Time Flies When You're Having Fun

It's one of those blog posts again. The one where I apologise profusely for neglecting my blog.

I have been busy though. And it is the summer holidays!

Firstly, I have to report that my big boy left primary school. This is his first and last day picture!

What a difference!

I have given him a mobile phone, and although it feels so wrong for an 11-year-old to own a phone, it is rather handy. And he does text me cute stuff.

At the start of the summer holidays, while the boys were off on holiday with their dad, I went to Alcudia for a week with a good friend.

We had a fabulous holiday. It was the most chilled out, cocktail induced break I've had. Gwen and I had such fun, it was sad to come home.






Upon my return, I was dashing to London to meet with my lovely, gorgeous editor, Charlotte Ledger to discuss books, and to let me nose around the new building. I have touched the Harper Collin's wall of books!

I was chuffed to bits to see one of my books on the shelf too!

We had a great lunch, with cocktails (keeping me in the Alcudia spirit) and it was inspiring to brainstorm ideas about my next couple of books.

You'll have to watch this space on the writing front (not that I've got much done during the past few weeks).

The rest of the holidays have so far been catching up with family, a visit to Center Parcs, Slimbridge. (The swans are shrinking! Oh, wait, my kids are getting bigger...)

We have steam trains on the agenda, among other things. And I only have two weeks left to squeeze it all in... Don't even think about September being around the corner and the start of school! :-O

I promise to be a better blogger. But sometimes, real life does get in the way.

Advent Calendar Day 4 - Happy Birthday Ben!

I had to save the 4th door for my eldest son, Benjamin.

He turned 11 today!

I have absolutely no idea where all the years have gone. And I still remember his birth as if it was yesterday (well, almost - there are bits I have chosen to forget).

Ben does make me proud! As all mums wish, I hope he turns into a loving, handsome, young man. I am trying my best. Having two sons, I tell myself I'm bringing up future husbands! I want my future daughter-in-laws to thank me.

Ben is my quietly confident son, who is quite sensible but has no fear - except of some vegetables. He is becoming a bit annoying at times... as he's verging on turning into a teenager and tends knows it all. This is when he frustrates me. However, he shares my great sense of humour and even my sarcasm.



We never used to put the Christmas decorations up until the middle of December in our family, usually because we had a real tree. However, since Ben came along, I've always let him celebrate his birthday first, allowing his cards to stay up for a week (which is how long I tend to allow birthday cards to stay up!) Once they come down, then the Christmas cards can go up and the tree and decorations.

I do feel for him, as he has to wait a whole year for presents to open on his birthday, and then a few weeks later it's Christmas. It's a bit of a nightmare when it comes to present hunting!  And the expense. I made sure I planned Kieran better ;-)

Do you have a family birthday in December? How do you make sure they get to celebrate their birthday, and not get it lost in the excitement of Christmas?

My favourite photo of us! Taken this summer in Bristol. 

With Enough Coffee....

I am determined to get my boys to drink tea and/or coffee. I've just never been sure when to do this, considering both drinks do contain caffeine, which is a stimulant, and I don't wish to have them up all night, unable to sleep. They are children after all!

Then I came up with a cunning plan... I'd buy decaffeinated. (Yeah, I know, not all that cunning... why I hadn't thought of this earlier!) This means they can have a warm drink before bed (or after school) and it doesn't always have to be hot chocolate.

And I'm determined to introduce it to them without adding sugar!

Now, the reason I want my kids to like drinking tea and coffee is because I've observed, over the years, those who don't drink hot drinks like tea or coffee tend to drink a lot more fizzy drinks during the day... and in so doing so, either have shocking teeth or are overweight. (Sorry but that is the truth of it).

As I don't really wish to name and same all the fizzy drinks and be sued. And energy drinks, which in my opinion are EVIL, for this article I will refer to them all as pop.

Pop are high in calories and don't even hydrate you. It makes me so mad when I see young children choosing these drinks as an option! Even if you drink the diet pop variety, you will not lose weight. (Ever noticed the amount of people drinking these drinks and are not losing weight?) The reason being is these drinks are sending the wrong messages to the brain that a sweet thing is about to enter the stomach... but that sweet thing isn't really sugar... and so then the brain craves the sugar it didn't get... and so the person tends to eat more because of it. Defeating the whole objective of the diet 'pop'.

Hot drinks are more sociable too. Nowadays the in thing to do is to meet for coffee. (We have Costas in abundance in Weston-super-Mare and they are all busy!)

I know my love for coffee began once I started working full time in my first proper job, but my dad had from an early age given me milky coffee. I remember having it in a glass cup and saucer.

Probably like most coffee drinkers, I need a cup of coffee every morning to give me that kick start. I drink more when I'm writing or at work too. But I do usually stop drinking coffee in the afternoon and switch to green tea (with lemon or mint - but has to be Clipper), unless meeting someone for coffee. I don't drink black tea. Never have. Can not, for the life of me, get round the taste of it to enjoy it.

In my opinion if you're going to drink pop - do the full fat variety and keep it to special occasions. I very occasionally have a Coke - it is my guilty pleasure. But it's probably once in about six months that I dirnk it. Usually with vodka, or when nursing a hangover. Or I really need that sugar fix, but I never drink diet. I can taste the artificial sweeteners and I don't like them.

I know my kids will drink pop eventually, but I want to encourage that they only do it on special occasions, and choose a healthier option if they need a drink. So the boys and I are getting into a cosy routine at reading time before bed, to have a cup of tea or milky coffee, or a hot chocolate, and hopefully their passion for tea and coffee will begin.

Are you a tea or coffee drinker? Or both?