Mummy at the School Gate

The kids are fighting and so are the dogs.  It's time for them to go back to school and even though I've loved having them at home I can't wait to have the house back to myself, if only for a few hours. I wish I could be one of those mothers who take pleasure in their company, bake cakes with them, or create wonderful object d'art, but unfortunately I'm more of the "go and watch the TV" or "lets get someone over to play" type of mother who abdicates responsibility for their fun to something or someone else.  Not good for their soul I know, but soooo good for mine.   During arguments Bart often brings in the "show stopper". "WHO is the child, here?” It always stops me dead in my tracks and makes me think...yes I am a terrible mother.  I look at other mothers and know they are doing a far better job than me, but I know my children and I know that they will always come and tell me what is bothering them without me apportioning b

As it's a new year, I decided that I would do a bit of research to find out what makes a good blog, and change mine accordingly if that's what is needed. It's not a NY's resolution, but mine looks rather drab after reading and viewing a million "mommy blogs" realised that words alone are not going to make me popular. The American blogs are the slick, professional and achieve some purpose. Many of the UK bloggers are concerned with traffic and getting as many people to read them. "Be my 1000th follower!" "Read my 1000th post" "Follow, follow....". They promote products, show offers, advertise their talents, and are there to either make money (how?), or to be popular in the popularity contest. Many are there to raise awareness (those are the ones I really like to follow!), and some are just like me! I follow around 30 on twitter and am followed by even less (lucky 13! Whoops...just dropped to 12!!) and read around five blogs da

It's 23.54 on New Years Eve. The fireworks are  already filling the air with thuds and bangs, and I'm imagining  everyone dancing and singing in the new year. My babies are all in bed, BH is flying through the night from a far flung destination, the dogs are fighting at my feet, Peewee keeps nipping me (by accident, I hope) and I am sitting here, alone, reflecting on the past year. It's probably far from unusual for many people, but its something I've never done before.  New Year was always a bit of an anti-climax. People trying to make merry, forced gaiety, dancing madly and trying to snog anyone they can lay their hands on. It's the one night I've always felt uncomfortable with. Men making a beeline and me ducking to avoid their well aimed kisses. Usually at midnight, I try to lock myself in the toilet (accidentally) missing the very sad and depressing "Auld Lang Syne".  It's not to say I haven't experienced rough times, I have, but 2010 ha

Like all women I love to shop as long as it's not in the supermarket. Today, I thought I'd brave the roads, as the snow has now melted and I am able to walk to the car without being beaten back by the heaps of snow which had formed in the drive making it impossible for me to get the car out.  On closer inspection I can now see that the "heaps of snow" were in fact "heaps of gravel".  BH had been shovelling not just the snow...it was no wonder he'd worked up a sweat! I left the kids at home with BH (Miriam is still ill with au-pair flu), so armed with my list, my credit card and feeling excited about a quiet coffee, I left feeling quite liberated!  To be honest I just needed to get out of the house for a few hours without a gaggle of  kids or dogs.... BH wanted to come..a big NO from me...just for today!

I'm not normally a Daily Wail reader, but that's all they had at the corner shop this afternoon, apart from the Racing Post!  I needed some tangible contact with the outside world, as I've watched so much TV I'm beginning to feel  like the Old woman who lives in a shoe!  BH was not impressed on my return and asked me why I bothered buying it, I could look on the Internet if I needed to read something, but I like to hold something in my hands. Anyway, as I flicked through the paper I came across an article which pulled me up rather sharply. "Why did my best friend dump me?".

All that work for just one day!  I'm absolutely cream crackered and know that two weeks away somewhere nice with a couple of good books, (on my own ) would be just the tonic I need to be able to get back to some semblance of normality....but that ain't about to happen!  Apart from not getting to sleep until 4 am and being woken by Mimi at 4.15 am asking if it was "morning yet?", I felt quite on top of everything, when I woke yesterday morning.  The Christmas preparation list all ticked off, the kids presents all ready to be dumped in their rooms, the stockings filled, the crackers made (I impress myself on occasions!), the napkins folded, and the seating arrangements organised.   Ma was cooking the Turkey and sis was making the deserts so all that was left to me was arranging the table, cook the vegetables and make sure that there was enough wine and champagne to take away the pain of it all.

It seems that we are falling like skittles. First, my sister called me. "Are you sure it's OK that we come over to you on Christmas day?...I feel so rough at the moment I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do any shopping." "'Course it is!" I replied. Well of course it is...I've invited the whole family as we all seem to be in one place at the same time for the first time in about 5 years.  So there's Ma and Pa, BH's ma and pa all the way from the Emerald Isles (mainly to annoy me I think!), little bro' flies in from Germany, big sis and her husband, Ben and his girlfriend, and Sis's mother-in-law.  It is likely that we'll have Jude and her brood dropping in, and Stella and hers too so that we can play twister...oh joys! Not!  Particularly as Jude insists on bringing eggnog which I believe has been sitting in her fridge since 1984 and is oh...so disgusting!