Food! Glorious Food!

It seems most people around the January/New year point make a resolution to eat healthier, go on diets or just simply detox after the Christmas 'stuffing'- normally Luke & I fall into this category. This year, the goals we have seem to have not included so much of this (really, they should but theres only so much hard stuff we can face at a time & trying to save to buy a house AND not eat chocolate does not sit well with either of us!)
This weekend however- we seem to have gone to the other extreme & just continued eating like Christmas Kings!
Friday night found us at Mission Burrito- the name says it all really but incase you're wondering it's a fast food Mexican restaurant :o) We went with some friends that had recommended it & LOVED it!
Luke & I are both major fans when it comes to Mexican food & both much more happy to be served more food than we could ever possibly manage than too little when we're eating out (glutinous I know!) & Mission Burrito quenched both those desires! The burritos where MASSIVE & there was a lot of options making it all the more exciting (although I did feel this rush of panic when they asked me what I'd like & I just couldn't make up my mind!)
Plus, the company was brill! I love those nights out with each their or with friends when your just got so much to say & share you're almost fighting over each other to talk & don't want the evening to end. This was one of those nights.
Saturday we planned to take Hollie swimming (well we had to do SOME form of exercise with all that eating the night before!) We went to the pool & had a conversation that went a little like this:
Me: "two adults and a child to swim please"
Girl on the till: "how old is your baby?"
Me: "one. Or thirteen months if you need me to be precise."
Girl on the till: "that's £8.75 then please. Cash or card".
Luke: (stepping for the manly duty of paying as I try to stop Hollie from grabbing & relieving EVERY leaflet from their gloomy plastic box to scatter all over the leisure centre floor) "Card please".
(The card goes into the machine the whole thing starts to whir)
Girl on the till: "oh, before you pay I'm meant to tell you the pool's cold today"
Me: "how cold?"
Girl on the till: "I don't really know, I just have to tell you it's cold so it might be cold for the baby. Do you still want to pay?"
Me: (trying to hold my tongue at the fact that 'cold' is not really an accurate description enough for me to make a decision on wether or not to plunge my child into it! Oh Madame, that ice bath is a bit cold for your baby or I've ran you a bath but if you don't get in now it'll get cold are two worlds apart in my book!) "well, that depends how cools you mean- what do you recommend" (really I should have know better than to ask that!)
Girl on the till: "I don't really know, I think it might be a bit cold for her really if she's only one"
(Now this may not seem annoying but the slow & simple tone added to the frustration this statement bought on. The other guy at the desk must have sensed this as he swivelled round with great importance to add:
Important swivelling man: "it's 27 degrees in there so it's completely up to you".
Anyone else at this point thinking 27oX sounds quite pleasant? It reminded me of a summer temperature which in turn makes me think 'hot'- so now I am TOTALLY confused & just wishing I had bought our baby bath thermometer with us that tells me wether the bath is 'hot' or 'cold'.
So, what do I do? Just stand there in utter despair at the thought we all have our swim clothes on UNDER our normal apparel to try & make the changing aspect as swift as possible & now that we are all probably about to hit 'chaffing point' we're being told the pool is too cold!
I couldn't think of anything else to do, but go & feel the pool myself and... It was too cold :o( Sad times. (For those interested it was "I've ran you a bath but if you don't get in now it'll get cold" type of cold, but with it still being frosty outside & Hollie already having a cough we didn't take the risk! Instead, we headed to TGI's to meet Hollies GodFather & our good friend Ben. And again, ate like kings! Funnily enough we got seated by my little brother Jak & served our drinks by my little brother Eli who both happened to be working. We ate way too much & talked for hours (I learnt about the horrible cruise ship sinking in Italy?! How on EARTH had I not seen or heard that on the news?! Guess I really am out of the loop now!) & Ben got the cutest photo of Hollie fixated on a spoonful of her Daddies pudding! Just how every Saturday lunchtime should be spent if I had my way!
Then we had the exciting journey to Harrow to meet the newest baby on the block- Noah! Our gorgeous friends Natalie & Kris' little boy! It was worth the drive on the M25 to see those tiny hands & feet & smell that heavenly baby smell! He is a beaut & we are so excited he's here :o) Being over that side of London meant we could drop by to see Luke's lovely parents so we had a fun quick drop in to them which resulted in... You guessed it: more food! I tried a 'dosa' for the first time, which is potatoes in a pancake with vegetable curry poured over it! SCRUMMY! Even Hollie wanted more! Again, fantastic company all day- all of which we didn't want to end.
Then came Sunday.... The day of all days to feast if you had to pick one... So again we did! We got to go to the lovely Tim & Vickys (who we also went to Mission Burrito with!) where Vicky cooked us a DELICIOUS roast dinner! Plus, Luke got to watch the football with fellow football enthusiasts (which WAS a good thing till Arsenal did so poorly!) & then we played fun games & ate till Hollie bedtime. I could happily do every Sunday like that!
So, we are totally busting at the seams where it comes to food! But had a GREAT weekend with fab friends & family & feel blessed to know so many cool people!
And tonight... Well, we're going to eat some more! It's Chinese New Year & because our family like to celebrate EVERYTHING we are celebrating Chinese New Year with lots of Chinese food & as many family members as we can fit around the table! Mmmm mmm mmm!
I think I really will have to re- think my food approach after this weekend!!!