Letting reality sink in

Well, today I ordered my first baby-related item: a nursery rhyme book from amazon.co.uk.
And because it caught my eye and I remember it fondly from my own childhood, I added to it the hungry caterpillar book.

So, before clothes or toys, a pram or a bed, bottles or pacifiers... I've bought my child-to-be some books. I guess that says a lot about a) how much I love books and b) how completely unprepared and blissfully naïve I am about the whole concept of bringing a child into this world and everything it entails.

On a slightly more realistic note, I got around to contacting an architect and builder to ask for a quote for the work that needs to be done to our place before it is even remotely ready to receive the new baby. Hopefully I can get that kick-started over the next few weeks and have everything finished well in time for the summer.

My bump has now made an appearance and although I can still button up a couple of pairs of trousers, I am pretty sure it won't last much longer. I am now mentally preparing to boldly go where I've never been before and visit a maternity clothes store. Or maybe I'll stick to H&M's maternity section?

I've put on 2kg/4.4lbs since the beginning of pregnancy (I'm almost 18 weeks on now) and I'm desperately trying to keep that number down - although you wouldn't think so judging by the amount of food I'm consuming. However, I've managed to keep it all fairly healthy so far and am drinking record amounts of water. Can you see my halo? lol.

Yesterday I had an amazing experience: a one hour long, luxurious massage. Not the first time I get a massage, but this one was particularly good and I felt so relaxed afterwards. Must try and make another appointment next month.

The rest of the week was nothing special, all work and flaking out in the sofa. I did go out on Tuesday night with two ex-colleagues to a yummy restaurant and was actually quite naughty, although no alcohol means I saved a few hundred calories compared to my usual night out.

Next week I'm off to see the Australian Pink Floyd in concert and am really looking forward to it! I've seen them 3 times before and love them! Okay, they're not the real deal, but they come pretty damn close. It's a pity baby can't hear yet as it would be in for some great music otherwise ;)

New book - In Praise of Slow

I was at Waterstone's yesterday, looking for a book about teaching English, and this book caught my eye:

I picked it up and discovered it was all about something I've been talking about for a while now: the fact that people are caught up in the rat race and probably don't even know why they're doing it anymore, and the fact that we seriously need to slow down and take the time to enjoy life.

I'm convinced we will be happier, healthier and even richer people if we can break free from the endless stress and pressure this "modern life" puts on us and choose - consciously choose, instead of getting caught up in - a more serene lifestyle.

So, I'm going to log off for today, make myself a mug of tea, curl up in the couch and dig into the book. A nice, relaxing way to end the weekend :)

My Scanner Daybook - Prologue

Okay, so I started reading the book by Barbara Sher "What do I do when I want to do everything".
And so far I can absolutely relate to the people she calls "Scanners" (not very sexy, huh?).
Anyway, she recommends keeping a "Scanner Daybook", which is supposed to be a real book you write and draw in, but I'm going to be rebellious and try my own online version.

Here goes...

Have another slice of pizza

How does anyone ever decide what they want to do with their life?
It seems to me it's an utterly impossible task.

Yesterday I decided I wanted to become a trainer, and 54 Google searches later, I have the name, address and credentials of some obscure academy safely tucked away in my bookmarks. Whether it will ever go any further than that is another question entirely.

In my sudden recent burst of proactivity, I also ordered a book from Amazon: "What do I do when I want to do everything?", which I'll no doubt get around to reading shortly.

So now I'm wondering, how do other people do it? Do they quickly decide on a goal, then make a detailed plan of how to get from point A to point B? Do they stick to their plan? How do they even know where to begin?

Apparently, my idea of a structured approach involves starting a blog and putting a pizza in the oven. I'm also listening to my French Rock playlist on iTunes, playing scrabulous on Facebook, updating several programmes on my computer (how does anyone resist the "There is an update available. Click here to download"?) and trying to figure out what to do with my 8 year old nephew when he comes to visit next week. Oh and then there's the wedding to plan.

I wonder if there's a market for multitasking as a profession? Or would that just make my life even more complicated than it already is? Maybe I need to do something really simple and basic, to balance out the chaos I create everywhere else in my life.

In the meantime, I think I'll have another slice of pizza.