This week so far...

Things we have learned so far this week:

1. Either the boiler is dying or the unprecedented drop in temperature outside is making us finally realise that, ooh fuck, this house is cold. The boiler is currently 'on' (as opposed to on timed, Husband is in London for a few nights, what he doesn't know won't hurt him!) and my fingers are freezing. Baby is watching Hey Duggee in a fleecy jumper under a blanket and I am refusing to take my shoes off incase my feet turn into blocks of ice. Hmm...will need to investigate. Luckily, Husband is home tonight so can light a fire to thaw us all out. Mental note: put boiler back on timed before 8pm.

2. Baby is determined and stubborn and a little bit shrieky. He went into his first proper meltdown yesterday because I emptied his potty and he was LOUD. Let me clarify, I don't think he has a weird poo fetish, I just think he wanted to flush it down the toilet himself and stupid Mama got there first. Man, did I learn my lesson. His little face was pure anguish! 

3. Boy did his first escape attempt on the school drive this morning, a proper 'turn and run into oncoming cars' whilst screaming malarkey. I was juggling Baby, a juice bottle and a book bag so had to grab him by his coat collar and pray he didn't wriggle free. All over some gloves. Needless to say, I am spending today close to tears and expecting a call to say he is still crying and that I need to come and collect him. Yet another experience where I think 'well you handled that like a complete dipshit, must try harder...' Sad face!

4. If you have no childcare so have to send apologies to the PLA meeting, consequently have no phone signal and do not receive the four messages saying 'I might just ask everyone to meet at yours for the meeting instead then...', 'Would you mind?', 'Hello?', and 'Is that OK?'...until 7.15pm do not assume that Posh Mama has not in fact gone ahead and rearranged everyone to come to your house at 8pm. Have never tidied so fast after bedtime in my entire life! The woman is a liability!! I do enjoy attending meetings in my pjs though and she brought crisps so...

5. Husband is in London this week and so far the only contact we have had from him is a simple text requesting I record 'The Mystery of Oak Island' last night because he was going to miss it. No romantic messages, no requests for present ideas, no indication that he is homesick and full of pangs...this is the man who comes out in a rash if I suggest any activity in the big smoke. Meanwhile, here I am holding down the fort in the sticks, just dithering under a blanket and recording crap on Sky. Grr!

6. Boy now needs to wear his hair tied back for PE lessons, something which has caused no end of grief for his Mama. In theory he's fine with it, just needs a bit of encouragement and support when physically DOING it in class. What he doesn't need, at the tender impressionable age of 4, is for a member of staff to suggest he has all his hair cut off. Fucks' sake. Now I'm the bitch who won't let him get his hair cut and therefore am the bitch who's making him wear a hair bobble. Double grr!

7. Baby does not like pasta carbonara. My dining room wall can testify to this fact.

8. Only drinking on a Friday is hard work, especially when you Husband fucks off down south and leaves you alone with two angry children and no chocolate in the house!

I think that's it so far. Anything else that I've learned has been frozen out of my brain and is now gone... Alas!

Kind of looking forward to tomorrow and kind of dreading the whole shebang. Boys are spending the weekend with my mother while we escape to Bristol for a 30th birthday party and I'm beginning to think that heading over there tomorrow straight after school is the best plan? Fancy pants trip to Cheltenham overnight to reconnect as couple has been cancelled due to Husband constantly bitching and moaning about finances (paying two mortgages will do that after a year, I suppose, but am still grumpy about it!) but I still need to get the boys and all their gear to Lichfield in a timely fashion so that we can meet friends for lunch on Saturday. Obviously, I will pack everything and make sure everything is in the car. Husband will, at a push, pack his own shirt for the party!

Must stop moaning, try and readjust my stinky attitude and cheer up before 3.30pm. Want to collect Boy from school in a sunshiney mood and enjoy a film on the sofa together before bed. Must salvage the day...

On moving furniture around. Again...

Yesterday afternoon, high on my success of cooking a roast dinner as my resolution dictates (despite its crapness!) I got all energetic and decided to rearrange the boys' bedroom. Again.
This is a bone of contention in our house. Husband would gladly leave things in the same place until the carpet beneath them has changed colour and they have welded themselves to the floorboards. He is not a fan of change. I, on the other hand, am a big fan of moving furniture around on a complete whim. I think it stems from an intense dislike of any other type of change, but lo, here is one I am in complete control of so it's all OK. Makes me feel all flexible and 'last-minute' when in reality I am anything but.
Obviously, this impulsive habit sometimes results in massive faux pas, hence why the playroom is currently set out like a crazy person was in charge. It makes me twitch every time I go in there but one day I woke up with an idea in mind and I was ADAMANT it was going to be better. I MADE Husband move the massive, heavy day bed around on a WHIM and then discovered it looks...well, shit. I can't admit I hate it. Who wants to open themselves up to weeks of gloating??! Not me! What normally happens in these situations is that I wait until he's out and then just put things back quietly and, because he's so unobservant, I usually get away with it for months. Problem is, the bastard day bed is so heavy that I can't do that this time. Hence, the crazy layout that makes me twitch. Aaargh...
Anyway, the room in question this time round started off as Boy's room and saw 2 if not 3 configurations as a single room before Baby even moved in. Baby's cot has now been in 3 different locations...so that's how often I move stuff around ;-)
BUT this way is the final move I'll make. I promise! I have had this vision in my head for months and can see it working as Baby continues to grow into his own single bed (sob!) I love it. I thought I'd got some 'before' photos on the computer but I haven't and without meaning to sound rude, I'm not moving it all back again just for the purposes of this blog!!

Here is where Baby now sleeps (under his brother's initial - may rectify that when we head upstairs at naptime!) Husband put up the picture frame shelves from Ikea so I could make a proper little book corner. I don't know about you guys but that is just a THIRD of the books my children own, I have hundreds in the cupboard and try to remember to rotate them every couple of months. Insane! In a couple of months when we need to buy a second single bed it will slot neatly into this alcove (if I push the cubby holes over a bit and slide it under the beautiful new shelves that Husband has already announced he will NOT be moving again, sigh!)

This is where Boy now sleeps under the strictest of instructions not to touch the window. Husband is swinging by B&Q tonight for a window lock as the current key is missing and it is constantly unlocked, eeshk! As you can see, he is sleeping under a photo of his brother in my tummy, switcheroo needed!

And the cubby holes in the middle. Which def need moving to the left a bit, hadn't noticed that earlier?! And, Baby's clothes are in the dark grey tubs, Boy's clothes are in the white ones. That's going to annoy me too. Man, I thought I was finished...

So there you have it. Moving house and figuring out how spaces work best for you takes bloody months, we've been here for 9 months and it's taken me this long to exhale. As soon as you think you've cracked it your needs change slightly, a new idea pops into your brain or you simply crave a change. I think this is it though. I think...

Sunday Updates...

We have had such a fun weekend. On Friday I collected Boy from school and we headed straight to Nana's house for tea and a sleepover. Husband stayed at home with the dog for some well deserved R&R and after the boys were full of pizza and settled down in their new bedroom, this Mama snuck out for dinner with three of the best girls I know.

We went to The Plough in Shenstone which is run by the couple who used to own The Trooper in Wall (or so I'm led to believe?!) Such a nice place. The menu is long and varied, the wait staff were attentive and helpful (menu suggestions etc..) and the bar staff were great. Our table powered through several bottles of Prosecco and I wasn't even drinking! Our meals were all delicious and the two puddings we sampled were great too. We will definitely return.

Company wise it was also a hit. Posh Mama has a dear friend who lives literally ten doors down from Eco-Mama...go figure?! So the four of us got together and laughed so hard we got looks from other diners. It was a hoot. Posh Mama said it perfectly the next morning (through her post-Prosecco slitty eyes!!) when she text to say 'When you have a friend you love, you so badly want the other friends you love to love them too...' And luckily, we did. Her friend, who we shall henceforth call 'Sweary Mama', is incredibly smart, funny, rude and sarcastic. I liked her immediately!

On Saturday my amazing mother took the boys downstairs when they woke at 7.50am (sounds great but they had been up in the night!) and let me lie-in until almost 10am.

I could have cried with gratitude! The only downside was that all that sleep had given me the most almighty headache it was like I HAD drunk all the Prosecco the night before. Bad times. After a couple of nurofen I rallied and we headed off to the Ice Cream Farm in Tattenhall to meet Auntie, Uncle and Niece. My God, the boys love it there. It was baltic, drizzly, busy and getting dark but they were beside themselves with glee. Hey, whatever makes them happy, right? Luckily, I'd checked the weather forecast and we were wrapped up warm with waterproof coats so didn't feel it too much.

(Auntie lost Baby in here and panicked, idiot!)

Husband was happy to see us when we got home at 5.30pm; I like to think it's because he'd not seen us since Friday morning but in all honesty it was probably because we brought home a McDonalds (needs must!)

Today has been successfully lazy, just what we all needed. We walked to Waitrose to get a small number of supplies (milk, profiteroles, all the basics!) and Boy rode his bike and then we have put up some shelves, made some Lego models, grumped at each other over small, insignificant facts, it's been a very nice Sunday really.
The obligatory New Year Resolution roast dinner has been accomplished (first one I've actually cooked as opposed to just eating!) We went with pork. It tasted like...tyres?? Not my finest hour but the vegetables and roasties were immense and saved the meal. Onwards and upwards... Frankly I didn't really notice the shit meat as I was too sad about drinking orange squash out of a wine glass. Grr!
Husband is just gearing up to start his huge ironing pile of shirts and I'm gearing up to wrestle these two maniacs into bed before another week of school runs. Baby and I have a coffee/playdate with some new twin friends tomorrow morning which I'm excited about and then a PLA meeting at the pub on Wednesday which is always fun. Won't be able to drink wine though, DAMN THIS RESOLUTION TO HELL AND BACK!!

Remember, it'll soon be Friday again!! Have a great Sunday evening everyone, make it count!!

Trips and events for 2016

It's that time of year again when all of a sudden our thoughts are filled with sunny beaches, aeroplanes, getaways, trips, exciting adventures...anything to combat the general malaise of being back on the school run after the Christmas holidays I suppose?

As a couple, Husband and I were pretty good at travelling. We've never backpacked around India or kayaked down the Amazon but we did a fair few city trips across Europe and wined and dined in NYC. Ooh and we did hike to see the sunset at the Grand Canyon but it was en route to Vegas...we're not really an outdoorsy couple!

Then Boy came along and...huh...our travelling days kind of dwindled away. It wasn't a conscious decision and it didn't even happen immediately after his birth (I find travelling with infants infinitely easier than travelling with children over the age of 6 months!!) But sure enough, before we realised it we were daydreaming of beach holidays as an unobtainable 'thing', something other people did but not us, never us.

Granted, it's not just because we have kids. They are somewhat responsible for the length of travel I'm prepared to undertake (need stops to stretch legs and eat and change pants and use the bathroom etc...) and I can't bring myself to cross any time lines with them so that narrows our options again. And timing wise, just as Boy became old enough and compliant enough to contemplate a trip, we discovered we were expecting Baby and my pelvis gave way so once again we didn't bother. Then Husband quit his job and started his own company and, as anyone self-employed will know, holidays triple in price once you factor in loss of earning...

So yes, apart from some weekend trips to see friends and one magnificent flight to Inverness last summer, we have not holiday'd in a while.

2016 is going to change all that. I hope! I plan! (This is relying on the old house selling so, you know, don't hold your breath!)

I would love, love, love to take the boys to Disney. Friends of ours go quite a lot, sometimes for a whole week at a time, and while I don't think I could handle the crowds and the cheese-factor for THAT long I think a day would be so much fun. Boy is the perfect age (4) and Baby is just old enough to 'get it'?? We shall see what the summer brings...I think this may be a trip without Husband. His Disney-tolerance is a lot lower than mine.

We adore Center Parcs and have been twice before with friends. This Easter we have a huge cabin and are all sharing!! Such a middle-class cliche but I can't help it. No cars, bikes, swimming, activities, forest, nice food, winner!!

We have a weekend booked at the wonderful Hotel du Vin in Cheltenham. Glam Girl is turning 30 and throwing a huge bash in my beloved Bristol but, somewhat rudely, that hotel was fully booked so we figured we'd drive 30mins back towards home and stay in Cheltenham. We are determined to spend the Sunday child-free, pootling around the shops, enjoying brunch and NOT talk incessantly about the boys, wondering what they're up to NOR rush home to see them!! Pah!!

Nana is determined to take Boy skiing at some point (hence why we keep spending a fortune on bloody lessons, she's been promising to pay for his ski holiday for 2 years now!!) But this year I'm taking action and aiming for October half term. Our school has 2 weeks off, one of which is different to the local state schools, so am hoping the flights etc will be cheaper and quieter.

Events wise, we have two summer balls to look forward to, one at Boy's new school and one at our godson's school where Husband attended all those many, many years ago!!

My Baby turns 2 in April...can't talk about that too much yet though incase I cry! Boy will be 5 in August. Ridiculous notion, he just arrived??

The school summer fair will come around far faster than I'd like...need to beat £1600 income, eeshk!

And I'm sure some more exciting things will be added into our diary as the months fly by...

Am quite excited about 2016, let's see how many of these daydreams I can make into a reality...

A fun place to visit

Have you all been to the Ice Cream Farm on the A41 in Cheshire? If you are local (and by local I mean 90mins radius, it is totes worth the drive!) then you should definitely give it a go. They have a soft playbarn, quad bikes, life-size mechanical diggers, crazy golf, small animals, a huge outdoor play area, an amazing sand and water playbarn and FIFTY flavours of icecream!! This last reason is the main reason Husband is always so happy to go!!

We discovered it about 6 months ago and have visited quite a few times since; with friends, with Husband, with Nana, on our own in the week and at the weekend (warning: get that at 10am, this place is popular!!) The cafe serves a good range of healthy food options, the staff are all chatty and friendly and the gift shop has tonnes of stuff you don't know you want or need until you arrive. I especially love the huge selection of books with cosy reading chairs for the children to snuggle up in - a sure fire way to my heart is to encourage children to read in your store!!

The play passes are a bit confuddling to begin with but once you get your head round it they make total sense. Basically, everything mentioned above is £3.50 a turn which, let's face it, would turn it into the world's most expensive day out and cause my Husband to leave and never return. But, if you buy a £10 play pass this cost automatically goes down to £2.50 a turn and can be as cheap as £1 (the more you spend on a play pass, the cheaper each turn becomes). 

EXCEPT THAT the VIP passes (usually £100 for 100 turns on activities across the site) are currently 50% off which means that each turn will only cost you 50p, a much more purse-friendly price. And there's no expiry date, even better. 

Run, don't walk!! This offer only lasts until the last day of January so don't miss out. Baby may or may not be having his second birthday party here so we are making a special trip on Saturday purely to take advantage of the 50% offer. Well, that and we might eat an icecream as big as our head, it has to be done!!