That Secret Extra Ingredient

Sigh! What to do when, as an introvert, one totally- physically, spiritually, emotionally runs out of energy and motivation for entertaining one's children? 

What does one do when, as a single parent, one has nothing left to give? 

We are now five weeks into the six-week school summer holidays. I already (panic!) ran out of steam 10 days ago after our long weekend with friends in London.  

As my energy and motivation are currently AWOL, I wake up a soggy, deflated, mass of grumpiness and reluctance.

Facing two cheerfully bright-eyed, bushy tailed, fully recharged little human beings can fill one with dread at this time of the year.

If only top-up service stations were provided for us parents and all we had to do was to plug a hose-pipe into our mouths and fill up on our cuppso beverages of choice...

No one expects a car with an empty tank to "go" anywhere so why do we as parents force ourselves to run on empty? For weeks on end?

Ok the latter is a silly question - sometimes we have no choice.

When caffeine is simply not enough, then something extra is called for. In sheer desperation I attended my first LANO YOGA session this morning. Their philosophy is to Look After Number One. 

Everything came together: physically, mentally and emotionally. I haven't felt this fully re-charged in nearly 4 years. Yes I ache all over but I can feel all this...how do I call it? Suppressed tension that I've been holding on to, leaving all my joints.

So bring on the rest of the summer school holidays, Mary Poppins is back in business!

Bubbles and Teacups

Don't ask me why, but right now i'm going through a phase of associating bubbles and Cuppsos with happiness. Like most children I remain fascinated with bubbles; only combined with a healthy dose of comfort as well. 

Normally going to the park with my daughters fulfills mine and their (of course) joyous needs for: blowing, chasing, briefly catching and popping these miracles of water and washing-up liquid.

However yesterday,  I decided to take my bubble-making interests a step further and capture this joyous activity using pencil, paints and paper. 

I gave up on art and drawing after finishing school but suddenly feel this urge to take up this creative activity once more. Here are my first efforts below.

Neighbours who Bite

How would you feel, if you were attacked for no good reason - and had your bottom viciously bitten by your new neighbour?

Would you be: 

(a)Hurt? 
(b)Surprised? 
(c)Vengeful? 

This misfortune occurred, when our adult pet hamster was introduced to  our neighbour's  pre-teen hamster. Both are male and as anyone with hamsters knows, males DON'T get along. 

But try telling that to 3 primary school aged children ever hopeful that their pets will bond and become BFFs (best friends forever in their lingo) 

This was the second time this toothy young upstart had attacked our Smokey in this way. An apology would therefore not be forthcoming from this furry, unrepentant hooligan.

Had human justice existed in the animal kingdom then Ginger, that sharp-toothed culprit, might have had to do time at a juvenile detention centre for delinquent rodents. 

Or, he might have been given 100 hours of community service, picking up the droppings, nuts, seeds and shells scattered by local wildlife litter bugs.

As it was, Ginger's run-free-in-the back garden grass privileges were immediately revoked. Whilst Smokey was given tons of sympathy, and, a smidgen of soothing, aloe-vera juice for both his pride and his man bits. 

What IS in a Name?

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...." and so the 14 year old Juliet waxes lyrical about her sweetheart Romeo. 

Although three decades older, I too can relate to Juliet's sentiments; as this question has been on my mind all morning.

I too, have been dwelling on the name of my newly discovered love. A name that to me would taste just as sweet in any other teacup, mug, jug or bowl. 

We only met one another three weeks ago. And during that encounter when first putting pen to paper, I wasn't to fully realise the impact of my sweetheart's name. 

We're still in the early stages of getting to know one another. This name. And me. Upon waking IT, is the first thing on my mind. The last thing too as I tumble into the land of nod. So whose name has captured my heart so? 

Drumroll here for... Cuppso! And what is a Cuppso? Well you might ask. Is Cuppso:

An animal? 
Fruit? 
Vegetable?
Mineral?

Or simultaneously all and none of the above? Well it is in fact the name of my latest project. An idea and a concept that continues to develop daily in my mind. 

And should anyone ask at this stage what Cuppso means to me then like Juliet my reply would reflect the impact this name has upon me: 

My Cuppso is All Cuppso 
Fully black and white 
day and night 
Cuppso! 

And my Cuppso? My all Cuppso? 
by any other name 
would look and taste, 
as it brews and it pastes 
its name 
all over my heart 
C-U-PP-SO! 

Its presence more sweetly present
than any other beverage resident,
in my thoughts,
and my bowl,
My Cuppso is
All body and 
All soul 
Cupps-Oh!

Quick 'n Easy to set up if you're a tech-shy newbie-blogger (like me!)

As a newbie I never realised it could be so quick and easy to set up a blog. I had considered using Typepad - a well-known blogger whom I greatly admire uses it. Wix was my second option. However I started to panic when asked to make up YET another password / username.

After a bit more googling, Blogger popped up on the horizon and just seem to coordinate itself effortlessly to my Gmail account so... (deep breath here) it seems this might become my first proper blogging home and all in less that 5 minutes. I love it!

Just one caveat, having a Gmail account makes the setup process effortless.