[ with a little help from our friends ]

>

sooooooo... today was the day of the mr RAY & friends concert! i kept waking up every hour because i was scared i was going to over sleep!

the concert was BRILLIANT!!! it was a room full of big hearted people enjoying music from really generous, talented musicians, coming together to do something good for haiti.

from the ticket sales & the auction we managed to raise $4000!!


the needs in haiti are vast & will continue to be for the foreseeable future. if you can help in anyway, resources, time etc please contact info@ForThisOne.org

you can follow their progress here: www.facebook.com/ForThisOne

[ an extract from an update posted there: ]

'The UN is distributing food and water, but entire families are required to stand in line all day in the sun in order to receive it. If they are in line, this means they cannot do anything else - like search for loved ones, remove rubble from streets or from their own homes, or look for jobs. They cannot be productive because they must be in line for food. Also, the UN is patrolling these lines with heavily armed guards. This doesn't feel very good to the honest civilians standing in the lines and it has caused more than one scuffle. (We're not knocking the UN - we know they mean well. We're just suggesting there's a better way).

JT and Adam spent their week in PAP developing relationships with the organizations stockpiling food at the airport, working with them, and procuring food from them which they then discretely (so as not to be robbed by gangs) brought back to the team at Sherry Faussey's school and orphanage. Here, the food reaches the team of missionaries who are intimately familiar with the neighborhood and the local pastors as well as the school's teachers. The local pastors and teachers also know the neighborhood. With their help, they are quietly dropping food into each tent in the neighborhood. So everyone eats. No one stands in line for it. And there are no guns involved. Humanely obtained, compassionately delivered food.

THIS is why For This One supports the work these missionaries are doing. They live in haiti. They know the people. They know the turf. They know how to get what's needed where it needs to be. And it is always done in a way that is dignified and peaceful and compassionate. And it works.

The work of the teams has been so effective that it drew the attention of other groups and the U.N. itself. Everyone wants to know how they have been able to get so much done '




THANK YOU:

to everyone that came to the concert! we hope you had a blast!!

to everyone that donated something, however small ~ it ALL helps!

For This One (jenn, darren & christine) ~ who tirelessly are doing everything humanly possible to raise money & collect supplies to help the people of haiti.

mr RAY for generously starring at the concert & having the talent to draw the crowd! without you doing this we wouldn't have had a concert! YOU ROCK MAN!

mr RAY's special guest friends: lisa bouchelle, paul geiger, carmen plummer-rubin, joe bellia dusty micale & miss amy ~ you are all wonderful!

carolyn taylor ~ coolest PR person ever!

kiddie academy princeton for the drop off of haiti supplies, you really are the best daycare center!

thomas sweets & contes ~ THANK YOU!

best buy ~ for the 26" TV!!

the following people for gift certificates: thomas sweets, contes, music box studio ~ janet campbell, music together ~ sarah orfe, director of the princeton lab school, cropping circle, getting2knowU ~ jane klein conklin

the awesome guy that donated $500 ~ THANK YOU!

sharon dunham, robert wood johnson, conference manager ~ for hosting & all your help with that!

all those that posted posters & forwarded emails about the event.

friends & family that came early to sell tickets

[ when stars align ]

sooooooo... i had real trouble breastfeeding (that's a whole other blog right there) & when oscar was 11 days old i made my first trip out with him to a breastfeeding class with enough supplies & equipment to have safely overcome almost any emergency & survived for 3 months. seriously it looked like i was going on vacation!

little did i know that this class was the foundation to so many adventures & meeting so many wonderful people.

a few of us have kept in touch & have been great support.

last august, one of these people announced she was going to help out in haiti. first of all, i had no idea what a devastated country haiti was, without electricity, clean water, food, medical treatment...  & secondly i couldn't believe my friend jenn whose 3 children were all under 4 at the time had the ambitious drive to organize this & go, i was in awe...

if i had been asked to go i probably would have thought of a million excuses as i'm sure jenn could have but she didn't & she went on her way raising money collecting formula & supplies. i felt kind of guilty but very proud of her & wanted to help as much as i could. i posted the list of things she needed on free cycle & went round collecting items from generous people.

jenn returned with lots of stories, photos & a big piece of haiti in her heart.

she started up a charity with darren & christine ~ For This One   www.ForThisOne.org  *(please see below for the story that inspired the name)

and now... the earthquake

needless to say jenn, darren & christine have been selflessly working around the clock raising money, organizing drop offs etc etc  please visit their website www.ForThisOne.org

there are some people you meet in life that make you a better person, jenn, for me, is one of these. her enthusiasm & passion for this cause as well as juggling a job & family have inspired me to do more to help.

trying to think of a way to raise money i contacted mr RAY to see if he would do a children's benefit concert. i knew deep down he'd do it if he could & he is! he also has 4 guests lined up too!

(if you've not heard of this rock legend look up this older blog [ oscar & flynn's party! ~ featuring mr RAY ]  )

www.mrRAY.com

so please come out & show your support for this cause ~ SPREAD THE WORD!

here's the flyer:
http://tekprosystems.com/forthisone/mrRAYhaiti.pdf
Saturday, Jan 30, 10:30 am (doors open at 10 am)
Mr. RAY performs a benefit to HELP HAITI!
Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health and Wellness

also we are looking for some cool stuff to auction off! & please let us know if you know of any other ways of publicizing this, radio etc

info@forthisone.org

i'm just off to deliver a car load of donations from kiddie academy princeton ~ thank you guys sooooo much!!

*(inspiration to For This One name)

The Star Thrower

Once upon a time, there was a man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work. One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?" The young man paused, looked up and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I guess I should have asked, Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."

"But young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves. "It made a difference for that one!"

His response surprised the man. He was upset. He didn't know how to reply. So instead, he turned away and walked back to the cottage to begin his writings.

All day long as he wrote, the image of the young man haunted him. He tried to ignore it, but the vision persisted. Finally, late in the afternoon he realized that he the scientist, he the poet, had missed out on the essential nature of the young man's actions. Because he realized that what the young man was doing was choosing not to be an observer in the universe and make a difference. He was embarrassed.

That night he went to bed troubled. When the morning came he awoke knowing that he had to do something. So he got up, put on his clothes, went to the beach and found the young man. And with him he spent the rest of the morning throwing starfish into the ocean. You see, what that young man's actions represent is something that is special in each and everyone of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. And if we can, like that young man, become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future.

And that is your challenge. And that is my challenge. We must each find our starfish. And if we throw our stars wisely and well, I have no question that the 21st century is going to be a wonderful place.

[ joe hill ]

soooooo... we were introduced to an elderly couple, joe & tina, who live oppersite. everyone had the upmost respect for them.

joe walked with a crooked wooden stick & i often had chats with him when i was out gardening. he was always very cheerful & had good things to say. one day he pulled old photos of our house out of his pocket & gave them to us ~ he grew up there.

they have lots of cats & had to buy a ton of cat food every week, he’d leave his stick leaning up against his burgundy mini van while making trips, often leaving the trunk open for hours. both my husband & i offered to help him if we saw him ~ but he had a great sense of pride.

on day flashing lights flooded our sitting room, my boys were going nuts as they LOVE anything to do with the emergency services (especially firetrucks). it was an ambulance outside their home. joe was wheeled out & driven off. later i saw his daughter sitting on her porch so i went over to offer my help in anyway i could.

then i’d keep asking after him & it was always the same news.

last week it really snowed... my husband, mike, took a road trip with us to the supermarket ~ the boys were so excited driving in the snow! mike has a ‘shopping window’ ~ i could tell he’d had enough by the time we’d got to the check out. then i couldn’t get oscar’s zipper up & he was trying to show me a giraffe on an advert!

mike had started to walk out with flynn our other son ~ i saw joe’s daughter, paying for her grocerys, said hello & asked after her dad. she told me he’d died... i could contain my sadness & started sobbing as i gave her a big hug at the check outs. then i didn’t feel i could just walk away, so i stayed sobbing for a minute. mike is wondering where the heck i’d got to comes back into shoprite... to find his wife & neighbor crying... needless to say he handled it very well.

the exciting trip in the snow had ended for me... i was so sad... the last thing i said to joe hill was could i borrow his wheel barrow! & the image of the burgundy mini van, with the open trunk & crooked stick leaning up against it is burnt into my mind.

once he saw me getting out of the car with flynn, who was 2 weeks old, i’d been crying & he asked me what was wrong. i told him i’d just been let go from my job (i was literrally returning from that ‘meeting’) he said great time to be fired! gesturing to flynn & it was true! thank you joe!

...another candle blown out. i will really miss you mr hill.

[ twinkle ~ twinkle...* ]

sooooooo...my husband, mike, left early this morning on a business trip. my boys oscar 4 & flynn 2 woke up early & jumped into bed with me. we were all snuggley & relaxed. flynn was playing with my hair & humming twinkle twinkle little star...

this is a moment i want to immortalize, we were lying on our backs looking up at the ceiling listening to flynn.

i can't imagine them being grown up & having their own children, these little boys are my life, i'm loving this time, someone please stop the clocks!

[ james brown ~ where are you! ]

sooooooo... james brown, one of our cats, went missing. i wasn't that worried as it had happened before, for 24 hours, but as time went on i was starting to get more & more concerned. i couldn't completely concentrate on anything, something just didn't seem right, i just wanted to see that cat walk through the door.

i could tell my husband, mike, was getting anxious too & what made me start chewing my nails was his comment 'i have a really bad feeling about this...'

trying to stay positive i kept attempting to convince both of us that he was probably just shut in someones garage or something. it was 3 days... i couldn't sleep. where the hell had this cat gone ~ was he injured or worse road kill... i was driving myself nuts with my thoughts going round & round in circles... it's better not to know because then you can live in hope that he is still ok... but what if he's stuck... how long can cats survive without food or water?... i took the dog for a walk & kept calling out 'james brown' listening for his reply (nutty as this looked & sounds he answers his name).

then i started trying to remember the last time i saw him, the last words i said, last time i petted him, i didn't even get to say goodbye... then i suddenly thought about those who have loved ones missing & the absolute hell these poor people must be living. the torture of the unknown is something no one deserves.

i was outside banging bowls every few hours hoping to see james brown running home...

then sunday morning came, the morning i get to sleep in, i was lying in bed when the doorbell rang. i heard this guy say something about your cat... i dived out of bed trying to get into my sweats really fast, failing miserably but doing a really good hopping routine. mike heard i was up & said he'd be right back. i rushed downstairs & started interrogating the kids... who was at the door? oscar, my 4 year old, said he didn't see... flynn, who's 2, on the other hand said a man! so i said was it our neighbor on the corner with the beard, he said yes, but his yes wasn't convincing... so i continued with the questioning, was it our next door neighbor, he replied yes... so i asked was it batman? yes... great!! so i just had to wait until mike came back.

he was gone for what seemed like hours!! but finally i saw him coming up the street carrying james brown, what a wonderful feeling of relief! everything was good again!

apparently he was in this guys basement around the corner from us, who has cats & was being fed. mike was all excited, telling me they had an automatic litter tray & that this guy had demonstrated it. i said what he climbed inside with the reading material while you watched!!! hahaha

i feel very lucky that james brown made it home safely... but will never forget the desperation i felt whilst he was lost ~ & he's just a cat! i pray that everyone's james brown makes it home safely.

[ hi-5 ~ yo gabba gabba ]

sooooooo...the tv is on in the background & i hear foofa trying to teach plex to do hi-5s... now i'm no expert but i'm betting none of the yo gabba gabba characters, barring dj lance, has got 5 digits!!!

i'm amazed that america has got away with saying 'hi-5'. wikipedia says 'The gesture takes its name from the 'five' fingers and the raising of the hand 'high'.'

what about people who don't have 5 fingers???!! or are 'digit challenged?' shouldn't we be calling it a 'high slap?'

i'm surprised no one has been sued over this....

got to say though ~ I LOVE yo gabba gabba. my most favorite episode is the one with jack black!! even though dj lance gave him one of those skin tight orange outfits to wear... i'm sure they strategically placed his motor bike in the shots so no-ones eyeballs were scandalized!!

& also for those who watch yo gabba gabba ~ there is no way that that girl in the 'family' episode is dj lances sister!!

[ oscar & flynn's party! ~ featuring mr RAY ]

sooooooooooo... i haven't jumped on the 'venue' birthday parties bandwagon yet ~ although believe me when i'm scrubbing the house & cooking 9 million things i wish i wasn't having a party in my house! my husband, mike, reminds me every time there's a reason why people have these events in specially equipped places! & yes yes yes i know!!

ok ~ but for the moment i like it being in our house... to make things easier, this year, we had a party to celebrate oscar's 4th birthday, flynn's 2nd & halloween all in one!!! come on!! that's GENIUS!

i try & take the kids out & about as much as i can & i've got to say i LOVE LOVE LOVE the libraries around us ~ but that's a whole other blog right there! anyways the libraries were having all these summer activities & we were virtually living there!

i'd see the posters to events rock up never quite knowing what to expect, it was a lot of fun. one of the singers was called mr RAY, never heard of him but i'd hadn't heard of any of the acts or singers before & was just trying to expose my guys to as much as possible.

got to tell you though i was blown away!! i knew this guy was cool as soon as i saw him 'cos he was wearing a beatles tee shirt. (the GREATEST band EVER! & it's my blog so you can't argue!) then he started playing... FINALLY cool kids music!! music i actually want to play in my car! i don't mind having to put the same song on 49 times, instead of trying to shut my head out of the window! what i found funny though was i think the moms were singing harder & enjoying themselves as much or if not more than the kids! nothing wrong with that!

my son was going to kiddie academy, i was chatting with christine the director about my discovery & she'd already heard of him!! i couldn't believe it! not only that he was going to play at their 10th anniversary party (that thankfully i was invited to, or i would have been gatecrashing!!) the thought of me attempting to scale chain link with or without 2 kids on my back is definitely not a pretty sight!


i've been to a few shows that mr RAY has played at. i took my mom to the 'rejoice 2009' jewish concert & felt a bit guilty while eating ham sandwiches waiting for him to appear!!



i don't want to be one of those pushy mothers but I WISH my boys would volunteer to go up & sing when he does the open mike thang :) although i would probably be reduced to a blubbering mess of pride!! i remember holding back the tears while watching oscar, who was about 11 months at the time, being pushed past in a stroller dressed as superman in the daycare halloween parade!!

so anyway i emailed mr RAY to see if he would come & play at oscar & flynn's party & he agreed!!! when i got the reply email, i was jumping up & down, my poor husband arched one of his eyebrows & just shook his head. mr RAY played in our house i felt like having a wayne & garth moment 'we're not worthy'!!

it was the best party ever. everyone had so much fun & loved meeting this cool rock dude! (in our house!! did i mention that)!!!

we have found mr RAY very gracious & generous of spirit... he took the time to chat with everyone, wasn't clock watching & really down to earth. all very humbling really... my husband said he's really talented & you can tell he loves what he does ~ winning combo really.

ROCK ON mr RAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! (now stop mucking around & please bring out a beatles cover album & a christmas one & also a firetruck song!!) ;)

www.mrray.com

[ organizing for dummies... ]

sooooooo... i'm reading 'organizing for dummies' which personally the 'for dummies' titles are slightly offensive!! i know i'm crap at it that's why i bought the book, rub it in a bit more why don't you!!

feeling really inspired (maybe a bit too inspired) & as one of my news years resolutions is to de-clutter de-clutter de-clutter... i decide to organize my kitchen cupboards...

due to the fact i'm really really bad at anything 'tidy' this involves me pulling everything out of said cupboards making a huge mess & wishing i'm never started this job.

10 minutes later i would rather just admit i'm a dummy & do something more fun.

1 hour later ~ this is taking far longer than i thought or want... i wonder if there are cleaning fairies that would take pity on me... oh please.

i know this is mega mega wasteful but i'm examining all the packages hoping they are past their best by dates so i can toss them instead of having to put them away!

the tv is on & i can hear it's that episode of olivia when she does magic... i wonder if i can invite that pig round here & get her to make this mess disappear... it's times like this i wish i was samantha from bewitched & could twitch it right.

my boys keep going through the kitchen shouting 'beep beep', because they can't get through... this was cute the first dozen times... 'mommy you made a mess' isn't helping me either...

organizing is great when it's done, but what a depressing work out to get there...

i s'ppose i should get my butt back in there because i haven't finished yet... boo hoo hoo

[ pooping green... ]

sooooooo... for 2 days now flynn, my 2 year old, has been pooping green & i don't mean that with any type of environmental connection! it's an amazing color... a really rich deep green & i have no idea why. he hasn't eaten any vegetables that color & i haven't 'hidden' anything green in his food recently.

flynn & oscar are as amazed as i am!

i reckon the jolly green giant would be green with envy... although we wouldn't be able to tell!! or maybe he does green poos too!

[ ...resolutions! ]

sooooooo...it's that time again to say goodbye to the old year & write a list of things that i'm going to attempt to keep hopefully longer than a week! i really don't know why i keep writing new years resolutions ~ i think i hope every year that this with be THE year that i'll keep at least one of them!!

so lets see:

i'm going to have the usual ones:

drink more water & take my vitamins...

drink less alcohol... is there any point in putting that on it's making me miserable & the new year hasn't started yet!!

make my kids eat more organic & or healthy foods... hopefully this will be more than me hiding jars of baby food vegetables in pasta sauce!

oh & try to put the washing away before it turns into mount rushmore, that way my socks might stay in pairs ~ i have no idea where half the socks go... all i can say is i'm thankful that humans only have 2 feet & we don't have to wear them in summer!

keep the house tidy.... mmmmmmmmm basically i'd like to be a domestic goddess

keep daydreaming about being a domestic goddess! (i have to put something on there that i can definitely keep!)

i'd like to 'de~clutter' too... i have no idea how to do this... but writing it down is a good start right?

make sure i send cards for everyone's birthdays... that kind of slipped last year.

surround myself with positive energy (sounds exhausting!!)

decorate the spare room

go on regular 'date nights' with the hubby. (& use a ridiculously small bag that has no baby items in it!)

i s'ppose it would also be nice if i went to bed earlier... but how am i meant to do all the other stuff & manage that!!

& the old chestnut... loose some weight. my husband was watching some tribute rock thing on tv the other day & annie lennox was on it. she looks AMAZING!! i had to look up her age... she's 55!! still not sure i like her hair-do but her figure is great! i remember being at school singing that song of hers with my friends ~ something about an angel, when we were meant to be doing cross country running, we were probably walking!! i'll give the weight thing a go...AGAIN... but i'll wait till the 2nd, my fridge has got too much good stuff in it at the moment... i love it!! it's like the fridge on tom & jerry. & lets face it.. in the words of bridget jones... I will always be just a little bit fat. ...




as long as we are healthy, happy, have clothes on our backs & food to eat that should do it!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

***UPDATED!! [ i can't get in my package! ]

***UPDATED EDIT BELOW ORIGINAL POST:

sooooooo... i buy oscar a toy for his birthday... & need dynamite to get the packaging off!! why oh why do all these packages need to be wired up with 3 million pieces of wire & plastic bits & pieces. is this some sort of ploy to make extra jobs?

all i know is that it makes my life really difficult when you have a 4 year old unable to contain his excitement while i'm untwisting as fast as i can to free the object from it's box!!

that is someones job to twist all those wires... & i swear whoever twists them - twists them the opposite way you'd go on purpose!!

the packaging i detest are those plastic 'shells' that are impossible to open without the aid of a circular or chain saw! & those so & so's are sharp! i wonder if they make these like this so, god forbid, you need to return it you've opened the packaging.

some flat pack furniture gives spanners or allen keys with the bag of nuts & bolts to help you put them together... these boxes should be giving mini wire cutters!

there should be new labeling too ~ instead of 'assembly', it should read 'dis assembly' required!!

***UPDATED!!!!

soooooo... i still can not believe this packaging!! it was christmas day yesterday so we had a 'few' items to remove from their boxes! WOW!! ok so there were the expected 2 million twisty wire ties, industrial tape & cable ties but this is a first for me... we got oscar & flynn a truck each that actually had to be UNSCREWED from their boxes, but not with a regular sized screw driver an unusual little one!! it took around 10 minutes to get everything out.

but finally.... we received matchbox vehicles & they have it right... it was secured in the box but was very easy to remove without any tools! HOORAY!!!

[ ticket...! ]

sooooooo... i was driving oscar to nursery school this morning & to his delight we pass a police car that had flashing sirens. he said that's like the one that stopped you & gave you a ticket...... i replied mmmmmmm yes (didn't really want to be reminded of that little incident..) oscar then asks 'was it a good ticket?' i reply no darling... police don't give out good tickets!

then i got to thinking... oscar's a genius! (of course!) wouldn't it be nice if the police gave out good tickets for once. ma'am i saw you driving really well & you let that other person out... here's a 'good ticket'! maybe they could be gift certificates!!

& maybe they should have different colored lights for 'good tickets' ~ say red & green for the holidays.... that way you can avoid that horrible sunken feeling when you get pulled over!!

just a thought!!...

[ happy thanksgiving!* ]

> here's what we should ALL be thankful for!

[1] that we're not turkeys this time of year!

i tried to find a statistic on how many do get killed but i couldn't find a credible one, it's millions though!

[2] that gas prices have come down from those crazy $4 & something prices...

[3] that we have access to the internet

[4] that we have clean water & electricity... i can't even begin to imagine what an absolute nightmare it must be to have to deal with not having those. (it's bad enough when there's a power cut! i go to turn on the light switch 9 million times!!)

[5] for things that make you smile & laugh



> what my son oscar is thankful for (he's 4):

[1] that he loves his mommy!! (i can't believe he came out with that!! i feel like a walton!!)

[2] for daddy ~ that's cool too!!

[3] the fire truck piñata

[4] pizza (cheese pizza)

[5] his super man cape

[6] handy manny

[7] the fire station auntie val brought him

[8] push pops (cherry ones)

[9] his towel (he uses one like a security blanket)

[10] rescue heroes


> as a mom what i'm thankful for!

[1] the health of my boys (including my husband)!

[2] the love of my boys (including my husband)!

[3] my friends & family

[4] wipes

[5] coffee

[6] my washer & dryer

[ *HAPPY THANKSGIVING!* ]

[ brooommmmm ]

sooooooo... i'm driving my 4 year old, oscar, to nursery school this morning. we left in plenty of time, no really! & we were stuck in this traffic jam... i have no idea what caused it & i really didn't want him to be late for school. so we're sat there & oscar says what is this jam? honk the horn mum. i ask what good will honking the horn do & he replied to make them get out of out way!

i find it really funny how as soon as we get into a car & are surrounded with metal we would do things that we never normally would. lots of people become really aggressive, i've been the receiver of countless 'birds'! & have caused so much anger by wanting to switch lane, i'm indicating there's space but NO! people refuse to let you in... speed up in fact ~ doing that keeping my eyes straight ahead look, i can't see you! they would never need to get in another lane!!

what makes us like that? is it the fact that we can lock the doors & get away?

& what's with the picking the nose? it's like your fingers must have something else to do while driving & having a good old poke around the nostrils is the answer! just bear that in mind next time you have to borrow a car, the steering wheel is probably half made up of other people booggers!!

can you imagine if pushing a shopping cart had the same effect on us!! we'd be cutting each other off up aisles, yelling derogatory comments, honking the horn if you dared to stop & read a package. actually a horn would be great, some people are just so oblivious of blocking everyone's way!!


if we didn't have the metal around us we would basically be going along on armchairs & couches on wheels up the road.

since having kids i've really calmed my driving down... i try to leave in time & not make any crazy manoeuvres!! but it's nuts really, you can be driving along without a care in the world, but if you are late it's a totally different experience STRESS! the worst is when you are late & you're stuck behind the person who doesn't have a care in the world & isn't even doing the speed limit. you can almost hear them saying la la la la la as they're going along all calm & relaxed adding fuel to your fire!

i think we all take it turns with driving... either being the annoying person or being the annoyed person! when i see people arguing over a parking spot it looks really ridiculous!! but if that was my parking spot i'd be right there with the best of them!!

lets just stay safe ok!?

[ squeeeeek ]

sooooooo... we brought a stove that we had stored in garage upstairs & there was a mouse in it!

it shot behind the fridge stayed there for a while & then made a bee line for the hole in the wall by the radiator.




one of the reasons we got a cat was because i read that the mice smell the cat & leave... mmmmmmmmm that works NOT!! we live in an old house with lots of holes in & out of places so we do get a mouse or two from time to time. i set humane traps, put them in a cage & then drive them a few miles away & drop them off in an allotment (so they'll have food!). i can't help it, i'm an animal lover & can't bear the thought of killing them. luckily my husband just lets me do all this crazy stuff & helps me too.

the other day james brown (our siamese) was in mouse mode & was sitting waiting for one to come out from behind a trunk. i couldn't take it... so my son oscar & i threw a towel over the it, i scooped it up & we ran outside to let it free. when i opened up the towel the mouse had magically disappeared!! which meant i hadn't caught it in the first place!

so the mouse that had been living in the stove found it's way into the bath, i thought i'd try out my towel trick again! as i covered him up, really fast, he let out a little scream! i scooped him up with both hands held him firm but not too tight & then found myself in the most ridiculous position! my husband was in the garage & couldn't hear me, i was stuck in the house with all the doors shut unable to use either of my hands because they were holding the mouse in the towel with a rescue team consisting of a 2 & 4 year old. i tried flynn, the 2 year old first ~ i urged him to open the door, he gripped hold of the handle trying really hard to turn it... that was going no where fast, so i called for back up, oscar, who after about 10 goes & me being his cheerleader because he wanted to give up, opened it!! yeahhhhh! we all dash outside i open the towel... the little mouse looked at us & then tried to bury further in the towel... arhhhhhhhhhh!

i look at mike... he looks at me... then says you want to keep it don't you!? well it is cold outside... YES!! so he puts the cage together & i pop him in (the mouse that is!!) i've named him gordon ramsey, he loves cookers after all!!!

[ weeeee-oooooo ]

sooooooo... i finally found the dvd cover of the library's fireman sam!! phew... this is costing me a dollar a day! so i take it back & also stop at the drive through bank to get some cash (got to say the bank drive through really is a brilliant american invention!) my money is given to me in an envelope & i drive away... i get that nagging feeling... you know the one, my parents installed this into me, when i buy a box of eggs, the need to check that none are broken in the store. i've tried not to do this ~ walk away from the fridge but i always break before i get to the cash desk. i don't lift each one up like my dad does...i just turn the box upside down to check they move & that the tops aren't cracked.

so i've driven away from the bank & not checked the cash in the envelope... i get it out & try to count it, but i can't concentrate with flynn telling me to put 'that' song on again & oscar wanting the window open. i pull over in the hard shoulder put on my hazards & count my dough (*english slang for money! ~ see below if you want more of an explanation)

all of a sudden i see in my mirror a police car... noooooooo ~ my knee caps are like jelly, it stops in front of me & as the officer is walking towards my car i look up & see a sign that might as well be glittery & flashing that says NO stopping or standing!

i tell the officer i'm so so sorry i had to stop, my son dropped something... he said that's fine i just wanted to check you were ok! wow!! thank you! thank god i'm in an 'automatic' vehicle not a manual 'stick shift' because i kind of went to pieces pulling off with my hazard's still on, i would have kangarooed up the road!!

flynn says mummy don't cry!! i said mummy's not crying this time!!

he said that because a couple of weeks ago i had to drive my mum to jfk airport to go back home :( my husband usually does this as it's so painful... but he was away on business. so the boys & i drove her there & we just did the 'kiss & fly' thing... that was bad enough ~ i was balling my eyes out, flynn & oscar trying to console me... (making it nicely kind of worse!) goodbyes are heart breaking.

any ways we were stuck in traffic for seemed like 2 weeks, oscar needs me to pull over so he can go pee... so i found a store we went into.

we are nearly home & i need to make a right... the traffic light is red & there are 5 cars in front of me... i NEVER do things like this but i was sooo upset & spurred on by mr ray's 'gimme a hi 5' song we'd been playing non stop... i pulled into the hard shoulder... i'd gone probably 2 lengths of cars when the blue & red lights are flashing... i pull over & the officer doesn't completely come up to my window, asks for my license... i try & tell him i'd just dropped my mum off at the airport & i'm crying, he walks off & then presents me with a ticket... THE THING I HATE THE MOST IS.... i said THANK YOU when he gave me it!! how very british of me!! 4 points & a fine!!

then... to add insult to injury i had an argument with oscar who said he's an amazing hero... !!! i taught him a word he really shouldn't know yet!!!




(*dough ~ mid-1800s slang for bread. bread from cockney rhyming slang, bread and honey = money. bread also has associations with money, 'earning a crust').

[ SMARTIES!! ~ who did this to you?!! ]

soooooooooo... i was in wegmans (come on!), my box of tea had just run out & being a brit i really fancied good old pg tips (it's the taste!!!) this blog is going to be wasted on non uk-ees.

anyway i was pushing the boys around the 'international' section, scouring the shelves for those triangular bags when to my delight i noticed that there was a brand new section of yummy english chocolate bars... mmmmmm aero!! chunky kit kats & brilliant! my beloved SMARTIES!!! BUT HOLD ON A MINUTE!! what the hell happened!! i picked up the package & let out a gasp!! seriously!! oscar asked me what was wrong & i tried to explain to him but he just didn't get it as his response was 'oh well'! the 'tube' is hexagonal! & where is that fantastic pop lid with the letter inside!! i could not believe my eyes!! i LOVED those lids... i used to collect them, stick them into blu tack & push them down on my arm to try to leave an imprint. i'd often say before i opened them 'if the letter is 'a' or whatever i'd pass my test, or get my favorite tea or that boy will fancy me!! when i finished eating the smarties i'd fire the lid off top by stamping on the tube.

it was bad enough when they changed the background colour of the tube & i think they changed the font on the inside of the lids slightly. (nerd alert!!)

as soon as i got home i got on the internet hoping that this was some crazy foreign packaging & my beautiful smarties would at least be safe in their own country... but no, very very sadly it's true. i don't understand why... the worst part is i think this happened in 2005 & i've only just found out!! what else has happened? don't tell me... no more jaffa cakes or marmite!

i feel like they've killed one of my childhood memories & left this 6 sided impostor hoping that we'll love it all the same! or did they think we wouldn't notice??

i feel like someone shot johnny ball... or burnt down tony hart's gallery (by the way i sent in loads of pictures & none of them got shown) or massacred the wombles!!

NO NO NO NO NO!!! i feel confused & sad! i wonder if they taste the same!

[ my son is 4! ]

sooooooo.... my older son, oscar, is 4 today!!! i can't believe it, it's gone in a blink.













my mum, every birthday, came out with the 'day i was born' story! oooooh & i'd roll my eyes thinking here we go again! it always starts with... i remember the day you were born, it was a beautiful day, the sky was blue, the sun was shining & the birds were singing...

i swore i'd NEVER do that when i had children... no no no. but here i find myself driving oscar to nursery school saying... i remember the day you were born, it was beautiful day, just like this one, & your daddy drove me to the hospital. then the doctor pulled you out & you were all slimy!! and had a hose connected to you (i had to keep his interest & add some sort of fireman element!!)

i found myself breaking down, it was really emotional... the wonder of having a baby & what our bodies are capable of... to think 4 years has gone & that wrinkly little thing has grown into this amazing boisterous little boy, with his own way of thinking & doing things. breathe!! that was one sentence...

so i'm destined to say this every year & 10, 20, 30, 100 years will pass (i put a big number in there because i'm going to live forever!! SCARY!! this is where i have to stop analysing life or we'll be depressed!!

when i got to the part that we stayed in hospital a couple of days oscar said lets talk about this tonight... that's his new way of saying he's had enough & he's only heard this 3 times!! unbelievable!

& while buying munchkins for oscar's class why do i have the need to tell the dunkin' donuts man that it's his birthday? (no ~ not for free donuts, good job really 'cos i didn't get one!) but seriously he could care less!

when we took oscar home from the hospital the nurse that escorted us out said (like 10 million people before her) enjoy every second it goes so fast. i remember saying to mike could everyone stop with the 'enjoy ever second' thang already!! but... it's TRUE!! if i got a dime for every time i've said it to other people i could probably just about buy a coffee!! but what i mean is i'm doing it now!! so we spend half our lives saying i'm never going to do that & the other half doing it!! do all men wear their pants high when they get old??

the thing is... i'd roll my eyes at my mum, but now i totally understand... the need to tell the story, to share this amazing event, the pride, the joy, the whole emotional package!! but why can't i just get it? why did it take me to actually have children myself to understand.... i find life weird like that, it just lets you make mistakes & learn things that have been done over & over & over...

so i've kind of come to conclusion that's why most people want to talk about amazing events, things they've survived, been part of.

[ a wipe for every occasion! ]

sooooooo... i really don't know what i'd do without my baby wipes! seriously i think i've used them for almost every spillage & beyond! i took my boys to have their holiday pictures taken the other day & oscar had some hair sticking up, nothing a wipe couldn't sort out! wipes to me are almost like windex is to that guy in my big fat greek wedding! the only thing they're not that great for, i've found, is i needed a tissue the other day & tried to use a dried up wipe... not that effective. but have you noticed that wipes are the thing! you can buy a wipe for almost anything that can get wiped! i went to get some sort of cleaner for the stainless on my fridge, there's a wipe! for our leather couch ~ a wipe! granite! inside the car! pets! windows! wouldn't it be great if we could make these wipes clean up other messes... like rude people, just get a wipe out & fix that! wipes that make everyone all better, wipes that make prices cheaper! happy wipes! not being late wipes, big butt wipes!... i'd push them to the max!

[ what happened to my eating skills since i had babies! ]

sooooooo... i love my food & used to enjoy taking my time to eat a lovely meal. i was shown how to use a knife & fork at an early age!

but... what the heck happened since having babies! i know it's because you get that 5 minutes of 'peace' & have to get something inside you.

i woof down my meals at an incredible rate, my mouth is like a garage... shoving it large pieces in one go

the other thing i've found myself doing is eating things my kids hand me because i don't know what else to do with these items! like half eaten lollipops, cookies & cheerios... there's no garbage can insight, so the easiest thing to do is eat them!

i wish i had the will power to be able to throw out the left over chicken nuggets, fish sticks, mac & cheese! mmmm mmmmmmm!

things i've been caught doing!!!

piling up 2 pieces of pizza on top of each other to eat them faster!

choosing soup, (i don't actually like soup) no chewing involved though & i can fit it in a to go cup!!

licking my plate, i've been caught doing this several times in public... (usually when icing is involved!) & i don't even notice that i've done it until it's pointed out!

trying to have a conversation with mouth crammed full. or... someone asks me something when i've just shoved in 1/3 of my plate & we sit in silence while i'm trying to chew 100 miles an hour to be able to answer.

finishing way too quickly when eating with a non-new parent!! this is funny! it's like there's a race... the plates go down & i don't look up till i'm done! sometimes i'm confronted with really surprised eyes, well i'm hoping they're surprised & not scared!!) but then you have to sit & wait till that person has finished... in that time i'm usually thinking about the 10 million things that need doing! sad i know!

eating spaghetti with my hands!!! (they were clean & although i have great swirling action the silverware was slowing me down!)


... but really ~ surely i should be loosing this fast eating habit now that my youngest is 2, but i can't seem to shake it!