It has been a while since I wrote something; half term was a busy time with two children needing my attention every minute then came a week of tiredness and sickness. Now, I feel a bit revived after having a piece of Guinness cake – wonder if it is a psychological effect after a nice meal and celebrating a friend’s birthday.

This time - I don’t think I have managed to stick to sacrifice something for 40 days-there are too many cravings and temptations everywhere and this cold weather doesn’t help. I think with breastfeeding I am constantly in the kitchen feeling peckish and snacking most of the time – I am sure this will stop when summer comes! I know soon I will be rummaging through my wardrobe for light clothing and am sure some won’t fit me-that calls for a serious plan to burn off any excess baggage. I don’t want to look as if I have been on a fad diet and my neck and arms flapping like a hippo on the run! I realise now that I have fat fingers and use my phone for everything, they keep touching the wrong letter every time I use it, the number of times I have to delete a word or send a weird message is unbelievable. Please if you have received any funny text messages or email, I apologise profusely and the blame my sausage fingers and baby brain.

March is almost here and already the Easter eggs and bunnies in the supermarkets and stores are screaming ’Buy me! Buy me! ’. Nowadays, everything seems to be OTT and if you don’t join the band wagon you feel a bit left out. You have to make sure the little ones have a Easter egg hunt and some presents to open. I can’t remember doing such things or even getting a present during Easter. First, we used to get excited because it meant a long holiday and while in Mombasa it was the time for the Safari rally. A time of going by the roadside and watch fast cars zooming with the likes of Juha Kankkunen, Ian Duncan, Colin McCrae, Carlos Sainz and Patrick Njiru and another thing was to go to church and then have a good plate of food.

 I may seem a little bit old fashioned but I think it comes with age and reflecting on some old memories of growing up in Kenya. When you are so far away from home, there are memories you still hold on and once in a while I sit and reminisce. All said and done, I have to stick to the new rules and make sure my daughter runs round the game with a bag collecting hidden eggs and bunnies.

Every parent wants to hear that their child is doing well in school and when they find out that they have been escorting others as my mum used to say they get a bit worried that something is wrong. I am dreading what the teacher will say about my daughter tomorrow evening at the parent consultation night - Has she been shy and quiet - as she says it. Little does she know when at home she is little Miss Mischief and Chatterbox on the loose! Or maybe she might say “She can do better than this .You never know...we will find out if we are up to muster in the homework assistance department!

Tonight is a big night for Kenyans as they watch and hear the first ever live presidential debate:am far away but am so excited about it all because of all the hype in the social media.It is the moment we have been waiting for to see the leaders battle and share their vision about Kenya and what they are planning after March 4th elections(that is if they will implement any of their agendas apart from increasing MP salaries).The big question is will any of these leaders carry their manifesto after March 4th ama watakuwa vigeugeu?

I am glad that all the 8 presidential candidates have been now given a chance to appear on the face off after a court order which threathened to stop the debate if  two other canditates were not included.Kenya has come a long way since the early 90's and early 2000's-I remember those days no one could challenge the  media and the rich ruled,bribed and corrupted all the systems.Indeed, Times have changed and for true Kenyans can speak out without fear.

The time has come to make changes in the political front and after the post election violence in 2007,I believe Kenyans are now much wiser and well informed and know which character to go for -I hope the youth will not be manipulated and accept money hand-outs and cause chaos while the leaders meet and dine in 5 star hotels!

My fellow kenyans,Lets not forget the people who are still suffering in silence since the 2007 elections,tafadhali as you prepare to cast your vote in March - Think again about the people you are putting in power.Lets vote wisely and give power to the people who can move Kenya forward.I cant wait to see and hear comments after the debate. 

Looking after a baby is a 247 job,and today my son decided to have an early start which of course meant that I had to wake up and feed him.I have decided to stop building castles in the air which leads to an empty mind(bongo lala), so with one hand I read " *The secret Lives of bees*" a novel set in South Carolina during the Civil rights movement of 1964 and how a girl escapes home and finds solace in the world of beekeeping.

Its a lovely day here,I am so excited about the weather today-no wind and the sun out -am looking forward to spring.I had a walk earlier on to the Post office and the snowdrops poking out and daffodils on the ground made me smile.To tell you the truth there is something magical about the snowy day but when they last for many days it becomes a nuisance all the warm clothes you have to bundle up yourself in and heating 247 to make the house warm because most of the heat disappears in the thin air.What a pain!

I feel guilty I didnt take my daughter to Ballet last evening,but it was a relief when she shared the same sentiment with me -that it was too cold and very windy not forgetting the rain that followed later.I am glad I didnt go..but I had to bribe her with popcorn and a hot chocolate with marshmallows.I wonder how long that bribing will last.Its almost like the white lie we have to tell children over Christmas:that Santa Claus will bring presents and  they have to behave if they want the presents they requested on a letter addressed to Santa who happens to be one of the parents. In Kenya, we didnt have much fuss over Santa Claus,Christmas was all about family, food and a new dress and shoes(which of course my mum had to buy the same clothes as my sister,the fashionable dresses in those days had gathered up bit and were quite frilly!).

Now,this year one of the things I wanted to stop is snacking Crisps at night <>last year when I was pregnant we really invested on Kettle,Tylers and Walkers Sensations and we have fallen back to the trap again of buying them again,I walked into the Kitchen and smiled when I saw how many packs we have.I am sure I should adopt one of Miranda Hart's line "stop it" and slap my hand and then wink. Losing weight has been one of my favourite topics to talk about or hear and am fascinated how people lose weight and what they have to give up. I wish I was a bit athletic because am a lousy soul who cannot do much running apart from a sprint. One of the things I cant stop watching on TV is cooking programs you name it- Jamie Oliver,Hairy Bikers,Bake off, Nigella Lawson, Saturday Kitchen,River Cottage,Rick Stein, Nigel Slater the list is endless. Then after watching it my mind starts roaming and dreaming what recipe to cook.Surely,how can one lose weight when all these programs send the message cook and bake!I guess its simple I love food! Let me not bore you with this topic because I can go on and on.....

Anyway this evening am going to watch my daughter in their school play"Rats" and can't wait to see it.I hear there is Gangnam style in the mix but they are calling it Hamyln style..

I am thinking of my fellow countrymen and women in Kenya as this year is an important year and the elections are near, I hope you will vote wisely and not be swayed by the greedy leaders. I will touch on that topic. Watch this space.

Day 2 seems ok punching the keyboard I have no no clue what I will write about but am proud my daughter didnt have a fright on stage and the "Rats" play went well,she has 2 more days to go before they end their performance.That reminds me that half term break begins on Friday -a whole week with nothing lined up seems like a year when you have a 5 year old and a baby in the same room.what am I going to do?I know my husband will be home for Shrove Tuesday and Valentine day but we have made no special arrangements. Anyone with plans for this dates apart from making pancakes and getting red roses -at times I feel Valentine is such an exagerrated one day event in a year -what if I dont get red/white roses and red wine !does it mean I am not loved or less insignificant in someones life??Consumerism has really gripped the world to the extent many women feel miserable if the spouse or boyfriend forgets this day -I think love is best when its spontaneous not when cupid shows up with an arrow and wants everyone to be adored on the same day!

I am afraid my cold is making me look like a zombie -saw Nicholaus Hault do a "Zombie" Walk on the Graham Norton Show two weeks ago -boy oh boy wasnt it a laugh.I had an electric vaporiser and Sudafed in the middle of the night because my nose was blocked and a chest rub -still feel i need something.I am quiet naughty my husband told me to inhale some menthol-which I havent but I should when am done with this.

Oh no-just remembered its Wednesday -Ballet and tap dance class for my daughter -I tell her how lucky she is-while growing up we never had any opportunity to go to a special school or class to be taught a hobby -it was a priviledge and costed money only the affluent could afford taking kids to swimming,tennis,there was no ballet those days.And my single mum had to work extra hours to get the five of us to a good school.We used to make do with what we had.Now,back to ballet, should I go when the fierce chilly wind is sweeping across the street.How can I break the news that we cant go-she likes dancing and wont be happy if I tell her we are not going.But,am picturing myself pushing my Bugaboo pram on the highstreet with a huge hat covering my face and ears all wrapped up as if am going to the Artic to get her to the dance school by 4.I have to reconsider this and weigh the repurcussions!!

Last night I didnt make a fuss over dinner just made simple rice and fish sauce.Today,in my condition am not going to bother am making spaghetti and pesto with salad-simple and fast.

Have to attend to my son now..before syking to pick my daughter from school and maybe, maybe not go to Ballet!

Our new blog has been launched today. Stay focused on it and we will try to keep you informed. You can read new posts on this blog via the RSS feed.

My cold is not getting better so I have decided to start this blog,am on a mission to keep this running and to prove to my friend that I can write a blog-so help me out as I write this.I am sitting in the lounge with my laptop smiling as I write this with a box of tissues next to me,my 11 week old son is fast asleep in the moses basket-so peaceful,so sweet a child.That reminds me of how we mention the good words while they are asleep but when they wake up and cry continuously we forget how sweet they can be.Thank Goodness,he is fine I was getting a bit worried because he had a bit of a performance on Sunday morning after feeding.We were treated to flying milk all over the bed, my sweater and a bit caught my hair.Later, after a lovely meal at the Boathouse in Ely,Cambridgeshire;he had a pass the boy round moment on the table as everyone in the family held him and when he landed back to me he made one of this loud sound brrrrrr and the smell hinted that he needed a change.I had dressed him in his new clothes - by the time I removed everything the body suit had been ruined with the green runny substance "Number 2"!Never mind that what all kids do.

My son is a bit colicky andone day my hairdresser came home to braid my hair - she told me about Colief.I dashed to the pharmacy and bought one-costs£11.99 a bit costly for a 7ml tiny bottle but it has worked a bit of magic and my son has not been crying that much.My daughter was not colic so this was new to me, I had tried Infacol -it didnt work - and when the crying period began nothing could stop it and it was frustrating and we had to stand and hold him on the shoulder for as long as the cry lasted.I cant wait for him to grow out of it -they say 3- 4 months or 6 months at the latest!

Today, my daugther is on stage (as I write)with other kids performing her school play"Rats",am excited about seeing it on Thursday and cant wait to see her play 'a child' in this play about the Pied Piper.Yesterday,she was a bit nervous  but I gave her a bit of words of encouragement yesterday when they were performing to the rest of the school.Last year, she came and watched me play a part of this vegeterian secretary in a murder mystery"Barbecues r murder" which was a good laugh and one of the things I challenged myself to get into while settling into a new village.Which reminds me I have to write a Bucket List!

I am already thinking of dinner-what to do with white fish thawing in the kitchen and make a light,hearty,"healthy " dinner.I should try out a new recipe,one of the things I have enjoyed since coming to the UK is flipping through my collection of recipe books and creating something new -am on a Culinary discovery.This is a contrast to my life in Kenya where I didnt have an oven and had a tiny gas cylinder"Meko" to cook with and I never baked,grilled and also didnt have a herb patch.We used to bake on Christmas Eve,I remember my sister was good in baking cakes and use the charcoal jiko and place a big saucepan"sufuria and place a lid on top with hot charcoal.I was always the "Charo" sent to fetch things,wash dishes,chop ingredients and cook the easy meals.I must confess I thought she was a good cook,so I took a back seat.Now,I enjoy and love "experimenting";my husband will laugh about this because I can never faithfully stick to a recipe.I like adding my own secret ingredient to it -thats what makes cooking fun and thereauptic at times!

Enough of this now-I can see my sons hands flapping about -its a sign of am waking up and need attention.Thats all for now...