At the supermarket with 2 monsters

Do your children embarrass you when you are out?

I have my 2 older children at 11 and 13, they don't really embarrass me when we go shopping now unless Calvin decides to run down the aisle and do a big skid along the floor.

When they were younger I remember one funny but embarrassing trip to the supermarket. They were about 7 and 9 at the time. I got one of the trolleys, headed into the shop and calv asked if he could push. We must have been in there for 2 minutes when I heard Calv crying and Lauren laughing.


I looked around, and Calvin was lying on the floor with the trolley on top of him. He had somehow tipped the trolley over backwards on top of himself with the handlebar lying across his chest!
I decided it best if I pushed. 5 minutes later the pair of them were running up and down aisles when suddenly and inevitably they collided and Lauren somehow knocked one of Calvins teeth out, there was blood everywhere!
This was all in the same shopping trip, looking back it makes me laugh!

So today, I went to the supermarket with Charlotte and Finley. I am aabout to start potty training Charlotte so bought her a pack of 5 Peppa Pig pants. She likes to hold something whilst she is in the trolley as it stops her poking Finley, so I gave her the pack to hold.

Within minutes, she had opened them and was wearing some on her arm and a pair on her head. I was getting funny looks of others, but as I always say, better to do it now than when she is 18!

It is not just my children that embarrass me, my dad is a right one for it.
My mum has a heart condition and can not walk far so has a wheelchair. Whilst on holiday with my parents last year, dad was pushing mum along and trying to eat his icecream at the same time. Without thinking he let go of her wheelchair on a slope to concentrate on getting the wrapper of his cone and mum rolled away and ended up in a gutter. She was not best pleased.

The next day, mum wanted to walk, so Calvin decided he would have a ride instead. When Mum got tired, without thinking, dad said to Calv, 'come on, out you get' and tipped him out the wheelchair! there were some strange looks as people watched my dad tip a seemingly helpless boy out of a wheelchair.

How do your children or parents embarrass you when you are out?

Week 4 March, my week!

My week, with fun factor ratings!

SORRY..... did not update last week but have a very good excuse. My lovely brother and his family moved to another country yesterday and I wanted to spend as much time with them as possible before they went.

OK, so they have moved to Wales which technically it is another country, it will take us 7 hours to drive there in which time I could have flown to New York!

 

My brothers daughter is just 7 weeks older than Charlotte and it was so sad when they said goodbye to each other as they don't realise it will be a few months before they see each other again. They are the best of friends and spend so much time together. (wipes away a tear)!

 

 

Best friends x x

 

So what exciting this did I do this week? Lets sum it up......

 

Bought a new Animal Dyson Fun Factor 5,  

Used my new Animal Dyson Fun Factor 8, Yes sad I know!

Met up with 'baby group' mums, Fun Factor 8,

Made butterfly cakes Fun Factor 8

Ate butterfly cakes Fun Factor 10,

Said goodbye to my brother Fun Factor 0,

Hired boat on Norfolk Broads Fun Factor 8

Big family meal and BBQ Fun Factor 8

Watched dancing on Ice Final Fun Factor 7

Fun fun fun with my monsters all week! Fun Factor 10

 

As you can see, I rated the fun I had with my new Dyson Animal an 8/10. I hoovered in the morning with my existing Dyson, and then had to give it to a tenant. Realised I was not getting it back and had to get a new one.

When I used the new one, I was seriously amazed at how much dirt it sucked up even with what I thought were clean floors. It was mainly hair from my 4 cats, but WOW amazing stuff!

 

Well, this week I have not got too much planned. Finley has suddenly outgrown all his clothes so will have to go on a bargain shopping trip I think.

 

WEIGHTLOSS UPDATE!!!!!

I have lost 0lbs this week, but also have not gained any either.

My mini goal is to lose 1 more lb, my big goal is to lose 15lbs.

Allergic to being pregnant!

Allergic to being pregnant!!

In all 4 of my pregnancies I have suffered from Hyperemesis Gravidarum, a severe form of sickness not to be confused with morning sickness.

I knew I was pregnant with Lauren instantly, I was being sick from 4 weeks pregnant and really struggling. I was admitted to hospital at 5 weeks pregnant and put on a drip and medication. I was readmitted countless times, I was being sick up to thirty times a day, only easing off at around 6 months to a couple of times a day. I carried on being sick until she was 2 days old.

The same happened with Calvin, except I was far worse. At the time the BBC were about to embark on a huge project, due to my illness, I was chosen as one of 22 mums to be followed by the BBC for a new documentary on millenium babies. Calvin was due around the start of the millenium. I was filmed at scans and on my many stays in hospital. calvin ended up being born mid October weighing just 3lb. When the first programme went out i was glad it highlighted hyperemesis.

So, When I discovered I was expecting Charlotte everyone wondered if i was going to be ill again. Well, at 5 weeks pregnant I had the first of many visits to hospital. It had been 10 years since my last pregnancy and the treatment seemed more sympathetic which was good. Again, I was sick until Charlotte was 2 days old.

When I found out I was expecting Finley, my first thought was how would I cope being sick and with a baby and 2 other children. I visited the doctor straight away. He was fantastic and said that as I knew more about the illness than him, he would take guidance from me. I asked for a specific medication which he agreed to. I made it passed 5 weeks without being in hospital, and still no-one knew I was expecting.

Amazingly I made it to 12 weeks before the sickness kicked in badly and back off to hospital I went.

People think I am mad to have done 4 pregnancies knowing how ill I would be, and they are probably right.

After Calvin, I said never again, this time I really do meant it!

CSA update number 1

Well, though I would give you an update on where I am at with the CSA.
Have a read of my First article on CSA here.

Quick history of me and CSA:
* 2 children with ex, split up 10 years ago. Decided not to use CSA but said if he missed a payment then I would use them. He missed a payment so used CSA until last year.
* Previously he has missed many CSA payments but sadly they are never chased by CSA.
* Ex decided to set up own business 5 years ago, he pays his own wage so only lets CSA see what he can get away with.
* last year, Ex asked me to do a private arrangement of £140 per month instead of the £2.50 per week per child the CSA had decided. He insisted I cancel using the CSA.
* I cancel CSA, he tells me he won't pay after all. I have so far not recieved any money for over 1 year and he is very much in arrears.

December 2010, I wrote to the CSA to reinstate and currently in the awful process of trying to get something to happen. So, this is where we are now..............

3rd March So, I spoke to the CSA and told to expect a call within 5 days. I assumed this to be working days. Surprise, heard nothing!

11th March, enquired as to where my phone call was and informed I have not been allocated a case worker yet so can't get a phone call. Also told that as he claims to earn less than £100 per week, I cannot get any arrears paid to me either

22nd March, I called to see if I had been allocated a case worker yet, and told no. Again, told to expect a phonecall in the next 5 days.

Will keep you posted next week!

Would love to hear your views on this, thanks.

The first time I had all my clothes stolen!

When I was 19, I set off travelling on the other side of the equator. The plan was to go to indonesia, Thailand and then Australia for 6 months, and that's just I did. The 6 month deadline came and went as I was having so much fun, working and enjoying the Aussie way of life.

My sister Amanda, 20, decided to spend her 3 month holiday from Uni, visiting me. I had saved some money for her visit, and we bought ourselves an old people carrier we called Redvan!

We made little curtains and kitted it out for our adventure, we had a fridge, and a big trunk with all our belongings in it, and a rucksack full of clothes, plus 2 sleeping bags. One of the window catches was missing so we superglued the windowshut! Where the catch was missing, we filled the hole with Fart Putty!We set off from Canberra which is where I had been based, and began our fun!!

Every night, we would sleep in our van, it was cosy but would get really hot. We bought some mosquitto nets and sellotaped them round the open windows at night to try and keep us cool and the bugs out.

We didn't have much money but that made it more exciting, we would go the the all you can eat at PizzaHut every week and literally fill ourselves up on food.We stayed at campsites, and sometimes just outside a campsite and would sneak in for showers.

One night, after 6 weeks, we decided to treat ourselves to a night in a motel. We set off for the pub that night armed with our passports for ID. We were still wearing our bikinis from earlier in the day, with a vestm skirt and flipflops. We had a fab night and enjoyed sleeping in a proper bed rather than a metal floor.

The next morning I enjoyed  alovely shower and as I sat in my towel our motelroom phone rang. It was the manager informing us that the side door to our van was open. I ran straight outside to the carpark, still in just a towel, and could already see that we had been broken into. All our clothes had gone, the camera and 1 sleeping bag.

What could we do? We went to the police station to report the incident and laughed as we said 'all our clothes have gone'! We had what we were wearing and that was it. It is so expensive to replace everything, even underwear soon adds up.

We stayed in the van for another coupl eof days, but the trip had lost it's sparkle, so we headed back to Canberra, having travelled over 10,000km around the country.

Little did I know that years later I was to suffer a similar fate!

My week, with fun factor ratings!

Hooray, it is Friday today, infact today is Comic Relief, which means an evening infront of the telly being grateful for the life that I have.

Since being made redundant 2 years ago whilst expecting Charlotte, I have not worked. We struggle moneywise, but if we can 'get by' then I will stay at home with the 2 little ones.
I had a good career and had a stressful senior management role previously, so sometimes I get sooo bored! I have to come up with ways to make my brain still feel useful, like watching Countdown and doing the numbers games and making up useless spreadsheets!

So what exciting this did I do this week? Lets sum it up......

I spent some Xmas vouchers and bought a new pan! Fun Factor 4
The car had it's MOT! Fun Factor 2
OOh, rang CSA! Fun Factor 1
I went to the butchers and bought some sausages to cook in new pan! Fun Factor 4
The cat bought a live bird in! Fun Factor 0, Fear factor 8
We ate sausage casserole with sausages from butchers cooked in new pan! Fun Factor 4
I took my brother to A&E with a broken arm! Fun Factor 7
Dyed Calvins hair green for Comic Relief! Fun Factor 9
Fun fun fun with my monsters all week! Fun Factor 9

Yep, that's how fun my week was!

Charlotte is coming up to 2, and boy is she heading for the terrible twos already! She is so mischievous and I have to try hard not to laugh when she does certain things. For example, this week I have found myself saying the following:

Charlotte, Finley is not a horse, don't sit on him!
Charlotte, why is there ketchup in your hair?
Charlotte, why is there ketchup on the window?
Charlotte, did you put these strawberries in the washing machine?
Charlotte, the cat does not want you to draw on him!

Cheeky Charlotte

So, the weekend is upon us, I am hoping to practice making easter eggs this weekend! Sounds very adventurous, I worked in a chocolate factory many years ago and made eggs there, so Lauren and Calvin want to attempt their own this year. Pictures may follow!

Have a fab weekend too...........

OMG, the cat just brought a LIVE bird in!

Seriously, I was about to write a post just now about my week, when the cat came in with a living breathing blackbird in his mouth! I did strart screaming like an idiot and was flapping around more than the bird was.

Charlotte was looking at me as if to say 'what is wrong with you mummy'?.
I could see the bird lying on the floor still breathing, I do prefer it when they are dead as I hate to see them injured. As I got closer to the bird it suddenly got up and started flying round the room, which Charlotte thought was hilarious! I did not!

It flew into the hallway, where one of my other cats was waiting, I quickly opened the front door and the cat ran outside with it.

I have 4 cats who I love dearly, I just cannot deal with the animals they bring in. It is only occasionaly that they bring a bird in, pigeons are the worst due to the amount of feathers and ooohh, the blood.

They do bring mice in, and leave them under the same chair all the time. Actually, when Charlotte was born, for the first few weeks they kept leaving dead mice next to her moses basket, it was quite gross but also sweet.

The worst thing they have ever brought in was a squirrel, god only knows how they managed to catch the squirrel as they are nippy little things.

Phew, morning drama all over now.