Gauntlet laid.

The blogging gauntlet has been laid by my lovely BFS, and I have been unable to pick it up! Time has flown away from me since he returned to work, and since I returned from work!

Since I last blogged my youngest has matured from a baby into a toddler, converting his first unsure stumbles into confident steps. As a friend pointed out today he walks from his chest! (Imagine a pigeon trying to impress a mate)

My eldest is growing into a finely tuned little boy. He heads off to Nursery next week. Two years and he'll be in school. Wow. He is a sensitive little soul - with a strange desire for wandering around in his pants!

I had an overwhelming amount of patience for my boys in the first days alone with them this time. I stepped away from everything else to provide the focus that they need from a parent. I read an endless amount of books (which is BB's favourite pastime) and managed to avoid the dreaded TV until at least dinner time. Life was verging on bliss......however BB once again has been playing up with me in a manner that he just doesn't with his dad. I've had broken sleep every night since BFS went to work. Starting at twice the first night, and increasing gradually to the point where on friday evening I had rude interuptions at 12:40, 1:30, 3:00, 6:00 and 7:00 am. Come saturday I'd turned from perfect Mummy to the She Devil. Both boys were grumpy, but I won the grumpy war. I tried the nicely nicely apporach, I tried the firm approach, I tried the threatening to take away all niceties apporach, but I found that the breaking down in front of your 3 year old and crying because you just can't take any more and begging him to just please please do what mummy asks 'just once' approach actually gets the best result!!!!

What I really wanted was to have a shower - but I just couldn't get peace to do so. I ended up with BB telling me that he would look after me and fetched me towels (which was lovely) and LL counteracting by spending the whole few showery minutes with his hands pressed against the glass of the shower screen screaming the house down as though someone was taking me away! Not the most relaxing. To culminate we then headed out to a double birthday party in a soft play place from hell - on a Saturday! What was I thinking????? Luckily my mum took the boys overnight to give me some rest - so I'm back to being official storyteller with a half human feel about me.

BB is now abbreviating everything with an 's' his beloved tinky winky is now 'Tinks' my friend Hetty today became 'Hets' and the look on my mums face was a classic when yesterday he referred to her as 'Grams'. It's kinda cute - but he has also changed Thnak You to Thanks - I'll have to get that sorted!!!!

I really have to get some pics flowing - work seems to be taking priority I'm afraid. But I'll get some on soon as......hey at least I got some words down - I was going to go to bed, but you won that fight!