Uncategorized

Waving goodbye to our mattress

Posted on by Libby Price

Recently one of the furniture companies was running radio adverts saying you should replace your mattress every 8 years.  Then I was stabbed by a spring when sleeping – and so decided, after discussions with the husband, that our long serving super kingsize mattress should be replaced.

We’ve been through a lot with that mattress!  Whilst I moved into the house my husband had shared with his ex wife (she’d vacated before I arrived – before I’d even met her ex, actually!) we did replace their bed pretty smartish – but that means the bed has been with us for over 13 years.

It’s been through 4 pregnancies (not all 4 conceptions – half of those stories involve a Premier Inn near Blackpool and Centerparcs Longleat!), 4 lots of breast feeding, 4 lots of potty training and numerous illnesses – not to mention some (although definitely not enough) sleeping.  In fact after writing all of that down, perhaps we should have considered replacing it sooner?!? ** Might not put all that info in the Ebay listing to flog it **

So once we’d decided to look for a new mattress – I went to my usual source of all things for the house – the John Lewis website.  I searched for a super kingsize mattress, and then ranked my search from high to low in terms of price and was SHOCKED to see that the most expensive mattress was £15,500!!!  I posted my shock at this on Facebook to which friends made various suggestions as to why it was so expensive – it being gold plated, or coming with a sesh with Magic Mike being my favourites!  Anyway – we decided we couldn’t decide without trying the mattress out – so off we went to good old John Lewis.

Mattress John Lewis

I was disappointed that John Lewis in Solihull didn’t have the £15,500 mattress in stock.  Who would spend that much money on a mattress without first having a chance to lie on it?!

Anyway – we tried out everything the store had to offer.

Mattress testing

Memory foam still seems to be popular – but I really struggle with it. I suffer from pretty bad motion sickness (I threw up after the Harry Potter ride in Orlando this summer, and have even been known to feel sick on a swing or a lilo!) and it seems that the way the memory foam ‘settles’ when you turn over makes me want to vom – so they were ruled out pretty much straight away.

In the end we went for a mid range sprung mattress – that should arrive just before Christmas.

The husband is now coming up with suggestions of what we need to do on the mattress before it goes.  Oh dear…………..

The #hashtag goes at the beginning

Posted on by Libby Price

My husband is not as prolific on social media as I am.

He has a Facebook page (where most of the entries are him being tagged in posts or photos by me or family members!)

He has a Twitter profile which he (actually I) set up during the labour of our 4th child to pass the time, but he’s tweeted only a handful of times.

Anyway, the other day he finished an email to a few of us at work with ‘what is the point#’

hashtag

a) I assumed the hashtag was a spelling error / fat finger issue

b) it was at the end not the beginning

c) there were spaces between the words

But hey – at least he tried – and now he knows it should be at the beginning.#smallsteps

 

 

Social media recognition

Posted on by Libby Price

Today we were out for lunch, and totally randomly, the Dad of the family sitting on the  table behind us was someone I used to work with 20 years ago – and I probably haven’t seen him for 15 years!  He had his back to us – but popped over to say hello. I was concerned he had heard my familiar dulcet Brummie tones (we sat next to each other for 3 years studying for our Chartered Accountancy exams)  – but actually, it was his wife who’d recognised us!  I’d never met her before – but she thought we were familiar from her husband’s Facebook…..

(And obviously you meet someone you haven’t seen for many years when your 5 year old has got herself dressed and appears to be channeling a refugee whilst wearing school tights, denim skirt and white tank top with boots that are too small so she takes them off to walk in just her tights, with a bizarre flowered headband and scruffy hair …………)

My husband isn’t as prolific on social media as me (not many people are!) but has still been recognised at rugby matches and shopping with the kids by people who’ve never met him in person because they’ve seen photos of him on my profile.  Actually – when our daughter first started at her new school last September, one of the mother’s commented on first meeting him that she’d seem him naked – from behind sat down working in a hotel in New York on one of my photos I should add!!  Although having starred in a charity calendar this year – an awful lot of people can say the same (in fact a local estate agent came up to him at lunch today to say he was on her kitchen wall in the buff ………)

Calendar 1

Calendar 3

And if anyone would like a calendar (raising funds for one of Finlay Church‘s charities – Brain Tumour Research) – then there are just a few left!!

Unpredictable annoyingness!

Posted on by Libby Price

Last week I was lamenting on Facebook the fact that one of my new kitchen appliances plays a tune – but isn’t in tune!  The tumble drier is bang on, but the last note of the washing machine’s tune is wrong.  I even videoed it and posted it so my friends could agree.  It sparked a lengthy debate – and I was particularly pleased that one friend (who also happens to be a highly trained musician and head of the music department at my daughter’s school) gave a full technical explanation of what was wrong! (A full semi tone flat, don’t you know!?!)

This got me to thinking how 10 years ago I would not have predicted being annoyed by the tune played by some white goods – because white goods wouldn’t have played a tune!  So what else is ridiculously annoying now, but we wouldn’t have foreseen:

  1. Someone changing the channel so your double recording on Sky+ fails.  The thought of recording 2 things, in real time, in fact even one thing in real time, would have been mind blowing.  I remember when our eldest was a baby weeping hysterically because ‘all I want to do is watch Dalziel and Pascoe’ (early 2000s detective series!)  Those were the days when you could watch in real time, or watch on video after the whole programme was recorded – there was no other option.  Sky+ was invented between having my first 2 kids and second 2 kids and made for a much happier mother of a newborn! But still – the clashes thing is annoying.  Although now in the world of catch up TV and TV on demand, this might be a soon forgotten annoyance.
  2. People being incommunicado.  A decade ago if you wanted to get in touch with someone then you’d try their home phone and mobile and that was about it.  You could email – but that relied on them logging on to an actual computer to read it – so wasn’t instantaneous. Now with smart phones you would expect all of the above to be instant, or you could Facebook / Tweet / Instagram / Snapchat to try and get in touch.  But if someone doesn’t respond to any of these media, it is all the more annoying.  10 year old boys appear to be even worse than their fathers at this #sorepointfromschoolruntoday
  3. I always assumed my friends were quite intelligent and had a basic grasp of spelling and grammar.  Social media has proved, in some cases, for me to be very much mistaken.
  4. When your broadband fails.  A large chunk of my life relies on the super whizzy fibreoptic broadband at home – so that I can work remotely rather than going into the office, and to do the shopping, banking, holiday booking, social media oversharing etc. So when the broadband is down, I feel like I’ve lost my right arm.  Not to mention the woe felt by the children if the wifi fails for even a minute (when the 3 year old is wailing because Youtube and Netflix don’t work, you can see who they take after!!) Who would have thought even a decade ago how reliant we would be on our broadband connections.  The children will never appreciate the fact that historically you had to wait for everyone to finish their telephone conversation (on the landline of course) so that you could use the dial up modem to access the internet – very, very slowly!!
  5. Multiple colour coded bins.  There were bins, with bin bags in, then bin men emptied them.  End of.  Although i guess we should be grateful that in Worcestershire we only have grey (household waste), green (all recycling) and brown (garden waste). Other counties in the UK have many more receptacles for different waste products – and don’t even get me started on Germany where my sister lives – I think she has 8 different waste routes (and woe betide you if you put something in the incorrect one!!)
  6. Having blog posts in your ‘drafts’ but no time to finish them off!  Who would have known what a blog was back then?  Who would have expected I’d have 4 kids, a business, and loads of other stuff to ridiculously fill my days! A decade ago it was just the 2 kids (and a husband who’d had a vasectomy) and I worked for a large company, not our own business – oh how times  have changed!  Anyway, on that note,  I’m going to post this so it doesn’t sit in my drafts any longer!!

Being Blonde……..

Posted on by Libby Price

This evening I took my husband’s car to pick up the eldest from Guides.

I’d forgotten he’d put the roof bars and gubbins on ready to take some canoes to the River Severn for the Scouts tomorrow morning – until I hit the overhead barrier going in to the car park…………………………………

Thankfully after I phoned and confessed (and confirmed all bits and pieces still appeared to be on the roof) I was briefed on a special button to press to make the car drop lower, and we managed to escape without hitting anything #winner

Book Review: The Lie by C L Taylor

Posted on by Libby Price

The Lie

“This was no accident…

Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter.

I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes . . .

Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist.

Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women.

Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed Jane and everything she loves . .”

This was recommended to me by a friend on Twitter – and we usually have similar tastes in books, so I had high hopes.  I wasn’t disappointed.

From early on I was intrigued as to what was going to happen both in the present day story and back 5 years ago on the ‘trip of a lifetime’.  The chapters flipped between the 2 time periods, but it didn’t feel formulaic at all.  The tension kept building in both story lines and it really kept me wanting to come back and read more.

There were a few times when I wanted to shout at Emma / Jane – as is often the case in these types of books – but overall I did like her (which is always a bonus – and makes a big difference from Gone Girl where everyone was unlikeable!)

It felt well written, and whilst keeping you entertained, wasn’t too complex a read.  I’d definitely recommend this to fans of this genre.

.

Boobs the size of a head?!

Posted on by Libby Price

Today I suffered a hideous pain, one comparable with stepping on a piece of Lego, being stabbed in the boob with a stray underwire.

This was a bra that had already tried to injure me before, and I’d attempted to reinforce it (me, sewing, I know!) but I find that once underwires have tasted freedom, they’re never quite the same again.

After being stabbed all morning whilst assisting with family swimming – I decided enough was enough and removed it at lunchtime.  My husband was astounded at the size of the underwire (and he’s not unfamiliar with my chest area!) – so obviously he wore it as a headband…..

Underwire

Then the 3 year old wanted a go – but it was far too big for her little head.

I guess I probably should take note of the washing instructions and only handwash them – but isn’t life too short for handwashing?!?

Just say no?

Posted on by Libby Price

At the moment I seem to be even more frantically busy than usual – but having said that, I seem to have been in this state for quite some time.  I was bemoaning this to a friend over coffee the other day, and said ‘I really should learn to say no sometimes’. So – should I be like Zammo (1980’s Grange Hill reference there for those under 40) and ‘Just Say No?’

I then read an article in this month’s Red magazine (whilst having a soak in Epsom salts – it’s the thing to do, don’t you know?  Well according to one of my sisters, and more recently Victoria Beckham – so I’m in!) and the Creative Director of Top Shop, Kate Phelan, was interviewed.  When asked ‘best piece of career advice I’ve been given’ she replied ‘Seize every opportunity and make it count.  Never say no. No task is insurmountable.’

And maybe that applies to life not just your career??

But is it genetic??  When my Dad retired he was quite happy to potter around at home, a gentle stroll to the paper shop, a chat with a passing neighbour, watch any sport or TV programme, a snooze in the chair, a quick whizz through the list Mum had left him before she went to work – and he was quite happy!  When Mum retired it was another matter! She learnt to swim, to speak German (the aforementioned sister lives in Germany, so a useful thing to do), she invigilated GCSE exams at the local school, volunteered with a debt advice charity – as well as looking after her Mum who lives nearby, daily walks with a friend (when neither of them were on holiday) and helping out with grandchildren / friends etc. Maybe I’m just more my Mum than my Dad?  (Apart from the eczema, hayfever, allergies, weird scratching of the back of my throat and slightly odd way of walking in bare feet which are TOTES my Dad!)

If I had said ‘no’ then I wouldn’t have helped some awe inspiring friends raise loads of money for charity and break a world record.

If I had said ‘no’ then I wouldn’t be helping to organise an AMAZING ball to be held in September (I am sure I will be blogging about that soon!!).

If I had said ‘no’ then I wouldn’t have had a sneak preview behind the scenes at the new Grand Central Birmingham earlier in the week.

If I had said ‘no’ or been a bit lethargic, perhaps we wouldn’t have ticked off 78 of the owls in The Big Hoot 2015. (Although I suspect my children would maybe have preferred if I hadn’t been quite so obsessive about the owls…………)

But if I had said no to these things – what would I have done?  Watched soap operas or reality TV?  Gone to the pub?  Surely these life enhancing, weird and wonderful things add to life?  I read one of those spoof motivational posters on Facebook today that said ‘You will never remember the days you went to bed early.’ – and that is very true!  My Fitbit will attest that I should probably get more sleep than I do – but Margaret Thatcher survived on 4 hours sleep per night, so I am clearly channeling my inner iron lady.

As long as my family and friends don’t feel they are being neglected (and I don’t think they do?!), and my work is getting done (albeit at 11pm some nights – the joy of being the boss!) then I think saying ‘yes’ has to be the way forward.

So let’s see what saying ‘yes’ ** for the next few months will bring…………..

** Note:  Just to confirm, having quote Zammo above, I will not be saying yes to any illegal substances – just life experiences!!

Extra virgin?

Posted on by Libby Price

Right – so what exactly does ‘extra virgin’ mean (in the context of olive oil??)

The staff in Ask have it written on their T shirts – so the 10 year old thought it was a suitable question for the lunch table today.

My definition of ‘not messed about with’ caused much hilarity for the husband and older 2 kids……….

Happy Blog-i-versary to me!

Posted on by Libby Price

It is exactly one year to the day since I posted my first ever blog post. In answer to the title of that post, the conclusion was definitely to blog!

It’s been a hectic year – I’m not really sure there’s any other kind of year in this house – and I haven’t blogged as much as I’d thought I would – but I didn’t envisage spending so much time in the company of teddy bears (but it’s not every year you help to SMASH a world record) or organising a ball (more of that to come in the coming months). I guess it highlighted to me my priorities – and blogging had to take a bit of a backseat to helping friends in difficult times.

That’s not to say I’ve been too slack with the blogging – I’ve blogged about transatlantic trips to New York, Chicago and Washington – about many, many books that I’ve read (some that I’ve been given for free for solely that purpose – result!), about my family, our days out, our days in and lots in between.

I’ve joined in linkys with Tara on The Sticky Fingers blog and Emma on Brummy Mummy of 2 – but only when I had suitable content (I can’t bear when people shoe horn irrelevant stuff into the supposed topic!) Through these linkys I’ve ‘met’ some lovely fellow bloggers – and in a ‘it’s an incredibly small world’ my sister ended up picking up teddy bears from one of them down in Hampshire for the aforementioned world record attempt. #smallworld

I even made Mumsnet Bloggers front page with my A-Z of strops from my youngest.

I was asked the other day why I blog, and what I’d change. Well, I feel like I’m mainly doing it as a record of the Price family’s life. Even in one year, it’s great to look back at what we’ve done (and read!) and have everything kept in one place to flick through. The modern day equivalent of a photo album / scrapbook I guess.

Part of me thinks if I devoted more time to it then maybe I could be making more of it – reviewing more things, running competitions, my own linky etc – but there aren’t enough hours in the day on top of family, work, home, friends – so for now I plan to pootle on as I have for the last year. We’ll save world domination for the future – you have been warned!

Thanks to everyone who has commented, ‘liked’, shared, guest written, been a star of a post (especially my long suffering family) and just stalked from afar. Lots of love to you all!!

Here’s to the next year!!