy