Two Stone!!

This morning I weighed myself for my 13^th weigh in since I started in January and I lost a whopping 6lbs! This makes up for the 1lb ½ I put on the week before and to be honest the bad month of March.  

I found myself as usual losing a bit going down a dress size and get complacent. The problem that is I am still diabetic and I still have quite a bit of weight to lose to get to a healthy BMI.

Last Monday I gave myself a stern talking to and go back on track and it worked.

My total weight loss is now 2 stone. That’s 28lbs!!

The best thing I feel so much better for it. Last Monday I felt bloated and sluggish as I had eaten so badly the week before.  A bonus result is that I have gone down two dress sizes and I now a size 16 which feels really good!

I still have quite a bit to lose but I am on the right track!

It’s Not Luck, It’s Bloody Hard Work

I have been freelancing from home for the past 5 ½ years and I love it and I love the work I do. It gives me the flexibility to be with my children, I have really low childcare costs (Little Miss funding has just kicked in so zero costs now) and I get to choose who I work with.

When I tell people I am a work at home mum they generally tell me I am really lucky and for a very long time I agreed with them.

Oh yes I am lucky not to have to go out to work

Oh yes I am lucky that I get to be at home with my children.

Oh yes I am lucky to do I job that I love.

But I’m not lucky; I work really, really hard to be able to do this. Don’t get me wrong I wouldn't have it any other way but it’s not come easy.  I spent many years working away late into the night and grabbing precious minutes at nap time to fit work in and build up a reputation and client portfolio.  

During that time I had a second child and a lovely bout of depression to help things along.

I still work in small pockets of time as Little Miss only goes to tom playgroup 3 mornings a week, I am praying really hard that two extra mornings become free soon! Life is hectic and sometimes down right exhausting. My recent illness has not helped but I am on the mend now.

I let myself devalue my own work. I think it’s because for such a long time I felt like a fraud, not believing in my abilities. I have come to realise that I am good at what I do!!

I feel like I am on the go constantly. Today I have dropped the girls off, BG at school and Little Miss at playgroup. Before we left the house I swapped the washing over. When I got back from the school run I filled the dishwasher and swept the floor while I waited for the kettle to boil. I have then done an hour and 20 mins work and have written this blog post (yes I am skiving), very soon I will have to walk back and pick Little Miss up (I don’t drive so the 20 min journey is done on foot), we will then walk home, have lunch, I will attempt some tidying, have a cup of tea and then do my 3^rd school run of the day. Then it will be dinner time, bed time, I will then do a few hours work, get the kids’ stuff ready for the morning, watch a bit of TV and go to bed. I do that on a Monday and Wednesday. On a Thursday OH is off so I get a full working day. Tuesday and Friday I work in the evenings.

My house is a pit; I have piles of washing everywhere.

This is my desk, the house is even worse!

I wouldn’t change the way I work. Yes it’s hectic and the days are long but Little Miss goes to school next year *sob* and things will then get easy. This September she goes over the pre-school side will be doing two and half days and that will really make a difference. Until then I will carry on the way we are, I am trying not to think about summer!

So I am not lucky to be a work at home mum, I work really hard so I can be one. 

Right I have 20 minutes before I have to leave. Time for some more work! 

Tall Oaks by Chris Whitaker Blog Tour: 5 Things I Can’t Write Without

Its been a while since I have written about books or hosted a book tour so what better way to reintroduce this to Lipstick and Lace than with a book blog tour for a debut novel. 

This made me want to read it straight away:

For fans of Twin Peaks and The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair, this brilliant debut is dark yet hilarious, suspenseful and sad. Everyone has a secret in Tall Oaks . .

When three-year-old Harry goes missing, the whole of America turns its attention to one small town. Everyone is eager to help. Everyone is a suspect.


Desperate mother Jess, whose grief is driving her to extreme measures. Newcomer Jared, with an easy charm and a string of broken hearts in his wake. Photographer Jerry, who's determined to break away from his controlling mother once and for all. And, investigating them all, a police chief with a hidden obsession of his own . . 

Luckily for me I was sent a e copy to read and it is a brilliant book. I read it in two day, totally ignoring my children and the housework. I have to admit that I found it a confusing read at first as there are quite a few characters and I kept getting them mixed up, though to be fair it doesn't take a lot to confuse me. once I got pass that I was totally gripped and just had to know who had done it.

I won't give much away because there is nothing worse that a spoiler but I will say Manny is my most favourite character in the book.  You seriously have to read this book and luckily for you its out on ebook on the 7th April.  

Even more exciting than a new book is that Chris Whitaker has written a post for me to share with you. 

I have always wanted to be an author and in my fantasies I get to write uninterrupted for ours in a huge office lined with books and I of course write books that everyone loves. In reality I write blog post sporadically which trying to work from home, fending off children by throwing them food, in an office which is essentially a hallway between the bathroom, living room, kitchen and utility room. I am always fascinated by how authors write, where they write and what they need to be creative. 

Chris is kindly sharing  the 5 things he cant write without *takes notes*

5 Things I Can’t Write Without

1. A daily target.

It might not work for everyone, but I need to set myself a daily target. I’ve varied it over the years. With Tall Oaks it was 5,000 words per day, this is insane and I would never do it again. My wife was due to give birth in a month and I wanted to get a first draft finished before all the screaming and crying began. It didn’t work, as when I saw how awful that first draft was I did some screaming and crying of my own. So now I’ve settled on 1,250 words per day. There are no excuses, I have to write 1,250 words. I don’t write at the weekend (unless a deadline looms) but I know that in roughly four months I’ll have a first draft. It helps to look at the calendar and see the end in sight. There are times when I’m not in the mood to write, or when life gets in the way, but I always push through.

2. Microsoft Word 2007.

I know, I’m a dinosaur. In my defence, 2007 was a vintage year for Word. I have friends that write on Macs (the cool kids), Zoho (me neither), and even by hand (Amish/ masochist), but for me I’m a Word fan. I’ve heard good things about Scrivener, but would probably need Mr/Mrs Scrivener to move in with me whilst I got to grips with it.  

3.Silence.

I work and write (according to my accountant never the twain shall meet) from home. I have a five-year-old son and a two-year-old son. Their favourite game is called Cobra vs. Mongoose, there’s lots of hissing and screeching involved. This means I do a lot of writing at night. I’ve tried writing whilst listening to music but just find it a distraction.

4. The Internet.

Though it can be hugely distracting, I find it impossible to write without internet access. From research to dictionary and thesaurus, I’d be completely lost without it. And Twitter. Twitter has been a revelation. I knew it was a necessary evil in the days of self promotion, but through Twitter I now have a group of writer friends that have talked me down from the ledge more times than I care to admit. They are such a diverse group that if I need anything from advice on the correct use of the dream sequence (don’t use it) to the best way to hide a body (blend and drink), there’s always an expert on standby.  
 
 
5. Laughing.

Seriously. If I can’t make myself laugh then I go back and re-work. Every line that is supposed to be funny needs to elicit a laugh. If you think trying to make yourself laugh is narcissistic then you’re probably right. But it’s really important to me!
 
You can find Chris on twitter and can pre order his debut novel Tall Oaks here. 

Checkout the rest of the blog book tour.