To Sleep Perchance to Dream

I have always loved my bed,perhaps a bit too much. And i've always loved a lie-in.
Since having children i've learnt that the lie-in is long gone,i've had perhaps 3 in 3 years and im ok with that,really,i am,really.
But I do really miss being able to look forward to my evening,as a chance to relax,unwind and a restful nights sleep. Kitty,quite simply is a horrendous sleeper. Last night (due to a combination of a snotty nose and too much sugar before bed ) had me up every hour most of the night. I an exhausted and quite frankly hateful today !

Sometimes she sleeps great, and im such an optimist that I presume this means that she WILL get it one day and will be a brilliant sleeper. I do kinda still believe this in my heart of hearts,i think I may have to cast a spell actually.

Until that day,i'll remain knackered and lurching from mild tiredness one day to suicide watch the next.

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Mind the Gap!

Wow! That has been quite some gap in my blog!

Ive just been pondering why,and think partlybecause  i've been quite low,and partly i've been doing other things like getting better at knitting and doing my workout dvd in an attempt at creating some endorphins and cheering myself up!

I think the longer I left it the harder it became to pick the blog back up. Just reading back through it is such a great record of life,i must carry on -even without any followers !

Well,Kitty is walking now, she has been for about a week and she is really confident with it now.  It is so so lovely seeing her walking round the house, I absolutely love it!
We went for a trip to the shoe shop and £47 pounds later she has some shiny red boots for walking outside,  so the first place we took her, the dirty muddy woods!
Well - it is a family tradition! We got the first photos of Gabe walking up Bagnall Road woods and we wanted the same photos of Kitty.  We had a really lovely time.
Here is a favourite photo! :-

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Little Gems

Gabe has been coming out with some real corkers lately, which I thought were worth preserving for posterity.
He has moved on from asking WHY about everything, and instead asks, 'mum, what would happen if...?
He woke up the other morning and greeted me with, 'what would happen if I had no eyes mummy?'
And in the cable cars at Matlock Bath on Monday, 'mummy, what would happen if the doors opened now and i fell all the way down there?' not really what I want to be imagining whilst dangling in a cable car 1000ft up!

He doesn't appear to be overly bothered by my attempts at chastising him. After I told him not to throw his toys ad that boys who throw toys don't have any toys, he turned it into a nursery rhyme, dancing round the living room singing ' boys who throw toys dont have any toys' to the 'tune' of Jack and Jill went up the hill!

The best one was probably yesterday, Gabe told me that if I am naughty he will take all my knitting to the charity shop! Hmmmn, I wonder where he has heard that?......

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getting better ?

Here is my finished second heart' I sewed it together last night and added the buttons, i'm really pleased with it. It's by no means perfect, but it's mine and I made it! Yay!

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Small Victories

- Managing to get Kitty down the stair at 6.30 am without waking up her big brother

- Having a lovely shower first thing whilst the boys sleep on.

- Realising, as you look out the window this am that its really quiet and peaceful and you love the morning rain.

- Surviving on very little sleep and choosing to smile, be happy and realise worse things happen,

- Star gazing through the velux with Gaz last night and finally seeing a shooting star.

- Being excited about going to Run To The Hills this weekend and showing the kids lots of camper vans and choosing what features we want.

- Having great friends who come round for a cuppa instead when you cancel a cinema trip due to non-sleeping baby.

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One of those gorgeous days

For some reason at the moment I feel a lot more in control of my own life and able to cope with both the kids.
I'm not sure whether this is because I am getting alot more sleep than in the past few months. Kitty is still pretty horrendous but for the last couple of weeks she has slept at least until 12 which means that I get my evening back. Having a crap nights sleep is one thing, but not getting to relax for a few hours when the kids are asleep and being up and down the stairs is pretty soul destroying.

It also helps when Gabe is well behaved. Im not asking for him to be seen but not heard, just not evil! He was fantastic today. Yes, he ran a bit too far from me sometimes round Trentham Gardens, and he was a bit flick happy in the sandpit, but he was generally brilliant!

Kitty's been her happy, chilled self today. She squealed when she saw the swings and smiled her little heart out all day. She is such a little angel.

I've felt so content and happy with my beautiful babies today. The sun has been shining and I have felt so lucky. Tired, but happy! X

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Plums for breakfast

After their normal shreddies, banana, honey on toast combo the kids have been eating plums from Nanny & Grandad's tree today. Love it!

Gabe's gone to pre-school and I carried him the whole way!when do boys get less lazy I wonder? Do they ever?! I must admit though, I loved it. It's not very often anymore that Gabe is the one that gets to be carried.

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Small Talk

So what are you upto at the moment?
I am so shit at answering this question at parties.
When I get home I can think of lots of exciting, fun things i've been upto lately (well ok maybe a couple!) but when asked at a party my mind just goes blank! I think its because I am and always have been really crap at talking about myself. I'm just not that sort of person. I think it's due to growing up with a loud, funny, centre of attention sister and being the quiet one, busily doing whatever she wants with no_one noticing.
Photo above it Gabe with his face painted as a 'black tiger' love it!

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I did it!

I got my nose pierced yesterday. I have had it exness before when I was 16. But I did it myself that time ;-)

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kidlets

I had vague plans of what we could do today, the kids and I . None of these surfaced, for various reasons,, and I ended up having a very productive housewifey day!
You see, I am a housewife, but I often neglect my duties. For instance,hubby rarely gets tea and his sandwiches made for work in the same day.
I'll cook something gorg for tea and the next day there's no bread for hubbys toast or for his sandwiches that day. That's just the kinda gal I am.
However, today I have hoovered upstairs (yes upstairs! I think this is generally a bi-annual event.)
I have took the car to the car wash (gabe loooves this!) and hoovereed it out.
I have also cooked from scratch Butternut Squash soup for the kids (including homemade chicken stock natch) and lasagne and veg for us.
God its been a good day.
Lets see what the night (and princess terror Kitty) brings....

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lifting your spirits

On a grey dreary 'summers' day in stoke I was sat at traffic lights when I saw these gorgeous flowers and it made me smile.
I love that someone has made the effort to brighten up a dreary patch of grass - thank you!

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Ooh

My Cath Kidston sewing case arrived today, it's yummy.
That is all...

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k1sl1

This Thursday, like all Thursdays is Gabe's 'swimming day'. My parents come over to see us all in Costa del Stoke and that means when the kids have gone to bed (actually, IF, not WHEN) I can ask mom for a knitting lesson.
Kitty went off really quickly (has woken twice since but hey ho) so I quickly whipped out me bunting pattern and asked mom to teach me to decrease.
As i've been practicing knitting now by knitting random messy rows when Kitty allows by sleeping (not very often) for a few weeks now,moms teaching actually made sense. I loved it.
Almost knitted my first bunting flag and I am dead chuffed.
As for knitting 2 purl stiches together through the back of the stitch - aaaaaaargh!
Photos to folllow I promise x

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Shabby Chic

As a poor student (is there any other kind) I rarely bought anything new and absolutley loved a good rummage throught the charity shops of Stone.
I still partake in this favorite hobby to get the majority of my books but decided today that as I no longer have a job (hubby does have 2!) I should really stop online shopping at places like Cath Kidston and dreaming I have the same sort of cash to throw around of the pre-kids, dual income life!

I am always lusting after Cath Kidston, Emma Bridgewater and various shabby chic items, a particular sewing box I want is totally vintage based and I know that with a bit of legwork I can get the real thing for a fraction of the CK cost! Not on Ebay of course, everyone knows Vintage is huge right now, so nothing vaguely shabby is sold at shabby prices on there anymore!

The kids were dead happy to sit in the pushchair for once too as I went round the many charity shops . They know that each of these treasure mines has an ample selection of toys and books they neither need or particularly want, but hey, it's new, and they are already retail junkies just like their mom.

Gabe got 4 books for £1 today and four dinosaurs (including one that winds and walks _ much to his delight) grand total of £4! Kitty got nothing, (i know, horrid mummy) but it appears that like most of her big brother's toys, she loves dinosaurs!
I treated myself to a fabric Laura Ashley bag to store my knitting - what's not to love?

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Getting Excited

Well, this time next week my little girl will be 1 and my little boy will be 3.

I think it's fair to say I am lliterally bubbling with excitement. I'm excited about seeing their little faces when they open their presents. I'm excited about Gabe being able to articulate how much he loves his presents - at Christmas it was 'ooooh, woooo, I love it' so can't wait to see if that's changed!

I'm excited (if not a little anxious) about baking their birthday cakes and watching and trying to assist hubby icing them. Gabe wants a Brum cake (although this changes daily) and Kitty is having a pink number 1 shaped cake. Or mayble white with pale pink polka dots. The cakes have always been brilliant for gabe (in my humble opinion) so hopefully this year they will be too. God, gabe's tractor cake was fab last year and I baked it whilst having contractions with Kitty and Gaz decorated it on his actual 2nd birthday with a house full of people and a newborn baby daughter!

I'm excited about Kitty's little tea party on her birthday and decorating the table and balloons etc.. I've bought a banner today to hang on the front door that says ' I am one' (tacky) and some wooden bunting that says 'Happy Birthday' to hang in the hall (tasteful)

I'm excited about Gabe's birthday party at Wonderland at the weekend, that he really wanted and we weren't sure about. He will love it. Hope the weather is sunny so it's perfect

Just one downer on the birthday planning. Gabe has been asking all year for the WOW Toy Ambulance. If anyone has asked him in the last 9 months odd what he wants for his birthday he says that. Not ambulance, not wow toy, but Wow toy ambulance. So we ordered it from Over The Rainbow toy shop in Leek and it's sitting in the attic awaiting wrapping.

My mom asked him yesterday what he most wanted for his birthday and he said .......'a remote controlled spider' 'Kitty can have the wow toy ambulance!'

Bloody advertising on telly targeting children when eating their breakfast! He saw in on a kids cable channel at his cousins house....weep

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one of those days

we've had a fantastic family afternoon at Splash Landings water park.
One of the great things about Stoke is that Alton Towers is only twenty minutes away so we can pop up easily. You can also buy one of their not readily advertised 'toddler' passes which is £7.50 per parent And child, so we all went in for the bargainous price of £15.

Last time we took Kitty there when she was six months old she hated it, so we were a bit trepidatious this time.
Luckily, after a bit of clingyness and a lot of dunking, splashing and floating on foam motorbikes she started to warm to the place and eventually LOVED it!

We had no such fears about her brother. Gabe absolutely loves the place. Infact, he asks to go pretty much every other day without fail! He was swimming and climbing up the steps and rope ladders. Squirting poor unsuspecting swimmers with the water cannons. Shooting down water slides and swimming in the outdoor pool.

Then to top it all off, when the kids were eating their overpriced Paninis in the bar while Gaz and i shared a can of pop and a Yorkie ( i'd rather starve and spend the money on something lovely than pay their food prices) there was a pirate and a squirrel giant stuffed characters walking around for Gabe to cuddle, and free face-painting ( Gabe was a tiger as per usual)

We left knackered and happy.

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110%

I have been reading an interview in the Sunday Times 'Style' magazine today. It's entitled 'How I Make it Work' and is with some super powerful City Career woman.

As well as listing her must have essentials ( 8 hour cream, smartphone, Louis Vuitton scarf natch) the interviewer asks how she balances family life. She states she works from 5am til late, travels the world extensively (7 countries in a busy week) and has a nanny.

But, apparently when she is with her 2 children she 'always gives 110 %'. Hmmmmn, I have been pondering this all day and I don't think I even understand what this means. How does a mother even give their child 110% and what does it entail?

As I was cooking the tea today and watching the kids play together with Lego on the dining room floor ( Gabe builds something, Kitty pulls it to pieces) I thought well, I'm not giving 100% here!

As I read to Gabe while watching my mom knitting as she attempted to teach me to increase and decrease stitches, not really 100%

Kitty is being breastfed now before bed and is fast asleep on the boob, i'm typing this on my phone - should I be being mindful and savouring the moment?

I am with my kids 24/7, well apart from I finally got my roots done today and Gabe goes to pre-school, and they get my split, multi-tasking attention. I think this has got to be better than 110% of my attention for a few hours a week. They get nurtured, not smothered. They know I am always here for them, but they do get 'i'm busy' sometimes too.

Do my kids really feel deprived because I don't always give them my full attention as I have to cook, clean, chauffer, chat, laugh, dance, plant the flowers, look after the hubby, look after the cats, pay bills, NO, this is real life.

Our society is so programmed now to believe that kids are happier with both parents working so they have more money to spend on 'quality' time off with them, personally, I think every moment of watching my kids grow up is precious.

I can't vouch for Kitty yet, but so far all of Gabriel's favourite activities (farm, park, seeing friends, riding his bike) can be done everyday and for free.

I don't think my kids or me could be happier, even with all the money in the world ( although I would love a pad in Ibiza!)

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Torrential Rain and Tractor Rides

Well, today was Open Farm Sunday ( http://www.leafuk.org/ofs/visit/event_details.eb?guid=2RRVTHNXTS.8KPFON0GKP5PE ) and as little boy was really looking forward to his annual tractor trailer ride we were really looking forward to it too.

Last year was glorious sunshine, pond dipping and tractor rides ( 4) and dancing to a live band on the ancient farmyard cobbles.  I was also heavily pregnant with our second baby ( unbeknown to us a little girl) and Gabe was almost 2.  So although he loved the day he didn't quite understand everything going on.

Tractor ride 2010

2010:- 

Rolling down the hill towards Pond dipping

Well, this year we kept looking at the weather thinking the torrential rain would clear up.  Off we set on the 45 minute drive to the nearest open Farm Sunday - the same please as last year and for some reason it didn't occur to us that the rain might actually GET WORSE!!

It was absolutely slatting it down by the time we arrived.  And as both kids we asleep in the back of the car we did for one selfish moment consider not going at all, we discussed this in the car park but our fate was sealed when Gabe woke up - we put on our wellies and waterproofs and off we went : -

Gabe checking that his wellies still flash

Gabe chuffed to bits he is ALLOWED to splash in puddles

Tractor ride 2011

a very wet daddy, as you can see Gabe wasn't bothered!

And to end the day chocolate cake on a hay bale - perfect

 As we left the Farm there were about 2 visitors left ( and they were probably family)
we had a fantastic time and although very chilly, nothing hot tea and cake couldn't fix. 
Til next year xx

What a gorgeous Day

Hubby's birthday today.

Had an absolutely gorgeous day.  He opened his presents after working for a few hours this am ( well, Gabe opened them 'for him' and I had to keep the presents secret from him as he cannot keep a secret AT ALL, which I actually rather love about him, it is so cute!

When Gaz came home from work the other night the first thing Gabe said to him was ' Daddy, I've painted your card today'!!! I was like " shhhhh Gabe that's a secret," as Gabe repreated it ad infinitum!

We planned a picnic lunch but due to the typically crap English June weather ( showers) we ended up having a part picnic/ part indoor picnic at our great friends' house.

It was so lovely.  Kids sat on the picnic blanket and we sat round the garden table supping white wine and eating gorgeous picnic food and birthday cake.  The kids were good as gold ( until Gabe got tired and started running riot somewhat - nothing out of the ordinary, but to childfree couples he is a bit of a bull in a chinashop!!) 

We went to their local park to burn off some of Gabe's energy and sampled the delights of the zip- wire, very fast spinning swing thing and roundabouts.  Myself and girly mate were absulutely pissing ourselves and her husband spinning un-controllably on the round swing and not being able to stop himself as he would scuff his clean white shoes!!  We did ask him if he needed a hand - " noo, I'm fiiiiine!!!"

Our friend played his guitar for Gabe while Gabe strummed (??) the plectrum along the strings - Gabe absolutely loved that and Kitty was dancing along too. 
Our friend has a huge collection of guitars in his house, and as he was playing his posh guitar
( Rickenbacher?? SP??) Gabe glanced around the room and said
"Who's is that little guitar??" --- pmsl , the little angel.  He honestly thought we would just say ' oh darling, you can have that one!!!!'

Kitty was good as gold as normal - she is such a fantastic , chilled out baby - just a shame she is such a bloomin nighmare at nighttime and wont settle without boob a few times a night.  Still, I know she CAN sleep through and I am sure it will happen again some day

Still, It's not like I have a job.  If  I am a complete and utter zombie the day after the night before then I only look like shit at home and cant think straight here - it's not like the economy of the country is going to fail because I am knackered!

Hubby works 2 jobs so that I dont have to.  And I love him all the more for that.  He is fantastic.
And that is why I have ended his birthday evening with a lovely full body massage and other extras - he is fast asleep in the attic bedroom happy, and probably snoring by now.

Life is good.

Night night

funny day

Felt a bit melancholic today.

The kids are in typical full on happy mode, so it's hard to stay that way for long but i've been doing my best!

I seem to have fallen out with a close friend. Its been about 3 weeks now and to be honest it's really getting to me.

I alternate between feeling like ' oh well, she needs to bloody grow up, stuff her' and feeling really sad at the loss of a great friend.
I also alternate between thinking of texting her and having a go, and calling and trying to have it out with her about what she is playing at. I don't think i'll ever do any of those things. I have infact rung her and asked if she wanted to meet up for a walk and a picnic to try and clear the air and was brushed off.
I really don't see what more I can do. I guess I will just have to let it blow over // let it go.
I did even say 'i am sorry if I upset you' even though I don't see how I have and if I over analyse the situation she has been a complete pain in the ass ALOT.

I am a huge believer in Karma and treating other's how you wish to be treated. On that basis I wont be having a big row with her. I just need to work out how to stop inwardly seething, that can't be good for me.

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Not just Jam, and Jerusalem

I've just come home from possibly the surrealist night of my life. A meeting of the local W.I. Yes, Women's Institute!

I was enrolled by a lovely lady on the WI stall at Endon Welldressing ( a Northern thing, google it) I was initially lured by the cakes on offer (with the fab excuse that Gabe wanted one) and got talking to a lovely lady who looked genuinely shocked that I might be vaguely interested in going along.
Fast forward 2 weeks and along we went, myself and my fearless pal Jodie. The look of shock and the ladies' faces was fantastic. I think it's been a long time such they had any 'new' members, especially pre-menopausal.

The evening started with a rousing singsong of Jerusalum followed by what appeared to be a summing up of the minutes of last months meeting and looking forward to next months meeting. Not sure exactly what was discussed in this actual meeting!

We drank tea and ate biscuits then had a powerpoint presentation about Mauritius which I found very interesting.

Everyone knows Nannas make the best tea'
I love cardigans, prunes and I am learning to knit. Yes, I think i'll go back next month.

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Almost a week?!

OMG- almost a week since my last Blog.  Wow I have got lapse already!!
Funnily enough, my plan to start blogging coincided almost exactly with
a) my decision that I spent too long on the internet.  I decided that in the future on my deathbed I wouldn't wish that I had spent more time online.  I need to read more books
b)Kitty sleeping TERRIBLY.
As an example.  I started to write a blog post the other day welcoming a new baby Noonan into the World  - now named Dillon Stanley Noonan.  I had almost finished it and added a photo and everrrything and Kitty woke up.  Just like she has just done now ---aaaaargh!
Bye for now

Let the Battle Commence!

Well, Kitty has only been properly 'bum shuffling' for about a day now, and already her character has changed.
Gone has the butter wouldn't melt cute baby girl, to be replaced by the havoc making monster!
At my parents house today Kitty grabbed an badly placed cup of tea and tipped it all over herself (that really scared me, luckily it was cold)'
So, nothing is out of bounds for her anymore. You'd think i'd be better equipped for this baby stage, Gabriel was terrible. He was of the persuasion that why would you play with your toys when you can stick your fingers in the plug sockets and raid the shoe box.

Kitty can now bum shuffle the length of our house. She put this to good use at bedtime and shuffled into the bathroon, grabbed Gabe's discarded sock and threw it into the toilet when he was having his pre-bathtime wee. It landed mid-stream. Gabe of course thought this was hysterical. I discarded said sock and tried to not give her any attention for this so of course she did it again with the other sock.
Hmmmmmn, where's my angel child gone?
Think I need to spend this evening psycing myself up for what she might wreck tomorrow, I need to get back in the zone!

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?

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Bedtime - almost done

Well, the little darlings are almost all tucked up for the night. Gabe's fast asleep and Kittys just falling asleep on the boob as is her custom.

She's such a mardy baby when it comes to bedtime, she has to fall FAST asleep on the boob and I have to place her gently in her cot that way, god forbid I should attempt to place her in her cot asleep but only just, she screams blue murder and wont be consoled! She will however then self-settle when she wakes in the night generally until about 2am when only boob will do.

So different from Gabriel who is a fab sleeper and always sleeps at least 13 hours and more if he can! I think this is the only way that Gabe is a real Callaway like me, that and his obsession with Ice cream. Every other way he is like a mini-Gary.

I can smell that my tea is ready downstairs so I will attempt to gently lay her ladyship in her cot and quietly retreat from the bedroom praying she stays asleep so I can drink white wine and have some adult conversation over Haddock and Chorizo with cherry tomatoes (or 'Chorizo Thing' as it is called in this house) . Fingers crossed.

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My New Blog

Been puzzling long and hard all morning ( yes I have nothing better to do) over what to call my new blog.
I have been reading lots of lovely ladies' blogs on my phone whilst feeding Kitty and decided I'd quite like one of my own.
I pondered over a title based on one of my favourite sayings;
'We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars'  - until hubby reminded me that implies that we are in the gutter!
Keep Calm And Carry On - a saying I try to live by but often fail!
and decided on this inspired title - just this side of un-glamorous and seems quite apt!