CROW'S FEET ANONYMOUS

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE

2007-12-24T16:18:00.000Z

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

HOW TIME FLIES

2007-12-05T21:07:00.000Z

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

2007-09-18T11:22:00.000+01:00

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

2007-09-10T09:52:00.000+01:00

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....

2007-08-15T16:14:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-12T14:44:00.000+01:00

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!!

2007-08-11T01:11:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-10T20:26:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-07T21:08:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-06T20:10:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-04T21:25:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-03T20:08:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-03T10:38:00.001+01:00

BEFORE AND AFTER

2007-08-02T20:05:00.000+01:00

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

2007-08-02T19:59:00.000+01:00

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!

2007-08-02T19:29:00.000+01:00

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

2007-07-29T19:35:00.001+01:00

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

2007-07-28T19:29:00.000+01:00

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

2007-07-24T21:15:00.000+01:00

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

2007-07-19T22:54:00.000+01:00

MY STARRY WEEKEND ...PART 2

2007-07-19T13:02:00.001+01:00

on sunday, me, the girls, kim and tomas, went to stowmarket to watch a celebrity football match, it was between our local radio station SGR COLCHESTER and the men from the channel 4 soap HOLLYOAKS. well what can i say but WOW WOW AND DOUBLE WOW !!!! i dont mean to sound shallow but they were even more gorgeous in real life. anyone who watches hollyoaks will know who i mean by warren, craig, justin, sonny and tony. i couldnt tell you there real names lol! we had a great time cheering along to both sides scoring, and the wolf whistles that went up when a hollyoaks player had the ball was just brilliant. although football is sort of a mans game, i can tell you that practically 80% of the crowd were women, i wonder why???

half way through the match we had sneaked up to the sideline to get a better view, we managed to get a couple of close ups before the bouncers arrived to move everyone away

after the match the players showered and got ready to meet their adouring fans. we were so lucky to get so close to them all, and the highlight was when "tony" had his photo taken with my 2 girls, now there's not many girls there age who can boast at having their photo taken with a hollyoaks star!

MY STARRY WEEKEND...PART 1

2007-07-19T12:50:00.000+01:00

at last im able to blog about my star filled weekend, my pc's memory card blew so for the last few days my pc has been running so slowly that it takes me almost 20 minutes to get onto the internet, 20 mins seems a long time when ive a hundred and one things to be doing, so i'd given up in the end. im off work now for a couple of days so have the time to let you catch up on my great weekend.

on saturday, me and melissa went with kim and her son tomas to a summer fete near colchester, it happens to be a nursing home that judy finnegan's mum lives at, every year RICHARD AND JUDY open the fete and sign autographs etc. we waited patiently in the queue with the kids, then it was our turn to meet them, they were absolutely lovely, they chatted with us for a couple of minutes and then the kids got a signed autograph and had there photo taken with them. once that was done we visited the individual stalls, and kim and i got hooked on the tombola stall, she ended up winning 3 bottles of wine, some tea bags and a bottle of spring water, me on the otherhand, i ended up with a kids friut shoot drink and a tin of mackerel much to my dismay lol!! i was hoping for the bottle of bacardi, but never mind! the highlight of the day was when we were queueing for the toilets, kim had gone in with tomas which left just me and melissa waiting outside, and who walked up behind us, only richard himself!! so there we were happily chatting about the fete and the weather to one of britains top daytime tv celebrities...very surreal!

A BEGINNERS GARDEN

2007-07-11T16:40:00.000+01:00

as some of you may know, my mum is an avid gardener, and has the most beautiful garden ever. this year i've decided to follow in her footsteps and try, i repeat try, to take some pride in my own garden. when i moved into my house 2 years ago, the only plants growing were stinging nettles and the previous tenants had decided to have a bonfire smack bang in the middle of the lawn, it was an absolute tip!! i wish now i'd taken some before and after photos, but at that time i hadnt even heard of a digital camera and never owned a pc or heard of blogging lol! this year i've pulled my finger out and started on my garden. ive painted the fences, dug out some borders and planted some flowers. with a little help fom my mum of course lol!

im so pleased with the results and its a pleasure to sit in my garden now. im just waiting for summer to finally arrive so i can laze in the garden with a glass of wine and admire my handy work.

MEL'S SPORTS DAY

2007-07-11T15:06:00.000+01:00

today its been the annual sports day at mel's school, last year it had been boiling hot and sunny, but this year we stood there shivering! there were doubts it would even go ahead but luckily it stayed dry. she had such alot of fun and the children didnt seem to mind the temperature being so low. her favourite game was with a parachute, all the children hold onto the side and take it in turns to run under it. she also did really well at the running race... although she needed a rest afterwards!

and here she had to use a hockey stick and knock the ball around a course, she did so well, and had such a good time. this time last year she felt so embarrassed with everyone watching her, but what a difference a year can make, she was revelling in all the attention. a good time was had by all and an added bonus...they were allowed home early with an ice lolly.

WE'RE GOING TO THE ZOO, ZOO, ZOO

2007-07-08T22:18:00.000+01:00

ive had a really lovely weekend, on saturday me and the girls met my mum in town and headed off to colchester zoo for the day. mum hadnt been to the zoo for years, and was really looking forward to it, she's a dab hand at the old photography now and she took loads of lovely pictures, if you wanna see the whole collection of them go to http://ruthjen.blogspot.com/ and you can check them all out. we were so lucky too as the weather was glorious, and the only time there was the slightest bit of rain was when we were boarding the train ride, think someone was looking down on us there ( thanks mick x) we ended up walking round the zoo for 6 hours and even though me and my little one visit the zoo regularly i was amazed at how many animals i'd never actually seen before.

today ive had to work, 1; because they were short staffed and 2; i really need the extra money, my day ar work was fine and passed quite quickly thank gooness, although i missed my usual sunday morning lie in. when i got in it was time to cook dinner and catch up on the ironing and the usual sunday night baths and hairwashes. as i hadnt spent much time with the kids today i let them all stay up a bit later and we had a game of BUZZ, the playstation game, it was such fun!

i'm really looking forward to next weekend too, we're gonna be out stargazing, but not at the ones in the sky, "richard and judy" are opening a fete at a nursing home in colchester so on saturday we shall be there and then on sunday we're going to stowmarket to watch the "hollyoaks" men play footie against our local radio station. me and the girls are soooo excited!!! i will be sure to tell you all about it.

THE TOOTHFAIRY REVISITED

2007-07-02T21:25:00.000+01:00

i am so tired this evening, you know how some days you just dont get two minutes to sit down all day, well this has been one of those days. its also due to the fact i didnt get much sleep either last night. my little one melissa has had a wobbly tooth for aslong as i can remember, anyway last night at around 11pm it finally came out! dont ask me how it suddenly fell out at that time of night but it did, and she woke up so excited that now the tooth fairy would visit. so me and melissa went down stairs where she proudly wrote her little note to the fairies, put the tooth in the envelope and tucked it under her pillow. (ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 10 LOOK AWAY NOW) so now its my turn to creep back downstairs, hunt for another envelope completely different to the one melissa used and write back to her in my toothfairy handwriting,(something i learnt of mum years ago) which strangely enough is exactly the same as santa's lol!! put a pound coin in the envelope, yes inflation has risen, and then sneak back upstairs without being seen or heard. i must of finally got to sleep about half midnight, as every time i tried to swop the two envelopes over melissa would stir, and the thought of her catching me at the young age of 6 just doesnt bear thinking about.
so this morning she is a happy bunny because as far as she is concerned the toothfairies came and visited her last night and have taken her tiny little tooth to stand proudly in the toothfairy castle.

MY MUM

2007-06-29T19:59:00.000+01:00

what would i do without my mum??

i know this is my 3rd post of the day, but i just had to say that my mum is my saviour. i love her so much and she is there for me no matter what, tonight she has helped in the dilemma of my post going tits up. she is the most giving person i have ever known. my mum was so happy with mick (my stepdad), i hate calling him that, as he was so much more, but for those who dont know my family go back to my post of "http://help-leanne.blogspot.com/2007/06/happy-fathers-day.html, he was her life as she was to him. she was there for him 24/7 throughout there entire marriage and constantly during the last 2 years of him being ill. she cared for mick like no other would, dedicating her entire life to him, from morning till night, i dont even think she went to the loo without turning the intercom on. so this post is basically to say that i admire you, am in complete admiration for you, and love you more than words could ever say. LOVE YOU MUM XXXXX

OH DEAR

2007-06-29T19:02:00.000+01:00

well im not too sure what ive done now....but my sidebar has moved to the very end of my posts...help!! time to call mum i think!!!

MY PETS

2007-06-29T18:30:00.000+01:00

ive been trying for the last hour to upload a couple of pictures of our family pets, not very good photos but im a novice, and they kept moving!! mum gave me her old camera yesterday so i thought i'd give it a go and show you the other 2 members of our family. whoopee!!! i did it! its taken me ages though! but i think ive finally cracked it! my cat scarlet i adopted off a friend about 4 years ago, she was moving to cyprus and wasnt allowed to take it with her, and as she always used to come into our house anyway i thought i would take her on. she is the most lovable, homely cat ever, the only time she steps outside is whenever im out there too lol! and the girls hamster is called minty, it belongs to melissa officially, so it had to have a name beginning with M, and after watching eastenders one night, that was her name, or his, im not too sure how to tell the sex lol!

FIVE THINGS ...

2007-06-28T10:09:00.000+01:00

my mum tagged me the other day, but i wasnt sure how to add all my answers etc, but she has been over at mine today and thanks to her expertise i can now give you all my answers.
INSTRUCTIONS: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot, like so:

1. The Ice Box

2. The Buzz Queen

3. Us Danes & Our Family

4. Me, My, Life, My Garden

5. leanne. crows feet anonymous

Next select five people to tag:

being a new blogger everybody i know has already been tagged i think, but if you fancy a go, let me know in my comment box.

What were you doing 10 years ago? i was an army wife living in germany and a registered childminder.

What were you doing 1 year ago? i was single mum working in argos, and spending almost every weekend visiting my mum and mick, hoping it wasnt going to be the last time i saw him.

Five snacks you enjoy: bbq hula hoops, sour cream and chive pringles, chocolate of any kind, wotsits, jaffa cakes.

Five songs to which you know all the lyrics: madonna...like a prayer. kylie... cant get you outta my head, enrique iglesias...hero, aqua...barbie girl(unfortunaltely), maroon 5...moon and back.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire: pay off all my debts, have a fantastic family holiday, buy myself, my mum and my sister a brand new house, have a completely new wardrobe, and learn to drive.

Five bad habits: straightening my hair too much, giving in to my kids, eating my kids leftovers, hitting the snooze button far too many times, smoking.

Five things you like doing: bingo, gardening, computing, going out with my friends for a boogie, watching films.

Five favourite toys: mobile, hair straighteners, computer, hoover and microwave.

NOT SO HAPPY TUESDAY

2007-06-26T18:09:00.000+01:00

ive had quite a sad day today, ive been thinking about mick(my stepdad) alot the last couple of days, not that i dont think of him everyday, but yesterday something happened that made me 100% positive he's watching over me. when he was alive he made me a bird table, and as ive been getting the gardening bug lately, his bird table is now proudly erected in a small corner of my garden. well yesterday i'd got some compost and planted a few plants underneath it, its sorta like a little shrine area to him. i was sitting admiring the area, when i heard what sounded like someone knocking on my gate, next to the bird table, no one there, except the biggest most beautiful dragonfly sitting directly on top of mick's bird table. now i truly believe that it was mick telling me ...well done! today he has been in my thoughts constantly, i even started blubbing at work, something i havent done for ..oh at least a week! my friend at work was so sweet telling me not to feel silly. mick only passed away 11 and a half weeks ago, so its all still so raw. i think i try and be so strong for my kids and im trying to keep life as near normal as i can for their sakes, but sometimes i cant help but to let it all out. i just wish i could turn back the clock to 3 years ago. my life and all those in my family especially my mums, will never be the same without him, but its reassuring to know he's still watching over us all.

HAPPY MONDAYS

2007-06-25T10:26:00.000+01:00

i was thrilled this morning to have recieved my first award from cg(julie). you know how depressing monday mornings can seem, so this really cheered me up. ive only been blogging for about a week, so as yet i havent visited enough blogs to pass this award onto anyone else, although i could nominate my mum 3 times! thankyou to all the people who have visited me so far and left a comment, so if any of you would like to distribute my award to any of your favourites, leave a comment on my blog and i will be sure to check them out.

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN

2007-06-24T19:34:00.000+01:00

ive had a very girly weekend, friday night my friend kim came over, it was meant to be a quick cuppa and a natter, but instead it ended up a few too many vodka's and a very late night! we were both regretting it saturday morning, as i had to go to work and she had to attend a hen party lunch. we were both attending the hen party night on saturday so we had fully intended on a sober early friday night, but then sometimes the funniest evenings are the spur of the moment evenings. i got through my day at work, and rushed home to get ready for the evening, unfortunately the buses were randomly turning up, so i got home at half 6, i was due to be picked up at 7, but there was no way i could get ready, chat with the kids and cook and eat dinner in half an hour! anyway by half 7 i was ready, my friend was gobsmacked, as i have never got ready for an evening out that quickly. we dressed the bride to be in a learner sash, and feather boa, and we all had special hen party badges, mine said "on the prowl" well i am single lol! we had a really good night, dancing and drinking, unfortunatley the bride to be had to go home early as she was a little worse for wear. i woke up this morning very tired but thankfully i was sensible and turned to water during the evening, i cant stand hangovers especially when you've 3 kids to look after. all in all a nice weekend, would of been better to get a little bit of june sunshine today but i guess we cant have it all.

SAVE OUR SCHOOL

2007-06-22T18:05:00.000+01:00

i found out yesterday that the government are trying to close down my eldest daughters school to make way for more houses. both my son who is now 15 and left school and my eldest daughter aged 13 have both been to this school since year 7( average age 10). we moved over the other side of town after me and my husband broke up, but yet they have still endeavoured to leave home at 7.45 every morning to travel to the other side of town, and not getting home until gone 4pm, a very long day, to attend alderman blaxill school, this has been very tiring for them and very expensive for me, as the fact that i chose a different school outside the catchment area(to go to one of the best schools) didnt qualify me for any cheaper bus pass, even though im a single parent with three children. but that didnt matter, i would rather they had a good happy school life than save a few pennies! the evening gazette our local paper and the school itself are looking for any help trying to keep the school going strong. please look on the link below if you would like to add to the petition, thanku!!
alderman blaxill petition

6 GOING ON 16

2007-06-20T22:10:00.000+01:00

just an update on my daughters school trip... she had a great time and the sun shone all day for her. i had to laugh though, all the children were allowed to take in £2 spending money, most of the children came out with fridge magnets or little porcelain farm animals which they'd seen down on the farm.... now what does melissa buy with her £2... SOME BRIGHT PINK TRENDY SUNGLASSES!! thats my girl lol!!

HELLO AGAIN

2007-06-20T10:24:00.000+01:00

as im new to all this blogging i havent been on here for a couple of days, 1: because my days monday to friday are practically always the same, so im pretty sure im not exactly going to be compelling reading, 2: by the time ive managed to finally sit down and have the pc all to myself, big brother is about to start ( you either love it or hate it, and i love it) and 3: just when im about to get started on here, my darn pc has a habit of switching off!
so here i am, ive a day off today as unfortunately i have to work saturday this week, my kids are not impressed, as i had said we'd go to the zoo, but now we'll have to leave it till sunday. ive been lucky enough to get away with working sat's for the last couple of years, i have a very sympathetic boss, who understanding the situation with my stepdad, and the importance of me visiting him as many weekends as i could, had allowed me to only work mon to fri, now though im back to doing sat's and although i didnt think i'd mind, its actually a right pain!!
my youngest girl is off on a school trip today to marsh farm, im hoping the weather will stay nice for her as last night we had the most terrible thunderstorms, i dont really mind them as i find it quite cosy snuggled up inside when the weather is so bad outside, my daughter on the other hand finds it a great excuse to have to stay up late, most nights i lay in bed with her while she drinks her milk, and read a story to her, but last night i was so tired i actually fell asleep with her lol! which she loved!
right well im gonna make the most of the sunshine and go and cut my lawn, ive become a bit of a gardener lately, i used to leave my grass till it was almost knee high, but this year im getting the green fingers bug.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY ?

2007-06-17T21:10:00.000+01:00

firstly i just want to say happy fathers day to all the dads reading this, i hope you've had a great day. for me, this is the first fathers day without mine. mick my stepdad sadly passed away 10 weeks ago, he'd been diagnosed with a brain tumour back in may 2005, the doctors only gave him 2 months to live, but with strength and courage and alot of love and care from my mum he lived for almost 2 years. i miss him so much! he may of not been my biological dad but he was the kindest, caring, loving man ive ever known, and im so grateful he was part of my life, and always will be. i remember 2 years ago on fathers day when he was still able to walk and talk, me and my sister had bought him a share in his favourite football team..millwall...it was such an emotional day, as we all knew the inevitable was going to happen, and the thought of my life without him in it seemed unbearable. thankfully he saw last fathers day too but by this time he slept most of the time and altho he knew i was there he was unable to do anything except eat. so today, like birthdays christmas and other special days just wont ever be the same. i shed a fare few tears today as me and mum sat in the garden chatting about life when mick was here, it just feels so empty without him

so this post is just to say ... happy fathers day mick!!! in my heart forever x

MAD COWS AND ENGLISHMEN

2007-06-16T20:47:00.000+01:00

woke up today at 745, early for me on a saturday i know, but melissa had her summer fayre and she was singing in the choir, she did so well considering she hadnt been able to practise and only found out yesterday she was doing it! afterwards it was a mad rush trying to get sorted to go to my mums. we arrived in sudbury at 2ish, mum was waiting for us despite the fact it had been peeing down with rain. it always feels so strange walking into mum and micks house and him not being there. we caught up with the latest comings and goings of the week and then decided to go for a walk down the river, thankfully the heavens didnt open again and we had a lovely walk, the highlight was coming across some aberdeen angus cows( sorry but all i could think of was burger king!!)

you can tell by the look on their faces they were not impressed lol!

we had such a lovely walk and it was good to see my three kids having such a good time together, no arguing or annoying each other, just playful fun.

we were all nicely tired when we got back to mums, the kids chilled out whilst me and mum got on with sorting dinner, no rest for the wicked, but a couple of glasses of wine helped. we've all got full stomachs, especially the kids, they ate all their dinner and had two helpings of desert. so mum was happy with their empty plates. now its a chilled out night in front of the tv.