Hanging in there!

I'm coping ok without other half! Having Oz at preschool AND nursery Tue-Thurs is certainly helping! Mum has been here the last two nights helping put them to bed, and tonight I did it on my own again, no problem.

Toby had his first Pizza today! I'm such a bad mother....cheese and tomato thin crust pizza from Tesco - the adult size....Oz was having it for lunch and Toby was practically throwing himself out of his chair trying to reach it. I gave him a little piece thinking he'd gum it a bit and not be interested.....

(sorry that's the wrong way round...it's off my phone and I can't work out how to turn it - it's only 20 seconds so you won't get a crick in your neck!)



He LOVED it. Ate 3 slices - 3 small slices but of an adult size pizza!!! He's also addicted to toast and Marmite at the moment. I know I should give him healthier finger food - I'm such a bad mother!
I'm surviving though. Mornings are the hardest. And the weekend will be tough. Watch this space....

Stole this from Clare - I feel awful cos I've never read it! Think I'll be checking it out of the library....

You're A Prayer for Owen Meany!

by John Irving

Despite humble and perhaps literally small beginnings, you inspire
faith in almost everyone you know. You are an agent of higher powers, and you manifest
this fact in mysterious and loud ways. A sense of destiny pervades your every waking
moment, and you prepare with great detail for destiny fulfilled. When you speak, IT
SOUNDS LIKE THIS!


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Rob's gone....

No don't worry! He hasn't left me - well he has but only to go on a business trip to Texas. So I'm flying solo until Monday. EEK!!! I think they'll hear my screaming in Texas!

I'm very jealous -I love America and have friends not too far from where he's going. If we hadn't had the kids, I'd have gone with him.....

So it's just me and the boys. Rob is a very hands on dad so it's going to be hard to adjust - every morning he gets Oz up, fed and clothed and often feeds Toby breakfast too to give me time to shower or get dressed in peace. And he baths both of them every night and puts Oscar to bed.

Last night he had to work too so I did a trial run of a new bedtime routine. Fed Toby downstairs while Night Garden finished. Then bathed them both - left Oz in the bath as I put Toby in pjs and in his bed - poor Toby didn't get a story or a lullaby - then went back and did the Oscar teeth-story-bed routine. Toby yowled a bit but by the time Oz was down, he was asleep.

Mum is going to help me out some evenings so Toby won't be completely neglected at bedtime! But it's going to be tough....especially at the weekend when I have them both all day - thank god for preschool and nursery during the week!

So send me anti-stress vibes - I'm going to need em.

Pre-School!

Oscar started pre-school on Monday and he loves it! I'm really happy - I hadn't originally got a place at the school I wanted but they rang last week while we were on holiday and now Oz is happily esconced at the Limelight Pre-school. My neighbours son James goes there so Oz has a friend already. He loves it - lots of brilliant toys, books, computers.....happy happy days.

I feel a bit guilty though - we paid for Oz's nursery with tax free vouchers from Rob's work - when we tried to cancel them, we were told they have to be used for a year minimum - so until December Oz is still at nursery 3 sessions a week. So on Tues, Weds and Thurs afternoon he goes to nursery. I collect him from pre-school at 11.45, come home for lunch, a little play and then I bundle him off again! I'm determined to make a big fuss of him tomorrow afternoon. I feel like a part timer! Though I still have Toby 24/7.

Toby's sleep has got even better - he now goes 7.30 till 6.30 - no more 5am wake ups. He's got a horrible cough which is waking him in the night but he seems to settle back down without crying. I'm still awake listening though...

I'm going to try and be a better housekeeper now I've got more Oz-free time - the house is like a pigsty/bombsite. I'm even going to cook hotpot for the first time ever this afternoon. I AM delia. Or am I - I'll let you know......

I will resist the temptation to surf the internet all afternoon, no facebook, no blogging.....I will be a good wifey. Rob is working tonight. And Monday night. And then is going to Texas on Tuesday for the week. Not looking forward to it. At least Toby goes down a lot easier now - I think I'm going to put him to bed, then do Oz - again more time for Oscar and mummy on their own. After watching supernanny last night I need to make sure we have fun together.

I wish I could stay up later and watch Heroes on BBC3 - I watched it on BBC2 last night and I'm so gripped - it's the first series I've watched since the kids really - I insist on Wednesday night as telly night (I don't usually watch it other nights anymore - I used to be such a telly addict but now I'd rather read in peace and sleep!). Supernanny followed by Heroes. Last night there were the next 2 episodes on BBC3 straight after but I was good and went to bed.....thank god really since Toby was coughing all night.

Taught Tippee Toes this morning. There's now enough for a regular Thursday class which is fab. So any Mums out there who are reading this from my magazine column, and are at a loose end on a Thursday morning, go check this out - I teach the bots class on a Thursday (plug plug plug)

Ok I'm waffling now. Trying to avoid hanging the washing out and dusting I suppose........

We're back!

Just a short entry - got a ton of washing to do....we had a fantastic time. Huge thanks to Ursula for her invaluable tour guide information. We saw dinosaurs, rode a steam train, played with farm animals, went on the beach. Weather was perfect - only rained once and that was after the boys were in bed on the last night.

Hard work - always would be holidaying with young children - we often wished we had a babysitter so we could explore some of the nicer restaurants without the kids. But it was fab - highly recommend the Isle of Wight - especially Blackgang Chine - Oz's favourite.

Not a great day (warning....winge ahead)

One of those days....A day when I have Oz and Toby all day is always exhausting. Toby is teething and has been whining and crying all day. And refusing to sleep. Oscar has been horrible - went to Gambado and he kept punching his friend - yes punching - no idea where he's learnt that one from...

He wouldn't sleep at lunchtime (neither would Toby) and this afternoon we went to see his friend Sam whose birthday it was. They couldn't get the hang of sharing - and I kept explaining to Oscar that because it was Sam's birthday, and these were his special presents, that Sam was entitled to play with them first. Tantrum tantrum tantrum. Toby screaming. Left Oscar with Sam and went with Toby to the docs for my appt to get my depo injection. Only to be told they'd made the appointment for NEXT Friday - even though I assured them they had told me this Friday and that I wouldn't have made the appointment for the week I was on holiday - they wouldn't see me. Total waste of fucking time driving an hour in school run traffic. With Toby screaming.

Then got a call from a friend to say I didn't even get an interview for that job I applied for. I knew it was out of my league.

Got back to Sam's house to find Oscar in full on screaming tantrum over Lightning McQueen toy so had to carry him kicking and screaming into the car and back into the traffic - now rush hour proper.

Both children SCREAMED all the way home. My nerves are fucking shot. Toby is, as I type, screaming in the living room but I have to walk away or I might throw him out of the window.

Tomorrow we go on holiday. I can't fucking wait....or can I - imagining this in a small caravan.....ARGH!!!!

From the mouths of babes

Tonight...while listening to the lullaby cd I made him when he was a baby Oscar said the following.

When You Wish Upon a Star is playing - Disney version sung by Louis Armstrong.

As it starts there's a choral oooohing

Oscar: "Listen Daddy. It's people singing....on Mars!!!"

As Louis starts to sing

Oscar: "I know who it is on this song. It is Louis Armstrong. He is on the rings of Saturn. And he is my Grandpa".

Hmmmmmm