Ugh to parenting.

Middle boys want to go to local soft play centre - a Saturday pootling at home had been planned, but they are bored and restless and in need of something else.
No.1 is having a rough day - full mornings in school for five days have taken their toll and he is in need of (and happy to be) just being in his room building lego and listening to Harry Potter.
Middle boys crushed at once again bowing to No.1's incapacity. They don't resent him, but the resigned acceptance makes me feel really really rubbish.
Bah.

Evil wagon wheels.

There is a new multi-pack of wagon wheels in the cupboard; they were on offer and it would have been prosecutable by law to leave them on the shelf at that price. But they seem to have extraordinarily loud voices for such well-wrapped biscuits. They seem to know just how long it is since I ate one (about ten years), and are doing a little rustle-shimmy every time I go near the cupboard, trying to lure me in.
Gits.

Four at Bedtime fun.

The biggest problem with four children? The juggling. For instance - bed time tonight. C's in studio working, so bedtime was all mine. Which 99 times out of a 100 will be easy, fine and dandy. Today Jolly came home from school with nasty high temperature - and Pink has been in a manky mood all afternoon.
So 7pm rolls around, and the routine commenced - first off from the blocks was Pink - bathed, storied, bedded happily - until I leave the room, when she starts to moan. Not proper crying, just a nasal, half-hearted aaa-ha-ha-ha-ha-aaah that goes on and on and on. And on.

Eventually gave in, and went to her. just had her lying quietly and stroking her back when Jolly started calling me. On High Sick Alert I dumped her and ran to him.
Whilst settling him (no sick, just headache) No.1 started shuffling to the bathroom and playing the Victorian-lady-in-a-decline drama. I realised he had sopping wet hair from the bath, so whisked him off for a hairdrying session (whilst giving him a stern too-old-for-dramatics-perfectly-capable-of-drying-own-hair talking to). He flounced off in a temper as Boy appeared asking for his hair to be driedis kicking up with mucho gusto.
Then no.1 reappeared sheepishly requesting a hot water bottle.
At which Poorly-Jolly called he'd quite like one too....
I flounced and huffed in a grandly adult way and No.1 flounced back to bed in high dudgeon.
Two hot water bottles later (talking to Pink in sing song voice from downstairs assuring her mummy may be back some time before midnight), and Jolly is settled, and No.1's room is in darkness as he has sulkily decided that though I had said 'Get To Bed' he had heard 'Go, Get out, Leap into bed, Switch off all lights, Sleep instantly and do NOT let me see you again till morning'.
Long chat with The Drama Queen No.1 ensued, and grumpiness resolved into pleasant good nights - finally leave him reading quietly.
Returned to Jolly ( noticing on way that Boy is still listening to his mp3), and he didn't want his hot water bottle after all (grrr) - but his temp is climbing, so prolly good thing. Settled down sadly to try and sleep.
By this time Boy has thought better of himself and decided that with the mood Mummy is now in he'll err on the side of caution and whisper a sweet goodnight after packing himself up promptly.
Pink is now silent, so am not going to go investigate in case she starts up again.

Why do they always do it on the nights C's working?

AND I haven't cleaned the kitchen yet, can hear the debris from four children's pizza making laughing at me from here.

sigh.

Hating the potty...

So Pink hates the potty. She has perfect control - we don't have accidents, not at all.
But.
Try and get her to actually wee on the potty or toilet?
Not a hope. She hasn't had a nappy on since she got up this morning. She has drunk two full beakers of pure orange juice (necessary for the constipation which is a story for another post). And still she hops from foot to foot, clutches herself, squeaks for a nappy - but magically the wee is 'all gone' as soon as she is forced/bribed/tricked into sitting on the potty. We've been on potty watch, playing this merry little potty-on-potty-off dance for the last two hours. I have two Waybuloo stickers of my own for successful wee trips to the toilet. Big brother has read countless stories whilst she sits on the potty. We have watched unending back-to-back Spongebob and Waybuloo.

Sit she'll unwillingly do. But she point-blank refuses to go.

How long can she possibly last? Am I damaging her forever by not giving in? Will I damage her forever if I do? Will I ever get anything else achieved today?

Sigh.

Can I swap her for a blue one please? They were far easier to train...

A Very Good Day

Spent the morning drinking coffee with the man, and slow-roasting a shoulder of lamb with all the trimmings. Family lunch with the inlaws - the lamb with peas, home-grown carrots, french beans, perfect (huzzah!) roasties, and onion sauce (too thin) followed by apricot and apple crumble, custard (too think) and ice cream (not mine).
Then a peaceful coffee whilst Bumpa was nabbed by Pink, No.1 whisked Gangy off to his room to admire the latest Lego creation (spaceship with docking port and holding bay in case you were wondering), Boy and Jolly disappeared into the garden with a Big Plan in their eyes... so I sat down with my book and my coffee. Marvellous!
Then we played Junior Monopoly, two rounds of Tell Me (one hilarious one with Boy as adjudicator - "I am NOT going on until you all pay attention".. "I sanybody actually LISTENING to me?", a small freeforall boys wrestling session, sleeping tigers, cushion islands in shark infested waters, and Freeze! (which was supposedly a nice quiet winding-down game but turned into a riotous noise-fest which had to be abandoned due to hysterical giggling. And that was just the parents and grandparents.).

Crumpets for tea, and a quiet post-children evening discussing Life with the in laws. Happy Rainy Day Sunday.

Grrrowl

Have been busy, and forgot all about this lovely little blog. But instead of feeling the pressure and guilt of all the catchups, I'll do them as and when necessary, importing from other places - and just keep right on posting, jumping right in form where we're at.

So. Where are we?
Me - 35. married since I was *just* 18 to the same man. Four children. Love to read, love to write, love to walk and talk and laugh. Love Life.

C - photographer, friend and comedian. Love him.

No.1 - 10 year old son, diagnosed with ME (or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome this year). Amazing, bright boy (no, really, officially Gifted and Talented, they tell me), unbelievably clever at lego modelling and creating stop motions - and equally unbelievable talent at talking non-stop for very long periods of time on Very Dull things.

Boy - middle son, aged 8, stringbean with tin ribs, never stops moving, loves to run, dance, sing, jump and be happy. Clown of the family, utterly passionate in all he does, wears his heart on his sleeve, life is lived at headlong pace, moral compass is physically attached to Magnetic North, our own Enid Blyton 1940's boy. Just makes the world a better place.

Jolly - youngest son, 6 - soft, sensitive, loud, liquid giggle, likes nothing more than cars, soldiers, playmobile knights and his family. Lives in a cloud; inside the daydreams is a very sharp brain, we are told. But difficult to know for sure through the fluffiness. Contented like a cat whenever he is held, but one of life's worriers.

Pink. The Girl, 2 - and headstrong, wilful, opinionated and the princess of the family. Charms all who meet her, very very bright, sparky, meltingly beautiful when she smiles... and totally adored.



There. Enough for today - Tea and sunshine needed.

mmmmmmmmmm.....

My man did bring me a bar of the new Cadburys Cranberry & Granola. Anyone else in love yet?
yumyumyumyumyum...
And no. You can't. Go buy your own. It's all mine mine mine.

rottweilers and children.

What would your instant reaction be if I said we were considering getting a rottweiler puppy? And in addition to that question, do you/have you owned a dog?

First off, don't misunderstood me, we're in no way novice dog owners thinking a rottie would be 'way cool' for a pet. We have looked at many many breeds of dogs (did you know the most common dogbite injury in the UK is caused by a labrador?), and we just keep coming back to the rottweiler.
We have waited for two years since Holly died, considering when/if/how would be a good time for a new dog. We both adore rottweilers, and actually contrary to popular perception, they are one of the best family pets you can have. IF you're prepared to cope with the size and demands of a giant, sensitive and highly intelligent breed of course. As for having the time - thats half the point. To MAKE us take time away form the puter, to get us outside and walking. Taint no way you can ignore a rottie in need of some attention!

I think people fall into three camps - we have yet to speak to someone who has owned a rott themselves who doesn't say 'best dog we have EVER had'. Those who know 'of' a rott tend to cautiously say 'they're okay, but...'. And those who have no personal experience of them tend to suck their teeth in horror and try to persuade us that a lab would be far more suitable!

We're not idiots, and not rushing into anything. Our reasons are many and varied, and as long as we know we're going into dog-ownership (breed is irrelevant for the main decision) responsibly, the choice of breed is down to our own desires, really. However, having already had two friends pretty much say that if we get one, they won't bring their children to come and stay, we did wonder if that would be a common reaction.

We're also not stupid enough to buy one cheap from some random stranger on epupz, nor to get a rescue '2nd-hand' dog the way we always have before. We've already discounted quite a few simply because they're already 14-16 weeks, and we want one as young as possible straight from its Mum. We're in no rush, like i say it was just interesting to see what reactions people had! Me I can't think of anything more wonderful - but I can see who the sheer size can put many people off, let alone the sad and scary crap press created by stupid ignorant owners.
Have had such mixed reactions, am curious to see what the split is!