Life is What Happens in Spite of Other Plans

This blog has morphed. Into something completely different.

Its no longer about me, Nick and my life...Im not just talking about the blog anymore...

Its about our baby.

http://measuringthemidriff.blogspot.com/

Snowed In

We got snow!

The most in 15 years apparently.

It started last night and still hasnt stopped.

Heres some pics from last night...

And from this morning...its still going. 

So basically, there was NO public transport as Nick found out at the train station tomorrow. 

So unless we decide to walk 10 miles to work and 10 miles back...that was the only way we were gonna get into London.

I sent my boss a text (he never got back to me but I assumed he was taking advantage of the day off as well.)

My text said "FYI This is the most at home Ive ever felt! Except in Canada, our transport works in the snow! So unless I walk 20 miles to work I cant get in today. I hope my text reaches u among everyone elses."

I still havent heard back from him but I do know he lives farther out than I do so I think were all screwed.

We've been....

Painting!!!!

Well, Mandy has been painting, although I helped with the bathroom tiles.

Bathroom Before:

Bathroom After:

Top bedroom Before:

And After: its a whole new room. (I missed out on pics of dark blue paint a certain someone didnt finish last summer) Some things are better left unshown.

Im so proud!

A Brand New Year

Well, last month has been pretty busy. Nicks Birthday was a success. We had my party on friday which everyone went home at 11:30! (Nick wasnt happy). Saturday was dinner in Crystal Palace with Christine. Sunday we drove down to Poole to visit Nicks Dad except unfortunately I caught a bug and was making a couple trips to the washroom over the next couple of days. Of course Nicks Dad thought I was pregnant! Mind you, everything I do makes him think Im pregnant so I just laugh it off by this point. Nick also had a really bad chest infection.

Mike & Mandy arrived on tuesday, Mom arrived Xmas Eve, Xmas day came and went. The whole week after was pretty busy alternating between London & Croydon days out.

New Years was brought in with a bang. A small one, but still a bang. 

Now were all just chilling out, enjoying the weekend and back to work on monday. Bleh.

So Happy New Year all!! 

Holiday Soon...

How it ever got to be the end of 2008 is beyond me. I cant believe its almost Christmas!!

Im so excited and anxious that I couldnt sleep last night. In 1 week, I will be preparing to pick up my sister, Mike and Karis from the airport. Im not to happy about the time (5am) but that is a small sacrifice to them being here.

I will have to bring their jackets to the airport with me coz even at 3C here it will be absolutely freezing to their acclimatised 30C weather theyve been in for the past 2 mths in Zambia.

So we sorted out the bedroom and I folded all of Karis' clothes I bought her over the past 2 mths in cute little piles waiting to go into the dresser Beth is happily getting out of her small room.

And then 1 day later I get to pick up my Mum!! Boy, do we have things planned. I put my reservation for my turkey in so I can pick that up for Xmas and Ive wrapped most the presents, put the lights and the tree up (without Nicks help - what a grinch!) and tonight Im going with wet-haired girl to this massive shopping centre that opened up a couple of months ago to get the rest of the gifts. Its going to be packed!

Im also not allowed to put the presents under the tree, in case someone breaks in and steals them:( So they will sit wrapped up in the bedroom until then.

Im also have anxiety dreams about Nicks Bday and the venue I chose. I just realized from Cara that the place I booked is where Cara had her Hen Night back in Spring 07. So Ive totally been there! I knew I recognized the name. Its a really cool venue so now I feel a bit more calm about the whole thing.

Dinner is still booked for the Sat with Christine and on the Sunday, we head down to Poole to visit Nicks Dad for the night and then a whole smoking 2 weeks off of work! I cant wait.

I decided to buy Nick an ipod for his Bday. He will least expect it. We cant really afford it but it is his 30th. He asked for it and I laughed at him. As I say, he will least expect it.

I managed to find a few on the gumtree and found one this guy was selling. so I went and got it only to realize the sound only comes out of one headphone (which he warned me about but thought it was the headphone fault-it wasnt). Luckily the guy refunded me after a harumph from him and enough of that, so I went online and got a brand new ipod nano 8GB thanks to my discount I get through work...and Nadine lending me the money till payday. So sweet of her.
So Nick, I hope your happy! and I hope you havent discovered my blog yet and is reading this before your Birthday so as to ruin the surprise.

Can I keep nothing from him??

Revenge Is Sweet

The more I think about this the more angry it has been making me.

We all need to move on!

Christine is still texting me about Nicks Bday! She keeps on changing her plans. Now she says she has the place booked in Crystal Palace. Last I heard this was a semi-private room for 30 people and you have to book for dinner.

What she doesnt realize is that the difference between Nick being 18 and 30 is that she called all his friends and invited them for his 18th. For his 30th, she has to depend on me to contact his friends plus all their girlfriends because she doesnt know who they are! I shouldve refused to help her but I guess I was raised properly and have respect for others.

I had to speak to Kim about it and Christine is giving her a hard time! Kim thinks Nicks Dad should be invited to Nicks Birthday. Christine doesnt. See said and I quote, "He didnt care about Nick then, why should he now?" And basically this is about her not wanting to be at the same table as Nicks Dad! And since shes made the booking, she cant change it so Nicks Dad cant come now. Quote unquote.

Im tempted to go behind her back and invite his Dad&family and surprise Christine so that she has to cancel her booking at the last minute! Very immature and Nick doesnt deserve this I know, but 2 can play this game.

Im sure Nick would want his Dad to be there for his birthday and Im sure Billy would want to be there for his sons 30th. I cant believe Christine is being so selfish about this and shouting at Kim and not thinking about Nick. Apparently its all about her. Maybe she thought she, noone else, suffered enough giving birth to him. Kim had this same problem with Samuels 1st Bday, Christine & Des wanted to be there and so did Billy & Ali. Chris said that she wouldnt go to it if Billy was going to be there! In the end, they both turned up and it was fine. Everyone got along like mature adults. Now the same thing is happening with Nicks Bday.

Why do Nick and Samuel get the brunt of it and Kim is always in the middle??

Anyway, Kim said that she had enough and hung up on her and then Chris called back like nothing had happened.

This is really bizarre behaviour.

Its like she wants Nick all to herself and hasnt even acknowledged the fact that he has a Father and a serious girlfriend that he will eventually marry and have a family with!

So Ive gone and called his Dad and asked what they are doing that weekend and apparently they plan to come down for it! (Because I originally invited them when I was doing the planning.) So christine is going to have to squeeze them in somehow. Ill forewarn her once Billy gets back to me if hes bringing the girls or not but Im feeling a twinge of nasty revenge.

It would be so nice to turn around to her and tell her that from now on, I'll be planning Nicks birthdays and everything else having to with Nick.

I guess I will get my surprise in the end!

You'd think we were all adults here.

New house changes

So weve changed our room around. Not sure if your remember what it looked like before but heres a sneak peak of before and after!

Totally different right? It took Nick some convincing because as you can see, it doesnt exactly fit but...its made such a difference! I sware Im even sleeping better and Nick says its his new favorite room!

And tada....our new dishwasher. A complete godsend.

And even my bonsai tree is doing better. See all the light green leaves? They have literally sprouted up in the past 2 weeks coz of my new drip tray.

Loving it!!

Is this blog getting a bit boring lately?

Thats a rhetorical question to myself. Dont answer it.

Forgive? AND Forget??

So everything seems to have blown over since I cancelled my venue. Stupid thing is now though that she has booked a restaurant on the Sat for just the family (the immediate family) and then says Nick can meet up with his friends afterwards. So I basically could have kept my venue on the Sat and she could done the family dinner on the friday. I still dont know if Im getting my £100 back.

Anyway...we (I) drove Des to the airport on Sat so I had to spend Sat night with her and not a word was spoken about the party fiasco from either of us. Not even an apology! I guess she doesnt think she owes me one. At least all of Nicks friends were on my side about it saying Christine was being absolutely ridiculous.



Phew. It seems to be all over now but even if the rule 'Forgive & Forget' comes to mind, I dont think Ill be forgetting this little ordeal.

Mole Hill into a Mountain

So anyway, after having the little blowout with Christine, Nick came home and I had to ruin the whole surprise. Told him everything about how I wanted it to be a surprise, found a really cool venue, invited all his friends and family and then I told him the whole conversation with his Mom.

He kinda was a bit shocked over her behaviour. He said of course I would plan his birthday, Im his partner! He said what his Mom didn’t realize, when he had his 18th and 21st he was living at home and single so of course she would plan it and now, his friends all have partners and he is turning 30 that it would be nice to have a grown up party with out kids for once….said I didn’t do anything wrong by booking the bar and that his Mom was out of order.

Thank God for that!

I knew he would take my side but I still had to stay diplomatic coz I didn’t want to offend him. He didn’t think it a good idea for him to call her though and convinced me to instead.

So I did.

1st thing I said was about my intentions about booking it and that I didn’t mean to exlude the kids and all of a sudden she started rambling off about Auntie Joan (funeral we attended) and about how she was like a mother to her and how upset she was, and Im thinking, what the hell does this have to do with Nicks birthday??? By the the time she took a breath to continue talking she was already on a different subject so I couldn’t go back and ask her why she was talking about Auntie Joan when this was about Nick.

She is the Mother of all Guilt Trips. Ive seen her do it countless of times before with her kids but this I think was going to far and I brushed the whole thing off.

I sent her a text the next day because she wasn’t being reasonable over the phone the night before saying that Im cancelling my venue for Sat and doing the Fri instead in London with his friends so she can plan what she likes. (Works better for me coz 3 of his friends weren’t available on the Sat anyway)

I think shes having trouble with the venue and costs and size and everything. And she asked me if everyone was going out Fri would they even want to come out Sat.

Sounds like another guilt trip to me. Sounds like me just rubbing it off my shoulder.

This has turned into such a joke and is completely blown out of proportion!

Makes me feel like I have to fight to keep Nick.

Mishap

Little update:

I asked Christine if she could call around venues (halls) to see what was available and prices and give a few family members a call to see who was arund and get back to me coz I can always change my venue to a friday. (My venue wasnt available on the friday but I thought I could just reserve an area in a bar and invite friends only and have the family do on the Sat.) See, me being diplomatic.

Anyway, today, I met up with Nick and hinted around some more about his Bday and I said that me and his Mom would plan it if he didnt mind and what kind of venue was he thinking of. He said he wouldnt mind like an area in a bar or a members type club (bars that you can hire out for parties for cheap that usually let kids in and have pool tables and dance floors and cheap drinks) but definitely not the Scout Hall (which is what Christine had in mind). 

Anyway, I called Christine after work and mentioned that to her (about the members club) and somehow we just ended up raising our voices at eachother coz she says families are more important that friends and that none if his family are going go up London (which honestly, is about a 20 min train journey) and since I went ahead and booked the bar (which kids cant come to) I can do whatever I want and she wants nothing to do with it! 

And hung up on me!!!

I was more shocked than upset to be honest. So I went home, spoke to my wise 'ol Dad and am now going to have to tell Nick all about it and let him sort it out because I thought being the girlfriend and all, that I would be the party planner. I wouldnt expect my Mom to organize my brothers birthday...I would expect his wife to!

Personally for me, I dont want kids at my 30th.

Maybe thats just me though. 

Mommies Little Soldier

Mother-in-Law vs. Daughter-in-Law

So basically, Ive decided to plan Nicks 30th Bday on 20 December.

After countless phonecalls and emails sent out to see whos available, traipsing around the city to check out the rooms blah blah blah…I found the perfect venue!

Its near London Bridge and we have the whole main bar to ourselves, it fits 50-60 people and we can bring our own ipod. I was even going to get people to pitch in like £3-5 for some snacks. I invited all of Nicks friends (that I know) from his work, travels, Uni including immediate family….and I put a £100 deposit down to secure it and made up the invite as well.

I meant to mention it to Christine just to make sure but didn’t get a chance to when she was over. Because bookings were filling up considering its only a month away, I went ahead and booked it last week.

Next thing I know, Christine calls me and starts having a go at me (which she claimed she wasn’t having a go at me) about how for Nicks 18th & 21st Bdays they always had a big do and invited all the family and family friends and so on and and would want to come and bring the kids and blah blah blah and noone will want to go ALL THE WAY UP TO LONDON (considering this is a couple of stops on the train is really not an issue.

She wants to rent a HALL and get a DISCO in (which may I remind you that at these discos they play Macarena, Oops Up Side Your Head & Locomotion etc) and auntie Kim would do the food and there would be KIDS there and….thats when I tuned out.

Thing is, Nick didn’t want to make a big deal about his bday because noone did anything for Kims 30th. But apparently Kim says she doesn’t care but anyway…

To be fair, I can see where shes coming from but I cant believe she didn’t mention it to me before! So she said she would call around to the families and see who wants to come up for it.
So anyway, if she does manage to find a hall the weekend before Xmas and is able to organize it (I will do my loyal daughter-in-law duties and help organize FOR NICK SAKE!) then I will cancel the Sat night, lose £100 and get all his friends together on the Friday instead. Unfortunately it wont be a private room coz I called around and everywheres booked so Ill have reserve an area in a random bar coz I really doubt his work friends, his Essex friends and North London friends are going to wanto come on the train in south London to have a bday party at a hall with Nicks family.

But thats my personal opinion.

Maybe its what Nick wants.