Good Bits and Bad Bits

Bonjour dearest friends.

I've been trying to update for a week but I have so much going through my crazy little mind I didn't have a point to start nor stop. I had plans for all sorts of posts yet they never came to fruition but in short, here's a little mish-mash of everything I can find.

1) Liam is 100% off nappies. 2 weeks, no nappies, 2 wet beds. 1 was the very first night and the second was the first night I didn't take him to the toilet when I went to bed myself. Every other night he did it himself with success. So that's it, no more babies, no more toddlers, just big boys in my house now!

2) These pictures amaze me. Photo 1 is my instagram photo of the little man himself.

Picture 2 is his great great great paternal grandmother, that' his dad's nan's nan or his great nan's nan. My mother in law has been working on the family tree and found this picture of his great ancestor Anne who was born in 1868. They have the same nose, the same mouth and very similar eyes. It's AMAZING that the web can find such treasures. I'm very interested to see what else the family tree brings  up.

3) Hubby was sleep talking the other night and it was so funny. I was having one of my "awake when I should be asleep" episodes and I turned over to get more comfortable he said to me "Don't knock into me, I'm shooting!" I replied "You're shooting?" and he responded, "Yes, shooting, watch out!" Before anyone worries that my hubby gas some odd tendencies towards firearms, I'll just point out that country living seems to have soaked into us both. A few of his work friends regularly go out game hunting, shooting pheasants and partridges and other game birds and he has been invited along a few times and has expressed an interest but I don't know if he'll ever go. It's an expensive "sport" even if you do shoot your own dinner.

4) James appears to have a wobbly tooth. He's not 5 for almost 3 months and it's one of the teeth he hurt a couple of years back so hopefully it's a good sign that it's growing ok underneath. The other tooth is still up in his gum and we'll have to see what happens about that but the other one looks promising.

5) I've been feeling a bit bleugh, this week. Not down, not unwell, just "off" I can't explain it. Maybe it's a bit of Mother Nature reminding me that even though I don't have the monthly visit from AF, I still have female bits and female emotions. I've been just, angsty, angry at the world and worn out. You know, that proper PMT feeling where all humankind are annoying, especially the male ones who make a mess and don't clear it up. Kids who leave Lego everywhere and generally.....er... generally feeling like I did when I was pregnant with the boys.

6) The kids have been playing together great this week but I am getting fed up of the school holidays now. They seem to be dragging now. I know in the US and Canada thoughts are heading towards going back to school but we still have another 2 and a half weeks to go. James and Matthew go back September 4th and Liam begins September 5th. So we still have quite a time to go.

7) We have most of James' school kit. He just needs PE shirts. I only want one but they sell them in packs of 3. I find this annoying!

8) Last week I made my 25lb diet goal. This week I haven't stopped eating and put on 3lbs. Poo.

9) Hubby is finishing work early today, picking up his mum and bringing her back for a nice Indian meal tonight and she will sleep over tonight so we can be on our way nice and early tomorrow for our day/night out in Cambridgeshire tomorrow. I am looking forward to a "mummy day off" These are very few and far between.

10) I always say every year seems to have a theme. This year seems to be focussed upon marriage. Whilst a lot of friends are marrying this year, I know of 6 couples celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary (If I hadn't left my ex, it would be my 10th anniversary next year too) and 2013 seems to be a year for break ups too. Whilst a marriage breakup is sad for all involved, it's also a very PERSONAL thing and I will never judge anyone on their reasons. For some, it's a release from an unhappy place and can make a person a much better person. This is how I felt with my marriage split and I know it's like that for someone else. It's only letting go of someone when you realise that life can really be good. I'm no expert on the case of marriage, separation or divorce, but alot of my understanding of it all came after time. Over the years, I've looked back and that I realised that the main things that caused us to split were just the icing on the cake. Looking back, there were so many other things where I felt I was being taken for granted, that I wasn't happy about that situation, that sometimes, I don't think I was ever happy with him. I just got carried away in the "new romance" stage, fell pregnant, married and it all just snowballed. So much happened so quick and at times I felt powerless as to how quick everything happened and I felt SO MUCH GUILT. I felt I had to marry for my unborn baby, he deserved a family. I felt I should marry for the sake of my family and to keep him and them happy. The only person I wasn't keeping happy in this crazy crazy time was myself.

Unfortunately it took an unhappy marriage to realise exactly what I didn't want in relationships but when I met hubby 2, everything seemed right. Admittedly, James and Liam did come along quickly but we were happy and it wasn't the kids what kept us together. We were happy from the beginning, he took on and stood up to my stupid ex and was happy to take on a stepson where many men would run for the hills. Even though this was a whirlwind relationship (I don't do things by halves!) it was the opposite of the last. It took time to meet the right person, I dabbled with dating before I met him but have never looked back. We married within 3 years of being together, we had the kids, did the house move then married so it was fully back to front compared to "conventional" families. But what is conventional these days.

11) Remind me to do that post on "Parental Politics" I've done similar before but I have new ideas on school run mum.

12) I've been reading more again this week. 4 books in a week is good. One on Guilt Free Parenting (very funny hence my inspiration for number 11) and 3 murder mysteries. Two were short books and 1 really was rather poor to be quite honest but my newest book was the best book I have read in a long time. I will certainly be looking out for more from this author.

13) I'm feeling rather happy and chirpy today so I'm going to share my favourite song of the year so far. I can't wait until the album comes out on Sept 16th - my bubba's birthday:



Not normally a fan of the "country sound" but I love this DJ!