it's getting bad

Maybe I should have another kid? Nah. The only time I think that is when I am outside trying to do a bit of gardening (read: Weeding) and am having to socialise our mad cat.

He's FINALLY ventured out and become relaxed with Baked Beans and Toast. All the cats named by Mae are food based. Unfortunately a new one called Tomato has shown up. He is black, like Sprout, which is either very creative or a sad indictment of my cooking.

Anyway, Tomato is a pure nutjob. Very skittish, almost to the point of being not playful, just crazy. And he is chasing Rumpole all the time. If our neighbours have their windows open I am sure they think I am some crazy-old-lady in the making. And if not, and they are seeing me talk to them both without sound....even worse.

Rumpole is going to have to fend for himself.

6+

Phew.

And breathe.

What a great day Mae had for her party- no volcanic ash falling from the sky, no snow, lots of pals, colours, songs and fun.

I don't really remember what happened.

It's more of an out-of-body experience; I feel about three steps from a stroke on Mae's birthdays, but have been told that it's unnoticable, thank god!

We did musical chairs this time, and to the 5,6,7,8's which was hilarious!!

Then family stayed on and we played with her new fabulous keyboard, one of her favourite gifts so far!! But she got loads of dino and buggish toys, which was really nice, as the gang of friends now know each other enough to know what they like. Growing up!

6

3 Weeks Bed Rest

That is generally what I need after any length of school holiday, and now that the latest two week visit people and be visited extravaganza that would be soooooo nice. But, it was great, and visiting Sharon was unexpectedly relaxed, thanks to the Reids themselves as well as having our own 'suite' at the top of the house, complete with a tray of goodies....it was the drive back that stank.

Then the Mitras showed up, and I always assume Shub will get plenty of photos, and he does, but I always forget to get them before they rush away. Anyway, and as usual, it was lovely and the kids played great together. Maya happily gets bossed around by Mae, and Jamie studies the adults for inadequacies, which he finds in abundance. Hilarious, although being an evil genius it will only be cute until he is about 17. And Mae loves her gift- here's a successful photo of the coolest glow writing toy!!! Love it!! I write to her every night after she's asleep.

Now that the holiday is over, the weather is beautiful. It turned nice on Saturday, when Mae took her hard earned cash and bought a DS- which she has been coveting for about three years, when she used to carry her play cash register around pretending it was one.

The next nice day (Sunday) I had promised a movie, so we went to see Nanny McPhee. I tried to talk her out of it, due to the weather and the fact that we helped ALOT with the DS, but no go. I was able to get her out later for some sun.

So back to school for her today, and me, cleaning, culling toys, planning party and wallpapering (it's almost done). After dinner we invented a new game. Roll the rasperry. I even got photos, although next time I need to go to the toilet first, because I almost ended up peeing myself!

Changes

Here are some new additions to our house; a lovely new coffee table (no comments, please, oldies: it's RETRO!!) and a new colour in the kitchen (not yet completely completed!!!)

And more changes to the crew in Aberdeen whom we visited this weekend: a lovely house that we could all fit into, even around the table, without your butt touching the stove. Very pleasant indeed!!!

We had a great time with the girls, and John when he was around. As you may have seen, some face painting. Guess who is a dino, and who are butterfly, flowery girls.


Sharon even acquiesced to Mae painting her face, and it was a pretty good tiger, although as soon as she said 'I think I need to wash this off my face', the door rang!! This poor man thought he was just doing market research, I think he was glad to get out alive!!!

I have pictures of all the girls, but will send them to Sharon to divulge them at will as she is camera-less. Just a couple of Claire, who is definetly her own person. Total punk.

Hilarity

There was some laughing in our house last night. Laughing-till-you-cry laughing.

Hi Jock McCuddy, my cuddy's ower the dyke,
and if you touch my cuddy, my cuddy will gie yae a bite.

I can't even tell you how Mae translated this. But it was funny.

What a little star! I was a bit concerned this week after parents night, when Mae's teacher said she had moved her a couple of times to 'help her focus'. She did quickly say this was not unlike any other child in the class, but everyday I hear (from the perp herself) that she was the 'best behaved' kid in the class. Sucker mum.

BUT! Then she came home yesterday with a Star Award! On Thursday she brought in a dino bone (or maybe sheep....), a lava rock and a fossil. Last two are bona fide. And gave a talk in front of her class and apparently even answered questions:

Q.Is that bone a hundred and fifty one catrillion years old?
A. Maybe. Maybe.

Q.Could a dinosaur eat 400 chickens a day?
A. Prob'ly.

Q.Did that dinosaur have a butt as big as 4 kids?
A.Hah hah hah (I imagine that was the end of show and tell)

Mae had to get her star award in front of the whole school at assembly, and had to get it from Mr Kelly, the Reverend. Is this 1976 Newfoundland? Weird.


In other news, Rumpole is finally making friends. Then the grey one, Charlie shows up.

And we continue to have friends over, which is nice in this house. Unfortunately all the kids who come in say how messy the house is. So I can't say it was down to the lack of storage in the last house.

They still enjoy dressing up and playing in the garden. Mae has made so much use of the tiger outfit, hopefully I can find more when we are home in the summer. The reason for the look on her face is that she has a gigantic wedgie!

Hate

This is what I hate about our garden.


Roses. Just look at these suckers!

World Book Day

Happy World Book Day!! I love books- I am rereading 'The 6 Wives of Henry VIII' by Antonia Fraser, and enjoying every minute.

At school they were celebrating it as well today, with a 'dress as your favourite Scottish book character day'......what the what? That's limiting it, isn't it?! But I thought, easy, go as the Loch Ness Monster, Mae has plenty of dino outfits.





Then my husband (he will remain nameless) came home and said, 'what about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde?'. He explained the story and Mae was hooked.



Who gets to sort out the costume?





Thank god we aren't in Tudor England!!!

Here's Toast (he's Baked Beans brother, so Mae has told us). He doesn't belong to us. He thinks we belong to him.

And it snowed again this week! This has been the longest (not worst) winter since I have been here!

The Litmus Test

I should rename it 'the Reid test'- and Langley passed! It could accommodate our little family and the Von Trapps of the 21st century (without the Nazi's after them, of course)- Sharon, John, Ailsa, Heather, Claire and Laura. AND we were one room down, so the next time they come it will be great!
And little Laura is fantastic, a happy, chilled child who will spend hours doing lots of really slow backwards caterpillars. Great!!! As usual it took Mae a minute or two to adjust to the volume the Reids carry with them, but she Ailsa and Heather get along great. Even Sharon and I didn't fight!! (Everytime Mae has some sort of falling out with a classmate I tell her that Sharon and I used to fight all the time, and I think she doesn't believe that we really got through it)
It was really nice to see them all, spend some time at the beach, spend time chatting and eating a drinking and can't wait to see them at Easter!!

Whiskey Galore

Geoff has joined the local whiskey club, Drambusters, and went out Friday night to a tasting, not really knowing what to expect. He came home slightly worse for wear but enjoyed it immensely. The fact he was hungover I enjoyed immensely! Although it's an expensive habit: he came home having ordered a £30 bottle. (that's a new pair of shoes for me!!).
The club, and local whiskey shop is owned by our neighbours Brian and Karen. I guess it's good to have neighbours like that but something about them seeing Geoff pissed on a regular basis makes me slightly wary....like desperate househusbands or something!!

should work

if you weren't getting the video, I think it's fixed!

The Bard

Seeing as it's Burns Night, I thought you would like Mae's latest learnt poem. Canadians: translate!!!

Decisions decisions

This past week has been heavy with bad decisions:
The schools deciding to stay closed till last Friday, which meant I had to take Tuesday off work as I didn't have childcare.
My decision to send Mae to her childminder's on Wednesday even though she told me she was sick in the morning. Two hours at work and I had to go pick the poor girl up. I was off till Friday.
And Mae's decision to roast marshmallows on the woodstove today. Me and Geoff (and initially, Mae) thought it was a great decision until she remembered she hates marshmallows. She just looked at me with stringy marshmallow between her fingers and said 'Ungh! GOD! Gross!' with her mouth hanging open until I stopped laughing and told her to go spit it in the toilet.

Christmas Turkeys

We had a great Christmas, and I hope everyone else did! The gifts were all a hit, the day was chilled, the food (by me!) turned out great!! Geoff even complimented the moistness of the turkey; he is usually quite reticent to eat turkey so it was a real tour de force, if a dead turkey wrapped in bacon can be one of those.

Another Christmas turkey is Mae's latest haircut, which she loves. I am not so sure, although I paid the hairdresser (does this look like an asymetrical bob or two haircuts on the same person? I mean, really, for jeepers in hecks' sake!) Thank god for knowing kindly hairdressers; we are booked in on January 4th and that is one appointment we are not going to miss!

One of the best parts about this Christmas has been the snow-loads!!! A perfect beginning in our new home- even though we continue to struggle with the downdraft from the woodstove and are probably slowly poisoning ourselves, the scene outside still warms the heart. I think it's also done me good for about a week taking Mae everywhere in her sled. Good workout!

Then on Boxing Day went to the relatives' house to hang out and continue to fall in love with our new nephew, who looks alot like Bonhomme! He is jolly and happy and quick to smile, but the one thing about him is that he HAS to know what is going on, and his head is on a swivel checking everyone out all the time!

Even more snow outside their back window! We couldn't get the girls outside, little misses.

Here they are playing with the present of the year, from Nana and Papa. Its a cool dino world with maniac cars speeding around. Mae loves it, Rumpole loves is and it was the perfect gift until we saw the disadvantages....

And yes, I managed to get a picture. Mae wasn't crying, the only thing was that I was laughing too hard!! A couple more of these run-ins and her hair will be all one length!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Request

I don't usually do requests, particularly for that after dinner cup of tea for Geoff, but here you go mom, pics of Mae in recent weeks, including a close-up of a now gone to the tooth fairy tooth on the verge of falling out. I would like everyone to reflect on the fact that if we were still using film, this is one thing that wouldn't be caught on it.