Sunday 25 March 2012

Dear NEXT ......

Please could you show 'real' sized woman in your catalogue - especially in the swimwear section!  Yes the time is here and I am now picking swimwear for holidays.  11 weeks on Saturday until we go to sunny Portugal - so as I type I am now on day 7 of being "good" .... not doing great, as so far have had several huge ice creams in the park with the kids & I'd swallowed a whole piece of toast with butter at a toddler group, then remembered I'm being "good"!  Oh and we had a curry last night!! Hopefully next week will be better - as after all anything goes at the weekend right?

Funniest thing I've heard in a while was last week - when Sally was looking at the fish tank and said "mummy, why isn't that fish drinking his water up, why mummy?" ..... I thought it was hilarious!  Not quite as funny as when I caught her sticking a bread stick into Ruby's ear as a substitute cotton bud!   Other classic questions this week have been:

  • What makes us shattered mummy?
  • What makes us hungry mummy?
  • How do planes stop?
I constantly find myself talking rubbish as I attempt to answer!!  I am sure it makes some sense though!!

I am sure you'll all agree that the change in weather is just superb!  What a HUGE difference it makes being able to be outside all the time - loving it.  I like it when you spend more of your day outside, than inside ..... Even better that the clocks have changed this weekend too - horaaaay!!

We had our first 'Sunny BBQ' of the year today and what a nice time was had by all.  Rubes hung out in her high chair squealing with delight at anything & everything, whilst Sally trolled around in her usual knickers & crocs watering the plants ................. you gotta love it!

Yesterday saw the grand opening of 'chav cafe' - in a nutshell - me and a few neighbours sit out front with the kids, some wine and our deck chairs!  It's been going  for a few years now - we know that it's so god damn chavvy to sit out front, so that's why we named it 'chav cafe' .... let me tell you though, we've had many a good conversation out there!  Some that aren't for repeating either!  What have you guys done to celebrate the arrival of the sunshine this weekend?

Parents 2 Bee continues to generate lots of questions from new mums & I am gaining new followers every day - so don't forget to think of us when your picking gifts for mums & dads 2 bee .... Everybody loves something unique!


So what does the week ahead have in store for us?
  • fun in the sun
  • ice creams (kids only!)
  • questions galore from soon to be 3 year old
  • parks, playgrounds and more
The BIG event of the week is the Easter Bonnet parade on Tuesday at toddlers!  We have our equipment to make it - so just need to make it now ................... I'm feeling that this is somewhat of a HUGE parental task - so best get crackin'.

Enjoy the sunshine and be safe ............ cheerio!

Monday 12 March 2012

Araf!

For those who have travelled to Wales, you will know that 'Araf' means 'slow' and is written on the floor of roads as you approach every bend going.  Still to this day though I feel the urge to shout out 'Araf' when I see it on the floor ..... must be some form of tourettes - I do hope not!

Anyway, hello from Anglesey!  Yes here we are on day 3 of our week away.  So far so good - the house is mega, the weather is great and it's a new adventure for everyone!  Sally is LOVING it and her new word of the moment is 'orchard' .... "Mummy shall we go to the orchard?" ...."Mummy I've been to the orchard with daddy" .... So funny to listen to her and most importantly watch her mooching about the orchard in her knickers & wellies - you didn't think coming away would change her fashion sense did you??!

The build up to coming away was immense - wash, iron, pack .....wash, iron, pack .... for what seemed like days!  So much so that I may start packing for our next jolly in June when we get home!  We also had a little trip to the drs for both girls: tonsillitis for Sally & a viral infection for Rubes.  For those of you with young kids, does it not just drive you insane when the GP says 'viral infection' - honestly it drives me nuts.  Thankfully though they are alot better now and seem thrilled to be on holiday with mummy, daddy and Harry the dog!  Harry who actually turned 6 yesterday!

If you've been reading previous posts you will probably know by now that I'm quite into music - always have been to be honest.  Yesterday I heard a song I haven't heard in years "Mary's Prayer by Danny Wilson" - guilty pleasure or what - love it!  Go and you tube it now - you know you want to!  I've also heard a couple of Michael Jackson songs recently too and just can't believe that he is actually dead.  He was such a HUGE icon when I was growing up - such a shame and what big news that was.

Talking of BIG news, Parents 2 Bee are thrilled to tell you that our 'Natural Products' are now on sale at Harefield Water Gardens http://harefieldwatergardens.com/ - the finest 'Water Gardening Specialists' in the North West - as well as being the home to 'Experience Alpaca' - http://experiencealpaca.co.uk/ - check out their sites & take a visit to see their fabulous range of 'luxury hand knitted alpaca accessories' - they really are sensational and our Parents 2 Bee 'natural products' compliment them perfectly.
















So as we zoom into March I can honestly say that I am now feeling somewhat excited at the prospect of lighter nights, spring / summer and of course being outside alot more.  Only yesterday I saw a little old lady walking along the roadside picking some daffodils - it made me smile and think 'how nice - what a lovely thing to do'.  We are very much an 'outdoors' family - in fact before we had kids, our pals would always come over for dinner and bring their coats / fleeces as they knew we'd end up outside by the pond with the fire on!  The outdoor life is something I definitely want for Sally & Rubes, as I grew up on a farm and loved it!  How many of you guys like the outdoor life?

Did I tell you that we are horse racing fans?  Well we are ..... So with Cheltenham starting tomorrow for 4 days we're thrilled!  So please feel free to send me your top tips!  Who know's if we play our cards right we could be millionaires this time next week?!

Moving on to more important things who do we think killed Frank in corrie??  At first I thought it was his mum (still not sure to be honest) ... now I think it's that Jenny or Michelle .... Sad I know and I should get out more, but with 2 kids under 3 nights out are very few & far between these days.

On that note I will leave you with a couple of bizarre facts that I have stumbled across recently:
  • 'stewardess' is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand
  • 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals
  • A crocodile cannot stick it's tongue out
  • A horse can sleep standing up

Please feel free to share your 'bizarre facts' too!  That's all folks - have a great week!