Yes, we were shaken from our beds at 12.58 last night! DH was still awake and in the spare room, and I was awoken by the mirror doors in our wardrobes shaking something rotten. When Em was a few weeks old there was a 5.0 quake in nearby Dudley which did the same thing, freaked me so much I picked up my sleeping baby and forced a feed on her to calm ME down! DH slept through that one, also in the spare room as it happens! Last night was 5.2 and in Lincolnshire, which is a bit further away. It left me and DH a bit wobbly but both girls asleep. Well, Em claims she woke up and was a bit scared, but that was after finding out some of her school friends had been woken by it, so I think she feels she's missed something and ought to say she didnt! Well, no damage that I can see, thank goodness.

The eruptions are in poor Soph's mouth! On Saturday, after a break of nearly 3 months, she finally cut the promised 7th tooth. On Monday I found the 8th, a molar. Today, I found the last incisor, and I see there is another top molar just below the surface, should be here by Friday. Consequently, and quite understandably, she is grumpy and off her food. Well, I say "off" - she's eaten a counter from one of Emma's games (thought it was a piece of sweetcorn in the nappy!) and a shred of silver foil from one of Emma's collages, plus a cardboard toilet roll and numerous books, but food....naah! So she's eating a few raisins and cranberries for breakfast, a cheese string on a shopping trip, some houmous and a piece of cucumber and a fromage frais for lunch, two noodles and a fromage frais for dinner, and lots of night time feeds!

Em came home from school early yesterday - she'd bumped her head, had a heavy cold and had needed new undies twice in half an hour "so unlike her" I was told. Is it? We've been getting thru the undies since school started, 3 years after getting the hang of the potty. After ruling out an infection, we've tried nagging, encouraging, punishing, more nagging, suggestions... now Ive gone and chatted to the teacher and asked if they can prompt her to go to the toilet throughout the day, and encourage her to drink more at school. She was always "my little fish" but she doesnt drink much at school, and Im sure it's part of the problem. Anyway, this morning she said she was "too poorly" to go to school. I managed to persuage her to eat breakfast, but she still insisted she was too ill for school, so I said in that case she needed to go back to bed for a while. After half an hour she appeared downstairs saying she felt much better and wanted to go to school. Perhaps she was bored??? But it was 8.40am and she wasnt dressed! So we rapidly dressed her, hurried into the car, and got there just as her friends disppeared through the door. Only later did I remember she'd not brushed her hair or her teeth. Oh well, she was there!

At church today the sermon was based on the well known "Love is patient, love is kind...." passage, and it got me thinking, inspite another of those blasted headaches making me wade through treacle to get there! Anyway, here are my meanderings, for what they're worth.

First, the passage from my favourite The Message version, courtesy of e-sword

So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 

Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, 

 Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others,

 Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,

 Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.

Well, this was the passage that was read at my wedding, so it's very applicable to the kind of unselfish love I need to make my marriage function. We've always tried never to let the sun go down on an argument - in fact before we were exhausted by the addition of small people we were very disciplined in never walking away from each other with a cross word unresolved (because the quicker it's forgiven, the easier it is to forget it). 

It's obviously about God's love, being in the Bible! But it's also about a successful Community, which was the point of the sermon this morning, but is true of any Community, even one in cyber-space.

But for me it is also a picture of the kind of parent I want to be - one who looks for the best, keeps on going, doesnt fly off the handle, and cares more for these children I have been entrusted with than I do for myself. Big challenge! But it is something to aim for, and of course, "if you aim at nothing then that is what you'll hit, nothing!"

Alan sent me this quote today:

"Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad!"

Parenting seems like one long struggle to get knowledge to turn into wisdom before it's too late!

Anyway, thought I'd share it, for what it's worth.

Just hurrying, I really must be in bed after losing so much sleep to a migraine last night, but I finally uploaded some pics from last week.

They never get too big for bubbles, do they? It was kinda loud but very enjoyable!

Above & below, the A-team, laying my patio. Cold and heavy work, but they did a grand job!

Right, my bedtime, ni'night!

Well, half term is over, Em's back to school on Monday; Grandma & Grandad went back home today. My neck has almost stopped being stiff, and no more fainting - I guess the two were related. Grandad has been working like crazy and has managed to finish laying the patio with Alan's help. Cant wait to use it in the summer! Emma has had swimming lessons every morning this week and has really gained in confidence. We went swimming as a family this afternoon and Em had a great time. Sophie enjoyed herself no end but got cold rather too quickly, and there werent enough changing rooms which was a nuisance. Better get on!

Well, tomorrow is the start of Em's half term holiday, so in theory we do not have to rush to get out of bed. Hahah - so I booked her into 9am swimming lessons for the week! She's been bugging me for lessons for years, but you can only fit in just so much, and her eczema flares up so badly after swimming, that it gets dropped to the bottom of the list.

Well, I wasnt especially looking forward to the early start but after today I really am not. I woke with a VERY stiff neck this morning, and everyone piled into bed for wake up time so I eventually got out. Then I started gently stretching my neck muscles and also noticed feeling a little nauseous. So I thought, better get nearer the toilet, just in case. We have a very small toilet room and have a plastic stool in there for Em to reach the basin which just about fills it, so I sat down on that, feeling more sick. Next thing I knew, my eyes were shut and Alan was talking to me. I had fainted! Because of the lack of space, I was still sitting up. He says I was out of it for about a minute. So we all stayed in today. I dont know if it's related to the stiff neck, which I still have, but there was no warning, and I havent had a repetition so hopefully we will be ok when he goes back to work tomorrow. My inlaws arrive on Tuesday, so I only have to be on my own for 1.5 days. My neck is hurting so much it's hard to lift Soph, so Al has done all the nappies & lifting today.

Thank goodness Alan hadnt left for church music practice, or that it wasnt a work day. Dont know what Emma would have made of unconcious mummy! Now Im trying to teach her how to phone daddy on my mobile, JIC.

Em & I are still a bit poorly today but we managed to get things done anyway. It was one of those days when I miss having family nearer so I could just sit out an illness - I thought that, pre-kids I would have taken the day off work today and sat in a comfy chair under a duvet with a warm drink, telly zapper and mobile phone in the knowledge that if I rested completely I'd be better quicker. Instead today Sophie decided not to nap and wouldnt let me go to sleep (tried feeding her in bed, got continually kicked in the tummy, but if I put my hand over my stomach she hurt my "spare" boob instead - grrrr)! I felt a little better when I forced myself to get into the kitchen to make pancakes. I did bacon with maple syrup for 1sts and lemon with sugar for seconds (I actually offered bananas with peanut butter and chocolate spread - Emma's new favourite mix, but all she wanted was bacon!). Seeing the maple syrup reminded me of just before Christmas when we went round to a friends house for a girlie evening with home-made waffles, and our host offered a range of toppings including maple syrup. We were all politely putting small amounts on when a Canadian lady sloshed on a large portion of it. I tried to tactfully explain it's a bit of a luxury here!

Well, it's nowhere near Friday, so can I call these Foto Friday? See if I get round to it LOL! DH has helped me get the pics off the computer which isnt coping with the internet right now and onto the laptop via his MP3 player. What a palava!

Em above and below on Saturday after her latest haircut. She's not too impressed as she's lost her beloved step at the back, but oh boy it was easy to brush this morning for school! I've told her if I get no more bother from her she can grow her step back in a few months time. I doubt it will happen so quickly! She really didnt want the back photographed below, hence why Im holding her hand!

Above & below, Sophie today playing in my new hat! Below she had been trying to switch an electric socket on as she has "discovered" light switches. This met with a swift "NO" from me, so she is walking towards me shaking her head with that determined look on her face that Im getting to know rather too well that says "I dont like what you said Mum!"

Below Alan & Emma waiting from breakfast a few Saturdays ago.

Above & below are pics of Soph on her birthday prez from Grandma & Grandad.

Things are buzzing around in my head this week. I've been bothered by headaches a few days, so I havent achieved much on the home front, Sophie is pretty cryey (teething most likely, tho we've been stuck at 6 teeth for 2 months or more) and I may possibly be getting a part time job (plenty to think about there). On top of that our internet connection is down... well, as far as I can work out, DH uninstalled a well known firewall, installed the trial version of a new one, rebooted and... no wireless connection. Uninstalled, went back to backup, reinstalled, down again. Hired professional friend to sort out - after an hour he said go back to basics, I could be here for a week otherwise. So right now DH is trying to find time to sort it all out and I get to borrow his work laptop if he remembers to bring it home at night!

We all had haircuts today (except Soph who hasnt got enough yet, though Em was dying for Soph to have a cut!). Als hair was long enough to remind me of when I first met him at college when he couldnt afford too many cuts and so it was longer. I had mine in a short bob last time - spur of the moment thing. But I've had my hair long such a long time and I couldnt cope with not being able to tie it back on bad hair days, so Im letting it go back to a longer bob again. One day I#ll have to concede that Im too old for long hair... maybe! Last cut, 2 months ago, Em had a short bob with a step at the back. She loved it AND it looked great. It had to be short as her hair is straight with loads of frizzy bits in it. My hair is dead straight but prone to tangling - she's even worse, and she HATES having her hair brushed with a vengence. We have rows about it most mornings, and she goes to school at least once a week with her hair half or completely unbrushed. Sometimes I even resort to pinning her down, which I hate doing. Not sure what to do. So today I asked the hairdresser to cut it short in the problem area, but try to maintain the bob-look. Well, Em is disappointed to lose the step. It cant get much shorter without being shaved all over. She gets these big tangly ear-muffs every morning. Im just hoping these bits are so short now the ear-muffs will be no more!

I hear a Sophie.... Al is dummy stuffing. Wow, it worked, that's unusual! She was good but right now it's been awful.