WedWork No.2 - Give it a go!!

Good evening all!

Please see below the (hopefully) gut busting workout that I will be doing tomorrow as my WedWork program.

For those new to my blog, as part of a fixed workout program that I have just started I was advised to pick a random workout to perform on a Wednesday (WedWork) to mix things up and keep them interesting!! I decided I am probably not alone in the need to get in shape to keep up with the kids so I will post a Wedwork every Tuesday in the hope those reading will join me and perform the workout below at some point tomorrow....

Thank you for the positive feedback regarding last weeks WedWork and I hope this one is enjoyed just as much.

Stay tuned for what will be my before pictures as I start my journey towards my after pictures - it's also to show I am like many Dads that are in the same belly situation 😇

Check in this time next week for the next WedWork!!!

Reward for Abigail turns out to be a reward for Daddy also...

On Friday I found myself wandering around the shopping precinct close to work trying to find something to use as a reward for my daughter's good behaviour the previous night at bedtime. Normally I wouldn't use this method of bribery to aid me in the challenge of the bedtime routine but dinner was close to completion and Britain's Got Talent was starting within moments (I confessed, your smiling but we both know you were watching too)! As the time allocated to my lunchbreak was rapidly slipping away and having found very little in the limited choice of shops I had to my disposal. I put my last hope in a shop I usually avoid due to the excessive queues and my tendency to buy random objects I don't need just because they are, no more or less than one hundred pennies of my hard earned wage packet! For those whose bank holiday weekend has been long and alcohol fuelled, I am referring to the nation's much loved, PoundLand.

Before being completely condemned for the use of rewards and bribery to get my daughter's obedience, I must point out this is only used in emergency situations, that the reward is never food or drink that will result in the funding of a dentists new car and the reward is always creative or educational in some way.

Fighting my way through the lunchtime masses I managed to find the aisle with what appeared to be arts & crafts plus some dog food and random carpentry tools! With barely minutes to spare I grabbed the item pictured above as it looked creative and the princess theme should please my little angel.

Moving swiftly on to yesterday afternoon and the time arrived to sit down and assist my daughter with her reward. Opening the package we are presented with 13 pieces of card with shapes cut in their interior, a fair number of small foam pads and a 11g stick of PrittStick. Praying for instructions that make even the slightest amount of sense, we are happy to see the clear instructions below (I say we but if I am honest the 4year old next to me really didnt have the same excitement for good instructions as I do)!

We quickly decided who would be doing the popping out, folding of the pieces provided and who will be using the glue (I am sure no Brain surgeons are required for this one). I found the pieces easy to pop out and the folds perfectly formed making them very easy to manipulate in accordance with the instructions. With the help of my lovely assistant we are quickly well on our way and having lots of fun, folding and sticking our masterpiece. As we go I am instructed to take photos periodically to show mummy how we did it so naturally I oblidged (risk of 4 year old temper loss too great to refuse)! Please see below...

 

At this point the top has been put on back wards and I am lucky enough that Abigail prefers it that way otherwise I could have been in real trouble...

As you can see Abigail was very pleased with the final outcome and so was I. I hadnt expected it to look so good as after all it was just card and a bit of glue. The total build time was approx 1 hour, which we could have shortened but when your having fun, whats the rush?! On the packet it had given a guideline of the parental involvement required depending on the age of the child (Abigail is 4) and in my opinion they hit the mark. I was heavily involved but I must say some parts (chair & table) were really fiddly and took a large amount of patience which for 4 year old Abigail (and her 33 year old Daddy) found really difficult, as patience is a virtue neither of us possess!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time together and are already planning to see if we can find the other models available. I hope that others will get the same enjoyment from this or any other creative task they sit down to complete with their children.

Product - Pritt Create Your Doll House
Purchased From - PoundLand
Reason for Purchase - Reward for good behaviour
Time to complete - 1 Hour approx
Cost - £1!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Saisfaction from completion and fun had together - Immeasurable!
In Comparison - Cost of sweets/chocolate/fizzy drinks as a reward - £1-£2 + obesity, pain and loss of teeth - Don't take what you believe to be the easy route when they are young!

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Why not mix your Wednesday up a little..?!

Two months ago I decided that with my 2 children now running a mock and wanting Daddy to join in all the fun, I would need to get into shape as my belly (all bought and paid for) was now starting to deprive my feet of their yearly suntan! As daunting as the thought was, I managed to join a gym, buy the required fluorescent, multi-coloured, bump hugging apparel required and pluck up the courage to actually go, after watching my Rocky box set for inspiration (cue "Hearts on Fire")!

I now have a fairly regular workout week with set days for certain workouts and things are going well. I was given advice to keep things mixed up so that I didn't get bored or my body got used to the repetition. Taking this advice I decided that every Wednesday I would pick a workout (either from the web, advice of a friend or made from my own limited experience) and perform said workout on a Wednesday then repeat on a Sunday if I was feeling adventurous. This has proved challenging but also lots of fun with Renata (afore mentioned, long suffering partner) joining in to prove that anything I can do she can do....(not going to admit that in writing)!

As I am now running this blog I thought I would share my Wednesday workout with you all in the hope that not only will you give it a go but also have fun doing so! All of the workouts I must add, can be performed in the comfort of your own home, will require little or no equipment and must be done at a pace that will not cause injury(apologies for the generic shopping channel quote)! Sweating, collapsing in a heap, verbally abusing the person who suggested the workout and crying for your mummy are all perfectly normal and will usually arrive just before the satisfaction that I will be doing exactly the same!

All comments or feedback (including CONSTRUCTIVE criticism) will be more than welcome and please keep an eye on this blog every Tuesday night (unless someone wishes to whisk us away on an all expenses paid holiday) for the Wednesday workout for that week!
Please see first installation of WedWork underneath, Happy Sweating!

T-Sticks Experience and my Top 3!!

Work life doesn't get much better when the colleague next to you, offers out of the blue to make you a cup of tea! Happily accepting Chloe's offer and instantly regretting the no cake for May pledge made 19 days previously, I get back to the email I was quietly constructing.

After a few minutes I am presented with a cup full of hot water with what appears to be a silver stick bobbing around inside and a captivating orange aroma. I am then instructed to remove said silver stick after 2 minutes, stir, taste and voice my opinion on the hot liquid in my cup (normally containing a PG tips with a splash of moo juice)! Thinking it best to be a good boy and do as I am told I wait, remove, stir then tentatively slurp at the golden liquid.....

Well Vegas, Monkey, take your Pyramids and have a day off! This smooth, powerful and deep orange tea has me wrapped around it's little finger....instant convert! I am then told that this is a tea made by T-Sticks and Chloe is reviewing them for her blog after being sent a generous sample pack from the company. It doesn't take me long to enquire what other flavours are available and over the course or the next 2 days like a kiddie locked in a sweet shop, I skip my way through all T-Sticks have to offer!

Now I could go on about how all 10 flavours are amazing but what I feel is needed for you reading pleasure is my Top 3?!

3. Morrocan Mint - initial beautiful, fragrant scent. Delicate colour and a fresh, crisp taste. Left my mouth feeling clean and happy!

2. Zesty Lemon - Boom! Powerful but amazingly sweet lemon envelopes the senses. Taste reminds me of warm, lemon tart eaten outside a cafe overlooking the Mediterranean sea off the south coast of France. This tea is dreamy....

1. Tangy Orange - They say your never forget your first time and who it's with...! 😉 Sweet, fruity, tangy, and oh so wonderful deep flavour that brings a calmness to my being! For me this tea was a small step above the rest.

Aside from the awesome flavour of these teas, they are presented in a small plastic packet which retains the freshness and flavour. They are small and compact, meaning they will fit into any bag or pocket unnoticed. A very easy way to enjoy a delightful tea experience.

Pictures taken later in the day for illustration purposes.

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Pick up a present...? No problem!

Abigail has had her first invite to a birthday party being held this Sunday at 12pm. Upon receipt of the invitation I saw a perfect opportunity to become Superdad and make sure all goes well for my little treasure.....

 

Monday evening, 6pm - The invite gives simple instructions of when, where and how to dress (super hero or Disney Character), making life for me very easy. Look at map, see diary for potential hazardous double bookings and finally pop upstairs to check Elsa dress still safely in Abigail's wardrobe. Tasks complete and one is feeling quite smug with regards to my efficient completion of my objective, so time for a well deserved cuppa!

Still feeling rather smug and efficient I decide to send a message to the mother of the daughter in question, to confirm Abigail will be attending and that she will be dressed as requested. Just to place the icing on my efficient cake, I also ask if there is anything in particular the birthday girl would like for a birthday present, as being new to this I thought it smart (still smug) to ask. Having no experience in the world of present buying for someone else's child, I thought by asking the question my life would be easy by the direct and informative reply I was bound to get! Well.... you could have knocked the smug out of me with a feather! Please see reply below

'Hi Adam, thank you for letting me know that Abigail will be attending. I forgot to out on the invitation that the birthday girl is obsessed with the film Frozen and will be dressing as Elsa so please avoid dressing Abigail this way if you were going to. As for the present anything creative or Frozen would be fine. Thanks'

In the time it took for me to smile, sit down and take a generous gulp of my tea, my smug world had been destroyed in one very informative and ambiguous message! Not only am I now tasked with finding another outfit, I have to tell Abigail that she cannot wear her beloved Elsa dress and I have to use the ambiguous present information to source a gift! Creative or Frozen...to be honest I am thinking a packet of Birdseye's green pellets would definitely be unexpected?!

Putting aside the dress situation I am thinking gift, gift, gift.....

•how much do you spend on a gift?

•what if it’s not suitable for her daughter?

•what if her daughter doesn't like it?

•what if her daughter thinks it’s boring?

•what if I duplicate something she has already?

•why are my thoughts in bullet point format...?

 

When I first became a Dad I thought I had prepared myself for most situations (first day of school, learning to swim/ride a bike, first boyfriend(never going to happen) etc) but where was the book/advice/blog about this! Starting to be overcome with stress and doubt I am glad I am sat down for this! I decide enough is enough, pull yourself together or just man up!

 

At this point I do what any self-respecting father would do.....panicking I go and explain the disaster to Renata (my lovely partner if you skipped my intro). Renata smiles, shakes her head and utters...

 

"Alice in Wonderland dress in the wardrobe and Frozen art set I bought earlier on the kitchen table". Walking away she turns and smiles with a smugness at my knowledge that she will win most arguments for the next few months!

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Welcome to Dadventures!

Welcome to Dadventures and my very first post!! Let me start with a bit of who's who, my name is Adam, I am a father to two beautiful children and the partner to their wonderful mother. My partner Renata has blessed us with Abigail (4yrs) and Charlie (2yrs). We live in the south west of England, close to Bristol where the grass is plentiful and farm vehicles are guaranteed to block you path when your are already later than your temper will allow!

I now work in Sales after 13 years in the hospitality industry which for her sins, Renata is still married too. Due to our working hours and commitments, unfortunately most weekends I find myself alone with two excitable and demanding children. As a three, we find ourselves off on many mini adventures with daddy trying desperately to entertain to a satisfactory level (I have tough critics)! This led me to investigate a way to not only record our time together as we grow but to also share  this with others that may gain something from our reviews, experiences and any advice or opinion I can give to the other parents in our position. At this point, although I may get a look of disapproval from the desk next to mine, I do have a special mention for my learned colleague Chloe, who without her help none of this would be possible. I know this sounds like the start to a poor acceptance speech, but Chloe introduced me to the blogging world and to (can't believe I am going to admit this at the age of 33) Twitter! Yes, you read it correctly, until one week ago I was a complete and utter Twitter virgin (cue the rising blood in my face)!! 

 

Well I think that is a good note to close on, so I hope all that read my blog or follow me on Twitter will gain something positive from doing so, but please do remember all that is written is a mix of facts and my opinion so salt (by the pinch load) is probably required 😊

 

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