Running and fitness

Back in October a group of friends and I completed the Great South Run 10 mile race. It’s been the focus of my training since I started running, all the way back in January. I have to say that the day was amazing and I’ve loved having the single minded focus of training for the 10 miles, having never run before. I’m grateful to have friends who run, who completely “get it”. I raised around £800 for Macmillan Cancer Support and couldn’t believe how kind and generous friends have been. I feel incredibly lucky. 

Next challenge is Brighton Half Marathon in February. Bring it on. 

School

Since the eldest started school, time has hit some sort of fast forward. Maybe it’s the routine or the non stop events (from show and tell to discos to reading home wow and parents evening). I wish some days I could hit pause and stop running around. There seems to be no time to stop and reflect on what is important. I feel the need, not for speed, but for enjoying them all being so little and actually needing me. I always think about it when I tuck them in and check on them when they’re asleep. 

Time to start blogging once more!

So, life with 3 kind of got in the way of my little blog. Time to start over! So, here’s my pledge, at least one new post every week!

Eldest – now 5 and at school

Middle – 3 and tiny dynamo

Youngest – miss pink! 1 year old with mayhem as default

Me – muddling through, returning to work soon and finding a balance.

What are your challenges at the moment?

6th sense

all babies have this magical power, they sense food is about to be eaten by Mum and they wake up! Substitute food for any type of relaxation…same outcome. 

The thing about 3

so it’s been a few months since I posted last and to be fair, it’s felt like a tornado has passed through, with the arrival of baby number three. Things I have managed to do:

1. Start some kind of hectic routine and enjoy my lovely family

2. Started running and can now do 5k quite comfortably

3. Signed up for a 10 mile race in October (perhaps a bit too optimistic?!)

4. Re do the eldest’s bedroom, middle child is next on my list!

5. Go on holiday – we had an amazing time and enjoyed the sunshine and the company of friends in Florida. 

Things I’ve failed to do:

1. Sleep much

2. Keep in touch with friends as regularly as I should. 

3. Record milestones – I’ve done lots of photos, but anything written down, forget it. 

So I’m going to try, once again, to blog and record, so I’ve got some things to go back to in the future. What did you manage/fail to do i the time after children were born? It’s all about celebrating the little successes. 

All about me

I’m relatively new on Twitter and am just finding my way round, having an explore, generally during the night feeding hours. I found an interesting discussion today on @mumsdays entitled All about you

It got me thinking. What am I about. I have 3 children now, 4, 2 and 5 weeks old. My days are spent with them, as I’m on maternity for the next year. I’m privileged that I live in the UK and we get that long. The kids are my focus, but what about me?

Me time currently consists of 10 minutes to do make hair make up, 15 minute shower and sometimes being allowed to go to the toilet on my own. The odd 5 minutes while kids watch tv and baby sleeps. All my gym plans, self improvement and juicing plans, like the almond milk in the fridge, remain unopened, abandoned but not forgotten.

I’m a new me. An evolving me with new priorities and chaos around me. I’m enjoying this time with baby girl, finding my feet with routine and slowly realising that this is the last time I get to have a newborn bundle to hold and whose hair I can sniff at will. These days won’t come again and I’ll always be evolving.

I miss flying me, the flight attendant who goes away and sees the world. My real passion is for travel and exploring. She will be back though, the flying me. In a year she will be sat in New York or Hong Kong, missing her babies and husband but enjoying the world, if only for a couple of days, before returning to normality and chaos.

For now, I’ll take grounded me and try my best to love every minute. Even with explosive nappies around. On that note…

Post baby haze

Sorry for the long pause. Baby decided to make a rather early appearance at the end of October, 8 days before scheduled c section. I’m so in love and clouded in that post baby haze, combined with toddler mayhem. 6 days until husband returns to work and I have to do this solo, sometimes 4 days at a time. It’ll work out, but it’s all about the routine.

Currently single handedly sponsoring Costa Coffee Tassimo pods it seems, just to keep awake.

It’s worth it though, very worth it.

The start of Mat leave

So I’ve finished work. Done, dusted and stored for a year. I’m torn in the sense that I love work and the people I worked with when I was grounded. As I normally fly for a living, a stint in the office is a welcome change.

Now I’m faced with just over a year at home, for a third time, with bump #3 and 2 toddlers. Suddenly it seems very real. I’m very torn between wanting to get everything done, seeing everyone before the mayhem of a newborn and just wanting to spend time with the boys and husband. I’ll admit, it’s a privileged dilemma. Not many other countries allow you to have a year off after baby, with a job at the end of it. The sad truth is, that at times work is my escapism. It’s the one time my husband or the grandparents can have the kids, without me feeling guilty. It’s a legit reason to be out, not being self indulgent (and doing a lap of triumph around a shopping mall/coffee shop etc after a hard week).

I can’t wait for baby to be here but I’m acutely aware of this being the last 3 weeks of only having 2 gorgeous babies, a big and little brothers. Soon they will be two big brothers. I’m squeezing in as many cuddles and adventures as I can, with just the two of them. Although something tells me it’ll all be fine, when, in the morning they come in, demand to see bump and give her lots of cuddles and kisses, ask how she slept and if she’s nearly here to play with yet. To sum up, I’d say I’m just really really lucky to have so much love. To top it all off, I saw a double rainbow on my way home.

The last days before maternity leave

So today I went to work, for my third to last day. I finish at the end of next week. This time has always been a mixed one, with each of my pregnancies. I feel good about accomplishing a lot. The last few months have flown by and I have finished a few big projects. As Cabin Crew/Flight attendants, we get grounded when we report to the company that we are pregnant. We then work in an office environment, which can be a good thing, for a change and a rest from jet lag.

Today I did some major handover stuff for my boss. We have a course to run next week and I felt the need to organise everything before I left for the weekend. It’s part of nesting I think. I just hate the thought of going into labour and work needing to still be done. As a result, his desk looked like Mt Everest. The photo on here was about half way through. It did make me laugh.

I’ll be sad to finish but also really glad of the time off before baby comes (hopefully!). I’m getting really tired and uncomfortable now. I know with a new born, at times I’ll feel that work would come as a welcome rest, but as with the last two, I have to remember that a year goes by so quickly and before I know it, I’ll be somewhere like New York and missing my babies. I guess I have to learn to embrace the present. Still, looking forward to my leaving lunch next week, a good excuse to celebrate.

Infernal nocturnal hamster

The hamster is truly truly nocturnal. The boys have been campaigning to give her a cuddle, but no such luck! She has been spotted outside of her house once during daylight hours. Night times are a different matter though, all I can hear is “thump, crash, spin, scratch” from downstairs.

It’s like she has her own private spin class all night and then sleeps it off during the day!