the Best Laid schemes...

Thursday saw my very first blogging blind date and I'm pleased to report i needn't have been so nervous, for AMY over at and1moremeansfour was lovely and so friendly,
as was her two oldest little Lady's, they are gorgeous and very charming. The time flew by,i felt so at ease with Amy, it was as if we had known each other forever, I'm certain we'll be the bestest of blogging buddies for a long time to come and we already have plans to meet again at the North west meet up being organised over at British Mummy Bloggers. To find out more about our Mummy blind date and what we got up to click here.

Me and Mr Bold had been planning to take the free mini break to Alton towers that i had won courtesy of Andrex over at Laura Drivers Blog are we nearly there yet mummy? on Friday, it was a two night break at a lovely 4* hotel and a two day pass to Alton Towers for us and our two big girls. Unfortunately our Babysitters let us down TWICE and so we have had to re schedule for October, however not wanting to disappoint our very excited little gals we decided to use the free tickets and head for a day out at Alton Towers instead ensuring the weekend wasn't a total wash out for the kids. We set off bright and early Saturday morning with the obligatory stop off at MacDonald's for a breakfast muffin or three and we then headed straight for the M6. After only three minutes into what looked like the start of a very bad traffic jam i had a light bulb moment, instead of queuing in traffic for a few hours to then queue for fair rides for hours why didn't we just head for our local theme park Camelot and pass it off to the kids as THE Alton Towers?

Being the evil genius that i am it worked like a charm, we took the nearest slip road and arrived at our destination in under twenty minutes with the kids chanting "Alton Towers, Aton Towers YEAH!! Mr Bold fell in love with me all over again when he realised he had avoided bumper to bumper traffic. We had a fabulous time, even the terrible weather could not deter us from having fun as we went on numerous twirling rides, log flumes and the Caterpillar roller coaster. We took shelter from the non stop showers to watch a medieval duel with knights on horse back whilst munching on candy floss and ice cream and Mr Bold finished off by squandering the best part of thirty quid trying in vain to win an over grown stuffed animal, we appeased the kids with a toy from the gift shop on our way out of the park and headed straight for the cinema.

Having saved ourselves a few hours of travelling time we decided to take the kids to watch G-Force, the new animation film out that's about Super spying Gerbils i know it sounds a little insane but it was actually quite funny and I'd definitely recommend it if your stuck for something to do tomorrow as it looks set to be ANOTHER very wet Bank holiday! Mia and Sofia loved their first trip to the cinema and with their eyes stuck to the screen they nibbled their way through lots of popcorn, god help us at the dentist on Tuesday. We finished our day trip with a visit to "Frankie and Benny's", which quite Frankie (ha see what i did there) was abysmal never ever get the Spinach and ricotta cannelloni it was nasty!

I'm off now to wash the dishes and put the kids t bed, just in time for me to watch "Wuthering Heights" on Itv, OH the thought of Andrew Lincoln in breaches mmmmm.......Hope you all have a nice bank holiday.

Wordless Wednesday

Unfortunately being a mummy has led to a drastic change in underwear, gone are the days of expensive pretty wonder bra's and frilly french knickers, instead i have now resigned myself to the fact that i will forever live in spandex!

The Jacob and Esau effect?

"Which twin was born first?" is something i have often been asked since becoming a mum of multiples and i recently stumbled across a post titled just that over at http://twinparenthood.com/ which has got me thinking, does it actually matter?

Being a mum of two singletons prior to my set of twins has left me in no doubt that the order in which your children are born does affect their own perceptions as to what their role is within the family unit. However it seems absurd to suggest that the same can be said about twins given that only a few minutes not years are all that separates them. There is nothing significant that can take place during such a short amount of time that can seriously influence the individual child's perception of his or her position within the family.

Taking this into consideration the only explanation can be that we as parents and as a society subconsciously impose our own beliefs about the importance of birth order onto the children, thus creating a self fulfilling prophecy. Often i have heard "she is so much bigger than the other twin she must be the oldest" or "you can tell she's the oldest one as she is definitely the boss". I myself am even guilty of falling into this trap, when trying to encourage my twins speech along i immediately concentrated more on Eva's (who is the oldest by 12 minutes)speech as opposed to Isabella's. I wrongly assumed that because Eva was the oldest and most assertive at the time she would be quicker to grasp the concept. I was proved wrong by Isabella almost immediately who started rambling away a whole two months before Eva, i soon learned to stop pigeon holing them.

Birth order definitely creates a competitive streak amongst siblings, my eldest daughter has inevitably take on the role as leader, boss of the playroom and she sees herself as the authority figure amongst all her sisters. My second daughter has become the "naughty little sister" - causing havoc and mischief to get attention, whilst trying to assert herself as her older sisters equal yet at the same time looking to her for guidance in many things like, reading, singing and manipulating mummy and daddy. This for me definitely cements the "middle child syndrome" theory and gives credence to the popular line of thinking that birth order reflects lifelong personality traits.

Having said all this i am still at odds with the notion that this can apply to twins. Eva and Isabella are both as bad as one another, sure they are polar opposites in every way, they are individuals, Eva is the thinker full of mischief and wonderment whilst Belle is the doer the first to crawl, walk talk yet a little clingy too, and they both fall in and out of the role of "the more dominant one". It will be interesting to see how they progress and if in fact the issue of who was the "first born" becomes a part of contention in their relationship as they get older. I do believe though, the fact that they already have two older siblings eliminates a lot of the competitiveness and for some lone sets of twins then an air of importance can be given to the older twin, thus leaving the youngest one feeling a little inferior.

So the next time someone asks "which one was born first?" will you think more carefully about the long term effects your reply can have on your child and their self esteem? Should parents of multiples consider withholding the information of who is the older twin to spare the child's feelings? Or is it irrelevant and unimportant in the grand scheme of things?

**Below is some information about the theory of birth order and it's importance. **

Psychologist Alfred Adler, a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, defined a set of characteristics to describe how a child's position within the family would actualize in his or her personality. Presented below is a simplified version of his theories, adapted from the Adler Institute website.

Adlerian Birth Order Characteristics


Position: Oldest

Family situation: dethroned by next child. Has to learn to share. Parent expectations are usually very high. Often given responsibility and expected to set an example.

Characteristics: May become authoritarian or strict. Feels power is his right. Can become helpful if encouraged

Position: Second

Family situation: Has a pacemaker, always someone ahead. Is more competitive, wants to overtake older child.

Characteristics: May become a rebel or try to outdo everyone. Competition can deteriorate into rivalry

Position: Middle

Family situation: Is "sandwiched" in. May feel squeezed out of a position of privilege and significance. Even-tempered, "take it or leave it" attitude.

Characteristics: May have trouble finding a place or become a fighter of injustice

Position:Youngest

Family situation: Has many mothers and fathers in older children. Never dethroned.

Characteristics: Wants to be bigger than the others. Can stay the "baby." Frequently spoiled

Don't Cry over spilt milk...

Well whoever said that had not just slipped on some very wet tiles on the way to the wheelie bin with a very large and stinky rubbish bag containing lots of smelly soiled Nappie's ands leftover baked beans and fish fingers! Arrgh i nearly broke my neck, i tell you kids are lethal shaking their milk bottles all over my kitchen floor without a care in the world and pooping for fun - the twins have pooed seven times today. Yes seven firkin times and it's not even tea time yet, oh the joys.

I am starting to despair now, i long to get through the day without hearing shrills of: "mummy wipe my bummmmmmmmm"
"mummy Mia said a swear word"
"mummy Sofia's wet her knickers"
"I'm hungry"
"I want a drink"
"I'm board"
"mummy Eva's took her nappy off and pooed on the floor"
"WHAAAA WHAAA WHAAAAA WHAAA"
"Can i have a biscuit, ice cream, yogurt.....etc,etc"
"Your a mean mummy, i want daddy"
"can i go on cebeebies?"
"I want the craft box NOW"
"Sofia's just smacked me"
"Mummy Mia pushed me over"
"Mummy the babies have poured all the pasta on the floor"
"oh no Sofia's just kicked the baby"
"I don't like you anyway"
"whaaa whaa whhaaa"
"Mummy can we go to the park"
"Mummy she won't let me play"
"It's not fair"
"Mummy I've spilt my juice"
"Mummy Sofia's turned the taps on and waters everywhere"
"Whaa whaaa whaaaa"


All of the above have been screamed at me today and that's just for starters, why oh why did i do this to myself...isn't life just great? Please someone tells me it gets better, because i think I'm losing the will to live!

I am in Love....

These are my new shoes aren't they lush?



Well i don't actually own them YET but that's just a small technicality, i will be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to grab me a pair, just in time for my night on the town with the girlie's!
I spotted a pair of the flat version on one of the "yummy mummy's" at play group, and had an instant attack of the green-eyed monster. Whilst i was wearing my tatty 3 year old Next flip flops with half the dominates missing, she was swanning around in Vivienne Westwood getting play dough and squirty foam all over them at messy play, she must have money to burn. I am forsaking a new outfit, i don't get out much so Mr Bold was treating me to a new dress but when i found theses i just had to have them. So I'll be making do with an old outfit and purchasing these gorgeous shoes instead - at least I'll get my money's worth and they won't make my bum look big!

Wordless Wednesday....

Lazy summer mornings having fun

It's Negative.....

Yes Today i have taken a pregnancy test! I have been feeling rather sh$*y since Sunday, banging headaches, dizzy, stomach cramps, nausea, every single symptom which would indicate I'm pregnant other than sore boobs. The result is hardly surprising considering i have only just finished my period three days ago and well Mr Bold and I haven't exactly been getting "jiggy" with it of late -huh the chance would be a fine thing. I just wanted to rule out the possibility as i am understandably a little paranoid after having four kids in the space of 3 years and 3months! I opted for the 99p test i found in Home and Bargains as i didn't see the point in wasting money and well they had been shockingly accurate two years ago when i decided to rule out pregnancy on a whim then too!

I have breathed a huge sigh of relief, I'm not sure what i was expecting to feel since the majority of the times i have actually taken a test they're usually positive and i have always been pleased but this one was different. I finally think i am ready to stop pro creating, i didn't feel sad at all which is strange considering i still secretly pine for a SON, and now all that remains for me to do is get Mr Bold to have the dreaded "snip". He has been dodging this one since the twins were born, he too longs for a son one day but i could go on forever popping out girls and i think four is more than enough to be going on with. I love my girls unbelievably and i honestly think another sibling(brother or not) is the LAST thing they need right now, i am torn in enough directions at the moment and they all want a piece of me. I just don't think i could competently divide myself amongst more than four - i struggle now. So as i mourn the son i will never have i count my lucky stars for my four amazingly beautiful, intelligent, healthy funny girls, they are truly all i need and i am enjoying reclaiming a tiny piece of me back that has been lost to motherhood for five whole years - i realise now more than i ever have, it really doesn't last forever - in another five years it will all be over and my girls will be little lady's in the making, now is the time to Basque in the present.

Five Today - Another Happy Birthday Post from a very proud Mummy!

My Big princess turns a whopping 5 years old today and i can't believe she has survived half a decade with me as her mummy - she rolled off the bed at five months and i nearly had a heart attack; I'd only turned my back for a second to get a nappy, then she nearly fell down a whole flight of stairs at 18months old (silly mummy forgot to lock the stair gate) and at the age of three whilst i was other wised engaged watching the latest episode of Hollyokes her little sister Fifi trapped Mia's Index finger in the playroom door and broke it! I was mortified and felt like the worlds worst mother but so proud of how brave she was at the hospital, especially when after receiving several stickers, lollipops and a certificate she declared to the whole of A&E that when she grows up she wants to become a doctor, i don't think she quite realised the majority of their time is not taken up with appeasing toddlers and handing out stickers and sweets.

All the pain of breastfeeding in those early weeks, when my nipple felt like it had been through a cheese grater, The horrendous sleepless nights and the constant worrying, embarrassing temper tantrums, incessant whining about which vegetables she won't eat, and hitting her sister several times a day because she stole her dolly has all been worth it in the end. She is a beautiful, caring, intelligent constant joy in my life and i am so proud to call her my daughter.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweetheart, i hope you enjoy your present sorry it's not the drum kit with lessons that you have asked for but i think for mummy's sanity that is for the best, the noise levels in the house are more than enough to be dealing with at the moment. Enjoy your special day,

All my love and kisses forever,

mummy

Can you Blog with integrity and Review?

"It's okay to sell your soul if you'll be making enough money to buy it back. -- John Dobbin"

I ask this question as i am in the process of doing my very first review on my blog of the wii EA Sports active Personal Trainer that clareybabble and New Mummy have just done a post about. When i started this blog it was purely to save my own sanity, an outlet in which i could vent the daily frustrations being a housewife and mum of four inevitably bring and to share the highs and lows of motherhood with non - judgemental like minded people in the same boat. That is still my blogs purpose, however along the way i have made some wonderful connections with other "mummy bloggers" which has lead to the opportunity to review a small number of products.

To be honest i initially hesitated, i don't have ads on my blog, and i didn't want to be seen as "selling my soul" and exploiting my children, but the only products i have considered are ones which are completely relevant to my life and which i would probably purchase anyway. I don't intend to make a living out of "reviews" ha the chance would be a fine thing, nor do i have any intentions of swamping my blog with them. I have so far received a package containing Carex products ( which i use anyway) but i haven't got round to reviewing as how the hell do i get excited about hand wash (sorry Carex) but it's true and doesn't mean I'm not grateful for my free travel sized hand gel. The Active trainer as fore mentioned is still lying on top of the fridge, i got a little excited about it's arrival on the first day and tried it out, i lasted 12 minutes into the 30 day challenge and gave up (my legs are still aching though, that's what you get when you do not exercise for five whole years). I do intend to take up the 30 day challenge again once I've invested in a support bra and re programed my remote which the kids have f$**ed up by playing Mario Carts with the little boy next door, but that's on the understanding i can keep the package a little longer - if i had known i would have to send it back i probably wouldn't have bothered!. Not to sound ungrateful or anything but who asks a mum of four destructive pre- schoolers to review something and expect it back in one piece?

Wednesday saw the arrival of my very first "free" toy to review and i am extremely proud to be part of the parent review team over at The Great Toy Guide. Sure I'm not being paid but i am receiving toys for free to keep and all me and my kids have to do is play with them and give an honest review, i mean what more do people want? This has given me a much needed confidence boost not to mention the fact i have made my first contribution to the house in over five years, i know it's only a toy but i feel very proud of my little self and I'm very grateful for the opportunity.

There is a lot of cynicism surrounding the whole "exploitation of bloggers" issue regarding fat cat companies taking advantage of the silly little housewife's who are deemed naive and stupid, and rightly so. Wife In The North's recent post here on the matter makes for some interesting reading and she makes a lot of valid points too, but i feel as long as you are going into the whole thing with your eyes wide open i don't see the harm.

Blogging really has given me a whole new lease of life, and i am happy to take on a few reviews here and there if they are relevant to me and my family, it's not like I'm on the front cover of OK magazine telling the whole of Britain about the last time i had anal sex for god sake ( which for the record was around 9 years ago with my now husband,I'll try anything once and my friend swears by it but it's not for me I'm a traditional girl at heart). I have even made some new friends along the way, one of which i will be meeting in "real life" in two weeks, it will be my first ever mummy blind date and I'm so excited!

So to all those who think i have sold my soul to the devil, it's a free world and you can have your opinion. "You don't get ewt for newt" as my late mother-in-law was fond of saying, and perhaps she had a point, but for now being a SAHM i am happy to take my kicks when i can and life's too short to worry about what others think, as someone much wiser than me once said:
"Try to please everyone and you'll end up pleasing no one."

And remember as my very skinny, groomed and most importantly childless friend says"Up the bum no babies!"..........Now that's where I've been going wrong all these years!

Now that's what i call PANTS!

Check these out! They are by far the find of the century, amazing, elasticated JEGGINGS. That's right a cross between jeans and leggings. Whilst on my weekly visit to Dots (that's Dorothy Perkins to you) i happened to stumble across these amazing pants and i haven't looked back! They are unbelievably comfy and make you look a size smaller than you actually are. You don't have to worry about lying down and stopping your circulation to try and zip them up either - they fit like a glove. Basically they are maternity jeans without the need for a bump and they even come in black too. Apparently Dots are also selling treggings but I'm not quite sure what the difference is, so go and grab yourself a pair of these wonder pants before they all sell out - I'm telling you they are the future, enjoy!

PMT turns me into Psycho wife

I got my period today! Now that's monumental as it finally explains my head spinning raging lunatic tendencies and the erratic behaviour I've been displaying over the past twenty four hours. My poor husband has bore the brunt of my extremely unreasonable behaviour, which resulted in me stomping off to bed last night for the SECOND time in an hour, sobbing uncontrollably that i wanted to be "left alone" and this life is just "too much to take, i want some space..on my OWNNNNN".

Oh my i was a little worked up to say the least, the black mist had been descending all day and i spent the most part sulking like a teenager and crying because the random sales call guy on the phone had been a little short with me. The kids didn't help constantly demanding snacks, juice, cuddles, the list is endless and the incessant arguing and fighting over bratz dolls and prams was relentless. Whilst changing Eva's nappy (overflowing with poo) a big Pattie still warm and with a red tinge to it, must have been the spag bol from the previous evening, fell out of said nappy and onto my new flip flops and all over my toes.....NICE! Needless to say i began to weep again, just when you think your day can't get any worse, another pile of shite just lands right on you again, literally.

Now, to be honest, the constant moaning, whining, slaving away, poo splattering incidents are all par for the course in the Bold house and every day occurrences that i usually deal with no problems, but yesterday was not a normal day... i had PMT. Mr Bold gave a sigh of relief this morning when i asked him to nip to Tesco's to get me some nappies and TAMPONS "So that's why you've been so bloody moody then?"

Yep, it pains me to admit this but i happen to turn psycho the day before my periods due, for some reason the past couple of months i have gotten increasingly worse, lets hope next month i find a miraculous cure, failing that i think I'll just hide away in a dark room for two days. Why is it so much more difficult being a woman? I'm telling you I'll be coming back as a man in my next life!

Old McDonald had a farm.....

Above are the pictures form our trip to Acorn Farm on Wednesday. The kids had a fantastic time and the twins squealed with delight at every single animal they saw.....it was very funny. We fed the pigs, stroked the Bunny's and the little chicks, milked the goats and the big girls even had a ride on the pony's. I was pleasantly surprised at the costs as well, these places are usually a bomb, but the twins were free and children only cost£1 each and Adults £2 - bargain. Bags of feed are 50p and the pony rides are £2 a pop. Being the eternally unorganized fool that i am, i forgot the picnic and so i had to make a trip to the cafe which was also reasonably priced -so a good day had by all, i was exhausted by the end though!

Separated at Birth

Watching GMTV this morning i was aghast at the shocking similarities the "Hairy Angel" aka Susan Boyle bore to a certain someone. Susan has undergone a major image overhaul in order to appear in US Harper's Bazaar magazine and to be fair, considering what God has given her to work with, the girl looks good and she seems like a genuinely lovely lady too. So why after all that hard work, preening, plucking, pampering and de-tashing does she now resemble Cherie Blair's long lost twin. Don't get me wrong it pains me to say it as i happen to like Cherie, she comes from the same neck of the woods and she seems a nice women, not at all hairy either. Is it just me or were theses two secretly separated at birth?

A bad Hair week meets Lady Luck!

So if anybody actually reads my very rare Tweets you will know by now that my 3yr old decided to chop of her luscious long golden locks last week whilst i was busy doing the ironing! I was in tears, the four year old was in tears so then the three year old started to blub too....i was devastated. Stupid daddy had left a very large pair of scissors behind the mantel piece after trying to cut his curling disgustingly long toe nails - the dirt bag! He has since been reprimanded and i have now got over the fact Sofia has hair shorter than her dads on the right hand side of her head. I have decided to look on the bright side, she didn't hurt herself thank god and it will, eventually, grow back. She is now left with random one inch tuffs of hair all over her head and i have to put her hair in devils horns (very high bun bunches) to get her looking vaguely normal.

Anyways, the week descended into complete chaos as i had to arrange Mimi's fifth birthday party (her actual birthday is next week but i didn't want all her school friends to forget so we had it a little early) and find some space in the already overcrowded playroom for her new birthday toys. So after a rough ride i am pleased to report my week did in fact get better!

Firstly i have just done my first ever review for the Great Toy Guide, a fabulous new website dedicated to trying out and testing all the latest toys, activities and gadgets for kids form 0-8 yrs old! Please everyone go check it out, it was masterminded by the amazing sally who blogs at Who's the Mummy? so you can be sure you are in for a treat! What are you waiting for go and see for yourself and they are always looking for more honest reviewers too.

Secondly i have received my first ever parcel through the post off the back of this blog from the lovely people at carex - i think they heard about all the poo incidents and wanted to prevent my house from becoming a complete germ infested hole. I have got a few new hand washes, stickers, a great activity pack full of ideas and some travel sized anti bacterial gel -no washing required, which will come in very handy for my..........

Free trip to Alton Towers at the 4* Best Western hotel! Yes Thanks to the fantastic Laura Driver at are we nearly there yet mummy? me and Mr Bold get to take our big girls on a free weekend away! I am soo thrilled as i never win anything, and also we were planning a weekend away at Haven in the next few week but now we don't have too. Caravan or 4*hotel hmmm that's a tough call? I think we'll make do with the hotel now ha.

Finally sorry to anyone who has left a comment on my blog recently, I've been swamped with mummy duties and have neglected my little blog, but i plan to reply to all your comments very soon as they are very much appreciated. I'm off now to clean bums and make a picnic for our day out at Acorn Farm....can't wait, honest!