D'ya ever wonder if you could still do the twist and not actually wet yourself in the process?

[shabbs]

New thread my friends xxx

All good here. Jen- Jen has been entertaining us with some beautiful singing and dancing around. She's got to wear an eye patch and we've opted for adhesive ones. Properly weird when it looks like she has no eye!

I'd offer up the rather yummy cheesecake we're currently eating. But I think dh might ever so slightly be pissed!! (Offers anyway and thinks of her waistline).

My rather devilish children are trying to make up for a crappy weekend with cute sleeping positions. Jennifer is taking up her whole bee starfish style. Emily is tangled round herself and everything in her bed. James is curled up tightly Like a snail and Joshy is clinging to dog dogs like his life depends on them.

How are you all?

Sooooo... When I've been assuming my youngest daughter is just pig ignorant, it might not be just that. Jen was referred to audiology to 'rule hearing loss out' as her speech isn't overly clear and she gets easily frustrated. And we were told she may have glue ear and her hearing might not be what it should be. Which would be affecting her speech. Whoops!

Morning girls xx

Tom had loads of problems with his right ear - it was always full of wax - he had to go into the local hospital to have all the gunk suctioned out, about every two months. He used to say that he couldnt taste food - and everything tasted of cardboard lol....dont know when he ever tasted cardboard!!

How is everybody? Same old, same old here - nothing much happening.

Hello Shabs, how is everyone doing? I am busy as ever, working two jobs, applying for secondary schools for the boys (where did those 11 years go?!?!) and generally being chief cook and bottle washer! DH working crazy hard as usual, away in Paris at mo, sounds glamorous but really isnt! No major news here....

HM how lovely to see you here and no one to welcome you!! Girls we need a reunion.........I have been as bad just seem bogged down atm with lifes worries. Lots of angst been going on with teens and not just mine! Car has just cost us £500 this week something e didn't expect so no days out in half-term! Also got Thomas home from Harrogate, not been as lovely a time as I had hoped, he has been "bored". The trouble is when he gets back his mates here are either in college or working and as you all know my siblings have nothing to do with each other! Dk is ok, got a ct coming up to check the cancer, hopefully still all clear, 4 years in remission!! The Parkinsons is more of a problem, his walking is quite bad now as is the tremor in his left hand :( Me........I just carry on. xx

All usual here too. James is a screaming banshee, Jen is trying to outdo him in the throwing a wobbler stakes (she can match him easily!). Had a strop myself today at aunt's birthday meal. Just fed up with my kids being shunted to the side so I said as much. Loudly! damn near went home too. Thankfully my aunt neither knows nor cares about it. But my mum would have been upset as she put a lot of work into arranging it. I feel bad for her. But I've had enough of coming second fiddle to my sister and nieces all the time. And if I don't stand up for mine, no one else will.

I'm sure my name is mid now. But dh is so close to not bothering with my lot at all and seeing how quickly they notice. Which makes me sad.

Hiya.

Have loosened a side tooth because I am grinding my teeth in my sleep..... aint life grand?

Having a simply wonderful time at the moment. Life's grand here too Shabs.

Morning ladies, is it thick fog where you are, been like it for 24 hours here. Just recovering from a busy w/end, had visitors and did a Halloween party on Sat, my house was wrecked! My soldier boy is on a coach atm travelling from Harrogate to Dover as they are off to Normandy for 4 nights, seems strange that at 1pm he will be 3 miles down the road from me, so near and yet so far............hope everyone is well? xx

We've had a very foggy weekend here. Caused a couple of accidents on roads near us. Although thankfully not our nearest road as that's next to a river. Was great when we went out trick or treating though as the fog was rolling down the road from the top. Very eerie! Especially with all the lights and kids wandering around with glow sticks!

We visited friends on Saturday who have a grassy field next to their house. The kids were running round it as the mist was rising up from it. Great fun!
Jen does not like it though and keeps asking me to make it go away. Err...

Tom has just started his first interview......apprentice office admin job.....working at Bolton hospital (about 15 mins walk from our house) - he has gone into Bolton town center for the interview.....45 min interview with written and spoken tests. He looks amazing - got his black suit on, white shirt, and grey and black tie....shiny shoes as well lol. He was petrified when he left here. Clutching his file with his exam certificates in. We have practiced the interview as best we can - he has researched the ward that the job concentrates itself on etc etc

I have a big framed picture. Its my Dad in his back garden surrounded by flowers - he is holding a two week old Tom - all snuggled against his chest. Dad is not even looking at the camera he is gazing down at his 5th grandson with love and amazement. Just held the picture close to me and asked Dad to be with him.

(I think there is every possibility that I am losing the plot)

They just rang him.....HE GOT THE JOB!!!!

That's fantastic news, shabs!! So pleased for him, he deserves it!

I've been very busy with work, though working from home for the next two weeks, which is rather nice given the very wet forecast! Plus parents evenings, looking at colleges for dd, GCSE choices for ds1, secondary school applications for the dts. All growing up fast in the chops household!

Yay Shabs! That's fab news

Talking of school applications chops... My little twinny babies' application will be done this month. Had the form home from preschool the other day. [sobs]. They're growing up so fast.

Joshy is still mostly the placid one - we can't help but laugh when he tells us (very seriously) that he is "very angry at you", frowns and pushes his top lip up so it touches his nose! But omg the tantrums Jen can throw! She had a massive hissy over not getting star of the day at preschool the other day. Proper kicking her feet and beating her fists on the floor. Then she bloody got given it the next day... Dh has commented that Joshua doesn't get it nearly as much. Oh dear! All good fun and games hey.

Wow :) :) :) that's fantastic news Shabs, please tell Tom well done from me, clever lad!! Funnily enough I was coming on here to say how fed up and worried I am about two of mine. She just thinks after her two year course doing art and design she is going to go off to uni, no idea where, really no idea why. Yes she has a real talent with art, but still doesn't know what she wants to do. We certainly cant fund it. James has now said he no longer wants to join the Royal Marines Band :( A huge disappointment as we have been working towards that for two years. The college he is at is rubbish, he doesn't want to be there, yet he hasn't a clue what he wants to do. He is good at art, thinks he can sit at home and design the odd tattoo for people, well dream on James. Also Bec has been up to her old tricks, Shabs you know. Consequently she has now lost her two best friends, they have given up on her. I have been so upset all w/end. She worries me greatly, deep down she is a lovely girl but she has a side to her I dont understand and I dont know what to do. Dh has a ct this week to check for cancer, always get worried when its a year between them. Over the last three weeks the car has cost us £600 in repairs, all gone on credit cards. Yesterday got in it and it was dead. Called out the breakdown and they couldn`t get it started, so it was towed away. He said it looks like starter motor problem. The garage will look at it today, am dreading what they are going to say. I lost a dear friend on the 21st and went to her funeral last week, cried buckets all the way through. Just feeling bogged down atm with life!! xx

Hi folks

Trips, hope you're having some better luck now. Why the change from James? Am I right in thinking he missed out on joining the band initially (can't remember why though) and is having a delayed start?

I bumped into my lovely homestart lady the other day, so she's going to come over next week for a cuppa and a chat. Will be nice to see her and catch up properly.

Have started the Christmas shopping already. Although dh is going crazy overboard at the moment. It's hard reining him in, especially when he spots a bargain. But needs must. We have neither the space nor money spare at the moment. They're offering transfers at his work, to Wrexham, and it's looking seriously attractive. We can get a bigger house for much less than our current mortgage. Which would be a boon right now. Just waiting to see if anything comes of it. Nervous and excited all in one, and there's no guarantee yet that we will be successful. With everything going on here with families at the moment we're also torn whether a move would be a good idea anyway - for dh's parents, no. For mine? Who knows. We're back in that old familiar place of me stamping my feet to be heard and dh refusing to see my parents as he's fed up of feeling like our kids are 2nd class citizens. But they are having Jen overnight Saturday and invited us to dinner Sunday. Dh said he wasn't going. I don't know if he's changed his mind yet. Haven't asked, but did tell him he would have to tell my parents he wasn't going. I wasn't doing to do that.

Tom had his induction day yesterday at the hospital. Apart from the unit manager being a man he is the only other male in the department His immediate boss took him into the offices and said to the 6 secretaries 'Awwww look ladies, here's my baby!!!!' lol. He will love being mothered by all of them. Just waiting for his start date now.

Hope you are all OK xxx

Helllllllllllllllllllloooo!! Anybody in here.

Now where did I hide that bottle of Amaretto?

Hello ladies it long lost me..............I was convinced you would be on a new thread by now! Sorry I have been awol, tbh I have just had the winter blues..........feeling sorry for myself. I am absolutely full of cold, run down, and yet cooked supper, not even a potato peeled for me. Came up to bed this afternoon as I had such a poor night last night, dk comes up at 5pm and I had to ask him if I could have a cup of tea, I always make us one about 4pm. The car ended up costing us £800 in two weeks, the cat got bitten by another cat and that cost us £60.............all just before Christmas. I have been fuming the last two days with dd`s best friend. Three of them had tickets to go to London tonight to see their favourite band Bring me the Horizon at the Alexandra Palace. Two days ago the b/f who had organised this, was holding the £30 tickets said they were now not going (her mum was going to drive them up there). Poor Becca was sooooo disappointed, the reason given was because of what happened in Paris. She still wanted to go, but because Alice wasn't going, no transport the other friend pulled out. Dk toyed with the idea of taking her up on the train, but she didn't obv want to go on her own. So as soon as I heard this I contacted Alice to say see if you can sell the tickets, get some money back, the concert was sold out on day one. I advertised the three tickets on fb and y/day was offered £60 for the three. So I txt Alice to say it was a pretty good offer at this late stage. Forgot to say the other person going was Alices boyfriend young Harry who had pledged his love for Rebecca, was turned down by her so he jumped into bed with Alice! Anyway she txt me back to say her Dad had sold hers and Harrys ticket at work!! I said "oh no, I could have sold all three, Rebecca wont be able to sell hers, no one will want to buy one". And no one did. So she cancels, she and her b/f get some money back and poor Bec loses £30 and misses something she has been looking forward to for 6 months. I couldn't have done that, I would not sell 2 out of 3. Got up this morning to find Becs ticket put thru the letter box, no note, no sorry. I am particularly cross because only last month I treated my two, Alice and Harry to tickets for Comicon in London and we let them use our Oyster cards so didn't have to pay tube fare. I feel sorry for Rebecca atm, she, Alice and Harry have all been good friends since the age of 3. Now its twos company threes a crowd. She just gets up, goes to college, coms home and sits in her room. She never goes out in the evenings, no social life..........I was never in at that age. I have not enjoyed these teenage years at all, its such a shame. What else? Well dk had good news on Thurs, his latest ct scan was again all clear, 4th year of remission. The worst thing is his mobility with the Parkinsons, really see a great change in him now. My young soldier is doing well, still loves it, he has just spent 3 days trekking the Yorkshire Dales. He used to phone us nearly every night, now its once a week if we are lucky, shows he is ok but selfishly I really miss him :( He will be home on the 18th for Christmas, back on the 3rd Jan then the next time we see him will be in his uniform for his Passing Out Parade from Harrogate..........it has gone so quickly. He then goes to Catterick for phase 2 for 4 months. Then the part I dread, off to his regiment as a fully trained soldier..........it all scares me. So that's me.............quite miss the old days on here.........must not go awol!! Hope you are all well.......xx ps Thomas is the last on the right, on exercise this week!

Great photo Trips - he looks so grown up.

Hope things soon improve for you and for Becca - being a teenager these days seems so much harder than it was when we were. Its such a worry isint it?

Made the mistake of watching 'Songs of Praise' just now - my Mam always had it on every Sunday. Sat here with snot and hot blobby tears running down my face. I really dislike Xmas - too many regrets, memories and sadness. My twins will be 34 this time...I always wonder what Gareth would be like - I think he would have been the more fiesty of the two - would love to have a peep at him.

Xmas is all a bit overwhelming isint it.

Grrrrrrrrrrr dk persuaded me to download windows 10, he has done it on our old pc downstairs and says its brilliant. So I downloaded it today and its just taken me best part of an hour to even find my emails!! Havent a clue where anything is, stored passwords seem to have gone.......wish I hadn't done it! Still full of cold, sporting a most attractive cold sore........feel a b_dy mess! Shabs, has Tom started his new job? xx

Morning girls xx

Trips - every time I ask Tom should I install Windows10 - he gives me 'the look' and says 'yes if you want to blow up your ancient laptop' lol

He hasnt started work yet - has just completed the last complicated health form (the last of about 10 online forms) The lady who will be his boss told him a couple of weeks ago that he has one hundred percent got the job but the wheels of the NHS turn slowly. I think they will probably start him after Xmas but hope that its sooner than that. He has zero money and we cant afford to give him any at all.

d`ya realize this thread is over a year old, we used to romp through them. Even Mama is on here!! Went to bed at 8pm, tired and bored!! Someone get me out of here please....>

Hiya Trips