I love flying. I love everything about it; people-watching at the airport, shopping for duty-free, running to the gate in response to the last call for boarding...
Once in my seat I trawl through the in-flight literature, tossing aside the safety instructions and devouring the pages of still more duty-free shopping that I have no intention of buying. I search for the menu to make my choices; the in-flight meal being the highlight of my trip. I've never flown business class, but whilst I would undoubtedly appreciate the luxury, I think the experience would lack the quintessential allure of flying for me. I can eat my dinner from a china plate at home; I use real cutlery, real glasses at home...
Continue reading "Flying High" »
Thank God that is all over. Is that a terrible thing to say? I think just about every day over the past two weeks has felt like it lasted forever.
For this is what happens in our household. We all get up late relatively late as there is no school. This is good. What’s not good is that a) the baby has turned in to a wailing machine which means I have been up and down with her every night for what seems like weeks. I hear her at about midnight, then 2am, then 4am. She has a hacking cough which wakes her up and then she starts wailing.
‘Mama, mulk,’ she says.
I then get up and stumble trip downstairs and find her and find her a clean bottle and then warm up some milk and try to force cough mixture down her. Then I put her back in her cot with her warm bottle.
Continue reading "It's all over..." »
Well, it's over. Again.
Whew!
Here are my Christmas 2008 highs and lows:
Top Ten Highs:
1. My six year old's glee on Christmas Eve when our friends arrived for a drink. It signified for her the start of the actual festivities.
2. Our Christmas goose. I love goose and there is nothing better for Christmas dinner. Nothing.
3. Making homemade mince pies a la Nigella. It took me three days to actually complete the mission but I did it. Yippee!
Continue reading "Post Christmas analysis" »
"But I don't want to go on a boooring old walk mummy," whined Emily, our six-year-old, when I announced we were going down to the river for our Boxing Day stroll.
We had to move fast, the sun had popped it's head out and the sky was a beautiful shade of turquoise blue, a change from the grey skies we've had the last couple of days. If I blinked it could go cloudy again.
"I want to do SOMETHING," she said still dazed and drugged by the previous day's activities and still surrounded by a mountain of boxes and wrapping paper.
Er, maybe it was my approach. I tried again. "Who wants to feed the ducks their Boxing Day Dinner?!"
Continue reading "Who wants to go for a walk?" »
My daughter has four weeks of Christmas holidays. Every year I’ve worked the holidays, so I’ve never really had to deal with keeping her entertained. However as I’m only working two days a week now and hubby’s just been made redundant we aren’t for one minute going to spend £45 a day on holiday club - no matter how much she begs to go - LOL!
So being a good thrifty mummy I’ve scoped out the local bowling alley, it turns out you can bowl for £1.95 if you go between 10am and 12pm. An ice rink opened locally for the holidays but it’s quite expensive so we might have to give that a miss or see if they have a reduced rate time.
Continue reading "Seven FAB activites for children during the Christmas holidays" »
We took the Boys to the Imax on Southbank yesterday, to see the wonderful movie, 'The Polar Express'.
This is not a review of the film, however; it's been out for long enough (five years) that there's a pretty good chance you'll already have seen it, and if you haven't, I suggest you rush down to Sainsbury's where the dvd is usually on special offer at Christmas for around £5. Then settle down for an afternoon of escapism with your children - I defy you not to be swept up in the story...
Continue reading "All Aboard! Try the IMAX with children" »
The nativity play is most definitely over, only it wasn’t so much of a play as a sing-along-a-Christmas. There were lots and lots of wise men and kings and shepherds at the inn and my MS played an irascible traveller – smiling his way throughout – and my youngest one a sheep.
He was so loathe to do it, I am amazed he got up on stage but he did. He stood there, wiping snot on his woolen outfit and staring in to space while everyone else sang. Then he tripped going off the stage and fell over and burst in to howls of tears which made everyone else look concerned and horrified bar my MS who thought it was hysterical.
Continue reading "Christmas cheer!" »
Wondering what to do with the kids this Christmas?
Oxford is just a hop, skip and a jump away and it's a great place for kids. You just need to know where to go and what to do.
Check out these insider tips by Kelli Terrington, an Oxford mum and founder of Ox and Cross Publishing, publisher of the Oxford Colouring Book, where all proceeds go to charities that help children.
1. The Botanic Garden near Magdalen Bridge has an inspiring Christmas tree decorated with things found in the garden. If you are worried about being out in the cold, there are several glasshouses where you can keep warm and admire many interesting plants despite the outside temperatures.
Continue reading "Ten things to do in Oxford with children this Christmas" »
The Ice Rink and the Christmas Fair at the Natural History Museum are billed as 'London's most spectacular winter attraction'.
Well, what could be better for a cold November afternoon when the nights are drawing in and the park is out of the question? We took our two boys (five and three years old) and a couple of visiting family members to see if it lived up to the hype.
To a certain extent, it does. It's in a fabulous location right in front of the beautiful Victorian façade of the museum, and is prettily lit by twinkling white lights in the surrounding trees, so it certainly looked festive enough.
Continue reading "London's most spectacular winter attraction -- ice skating at the Natural History Museum" »
Dear Santer (my six-year-old's creative spelling interpretation), Santa, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or whatever you want to call yourself,
This year is going to be different. Just you wait.
I will keep accurate lists of what I've bought for whom and where that stash may be hiding in my house. I will not forget relatives and God children. Not even the ones that live far away. Or are babies. And especially babies that live far away. I will cross reference lists with other relatives and God children's parents just to make sure there is no repetition. As God as my witness...
Continue reading "Dear Santer ..." »