Sprinterlady

Last weekend was a big one. As well as the run - hello, big-haired, tomato-faced girl! -there was Emma's birthday party.

There is something about preparing a child's party that has me reaching for the gin bottle. It plays havoc with my normally horizontally-laid-back tendencies: the cake must be home made, Emma must look clean and wear a party dress, the place must be tidy. Even though it's the Switzergent that actually cleans the house, bathes the girl, wears the party dress (eh?) it's still enough to turn me into a nervous wreck.

At least it was a good laugh when it got going. Emma wore vintage 70s pink smocking. There was over-consumption of chocolate cake, followed by the usual sugar-related ADHD - and that was just the adults, chortle! Here we are.

Then on Sunday we had a dedication service for the Glorymouse at our church. The weather was perfect, G was so busy scoffing that she nearly missed her big moment and I made a little speech in very ropey French. Here she is with all her godparents.

After such a flurry of activity, this weekend the Scho family is enjoying a total system shutdown for essential maintenance and repairs.*

*aka watching DH and lounging around in bed

Runner beans

Thank you very much for sponsoring my running efforts. I crossed the finish line without ending up in intensive care.

My final time was 1 hr 5mins, a full shameful 10 minutes slower than last year. The Switzergent sailed through 13 minutes ahead of me, and it will be a while before I wipe the smirk off his smug, smug face.

I was also overtaken a lot - the runners in novelty costume, the pensioners, people fatter than me - I ate all their dust. On the bright side, at least I overtook the Jim Belushi Blues Brother with the full suit and a pillow down his front.

But given that I only gave birth to a Glorymouse three months ago, I am feeling very chuffed just to have finished at all. Hurray!

Photos of me looking like a big tomato to follow soon...

Guess who turned two today... 

..and someone wore very high-waisted trousers 

A recipe for disaster

1. Take one large chocolate bunny rabbit.
2. Put children to bed.
2. Put Desperate Housewives on.
3. Play mind games, for example:

You gave up chocolate for Lent, now its Easter. Tuck in!
Bye Bye, bunny ears.
You're breastfeeding, it's ok!
Down the hatch, bunny face.
You're running 10km on Saturday!
Yum yum, bunny arms and torso.
Gloria screamed for an hour today! Treat yourself!
Scoff scoff, bunny tummy, legs, paws, little cotton tail, everything.
Nice, isn't it?
Roam house drooling like a goon, looking for anything containing sugar.

Blubberous Overhang: Hi! Sorry to interrupt!! Where shall I put my things?

Serves One.

PS Happy Easter everyone

Eye need*

Yes, hello, it's begging time again!

As I think I've already mentioned, I'm doing a 10km run on 22nd April in Lausanne. This year I'm trying to raise cash for the Medair Angola programme, also known as the Switzerlady Blubber Removal Programme. That said, would you now please consider

a) giving some money via the Medair website (click on 'Angola')
b) coming to Lausanne to point and laugh as I lie face down in the mud, being trampled on by the competition

Helping thousands of Angolans and one British middle-class fatty, what's not to like?

*thanks to Heather for inspiring today's title

Don't mention the sledging

...see what I mean? 

Look! We went up a mountain!

Yes, that's us, the idiots in cycling gear! His 'n' hers! (Actually, the non-breathable plastic makes it very warm, if a bit unhygienic...and it's loads cheaper than actual skiwear!)

We made it to the snow at last. Too logistically impossible and expensive to ski, but we thought let's sledge! Emma would love that!

I don't think so! said Emma. We put her on a sledge where she screamed and screamed until we got back to the nice warm restaurant, a glass of Rivella and a plastic straw - brilliant!

She could have bathed in a gold-tiled swimming pool of Rivella for the same price as the cable car up the mountain, but never mind: the views were spectacular and it was great to be out.

Glorymouse only woke up once a night for 3 nights in a row, too! Hurray for mountain air!

Has this post got too many exclamation marks in it?! I don't know what's come over me!