I’m so happy it’s Friday. The end of the school year is taking its toll. It’s filled with birthday parties, ballet recitals, pool openings and teacher appreciation days. I am in constant flux of running errands and driving people around town. Dealing with two separate teacher appreciation weeks for the first time is driving me nuts. Don’t get me wrong I value our teachers and I am in awe of the work they do but this week alone I have had requests from Hugh’s daycare for cash, presents, cards and lunch for the teachers. I’m more than happy to help provide a fun lunch but sometimes I feel I’m being asked for donations every month – and it’s not like we don’t already pay them to take care of our son. Maybe I’m being too harsh but from Christmas bonuses to Valentine’s Day to teacher’s birthdays and teacher appreciation week I’m starting to feel a tad irritated. Plus I then get invited to Muffins for Mothers at 4pm on a Friday afternoon! What working Mom is going to want to do that before a commute home on a Friday? They used to have it in the morning for breakfast when we dropped the children off, which makes far more sense, and I’ve just made the daycare Director perfectly aware of that. OK vent over and done with.
MM had the morning off today and we’ve had the pleasure of each others company in IKEA for the past 2 hours. My daughter turns 6 on the 18th May and her request for some weeks now has been for a more ‘grown up’ bedroom. It’s not childish now but she wants a desk for homework, more storage, and more grown up art on the walls. I’m actually very impressed that she wants these for presents instead of more dolls – which do get played with, but I’m sure Ken is up to something as there seems to be an ever increasing population of them every time I enter her room.
I love IKEA‘s products – I wouldn’t want the entire house furnished in IKEA but we have fabulous bar stools, a couple of beds, storage solutions and some dining chairs from there and they all look great. They obviously aren’t built to last years but they do the job and look pretty cool. What I really don’t like is the IKEA store itself. Even when you enter with a list of the specific items needed I guarantee you will never get out in less than 2 hrs. I’ve even learned a few short cuts through the maze of furniture but still I can’t get out quickly. I write down every code so that I can go immediately to the correct warehouse shelf, but every time there’s an issue – I write it down incorrectly, we change our mind on the way down there and forget the new number, or we mix up items and end up having to search on the computer terminals. None of it IKEA’s fault I hasten to add – always user error. Then of course the flat packs are heavier than lead weights so negotiating them out of the store requires strength and skill, not to mention we had omitted to remove the car seats from my car, so we ended up straddling the back seat unclipping awkward child restraints so we could lower the back seats! Aaarggh! In 90 degree heat and humidity too – yuk! Well all we have to do now is to work as a cohesive team and calmly assemble said flat packs. Normally this involves me trying to instruct MM, getting exasperated with him for having no logical or spatial reasoning, then telling him to get out of the way and let me just do it on my own…all part of his cunning plan. I promise to post photos of this sequence of events over the coming evenings while we try to assemble the desk and shelves quietly once the children are in bed. Or as MM suggested S. and his girlfriend will be here by then and surely living in Stockholm makes one an expert on assembling IKEA??:)
Before the excitement of IKEA I headed to Jenny Craig for my first weigh in. I am thrilled to say I lost a whole 3.8lbs this week!!! I’m only trying to lose about 15lbs in total so I hope it keeps coming off this quickly. I haven’t felt hungry at all due to eating all the healthy fruit and veg that Jenny Craig encourages you to volumize with. I should be fast as lightning on my morning run tomorrow!
Poppy and I before the school run this morning:
I was asked the other day, by Diane, if I have any favorite tunics that I go back to time and again? Well I do try and rotate my clothes but the one that I love is from last summer and it’s the Terrazzo Tunic. It’s so comfortable – I know some really disliked it thinking the print was very 1970’s wallpaper but I am definitely one of its fans! I’m wearing it here with my Boden spot prize necklace from #BodenMondays twitter fun!
To all my readers in the UK enjoy your long weekend and Monday Bank Holiday!
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Thank you so much for answering my question tunic looks fab, glad to see the pic as I couldn’t picture it. I know you have the dissolve dress from all saints (I love their knitwear mainly) I have been debating whether to get the oversized tee in the dissolve print. Has to be said I do agree with the amount of requests for cash from schools. There is hardly a week that goes by without some sponsored event. (anyway that’s my rant over). Have a great weekend
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Diane
Oh let me know if you get the t-shirt I love it! Their knitwear is fabulous – some of my favorite pieces are AllSaints but it’s definitely more autumn/winter friendly, though I do have some cute tops for nights out from them.
Enjoy your weekend too – we’re off to the pool!
I love that tunic. I went to buy the Ibiza today that you modeled so well last week, Alas, it was sold out in my size. Ended up getting nightgowns and bathing suits for the girls. Does Poppy like their suits? I promised I wouldn’t buy them anymore after the terrible fading of the ones I got when S & G were babies. I couldn’t resist today, though.
Terrific job with Jenny. My vacation has (I am certain) caused me to gain the five I lost, but I’m okay with it. Will jump back on when I’m home!
To be honest we haven’t bought many of their suits – she does so much swimming in the pool that I tend to buy Target suits so they are more ‘disposable’ – the Boden ones do fade. She has a cute bikini and a green ‘fruit salad’ suit that we use for the beach only so they don’t get chlorine damage.
You’ll be back on the wagon soon:) I just went for a super fast run – those 4lbs were weighing me down more than I realized!
Oh, the TERAZZO. Yum and Um. As you know I have two. You look awesome in this one. Very very pretty. I still have to bare my legs (as my hubby wants me to), but I have yet to feel 100% ready. I think maybe June? 😉
We LOVE IKEA but have recently decided to only purchase certain items from them as. we. just. can’t. deal. anymore. LOL. Man, the flat box is pure parental evil if you have more than one teeny little baby. We decided to purchase a mattress and bed recently and it was heaven. The mattress is huge, very firm, filled to the brim with memory foam, coils, soft bits, firm bits, etc. The bed is sturdy, made well, and doesn’t appear to be a college dorm room castoff. Best part? The places we bought them from installed both. Yay! (Although my hugely pregnant belly may have been why they did, but I choose to believe the non-IKEA companies just do this for everyone.)
BTW, you are tiny! I can’t believe you want to lose any weight at all! But, having said that, if your goal is 15, and you lost 4, that’s awesome.
Also, as a former teacher who never received gifts (our school was in a poorer district and it was rare to get any gifts), I am overwhelmed for you. I guarantee the teachers appreciate it, but in reality, a lovely handwritten card with a gift card to starbucks is probably plenty. (And really only twice a year, too, once at the holidays and once for teacher appreciation week. I am with you on how much you have to celebrate, yowza.)
Get those legs out!! It’s summer time now:)
It’s funny we rarely buy IKEA for our ‘grown up’ rooms but I was really inspired by how nice some of their sofas are for the t.v. room – it tends to be where the kids throw juice and cheetos all over, so something fairly cheap and cheerful down there is nice. Even their kitchens look great in the show room but I’m not sure they are up to the hammering we give our cabinets every day. I desperately need to get a new mattress!
Thanks for the complement but I definitely need to shift a few lbs from my waistline – it seems to be where it all goes:) Good shape wear helps!