KIDS | Family Affairs and other matters

LAST DAY OF THE HOLIDAYS

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I am trying very hard to enjoy having my children around for ONE LAST DAY. Although we are having a boring sorty out day. It is all change tomorrow when we have to get up super early for school tomorrow and get out in a hurry with all the relevant kit. That is not good. But then again, I am quite looking forward to normality resuming somewhat. Today has been a mad flurry of homework activity, interspersed with my daughter gagging in the garden whilst having to clean out a flower pot that her friend vomited in the night before, several vain attempts to remove my son's ear piercing which seems well and truly stuck, dealing with a kitten with the shits, sorting out school uniform for tomorrow and consequently HUUUGE piles of washing and trying to deal with my ever increasing pile of admin and outstanding bills. I even added everyone's birthday into my new diary (yes, I still have a paper diary) - when I was a proper married grown up many years ago I started a Birthday Book. I religiously wrote down everyone's birthday and all their relevant offspring's birthdays too. It was a little depressing going through it today. Lots of dead people. Lots of people I don't see anymore owing to them being on my ex-husband's side of the family. Lots of people I have never heard of (worryingly). I have been cleaning and sorting mostly today. I haven't got very far yet. Hardly made a dent. My house has been in utter chaos for two weeks. Many people staying, Xmas, my son's birthday, New Year, a new kitten, TONS of teenagers hanging out all the time - all the usual stuff, but it has amounted to my house looking like this:- The stairs:- My washing pile (and that is just the white wash!!). Thinking I might just burn all the clothes and make them wear wash down plastic sheeting at all times instead:- My teenage son's room which I haven't ventured into all holiday until today. HOW REVOLTING. Will have to spend the next two days searching for the floor and possibly several sleeping teenagers:- Here is our recycling bag with added kitten (no longer allowed to leave the building - we've all become a little too attached and almost even agreed on a name):- Here he is "helping" me take the Xmas tree down today. First time he's dared climbed up that far and then he inevitably got stuck:- Here he is exhausted from all that exertion. Is this the most laid back cat ever? Look at his little feet! (but not at what appears to be my Christmas stomach - I don't remember stuffing a cushion under my jumper prior to the photo, but I might have:- Peace and quiet tomorrow.... I bet I hate it.

ONESIES/ONEPIECES FOR ADULTS

Thursday, December 29, 2011

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My daughter has found a good place to keep our Christmas kitten: Kids haven’t stopped wearing them all holiday and sorry to add the post again, but I keep getting the title wrong – yes they’re Onesies, but these ones are called OnePieces now. Here is the one my son chose http://onepiece.com/gb/shop/product/view:TR10001 – he looks [...]

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

Sunday, December 25, 2011

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Dear all, In haste, this is just a quick note to wish you all a Happy Christmas – or as the Archbishop Of Canterbury recently said, “I wish you all a Messy Christmas”. Which in my case is what it will be. It is early Christmas morning and it is only my mother and I [...]

ONESIES

Thursday, December 22, 2011

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Woohoo. My children have new Christmas onesies and all their friends are super jealous. Having written about the Onesie team a couple of years ago when they first set up in the UK I am very proud of their achievements. Once I told them that my Onesie post was still one of my top hits they sent me three more to review. Honestly, my kids live in them anyway - they're not cheap but they are spectacularly good quality and super comfortable. They've even opened a shop now in Shoreditch which looks very cool. I'll show you some pictures at the bottom of celebrities attending the launch party. Anyway, the new Christmas onesie was my son's choice of attire for his birthday present opening session yesterday It is a OnePiece that you can see here http://onepiece.com/gb/shop/product/view:TR10001 - he looks great in it:- Here is my daughter snoozing in hers:- and here are the three of my children posing together:- Zipped:- or unzipped:- Here is their new shop:- Dizzee:- and cool picture of OnePiece's taking over London. This one is my favourite design but they've sold out at the moment:-

TOFFEE RECIPE

Monday, November 28, 2011

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My 11 year old was immediately on the case. The minute I mentioned I'd found a rather delicious looking toffee recipe on a friend's blog he was off out the door buying ingredients. It's easy. Tastes delicious. Not sure it's cooked enough. Might have needed a teeny bit longer to set properly. But here it is. I think he might have to roll the squares up into balls and wrap them individually - what happened to those toffee sweets we used to have like that? In a red packet with each one wrapped in greaseproof white paper? Where have they gone? His brother and sister obviously like it - look what a mess they've made. He's going to kill them:- Check out the recipe here on Are We Nearly There Yet mummy's blog. Yummy.

THANKSGIVING

Sunday, November 20, 2011

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I'm thinking about doing a big meal for friends and family next week for Thanksgiving - always the last Thursday of November apparently. I have a lot to be thankful for even if I am probably in some sort of strange "Transition" phase at the moment. My friend is going to lend me a book about Transitions....and what it means to end something and move on and start again and all that stuffing (note interesting segueway back into Thanksgiving - although not sure I could face a turkey so close to Christmas though). Is that the point of Thanksgiving then? To be thankful....I know it's a harvest festival sort of thing so hopefully not only iåçn a massively religious way - but I'm not sure exactly how Americans celebrate it these days. Anyway. I'm going to do a brief update. For future reference you understand. Archives. 18 YEAR OLD He is doing well. Managing unexpected vast swathes of time relatively well. It's all new to him, this space and of course it is very tempting to waste the whole day in bed - but he isn't doing that. Mostly. Occasionally I have to text him from the bottom of the house "GET UP!!". "I AM" is the usual response. He has got a job in a bar which he's loving and he's doing his revision, rewriting his personal statement, reviewing his options and courses and plans for his travel, spending time with his girlfriend and even getting to the gym. Impressive. 16 YEAR OLD Such a shock for her to lose her best friend (our cat) this week. She went into TOP mourning position but is emerging now from her misery and hopefully she will be fine now. A brilliant distraction for her is that she's managed to get herself a job in Gilly Hicks and she couldn't be happier - they basically sell underwear so I'm not so sure, but, as a subsidiary of Abercrombie and Fitch at least it will be too dark in there for anyone to see her and too loud for anyone to speak to her. She can't wait to fold clothes and use the scanner. I get that. I always wanted to work in a shop full of lovely clothes. Good for her. Christmas money sorted. 11 YEAR OLD Funny as ever although he too was deeply affected by our cat's death. Working hard to get fitter and lose some weight. We managed to service an old bike of his and now he's cycling to school everyday which is good for him but fills me with horror. It's so dangerous and they hate wearing their helmets. I bet he takes it off en route. He was telling yesterday that his friend has a "kidney bean infection". CAT Dead OTHER CAT Pining ME Not dead. FISH May or may not be dead (don't really care tbh which I know is a really bad thing to say, but they're just so unloveable aren't they).

THE BAFTA KIDS VOTE 2011

Friday, November 18, 2011

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HURRY UP! The British Academy Children’s Awards are taking place on 27th November and I’ve been asked to post the following video of children’s presenter Barney Harwood issuing a call to action for kids to vote for this year’s ceremony. Here we go then:- Pass it on x