The Joy of Siblings

I can honestly say that having two children is the best thing I ever did!!

People often question whether you can ever have too many children, I myself am One of Three and to be honest I wouldn't have minded more of us!! I have two children and if we suddenly won the lottery I would definitely have another! Watching my two children play is so rewarding, they would do anything for each other. The other night after putting them to bed I heard giggling only to find them making camp in Maisy's room!


How could I have told them off!

I have fond memories of torturing my sister, but hey its made her a better person (I'm sure of it!)
Your sibling is the only person in the world created by the same materials!! Your unique and intertwined and I find that so reassuring. I'm sure not everyone will think the same, but when I look at my two little ones playing, I know that I feel so proud to watch them develop their relationship. It has been argued that having more children means less one to one time, but I always spend lots of time with both of them and they each have an individual story at bed time. My children are not jealous of each other and accept that they are two of a kind! When Ollie left the room after their camp, Maisy said "goodbye my best friend"!!

When you love your children as much as I do that just melts the heart :)

Lifes Big decisions

Well my children and I have been awake since 6.30. During that time they have been playing and I have been quietly panicking and pondering. The question being what I am going to do with my life? My son is now two and my daughter is four. I would really love one more baby however we literally have no money. I am sitting here with a degree in Early childhood studies and a talent for art (which I am trying to persue, but not having much luck) and I still have no offers or job openings. I am pretty fed up to be honest. I love being a mum and I would like nothing more than to have one more child and to stay at home and look after my family and house. But that just isnt an option these days. I could work evenings stacking shelves but what on earth did I mount up a student loan for if that is to be my destiny. I love to paint hence my website http://www.mylittlesweetpeamurals.co.uk/ however why have a talent if no body needs or can afford it. Is it to much to ask to be able to have a job or career that I actually enjoy? It sounds pretty selfsih I suppose as I know that the majority of people work endless hours in jobs that they despise. But why did I bother studying so conscientiously if in the end I get a job in which no qualifications are needed. I may aswell have enjoyed the school years and skyved and got drunk, as apposed to worked all night on my homework and collected merits. Who knows what will happen, I think I may focus on the other question of the day, how to entertain two small children on a rainy bank holiday with insufficient funds.

Carrie x

You can always rely on a four year old to say it how it is..

I often sit here at night and return to the days conversations with Maisy, I find it most fascinating how young children just 'come out and say it' there is no beating around the bush or sugar coating it just plain and simple honesty, here are some examples of Maisy's best quotes;

• Mummy why do 'your' boobies face down?
• Mummy your legs are fat (whilst I'm trying to get dressed)
• Mummy that man looks like a pig! (addmittedly he did look like he had walked off the set of the league of gentlemen, but still the pointing of the finger was a bit much)
• A conversation with the 'Tesco checkout lady'  checkout lady "oh what lovely hair" Me "ahh thank you, she gets that from her daddy"!  Maisy "Mummy! no, daddys got bald hair"!
• Upon meeting her brother for the first time, Maisy enters the room to see me holding Ollie, "wheres his mummy gone?" looking very concerned that I seem to be holding someones new born baby.
• Maisy "Mummy we don't want a new baby because I like Ollie" (I think Maisy believes that if we were ever to have a new baby that it means its a replacement not a new addition!) we corrected her obviously!
• Maisy "Mummy why is that ladies tummy big?", Me "because she has a baby in her tummy darling", "Mummy, does that man have a baby in his tummy?" (Me, trying to hold in the chuckle! and quickly evacuate Superdrug) "no darling, he doesn't"
• "Daddy, go and put your bald head in the washing up bowl!" (an apparent insult whilst not wanting to eat dinner)
• 5th of November Bonfire night; "mummy is the sky going to break now"?
• "Mummy I had a dream that Ollie (little brother) touched the oven and turned into a pea, and then you cooked him!" oh dear psychoanalyse that one!
• "Mummy did it hurt when you had a baby, did you cry".... ummmm let me think.....

There are so many more but that's a few to keep you going!

Night night x

On the subject of poo..

Before I became a mum 'poo' wasn't something I talked about much to be honest. I suppose it may have come up in the odd conversation but not that often. I'm not shy on the subject however its often a conversation killer I find!

Well that certainly changed once the little ones arrived, not only do I now talk about it but I see it about four times a day and I have usually managed to plaster the nasty stuff somewhere across my hands at least twice in 24 hours.

The first poo experience

I will never forget the first time Mike and I changed Maisy's first pooey nappy. Although nappy changing was not new to me as I have a younger brother with a twelve year age gap. We were for some reason changing the nappy as a 'team'. Mike holding Maisy's legs and me the 'wiper'. Well if I could go back I would definately reverse the roles. Our little Darling (mid wipe) broke wind and therefore  continued to splat an array of yellow poo across my chest, face and practically my whole body. At that point Mike wasnt sure whether to laugh  or to comfort as I was slightly hormonal and could crack at any moment. however on this occasion I did find it funny. (Even though I had just managed to squeeze into the only trousers that came close to covering the flabby mass that was; and still is my body) Well back on with the tracksuit bottoms it was then :)

Poo two

This experience I  had not witnessed as I had been at work, but naughty daddy decided to play 'Age of Empires' whilst Maisy played in her bedroom, I think Maisy must have been about One and a half. However Mike felt a little tap on the shoulder and a hint to open his hand and there he was given the little parcel of joy! Well that will teach you for skiving. Obviously daddy did'nt learn as he had a little nap on another occasion only to be woken by poo being smeared across his face and up his nostrels! oh there is justice! Good Girl.

And I'm sure every child has eaten their poo..... well Ollie definately has, not as fond of poo as he is of sand though I must say!

I think thats enough said about poo for now, I'm sure it will pop up again some other time!

In the beginning..

I suppose this would be a good place to start, the birth of Maisy and the start of my stressful, joyful and shall we say eventful journey of motherhood. 

After a pretty 'text-book' labour whereby my waters had broken on the due date before the contractions had started, the first comment made by my midwife once Maisy had arrived was...
"ooh look a ginger nut"

There it started; the feelings of wanting to protect and therefor potentially 'beat' any other person who threatened the happiness of our newly emerged sprog.  I mean; what a thing to say, I was however expecting a little hint of redness as an email with the mother-in-law had previously stated;

"I wonder if he or she will be ginger"

After reading this comment I turned to Mike and asked why would our baby be ginger? After that moment I asked to see all his baby pictures at once, obviously his parents living on the other side of the world, and Mike being the 'third' child (which apparently meant a loss of interest in documenting every first step or word) made this very difficult. Although I managed to see two photos which confirmed that in fact 'ginger', 'red' 'auburn'; was in fact 'in the picture'.

Well Our beautiful baby girl had arrived, I on the other hand looked obese, swollen, spotty and resembled a mutated hamster. But hey I had an excuse right?

And this is where my journey of motherhood started, ahead of me now would be everything mummy, goodbye Carrie..... (I was glad though and happy)

Starting out...

Its 11.30 at night and I have suddenly decided that now would be a good time to start writing a blog. I was in the middle of trying to find ideas and helpful hints reguarding 'Iggle Piggle' cakes, as I am bravely attempting to make my son a cake for his 2nd birthday. Bless all the children lets hope they all bring rennies.

So what should my first official blog/post be about, so many topics to choose from; my four year old daughter and her many attempts to switch our roles, my endless attempts to try and be the perfect mum, I would say partner but Ive got over the 'trying to be a good girlfriend' after realising I was making a rod for my own back', perhaps my endless attempts to work from home - mural artist, cake decorator, making sock monkeys hell I'll try anything!

Well this week my baby boys 2nd birthday is at the fore front of my mind and of course entertaining the children in the Easter half term with nill amount of funds is also proving to be really challenging! So this weeks to do list, make Ollies Iggle Piggle cake, sort out the easter egg hunt for the twelve children attending my sons birthday; that in all truthness he probably won't remember (but he will see the photos). Do the 'party food shop' Clean, clean clean (especially the loo) oh blimey I think I'd better go to sleep now and resume this tomorrow I'm only making myself panic even more......

Carrie x