Five Things - My Week This Week 03/07/2016

I have borrowed the idea for this blog post from the lovely Rhian Westbury at www.rhianwestbury.co.uk and I thought it would be relatively easy to write but it turns out that I need to be a whole heap more organised.

I have got into the really bad habit of not writing stuff down with the obvious result that I occasionally forget where I am supposed to be.  The Husband is always nagging me about using Google Calendar and I have promised to get to grips with it and sync it with my phone.

This type of post is also a great way of focusing your mind on the great things that happened.  I think we are all guilty of being slightly miserable sometimes when actually some great things have happened for us.

Anyway,  this is my first attempt at sharing what went on in the Hobbis Household this week.

5 Things I Did This Week 

Celebrated Ieuan's 7th birthday.  Yes, our boy has reached the grand old age of 7 and has swopped his previous obsession with Spiderman to anything Star Wars.  He has rather a large collection of light sabers and likes to challenge us to a fight.  He's so handy we're thinking of enrolling him into a fencing course.

Ieuan at Pizza Express

Took the kids to school in pouring rain.  The Husband was supposed to go to Saudi on a business trip but came down with the lurgi and stayed in bed - which is really unusual for him. When he's home we usually share the school run duties but there was no way poor Mat was going to make it early on in the week!

Finished reviewing Executed in Paradise by Deborah Brown.  I'm on on the reviewing panel for Beck Valley Books who have some great authors but I really have to discipline myself to put my PC down and take time out to read.  I do love my Kindle but there's nothing like a hard copy of a book.

All our careful teaching about not playing with your food hasn't worked.

Took Caitlin to ballet.  Ieuan had his second Tae Kwon-do grading on Saturday for his yellow belt so Mat stayed behind to help him learn his patterns whilst I did the ballet run.  Caitlin will be taking Grade 2 with the Royal Academy of Dance in November and attends the Nicola Peros School of Ballet.  Mrs Peros also runs adult ballet classes and if I can ever sort out childcare, I'd love to go to her lessons.  I studied ballet up until I was 16 and think it's a fabulous hobby to have for posture and discipline. Whilst Caitlin is having her lesson, I usually go either to a local pub, The Plum or Chapter Arts Centre for a coffee.  It's my little bit of weekly peace.

As you can tell, most of my time revolves around the kids but I did manage to get to Pandora in Cardiff to buy some new charms for my bracelet (a birthday present from the Husband). I really think they need a separate customer service desk to help those who are queuing just to get their bracelets cleaned or fixed. I queued for about 20 minutes!

5  Great Things To Happen

I'm not a big football fan but Wales beating Belgium in the Euros was pretty special this week.  We watched Germany playing Italy on Saturday night and that match seemed really dull in comparison.

 My niece Georgia has come to visit.  Caitlin and Ieuan love seeing their cousins and have loads in common with them even though there is quite an age gap.  Emily is 21, Lloyd is 19 and Georgia is 16 but my two are not daunted in the slightest from demanding that videos and photos be shared. Caitlin has become a mini teenager and nails have already been painted and coated in glitter.

Our neighbours bought a quieter washing machine.  This might not sound like much but believe me after 6 months of listening to its spin cycle vibration which was louder than our TV, it's a lot to me.  Their old machine has been on its last legs  for ages and now it's gone - hurrah!

Ieuan got full marks for his spelling - again. Despite being averse to homework, he seems to be breezing through to the end of Year 2.

Caitlin is calmer and a bit less stressed.  I'm not sure why but she has been quite panicky lately and is now settling down after the trauma of school sports day is over.  She even managed to win one of the races.

Georgia, Caitlin & Ieuan at Cafe Rouge

5 Things Which Sucked

Brexit.  I appreciate everyone has the right to their opinion but boy oh boy the sanctimonious were out in force on Facebook, weren't they?  I've never seen so much bad temper, name calling and finger pointing.  I voted Remain and am horrified by where we seem to be headed but I have to respect the fact that I was in the minority.

Having been told off by the dentist (twice!) for not cleaning my back teeth properly, I've been trying to get to grips with an electric toothbrush - which is great for cleaning my teeth but sets my jaw off nicely.  I have mild TMJD which means my jaw aches if it is too stretched.  I also changed from a sensitive toothpaste to one which promises to renew the enamel but now I have really sensitive teeth!

My tinnitus has been quite bad this week although I am definitely noticing a link between extra whistling and coffee, salty foods and bad foods like packet noodles (yes I know).

The Walkers Spell & Go Holiday Competition - I don't know if you are playing this one where each packet of Walkers Crips has a code that allows you to win the letters which spell a holiday destination such as Nice or Cyprus.  Having eaten so many crisps we can't face any more, we are now trying to find a C and a K. And so are the rest of the UK crisp eaters.

Car insurance - it's not that it sucks particularly, but it does when your premium is up for renewal.  We have got into the habit of paying annually because I resent being charged extra to pay monthly which means I usually forget it's due till the renewal letter plops on to the mat.

5 Things To Do Next Week

Insure the car!  I have a Skoda Roomster and I love it.

Plan how I'm going to get the kids to their various birthday parties since Mat will be working away this week.  When there's just one of you it's difficult to co-ordinate everything.

Tidy up Caitlin's bedroom.  There is stuff everywhere despite the fact we've got boxes and crates to store it in.

Shopkins everywhere!

Get out into the garden.  To be fair it seems to be doing quite well on its own but I planted quite a few herbs last year and apart from the rosemary I can 't find any of them!

Chase up the results of my blood tests.  I was recently prescribed Levothyroxine for an underactive thyroid and I have just had my first blood test since to see if the minimum dose is OK.  I'm really hoping it is.  I hate taking medication because I worry about what it will do to my tinnitus.

Well, that was my week.  What have you been up to?