Wednesday, 3 March 2010

Back from the depths.......

Hello!!!

Thank God it's March, I hate, hate, hate January and February. Every year since I've had kids the beginning months of the year consist of relentless illness and bugs which constantly do the rounds through all six of us and leave me completely exhausted.

Anyway enough about that it's spring and time for new beginnings, yippee, hope everything is good in blog land and i haven't missed anything too monumental. I surprised myself actually, as i haven't missed blogging as much as i thought i would and my house is certainly thanking me for it, Flylady would be so proud. Although I have missed reading all the details about everyone else's lives(I've always been a bit of a gossip) So come on then any goss???????

Tuesday, 5 January 2010

2010 Is already a washout!

Five days in and already twenty ten is proving to be as difficult a year as the last one. So much for my positive attitude and being thankful for life's simple pleasures, F$£K simple pleasures, i mean how can a cup of tea and a hot water bottle help me after a night from hell with three sick kids and a husband suffering from toothache?

I'm sat in my Onsie pj's trying to comfort two very sick little twins, with black rings under my eyes big enough to compete with Beetle juice, piles of vomit covered bedding and clothes, a kitchen full of dirty dishes and i just want some.........SLEEP!!!

I'm exhausted, my parents are on a bloody Caribbean cruise, my sister is snowed in and my sister-in-law is working so i have little chance of a helping hand and to add insult to serious injury Mia's school is closed due to snow so I now have to provide entrainment and crafts!!!

Well I'm off to wallow in self pity, tackle at least a few dishes and hopefully try to get the twins to have a nap so i can catch up on my sleep. Oh and Mr Bold is busy "Practising his Snowboarding skill", he's at the chill factor in Manchester with his friends preparing for his forthcoming French Ski trip....Sans Famille of course!! But that's OK apparently because he did "make a five foot snowman this morning complete with buttons and everything". Men arghhh!

Sunday, 3 January 2010

What Makes you happy?

After reading an article in the daily mail yesterday entitled " How to have a happy life", which lists the top fifty things that make you happy and best of all they are free, it got me thinking as to what simple pleasures make me feel happy.I decided to compile my own lists but before i reveal all here are my favourite ten out of the featured top fifty pleasures.


1. An early night
2. clean sheets
3. letting someone into traffic
4. hot water bottles
5. reading poetry
6. gossiping
7. giving to charity shops
8. running after a bus and catching it
9. Watching my children sleeping
10. walking barefoot in the sand

And now for my very own top ten free and simple pleasures:

1. Listening to my old CD collection - It's amazing how listening to Phil Collins can take me right back to my dad dancing whilst cooking Sunday Breakfast in my old family home and Mariah Carey's music box reminds me of all that teenage angst and blubbering over boys.

2. Finishing a good book - I love the sense of accomplishment you get, but i equally loath waisting all my time on reading a crap book.

3. Tucking up my freshly bathed and dressed for bed girls - I love the smell of their hair and knowing that they are all clean and safely in bed.

4. Having a clutter free and dust free home - i rarely spring clean but love it when i do, i feel light and trouble free.

5. Having a cup of tea in bed - morning or night, it feels so cosy and indulgent.

6. Visiting my nanna or another elderly relative - I wish i could make more of an effort to do this more often.

7. riding a bike - admittedly it's been years but i love the feeling of pure freedom it gives you.

8. A boiling hot bubble bath - pure bliss, but my skin has to be red as a lobsters when i get out to feel the full effects

9. Swimming - I haven't donned a swimsuit with my kids, unless I'm on holiday...EVER! That's all about to change though this year as I've very recently rediscovered my love of taking a dip in the pool and my jelly belly isn't half as bad as i fear.

10. Swinging - Hahaha no you filthy minded lot, not THAT kind of swinging, i mean actually sitting on a swing in the park with the kids and seeing who can go the highest, nothing beats feeling like a kid again!


I'm now going to tag ten other bloggers and ask them to list their very own free simple pleasures that make them happy, lets call it the "Ten best things in my life that are free" meme. Feel free to join in even if i haven't tagged you i don't mean to leave anyone out but there are not enough hours in the day for me to tag all my blog roll. So enjoy guys, i know i did!

MBNAD Woman
and one more means four
metropolitan mum
The Dotterel
Rosie scribble
Brits in Bosnia
The babbling mummy
Baby Baby
Crystal Jigsaw
Not far from the madding crowd

Thursday, 31 December 2009

So long 2009...I'll be glad to see the back of you!

Hi all! I hope you've all had a very merry Christmas with lots of turkey and mulled wine. After not getting off to the best of starts this crimbo (Mr Bold awoke on Christmas Eve with septic tonsillitis...again)2009 has ended up becoming the best Christmas I've ever had. Due to the very bad timing of Mr Bolds illness Christmas dinner in the Bold house had to be cancelled...i couldn't very well cook a whole turkey for myself now could I?

It all worked out for the best, my mum and dad took pity on us and invited all six of us over for dinner along with my Nana and my brother and we had a fantastic meal, PLUS i didn't have the stress of mountains of dirty dishes......PERFECT.

Another bonus this Christmas was the quality of the presents i received, i know Christmas is all about the giving not receiving and i don't expect anything too extravagant at all really but it's so nice to not just get primark slippers and a smelly set for once. Since the arrival of my girls, obviously all our energy and money is spent on them and Mr Bold and I are lucky if we manage to purchase a card for one another but this year we put in a little more effort and a few more pennies.

The result was a fabulous faux fur M&S coat which i LOVE, a beautiful watch, Marc Jacobs perfume, luxury chocolates and that was just from Mr Bold. God only knows what's come over my mum and Super Frugal dad but not only was all the girls spoilt rotten with baby Annabel everything, dolls, little people airports, garages....i could go on forever, Me and Mr Bold got some top presents too including my favourite Sanctuary toiletries and a lovely jumper.


However, by far the best present i received this year was these super sexy adult all-in-one PJ's from my little sister.....



And here is a pic of me and my brother perfecting our posing skills, i think we may have had just a little too much to drink. I'm sporting my new faux fur coat isn't it Lush?




Well here's to a Happy New Year everyone, i hope you all have a ball and that 2010 is the best year yet!

Tuesday, 22 December 2009

It's Snow good!

I can't believe i haven't posted for over two weeks, the cold weather's making me so lazy i can't bare to drag myself away from the roaring fire long enough to write a post. The kids are so excited about the prospect of a white christmas and i've lost count of the amount of snowballs we've made, now that i am safely sat in the comfort of my own home i can enjoy the views of snow capped roof tops and white blankets on the ground.

We've had a busy weekend and the big girls have had non-stop fun, spending every evening since friday having sleepovers at Auntie S's house, Nannys house and we spent saturday and sunday at my bestest friends house in Leeds to celebrate her daughters fourth birthday. We managed to make it home in one piece, after poor Mr Bold braved the trecherous conditions and eventually arrived safely in leeds, What should have been just over an hours car journey had taken him almost four hours!

So now with only three days to go untill christmas we are sat watching the jack in the beanstalk panto i sky+ last night and i'm trying to gear myself up for more froliking in the snow, i've promised the girls we can make snow angels after lunch but it's bloody boltic. Tonight, myself and Mr Bold should have been having a rare evening out for a meal with friends but my babysitter (my mum) has cancelled on us this morning due to the weather, which is just pants because the sexy dress i ordered from Next online yesterday afternoon has just arrived and i was sooo looking forward to actuallly making an effort with my apperance for once and spending some quality time with hubby and other ADULTS!!! Never mind i suppose i can always wear it sat in the house wrapping the last of the christmas presents.

Sunday, 6 December 2009

Santa Clause is coming to town......

Guess who we've been to visit today? Yes the main man himself Father Christmas and all the girls got to tell him exactly what they'd like for Christmas and pose for a picture with him. Well all the girls except Belle, she got a little upset and refused to even look at him, yet she still accepted her selection box. I suppose three out of four ain't bad and i was pleasantly surprised at how authentic Santa looked, no whiffs of whisky or pee emitting from his costume and he was exceptionally child friendly which was quite a shocker considering every other Father Christmas I've encountered made it blatantly obvious they couldn't stand little nippers.


Here's my big girl Mia, she asked for a "tea set"




And my ickle Sofia who asked for " a dolls house"



Lastly Eva the Diva who wasn't at all fazed by Santa but she didn't manage to put a request in, maybe next year....

Friday, 4 December 2009

Commenting etiquette???

I 've been flitting in and out of blog land lately, this time of year is so hectic what with Christmas presents to buy, trees to decorate and Christmas aside, i already have my hands completely full with the girls.

A recent post by Linda over at got your hands full called "ten reasons i don't comment on your blog" got me thinking though about my lack of commenting etiquette. I am the most disorganised person you are ever likely to come across and this extends to all aspects of my life from my friendships, children and my home. I am the person who never responds to RSVPS until the day before, posts invites the DAY I'm hosting an event, always sends belated birthday cards or just forgets completely it was your birthday and i have a stock pile of well intended thank you cards that i have never actually gotten around to writing!

Obviously i am most peoples worst nightmare but i like to think my friends find it quite endearing really, either that or they are so used to my lax approach to life that they just roll their eyes at me and accept I'm a complete flake. Blog land i fear is nowhere near as forgiving, but I'm afraid this lady's not for turning, I'm too set in my ways and as much as i have the best of intentions to "change" I'm like a dog destined to never learn new tricks.

I am ashamed to admit that i don't always reply to kind comments left on my blog posts. There I've said it, but this is not because i am not hugely grateful and chuffed to bits that someone has taken the time to acknowledge the dribble I've written (I smile every time i receive a comment, it's the best feeling ever),it's simply a shortage of time on my part. I always eventually return the favour and comment on the other persons blog or i acknowledge their comment, i hardly ever manage both. When i leave a comment on someone Else's blog i don't assume they will acknowledge it unless the post in question is a serious issue causing a debate and the blogger has already responded to every other comment. One of my favourite bloggers Maternal Tales is great at responding to every comment she receives and she always replies to my comments which i admit is lovely and so i find myself going back to check her comments but this is the only blog i return to check. Once I've left a comment that's it, there are not enough hours in the day to keep going back and forth commenting on commenting!


I have four small children which consume all my time, i don't make a living from my blog and i am in the process of starting a new business venture so my blog is purely escapist and a fun outlet for me. Yet lately the fun has been zapped out of this from the huge guilt i feel at my lack of blogging etiquette. I find myself avoiding writing a new post for fear of upsetting those last few lovely commenter's i have yet to respond to and worrying they'll be annoyed at me for ignoring them. Seriously just saying this out loud sounds absurd, so for anyone out there thoughtful enough to read or comment on my blog thank you and sorry for my laziness i assure you I'm very appreciative, It's just I'm useless and have no manners!