arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh

I have been at college now for nearly 2 weeks and already my head is swimming with writing do's and don't's, the Constitution, the monarchy, shorthand, web design.....as i said aarrrggghhhhh.

But i have to say I am loving it!!! My wrist is really aching today from all the notes that I have taken and there is to be no let up.

I honestly did not think there was soooo much law and public affairs that a journalist have to take into consideration.

I new that newspaper writing is a style all on its own, but there are more rules and regulations than you can shake a stick out...hmmm I think I will impart some knowledge...did you know that the media cannot name a rape victim for their entire life...all the other details are fair game as long as you don't write anything that can be seen as libel or contempt of court by publication and that we have some give in the libel issue because of a "special privilege" given to us by government...ha..get me!!

I can also write all manner of things in short hand like bum, sexy sexy, dick, mum, bum, shall is written with just one letter...oh good times.

So we do all the academic stuff and have a giggle doing it (apparently I ask really good intelligent questions...who new!!) and then for lunch someone has an Ipod with speakers and we all go to the grass area and sit around and have good quality conversation like Fritz and then the price of childcare, to the Beatles..all good with me.

We are such a diverse range of people that we simply just get along and are becoming friends but we are all slightly weird in our own little ways!! I would love to tell tales but I could be sued in a Civil case, which is heard by a jury and then they will get me to pay court fees and a fine laid down by the jury...bad times.

So with all my new knowledge where can I have a right good old English moan...ha fail you I won't....

I am beyond tired, when my alarm goes off in the morning I could swear that I have only been asleep for 5 minutes...I am reading and doing homework till about 8-9pm every night and yet still feel like I am being left behind, My wrist is really aching, notepads are going to cost me so much I may take out shares (have already been through one book), AND I feel like poo, I have the onset of a cold but there is no way that I can take any time off....we cover sooo much in one lesson that to miss one would be severe.

BUT EVEN WITH THE MOAN, I am still loving it. As I said, I really didn't appreciate how much journalist actually needed to know but by knowing gaining this new information I feel my eyes opening to all kinds of things and feel the power of knowledge beneath my wings!!

So my question / thought for this entry is...what was the ultimate piece of knowledge you ever had, do you remember who gave the information and is it something you use on a regular basis???

it's all gone a bit mental and rather sad

RIP Ruby blue, forever in our hearts, forever missed x x


My house, since Friday, has just gone mental. One of more poor feline babies got stung on his paw and was swollen to double its normal size! Straight down the vet who said that he had had an allergic reaction to what ever had stung him. An over night stay later and he was good to come home. Lots of fuss and lovin was made of him and I have to say he was loving it!!

Then on Sunday afternoon the poor thing came in looking, well, high is the only way I can describe it and breathing like he was on 40 fags a day...sooo distressed. We decided leaving taking him to the vets and Nath would do it in the morning.

So Sunday night came and I was very very nervous about starting college the next day. Stress before I even walked through the door of college. I am the worlds biggest wimp when it comes to parking my car, I just don't do it if I can get out of it. Theo's school is on a very narrow street where drop off time is crazy busy and then I had to get to college and park there and so be on my merry way....lost half a stone on sweat!!

Half way through the morning I get a call from nathan saying that there really wasn't anything they could do for my poor cat Ruby. he had been run over and all of his internal organs had been shunted upwards hence the breathing. Right, ok, be strong, get through the form filling at college and then break down.

We decided that we would have a little funeral for Ruby and I got a red rose bush to plant by the grave. You have to understand that Ruby was Theo's cat and I have to admit that I really didn't know how to tell the poor kid. nath came home early and we both picked him up from school and told him when we got back home. It was soooo sad, we all just sat there and wept for him.

Nath went to dig a hole in the garden and then Theo and I went out. Nath placed the cat in the hole, he just looked like he was curled up asleep...totally heart wrenching. We put a rose over him. Theo and I turned away while nath covered him, I thought that was one sight that theo really didn't need to see.

We said our good byes and that was that. We all came in and just sat and balled our eyes out....I never ever want an evening like that again.

The thing is though, He lived in our conservatory and every time I went out there he would stretch out and welcome me with the loudest purr I have ever heard. I find it hard to go out there now, and we still have 3 feed bowls as we can't get rid of the 3rd just yet.

So that's that side of things.

College is all I expected it to be. Yes I am the fattest girl and yes I am the oldest one there, but do you know what, I don't feel out of place as we have all rather quickly made friends and are all on the same path...I am really enjoying it!!
It's full on with heaps of homework (of which I am supposed to be doing right now). My favourite subject so far HAS to be shorthand!!!

Anyways...Hows your week been, any traumas????!!!!

first day of year one

When I decided to take the whole of the summer off with my son I did so with trepidation. How were we going to get on? Did we have enough to fill our time? would we drive each other crazy? could I handle having that much responsibility for all that time? At the end of the day, he's my son, my gold, the light of my life, and with all those questions, one feeling wiped them all out....excitement.
The last time I spent that much time with my 5 year old child was when he was born and I was on maternity leave with him...how crap is that?

We did have enough to fill our days, more than enough even. We seem to have done loads but not done anything!! We had a blast and it was like getting to know him all over again, of course I know him, but now we have this connection...its really hard to explain it!

All summer we have spend messing around and getting dirty and hanging out in shorts, so when a bit of a chill was nipping the air, I put him in jeans...what I want to know is who and when did someone put my son on a stretching machine????
All his trousers that fitted him in July now don't even rest on his ankles...serious shopping time. His feet have grown one and a half sizes...so off we went.

Well, what a laugh we had that day!!!! we spent a fortune on clothes, pants, socks, shoes, jumpers, t-shirts, shirts...you name it, we got it.
We got him a new "Ben 10 Alien force" drink bottle, lunch bag and sports kit bag, so he was one happy bunny.

So today is the day he went back to school to year one.

He has been up since silly O'clock advising Nathan and I of all the things that need to happen before he can go to school...I think the words uttered by us as we lay half asleep was "will that child never shut up" and "oh my lord, help me get through this morning without going mad", you know that sort of thing.
We gave in at about 6.45am, he then proceeded to tell me which new clothes he wanted to wear, what he wanted for lunch, to remind me to get some pumps for his gym bag, also to get a present for a friends birthday party, when is the party....all this was said without taking a breath and all whilst trying to eat breakfast...I didn't need to join the conversation, I couldn't because A) I hadn't landed on planet earth yet and B) It was moving whey to quick for me to respond.

We don't need to leave the house until 8.30, by 8.15 I had spoken just a few words...teeth, dressed, hang on a minute....took my time feeding the animals just for a bit of a break from wired child.

At 8.25 he was running through his checklist of all the stuff we needed to take...hmmpph I thought, and who's going to carry all this stuff?????

When he was in reception, we could drop him off in class, make sure he had someone and something to play with and could go on our merry way with the sound knowledge that he was happy and ok for the day ahead...I liked that, it made me feel at ease.

Today was a different story.
It hadn't even crossed my mind that us parents would not be allowed in the class, so when the whistle went and they marched the children into the school I became rather over-whelmed with it all, much more so than this time last year.

My baby, waved, smiled and off he went with his "mates". "see ya mummy, hope you have a great day", and was gone, just like that.

So here I am, sitting in my toy explosion of a house, all misty eyed and alone with no child to laugh with, no one to watch Harry Potter with and only myself to look after for the next week until I start college on Monday.

I was really looking forward to having this time to myself and now all I want is my son...sniff sniff...when did he get all grown up on me???? (I now have a tear in my eye)

he said this morning that he was a bit nervous but was also excited.

I am so very proud of my son, he is facing this new year with a smile and a skip in his step and whilst other children had a shock when mummy or daddy wouldn't be going into the class room, Theo held my hand gave it a bit of a squeeze and smiled and said "if I can, do you want me to draw you a picture today Mummy because I love you". I love him and already miss him.

All summer, every now and again, he would ask a question about having a new class and a new teacher and I would answer them with the truth. I new to a certain degree he was a bit nervous, but didn't know really what about. So the other day we were playing and I just chatted with him about things and he asked some more questions and asked me if I was going to be alright without him, which I took as is he going to be ok without me, So I answered in a way which was indirectly aimed at him. I think by this point he had had enough of Mummy and wanted to see all his friends again, we had seem them over the summer but they are school friends.

My thought / question for this entry is how have your children handled the new school year and if you don't have any, do you remember how you coped???

I am a very proud Mummy

My son has a fear...of going under water.

From when he was born he loved going in the bath, adored it and he used to shake with excitement when I took him for his bath. However, should i even get close to washing his hair he would have the biggest fit ever.
Even now at the age of nearly 6 I have to hold his head up so that he doesn't feel afraid of getting water in his face.

Earlier on in the summer holidays I booked him in for swimming lessons hoping that this would help gain confidence in the water. He loves swimming and he finds splashing Mummy highly amusing, but should I attempt to splash him he will go mad at me.

The swimming teacher had the children jumping into the water, he wouldn't do it....he was great in the fact that he would do all the other stuff and he came on leaps and bounds with his swimming but still wouldn't get his face or head wet.

Yesterday was a rather boring day so we decided to go swimming, and walk there...its a long way, but its what he wanted to do, so off we went. Along the way he said he was going to go under water...I know its sounds crappy but I really didn't believe him.

So we got there and we were having a nice time messing about and stuff and I gently reminded him that he said he was going to dunk his head. He gave me a look that was pure challenging!!! he slowly got lower and lower in the water until his eyes were covered and jumped up shouting "I did it i did it"...well done said I the encouraging mother that I try to be, and then I just said "but the top of your head is still dry", off he went again, after about 5 times he went fully under...I was nearly crying with pride!!!

What made this even more special was the swimming teacher was there on the side and Theo only noticed her after he had fully submerged!!!

Well that was that, I hardly saw him above the water the whole time we were there!!

What was a bit disappointing though was Nathan wasn't there for that magical moment, but we are going to go swimming tomorrow afternoon so he can see.

I know to some parents, the thought of their child going under water is an every swimming day experience and to others it may fill them with dread, but me...I'm proud of this because it means my son is moving on and won't retain this fear into later life and that to me is worth everything.

So my question / thought for this entry is...how has your child (or other family member) made you proud this week???