Sunday Sewing

Today i went to a workshop with my neighbour Stephanie and learnt how to do this, i was soooo happy with the result when i brought it home i cried

Happy

Things to be happy about

1)Elizabeth Say's i am the best mom in the world and she love me because i can do french prayers
2)Driving over bumps today in the car Seren was happy because that made my bottom tickle
3)Alex is very happy because he has new school shoes
4)Mr M is happy because its Friday and we have been out on a date
5)I am happy because i was very naughty and brought a new dress

The Matthews family today are a happy bunch

French Plaits, Nits and Winning

Its Friday and we are still battling Nits in Elizabeths hair she is trying to work out who can be giving it to her. Quite funny that she has suddenly connected that someone is not treating it and who could it be. In desperation i have decided i have to learn a new skill how to French Plait i have tried before over the last twenty years and failed but with today's technology you can watch videos on-line and try to learn. Watch this space for an update of how i progress last night i had five attempts each one getting better, both Mr M and i tried, shouting instructions at each other the women demonstrating makes it look too easy.

As for winning about a month ago in Alexs class they had a competition to make a paper tower Mr M spent ages on it with a tiny bit of assistance from Alex. Big news last night Alex came out of school and said 'Dads won' Mr M is very happy Alex is very happy. We get the prize today i figure it will be sweets or choccy all Mr M wants to know is do we get the winning paper tower back.

Food

I love food and this morning the little people had hot homemade bread rolls for breakfast this started me thinking about food and what i love

1) Homemade bread with butter
2) Baked beans have to be saucepan cooked not microwaved(Mr M)
3) Boiled eggs five mins so they are soft
4) Jacket potatoes have to be oven baked to get that lovely crispy skin
5) Porridge with brown sugar and chopped banana
6) Cheese on toast bread toasted on one side then cheese sliced on top pop under the grill lovely
7) Scrambled eggs again has to be made in a saucepan
8) Raw spinach
9) Hobnob dipped in a cup of coffee
10)Runny Brie

This has started me thinking what would my last meal be jacket potatoe with butter, baked beans (would have to be branded) and grated cheese.

Bed Sharing

People are often curious to where our children sleep we have a modern four bedroom house, and the three little people have spent most of their little lives sharing a room. But when Matthew left home last February Elizabeth gained the luxury of her own room,leaving Alex and Seren to share. In their room they have a bunk bed and also a little cotbed by choice they sleep like an old married couple curled up like mini spoons.I was recently talking to a friend who foster children she has a little boy and a little girl that are even closer in age to Alex and Seren. When we chatted about our sleeping habits she said that the agency she works with would not approve even though they are siblings. She says its hard sometimes because some of the things you natural do as a mom such as put a child in bed with you when they are poorly you just can't do.I think snuggling up to a sibling when you are little is the most natural thing and i will be sad when the bunk bed starts beginning used

Time for me

This weekend has been busy sorting out the social commitments of two daughter Alicia (18)and Elizabeth(7)between them they have had the following three party's,a baptism,a shopping drip and also a drive two hour drive back to University all in the space of 48 hours.I am really hoping that tomorrow all the little one can go to school because i have so much to do and shhhh its not housework it's a business project i am working on.

Housework

I do lots of housework and i pray often for a little housework fairy that would flutter in and just tidy up. I would also like her to cosy up my house turn on the fairy lights that i have dotted about the place plump up the odd cushion. This would save the odd meltdown i have with Mr M .........

I love Fridays

Its Friday evening nearly nine and i am happy because Mr M is about to come home, its the start of the weekend and we will be doing lots of this

1) weekend papers
2) lots of coffee
3) lying in
4) eating more as family
5) going to church

I love the weekends and i love my family

Sunshine

Its Friday and the sun is out five things i love about the sun

1) Riding my bike
2) Bright clothes
3) Sand and Sea
4) Picnics
5) Lighter nights

the summer is on its way or at least spring

Bathing

In my home we still all get in the bath together all three little people. Tonight Alex was soaping Serens back, and i stopped for a second and i thought very soon this will stop, and like most things in childhood i will not know that its the last time. I breastfed all my baby's but Seren only for six weeks the rest got at least a year one even got two and a half years. I just did not have the time to feed the youngest of the litter so the bottle was best i felt sad but knew it was for the best.Sweet dear Angel Elizabeth sent a big bunch of flowers with a little card that said 'Flowers for you do not feel sad.'Although never a mom she understood you want them to grow but with each new stage you feel a sadness too.

Mom why ?

We have had an ongoing battle with nits probably for the last fifteen years and the only way to get on top of them i believe is the comb and conditioner. I must have spent hours doing this Elizabeth asked the Question 'Mommy why do you kill nits when they are a living creature's. In some parts of the world we just would not bother, a friend who is involved in care told me a story about a family who happily shared their life with a family of mice to the point where the cereal boxes moved around the lounge. She said ' a mouse is in your weetabix box' the reply was 'i know i don't like weetabix' this made me think did they buy weetabix to feed the mice. I calculate i will spend at least the next ten years combing out nits why because nits are not nice that's the answer Elizabeth.

Happy Wednesday

I had a lovely Wednesday. Today i cooked Chicken Pie on my little radio slot it was such fun and looked yummy, my cookery slot always brings back memory's of home economics at school.The reason why is i have to put all the ingredients into little plastic containers i do this in the morning as i am on air at midday, i always had to do this the night before when i was at school.I have to take my apron and i put it all in a wicker basket which as a grown up feels funky and cool but as teenager felt sooo wrong.It was quite competitive home economics in fact my friend R hit a girl because she had the cheek to say her Victoria Sandwich looked greasy !!!!

Last week i had a long conversation with my friend B in which i said that we never really change our true self, we can fight it and i have. But here's a big confession i am never really happier than when my home is clean and tidy and my children and hubby are happy. So when i choose my options at fourteen i look back and i did follow my heart

1) Childcare (used)
2) Home Econmics (used)
3) Religous Studies (used)
4) Geography (complete waste of time God created the maker of the satnav)
5) Sewing (used and about to be used more )

Love

A dear friend has got engaged over the weekend and is so excited busy planning a wedding. A wedding is a very special day to celebrate love followed hopefully with the birth of a child.

Today i want to celebrate Marriage and everyday love is like this

1) The couple counting down the days till he leaves to serve his country
2) The couple raising a family
3) The couple running a business
4) The couple working hard to recover from infidelity
5) The couple living with illness

I have to go as i have Seren all floppy and cuddly on my lap,love is what we are planning this afternoon at my house and lots of it.

Half Term Madness

Day one of half term its not ten yet and we have already set the fire alarm off with our pancake burning.Had a mad search for Mr M's wallet (this was before seven!)

Its going to be another slow day at the madhouse because the girls are still wolf like. Five things we are going to be enjoy today

1) Horrid Henry (love it)
2) Diggerland we are planning a day out here very soon and we love the website.Diggerland.com is the best jingle in the land
3) Baking a yummy cake
4) Building large towers with Mega Bloks
5) Pretending to take photo's of each other and getting really mad (Elizabeth)

How will i get through lots of strong black coffee

Love and Mr M

Today is our wedding anniversary we have been married eight years. Eight special things about Mr M

1) We met fourteen years ago
2) I found him in the yellow pages
3) After knowing Mr M for two years he asked 'Are you available in an evening'
4) He is a Yorkshire man who can speak Welsh
5) He is very clever BSc(hons),MBA,CEng,MIChemE, but when he washes up it like a toddler has been playing
6) He makes the cutest babies
7) He is very hard working
8) He gave up everything to be with me

I Love Mr M very much xxxxxxx

Cleaning the Shower Head

Yes after four days of being at home with my little family of coughing wolves.

I am having to be creative and find things to do; so don't tell Mr M but today i am cleaning the shower head with his very special Cider Vinegar (that will teach him to be away three nights on a trot !!!!!!)I just want you to know i have left a little bit in the bottle and promise to replace when i can leave the house.I am not yet that desperate that i have cleaned the oven but just watch this space....

Five lovely things we are going to do today

1) Make Alicia's bed (yippee she is coming home tomorrow)
2) Drinking very strong coffee (that's me)
3) Making Valentine Cards (for Theo and Florence and Ben)
4) Watching Horrid Henry (that's all of us because its very simply great)
5) Make a very yummy welcome home cake (for Mr M)

Home

We are home again me a littlest people Elizabeth is really not up to being out in the cold her cough sounds like a wolf. Mr is away on business will not be home till Thursday night, this is not going to sound very correct but someone if you have children has to keep house.And i am good at it; but sometimes i have a real longing to be out their, making money contributing to the pot, but when i try i always get lead back to the plain fact that someone has to be home.

Here are five reasons why

1)Home is where the heart is
2)Home should be tidy and comfortable
3)Home should smell of baking
4)Home should have draws of clean ironed clothes
5)Home is where the mom should be ( this is very important if you have a cough like a wolf)

No School Tuesday

Today we are not going to school as we have the loudest cough doing the rounds with the little three. I love no school days because we don't have to rush we can take life real slow.....

We can

1) stay in our pj's longer
2) we do not have to look at the clock all day
3) we can have pancakes for breakfast
4) we can have lots of extra cuddles
5) i can write my blog at eight forty when normally we would be walking to school

I love no school days and in the words of Seren this morning when she picked up the white milk jug and carefully poured the milk over her honey hoop cereal 'its amazing mom'

Judging

You can't sit in the seat if you don't wear the wig !!!!!!
Yesterday at church the sermon was about judging,an example would be not judging our neighbour this is hard.

On Saturday in the Guardian i read about a 3 year old who had died in her family home in the most appalling circumstances.I read the article and i made a judgement on the wider family and social services who had failed this child.

Later the children and i attended a party the pretties little albino child was their he looked like a cherub.Seren had a orange balloon that was very attractive to this little boy and he came over and punched her, i tried to intervene and he hit me. We were frighted of him, so we sat in the corner playing with a garage he came over again and was physical with us. I said to the children he looks so sweet, Alex said 'he looks sweet but his horrible!!!!'Now reader do not judge me here, my 4 year old daughter was seemingly absorbed playing with a car she said 'he is a pain in the ass!!!'

Can i just say we really do not know how she had learnt this expression......

The Dog

Today i met my friend Kate for Coffee at Pret. As I walked to the coffee shop the Big Issue seller spoke to me said I looked lovely, they know I cannot buy the reason is this

1) Back in 2000 i regularly brought the Big Issue
2) In 2001 the Big issue seller in Swindon told me how hard it was on the streets with the level of abuse he received
3) I offered him a job
4) The job centre trained him to use a fork lift truck
5) He never turned up for his first day at work

Therefore i cannot buy a big issue, but i can buy a big cup of hot tea and a nice choccy cake.

I met friend Kate when i was walking my wayward toddlers and she was walking her very well behaved dogs. As I brought my goods i said to the girl serving me the tea is for the big issue sellar wait for my friend she will come in and just be concerned for the dog. In came Kate have you seen the dog with the big issue seller...

PS he loved the tea and cake and the dog looks happy too. Kate told me

Working Wednesday

I have an hours work on a Wednesday. Its really quite lovely as I do a little cookery slot on Play Radio, today John and I made bread, cooking is quite sensual anyway but its even more so when you have to make lots of noise like ahhhh and ohhhhh. The finished loaf is really good and John will eat it on his show in the morning.

Today i also did this, still not blonde but back to my normal cut (yippee!!!!!) other style made me look like Miss Hooley.......

I have learnt a new word

Tonight as i wrapped my five year old up in a soft blue towel he looked at me and said 'I have learnt a new word its a swear word and a mean word its Bugger'.

I should be out tonight a friend asked me over for a girly night food,drink and chat, I had to cancel this morning when I realised that Cliff would not be back until late. I sent an email at seven this morning to say really sorry am not going to be able to make it tonight, I have had no response back. This friend is properly the most difficult person I have to handle, she has reduced me to tears on more than one occasion just because she is in a bad mood. I am now worried about my next move, do I call her ,do I drop off flowers ???? And although I would have liked a night out, she wanted us their at seven and I like to be here at seven.

And why do I like to be here at seven, because I like to wrap my children up in a towel and know what my children have learnt ......

Elizabeth

Well they are in bed. It's difficult to put into words how a day mothering Elizabeth (7) is, she is very hard on herself therefore anything, be it something being tipped up or someone just looking at her, can set her off. Tonight after school her friend came to play they dressed up in Indian suits, made pizza for tea, played on the computer, went outside in our communal garden and played with a neighbour. The neighbour who is six and autistic then came into play, it was all quite highly charged but manageable because i was on my own which makes it easier (no adult conversation my 110% concentration). Pizza was ate and enjoyed, i served pudding and then the door went it was Elizabeth friends mother,between leaving the children eating greek yogurt and honey and opening my front door (1 min) Elizabeth started to scream. The child's mother must have wondered what was going on and the truth is nothing, Elizabeth was just being Elizabeth, after they had gone i tried to explain how that would look to friends mother. But i am wasting my breathe, I love Elizabeth and here are five special things about her

1)Elizabeth was named Elizabeth after my sweet sister-in-law (she is up in the clouds with the angels watching over us all)
2) Elizabeth is Welsh ( the only one in our family that is Welsh)
3) Elizabeth was born in the bathroom at home (this was planned)
4) Elizabeth is a good at both reading and spelling ( better at spelling than Alicia who is eighteen)
5) Elizabeth is the best litter picker the police have in this area (she has a certificate to proof it)

My long term hope for Elizabeth and my mental health is that she will lighten up ......