Thursday 28 June 2012

Why? Why? Why?

The word 'why' is a child's favourite word. When you have a toddler the word 'why' gets so frequently used that it almost loses its meaning. 

I now have the opportunity to ask my own 'why's!

The lovely Debra at My Darlings And Me tagged me in this fun meme.

The rules...

1. Post your why's - as few or as many as you like.
2. Link up your post over at Mummy Central, and it would be great if you could leave a comment too.
3. Tag 5 bloggers to keep this going.
4. If you're not a blogger, leave your why's as a comment below, I'd love to read them. 
5. Show your support by reading a few others and commenting on them.

So drum roll please....



  • Why does it always rain on me?
  • Why do I feel like my boys 'tag team' me sometimes?
  • Why do I love chocolate soooooooo much?
  • Why do I worry about everything?
  • Why does Brad Pitt not live next door?
  • Why does the cat insist on lying on my clean washing?
  • Why does the thought of my toddler starting school break my heart?
  • Why do children fight sleep when they are clearly exhausted?

Those are my 'whys' of the moment. They change on an hourly basis!

I tag the following fellow bloggers to join in if they fancy it...

Carly at mummys shoes
Victoria at dandelions and kisses

Monday 25 June 2012

Does whatever a spider can....



WARNING!!!!
If you find a child dressed up as spiderman scary, offensive, rude, or troubling in any manner look away now!


Last week the toddler turned four! 
One of his birthday presents was a Spiderman outfit, complete with muscles and everything!


The day after his birthday we had a trip to the park. An opportunity to pretend to be Spiderman outside of the comfort of home was seized by the toddler. 

The park was fairly busy. The big guy has always been a sensitive little dude who flushes up at the slightest thing. The Spiderman costume however came with built in confidence powers and he seemed to be enjoying looking like the tough kid on the block for a change. 


It wasn't long before his appearance on the slide made another child cry. The upset little boy was younger than Spiderman and I know children aren't always particularly fond of masks and costumes when they are young. 
After another child got a bit upset we encouraged Spiderman to reveal his identity and remove his mask as that seemed to be causing the trouble. 


I have to say though (get ready for rant and in contrast to my previous post) some people can be so stuck up their own bottoms sometimes. For goodness sake, it was obvious that the toddler was being a good boy and he was keeping himself to himself and playing like four year old boys do. 
One little boy who had an aversion to Spiderman, mask or no got a bit upset when playing nearby. His Dad then proceeded to tell his son, who quite frankly needed to man up a little bit, that it wasn't the real Spiderman and that it was a poor impression of him anyway. 
Thankfully the toddler was too busy playing to care what was said and thankfully I didn't hear him. My Mum did hear him however and was pretty disgusted. 
What a horrible thing to say about a little boy who was obviously enjoying himself with his birthday present. 


I know its mean but I now wish that I hadn't encouraged the toddler to take the mask off and that he had pretended to 'web' the kid in the face!! 


Anyway if said man is ever to be seen again Mary Jane (aka me) will have to politely tell him where he can shove his ideas of poor impressions! 




Bet you didn't know Spiderman rode a bike. Safety first though!

















"Whoever you are, I have always counted on the kindness of strangers."





Alas, wireless internet usage has not returned and I have thrown in the towel and decided to accept it.
It's not ideal but we have set the computer up in the littlest little ones room so we can finally have access once again to the web that is world wide!




I am at a bit of a loss as to where to start it feels that long since I have been able to 'blog' properly!


A couple of weeks ago the loveliness that is Queen Elizabeth II paid a visit to our home city of Nottingham. Catching a glimpse of the Queen who was being accompanied by The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was not an opportunity to be missed I felt. 


Now immediately the thought of attempting to take a toddler and a baby into a packed city with thousands of people gathered in one square gave me sweaty palms. 
I am however very stubborn when it comes to ensuring my boys do not miss out on anything so off we went. 


There was a real atmosphere of people coming together to celebrate being British and pride at welcoming our Monarch to our city. 


There was no bus fare for a starter which was a welcome bonus and straight away another mum who was on the bus with her children offered to help me with the logistics of a toddler and a baby in a buggy on a bus! 


When we arrived in the city we found a way onto the Market Square where we could see the big screen and the balcony on the Council House. I have never been a massive fan of crowds so tried to keep focused on smiling for the toddler as people kept piling in behind us blocking us in. 


One of the highlights of the day for me occurred when a little boy in front of us was lifted onto his Dad's shoulders as the Royals were arriving by car. He shouted out "Dad I can see......" we all waited in anticipation thinking the boy had caught the first glimpse when he shouted "PIZZA HUT!!!" at the top of his voice. There were chuckles all round. Classic. 


As the Queen came out onto the balcony the banned played the National Anthem and it actually bought a tear to my eye! Partly due to the thought of having to maneuver the buggy through the crowds but mostly because I was so chuffed that my boys can say they have seen the Queen in their home city. 


The bus journey home was as equally packed but once again thanks to the kindness of strangers I managed to get the buggy folded and get sat down with the kids.   


It was an exhausting day but one filled with pride and special memories. 





Wednesday 20 June 2012

Technology!

Ssssssshhhhhhhhhhh! I am currently sat writing this post in my littlest little monkey's bedroom whilst he is fast asleep in his cot.


The reason for this is because our wireless connection has decided to have a mid-life crisis. 
It is so strange that having to 'plug in' to use the internet seems like such an ancient technology now we are so used to wireless. It is hard to imagine how much further technology will develop. By the time our boys' are adults, wireless will seem like some stone age type method of communication and the internet will appear as a hologram and be voice activated around the house whenever you need it (ooohh get me on Dragons Den!) Maybe not! 
Until the good people at Virgin Media get us sorted posts will be few and far between! 


I have lots to blog about, its been a busy week or so. Life has involved: a royal visit; serious lack of sleep; the toddlers birthday; scary spiderman; teeth at last and much more!!


Hopefully the new router will arrive soon!!



Monday 11 June 2012

Yummy Mummy Meme

The lovely Karen over at 365 Pearls of Wisdom tagged me in this cute meme. I'm not much of a yummy mummy but am keen to have a bash at answering the questions.


The rules...
When answering the questions give as much detail as possible. It's all about the finer details people!
Leave a comment on Here (Busybeemummybex blog where the meme was created).
Tag three or more people and link to them on your blog.
Tweet #yummymummy when you share on Twitter.


What is the first thing you do when you wake up?
Look at the clock and usually despair at how early it is. Give baby a bottle while hubby has a shower and toddler watches Tree Fu Tom or Postman Pat (how did we every live without 'on demand'?)




Do you shower daily? Are you an early morning shower or an evening bath type?
I cannot function without an early morning shower. I love a relaxing bath in the evening every now and then but I can't stand to spend the day with unwashed hair! I've tried to make my hair last two days but it defiantly refuses.


Do you wear make up daily?
Absolutely. Without it I resemble a creature not unlike Gollum from Lord of the Rings. "My precious!"




What's in your make up bag?
A wand from Olivanders! I wish!  No7 Intelligent colour, bronzer, mascara, lippy are everyday essentials. 




When your having a slummy mummy day what do you normally wear?
I am usually to be seen in a pair of jeans, a t shirt and a jacket of some description. Never had a passion for fashion I'm afraid. 


Nails - how often do you get them done?
I have always bitten my nails so never get them done. Would love to have my mums naturally perfect nails but don't think its going to happen. 


Your top tips for tired eyes?
A strong coffee and some concealer for the bags. Some light eye shadow normally brightens them up. 


Are you a Starbucks or Costa Coffee kind of girl?
Since finishing work to 'keep house' and look after the little ones I have a real issue with paying the same amount for a cup of coffee that I would for a jar in the supermarket. If I had to choose though I'd go with Starbucks. We love going to Center Parcs around Christmas time and one of my favourite things in the world is sitting with my favourite people supping on a Gingerbread Latte after an exhausting  'Dome' session with the kids. Good times. 


How many children do you have/want and why?
I am lucky enough to have two lovely boys. I always wanted two children, most likely because I am one of two. I would have loved a little girl but cannot see us having any more. Pregnancy doesn't agree with me as I was sick for the first eighteen weeks or so with both boys. We were told that after having a baby with congenital heart disease there is a one in fifty chance of anymore children we have being born with a heart defect. I would never risk putting a baby through what our youngest had to endure. I know I will miss not having a daughter because of the close relationship I have with my Mum but my boys will keep me plenty busy I'm sure. 




Where is your favourite place to shop for babies/children's clothes?
A posh little place called George of Asda. Have you heard of it?


Flats or Heels - Everyday shoes are?
Flats for everyday and a little heel for any evenings out. I would love to be able to wear big heels for going out but am five foot, nine and wouldn't be comfortable towering above my friends! 


I now tag the following lovely ladies to take part in this Meme if they fancy giving it a go...


Debra at my darlings and me
Gina at cold tea and smelly nappies
Hannah at Cup cake mumma





Saturday 9 June 2012

Life from the eyes of a toddler continued...

Here are a few of the big little guys latest snaps...

Hmmmm I wonder what his life revolves around? 
























Thursday 7 June 2012

Sick and tired...

Last week we took the littlest little guy to Glenfield hospital for his scan. 
Despite not having any concerns that his health was deteriorating in any way we were still very anxious and worried about the appointment. The brave little guy charmed his way through all of his checks and scans, smiling at the nurses and doctors and cheekily trying to grab all the medical equipment. Whilst he was smiling and giggling me and his Daddy were fretting and stressing and willing and praying that everything was going to be OK. 
It was. 
The doctor was happy with how he is doing and he doesn't have another scan now until October. 
He sailed through the appointment, obviously not knowing the seriousness of the situation, and was not phased at all. 
Yet this week the little guy has come down with a cold and is really suffering bless him! 


I can just picture the little dude thinking the following:
So, appointment to monitor and discuss congenital heart disease "whats all the fuss about, this is easy."
Cold virus - "agggghhhhhhh, routine completely out of the window, Mummy you are not allowed to let go of me  ever and I will not sleep at night!"


I feel so sorry for the little sausage, its really got me down in the dumps. There is only so much olbas oil, vapour rub, and pain medicine that you can give before they've just got to battle through it themselves. 
There is also the inevitable fact that once the baby has gotten over the cold it'll be mine and the toddlers turn! 
On top of that the toddler is really suffering with bad skin on his hands at the moment. We were at the doctors a couple of weeks ago because the skin on his fingers was all dry and cracked but since using the steroid cream that was prescribed he has now developed an infection on one of his nails. Back to the docs tomorrow.

Sorry for all of the miserable moaning, I'm venting my upset via the medium of blogging!


p.s please find attached mini moan about the amount of bloody rain we have been having recently! 


A temporary solution for my misery has manifested itself in the form of drinking a lovely hot choc whilst watching Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. Elijah Wood and his mesmerizing eyes as Frodo, Orlando Bloom's angel like Legolas and Viggo Mortensen's rugged reluctant hero, Aragorn. 
"Certainty of death, small chance of success...what are we waiting for?"
Blissful escapism. 

Monday 4 June 2012

Happy Jubilee Weekend

The heating has been back on this weekend and the olbas oil is back out but nonetheless it has already been a fun filled Diamond Jubilee weekend for us four. 


The toddler had lots of fun at pre-school last week with lots of jubilee style treats and games. It was lovely seeing the effort that the nursery had put into decorating the place and making it special for the kids. 


I love the royal family and think sixty years of our Queen's reign is something to celebrate. 
The country is going through a tough time but this year is a year to celebrate all things British and people all over the UK seem to have enjoyed getting together and celebrating in style. 


We have spent the weekend with friends and family and the boys have been spoilt as always. 
The rain was disappointing yesterday but the sun is shining this evening on Buckingham Palace and the Jubilee concert and on us here at home watching it all on the telly!














Happy Diamond Jubilee Weekend everyone.