Blogging Frustration

So as you can see I've not actually blogged on here since September... Why?!  Lack of PC, a laptop that needed reformatting,  changing mobiles not one but twice,  mobile app being a complete pita (pain in the ass) & then only just installing the app on my current phone as I got so fed-up of everything getting in my way I had a break from Blogger!

If you are going through old blogs here you may well notice missing photos, no editing,  mismatched fonts, lack of colour & such like... I shall try to get my laptop on this arvo to edit & change all this - no promises though as it has already been one of those days!!!

I am all about being positive this year though & have put in place some fantastic tools to assist in this,  it's not to say I don't have off days - it's to detract from the negatives though whilst looking at the good in life.

So far in 2014 the weather here has been awful,  only a couple of frosty mornings,  a couple of dry days & an awful lot of rain, rain, rain... This can drag you down if you think of it to much but there is so much to be happy about to!

Family, friends, love, laughter, beauty, achievements all come for free & are part of everyday life,  let's try to embrace these things more... My eldest may have difficulties but he is a truly amazing boy with many talents,  he not only achieved a 7c in his Maths test but he also achieved a 7b in Science too -  Very Proud Mommy here, Well Done Son xXx

We've had 2 new additions to the household in the form of tiny kittens Molly & Jack, hours of fun, cute, cuddly, Peterbald Crosses.

It'll be half-term soon & shortly after that the little one will turn 7yrs old,  best start planning what to do for her birthday,  just hope the weather picks up!

Final year of primary school for the middle one (who turns 11 in the summer) & the eldest will be a teenage boy come July too - where did my babies go?!

Last year was a rollercoaster for us,  we lost 3 dear people in our lives,  had to say goodbye to a beloved old cat, saw some great friends get married, celebrated a milestone family birthday, met some wonderful new friends & lots of other high/low points throughout... So that's why I decided to change my outlook this year,  too many of us get stuck in daily rut routines as it is all too easy but in taking steps to prevent me getting caught in that trap.

Lots of exciting opportunities this year with making people smile,  having fun,  enjoying life to the full... What is stopping me??? Absolutely nothing!!!

Am I the only one?!

I wonder if I am??? It appears at times I'm the only living sole in this house that has a) common sense & b) optimal organisational skills.

I keep trying to drum in the importance of these two necessary life skills to my family, but as much as I try I get nowhere... Or so it seems (hopefully it is slowly drip-feeding into them)?

Every day I remind hubby to take his medication, he is on 3 different tablets daily, every night I full up his pill pot & my daily pill separator (I take meds morning & night), every morning I make my bed & ask the children to make theirs (since my mega blitz last week), also I get them to pull the curtains in their rooms - it's not hard (or at least it shouldn't be) but they're so forgetful... If I don't remind them constantly to do these things, guess what?! Yep, they don't actually get done. It's a bit like getting them to actually put their dirty laundry in the washing basket!!!

Since the weekend I've started a new washing regime this week, I am washing a load a day or every other day now instead of doing 2/3 days of multiple loads... It's being washed, dried & put away straight away - so much less daunting & if the kids don't assist then I can do it quickly without it taking over a full day (I did have to clear the back-log first yesterday) working a dream so far!

It's a little like the new tidy rooms rule; I've only had to pull rank once with Hermione today (she left all the play animals strewn across the girls room) but I only told her once & she put them away, I even helped her saying "you only have to ask & I'll help you"

I hope eventually the longer I persist with this tidy room rule, clean kitchen sides, washing daily  regime etc, soon it will rub off on the children & become second nature to them...

As for the hubby??? Well, I think he's a lost cause now - he does try (he is in fact very trying, lol) but take the kitchen sides... I often have to clean up after him both before bed & again after his toast/tea in the mornings. I don't mind that much, it's just frustrating!

Common sense, I think people have it or they don't... I have a lot (at least I think I do), Dunk has a little & well if the children have any, it is not yet developed - I need to try & channel this life skill quickly, if there's to be any hope of my children developing it at all.

Now of course I'm not being derogatory to my little family at all, I love & support them dearly. It is just a very tiring for me trying to remember all the menial things for 5 people - I often miss taking my own medication on time due to fussing over the other 4 in the house (no I know this is not good for me, but what else can I do?!)

I can organise pretty much anything I put my mind to, trips out with the family, holidays, parties, events you name it I'm your girl! Common sense, I have a lot but it's not overflowing but I wish more people had this skill.

One of those days.....

Yes the title has a hint of sarcasm, but for me it HAS been exactly that 'one of those days'

Now I guess 'one of those days' could mean a number of scenarios to a number of people, but for me it means a day where I've almost got to the point of saying "enough is enough, I quit!"

I bet you're all thinking why?! Why is today so much tougher than any other day??? In fairness I don't think it is & now I'm blogging to calm myself (strangely for me this is a technique that works) I can reflect & say "is it THAT bad?"

Actually as calm as I'm getting, yes it is! What the outside world sees is what it wants to see: the blissful married couple, 3 lovely children, a nice/safe family home, financially ok... What the outside world doesn't see: a depressed husband, a high-functioning autistic son, a stressed out wife/mother, all the chaos that goes with this too.

So why today? Why 'St Patrick's Day'? Top of the mornin to ya, by the way! Lol

Maybe the moon is in a particular phase, maybe it's the random weather patterns (freak snow showers this morning), maybe it's just a build up of the last few weeks, who knows?!

What I do know is my husband struggles every Sunday & hits a downer with the ever looming Monday morning back to work syndrome, add to the mix a non-compliant/non-conventional thinking autistic son that has been very argumentative & refusing to do homework or he at all helpful in anyway - well it's an all scale warfare to be precise.

Does that sound dramatic?! It's meant to... The morning started ok, but suddenly plummeted. We awoke, hubby toasted hot-cross buns (courtesy of M&S, they're the best in my honest opinion (but I've yet to try my hand at making my own)). We all ate, I had coffee life was good!

Then we ask number one son to do his homework (that should've been started on Friday after school, but alas arguments then, arguments yesterday too) guess what?!? Yep you bet ya, agreements again!!!

It got so heated that both male inhabitants stormed off to their bedrooms... Great! The littlest female inhabitant had a party to get to & I had a cake to delivery for said party - so given the drastic change in weather front, yes we had heavy snow showers at that time... I text my friend to let her know I'd walk the cake & girls to hers, drop lil lady n cake off for party (I'd then planned to take middle child to Costa).

Then cause I go to dress myself, hubby tells me I'm being ridiculous walking with cake, carseat & girls in this weather he'll give us a lift - Arghhhhhh! So I text my friend again, her partner comes to collect cake & we then have issues getting the boy to dress to leave the house.

Eventually he dresses, we get in A snow clad car & head to Banbury iKidz to drop lil lady (who is now The Dark Knight, it's a Superhero party) off for the party.

As is pretty standard these days in our car, the journey is never simple even if it's a short one in town... Kids arguing n bickering, I have no patience left since I quit smoking (Oct 9th 2012) give me strength please???

No, it continues so I start playing Emma B via my phone - hubby thinks it's amusing to change the lyrics & take the piddle out of me... Not happy & very vexed I stare out the window to watch the snow fall.

We drop little Anneliese at her party then head to Banbury centre, Castle Quay do a spot of shopping, some window shopping, then have trouble with hubbys stoopid iPod & Bluetoothing a photo to the printer in Boots (adding to my stress of our darling son being on form today). Before we know it the time has gone, we didn't even manage lunch before collecting Anneliese from her party!

We detoured past McDonald's on the way home, so we could eat... Lil lady was full from the party so just had a carton of milk - but even eating in McDonald's was not stress free & was fraught for me n hubby, as Cam decided the window screen that moved was of great enjoyment so kept sliding it back n fourth with Anneliese tugging the other side too. Tut, tut, much to our annoyance.

We finally finished & headed home in the car, still a few issues on the journey home - turn the stereo up, block it out! Once home we start back on the homework topic, eventually after much debate/protest/arguing we convince Cam to start it... Result!

The girls are playing happily, if a little loud, so they take their toys up to their room. We start to watch Corrie, homework is being started it is going well until - hubby drifts off to sleep, he's extremely tired after 2 nights work & early mornings after... Then the boy starts messing with deleting template pages from the document he is working on, not putting in any content so my stress levels rise again.

This is when I pick my phone up & play Candy Crush, then I start this blog as I'm getting more vexed with my son... Hubby wakes up, gets cross with son & goes to bath the lil lady - eventually son finishes homework, we have crumpets for tea & I have a cuppa then finish this blog off.

I'm unmotivated to go out this evening, but as I skipped karaoke Thursday night for feeling stressy I'm gonna force myself for Paddy-oke as a few silly Irish songs, good friends & bestie too should shove the stresses away.

I think I will tell my children when they hit their teens growing up is no fun, not to waste their time as youngsters with stress, anguish, arguments & just have fun, help one another, enjoy life while they can! So on that note, I'm outta here... Quick freshen up & tie the hair back, ready for some awful singing (from me) & a few decent tunes (from others, I hope) lol.

Getting older & Getting colder!

I'm 39 this year (July 29th) so believe me a big ass party is on the cards for 2014 or at least it better be?! Hint, Hint...

Now I for one at the moment have no problems with getting older, it just doesn't bother me as apart from my health issues I still feel pretty young & hope that I look it too!

What I do have a problem with is the cold though... The older I am getting the more & more I am feeling the cold - I uses to think it was to do with the amount of padding one has: ie/ the thinner you were the more you felt the cold whereas if you are more rounded you are better insulated therefore do not feel it as much

Wrong!!! Since quitting smoking in October (3 months ago) I've gained a good stone in weight am I any warmer??? Not at all if anything I am much colder & don't go telling me it's colder now than it was then either. I'm basing my findings on previous January's & Years I am like a freaking ice queen!!!

For example: right now it is 1pm, the heating is on, the lounge door is shut, the cavity walls have good insulation, I have my snow boots on, skinny jeans, a long sleeved top, a thick hoody but yet I am sat here bloody shivering & my hands n feet are like ice blocks, my nose even feels frozen - what's that all about?

Am I the only person that things about this??? I have to say I'm glad I quit the tags as just the thought of standing outside is about unbearable, I know that sounds dramatic but I really wish you could feel exactly how cold I am!

It's not as if it is THAT cold today, it's around 2'C so not even freezing but to me it may as well be -2'C or colder for how I'm feeling.

Is it normal to feel colder the older you get??? Answers on a post card to:

The Ice Queen
'I'mascoldas'
AnIcicle
Freezing Lane
Cold City

I'm going to go get a quilt in a minute & cosy up as I feel ridiculously cold, still being cold has a great advantage for pastry making if only I needed pastry today?! I've a cake to do for Sunday I just hope my hands warm up a little as too cold hands don't help when kneading fondant to make it pliable!!!

Master of Surprises!

Yes, that would be me... I'm so sneaky, but only in a good way!


You see I love to make those I'm closest to happy, especially for birthdays... Too many people forget or hide birthdays when they're grown up, I don't see why myself?!


I mean it's worth celebrating because you've survived another year, this day & age we all have far too many stresses & strains which take their toll on us - but we're still here, alive, breathing, with so much to live for & that should be celebrated every year!


I've been decidedly sneaky yet again this year, I wowed bestie on his birthday in Feb with an outstanding 'ham' cake, it's hubby Duncan's birthday on the 7th he has a surprise cake in store for karaoke (created & supplied by the lovely Anne)...





He said he didn't want anyone to know it was his birthday so removed it from view on FB but also changed the date too!


I have obviously made a birthday cake for us at home & posted a picture, but also wrote a status & tagged him, I also wrote on his FB wall! Ooops did I let the cat out the bag?! Lol!!!


                                                                                                                           


I've also arranged another surprise for Sunday, our good friend Nigel is coming down to come to karaoke... So I've booked a babysitter & Dunk is none the wiser - ain't I evil?! Not really, I think these are nice surprises & it really shows just how much I care about those I'm closest to!


I started this blog on Weds 06/06, it is now Mon 11/06 & how did the surprises go down?! I bet you're wondering???


Well, the surprise cake Thursday night was a real hit & much appreciated too (so was my cake that we had at home on Friday) he was treated to a fair few drinks on Thursday night too, but after a few pints of Strongbow, a Gin n Tonic (don't think this got drunk), a fair few shots of various flavours & topped off with a shot of Southern Comfort n Tabasco (forgot what it was called) - Dunk made a sneaky exit from the pub & went home early, lol!


Yesterday was absolutely classic though, timed to perfection... Dunk was cooking the Sunday roast, I was relaxing in the bath, the children were playing nicely & everyone apart from me was unaware of a surprise guest arriving!


Dunk started dishing up, the children laid the table (for 5 as normal), I got out the bath & was drying in bathroom, then the doorbell went... I could hear Duncan say from the kitchen (it's right next to bathroom) "who's at the door at this time? We're just about to eat!"


The next thing I hear is the door opening & a majorly surprised voice on Dunk says "bloody hell, how the devil are you, long time no see, come in!"


Hahaha, got him good & proper, he even commented it was like a 'This is your Life' moment!!!

Nigel & Duncan at bestie Jason's karaoke!

I've surprised him on 2 milestone birthdays in the past, I did a surprise 30th for him in '99 & on his 40th I arranged all his family & friends to surprise him at his then regular Friday karaoke gig that was in '09 - you'd think he'd learn by now eh?!


Last year I aided & abetted my good friend Andy organise his girlfriend (my Wifey) Becky's 30th surprise party too, so if you need any help with springing a surprise on your loved ones I'm a bit of an expert & good at party planning, just ask I'll only be too pleased to help!!!