So I have been a bit slack.....

I admit it, running a blog is near impossible as a single mum of three girlies, treasurer of local committees, student again, voluntary helper at my daughters' playgroup and school.........unless of course I actually AM Wonderwoman and have yet to discover this?!!

I will do my best to update a bit more asap as I am currently sandwiched between my two littlies in my bed, waiting to get up and start my FRIDAY FUN! - maybe less of the 'fun' but sounded good when I started typing!

So until next time..... :-)

Bubbles, BBQ's and Brilliant Tennis

Hello!!! What an 'escorchio' week it has been! Got to love summer though!!!!

Firstly some facts:

1. It was 77 years ago that a British Male won Wimbledon Singles.

2. The last British female to win Wimbledon Ladies Singles was Virginia Wade in '77.

3. Today is 7/7

4. I live at no.7.

5. Two years ago today (7/7/11) I fled with the children from my abusive ex-husband to start a new life for us all :)

6. Not forgetting that sadly 52 civilians died 8 years ago in the London Bombings.

So today we have mostly been celebrating with BBQ's and bubbly!!

It didn't occur to me till just after Andy Murray won his crucial Championship point and Wimbledon 2013 that it was two years ago to the day that I changed mine and the girls' lives for the better!! What an afternoon/evening that was 2 years ago. But WOW! I feel like a different person - for the better! Single parent struggles are inevitable but I LOVE my life now!!

And the rest of the week? Bit of a blur! Time is FLYING by!! Last week was Honey Bee's Sports day. Lush weather, lots of fun and some proud moments! I even entered the mum and child race!! No embarrassing photos to be posted - sorry to disappoint!!

I spent most of my evenings last week preparing for the interview for this part time job I mentioned (I think?!? - playgroup financial administrator). Anyway, I then attended the Playgroup AGM and came away with lots of doubt. Now, going back to work is tough for any mum who has been out of it all for a number of years and those who unfortunately share similar experiences of DV will understand that your self esteem can be low. However, my subsequent change of heart wasn't about low self esteem or low confidence - I confirmed some niggling doubts that although this job sounded perfect, the timing just isn't right, as well as the fact that one of the other candidates would be far more suitable for the job being a soon-to-be ex Committee member! So I have withdrawn my application and have no big regrets about that decision.

This week it is Honey Bee's school play, Pirates of the Curry Bean!! Looking forward to that! Only 2 weeks of school left! Argh!! :)

Where does the time go?

Well I think the realisation has set in! Its been a week since my last blog post. I just don't know where the time has gone! I think with everything that is going on, I will be better off aiming to do weekly blog posts from now on unless something really interesting comes to mind that I feel I must blog about in between!

So what happened last week? Anyone?

Well I can tell you that since Wednesday I have been nursing poorly little ones! Firstly, Missy Moo came down with a croaky cough, temperature and sore throat (I think) and has been suffering ever since. My evenings disappeared for a couple of days as she kept waking herself up with the cough and discomfort so I brought her downstairs to doze on me before I went to bed. Honey Bee was also off school on Thursday as she started the day retching up saliva and a little bit of breakfast. Back to school Friday, them yesterday morning, after having driven to town for her swimming lesson and concluding before we parked up that she wasn't fit for her lesson, she consequently threw up all over the front seat of my mum's car! Oops!!

So Sweet Pea has a bit of a hoarse cough going on but seems to be fighting it better than Missy Moo. And although Honey Bee started to recover yesterday, she has been feeling pretty rough today with stomach pain and headaches. Fingers crossed she can go to school tomorrow - for her sake! She loves school!

I can't really remember much about the earlier part of the week - can't have been all that exciting!

I have to admit I did have a bit of respite on Friday evening as I went out with a fellow DV survivor for a quick bite to eat at a local pub. Had delicious lamb burger followed by aptly named Pimm's o'clock pud! Yummy!

Talking of Pimm's.....Its Wimbledon time! I am an avid tennis fan so I have been following Wimbledon and loving the excitement of Andy Murray but definitely overwhelmed by the current good form of Laura Robson! Fab to see some talent in the Women's game!

But can you believe it?! Only 3 weeks of term left!! 3 weeks!!
Lots of bits and bobs on too! Sports Day, Playgroup AGM, Honey Bee's school play, meetings, possible interview......

It is going to fly by!

Tarts and Tantrums!

So....Sunday.........

Hmm.....what a day! 

We started the day off a bit slower than a week/school day as we often do on a Sunday - Saturday is swim lesson day so no chance of a lie-in! Mum came round to cook us all Sunday dinner in my oven because they don't currently have anything resembling a cooking appliance in their building site of a kitchen!

They've done pretty well these last couple of weeks coming to ours for dinner as the resident chef (aka me!!) has given mum time off cooking! I quite enjoy it and I usually do most of it when we go away for our annual 2 week Cornish holiday - coming up......can't wait!!!!!!

Anyway, today mum offered to give me the day off so I took her offer up! Nothing like a roast cooked by mum! ;)

The drama started however, with Missy Moo who only had a plate with 3 chips (we substituted today as neither of us had potatoes to do roasties!), a small bit of roast chicken meat, one carrot stick and a tiny broccoli floret! Did she want to eat any of it? Did she eck! 

She had already seen the Lidl Strawberry Tart that mum had brought for pud and the bribery didn't work today - you know the stuff, 'you can't have pudding until you eat this.....just one bit of meat, then you can have pudding.....' We exhausted the list! It was bribe central! Then she got tearful. She is very sensitive, and was very tired. So she got her pud! I figure that with her slight frame and my paranoia that she doesn't eat enough food all the time that a clotted cream strawberry tart would be a good way to fatten her up! Ok, wrist slap time from all you health freak text book mummies - no offence.......Joke!!! (See that - making myself paranoid that I will upset someone again!)

But that was just the start of things to come! Honey Bee, who loves strawberries but never usually eats anything with strawberries in -  other than a bowl with just strawberries in - she was the next to (putting it bluntly) kick off! She had spent the morning asking me what time we were going to the Funday (local community event) and although I am always up for supporting local events and had intended to wander down after dinner, I questioned her desperateness for going! Ultimately she sees something like it as an opportunity to have money spent on her and will moan when we say no to her or tell her its time to go. So....FUNday??? More like NO-FUNday for us adults!

Oh what a meany mum I have been today! I blackmailed/bribed/whatever you want to call it - Honey Bee by telling her that she could only go if she ate her slice of Tart! Oh Wow! Amateur dramatics alert! The fake crying and tantruming started! I am sure many of you can picture it! It went on......and on......and on......till she ate it! Mum 1 - 0 Honey Bee!

Then I became the meanest of all mean mums! Believe me - I was called it after I subsequently told her we were no longer going to go to the Funday! Why? Because, to be honest her general behaviour with me, her sisters, her grandparents, her table manners......has been quite poor and as much as I hate playing the bad guy because, as a single parent, its like you are doubley bad, I felt it was time to put my foot down and TRY to teach her a lesson!

Whether it works, who knows?! What concerns me is that her negative behaviour naturally rubs off on her sisters so I have to try to nip it in the bud as much as possible or heaven help me when my girls are teenagers!

Right, after that little rant, its time for a quick look at some of the Blog Hoppers on the Weekend Blog Hop, sup some wine and try to finish my CV and covering letter....

Till the next rant! :)

It's been sooooo long!

So today a fantastic opportunity has come about in regards to returning to work!

I was helping out at Sweet Pea's playgroup this morning and learnt that the 'paid' job of financial administrator on the committee is being advertised as of today! 

OK it is only 7 hours per week but boy am I keen! It has left me feeling so positive! Might sound naive and stupid because I haven't been offered the job or anything but it would be perfect for me to bring my CV up to date and break me back into the working world and I think I should stand out as a strong candidate because I have relevant experience!

I have just finished starting (?!?) my CV. Got the main bits done, just got to expand on some of the sections especially the Employment bit. It has been soooo long since I have had to do a CV so I am starting from scratch and its hard but I guess it is all good pratice! I am also being realistic - there is probably going to be stiff competition from all the other mums that want something small to get started again back on the road to work. But I will do my best and if I don't get it at least I will have tried and it will help in developing my skills for returning to work again in the future. Fingers crossed eh?!.......

Monday madness and mayhem...

                                  

So its been a while since I have had my craft stuff out but it is something I like to do when I can find a moment or two! I have just made the two cards above from a few bits I picked up from one of those shops that sells all kinds of bits and bobs at very low prices! I wish I had more time to do more. I have lots of bits and bobs but it is time consuming and as much as I love it as a hobby it is not a priority over everything else I 'should' be doing in my spare time! 

OK, so how many people have read the story in the papers about Charles Saatchi's 'attack' on Nigella Lawson? The word 'attack' might seem a bit over dramatic but I don't think it is. For anyone who has had first hand experience of abuse from a partner or family member will know where I am coming from. We don't know all the facts but there were enough witnesses that evening in the restaurant - though a shame nobody leapt to Nigella's aid - and previous press interviews with Nigella suggest their relationship is volatile! I just hope Nigella sees sense soon and leaves him! Nobody deserves that kind of behaviour!

Off my high horse now! 

This morning I was on duty at Honey Bee's school again. I'm helping in the Reception class and I'm really enjoying it! Hopefully it will help in the long term towards my plan to train as a teaching assistant, but in the shorter term I just want to be able to help out and get an insight into what goes on in my daughters' school. Other mums help out with reading and 'tricky words' and now that Missy Moo is less dependent on me I feel I can give the time to the school. 

Mondays seem to go by much quicker now which is good in some ways! The afternoon is broken up anyway with the school run and with more mad, giggley, tickley, moments with the girlies, here I am again, catching up with everything before bed! 

Toodle-pip till the next time!

Freedom (Programme) Forever!

                                    

Howdy!
Today I have mostly been tickled silly by my ickle monkeys! - you had to be there but I just love these moments when I can I have times of complete madness with my girls. I never had the time before and when I have all three hanging off my every limb I remind myself that I am even playing the role that you normally associate with dads - the difference with my situation is my ex had a back injury and other excuses that resulted in Honey Bee not getting this kind of play time even with him.

Aside from the madness, Sweet Pea went shopping with Nana for a treat as she has slept in her own bed for the last 3 nights!! A big achievement for her! I popped to Tesco and bought way too much chocolate! I must add that I didn't open any of it today! Mars chocolates (M&M's, Milky Way Stars, Revels etc etc) are doing the cinema ticket offer in exchange for four bags. So I thought that would be a good way of saving money for when Honey Bee next wants to go. She has also been wanting to try Cadbury's Dairy Milk Marvellous Creations Jelly Popping Candy Shells so I got some of that too!

Yesterday I caught up with a couple of friends I have made who have been through a similar situation to me/us. One has a one year old daughter and the other has three children (10, 6 and 2). We met through the Domestic Abuse Outreach services who put us in touch and set us up with starting The Freedom Programme earlier this year. We are all in differing situations with our Divorces, Child Contact stuff and so it is great to be able to support each other with all the ongoing cr*p !

Talking to them and sharing our current situations remind me of the massive benefit The Freedom Programme can be to anyone who has been through an abusive relationship or thinks they are living with an abusive partner. I wanted to share this!

I completed the programme recently and it was such a great help in moving forward with life. It really opens your eyes to things that you possibly just put up with and thought was/is normal behaviour. For me it was eye-opening. It was surprising how others in the group had been through almost identical scenarios.

See my page at the top of this blog for more information about The Freedom Programme.

Oh and just another quick Potty Update:
Missy Moo has done FOUR wee wees on the potty today! It helps when we are at home longer in the day because she can have more nappy free time but the positive step forward for me/her is the fact that when she IS nappy free she knows when she needs 'to go' so she asks for the potty! Yesterday we had a POO and two wees - the former was because she was massively constipated AGAIN :(