Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday 29.12.13

 

 

Tough Love

This week has been a tough learning curve for The Whirlwind. I have finally come to the end of my tether with his total lack of organisation and assumptions that he can call me at the drop of a hat and I will come to his rescue in any situation he may of put himself in. I'm not talking about dangerous scenarios which of course would be a different story, as I wouldn't hesitate to charge to his rescue like a Ninja with PMT. I am talking about homework and general school stuff.

Let me give you a brief run down of his forgetful week...................................

Monday 8.30am
Me "Have you got everything"?
Him "Yep"
Me "Are you 100% sure you have everything"?
Him "Yep".

Monday 8.45am
Phone rings
Him "Mum, I've forgotten my P.E kit"
Me " OK don't worry, I will drop it up to you" I happily reply.

Tuesday 8.30am
Me "Have you got everything"?
Him "Yep"
Me "Are you 100% sure you have everything"?
Him "Yep".

Tuesday 8.45am 
Phone rings 
Him "Mum, is my homework on the fridge"?
Me "Yes it is"
Him "Can you drop it in or I will get a detention"
Me (like a sap) "OK, on my way".

Wednesday 8.30am
Me "Have you got everything"?
Him "Yep"
Me "Are you 100% sure you have everything"?
Him "Yep".

Wednesday .......No Phone Call = Progress

Wednesday Evening 10.10pm
Him "Muuumm, I have Food Tech and have to cook Paella"
Me "When"?
Him "Tomorrow"
This resulted in a mad dash to the supermarket in the morning to get ingredients............I know, I know................................Total soft touch.

Thursday 8.30am
Me "Have you got everything"?
Him "Yep"
Me "Are you 100% sure you have everything"?
Him "Yep".

Thursday - No Phone Call

Thursday 3.45pm
Me "Where's you Paella"?
Him "Oh, we didn't cook it as the ovens were broken"
Me "What......Where are the ingredients then"?
Him "I've left them at school".

That's when I made a decision.................................No more nice Mummy....................This was war............

Friday 8.30am
Me "Have you got everything"?
Him " Yep"
Me "Are you 100% sure you have everything"?
Him "Yep".

Friday 8.45am
Him "Muummmm, I need a newspaper and I've left my P.E kit and there's a piece of homework on my desk. Can you pop them up please"?

Me............................"NO.......ENJOY YOUR DETENTION......LOVE YOU"!!!!


Its now 2.25pm on Friday afternoon and I haven't heard a word from him, I would imagine he stood opened mouthed for a while staring at the phone wondering if I was going to call back and tell him I was only joking. I am waiting for the front door to fly open and a slightly hormonal pissed off 12 year old to come charging in....................................Do I care?........................Am I scared (a bit)?........................................NO I DO NOT!!!..................Its called Tough Love and although hes not going to enjoy it I am loving every minute of it.......

Random Thoughts of a Stressed Out Housewife.

This is the first time I have written a post like this...............................................Its not normal for me to have nothing to say but on this occasion that is exactly what I find myself doing...........................................Nothing......................................I honestly cannot think of anything to blog about. "Just write" my inner Mojo tells me............................."Anything" he says "No matter how random the subject is"........................"OK Then" I reply...............................................

1.When writing Christmas cards to couples who have 4 billion children do I write each name or To Maureen, Dave and Family???????? To be honest I hate writing cards and have discovered that other people feel the same, I know this because today I have received 6 Virtual Christmas Cards on Facebook. I am seriously thinking of including a note in each card saying that this will be the last year I send cards and will be donating to charity instead next year. Does that make me a meanie or is it just a sign of the times??

2. I am fat..................................This has been confirmed today when I commented to an elderly lady waiting to cross the road that it was a really chilly day.................Her reply was "I wouldn't imagine you feel much of the cold dear being the size you are"................................................................I thought about shoving her under a passing bus but remembered it was Christmas soon and I didn't really want to spend it in a police cell. Maybe she was commenting on my height...............................Who am I kidding.....................I need to go on a diet in the new year.

3. I know all the words to most Barry Manilow songs..........................................................How can this be when I can walk into a room and forget what on earth I am doing there. I even surprise myself with the sheer perfection at knowing each and every "Ooh" and "Ahhhh" to Copacabana.

4. Has Cliff Richards been cryogenically frozen and is just defrosted each Christmas to sing for us. I am wondering this as he is on TV at the moment looking about 40, either that or he has found a fantastic moisturiser....................What's your secret Cliff............................You can tell me, I wont tell a soul.

5. Should I attempt to finish this gigantic bag of M&M's all by myself.......................................I do feel a little bit sick but its like they are throwing themselves into my mouth..............

Random enough for you Mojo???......................................................................

Hopefully I will be back in the full swing of it soon and will continue to lighten your days. Until then folks.........................................

Love
Me
xxxx

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday 8.12.13

 

 

 

"Is Santa Real"

"Is Santa Real"? Its the moment we as parents dread....................................................................I can remember exactly the moment The Teenager asked me that very question.

She was 12, Mr DG was brushing his teeth and I was in the shower............................See, I told you I could remember.

The morning was going quite well until Mr DG suddenly realised that we had forgotten to give the Tooth Fairy a hand by subbing her £2 to go under The Whirlwinds pillow the previous night. "OH CRAP" he exclaimed rather loudly realising his mistake. "Quick" I replied "Do it now.....They are both still asleep"....................................WRONG............................The door burst open and in child number 1 (who had all her big teeth I might add so it really wasn't any of her business) came.................."WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHOVE IT UNDER THERE NOW"................................"ISN'T THE TOOTH FAIRY REAL"?.................................It was at this point we both pretended we hadn't heard her and carried on with our ablutions. "Mum....Dad........Isn't the Tooth Fairy Real" a little voice said.

I cannot begin to tell you how awful I felt as I watched her little eyes fill with sadness. To be fair I was super impressed that we had got all the way to 12 without any suspicion. Then before I had time to answer the dreaded question plopped out of her mouth, the one where you are never quite prepared............................................................"Does that mean Santa isn't real either"?????

There it was............................................Those words.............................Like a knife to the heart...................................This is it................................................................Choose your words carefully Mummy........................

I sat her down away from child number 2 who was luckily oblivious to the whole fiasco and looked her square in the eyes.................................................."OK, here's the thing" I began.
"Who wants cake for breakfast" Mr DG chipped in with hoping to avoid any confrontation.
"ME ME ME" screamed child 2
"Nobody is having cake for breakfast" I scolded "Right" I began again as child number 2 ran down the kitchen to see if he really could have cake for breakfast.

This is the speech that I gave her pretty much word for word.....................................

"Now that you are such a big girl there will be a lot of people that will tell you that Santa isn't real and that it is babyish to believe in him. I have never seen him but I know that on Christmas Eve something magical happens and a kind of calm blankets the whole world. People laugh and even the saddest of people cant help but smile on Christmas Eve. I don't care what people think as I believe in the magic of Christmas and know that something is definitely different on that day. If you don't want to think that Santa and all his traditions are real then that's fine but I will never stop believing.

Some day you will have your own children and I hope that all the fun things Daddy and I have done over those special days will stay with you and you too will carry on the magical things that happen."

I had tears in my eyes as I looked at my little girls innocence slipping away right in front of me, I truly believed everything I had told her and hoped in my heart that she would too.

"Thank God for that" was her reply
"I don't have to worry about some fat bloke breaking into our house anymore" she concluded. And with that she kissed me on the top of the head before whispering "Don't worry, I wont tell" with a wink and a swish of her dressing gown she was off down the stairs.

I sat there stunned, not sure how to react. Then............................................."MUUUMMMMMYYYY DADDY'S MADE CAKE FOR BREAKFAST"............................Good old Dad.

I am 43 years old now and still find a little present from Santa under my tree when everyone has gone on Christmas Day. I have no idea how it gets there but somehow it does and I look forward to it every year.

When you reach that stage where it isn't cool for your kids to believe anymore just remember this..............................Its up to you to keep the magic alive so that they will grow up with it in their hearts and pass it on.

Happy Christmas Everyone
xxxxxxx

BritMums Xmas Meetup.

The lady sat patiently waiting in the window of the coffee shop on Borough High Street. The smell of coffee washed over her as she observed all the busy people going about their business. She found herself wondering how she had got to this point in her life, usually even leaving the safety of her home town caused palpitations and hot sweats but her she was in the centre of London drinking coffee and waiting.

She hadn't always been this nervous and as a youngster had even flown to Marbella on her own and travelled up and down to Devon almost every weekend without giving it a second thought. Having kids had changed her and she visibly noticed how suddenly the world didn't feel as safe when you were responsible for 2 little human beings.

She looked at her watch 9.27am, just a bit longer and it would be time to go.........................

30 minutes had past and she took a deep breath whilst standing about to venture outside into the cold air. This was it, it was time, butterflies flitted about in her tummy. Then......................................................A face.........................A smiling happy to see her kind of face appeared....................A pair of arms flung themselves round her and all the nerves drained away. She smiled a knowing smile, she had done it and she was so glad she had.

Once inside the building more hugging and smiles filled the room as friends remembered each others faces. Today was the 25th November and it was time for the BritMums Xmas meet up, a whole morning of laughing, eating, drinking with the nicest people in the world...........................................



Thank you to Morrisons for providing the yummiest food for all of us and thank you to the BritMums for arranging it all.

I am linking this post up with the lovely Jaime over at......

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday 24.11.13

 

Lakeland Chocoholic Hamper - Review

My regular readers will know that if there is one thing in life (apart from my family of course) that I love beyond all reasonable doubt it is............................CHOCOLATE.

There is just something so comforting about it and quite frankly I cant get enough. So, when the lovely people at Lakeland asked me if I would like to review their Chocoholics Hamper I jumped at the chance.

The hamper arrived the very next day and when I opened the parcel their was another surprise....................The most beautifully gift wrapped box I had ever seen, I carefully peeled away the purple paper to reveal the outer wrapping which not only looked great but gave you a list of all the contents.

Then..................................The Hamper itself, and what a hamper it was. A stunning wicker basket with gorgeous little buckles keeping everything safe inside.

I  opened the basket and peeked inside, I actually think I did a little sigh as I took in all that was there.

Obviously for research purposes I had to try everything and what fun I had doing so. The fudge was out of this world creamy and covered in dark chocolate, the cookies were perfectly tiny little bits of heaven, the vanilla and chocolate tea bags tasted so unusual and were totally scrummy and as for the chocolate sauce...................Well, what can I say except yum!

Not wanting to be unreasonable I decided to let the kids and Hubby have a little taste of everything else. The square block of chocolate didn't last 2 minutes and neither did the chocolate fudge stir in chunk. There were sounds of "mmmmm" as mostly everything was devoured or at least tried. I haven't tried the chocolate coffee yet and am saving it for the weekend to have with the luxury steamed puddings after dinner.

Overall a fantastic gift for anyone young or old, and if you want to add that finishing touch then I would thoroughly recommend their fabulous gift wrapping service which comes as a separate service at a small cost of £3.99. I loved the hamper so much that I immediately went over to their brilliant website and ordered 4 different hampers for friends and relatives for Christmas.

Thank you so much Lakeland for giving me the opportunity to review such a wonderful product.

Christmas Bucket List

As we well and truly wave goodbye to summer and welcome with heavy hearts the darker months known as Winter I look back with fondness at my Summer Bucket List Challenge and how well we did trying to complete it. I would say I managed about 90% of it which I think is fab.

This got me thinking.....................Why not write a Christmas Holiday one too. I know its only 2 weeks but why not set myself a few more challenges with the family. I am not ashamed to say that.........................I am a Christmas Nut Job................................I actually think I was Mrs Claus in a previous life and love every single minute of it. As soon as Bonfire night is done..............................I am in full Christmas mode.

Having kids aged 16 and 12 (almost 13) I find myself living in those strange times where they look at me slightly worried that I have lost the plot. There is much eye rolling as I blast out the tunes of Michael Bubles Greatest Xmas Hits and sing along at the top of my voice, many sideways glances as I make the dog wear Reindeer Antlers and lots of "Oh God Not This Again" when I put on White Christmas for the hundredth time.

I will not let them deter me and am determined to reignite their Christmas spirit even if it kills me doing it. So, without further ado...................Here is my Christmas Bucket List.

1. Go up to London to see the Christmas lights - Even though we are only an hour away by train this is something we have never done.

2. Have a movie day where we watch as many Christmas movies as we can fit in a day. Toast marshmallows (on our new fire), eat pop corn and drink copious amounts of hot chocolate ...................................Not to self :- Buy sick bags.

3. Get them to buy or make each other a gift.............The Female Teen will possibly attempt to make something but The Male will undoubtedly buy something to avoid looking like a "girl".

4. Attempt to make a Gingerbread house......With or without the kids and without swearing.

5. Buy a small real tree and let the kids decorate it exactly as they want......................You will notice I said "small".........................There is no way I would let them loose on my big tree.

6. Make a whole batch of cookies then leave little bundles of them on the doorsteps of friends and neighbours with a tag that says "Love from Santa". I will obviously tell the grownups to avoid anyone calling the police.

7. Ditch the kids, and take Mr DG out for a Fish and Chips then movie date night. (When I say "Ditch" I mean leave them at Grandmas................Not actually abandon them.)

8. Attempt to diffuse any Teen vs Tween arguments by singing "We wish you a merry Christmas" as loud as I can..............................................................This may go wrong when they gang up and turn on me.

9. On the small chance that it snows during the holidays and not on the first day back to school............................................Make a replica family of snowmen to look like us...........Just thought..................Its going to have to snow a lot if they want to recreate myself and Mr DG.

10. Attempt to get cards, gifts and decorating done before they break up so that I can give myself a chance of completing the above list.

Happy Holidays everyone.

xxxxx

I'm linking this post up with the lovely .......

My Top 10 Books

Summer time seemed to go so quickly this year, one minute I was in shorts and flip flops and next I'm in thick jumpers and welly boots. This summer was quite different to others as my kids who are now much older were never in and I found myself either running them around or waiting to run them around. With all this spare time on my hands I decided to make the most of it and set myself the challenge of reading as many books as I could.

I am proud to say that I read a total of 10 books and thought it would be only fair to share them with you. I haven't given anything away with the story just in case you are reading any of them or plan to. I have also put them in reverse order from good to amazing.

10. Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella.

I am a huge fan of Sophie but was a bit disappointed with this book. It kind of never got going and I found myself wishing I could just get to the end.


9. Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas .
My Mum gave me this one to read and said it was brilliant. It started out quite well but I guessed the spoiler quite quickly resulting in me ruining it for myself. It was a lovely story and I could imagine it being made into a film. Worth a read on a cold and rainy day.


8. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia.
The Teenager had raved about the film so I was excited to read the book. I do love Young Adult fiction sometimes and found I was not disappointed with this at all. A little bit Twilighty in some places but then again I loved those books. There are more in the series so might give them a go this winter.

7. The Buddha In The Attic by Julie Otsuka.
I joined the Brit Mums book club and this was the book we were kindly sent. It was a small book but packed the most powerful punch. I cried in several places and was totally moved by the beautiful was the story was told.


6. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.
After reading the Da Vinci Code last year I was really looking forward to this book and I wasn't disappointed. What a great and exciting story, at times I felt I was actually in the book with Robert Langdon in Rome. An amazing read.


5. A Place Called Here by Cecelia Ahern.
Cecelia Ahern is one of my all time favourite authors, I love the way her stories have a slight magical twist to them A place called here was such a fantastic book about a place where all  lost things end up (even socks). I smiled throughout reading this and felt a total sense of satisfaction at the end. Brilliant.


4. The Host by Stephenie Meyer.
I loved the Twilight Saga and was super excited to read something so different from Stephenie. A brilliant read with lots of twists along the way, the film came out this year too and I have to say that although it was really good it wasn't as good as the book. The Tween is reading it now and cant put it down so it must be good if he's reading.

3. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella.
Fantastic book that had me laughing out loud, in a way that only Sophie can write I loved every minute of this story and was quite sad when I had finished it. Get your Tena Ladies on before you start this book.


2. The Ice Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson
I have never read any of Dorothy's books before but had been recommended them by a good friend. I could not put this book down and found I was actually holding my breath several times. If you love a suspense thriller kind of story then this is for you. Fantastic.


1. Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson
After just finishing The Ice Cream Girls I couldn't believe my luck when I found a new one by the same author. This is my favourite book of the year and that is why it deserves this place at the top of my chart. I cannot even begin to explain how brilliant the story was and without giving anything away I did not see the ending coming (and I usually do). I screamed out loud when the final crescendo emerged causing my dog to leap from the sofa. All I can say is......Hurry up Dorothy and write another blockbuster of a book. Fantastic, captivating, sad, happy and everything in between.

So, there we go. My Top 10 books list............................................What a joy it was to read so many good books this Summer. I have joined the Good Reads community which is really great as it gives you lots of recommendations as well as reviews by other avid readers.

Happy Reading Folks
Love
Me
xxx

Whats The Story - The Lock Bridge

Just One Wish

This photo was taken on our magical trip to Paris last month. The Teenager had watched a film recently that had shown a bridge where you could attach a padlock and throw the key over the side into the River Seine making an everlasting wish of love as you do it.

We had no plans to do this and had almost forgotten all about it until by pure accident we stumbled across the bridge on our way back from the Louvre Gallery. The Teenager squealed with delight and luckily you could buy little locks just along the path that ran along the river.

With the padlock secured onto the bridge we all held the key and shut our eyes as our wish was made. Then.........................."Splash" the little key went into the river. It was quite a poignant moment and the four of us all watched the ripples disappear along with our key and wish.

I looked along the bridge only to notice many lone people all looking longingly into the water, what were they wishing for I wondered....................I guess we will never know.



I'm linking up with the gorgeous Charly over at PODcastdove.com. Her What's The Story linky is one of the best ones out there and gives me a chance to show off a photo new or old that has a story attached to it.

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday 17.11.13

 

 

 

Paris in 1 day.

Yesterday seems like a blur and I still hadn't for filled my dream of sitting by the Seine sipping coffee whilst watching the world go by...................................................

Today was unfortunately going to be no different...

Rather than bore you all with the whole days events, I am going to show you by the power of photos. Please remember these points............................

1.Mr DG is 6ft 5ins and I am only 5ft 4ins.....................This results in him having a huge stride and I kind of have to trot along side him to keep up. The kids are very tall too so walking anywhere usually involves me lagging behind.

2. Mr DG does NOT do slow mooching around and prefers to march everywhere.

3. It is quite possible I may shove the map up his arse in about 20 minutes.

So, without further ado here is our 3rd day in Paris.......................................All of the below sights were seen in a space of 9 hours.

Off we go...............................Lots of walking.....................Ahhhhh look we are holding hands...............Pass the bucket.

 

There it is.................Why isn't it getting any bigger................................Wow.



 

 

A walk along the Seine...............................Nobody waved at me......................Still no coffee and a sit down. 

The Arc de Triomphe was gorgeous but very busy.......................A quick march down the Champs Elysees (think he was avoiding the shops).
 

 

 

A quick sit down while we put plasters on blisters.........................And we're off again......................Through the arches and.....................................Yippee..................The Louvre....................No chance of getting in though...................31/2 hour wait...............Sorry Mona Lisa, maybe next time. 

 

 



The very famous Lock Bridge at Pont des Arts.........................Thousands of locks attached to the bridge to symbolise love.........................We even did our own....................Although The Whirlwind almost dropped the key before we had time to make a wish. 

 

 

 

Finally after braving The Metro once more we ended up here.........................Jardin de Luxembourg...............................The most peaceful place ever. 

 

The problem now was................................We had to walk another 20 minutes back to our hotel where we all had a soak in the bath (not together) and collapsed into bed.

 

So there we are folks, what seemed like a nightmare of a trip on Monday morning after the big storm actually turned out to be a wonderful family holiday that we all loved. Yes we lost a whole day but it certainly didn't stop us from doing as much as we could. We cant wait to go back again and would thoroughly recommend going for a short break there................................My only advice...........................Wear really comfy shoes and plenty of plasters.

Hope you have all enjoyed my holiday blog

Lots of Love
Me
xxxx



P.S............................Look what I found

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday 10.11.13

Day 2.........Hello Paris.

After yesterdays little adventure I was hoping for a more relaxing kind of day..................WRONG!!!!

Mr DG had arranged a tiny trip to Disney Land...............................................The kids were beside themselves with excitement and cries of "I'm going on Thunder Mountain" and "I want my picture taken with Cinderella" rang out in our room. Honestly, you wouldn't think they are 16 and 12 would you.

With a spring in their step and a "la la la la la laaaaaa" (Disney Princess style) we were off. I was under the impression that we might just get magicked there but .............................Oh No...............................We were going on the Metro................................................................Mr DG was refusing to use a taxi (after our New York experience) and had instead purchased a week long Metro pass that would take us anywhere in Zones 1-5. I wont bore you with the ins and outs of the French underground but I will say that it was the most confusing, crowded, smelliest and dangerous thing I have ever encountered in my life. I held on to the kids as people jumped on and off at various moments narrowingly missing being garroted in the train doors and clasped the nearest handrail to stop myself falling over.

Once at Disney Land all thoughts of the Metro were forgotten and we were transported into the land where dreams are made..................................Or...............................Queues are formed.................And My God there were some queues let me tell you. Luckily the weather was beautiful so Mr DG and I spent most of the day holding coats and bags while the kids went on the rides which to be fair was great as I got to undertake in my favourite past time....People Watching.





One particular family grabbed my attention when I heard the Mum exclaim that her crown kept coming off on the rides, as I turned round I was greeted by the sight of a whole family dressed as Disney characters..................................I'm not even joking............................Dad was Aladdin, Mum was Cinderella, kids were Belle, Jasmine and a Wizard. Even the grandparents were dressed with Mickey and Minne ears and fleeces on. I stared for what seemed like an eternity before realising that they were staring at me staring at them. I smiled a kind of "Holy Crap" kind of smile and the Mother winked at me before telling me how they were all Disney Fans and they come every year hoping to get pictures and autographs with every character they can. The kids unfortunately looked like they wanted the ground to open up and swallow them as Mum and Dad suddenly squealed with delight as Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore and Piglet appeared, they ran off barging people out the way whilst screaming at the poor kids to get a move on.

After what seemed like an eternity waiting for our kids to complete Thunder Mountain we ventured on to the Small Small World ride, for those that don't know about it let me break it down for you..........................Boat Ride............Lots of mechanical dolls dressed up in various national costumes from all countries singing 
and
dancing
....................................................and very psychedelic scenery..................................Annoying song that stays in your head all day. The Whirlwind not only shocked me but to be fair summed it up by saying "Oh my god...............................This is what being stoned must feel like" I nearly fell out of the boat and worried for the rest of the day how he knew what "Stoned" meant.

The day sped past and before we knew it we were all Disneyed out and back on the train. Not sure if a day is worse or better than going for 4 days as we did last time but definitely worth a visit if you are in Paris.

As we collapsed onto our beds exhausted The Teenager said she couldn't wait for a relaxing day tomorrow looking at all the sights...........................Little did she know what was going to happen.............................................................................

More Soon

Love
Me. x