Summer Camp!

After Camp - Day 1

I signed both boys up for a week of separate summer camps this week. I thought it would do them both good to meet new friends and be adventurous and be outside all day.

I knew Jack would love it and he does. He's fishing, watching bugs, going to the zoo and playing in the gym. My only worry is that he'll wish he could go the whole summer and be upset that he's not.

I'll be honest I was dreading taking Daniel to his camp even though he told me back in May he'd do it. I don't think I blogged about this but at his end of year pre-k picnic he refused to get out of the car, cried his eyes out and we had to drive home. Well-meaning people coming over to the car to try and encourage him to get out just made it worse. So I was thoroughly expecting the same thing, especially since this would be a new place with new people.  I've been building up to it for weeks. I mean really - how do you make a 5-year old do something he's frightened of? It's not like they are being disrespectful, they are just terrified!

As fate would have it the first morning of his camp I also gave a ride to his babysitter Cat. She's working for me a few hours a week so hitches a ride in with me. When we got to the camp Cat and I walked him in and he didn't know what to do. He wasn't going to cry in front of Cat or make a fuss. So he looked shell-shocked but he held it together and I made a quick retreat to the car. All the way to work I was in shock how smoothly it went. I really think having Cat there was the difference as he didn't want to make a fuss in front of her.

This theory isn't something new of course, I know that. Many teachers have told me over the years that the crying stops the minute the parent leaves. We all know that. But I didn't know how to handle the period between getting out of the car and getting him in there and that's where I think having a 3rd party with me helped. It certainly beats prying his fingers off the door handle and manhandling a screaming, crying child.

Two days in and he's loving it. Made a friend with a blue t-shirt and one with glasses he informs me. He's been messing about in the creek and playing outdoor games.

 So camp success for both of them! Hurrah!

Now soccer camp is a different matter. Jack started tonight and Daniel flatly refused to, but that's ok. Baby steps are fine with me as long as he's taking steps.

Stories from my childhood

I have started to tell my lads about stupid and funny things I did as a kid. 

I was always up to mischief - falling off my bike (over the handle bars on many an occasion), stealing apples, making dens,  camping, riding on 50cc motorbikes and just messing about.  

One of the things we did (me and my mate Sue Rushton) was to sit on the two water pipes that crossed the brook on our lane, next to my house. This is the actual picture of it. The water line only sits about 8ft above the water but the embankment was full on nettles (stinging weeds) so we were usually cautious.

One day as I was walking on the pipe I fell off, rolled down the stinging nettle bank, fell in the water and ran home for sympathy. Of course I got none. I got a spank for walking on the water pipes.

My kids LOVE this story and I can't wait to take them to this exact spot next year. 

July 4th and Lamb Cook-out

Here's lots of pictures from our July 4th holiday and lamb cook-out. What a fantastic weekend of friends, food, fireworks, and football!!

Jack's 8th Birthday

Happy Birthday Jack!  Eight years old. You are so lovely, so loud, funny, brave, athletic, energetic and a lover of the great outdoors. You like to play soccer and ride your bike. You like to roller skate and bounce on the trampoline. Your obsession with Minecraft and Terraria is waning a bit and your new interest is WWE! John Cena, The Undertaker, Kane, The Rock and all these characters are your latest craze. You got two WWE championship belts for your birthday and you carry them around over your shoulder, telling all that you are the new champ.

On the morning of your birthday we strolled to a local diner for breakfast then we got ready for your party. You got your iPod and some great gifts. You got 101 "likes" on Facebook and 32 people wished you a Happy Birthday! That's amazing, but I'm not surprised because you are such a social, happy kid.

We also measured you against the door frame and you are 4ft. 5 inches tall! You are going to be such a tall and athletic young man.

Your party was a lot of fun; water balloon fights, silly string fights, Mysterio masks, fake mustaches and chocolate cake. Perfect for you. At the end of the day you  had a sleepover in Daniel's room, like you have all this week. Because even though you like your own room and independence, you also love to hang out with your brother.

So Happy Birthday my darling boy. Keep doing what you're doing x

June 1-Second Project

Here's our life, 1 second at a time in June. It was a great month for spending time with my kids and animals obviously.

2 Projects I'm Loving Very Much

I have a couple of little projects going on that I LOVE!

First, I'm doing the 365 Project where I take a video for 1 second every day then compile at the end of the year, but I have been doing monthly ones so far. I thought May was great, June will be coming soon...

My second thing is that I'm collecting vinyl and having the time of my life. I remember vinyl. The smell, the touch, the excitement of a new LP from the first time around in the 70's and 80's, so this is just a heavenly collection for me. I'm beginning to talk to collectors, sellers and such. Original vinyl ended about late 80's - 1990 (24 years ago!!) and not very many records were made by today's reckoning, so I think collecting vinyl is going to be something I really get into and love. I wish I could find T-Rex (no luck yet).

A lot of artists are now releasing on new vinyl. Even old records are being re-run on new vinyl. We have bought a few but the new vinyl is very thick and heavy, nothing like old vinyl.

So anyway, here's T-Rex ...

Weight Loss: Part 5 Million and Twenty Six

This is me in October 2008, nearly 6 years ago. I was five months pregnant at the time with Daniel but I was still living a healthy life pretty much every day.

This is right before my "sod it I'm going to eat what I want" phase which lasted for the rest of the pregnancy. I ate at least 50 cherry pies during that phase & gained at least 50 lbs by the time Daniel came. I've piled a few more on since.

My issues are a mixture of drinking too much wine, changing my job responsibilities so that I'm sat down much more than I ever was, and not being very good at what I eat.

I've blogged too many times to remember about getting healthy again, being on a diet, laying off the wine, re-joining WW etc.  I feel like like a broken record. What will stop me from repeating this cycle? A failed liver? Diabetes? Getting stuck on a roller coaster ride because I can't get my fat ass out of the seat?

I do know that I go through periods of fantastic motivation where my head in in the right place and then I have these periods where I literally say "f*** it!". But right now I'm in the motivated mood so let's see how I do!

I haven't weighed myself though. I think it might actually be a de-motivator for me if I did since I'm heavier now than at any other time of my life. This might seem weird but that's how I feel. I was talking to a woman at the weekend about it and she kept trying to harass me, saying that I must weight myself or else what is my motivation?!

Well my motivation is to feel normal again...

1. To get back into my normal clothes
2. Not squirm when I catch a side profile view of myself in a shop window
3. Not grunt when I paint my toe nails
4. Get out of the pool without looking like I'm also hauling a cargo net full of salmon in my swimsuit
5. Wear tank tops

Of course there's all the other motivational things about playing with my kids, feeling healthy, running a 5-K. All those kinds of things. But right now my motivation is just about me feeling normal again. Wish me luck. Again.  

Father's Day

I hope Craig enjoyed Father's Day. I had planned to make him breakfast in bed with the kids, like they did for me, but the kids slept till 10am (we went to a party last night) and he got up before them. But when they got up they showered him with cards and presents and kisses and we also got to Facetime with Leanne, which was lovely. I made him some pictures frames for his desk at work with pictures of the boys and Leanne and they got him a chocolate Harley Davidson and a new recliner for the garden.

He took Jack canoeing on the local river in the afternoon so me and Danny headed to the pool and proceeded to get severely sunburned even though I kept spraying us both in factor 50. Damn our Viking genes!

Craig and Jack had a little adventure when their canoe tipped over. Jack, ever the drama queen, insisted that he blow the emergency whistle he had hanging around his neck, repeating with great urgency "I want to blow the whistle, I want to blow the whistle!" until Craig calmed him down and reminded him that they were only stood in water a foot deep.  Craig was laughing his head off recanting the story to me.

After canoeing they met back with us at the pool and then we headed home for pizza and wine and Game of Thrones. All in all a great day. I think Craig would secretly have liked to go out on his bike but he said he wanted to spend time with the kids so he did. He's such a fantastic person, such a good dad. I can't wait for he and Leanne to get to know one another more.

End of School & Beginning of Summer

Jack's last day of class was last week (May 29th) now he has 11 weeks off school. Thank God for Linda. This time next year we'll be paying a small fortune for summer camps.

I have had 3 extra kids each morning for an hour before school and it's been really good. They've gelled with my two and it's been lovely to see them trot off to school together each morning.

Last Day of 2nd Grade

Trampoline + Hose Pipe = Fun

House finch chicks in our Boston fern

Cleaned up their graves. It still makes me sad

So we're getting geared up for summer. We've hit the pool several times already and it's in the high 80's most days. We've book Leanne's flight for mid July and we are looking forward to my  mum and Tom coming too. Should be a great summer!

Getting your feet up

Craig just went to bed and I was like a hyena, circling, just waiting for my moment to jump in his spot. We only have 1 recliner seat in our house and we both want it each evening. Who doesn't want to sit with their feet up each night after a day at work in 90 degree weather? We don't fight about it, we are very polite and would gladly offer it to each other but we secretly covet it. The precious recliner.

When I broke my arm it was mine for at least 3 weeks (I may have pushed it to 4). Even when I was told by my doc that the swelling in my arm had gone down and I didn't need to sit with it raised up I pretended I did. I even asked my physiotherapist if she might write a note to Craig telling him that since I had broke my arm I deserved the recliner for many months (she was a good egg and willing to oblige). But I didn't have her do it because I  know how much he wants it too.

Bless us both. We don't get a break. That recliner is our only little bit of relaxation.

Some people have grandparents close by. In fact I'm trying really hard not to be jealous that two of our friends have a kid-free week this week. Or they have enough money to have babysitters galore, or they just take care of themselves and not care as much perhaps about entertaining their kids as we do (the boys expect it now, is what I'm saying).  Whatever the reason, there's just no break for us. But that's ok, I love my kids and I know that many other people have much more going on than we do. But it's my blog so I can moan a bit if I want, right?

So, my favourite and best times when I alone was spoiled?  After Daniel's birth in the hospital (Jack's birth was so manic I never had a minute to myself) and when I first broke my arm. Yep, in the last 15 years I can think of 2 times I was cared for. I bet if I asked Craig he'd say none.  Which means I have to make this coming Father's Day all about him. But he does get the lion's share of the recliner, so there's that.

People need "all about me" moments sometimes.

365 Project Begins!

My friend and neighbour is very talented at photography and writing and has inspired me to start a new "project" this year.

Basically I will take a 1-second video every day on my phone (there's an app you download that does it all for you) and then at the end of the year I will compile it into one video. What I'm also going to do is merge it each month because I'm very excited about it and want to see how my first month of doing it has turned out.

So this is the month of May, captured by just one second each day.