WWW's 10 year younger bootcamp - it's September, it's serious...

[WideWebWitch]

Hello everyone, old and new.

This is about feeling better about yourself and looking and feeling better etc. But mainly we chat and laugh quite a lot, which has all got to help towards happiness etc.

The rules (anyone can join):

• Sunscreen at all times

• No or little booze. Wine or Champagne or whatever at the weekend is allowed if you want it

• Walking is important, a small amount every day if possible. 30 mins if you can

• Lots of water, aim for 2 litres a day

• Apply body cream as often as possible

• Use hand cream

• Go to bed early, by 10.30pm if pos

• Eat healthily

• Be happy

The idea is that we all feel happier, healthier and glow with the good food, sleep, exercise, water and lack of sun damage.

Some people are doing India and Neris's Idiot Proof Diet (Atkins, more or less), others are doing Slimy World, others are just being as healthy as possible.

Welcome everyone, have a good week.

foothesnoo, if you can do teh middle bit, you can almost do it all! ravelry.com is a fab website (you need to subscribe but it's free) with lots of beginners tips - incl links to videos to show you how to do things. lots of free patterns too.

the very beginnings of my socks

I did my ironing so now have a calm table Well it was 'til dd got home from school in a grump and emptied her schoolbag on to it.

Marina - what is a logcabin blanket? I used to knit alot; when mine were little it was still cute to have babies in handknitted outfits.

Went to the gym today - my three month membership has expired but the card swipe thingy doesn't seem to have realised. Is it immoral to steal time in the gym? I suppose it must be. Must do better with the lotions and potions part of bootcamp too. It seems unnecessary as everything is so covered up already. It's rained so much here today - I'm proper fed up with it. I've even put the heating on for a bit; not because it's cold - it's just everything seems damp.

Hope ureb is OK.

I've spent ages reading all your posts and now can't remember who is worrying about what! This is a busy thread!

I am sooo tired. I think I'm actually going to have to go to bed. DD2 and I had a swim this afternoon, I did 40 lengths (small pool remember, it's equivalent to 16 lengths of a standard 25m pool). This is another new aim, to swim at least once a week.

I don't think I'm worried about anything. I'm not even worried that I've nothing to worry about.

I've eaten cereal, biscuit, ham & mustard sandwich, cereal bar, rc's, bolognese & pasta, apple & blackberry crumble. Water good.

who often lurks here but is too shy to post.

Type 2. Raised BP, everything else fine, including ECG.

Need to decide whether to go on to metformin or not. Am confused.

Also need to do 24 hr BP monitoring. Not sure if the BP is high because of my extremely anxious state (not helped by surgery bitch pharmacist) or it's raised generally. I fear it will be borderline at best, so may need medication.

Most importantly, at this stage, I need some relaxation techniques because my anxiety levels are ridiculous (and out of proportion tbh).

Thanks to everyone for your support, it really means a lot.

Have been thinking of you all day and wondering how it went. Is the metformin for type 2, I thought it was for heavy periods . Sending you artery-calming vibes ureb X

Yes, it can be used for PCOS etc.

Thanks Marina.

Oh ureb, sorry you're so worried. Will have a think about relaxation. My method is to pour a bottle of wine down my throat (but only at the weekend, obv) but I think there must be better ways.

DofN, glad you're not worried about anything!

We don't have a meet up date do we? October, late October? Shall I propose some dates?

Friday 17th October?

It's my birthday the week after and ds's earlier in Oct, plus 11+ so I can only do 17th Oct or Friday 31st October? Although I think that's half term so actually prob not a good idea.

So, November?
What do people think?

Had a lovely dinner out with friend last night, ate prawns in garlic butter and then had sea bass on a bed of spinach cooked in garlic and a caesar salad and then had pudding, lemon cheesecake oops and lots of wine, obv. It was a lovely evening. And dh and I are going out tonight too. I have let him lie in but may go back to bed in a bit.

I have just had scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast which was v nice but I must go back to NO SUGAR AT ALL as otherwise IPD way of eating is a recipe for putting ON weight and that would be very silly.

Good Morning everyone, I think the weather is making everyone feel miserable at the moment. It really was "what summer" wasn't it.

So when are the 11+ exams that Batters dd and www's ds are having tuition for?

Lol at ts "annoying boy", my dd has definitely held that role in the class at times eg. in year 1 her form teacher told us at parent's evening that she had shown the class a van Gogh print during art as inspiration for their "paintings". The teacher described the print as "A bedroom at Arles" to which dd counteracted, "It's actually his bedroom, Miss, "van Gogh's bedroom at Arles".
In dd's defence she had recently been to the vG musuem in Amsterdam.

Did have 2 glasses of white wine last night as it was Friday. No exercise for the past 2 days as work + school run + supper + homework allows no time at all.

Dd will be back to her part-time boarding next week so maybe more opportunity then. hve been to bed remarkably early for the past 3 nights though, that makes a huge difference to state of mind, I find.

I have something to worry about now. DD1s homework is to find out 5 facts about a famous person and go to school dressed as them on Monday. DD1 immediately announced Elizabeth 1. [oh fuck it emoticon]. We've held negotiations and I've beaten her down to Cleopatra, we have a white dress as a starting point and will shortly be going to a cheap clothing shop for some gold tat...

ureb, glad you have a diagnosis and the ECG was OK, it's something to build on. What appeals to you for BP calming? Yoga, meditation, shopping, whale music, baths with candles, eating, massage, reading, lying in a darkened room listening to Bach?

This is a very cultured thread isn't it? What with your room at Arles and PRBs. Was pleased to see t/shells expert view on the PotC music at primary, otherwise I would have felt like the odd-loony-out.

Appréciez le week-end, as the French would have it.

Thank you DoNB! I do wonder just how much cotton-wool is needed for child-rearing these days . I think the POTC music is REALLY good! I've even been known to listen to it when the kids aren't in the car!

just dashing through to say, ureb, v glad you have a diagnosis, have been thinking about you. Relaxation, hmmmn. Walking, fresh air and reading do it for me ... Will think on. Must go, back later to post worries and wine-consumption!

Cam, the exam is on the 2nd October (the day before his 11th birthday) and again on the 8th. They take the highest score of the two papers as the result. My friend, who is in Salisbury (hi Cod!) says there the 11+ is a FOUR HOUR paper including a passage of comprehension whereas at least the one they do here is 80 questions in 50 minutes x 2 and that's it.

I too was impressed by TS and DofN on the POTC music thread. I know nothing about music.

Dofn, lol at beaten her down to Cleopatra! She spoke nine languages and died at 39 according to my quick google. here#s how to make a costume though

Oh no Batters re dd's sleeping, poor you and her. It's a tough one, the tuition. I will be expecting ds to slack off once the exam#s over, when will it be over for you?

I will email you Batters.

www, 2nd October? I'm sure 11 plus exams used to be at the end of the school year during which the vast majority of children would have turned 11 (except for the summer-borns)

ureb, how are you feeling about things? Hope it isn't too difficult to manage, and remember, it's MUCH better to know because it means you are in control. xxx to you

www - have a look at this link - I put it on the POTC thread - I think it is fab! And the music is fab too!

God, maybe I've got that wrong Cam? No, feel sure it's in October. But I think I must check!

Thanks Ts, have opened it in another window!

I doubt you have got it wrong, www. It will all have changed from aeons ago I'm sure.

It just seems wrong that most of the children taking the exam will in fact be 10 rather than 11.

aah foo, my dreamer eldest is going into year 4. She also had a hellish year 3 so we are keeping our fingers crossed this year is better.

ureb - poor you with the anxiety . Did they not give you some tips for how to lower it? Someone once gave me a very good book on relaxation techniques (or it may have been a leaflet) so I'll have a look for it. But I have to echo www's alcohol technique though I'm sure that's not in any handbooks.

I survived the endoscopy although dh nearly didn't grr. He brought the kids in the car because we thought it wouldn't take long but it ended up taking about 2 hours all in all (not the procedure but checking in etc.). Elected not to be sedated because the consultant said he was sure I was the 'type to be calm' (was thinking as he said that how good I was at pretending) and also, if I had the sedative, I had to wait afterwards on the ward and eat and wee and I had a picture in my head of dh throttling the kids.

Anyway, is nothing major. Gastritis and oesophagitis and a few patches that look odd that have been biopsied but they don't think serious. So have got the script AT LAST but can't get it to GP till Monday and it takes them 2 days to write it up (sigh).

oi - glad it went OK and is nothing sinister. Well done on not being sedated too - I'm all for being completely knocked out for anything unpleasant.

ureb - good news about the ECG at least. Can you avoid the metformin by adjusting your diet? As for relaxation, well for me it's booze exercise. No seriously, apart from the physical aspects, I find exercise remarkably good for my state of mind. I could, and have in the past (with grim results TBH) used alchohol as a crutch. I'm better off without it and presumably too much isn't recommended when you're diabetic. But I need to exercise out of the house to get the full effect. What is really making you anxious and can you do anything about it?

Batters for dd. I've mentioned before about my dd and her long term sleep issues. We've just about given up now and she often goes to bed after me and is up before me (she's older than your dd though) and then every couple of weeks it just catches up with her and she sleeps for England. It's very frustrating for us both and quite lonely for her I think. I have no answers.

yes, that's so true saggars (exercise out of the house). Dh had dreadful blood pressure and he's started playing football once a week. I think he feels he's a bit old for it (everyone else is younger than him!) but the effects on his blood pressure have been amazing. Though if problems like that run in families (as diabetes and high bp does in dh's), I think there is only so much you can do yourself.

batters - is there any caffeine in her diet? I think teaching her relaxation techniques is a great idea especially if you think anxiety is playing a part in her non sleeping.

Fabulous link t/shell - I've left it open in another window so I can show the DCs tomorrow .

oi - what a hideous day. At least the drugs are nearly within reach though.

batters - popsycals DS was referred to a sleep clinic so perhaps it's worth yelling for her to ask how she got a referral and what the results were?

www - thanks for the link. That's pretty much where I was going with the costume but couldn't get black hairspray anywhere, so she'll be a slightly blonde Cleo. No gold to be had anywhere so I may use the pale gold cummerbund that DH wore at our wedding. I have made a fabulous cobra-head crown thing though and I'm halfway through making a very wide beaded collar. And I bought some black liquid eyeliner (less smudgy) so I can do her eyes. But would you believe that I couldn't find any gladiator sandals anywhere? There were legions (geddit?) of the damned things a month ago and now they've all gone. Grrrr!

Today I've eaten cereal, ryvita & cream cheese, apple, carrots, chocolate shortbread, 3 slices of cheese & tomato pizza. I may have some cheese and biscuits in a minute as although it's a bit late, I'm really hungry.

Not enough water so will keep swilling through the evening. Moisturiser good, body scrub & self-tan. Will do feet later.

And last night I was in bed by 10.20pm.

Oh oi, what a blardy ridiculous system, roll on getting the medication.

What is really making me anxious? at the moment apart from the obvious, DH and the boys, lol. I have a short fuse at the best of times, so need to take a step back but at the moment everything they do irritates, bless the little darlinks. I have a real phobia about the spig, but I am resigned to medication, so feel calmer about it iykwim. Might feel differently on Wednesday... I also aggravate myself with the knowledge that it's quite possible that I could have prevented this.

My relaxation? holidays, lol. Alcohol doesn't do it for me (although apparently it works for the nurse, lol), chocolate does.... Getting out in the fresh air and walking is great once I'm out there, but I'm such a lazy sod. I love the walk home from school but it's not always possible (Wed am at the earliest this week). I think I need to get swimming again.

Yes, a diagnosis really is easier to deal with, and whilst I wasn't expecting diabetes, the raised BP isn't a surprise, and I was expecting something to be uncovered.

We were going through the basics, but the appt was hijacked by the bitch pharmacist who seemed to just write me off (ie go straigh to meds, no point attempting anything else). She wasn't even part of the appt, she just happened to pop her head around the door and the nurse asked her a question iykwim. I'd managed to maintian my composure to that point, but she really upset me, and sent me a leetle bit ott.

Sorry, I am reading everyone's posts, but I'm a tad self-absorbed at the moment .

Sending you calming, supportive vibes, ureb.

Dh is driving dd to the cinema as I speak, to meet up with a boy

They are going to watch a movie together, on their own.

Dd met this boy at Easter Camp at a school in the area, last year ie. 2007 and they have kept in touch ever since by email and phone.

They're both 11