31/365 – Smash

I have to admit that I’ve dithered royally about posting this picture. I’m not looking my best.

For two days my pride has won out, but today I changed my mind.  The incident leading upto the photo has completely dominated my last couple of days, so it feels only fair to share it with you. From how I feel to how I look, that one quick trip on a concrete patio* has definitely altered me, and not for the better.  Good thing it’s only temporary.

I’m hoping that I’ll be back to normal soon though. My nose is bloody killing me and my teeth have started to ache (now that all the other throbbing has settled down).

Also, I’m not sure how much longer I can walk around looking like this. There are only so many supposedly furtive stares that I can put up with**.

*yes, there was alcohol involved, no it wasn’t enough to warrant this level of damage nor did it dull the pain so in my mind it doesn’t count.

** I much prefer children to adults.  Children come up to you, ask you what you’ve done and when you’ve told them they shrug and wonder off, totally uninterested now that they know how mundane it is.  Adults, with the exception of a few, stare when they think you’re not looking and speculate.

30/365 – Thomas The Tank Engine

The only reason I’m posting this is that I am determined not to fail in my 365 in the first month of the year!  It’s a dreadful picture and I don’t have anything of much interest to say about it.  It’s late and I’m tired.  Feel free to not comment, I really won’t mind.

We took the kids to see “Thomas Live” today.  They loved it – the girl almost more so than the boy, which really surprised me.  I didn’t have her pegged as a Thomas freak.  My children are constantly surprising me with their likes and dislikes.

29/365 – Brush Off

The girl has long curly hair. I spend a good 10/15 minutes most mornings brushing it out and re-plaiting it. I brush my own hair daily and occasionally brush the boy’s hair for a laugh. I wouldn’t dare go near the husband with a girls hairbrush.

It occurred to me today that I spend quite a lot of time wielding my hairbrush so I should probably post a picture of it.

28/366 – Handsome

He will be soon.

image removed at the request of a parent. See this post for further detail.

27/365 – Three of the Best

Not three of the best pictures I’ve ever taken of them, just three of the best.

(and a swishy new app)

26/365 – Green Green Grass

The girl’s class had an assembly today that parents were invited to.  They were performing their version of the Three Billy Goats Gruff to the parents and the rest of the school.

The husband and I got there first and got prime seats in the front row.  The girl was already in position when we got there and was waving, grinning and “thumbs up”-ing at us.

As the rest of the school filed into the hall I watched her get more and more anxious until eventually she burst into tears.  She sat out the assembly with one of her teachers.

I wasn’t entirely surprised.  I hate getting up in front of people to talk or perform.  If I had to do it tomorrow I would probably cry and seek out an adult to keep me safe.  Apparently I once surprised everyone watching a school play I was in by staying on stage for the whole scene I was “performing” in.  I was playing a dormouse, curled up on the side of the stage.  The only reason I stayed there was because I fell asleep.  They found out when they tried to move me.

She was part of the corps de ballet (as ’twere) – the grass in the field that the Billy Goats were crossing to – and I have to say the costumes were ingenious, a grassy hat and a green t-shirt on several children and lo, a lush, green field was in front of us.  I couldn’t get a picture of her in full costume at school as she was too upset, but she posed in and with the hat for quite a while at home.

I got this bonus shot of her in close up which turned out so much better than I thought it would.  I wish I’d zoomed back a bit and got that hat in too!

25/365 – Dear Grandpa Grumps

When we saw you the other weekend and you gave the kids their jigsaw puzzles I was really pleased.  They are lovely gifts and the kids were so happy (with those and the hats).

Then, when we got the puzzles home and opened them up, I almost phoned you and demanded that you get straight on a train here to help the kids – it seemed that those puzzles were bloody impossible.  The first time I did the fairy one it took me a good half an hour, and I’m good at kids puzzles – I’ve had enough practice at the darned things.

Really.  Look at the shape of those pieces*.

The girl in particular struggled long and hard with hers.  She has tried to do it pretty much every day since she’s had it.  Always, before today, she has cried for help before she has managed to get many more than half a dozen pieces in place.

The boy treated it like he does most things – a huge joke that he’d get around to when he was good and ready thank you very much.

But then today, when the girl cracked it for the first time all on her own, I wanted to phone you and demand that you get straight on the train so that you could see this face for yourself, because really – it’s for you.

Thank you Dad, for giving her that sense of achievement and satisfaction.

*the claim on the back of the box is that “these puzzles often feature no two pieces the same, no corner shapes and straight edges in middle pieces, for an irresistible challenge that will tantalize and tease you for hours!”.  I never want to see a grown up one.

24/365 – Smooch

The only problem with doing a 365 is that sometimes, for any number of reasons, I find that there are days when I just can’t bring myself to pick up the camera.

Today was one of those days.  Something to do with being poorly and not having eaten since Saturday I suppose.  I had a fairly quiet day, but Rainbows this evening was fun and busy and chaotic and frankly knackering.

I started trawling through our Photo Gallery for something amazing that I could offer you and instead found this.  It’s not an amazing picture but it made me laugh.  And it was only taken 4 days ago – bargain.

23/365 – Just Do It

You see, now I have an iPhone, even being confined to bed (bathroom) with a gyppy tummy doesn’t stop me blogging.

It does, however, make my choice of photos a bit limited, especially when I’ve been asleep for most of the day.

Thank you the husb for making sure I had enough to drink all day, and sorry the husb’s parents that I didn’t get to see you.

22/365 – Realisation

This is the exact moment that she realised that 101 and then 102 came after 100 and it meant she could count another 97 numbers. I stopped her at 215 as there’s only so much time I can listen to a small girl counting in a somewhat incredulous tone.