Wednesday, 4 February 2009
Helpfl websites
I am searching for a family holiday. I dont have a long list of criteria. It is as follows:
minimum 4 star hotel
has to have a mini golf course on site or nearby
does not have to be all inclusive, but if it is then icecream must be included (hubby designated this, who am I to argue?)
Either a family suite where we have a seperate room from the kids or a duplex bungalow as some family resorts have.
somewhere warm.
Now, am I asking for too much? Remember I have not narrowed it down to location or even price. So, can I find me a travel website that wont force all four of us to be in the same room? Nope, its nigh on impossible. All these very helpful websites want to save me money, but ruin our holiday by putting us all in the same room.
Maybe what I should do is setup a search engine for family holidays. I bet there are families who are more demanding than mine?
minimum 4 star hotel
has to have a mini golf course on site or nearby
does not have to be all inclusive, but if it is then icecream must be included (hubby designated this, who am I to argue?)
Either a family suite where we have a seperate room from the kids or a duplex bungalow as some family resorts have.
somewhere warm.
Now, am I asking for too much? Remember I have not narrowed it down to location or even price. So, can I find me a travel website that wont force all four of us to be in the same room? Nope, its nigh on impossible. All these very helpful websites want to save me money, but ruin our holiday by putting us all in the same room.
Maybe what I should do is setup a search engine for family holidays. I bet there are families who are more demanding than mine?
Why is everything breaking?
The list of electrical appliances which are RIP grows longer everyday. There is no explanation for why they are falling apart, the kids have not wrecked them, hubby thinks its cos there are rocks at the bottom, according to my Granny its because there is negative energy. Whatever the cause I just need it to stop.
Hubby called dishwasher repair guy, he came, charged £40 and told us the machine is unrepairable. I was on a well known electrical retailers website before he even drove off. If there is one thing I cannot live without it is the dishwasher. Hubby blinks at me as the full realisation that he is now the dishwasher hits him. He mutters something about being able to get a new one within a couple of days.
My stubborn streak wakes up, steadfastly refusing to believe that its unrepairable. Tell hubby that the new plan is as follows: we cram in as much dishwashing as we can, put enough dishwasher powder in to clean a cruiseships crockery, put it on the highest setting and run away. His face lights up and tells me he agrees!!
I come back 2 hours later to perfectly washed dishes. Phew! Now to try and fix the tumble drier who gets chilly, the iron who does not want to warm up, and the cranky LAN connection on my laptop......
Hubby called dishwasher repair guy, he came, charged £40 and told us the machine is unrepairable. I was on a well known electrical retailers website before he even drove off. If there is one thing I cannot live without it is the dishwasher. Hubby blinks at me as the full realisation that he is now the dishwasher hits him. He mutters something about being able to get a new one within a couple of days.
My stubborn streak wakes up, steadfastly refusing to believe that its unrepairable. Tell hubby that the new plan is as follows: we cram in as much dishwashing as we can, put enough dishwasher powder in to clean a cruiseships crockery, put it on the highest setting and run away. His face lights up and tells me he agrees!!
I come back 2 hours later to perfectly washed dishes. Phew! Now to try and fix the tumble drier who gets chilly, the iron who does not want to warm up, and the cranky LAN connection on my laptop......
An example of a day in our house - for Eva
05:55 Wake up to Madam screaming. She does not want to go back to sleep. Boy is also awake. Take them downstairs, heat up milk for Madam and raisin toast for the boy.
0700 After various books, an episode of Peppa Pig, kids are ready for breakfast number two. Prepare breakfast number two. The boy polishes off 2.5 weetabix. Madam only wants a slice of toast.
0830 Look out the window, decide that we are still snowbound and I will work from home. Hubby comes downstairs.
0845 Give hubby instructions on lunch and go upstairs to work hugging warm coffee.
0900 – 12:45 Resist the urge to go downstairs and tell hubby off for allowing the kids to play mini golf in the lounge. Spend the next two hours trying drown out the wails of Madam (for her mummy!) and try not to flinch whenever I hear golfclub banging against skirting board or furniture.
13:00 Have lunch with family. Shout hurrah when we see a snowplough clear our road. Decide we can go out.
1400 Having finished up work, I go downstairs to get kids ready to go out to the garden centre.
14:30 At garden centre with kids and hubby (he gave himself the day off!). Kids run amock, screetch at fishes and test out the sheds. By testing I mean banging the doors loudly!
15:15 Leave garden centre to go and pick up some food.
15:30 In shop, explain to hubby that Madam will need to be fed a constant supply of raisins until we reach the checkout. The boy tasks himself with squashing every item he can within the shopping cart.
At the checkout I have Madam in my arms (she is just a bit clingy), enter pin whilst warning the boy that if he unpacks any more items from the bags I just packed then I will leave him here.
16:00 Leave shop, hubby asks me if day with the kids is normally so full on!
16:30 Get home, play with kids whilst leftovers warm up. The next half hour is spent blowing noses, resolving toy disputes, washing hands, washing hands again as Madam has a habit of playing with the bin.
17:00 Eat supper. Agree with bubby that no bath needed (last night we had a poo in the bath incident, not so keen to repeat that).
17:30 Watch kids pile on eachother and play hide and seek.
18:00 Get kids ready for bed. Read loads of books and watch one episode of In the Night Garden.
19:00 – 21:00 I tidy, empty dishwasher, load washing machine, fold clothes, hubby works upstairs.
21:00 – 22:00 Martini time. Get things ready for nursery the next day and ensure I have everything I need for work.
22:00 – 23:00 Read my book The Colour. Then it’s the best bit, time for sleep!
0700 After various books, an episode of Peppa Pig, kids are ready for breakfast number two. Prepare breakfast number two. The boy polishes off 2.5 weetabix. Madam only wants a slice of toast.
0830 Look out the window, decide that we are still snowbound and I will work from home. Hubby comes downstairs.
0845 Give hubby instructions on lunch and go upstairs to work hugging warm coffee.
0900 – 12:45 Resist the urge to go downstairs and tell hubby off for allowing the kids to play mini golf in the lounge. Spend the next two hours trying drown out the wails of Madam (for her mummy!) and try not to flinch whenever I hear golfclub banging against skirting board or furniture.
13:00 Have lunch with family. Shout hurrah when we see a snowplough clear our road. Decide we can go out.
1400 Having finished up work, I go downstairs to get kids ready to go out to the garden centre.
14:30 At garden centre with kids and hubby (he gave himself the day off!). Kids run amock, screetch at fishes and test out the sheds. By testing I mean banging the doors loudly!
15:15 Leave garden centre to go and pick up some food.
15:30 In shop, explain to hubby that Madam will need to be fed a constant supply of raisins until we reach the checkout. The boy tasks himself with squashing every item he can within the shopping cart.
At the checkout I have Madam in my arms (she is just a bit clingy), enter pin whilst warning the boy that if he unpacks any more items from the bags I just packed then I will leave him here.
16:00 Leave shop, hubby asks me if day with the kids is normally so full on!
16:30 Get home, play with kids whilst leftovers warm up. The next half hour is spent blowing noses, resolving toy disputes, washing hands, washing hands again as Madam has a habit of playing with the bin.
17:00 Eat supper. Agree with bubby that no bath needed (last night we had a poo in the bath incident, not so keen to repeat that).
17:30 Watch kids pile on eachother and play hide and seek.
18:00 Get kids ready for bed. Read loads of books and watch one episode of In the Night Garden.
19:00 – 21:00 I tidy, empty dishwasher, load washing machine, fold clothes, hubby works upstairs.
21:00 – 22:00 Martini time. Get things ready for nursery the next day and ensure I have everything I need for work.
22:00 – 23:00 Read my book The Colour. Then it’s the best bit, time for sleep!
Sunday, 1 February 2009
Its snowing
Promised the kids I would build a snowman with them. Have just fished out the snowsuits, gloves, boots. Took me an hour. Better not melt or else!
Why did I not have kids sooner?
I meant to post this a few weeks ago, but it has been forgotten in the whirl of daily life.
If you know me very well, you will know I am not a woman to quote haphazard statistics, HOWEVER, it used to take, on average about 2 weeks for every broken lightbulb to be replaced in our household.
This was back in the days before kids permeated through all aspects of our lives. For instance, it took major effort just to get a lightbulb to be changed. I would kindly remind him that x lightbulb had gone, and could he please replace it. Days would go by, I would then say pleeeease could you replace the lightbulb as I am now going blind, several more terse reminders later, then a whine (from me) would produce a large tut before hubby went to rummage through the lightbulb box. put a 30 watt bulb in, just as a temporary measure. Temporary is a long time in our house, about 2 months and several nags.
Timescales became slightly more bearable, when, I deliberately mispared his dark socks hubby and blamed it on the lack of light. Hubby, desperate to catch his train, promised to amend his ways for a perfectly pared sock. This was fine and good until the next lightless incident which i will call "captain caveman", no light in the kitchen equals no dinner.
It has been a revelation having two kids, even more so for poor old hubby! Kids are fascinated with lights, and even more so with the absence of light. All it takes is for a lightbulb to flciker and both kids point screetching "light light, oh dear". "Look Daddy the lights not working" from boy and "oooooh light" this is on endless replay until the light gets fixed.
Hubby not only has a lightbulb collection Vegas Sign Writers would be proud of, but, they are all within easy reach and its nanoseconds before they are changed.
And, before you ask why I dont change the lightbulb, I just dont, I get nervous looking down, and its a mans job, like taking the rubbish out. I cook I clean he provides the light.
If you know me very well, you will know I am not a woman to quote haphazard statistics, HOWEVER, it used to take, on average about 2 weeks for every broken lightbulb to be replaced in our household.
This was back in the days before kids permeated through all aspects of our lives. For instance, it took major effort just to get a lightbulb to be changed. I would kindly remind him that x lightbulb had gone, and could he please replace it. Days would go by, I would then say pleeeease could you replace the lightbulb as I am now going blind, several more terse reminders later, then a whine (from me) would produce a large tut before hubby went to rummage through the lightbulb box. put a 30 watt bulb in, just as a temporary measure. Temporary is a long time in our house, about 2 months and several nags.
Timescales became slightly more bearable, when, I deliberately mispared his dark socks hubby and blamed it on the lack of light. Hubby, desperate to catch his train, promised to amend his ways for a perfectly pared sock. This was fine and good until the next lightless incident which i will call "captain caveman", no light in the kitchen equals no dinner.
It has been a revelation having two kids, even more so for poor old hubby! Kids are fascinated with lights, and even more so with the absence of light. All it takes is for a lightbulb to flciker and both kids point screetching "light light, oh dear". "Look Daddy the lights not working" from boy and "oooooh light" this is on endless replay until the light gets fixed.
Hubby not only has a lightbulb collection Vegas Sign Writers would be proud of, but, they are all within easy reach and its nanoseconds before they are changed.
And, before you ask why I dont change the lightbulb, I just dont, I get nervous looking down, and its a mans job, like taking the rubbish out. I cook I clean he provides the light.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)