Animals know how to relax... (introducing two of my three pets, Bella our five year old Labrador and ZigZag (aka Ziggy) my newest baby - he's almost 6 months now and is a little devil but he's also very adorable so we forgive him!)
I spoke previously about how our journey to improvement is not a linear one, and yesterday I got the feeling that I was about to do my 'two steps back' stage. Yep, I was right after an awful night's sleep of tossing and turning I went to my PT session this morning and it was definitely more difficult than the last few weeks. Today is actually three weeks since I placed the Taopatches along my spine and I've had three epic weeks, so I kind of knew today was coming. My session was still better than ones I had going back a few months ago, but it definitely wasn't as amazing as the last few. It's cool though, I expect there to be ups and downs - my brain has had some amazing breakthroughs over the last couple of weeks - toe wriggling, being able to hold my bad leg up when on lying down, having amazing work out sessions so it was only to be expected that my brain has gone a bit mental!
Not only has my body experienced some epic moments lately, let's not forget that yesterday I ate gluten, dairy and sugar during my afternoon tea experience. It was definitely worth every moment but it no doubt had an impact on my body today. Once you've cut these foods out for the most part, you will definitely notice it when you've been naughty!
So... I am going to listen to my body and Caroline (my PT friend) and take a few days break from exercising and just chill. Perfect timing for the festive break, I can spend time with the family and not feel guilty about missing my MS Gym session. I have seen many people struggle with the backward stage, they think their symptoms have reared their ugly head again and can't see beyond it. Please believe me, I have been here so many times but each time I emerge stronger than I was before. If you are going through this stage right now, take a moment to think about all the positives you have experienced lately and then remind yourself that your brain needs to process everything. When your brain is processing it has to temporarily stop focusing on other areas, so all of a sudden my steps are harder to take, my body feels exhausted and you just want to sit and do nothing. Allow yourself to take a break, still stretch and massage but don't beat yourself up because you don't fancy doing an hour's worth of exercise. The more times you go through these ups and downs the easier it is to have faith that is a normal part of the process.
I have cooked our evening meal already (love using the slow cooker - it means I haven't got to worry about standing and cooking later in the day when I might be feeling tired) - tonight's it's Lamb Rogan Josh with courgettes and peppers, and not forgetting naan bread for the boys and a gluten free one for me - yum! I'm really lazy but I use the Patak's sauce - it's tastes great plus it's gluten free and has no added sugar. I am definitely not a cook - I use to love baking but that's why I could enjoy eating the fruits of my labour - I have pretty strong will power but if I was making a cake it would definitely entice me to take a taste or two. So, this means no more baking unless it's someone's birthday.
So, tonight I will sit down and enjoy some game time with the boys and my niece. We love playing games and I thought it would be good to share our recent faves in case you are looking for something to entertain your family
Scrawl
This is a brilliant family game and will have you all in stitches. You ideally need at least 6 of you to work well, and 8 is even better. It's a bit like Chinese Whispers. You each pick a card and you have to draw what your card says on your own board. You then pass it to the next player who places a blank card on top of your image and writes onto it, what they think you've drawn. Everyone then passes it round again, and the next player places another card on top and draws what the previous player has written and so forth. When it get back round to the board owner you take it in turn to show the everyone has put - quite often you have gone from one thing to something completely different. They do also have a family friendly version for those with younger children. Recommend purchasing your own pens as the ones provided weren't great after a couple of game plays.
Articulate
This is one of our favourites, it's always great for arguments and lots of shouting but it is also always great fun. We love it so much we purchased the Extension Pack. If you've never played Articulate before it works well as a team game, we normally have two teams playing against each other. Each team has one minute to describe words, within a particular category, to their team members who have to guess the actual word on the card. For example your word might be 'Sandwich' - and you might say 'something you have at lunch time, two slice of bread and something in between' your team members will shout out answers until they get it right. You then move onto another card, describing the next word in that same category and so on until the timer runs out. You then move forward on the board the same number of spaces as answer your team got right. Sounds easier than it is, especially when you get 'World' or 'People' categories they are always funny as you realised you don't know much lol!!
Uno (all varieties)
Another great family favourite, we probably have about 5 different versions - the standard pack, one that spits out cards, one that you can write your own extra cards, one that flips to the other side and well, I can't remember the other one but there are so many variations you can buy. Always ends up with shouting and laughter. We've played this on family holidays for years, and our special version is if you lose you get thrown into the swimming pool! It can also be a great drinking game but I think it's been years since I done anything like that. The great thing about Uno is you can take it anywhere, it's highly addictive and everyone knows how to play so it's the perfect game.
Skull
I had forgotten about this one but it's another easy game that my husband discovered at worK. It's basically a game of bluff and you have to fool the other players into turning over your card only to discover a Skull - this means they lose a card from their hand and have less chances to win. The rules sound more complicated than they are but I can't recall them precisely so it's one you can look up if you fancy something different to try.
Jackbox Games
If you have teenagers who spend most of their lives behind a screen then get yourself a Nintendo Switch and buy some jackbox game packs. Everyone plays on their own device with the television screen hosting the games. You will design t-shirts, fill in blanks to make everyone laugh, invest new things, draw pictures and so much more. This without a doubt has been a real game changer for our family. The boys will sit downstairs with us for hours playing the different game packs with us, it will make you laugh so much you will cry. It is such good fun that if we were to rate it we would probably give it 150 out of a 100! If your teenagers barely say more than a few grunts, I promise you this will have them leaping out of their shells and will probably shock you with some of the things they draw, write and say - you have be warned!!!
Monopoly
Nothing like a classic game to play on a miserable day, this is one that doesn't come out that often but it is always there and gets used. Along with other classic like Game of Life, Risk, Yahtzee, Boggle etc.. You can't beat the classics to waste away an afternoon.
Qwirkle
Not everyone in our household likes this one but me and the husband enjoy it, however even though we have the real version we actually play it on the app - my eldest stepson Tom also plays against us. We have a few games going at any given time and whenever we have a spare few minutes we take our turn. It's a great game for younger kids too - I taught my nephew when he was only 3, it has taken him a bit longer to get the gist of it and to understand the strategy will take him even longer but he always loves playing this with me.
The LOGO Board Game
Another family favourite and we've upgraded this Christmas to the 2nd edition so the boys will be a bit more familiar with the brands as some of the ones in the original version are older brands that the younger generation of today will never have come across. We've only played the new version once so far but it was good fun. Again we tend to split into two teams rather than individual play. This one will definitely come out again and again!
Not only do we love playing games with our boys, we also take turns hosting 'games nights' with our neighbours and friends. Gone are the days when we went out clubbing and drinking all evening, now we prefer to have friends round for dinner, enjoy some drinks and play games all evening. How life changes after you hit 40!
Hopefully I've introduced you to some new games for you and your family/friends to enjoy. Let me know in the comments if you have any favourites I should look at :-)