What will people in the future think of us?

Surprisingly, this isn't another political post about Brexit (though I do wonder what what historians will think of us in the future...).  Today a friend shared a video on FB about how almond link is made:

On watching this, my immediate thought was what would people in the future think of this?  

Suppose there was an Earth-changing event, people were struggling to survive, and there were limited resources.  Maybe the internet* didn't work, but there were pockets of servers around the globe where fragments of information can still be sourced?  Maybe there was a retaliation against knowledge (some days it sure feels like that!), and all libraries and books were burned?  Suppose that the human population had decreased to such an extent that much knowledge was no longer in the human psyche.  People were struggling to grow crops, the world was vegan because we couldn't afford to grow meat, and someone came across this video about how to milk almonds...

What would they think of us?
Would they know that it is not real? That it is meant to be humorous? Will they try to breed almonds?

Or will they know it won't work, and assume that we're stupid? Perhaps blame this stupidity on the reason why the human race is near extinction?

I admit, I may have read too many dystopian and post-apocalyptic novels and watched too many movies, but still.  I do wonder sometimes what the future will think of us...

*If I have used "internet" wrong, and mean "www" or even some other term, please forgive me.  Just because I have an Engineering degree, doesn't mean my geekiness extends to all things computers.

The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet by Tracy Russell

After my weightloss kickstart recently, I have dug out my smoothie recipe book and am making delicious smoothies daily again.  This is a really good habit for me to be in, because they are delicious and filling, and easily transportable.

The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet by Tracy Russell was initially a collection that came as a spin-off from her blog and FB page, where she shared many recipes that she created or used as part of her own weightloss journey.  I have followed her recipes, and completed a virtual smoothie bootcamp in the past, so am glad to get back into the practice.

The blurb says:

IncredibleSmoothies.com founder Tracy Russell tried just about every fad diet and expensive “superfood” supplement out there, with negligible results. It wasn’t until she discovered green smoothies that she lost 40 pounds, lowered her cholesterol by 50 points, and started running marathons.

In The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet, Russell shares healthy, down-to-earth recipes made with unprocessed whole foods. Packed with fresh fruits and vegetables—particularly leafy greens—that you can find at your neighborhood grocery store or local farmers’ market, every recipe in this book contains nutrition information as well as options for substitutions and variations. Russell reveals optimal flavor pairings (which green goes best with which fruit and which fruits blend best together) and specific health benefits of key ingredients.

Focusing on the many positive effects of drinking green smoothies, including detox and cleansing, natural weight loss, and mood enhancement, Russell offers nutrient-rich recipes with flavorful, fun combinations such as:

Pineapple-Ginger
Chocolate-Peanut Butter
Mango-Avocado
Cherry-Pomegranate
Nectarine-Goji Berry

With 150 delicious green smoothie favorites (enough smoothies for five whole months!), The Best Green Smoothies on the Planet provides recipes that can accommodate and enhance any individual or family diet. Whether you’re a smoothie veteran or trying something new, these drinks will wow you—with both accessibility and incredible taste.

Over time, she has branched out to include other aspects of holistic health and mindfulness as seen on her new website Dave & Tracy.com.

So far, I have made a delicious Spiced Blueberry and Pear smoothie yesterday, and for lunch today I made Pineapple-Mango smoothie. They are thick, filling and vegan.  I can't wait until I make a Chocolate-Cherry smoothie - I love that combination!

Egg-white Pizza Recipe

I’ve seen egg-white pizza discussed on a few sites as well as part of the 2B Mindset. It is meant to be a tasty low-carb version of a pizza.

As I’m trying to only cook one meal in the evenings, one of our go-tos is wrap pizza (which is also lower carb than a standard pizza): put a wrap on a baking tray, add toppings and grill until the cheese melts. We like this because each of us can choose our own toppings, so we all eat everything, and it is not so filling that you feel stuffed afterwards.

So last night, instead of the wrap pizza, I made myself an egg-white pizza.

Half a cup of egg whites (I cheated and bought a carton of egg-whites, rather than separating them myself) whisked until fluffy. I also added in a pinch of garlic powder and onion salt into this base, just to give it a bit more flavour.

Then, spoon into a hot pan and wait for the base to cook.  I put a lid on the saucepan to encourage to top/middle to start to cook too.

Carefully turn the base of your pizza base over.

As the bottom of the pizza is cooking, spread with tomato sauce (I used pesto) and add your toppings on the top. In mine, I added Pepperami, mozzarella and a sprinkle of Italian herbs.

If you are using a frying pan that can be put under the grill that would probably be best, but I couldn’t do that, so I put a lid on the pan, so that the top would heat and cook. When the cheese melted, I dished it up.

I confess to not having a photo, of the pizza on my plate.  I had intended to take a photo when I had taken a few bites, but it was too yummy and I got distracted.

It was delicious. Much tastier than I was expecting it to be. And really filling too, without being bloating. I quickly ate it before going to Growth Group (my Bible study group), and I didn’t feel like eating more when I returned a few hours later.

The only things I would change are:

1. Add the basil leaves on top that I bought but forgot to use!

2. Serve it up with a large salad. As I was in a rush, I ate it as it was, but would be really good to eat with a salad so I can eat more slowly and savour every bite.

This will definitely be one to make again.

Ugly Me: My Life with Body Dysmorphia

Last night I watched Ugly Me: My Life with Body Dysmorphia a documentary on the BBC about how some people view their own bodies (it is currently available on iPlayer if anyone wants to watch it).

The write-up says:

Documentary exploring body dysmorphic disorder, a condition which causes people to believe they are extremely ugly. The film follows 29-year-old Liane and her boyfriend Mitch over a year as Liane starts therapy to try and conquer this crippling condition. Each week Liane meets Professor David Veale, one of the world's leading experts on BDD, who attempts to undo some of her deeply entrenched habits, often leading to uncomfortable and revealing realisations.

The documentary also hears from a range of people who are in recovery from BDD. Talking movingly about their own personal experiences helps illuminate Liane's journey and reveals more about this illness.

What I found interesting about this program, is that these people are patently not ugly.  Yet, they were vocalising my thoughts.  Is it not BDD if it is true?  I am fat and I am ugly.  I am not good at makeup, and as Liane says in the documentary, what's the point spending hours on your makeup when it makes no difference?  So, I don't.  I rarely wear makeup, because I feel like I look like a dog's dinner when I do.  At least this way, I haven't put in loads of effort to still look ugly.  I have papulopustular rosacea, which is largely controlled by antibiotics (compared to previously where I was continually asked if I had chicken pox or if I was contagious), but still have breakouts in spots and a red face.  And spots still look like spots, even when covered in foundation and concealer, the raised bumps are still visible and, in my mind, look worse than just admitting I'm covered in spots in the first place.

The other difference between me, and these people, is that I don't let it stop me doing anything (unless I'm getting swamped by my depression).  I am ugly, but I figure that other people can not look. I am fat, but I don't let it stop me (and I've never liked buying clothes anyway).  Depending on what I'm wearing (or whether I've been drinking, as to whether I'm concerned about it) I do feel self conscious, and if people start laughing I'm always convinced it's about me.  One of the reasons why I carry my kindle (or kindle phone app atm) is because I'd rather be alone by choice, than excluded.  If I'm upset or overwhelmed, I can stare at my book/phone pretending to read, rather than face up to the fact that people are talking about me or laughing at me.  If I pretend long enough that I'm fine, maybe it'll be true?

Growing up, I was always fat, and was bullied in primary school because of it.  At home, I was "the clever one" and my sister was "the pretty one"/"the sporty one" (none of these names did either of us any good).  And yes, my husband regularly tells me I'm beautiful etc and I have slowly come to believe that he truly believes that.  I don't doubt him at all.  He is, however, misguided.

So after all this, do I think I have BDD? No.  Firstly, it's true: I'm not pretty or beautiful in the slightest.  But also, it doesn't impact my life much or stop me doing stuff.  I mainly just thought the program was interesting because I assumed that everyone thinks these things about themselves.

Weekly Update no 12

This past week I have been finishing the juice programme, and I have to say it it has worked really well. Overall I have lost half a stone, and though I don’t feel I have any more energy in myself, I am awake in the mornings. I am waking up before my alarm clock, rather than putting it on snooze ten hundred times, and feel awake. I can get out of bed at a reasonable time in the morning and even see my husband off for work!

This week, I am going to do two smoothies a day, and a proper dinner in the evening. I will try and eat low carb in the evenings, to keep the weight loss going. I know any weight loss now will be much slower than it has been this week, but hope it will continue. If at any point I feel my weight is stagnating, I know I can always sign up for a 3 day programme just to give me the boost I need.

Now I have finished 10 days of juices and smoothies, I can share my experience. It was much easier than I was expecting. Many people have told me that they couldn’t cope without eating food, but actually it wasn’t too bad. I even was able to bypass cookies and cakes. The hardest thing for me was not ‘cooking for others’ as I managed that, and had the juice next to me, sipping as I did so; but watching my girls turn up their noses to the lovely pastries I made: cheese and ham, or sausage and cream cheese. I do confess to eating one of those. And on Friday night I went out for a meal of Moroccan Tapas. That was delicious. I did not drink my evening smoothie before I met my friends. I drank a mocktail in the first bar, and then stuck to water all night. I ate less than I usually do, but felt so stuffed! I really ate too much. I did enjoy the food, it was very tasty, but I need to learn that I can’t eat as much as I want to; both in order to lose weight, and also because my stomach has shrunk a little. Even at the march on Saturday I took along my juices, though at one point I did have the dilemma of being really hungry, but also desperate for the loo so not wanting to drink anything more! Fortunately, I was just waiting for the coach by this point, and there were public loos nearby so it was resolved quickly.

So this week, as I reintroduce food into my diet, I need to focus on portion control, and storing/saving/reusing leftovers appropriately.

Put it to the People March

Yesterday, I was able to join over a million other people at the People's Vote March in London.  It was amazing being in so large a crowd, and definitely had a carnival atmosphere.

There are so many pictures online from the event, and it was great to see the giant star on BBC News  which was made and carried by some people who were on my coach!

We had a bit of excitement, when a friend's 15yo son went for a wander without telling anyone... The police were great, and he was soon found.  The worst bit for me (yes, I know, it was much worse for his mum), was when I found him, there was no phone signal for me to tell my friend! But it was alright in the end, and they were soon reunited.

Coincidentally, I also met up with someone I hadn't seen for 15years!  We did the same course at university, and hadn't been in touch since.  Considering it was hard enough for people to meet friends intentionally, it was pure chance to meet someone I knew.  One steward told me yesterday that over 1.5M people had turned up, though I've no idea how such numbers can be verified?

I was very tired when I got back home yesterday, and fell asleep when taking DD2 to bed.  Today, I have been catching up on all the photos and videos online; and have found out that other friends were also on the march.  As it was so big, I'm glad I didn't arrange to meet them too, but hope they all had a good time.

The Revoke Article 50 petition is still going, and has now passed the 5M signatories mark.  A way to check updates, without causing the petition to crash again, is using this website, which also breaks the votes down by constituency, so you can see how many people in your area have voted.

Brexit and democracy

Having triggered Article 50 a couple of years ago, Britain is meant to be leaving the EU at the end of

this month.  Unfortunately, there still is no plan.
As a result, many of us are marching this weekend in support of a People's Vote; where we, the people, can decide on the mess that the country is currently in.

I will be there in my Tshirt and carrying my Brolly, and encourage as many people as possible to come along too.

On Wednesday night, Prime Minister Theresa May made a speech to the nation, telling us how we feel, how she is with us, and it's not her fault, but the MPS for not agreeing with the deal she repeatedly proposes that nobody wants.  I've since seen descriptions of how it was an attempt to hypnotise the nation, and it certainly seems like that - I don't know what else she was trying to achieve?

One impact it has had, however, is to draw attention to a petition: Revoke Article 50. When I signed it, only about 30,000 people had signed.  This has increased massively, to the point where the website crashed this morning!  Every time I refresh the petition page, the number of signatories has increased, and at 14:28 today, it is now up to 972,873! I have even seen one meme suggesting that the House of Commons will take action when the petition reaches 17.4M people, - the number of people who voted Leave in the first place.  I don't know how true it is, but given that  it has increased to nearly a million people in one day, if Brexit is extended even a short while, it won't be long to hit that target.

As for democracy, democracy means that we have a say in politics and who governs us.  It means we can change our minds.  It means that just because conservatives were voted in power once, does not mean that they will stay in power forever.  Just because something was voted in once, does not mean that there is never another vote.  And if new information has come to light - particularly if one 'side' has been accused of electoral fraud and fined - then that vote should be either cancelled or at least redone.  

And that is what the People's Vote is all about - now the general public has more information, and the Leave campaign has been shown to be full of untruths and they still don't have a plan, there should be another vote where people are more informed.

Weekly Update No11

So, if you've been reading more than these updates, you'll see I went into a bit of a funk last week,
and ended up splurging over £200 on a 10day juice programme.  I've done 3 full days so far, so am just about to embark on day 4, and it is working! 

From last Monday, I have lost 1.5kg, but my weight was increasing throughout the week, and Thursday I hit an unwanted peak of over 98kilos.  But, I started the juice programme on Friday, and since then I have lost 2.5kg, over 1kilo the first day, and over 0.5kg on the two subsequent days.  (And yes, anyone who follows my facebook page will notice a discrepancy, where yesterday I claimed I had lost 2.5kilos - turns out despite being a maths tutor, I can't subtract. Doh!)

So, my plan for this week, is to keep on the programme.  The programme itself says you can just drink the juices and smoothies, but you don't have to, and if you do eat, you should eat raw fruit and veg.  Everyday, I've been enjoying a sliced apple dipped in 100% almond butter in addition to the juices.  I plan to keep this up for the full ten days.  However, I'm going out with friends on Friday (yes, despite my wobble last week, I do have friends :) ).  Normally, I'll eat too much and drink at least a bottle of wine to myself...  I asked the makers of the programme for their advice, and they said to avoid alcohol, caffeine and to eat as healthily as possible. I'm going to "be good" and not drink alcohol, and whilst I will try to eat healthy-ish, I want to fully enjoy the Moroccan Tapas we'll be having!  What I haven't worked out yet, is whether I should have the 7pm juice (we're meeting at 7pm in a bar, before eating at 8) and hope that it'll stop me overeating afterwards? Or, should I avoid the extra calories of the juice - save it for another day - and accept the fact I will be eating more than I should either way? 

And, I need to think about how to reintroduce food and eating normally, without piling all the weight back on; or whether I should continue the programme for longer; or whether I should try and recreate the programme at home (I do have a high speed blender for smoothies); or whether I should work out a system where perhaps I eat 2 smoothies a day and a proper dinner; or something else that I haven't thought of.  Any advice gratefully received!

Youth 4 Climate Strike March '19

Yesterday we joined millions of school-aged children and young people world wide to demonstrate how important climate action is. It has been said, that there are only 11 years left in order to change our current approach, until climate change is deemed irreversible for the worse.

It is unbelievable that in this day and age, some people still question climate change - there have been warnings since I was a young child - let alone claim it is a conspiracy or 'fake news'. And yet, when the people who will be directly affected after my generation (and older) are long gone, actually shout and make a noise about the fact their elders are not doing enough, it is met with claims that "they only wanted a day off school", and "the kids are hypocrites" etc.

Nobody leads a perfect life.  Even friends I have that I trying to be totally self-sufficient by growing, making and mending as much as possible, need a car occasionally to get around.  Or another friend who doesn't drive, is vegan and tries to be as environmentally friendly as possible, cannot live totally plastic-free.  And it is unreasonable to suggest that unless you can do all these things and more then you are a hypocrite and it's not worth trying anything.  Bullshit. We can all do a little bit more.  And for things that are outside of our control, we need to use our voice to protest, march, petition and at least try to change the minds of those in power: councils, governments and businesses.

So while the protest we attended was not in a major city, so was not as large as many that were around the country, and around the world, for these 30-odd students (yes, there were more not in the picture) they are showing they care, and give me hope for the future.

Feeling like shit

Bit of a frank post this one.  I've been feeling like shit recently.  A combination of lots of things, including the fact that I ran out of antidepressants on Monday.  I ordered more last week, and thought I had a week's grace, but obviously not. As it takes 4 working days for repeats to be fulfilled, I was only able to collect more on Thursday.

My weight is also increasing.  As I'm an emotional eater, my response to this is to shovel more crap into my pie-hole.  Part of me is curious whether I can actually make it to 100kg?  Anther part of me wonders how high I can make my weight? And the sensible part of me tells me that's a crap idea, I need to lose weight as it is (because I need to have surgery in a couple of years, not just general health reasons), and I'm stupid for even thinking otherwise.

I'm meant to be a 2B Mentor, but I can't even sort out my own head.  I wanted to do the Body Groove Facilitator Training at the end of this month, but thankfully saved my money, as I'm not even managing to do 10min dancing a day, let alone claim to be able to get others dancing.  It is something I would like to do one day, maybe they're next offering it in the UK, but my head isn't there yet.

I watched Isn't it Romantic? last night: "After hitting her head, an architect who hates romantic comedies wakes up to find her unremarkable life has become a dazzling, cliché-driven rom-com".  It was really enjoyable, but made me realise that I don't love myself.  I don't even like myself half the time.  I'm amazed I have friends at all, as I can be so clingy and melancholy at times << I'm hoping that's the depression talking, though it feels very real.

One good thing to come from this slump, is that I haven't got angry!  I always thought, and it seemed to be in the past, that if I came off my ADs, then my temper would run riot.  Actually, it hasn't been the case at all.  I haven't argued with DD1 once this week.  All my anger has turned inwards on myself, which is probably what you'd expect with standard depression.  I did think about going to the chemist/doctors to try and get my medication early since I had run out, but I couldn't convince myself that I was worth it.

I have lost weight before, and I know I can do it again.  But I also know that my head has to be in the right place.  Previously, my weightloss was kickstarted because I had HG when pregnant, causing me to lose 3 stone in the first trimester.  After that pregnancy, I lost a bit more weight, before becoming pregnant again, and managed to lose even more, so I was comfortably down to 64kilos.  That is where I would like to go again.  The 'diet' I used (inverted commas, because it was a lifestyle change) was based on the book Fat Burner Foods by Dr Caroline Schreeve.  It was low carb, high fruit and veg, and high amount of liquids/soup throughout the day too. It showed me that I really don't have to eat very much at all, to stay full and satisfied.  I seem to have lost that along the way.

A few years ago, I was making smoothies daily for breakfast or lunch, and though I didn't lose much weight, I felt much healthier and better in myself, as well as being fitter (I was exercising more then too).  Right now, I have tried to pre-prepare salads and vegetables, I have bought fruit with the honest intention of eating them, but I am wasting lots of food.  Not in the worst way, as I do compost, so it's not just going straight to landfill, but still a waste of food and money.

So what am I doing about it?
Spending even more money of course...

The Core is a raw food and juice bar that also offers programmes. Right now, I don't seem to have the mental function for making food for lunch or dinner (I'm not sleeping well, so am not even waking up for breakfast!), so having everything ready made will be good for me.  I'll be doing the standard 'Juice Programme' and have not yet decided whether I am going to stick to liquids alone, or whether I will need some food alongside, but we'll see how we do.

Now I have started taking my medication again, I hope that this increase in nutrition will kick-start my body into behaving and give me more energy, and help me make the needed steps in the right direction.

Edited to add: I wrote this yesterday and took an AD when I received them in the afternoon.  In the evening, my husband commented how much happier I'd seemed.  It's kinda scary (but good!) how fast/much they affect me.
Last night I even slept well, not waking up until this morning!

Pi Day

Today is Pi Day!  Yes, it doesn't quite work for us Brits, but since there aren't 14 months in the year, we just have to celebrate with the Americans on 14th March (or 3.14).

I'm giving 3 tutorials today, for a variety of abilities, and will be celebrating Pi Day in each of them.
In my first, and longest, tutorial his morning, I started by labelling the parts of a circle (Circumference, Diameter, Radius and Tangent) and got the students to measure the diameter and circumference of a variety of cylinders in order to calculate Pi. 

Then we looked at the real digits of Pi (rather than our calculated attempts) and used a rhyme found in The Joy of Pi by David Blatner:

Sir, I bear a rhyme excelling
In mystic force and magic spelling
Celestial sprites elucidate
All my own striving can't relate.
Or locate they who can cogitate
And so finally terminate. Finis.

This gives the first 32 digits of Pi, where the 33rd digit is zero.

Personally, I can only remember 3.14159265, and in fact for almost all engineering applications, 3.14159 is all the number of digits you need to remember, if you don't have a Pi Button on your calculator.  22/7 is a good approximation for when you do calculations by hand, but these days there's always a calculator/computer/phone nearby to help.

Then we used loom bands to make a Pi Bracelet: Start with 3 bands of the same colour, then use a bead on a different colour band.  Change colours again, and add 1 band.  Change colours again, and use 4 bands.  Change colours again, add 1 band.  Change colours again, use 5 bands, etc...

After this we talked about ways that Pi is used in physics: angular velocity, radians, cosmology, trigonometry, radio waves, electricity, simple harmonic motion, to name a few.  Obviously, within a 1.5hour tutorial, there was not the time to go into each topic in depth, but just enough to illustrate that Pi is actually a really useful number.

Finally, we played a card game: Deal out 5 cards to each player (removing picture cards), leaving the rest in a pile on the table.  Decide who goes first.  The first player has to put down a 3.  (Ignore the decimal point).  If they can't go, they need to pick up one card from the pile and play passes to the next person.  After the 3, a 1 needs to be placed next.  After the 1, a 4, etc. The winner is the first player to have no cards left!


With my own girls, they made Pi Bracelets from loom bands, played cards, and also made pizzas for lunch and we're having pies for dinner tonight. Most maths can be taught using food. Yum!

Remind Me Not To Do This Again!

A couple of years ago, my girls wanted to go to Kidzania, as we often go as a group of home educators altogether.  Someone else was meant to be organising the trip, but when I queried about a month beforehand (so I could buy my train tickets) they said they weren't organising it after all.

Being a bit of a natural organiser, and with experience, I know after the 'general interest' stage, not to accept bookings without payment.  So, I organised a trip for last March for around 30 home educators.  Of course, last winter was known for the Beast from the East, particularly the return of the mini-beast mid-March... the same time we were meant to be going to Kidzania.  On the day, everybody who was planning to drive cancelled, and though 5 or 6 families (including us) bravely got to the train station, all the trains were cancelled.  It was a bit of a nightmare.  Thankfully Kidzania were really understanding, and allowed us to postpone our booking until the May (the next date that we could all attend that was not during school holidays).  The trip took place, and everyone had a good time.

Meanwhile, lots of DD1's dance friends were going on various residential courses with their schools.  As my girls are home educated, I didn't want them to miss out of the experience, not least because I remember all the fun I had when I was on residentials at that age.  So, when they asked if they could go on such a course, I stepped up to organise it.

Simultaneously, I contacted loads of activity centres within a 2-3hr radius of where I live to ask them a myriad of questions, whilst also started a FB group of people who were interested in joining us, if I organised a trip.  Within days we had over 100 members who were interested, and wanted a say in the type of thing being done.  

It is often said that the only thing home educators have in common is that they don't use schools, and that is very true!  I had parents who would only allow their children to come if they didn't have to; and others who would only allow their children to come if they could attend too.  Interested parents had children with a range of physical and learning difficulties, as well as a range of allergies.  Some parents only wanted their children to attend during the day, not overnight (it's a residential!!).  Some parents wanted all accompanying adults to have full DBS checks (if you arrange and pay for it, I'll gladly be DBS checked, but in the meantime, it ain't happening!). Some people would only attend if I arranged transport too (nope).  And yet others wanted a say in everything, but had no intention to come.

Eventually, between all the venues that replied to me, and all the parents with their own conditions and questions that they desperately wanted me to ask, it got narrowed down to one activity centre that does everything we want it to: Parents can attend if they want to, or they can leave their children alone.  There is a choice of 4 night (M-F) or 2 night (W-F) trips.  They can cater for all physical and learning disabilities, and have even allowed some free Carer places for adults who have to accompany their children.  They will accept DLA as part of the booking.  "Supervisors" do not have to be DBS checked; but all their instructors are DBS checked and have first aid certificates etc.  They can cater for all eating requirements and allergies as long as they know about them in advance.  And  we can put in our preferences for the activities we do (though they can't be guaranteed, as there will be other groups on site at the same time).  All in all, it looked really good.  The only requirement is that we need a minimum of 8 children on each trip (4 night or 2 night) in order for them to go ahead. Phew!

The system they use is that after booking, an initial deposit is required after 4 weeks; an interim deposit is required after a further 6 weeks; and the final balance is required 3 months before the trip.  

Despite having over 100 adults in the FB group, when it actually came to asking for money, a lot of people decided that they were no longer interested.  That was to be expected, and why I always ask for money upfront, as I can't afford to fund any shortfall!  We had around 30 children sign up, over the two trips, so a nice amount.  

As time went on, some people had to drop out of the trip.  Initially it was younger siblings, or parents who felt they no longer needed to attend.  For some people their circumstances changed, so they are no longer available. And for a couple of people, they had to pull out due to allergies.  For each change, we were charged a cancellation fee equal to the individual deposits paid so far.

Meanwhile (again), last year Beat the Street came to my town.  As I had asked the question whether other people wanted to join us, it was defaulted to me to set up the team.  Actually, it was a lot of good fun.  Because all members of the family could join in, we had over 100 participants on our team, and we actually won the section for 'Community Groups'!  Our prize was £300 of Decathlon Vouchers, and was up to me to organise getting the prize.  Some people wanted the prize to be split by the number of points won per person, others wanted an even split by family, others still thought it should all go towards the children, and some people didn't want a prize at all, and wanted to nominate their winnings to a charity.  In the end, I made the executive decision to divide the prize by the number of participants, and allocate the vouchers accordingly.  So for example, in my family there are 4 of us, so we had ~£12 to spend.  Because the vouchers were an email code, I could not physically divide the vouchers, but had to buy what everybody asked me for.  Once it was sorted, it was actually quite easy; everybody got what they wanted (eg trophies or bags, or sports equipment) and we managed to get 42 sets of hats, neckwarmers and gloves for a homeless charity in my town.  This was before Christmas, and we're now in March, and hopefully tomorrow, the last of the prizes will finally be collected!

Back to the residential, and people are still dropping out; even after they've paid the final balance! 

We are now down to 9 children on the 2 night trip and 8 on the 4 night trip.  I really hope nobody else pulls out between now and May (when we're going) because we're now at minimum numbers.
Also, though the activity centre has been really accommodating for all our random needs, the first set of invoices that I was sent through, in January, were incorrect - not least because they hadn't removed the two sets of deposits that I paid last year.  We have already past the 3month deadline for paying the final balance, and the invoices have still not been corrected.  I'm in this awkward situation where I don't want to pay them any more money until I know it's right, but I also don't want to forfeit out booking that as been many months in the waiting (or 'making' - I can't remember the right word).  But, things are looking good, and I'm hopeful that I'll be able to pay the final amount this coming week.  And, we've managed to sort out various mementos and souvenirs for those attending who wanted them.

So last year, I organised a day trip in this country, that had problems.

This year, we're going to a 4 night residential in this country, and I've had problems.

Please, please, please remind me not to up the ante again, and attempt to organise a residential either for longer time or in a different country.  Nope.  I don't want to do it.

Weekly Update No10

I've been a bit quiet this week.  Life has been a bit overwhelming (for no obvious reason) so I've been in hibernation, and scoffing all the wrong things.  I've woken up brighter today, so hopefully I've turned a bit of a corner (though in the bad side, I've run out of my meds;  I ordered them last week, thinking I had another week left, but I don't.  I'm hoping this doesn't set me back).  Sunlight definitely helps, and I managed to do some washing and put it on the line. My cleaner also helps, especially on days where I can't face the world.

So, I've not lost any weight (put less than half a kilo on).  I'm going to try and cook better, because when I cook, even if it's the "wrong" things or reheating stuff in the oven, it is still much better for me than takeaways and eating out.

Pringles Ring Engineering Challenge

I saw the Pringles Ring Challenge on Facebook, and I thought that is one I have to try with my girls.  So, this week I bought 3 packets of pringles and we gave it a go.

Obviously, the first thing to do when given a packet of pringles is to empty them everywhere...
though I can attest to the fact that this step doesn't have to be done, as I didn't.

A sneaky peak of DD2
in the background.

The trick is to build the bottom layer thick enough to carry the weight of the pringles that are building up the sides.  Layer them, as if you are building a wall, so they overlap and hold firm.  (Though firm is relative in this case, as all three of us have experiences the pringles toppling sideways.)

DD2 has a gentler touch than DD1, and is well known in our family for balancing things, or building tall towers from bricks, even when she was pretty young.  DD1, otoh, was getting frustrated, until she use her brain and was able to make a pringles ring very easily.

Not sure that was was was expected from the challenge, but is a pringles ring nonetheless!

DD2 and I continued.  It looked like everything was going well for me, until I noticed that the two sides of my ring were unequal heights.


After a bit of readjustment, I managed to fix and complete my ring.

It only had one pringle on the top, so I wanted to make it a bit thicker.  This cockiness caused it all to collapse, but at least I have photographic evidence that I did succeed!

At this point, DD1 and DD2 were turning the table into a campsite by building tents out of pringles.

Eventually, though, DD2 had another go, mixing two different flavours of pringles, and managed to make a heart.  The camera angle doesn't do it justice, so you may need to use your imagination a bit.

Women of Courage: 31 Daily Bible Readings by Jennifer Carter

Women of Courage feels a short book because every chapter is only a few pages long.

Each starts with a short passage about a woman from the Bible, and then expands to how we can put the lessons into practice in our lives.

The blurb says:

Women of Courage explores the lives of inspiring women from the Bible, through thirty-one daily bible readings. In a quest to understand what a Godly woman looks like, Jennifer examines the often untold stories of thirty-one women in the Bible. Each of these remarkable women has much to teach us. They led busy lives and experienced challenges, disappointments and triumphs. Yet each found fruitfulness, purpose and contentment. Their stories can inspire us to be more courageous and help us find our place in God's plans and purposes. Understand more of why God has created you to be exactly the way you are and enjoy the special gifts that He has given you. Discover and embrace the unique plan and purpose for your life, and be set free to experience God’s gift of fullness of life. Find inspiration and hope in the stories of these ordinary, yet courageous, women.

I really liked this book, and it helped me understand more about the women mentioned in the Bible, especially when they are not given a starring role in that context. I particularly liked the thought-provoking questions at the end of each chapter, as they made me think for a while after I’d finished reading.

Weekly Update No9

I started the week well, bought plenty of fruit and enjoyed delicious fruit salads. I only cooked one meal for dinners, and the girls actually ate some of them! DD2 helped making the spaghetti bolognese, and enjoyed eating it too. She also ate the lasagne. DD1 was less keen, but at least tried everything.

As the week progressed, however, especially Friday, Saturday and Sunday my eating went downhill a bit… DD1 made Welsh cakes as it was St David’s Day (my husband is Welsh), Saturday was taken up with the usual dancing, and we ended up snacking and eating sweets in the evening whilst watching a film. And yesterday, I went to church, ate breakfast for lunch, and we went out for dinner. On the good side, I’ve discovered that Pizza Hut’s flatbread pizza’s are delicious, and plenty filling. At home we often make ‘wrap pizza’, so it’s good to be able to have a lighter option when eating out. 

But, despite that, I have lost half a kilo (a pound) over this week, so that’s a good result.  And I'm going to plan some healthy and easy meals for this week too.

Children and Naturism

There's a lot in the media at the moment about children in naturism, and overall I have been pleased with what I've seen.  Much of it has been about the Sandcastle Waterpark event that is currently on in Blackpool, and is advertised as a naturist swim for all the family.  We've actually been to this one, when DD1 was 2yo, and I was pregnant with DD2.  It was good fun, and DD1 enjoyed herself, but it was too far away from where we live to attend every year.  These days, we tend to either go to the Splash Waterworld events in Stoke-on-Trent or The Alton Towers Weekend in Splash Landings Hotel - a full weekend of nudity from 6pm on Friday until Midday on Sunday.  All these events and more can be found on the BN Events Webpage.

This clip from ITV's Good Morning Britain shows a discussion about whether or not it is safe for children to be at these events.  It's a shame that the naturist, Kate Smurthwaite, doesn't have children herself, but I can understand the reticence of parents not wanting to be outspoken on this, not least because I'm fairly anonymous on this blog myself. However, she does make some good points.  The other person, Lottie Daley, didn't imo (though I acknowledge I am biased on this topic).  Her first comment says that body positivity comes from being a good parent - stigmatising parents whose children suffer from body dysmorphia, anorexia, bulimia and what have you.  Then she makes the comment "you're lucky if someone doesn't get aroused in front of your children" - as if a pair of speedos or swimming trunks will really hide an erection! Really?!  As I said in my previous post that BN has strong child protection policies, other naturists are generally very protective of children, and should there be any untoward behaviour, the police are on side.  Now, admittedly, this isn't my area of expertise, but I would imagine a paedophile would want to get his jollies off in such a way that he wouldn't get caught, rather than naked in front of a load of other people... If anything, I'd've thought there would be more kids at a 'normal' Saturday swim, than at a naturist one, and it's not like swimsuits don't show exactly what's underneath on the kids, either.

There was another article this week, on BBC News, about going to a family naturist swim, whilst also advertising the Sandcastle event.  This time it highlighted a petition from a whopping(!) 50 people who think the event should be 18s only.  As a naturist, and a parent, I much prefer events that are open to the whole family.  Partly because it means we can all attend - for example, there are many swims around the country, some of which are open to all and some of which are not.  In my town there is a fortnightly naturist swim, but it's 18+ which means my husband and I can never attend together, because we have children - but also because some establishments misuse the word "naturist".  For example, there are some "naturist spas" in London that are not so much naturist, as naked swinging...  Fine if that's what you're into, but not for me, thank you very much!  By knowing that children can attend if they wish, I know that the event is truly naturist - non-sexual social nudity.

If you are interested in finding a naturist swim where you live, have a look here or here.

DD1's going to school!

We received the email this morning that DD1 got into the school of her choice!

The type of school I like

As I explained in my All Change post, my girls have been home educated up until now, so it was a bit of a shock when DD1 said she wanted to go to secondary school.  We looked around 5 or so different schools and had different opinions about many of them.  There was one I particularly liked, not least because it reminded me of my school (and I liked school) but that it also specialises in Performing Arts, but DD1 didn't want to go there.  Others I was expecting to like, because
of their reputation, I actually didn't.  And one I expected to dislike, I didn't actually mind - so we put that as DD1's second choice. 

The type of school DD1 likes

Her first choice was a school that we both liked, and that is where she got in.  It's a new school, so there is no proven track record of exams or anything, but it will grow with DD1 and I think she'll really like it there.  She was really excited this morning to find out she got in!

DD2 was less pleased, as she likes her sister, and thinks she will miss her when she is in school, which she undoubtedly will.  But I pointed out that DD2 and I have never had time alone together (whereas I did with DD1 in the 3 years before DD2 was born, and even when DD2 was a baby and didn't do much), and she liked the sound of that.

It will be a shock for the family.  I will need to get organised, and I don't know how DD1 will fit in homework and dancing, but it'll be an adventure together and new experiences for the family.