Party of Five

well not a personal, 'you've been tagged', more of a johnny saddo borrowing a tag from Marja to make myself look popular. It's like the Mum mafia in the school playground - sometimes I'll chat and gossip and feel included but whenever I hang back and look all alone I'm pretty much left to my own devices. Not sure how I feel about that, but as our US friends would say - that's a whole other ball of wax (or something like that, not being American permits clumsy American metaphor mixing).
So these are the rules:-
List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets.
Tag 5 friends and list them.
Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.

I'm panicking a bit about tagging 5 friends for the obvious reasons. Do I tag Donna Downey, Cathy Zeilske and Ali Edwards - I consider them friends but really in the stalker kind of way as I've only ever posted on Cathy's blog....once....about Suzannah and Trinny (Yeah I hate them). But hey I've posted on Zach Braff's blog - so he's my friend, therefore tagable.

So here goes...

Weird things
1. My cat is so old she cannot lick all her fur and sometimes the fur she cannot reach on her back goes all skanky and I have to trim it. Easier said than done as she's the worlds most unfriendly cat.
2. I eat peanut butter off of a spoon. Better than everything else that just gets tipped in 'Homer- like' straight from the carton into my gob.
3 I don't like big dogs. Not at all. Their slobbery slobber, that whole doggy aroma, that jumping up and sniffing things. And what is worse than a big dog? a big dog whose owner has not control over them and worse than that? A big dog NEAR MY BABY. I'm not too sure about pets in cages either.
4. I love ribbon, especially fancy schmancy ribbon. I have no use for it and the ribbon I use is usually stuff I put on gifts, so it's a total waste of money, but to have it in my possession for even the shortest time fills me with happiness.
5. I must iron every single thing in the ironing pile, I cannot leave it or it plays on my mind. I cannot wear anything unironed or put my kids in anything unironed. But it takes me days to put it away so I generally have little hillocks of ironed clothes dotted around various bedrooms.

who am i going to tag? well Audrey for sure, perhaps anam if she doesn't mind me tagging her, ummmm I'll have to do 'dream tags' as I don't know anyone else to ask so it's gotta be the wonderful Zach and the inspirational Cathy and finally the amazing Tara.

Totally cheated I know but hey ho.

first day back at the gym today. Pip went in the creche where he spent most of his time puking up or grizzling. I feel a bit guilty because I gave him a bit of a feed before I went and this combined with lying on his tummy probably made him do the old heave ho.

Had a reasonable work out - the gym has changed a lot - not that I didn't know that, it changed before I stopped going. But non of the instructors are the same, nor most of the staff downstairs, so it's a bit daunting. I forgot my headphones too, I think a small stealer child was after them and I put them somewhere safe and forgot where that safe place was. Never mind I got to watch Linda Barker without sound - that's gotta be a bonus.

Did a bit of scrapping last night, I should have been at a PTA meeting at school but could not summon up the effort to shift myself. They caught me today anyway and I've volunteered to help with the school discos in December. Meeting at some lady's house on Monday after school drop off :o before I know it I'll get sucked in and be a Stepford wife.

Yeah and you know the colour puce? that's the colour I was by the time I'd finished my workout (I am now hoping that puce isn't green)

so I thought no-one ever read my blog and therefore any anomalies entered would be glossed over. Not so. Sharon noticed that one Thursday that I blog-glossed over was in fact the day I went to her house and she did a wonderul photoshoot of little Pip.

sorry Sharon and to try and make up for it here is my homage to my best bud:-

I've known Sharon for over 20 years and in that time we've never had an argument, not that I can remember anyway. This says a lot about Sharon, an awful lot. See, she's had to put up with living with me and my foibles (messy everywhere except the kitchen), my habit of being a bit brutal with the truth (she just absorbs it all with a smile), with my inconstantcy (not making her bday party because of a forecast of snow - mind you she does remind me every now and then), me being a rubbish helper(when she photographed a wedding), my copying her creatively (I only took up card making 'cos she started and i only love photography 'cos i saw her pics), my forgetfulness and occassional stupidity and all sorts of other things.
Sharon is brave and does things other people only dream about - she's just packed her whole career in to bring her children up and to develop her passion for photography. With her adorable hubby Darren they designed and got built the most amazing extension to their historic house - she had amazing vision with this project and a lot of guts seeing it through, whenever I talk to other friends about her I always add 'she's built the MOST amazing extension on her house - with a cellar!' - I do Sharon I always do!
I love you to bits Sharon although I might not show it and rest assured that I will be around for at least another 40 years to plague the life out of you and sniffing for free photoshoots.

when Sharon gets her website/blog up and running I'll post a link - she's a fabulous and creative photographer who specialises in family and children.

blogger is not allowing photo uploads at the mo but when it does I'll edit this and put in some of her fabbo pics

Munch started school this week. No namby pamby phasing him in - it's straight to it full time school for the next 13 years (we hope) for him.
He's doing ok - he's a little cranky because of being tired and there have apparently been 'things going on'. I take it to mean that there has been bundles over toys or such like and he has been coming home stating 'xxx doesn't like me any more' etc He came home on Tuesday (his first day) with a big lump on his nose where a kid threw a brick at him. After intensive questionning it transpires that Munch pushed a brick tower over that this kid had built and kid threw brick at Munchers face. Not good. Not a happy Mummy. However, it's the start of term and all these little kids are adjusting. Kid & his parent have been spoken to by teacher and teacher has spoken to me (amazingly Munch was recipient of bad behaviour and not disher outer). I am not going to get in a great big lather over it, not unless Munch really gets hurt (mind you how hurt does he have to be? I'm thinking broken bones or blood).
Having been through this all before with Tiddly and knowing how these things settle down it's best to play the long game here. Also best not to intereact with other parents - too much tittle tattle and gossip.
Have been scrapping mini albums this week. Getting some of that spark back. Kind of getting myself organised so I can scrap in the evening - but not totally there yet, I am still a lazy couch potato at heart and if a good film is on I am there.
Does anyone know of a good way of not 'grazing' - I am grazing like a herd of Texan cows and am now currently the size of one. Not a good look by the way. Oh and I am missing a backbone and willpower - a potent mixture at the best of times.

last week was a good week - full of different things and although hectic it was fun too.

On Monday I reactivated my gym membership and on Tuesday we went swimming, putting little Pip inthe creche. All went well if a little rushed when I realised I had 1 minute in which to get dry, dressed and downstairs to the creche (they don't like lateness) - I was there in 3 minutes - not bad for a tubby lass.

On Wednesday we took Sam to school - his first day in year 3!

Thursday and Friday have completely passed me by but it was probably more taking Sam to school and coming home and trying to tidy up.

Saturday was Sam's first proper football match, and what a stonking game it was. Full of hard tackles, missed chances, passion and committment - all this from a team of 7 year olds !!! Sam didn't play like his normal self - it may be he had a bit of stage fright, but some of them were fabulous. We won 7-2.

In the evening we went to watch Sam swim in his first swim gala - it was actually time trials. Poor little guy I think he was everso nervous - these are big events with a big audience and loads and loads of swimmers. Luckily he had his older cousing looking after him and his Uncle was one of the judges (we think he was a block judge as he spent all his time at the starting end). Sam was only entered into one race - backstroke) and did very well considering he was swimming in the 8's category he was probably the youngest swimming in that category and he didn't come last although he bashed into the lane a few times and slowed up looking for the finish.

Munchers teacher comes on a home visit today, need to scrape some of the muck from various surfaces and pray that Munch doesn't do anything stupid.


oh i wish i were really as slim as that appears!

it was Pip's Christening yesterday and also my birthday.

What a fabulous day we had! The service was lovely even though I was a bit cross at the vicar only telling me it was a joint Christening late the night before. There's not a lot of seating at the Church and we were bringing 45, couple this with 30 from the other party and the congregation I could see a bit of squashing going on. Coupled with me dearly wanting a sole celebration of my special little boy I was fuming a bit (as my friend Judi will tell you).

Anyhoo, it all went well (apart from the other family taking our side of the pews and a lot of our people having to sit on their side). Father Grantley did a memorable service and it was very special for all of us. This was Steve's family Church when he was growing up, a lot of his family are interred in the graveyard and Steve & I are the only ones who continue going regularly to the Church so they are like our extended family - the congragation know us all very well and were so happy to receive Christopher.

The party afterwards was good as well, well it had better had been because it cost a fortune! Food was good, weather was divine and company fantastic.

As a birthday it went quietly, focus was on little Pip afterall, but I got some marvellous and probably undeserved pressies and lots of stash money :)

Marja - where did you hear it's Zach's last season? this has blown my world away!!!!!

new blog to stalk - fabulous photos of the cutest little baby and man this woman is funny, totally baby centric so if you don't 'get' Mums writing funny stuff about their kids then don't click the link stories about us

I am both pleased and proudly smug about the fact I achieved my goals this week, namely:-

• take Munch to tennis and hope he doesn't hurt someone or poke an eye out (his or anyone close by)
• get 2 christening cakes and a birthday cake (1 for Church, 1 for Party and 1 for me and Jackie to scoff)
• get bday pressies for a special 2 year old boy (can't go wrong with Bob the Builder)
• finish the Mt McKinsey ironing pile (I don't own that many clothes am I ironing for the street here?)
• buy me an outfit - millets had a sale on.....
• buy boys an outfit (god bless the next directory)
• finish digi album (ok finished all bar the text)
• rejoin the gym (ok am going to do that tomorrow but have already booked Pip into the creche for a trial)

I'm going to refresh my blog links at the side too as I visit a lot of inspirational ones daily, I almost get upset if they are not updated I find them so funny, stylish and just great - it's like having a hotline to something fabulous, like eating a whole bag of maltesers and not feeling guilty.

Pip has been beaten into submission on the sleep front this week. He'd been sullying his 'I'm THE perfect baby' routine by cruelly waking at 1am, 3am, 5am (any mix of those and you'll get the picture) - I was having enough of feeling like I'd been dragged through the night by wild horses rather than slumbering fitfully on a cloud of feathers. He kind of mentally 'got' the picture this week by sleeping through everynight. Good boy Pip!

Nanni thinks Pip is the best thing since sliced bread - she looked after him today whilst I went and had my Farah Fawcett highlights and cut - yeah I am totally the 70's babe today. Apart from the fact the boys were on their own out the front on their bikes (they were still alive and apparently unscathed so I let that one fly) and baby was on his own crying in the front room all was fine!! I had just come home when she'd left them all for a minute to go pee, afterall a Nanni has to pee too!! Pip was just so good she was worried he never fussed or created!! next time I'll pinch him before I go out and make her work a bit harder.

No scrapping this week - too much panic shopping and tennis watching. Once we get to next week I will have my days free - me and Pip against the world! maybe I can be organised for the first time this century?

bless me father for I have sinned, it's been ages since my last post.

It's not like I have loads to do, we muddle through pretty much the same each day, and you can only read about that so many times before wanting to jump off of a tall building.

Am loving Scrubs at the moment and especially love Zach Braff's blog - he's just what you want him to be - funny, clever and kind to fans & dogs.

I'm not sure how I reached this print & pattern site , probably via elisalous's blog , but I love all the print and pattern and totally want one of those marikemmo mice! elisalou makes THE most gorgeous bags and blankets and jewellery - I am hoping to get one of the blankets for Pip - kind of make it an heirloom piece.

I bought a beautiful necklace from Jacquie at A String of Beads - what can I say? it is fabulous and she is going to make me a matching bracelet too.

Busy, busy this week - Munch has a tennis course (I am hoping he can contain his natural tendency towards tornado behaviour), they are both going go-karting on Wednesday and we have Pip's Christening on Sunday (which is my birthday too) and I need to buy an outfit for me & the boys. Plus finishing off ironing on name labels on uniforms and making sure everything is together to prevent last minute panics and the wearing of too small old uniform. I've had to buy Sam long sleeved shirts this year as he was very sensitive over the kids making fun of the dark hair on his arms when he wore his short sleeve shirts. Poor kid.

Have 2 red hot scrapping projects on the go - a digital to print album for a little girls bday party and a little 40th bday album for Hubby. Hope to get them finished tonight (and pigs will fly and I will give up choclate and biscuits)

I've taken quite a few photos these past few days,

one for me and my best bud for our birthday cake (we share a birthday and a lot of history!)

one of cheap storage from Woolies that i carried home from town whilst wheeling a buggy and keeping the older two close by

some of the Big Picture by Stacy Julian (pages I intend to work on)

and a pic of all the LO's in Cathy Z's book that I love straight off the bat

we should be getting our new (2nd hand)car soon - just finalising finances, I am going to miss the old Polo but it simply isn't big enough for our growing family. I am hoping someone in our family will want it - it's lost such a lot of money over the 4 years we have had it (£5500 in fact) it is almost not worth the hassle of selling. Ours is such a disposable society where no-one wants to keep things for long or want second hand things that getting rid of cars is more of a hassle than is used to be. My father-in-law had an old car he wanted to trade in and the dealer gave him £100 off the price of the new car to NOT trade it in (mind you it was an ancient car - you know what old people are like).

have got me mojo back! about bloody time too.

bought 2 books to help me get into the groove and they've given me loads of ideas. Cathy Z's Clean & Simple : The Sequel & Stacy Julian's The Big Picture - Cathy's book is just sheer joy - full of seemingly simple LO's that I can achieve and Stacy's book whilst on the surface less 'me' has planted so many seeds i am actually writing things down and planning. i have also resubbed to simple scrapbooks - should never have let it slide.

I hope to get some money for my birthday so I can buy some more albums and organise them into categories: Sam, Munch, Pip, Family & Me+Steve. This is such a simple way, then all those 'event' pics where i have lots i will put into either simple 7x5 ablums or themed 8x8's. I think it will give me focus and also help reduce the photo pile.

Must say going back to crops has given me a lift too, nothing like the company of other scrappers to gee you along.

Holidays going ok so far, no riots or tantrums, just slightky messy but generally good times.

so this is the conundrum:- I really really want to scrap but it's the holidays and my kids really really want to do things & need attention. By the time I have some space the scrapping bug will have died. What do I do?

I'll figure it out, but you'd have thought at 40 I'd have this whole thing sorted. Who are these women who have spotless houses, smart kids, are immaculately turned out and are so arty they create in their sleep? maybe it's too much Desperate Housewives and their impossible lives but it doesn't do a girls soul any good.

Maybe I can't mutlitask or maybe I can multitask but cannot expect everything to be perfect. I hate living life in a whirl, I want to be controlled and calm - at the moment we are somewhere in the middle!

Had a fabulous weekend at a friends. The kids played with the little toddler brilliantly and it was nice not to have to rush to tennis/gym/footie etc.

Steve has taken on running an U8's football team so we have to add that into the mix now - Sam is over the moon as he loves football so much. They will both be going to our local team regularly now as Sam has a season ticket - 1 kid down and 2 to go!!!

Baby crying - bang goes cleaning the bathroom!!!

Jaq has more talent in her little finger than i have in my whole body in my whole lifetime, she deserves to sell her stuff in Liberty's.

I have been doing some creating but don't feel locked into a groove yet. I can really only scrap in short spurts, but as i don't plan anything I generally have to finish in these short spans of time that I have otherwise I lose the feel for it. I don't go back to pieces after time and rediscover them, it has to be now or never which is pretty much how I approach life really - the problem is without planning I start something i am not happy with at the end and I don't have the stuff I want to give me the look I need! Man I sound like John Prescott 9as well as looking like him that's bad news)

anyway - here we are - the latest few creations - I amy not be happy with them but the kids love 'em and that's why I do all this

Jaq has more talent in her little finger than i have in my whole body in my whole lifetime, she deserves to sell her stuff in Liberty's.

I have been doing some creating but don't feel locked into a groove yet. I can really only scrap in short spurts, but as i don't plan anything I generally have to finish in these short spans of time that I have otherwise I lose the feel for it. I don't go back to pieces after time and rediscover them, it has to be now or never which is pretty much how I approach life really - the problem is without planning I start something i am not happy with at the end and I don't have the stuff I want to give me the look I need! Man I sound like John Prescott 9as well as looking like him that's bad news)

anyway - here we are - the latest few creations - I amy not be happy with them but the kids love 'em and that's why I do all this.

I didn't realise I had't posted - not that I have a huge audience.

Managed to do some scrapping during the past few days - nothing like a deadline to get my bottom in gear. I've also realised I really want Cathy Zeilske's new book BADLY. I really dig the simple style and the 8.5 x 11 format. I'll put it on my weighty wish list for my birthday.

Summer holidays have officially started here, which means ferrying the kids, mainly Sam, to various courses and activities that mean they don't drive me crazy. Well actually I love having them home, their play makes me smile - they could make a game out of anything those 2 boys. Sam is totally into making stuff and keeping it nice, Munch is more destructive. We are hoping it's just his age, but the mischevious glint in his eye means I never trust him and never leave him alone with anything unless I'm prepared to face the consequences. He's totally into stickers at the moment and knows where the sticker tin is, so if I were to leave him alone with Pip, for say 2 minutes, I'd come back to find a totally stickered up baby....

Tried to do some gardening today, pretty difficult when the boys are having a water fight and the baby is whining. I decided nothing is worth keeping and I am going to hack it all down. Everything is dead from the lack of consistent rain, I am so glad I didn't buy annuals.

The next 2 weeks will consist of running Sam & Munch to swimming, footie (Sam) & tennis -ah the holidays - don't ya just love 'em!!

I have been buying stash and not using it (what happened to my stash diet? who knows??) - but hopefully I will use them soon - they are staples - white rub ons and Queen & Co brads. I got them at A Million Little Things

The weather has been hot, but I still took Sam to footie - we melted but I got a nice shot of Munch by the school wall where they have painted pictures on.


I have been digging about and doing some reading - I love the way Tara Whitney proofs her pics and I know she uses itty bitty actions. BUT I found something similar mentioned on UKS and downloaded it and used it on the pic above. I love it! it is so funky and really gives the pics a wow factor. It is Peta Mazey's action loaded on the I Love Photography Forum - you need to register and then search for 'Petas Action then when the search string comes back look for the post entitled 'A Quick Action' .

I have bought itty bitty actions before and they are superb (my birth announcement and christening cards were done using her 'announcement' actions, but I didn't want to pay for something I might not use/like so I wanted to 'suck it and see' as the saying goes. I would love her to do her workshop workshop maybe I might get it for my birthday.....

took these yesterday!

the chair is a normal size, it's the Bab that is tiny






















this is basically all I see when he is awake - tongue, mouth & hands in close proximity to former














Elvis has not left the building apparently.......

Pips hands found each other yesterday, I hadn't noticed as I was busy watching tv and ignoring him as usual...not really I was probably shouting at Sam and Munch when I noticed Pip had both his hands together in his mouth. No mean feat as he usually can fit only one fist in there but I think the constant practise has widened his mouth ready for the double whammy.

He had his jabs too which made him a little antsy but he still slept through last night. I expressed milk last night in readiness for giving him a bottle (I am supposed to be going to Spain for a 40th) I gave Steve the bottle tonight to give to him and to my horror he took to it like a duck to water, it wasn't supposed to be like this he was supposed to make it hard so I wouldn't be able to leave him, so I finished the feed and he was away with the fairies. So now I have to express like the proverbial cow - enough for 1-2 bottles a day plus storing milk for freezer to little Pip does not starve whilst I am away.

Munch still has his rash - it is spreading. I am not sure what it is - he's ok in himself ( a bit more ready to cry but I was thinking that was tiredness). To me it looks a bit like a rubella rash. What do you think?

Fortunately neither topics in the header relate to myself, more my smallest 2 boys. Pip had his jabs today, being the Rambo tough nut he is he didn't even cry with the first one he sucked up the pain and just cried once on the second jab. What a hero! Now we just have to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn't react to the shots. He's now full of tetanus, diptheria, whooping cough, HepC (I think)and Hibs.

We went to see and book the venue for the christening, all was cool and fine until we left when Munch burst into tears for no reason. He couldn't tell me what was wrong but when I looked at him he was all red and his arms were covered in a red blotchy rash. I went straight back to the docs and saw a nurse. She suspects a viral rash but we need to keep an eye on him.. I've given him some antihistamine medicine to help with the skin thing.

this afternoon Sam is in an end of year show - so not much time to scrap, but for once thanks to a lady on UKS and her lovely work I am brimming with ideas.

yes a whole packet, a big packet, a huge packet - not sure why I ate them all but eat them all I did. Now I sit here in my post hula hoop haze wondering why I did it. Not that I am going to beat myself up about it - it's happened so lets move on.

To be honest I would not have mentioned it had I not been stuck for a title for this entry.

Dooce- god she knows how to make me laugh.

I really should be doing my CV now, is there nothing as devastating as not remembering what your job title was, or what you did in the last year of working, of what your unit was called or when you started your last job? but how bad has it gotta be to be rejected? watch this space!!

I am planning Pips christening here - we had Munchers christening there too and it was awesome.
I am also planning our summer itinerary - basically it means booking the kids onto course so they don't drive me round the bend. To be honest they are fantastic kids, even the baby is no trouble - Sam is a total grown up and is responsible and kind, Munch is a bit wild but will do anything as long as his big brother is around and Pip just kind of fits in. Sam is doing football and tennis, Munch is doing mini tennis, hopefully they are both doing swimming crash courses and they are def doing go-karting. Steve has a week off too at some point. I am hoping we are going to stay at home as travelling with the kids will be uncomfortable and stressful - two I could deal with but baby too is a bit too much. We already have 2007 booked here simply the most beautiful place we have ever been - we've been going on and off since about 1992.


Photo of the week