Family Catchup with Photos

Life in our little rural surroundings is just wonderful most of the time. Especially on days like this when the sun is out, the sky is blue and there's a hint of summer in the air. However, this is not expected to last. UK weather is in fact rather drab and grey most of the year.

Home life is good. We are a little on the poor side this month as we've had a lot to pay out including our car tax for 6 months and paying off the remainder of our holiday as we now go in less than 5 weeks, so that's a big chunk of hubbys wages paid out very quickly. Sometimes though, it's just nice to slow down life. Less money means less takeaways which is good for me when I am trying to lose weight. Week 1 has me down 4.5lbs. I am REALLY pleased with that. I NEED to lose the lbs, it's really getting me down and I am running short on new things to try without resorting to drastic measures such as slimming pills or asking to be put on the gastric band waiting list. I just need to stay REALLY disciplined with my eating plans and so far it's working as it should.

Another thing that could make a big difference is my birth control. I am hoping to get the IUD fitted Thursday evening and then I can come off the pill and my fertility will be no longer controlled by hormones and chemicals but a simple copper mechanism. Maybe that could help a little more too.

The kids are ..... well, the kids, they are at stages where things feel samey. As they grow older the milestones seem fewer and further between. As always though there are points of discussion:

1) James is off to his first ever birthday party this weekend. It's a joint 4th birthday for 2 kids in his class and it's at the local soft play centre. He has booked his birthday meal of chicken nuggets and potato wedges and has bought the birthday boy and girl a jigsaw puzzle each. He's going to have the best 2 hours!!!

2) Liam is currently obsessed with The Simpsons Movie. It's constantly on the tv. I feel like I recite many scenes in my sleep. He loves joining in with Spider-Pig and Greenday singing the Simpsons theme.

3) Still on the subject of the youngest man in the house, potty training is going incredibly well. He is doing a million times better than I could have ever imagined. It took James until he was 3 years 3 months to get potty trained. There is still almost 3 months until Liam turns 3 and he is really going for it. We may have 1 accident/spillage a day but so far so good. We'll give it another few days and at the weekend we are starting the potty training with big boy pants to get him used to them. When that is mastered we will do the same with him as we did Matthew and James and let him choose his own first pack of pants. (The trouble being is that I've never seen age 3-4 Simpsons/Spiderpig pants)

4) Matthew is back to school swimming. He loves it and it helps his confidence no end. He is feeling so grown up but has the attitude and argumentative streak of a 15 year old. :) He is still incredibly into his sport and football is still the big subject of the millennium. He is on a little spate of school trips at the moment. Last week they visited Bury St Edmunds (that and Colchester are our nearest big towns) to visit the Theater and look up some of the history of the area and record differences and similarities between the bigger town and our village. Today they are visiting a science fair at one of the Upper Schools in the area. Both of these are particularly impressive to Matthew since he loves history and science. He is doing well in all aspects of school but history, science and maths are where he excels. His writing has improved dramatically and if we can just get him to focus that little bit more then he'll be doing just amazing.

5) Driving is now going FABULOUS. Changing instructors really was the best move ever. Yesterdays lesson had me route finding. I was not being told specifically next left, 3 exit on roudabout etc. but "head towards Westley" "head towards Haverhill" so I was seeking out roadsigns, lanes, A roads and slip roads and it was a wonderful experience. I am really feeling like I am making huge progress and achieving what I want at long last. Hubby thinks I would suit a VW Beetle. And so do I!! I could really see myself driving one of these. :)

6) Hubby has decided to apply for promotion at work. He will be on a good further training wage that can go up very quick in a very short time. The downside, he may have to have odd days/the odd week staying in a different location as the training centre is around 200 miles away and it wouldn't be suitable for the daily commute. This could also mean that in a few years, we may need to relocate to be nearer that area for him to progress further. It's a bridge we will cross when and if we come to it but we only get one chance at life and I am the sort of person who believes that good oppertunities should be grabbed with both hands. Obviously-relocating would have us further away from family but we have to put our little family first and we are all at a good point in life where this could be a real gain for us all. The kids would be fine changing schools and it opens a whole new world of oppertunity for me and hubby. But that's in the distant future, he may not get this position but we do know that there is so much out there he is being reccommended to try and apply for that if this isn't the door opening he needs, there will be many more doors opening in coming months.