Monthly Archives: January 2010

Spiritual Sunday – The Power of Tea

 in spiritual / Sunday / tea by

  There is no trouble so great or grave that is can not be diminished by a nice cup of tea  Bernard-Paul Heroux Sometimes there is no words or actions that can make a week any better than it was, this week just gone was one of them.  Mum broke her arm and mini mad has discovered a rage inside, which has started to cause issues at preschool.  I have felt pulled in every which way. My mum is OK, sore and in a pot from fingertips to elbow and a sling, but she can still go on holiday to Florida with my brother next week and once she was all more »

Snowy Satuday

 in shopping. garden / snow by

We woke up this morning to a good three inches of snow, football tots was cancelled and we have had the joy of a morning of not having to be anywhere and beatiful soft snow and sunshine.   I went out with MiniMad and we took some photographs whilst Maxi and MadDad cleared the cars.  The sun was shining  and everything looks clean and just wonderful. This is what is left of the mint that we love in the summer in our herb pots, it just looked so wonderful with the snow on top. It looks even better with the sun reflecting on it, this snow isn’t going to last, so more »

Please don’t call me brave.

 in bah to cancer / brave / breast cancer / mastectomy / Wednesday writing workshop by

Please don’t call me brave, please don’t tell me I have done the brave thing.  What I have done was the easy option, the only option I felt open to me.  It was Hobson’s choice.  How could I live knowing the risk I had and not worry with every passing moment that a cancer was growing inside me.  No I took the easy way out. Please don’t call me brave.  I have never had to tell my children, my husband, my mother or my friends that I have cancer.  I have never had to make them feel that everything is going to be OK, when actually I want them to be more »

Budget Pouches and Cash Budgeting

 in budget pouches / budgeting / cash / frugal / mend and make do / sewing by

There has been a lot of murmuring in blog land recently on being thrifty, managing on one income and the mend and make do lifestyle. I thought I would add my penny’s worth, as we have been living as frugally as possible on one income for a number of reasons.  People who knew me from old are totally amazed to the change in me, but it is so worth making sacrifices and changes to spend this time with my boys.  So as they say mother is the necessity of invention!! One of our biggest changes has been moving from never carrying cash to using a cash only system for incidentals, fuel, more »

Genetics – Would you want to know? 4

 in brca1 / breast cancer / genes / genetics / geriatric mummy / hospital / mastectomy by

Geriatric Mummy is in the very unfortunate circumstances of watching her beloved Father go rapidly downhill with early onset dementia and she has asked what other people would do in her situation.  I decided to do a post, rather than a comment, as it would be rather long, as this is a subject close to my heart. I have a faulty gene, technically they call it a spelling mistake in the DNA and in mine and my family’s case the issue is with the BRCA 1 gene, which for me due to my family history means that I had an 80% lifetime risk of breast cancer and a 60% lifetime risk more »

Welcome MeMe

 in songs and stories me me / tagged / Welcome meme by

I have been tagged my Sally over at Who’s the Mummy, she is the wonder-woman who compiles the Tots 100 index and also edits The Great Toy Guide. I especially like this meme, as is to give new bloggers a great big welcome in to the wonderful world of the Blogershere, which I joined 6 months ago. Since then I have thrown myself in at the deep end and I love it. I have a pretty full google reader, but I am always on the look out for new blogs which are inspiring, an interesting read, peak my creativity or just make me laugh. So here are Sally’s rules Visit the more »

Comments

 in comments / intense debate by

Hello lovley blog readers.  I am trying In tense debate for my blog comments, so that I can reply back to each of you rather than do a catch all post. Now I though it was going OK, but you need to be in the individual post to be able to comment, so can you bear with me please and click on the title for the post and you should see the comment box under the post. If it all turns out pants I will go back to the old way. Please dont stop commenting, I love your comments and wanted things to be a little more interactive thats all!

Consistency has been the Key

 in consistency / help. minimad / minimad / normality / tantrums / tempter by

I thought it was about time I updated you on the MiniMad situation and I am pleased to say that we seen to be going in the right directions with the temper tantrums.   I have put my action list in to play and we have drastically reduced the number of incidents and also blessedly the length of any tantrums which do start. I have not succumbed to any of my curly hair terrorists demands and as someone commented you do not negotiate with terrorists! The main things that have made the biggest difference are: Setting expectations of what I want him to do. Counting down to when we are doing more »

Writing Workshop 14

 in Wednesday writing workshop by

You know what, none of the writing prompts fill me with the need to write this week. I could be a million and one cartoon characters, but not one is me.  I am unique and can not be categorised, so this is about me. Me, a mass of contradictions A loving mother with two children I would lay down my life for, do they define me, to a point they do.  I am Mini and Maxi mads mum, to their friends, to the teachers and to some of the other parents at school and preschool. I love my husband even more than my children, if that is at all possible.  He more »

Learning to Set the Table 19

 in craft / handmade; homemade; crafts / homemade; crafts / placemat / sewing / tablesetting placemat by

Manners, I like manners.  In fact I think that the boys can get away with most things, if they say please, thank you and have table manners. We are teaching the boys to help around the house, well they have been since they could walk really and lately they have been trying to set the table, but their constant “I cant remember which side the fork goes on mummy” has been driving me crackers, especially as I am in the kitchen preparing the dinner. So I put my thinking cap on and came up with these……. My first attempt at free form sewing.  I used some fabric I already had in more »

Childrens Craft Showcase – Home Made Scented Playdough 18

 in childrens craft / childrens craft showcase / crafts / scented playdough by

Lets start the year with an oldie but a goodie and this is something that you can take out when you are lacking in motivation or just need a little break.  Once you have made it you will never again buy it and trust me adding essential oils makes it so nice. Materials/Ingredients 1 and half cups (1 cup is 250ml) of salt 3 cups of warm water 3 cups of plain flour 3 tablespoons of oil 6 teaspoons of cream of tartar Food colouring Essential oils, I use lavender, neroli, geranium, camomile Air tight containers Method add the salt and water to a large pan and wait for the salt more »

Sand and Snow and Places To Go 12

 in cinema / minimad / sea / snow / The Wiggles / weekend by

The snow and ice has virtually gone now.   I can not believe how long it has remained and that is actually laid on the sand.         I can not remember this happening in my lifetime. Anyway enough of the snow, me and my boys have been to see The Wiggles at the cinema this morning.  MiniMad is an avid fan, who was introduced to them by my MIL. We have booked to see them live in June on his birthday.  We took the boys last year and they had a whale of a time.  After watching him sing and dance this morning, I am so excited.  Both boys more »

Bloggers for Haiti 4

 in bloggers for haiti / DEC / haiti by

I like many others have been shook to the core by the events in Haiti.  As a mother this just breaks my heart.  To try to explain to my boys what has happened and why, well it is so hard. How do you explain that yes a natural disaster, the earthquake caused the devastation and that a dictatorship is prolonging the pain and preventing the aid and aid workers from getting to the areas that they need. Mummy Bloggers are clubbing together to publicise the plight of this horrendous event.  I would like to publicise two ways to donate. Firstly the DEC, the Disasters Emergency Committee, which was formed in 1963.  more »

Stories and Songs MeMe 10

 in meme / music / songs / songs and stories me me / tagged by

I have been tagged again (January must be the month of tags) by Fraught Mummy from Brits in Bosnia for her Stories and Songs me me.  Now there is no way I could single this down to one song.  I love music almost as much as I love photo’s and I actually categorise times of my life by certain songs and music. So here goes: Courting MadDad – The WonderStuff, Hot Love now 1994 1994 was a wonderful year for me and MadDad. We decided to get together in February and a whirlwind romance followed, where we did all the festivals and spent the year camping at weekends and visiting parts more »

Creative update and Nightmares in Children 13

 in anti-monster spray / Birthday / birthday crown / handmade; homemade; crafts / monster / pen roll / pencil cases / sewing / tea cosy by

Well with the laptop still not being well, I have been busy in the craft room.  MaxiMad’s best friend is 5 tomorrow, so with money still being very tight, I have made some presents for him. Firstly I made a birthday Crown.  The inspiration for this was taken from Amanda Soules Creative Family.  I now have two for the boys cut out. I have also made him a pencil roll and popped some double ended pencils in it. Finally inspired by Beki over at The rambling of an everyday mother, I have made him a monster, I even went to Argos and bought the same tea towels, although mine looks very more »

Writing Workshop 9

 in out my window / poem / Wednesday writing workshop by

The Yellow top of a ride on car A red plastic tractor that hasn’t gone far The sandpit lid sits all forlorn For no children are out this morn A whirligig, not spins or holds Any gently drying clothes The children’s slide, swing and balls Still hiding under previous icy snow falls But there is signs of life and hope In my garden with its slope A robin red breast pecks away On a bird feeder filled today The Brussels sprouts stand proud and tall Some leeks too survived the snow fall Inside, all warm I scheme and plan for spring to come and lend a hand For this winter has more »

Dealing with Temper Tantrums – A response 14

 in help. minimad / minimad / tantrums / tempter by

What can I say, apart from a great big thank you obviously.  The blogging and Internet community has done it again and come to my aid. I have had some fantastic comments on my post about minimads temper issues and one thing I am sure of it that it will pass, all of your comments has made me sure of this.  It seems that I am not alone in experiencing this and if others can get through it then so can I. The comments were so good and insightful I felt that they deserved a post of their own, that way if anyone else is going though this, they can see more »

Who will win the war 31

 in help. minimad / tantrums / tempter by

We seem to be fignhting a never ending battle in The Mad House at the moment with minimad.  Mothership posted today about seeing yourself in your children and it got me thinking and I finally decided to come clean about an issue we are having with MiniMad. I have always said the mini’s were headstong, their own men, independant thinking, but it is just an excuse really, just a polite way of saying, that they can be stuboarn, hard headed and bloody hardwork at times.  This stage with Maxi wasnt too bad, we were able to negotiate, distract ot tickle our way out of things, but my oh my, with Mini more »