Its all about Bob!

Once again, I have missed a day.  I have sufficiently told myself off and given myself a written warning - I will try not to let this happen again!

So Wednesday was a busy busy day (hence no blog).  Started in the usual way with a trip into school to drop Megs and Emma off (no tears).  Rosie and I then popped to the supermarket for our weekly shop before picking Emma up again (half day on Wednesdays). We then came home to welcome T and D for lunch.  We sat outside in the sunshine and let the kids bounce around on the trampoline.  After lunch we got the basketball net out for the kids but it quickly became a competition between T and me.  For those who don't know T, she  reckons herself to be a bit of a hotshot as she plays Goal Attack in a netball team, so the challenge was set - most hoops out of 5.  T went first and after a confident first 2 throws, she started to wobble, the third went in off the rim but the fourth was miles off! She managed to pull it back together with her 5th and final throw to score a reasonable 4 out of 5.  Then up stepped Mr Mum, the first three went in smoothly, i was then told I wasn't allowed to use the backboard, because apparently you don't have them in netball!

So with my throw now a whole lot harder I launched the 4th throw which inevitably missed.  This then meant I needed my final throw to go in to equal Ts score.  So with the pressure on, and an excited crowd watching on, I threw my last ball, it was a beautiful throw, looping nicely into the hoop without any need for a backboard.  The game was a draw, but I think I am the winner as I wasn't allowed the backboard!

Anyhows, after such excitement T and D went home and Rosie, Emma and I went back to school to pick Megs up from her Gymnastics class.  We then were in panic mode - quickly home, quick tea, quick change and then out again to Brownies.  Tonight was their "promise" which, to the non brownies, is where they promise to keep the Brownie Guide Law and be sworn in with the whole pack, Brown Owl and Snowy Owl (the leaders) watching on.

We picked P up and off we went to Brownies, dropped them there and came home.  Jo arrived home from work and we all went back to Brownies to witness the Promise.  They all did very well.  One by one they were led up to the front by their "sixer" and were asked to read out the Promise.  A faultless performance by them all.

We then dived back home and Mr Mum went to meet J in the pub for a few beers and a chance to sit down! So you can see, there wasn't much time to write this blog, so I hope I am forgiven!

As for today - The teachers at Megs' school decided to join in the industrial action today - as if we haven't missed enough school this term, they thought it would be a good idea to join the strike - this meant no school for Megs.  It didn't effect Emma, so it was business as usual for her. We dropped her at Pre-School as normal (no tears) and then Megs and Rosie went to Ts house for a couple of hours while Mr Mum caught up on some outstanding phone calls and paperwork.  I picked them up and the three of us went to the park for a picnic which was pretty successful. The kids polished off the picnic in no time before have a play in the playground, we finished the trip off with a nice ice cream before heading home and picking Emma up.

The day went pretty well with no major problems......however, there was just a small issue today with Bob - Bob as my more dedicated Mumsters will know is Emma's  pride and joy, she doesn't go anywhere without Bob - the shops, school, bed, holiday etc etc.  So you can imagine the potential issue if Bob is some how forgotten! Well, that's what happened today folks - BOB WAS FORGOTTEN!! you could probably hear the screams in Australia, in fact I am pretty sure the earth shook at 10.35 today when Emma realised that Bob was not with her and was in fact on the back of the buggy.  Luckily a support team was scrambled to deal with the matter.  It went like this;

I gave Bob to T, T gave it to a teacher who happened to be popping in to see her this morning, this wonderful teacher then took Bob back to school.  She passed it on to a teacher at the Pre-School and finally Bob and Emma were reunited at about 11.14 today.  By all accounts a very emotional moment for all!  Drama over.

Anyhows, that's pretty much it for today - tomorrow is the School Fete.  For those of you going, Ill be at the Pimms tent - see you there!

Pesky weather.......make your mind up!

First an apology from Mr Mum central.  Yesterday turned into a very busy day so I ran out of time to send you folks a message.  I will therefore start toady's blog with yesterdays comings and goings - please don't let this confuse you (you know who you are!!).

The week started well, lovely hot day - hit 33 degrees and the hottest day for 5 years.  So after taking Megs to school, Emma, Rosie and me went to Jo Jingles (music club) for a bit of dancing and singing followed by a bit of soft play action.  It was lovely in there as they had their air con on which kept us cool.

After a successful and reasonably non eventful time we popped home for lunch.  Jo came back at lunchtime as she was taking Emma to her new school to meet the teacher.  So i stayed behind to look after Rosie.  As it was dancing day, Jo took Emma and Megs after school in the car and Rosie and I decided to cycle down to meet them.  Not a great move in the heat, and I arrived just a tad hot!

The mumsters all sat outside so to avoid conversations about Take That or knitting I decided to set up a football match.  Managed to get a few of the kids involved and we had a good kick around, a few tears and tantrums later they went off to their dance class suitably hot and bothered! I then tried to drum up a new game but lack of interest meant I sat with the mumsters and swap knitting patterns!!

Rosie declined to cycle home with me (she has a seat on the back of my bike) - cant think why?!? so Emma volunteered, which after about 5 seconds regretted she had - "too fast daddy", "slow down I don't like it" were comments coming from behind me.  She didn't need to worry - we soon hit a hill and in 33 degrees we definitely slowed down! We finally made it home before I melted and I had my 3rd shower of the day before cooking tea.

Sooo that was yesterday....as for today, a slightly less eventful day.  Still very hot and muggy but slightly overcast with rain forecast for the afternoon.  Took Megs and Emma (no tears) to school and then walked very slowly home as Rosie decided she wanted to "scoot" home which can take a while with her little legs!

We then chilled at home for a bit before popping into town for a while and then coming back for lunch......the afternoon was spent worrying that it was going to pour with rain just at the moment i needed to go back to school.  And yes, that is what happened. the heavens opened just as I was leaving the house so we (that's Rosie and I) decided it was time for the buggy rain cover.  For those experienced mumsters, you will know that buggy rain covers and me do not walk hand in hand through life and I have had my fair share of arguments with them over my time! today was no exception.  I don't know who invented rain covers, but they must have had a very twisted mind because they simply do not make sense!

Ten mins later, nicely hot and bothered Rosie and I left the house for a second time, this time with Rosie nicely covered up and me exposed to the downpour.  Made it to school in record time and picked up Emma, who quickly jumped in the back of the buggy and then picked up Megs who was loving the rain! typical Megs!! She then decided to take my umbrella leaving me with nothing.  Pesky kids! 30 mins later and rather wet we had made it home, just then the rain stopped - typical!

It was then tea time and tonight it was the famous Mr Mum pasta surprise - always a winner!!

That's all for today folks, be sure to come back soon for more thrilling stories from Mr Mum!

 

Paddle Paddle Splash Splash........

Good evening Mumsters, I trust everyone is looking forward to what should be a sunny weekend.

Today has been a reasonably quiet day, if not a little bit longer than usual.

I was actually the first person up today, as the second round of Olympic tickets went on sale at 6am.  I don't know why I bothered.  There was nothing left unless I wanted to go to Handball or Dominoes or something....we ended up applying for some football tickets at Old Trafford and a canoe sprint event, whatever that is?!? Not the greatest events but its a start, mind you I probably wont get them anyway!!

So we had a bit longer to get ready this morning and finally got around to taking Megs to school with no real dramas.

Came home and we got ourselves ready for the main event - Rosie's swimming.  Rosie goes to a weekly class at a private pool. Megs and Emma have been through the ranks there and both came out the other end as capable swimmers.  This was my first time taking Rosie and we had fun - Rosie is one of those 2 year olds who loves the water and has no fear, which is good and bad because she will throw herself off the side of the pool not realising that she hasn't actually been taught how to swim yet, so ends up sinking until someone grabs her, not ideal but at least she likes the water. 

Mr Mum and 5 Mumsters swam around the pool with our little ones encouraging them with phrases like "paddle paddle splash splash" and "kick kick kick".  We then tried a new trick - "Ready........DIVE!" in this trick you dunk the child under the water and then pull her up again so she understands about going under the water, all with the carrot of a toy waiting for her when she comes up for air....this went well and we quickly progressed to another swim round with the child on your back.  It was then play time for 5 minutes on the mats before getting out and coming home.  All quite drama free and successful, same time next week....

After lunch back home, I created a DVD masterpiece of the Sports Day yesterday which I will distribute next week, I am thinking they should be sold and money raised for the school...i will bring this up next week with the relevant fund raisers.

We then did some quick food shopping before heading back to school for Megs and Scooter club. Scooter club is held every Friday after school and is basically an excuse for the kids to rush around the playground on their scooters, although after about 5 minutes the scooters get disposed of and it turns into a running club, but they love it so what can you do?  We stopped for a quick ice cream afterwards with H and family before finally arriving home an hour after school finished.

That's pretty much it, other than a comment Megan made on the way home which amused me.  She said " I wish we lived next door to Wayne Rooney and the rest of the Manchester United players".

So do I, that would mean we live in a lovely mansion with lots of money in the bank! keep dreaming Megs....

Have a good weekend one and all and I hope you have enjoyed the first week back as Mr Mum.  Please feel free to leave comments and I will post them if they make suitable reading!!

See ya.

On your marks, get set.......GO!

Another busy day for Mr Mum and the Mumsters- that could be a band, I could be the lead singer with the Mumsters on guitar, drums and bass - we could make a fortune! Only problem, I cant sing and yet to find a Mumster with the relevant skill set!

Anyway, I digress. Today was Megans Sports Day so busy busy....Megan was picked up by H at 7.50 for early morning athletics club, so I only had to take Emma to school this morning (no tears), I dropped her off and met up with H dad J who then walked back to my house with me for a cup of coffee.

I quickly assembled the picnic masterpiece and then we walked back to school for the 10am sports day.  We set up camp on one side of the field and waited for the kids to arrive.

We didn't have to wait long, out they marched in their team colours (red, yellow, blue and green - Megs was in Blue) and took their positions for the first event - the old classic run-down-to-a-cone-and-then-come-back-again-type-relay-thingy.

The sports day is organised into a number of events and the kids rotate them with the parents following them around.  So after a successful first event, which I think was a tie between blue, green and yellow, we moved onto the next event - hula hooping.  Not quite sure how they planned to judge this event but still, the kids had fun.

The sun was still shining at this point so we moved onto the next event, one of the highlights, basketball.  We made the mistake of standing behind the nets so spent most of the time throwing the balls back, still the kids loved it and some of them actually even got it in the hoop!

On we marched to the next event - the jumping over little hurdles event, which went down well before moving on to the sports day classic Egg and spoon race.  In my day, 15 years ago (?!?!?) we used real metal spoons and real hard boiled eggs, but due to cut backs these days they use a plastic egg and spoon - not quite the same, but still required the same amounts of concentration from the kids, who turned this into the longest egg and spoon race on record, with some very slow walking!

With the parents longing for a chair and cup of coffee, we moved on to the last event, another old classic, the sack race, this ended in a few tumbles, tears and tantrums and that was just the adults!!

Just then the skies opened and it began to rain, so the kids were rushed back inside for a rest and snack while us parents were left to brave the elements.  Luckily some forward thinking parents had prepared for this with a collection of large golf umbrellas which did the job just fine.  The rain didn't last long and it was sunny again in no time.

The kids then reappeared for a series of races.  Megs was in the skipping 60m challenge which went well.  That was the end of the kids sports day.  Don't ask me which team won, because apparently it wasn't a competition - as some of the Mumsters found out when they were told off for cheering their team on!! what has the world come to where you cant even have a winner at sports day "Everyone who took part is a winner" what rubbish!!

Just when we thought we could get stuck into our picnics, it was announced there would be a Mumster competition and a daddy competition. The Mumsters went first.

They were all called up to the front where they were given a 5 minute warm up routine, this wouldn't have been out of place on a David Attenborough documentary...I can see him narrating on the Mumsters doing their moves with lines like "Over there, we see the very rare species, a Mumster trying to balance on one leg  and in front of us we see a gaggle of Mumsters jigging around with no sense of co-ordination at all"! Anyway, after the rather amusing warm up they were split into teams and began a basketball challenge - sudden death, miss the hoop and you are OUT! I noticed a number of Mumsters queued up behind T and quickly made her the team captain.  I could understand this as T is a keen netball player and plays as GA, which apparently is Goal Attack who scores all the points for the team. Therefore, I could understand their confidence in T leading the way from the front.

The whistle went, the first team players stepped forward, were handed the ball and then told to shoot - one by one they threw their balls, some going in and some missing.  Then it was Ts turn - she grabbed the ball with authority, lined up in front of the net and then launched the ball.............the ball flew through the air gathering speed as it went, further and further it went, everything in slow motion the dads and Mumsters watched on, slowly the ball started coming down towards the net........and slowly we realised it wasn't going anywhere near it! it ended up going over the backboard and i think it is actually still going!! not her finest moment! The Mumsters were soon all eliminated and a winner announced.

It was then the Dads turn.  As it has been in previous years, this was a Hula Hooping competition.  Before that however there was the 5 mins warm up which must have looked like a herd of elephants! We were given a hula hoop each and allowed a quick practice.  I could tell after the first attempt that this was definitely an event Mr Mum was not going to win as the best I could manage was about two revolutions! Anyway, the idea was to see who could hula hoop the longest.  After about 2.5 seconds all but 2 dads were out and the competition ended pretty quickly after that!

We could now relax with our picnic. Well, I say relax, but thats very hard with kids running around demanding another snack or drink...anyhows, they all ate enough and were happy so whos complaining?

After a quick ice cream it was time for the kids to depart and return to their classrooms for the afternoon.  This gave the parents the opportunity to relax for five mins before packing up and leaving the school.

By the time I got home it was pretty much time to go back again, Rosie had a power nap and we headed back to school to pick the other two up.  Both exhausted, which was nice.  Rosie decided to walk home so it took us about 40 mins until we could finally walk into the front door and collapse.

Gave them all tea and off to bed very tired.

Another day bites the dust - well done school for the sports day, this time next year Emma will be in it!!

Laters people, until we meet again.

 

The dreaded spots are back!!!

Today will be forever known as Chicken Pox Day!

Let me start from the top, Jo was going to Wimbledon today but before going she did the school run.  She dropped Megs and Emma off and came home......She arrived home with a look of panic on her face! What could it be, had we forgotten to do Megans Homework? The school was closing down?  no, the panic came from a spread of Chicken Pox at school.  Now, for the unfamiliar, let me give you some facts:

1. Chicken Pox is HIGHLY contagious
2. It can be infectious 1-2 days before the spots
3. The contagious period lasts 4-5 days on average
4. It takes 10-21 days after contact with an infected person for someone to develop Chicken Pox

The bottom fact is the important one for this story.

It turned out Ts son D had caught it as well as Bs daughter N.  This was bad news for us as Rosie has been in contact with the pair of them recently.  Back to the panic, the main reason for this was because Mr Mum and Co are going on holiday in approx. 4 weeks and the last thing we need is Rosie coming down with Chicken Pox the week before we go(see fact 4) - the airline just wouldn't let us fly.  Therefore, something had to be done and fast!

Jo rang around a few private hospitals and we finally found one in Victoria that would administer a Chicken Pox vaccine.  All at the lovely price of £73! So Mr Mum had to change his busy schedule and make a trip to London.

Jo then made her way of to the Pimms tent at Wimbledon leaving Mr Mum carrying the baby!  First stop was School to pick up Emma (half day), we then got the train to London.  Luckily the Medi Centre is at Victoria station so we arrived in plenty of time.  We started with a bite to eat (unlimited pizza and pasta) and then went to the Medi Centre.

This was my first experience of a "walk in" Medi Centre, and hopefully it will be my last.  The place wasnt great and the staff clearly didnt know one end of a thermometer from the other! The first thing they wanted was me to complete a 3 page form about me - I tried to explain to them that the injection was for my daughter and not me, but they werent having it, so they now have my full medical history, should they ever need it! The final few questions referred to Rosie so I filled those in, gave them back to a lady who must have just come from the local Job Centre on day release and we took our seats.  Twenty mins later a "doctor" came out and muttered Rosie under his breath before leading us off to some grotty little room around the back. 

The brave little soldier took it all in her stride, although the same could not be said for her dad who isnt a big fan of needles! When we came out I was told she will need a booster jab in 4 weeks and what a surprise, that will be another £73 !!

By now both kids were moaning as only kids can, so we quickly got on a train and came home.  We didnt have long at home before we had to get back to school and pick Megan up from Gymnastics, followed by a quick tea break and then off to Brownies - will this day ever end!?!?!?

Just back from dropping Megs and her pal P at Brownies - tonight they were meeting in the park.....I have no idea what they were going to do in the park, but they seemed happy so I left them there, came home put the other two to bed and poured myself a well earned glass of wine.

Today didnt turn out how I was expecting it to, which was a shame but it was certainly a busy one!

Tomorrow is Megs Sports Day so that should be a laugh!

Until then.

Mr Mum 

First day complete (just)

Well, here we are again people, Mr Mum is back, wiser and stronger.

For those who dont know about Mr Mum, please refer to the historic blogs - they will give you the information you require to become a full Mumster.

So how has this happened again I hear you ask? well, finding a new job is taking longer than we all thought, I have a strong chance of a role so will keep you posted on that, but in the meantime the bills wont pay themselves so unfortunately my wife has gone back to work for a few weeks for a consultancy she knows in London.  This leaves the door open for the return of Mr Mum.

As first days go, it was a bit of a damp squib.  The weather didnt help matters as it has been pretty miserable but that aside it has been pretty much a nothing day. (sorry to disappoint)

We dropped Megs at school in her new classroom before coming home to wait in for the pest control officer - we have a wasp nest in our roof.  She arrived, charged me £51 for 10 mins work and told me should would be spraying the nest with 98% Talcum Powder - I hope the other 2% does something?!? I thought, I could have sprayed the nest with Talcum Powder if that was all that was needed, the wasps would have smelt nice as they slowly died as well!!

Anyhows, when she had left, after calling me "Darling" about 15 times (sure it should be the other way round??) we went to the supermarket for our weekly food shopping.  1 hour and £110 later we left and came home for lunch.

This afternoon, not a lot to report to be honest, Emma decided she wanted to do some painting, so after spending about an hour setting it all up with the paints, brushes, apron etc etc she painted a "picture" and two minutes later wanted to do something else....

We picked Megs up and made the mad dash to dancing....Emma was in first and we could then chill while we waiting until it was Megans turn, there was a minor hair tangled incident but nothing us experienced Mumsters couldnt overcome!

After dancing it was home to watch the traditional BBC Wimbledon coverage with Sue Barker padding the conversations out in the studio as the rain poured down on the courts - Wimbledon just wouldnt be the same without a fair share of rain.

I then showered, washed hair and got them ready to bed in record time.....only 10 mins till I can shut the door on them for another day.

Sorry today didnt live up to the hype of opening day, but things will improve, just be patient.  For example, this week we have Megans Sports Day so I am sure that will be eventful!

Until tomorrow, stay classy Mumsters.

Happy Fathers Day!!!

Happy Fathers Day one and all, I hope all the Dads out there are being looked after by their kids!

Mr Mum was treated to breakfast in bed and is being taken out for lunch as well - happy days!

The real work starts tomorrow when Mr Mum is back for a limited period........keep reading Mumsters!

Mr Mum is back!

yes, the rumours are true, my super injunction failed and the press got wind of my return......Mr Mum is back as of Monday 20th June......for a short run...so enjoy the postings while they last........

See ya in two days........

The countdown begins.....

Mr Mum is coming back......... watch this space.......