H is for homework

Most parents with school aged children have encountered the following three people.

Chip
Biff
Kipper

Argh! I haven't met a more annoying set of characters in my life. Yet, they've been in our lives for two years now.

They come from the Oxford Reading Tree, and the books they feature in are supposed to be a passport to helping your child to read.

It's just a shame the stories are so unimaginative. And random.

I'm tired of reading them, goodness knows how Minxy feels.

Here's why they get my goat.

- The absurd rhythmn of the stories.

- The way they end abruptly with no proper conclusion.

- The creepy neighbour who is always looking over the fence, it's less Where's Wally? and more Where's the Weirdo?

- They are boring. End of um, story, so to speak.

Please tell me the books get better. Please.

Outside my door

London really can be a great place for kids.

And doing this week's gallery challenge for Tara at Sticky fingers made me realise how lucky I am to live in a great part of the capital.

The marvellous Kew Gardens is only a hop, skip and a jump away and we go there frequently.

It's one of those places that really makes you feel alive, and with so much to see and do there, you're never bored.

One of the best things about it is the go-slow pace. Toddling about looking at all the flowers, the leaves, and just about every stone makes you wish you could live your're life at that rate all the time.

Kew Gardens holds a special place in my heart and the news that part of it may have to close is a worry.

If you ever get the chance to visit, you must.

Happiness

Holly at It's a mummy's life recently wrote a post about happiness and it got me thinking.

We're all so busy rushing around that you barely get time to reflect on your life and think about what really makes makes you happy.

So here in no particular order is what definitely makes my heart smile.

A crazy busy house with friends, kids, and lots of laughter.

Making and creating. Be it food, crafts or stuff with the kids.

A bar of almond Green & Blacks chocolate bar, accompanied by a magazine and a cup of herbal tea. Yes, it really does make me happy.

Waking up and thanking God that I'm here to look forward to another day.

Being grateful for having such a wonderful family, I mean my parents and siblings, not just my brood.

Watching the children grow day by day.

Retail therapy.

Beaten up old cars, that are crying out for a new lease of life.

Bad 'Knock, knock' jokes.

My fabulous friends.

It's not a huge list by all accounts, but it's the little things that mean the most.

Me

So I decided to join in with The Gallery, the ace idea created by Sticky Fingers.

You take a photo relating to the weekly topic and then you blog about it.

This week the theme was 'Me'.

Instead of taking a picture of myself, I felt that I'm currently defined by what is in my handbag.

I bought my bag on my honeymoon in Italy. We were in Florence and I purchased it along with two other lovely leather bags at a market. I haggled it down to a reasonable price and my tan friend has been at my side at various intervals ever since.

It's really battered now, and the inside zip has recently gone, and a pen leaked leaving a black stain at the back, but whilst I'm off work, it's my bag du jour and I still love it.

As you can see, it's rather Tardis-like and can hold a whacking great load of must-have things.

These are:

Pink diary, untouched, because I keep everything in my head. Fool!
Two plasters, one kiddie one, the other is plain.
Giant purse that holds one percent cash, ninety nine percent crap,
iPhone,
Glasses case,
The glasses from Mr Potato Head,
Pocket tissues for a snotty nose (mine, not theirs, that's what sleeves are for right?),
Lip gloss,
Vaseline,
White chocolate buttons,
Satsuma (to ofset the chocolate natch),
A marshmallow from Monday,
Mismatching hair clips,
Oyster card,
Three pens,
A button that fell off my coat last week,
A letter.

That's it.

Yup, that's me right there, ready for any eventuality.

Tantrum? Whip out the buttons. Feeling virtuous - eat the satsuma. Looking ropey - slick on some lip gloss. Minxy's hair dramas - pin back with the clips, pens for jotting, plasters for grazes and the phone for pretty much everything else.

The days of keys, purse, mobile are a distant memory. But one day, just one day...

Broken Britain

Gah!

Never mind the nation going to pot, I feel like the everything is falling apart at home.

I don't know if there's some kind of Feng Shui style message going on but things just keep breaking.

Minxy's scooter decided to fail on the way to school, The Peaceful One (who breaks everything anyway) has broken his ride-on car, the side of his bed, the canon on his tank. The list goes on.

Every time I go to get a toy, the batteries have gone, or a crucial part is missing, only last week a gorgeous puzzle was spoiled by the fact one of the pieces broke.

On an domestic level, light bulbs pop at the most inconvenient moment, The Boy recently fixed the dishwasher, the tumble drier is about to go to dump, we've just replaced the toaster and kettle and the computer has been on the blink. Argh!

There's an endless mend list, but at least I'm grateful that as a family we're all in working order.

Pets corner

They say never work with children or animals, but a lot of parents out there don't work with them they have both!

In the spirit of fun I've decided to start a Pets Corner, where you dear reader can send in your photos of your furry (or not so) friends.

I'll link to your blog so people can find out more about the owner, but feel free to add one line about your beloved.

It could be anything, what they mean to you, their personality, or just where you live.

At the end of the week, there will be winner. You won't actually receive anything other than the prestige of being Pet of the Week. Wow!

The more random, funny, cuter the picture the better. In this post is a portrait of Luci and Andy's dog Louis Vitton and Grandad's cat J.J is in the spot where Pets Corner will feature.

Please send your pictures and your blog address to petscorner2010 @ googlemail.com

Competition is stiff so may the paws be with you!

Party politics

So the General Election is looming.

And the three main political parties are trying their best to persuade us to vote for them.

I don't know about you but I smell a rat amongst all of them, and sorry but The Guardian's piece on 'the new look Tories' did nothing to change that.

Right now the politics that I deal with are on a more local level. They involve the invites to birthday parties.

On the whole Minxy gets an invite, we check the calendar, she either goes or doesn't go.

Occasionally, there's the 'So and so had a party and I wasn't invited' drama. It's a tough life lesson to explain to a five year old that you're not always included in somebody else's fun.

It seems that kids parties are just not parties any more, they're events.

Whatever happened to the time honoured tradition of going around someone's house for jelly and ice cream, pass the parcel, and leaving with a slice of cake and a sugary smile?

Now it's all entertainers, fancy restaurants (well Pizza Express), party bags filled with plastic tat, and expectations higher than reasonable.

By the time Minxy's birthday rolls around, she's seen every type of party going and the pressure is on to deliver.

This year we've had requests for Build A Bear, cinema and pizza night, a swimming pool party, and a sleepover. I'm not hearing jelly and ice cream amongst that list.

Her Godmother who is a super mum to four children, has an excellent view of parties. She says:

No parents
No siblings
Out with cucumber and carrot batons and in with party rings and chocolate fingers.
Produce sweets if anyone starts crying or having a tantrum.
Keep a bag of cheap pressies to dip into if things start to get boring.

Pretty sensible rules I think you'll find.

I'll be following them closely if I can get away with a home party this year.

What are your views on kids party?