girls are weird.

18 February 2009

i knew this would come in handy one day

'Knitting' may delay memory loss

Engaging in a hobby like reading a book, making a patchwork quilt or even playing computer games can delay the onset of dementia, a US study suggests.

Watching TV however does not count - and indeed spending significant periods of time in front of the box may speed up memory loss, researchers found.

Those who had during middle age been busy reading, playing games or engaging in craft hobbies like patchworking or knitting were found to have a 40% reduced risk of memory impairment.

In later life, those same activities reduced the risk by between 30 and 50%. [source]

So now I'm wondering if knitting in front of the television cancels each other out. Damn.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

12 February 2009

peekaboo

Oh, hello there. Yes, I know this blog has been woefully neglected lately. I simply have nothing interesting to say these days - which hadn't stopped me in the past, mind you. So, here I am. Apologies in advance for the dribble that shall commence.

I'm currently wearing MIA's dress. It's very breezy, and because it's monochrome, it goes with anything! Apparently it's not a maternity dress, but we like flexible apparel. In all seriousness, I think it looks better on MIA than Agyness Deyn; you need a little something to fill out the ladybird bits.

We're heading out for our annual Pre-Valentine's Dinner Date Because Set Menus and Crowds Piss Us Off evening tonight. My in-laws are helping us out at the moment while Paul recovers from knee surgery (keyhole, he's doing just fine) and acting as babysitters tonight. It'll be lovely to have a civilised evening that doesn't involve Nick Jr and nappy changing. Speaking of civilised evenings, we've booked a table at Heston Blumenthal's restaurant The Fat Duck to celebrate my 40th (*gah!*) birthday at the end of March. We're heading down to Bray in the afternoon, having dinner, then spending the night at a lovely B&B on the riverside. Really, really cannot wait. Good food, a night alone with my husband, the opportunity to sleep past 7am - I'm all agog. I am so looking forward to this.

Have just calculated that I after 10 working days in May, I'm off on holiday and then maternity leave. Niiiice.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

26 January 2009

who NOT TO book for your child's party

We went to a party yesterday for one of Jack's nursery friends, and they had hired a magician to perform. At the beginning of the show, I had to take Jack to the loo and when I returned, I caught the end of a conversation involving the magician telling off some mums for talking during his performance. At a CHILDREN'S PARTY. For which HE is being PAID to perform.

It gets better.

One of the mums and I started chatting very quietly, leaning in close to each other because I had a very difficult time hearing her as we tried to keep our voices down. I then noticed the room had fallen silent, and turned to see the magician staring at us with the dirtiest look I'd ever received in my life. He had actually stopped the show to berate us, patronisingly asking us if we would "like to join in now." The child's mother looked at us in horror and embarrassment, and the other parents looked at us with a mixture of shock and laughter at the absurdity of the situation. At another point, another group of mums started chatting quietly at the back of the room, and this time he said "And now for our next trick IF THE MUMS IN THE BACK WOULD ALL STOP CHATTING" with a glare.

Now the thing is, normally I'm not one to hold my tongue. My instinct was to smack this asshole with my very large handbag and give him a piece of my mind. But because he kept doing it during the performance in front of our children, I didn't want to be rude. And after the show, I didn't want to further embarrass the hosting mum by having a go at the guy she'd hired to entertain the kids. So gracefully, I let him off - but not without ensuring that I get the word out that this guy should be avoided like the plague.

Do not, even in your most desperate moment, hire a guy called Billy Banana Children's Entertainer (AKA Peter Ashley) at http://www.billybanana.com/ phone number (01353) 649595. I'm not quite sure how he stays in business, but generally it's a bad idea to completely humiliate and piss off potential customers. Just a tip for you, Billy.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

12 November 2008

how funny is thaaaaat?

I love the Barefoot Contessa, AKA Ina Garten. She's like the bigger, older, American version of Nigella, who cooks with fat and sugar with wild abandon. She's the One Fat Lady, if you like. A friend of mine attended her book signing yesterday in Illinois, and brought with her a stick of butter for Ina to sign. Hilarious and brilliant, and appreciated by the Contessa herself. Jen is my hero.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

04 November 2008

it's beginning to taste a lot like christmas

And just to be different, I shan't write about the US elections in this post. And you can't make me.

Inspired by Caroline's pumpkin bake-o-thon, I decided to put together some pumpkiny goodies using the extra tin of pumpkin puree that was lurking in my cupboard. (It was for Canadian Thanksgiving but, ironically, we were in the States at the time.) I have a very loud and persistent sweet tooth at the moment, but I need to try and keep eating as healthily as I can. You know, so I can stuff my face for two solid weeks at Christmas. (Mental note: ensure Christmas outfit has an elasticated waist.)

First up were Starbucks Pumpkin Scones, which are normally slathered in icing, but I was a very good girl and refrained. I used wholemeal flour instead of white, Splenda instead of sugar, and didn't need to add the half and half because the dough was wet enough (in the UK, you could use single cream or whole milk.) They emerged from the oven smelling spicy and Autumnal, and were remarkably light and not overly sweet. I can see why you'd want to add the icing (as you'd find at Starbucks) because they aren't as sweet as a cake or muffin, but I was quite happy to polish one off without the extra sugar rush. I think these would be lovely with some honey for breakfast. The recipe tells you to divide the dough into 6, but I made 12 scones that are a very decent size. 6 is just stupid big.

The second recipe was for Pumpkin Muffins, and again, I substituted wholemeal flour for white, Splenda for sugar, rapeseed oil for the applesauce (because unsweetened applesauce doesn't seem to exist in this country), and omitted the walnuts. I reduced the quantities to make 12 muffins only, so this used up the remaining pumpkin in the tin very nicely. They smell like Christmas, and taste like little cakes. The raisins make the muffins beautifully sweet, and the pumpkin makes them satisfyingly filling.

If I can figure out how to make a healthy pumpkin latte, I'll let you know.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

Speed Racer for president

While watching television yesterday evening, Barack Obama appeared on the screen. Jack asked, "Is that Lewis Hamilton?"

If presidential candidates drove racing cars, that would be very, very cool indeed. In fact, next election I think they should have an automotive race of some sort to determine the winner. Either that, or roller derby.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

07 October 2008

wish we were there

We're back from two glorious weeks soaking up the sunshine and frolicking on the beaches of southern California. And we're none too pleased about that. I arrived at LAX in a summery flippy skirt and sleeveless top, went to the bathroom and changed into jeans, long sleeves, and a cardigan for the plane journey home. On board, the pilot announced that it was 10C in London. It took a lot of self restraint to not stand up and shout "TURN THIS PLANE AROUND!!!", but here we are. Jet lagged, slightly tanned, and the kids now have a fabulous autumnal wardrobe.

I won't bore everyone with lengthy holiday details, so here are some quick points for those with busy lives:
-I want to open up a chain of Whole Foods supermarkets here. Specifically, I would like to open one within 5 miles of my house.
-the peanut butter pie at Rainforest Cafe is insanely good. And probably lethal in high doses.
-the "credit crunch" meant that Disney was pretty quiet; we waited around 5 minutes for each ride. Recession, shmecession - no queues means happy Lisa.
-Gymboree now has all of my money.
-Saw "Ironman" on the plane, loved it.
-I think the hypnotherapy has worked because I felt absolutely fine about flying both times, and wasn't too fussed about the bit of turbulence we had.
-We stayed down the road from Oprah.
-didn't work out, ate like a pig, didn't gain any weight. Oh yes.

Photos can be found here.

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --

16 September 2008

last one before we go

Some random bits I need to write about (i.e. before they get lost in my foggy mommy brain forever) before we set off on holiday. California, in case you're wondering. Yes. AGAIN. We like it there. It has sunshine.

Random Thing #1

So I accidentally jogged for 4 miles last Friday. I did my lunchtime run at work for a change, and set off to do my usual 2 miles. Paul gave me somewhat vague directions (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it) on a good 2 mile circuit I could do around the office. I followed the trail, realised I'd followed it too far and doubled back on myself, found myself at a fork in the trail and went the wrong way. I ended up in suburban hell; aimlessly plodding around cul de sacs that all looked identical. There are few landmarks in this village, and I couldn't see any of them. As I jogged along, turning my head in every direction to find something I recognised, I sang "I don't know where the fuck I ammmmm" repeatedly. As an added bonus, I didn't take my mobile with me because I thought I wasn't going far and the trail looked pretty easy to follow. Eventually, I popped out by one of the local schools and thankfully found my way back. "Here," I said to Paul. "Take your GPS thingy, plug it into your computer and have a good laugh and see where I've been."

On the plus side, it means that I can very easily run 5k at the moment and didn't feel (much) pain the next day. When I did the Race for Life, I couldn't walk or climb stairs for three days. So that's nice.

Random Thing #2

I have a stealthmobile. I just got a Toyota Prius, and I'm feeling all green and smug. It's a fantastic car but best of all, you can sneak up on people in it. The electric motor kicks in when you're going slowly, so it moves soundlessly. I scared the life out of the Waitrose car park attendant yesterday as my car silently crept up to his kiosk. Ninja hybrid!

Random Thing #3

Jack decided to pack his own suitcase this morning, which mostly involved emptying the contents of his drawers into a big heap on top of the suitcase. Apparently he needs to take all of his jeans (no underwear or tops, though), three books, five stuffed animals, four toy cars, and several assorted toys for Mia, including a rather large Fisher Price airplane. He stated that he needed his slippers and coat because "It's very cold in the airport." When asked where we're going on holiday he announced, "To the moon!" When asked what he expected to find on the moon, his eyes lit up and he said "Aliens!"

So there you have it. We're off to the moon to visit the aliens. See you in October!

[posted by: Lisa Durbin] --