Non-techno gran

My grandmother got a digital picture frame from her daughter, my aunt, perfect idea as she loves her photos of the grandchildren and complains she doesnt have enough space or frames. So my Aunt gets her a very expensive one with a 4GB card so that I can add to it and we can build up more photos, I get it out of the box and set it up and add photos of my kids, put it in a lovely spot and let the slide show begin, we ohh and ahh over photos and when it finally comes round to the start of the slideshow, she says

"Ok, thats was lovely, pack it away for me would you?"

"Pack it away? What for?"

"Well, you cant just have it laying around like that can you? I'll get it out when I want to look at photos!"

Even my Grandad said for gods sake Joyce, its a photo frame, leave it out!

All that money, thought, effort and technology and shes going to put it back in the box and in the cupboard and forget about it because she doesnt understand the technology!

My Christmas

Dumpling threw up in my bed and Lolly thinks she is going to visit the great grandparents in a basque and tight jeans...

Anti-bac gel please

Going to the bathroom when you look after small children tends to be a group affair, (them not me, I cant pee in front of anyone, actually my best friend Linda would disagree but thats another post about friday night...)

Anyway so there we all are in the toilet, me, 3 year old and 18 month old, brothers. 3 year old pees and as he's to busy talking and telling me about Thomas and james and all the other engines, his attention wanders and he piddles a little on the floor, he grabs a handful of baby wipes to clear it up, one wipe drops to the floor and onto the piddle and before I can even reach down the 18 month old has picked it up and cleaned his face with it! Gag, bleaughh, etc etc. Its great that they are both so well trained in being clean but not quite in this instant.

Dumpling in his show

And I said he was shy...

Reasons why Maria should get some chickens

I know she just wants me to talk her into it and if we lived nearer I'd have already installed some in her garden! I dont have as many animals as Catherine at Farmtales but I wish i did!

Ok.....

Chickens are pets that give back, most pets get boring because they dont do much after the first few days but chickens give you eggs!

You never ever get bored of finding eggs in the nest, little perfect ovals of fertility and food!

You know exactly what went into your egg and how the chickens was treated, if you could have smelled my ex-battery hens when they first got here you would have never eaten a non-free range egg again.

If you get a cockerel too you get a ready made alarm clock!

Also having a cockerel means you might get teeny weeny chicks, which are so cute, the mother will rear them, chickens rarely have problems with their young, even if you did rear them its such fun and not complicated.

All your scraps from the kitchen will get used up, some people collect it all days, blitz it in a food mixer and feed it to the chickens, put something warm in like porridge and they will love you for it.

It makes you go out in all weathers and you find that weathers not that bad, my dad says theres no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing. I have a lovely pair of waterproof trousers and my gardening coat, team that with my boots and I look like a lunatic. Ok not the best advert but you can wear your pyjamas underneath, chickens dont mind.

You can keep three chickens in a large rabbit hutch, they like to be together and will snuggle up in the smallest space. Again a rabbit run is great for the in the day time if its not safe to free range, move it around the garden and pick a plastic garden furniture cover from the pound shop for when it rains heavily. You can make a run easily from scrap wood or look on freecycle.

The internet is wealth of information for chickens and people who keeps chickens are good salt of the earth people not like certain pedigree dog forums that I asked one simple question on about my dog...

Chickens have personalities and you quickly distinguish between even very similar looking ones. You become very protective over your 'girls' and proud of the 'boys' who always look amazing. They make lovely noises and its so fun to garden iwth 'friends'.

I'll think of more reasons, chickens are addictive!

Just got back from a bowling party for Dumplings friend, 9.30am start on a sunday? It fun and its a nice age where they are a competitive but at the same time fair about it, making sure each got their go and being genuinely happy for each other when they did well, give it a few years and the backstabbing will begin! The only bad thing was a 'party manager', a ditzy bleached blonde who walked around with a microphone and talked nonsense into the microphone which was then blasted above the music in the bowling alley "Err, yeh the next person to get a strike or spare of whatevers its called gets err something, I've got some sweets in my pocket..." She drivelled on and announced one child to be rubbish at bowling to the entire alley, she thought she was funny, I thought she needed the microphone confiscated?

**************************************

I have to go and clean out the hen house in a moment, yuck, gross jog, doesnt take that long but the smell is horrible, my mum keeps asking for the straw and poop for her flowerbeds and compost bin but never comes and picks it up, if you're reading this mum, there are 5 bags from last weekend and about to be a few more!

They are laying maybe 3 a day out of nine chickens that should be laying, its enough to keep us baking but its lovely in the summer when you are just tripping over eggs and the kids come in with handfuls of them!

*************************************

Been making lots of Christmas crafts, I'm not into decorating and we dont have a tree, nemo would only pee on it and the kitten would climb it, besides, theres no room for it in this house. I spent all day yesterday cleaning and it vaguely looks normal, shows how bad it was in the first place. An hour was spent at the launderette, Nemo pee-d on my bed, big time. I dont know why, he's not allowed upstairs but he must have snuck past us and pee-d all over the bed. All the covers went in a very hot wash in my machine and the two duvets went to the big machines down the road with extra detergent and the hottest wash it could do, now they are hung all over the house as its damp and freezing outside nothing is going to dry.

Speaking of the weather, its cold for where I live, below freezing is rare, more likely to rain, but its been freezing the chickens water bowls regularly, even in the middle of the day. Dumpling wants, no, needs snow this year. He has owned a sledge for three years and sits to use it, what great photos I could take of him wizzing down a nearby perfect-for-sledging-if-it-ever-snowed-hill!

I've been sending out a few christmas cards, I don't do many and I always make them personal, I hate receiving a boring shop bought card, one of a box of 100 with their names , our names and thats it, I bought the ones you can slip a photo into

Ask me a question

From Marias blog, you get to ask me a question and I'll probably answer it, I'm quite an open person...?

crazy busy, no time to blog but

funny smell in my lounge, cant find the source

distributed over 600 teatowels around the classrooms at school after bagging them up, some teachers didnt give them out at home time so parents rang me at home to find out where they were!

Tripped over the stage for the nativity play when giving out said tea towels and now have one bad knee and one bruised shin, managed not to swear in front of primary school children

already had bad knee from running up wooden steps at side of the house and wooden step breaking, I hit the deck literally and have been limping and wincing ever since

As I came into the playground this morning after taking the dog and chickens out, one immaculately dressed mummy cried out "Oh Jenny, your boots, they're...........muddy!" Funny that considering that's what I bought them for...?

Went Christmas shopping and bought nothing. Dumpling has everything, no decent new toy came out this year it seems, same stuff as last year which between last Christmas, his birthday and having grandparents and great grandparents he has it all! Lolly wants a new graphics tablet as hers broke so thats one off the list.

She's here!

Neve

If you were expecting newborn baby photos then sorry she still in labour! 4 days overdue, my sister has gone home despite living 25 minutes drive from the hospital (I cant imagine that far away from town, I walked to the hospital when I had Dumpling) They must think she really isn't in labour to let her go home that far away even though they wouldn't let her leave on Thursday as they said she was in labour!

So my niece has gone home with her parents, I miss her and yet am glad to have some sanity back in the house, she sure can tantrum, trouble is, its so precocious in a film star style, its like watching some old fashioned film, she stamps her feet, clenches her hands to her sides and screams, the best one was “I...AM...YOUR.........GUEST!” when she wouldn't accept the compromise I was offering!

We had a great time and had to go into town 3 days in a row, Friday for my opticians, Saturday for Lolly and Dumplings Opticians appointment which we were so late for they could only see Lolly and Dumplings appointment was made for the next day. So she got to ride the bus, eat McDonalds and get spoilt by me buying things for her and I miss buying cute pink things! My sister and husband are Witness’s so I don't get to buy her stuff at birthdays and Christmas so I make up for it when she comes to stay, she got a cute pair of pink and white shoes, a pink watch, a pink lunchbox that you can put your own photo or picture inside, 4 outfits, a pink blanket...you get the idea. There are lots of sales going on over here and I’m a bargain hunter anyway so its didn't cost much.

She’ll be back as soon as my sister goes into labour, they don't know many people in the village they have moved to and my sisters family (and mine obviously) live near me and her husbands about 100 miles away so despite the fact that my sister and I are that close and don't see each other all the time, I’m a good choice to look after her as its a family environment and I’m just up the road from the hospital.
I’m obviously a sucker for having an open house policy round here as Lolly has a friend to stay for the week while her parents are away on business and they didn't want her to miss any school. She’s much easier, Lolly is playing hostess and they are such good friends, they just giggle all the time. I wonder if the novelty will wear off after a few days of being together 24/7?

I won an award, my first!

So cool! Huge thanks to booqubaanme for giving me the award, so flattered!


There are rules that come with accepting this award. (There always are, aren’t there?)
1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit This Post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
5. Each Superior Scribbler must post these rules on his/her blog.
Now, the awards go to….

Terroni
Anne
Maria
Mary
Tanis

My sister is having her baby and its taking along time, 3-4 cms dilated but not going any where fast, my niece is staying with me while she goes back and forth to the hospital, baby was due 3 days ago so it will be any time now, so I have a sulky 14 year old, a jealous grumpy 7 year old and my already highly strung and prone to tantrums 5 year old niece, I'm a little tired and frazzled whilst being excited and nervous for my sister, she has a great birth with my niece but was rushed into surgery afterwards with a 'boggy' uterus and some retained afterbirth I think? I dont think theres any reason why it would happen again?

Back on my feet, a little tired and trying to catch up with everything I didnt do when I was ill. For the PTA, I had all the children in dumplings school do a small self portrait and then made up a design for each year group and had it printed onto teatowels, 400 in total! They are proving very popular and I have to distribute a few hundred into the childrens book bags this afternoon...

And I recovered from the flu to go down with a gastric bug. Its taking everything I have to sit here right now, am severly dehydrated and had a bad migraine today as a result, havnt left bathroom or bed for over 24 hours. Its not fun!

I'm sick, horribly sick, sore throat, earache, raging temp, sweats, shakes, an irritating cough that isnt productive but makes me retch when I cough. No appetite and when the paracetamol thats keeping my temp down wears off, you know about it, violent shivering under two blankets. Sleeping is almost impossible with the shivering and sore throat and the dreams when I finally do drop off are scary, not as scary as Marias but I think shes thinking of a film I saw a long time ago and also an episode of CSI? Anyway I'm off to watch mindless daytime tv, suck lozenges and maybe nap.

I'm sick. Its a cold but the cold bit isn't too bad, the sore throat is the worst bit, but I'm shivery and dizzy and feel like I'm going to throw up. I spent two disorientated hours under two duvets this afternoon feeling like I was in a blizzard, every movement let cold air in somewhere from the edge of the duvet and the shaking would start all over again, blleaagghhhhh!

Doesn't help that the weather is awful here, driving, stinging rain, a bitter wind and so cold, OK its may 2 or 3 degrees C but to us, that's cold! Had to brave it to go to town to get dog food and other necessities but came home to find stupid chickens had not had the sense to walk back in the coop but were standing in the rain, so despite my temperature, I rounded them up, gave them extra food, water and straw and locked them up for the night, I looked green with blue tinges by the time I made it inside and stripped off my wet clothes, things I do for chickens who are either not laying or eating their own eggs again...!

I'm writing this from under the table. Or at least I would be if the flippin router would work so I could take Lollys laptop off and hide somewhere from the kids rampaging around this house. The ethernet cable or its port keeps losing the connection, I've tried all the four cables I have so I guess its the port which means calling the cable company to try and get a new modem, hope to be online wirelessly by this time next year...

Today I have Dumpling (7) Ben (4) and Steven (7), foam discs are flying past my head as I speak, various things are being rammed under the microscope to be examined, the four year old is whining every 3 seconds because he only want to do what the older boys are doing. None of the hundreds of pounds of toys are of any interest, "let me see, let me see, let me see" is all I can hear. Lolly forgot to take the cat up with her last night, his litter tray and food are in her room, so he stayed downstairs and pooed on the lounge floor, no one noticed until Steven trod in it (that boy could find poo in a sterile room) then the smell made everyone gag and scream, mostly me as I scraped it off the carpet and work to work on the stain with some antibacterial wipes. Yuck, the smell is in my nostrils and I'm gagging like I'm 8 weeks pregnant (I'm not, dont even start) I just cant believe no one saw it until it was trodden on, every time I sent Steven home, I have to apologise for some kind of poo having been on him that day and been scrubbed off, he even managed to get it on him when we went to the park, a non dog park, a park that has a problem with drunk teenagers, a park that has be locked at tea time till morning because of said teenagers. I do not want to think what kind of poo it was, though you and I know...bleaugghhh. At every sink in this house is a variety of anti-bac cleansing wipes, gels, sprays, I hate poop yet find myself surrounded by dog, cat, chicken, rabbit and toddler poop, not to mention that visiting kids here seem to busy to flush. Ack.

Moving on, the chickens are barely laying, not surprising as they seem to have chosen this cold snap to moult, even the ones who should have started laying last week are just wandering around the garden, eating me out of house and home. To think there was a time when every family member, neighbour and visitor left with a box of eggs, now I dont even have two for breakfast!

The two under two on wednesday is going very well, I find little ones easier than older ones. I'm having a real issue with the older ones not respecting my things or the toys we have. Anyway, the littles one eat in high chairs so they cant wander around spreading crumbs and smears, they nap in travel cots and the sit snuggly in blankets in the pushchair and wave at passersby when we go out. I dont have to tell them to get down from the top of the play structures in the park, they are happy to toddle round in the leaves and the baby be pushed gently in the baby swings. They delight in the simplest things rather than demanding to know where the playstation is, we dont have one and its such fun to see the look of confusion on their faces when I tell them so and that we have no intention of ever getting one. I dont know why I enjoy it so much, maybe because the smaller they are the cuter they are and because I feel more in control of the situation.

Gale force winds here, all blowing against me on the way home from school, at least I got in before the rain started.

***

Making 4 boards for the school tea towel, eather has the logo, date, year and classes and their self portrait. One per year, 90 faces on each, thats a lot of sticking but they have to be done and sent off tomorrow, which will already be late as they ask for extra time for printing before christmas.

***

Two new chickens arrived today but their house and run isnt coming for a few days as the previous owners are still moving house. Had no choice but to put them straight in with the other flock but after some initial feather ruffling, they seem to have settled in. Not laying so much, two are recovering from being ill, the weather is cold and they could do with growing a few more feathers for the winter, eggs come last in the energy supplies dept!

***

Nemos incessant barking and sometime bad behaviour has been a stressful problem for me, cant afford one of those collars that sprays them with lemon scent when they bark but someone suggest a hand held water spray for when he is misbehaving. Its great, doesnt hurt him but he doesnt like it and I know only have to look at the bottle and then him and he drops his head and walks away!

***

Two new little brothers started yesterday, they are 11 months and just under two. They will be here 9-5 on wednesdays, maybe other days when the mum see's how she feels being back at work. Very good and they settled straight in, but hard work, with the older kids at least you can go for a pee and trust they wont get up to much, I barely had time to breathe with those two!

Blah. Busy, busy, busy but dont seem to get anything done, I write lists and then lose them, I'm doing just about enough of most things but nothing properly!

***

Dumplings 7th birthday last week! Cant believe he is 7! Riot of a party, never again will I invite 7 friends, all boys to my house, had to lose my temper and shout very loudly as they were physically ripping my lounge apart at one point "WOULD YOU BEHAVE LIKE THIS IN YOUR HOME OR AT SCHOOL?" 7 stunned faces stared at me and shook their heads, soon after that I took them to the park up the road as my house just couldnt contain that much energy!

***

Having bloggers block, cant think of a single thing to write that would interest you, be back later! x

dog pee-ed on my sofa.

Why?

Why would my dog who spent all evening with me in the garden and got a walk up the the chinese take away, pee on my sofa? All the cushions and cover are in the wash but the base unit smells of pee despite me scrubbing at it with carpet spray and antibacterial spray. Its an old sofa which I used to have sentimental feelings for but not now it smells of pee! So I may clean it up the best I can and give it away on freecycle and get another smaller one from freecycle.

We're giving a home to two more chickens and they are giving us the house and run, yay! Been moving things around the garden and rotating the runs, I'm an impatient gardener and want things to grow now, if I had the money I would buy ready grown turf and flowers, I get bored of parts of the garden looking a mess while I wait a season for them to recover from whatever the chickens/dog/cat/children did to them. I also need a weekly skip to take away the rubbish of leaves, apples and branches we have to keep cutting dwon, both compost bins are filled tho the brim, we have weekly bonfires and we still have so much to get rid of!

I found an egg behind the compost bins last night and knew by its size and shape that one of the silkie crosses had laid it months ago, curiousity got the better of me as I have never experienced a bad egg so I cracked it open into a compost bin, WWWWAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH, the stink had all of us running from the garden, even the dog looked shocked and smells like that come from his nether regions all the time!

My chinchilla collapsed in her cage this morning and died in my hands. Lolly knows as I rang her at school, they will be lots of people here when she gets home and I didnt want to tell her in front of them. Dumpling doesnt know, I have to tell him when he comes out of school as I have my 5 year niece and 4 year old Ben with me and I dont want him to hear it from them.

I got all the way home before realising that I had left my bag with my purse and keys in the park...Luckily it was still there, never been so glad to see a small cotton bag!

Feel really unsettled today and have worked out why, I normally keep myself to myself but have had to deal directly with over 10 people today for various reasons, and although everything went well I'm left feeling weird, I keep running over all the conversations I've had in my head, making sure I said all the right things, I'm such a people pleaser that I worry about what I've said and how I've come across!

I still have to see my dad and my sister tonight, feel exhausted, too much human contact, prefer to be with my kids, chickens and dog!

you know when you're having a great day, really productive and one person kills it with just a look? I've been workig at Dumplings school all morning, trying to get the school website working again and then working at the book fayre. I forgot to sign out and did remember till I got to the school gates so went back so as not to break fire regulations, no one was in the office to buzz me through so I tapped on the glass doors for one of the support workers to let me in, she did it with such arrogence and disgust, physically looking down through her glasses, I thanked her and explained that I just needed to sign at and she just glared at me. As I left I said goodbye and thanked her again for opening the door but she refused to even look at me, I dont know what I ever did to upset this woman, working in the school for the PTA is a weird thing, everyones nice but theres a sense of not quite belonging. I was working on the pc in the staff room after the IT guy had shown me a few things and set me up with my own user name, the staff started a conversation about a child and then quickly shut up when one pointed to me (I had my back to the room but screen are reflective...)I know they have confidential issues but I've taken on a position of responsibility and am crb checked, I'm not going to abuse my voluntary position. I guess like many other PTA members around the world I'm feeling undervalued for the work we do out of our own time, we have raised so much money and done so much for the school but I dont think many people realise, I guess the teachers feel the same way about their work and we have to com ei under that!

Havnt done a meme for ages so heres one taken from Mary P's blog

If I looked on the bed next to you what would I find?

umm, nope, thats under my pillow, err by morning you would find my six year old son, starts off in his own bed but always ends up in mine by dawn.

Do you go to the bathroom with the door open or closed?

Open, its ridiculous, I once breastfed by son on the toilet because thats the only way he would stop crying and I couldnt relax enough to go with him screaming! If I close the door the kids panic and think something is wrong

Are your underwear and socks folder neatly or just thrown in?

I have to admit thrown in, every few weeks I sort it out into neat piles but the next time I come up the stairs with piles of laundry I just throw it in again!

Sleep on your back or stomach?

Never on my tummy, just couldnt, so side or back, luckily I dont snore on my back!

What would I find if I looked under your bed?

Gah, dust, to much crap, my waxing stuff, chocolate wrapper, a microscope kit that I keep meaning to give to my son but dont trust him with all that glass, books, lost shoes, its awful and I want one of those beds that the whole top bit of the bed lifts up and reveals a huge storage cupboard, for some reason I would keep that tidy because its contained but I cant keep open areas tidy?

Name something that happened today to make you angry?

My son showed off and was loud and silly while I was working at the book fayre at his school, he feels the need to show off in front of other children and it really winds me up. He didnt get an after school snack and thats a big punishment for him!

What were you doing before this survey?

what wasnt I doing? putting the chickens away, finding a place in my garden for a hedgehog that the local kids found in the road, trying to get my kids to put their plates in the dishwasher, talking to my mum on the phone, one of my usual busy evenings after a busy day! I never stop yet it never all gets done!

What will I do after this survey?

Keep going till I'm too tired

Marriage or living together?

lol, any one who knows me Will know this is neither, never!

Do you sing?

yes
badly

Do you de-label your beer bottles?

Never drink beer, never drink any alcohol at home, seems a waste, only going to suffer a hangover if its been a wild night before and that doesnt happen any more!

Do you talk about your feelings or hide them?

Talk about them usually with my mum, we talk about anything and everything everyday

Is there something you regret or wish you could take back?

Yes, just one. I was standing in a bus station a few years ago when I saw a very large woman walk past, I said in a quiet voice to my sister "At least when I feel fat I can say I'm not as fat as that" she looked at me in horror as I hadnt realised that the shop assistant from a shop I go to every week was standing behind me and she is very large. Every time I see her I want to apologise but dont know if she actually heard me so if I did I might make it worse...?

First thing you do when you wake up?

Pass wind

Ever had surgery?

stitches in my eyelid when I was 4, appendix out when I was nine, all four wisdom teeth out when I was 30, I was the biggest wuss for the last one

last argument you got into?

Within the last half hour with Lolly about why she wouldnt put the dogs bowl down from the chair to the floor when he was barking for it, one of those pointless, tired mother/defiant teenager fights when you find your self telling her off for the way she is speaking and realise thats exactly the way you are too

Do you rip the paper from water bottles?

Yes, cant help myself.

Whats the best thing about your best friend?

(This answer was actually cut and pasted from Mary P's blog because its exactly what I would have said!)
The conversation just flows. (The worst thing is her stupid boyfriend. DUMP him, DUMP him!)

How long does it take you to fall asleep at night?

10-15 minutes, I never actually remember falling asleep, I think and think and then suddenly its morning

Current song on myspace?

huh? I'm not on myspace and dont know anyone who is

When you shut off the alarm clock do you fall back asleep?

I set my alarm for 6am, wake Lolly for school and the go back for bed till 7am, hitting the snooze button every ten minutes, I like knowing that I'm getting to stay in bed

If given the chance would you look after a monkey for the weekend?

oh yes, I would love one, and they wouldnt get it back! We currently have a dog, a cat, a chinchilla, 2 lovebirds, 4 rabbits and 10 chickens!

What are you looking forward to in the next few months?

having the real fire going

If you could have any one in the world?

Daniel Craig - Blond Bond

My christmas list?

1 terabyte external hard drive
new coop and run for the chickens
a sunny holiday, havtn been abroad since before Lolly was born

where would you go shopping new york?

I dont know, dont know whats there, I'm not into spending lots of money on one things, I'd find the bargain shops!

You need new jeans, which shop?

Primark, my entire wardrobe including underwear, shoes and bags, its the only shop I can afford!

How do you feel about your hair?

Loving my new do! wish I'd had the guts do it years ago, so easy to look after! Its a chin length, katie holmes style, will post a pic soon

whats in your dvd player?

teletubbies, I once found £1.43 in my video player, it worked better after that!

If you could move away where would you go?

I wouldnt, I would never want to start again, finding my way round, making new friends, couldnt do, I live in a nice area, am very pleased with my kids schools, wouldnt change it

Best thing happened to you today?

Chatted to the blue eyed, young deputy head master of my sons school, just nice to chat to a man of my age in a safe situation!

What would you change about your life?

More money so I wouldnt have to keep putting important things off till 'next week'

Whats the best feeling in the world?

When my kids, dog and cat are all asleep on me on the sofa late at night on weekends, I feel loved and trusted

I....MUST...LEARN...HOW...TO...SAY...NO!

I was in the school office today printing thankyou letters for the cake sale when the office staff started talkng loudly about how short they were for lunchtime supervisors and how you had to already be CRB checked and I realise by the eyes boring into the back of my head that the conversation is being directed at me.
"Umm, I cant help until after half term and I cant do wednesdays and I'd like to do casual cover, how much do you think you would need me roughly?"
"Everyday except Wednesdays?"
Great, not sure about the application form though, you have to give all medical details and with my back problems I'm not sure they will hire me and the flip side is that my doctor will say my back cant be that bad if I can work in the school? I'm sat here with one shoulder and the side of my back in spasm, its painful but I can move and with painkillers can smile too? What do I do, at 33 I dont want to be written off but at the same time I'm afraid of making my back worse?

Dumpling is off sick, first cold of the season, his breath smells awful, he's coughing and you could fry eggs on his forehead! Keeps getting little bursts of energy before coming over nauseous and going for a little lie down!

We have two lovebirds in a big cage taken in from a couple who were moving and couldnt take them with them, we have to keep them in one room and the kitten in another as he managed to launch himself from the floor onto the cage which is up on a stand. Although he is a good cat for sleeping at night, pooping in his tray or the garden, he definitely has an animal instinct, no boring spoilt house cat here and his appetite is ridiculous, he would eat all day long if allowed and has to be put outside when we feed nemo or he wouldnt get a look in!

Beautiful weather over the weekend, took dog and kids to the heath and my camera battery ran out, so annoyed with myself, the landscape was amazing, the light just perfect and I had to carry a dead camera around with me...

Still going like the clappers as my gran would say, trying to keep up with the many things I try and do, been gardening with my dad most evenings, trying to get it all done before the dark evenings come, although we cut back so many branches last night we have light in the evenings from the lamp post in the lane now!

(I just found £2 in my dressing gown pocket, can not think where it came from but very glad, things a little tight till Tuesday!)

Kids are currently doing their chores, tried not to get cross, just give them plenty of supervision and lead by example, its not like I'm sat on my ass eating bob-bons but I do point out to them as I go what I'm doing, the other day I wrote a list of everything I had done that day, surprised them and me!

Nemo is having his hair cut again next weekend, cant wait, he goes from scraggy, smelly dog to cute short haired puppy in a matter of hours, talking of hair cuts...

I had all my long hair cut off, sort of Katie Holmes layered bob! Would show you the pic if I could find my phone. I just snapped after many days of trying to dry it and it just looking a mess, long old hair that isn't the long soft swingy hair I had in my 20's, now it has a slight wave, is prone to dryness and just wont do what its told! so I told the girl above the shoulders, and layered through the ends as its so think and she did, very different, kids wernt sure at first but quickly got used to it, my dad didn't even notice!

Friday was supposed to have been a carefully scheduled day, I had jake in the morning, ben in the afternoon, run the cake sale at 2.45 and pick up a travel cot at 1.30, packing for the trip and making sure all the animals had people to pop in and feed them. What really happened was Jake cried and I couldnt put him down, when I went to pick up the cot from a freecycle advert the woman left her handbag and car keys on the doorstep and when she went inside the house to show Ben and I where the toilet was, someone stole her handbag. She then presumed it was me and left over 10 messages on my phone! To make matters worse, who ever did steal the handbag tried to use the cards at the shop round the corner from dumplingas school, her bank rang her! Then Ben was picked up by his mum and brother only to return within half an hour, their great grandma had collasped, could I look after the boys, feed them until their uncle could collect them? Umm, no I still have to pack, but yes of course I kept them. So I then had to shower and go to a birthday meal and pack at 6am the next morning, not my carefully planned out day!

so tired I feel sick, we managed to get up to the horse farm again at the weekend but it meant an early start saturday monring after going to my daughters friends 18th, Friday was a nightmare anyway, another story, so threw some things in a bag very early sat am and left the house with kids and dog at 7.15! Didnt get back from wales till 10.30 sunday night, and I sneezed and put my back out sunday morning! Been non stop, washing, cleaning, animals, pta, can barely keep my eyes open and speak coherently, I am going to bed at 8.30pm and sleeping till morning!

I'm sat in a kids play area with Lollys laptop, free wi-fi, didnt really need to bring it but the play areas free as the little boy I look after is a member so it seemed like to good an offer to pass up! Actually got some PTA emails done that I wouldnt have had time for later. Anyway, read this, made me laugh out loud, especially the last one about the zip up hoody as that exactly what I'm wearing!

Most of the time I just eat dinner as a way of justifying my desert, its nice and ok and stops me feeling hungry but I sometimes wish I could just take a pill that would have the same effect. I dont much like cooking, it can be fun when I'm in the food but doing it every day for the past 14 years has become a bore. My kids dont appreciate it, they would happily live on junk food and one or the other always claims "I dont like thatanymore"

But today I made a damn good spaghetti bolagnese with meatballs, I just had the bolognese and some potatoes as I cant eat pasta but the kids had the full works. And they didnt moan. And they ate it, and now they are stuffed and quiet and have sauce stained mouths! And I really enjoyed mine, made me realise how much I shovel food whilst on the pc with out even looking at my plate just trying to stop my tummy rumbling. Maybe I'll take a cooking course and learn some more and learn to enjoy food?

The finger is better but not without oral antibiotics which made me feel sick and dizzy (I'm allergic to penicillin, so had to have something else) and some cream that also treats 'dhobie itch', wasnt sure what that was and looked it up, wish I hadnt now...

Over run with PTA stuff, every small thing needs time, checking with various people and is exhausting when trying to run a family and pets too, I dont regret joining but had no idea how much work goes on behind the scenes to run what appear to be the simplest of fundraising events!

Trying to get the garden done before winter sets in but going to Wales this weekend, everytime I think I have spare time, something rushes in a fills it up!

Must go, have emails to write, letters to post, permission slips to fill and a dog to walk! x

ooooowwwww, cant type very well using all the wrong fingers as pointy finger on left hand has one of those infections you get down the side of the nail, hurts like crazy if I so much as brush it against something! Be back when swelling goes down!x

Feeling better today, still tired of telling the children the same things I tell them every day, you think it would have stuck by now? Have to remind myself of the saying that 'a piano doesnt stay tuned' meaning that with children it doesnt stick and you do have to keep on telling them and showing them what to do, frustrating but neccessary! Serious laziness on their parts but in a childs head it like a game to see how much they can get away with, only adults get that sense of satisfaction from doing a job properly. For example the cat poo-ed in the bathroom, no idea why, he's never poo-ed anywhere but the litter box before, I told Lolly it was her cat and she could clean it up, now bear in mind its right by the loo on top of a magazine (yes, I'm a toilet reader, dont judge me) and there are baby wipes nearby, so you think she would scoop up the poop with a wipe, flush and then throw the magazine away in the outside bin? no, dont be silly, she just picked up the magazine and dropped the whole lot into the bathroom bin! So I come in and am gagging at the smell, thinking he must have done it again and she cleared it up, nope it the smell of aforementioned poop in the open bin beside the sink. What do you do?

Identity

Having a mild bout of the blues, no particular reason, just the rainy weather, lack of money and the evenings drawing in, feel like I've been cheated out of my summer! Really annoyed that we never got to even put up the tent we bought in the sales! I need to spend some time adjusting my thought patterns, I once got an email that I should dig out that said instead of moaning that you have to clean your house, be grateful you have one to clean, there are so may things in that vein that i need to think about.Years ago I would have gone to the doctor and asked to be put on a mild course of anti depressants but i much prefer to attack this cognitively, I know myself well enough to know if I really did need medication and so far I dont. One thing I realised late last night as I put away a few things was that I'm so much a mum and child carer that I really have lost sight of me. My parents and grandparents always say the same thing, they are very proud of how much I dedicate my life to my kids and others but they always say to look after myself as well, I shrug and say I'm fine, I've forgotten what i do for fun anymore. I looked around my house after watching some detective programme where they figured out they guy they were looking for by the contents of his house, I wondered what someone could figure out about me and realised not much. Apart from my camera by the pc, I couldnt find much trace of me. Pictures of the kids at the beach, horse riding and playing in the garden, toys for every age, arts and crafts, nothing gave any hint to me. So its on my to-do list to remember what I do and some way of showing it!

One glass of wine....

and you get me dancing to a beach boys tribute...!

I know, I'm neglecting to blog much at the moment, but I'm either out having fun and to busy to blog or I'm at home and too tired and frustrated to blog.

(Theres a lane that runs down the side of my house leading to the road behind me, people drive me crazy, we're all in , dumplings humming and drawing, Lolly is ironing and I'm on the pc, some woman can hear all the goings on as the french doors are open and all I hear hear her saying is "who's that?" WE'RE NOT TALKING TO YOU, WE'RE IN OUR HOUSE TALKING TO EACH OTHER. Either that or people think its a private place to talk on their mobile phones, just because they cant see us over the six foot fences doesnt mean we cant hear every single thing you say. And all I can say to the teenage drunk girl who had a 'wee'(not the word she used) in the lane, right underneath my bedroom window is nice)

Anyway, if I was out and having fun then it must have been at one of these places

1) At the circus, we were given free tickets by a friend of my mums, when we got there, the lighting tech was an old school friend who gave us the full tour, met the cast, let dumpling play with the light deck and basically gave us the VIP treatment and we got to see the circus agan the next day for free!
2) At a free music festival in a large park near here, great fun, met some old friends, took picnic chairs and a small bottle of wine, gave me a headache by early evening but what the heck? I went both days, didnt take my kids the second day as couldnt take any more of the whining and bickering.

And thats the flip side of having the kids home all summer, 24-7 of listening to them doesnt give me the chance to appreciate them how can I miss you if you wont go away? They have both been lazy to the point of ridiculous and the only way they will do anything is if I get 'army angry'! If I ask nicely for them to pick up their mess, put their plates in the dishwasher and get their stinking bodies in the shower, all I get is a vague hand wave and "in a minute..." I have to raise my voice and get all seargant major on them, then it takes me an age to calm down, my back pain intensifies, my blood pressure goes up and I'm irritable and headachey, then they want worship for doing the things I ask and expect of them!

It doesnt feel like a summer this year, the weather really has been rubbish, if its not raining, its overcast. Its just not right to spend the August bank holiday in a sweatshirt and jeans with your umbrella handy!

what else has happened? Friends of my dads came over with him while I was out as I said they could take as many apples as they liked of my tree, I assumed they might leave me a bucket of apples and maybe tidy up the windfalls in return? nope, grabbed and ran, I wouldnt dare be so rude?

Have two new boys starting in October, petite toddler and his seven month old brother who only weighs 2lb less than him! Because the baby is so big he looks like he should be able to do more than he can, he can barely sit up, yet you think he might walk! Its just one day a week, wish it was earlier as have been used to the extra money doing holiday care and have a month with very little work right before dumplings birthday!

ok , more later, back pain is just too much to sit at the pc any longer x

RIP Cookie

Our pet chicken, Cookie was badly injured by the fox last night, he grabbed her and I got her back off him, I aint afaid of no varmint... but her insides were hanging out the back end, I hoped she might pass away in her sleep of shock but she was still alive this morning so our hunter neighbour, RAF guy who keeps ducks himself despatched her quickly. Realy upset me as we hatched her ourselves and was a real character, I cant tell the three youngest chickens apart yet I could write you a page about Cookie. Will miss her very much.

Its August, I live in Britain, so, you guessed it, its pouring down with rain. Torrential rain, my (fixed) roof is leaking again. I have to dress like one of the men on that tv show where they catch crabs in big boats, whats it called?Its the same programme every week, but my kids love it, the biggest catch? something like that, anyway I have to dress in full welly boots and plastic mac because its pouring down and as the garden is covered in chicken and dog poo and the garden slopes, I run the very real risk of landing flat on my back on the mud if I slip, that is if I don't break my neck on the decking first which becomes a veritable ice rink when wet. All this to feed chickens who KEEP EATING THEIR OWN EGGS! I feed them everything, layers feed, cabbage, bread, corn, I even gave them all the contents of the half empty boxes of cereal that the kids had got bored of and left to decompose in the larder, they cant still be hungry? (the chickens, not the kids) We do get some eggs, but they quite often look up at me with innocent expressions while their beaks and necks are covered IN YOLK! Busted!

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Off out in a few minutes for a PTA pizza night...wooooo...yayyyyyy...not really! OK, it might be fun, but I'm only actually going because I know how much they will bitch about me if I'm not there!

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I made the huge mistake of going into town on a rainy saturday afternoon in august, hell on earth, full of tourists walking round in shorts and rainjackets, stopping me to ask where the beach is, its about 4 miles from the town centre, didnt you do any research before booking a holiday here? One man stopped me and asked me which town centre car park would be best for him to visit Tower park, (its where the bowling alley, cinemas etc are)umm, none of them unless you want to walk the four miles to get there, if I even visit a town for a day, I at least have a look on the web and see where the places that I plan to visit are, I dont just assume they will all be lined up next to each other, sorry, living in a tourist town can be a little trying. Perhaps its the fact that I'm the only one dressed appropiatley for the weather that makes them know that I'm local and canbe asked all manner of questions!

With the washing machine now able to get rid of the dirty water I did 8 loads, 8 loads of clean washing is great and smells wonderful, damn site better than it did when I emptied it out of the bag, phheeeww, but 8 loads to dry and sort isnt so much fun!

My washing machine outlet pipe blocked, I cleaned it out with a variety of implements, all of which have been thrown away. I can not get rid of the smell of the thick black and grey stuff which I dug out. I may need therapy and steam cleaning...

We’re leaving today and I haven’t blogged once about this holiday apart from the photos! Spent 4 nights in a huge tent, have eaten loads every day, walked around the horse farm we’re staying on, walked in the woods, to the top of hills for the amazing view across the fields and forest. The children have ridden around the filed on little ponies, Lolly has ridden out to the local woods on the bigger horses. I brought my 5 year old niece with me to, so she, dumpling, and the two children here age 4 and 7 have run around all day long, swooping into the farmhouse kitchen for drinks and biscuits, then off again to check the chickens for eggs, find apples in the orchard and cycle their bikes around and around the stable. Its so different from where I live in the middle of the town where you worry all the time about crime, here the doors are never locked, theres no ‘assumption of criminality’ people wander in and out of the farm house and stable, bags are left open, car keys left on tables, you’re free to take them and move a car if need be. I cant even let my children play in front of my house at home yet here they run free over fields and woods.

I can already feel my jaw tensing as I think of home, my brain is starting to list washing and cleaning and catching up, I’ve spent four days showering in the morning and then not drying my hair, not putting make up on, we’ve eaten when we’re hungry, not looked at clocks or watches, haven’t checked phones for texts. I’m anxious to get going now, not because I want to be home but because I’ve already lot that sense of calmness and relaxation.

Nemo has had a great time, learnt to be a dog with the 6 or 7 dogs that wander freely around here. The people here find him strange and I find their dogs strange, I bristle a little when they 'diss' him but I cant seem to convince them that his behaviour is perfectly normal for a town dog.

I've made sure my niece has bathed every day at my sisters request but dumpling hasnt been near water for four days! He would give him self a 'quick flick' with a baby wipe, put clean clothes on and then run out again, his neck is filthy, he will be having a thorough scrub tonight at home, hair wash, nail scrub, the works!

I've never lost my temper in public but today was close. I went to the little kodak machine in boots with my camera memory card and did a few photos, the screen comes up with the pin pass code and you have to go the counter, pay and then he does the pass code, I turned round in time to see some numb-nut, look at the screen, cock his head, shrug and press CANCEL! Despite the sign above the screen telling people not to do this! He wiped my entire paid for order! He didnt even apologise, I actually didnt dare speak and I couldnt trust myself, I had to redo the order, geeky bloke from counter says "its ok, we wont charge you" "I've already f****** paid, too right you wont" was all I could mutter at him as I tried not to glare and mr dimwit printing his pics on the other machine. Took me hours to calm down. They really need to change the machine so its not possible for someone to do that, you have to walk away from the machine to pay and get someone for the pass code, there shouldnt be an option to let just anyone wipe your entire order and then start theirs! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Friends have said they will come and feed my chickens while we are gone, they only need access to the garden, wont be coming in the house, so I've cleaned the office that can be seen from the large garden windows and washed the curtains for the french doors and cleaned the windows! The rest of the house will be a tip but at least the bits they can see will look good!

Conversations that require action...

Dumplings seven year old friend comes to play

"Cool, a kitten, whats his name?"

"Squishy"

With a glint in his eye...

"Is he?"

Cue removal of said kitten!

A sight I didnt want to see...

If you ever buy a new shower head that is large and shiny and reflective, dont ever get it down from its holder to, umm, clean areas that are hard to reach and then catch your naked distorted reflection in the top of the shower head.....

I am here, I'm fine, just overworked with my kids off school and me looking after so many! The mums are appreciating my flexibilty unlike the nurserys here by tacking on extra hours so they can go to appointments, physio, solicitors etc so I'm working my but off plus overtime, the cash is nice but is dissapearing fast with my kids wanting to dovarious holiday activitys! We're going horse riding in wales next week too and I'm trying to borrow all the things we need rather than pay out so its a tent from my sister, jodphurs from freecycle, I keep adding things to the list I have and worrying that the parents of my toddlers will forget that I've told them away and to make other plans and turn up while I'm 200 miles away! We're taking the dog, the bantam hen and the three large chicks, hoping to get neighbour to feed and water the others, my mum and sister are coming to feed the chinchilla, the rabbits, the kitten and the fish! Maybe I should send the kids and I should stay here...?

The fete went well, I was at the school from 9am till 6pm even though the fete ony officially ran from 2-4, it was fun but exhausting and I'm not sure if I'll stay on after next april and do it again, I'll see how the christmas fete goes!

*****

I now have six children over the week and its killing me, although the most I ever have is 3 at a time, one of them is a baby so the logistics of just going to the nearby park are hard work. But staying at home with them all day is just as hard, they need to get out and so do I! I'm losing the battle of the house work big time, the amount of time and effort I spend just doesnt equate to how the house looks!

******

Lolly won an award at school and they are having an awards ceremony on thursday, looking forward to getting my smart clothes on and taking pics as a pround mum, only trouble is I dont look my age and get odd stares and comments as I'm the youngest mum by far there, not many mums who have their babys as teenagers get their daughters into such a good school. Last time I got told that six formers should go that way, now I dont think I look in my late teens but I get mistaken for 26/27 a lot when I'm really 33!

The puppy is going to send me to an early grave, he did the collar in the decking thing again today and I dont know how long he was stuck there but its the law here to have a tag on your dogs collar? Then he goes flying down the lounge chasing his tennis ball, tumbles and then cant get up again, we really thought he had dislocated his shoulder, the leg was floppy, he wouldnt put any weight on it and we couldnt feel the shoulder like we could on the other side, we rang the vets in a panic and told them we would be right there, I had visions of operations and casts and my credit card melting but by the time we had scrambled to put our shoes on and grab his documents, he limped out from under the table, gave it a little shake and trotted off into the garden! My head was thundering from adrenaline and stress, he must of just sprained it and then it felt better...

I broke my little finger today! I have a little purple puffy pinkie! I was enthusiastically mopping the floor and forgot I had pulled out a cabinet to sweep and mop behind and smashed my hand sideways into the cabinet! The pain and swelling were immediate, the nice purple shaped middle section has come later. Just what I need for a full week of childcare plus the PTA fete on Saturday that I’m the head of! arrrrggggghhh!

*******

Lolly bought a really cool fish tank with her birthday money, a local shop that sells overstock was selling the entire kit, tank, pump, filter, chemicals and loads more for £50,we looked it up on the web and couldn't have bought it all separately for less that £150! All we need now is fish!

*******

The kitten is great, doing all the things he should, pooping and peeing in litter box, no accidents at all, playing with all the cute toys I bought him and not fighting to hard when we pin him down to give him his worm medicine!

*******

Bought a camera case from ebay specifically for my camera and a bog standard one arrived. It was very cheap so cant decide what to do about it, I’ll keep it and use it but I did want the one that fitted my camera exactly?

*******

The passport agency rejected Lollys photo because they say her head is at an angle!!! It so isnt! I paid a fortune to get this photo done, specifically by a place that does passport photos!

*******

The dog nearly died from stranglulation today after the tags on his collar went through the decking as he lay down and them twisted and jammed in the gap as he tried to get up. I feel awful for telling him to be quiet as he whimpered unable to move. I finally managed to undo the collar and let him free only to trap the bottom of my baggy jeans in the door as I closed it and fall to the floor and I tried to walk away!!! Perhaps we should just all go to bed to be on the safe side...

Mouth of babes...

Erin and Ben,the three and four year olds that I look after, were stood today in my hall way as I packed their bags to go home. Stood with crossed arms and cocked heads the studied my washing hung on the airer.

"Are the pink monkey pants (knickers, not trousers, uk!) Lollys?" Erin called out to me

"huh? umm yes" I replied and carryed on making sure each child had theirs drinks bottle and sun cream packed. Erin turns to ben

"See, I told you the big pants were Jennys..."

3 kids from 9.10, they go home, at 2.45, pick up dumpling at 3, meet Lolly off bus at 3.50, another 2 kids get dropped off at 4 till the other parent can pick up, Lolly has dance lessons and dumpling is going to my mums so i can go to pta meeting! no time to blog, c u l8r! x

back aches, have run out of painkillers.

new kitten needs jabs, should have checked out the price before buying kitten, guess who is not going out this weekend for friends birthday?

went bike riding with kids and my dad, I need a gel seat for my pushbike.

dog needs a bath, he stinks but my back hurts too much to lean over the bath for that long.

just opened my credit card bill, wtf?

washing machine still leaking from the outlet pipe despite taking it apart and cleaning it, dont know why and really dont care, have just left a bucket underneath.

little chicks are growing by the second and pooping constantly, changing their paper twice a day, its the heat lamp that makes the smell so bad.

bleuggh, as you can tell, not really in the best of moods, back later

Dumpling and I are taking a sick day, well more like a rest day before we burn out and get sick. A whole week of lates nights for various reasons, sports day for him and lots of other end of term things, even though they dont break up till 18th July and a busy week with all the children and planning for Lollys 14th birthday (yesterday) has left us both pale, tired with sore throats and tummy aches. I either cant go to the toilet or suddenly must go this minute, I need to slow down, drink more water and get to bed earlier. I love being busy, I need the stimulation and love being needed but I've been going at break neck speed all week trying to make sure everything was ready and perfect for lollys birthday. I got her a kitten, he is lovely and she is over the moon, he is very good, living in her room in a rabbit run, using his litter tray every time and eating his tiny little chuunks of kitten food, I will take photos later, he has the tiniest cute kitten face! I took Lolyl and 5 friends to nandos last night, left them to chatter while I took dumpling off for KFC and a wander round the large supermarket next door, he was finding it hard that Lolly was the centre of attention and getting all the presents but he's getting there on the jealousy issues!

I'm aware that I'm rambling on again, will more later with photos!

Oh and who is my anonymous commenter? thanks for stopping by and glad you're enjoying but who are you? xxx

Its day two of a menstrual migraine, vision is blurry in one eye and I feel like someone has stuck a knitting needle through my eyebrow but for some reason I cant rest and need to keep going despite the thumping pain and loss of co-ordination, so I thought I'd blog!

Lolly is in a "whats the matter?" "nothing" sort of sulk, I think she is tired but she has to learn that we all feel yuck at times but we do not need to be so antisocial that others are offended, sorry auntie katie! Dumpling is in that sort of nonstop motion and nonsense noise phase that 6 year old boys do, I dont think he could keep still if his life depended on it, I'm currently listening to a song that only has lyrics of "yuck, yuck, yuck" not as in yuck-food, just the sound, no sorry now its "uh, uh, uh". so I have the two exstremes of childhood behaviour, one cant stop moving and talking, the other is barely doing either, sigh.

I have to get a new tv, the washing machine on the floor above leaked. The tv is no more, I'm hoping to get one from freecycle and move it to a different place, cant afford to keep blowing up televisions!

Chickens laid one egg each today, including the pekin bantam, only her second egg for us! so its lots of baking tomorrow or if you pop in you'll be leaving with a box of eggs! Oh and we have three new chicks, Dumplings school hatched them last week, its become so normal to have chicks in the house, this is our 4th set, we are barely excited!

Hope all that made sense, my brains not firing quite right with this headache and all the painkillers, see you soon x

Dumpling goes to bed at around 8pm, note I said to bed and not to sleep, he's often awake when I come up to bed, he's quiet and resting but not asleep, he doesnt come downstairs or call for water or for me but he isnt sleeping! He has got by on not enough sleep for a while now, his teacher says he is fine in school, top of the class in fact but i know he's close to breaking, he got out of the shower this morning, I left him with a pile of clothes and told him to meet me downstairs for breakfast when he was dressed, this normally gives me enough time to get his cereal out, pack his lunch for school and if I hurry let the chickens out. this morning I did all the above and more and after repeated callings up the stairs proved fruitless, I went to find him. and found him. fast asleep on his bedroom floor under a towel! He is now sobbing into his cereal as he thinks hes slept all morning and has missed the register at school, tonight i think I may stay with him and stroke his back till he falls asleep, he needs more sleep and I need less tears in the breakfast bowl!

Life is good but busy! I'm doing a nanny share two days a week, 3 kids aged 3, 4 and 10 months, great kids and I love them but its hard work! Then my other 2 on weds and fridays, keeping me busy but the moneys nice! Also making a real effort to keep the house and garden in good condition, nearly impossible with a dog, two kids who cant see the difference and us traipsing in and out with the weather being nice! We've been to fetes, festivals, bike riding, the beach, its great fun but the washing that goes with it is incredible, I'm constantly washing dirty towels and clothes, even shoes. I love our family life but the kids dont realise how much effort it takes, organisation, just trying to budget for it is hard enough. Luckily we cleared out the garage recently, the people who used to live here left loads of old stuff and they've been in spain for 5 years so I doubt they would mind me getting rid of it, all the scrap metal sold for £40! Having chickens is saving us money too, eggs are so expensive and the thought that I know exactly what goes into our eggs and that our hens are loved and cared for is comforting. Ok this is turning into a random stream of consciousness blog, but again I promise to blog more often! x

I'm either too busy or too tired to blog at the moment and besides I dont think anyones reading any more...! Been a busy week with the kids off school for half term and have been looking after a friends children so she doesnt have to pay extortionate holiday club fees. Also have to sort out the new tenancy agreement for the house, landlord thought he was doing me a favour by emailing it to me but then I have to print it, post it back to him for his signature and then wait for him to post it back to me, I think he thought he was doing me a favour but it would have been easier for him to print, sign and post???

Feeling bad for being so irritable with my children but I'm just so sick of their mess, their tattling on each other and their interrupting when ever I try and speak to anyone. Its so hard to occupy two children of such different ages and sexes. They are not majorly badly behaved, they just have the same annoying habits that they do again and again, no matter how much I get cross and deny privileges, the moment I stop acting like an army officer and relax, they stop being tidy or nice to each other.

I feel like I'm doing just enough of everything in my life so that it doesnt fall apart but cant give any part of it enough time or attention. I need more hours in the day, more days in the week, a cleaner, a tutor, a dog walker, a gardener, a Secretary. I'm doing all these jobs while the kids walk around sniping at each other, dropping crumbs and packets, throwing stuff at bins rather that in bins, stepping on clean washing left in neat piles on the stairs to be taken up, oh you get the drift, I'm getting pissed just writing about this, I dont know how to make them want to live in a clean tidy house, they really wouldnt care if we lived in a hovel.

And the new washing machine is leaking from somewhere and the kitchen tap drips so badly that it needs replacing, whats the bets on something else goes wrong...?

soggy

After a near perfect day of blue skies, sunshine and light breezes yesterday, the weather has changed. Big time. The wind has been buffeting my house since the early hours, keeping me awake and the rain is pouring down relentlessly. We were going to a pet dog show today and entering nemo but its all outside! If the rain stopped now we might be able to go to the afternoon section but it doesnt look promising. Might take the kids swimming at the local pool, hell we could swim there at this rate...

Better

I went out, the sun shined all day despite the weather forcast saying the opposite (?)Town by the sea which is near where I live was wonderfully quiet because the forcast was rain, we bought take aways, sat in the gardens and ate it, walked at that slow pace you only do when relaxed and in the summer, we went to the museum, took photos in the garden of the museum, Lolly nearly accidently stole a postcard, she walked around the whole place with it in her hand because she thought they were free! (we gave it back) we bought ice creams, walked somne more, went to a few shops and then caught the bus home. We then went to my mums and drove out to another place by the sea and walked the dogs for another few hours, bliss.We're now at my mums drinking wine and bbq-ing, the stress of this morning has long gone, dissolved in the wine... x

Yeh, Yeh , I know I actually have to blog to be considered a blogger but I have a cold, my period and have been in one hell of a bad mood, didnt help that Maria has been talking about good sex when I’ve only had mediocre sex once in the past three years. I’m turning into an old woman, drying up as we speak, I’d rather potter round with my chickens than party it up, I was so relieved when my night out on friday was cancelled, couldnt think of any thing worse than going to a loud pub to meet desperate single men or horny married ones. Friends tell me I should do my hair, get my tightest clothes on and get out there more...but I dont want to, and I dont want to find a man. or a woman. am I weird or wrong that I dont feel anything any more for the opposite sex. I have a sex drive. I can deal with that myself! Excuse this post if its just drivel, I’m sweating with fever here, flu-y fever not sexy fever!

Its bank holiday here and then half term so kids are sat around in pyjamas, bickering and generally driving me insane. Everything I told them off for yesterday is back exactly the same this morning. I’m not even going to list it because my blood pressure rises and my head starts to pound. Its going to be a long week if it carrys on raining...

Right, I'm going to get off my but and get out of the house, I dont care where, I just cant sit around listening to the kids sniping at each other whilst littering the lounge with crumbs and crisp packets...wish me luck, I might be bringing them back by the scruff of their necks and locking them in the shed!

ok updates but one line sentences!

Dog has had all his hair cut, will post pics soon, looks weird but getting used to it!

Went to my friends wedding reception at the weekend, busy week for them, they got married in cancun, came back had a church blessing, then a sit down meal that afternoon then the party that we went to in the evening, dont know how they were still standing!

Grass is growing back well in the garden, wish I had taken a before photo to compare!

Ticked Dumpling off for whining all the way to school but hugged and kissed him goodbye and thought all was well, school rang as I walked home to say his he was sobbing and what had happened before school?!? I explained and they said not to worry and I rang just know and they said he was fine!

Lolly is taking exams all week, bless her, we're having a heatwave this week and she's stuck in classrooms for hour at a time doing page after page of SATs.

I'm trying to get my legs out in the sun but they are pasty, have a line across the back from my gardening boots and varicose veins, pretty!

I got a great deal on some new garden furniture, £50 for 4 chairs, table and parasol, just hope it isnt too flat packed,I hate putting these together but always do because I'm too proud to ask for help!

can everyone tell me how to do more things like this?

I have a few minutes to blog before I go and pick up the boys I look after but can barely keep my eyes open, Dumpling has started having night mares again, well nightmares for me, he doesn't remember that he spends a large portion of the night kicking and crying in his sleep, I have to gently wake him, he looks surprised at me me, claims he doesn't know what I'm talking about when I say he was dreaming and goes straight back to sleep! Its great that its not consciously bothering him and maybe they are just active dreams but my sleep is being disrupted and can barely keep my eyes open during the day, pity I don't like coffee as I could really do with a hit of caffeine!

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The dog is going to the groomers next week for a thorough cut, I must remember to do a before and after photo!

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Chickens are doing well, lots of eggs, did some diy on their cages and coops yesterday, just to make sure they are secure at night from the fox, replaced some rusty screws, tightened a few up and added another couple of sliding small bolts. I sleep better knowing they are secure, wish dumpling would!

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Attended my first PTA meeting last night, I'm grateful that another mum has agreed to be joint chair with me, I'm happy to do what ever needs doing but prefer for someone else to make those decisions and then tell me to do them, I'll work hard but don't want the responsibility!

39 things you should have learnt by now...

1. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

2. Don't worry about what people think, they don't do it very often.

3. Going to church doesn't make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.

4. Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.

5. If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.

6. My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.

7. Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.

8. It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

9. For every action, there is an equal and opposite government program.

10. If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.

11. Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of cheques.

12. A conscience is what hurts when all of your other parts feel so good.

13. Eat well, stay fit, die anyway.

14. Men are from earth. Women are from earth. Deal with it.

15. No man has ever been shot while doing the dishes.

16. A balanced diet is a biscuit in each hand.

17. Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.

18. Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.

19. Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.

20. There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.

21. Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognise a mistake when you make it again.

22. By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.

23. Thou shalt not weigh more than thy fridge.

24. Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.

25. It's not the jeans that make your bum look fat.

26. If you had to identify, in 1 word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, & never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be 'meetings'.

27. There is a very fine line between 'hobby' and 'mental illness'.

28. People who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them.

29. You should not confuse your career with your life.

30. Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

31. Never lick a steak knife.

32. The most destructive force in the universe is gossip.

33. You will never find anybody who can give you a clear and compelling reason why we put the clocks back.

34. You should never say anything to a woman that even remotely suggests that you think she's pregnant unless you can see an actual baby emerging from her at that moment.

35. There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday. That time is age eleven.

36. The one thing that unites all human beings, regardless of age, gender, religion, economic status or ethnic background, is that, deep down inside, we ALL believe that we are above average drivers.

37. A person, who is nice to you, but rude to the waiter, is not a nice person.

38. Your friends love you anyway.

39 . Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.

For Tony

My teenage sister had her friend to stay at the weekend. Late in the night the friends father turned up and needed to see her, he has been on a transplant waiting list for some time and he had recieved the phone call to say that he had to leave straight away to travel to the hospital a few hundred miles away. So he woke up his daughter and hugged her and told her that he would be better after the operation and they could then do all the things that he couldnt do because of his illness. He went under the anasthetic thinking that this was his chance to be well again. The transplant failed, he bled out and died. His daughters sleepily said goodbye to him that night and now he has gone. Hug those close to you and tell people you love them before its too late. My heart aches for those girls.

No time for blogging at the moment, Lolly recovered well from her chest infection only for Dumpling to go down hard with it. His temp keeps rising, giving him calpol and nurofen alternately every two hours, he falls asleep anywhere, he even feel asleep getting dressed yesterday morning, I left him sat on the floor with the towel wrapped around him and a pile of clothes and came back to find him fast asleep!

I've also been crazy enough to stand as the Chair of Dumplings school PTA! Have no idea what I'm letting myself in for, they have assured me that's fine, its a group effort but they do need a name for the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer for legal reasons but that we will all muck in gets what needs done done. First thing I have to do is write a newsletter as I wasn't aware how much the PTA does and if I wasn't aware before now then most of the parents at school wont be!

I bought Lolly a very cheap internet phone and while I couldnt get it to work on msn, it does work very well as a microphone for recording straight onto the pc, no crackles or whistling like the other 3 or 4 cheap microphones we have got, Lollys even been using it to record herself revising, then she can play it back to herself on her mp4 player, modern technology eh? no scribbled notes on crumpled paper as in my day! Anyway thought I might do some of my posts as me reading them, then you can all go ‘awwww’ at my accent, of course I don't think I have one and I assume that all bloggers sound like me because I read your blogs in my head voice! I thought it would be simple just to record a wave file and post it, surely blogger would have an option for that? no, you have to find a ‘pod host’ online and use the url for that in your blog, ok, I’m working on it, you may or may not hear my dulcet tones online as I may get stage fright and abandon he whole idea altogether!

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Lolly’s back at school, coughing and wheezing all the way, I’m just glad she had it now rather than the week of her exams.

Dumplings school newsletter said that only 5 parents had turned up for the PTA AGM and none of those wanted to be the Chairperson or Secretary, guess who thought it might be fun to organise the summer fair in a moment of ‘how hard could it be?’, left a message with the school and is now regretting it, what was I thinking, I barely talk to most of the mums at the school, let alone want to try and organise them into running a huge school fair!

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I’ve taken up jogging! No, dont laugh, I walk everywhere as I dont own a car and I walk Nemo twice a day, but and heres the big but (yes mine, currently sat on it) I dont ever get any sort of aerobic exercise, my heart rate never goes above what ever its supposed to and although I’m active, I’m not fit. So, last night I dug out the running shoes I’ve had for ages and an old tracksuit and with dumpling on his scooter and nemo running beside we ran round and round the park. My kneecap started to hurt at first, an old skating injury from many years ago, but it eased a little, I didnt feel as sick as I thought I was going to be and feel pretty good and lively this morning! I was going to do it again this morning but it was raining, so I settled for a few laps of the park walking, hey, its better than coming home and sitting at the pc eating biscuits? Ahem, which of course , is not what I’m doing now...

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Do you have a friend who you get on really well with, like the same things, your kids play together but sometimes you see a flash of their personality that you really don't like? Whilst out walking our dogs, her dog jumped up into the lap of a baby in a stroller, instead of being sorry and taking the dog under control she seemed more funny that the baby's mother had her dog on a lead, “no point having a dog if you cant let it run” she grumbled. Umm, your dog just scared and probably bruised a small child, don't you think at least an apology is in order? Then we passed another mother I’ve known vaguely for years, “do you know her?” she said and then ripped into her with reasons that are not really fair and in reality the same things could be said about me! Kind of unnerved me and I think I will have to be careful around her in future.

I feel guilty as a blogger when I go to my favourite blogs and see my name in their blogrolls, its so heart warming to think that other people actually took the time to put me on that list and yet I hardly blog. So, I’m writing this in works as I feel under pressure to write in blogger, just knowing that publish button is there makes me panicky and rush through it, here I can relax a little, edit a bit and try and get something written down for you to read!

I’m feeling a bit disheartened at the moment, not with my life but with people I know, the man who ran my daughters trampolining club has just been found guilty of sexual abuse of young girls many years ago. He’s awaiting sentencing. I know more about the case (nothing to do with us or Lolly) than the papers say but better not say anything, I doubt they read this blog but I am in theory publishing to the whole world!

Also a friends teenage daughter has just been diagnosed with a common std, I feel sick firstly that she's been having sex, ok, she is old enough legally but I still think of her as a toddler, but also she will have to deal with it for the rest of her life, what on earth do you do in that situation, if I had an std I wouldn't feel comfortable telling a new partner so its just going to get passed on? I hope I never have to go through that myself or with Lolly (not much chance of that, I don't plan on letting her out of my sight till she's 25...)

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Just glanced out of the window to see any egg laying on the lawn? On closer inspection it turns out that the chickens have figured out how to escape from their run! A little adjustment has been made, escapees have all been returned, eggs collected and all is well in my little chicken farm again! Don’t tell the fox but the other night I carefully padlocked the coop but didn’t actually have the overlapping part in place so it was unsecure the whole night, add that to the fact the I didn’t lock the back doors to the house properly and you’re lucky we’re here at all today!

Lolly is sick home from school with a chest infection, she has been complaining of feeling unwell for some time but I thought she was putting it on a bit. When her school rang twice in one day to say she was unwell I said I would take her to the doctors, “they will tell you you’re fine” I told her, umm, turns out she has a really bad infection, I should have brought her in earlier, she needs antibiotics and doctors ordered rest. Sorry Lolly, get well soon...

I love our dog and I would be the sort of woman who jumps in a swollen river or icy lake to save him, mainly because Lolly and Dumpling would be behind me screaming “ Mummy, save Nemo!” But I would ask anyone thinking about getting a puppy to think carefully, its like having a small furry toddler with attitude. He barks every time I get on the phone, either for attention or because he cant figure out who I’m talking to? I don't know but its so annoying to have to interrupt every phone call a few seconds in to go and throw him out the back door! And the dirt he brings in on his paws? don't get me started, every day I consider taking a photo of the pile of dirt I sweep into a pile and then vacuum up, its astounding just how much he brings in every single day! I used to sweep through and mop maybe twice a week, now its every morning and could really do with it in the evenings too. And Nemo has to wait outside until the floor is dry or any dirt on his feet mixes with the damp floor and makes even more paw prints! He knows the rules and 90% of the time is a great dog but he has defiant moments, you can tell its coming by his body language, he’ll jump up the sofa, you command him down, he actually watches you as you turn away to jump straight back up their again. The kids think its very funny when you can actually see the workings of his naughty mind but it makes me want to put him in time out!

Right I really have to get back to it, this house wont clean itself! I feel like I’m just doing enough of everything to get by and nothing fully, not just the house but my relationship with the kids, my family and friends, exercise, hobbies, just not enough time to everything to the standard I would like to and I again apologise for blogging coming somewhere at the bottom of the list, at least its before cleaning out the chinchilla cage...