No, Not another 2010 review post

No  I'm not going to give you a list of my best post of the year - why, because I have two children who are winding each other up and do you really wanna see them anyway - I mean I assume you read them already!!!

So 2010 what was it like, well I seem to have established myself as a blogger - I posted more posts than 2009, started reviewing products, managed to get on the Tots100 list - not quite in the top 100 but am getting there!!
I'm also ending the year as a Duplo ambassador (am sure you've seen the pretty badge on the left), more of which I will let you know about in the new year.

And resolutions have I made any, no because what's the point, resolutions are broken so quickly so I have hopes and desires for next year.

1) I hope that Neb finds a job - in the current climate this is not going to be easy but we have managed to secure a place for Car in nursery full time and to take up this place we will need for him to bring in extra money!

2) I hope that a) we can wean Car off her dummy (we only have one left now) and b) that we can get her off nappies for bedtime.

3)I hope that Bel can learn to ride her bike (without stabilisers) and gain confidence in herself.

4) And for me, what do I hope for, well I hope that my bosses in work realise how much work I do for them and give me my much longed for promotion and pay rise! I also hope that my blogging continues as a way for me to release the madness in my brain, let the words all out.
 
So, the end of the year is nigh, I hope that you enjoy the celebrations (if you are having any), I personally think that new year is very anti climatic. Obviously, I will be seeing the new year in at home and for a change this year Neb will be with me. As I can't afford to give him money to go out he will be in. We have some wine and bubbles in the fridge and we need to go out to get some bread, ham and cheeses! Our night will be in together with our little family under the roof.

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda i chi gyd - Happy new year to you all.

Let's see what the new year brings us ....

BNM

How to be a crap mother - part 2

I'm sure that I've written before how I can be a crap mother (but to be honest am writing this as Neb has gone to get glue and can't be arsed to look - if you find it in my archives let me know!).

But over the last couple of weeks I have surpassed all expectations of crappiness and this came to a head today.

Shall I explain...

Well for Christmas I bought my dad, the in laws and my godmother a calendar with pics of the girls on it (well I have to spend my pay pal money don't I!). I can hear you thinking, that doesn't sound like a bad thing BNM... but wait.

They arrived and I thought they looked great, I passed them to Neb and he agreed. Later that day Bel looked at them and said..."Mummy, you do know I'm 7 this birthday don't you not 8!"
Yes, readers I had put the wrong birthday age down for not just Bel but Car, aging them by a year!! Thankfully I saved the calendars with the use of labels and gave them out anyway!!

So that was crap point one - what else- well for the last month I've been getting Car's birthday wrong.. positive it was the 9th of January but after having many blazing rows with husband which accumulated in getting out birth certificate she was actually born on 7th!! DUH!!! (crap point two!!)

And here comes crap point three - in my haste to play Bel's DS I have in the last five minutes opened it and broken it!! That is right the hinge is broken!! (hence the reason Neb has gone to get glue!!). I'm currently searching EBay for used consoles so I can get her a new one for her birthday (or sooner!!).

So crapness ensues in the BNM household. I hope to get better by next year!!!

BNM

Christmas is over....

So that's it then. Christmas is over!!

And we're back from the in laws- though this year it was bearable and only a few times did they annoy me (like on the day after boxing day when I got told off for feeding my kids at lunchtime, well not told off as such it was something to do with having dinner soon, we were late having lunch but I may have snapped back and said something like my children have 3 meals a day - in laws don't eat lunch!!)

Anyway we are home, the Christmas presents have been opened. Both the girls received things they wanted - Bel uses her sonic screwdriver on a daily basis and is eager to get on her bike today (the bikes didn't travel to the in laws they stayed here - Santa knew to leave them at home!). Car, well after thinking she was in awe of all her Peppa Pig toys - the best thing - well its the annoying Hello Kitty toy we opened yesterday (yes, some presents had to stay here too - no room in the car!)

Unfortunately both the girls were unwell over Christmas with Car only getting better yesterday and Bel still coughing randomly. Thankfully we did have the Karvol dehumidifier with us (review to follow) and at least they managed to sleep. Although Car did have an accident on grandma's sofa after falling to sleep on it.

So anyway, we made it through, we travelled up through the snow bound country and travelled home in the thaw. Christmas is over, presents have been given and everyone is happy. So, what now, well I hope there will be days of playing, tidying, shopping (though not the sales I have had enough of them already - yes I will let you know later!), the anti climax of New Year (not my best time of year) and more blogging.

Here are some photos of us during our Christmas visit to the inlaws. hope you like!

Hope you all had a fab time too, see you soon.

BNM

Nadolig Llawen

So, this is it. We have packed the car and apart from a few bits and bobs tomorrow we are all off for Christmas joys at the inlaws.

The Christmas spirit hasn't quite landed but thank you for all your comments on the last post, the show will go on. I may be missing my mother madly but I am also a mother and I will make Bel and Car's day special.

I hope you and yours have a lovely day and I will be back to prevail you with the merriment of our Christmas in the near future.

Nadolig Llawen i Pawb

Merry Christmas to you all.

BNM

PS here's my favourite Christmas funny song.. lets hope noone does get run over by any reindeer

Bah Humbug!

Yes, hello all I'm still here even if I still have this darn cold. (Its not the flu!! but I do think I may be a bit burnt out after working so darned hard this year!)

Anyway, if you are looking for Christmas Cheer I have none, I still feel like crap and it doesn't help that I've taken the next few days off so I could get things done!! So not going to happen!! Well it may tomorrow, but today I have not got dressed at all!! I have sat in my dressing gown all day (proving to be closer to my name than any other time!!) and I have not moved from this sofa much at all.

To be honest, I feel lacking in Christmas cheer, yes we have decorations up, tree in corner, chocs a plenty, presents bought but I feel so un-christmassy. I think tis the time of year, a time where I miss my mum more than anything. I love seeing how happy the girls get but I think I may have lost the Christmas spirit. I sat and watched Noel's Christmas presents (I've put a link in for all you not in the know!) earlier and just cried and cried. Not just for the people on there who do so much, but for my own loss.

I know I still grieve for her so much, and this time of year is worse. I have to be happy and ready and Christmassy and be polite and the good daughter in law (for spending time at in laws), and be a good mother and enjoy my daughters opening their presents but this is one daughter who misses so much. I need her here but I know that will never be, I need her hug, her smell, her laugh. I wish I could just pick up the phone and hear her voice one more time.......

If anyone has any ideas how to find my Christmas spirit again then I would be grateful.
But as I know tomorrow is another day, one where I must get dressed and do, because I can't just sit around and do nothing can I?

BNM

An ode to the Festive Flu

Look my festive flu
Stop making me feel poo
It may only be a cold
So why do I feel so old!

Aches and pains up my back
With eyes like a droopy sack
A nose full of snot
And a cough to top the lot

So the weather outside is not cheerful
And me I've had a lungful
Merry Christmas one and all
Let's hope this will end before I fall!!!

Yes, I am not feeling well, and if I had drugs I'd take them but as we are super skint until I get paid on Thursday I've had to make do with kids cough medicine and some paracetamol!! Here's hoping my pay goes in properly this year ( and not be delayed by banks being crap like last year!) and here's hoping that the roads are clear enough to travel so that the kids and Neb have a Happy Christmas. Me, I'm just a miserable scrooge who is going to wallow in my own pity for a bit!!!

BNM

The differences between boys and girls

Neb has been helping Bel's godfather today with some knocking down of steps. Its OK Bel's godfather is a bit useless with diy so Neb obviously was in his element.

That left me, Car and Bel home alone. As it seemed to be either snowing or hailing here and it seems that as ever I've finished work and got a cold, and aches in my shoulders and back we had a day indoors. Bel has been playing on CP (Club Penguin), whilst me and Car have been arguing about TV choices.

In midst of the different episodes, we talked about girls and boys. Now Car is currently having issues with this and will call Bel - he (this may be her trying to say 'hi' which is she in Welsh but it just may be confusion) and also calls Bel my big brother!

Car -"Mummy, Is Pickle (one of the cats) a girl or a boy"
Me - Boy *
Car - "Mummy, Is Samami (the other cat) a girl or a boy"
Me - Boy *
Me - Is Car a girl or a boy
Car - I'm a girl silly!
Me - And Bel
Car - A girl
(At this point I was thankful that things were going well, for a change!!)
Me - So, what about mammy, do you know why she's a girl
Car - Yes mummy because you have a fwfw (I know you all needed to check that!)
Me - So daddy is a ?
Car - a boy
Me - and what does he have?
Car - CHOCOLATE Mummy


Don't you just love the things they say!!

* I should let you know that both the cats have been neutered so they were boys - they're now eunuchs
(they were also named by Bel when she was little and were meant to be Pickle and Salami but she couldn't say Salami so Samami it is... it could have been a lot worse!!)

BNM

Oh No, Snow

So the snow, that we all were fore casted has actually arrived here. I even managed a snow day yesterday- even though I could have walked in but to be honest I couldn't be bothered. I have a cold, and aches everywhere. Last night, I went to bed at 10 aided with some strong painkillers as my back had decided not to work!

So the next thing is now, will we get to our in-laws on Thursday. The whole nation seems to have been snowed in with transport links in dire straits! At least now I am starting to feel Christmassy but we may end up having Christmas here with a mercy mission to the shops needed to buy turkey and things!!

The girls are loving the snow and I can remember the same anticipation especially on Christmas morning, waking up running to the curtains and hoping it had snowed. But this year they may be in luck as the odds for a white Christmas have been slashed this year as its now a foregone conclusion!


The one thing I have noticed though is even though we all wish for snow when it isn't here, then wish for it to be gone when it is,  is that most Christmas adverts have snow in. And not the run in the mill normal snow that we are used to, no this is perfect snow. I mean we do have some patches of perfect snow, but many of it is grey slushy salt ridden snow or even worse yellow snow. We managed to drive down to our local supermarket yesterday and I had to stop Car from eating it!!

Anyway check out the perfect snow here:


Its perfect isn't it!

BNM

The Christmas Edition of Wordless Wednesday

Thank you Mr Postman

I have gotten so used to receiving parcels recently, what with Christmas on its way and with items to review being delivered.

Sometimes though its nice to receive when you didn't know you were. A gift from an unknown person. I have had two such things recently.

Firstly,do you remember earlier in the year when myself and Neb reviewed some delicious Green and Black's chocolate. Well, last week I got a surprise parcel from them with a pack of 12 miniature chocolates to use as emergency presents if needed in the house. I may have started to eat them though so I am calling them a present to myself!!

Then, I got an email from a lovely woman from Disney PR who had read a post mentioning Club Penguin (or CP to you and me!). She very kindly sent Bel a CP penguin and some badges just because she realised that CP mania had hit our house. Bel loves it and has taken it to bed with her.

As its Christmas, please remember that the giving and receiving of presents is a joyous thing and can make us smile, laugh and cheer. No matter how small or large the gift. Sometimes the act of just giving can be enough.

BNM

Debauchery is great!!!

Hello everyone

Sorry for the lack of posting but work has been madness but enough of that.

The best thing about working hard is your actually aloud to party hard!! Yes, even with kids it does happen - I do actually get out of the house and not just to work!!


So Friday night was a works party - which as usual I ate too much and drunk too much. Vodka - I am not touching it ever again!!!

Saturday arrived and with it came over the hangover, but I did get up and sit with the children (well I sat on the sofa and they may have been looked over by the great god that is Nick Jr)

Later on Saturday, after drunkenly wrapping my first Christmas present (yeah!) we went to have some more drinkie poos and have and adults and children sleepover (well they slept - I didn't do much!!)

And do you know what, yes it took ages to get three girls to go to sleep in the same room, to stop bossing each other around but eventually they played nicely and they did sleep even if it meant Wibble had to sing them a lullaby (about the American civil war!!). We then carried on with the evening with drinking (wine and water alternately - well me anyway!!), sleeping (I had to have a power nap to get rid of my hangover!!), eating (plenty of cheese, biscuits and delicious chutney!), some chick flicks for me and N (Bridget Jones and Mama Mia) while Wibble and Neb played cards and drank port!! I went to bed at 2.30!!!

And  bless them the boys who were up later than me and N, got up with the girls whilst I slept in until 9, where I got up , got into N's bed and had breakfast in bed!! It was lovely (even in Neb got a bit jealous of me being in bed with another woman!!)

This is why we have friends, for good and bad times, for laughs, hugs and loves. We all really enjoyed our weekend and yes we may have over drank and overate but we laughed and cried, and danced, and reminisced, and listened to the menfolk talk about wine in pompous accents.

To friends, close and far, I love you all.
To my bloggy friends, I may not have met you but I love you too!!

BNM

Tea towels are still being put to good use

Things I have learnt from going to school concerts over the last 3 years:

• The shepherds still have their headdresses made by putting tea towel on head and then by tying a cord around it!!
• Tinsel is the preferred halo material
• There is always one child who will sing shout loudly at all the wrong times
• Listening to children (not my own) playing violin and recorder without laughing at them is very hard to do - especially when Car is saying in her loud voice " What that NOISE- its horrible!"
• The teacher who plays the piano will undoubtedly always make a mistake or five when playing it!
• There are always a few children who are obviously star material and will always sing solos!
• The children put at the back of the singing groups are always the ones that will be pulling faces and sniggering
• Some of the children will not listen to the teachers at all and will always wave at their parents (like all the time!!) (and no, not Bel)
• The songs they sing are the same ones - seriously I can understand them singing the same carols but maybe jazz them up a bit with some new songs!

All in all the carol service yesterday was fun, even with Car playing hide and seek under my feet in the pew and asking loudly " When we singing!"

Hope your all enjoying your respective Christmas school services

BNM

Magical Santa came to visit.

We may have not had the snow that many of the country has had, but frost we have aplenty. There was even some black ice on the pavement the other night after the rain (yes rain not snow!).

But its not just Jack Frost that has paid us a visit.

No, the girls have also received a letter from Magical Santa (he's also telepathic as I'd forgotten to get them to send their letters!!)

Luckily for them (ahem ) their mummy knew exactly what they wanted  and so I followed the star to the kind link I was sent and so last week through the post came an envelope each  with this on it:

As you can see  from the website there are 4 different designs to chose from and so, they got a different one each:

Here's Bel's

And Car's













Both the girls love receiving post and even though Car is only small I think she was pleased with it. Bel obviously thought it was fantastic that Santa knew that she has tried to be good and helps with annoying looking after Car. Also this year as her reading is improving daily she loved to be able to read about all the things that Santa was up to!

So if you haven't got a letter back from Santa yet, why not try Magical Santa, they will post letters out until the 18th December to the UK and will even send overseas too (check website for details).

Also if you go here you will get the letters for £2.79 and not the usual price of £2.99 each.

Definitely a website I will be bookmarking for next year!!

BNM

This is a review post and all opinions given are mine

How come??

• When I have two days off I still had to get up early and sort the kids out!
• Again why, when I have days off work does a cold appear, cough, sneezes and all!!
• It snows here (yeah must have been my post yesterday!) but hasn't stuck!!!
• The council finally decide to grit our road and pavements!!
• The fact that we have snow (or some anyway!) means that the Christmas Fayre we were going to go to has been cancelled!! 
• Neb didn't approve of yellow for the hallway but "Lunar Falls" gets the thumbs up
• Thinking for present ideas for everyone else is no problem, but thinking of things I want is impossible!! 

That's all from me for now folks, am having trouble with my cough so may need to go grab some medicine and go off to bed!

BNM

The lack of white stuff

I know you all have lots and lots of snow, lashes of it.

Well I'm soooo not happy as we have had none.

Well none that is here. We had a small bit last Friday when workers who lived further afield were sent home whilst I who lived within walking distance stayed on. I eventually got a bus home (the car then still broken!) and then managed not to fall over walking down the road to my house by literally walking on the road. The road had been gritted, the pavements hadn't. I then got to the bottom of our road, which hadn't been gritted and gingerly made it home.
I woke up Saturday to hear that snow had fallen everywhere - apart from here. Here we had just frozen - actually got down to -10 round here. Saturday saw us sliding down the hill (literally) to the main supermarket to do a weekly small shop. We then walked home the easy way round - ie it meant that I didn't have to climb the hill and was longer, but oh so peaceful.

This week has seen snow in many places while we in our micro climate have just frozen. The car (thankfully) is now mended so I don't have to freeze while walking in to work.  But the small bit of snow that stuck here at home on Friday has frozen and thawed and refrozen and the pavement outside our house is no treacherous. The council do not grit pavements as they are not a priority but what would happen if one of us fell!!

I leave you with some picturesque photos I took on the way to work the other day. Here's hoping that the many of you who are snowed in, thaw out soon but before you do so can you bag it and send it this way.

BNM

Have you got one yet?

Remember last years manic shopping for the advert calendar, well I'm on the ball this year!!
I was so on the ball that I did manage to buy them mid November, and I did manage to remember to bring them home last night! Bel has a Cadbury's one, as unfortunately that is the only chocolate she will eat and Car has got a Peppa Pig one with Kinnerton's chocolate inside it.
I don't know whether I like the fact that they had to have chocolate ones but I really don't think they do just picture ones these days (like the ones we used to have!). I do know that this year I haven't got myself an advent candle but that's probably a good thing because I tend to forget to burn it and then come the 23rd I'm burning it all the same time!!

But in this time of frugality, do you know that there are also advent calendars available online:

There's the Woodland Trust's Online advent Calendar which has many activities behind each door:


Another one that would go down well in our house is the Peppa Pig online advent calendar:

Every day you can find a variety of fun Peppa Pig themed activities such as colouring sheets, stories, clips and extra special discount voucher codes which can be redeemed at the online store to give you money off your Peppa Pig Xmas shopping.

At least this year the girls will be happy with their chocolate ones, maybe one of these days I'll buy a nice cloth one for them to share!!


BNM