As per my Blog earlier in the week, here are two pics of Emma in her new school uniform - back to front shirt, skirt under pinafore dress, etc! This was just before her "art" with fertiliser.... still clearing that up! Also below is a painting by Emma last week of Daddy - I love her pictures of people. Daddy is her favourite subject.

Well, I've bought half the stack-a-boxes in Rugby!!! I dived into town while Em was at Preschool this morning and bought a load of boxes. I'm trying not to get too stressed (though a little is sure focussing the mind!) but my friend who is doing some cleaning for me has expressed the intention to come in while we're on holiday next week and blitz the place. I'm terrified I will come back and all my things will be missing! You see, I'm untidy but not disorganised! If you're a tidy and organised person this will probably make no sense!!! At my last paid job I had a boss who was tidy but disorganised - his desk was immaculate but it was me who did most of the work (I kid you not!)! I always knew roughly where on my desk every bit of paper was, and could lay my hands on the facts I needed while I was on the phone to a member of the public. Great prep for motherhood! Anyway, I've got some tidying done today. Tomorrow the packing commences!

Well, I needed a laugh, and this email from DH made me laugh til the tears ran down my face. I hope if you need a laugh, it will work on you too.

ANSWERS TO QUIZ QUESTIONS ON UK TV/RADIO

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE
Bamber Gascoigne : What was Ghandi´s first name?
Contestant : Goosey, Goosey?

THE WEAKEST LINK
Anne Robinson : In traffic, what "J" is where two roads meet?
Contestant : Jool carriageway.
Anne Robinson : Which Italian city is overlooked by Vesuvius?
Contestant : Bombay .
Anne Robinson : What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
Contestant : Crocodiles.
Anne Robinson : Wh...?
Contestant (interrupting) : Pass!
Anne Robinson : In olden times, what were minstrels, travelling entertainers or chocolate salesmen?
Contestant : Chocolate salesmen.
Anne Robinson : The Bible, the New Testament. The Four Gospels were written by Matthew , Mark , Luke and...?
Contestant : (long pause) Joe ?
Anne Robinson : Who was a famous Indian leader, whose name begins with G, revered by millions, who was assassinated and received a state funeral?
Contestant : Geronimo !

NATIONAL LOTTERY JET SET
Eamonn Holmes : What´s the name of the playwright commonly known by the initials G.B.S.?
Contestant : William Shakespeare .

CHRIS SEARLE SHOW, BBC BRISTOL
Searle : In which European country is Mount Etna ?
Caller : Japan .
Searle : I did say which European country, so in case you didn´t hear that, I can let you try again.
Caller : Er... Mexico ?

FAMILY FORTUNES
1 ) Something a blind man might use? - A Sword
2 ) A song with the word Moon in the title? - Blue Suede Moon
3 ) Name the capital of France ? - F
4 ) Name a bird with a long Neck? - Naomi Campbell
5 ) Name an occupation where you might need a torch? - A burglar
6 ) Where is the Taj Mahal? - Opposite the Dental Hospital
7 ) What is Hitler ´s first name? - Heil
8 ) A famous Scotsman? - Jock
9 ) Some famous brothers? - Bonnie and Clyde .
10 ) A dangerous race? - The Arabs
11 ) Something that floats in a bath? - Water
12 ) An item of clothing worn by the Three Musketeers? - A horse
13 ) Something you wear on a beach? - A deckchair
14 ) A famous Royal? - Mail
15 ) Something that flies that doesn´t have an engine? - A bicycle with wings
16 ) A famous bridge? - The Bridge Over Troubled Waters
17 ) Something a cat does? - Goes to the toilet
18 ) Something you do in the bathroom? - Decorate
19 ) A method of securing your home? - Put the kettle on
20 ) Something associated with pigs? - The Police
21 ) A sign of the Zodiac? - April
22 ) Something people might be allergic to? - Skiing
23 ) Something you do before you go to bed? - Sleep
24 ) Something you put on walls? - A roof
25 ) Something slippery? - A conman
26 ) A kind of ache? - A fillet of fish
27 ) A jacket potato topping? - Jam
28 ) A food that can be brown or white? - A potato
29 ) Something sold by gypsies? - Bananas
30 ) Something red? - My sweater

RADIO LINCS PHONE-IN
Presenter : Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world?
Contestant : Barcelona .
Presenter : I was really after the name of a country.
Contestant : I´m sorry, I don´t know the names of any countries in Spain .

STEVE WRIGHT SHOW, RADIO 2
Wright : On which continent would you find the River Danube?
Contestant : India .
Wright : What is the Italian word for motorway?
Contestant : Espresso.
Wright : What is the capital of Australia ? And it´s not Sydney .
Contestant : Sydney .

THIS MORNING
Judy Finnegan : The American TV show ´The Sopranos´ is about opera.
True or false?
Contestant : True?
Judy Finnegan : No, actually, it´s about the Mafia. But it is an American TV show,so I´ll give you that.

BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE
Paul Wappat : How long did the Six Day War between Egypt and Israel last?
Contestant (after long pause) : Fourteen days.

BOB HOPE BIRTHDAY QUIZ, LBC
Presenter : Bob Hope was the fifth of how many sons?
Contestant : Four

BBC GMR, PHIL WOOD SHOW
Wood : What "K" could be described as the Islamic Bible?
Contestant : Er...
Wood : It´s got two syllables... Kor...
Contestant : Blimey?
Wood : Ha ha ha ha no. The past participle of run...
Contestant : (Silence)
Wood : OK, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I...
Contestant : Walked?

DARYL ´S DRIVETIME, VIRGIN RADIO
Daryl Denham : In which country would you spend shekels?
Contestant : Holland ?
Daryl Denham : Try the next letter of the alphabet.
Contestant : Iceland ? Ireland ?
Daryl Denham (helpfully): It´s a bad line. Did you say Israel ?
Contestant : No.

Oh, I could just scream - I'm still wound up hours later!

Emma was being so good. She'd agreed to try on some school uniform so I could see what fits (at the moment - I'll have to stop feeding her, she's in 5-6 years already and she starts school in September!) and came in wearing the polo shirt backwards, pinafore dress over it and a skirt under it! I'll post a photo another day!

Then Sophie got clingy and sad so I fed her. Emma was pootling about being fine when I realised she had a "little project" on. I was a bit suspicious but it's usually just a little mischief or artwork, nothing bad. When I finally was free to investigate I didnt know whether to laugh or cry. She'd taken my new tub of granular fertiliser down from the worksurface by the kitchen door and spooned bits everywhere, very methodically. Every shoe had a spoonful in. Every pot in my trinkets cabinet had fertiliser in. Each cushion on the chairs had some. The doormat had some. Aaaagh! The 2kg tub was nearly empty!

Trying not to panic, I explained it was messy, expensive and probably poisonous to Sophie, so she needed to put it ALL back into the tub pronto if she was to avoid further punishment. All was going well until a friend's daughter arrived with some stuff for school. Emma started showing off to her 12 year old playmate. I explained that she couldnt play until it was all tidy but unfortunately she couldnt resist emptying some of the fertiliser back out again while my back was turned! The 12 year old was meanwhile trying unsuccessfully to placcate a miserable ignored baby. In the end she gave up and went home. Emma was not happy! Neither was I and yelled a bit as more fertiliser was emptied back onto the carpet. In the end Emma retreated to her room and I swept and hand-vac'ed up what I could until the rechargeable battery on the vac ran out. I shall have to do the rest tomorrow, including emptying out the trinket cabinet and the shoe cupboard! All I need.

Well, she certainly showed dedication and attention to detail!

3 photos I took of my girls while I was cooking dinner on Wednesday (ok, a cheat for foto friday!)

She loves her plums - what a dribbly mess!

In case you wondered, we have a tv on a bracket on the wall - that's what they're glued to! Emma's taking a break from painting some saltdough models. Sophie has a tray full of fruit & veg to chomp on so I can get on, and Emma wanted a plum too!

Sophie saw the camera and started to smile - first time she's really done that (her eldest cousin would do that from 6 months)! It's a real sparkly smile - I know I'm biased, but aint it a beautiful smile?

It's raining cats & dogs outside at the moment. Happily it stopped raining as we got on the coaches this morning and only restarted as we got back on them to come home. The Safari Park was great, but so tiring. Em was under parr with her cold anyway, so all she did was go on the bouncy castle after lunch and go in the shop. We drove through Woburn Safari Park in a convoy of 3 coaches, seeing elephants, lions, monkeys etc. Here are 3 of the better pics:

The kids were very excited. I was a bit distracted by Sophie. Anyway I'm exhausted now so we had a fish & chip supper and I will try to go to bed earlier than usual.

DH is so tired at the moment and it's bugging me. Am I the only one that went through an exhausting pregnancy with a DH who seemed more tired than them? He's been in the spare room for over 6 months, and I have a baby who is only going 3 hourly still, and yet I'm more lively than him (and I'm not lively)?! It's hard to be sympathetic. I know he does a mentally demanding job, commutes, works away, and is pretty helpful around the house and with the kids, but I need him to have enough energy to make up the shortfall on what I cant do at the moment but cant be left undone.

Well, yesterday I had a friend in to help with cleaning (she was paid but boy did she earn it) - she blitzed the bathroom for 4 hours. I hear she wants to come in tomorrow and blitz another room - it's great but very unsettling. I'm trying to view this as positively as possible, but it feels a bit like failure. I was just getting so far behind that I thought I would never catch up without a bit of a leg-up! Em has never been happy with me getting on with things without her, and Sophie is not to happy with being left for long at the moment, and I'm so tired from 18 months poor sleep.... Oh well, go with the flow!

In case anyone is in the Woburn area this summer, I got sent this online discount voucher, feel free to use it!

Well, we got through a Tuesday again without a tantrum from Emma! Makes me wonder what the start of school will be like in September if  a long day at the moment sets off a full kicking hitting I hate you tantrum - 5 tired days in a row could lead to meltdown! (And that's just me!)

Sophie started on purees on Saturday, and is having less than usual, but is gradually getting back to eating normally. However, while I picked up Em and her friend J from Preschool today, my friend M looked after Soph and decided she needed lunch. Soph wolfed down the carrot, lentil and apple mixture I'd put in a pot, then moved on to a tin of apple, which used to be Sophies favourite. Sophie spat the first mouthful all over her, with the leftovers of the carrot! She then proceeded to blow rasperries at her every time the spoon approached (her way of saying "NO!")! Poor M looked a little bit stained! Well, she can get her own back before long - when she & her family have finally moved house, M is going to mind her once a week like she did for Em! Bliss!

Al found out today that his customer isn't ready for his visit tomorrow, so we have him working in Cov for the rest of the week - yipee! He's in France almost as soon as we get back from Jersey, and then Ware will be back on. Looks like the timing this week may be useful - Em has done nothing but sneeze & snot all evening. Hope she's ok for the Preschool trip to Woburn Safari Park on Thursday - me & Soph are coming along for the ride, and I've paid for the tickets already (I know, I'm tight, but actually, I'm looking forward to it!).

Sophie was a bit happier today, so I'm a bit happier too. I think Im detecting a tiny improvement in her eating - she finally ate some Farley's Rusk dry today, along with loads of ham, fromage frais and cheese string. Healthy eh? Thank goodness she likes her lumps of food - she seems happier feeding herself, though she isnt insisting with yogurt yet like one of her cousins did at this age (think "shampoo" and you've got the picture!).!

After playing in the garden after lunch, Sophie fell asleep faily easily in her buggy in the garden, and stayed asleep for nearly 3 hours!!! She rarely naps over an hour, unless in the car (and even then rarely) - the fresh air must agree with her or something. So I got some gardening done - yipee!

Anyway, here are some photos from this afternoon.

Sophie watching Emma swinging above and sliding below - bet she wishes she could join in! The carpets are to smother the weeds, but they're handy while they're still in good condition to sit Soph on too!

Emma by one of my favourite shrubs in the garden (Smoke bush) above, and Sophie sitting up well with me below - the latter taken by Emma. She's getting increasingly reliable with sitting, as well as this week starting to wave (caught her waving wildly at Balamory on TV - realised they were all waving Goodbye to her). She's also practically there with rolling. And we're now playing the "yes, yes, yes, no, no, no" game (ie nod your head now shake your head etc) enthusiastically.

This frog was brave enough to be hopping around in Emma's playhouse (actually I think he lives in there) so Emma snapped him with the camera. We have loads of frogs in our garden as we back onto a flooded old section of disused railway line, and when the tadpoles grow their legs they all hop up the cutting looking for food!

Below is a ladybird - it is a Pine Ladybird, but I got all excited last night and reported him as we're on the lookout for the Harlequin Ladybird in the UK at the moment, as it's very invasive and non-native. I emailed the Survey people the photo and they said it wasnt the nasty one so I let it go - amazed it was still alive!

Yesterday at a mums meeting at church we were all supposed to be discussing the following quote:

Aim low, achieve your goals and avoid disappointment.

We didnt get far as with so many babies and toddlers the constant interuptions usually curtail any depth!

However, most of us admitted to the knee-jerk reaction that to aim low WAS to fail, but then thought "what is low?" - if it is aiming at virtually nothing, it is a waste of talent etc but if it is realistic/pragmatic, it stops us from aiming at perfection and feeling we should have done better if only...... which is an easy thing to fall into if you're a parent, I think.

I find it far too easy to think I should be keeping the house cleaner, reading more books with the kids, getting the art things out daily, cooking with DD1 every day, visiting friends more, inviting children over more.... the list goes on! But I only have a little energy, and 24 hours just flies by - it's easy to have a day when it's an achievement to have eaten 3 times and got into and out of our day clothes/pjamas!

And comparing myself to "supermums" isnt very helpful - we all have our different talents, different support systems, different obsessions, etc! I help out at a Toddler Group on Mondays & Tuesdays and this monday we had 8 adults and tuesday we had about 20! Someone commented "it's not every parent who's happy leaving the house in a mess on a Monday morning" - with me, that's often the REASON I want to get OUT, but with others, they cant relax until they've cleared up after the weekend. With me, I will go to bed with a mess downstairs as my priority is & always has been to get enough sleep, but about half the women I know cant sleep well if they havent cleared up first, even if it's 2am by the time they crawl into bed! With me, it's important to have a house that I'm not too obsessed by (not a showhome!) so that I don't stress too much when my DD1 is painting or playdoughing and making a mess - nurturing her talent is more important to me than having a spotless house, but I know plenty of parents who leave all the art to Preschool as they're too afraid to let their children make a mess at home & wreck the new cream carpets etc! As my family all live far away I end up with my kids constantly without a break week after week (except for Preschool) - I havent been away from Sophie for longer than 3 hours since she was conceived, and I dont think I've been away from her for longer than half an hour this year at all! Even if I have a migraine, I'm still on duty, especially with a husband who works away quite a bit. Others maybe can take on more if they can have their mum/sister etc help out a bit - not an option with me. 

Well, it takes all sorts, and these are just my priorities & constraints, but I shouldnt try to be like people who have such a different set of priorities & constraints to me - the stress/conflict wont help any, will it? So I think I will  try to aim realistically low and recognise that I am achieving some of my goals and really, I'm not failing as often as I feel like I am sometimes! Then perhaps I will sleep better!

Sophie is still very ify about solids - only ate lunch today - a fromage frais, a piece of biscuit, some ham and a taste of orange jelly! Oh so healthy!!! I really was spoiled with Emma, she never went off food (rather like me then!) unless she was seriously ill (even then she ate normally with SSSS!). Welcome to a normal baby eh? She's feeding off me fine - I trust I'm producing more, though I dont feel like I'm a Z cup yet!

Now I'm nursing an injury, and I dont know where I got it. My left heel is all numb and if I stretch the back of my left leg my left ankle hurts. I should stay off my feet I s'pose but that's easier said than done - DH goes away for 2 days in the morning, and Soph is a bit high-needs at the moment.

A couple of days ago I was talking about death to Emma (I dont think it should be a taboo, esp as she will lose another great x2aunty before long I suspect) and I was explaining how in heaven I believe we all get new bodies that cant get hurt, and how there's no pain or crying, just one long party. Emma declared that she still wanted to be able to get bruised and graze her knee when she gets to heaven! I said just maybe Jesus would make an exception for her, if she REALLY wanted! Funny girl! Perhaps she knows she's really good at getting bruised and wants to take her talents with her?!

Yes, I'll be off to bed shortly, as I've promised DH! Yesterday was a bit busy, and Soph is waking 3 hourly now, but mostly I think it's coz Soph has been so demanding. At least Preschool starts again tomorrow, but Al is working away 2 days this and next week (1 night, but bound to be back late the second night) so I wont be feeling BETTER by Friday unless I get a miracle!

Sophie has been pretty much off solids since Thursday. She will eat yogurt, so it isnt the texture, and she is happy to chew on bread-crusts (a little gets swallowed, the floor gets the rest!). She is also very happy to have me post little pieces of ham in her mouth, which get swallowed. Apart from that it's just breastmilk. Oh well, that should be ok with a 7 month old, shouldnt it? Trying not to worry here, but opinions valued. Not quite worried enough yet to see the Dr or post on Q&A! I'm putting it down to teething, as although she's clingy and tearful, she seems herself (in cycles at least) and has no other symptoms other than being less smiley than usual and off her food. It is a big change as I was defrosting maybe 8 icecubes of various purees 3x a day this time last week. Now, IF I can get puree in (eg by hiding it behind yogurt), it just gets spat out and I get a cross baby. She does cross nearly as well as her big sister used to - big sister has moved on since then and perfected the art, though she may improve on that again by her teens LOL!

Yesterday was busy as Alan was doing photos for some friends who got married. We all got an invite, which is lovely but a bit of a challenge trying to look after the girls on my own until Alan has finished all the pictures. He does this about once a year free of charge when friends who are on a tight budget ask him to, then borrows a really nice camera and stresses about it all! The weather was REALLY lovely. Bride and Groom looked great - he in a cream/white suit and she in dark red (very flattering!), very modern in the most traditional looking church ever (well, parts of it are Saxon ie pre-1066)! Emma was very well behaved, thank goodness. Sophie managed to stay quiet through the quiet bits of the service, then got fed up during the Signing of the Register, and was hard work through the photos, food and on into the evening. We were hoping to stay for the music but only caught the first musician. A band we know were on next but we couldnt wait, and then a barn dance, which would have been great fun. We got home at 9, and Emma has been rather grumpy today!

Anyway, here's me & Sophie:

And here is the very old church. Across the road are two mounds from the 11th Century which used to have a castle on them, and spoiling the scene is the noisy M1 motorway a few fields away!