Archive for the ‘parenting’ Category

Mum, Mum….I’ll always be your son!

Friday, May 14th, 2010

This week has been a toughy with my middle son Ten Boy Jack. As his name suggests he’s Ten, and just hit that age.jack-ten-boy-1

He hates school, he hates his big sister (who teases him relentlessly) and I think sometimes he hates me too.

I know he is just flexing his baby man muscles and trying to find his place in the family now he’s growing up, but the constant answering back and always knowing better stuff can get a bit waring at times.

Last week he was banned from anything with a screen, an ingenious plan that Big J came up with. It meant that for a week he had no TV no INTERNET, no i pod touch, no x box 360 and no Nintendo ds…. for Jack, this basically meant no life!

But still by the end of the week he was  muscling up and giving all the back chat, so even though painful he got banned for another 3 days, gutted!

Sometimes its hard, I’m a big softie so he has a few big doe eye and even bigger tears tricks that he likes to pull on me.

And I also have a irrational fear, as a split family and somehow especially as he’s a boy, I have this horrible fear in the pit of my stomach that he’ll want to go live with his Dad some day. (more…)

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Things I wish my mum had told me….

Thursday, April 1st, 2010
ellie-young

Ellie at 4, so sweet!

   Eloise is going to be 15 this year (eek!!)…

   And a thought  has been on my mind for a while.

ellie-now

Ellie-now, bless her!

  I have been thinking of all the good advise I wish I’d had at her age. All the little and big stuff that would have made my last 15 years easier.

So I thought I’d write it down, (and share it with you guys) .

Not sure it’ll help, but its what Ive learnt…

Well the important stuff anyways ;D

I will start with the small stuff ….

 Beauty…. Don’t wear to much make-up-

There is nothing worse than looking like you tried too hard (except maybe not trying hard enough ;) )

1) So follow this simple rule, if your wearing a “in your face” lipstick then go easy on the eye shadow, and visa versa.

 It always tends to look best. Unless your Scarlett  Johansson, and I have my suspicions that she is an alien or robot from planet  “way too good looking and sexy” so she doesn’t count.

2) The same applies for jewelery. A good necklace needs no earings and a good pair of earings need no necklace.

3) Don’t EVER shave your legs with your dads razor. Or you’ll spend at least 3 weeks in agony, covering them up and waiting for the skin to grow back.

I know this one to my cost… hot summer of 1989 ;D

House work-

1) iron shirts when they are still damp….  That’s all I really honestly know about the strange art of  house work that’s worth repeating!

Love..Life…& beyond -

My dad always used to say….”Helen, You Can’t Polish a Turd”….

This applies to so many things….a huge spot, a bad hair cut. But most of all to the opposite  sex.

If you follow this, you will save yourself allot of time and heart ache and you’ll leave yourself open to someone really good!

To be filed along with leopards and spots ;D

2) Don’t be overly hard on yourself and your looks. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t  say they look at photos of themselves when they were younger and wish they’d realized how hot they were!

I am not kidding you, I know right now you don’t think your not pretty, thin or hot enough, but you are!

You will look back at photos of yourself in 10 years time and go, blimey I was gorgeous!  (or at least passable!) Why couldn’t I see it?

The evil thing of it is, by then its to late. So enjoy it now. ;D

This is me just 3 years ago, I remember looking at this and thinking I looked old and fat. Wish I was that old and fat now, is all I can say about that!100_1192 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) …. and most importantly, If there is something you want to do, don t be afraid to do it.

 Even if its a bit frightening. Things you don’t do when your young can cause bitterness and uneasiness when your older.

So in the great words of Nike, ” Just Do It!” (this does not apply to drugs, alcohol or boys.. just in case you were wondering) ;D

So thats it! i very much doubt  she will listen, don’t think I would have done  at her age either! ;D

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Day 4 of the Frugality…and it’s Curry!

Friday, February 19th, 2010

millycurryJust a quick post today, this bloging daily lark is hard. And Milly keeps trying to climb up my leg and onto my back, could be dangerous!

If you’ve read the start of the week you’ll know that I have just £5 a day for 5 people.

Anyway, I really wanted to share this one with you because it was a such a Big Success! Jack the curry hater, and Milly the food thrower both sat quietly with a few mmmm’s and ate the lot! Result!!!

(more…)

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Tonight its Roast Lemon chicken….

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Okay! day 3 of the frugal challenge and I am cheating a bit, but not really.  If you’ve read the start of the week you’ll know that I have just £5 a day for 5 people.

Let me explain, I really really fancied a roast tonight but didn’t want to blow the budget so I have only used 1/2 a medium sized chicken for this recipe. I will use the other half for tomorrows creation. If your not trying to save cash the leftovers make the best midnight snack sarnies! ;D

(more…)

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Day 2 of Frugal week, oh we have pie!

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

Right so, day2 of the frugal food week, if you’ve read the start of the week blog you’ll know that I have just £5 a day for 5 people.

So I start my quest at the lovely rainbow “going out of date tomorrow” shelf but to my dismay the only thing on offer this evening is individual trifles and garlic bread, well that would be carbs and at a push one of their 5 a day ?,but no…oh poop….

Will just have to get inventive….so I have a quick memory scan through my fridge (i could almost hear the whirling, this whole save money lark takes allot of brain power you know!)

(more…)

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The Start of a Frugal Week….

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Stuff! lovely stuff!

Stuff! lovely stuff!

This week I am starting a new years resolution, a bit late but what the hay? I am about to embark on a quest…to boldly go where no icklehelen has gone before…to save money.

I have never been good at economising, my efforts of saving money always tend to end up having the reverse effect.

I recently spent a small fortune in the Next Sale. While in the store foraging up and down the busy isles I was convinced I had enough to wear for the whole season…YAY MEEE!!! (sorry I have to watch way too much of the Disney channels  “suite life of zac and cody” than is healthy for an adult).

(more…)

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Bring Back the Magic Of Christmas…Please!

Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009

After my last post I got talking to lots of people about bringing back the magic of Christmas.

A Christmas tradition!

A Christmas tradition!

And it seems like I am not alone in needing a bit of “none 3 for 2 offers”, “don’t give a stuff that sam at school is getting an itouch”, or “mum why can’t I just have money!?” proper family filled  Christmas Magic!

You know that kind of belly tickly excitment of Christmas eve night, or the lovely warm feeling of cuddling up on the sofa with the family after a giant Christmas dinner, listening to your mum snore softly(that might just be my mum),  jeans top button undone through sheer stuffedness! (again, that might just be me !)

The kind of lovely magical Christmas feeling of happiness that starts at the tips of your toes and radiates everywhere.

Ahhh it did exsist didnt it?,

I’m sure I didn’t just imagine it or see it in a film, I felt it once….. (more…)

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Adventures into Christmas past and present…

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

When I was growing up I used to adore Christmas!

There was something truly magical about it all in a way you never get to experience once you’ve grown up.

The excitement of Christmas eve and the rustle of the stocking being put at the bottom of my bed by a slightly tipsy Santa (mum) . The amazing feeling at about five in the morning waking up and jumping to the end of the bed just to check “he’d” been. The agony of being asked to go back to bed for just a few more minutes!

(more…)

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I got a Meme Award! Yay…

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

I have a Meme award, how brilliant! thank you to the very funny and talented  Andrea http://www.andreadaly.com/ for passing it on to me. As part of the award I have to tell you 7 things about myself and recomend 7 other blogs, well that bits easy as I read them all day,  have given up on books ….reading blogs is adictive and usually good for bitesize inbetween milly playing gaps!

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People we lost…

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

I have ummed and arrhed about adding this entry, its not like my usual ramblings but I think it might help me a little bit, so if you don’t mind, here goes.

It  started last week when I was tucking Jack into bed, he said out of the blue that he felt sorry for milly because she would never get to know grandad.

My dad died in November last year, very suddenly of a heart attack. He was a very young 62 and I honestly felt he was going to live forever (or at least until I was really really old! ) But at 6.40 on nov 13th I got a phone call that he was gone and that was that, final.

(more…)

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