Wednesday 21 April 2010

A mixed bag of a day…

21Apr2010 005 Yesterday, the boys went back to school…Yay!!… & my normal routine was re-established! They would probably not agree with my Yay!…but really, they were starting to get bored & after all, it’s only six weeks till half term!!!

They were pleased to be able to leave off their ties, as summer term allows the wearing of polo shirts, although Alex still has to wear his blazer unless the whole school is given permission to go without,  on warmer days! Actually, Alex likes to wear his collar & tie…even if he struggles with tying a good knot, I think he likes looking smart, whereas Nathan doesn’t even do up his polo shirt buttons…they’re like chalk & cheese!!

21Apr2010 007 So, after depositing them at their respective schools, I set off to my Slimming World group. Bearing in mind that I haven’t been to group for four weeks…the last two of which have been completely off plan, I was not surprised, but still mortified, to discover that I had GAINED 5LBS!!!!!!! Why does it take so much hard work to lose that amount of weight, but it sneaks back on with no discernable effort at all?!!

I left group fired up with motivation & a commitment to make the coming six weeks really matter…Chicago in 46 days & counting!…and headed off to Tesco to do the weekly food shop!

20Apr2010 031Now, those of you who visit regularly will know that in an attempt to reduce my caffeine intake, I have taken up drinking green tea with lemon & Manuka honey. Green Tea was on my shopping list & as I perused the selection of teas I spotted this rather striking box… & on reading the packet I discovered it was a herbal tea containing fennel, linden leaves & galangal root, the blend of which is believed to curb the appetite!! My being an easy target for all those marketing executives tricks meant that it was immediately added to my trolley! 20Apr2010 034


I have to report that I have no idea if it does actually curb the appetite, but it is DELICIOUS!! The Fennel gives it a wonderful taste of liquorice & it’s rich in antioxidants & totally caffeine free!!

So it will be finding it’s way into my trolley again next week methinks!!

17Apr2010 003 I also had another ‘find’ in Tesco..I was hunting around the cut flower department in search of something pretty for the kitchen table…the daffodils on offer were looking a bit shabby & the tulips too expensive…when I chanced upon a bucket containing various bunches at reduced prices & I got these gorgeous white roses, carnations & berries for only £2.00! Still with the 7 day guarantee, so I was happy!! 

After collecting the boys from school I turned my thought to our evening meal…I decided to boil a couple of eggs to go with a salad for myself, & popped them into a pan of water & turned on the gas. Then I turned my attention to the preparation of what I could serve up for Lee & the boys! Once I’d done all the prep I could, I made myself a (herbal) tea & retired to my PC for a little blog hopping.

21Apr2010 008You know what’s coming next……

After a while I noticed a strange smell, which quickly became recognisable as the smell of BURNING!!! I was down those stairs in a flash…just in the nick of time…the pan had boiled completely dry & the eggs were on the verge of exploding!!! I deposited the pan outside to cool & set about opening every window & door to rid the house of the awful smell!! I have never done anything like this before…truly a blonde moment…or do I qualify for senior moments yet?!!  Either way it was scary!! What is even more annoying is that I think I may have ruined the milk pan…one of a set of Tefal ‘copper bottom’ pans that I have had for over 25 years!! It now has a large bump on the bottom where I think the copper had started to ‘bubble’!!  Lee didn’t make a big deal out of it, but boy, did I feel stupid!! Oh & I settled for ham with my salad!!

Today has been better… I pushed myself to 36 lengths of the pool this morning…I have stuck to my eating plan…& tonight’s meal is already in the slow cooker as I write, without any mishaps!!

Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment first thing & an eye test booked for mid morning, so in between I’m going to have a mooch around the street market in the town centre…I may even take my camera!

Wishing you all a good week…can’t believe we’re already midway through!! Thanks for dropping by! x    

8 comments:

Sian said...

Aw, no! I'm sorry to hear about your pan..I hate doing something like that. I must try keeping an eye out for bargain flowers in Tescos, that's a fab tip..and I'm really in awe of your caffeine free thing. Wish I had the nerve to do that!

humel said...

Lovely pic of the boys, but oh - your poor pan! xx

debs14 said...

I'm a Rosemary Conley girl myself! But yes it is a sad fact of life that lbs go on twice as fast as they come off. I'm sure there is a scientific reason but in my case it's more a case of chocolate addiction. If it's not in the house I don't bother, but if it's there - it calls to me and I'm not happy until it's gone!
I can relate to the boys 'enthusiasm' at going back to school, it's not easy for the staff either!

Anna said...

I grow the herb fennel in the garden. Love it! Smells divine and the seeds are delicious in a curry.
(Which reminds me - I was wondering as I dug loads of the stuff up today and threw it in the wheelie bin .... d'you fancy some Chinese Lantern root? Let me know if you do and I'll stick some in the post :) )
I couldn't survive without caffeine!

karen said...

you'll be glad to hear I'm joining Weight Watchers tonight to be a skinny minny for Chicago.
Its a weekly/daily occurrence burining things in the aga.Hubby came in last night to say somethings burning.You can only smell the oven outside.Neighbours must love me.
My computers off today to have its fan fixed,so no surfing for me for a few days.I'll have some time now to do some housework!!

Anonymous said...

I've had many a saucepan issue and as you know I'm not blonde my downfall is new potatoes often let them boil dry. I've put 2.5 back on again and am trying to get back on plan, I've just had a three egg omlette with laughing cow for breakfast:) think I'll give the tea a try not a great fan of herbal tea but love fennel. I'm off work the week after the bank hols if your around for a coffee

Jocelyn said...

Oh your boys are just adorable!!! I love that pic of them!!!

Oh no about the eggs and pan...I must admit..I have done that and had to throw the pan away!!!

Wishing you a great day sweet friend!!!

M.L. @ The House of Whimsy said...

Hi Sandi,
What handsome boys!!! Good luck with the weight loss...an eternal curse for most of us.
If I had to count the times I got distracted and burnt something on the stove...well, I couldn't because I've lost count. : )
Thanks for stopping by today.
M.L.