Funny

This was filmed 2 years ago in February 2010 and must surely be a contender for You've Been Framed?!

Joe was just coming up to 2, Lauren loved Abba and loved being filmed more.

There are 2 very funny bits involving Joe falling over.

I shouldn’t laugh but it gets me every time!

Morning

This week’s gallery theme is morning.

My children are a bit of a rarity – they love to lie-in.

Yes that’s right – lie-in. Just like their mum!

It’s a struggle sometimes to get them out of bed during the week. Lauren is 7 going on 17 and hides the duvet over her head. Joe just sleeps through it all. For 2 days of the week Dom has to get them up and ready when I do early shifts at work. I have to get them up and ready 3 days of the week and 2 of those days I have to be in work by 9am. I love my sleep and will always sleep until the last possible moment, snoozing my alarm so often I lose count which means that I am always rushing, often getting irritable with the children for not hurrying. The more I try to hurry them the slower they become – why is that?? And I usually arrive at work stressed and feeling very guilty vowing that tomorrow morning I will get up half an hour early so that I do not have to go through this ritual every time.  Yet I never do – annoyingly.

Weekends are different though. Average wake-up time for them on a weekend can be anywhere between 9am to 10am. I love having them come and cwtch in bed with me. Dom always brings me marmite on toast and a nice cuppa and we lie in bed for a bit watching cartoons.

Sometimes, when life feels hard and I am having a moment of self pity about not having family around to help I thank my lucky stars that the kids are good sleepers!

Happy Birthday Sweet Pea!

At the beginning of the month Lauren celebrated her 7th birthday. I had every intention to write up a post all about her brilliant birthday party on the day of her actual birthday but have been so bloomin busy I just haven't had a chance to until now - sorry Laurey Loos!

Anyway missy had a great time! Like Joe, I decided that Lauren could have a home party.
Gulp.
 I was inspired after reading about Tara, over at Sticky Fingers, party for her daughter - it combined 2 of Laurens favourite things - popcorn and the cinema!

I got some fantastic invitations made up from ebay - designed to look like a movie ticket.

She invited 5 friends (manageable number I thought?!), we played lots of party games. They danced (brilliantly I must say!) to Carly Rae Jepson and One Direction in the garden, they loved pin the tail on the donkey and I am not sure you are ever to old to enjoy pass the parcel are you??

I cooked them french fries, pizza and hot dogs which they demolished.

I ordered some pop corn boxes from ebay and popped some butterkist microwaveable popcorn in the microwave (have you tried it? Its bloody delicious - tastes just like popcorn you get at the cinema!) and set the living up like a cinema.

The girls then all watched Marmaduke at the 'cinema.'
I say watched, I mean screeched and threw popcorn everywhere.

Lauren bloomin loved it and really enjoyed herself!

Happy Birthday Princess! xxx

What time do you go to bed?

It's 10.25pm. My alarm is set for 5.35am so that I can get into work for 6.30am and work until 6pm. I'm very, very tired. Yet here I am, sat on the sofa, reading blogs, checking Facebook & generally doing anything but go upstairs and get into bed.

Aaargghhh.

My mum always called me a 'nightowl.' she said I used to come to life in the nights when I was a baby and I don't think I've changed - even though I'm now 33!
You'd think with my busy life that I'd be in bed when the kids go but I just can't do it. For me I like to flake on the sofa for an hour and watch some rubbish tv. Being a mum of 2 small (ish) children & holding down a demanding job means that the evenings are the only time i get to myself. Ill be damned if I'm going to waste those precious few hours on sleep!!
If I go to bed early it wakes me up. Odd I know. It's only on very, very rare occasions that I can fall asleep early evening & sleep right through and that's usually when I'm so, so knackered that I start to feel ill.
Its starting to worry me that the kids are taking after me. They go to bed at a reasonable time yet its not uncommon for them both to still be awake an hour or so later. Lauren especially. She potters around her room, reads, draws, does anything but get into bed. Joe often sounds like he's rehearsing for a 1 man show. He goes through all his books (and he's got lots - trust me) reading them out (very) loudly. Which remind me, I must try and get a video up of him doing this - it's very comical....
So now my eyelids are heavy and bed is calling. I'm reading a really good book at the moment (The Playdate by Louise Millar in case your interested) so I'm going to love you and leave you and FORCE myself off to bed.

Night night x