A Year In Photos-Day 209

Cheeko, Wanda, Bluey and B-Bear packed and ready to go on holiday 

A Year In Photos-Day 208

Thursday

Dancing around the lamp post in the centre of town. As you do.

Suffolk, Lancashire, the world.....!

We are delighted to be taking an extra guest on holiday with us but sadly we won't be bringing her home.

My friend Jo, who runs Wonder Bears, asked if we would be the first family to take Wanda the Wonder Bunny on holiday with us and after taking a photo of her to send back to Wonder Bears HQ we then have to wave goodbye and pass her onto another family for them to do the same. The idea is that Wanda will eventually travel the world!

If you see Wanda out and about make sure you say hello and you might even be able to take her travelling with you!

Follow @wonderbearjo and her blog to read about Wanda's adventures.

A Year In Photos-Day 207

Basket case ;-)

A Year In Photos-Day 206

Tuesday
I had hoped to take lots of fabulous photos of King Lear in Rendlesham Forest last night but I was so engrossed in the play that I forgot to get the camera out!

Tidgy tried to feed Wanda the Wonder Bunny some of our picnic before the performance :)

A Year In Photos-Day 205

The children had some friends around this morning for a playdate and afterwards we cycled to the bakers, grabbed a picnic and spent some time on the village green. 

As you can see they were happy to be out in the sunshine!

A Year In Photos-Day 204

Sunday
The summer finally arrived at the weekend so we decided to take a trip to the beach. Brightlingsea has a small sandy area just for children with the water no more than knee deep and it's surrounded by fencing so the children can't come to much harm. The eldest two had a great time but Tidgy didn't enjoy it so much. He slept loads later in the day so I think he just felt under the weather.

A Year In Photos-Day 203

Girl performed so well at Music On The Green with other Brownie, Guides and Rainbows. She was the only one from her pack so I'm doubly proud that she stood on stage singing and smiling.

A Year In Photos-Day 202

Friday

Tidgy was with his grandparents for the day and Girl & Middle were trying a dance class out so I had half an hour in Tesco cafe reading a magazine uninterrupted. It was bliss!

Summer holiday survey

A couple of weeks ago I posted a survey with regards to the cost of summer holiday activities and childcare after reading a survey from 2011 that put the cost of the summer holidays at £660 per child. Thank you to everyone that took part.

Over 60% asked don't use professional childcare in the summer but more than half surveyed worry a lot about the cost of the summer holidays.

Childcare for the 6 weeks averaged out at a massive £568 per family and that's not taking into account days out and a family holiday.

Pressure from children to go out every day was split down the middle with the cost of days out split almost evenly between  £20-30, £31-50 and up to £100 with most people varying between taking picnics and buying food out.

Only 6% manage to save up in preparation for the summer, with a few that aim to save and the majority that don't plan ahead financially. I suppose in these times it may be hard to put a little aside for a rainy day when you're having to stretch your income more and more to get you through each month.

Very few were surprised that LV= put the cost at £660 per child, although I have to admit to being surprised myself so with that in mind I am going to keep track of all that we spend on days out and entertainment during the 6 week holiday, including during our family holiday to see just how much it costs us.

I'm lucky in that we don't have to use professional childcare because I don't work but the eldest two like going to holiday clubs for the occasional day but at approximately £30 each per day I'm sure that it will soon add up. We also have more days out compared to those that attend childcare as I'm the one that has to keep 3 lively children happy and occupied.

I would hope that with 3 children it won't reach £1980 though!!

Throughout the summer I will be blogging with updates of what we've done and the costs involved and then at the end I will tally it up and see if summer has sent us bankrupt ;-)

A Year In Photos-Day 201

H is for Hatred

Girl often chooses to sit and write or draw at break times rather than play with others, which is understandable as she struggles to join in with people.

Most things find their way back home in her book bag and while the majority of pieces make me chuckle her latest piece of writing disappointed me:

Secrets

•     I hate Middle
• I love Mum, Dad and Tidgy
• I love Auntie
• I love Alina (her best friend)
• I love my cousins
• I hate school
• I love French
• I love Grandad
• I love Grandma

It's disappointing that none of my family are mentioned but she doesn't see as much of them as she does hubby's family. Number 1 is a comment she makes often. My Mum and I have both tried to talk to her about how nasty and unnecessary it is for her to say that she hates her brother. When she’s in a bad mood he bears the brunt of it, probably because he winds her up as much as she does to him but they generally get on really well for siblings. It’s very rare that she takes it out on Tidgy but I believe that’s because she’s aware that he’s much smaller than her.

As for number 6, I know that she is struggling with school a lot, for various reasons, but she hasn't said out loud that she hates it. It’s heartbreaking because I just don’t know what to do for the best. Every day she's in tears.

Instinctively I want to home school her but I don’t think that would help her in the long term……and I don’t have the patience (or intelligence!)

As I said on twitter the other day-a girl that young shouldn’t have that many worries (or such hatred) in life. I can’t protect her from the all bad experiences in life but she’s going to be at school for many more years and I want her to be able to look back on it happily.

A Year In Photos-Days 196-200

9pm on Saturday night I realised I hadn't taken any photos....so I took one of the film we were watching! Hubby and I haven't spent much time together lately so we decided on a dvd night, but as we're both so tired it needed to be something light. It's in black and white because I couldn't be bothered to change the setting on my phone. Lots of effort was made for the project this day as you can tell!! 

Middle was at a party on Sunday morning so we didn't have much else planned for the day. We went for a drive and ended up at Pin Mill where we discovered this stream for the children to play in. They had a great time and can't wait to go back.

My Mum took Tidgy with her to pick up the eldest two from school on Monday afternoon and despite it raining heavily he was more interested in making sure I saw that he'd been treated to some Magic Stars!

Tuesday evening saw the first performance of Girl's school play. She was a mouse and despite the serious look on her face she did enjoy taking part. It was a brilliant play and the talent of some of the older children blew me away. They'll go far.....

There's a bit of waiting around on Wednesday mornings before we can go to toddler group but not enough time to go home again so this morning we cycled to Kesgrave and stopped off at the play area. Sadly, most of the equipment was too wet for Tidgy to play on but he still had fun nonetheless. 

G is for Gripes...

Those things that really annoy me but shouldn't send my blood pressure soaring as much as they do.....

In no particular order;

• You're/Your. Hubby is a regular offender and I'm always correcting him, but he'll never change and in the scheme of things it's not offensive!
• Empty toilet roll tubes being left in the bathroom. There are 4 of us more than capable of taking one to the bin but no, it's left to me. Saying that, the toddler has probably taken more to the bin than the others....
• Black sock fluff. This one really grates. I don't know what hubby does but every day there is a trail of bits of sock all over the carpets. I can tell exactly where he removes his socks at night because there's an explosion of black fluff!
• Helping people out and not even getting a 'thank you'. It costs nothing and it's not difficult to say those two small, but very significant words. 
• Dirty, muddy shoes on a clean floor. It always seems to happen on the days when I've scrubbed and mopped the floors. Why??
• Here here. I've always known it to be 'hear hear' but apparently 'here here' is equally acceptable. Not in my book ;-)
• Bread left out on the counter. We have a bread bin. Why wouldn't bread go in the bread bin? Has it some other use that I'm not aware of?!
• Snow and ice. Last winter when I had to traipse through the ice and snow pushing the buggy on the school runs I regularly cried. Admittedly it was exhausting and I regularly was in pain because of the strain on my hips. I shouldn't get angry at Mother Nature but I do.
• People RTing their #FollowFriday on twitter. When will they learn that the only people to see those RTs are already followers. They don't need to see that you've been recommended as someone to follow when they are already following!
• The state of my memory. Before children I could easily recall 12 digit barcode numbers for various products in the shop where I worked. Now I struggle to remember my name. Yesterday I prepared rolls for the 5 of us to have hot dogs, or so I thought. I then realised I'd missed a child out so sliced another roll. I then went to fill the rolls and was two short. Had I done enough or was I going insane? I wasn't sure. I was adamant that I'd catered for everyone but there weren't enough plates in front of me. I was almost in tears before noticing I'd put a plate to one side. It scared me and I genuinely felt like I was losing my mind. It's not the first time something like that has happened and I'm sure it won't be the last!

Looking at this list makes me think that if this is all I have to worry about in life then I've got it fairly easy ;-)

What 'gets your goat'?

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A Year In Photos-Day 195

Tidgy found a new playmat this morning but was most disappointed when I had to take it away from him as I needed to put it on show!

Hopefully he'll enjoy the real thing when we go to Rendlesham Forest later in the month for King Lear. Theatre In The Forest has become one of the highlights of our summer calendar and we can't wait to see what they have in store for us this year!

Lollibop 2012-Competition

COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO CATHERINE WOODLEY WHO WON THE LOLLIBOP TICKETS!! 

I was disappointed that we couldn't attend Lollibop last year so you can imagine how excited we are that we can go this year! Girl and Middle love festivals and what could be better than a festival just for children?!

ZINGZILLAS & DICK AND DOM TO ROCK REGENT’S PARK

LolliBop is returning to Regent's Park this summer, with a line up designed to delight mini festival goers. Billed as The Big Bash for Little People, the event takes place between August 17 and 19 and is aimed at children up to the age of 10.

And I've got a family pass to give away (4 tickets). 

Festival highlights, include The ‘LolliBop Live’ stage which  plays host to some of the hottest names in kids entertainment with performances from the likes of the ZingZilla's, Jassa Aluwahlia (Art Attack) and The Mr Men & Little Miss Party Roadshow.  TV favourites Dick and Dom will also take to the stage to entertain crowds with their unique blend of music and games. 

Celebrating its first year in the West End, Shrek the Musical will also make a special appearance with a performance from the award-winning show (Sunday 19 only).

Global phenomenon Moshi Monsters will also be on site, bringing the UK’s first Moshi Monsters Mash Up Tournament to Lollibop. I have yet to discover exactly what Moshi Monsters are but Girl and Middle are ALWAYS talking about them! Taking place each day, children are challenged to put their Mash Up skills to the test.  All players will also receive a free pack of Mash Up cards, so everyone can join in.  Fans are encouraged to bring their own collections with them, as there has never been a better chance to trade with other Moshi Card collectors.  Head over to the Moshi tent for lots of other fun and games including character appearances, monster quizzes and more!

Halfords are creating a bespoke Bike City, which will include a Wacky Races obstacle course for under 5’s, where children can be the first to try out a brand new range of Balance and Apollo kids bikes. For older kids, highlights include a BMX stunt display and demo area.

In the Lollipaladium, see the story of The Gruffalo brought to life on the stage with plenty of audience interaction and CBeebies favourite, Mister Maker will be on hand to demonstrate his unique arts and crafts skills. We missed The Gruffalo show at Harvest last year so this is one part we don't want to miss. 

The brand new life-size Transformers Optimus Prime Truck will also be at the three day event, giving fans the chance to get up and personal with this movie legend. 

Other headline attractions include yoga sessions with Waybuloo, workshops by Horrible Histories, Roald Dahl Museum and Storytelling Centre (Girl's favourite author), performances by 8ft Titan the Robot, an Alice In Wonderland tea party and a chance to meet ‘Tiny’, a 125 million years young dinosaur. I The children can't wait to see Horrible Histories in action. (Why wasn't Horrible Histories around when I was a child?!) ;-)

All of the activities, stages and events are included in the entry ticket price, which start at £22 per person.  For more information, including a full programme of events, visit www.lollibopfestival.com   

T&Cs

• A family pass is 4 tickets to the event and can be used on either Friday 17 August or Sunday 19 August.
• The prize is non refundable and non exchangeable
• No cash alternative will be offered
• Travel is not included
• Closing date is Sunday 5th August 

• To enter the competition fill in the rafflecopter form below. Please make sure you enter correctly as all entries will be checked thoroughly and if you haven't done the action required your entry won't be counted.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A Year In Photos-Day 194

Thursday

A Year In Photos-Day 193

It was such a lovely evening that after dinner Middle, Girl and I cycled to a play area a couple of miles away and I planned to take some photos for this project. I forgot to take a camera and my phone battery died before I could get any pictures!

So, instead we have Girl reading me a bedtime story ;-)

Marshmallow House

After dinner tonight we drove to Felixstowe Ferry for a walk and I told the children we'd walk as far as the Martello Tower on the golf course.

When we reached it Middle shouted out "Here's the Marshmallow House!" How cool would a marshmallow house be?!

A Year In Photos-Day 192

I'm cheating today and using two photos. I don't think anyone will hold it against me ;-)

It was Girl's and Middle's Sports Day today and I am so very proud of their achievements. They were over the moon that their House won but they weren't so impressed that Daddy came 5th out of 6 in the Dad's race (and that was only because one of the other Dads fell over!)

A Year In Photos-Day 191

For all the arguing the children do they can play together nicely so it was lovely to see the boys with their cars this morning.

One small step for Tidgy, one giant leap for Mummy

Tomorrow is a big day.

I am taking Tidgy to look at a nursery with a view to him going for a full day once a week from September.

I'm nervous about him going but I'm more bothered by the fact it means I have failed as a Mum. Until last week Tidgy wasn't going to nursery or preschool until he receives funding in September 2013. Then Monday happened.

It had been building up for a while but I never expected it to hit me so hard. Monday started like any other Monday. Chaos before the school run. Then I just couldn't handle Tidgy's behaviour. I can't even remember what set me off the first time but I just sat in the middle of the hallway sobbing. I then decided it would be best to get out of the house for an hour or so so we went to deliver the local newsletters. Within 2 minutes of getting home Tidgy had got into more trouble. I was putting shoes away and locking the door when I heard the washing machine start up (so much for the child lock!) I raced to the kitchen but couldn't get in. The travel gate had fallen and the door wouldn't open. I had to ram the door open with as much force as I could muster and he stood by the machine grinning. I managed to switch the machine off but as it's new I just couldn't figure out how to drain it.

The the floodgates opened. I was hysterical and sat on the floor rocking and sobbing "I can't do this anymore" over and over and over again. I sat there for over 2 hours and cried until I could cry no more.  I had to call hubby home as there was no way that I could get the children from school. I was a mess.

I went to bed and all I could think of as I lay there was that if our window had been big enough I would have jumped through it. I am beyond exhausted.

I haven't felt this bad in a long, long time and I certainly haven't let it all out in this way before. Maybe that's my trouble, I just bottle it up.

Hubby suggested that for my sanity we needed Tidgy to have a day at nursery and he'd get his Mum to have Tidgy for a few hours once a week. Relief was mixed with sad feelings of failure. He knows how difficult it is to be at home with Tidgy as he struggles within half an hour of getting home so his suggestion is a sensible one.

I am just not strong enough to look after my son, physically or mentally. He is such hard work for me but I feel that I should be able to cope with him. Less than 17 months ago I felt like this over Middle, but I managed, and we came out the other side stronger. Why am I now feeling like this with Tidgy?? Am I really that useless?

Tidgy isn't even badly behaved like Middle was. He's a danger to himself though. I can't turn my back for a minute. Most people think he's just being mischievious but it's much more than that.
I'm beginning to think that I'm not cut out to be a Mum.

We spent less than 10 minutes with the nurse on Friday morning and even she suggested that he needs to go to nursery for my sake as much as his after seeing him wreck her room!

I know that it could be a very positive experience for him  and it's got to be better than seeing his mother as a wreck but that doesn't stop me feeling bad for not being able to look after my own son.

A Year In Photos-Day 190

The childrens' school now has a Virtual Learning Platform which the children can access at home. Along with finding out more about their work they can message classmates, update their status and there is also the option to blog. 

Girl wanted to be like Mummy so she's been asking to blog everyday. I have a feeling that her blog could be much more interesting than mine......

A Year In Photos-Day 189

After picking up Girl & Middle from a party we took a drive to the Ramsholt Arms for a drink. It's in a beautiful setting, overlooking the River Deben, and the children had a great time running around on the sand.

A Year In Photos-Day 188

Hoping for a chip....

The day the Olympic Torch came to Suffolk

Proudly waving their flags

Dr Mustafa Javadi carrying the torch in Woodbridge

Recreating the torch relay as we dashed to meet Daddy (after missing our train and a bus!)

Greeted by thousands as we arrived at Christchurch Park. 

Entertainment from Twist & Pulse (from Britain's Got Talent...apparently) 

He looks like he's angry at me here but he was actually singing the National Anthem!

Cheeky boy needs no caption really....

Girl wanted a photo taken but was too close to the camera so she leaned back and I got this ;)

Ipswich archer Nicky Hunt carrying the torch through Christchurch Park

Nicky Hunt lighting the cauldron. Excuse the poor photo but it was a mad dash from our viewing point to the stage.

It was a great experience and the atmosphere was brilliant. Middle thoroughly enjoyed it. Girl was a little 'meh' about it but I'm sure she'll enjoy telling her children all about it one day and Tidgy was an absolute star. Hours of hanging around waiting while he was securely strapped into the pushchair and he barely made any fuss at all.

Pessimism Rules!

I am a negative person by nature. Always have been and the chances are I always will be. Hubby on the other hand is very optimistic. When we first got together he was so optimistic it was annoying!

He is always trying to persuade me that I need to lighten up and be more positive...more like him he means. I shudder at the thought ;-)

Today I tried. I was optimistic. Overnight the forecast had gone  from a few light showers to rain. A lot of it. Never mind, I thought to myself. We're often lucky here in Suffolk, with much better weather than the rest of the country. Even the forecasts can be completely wrong, as was proved yesterday when we had no rain at all, despite showers being forecast. It was a gorgeous day, almost perfect.

We cycled to school this morning as I needed to get to the doctors soon after drop off and even though it was drizzling when we left I was confident it would soon stop.

How wrong was I?

We got wet enough cycling to school but me & Tidgy were absolutely drenched before we got to the surgery. Soaked through. The phrase 'drowned rats' was an understatement.

When we left the surgery, and we were gone for only 10 minutes, there was a puddle in Tidgy's bike seat and I had nothing to soak it up. I felt so guilty for making him sit in it. We cycled towards home and I had to stop to take my glasses off as I couldn't see through the spots of rain. Then, just as we neared home, I was stopped for directions. In my head I was saying "Piss off! Can't you see how wet we are?!!" but in reality of course I helped out.

Despite wearing rain macs we were soaked through to our underwear and we're still trying to warm up.

That's where positivity gets you.

Oh, and Tidgy broke my favourite chain necklace a few minutes ago.

In future I think it's best I stay miserable, grumpy and pessimistic..... ;-)

A Year In Photos-Day 187

Proud Mummy

Back on June 1st Girl & Middle started their month-long Chocolate Challenge. They set a target of £50 and thought they'd struggle to achieve half of that but we are so very pleased to announce that they have raised an impressive £140!!!!!

They missed chocolate, particularly when it was Girl's birthday and she had to wait a few days until she could have chocolate birthday cake, but I am immensely proud of their achievement and they should be too. This was entirely their choice and I never thought they'd stick to it.

For all the trouble they cause me they are very thoughtful and considerate children and their awareness of those in need is touching.

A huge thank you needs to go to all those that donated and promoted their challenge. We are so grateful. Thank you!

A Year In Photos-Days 184, 185 & 186

Day 184-Monday
Monday was a horrendously tough day so I went to bed early (not early enough!). I took no other photos that day so this is my only offering.....

Day 185-Tuesday
This is Girl's guinea pig but Tidgy pays a lot more attention to it than she does and is often the one who gets the bowl of food out to feed her. Here he is feeding Hannah Miley (and 'signing' food)

Day 186-Wednesday

Tickle, tickle!!

Suffolk Fifty Shades....

Here is an excerpt from the Suffolk version of the Fifty Shades trilogy:


'Even though he only had one tattoo I yearned for him to fill those lonely hours between Jeremy Kyle and Loose Women. As he approached with those pasty white arms hanging out of his Gola vest, his smile told me it was benefit day and I knew my velour tracksuit would be hanging off the lamp shade tonight.

As I stood in line at the Job Centre thinking of reasons I couldn't work, a sweet smell drifted past my pig like nostrils. It was a mixture of weed, B.O and Lynx Africa. I turned around and there was Dwayne. 


Our eyes met and he was soon lifting me onto the wheelie bins behind the Iceland. He had tied up his Staffy to block the ally way so we wouldn't be disturbed. There was a tramp watching but it just added to the mystery. I knew it was love and my life would never be the same.....'


:-)


*Taken from a friend on facebook with her permission

A Year In Photos-Day 183

I missed you.....