I want some chewing gum!

I just do. That's all.

I know - it's been forever....

....and I have no excuses.

My mam has been and gone, we enjoyed (other than her just being here) a fantastic 2 night break in Melbourne. Just the two of us. I really missed my kids (and Jon) but it was so different to see a place, actually see a place. Not having to keep and eye on one, two or three children made such a difference. I was able to eat when and where I wanted to. I could walk or sit. Take a tram or not.

We went to see Billy Elliott and it was sooo good. I miss going to the Theatre with my mam (and I know she hasn't been since I left the UK nearly 8 years ago.

We walked and walked and shopped and shopped and boy did my back know it when I got home. I was in so much pain. It must have been the walking upright and not bending over holding onto a child's hand!

So pretty much since then training has been very low key for me (again!) but I am improving and whilst I want to train hard, I have learned to be patient and let my body heal properly.

Today I was going to a little afternoon tea party with some girlfriends but the weather spoiled that. The kids were going to sit on the side lines and watch Jon play soccer, but when it started to rain, the guilt got the better of me and I cancelled.

Also today, well yesterday but from today, I have decided to try and give up sugar free gum. I really didn't think it would be so hard. I am craving gum and if I can't have that I want Pepsi Max - not a good substitute I don't think. So far I am resisting both. Wish me luck.

Happy Happy Happy

No reason - well lots, but none in particular - just happy happy happy!

Feeling much better

We are all feeling much better now. We have all had two good nights sleep, except I had to get up at 4.30am yesterday to go and get my mam from the airport, but that really was not a problem.

Both girls are much better, still have coughs and sometimes a little difficulty breathing but nothing like the other day.

All the kids have taken to grandma straight away again (she was last here 2 years ago).

It is a grey and wet day here at the moment but we are still planning on going into Darling Harbour for the day and me sneaking into the expo for a look around.

Croup

We have had a rough night, we, being me and my kids are exhausted. Last night at 1.30am Miss T woke with a coughing fit brought on by croup (though I wasn't sure at the time that it was croup). She was really distressed and panicking because she couldn't breathe. Jon was away and despite my first aid training, I really didn't know what to do,  I was very close to calling an ambulance, instead I put a call in to Jon in Melbourne.

My kids have never had croup before and as Miss T has asthma as well I was really scared and not able to make a rational decision as to what to do.

I gave her panadol for her fever and ventolin in the hope that it would help her breathing. An hour later she still couldn't breathe properly so I got the other kids up and we headed to the emergency department. (I couldn't even call my mum because she was on a plane to come and see us.)

By the time we got to the hospital, she had calmed and her breathing was much easier. The hospital still wanted her to stay for 3 more hours for observation.

We got back home at 7am this morning and I called Jon to let him know. I hadn't called him to tell him we were at hospital because she was ok and we didn't all need to be sleep deprived.

My son managed to curl himself up into the tiniest ball on a chair and get 20 minutes of sleep before I had to wake him to go home.

We had some breakfast and all went back to bed. Miss T struggled a few times, waking me up with a terrified look on her face saying she couldn't breathe, but this time I felt more in control and calmed her and gave her more ventolin.

I feel for those who are single parents and have to deal with situations like these on their own all the time. I am so looking forward to Jon getting home tonight and my mum arriving in the morning. I'm not sure I'm looking forward to the 6am pickup though! I need some sleep.

Abdominal ultrasound

I have just been to the physio again, this time to look at a long term back issue. This issue started when I was 18 and had a car accident and dislocated my pelvis.

For 4 years now I have been having 2 monthly chiropractic appointments to keep my back functional but really these days it rarely causes me any problems.

The physio said she would rather I didn't see any other practitioners while I was seeing her (so that she and I could be certain what treatments and I guess which practitioner was helping).

Consequently I missed my regular chiro appointment. I decided to ask the physio for her opinion.

Apparently, my back is moving bizarrely.  I also objected rather loudly when she poked and prodded various places, in particular L4. Part of her assessment was to see how the core performs and then to see if simply teaching correct core activation will help strengthen by back.

It was strange having an ultrasound for a reason other than pregnancy, but I did get to see my abdominal muscles, my internal and external obliques and my transverse abdominus - not as exciting as seeing a new baby but still...

She took a still of my abs in their relaxed state and then split the screen and asked me to activate my core.

Result - perfect core activation. 

Now, she had no quick and easy explanation for my back problems. So I need x-rays to establish what treatment will fix it.

Cruel trick

Someone was playing a very cruel trick on me this evening.

Imagine - I was cycling towards the top of a very large hill on my trusty exercise bike when I heard that fantastic whirring noise of the bike ramping down, YES, I had reached the top and I had 3 minutes of a small hill to enjoy before I encountered another very large hill - BUT - NO......

........tonight we must be on the flight path and it was the whirring of an aeroplane coming in to land and I still had another 52 seconds still to go!!!