Thinking back over 2009...

as we say Goodbye - and welcome 2010 into our lives.

January was the month that my babies were all sick. I remember how poorly little Furry was, burning hot with icy hands and feet. Sleeping and not eating. Unable to walk down the stairs himself and needing to be carried everywhere. Watching him as he seemed to become thiner and thiner as the days went by. It was a horrible time and it certainly hit him the most. It took him a long time to really get over it and never really put any weight back on. He is still my little sparrow almost a year later.

Febuary I was on my walking to get fit mission. Did't last long!!! It also saw my boy turn into a teenager, and later in the year my other boy leave the teenage years behind. This month was a sad one - as it was the month we had lived a whole year without Nan. Seems hard to believe that it will soon be 2 whole years :(

March saw many of us celebrating Mothers Day - but thinking of those who no longer have their Mum's to hug. Mothers Day also was the day that Jade Goody lost her battle with cancer. Also this month Natasha Richardson died after a skiing accident - even though she got up afterwards - laughing and seeming fine, but a head injury was killing her without anyone knowing. It was around this time that my little Furry took a nasty bang to the head at school and his forehead sunk in rather than had a bump. Thankfully he was just fine :)

April saw my little boy turn 5. This month saw the 'birth' of Batman Bear - his beloved toy who he has taken to bed every night since. On his next birthday he wants to go to build another bear - spiderman this time. :) April also was when Swine Flu first hit the news and when Lew & Furry had their 'cool ride home' with the Heart Angels. We also had a fantastic week in Butlins this month and celebrated Easter eating too much choccy!!!!

May was the month that we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. 10 years! Can you believe it?! We also saw some really nice sunshine and had some nice days on the beach :) I also spent many hours worrying and trying to decide what to do about the boys school - should I move them or not? Sadly I shouldn't have worried as when it came to it there was no space for them anyway.

June saw my little boy turn 9 on the same day that Michael Jackson died. I became 21 again....lol and the weather was gorgeous. We had the BBQ at Mum & Mr. T's this month.

July was the month that my boy left his teenage years behind and became 20. I also took my baby boy to the theatre for the first time to see the Milkshake show. This month the sun left and the rain came, my boys got their school reports and it was all good. We also remembered my Nan on her birthday as we had to spend it without her :(

August started with us taking a trip to Haven. The weather was perfect and we all had the best time ever. Very sad to have it end. We also remembered my little girl on what would have been her 15th birthday. My boys went camping on the Moors this month but my Furry missed me so they came home in the night. This month was when I first heard my unborn babies heartbeat.

September saw school start after the summer break - and Zara came for tea. My OLDER sister turned 40 this month - ha ha ha!!!!! and it was also my Mum's birthday.

October was the month that saw Adam smash Lew's PC monitor (oh yes I am still on about that....lol) and Zara coming to Crealy with us - resulting in a very happy little boy :) In the news was the horrible story of the 2 children killed in a house fire in Ellacombe :(

November saw my baby turn 3. He is so grown up now! This month also saw many of us hooked to I'm a Celebrity and the X-factor. I had my swine flu jab and moaned about my bad arm over and over (sorry about that) and this month coughs and colds plagued my household.

December was the month where the colds continued and Furry missed a lot of school. We also enjoyed Christmas and are now sitting waiting for the year to end.

Happy 2010 everyone :)

Okay - so let's try some pictures :)

These were from Christmas Day. The first one if of Squirrel and his new 'baby' that he got. He has to feed him and burp him or he will cry. He decided it was easier to just leave the bottle shoved in his mouth....LOL! The rest are from Christmas Lunch.

Hope this works okay for you all...

Trying it out :)

So - how are you liking it? I have saved the old look just incase things don't look quite right to my 'readers'. So please let me know!

The header image will take a while to load the first time you visit - so please bear with it. The animation won't look quite right until it has run a full 'cycle'.

I will be back later with some Christmas pics :) This new layout gives me the option of adding some nice big pictures straight to the main page.

See you soon!

New Year - New Look

Be on the lookout for some BIG changes around here. As we approach a new year I decided it was time for a whole new look. So say goodbye to the layout of my blog which have been the same for a couple years now. I will update you all on Christmas etc once the new look is completed.

See you soon!!!

Better never than late...

Yep - I have changed the saying around a bit. Why, I hear you yell? Well simply because I thought I was lucky. I thought I had escaped. But now as I sit nursing a sore throat, a headache and sneezing I realise that it would have been so much better to get the nasty cold earlier so I would be better before Christmas :( I was awake for hours last night - sneeze, sniff - sneeze, sniff. You get the picture? But - looking on the bright side - Adam never got all hot and achy with his cold - so maybe I have caught his version and not the others???

Onto some better news - Matt got his phone back. It was found in the taxi and he collected it from the cab office. He was soooooooooo relieved.

I am still waiting for a Christmas pressie to arrive. It is small so should come with the regular mail - and I paid extra postage which is 'guaranteeing' delivery in time. So it better or I will be a cross. Is there mail on Thursday?

Catch up with all again soon.

Slippy...

icy roads and pavements. Not fun! Asda carpark was like a skating rink this morning. You had so many people almost slipping over. Little Squirrel sticks out his hand to Daddy saying 'Hold me' as he little feet slid on the ground. I was following behind saying 'Daddy needs to hold me too'....lol!

Matt went out last night and lost his phone :( He managed to leave it in the taxi on his way out. He called the taxi company as soon as he realised but they said to ring back this am. We rang back but they said to ring back after 6pm - but that the drivers are usually good and radioing in if they find anything in the cab. I guess the next passenger got in and saw it and picked it up. He still has almost a year left on his contract - but thankfully his phone is totally pin protected so no-one can call/text from it. Nightmare though as he is addicted to his phone - and it is one of the rare phones he has chosen that he is totally happy with.

Anyone watch SCD? I was so glad that Chris won. We watch BBC breakfast each morning at 6am so it was nice to watch him lift the trophy.

A bit of sad news. Brittany Murphy ( she has been in loads of films) died this morning of a heart attack at the age of 32. I remember her so well as the lead role in 'Just Married' with Ashton Kutcher. LOVE LOVE that film - it is way too funny and well worth a watch if you have never seen it.

That's all for now. Keep warm!

Still a sick house...

I need shares in kids paracetamol/nurofen. Furry has a cough still but other than that is pretty much back to normal. Same with Add. Squirrel is really bunged up and feeling rough. His cough is really nasty and his chest crackles as he breathes. His temperature is so high you could roast chestnuts on him. 20 mins after the good old nurofen for kids sees him cool down nicely and become a lot happier but as time goes on and it starts to wear off he starts to heat up again. Lew has a wheezy chest and cough and a bit of a high temperature too. He puts himself to bed here and there saying he isn't feeling good. Again a couple spoonfuls of 6+ sees him back to his usual chirpy self.

The tree went up today. It is not pretty. But Squirrel loves it. His is kind like that. He likes my singing too. Give him another few years and I am sure all that will change. I also wrapped most of the pressies today. Nice to get it done and out the way!

Popped into town today briefly. Needed a trip to Primark to get some jammies for my hospital bag. I will probably get that all packed ready next week. I like to be prepared and usually have it done by now. Town was so busy. And they had a big snow machine there which looked so much like real snow. All the kids around the street were excited and playing in it. My kids stayed home because they were ill so never got to see the 'snow'. :(

I am not very good at the weekly updates I promised - but here is this week:

From now on sleeping may be hard - getting comfy in bed is tough and turning over is a mammoth task. Also, your baby may well kick his hardest just when you settle down to go to sleep. That's because, when you are up and about, he is rocked to sleep in your pelvis. The moment you lie down, the rocking stops and he perks up and starts to play. The lanugo - the hair that covered your baby - now begins to fall out. Some babies are born a little furry! But don't worry, it will fall out over the first few weeks. Your baby's arms, legs and body continue to fill out – and they are finally proportional in size to his head. He weighs about 1.5kg (a little over 3lbs) and looks more like a newborn. He measures about 41.1cm from crown to toe.

Christmas Eve - a week to go...

as my lovely children keep reminding me ;) It does get a little tiring after the 30th time of hearing 'Do you know that this time next week it will be Christmas Eve?'... I mean hello kids - if I didn't - I do now, in fact I realised this fact the first time you asked me today. So QUIT asking me!!!!!

I have all my babies home today. Squirrel is all hot and so bunged up. Bless him. But he is happy. Adam was coughing all night but seems much better today. Lew has a cough and Furry is clinging on to the end of his cough tightly - refusing to let it go. He is eating today which is great!

Who wants to hear the story of Jack's Patch? I will make it short but basically we went there. 3 breakfasts were ordered and 2 coffee's (costing just over £13). 1 of the breakfasts was the share between Furry & Squirrel and included 2 pieces of toast. Anyway, they were frying the eggs and making the toast so told me to come back for them (I have never had them ask this before - they always bring it to your table). So I go back down with my tray and the lady points to three plates under the hot lights. saying those are yours, and the toast was balanced on top. So I transfer them to my tray - burning my fingers in the process as the plates were as hot as if they came out of an oven. I was trying to use the sleeves of my coat and they just stood and watched (thanks!!). And I carefully try and carry the tray back to the table when 'CRASH!!!' off falls one of the breakfasts and all the toast - smashing to the ground. Someone came to clear it up - moaning that the bits of broken plate were hot (ummmm...tell me about it!!!) and she went and told the server that we had lost one full breakfast and 3 toast. And, well, the cut a long story a little short - they never replaced our food. Thanks a bunch!!!

Anyway, my Ben & Jerry's is calling me so I'd better go and shut it up ;)

Friday...

they are forecasting snow for some. I will not leave my house if there is any hint of snow or ice. Forget school!

Furry went off to school this am, coughing but otherwise not too bad. I asked for him to be kept in at play/lunch play as it was so cold out. I got a call to say they kept him in at play but had no-one to watch him at lunch play so suggested I collect him and keep him home as he was sitting quietly in the book corner looking very pale. So I picked him up and he told me he almost fell asleep at school. Bless him. Anyway, after a lot of mess I managed to get him a Drs appt. They confirmed he had a fever and said although he was coughing lots his chest sounded good. His throat however was very red and sore looking - and although they said it was probably viral they gave him some anti-b's - just to be on the safe side. So although it may do nothing to help him it certainly won't hurt him. Fingers crossed he wakes up tomorrow feeling better.

At school today one of the Mum's asked if I would 'hold the baby' while she ran up to pick up her little boy as it was starting to rain (her little boy is in Furry's class) so I had a nice cuddle with 3 week old baby Hannah. She fell asleep and started to snore. Squirrel was quite interested in her, wanting another look at her face. Christopher was quite concerned that she had no eyelashes. LOL.

Adam has a free trip bowling tomorrow because his tutor group had the most house points in the school (he says most were from himself....lol!) but yay for a free trip!!!

Last bit of news for the day. You ready for this? It is big...

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you sure you want to know???

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I have to go shopping because on January 11th my little Squirrel will be starting Nursery. Can you believe that? Where on earth did the time go? I am sure just yesterday Christopher was starting Nursery!!!! So off to the School shop to get his uniform. My big boy!

So...

What did you think of the Xfactor final? Boring boring boring!!! Why on earth did the show need to go on for 2 hours? So many adverts and recaps of the previous night - I almost fell asleep. Paul McCartney was terrible. Leona not any better. Where was the funny auditions? They always bring the worst ones back to sing a song together. And no Christmas songs this year? And what about the result? Joe sure has a great voice and he is super cute and gorgeous but.... Olly just did something. I could sit and watch him for hours. I cannot help but smile when he was up there doing his stuff. They announced that Joe got 61% of the votes - meaning Olly got just 39% - so it was not close at all. So why are so many people saying that Olly should have won? Here are some comments from the news report that people left:

There was always going to be a North/South divide with Joe having the majority share of votes as the North will never vote for a Southerner. Ollie got my vote. He's charming and a true performer. I'd buy his album and see him in concert....Joe on the other hand has a lovely voice but for me, just doesn't have the X Factor. Hurry up and record your single Ollie, the whole of the South are waiting to hear & see you perform again and again and again.

I have found Joe, although having a pleasant voice, extremely boring. Any of the other finalists would have been asked if they were a one-trick pony, but not Joe, why? The winners song, which was chosen some weeks ago, was always going to suit Joe more favourably. What a shame I would have loved Olly to have won (and I have to tell you I will get a phone bill to prove it - although for the last 45 minutes of voting, the line was almost permanently engaged) I do love Olly and did so from the word go, he has a lovely personality, the ability to entertain and was versatile. Not sure who voted for Joe, but shame on you, there is nothing unique about him and most definitely going to be a Leon!! Olly you have a good future!!!

I won't go on about it but yes.

Furry had his class party today. But although his cold is better he has a really nasty cough - so he ate no breakfast, none of his lunch and none of the party food :( He asked for Lasagne for dinner tonight but when it was ready he decided he wasn't hungry. I had to make him eat a little because he is already skin and bone and can't afford to lose any weight at all. I had my bath and then offered him a choccy 'Freddo' which he loves. But he said 'Not right now thanks'. I commented on how pink his cheeks were and he said 'Feel my back - it is really hot' and it sure was. He had no top on at all but is glowing red. So yet more medicine to bring down his temperature. If he is still hot/not eating tomorrow I will take him to the Drs. Maybe he has a chest infection now - which would explain his fever and nasty cough. Thankfully no-one else in the house is sick.

Oh and as of today Matt is officially unemployed after 2 and a half years at Next.

Hello :)

Well, maybe I should start today saying that yesterday I left you all with the quick post of how I got a call to collect Furry. Well he decided on the way to the car that he would like to try and eat a happy meal....lol. So we stopped off at MCD's and he ate all 4 nuggets but no fries. So things are on the up...

Well, my car passed its MOT and was just advised on my indicator bulbs - that they are whiter than they should be - meaning that old getting old and need replacing. So that is good.

I got a call from the Dr to say that my iron level was 10.5 and they like it to be over 10.5 so left a prescription for iron tablets - but said seeing it is borderline they said I only need to start taking it if I feel I need it.

Now a little response to my recent comments. First - Tracey. I don't like to be the bearer of bad news but I have tried 2 years in a row to get my last bits and pieces delivered. All excited just like you. Until my order actually arrived. I am sure they take the oldest stock (where I like to hunt for the freshest date) and even though it was only 2 days before Christmas some of the stuff was best before 25th - not ideal on a pile of apples and pears! My cream was huge and again was best before 25th. They brought no potatoes at all - saying they had sold out. No coffee. Substituted a lot of my items for things I didn't want. I complained and they said they would come and collect the items I didn't want and refund them. Not much help! And the annoying thing is - I remember one year - my delivery arrived Christmas Eve. With no potatoes as they were out of stock. One of the kids was ill so we had to go out to Sains anyway to collect a prescription. The shop was empty and where I was told they had no potatoes I was greeted by mounds of King Edwards as soon as I walked through the door!!!! So I never would do an online shop at Christmas again. Instead we go a couple days before to Asda. They are open 24 hours so go late late when it is quiet but I can pick and choose what I want. :) Now onto my Mummy's comment. I have a little something extra too ;) But shhhhhhhhhh! Don't tell.

Got the call...

Got to get Furry :(

Well...

He didn't eat anything this morning. But he wanted to go to school so we could watch him.

When I dropped him off I stayed and helped him get his costume on (he hates dressing himself) and then me and Squirrel went and got a seat in the hall. We had to sit there for about 40 mins before anything started - and Squirrel was getting really fed up but sat on his seat the whole of the time. The show started and we didn't see Christopher at all. Not even a quick glimpse. We saw Zara, Jordan & another little boy go onto the stage and it was quite sad. They obviously gave the part of the 3 wise men to the three of them because they are always together but because Furry was off last week his part went to someone else. So all he did was sit on the floor and sing with the others.

The show went on, and on, and on. I was bored, bored, bored. It would have been different if I could see Furry but the place was packed with many standing as all seats were taken. I just wanted it to end so I could try and find him so he knew I was there.

At the end all the parents went forward to try and get a picture of their child and a quick kiss and cuddle. It was like a stampede. By the time me and Squirrel had squished and squashed our way through Furry had gone :( I was determined not to have sat through that for nothing so I walked to his class and went in so I could kiss him. No-one said anything but I didn't care if they did. So I helped him get changed back into his uniform and gave him a kiss. I asked him if he had seen us and he said No. So it was worthwhile going to the class so he saw us and he got Mummy to dress him too ;)

As we were walking back to the car we bumped into one of the Nursery teachers who asked Squirrel if was going to go play at Nursery soon. He gave her a filthy look and said 'No - pooh'. Thankfully the No part was loud and he had hid his head in my leg for the pooh part so I don't think she heard it. I said how we still haven't heard if he has a place or not so she said she will look into it for me - which is cool. Then she said 'What's his name again? I only know him as 'Squirrel' - or is he still known as Squirrel?' Quite embarrasing saying that his name is Oliver but that he is still known as Squirrel.

Tomorrow it is my MOT. Then my tax is the end of the month. Merry flipping Christmas!!!

On Sunday I am going to go get all my Chrstmas stuff. You know, chocs, sweets, crisps, nuts etc. Everything that has a long life date. Can't say I am looking forward to it but it will be good to know it is done. Luckily there is no need to worry about things for Christmas lunch! That is so good! No cooking on Christmas morning and just as important no clearing away all the dishes.

Catch up with all soon :)

What next???

Furry just woke up throwing up everywhere. He hates being sick and was really crying. I just hope it was a one off because of a gunky chest after having a runny nose & cough for so long. It is his play tomorrow and he really wants Mummy & Squirrel to go and watch.

Well he got cleaned up and went back to bed but started to cry because he didn't want to be sick again. I calmed him down and he is now sleeping sweetly. Fingers crossed he doesn't wake up poorly again :(

My baby is home :o)

Yep! I am pleased to announce the safe arrival home of my baby Lewis :) As I waited for him at school (the coach was late back) all I caught sight of was a bright orange blob dragging his bag along. I knew then that my boy was home (his coat is bright orange incase you were wondering!). He didn't stop talking, telling me how he built a raft, the type of knot they used, how he went in a canoe, had to make up his own bed ;) He said they had a shower today before they got on the coach. Hmmmm..... that muddy hey? I haven't been brave enough to unzip his bag yet! That can wait until tomorrow when I can transfer it all to the washing machine!!!

Adam had his PE detention - but the teacher had a meeting so it was cut short - meaning he was stood outside waiting for me for 4o mins. Thankfully it was not raining. Grrrrr! Whoops - sorry - I said no moaning.

The boys had dentist today. He was impressed with their teeth and how good they are brushing. They all got stickers and Squirrel was quite proud of his! Furry got tears in his eyes when it was his time to hop in the chair but he didn't cry and got a glowing report about the condition of his teeth. The dentsit said it is rare to see a child these days with no damage at all to their enamel and that you certainly can tell that he doesn't eat sweets or drink fruit juice/fizzy drinks.

Anyway. Hope you are all well. Catch up again soon :)

Moan, moan, moan...

Just feel like having a little grumble. Is that okay? If you do not want to read my moans then I suggest you read no further ;)

Let's begin with my moans for today. Got yet another letter from school about Adam's lack of participation in PE lessons. Up to now they have been on blue paper and he has had countless detentions after school, all of which really annoy me as it holds me up after school. Well todays letter in on red paper. Scary stuff hey?! I think they are really mad at him. Anyway, it said he has been placed on subject report for 6 weeks. That it is a legal requirement that he takes full part in PE lessons unless a doctor deems him medically unable. That he has another after school detention tomorrow. Yawn. I am bored by this now. Even when he takes his kit he pretends he hasn't got it. He hates PE. I hate moaning about it because I remember how much I hated it too. And the silly thing is - last week he was off for one PE lesson as he was ill and the other one we sent a note saying he still had a nasty chesty cough so could he be excused. Well no, he couldn't. They will take no notice of a parents letter - it must be a Drs letter. Okay then. Yeah. Whatever.

Next up on my moan list. Christopher went off to school today with his little packed lunch. It was only as I was leaving that I realised from listening in on a conversation (not that I am nosey I must add!) that today should have been his class Christmas lunch. And that he will miss out. Why? Because he was away last week when the letter was given out. Why could they not have given him his letter yesterday? It could have been paid for this morning and he wouldn't be the odd one out :( And can I also say still no reading for him in class. Failing school? No. They say the paper was unfair. I beg to differ.

Next we go to yesterdays moans. Had my hospital appointment and Daddy had Squirrel. Appt went well except for being used as a pin cushion. I had arranged to be picked up at quarter past by him (he had to go to Exeter - loooong story I won't bore you with) but was out 15 mins early. The weather was horrible. I was starving. I tried to ring him to say I am ready if you are around. No reply. So I rang again. No reply. I text him saying I was ready and the ring me so I could tell him where I would be waiting. I will try not to confuse you but basically he rang back. Said he hadn't answered my calls because his handsfree hadn't kicked in (it happens - we have the same thing and it happens to me too). He comes and gets me. Said he was driving along Hele on his way home from Exeter. (??? Not sure how that could be part of his route). First thing I saw was that his handsfree WAS connected - and if it doesn't connect it wont as you are driving along. Asked Squirrel if he had a nice morning and he said 'Nanny'. So Carl pipes up with 'Oh yes, I saw my Mum in Farm food car park so stopped to say hello'. So I said 'That was why you didn't answer?' and he gets all snappy saying I pulled into the car park - jumped out and the phone rang. Said got to go and got back in'. Now I was all grumpy and hungry and questioned how he was dry. The rain was pouring down but he was dry. He argued he was wet. Ummm...okay. The conversation gets heated. I say 'Why don't you just be honest about where you were?' he said he was. He got all nasty because I didn't believe him. I asked if he stopped at his Mums. He started swearing saying No he didn't and that he swears on my life he didn't. Anyway, basically he ends up saying he stopped in his Mums to use the toilet. Oh cheers for swearing on my life you didn't! He says he didn't go in. He just went in quickly. Huh??????? We went home. I was mad at him for causing such a fuss. For no reason. He lies about such stupid things. Why? I have said to him often to see his Mum as often as he wants. Why lie? For what gain? It makes no sense? Anyway. I go home and get in my car and go off alone. I am hungry and feeling sorry for myself and I cry. Lots. Being silly? Yes. But I was feeling sorry for myself and throwing a nice pity party.

This brings me onto my next moan. While I was in the hospital Matt text me to ask if I could pick him up from work. I replied with a text saying 'I am at the hospital so can't. Sorry'. He did not reply asking why or what for - just 'What???!!! What about me? It is raining?'. Anyway. So here I am driving around, crying like a baby and decide to go home and go to bed. So as I am turning into the carpark Matt rings and asks where I am and can I get him. I am crying and say 'No sorry. I have just got home and I am not going back out'. He didn't ask 'What is wrong? Or why are you crying?' he just started moaning about the rain and how unfair I was. I basically tell him I don't need to listen to him moaning and hang up. A few seconds later I get a text. I really thought it would ask what was wrong but it actually said: 'F*ck off - you emotional wreck'.

I have to start a new paragraph to say how sweet is he? And he still has not asked what was wrong or anything. He has not said a word to me. He has no idea what I was at the hospital for. Or what happened there. I could have found out I was dying for all he knows.

God I feel so blessed to have such a wonderful son.

I will be back tomorrow about Lew's trip. And I promise I will try not to moan at all.

Another Saturday...

Yay Gino!!!!! Wasn't is just 'fantastico' watching him get crowned King of the Jungle? And that makes his boys Princes. :) How cute!!! I am going to miss watching him each night.

So Saturday brings around another helping of the X factor. Not sure if it is just me but I am getting fed up with it. I watch because there is nothing else on - but I am not excited about it like I am most years.

If you are looking at the time this is posted and think 'What is she doing up so early?' then let me say that I have been up for hours. Got so fed up with not being able to sleep that I decided to get up and come downstairs. So if I fall asleep during the day it will not be my fault ;)

Anyone seen the Herald? Says it all really: http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/schools-told-better/article-1577954-detail/article.html *Sigh*

Anyway - I have sooooooooo much to do so I'd better carry on. Have a good weekend :)

I can't believe it is Friday tomorrow. This week sure has flown by. I think having the boys home Monday/Tuesday helped - as it was an extra 2 days that I didn't need to set my alarm for.

Christopher went off to school for his trip to see Santa yesterday. He was still bunged up and coughing - but he didn't want to miss the trip. He came home with a gift from Santa and said that he asked him for a trampoline and that Santa said he would try but was not sure if it would fit down the chimney or not ;) So lets see if Santa can work his magic!

Anyway - onto today. Furry woke up burning hot, runny eyes, sneezing, coughing and not eating (still). So he is home again. He will stay home tomorrow too - even if he seems better tomorrow. I think really he shouldn't have gone to school yesterday but he was determined to get to see Santa and ask for that all important trampoline! He had some medicine which help lower his temperature and so he has perked up a bit. He even managed to eat some sausage which is good.

Lots of sad news in the news. First of all Blanche died yesterday :( She was the best person in the programme and it certainly won't be the same without her. They showed a clip of her on the news from 1974 when she first was in it. It looked NOTHING like her but you could tell by listening that it was her. Same sharp tongue! Then today was the news that David Beckham's grandad died. They say he was very close to him and that he had a major influence on him when he was growing up and in his early football days :( So sad anytime of the year but just before Christmas is even crueler.

Well, better say bye for now. Lots to do and no motivation to do any of it ;)

Day 21

Okay so I know it isn't - and you all know it isn't, but Squirrel didn't care. He was not happy with eating just Day 1 on his Advent Calendar. So when no one was watching he climbed up and got Adam's Calendar and ate his day 21. No one saw him do it - he was very sneaky! But very honest. When I saw the door to day 21 open and empty I said 'Who ate Adam's day 21?' and Squirrel proudly announced 'Me. I did' and then he opened his mouth wide as if to give proof that it was in fact him.

That was all I had to share. :)

Sick House

I have Adam, Lew & Furry home from school today. They are seeming a lot better today though - so will probably be back to school tomorrow. Squirrel needed medicine in the middle of the night as he was burning hot like a little furnace. No other medicine has been given since.

So you celebrity watchers - who gets your vote to win? I am going Gino all the way.

Every Saturday (okay so I know it is Monday) I am going to post a weekly 'baby' development update. I get it emailed to me so I will copy and paste the contents for you to read too :) So here is Saturday's:

Your baby now weighs nearly 875g and measures 36.6cm from head to toe. Your baby's acting more like a newborn now, too. His eyes open and close, he sleeps and wakes at regular intervals and he may suck a finger or thumb. He will gain weight rapidly over the next weeks and, as the size of your bump increases, you may feel more breathless and tired. Sweet dreams, little baby! Some experts believe that babies begin to dream now. What do they dream about? No one knows for certain but the brain is active this week as well. The characteristic grooves on the brain's surface start to appear and more brain tissue develops. You may be detecting rhythmic movements, which is simply your baby having an attack of the hiccups. They are common this week and throughout your pregnancy. Your baby is breathing in amniotic fluid rather than air and an episode usually lasts momentarily. The sensation for you may be strange, but not unpleasant.

Well - best carry on with my work. See you soon :)

Cough, cough, cough...

Argggggggggggh! Let's run through the health status of my household.

Squirrel: Cough, cough, cough
Christopher: Cough, cough, cough
Lewis: Burning hot and cough, cough, cough
Adam: Red nose, sneezing, cough, cough, cough (and he didn't eat much today)
Matt: Cough, cough, cough (but he always does)
Daddy: Cough, cough, cough
Mummy: No coughing but getting a headache from all the coughing around me!!!

Rubbish, rubbish, rubbish...

That sums my day up perfectly. I think staying in bed would have been a better option.

Where shall I start? At how we were so busy talking that we took a wrong turn and got a little lost. And after ending up in the city center and trying to get back on the right track that we were too late for breakfast when we arrived at Tesco. Or that it was so busy there and the layout is so weird that I wanted to run people down with my trolley. And to top it off, a good point to make is that they were out of stock of the free Pampers Hamper. That got me even more stressed (I was starving and desperate for my breakfast) so we left with nothing. We were going to look around some of the other shops but I was in a rotten mood and demanded to go home. Then when I got in and was greeted by my wonderful eldest child, who was also in a bad mood so I HAD to escape the house again.

All is not lost. We went for a carvery where I ate so much I almost popped!!!! So my tummy is full and I am feeling a little happier. But not the day I had in mind.

Keep a look out...

for a new blog layout - coming soon! Well it really should be more Christmasy - don't you think?

Adam is home from school unwell today. He is all hot and sneezy/coughy. His face was glowing this morning when he got up. He is still eating - it takes a lot to stop Add from wanting food!

Furry decided that he will go to Kents Cavern and watch the Santa show. So that will happen next Wednesday. Then the following Monday (7th) is a busy day - in a not much to do kind of way! First of all Lew will be leaving for his 3 days trip to Grenville House. The house is going to be so quiet without him here. Then I have a hospital appointment at 9am. So Daddy will be taking the boys to school and spending the morning with Squirrel. I am not allowed to eat anything from Sunday evening (waaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!) and have to be at the hospital at 9am. Then they take some blood to check my blood sugar levels. Then I will have to drink a gross syrupy drink and sit still for 3 hours. Oh what fun! Then they will retake more blood. The idea is that your body should be able to adjust to the high sugar drink and return to normal levels within this period of time. Then I will be having my 'Anti D' injection before being allowed out and able to eat. So it will probably be about 1ish when I will be able to first eat anything. How on earth will I cope????? Daddy will collect me and we will go get a carvery or something. I will be ready to eat a horse by then.

Then - on the Wednesday I have an appointment at the Drs at the exact same time that they boys have a dentist appt. So Daddy is supposed to be taking an our off to collect them from school and take them dentist while I am at my appt. Thing is - I don't think Lew will be back for his - so it will just be the others.

While on the subject of teeth - Adam had his orthodontist appt on Wednesday. We were lucky and got a parking space (we all know how hard it is to find a space at the hospital) and we were in and out in 10 mins. She said she suggests he has braces - and that it will be the 'train track' fixed ones. She gave him information and an address label. She told him to read it all and then make a choice, and then let her know in writing what he wants to do. She said if he says No then she will see him in a year because by then he will probably have changed his mind as more of his teeth will be through. Anyway - he has decided that he wants the braces - even after reading how his teeth will hurt for 5 days after each adjustment, which will need to be done every 6 weeks.

Tomorrow we are off to Exeter for breakfast. I want my free Pampers Hamper and that is the closest place to collect it from. I like free things!!! I like all the goodie bags from Bounty too. You always used to get one Mum 2 be pack (which was not very good) and a new Mum pack (which was good) and then a progress box (with first foods in it). I found out they changed it when Christopher was born. You get the usual Mum 2 be pack and also an 'overnight essential' pack which is in the delivery room waiting for you. I remember how full it was - all full sized products too. And as soon as baby arrives you get your New Mum pack which is even bigger - crammed with full sized things again. Pass all the goodies my way. I love 'em!

Anyway, I better get on. Have a good weekend everyone!

Blast from the past...

I have a really strange dream last night. It was so real like and so how things used to be. Sit back, grab a cuppa and be prepared to be bored....lol.

My dream begins at the top of town. Just myself and Mum are walking along. But the town is not like it is today - it is like it used to be. I had on a pair of white zip up boots (I didn't fall!) and we first went into 'Littlewoods' for a breakfast. Jane was clearing the tables. Downstairs was 'Index' and we had a look around there. Then we went outside and across the road was Mothercare. We went into the 'Haldon Center' and into 'C & A' and the Gas showroom (where Game is now). We walked further down the street and passed 'Adams' and the little train was sitting in the doorway like it used to be. We went into Marks and Spencers (where Primark now is) and Woolworths. Chelsea Girl (??? Anyone remember if this was actually a real shop at any time???) and Etams. John Menzies was where WHSmiths now is. By the toilets was a shop selling what I would describe as 'older' peoples knitted cardigans etc.

Wasn't that exciting? It doesn't sound as good on 'paper' as what it was walking around and seeing it all again. We weren't walking around saying 'OMG - remember this shop?' or anything like that - it was 'normal' - if you know what I mean??

Back to present day. Christopher has a school trip to Kents Cavern to see the Santa Show on the 2nd Dec. But he said he doesn't think he wants to go as shows are scary. He is going to think about it and let me know. Bless him!

Anyway. Nothing to report. All is quiet in my house as I wait for my new phone to arrive and Squirrel builds a house with his bricks :)

Hello again

Seeing I have been coming and moaning and whining like a baby lately I thought I would update you all and say that my arm is much better today. Still a bit red and tender but nothing like it was.

However, there is another sad tale to tell. My poor baby Squirrel really is not himself. He had to have more medicine last night - and again in the middle of the night when he woke up shivering get burning hot. He was all achy this morning and then threw up. He seems to have perked up a bit since then and is happily cutting up paper with his kids scissors. He loves to cut. I am sitting here looking around thinking 'Gee - I have a task later picking all that up' but he is poorly and it is making him smile - so cut away my boy.

On the subject of scissors - it is such a good thing that he only has kids scissors as yesterday Lew was sitting watching TV (and not feeling 100% himself again) and Squirrel tried to give him a hair cut with his plastic scissors. Lew told him to 'Keep cutting' as it was tickling his head. But if it had been proper scissors Lew would be covered in bald patches now.

Anyway. That is all for now. Catch up with you again soon. Have a good Sunday :)

Boo Hoo....

If you fancy a good time - come to my house. Lew is feeling better today but Squirrel woke up all hot and not his usual self. He is sitting still (yes - you read that correctly - Squirrel is sitting still) and has little pink cheeks :(

Then I am moaning and groaning and feeling sorry for myself. Not that I like to complain or go on and on but my bad arm is bad. This morning I woke up and saw that now I have a red hot patch at the top of my arm. Getting dressed has become a hard task as it involves waaaaay to much moving of the arm. Decided against brushing my hair today. LOL.

It is the carnival at 4.30 but looking at the weather and the fact that my lil Squirrel is not feeling so good I don't think we will bother this year. Which is a bit sad as I was looking forward to my Hotdog from the Hotdog stand. Maybe I should send Daddy down to get me one. Okay so it would be cold when he gets back but I will eat anything.

Anyway. Have a good Saturday :)

Well...

on Monday I had a call from school to say that Christopher was not feeling well so could I go collect him. He came home and fell asleep. When he woke he had little red cheeks. He was back at school on Wednesday.

Today I got a call from school to say Lew wasn't feeling well so could I go collect him. He came home and sat curled in a ball, shivering. A dose of Calpol 6+ sees him feeling much better. Fingers crossed he will be back to normal real quick too :)

My arm is still really sore. It is all swollen and so painful to move. I have been saying off and on all day things like 'Mummy can't reach that, her arm is sore' so I now have the cutest little Squirrel who keeps saying 'Mumma arm sore. Kiss' and he plants a kiss on it. Little Lew asked if it was from where they took my blood to help others. I was like 'No. That never leaves my arm sore. Neither does any other kind of injection I have had'. It really is nasty. And when I see that they are extending the vaccination program to cover all 6 month - 5 year olds I think of my poor Squirrel having an arm so sore. I hardly slept last night because I couldn't lay on it. I cannot lay on my front anymore. Sleeping on my back is not allowed anymore. And now sleeping on my fav side is out too. Oh joy!

But I have to say TGIF!!!! To not have my alarm singing at 6am will be so nice.

Have a great weekend everyone!

I am a cripple...

I had my Swine Flu vacine today and they told me it can leave you with a sore arm and possible Flu like symptoms. Well so far all I have is the sore arm. And I mean sore. Boo Hoo. LOL. It just niggles if I keep it still but if I move it I yelp like a puppy who has had his paw trodden on. There is no bruise, no mark at all. It is more like the muscle in the top of your arm that hurts.

Enough of my moaning.

I haven't shared Squirrel on his birthday yet have I? I am bad!! Here are a couple pics to share...

Sorry the quality is bad. Blogger squishes them so bad.

The boys have Children in Need tomorrow so they wear normal clothes and do lots of fun things. Furry said 'Mummy - please may I do Children in need? I kind of took offence as if I normally don't let them take part!

Last night watching TV the aturdays came on (we were watching The Carpenters thing) and Squirrel kept saying 'Mumma' when the dark haied girl came on. I asked him 'Is that like Mumma?' and he was 'Yes. Like Mumma'. Awwwwwwwwww! Thanks baby!!! Then because I said he was a kind, sweet boy to say that he decided that was a nice thing to say and I became everyone. The model on the watch advert. Thanks babe! The hair colour ad. Thanks Squirrel! Then it was Rod Stewart. Ummmm...okay you can stop now. Billy Ocean. STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!!! Not cute anymore!!!

Well, back to Celebrity. Everyone - Vote Katie.....LOL! I like to see her suffer!!!!

A party & getting ready to say Goodbye...

to my 2 year old. At bedtime I will kiss my little 2 year old goodnight for the last time ever - and will never see him again. But in the morning I will be greeted by my new 3 year old!!! He doesn't really have a clue, but his brothers are sure helping him out. Lewis has been encouraging him for days now to keep saying things like '3 days' and then '2 days' and now 'tomorrow'. He happily walks around telling you 'tomorrow - 3' but he doesn't really grasp it. He is more excited to be having playtime at the Rainbow Fun House. He has been talking about that for days.

We got his cake today. I have been telling him for weeks that he can pick his cake himself. And me being such a nice Mummy - changed my mind. Well he wanted the 'Peppa Pig' cake - but there was only one left and the icing was all bashed and it looked horrible. So I picked up a nice Chocolate Teddy and suggested that one. 'Yuk' was his kind reply as it was to every other cake I picked off the shelf. 'Peppa Pig' he kept saying over and over. In the end I put the Chocolate Teddy in the trolley and said 'No. Have this one. If you won't eat it I will'. LOL! He is quite happy with it now - but is frustrated that he can't have it today.

Christopher went to Holly's birthday Party today. As it got closer to the time he started to cry, saying he wanted Mummy to stay with him. I told him I couldn't and that he had to go by himself and play with his friends (Zara wasn't invited which didn't help) and be a big boy. I told him we were not letting Holly down as her Mummy had paid for him to go and it is not nice. In the end he got dressed and agreed to go alone. When we got in there (Fuzzy Ed's in Paignton) he gave Holly her present and then stood behind me. I took his shoes off, put them with the other childrens and kissed him and said 'Have fun - see you soon' and walked out. We picked him up 2 hours later and he had had a great time. Holly's Mum said he was the only child to eat all their food. Yay Furry! He decided he wants his party there next time. Now let me just tell you that so far he has said he wants a party at: The Yellow Submarine (where he had it last time), Rainbow Fun House, Crealy, Woodlands and more recently 'Haven' or Butlins. LOL! Yeah - sure Furry!

Anyway, I will be back tomorrow with pictures of my 3 year old!

3D TV and not long now...

Next week is 3D TV on Channel 4 - so grab yourself a free pair of specs and get ready to see TV jump out the screen. Squirrel is all ready - are you???



Squirrel got his free specs from Sainsburys :)

Can you believe that is just a few days until my adorable little boy becomes 3? 3 is such a grown up age. You can do so much when you hit the ripe old age of 3. So many toys are from age 3. Nursery starts at 3. THREE! Just say it a few times. It even sounds so much more grown up then 2. Two sounds babyish. Three sounds grown up!

So what do we have planned for the little guy? Well he wants to go and play in the balls - aka The Rainbow Fun House. And the birthday boy will get his wish granted. We will also take him to Toys R Us. Maybe even a spot of crazy golf if the weather allows.

Anyway - I will be back tomorrow. Have a good evening!

Olly to win!!!

Up to now I have had a few I like - but at last I have decided on who I want to be my winner :) I just can't help but smile when I watch him! His voice is good, not the best I agree, but the overall performance he puts on it fantastic. His name is pretty cool too ;)

And just in case you were wondering about the new layout - yes - next year we will be welcoming a new little bundle of love into our family :) Wanna see???? This is our 12 week scan - but we were actually 15 weeks *insert shocked face*

More tomorrow! Off to settle my babies before The X Factor :)

Halloween...

has been and gone - so I am busy working on a new background to replace the spooky one we have here. Be sure to come back tomorrow for a very special new look :)

I can cook!!!!!!

Squirrel LOVES watching this on CBeebies! For those that do not sit and watch kids TV I will explain. It is where a few little kids (about 4 or 5) follow the grown up and cook something. It always starts off with her asking 'What do we do first?' and the kids say 'Wash our hands!!!' and then she sings a little song about washing hands.

Anyway. Today Squirrel made brownies all by himself! I asked him 'Do you want to cook?' and he got all excited. I asked him 'What do we do first?' and he said 'Hands' bless him!

Anyway, excuse the picture overload but here he is making his brownies all by himself!

Getting everything ready

He LOVED the egg!!!!

In goes the mix

Tip it all in!

In goes the water!

Tip, tip, tip

Mix it up!

In with that egg!

LOVE squishing that egg!!!!

Add the choccy chunks!

Tip it into the baking tray (boy that's heavy!!!!)

And finally - sprinkle on the remaining choccy chunks!

Then Mummy took over to bake them because 'With Ovens beware - it's hot in there!'

Hope you enjoyed seeing him make his brownies!

My poor boy :(

Sorry for yet another post today - but look at my baby :( This is what he came out of school like. A bashed forehead, a sore swollen lip and his nose had been bleeding :( You may need to click his pic to see it bigger.

Bethany was swinging him around in the playground and let him go and he landed face down on the concrete :( He screamed so bad. :**( A first aider looked after him and put a compress on his head. This happened about 2.50 - so I would have been sitting in the car park - totally unaware that my baby was distressed and needing me.

Orange & a picture

What a funny subject! Lewis LOVES the colour Orange. It is his new best colour! It used to be yellow when he was 4. Then it changed to green a year ago - now it is Orange. Squirrel got a new coat - a nice bright red one. When Lewis saw it he said 'Oooooo! That is nice Squirrel. It would be better if it was Orange but they don't do Orange coats so Red is good'. LOL. So I told him that I actually saw a bright Orange coat out Next. Now he is begging for a bright Oange coat. LOL. Lewis you would look like a walking Satsuma!

And here is a picture of my blue eyed boy.

Two posts in one day. I am spoiling you!!!!!

Two wonderful boys :)

It is that time again - parents evening :)

Christopher was described as 'lovely' and 'a very clever little boy'. His reading is 'amazing' and his ability to break up big, hard words in his mind and then read them correctly is 'unbelievable'. She actually said that he is verging on 'genius status' with his reading. He reads fluently and with fantastic expression. His comprehension skills are excellent too. I guess when I think back to how he started reading - all by himself - at the age of 2 it is hardly surprising. His maths is great too. His handwriting is getting better. But he hates drawing and getting himself dressed at PE time. During 'carpet time' she said she knows he knows the answers to all the questions, he is just too quiet to raise his hand and answer out loud. But sometimes he surprises her and she sees his little arm in the air.

Lewis. There is something about that child that just melts your heart. He is so little, cute and cuddly (know - this isn't what his teacher said....lol!!!). He just seems to find a way of grabbing your heart at first glance. He was described as 'a super little boy' who 'gets on well with everybody'. He is 'kind and caring' and 'nice to be around'. He is in the top group for all of his lessons. She said he was a very clever boy - his only problem is when he is 'away with the fairies'. She has put on his file that he has suspected 'absence seizures' and because of this will be given extra time to complete his work, and will always be questioned to make sure he is aware of the tasks he should be doing.

What wonderful boys I have :)

They had...

a great time at Crealy! Christopher & Zara are both so cute! She is so much bigger then him you would never believe they are the same age! They all played lots and got to carve pumpkins and bring them home. Here is Furry & his bestest friend - I chose this pic to share because you can see just how different in size they are :)

Squirrel, Squirrel, Squirrel! What can I say about my cute little boy? They had little tractors with trailers on the back. The idea was you ride your tractor around, filling the trailer with 'apples' (plastic balls) and taking them to the 'Juice Maker' - where you would pop the balls into a tube and they would fly out the other end. Well he had a better idea. A little boy got on one and was about to pedel off when Squirrel thought he would hitch a free ride - j...umping in the trailer. The little boy looked round as if to say 'Huh? Where did he come from!'.....LOL!

Back to the X Factor now. I am still trying to work out why Cherly is wearing her dinner plates but I guess it is Halloween and a day for costumes. LOL!