[ 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!