A Tag of 8's (which took me about 8 weeks to complete)

I have been tagged by the fabulous Wife of the Bold and SandyCalico, with the tag of 8's (wow! I'm still trying to think of the 8 remaining facts from the last thing...maybe I could squeeze a couple in here!?); anyway, here goes....

RULES
1) Mention the person who tagged you
2) Complete the list of 8's
3) Tag 8 others and let them know

Right, let's DO this...huh! (said in the manner of rubbish American Cop show)

8 Things I'm looking forward to

1. Sleeping for a WHOLE night, uninterrupted bliss.
2. Going to see Quadrophenia at the Opera House (or some such place) on Saturday. It's one of my favourite films; not sure how it'll translate into a stage play but, hey, it's a night out.
3. The sun shining; again. Please!?
4.Long, long 6 week summer holiday.
5.A tidy house (in my dreams)
6.A flat stomach (again in my dreams)
7.Today, the kids coming home from school, want them at home today.
8.Something to happen....not sure what. Will let you know when it has.

8 Things I did yesterday
1. Took s#1 to A&E (where we shall probably be taking up permanent residence soon). He swallowed a 5p st school
2. Loaded some new posts onto my daughters blog, lilyamber.blogspot.com, very sweet.
3. Completed my usual quota of procrastination; I did a bit of staring into space, checked Rightmove that sort of thing ;)
4. FAILED to do any house work (procrastination takes time and dedication, dontcha know)
5. Ohhhh made a lovely Korma from Jamie Oliver's new book (The Ministry one) I don't cook (well only for the kids 'cos I have to) I hate cooking but this book is so bloody simple...top! I'm not a fan of Oliver in his cooking demonstration programmes though...can't abide his jaunty manners (being basically dour person myself, it rubs me up the wrong way). I rather like his social crusade ones though.
6.I watched Dodgeball for the millionth time on film4. I like this film but I don't know why I seem to have seen it sooo many times, I don't like it THAT much. Also don't understand why I stayed up until 11.30pm watching it? I guess only I can answer that (probably got to the point where I was so tired, doing something different seems insurmountable!)
7.Went to ASDA, put a load of stuff back that I reckon I didn't really need. Took my s#1 to the sweetie shop after A&E to pick a consoling ice-cream for him and d#1 and my friend's kids and my friend (she's very good and looked after d#1 whilst A&E was going on) Oh, and me! I wanted one too! "Pick anything!" I trilled. So, he went for the really expensive Flake cornetto thingy; COST a fortune!!! Bang goes my ASDA saving! It'll be mini milks from now on I tell ya!
8.Made some piles of stuff to go into the loft (in ohhhhh about 7 weeks time!)

8 Things I wish I could do
1)More domestic ish things
2)Sing 9well I think I've greatly improved over the years, some would beg to differ.
3)I wish I could do "optimism" a bit better; 'fraid I am more of a glass half empty.
4)Control my (or rather obliterate) my raging hormones.
5)Make it so every child in the UK could read.
6) Make it so every child in the world had the chance to attend school on a regular basis.
7)Fly
8)Make a decision quickly.

8 favourite fruits
1) Strawberries (my s#1 is the only person I know who doesn't like strawberries - except for those who are allergic- I find it very odd)
2)Blueberries...especially in blueberry muffins;)
3) good 'ol kiwi
4) Apples. I craved them when I was pregnant with d#1 but I generally found that the ones I got had accidentally tripped up into a crumble, or pie, or turnover. Odd that...
5)Oranges but I usually avoid due to sticky nature. OK satsumas. YES!! They remind me of Christmas.
6)Lemons. You're not bitter or sour; you're lovely.
7)erm....rhubarb?
8)Maybe...raspberries

and I HATE watermelon (any melon really) gooseberries, mango (like the taste not the texture); anything dried bleuurghhhhh.

8 Places I'd like to travel
1) To the edge of space
2)Ohh too hard. There are too many places and I can't think of one. India, actually, and I've never been to Ireland. Every year I say "lets go to Ireland" but we always end up in Scotland. I like Scotland but I'd like to go to Ireland next year.
I know you're supposed to do 8 but I really can't think. Honest.


8 Places I've lived
1) Manchester
2)Preston
3) Seriously, that's it. Let me see? In Manchester, I've lived in...
4)Hulme (Manchester inner city)
5)Sale (Manchester Suburb)
6)Flixton (Manchester suburb)
7)The imaginary land that exists only in my head.
8) Finished now.

So, I will pass it on to

Clareybabbling
Kelloggsville
Wife not Lodger
and1 more means four
Mamma Po
Eve Upshall
Soapboxmummy

PS May I point out that, due to procrastination, this post was started about 2 weeks ago, so any news is old news BUT I'm on the case now and I'm gonna get better at this I promise!

MOVING!!!

I'm really excited!!! I'm moving house!!! Currently I am trying to decide which room the 4 kids will occupy. Our new garden is lovely; It's HUGE and split into 3 sections: a civilized "grown up" patio/decked bit (handy for BBQ's on a day like today); a lovely, lush garden bit in the middle (handy for sunbathing in on a day like today!) and a wild secluded bit at the bottom, where the kids can play in the manner of the Swallows and Amazons sans watery element (I was going to suggest Lord of the Flies, but I can't be doing with the fighting and there's going to be a few too many girls there). There is, of course, an office and the loft conversion is to die for. In fact, I might put D#1 and S#1 in one of the rooms up there, and use the other bit as a playroom. Did I tell you about the original features? Ohhhh, it's all sash windows, cast iron fireplaces and tiled hallways. An added attraction has to be the massive garage but, hey, we'll have off road parking too. Best of all, there is no chain...

...and I really must stop this imaginary moving house business. Why is Rightmove so much more appealing than the Teaching Ideas website? I should be planning Green Day (no not the band) for school. Back to reality... BUMP!!!!

Award time!

Four awards in one go!! Right. Sorry folks but I'm going to follow Clareybabbling's lead and list a load of ace blogs and let them select the award they think would look best on their blog BECAUSE once again, I have procrastinated and I'm trying to see who has what, and who doesn't but, ahhh, I don't know, it's all too confusing...if I haven't credited you like Amy or Clareybabbling, for instance, it's because you have all 3 and probably don't want an exercise in repetition coming your way. Moral is...do your homework straight away, otherwise all roads lead to confusion!

Thank you Rebel Mother for this one! I love reading about your days in the Madhouse...I know were you're coming from darling! Soooooo, to get this right I have to name three things I'm grateful for? Gosh, a hard one...I could be really frivolous but then people might think I'm shallow; I could say coffee cup cakes, Straits Kitchen (lovely take away place at the top of the road) and dishwashers: ALTERNATIVELY, I could be very deep (actually I can't be very deep; I'd find that too difficult).

So, 3 things
1) Family...kids, sig other, step daughter, brother, sister, Ma and Pa (the the rest of "the clan"). They're great, I love 'em. Some of them have put up with a lot from me when I was preggers with #3. OCD related, mad ante-natal depression patch; all gone now but the memory of the support I received will stay in my heart and mind forever.
2) Friends old and new; I haven't got that many but those I have are worth their proverbial weight. From sharing a laugh, to providing support (see above) when times got hard; for staying constant and loyal.
3)Being able to read; working in school has made me realise the amount of people who can't. Books provide my family unit with such pleasure...from giggling over the Beano, trips to the library, finding out about stuff, oh and the rest! I was told once "you will never be bored if you can read a book" and it's true.


And now, from Amy and Clareybabbling Honest Scrap...that kinda reflects my whole persona actually!

Right, when I received this, I initially thought I had to list 10 embarrassing things I'd done! I racked my brain and came up with very little. Is this because I never embarrass myself OR I never stop, hence, it doesn't even register? As I could only come up with one MAJORLY embarrassing thing, I was about to rush out and commit 9 more cringe worthy deeds; then I re-read it (story of my life!) and now understand (light bulb switches ON). So, ten things about me? I'm going to follow Amy on this one and list them over a number of posts because, to be honest, it's going to take me some time to think up 10 things that would be of any real interest; lets start with the embarrassing one:
When I was a newly qualified teacher, I was full of the joys of teaching; my new class was a Year2 (never to be forgotten). I was teaching them the phoneme "sh": " and what else begins with"sh" ? Anyone?", "Sheet? Good boy Izak", "Sheep? Well done Reece" ,"Shine? Lovely Shakira" ,"Ship? Brilliant Chelsea". All the while, my little NQT mind was telling me "ship ends in a 'p' not a 't', ship ends in a 'p' not a 't'". I wrote the word on the board with a flourish and a beam. Chelsea raised her hand "Yes darling?" ,"Miss 'ship' ends in a 'p' not a 't'" OMG, yes I'd written it...on the board, in front of 29 7 years olds. You've never seen a board rubber move quicker!! I had visions of my gaff leading me to the dole queue and, as I confessed all to my mentor, she laughed, preempted the end of my sorry tale and told me to "wait until you come to rhyming 'uck' words"
Another fact...when I was little I had 2 imaginary friends. They were called Pompsy and Kacky (I know what you're thinking....what a sh*t name!). I also had a little knitted kangaroo with a baby in it's pouch; I named this baby...wait for it... Titty (my parents must have been biting their tongues at this one!)

And lastly, from the lovely SandyCalico , I just want to pass this on to Laura Driver's (Are We Nearly There Yet Mummy?) other blog, the poignant and beautifully written A Mum Shaped Hole





The blogs I pass on to are

Soapbox Mummy
Wife of the Bold
OMG We're Pregnant!
twelvemonthsofmayhem
Kels Korner
Aventures of a Sleepless Toddler
Crazymaisey
Writeonmum
ManicMel
Rosie Scribble
Sandy Calico
The Dotterel
Notsupermum
Mum in Chaos
Another Day in the Madhouse
Being a Mummy

PS aplologies for any I've left off and for my spelling; I've a feeling it won't be much cop and it's PMT time (see last post) so what ya gonna do????!!!

PMT time, means MARMITE time!!!???

Gosh...feels like ages since I've posted (well, lets face it it is!). Things have tumbled along as usual BUT that tiredness thing has struck again! Not the usual "new baby" tiredness but the crushing type, that makes me think (ANOTHER) trip to the doctor is in order for more of the luurrvely iron pills that give me piles. Other than that, the kids have been dispatched back to school; d#1 was desperate to return. Is this a good thing? I think so...but then...does it mean that she's bored and unstimulated at home? Y'see these are the thing that worry me when I'm tired, "normal" me would just be glad that she is an enthusiastic learner and has a New Best Friend (not only a NBF but also a "secret sister" so I'm told...but shhhhhh, it's a secret, known only to me and a few dozen other). S#1 is loving school nursery, just a bit of a glitch this morning because I hadn't put the sellotape in the right place when I attempted to stick his name to his milk because, you see, the sellotape is supposed to go THIS way around, not THAT way around (inherited my OCD tendencies I fear)! So all is good, but I'm all twitchy and antsy...maybe it's because, after 15 months, I'm "due on" . Yes, I'm feeling the usual aching in my back that hails the arrival of the "painter and decorator's". Better book my ticket to planet hormone and warn the sig. other ( but if he DARES to ask if I'm due on, he's a gonner!).

I think it was after I'd had s#1 that I started to really feel the impact of PMT. I'd never, really experienced fully that aching, draining feeling: to be honest, I thought women who had to have time off work, days under the duvet with a hot water bottle...well, I thought they were fussing a bit too much. HA!!! Who's laughing now! Over the past few years, I 've had sickness, headaches, bloating, mood swings, anaemia...you name it really. Ohhh, I understand now. I understand perfectly! So, I've decided on a preemptive strike. Painkillers are out (still breastfeeding) and paracetamol doesn't touch the sides; I guess,what with suffering with migraines, my body seems to only respond to the strongest pain killers I can shovel down. I have some Evening Primrose and Agnus Castus but, again, I have the breastfeeding thing to consider. Sooooo, when consulting with Dr Google (and I swore I wouldn't use him again!), I discovered Marmite being touted as a remedy. I won't post the link because I found the article online in The Sun, I'm no snob but the top "health" stories featured next to it were concerning Kelly and how sex keeps her slim and, ahem, men's "bits". I've got PMT...I DON'T WANNA KNOW ABOUT BIT AND BOBS AND HOW'S YOUR FATHER!!!!! Anyhow, further research tells me, that it's something to do with B vitamins ...not sure what (another PMT delight; lack of concentration) but I love Marmite on toast and it's lunch time so, well, it all adds up rather nicely really.

Before I finish, I would like to implore anyone who reads this to suggest any remedies. they may know of..all advice greatly received. To those who have so kindly given me awards...I'm not ignoring them, I will be getting them posted soon and thank you so much!! :)