Brave Babes - Wrapping up for a Wonderful Winter

[venusandmars]

Hi, I am venusandmars and I've been on these threads for many years.

It can be tough at this time of year when the adverts are full of families cheerfully opening bottles of wine and good cheer, when work parties are alcohol fuelled, when distant friends call round with a bottle in hand.

Maybe you're trying to cut down a little in the pre-Christmas weeks, maybe you are struggling to know how to continue with a longer period of abstinence, maybe you are waking up after a Christmas Party feeling sick and covered in shame (or even feeling shame and covered in sick).

Whatever, whenever, if you want to stop, or cut down, or simply share your struggle with others who also feel the tug..... please join us.

Usually our lovely mouseface opens these threads, but the poor mouse is sick in hospital and so I am overcoming the technophobia that a 50-something feels.... (well done me ). Our last thread is here if you want to read the last few posts

And if you want to read the story from the beginning (you'll need a few weeks) HERE is where it all started when Jesuswhatnext posted in May 2010.

Welcome one and all x

Thanks, Ma, Faire. I had to sit with that half smile for twenty minutes

That's dedication Sweet

Am I going to lose weight eatig hot buttered bagels in bed at this time of night?

Only if they're onion bagels . . . A bit of one of your five a day

Admitting to no face pack. Fox your party sounds great. Now I admit to confusion as the person having the actual party is south. So south good AF vibes to you in the midst of gin drinking. I had a good listen to Henry Rollins standing in for the magnificent iggy pop in r 6 - and doing a rather good job of it - have eaten a steak and am swilling tonic and about to attack the chic. DP also doing dry Jan and having a grumpy evening. I'm feeling quite motivated.

I'm not going to attack a chic. I'm going to attack some choc as in chocolate.

Hmm, they are cinnamon and raisin. Does that count? I rather thought the calories fell out of the hole in the middle.

Hi guys,

Loving the pictures, I had my facial today so I'm supposed to leave the oils on so no pic from me, probably best as some of you are still fragile and my picture without make up may just push some of you over the edge!!!

Welcome Rac and welcome to the mad house xxxxx

Raisins are also one of your five a day, and cinnamon is like magic, calorie-vanishing fairy dust , Ma

I thought so. That's good then. Night all!

Night, Babes.

Good morning babes and welcome to our new additions!

Sorry I didn't check in yesterday but was busy getting house and supplies in order for the party I was hosting.

It was brilliant! I stayed Dry - but was mightly tempted and DH wouldn't have judged me but I stayed dry. I can barely believe it.

I had tools in place - like a nice sparkling drink to have in place of alcohol. I had a good tonic and fresh lime wedges to drink from a martini glass. Sometimes it'd catch me unawares and I'd actually have to double check it wasn't with gin - it was so refreshing and reminiscent of a G&T. Also, I struggled to drink ONE of those - which is why the tonic got so infused with the lime, I guess. So that put into context just how odd it is to sit there, stand there whatever, and pour endless drink after drink into your mouth. It's all so forced, but not, at the same time.

It was never going to be one of those evenings where I get blotto as I was too busy, bustling, hot etc. Even if I'd tried, I'd probably not have managed to have a 'proper' drink until much of the hosting was over (food drunk, everyone getting on their way to merry-land!!) which would have left me little time. So as I've said before I wouldn't have been completely fucked tonight even if I were drinking in the same vein as before.

But to NOT drink is incredible.

I nearly folded early, when the first guest arrived and just told myself if I still felt like it in an hour I'd have one. By then, everyone had more or less arrived and I was over the urge.

Not drinking and being at a social event/hosting a party was just wicked. Seriously.

• Able to host brilliantly (if I do say so myself!!)
• Tidying up as I went along (including a ton of dog wee, grrr)
• No cringey over-shares
• Still had a right good laugh - am hoarse today!
• No inappropriate conversations...well, non that I regret anyway!
• No over emotional posting on FB or texting
• No pushing to keep the party going when it had reached its natural end
• Sending tipsy husband to bed so I could tidy
• Able to deal when one of the children woke after everyone left
• Took off all my make up and hung up lovely jump suit I wore
• Cleaned my teeth and took Anti-Depressant tablet
• Slept well (if not for long enough!)
• No fuggy head when middle child got in with me (I was in spare room)
• Getting up at 6 with 3.5 hrs sleep wasn't half as bad as it could be!
• Am being productive even at this tiring time, children fed properly as opposed to being told to go downstairs and sort themselves out...

I socialised with everyone at some point in the evening. I didn't do my usual thing of gravitating towards the more merry of the group and staying, chugging, with them. Ignoring everyone else. As such, I've cemented friendships some more. So important to me as we are relatively new to the village.

And natch, the BEST BEST BEST thing is how I feel now. Tired, sure. But completely fine. I can drive the kids to their clubs. I am functional. No blackout...God I could go on, but I've wittered on enough - sorry!

indie pop ma gorilla small and whomever I have missed, how are you doing?

Signed,

A Very Happy South.

Happy Day 9 to me!

Morning All.

What a glorious post to wake up to ! South you are a , not just survived but triumphed.

I forgot to say welcome to Rac yesterday - don't be put off by some of the silliness - we are serious too, but heck, it was Friday night!

Woke up with that virusy feeling behind my eyes that might mean I have a cold coming, or might just be more toxins escaping, but it can't get in the way of how very 'present' I feel this morning.

Have a good Saturday, I'm planning to bake a banana and walnut loaf after a long, muddy walk with Pup.

Yes, walking boots on for me and a tramp around the muddy countryside with Jeremy Beagle...whether the lazy kiddies join me is another matter!

Hurrah for South! Your party sounds like a blast, so glad you enjoyed it sober and, more importantly, proved to yourself that you can do it. Yay

Morning all. Freezing fog everywhere today in a white sparkly world. Makes a change from all the bloody rain. Well done to abstainers and reducers last night.

south what a triumph !!!! Yay yay yay. Well done you. And loving Jeremy beagle ....

Yay for South - that's amazing! What a brilliant post - I will come back to that in weeks to come to remind me of all the joys and benefits of being AF. So, so pleased for you. And loving Jeremy!

Sweet - hope you're not getting a cold, hang in there lady (how's the glorious smooth skin this morning?). And yours, Ma?

DP came into the kitchen this morning to find me opening a bottle of wine at 7.30am. He looked so perplexed and alarmed (and that's without knowing the extent of my alcohol issues). It was very funny - explaining it was to go in the slow cooked lamb for our supper tonight (and I've done myself a non-wine one just in case). And you know what, even after only one week it felt odd opening that bottle. A good and novel feeling.

Hope everyone has nice days planned. I am really looking forward to all the kids' various music, gymnastic, tennis etc lessons plus haircuts and parties - what an extraordinary thing to hear myself say!

😃 Small, have you used the whole bottle, or put the rest out of reach?

Love the beagle South, dogs do toughen you up against a bit of mud - I want your frost and fog, Ma.

Banana bread is about to come out of the oven, I am loving having the energy to bake, and the Kitchen Aid (not very stealthy boast!) to make it easy.

Frost and fog have changed to cold lumpy rain. Just raided the local charity shop and got a pair on new White Company jeans for 3.99! Now just got to get into them.....

I love a good charity shop bargain, got my best ones from shops in up market cathedral cities and the Cotswolds!

I won't leave any banana bread on the bus then, Ma . . . Curse you, Paul Hollywood, you and your yummy, foolproof recipes!

A morning well spent

I make Paul Hollywood's banana bread all the time. I don't add the chocolate chips though, I add nuts or cherries.
I have some shrivelled apples to use up so am off to find an apple and hazlenut cake recipe....

This is banana and walnut, Ma, so no chocolate chips, but it may become a favourite since DH only eats green bananas; I have a freezer full of brown spotty ones that I give to the dog as a treat, but will now be making into cake.

I couldn't think of an apple and hazelnut recipe, so I just googled, and came up with apple, hazelnut and cinnamon loaf - may give that a try!

How's the skin this morning? For the first time ever after a facemask, I didn't come out in hideous teenage zits!

Skin is good! I have made a toffee apple streudal cake with hazelnuts...we shall see how it turns out as I got the quantities wrong for the streudel topping bit.
I didn't know you could freeze over ripe bananas....