Wow I knew it had been a while but 2012!

Charlotte is now 12 and in Secondary School

Harry Lasted 8 years before Breaking a Bone. But he is now 9 and fully healed and still has no fear.






































Sarah is now 7 and a very Happy funny, Chatty Girl 

A tired little snowman

It was Sarah's first school play today. She did very well as lead snowman but obviously the lime light is a bit too much for her!!!

New school for two!

Sarah could not wait to start school. Where has the time gone my little baby all ready for school and she is ready they are not going to know what hit them!!


And then there was Harry he is going up to junior school. He did not want his photo taken and don't we know about it.

A very thought full gesture

This Medal was brought for all the children at Charlotte's School by the Headmistress

It has the name of the school engraved on the back.

This Medal was brought for all the children at Sarah's nursery school buy the Headmistress.

These were both brought out of the teachers pockets and no school/PFA funds were used which I thought was a very good idea on such a major event. It will be a very long time before this happens again no matter who is on the throne.

Well done to all the Ramsey Colts U7s you improved so much in one season. Next season I think you might be real contenders.

Most girls....

Like butterflies and flowers. Not my Sarah!

One disadvantage of working Sundays

Hubby and the children had a great time playing in the snow

Having been brought a cupcake maker for my birthday I have got quite creative but here is my first attempt at meringues with lemon meringue cupcakes

Where does the time go?

It has been nearly a year since I last posted. I don't think as myself as a busy person but I think going to college has highlighted that I do do quite a bit or at least my time is used up.

I love my sleep I always have done, from a very young age and through most of my school life I used to come home and fall asleep. If Nan did not wake me for dinner I would sleep right through.

It was not till I had Charlotte did I truly realise how long a day really was. She was a good baby but I was still up early with her and her last feed would be quite late. Then things are never the same again!!!

So here I am nearly 9 years later with two more children and a very forced apon feeling of Who needs sleep anyway!!!!!

Charlotte and Harry are now at school, Sarah goes to nursery 3 days a week. Harry has Cricket and football after school and Charlotte has brownies. I have 3 council meetings a month and work Fridays and Sundays. I have just become Secatary and 1 of about 4 perminant leaders of a youth group K.I.T.E ( Kids In Thier Element) Mark works steady hours so he is always home about 5:30 each day.

To me this means a very busy week I have friends that have lots more on than this but I think they are either bonkers or just Supermums but I'm sure as they get older and Sarah starts school it will get even worse. She just keeps me up late. She does not need much sleep at all. She will fall asleep after nursery at 4 for about an hour of two then thats it she is in hypermode untill she drops at some stupid oclock in the night or early morning.

College Showed me I am useless at English and maths although I did pass my exams I did not do so well on my Uni interview day.I am no good at interviews or group interviews. (Think this may be why I did not get accepted in to college) and I am highly unorganised. It was not till after college did I get my first diary. I found it on a site called Orgasnised Mum!!!!! it is wonderfull. If I remember to put things in it.

Pyjama day!!! We walked around Huntingdon town and raised over £500( College record) for Hinchingbrooke hospital

I also did The midnight walk this year in my Pyjamas with my Friend Carey.

Went to see 30 Secondes to Mars!!!!
Enter Shakari were Supporting.

One thing I did come out of College knowing is all about the Heart I seamed to have memorised that.

My Friend Lisa and me at a Charity event in the town. Shortly after this we had our first Council meeting and Lisa was made Mayor of Ramsey!!!

And Saw the long awaited Harry Potter!!!!

I was very sad to see the end that I read the book again. and then was rather disapointed in the film so to anyone who has not read the books or seen the films (If there is anyone out there) Read the Books!!! they are by far better.

I must be MAD!!!

After 14 years I am now a college student again!

I am doing
Access to Health Care (diploma)
which is Level 3 - A level standard

Very Scary for me considering my highest GCSE was a D. This is why I am doing the Access, If I can't do this course I've got no hope doing the Nursing course which is degree level.

Talk about feeling like a school kid, I walked into reception (Back straight eyes forward...You can do this!!!) told them what course I was doing and they gave me directions. Of I set, to the library they said...MMmmmm lot of men there, businessy types a few girls. Not being stereotypical but they did not look like nursing students, but hey what does a nursing student look like. so I stood out side for a little while not many people walked past....maybe I should go and ask again maybe they said a class by the library.
As I walked back i heard a group talking. "Access... nursing ... "
Excuse me I asked very nervously are you doing the access to nursing course. "I am" spoke one. Cool can I walk with you I asked and breathed a sigh of relief when she said yes.
Of to the library we walked again and we walked in and both saying we were glad we were not going in by ourselves( the rest of her group were doing something else). It turned out that all students in the library were access students and we would be split up into our courses when everyone arrived.

This week was my induction week, lots of form filling and team building exercises, principle talk and getting to meet the bunch of great "girls" I will be spending the next year studying with. We are mostly mature students who have been out of the education system for some time or have not got the grade to go straight into Nursing, Most want to go into Midwifery but there is one other that wants to do health visitor like me!

I go Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday ,so my typical college morning will be:
7:00 see off hubby
8:20 have all 3 kids and myself ready to leave the house
8:30 Sarah dropped off at nursery
8:40 Charlotte Dropped off at junior school
8:45 Harry Dropped off at infants school
9:00 I am at college.....

well that's the theory, my induction week started at 10:00 so next week will be the tester will let you all know how I get on

as I say " All Fun &Games"!!!!

25 facts Revisited

In Feb 2009 I posted 25 random facts about me and said I would See if much had changed in about a year. The problem was a lot of them were pretty factual and apart from Children's ages and number of years I've been married not a lot has changed.



So I thought this time I would just go random...things I want to do Things I have done and What I like and don't like.



1. Concerts so far are: New kids on the block, Busted with McFly, Blue & liberty X, Simply Red, Bon Jovi twice, JLS,Diversity etc.



2. I've got a huge girly crush on Jared Leto and will be seeing 30 seconds to Mars in November,



3. I have made Some great friends in the playground now that both Charlotte and Harry go to school.



4. I now Have 2/3 children in school



5. If there is such a thing as Facebook anonymous I think I might need to join it. It's not like I sit at it all day but if I'm home it's on( is that a bit like I can stop if i want or its only one or two a night)



6. I've rediscovered my love of reading and in the last six months has read twilight, war of the worlds and The lovely bones and reread a couple of Stephen King and Terry Pratchett books



7.I am now missing a body part!!! I have had ,my Gall Bladder removed.



8. I should be starting college in September, to do my access to nursing!



9. I want to be a Health visitor.



10.Favorite programmes at the moment are: NCIS, NCIS LA, Bones, Lie to me, Criminal Minds, Cougar town, Cake boss Miami ink , Top gear and Phenius and Ferb...Most of which have just finished there season run.



11. Is finding this very hard



12. I did the midnight walk and will try and do it every year!!!!



13. Loves the NESCAFE Dolce Gusto She got her husband for Christmas!!!



14. Wants to go see My chemical romance, Good Charlotte, Bowling for soup.



15. music in my MP3 player at the moment is a mix of : 30 STM, My Chemical romance, Michael Buble, Ryan Dan, Papa Roach Black eyed peas, Kids in glass houses, war of the worlds, +44, EMF, They might be giants and Biffy Clyro



16. Enjoys her Wednesday Mornings with no Children, which is usually spent in the local cafe with her friends putting the worlds to rights!!!!!



17. Has set the Challenge that at least once a month I will cook/bake something I have never done before, this week I made Chocolate Cola cake.



18. Charlotte has shown an interest in cooking so i have brought a cooking scrapbook so we can do things together and keep a record of our good bad and ugly...Pizza twists are the first thing to go in. They were Lovely!!!!



19.I want to go: Base jumping, white water rafting, parachuting, skiing, Rally car driving



20.Still prefer Cold to Hot



21 Green is still my Favorite colour



22 Elephants are still my favorite animal



24. Children are now ages 7,5,2



25. Have now been Married to My lovely Husband for 11 Years and have been together 15 years!!!!!

The Festival of Sound

We took Charlotte to her 1st music festival Yesterday. We had such a good time with friends and Family, It was the biggest event ever to happen in Peterborough with a turn out of 18,500.

Headlining were JLS

There was also Diversity (Britons got talent winners2009) and Diane Vickers (X Factor 2008)

and Alex Gardner, RD and the Score

We had this booked for month and we actually managed to keep it from Charlotte,

On the day we told her that because she had an excellent school report and amazing SAT results we were going to treat her. So when we told her we were going to take her to see JLS and Diversity we were surprised to see the horror on her face but then we told her ,her friend Leah was coming and Laura and Katie her cousins, She soon changed, gave me the whole head wobble and hip shake " I am soo going to that"

18,500 people turned out for this, It was a great day.

Behind the big tower in the middle was a BIG screen so the 9 of us sat down on our picnic blankets up by that so we could see the stage and the big screen and had a relaxing couple of hours stiitng chatting and listening to the support acts, then as diversity came on we watched them from the stage and Mark took Charlotte as close as he could so she got to see them on stage

Then that was it time to pack up and find your Spot, we actually got a good spot just behind were everyone is packed in like sardines and we had a good view and room to move, It was hard for the kids to see but wee took it in turns picking them up but about half way through the were happy just dancing around......

That gave me a chance to go back a few years.

SCCCRRRREEEEAAAAAMMMMM!!!!!!!

SCREEEEEEAAAAAAAMMMM!!!!!

I Love Concerts, They were soo good they put on a show, flashed a bit of chest and Sang really well

SCCCCRRREEEEEEAAAAM!!!!!!!!

"Mum why do the crowd keep screaming and you????"

"It shows them how much you like them, the loader the scream the more you like them"

Charlotte just looked at me as if to say Your Mad!!!!

SCREEEAAA......POP

mmmmmm

SCREAAAA......

SCREaaa....

OPPPs I Think I might have screamed a bit too much, felt throat go pop now cant shout, ohh well sign of a good night me thinks, it was now dark the stage lights looking good kids dancing and the parents having a singalong and a sway.....because we all knew the words even if they were not going to admit it lol

I must say the kids all did well we got there at 16:00 and did not get back to car till about 23:00 and there was very little moaning and snipping

We came home to a sleeping Sarah and Harry who had been taken out for the day THANKS AGAIN JULIE Charlotte had fell asleep in the car and Mark carried her up so all in all a good day and no one woke up till 7:30 the next day so even better!

I see Trouble ahead!

I've said a few times that I am worried about the 'bond' between Harry and Sarah and that I was glad he started school when he did, She is his little shadow, She copies everything he does and I mean everything, Walking to school if he taps a wall she will do it if he bends down to pick somthing up she does too. This also goes for all the bad he does too like jumping on the funiture and running around.

Harrys latest Bedtime delaying tactic is to sit in his room shouting down how hungry He is.

After numerious times of telling him he is not and it is time for bed Sarah walks past me with an apple and heads upstairs calling Harry.

2012

Charlotte was picked to represent the school when they had a visit from the Olympic runner Christan Malcolm. His aim is to visit 2012 schools before the 2012 Olympics, his aim is to heighten awareness of the Olympics its self and to promote the benefits of exercise and being healthy

Charlotte got to write the name of the school on the Union Jack that is going around the schools.

He then had his photo taken with all the Children.

Ohhh how Harry loves having his photo taken!

Midnight Walk!!!

It was Sunday Morning, I was soaked through but I DID IT!!! I walked 10 miles for the Sue Ryder Care Charity, Not only did I do it but I did it in 3 hours.

My Friend and I decided we would do this ages ago and Hey what is ten miles when you are walking, not like we are going to run it!!!

We chose to do this not only for the above statement but Sue Ryder is a very good cause and almost everyone knows someone who has needed their help. They are carers/nurses and doctors who care for terminally ill patients.

There are now 17 Care Centres in the UK — 6 hospices and 11 neurological centres. There is also a growing Homecare service. The charity also provides support to 30 projects in 11 countries in Europe and Malawi. The charity needs to raise £13million (pounds sterling) each year to supplement its statutory income to continue providing care and this is raised from fundraising and through Sue Ryder Care Shops, of which there are around 400 in the UK.

What I did not expect was to fall ill, not sure many do, but in January I was taken to A&E with severe chest pain that went right through me. I vaguely remember telling the Paramedic " I've had 3 kids I know what pain is and THIS HURTS!!!!" After the 30 min drive in the ambulance on gas and air I was still in pain i told the consultant that it was like having a permanent contraction in my chest that does not ease. I then vaguely hear the words Morphine that was it I woke up hours later in the ward sore and drowsy..I has been scanned and checked and I had Gall Stones, they had moved and blocked one of my tubes thus causing the pain. I then spent 3 I must say rather relaxing days in hospital, i was then told I would need my gall bladder taken out but not now but don't know when they will send a letter......great nothing like being able to plan, we already had our holiday booked but luckily we managed to have that first( will blog that later)

So My opp was sent for the 14th of April, which was about 3 weeks before the walk, it was day surgery and keyhole so i decided to try and do the midnight walk if all went well, which it did. It took about a week for the scars to stop hurting ( so much for keyHOLE I had 5 holes in various places from my bellybutton to between my bust and 3 on my side)I did stay in a night which i was not meant to but they gave me morphine again so i was good for nothing so I stayed in.

The next week was just building myself up again so I was very lucky and recovered quite quickly.

Sorry had to put them on.

these are my gall stones, I filled 1 1/2 of these.

Right where were we......

Standing in Serpentine Green Tescos car park at 23:45 on a Saturday night, in a sea of a thousand flashing bunny ears we begin a worm up to the sound of Black eyed Peas- I've got a feeling....by the time she had finished I was ready to go home not start a 10 mile walk.

10. 9.8.7.6.5 the Count down began

4.3.2.1 WE WERE OFF

12:00

and then came the rain, ooh well what did we expect it is England after all. but it was nice and quite refreshing, the temp was not cold and there was no wind so not too bad. I had given our self 4 hours, I had done no training i am not the fittest person and had recently had said opp so off we set at a nice steady pace as the mad power walkers sped past us.

I wont go in to detail about the walk (if you have me as a friend on face book i kept a running commentary on there not that many people were up to read it at that time) so we kept a nice steady pace and chatted and laughed at some of the things people were wearing( " It's all for Charity mate!")

so when a Marshal said "well done ladies you are halfway we very surprised to see it was 1:22, so on we plodded until another marshal said 3 miles to go!!! that's when the aches and pains started so set in and we realised we must have subconsciously sped up, the thought of home to great...

so we slowed down and tried to ease our aches with the slow pace

Now if i ever see the next Marshal again not sure what I'll do, I'm sure he lied...1 MILE TO GO!!!! How can one mile seem twice as long as what we have just walked, we both ached, was going through not the most picturesque part of Peterborough we started to loose the will. I lost count how many times i said I think it is just round this next bend, I'm surprised my Friend did not just tell me to shut up.... But then there it was The big light in the sky that was TESCO, We had made it 3:00 Wow that was good, I was soaked, cold and very shaky but was VERY glad I had done it.

As we stumbled across the Finnish line, and was handed our Medal, goody bag and shown where the hot drinks and pastries were I think i could have curled up and gone to sleep there and then. I felt like I had been on a pub crawl not a walk, my hand shook that much I could not even stir my coffee,i could not face the food, put that in the bag for brunch!! we decided not to sit and relax we better get home before we seized up, we still had the 20 min drive home (thanks Carey for Driving)..

Apart from a blister on one foot I feel quite good, still a bit stiff getting out of bed but very surprised at how well I feel and will most defiantly be doing next year!!!

Jumping over the Rainbow!

Charlotte has now been going to Brownies for about 5 weeks now so I thought it was safe to invest in her uniform. I must say it is a bit different to what I used to wear which was a brown long tunic type dress and a brown wooly hat!!!

She has moved to Brownies from Rainbows Which she does miss but I think she enjoys brownies more because they are her age and older (7-10) she has always been above her age...
She has already been swimming and Climbed a church Bell tower to see the bells, she was also supposed to do the amnesty parade but was ill for that one.

This week though she got her 1st Badge

This was for learning and performing a dance routine. Which I think they did as a group over two weeks.

I've got a feeling at the end of this I am either going to be a very good sower or I will be vising my Nan more than normal.

It always pays to ask a few questions...

Harry Came in to the room Crying

Harry-"Charlotte Shut the door on me"

Mark-"And Why would she do that"

Harry "Because I was going to throw my truck at her"

Mark "You WAS going to throw the truck"

Harry "Yes she ran away and shut the door on me"

We tried to stay strong but we had to laugh!!!

2 at school and one that still naps, What more could I want!!!

After a week of 9-12 Harry started full days. He came home with this in his book pouch, which I thought was a nice little touch!

(sorry about the quality scanner problems)

Wow 7!!!!

Charlotte was 7 this month,

This was the 1st year she was at school for her birthday and she had to wear the Birthday hat which is a big hat with candles on....I saw her briefly as I was picking up Harry from his half days she looked quite cute.

She came home from school and had a visit from some of her family and then after diner we took her to see some more.

She had some good craft some and won't need clothes for along time!!!

So thanks to all and Yes Helen thank you card arrived on time and no charges LOL

Quest Seekers

Charlotte and Harry received there Medals and certificate this week for the summer team read challenge. Charlotte read 6 books in six weeks and Harry chose 6 books to be read to him, This is a great way to help Charlotte to concentrate on reading 1 book and not trying to read 3 at once because she is bored and It helps Harry to get into the spirit of reading, he loves being read to so will hopefully love to read as much as then rest of us.



The Challenges were all to do with a group of kids and their adventures with a dragon.

Each week when the child had gone into the library to say about their book they were given a new puzzle to do and hand back the next week, they collected stickers and they coloured in a Marker,in the shape of a book, this was then stuck on the poster on the library wall and the children got to move it as they moved up the scale.