Happiness

I have obviously been spending too much time with my Competition Winning friend and have started developing that green "me too" feeling. So much so, that one day last week I rather jealously reeled off a list of her latest winnings to my darling Adventure Husband. When he went shopping on Friday (he spoils me!) he returned with a gift, a DAB Radio for the kitchen, stating that be wanted me to win him lunch at Fairyhill or a family day pass to Bluestone. Who's jealous now?

I have been listening to several local stations on and off since Friday with not even a sniff of a competition. Yesterday morning, however, my ears pricked up in excitement as I heared the mention of a prize if you could answer the following question: Which TV Celebrity sang "Happiness"?

My first reaction was "haven't got a clue" but knew the song and realised my age was showing! I carried on making the lunch boxes when it suddenly came to me! I grabbed the phone but hadn't taken down the number for the radio station. I carried on making sandwiches, the question was asked again and I quickly wrote it down and dialled. As I have never before had the nerve to enter such competitions I assumed some kind of receptionist would answer, but the phone rang and rang so I put it on speakerphone and busied myself around the kitchen.

When the DJ's voice echoed from my phone, I was almost in shock. "Who's that? What's the answer? What's your number" and gone. "OHMYGOSH" It was 8.25 and I had to get the boys to school, had I lost my mind? Why did I give my home no? The excitement! I told my Adventure Boy's what I had done and the prize we were after, a Happiness Pack sponsored by Yakult (Happy Days DVDs, Happy Feet DVD, some other DVD and CD and a book on Happiness). The excitement mounted, I told them not to answer the phone if it rang and to be quiet, but we had to get to school and we would probably miss the call if they did ring back.

Then at 8.45, the phone rang. I was shaking as I told the world that "It's sunny out of one window and dull and cloudy out of another- so it's a strange morning!" "I'm rushing to get my children to school" "Hello to my little boys" oh yes, and the answer "Ken Dodd".

I'd won! Such excitement, such laughter and happiness for a weekday morning. We ran to school and arrived on time. Imagine my embarrassment if they had told their teachers they were late because their mother was on the radio trying to win them some DVDs. Both were still excited at tea-time, had both told their teachers and wanted some sweets from the shop to celebrate (any excuse).

Well, it certainly made the Adventure Family happy!

P.S. Another 1lb lost!

Network 'til you drop!

I attended my second Cheese & Wine evening of the month yesterday evening, a business networking event for women. I rushed to get there for 5.30 and got talking to a very businesslike managerial type within minutes. Next it was a case of mistaken identity as I headed towards someone I was convinced I'd previously worked with. She called me by name (obviously read my name badge) and when I read hers, I realised it was not Susannah at all! And I was on the orange juice! Rather than let the floor swallow me up, I explained as we laughed! Spoke to several ladies from the council (good contacts!), a Speed Dating organiser (met her other half from her own event!), a lovely lady who fills her life with voluntary work and a woman who made me feel dizzy with all that she fits in! Trouble was, I explained myself so many times to so many people, I didn't know if I was repeating myself or even if I was leaving out something essential from my spiel.

My verdict - networking is hard work, puts your conversation into autopilot and you come home with so many business cards, you get the speed dater confused with the contracts woman from the council! Plus you have to pose for photos whilst pretending to have fun for those glossy advertorial ladies magazines they put in hotel foyers!

P.S. I was goody two shoes with the food and only took a small plate. But came home and scoffed 3 Gordon Ramsey Just Desserts.

Weight lost this week - one pound and proud of it!

Cheese & Wine

I am on a mission to lose a stone. I'm doing it the bacon and egg and pasta way, you know the thing, meat on day followed by jacket potatoes, pasta and noodles the next. I lost 2 stone this way after Adventure Boy 2 was born and have gradually put a stone back on after moving house, starting a business, wine and other excuses. It got off to a good start Monday and most of Tuesday and then it was the Cheese & Wine evening.....

I had been extremely concerned last week as the Chairperson of the newly formed PTA. Ticket sales were very slow and there was so much to organise! But...Amazingly...It was a brilliant success! About 40-50 enjoyed our spread and we raised £280.

....Trouble was, I was so relaxed and pleased at our success, I could not help but pick on the cheese and biscuits (and grapes I may add) and finished off 3 glasses of Rioja.

I picked myself back up yesterday and enjoyed my jacket potatoes with new enthusiasm and day dreamed of the dress I have seen in Monsoon's window. This is the picture I am keeping in my head at the moment, me in that dress and the possibility of having to attend a posh business awards dinner next month. I told my husband last week about the dress, and he laughed "you haven't even filled in the application yet".

So last Friday night, whilst he was working late and armed with a glass of wine, I completed the application and emailed it within an hour of the deadline!

That'll show him!

This morning I received a letter from the awards organisers, inviting me to ... wait for it...a Cheese & Wine evening next Tuesday. How will I cope?

And a sign that Adventure Boy 2 no longer wants to marry me when he grows up..."Maa-aam" he asked me last night whilst sitting on the toilet "if I marry Emily, will that mean I'm gay? Because she is a tomboy"...bless him!

Drunken Skies

A strange phenomenon has occurred in the Adventure household over the last five days. Not only has there been a significant drop in the number of total decibels permeating from our abode, there has been the playing of draughts, the increased reading of books, the throwing of frisbees around the garden and the building of minature skateboard ramps out of shoe boxes. Three little words - broken sky box! The strange thing is, the boys do not seem to be missing it and they havn't asked when it will be fixed. All I can say is thank goodness for my laptop as I have spent the evenings watching 4oD and catching up with my favourite blogs.

My poor head has been bursting over the last week or so from organising my 1st event as chairperson of our newly formed "school friends association". I have a dedicated team of helpers, nevertheless, all the texting, phoning and begging for donations does somewhat impinge on my work time and reduce my available "blogging time". I felt as though I was reading my own blog this morning when I read my friend Frog's latest post, for she is also considering the post of chairperson.

"Do you think it's a case of 'If you want something done, give it to a busy person'?", I commented. I really believe that saying is true as it is seems only us, busy slightly mad people get things done despite the huge negativity before us! We had 150 tickets printed for our "Cheese & Wine" evening next Tuesday. Letters were sent home with 140 children and the school has so far sold the grand total of 6 tickets. I have this morning, relieved the school of half the pile and started dishing them out to the lollipop lady, friends and family. "All the more for us, ha, ha!" texted the secretary when I broke the news, "If you don't laugh you'll cry" was my reply. So we'll have some rather sloshed "friends" next Tuesday evening, we'll win a raffle prize each and we'll feed our families cheese and biscuits for the remainder of the week! Unless we can sell more tickets.

Cheese and wine anyone?