THE NEVER ENDING STORY...

Children!

2010-07-09T19:58:00.002+01:00

I never realised having children was so emotionally hard work!!! I hope it gets easier than this, somebody please tell me it does!

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-04-09T08:57:00.003+01:00

I thought I would go for a wedding theme for today's Flashback! My sister got married in about 1978/79 to her first husband. She told everyone a week before the wedding that she was getting married!!! You have got to love seventies fashion!!!

This is my sister and her husband on her first wedding day with my mum and our dad!

Here I am as 'bridesmaid' with my sister and three of my brothers!

And the group photograph, which has my Grandma and Grandad, Great Aunt and also my Auntie!

For more Friday Photo Flashbacks visit Alicia at More Than Words.

Life is overwhelming...

2010-03-29T11:40:00.002+01:00

...or that is how it seems!

Things over the past couple of months seem to have been crazy! We have had a lot of different emotional stuff with various family members to deal with and the problems are still continuing. I have to say, I very rarely stick my head in the sand and like to know everything about everything but not this time. I have a problem and I now have to go for tests and I am a little bit scared about what they might find.

I wish life didn't seem so hard sometimes and I apologise for the 'I feel sorry for myself' post!

Getting To Know You Sundays!

2010-03-21T10:44:00.003Z

Well it is Getting To Know You Sundays over at MannLand5 so click here to play along!

The questions this week...

1. What year did you graduate high school?

I finished secondary school in 1990, when I was 16 (the leaving age in the UK)

2. What part of your body do you neglect the most?

All of it I'm afraid

3. Beach house or Lake house?

Beach always beach!

4. Mac or PC?

Mac

5. Did you wear braces?

No and neither did my husband but it looks like our kids are going to have to.

6. If you could be one person for a day..living or deceased..who would you be?

Michelle Duggar, to know what it is like to have so many kids or me when I first had Ellie so I could experience just having her again.

7. How many times have you moved in your life?

Twice as a child and once since I have been married.

8. Would you rather cook or clean?

Clean!!! I hate cooking, it stresses me out everyday, especially as the children are picky eaters. I can't say that I love cleaning but it at least it gives me some satisfaction when the house is tidy, well for a few minutes until the kids trash it again.

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-03-19T10:53:00.003Z

Life seems to have been quite hectic over the last couple of weeks, so hopefully my blogging will get back on track!

My photographs this week are in memory of my little dog Jet who had to be put to sleep nearly a fortnight ago. He was almost 17 years old and was my first 'baby'. My sister had got his brother 'Mutley' and she told us there were another couple of pups left. We saw him and fell in love with him, he has been the best dog and used to lay on my knee like a baby, something he wouldn't do for anyone else. When I got married and moved out Jet stayed with my mum as we would be out at work full time. It is sad he is no longer with us, but I am sure he will be running around in doggy heaven with our other dog Barney!

We love you Jetty xxx

Ellie and Jet

George and Jet

For more fabulous Friday Photo Flashbacks visit Alicia at More Than Words!

What a week!

2010-03-10T14:21:00.002Z

The sickness bug came to visit the girls last week, Ben had to make a trip to the emergency dentist as one of his teeth cracked in half and he had to have it removed, my mum's dog of 17 years had to be put down plus numerous other things meant that I only managed to post once this week and my blog reading was non existent!

Well Max is asleep and I have 40 minutes before I have to go and pick the kids up from school so I can either do some much needed cleaning up OR I can catch up on some blogs, it's a hard choice, but blogging it is!

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-03-05T07:20:00.004Z

As I am still waiting for my scanner I can not post 'Eventful Holidays!' as the photos are not yet on the computer, so I have decided to post pictures of me with my grandparents.

These are the only pictures I have of me with both my sets of grandparents. They mean a lot to me as three of them have now passed away.

My Nanna, Grandad, my cousin Jayne and me, Easter 1975 when I had just started walking. My Grandad passed away when I was eight years old so I only vaguely remember him but my Nanna lives with my Auntie, who lives next door to my Mum!!!

This is me in 1976 and I will have been about two and a half with my Grandma and Grandad. I miss them every day especially as they were the last link really that held our family together after my dad passed away. My Grandad also gave me away when I got married and gave the most wonderful speech which left all the guests in tears, something I will never forget!

For more fabulous Friday Photo Flashbacks (which I have to say is my favourite posting day of the week) visit Alicia at More Than Words!

Nursery time

2010-03-02T16:23:00.003Z

Well it has happened, the dreaded phone call from the Nursery!!!

Max has been offered a place at the nursery for five afternoons a week starting from September. I can't believe it, wasn't it only yesterday he was like this...

...it doesn't seem right that it is time for nursery already, I am sure that he is still just a baby!!!

How does the school system work in the USA? There seems to be quite a few differences between the UK and USA schooling, ie yearly graduating, deferring for a year, being held back and at what age children start school etc. I would love it if someone could tell me about it, I am not nosey (honest), just really interested :)

Memory Monday!

2010-03-01T21:25:00.003Z

I have decided that for the time being on a Monday I will share memories past, some good, others not so!

Well as it is around the time I found out I was pregnant with my first child I thought I would share that story!

I had longed for a baby for a number of years, I knew really that it was all l I ever wanted out of life to be a wife and a mother and in that order. Our wedding was arranged for 30 September 1995 and I secretly hoped that we would be able to start trying for a family straight away. Mark had other ideas, he didn't feel it was the right time as money was tight and I had also agreed to be a bridesmaid at my cousin's wedding the following August and he felt it was unfair of me to let her down. It was doubly hard for me because a couple of weeks before we got married Mark's younger brother announced that his girlfriend was pregnant with a baby, due the following May.

Well May came along and we were blessed with a lovely baby Nephew and then August a few months later and I was a bridesmaid, but still no mention of starting my longed for family. I felt so desperate but each time I mentioned it Mark felt it was still not the right time.

At this point I was working at a doctors' surgery and had made a very good friend. She had been trying for a baby for almost two years with no luck and had had to undergo some minor surgery to see if it would be helpful. It was the day after Boxing Day and my friend had to work, I remember it was lunchtime and the phone rang. My friend had said that she felt funny, wondered if she could be pregnant and decided that she was going to do a pregnancy test in the toilets at work. She said she would ring me back! The test was positive, she was absolutely over the moon and even though I could not have been happier for her, it made me feel that my becoming pregnant was nowhere in sight.

I carried on as normal but inside I was becoming more and more desperate about the whole situation. We had a holiday booked in the January with my mum and it was lovely to get away, but on our return I still felt the same way. In the end I told Mark just how strongly I felt about starting a family and I also told him that what had happened to my friend could happen to us and it might take us years to conceive a child and amazingly he agreed it was time.

Well it was the first month of trying and it was two days before I should have taken the pregnancy test but I could not wait any longer. I woke up at 3am, tiptoed out of bed to the toilet (thinking Mark was asleep), locked the door, did the test and turned it upside down on the bathroom cabinet. The next thing I knew was Mark shouting, asking what I was doing. I tried to sound casual and answered nothing but he knew something was going on. I turned the test over and could not believe it, after only one month of trying, there was a line, albeit a faint one. I was ecstatic and very shocked. I opened the door and Mark was stood there and I managed to whisper "I think I am pregnant"! I don't think either of us could believe it and I remember putting the test on my bedside table and looking at it all night long to make sure the line was still there.

I did another test two days later (in the supermarket toilets) and there could be no mistaking that result with it's dark blue line!
My due date was 29 November 1997, but Ellie decided to make us wait for a few days and came into the world on 7 December 1997 weighing 6lbs 3ozs and we have never looked back!

Getting To Know You Sundays!

2010-02-28T13:18:00.002Z

It is here again Getting to know you Sundays over at Mannland5!!

1. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive?

I really wouldn't want to do either as I am scared of heights but if I had to choose it would be skydive

2. When using a public restroom to you squat over the seat or sit?

I sit, am not athletic enough to squat!

3. Favorite flower?

Frescias for their scent.

4. Pedicure or manicure?

I have never had either one but would probably be manicure.

5. How many siblings do you have?

I have two half sisters and four half brothers (from my dad's previous marriage), I am the youngest!

6. Do you pee in the shower? (gasp!)

I have, on occasion!!!

7. Bikini, tankini, or one piece?

Anything that covers my body as much as possible!

8. Where do you hate to shop at, but go there anyway?

I do not like shopping at all and try to avoid most shops at all costs.

Nothing doing!

2010-02-27T20:27:00.002Z

We are at home again with only the boys for company. Lydia is at a friends for a birthday sleepover and Ellie decided she would prefer to stay at her Nanna's house and not with us. One of the reasons being my mum waits on her hand and foot and brings her breakfast in bed, a luxury she is not used to at home.

So the house seems very quiet again, I remember when having two children seemed hard work but now it is like a holiday. The boys get on well even though there are five years between them. I was so worried when Max was born that he wouldn't have anybody to play with and that he would be left on his own all the time. They do bicker occasionally but most of the time they play together and look out for one another and the girls treat Max as if he were theirs.

In saying that I had really hoped that I would have had another child by now. I really wanted Max to have a brother or sister that WAS close in age to him, unfortunately that has not been the case and now every month that passes I think of the ever widening age gap.

I do have to count my blessings though, when we married Mark was unsure whether he wanted children at all. He wouldn't change it for the world now and you never know, hopefully if there is a number five, he might like the idea of a number six!

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-02-26T07:35:00.004Z

Update: I meant to post that it was 1974!

Unfortunately when I was born we did not have a camera. My dad bought a second hand one when I was about 9 months old and here are a couple of my first photographs. They are taken at the river bank in Lincoln, my mum used to meet my dad for dinner there once a week and he must have decided to take his camera with him that day!

For more fabulous Friday Photo Flashbacks visit Alicia at More Than Words.

Sunnier times

2010-02-24T20:18:00.006Z

As I am so fed up of the long, cold winter, I thought that I would post some photographs of last summer when we put up our summer house. We put the base down and built the summerhouse ourselves but needed help to get the very heavy roof on. My Auntie and Uncle helped us and we wouldn't have been able to do it without them. I cannot wait for a bit of warmth and sunshine so we can enjoy it again.

So much for my sunny day post - the only photograph I have of it finished is on a snowy one!!!

For more Wordful Wednesdays visit here!

It makes you think.

2010-02-23T21:22:00.003Z

When Ellie was almost two and a half she was poorly, just a normal run of the mill, kid-like illness, runny nose, temperature etc. She had been ill for a few days, when for 24 hours she didn't pass any urine. We took her to the emergency doctors (as it was late at night on Easter weekend) and he told us not to worry and that as she had a temperature she would be less likely to urinate and she was ok. I asked him how long should we leave her like this, he shrugged his shoulders and told us that it didn't matter.

I was extremely unhappy with this advice and rang NHS Direct (a freephone help and information line manned by nurses) about the information I had been given. They agreed with me and told me that I could not leave her for an indefinite period without having gone to the toilet and that I had to make another appointment at the emergency doctors, so I scheduled this for the next morning.

However, during the night her stomach started to swell, it seemed only a bit at first but it kept gradually getting worse. We decided that we were not going to wait for the appointment and took her to the Casualty Department instead. They admitted her and said that they were going to have to run some tests. They told us that the cause of her stomach swelling could be due to a blockage in her intestine/bowel. I remember feeling helpless and sick with worry at what they might find when they gave her an x-ray, certain that it would reveal something nasty. We were very fortunate, nothing at all showed up on the x-ray. It still was a very unpleasant experience for her, they had to insert a tube into her bowels to get rid of the gas build up that was there, which must have been a horrific experience for a two year old. I especially feel bad about this because even though her dad was with her when she had this done, I was not, I had left to go home and breastfeed Lydia, as she was only 10 weeks old. After she had been in the hospital for about 24 hours she had still not passed any urine so they had to try and catheterise her, it took four of us to hold her down whilst she was screaming at them to stop and begging us to make them. It is one of the most horrible things I have ever had to do and it still brings tears to my eyes 10 years later.

Ellie after she had been discharged from the hospital

To cut a long story a bit shorter, she was discharged after a couple of days but still suffered from the same stomach swelling and other related problems for years. She had numerous blood tests for allergies and disorders and gave samples but everything came back negative. The Paediatrician who we saw said he could give her an exploratory operation to see if they could find anything but he didn't really want to, especially as her problem never got quite as bad as when she had been first admitted. No reason has ever been found for why this happens and she still does suffer from the problem but only very, very occasionally.

What made me write this post was a mention of a little girl called Layla Grace who MckMama mentioned on her blog today. Her story is heartbreaking and I thank God that Ellie's x-ray did not contain anything sinister and that we are blessed to have four such beautiful and wonderful children. I hugged them all a little tighter tonight after reading this.

I am a day late.

2010-02-22T11:39:00.002Z

As it is Monday and in my current belated blogging state, this is - Getting to know you Sunday over at MannLand5

1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

Probably not as often as I should and that is all I am saying :S

2. When is your birthday?

16 December 1973.

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

Afraid not I live in the UK and all bloggy friends live in the USA!

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

Always, always Brad Pitt.

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

I'm afraid it would have to be my body

6. How often do you wash your hair?

Every couple of days.

7. Do you have pets?

Yes, we have a dog (schnoodle) called Cooper and two rabbits, Jemima and Bobby

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

I only belong to Facebook so it would have to be that.

Happy 3rd Birthday Max

2010-02-21T11:45:00.012Z

For the second day running it is actually Happy Belated Birthday. So here goes...

INTERESTING MAX FACTS!!!

Max was born on 16 February 2007 at 07.11, weighing 8lbs 1ozs and his was the most unpleasant and eventful birth.

We thought that Lydia cried a lot, boy were we wrong, Max has cried the most (and still does) and slept the least out of all our children, he has not been an easy baby/child.

However, he fed the best. He would only feed for 5 minutes at a time about every three hours and I think his longest feed was 8 minutes. I was so worried that he wasn't feeding for long enough I timed every feed for about the first three months. In saying that he put on at least 10ozs every week!!!

He is the biggest (at that age) of all our children.

He smiled at 10 days, crawled at 10 months and walked at 14 1/2 months.

He is very stubborn, independent and mischievous.

He has only slept through the night about 7 times.

He has some strange behavioural tendencies and does not like change.

He has a funny sense of humour and makes us laugh every day.

His favourite person in the world is Fireman Sam.

Happy Birthday Max, we love you too xxx

Happy 10th Birthday Lydia

2010-02-20T16:08:00.012Z

Well not exactly, but it will have to be belated seeing as how we were on holiday and I haven't been able to do it up until now.

INTERESTING LYDIA FACTS!!!

She was born on 9 February 2000 at 11:49, was my biggest baby at 8lb 2ozs and the easiest birth.

For a week she was an angel

and then - AAAAARRRGH - the more she woke the more she cried. Even though she slept very well, almost every one of her waking moments was a crying one (for a very long time)!!!

(supposed to be a picture here but I cannot get it working)

Smiled at four weeks, crawled at 11 months and was the latest walker at 15 months.

(and again)!!!

She has the most beautiful blue eyes...

...and is the only one of my children with freckles.

She scars easily and still has a scar down her cheek from when Ben scratched her face three years ago.

She is very caring and doesn't like to see people upset or in trouble.

Loves animals and teddy bears.

Is very helpful and bright but also very challenging.

Happy Birthday Lydia, we love you xxx

I just wanted to say...

2010-02-19T18:20:00.005Z

-----------------------------------------------------------

and one last time...

for following me and posting such lovely comments on my blog.

I hope that you have a nice time whilst you are visiting xxx

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-02-19T00:16:00.003Z

iPhone Girl is back!!!

Okay, okay, so this is NOT exactly a photo flashback from a long time ago, but IS a flashback of sorts!

About 18 months ago my husband purchased an iPhone for his job and when he activated it, this (along with a few others) is what he found. Obviously being uninterested in all things technological, I didn't think anything of it!

He posted it on a Mac website that he uses asking if anyone else had found photos on their phones and the response was unbelievable. It seemed to cause some sort of furore in the mac/apple world. People wanted to know who she was, where she lived and some people questioned her age (that she seemed to young to be working) and we were seriously worried that something we had done innocently (posting the photos) would result in her losing her job at the factory. What was funny was that some articles thought that it was huge marketing stunt and somehow we were in collusion with Apple!!! Mark was even interviewed by a couple of newspapers about his 'find' and if you type iPhone girl in google there are now hundreds of articles on it!!! She actually was found but her name has never publicly been disclosed, well not as far as I know.

So for me it is a flashback as I thought the iPhone girl 'thing' had been long forgotten but apparently not. Mark has been contacted as an American newspaper are doing an article and would like to use the photos but he owns the copyright.

I also wondered if anyone out there in the blogging world had ever heard of iPhone girl?

For more Friday Photo Flashbacks visit More Than Words.

Somerset

2010-02-18T14:29:00.009Z

We stayed in a lovely old converted barn on a farm in Somerset, near a town called Frome (pronounced Frume). It was lovely and spacious and just felt really homely, in fact, I think Mark would've quite happily packed up and moved in.

Unfortunately due to my husbands tooth issues, so losing two days at the barn, Lydia's birthday and the cold weather we did not do very much at all. Plus most of the attractions in the area were shut for winter and didn't open until half term which is this week. Luckily this was the view out of the living room windows.

And I almost managed to catch the beautiful sunset as we were driving back to the barn one day.

However, we did travel through this place - Norton St Philip - The Inn was built in the 13th century and was absolutely amazing, it was like travelling back in time.

The Church

The Street

I really hope to be able to visit there again someday.

Wordful Wednesday!

2010-02-17T06:57:00.003Z

Lydia's 10th birthday last week

Max's 3rd birthday yesterday

I will do a proper birthday post soon!

For more Wordful Wednesdays click here!

How much is too much?

2010-02-17T06:36:00.002Z

Well I am back from our family holidays and it was Max's third birthday yesterday, but instead of blogging about that I am thinking of not so nice turn of events instead.

As I have said previously we have not had a very easy time over the past year and things took an unfortunate turn yesterday, just when things seemed brighter than ever and we were celebrating Max's birthday, then BANG and we have to start from the beginning again.

I started writing this blog as a record of our lives and as a 'sort of' therapeutic exercise. I am a naturally open person and tell people in the street my life story (well not quite)! But now I think, How much is too much? How much of your real life story do you put on a blog, do you just reveal the happy side of your life or do you bear everything for all to see, if you do decide on the whole warts and all version then can you cope with peoples' judgements or will people be able to help instead?

I still don't know what to decide, the only thing I hope is that today will not be as hard as yesterday!

iPhone post!

2010-02-11T16:39:00.002Z

We have absolutely no internet or mobile phone service where we are staying and so i am typing this on my husbands iPhone in an asda carpark, so sorry for any spelling mistakes!

We are having a nice time but the weather is very cold and it was snowing yesterday. Our children do not like the cold very much and are lothe to go outside. We did make them come outside with us to take Cooper for a walk this morning and it was a tad chilly and with Ellie being the grumpy (almost) teenager she was not happy.

Well Mark has just come out of the supermarket so I better be off and will be back in the land of the living on Saturday when we will be in a hotel with wifi, you don't realise how much you rely on it until you don't have it.

Journey Round 2!!!

2010-02-08T09:53:00.002Z

Well we are heading back out soon to give our holiday another go!!!

I think that we will probably set off some time around 12 as I want my husband to have another lot of antibiotics before we set off. At least he seems a lot better than he did yesterday morning, his face is just a little swollen but he is not in as much pain.

We have decided to book a hotel for an extra night or two though, seeing as how the kids have missed out on two days of holiday, so I am sure they will be excited, especially since it has a pool.

But first I have to go birthday shopping for Max as I haven't bought him anything yet and his birthday will be on the Tuesday as we get back. He absolutely adores Fireman Sam and taking photographs, so I am hoping to get him a couple of new FS playsets and the Fisher Price digital camera. I think they will keep him busy for a while.

So Bon Voyage for the second time around, hopefully, this time tomorrow we will be celebrating Lydia's birthday in a cottage somewhere!

Wish me luck!!!

Getting To Know You Sundays!

2010-02-07T18:59:00.003Z

Join MannLand5 in Getting to Know You Sundays

1. How many piercings do you have?

Well I used to have three, both of my ears done once and I had my nose pierced when I was 21. I took the nose piercing out after about four hours as it looked awful and I regretted it straight away and my ear piercings have also been left to close, so I have none now.

2. I love the sound of.....?

Birdsong at sunrise and sunset.

3. Favorite city?

Even though I have never been I would have to say New York, I just love it and I hope to visit one day in the future. My favourite UK city would have to be Sheffield because my wonderful brother lives there.

4. Colts, Saints, or could care less?

I am sorry to say I don't know who they are :S

5. Frozen yogurt or ice cream?

Definitely ice cream, cherry, yummy!

6. Favorite appetizer?

Potato skins with sour cream, cheese and chive.

7. What item in your closet currently makes you the happiest?

Nothing in my wardrobe makes me happy really, well maybe my Etnies trainers, they are my favourite shoes.

8.Favorite facial moisturizer?

My favourite moisturiser is anything that would get rid of lines and wrinkles!!! At the moment it is No 7 Protect & Perfect.

Disastrous Holidays Strike Again! (part 2)

2010-02-07T14:53:00.003Z

Well we have just got back from the dentist, minus two teeth.

We are still hoping to get on holiday for Lydia's birthday which is on Tuesday but I don't know if we will be able to because of the pain Mark is in at the moment. At present he is in bed, drugged up with painkillers and antibiotics and is holding a bag of frozen peas on his jaw! The dentist has told him it will take about a week for it to feel back to normal!

Luckily my mum had the kids last night and she said that she would look after them tonight as well if we needed her to, so I think we might be taking her up on her offer.

I am hoping that my next postings will be of a holiday nature but we will have to wait and see!

Disastrous Holidays Strike Again!

2010-02-06T17:19:00.005Z

UPDATE: Time for a RANT!

I am cross, not just a little, a whole lot!

Our private dentist, yes not NHS but private dentist, provides no out of hours cover, none! This means that they refer you onto the NHS emergency service, which I presume due to wonderful NHS cutbacks now does not operate 24 hours but just when they feel like it! He cannot be seen until 1pm tomorrow which means a) He is going to be in severe pain for hours and b) we might not be going on holiday until Monday after we promised the kids we were going to set off early in the morning!

I am finding it very hard to be sympathetic to my husband at the moment as if he had gone to the dentist yesterday we would not be in this situation now!!! AAAARGH - husbands! AAAARGH - the NHS!

RANT over - sorry about that!!!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

And we are back, what did I say a few posts ago about our disastrous holidays!!!

My husband, unbeknown to me, has been suffering with toothache for a few days, well it got worse as we started to travel and he looked absolutely shocking. It sounds like he has an abscess under his tooth and he is in ALOT of pain, in fact I don't think he has looked so ill since he broke his hip five years ago (another story for another day). We were about an hour into our journey with another five still to go and so we made the decision to turn around and come back so that he could get treatment at home.

Well I have just rung the emergency dentist and they do not even open until 6pm and then they only stay open until 9pm, obviously you are only expected to get teeth problems between these times, good old UK and it's health service!!!

Hopefully, he will either be given antibiotics or have his tooth removed. Whatever happens he will be in a better state than what he is in now and we should be able to set off early in the morning on holiday journey round 2.

Our family holidays - never a dull moment :)

Happy Holidays!!!

2010-02-06T13:46:00.003Z

Well we are off, three hours late and a lot of stress!!!

I am sure we will have a wonderful time and by the time we get back Lydia will be 10, unfortunately there is no internet access where we are so I will be missing for about a week.

I hope you all have a lovely week, I just hope I can manage without the internet!

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-02-05T08:56:00.003Z

As we are going on holiday tomorrow for a week, hooray, I decided to post some pictures of holidays past.

We owned a caravan for five years, from me being nine to fourteen. We got rid of it in 1988 after my dad died as my mum was too upset to stay there anymore. It was my dad's favourite place and we all had some happy times there!

Our caravan

My cousin, me, my nephew, another cousin and my niece outside our caravan

Me aged about 13 in the sea

One of my favourite photos, my dad, doing what he loved best!!!

For more fabulous Friday Photo Flashbacks visit Alicia at More Than Words.

'Bedtimeisms'

2010-02-04T21:49:00.008Z

Last night, I put the boys to bed, then went into my own room which I always do. I had been in there for about five minutes when Ben shouted "I can hear popping and bubbling". I told him to go to sleep and it would be ok. Five minutes later - "I can still hear it, the popping and bubbling". Again I told him "Just go to sleep it will be ok". Then again "I can still hear it" Mark shouted "It is ok Ben it is just because there is air in the radiator". Ben - "Does that mean the radiator is going to explode all over me". Then for the last time "No it is ok Ben that is normal, we just need to bleed the radiators, just go to sleep, you will be ok". Eventually quiet.

This is just one of many of 'Ben's Bedtimeisms' and trust me there have been hundreds. He goes in fits and starts and sometimes for weeks and months at a time where there will be a problem every night and just as quick as it started he stops doing it again. I decided that if he does anymore of these I am going to post them as some of them are quite funny!

You may realise he is a bit of a worrier as a lot of them start off with Mum I am scared... (here are a few of them)

.......that someone might get into the house!

.......that a tree might fall on the house! (we don't live close enough to any trees)

.......that my teddy bears might come to life!

......that lightening will strike the house!

......that I will swallow my lose tooth in the night!

The funniest one though was when he shouted "Mum, I can hear a cow mooing"

This is where we live

This is what we see when we look out of our windows (on a snowy day!!!!), in a town, with no cows in sight

Ahhhhh Ben, you have to love him!!!

Wordful Wednesday!

2010-02-03T10:07:00.003Z

As I have not taken any photos for quite a while, this morning I thought I would just grab my daughter's camera and take a picture of Max to put on for Wordful Wednesday. Max had other ideas and did not want his picture taken!!

Please do not look at the smeared handprints on the patio doors, I do clean them, honestly, they just don't stay that way for very long!

Also we do not give Max a Kong or a rawhide chew to play with, Cooper just likes to put his toys with everyone elses!!

For more Wordful Wednesdays click here!!!

Bedtime drama!

2010-02-02T09:52:00.002Z

Had a good cleaning day yesterday and got some jobs done that have been put off for far too long! I am very glad that 'clean out bathroom cabinet' has now been crossed off the 'to do' list and I can open the doors without having toiletries spilling out all over the bathroom floor.

So after my cleaning day I picked the kids up from school, Mark came home from work and everything seemed ok until bedtime!!! Ben was in the bathroom and said he felt a little dizzy, well if you know Ben, some medical issue (normally feeling sick) is normal almost every night so I thought nothing of it. I took him to bed and told him I would be in to check on him in a few minutes. When I went back to check on him he was sat up in bed and said he couldn't lay down as the room was spinning. I sat with him for a while and then as he was not getting any better put him into my bed. He didn't look very well at all and his eyes were moving from side to side like he was watching the room moving and I knew that he must feel poorly because he normally falls asleep straight away once he gets into our bed but after about 30 minutes of him sitting back up and laying down over and over again I shouted for Mark to come upstairs because I was getting worried. Eventually after another 30 minutes he finally fell asleep holding onto the bed head! It made me feel so helpless that I couldn't do anything for him apart from hoping that he went to sleep. He does seem a little better today and said his dizziness is not as bad but he does feel sick. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is just a little bug especially as we are going on holiday for a week on Saturday and we have had numerous holiday disasters in previous years! In fact I will do a post on it and you can see how unsmoothly ( I know that is not a word) holidays have gone for us!!!

Well I better make a move, Ben and Max are now jumping off their beds and fighting so maybe I shouldn't have been too worried after all!

Shopping Trip

2010-01-31T21:30:00.004Z

Well after my lovely rest yesterday we did manage to go shopping today.

The first reason for the shopping trip was to take two rings into the jewellers to have the diamonds put back in them. One of them was my grandma's engagement ring which was given to me when she died and the other is my engagement ring. Last week I noticed that the claws on my ring felt sharp so I thought that I had better check how secure the diamond was and as I touched it, it came out in my hand. The jeweller said that grandma's ring, which is a row of five small diamonds, where the middle one has come out, would be no problem to fix and would cost £30. Next was my ring, first of all he said the claws were so worn down that I was extremely lucky that the diamond had not just fallen out and told me that to build them back up would cost - wait for it - £140!!! I don't know if I am incredibly naive but I can't believe that it costs so much just to put 6 claws back on a ring!!! Mark nearly had to pick me up off the floor in shock. The problem is, my engagement ring is very precious to me and so with my bank balance now £140 lighter I have left it at the jewellers and will collect it in 10 days time!

Shopping trip reason number two was that after a very stressful few years at work and an eight month absence on long term sick Mark left his old job in November and is starting up his own business, he moves into some premises tomorrow, hooray. He needed some new work clothes, hence part of the shopping trip. It was very successful and he got some very nice things, I have not seen him so happy and excited about going to work in a very, very long time. Even if it takes a while I know that if anyone can make it work he can, he is a very dedicated, hardworking person and I am very thankful for that.

I am very grateful that we are now beginning to put the traumatic events of the last year behind us and are looking toward a brighter future.

Today I have done........

2010-01-30T22:18:00.002Z

.................absolutely nothing!

Ellie was invited to a sleepover last night and so Lydia decided she would like to stay at my mum's this week, so yet again we were down to just the two boys. My mum offered to have them today so Mark picked Ellie up at 9 o'clock and dropped her off there and the boys went an hour later. Obviously I had intended to do all sorts of things while I had some child free home time, unfortunately sitting doing nothing just beckoned to me, so I decided that was the best, albeit lazy option and I enjoyed every minute of it!!!

I must admit as much as I love the children, and I really do, I do like to have some time for myself. I think what has been hard for me is that since we have had Ellie she has never really slept properly and it is sometimes quite hard! She would never go to bed and only started sleeping through the night at four and a half. We tried every routine and suggestion but nothing worked and we also had to endure the usual, "she wouldn't be like that if she were mine" and "leave her with me and I'll sort her out" comments! Well, she is twelve now and nothing has changed, she has to be in bed between 9.00 and 9.30 but she is still getting in and out of it at 11 o'clock. We thought our luck had changed with Lydia and Ben as they were angels and slept all night long, Ben started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks old! Just when we were thinking how lucky we were and nobody could sleep as badly as Ellie along came Max and the whole night time performance started again! He is three next month and he is getting better, he will actually go to sleep in his own bed but I think he has only stayed in it all night long about four times. He walks into our room in the middle of the night, says "Hi Mum, Hi Dad" and climbs into bed with us and having been through this once already and sleep being far too important for me to lose out on I let him stay there!

So that is why at the moment I do not feel guilty about sitting and doing nothing today. However, tomorrow will be a different story when I have to help the kids with their reading and homework, wash all the school clothes (and the other piles of washing) and get them dried for Monday morning, go grocery shopping (as I normally do that on the internet and forgot), go in town clothes shopping for Mark (not my favourite activity), go to the jewellers to have my engagement ring repaired as the diamond fell out last week and a whole host of other things.......................................ermmmmmm maybe sitting today wasn't such a good idea after all!!!

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-01-29T08:05:00.008Z

Here are a few pictures of me with two of my brothers. I have two sisters and four brothers altogether (all my siblings are from my dad's previous marriage), our family was split with my eldest brother and eldest sister living with my dad's parents, another sister and brother living with their mother and the two youngest brothers lived with us. It is a very complicated story as to why this happened!!!

Anyway, here are a few photos of me and my two brothers who lived with us.

Don't you just love the seventies....

......and the early eighties!!!

For more fabulous Friday Photo Flashbacks visit More Than Words.

Date nights

2010-01-28T22:21:00.002Z

I must admit we have had our fair share of time away from the children courtesy of my mum who lives a 10 minute walk away, but the majority of the time it has been spent cleaning, decorating and even sleeping (as the children don't seem to)! We have never had regular 'date nights' so I decided all that had to change. We have not had a very good year and I thought that it would be good to spend some quality time together like we used to all those years ago.

So now, every other Thursday we drop the children off at tea time and go out somewhere. Today was only the second time of going out but we had a lovely time and it was well worth it. We went to the casino where we had a lovely fillet steak and it was even better because it was buy one get one free. We set a limit of £10 to spend in the casino and we won a small amount so actually only spent £7.50 each.......well, I did say it was a small amount. I was stood next to a man who placed £60 on one game of cards and lost the lot and walked away as though nothing had happened, I think I would have been crying for weeks!!!

We went to see Avatar in 3D a fortnight ago, for our first 'date night' and that was really good. I would like to see it again before it has finished showing at the cinema because I don't think it would have the same effect on our small TV!

I think it has done us the world of good to spend these few hours together, I can hardly believe that we have been together 19 years already it only seems like yesterday that we met.

I wonder where we will go for our next 'date night'!

Wordful Wednesday

2010-01-27T17:11:00.002Z

Rock Challenge 2009

This is a picture of my daughter Ellie. It was the first time her school had competed in a dance competition called Rock Challenge and they were all fantastic.

For more Wordful Wednesdays click here

Sick days

2010-01-27T08:54:00.004Z

Thankfully we have had a none sickness, sickness bug! Ellie was off school on Monday with a tummy ache and feeling really sick, she went back to school yesterday and then it was Lydia and Ben's turn. They were off school yesterday but I have sent them today. Ben was not very happy and was complaining that he felt sick but I made the decision to send him as he appeared to make a miraculous recovery yesterday when he knew that he was not going to school. To be fair he did say once or twice yesterday I feel sick, but then he chased around for about four hours before bedtime without any problems!!! I shall have to wait and see whether or not I get a call from the school later on!

Two down

2010-01-23T20:31:00.002Z

It was very quiet last night. Lydia had been invited to a friend's house for a sleepover and so Ellie decided she wanted to sleep at my mum's house. That only left us with Ben and Max and the house seemed very quiet. Ben was not very happy as the girls had gone off to do other things so we bought a movie on Apple TV for him to watch and promised him, he and Max could sleep in our bed so he was happy enough at that.

We didn't have to pick the girls up until two o'clock so I helped Ben do a jigsaw that he received for Christmas and Mark spent most of the morning (and the afternoon when the girls had been picked up) making a Meccanno car for him, another received Christmas present. I took Max up to our bed for a sleep in the afternoon and I slept with him, I don't do this very often and I must admit it was nice!

Well we are now watching the movie for the second night running as the girls wanted to see it and then it will be time for bed. I am looking forward to church tomorrow morning!

Friday Photo Flashback!

2010-01-22T13:21:00.004Z

I decided I would take Alicia's lead and post a picture of me quite a few years ago which also could be entitled - What was my mum thinking?

I think that I was about three or four here so it is about 1977ish!

For more Friday Photo Flashbacks vist More Than Words

Soooo cold!

2010-01-21T20:26:00.002Z

It is soooo cold, I just can't seem to get warm, even with the heating turned up!!! It is about 5c, but it feels much colder, I don't know if that is because it is so dull and grey outside. We have only had one day of blue sky in about the last three weeks. Hence I have not being going out at all, only to pick the children up from school, and am starting to go a bit stir crazy.

There are a few things that I need to do tomorrow, pay in some cheques, sign Max back up to Jumping Jacks and buy a belated birthday present, so I am going to make myself go out in the horrible cold weather. I am so glad that the nights are starting to get a bit longer now, I know it is not by much but even a little makes all the difference. I do not like dark nights at all, especially as when the children are at school by the time they leave and we get home and it is dark. I am counting the weeks now to the clocks going forward, they go forward the last weekend in March and then it's an extra hour of daylight, hooray!!!

Wordful Wednesday!

2010-01-20T21:52:00.004Z

Here is a follow on to last weeks picture. This is my brother and his wife with their long awaited son at 6 months old!

For more Wordful Wednesdays please visit 7 Clown Circus.

Always something!!!

2010-01-19T19:16:00.003Z

I have not posted in a few days because of a family 'situation'. Unfortunately it is just another one in a long line of 'situations' for this particular family member and it has caused a lot of people upset and anxiety. It is far from over but I have decided to take one step back and decided my husband and childrens' welfares are the most important things for me to consider!

Anyway, on a different note, I have been having a hard time this week with the children. It seems to get to a certain time of evening and the children become uncontrollable. I especially find one of my children a lot more challenging than the rest and is continually causing trouble between the siblings, fighting etc even as I type it is like WWIII downstairs. This particular child has been demanding since birth and numerous 'punishments' (naughty stool, up-to-bed, reasoned with, privileges stopped and many more) have been carried out to no avail. I am now at a loss as to what to do and am finding it very wearing. On a one-to-one basis this child could be no more perfect but put in an environment where there is deemed to be 'competition' with other siblings it is a totally different story.

If anybody may read this in the future I would love some advice, as I am pretty sure things will not have changed much!

I have also been thinking about homeschooling a lot. I love to have the children with me and can't wait for the holidays and we love doing things together, I just don't think I am either patient enough or clever enough to do this. I hope it is something I don't regret though!!!

Well, I better be going, Ben has lost his ipod and is not very happy and Ellie is trying to do some maths homework with not much success. But now that the family drama is not at the forefront of my mind (well for the time being at any rate) hopefully my posts will be more regular from today!!!

Friday Foto Flashback

2010-01-15T11:44:00.008Z

Is it Friday again already, I can't believe it!!!

I thought seeing as how it was 19 years ago last Wednesday when I met my husband, I would post some pictures of us some years ago. I haven't got any of when we were first together as they are still waiting to be scanned into the computer. But here are a few others!

This is almost 13 years ago at our nephew's christening, I was about 12 weeks pregnant with Ellie!

This is us four years ago!

And the most recent one of us this year!

I wonder what we will look like in another 19 years!!!!

For more Friday Foto Flashbacks visit More Than Words

Wordful Wednesday

2010-01-13T10:24:00.008Z

This is my brother and sister-in-law last year with their first baby. They had been praying for a baby for 10 years and they were finally blessed with a little boy named Michael after my Dad, who passed away almost 22 years ago.

I love the little fleece blanket he is wrapped in it says - Jesus Loves Me!

Please find more Wordful Wednesdays at 7 Clown Circus

Potty Training Day - No 1

2010-01-12T17:16:00.002Z

To put it simply, this does not appear to be going very well!!!

Three pairs of wet underpants, a wet floor and a very wet chair!!!

All my others had been out of nappies for six months at Max's age, he is three next month! Max seems to be having other ideas, I tried to potty train him in the summer, but he wouldn't even let me put the pants anywhere near him without screaming. I can finally get them on but he still seems to have no idea that he needs a wee or that he has done one, even though he is sat in puddle!!!!

I think this is going to be a very long road.

Form day

2010-01-12T13:20:00.003Z

Yesterday we had to fill in quite a few financial forms. This meant the two years worth of papers that I just keep adding to had to be sorted out. It is not that it is a bad job but soooo time consuming. I started at 1 o'clock yesterday and had not finished it by 8.30 last night. I have a huge pile of old papers that also need to be shredded, this wouldn't be so bad if the shredder hadn't decided to break. It didn't sound very good yesterday and was jamming every two minutes and it overheated a couple of times and I had to leave it. I thought I would give it another go this morning and it seemed to be working fine for about five minutes and then that was it, no overheating, no jamming just completely not working! I have now put all the papers back into the cupboard to be shredded at a later date with a new shredder!!!

Well all the kids got ready to go to school this morning and everything seemed fine until it was time to walk out the door. Ben started crying saying he had a tummy ache and that he didn't want to go. Mark is taking them to school for the time being and so I made him get in the car and told him school would ring me if it didn't go away (Ben has a lot of tummy aches when it is school time). Mark rang me from the car about 10 minutes later and told me that he was bringing Ben home because he seemed in a lot of pain. Lo and behold by the time it got to 10.30pm the pain seemed to have disappeared and he was nattering for his packed lunch!!!

I am still feeling a little low about the whole baby thing. It really has never bothered me as much as it seems to be at the moment. We said the same before we had Max, what will be will be and it took two years from then also. I don't know if it is because even though there was a big age gap between Ben and Max (almost five years) Ben and the girls were all born within four and a half years and I really wanted Max to have a brother or sister who was very close in age to him. Even if I got pregnant now there would be almost four years between them. I also know that there is a lot less chance for me to conceive than there was before due to medication. I know I have to stop feeling like this but I must admit even though I am so happy for her I just read Mckmamas latest blog entry and cried!

And then the rains came!

2010-01-10T18:49:00.002Z

It has been raining all day, so it is a good job that we went out in the snow yesterday as it is disappearing fast. Max has kept asking to go out to play today but all that is left is brown slush. So much for hoping that the schools will be shut tomorrow, I don't think that we have got any chance of that.

So today we have not done a lot, which has just reminded me that I have not washed Ellie's PE kit for tomorrow! Well all the kids were bathed this morning and the girls went out to play with some friends who live down the street. Ellie has done her homework and Ben has read one of his books, I did find both of them only for Lydia to lose one of them again. Ben informed me while we were having tea that he has got homework this weekend, even though when I asked him this morning he said he had none. I guess that will be tomorrow's job now.

My mum is going to look after Max for us tomorrow as we have got a lot of paperwork to fill in. Mark has got his tax return to complete before 31 January (we completely forgot to do it one year and ended up being fined) and we have got a lot of other forms now he is out of work. There are also forms and other things that we have to do regarding his new business venture. Not that Max will be bothered about not being at home he loves going to stay with my mum and was very upset as, when I rang her up to ask if she would be able to look after him, he wanted to go right then and said he wanted to sleep there tonight.

Ellie has just come downstairs very unhappy, the maths homework she has been set is not showing on the computer, Ben has just told me that he has spellings tomorrow (so much for no homework) and I still have to wash Ellie's PE kit so I better get moving!

Snowy Day

2010-01-09T21:19:00.007Z

We have had a lovely snowy day today. We played in the garden for two hours and even Max joined in!!!

Ellie and Lydia with the new 'sledge'

Ben and Max

Cooper

Everyone has started panic buying in the shops because the bad weather is supposed to be here for at least another 10 days and the roads are treacherous. There is a shortage of milk because the tankers cannot get to the farms to pick it up, so milk and bread are disappearing from the shops at a rapid rate!!! We are just not used to this weather.

We are just hoping that the schools are shut on Monday.

Friday Flashback (Almost)

2010-01-09T07:36:00.002Z

I try and post on a night when the kids are in bed, unfortunately last night I fell asleep, so here is my Flashback not on a Friday but on a Saturday!!!

This is a much younger and much, much slimmer me 12 years ago at the end of my pregnancy with Ellie. I thought I was quite big, but you can hardly even tell I was pregnant. She was born on 7 December and was 6lb 3ozs, we don't do lengths of babies in the UK, so I don't know how long she was.

Light at the end of the tunnel

2010-01-07T21:14:00.003Z

After almost three solid days of putting toys away, tidying, vacuuming and washing I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Christmas has gone and an almost tidy New Year has taken its place. Our house will never be completely tidy or toy free but at least it is now at the manageable point! At least I can leave the house now without feeling guilty that I am going out and not leaving the mess behind.

Not that I want to be going out anytime soon, it is still so cold and snowy. I had to pick Lydia and Ben up from school tonight and it is the first time Max has really been out in the snow and he was freezing. I had put two pairs of trousers on him, a top, then his all in one rain suit, his winter coat, hat, scarf and gloves and he was still shivering. The problem was the buggy would not push in the snow, he is scared of walking in it (he has a few funny things like that) and I had thrown out the sledge two years ago as it had been left outside and wasn't any good. Then, I remembered the Little Tikes Rocking Horse was outside, I found some rope and tied it around the handles and tah dah........brand new sledge!!! He didn't like it at first, especially when I was going down the kerb and he fell off, but he soon got used to it. It is supposed to be the coldest winter here for 30 years now (the coldest night tomorrow night) and there are serious concerns that the gas supply will be running out soon. I dread to think what people will do if that happens!!!

Well I think that I am going to have a relaxing day tomorrow, or as relaxing as it gets. I still have got the washing mountain to get down a bit more and both the rabbits need cleaning out but that is about as far as it goes. Max got lots of books, games and some Playdoh for Christmas and I think it might be nice for us to spend some 'play' time together.

Back to normal

2010-01-06T18:51:00.003Z

Well this morning went exactly as predicted, well apart from the fact we all slept in later than we should've done. Ellie had to be shouted down from her bed with half an hour to spare, packed lunches made and school bags sorted out, I have to add that the bags probably should have been done when they finished school two and a half weeks ago, but being the disorganised person that I am, things tend to get left until the last minute. The problem was that the two school reading books which Ben was sent home with, seem to have disappeared, he should have read these numerous times while he was on Christmas holidays but we never seemed to have time. If I don't find them by the end of next week then we will receive a bill for them!

It wasn't too quiet today, I did try to get some more cleaning done, but it is so cold I just want to sit with a nice big warm blanket and a 'heatie wheatie'! My mum came over in the afternoon and stayed with us until after tea so that was a nice change. She doesn't live far from us, only about 10 minutes but, she doesn't visit too often now because she has two old dogs that can't be left on their own for long periods of time.

Mark drove her home and now he has taken Cooper out for a long walk, hopefully it will tire him out. He was very tired last after he had pinched a full packet of cocktail sausages off the kitchen side and eaten them all, I am not sure if he was tired or just queasy!!

Ellie has decided it is a good thing to do to draw on her hands everyday when she is at school, so at the moment she is in the bath trying to scrub the ink off. Lydia is watching Chronicles of Narnia and Ben is on the Nintendo dsi. Max is playing imagination movers and is pretending his fingers are the wobble goggles and keeps looking at the curtains saying he has figured it out. I just love two year olds they are soooo sweeet!

Last holiday day for two

2010-01-05T19:06:00.006Z

Ellie went back to school this morning in the cold and snow, I would much rather they all stay nicely tucked up in their warm beds. She is really funny, she likes to sleep in and would stay in her bed until 12 every day if I let her. But on the first day of term she is up at 6, promising to turn over a new leaf, this, of course doesn't happen and term day 2 is the same as all the rest, me having to practically drag her from her bed, half asleep, half an hour before she has to be out of the door.

We really didn't do very much today, I am still trying to tidy up from Christmas, find places for toys, clear the washing mountain and much more. I would post photos on here to show how untidy it is, but it would be far too embarrassing. We had chicken tacos with rice and salad for tea and I had a go at making some Snow Pops from the recipe that McMama had posted on her site. They went spectacularly wrong, I did manage to salvage them though, mine looked nothing like her beautiful picture and more like wet, squashed Christmas puddings!

So, it will be a strange day tomorrow Ellie, Lydia and Ben will all be back at school and Mark will be at his brother's office, working on his new project (starting his own business). He has been at home for the past eight months now, so it will be strange to have an almost empty house again. Just Max, Cooper (our naughty dog), the two bunnies and me. I hope that I am not too lonely!

Me and Max

Cooper

Two bunnies - Jemima and Bobby

I feel a little sad....

2010-01-04T13:15:00.005Z

It is two years since we decided, what will be will be regarding pregnancy. Unfortunately this has meant nothing, no new pregnancy. I had a couple of different problems for a while and as soon as they righted themselves, things again took an unfortunate turn for my husband. This has meant that I have not been able to conceive for the past six or seven months. However, I honestly thought that this month, even though the chance was only slight, it was going to be my turn again. I took myself off to the chemist and bought a home pregnancy test. Well to cut a long story short it was negative and I feel very sad now.

I am fed up with working out dates and being disappointed, looking at negative pregnancy tests and making sure over and over again that you haven't missed that positive line. The funny thing is if you stare at it long enough, your mind plays tricks on you and the second line seems to appear as if by magic!!!

I know I have four lovely children who I love more than anything and who I am so grateful for, but it still doesn't stop me wanting to hold that new baby in my arms and wonder what kind of little person they are going to be. Not many people understand how I feel and think I should be content with what I have, so much so that I don't really talk about it anymore.

Max will be three soon and will start nursery in September, I have started counting the days down already and not in the way which a lot of my friends have done with their children. They couldn't wait for five half days of freedom, the thought of it fills me with dread.

Me and Max (about 12 hours old)

Max now

Sitting here moping isn't going to get very much done, so I will put on my fake smile and head off downstairs!

Quick post

2010-01-03T21:05:00.002Z

Haven't done much today, two of the kids have even stayed in their pyjamas all day, I think that they are enjoying their last couple of days of freedom before school starts again. I must admit I love them being at home, especially as it means I don't have to go out in the cold. I know compared to some of the blogs I read we must be having quite a mild winter, but it has not been this cold for us in quite a number of years and I am not looking forward to getting up on cold, dark winter mornings and driving them to school.

I have made a start on the washing mountain and have done about 1/3 of it. It is not really the washing that is the problem but trying to get it dry. I do use the tumble dryer but not for everything and in the summer I either put the washing outside or on clothes horses in the garage, it is so cold in there at the moment though it takes forever to dry, so it seems the washing will be hung about all over the house until it has been caught up with.

Well it is getting late and the three older ones are still playing on the Wii when they should be getting ready for bed. They are all sleeping in my bed tonight, all four of them. It is a special treat now and again and they love it, the only problem is now they are getting bigger, the bed seems to be getting very small.

Well, I suppose I better make a move...

Resolutions and Decorations

2010-01-02T23:01:00.002Z

I thought that I would start with some New Year Resolutions, even though they are the same every year!!!

1. Lose weight
2. Be more patient
3. Keep up with the housework
4. Remember to send Birthday and Christmas cards
5. Try not to worry about 'tomorrow'

I always have these resolutions, I have been trying to achieve them for the past 15 years. Oh well maybe this year!

We had a nice New Year's Day party at my friend's house. All the people there were the parents from Ellie's primary school class and over the years we have become very close friends. Ellie and their children are also very close friends and they all moved to the same secondary school this September. The children make up a show every year and perform it at the end of the night, this year's performance was about a tramp (played by Ellie). I don't know how much longer this will continue though, by the time next year comes around they will be 13 and probably much too grown up for such things.

Our Christmas decorations always come down on 2 January, I like to start the New Year with a cleanish house. The only problem is it took me 11 hours today and they still haven't been put up in the loft. That will be tomorrow's job along with the tackling of the washing mountain. If I can help it I try not to wash over Christmas, it just leaves me with a weeks worth of washing and the swimming things and pe kits, so it will take me a couple of days to catch up with that. I will have to get a move on though because Ellie is back at school on Tuesday and as yet her shirts and blazer are in the wash baskets somewhere.

Well I am going to get some sleep now, it is 11.20pm and I am worn out, plus I will be up early in the morning!!!

A Year in Pictures 2009!

2010-01-01T14:24:00.004Z

I am new at this so it will probably go wrong!!! Me and computers weren't meant to be!!!

I don't believe it, it worked after all :)

New Year.....New Blog

2010-01-01T12:56:00.000Z

This is the second time I have tried to blog, the first ended very unsuccessfully, after about a week!!!

I have decided to have another try as I find myself uncertain as to what the future holds for us.

I am a stay at home Mum to four children ages 12, 9, 7 and 2, I feel like my biological clock is ticking now but are still hoping to add to that number. We have two girls and two boys and everyone (mostly, our parents) thinks I am crazy for wanting more.

We have also had a hard year and after eight months of being on long term sick, my husband is now officially unemployed. So we now find ourselves in a very unfamiliar position, no job, no money and still a mortgage and household expenses still to pay. I have never been, what you would call frugal and even when our eldest daughter was born and we had very little money, my husband still had a job and money coming in each month. So 2010 is going to bring on a different challenge!

Anyway, my husband is bathing our 7 year old as we are meant to be going to a friend's house for a New Year's Day party and our 2 year old is causing havoc upstairs and so I better go and rescue him (my husband that is). I am sure that we will have a good time when we get there, but home is my most favourite place and it takes a lot to prize me from it!!!