New Post over on Non-neurotypical Nipper

Click on the post title to check out Nipper's first day at school!

New Post over on Non-neurotypical Nipper

The End of an Era and a Disastrous Afternoon

Friday was Nipper's last day at nursery and it definitely feels like the end of an era to us. Off to 'big' school on Wednesday! We made a bit of a thing of it by buying a nice card and a big box of yummy biscuits for the staff, and a milky way bar for each of the kids in his class.

I was clearly on my own with this feeling of 'wow - he's finishing nursery'. When I went to collect him it was like any other day. None of the staff who normally work in his room were there, just an agency temp who wasn't aware it was his last day. None of the kids were aware that he wouldn't be coming back and when I went to check his tray his name label had already been removed (and there was no sign of the return of the deposit that I'd paid when he started there). It was a total anticlimax. So I gathered up his coat and bag and we went home. He wasn't bothered but I was miffed, and felt sorry that such a momentous time had been ignored, if that makes sense.

So, we decided to head off to the local leisure centre for their bouncy castle and soft play session. Both the boys love this and it was the last time that Nipper woulld be able to go. We generally have a drink and a cake in the cafe afterwards so it's a real treat. Unfortunately, the session wasn't running as they were hosting some sort of 'my bunny is better than your bunny' event. I was pretty cross, along with several other mummies in the queue, as there hadn't been any notice of the cancellation (I'd been at a session earlier in the week) and no notice on their website. This prompted a minor meltdown from Nipper who was really upset that he couldn't play on the bouncy castle. Now usually I'd do everything possible to calm Nipper down and stop him from disturbing everyone with his loud wailing. But this time I let him go at it so that they could have a few minutes of what I was now going to have to deal with because of their inconsideration!

I managed to persuade Nipper out into the garden area and we decided to have our drink and cake and this helped to calm him down. So, we're sitting at the picnic bench enjoying ourselves when a little gust of wind came along and lifted up our paper plate and deposited our cake on the floor! It happened in the blink of an eye - one second it was there and the next it was gone. The look of shock and horror on Nipper's face would have been comical except that it preceeded another bout of wailing. Now, I never go anywhere without a bag full of drinks, snacks, nappies, kitchen sink etc so I whipped out two snack bars and asked which one he wanted. Whilst messing about with the bars Nipper manages to knock over my coffee which spills like a waterfall through the picnic table and drenches my trousers and shoes. Cue louder wailing.

I've had enough by now so I suggest we leave and go see the boats on the river. But first we need to visit the little boys room. The main baby changing room is blockaded by a mountain of tools being used to mend the adjacent toilets. The other baby changing room is in the 'bunny' area and I'm not allowed down there. So I have to queue in the swimming changing rooms and wait for a family room to become available so I can change Tiddler. Then squash all three of us plus the pram into the smallest toilets I've ever been in so Nipper can do his thing! I don't know if it was the changing rooms or me having a hot flush but it was bloody sweltering in there!

We finally make it out of the leisure centre and head for the river where, thank goodness, there are plenty of boats, and lots of tractor type vehicles who are clearing up after the festival. And speaking of which the area looked like a refugee camp. I've never seen so much rubbish in one place, aside from a visit to the tip. God knows how much it costs to clear the place after the festival, though I noticed an army of 'community service' people (ie scallywags who avoid getting prison sentences and have to do 'useful' community stuff instead), so presumably that keeps the costs down!

We have a lovely walk without too much incident though we do have to venture into the undergrowth for Nipper to have another wee (I'd forgotten to bring the portapotty!) A little while later Nipper is having fun climbing on a fallen down tree when he informs me that I need to make his bum all shiny. Uh oh! That's what Nipper says when he needs his bum wiping - and on closer inspection boy does he need his bum wiping! This is very unusual for Nipper but I guess when you've got to go you've got to go! Making his bum 'all shiny' was a bit of a trick and viewed by everyone along the riverbank. Good job I've got the kitchen sink in my bag. This was shortly followed up by another foray into the undergrowth for yet another wee. Tiddler has decided that he's fed up of being an onlooker from the pram and starts wailing because I won't let him out to roll in all the goose poo that's on the grass.

I decide I've had enough disasters for one day and we head home. Mercifully, both boys fall asleep in the car and we have peace at last!

The End of an Era and a Disastrous Afternoon

Catch Up Before Holiday Time

I don't know where the time goes! I've been meaning to do a post for I don't know how long but never get to it! So here is a quick catch up.

All three kiddies have had birthdays recently. Tiddler turned one:





He had a little family party at home which was slightly scuppered by my S-I-L's cat having an accident and everyone having to rally around to get it sorted out. Nevertheless he enjoyed the day and his cake! I managed to finish his quilt much to my surprise. It turned out really well (considering I can't get a walking foot for my machine) and I love it.





Nipper turned four:



He had a party for his nursery friends at a local leisure centre where you could hire the bouncy castle and soft play equipment. A fab time was had by all though the service from centre staff left a lot to be desired, the worst of which was when one of the kids was sick and the reception staff handed my daughter one wet jaycloth to deal with it. How can you clean up sick with one jaycloth?! No paper towels available anywhere - not even in the toilets, no disinfectant provided - yuck! Won't be going there again, nor recommending it - lol! Unfortunately I didn't finish his quilt - it's still a work in progress and he doesn't seem to mind. I bought him some Thomas trains and tracks off Ebay and he was over the moon with them.

I'm not doing too well on the crafty front generally. I eventually frogged Miss Muffett's poncho and I'm now attempting it again on smaller needles. It just wasnt working out - the Debbie Bliss cotton did not like being knitted up on a 10mm needle. We'll see how we get on with the new version.

Miss Muffett turned fourteen. Here she is with Tiddler's present - the cat thingy from Waybuloo (she has a thing about cats!)



She was easy to please - an LG Pop phone from me, some arty supples from Nipper, and a trip to the cinema and Pizza Hut with her best buddies. She even came home with some change from the cash I'd given her. I was impressed.

We were also impressed and very proud of her achievements at Junior Prizegiving. She has received prizes each year that she's been at secondary school but I've not been able to attend the ceremony before as they don't allow you to take young children (wonder if they'd have turned me away if I'd turned up with Tiddler anyway??) She received the lower school award for Drama, and also the Academic Achievement award for her year group. To top it off she came first in the 100m at sports day and was only beaten in the relay by the team who run for the school. Apparently her teachers are urging her to stand for head girl so Year 10 could be a very interesting year.

We've been to some lovely Summer fairs, four so far. I love them. Give me a cup of tea, a piece of cake, a book stall to have a rummage and a bouncy castle to entertain Nipper and I'm a happy bunny. We picked up some great books and cd's and some educational stuff for Nipper which looked brand new. But best of all was the visiting Fire Engine which came to Nipper's Nursery Fair. They allowed the kids to sit inside and pretend to drive. The nursery staff had a fireman's helmet and took pictures of the kids and gave them a certificate. Nipper was over the moon:



Some very exciting things have been going on in the garden! I decided to have a go at growing some veg, though left it a little bit late to be growing from seed, so I don't know how things will turn out. Here's a glimpse - the courgettes are doing very well and I'll soon have to start giving them away as we can't eat them fast enough:





The little ridge cucumbers are very sweet tasting:



The tomatoes are just starting to flower:



I never realised that pumpkins would take over the garden though given the size of the fruit it should have been obvious!





And look at this little chap having a whale of a time inside the flower:



The baby squashes are so cute!



What do you think of my lettuces?



Yes, they are nasturtiums. I gave up after 3 seperate plantings were gobbled up by an unknown critter. I'm having better luck with my 4th lot which are sitting on top of the guinea hutch:



I can only assume that the slugs dont like the feel of the roofing felt?

And remember this - the space where the old rotten shed used to be:



Well it's now this:



If only I had time to sit in it! It's become a den for Miss Muffett and her mates! It was a very kind and generous present from Mr Earplug's parents. It took a while to get it up and painted but it's lovely and won't be a teenage den for long!

Oh, and I finally got the remainder of the money that was outstanding following my car being pranged by the lorry driver - only took 16 months and a court case to get it!!

We're off to Devon tomorrow. This time we're having a whole week away and I cant wait!

Catch Up Before Holiday Time

Where Did February Go?

We're well in to March now and I just don't know where February went. I think it disappeared in a blur of knitting, trips to the orthodontist and starting to sort out our back garden.

Last summer we cleared all the ivy from the garden wall (though it's growing back very quickly) and realised that we had room for a small shed in the top corner:

It looks like a small space but we managed to get a 7'x5' shed in there. When it arrived it was very boring in it's dull brown 'sheddiness' but slap on a coat of paint and you have a cute wee 'building'!
This is Mr Earplug's shed since it's got the lawnmower in it and no doubt it'll be full of spiders soon - and I don't 'do' spiders!
Once the new shed was up we could get rid of the old shed which was rotten, had ivy growing through the boards and was full of junk left by the previous owners - and we're left with this space:
I have plans for this space and it won't involve storing lawnmowers! More of that later.

Miss Muffett reached a teenage 'milestone' last month when she got braces fitted. I was a bit alarmed when we got the appointment as the accompanying letter said we may have to pay for some or all of the treatment. Luckily it turns out she can have them on the NHS. It's so complicated though! I had a small brace as a teenager but nothing like the 'train tracks' that she has, adjustments every 6 weeks, attaching elastic bands to them overnight. Poor girl has been trying to get 100% attendance at school but it's not going to happen with all the appointments. Never mind, the treatment will be finished in 5 years!

Another milestone is Tiddler being able to sit up all on his own now:

This means that I can get a few rows of knitting done (when I should be doing housework!) I think knitting the bootees must have given my 'crafty gene' a kick up the bum as I've knitted 2 scarves and a cardy since - which is more than I've knitted in the last 4 years never mind 4 weeks!

I found this pattern and had to have a go. I've always wanted to try knitting with Noro but didn't want to attempt anything big as it might have been an expensive mistake. My first scarf took less than 2 balls of Silk Garden Lite and I really loved watching the colours develop. I wasn't so keen on the actual yarn though. It was very thick and thin and had lots of bits of plasticky looking stuff in it. I only found one knot but it did impact on the colour run and so I ended up losing the second run of the red/brown section which was a shame. When I soaked it for blocking the water was filthy - yuck! And it's quite scratchy too - hope my mother-in-law likes the scarf as it's her birthday present!


I loved the pattern so much that I had to make another one - this time for my Mum. I bought Debbie Bliss Stella, a silk/rayon/cotton blend. Unfortunately I didn't much like this yarn either! It was very loosely plied so I kept sticking my needles through it, and it was full of little knots so knitted up quite scruffy. I'm glad I got it at a sale price! I know my Mum will love it anyway.

I'm going to make another one for my friend for Christmas and possibly one for myself too. I also knitted a cardy for Tiddler but I haven't sewn the buttons on yet, and started a 'repurposing' sewing project. No wonder February passed in a flash!

Where Did February Go?