I've just been playing around and found this new background - it reminds me of something from home... the front room wallpaper years ago?? If anyone remembers, tell me. (Or was it the wallpaper than was stuck onto a laundry basket??! Height of fashion!)

The fun continues...

Lucy was still ill yesterday and not in any state for church, so I rang church to organize someone to teach my lesson, then took the boys and dropped Jack and Tom off at church with Scott. On the drive home, Harry said I had to look after him, because he was sick too. I thought he was just saying it because of Lucy, but he started moaning, so I pulled over and got him out the car just in time for him to be sick everywhere! (The poor little thing was still in his pyjamas!) We made it home, and I had to ring church again, to tell someone to tell Scott to tell Liz we had a sickie in the house (well 2), but she could still come for dinner if she wanted!
We ended up having a lovely time with Liz and her family - all 9 kids disappeared onto the trampoline for most the time (as well as making the world's longest straw!), and the grown-ups had a nice relaxed chat. Liz is a Cambridge graduate, so we picked her brains on the different colleges, because Lucy says she would like to go there. Jack says Uurgh no way - he's going to Oxford. I say good luck...!
At about midnight last night, I gave up going into Harry's room to see to him, and he came in with me and Scott squashed in Harry's bed. Harry finally went to sleep at 2.30am, but we had a very restless night, so we're a bit tired today! Scott took Tom to school for me though which was nice. Harry's been crying this morning because now he has a sore throat. He could only eat star shaped toast for breakfast! Anything else was just too much for him to contemplate eating and started him off crying again! Poor little thing. He's OK now - happy watching Charlie and Lola on our new midget TV... (I got one of Liz's boys to sort all the TV wires out yesterday!) Lucy and Jack both had scrannies this morning, because they didn't have all their uniform, in spite of me being very organised with all washing and ironing. It seems that Lucy has lost 2 jumpers, and Jack has lost a pair of trousers, 2 white shirts and a pair of trainers !!!
Anyway, maybe this week will be a bit quieter than last week!

This week

Getting to the end of a long week...
Cleaned a friend with a new baby's house Monday
Cleaned our house Tuesday. Lucy and Jack at football club after school (Scott out pm - church)
Visiting teaching and hosted bookclub Wednesday, plus baked mega batches of soup and cookies (the recipe had 600g of chocolate in - we now have a freezer full of frozen cookies!) Ironing phase 1. Lucy at swimming for Guides (Scott out pm - church)
Went to the doctors and got prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection Thursday (had to go back home again before I could get the prescription though because I'd forgotten my purse), and the telly blew up. Wrote a letter to Seema, my old school friend (haven't spoken to her in years, but I got a letter with handwriting on that looked like hers and it just reminded me) Ironing phase 2 - all done - could see bottom of laundry basket and ironing basket at same time! (For all of about 3 seconds) Made Mum's good carrot cake recipe - it made loads, so took some round to our neighbour. Took kids to the library (Harry calling at top of voice "Can I buy this one Mum??" about 93 times) Tom at football club after school (Scott out pm - church)
Clinic again on Friday for another appointment, and an Easter activity thing in the afternoon, plus Harry trapped 2 fingers in the front door really badly (OK now though). Jack came home with bandaged knee and shoulder due to collision in playground - covered in lovely scabs now! Lucy and Jack at drama club after school. Read all of a Somerset Maughan book that I got out from the library. Chatted with John on phone and exchanged recipes, till our phone battery went dead (Scott out pm - church x2) Also my car is playing up - the computer thing keeps sending odd messages, then immobilising the car occasionally.
Today I took all the kids to the cinema myself, then bought a new little telly to tide us over, from a friend for £10 (Scott out from 8-2 - work do) In the post a parcel came from Amy in America with 130+ sticker packs - I used to buy from her, but these were just a lovely free gift out the blue! Lucy feeling ill all day. Tom's been feeling off all week. This evening Scott and I booked our Summer holiday to France. The overnight ferry was mega-expensive so we booked the really cheap ferry, but upgraded it to the club lounge - they will love us in there, with all the kids!! The thought of this really tickled me - laughing is very dangerous at the moment though - I just about coughed up a lung. We booked a hotel on the way back to break up the journey. It's one we've stayed at before where we got totally lost, then couldn't book in for ages because their computers were down, and so got free breakfasts...we'll see what happens this time!
Scott's just come downstairs again - he went up for a bath (he's not out tonight!), but it turns out the pilot light had gone out so there's no hot water.
I just need to vacuum now, clean shoes and prepare my Sunday school lesson for tomorrow. We have a family with 5 boys coming for dinner tomorrow - hope the weather is OK so they can go in the garden - otherwise 8 little boys in total plus Lucy will be quite noisy!
In my talk in Sacrament meeting last week, I quoted President Monson saying that one day parents of young kids will profoundly miss all the debris that comes from raising them(paraphrasing!) I know one day there is the possibility that things will calm down a bit, so I am trying to enjoy being needed now!

Just stuff

I've not seemed to catch up this week - still feeling ill, and Scott, Harry and Tom haven't been A1 either. We seemed to do lots yesterday (though non of it included clearing up, so my idea of having a beautiful clean home for Mother's Day didn't happen!) The pictures are of Harry and Jack making balloons go static-y and stick to the walls (Harry thought it was hilarious - he has developed a brilliant belly laugh and is keen on using it a lot), Lucy with her hair in new rollers that we bought at Tesco yesterday. Doesn't she look lovely! They didn't really work though, and I ended up curling her hair with tongues - it looked gorgeous. The last picture is of the frames that I spent most of yesterday doing. I collected all the odd frames that having been lying around various places, and undercoated x2 them, then painted and varnished them all to match, and hung them. I'm going to get black and white photos of the family etc. to put in them. They don't look that great in the picture, but actually look quite good in real life.

I had to give a talk in sacrament meeting today - it was great sitting on the stand and not trying to keep Harry quiet! Think it went well. Scott and I have taken it in turns to have naps this afternoon - we are both a bit feeble! The kids were good though and played in the garden for most of the afternoon. We have found a new good game called Cross Word. (I got it from the charity shop a while ago.) Kind of a cross between Scrabble and Boggle. Lucy and Jack enjoyed it and Harry was in charge of the timer. Busy week ahead. Scott will be out every day up to and including next Sunday (except Mon and Fri), plus he is going to London tomorrow to meet some government/collegy people, plus he still needs to do his Home Teaching. I'm having bookclub at our house this week, though I had totally forgotten when they announced it in Relief Society, much to everyone's amusement...

Little Thief!

I couldn't find Harry anywhere this afternoon... It turns out he had been pinching Jack's football cards, then heard me looking for him and hidden quick in Jack's bunkbed. By the time I found him (and the cards...) he had fallen asleep!

Flute Exam

About 4 weeks ago, I took my grade 1 flute exam. I was really nervous, and positive that I was going to fail. But, just this moment, I have heard from the school, that I have actually passed! I couldn't actually believe it at first, I was so shocked. I am really pleased that I passed, and glad all my hard work has payed off.
By Lucy

Birthday Weekend

On Saturday, we held a surprise party for dad. It was for his birthday, so we invited around 60 people to come. It was great fun hiding all the food, we put the food in wardrobes, under beds, and in the garage. We had a huge Tesco shop on Wednesday, which was hard to hide from dad, but we managed it. So, when it came to the time where we needed to distract him, we decided to go and play football. But after about half an hour, dad was prepared to go home, which wasn't enough time for mum to set up everything, so a series of distractions were put into place, such as injurys, and addiction to swings. When we finally got home dad was totally surprised. Food was layed out on the tables, and Catia had made a fab cake, with a clown on the top. ( All gone now, yum yum!)

The next day, after missing an hour off church, we made our way to Nottingham, were my grandparents live, to celebrate the many birthdays on mums side of the family. Half way through the visit, Adam seemed to grow rather attracted to me. he kept hugging on to me, cuddling round my neck.

By Lucy