Ozzie GP

Well done Jenson !

Last Day at School

I've had 4 of these now in total. In the last 10 years the boys, between them, have left their respective current schools 4 times. That's 4 lots of tearful goodbyes, 4 lots of hand written letters to the special teachers, 4 lots of leaving cards, 4 lots of walking out of the school gates for the very last time. I could write a book ( or a blog) about it now that I've had lots of practice. Doesn't get any easier. At the time you make the decision to consider leaving one school and moving to another, you don't realise that although you're doing things exploratively, tentatively , the decision is already made and the writing is already on the wall. Once you entertain the idea that your child isn't at the right school for them you might as well start drafting the goodbye letter and planning a trip to the new school uniform shop. The deal is done, in your head at least.

I know this is the right decision for my youngest but I just need to witness the living proof that will come after he has one term under his belt. I need to go the first terms' parent's evening and be told that he's doing well and more importantly has settled well and is happy and has made friends.

I'm hoping that this is the last time I have to go through this. I watched through the open door of his classroom this morning as his classmates gathered round and presented him with a teddy dressed in the full school uniform as they signed his shirt with good luck messages in felt pen and saw his happy smiling face and realised that wherever he goes to school he will always be loved. He has that sunny disposition that will carry him far in life. My happy chappy.

Mother's Day

Always a bit of a mixed bag. It's been 23 years since I've been able to send my Mum a Mother's day card and even now when the shelves in gift shops are groaning under the weight of Mother's Day paraphernalia, I still tend to 'choose' something in my mind to spoil her with . I think back to the smiles she always proffered at my child like gifts of breakfast in bed - usually luke warm tea made from the hot tap in a doll's plastic teacup. When I was older and had pocket money, my tasted broadened and a trip to the local chemists would usually produce something like a Bronley's soap in the shape of a lemon . I thought that was the height of sophistication .... wonder if they still make them ? Then as a teenager I would spend a Saturday at the shops usually finding something eclectic from Habitat like a white acrylic jewelry box - SO trendy and would probably fetch a fancy price in the retro section of ebay these days.

I'm feeling well and truly spoiled. The boys brought me up a tray this morning with a copy of Hello magazine, a box of Thornton's Viennese Truffles, flowers, cards and the loveliest book from Theo called 'Thank You Mum for Everything'.
I'll leave you with this from it ....

"Thank you for fitting your life to ours. Thank you for making us feel that nothing that you have achieved is worth more than our love'

Beautiful isn't it ?

Double Standards

We're supposed to be buying a house. It is a stone's throw from the boys' new school. Apparently the decision rests with me as I'll be the one stuck there more of the time. Husband meanwhile will be OK becuase during the week, rather than commute up to town every day, he'll be able to stay with his father who, wait for it ....has just put in an offer on a house round the corner from us where we're living now. Apparently this is supposed to have no impact on our decision as to whether to move or not.

I think I'm living in a parallel universe. Especially so as when H told me this and the fact that precarious bridging loans are involved, I dared to suggest that bridging loans and an unstable housing market were a very bad combination I was rebuffed with a " What do you know" type response.
Days later his father's solicitor warned him that .... a bridging loan and an unstable housing market was a very bad combination. Was she rebuffed with a "what do you know" fob off ? No. H wanted to phone her and thank her for such sound advice. Living proof that my opinion counts for nowt.

Meanwhile youngest son is doing last night's homework on the EU. Rather than teach them about the political and social consequences that face us as Europeans, they have to fill out a chart listing facts such as currency , capital, language and national dish amongst other things ! Average inside leg measurement wasn't listed as one of the facts but might as well have been.
23 websites later I'm still struggling to find the national dish of Latvia . I'm tempted to suggest roast guinea pig and see if his teacher notices.

Must go. Have to decide whether we're moving house or not but I have far more pressing concerns . If anyone knows what the currency of Lithuania is , could they let me know ?

Hobbycrafts NEC

Got up early , made sandwich, drove 2 hours up the M40 the NEC and spent the happiest day meeting up with team mates Sheena and Rosie - that AND some shopping for stash . What a great way to spend a day. I spend an awful lot of time wondering how on earth I'd spend my time if I hadn't discovered scrapbooking.

Buying and Selling

Just trying to get these 2 in balance - the idea is that I sell more than I buy , well that's the theory.I love the Marketplace on UKS and have listed some items today. Whilst some of these are duplicates or just plain surplus to requirements , the photos always serve as a catalogue of a mis-spent trip to a scrapping shop. Still one scrappers trash is another's treasure. So if you feel like buying any of these pop on over to http://www.ukscrappers.co.uk/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=4 and check out my stash crimes !

On a happier note

The sun is shining, the homework has been done and I have an afternoon of scrapping to look forward to. Just need to find my desk under all this mess and play with some pretty paper. Sometimes my head is full to bursting with ideas I want to try and then I get sucked into something online and before you know it an hour has sped by and nothing has been achieved. Maybe I should put one of those parental locks on my own Mac !!

Weekends

Does everyone spend their weekends doing interesting things ? Seems so.

Mine are spent finishing off ironing ( what do I mean finishing , it's never ending, there's no beginning and no end) keeping the children away from screen based entertainment ( hopeless case) and urging our family to get up off our backsides and go somewhere , do something, anything. But no. Here I am again , 7th day out of 7 within these 4 walls.

These days , excitement comes in the form of a 12" x 12" box delivered to my door containing a few sheets of pretty patterned papers. I'm finding it sad that happiness should come down to that. Tragic even. Maybe that's just an indication of how trivial my life has become.

Once upon a time I had a life. I had a career that I'd worked hard for that was well paid. I could shop at the drop of a hat , travel , spend on a whim, enjoy life, go places, see things, experience life. I was well respected for what I did , got promoted, met challenges head on, considered options, embraced change, overcame difficulties, made friends , lost friends but lived.

Now I stay home. I still shop but only at the supermarket, travel but only on the school run, go places but only if it's for someone else, meet challenges head on but only if it involves homework or finding lost sports kit , consider options.... Sainsbury's or Tescos, overcome difficulties .... can I be bothered to get out of bed today, make friends .... usually through school and I'm usually known as my children's mum , then every time we change schools, lose them again . I don't think this is living.

I must stop reading my own blog , it's making me even more depressed.

Birds

Why do birds make me so happy ? Is it their chirpiness , their cute beady eyes or the fact that they're so synonymous with Spring ? Or maybe it's just that I would love to fly away. Whatever the reason, one of these little winged beauties is enough to bring me out in raptures. Without even thinking I've been subliminally buying the odd little bird trinket for as long as I can remember. Found these stamps at the Farnborough show and ordered the QK die online. Can't wait to use them.