Legs Bums and Tums

Having missed body jam yesterday I gave legs bums and tums a go this morning. I very nearly didn't go as I had quite a lot of work to do but I went for it and I'm glad I did. It was a really good class. A mix of aerobics, a real heart racing section and then an abs workout on the floor. I struggled with some of it towards the end but that will give me something to work towards. So hopefully with a possible class on a Thursday or a Friday I will make it most weeks.

I have been working on classes for our crop on the 7th. I have nearly done the layout class although I have asked someone else to teach it for me (they haven't replied yet!) and I have ideas for the other class but I haven't had chance to play yet. Here is the boy layout class and there is an equivalent girl one.

Scouts

Jez had his first session at Scouts last night. He really enjoyed it making green pancakes (yuk!) and apart from a few faces that he recognised there were lots of new kids to get to know which is great. He said they were really welcoming which is brill. I stayed for a bit just to make sure he was settled and to see what they were doing. I didn't realise that they raised the Union Jack at the beginning of the meeting. It was quite a formal procedure but a great tradition to uphold. I slipped out as soon as they got started on the activities only to find Wendy Wyatt in the car park and talk to her for half an hour and then meet Trish and Phil from down the road who were doing dog training. It is such a community sometimes around here, something it would be good to foster. Ben has Cubs tonight which I am sure he will enjoy just as much and he had Matthew Webb his best friend there to show him the ropes.

Treasure Chest

I have just taken photos of Bens treasure chest finally to put on UKScrappers so I thought I would add them here to. This is a treasure chest that I made for Ben for Christmas. I am really pleased with how it turned out and Ben loves it (so much he takes it to bed with him!!)


How did I do it?

Step 1.

Ink up a clear stamp with a paint dabber. I used one of the Fancy Pants stamps and a blue dabber.



Step 2.

Once the dabber is completely dry using an ink blending tool and distress inks blend colour onto the box. I used 3 colours on the box and then I used a fourth darker brown to go round all the edges. The dabber will resist the ink so you will still see the image you stamped underneath.

Step 3.

Ink up a stamp with the dark brown distress pad (again I used a Fancy Pants one) and stamp directly to the bottom of the front of the box. Don't leave it on for too long as the ink will bleed a little into the wood.



Step 4.

Colour the grungeboard hinges and lock with the same dark brown distress pad. Add eyelets and fix in place.



Step 5.

Paint grungeboard skull and crossbones with a black dabber and glue film behind the eyes. Stick to side of box.

Step 6.

Varnish box with several coats to protect.

Naughty but nice

Well plans for dinner all went a bit awry last night as I had forgotten Jez had football and by the time we got home it would have meant a late dinner if I had cooked something. So there was only one thing to be done... no not take away! Pancakes. It was Shrove Tuesday after all. The boys had 4 each, Dave 3 and me 2. I think we will have to make more mix next year!! So as the title says naughty but nice! I don't normally give anything up for lent but I think I will try and cut back on the chocolate and sweets as I have got into a bad habit of having something nearly every evening. I'm not going to cut it out all together but definately cut back.

I am looking forward to Body Jam tomorrow. After having 3 weeks off because of being too snotty I am keen to do some exercise again. I am still a bit snotty but I'll just take some tissues and hope for the best!

Have a bad day!!

Charming! Those were the last words of Ben as he said goodbye to me today. He was in a strop because I wouldn't give him money for a snack at school. The reason he got so stressed was that he was going to take his own money and then I said he didn't have to take his own money I would give him some. Then in the car on the way to school all 3 boys played up terribly and so as a punishment they all lost their snack. Ben was not a happy camper!

Mind you he was in a strop earlier too because I had thrown his beloved Canada trainers in the bin. They had been falling apart for a while and yesterday they finally gave up the ghost and his toe was poking through the side. According to Ben they were still 'perfect' this morning!!

I think an early night is called for tonight!!

11 Today

It has become a little family tradition that on a birthday (and Christmas) the children join us in bed for the birthday celebrant to open their presents. It is great, we all snuggle up and everyone can see what is going on and what they have got. I think Jez was pleased with his pressies. He had some lights for his bike, some money, a game he had asked for the Playstation and to share with his brothers a pair of portable DVD players for the car. We really struggled to know what to buy for him this year as he is growing out of 'toys' but hasn't yet got many interests of his own that need things buying for (apart from the pc). Hopefully that will change as he starts scouts and hopefully trys some new acitivities at secondary school. We hear about his place a week from today. How exciting :D

Early Birthday

We have celebrated Jez's birthday today as he has school tomorrow and swimming after school and I am out working in the evening so we thought we would make the most of it today (apart from the presents). We went out for lunch to the Bun Penny which was really nice. The food was great but the service wasn't brill. Colin and Ann came too. Ann had made a cake for Jez and we were so stuffed from lunch that we just had that for tea.

The other thing that the boys are very excited about is that the drum kit is all assembled and ready to play. The boys enjoyed having a bash on it this afternoon. I hope it isn't too noisy for our neighbours!

New Room...

Well I am sitting here feeling rather tired but satisfied as Alex has now moved into his new room. It is a little tight between the bedroom door which goes against the wardrobe and the bed but hopefully we can leave it as it is. It is looking good although we have only transferred through a fraction of the 'stuff' and the storage space that I thought was going to be brill is rapidly filling up. We have thrown away two massive piles of books and I have two bags of clothes to go too and that's just from sorting through his shirts!! Lots more sorting to do tomorrow and the boys are desperate to have the drum kit assembled so hopefully we can do that too. It would also be good to put up the awning on the caravan to work out how that goes and I'd like to go to the kids club film and we need to sort Jez's birthday present and get Alex's passport sorted. So how much of that are we realistically going to fit into one day!!!!!

I have started to put a few bits in the caravan today, just to see what we have and haven't got. We are doing quite well for bits and bobs. Need to buy another chopping board but we have most of the other equipment we need. The boys had a great time playing out there while I sorted. They loved closing all the curtains and making it dark! I can see we are going to have fun.

Eeek... Ben has homework to do before he goes back to school and he hasn't started it yet. The beginning of the holiday was so nice and relaxed and then the last 3 days we have had a different reli visiting or doing something with the boys each day which was great but also meant we haven't got some of the things done we should have!! Never mind!

Memories

Last night I was busy painting the woodwork in Alex's room and despite Alex being in bed the house was full of sound. They were the sounds I hope to remember right into my old age when the boys are all grown and have their own families. Alex was in bed as I said singing a song to himself. Not a quiet little lullaby but a rip roaring tale. Even now I can't remember what the tale was about but he was singing his little heart out bless him. This was intermingled with the sound of laughter from downstairs. Dave and the big two were having a game of Uno Extreme and it was obviously a great game as every so often all 3 of them would burst into laughter. Hearty male laughter, it makes you smile just to think about it. I didn't know Uno could be so funny!

Well the dying of the voile curtain was a disaster, it didn't take at all. I had suspected it wouldn't take well but not at all :C On a happier note I also dyed the sofa covers (well half of them - doing the other half today) and they seem to have taken better. I am just waiting for them to dry so I can put them back on and see if the problem areas look better! While they are being done the boys are making full use of the cushions from the sofa. They make great defences for their pretend games. Alex is at this moment forging metal balls!!

Grandma Ann is taking the boys today so I am looking forward to finally finishing the decorating and getting some work done. Got kits to make up and a newsletter to write (Dave has been nagging me which I need!)

Spring has sprung?

Well yesterday really felt like the first day of spring. The air was warm, the sun was shining and the birds were singing. I managed to get the first load of washing on the line this year (I still had two loads go through the tumbler!) and it was nearly dry by the end of the day too. How exciting!!!!

Jez has nearly finished his third book of the holiday. It is the third in a series called The Shapeshifter by Ali Sparkes. We lost Jez for most of yesterday as he disappeared in his books. I remember those days... I only get to read a few pages before sleep these days, as long as I'm not too shattered by the time I get to bed. I loved reading at Jez's age too although I was more into Enid Blyton and Judy Blume!!

I asked the boys if they wanted to do anything today and the answer I got was not go out anywhere and stay here and play all day so that is what we will probably do. I might drag them down the park later if the weather is good again!!

Persistance!

Well after both boys refusing to back down I was ready for a battle of wills this morning but amazingly (and thankfully) Alex admitted that it was him who had been lying so we can get on with our holidays without any further reprisals!!

Why is it that during term time I have to nag the boys to get dressed, have breakfast and get on whereas in the holidays they do it without being asked? Both Ben and Alex were dressed and getting on with their breakfast before I came down at 8am this morning. Jez was still snuggled up in bed with a book, but it's great to see him reading again as he hasn't read as much for a while.

I've got all sorts of little jobs to do today including buying some dye to change a curtain in Alex's new room from lime green to blue. I'm also trying to decipher the agreement for the lease car. I wish they could use language that everyone understands!

Wow how easy was that!!

I can't believe that I have put off creating a blog for so long. It has taken me just 5 minutes to make this blog... now that's easy. Just got to play now and work out how to make it look pretty and how to upload images etc.

I might as well be brave and add some family news as I'm hoping to use this blog as a tool to help us keep track of what we have done as a family. We have just had a lovely day at friend's Chris and Traceys... a really scrummy lunch (lasagne) and good conversation. We haven't seen eachother for a while so plently to catch up on. The kids dissapeared as soon as we arrived and we didn't see them for the 4 hours we were there!! Well apart from Serenity their youngest (14 months) and the only girl.

The fun of the day was spoiled a little tonight when we had an incident at tea where Alex said Ben kicked him and Ben flatly denies it. Well one of them has to be lying but what do you do? We have tried to instill in them that the truth is really important and that they won't be in trouble for telling the truth. Neither would back down though and now we will have to carry this on tomorrow. If anyone has a magical solution to lying please let me know :D