boys

Plant me

Plant Some Trees 2

This entry was posted in Nature Tree and tagged boys educational Forests Gloucester green kids supermarkets trees wildlife woodland on

I’m sure you’ve all realised I’m a bit of a tree hugger, with a huge 11 trees in my small garden (and a Bonsai indoors) I can’t quite cram any more in. So I’d like to encourage, nag, inspire or motivate you lot, my lovely readers, to plant a tree or two. Native trees would of course be better, but anything is a start. We are running out of woodland, and as a girl that grew up climbing trees I find it hard to swallow that in the area I live my boys have no trees old enough or strong enough to climb. The local council do have some big trees, along the edges of roads but these are lopped every other year so they never grow decent branches, they’ll never get much bigger. Of course this is preferable to them being cut down at ground level, a lopped tree is […]

Budget Bucket List 3

This entry was posted in Competition Entry Skydive and tagged Australia blogger Blogger Challenges boys competitions Formula One history ideas kids photo racing trees tv woodland on

Money supermarket have another blogger challenge competition running. The budget bucket list. Well I heard about this and wanted to join in. I intended to write this post before my skydive, as the MSM logo for this challenge shows a happy, calm skydiver. Skydiving could have been on my bucket list, but not anymore! I’ve done it, I really did it.   So new ideas! Extravagant I would love to swim with dolphins. In Australia. I went to Aussie a few years ago and I utterly fell in love with the place. One of the things we were meant to do was go swimming with Dolphins, near Adelaide. The day before we were due to go out on the boat, a horrible note was pushed under the hotel door, and under the doors of the rest of the group we were with. It said that as bad weather was reported for the next […]

Benefits Vs Privilege

This entry was posted in Money Worries Politics Rant and tagged boys ENOUGH Gramps JOBS journey media play Politics Pound poverty rant tax tv on

The lovely Eliza had a bit of a rant at the weekend, she calls this “Sunday Soapbox” and if you haven’t read it, I really think you should. http://www.mommatwo.com/2013/07/sunday-soapbox-privilege.html Sunday Soapbox. Privilege. Few things anger me more than the privileged few telling the rest of us what we’re doing wrong. Those who are born into money, a comfortable lifestyle, who have easy access to everything that makes life more enjoyable, to a good education, to support and success, and to employment and more of the same in adulthood, do not understand poverty. They do not understand poverty. They do not understand the difficulties that people in their own towns and cities are living with, right now. They do not understand that being poor is not a choice that people make because they are lazy. They do not understand that for some further education is not an option. They do not understand that […]

I Did It! 5

This entry was posted in Charity Matilda Skydive and tagged boys disappointed kids Lullaby Trust Matilda Matilda Mae SIDS on

Ok, I’m ok! I did it, I said I would do it. I jumped from a plane, at 13,000 feet! Yes I screamed, yes I cried, yes I swore like a solider, but I’m proud of me. I did it for charity and today the sponsorships increased in a lovely way. Thank you all. Thank you to the lovely people that donated, thank you to those that made #MMskydive trend on twitter, thank you to the other bloggers, and thank you anyone I’ve missed.

Big Night In – Mice, Chips and Cluedo 4

This entry was posted in Competition Entry Reviews Sponsored Posts and tagged blogger Blogger Challenges Board Games boys Family Fifty Squids fish Jen kids play on

The lovely folks at MoneySuperMarket let me and my boys participate in another blogger challenge. Thanks guys, you are EPIC! #msmBigNightIn For this challenge they kindly wired (ok PayPal’ed) me Fifty Squids to spend on a family night in. We bought two retro board games that Blokey and I liked as kids, with the plan being fish and chips from the nice local takeaway. So at Blokey’s knocking-off time at work we phoned him to give him our dinner orders to get on his drive home. Jen wanted jumbo sausage and chips, Blokey, D and I all had haddock and chips. The fish was huge, too big, felt wasteful. And a bottle of coke, the real coke not an own brand version as its a treat.

How To Make A Decent Catapult 3

This entry was posted in Kids and tagged boys bright chicken craft making son on

Well, after the eBay fuss I bought some catapult latex/elastic straps and searched hedges for a decent stick. Bingo, a windy evening and the next morning I was spoilt for choice. You need there to be a symmetrical Y shape in the wood, if it’s wonky it still works but the aim is all wrong. Sawing the branch into a Y shape. Yes, I know I know, chicken runs are not ideal work benches. You need to cut the “handle” end to be about the length of a brand new pencil, and the two angled branches a little shorter.

I Accidentally Killed Two Baby Mice :-( 2

This entry was posted in Animals and tagged boys bunnies flower Jen kids nature photo trees wildlife on

Over the last few months mice have stolen our garage. So I needed to evict them, but I love rodents (except rats) so I bought some “Live catch” traps. After a few weeks of trying I caught one. Being the soppy moo I am, I had to release it somewhere nice, where it stood a chance. The instructions says a mile or more from where was caught or homing instincts will lead it back. I had this mouse trap in a cotton bag on my lap whilst Blokey drove the car. It was about twenty miles until I saw a location I was happy with. A layby with a deep trench next to it. “Stop here” I say.

Jen Gets Muddy #KidsGrowWild 10

This entry was posted in Competition Entry Gardening and tagged Blogger Challenges boys BritMums broken bunnies cooking Cornwall digging flower flower pots flowers Gardening HOLE Jen photo play Polly Pansy on

This morning I received a big white box from the postman. It was recorded post too, exciting, I had to open it right away of course. This post is my entry for BritMums’ #KidsGrowWild Challenge”. I took a photo of the lovely gardening kit before the boys got their mitts on it! It had been raining most of the day, but there was a short sunny spell after cycling home from school. Perfect, I asked the boys to come outside and play. Jen was willing but I couldn’t pry D away from Mathletics on the internet. Yes, still in school uniform. We head outside with the plan being plant the seeds in flower pots and pop them into our recently purchased greenhouse to start these seeds off properly.

The Boy and The Bunnies 2

This entry was posted in Jen Pets Photos Rabbits and tagged boys bunnies Christmas cute green Jen Mo on

Cute overload…. WARNING, too cute.It was dry this evening, so we made the most of it. Jen and I went outside with the bunnies on their leads.Bart is wearing the pink set and Mo is in dark green. These photos make it seem like a lazy evening, but these bunnies are untrained and cheeky things, I was mostly running the circles around our Christmas tree. After a short time, Jen abandoned me and got his bike and helmet and cycled up and down the paths, whilst I walked the bunnies followed them about. And finally… both boys, tired out on my sofa. I have added this to my friend @PinkOddy’s #MotivationalMonday linky.

One of Those Nights

This entry was posted in Depression Mental Health and tagged appointment bedtime boys disappointed making shower on

It’s way past bedtime and here I am, wide awake and trying to ignore the urge to tidy the house. Can I sleep now. Today, well technically yesterday, I went to the weekly Psychotherapy appointment but this time I broke down in tears. A snotty, damp red faced mess. Gawd how much I wanted a hug then, but can’t hug or even shake a doctor/therapists hand. He had me explain why I feel such overwhelming desire to “protect the youngest” in most situations, why my eldest resents me. Why I’m always so self negative. What happened at the boys births and how I said goodbye to D at five days old and telling him to look after his Daddy, because a doctor told me I’d die by morning. How I thought I’d die if I was pregnant again. How I hate myself for being a rubbish mum. Being disappointed in […]

Decking Dream – Creating the Ultimate Entertaining Space in your Garden

This entry was posted in BloggerOpps Gardening Sponsored Posts and tagged boys bunnies fence Garden green outdoors photo style on

When we moved in to out house several years ago it had a patio the previous owners had installed themselves, which we were not very taken with. It looks ok, but it goes a nasty, dirty, mossy green and has no style. It’s so last century, and not in a good way! I want decking instead.   Ok, you’re looking at the first photo thinking that’s not so bad aren’t you? You’d be wrong I’m afraid, so were we as that is what we said when viewing the house. It is a bodge job! Not good at all is the fact they covered the air bricks in the outside walls, reducing ventilation in to the house, and so increasing the damp problem we do have. If we could afford it, I would phone a professional gardener handy man type from the yellow pages. I would like the nasty concrete slabs […]