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!