December 2008 - Summertime and the children are easy......

[sybsie]

Ha ha ha ha....we wish!

Here's to a lovely relaxing summer and cheery new thread for us all.

Happy birthday to biggirlArti! Her male twin is 9 today. We are on the way to NEMO science center in Amsterdam at DS1's request for his birthday. Then dinner at the floating chinese restaurant nearby. He will have to wait nearly a month for his birthday party until school goes back (& I can organise something).

Happy birthday to all the older children. Hope they all had lovely days!

bleugh. hangover.

hello! yesterday was not clever. I was sick 5 times because I drank too much. I am almost 40, what was I thinking???! but it was fun. DH was a superstar and let me sleep til I woke up at 9ish. but I spent the morning honking. rank. was better by 12ish. phew. I am now returning the favour and he's deep asleep, as is DD2.

Still having a fantastic time. 2 weeks is a lovely length of time; I'd do longer if DH didn't get lonely without us. I feel so lucky to have this lovely place to escape to. I'm bringing 6 school friends up in October. it's the 2nd anniversary of Dad's death that weekend, so where better to spend it than in this lovely bungalow surrounded by all his stuff. I love being in amongst it all. It's full of lovely happy memories.

It's lovely having DH here. I don't appreciate how helpful he actually is until I don't see him for a while. And he has been great at fitting in around DD3's routine, which wasn't the norm with the other 2. I also think he appreciates that 3 is so much harder work than 2 and so I need to have a holiday too.

Lady, 3 is lovely, don't worry, but I have to say that the jump from 2-3 is a whole new world. I love it so much, and the first few months are bliss, it's just when they start moving it's HARD WORK!!! But glorious.

New name here. Its the A initialled vegetable.

Sounds like a lovely break Beans. I agree with you about three. The first year was bliss but now DS can move it is really hard!!! He moves so much. He is never still. And never quiet. I confess i have sent him to nursery for the past two days despite having nothing to do. I have had too gorgeous days at home with the DDs just pottering, chatting and relaxing. Two children over the age of five feels like a proper holiday. I do miss DS and his cheeky smile though.

Im taking DD1 to Harry Potter Studios this afternoon. Its a late birthday treat and we are both rather over excited.

hello. what is this new place. Is this just for when I am posting from my phone? I just tried to attach a photo but I don't think it worked.

oh poor you Beans. I went to a lovely wine & cheese evening at a friends house. It was lovely & lots of giggles but woke with a cracking headache yesterday morning after it.

Arti I read a funny article about having three. They said it was harder because parents are suddenly outnumbered. I love my boys but like puppies they need to be taken out for a run often. This weather during the holidays has been a bit of a nightmare for these two. I can't imagine having three of them bouncing off the walls. I took them to a indoor trampoline place today to let them work off some energy.

DH finally got an offer for the job & it is good. They haven't given us a relocation package, but the pay & benefits deal is awesome so that makes up for it. Also it is most likely that he will need to spend the first three weeks of November in San Fransisco so we are hoping we can get some good deals on flights and go there with him. Fun.

ooh ooh and on an employment note. A friend spoke to a head teacher at a special ed. school in Brisbane about the fact that I wanted to get into special ed. teaching & would like to work as a teaching assistant while I am training. The head teacher is very eager to meet me & has asked for my CV. Not much I know, but it felt nice to be wanted.

Hello from the canal! Almost st the end of the trip - it's been fun. Kids and dog really enjoying themselves but ds been quite naughty. Don't know what his problem is but even harder when I can see my parents just shaking their head in disgust.
Nevermind I think he just needs more discipline. I get annoyed when dh doesn't bother until I basically lecture him for not disciplining ds if that makes sense! Dd been quite good.
Weather ok - off and on. Drinking far far too much but never mind. Health kick will begin when parents head home. It's been loads of fun but will also appreciate my bed at the weekend!
Arti your trip sounds FAB I love diving. Haven't been for ages. Will def get kids into it.
Lady glad you are having a nice time in your flat. Can't believe I still haven't seen you! Or that you are that far along now!!!!
Vag that's great news all round for your move back. I've been so far behind on here but is there a plan for meeting up before you go?
Bean well done luv! I haven't vommed from alcohol since my bro was here years ago. Probably just says I'm more a consistent wine drinker! Not less responsible!
Glad you're having a nice time.
Jam hope ds is ok. And you! I have nightmares for ages after things like that. Nearly ALWAYS dh related over here but that's another story I won't go into it I get . Shame we aren't closer or you could pop down and get on our boat for a look!
Well must see if these kiddos are awake yet.
Am quite proud of dd she wanted no pull ups at night a few weeks ago and has had barely any accidents going cold turkey! Especially pleased none on the boat! So far... Fingers crossed

I've been loving your canal boat pictures on FB Rubes. We went on one with friends when our DS' were both 10 months old. Was perfect they were both only crawling or cruising on furniture. I remember lots of wine & afternoon cups of tea. I think it is hard with absent parentals, when they see them it usually in an unusual situation for the kids ie after a long haul flight, away from their own home. In your case it is in a small boat. He might just be reacting to the smaller space & the change of routine. Oh and having his dad around to play with. Don't worry just ignore them & be grateful you don't have them looking over your shoulder more often. It would be nicer if they could see the real DS, but if they want to help they could be more involved GPs.

Rubes fwiw DS has been acting up most of the holidays. Nothing really bad just really defiant and cheeky. I think the complete lack of routine after a whole year of routine at school really doesn't help! DH works late till 9 most nights. So if he does see the DCs it's only for 20 mins or so. Then when he is off he lets DS get away with acting up because he doesn't want his time with him to be spent at loggerheads with him and telling him off! I get where he's coming from but really doesn't help with consistent parenting does it!!

It will just be a phase (when are they not in one!!).

We had a lovely weekend for DD and her birthday. Took a couple of her buddies with us to Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Had an exhausting and action packed day, then traumatised her buddies by taking them on Valhalla. It's like an extreme ghost train/water ride in the dark huge drops, very scary. Anyway they were hysterical by the end . DS however said "it was well really freaky, can I go on again?" The girls seriously need to man up

I do not like the new mobile site. Grrr.

Lady You are so busy, I feel like a lie down after catching up with all your comings and goings. Brother update is that the union were brilliant, Tesc* were acting illegally and the short story is he has reduced his hours by 3 per week which he is happy with. I'm still raging at their attitude though.

The holidays are flying by. School shoes bought yesterday. We had a staying at home day today due to the horrendous weather. We've had the fire lit all afternoon. Cosy but not very seasonal for August.

The mobile site hasn't changed for me?

Hello from a cold and sunny field. The kids are enjoying camping so far. I'm not as keen as our air bed has a hole in it. But it's good fun. Now making bacon and sausages.

The new mobile site is bloody horrible. I'm using the desktop site which is very slow to load.

I use the app or my laptop.

Holiday tomorrow. Yippeeeeee.

Just the small matter of 3 house viewing before I can pack.

Been up to my eyeballs in everything this wk will catch up tom at stupid o clock on the way to the airport.

Back from France. Not had internet since the hotel when phone went mental. Need to go hang out washing load number 3 and unpack stuff and attempt to clean a bit.

Ah that's why. I've only used the app

This weather sux

Right then. Have laptop and dcs all gone out with dh and his dad so I am going to quickly type this up and crack on with some uni stuff.

Jam hope you are having a lovely holiday and are over your fright! Well done your ds to cling onto the bank.

Kayz how is the camping? Enjoying the new car?

I ahve not looked at the mobile site I must confess. I use the app on my phone but then get cross at the lack of pictures in threads and that with long threads it skips huge chunks out so if I want to read them properly I have to log on to computer. Hopefully they will sort the mobile site out.

Rubes the canal boat sounds great. I think a lot of children act up on holidays. I've always found it far more relaxing for everyone to roughly keep to a similar feeling routine to home. Difficult in such a small space though!

Vag great news all round for you for dh and your CV request. Must feel like things are moving fast now. Can't believe how big, sprty and independent your boys are now. Time flies. How is the uni work going?

Arti I am so very of the Harry Potter tour. I keep trying to persuade ds1 that Harry Potter is awesome but he isn't that fussed and dd won't read anything that doesn't include dinosaurs.

Agree with Arti/Beans and Vag's thoughts on having 3. YOu are outnumbered. At first number 3 jsut slots in really and gets carted along wiht everything else and then all of a sudden you have a toddler or a preschooler and that is a whole extra set of battles to split up and arguments to have and the age range for interests is spread out more. But on the whole it is fab and I still think 2 to 3 is much easier than 1 to 2.

LadyT I hope you are resting! Can't believe you are so close already!

Well we had a fab time in France, saw Mamie and spent a nice week on the coast in Northern France eating a lot of seafood. Lovely. It was a much needed break really as I had intended to keep on with uni stuff and get a fair bit done before we went away but the last week of uni my childminder was on holiday so my mum came up to look after the children and on the last day (when both dh and I were in other cities a couple of hours away or more) she had a fall in a playground helping a random child who had got stuck in a playhouse. She totally smashed her leg up and had to be taken away by ambulance. The wonderful National Trust staff kept hold of the dcs and tracked down dh because mum didn't have his number and I had jsut gone back into a lecture and didn't check my phone until next coffee break so by the time I got the message dh was on a train and I got hold of a lovely friend and MNer to go and stay with the dcs until dh could get there then I finally got back (was on a study day away and was car sharing with other students) and went straight to the hospital to see mum who was still in A&E but was rather happier than when I'd spoken to her on the phone as she had had morphine by that point .

So that resulted in a few days of going here, there and everywhere. Picked her car up from the NT place, my dad came up on the train and when she got discharged we packed her off home and dh got ill with a horrific tummy bug and was completely wiped out until we went on holiday basically so I have yet to pick up a book and my stress levels are through the roof.

Mum seems pretty positive but she won't be allowed to put any weight on it for several more weeks and then will be gradual build up. It will be several months before she can walk at all and after that will still be a fair old time to build it up again which isn't great for someone used to going on nice long walks and up mountains. They had to cancel their holiday which my poor dad had been so looking forward to as their first holiday post cancer recovery. Bless him he is back to having to do everything for her and is still in a bit of denial about how long it will take, he has plans to go on holiday in November .

I'm sure I'm supposed to feel less stressed after a holiday not more.

Lorks alive Indith that is all horrendous! Hooray for the national trust staff. I guess the one upside from bad things happening is we get to see how lovely humans can be. Hope it all settles down soon for you.

Thanks for asking about Uni. Its all a bit turned on its head. After a pretty good last term I'm suddenly feeling a bit dispondent about it all. Part of the problem is trying to study while the boys are on holidays has been impossible. Not really their fault, I want to be with them. But it has meant that I can't get my head around this unit. The first installment of this unit last semester had a massive major assignment that I was up til two AM for the last two weeks of, & that was even with starting on it a month before. This time I have about 20 days left to do it and I just get my head around it because I am so far behind with everything. It isn't helped by the fact that I am really keen to get intp special ed. in particular early intervention for special ed. kids. So I have been doing some research and I think I can swap to eitger of two Masters courses at a university near to where I will be living in Brisbane. So I am going to apply to those. In the meantime DH & I have talked about it and with all that we have to do in the next month & a half it is not worth the stress to continue with this unit. So I can withdraw without academic penalty if I do so before the 1st September. I know it us silly when I only have just over a month left. But I don't want my last few months here to be more stressful than they need to be. I want to be able to pack up and spend time with friends and the boys. So I think I'll quit for this term.

Sounds like a tough decision Vag but a sensible one in the long run.

I hear you on studying with children. So difficult to do when they are around! I'm supposed to be on a study week this week but have no childcare. ho hum.

oh and Jam are you on here whilst you are in the US. I need to know where you find bargain flights to over there. I was hoping the boys and I could fly home via CA (SF & LA) so we can be with DH while he is there and see some friends but it is so much more expensive than via Asia.

oops put my phone down before sending that post.

Yeah it is Ind, & not just because they are noisy buggers, but because I want to spend time with them. I feel like they are growing up so fast. Just want to be a bit present with them.

Yes, they really are. It has been lovely spending so much time as a family instead of constantly feeling like I am cutting myself off from them just to get work done. Must be more organised and plan family time. 18 months to go. Not long and yet......

Set off to go to Metro Centre (45 min drive) to go to independent shoe shop for school shoes.

10 min from destination dd is car sick.

Strip, clean, shove random top that was in teh back of the car in her.

Continue to metro centre. CArry dd through car park in top and pants and to nearest shop to buy a dress.

Get shoes for boys. Nothing left in dd's size.

Travel back to Durham. Get lost in suburbs that I always get lost in for independent shoe shop number 2. Get shoes.

Get home. New hoover has been delivered. Good. I really, desperately need to hoover as mine now emits clouds of dust when I use it which is a little counterproductive.

Open box. Stare at hoover a few minutes. Realise it is the posh model that I didn't order. Check box. It is for a bloke in Darlington.

Now on hold to Appliances Online.

I want to hoover!

Maybe I can just keep the posh one