Catch up

Feels like we are still going flat out- probably no sleep doesn't help. Mae has been up loads in the night, although the new star chart is out and last night we all slept well!! Star charts, hmmmm. A weird idea, something I wouldn't have thought would be my type of parenting thing, but, hell, if they work. And Geoff and I are even on the latest one, for yelling. We both got stars for not yelling yesterday so I will also keep you up to date on that....

Mae's latest thing is writing books. She brought this home from school last week and I almost died! Dana, doesn't this remind you of US?! Hopefully you can read it with these pictures.

And today she is working on one about planets (the arrows were her idea. this page is about the earth orbitting the sun!)

Catch up on the Mitra's visit- Geoff was sleeping too late so we sent the kids in.

And me and Mae being girly girls (no insects or reptiles anywhere!!!)

One week and one day

My name is Jennifer and I am a party planner. I am going to start PPA, a 6-step programme for over enthusiastic parents. (because if it is 12 steps you are trying too hard!!)

1- stop blowing up those balloons.

2- muffins create misery, and they don't want company

3-party bags create early onset psychosis (no comments, John!)

4- ANY party games for 5 years and under in groups of 15 children and more are destined to fail

5-guests demanding bread and butter only are reason enough not to invite them next year

6-ensure any birthdays are not followed by chocolate based christian holidays



There! Most of those I can cope with. Helen, Shubo, Maya and Jamie eased the blow for the next few days and the kids kept Mae very happy- most of the next few days were spent outside, at Mabie Farm, with a cool new giant pillow bounce thing that Helen loved!

At Keswick in the lake district, beautiful and full of dogs. (Iwent shopping during the scenic bus trip!!)


Out for a trip to the beach and a magical walk 1.5 miles to the next villiage.


Up to Edinburgh for a child free day while said child was with her nana and papa visiting Dynamic Earth. Fun-filled charity shop shopping and delis hooray!!


Friday was another parents only day, while Mae enjoyed a great monster cake at Liza's and a trip to the castle.


Saturday we went to the wildlife hospital and stumbled across a dalmation dog show. Crazy.


Today swimming with her dad and karate soon.

Tomorrow back to school. breathe.......

Lizards, Turtles and Snakes, oh MY!

Well, Mae is not quite 5 yet, but we had her party yesterday and it was a success! We had this one at the local community centre, which in some ways was much easier- but as Mae wanted to invite loads of friends from school then we figured that would be the best thing.

Lee, who owns a reptile shop, came with scorpions, bearded and chinese dragons, tortoises, a python, corn snake and other slithery things and the kids got to stroke them and learn about them- it was quite good and only a couple weren't interested. Mae thought it was great and ended up holding the snakes. Notice the birthday girl in her dino pyjamas- glad I didn't buy a new dress for this party!!

Dino cake and games came after, two kids cried, parents seemed happy and most just chilled. So it was good!!

I can't believe she is almost 5!!!

Spring madness sale

No, there is no sale, it's just spring Madness.

Been to Northampton last weekend to visit great and dear friends. Great time. This weekend is a birthday party (avec reptiles) and a visit from (different) great and dear friends. So it's a bit nuts around here. More pics when party happens.

And I probably won't explain this later, but Mae held a giant millipede in her hands today. I wasn't there, but she said she loved it. She also held a hissing cockroach, and wants one for her birthday. That won't happen. Unfortunately, it is now almost a year since we got her cousin two stick insects for her birthday, however as auntie is very pregnant (and looking good on it) I am hoping and praying they have forgotten this minor misdemeanor.

Credit Crunch My Ass

When Shoes are still selling for £1600.

And people won't accept a reasonable offer for a house. No way is there a credit crunch.

Centre Parcs

What a week! For those of you who haven't heard of, or have never been to a Centre Parcs holiday village, it is absolutely nuts! Check out the link, it's a slideshow.

Cente Parcs is a fairly secure, huge wooded, car-free forest filled with holiday cottages, parks, activity centres, bike paths, etc etc. We were invited by Chris and Elaine and joined by parent-in-laws.

I think you would have to be there for two weeks to even see the whole place. We did a week and spent most of the time in the pool(s)!! There was a beached area, with intermittent waves, a pool with jacuzzi seats. Three outdoor pools. Four flumes, three slides. A river area. Waterfalls. Shallow pools, deep pools. Baby pool. Cold water, warm water and hot water pools. It was nuts. And we went every day!! My favourite bit is the river area, as the currents pull you around really fast. It's hilarious, but really hard to get out of, you have to swim like hell. I saw a woman in her 70's in it on the second day who couldn't get out! Her relatives were trying to catch her to get her out. They were laughing but I can imagine it could have been quite scary!

And you can join in about 75 different activities. Cooking, pony trekking, teddy bear making, the list goes on a mile. But unlike the pool and park and bike riding, these are all chargable, and expensive. So the girls just did a 'pony pals' ride and taking care of a pony. Mae smiled like a fool the whole time.

It was slightly surreal, but we would go back again!!

Birthday Bonanza!

Happy Birthday to Jack, Henry and Hannah this weekend!!

Happy Birthday Lilian!!

Another milestone reached.....

Armpit farts.

"MAE!!!"

Mae and I had to pick up some cinema tickets at the Burns Centre, which has a tiny independent film theatre in it (which apparently you can rent for £18 for you and all your pals! Cool!) the other day. The centre also has a cafe/upmarket (for Dumfries) restaraunt called Hulabaloo's, as well as a Robert Burns exhibition.


Mae decided that I needed to learn more about Rabbie so she hauled me upstairs (I have no idea how many times she has been there, but never with me) and gave me the tour:


'this is what Dumfries looked like when Robert Burns and his wife, Jean Armour lived here'


'this is his soldiers jacket'


'this is his sword'


etc, etc.





After this we were on our way out and she said she needed a 'wee break and a bite to eat, do you want a coffee' trying to entice me into Hulabaloo's. After a bit of wrangling she hauled me upstairs. There were about 9 people in there. Five of them shouted 'Mae! How ya doing!!?'





Oh my god.

Man, what a night!!

Acrually, I think this photo may be used again (you know who you are...)

But, by the fourth trip to the farm this week we figured we may as well take a few pics. Mae has grown into the go karts, this was taken just before she crashed (I wouldn't make a good paparazzi as I was screaming 'look at me!'look at me!).

And she has made a new friend, baby alpaca, who is incredibly cute, he looks like a puppet (although I wouldn't shove my hand up his ass to see if he can talk), and he loves Mae- he always comes up and gives her a sniff and a nibble on her jacket.

The cutest bit was the new baby goats, no pictures as they were sucking my fingers the whole time!! I would love a pet goat. Who though, would offer to take care of it when we go on holidays? Seriously. WAY better than a rabbit.

My worst nightmare

No, it's not being up for lots of the night with the Reid girls staying over. It was actually a really nice visit, especially as Claire is loving me at the moment, and getting to see Heather grow into a very intellegent girl is great fun (she knows how to play the second child, that's for sure).

It's rabbits. There was one out front today, obviously a pet and so Mae and I tracked down the owner and they got it home. I tried to catch it at one point, but if Sharon had run over it on her way home I would have been quite happy.

On the news tonight was a story about these horrific monsters, that they are being bred and may 'hit the shops in about three years' as the newsreader stated. What, in a ramraid....?

This is fun

I kicked ass, and got loads of rice. It's weird, and maybe not really ethical, in some ways. Maybe it will spark a debate. Come on, Bethanne, Patrick and Tracey!!!

Fartgunya

No, it's not a new dish, like Chicken Gunya. It's when you make Mae angry about something. She bends over, and says, I'm Fart gunning ya. And then farts. It's not pleasant. I would say it's all out warfare.

This is for Andrew. Enjoy!!

FINALLY!!

We got some snow- just a little.

This weekend, we decided to cancel our trip to Northampton. What to do? Go to Newcastle for the night!! I really like Newcastle, having visited for the first time last year. We didn't get to stay at the Hilton this time, just the modest Premier Inn, but it was a good day and night.

We took Mae to the Seven Stories kids book centre, which was great, where we met the Gruffalo!! Geoff got a picture on his mobile which I will add soon, but he was a great big mascot-y type thing, brown fur, black tongue, purple pricles all over his back. All the kids ran up to him and started hugging him, but Mae was having none of it, sensibly.

Next day we went to the Blatic where we caught a bit of the Yoko Ono exhibition, which was a bit interesting, and her drawings were lovely, but there was an installation of a perspex maze, but under 16's weren't allowed in. Gimme a break, Yoko.

The night before we went out for dinner, and were walking along the waterfront, when we passed a man's club. Newcastle is a notorious hotspot for hen and stag nights, people wearing very little clothes and loads and loads of drunkeness. So we were passing this club and these two yahoos were walking by and one young guy ran up and peeked into the window, and started to shout 'Hey!! Let's see if we can see some fannies' (which is a stupid word for female genitalia), when he saw Mae and actually shouted, 'Hey!!! Let's see if we can see some FAN............oh, sorry.....'. Geoff and I almost killed ourselves laughing! He was nice to think that we might be offended, but unless he screamed 'Kooka' Mae would have been none the wiser.

And Mae has been taking loads of photos these days and I told Andrew I would post them: I like the one of PeeWee and Snow Bear.