Mud & Mischief

Dear Santa

I’ve been really good this year, even though it’s started out so horridly. I’ve done my best not to be too much of a dragon to the children, in spite of being so awfully sick for so long. And I’m keeping up to date with the washing and managing to feed everyone reasonably regularly, and healthily too. I’m hoping it’s not too cheeky, but I’d like to put my wish list in a bit early this year, as it’s a tad complex, and you might need a bit of time to get all the bits together. And if you’d like to drop any of them off early and save yourself a bit of weight on the Eve itself, then by all means, feel free.

1. A cleaner. Was going to put ‘cleaning lady’ but that would be sexist. A nice 6′ Polish male student would suffice as a cleaner, as long as he’s good with the vacuum and can unload the dishwasher without breaking anything. Things are getting a little out of hand round here, as walking isn’t much fun at present. Organising skills would be a bonus, as would an ability to see the wood for the trees. If he’s really good, he could also double as #2, which is:

2. A handyperson. Someone who can do all these irritating little jobs I’ve got that need doing, and that I just can’t manage myself. Emptying the garage, doing runs to the tip (which tends to be closed by the time James gets home from work), shifting the boxes of stuf around for me. There’d be bonus points if he could hang wall paper and gloss woodwork, as we really need to get this dining room finished before the Season is upon us. And preferably put the house on the market too.

3. That house we saw in Retford. You know the one. *sigh*

4. Some nice simple gold sleeper earrings, about 3/4″ in diameter, the kind with the discrete fastening and hinge, like the ones I used to have as a child. Let’s see if you can find gold hoops smaller than children’s bracelets and thinner than a pencil. They don’t exisit in Doncaster.

5. Prada perfume. A friend was wearing it and it smelled divine. Although, hold that thought until I’ve actually gone and tried it on, just in case it turns into Eau de Baboon on me. Just hide the name on the box though, in case my friends think I’ve turned into a chav.

6. An extra seat for the back of the G4. Not entirely sure how you’re going to manage that, as I haven’t figured out a way yet, but I’m sure you’ll come up with something.

7. A healthy baby. Don’t mind if this one is a bit late, thanks, although if you could arrange delivery by 12th night, I’d be very grateful. A few tips and ideas for names would be a bonus too, or this poor child is going to be born nameless and I don’t like that at all. If you could arrange for my hips to stay together during the process, I’d be forever in your debt.

I guess that’s it for this year. It’s not a lengthy list, and there’s one or two on there that should be manageable given your resources and abilities. I can’t think of anything else, although if you’re really stuck, Amazon vouchers are a winner every time.

The girls will be writing to you shortly, but remember to take what they say with a pinch of salt. Their letters will probably just be full of whatever was on the adverts on Nick Jr that day. From a mother’s point of view, I think bikes would suit them all perfectly - Myf can ride hers really well, but it’s a little small now; Tea is dying to learn to ride but we’ve misplaced the training wheels for Myf’s and the little one with training wheels has been left out in the rain too many times to be of much use to anyone. Piglet will be happy with pretty much anything as long as it comes in a big sturdy cardboard box that she can use to go on adventures in once the toy has been played with a couple of times.

Give my regards to Mrs Claus,

Sincerely yours
Kris Poledragon

Yesterday, it seems, was my last day of running around trying to do absolutely everything. Had the odd funny stabbing twinge in my pelvis last night - didn’t think anything off it, as I’d done quite a bit of shifting stuff around, loading junk into the white truck for a run to the tip, washing and all that assorted nonsense.

This morning, I woke up with the pain, which was odd as normally these aches and things don’t get going until after lunch. But by 10am, I was shopping with the Piglet and was very uncomfortable. And now, I’m sat here on my bed as it’s the comfiest seat in the house, coming to the unpleasant conclusion that it’s SPD and I’m stuck with it for the next 17 weeks. Ho hum.

Midwife next week though, so I shall be getting myself referred back to the gynae-physio asap. Just when I’d started to think I was going to get on top of everything - I’ve almost got the floor in the old dining room clear enough so I can start stripping wallpaper too.

Am doing an evening class though, starting tomorrow night. I figured I needed to do something that wasn’t baby/child/housework related, and spend a few hours doing something vaguely interesting,and was doable sat down (so no Arabian dancing or Tai Chi). So I’m off to a Needlework class. Basically, I’ve always wanted to know how to make a proper patchwork quilt. All the other bits and pieces they mention about embroidery and stuff will be good to know, but I really want to make a proper quilt. Have been eyeing up purple and gold fat quarters on eBay. Have no idea how much you’d pay for a fat quarter IRL though. Must do some more research. But I’ve been wanting to spruce up my bedroom for ages, and have decided to concentrate on my making the quilt for my bed. Not the kids, not the baby’s, but mine. How self-indulgent is that? Can hardly believe it myself. lol

To end the blog on a nice note though - I got a £50 premium bond prize in the post this morning. Which was very, very nice indeed. In fact, I might just go browse those fat quarters again…

For Jax.

Actually, I’ve only got about three different projects on the go atm. A red, variagated ‘free knitting’ sweater, using up odds and sods of wool in the red spectrum - might end up an interesting baggy cardigan, might not… It’s something I can do without having to think about it.

Then there’s a blue and white cotton thing, making a 6-12 month size cardi. The wool is Wendy Ikon, not the most trendy of yarns, but it knits up into a very light, airy, almost terry fabric.

I’ve also got a crochet cardi, for me, under way. I saw the most gorgeous cardigan in Monsoon a few weeks ago, and came over all peculiar when I then saw the price tag - £100 for a cardi! I bought a few mixed bags of blues and creams on eBay, and shall endeavour to do myself something similar. Or not, but it keeps me out of mischief and makes me put my feet up for an hour or two each day. Which I really need to do more of.

Finished projects (photos to follow) include a white cotton knit newborn size cardigan, and a 3-6 month size hooded jumper in the divine Cashmerino yarn. Have just bought three balls of Baby Cashmerino in a rich yellow, so am looking for the perfect pattern for that. And three balls of Rowan All Seasons cotton. Damn that eBay…

Well, I guess I knew it wouldn’t. Not entirely sure where today has gone, but I wasn’t sat down with my feet up by 1pm, that’s for sure.

A thread on a forum I visit from time to time mentioned the idea of writing everything down that you do during the day, kind of as a poke in the ribs that, yes, you do actually do stuff and not sit on your butt drinking tea all day. One of the posters did that, after her husband had asked her that self same question after he’d walked in from work and found her sat at the dining table with a cup of tea and a paper. The second cup of tea she’d had all day, btw, and it was nearly 7pm.

So what did I actually accomplish today? Apart from my lie in until 9am, which was nice.

Hard to remember, actually, as it’s now 6.30, but I know I did all the normal kitchen cleaning things - emptied dishwasher, cleared draining board, washed up, wiped down counters, took out recycling etc. Then I made soup (carrot and squash), processed 1/3 of the 9lb bag of cooking apples we scrumped from the garden of an empty house . Put wet washing from yesterday on line, brought in dry stuff, put more into machine (only half a load - seems I’ve got this laundry thing cracked - I’ve gone from 12+ loads a week to less than half of that. Yay!!). Fed the offspring, had a bowl of soup and half an hour on the puter. Put more wet stuff on the line. Picked tomatoes and beans. Put apple sauce into jars and froze. Contemplated doing the other 6lbs and baulked slightly at the thought. Fished sausages out of the freezer for the girls’ tea. Refereed a few riots, gave up and chased them all upstairs doing a good impression of a screaming banshee. Made them lie on their beds for half an hour. Lay on mine and use the wireless laptop to browse for a bit.

Woke up the Piglet who’d actually gone to sleep, came back down, cleared off dining room table (no mean feat!), completely cleared kitchen floor, swept and shifted stuff around so I can now walk from one end to the other, get from the counter to the bin, the fridge to the cooker without tripping over anything at all. Filled the equivalent of two big black bags with junk/rubbish etc. Washed up some more stuff. Sorted out two of the boxes of boot sale stuff that have been sitting outside for a week now, binned some soggy books (yes it was painful but they weren’t even suitable for charity shop box) and repacked them and put them somewhere waterproof. Cooked the girls a ultra popular tea of sausage, egg and chips (sausage for Myf, egg for Tea and chips for Piglet…)

3 hours later, kids are asleep and we’ve had a curry with a couple of friends. Going to go socialise now.

And knackered and generally exhausted. Am so incredibly glad it’s Friday. Tomorrow I’m going to be a bad mother and lie in bed whilst my offspring go downstairs, raid the fridge and watch Saturday morning cartoons completely unsupervised. And they’ll love every minute of it.

Actually, I’m not that bad, only today seems to have been one mad headless chicken errand after another. Starting with school run nonsense, I had to go about 8 miles to the hospital for physio, which was a waste of time as he took one look at me and said ‘oh, your pregnant’. 10/10 for observation then. So he can’t do anything for me until after I’ve had this one, although if things get too bad my midwife can refer me to the obstetric physio… gee, thanks. I’ve only waited since April for this blastedappt, and guess what - I wasn’t pg then! *sigh*

Then it was a mile up the road to fill up with gas, 6 miles clear across the other side of town to collect a bath panel, 5 miles back through the thick of the traffic to the butchers to collect an order, and then 8 miles back home. And why on earth was the traffic so bloody manic at that time of day? I didn’t even get a chance to call two places I said I would, so I’m feeling bad about that too.

Got home, had half an hour to myself to do some laundry, and grab a piece of toast, then off to get Piglet. Was supposed to be going to Nikki’s for an hour, to let Piglet play with her lot and Sarah’s two, but was so damned knackered, that by the time I’d gotten out of Misson and home, via the lottie to grab a few potatoes, it was quarter to two and I only had just over an hour to do the bits I’d wanted to do. I did manage a sit down for about 20 minutes. Went and fetched the big two. Then had to go back into town (7 miles) to Asda with the vacuum I’d bought on Monday which had broken, to change that. Was 4.30 by the time I got back from the hell that is the supermarket. Then I started dinner.

I’m not entirely sure what happened then, but we didn’t actually eat until gone 7.30. I have no idea why steak, chips, mushrooms and onions took me the best part of 3 hours to do. I did have to finish bagging up the beef I collected from the butchers and put it into the freezer - over 50lbs of prime Red Poll rare breed beef. Everything from mince to fillet steak. We had sirloin tonight and it was yummy. Need to work out some meal plans for the chunks of brisket, topside, silverside, rib roast, shin beef, stewing steak and braising steak that lurk in their neatly labelled bags in my freezer. And hang out more laundry. Bugger - it’s still on the line. Hopefully it won’t rain tonight.

But needless to say, I’m knackered. Which is why I’ve been upstairs, lounging on the bed with my nice wireless laptop since 9.30 this evening. I’ve got a great long list of stuff to do tomorrow, but anything that’s not done by 1pm isn’t getting done, as I’m sitting down with my small people and reading to them, then putting my feet up for the rest of the afternoon and the chaos can go hang. I’m fed up of not being able to spend any coherent time with James, as by the time he gets home, I’m too bloody tired to think, let alone talk. All running around will henceforth be done before lunch, and if it’s not done by then, it waits until the next day.

Nice idea in theory, I suppose.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/12092006/325/spain-ban-skinny-models-shocks-fashion-world.html

and

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/13092006/344/teach-children-sensible-drinking.html

Blimey - what’s the world coming to, eh? Next we’ll be banning hydrogenated fats and laughing at claims for compensation from folks who tripped over their own shoelaces.

Here’s a few interesting websites for you to peruse.

My personal favourite has to be Hunt the Boeing. Fascinating reading - or rather, looking.

Then there’s the Questions one. Ignore the green links and have a quick read of the bit beneath the line. Then go to the links page if you’re really bored.

I love these sites, but they also make you think a bit too much about things that hurt your head after a while. And make you want to emigrate to darkest Peru.

It’s September, the kids are back at school and I’ve stopped throwing up. Which I think are all good things, but some would probably beg to differ.

I love September, but mainly because it means October is on hand - my favourite month. I won’t wax lyrical here on misty mornings and bonfires and damp cool evenings spent fetching mountains of pumpkins and squash in from the garden. But you get my drift.

School is just school - Tea loves it, Myf is saying she likes it but is doing some stupid clingy manoevre - only when her friends are watching. Piglet is at preschool 4 mornings a week and adores it - especially as I bought her a grey pinafore dress so she’s got her own ‘uniform’. I loathe the clock watching and morning rush and all that nonsense, but I have to admit to enjoying my four hours of peace and quiet. Although by the time I’ve done with the whole chatting by the school gates and actually gotten home, it’s rarely more than 3.5 hours.

And the not throwing up thing is a huge bonus. Had the scan last week, everything seems to be going fine, baby is perfectly average sized (hopefully not Piglet sized!) and no, we didn’t find out what the sex is.

Have decided I need to blog more, as a few folks have been poking me asking what’s going on chez Poledragon. So, I promise to check in at least once a week for the forseeable future.