Now, I know there is NOTHING more annoying that following a blog and the blogger going AWOL, however, I really hope you will excuse me for my absence, but the reason was…….

I HAD A BABY BOY!

Since 7am on Monday 20th February 2012 – the day I found out I was pregnant and danced around the bathroom with joy after peeing on that awesome stick – I have, of course, been on Cloud 9 (as well as dog DOG tired).

Some things fell to the wayside (like, errr blogging), but I ABSOLUTELY kept up reading my favourite blogs, namely;

Fairytales are true (Sarah, I am so excited for you and to see baby Tuck x).

Little Baby Garvin (I envy Jessica’s chalkboard skillz – and the fact she can put headbands on her baby – #iwantagirloneday)

As the Foreste Grows (also AWOL at the moment, but Heidi also has a fab excuse)

Enjoying the Small Things (Kelle really inspires me and is also expecting a baby boy)

Glamorous Life of a Housewife (Whitney is a fabulous Christian Mom-blogger with THE cutest boys)

Veronika’s Blushing (a new Mama-to-be)

A Blonde Ambition (Leslie just seems so sweet, I found her blog randomly via Kelly Stamps’ blog one day and was hooked)

Mr Stepford and I have had plenty of discussions regarding blogging, Facebooking etc etc during my pregnancy and subsequent conversations regarding our family and broadcasting our lives.

To put it bluntly I am not to talk too much about my family on this big web’a'sphere.  I’d love to say this is because we are international spies, or secretly very famous or some other fabulous reason but after much MUCH discussion it is really just out of respect to my other half.

He works in the “internet” if you will.  Living day in and day out for websites (he built this beauty for me in an afternoon) and he personally doesn’t want our faces plastered all over the internet.

I have a slight differing opinion on this of course (I am an over-sharer) but if I disrespect my husband on this request, where will the buck stop?

So – blogging henceforth will be done anonymously, as far as my face goes.  I’ll still be blogging honestly though – I’ve got a LOT to catch up on. I’ll just have to get a little creative with picture editing.

I’ve missed the world of blogging and I am ready to give the blog a little TLC again.

So, without further ado – meet my son (or an out of focus shot of my hair and a squished baby face just home from the hospital).

He is now 11 weeks old and looks SO different now, so I figured a newborn baby-face was ok to show on the blog!? #imightbewrong

Little AJ was born at 9:30pm on 17th October 2012 and stole my heart immediately.  All 6lb 15oz of him.

Be back soon – the baby calls. xxx

Or 15lbs before you have to hit the beach this Summer? In a bikini!? *DREAD*

Is it wrong to admire images from the Victoria’s Secret Swimsuit Preview and wish that you had a body like this?

Is it so wrong to want an amazing body at 40+ like Jennifer Aniston’s.

Is it so wrong to also be hating on her BFF for looking similarly H.O.T at the same age?

Would you not want to be photoshopped like Kate Winslet if you had to be on the front cover of a magazine? (she didn’t need it at all in my opinion – at all).

Is it so wrong to have a Pinterest pin board with inspirational weight loss quote?

And work out ideas?

Have you pinned something similar? I have…

Do we need to ALWAYS blame men for making us feel so insecure about our bodies?

Or the media for their portrayal of women that we should ALWAYS look beautiful first thing in the morning?

Or do we pressure ourselves?

Do our friends pressure us?

Does the Fashion Industry pressure us?

FYI Karl Lagerfeld – at least you are honest about the fact that you ‘make clothes for thin women’.  You have been quoted for saying this on several occasions now. What is so wrong about honesty these days?  We all need a market to cater for, a market to shop.  Just find what fits, stay away from what you don’t like.  Targeting someone directly however (Adele) was not on…

I agree, that the idea of thinspiration can be taken TOO far.  Photoshopping can be taken TOO far.  I am looking at YOU Ralph Lauren.  What a joke.

But what would you rather aspire to when thinking about your body? Your eating habits and your workout regime?

Would you paste up a picture of a slim, toned Victoria’s Secret model or would that be ‘wrong’?  Have you been made to feel wrong about it?

I’m not entirely sure how to end this post without p*ss**g someone off.  This wasn’t meant to offend, it’s just that the question arose in my head earlier today.

Is it wrong that *I*, a woman of 26 years old want to hold an image in my head of what I aspire my body to look like without someone taking the blame that I have been brainwashed, and am seeking out some unhealthy distorted image that I cannot obtain?  Am I on the verge of an eating disorder?  Heck no!

Does anyone else have some sort of ‘thinspiration’ – a.k.a, fitness and health goals?

Those ‘skinny’ jeans (total opposite to your fat jeans) in your closet probably count.  As well as that dress you bought 2 sizes to small to “slim into”.

I’ve just got a bad feeling that the media and all reports I read from so called ‘experts’ claim that this is a really unhealthy attitude to have on my self-image and self-worth.

Doesn’t feel all that bad to me.  Especially if I live with the hope that I can rock an ass like J.Aniston’s at 40+.

Bring it ON thinspiration if it means I’ll actually attend a fitness class once in my life, or step away from the donuts.

I learnt this on my drive to work.  Mr S called and told me that “Son has the day off school today, there is a burst water pipe and they’ve closed the school and well, he is also very upset”!

Me: “Why is that hun? Normal upset, or crying upset?  It CAN’T be because of school, he loves a day off”.

Mr S – “Didn’t you hear!?  Steve Jobs died last night”…………silence…………….

My poor boys.  Steve Jobs is their absolute hero because well, they are total nerds.  They are complete Applephiles #totallymadethatup

So here’s to the credit card maxing out on the iPad2, and the new iPhone4S – collectors pieces right?

Oh, and hoarding EVERY Apple thing we own from now until eternity.

Of course, I am sad too, it’s always sad when someone really cool or inspiring passes away.

But I am mostly sad for my sad geeky boys today.

Skin Cancer people!

Yes it CAN happen to you, and it can happen to you if you are in your early 20’s as it did to me. It can also happen to people who stay OUT of the sun. Anyway, less of the preaching – back to the point of the post.

Why Oh Why am I never aware of impending potential embarrassment moments, and why do I not know that I shouldn’t wear big knickers!? After 3 years of outpatient appointments where it mainly went like this;

Nurse: “Any significant changes with any of your moles, or any concerns”?
Me: “No, all is fine thank you, but perhaps check this one just in case”
Nurse: “That looks fine to me, Ok, thanks for coming, see you in 6 months”.

Today it went like this

Nurse: “Please strip down to your underwear, I’ll be back in the room in a minute”…

My thoughts – Blind panic people, utter blind panic!!

Unshaven, mismatching and BIG OLD KNICKERS! That was all I could think about. I’d rather she demand I get totally naked hang about in the waiting room, that would have been better than having her witness the car crash that was my 7am underwear selection and decision not to shave my legs for a few weeks – yahknow, because it is already winter in the UK, and what really is the point?

We are talking black lacy push up bra, white BIG knickers in some sort of (ridiculously comfortable but completely unsexy) 120 denier stretch fabric that had gone slightly gray after one wash too many and baby pink cable knit socks.

Yes, it was just one of those moments. I dutifully removed all outer clothing and sat there for an eternity waiting for the shame to hit me smack in the face.

Once she reappeared all I could do was to laugh brazenly and make a joke of myself and ‘The Underwear Situation’.

Nurse? Yep, she had a good old hearty laugh at my expense. So much that I thought she might hyperventilate.

Thank you NHS, I’ll be here all week.

As soon as I was out there I had to call my Mom, no one could better understand this situation. There was no one else I could share this with who would practically heave down the phone in disgust. Yep, my Mom literally HEAVES if I tell her that my underwear doesn’t match. I find it hilarious.com.

So, really, at the end of the day, I am over it. I made my Mum heave in revulsion (always funny) and I have learnt a few lessons and will now preach a la Baz Luhrmann.

Wear sunscreen
Wear matching underwear to appointments with your Doctor
Shave
Dance the funky chicken if you find yourself exposed in bad underwear
Never Goggle BIG underwear again, it’ll burn your eyeballs with horrific images into your brain that nothing can remove, stuck with you for life, sister.
Go for it Baz (Love, love, LOVE this song)

And just in case you wanted some big underwear, how about these beauties?

I am off to Marks & Spencer to stock up on some Bridget Jones’.

What is your underwear related horror story?

Hopefully normal blogging will resume soon – once I have convalesced entirely.

The Mr. and I took a holiday to Thassos, Greece.  It was our second vacation there in 2 years, and once you go, you will always go back.  #mrandmrsstepfordwhonevergotothesameplacetwicehaveprovedthistheory

Sorry – I should stop talking in hashtags #butittotallymakesmoreofastatementthananexclamationmark!

#mybad

Plus, I was Maid of Honor for my best friend who got married on Friday July 29th. It was a very emotional day!  It took a lot of travelling and days away from home/blogging but it was worth it.

Once I got home I had a MAJOR Spring Summer clean to do on the apartment – I can’t believe it had gotten so bad.  Mr. S has moved into his own office OUTSIDE of the home for the first time in 12 months, so it means that our home is once again, HOME and he can leave his work behind at the end of the day.  It feels lovely to have him come home and just ‘be’ rather than me arriving home and watching him work until midnight, trying to distract him with dinner etc.  I think it is time to do some nesting….I had a mini home accessory haul, I’ll put up some pictures soon as I got some real bargains.

The 30 day shred was kind of a non-starter really as there have been SO many interruptions these past few weeks (hello Greek food, Greek wine and Wedding cake), but I feel like I have had a change in attitude and the way I feel about my body, and Mr.S has helped with that using some frank and ‘manly’ weight loss advice.  I’ll do an update on the 30 day shred and my weight loss progress in a separate post.

I will get back in the swing of things as soon as possible.

Oh, and I have become a little Pin obssesed!

I will also be posting a guide to Thassos at some point, as there isn’t much information out there seeing as this Greek Island is pretty much still ‘undiscovered’). 

Take a look at some snaps…..

We found this book useful, in case you were thinking of going there :click the image for the link:

 We highly recommend the Island.  Even Julian Lennon does, who was on vacation at the same time as us (his boat is massive), and he totally looks like his Dad!

He seranaded me, and I melted. Love this guy...

I totally wanted to take this beebee cat home with me

Thassian sunset memories. x

“Darling, you dish out so many compliments when you meet new people, it is compliment after compliment”.

I am Mrs. Stepford and I am officially a chronic-complimenter. Get me to group therapy stat!

Fact is I know I do this, but never really took the time to self-analyze. I don’t know exactly when my chronic-complimenting may have started, but if you ever meet me in real life, be sure to have your ego stroked.

I guess it may be some sort of passive/friendly #iamaniceperson thing to make people aware that I really am friendly, and genuinely interested in them or something. They should know this anyway by just getting to know me, but it is like I want to hurry that ‘getting to know you’ along a bit and delve into looking into whether we can forge a friendship. See here for resons why – Why making friends sometimes isn’t easy.

Perhaps it is the “I have no settled roots in this town” complex I seem to have adopted along the way. I really hope it doesn’t seem desperate, because that’ll just be embarrassing, and I absolutely stand here with my hand on my heart and say that every compliment I DO serve out is 100% genuine.

Any enlightenment would be great. Do you over-compliment, or do compliments from new acquaintances make you feel uncomfortable?

Are handing out too many compliments a character flaw, or an endearing characteristic?

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” ~ Leo F. Buscaglia

P.S – Normal blogging will resume on the 21st July…. I’ll be in Europe handing out compliments to the Grecians!