Hair Today - Gone Tomorrow (cheesey title I know!!)

I'm Loving - Salakis low fat Feta Cheese - I'm addicted to the stuff and eat it nearly every day

I'm Hating - my new buggy which I bought of Ebay, it gives me serious backache! Give me a maclaren any day!!

I'm looking forward to - Stephen going to Brighton to the TUC conference on saturday 9 September til Thursday 14th September and having the bed to myself (and Jack!).

Well, I've gone and done it, I've given Jack a hair cut. This morning when I was trying to brush it the ends of a couple of his curls were all matted, like a long haired cats fur goes, and so I bathed him, washed stig of the dump hair twice and then applied conditioner but I still couldn't brush it without him reaching for the phone about to dial Childline, so........out came the scissors and I cut about 2 inches of the back and shaped it round the sides.

Here he is this sunday at a pub in Downe

He he is this morning after his scissor possessed mother butchered him

His hair is still masses of curls at the back, which I have to admit to straigtening with a bit of serum before we went out this morning because it just looked silly. His dad is going to go mad and I don't blame him, whilst he was always being mistaken for a girl (despite his very male swagger - he's a right geezer!!) he did suit the longer hair. Tempted now to just nip him up to the hairdressers and get it all chopped of into a french crop (short at back and sides and spiky on top). His face looks chubbier now, he's lost some of his etherealness I think. Still a gorgoeus boy by any standards and he really couldn't go round with stig of the dump hair.

Really missing the big boys, though why anyone would miss two 11 year olds constantly fighting with each other is beyond me! People often ask me if they are close, because, well twins are always close aren't the? WRONG!! My two have been fighting since before they were born, I was on sleeping tablets when pregnant because the activity in my stomach at night was unbelievable and I had the stretch marks to prove it and on scans you could see legs darting out and kicking the other one in the head. Can't believe they start secondary school a week today, they are in Menorca with their dad at the moment and I've had to get school trousers etc without them here so I hope they all fit! It's difficult because they are so lanky so need belts with everything and Phil has shorter legs than Daniel and yet neither of them can be bothered to check trouser size when they get dressed in the morning, Daniel age 12, Phil age 11, so I've gone for all the same size this time and if necessary I'll stick up Phil's trouser leg with some masking tape every morning! They'll also need haircuts when they get back next monday, they had one before they went to my sisters but 2 weeks holiday in the sun and it will no doubt have grown especially Phil who has thick wavy hair like mine.

Less then 4 months til christmas and then hopefully I'm outta here! Brother in law came down for the long weekend, saw him for 2 hours in a pub on sunday after a massive ruckus over me constantly pissing of when family came down. It's a long story but Ess saw my mother in law's pre emptive strike by text on Thursday when she came down and it just escalated from there. Jack doesn't have any idea who my mother in law is despite the fact she lives spitting distance away, she's not set foot in my house since Easter and I won't go into the whys or wherefores but it's getting on my tits now. Why is it the other grandchildren are afforded grandparents who take an avid interest yet Jack is persona non grata?!! I think a lot of it is like it was with Stephen, mother and father in law are dark with brown eyes (though mil dyes her hair blond) Stephen came along with his white blonde hair and blue eyes and is a bit of an oddity in the family. The other grandchildren all have brown eyes and Stephen's nephew does have blond hair but you know it's going to go darker and because Jack is so different he gets treated like a bloody leper! A comment from my mother in law when Liam was born in June "well at least two of my daughters in law can have proper babies and two out of three ain't bad is it Alison" My mum was there and said she doesn't know what she's saying until she suffers the aftermath! Do I really want my son, well all three of my sons really, growing up around that attitude. I have said I will send Liam christmas and birthday presents but our relationship with his parents is unsalvageable, but it's not Liam's fault, not like my father in law, who broke of all ties with Stephen and has said he NEVER wants to clap eyes on his "scroat of a grandson" ever! But it just makes me feel sad when I hear other two year olds calling their grandparents by their appointed affectionate names and Jack has no idea, he's kind of getting to grips with who my mum is but she's not been too great in the past either but she spoils her grand children rotten when she can and has been much better since she split up with my stepfather of 18 years two months ago (a long story I won't go into!!).

This was supposed to be about Jack's haircut and it's turned into a rambling bitter whinge! I tried to post about Ess' visit last week but Blogger was having none of it. Here are a couple of pics

Oscar getting to grips with his new cup whilst his mum gets to grips with Ess!

Everybody Smile!!

Come on you can do better than that!!

Joe isn't sure about the big green pregnant woman (Sally) making all those funny faces and asks big sister Jade to call for help!!

Feeding time at the zoo - er, sorry, a nice quiet supper at Chez Al's

Jack as usual stripped of his nappy as soon as we got home, thought he might wait til everyone had gone but he has no shame, he's almost potty trained now, we just have to work on him getting it IN the potty! He won't go on the toilet, absolutely terrified of it and the number 2s are taking a bit of work but Rome wasn't built in a day and he won't be going to school in nappies so who cares if we have another couple of months of this, I'm in no rush to be cleaning up his pee of the toilet rim where he's aimed half a sleep and missed, it's bad enough cleaning up after the other three men in this family!

he had a strop when Joe and Jade and Ess had gone (Jack could play forever with other kids)and threw a picture of his brothers on the floor and smashed it, does a glass picture frame give the same bad luck as breaking a mirror?

Stephen goes permanent in his job on Friday and gets a company car, he asked for the allowance rather than the car as we have a brand new ibiza but he may as well sell that and not have to worry about insurance etc. He's getting a Vauxhall, now what my husband has to say about Vauxhalls is not worth repeating and he's been told he's getting a Vauxhall Ashtray (Astra!) he used to own a Corsa and he loved that (he actually sold that to Jackie, Jessica's mum before I met him - and she sold it on to the school secretary - small world!). He's not sure what he's getting, but he would prefer the Vectra and he knows that they are also used as company cars so fingers crossed. His money goes down dramatically as he's been charging contractor rates up to now of at least £1000 a week so I have to frantically start selling on Ebay!!

That's all folks, I have backache from sitting at the pooter waiting for blogger to upload the pictures!

A good joke

Some of you may have already seen this as I emailed it to people, but it was sent to me from someone who has just had a fistula put in - this is to allow him to have haemodialysis - yet he's still in good spirits. It had me howling with laughter - enjoy!

2 old ladies are outside their nursing home having a drink and a smoke. Its starts to rain. One of the old ladies pulls a condom out of her handbag, cuts off the end, puts it over her cigarette and continues smoking.
Maude says "What the hell is that?"
Mabel replies "Its a condom, it stops my cigarette getting wet".
Maude asks "Where did you get it?"
Mabel: "Get them at any drugstore"
Next day Maude hobbles in to her local drugstore and asks the young male assistant for a packet of condoms. The assistant looks at her rather strangely(she is, after all, over 80years of age) and delicately asks what brand she prefers.
"Doesn't matter Sonny" she replied, "As long as it fits a Camel"

A Great Weekend

I'm Loving - Ebay!! Picking up some great autumn/winter clothes for Jack at bargain prices (Gap etc). He'd be walking the streets naked if it weren't for Ebay!!
I'm Hating - my boys are going on holiday with their dad to Menorca today until the 4 September!! It'll be quiet, but it will be weird
I'm Looking forward to - Seeing Ess and Joe and Jade soon (once we get a date sorted!!)

This weekend we all toodled of to Manchester to stay with my sister and her family. We stopped at mums on the Friday night, she lives in a little village (and when I say little I mean little, 2 pubs, a few houses and you drive through it in 5 seconds!) called Wing in Rutland. On the Saturday we trundled up the motorway to Manchester, getting there late morning. Jack was not happy about another trip in the car as you can see...





My sister, Heather has three kids, Jake 11, Joel 4 1/2 and Poppy who will be 3 on the 1st October. At first Poppy wasn't too sure about this invasion, last time she saw us was at Jack's 1st birthday party last year! After a while though, she and Jack were inseparable. Here are the three youngest, only an hour after arrival, sat watching C Beebies.

Poppy - the only girl out of the 8 children my brother and sister and I have produced (so far!!)

All 3 of my sister's children have inherited their colouring from our Irish bit, though Jake my sister's eldest has brown eyes which compliment his red hair beautifully, Joel got my dad's curly locks which my brother also has and his colouring is like mine, and Poppy is my sister's mini me, but has dark lashes so we think she will go back to her birth colouring hair wise, which was dark brown. whereas her mum, my sister, is still that blond! Jack is also the same colouring, with strawberry blond hair which will probably go back to it's reddish colour in the winter months. My sister's partner, Paul is of italian origin (the surname Bertelli gives that one away!!), dark curly hair etc, and his brother and two sisters are the same. Daniel and Phil are a bit of "odd ones out" with their dark skin! Phil is still a blondie, whilst his brother is dark, but you can't help but notice how much darker they are compared to the other cousins (my brother's two children have pale skin and red hair!) they have inherited the romany bit which not many of us have in our family, and it's considered good luck to have done so.

We went to a barbeque at my sister's in laws that evening, which is literally three doors down, with her sister in law two doors further down from that (very corrie!!). Everyone was there, typical northern gathering where everyone is family, no matter how vague the bloodline, or if there is one! Bit of a culture shock for Stephen, a southerner through and through and a family that keep themselves very much to themselves. Everyone commented on how alike Jack and Poppy are, you can definitely tell they are related!

The height difference between the two of them is narrowing now so that Jack is probably only 2 inches shorter at the most than Poppy now and she's exactly 9 months older, so theory is now that this time next year Jack will be taller than her and actually look like the product of parents with a combined height of over 12 foot!! He still gets called short arse by his uncle Paul though, so it will be vindication when he finally shoots up!! Joel, who starts school in a few weeks, I can't believe it, is 4 1/2 and for 3 years has eaten, well, not a lot. He eats only nuggets, chips, garlic bread and yoghurt, yet, he is testimony and proof to all of you parents who worry that their child won't grow properly because they are fussy eaters, that they do!! He is so tall he comes up past the shoulders of his 8 1/2 year old cousin Alex. I couldn't believe how much he had shot up and he's such a wonderful little boy to boot, not interested in cars etc, but animal mad, he already has horse riding lessons, has a farm set up on the dining table which CANNOT be touched and can play with it for hours. He doesn't want to be a vet though, he wants to be a zoo keeper bless him. Here is a shot of him, we used to call him Chuckie (as in the Rugrats) but it seems unfair now, he's just mega gorgeous and my sister can't go anywhere with him without being stopped (that's his big brother Jake in the background with the football)

IT was a late night, I didn't fill my wine glass up once, someone else was doing it so I was lulled into a drunken stupor unbeknown to me!!

Sunday we went out for a meal in a place called Mottram, a wacky warehouse place where everyone ate too much. Then unfortunately it was time to make our way back down south. Half way down I realised I'd left the Quinny buggy up at my sisters, my M&P is falling to bits so I was a bit peeved and had to order another one when I got home (not another quinny I'm not that rich!!).

We did have a look at houses while we were up there, and the one we had seen which we really liked which I mentioned on an earlier entry turned out to be on a the busy main road which goes through droylsden and ashton so that was crossed of the list - I am NOT living on a main road again NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!

Have been ultra miserable and moody since we got back, I hate living down here now, going to see family makes it even worse because it brings it home how far away I am from all of them. My sister's mother in law brought it home by observing that my sister and I, both our first and last children are the same age so if we're going to do it, why do it so far apart when the children can't reap the benefits of being so close in age, and she's right. Jack and Poppy will go to school together, same first day, possibly same class. My older two probably won't get into Jake's school as it's Roman Catholic, but they will sit GCSEs at the same time etc. Gonna have to whip Stephen's ass into gear and get this house sellable and sold!!

Just call me Fanny

Nicked off Sally's blog!

Your Pirate Name Is...

Evil Fanny La Bouche

What's" Your Pirate Name?

Birthday Party with Mrs Wescott In Waiting

I'm Loving - My little boy at the moment, he's being such a cutie
I'm Hating - The Great British Summer - what the hell is going on ?!!!
I'm Looking Forward To - Going to see my lickle sister and her family in Manchester this weekend.

Just a quick post to write about our day yesterday which was spent partying in Kelsey Park with Olivia celebrating her 2nd birthday. Thankfully, the downpours on Monday were a distant memory and the weather was glorious and the kids had a great time, running around playing football. Susannah's mum and brother were absolutely fab with the kids and spent most of the day running around after Jack and Olivia who were stuck to each other like glue for most of the party and even ended up with matching dirty faces!! There was Pimms and far too much chocolate cake for my weightwatching liking but I have to admit that this is the perfect way to celebrate a kids birthday if it falls in the summer and I've made a mental note to try the same myself next year. I know Sally is hopefully going to do Oscar's in Greenwich Park which I am REALLY looking forward to.

Was feeling quite unwell and ended up forgetting I had the camera until cake cutting time. Here is the birthday girl herself with mum and baby sis Lucia

Olivia has really got that hand on the hip, rolling eye pose down to a tee!!

Jack with his dirty face (he and Olivia found a mound of sandy dirty and couldn't resist!)

Do you think I should get his hair cut?

THE FOUR STAGES OF TODDLER MELTDOWN AS DEMONSTRATED BY ELIJAH AGE 2

1. Tell your mum you are not happy by swinging legs in kicking motion in her general direction and screaming

2. Refusing to listen to her reasoning with you by focussing on something boring instead and going all floppy in your mums arms!

3. Appealing to the better nature of another mummy, preferably one with a camera who can gain photographic evidence of your mistreatment

4. Show that all it took was a pink ball to keep you happy.

Jack and Jessica playing football. Jack had just kicked that ball by the way, he's a natural, and very fast on his feet too. He could be the next Wayne Rooney, and a much better looking version too!!!

Thanks Susannah for a fab afternoon!

Today we are of to see Fireman Sam at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley and there is a childrens tea party afterwards so should be fun and hopefully I will be allowed to take photos.

Party Party Party!!!

I'm Loving - Chocolate Birthday Cake
I'm Hating - Adam Baldwin in Corrie, that sneering acting is getting on my nerves and someone do something with his hair!! I hope Danny gets the whole bloody lot!
I'm Looking Forward To - Going to Manchester next week to see my lickle sister and her family.



Today Sally and I went to Jaya's second birthday party in Guildford. Stephen dropped me of at Sally's at 10ish and we left an hour later thinking it was only going to take us an hour, yeah, right!! 3 god damned bloody hours, the M25 was on top form today, totally and utterly bumper to bumper for most of the journey. The AA route I had printed of got us lost and we got Jemma's home number of Directory Enquiries and rang them after we had just circled Guildford for what seemed like ages, and typically, we were just around the corner!! The boys were absolutely angels in the back of the car though, they slept for a good part of the journey but their stomachs woke them up and yet they sat in the back as good as gold bless them.

The party was good fun. Anita, an old name from Babycentre was there with Tilda and new baby Sebastian. Bobbie was there also with Tim and Nicole and Sally and I had a good old chinwag for a lot of the time we were there with Bobbie who is just so lovely, I hate her because she's got this lovely little tidy 27 week bump, but she's really lovely and has a lovely little family with another one on the way, in fact, of all of us around the table I was the odd one out because I had a 2 year old as they all did, but wasn't pregnant or hadn't had another one recently!

Sally and I had a cuddle with Jove, I got him first and was reluctant to give him up but eventually let Sally have a go, only for him to be quickly whisked off again to show to someone else - he's a popular lad that Jove, and I'm not surprised, he's just so scrummy!

Jaya had a Thomas the Tank Engine railway set, now, Jack is Thomas obsessed, as is Jaya's friend Elliott and as is Jaya. Which meant that three otherwise laid back, gentile 2 year year olds were embroiled in the occasional spat over who had what train, who used the track etc. Jack and Jaya spent almost 5 minutes yelling "oi mine" back and forth at each other fighting over trains. Jack was pretty snatchy with Elliott a few times which was unusual for him, but I suppose Thomas brings out the worst in kids!

I took a few pics, I was so busy gassing I almost forgot I had my camera!

Sally & Jemma

Bobbie soaking up some sun

Jack hanging onto those trains!!

Then along came Elliott........

and then Jaya!

Cake cutting time and Jaya a little bit "underwhelmed"!

Peek a boo - I can see you......

......... and you too!!

Oscar patiently watching the cake's every move (he'd spent a good hour trying to re create it's look by trying to nick the smarties of the top after all!)

Not so patient now, when are they going to cut the damned thing?!

Ahhhhh, that's better!!

Nicole

Jack and Nicole on the Love Seat, ahem, I mean the see saw!!!

Bobbie and Sally baby talking

Oscar and Jaya having fun in the bouncy castle

It was a wonderful afternoon, only marred by the hectic journey getting there and the fact I came away with no Jove in my handbag! The journey back was much much quicker thank god and once again the boys were as good as gold.

Olivia's birthday party on Tuesday at Kelsey Park, looking forward to that.

I'll finish now by saying Happy Birthday to Nicole - 2 today!!

Loves Young Dream

Just like old times Sally, Susannah and I met up today in the Bromley for a dose of group therapy i.e. gassing over umpteen cups of tea and coffee. Not so easy now the littluns are 2 but thankfully I had Daniel and Phil with me who were quite happy chasing them around.

I bumped into Susannah first outside the shopping centre and we did a brief detour into the Early Learning Centre to discuss what Olivia might want for her birthday. They have got the Thomas the Tank Engine train set set up in there on the table and both Olivia and Jack had great fun playing at that, though Jack was pushing Olivia away telling her to "go way". Yet when we got out of the shop, it was a different matter, they were holding hands and having a few smooches and I have the evidence to prove it!! (the second one is a bit out of focus unfortunately, it's difficult to get pictures of moving 2 year olds!!)

Both wondering what all the fuss is about!

Jack going in for a kiss but Olivia has already given him one and she's not up for anymore just yet!

Jack does like Olivia, alot, if you ask him if Olivia is his girlfriend he'll giggle really shyly, ask him if Jessica is his girlfriend and you get a very firm NO! I think it's because Olivia has never hit him, pushed him, screamed and given him headache etc, and so I guess Jack sees a kindred spirit in her. Jessica is a bit more unpredictable and she will hit him, and she screams, and he never quite knows what to make of her. Or maybe, it's just down to the plain and simple fact that "gentlemen do prefer blondes"!!! Pictures to show them when the are older. I think it's a shame we are moving now, it would have been nice to see if anything did come of Jack and Olivia, they make such a lovely couple don't you think?!!

Met up with Sally and Oscar who ended up being banished the the creche as he was running poor Sally (who is 16 weeks pregnant already OMG!!) ragged. I was tempted to put Jack in, he's no angel when we're out shopping either but having only had an operation earlier in the week I didn't want to leave him with lots of kids where he would get bumped etc.

We all hand lunch in Macdonalds, it's a massive exercise now, getting three buggies, including a double and 3 high chairs round a table and then getting everyone sat down, including two 11 year olds. Sally had to go shortly after we'd eaten and Susannah and I browsed the shops, I bought a couple of pressies for a couple of little girls who are about to turn 2 and then I made my way home. I was totally knackered, I felt like I had been up for about 3 days solid.

Early night tonight, we're of to Jemma's tomorrow for Jaya's 2nd birthday party. I'm going with Sally so got to get to hers for 10ish. It's that time of year again. Jack being an "intended" August baby has lots of friends with birthdays in August so it gets very busy. Unfortunatley we are missing Alfie's next week as we are of to Manchester to see my sister and have a look around the area we hope to move to early next year.

On another note, I have heard from work FINALLY. My career break has been extended to the end of the year whilst they try and find me employment, now obviously in Manchester. BUt they are being very unhelpful, I have got to do a new CV, go in for a career interview and basically find MYSELF a job. Words fail me at the crappiness of the Prison Service, I worked for the Lord Chancellor's department before now the Department for Constitutional Affairs and it was nowhere near as bad there, but it wasn't all that great either. The prison service took until Jack was 7 months old to send me my maternity pack, I should have got that when I told them I was pregnant!! There are no jobs at the moment, there is redundancy but I have to ask for it and that way they can get away with giving me a crap package, rather than it being compulsory and they give me a good one especially after 15 years employment. I'm a manager but looking at the skeleton of a CV they have sent me I'm quaking at the knees, it's a long time since I did one, 2 1/2 years since I worked and so if anyone out there knows there stuff about CVs, especially in they public service, please HELP!!!!!

Should I Be Worried..............................

.....................about the way my youngest son chooses to wear his clothes?!!!!!!!!!!!