Long time no blog...

So time for a quick catch up, since the last time we have.......

We've had Spud's birthday. Cake, presents and kids fighting over toys. It was the usual magic.  This year Spud's birthday was mainly bought to you by Tiger. God I love that shop. I may never go into any other shop ever again. 

I got the Kid's Dough Set which they both loved. The press was a little flimsy but for a few pounds the dough and cutters were worth it alone.  I love the Tiger play dough, it's not worth me making it for the money and it has such lovely vivid colours.  I much rather save my expensive gel food dyes for cakes!

Spud also got crayons and pens from Tiger. They are lovely and chunky for little hands to grip, Spud had loads of fun colouring with these and the chunky felt tip pens, which he also sucked resulting in funky day-glo lips (and some mothers worry about artificial sweetners!). 

We made a suitably deranged "mad hatters" Easter bonnet for Spike's Easter Parade. He quite understandably won precisely no prises. It's just as well that he enjoyed making it so much! 

Easter eggs! Nom nom nom. 

Before Christmas Spike entered a competition to win a Posable Bing Bunny and he only flipping won! I think he had to draw a picture of Bing or something, it was so long ago that I can't remember, but here he is with it. He had a Bing toy for his birthday so he gave this one to Sam. Good brotherly behaviour that.

I am working on the boy's room. It's going to be Star Wars themed, like you're inside the Millenium Falcon looking out. Spike is very excited about the new bunk beds that are coming. There's gonna be a Wampa skin rug, reading nook (yes they definitely had one on board the falcon shut up), more murals of Yoda, Chewie and some inspirational Star Wars quotes. It'll take a few weeks to put together which is fine by me, I'm enjoying it quite a lot! IKEA! 

Xoxo

Stay at home mum to single mum.

End of an Era.

A seven year relationship has come to end. It had ups and downs, laughter and tears and produced two beautiful little boys. I became a stay at home mum which definitely appealed to the suppressed recluse in me. Also, having that time with the boys was fantastic. We would go for long rambling woodland walks, have picnics by the river and have brilliant messy play sessions. Of course we are still going to do all those things but the upheaval of having the parameters of our existence totally shifted has been overwhelming at times. The boys and me are now living with my parents whilst I get myself back into work.  Thank goodness for family who have all been completely wonderful. Getting back into employment is massively daunting and at first I was floundering. I HAVEN'T WORKED FOR 5 YEARS WHAT THE HELL AM I GOING TO PUT ON A CV?!?!

Luckily I was able to compose myself and gather my thoughts. My ex-partner and I started a business. As he is completely phobic to anything technology related, whatever fell into the category of requiring the slightest knowledge of how to turn a computer on became my domain. Thankfully as we started the business 5 years ago not 500 years ago this meant quite a lot of stuff became my responsibility. Turns out I have picked up life skills despite being ONLY a stay at home mum. Yay go me!

I am already incandescent at the assumption that because I have happened to blast a couple of kiddos out of my hips it necessarily follows that my brain has turned to jam and I am going to have to perform messianic miracles during an interview process to get an employer to look twice at me. Seriously?! "Work" is going to be a breeze. Granted I was doing kids and small holding and joint ex-partner business venture... But the child/house thing alone is insane. My house perpetually looked like it had been robbed, they hadn't found anything worth nicking and so they trashed it a bit more in spite. Either that or I was failing spectacularly at a game of Jumanji. Actually that's just kids isn't it?

As for the kids. Spike (eldest, 4yrs old, carries slugs in his mouth and lines up small plastic animals) and Spud (18months, enormous, likes quavers and dancing) are adjusting to recent life changes well. I'm eager to make the transition as smooth as possible. Spike has started in the local nursery and seems to be settling in well. Apparently the first day he growled at everyone but now he is giving everyone a hug before he leaves so that's progress in anyone's book, says I!  Spud is Spud. He's cuddly and lovely. Everyone reassures me that he is at the age to be minimally affected and to be honest, as long as everyone puts their egos second and the boys first there is no reason for either of them to be irreparably scared for life.

Spike's Birthday

Birthday times were spent with immediate family. Granny, Pops, the cousins, Aunty Ruthy and Aunty Hannah.  Spike is a massive Bing Bunny fan and these have gone to bed with him every evening since he got them.  

Had to include this one. Emily getting massively involved with the cake. Fantastic!

Both boys are big Thomas and Friends fans so this was a bit of a tactical present really. They both love pushing the trains around the tracks and it takes a surprising amount of dexterity to push the carriage down and release it in the right way to make the volcano glow and dragon roar.  Bound to be some motor development going on there!

I usually do a home made cake but opted for a shop bought Thomas and Friends one from ASDA this year.  The kids loved it and I just didn't have the time or energy for homemade this year.

Had to include this. Hilarious.

All pooped out. Bless.