The Camper's Triumphant Return

Baby Sis and her daughter Baby S came to visit us at Grandma and Grandad's house, and the girls played, not so much together as near to each other lol.  The girls didn't seem to stop snacking all morning either!  And when Grandad went into another room, for a little bit of peace and quiet, the girls found it endlessly entertaining to sneak in there and "frighten" him by shouting "BOO!" lol.

After lunch Baby Sis and Baby S went home to settle Baby S down for a nap.  And as she has been quite restless for the past few nights, Baby Sis went for a nap too :-)  Me and Princess Lollipop packed up our things and got ready to go and pick Little Prince up from Camp, as I wasn't picking him up until 3pm I decided to drive straight home from there, instead of returning to Mum and Dad's for a while.

When we arrived at Camp, the children were all sitting in a circle being presented with the badges they had earned during the Camp.  Even Little Prince was presented with one for "conquering" the climbing challenge, and another one for camping overnight :-)  He was very proud of himself :-)  He had slept in the hut for one night, and in a tent the next night :-)  As well as the climbing challenge Little Prince had also enjoyed a 5km hike, pedal carting and canoeing - a busy weekend!  He was apparently the first child to capsize his canoe and get soaked, and he enjoyed it so  much he capsized again!!  Which was pretty inevitable, because if there's water he WILL fall in it!!  He had also managed the whole weekend without any medication and not misbehaved or got too crazy, well any crazier than any of the other children there anyway :-)  I'm so proud of my Little Prince for managing his first stay away from Mum and Dad for two whole nights, for joining in all of the activities and for staying calm and sensible enough with no medication :-)

The drive home was VERY peaceful as both Littlies fell fast asleep :-)  I couldn't even wake them up for a stop off at their favourite fast food place!  They stayed asleep until I noticed my car outside OUR Shop, and we called in to say hello to Daddy.  He was in the middle of a photoshoot, so we didn't stay too long before driving home.  Drama Teen came out to greet us and got a huge hug from Princess Lollipop.  Little Prince seemed overwhelmed, and was probably still tired, he was grumpy and irritable and refused to talk to Drama Teen let alone hug her!  He must have been tired as he didn't object to going to bed later, and fell asleep quickly too.  Unlike Princess Lollipop who insisted that both me and Daddy take her to bed, and then spent around two and a half hours crying and wailing that she wanted to sleep in our bed!  Despite how long it lasted I insisted that she stay in her bed, as if I'd given in (like Mr Messy wanted me to!) it would be even harder next time to persuade her to sleep in her own bed.  She has been doing so well at learning to sleep in her own Princess bed that I want to keep the momentum going and not let her slide back into coming into our bed!

Princess Lollipop's Day Out

We had to make a quick stop at the Supermarket, as I'd forgotten to take Princess Lollipop's overnight pull ups!  Grandma had managed to find one for last night, but that was the only one she had, so I needed to buy some more.  After that we drove round to the Canal Museum that we had taken Little Prince to the weekend before, as Princess Lollipop had said she wanted to ride on a boat today.  The canal boat trips weren't running, so we couldn't do that :-(  Princess Lollipop found most of the Museum "creepy" and then got totally freaked out by the mock up of an executioners block, complete with axe and "blood" we had to get her out of there pretty quickly!  It was a lovely sunny day so we took her for a walk down the canalside, where she talked to the geese that swam alongside us.  We found some benches and sat playing "I Spy" in the warm sunshine for ages, then we went back to the car and set off to try and find Princess Lollipop a boat.

We drove to a park in a neighbouring town that has run boat trips on the lake for as long as I can remember.  But guess what?!?!  They weren't running today!!  A busy Saturday in the Summer Holidays and they were shut!!!!  Princess Lollipop was mollified by the promise of a trip to the play area instead, and was immediately cheered up when she got to play on the bouncy castle, there were only a few other little ones playing on it, so they got to stay there for ages.

Then we took her round the water play area, fortunately we managed to keep her dry as it was turning chilly and we didn't have a towel or spare clothes with us!  I can imagine Little Prince would have been soaked within moments of noticing the water play!!  At the other side of the water play area was a train ride, Princess Lollipop forgot all about the fact she had wanted to ride a boat, and was overjoyed to ride a "choo choo train" instead :-)  We choo choo'd past a wedding party having their photographs taken, and Princess Lollipop said she would like to be a Princess (bridesmaid) too :-)  She will be one of Baby Sis's bridesmaids at her wedding next year, so I'm glad she likes the idea of being a Princess :-)

By the time we got off the choo choo and had taken some photographs, it was starting to rain a little, we took Princess Lollipop for a quick play on the slide.  This was ruined by some wild children who wouldn't stop running up the slide, and then decided to sit on the top platform and refused to let anyone else past them to the slide.  After a fruitless few minutes trying to get the children to move, and Princess Lollipop getting upset at being "stuck" part way up the ladder, I had to get her down and leave the playground.  Princess Lollipop was crying that she hadn't got her turn on the slide, and the wild children's parents made some sort of comment about her being scared as we walked past them, I was SO MAD I couldn't even answer the incompetent parents!  They had SEEN what their out of control children had been up to and hadn't done a thing, and here they were being sarcastically sympathetic that my daughter had been scared!!!  Idiots!!!  By the time we were back in the car, I'd calmed down and we made it just in time to escape the rain shower.    

Little Prince goes Camping

Little Prince was invited to go camping with Lil Sis and her family, as they are Scout Leaders and we thought Little Prince would enjoy joining in with the Scouting activities.  He was thrilled to be invited, but then got nervous and couldn't decide whether to go or not.  So I told him we would decide nearer the time and kept him distracted from the subject.

As the Camp got closer, Little Prince decided he only wanted to go for one night, and seemed happy and settled with his decision.  However, on the morning we were leaving to go and stay overnight with my parents (who live near the Camp) he was chatting to Daddy on the phone, and Mr Messy was so enthusiastic about the Campsite (that we used to stay at when we were involved with Scouting) that Little Prince became so excited about the prospect of going somewhere his Mummy and Daddy used to go, that he decided to stay for the full two nights camping :-)  I rang Lil Sis and arranged it all with her and we finally set off for Grandma and Grandad's house.  The drive went well with hardly any fighting and falling out, which is very good considering Little Prince hadn't had any medication and we were in Mr Messy's car without the distraction of seat back DVD players!  The last half an hour of the journey, wasn't so great as it was obvious we had been cooped up together for far too long and all of us were fidgety and irritable!

Once we had arrived and had a drink and snack, Grandma had the great idea of taking bats and balls to the Park, to let the children run off some of their pent up energy.  They had a great time and we discovered that Little Prince has quite a powerful swing, which is great as he used up a little bit more energy racing to retrieve his ball!  After we'd visited the play area and had fun there too, we wandered round to the Chip Shop to pick up our tea.  Once we'd eaten it was time to set off and take Little Prince to Camp, Princess Lollipop happily stayed playing games with Grandma, which was a relief as she would have made a huge fuss at leaving Little Prince at Camp.

On our drive I pointed out many places me and Mr Messy used to visit to Little Prince, he was fascinated with all of this family "history."  We had a little trouble finding the right turn off to the Camp, but some locals pointed us in the right direction and Little Prince stopped panicking that we would be lost forever!!  I stayed at the Camp for a little while, so that Little Prince could settle in and he was soon running around with the other children and having a fantastic time.  He got a little upset when it was time for me to go, but not so upset that he didn't want to stay.

Back at Mum and Dad's house, Princess Lollipop was happily beating Grandma at board games and wasn't at all concerned that I'd been away.  We managed to persuade her to let us watch the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, which were very confusing!  Princess Lollipop managed to stay awake until the start of the parade of competing nations, but barely lasted past "A" before she was fast asleep.  She didn't sleep very well that night, and as we were sharing a double bed that meant that I didn't either.

Sunny Start to the Hols

The weather has been very warm and sunny for the past couple of days.  Little Prince and Princess Lollipop have been making the most of it playing out in the garden, its lovely sitting listening to them playing and laughing together.  Well until the bickering, fighting and falling out starts!!  Its not quite so enjoyable having to referee the pair of them, so Little Prince being able to play out in the village now, can give Princess Lollipop and me a break.  However, on Monday Little Prince spoilt it for himself, by taking some money from my purse without permission, and when caught out was immediately grounded - I'm not sure who it punished most, him or me!!  Initially he was very sorry and I managed to get him to co-operate with some tidying up, his mood soon disintegrated and he became stroppy, loud and very unco-operative.  Despite the temptation to send him out to play to give myself a break, I stuck to my guns and kept him grounded.  Bedtime sometimes seems to take a long time to arrive!!

Tuesday started with the Littlies enjoying playing in the garden together, without too much falling out!!  After lunch Little Prince's friend J came over and both boys went out to the Village Park to play.  This left me trying to console a heart broken Princess Lollipop, she wanted to play "Wiv De BIG boys" and kept trying to show me how big she was, to prove that she was big enough to play out with them!  Sorry cutie pie, you just aren't that big!!  We played jigsaws for a while, and then cuddled on the sofa, she was "out of sorts" in one of those non specific ways!  However, as the afternoon wore on it became more obvious she had tummy troubles, the noxious smells she was regularly producing were almost poisonous!!  Luckily she managed to get rid of the "blockage" before tea, and perked up considerably after that, although she was obviously very tired.

Both Littlies were settled and asleep in bed by about 8pm so me and Mr Messy had our tea in peace and quiet, listening to the birds twittering in the garden outside :-)

Weekend Away

On Saturday morning I took Princess Lollipop to her Dancing Class, only to find that it wasn't on!!  Princess Lollipop was over the moon, as she's decided Dancing Class is boring and wants to quit, she spent the drive back home singing "No Dancing Class YEAH!"

Once back at home I got everything together for mine and Little Prince's weekend away at Grandma and Grandad's house.  This weekend is to celebrate Little Prince's recent achievements - like his fantastic report and new swimming badge.  Apart from getting stuck in traffic a couple of times, it was a lovely drive, with Little Prince  either playing happily on his iPod Touch or chatting to me.  Its definitely easier to travel with just one of the Littlies at a time!!

Once we arrived at Grandma and Grandad's house we had some lunch and set off on our first adventure.  We caught a bus, then a train and then a tram and visited a large Museum.  We spent the whole of the afternoon at the Museum, exploring both the exhibits and the interactive area.  Little Prince investigated things at break neck speed, jumping from one thing to another in seconds, but despite this he took things in and enjoyed himself immensely.

The journey home was punctuated by late trains and a broken down bus, but that just seemed to add to Little Prince's enjoyment of his adventure :-)  After tea I tried to get him to write in his "Summertime Fun" Diary, but he was too excited to write much and refused to write more than a few words, he did enjoy sticking in all his various tickets from the day as souvenirs though.  His present from the Museum was a pair of magnets, so we spent ages playing with them - finding what was magnetic and what wasn't, making paperclip sculptures with the magnets in the middle etc.

At bedtime I gave Little Prince his new Club Penguin pyjamas (a birthday present I had mislaid when it was his birthday!!) and he was overjoyed with them, telling me that I'm an awesome Mum :-)  Despite insisting that he wanted to sleep in the double spare room with me, he fell fast asleep in the single room and slept soundly the whole night.  Me and Mum stayed up late chatting and catching up with all the family gossip, it was a lovely way to end a lovely day :-)


The next morning I woke up in my old bedroom, and I spent a while looking out the window at the view that is so familiar and hasn't changed much from my childhood. We were spoilt with a cooked breakfast, cooked to our exact specifications - Cafe Grandma is THE best :-)  It was lovely to be back in my old home and being spoilt by my Mummy, although I was missing Mr Messy, Drama Teen and Princess Lollipop too.  Once we were all ready we set off for another trip to a Museum, a small local one this time.  They were running a "spot the picture of the Queen" competition and this captivated Little Prince's attention for ages.  He got upset when we had to post his entry with one "Queen picture" not found, we asked one of the staff to show us where the last one was, and she knew immediately which one we had had trouble with!  Obviously we weren't the only ones to miss that one.  On the walk back to the car, Little Prince got totally spooked by a dog and ran away, luckily he didn't run too far so that me and Grandma could catch him!!  I'm not sure what has set this off, but he has an extreme and uncontrollable reaction to seeing dogs at the moment, we will have to work on helping him to stay calmer when he sees dogs, or he could end up unthinkingly running somewhere dangerous!

After a quick last play at Grandma and Grandad's house, we set off home.  Little Prince said he was very sad to say goodbye and that he would miss Grandma and Grandad a lot.  Not for long though as we are back there again next weekend :-)  At home Princess Lollipop was ecstatic to see me, and spent the whole evening either running round madly with her beloved Brud Brud, or cuddling up with me on the sofa :-)  She insisted it was my turn to take her to bed, and I was surprised that I didn't fall asleep too lol.  I got the finishing touches to our Summertime Fun board done, so its all ready for the morning.

One more day and THAT'S IT!!

Today was the last day of the Summer Term for both Little Prince and Princess Lollipop.  Princess Lollipop has been counting down the days, and I'm fairly sure she thinks "That's it" forever, I keep telling her she will be going back to school after the holidays but she just replies "Mrs G says THAT'S IT!!"  Who am I to question Mrs G lol.

Mr Messy took Little Prince to school, and wanted to talk to the Bully's parent, but they hopped back in their car and drove off too quickly - deliberately?!?!  However, when we took Princess Lollipop to Nursery, Bully was playing near the school boundary and I called him over to talk to him.  I told him in no uncertain terms that what he did was totally unacceptable and that there would be big trouble if he EVER touched my Little Prince again.  He completely denied any knowledge of what I was talking about, and kept repeating "They're lying" and then ran off protesting his innocence to the other children who had been listening to our exchange.

After we dropped Princess Lollipop off, I had a quick word with Little Prince's Teaching Assistant and asked her to keep an eye on both boys, to make sure there was no retaliation from my telling the Bully off.  She was outraged at what the Bully had done, and said she would keep a very close eye on them and make sure Little Prince was kept safe.  She dealt with the last incident a few weeks ago, when Bully punched Little Prince in the stomach, enough to wind him and scare him.  Bully was sent straight home.

After school and more tears from parents, teachers and pupils, I could tell Little Prince had been crying (confirmed by his Teaching Assistant) and he was very "prickly" which usually means his emotions are too much for him and he isn't coping very well with them.  Little Prince was allowed to play out, and advised that if the Bully tried anything, that he was to come home and let us know and we would deal with it.  We don't want him trying to fight it out, as he is smaller and much less streetwise than the Bully and could potentially get badly hurt.

I am worried that this bullying incident has happened just before the Summer Holidays, and anxious to keep Little Prince safe, but also continue to allow him his new found freedom.  I'm not sure how to balance the two at all.

Wednesday Woes

For some reason the Littlies School decided to change the date of the Leaver's Assembly from the traditional  last day of the Summer Term, to the penultimate day of the Summer Term.  As there is building work going on at the Village Church (which shares its name with the school) the Leaver's Assembly was held in the School hall too.  It was quite different, and due to too many people being crammed into the hall on a warm and sunny day, it was very hot and stuffy - I missed the chilly Church!!

Not only were the Year 6's leaving the school, but three (out of four!!) teachers were leaving too.  One of the teachers is the marvellous Miss D, who has taught Little Prince for the last four years, even changing the age group she teaches to allow her to continue to teach him.  She has been absolutely fantastic with him, and he adores her, and secretly she adores him too :-)  She is the School SENCO, and has been instrumental in helping Little Prince get a Statement that meets his needs, and in employing the two wonderful Teaching Assistants he has had so far.  Little Prince is devastated that his beloved teacher is leaving, and was visibly upset during the Assembly.  Not quite as visibly upset as Miss D, who barely made it through her "goodbye" speech, and who was openly crying :-(

The other two teachers who are leaving are Miss F, who was Little Prince's Reception Class teacher when she began at the school, I used to joke with her that if she could survive her year of teaching Little Prince, she could do anything :-)  And for the past few terms she has been jointly teaching Princess Lollipop, as Nursery and Reception are taught together for the most part.  So she is going to be another well loved member of staff we are going to miss.  Mr G is the final teacher to be leaving, he teaches Class 4, which Little Prince will move into after the holidays.  It has completely unsettled Little Prince to know that the teacher he was anticipating (and who in his words he was "just starting to get used to") is not going to be there either.  Luckily his lovely Teaching Assistant is staying put and will, hopefully, give Little Prince some sort of feeling of continuity, and keep him from being too unsettled when he returns to school in September.

The other Woe is that Little Prince was bullied while playing out after school.  The bully is a well known trouble maker, and has bullied Little Prince at school before, and is regularly sent home from school for his various misdemeanours.  As far as I understand Little Prince and two friends (who confirm his story) were playing at the Village Park, when Bully arrived and started hitting them all with a stick!!  He then stole Little Prince's shoe and pushed him into a ditch full of water, and threw his shoe in after him.   Little Prince arrived home covered in thick slimy mud and quite shaken up.  I was amazed that I managed to get his trainers clean they were in such a state to begin with, and I haven't even tried to tackle his shorts or t-shirt yet!!  Little Prince had to spend ages in the shower scrubbing the mud off, but seemed to be back to his normal, cheerful self after he emerged all clean and sparkling lol.


I am just SO MAD!!  How can anyone bully MY BOY!!!!  It took me ages to settle down to sleep as I couldn't stop my brain from whirring!!  Poor Little Prince, this was only the third time he ha been allowed the privilege of playing out unsupervised, and I don't want this spoilt for him.

The Pink House

Last year we bought Princess Lollipop a wooden playhouse for the garden, and started to paint it and get it all "prettyfied."  However, Mr Messy fell ill and it was not a priority, so nothing more has been done to it for ages.

Drama Teen and Boyfriend offered to help out (for pay lol) doing jobs for me once they'd left College, so I set them to painting the Pink House.  The weather has been so atrocious that they only managed to get the inside finished, but at least that means we could get the flooring and furniture in!!

The Littlies break up from school on Thursday, and I didn't really want them "helping" with laying the vinyl flooring, so me and Drama Teen tackled it today.  We didn't have all the right tools - its impossible to find anything in Mr Messy's shed!!  So it was quite a slog, but despite all that we got it done :-)  We measured it and marked it for cutting (with a 12" ruler - which took ages!!).  Then I cut it with kitchen scissors and felt like my hand was breaking!!  But our best improvisations came when we started to put the floor down in the Pink House!!  I had deliberately cut the vinyl flooring a little larger than we needed, to make sure we didn't cut it short!!  However, it was just a tad too bit to lie flat - which we only found once we'd put it down on the floor and stamped on it a bit!!  And this made it impossible to pick it up again to trim it aaaaargh!!  We ended up using a combination of 2 pence coins, nail scissors and the kitchen scissors to move it and then trim it!!  Unconventional I admit - but it worked so I don't care :-)  We stapled it down so that it won't move once Princess Lollipop is in there playing, and then put all the furniture in.  Mr Messy has been teasing me for ages that I'd bought too much furniture for such a small playhouse - he keeps saying I'm expecting the "TARDIS" version of playhouse!!!  At first I was a bit panicky, because it didn't all seem to be fitting, and I'd hate to admit I was wrong lol, but after a bit of rearranging and jiggling it all fits in nicely :-)

Now all I have to do is make the curtains, sofa cushions and if the weather ever stays dry long enough finish painting the exterior :-)

Today turned out MUCH better :-)

Thank goodness - I couldn't take another day like last Friday!!

In the morning me and Little Prince visited a house clearance sale, and he loved looking round and finding bargains :-)  I found a few bits and pieces to "do up" for my Craft Room, so I was pleased too.  I noticed an ornate style mirror, that with some work could be perfect for one of the studios at the new shop, and sent Mr Messy (who was out on a shoot) a message to call in on his way home and check it out.  He obviously agreed with me as he bought it, now I just have to research how to "age" the overly bright gold frame, and we can hang it in the studio :-)


The weather was lovely, so the Littlies had a great time in the garden, there were very few arguments and accidents and it was great listening to them playing - they were having imaginary Pokemon battles, in between fighting off the Bad Guys that always seem to invade our garden lol

I'd taken Drama Teen over to her Boyfriend's house earlier, and she had taken the only bottle of lens solution in the house, with her!  So I had to go to the Supermarket to buy another one.  As I didn't want to drive a 25min round trip for one item, I decided to go to the large craft and homewares shop nearby too.  I had previously priced up, online, more "supplies" for my plan of keeping the Littlies amused during the Summer Holidays.  I checked all the prices and bought anything that was cheaper there and then, rather than have to pay higher prices and postage online.  I started shopping for all the items at the beginning of this half term, and have nearly got everything on my list now :-)  I'm feeling very organised - an unusual feeling for me lol.  I just need to type out the list of activities and format it so that I can use it on the "Summertime Fun" board I've made and I'm just about sorted :-)

Anyway I had a lovely, quiet, relaxing time just wandering around the shop, browsing the various aisles - I love my children dearly, but sometimes I need a little "me time" to re-charge my batteries.  I was enjoying the drive home, windows open, music playing, so I drove the long way home too.  I was greeted at home by two little faces at the front door - they'd missed me :-)  Its nice to be loved :-)

The Littlies played in the garden some more, then after tea I got Princess Lollipop settled in bed, while Mr Messy and Little Prince watched The Hulk film.  Well Mr Messy watched it, and Little Prince was in the same room as the TV, playing on his iPod Touch!  I've recently found out how to sign him up for his own Apple ID account, rather than sharing Mr Messy's, so he has the freedom to download all sorts of different (mainly free) apps - and he's loving it :-)  I've also finally worked out how to redeem the Apple Voucher he got of Grandma and Grandad for his birthday (in January - yes that is how tech challenged I am!!!).  He has been very good so far, and not spent it all on the first day, which me and Mr Messy were worried he would! I think the fact that he's spending his own money has something to do with that lol.

I'm so glad today, well this whole weekend to be honest, has been so lovely - it helps me deal with the "bad days" so much better, when I can look back on the good times and the good memories :-)

Friday the Thirteenth

...was really out to get me this year!  With a vengence!!!

The day didn't start well, as I had to get up at 6am to get ready to take Drama Teen to an orthodontics appointment at the other side of the country!  Six AM is NOT a good time for me!!  Its a good job I had half an hour on my own, to potter about and come round lol.  Then I was joined by a snuggly Little Prince, for cuddles and a chat on the sofa, while I checked my emails and Facebook.  He was munching away on his cereal when I left with Drama Teen.

Our journey was fairly uneventful, just a long, boring slog through horrible rainy weather.  We got to the Hospital early, so went to the coffee shop for a drink and snack to while away some more time.  The coffee shop were selling some lovely looking cupcakes, but when I asked for one they said I could only have it if I had a hot drink WTF?!?!  I could understand it if they charged me a higher price, than the offer price if you bought a hot drink - but to refuse to serve it to me altogether!!!  I was not happy!!  Drama Teen was blissfully happy with her slice of chocolate cake, so at least that went right!

When we were almost at our destination we had got a text from Mr Messy to ask if we could ring school and find out what was going on and also that we had got his Shop keys (we took his car and the keys were still attached to the car keys!!) so he couldn't go to work.  Apparently after Mr Messy had dropped Little Prince off at school, he decided to run home on his own to get his school bag!!  The first Mr Messy knew about this was when Little  Prince burst into the house, shouted he was getting his bag, and then jumped on his scooter and fled before Mr Messy could even say anything!!!  The recent thunder storms seem to have affected our phones, and they haven't been working since, so Mr Messy was left dealing with a screaming Princess Lollipop (she wanted her brother and to go to school on her scooter), and unable to get in touch with school to find out a) if Little Prince made it back safely and b) what on earth was he doing running home like that?!?!?  I rang school from the carpark and then spent the whole of Drama Teen's appointment obsessively checking to see if they had called back!!!

The appointment went smoothly, and Drama Teen doesn't have to be seen again until next Easter, when they will give her teeth another check up and will discuss putting her back on the waiting list for an operation on her nose, for Summer 2013.  But school did NOT ring!!!

As soon as we got back in the car, I rang school again - the teacher was teaching and would call me back in half an hour!!  I was on edge and not concentrating as I backed out of the space and reversed right into the car behind me!!!!  Luckily a man and his wife were just returning to their car and saw everything, they gave me their details and agreed that there was no damage on either car.  They were also laughing that I was shouting to Drama Teen to not tell her Dad right now, I'd let him know when we got home!!!  Once that was dealt with we set off, however, due to all the delays my parking ticket validation had run out!!  I had to use the intercom to call the security office and beg to be let out!  Drama Teen thought it was hilarious that I got told off "Don't do it again" came the officious voice over the intercom!!!

We maanged to make it to a fast food restaurant in time for the anticipated phone call from school.  Little Prince's teacher explained that she had just come on duty (10 mins before school stars) and some children came running over to say that Little Prince had run home!!  Two pupils said they had noticed Josh hadn't got his bag and told him to go and get it, they said they thought he could catch his Dad before he drove away.  Mr Messy's version of the story was slightly different, he dropped Little Prince off 5 mins before school starts (ie after school were in loco parentis) and Little Prince waved to him from the school gate as he drove past, as they do every morning!!  So the teachers should have prevented him from running off, especially as he is the only child in the school with a Statement of Special Needs!!!

Luckily the rest of the journey home was quiet and boring :-)  We got back in time to meet Mr Messy at our Shop to swap car keys, and grab a soothing drink (Diet Coke before you ask!!) before heading off to pick the Littlies up from school.  While me and Princess Lollipop were stood waiting for Little Prince's class to come out, there was a huge commmotion and one of the Nursery children was rushed into reception unconscious in his Dad's arms!  He had fallen backwards, banged his head on the tarmac and blacked out!!  My friend S, was holding the baby brother trying to comfort him, but he was obviously frightened and just wanted Daddy and was sobbing and screaming :-(  A few moments later the Nursery teacher came rushing through to reception and held the hurt child who was slowly regaining consciousness, while the Dad held the baby son and comforted both children.  Princess Lollipop was shocked and frightened by all of this and wanted "Up" and wouldn't let go of me for ages afterwards.  I hope her little friend is ok, as they were all still in reception when we left, an ambulance had been called and hopefully wouldn't take too long.

Once Little Prince's class had all dispersed, me and his teacher went inside for a chat.  She was adamant that she had come out 10 mins before school starts, and that Little Prince had already run off by this point.  I pointed out that Mr Messy said he dropped Little Prince off later than that, but she stuck to her guns and its a probably unrsesolveable case of "He said, she said,"  I believe Mr Messy and am convinced that school and the teacher are just covering their backs, but as there are only 4 more days left in this term and the teacher is leaving then anyway, there doesn't seem any point in pursuing it.  That would only get the school's backs up, and we need their support for Little Prince to get the full benefit out of his time there.  So annoying as it is, we have to just put up with what school have told us and make it VERY clear to Little Prince that this is NEVER to happen again.

Little Prince was a very subdued and contrite little boy all evening, and grounding him seems to have hammered home the message that it is not a safe or acceptable thing to do.  The evening before was the very first time he had been allowed to play out with his friend's without an adult supervising, and he had LOVED it.  So he was very disappointed that he wasn't allowed to do that again, but he didn't complain or argue. he just accepted his punishment quietly.

Later in the evening Mr Messy managed to work out what the problem with the phones was and fix it, so at least we are contactable and able to contact the outside world again :-)

I went to bed when the Littlies did, exhausted and glad that the day had finished.

Swimming Triumphs

Today was the last swimming session for this term, and all the children were presented with Life Saving Certificates :-)  Little Prince and Princess Lollipop were both awarded certificates for their skills :-)  Little Prince's teacher (who was his one to one, private teacher for two years) whispered to me that actually Little Prince had achieved all the requirements for the next level certificate, but so that he can stay in the class longer, and he and Princess Lollipop can carry on having lessons at the school together, she had given him the lower grade.  He doesn't know about this, although he has noticed he is a much better swimmer than the other children in his class!!  I'm glad his teacher is colluding in this, as it would be difficult to have just one of the Littlies swimming and not the other!  I can't imagine trying to keep Little Prince amused (or dry!!!) if he had to accompany me and just watch while Princess Lollipop swam!!

Tuesday was NOT a good day!!

I have been feeling really exhausted for a few days, and on Tuesday it finally got the best of me!!  After dropping Princess Lollipop at her afternoon Nursery session, I fell asleep on the sofa and didn't wake up in time to pick her up!!  Our phone isn't working, so I didn't receive the worried calls from school either!!  Once I finally woke up and realised what time it was I think I broke every rule of the road getting up to school!!  Princess Lollipop was stood at the door with two of the teaching assistants, she was obviously very upset and as soon as she saw me she clung onto my hand and didn't let go for the rest of the evening.  My poor little lamb, she told me later when she could speak again (!!!) that she had been scared that Mummy had forgotten her :-(  I felt so so bad :-(  My poor precious Princess :-(

Sunday Party Time

Little Prince attended his friend Y's Laser Tag Party, rather than being held inside, the party was at an outdoor centre!  There were various scenarios set up for the children to battle in, for example they started off battling to control four wooden towers.  There was no rhyme or reason to how the children conducted their battle - they just ran up and down shouting and shooting :-)  They battled through three other scenarios, in exactly the same fashion lol.  They all had a wonderful time :-)  After the weary soldiers had finished their battles it was rations time - hot dogs and birthday cake :-)

It was a perfect day out for Little Prince, running round in dirt and mud, "shooting" his friends and generally being a typical noisy boy :-)

At least today started well!!!

Well oversleeping and having to rush round like a maniac to get me and Princess Lollipop ready in time to go to Dancing Class, wasn't exactly the best start - but we got there on time and Princess Lollipop enjoyed her lesson.  She was so funny though, she struggled to follow the moves and keeping turning round to wave at me didn't help her either - she grinned through the whole lesson and obviously had a great time.  I think she'll be a ballerina more in the style of her biggest sister than of Darcy Bussell though :-)

After the lesson we went to OUR new shop to pick up Little Prince and bring him home.  Mr Messy was surprised that Drama Teen wasn't with us, as he was under the impression that she was coming over to the shop.  When we got home I woke her up (!!!) and asked her what she was doing today, and she said that once she was ready she wanted me to run her to a local Pub/Restaurant so that she could ask if they had any vacancies and drop off her CV with them.  Then she wanted to go to the Food Fayre in Our new shop's village and then she was off to the Shop to work with her Dad for the afternoon.

The Food Fayre was disappointingly small, but the stalls it did have were lovely :-)  As it was nearly the end of the Fayre, the Littlies were given a free cake-pop each.  Fussy Princess Lollipop when asked which one she wanted, pointed to a big cupcake!!  In the end she was persuaded to chose a cake-pop instead, but had to check out ALL of them before choosing a white and pink cat-like one.  Little Prince ate his in seconds, I'm sure it went in, in one bite!!  Whereas Princess Lollipop carried her carefully in two hands for ages, until we told her she could actually eat it!!  She hadn't realised that lol, however, she took one bite and declared it "not nice" so her helpful Big Brother finished it for her (we do feed him honest).

Next I got myself an ostrich burger, it was soooooo yummy :-)  Little Prince said he didn't want one, which surprised me as he normally loves burgers.  It later transpired that he did want one, but as they only had one on the grill he thought that was all they had left, and that he'd be "pinching" mine!  He was very upset when I explained that they would have cooked another one for him, especially as by then he had insisted on buying some fudge, and I said he'd had his turn and wasn't having anything more!

All Princess Lollipop wanted was an ice cream, so we dutifully went over and bought her a cone.  Rather than take her and her dripping ice cream to the Shop we sat on a nearby bench while she ate it up, and Drama Teen devoured her butterfly bun.  We hadn't been there long when it started spitting, so as soon as everyone was finished we dashed over to the new shop.  Mr Messy was in the middle of a test shoot in his new Boudoir Studio, so I left Drama Teen there and took the Littlies home.

During the (less than 10 minute) drive the weather changed completely and we were drenched in a torrential thunderstorm!  Huge puddles covered the road and it was still lashing it down when we parked outside our house.  We waited in the car for it to die down, but after waiting for ages it became obvious that the rain was going nowhere, so we made a dash for the house.  In the few seconds we were outside we were all completely drenched!!  Crazy weather!!

The treats at the Food Fayre had only whetted the Littlies appetites, so I made them an indoor picnic, while they sorted out a picnic blanket on the living room floor.  I also told them to choose a Disney film they both agreed on to watch - they choose Wall-e, good choice :-)  I thought it was a great choice, but the Littlies obviously didn't, as soon as they'd finished their picnic they started running around and playing wildly!!  They didn't even notice when the DVD was turned off!!  Despite all my efforts they just got wilder and wilder, and by tea time I was tearing my hair out!!

Princess Lollipop refused to eat her tea, and was misbehaving so much that Mr Messy took her to bed.  After wailing and shouting for ages, she finally fell fast asleep.  And once Little Prince was safely tucked up, peace returned, phew!!  I spent the evening on my computer while Mr Messy watched the Wimbledon doubles finals, I can't see the attraction in tennis at all!!  After thinking about the way the day descended into chaos, I've decided that I've got to stop trying not to give Little Prince his medication if we are going to be stuck inside, and the way the weather was, there was no way we were going out or playing in the garden!!  He is given his medicine for a reason, and one of those reasons is the affect his behaviour has on the rest of the family, so I'm going to try harder to be more sensible about when he does and doesn't take it.  I'm not Superwoman, and I doubt even she could keep up with Little Prince lol.

Fantastic School Report for Princess Lollipop

Princess Lollipop brought home her very first School Report, from Big School (half day nursery) this week.  And it was every bit as impressive as her big brother's had been earlier in the week :-)  I am so very lucky to have such wonderful children - and its lovely to hear that others (ie their teachers) think they are great too :-)

Her Report says things like "Princess Lollipop has settled beautifully into school life, she is a popular member of the group" and "she is very confident to try new thinks and has a curiosity to know how things work" and "she always demonstrates enthusiasm in all she does."   And it finishes with "She is a lovely little girl and is a pleasure to have in class."

I am so proud of my Princess Lollipop :-)  She has overcome HUGE separation anxieties to settle down into school life, and to hear how successfully she has done so is overwhelming.  Well done Princess Lollipop we are all very very proud of you :-)

Fantastic School Report for Little Prince

Little Prince and all his friends came out of school, clutching large brown envelopes today - its School Report time again.  Little Prince handed his envelope over, saying he was scared at what it would say!!  So when we got in the car, I read out this Summary written by his class teacher:-

"Little Prince has had an excellent year and deserves to feel proud of the progress he has made.  It has been an absolute pleasure to teach him over these past four years.  He has developed into an intelligent, thoughtful and inquisitive young man.  He has made a positive contribution to the class.  He enjoys school and always does his best.  He has a large circle of friends and is both liked and well respected by the class.  He is a very popular member of the class.  He is a very well behaved pupil and always tries to act in a sensible manner.  Good luck Little Prince, I know you will grow from strength to strength.  Both Classroom Assistant and I are very proud of your achievements this year."

I could barely keep from crying with pride in my wonderful Little Man :-)  He has to work so hard to overcome his problems and achieve like this, much harder than his "normal" school mates - and I am glowing with pride at the determination he has to be "just like them."  I think he not only does that, but surpasses most of them too - well done my Little Man :-)  Keep going like this, and harness your boundless energy and enthusiasm and you can touch the stars :-)

GREAT Day for Drama Teen

Drama Teen is on her way to being a qualified driver, as she passed her Driving Theory Test today, on her first try :-)  Well done Drama Teen, we are all VERY proud of you :-)

NOT Cooking with Mama!

The other day when Drama Teen and Boyfriend were cooking tea, they came dashing in to say they didn't think they should carry on using the hob.  Apparently there was smoke coming from where the knobs are, and a horrible, acrid burning smell!!  I agreed it would be better to finish cooking using the microwave, and to turn the hob off and leave it off!!

So now we have to research what hob we want to buy, and start saving up to buy it!  Which is going to take quite a while, as we've taken a huge pay cut to allow Mr Messy to work full time in his Photography Business.  I don't mind though as having him around and happier (he is now doing something he really enjoys) is worth it :-)

The Last Few Days

The whole family has been helping Mr Messy move OUR Shop to new premises, and its taken longer than we thought!!  I don't think he had realised quite how much stuff he had at the old shop to move!!  And being Mr Messy he left it right until the last moment to start packing ready to move!!  Thankfully we are now all finished, the old shop is emptied, cleaned and tidied, we are just waiting to meet the Landlord and hand over the keys and that is it, officially moved out!

The new shop currently resembles a bombsite, with boxes and stuff everywhere!!  Although there are more rooms at the new premises, there isn't as much storage space!!  So me and Mr Messy need to find the time to go through everything and get rid of everything he doesn't need or doesn't use!  Mr Messy hates sorting out, so I'm sure he'll keep putting it off for quite a while yet!!

At the new premises Mr Messy has two dedicated studio spaces, he is a lifestyle photographer and the majority of his photography is done "on location," however, he does do a fair amount of commercial product photography and also Visa and Passport photos so he now has a small studio to make this easier.  He has recently launched a very tastefully done Boudoir Photography service, and another of the rooms is being turned into a Boudoir Studio.  It has a gorgeous, vintage, red velvet chaise longe and a beautiful, ornate folding screen in there and I am in charge of "staging" the room, or "fluffing" as Mr Messy refers to it!!  So me and Drama Teen have been looking round Charity Shops and Car Boot Sales for suitable props, we've found quite a lot at bargain prices and later today I'm going round there to arrange them all in the studio.

I've also been spending time in my Craft Room and have almost finished prettifying my plain metal, magnetic noticeboard and my "Summertime Fun" board :-)  I've also (after much prodding from a friend!) got up the confidence to use my Cricut, and just like she said, once I got started it wasn't as hard or scary as I'd initially thought :-)  I'll be unveiling my creations on my Pinspired Creations blog very soon :-)

Little Prince and Princess Lollipop were supposed to go to their swimming lesson yesterday after school, but instead I had to take Little Prince to the Doctor.  The evening before he'd shown me his leg, which had quite a few raised red spots, that he said were burning and very itchy, I gave him some Calpol and the next morning he didn't mention them at all.  However, when he came home from school the whole area of his leg was red and swollen and extremely tender to the touch, he also had a heat rash like itchy patch of skin on both his chest and back, poor lad :-(  The Doctor said the spots on his leg were most likely infected insect bites and prescribed strong antibiotics.  The heat rash like patches, he said were very dry and could possibly be excema, and that Little Prince needed to use an emollient cream on them to see if that helped.  The onsite Pharmacy didn't have enough of the antibiotics to dispense them for us, so we had to drive over to a different Surgery to get hold of it!  By this time it was past teatime, Princess Lollipop was upset at having missed her swimming lesson and Little Prince was feeling very sorry for himself - I decided to cheer them up with a trip to Macs!  By the time we finally got home it was time to dose everyone up with their various medications and get ready for bed.  Mr Messy and Drama Teen were out photographing a local event, so I had to sort the littlies out myself.  Luckily I got Little Prince sorted out first, as when I took Princess Lollipop to bed I fell fast asleep myself!!


Drama Teen has finished her A Level exams now and left college - which I can't believe as she can't be old enough to do that!!  She and her boyfriend are helping me out by finishing painting the Princess Lollipop's Playhouse - The Pink House.  They have also been working really hard helping Mr Messy move to his new premises, now he has moved, I'm hoping they will have time to get on with more painting :-)  I'd LOVE to get the whole thing finished before the Summer Holidays!!  And I'm really looking forward to sewing all the accessories and getting all the bits and pieces in place, I really enjoy doing all the "finishing touches" :-)