'Women on the Veg of Reason' 10/10 club - all welcome

[Boco]

For anyone who wants a boost to their general health. The suggested goals are:

EAT 10 PORTIONS OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLES EVERY DAY - if you don't usually eat much fruit and veg I would build up gradually or you could upset your digestion.

DO (AT LEAST) 10 MINUTES OF EXERCISE EVERY DAY - can be yoga, stretching or something more energetic. The plan is that the idea of doing 10 minutes is not too daunting, and having started you may well find you want to do more.

There are no restrictions on what you eat so long as you get your 10 fruit and veg as well. The focus is not on weight loss but on improving our energy levels and hopefully our general mood and well-being. Sign up below and post here to tell us how you're getting on and how you are feeling.

Basic guidance on what constitutes a portion of fruit and veg here and you can download more detailed information by following the link at the very bottom of the page

I am awake now but guess you are all sleeping.

You are right about the lorry driver - my instinct is to find his address and buy him a diamond encrusted lorry or a beautiful cup or the finest whiskey known to man - but I realise it is overkill. I will do a letter - a nice letter.

People keep saying how brave and coping I am - am I? or am I going to go into some kind of meltdown trauma? I feel okay.

LL - I remember you posting tht about your loft before - how awful. I hope it hasn't upset you about christmas. YOu do sound a bit brighter - has there been any news on treatment for you? Sorry if you have posted about it already - cant keep up with thread.

So we are talking christmas already! Avi hates it so she has asked her in-laws so she hates it even more and FZ loves it and asks no-one and enjoys with just her family? We do a bit of both I guess but we are blessed with nearby family who don't need accommodating.

100 - your advice was lovely and did not just echo in the dark. Good luck witht he party.

I was asleeep when you posted BBBee but DD and I are awake now (she woke first).

Bee, you know what would probably be quite fab, for the lorry driver? If you could get dc to draw a picture or something, and say "thank you for helping my mummy". Or maybe that would just be totally schmaltzy, but I think it would be nice.

100 I think you were crossing posts with everyone. Is your party today? Am I confused? is it dd's birthday?

LL that is a dreadful story, about the loft.

oh franny - that is a wonderful idea - it really is - and they would love doing it and it would show him how wonderful he was and my dcs love him. You are so good at this stuff you know.

LOL at you and dp not being able to relate to a non-drama christmas - you must be making a lovely world for DS though. It is hard to go aganist what you know.

Idris - can you pick up these banana skins? how are baby dragons?

I think 100 has the shoot 'em up party today for ds for his 8th bday - but could be wrong.

Am excited about meet up - have we done excited talk yet?

Oh, yes

I am a bit excited. And a bit nervous. I didn't get an email back from the place yet, so I haven't emailed anyone about payment, but I will.

Oh yes ds's laser party. 100 I hope it is marvellous.

Christmas is really weird. I thought all this drama with my family and everything was normal, well I didn't actually notice it happening until we stopped drinking, and then it kind of hits you in the face. They are all barking mad and I can't stand it, and I don't want ds to grow up thinking that's normal. So we kind of bow out of as much of the big party stuff as we can, and then I get lots of frantic and secret phone calls saying "Don't tell Mother I am saying this, but SHE said that YOU said that I said blah blah blah. But DON'T TELL HER I TOLD YOU!"

funny how you think the way you are bought up is normal and then you grow up yourself and see your family is quite nuts. I find the drunken scandal converstaions by telephone quite funny though - do you have loads of brothers and sisters?

meet up is going to be fab I know it is!

Banana skins all gone (I think DH tidied them up ).

Baby dragons are lovely. Elder one only just woke up (he loves his bed ).

DD was desparately trying to play games with the cat "Come here Beanie" and presenting her with toy bears .

I just have 2 sisters, but that makes 4 mad women in our family including me, which seems like quite a lot. My dad stays out of it all, which really doesn't help.

I think the phone callse will be starting quite soon now Christmas is coming. Basically dp and I don't go down there for Christmas and try to avoid any big family dos with everyone there. But they all tell each other different (fictional) reasons why it is we aren't going this year. And then they phone and tell me "X told me why you aren't coming but DON'T TELL HER I TOLD YOU because I know she wasn't meant to tell me."

I am covered in mosquito bites. They have ravaged me.

Yes is ds's party tomorrow - he will be ten. DD has had her party - it was the bad cake thing. DS1's favoured birthday cake is a pavlova - so that's okay because I can make them. DS2s party is next weekend. I don't expect any of you to keep up with this - it's insane.

Christmas - my family christmas' were like yours Franny. Now I have them here and I say to my parents and my brothers - 'you may come, but I like Christmas. There will be gingham reindeer and jollity, if you can't stomach gingham reindeer and cheerful faces then please don't come.'

They hear me. Last time they all came - except for one brother who couldn't face the gingham reindeer- and they behaved beautifully and all said 'well that was one of the best christmas' ever.'

Ah, I knew Anne would be able to deal with it. I thought the party was on Sunday but I thought I hadn't been paying attention properly.

I must get ready for work.

Oh tomorrow I am doing a BIG party for 20 children (I mean I am doing the entertainment etc) and they have emailed and said well it is actually 23. Or it might be 28. Aargh.

I am one of three sisters too - makes for high drama all round. I like to think I am the sane one - they argue and fight and are not speaking at the momnet. Luckily we are not a drinking family so not alcohol fuelled.

I hurt all over.

I would get crying choc for lorry driver but MrsC made up the crying chocolate. I couldn't find it anywhere in brighton - is there a web link? has anyone apart from her actually seen it ever?

Bee I think you can get it on mail order? look this is the kilo bar

oh I love pavlova - what kind are you doing? raspberry is my favourite whent he juice mixes with teh cream.

How many brothers and sisters 100? and what gift for ds? I am getting mine some doctor who stuff and lego stuff. He will like that.

OMFG! she didn;t make it up then.

can you really eat a kilo of chocolate?

I have a feeling that I could...

I also could.

I am going inot town to the library with dcs and will buy some sub-standadrd choc and try and eat a kilo then.

I want to wrap myself up in a lovely film or tv series - any recommendations I can get from the library?

(a kilo is like 2 pounds of chocolate!)

Oh don't eat a kilo of crap chocolate. That would be a mistake.

Bee we have got Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind here to watch. It's meant to be very good. I must actually watch it.

other than that I would recommend anything with Owen Wilson in

I have seen eternal sunshine - watch it - it is so very good. I want a happy easy thing.

(As you may recall I did not go along with the owen wilson hysteria!)

I have three brothers, all older. You can say things like that to men and they understand it. Sisters, I imagine not, I imagine it would all be midnight phone calls and 'but why, why, why did you say that about the reindeer and why gingham and why' etc etc

My mother rather lovely, so they all used to drink and shout and throw plates about and she and I sat down the bottom of the table saying 'How lovely, I do like bread sauce don't you?' like that, and she has VERY arched eyebrows, but I can't be arsed to have them all staying here being difficult - they are too old and we're not LIKE THAT.

Gosh I'm quite warming up for that Christmas chat aren't I?

TV series, what a good idea. How about Brideshead Revisited or Our Friends in the North or Middlemarch? I'd like to sit down and watch those I think,