A nervous month ahead...

Those who know me often say that I'm laid back and nothing fazes me. Little do they know that under the relaxed facade is often a nervous wreck. I remember the job interview for my last employed job and the hr manager said something like oh, and it all comes pretty easily to you doesn't it? To which my response was well, i'm like a swan - all serene progress on the outside whilst underneath I'm paddling furiously.

Anyway, my point for this post is that I'm having a squeaky bum moment as we've just agreed terms on new business premises which will pretty much treble our floor space in one go. Of course it also trebles our rent and increases the business rates bill massively, and leaves us with a shop unit to let out in Tavistock but I'm sure that will all turn out fine.

On the plus side it means that I'll have a lot more room to assemble our lunchboxes (check out http://www.Lunchboxesetc.co.uk) and a whole lot more room to display our ever increasing stock of quality second hand children's clothes.

Erg! (part 2)

So, boys1&2 are at a friend's house today which leaves me a chance to fall back into my term-time indoor rowing regime a week earlier that I expected.  For those who are interested I'm trying to follow a training plan loosely based on the pete plan and the wolverine plan.  This means that Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday lunchtimes when boy3 is asleep I get to do a quick session on the rower.

A couple of days ago I did a 5000m long row session. Today it was a set of 4x1000m reps.  The aim of my training plan is to do at least 3 sessions a week - one long row, one sprint reps session (500m reps) and one longer reps session (1000-1500m reps).  I'm logging all the rows on the concept2.com logbook and ranking the faster ones against the other online members on there which is definitely a good motivation tool as I can see when I move up the rankings.

What surprises me is the speed with which I can improve my 2000m pb by doing lots of sprint rep training sessions.  I guessing a lot of this is mental improvement in that you get used to going at a certain pace and know that you can carry on at the pace for a  good period.

Anyway my good intentions are now published and out in the open so I'll have to keep up with the plan won't I!

A new lunchbox design for back to school 2012

I've justed added this new poppies design lunchbox to my website lunchboxesetc.co.uk in time for the back to school rush this year!

There is still plenty of time to order a personalised lunchbox in time for the first day of term.  Just tkae a click to go to http://www.lunchboxesetc.co.uk.

A rainy bank holiday Monday

Perfect weather for preparing a bumper lot of personalised lunchboxes to go to the printers today. Although we did get out for a wet walk this afternoon. Boy3 was in the backpack, the others with full wet weather gear. No such thing as inappropriate weather etc etc .

Back to school in the shop

For the first time this year we've put a few of our off the peg lunchboxes on sale in our shop in Tavistock (just for the back to school period). Here's a little piccy to show you the first few on display.

Don't panic if you don't live near to Tavistock you can still buy these items on amazon, or on our very own website, http://www.lunchboxesetc.co.uk and there is still plenty of time to order one and get delivery before term starts again in September.

Hey hey it's the weekend

Well almost. Honestly this one and a half day working week is really starting to wear me out!

Currently sat with the printers waiting for 100 lunchbox labels to be cut to size for a clients pr launch. I'll be sticking labels on all of them tomorrow whilst listening to test match special.

Today I am mostly eating....

Tuna and broccoli in a cheese sauce with baby pasta stars!

Taking another punt on cheese with boy3 today as its been a couple of weeks since the last vomit.

Went down well but those little pasta stars are a right bugger for getting all over the place

Erg!

For the past couple of years I've had a concept 2 rower in the garage which I've used pretty regularly. Now I'm at home three days a week looking after boy3 it's given me a chance to do three regular sessions a week when he goes down for his lunchtime sleep.

Unfortunately the summer school hols has put paid to this with boys 1 & 2 taking up this precious hour that I had so I'm back to squeezing in a quick row in the evening after story time and before tea.

I'm hoping that when term starts I can get back to it at lunchtime. And by blogging about it I'll shame myself into a regular effort. More about my training efforts in a few weeks.

Boys plus face paint equals social embarrassment

This far into the summer hols and it's a bit desperation stakes as far as entertaining the boys on a long afternoon. So break out the face paint and let them loose on my face. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Just don't pop to the shops and forget that you've been made over as captain jack sparrow!

Tuesday's lunch is...

Well, apart from being prepared in all the wrong proportions, boy3's lunch today was a homemade lamb casserole with (far too much couscous).

Ironically I always seem to underestimate the amount of couscous for my wife and I but hugely overestimate it anytime I cook it for the boys.

So, once I'd chucked half the couscous away (life's too short to save leftover couscous) the rest went down very well with the little fella leaving a clean bowl (and a very dirty Highchair).

Back to school with lunchboxesetc

Our kids have just realised that there is less than a month left until they return to school after the summer holidays. I think the Olympics must have distracted them! Now however they are fully focused on the buying opportunies afforded by the start of the new school year.

Obviously new school shoes are must. However boy1 also "needs" new rugby boots and p.e. trainers, not to mention wellies for forest schools. Boy2 has a similarly lengthy list. All this is fine but I know that within a month most of the stuff we buy will be scattered to the four corners of the cloakroom like those ashes in the big lebowski.  WHy can't they take care of this stuff?

To be fair I remember solemnly, and without fail, buying a brand new geometry set in August each year and vowing that this year I would not set about punching holes in the tin with the compass until at least after half term. Yeah, that resolution really lasted.  Not good to start the school year already having a sense of self-loathing at a gross failure of will power!

I suppose at least my boys don't have to worry too much about lunchboxes. This year we are challenging them to take a photo during the holidays that they would like to have on their lunchbox. Boy1 is still using his rugby squad team photo lunchbox from last year:

and boy2 has a cheetah:

It will certainly be interesting to see what they come up with. If you want to do something similar you can order a custom made photo lunchbox from http://www.lunchboxesetc.co.uk. There is plenty of time to get an order in before term starts, as the personalisation process takes about a week.

Back to school 2012

One of my businesses is a website called http://www.lunchboxesetc.co.uk which as you might have guessed sells lunchboxes!

Uniquely we specialise in personalised lunchboxes with your name or even your own photo on them. They are a great way to make a lunchbox stand out from the crowd in the cloakroom.

London 2012 - blub count

Since my last post about crying at sporting events I've been keeping track on my reactions to GB success at the Olympic games.

Great though it was to see wiggins win the timetrial, I stayed dry eyed. Indeed none of the track cycling has induced tears yet. Not a tear was shed when greg out jumped the world, but mo made me properly tearful as did jess and, strangely, most of the rowing golds particularly kath grainger and partner.