Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Be of good cheer

They are, for the moment, well again! Hooray! I was so fed up with poorly children, tired husband and grouchy mama...

Now we just have the tired husband and grouchy mama!

But at least they are well! Enough to make me start singing and dancing... until they start fighting again and I return to grouch mode. Bah humbug!

Pip got Star-of-the-Day yesterday at school though... amazing! Apparently he was the first to sit nicely and listen EVERY TIME, ALL DAY! Zoinks (as Scooby Doo would say)! So that's great.

And Spike had to go with me to the opticians yesterday because there is no such thing as a day off in the run-up to Christmas! Instead of lounging at home with Daddy and reading books and playing trains he had to go with me because Daddy was out spreading good cheer. And little Spikelet was an angel... sat beautifully while I had my eyes checked. Could not believe it.

TWO children on star behaviour in one day?! And Dude was fine too... just not exceptionally, mention-worthy good. Hoorah!

We had Sloppy Joes for dinner. Good Christmas fare... ho ho ho...

So all in all, things are on the up! How are things with you all?

Saturday, 6 December 2008

Saturday at the Infirmary

Urg.

They are sick again...

Two weeks ago it was Dude & Spike, ending up with Dude missing 3 days of school and Spike having a course of antib's to sort out a chest infection. Then we had a week of relative health... just general snottiness that most kids have at this time of year.

But now we are down again. Spike (again!) and Pip this time. And guess what? GardenBoy was all clammy and shivery and needed breakfast in bed before he could take the ibuprofen (not on an empty stomach!) and enter the land of the living.

Still at least he could cuddle and soothe the stuffy, snotty, hot and miserable Spikelet.

Thought Pip was ok again after having 2 days off school, but around noon he lay down on the sofa under a blanket and refused to move! He has a cough which is really disturbing him (and us) and a low-grade fever.

And to round off this litany of joys, little Dude is bouncy and healthy and happy and getting on the nerves of all the sickies...

Thank God I had my flu shot this year, and here's hoping that it will keep me healthy. Someone needs to keep the Good Ship Household running.

One good thing that happened today though, is that after GardenBoy was revived he went and bought himself a new laptop and so now I won't have to listen to him teach his children rude words as he shouts at the old one! He is a happy bunny now, playing with his new toy.

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Reply to Don's Comment

Allotment (definition C/o Wikipedia): (gardening), in the United Kingdom, a small area of land, let out at a nominal yearly rent by local government or independent allotment associations, for individuals to grow their own food.

So now you know! :)

In my garden veg plot I have onions and garlic at the moment, and plan to grow potatoes (Red Duke of York maybe?), beans & peas, and perhaps some tomatoes and pumpkins/squash (being hopeful about the weather. Really not enough warmth and too much rain this year). And more raspberries since the kids love hunting and eating them. Apples going in the unfenced and so mostly unused (fear of runaway kids and the busy road) front garden, but they won't be bearing for a few years.

In the allotment... everything! More potatoes, carrots, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, broccoli, cabbage, more beans, more onions etc etc etc.

We have dreams and plans, you see, now we just need the weather and children to get over colds. They seem to be dropping like flies, in
succession. Last night it was Pip and Spike... and as he's not on top form Spike has returned to having naps in the afternoon which is my usual window for allotmenting. So it's a bit of a non-starter for now. Ho hum.