Dear NHS. I am the Mother of all Idiots. But so are you.
Three weeks ago, we figured there was just enough time to whizz the mower over the grass before the lasagne was ready. C hefted it from the shed, and managed to start it up despite the tennis elbow. I saw him wince, and knowing deep in my soul that mowing would take 4x as long if I were in charge of the starter cord (most things I’m good at if I set my mind to them. The starter cord on the mower? I am incompetent), we worked a foolproof plan to save his arm. When the grass box was full, he’d stand still and hold the handle to keep the motor running, whilst I ducked in, pulled the grass box off the back and emptied it. Simples. Only, as we operated this procedure, chatting over the mower engine roaring, a large clump of glass rolled out of the box and...
How Do You See The Real Me…
Have you seen the latest Dove campaign? I do love Dove and their ‘real beauty’ ethos (you can see an inspiring video of their latest campaign here), and their newest project is no less inspiring. It’s all about how we focus on the negatives in ourselves, and don’t recognise what others see. It was brought home to me last night when I was chatting to an old friend. We were just whittering away, as you do (I know, me – whittering. Shocker.), and I admitted that I frequently stood in the playground, eyeing up the other Mums, contemplating going over to these women I don’t know and striking up a conversation. Asking them for lessons in HOW they do it. How do they keep their hair so shiny and well-cut? Their figures so slim? Their...
Dear Children, you are invited…
To kick start the holidays with a bang, we wanted to do something special with the children, set us up for a Super Sixfest over the next two weeks. But for the same reasons we haven’t gone away (i.e., the bank is frighteningly devoid of funds), we couldn’t really do anything big and wowser-ish. But I had a stroke of genius (I do that sometimes), and on to my weekly grocery order I added some of the ‘takeaway’ chinese meals – two boxes of the set menu’s for two, plus a range of extras (they happened to be on 3 for 2, which was a bonus!). I hid them, and then printed this up, and posted the envelopes beneath bedroom doors; Cue much buzzing and twittering and combing of hair choosing of smart shirts upstairs. Princess dress...
If Only I’d Known…
I’ve had four children. Four. Which obviously means I’ve had four pregnancies. And whilst I obviously grew older and much much wiser with each passing child, I have also had to rethink my thinking each and every time. Because each pregnancy was entirely different; as unique as the child that appeared at the end of it. Each baby had different wants and needs to the one before. Each time; each pregnancy, each birth, each baby taught me something new. Taught me, actually, that I know NOTHING. And that no matter how prepared I thought I was, they were there to trip me up a little and remind me that I had No Clue, really. So, as Aptaclub, on the launch of their fab (and FREE!) Preparing for Birth app, have kindly asked us parents to answer “If only...
Christmas – it begins.
We were really lucky with the Holly hunt this year – our first stop gave us all we needed, as opposed to last year’s 2-hr hunt for some berry-full prickles. We decided to decorate the house same day – though this turned out to be not the wisest decision. The trees were excessively tall this year, and need some stump-sawing before we could even get them inside. The treee base broke, necessitating emergency bucket & bricks replacmenet. Oh and it also poured with rain, so we got soaked doing it… But there was a visitor early evening who made it all just that bit more festive… Adore the fact that No.1, at 13, is slightly awkward – but still wants to go see Father Christmas and get his chocolate. I wonder how many more...
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