Royal Wedding

There are lots of excitable people over at the ditzy household but also very confused. Son 1 seems to have spent a whole useful day at school making union jack flags, the royal wedding even featured in their assembly. Didn't think it was part of the national curriculum. He also thinks we are going to the royal wedding, as in we've been invited to the wedding. Not quite! Son 2 thinks that as its a wedding that granny is coming over (the only wedding we've taken them to was with granny). I've decided not to go home from work using my usual St James's Park tube station from work but go via Westminster, big mistake it was rammed with crazy Americans all camped out but it had such an electric atmosphere. So many TV crews and journalists (they outnumbered the Americans!). I then tried to find some union jack bunting for the outside of the house but everyone's sold out, I wanted to show my support as there's hardly any houses in London decorated. There are two cheap small flags in the window boxes. I did manage to get a Prince William and Kate mask for the kids though!! So excited - what are you going to be doing tomorrow? 

Wardrobe malfunctions

One of my traits of being a ditzy mummy is that I often don't put my clothes on properly like I have dressed in the dark, complete wardrobe malfunctions. Today was one of those incidents, I was trying to put on a long cardigan whilst talking to someone at work and I couldn't understand why it felt funny. I then noticed I was trying to put it on upside down. Other recent incidents have included:

• Putting on my cardigan inside out which I hadn't noticed until a colleague pointed out.
• Asking someone how my new dress was looking, reply was "great but you might want to remove the tag".
• Taking off my jeans before going to bed and realising that I'd had a pair of knickers from the washing stuffed down one of the legs - they were skinny jeans, not sure how I missed that. 
• The wrong shoes are a big problem see Not wrong shoes

I am quite pleased if I manage to get to work with an outfit that looks okish with accessories that sort of match but there have been other problems not down to my ditiziness but caused by children. With son one, when he was a baby I delivered a whole day's training without realising he had been sick down my back on my suit jacket.  At the moment, son 3 nose is at the same height as my crutch so often at work and notice that his snot has been wipped on my trousers (around the crutch area) which looks v.dodgy. Wet wipes are a mums best friend.   

Nappies

I've been motivated to join the Great Nappy Debate by Really Rachel blog about my experience of using cloth nappies. When other parents find out I use cloth nappies I can see their brains ticking over and not comprehending that I use cloth nappies as it doesn't really go with my parenting style / ways. Mainly as I tend to steer towards the slummy mummy label, didn't breastfeed, quite forgetful and am not at all earth mothery. So I like it that I challenge people's stereotypes. We have used cloth nappies for all our 3 boys and I am the biggest advocate of cloth nappies. We bought a whole bunch of motherease nappies when I was pregnant with my first, mainly as the only friend who had a baby used them so I just copied her. Now, I use them as I really don't like disposables mostly as I find the smell nasty and when my boys have worn disposables they are so skinny their trousers fall down (as cloth nappies are bulky it holds up their trousers). Strange but a practical reason as little boys can't run around with their trousers round their ankles. The cost and practicality for me is another reason I like cloth nappies, after the first batch of nappies they have lasted through all 3 boys. I have bought some more, tot bots are good for at night. Cloth nappies also don't leak poo if its runny which saves on washing clothes. I find it easier to wash nappies than go to the supermarket, buy the right sized disposables at the right another benefit is my sons have started moving it easier to do up cloth nappies with poppers than disposables that use tabs. I know there's been some ridiculous government research that concluded they are not environmentally better which was shown to be flawed research. I personally don't tumble dry the nappies and find I only have to do 2-3 washes of nappies a week as I have about 20 nappies so I can't see how I used more electricity. There are some disadvantages, as son 2 drinks lots of water when he wore nappies they often leaked (many times put him on my lap and then had a wet / wee patch on my trousers - nice). But he's the exception to the rule. Also, washing poo off the nappies is not much fun but I just shut my eyes and ignore what I'm doing. Overall though I can't see how putting scratchy disposable nappies compares to putting a little baby's bottom in soft cloth. I would recommend the The Nappy Lady for good advice and to buy nappies. If you're looking to buy Let me know your experiences / comments / criticisms.

Silent Sunday

Major meltdown

We are on a big thing with son 1 and son 2 to tidy up after themselves (ie. put clothes in laundry bin, tidy toys away, put cups by the sink - blah blah). Its not going well, and yesterday son 1 couldn't find his bicycle helmet as he couldn't remember where he left it because he doesn't put things back. This lead to a major meltdown, lots of shouting and crying (that was just me!) at the boys as they are really not 'getting' the whole tidying up behaviour. Embarssingly as it was a hot day all the windows and doors were open, so our next door neighbours heard my complete meltdown and then I bumped into them 5 minutes afterwards and they couldn't look me in the eye (I think they were scared - I was really shouting). Later on at bathtime, I was asking son 2 where the jug for washing hair was. He got out of the bath, found the jug in his brother's room and stated "mummy, if you put it back in the proper place after you have used it then you would have been able to find it". Blimey, I can't believe he's throwing back at me the lessons I'm trying to teach them. He's so cute, it really made me smile!!! All I can say is I bet girls would tidy up after themselves.

Sick baby

We've had our second visit to A&E in 6.5 years. As I see from work how much NHS money which are far too precious is spent on people not using A&E properly I rarely take the kids to A&E if they are sick but we had a bit of an alarm this week with son 3 (aka the baby). I had a frantic phone call from our nanny on Tuesday, she never calls me so I knew it was something serious. Son 3 has had a nasty cold and cough for a few weeks but didn't seem that sick, a bit of temperature but went down with calpol. After his nap, our nanny had noticed that he was shaking, his eyes were glazed over and he couldn't breathe properly which she thought was the beginning of a fit. So she'd rushed him to the doctors at the top of our road, they called an ambulance straight away and gave him oxygen. At this moment, I'm racing back from Waterloo trying to get to Ealing Hospital with awful thoughts going through my head. When I finally got to the hospital he was better but still quite hot (still high temperature) and unhappy. He'd had a febrile convulsion due to a virus, poor little thing. He's now better after the GP finally gave him antibiotics and he's started recovering from a bad chest infection. The whole experience scared the s**t out of me, I felt completely helpless that I wasn't with him when he was in the ambulance and guilt that I should have looked after him better so he didn't get so ill / shouldn't have gone to work when he was unwell. To make matters worse we had been trying to get him off the bottle as he's now 18 months and a health visitor at work told me it will rot his teeth to still give him milk in a bottle. This hadn't been going too well and he was refusing milk and sometimes water in a lid cup so he was dehydrated. My mother's instinct was telling me that he was deydrated and needed a bottle to get fluid but I was influenced by other people.

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday - devised by mocha beanie mummy

Kreative Blog Award

I would like to thank 'would like to be a yummy mummy' fhttp://wouldliketobeayummymummy.blogspot.com/ or awarding me a Kreativ Blogger Award. The Rules are:

• Link to 10 blogs; 
• Tell these bloggers about the award; and
• Share 10 facts about myself.

1. When I was student, my favourite receipe I devised and loved was noodles, creme fraiche mixed with hoi sin sauce and sweetcorn.

2. With son 1 I was induced many times and in  labour (on and off) over a 5 day period until I had an emergency caesaran, I was extremely excited but extraordinately tired when he was born.

3. I used to work for a charity called Business in the Community, Prince Charles was the President of the charity and very interested in the initiative worked on. This led to me going to lunch at Highgrove with Prince Charles which was fascinating to see whose photos he had up!!!

4. I can't sew, not at all. Every button I've sewed as fallen off and any hem I've attempted to turn up has fallen down. I now take all my repairs to a man down the road.

5. When I was 11 (or could have been 12) I spent a weekend attempting back flips on an old matress, when I finally succeeded it felt such an achievement.

6. I love chocolate and wine, seperately or together.

7. I went to university as a mature student (at the tender age of 21 but that was a mature student and I got a grant). I proved to my teachers that I was clever enough to go to university (always in the top streams but a school that was obbessed by their place in the league tables).

8. As a 5 year old I loved a brown corduary dress and wouldn't wear anything else.

9. I used cloth nappies for all my babies, it doesn't really fit my other slummy mummy ways but I hate disposable nappies and hate the thought of mountains and mountains of landfill.

10. I love all the American TV series, Brothers & Sisters, Gray's Anatomy, The Good Wife, House, Fringe etc.

The blogs I'm sharing make me laugh, ponder, and sometimes gasp in horrow they are:


Curtains for the Window



mommy-beadzoid


hello its gemma


Working london mummy


Alyson Blog


Manic Mum


Domestic anarchist


Lungs behaving badly


http://beth-multuminparvo.blogspot.com/

Muddled words

Sometimes I get my words muddled up. Today having a bit of a discussion with son 1 and son 2 about another child that our nanny occassionally looks after. He's been fainting, then staying passed out every day at school for the past few weeks. Our nanny had told me about it and explained it to my boys as they sometimes play together. Son 1 told me that he couldn't remember the word for the condition that it might be, I said "oh I'm sure its necrophilia, no that sounds wrong, I'm not sure the name of the condition". It's narcolepsy that he might have, the condition where someone suddenly falls into a deep sleep (River Phoenix played a character in the film My Own Private Idaho) not the condition where you have urges to get jiggy with a dead person. Whoops, need to get my words right before talking to 'the child who remembers everything'. 

My top 5 children's animated films

Becoming a parent has meant that now I never get a chance to watch adult films anymore but on the postive side I have discovered some great animated children's films with my boys. I've decided to rate my top 5 films in reverse order:
5 - The Incredibles: I have seen this films so many times as son 1 was addicted when he was 3 followed by son 2 who loved it as well. Has some great adult lines that really made me giggle, one of the best is when Frozone (a superhero) is arguing with his wife as he can't find his superhero suit so he can save the world and she is insisting they he doesn't need it as they're having friends over. I love that this conversation probably takes place all the time in homes but not over a superhero suit. 
4 -  UP: A beautifully animated film that made me cry, kids thought I was mad and asking why I was crying. The story is so emotional and has a lovely little message of following your dreams.
3 - Robots: We are now onto our second DVD of this film as somehow it has been worn out. A funny little film that has some v.adult humour with some big belly laughs.
2 - Toy Story 2: Where do I start with this film, which I believe is the best one out of the three Toy Story films. Again, funny lines with sweet story about friendships. It also has some brillant outtakes that are hilarious.
1 - Over The Hedge: This is a relatively unknown film but keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat from the beginning. It has the best adult lines and is jammed packed with funny scenes. I love this film and make the kids watch it with the sub-titles so I don't miss anything.
So these are my top 5 animated films, very different to the usual Arthouse films I love but I've grown to love children's animated films and ignore hubbie when he says I shouldn't buy the boys so many DVDs. I don't think he realises I sort of buy them for me as well.

Skiing holiday

Its all been a bit quite on the ditzy mummy front as I've been on a skiing holiday with all the kids and hubbie. I booked the holiday over 7 months ago so been very excited about going skiing again and seeing son 1 and son 2 learning to ski. So at 3.30am on a Saturday we set off to Gatwick to catch a ridiculously early flight with loads of luggage of which hardly any was mine. 

The hotel was lovely, nice big rooms with seperate room for the 3 boys and enormous bathroom. However, some of the other guests' tolerance of children was v.low. Now considering it was a family hotel which a kids club / creche in the hotel you would have thought that people who don't like children would not book into this hotel. Oh no, the result was lots of tutting and comments about our unruly kids and other people's. I do remember a time when I would be the person with a hangover on a flight or staying at a hotel who was highly intolerant of children but I don't remember being that bad (ah rose tinted glasses). It was quite funny on the coach back to the airport, all the windy mountain roads resulted in son 1 and son 2 being sick into a plastic bag and all the intolerant youngsters had serious hangovers at 6am, it was funny watching them controlling their quesiness with the sound and smell of our boys' vomit. It was also quite amazing how good hubbie and me are at catching sick without getting it on us or on the vomiting child!

Skiing was really good, I used to work in a ski resort and since having children haven't been able to go that often so it was great to smell the mountain air and the feel the exhiliration of skiing. But, my poor legs....My mind was telling me to ski like a 19 year old but my body was telling me to stop and slow it down. All in all, we had a fab holiday and would thoroughly recommend Neilsons for travelling with children, all the nannies was amazing and the 2 older boys skipped into kids club.