Christmas photos and merryment!

One of my favourite things about Christmas is when the kids are all asleep and the tree is surrounded by gifts, the lights are low and the wine is flowing! Our tree always looks so small compared to the amount of gifts under it. (Then i think of "Octamom" and "Boy Mom" and smile at the thought of how their trees look!!) So here is our tree before the children woke on Christmas morning.

The Tree.

Then there is the childrens faces when (if) they get the one gift that they wished so hard for, the gift they did the dishes for (in December anyway) the one prize that would make this Christmas the best one "ever".

Rachel and the "new coat"

Becky and the "grown up make-up set!"

And David the "Clone Trooper" with "Gordon" the monkey puppet!

Then there is family! Since Christmas day we have now spent 2 days at home, yesterday and today! On boxing day we visited Rich's family (no pics i forgot my camera..aaaagh) and then on the 27th we visited my family. It is always so great to see the cousins together and here the all are..

Back - Becky, Elouise and Rae.
Front - Jack and David!

So yes it is pretty safe to say that this was their "best Christmas e-v-e-r". With all gifts opened and peace restored the children are playing with their toys, or watching new DVD's, reading new books, applying make up or bathing with bath bombs! Lego all over the place and go-go's under foot we can now sit back and enjoy the gifts we recieved...until our next Christmas...Jan 01. 2009 when we visit our "best friends in the world" for the day, a tradition we started around 3 or 4 years ago. We stay away from each other over Chrsitmas to allow family and other friends to visit and new year is our day. I am looking ofrward ot it very much particularly this year as K has been seriously ill recently and we were all worried that Christmas may not go ahead as planned with them. All is well now though and we can look to 2009 without worries and concerns for him. (K - i am so glad you are better we love you tons!).

I'm back

from the limbo status i have been in this month!
So much has been happening here that i do not know where to start. I am seeing a specialist at the hospital on the 20Th Jan '09 for a few girly issues i have going on. The down side is after a week of running i was told i can't do any more until the specialist gives the go ahead. But i will go back to it!! Becky has finished her show of The Wizard of Oz in the theatre in Guildford, although she was quite poorly and had to withdraw from 2 of the performance because of it. Rae sang a solo in the Church carol service (yes i cried) and it was so lovely to have people tell me how she has the voice of an angel! She also sang and played her sax in the school Christmas concert (Becky missed it due to being ill).
So with Christmas drawing nearer and nearer my life has been a whirl of hospital appointments, sick child, shopping, school concerts and more sick child!
So now i find myself halfway through the day on Christmas Eve trying to play a quick catch up and do justice to my disappearance from you all. Thank you for all your comments lately.
So from my corner of the world to yours i wish you all a Very Peaceful Christmas and a Wonderful New Year for 2009.
Blessings to you all.xx

The run!!

So many of my blog buddies are runners or have been nothing but supportive towards me as i embark upon a new part of my life, as a runner!
Well today was/is the start of the new improved, slimmer me!
I ran 1/2 mile in 7.09 minutes! I may not be setting records but it's a start..and i am glad i did it even if my legs aren't too impressed with the new plan. I guess i forgot to warn them!
Still i made that move today, it took 7 minutes out of my evening and i am still alive..what doesn't kill me does make me stronger right?
And yes, i do plan to run tomorrow night too..and knock at least a second off my time!!

Thanks for inspiring me and supporting me everyone.

December already?

It seems everyone is getting ready for Christmas and stepping it up a gear! Decorations are flying up everywhere and towns are having Christmas Lights ceremonies. I feel i am letting the side down a litte, with the advent calendars on the door and cards recieved early in the holders on the wall...I'm done! LOL
I wont be putting the tree up until the children beging their school holiday,
I wont be wrapping presents (not that i have bought any) until at least Dec 20th and
I wont decorate the cake until Dec 22 when i am sure i cannot put any more brandy in it!
I'm not a scrooge though, not by any manner of means! This is how we do it in our house! Since we got married, since the kids could give input on when they want the tree up and since we are big on our own traditions!
I am in awe of everyone that can do it this early and not get fed up of it all by Dec 15th! I wish i was more like that..so i made an attempt on the blog and will add more decorations soon! LOL

I spent 3 hours studying today and am looking forward (kinda) to my run tomorrow! I will post to let you all know how it goes if it doesn't kill me! hehe.

Pick n Mix post.

Bit of a mish mash post here, lots of little bits going on around here.
The girls auditioned for the school show of Bugsy Malone last week. They have been told that they both have parts, but which parts are tbc! Becky made me promise to tell you all that she is only 1 of 3 year seven children given a part! She is so pleased with herself! So *yaaay girlies!*
They are also both auditioning for solo's in the school Christmas concert. Rae will also be playing her sax, can't wait to see that, singing and playing, haha!! (she didn't find that funny either!)

David is playing the Christmas thing BIG this year! Lots of star wars and lego, so when i said he might not get it all he replied with:
"oh it's not all from you Mum, I'm asking Sants Claus for this and this, and you and Dad can get me this and this!"
Darn that kid is far too smart!
He is hoping to be a narrator in the school play, one with only one line please! For a child who is so confident at home he sure plays a shy lad at school really well!

I have been psyching myself up for Dec 1st and the FIRST run! As well as that i have a confession to make!
I worried myself sleepless for two nights trying to decide if i really am capable of being a good teacher, will i qualify etc etc. Self doubt, gets you every time there's something big to do and i have enough self doubt to go round all of us!
My parents say i can, my hubby says he believes in me, the kids think it's awesome, i have two friends that teach both say I'd be great. So why don't i believe it all? Is it because if it all goes wrong i wont be too disappointed?
I spoke to M and J today and they both told me to behave and put my mind at rest. So M and J i thank you from the bottom of my heart and i WILL take you up on all offers of help (which have been duly logged!).

Not quite moving house!

Over a year ago now Rich and I decided that the children needed space. More space in our cosy compact quarters! So we had a huge change around upstairs. We moved out of the biggest bedroom in the house to make way for the girls as they are growing so fast we figured they needed a lot more room to dance with hair brushes, to play instruments and have friends over. We moved David into the girls room, the middle sized room, as he too needed room to build with his Lego, fly his star wars space craft, drive his action men around and generally be a boy that loves to play with his toys! So that left Rich and I in the teeny weeny littlest room! I kid you not! The bed is a double, one side is against the main wall, the other is a foot away from the door! We fit 2 sets of draws in there but it's been ok as really we only sleep in there and do not need to use it like the kids do.
Well we have decided we are ready as a couple to upgrade. Which means someone has to downgrade! David has that privilege bless him. So we are moving into his room, where it will be wonderful to be able to walk around our bed once more, he is getting the closet room, on the promise of his own PC and a new PC desk! So today is mini moving day. When we are all done and all is clean and tidy and how we like it, i will take photos and post them. I'm not doing before pictures as its a real mess up there LOL! Sorry!

University contacted!

Well i got in touch with Portsmouth Uni today! *scary* I emailed them about course info and burseries, applications etc etc. Hopefully i will hear from the soon. I'm hoping to be a student this time next year hahaha!!
Thats all the news so far!

A date is set for me to start.

The lovely Deb over at "from Stilettos to Sneakers" is a marathon runner ( i know!) Well she guest blogged for Steph at "Problem solving Mom"a couple of days ago. And has inspired me..yep to go running! I have marked a half mile route (starting small) and am begining on Dec 1st so that i can get into it before the new year and not get fed up post Christmas. Hopefully i will get into routine. It's not that far, it won't take much out of my day..and it will be dark in the evenings so nobody will see me or at least recognise the wheezing mad lady trying to run bent doubled over! So thanks girls - it IS all your fault!
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
I have also spoken a great deal to my wonderful hubby. We have agreed that i can take two exams next year (maths and biology as i never really tried to pass them at school - to my shame) and then i can go onto a government scheme to become a primary school teacher! Its a 3 year plan but i am going to set it in motion! Its only taken me 35 years to decide what to be when i grow up and now i am here. I want to be a teacher!

Wow i have a plan! I think i better have a sit down now!! haha.

Shot myself in the foot and it smarts!

Long story coming up, get a coffee and read on!
In our small unit at work, the one where we deal with the 1 - 2 year olds, we split the group in half(ish) and the staff are equally split to cover ratios of children. Now all of us get on with some of us! I work immediately with C, B, any students and occasionally J.
The other group have E and two others the i affectionately call Dumb and Dumber!(please do not judge me too harshly its my coping strategy!)
For example, I asked one of them to lay the floor cloth down for mealtime. She ignored me. Five minutes later i hear the same person say "shall i lay the floor cloth?", she looks at the children and repeats the question (as if they will answer her!) and keeps muttering it until i say "Yes, lay the floor cloth, good idea" (sarcasm i lost on this person so i get away with it a lot!).The other person is relatively new to us, she came in and tried to re-organise how we do everything, she undermines senior staff members (it's like car crash TV, you don't want to watch but cannot help it!)She micro manages everything. Trying to constantly take over. She is a lot older than all of us, same age as my Mum and doesn't take too kindly to us qualified folks giving advice or handing out jobs!
I have tried so hard to be understanding, give settling in time. To teach our ways of doing things, to allow for initiative, to request things are done without being bossy but now i think time is up. No, now i know time is up!

E has just returned from her holidays, she is finding D and D hard going! I have to agree with her!
One of them could not make a decision if it was life depending, and the other micro manages everything (except messy play!) ALL THE TIME!
I have been watching, and despairing, of the micro managing and lack of anything going on up top with these two for a couple of days now. E is ready to get her shot gun out. So i speak to her. I advise not asking them to do things as this leaves things open to interpretation! I advised short instructions using words of one syllable and giving instructions that are concise! (Really yes this is how it has to be done with these two.) So she tries and still she seems to be ignored by micro manager, the other one seems to be coping with this new strategy!
So i quietly speak to our manager. I tell her i think E is going to snap and when she goes it is NOT going to be pretty (funny but not pretty!).
Well you guessed it..the upshot of all this is that E and my lucky self are swapping rooms. I have the lucky task of working with Dumb and Dumber! Because apparently i can cope with them. (*see me twitch!*) E feels terrible, i told her not to be silly and just pray for me!
Of course part of me wants to run and hide under my duvet until i wake up from this nightmare. Another part of me looks forward to the challenge, (but that is a real small part of me) but mostly my main thoughts were, wow this'll make some great blogging material!! (Do you think it's an obsession? LOL)

Well done if you suffered all that with me! and thanks!

My Christmas gift plans!

All we seem to hear about in the news lately is credit crunch, businesses failing, banks suffering, how to cope with the pressure of Christmas on a shoe string etc etc. It hits home when in one business 2 people are made redundant and everyone else must take a 10% pay cut from Jan 01 2009 (not where i work, but someone close to me.). I was chatting about this with a work colleague, who seems to think because we work in a Nursery we will all be ok. She cannot see that if parents are made redundant the first thing to go will be the childcare..so we lose the children and so on until we are over staffed and we all know what comes next. I have often wondered how my place of work has such a sharp turn around of staff. Having been there just over 2 years i have seen 20+ people come and go. I have questioned it privately. But only now am i glad that so many have left and moved on. It means that i am one of the longer serving workers and therefore i won't be one of the first out. Selfish, yes. Self preservating, yes. But no, it does not stop the worry.
Then i got to thinking about Christmas and coping with the family. So i have come up with a list of gift ideas that will work for me!!

1.My children will have their usual allowance spent on them.As we saved for that!
2.Rich and I are NOT buying for each other, not a thing..we want a new house
next year so we agreed on this!!
3.Nieces and Nephews..are all getting Books..3 for 2 offers everywhere.
Makes sense to me!!
4.Sisters / Brothers ect ect..The classic "photo in a frame!" and maybe some wine!
5.Parents - Photo in a frame and i am splurging getting books made for them!
6. Other children (friends of family) home made cards, gift vouchers for
sleepovers with the kids!
7.Friends - photo in a frame (so versatile!!) and vouchers for babysitting!

So hopefully it wont break the bank this year and we can enter 2009 even if not in credit!! We have collected our store points (Nectar vouchers) all year so they will pay for the Christmas food, Turkey etc etc!


Some of the Christmas cards to put home made vouchers in for Christmas this year.

Tis' the season..

For sick, icky kids. Snotty noses, watering eyes and high temps and rife at the moment. No not in my house, in my place of work.
We sent numerous children ( six babies) home yesterday with 40 degree temperatures. Their parents felt they were ok to be at nursery in the morning, or they had dosed them up on paracetamol for breakfast and it had worn off by lunch time. It makes me so cross. These are babies who need to be cuddled, they need to feel loved, and mostly they need to be with Mummy or Daddy. When they get like this it takes a member of staff out of the ratios to look after one child. And then when we ring Mum or Dad and tell them their child is ill, they come running like they care (remember they sent the child in, in the first place) or they turn up grudgingly to collect their sick child. OK, i know they are paying to have their child with us but come on people this is a baby, your baby, it's not a commodity or status symbol, or even "the next progression" (great job, marriage, kids, there life plan complete)it is a small human life that YOU are responsible for. Am i completely wrong? Does having a great career mean you can just dump your baby and run? I appreciate some parents NEED to work, some WANT to work and some HAVE to work. But when your child is ill, work can wait. So you miss a meeting, or your boss gets grumpy well that's just tough luck on them. Start putting your kids first.I wonder how many of the ones we sent home yesterday will be there today?

A birthday vacation without me?

Well i had worried that today was going to be a quiet affair, with Becky being so poorly this week. But she is a LOT better today! Woohoo!
I woke up to my three littlies singing happy birthday, my wonderful hubby with a cup to tea in his hand, that's when i knew today was still going to be a quiet one irrespective of Becky's health...I went to thank them all and hey presto my voice has taken a vacation! No warning, no requests to water the plants, it just up and left! (I know, how rude!) So it is i must spend my 35^th birthday playing a day long game of charades with three children who find it hysterical to see me frustrated because either they are deliberately not guessing my orders / requests or i really am as bad as they are making me out to be! Good job i'm not an actress really!

Update on sicknote!

She has either "slapped cheek" or "scarlet fever!" We are waiting for her symptoms to either get worse or stay the same! I am going with slapped cheek at the moment as she seems to fit that description better ;)
At least its nothing more serious which the Dr thought may be the case yesterday! Still always good to err on the side of caution!
Thanks for the well wishes ;)

Poorly kid

I was called to collect Bex from school today. She is sooo poorly :(
She has a rash all over her face, neck, shoulders and torso. She aches all over to the point i cannot touch her and she has a sore throat.
The Dr. saw her, (when i rang to ask for an appt he told me to bring her in as he would see her right away!)he said it might be allergies or viral so he gave piriton and wants to see her in the morning!
So far the pirition isnt working and the poor girl keeps crying because she aches so much. My heart breaks for her.
I guess she will be off school tomorrow, a day on the sofa with her duvet is in order I think!
On a happier note i met her tutor tonight, she has settled well into senior school and they are pleased with her. Her guitar teacher says she is making really good progress! I'm really proud of her and can't hug her :( She looks awful and is currently fast asleep in her bed. Hope she is better in the morning. I hate seeing the kids ill.

Something made me sad today....

There aren't too many things that really shock me, crumbs i was a soldier once. There aren't too many things that make me real angry or disappointed but today i overheard a mother and her child and i was just devastated for the poor kid. I do not know them, the child goes to my sons school. That is where any relationship with us ends. But as we were waiting to meet the girls, David and I stood by a tree outside the school gates. It was not raining hard but the awful fine mist that soaks you through! The child arrives at it's mother (term used so loosely here) and the conversation goes:

mother: "Why the f*** are you late?"
child: "My teacher wanted to see me. I got star of the day!" (child sounds quite pleased with self)
mother: " who gives a f*** I'm soaking wet, lets get f****** home."

My heart just broke. I do not know these people but i was so sad for that child. Star of the day is something earned, for being good, working hard and pleasing your teacher. It IS something to be celebrated not thrown away and stamped on. While the child had no certificate to speak of, it must have been truly crushed that its hard work did not please it's parent. I was absolutely astounded how a lady posing as a mother could be so cruel. So what she was wet, so what the child came out a little later than usual, is that not totally made up for by the teacher deeming it necessary to praise the child for its achievements?

My poor son looked at me and said
"That wasn't very nice was it Mum?"

I just hugged him. The hug of a Mum who loves her child whether good, silly, naughty or mean. He is my son and i love him regardless. Don't all Mums?

I hope the childs father was a little more receptive to the child's news.

So little person, whoever you are, I am taking a moment out of my day, even if you never ever read this, to say Well done to you. For being star of the day, for getting an award that was well deserved because it was well earned. be proud of yourself, I am proud of you.

Nothing new really!!

Well i figured that since i had nothing special to write about i'd give you all something new to look at ;).

If you see my links to other blogs in the side bar >>> there is a new one called Becky land...it is the new blog of my 12 year old daughter! She has decided to join the world of bloggers! Feel free to leave her some encouragment and love ;)

To my US of A friends Good Luck with the elections - hope you get the guy you voted for!!

Bloggers block?

*honoured*

The lovely Deb over at Stilettos to Sneakers has tagged me for a little ol' award! Thanks Deb - you are a cool lady~if not slightly insane due to to the marathon running ;) ~ and i thank you!
I have to post 6 things that make me happy!!
My nominations are at the bottom of the post ;)

6 things:

1. Waking up everyday with my Husband. Sounds odd? Well he was a soldier once, and was away in tours ALL the time. So now it is great to open my eyes and see him sleeping next to me. knowing he is beside me and safe. Perfect start to the day for me.

2. My 3 kids! They are such nice people to be around. All 3 of them can make me laugh a lot, they can hold a good conversation and amazingly they all get along!

3. Chocolate. When all else fails a bar of Galaxy will make it better.

4. My friend Beccy. She's my sounding board and confident. I am comfortable with her when talking, gossiping, laughing and especially in those silences that are never uncomfortable. She is just so great to be around.

5. When Rich' kisses me for no reason. When we are curled up together and he just kisses the top of my head. Just one kiss that says you are my whole world. I know I'm loved.

6. My bed. I could be an Olympian in sleeping. And i would win hands down! I love getting into a fresh, ice cold bed and snuggling into my duvet. Getting warm and cosy, not daring to move into a "cold spot" and just falling asleep peacefully. I hate leaving it in the morning - i have to have the alarm clock outside on the landing or i will not get up!

Did you ever have a time where you felt that you have nothing to blog about..but oh so much going on in your head? I think i would be a psychologists dream client (or a complete nightmare!) right now!
Swamped with thoughts of work, career options (where do i go now??), kids and Christmas (yes i dared to say the "c" word - sorry all) to name but a few!
I think i must be in a lull! I've been making my Christmas cards (there i go saying it again!) and getting kind of prepared!! But the blog? Well the mind is blank. I want so much to post something witty, incite full, though provoking...but nope something happen between the brain and fingers and it all goes awry.
Maybe I'm just trying too hard and should just let go...or maybe i should open a bottle of wine and watch The Notebook again! LOL.

Award Nominations:

Jen and her life surrounded by testosterone.

Gen and her Quads.

The Lovely AVT coach.

Two little fish went swimming one day...

The kids had a swimming lesson tonight and as it is half term and halloween they were having one to one lessons because the other children didn't turn up!
Becky managed to gain her 600metre badge, and David the fish moved up another group! He is now a level 5! His lessons change to a Saturday morning now but he is just SO proud of himself. And to top it all he got his 50 metre award!

Is three years too long?

Don't you just love being a girl? No nor me!! LOL
After David was born i was sterilised (health reasons and the fact that if i hadn't been i would be w-a-a-a-y ahead of even Octamom!!). Prior to his birth we lost a child during pregnancy and i also had huge cysts on my ovaries! Well nine years, four operations and very few *star* weeks later my Dr. is sending me for a scan to see whats going on this time LOL!
So i asked, if there is a problem can i have said ovary removed? PLEASE! He has told me he would recommend it! yipee! I know i am (oddly) too young to have the whole lot whacked out but this is a good starting point! All this because i went for a smear (*yuk i know*) on Tuesday and the nurse said i had to go see him!
She then said she would see me for my next smear in three...YES THREE years! I frowned and said no i will see you next year!
When she asked why i prefer (such a bad choice of word!) to go annually, i told her that the rest of europe go annually. My German Dr. told me, "the day after a clear result your body could start making cancerous cells, waiting three - five years for a smear is not giving yourself much of a chance to fight it". The nurse was amazed that europe do it like this! I was amazed that the UK don't!
While it is not the most fun i will ever have with no trousers on, it might just save my life one day.
So readers i got to thinking..how often do you go in your country? Is it enough? or is it just the penny pinching UK government/ NHS putting us gals at higher risk?

And last but certainly not least...

Becky is 12 today! She always hates that she has to sit and watch her brother and sister have their birthdays and hers is last!!
Still it can't be that much of an anti climax, after all she has been awake since 3am, but had thevery good sense not to wake us until 7am!
So today she has had gifts of clothes, clothes, earings, socks (over the knee, very cool??), and her MP4 player. We are off on a shopping spree later today :).

Happy 12th Birthday sweetheart :)

The right to know?

This is a tough one for me to write. I have a dear, dear friend who i think the absolute world of. She is my confidant, we laugh and talk, we've cried together but mostly we are happy in each others company, with those comfortable silences and with lots of chatter!(she wont see this as hates pc's!!)
She has a child who became a "lady" this year. Other than really heavy periods she is coping fine. But they are REALLY heavy. Horrendously so.
I suggested a trip to the Dr., as it is a really strong family trait. She said she had made an appointment, but will not take her child with her.
For once (and it is a really rare thing) I kept my mouth shut. It's her decision after all it's her child.
But if it were one of my girls what would i do? Of course it's simple for me (I do tend to see most of life in black and white with very very few grey areas), the child would come with me. After all, i'd be discussing the child and surely they have a right to know family history and how best to deal with it. Am i perhaps a bit to liberal? I really thought i am a conservative gal but i guess not! I feel i want to say something but don't want to seem like i'm being my opinionated self, or butting in. I'm sure my friend is trying to protect her child, but sometimes knowledge and understanding is the best defense? Am i way off base?
I know i will probably step back and let my friend do it her way. It's just..am i alone in thinking like this?

Roots and Wings or Apron Strings?

So last night Rich and i took Becky to school. She is off on a weekend of abseiling, canoeing, arial roping and orienteering, with the rest of the kids in her school year group! We stood with her best mate (and room mate for the weekend) and her parents (good friends of ours also). We chatted and teased the girls about sharing a room, and we laughed, we laughed a lot.
Their classmates came over with their parents and we all introduced ourselves to one another.
Looking around some kids looked a little aprehensive, others excited and some stood quietly with their parents.
Becky turned to me and said "No offence Mum, but i really love it when i go away from you and Dad for a little while!"
I smiled and told her no offence taken, it meant that Dad and I were doing our job right!
She just hugged me!
So the coaches arrived and Becky and Katie could not get away from us fast enough, quick kisses and they were gone, suitcases in tow!
We did not run after them, or follow them, we stood fast and continued chatting.
As we looked towards where the children were congregated there were hoards of parents and siblings all jostling to get one last look of their child! The families banged on coach windows and waved like mad. Some Mums cried - they acually burst into tears at the thought of their baby leaving them for 2 nights and 2 days! A trip they had knowingly paid for, willingly let their offspring go on and still cried like they were unprepared for this moment.
I get a sense of sheer love and pride when one of my children heads of happily, i know they will have a great time, they will laugh and learn and come home bursting to tell me all they got up to. So i am happy to see them go off and look forward to picking them up. But am i wrong to enjoy this small amount of time away from my beloved child? Am i wrong not to cry at the loss of them for two days? Or am i laying the foundations of root and wings?
I cannot wait to collect her on Monday afternoon, nor can i wait until her photos get developed so i can see the weekend through her eyes. But for now i am happy that she is happy to be where she is.


Good parents give their children Roots and Wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them.
-- Jonas Salk

Coolest teacher EVER!!

I went to parent teacher night this evening with Davids' teacher Mr.W.
David has settled well into his new school! Mr.W can't figure out Davids favourite subject "because he tries so hard in all of them!" WOW i am so proud of my little guy! His work is much better this year (in my humble opinion anyway - the quality and quantity) and he is "a lovely, pleasant, kind and honest member of the class!" He has to start using conjunctives in his work now!
His teacher is also having him tested for dyslexia as he can spell really well verbally but when writing gets all the right letters in the wrong order, so we need to see is he is dyslexic or if his brain and thought processes are too quick for his hand! Either way we will be able to help him with some strategies with it all!
He has made some good friends, who are nice children and Mr.W is pleased with the friendship they all have:)
And to top it off, the Lunchtime Ladies have put his name forward to sit on the TOP TABLE next Friday - this is the good behaviour table, they have a name place and a V.I.P tag :) He is so pleased!
I honestly think all of this is in part the fact that his new school is smaller, and he is responding so well to having a male teacher!
So all in all a great start for my guy, i could not be more proud of him right now!!

Teenager in the house!

You read it right! Congrats to our lovely girly girl, Rae..who is the ripe age of 13 today!
I have a slight problem with this though. I was once informed that teenagers sleep ALL the time..so please tell me why she was awake at 4.30am (although did wait till 6.00am on the dot before waking me!)?
I have watched this little girl grow and become a young lady but often wondered where her sentimental side was..watched E.T - no tears, watched Bambi..dry as the sahara...buy her a book especially made for her, a book of her little life so far...YES i did it..she cried! She is a REAL woman after all! LOL!

Presents waiting for her!

The book of her life so far!

"my hoodie!!"

Betty Boop cake as baked by Kev and Beccy J! (thank you guys so much )

Oh and as promised here is the "perfect David" award!!

The seasons are a changing!

Well my good friend Octamom has posted about her favourite season...Fall! Well ladies and gents i too am an Autumn person (Fall, to those of you on the other side of the pond!).
So why am i an autumn person? Well like Octamom I was born in the Autumn, all 3 of my children are Autumn babies (not planned that way but hey it works for us!) and i just love everthing about the season.
I grew up in Germany mainly as a child where the nights are colder, crisper where there are more colours around you than you should see on trees, where the frost settles on cars early in the morning, so too the grass and wooden fences. The morning air is so cold it almost hurts your lungs to breathe too deeply. But the things i love the most about this season of changes are the smells. Wet damp leaves on the ground squelching underfoot. Dry leaves that just beg to be kicked or thrown into the air and the musty smell that comes with their fall around you. Raking piles of multicoloured leaves into piles just to run into them! The smell of turnips, swede and pumpkins! The hot meals that warm you through after a full days play!
Days that lead you into biting snowy winters. Days that demand every sense be given up to the sights and smells the season has to offer! That my friends is why for me every year without fail i love the Autumn!

Whats not to love!

p.s took David to the Dr....he is (in the Dr's own words) PERFECT! We even have a stickit signed and stamped by the Dr that says "David is Perfect!" Photo tomorrow!! He is a "perfect" happy boy! ( hate to say i told him so, but..nuh nuh!!)

Sunday snapshot(s)

Well it was going to be snapshot but i could not just pick one!! So here are some of Rae at Salisbury Cathedral and some we took pre turning 13 on Weds! Enjoy.

Salisbury Cathedral & Lake Garda...

So my beloved eldest is in Salisbury today (approx 1 - 2 hours away) with the school choir. They are singing in Salisbury Cathedral to help celebrate their 750th anniversary:

The Cathedral!

The children are singing Stari Most a song about a bridge in Bosnia. The song was created for their school to celebrate it's Specialist Music status. Afterwards they are going to Pizza Hut for tea with their teachers!

The Stari Most Bridge.

I also got a letter this week congratulating Rae on getting into the gifted and talented singers choir and that the school wish to take those children to Lake Garda (Italy) next summer where they will do tourist days out and evening concerts! It's only £540 so we have said yes she can go.

Becca has been asked by Mr.S, the head of music, to join the choir at school too as she has "a great voice" which he reiterated to me this morning when i dropped Rae off! So both my girls have voices of angels (sure not from me!). So wonderful to see them both doing so well :)

David is off to the British Museum this week to help his learning of the Egyptians...despite the fact we took him there last summer LOL!! He loves Egypt which is pretty lucky i guess! haha.

Mum am i...

Fat? Is the question i was asked today. Not by my oldest, nearly teenager, nor by my middle, nearly 12 year old, both girls! But by my only just 9 year old..son?
OMG what on earth has happened to make my lovely little guy think he is less than the total perfect dude i see? Other kids is what happened. Other kids who are all slim have decided to point out to my little guy that he is the F word. To say i was taken aback is an understatement!
I told him he was just fine. That Dad and I are not petite slender people, but are in fact broad shouldered, tall well built people so how could he possibly be waif like?
He says i am just saying that "cos i'm his Mum and i have to!"
So we are going to the doctor on Monday! (OMG i'm reeling on this one.) With the intention of a weigh and measure and having the Dr. tell him he is just where he should be. Poor kid. I guessed it was a matter of time before i posted something like this but i never imagined it would be about my son! There went the rule book again!

Looks just right to me!

WOW what a great night!!

Rachel spent yesterday playing her Sax and singing with

The Band of the Prince of Wales Division.

A military band from Tidworth, they came to help the kids learn about professional musicians!

They came to her scool and worked with the gifted and talented musicians (grades 5 and above - even though she is only a grade 4, her teachers put her in the Jazz Band and Big Band so she was eligible!). They played some great music from Military to Abba, Pirates of the Carribean and Titanic! It was absolutely brilliant! They put the show togeether in a day and the standard of music was just mind blowig. The kids had a great time with all the military bandsmen, learning the tricks of the trade and getting helpful hints and tips! They had all been offered a weeks work experience with the band when the time comes which is pretty cool!
We took the two younger ones to see it, poor David was dead on his feet by the end, but was awake enough to tell Rachel she was the best, before slipping off to bed!

No photos yet! I wasn't allowed to take my camera (which i am so gutted about! ) so i have to wait to get them from the local newspaper!

But that is and will be another post!

Have a great day all :)

Letting off some steam with her pals!

Bex BFF in the "Universe" is 12 today "Happy Birthday Hazz!" and had a disco to celebrate! Now bearing in mind all the kids went off to different schools in the area and now have new friends etc Hazz decided that she wanted to get all her last years classmates together for this shindig!
They had a great time - and it was so good to see Bex let her hair down and have some clean old fashioned fun, just hanging with her buds! So here are the pics of the best October beach Party!

The three amigos!

Rockin to Nickelback!!

Dancing together!
The entire class of '07!

Papa Bear 1 - School 0!!

I am grinning from ear to ear today! It is finally sorted out! My wonderful husband rang the school with his "voice of authority" asking to speak to the deputy head(DH). He was told "She will call you later to tell you WHY your daughter needs anger managment!"
His reply "Okay and i will tell her why she doesn't!" (Good start OMG!)

So after speaking to the school, Rich was told that Bex spoke over the nurse and the nurse took exception to this!
He told the DH that this, while not really the correct way to behave, was certainly not reason to put her on Anger Management!
The DH then said (this is classic!!) "But we need your permission!"
To which my beloved said "Well you don't have it!"
The call was ended with the following:
DH: "But you will be pleased to know there has been no trouble today!"
HUBBY: "What no trouble at all, with Becky today?"
DH "Correct, all has been well"
HUBBY: "Well it would be, she is at home today, sick!"
I really had to laugh at that one!

Meanwhile i spoke with Bex drama coaches, old school teachers and friends, none of them think she needs anger managment!
Her old teacher said "She is just a kid who speaks her mind. While she is not a bully, she will not roll over and be a victim!"

So NO she will not have anger managment.

She is feeling much better now and over her yukky bug. She's looking forward to going back to school too and hanging with her mates!

Standing up for what is right is not a crime!

Well i am calm enough to post today! I have had a hissy fit in the confines of my bedroom! I have shed a few tears in anger and at the thought of my poor 11 year old being given a label that is so for off the mark it's not funny!

I shall start at the beginning!

Bex started senior school knowing 3 people - B, K and M.
She is in the same tutor base and K and M. K is her best mate! M is a boy she neither likes
nor dislikes. B is not in their tutor but is friends with M.

K and B get the bus together and had a misunderstanding about where to sit!! So B and M start picking on her - little snipes and niggles but nothing she couldn't cope with.
When M started pulling on K's bag and hurting her by pulling hair and twisting arms Bex stepped up and told him to back off and leave K alone! So like any bully worth their salt they also decided Bex was now fair game!
Unfortunately they did not bank on the fact that Bex does tell me everything and this includes the bad stuff!
So i left it a few days after all these things do blow over, sometimes! However when K's mum (my very close friend) got a call from the school nurse saying that K had been there every day claiming to be ill, we all wanted to know why! She told us it was to escape B and M picking on her. This is when Bex said that M had been pulling her hair and twisting her arms. So we separately rang the school. We wanted it sorted!

The tutor agreed to sort it. Nothing happened.

The head of year agreed to sort it -M thought it was funny and continued to harass the girls.

The deputy head of the school sorted it! We finally thought it was over!

So when B found out they were in trouble she all of a sudden became quite "ill" and had to go home! Shocker huh!
She went back after a couple of days and got her stern talking to and punishment handed to her.
And again went to the nurse ill!

The nurse (in all her wisdom - or lack of) calls Bex, K and M into her office with B and tries to sort it out and make them all be friends!
(Bex and K had stated they did not wish to be friends but just wanted to be left alone, I am happy to leave it like that, she wont be friends with every person she ever meets in life!)
So when B tried to pin all the blame on Bex my girl told her "You are lying, i know it, you know it, so tell the truth or shut up!!"
The nurse has now decided that my daughter, who stands up for friends and what she believes to be right, needs anger management!

I saw red!! After Bex and K told me all this i was the one needing anger management! I was fizzing!

An 11 year old girl who can stand and say - "you are lying" without hitting anyone or crying for the sympathy vote, who is a fierce friend and ally does NOT need anger management. She needs praise in my book!

As i am far too close to this to be rational i'm sending Papa bear to school on Monday to re-educate them on our Daughter! How can the same school get it so right with one child and not another from the same family?

Am i right to be cross that the nurse interfered? Or am i not seeing the whole picture..have i missed something?
If one of my kids was a bully i would come down on them like a ton of bricks..but when they are guilty of being a good friend i will back them all the way!

Bex and K!! BFF!

*thanks for letting me vent - sorry to bore you all!*

Will 24 hours make a difference?

I am going to have to think long and very hard about my next post!
It's a bullying / resloving/ interfering kinda post with less of a twist but more an acute angle. Right now I am a cross, ANGRY, upset Mamma and i'm quite ready to tear heads off bodies and hurt some people who have dared to hurt one of my babies. So please stick with me while i gather my thoughts and try to calm down, be rational and post a fair recount of events this past week!!



*Please Lord - one peaceful, non-eventful week..it's all i ask!*

Rugby, Singing and Drama!

OK i know only two of them go together! I have to mention all of them though!
Rachel is hoping to be taken to Lake Garda in Italy next year for the school gifted singers choir! She is delighted! She is also auditioning for the school show of Bugsy malone - as is Bex. The same Bex who starts rehearsals for The Wizard of Oz this Sunday 10am till 4.30pm every Sunday till Christmas when she goes the theatre in Guildford to do the show! Tickets are booked ;)
Bex also played Rugby today for the school and was asked if she can stay till 4.30 as it will improve her game and help her get a place on the girls first team :) She is delighted with this news - and cannot wait till next Thursday to practise again!
So not only are my weekday evenings busy but now i lose 2 hours on Sundays driving her to and from Guildford so Bex can dance and act and do her thing! Good job she is good at what she does and will hopefully one day be able to pay for me to be in a really nice home!!!

She is the darndest kid!!

Which one? Oh Becky of course!!
I am the kind of Mum that bats for her corner all the way. So why oh why does she insist on being the reason for my grey hair? She will put me in an early grave i swear!!
This evening as i am helping with the homework (a chore she hates and cannot understand why she has to do it), and trying to make it painless. I look across at her and ask
"Why did William win the battle of hastings?"
"Because Prince Harold suuuuuuucked!" was her reply!!
So we are done with homework and all French european words are memorised, DT is done as is History. She looks at me and says
"Mum, can you have a word with my Religious Ed teacher?"
"Why whats up?" I ask totally unsuspectingly (more fool me!!)
"Well she asked what we wanted to be when we grow up and would it have perspective."
"and you said?" I ask (still totally impartial and ready to offer any help i can!).
"I want to be a CATERPILLAR and YES it will have perspective because some people wont want me to eat their plants!, My teacher sent me outside after that!"



So i would like to opt out of parent teacher night for her this year, I am scared what they may say!LOL. On another note though, Rachel has been invited to sing with the school choir at Salisbury Cathedral on Oct 11th to celebrate their 750th anniversary! Very cool!

New look!

Well i have gone for the Autumn theme on the blog! Hope it doesn't confuse too many folk! LOL. We are taking David laser questing shortly for his birthday treat followed by pizza hut! Sould be a lot of fun. Am taking the camera, I hope all the politically correct brigade don't stop me using it! Grrr! So i will add more later when we return!!

Kids in their get up!!!(it was pitch black!)

Pizza hut...
Rae had a HUGE salad!

David had his very own pizza!
Becky tried eating a jalapeno chilli!! ROFL

And he had an Ice Cream mountain (make it yourself!)!

I'm exhausted!

Ok so this week school is back into full swing for the girls with after school activities going on all over the place!!
School finishes at 3pm they do clubs till 4pm! School starts at 8.45am and we live 10 miles away l so we (youngest and I) have a lot of hanging out at the park after school!!

Rae's clubs are:
- Mon - Drama, Tues - Choir, Thurs - alternate weeks of Gifted singers and Jazz Band, Fri - Orchestra.

Bex's are:
- Tues - Dance, Weds - Football, Thurs - Rugby, Fri - X Country.
Bex also has Drama on a Weds from 6.30pm - 8pm and Sunday from 10am - 13.30pm.

They all swim on Friday night at 5.30pm.

Just reading all that makes me tired!

Tonight Becca ran 5 miles with the x country club! Rachel is going to Italy with the young and gifted singers choir in July next year!
And me? Well i get to do the driving and cheering on and pushing David on the swings! But you know what? I wouldn't change a thing! It is just wonderful to see them both doing the things they enjoy and taking a really active part in school life :)

The Little Guy is 9!

So today is the last day i will have a child in single figures! Yep the little guy turned 9! And what a day its been!!
He woke at 6am (quite a decent time really when i think how excited he has been!!) and opened his presents!
I collected him from school to be told...
"I answered a question RIGHT today and got sent out!" (i am slightly perplexed but anything is possible so i go ahead and "ask"..)
"Oh ok, so what was the question??"
"What do girls use more than boys?" (With a due sense of fear and dread i ask..)
"What was your answer, baby?"
He smiles at me like only a 9 year old, youngest of 3, only boy can and said
"BRA!!"
While i feel he was correct i explained whilst stiffling much laughter that it was not an entirely appropriate answer ...but was the correct answer??
"Well Mum it was really boooring...... Hair Straighteners...I like my answer better!"
I had to laugh bless him! Welcome to being 9!
Still upon meeting his teacher i was pleased to hear that David is well and trully one of the gang, he has a reading age of 11.6 years and works well in class, can be talkative but "is just a nromal kid!" I am so proud of him! Mr.W thinks that David is a delight to have and he is doing really well.
So we get home to more parcels and cards!
He had quite a haul! Even got the new Man Utd 40th Anniversary shirt that only came into the shops yesterday!! Lots of star wars lago, and mp3 player, warhammer (from Uncle Lee..the GOD!!), notebooks, pens, more lego..money, gift vouchers....dressing gown and two new horrid henry books!

the warhammer tank thing (i know all the names LOL)

The Man Utd Shirt!

Reading the cards!

The Dressing Gown!

Return of normality and a family truce!

OK OK i have been really slack lately! But i have been doing my own studies, working, assisting with homework, listening intently to Davids hourly birthday wish list updates and the household chores!
The first week back at school has nearly come to an end. All 3 kids are really happy and are doing well!
Becky is getting merits left right and centre from her new school. Rachel is having an audtion for the gifted singers choir at school. And David..well he surprised me the most! This time last year i was told that he had the reading age of a 5 year old....he worked really hard last year..he must have! His teacher tested him this week and now a week shy of being 9 he is a free reader! He can read any book in the school library and is off the reading programme! I am so proud of him! His current book is by Sandy Toksvig, called Hitlers Canary. He is really enjoying it!

And to top it all off, when i thought my youngest two would be fighting each other for years to come..a truce has arrived! No words needed.... If Becky bends down to his level to talk to him...this is what she gets.....

Back to school blues!

So the kids are back to school. Well two of them are anyway! I took these photo's for the grandparents!! Rachel hates hers but i think that is her age! The last one of David is "the hair" and how it was when he left this morning!
I am sure i am one of the only parents that hates seeing them go back to school! It hasn't helped that the youngest two started new schools today.
I watched Becca walk away with her friend, off up the hill and can admit i had a small tear in the eye, i was not too bad as i knew she had a friend and is the sort of kid to just get on with it..and if i am really lucky she wont have let her mouth get her a detention on day one!
David was another story! He is a fairly quiet little man and will watch for a while before making judgements on who he might like to have as a friend. He is reserved and insular at times. So i waited with him. He seemed tiny again. And i really felt my heart strings pulling as a waited with him. I went over where i would meet him and where to look for me. Then before he went inide i asked if he wanted me to kiss him (sometimes it's just NOT cool, i get that!) and he looked up at me with his huge brown eyes and said "yes please Mum"...four paces later my poor friend is handing me a tissue from the same pack she had used when we watched the girls go off!
I couldn't look back to see him..if he saw me crying he'd get upset, so my poor mate had to give a running commentary on how he lined up and went inside and that he was okay!
So now i am looking forward to 5 past 3..so i can collect him, hold his hand and ask how his day was. And tonight we bake cakes...me and my boy. Becca will be on msn with her buddies like usual.
So please 3pm come fast cos i want my kids back!

Yep that makes two!!

So i whisked Rae down to the hospital this morning and watched her walk. I told her " you seem to be walking on the instep of your foot, use the outside!"
She replied with "well i can Mum but i kinda feels clicky!"
Then we went with the consultant to see the x rays etc and not only has the poor girl broken her toe she has also managed to dislodge her growth plate!! No wonder it felt "clicky" :( Oops! So now two of us have broken bones this year. I am hoping we are done as a family!!

On a better note both girls had their hair cut today (photos tomorrow!!) Rachel has layers, lots of layers and a fringe (bangs!!) she looks so different! And Becca went shorter again and looks like....Madonna in the 80's Who's that girl..short blonde you remember! Well like that but dark brown but she looks like Madge! Scary!! Bless her!
We are off to buy the rest of the school uniforms tomorrow and i am helping a friend to overcome the new EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage..teaching nonsense!) stuff we have to implement! YUK!

Awards, Sleepovers and last swims!

Awards
Yup a totally random post title really but it does cover everything i think!
Well i received another award this morning! This came from Deb @ From Stilettos to Sneakers
I am new to her site but its such a fun read! Go check it out! So here it is..my prestigious award!

Apparently a 'brilliante weblog' nomination comes with a few rules, which are:
1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

So it is quite likely i will be passing this on but not at this moment, it's too early and my brain will hurt! So just a plain and simple thank you to Deb and to everyone else who stops by to read my blog and leaves comments! Makes blogging so much more fun :). Keep an eye out for the links!

Sleepovers
Becky's BFF came home from America this week so she went off for the day to their house. Until i get a call at about 3pm requesting the pleasure of her company for a sleepover!! So that was her taken care of!
Rachel had two of her BFF's over for a sleepover last night! I love her friends they are pleasant, polite and really make me laugh! She has chosen her mates wisely, after lessons learned in recent years she has finally got mates that like her for who she is and that do not compete with her!
So that left David and myself to our own devices! Poor guy was a bit like a spare part bless him! Must be tough being the only guy! Only one or two of his mates are allowed sleepovers so he doesn't have much nocturnal fun, like the girlies!

Last Swims
The kids and i have been swimming A LOT this summer. It has been real fun. Since their lessons began last year and they now "really swim" up and down the pool i get a lot more pleasure out of taking them. We dive and mess about, we race and do lots of underwater play! Normally spending anything from 2 -4 hours at the pool. (They get in for free since i pay for their lessons there!) Well i think today is our penultimate swim before school is back in :(
I will have to take them on Saturday or Sunday mornings again now which is ok but busy!
So today they have asked that i help them master the things they need to move up to the next level in their lessons!! It does help that i bribed them!! "The next one to move up a group wins £5.00" It's a good incentive and the money will be spent on swim things - new goggles or sinkers so its all in a good cause! LOL And i know they are putting a lot of effort in! hehe, bad Mum!
As you can tell i am not of the politically correct brigade and see absolutely nothing wrong with a little friendly competition. They have to learn that sometimes they will win and sometimes they will lose. And life is not always about just taking part. There will always be someone who can do something better than them...and perhaps even someone who they are better than at some things. But that is probably a whole other topic!! LOL

Have a good day all... I know i will!

Our new Nephew!!

Not that we are pleased with the latest addition to the family or anything but here are some of the photo's taken of Ben last Saturday when we went up to meet him!

The Sleeping Babe.

In his moses basket!

Looking to cute for words!I swear that he smiled at me!Don't they look pleased with their new cousin!