Live life on the wild side

(contains amazon associates link)  Hey guys, it's been a while!  My last post was a little before my return to work, were are now half way through  2025!  So where are we? Well little man isn't so little, at 16 months he is in full blown toddler hood, we walk, run, climb, scream, babble, and have super sass (gets that from me), we get frustrated at not being able to do things but want to be into doing everything! He has been at nursery for about 7 months now and has fully settled in found his confidence and loves every day! We have had our fair share of illnesses, accidents and art work and we are currently preparing for the transition to the next room.  As for me, I've settled into being a Mama and a Teacher, I've reflected on my life and started making adjustments, I have also had my fair share of illnesses (though not as many as the boy) and I'm surviving, not quite thriving, but getting closer to the threshold.  What have we been up to? Lately? trying t...

(Contains amazon associate links)  Hey guys!  I'm still here! Quick update, we are currently a day off being 8 months, we have 6 teeth one of which has come in really early, we are a decent way through weaning, sleep is apparently for the weak (or so my child thinks) and my pelvic floor is shot! (Take this as a reminder to do your pelvic floor exercises!) Today I just want to share a quick update on what I have learned on our weaning journey, because lets face it weaning is not just a learning curve for babies its also a challenge for the parents, and I naively thought I had it sussed with having worked in childcare most my adult life-Oh how wrong I was!  Okay first thing, it is very different doing solid food with your own child compared to someone else's, when you prep food for a child that belongs to another human its easy! yes you still have to watch for choking and support them however they need to be supported, but they have done the hard bit! They have tried the ne...

  Hey guys Jess here!  Today I want to share with you a quick post about post-birth fitness!  First of all a little about where I am, I am currently 6 weeks post birth, we did a forceps delivery with about 6 days in hospital with some complications for me and jaundice for the boy, since getting home my focus has been getting in sleep, eating plenty, getting outside at least once a day and keeping moving. Since then I have managed to get back to running very short distances, been on longer walks and taken on my first post birth event! (more about that in a  future blog)  Here are a few tips for you to take on board for fitness post birth Listen to the advice of your midwife, GP or health visitor, they will be able to give you the best advice based on where you are with your health.  Everybody is at a different level with their recovery and fitness, comparing yourself to other people who are further along with their postpartum recovery or even had a different...

 Hey guys Jess here,  Currently sat 12 post birth at home in the midst of the post birth life of having a new born, that's a story for another day though, today I want to chat bout the birth 'experience' a better term than birth 'Trauma', this was a phrase I picked up from 'How to raise a viking' by Helen Russell that I have started reading.  My birthing story started on the 26th March, about 2 am my water broke, or so I thought, they didn't really gush or trickle but blobbed, which wasn't what I expected, no contractions or anything like that just the waters breaking, so contacted the MAU and popped in to be check, and was advised to go home, check temp every 4 hours and if we got any changes, contractions or concerns come back, and if we didn't we would be called in.  The next 24 hours felt like the longest wait of my life! I don't do well with waiting at the best of times, I got occasional twinges but nothing huge, spent the day trying to ...

 As I write this I am 6 days out from the due date of our little one, starting a family is a huge transition for people, it's a big change as you bring a tiny human into the world for many reasons.  One you and your partner are going to go through a range of changes as you get ready for this tiny little creature that basically can do nothing and needs you to do everything for it. Two as the pregnant person your body goes through a mass amount of changes, this varies from person to person and can affect every aspect of your being! Three baby items just take over, it doesn't matter how much you try and streamline the items you're bringing in, or how much storage space you create it just seems to be everywhere!  As hubby and I took on the adventure of family life we have also gone through these changes, the last 9 months have been a journey of learning about my changing body, getting ready to care for a tiny human, making space for said tiny human to live and trying to navig...

 Hey guys!  Welcome back to the blog and the first (sort of) adventure bag challenge off 2024......Well i don't think I can actually count this one as an adventure bag challenge, but it was definitely and adventure!  This year Chris and I went back over to Girona for a week away training camp, This was something we did in 2023 and thoroughly enjoyed, in 2023, we took on some running, riding and taking in the sights. This year however was a little different due to me being as late as I was in my pregnancy! At about 7 and a half months pregnant my training plan had to change a bit, running has become more difficult and actually as I write this now I have pretty much stopped the running and opted just for a walk instead. I managed to tackle one short run/walk in Girona and the rest of the days were filled with hikes, walks, stretching and yoga. This year I found myself more exhausted which is to be expected! Chris still got out on some really good long rides, took on some de...

 Welcome back to the adventure bag challenge and and adventure with a difference, with the ever growing bump the adventures will become a little difference, though I still plan to get out for a big hike before baby, and the back pack will be used for the training camp.... I hope.  This weekend I packed my bags a little different and the clothes I chose were a little less adventure and a little more glam, this weekend was my works award ceremony, an annual ceremony where we recognise and award various people, like the Oscar's on a smaller scale.  So bags packed, hotel and train book and an eye watering amount and away we went, the event was held in Manchester and despite a weekend of planned train strikes I had very little issue with actually getting from A to B, it was both nice and weird getting on the train I normally take home but staying on as it gets to my stop.  I opted for an earlier train to avoid to many issues and started my journey about 5.30 am, hitting M...

 Welcome back to the adventure blog, and this post is something a little different, this is less about my adventure and more about our adventure. By ours, I mean the whole of bikes and laces!  Lets dip into a bit of background, this year started with another year of planning, we had races lined up, I resigned up for the marathon in Abingdon (third time lucky? )we even pencilled in Brutal again because apparently one time of brutal race events wasn't enough for us, However despite all the planning, pencilling in and events there was a slight caveat to each of them. That was the fact that we may not be able to do any of them.  This year Chris and I decided that we would actually just stop with the contraception and see what happens, I mean were not stupid we know what happens but from the perspective of a woman who has been on the pill for a while you start to get doubts on if it actually will ever happen or not, we already knew we wanted to try and have a family and as we ...

 Its a cool November morning, the darkness still surrounds me and the ground is damp from a few days of rain, the bag packed I make my way along a familiar route to catch the world waking up and enjoy a hot chocolate. Come with me as I take you on Chapter three of the Adventure bag challenge!  Good morning!  Not that it's light enough to see yet, but I have some kit in my bag, a head torch for the darker patches and the route I'm taking is a familiar one, some of the key rules I have for hiking/running in the dark. Today I'm going on an early morning stroll for some site seeing and breakfast, it's also a good excuse to get myself up and moving with bump.  We are about 21 weeks along now and bump feels heavier most days, I have a support band which I can wear on busier days, running sessions and when I know I'm going to be out for a long time on my feet, it helps to take some of the weight.  Today I'm taking about a 6/7km hike, with a stop in the middle for a hot...

 The plan set, the route planned and the campsite booked. Tomorrow I will be taking on the first adventure of a 10 km hike followed by a night of camping, Chris invited along to join me opts for a bike ride to the camp site, we plan the kit and as we were going together we decide to ditch the tarp as he could carry the tent, the bonus of this it won't impact my kit list.  On route I had made plans to take on some Geocaching, there were quite a few on the path I had picked and most of the route was familiar to me as I had been down it before. Saturday morning came the bag was sorted, breakfast eaten and clothes ready to go, It wasn't a super early start which gave me a chance to finish any odd jobs before leaving.  The route itself was 10 km of trails, cycle paths, field crossing and country lanes, the weather was pretty warm and nice and dry, and added bonus to the route. I took water on route and snacks to nibble on. I had removed some of the items i knew i definitely wo...

Hiya guys Jess here,  This week didn't go to plan, it was suppose to be a week of smashing out training, starting the festive challenge and getting to the Christmas work event, instead it was a week of a back injury and then a cold, flu lurgy type thing......  So the start of the week went well, till i realised part way though Monday that I have pulled a muscle somewhere in my back, either the top or the bottom, all i know is it hurt the whole left side of my back and triggered my sciatic nerve... that derailed the first half of the week, its mostly gone now with just the occasional twinge but i spent the last 11 years of my life battling on going back pains, aches and niggles, its just part of my life.  come the second half of the week and everyone at work is coming down with all i can describe as is the flu, that really snotty, chesty, lurgy that make you feel like utter crap! With most the team being hit by it and not feeling well we postponed the Christmas party in pl...

 3.30 am alarm rings.... turn it off and roll back over, not ready to wake up yet, doze back off and eventually drag myself out of bed just before 4 am.  Spending time getting ready for the next adventure, running kit on, breakfast made and coffee in a take away cup, pack the bag with bits i need and sort out my 33 fuel gel for the run, sort out some tail wind and water and they gather it all together, 4.20 ish heading out the door off on our next adventure. Its dark out, not to cold, but not overly warm, bundle the bags in the car and put the bits in the front we need access to and then off we go, today we are going to wales, off to hike up Pen Y Fan, one of the three mountains/peaks i will be taking on in April, its and early start to get to our parking destination for 7 am, all in aid of an early start to the hike, the car journey is long and dark, but cosy with the layers of clothing.  Arriving at the storey arms car park we park up and jump out the car for a stretch ...

 Double post this weekend guys! (only just got round to posting my Halloween one)  This week has been a mostly chilled one with a week of lighter work outs and more rest before I kick start my first hard week of three, I'm going to be following a three weeks on one week off system, so 3 weeks of harder efforts and then an easier week, the easier week will still have runs and rides, just a lower intensity.  This week I have also been working on my plants, I dropped a small fortune on plant care stuff, pots and an orchid but I finally have everything i need to complete my indoor gardener badge, so all i have to do now is keep them alive till January.... If you're wondering what i am on about talking about badges, I am working through the Rebel Badge book  a book that gives you tasks to do to earn badges much like scouts or guides but for adults! Its a fun little book with a great community around it.  So one expensive shopping trip and a huge mess later I have all...