Still life goes on!

Being a mother of 3 children is a full time job in itself. The age variations in my kids demand me to almost split into 3 people. My 13 year old, being a teenager, needs a loving but a bit firmer mom who will be there to help out when puberty takes control and the attitude starts to flow. I swear to God my 4 year old is going through his terrible 2 stage now and then I have my precious little 1 1/2 year old who needs mommy to be there keep him out of the cabinets and electric sockets.

My life is so busy being a stay at home mom. Then on top of it, I work from my home also. I tell you, I really do not know where I find the time to juggle it all! But, somehow I manage even though it always feels like the day as slipped away and I have gotten absolutely nothing done. I guess that is part of the job of being the stay at home, work at home mommy. And that figuring out what my diesel suppliers keep calling me about will just have to wait until tomorrow!

Yuk. Just read a blog about really weird ice cream.

Why on earth would anyone want to eat an ice cream cone that tastes like bangers and mash? The mind boggles… Obviously there is a good comedy value to all of this, but the worrying thing about it is that I just know that some people will actually enjoy these flavours.

If you disagree with that statement, then think back to the craze a few years ago of chip shops in England selling battered Mars bars. They proved to be so popular that, within a few weeks, you could go into a lot of chip shops and see a selection of several other ‘delights’ in batter such as Snickers, Twix, Yorkie and Cadburys Creme Eggs.

That is the part which really turns my stomach. There are quite a few people out there who will actually gain pleasure from eating the most revolting things that you can bear to imagine.

I began working from home because I needed the flexibility in scheduling so that I could take care of my children. It felt that there was not enough money in the world to pull me away from my children and my responsibilities at home so that is why I began working from home. Infact I started out in a caravan, and my first pay check paid for the caravan insurance. I’ve since upgraded, but the point is it doesn’t matter where you are or what you look like. (more…)

There have been paranormal investigators, in one form or another, for many years. But in the recent past it seems as though I am noticing more and more people are jumping on the bandwagon. Some people, like myself, like to investigate the paranormal as they want to uncover the truth about life after death. (more…)

“Art if made for its own Beauty and Entertainment if made for Money” is a Creative expression which best suits and quotes the “Treasure hunt games - made for adults”.

Treasure hunt games are used both by children and Adults as an enjoyment and thrill, but the face of the game is now turned towards other side “business”. Treasure hunt ‘Senet’ is in existent by 4th cent B.C. of Egyptian dynastic history.

Now this game is also played at corporate level for environment and team building purposes. These games are used where managers recognize that inter-departmental links or relation or moral of employees needs to be improved.

It basically a thriller game which makes our right brain to work .It increases our thinking capacity. It plays vital role in employee’s place, by improving their soft skills, decision making powered etc.

The team that works together wins together!’ this concept had brought many new developments in present treasure hunt games. London Taxi examples,
London Walking examples, Rickshaw treasure hunt, Business. The international treasure games Paris Taxi Treasure Hunt, Paris Walking Treasure Hunt etc., Revolves the games in national market.

How many times have we heard those words from someone? I hate my job. How many times have we in fact said that ourselves either to a friends, a member of family or even a co-worker. Some of the braver of us find the courage to say it to our boss’s, and a few of those people sometimes even manage to hold onto their jobs afterwards!

It is a well heard phrase, and it is a complaint that is widespread. We spend more time doing our jobs than anything else. It doesn’t matter what that job is, whether you’re a highly paid face lift surgeon at a posh clinic, or you sit in a call centre on the end of telephone selling pet insurance to people. The level of pay generally doesn’t change the fact that we spend most of our time doing our job. So, understanding this, the question you have to ask yourself: is it worth it? If you enjoy your job, you’re laughing! You spend most of your lifetime doing something that you enjoy. You are on to a winner there, and you should make sure that you don’t let go of that. As to the rest of us, is it really worth it? (more…)

Every year that I can remember Easter has had the same format.  There’s Good Friday, then the weekend, and then Easter Monday – a good long break from the usual grind.  School children usually get the entire week after Easter as vacation time. Generally we spend too much money on chocolate eggs, and I know that we do an egg treasure hunt in the garden for the kids. Each year Easter moves slightly forwards or backwards, but the holiday block remains the same.  This year however it’s all changed and I’m not at all sure why!

I’ll admit that Easter is undeniably early.  Instead of being Spring, it still feels as if we’re in the depths of winter; a notion backed up by the weather.  But regardless of what mother nature is up to, Easter is Easter, and if the powers that decide such things have made it this early in the year, why is that for the first time I can remember, there’s some issue about which vacation days we should get? 

OK, so I have no idea why Easter is ever placed on the calendar somewhere between March and April, but I do know that this isn’t just a random act, there is some religious significance to when the date falls.   So I have no problem with the fact that instead of wearing spring clothes to take advantage of the liposuction I had done recently, I’m probably going to be out and about on Easter Sunday wearing my winter coat and boots.  The idea that vacation days should be affected because of the early Easter however is something I don’t get.  I’ve heard about schools rescheduling the “Easter” vacation for a few weeks after Easter so that it will become some kind of spring break.  But what about tradition?  What about families that have organized to spend Easter together either in this country or even booked to go abroad? 

The Government is always making noise about returning to old family values.  Well isn’t spending quality time on public holidays part of good traditional family values?  I remember Easters from my past filled with church parades and spring activities that my family shared together.  It was like Christmas without the presents.  This year however some parents are going to have to work on Easter’s equivalent of Boxing Day – and their kids are supposed to be at school.  Because it’s such a dog’s dinner however some parents will be off, some won’t.  Some kids will be at school.  Some won’t.  Some schools will be closed later in the year when probably the parents don’t have any public holidays to alleviate some of the child care provision required to cover school closure at that time.  What a mess!

Easter is Easter.  Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.  If the dates of Easter itself must change, let’s try and ensure that sense prevails in future and the vacation period remains steady and people can plan their lives without the uncertainty of whether their kid’s school and their employer are on the same page – or calendar!

I’ve always hated Cat Bores. You know the kind of people I’m talking about, they lost sight of reality the day they brought Tibbles home and never recovered. Next thing you know it’s framed pictures of their stupid moggie on the wall, mundane anecdotes and interrupted phone conversations so you can hear the stupid thing purring. Cats are driven by instinct. Cat People assign human attributes to this behaviour because it is fun for them. Cat People are wrong.

Or so I thought, until the day I met Claude. I’m still not sure exactly how it happened. Claude is my housemate’s cat, when I moved in Clause was already living here. Claude is a black cat with a squishy tummy and a sarcastic face. But it just snuck up on me somehow. The occasional afternoon playing with a toy mouse, furtive glances in the hallway and then, one day I came home and he was on my bed. He meowed crossly at me and stormed out, as if he was the one paying the rent and I had trampled on his rights, but then he came back the next day. Somehow we just got used to each other and then, joy of joys that first special day when Claude climbed up and sat purring on my lap.

It wasn’t until the day I held the phone up to his little face so he could say hello to my mum that I realised I had gone over to the other side. I was a cat bore in denial. I quickly calculated the number of hours spent talking to or about Claude in the previous week. All my friends knew more about Claude’s life>cat insurance of cat toys. I’m a Claude person. And from the look in his eyes, he knows.

I'm still not entirely sure what a blepharoplasty clinic is, but I know its some

kind of plastic surgery type thing. What's the relevance of this you may ask? Well, our great leader and Company MD has usefully gotten every employee a

discount for it! Myah is thinking about reaching into her pocket for once and trying to make herself more beautiful. Good luck to her.

I’m from a part of the country that thrives on football.  Never mind past-time, it’s the local obsession!  Somehow the football gene missed me out completely however.  As a participatory sport, or a spectator one, it leaves me cold.  There’s something that can’t be denied however and that’s the feeling of pride that surrounds the city when the team is doing well, or even the electricity that seems to hang in the air when there’s an important home game being played at the team’s stadium in the centre of the city. 

It’s that feeling of community pride that was sparked yesterday when I read about Kevin Keegan returning to the area to manage the team.  There are always folk heroes and Keegan is certainly one of those in the history of football in this area.  Both as player and manager this is a man who has managed to create an even greater enthusiasm for the team than usually exists – not an easy task when a football team has as much support from its fan base as this one does.  Despite the fact he didn’t get the team to a major trophy last time he managed it, he’s still fondly remembered as someone who shines in this team’s history and someone who I’m pleased to see return to the area.

Like the game, or loathe it (as I do) it’s hard not to notice when something has a positive influence over a community, and Keegan once again leading Newcastle United is definitely that.  Whether you’re in a bus, or the local grocery store, it’s going to be the talk of the area for a few weeks to come.   Whether or not he manages to pull an a shiny new acquisition into the team’s sadly lacking trophy cabinet out of his sport’s bag is yet to be seen.  Simply the fact that this giant football legend is once more in command  at St. James’ Park is enough to have any talk of possible “unthinkable” relegation replaced with one of hope and renewed enthusiasm amongst the notorious “Toon Army” – even with the footie avoiders like myself!

First of all, one must consider the bread. It must be whole grain, full of flavor but devoid of any “additives”. I suggest a nice sprouted wheat bread: whole grain, no high-fructose corn syrup, lightly seeded crust. The size of the slice should be about the palm of your hand and about the thickness of the first joint of your finger. This is the secret to the perfect ham sandwich.

Secondly, one must think about the ingredients, other than the ham, of course. Cheese, mustard and a bit of lettuce are the perfect combination. Let’s talk cheese. Cheese is wonderful, but you must not use your run-of-the-mill-dairy-aisle cheese in the grocery store. To make the sandwich perfect, go to your local cheese shop. I highly recommend a nice Havarti type cheese: creamy, smooth and aged to perfection. Cheddar isn’t bad either, but Havarti is better. Trust me. Now, let us talk mustard. It is no good using the cheap yellow mustard easily obtained at any fast food restaurant. Go for a deli technique with whole mustard seeds and high-quality ingredients. True mustard is not neon yellow! Lastly, let us speak of lettuce. Romaine is best – approximately two leaves, rinsed and patted dry with a paper towel. The crisper, the better. This is the secret to the perfect ham sandwich.

Thirdly, one must ponder the ham. It is no good getting pre-packaged lunch meat. No, no, no! Go to the deli. Order some freshly sliced lunch meat. Your taste buds will appreciate your thoughtfulness. But, what type of ham? Honey-cured? Only if you enjoy the deviousness of a sweet palate. Do not ruin a masterful ham sandwich with sweetness. Go for the salt-cured. Thinly sliced. Trust me. Your mouth will be much happier with those savory slices than sickly-sweet ham. This is the secret to the perfect ham sandwich.

Finally, one must consider how to layer the sandwich together: bread, two slices of ham, mustard, cheese, mustard, two slices of ham, bread. This is the secret to the perfect ham sandwich.