Hi's and Lows

I had another 'outing' last night! I am quite the social animal these days! No not really! It was a long-standing invite, a friend and inspirational colleague was retiring after 40 years! Although yet again I wanted to stay at home in my comfort zone (pyjamas and TV and bed at 11pm) I owed it to Sara to get 'out there'!

It's strange being at a 'reunion'. To meet people you haven't seen for years, taking yourself back 11 years to when you first worked with them.

You can feel pulled, between who you were then and who you are now. Memories seem so perfect; you remember the Technicolor highlights not the real lows!

Life does move on inexorably but sometimes you can yearn for what has been.

I do, because I know what will happen, now I have the 'Knowledge' and could do it confidently, perhaps even better, if I got a second go!

But, of course, life is not like that, so for me ( always looking on the downside) to confront my memories is also about me measuring myself against my mistakes. What I could have done differently or better, what I did not do, opportunities that were not seized!

For me my biggest guilt is who I have lost contact with. My single-child free past was all about being able to drop everything and go off, to remember birthdays and occasions.

My children have changed me forever. They take pride of place, full precedence, thinking about them and being responsible for them fills my mind and there is no space for remembering birthdays, sending 'nice post to friends' impromptu nights out!

So ultimately the 'Reunion' was lovely, it was great to see everyone, to catch up on where they are now, brief snapshots and possible future 'meet-ups'.

It was just as nice however to sneak off and go home. To give the Big Boy a long cuddle that covered 11 years of shared history. To go upstairs and tuck in two small warm bodies and kiss their cheeks and whisper into their ears, "I love you very much."

Authors Note:

Midweek 'Mums trip out' to the cinema to see 'My Sister Keeper', was an enormous error, we cried, we sobbed and a small soggy tissue mountain was created!

It is frame after frame of, beautifully acted and shot, unexpurgated sorrow.

Like Pandora's box, it seems to have released a flood of emotions that have been lurking these last few days! Hopefully a run this afternoon will blow the cobwebs away (a good alternative to Chocolate Cake (9lb off to date!!!).

If you put 'soggy tissues' in as an image search on Google, this is the first image you get! Nuff Said!

Saturday Night, Sunday Morning

Last night I hit 'Town'!

Well actually I went for a meal to celebrate a girlfriends birthday and met all her mates who are a bit younger than me and (the important bit…) don't have kids!

Pre-Children, going out into Manchester was a given. Big Boy and I would think nothing of propping up our favourite bars, visiting a few of them as the mood took us and then rolling into a nightclub to finish off by drinking more and dancing till we dropped.

Post-Children that is not an automatic choice when we have a precious childfree weekend! I have become an expert at fending off invites to 'Go into town.' Initially it would be because one or other of the children was ill or sickening. Then it might be that I had nothing to wear, or couldn't afford it, couldn't cope with a late night and then getting up with the kids in the cruel morning and finally it was because I didn't feel that I could pass muster, in 'Town'. I was past it!

Post-Children we have got a house near a nice school but a more expensive taxi ride from 'Town'. You see, Manchester is always 'Town' and though we live in Stockport that is always, well Stockport!

Going out is either the coffee bars near us, which with their close proximity to home you don't tend to push the boat out very far, your bed is always calling.

Stockport Town Centre, forget it!

'Town', in my on-lookers, post-baby and past-it opinion is where IT's at. The bright lights, the buzz of people having a good time and the best people-watching material ever!

I started to go regularly into town a few years ago. I book theatre tickets for the Royal Exchange, and go, whatever it is, to feel me again, this is something just for me and the children know when Karen arrives that I am on one of my theatre nights and I will come back.

Just being in town and mixing with 'normal people' makes me realise I am still young (ish) life didn't end with children; in fact it is still there to be grabbed. Last night was further confirmation of that.

I drove; it really was how I persuaded myself to go (having a cheap quick exit parked around the corner). The company was enjoyable. The food was affordable. I felt like I fitted in (well no-one stared) and I didn't go on about the kids (much). I left like Cinderella on the stroke of…10 (Cinderella didn't have kids) and drove home to enjoy a bit of peace& quiet and dial-up TV. But it felt good .

When Big Boy lurched in from his local night out (boys are not as hampered by these hang-ups) I informed him, that in the future, now the children are older, we would be hitting 'Town'!

And enjoying it!

Tagged

Tagged by Katherine of Supply and Demand

This tag stuff is new to me and certainly not as easy as when we were at school- you only had to tag one person to pass on! Here goes!

8 Things I am looking forward to

1. Having a childfree weekend courtesy of my parents.



2. Seeing the children again!



3. Going out to see a friend for her birthday in town (v.rare event!)



4. Coming home to Big Boy, feeling glad I don't have to do all that anymore!



5. Undisturbed Lie-ins (in about 15 years?)



6. Small Boy starting school ( also dreading it!)



7. Losing more weight…



8. …then being able to eat what I like and stay thin.

8 Things I did yesterday

1. Got woken up by Small Boy

2. Checked clock without glasses on.

3. Got the kids up.

4. Went downstairs to make the packed lunches.

5. Checked the microwave clock

6. Saw it was 5am!

7. Went for a coffee after work with friends (see 1 above)

8. Went to see Transformers at the Cinema and loved all the silliness.

8 Things I wish I could Do

1. Achieve World Peace.



2. Lose weight fast



3. Eat biscuits and still lose weight



4. Cook nice puddings and still lose weight! (Ok stuck record!)



5. Not worry about worrying.



6. Never get cross with my children even at 5am.



7. Afford to on holiday abroad every school holiday!



8. Invent the self-cleaning house and give up cleaning forever.

8 Favourite fruits

1. Strawberry Cream tea



2. Cherry Garcia Ice-cream



3. Gooseberry Fool



4. Apple Crumble



5. Banana Split



6. Blueberry Cheesecake



7. Peach Bellini



8. White wine (grapes?)

8 Places I'd like to Travel

1. Rio De Janeiro (Central Station)



2. Wyoming (Brokeback Mountain)



3. New York (When Harry met Sally & The fisher King)



4. Greek Islands (Mama Mia, Mediterraneo)



5. Jordan (Transformers)



6. Mississippi (O Brother Where art Thou?)



7. New Zealand (Whale Rider)



8. Tokyo (Lost In Translation)

8 Places I have lived

1. Moss Side, Manchester



2. Hong Kong



3. Germany



4. Hyde, Manchester



5. Cyprus



6. Lincoln



7. Modena, Italy



8. Stockport, Gtr Manchester

Now I have to send this on....apologies!

http://twokidsandababy.blogspot.com/

http://lifeofwhisky.blogspot.com/

http://thearcheshighheadcastle.blogspot.com/

http://morechocandchipsplease.blogspot.com/

http://joanne-helpinghands.blogspot.com/

http://workingmumonverge.blogspot.com/

http://cerebralmum.com/

http://froginthefield.blogspot.com/ ( Know you have already been tagged so I am cheating here!)