Sick and Tired

Being pregnant can be challenging. To say the least. Sleepless nights, weird food cravings (or aversions), mood swings, extreme exhaustion (and that's on a good day). But being pregnant AND sick totally and completely SUCKS. 

It's been three weeks and two days and there is no sign of getting rid of this nightmare of a virus. I've been doing everything I'm supposed to: eating chicken soup, drinking hot drinks, and getting plenty of rest.

I've even been taking 4-5 gazillion milligrams of vitamin C per day. How much can one body endure? And one little baby? I can only imagine she is sick and tired of eating chicken soup and will probably have an aversion to it for the rest of her life. Emily says she can "hear" the baby when she listens. I'm going to have Emily ask her what she thinks of all of this chicken soup.

Honestly, how much chicken soup, tea and honey and lemon drinks can one person endure? (Coincidentally I HATE honey and lemon, a gruesome combination.) How many days do I have to sit around from my couch and watch the rest of the world while the sun FINALLY shines? 

Nap or Nourishment?

This morning I woke up at 7am. Normally, Monday - Friday, this wouldn't bother me as I have to get up with my daughter and husband anyway. However, on a Sunday, when I can sleep in, (more so because the little one is at a sleep over) it annoys the crap out of me that I wake up so early and can't fall back to sleep.

As I lay in bed, trying desperately to fall back to sleep, visions of bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches (one for me one for baby) danced in my head. 

That's when I was faced with one of the hardest decisions a pregnant woman has to face: sleep or eat?

Normally, if I weren't preggers, I wouldn't sacrifice sleep for food. The food will always be there. And the sleep feels sooo nice.

Now that I'm 6.5 months pregnant, the sleep would be nice if I could actually get comfortable and my ribs didn't hurt every time I lay on my left side and my arm, shoulder and hip wouldn't fall asleep every time I lay on my right side. Not to mention the HUGE effort it is to roll from side to side. 

After assessing the situation I decided food was more important. Baby was probably hungry after not eating for...9 hours anyway. Now all I need is some bacon, eggs and cheese and I'm all set!

Chips Crazy

Lately I’ve become obsessed with chips. In the UK the word “chips” refers to what we know as “French fries” in America, and really, to the rest of the world. Have you ever read a menu in a restaurant in any other part of the world that was translated into English only to find the word "chips" instead of "fries". I don't think so.

Last week I was at the grocery store and it took me a solid ten minutes to figure out which bag of chips to buy. I stealthily walked up and down the frozen chips section, back and forth, until almost panicking.

Which chips should I buy for my family? Chunky chips, thick chips, crinkle chips, rustic chips with or without the skins, curly chips, spiced curly chips, chips cut into wedges (not sure of their technical name), smiley face chips, waffle chips and finally, plain ole, regular chips (yes, they do exist).

The one thing I’ll never understand is vinegar with chips. How in God’s name did that combination evolve? I can live with the Belgian way of eating mayo and chips (quite yummy in fact) but I don’t think I’ll ever acquire a taste for vinegar and chips. YUCK!

Chips can be served with anything in this country; fish, burgers, steak, or alone as a meal in itself.  My daughter was even served chips with her lasagne at school recently.

The chip market in the UK is worth £1.2 billion. That means that £1 out of every £100 is spent in a fish & chips shop.

There are even a websites dedicated to the fanatical love of chips. This country is chips crazy!!

Sunday Afternoon

It's starting to become a tradition in our new little family that on Sunday afternoons we venture out for a nice walk or hike. As baby has been getting bigger the hikes up undulating hills along the rugged coast have been getting less and less and have turned into easier strolls on flatter terrain.

What better way to spend an afternoon together, breathing fresh air and enjoying the beautiful scenery around us. 

Two weeks ago Emily and I did a 75 minute walk on muddy terrain that was anything but flat. Although Emily enjoyed herself, singing the entire way, I can't say the same for myself; it was one of the coldest, windiest days yet this winter and the hills hurt my back and ever-expanding ab muscles. 

With that in mind this morning I suggested a few flat, easy beach walks to my husband. Praa Sands and Godrevy Beach were not only non-challenging but the scenery was beautiful. 

"We should go someplace we haven't been. We can't keep going to the same places" he argued. Fair enough, I thought. 

I left him in charge of finding a nice, Sunday afternoon outing and took my daughter for a milkshake at her favorite place, along with my mother who is visiting.

After milkshake, we arrived at our destination; a quaint, tiny village set in a cove almost inaccessible by car. Cadgwith Cove. This cove was dotted with thatched roof houses, was equipped with one pub (called the Cadgwith Cove Pub, of course), a gig rowing club and one little artsy store that sold art stuff by local artists. 

Adorable. Hubby was right. We do need to explore the area more. 

As I stood in the "center" of the cove I  admired the scenery to the left and to the right.  It never occurred to me that the only way to go was up. And when I say up I mean UP, about two hundred feet UP in either direction.

Five minutes into our ascent I was not a happy camper. Is he kidding me? Not only is the upward ascent steep, i had my wellies on (short for "Wellington boots") and my sixty-something-year old mother in tow.

Now, I consider myself a fit person; I still try to workout 3-4 times per week even though i'm 5.5 months preggers. Yesterday I beat both my in-laws AND my mother to the top of a steep hill that was only accessible via stairs. (ok it's true that all three of their combined ages nears two hundred but i'm pregnant. Do you know how much extra weight i'm carrying?)

Anywho, now 6 minutes into the walk and the love of my life has to physically help me and grandma up some stairs. 

Now I'm pissed. "How could he do this to me?" I thought to myself as I pictured the four of us strolling on a FLAT, sandy beach, not feeling like a heart attack is minutes away.

Upon reaching the top and looking down at the stunning view of the waves crashing into the rocks my anger subsided. 

Ok, I guess it was kind of worth it. 

On the way down I took another look at the adorable village in the cove with the thatched roof homes that I had never seen. Yes, I am KIND of glad I saw something new.

Afterwards, per my husbands  idea, we headed to a chocolate factory, bought some delicious chocolate and than went to an art gallery where the artist/owner demonstrated how he created art on special oriental paper.

As we chomped our chocolate and admired the art I thought to myself it was worth venturing out and seeing something new, even if it meant going out of my comfort zone.

Thanks Hon. :)

Five Days Until Move (or Six or Seven)

Obviously I'm failing miserably at one of my New Year's Resolutions (write on blog daily). Oh well.  Seeing as I'm pregnant, packing to move houses and started substituting last week, I think I'll cut myself a little slack.

The countdown until the move was on until the NAVY screwed it up (as usual). It was going to be Friday, now it could be Friday, or Saturday or Sunday, depending upon when the hubby gets home from wherever he has to go. Annoying.

Last Sunday evening Bunny and I had words. 

We exchanged words b/c we completely disagreed with each other's moving techniques. 

My idea: Have EVERYTHING packed so the day of the move we and our peops could move boxes and furniture to the house and than unpack at our leisure.

His idea: Have about 15-20 boxes. Fill the boxes in the old house with stuff. Transport boxes to new house. Dump (and I'm quoting him here) contents from boxes onto floor in room they belong in, return to old house, pack more things in empty boxes, transport to new house, dump contents on floor and so on.

This idea put me over the edge. 

We are doing it my way. My organized, civilized way.

I hate people that are soooo lazy that they drive everywhere when they can walk.  Today I was one of those people. 

At 4:30 promptly I left the house to get meet my daughter at the bus stop. Due to the fact that it was twenty degrees fahrenheit and I was freezing AND pregnant, I decided to do the unthinkable; drive to the bus stop. 

Embarassed by my behavior I climbed into our very old and beat up "banger" as we call it and drove, 250 yards, to the bus stop, ducking the entire way.

OF course this had to be the day my friend down the street decided to walk to the bus stop with her two year old to meet Emily as well. I was humiliated. and in the end, not happy with myself. I should have braved the cold. 

But I'm pregnant, tired from packing all day, and cold. 

(Did I mention I was pregnant?)

Next time I'll walk.

New Year's Resolutions

Is it too late for New Year's Resolutions? It may be the 6th of January but better late than never!

Jenny's new year's resolutions:

1) read more

2) subscribe to a newspaper and read at least three articles per day (check)

3) Blog daily (little behind on this one)

4) Learn French

Wish me luck!