Casual Saturday.

Well today has passed fairly uneventfully, i like days like this.
Rae had a sleepover with a school friend last night, so i had to collect her from Alton at 1.30.

Becky is better than she was yesterday, (she was so sluggish and pasty looking i kept her home) but still not 100%. Her drama coach is a retired nurse and she is concerned about my baby! She even offered to come to the Doctor with us..I might just take her up on it!

David woke with a temperature so i plied him with Ibuprofen and he seems to be holding his own, he sounds throaty and tells me his legs are sleepy {pins and needles, but i prefer his way!}, so i am using that as a good excuse to keep him settled on the sofa ;) shh don't tell him!

I got my operation date through though, 8Th April, just in time for Easter aagh! I wonder if i give up an ovary i will get a special egg? Perhaps it is worth pushing for hehe!!

So with a chilled out, relaxed Saturday i can blog surf and cuddle up in front of the TV with a clear conscience!

So enjoy your weekend all. I'm off for a 3 person snuggle on the sofa!

Week 2 of the 52 week challenge.

Are you a mom? Are you missing from the pictures? Most moms I know are and now there is a great new meme that brings us moms out from behind the lens to in front of the camera! It's a lot of fun! Carin over at Forever in Blue Jeans set up this wonderful year long challenge that does just that! Brings us out from behind and puts us in the spotlight! And the best part is, is that you can start whenever you jump in.

Well is it really a week already? It has flown! However here it is for you all to see, week 2.

Myself and my youngest daughter Becky...

This was taken as we were messing around..i was trying to convince her that it was a good idea to do her homework! I can never get cross with her, she really makes me laugh, a lot!

2 weeks to go

Yes i have two weeks until i start my new job! Woohoo! I am really looking forward to the challenges it's going to bring and the new people i will be meeting! I will be helping to run a creche at a local health club, obviously there will be perks like not having to pay childcare for David in the holidays as he will join their kids club for free during my working hours. Very cool huh!

On another note i took a pic of Rae today and am soo pleased with it i thought i'd share it with you...I just love how at 13 she still looks like a little girl in this one!

Oh for anyone who missed out on my PAY IT FORWARD feel free to go to my good friend Sparkles who is new to blogging and is also taking part :)
Leave her some love and welcome her to blogland!

Pay it forward....

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise!

There's a small catch though....Post this same thing on your blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 3 comments receive thegift. *Don't forget to post this on your blog first,
then come back and leave a comment on this post!*
Anyone game?

I ♥ faces....

Well i thought i would have a go at this comp, this week it is B&W pics and i love, love, love B&W!

What do you think? My girlies! :)
I ♥ this pic!
And then there is the grown up one!!
My lovely self and my super best friend Beccy!

The way to world peace.

Well nearly! We have been doing some work around the house today and this evening Dad told the kids they had been such a help that they could have a MacDonald's (not had one for months and months!). So they were really pleased! So after eating their meals they were offered a pudding! Both girls wanted an apple pie. But oh no there was only 1 (yep ONE) left. Who should have it, would on of them give in to the other? No way! They resolved it with 3 rounds of rock, paper, scissors! The girl at the counter thought this was great! So did i until they proudly told me that they both have the same crush at school! So on Sunday nights they r,p,s to see who gets to fancy him for the week!! If only every dispute could be solved like this!! They just made me smile.


Becky went to the Dr. again today. We are waiting on the coeliac results still, next is diabetes tests and then onto the paediatricians.

Have a great week.x

New look..again!

I have played and played and now finally i am happy with my new look. Photoshop has been put away....for now :)

Mom is missing, a 52 week challenge...

Is a great new challenge created by Carin at Forever in Blue Jeans.
I love it because it means i have to be in the photos at least once a week on a Thursday..so one day my brood will have photographic evidence of me and them having fun together!
So here is this weeks....week 1!!
I love this pic taken by Becky when Rae and I were messing around in the living room! So now you see the girl behind the lens!

No answers but more questions.

And we have been given the ALL CLEAR with the blood tests, which in itself is GREAT news!

But (isn't there always one of them?) it does mean that Becky has to see the Dr again, this time on Monday morning at 10am.

Obviously i am ok delighted she got clear results..

...but a little niggle is in the back of my tiny, overactive mind now, what is making her lose 28lb in two weeks? She is eating well and healthily, still feels yukky after eating, but does want to eat. Still looks so tired at the end of the day and still only weighs in at a tiny 6 stone which is not near enough for her height of 1.55 metre!

Of course part of me thinks I'm worrying too much.. she'll be fine (won't she?). Part of me wants to give her chocolate, full fat drinks and lard a healthy balanced diet for every meal of the day. Part of me thinks I'm being over protective and should maybe let it go.
Am i worrying unnecessarily about her?

I think i mostly want a tangible answer to it all. Something i can try to understand, to deal with, and because i am her Mum, something i can make better.
I am scared I'm going to be told "We don't know why she is like this, but we will keep an eye on her" or "It's just the way she is."
She does not like feeling like this or being so tired and i do not like seeing her like this.

Patient, unwillingly.

“God's way of answering the Christian's prayer for more patience, experience, hope and love often is to put him into the furnace of affliction”

Richard Cecil quote

So results day is in...I knew the doctor would be busy first thing so we set to tidying a little in the living room and not going near the phone. At 10am I phoned for her results to be told by the machine that results are given out from 2pm! Honestly do these people NOT understand that i am not a patient lady, that i want to know NOW, that i tossed and turned a lot the past few nights and am tired and irritable, but mostly i want to help my baby and can't because i do not know what's wrong with her and wont be able to find out till this afternoon?
So i have had patience thrust upon me! I am aware that patience is a virtue but i have plenty other virtues and patience was never top on my list of priorities. Especially when it comes to my children.
Richards Mum and step Dad are coming for a visit today too. They are taking us out to lunch, which right now is probably the best thing for all of us, but mostly me! I hope Becky will be able to eat at least some of her meal, I also hope i do not seem too pre-occupied. But mostly i hope that when i call at 2pm on the dot we get the answers we really wish for, even if i have no idea what a good answer will be. I am sure its not BAD bad news because if it was they would have phoned up before now. Wouldn't they?

Is there anything you aren't good at? Patience? Forgiveness? anything at all? Can anyone out there relate to this?

I think i'm gonna like it..

at my new place of work! I start on the 11th March and after spending the morning there today i can honestly say i am looking forward to it very much. It is not as fast paced as my current day, meaning the children spend more time being children and less time being shepherded from one thing to the next. There is more time to play with them doing the things they choose to do and not making them do things that you plan or expect them to do. aaaah, listen, that is the sound of me..relaxed!
I have enjoyed my current job, the kids have been great, and i will miss them and the parents greatly but i will not miss all the paperwork or paperwork for paperwork's sake! Where one sheet should do we are using 3 or 4 and it takes us away from time spent being with and education in a fun way. I guess the fun has been sucked out of it and when that happens it is definitely time to move on.
David spent the morning at the kids club today (run at my new place of work) and i was a little worried how he would get on as he is quite shy normally but he was swimming this morning and after that did a dance session and hockey. By the time i collected him he'd made friends and was having a blast! I am really pleased about this as he will be spending his mornings/days there during the holidays. And the wonderful things is that it is at no extra cost to me. WOW i am so lucky.
So that's me all happy and chilled now!
Hope your day goes as well as mine is today.

Happy Birthday to my lovely man!

Yes indeed it is Rich's **th birthday today!! (Even i am not daft enough to post his age which is a bit different from mine!).
Hope you have a great day off with the kids and I. We have opened presents and will be cake baking shortly!

But before our day even began Becky and I were at the doctors getting her bloods taken. She was so good! She laughed and smiled all the way through, was fascinated by the vials filling up! And bless her heart even managed to thank the nurse on the way out!! haha yup "Thanks for stabbing me in the arm and drawing my blood before i have even had breakfast!" Gotta love a pre teen with a sense of humour!
And guess what? Yep i was allowed to take my camera! So being the caring loving Mum i am i took the mickey out of her, laughed at and with her and kept her laughing while i took pics of this special moment we were sharing. And since we are sharing here you all go...(I'd hate to think you were left out in all this!)...

Going in..

Drawing the bloods (she found this amazing and funny!!)All over!

Results should be back for Thursday so i will be sure to keep you all posted.

Please keep Becky in your thoughts today.

Some of you are aware that Becky (the middley one) hasn't been too well since pre Christmas. I found out part of the cause and posted about it here. She hasn't really made any health improvements of late though. When on the medication she was "going" but was losing weight f.a.s.t
so the doctor stopped her meds to "as required". She has had it twice since then but still gets terrible stomach pains, loss of appetite even though she is really hungry ( like when you are pregnant and you really want to eat because it smells so good while it is cooking, but when it is in front of you, you just aren't hungry anymore!), going to the toilet, not going to the toilet. She has confided in me that she is frightened. Frightened of being like this, of what it might be that is causing her to be like this. She is really scared she may need to go into hospital, she doesn't know why she is scared, she just is. Since coming off the meds she has lost another stone in weight so now weighs 6.6 stone. Even my un-medically trained mind knows that not good. So this evening we are back to the doctor to see if there is anything more he can do. I will keep you posted as to how we get on.

On a brighter note, when the postman came today he bought a postcard from the school. Seems Rachel is not the only one trying her hardest :) Becky's science teacher was so pleased with her homework she wanted to share it with us :) Becky is delighted to have recieved a postcard and i am just so very proud of her :)
In case you are wondering the homework was to create a leaflet about an animal and how to look after it. She created her's as a leaflet on how to look after "her good self" titled...
"What to do with your Becky when you get it home!"
Apparently it was original, witty, informative and very well thought out!
****Update on Becky****

She has lost 2 stone in two weeks, she is a lot underweight and we are doing a fasting blood test in the morning. The doctor is checking for e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g he can in a blood test. Results should be back by the end of the week.

A good week in the making!

Well i have been slack this week. I wanted to sit here and type. I wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. I just didn't. No idea why, every time i sat to type i felt like i really did not want to share what was going on.
So now I'm here. And guess what, I'm going to be offloading!

Where to start really.

Well Monday, A sad day but a good day! Monday should have been the 10th birthday of the baby boy we lost in 1998. Baby "J". So he was on my mind. All the whys coming back, the what ifs and maybes. Some things are out of our control. I guess there really is a bigger plan and it is not always the one we plan for ourselves.
I got a new job though so i guess he was watching over his ol' Mum!

Tuesday: Yup i accepted my new job and handed my notice in at my current job. It was easier to do than i thought so i guess it was the right thing to do. We had really bad weather in the UK. So floods everywhere and icy roads too! Drove the car through a deeper than i thought puddle. Killed it. oops. Told hubby, hubby not impressed. Bigger oops!

Wednesday: Borrowed BFF car to get to work and kids to school. Hubby still cross. Boss giving cold shoulder but to be expected i guess. Ah well. Half way through the week and things are not going my way!

Thursday: Hubby gets new car (second hand, will do for now car.) for me. Mother in car accident, she was rear ended! She's OK though.

Friday: Collected new second hand car, it's nice :) School is out for half term break so have a week off work! Went to dinner with one of my wonderful friends and her new man! He is lovely and it is wonderful to see her so happy with a nice guy. I really liked him, straight away. He is funny, lovely and it's easy to see he adores her.

So now i am here, arrived at Saturday and the week seems to be picking up..shame there is only one day left of it!!

Have a great Valentines Day all. I'm spending mine in peace and quiet with my 3 lovely children :)

My son the weather man!?

Watching my lovely son this morning I felt a surge of pride. There he was, ready for school, sat on the sofa watching TV. No dear readers, not the usual Nickelodeon / Disney channels but my dear smart son was watching Sky news! WOW my boy was learning about the world. Taking it all in. Listening to tales of woe, inspiration and disaster. As the weather came on he sat a little more upright. He was interested in a big way. He listened to the weather man, nothing was going to distract him. I smiled to myself and thought bless him, he will be a weather forecaster one day!


Then we had the following conversation..

D- "Mum, there sure was a lot of snow last night huh?"

Me - " Yes mate, but we had a lot on Monday and Tuesday and had 2 days off then didn't we?" (see I'm a fairly clever Mum and can occasionally read the inner workings of his little mind and the minute he asked i knew where we were headed).

D- "Yeah we did........So I guess we don't drive to Alton (10 miles north of our home with very little snow) via Plymouth (only 188 miles to the west with 8 or 9 inches of snow!) to get to school then?!"

The things they will do for another snow day!!!

We're having snow much fun!

Thought i would pop some photos of what we got up to today :) I have really enjoyed spending the past two day with the children. But i did get a little upset when we were out in the snow this morning and a bit of a storm blew up. I begged them to let me take them home but they refused!
Here's what we did today:

Super Snow Not ME Monday!!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So as for "Not Me Monday" well here is what i cannot be blamed for or laughed at for because i did not do:

I did not pray real hard for lots of snow because i did not want to go to work, so i definitely did not do a dance with the kids when it did snow!
I did not get stuck on an icy hill while we were walking and have to be rescued by my twelve year old daughter while my thirteen year old daughter threw snowballs at me! I did not break a branch off a tree when i grabbed at it to save myself from falling. I did not fall anyway and hurt my butt!
I did not forget printer ink on Saturday causing my wonderful husband to drive over 20 miles to get some on Sunday.

I did not spend most of last Tuesday in tears because i had a sick child and while my super friend did not take care of her idid not go back to work as i was not made to feel guilty about not being there due to ratios. I did not feel completely awful and useless as a parent. I did not promise never to feel like that again EVER.

***~***~***~***~***~

Ok here are some pics of our snow day! The kids had the best time playing and sledding, and for once it was great for them to have a "decent" amount of snow to play in!! They are also off school tomorrow as the schools have put notices up saying they are closed due to the "severe" weather warning that is in place! Anyway here are some of our pics from today.

*Newsflash*

Just a quick one but the weather dictates a celebration of mammoth proportions in our home as of 6.30am..the school websites say:

School Closed Due to Weather!

I currently have 3 delighted children who are smiling as if i told them we are having another Christmas!! It is David's FIRST ever snow day..guess i am hunting for the sled ;)
Watch out for photos :)