A Look Back: Pain, Charity, Chocolate and Stress

17 Oct 2010 1 Comment

by Tamsinin Get Fit For Charity, Knitting Mama, Saffa, Slightly Insane Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

WELCOME TO SUNDAY! Ohhh, I do hope you are having a fantastical day. Over here at Tamsin Towers it has been a manic couple of weeks. So much so, that I’ve barely been able to visit my favourite blogs and say hello to my favourite people. The next week isn’t looking that much better but Half Term is coming so enforced relaxation is on its way.

I haven’t given my blog a focus. This has been bugging me a lot lately. A focus means more ideas and strategy. So, hopefully, over the next few weeks I’ll be implementing a stronger focus on parenting issues and crafty parenting.

And here, in all it’s glory, is the week’s roundup…

Charity Chomping

This week I started my Get Fit for Charity mission. So far I have ten sponsors which is, I have to say, more than I ever expected. It’s been a tough couple of days and the past few days I’ve been the I in Pain. I had to go down the stairs on my bum for a 2am toilet break last night. My legs were just Too Sore For Words.

I can’t WAIT for the weekly measurement and weigh-in on Wednesday.

If you fancy sponsoring me, please do. Every penny is going to Learn As One, a worthy cause indeed. If you haven’t already seen how I look now visit here. Look right to see Sarah’s transformation and how I plan to look by Christmas. Wahey!

OH AND! AND! I was sent a Slendertone System Abs kit to try out for a month. Now, because I am also doing masses of crunches and stomach killing exercises with my diet and exercise plan, I wanted to make sure that this was a fair review.

SO, I am using it on the non-abs days and The Husband, who can’t exercise at the moment due to an arm injury, is using it on the same days for the same time! He is my control group. Not exactly a WILLING control group, I’ll give you that. There are yelps of, “It’s cold” and “Urgh, STICKY!”

It’s true. The pads are cold and sticky. But I am loving the tickly sensation when its doing its thing. Its quite relaxing actually. I find myself getting quite zen as I knit, watch Medium (one of my all time favourite shows EVER. How can you not love a show about a middle-aged mum of three who kicks butt?) and get stomached by Slendertone.

I am deeply sceptical of products like these but perhaps with The Husband as control group A, and Sarah as control group B (she knows how long it took her abs to show when she started the programme the first time) we can see how much of an impact this system has on my figure.

Baby Loss Awareness

It was with vast quantities of anger and sorrow that I saw Baby Loss Awareness get covered in chocolate. It was a sad moment in our media history and I truly hope their protest made some difference. Sadly I can’t find anything about it in the news. I wish I had litres of cash so I could make a difference.

Half Term Bloggers

I joined in with thousands of British Mummy Bloggers at their #savvyhalfterm twitter party. It was really good! Many of the ideas were pure genius and others extremely funny. I lost many hours to scrolling through the stream and reading the ideas. I know I’ve stolen several for my half-term plans! Here are some of mine.

Knitting Mama

And I uncovered an adorable free knitting pattern for babies that has had several emails come my way cooing in delight. This pattern is actually quite simple and will make anyone really happy if you decided to pick up the sticks and knit it for them. If you get stuck with any parts of the pattern just drop me an email tamsin [@] saffasogood [dot] com, and I’ll do my best to help you out.

Tomorrow will be all about dissecting the morning news of the day, an aching body update on Get Fit for Charity, and something insane this way comes…

Baby Loss Awareness Week Protest

14 Oct 2010 2 Comments

by Tamsinin Bedraggled Mum, Parenthood Tags: , ,

On Monday I talked about how National Chocolate Week has superseded Baby Loss Awareness Week on the news. It is something that has angered me immensely. I’ve not lost a child, but I know many women who have, and every day I think about how damn brave and strong they are. I am not sure I could survive it.

So, when the news hit me, I hit the roof. Even now a Google News search for Baby Loss Awareness Week delivers scant results, while National Chocolate week is a smorgasbord of choice.

What is this world coming to, honestly, when such a frivolous idea, patently manufactured to bring extra cash into big coffers, supersedes something as important and REAL as Baby Loss Awareness?

If someone deprives you of chocolate for life you’re hardly going to stop coping, are you? If you suddenly lost a bar of chocolate it wouldn’t matter one jot. Now reverse it. Yeah. I am furious.

So, here I am, hoping to make one small difference in the world. If you happen to be in London tomorrow then please do join the ladies as they hold a peaceful protest outside the This Morning studios.

Protesters will be meeting at 11am at the Waterloo station and will walk to the “This Morning” studios. After the protest, campaigners intend to march on 10 Downing Street where they will light their candles at 7pm.

I wish them every success.

When Chocolate Is More Important Than Children

11 Oct 2010 11 Comments

by Tamsinin Parenthood Tags: , , ,

This morning I received a press release that astounded me. At first I could not understand why a press release that was talking about the Baby Loss Awareness Campaign 2010 was referring to National Chocolate Week. It was this confusion that caused me to read on.

The Baby Loss Awareness Campaign highlights the sorrow and difficulties faced by parents who lose much-loved, and much-wanted, babies. The release says that often people end up suffering in silence because friends and family just don’t know what to say. This is very true. I have had three women, all very (VERY) dear to my heart lose a child and I have stood there mute.

What do you say to someone who’s child has been stillborn? There is absolutely nothing you can say or do that will take that heartbreak away. Just thinking about it makes me tear up. So imagine my utter disgust when I read the following sentence in the press release:

Campaigners  were stunned when their efforts to raise awareness of the event were scuppered by This Morning, who told them they were being sidelined to make room for ‘National Chocolate Week’. 

Oh. Awesome. National Chocolate Week isn’t as uncomfortable as Baby Loss Awareness I bet. Let’s give our viewers the frivolous instead of the important. Let’s not provide those men and women who’ve lost children with information that could help them through the tough days. Goodness, no. Let’s rather talk about chocolate.

So, this Friday there is going to be a peaceful protest outside the This Morning studios. Bravo to these ladies, I say, Bravo. And Boo Hiss to This Morning for making such an utterly shameful decision.