Childhood

We are just about to enter a new phase. We are about to start applying for a primary school place for the princess and she is moving up a group at her preschool. So, education is foremost in our minds right now.

The Princess soaks up knowledge and her favourite phrase at the mo is "tell me all about that" - which means she wants the whole picture on a subject not just a snippet of info.

I try really hard to give her access to as many experiences and as much knowledge as she wants and on a daily basis I struggle with my desire to pump this little sponge with more and more knowledge - phonic sounds, dinosaurs and the planets are our current favs BUT I also believe in my heart that children should just be children and they should just play play play and pick up knowledge through experience. I am trying hard to balance this.

I found the following at www.magicalchildhood.com and I nodded my way through it ...

Have a read and see if you agree.....

What should a 4 year old know?

I was on a parenting bulletin board recently and read a post by a mother who was worried that her 4 1/2 year old did not know enough. "What should a 4 year old know?" she asked.
Most of the answers left me not only saddened but pretty soundly annoyed. One mom posted a laundry list of all of the things her son knew. Counting to 100, planets, how to write his first and last name, and on and on. Others chimed in with how much more their children already knew, some who were only 3. A few posted URL's to lists of what each age should know. The fewest yet said that each child develops at his own pace and not to worry.
It bothered me greatly to see these mothers responding to a worried mom by adding to her concern, with lists of all the things their children could do that hers couldn't. We are such a competitive culture that even our preschoolers have become trophies and bragging rights.
Childhood shouldn't be a race.
So here, I offer my list of what a 4 year old should know.
1. She should know that she is loved wholly and unconditionally, all of the time.
2. He should know that he is safe and he should know how to keep himself safe in public, with others, and in varied situations. He should know that he can trust his instincts about people and that he never has to do something that doesn't feel right, no matter who is asking. He should know his personal rights and that his family will back them up.
3. She should know how to laugh, act silly, be goofy and use her imagination. She should know that it is always okay to paint the sky orange and give cats 6 legs.
4. He should know his own interests and be encouraged to follow them. If he could care less about learning his numbers, his parents should realize he'll learn them accidentally soon enough and let him immerse himself instead in rocket ships, drawing, dinosaurs or playing in the mud.
5. She should know that the world is magical and that so is she. She should know that she's wonderful, brilliant, creative, compassionate and marvelous. She should know that it's just as worthy to spend the day outside making daisy chains, mud pies and fairy houses as it is to practice phonics. Scratch that-- way more worthy.
But more important, here's what parents need to know.
1. That every child learns to walk, talk, read and do algebra at his own pace and that it will have no bearing on how well he walks, talks, reads or does algebra.
2. That the single biggest predictor of high academic achievement and high ACT scores is reading to children. Not flash cards, not workbooks, not fancy preschools, not blinking toys or computers, but mom or dad taking the time every day or night (or both!) to sit and read them wonderful books.
3. That being the smartest or most accomplished kid in class has never had any bearing on being the happiest. We are so caught up in trying to give our children "advantages" that we're giving them lives as multi-tasked and stressful as ours. One of the biggest advantages we can give our children is a simple, carefree childhood.
4. That our children deserve to be surrounded by books, nature, art supplies and the freedom to explore them. Most of us could get rid of 90% of our children's toys and they wouldn't be missed, but some things are important-- building toys like legos and blocks, creative toys like all types of art materials (good stuff), musical instruments (real ones and multicultural ones), dress up clothes and books, books, books. (Incidentally, much of this can be picked up quite cheaply at thrift shops.) They need to have the freedom to explore with these things too-- to play with scoops of dried beans in the high chair (supervised, of course), to knead bread and make messes, to use paint and play dough and glitter at the kitchen table while we make supper even though it gets everywhere, to have a spot in the yard where it's absolutely fine to dig up all the grass and make a mud pit.
5. That our children need more of us. We have become so good at saying that we need to take care of ourselves that some of us have used it as an excuse to have the rest of the world take care of our kids. Yes, we all need undisturbed baths, time with friends, sanity breaks and an occasional life outside of parenthood. But we live in a time when parenting magazines recommend trying to commit to 10 minutes a day with each child and scheduling one Saturday a month as family day. That's not okay! Our children don't need Nintendos, computers, after school activities, ballet lessons, play groups and soccer practice nearly as much as they need US.
They need fathers who sit and listen to their days, mothers who join in and make crafts with them, parents who take the time to read them stories and act like idiots with them. They need us to take walks with them and not mind the .1 MPH pace of a toddler on a spring night. They deserve to help us make supper even though it takes twice as long and makes it twice as much work. They deserve to know that they're a priority for us and that we truly love to be with them.

Added to this I have been reading about Steiner Schools and I must admit I like their approach to schooling. Melinda Messenger moved house to be close to one of these schools as she didn't like the pressure put on her son in mainstream schools to conform at a given time to a given skill.

Food for thought.

I Love This Boy

22/365,
originally uploaded by Kazza, Mizzo, Lils and Daniel.

He gets more beautiful every day. How did we get so lucky?

I'm not getting much sleep

For the past 4 months I feel like I have hardly slept, but it doesn't seem to matter once 7am rolls around. Danny's wind stops and he is suddenly awake. Wide awake. With smiles and giggles and rolling back and forth between us and touching us. Then we hear the princess in the next room calling, "Mummeeee Daddeeee!"

And then there we are -the family together snuggling and giggling and smelling of sweet dreams. Of course, then the moaning and the grumbling and nappy changing and incessant chatter and all the rest of the stuff that will fill the next 12 hours starts - but those few moments before the day really begins are magic and make the sleepless night somehow worthwhile.

OK I admit it, I am very very sad

I LOVE cleaning, I LOVE decluttering and I LOVE organising.

One of lifes greatest pleasures is seeing a room sparkle and gleam. It makes me happy to be organised and my house to be ordered.

I have been lost for the past three years, I have been unable to keep up with everything and it has driven me a little crazy but I have learned to relax a little and allow the clutter and cobwebs to make a tiny appearance. This is only because I have had no choice in the matter as I have been busy making babies but now I am determined to get a hold on the house again.

I have rejoined Flylady in order to give me some focus. If you haven't heard of Flylady go here and see what I am talking about. It is a cheesy American system of house organisation and cleaning and although it is very 'american' - it works and allows you to keep on top of the house with very little effort once you have done the initial few weeks of prep.

I love Anthea Turner's Perfect Housewife programme and her book is a bit of a constant companion. I aspire to Bree Van de Kamp's perfect home (although maybe not the rest of her life!!) and I am never without my list of chores.

Imagine my joy then to discover 'Method' cleaning products. Wow - non-toxic, natural cleaning products that work brilliantly, smell heavenly and look gorgeous (I keep caressing the bottles!!!). I am in love. Take at look at the little beauties here and get on down to John Lewis to grab yourself some.

My husband was recently asked in all seriousness if I have OCD he laughed at his friend and replied 'no' but maybe there is a little truth there somewhere.

I'm off to mop my floors now..... only joking - *maybe*

August?

Is it really summer?

This evening I am chilly and that is whilst sat in the house with all the doors and windows closed. It has been raining again. Today we did a lot of our Christmas shopping (happened across a toy shop that was closing down and had all stock at 50% off) - IT'S AUGUST !!!!!!!

Arghhhhhh.

In the rest of our lives, all is going well. We have just returned from a little break in Cambridgeshire with Tony's parents. The weather was grim but we all had a nice, relaxing time. The princess was great, she had so much fun, was brilliantly well behaved and ate like a horse. The boy was pretty cool too, he smiled through most of the day and kept to his night time routines so that was all good. Today he rolled over from his tummy to back for the first time. It was not intentional on his part and gave him quite a shock but he has rolled - that is the start!!!!

His wind issues continue - we had him to the GP again on Monday. She was a horrible woman who spoke over me, didn't listen to a word I said and made the boy cry by throwing him around and making stupid noises at him. I was furious. I am so concerned by what took us to the surgery in the first place but was basically told to go away. That is now our third visit to GPs with his digestive system and they won't hear me - there is something wrong but they just don't want to find out what. They are just hoping that whatever it is goes away. I am planning on seeing the Health Visitor on Wednesday and if necessary start shouting as I KNOW as his mother that there is something not right and we need to know if we can stop his pain.

Rant over.

Innocence and Independence

My friend Emma has recently blogged her thoughts on the Madeline McCann case and how it affects her as a parent. This got me thinking about how we keep our children safe and protected but also fulfill one of our ultimate roles as parents - nuturing an independent and confident child.

I am a very careful (read paranoid) parent, I recently stopped the Princess attended local gym classes as I wasn't happy with the level of care given by the instructors. After watching a session I didn't feel that they were equipped to watch the children adequately and I am just not willing to take any chances at all.

Other than pre-school (in which I have confidence), the Princess is always with me or someone I trust, but terrible things can happen in the blink of an eye. Only the other day we discovered that whilst we had been downstairs blissfully unaware, she had been up on her windowsill - the thoughts of what might have been still make me feel cold.

What about other areas? I'm not sure what to shield my kids from now. Sure there are the obvious things. Certainly, I don't swear in front of them and keep anything inappropriate out of earshot - I need to load Amy Winehouse, Prince and some of my gay tunes on to my I-Pod if I am to listen to it in the next 15 years. I know that hitting "next blog" when she's close by is a definite no-no. I don't allow her to see adult televison including soaps (Eastenders is so vile in it's content)

Obviously, their Internet access will need to be closely monitored as they get older to protect them from pervs and also the limit websites available to them - there is stuff they just don't need to know about anytime soon.

If you know me, you will know I am no prude and that I have certainly 'lived' but I find society today a scary place, there is little respect for others and the boundaries of what is morally and socially acceptable have moved so far away from what I find acceptable. It is the slow decline of manners and morals which I find hardest to grasp - again I blame things like Eastenders for the drip drip effect of changing our perceptions.


It's really overwhelming, the task of shielding our children.With society, television, films (even Disney), video games and the internet filled with violence, drugs, sex, and obscene language, how do we strike a balance between being a hovering parent who shields their eyes and ears from everything and allowing them to see and hear more than they should and becoming fully rounded people?

Really, how do we ever let them out of our sight?

Friday Morning Skive

The Princess is at pre-school (dressed as a pirate!) and the Boy is asleep in his swing, I am about to have a coffee and surf the net - bliss!!! The housework can wait. I was up from 4am with the boy moaning and groaning and eating his fists. I think there could be some teething action going on. The Princess had her first tooth through at 20 weeks which is only 4 weeks away so maybe...

I'm not an old hippy

and I do believe in 'live and let live' but this week I was shocked by some blatant and in my opinion 'wrong' advertising.

I was browsing through OK magazine, mainly to have a look at Katie Price and Peter Andre's new baby girl (she's adorable by the way) and within the interview Katie talks about the fact that she didn't want to breastfeed as she doesn't "want a baby drinking from me".

Ok, so it's a shame that she doesn't advocate breastfeeding as she is a great role model for young women and attitude like hers doesn't help increase the figures of new mums 'giving it a shot'.

She is perfectly entitled to do what she wants to do (and she always does!!!) but what I found shocking was the product placement of the formula milk she is using, the label aimed squarely at the camera and during the interview she talks of having crates full of the ready made bottles - no doubt in exchange for the photo 'advert'.

It is illegal to avertise formula for babies under six months but when celebrities allow themselves to be used is this manner, the formula companies get around the law.

There is a new call for ALL formula advertising to be banned, which may increase the poor number of women feeding naturally. At present only 25% of women continue feeding beyond six months.

Personally, I think that more help is required for new mums. I have found feeding very difficult this time and could have given up on many occasions but as I had such a good experience first time round, I persevered. Nobody has been there to help me through and Health visitors just seem to say 'keep trying' - not always easy when you are in pain and baby is hungry.

Young women, particularly those from less educated backgrounds and lower incomes need help and education, but sadly whilst role models like Jordan keep up the 'erghhh I don't want a baby hanging from me' attitude, this is going to be an uphill struggle.

Bit Of Both

The boy is doing great. He is a real character, very smiley, very chatty and great at blowing bubbles and shouting 'hey'. He is now grabbing toys and shaking them (and then dropping them). All in all he is doing fab.

His weight gain has slowed up dramatically though and has only gained 40z in the past 3 weeks - not so cool.

The health visitor isn't too worried but said to get him weighed again in 3 weeks time and then if things haven't improved it is because he is hungry and needs to be weaned. So it looks like we are just 20 or so days away from baby rice, bibs and mess mess mess. I can't wait to be honest. I know my son and I know that he is going to have his Mummy and Daddy's love of food.

Not sure if I should start to introduce a bottle into his life too. Breastfeeding is great- good for baby, convenient for mum and feeding from a bottle seems clinical and unemotional. However, it is a tie when you fancy a few beers or want to go on the mother of all diets. Its exhausting feeding every hour for days on end with no one to assist, and then running around keeping a lively three year old engaged during the day. We have recently turned down several party invitations due to being too far to feasibly travel and return home for the 11pm feed.

I've read that if you offer only a bottle for two days, baby will learn to latch and suckle from a bottle. A baby will never forget how to feed in his preferred method, and can learn to do both. This would be ideal but not sure I could handle the two days of confused crying and would whip out the boob to nourish him.

The other benefits of extending breastfeeding are avoiding the transition to bottle and goin direct to cup. This worked well with Lil. The other selfish reason is the cancer protection given to me if breastfeeding extends beyond six months.

The next month will be interesting and I am sure whatever is 'right' will prevail.

p.s. We have also booked his baptism - busy times!!!!

Daniel and the New Bumbo Seat

Daniel and the New Bumbo Seat,
originally uploaded by Kazza, Mizzo, Lils and Daniel.

Daniel has a new seat so that he can join in the action from an upright position. He loves it!

Blah Blah Blah

Not been on here much, as I haven't had a lot to say but thought I would just check in tonight.

Operation Yummy Mummy starts tomorrow with my return to WeightWatchers, I have a mammoth amount of weight to lose but I will be back in my clothes by Christmas -FACT!

Baby boy is doing great, he is smiling more now that his wind troubles are abating and is now reaching out for toys and trying to grasp them. He hasn't managed to suck his thumb yet, just his whole fist! He is huge and he is beautiful.

The Princess is a joy as ever.

I have just found some books that I just have to order for the children. They won't want them for years yet but they will love them in a few years time. Children grow up too fast these days, girls of eight look like PussycatDolls (not good!) and boys sit in their rooms playing computer games and grunting (not good!)

The Great Big Glorious Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys are what my childhood were about and I would love for my children to experience the same fun, innocent, exciting things that I did and I am sure that they will enjoy them as much as I did even if it is inbetween playing with Bratz dolls (arghhhhhh) or doing something technical that I don't understand (likely).

Ahhhh the long days spent making rose petal perfume, reading the stars and practicing knots - heaven.

Doing What I Do Best

I love being a Mum.

I am fed up of being marginalised because of the job I do, I resent the stigma attached to simply being a Mum.

My job involves long shifts, people management, problem solving, diet and nutritional planning, money management, and so many other skills I can't list them all. I am responsible for all of the emotional, educational and physical development of two people .

If I sat pushing paper around a desk for 8 hours a day I would gain more respect.

I feel that peoples values are evolving around me.

The need for 'stuff' seem to be erasing manners, respect and civility. Things before people.

Are money and things more important than emotional stability, wellbeing and happiness?

I look around and feel I'm in some sad, grim vision of a world where we work until we die, our young are removed to sterile baby-raising facilities and our elderly are shipped off to die, out of sight.

It is madness that society penalises families for being just that. Families.

Many women fall into the trap of feeling they have to work to pay the bills. Many women (not all) are forced back to work soon after the birth of their children, torn emotionally and financially, blackmailed by the government and society into believing that staying at home to look after their children is the same as sitting on the sofa watching Jeremy Kyle. Being a Mother is an important job and when done properly is one of the most important roles there are. We are raising the next generation.

I was asked yesterday if I might have more children. My instant response was 'NO' as the thoughts of getting my body back, getting my life back into order and how would we afford more children came into my head. See I too fall into the modern trap.

It's not about me, it's not about big houses and holidays in Tuscany. Although all that is very nice. What is most important to me and my family is happiness. Our home is fun, it is filled with laughter and we (I believe) have amazing, clever, beautiful, kind children. So what I'm basically saying is....Mmmmm.... I have found my vocation in life and should we really stop here just because we and our peer group buy into a more material and usually less happy way of living than previous generations.

I am not saying that all Mums should stay at home - far from it, but those that want to and those that want to make a difference in society should make a stand and not feel that pressure to be something that the Government have programmed us all to believe is right.

This probably makes no sense at all as I haven't read back what I have just thrown down onto the keyboard but it helps my brain think things out.....

Am I Going Crazy?

I hear voices in my head.

I have conversations with myself.

They usually go something like this.....

Me 1 - "Why won't he sleep through the night?"

Me 2 - "Because he is ten weeks old!"

Me 1 - "But I am exhausted and very grumpy, how can I make him sleep?"

Me 2 - "This won't last forever"

Me 1 - "It feels endless"

Me 2 - "But it isn't - before you know it he will be walking and talking and sleeping all night"

Me 1 - "I know but....."

Me 2 - "No buts, this will all fade and you will start wanting another baby"

Me 1 - "Arghhhhhhh"

Me 2 - "Now stop talking to yourself, the kids are asleep so go do something useful with this precious time like have a wee or doing the ironing or eat"

Me 1 - "Ok, but I just need to check my blog first....."

Operation Yummy Mummy (I changed the title as some of you thought I was talking about garden buildings)

Tomorrow I will enter a new phase.

I would like to lose a shocking amount of weight and for my legs to grow about 2 inches. A facelift and tummy tuck would also be quite nice.So, I've set myself reasonable goals and *looks up* I've got a positive attitude. I'm poised for success.

These layers of blubber on their way out and a new me will emerge. This may take a while, there's a lot to sort out but I WILL get there and be 'me' again. I want to feel sleek and smooth and have boundless energy and zest. I want to be the Mummy my kids deserve. I know I'm a great Mum but I also want to be a little bit Yummy too!

Look out - I'm on my way back..............................

MOTHERS LITTLE HELPER

Then there are times when I am in pieces. Like when Dan has had a growth spurt and feeds every hour on the hour for 48 hours, give or take the odd two hour respite when he screams.

The past week has been tough. The Princess has had a fever and Dan has screamed and screamed and screamed with wind. It got to the point when I-just-couldn't-focus-on-anything-other-than-the-screaming, oh yes and Daddy has now got a fever -great. So yesterday the whole family trudged off to the GP. The result of the visit - She confirmed that Lilly did indeed have a fever and Dan has wind - hurrah - glad we went for that visit.

The grey hairs and wrinkles are appearing everywhere. The stretch marks, scars and pouches of skin are hideous and I am unable to communicate effectively or remember anything. Thank goodness that the GP told me to have a glass of red wine of an evening.

Cheers!

Growing Up and Saving The Planet

Yesterday, baby boy had his 8 week check and jabs (another story including lots of screaming and testicles!!!). Whilst in the doctors room the Princess was chattering away in her usual style, the doctor stopped in his tracks and focused on her instead of the baby boy. He couldn't believe her language skills and was amazed not only at the size of the words used but her sentence constuction too. This confirmed my suspicions that we have a genius on our hands (joke) but also brought home to me just how grown up she now is.

She now dresses herself, makes up stories to tell us, helps herself to food and drink and gets herself up to the table to tuck in. That's no baby, not even a toddler - she is a real life girl!!!

And physically she's growing too. She's just under a metre tall and has hair to die for. I've noticed her hugs and kisses have become more deliberate, much stronger. When she puts her hand in my hand it no longer gets lost. I even had to buy new pants from the big girls section.
Yes, she's changing alright. And although it's scary and a little bit sad, I'm very proud.

We are also upping our efforts at being 'green' and the Princess knows to help us in this. She knows about Bags For Life, she recycles paper and knows her way around the bottle bank. She knows that her old clothes can be passed on to others and we are working on passing on toys too (not so into this!!!!) not sure if she will be impressed by my new bag though - I finally got my Anya Hindmarch 'I'm NOT a Plastic bag' Bag. I have been on the waiting list since before they were first issued and finally my time has come. Of course its not for fashion and status you understand I am being green!!!!!!

25 Things To Do On A Rainy Day

1. Stare out of window.
2. Put toys back in box.
3. Watch Lilly tip toys onto floor.
4. Hold Dan.
5. Breastfeed.
6. change poo covered baby and clothes.
7. Eat.
8. Contemplate scrubbing upstairs floors
9. Ditch the idea.
10. Drink tea.
11. Wash up.
12. Stare at contents of fridge.
13. Wonder if I can make a dinner out of eggs and cheese.
14. Ditch the idea.
15. Read The Gruffalo three times.
16. Change nappies.
17. Make breakfast - Bircher Muesli
18. Think I am probably not like Anthea Turner.
19. Put Dan down for a sleep.
20. Listen to Dan grunt
21. Contemplate having a shower
22. Ditch the idea
23. Drink tea
24. Stare
25. Count minutes until another big person is in the house

Three Weeks Three Days

Our little man now weighs in at 11 pounds and is a feeding/sleeping monster. He is a textbook newborn and is no problem at all, he is a bit windy but hey after the Princess' colic we can deal with wind.

Breastfeeding hasn't been quite as straightforward as last time round (mastitis, ouchy nips and a very hungry baby all add to the pain) but I am keeping going for now as it was such a beautiful experience last time and although I have suffered a little bit, the man himself is piling the weight on like a sumo, so something is working well.

DH and I have decided that this week we have to reclaim the house and ramp up the discipline with the Princess, it's not that she is naughty but little habits that we don't like have started to form, and so we are stamping on the bad behaviour now before any harm is done. This might sound harsh as she really is a little beauty but we think it is wise to take action before a brat develops.

She is doing really well with the transition to big sister from 'centre of attention' but a few odd behaviours have started to appear - not wanting me to leave her side, not joining in with things that she previously enjoyed and a shyness that up to now was unheard of. This, without a doubt, is all related to the arrival of Dan and I have been told that this is all normal stuff that will pass with time. I hope so. I miss my confident, party animal little nutter. That said, she is so loving and kind to baby D and takes her role as big sis very seriously. So really I couldn't or shouldn't ask for more right now.

TWO WEEKS

So, the Prince is now two weeks old and is doing great. He has put on 10 ounces in the past 4 days so we can safely say "my boobs rock!". Also, the midwife is happy that his jaundice is clearing and decided that a blood test for liver function isn't necessary.

He has been feeding every two hours for the past two days and suffered with some terrible wind pain which kept us up a LOT at night but last night was much more settled so I am hoping that that was just a growth spurt/blip and we are going to go back to quiet, placid Danny again.

We are amazed at how the Prince has settled into out lives, when the Princess was born we barely had time to eat or speak but life is continuing fairly normally at the moment (although it does take an awful long time to get out of the house these days). I might change my mind on that though next week when Daddy goes back to work and I am left single handed. Watch this space.

One Week On

The Prince is now 8 days old and is just beautiful.

At the moment he is a very quiet, sleepy, placid baby. He is so good to his Mummy and is currently only waking twice at night and after a feed he goes straight back to sleep. Long may it last!!!!!

He has had slight jaundice since birth and is now spending all his days in our conservatory trying to clear it up. I think today I can see an improvement and so I hope by the time the midwife next visits she will declare it gone - if not it would mean a little trip to hospital to sleep under a sunlamp, but fingers crossed that won't be necessary.

The Princess is now recovering from her chest and ear infections and has gone out with Daddy this morning to a local garden centre to look at the animals in the pet shop there and to get some fresh air.

Yesterday we heard that she had won a prize in a local council run art competition. She had to colour in and decorate a butterfly and she got a 'Highly Commended' in the under 4's catagory.
She has been invited to an evening prize presentation by the lord mayor, followed by tea and cakes and a magic show. Wow - Daddy and I collapsed into tears with pride - goodness knows how we will cope when she passes exams etc later in life.

We are so proud of our children - what did we do to get so lucky??????

A New Chapter

Daniel Edward (from now on referred to as The Prince) arrived one week ago, he is beautiful and looks almost exactly like his big sister did when she was born. He is a whopper though, weighing in at 9lb 5oz - goodness knows what he would have been in another three weeks if I had gone all natural.

I cannot describe the feelings of love that I am currently experiencing - it's an amplified version of The Princess' birth as this time round I have been (a little) more 'with it' due to the planned c-section and also the love that The Princess has shown to him as just made my heart feel it might burst. She loves him so much. She can not leave a room without first kissing him and giving him another toy.

We have been blessed with the most beautiful and kind hearted children (well, I hope Danny Boy turns out to be a nice guy and not a psycho) and to be honest life couldn't really be much better than it is right now. I am saying this whilst the Princess suffers with a chest AND ear infection and I am slowly going insane looking at The Prince for signs of illness. So can you imagine the bliss I will be experiencing when both children are happy and healthy- it scares me to think that anyone could possibly be this happy.

Of course by the time the Princess is mended we could be entering the realms of colic and sleep deprivation on a mammoth scale - but for now I'm off to stare at my TWO beautiful children.

8 DAYS TO GO

I can't believe that baby boy will be with us in just 8 days time, we started on this adventure in January 2006, so to get here seems like an epic journey but I am sure the next week will pass in the blink of an eye.

I will start to blog again now, it WILL be boring reading but it helps me to focus and also provides amazing memories. During this pregnancy I have been able to look back at the Princess' pregnancy and early days on my old blog and have found so many bits of info that I had either forgotton or blocked out of my mind!

With just a week to go, I am now so very ready for this baby to arrive. I am big, bloated and very uncomfortable. I am not scared of the c-section (although not exactly looking forward to it either) but am a little nervous of the recovery time afterwards. Last time I was able to take things VERY slowly but this time we have the princess to consider and as Daddy has gone and fractured his elbow, his help is going to be somewhat restricted.

The next two weeks will be interesting as life changes once more. I am filled with excitment at meeting our new family member and seeing a whole new person take his place in the world.

BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!

Mmmmm Pancakes

Today we will be eating many pancakes and much chocolate, yummy!!!

Don't bother to check in here for a while - I have decided that as well as giving up chocolate for Lent, I will also stop blogging - just because.

That means that you might not get any updates now until just before baby arrives or maybe even afterwards, although I am sure you can live without reading about my aches and pains and swollen feet.

Ok, it's 8.30 in the morning and I had better get going - I have a lot of chocolate to consume if I am to clear the stocks today!!!!

Hopes and Dreams

Well, I had hoped that the Princess' impetigo would be cleared up by today so that she could return to pre-school - it had and she did!!!! I am so pleased as a) she so loves it there and I hated her not being able to go and b) we have a builder coming today to survey our garage ready for conversion (this would have been chaotic if little miss L had been around).

This is another dream that we might be able to realise soon. We have wanted to convert the cold, dirty, mess of a garge into a family room/study for ages but as with these things, if it isn't absolutely necessary you just put it off. Now that the arrival of baby is imminent, we have got things moving and soon we will have another room into which we can spread (a small room, but a room none the less).

On the subject of dreams, Russell Brand seems to be making many appearances in mine. He is such an interesting person (and if you know me you know how I like 'interesting'), so clever, so witty, so charming and just a bit edgy. He presented the Brits the other night and I really hope that he doesn't become the 'youth' version of Jonathan Ross. His appeal (to me at least) is his risque humour and dare I say slight licentiousness and I would hate to see this watered down for the masses.

Anyway, my hopes and dreams for the coming week are that the Princess can remain healthy as we have a date with Noddy on Monday and that the garage conversion happens swiftly and smoothly.

Will my hopes become reality? Probably not. Will I ever be an optimist? NOPE!

Spring Is Coming

At five o'clock this afternoon the sun was still streaming through our windows. Hurrah - Spring is coming!!!!!

Stuff and Nonsense

Hello to all those friends and family who check in for news here. Not a lot of stuff going on at the moment but here's the latest for what it's worth.....

The princess has started pre-school and loves it!!! She has adapted really quickly and loves seeing all the other children and whenever I have peeped in at her, she appears to be having a ball and is generally in the middle of everything. I miss her like crazy when she is away for those few hours but come April I may not have time to think about that!!!

All is well with me, I am massive. Looks like I am going to be just as big as I was with the princess, and if I escape again with no stretchmarks it will be a miracle. I am smothering myself in Clarins oil so fingers crossed. Everything else is going well though and baby is kickboxing for England so I guess he is doing fine.

We are hopeful that our building works MIGHT be done before baby arrives, the builders have given us week commencing 5th March as their start date. It's a shame that we won't have time to get it sorted, painted and furnished but at least the messy, dirty stuff will be done before baby arrives (if all goes to plan) and we can get the rest of it done slowly over the summer.

We are on spot watch as Lady L's new pre-school has had an outbreak of chicken pox, so I am hoping that if she is going to get it, it will be sooner rather than later so that we are clear before bambino arrives. There are so many bugs about at the moment though so if it's not chicken pox I am sure she'll pick something else up soon, in fact today we are off to the docs with a strange skin thing - I am self diagnosing impetigo, but we will see what the gp has to say. If it is that she has to have antibiotics to clear it up before she can go back to school. Update later...........

UPDATE: It is impetigo - antibiotics prescribed - spot already fading - another ailment to add to her collection.

Moving On Up

We have entered a new era. The princess is about to start pre-school. This week she had two visits to get used to the idea, yesterday's trip she did solo. She loved it! Not once did she ask for me and when I arrived to collect her she was in the middle of everyone having a fantastic time.

All that the staff could say was 'she is very confident' and 'she was walking round introducing herself to everyone' and ' she had great fun'. I am relieved, happy and just a little sad as she moves on to bigger and better things it leaves me wondering where my baby went and longing for those days when all we did all day was cuddle.

She is so precious that I find it so hard to know that she will now experience things that so far I have kept her from.... at bathtime last night she started to tell me all about a boy at school who had been naughty to her and had pushed her in the face, it breaks my heart to think that some nasty little brat has hurt her but she coped with the situation and didn't cry, she just asked him why he was being so naughty - that's my girl!!!!

She is a precocious child in many ways and is very bossy. She despairs at other children not doing exactly as she dictates and can't understand why her friends don't play 'properly' like her. It's difficult trying to explain the merits of empathy, generosity, kindness and democracy to a two year old. I remember with clearly how sad I would be when other children lied, broke a toy, or broke the rules. If I'm honest, I haven't changed much since then and I am constantly disappointed by people. The princess is very different to me though - I am sure that her confidence (I have none) and sociable nature (I find people difficult) will carry her through many situations.

For now, I am excited for her to be starting on this new journey and adventure and although it is tinged with sadness, I know this will be the start of a big shiny new life...for us all.

Boy Oh Boy

Not a lot to blog around these parts. Life is going along smoothly and therefore it makes for dull reading but happy days for us.

The princess seems to have settled back to a normal sleeping pattern, we still do get odd bad nights but to be honest we are very lucky as on her good days we get over 12 hours from her so I suppose it's all swings and roundabouts.

We have had a scan to find out the gender of new baby M and........ it's a boy!!!! We were gobsmacked to find this out as we just assumed it would be another girl but we are now so happy that we will have some balance to our home and that DH won't drown in a sea of pink, glitter and barbie dolls.

I had a consultant appointment yesterday which confirmed that all is going well with baby M and we had a good chat about the whole VBAC versus c-section isssue. The consultant that we saw has to be balanced and give us all the pros and cons and of course a c-section does carry all the risks of major surgery but very minimal risk to baby, therefore my decision is made - I will be going under the knife.

If I attempt a natural birth there is a risk (tiny but still a risk) that complications could arise and one of these is that my old scar could rupture, this is fatal to baby. It's a risk I just can't take and if a natural labour doesn't go 'text book' I would end up with an emergency section anyway. So it is better all round (apart from for me!!!!) that we schedule a c-section so that we can be organised with the Princess and baby doesn't have any risks.

It is all feeling very real now. All of my appointments upto the end of March are now booked and baby shopping is going well. The nursery is looking good and apart from a couple of little things we are just waiting for baby M to fatten up and build himself up to join our family. Are we excited? Very!

The next couple of months will fly by - we have loads of stuff going on, so the days and weeks will pass quickly. The Princess starts pre-school in a little over a week and although this makes me very nervous (I don't really like the idea of losing control and some of these kids she will be playing with are horrible, snotty little monsters - but hey!) I know that she will love it and that it will do her the worls of good. She is already incredibly sociable and very confident but I hope it will be an environment in which she thrives. Also, I get to put my feet up for two mornings a week for two months - bliss!!! Although saying that I doubt I will as nesting is kicking in and all I want to do is clear cupboards and wash windows - freaky I know but it'll take me another two years to get round to it again so I had better grab the opportunity whilst I can!!!!!

Growing Pains

For the past few weeks the Princess has been having night wakings which last for approx 2 hours at a time. During these episodes she usually complains of leg pain. We have dismissed her claims as an attention grabbing technique but it seems this is a common complaint amongst fast growing pre-schoolers.

She has suddenly shot up again and is looking very 'grown up' so maybe she is suffering with growing pains.

If at all interested go here to read more on this subject.

Good News Bad News

This week has seen me enter the 25th week of pregnancy, baby is now officially 'viable' - which basically means that if born now he or she would have roughly a 56% chance of survival. Each day that passes makes baby bigger and stronger and gets those all important lungs finished off. I visited the midwife today and all is as it should be so for now I can relax and enjoy the pregnancy.

The bad news is that today I dared to weigh myself. TWO STONE heavier than 6 months ago!!! That is scary. I promised myself that I wouldn't be such a bloater with this pregnancy but unfortunately it looks like I am going to be just as mammoth as I was in 2004.

I am going to try to eat a bit healthier but to be honest I think this is just how I do pregnant (not helped by a bit of Christmas overindulgence).

Going baby shopping htis weekend to start picking up a few bits that we need to get new. Luckily we did keep a lot of stuff from baby no 1 but it's amazing how much stuff still needs to be bought. Three mattresses for a start (carrycot, crib and cot) as this cannot be reused from last time and then there's stuff like a buggyboard and some new bedding, change mat etc etc not that I am complaining baby shopping is the best kind of shopping!

2007

So, it's all over for another year. Today we will start to dismantle the Christmas tree and decorations and return to normality (whatever that is).

The Princess has been sleeping terribly and last night we were up for a three stretch. We were all up, wide awake. There was a lot of crying (from more than one person) and lots of scary thoughts of a family of four being awake all night long in a few months time.

SO as of tonight we have to sort out this sleep issue. In my heart I think there a few issues, one being total overtiredness due to the festive fun and lack of naps and the other being an issue of control by the Princess, she wants to dictate our sleeping arrangements and as of today this WILL stop.

My back hurts, my belly is huge, I didn't get enough sleep and I wanted to start this year on a high!

On the positive side, I had a fab Christmas. I ate my (considerable) weight in chocolate, got some fabulous gifts and had the most special time with my family, so it's not all bad.

So forgive me for moaning about my tired state, but I am hoping this will be the last blog in the subject for a few months. I may be missing from the blogosphere for a while as the sleep thing will only get worse before it gets better but give me a week and I hope we will ALL be having beautiful dreamy nights.

Oh, and HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU TOO.

Happy Christmas and a Groovy New Year

Hope your Christmas was as good as ours.

The Princess has had a ball and totally got into the whole spirit of things. I THINK we managed to do the whole Santa/Rudi thing and manage to teach her a little of the real reason for the season. We did lots of activities and reading on both subjects and the two didn't seem to get too blurred so I think a resounding success is to be claimed.

It has been the magical Christmas that we have dreamed of for 10+ years and was worth waiting for.

The Princess has been amazing, she ate everything in sight, slept amazingly (14 hours+ on Christmas night woohoo!!!) and behaved like the perfect princess. I couldn't have imagined that she would shout her thanks to Santa after every present opened and she asked to make thank you cards to send to everyone who sent her gifts (lots and lots of them). She really amazes me more every day.

Now we are heading towards the New Year - 2007 and what will that bring in the Princess' life? Well, we know that she will become a big sister, turn three and start pre-school but as to how she will change in the next 12 months - who knows, but I for one am very very excited about finding out and watching every minute it.

New Year Resolutions?

I don't think there is much point in me making these this year as I will be lucky just to get dressed each day and make it through the year with all my marbles, so I'll leave all the weight loss and self improvement stuff until 2008 and maybe then I will be able to think straight.

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL, HOPE IT ROCKS FOR YOU.

Wake Up and Smell The Coffee

Hubby and I love coffee. We love the taste, the aroma and more than anything , if we are honest we love the ritual.

When Hubby retires, his dream is to open a cool coffee shop which battles valiantly against all those chain coffee shops out there. Some of the chains make pretty good coffee (Cafe Nero ranks up there as one of the best) but most of them lack character and a cool relaxed vibe. I know they try to but most fail.

We know all about how difficult it is to open a small business these days especially one which tries to compete against a huge corporation but we can dream.

Anyway, we found this little movie on youtube recently which perfectly demonstrates how some people have a passion for doing coffee and doing it well. Try clicking here, it's cool.

I'd like to see the 'baristas' in our local Starbucks do that!

How I Love Thee

If you haven't already discovered Montezuma's chocolate delights, go now and get some!!!

We bought their DOS Hot Chocolate earlier this year and it is amazing - Hot Chocolate with Chilli!!!! Sounds gross but tastes fab. Last weekend we bought TRES Hot Chocolate with nutmeg - nice!!! It's like drink liquid rice pudding - most comforting and yummy.

We have visited the Windsor shop and are lucky enough to live fairly close to the Chichester one and after a quick look around their website I see that there is now a shop in Winchester, so that will be next on the list.

Pregnancy cravings? Moi? Chocolate fiend? - Well maybe a little!!!!!

Hospitals, Dentists and Post Offices

Hopefully will only have to visit two of the above missing out the Dentist bit!

Today I plan to post all of our Christmas cards so will be joning the queue at the Post Office. I do have stamps at home but it seems that this year with the new sizing system and the fact that we have several cards for overseas, there is no choice but to join the queue. Oh well, at least I may get a laugh in the process. Our Post Master is eccentric and every on every visit he seems to introduce you to a new personality of his - odd!

Today we also have to visit the hospital for our 20 week scan of baby. We are hoping to find out the baby's gender but you never know if baby will be playing hard to get. He/she has been really active this morning and I am hoping he/she will be just as gymnastic when we have a peek.

On the Dentist front, I have had a niggle around one of my teeth for a few days, it couldn't be described as pain but a niggle which couldn't be ignored. I know that dentistry is free whilst pregnant but I could really do without it right now. It seems to have gone away now but it did make me a little nervous as the thought of a Christmas break and me unable to take pain relief scares me. Anyway I will see how it goes over the next few days - fingers, toes and everything else crossed that I don't have to make that particular visit.

Talk Talk Talk

The Princess' language evolution is relentless. last night we were watching some video footage from a year ago, her language was restricted to simple one word object identification. Today it's a collection of thoughts, feelings, observations, consideration of consequences and mimicry.

It makes me proud and it completely blows my mind.

Being able to witness firsthand how a child develops is probably the most amazing thing I will ever do with my life. The fact that every single parent in the world has or is experiencing the same miracle doesn't diminish it for me at all.

I know have said it time and time again but she completes our lives and amazes us every day. We are going to have another baby in April and the thought of watching another person find their way in the world like the Princess is doing is really exciting - we are so lucky to be experiencing this and I try never to take a single moment for granted.

Speaking of the current pregnancy, something happened this week and I have grown enormous - really enormous. So much so that I was really scared of just how big I might actually get by the end. We looked back on the photos of my belly from the 2004 pregnancy though and it appears that I ballooned at 20 weeks then too, so this must be a big growth week - scared very scared.

Christmas is coming......

Starting to feel festive now. Probably helped by the fact that we couldn't find a parking space when shopping yesterday and we are knee deep in Christmas cards and tinsel.

Today we plan to get our Christmas tree, decorate it, go and see Santa (and his huskies!??) and generally immerse ourselves in sparkle and cheer.

I have always loved this time of year but it is especially special now that we have the Princess. Although there are less drunken Christmas parties (make that none) this is more than made up for my the magic seen through the Princess' eyes. It's just magical.

To change to subject slightly, this week I had my first online debate and dare I say got cyber stroppy! I regularly read and contribute to a forum which is for people who are/have experienced infertility in any of its forms. I am currently following boards which are full of people who are around the same stage of pregnancy as me following some kind of assisted conception. I couldn't beleive it when one person started a thread about festive drinking and how much she would be drinking over Christmas. Now, I normally say live and let live and if you want to give your baby a alcoholic drink, then that's your choice (it's a fact that alcohol that is consumed by you WILL be passed onto the baby you are carrying) but a debate started about units and I can't believe the ignorance out there.

Some people (admitted only a few) are using the ridiculous government guidlines of 2 units a week as the gospel and are drinking this amount regularly. What they fail to realise is that those units were based on a system devised 20 years ago and were worked on 8% alcohol in a 125ml glass - this measure and % is rarely available now - more likely 13% in a 175ml glass - this equates to 2.3 units in one glass - therefore two glasses on a night out equates to nearly 5 units.

When reading about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome it is hard to understand why anyone takes the risk. We aren't just talking about major disabilities but milder conditions such as behaviour problems and ADHD - I just can't take the risk and find it hard to understand those that find that a easy choice to make, especially those that have wanted a child and had to resort to assisted conception. I would do anything for my children and if means no champagne or mulled wine this Christmas then so be it - I know what I would prefer!!!!

Whinge over - back to the tinsel and mince pies........

Tears In The Night

This morning at 4am the Princess started to cry. Properly cry. We were close to going to her rescue when the crying stopped and we heaved a stereo sigh of relief and turned back to our dreams.

On waking this morning the Princess' first words were "I was crying in the night". Upon questioning she said that she had seen a TV programme in which a baby was crying and it had made her sad in her dreams. Now, I have no idea what programme this was as we watched very little TV yesterday but she is going to have to get used to baby crys.

She is talking about babies a lot now, maybe because my belly is getting so much bigger and more obvious. She seems to be slowly coming round to the fact that it might be a boy, but it still doesn't thrill her as 'boys don't like pink'!!!!

Speaking of my belly, after my last preganancy it took me two years to get back into a reasonable size/shape as I believed the propaganda which tells you that breastfeeding takes you back to your original size - c**p!

I always said that if I was ever pregnant again, I would never let myself get as big and I would be one of those yummy mummies who stay their normal size with just a bump bolted onto the front - it's not happening. Some people obviously just get fat when preggo and I am one of them. I am not over eating and am much more active this time but the weight is piling on. I hate to think how I will look by the end.

Oh well, by the time I am 40 I might be skinny, sexy and getting some sleep!!!!

New Layout

I have lost some of my stuff in the move to this new layout and right now I can't be bothered to get my html head on and start putting links etc back on - so I hope there is nothing missing that you loved and relied on me to link to.

I like the template though so will leave it like this for a while.

The Fog Is Clearing

Thank goodness.

The past few months have been awful, I have had loads to worry about and things have been pretty tough emotionally, but things are looking up...

We had a scan last week and baby is looking great, in fact it is a week ahead in size and the lovely consultant has offered us another scan in December for piece of mind.

The princess has been sick all week with raging temperatures and yesterday that finally lifted and we were able to leave the house. She also ate a meal (tiny though it was) for the first time since last Saturday.

The princess also went to see Santa in his gingerbread house yesterday and after her inital reluctance she loved seeing him and chatted away telling him that she would be leaving him a mince pie and some carrots for Rudolph.

Another big thing yesterday was the Princess moving to her new PINK big girls bedroom. She loves it and actually asked to go to bed last night. She slept brilliantly and didn't get up until 8am - what a girl.

So things are brighter, just a couple of things to sort out and life might run smoothly for a while.

Another Bad Night..

Therefore too much time to think about curious things.

The Princess has another cold (I may have mentioned this 10,000 times already). My glorious, happy, smiling little princess is a inconsolable, feverish, snotty ball of misery and I am not happy either.

I am annoyed for two reasons. One: She gets colds too often and where other kids seem to shake them off we have to cope with fevers and this is incredibly scary when you have a child who has had fits caused by fever and usually ends up in hospital. Two: Why does she get soooo ill when she was exclusively breastfed?

I have done loads of reading on the subject and there is no doubting that all evidence points to the fact that breast is best and apart from producing intelligent, kind, perfectly rounded human beings (or something like that) AND their immune systems should be fantastic.

So why can't the princess cope with even a cold without descending into full out illness? She picks up every bug going and suffers more than most other kids.

When bambino 2 arrives I fully intend to breastfeed, as I found the whole experience of feeding the princess not only gratifying personally (nothing like knowing that YOU are making this little person grow) but a totally grounding and beautiful experience - but am I going to do it to build up immunity? No! as it seems that this has absolutely no bearing on how the princess has ended up.

Anyway, enough of my moaning for one day. Lets hope we can get over this one soon and then I think I may lock her in the house away from all germs until May! (joke)

Coughs and Sneezes.....

You know the rest!

Yup, The Princess has another fever brought on by a cold. She is currently visting the doctor with Daddy to see whats up.

Our major concern is that because her throat hurts so much, she just won't take any medicine therefore her temperature is shooting through the roof. We have been helpfully tod to hold her down and get it in (as if we hadn't thought of that!!) but this just results in vomit and a really upset girly.

Looks like another day on the sofa for us!

Aargggghhhhh!!!!

My Brain

Those who know me, know that I am a constant quest to fill my head with knowledge, on a very long journey to spiritual enlightenment and generally improve my mind and soul.

Saying that I am also almost scarily interested in all things related to pop culture, celeb and fashion and I have discovered something which satisfies all of these in some small way.....

Celebrity Scissorhands on BBC3 is great.

It does have Steve Strange in the mix which who of course I love to watch. It must be hard for young viewers of the show to understand that that jittery old fella is infact responsible for the how the british club scene developed not only in the 80's but was also integral in the trance movement. If only there were people in pop now who were half as interesting and colourful.......

It must be said that I also have a teeny weeny little crush on Lee Stafford too, so that helps.

Dear Father Christmas.....

How are you? Busy I expect, it's getting close to *whisper* 'that time of year' ....

I thought I would send you my letter nice and early as I have quite a few requests this year.

If possible I would like....

1. An extra 2 hours in bed every night

2. Self waxing legs, eyebrows etc etc

3. A fool proof weight loss solution ready for action in approx May 2007

4. Perfect health for my children (always)

5. A villa near Puerto Banus

6. World Peace

Thanks very much.

p.s if none of these are possible some nice bubble bath would do just fine.

Lots of love

K x

Parenting Styles - who knew?

I enjoy being a Mummy.

I enjoy spending time with my Princess and enjoy seeing an amazing human being developing and growing.

My parenting style has changes dramatically over the past two years, obviously as she grows and new challenges present themselves, new tactics and skills are required from me! The other big change has been that I am now so much more relaxed. I started off as a manic mother and I hope I have eased off A LOT.

Maybe I am lucky or maybe I have done a good job parenting but the Princess is so good and a joy to be around.

Just lately I have noticed that my way of parenting has been quite zero tolerance compared to others but this seems to have paid off and we now have a princess who rarely needs telling off and if she does - it's all over in five minutes. Of course it is still early days and it could all go horribly wrong but right now - she's great.

Some parents don't share my opinion and believe that their little angels couldn't possibly be told off, they believe that a bit of push and shove is all part of learning to socialise and develop independence and confidence (Rubbish! It's just that fact that your child is a bully and you don't want to take any action about it incase little 'trevor' doesn't like you)and some think its character building (oooh, he knows what he wants! - Don't we all but we don't smash others in the face to get it!!!!)

I am also learning that in comparison to many middle class parents, I am a stern downright hard mum but this side of me rarely has to come to the front as the Princess is an angel (99% of the time).

My point with all of this waffle is really me wondering if it is the brilliance of my parenting that has created such an intelligent, well behaved, kind, generous child or has it been luck? Maybe I will get a huge shock with the next bambino and all of my 'skills' will be proved inadequate, shoddy and downright ineffective - baby two could be a beast who screams all day long and smashes other children out of the way.

All I say is, I am new at this and am making it up as I go along but with a lot of love and tons of attention I think children thrive and so that is the way I will continue - am I right? OF COURSE I ALWAYS AM!!!!

Georgie Baby

Tonight I will be watching the documentary about Boy George. I have heard that it harks back to the old days a little too much but a fix of George is all I need!!!!

Hello - I'm Back

I have been very poor at blogging recently but now that the morning sickness has subsided I am beginning to feel slightly human again - so to those that didn't know - yes I am with child!!!!

Life is good.

The princess is gorgeous and fills our life with love and laughter so the thought of another little person is just so exciting - how much fun can one house hold????

Today the princess and I visited the hairdressers and she was so well behaved. She now can't stop looking in mirrors at herself - so not like her mum.

Hopefully I will be back to full bloggage in the very near future - it all feels a bit rusty at the moment.

Build a post

Rain sunny visitors tired good girl sleep Big Brother rubbish poo pants rubbish food good husband busy august weather what Fimbles fall claimsdirect loaded holidays happy nearly Christmas

Hot Topics...Hot Topics...Hot Topics....

Mmmmm is it only me who was very very suspicious of BB Pete's talk of his dead friend and his belief in Heaven last night? I have always hoped he would win but just recently have found him to be putting on too much of a performance. All this 'romance' with Nikki....obviously, my first reaction was that she is using him to get her heat/OK magazine 'couple' deal but now I am beginning to think that both sides appear to be playing the same game. After all it is a game!!!!

I actually prefer Aislynne (sp?)at the moment and although she is rather over dramatic at least she is not using peoples emotions in an effort to win.

Just my thoughts!

Mini Update

Hi

Haven't been around much lately. Busy busy busy .......

The Princess has changed enourmously recently and is becoming just so grown up and has left behind all her baby/toddler ways.

We have just confirmed her place at our local pre-school, which she starts in Feb next year. What the heck am I going to do with two mornings a week??? Probably curl up in a ball and weep for four hours. She is going to love it - Me? not so much!

Her language is developing so fast it scares me.

She is also a bit ( a lot) of a character only today she came out with these crackers....

We had a salesman here today to talk about garage conversions and replacement facias etc. As usual with salesmen he couldn't sense when to draw it to an end and read the body language that we were done with him - that is until the Princess said in her clearest and loudest voice "When is that man going to stop talking". He got the hint and after laughing he soon packed up his "excellent finance package" and headed for the door.

Her second quote of the day was this, said in a very grown up way...
Me.. "Would you like to go to the toilet before you go out?"
Her.. "Not yet I am a little bit busy at the moment!"

She is now potty trained and uses the big toilet. She is a star and she makes her Mummy and Daddy so very very proud.

Long Time No Blog...

Things have been a bit odd around these parts lately. Normal service may resume soon............

Party Party

THIS is a party!!!!!!!!!!!

Myspace

look at trendy old me - I get a myspace account just six months too late to be cool.

What has happened to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????????????????? Anyone would think I was busy or summat!

http://www.myspace.com/kazza70uk

Come on pals - join me there......................

Meme

How to do it:

Go to Wikipedia
In the search box, type your birth month and day but not the year.
List three events that happened on your birthday
List two important birthdays and one death
One holiday or observance (if any)


Ok, so here goes......
EVENTS

1845 - The rubber band is invented

1931 - Nevada legalizes gambling

1861 - The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed

BIRTHDAYS

1919 - Nat King Cole, American singer (d. 1965)

1951 - Kurt Russell, American actor


DEATH

1999 - Rod Hull, British comedian (b. 1936)


HOLIDAY
Feast day of St Patrick: a public holiday in Ireland (National feast) and Montserrat, widely celebrated in North America and worldwide (see St. Patrick's Day)

Feeling A Little Overweight...

So before this happens I am back to Weightwatchers *sigh* chips, pringles and cheese - farewell.

Things I Just Don't Get....

People who moan about the weather - it's summer!

The attraction of Patrick Dempsey to many women - to me he looks like a sleazy salesman or accountant

Parents who are too caught up in their lives to mention that their precious might be passing some bug/virus/lurgy on to your child - to me that's just bad manners

That I am 36 years old AND how the heck did I end up a suburban mummy?

Potty Training - one minute you think you've cracked it - the next you've gone through 6 outfits before lunch

Why some people have children.................... too deep!

Sunshine and Holidays

Well, summer has arrived with full force.

The Princess is loving it. She really loves being outdoors and so the fact that she spends every minute of the day out in the sun makes for a very happy girl (and Mummy). This afternoon we are even getting the paddling pool out - woohoo!!

The warm sun makes me long for a foreign holiday, it seems ages since we felt the mediterranean (sp?)sun on our backs to warm up our cold English bones. We do have a couple of holidays left this year which I am very excited about (Cornwall and Holland) but the call of warmer climes is getting stronger.

There are loads of things to take into consideration though. My first thought was a camp site in France, Holland or Germany. There would be loads to do, we would have the freedom of our self catering accommodation and food for the Princess wouldn't be an issue.

Then, I think about Spain (Puerto Banus in particular) and the long hot days, the glam bars and trendy shops and then I come to my senses and realise that we are now parents and holidays are no longer what they once were. I think this option would be boring for the Princess and I wouldn't relax for putting sun lotion on her skin every 15 minutes and staying in a hotel isn't really a great option as I like to be able to come and go as we please and be able to get in from the sun if we desire.

There are other options, such as villas in more relaxed locations but to be totally honest I think our family would be BORED as most nice, good quality villas seem to be out of the main towns, and I really need bars, restaurants and a lively atmosphere. Sitting alone in a quiet villa is not our idea of a great holiday (although I know loads of people who would find this really relaxing)- we are still party people in our blood and so need to see and be with people. That said, I would hate to take the Princess to a typical 'English' resort where every bar has tvs showing either football or Only Fools and Horses and happy hour lasts all day. You know the kind of places, you've probably been there - we have!


So, if anyone has any great ideas for family holidays - let me know.

No rush, mind you - as I said we still have two holidays this year to look forward to!

Stuff From Our World

If you don't know us - move on -this is about to get boring.

Thought I would just update, this weeks happenings follow...

So, potty training continues. It's one step forward, two steps back at the moment but THERE IS some noticable progress. I feel confident to go out and about now, although we do have at least one or two accidents a day if we aren't at home but more and more she is choosing to use the potty of her own accord and If I keep on top of it we can get through a day completly dry.

I hate Sezer and am going to top up my phone today so that I can single-handedly evict him from the house. That boy is a world class sleaze, bully and a world class fool. PETE TO WIN!!!!! BB is pretty old fashioned and moral when it comes down to it and usually the deserving housemate wins (although not sure what happened the Kate Lawler year). Therefore, I can't see how a nice, funny guy like Pete can't win!

I am starting a new market research today - luxury toilet rolls - Funny, my life seems to be revolving round the lav at the mo.

Mr M has been working non stop recently, including a near 24 hour stint on Wednesday. So, he has taken some time off and today we are off for a picnic and a day at the zoo. The Princess LOVES the zoo - hippos, monkeys and penguins are our favourites - here we come.

Mr M is planning on buying Chicken Little today, so much for our child who doesn't watch TV. Actually, we have worked a balance that we are happy with for TV watching. Half hour morning (Noddy and Fifi) and half hour evening (Bear in the Big Blue House).

I now have my frock for the Ritz and feel able to relax on that front now. It's very pretty and I will feel very ladylike.

We have a very busy summer, lots of vistors, lots of invites for parties and bbqs, trips planned, football to avoid (I mean enjoy) and all the usual stuff - bring it on - LOVE SUMMER!!!!!

Potty Training - Week 2

Things are going well.

When we are home all wees end up in the potty and 99% of poos are going in too.

Yesterday, we went out to a cafe, shopping and used a train... with no accidents along the way.

She isn't keen to use the big toilet yet but I'm just happy that we don't have to wash 10 pairs of pants every day now.

Distractions such as playing, tv, noise, other people (in fact, basically anything) can throw a spanner in the works and cause a wet patch but this has been rare as I ask her if she needs to wee about 5689 times a day, and even then she stops herself mid pee and finishs it on the potty.

So all in all, a week in things are going pretty well. The Gina Ford book that I followed said that she should be using the big toilet of her own accord by this point but you know what? I never did like Gina 'flipping' Ford!!!!

Weird, but I think it does describe me.....

You Are French Food

Snobby yet ubiquitous. People act like they understand you more than they actually do.

What Kind of Food Are You?

Progress Report

Nine direct hits on the potty

1 accident

It all seems to be coming together - slowly.

Tomorrow we plan to leave the house. It could be messy!!!!!

Down The Pan

Today we started potty training.

I had no idea she pee'd so much.

Fourteen puddles.

One direct hit and one near miss.

I hope day two is easier. I think this has been my toughest 'mummy challenge' yet.

TWO-TASTIC

We are home from our holidays. Much food and drink was consumed. There was loads of grooving on the dance floor and we hung out with this dude.

All in all the Princess had a ball and we had a pretty good time too.

Just need to sleep now!!!!

TWO

The Princess' birthday was fantastic - the weekend consisted of zoo, cake, theme park, noddy, cake, friends, cake, ice cream.

She was spoilt rotten by everyone and simply had a fantastic fun time.

My baby is now two. She is so beautiful, clever and kind. Love ya Princess!

MeMeMe

Here's todays lazy blog effort - A MeMe.

Accent - Southern

Booze of choice - Champagne when the budget allows, if not wine

Chore I hate - Ironing. Boring!

Dog or Cat - Dogs.

Essential electronics - Computer.

Favorite perfume(s)/cologne(s) - Currently Pacific Paradise - Escada

Gold or Silver? - Gold, but don't generally do jewellery

Hometown - Pompey

Insomnia? - No chance.

Job Title - Cook, cleaner, butt wiper and general dogsbody - I mean Mummy

Kids? - One princess.

Living Arrangement - Happy little box of a house with hubby and princess

Most admired trait - I'm kind and know how to party (I know that's two)

Number of Sexual Partners - Are. you. kidding?

Overnight Hospital Stays - baby related

Phobia - dogs, flying bugs and clowns

Quote - Mmm need to think about that one.

Religion - Cof E.

Siblings - One brother - 4 years younger.

Time I wake up - WAY TOO EARLY thanks to the Princess

Unusual talent/skill - Can remove my underwear whilst remaining fully dressed

Vegetable I refuse to eat - None.

Worst habit - worrying about EVERYTHING.

X-rays - Teeth.

Yummy foods I make - I can make a mean lasagne

Zodiac sign - Pisces

Hungry?....

Bored?

Too much time on your hands?

Go HERE.

The Apprentice

Thank goodness that Syed has gone. That bloke was driving me crazy. In my previous life (the one where I wore suits and went out to work) I have met several people just like Syed and they all did my head in - so the correct decision was made when he was fired (bet Alan Sugar is pleased that I am confirming his decision!)

Just a thought - I expect he smells really nice though!

In other news today - I have suffered with really bad hayfever - so much so that my eyes closed up and I was unable to see for half an hour. Several hours after this rather exciting event I read in the paper that April is the month for Silver Birch pollen and that more and more people are becoming allergic - great! I live in a place full of trees - maybe we should move back to Slough where the only tree to be seen in the town is this one - it's metal!!!!

Poke Her

What is it?

I can't play ANY card games at all. The only two that I attempt are Noddy snap (I know!) and a basic form of Rummy (this is only played on holiday whilst drinking sangria - that's a rule).

So why is it that I can't stop watching Poker on the tv. I am glued every evening to the game. I like watching the celebs but it's not even that. I just love the game - BUT..... I don't understand it at all.

I feel I need to know how to play. How do I learn? Hubby knows how to play but I will never learn from him for the following reasons....

1. He's never home
2. When he is home, the Princess gets 100% attention (as it should be)
3. When she is in bed - so are we!

So, I need to find someone to teach me. Any offers?

Call me shallow but I am imagining slinky evening dresses, cocktails, cigars and these two - ok ok so now everyone knows how far from reality my dreams have become!!!!

Seriously though, I really want to play.

Top Song - Great Lyrics

Whilst singing along to this today - I realised how apt the lyrics are!

Always dug the Kinks!

All Grown Up

Today I received a picture message on my mobile - it was a very beautiful scan of my friend's baby, who will be arriving in October.

Back in the day there were three of us who would regularly hit the town and paint it every colour of the rainbow - not just red! Now, it's all changed. I have the princess and the other two are now expecting. There is talk of mortgages, home improvements and baby stuff. Wow, how a couple of years can change everything.

Another of my bestest mates has just got married and is also expecting in the summer.

It's lovely how life changes, moves on and people themselves although essentially remain the same person also change and grow just a little.

I hope that my pals find as much joy with their babies as I have with the Princess.

Good luck girls - your life is about to change - for the better!!!!

It seems from this spoof magazine cover of US Weekly that  Americans are just as obsessed as our media with who is or isn't having a baby.  Heat magazine and all the others seem to print pages and pages of belly pics, skinny celebs or fat ones and that's it! 

I'm as obsessed as the next person with preggo celebs.  I have this in my favourites - but really - isn't this just getting a little tiresome now.

 

Alternatives To A Summer Of Football

Summer to me is all about chilled white wine, bbqs, brown skin, gorgeous clothes, relaxing, painted toenails, chilled white wine, chilling, smooth tunes... you get the picture. Summer is NOT about football.

Take a look here for a couple of very good reasons to visit Switzerland this year....

It seems there, that the men there are less into footy and more into 'natural pursuits' - or that's what their marketing board want us to believe.

Emotional Chick Alert

If you know me, you will know that I am very emotional and am always close to tears. Anything can set me off. Happy or sad it doesn't matter. I cry at tv programmes, films, couples kissing goodbye at airports, children being told off - I have even cried at work whilst sitting with the boss getting an appraisal - I KNOW!!

Anyway, I don't know why I was surprised when it turned out the Princess has this emotional gene! She is such an adventurous, outgoing, thrill seeking little miss but it just takes something unexpected to throw her off balance and the tears appear.

Whenever she is teething we go through a terrible time with her crying for no reason whilst in groups of other children. This did worry me a little but I think I have found out why she has these moments.

I have been reading up on attachment parenting and theory. Primary attachment happens at about 18 months and as the Princess is not in childcare she has attached to me as Primary Carer. This means that basically she puts 100% of her trust in me and can open up all the emotions she has. She feels secure enough to say - 'hey Mummy that child just made a weird noise - it frightened me and I need you to reassure me'

It is kind of like the way we as adults can deal with something stressful & be really calm, but then when we are at home safely with our partner, we breakdown into tears as we tell them about it.

This is also why children can be 'a nightmare' for you but then go off with someone else (grandparent/friend/childcare) and be 'as good as gold'. They don't have that emotional attachment to that person in the same way as they do to you.

As I am a SAHM this is amplified as all of her emotional trust is in me.

Sounds simple but it can still be distressing to see her visably upset - but then I only have to look at myself to see where she gets it from!

It's here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring that is.

I have spent the past two days in a whirl of spring cleaning and gardening. The Princess has been helping with weeding, cleaning garden furniture and getting generally very muddy - what fun.

I am attempting to turn myself into a Bree van de Kamp/Anthea Turner hybrid, but I seem to be creating more mess than I started with. I ntend to clean and declutter like a demon for the next two weeks and hopefully our little palace will gleam (and I can sit back all summer with a glass of pinot grigio in hand!!!)

Gotta go - windows to clean!

In Six Weeks Time.....

the Princess will be TWO YEARS OLD. TWO YEARS OLD!!!!

When did that happen - when did my baby turn into a beautiful girl. One who is funny and witty, cracks jokes and plays games. One who is so beautiful it swells my heart to look at her. One who no longer needs me constantly. One who dances and laughs and makes friends with every one she meets. One who has a real personality.

It has happened and she fills my life with joy. We waited for her for ten long years. Now I know why.

My girl!

Another Milestone

The Princess moved into her big bed last night and the transition was seamless.  She appeared to hardly notice a difference and slept through the night as normal.

This morning she just shouted for us as normal and didn't attempt to climb out herself - long may that last!

She is growing up so fast.

Been Busy Round These Parts

We have hardly been home for the whole of March but we are back!!!!!

We have had a great month which has included ...

Having a new kitchen fitted

Travelling with family to Disneyland Paris to celebrate some special birthdays

Travelling to Yorkshire for a long weekend of family gatherings and a Mothers Day meal

Visiting our old stomping ground of Windsor for a close friends wedding

Travelling down the country visiting more family on the way

and generally doing lots of eating, drinking and being very merry.

Now we just have to get back into the rhythm of 'normal' life.

The princess has been a complete star during all of our travels and has behaved impeccably the whole time (of course).

Several other things have happened this month that have perhaps shaped our future. I am pleased in some ways to be able to return to our groove, so that I can have some time to reflect on the happenings and think about the future. All I know for sure is that life is not something you can plan and that every second we have in the here and now is precious and we need to enjoy it.

Not All Bad

So, I'm another year older. Not so good but the best present I had this year was the Princess singing 'Happy Birthday' to me all day long - bliss!!!!!

Things Don't Always Go Smoothly.....

I won't go into the long boring and frankly totally stressful story but things haven't gone quite according to plan this week.

Things are back on track now though and I feel like I am in the middle of a whirlwind. I am juggling so many balls in the air that I might apply for a job at the circus.

Anyway musn't moan - I mean - who would want a boring quite easy life????

I can't believe just how many things I have to pack into one day at the moment - but hopefully in about three or four weeks life will be back to it's normal, predictable (but still a bit crazy)pace.

Last night I also went along to my first Alpha meeting, which was interesting and I met a few nice people - will report back on that as I progress through the course.

Number One Rule For Playing With A Toddler

NEVER start a game that you don't want to repeat 500 times!

The Essence Of Me

Whilst doing important things like banking and blogging(?) I sometimes always get sidetracked by totally useless/bizarre stuff.

I found a site (now forgotten the URL) which works out the very essence of your blog.  This is mine.  

Just reading that could save you many hours reading all the rubbish I actually write as it pretty much sums me up!!!!!

My Brain Now

My Brain Five Years Ago

Just Occasionally.....

.....I wish we could hit London town like we did in the old days.

This arrived in my inbox today...

AMANDA GHOST is performing tonight (feb. 22nd, 21:15) at the half moon
in london-putney, 93 lower richmond rd, london sw15.
BOY GEORGE will give a special appearance and will join her on stage
for a duet.

Oh, how I would love to have a beer and a groove with the beautiful people, but then again in reality I would probably spend all evening thinking about you know who!!!!

If you don't know Amanda Ghost, she co-wrote You're Beautiful for James Blunt (don't hold that against her) and is one damn fine chick. She is a mate of George's - go see her website here.

Miffy

I don't think we will be visiting Holland this year but when we next take a trip, we have to take a look here.

It sounds like a fab museum which has childrens height exhibits underneath the adult height ones. It's also really close to where our family live, so we will be making a trip just as soon as we can.

To those who don't know Miffy (or Nijnjte as she is known in her native land) was 50 last year and the artist who draws her, Dick Bruna, is still creating new stories and drawing her daily. He is now 78 and still drawing the little rabbit who started life as a story to entertain his son in the summer of 1955.

In an interview with the Guardian they asked if he had now perfected Miffy to which he replied "No, I'm going to try and do better today, tomorrow. I just try to make a nice shape, the nicest Miffy I can."

And the Princess and I think he is doing a great job.

Miffy News

I don't think we will be visiting Holland this year but when we next take a trip, we have to take a look here.

It sounds like a fab museum which has childrens height exhibits underneath the adult height ones. It's also really close to where our family live, so we will be making a trip just as soon as we can.

To those who don't know Miffy (or Nijnjte as she is known in her native land) was 50 last year and the artist who draws her, Dick Bruna, is still creating new stories and drawing her daily. He is now 78 and still drawing the little rabbit who started life as a story to entertain his son in the summer of 1955.

In an interview with the Guardian they asked if he had now perfected Miffy to which he replied "No, I'm going to try and do better today, tomorrow. I just try to make a nice shape, the nicest Miffy I can."

And the Princess and I think he is doing a great job.

Toddler and TV Part II

We are doing really well with the no TV rule. The Princess gets to watch Noddy in the morning whilst having her milk and cereal and then that's it. The TV goes off and we switch on the radio.

The Princess has not missed the TV for one second and although I have on a couple of occasions been tempted to turn it on for a ten minute 'stress' break, I have held out and found other ways to occupy her. I admit it isn't always easy but I think it will pay off in the long term.

Now, I know that the weather forecast for the rest of the week is terrible but I am officially declaring Spring has arrived to our little corner of the world. There are buds and bulbs sprouting up everywhere. The evenings are now noticably lighter - we can even go to the park after tea in the light if we so wish. AND I have spring cleaning fever. Today we started doing little bits of tidying in the garden and the Princess helped me to sweep the drive and clean the front door down.

This morning the Princess has been an endless source of fun - 'helping' me with the spring cleaning, hiding in cupboards, doing hundreds of laps of our drive with her baby in it's pushchair and doing endless pictures of Tigger (he's a special friend you know). What ever will she have in store for me this afternoon?????

Money, Money, Money

This weekend we spent the a huge sum of money. It has taken nearly all of our savings and for a short while we were scared!

Isn't money for spending though?

Yes, we may have to tighten our belts for a little while but money (or a lack of) isn't the be all and end all. We are improving our home - making it an even more comfortable place to be, live and laugh.

We are a happy and healthy family and you can't put a price on that.

We know people who are never happy with what they have, they think that a larger house or a flashier car will somehow improve their lives. Yes, my dream house is a double fronted georgian property with a huge garden for the Princess to run in, a huge kitchen where we would host huge Sunday gatherings of family and friends and five bedrooms (all ensuite).

But that wouldn't change the important stuff in my life. It wouldn't make me happier, or a better mummy, or love my husband more, and those are the things that really matter, the rest is peripheral.

So although money will be scarce for a few months whilst we try to get back on track - we have spent the money on our home which is a happy one and although the Princess may not be wearing designer togs or be going on holiday to Marrakech or be taken to those awful ball pit play places - she has everything - LOVE.

Toddlers and TV

Before the Princess even arrived we decided that he/she would watch little or no TV.

The reality wasn't quite like this and we started to allow a selected number of programmes be watched. We are always careful to ensure that she only watches CBeebies (a high quality non commercial channel) and that the programmes watched were (in our opinion) suitable.

For some reason TV has started to bother me recently, I have noticed a few things that I don't like and after doing some research we have decided to limit the Princess to a much more restricted amount of images.

Our main reason is the research done in America by Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis, lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle. Studies there have proven a link between TV watching and ADHD which generally shows up in children at around age 7.

Quick scene shifts of video images become "normal," to a baby "when in fact, it’s decidedly not normal or natural." Christakis says. Exposing a baby’s developing brain to videos may overstimulate it, causing permanent changes in developing neural pathways.

The study recommends that children under age 2 should watch no TV at all and under three it should be less than an hour and in no more than 15 mins at a time.

I have been guilty of using the TV to get something done (I know that I can prepare tea during Balamory for example) - but no more.

An explosion of kidvids for the bouncy chair set has hit the market. These include Baby Einstein, Baby Mozart, So Smart etc. TV shows, such as Teletubbies, aim at 18-month-old toddlers. These videos are peddled as "educational tools" to "give your baby a head start." The truth is, they are a video-tether that keeps baby out from underfoot.

Parents take away crucial life experiences from their child every time they pop in Baby Einstein. But they do love how it takes the baby out of their hair for awhile Listen to what parents say in testimonials about infant videos:

"I love spending time with my boy but let's face it, there are times when you just have to have 10 minutes or so to yourself so that you can wash the dishes or do laundry; that's when you pop this video in. It's 25 minutes of entertainment that holds the attention of even very young children." Chris Hudson (son 10 months), San Antonio, Texas.

"There are times I rewind it and play it again and again until I get the dishes done and order restored. My son is captivated (and hopefully learning something)". Mom In Connecticut

"The only thing I wish is that the videos were longer than 30min." Melissa Perruzi, Clinton Mississippi (From Baby Eisntein reviews on Amazon.com).

So that's it - decision made - much less TV in this house - infact from now on there will be next to nothing for the Princess - but as for us - I'm off for a fix of TV right now whilst the Princess sleeps.

Perfect Housewife

No, not me. Anthea Turner.

I can't wait to see her new programme (clicky). I know that I have a perverse cleanliness fetish which is totally unachievable and unrealistic in my own home, but this programme sounds fab to me.

I know that Anthea Turner isn't everyone's cup of tea and to be honest I have never been much of a fan but I have heard that her linen cupboard is a thing of beauty and she runs her home like a military operation (just the way I would like to in my dreams!) so this programme is on my 'must watch' list along with Desperate Housewives - which features another fantasy figure - Bree - did you see the labelled containers in her utility room last week? Sheer heaven!!!!

Shocked and surprised

I was grooving to a song on the radio the other day. The Princess was also shaking some booty - only when it finished did I realise that we had been enjoying LEO SAYER! It shocked me!

Other cool tunes at the moment are The Message by Nate James (He's from East Anglia - which again is slightly surprising in many ways) and the new tune from Kanye West. What shocked me most about this song though is that it has it's own trailer - a trailer for a pop video!! What is going on??? If you want to see the trailer go here. I must admit it does look pretty cool. (OFFICE WARNING: Contains a swear word and Pammy Anderson in hotpants!!!!!!)

Fever

"Fever"

You give me
You give me fever

Never know how much I love you
Never know how much I care
When you put your arms around me
I get a fever that's so hard to bear
Listen to me baby, hear every word I say
No one can love you the way I do
'Cause they don't know how to love you my way

[Chorus:]

You give me fever, when you kiss me
Fever when you hold me tight
Fever in the morning
Fever all through the night

Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
My eyes light up when you call my name
'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right
Bless my soul I love you, take this heart away
Take these arms I'll never use
And just believe in what my lips have to say

[chorus]

Everybody's got the fever
That is something you should know
Fever isn't such a new scene
Fever started long ago

You give me fever, fever
You give me, you give me fever

[chorus]

Romeo loved Juliet
Juliet, she felt the same
When he put his arms around her
He said Julie baby, you're my flame
He gave her fever

Sun lights up the daytime
Moon lights up the night
My eyes light up when you call my name
'Cause I know you're gonna treat me right

[chorus]

Fever, with his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Everybody's got the fever
That is something you should know
Fever isn't such a new scene
Fever started long ago

Captain Smith and Pocahontas
Had a very mad affair
When her daddy tried to kill him
She said, daddy oh don't you dare
He gives me fever
With his kisses
Fever when he holds me tight
Fever, I'm his Misses
Daddy, won't you treat him right

Fever, when you kiss them
Fever, if you live and learn
Fever, 'til you sizzle
What a lovely way to burn [repeat twice]

YES THE PRINCESS IS ILL AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"I Could Eat A Knob At Night"

If that means nothing to you, you obviously haven't been listening to the 12 Ricky Gervais podcasts from Guardian Unlimited.

I am listening to them in bed and I have to say that Karl Pilkington is a genius and has earned himself a seat at my fantasy dinner party.

Black Sweat

Prince is back!!! His track Black Sweat is tres tres funky.

Some might say that it sounds just like his stuff from 15/20 years ago - it does and that's the point. It's got that old Prince groove and sound and lets us all forget the batman soundtrack!!!

The princess spent a good 10 mins dancing to Black Sweat this morning and when it finished her only word was "more" - nuff said!

Go hear it here.