They've arrived!

I'm soooooooooooooooooo excited, today I can tell you about a little something I've been up to!
BFS and I are now published in full on hardcover pics and print. I came across a fabulous website called www.blurb.com who can import your blog and print it into real books!!! A touch of editing by me was involved but the final outcome is F.A.B! Now this little diary of mine is there in it's full glory for all of prosperity. Not just floating about in the world wide web, but there in physical form for anyone to pick up and read. My boys will manage to see what they did from a young age, along with the pictures to go with.

I was doing this all as a surprise for BFS, and had no real excuse to give him his copy - xmas has just passed, his birthday is almost in the second half of the year but I needed to give him a reason to start blogging again. I tried just asking him to do it (he has been mightily busy at work) as now that I've discovered this I would like to print one every year as long as we keep it up (it's a very easy way to keep a record of our family life!) - so I gave it to him tonight as soon as I got the chance!

Now that he has seen it in the flesh I think he may get tapping on the keyboard again ;0)

For me BFS's blog isn't just about our family life - he's got a knack of writing with humour about any subject you can imagine. He likes to read topical articles and loves to write about his views on them. I love when I check in on his site and there's a new post. I generally suffer from not being able to conjure up a witty enough comment to leave, which annoys me!

My online diary though, is mostly a chance to document my boys life and capture them on 'film' growing up. Now that I've discovered that this little project can be so easily transferred into print I just can't wait to make sure that no little detail is missed!

Gosh this is exciting!

Keeping it brief!

Here's my very short blog for the day.

I'm a very grumpy moo. I was woken twice overnight and in between got a very restless sleep. My throat has been closing in on me for a couple of days and to top it the boiler's packed in and I've spent the day doing housework!

My eldest was keen for a bit as he got to do the hoovering (it always needs re-done, but bless he likes to help) but once the novelty wore off I've had constant whining from both. Why did my mum cancel this weekend???

I did very almost slip up today. BB pointed out a puddle of spilt milk (goodness only knows where it came from) in the corner of the kitchen and informed me I needed to clean it up. As I was doubled over mopping it up, wondering how it had miraculously appeared I muttered 'f**k sake' under my breath. Not knowing that BB was behind me within whispers reach. I soon realised when I heard 'OH SAKE' in the same tone I'd just used from behind, then pleased at being like a grown up, he repeated it again. I'm very thankful that he hadn't heard me properly! He hasn't used the term of phrase again - so I think I got away with it that time.

I generally don't swear that much and certainly not in front of the kids. When I'm really riled I can get a bit fruity with the language, but even when BFS poured a cup of FREEZING water over me in the shower a couple of weeks ago, my only expletives were 'bar steward' - yup those actual words - which I thought was very restrained. I would have been fizzing if he'd learned his first swear word from me!

Off to be grumpy again. I was going to do the ironing this evening - but it is a very definite early night for me tonight - I just hope to goodness that BB chooses this one to be a restful one!

Something's gotta give....

The housework wins at the moment!!

Myself and the boys have been very social bunnies this past week or so - to the detriment of my house! Tomorrow we're going to spend a very needed day in catching up with the chores. I'm sure this will be to the displeasure of BB, who's favourite question at the moment is 'what are we doing after.....? the after can be either the current activity, or a pre-calculated itinerary for the day. Even if all hours are filled up until bedtime. To be followed only by the question 'why?'.

Take deep breaths.......

We will need some milk by the end of the day - so I will have to venture out at some point! I just want a general clean so I feel less guilty about spending my evenings at the pc!

We had a day trip to Broughty Ferry today completely on the spur of the moment! I say spur - but the moment was at 9am so I had enough time to prepare lunch for us to take. After dance class I gathered the boys into the car and headed south. We actually stopped at a local coffee shop for lunch and we did half the packed lunch. BB 'allowed' me to have a walk up and down the high street and even enter a couple of boutiques without too much grumbling! This was all on the back of the fact I'd promised him a new rug for his room - the really cool one from Tigerlily's playroom with the planets on it. Boy was he excited about it. It now has pride of place in his room.

The highlight of the boys day was sitting in the trolley watching a forklift truck do it's stuff in B&Q. I was asked 'can I have 4 minutes?' when I tried to wheel them away......I let them have their minutes as both were completely engrossed with glaiket grins on their faces!



LL upped his hat count with his brothers undies this morning! Lovely red jockeys....

Playroom envy!

I forgot to mention - just how cool is young Tigerlily's playroom? (it is fractionally less cool now that the stuffed eagle (yup a real one - in a glass display case) has been removed!!!



However I am suffering from total and complete Playroom envy at this point in time.



I wish I didn't only have my 50mm lens as I could have shown so much more of the creativeness of this amazing room!

Some days you just need to be free...

I've left it a bit late to blog properly as I'm a little sleepy and the night has been broken by many frustrated visits upstairs to a boy who won't stay in bed. He's been sooooo good lately too - it's very annoying!!!

Once again an action packed day - LL let some air in about his loins this morning at toddlers (not really - there was a nappy and vest barriering the way...) He tipped a cup of water over himself and because the old fashioned radiators in the hall are so hot, I just stripped him of his denims and dried them on top. His boots went back on though - personally I thought it was quite a good look!!!



The afternoon took us out to a friends whose house is on a private school estate (her husband is the headmaster) Both boys had a great time and were great over lunch, then we headed down to the walled garden where they did some clambering about on the climbing frames. They both came back with muddy boots and rugged cheeks. Hopefully the fresh air will give us all a good nights sleep...



Oh there he goes again..........

A breath of fresh air....

or two!
Had a lovely day today. It started (after dropping off BB at nursery) with a brisk stroll with a friend and our two youngest in their prams for about an hour. Boy did it feel good (I did get pretty out of puff!) and since it was back to hers for a cuppa, the cake intake was also restricted.....

After lunch we headed back to Brechin with the plan of action - as BB needed to know - of going to the bank, then going to the shop (to exchange a heater) and then having a trip to the library. He repeated this mantra to me during the car journey there and I was impressed at how he took an impromptu itinerary change when we arrived just after the bank had closed for lunch. Changes as such can cause a bit of a strop in my eldest 'but I wanted to go to the bank, and then the shop and then the library Mummy.......' he was quite happy though to go with the flow with the change of schedule (shop/library/bank) - I think it's because all three destinations were still to be visited then the order didn't matter so much?

We walked to the library from where we'd parked the car - which is quite a little distance for little feet such as LL has - but bless, he is loving walking right now, and even keeps up the pace quite well! We made it there in one piece. The nice librarian pointed us in the direction of the children's section and we made ourselves at home. BB and LL did some puzzles and chose some books for me to read, then we got some company. Unbeknownst to me there was a story telling session starting in about 20 mins so we decided to stick around (the bank could wait and we'd already been to the shop!) A rug was laid down and toys were dispersed on it, BB took a keen interest and LL had great joy running up and down the ramp which leads to the children's area! I encountered my first 'super mum' who - loudly enough for me to hear - made a show of asking her eldest what she'd had for lunch. The reply being 'salad!' (On a cold winter's day - surely that amounts to child abuse! - unlike the soup served with Naan Bread (don't ask!!!) which my two had!) the components of the salad followed - cucumber etc (to be honest I'd switched off by that point) I was soon awoken from my daydreamy slumber by the mutterings in the background of same pushy mum - 'so dear - you can speak french can't you? Which words can you say in French?' *silence* (ha bloody ha!) Her performing puppet had given up on her.
THEN arrived Mother Earth herself!!! A woman who looked to be around forty, wearing what can only be described as a stereotypical hippy uniform - including technicolour cardigan to the floor, long cord skirt and handknitted woolly jumper - with her three kids in tow (one in as car seat) I double took when I turned to see middle child nursing from her mum. I was gauging her size - similar to LL but more petite, but once she was on the move her vocabulary etc made her much older. Hmmmmm appears Mother Earth listens to the WHO guidelines on breastfeeding our children. I enquired later and her two eldest were 4 and 2. I know lots of women do this, but personally I find this a bit wrong, this child is fully able to drink from a cup! THEN about 15 mins later poor baby in car seat (who I'd forgotten about) got latched onto the same boob (it was noted that Mother Earths obviously think bras are for the evil........)poor little buggar was getting big sisters dregs. Surely there can't be enough in there for a growing child? Wrong wrong wrong!!! When she finally went on to proclaim that 'of course it's okay for your 4 year old to still be in nappies' (because hers was - and indeed that it would amount to child abuse to try and remove them sooner) to another mum who was obviously trying to get her son dry. I realised that much as the boys had fun - they may not be returning to this particular storytelling session anytime soon. It all seemed to be a bit of a stage for showcasing who was the best parent.

The lady reading the stories was very good - so I suppose it's always an option on a rainy thursday afternoon - so long as I get to sit at the back and not have to listen to it all...

Did I mention yesterday that BB's arm has seriously swollen after his jabs? He hasn't mentioned it before tonight (even when I outwardly cringe every time I've taken his top off!) but he did inform me (at the strangest moment whilst straining out a poo!) that his arm still hurt, and when I gave it a (very gentle) kiss better he told me he didn't like getting 'jections'. He told me he'd been really brave though.

That you had son, that you had.

Like a duck to.........mud?

Quickly about the above pic - I was mooching on the fact I had no pics from today to post when I went in to turn out the light for LL, who'd indicated when he went to bed that he wanted to 'read his book' for a bit. Look at the image I was faced with......I'm a sucker for pics of his feet anyway (which I couldn't have posed better for the camera) but when the little crossed feet set up was combined with the bum in the air - well I couldn't resist. Downstairs it was for the camera before the lights got put out!

BB started swimming lessons today. He pretty much hung onto the side or to the helper in the pool for the entirety of the half hour (unlike the other kids who were having a ball splashing around) but I'm glad he went. We really have left it too long between pool sessions and his confidence has all but disappeared down the big pools plughole! I think though, that even just being in the pool regularly will be enough to bring it back up to the point where he is confident enough to 'let go' He did well though and only blubbed briefly when he got a face full of water from one of the less tentative kids.