It's snow joke!.....

I hate snow.  No, that's not really true.  It's not the snow I dislike as such, it's more the mucky slush that always remains for days after the initial downfall.  I also hate the ice when the slush freezes over.

Oh well, it's Monday again but on a plus we only have 4 more sleeps till we break up for a week......YES!

Thank you for your messages on my last post.  The funeral is going to be a week Wednesday, not looking forward to it one bit as it's at the same cemetery as my Mum is buried so I'm expecting lots of tears from me and the children.

On Friday night I went out with my colleagues from work.  We went to a local all-you-can-eat Chinese and boy did we get our money's worth :)   It cost me a fortune in babysitting fees with Becky (and Alex!)  Becky negotiated £5 an hour and a 'doggy bag' from the restaurant, and Alex has a MacDonald's in the bank!  It's the first time I've left them for a couple of hours as I didn't really think I could trust her to look after her younger bro but it seems to have gone fine with fisticuffs reported.

Saturday was a stay at home day so I cooked and baked my heart out. I made the following:

• Spaghetti Bolognaise Sauce
• Beef Casserole
• Cottage Pie
• Chicken Biryani
• Victoria Sandwich
• Flap Jacks

It saved me putting the oven on on Sunday and has given us a couple of home made ready meals for the week. When I am feeling a bit stressed or under the weather I find cooking really helps me to take my mind off of any worries. Sunday we had planned a visit to Costco but that was 'snowed off' till next weekend.

As you can see, Hubby and Alex had great fun in the snow.........

I'm not saying anything!
Stay warm.

Sue x x x

It's not an easy job being a parent.....

Well, we got the letter today advising us of the secondary school for Alex.  I was dreading telling Alex this evening as it's not the linked secondary school to his junior school which means many if not all of his chums will be going to a different school in September.

I feel so cruel doing this but I will explain the reasons behind our decision and you can decide for yourselves.

My daughter goes to the linked secondary school and has excelled.  This is because she loves school and is a high achiever. She is in the top sets for her year group.  As many of you know, Alex has a statement of special educational needs.  It took us over 4 years to get the local education authority to accept that he had a learning difficulty and needed this extra support. He currently gets 17 hours 1 to 1 and small group support but this has just been increased to 20 hours a week.

So, with this in mind last September we made appointments too see each SEN (Special Educational Needs) department at the secondary schools we visited.  The conversation with the linked school that we had hoped to send him to went like this:

Us - "So Mr Brown, what provisions will you put in place for Alex for the beginning of the next school year then"

Him - " No, no, we don't do anything like that.  We'll give him a couple of weeks to settle down in September and find his own groove before we decide on what support is needed"

Us - "OK, how about TA support for him throughout his lessons, to help him scribe - how would that be worked?"

Him - "Well to be honest we find that as they get older they don't want a TA following them around as it makes them feel different, and besides I've just lost my 3 best TA's and will need to recruit again"

Us - " Could you confirm if he would have access to a laptop computer during his lessons?"

Him - " Ha, ha, ha, well if he can't read or write very well what use is a laptop going to be!!!"

How could I send my son to this school? 

His statement has got him in to one of the best schools in the borough, which under normal circumstances we would have been living too far away from for him to get in.  They have an excellent team in place to work with him and other children with special needs as well as a specialist dyslexia teacher, they will meet with him at his junior school next term as well as him going to their school for a couple of days to ensure that everything is set up for when he starts there in September. 

Of course the boy was a bit upset when I told him this evening but it's nothing that a promise of a KFC for tea can't fix!  I've explained that we have to give him the best possible chance we can and this can only happen if he attends this school.  I still feel bad about the whole thing if I'm honest.

Have a great week and wrap up as it's a bit nippy out there tonight.

Sue x x x

Batten down the hatches...........

Boy of boy is it windy outside, even in London we are feeling this bad weather. 

Well, it was back to work and school for us all yesterday and let me till you it was a struggle to get my sorry ass out of bed at 7am.  That's the trouble with holidays isn't it, you tend to stay up later and then have a lay-in in the mornings...well I do anyway!

I thought about making some New Year resolutions but to be honest they are never kept, so I thought why waste my time?  Hubby and I are trying to lose weight, not just for our holiday in July but because we both really should try and take better care of our bodies.  I have an under active thyroid so it is going to be harder for me shed the pounds, last time I manged to lose 6 lb over 6 weeks eating 1100 calories a day but I wasn't doing much exercise.  So I'm trying the same thing again but with some extra effort in the exercise department. Fingers crossed.

I would like to make this year 'about me'.  I don't mean in a selfish way but I really need to find myself again as I've got a bit lost along the way.  That's what happens when you are a Mum, your life revolves around your family and you seem to have very little time for yourself.  And when you do have the time you feel guilty, well I do anyway.

I hope you have all recovered from Christmas & the New Year and have entered 2012 fighting and not been dragged into it kicking and screaming!

Sue x x x

Happy New Year.......

To be honest, I don't do New Year celebrations.  I don't even watch the TV to see all the firework displays as the New Year comes in around the world.  No, I find it a very depressing time and will probably shed a tear as I hear all the celebrations in our street as the clock strikes midnight. 

Before the children were born, we used to go out to a restaurant, or friends house and party but I was always checking my watch to see if it was time to go home yet.  I would mostly offer to drive that night so I knew we would be able to get home quickly, how sad am I?

The worst NY's eve for me was December 31st 1999 as we approached the 00's. Apart from all the worrying that the whole world was going to come to complete standstill and that planes would fall out of the sky (thankfully they got very wrong) and our computer would pack up working.... I had just miscarried our 2nd baby and felt as if our little world had come to an end.  Luckily, we went on to have Alex in Dec 2000 - exactly a year after we lost his sibling, and that year although I was upset I was also very thankful that our baby had arrived safely after a very worrying labour and delivery.

We have had a very long day today as we were up and out of the house by 06.45 this morning for a 300mile round trip to see Hubby's brother who is currently residing at a HMP in Worcestershire.  We only manage to see him 3 times a year as he is not allowed many visits and quite rightly his main visitors are his wife and their son and his 3 step sons.  My two adore their Uncle, after all he is their only Uncle.  He is serving a life sentence of 25 years, he has 7 years under his belt and we are hopeful that he will have his category downgraded next year which means he will be able to move to a prison nearer to home.  He asked me today if we had told the children the real reason why he was in prison.  I said no I hadn't but had told them he had stolen 2 cars instead.  I won't go into detail about why he is prison in my blog but I'm sure you can work out for yourself that he did something very serious to receive such punishment.  He said I should really tell them as they are old enough but I disagree.  They know he has done something wrong and he is being punished for his crime and that's all that needs to be said.  It worries me that they would maybe think less of him if they knew the truth.  They both love him dearly and think he's wonderful and at the moment I don't want that to change. 

On the way back we popped into the Bicester Outlet shopping centre, I mean it would have been rude not to as we drove past the entrance.  I was very good and only spent £15 in the Cath Kidston shop!  As a reward for keeping my money in my purse, Hubby treated us all to a lovely dinner this evening at our local Harvester! 

So, as you can imagine, we are all very tired and will shortly be off to bed.

I have a good feeling about next year, mainly because it's an even year and I don't do odd numbers!

Wishing you all a Happy and healthy New Year.

Sue x x

Merry Christmas one and all....

I hope you are all having a lovely day!  My two were up at 7am today, which is actually very late for them as usually on Christmas morn they are in to wake us around 5.30am....guess they are getting older :(

All presents have been well received, the roast dinner was Delicious and the afternoon was spent watching the latest Harry Potter DVD. 

I had a couple of glasses of cava which went straight to my head and required a little nap to help revitalise me for the evening :)

The only downer for the day was the fact that my MIL had a fall late last night and has broken her right arm (top near shoulder) and is in a lot of pain and discomfort and spent most of this morning in A&E.  They can not put it in a cast for around 10 days as she has had to have it weighted so as to bring the bones back into place, hence the pain she is in.  Maybe, she will think twice about drinking so much now.  It's going to be a long recovery for her which is a real shame.

Alex is like an overwound toy and he will continue to be until tomorrow when it's his 11th birthday.

I hope you are all having a wonderful day, and that Santa was very good to you.

Sue x x

Holidays are coming.........

Well, I knew it was going to happen as it usually does.....I finish work on Friday for just over 2 weeks and what do I do...on Saturday morning I wake up full of a cold!  In fact, it might be more then a cold as I am still suffering so a trip to the Docs may be on the cards in the next day or so.

It looks as if we have escaped the bad weather in London for now and the earlier predication of snow on Christmas Day is now a big outsider, not that I am complaining :)

We are all set for the Big Day in the Smiff household.  Presents wrapped, cards posted, turkey in the fridge, and the Xmas cake has been made and iced.  All I know need to do is wrap up Alex's birthday presents for Boxing Day when he will be 11.  Apparently this means he is no longer child, so I mustn't treat him like one...his words not mine!

Hoping to be well enough to take him to the cinema tomorrow as he really wants to see Puss in Boots and on Friday we have tickets to see Beauty and the Beast at our local Arts Centre.

Hubby is still doing double shifts and resembles a Zombie but at least he only has a couple more days left then he is off on holiday for 2 weeks.

Hope your week is going well.

Sue x x x

Up, up and away.......

Well it's up, although some may say I am too early but who cares.  I like to have it in situ by 1st December but I must admit come about the 27th I'm bored of looking at it so it usually gets packed away early!

I love the build up to Christmas probably more then the day it's self, my Dad always used to say straight after Christmas day dinner...."Well, that's Christmas done with for another year", so I like to milk the good feeling as long as I can.

Been very busy at work recently, lots going on - some hush hush which means changes afoot.  I don't like working in this environment but I guess I'll be told when I need to be.

I'm trying to be a bit more organised this year, presents are pretty much done and dusted - although I still keep adding little bits here and there...tut, tut I hear you say :)  I've just placed my Christmas grocery order for delivery on 21/12.  That way, if they are out of stock of anything I can still get the items from the local shops...see, not totally daft me.  I've had the wreath for my Mum's grave in my car for a couple of days, I just need to go to the cemetery now....This I struggle with as It really upsets me, another reason why  I need to go on my own so I down upset the children too much :(

Alex played at the local Band Festival on Monday evening.  He's not really learning to play a musical instrument as such but he does have a lesson each week at school which is currently with a trumpet.  We were originally told that he was just going to the rehearsal in the daytime for the experience and would not be performing at the show in the evening.  I didn't think anymore of it as I guessed this sounded about right so I didn't buy a ticket for the evening performance.  At the rehearsals in the daytime a teacher overheard him talking to another child saying that he would not see them in the evening as he wasn't taking part in the performance..at which the teacher went absolutely ape at him calling his attitude appalling, which as you can imagine, upset Alex very much and even reduced him to tears.  Thankfully I was able to buy a ticket when I collected him from the rehearsals and I will be bringing the matter up with his school.  This is now about the 4th different matter I am having to bring to the schools attention.  So, to say I am less then impressed with them at the moment is an understatement.

Thankfully, Becky is still in good spirits so her mood has been a good one most evenings.  She's had a couple of exams this month and still has one to do next week.  She was given the opportunity to apply for a mentor from one of the London universities.  Only 2 children were successful, one of them being Becky!  She has had lots of chats with her new buddy who is in her final year as a medical student and she still seems keen to go into medicine but as I said to her nothing is set in stone.

My daughter left me with a compliment this morning - she said I had a good boob to bum ratio but now I think of it, it probably wasn't a compliment after all considering I am rather top heavy....Grrrrrrrrrrr!

Hope your week is going well.

Sue x x x