When I grow up!

This morning Kerrie asked me what I would like to be when I grow up. She had asked me the same question last night as I tucked her into bed. She then sat there talking to her toys and asking them what they want to be when they grow up.

 Silly me with five children, not to mention a husband and a mortgage I was under the impression for the most part that I had already grown up.
 OK, admittedly as anyone who has witnessed me in the company of my sister will testify I do reserve full rights to act like an overgrown child at times, usually for the entertainment of my own children but not always just for them!

Our poor long suffering Mother dreads the days she is in our company on a bus or in department store changing rooms. There is something about both places which propels us to revert back to being young children with, to her great embarrassment uncontrollable giggling and merriment. As she is trying desperately to keep a straight face while simultaneously  disowning us to anyone who had the unfortunate luck to be sat within earshot, she is also muttering under her breath that she will not take us anywhere ever again! (yes I know that means she is doing three things at once but she is a mummy of four, she knows how to multi-task!)

Anyone who has seen my excitement in the run up to Christmas will also know that I am worse than the children, I blame my parents, they were to be found sat on our sofa at 7.30am on Christmas Day dressed as Father Christmas complete with fluffy white beard and his Little Helper with the sort of plaits which would make Pipi Longstocking jealous, handing out presents from a big red sack. I mean honestly with role models like these is it any wonder I have yet to reach adulthood in the eyes of my children?

   I have always insisted that just like my favourite Jenny Joseph poem, when I am old I will wear purple but I have already decided to take the advice given in the poem which is to start now so I don't surprise people too much when I am old. If you do see me doing something sad and boring you can be guaranteed I will soon be up to some mischief to balance things out.

 Kerrie obviously has a somewhat different opinion on this. In her eyes I have yet to grow up just as she has her full life ahead of her.  So I asked her what she would like to be when she grows up, with a completely straight face and no sign of mischief or intended humour she replied 'A kangaroo!'

Erm ok then, not sure quite where to start with this one and not wishing to burst her innocent bubble I simply asked her what she thought I should be when I grow up. Again with all seriousness and no pause or hesitation she said 'A Power Ranger, a big Power Ranger'

So if anyone needs me I will be in the corner trying on my purple Power Ranger jumpsuit (well it has to be purple!) and practising my jump kicks!

Duvet day

Sometimes it just has to be done. I have been fighting a cold for a few days now. Sunday I started to feel rough. Monday was a disaster, every time I went out of the front door to get anywhere I was late.  My feet just did not want to carry me anywhere. I got into my pyjamas as soon as I arrived home after Brownies and I was asleep straight after Lucy was settled. If you know me well you will know what a night owl I am and if I tell you that I couldn't be bothered to switch the laptop on you will know how knackered I really was.  Yesterday I was so sleepy I barely made it through Holby City and this morning was the day to just curl up and give in to it. Chloe answered me with a croak this morning so she is home too. My body was refusing to let me achieve any more than the basics today. I am up, I am dressed, the children were safely delivered to school, clean and fed and that was about all I can manage. Obviously I am still looking after Lucy, I think she is starting with it too, her pretty little eyes look tired and she keeps sneezing which is ever so cute but she is still smiling. She is sat here chattering next to me, dancing to the theme tune from the old episodes of Friends that Chloe is watching.

We have hot tomato soup, crusty bread fresh from the bakery and lashings of proper welsh salted   butter. Outside it is blowing a gale. I am fully expecting the back gate to go hurtling towards the back fence again. Yes this has happened before, there was an almighty bang one night when we were sat watching telly. Steve went outside to find the gate had been ripped off it's hinges by the force of the wind. the noise was so loud it brought our neighbours out to see what had happened.  Standing in the space between the fence and the side of the house where the gate had been hung was like standing in a wind tunnel. After all the rain we have had now the wind seems to have taken over. We certainly seem to have been battered by the weather lately.

I have spent the last two mornings watching James and Elisha take part in their class services. It is so lovely to be welcomed into school to see what the children do with their days. If yours are anything like mine you will recognise the scenario of the mum asking the children what they have done at school today as they dish out the standard response of 'nothing'. I bet hearing that would please the teachers after they have spent so long planning and executing  activities to entertain their little charges. They were all fantastic and they had obviously practised so hard. I might have felt like death warmed up but that certainly put a smile on my face. The other thing which made me smile was one of my newest and youngest Brownies sat down and drew a picture on Monday night. She had put my name on it and she brought it to me with a big smile of her own. I don't think there are many things nicer than a little one saying 'I made this for you!'

Right time to snuggle down under that duvet for cuddles with my eldest and youngest - stay well everyone xxx

Resolution

22nd of January already, when did that happen? I feel like someone wound up the calendar when I wasn't looking! Never mind the Elf who comes to stay causing chaos over Christmas, I am sure we have a mischievous Imp who fast-forwards the clock as soon as I get into bed. No sooner have I fallen asleep then it seems it is time for me to wake up. I suspect the same Imp is also responsible for that particular brand of insomnia which only seems to occur when you know you really need to wake up on time for something important.

 I should have been writing this at New Year, a time when we traditionally make our New Year's Resolutions. I usually start the year making plenty of resolutions and plans. I have it all mapped out, new calendar and diary at the ready with beautiful clean pages. A cloud of ambitious ideas filling the space between my ears............which then slowly leaks out like a slow puncture as I attempt to deal with the here and now, leaving no time for future planning. It is more of a mopping up exercise while the kids throw anything they can into the mix to distract me further from my tasks. I can see parents evenings, birthday parties and dentist appointments already on the horizon.

This year decided to just make less plans and see how the whole thing pans out. Yes, I am resolving to not make any resolutions. (This should be interesting for a self confessed control freak)  That is not to say I don't have a long list of things I would like to do but for the sake of my own sanity I am taking the pressure off. If I don't set the target then I can't fail and anything I do achieve can be classed as a bonus........kind of like cleaning the oven!

Anyway, it is time to get the munchkins up and ready for school and you know how complicated their lives are, it's a good job their 'social secretary' has her trusty list to hand! Today we have one for forest schools - needing to be dressed in her own clothes and wellies, two requiring packed lunches, two having dinner in school, two going to ballet and one going to street dance, three party invitations to be replied to and plans make to get children to and from the said parties and one still needs help finishing homework for tomorrow. I had better get my skates on!

Reflection

So what happened then? This blog was going so well and then it came to a sudden halt as life simply got in the way.  You know what it is like I am sure, the best laid plans of mice and men and all that...I guess being a Mummy of five kept me busier than even I thought because I have not been able to find the time to write. My thanks to those of you who have asked me about it and encouraged me to carry on, your kind words have meant so much.

 I have thought about writing so often, words streaming into my head like long ribbons, rattling around the all too empty space between my ears begging me to apply them to paper. The trouble is all too often when this happens I am busy doing something else and my hands are not free to pick up a pen, I can easily think of things to write about when I am pushing the pram along the prom or filling the washing machine or washing dishes or wandering the aisles of the supermarket trying desperately to remember what I wanted to buy or what I've got at home already. 

Yes, I write lists, I write them in abundance all over the place. I have lists of the children's shoe sizes in case I spot a bargain while I am shopping, I have lists of dates, times and places where we need to be and why we need to be there, my problem is I never seem to have the right list handy when I need it. Maybe being more organised should be my New Year's Resolution, which brings me handily to my reasons for resurrecting this blog. 

It is the end of the year 2012, and a time for reflecting on the year gone by and a time to make plans for the coming year 2013. In 2012 we welcomed our beautiful baby daughter Lucy, I admit to feeling overwhelmed by the thought of another addition to our family but as soon as we met I knew she was meant to be with us. She makes me smile everyday even in the early hours of the morning when she wakes for snuggles, curling up in my arms to go back to sleep. Now just a few days before her First Birthday she has celebrated her very First Christmas with us and she has been our very own Christmas Star. 

Olympic Inspiration

So the London 2012 Olympics officially began with a lavish and exciting opening ceremony. For me, I don't think they could top James Bond escorting The Queen to the venue, I mean who else fictional or not could be relied upon to get her there safely? On Her Majesty's Secret Service indeed! It was just brilliant - the whole thing kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see what Danny Boyle would throw at us next.

Who else but J K Rowling who has inspired a whole generation of children to read,  should be chosen to  read us our bedtime story, and who other than Mary Poppins could rescue us from our childhood nightmares?
 Kenneth Branagh led us through yards of British history seamlessly woven into one colourful blanket of entertainment culminating in the lighting of that amazing flame which has travelled the length and breadth of the country carried by people from all walks of life. With the same lack of ego the chance to light the flame was given to our young up and coming athletes, this was truly a momentous occasion.

Meanwhile some days later back in Mummyoffive HQ, Chloe is acting as team coach as Kerrie takes part in the women's gymnastics competition. Resplendent in her pink ballet leotard and using a scarf as a twirling ribbon, she is prancing around the floor, pointing her toes and spinning in the way that she sees the gymnast's perform on the TV screen above her. Ever observant she sees and copies minute details of their performance that would pass me by entirely. Toes pointed, legs straight, arms raised and a big smile at the end.

As the gymnasts sit down between events she too needs a chair. They drink from sports bottles and so she drinks too. I am grateful she is happy to pretend to coat her little hands in talc as I rush to make sure Lucy's baby powder is well hidden from Kerrie's eager eyes. The scarf is now folded on the floor to become the high beam and I am encouraged to 'look at my cartwheel, mummy' I of course am happy to oblige, stifling a chuckle and surreptitiously winking at Chloe as Kerrie performs a cross between a wobbly handstand and a forward roll landing on the floor in a giggling heap. She stands up, takes a bow and thanks us for watching!

I am not a sports fan by any stretch of the imagination, when I was in school PE lessons were frankly my idea of hell, I wasn't very good at it and so I couldn't see the fun in participating.  However I am happy to say that my children all love to play and enjoy a wide variety of sports. There seems to be a much wider range of activities for them to take part in than when I was a child.  I am enjoying supporting Team GB in the Olympics and especially watching it through their eyes, Kerrie has certainly been inspired by the gymnasts!

I am always suspicious when it goes quiet...........

Well lets face it with five children of varying ages living in the same house silence is something of a novelty. Our home is always busy, just the way we like it. There is always something going on, lots of activity, most of the time several different things are happening at once so it is a good job we are both well practised in the art of multi-tasking or we would never manage to keep up. When it goes quiet, now that is when I worry! If there is not a sound to be heard and they are not asleep then someone must be up to something and if they are quiet then that usually means they are in mischief.

Tonight while I was busy feeding Lucy, Kerrie went very quiet. I settled Lucy for a nap and went upstairs to get Kerrie ready for bed. She had somehow and we are still unsure about how she managed this, got hold of a tube of black mascara and she was running around giggling wearing nothing but a liberal stripey coating of Boots No7! She had managed to spread it on her arms and legs with some glittery lip gloss layered around her bellybutton for good measure. With her red hair she looked like a sparkly tiger cub. There was nothing for it but to pop her in the bath and hose her down an outcome which of course she was delighted with. Her doll or to be more accurate my doll which she now plays with, had to be bathed and shampooed too. Kerrie kept up her usual running commentary as these events unfolded. 'Can I go in the bath mummy?, I'm climbing in mummy, don't get dolly wet mummy, oh can we wash her hair?, can I wash her hair too? Ha ha my tummy is all soapy' etc etc etc.

The funny thing was that although she knew that she shouldn't be messing around with the make up she was so proud of herself for putting it on. She wants to be just like her sisters. Chloe is nearly twelve. She has just started wearing a bit of makeup, we have agreed limits and I see no reason to not allow her to experiment with cosmetics as all her friends are too.
 Elisha also has a few bits and pieces which she is allowed to wear for school disco's or when they play at giving makeovers. I rarely wear makeup. To be honest I don't really have time but I do have a full makeup bag for equally rare nights out which the girls love to raid.

 Elisha also wants to copy her older sister which is all well and good until we have days like the one recently when she was quietly getting ready for school........or so I thought. You see I told you it is bad when they go quiet. I wish someone had taken a picture of the look on my face when she came down the stairs in her full regalia complete with plastic tiara, it really set off her school uniform a treat! I am still surprised that she didn't add a pair of plastic earrings and a fairy wand to accompany the full face of make up which greeted me just five minutes before she was supposed to depart for school. On that occasion a quick swipe with a flannel had to suffice.  What made her think it would be acceptable to go to school with her face coated in glitter and shimmer powder I do not know. I must have missed that page of the prospectus. However between you and me and only if you promise not to tell her I will admit that she did make me chuckle......Little monkey!

Days where we can just be......

It is almost the start of the Summer Holidays! My second favourite time of year, my first being Christmas, I have always loved Christmas, all my children home snuggled up together, good food, good company and presents too, what's not to love?
Chloe and Elisha both celebrate their birthdays in August so summer is a happy time for us. James loves being at home whatever the reason and for Kerrie this will be her last summer at home before she starts school in September. As for Lucy well she is a sociable little creature who loves to watch her brother and sisters so I am sure she will be happy to have so much entertainment on hand.

 Chloe has four days left in school owing to her having had a long weekend with no school on the Friday and the Monday  due to two teacher training days. I have no idea why they could not simply tag them onto the holiday as the Primary School has done. James and Elisha both have just two days of term left.

 I am lucky enough to be at home with the children so I don't have to juggle childcare. It can't be at all easy for those parents who will end up needing childcare for some of their family because the schools break up on different days, not to mention the teachers whose children finish before they do.
Why can't they keep these things simple for all of us with standard term dates but then again things which seem simple enough to us mere mortals rarely seem simple to the decision makers. Why does giving humans a bit of power always seem to bring out the worst in their human nature? The mind boggles at some of the nonsense they come up, I'm not going to start ranting though or I will be here all day, suffice to say I may have to stop watching the news for the sake of my blood pressure!

So back to the fast approaching holidays......

I love this time of year, all of our children at home together, much less rushing around having to get to this place and that place and time, time to just be! I suppose they would call it 'downtime' now. It doesn't have to be relaxing in fact we might well end up being much more active than we are during term time but time to be together, play games, have fun and just enjoy each others company. I have a list of activities and days out planned to keep us all entertained. It is hard to find time to be together when everyone has to be somewhere different, it just feels like one long merry go round that wont stop and just keeps on spinning faster and faster. In real terms this is the point when I start to oversleep as I did twice this week. I forget to write things on the calendar. I drop the bat and the fabric of our lives starts to unravel. 'You can tell it nearly the holidays' I can be heard to exclaim several times a day.  Summer is a chance to pick up that golden thread which interweaves our lives with it's rich colour and repair those damaged stitches. We put ourselves back together both physically and mentally and take a break to prepare ourselves for the new term ahead.

The rain has been so abundant this year that I am already planning lots of indoor activities just in case the garden has to stay off limits for much of the holidays. If we can't play outdoors we will play indoors. Out will come the scissors and glue, paint and paper, the scrapbooks and craft. We have plenty of books, games and toys to rediscover. I have bookmarked interesting child friendly websites we might like to explore further. We can bake treats and make play dough.  Dens can be built indoors, picnics can be eaten on a blanket in the living room and I have a feeling the wii and wii fit will be well used this summer so I have plenty of batteries in stock already. Luckily we all have wellies and raincoats so walks involving splashing in puddles can be arranged for when we all get fed up of the four walls. As you can see even the holidays take some forward planning when you have a houseful of children to consider.

 Last year Chloe had lots of friends here much of the time, our home became a sort of half way house for the holidays, I didn't mind at all. I love having a busy bustling house full of noise and laughter, a good job really I mean no one has five children if they relish peace and quiet do they!
Her friends were very good at involving the little ones too when they were here, during one sleepover I popped upstairs to check on Elisha to discover her sat on a stool surrounded by Chloe and her friends who were each painting the nails on either her hands or feet. She looked like the queen and was very much enjoying the attention!

During last summer I was pregnant and still feeling rather sick quite often, between the sickness and the sciatica doing anything was rather an effort and a strain. This year I am most definitely not pregnant and so I am looking forward to being able to enjoy the holidays and some summer food whether the sun decides to join us or not! I am hoping to record our summer adventures here so stay with us and see how we fill those lazy summer days.