Wow where do i start??
I am seriously bad at keeping up my blog. Im a blogging failure.
Its now February of all months and I havent blogged since what.. October? Eeeeshhh.

So, to sum up my missing few months, here is a quick re-cap;

October bought with it all the Autumnal fun, including of course, Halloween! This is always a favourite time of year for me to dress the girls up, do some trick or treating and carving pumpkins.
Our halloween was spent with my cousin and her girls. Pumpkins, Trick or Treating and then getting to eat it all afterwards!

Everything comes in three's remember ;-)

Girls in their Halloween finery!

Sugar overload

November soon followed and bought with it 8th and 5th Birthdays for my two oldest children.

This month is always manic, always expensive and always stressful.

This year I booked a party for the two of them, a joint party with a local entertainer called Mr Marvel.
I had seen him at other parties and the show he put on was always second to none. I felt quite excited about this as it was Katie (In Reception)'s first proper birthday party where she got to invite her friends.

Of course though, something had to go wrong and it did.. big time.

First of all the hall got double booked. This wouldnt normally be a problem but Mr Marvel is in such great demand that he wouldnt have been able to re-schedule.
The other party that had been booked there was a baby shower and the young mother-to-be wasnt having any bit of her party being moved to another date despite my desperate pleas and knowing she could full well move it to another time no problem.
I was in a state of panic. The invites had all gone out (and i was unable to contact all the parents to change things around as half the school happened to be off sick with a bad stomach bug! Thus adding to my panic that no one would be able to make it anyway) and as i said, Mr Marvel is quite a catch. 

After a huge row (we wont go into that!) i did eventually get my own way thank god, and the party was back on.

Despite a few children still being too unwell to attend, the party was a great success. Mr Marvel lived up to his reputation and was very worth every penny we paid him. 

The girls all loved him and everyone had a great time. The parents who stayed for the party even commented on how well he had done. 

I also had a bright idea during my party planning and decided to do happy meal style lunch boxes rather than a buffet. This way there would be the right amount of food for each child and we wouldnt have lots of left overs and alot of waste.

This went down a storm! The children were all delighted to be given their own personal lunch box and each  had a sandwich, juice box, mini packet of crisps, one fairy cake and a penguin. 

Im happy to say there was no waste and without being over whelmed by too much choice, it was a success! 

Mr Marvel working his magic

He even bought a live rabbit!

The looong party table

The girls with their Very Hungry Caterpillar Cake!

 That done with we then moved into December!

Christmas was looming, I was especially busy with my photography and i was praying that no one got the flu like we all did the previous year.

Luckily everything went to plan and we had a lovely Christmas and New Year. The girls did get colds in the run up to the big day but the only one still slightly suffering was Sophie and even then it wasnt bad enough to spoil her day.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve buffet, even though the other half was suffering a terrible hangover gained from his works 'do the night before, and then on Christmas morning we opened presents and then went to my mums for the afternoon and evening where we had dinner and more presents.

This year the other halfs mum and brothers also joined in the festivites at my mums which was a nice change because we got the morning to ourselves for once instead of dividing the day up between both families.

I was so glad that we managed a great Christmas given that the previous one was so awful.

The girls on Xmas Eve!

Our tree complete with presents

Posing for a pic at my mums on Christmas Day

To be honest, since Christmas not alot else has happened to our family. We all struggled back into the routine of work and school, Im trying to keep on top of the endless washing and housework (not an easy feat when my tumble dryer has been broken for a few months now) and the weather has just kept getting colder.

We attended parents evening last Thursday and were glad to be told that both girls are doing very well and that there are no concerns about their work and well-being.

We were also treated to a good few inches of snow this past weekend... but thats for another post ;)

So in short - Thats our last few months summed up in one post! 

Living Goldilocks Style

I looked at the scene pictured in the photo below this morning and had to giggle.
Having three children whether they be girls, boys, a mix.. is just like living in the storybook tale: Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

I lined up three breakfast bowls this morning.. the largest for Tayla (soon to be 8), the middle sized for Katie (soon to be 5) and the smallest for Sophie (3 yrs old).

I even managed to angle the spoons the same way. (This was not intentional!)

I then look at the three piles of clothes set out for the day, the three pairs of shoes waiting for little feet to step into them, the three beds somehow crammed into their bedroom, the three identicle dinner plates id washed up the night before so they dont argue over who has which plate, the three flask type cups for their lunch boxes, the three lunch boxes! and everything else in our home that comes in three's.

I also noticed that i have a tendency to line these items up in the age and size order. Tayla's first because she's the biggest, then Katie's and then Sophies. I dont know if i have a form of OCD but i cant help doing it this way.

Not that i would change any of it, i quite like being a modern day Goldilocks ;-) 

Halloween Pizza Party!

So tonight since dinner was late (after a visit from my mum) i decided to stick a pizza in the oven for the girls.
I had put it in, set the timer and then naughtily sat on the laptop while i waited.

When the timer bleeped i went into the kitchen and was greeted with 3 halloween paper plates from last year, each with a teddy bears picnic napkin laid out on top, along with 3 plastic cups waiting to be filled with three halloween straws inside them.
I love kids!

What can you do but smile? so i asked them if they wanted to have a Halloween pizza party and you can imagine the answer to that one.
I put out the slices of pizza on their plates, gave them all some crisps and other little bits, filled their cups and took it out to the table. 
Excuse the rubbish mobile phone photos!

:)

They were all thrilled with their 'special' dinner and i was happy i didnt have the battles over who had which plate and so on :-D

Happy Kids = A Happy Mum!

Children That Can Read Minds

I thought id quickly write about this moment before i laughed it off and then forgot about it.

My kids always hanker after some form of dessert after their dinners. Sometimes they are allowed, sometimes they are not but they usually always try their luck anyway.
Knowing we have some strawberry cornettos in the freezer, they had asked last night for one after their dinner. I told them no and like a bad parent, told them they could have one tomorrow instead, hoping that come tonight, they would have forgotten what i said.
Not my children.

I was sitting here in my now nice and toasty living room realising to my delight that bedtime was soon upon us and thinking to myself  'I hope they dont ask for ice cream' as its close to bedtime now and Sophie always gets herself covered.. and just as the thought entered my head a little voice belonging to my middle child Katie pipes up 'Can we have an ice cream!?'
Dammit.
But since i had just thought it, and she appeared to have read my mind, added to the fact that id told them all yesterday that they could, i looked at the 3 expectant faces before me and said 'oook go on then.'

Three pairs of feet all scampered off to the kitchen as quickly as they could and i now have three little girls sat on the sofa eating ice creams in their best dresses.

Ahhhh such is a life of a child :)

October Already?

Wow.. my first post in October and its already the 19th.
So we have already established that i am a rubbish blogger. I dont know where the time goes tbh.

Since getting the kids back into school and being busy with work, i havent had much time (or really anything to write about!) but hopefully i can do better from now on.
Its been one of those dreary afternoons today. The sort where i cant seem to wake up, the kids have been bickering and pestering, making me resort to wearing the other halfs massive headphones and turning the music up to blast them out of my earshot and where they get jacket potatoes for dinner because - its just one of those days.

I also sent out a SOS to my old driving instructor. I have decided that despite being taught (very well i may add) by him, i cannot park to save my life. I happily drove into a space between two cars last night only to find that when i wanted to reverse out of it, i couldnt do it. I had thought i could go back in a straight line and then steer my way out but no. The car next to me made it a tricky situation and after almost ending up in tears over the stupid car and with thoughts of abandoning it and walking home, i finally did it.
I have a lesson booked on Friday.

Its also the time of year when the heating has finally been switched on. I was trying to hold out until at least November but im sorry tight fisted other half - it has to be done now. We're going to get another winter like last year, i can feel it.
We also went to visit the brother in law at his army barracks a couple of weeks ago. We had gone to pick him up and bring him home for the weekend as he had completed part 1 of his training so it was nice to be shown around, given some demonstrations and of course the best bit! - Having a sneaky look or ten at all the lovely young men in their army uniforms ;-)  brother in law excluded of course, because that would just be gross.

So thats a basic round up of whats been going on here. Life as usual!

The Disasturous Duo

Driving is not something that comes easily to me.
I spent 5 years being deathly afraid to pick up the phone to even book some lessons.
I spent a further year learning to drive automatic as it was just about cope-able for me and then i amazed myself by passing both my Theory and Driving tests both times with very good scores.

Its already been a journey for me, so when i finally made the purchase of my very first car - a 2008 Peugeot 207 1.6 in metallic grey i was over the moon!
Finally i was free and mobile, not having to rely on anyone else and being able to take off as i wished!

Only, it hasnt been as simple as that.
I now have a new found fear, and that is of driving by myself. More so than that, having to park the car. Particularly in a space with cars either side of it.
So i havent. The only trips i have made in my nice shiny new car that calls out to me to drive it are to the school and back, which i can just about cope with because i know i can park at the side of the street easily.
My stomach is still in knots though every time i get in the car and start it up. I feel very strange and entirely uncomfortable.
I am still learning how the controls work. This morning i managed to switch the heaters on which decided to billow out blasts of cold air at me and the kids. I had no idea how to turn this feature off so off we went to school as though we were on a rollercoaster ride with the wind blowing in our faces and hair.
I did however, manage to work out how to wipe the back windscreen. This was essential as i had to reverse back a bit before i could go forward and i had briefly considered getting out and wiping it myself.

Once i was back from the school looking like id been dragged through a hedge backwards, i called the other half who gave me a lecture about not listening to him whilst he was explaining all of this to me the other day and then told me how to turn it off. I did it! Phew.
The next challenge was to go to the vets for dog food. I completed the journey there successfully, only going up the kerb a little bit when parking, and got back into my car happy that i was making some progress.
I put the key in and went to turn it but nothing would happen! It was locked in place and just wouldnt budge.
Having thought id done something wrong when unlocking the car, i then got out, locked it, unlocked it, and got back in to try again.
It didnt work. I was about to give up and walk home, leaving the sodding car where it was parked when i decided to painstakingly call the other half again.
'What have you done now?' he bellowed at me from the middle of the workshop at work. I explained my predicament and he breathed a sigh of relief. The steering lock was on.
After talking me through how to unlock it and get going i was then on my way home and happy once again.

So thats me, and the adventures ive been having in my new car. It isnt the first time ive messed up either. On Monday i decided to drive us all to the girls Parents evening at school. I pulled up along the kerb and was immediately told to get out by the other half who then jumped in and parked it himself, doing a far better job than i had done 2 minutes earlier. I was a little way from the kerb but it wasnt too bad! He clearly thought otherwise though.
The other half is also a very bad passenger to have.
He has resumed the role of my driving instructor and insists on telling me everything i am doing wrong, and also what traffic is coming my way.
I wasnt aware that i was blind, nor that i still needed to take lessons once passing my test with no minor faults on it but hey! He is a man and thinks he knows best.

The Gallery - Home

I had come on my blog to post about something different but as usual, i got caught up reading everyone elses latest posts and was immediately tempted into joining in with this weeks Gallery whose theme is Home.

For the most part, i love where i live. I have lived on the outskirts of West London all my life.
Situated somewhere between Heathrow and Watford, i live in a little village called Denham, in South Bucks.
I have very long and strong roots here. My parents both grew up in Denham, and therefore so did me, my brother and all our cousins.
It was very much a 'it takes a village' childhood and if you got in trouble, your parents would soon come to hear about it from the neighbours they had grown up with themselves.
The great thing about it is that people rarely tend to move away from Denham and so the kids you grew up with, are still here now as adults, and some are parents themselves too. It is now our kids that are going to school together and forming the life long friendships that we all have.

Denham is a beautiful place. Idylic, old fashioned and traditionally English, it is a place to be proud to call home. It has country pubs, a country park, a huge golf course, a beautiful tradtional church where many family celebrations and also sad events have taken place, and is even home to several celebrities! One being the late Sir John Mills whose final resting place is in our church yard.
My own children have enjoyed the same sort of childhood that i have, paddling in the stream, running across the old wooden bridges and partaking in the century old 'Denham Fayre' every May bank holiday.

The photos i have chosen to assist this post are ones that both made me smile and bought back memories for me, so im glad i decided to take part!

Lovely country pubs

The church of many memories

Part of the Country Park

The canal

Seeing one of these is a common occourance!

My girls collecting for Children In Need sitting in front of the War

Memorial

The large golf course

The girls enjoying a summers day

Hot summers paddling!

Exploring the wood

Happy kids on the bridge :)

Denham is also within 5 minutes drive from our local town of Uxbridge (West London) where you will find your usual city centre and everything that goes with it.
Its there that the London Underground tube lines begin and you get a bit of the city hustle and bustle that just gets busier the more into London you move.
We also have local shops! Shops that have been there for as long as i can remember. Some have come and gone but a few still remain. We have a local butchers, hair salon, newsagents, an indian, spanish and thai restaurant and a 'fine food store' that is locally known as Veeno's (which is the name of the man who has owned it for many years and is known by everyone in the community) and everyone in Denham will tell you that it is only at this shop that you can find the very best crusty rolls.
My children go to the local and very small school and nursery and they recently built a under 11's play area just at the end of my street which is popular with lots of children in the summer.

Enjoying an ice cream in the little park with their cousins

And so that is my little corner of the world! The place i have and always will call home. The place i grew up with alongside my cousins who i am still close to now and who still all live within walking distance from me.

The private jokes everyone has about the Total Garage and the various states people have turned up at it in, 'The bench' which has seen many things and would have many tales to tell if only it could talk! and the old now derelict pub where many Sunday afternoons were spent badgering Grandad for money for drinks and crisps while our parents socialised.

All of these things make up the place i call 'Home' and I always breathe a sigh of relief when having come out of certain areas of London, i am back in the safe haven that is Denham!