Fab Forty

If you have emailed or called over the last 2 weeks, you may be wondering where I've been and who is this Pat person?


Well, ladies & gentlemen, I have just returned from a fab holiday to celebrate my big birthday - you know, the "life begins at" one, the one you count backwards after...


We took the kids out of school for the first time ever (the guilt) and warned them this would be a holiday like no other! Adventure Husband and I went 13 years ago, way before the pitter patter of tiny Adventure feet. We were waited on hand & foot and bought our wedding rings like pic n mix before even setting the date.


This time was different. We didn't relax one bit, but it was still fab!
I almost cried when we were shown to our balconied room at The Jumeirah Beach Hotel.....OMG - The View (see pic and say no more).
We worked with & around the heat and covered The Palm & Atlantis, a couple of Abra rides (water taxi), 3 shopping malls, Ski Dubai (wish I'd remembered to pack hat & gloves, they cost a fortune), the famous gold souk, spice souk, textile souk & Dubai Museum. The highlights were the Desert Safari (Dune Drive) and definitely The Wild Wadi Water Park - we went 4 times and my youngest cried all the way back to our room on the last day, sobbed even!


And now to reality...back to work...emails to sort through...


As Adventure Mother and all that entails, this has been the longest holiday I have taken for a few years. I havn't been able to let go of the business for more than a few days up until now. But all thanks to my Auntie Pat who has brilliantly held the fort, I have returned from the 96 degrees UAE as a FORTY YEAR OLD happy bunny!

All Change

It's been all change here at Chez Adventure Togs. The in word being "streamlining" - is that one word or two?

We have been concentrating on the most profitable parts of the business and waving goodbye to those not so profitable, energy draining channels. Our eBay shop has GONE...a sad moment...it's been with us since the start, but as we are now high in the Google rankings for Waterproof Trousers, Womens Waterproofs and Children's Waterproof Suit but to name a few, the time has come to say goodbye...no more eBay fees (Yes!!). The SEO has been outsourced and the monthly newsletter is about to have an overhaul.

I personally have had a bit more time to myself (bliss!) and have caught up with the ironing. Adventure Husband has been complaining that there are no spare coat hangers and his wardrobe is too full. "I can't keep up with all these freshly ironed clothes" he said, " I rely on some being in the ironing basket, like British Airways - they always have some planes in the air!"
I am also looking forward to doing a few days locum work next month (I am a pharmacist, or at least was a fully practicing one in a past life). One day is in my old shop, I used to manage 12 yrs ago...that'll be fun...it's about twice as busy these days!

We've had another birthday. Adventure Boy 1 was 11 on Father's Day. He was actually born on Father's Day and this is the first time we've had a double celebration since. June 21st is also the longest day and it was definitely the longest day for me all those 11 years ago! We took five of his friends to see the new Transformers film, which I can assure you is the worst film I have seen. I drifted off to sleep several times, only to be disturbed by Boy 2 asking to pass him the Haribo's.

I still haven't bought his birthday present. I promised he'd have it this week! I refused to buy it (a 30 Watt Marshall Guitar Amp - pass me the ear plugs!) from my local music shop as they insisted on charging delivery despite me collecting it (should I set Trading Standards on them?)!

Anyway...Guitar Amp to purchase, ironing to do, windows to clean,........

It went like this.....

It went like this:
"Look Crocs, they sell those Jibbitz badge things to go on my Crocs" said Adventure Boy 2 as he peered through the shop window. The Adventure family trundled into the foyer of the old fashioned shoe shop in a nearby seaside town. A half designer/snobby town and half "kiss me quick". We were all in good spirits, had a productive morning (moving a shed and repositioning the basketball stand) and were all in the mood for some retail therapy.

Adventure Husband picked up a really old fashioned pair of slippers and joked that he needed a new pair. We laughed loudly! He and the boys went inside whilst I was still mulling around the foyer. As I joined them inside, Boy 1 was laughing at some huge Crocs and as I laughed along, stating it would be while before he would grow into them, there came a loud BIGGEST PLUM IN YOUR MOUTH EVER voice from over my shoulder. "DOO YOUUU NEEEED ANY HELP?"

"We're just looking " I say.

"OHH, JUST LOOOKING ARE YOUUU?"

She remained behind us, "on guard" as we looked. I asked to try on a pair of Fitflops as boy 2 rummaged through the Jibbitz, deciding on the best Crocs decor.

I tried the Fitflops on, ignoring this woman's rudeness, discussing colour with husband and checking out what else this shop had to offer.

"AARRE THEY ANYY GOOOD?"

"Yes, I'll take them" I say.

Before I could even put my pop socks and mules back on, she was ringing them through the till, had wrapped up the Jibbitz without me seeing what my little one had picked and was trying to charge my husband! Hearing what was going on, I had to hop to the till, type in my pin and pull up my pop sock at the same time. At this point I tried to make conversation, telling her we couldn't get these Jibbitz things anywhere last summer.

She completely ignored me as she handed me the bag and practically shooed me out of the shop. We were stunned! Our children were well behaved. Yes, we dared to talk and laugh in her shop, but what was THAT all about? I felt other customers eyes on us, but I assume they were equally bewildered by her behaviour.

I know I should have walked out but we did actually want what we purchased!

Adventure Husband was still going on about it when we got back to the car. "They must be used to children in that shop, they sell children's shoes!" Not for much longer with that attitude!

Happy Birthday

I love Birthday parties, love my little ones faces, the excitement as they realise they are the absolute centre of attention. Today, my darling Boy 2 is seven years of age.

Seven long years have passed since I first held him, fed him and prayed for him. Within a week of his birth he had lost several ounces and each time he was weighed, he had failed to gain.

I fed him constantly, he was content and I had breastfed my first child, four years earlier with no problems. There was no explanation to his failure to thrive. We went through numerous tests, expressed milk and bottle fed him measured amounts. I tried (very reluctantly) feeding him some formula, but worried that if there was anything seriously wrong there was no alternative to his mother's milk.

Eventually he was tube fed a high energy formula milk whilst I expressed and froze mine. We found no answer to his weight loss and through a combined breast and bottle feeding schedule, the ounces piled on. My local La Leche League Breast Feeding Advisor helped me through much of the ordeal and my Health Visitor was fantastic. But to this day I am still bewildered why my milk was fine for one child and not another, despite his content. Boy 2 is happy in general and is not a complainer so perhaps he was never full & content, but didn't complain about it!

Today he is a happy healthy seven year old! Ate a McDonalds Happy Meal with his friends after his Laserzone party yesterday, nachos, chocolate cake and Easter eggs at our family tea today. He's out the garden playing football in his new Man United kit with Dad and Brother at the moment and he will never realise the pain and heartache he caused seven years ago when he was such a tiny, frail little love!

Happy Birthday!

10 ways to have a stress free month

1. Do learn to say "No" and do not take on extra-business activities with non child-friendly deadlines (finished just in time yesterday pm).


2. If you run a business, choose suppliers who are unlikely to go into administration, get taken over and move warehouse, especially if you have outstanding orders and waiting customers.


3. When travelling to London on the train (on the cheap), do make yourself aware of peak-times. This will ensure no nasty surprises such as "Pay £100 or get off the train"!


4. For Comic Relief, do not assume that because your child's school has a bad hair day, you also have to have one (And I mean leg hair, whilst trying on new boots! Get the picture?)


5. If your youngest child wakes in the middle of the night with earache, ensure it is not you but Darling Husband who has to stagger through the next day on just 2 hours kip.


6. When you are unable to leave your ill child to do the food shopping, do not hurriedly attempt an online version, allow DH to put away the bagless order whilst you are at work, smash a bottle of wine on the utility room floor and swear in front of kids and Tesco man.


7. When your youngest says he is feeling sick in the car and asks you to slow down despite doing only 20mph, do not speed up just to get home quickly, resulting in vomiting all over the rear of car within yards of your home.


8. Do make sure all house alarms are in working order and do not just go off deafeningly and for no reason as Wales rugby international is about to kick off.


9. Do not assume you have time to chair the PTA and organise an Easter Bonnet Parade and Cake Sale (donations welcome).


10. When your eldest son wants to skip football training to play with his friends in the park, then falls and injures his hand, do not say "It'll be fine, soak it in the bath" and send him to school the next day with a letter for Miss. The school may just phone you when the bruising comes out and after a trip to A&E, you may discover he has actually broken a bone and needs to be in plaster!

He shot me!

Any school holiday is a challenge for working parents, particularly juggling, work from home ones like me! Alarm for 6.30, at my desk by 7, kids breakfast 8.30, work until the screaming starts. Sound familiar anyone? This half term was no exception, absolutely not.

By Tuesday, I decided we needed to draw up a list of what we wanted to do this holiday and working out what was realistic. After much debate and timetabling the options, we decided on a park with a brill play area today followed by some sports shops on the way back in search of basketball kit and tomorrow, Lazerzone!

Adventure Boy 2 has nagged to go to Lazerzone for near on 2 years. Checking their website, we see that at 6 yrs 10 months, he has 2 months to go. A white lie was necessary to prevent tears and we made a team decision that he was "just gone 7". Adventure Boy 1 had been there for a couple of birthday parties but I really did not know what to expect.

As we jumped in the car, he asked "Mam, what are you wearing?"

"What do you mean?" I ask "Why?"

"Are you wearing jeans? That's okay then."

"You're not expecting me to come in too ?"

Both answer "yes". Apparently, Adventure Boy 2 would need me, too dark, too young, needs his mam! Now they're telling me!

So, I paid £12 for the 3 of us for a 20 minute game and set about kitting myself out stormtrooper like with all the other kids. The worst thing was I actually saw someone I knew with her husband as they dropped off their boys. As the doors opened, the kids ran downhill into the darkness as I held onto the wall and walked gingerly towards my destiny.

Adventure Boy 1 quickly disappeared into the depths of the black maze whilst Adventure Boy 2 stayed close. It took me a good 10 minutes to figure out how my gun worked and that there was a delay of 6 seconds between being shot and being able to shoot. I didn't stand a chance! I was surrounded! It was fun I have to say and I was even called a girl by one of the youngsters (honestly). "That girl shot me" she said!

As we left, the scores were displayed for all to see and out of 21 people, I actually came 21st. Boy 1 came 7th and poor Boy 2 came 20th. He would have done much better if I had not shot him in the back so many times. Accidentally of course!

Roses are red, Smarties are blue

Imaginary red roses scent my presence, cards of love are not and heart shaped chocolates remain, well...unpurchased. For Adventure Husband is not the romantic sort!

Yesterday he did the weekly shop (GOOD husband) and mentioned on his return that there were lovely flowers in the supermarket today but were really expensive! "Probably something to do with Valentines Day" I proclaimed. "Oh yeh" he replied as he put away the shopping (extra GOOD husband). I dropped chocolate hints to Adventure Boy 2 and there was lots of whispering going on.
Then this morning after a cuddle, Boy 2 said "Sorry we didn't buy you chocolates but it's not my fault." I knew whose fault it was!

Can't blame Adventure Husband though as I don't partake in this Valentines nonsense either. I mean, it's just for kids isn't it? An excuse for florists to put up prices! But chocolates would have been nice. Feeling a little in need of cocoa solids, I had a little scour through the depths of my larder and found a sneaky half eaten pack of Smarties which I don't mind telling you, were promptly consumed and were mine all mine!