Happy Christmas

...to everyone and we wish you a happy New Year for 2009. It is still manic around here, but we have move most of our things to the new house and are settling in really well. I love the new house it just 100% better than the house we were in.
At the moment I am at Lewis' mum's house for the family weekend. Not my most favourite of passtimes but it is quite laid back this year which is nice. Simon's children are so lovely and really helping out with the boys (Jacob has just taken Nathan off to get a drink..bless), So that makes a difference, because normally I am chasing the kids while Lewis sits and has shouting contests with his family (they are just a bit diva-ish!!), and so the whole thing becomes quite exhausting. Still, it but once a year and as a reward I get to go to the Next sale...woohoo!
The children got some really lovely presents and really seemed to enjoy their Christmas boxes. We popped the smarties that Joan bought the children into their boxes and Esaias was more impressed with them than anything else in there shouting "woohoo sweeties" when he saw them. Caitlin also appreciated the pink smarties...thanks Joan and John :)

We have started moving...

..it's total chaos here!

We are moving!

So it's just about official now that we are moving. We will be moving to Ulceby over the next month. We pick up the keys on Friday and I guess it will be chaos from there on in! We are still undecided about which house to be in for Christmas but it is likely that it will be the Wootton house since it has carpets and the new house doesn't yet and won't until the early part of Jan as we won't be able to afford to put them in until then. In the meantime we are packing like crazy! So please save your boxes and we will come and pick them up!
It's super exciting :)

Explanation

I just wanted to explain the "Kate Adie" photo that I posted on here. This is a photo taken of me after I got back from my bronze D of E weekend camp. I was totally shattered, but Mum made me get up off the floor and put my back pack on again so she could take a photo...and I'm really glad she did because this photo is my favourite photo of me. I look so healthy! Mum commented that I looked like Kate Adie (the newsreporter, usually reporting from war torn areas), and so it became the "Kate Adie" photo. I have left strict instructions that when I die this is the photo that will be shown on TV. I am not really sure why the news of my death would be on the news, but when have I ever shown any real rational thought??!!
So there you are the famous "Kate Adie" photo!

The Kate Adie Photo

It twas the night before my birthday, and all through the house nothing was stirring...

...except for Esaias because he is very thirsty as he has a bit of a sore throat and Nathan who is hammering his bedroom furniture because...well just because.
However, they are mostly settled now which is nice because they had a late night last night and were all getting a bit grumpy. We had Mum, Aiden (my brother), Gemma (Aiden's girlfriend), Joe (my youngest brother) over for tea last night. Lewis was working 1-10pm so we had roast chicken for tea. Lewis is not a fan of roast chicken, where as I quite like it, so I grabbed the opportunity to make it while he was out. I did feel ever so guilty for having a roast dinner while my husband was walking the cold streets of Barton so to make up for it I have made tuna pasta bake for him tonight and run him a lovely hot bath.
It was lovely to spend time with my family last night. I do like to have my Mum over, but I especially like to spend time with my younger brothers. I love them to pieces.
I don't know about anyone else, but I love my birthday. Yes, it does mark me getting another year older and a little bit closer to that very responsible-sounding-age of 30; but it is also MY day and it makes me feel just a little bit special for a day. Lewis indulges me terribly all year round, he just listens to me chattering away with a little smile on his face; but on my birthday he lets me do whatever I want all day long. So tomorrow I am doing most of my Christmas shopping and then having a Chinese take away with friends.
I had debated going out for a meal, but arranging babysitters is a bit of a pest and it seems so much easier for everyone's kids to be here where there is a bed for them and they can be settled so we can have some grown up time. I guess once Jamie and Helen have their babies this won't be as easy.
I am also finding it difficult to leave the house. While I wouldn't say that I am having full on panic attacks, I do get very anxious at the thought of leaving my safe little home. Even the school run is getting to be difficult. Everywhere I go there just seems to be rude people who want to make everyone miserable. That isn't to say that there aren't lovely people because there are - like the man outside Tesco yesterday who told me he would say a prayer for me because I looked like I had my hands full (what was really funny was that I only had the boys with me!). However, I have just had a bit of a run in with my employer's son which has forced me to leave my job. You know, those 20 year olds who think they know it all? Well he is definitely one of those and he spoke to me like dirt. I decided that I wasn't going to take this attitude any longer, I don't deserve to be spoken to like that. The downside is that his mum is going to have to find someone else to help her out and it makes me sad that she will suffer the consequences of her son's actions. Anyhow, that's life.
So generally I am moving from 27 to 28 a happy person. Glad to be alive, glad to be with my husband, glad to have three very lovely children and glad to have good family and good friends.

Barton Christmas Market

Caitlin and Esaias waiting very patiently for Father Christmas to come.
Lewis stops traffic!

We went up to Barton Christmas Market today and it was really nice. I am glad I went out for a little walk even though I really didn't feel like it. The children really enjoyed themselves and it was lovely to see Father Christmas and the dancing snowmen!

The great Poo run!

So we had to take a 'sample' from Esaias and get it to Scunthorpe in the space of two hours. The opportunity, shall we say, presented itself yesterday. Esaias did it in the potty, I had the car. Unfortunately he did at 2:30pm and there was no way I was going to get back for Caitlin, so I had to get Caitlin out of school early and make a mad dash through manic traffic to Scunthorpe General. When we eventually found pathology it was 4:15pm, so we just made it! Hopefully this will give us some answers, fingers crossed.
In other non-poo news, we have been offered a house in Ulceby. It is a brand new house and I was really excited about it, but now I am getting quite nervous. Not only does it mean moving right before Christmas, but I am really unsure of the area. I went down there in the car today only to be 'gorped' at by some chav looking people. However, we have survived Bolton so maybe I shouldn't be such a snob!
It all hangs on the size of the house, the state of the kitchen and whether or not we have a driveway. We didn't have a driveway in Bolton and we managed but our car insurance was a whopping £136 per month. of course we were both under 25 and it was Bolton not Ulceby. I need to check on car insurance figures as soon as I know about the parking situation. Hopefully we will be looking at the house next week, possibly on my birthday (is that a sign???) which I am looking forward to.

Not much improvement..

Not a lot else to tell really. The poo is still flowing freely from the boys (great!) and somehow I am supposed to get a sample from Esaias and then get the sample to Scunthorpe General Hospital within two hours, I need to do some James Bond stunt driving me thinks...perhaps I'll ask Martin (is it too early to joke about that??)
Anyhow with all this going on, Martin's accident (he flipped his car), the usual drama from the Munday side of the family, plus the prospect of my ex and his girlfriend splitting up which will cause major hysterics with Caitlin and if that's not enough the possibility of us moving quite soon (we have been nominated for a new housing association house in Ulceby, thankfully not a Keigars one) I just feel a bit overwhelmed. Of course that could be the PMDD starting.
I am looking forward to the Chinese themed ball tomorrow. I have bought another bargain dress but of course it is strapless so I am currently hunting for a silvery cardigan to go over it. I did get some silver strappy shoes from the red cross shop this morning (hurray for charity shops!)
I am hoping that I get more than 45 minutes sleep tonight, maybe that way I will feel a bit more sane tomorrow morning...here's hoping!

A pooey day

There is no other way to describe it really. I went to work this morning even though I really didn't feel like it because I wanted to spend the morning with Lewis as he is on 1pm to midnight today. I am so pleased we have the weekend together, yipee! Anyhow, I dropped Lewis off at work with great plans to check out the Dandi Lion Play Zone in Scunthorpe with Claire and her son Joseph, but when I got home I found that Lewis had locked the door and taken the house keys to work with him. Esaias went with Claire, while I dithered about what to do. Eventually i went to Barton Police Station and got them to send for Lewis who gave me the house keys. I had a feeling that I should go back home for the change bag and my mobile, rather than just buying a pack of nappies and wipes, even though it would only give me about fifteen minutes at the Play Zone as I had the school run to do. I am sooooo glad I did because no sooner had I started gulping down a yummy hot chocolate with the works, than Esaias had had an accident (poor thing, really not his fault) that was in his socks and everywhere. Luckily I had stuff to change him, so I did that and zipped off to do the school run. Esaias stayed with Claire and Joseph and didn't come home until 5:30pm which was nice. He had a really great time...he was shouting 'I want to play with Joseph all the time' as I carried him up to bed.
It was all a bit crazy getting tea done, then Lewis's dad stopped by to see the children which was nice but felt a bit mortified by the state of the house! After that I bathed Nathan on his own as Esaias refused to have a bath and it was lucky he did because then Nathan pooed in the bath (you see where the pooey day thins comes in?) ...nice!
I did have a nice evening with Caitlin, as we snuggled up and watched Hannah Montana and High School Musical. The shopping has just been delivered to, which was nice because we are all stocked up now. I think we may just about have a months supply of food, which is pretty cool.
I have to say I am grateful that we have all survived this day, and I will be glad when Lewis gets home and we are all tucked up in bed...I hope tomorrow is a better day!

It's Sunday again

or is it Tuesday? Let me explain. We don't normally watch DVDs on a Sunday other than religious ones, and I like it that way. The only exception to the rule is if one of us is sick...daft rule I know but there you go. Esaias usually asks us every morning whether it is Sunday because he knows that if it is Sunday he is limited to what DVD's he can watch. He was confused this morning because we told him it was Sunday and then went on to NOT get ready for Church as I was sick. So after watching Joseph, he asked us if it was still Sunday. We told him it was, to which he replied, "Well, let's pretend it is Tuesday and watch something else!" He he, the logic of a three year old brain bless him.

Monday

We had a lovely time at Mothers and Toddlers this morning. It was the Hallo'ween party so the kids stuffed themselves silly with party food! Esaias and his friend Thomas raced round and round the hall on tricycles which was nice to watch as Esaias has only just learnt how to peddle, but he is doing so well with it.
Nathan just pottered around, hiding behind the stage curtains and jumping out at people, he is such a cutie.

Sunday

Due to the broken heating in Scunthorpe Ward today Bishop Murphy decided that we should just have sacrament. I have to say I was surprised by his decision, I thought we were made of hardier stuff than that, but having sat in sacrament for an hour I was getting a bit chilly. I think that the decision was made mostly because we have quite a number of elderly members who seem to feel the cold more easily. As a result our chapel is normally like a greenhouse!! It was also nice to get home a bit earlier. Nathan fell asleep in the car on the way home and he is still in bed as of 15:04. Lewis is at work until 17:00. Caitlin is away at her dad's until tomorrow afternoon. So basically, it is just Esaias and I chilling out together. We have had a great time. He is such a funny little ...oops sorry..BIG boy. We have sat and had some luch together, played a computer game that he really likes together, made puzzles and now we are sat with Prince of Egypt on while I type and he takes photos of me typing!! It's funny that when Lewis is at work, Esaias seems to recognise that he is the "man" of the house and his behaviour is excellent. He becomes even more helpful than normal.
Today he insisted going into the boys toilet rather than coming in the ladies toilet with me. My boy is growing up so fast! On the way back from Church today he asked me if we could make some more flapjack next week so he could take it to school and share it with his friends...what a star!!
It is times like this when I think that maybe I'm not doing such a bad job - don't get me wrong I don't expect to be made mother of the year or anything, but I'm just glad that my children like me and are happy little individuals! And I wonder whether we could either foster or adopt. It has always been a dream of mine, but I'm never sure whether I would be up to the challenge. I guess there is only one way to find out!

Jamie's blog tag

Jamie challenged her blog readers to have a look in their photo files and choose the photo that was the 6th in the 6th file, so here it is...Nathan getting good and messy with paints.

Bus Trip

The other week I took the boys on the bus to see Dylan and Jamie at Baysgarth Park in Barton-Upon-Humber. It was a lot of fun especially as we got to go on a double decker bus and ride at the front on the top deck. The boys thought it was great fun.

PMDD

So it's weird, since I got diagnosed with PMDD I have been keeping more of a track of when my symptoms occur and I have found that it only seriously affects me every other month. Which is good because I can now predict it more easily, but bad because my bad weeks are happening right now which is never fun for anyone! I read the following on an American website (yep the Yanks do seem to be so far ahead in recognising these things - was that a compliment??!!) and it made me cry because this is how I feel.

"September, 2008Chicago, Illinois
I have experienced severe mood swings my entire life (as well as excruciating cramps). They have been at the heart of major problems with my family for years. I am a very strong-willed, opinionated person, but most of the time I am logical as well. Then there are those times where the part that prevents you from saying or doing something you will regret takes a vacation. When I was younger, I didn't pay much attention to my body. As I have gotten older I began paying more attention and I began to notice the pattern. Even then, I just figured it was PMS. That made me upset-why could most women go through PMS and not turn into the irrational person I do. When I was finally diagnosed with PMDD, it was actually a relief. At least now I know why I react the way I do. I began taking medication to help. When I decided to try to get pregnant I stopped taking the medication. Then trouble happened. I blew up at my "acting" supervisor, who was also a friend of mine, and it may have cost me my job. To make matters worse, she told me that my medical diagnosis was an excuse. Now I am struggling with the fact that I finally understand what my body is going through, but I am not comfortable telling anyone because I don't want them to think I am just making excuses."
That's the worst bit about PMDD, men think you are 'just hormonal' and women think that they manage ok with PMS so why are you making such a fuss.
If you read my last couple of posts you will notice that on the whole I have been content with life, but today I woke feeling achey, sore, sick, exhausted, miserable and hoping that I would get run over by a bus. What am I supposed to do with that? Anyway I decided to start taking the medication my Doctor prescribed me tonight so hopefully I will wake up feeling better tomorrow, here's hoping.

Update

So, the new routine is working really well. We have had such a lovely week.
Caitlin is doing so well at riding her bike. I watched her riding her bike round to my mum's this week and Lewis was laughing at me because I nearly burst with pride. I can't believe my daughter is riding her bike, she is so smart and clever. She is also reading so well, it just amazes me.
Esaias is just so funny and is talking really well. It's so funny because he was so quiet and then all of a sudden he started talking in this really deep voice. He has just completed a full week at nursery for the first time and has really loved it. He seems to be picking stuff up from Caitlin to, and is learning letters and numbers really quickly.
Nathan is also chattering away. I really love that he shouts 'Mummy' when he wakes up in a morning and that he picks up the phone and says 'hello'. Sometimes he really talks to you and even though he is just chattering you know that he is really trying to tell you something. He is also in the habit of catching hold of your hand and rubbing it on his face if he is tired, or if you are waling around he will hold your hand and look up at you as if to say 'ok where are we going?'
I have felt so blessed to be a mum this week. My children are so precious to me and I am so pleased with how they are turning out. I don't know how they manage it having a nutty Mum like me, but people always tell us how well behaved the children are and I love them ever so much.

A new routine!

For quite some time we have had the children in a routine of going to bed at 6:30pm. It is lovely to know that we have the evening to ourselves. However, Nathan has been getting up around 5:30am and that's a wee bit early for me! It's also a bit of a rush to get the children their tea, have them bathed and ready for bed by 6:30pm. Lewis and I talked about it yesterday and decided that we need to make a change to our routine. We are hoping to get the childrentheir tea between and 4pm and 5pm and then let them play until 6pm. At 6pm we will start bathing them and then they can have a snack and drink and bed at 7pm. It's not much of a change but I've done it tonight and it has been really relaxed. The children have had time to play on their bikes outside and then do some colouring, before being bathed. We have had Family Home Evening and stories, snack and they have gone up to bed nicely. It is only day one, and Lewis isn't here (he is always a bit of a distraction!) so we will see how we go.
I do like the children to be in a routine, but having said that I'm not one of those whose children will start going mental if they aren't in the bath at exactly the same time each night. Life throws curve balls especially when you have children, and sometimes you just need to go with the flow or you will drive yourself mad!!

Saturday

I'm not really sure whether I like saturdays. When Lewis is at work then saturday is like any other day, but if he is at home then it can become a funny kind of non-day. That's not just because of Lewis. I am torn between embarking on some huge project and getting loads done and sitting and relaxing with my husband and children. I spend the whole week doing school runs and trying to get Lewis off to work on time, so it is nice to just chill and have no deadlines to meet. But then it gets to about 3pm and I've very little and I feel like I have wasted a day which stresses me out!!
It has always been a day I've not really got on with. Saturday was always a day where Mum would just let us do our own thing while she did hers. Quite often lunch would be whatever she could find in the fridge, and I could never be bothered to eat so saturday afternoon often passed with hunger pangs while I waited for Mum to end the saturday strike and start cooking tea. Nothing good was ever on TV on saturday afternoons. I always feel cold and bored on a saturday afternoon unless I am engaged in some major project.
Today would be a great day to get out in the garden, but Nathan has kept us up until 2am while he was being sick, and I just have no inclination to move...at all. However 4pm approaches and that is usually when I get a little bit of energy and stir everyone into action! Yipee bring on 4pm!

Stuff and stuff

I promised to put more photos on so here they are!

We found this random PCSO roaming the streets of Barton so we took his photo! Isn't he handsome?
Later that day we were robbed by the above suspects who cleverly disguised themselves using pants and socks!! I have no clue what Esaias and Caitlin were up to!!
Nathan playing hide and seek.
This is Esaias and his 'best friend' ( so he says, bless him), his uncle Oliver.

I am for the most part feeling better today which is amazing considering I spent half the night awake with Esaias who has a fever at the moment. I don't know whether Nathan is coming down with something to as he is soooooo grumpy today for no particular reason which is just not like him.

A couple of notices to, 1) we are getting rid of our three piece suite if anyone hears of anyone who wants one it is free for collection. 2) we are looking to buy a good sized rabbit hutch soon is anyone hears of anyone selling one.

And also by populare demand...ok it's just for you Joan, the following is a list of things that Jamie put on her blog that she likes about England. Rule Britannia!!

"Speaking of Emma, I promised her a few weeks ago that I would make a list of all the things I like about England and the English. If I do this, she has promised to do the same about Americans and the USA (not entirely fair, as she's never been there and hasn't met many Americans, but at least she's willing to try to find positive things about people she doesn't like!). So here we go--my top 10 things I love about England (in no particular order):

1) The incredible history here! There are historic buildings all over the place, like castles and cathedrals and abbeys and even my own house. You get a real sense of belonging to the past--a connection to bygone eras. It's fantastic!

2) The scenery is amazing--especially here in Lincolnshire! I grew up in the desert and am still amazed by the rolling green hills and the rivers and the way the little villages nestle into the countryside.

3) The weather! I know I complain about it a lot, but that's only because I'm going native and that's what the people here DO! But I love the wet winters (easier on the lungs) and the cool summer days. A little more sunshine might be nice, but I like the temperate climate. There aren't many extremes in the weather, and you can get a lot of wear out of cute, lightweight jackets!

4) The NHS. I know it has it's flaws, but everyone in the whole country has access to medical care. I can go to the doctor whenever I feel sick instead of trying to decide if I can afford it. My c-section didn't cost me a penny. That's amazing!

5) Proximity to Europe and all the goodies that entails. Culturally, it's so diverse here. And you can get really good cheeses and chocolates and various other luxury items that cost a fortune in Utah for next to nothing. Mmmm!

6) Pubs. I don't drink, true, but the pub isn't just somewhere to get totally leathered. It's also the place to meet your friends and play snooker, have a meal, play darts, watch the footie match, catch up on local gossip, etc. The village pubs are especially good! Plus, they make great landmarks. Observe: To get to my house, you drive in to Barton and follow the signs for the train station. You drive past the White Swan and park next to Charlie's. We are across the street.

7) It has to go in eventually--the people are very polite and friendly--once you get to know them. Social niceties are still observed. When you go into someone's home you are immediately asked if you'd like a drink. You give cups of tea or coffee to people coming to do work--the roofer, the plasterers, the electrician, etc. These people would never ask for a cuppa, but you always offer it if you can!

8) The BBC. You have to pay a licensing fee, but the radio is commercial free, and so are the BBC television programs. Plus, CBeebies is BRILLIANT!

9) My husband and his family!

10)All of the friends I've made here.

General Conference

I just wanted to post and say how glad I am that I made the effort to go to General Conference today. I find Conference really difficult. My attention span is shorter than the children's and I find it so hard to sit still!! However I did make an effort to go and to sit through it and was rewarded. I especially enjoyed Jeffrey R. Holland's talk on angels and Joseph B. Wirthlin's talk on adversity. I was also really proud to watch Lewis, Oliver and Esaias going off to the priesthood session this morning.
Some people poke fun at my husband for being so strict in the way he lives the gospel. He makes mistakes for sure, but the way he has taught me to live the gospel is wonderful. There are so many things that Lewis taught me in the early days of my investigation that have made life so much easier. For example the rule about not watching 15 or 18 certificated films. On occassion we have watched films that are a 15 certificate. Sometimes we have not really been affected by watching these films, infact I was once so disturbed by a film certificated as a 12 that I didn't sleep for a week! Which just goes to show sometimes you need to use a bit of common sense as well as being guided by the Spirit. However, the majority of times we have watched a movie with a 15 certificate we have regretted it immediately and there has been more than one occassion where we have turned it off. Had Lewis tried to make this change after I was baptised it would have been much harder. But I knew from the onset that joining the Church would bring significant change and I have on the whole embraced it gladly. That's not to say that it hasn't been difficult to live, and that I haven't made mistakes along the way. Brother Collier said yesterday, "Don't let anyone say you Latter-Day Saint chicks aren't taken care of!" It made me smile, but it also made me feel at peace because it is so true. My husband has taught me so many ways to protect myself and my family and I am really glad. I am also glad that I have been able to take an equal position with him to help create a little sanctuary for our children and to teach them the gospel. There is nothing the world has to offer that could better the way I feel when I see Caitlin read scriptures, or when Esaias points out President Monson on pictures or when Nathan shouts 'AMEN' at the end of prayers. I feel really blessed. And there is definitely nothing better than knowing I am sealed to my lovely husband, my best friend, for eternity.
I truly am glad to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it really does bless my life.

Stake Enrichment Day

I went to Stake Enrichment in Grimsby today. It was a lovely day and I especially enjoyed the Relief Society broadcast. It got me in the mood for General Conference and I am going to make an effort to attend tomorrow. It really hit me today that we are no longer part of Grimsby ward and that it is permanant. Even though there wasn't a lot of sisters there from Grimsby 1, I realised how many sisters I have left behind. Good friends that I miss. It made me even more determined to have a bonfire party and to invite both our new friends from Scunthorpe and our friends from GY 1.
It was really uplifting today, but it was nice to come home to my boys (Caitlin is away for the weekend)
Lewis has just about finished off our built in wardrobe and it looks really good. I am so proud of him.
At the moment I am snuggled in bed with Esaias while Lewis is out doing taxi runs. When he gets back then we are going to cuddle up and watch Scrubs. But for the moment I am enjoying quality time with my eldest boy (though he is supposed to be asleep as it is 8pm) who is just a delight. I can't help but love him so much. I love my chilldren they are such a blessing.

Just another day...

So the tonsilitis battle continues. I really thought I would have got rid of it by now, but it is a stubborn thing! It is definitely getting better though. However, my diet is still pretty restricted and I can only manage soft foods like noodles, soup, or ice cream. The ice cream part isn't so bad!!
I have been looking at my garden today and thinking how out of control it is. It really gets me down because the children play so nicely outside when it is all clean and tidy but when it gets in a state I don't really like them out there and they hate being cooped up in the house. I just can't understand where we have accumulated so much rubbish from and I am seriously contemplating hiring a skip to get rid of all the rubbish that is in our garden e.g the carpet we took out of our room, the dog kennel that the dog never uses etc etc. I hope that I am feeling better by Monday and that the weather is ok because if so I want us to blitz the garden as a family and get is sorted out ready for winter. I am also contemplating having a bonfire party this year for family and friends. That would get rid of our old table and chairs to! I love this time of year, Hallo'ween and Bonfire night is sooooo much fun; and then of course after they are done I can start the official countdown to my birthday. I am hoping this year that we can go out together as a family for an All-you-can-eat Chinese. Lewis is not keen on Chinese food and I am missing it so doing that would be a real treat.
We went to the Steps Fun day today. I was quite nervous because it is the first time I have held a Creative Memories stall. The day was a success for the Steps Charity which is fantastic, but it went less well for my business and I didn't generate a lot of interest. However, it was a very good learning experience and I am very glad I went. I really need to get on with planning some parties but I find it so hard to ask people because I feel like I am being pushy which makes me uncomfortable, but I'm going to have to just do it! I am hoping to do a workshop in October or November so that's my next thing to plan. Busy, busy, busy!!

The Miracle Cure

So here it is the miracle cure for illnesses, but it only works on women! I have been off colour all week but got really poorly on wednesday. Turns out I had tonsilitis and have felt really rough these last couple of days. Lewis has been very sweet and fetched me lemsip, paracetemol as well as driving me to the hospital at 6:30am yesterday. However, he has resisted any temptation to do any house work what so ever!! And so you can imagine the state of my house! At around 6pm tonight I finally cracked! I couldn't hack the pile of dishes on the side or the mountain of washing in the kitchen any longer so armed with a stack of prescribed medication I spent thirty minutes blitzing the house before collapsing in a heap, but now it looks so much better and I can be sick in an almost clean house.
And so there it is a miracle cure to most illnesses, no normal woman can stand to be ill in a mucky house and will eventually have to get up out bed and clean; even if it is only for a little while!

Flu

I have flu and I am NOT happy!! I always say I want to have a day in bed, but now I am forced to stay in bed and it is driving me stir crazy! I'm never happy, lol!!
Lewis is being an angel and taking care of the kids, bless him. I am so lucky to have him.

The 'I love America' challenge

I said to Jamie that she should write ten things that she liked about Britain on her blog, and then I would write ten things that I liked about America on mine and we would call this whole America vs England thing even! While I have to say that it is unlikely that this will end the friendly jibes because it is so much fun, I am not one to decline a challenge. So after eating half a bar of dairy milk chocolate to get my brain going, (because I knew this would be tough!!) I have devised a list of 10 things I like about America...

1) Swedish fish, skittles, Oreo cookies and root beer. Swedish fish are yummy. I could eat them forever and they are apparantley fat free. Well done America, that was very smart. Not so low in fat are the skittles, but they are so much better than British ones it's worth it! Oreo cookies and milk...again yummy. Didn't like them at first but have totally been converted. As someone who has had the odd alcoholic drink in the pre-Church days (and it really was the odd one, my step-dad told me yesterday that my lack of alcohol consumption as a teenager had them worried!!) I don't know why anyone would want to spend all that money on something that will give them a headache, make them pee in people's drawers, throw up etc etc; when you could just drink root beer which tastes much better and has none of the adverse side effects.

2) The American attitude to life. It's all that land of opportunity stuff, their whole attitude to their flag etc - although it annoys me - has to be admired. They do seem to be so much more unified than Britain, because let's face it us English lot can't get on with the Welsh or the Scots, so how we'd cope with 50+ neighbouring countries/ states I don't know.

3) David Duchovny. It's simple maths really Mr Duchovny + weird alien stuff = :)

4) Fords!!!! Ok so my impression of America was that they all drove around in very large hummer type trucks. I kind of knew that Ford was an American company, but never really pictured Americans driving them. I love my ford mondeo and always wanted a green ford mondeo ever since I saw one. My mondeo might look like a pile of junk to most, but I love it.

5) Friends, Scrubs and 24. You know when you have one of those crappy everything goes wrong days? There's nothing better than watching Friends/ Scrubs/ 24 and knowing things could be worse.

6) American presidents. Ok this one is kind of cheating. But the American Presidents do provide excellent comedy value. Bill Clinton? George W Bush? You know what I'm saying. And it's not that we don't have some dumb leaders our selves ("Don't stay in China long or you will all get slanty eyes" - nice one Prince Phillip) but the American ones are somebody elses leaders, their mess-ups rarely affect our lives.

7) Scrapbooking. I'm sure that Brits have been scrapbooking for years, but the latest craze for scrapbooking has probably come from across the pond. I really love it. It is always fun to look back on pictures of my kids doing mad things and put them in pretty albums.

8) High School Musical and Grease. These lovely stories about high schools where they have pep rallies, basketball games that are hugely important, homecoming queens, proms, we just don't get it over here, and that kind of makes me sad. I would have loved being a pink lady - ofcourse I would never have been cool enough but I can dream. High School just sounds so much more fun. The only excitement we had was when James Whallhead put his arm through a window and that happened once in 7 long years!

Can I just say I am genuinely surprised I have got this far!!

9)Disney - perhaps this is kind of the same as number 8 but Disney is sooo huge it had to have it's own one. I love Disney. Pirates of the Carribean, HSM, Disney Princesses; but most of all I love the quote from Walt Disney that is in the Meet the Robinsons movie - "Keep Moving Forward" I just think he must have been an incredible man.

10) Jamie. Jamie is one of the most interesting people I have ever met. She is I think a product of many of the things above including her whole attitude towards her country and to life. She doesn't put up with crap from people and says whatever she likes whether or not she knows if anybody agrees with her. I don't agree with everything she says, and she doesn't agree with everything I say, but she still has this whole Keep moving forward attitude and doesn't tend to let things fester. I like that.

Challenge complete...phew. I feel very disloyal now I think I need to go and watch cricket in the rain and sing 'God Save the Queen'. lol, :)

THE SUN IS SHINING!!!

Wow, now you don't see that very often round here do you? I know that I should be outside making the most of it but I am sooooo sleepy. So instead I am going to snuggle up with Esaias and read some books while Nathan has a nap. We have been for a walk this morning and the boys have been out playing on their scooters and trikes and stuff so I don't feel too guilty!
Lewis is on a training day today to learn how to use some PDA thing that will let him scan fingerprints or something. All sounds a bit CSI to me, lol!
I am going to a Pampering Evening tonight at Scunthorpe Ward. I am booked in for an Indian Head Massage and a pedicure. Helen is feeling poorly so she isn't coming, do you think it would be rude to pinch the facial I booked for her?? Jamie is going to, so I'm also looking forward to having a good old natter...she can tell me how odd the British are and I can tell her how obnoxious the Yanks are everyone is happy :)

Our new blog

Just thought I'd start off our new blog with three of my favourite photos - my kids rock!