Notes from suburbia

Home today with The Baby, The (poorly) Husband   - and this is no ‘man-flu’ this is a fully bona fide vile virus - and the two plumbers who are refitting our bathroom.       Is it wrong that I am excited - more than could be considered to be a normal amount - about having a new bathroom?   Probably gives you some idea about the state of the existing bathroom.   And also suggests I should get out more. The Eight Year Old is at school despite feeling that today , being an extra day in the year, should be a day off school.   Fair point.  I can't disagree with him on that.  And what, I wonder, happens if your birthday is today?  Would you celebrate in non-leap years on 28th Feb or 1st March?  Or maybe you only celebrate during a leap year and age at a quarter of the pace of the rest of us.  I'm not sure what the meaning of this post is.  It's all a bit random really.  Which kind of provides an...

Moments into the house viewing I knew I wanted to buy it. Ok, so the roof leaked, the electrics were - at best - questionable, wallpaper hung limply away from the walls, the brown swirly patterned carpets felt sticky underfoot, the kitchen was barely in tact, the bathroom was tired and outdated . But oh...the cornicing, sash windows, high ceilings, wide original doors. I fell in love with the potential. Could I make it work?  Was I up to the challenge? With my heart in my mouth I made the call to the Estate Agent and put in an offer... This piece was written in response to this weeks 100 word challenge.  The writing prompt is " take a l eap of faith ".  To find out more about the 100 word challenge ,and to read more entries, head over to Julia's Place .

Picture the scene.  Last Friday, late afternoon, I'm sat sandwiched between The Eight Year Old and The Baby in the back of our (small) car that The husband is kindly driving in the general direction of the Norfolk Coast. I say 'general direction' because, as usual, we are without Sat Nav or directions to where we will be staying for the weekend.  Apparently, " we'll be fine " The Husband tells me, because, " having driven there before we're bound to remember it when we get close". Me and The Eight Year Old are sharing a bag of marshmallows.  The Eight year Old, as ever, has with him one of the hats from his trilby collection. " Mummy look!" I manoeuvre my head from the inside of The Baby's car seat - where I have been pulling fish faces in a bid to keep said baby entertained and turn expectantly in the direction of The Eight Year Old. "Two marshmallows dancing in a hat" I sit back and wo...

My second go at the 100 word challenge.  This weeks writing promt is 'the flip side'.  For more 100 word creative writing fun hop on over to Julia's place . She had reached a crossroads in her life. She could return home to the comfort of the sleepy town she knew so well or she could reach out to the opportunity that stood ahead of her waiting to be grasped, another world full of unknown potential and excitement.   Only she could choose the path she would take.   Her decision would be easier without the implications for other people.   People she loved.   How would they respond if she went away?   On the flip side, she knew that she only had one life and she was determined to make every second count.

This is the final week of writing prompts set by Nickie over at Typecast  for the Do Something Yummy  Campaign which aims to raise awareness for the fantastic charity that is CLIC Sargent.   Nickie has provided the prompt 'survival'. A quick google search provided me with this definition of survival :- sur·viv·al /sərˈvīvəl/ Noun: The state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances This got me thinking. One person's idea of an ordeal or difficult circumstances may not be anothers. It's all relative. As one of The Friends puts it: "if the Princess in the castle breaks her nail for the first time then it's probably gonna feel like a catastrophe if that's the worst things that's ever happened to her".  And so, this post doesn't make any claims to be a story of survival that compares to that of others, but it is a story of survival that is personal to me. This is a...

 Continuing with our tour of Italy...   Venice .   It didn't disappoint. Canals, Gondolas, architectural-elegance, widespread-beauty. We hadn't anticipated the hailstorm. An alfresco lunch took a dramatic turn as the breeze gathered pace. Waiters quickly removed table clothes and stacked furniture as they urged us into the tiny indoor bar space. Doors were hurriedly bolted shut.   Hailstones the size of golf balls pelted the windows. The square became flooded. Minutes later, blistering sunshine returned and the ground was bone dry. We stumbled, dazed, back onto the Venetian streets. Me and one of The Friends - the one I call 'Fool', it's ok, he calls me 'Fool' too - on the Rialto Bridge on the Grand Canal.  I was pregnant with The Eight Year Old at the time. Now head on over to the fantabulous SAHDANDPROUD for more travel fun.

There is a competition currently running over on Love All Blogs (LOB) - a blogging network of which I am a part of - in association with Harper Collins.  There is the opportunity to win some childrens books simply for commenting on what your favourite childhood book is.  It got me thinking... "What is my favourtite childhood book?"  Hmmm.  It's difficult to narrow it down to one.  It not easy to pick a favourite anything really is it as it depends on a person's mood.  I mean, we all prefer some things to others but to select just one...well, that's tricky.  And particularly when it comes down to books. If pushed to name just the one favourite childhood book (as I was by entering the LOB competition) I would have to plump for was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  All that oompa loompa-ing combined with a fountain of chocolate and the craziness of Mr Wonka.  I loved...

Snot.  Vomit.  Teething.  Coughing.  Mardy. ___________________________________ So there you have it.  Our half-term in five words.  I suspect The Eight Year Old is glad to have made his escape back to school despite his rotten luck with being ill over half-term week.   For the rest of us, the misery looks set to continue.  Oh joy.  Please drop by again tomorrow.  I promise to make an effort to be a little jollier.  In the meantime, any tips for removing the smell of vomit from a 5 day old rug will be gratefully received - the bicarbonate of soda has started to do it's work but there is still a sickly whiff in the air...

The Husband to The (teething) Baby as he handed him a new beaker containing formula to try (The Baby currently refuses to drink anything other than milk direct from the breast):  "Ooohhhh you'll like this...something you can bite, AND, you'll get a drink of milk from it". Me to The Baby: " Don't go getting any ideas about biting things that you're getting milk from".

So, my quick-witted friends, what image do we have for you today?  Let's go with this, captions at the ready if you please...just pop them in the comments box below! And now,  pop yourself over to the Mammasaurus Blog to check out some more Saturday caption opportunities.  Happy weekend people!

Playing Wii sports recently... The Husband - "We'll make a great doubles tennis team" Me - with right eyebrow raised questioningly - "You reckon?" The Husband -"Too right.  With your aggression and my control, what could go wrong?" Hmmm.... The Eight Year Old looked on, a mild smirk upon his face.

This week, 'Friday of Fabulousness' is handed over to a very special little girl I know.  This very brave four year old, daughter of one of The (very good) Friends has recently been in hospital.  She's had a really rough time of it having lots of tests for different things and also having her adenoids removed.   Throughout it all she's shown her lovely Mum and Dad and younger brother just how strong she is.  By all accounts, she's coped brilliantly well. I love this little girl, not just for the person she is, but also for the sweetest friendship she and The Eight Year Old have.  To say there is four years between them they get on incredibly well.  The Eight Year Old has always impressed me with how gentle and caring he has been throughout this friendship, he looks out for his friend and they have fun together.  In return, today's fabulous little girl has developed quite a crush on The Eight Year Old.  In fact, she has been known to declare...

Call me naïve if you will but I was happy to be tagged (my first time!) by Housewives Incorporated to join in this meme which, for reasons that are not explained, seems to be  hung up on the number 12.  I’m told that these are the rules - try not to be put off by the use of the word 'fun': 1) You must post the rules 2) Post 12 fun facts about yourself in the blog post 3) Answer the questions the tagger has set for you in their post and then create 12 new questions for the fellow bloggers you plan to tag 4) Tag 12 people and link to them on your blog 5) Let them know you tagged them So, here we go! 12 (fun?) facts about me:- My initials spell JAM. I smoked a cigarette once with Rick Mayall whilst standing in a back alley in Nottingham. I am ALWAYS Batman and never Robin. When I am pregnant I look like a snake that has swallowed a really big football. I once played Malcolm in a production of   McBeth – to a small and select audience....

Me - pointing to a 4ft tall cardboard box that The Baby's new travel cot recently arrived in - "Please don't throw this box away.  We're making a robot out of it." The Husband - "Of course we are".

Welcome to week 3 of the link up at Typecast for the CLIC Sargent Do Something Yummy awareness raising campaign.     For more information about CLIC Sargent, click here. This weeks theme is " Getting Together".   N ickie at Typecast has provided the following three promts for us to choose from:- Personal post . When was the last time you got together with a group of friends? Tell us about it. Yummy post. Yummy Mummy week is all about getting together with other parents to raise money for CLIC Sargent. Tell us why getting together with other parents is important to you. Creative post. Tell us how you are surviving the half term holidays! Or get the kids involved. Interview them using these questions . I was tempted by number 1 as back in November I wrote about my 40th birthday weeked shared with my closest friends.  And then I thought "no, that would be a bit of a cop out and people can already read about that here ". And ...

Started by the 'Blogging God' who is SAHDANDPROUD I've decided to join in this marvellous 'Around the world in 80 words' linky thing.  In SAHD's very own words , here's how it works:- "Here’s the deal. Describe your favourite place, town, city, village, holiday destination, planet, service station, cafe, dungeon, day out. Or not. Describe your least favourite place. It can be funny, true, real, based on experience, or totally and utterly made up. The rule? It has to be done so in under 80 words. And you can do as many as you wish or even your take on one someone else has done. Lets do a map of the world!"   So, here's my first attempt.  We're heading off to Italy people...  The Tower of Pisa is, unsurprisingly, in the Italian city of Pisa .   It’s true what they say, that tower does indeed lean.   “Surely being this high up on a sloping floor can’t be right” said The Husband walking string-puppet-like to grab at the all too flims...

The first Valentine's Day The Husband and me had the pleasure of each others company was far from romantic.  Mainly due to the fact that the greater proportion of the day was spent attempting to catch the two pigeons that were making themselves at home in my bedroom having flown in down the chimney.  Considering we were only weeks into our relationship it's a wonder The Husband stuck around really... but stick he did. In fact he stuck so tight that by Valentine's Day the following year he had moved in.  I woke up that year to find the house full of birds.  Beautiful origami birds he had folded with his very own hands and placed all around our home with little love notes written on them.  How lovely is that??  It made the scrappy little handmade card I gave him and the cheap chocolate hearts I'd purchased look a bit lame really. I loved those paper birds so much so,that when we got married last year, we ...

The first day of half-term and The Eight Year Old is feeling ill with a cold and sore throat.  He is losing his voice and is quite rightly feeling more than a little sorry for himself.  I remind him of the first time he lost his voice, he would have been around two and a half or three years old I think.  Not understanding what was going on, he was naturally upset at not being able to speak properly.  When I explained that he had a cold that was making his throat feel sore and swollen and was causing him to lose his voice he became much more upset. In a strained croak through his tears he said " will we ever find it again?" It was hard to contain my smiles at him thinking that the 'lost' voice of his may never be found.  Thankfully, I'm happy to report that the voice was indeed soon found.  "Maybe we should start searching again now?" I suggest.  He flashes me the exasperat...

On the fantastic blog that is ' SAHDADPROUD ' - the 'SAHD' for those of you who are initiated in the world of parent blogging stands for 'stay at home Dad'- a recent post entitled " Where have I gone wrong?" was published.  The post finds SAHD questioning his parenting skills due to the refusal by his son to eat the healthy nutritious food lovingly prepared by his Dad.  I started to write a comment in response to this brilliantly written piece but soon realised that I was writing an epic of my own.  And so, instead, here are my thoughts. If I transport myself back in time, around five years to be precise, SAHD's post could well have been written about The Eight Year Old.  I had, through the weaning stages of introducing my first born to the delights of' solid food' been positively smug about the range of food I had successfully exposed him to.  The Health Visitor had marvelled at the foods my son wou...