MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

JUST A SHORT POST TO WISH EVERYONE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A PEACEFUL NEW YEAR.

HOW TIME FLIES

i cant believe it has been so long since i last did a post! since my last post, autumn has turned to winter, and there's now only 20 days till xmas aaarrrgh!!!! im almost at the end of my shopping thank goodness and considering i started it in august thats not too bad is it lol!! its not that ive shopped till ive dropped ive just had no spare money till now, well its not spare exactly, the rent will just have to wait, imagine the look on my kids faces xmas day if i told them santa had to pass on by this year.

i dont think unwrapping melissa again would go down too well lol!!

SUNDAY SUNSHINE

well what a lovely weekend of weather we've had! yesterday i had to work most of the day and as it had been so glorious i was keeping my fingers crossed for 1 more day of sunshine so me and the kids could get another trip to zoo in. luckily we woke up to clear blue skies, and with a picnic and gold cards (these are yearly passes to the zoo, and well worth the money) off we set. it amazes me that every time im at the zoo i manage to see something different, last time we went we walked round for ages trying to find the crocodile, but with no luck, but as you can see from the above photo he was patiently waiting to be have his picture taken this time.

im getting more used to my camera now and im very pleased with how the photos have come out. melissa took this one of a penguin, isnt she clever!

kirsty took this one of the elephant, she'd been patiently waiting for just the right angle, and her wait was well worth it as it almost looks like the elephant is looking right at her lol!

here is one of my favourites, the white tiger, beautiful!! if only he were tame enough to go and cuddle!!

and this cheeky chap was having a great time posing for photo's. just minutes before he had been running around the cage banging on the windows and im sure it was to make sure everyone was looking at him lol!!
i never tire of walking round the zoo, especially when the weather has been as lovely as it has been today. our next outing to the zoo will probably be halloween, we went last year too and it was fun going on the spooky train ride as the staff dress up in halloween costumes and jump out on the public, great fun but only for those without a nervous disposition!!!

BACK AT LAST

its been a busy old few weeks lately, the summer holidays seemed to fly by and before we knew it it was time for my son to recieve his gcse results, he needed two to get onto the course he wanted and thankfully he actually passed all eight of them, whooppee!! so from tommorow there's no more laying in bed till gone lunchtime for him, he'll be up with the larks like his poor old mum and sisters lol!!
my two girls have got back into the morning routine as they went back to school last week, melissa my little one has started junior school now, and although on her first morning she was a little apprehensive it was me who shed the tears once she'd waved me goodbye, it had been brewing all morning but i had to stay positive and calm for her sake... until she'd gone into school that is.
kirsty my middle girl is enjoying being back at school, she's gone into year nine, and last year she was getting bullied a bit by a certain child, but thankfully that child has left to move to another school now, which we were all very pleased to hear, and kirsty has seemed a much happier girl now and she's actually enjoying going to school, which is so good to hear from a parents point of view.
as for me im just plodding along as i always do, work and kids and work and kids lol!! i cant moan really ive had a few nights out over the holidays, and things could be worse, they could also be alot better but i wont go into that at this moment. mum knows what i mean though!!
well ive the day off work today so i best get on and do some well needed housework!

EIGHT THINGS....

shaz tagged me the other day on her blog Us Danes And Our Family (take a look as its well worth a read) about eight things you shouldnt say[blank]. well ive had a chance to think about this one and my eight things are going to be eight things you shouldnt say to your kids, being a mum of three im sure im an expert at this, so here as follows are my eight things.

1; dont tell the kids there's icecream in the freezer for later as you can bet your money on it suddenly there not hungry for dinner anymore.

2; dont tell the kids not to look in a certain cupboard, especially near xmas, as you can be sure there inquisitive nature will lead them there.

3; dont tell the kids " dont mention i said that" as you can be sure at some point when you least expect it, they'll blurt it right out.

4; dont tell the kids to stop slamming the door, as before you've said it they've done it again.

5; dont tell the kids you've an extra bit of money left over this week, as they'll suddenly remember all the things they dont really need.

6; dont tell the kids that your planning to have a night out, as you can be sure one of them will come down with a fever that day.

7; dont tell the kids you'll get the paddling pool out tommorow cos you just know there will be a torrential downpour for the next few days.

8; dont tell the kids you really need a lie in tommorow as they will be up with the lark.

im sure these eight things will touch a nerve with all the mums or dads out there as they are all from my own experiences.

now i have to think of 5 more people to tag uummmm...............well im not sure who to tag so i'll add the last 5 people who have left a comment, hope you all dont mind!....I'll have to leave Shaz out though as that wouldn't be fair!

Mum (when you start doing tags again)
CG
Audrey
Akelamula
and because I would like to read a bear's take on this....
B.T. Bear

If you've done it before I apologise but my computer is on go slow (I'm sure all those games the kids download are slowing it up) and haven't visited all your blogs for a few days.

PHIL'S 16TH BIRTHDAY NIGHT

what a great birthday phillip has had. he went over to his friends at around half 7 friday evening and i told him not to come back till half 9 as i had things to do lol!!! ha ha ha!!! little did he know that myself and the girls had planned on putting up old photo's of phillips younger days all around the front room. we had baby ones, naked ones and silly ones of phil in his carefree days before he had to be a cool teenager. phil, liam and chris arrived back home to quite a party, we'd laid on some food and drink and the music was pumping.. as kirsty puts it!

here's just a few photo's i'd taken of the boys enjoying themselves before i'd headed off to bed. with phil being 16 now i left them all too it, he doesnt want his old mum hanging about does he lol!!

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE BOY!!

this is a picture of phillip sat in mum and mick's garden, he was only aged 1 and a half, but i can remember him like this as if it was only yesterday, how time has flown by. today he turns 16 years old, he is now my big boy lol!!

BARLEYLANDS FARM

today my friend and i took our little one's to barleylands farm in billericay. the sun was shining again and we set off at 10am. it took about an hour to get there and me and kim were very pleased with ourselves as we didnt get lost on the way once lol!!

the first thing we did when we arrived was set up our picnic as we were all starving by now. after a delicious lunch, we looked around at the farm animals, there were pigs, goats, cows, horses, rabbits, donkeys and guinea pigs. i love the photo (top right) of melissa feeding the goats, her face is a picture! aswell as the farm animals there was an indoor sandpit, the kids loved this, and being indoors the shade was so cooling as the day was getting hotter and hotter. there were also some go-karts for the children and adults to ride on, melissa needed a helping hand from tomas with this as she was a little hesitant at first, but as soon as she got the hang of it..away she went! it really was a day full of fun for the kids and well worth a visit if your ever in the area.

A WALK IN THE WILDSIDE

today mum, manda and nicole came over for the day. we had decided to take a walk up to welsh woods, melissa had been there on a school trip in july, we all like our walks in the countryside and none of us had ever been there before, even though its only up the road. mum arrived at half 9, we had a quick cuppa and set off laiden with a hefty picnic basket.

here is a photo of all of us trekking through the field, mum is taking a photo of me taking a photo of them lol!

here's melissa posing with aunty mandy.

the view across the fields was gorgeous, it felt a million miles away from the hustle and bustle which is just 10 minutes down the road.

we had a walk through the woods and across the fields but nicole and kirsty were starting to flag, so we decided to find a nice spot under a tree in the shade and recharge our batteries.

after something to eat and a little rest we started on the journey home. as we were walking along mandy noticed that me and mum had practically dressed the same, something we hadnt even realised all day!!

GOING CRABBING

I cant believe how lucky ive been that during my 2 weeks off work the sun has shined practically non stop.

today me, the girls, my friend kim and her son all went off to west mersea for a day crabbing. now im afraid to say that aswell as spiders, crabs are one of my least favourite creatures, its something to do with there legs...yuk!! but we had a really great time and im now not that scared of the little things.

here are kirsty and melissa, you can see that kirsty is nervously laughing at the crabs round her toes lol!

we also spotted a little seal happily swimming by the pier, he was so close but the photo's dont really capture this, and as id forgotten my camera i only had my mobile to take some photos with and now the seal looks more like a little dog.

you can just about make out its head bobbing around above the boat in this photo.

we all thoroughly enjoyed crabbing and at at the end of the day we tipped all the crabs out and watched them scurrying back to the sea.

MEL'S BIRTHDAY....DAY 2

its a known fact in our family that a birthday can last all week, mick was especially good at this tradition lol! well in melissa's case its been another day of birthday fun. aswell as all her birthday treats yesterday, today she had 3 of her friends over for the day. they arrived at 9.30 this morning all ready for a day of fun.

we went to the cinema to watch MEET THE ROBINSONS, which they thoroughly enjoyed, as did me and kirsty, it was about a boy who invented a time machine, if you have youngsters i would definately recommend it. i even cried at the end, but then again i cry at almost anything these days!

then it was off to castle park via macdonalds...of course...it was such a hot day that after we'd eaten our lunch we decided it was time to set off home to the cool water of the paddling pool.

after alot of splashing and playing around it was time for melissa's birthday cake

all her friends left at 5.30, so it was a very full day, but the girls had all agreed that they'd had such a lovely time, that all the money spent and hard work was well worth it.

A BEARY GOOD DAY

melissa's had a lovely day today, aswell as her pressie's, her birthday treat was to go to BUILD A BEAR , its a new shop in town where you choose your bear skin, fill it with cotton wool, give it a heart and a voice and an official birth certificate and then choose an outfit...or 3...as we did lol!

here she is helping to fill her teddy with magic wool.

and then off to give teddy a quick wash and brush up.

next its time to give teddy a name and then print out her birth certificate....so im pleased to announce.....its a girl and her name is Mallory.

then the best part, choosing the clothes. mum had given mel a voucher to buy an outfit for mallory, so she is now the proud owner of the outfit you see above. aswell as her day clothes we couldnt resist a bikini with matching sandals, and some pj's, dressing gown and slippers.

HAPPY 7TH BIRTHDAY MELISSA

BEFORE AND AFTER

today ive been pottering in the garden, its not been as hot today so i thought i'd get a bit of weeding etc done. its melissa's birthday tomorrow so we have a fun filled weekend ahead and will be out most of the time, so thought i best give the garden a bit of love and attention today. as you may know im starting to get green fingers recently and although my garden is know where near as impressive as my mums http://ruthjen.blogspot.com/ it is coming along slowly. so here are a few before and after shots for you;

i cant believe my border has filled out so much in just a few weeks....to this!!
and here is the bird table mick made for me and some newly planted strawberry plants

and look, we've even got some red ones...how exciting!!

HERE COMES SUMMER...REVISITED

here are the photo's of our day out to mersea, the beach was gorgeous, especially as when we arrived we were practically the only ones there. kirsty could be a baywatch babe couldnt she!!
and i cant believe mum took a photo of me with shorts on lol!! although on her blog for that day she also caught me bearing my midfriff !!!!!!!!!!!!!

HERE COMES SUMMER!

at last we've had a few days of brilliant sunshine. im off work this week so its an added bonus for the sun to be shining too! yesterday me, the girls and mum went to mersea for the day, we had a lovely time, kirsty and mum spent most of their time in the sea, but me..im more of a sunbather, it was bliss just laying on the sand with the sound of the waves crashing in. i dont think ive ever sat down for that long. if im at home sunbathing in the garden im always pottering in and out of the house tidying something!! i will post some photo's of our day out soon, but unfortunately i forgot my camera so im gonna have to wait until mum has emailed me a few across.

JUST FOR YOU ANONYMOUS

i had a comment today on my hollyoaks collage from somebody asking for bigger pictures of "craig". so here they are just for you....enjoy!!

hope that made your day lol!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!....AT LAST

today has been my last day at work for 15 whole days....thank goodness! i do love my job but this week has been so depressing getting up early and tip toeing around as not to wake my kids up. they lie in bed till gone 10 everyday in the holidays, but i hate having to leave them home alone, my eldest is almost 16 so i know by law its fine, but from a mums point of view its not on!!

its been catalogue launch today so its been really busy, i had a great job though, handing out balloons to all the kids.

im sure argos wont mind a bit of plugging on my blog??

and here is the delightful t-shirt ive had to wear all day! you can imagine the comments i received on my way to work lol!!

thank goodness i only had to wear it for 1 day!!

A WEEKEND AT MY MUMS

we've been away for the last couple of days to my mums, i love being over there, not only to keep mum company but im still missing mick so much and i feel close to him when im there, i know he's no longer here in body but there's something comforting about being in his house and seeing his belongings around me.
we arrived late sunday afternoon, the weather was lovely so me and mum sat in the garden for a while chatting. aswell as a great gardener she is also a great cook and she treated us to a massive roast chicken dinner...it was yummy!

we'd planned on monday to take the kids out for a long walk round the river and up to the croft, me and mum love long walks and we were a little worried the kids would get worn out and end up bored, but they loved it, and we ended up being out for 5 hours!!!

we'd just set off and bumped into our first little friend, this little fellow was sat bang in the middle of the path, and if it hadnt been for mum spotting him he could of easily got stepped on.





we headed off down towards the river, its so peaceful down there, i love it. we saw endless butterflies and dragonflies. then we saw these gorgeous swans and there signet, mum told us the mum and dad are actually called a pen and a cob, its true you learn something new everyday.

by now we'd been walking for about 2 and a half hours, its funny how one can walk and walk in the countryside for hours without getting tired or bored, but an hour walking round town amongst the hussle and bustle is just so waring.

we were now coming round to the croft, there is and old hotel just down by the river called THE MILL, mum took us in there to see the mummified cat

as you can see from the above text, the cat was placed under the hotel to protect it from evil. its been said that a few years ago, the cat was removed while some renovating was being done, and apparently the managers office flooded and there was a gas explosion outside amongst other things....very strange!!

we saw loads more swans and there babies, the river was just full of them, and phillip managed to get quite close to one of them.

next we carried on across the cow field towards the croft, this isnt my favourite part of the walk, as im very wary of cows, i just have this fear that they'll start charging at me, silly i know but we all have our fears. but i did manage to get this close, which i was very proud of.

after about 4 hours we finally reached the croft, the kids had been great, no moaning they were bored or worn out. kirsty and melissa spent ages trying to catch some fish and after being extremely patient they caught 5 little tiddlers.

we arrived home 5 hours later, and in desperate need of a nice cuppa and a sit down, we had a lovely day though and thankfully not a drop of rain in sight.

HOLLYOAKS COLLAGE