A week of two halves!

Hello Again! In this update the first half of this week was quiet and routine then second half took off and was more busy! Let's dive in ...

Monday 18th October:

Apparently today is my birthday. This is a day I always find hard as I hate my birthday. This one hits hard as I turn 40. Half way to death - If i'm lucky to survive that long - Joyful thought! Things start to sag (well already have a bit late for that), more grey hairs and wrinkles and more aches and pains, more peri-menopause symptoms. Can't see much to look forward to!  Any way ... The children were keen to throw me cards and presents as soon as we got up but I really wanted to save this until after they got in from school. It's hard to be out the house and on time as it is :-D I got up from my nap to see hubby had got me flowers and chocolate and a card. This was apparently from mother in law but I prefer to think of it as from him lol! He's never brought me flowers before - well unless they have been on the shopping list or a child has asked him to! He even chose some with nice bright cheery colours he knew I would like. So that was nice.

I did have a few wrapped pressies from hubby and the girls but I have to shamefully say that trying to remember back almost 2 months and I can't remember what I got!! I remember I liked whatever it was! I'm sure chocolate was involved ... Here are the cards from the girls. So typical of my kids! So polite!!

Annnny way!!! After school the kids let the chickens in. I had my sad lamp on as it was a seriously dark, cloudy, depressing day. The chickens loved it! They stood in front of it and started preening and cleaning themselves! Brilliant!

For tea I chose pizza hut. This wasn't what I wanted for tea but as every parent knows your life revolves around kids and you are meant to feed them. So pizza means no cooking for me and they would eat it. So win win.

Tuesday 19th October:

Today I had an email from the landscaping guys saying they could come and do our garden work starting Thursday if we want! They have had a cancellation! Gulp! Well i'm not ready for that but ok do it. Sooner it's done the sooner we can order a shed.

Other highlight from today was emptying Sophie's bag ... Full of conkers!

Wednesday 20th October:

Well here is a last look at the top of the garden before the men start tomorrow! The junk in the alleyway doesn't belong to us so don't need to worry about moving that round lol!

Oh bummer! I dropped a tin of washing powder!! Noooo! That was fun to clean up! Nothing else exciting to report for today.

Thursday 21st October:

Up early. The men have asked to come at 8 but don't show up til 8:15. I get the kids off to school as usual. The men were asking about what to do etc at literally 8:35 just as I'm about to leave the door. So by the time we had dealt with them it was 8:45 and we were totally late! So hubby shoved us all in the car quick and drove us up there! I get back and have breakies and a well deserved coffee. The sun was streaming on me through the window which was nice!

                                                 

The men went home at 4 so time for a nosey at what was done! Looks like they put up the new fencing and gate. Cut through the sleeper wood that was there for the start of the new path down to the bridge. Set up the string to guide the path down, and put one retainer of wood in that will be where the shed base will go. 

Whist we are out there we give the chickens a handful of corn each.

Tea was lamb shank that wasn't that nice :( I think I cooked it a bit too long as it was a bit chewey! Shame!! The candles were nice to have on though. I love that about winter!

After tea it all went a bit mad with rough and tumble!

Friday 22nd October:

The garden men are back and don't show up until 8:30 this time. We are still up for 8 just in case they come early! 

On the way home I spot a sign about a local bonfire night. Good! I wanted to go to one! We can't have our usual at home display any more now we have chickens in the garden!

Today the garden men took delivery of hardcore, sand and cement to get on with the work. It arrived around 10am. I forgot to take progress photos of today though so you'll have to wait until the next weeks blog update for how they are doing! They go home just before 4 and will return on Monday. Which is half term ... SOB I have to get up early on half term!!

After tea hubby spends some time playing a game with J so me and Soph spend some time on a jigsaw together. We light the candles and put some nice music on for a relaxing atmosphere! Oh and eat some of mummy's birthday chocolate of course!

So that's a round up of this week! In current times and I have well and truly been thrown into Christmas whether I like it or not this past week! I've had the girls singing at the Christmas market with school on Wednesday lunch time. And then the local santa made a visit tonight around the streets on his sleigh. And tomorrow we get our Christmas tree. This has meant one has had to do some decluttering and selling of the play kitchen in order to fit a tree into a corner of the living room! Any way I better go and write another post up - or start - then get into bed! Sleep well (good morning/afternoon!) all. Keep looking up. Lots of love The Mad House Xx

How many chickens can a man fit on his lap?!

 A super short blog post today as it was a super quiet weekend. I'll dive right on in ...

Saturday 16th October:

A mostly quiet weekend on this update. I start by cleaning out the chickens. They appear to be busy and are in their flower border (what's left of it) having a dust/dirt bath. They all appear to jump up on hubbies lap which is a source of entertainment for all! Video here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/hFwDEGG5DWsQWRSD6

Whilst out in the garden I remember to take a look at the veggie patch. With it being so late and things dying down now I keep forgetting. Picked a courgette and a cucumber. That's the last for this year.

I come in and grab some lunch then set about more kids clothes work, Under this pile is a rocking chair. It is mostly all piled up behind it. It is old clothes of Jessica's that are now too small and destined to the loft for Sophie. So I pull out and sort what's for using now and then into appropriate age ranged boxes. Then stored in Jessica's room temporarily until hubby has sorted the floor in the loft and they go up. 

Sunday 17th October:

Today is a right off. I have a headache so I lay back in bed for a few hours with some drugs to try and get on top of it. Then I get up and just potter around but feel somewhat headache hungover. So nothing really done today.

Just a short blog today for you all! Makes a change aye! To current times and it's the end of November and we are the house of the ill people ... for the 3rd week running! 2 weeks ago Sophie was sick so off 2 days. Last week Sophie had a her flu vaccination then started with a high fever and flu symptoms the next day. Clearly reacting well to that then with a nice high immune response. The day after she was mostly better but school wanted us to test her in case of the Rona. So I lft-ed her. She had a runny nose which has continued since. Roll onto today Monday and she is coughing and really snotty. So there is a chance she was starting with a cold just as had the flu jab and symptoms are all mixed up as one. Either way I sent her to school as normal as we had already tested her end of last week. And now Jessica says she is achy arms and legs. But no other symptoms at all. No fever, no cough, etc etc. So will see how she is in the morning! Let's hope we are getting the illnesses out the way before Christmas! Right i'm gonna run off and start on the next blog entry! Hope everyone else is well! Love from The Mad House Xx

The tooth fairy visits!

As I write this catch up it is now less than 1 month until Christmas. ARGH! I need to get writing lists, cards, and buying presents! Think I will get my folder out tomorrow! I'll start by writing card lists and then I should check what presents I have already for people and write them down. Then I know what I have and what else I need to buy. Sounds so organised eh! I still end up with too much stuff every year! Any way enough worrying about that now for some catchy watchy uppey wuppy! ...

Monday 11th October:

Last night Jessica lost a tooth. Finally! This meant mummy had to play tooth fairy. She was asking lots of questions and is convinced the tooth fairy isn't real. At 9 this is barely surprising. Like santa last year she was really questioning it! Mummy isn't ready to get it go and is playing the game still though!! We delivered some money - I've forgotten how much! Think it was £2? and she also wrote a note she left with her tooth asking questions such as how big the tooth fairy is and what she does with the teeth after. So we went in with the money and a letter back to her from the tooth fairy. She was too damn excited though so I got caught in action! I muttered something about bumping her pillows up because they looked uncomfy. I wasn't able to get in there and do the deed until after midnight she was up so late! Any way the deed was  done and here she is reading her letter - wrote in daddy's handwriting otherwise she would know it was me!! Last time I wrote in mine and she recognised it. But somehow managed to fob her off lol.

Today I tackled Jessica's wardrobe area that had loads of clothes on the floor she had just thrown out the drawers! So i've piled on the bed and folded for her to put away herself.

Forgot to show you all this sign a few weeks back. Jess made a yoga class on our bed. With a YouTube vide and made us all follow it. Love the sign. It's still on the door now lol.

Speaking of Jessica. After tea she made a restrurant (I can never spell that word!!). She put candles (battery operated before you all call the social!) and plastic boxes from the landing with t-towels on for tables. They have cutlery and even table numbers. She made a menu and put on the wall and Sophie was meant to be the waiter. It all went a bit boobs up though when Sophie started eating the food meant for us! Some of it was apple that we had given to her as fruit after tea but somehow had got brought up for our meal lol. Much shouting and falling out and then Jessica got upset because Sophie had ruined her resturant.

Bedtime rolls around all not soon enough! Once school prep is done and they have passed out I crawl into my bed net and light the candles for some chill and to write another blog post!

Tuesday 12th October:

Well this is going to be quick. Mummy tidies up downstairs and finds yet more conkers dumped on the dining room floor! 

Mummy tidies and finds Sophie's bedroom floor ... I sooo shoulda taken a before pic

Mummy does some washing up and has a clean sink - Isn't this all very exciting!

Mummy says sod cooking tea let's have chippy ...

And then the kids make a band before bed with saucepans and lids and it all gets rather noisy!! And yes that is knitting needles in Sophie's hair!

Wednesday 13th October:

All standard fare of a day. Have a visit from a lady in the evening to buy some chicken eggs. We have started selling them now for £1 for 6. We regularly sell depending on availability to around 5-6 ladies.

Thursday 14th October:

I'm getting desperate now for updates so here is a picture of chicken feathers on the living room floor LOL! And the new school menu! Took a photo in case I loose the blinkin' thing! You really can't get much more random than this in a blog!

Friday 15th October:

Today is all about the chickens. They are migrating to the patio today. The nosey parkers even come and look in my patio windows and peck at the door to be let in. Sophie has Speckledy in after school run and puts her in the pram for a ride. See video here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/f2dxPnWUnVcHK6da6

That's it for another update! It's been a busy week here. Sophie had her flu vaccination and then was off ill for two days. A good immune response there ... I had physio for my back on Thursday. Seems it's all to do with hips out of line (that'll be back to when I was pregnant then) and piriformis syndrome which is a muscle in the buttock that compresses on the sciatic nerve. So a type of sciatica. More exercises ... Then come Friday it was time for my covid booster. Yippee! So i'm all set for Christmas! Right time to start writing another update! Lots of love to all. From The Mad House Xx