The start of the rainbow......

Anya is now officially a Rainbow (a proud moment for me as I never got further than the Brownie waiting list!). She made her promise in a barn at a freezing cold reindeer farm. After the promises were made we had a chance to see Father Christmas and meet Rudolf (apparently it wasn't cold enough for his nose to turn red yet). Euan started screaming when the reindeer was brought in - he queue jumped and was the fist to stroke it, screaming with excitement the whole time, had to take him away when he tried to stick his finger up it's nose!

Both Anya and Patrick went to see pantomimes. Didn't get much out of Anya apart from she had to sit next to Eve on the bus and she would have preferred to sit next to Jack. Patch told me that there was a very fat man with pink hair and a blue dress, there was water and he got wet trousers but it was OK because they were dry now, he was scared but didn't cry and he sat next to Finley and Cameron.

Auntie Bags, Granny and Grandad visited on Saturday, Anya was very happy as we took them to the Chinese buffet. I think she felt very let down by the lack of chicken satay sticks though!
After we revisited Father Christmas on Cannock Chase, it was very quiet so we managed to see him this time. Anya went through her list of football related presents. Patrick decided that this one was a bit frightening and refused to even look at him. We were given 2 mini trees to plant (although I'm sure that by the time I get around to planting them they will have died - just like last year!). Anya said she liked this elf the best - her theory on the vast number of different Father Christmases, is that they are all elf helpers who report back to the real thing. Had a nice, if very muddy, walk before going home and very tearful goodbyes.

Thought of the week - "I want to be what I was when I wanted to be what I am now" - Graffiti, London, 1980

All partied out!

Luckily I had this week off work to recover from my 'me-time weekend' and to run the kids to their million pre-Christmas events. Only 4 days of school this week and then holidays - yippee - I think we all need a break!

The photo below shows my two big boys(?) - Patch wanted Euan to have a bobble in his hair to be like him - Euan was also made to wear it all the way up to school. The baby Anabelle dummy is all his own doing though!
Anya was the performing star this week, she was Chinese and had quite a few words to say. Although she was mouthing everyone else's words through the whole play when it came to her own she went very quiet for what felt like hours. She did remember them in the end though.
Patrick saw Father Christmas twice this week - he was taken by nursery to visit him with his reindeer. I don't think he spoke to him and is still unsure if he really likes him or is very scared! He was taken into a room of toys and was aloud to choose anything to take home. He picked a stencil set - I couldn't understand why until we got it out and found lots of felt-tips (he normally only has pencils!)- I found him colouring in his finger nails - "look nail varnish!". He had his nursery Christmas party on Friday and Big Mr C also visited him there.

Saturday saw Tim as bestman at a wedding near Portsmouth. It was a childfree wedding (which I've been dreading for months but was lots easier than keeping bored children quiet for hours - think they would have been kicked out if they had made any noise), so Aunties Bags and Jax were the most fantastic sisters a mother of 3 could ask for (I'm going to have such payback in years to come!) and entertained the children for the weekend. Would like to add they were able sleep in until 7.30 - again why, why, why don't the little darlings do this for me? And yes Auntie Bags we need to work on those photos!

Here's some of the very grown up and classy wedding....
Cheesy quote of the week - "Don't marry someone that you can live with, marry someone that you can't live without" - Tim on Saturday

It's snowing. it must be practising for Christmas

The snow at the beginning of the week was very excited. Patrick was sure that it meant it was Christmas day. Both children were upset that nothing much came of the snow and there wasn't enough to have snowball fights. Anya wasn't worried too much though as it's nearly Christmas day and they'll be able to do that then - think there may be a splash of disappointment there!
Anya was very very happy to have moved up a level on the reading scheme and is now on the big books. I think of it as a mixed blessing as the books are now really long and take about half an hour to read all the way through. She likes to read them all so she can change it the next day - she's trying to catch up with her friend who's on the mystical turquoise level (dreading the length of those books!).
Patrick was a complete star on Friday - he had his Christmas play at nursery. When we were putting his costume on I asked him if he knew what shepherds did - "just stand there" - hmm. The room was completely packed with parents so I was a bit worried about stage fright but he said his two words very clearly (even over the top of a screaming Euan who was fighting to get to the goldfish).


Saturday I had all to myself - I did a massive amount of shopping, getting into Birmingham at just after 9am. Have just about sorted all the presents. Then a quick change at the hotel and out for a fab Chinese with far too much wine and onto a bit of a manky bar but it had a dance floor (well a tiny space in the corner) and was playing early 90s Indie music. Spot the off duty over excited mums! - Thank goodness for Auntie Jax who was responsible enough to look after us. We had breakfast (some people did anyway!) and headed back.
The kids had been completely spoilt by Tim - The Animal Farm (McDonalds) for lunch, then they made and ate two lots of cake. I was also given a pirates treasure map that they had made discovered! Euan had slept in until 8.30am (why does he never ever do this for me?).
After sneaking back to bed for an hour we went to Cannock Chase to see Father Christmas and get some decorations. Unfortunately it was heaving and the queue to see him was over an hour (sure Father C must be getting work related stress) - so we had doughnuts and a bit of a walk around the forest trail instead - great cure for a bad head!
Quote of the week - Tim "In the olden days all cartoons were drawn by hand not on a computer" Anya "By hand? Didn't they have pencils?"
Thought of the week - People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. - Leo J. Burke

Is it nearly Christmas yet?

Euan has got two golf balls under his chin - not a new talent learnt in the last week - a throat infection. Why do children always get ill on a Friday? I either feel like I'm wasting the doctors time going straight away or don't go it gets worse over night and spend all weekend working out how to speak to an emergency doctor. Well looks like I made a right choice for once this time - banana antibiotics going down well! A new talent he has found this week is a new way of crawling - he has a car in each hand and then does crawling legs without moving his arms at all. Is it any wonder that he still isn't walking, too much like hard work!




Patrick has mostly been practising his nursery nativity (or activity play as he calls it) - he's a shepherd and has a speaking role. We've been testing how load he has to shout so the people at the back will be able to hear. Think he's got it sorted - the people in the next County will be able to hear him bellowing "FOLLOW US!".


Anya has mostly been moaning about having to go to school and saying that she wants to move to Australia with her friend, because they are on their summer holidays and it's warm enough to play outside. She goes to school happily on a Monday because she has spellings then and her competitive streak comes out. It's down hill for the rest of the week with a small up lift on Thursday for art. I think we're all looking forward to the Christmas holidays - I'm mainly looking forward to the break in the school run and being able to get dressed at lunchtime.


We wrote our letters to Father Christmas this week - Anya's is getter more expensive for Father C but Patrick just wants lots of Pink and Purple stuff (will remind him of this when he's 18). Euan would just love anything with wheels. His first very clear words have been Broom broom. I'm feeling slightly worried that I've emotionally scarred the children by telling them Father Christmas can see them through the burglar alarm sensors and he's watching when the little red light comes on. I suppose it's a new take on Big Brother is watching you! And it's definitely improved Patrick's behaviour.



So Father C, if you're reading this. Anya would like please, Aston Villa top (the one with Acorns on), ball and boots, a Wii game, a playmobile helicopter, puzzlebits, a pirate top and lots of surprises. Please could Patrick have a pink Dora castle (like the one at the craft fair last week), a book, a car, another pink power ranger, new pencils, a pink jewellery box and a pink dinosaur if you can find one! Thanks x.


Today it stayed foggy and cold all day, it never really got light. So with Tim at a Stag do (raving it up in Bournemouth?!) I spent most of the day at a play area in a pub. We went for lunch with friends then the children ran around in the soft play bit for a few hours while the mums gossiped and drank tea. Then home, tea, bath and bed (with a touch of Strictly Come Dancing - Anya was very good at marking the dances, Patrick just commented on all the dresses).


Thought of the week - "If there is no excitement, then some must be created." Silas Bent, Ballyhoo. Something to remember on a wet cold Sunday.

So here's my first attempt.

Having been very envious of all the blogs of friends and relatives I thought it was time to record the growth of the Haywood Killen Clan. With Tim away and the Kids bickering in front of Scooby-doo. I'm thinking now or never!

This week has been dominated by sick children - a really nasty cold has sent the children to bed by 6.30 every night (every cloud and all that!). Had enough of it yesterday and rang Tim (I think hormonally?) and said wasn't coping so he took the afternoon off. I had the pleasure of going to the school assembly without boys hanging off me/escaping to try to get to Anya. We then went to the pub for tea - a pint of cider made things look a whole lot better!

Today Tim has gone to see the Rugby (Rugsby to Anya) so to take the children for a run we went to the local Wildlife Trust Centre. We planned a nature treasure hunt before we left (I thought this might stop some of the moans about it being cold). To get warmed up we went into a craft fair - took the opportunity to stock up on loads of nice christmas presents - including two huge boxes for Anya and Patrick which they seemed to miss hung on the back of the pushchair! Got a very lovely necklace for myself - will have to wrap and send off to father christmas!

While the hunters were seeking poor Euan was wrapped up in the pushchair refusing to go to sleep!

And here's the arty photo that I'll never use again!

Thought of the week (stolen from another much better blog) - Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy. ~Author Unknown

Quote of the week - When looking out of the window at a removal van taking a friends belongings to Australia "Mummy, mummy Olivia's house isn't moving!" - Patrick