last one....

she was inthe mood to dance!

too many music videos take 3

Too many music videos take 2

Too many music VIDEOS

Dancing Girl

This is the only close-up I could get of Carys. She really worked that Palm leaf!

Nativity

Carys is a dancing girl whose accompanied her king to give gifts to baby jesus. She was suffering from a case of stage fright but LOOKS gorgeous! Her fellow servant boy was super hyper and I couldn't help but chuckle a few times!

Enjoy!!!

Christmas Celebrations

We have had a very busy December with lots of preparations fro the BIG DAY. First and foremost was Christmas Card Photos. As they are probably still on their way to the good old USA I thought I woudl finally post the picture we used.

Please note the collection of baubles just to the left of Adam's head and you'll realise that Carys did not take direction very well. Our instructions of 'Don't put them all in one place' was not understood adn we ended up with several 'clusters' like the one you see.

We had many ups and downs this night... including
- the tree falling over (well nearly)
- a moment I like to call "The Leaning Tree of Piza"
- bauble mayhem


This is our second year with a real tree. Last year we bought a monster of a tree adn were convinced we were not going to make the same mistake again. WRONG! This tree seemed so 'in proportion' out in the wide open spaces of Christmas Tree Lot. We all fell in love with it and handed our £40.00 over to Mr Molloy who gave us a discount (should have been £50.00) and gave the kids a lollipop.

Molloy's garden centre gives me goosebumps, especially at Christmas. It reminds me of the small town feel of a feed store on a Saturday morning. The place where you walk in and instantly feel welcomed and recgonise your fellow shoppers, smiling and greeting each other and actually get a reaction back. Somewhere you are sure to see someone you know and somewhere where you get satisfaction from seeing several generations of a family working together toward a common goal. Its not something I see very often here suburbia, maybe because there are so few businesses like this one left. Thats the difference between country mouse and city mouse isn't it. I suppose my children are city mice and it makes me sad that they won't have this 'comparison' to make.

Anyway.. back to Christmas Tree....

Last year we struggled keeping our tree straight! We carted bricks in from outside and placed them strtegically in a bucket to stabilsie the tree. It worked like a charm. This year we bought bucket/tree stand that was designed to hold the tree in place. After struggleing to keep the screws tight enough to hold the tree we were able to decorate it and take our photos!!!

.... and so the Christmas season begins......

Liverpool.

DSC05655, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

We gave up after we saw this one!

Granny glasses

DSC05656, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

Carys has no bridge to hold up her glasses. So she has adopted the Granny glasses look and looks at you over the top. Cute! Here she has decided that it is too cold to continue looking fo rhte penguins so she has decided to go for alounge.

The Penguin Hunters

DSC05650, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

Penguin Hunt

DSC05639, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

The first of the penguind found inthe penguin hunt around liverpool.

Here comes Santa Claus....

Right down Santa Claus lane! I am so disappointed. Its December 3rd and I have no tree up, no lights, no deocrations. Scrooge is visiting and has refused to get my bits from the loft!!! Scrooge is out at a party on Friday night so he'll be in no fit state to get them down Staurday morning! Mr Marley help me .. where are you!!!

Mrs Christmas (thats me) is not very organised this year. Presents still to buy/make, little time or money to do it in/with!

We shall persevere! I have asked santa for a small NORMAL camera so I can start taking photos and posting them again as Scrooge is obsessed with his camera photos going on flickr. Scrooge will probably stop talking to me as I may have said one Scrooge to many. :)

Kiddos are excied abotu SANTA!!!! Carys thinks he can come over everyday and give us a present for waking up. She doesn't understand the day yet!!

Monica

I survived... and it was brilliant!

We all had a very lovely two-days-after-thanksgiving Thanksgiving meal! Dinner went over like a treat but for me the most memorable was the thanks the everyone gave for their year...

Cameron: I'm thankful for my friend (he gave Adam a hug)
Katy: I'm thankful for people to look after me
Callum: My little brother
Cassie: Lewis
Giselle: Baby ben
Patrick: That Monica is still alive (..we nearly ate each other preparing the meal in the final stages)
Pauline: That everyone is happy and healthy
Me: My family

plus many many many more. I am only sorry that I didn't write this post last ngiht as it would have been lovely to record them all ( i am getting old so i forget things now and then). If anyone reading this can remember what they said please let me know and I will add it on here.

Everyone cleared their plates, Thansk to 'Cod' for gorgeous macaroni cheese that became part of our meal, it was handed from person to person as a I remember each dish being passed from one to another at my families celebrations growing up.

Thanks to the kids who behaved so well and to everyone for coming to celebrate this meal of togetherness with us.. we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We played the longest game EVER of Articulate, the drink may have had a bit to with that.

Dare I say.. See you next year???


yes Monica the "most disorganised person i know" pulled it off(Thansk Patrick for all your help), despite

-boiling the ham for nearly twice as long as recquired
- forgetting that there was a turkey in the oven
- ummm Are those potatoes supposed to have mashed themselves?
- OH "£$%&", I forgot to buy the vegetarians some 'meat' and only remmebered when the guests arrived (thanks patrick for that quick trip to SPAR for veggie sausages)
- finding YAMS in the oven the next day when they should have been served last night


So what, Jamie Oliver wasn't cooking.... I was!

As for today... Go Penguins Go! http://www.gopenguins.co.uk

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

thanksgiving gaffs

Well my thanksgiving isn't until tomorrow. I'm guessing I have got some leeway as I am i a country where thanksgiving isn't even celebrated! Well.. first my Turkey, It is a 8.6 kg (I still haven't gotten used to kilos so could not tell you what that may be inpounds off the top of my head..) bird. let me tell you, refrigerators in this country are NOT made for big Turkeys, or for a LOT of stuff. So it had to go outside in the cooler with ice to defrost. Ok...day one checked it, frozen solid, day two same, day three same , day four, took the ice out, day five still frozen solid.. either weve got a great cooler or mother nature is not cooperating! I had to take it out of the cooler and into the fridge so it can defrost. Makingthe stuffing now and the turey nck is still frozen solid! Right we move onto the green bean casserole, I could not find any canned greenbeans at Tesco.. WHAT!!! I mean they are not unusual., they said they have not carried them in awhile.. I was shocked. I could cook fresh but can't be bothered so I surfed through a variety of supermarkets until i found canned grean beans. Next, french fried onions for the top.. umm no one has them, what am I going to do?? Well I'll just use bacon bits instread.. or as my mom suggested crumbled up potato chips to give thema cvrunch. umm no. As a last ditch attempt I went to an international food store yesterday and found something similar to the onion crispies, in the Indian food section. I can't read the label but it tastes the same. Pies, pumpkin pies... there's no Libbys here people. I had to cook fresh pumpkins, peel and freeze a few weeks ago when they were about. I spent ages seiving pumpkin to make pureee as my blender broke! I made pastry, no frozen ready-to-bake-crusts-in-the-little-foil-tins here folks. My pies came out great.. only one exploded so I have five left woo hoo. (Did I mention I have 27 coming over for dinner).

Thats where I am up to....I'l let you knwo how it all pans out!

Kids are great ... they have been a big help today. Carys has been busy takign out every toy she owns and strewing them roudn the hosue and adam's bedroom floor resembles the beaches of Normandy ala WWII. Never mind the fact that every spare bit of floorspae will have a body sleeping on it tomorrow night. I'll let you know how it all turned out.... if I survive!

Church

Carys thinks it is the greatest thing ever invented. I am not sure why the word Church creates such joy for one and such fear from another, not to mention indifference from their father. Adam immediately tries to weasel out of going, Carys jumps for joy, and me left tryign to get everyone ready to get out of the hosue on time.

Carys sings hymns (although she makes up her own words) and 'reads' from the mass book. Adam does his best to find alternative ways of kneeling so his 'legs don't get tired'. this usally involves sitting on his ankles, bum, perching on the pew, indian -style -halfway- under- the -pew contortion. I have no idea why. Carys doesn't kneel, she just stands, but she's three.. Adam's eight and is old enought to understand what's happening and why we do the thigns we do. He goes out with the childrens servic and only joins me for the last 15/20 minutes of mass. I am afraid to ask after his behaviour in the kids mass... maybe its better that I don't know.

I encounterd my first of many 'i don't know' moments with regards to religion. Adam asked the question how a chicken was created. Patrick started on evolution theory while I was content to say that GOD made them. Adam's curiousity then had him questioning human origins and thereby ensued an evolution vs adam and eve debate. I am going down one road while Patrick is going down another. I forsee many more similar moments in the future.

togetherness

I'd been doing alot of thinking this year and have decided on working onthe togetherness of our family. In the UK, Christmastime is the big FAMILY do of the year... I however will be stuck at home on my own this holiday season. Well... Christmas day and boxing day will be filled with laughter and cheer... but the days folowing will be filled with tearing my hair out and tryign to get my UNI work doen because It is due onthe 2nd of Jan.

Soooo.. IU decided to have a thanskgiving dinner. Yup... this will be the first time I have celebrated the holiday in years! I am getting really excited. I have printed off thanksgving crafts for the kids to get stuck into and have started doding the shopping. I hope all of Patricks family can come up so we can do soem of the togetherness. It is so often that family can live completely seperate lives and forget the importance of what family is and family means. Well this is my interpretation anyway. I am well aware that not everyone looks on the instituion of family in quite the same way.

My next project is Christmas Carols with the neighbours in turnign our neighbourhood into a community... but that is for another post.

The kids are sleeping... I am waiting for I'm a celebrity get me out of here to start....

A bit Shameful really....

I have JUST sewn on Adam's troop badge to his cub scout neckerchief! Adam has been part of the scouts for nearly three years now and I have only just managed to sew it on!!! I am sooooo pleased that I never lost the badge.... and even more so that he now has it firmly affixed! This is not something to be proud of.... had I done it when I was supposed to (on joining in 2007) then I may have kept onthe straght and narrow.. sewing badges on as he's earned them! But noooo.... Here's to a new 2010!

Carys has reinvented the word tantrum. You only have to THINK the word no and she's off. Feet stamping, arm swinging, arm folding and flinging oneself to the floor are all the rage at the moment. It must be a school thing... maybe.. :-). She's mighty precious!!!

Adam is getting taller!! Believe it or not.. it's true!! The boy is 8.5 months old and is now OFFICIALLY too tall for size 5's! Lenght... not width.. Roll on 6's!!

pumpkin bread

I have now made my pumpkin bread!!! I cooked the fresh pumpkins we used at halloween and froze some for thanksgiving pies! I am having a traditional thanksgiving dinner on the 28th for all of the family. I can only hope they like the variety and tradition and maybe we can do this as an annual thing. I have explained to the kids what thanksgiving is but they don't really understand why we are celebrating when we do not live in the USA. I will continue to try!

We had a new MAP young person move in yesterday. She is female... and is 17 years old, i am a bit nervous as this will be the first female we will have living with us .. our previous young people have all been boys!

Our spare room is now gone again... so we will have to be creative in putting up people once again!

Tent in the garden in Ocotber????

Joy

DSC05223, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

There is nothing more lovely than little outbursts of JOY from your children. Despite it being freezing.... Adam thought it was the perfect time for a little dip!

I however, am very annoyed with the sea! I ate some mussels in a lovely white sauce yesterday only to find myself up all night with Food Poisoning!

Halloween 2009

DSC05522, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

The revelers! We pillaged the neighbourhood enmasse! Trick or treat.... not many smelt feet! I was asked by several people what my costume had to do with Halloween. In the UK it would seem, halloween is all about withces, ghosts, and goblins. I am determined that our family dress up as a bowl of fruit next year. That'd sure give them something to talk about!

Halloween 2009

DSC05503, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

Blogging break. Lazyitis more liek it. ihaven't kept the blog updated for awhile. Every time I thought about it I decided to put it off unti tomorrow.
Anyway. This was Carys on Halloween. She is wering her brand new glasses which we picked up that morning. We have become a family of four eyes!

First day of school photos.

Quick post of Photos for you. Adam age 8 yr 4 and Carys age 3 Nursery

To Patrick at home.

Can you turn on the answerphone (both home and mobile)as I cannot leave you a message if it is not on.

Kids still sweating! We left the heat in the UK to have even greater heat in New Mexico! I have been stripping them down in stages for bed...we are now at NO clothes, open windows air conditioning AND a fan. They drink continuously.

Adam and Carys have been truned to the 'other' side and love kitty cats... the two kittens foxy and roxy follow them like they are the pied piper of hamlin.... i forsee voices asking mom and dad for a cat!

We found our bargains of the summer .. two remote control 4x4 cars that were a $1 each at the garage sale... best $2 I ever spent!

Speak to you soon.

Communication

Communication is such an important word. How can you teach your kids to communicate with you if you can't communicate with other people?

Do your children emulate your personality and personableness? How can you make sure they pick up the admirable traits rather than the not- so- admirable ones?

"Do as I say not as I do"----- confuses me....it will certainly confuse my kids.

HELP

dancing queen (carys not me)

Carys is a jumping bean. Yes you could say she is a mexican jumping bean (by proxy)... I'll have to buy some of those while we are in New Mexico. She hears a tune and she jumps straight up and wiggles her backside, One arm out front and another out back.

It's hot.. really really hot. Pump up the Air Con!!!!

do over

Can I have do-over please? Isn't great that as kids we could just utter this little phrase and everything that had happened to that moment could be undone forgotten and you just got another go at it? I'd like to be peter pan and have a do-over please.

I finally have time for my kids, sitting here yesterday with empty cereal boxes, glue, sticky paper, pipe cleaners, foil..... has shown me what I have missed out on these past few months. Forget about having time to blog.. I didn't even have time for my kids. It was always 'in a minute... in a minute... we'll do it tomorrow and sometimes tomorrow never came. Instead of focusing on what really matters, kids.. family... I lost it and focused on what other people wanted. In terms of my placement, work, University. I have the summer to spend with my family.. to put them first.. to figure out how I can do that when I return to University in September. I knew it was not going to be easy. I just don't think I realised how hard it actually was. I know the answer is not in becoming supermom.. but instead being a wiser mom. I am still certain that I am on the right path.. I just need to tweak it here and there.

Adam has had a tough time recently. He is not a happy little lad and for this I am truly sorry. The courage it took for him to tell his mom and dad why he hates going to school and why he has angry feelings showed me how cowardly adults can be, we are after all 'masters of disguise'. His honesty took the wind out of our sails and it will not be ignored, pushed under the carpet, or discounted as one of those 'phases' children go through.

On a better note, my momma is doing well and I'll soon get her window shopping everyday again!

Adam's first communion

WayWard Travellers return!!!

We are back!!! We made it to terra firma with no more than the minor aches and pains of flying 13+ hours on your backside! Numb bums were definitely a problem! The cried like a baby when the kids ran outside and gae us such huge smiles and hugs and would not let us go for even one second the entire night until they went to bed! I shed many a tear while away missing them and thinking they would have had a brilliant time with us. Patrick has agreed that we will NEVER go away for so long without them again!!!!

Our trip was fantastic and I will attempt to tell the tale interspersed with the frolics of the kids while we were away.

Highlights:

Beijing-

Youth restaraunt: fantstic if your dieting or need to lose a bit of weight. The menu is about 10 pages long and by the time oyu get to the end you are soo not hungry. You jsut start thinking of how you can get uop and leave without anyone noticing. Standard dishes on offer included: Dog meat, sea cucumber (slug thing), pigs lungs, duck tongues, chicken feet, boneless chickenfeet thai style, roast chicken (head and feet and innards included I think they just defeather it and chuck it in the oven seriously), intestine, liver, any other offal you can imagine, preserved goose liver, jellied kidneys, and believe me I could go on and on....

Great Wall of China: immense, amazing, steep, phenomenal more about this later. Lovely views of farms and donkeys frolicking in the villages coming up to the section we visited, and then we passed the donkey meat processing plant.. plain rice and noodles for lunch again please!

more to come...

Kids went camping wiuth their Auntie Folly- Adam did anyway... Adam went iceskating... visited a farm.... discoed his rear off... and barely found time to speak to us in our daily phone calls.

Roar!!! (Part 2)

As seen earlier, Carys had her face painted as a tiger for the Bowling Party. Since then, every night when I read her her current favourite story at bedtime, when we get to the part about the baby lion meeting the baby leopard, she points to her face and says she is a baby tiger and lets out a roar!

Patrick

Adam Ant

DSC02375, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

I can't seem to get pictures from Flickr together in one blog post so please bear with me!

Roar!!!

DSC02408, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

Carys Bowling last weekend. She has her face painted as a Tiger.

Peck

DSC02418, originally uploaded by the_stakes.

I was in bed on wednesday Morning and asked Carys to give me a kiss. She said no. we then started to play the "I will give you a kiss whether you like it or not game".... I relented and chagned tactic. "How about a peck on the cheek?" I asked.

What? asks Carys looking a bit confused.

" Go on.. give Mum a peck on the cheek" I encouraged persuasively.

Well.... Quick as a flash, her little hand lashed out and she slapped me across the cheek!

Moral of the story--- Make sure you know your kid understand what a peck is before you make her follow through!!

Hijacked!

My Blog has been hijacked! See.. it is a sensitive subject (always gotta have the last word :-) ).

Adam sat at the computer last night doing his spelling words on Spellingcity.com. It is a great site for creating games and puzzles from his spelling lists. He just enters them online any and away he goes!

I have woken up at insane-o-clock (4:30 am) to get some work done because I want to have fun with my sweet sweet little girl today. We might go to the park.. or to the playspace or colour or play puzzles etc. Nearly vacation time and not too much further into the planning. We've decided what will be will be!

Nothing further to report.

over and out

The problem is, Monica thinks that because the red light is on in the kitchen, then we must be burning gas, this is NOT the case. The red light only means that the timer is on and that if the water is below the required temperature, then and only then will the gas come on, it's thermostatically controlled, just like the heating. If it's warm enough, then the gas will not burn, even if the red light is on and dancing a jig in the kitchen!

Maybe one day she will understand.

Pet Peeves

I am sure every has their onw little ways of doing things and one littel thing always seems to be a bone of contention in your house. Well, a major 'little' crazy driving thing we disagree on is the heating/hot water controls. Ee have lived in this house for 8 years and for that whole time we have disagreed over how often the hot water should heat and how many times the heating should come on. I flick it off, he flicks it back on, i flick it off, he flicks it on. Its like a game as to who see's that little red light on the control. Well.... we got a new control yesterday, ( because i broke the last one!) and not only has it got an option to program how many times it comes on in the day it now includes a seven day timer/ to control weekdays versus weekends..... or set each day differently if requuired. It has also got a holiday mode, isn't that great! (Sarcasm is trying to come through) What happend to the simple on and off switch? Mom.. I think those wood chopping skills would come in handy right now..... maybe the stoneage wasn't so bad after all!!

Anyone who knows Patrick will know that we are two opposites,, he loves the technical and programmable.. I don't ahy complicating something is necessary!

Moronic speller strikes again!

The re-reading of my last post provided the inspiration for this posts title. Enough said.


I had a lovely call form my Dad this morning. After the normal prattle of "How's my grandkids?" question my Dad asks me

What are you doing?

I reply . " I am busy I don't have time to do much"

Dad. " DON'T have time. Whadya mean you don't have time? Your Mom had four kids and she still had time to chop wood, bring it in and make my dinner"

Hmmm... Mom I think that was a compliment.

Dad... your still living in the stone age.
There are now things such as central heating, internet, computers, TELEVISION, books stacked ceiling high, plumbing and microwaves.....

Love you!!!!

Get in Gear

I have jsut been reminded that my blog is getting out of date (thank you folly for that kick up the backside.

We are running around like headless chickens in the Doherty house.

Carys has decided that now would be the BEST time to show her spirit and personality (translation : stubborness and frequent use fo the word NO). Adam has also chosen this time to *want* to sit down and do homework (positive step that needs nuturigng but at a time when deadlines are looming hard to please everyone!)

James has reached the stage where his tasks have become longer and 1.5 hours twice a week we have a cookery lesson followed by 2 hours study to catch up on schoolwork. And another hour a week to give him one to one time.

We have half-planned out trip to China (bearing in mind we leave next Tuesday).. we jsut discoverd that we booked the wrong days to take the train out of Beijing because for some reason they only leave on even days, this then has a knock on effect on taking the train out of shanghai because this train only goes to Hong Kong on even days in March but on odd days in april and then only every two days in May. Combined with the fact that we cannot buy these before we go and cannot find a travel agent who speaks ENglish to buy them for us before we leave may mean we have to thumb it the however many miles from beijing to hong kong only armed with flashcards in chinese that read "I can't eat mushrooms" and " wheres the toilet". i am NOt panicking at all as I am sure you can see.

We have yet to pack our bags.... or or do the laundry in order to have clean clothes to pack said bags. Our hallway still has no floor .... industrial driers and a dehumidifier ar still drying it out... I should have these on 24 hrs a day but can't stnd the noise so they are onfor more like 2 hours and I haven't submitted any quotes to the insurance to get the work on walls done nor have I been able to go and choose alternate flooring to put down. Result: Carys being lifted anytime she goes through the hallways as she does not like walking on black floors (coating on the cement) because they are " scary".

Yes anything black is now "scary" in Carys book thanks to her modelling the behaviour of her brother and the dark.

Adam is enduring hastily prepared packed lunches of "tuna" ( no mayo as I haven't any in the house), on croissants that nana sent up ( because I haven't been to the supermarket) and ryvita with jam as dessert (i don't have any biscuits sweets or crisps to give him). I really need to go to the grocery store!

This morngin I lost my care key.. in a somewhat overzealous search I broke the heating control thingy that controls our heating and hot water.. as a resutl noheatingor hot water until thats fixed.

A positive note to the mornign was Adam ( voluntarily, no coersion, pleading, stern loosk necessary) broguht donw his book " Horribke Henry adnthe babysitter" to take to school to read during quiet time. MY SON WANTS TO READ A BOOK!!!! I'd say thats progress!

Yesterday I have declared a no television rule. No television what-so-ever anymore!! The wails from that boy you'd think I cut off his arm. He went through tears, pity, guilt trip the lot in trying to get me to let him watch it. After an hour we were happily playing scrabble, painting, and doing homework. he can still play onthe Wii and the computer just no habitual, mind numbing televison that has too long been used as a pasttime for my children!

Carys loved her pretty dress this mronig soo much that she refused to wear it when she ate her breakfast/ too avoid gettinig it dirty.. then in the loo/ too avoid having to hike it out of the way... and then when we finally had it on her.. she declared she did not like it. She wore it anyway despite the kicking, rolling on the floor, and the limp spaghetti noodle status.

Last week ws MOTHERS DAY. Kids and Patrick were down south for Katy J's party so we are celebrating this Sunday.

I have got an essay to write and an exam to study for both due on Monday so me thinks packing/cleaning/washing/shopping/cooking/sanity will be out the window.

Now......a few minutes to get myself together .. to become an aura of clamness.... to get productive.... and start on my list.

(one more note... Adam is making his first holy communion on the 10th of May).

I love my kids and my husband so much! They have given up so much to support me in this and I truly do appreciate them!

kickin' it at 'La casa'

Today the kids spent the morning 'rockstyling'. Rockstyling defined means kickin it like a rockstar on the trampoline. Fearturing air guitar, 'the hustle', and a bum,tum, back bounce. Carys as you may guess did a low impact version and created a bend over and touch your toes adaptation. Lots of laughter, lots of fun.

Patrick took the kids off to an 'urban' farm and that scottish restaruant I am loathe to name at the risk of earning a 'Razzie' award for child nutrition.

Carys and Adam saw the ducks, donkey, turkeys, sheep and pigs and a good time was had by all. I was stuck in a library finishing up some work.. blah!!!!

Patrick be going out on pub crawl this evening so I will have the night to myself. woo woo

Pictures to follow.

Parenting

Adam is giving me gray hair, wrinkles, worry warts and sleepless nights. He is going in a direction I don't think is good for him and I don't know how to turn him around. He's 7, not the end of the world, he's just starting out on the whole life ladder. What worries me is that life, even for little kids, isn't always kind. How can you tell him so that he understands that the reason the kids don't want to play with him is because its always go to behis way. If its not the tears start and he stomps home crying no one likes him. He HAS to be the ringleader, his ideas, his execution, his rules (that are changed ona second pe secodn basis).
He is never wrong. Adam: the sky is blue, Mum: the sky is grey today, Adam mum why did you make me say blue.. hello, its your eyes that are the problem not my psychic ability that fixes yur answer before it comes out of your mouth.

He always has to have the last word. He doesn't like to do his hoeowrk and he has a bad attitude when he has to do somethin he doesn't want to do. He does not listen.

I truly do not want to put this down as a 'phase' all boys go through nor do I want to break his 'spirit' becaause as we all know Adam has had some of these characteristics since birth! Have I given him too many choices? Have our boundaries fallen by the wayside or are there too many? Have we not been giving him enough time? I truly want a happy little boy without and not concentrate too much on all the rules.

I'm up a few barriers as well. I am going to have to go back to basics with routines and might just throw away the television.

Tennis pro

Its been a looong week. Me and the kids have partyed hard ( pillow fights, rolling off the beds, water fights), shredded up the dance floor (living room break dancing and a sock hop), had international cuisine (£0.99p pizza, chicken kievs, chinese, beans on toast), and staged our own 1st annual olympics ( trampoline headstands, mop relays, sweepathon). All this funa nd we evenhad time for some interior design--- the removal of the "Irish Lace" (cobwebs) from those high up places.

The kids have bee as good as gold. Yes we have had our boughts of fighting, biting, yelling, crying, whining but theyhave been intertwined with laughing, hugging, loving and fun!

Highlights have included Carys runnign and jumping into her brothers arms saying "Adam, my love you" and Adam saying " Mum, its okay you stay in bed and I'll get our breakfast and call you in ten minutes!"

Lowlights have included Carys dropping her drawers and mooning me a la Bart Simpson (complete with wiggle) and Adam stomping about Its not fair.. why do I have to be bored! and always having to have the last word.

Adam's been to beavers/ football/tennis/ a birthday party/ had a lesson with his tutor and a mate over to play. Carys has been to Ria's, playgroup, and stuck to her mommas side.

We rounded off the week with a fabulous morning of tennis- (if you can call what I do as playing tennis).

Tonto is back tonight! :-)

Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger reports again! Patrick has gone off and left me with two little rascals and a teenager with 'man flu'. Patrick has gone off to a training course for the week and won't be back until next Sunday 5pm. The kids and I went to see him off a the train station. They promised their dad they would be good and this lasted all of 30 minutes! James has been 'dying' for the last three weeks. I have never seen such a drama queen. He had a cold, then a cough, then a sore throat, then dizziness, then a sore hand, then a headache.. the list continues. We might be able to start up a soap opera here!

Adam is not often in one place long enough to get him in a picture. I always seem to be posting pictures of Carys but he tuly is like a worm and you can never find him when I have the camera!

Carys sporting her first real braids.

Rollerblading videos

sickness and fun

LAst week was the Adams half-term week so no school!! His grandma and kim came up to spend the week becasue I still had to go to school! They spent the week wreaking havoc whereever they went; park, beach, wacky warehouse, lidl, asda (adam really wanted to go to tesco), and lidl. Carys had two days at Ria's and then the rest of the week with her nana and adam and kim.

Adam FINALLY learned to use his rollerblades. He roped in Carys to help him.

the school called me on Monday and I had to go pick Adam up. He had a a high temperature and was snotty. So we had all day in bed with a DVD. Tuesday I woke up with a sorethroat and a cold! Carys is gettign chesty again! Patrick is off to London next week so I will be on my own with the two rascals.

I have completed our VISA applications and all systems are go for china! Patrick has started jumping up and down with glee already! We were booking hotels in Hong Kong when he *realised* that the time we are there coincides with the worlds BIGGEST electronics fare in the world! He also just *happened* to find a hotel for us to stay in right across the street from the exhibition center. Hmmmm... something fishy going on here I think!

Parental Controls

Parentl Controls on a computer might be a contentious issue to those in society who claim it to be an abuse of childrens rights however, in this house parental controls is used to limit computer time for Adam. He logs in under his id and once his hour or two hours is up, it locks kicks him off of it. Similarly, it is used to keep James off of some of the more mature sites on the internet.. you know, the ones seventeen year old boys are likely to visit if given the opportunity. So yeah, I am all for the use of Parental Controls. Keep reading, this post has a point.

I go to log on to the PC the other week and try to load up my favourite social networking website, facebook, and it wouldn't load! I tried and tried, and evenutally had to resort to phoning tech support (ie Patrick) who told me I was spending far too much time on it when I should be studying so he took it upon himslef to put ME on parental controls! He has blocked the facebook site from our home network and I don't have the knowhow to reverse! HELP!!!!

carys ironing

Carys ironing.
Carys was being very helpful this morning. She decided to help me iron the mountain of clean clothes that has taken over our dining room table. Together, we pledged a oath to banish the laundry demons that have prevented us from USING our dining room table to actually eat on for since Thursday! Not to mention an imminent visit from the M.I.L, arrivign with the gorgeous Kimberly to visit for the week. Carys and Adam spent the whole night in their own beds .. wee heee!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

Happy valentines day!!! Thank you NiNA Cessie for all the sweeties... we have gone through most of them but will be having the hearts today!!!

I haven't done any sticking and pasting for valentines this year but hope to change that this morning.

The boys are asleep. so me and carys willwork on something constructive

Waking up is hard to do!

This week has been a mish-mash of runnign around playing catch-up.

Not once have I been able to crawl out of bed before 7:50 am. This not good. Patrick can stealthily awake at 7, leave the house for half past 7 and I am still snoring ... none the wiser. What's even more worrying is that my children are sleeping in with me! I mean .. I used to count on them to be my alarm clock... I am ACTUALLY gonna have to set one!

Patrick has the right idea. If you are awake, and the kids are not, then you HAVE to practise you secret agent skills because they hear every squeak. So Patrick, you must be ready for MI-5 Agent 008.

The kids are eating cereal right now. I want to try giving them a hot breakfast. But it does not always happen. I am hunting for clothes, school uniforms , library books, and PE kits!

Adam stayed home yesterday, he had a cold, so we dropped Carys off at playgroup and then played BEN-10 top trumps.

I have had to tighten the waistband on all of Adam's trousers. He has lost weight, so Nina... all those lovely softish trousers you sent fall off him!

Saturday morning Music

When I was grwoing up I used to both look forward to and dread the Garcia Saturday Morning. My parents thought that Saturday meant get up early and work whereas I thought (along with everyother sane being) that Saturday meant a day for sleeping in and rest. Noooo.... my Saturdays often began with a rooster (my father) cock-a-doodle-doing at the top of his lungs in and out of all our bedrooms, followed by a wake-up wake-up wake-up. Next minute you'd hear the Tex-Mex pumping out of the stereo. To get a taste of our torture go to http://texmexfm.com/index.php/stations/texmex-fm-albuquerque-nm/

My dad would swing his hips around the house singing aloud at the top of his lungs. Rolling over and falling back to sleep was not an option.

The music would be on all morning while everyone did their chores... sometimes we were even able to change the radio station when Dad would go do something outside. Mom would put on the soul legends from the 70's.

I'm posting this now as I sit with my aching hips and legs due to all the dancing we got up to yesterday! We had a classic Garcia Saturday.. the music was on high and we were bopping about the house to the Party Hits of the Sixties.

Carys was practising her hip rolls and Adam's dancing consisted of his sliding up and down the hallway and ninja rolls off the sofas.

Patrick and I took turns providing the Karaoke!

Shoulda' known better....

To all you 'put it off today coz I can do it tomorrow' people. DON@T.

I am so in trouble!

1. Carys has NOT been accepted into school. The school has been oversubscribed. Dunno what to do! Muggins here left it to the last minute( although there was no deadline date or anything!!) to submit forms and some mothers put there kids down before their kids are born!

2. As a result of the above Carys might not have a childminder.... as hers will not be able to pick her up from another school. I wonder if I can take Carys on placement with me?

3. My car insurance expired on the 25th Jan and they renewed it automatically at an insanely high price.... which I have to pay for the last 10days!!! Believe me its canceled now!

4. I received a court summons today for a driving offence I committed last August. I paid my fine but 'forgot' ( it is still on the desk, sealed in an envelope and addressed to the ticket office and has been since Sept last year) to send my driving license in to be endorsed. Have been on the phoen to sort that out.

5. Had I done what I shoulda when I was supposed to I would have been able to do some uni work rather than become a stress head.

6. I had to call and cancel a dentist appointment yesterday last minute because I forgot I'd made it and I had to be somewhere else. I'll be lucky if I don't get dropped off the list!

Yes, I have a diary. I am great at writing things in it.... not so great doing what it tells me to do!

Can i have a psychoanalysis please?

Carys was tired today..... she is in bed. She had yogurt and peanut butter sandwiches for lunch. She chose it.. I just made it.

I'm gonna go read my Barack Obama book, I have nothing else to do today that can't be done tomorrow... JUST KIDDING!

Found this today in my web travels.....

"My mother was a good mother, but she didn’t really believe in keeping house. She had grown up in a family of New York bohemians who believed that a clean house was the sign of a wasted mind. Keeping house was viewed as an exercise in futility which, ultimately, it is."

I like to think Adam would say this about me one day... :-).

photos to 'little miss carys' take on little miss muffet

These were photos I could not upload the other day!

Adam and I had our computer class today. The school has a class for kids and their parents to work on the computer. Our first session a sew weeks ago was on designing a front cover in word art.... Adam enjoyed it. i was suprised today when we revisited word 2007 he remembered excatly how to do it!! We made greeting cards and played science related games on the internet. Their are about 10 kids and a mixture of mums dads and grandparents. It is good to see such a variety of 'carers' taking part in the lives of the kids.

I seem to have to give some people in my neck of the norhtwest some credit. In an era of 'close you doors and don't speak to your neighbour' attitude I have met some really nice people recently. There may yet be a future for society.

On the snow front..... it all melted.

One to three and one two three

I bought a dvd from tesco the other day...

I watched it.....

I nearly pee'd myself laughing as I did so... Leticia Dean looks like she's constipated the whole way through!

I just couldn't do anything for laughing....

I will try again tomorrow minus the hysterics!

SNOWFLAKES ON MY NOSE

As I have deadlines looming it is fitting that I choose now to blog about past events in the hope of putting off the inevitable exercise fo the grey matter that constitutes my brain!

French week at school was entertaining. Adam learned the french alaphabet song and how to count to ten. We put on a french cafe and the kids were introduced to chocolate crepes, croissants, pan a chocolat, brioche and madelaine cakes. Adam was fo course interested in the cakes.

Carys spent the afternoon stealing marshmallows aff everyones plate I spent the time pretending I hadn't seen her.... It was easier to let people think she was never fed rather than say no and eithyer 1. cause a tantrum or 2. spend the rest of the afternoon chasing her away from food. Irresponsible parenting maybe.. but hey...everyone needs a day off sometime. :-).

Its SNOWING.... proper confetti, cornflake shaped snowflakes that are sticking! Nothing like those of New MExico's standards but its is so exciting! I love the feel of snowflakes on my nose. It started snowing last night and driving home at about midnight, I had the pleasure of makign the first tracks through the streets! There is something so fiendish about messing up a blank.. serene looking canvas that was our street! I am writing with glee as I recall those moments my tires crunched the snow... you know the sound... its that thunk thunk... fab!!! I understand now why some toddlers just HAVE to scribble on a wall..... Carys.. if you only knew.. you've just been given liscence for free for all on the walls in our house!!

Hola! Bienvenido!!

Hola a todos esta manana! Estoy escribiendo en espanol porque patricio me ha comprado una computadora 'laptop'. Supongo que debe a la práctica porque estoy perdiendo! se puede decir que ha comprado para mí, pero lo que realmente significa es que lo encontró en su escritorio bajo una montaña de basura! Mom I have forgotten how to pronounce that word that means junk... its goes something like.. garrero???? Anyway I coudl have made that up!

Kids are fine. patrick took them to Burger King for lunch and to play in their 'play pen'. They had fun.

Whoa there .. don't all rush to comment on my lil ole blog. I kinda like blogging to myself. Its is only in deerence to those out there who 'might' moan that I spend as much time as I do correctingmy spellig mistakes and check-ish my grammar. Poof to you! My brain flys faster than my fingers so its no wonder they haven't time to catch up!

A little adapted nursery rhyme to sum up this am....

Little Miss Carys
sat eating her breakfast
sharing with Upsy Daisy and Pumpkin Pez
Along came a brother
and sat down beside her
and all hell broke loose once again!

THE END

pictures were taken but slow to upload. i have no patience and patrick is hovering like a hwak for some PC time.. so I'll do it later ...


("seeing how Monica has her own 2 Pcs and she still insists on using mine".. Patrick Doherty)

addendum to previous post

I am not a moron. I know how to spell. Spoell checker not working and I was too lazy to correct my own errors!

I got a telephone call and am over the moon....

I am soo PROUD of James. He had his review today in school and his feedback was GLOWING!

His confidence has grown in leaps and bounds and he has a bright future ahead of him. WELL DONE MATE, your cheering squad will always be here for you! woo hooo...

I go to schoooolllllll

Carys' new favourite phrase. " I gooo too scoooollll!" I go to school. yes she does! Carys started her playgroup last week. She goes Wed Thur and Fri morning at the local Methodist Church. She does look a little too small to be going and at 2.5 I do feel she mega guilty for sending her. She goes to sing songs. read stories and play with about 10 other 2.5 to 3 year olds. It can't be too bad right? I have turned her applicaiton form in to Scared Heart last week so I hope she gets accepted for Septmeber. For some reason subscriptions are at a peak for Catholic schools so I hope she gets in. It can only help that Adam already goes there... I think it gives you more of a chance if they have a brother or sister there already.

Carys got herself dressed this mroning. Black woollen tights, denim overall dress, green longsleeve T-shirt with a black/dayglo orange halloween shirt over that. oh and brown princess boots ( they are brown suede with a princess cameo on the front and yellow flowers down the side) I hope she never loses her 'eclectic' style. So what if she doesn't conform ehh??? Adam on the other hand needs to lose the " My school shirt is okay to wear 5 days on the trot.. the ketchup/dirt/juice/yogurt remnants don't matter" attitude. Poor thing he is taking my economy drive so seriously. He has appointed himself " Electricity Man" with the responsibility of turning off all redundant lights... he thinks if he wears his clothes longer the less we have to wash hence the washing machine can stay off longer!!! His logic is there.. but Adam.. NOOOOOO... clean clothes please! He is a miser in the making!

Anyway.. blogging get me into trouble.... I have been sat here with reading to do and I have visited no less then 5 blogs and typed my own contribution to blog-world. Its time for me to go. Au-revior (kids had french week in school thsi week but mreo about that later!)

back from the land of the living.

Well, as I am sure you noticed, I took a littel hiatus from blogging. A sabbatical of sorts as I was behind on EVERYTHING and had a lot of catching up to do. Had I 'popped' in to blog I would have stayed logged in and trwaled.. and trawled and trawled blogville. I have NO willpower as evidenced by the my physical state on the best of days!

January has gone by a bit too quickly. The come down after the holidays was cold turkey. The sure sharp shock of deadlines, musical rooms and no sleep has taken it's toll., and the everpresent aura of doom and gloom hasn't helped either.

January run down:

Maren came to visit form Sheffield *originally edgewood, NM

Adam moved out of his room and slept in with us for a few weeks

Eugenes *brother in laws* 50 birthday bash in Slough

Deadline for uni assignments

Carys crawling in to our bed every night

Grandfather passed away

Sightseeing in London

Getting Adam to sit down and do his literacy homework

Car went Kaput.. but brakes fixed

Mersey tunnels raised the toll cost AGAIN

reborn determination to use as LITTLE gas and electricity as possibel to save money

Reborn determination to cook more and eat out less to save money... hmm indian on sunday night, fish and chips last night, Costco baked potatoes tonight....need to revisit this one

Furiously planning trip to CHINA in April.

Sneaking off at every opportune moment to get some UNI reading done. If I never see another book on social work practice/ social policy/ and Law...... I don;t know how many times I start my sentences off with this.

How can I learn and retain Law whenI have attila the hun and his sidekick running circles around me?

Look.. I am going to have to go... Patrick has fallen asleep in the bath AGAIN... I can hear his snores from down here!!

Monica, Patrick, Carys, Adam and James are fine...

Happy Birthday!!! watch this one first

Happy b-day party for nina and Tio Danny..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

To Nina Cessi and Tio Danny... may your birthays be lovely and bright! We had a party without you... but your painted standins had a great time!

Love yous