Wacky Wednesday

 It all began with that shoe on the wall...

A few months ago I was reading Wacky Wednesday to Phineas and it dawned on me that it would make a fantastic April Fool's joke! Phineas has had great fun this morning finding all the wacky things and then showing everyone else. He has even created a couple of his own. Happy April Fools!

They got me hooked on YouTube

For the last couple of years the boys have been completely hooked on YouTube videos. Like most 30 something parents, I despaired! Seriously! You are watching someone else play a video game. Why? You should play it yourself. Anyhoo, I guess I just got curious one day, I tripped and I fell big time into the YouTube vortex! And now I am hooked! You can learn pretty much anything on YouTube, obviously there is the good, the bad and the ugly (who watches other people squeeze spots??!!) I feel that for the most part my youtube addiction is doing this family good. I am decluttering, I am learning new ways to parent, especially our foster children, and I am teaching myself to manage money so that we can be more financially secure.
My favourites so far:
Clutterbug
Her home is AMAZING but the way she achieves this, feels accessible to mere mortals like me! She is Canadian and seems to buy everything from the dollar tree, I kind of need to have a proper look in the pound shops here, but I get the impression that it's not quite the same. I have managed to get a lot of plastic tubs from Tesco and like Clutterbug I have got the Ikea Kallax system in nearly every room now! This all started because a friend of mine who lives in a tiny but perfectly organised home told me that she keeps everything in storage containers because it is easier to keep everything tidy and makes moving home easier (the joy of renting!)
DebtFreeDana
So Dana pretty much follows the Dave Ramsey financial plan, but personally, I find him really mean! He has great ideas, but kind of yells them at people! Dana is like the soft focus filter for Dave Ramsey. She is super practical and realistic and makes the Baby Steps achievable. We are living like no one else now so that we can live like no one else later! (American style woop) I love that Dana is religious so she includes tithing in her budget, yay!
Jordan F. Page
The owner of Fun Cheap or Free, I started watching her because she explained the envelope budgeting system in a way that even my simple brain could understand! I followed her for a little while and then my Mormon radar kicked in. Total Utah Mormons. I have picked up some great tips and love that she wears flowery leggings under her ripped jeans. I am trying to convert Caitlin to this!!

No blog post is complete without a cute kid picture. So in keeping with my theme, here is Phineas holding a robot that we bought from a charity shop for 50p! He loves it, it's clean, it works and I didn't have to unscrew it from stupid kid packaging, win, win situation. We have really reduced the amount of toys the kids own, and I am now starting to get in the habit of rotating them round, but I think donating their old toys and books to charity shops and then buying new ones from there is a like having a giant toy rotation system, so I am going with that!

Daddy's new toy

Our Vauxhall Zafira died a death. It was a sad day. We bought that car when I was pregnant with Phineas, and it was an official step towards "Large Family" status. Fortunately, the day it shuddered to a stand still was the day that we bought another car. Unfortunately, it wasn't, on reflection a wise purchase. Definitely a life lesson. So that car got scrapped, and we made a series of big decisions in the space of a day! One of which was to put Lewis through his CBT and purchase a 125cc moped. It has reduced our outgoings, which is always a good thing and Lewis is beginning a journey into the world of bikers...something he has wanted to do for YEARS.

The boys are very impressed with his purchase, and I have a sinking feeling that they will follow in Daddy's footsteps!

In other news, the school reports are in and it has been a successful year for all of our children. I am so proud of them all. 

Things are settling back to a much calmer pace. I don't think I have felt this calm since September 2015! Which is completely mad. I have been anxious for far too long, and it has taken a huge toll on my mental and physical health. Things are looking up now though, and my New Year's resolution of self care is definitely paying off. 

Barton Bike Nite 2017

It was on a Saturday. What's that about? Aside from that, we did our usual loop around Barton admiring the bikes, picking up candy floss and balloons along the way. Esaias turned his tongue blue once again.

With so much change around me, it is nice to slip into old habits with all the comfort that they bring.

Ups and Downs

It is year since we were forced to move by a landlady who made Cruella De Vil look positively saintly. It's fair to say we've had a number of ups and downs since then. I have questioned everything about myself and I am only a little wiser for that. But today, two events juxtaposed themselves quite nicely.

A "family" member has been stirring for quite some time, but today I discovered something that just made my heart ache. This individual is so completely consumed by jealousy, anger and hatred, they don't enjoy anything. I am well aware I come from a long line of complainers, and to be quite honest I love a good grumble. I also have limited patience and a low tolerance of stupid people, so yeah if you don't want me in your life I seriously don't have the energy to come chasing after you, but that doesn't even come close to the bile that is spewed from this person.

The second event was the news that two friends, two of the most lovely, genuine, honest people are adopting a child. I could not be happier for them. If it was in a story book, it would be a heart warming "And they all lived happily ever after" deal. I love it.

And so the lesson here for me is not to get sucked into the haters camp. I am a vulnerable target, so ready to lash out and defend than turn around and walk away, but I hope for at least for a little while I can remember which of these events I would rather be a part of.

New year, new toys, new start

I quite like this time of year, it's nice to reflect on life. After the shocker of a year we had last year, things can only get better!
I think my general theme of 2017 is "self care" I got hit with my own mortality of late. I am not going to last forever, but I am going to be living in this body for a while. How long really depends on how I treat it now, ditto with my brain.
I have a LOT of paperwork to do so I persuaded Lewis to buy me a cute little laptop purely for my fostering notes. The up shot is I hope I will feel like blogging a bit more. I am also trying to be a bit more organised with my photos and will be buying a dedicated memory stick for 2017 photos.
Recently I watched the movie "Bad Moms" a movie I promised myself I would never watch because in my head "Hollywood should not endorse rubbish parents" Fast forward a couple of months, a birthday that made me feel old and a Christmas with 7 kids and then caring for 3 extras over New Year. Stuck in bed with flu, I caved and watched the film. It's like Julie B Beck's "Mothers who Know" General Conference talk, but with an 18 certificate. I could have done without the alcohol, drugs references (the film not the talk!) the bad language...but the message is more parenting, less micro managing. It made me ask my self some interesting questions,
"Why am I exhausting myself lugging wash baskets up and down the stairs, when I have 4 children who are laying around playing on ipads? Especially when one of them asking to go to the gym!"
"Why am I doing the breakfast dishes when my hands are literally bleeding because I am allergic to washing up liquid?" The list goes on. There are some of my children who need some kind of micromanaging, but we drew some boundaries, so I have some more time for me,
we gave the kids a list of chores we expected them to take care of and a list of rewards if they completed said chores. The last couple of days have definitely been a lot easier on me and I have more time for my kids, and I am more FUN! That's got to be a good thing right?

New Year's Eve 2016 - The Mum quiz

What is something Mum always says to you?
K: Do the pots!
C: Oh I do love you! (While laughing!)
E: Stop being silly! Be quiet! I love you!
Es: Can I have a hug please?
N: Brain buddy.
What makes Mum happy?
K: chocolate
C: huggles, pepsi, original Lucozade, chocolate
E: When you say you love her.
Es: Pepsi or chocolate
N: Playing Don't Starve or Magic
What makes Mum sad?
K: Me being annoying
C:Bullying, lying and negative behaviour
E: When we are mean to others and answer back
Es:When people moan about doing jobs
N: Rude children
How does Mum make you laugh?
K: No random reason
C: Our inside jokes like "Tallulah!"
E: When she laughs and when she tells people off.
Es: Pulls silly faces
N: Her laughing.
What was Mum like as a child?
K: A cheeky mother
C: She stuck her bum out at cows
E: A monkey!
Es: Mischevious
N: Rude to cows!
How old is Mum?
K: 30's
C: 36
E: 36
Es:36
N: 36
How tall is Mum?
K: Smaller than me.
C: Smaller than me.
E: A little bit taller than me.
Es: 3 feet/ 7 metres??
N:I don't check her height. Baaaaaaaaaa!
What is Mum's favourite thing?
K: Chocolate/ Lucozade
C: Family time, pepsi and Daddy
E: Us
Es: PEPSI!!
N: Peppies!
What does Mum do when you're not around?
K: Calling Dad a sexy beast and smooching!!!
C: Dance around naked (No Caitlin, just no lol!)
E: Relax
Es: Plays Don't Starve with Dad
N: Play with Dad or do romantic stuff. And sleeping!
If Mum becomes famous what would it be for?
K: Being the best mother in the world (Aww :) )
C: World's best Mummy
E: Looking after children
Es: Cooking
N: Being the best movie director (random!)
What is Mum good at?
K: Singing and making food
C: Life
E: Cooking and looking after us
Es: Knitting
N: Cooking
What is Mum bad at?
K: Don't know
C: Being not mum
E: ??
Es: Minecraft
N: Playing Minecraft
What is Mum's favourite food?
K: Things that are bad for your teeth!
C: Phineas crumble (she says he is yummy a lot!)
E: ?
Es: Pasta bake
N: Velvet cake
What makes you proud of Mum?
K: Looking after me and making sure I'm ok
C: Her love for others
E: She is a lovely mum with good children
Es: She is awesome at Magic the Gathering
N: She's my brain buddy
If Mum was a cartoon character which one would she be?
K: Bella from Twilight
C: Olaf because Mummy would melt for us
E: ?
Es: Daphne
N: The coyote (This is so true! I hate Road Runner!)
What do you and Mum do together?
K: Go for a ride when we are down
C: Have "banter"
E: Go shopping
Es: Play Magic the Gathering
N: Calm down with her
How are you and Mum the same?
K: We like to sing and shop together
C: Humans, female, pretty protective, caring and creative
E: We like the same things and we have brown eyes
Es: We have the same colured eyes
N: We're brain buddies
How are you and Mum different?
K: She has glasses, I don't
C: Mum has wwaayy more sympathy and patience
E: She is not my birth Mum
Es: I can play Minecraft, she can't
N: Our gender
How do you know Mum loves you?
K: She takes my things off me so I'm safe
C: She gives me huggles and tells me
E: Always asks if I am ok
Es: She shows caring gestures
N: Because she's my mummy

I have the best kids!