As I write this, I'm watching my two dogs wrestle on the footstool.
One is our rescue Collie, Kimmy and the other is our new rescue pup, Dolly.
Doll is our latest addition to this crazy household, and a very welcome one too.
Taken from a field in Hungary then taken to a killing station, she was then rescued, fostered for a while, then transported to Scotland where she was fostered again before coming home with us one wintry day.
AT just 9 months old, she's been through a lot, though is settling extremely well.
She needs work - but who doesn't?
Oh, she's also very large.
A big, playful, daft lump of a beast.
But couthie, good with the kids and a really fun (if boisterous) playmate for Kim (who, after a lot of initial WTF is this?! is actually really enjoying having a play buddy)
Getting your second dog is a bit like having your third child, I have discovered.
People are less interested and more likely to say some not-very-nice-things inadvertently.
To your face.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and a lot of people feel free to use it as they wish.
"Are you mad?" Yes. We all know the answer to this.
"Have you not got enough to deal with" That's up to me.
"Why? Just why?" Why the hell not? I'm handling it. What's it to you?
Well: free speech and all. I give not a jot. I'll let you decide if that's dog or kids they were asking about.
The older I become, the less fucks I am inclined to give about what other people think about me. It is so very freeing.
My life, my rules.
I've recently found a new kind of courageousness which I think I would like to attribute to a loss of anxiety about what other people think about me.
Fundamentally, I am a good and honest person. I honestly and promisedly swear that everything I do is done with good intentions.
My failings are my own and I own them completely.
I lack confidence in my abilities a lot of the time.
I feel a lot of guilt about things outwith my control.
I am hugely empathetic and this really is my downfall a lot of the time.
But I am fed up of being an emotional doormat.
So, as practiced for a few months now, I am now:
Not taking any shit.
Speaking up when it is unfair.
Speaking up when people are rude to me.
Ignoring any badness or bad feeling.
Enjoying good intentions and goodness and laughing and loving and not feeling guilty or losing sleep or worrying.
Done and done.
Now - back to watching my two hairy babies play and be happy.
Wednesday 28 December 2016
Sunday 18 December 2016
The Blethering Boys Xmas Gift Guide 2016
It's that time again!
Geez, it come around far too quickly.
My boys are at a rather tricky age this year, and I have to admit, I'm finding it difficult.
We are past the age of being able to delight with any old thing and very much into the age of more thoughtful and defining gifts, which I have to say I prefer.
I am very pleased to report that we must be having some kind of good affect on our kids through the way we conduct ourselves: already the boys have said that they don't care what they get, as long as everyone is happy and also that alongside their advent calendars this year, they would like to make a kindness jar, to enable them to do one kind deed each day.
These little glimmers of kindness and awesomeness are what make me so very proud and happy as a parent; we must be doing something right!
Like any parent, I still really want them to have what their hearts desire and this year, they have asked for tablets, so... :) We'll see what Santa brings!
The boys are really into shopping and have been browsing for gifts for others too.
Geez, it come around far too quickly.
My boys are at a rather tricky age this year, and I have to admit, I'm finding it difficult.
We are past the age of being able to delight with any old thing and very much into the age of more thoughtful and defining gifts, which I have to say I prefer.
I am very pleased to report that we must be having some kind of good affect on our kids through the way we conduct ourselves: already the boys have said that they don't care what they get, as long as everyone is happy and also that alongside their advent calendars this year, they would like to make a kindness jar, to enable them to do one kind deed each day.
These little glimmers of kindness and awesomeness are what make me so very proud and happy as a parent; we must be doing something right!
Like any parent, I still really want them to have what their hearts desire and this year, they have asked for tablets, so... :) We'll see what Santa brings!
The boys are really into shopping and have been browsing for gifts for others too.
We hope you enjoy our Blethering Boys 2016 Christmas Gift Guide!
STOCKING FILLERS
You can't go wrong with a lovely set of colouring pencils, and these ones from the Bic Kids range (rrp, £2.99) make a perfect wee stocking filler for some holiday colouring.
Sweets are always a welcome additon too, with some tasty treats in these perfect stocking-sized boxes from Swizzels available in Refreshers Softies, Wham bars and Fruit Salad Softies too! Yum!
And why not investigate uber-awesome and multi-coloured Smiggle for some gorgeous pens, paper, bags, books and all-round squee! Perfect to brighten up a stocking!
GIFTS FOR THE LADS
Stuck for a last-minute idea for the man in your life?
The Braun Beard Trimmer (rrp £39.99) is an ideal gift to help your man stay groomed to perfection.
A super-cool tee from RedBubble should do the trick - they have an amazing range of cool designs, niche interests and geeky goodies galore!
Or for the essential piece of man-kit, why not go for the Leatherman Tread (rrp, £139-£189.99) - the ultimate man-bracelet which doubles (triples and quadruples!) into a a multi-tool!
GIFTS FOR THE BAIRNS
Disney's The Lion Guard playset (rrp £34.99) is a great gift for a wee one who loes a bit of roar-some fun!
The Leapfrop Leaping Letters (rrp£16.99) poses a great wee challenge for that niece or nephew who is just starting to learn their letters.
Of course BB8 bobblehead(rrp, £9.99) is bound to be a hit with Star Wars fans, old and young!
And the Bic Colouring Activity Set (rrp, £22) with 80 pieces, featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks is a lovely gift for that budding artist - and great value too!
GIFTS FOR YER MAW
Yarden Dead Sea Salts with Frankincense and rose petals (rrp, £8.99) are deliciously fragrant and make a wonderful gift to give yer maw a bit of well-earned relaxing time
Ladybird Books just keep coming up with some hilarious classics and 'The Mum' (rrp. £3.99) is one of my favourites!
Ness do some really gorgeous bags and purses and this really beautiful bag, Milly (rrp, £39.99), has a gorgeously patterned silk lining too! Cute!
The thing I got excited by the most about the VARV table lamp by IKEA (rrp £50) is the fact that it's wireless! Waaaah! I hate wires. This one charges via usb and then stays bright for ages, making it cool and minimalistic too. Perfect!
Of course, this year I am all about the giving and Xmas, for me, wouldn't be complete without some form of charitabel giving. This year I am practicing what I preach and gifting via www.goodgifts.com
Be sure to have a look at some of the lovely ways you can pass on the love to someone else who needs it :)
Thanks for reading the Blethering Boys 2016 gift guide.
The boys and I would like to wish you all the very best of the season to you and yours.
Sunday 20 November 2016
Noro very good weekend
It's been a week.
What started with Tom asking what death felt like before vomming all over the couch has ended with myself, Owen, Ethan and Dave having the worst bout of Norovirus we've ever encountered.
Here's what I have learned this week:
I have never been so ill in my whole life.
It's really kicked my ass.
And as per usual, after a week of cleaning up after the kids, it's yours truly who ended up with the worst bout of it.
Highlights of the week have included:
What started with Tom asking what death felt like before vomming all over the couch has ended with myself, Owen, Ethan and Dave having the worst bout of Norovirus we've ever encountered.
Here's what I have learned this week:
- We need more bedsheets
- We need new loo seats
- I need to clean toilets more often
- Having an upstairs bathroom is great
- Having a bathroom where the sink and loo are close together is a fucking lifesaver.
- Children are better at bouncing back from illness than adults
- My kids can basically look after themselves when they need to
- Cold water is amazing
- Tea and toast after Noro is basically better than tea and toast after having a baby.
 |
| Ha! Indeed...You really do not! |
I have never been so ill in my whole life.
It's really kicked my ass.
And as per usual, after a week of cleaning up after the kids, it's yours truly who ended up with the worst bout of it.
Highlights of the week have included:
- Dave catching two handfuls of sick from Tom
- Owen sicking down my back
- Poor Ethan having some truly awful poopy accidents five times in a row after he 'thought it was just a fart'
- Me giving sage advice to Ethan about 'maybe not trusting a fart at this stage in the game' while he agreed, 'no, we shouldn't'
- Owen not being able to trust his farts either
- Hysterically laughing with Dave as he deals with poopy baby on the couch at 3 in the morning while I deal with the whole puke/shit-fest going on upstairs
- Me heroically going to work after what will now be known as 'The Night of Hell' while poor Dave puked his guts up with baby and Ethan at home while Tom cheerfully went to school
- Me coming home and laughing with everyone about how awesome my immune system is..
- ...only to come home from picking up Tom and basically go through my own awful 'Night From Hell Mark 2: The Revenge of Noro'.
- Cracking my nose on the toilet lid which came crashing down on me as I puked violently into the bowl while trying to work out which end I would like to be over the toilet. I now have a black eye and possibly a broken nose.
- Spending the night on the couch with the dog who kept running away every time I moved to go to the toilet (approximately every 5 mins for about 12 hours) then being greeted like a hero upon my return. Which is not as nice as it sounds when you feel like crap and just don't want any kind of interaction.
Just...yeah...
We are all thankfully feeling a lot better than we were. Everyone is bloody starving now, so one of us will have to draw straws to see who wants to re-enter being an adult today and go and get supplies.
Dave is basically a hero - I have no idea how he managed at home with two kids while feeling like that.
I basically haven't spoken to him for two days because me and the loo have spent so much time getting to know each other (we are getting a new non-collapsing toilet seat).
And, I found out yesterday, ironically, it was world Toilet Day.
Someone is taking the piss.
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Fuel for Thought
Along with our lovely wee cottage, we have adopted a real fireplace.
We stupidly didn't use it last year - due to our 'townie' fear of burning the house down and the fact that the previous owner has been burning coal rather than wood, our epic room changing (is it a dining room? a living room? a general purpose room?) and first year with new baby in the house, we just didn't bother.
Which was daft.
As soon as we cracked on with it one blustery cold evening, we began to understand how much we lost by NOT burning it last year.
It's so, so, SO lovely to have a real fire crackling away in the background. I suppose that it is extra work, what with the cleaning of the grate etc, but on a cold night out in the sticks, it's just what you need.
We had been burning the wood from the woodshed , which wasn't the best, but anyone who has a fireplace knows that the less money spent on burning fuel, the better - after all, burning money? Not a nice feeling.
Burning wood is nice - there's the crackle and the roar - there's also the spitting and the flaring. You have to watch out for that!
Once it's been going for a few hours it is lovely - but it can be tricky to get going.
I was made up when the people at Lekto Wood Fuels sent me a sample of what they have to offer.
Over the last couple of weeks I've been alternating my usual wood with the Birch sawdust briquettes and the Bark briquettes.
Both burn a lot longer and a lot easier than traditional wooden logs.
They smell nice too - when I took them out of the pack to store in my indoor wood pile, they smelt very fresh and lovely. They were easy to stack too, with none of the usual splinters!
So why burn briquettes?
Here is some info I found on the lektofuels website:
They were very clean to burn - the ash swept up easily and I even found I could simply add it to the soil in my garden.
There was little to no sparking AT ALL, so were great for a novice like me - they sat in the grate without any sparks or flares, making them ideal for burning when the kids were going about - I didn't have to worry about any embers jumping out (although OF COURSE I always take every precaution and have a HUGE fire-guard)
The best thing they sent me to try, along with the briquettes, were the natural firelighters.
Made from sawdust and straw, and in a pellet form, they took quickly and burned for around 15 mins each, helping my fire to really get going.
Check out Lekto Wood Fuels for more info on what they provide.
Meanwhile, I wish I could provide a photo of my lovel lit fire, but I'm almost 100% sure now that Owen has managed to send my phone to landfill as I cannot find it anywhere! I hope to rectify this situation soon, but it is driving me absolutely crazy. It has been a month now and no sign of it whatsoever.
Ahrgh! Kids!
We stupidly didn't use it last year - due to our 'townie' fear of burning the house down and the fact that the previous owner has been burning coal rather than wood, our epic room changing (is it a dining room? a living room? a general purpose room?) and first year with new baby in the house, we just didn't bother.
 |
| Owen in front of our derelict fireplace last year! |
Which was daft.
As soon as we cracked on with it one blustery cold evening, we began to understand how much we lost by NOT burning it last year.
It's so, so, SO lovely to have a real fire crackling away in the background. I suppose that it is extra work, what with the cleaning of the grate etc, but on a cold night out in the sticks, it's just what you need.
We had been burning the wood from the woodshed , which wasn't the best, but anyone who has a fireplace knows that the less money spent on burning fuel, the better - after all, burning money? Not a nice feeling.
Burning wood is nice - there's the crackle and the roar - there's also the spitting and the flaring. You have to watch out for that!
Once it's been going for a few hours it is lovely - but it can be tricky to get going.
I was made up when the people at Lekto Wood Fuels sent me a sample of what they have to offer.
 |
| bark briquettes |
Over the last couple of weeks I've been alternating my usual wood with the Birch sawdust briquettes and the Bark briquettes.
Both burn a lot longer and a lot easier than traditional wooden logs.
They smell nice too - when I took them out of the pack to store in my indoor wood pile, they smelt very fresh and lovely. They were easy to stack too, with none of the usual splinters!
So why burn briquettes?
Here is some info I found on the lektofuels website:
They were very clean to burn - the ash swept up easily and I even found I could simply add it to the soil in my garden.
There was little to no sparking AT ALL, so were great for a novice like me - they sat in the grate without any sparks or flares, making them ideal for burning when the kids were going about - I didn't have to worry about any embers jumping out (although OF COURSE I always take every precaution and have a HUGE fire-guard)
The best thing they sent me to try, along with the briquettes, were the natural firelighters.
 |
| natural firelighters |
Made from sawdust and straw, and in a pellet form, they took quickly and burned for around 15 mins each, helping my fire to really get going.
Check out Lekto Wood Fuels for more info on what they provide.
Meanwhile, I wish I could provide a photo of my lovel lit fire, but I'm almost 100% sure now that Owen has managed to send my phone to landfill as I cannot find it anywhere! I hope to rectify this situation soon, but it is driving me absolutely crazy. It has been a month now and no sign of it whatsoever.
Ahrgh! Kids!
Wednesday 2 November 2016
November
November is upon us suddenly.
I almost can't believe it.
Next week America chooses the path of least...well...least...and the world has the potential to end.
This last couple of months has been an especially trying time at home.
And not.
We have settled into the house a lot more now - things are very gradually starting to take shape and I think we have finally gotten over the initial 'euphoria' of a new place to live and also kind of get our heads around the fact that we are staying put.
There's been a lot of decorating, work and general other shenanigans to deal with; when you have three children things are...complicated, to say the least!
Especially when one of those children is a year old and basically into absolutely everything.
Owen is great - he's the kid we really wanted and the kid we never expected too. He's a blonde bombshell and is just adorable in basically every way (which is lucky because he's basically also destroyed anything we've ever done in this house in every way. Let's just say we need to decorate again before we finished decorating).
The other two boys have finally settled into routine and school life and have made friends (even if Tom is still clinging on for dear life to the idea that he's never going to - he has no confidence, just like his mum).
I finally registered as a childminder and have been having total panic about it ever since, too scared to advertise in case someone actually wants to take me up on it and I have to be responsible for one more kid. Which I'm not really worried about. But I am.
Stupid.
Plus the usual head stuff: Do the other parents think I'm some kind of incompetent? They must do when they see me just trying to handle my own two crazy, loud, over-sensitive kids (are they over-sensitive or is this normal? Oh god, what is normal?) They must see the outside of my house and wonder what kind of a shit-show I'm running!? Surely? Ahrgh.
Yeesh, I just feel like a terrible person all the time. I wish there was something I could do to boost my confidence; but then I guess it's this stuff that pushes me on. I'm never one to shy away from a challenge.
I'm doing some volunteering two nights a week too, and it's kind of great. There's a real sense of accomplishment and I just enjoy hoping that we make a wee difference somewhere to someone who might otherwise be having a shitty time of it.
So, yeah.
No real news. Nothing exciting as of yet.
Just...head down, keep going!
I almost can't believe it.
Next week America chooses the path of least...well...least...and the world has the potential to end.
This last couple of months has been an especially trying time at home.
And not.
We have settled into the house a lot more now - things are very gradually starting to take shape and I think we have finally gotten over the initial 'euphoria' of a new place to live and also kind of get our heads around the fact that we are staying put.
There's been a lot of decorating, work and general other shenanigans to deal with; when you have three children things are...complicated, to say the least!
Especially when one of those children is a year old and basically into absolutely everything.
Owen is great - he's the kid we really wanted and the kid we never expected too. He's a blonde bombshell and is just adorable in basically every way (which is lucky because he's basically also destroyed anything we've ever done in this house in every way. Let's just say we need to decorate again before we finished decorating).
The other two boys have finally settled into routine and school life and have made friends (even if Tom is still clinging on for dear life to the idea that he's never going to - he has no confidence, just like his mum).
I finally registered as a childminder and have been having total panic about it ever since, too scared to advertise in case someone actually wants to take me up on it and I have to be responsible for one more kid. Which I'm not really worried about. But I am.
Stupid.
Plus the usual head stuff: Do the other parents think I'm some kind of incompetent? They must do when they see me just trying to handle my own two crazy, loud, over-sensitive kids (are they over-sensitive or is this normal? Oh god, what is normal?) They must see the outside of my house and wonder what kind of a shit-show I'm running!? Surely? Ahrgh.
Yeesh, I just feel like a terrible person all the time. I wish there was something I could do to boost my confidence; but then I guess it's this stuff that pushes me on. I'm never one to shy away from a challenge.
I'm doing some volunteering two nights a week too, and it's kind of great. There's a real sense of accomplishment and I just enjoy hoping that we make a wee difference somewhere to someone who might otherwise be having a shitty time of it.
So, yeah.
No real news. Nothing exciting as of yet.
Just...head down, keep going!
Sunday 11 September 2016
I Am The Boss Of Me and I Am #NotSorry
I've not written for a while - but that's okay.
I am only accountable to myself for my own things. It's a new-found power which I am still trying out, but it's kind of great.
It's very liberating to understand that you, yourself are the only person who is in control of how others make you feel.
It is a really lovely thing to not give a fuck and to stop feeling guilty or worried about small scenarios or situations in in your head which otherwise clutter up your precious hours, minutes and days.
It is understanding and playing with the fine line of happiness and the things that give you back little bits of self-respect which all add up to happy.
I've just finished reading The Life changing Magic of Not Giving A Fuck and learning how to be #NotSorry.
I am a born worrier. I have historically worried about all the little things from a very young age.
How did I control this worry?
I worried it all over in detail. I was convinced that if I worried over it even more, in finer detail, then I could convince myself that I've worried enough about it to warrant not worrying more.
Which is a batshit waste of time.
And I am sick fed up of trying so hard and only ending up apologising for myself. It's time to move on.
I deserve not to be kept up at night worrying about what people think of me
I deserve to feel in control of my life.
I deserve to not feel obligated to obey and serve to the detriment of my own time, energy and stomach acid.
Jeez - I am fed up of feeling sick about stuff.
I may not always get things right, I might unwittingly upset people by accident, I may fuck things up from time to time, but I do it all with the best of intentions. I work bloody hard and I'll be fucked if I am going to apologise for my failings all the time. Everyone has them. Nobody is perfect.
Here is what I have learned by stopping the worry:
I am only accountable to myself for my own things. It's a new-found power which I am still trying out, but it's kind of great.
It's very liberating to understand that you, yourself are the only person who is in control of how others make you feel.
It is a really lovely thing to not give a fuck and to stop feeling guilty or worried about small scenarios or situations in in your head which otherwise clutter up your precious hours, minutes and days.
It is understanding and playing with the fine line of happiness and the things that give you back little bits of self-respect which all add up to happy.
I've just finished reading The Life changing Magic of Not Giving A Fuck and learning how to be #NotSorry.
I am a born worrier. I have historically worried about all the little things from a very young age.
How did I control this worry?
I worried it all over in detail. I was convinced that if I worried over it even more, in finer detail, then I could convince myself that I've worried enough about it to warrant not worrying more.
Which is a batshit waste of time.
And I am sick fed up of trying so hard and only ending up apologising for myself. It's time to move on.
I deserve not to be kept up at night worrying about what people think of me
I deserve to feel in control of my life.
I deserve to not feel obligated to obey and serve to the detriment of my own time, energy and stomach acid.
Jeez - I am fed up of feeling sick about stuff.
I may not always get things right, I might unwittingly upset people by accident, I may fuck things up from time to time, but I do it all with the best of intentions. I work bloody hard and I'll be fucked if I am going to apologise for my failings all the time. Everyone has them. Nobody is perfect.
Here is what I have learned by stopping the worry:
- It is okay to worry about the big things - life is really fucking stressful, but it's okay and healthy to acknowledge when there is problem. It is okay to worry out loud. It is more than okay to share the worry. Eventually the worry will pass. The problem will go. Worries come and go; this is normal.
- It is not okay to let other people make you feel bad. It is perfectly okay to speak up when you feel disrespected and it is more than okay to say how you feel. To the person causing harm if needs be. I am a good person and usually always, always, always am doing my best with some really good intentions and I do not deserve disrespect. #NotSorry
- Honesty goes a long way. Can't manage something? Be honest. Don't try to cover your tracks with white lies or a huge story; just say no. You are one person and any one person only has so much time, energy and love to give to something. It's okay to need to stop. It's okay to honestly admit this.
- Mostly, any problems anyone has with you is completely theirs. Completely. And that's okay. Not your issue. Walk away, don't worry about it. Stay nice, but don't worry about it - you can't change how others feel about you. But still call the disrespect, because that shit is nasty. #NotSorry.
- Try not to look to others to validate how you feel about something. If you have passion in your heart and good intentions than, fuck it. You have good intentions. #NotSorry
Wednesday 24 August 2016
The monetized barrier...
Tom comes home with a letter from the school.
"Dear Parent,
A small number of vacancies exist for children to have lessons on violin/viola/cello...."
...stuff about commitment and practice...
...then the hard sell.
" Cost of tuition: £231 (3 instalments of £77)
Hire of instrument: £30"
Yeesh, take that right in the face.
"Lessons are free if you are in receipt of:
Income support
Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
Employment & Support Allowance (imcome related)
Child Tax Credit (with annual income of less than £16,105)
Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit (with annual income of less than £16,105)
Universal Credit"
That's not us.
We are just over the bracket of a sizeable enough income to exclude us from any kind of benefit, thankfully (apart from the bastarding life-saving Working Tax ones which they keep messing up, grr. But really - thank goodness for them. Otherwise we would be homeless by now!)
But only just.
But three installments of £77?
No can do.
At the moment, that's a week's worth of shopping. Two and a half weeks most months if I'm honest. It's amazing how far a big bag of pasta can stretch between five and a dog.
I say: amazing, I mean: I am so fed up of pasta.
Tom came home buzzing about having tried out the cello: " I was SO good at it, mum!"
He's scanning my face to see what I'm going to say.
In his heart of hearts, he knows I'm not going to deny him access to something he is passionate about or could be really good at, so we have the conversation:
"You'd have to practice every. single. day."
"I know!"
"You'd have to perform in the school orchestra at events and stuff. No option not to."
"I know! It'd be so cool...I've seen them do that..."
Then it crushes me - we've had to say no to so much over the last couple of years, he's unsure. I can see in his eyes he's given up already. He knows it's not a reality.
I'm unsure now whether it's because he's scared he's going to under-perform in some way, not be good enough or if he can see in my eyes the panic and the calculation of how and when £77x3 might come from over the next year.
When I was Tom's age, I learned the violin at school. I did it for about 6 years and right into high school...until I suddenly had to pay for it.
See, my mum was a single parent and we just didn't have the money for stuff like that.
I was okay at the violin - I was no prodigy - but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the group of people who did music; I never felt like I fit in anywhere else really. I was good at Art, but Art was expensive - full of trips to Paris and expensive materials there was no way I would be able to get up the courage to ask my mum for.
Languages were all about text books and more trips abroad. Very expensive trips abroad.
I dodged them all carefully. I had a job, but that paid for my school uniform. I was the kid who got EMA to get by. That's how we lived.
I guess I always assumed that when I was married and had a job and two incomes in the house that this other stuff would just...be okay.
And it will be one day (everything crossed).
But for now, my boy will miss out. Which is a shame. I feel like money is the barrier to him maybe being good at music.
Maybe being a wizard at rock climbing.
Maybe being an amazing computer coder.
Maybe getting decent at football or gymnastics or something sporty enough to help him out at school with some friends.
He's not poorly off. He has clothes that fit. He has a roof over his head. He has a big bloody garden to play in and gets gifts on his birthday.
Lucky, lucky, lucky. Beyond lucky.
We have that 'work/life/balance' thing down (at last) where he spends tangible amounts of time with both parents.
We are safe, we don't live in an earthquake zone, there's no war in our streets.
He doesn't always have what he would like to eat, but he has enough to eat.
Lucky. Lucky. So, so, lucky.
He has a lot of good things going that other kids don't.
But sometimes I feel like we are the shit in the shit sandwich, you know? We're not the end, we're not the crust but the shit in the middle.
And when he comes home yet again with something else that kids in his class are raving about doing, when he wants to go to the sports class, or try something new or do something out of the ordinary and I shrug it off with the age-old, "sorry, buddy, it's just too much.."...ahrgh, it kills me.
I feel like my kids are forced out of all this stuff. I wish everything for kids to be accessible to all children, regardless of status.
Especially as opportunities are becoming more monetized.
It's such a shame.
I know I'm probably not harbouring the next rock star. I'm probably not sitting on some great architect or the doctor who will cure cancer once and for all....but how do we know for sure?
What if he is the next Andy Murray?
What if he has the potential for something we cannot afford to unlock because of the monetized barriers?
"Dear Parent,
A small number of vacancies exist for children to have lessons on violin/viola/cello...."
...stuff about commitment and practice...
...then the hard sell.
" Cost of tuition: £231 (3 instalments of £77)
Hire of instrument: £30"
Yeesh, take that right in the face.
"Lessons are free if you are in receipt of:
Income support
Job Seekers Allowance (income based)
Employment & Support Allowance (imcome related)
Child Tax Credit (with annual income of less than £16,105)
Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit (with annual income of less than £16,105)
Universal Credit"
That's not us.
We are just over the bracket of a sizeable enough income to exclude us from any kind of benefit, thankfully (apart from the bastarding life-saving Working Tax ones which they keep messing up, grr. But really - thank goodness for them. Otherwise we would be homeless by now!)
But only just.
But three installments of £77?
No can do.
At the moment, that's a week's worth of shopping. Two and a half weeks most months if I'm honest. It's amazing how far a big bag of pasta can stretch between five and a dog.
I say: amazing, I mean: I am so fed up of pasta.
Tom came home buzzing about having tried out the cello: " I was SO good at it, mum!"
He's scanning my face to see what I'm going to say.
In his heart of hearts, he knows I'm not going to deny him access to something he is passionate about or could be really good at, so we have the conversation:
"You'd have to practice every. single. day."
"I know!"
"You'd have to perform in the school orchestra at events and stuff. No option not to."
"I know! It'd be so cool...I've seen them do that..."
Then it crushes me - we've had to say no to so much over the last couple of years, he's unsure. I can see in his eyes he's given up already. He knows it's not a reality.
I'm unsure now whether it's because he's scared he's going to under-perform in some way, not be good enough or if he can see in my eyes the panic and the calculation of how and when £77x3 might come from over the next year.
When I was Tom's age, I learned the violin at school. I did it for about 6 years and right into high school...until I suddenly had to pay for it.
See, my mum was a single parent and we just didn't have the money for stuff like that.
I was okay at the violin - I was no prodigy - but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the group of people who did music; I never felt like I fit in anywhere else really. I was good at Art, but Art was expensive - full of trips to Paris and expensive materials there was no way I would be able to get up the courage to ask my mum for.
Languages were all about text books and more trips abroad. Very expensive trips abroad.
I dodged them all carefully. I had a job, but that paid for my school uniform. I was the kid who got EMA to get by. That's how we lived.
I guess I always assumed that when I was married and had a job and two incomes in the house that this other stuff would just...be okay.
And it will be one day (everything crossed).
But for now, my boy will miss out. Which is a shame. I feel like money is the barrier to him maybe being good at music.
Maybe being a wizard at rock climbing.
Maybe being an amazing computer coder.
Maybe getting decent at football or gymnastics or something sporty enough to help him out at school with some friends.
He's not poorly off. He has clothes that fit. He has a roof over his head. He has a big bloody garden to play in and gets gifts on his birthday.
Lucky, lucky, lucky. Beyond lucky.
We have that 'work/life/balance' thing down (at last) where he spends tangible amounts of time with both parents.
We are safe, we don't live in an earthquake zone, there's no war in our streets.
He doesn't always have what he would like to eat, but he has enough to eat.
Lucky. Lucky. So, so, lucky.
He has a lot of good things going that other kids don't.
But sometimes I feel like we are the shit in the shit sandwich, you know? We're not the end, we're not the crust but the shit in the middle.
And when he comes home yet again with something else that kids in his class are raving about doing, when he wants to go to the sports class, or try something new or do something out of the ordinary and I shrug it off with the age-old, "sorry, buddy, it's just too much.."...ahrgh, it kills me.
I feel like my kids are forced out of all this stuff. I wish everything for kids to be accessible to all children, regardless of status.
Especially as opportunities are becoming more monetized.
It's such a shame.
I know I'm probably not harbouring the next rock star. I'm probably not sitting on some great architect or the doctor who will cure cancer once and for all....but how do we know for sure?
What if he is the next Andy Murray?
What if he has the potential for something we cannot afford to unlock because of the monetized barriers?
Tuesday 23 August 2016
Minding My Business
For those of you who don't know, I'm in the business of setting up as a Childminder.
With this come all of the crazy and absolutely necessary checks, detailed disclosures and policy-writing which we have come to expect in our society. Because, you know, why let normal people get on with their every day lives and actually help each other out when it could be a prohibitive, costly and time-consuming process?
If you are wondering where British jobs went - they are here; box-ticking and writing nonsense which gets updated every few years.
Dave and I have just applied for our enhanced disclosures with, like, a bajillion forms of I.D, proofs of address and such. I have had, I think, three disclosures before, and Dave has had about six and also been registered with the Social Services Council as a care manager, but you know - that'll be another £100 please. Credit card.
My doctor has to sign me off. Without seeing me. I haven't had a named doctor in over ten years. That includes three troublesome pregnancies. I could be telling them any old nonsense - 'how many units of alcohol do you drink a week?' Me: 'Oh, none, doctor! I'm tee-total! *blush*
I'm not a raging alcoholic by any means - but who knows? Maybe I'm sitting in my bathroom drinking two bottles of wine while the kids eat lunch (I'm not). There's a fee for this too apparently. Puke. Credit Card.
Social services get a letter all of their own. I have to declare that I've never hurt a child and they get to sign it and say they've never heard of me. Again - not sure what this is supposed to prevent. Any bona fide child abuser isn't going to tick the box and write a comment saying - 'well, actually, I am a bit of a dick to kids' while applying to actively have a job looking after them. No fee - lucky us!
The fire department have to inspect my house (which reminds me I need a fire blanket) and tell me off probably for the polystyrene ties on my ceiling which I SWEAR I'm going to get down as soon as I get a ladder. Though they are beside our bedrooms, so really, if anyone's going to die, it will be me and Dave in the middle of the night. We've already weighed this up with ripping out actual light fittings/discovering horrid things underneath said tiles. The joys of old houses. Credit carding fire equipment. Jeez, fire equipment is expensive.
There's a First Aid Course. Credit Card.
Induction to Childminding. Credit Card.
Member ship of Childminding Association. Credit Card.
And, well, I have to send off all of the policies I have written (stolen from another minder and edited) saying what I would do in any given situation, which you know, when kids are involved, is never as straight forward and text-booky as anyone would like. £28 to process this. Credit card.
But hey, just in case...
THEN someone will get to come to my house, which no doubt Dave and I will have panic-tidied into oblivion and I will have my showhome-for-a-day, which will be nice and then IF we pass all of this we get to invite 3 whole children to come and play with my 3 kids after school and maybe for whole days occasionally.
Except at least I get paid for it.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
And probably taxed brutally for because it's a second income.
*sigh*
I'm just a girl, with a shit ton of bills who wants one good, steady income without any faff.
Why is this too much to ask?
Life really is like walking through treacle sometimes.
I just want a job where I get paid, can work as much as I can and need and can progress.
More and more, it feels like I'm never going to get there.
With this come all of the crazy and absolutely necessary checks, detailed disclosures and policy-writing which we have come to expect in our society. Because, you know, why let normal people get on with their every day lives and actually help each other out when it could be a prohibitive, costly and time-consuming process?
If you are wondering where British jobs went - they are here; box-ticking and writing nonsense which gets updated every few years.
Dave and I have just applied for our enhanced disclosures with, like, a bajillion forms of I.D, proofs of address and such. I have had, I think, three disclosures before, and Dave has had about six and also been registered with the Social Services Council as a care manager, but you know - that'll be another £100 please. Credit card.
My doctor has to sign me off. Without seeing me. I haven't had a named doctor in over ten years. That includes three troublesome pregnancies. I could be telling them any old nonsense - 'how many units of alcohol do you drink a week?' Me: 'Oh, none, doctor! I'm tee-total! *blush*
I'm not a raging alcoholic by any means - but who knows? Maybe I'm sitting in my bathroom drinking two bottles of wine while the kids eat lunch (I'm not). There's a fee for this too apparently. Puke. Credit Card.
Social services get a letter all of their own. I have to declare that I've never hurt a child and they get to sign it and say they've never heard of me. Again - not sure what this is supposed to prevent. Any bona fide child abuser isn't going to tick the box and write a comment saying - 'well, actually, I am a bit of a dick to kids' while applying to actively have a job looking after them. No fee - lucky us!
The fire department have to inspect my house (which reminds me I need a fire blanket) and tell me off probably for the polystyrene ties on my ceiling which I SWEAR I'm going to get down as soon as I get a ladder. Though they are beside our bedrooms, so really, if anyone's going to die, it will be me and Dave in the middle of the night. We've already weighed this up with ripping out actual light fittings/discovering horrid things underneath said tiles. The joys of old houses. Credit carding fire equipment. Jeez, fire equipment is expensive.
There's a First Aid Course. Credit Card.
Induction to Childminding. Credit Card.
Member ship of Childminding Association. Credit Card.
And, well, I have to send off all of the policies I have written (stolen from another minder and edited) saying what I would do in any given situation, which you know, when kids are involved, is never as straight forward and text-booky as anyone would like. £28 to process this. Credit card.
But hey, just in case...
THEN someone will get to come to my house, which no doubt Dave and I will have panic-tidied into oblivion and I will have my showhome-for-a-day, which will be nice and then IF we pass all of this we get to invite 3 whole children to come and play with my 3 kids after school and maybe for whole days occasionally.
Except at least I get paid for it.
Ha ha ha ha ha!
And probably taxed brutally for because it's a second income.
*sigh*
I'm just a girl, with a shit ton of bills who wants one good, steady income without any faff.
Why is this too much to ask?
Life really is like walking through treacle sometimes.
I just want a job where I get paid, can work as much as I can and need and can progress.
More and more, it feels like I'm never going to get there.
Monday 22 August 2016
Butterfly Butterfly...
It's a wet day outside and I feel peaceful.
The baby is asleep, the dog is curled up on the sofa and the boys are at school. Dave is at work too, so it's just me and my thoughts.
It's Monday.
I have a long working week stretching out ahead of me and my brain has been racing with so many different ideas.
I spent the weekend clearing out the garage, purging, cleansing; it felt so good.
Out with the old, in with so much possibility.
It's so exciting to make New Space.
I have so many plans.
My head feels like my garage today.
I've cleaned out some of the clutter and now tons of new ideas are whizzing through my brain.
I have so much that I want to do.
So much capability.
The mind of a creative person can be overwhelming at times.
Dave fondly calls it my 'butterfly' personality; never content with doing one thing, I like to do several things at once. Nobody but me can see the logic in this.
I'm never content with doing one project in one go - I need to space it out, let it grow and develop. I want the best possible outcome and sometimes the only way you can see something from every angle, is if you step away for a while and come back to it.
I usually get there eventually.
Today though, I am happy for the peace. I am happy for the raindrops on the window and the chance to stew a little.
Even us fast-paced, over-achieving creative heads need some down time...
Oooh, look, some fabric....
The baby is asleep, the dog is curled up on the sofa and the boys are at school. Dave is at work too, so it's just me and my thoughts.
It's Monday.
I have a long working week stretching out ahead of me and my brain has been racing with so many different ideas.
I spent the weekend clearing out the garage, purging, cleansing; it felt so good.
Out with the old, in with so much possibility.
It's so exciting to make New Space.
I have so many plans.
My head feels like my garage today.
I've cleaned out some of the clutter and now tons of new ideas are whizzing through my brain.
I have so much that I want to do.
So much capability.
The mind of a creative person can be overwhelming at times.
Dave fondly calls it my 'butterfly' personality; never content with doing one thing, I like to do several things at once. Nobody but me can see the logic in this.
I'm never content with doing one project in one go - I need to space it out, let it grow and develop. I want the best possible outcome and sometimes the only way you can see something from every angle, is if you step away for a while and come back to it.
I usually get there eventually.
Today though, I am happy for the peace. I am happy for the raindrops on the window and the chance to stew a little.
Even us fast-paced, over-achieving creative heads need some down time...
Oooh, look, some fabric....
Sunday 21 August 2016
Negative Sixteen
I wake up in my lovely home with my lovely healthy family and I am thankful.
I am grateful.
We have our health, we have a roof over our heads and we have each other.
Compared to a lot of people in this world, this country, this vicinity, that's a lot.
I'm not one for taking things for granted.
I have a job that pays money.
My husband also has a job that pays money.
We have cars to get us to and from those jobs.
We have managed to jiggle childcare so that our children are safe and looked after when we are at work.
So far, so good, right?
Today is the third day that I have woken up with the knowledge that we have zero money.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nowt.
In fact, the next time we get any, we will have to give up about £16 before we have any, because, yes, we are over our overdrafts (plural). Again.
What I have discovered is that people, unless they have been in this situation themselves, do not like to talk about money issues. They get embarrassed or it becomes a game about who has less, who is struggling more.
It's a strange thing.
Like everything, I am probably far too honest and frank about our situation. I like to keep things real. Mainly because I really don't see why it has to be such a big secret; we had a hard time, we had to bail ourselves out and now we are suffering the consequences. We are working as hard as we possibly can every single day to get through it, but it's not going to suddenly get easier any time soon.
And it is really hard. And it is really fucking stressful. And I am sorry, but if I don't talk about how hard and stressful it is sometimes, I really am going to implode with the worry and the strain of it all.
While we are lucky to have what we have, it doesn't make it any less stressful when you suddenly run out of baby milk and have no money to buy more. And cannot for the life of you think how in the heck you are going to find that money within the next couple of hours.
In the last month I :
Owe more money to more people than I am comfortable with for services already rendered.
Have not eaten a square fucking meal. I survive on bread based items with the occasional vegetable chucked in for good measure.
Had a decadent night of wine and cheese and instantly fucking regretted it because honestly, do you know how much reduced bread I could have shoved in the freeze with that money? Ugh!
Got stopped by police on a Saturday morning on my way to work (!) for a flat tyre which I then had to pump up in front of them at the side of the road while hoping and praying that they wouldn't clock that I need another new tyre (new tyres are, like, £45 each!) Thankfully it's a super-slow puncture and it held and is still road-legal.
Spent two hours crying because I realised that at the end of the month my car tax is due and thus I need to add yet another direct debit on to the bunch which we cannot afford.
Have properly panicked when Tom announced cheerily 'it's less than two months until our birthdays!' *hyperventilation!*
Frantically been round the house trying to sell anything of any value. Then our oven door broke and even though we really need our oven, we couldn't afford to pay the excess on the bloody house insurance to get a new oven, so we are stuck with the shitty oven which I'm sure doesn't work properly (we did however credit card a new door for it....ugh don't get me started on the credit card fear)
It did however lead us to a conclusion that there's probably no point in us paying for contents insurance, because honeslty and promisdly, aside from the playmobil castle that our lovely neighbour handed in for our boys, we have nothing in our house which could not happily be replaced for less than £100.
Panicked like crazy because Tom now has to pay for school dinners now that he is in p4. Free school dinners until P3 was a fucking godsend.
Annnnnnd I hoping that the government has fucked up our tax credits somehow and that we get more than we are getting, because honestly, they have sent us three letters now and it's like some horrible fucking game where they reduce the amount every time; it's like torture.
I'm a do'er. In situations like this I fight, I think outside of every box I can find and I try my best to make a new situation to fix it.
I dream daily of the freedom to run my own business so I can work long hours and get a living from it, to not be tied by corporate rules and regulations. To have the freedom to earn.
I have so much energy to give, can do so much - why is it not fucking good enough to make sure that my kids have shoes that fit, that we all have enough to eat, to put a fucking tyre on my bastard car when it needs one instead of playing fucking russian roulette everytime we drive?
I need opportunity. I don't know whether I need to make that for myself or not because I am sick fed up of pounding at other doors and asking.
The stress, man. The fucking stress.
No wonder I'm going grey!
I have to try and remember the positives, because honestly, we are fucking blessed really, but sometimes it really is shit, you know?
Sorry for all the swearing.
Swearing helps.
But honestly, I do think we should talk more about money stuff.
And not in the 'oh, it's terrible, our savings are doing nothing, hahahahaha!' kind of way (as someone recently said to me; try not to cry when you've not eaten jack shit for a week and someone says something 'funny' about savings...everyone's a joker...)
I think it should be okay to say, 'actually, we are really fucking tight right now' and maybe get a hug instead of an embarrassed silence.
Things get shit for everyone sometimes. And that's okay.
I am grateful.
We have our health, we have a roof over our heads and we have each other.
Compared to a lot of people in this world, this country, this vicinity, that's a lot.
I'm not one for taking things for granted.
I have a job that pays money.
My husband also has a job that pays money.
We have cars to get us to and from those jobs.
We have managed to jiggle childcare so that our children are safe and looked after when we are at work.
So far, so good, right?
Today is the third day that I have woken up with the knowledge that we have zero money.
Zip.
Zilch.
Nowt.
In fact, the next time we get any, we will have to give up about £16 before we have any, because, yes, we are over our overdrafts (plural). Again.
What I have discovered is that people, unless they have been in this situation themselves, do not like to talk about money issues. They get embarrassed or it becomes a game about who has less, who is struggling more.
It's a strange thing.
Like everything, I am probably far too honest and frank about our situation. I like to keep things real. Mainly because I really don't see why it has to be such a big secret; we had a hard time, we had to bail ourselves out and now we are suffering the consequences. We are working as hard as we possibly can every single day to get through it, but it's not going to suddenly get easier any time soon.
And it is really hard. And it is really fucking stressful. And I am sorry, but if I don't talk about how hard and stressful it is sometimes, I really am going to implode with the worry and the strain of it all.
While we are lucky to have what we have, it doesn't make it any less stressful when you suddenly run out of baby milk and have no money to buy more. And cannot for the life of you think how in the heck you are going to find that money within the next couple of hours.
In the last month I :
Owe more money to more people than I am comfortable with for services already rendered.
Have not eaten a square fucking meal. I survive on bread based items with the occasional vegetable chucked in for good measure.
Had a decadent night of wine and cheese and instantly fucking regretted it because honestly, do you know how much reduced bread I could have shoved in the freeze with that money? Ugh!
Got stopped by police on a Saturday morning on my way to work (!) for a flat tyre which I then had to pump up in front of them at the side of the road while hoping and praying that they wouldn't clock that I need another new tyre (new tyres are, like, £45 each!) Thankfully it's a super-slow puncture and it held and is still road-legal.
Spent two hours crying because I realised that at the end of the month my car tax is due and thus I need to add yet another direct debit on to the bunch which we cannot afford.
Have properly panicked when Tom announced cheerily 'it's less than two months until our birthdays!' *hyperventilation!*
Frantically been round the house trying to sell anything of any value. Then our oven door broke and even though we really need our oven, we couldn't afford to pay the excess on the bloody house insurance to get a new oven, so we are stuck with the shitty oven which I'm sure doesn't work properly (we did however credit card a new door for it....ugh don't get me started on the credit card fear)
It did however lead us to a conclusion that there's probably no point in us paying for contents insurance, because honeslty and promisdly, aside from the playmobil castle that our lovely neighbour handed in for our boys, we have nothing in our house which could not happily be replaced for less than £100.
Panicked like crazy because Tom now has to pay for school dinners now that he is in p4. Free school dinners until P3 was a fucking godsend.
Annnnnnd I hoping that the government has fucked up our tax credits somehow and that we get more than we are getting, because honestly, they have sent us three letters now and it's like some horrible fucking game where they reduce the amount every time; it's like torture.
I'm a do'er. In situations like this I fight, I think outside of every box I can find and I try my best to make a new situation to fix it.
I dream daily of the freedom to run my own business so I can work long hours and get a living from it, to not be tied by corporate rules and regulations. To have the freedom to earn.
I have so much energy to give, can do so much - why is it not fucking good enough to make sure that my kids have shoes that fit, that we all have enough to eat, to put a fucking tyre on my bastard car when it needs one instead of playing fucking russian roulette everytime we drive?
I need opportunity. I don't know whether I need to make that for myself or not because I am sick fed up of pounding at other doors and asking.
The stress, man. The fucking stress.
No wonder I'm going grey!
I have to try and remember the positives, because honestly, we are fucking blessed really, but sometimes it really is shit, you know?
Sorry for all the swearing.
Swearing helps.
But honestly, I do think we should talk more about money stuff.
And not in the 'oh, it's terrible, our savings are doing nothing, hahahahaha!' kind of way (as someone recently said to me; try not to cry when you've not eaten jack shit for a week and someone says something 'funny' about savings...everyone's a joker...)
I think it should be okay to say, 'actually, we are really fucking tight right now' and maybe get a hug instead of an embarrassed silence.
Things get shit for everyone sometimes. And that's okay.
Wednesday 27 July 2016
My son didn't sleep for 5 years and I know how it ends
I have one of those kids.
The one that never sleeps.
I speak now from the other side (barely).
I am there.
It does exist: The Elusive Other Side.
I have spent HOURS on the fucking floor, at the end of beds, hovering at the doorway, waiting for the child to SLEEP.
I have read books on repeat, ad infinitum, hoping for that elusive moment where he is finally asleep...
I have tried sleep training, sleep cry-ing-it-out, sleep being-especially-nice and being entirely firm and shouting and crying and being so nice it hurts.
Bribery, sticker charts, happy words, angry words, empathy.
I have been through the works.
I have had doctors, health visitors, friends, family, neighbours' opinions, hearing tests, sensitivity tests, blood tests...
I am speaking completely as a soldier from the other side of the war: in all honesty there is no secret 'thing', no tricks, no manipulation.
I'm so sorry.
The only bloody thing that has worked in the end, in the long run, at the end of the day, is TIME.
I've had all the books, the parenting manuals.
The bloody hypnotising rabbit.
I tried night lights and splitting the boys up and bunk beds and separate beds.
We had the family bed (my poor back), the floor bed (don't ask!) the sleepovers, the late nights, the early nights and the fairy lights.
Audio books. Done.
Sitting outside the door. Tick.
End of the bed. Oh the endless hours.
Being a total bitch and telling him he HAS to go to sleep because we can't keep doing this, okay? You are a big boy now, you have to be able to go to sleep on your own...please...mummy has lots and lots to do and I'm just here, you can still see me, you can still hear me...while he sobs and pleads and begs and it all ends in tears from both of us...
Years.
Not days.
Not hours.
Not months.
Years.
Somehow...inexplicably...probably after one of those very very rare nights of sleep when Ethan was 4 years old and we had maybe had a holiday and some food and were genereally totally caught off guard, we decided a third child would be a magical addition to our brood.
Somehow.
Don't you judge me - being a parent is filled with the complete absurdity of spending a lot of time in absolute despair while also spending a lot of time in complete love and adoration for what you have made.
We had our third baby.
And LUCKILY, very very luckily, he is a dream to put to bed (much like the first).
Magically, Ethan has settled.
We have still had our problems.
It's not been perfect or smooth-sailing or completely a black-and-white progression, but somehow...it's good now (fingers crossed, touch wood etc etc)
He goes to bed alone.
In his own space,
He stays there all night.
Very occasionally. he gets into our bed and sleeps with us, but it's really not often (my back is a lot happier.)
Someone advised that I should write a piece to tell you all my secret of getting my son to sleep: I have no secrets.
There are no tricks.
He decided he was going to stay in his bed.
Some nights he still asks for s, but it's not half as bad as it was.
I know you came here on the promise that I was going to help you to get your kid to sleep.
I think what I really want to tell you is trope-y as fuck and a bit shit.
It will pass.
Your baby will stop being a baby.
He (or she) will consider himself (or herself) big enough to do it him (or her) self and they will do it.
And gradually, oh so slowly and surely, it will dissipate.
Suddenly it will be something that you used to do.
In the meantime, I suggest you do what you need to do.
I have regrets, sure , we all do as parents.
I DO NOT regret:
Putting him into nursery to get a break.
Buying more wine/beer to 'treat' myself after a particularly difficult session of getting him to sleep.
Trying absolutely everything with gusto.
Tapping out and letting my husband/mum/whoever else do it (so they can also realise I'm not making this shit up).
I DO regret:
The crying it out - it was fairly obvious he was never going to go to sleep this way and it made bedtime an absolutely awful process for both of us.
Not just letting him sleep in our bed when he requested it; there's an innate thing in a child to be nurtured - I don't know whose agenda I was playing to when I denied him that nurturing.
Not just going with my instincts and making a family bed. Or feeling judged for my feelings. I was never FOR co-sleeping, but it sure as hell would have made or lives a helluva lot more easier if I'd simply just went with my gut feeling and let him go in the bed with us, if that was what it took to get a good night's sleep.
I'm sorry I have no magic cure.
I absolutley know what you were hoping for.
All I can say is, I have made it.
I am there.
There is an end. It will come.
Hold on. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your kid.
It will pass.
The one that never sleeps.
I speak now from the other side (barely).
 |
| My sweet sleep-stealer |
I am there.
It does exist: The Elusive Other Side.
I have spent HOURS on the fucking floor, at the end of beds, hovering at the doorway, waiting for the child to SLEEP.
I have read books on repeat, ad infinitum, hoping for that elusive moment where he is finally asleep...
 |
| Courtesy of www.crappypictures.com |
I have tried sleep training, sleep cry-ing-it-out, sleep being-especially-nice and being entirely firm and shouting and crying and being so nice it hurts.
Bribery, sticker charts, happy words, angry words, empathy.
I have been through the works.
I have had doctors, health visitors, friends, family, neighbours' opinions, hearing tests, sensitivity tests, blood tests...
Sometimes they Just. Don't. Fucking. Sleep.
I am speaking completely as a soldier from the other side of the war: in all honesty there is no secret 'thing', no tricks, no manipulation.
I'm so sorry.
The only bloody thing that has worked in the end, in the long run, at the end of the day, is TIME.
I've had all the books, the parenting manuals.
The bloody hypnotising rabbit.
I tried night lights and splitting the boys up and bunk beds and separate beds.
We had the family bed (my poor back), the floor bed (don't ask!) the sleepovers, the late nights, the early nights and the fairy lights.
Audio books. Done.
Sitting outside the door. Tick.
End of the bed. Oh the endless hours.
Being a total bitch and telling him he HAS to go to sleep because we can't keep doing this, okay? You are a big boy now, you have to be able to go to sleep on your own...please...mummy has lots and lots to do and I'm just here, you can still see me, you can still hear me...while he sobs and pleads and begs and it all ends in tears from both of us...
Years.
Not days.
Not hours.
Not months.
Years.
Somehow...inexplicably...probably after one of those very very rare nights of sleep when Ethan was 4 years old and we had maybe had a holiday and some food and were genereally totally caught off guard, we decided a third child would be a magical addition to our brood.
Somehow.
Don't you judge me - being a parent is filled with the complete absurdity of spending a lot of time in absolute despair while also spending a lot of time in complete love and adoration for what you have made.
We had our third baby.
And LUCKILY, very very luckily, he is a dream to put to bed (much like the first).
Magically, Ethan has settled.
We have still had our problems.
It's not been perfect or smooth-sailing or completely a black-and-white progression, but somehow...it's good now (fingers crossed, touch wood etc etc)
He goes to bed alone.
In his own space,
He stays there all night.
Very occasionally. he gets into our bed and sleeps with us, but it's really not often (my back is a lot happier.)
Someone advised that I should write a piece to tell you all my secret of getting my son to sleep: I have no secrets.
There are no tricks.
He decided he was going to stay in his bed.
Some nights he still asks for s, but it's not half as bad as it was.
I know you came here on the promise that I was going to help you to get your kid to sleep.
I think what I really want to tell you is trope-y as fuck and a bit shit.
It will pass.
Your baby will stop being a baby.
He (or she) will consider himself (or herself) big enough to do it him (or her) self and they will do it.
And gradually, oh so slowly and surely, it will dissipate.
Suddenly it will be something that you used to do.
In the meantime, I suggest you do what you need to do.
I have regrets, sure , we all do as parents.
I DO NOT regret:
Putting him into nursery to get a break.
Buying more wine/beer to 'treat' myself after a particularly difficult session of getting him to sleep.
Trying absolutely everything with gusto.
Tapping out and letting my husband/mum/whoever else do it (so they can also realise I'm not making this shit up).
I DO regret:
The crying it out - it was fairly obvious he was never going to go to sleep this way and it made bedtime an absolutely awful process for both of us.
Not just letting him sleep in our bed when he requested it; there's an innate thing in a child to be nurtured - I don't know whose agenda I was playing to when I denied him that nurturing.
Not just going with my instincts and making a family bed. Or feeling judged for my feelings. I was never FOR co-sleeping, but it sure as hell would have made or lives a helluva lot more easier if I'd simply just went with my gut feeling and let him go in the bed with us, if that was what it took to get a good night's sleep.
I'm sorry I have no magic cure.
I absolutley know what you were hoping for.
All I can say is, I have made it.
I am there.
There is an end. It will come.
Hold on. Be kind to yourself. Be kind to your kid.
It will pass.
Wednesday 6 July 2016
New Shoes
He loves his shoes.
I almost forgot how important these little milestones are for wee ones. And for us!
As a third child, I try really hard to not forget about all the wee things that make up Owen's babyhood.
It's not easy though, when we have so many other things going on.
Where most first-time parents are making everything about their littlest person, I am often caught unawares by the next stage.
It feels like my littlest guy, the one I wanted to hold onto the longest, is shooting up faster than I imagined.
With Thomas, it felt like I had an eternity of him; almost too much time. I used to feel the strain of every minute detail and worried over the slightest thing. I did two baby books. I wrote all the 'firsts' on a calendar. I made hand prints and foot prints and baby albums.
When Ethan came along, I felt the angst of dealing with two small children, picking at the small bits and trying my best to get through the day.
The two of them together were very hard work and I got little respite from that.
I always felt anxious for them to be more independent, to go to nursery, to spend time with others. I needed the break, I needed to go to work, I needed them to play by themselves for a bit. I needed to make sure they had good experiences and that I kept my promises and that we spent good time together as a famly; and we did.
And now, this third, sweet, delicious child.
The one we knew would be the last.
He fits in, slots in like we've had him forever.
We forgot the baby book.
We tried with the milestone cards (we really did).
But we are taking it all in. Inhaling every moment deeply.
Every day I examine his face for changes.
I despair when he moves up yet another size in clothes.
His first shoes were a size 4!
We didn't spend £25 on his first pair, because we know a lot of things about baby shoes - how long they last, the liklihood of him losing one in the street, the grief and stress of spending wasted hours searching for the other shoe in parks and supermarkets; not worth it.
But he has shoes.
He is happy.
I wish he would stop growing!
Tuesday 5 July 2016
Shitty shitty day
Today was a heap of shite.
Today was awful.
Today I have spent all day cleaning just to have it all completely undone behind me by all of the boys.
I bought a new toilet seat last night which is, er, novelty, because basically I was pissed off at playing arse roulette every time I sat down because it kept falling off.
Now I have a horrid, twee, novelty one which says;
"If you sprinkle when you tinkle,
please be a sweet and wipe the seat!"
In a fancy font. My kids have obviously taken it to be as ironic statement of intent - I gave a wry giggle as I lifted the lid to find tinkle all over it.
I would have hauled the buggers up for it, but I was also dealing with the sodden towels and soaked nappies after both husband and children had showered and stepped over/used all of them to mop up water spillage from the shower/bath that I chose to not fight that particular battle at that moment.
Both older boys have had haircuts today, and while I was very pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out (I did them myself) and the lack of tears and the good amount of sitting still from them both while I did it, I still had to contend with a day of clipping loose bits, sweeping up masses of hair (it gets EVERYWHERE!) and stopping the baby from eating various clumps. He has a knack for finding shit you don't want him to have.
It's handy for cleaning the floor, mind you.
I'm trying to hawk all of my old baby shit on ebay and the like to make enough money so we can actually have food this month, but nobody wants any of it, which is leading to further bad mood-ing, only helped further by the fact I needed a new tyre anyway but now I need two, because there's a horrible slow puncture in the front one.
So, if anyone has a recipe for rubber ravioli, that would be grand. I'm sure tyre tabbouleh could be accomplished somehow. I'm sure I can magic it out of my arse like I can everything else!
We went out this afternoon for a drive (to get out of the house) and I took them to Toys R Us because basically I'm into self-flagellation of the highest order and I hate myself.
They spent the whole time asking for things/moaning about how we never buy anything and asking for more things.
I spent the whole time totting up in my head what Xmas/birthday season might look like this year and inwardly screaming.
We left TRU sharpish with promises of 'something' (nice, vague stab in the dark answer) at the next shop, which resulted in my spending of £4 of sacred food money on yet more stuffed animals with shiny eyes.
Fuck my life. What is with the animals with the shiny eyes?
I treated myself to some shapewear (woo hoo!) because basically I'm fed up of this weird shelf-thing going on at the front of my body due to three c-sections and carrying MASSIVE children. Tesco shapewear, very very cheap. Only the finest.
Which of course means it's probably going to be a massive inconvenience (think, rollydown and uncomfy and bulgy) and I am seriously going to miss that £5 at the end of the month, but it was almost worth it for the giggle I got from Ethan at mum buying the 'crazy pants!'
"It's so embarrassing, mum!"
I have had nothing but attitude from the oldest one all day - he is really busting my balls at the moment and I don't have a clue why - neither does he apparently. Trust me, I've asked him.
I am constantly telling him off or calling him up for his manners, or cheek or behaviour and it's awful because he is my good one, he is my reliable one. And now he's going through some kind of pre-pre-teen thing (I googled, apparently it's hrmones) and it's shit. And it just makes me fear that the other two will do this too and I'll be left in a corner, crying at home videos of how cute they were when they were two and malleable.
We got home at tea-time, which meant digging deep for the energy to produce a decent cooked meal while the baby held onto my leg/ destroyed the kitchen/went into the bathroom and slipped on the still-wet floor.
The bathroom floor needs replaced because - hello- previous owner was a douchebag and put down the cheapest laminate flooring which you cannot get wet. Our bathroom floor has to be able to tolerate wet - they are boys, they are constantly pissing everywhere and they love to soak the floor while bathing. We need, like, a sealed wetroom. That's the only way this is going to work.
It smells. It's warped. It's on my ever-growing to-do list.
*sigh*
Along with the front door, the hall, the windows, the bathroom light, school uniforms etc etc etc.
Well, off to bed.
More tomorrow.
Today was awful.
Today I have spent all day cleaning just to have it all completely undone behind me by all of the boys.
I bought a new toilet seat last night which is, er, novelty, because basically I was pissed off at playing arse roulette every time I sat down because it kept falling off.
Now I have a horrid, twee, novelty one which says;
"If you sprinkle when you tinkle,
please be a sweet and wipe the seat!"
In a fancy font. My kids have obviously taken it to be as ironic statement of intent - I gave a wry giggle as I lifted the lid to find tinkle all over it.
I would have hauled the buggers up for it, but I was also dealing with the sodden towels and soaked nappies after both husband and children had showered and stepped over/used all of them to mop up water spillage from the shower/bath that I chose to not fight that particular battle at that moment.
Both older boys have had haircuts today, and while I was very pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out (I did them myself) and the lack of tears and the good amount of sitting still from them both while I did it, I still had to contend with a day of clipping loose bits, sweeping up masses of hair (it gets EVERYWHERE!) and stopping the baby from eating various clumps. He has a knack for finding shit you don't want him to have.
It's handy for cleaning the floor, mind you.
I'm trying to hawk all of my old baby shit on ebay and the like to make enough money so we can actually have food this month, but nobody wants any of it, which is leading to further bad mood-ing, only helped further by the fact I needed a new tyre anyway but now I need two, because there's a horrible slow puncture in the front one.
So, if anyone has a recipe for rubber ravioli, that would be grand. I'm sure tyre tabbouleh could be accomplished somehow. I'm sure I can magic it out of my arse like I can everything else!
We went out this afternoon for a drive (to get out of the house) and I took them to Toys R Us because basically I'm into self-flagellation of the highest order and I hate myself.
They spent the whole time asking for things/moaning about how we never buy anything and asking for more things.
I spent the whole time totting up in my head what Xmas/birthday season might look like this year and inwardly screaming.
We left TRU sharpish with promises of 'something' (nice, vague stab in the dark answer) at the next shop, which resulted in my spending of £4 of sacred food money on yet more stuffed animals with shiny eyes.
Fuck my life. What is with the animals with the shiny eyes?
I treated myself to some shapewear (woo hoo!) because basically I'm fed up of this weird shelf-thing going on at the front of my body due to three c-sections and carrying MASSIVE children. Tesco shapewear, very very cheap. Only the finest.
Which of course means it's probably going to be a massive inconvenience (think, rollydown and uncomfy and bulgy) and I am seriously going to miss that £5 at the end of the month, but it was almost worth it for the giggle I got from Ethan at mum buying the 'crazy pants!'
"It's so embarrassing, mum!"
I have had nothing but attitude from the oldest one all day - he is really busting my balls at the moment and I don't have a clue why - neither does he apparently. Trust me, I've asked him.
I am constantly telling him off or calling him up for his manners, or cheek or behaviour and it's awful because he is my good one, he is my reliable one. And now he's going through some kind of pre-pre-teen thing (I googled, apparently it's hrmones) and it's shit. And it just makes me fear that the other two will do this too and I'll be left in a corner, crying at home videos of how cute they were when they were two and malleable.
We got home at tea-time, which meant digging deep for the energy to produce a decent cooked meal while the baby held onto my leg/ destroyed the kitchen/went into the bathroom and slipped on the still-wet floor.
The bathroom floor needs replaced because - hello- previous owner was a douchebag and put down the cheapest laminate flooring which you cannot get wet. Our bathroom floor has to be able to tolerate wet - they are boys, they are constantly pissing everywhere and they love to soak the floor while bathing. We need, like, a sealed wetroom. That's the only way this is going to work.
It smells. It's warped. It's on my ever-growing to-do list.
*sigh*
Along with the front door, the hall, the windows, the bathroom light, school uniforms etc etc etc.
Well, off to bed.
More tomorrow.
Saturday 25 June 2016
The Crazy Days
Today has been a terrible day.
I'm shattered. I've been working straight for about a month now, I get little to no time to myself and we have struggled to make ends meet all month. For the last three to six months.
Today was a 'let the kids watch television without remorse' kind of day.
Today was a 'please help yourself to all the snacks' kind of day, and a 'please, I don't actually care what you are doing' kind of day 'as long as you leave me alone to actually ferment in my own shittiness' kind of day.
It's also an 'oh god, I feel so guilty day'.
Because I spent all day yesterday knowing I would be in charge, knowing that I had this opportunity to do stuff with my kids, but instead I tapped out.
I sat down and went 'Nope. Not today, motherfucker.'
I am out of resources, both physically and mentally.
I flinched every time my kids asked for something, groaned mostly every time the baby wanted up and actually had tears in my eyes when after the third time of very nearly almost getting the baby to go to sleep (which he desperately needed) a delivery man knocked on the door, waking him up.
The door of the fridge fell off completely, pretty much nearly killing the baby and/or shearing my oldest son's legs and glass smashed everywhere, and once again there was a ton of washing, a ton of cleaning to do and a lack of appropriate healthy snacks to eat, meaning we were all filling up on guilty stodge (well, i was - the kids didn't blink, obviously).
There was no petrol in the car to drive anywhere more interesting, and it was raining outside and no money in the bank to make life even a tiny little bit easier.
Some days we wake up to text messages that tell us once again we are over the limit on our already-stretched overdrafts and I cannot count on two hand the number of times I have turned to Dave and said, "how are we going to do this?"
But we always manage.
Somehow.
I've done the Tax Credit calculator thing about a bazillion times attempting to work out how in the hell we cannot afford the childcare for next month (summer holidays, so extra childcare needed) and we have scrutinized our holiday leave, our ins and out and our what-we-can-do-withouts intrinsically.
We are tight on time, tight on money, tight on energy.
Like always, I've paid out more than I can afford in all of these things, promising myself I can catch up with them all: and I will. I just need more time, money and energy. You know?
It's a gradual and slow incline, but we are getting there.
We have faced a lot of obstacles with illness and moving and car smashes and stuff, and it's definitely been no picnic. We have come out okay, intact. Still going.
But sometimes it just feels a lot harder than it is, and I always have to remind myself; we have our kids, we have our bodies, we have our health, we have our home. We have food to eat (mostly) and we have resources.
I've been working extra hours to try and make up the shortfall since changing hours after maternity leave and this, plus all the other stuff; end of term trips and events for the boys, trying to find money/things to sell/keep on top of housework, birthday bits for Owen etc
I've been doing crazy cleaning, trying to get things together for family coming over for Owen's birthday last week (and it still wasn't up to the standard I wanted it to be - another thing that fell by the wayside), running between the kids and trying to find meals that will satisfy the kids from our meagre cupboard store (thank goodness for free school meals!)
Trying to work out how in the heck we would feed/water guests and also make sure our youngest boy got a wee birthday gift (gawd bless xmas club at the toy shop!)
I am tired.
Knackered.
This is parenting without the available auntie on-hand, the grandparent on pick-up duty, the close buddy play-dates.
This is parenting on the hoof, with a wing and a prayer and being stretched to the edge of your limits.
Constantly.
Without let up.
This is parenting night and day and then night again and then day with work and school and other stuff, day after day and week into month after month.
This is endless.
This is feeling guilty endlessly for various things; the scrimping on meals because of time, the forgotten coats, the shirts that still have stains on after they've been washed, the certain feeling of judgement coming from teachers, other parents, family, friends for not fulfilling x,y,z obligation.
The endless attempts to make sure kids get alone time, craft time, more time, not too much t.v time, not too much screen time, that they are reading, that they get to express themselves, that they eat well and eat enough, that they are getting good experiences, that their shoes fit, that they have clean hair and teeth and everything else.
It's the hours and hours spent facilitating their every need and want and whim from dawn until dusk and in between, making sure we don't raise our voices when we are stressed, making sure that others treat them fairly and that they also treat others with the same regard.
We don't have clubs, or after-school care or babysitters.
There's no overnights or long weekends or few hours off.
There's no 'date nights' or 'couple time' or 'me time'.
There's a lot of midnight frantic tumble-drying. A lot of crazy fiddling with numbers and dates and time. A LOT of thinking outside of the box.
Instead we forge out our own time.
We craft our own special family days.
We make sure we separate fun from real life. And we always take a picnic.
We take minutes to count our blessings and we try to do good where we can.
Life is not easy.
Life is difficult at best.
But there's a heck of a lot of happy.
Every day these boys get older. And bigger. And belong a little bit more to the world.
Tom loses yet another tooth. Ethan comes out with yet another characterful announcement and Owen takes one (or seven) more steps across the room.
One day we will look back and miss this; the crazy days. The busy days. The fullness of life and the challenges and the open-mindedness it brings.
The creativeness.
Today was very difficult.
Today was very hard. Today I needed another adult to pick up the reins.
But the years are short.
And if anything, this family is living proof that things are always changing.
Always for the better.
Slow but sure.
Knowing first-hand what we get through each day, I'm definitely proud of our achievements so far!
The best is yet to come.
 |
| Not feeling super today! |
I'm shattered. I've been working straight for about a month now, I get little to no time to myself and we have struggled to make ends meet all month. For the last three to six months.
Today was a 'let the kids watch television without remorse' kind of day.
Today was a 'please help yourself to all the snacks' kind of day, and a 'please, I don't actually care what you are doing' kind of day 'as long as you leave me alone to actually ferment in my own shittiness' kind of day.
Sorry kids.
It's also an 'oh god, I feel so guilty day'.
Because I spent all day yesterday knowing I would be in charge, knowing that I had this opportunity to do stuff with my kids, but instead I tapped out.
I sat down and went 'Nope. Not today, motherfucker.'
I am out of resources, both physically and mentally.
I flinched every time my kids asked for something, groaned mostly every time the baby wanted up and actually had tears in my eyes when after the third time of very nearly almost getting the baby to go to sleep (which he desperately needed) a delivery man knocked on the door, waking him up.
The door of the fridge fell off completely, pretty much nearly killing the baby and/or shearing my oldest son's legs and glass smashed everywhere, and once again there was a ton of washing, a ton of cleaning to do and a lack of appropriate healthy snacks to eat, meaning we were all filling up on guilty stodge (well, i was - the kids didn't blink, obviously).
There was no petrol in the car to drive anywhere more interesting, and it was raining outside and no money in the bank to make life even a tiny little bit easier.
Some days we wake up to text messages that tell us once again we are over the limit on our already-stretched overdrafts and I cannot count on two hand the number of times I have turned to Dave and said, "how are we going to do this?"
But we always manage.
Somehow.
I've done the Tax Credit calculator thing about a bazillion times attempting to work out how in the hell we cannot afford the childcare for next month (summer holidays, so extra childcare needed) and we have scrutinized our holiday leave, our ins and out and our what-we-can-do-withouts intrinsically.
We are tight on time, tight on money, tight on energy.
Like always, I've paid out more than I can afford in all of these things, promising myself I can catch up with them all: and I will. I just need more time, money and energy. You know?
It's a gradual and slow incline, but we are getting there.
We have faced a lot of obstacles with illness and moving and car smashes and stuff, and it's definitely been no picnic. We have come out okay, intact. Still going.
But sometimes it just feels a lot harder than it is, and I always have to remind myself; we have our kids, we have our bodies, we have our health, we have our home. We have food to eat (mostly) and we have resources.
Today was a bit of a tap-out situation though.
I've been working extra hours to try and make up the shortfall since changing hours after maternity leave and this, plus all the other stuff; end of term trips and events for the boys, trying to find money/things to sell/keep on top of housework, birthday bits for Owen etc
I've been doing crazy cleaning, trying to get things together for family coming over for Owen's birthday last week (and it still wasn't up to the standard I wanted it to be - another thing that fell by the wayside), running between the kids and trying to find meals that will satisfy the kids from our meagre cupboard store (thank goodness for free school meals!)
Trying to work out how in the heck we would feed/water guests and also make sure our youngest boy got a wee birthday gift (gawd bless xmas club at the toy shop!)
I am tired.
Knackered.
This is parenting without backup.
This is parenting without the available auntie on-hand, the grandparent on pick-up duty, the close buddy play-dates.
This is parenting on the hoof, with a wing and a prayer and being stretched to the edge of your limits.
Constantly.
Without let up.
This is parenting night and day and then night again and then day with work and school and other stuff, day after day and week into month after month.
This is endless.
This is feeling guilty endlessly for various things; the scrimping on meals because of time, the forgotten coats, the shirts that still have stains on after they've been washed, the certain feeling of judgement coming from teachers, other parents, family, friends for not fulfilling x,y,z obligation.
The endless attempts to make sure kids get alone time, craft time, more time, not too much t.v time, not too much screen time, that they are reading, that they get to express themselves, that they eat well and eat enough, that they are getting good experiences, that their shoes fit, that they have clean hair and teeth and everything else.
It's the hours and hours spent facilitating their every need and want and whim from dawn until dusk and in between, making sure we don't raise our voices when we are stressed, making sure that others treat them fairly and that they also treat others with the same regard.
We don't have clubs, or after-school care or babysitters.
There's no overnights or long weekends or few hours off.
There's no 'date nights' or 'couple time' or 'me time'.
There's a lot of midnight frantic tumble-drying. A lot of crazy fiddling with numbers and dates and time. A LOT of thinking outside of the box.
Instead we forge out our own time.
We craft our own special family days.
We make sure we separate fun from real life. And we always take a picnic.
We take minutes to count our blessings and we try to do good where we can.
Life is not easy.
Life is difficult at best.
But there's a heck of a lot of happy.
Every day these boys get older. And bigger. And belong a little bit more to the world.
Tom loses yet another tooth. Ethan comes out with yet another characterful announcement and Owen takes one (or seven) more steps across the room.
One day we will look back and miss this; the crazy days. The busy days. The fullness of life and the challenges and the open-mindedness it brings.
The creativeness.
Today was very difficult.
Today was very hard. Today I needed another adult to pick up the reins.
But the years are short.
And if anything, this family is living proof that things are always changing.
Always for the better.
Slow but sure.
Knowing first-hand what we get through each day, I'm definitely proud of our achievements so far!
The best is yet to come.
Wednesday 22 June 2016
Please Use Your Vote
Tomorrow is a huge day.
Maybe it doesn't feel like it to you, but it is.
Tomorrow is one of those days that will shape the rest of your lives.
Please.
I know at times it feels utterly useless, especially if you are busy, or can't be bothered because you think that your voice will not make a difference, but trust me, it does.
You have absolutely no right at all to complain about the outcome if you do not vote.
Use your vote.
Make your decision with thought. Step away from the rhetoric, the political party nit-picking, the xenphobia, the hatred, the crazy 'predictions' about what will happen if we stay or if we go.
Think about your vote.
Think about the maternity leave you enjoyed. The free movement between countries. The human rights. The education.
Think about worker's rights. The future of small independent businesses.
Decide how you feel about giving up environmental rights if we chuck away our European membership which helps protect our land, while the Tories approach fracking with a rub of their fat little hands.
Think about free pre-school education for all children, regardless of background.
Of all the other benefits of being the partner in a union.
Use your voice.
Be counted.
Vote #Remain
Maybe it doesn't feel like it to you, but it is.
Tomorrow is one of those days that will shape the rest of your lives.
Please.
I know at times it feels utterly useless, especially if you are busy, or can't be bothered because you think that your voice will not make a difference, but trust me, it does.
You have absolutely no right at all to complain about the outcome if you do not vote.
Use your vote.
Make your decision with thought. Step away from the rhetoric, the political party nit-picking, the xenphobia, the hatred, the crazy 'predictions' about what will happen if we stay or if we go.
Think about your vote.
Think about the maternity leave you enjoyed. The free movement between countries. The human rights. The education.
Think about worker's rights. The future of small independent businesses.
Decide how you feel about giving up environmental rights if we chuck away our European membership which helps protect our land, while the Tories approach fracking with a rub of their fat little hands.
Think about free pre-school education for all children, regardless of background.
Of all the other benefits of being the partner in a union.
Use your voice.
Be counted.
Vote #Remain
Tuesday 21 June 2016
Summer Holidays: Mine and Theirs
6 weeks of summer holidays are bearing down on us all at a rate of noughts.
When I was wee, the summer holidays were amazing; 6 (or sometimes 7) weeks of playing outside with my friends late into the night.
I was lucky - where I lived we were free to roam the streets, as the streets were quiet and there were barely any cars. The houses were all knitted together and there were endless places to ride your bike or push a scooter or a skateboard or go rollerskating without bothering anyone.
We'd meet at the park - without the aid of text messages or phones and we all had watches on our wrists so that we knew when to come back home for tea.
Sadly, my own kids will never really know the joy of this kind of childhood. It was pretty free.
We lived our lives in hours of imaginative play. We made our own microcosm of the world in the small area in which we lived.
There were acorn fights (bad idea), games of football (great idea) and skateboard tours (amazing idea).
On wet days we put on our raincoats and all squeezed into our dens, our hideyholes, mainly in bushes or broken down fencing and pretend we were spies or that we had a huge club of detectives who only met once a month.
We had our best bestest bestesest ever friends and we had our sworn enemies. We loved and lost. We fought battles. We played massive tournaments that went on for weeks.
We used stones to draw on the paving slabs and we used our jumpers for goal posts (inevitably someone always lost their jumper).
We ventured out of our zones too - we went to the beach. We cycled as far as we could.
I doubt our parents could have imagined that we went as far or did as much as we did, but we did it all, and without any adult supervision; you simply came home at the agreed time and then went out again until the next time-slot, often begging for 'just an extra half an hour, pleeeease?'
Times have kind of changed and where we live kind of isn't conducive to sending kids out. They'd have to walk up and down a 60mph country road to get anywhere good. And when they got there, the chances of meeting any other kids are slim to none, seeing as it seems to be less of a thing to let your kids roam the streets.
When I was wee, my mum didn't go to work, so I never had to go to childcare and anyone who babysat was generally doing it because I was already at their house, eating their food and watching their tv, as they did at ours when they happened to disappear in with me for hours on end.
I never went to Out Of School Club. I never had a childminder.
I was so lucky that I was able to stay at home and play.
As my kids gear up for 6 weeks of chilling and eating and going to different childcare venues (and staying at home with us for sometime I might add - we had to use all of our holidays between us!) and getting all of these 'paid for' experiences, like face painting and cooking and going to play centres, I can't help feeling a bit jealous.
It would be very nice to have a long break and lots of fun things to do.
But I can't help feeling a bit sad too, that they aren't going to be racing their bikes at the park without adult supervision, that they won't be doing stuntman-worthy tricks on the swings or seeing how fast they can go on the roundabout without falling off.
Those were the best days of my life.
When I was wee, the summer holidays were amazing; 6 (or sometimes 7) weeks of playing outside with my friends late into the night.
I was lucky - where I lived we were free to roam the streets, as the streets were quiet and there were barely any cars. The houses were all knitted together and there were endless places to ride your bike or push a scooter or a skateboard or go rollerskating without bothering anyone.
We'd meet at the park - without the aid of text messages or phones and we all had watches on our wrists so that we knew when to come back home for tea.
Sadly, my own kids will never really know the joy of this kind of childhood. It was pretty free.
We lived our lives in hours of imaginative play. We made our own microcosm of the world in the small area in which we lived.
There were acorn fights (bad idea), games of football (great idea) and skateboard tours (amazing idea).
On wet days we put on our raincoats and all squeezed into our dens, our hideyholes, mainly in bushes or broken down fencing and pretend we were spies or that we had a huge club of detectives who only met once a month.
We had our best bestest bestesest ever friends and we had our sworn enemies. We loved and lost. We fought battles. We played massive tournaments that went on for weeks.
We used stones to draw on the paving slabs and we used our jumpers for goal posts (inevitably someone always lost their jumper).
We ventured out of our zones too - we went to the beach. We cycled as far as we could.
I doubt our parents could have imagined that we went as far or did as much as we did, but we did it all, and without any adult supervision; you simply came home at the agreed time and then went out again until the next time-slot, often begging for 'just an extra half an hour, pleeeease?'
Times have kind of changed and where we live kind of isn't conducive to sending kids out. They'd have to walk up and down a 60mph country road to get anywhere good. And when they got there, the chances of meeting any other kids are slim to none, seeing as it seems to be less of a thing to let your kids roam the streets.
When I was wee, my mum didn't go to work, so I never had to go to childcare and anyone who babysat was generally doing it because I was already at their house, eating their food and watching their tv, as they did at ours when they happened to disappear in with me for hours on end.
I never went to Out Of School Club. I never had a childminder.
I was so lucky that I was able to stay at home and play.
As my kids gear up for 6 weeks of chilling and eating and going to different childcare venues (and staying at home with us for sometime I might add - we had to use all of our holidays between us!) and getting all of these 'paid for' experiences, like face painting and cooking and going to play centres, I can't help feeling a bit jealous.
It would be very nice to have a long break and lots of fun things to do.
But I can't help feeling a bit sad too, that they aren't going to be racing their bikes at the park without adult supervision, that they won't be doing stuntman-worthy tricks on the swings or seeing how fast they can go on the roundabout without falling off.
Those were the best days of my life.
Friday 17 June 2016
One
Here he is, my golden-haired boy,
So much goodness for us to enjoy,
His little smile, his waving hands,
His wobbly stagger
His pull-up-to-stand
The way he babbles,
The cuddles and cosies,
The clap-a-handies,
the grabbing nose - ies!
Two bottom teeth sticking out,
Bright blue eyes,
An angel pout,
My 'silly bean'
My bundle of fun,
We've so much to do,
Now you are one.
Thursday 9 June 2016
Tea for Me - a review of Adagio Teas
My working week is pretty difficult.
How cool is that!?
I have to say it is very satisfying. I certainly won't be forgetting about my tea any time soon.
It's also very easy to clean and completely see-through, so you get to watch as the tea infuses.
Adagio have an amazing collection of gorgeous artisan teas from around the world.
My favourite from the samples I tasted has to be the Earl Grey Moonlight; an odd choice for someone who 'doesn't like Earl Grey'!
The tea itself is so fresh and full of flavour; as soon as you open the re-sealable bag you are hit with the most amazing fragrance.
It definitely forces me to make my tea-time more of an occasion.
If you love tea, give them a little visit at www.adagiotea.co.uk
You wont be disappointed!
Disclaimer: I was sent a sample of Adagio teas to try, along with an IngenuiTEA pot to brew them in. I was not expected to write anything positive and I have not been paid for this post. All words and thoughts are completely my own and I bloody loved the tea - it was so good!
I only work part-time and I have been lucky enough to score hours that fit directly around my boys' school life, but as a result I pretty much never stop. I'm forever rushing between work and picking up children, food shopping and making sure the dog has been walked.
Between blogging, work, children, dog, degus, baby and all the other bits and pieces, there are some nights where I manage to go to bed without even doing the basics, like feeding myself!
I am knackered!
It's becoming increasingly important to me that I take whatever time I can to look after myself a little bit more after all, if there's no fuel the fire cannot keep burning.
I was delighted when Adagio Teas asked me to review their artisan tea collection: finally, a reason to give myself 10 minutes and enjoy a little 'me time'.
Usually a cup of tea is a last desperate attempt by myself to gain back some spent energy.
The kettle gets boiled.
The teabag is chucked in the cup unceremoniously.
The cup is filled.
The cup sits.
The filled cup waits.
And waits.
And waits...
The cup gets cold.
M husband comes home and finds several manky old cups of black tea sitting around the house (sometimes I manage to take the teabag out, sometimes I don't).
*Sigh*
I love a cup of tea. When I can get one.
Here's a clever thing though:
Look! You put gorgeous loose tea into the tea maker.
You wait a bit and watch as the water changes colour and smells amazing.
Then...THEN...!
Look!
Look!
How cool is that!?
I have to say it is very satisfying. I certainly won't be forgetting about my tea any time soon.
It's also very easy to clean and completely see-through, so you get to watch as the tea infuses.
Adagio have an amazing collection of gorgeous artisan teas from around the world.
My favourite from the samples I tasted has to be the Earl Grey Moonlight; an odd choice for someone who 'doesn't like Earl Grey'!
The tea itself is so fresh and full of flavour; as soon as you open the re-sealable bag you are hit with the most amazing fragrance.
It definitely forces me to make my tea-time more of an occasion.
If you love tea, give them a little visit at www.adagiotea.co.uk
You wont be disappointed!
Disclaimer: I was sent a sample of Adagio teas to try, along with an IngenuiTEA pot to brew them in. I was not expected to write anything positive and I have not been paid for this post. All words and thoughts are completely my own and I bloody loved the tea - it was so good!
Monday 6 June 2016
My Last Firsts (sob!) #petitfilousfirsts
Owen is my third and final baby, so those 'firsts' are a lot more poignant.
I've been careful to try and pay attention to all of them and savour them all...one last time!
Owen might not be a proper baby any more, but he still has a lot of 'firsts' to come, and I am so excited to share them with him.
I think one of my favourite 'firsts' has been weaning.
He's my third child, so I'm a bit more relaxed about what I feed him, but of course keeping an eye on things like sugar and salt, as well as other additives.
One of our favourite go-to snacks is yoghurt and we tried My First Petit Filous recently, a new yoghurt designed for babies and children, which is free from additives and low on sugars.
Owen really enjoyed it and was very happy to have more than one pot in a sitting!
Here's what Petit Filous have to say about their new product:
This post is an entry for BritMums #PetitsFilousFirsts Linky Challenge, sponsored by Petits Filous
I've been careful to try and pay attention to all of them and savour them all...one last time!
 |
| First crawl! |
 |
| First time in the new highchair |
 |
| First time pulling himself up to stand! |
 |
| First 'big' climb! |
 |
| First chocolate cake! |
 |
| First snow day! |
 |
| First proper bounce! |
 |
| First time using the spoon (help!) |
 |
| First swing |
 |
| First meal in a restaurant! |
 |
| First whole banana from the skin |
 |
| First Santa visit |
 |
| First Xmas |
 |
| First teeth |
 |
| First trip to the zoo |
 |
| First long lie! |
 |
| First cosies with brother number one! |
I think one of my favourite 'firsts' has been weaning.
He's my third child, so I'm a bit more relaxed about what I feed him, but of course keeping an eye on things like sugar and salt, as well as other additives.
One of our favourite go-to snacks is yoghurt and we tried My First Petit Filous recently, a new yoghurt designed for babies and children, which is free from additives and low on sugars.
Owen really enjoyed it and was very happy to have more than one pot in a sitting!
Here's what Petit Filous have to say about their new product:
My First Petits Filous is a low sugar, vanilla-flavour weaning fromage frais, designed to introduce children to fromage frais from 6 months. The main ingredient is milk and all ingredients are 100% naturally sourced, so parents can rest assured there are no artificial colours, flavours, sweeteners or added preservatives. Not only is My First Petits Filous delicious, it has calcium and protein to help children develop strong bones from an early age and the low sugar content reassures parents that their child will maintain a balanced diet during weaning.
Owen loved the taste, and not to be outdone, Ethan was happily snarfling some too - boy loves a milk-based product!
And it's one thing I don't mind my sweet-toothed blethering boys having either!
Even if most of it does end up in his hair!
This post is an entry for BritMums #PetitsFilousFirsts Linky Challenge, sponsored by Petits Filous
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