Sunshine and New cards!!

Woke up to sunshine this morning and 25 degrees!!  Crazy isn't it, Saturday is October 1st!  This makes for a lovely walk to school and a great run in the shade on the Groombridge trail with a good friend. 

The rest of my week has been going well, I've been getting more jobs done and Bill and I got the shed and garden tidied at the weekend.  A trip to the tip and charity shop makes for a very happy mummy and daddy!!  I'm loving getting on top of stuff finally. 

I've got my first major Open house for Phoenix tomorrow, I have invited lots of people and am really hoping that it goes well.  What with the trip to Disney and now having to get US passports for the children before we even book tickets we really need the money.  I was worried about doing it at the end of Sept as on 1st October the next new release  is out but today I got an email from Head office to say that the products are ready to order early and the supplement is available to download now!!  Wow, I've checked it out and think it is the best one to date!!  I love my job!!!!

Got loads to do for the event tomorrow but have the whole day to do it and after school because William is at Beavers and my lovely neighbour is having the girls for tea....gotta love great friends. 

I'm leaving you with my weblink so you can check out all the lovely new cards!!  Feel free to order!!

http://www.phoenix-trading.eu/web/vickithompson

A job done!

I can mark Kitchen off my list of things to do!!!!  Woo hoo!!

Poor Millie has had croup the last couple of nights.  I kept her off school yesterday but sent her in today, I'm praying I've done the right thing but also think that they are all really tired.  William is still crying at the drop of a hat and I'm finding it hard, I want him to thrive at school but really not sure he is.  He is on the edge of some friendship groups at the minute and he hasn't found his footing yet with anyone in particular.  He comes home saying he hasn't played with anyone and it really hurts!  I pray for him to be happy and contented and wanting to learn!  Man, being a parent is hard isn't it!

As for the rest of my week.....it's gone better.  I've got lots of little jobs done and am still going strong...I ran on weds and it was lovely and enjoyable  woo hoo!!

Here's to the weekend
xx

First full day and I'm full of good intentions.......

I have my list.  In fact, I have a list just for this week!  Blogging was one thing on it so after this I can check my first thing off.  BUT!  Mmmm, where do I start..I'm feeling lost...I have spent so long as a full time mum I'm scared of the thought of having this time to catch up..  I know, I know you only have to look back at the posts of how hard I was finding it when they were little to remind me that I was waiting to this time.  BUT...I still feel empty.  I want so much to have a tidy house and to run more and to Phoenix more but today......it's just not there...I'm looking at my hideous desk and can't actually work out where to start, I look in my kitchen and see the mess but can't work out where to put everything.  I look at my catalogues and know I have to dress them and price up all my gorgeous Christmas stock ready for my Open house next week but just can't bring myself to do it.....Why???  My heart starts beating faster than normal, I feel guilty for feeling like this but I feel at such a loss!!!  I NEVER thought this would be how I would feel...not in a million years...I've been to laid back about them starting, I got them all second hand uniform, pe bags that don't match,. drinks bottles that leak...maybe I was subconsciously not letting myself do it properly like all the other mums!!!

So, unsettled it is...however well my children are settling in, I will go with UNsettled for me!!  I long for my children to enjoy school and learn so much about themselves and the world...it is their oyster after all.  I will be there to pick them up when they come out, there to kiss them and cuddle them because they miss me and there to feed them, bathe them and snuggle them into bed but I need to find me in all of this..I am no longer a mum with children at home, I am free with restrictions from 9am till 250pm!!

Answers to all this jumble on the back of a postcard please!!!!

Friday!

Dinner is in the oven and I have half an hour to blog!  Kids are having a flop in front of the TV as they are all shattered.  Man, going back to school and starting school is wiping us all out. 

We've all had tears this week, but only once each.  Millie, going into school, William in the playground at lunch when he saw me picking up the girls and Jaime, randomly when I picked her up on weds?  ~Overall though everything is going well.  Girls go full time on Monday and I am anticipating alot of tiredness and quite few tears!!

I've managed to get loads of work done this week, lots of orders from France are now winging their way way to Cornwall for mum and dad to take back with them.  I've organised an Open House here to launch Christmas and get the ball rolling.  We are saving to go to DisneyLand Summer 2012 so I need to make some serious cash!  If anyone out there is reading this and they want to join my team, drop me a line!

I'm finding the transition weird.  I somehow expected it to be all plain sailing and didn't anticipate wobbles from Jaime but they've happened and now I'm not sure what I am supposed to be doing.  This week has been odd as they have only been there till 1pm, so not enough time to get stuck into too much but I have managed to do most of my desk and am getting there, so check one off my list!

This weekend is Rain, Rain, Rain.  But, to be honest considering how busy last weekend was it will be lovely to not do much at all!!  Movies, popcorn and lots of cuddles for all of us!  Oh and of course, Homework!!!  Man, William seems to be getting loads.  I'm sure it's really not that bad but when you are fighting the tiredness too it is HARD!

Till the next time
xx

Birthday Princesses!!!

This weekend was awesome!  The girls party was brilliant thanks to Lizzie from school who was our party entertainer and my mum and dad who helped so much in the kitchen.  The girls had a blast even though they were shattered from being at school all week and still are now!   Here are a couple of pix to show you how it went.                                                                    Jaime here enjoying her party tea

One of my lovely parent friends is an amazing face painter, thanks Imo

Millie showing off her lovely face!

The tea party madness

The gorgeous new party dresses that nanny and grampie got them

Jaime on her new bike

Millie on her new bike

Mad present opening on actual birthday

Naughty cupcake for breakfast on birthday

This is what our dining room table looked like before the girls got to it.  The problem/bonus on having a big party is all the presents the children get.  It is lovely that everyone is sooo generous but I did feel rather uncomfortable seeing all the things they were given. 

On Sunday, we went to church in the morning then had my God parents round for lunch which was great and I think mum and dad enjoyed catching up with them too.  Mum, Sue, the girls and I nipped off to TKMaxx for a bit of dress shopping and the picture above is what we came out with.  I just love that shop!!

Mum and dad are gone now, off to my grandparents for a couple of days then my sisters for 2 weeks.  We won't get the pleasure of their company now till Christmas which seems ages away but I'm sure will come round really quickly.  Talking of Christmas, check out my website as all the Christmas stock is available now.  Feel free to place an order.

Still haven't managed to sort the rest of my conservatory yet.  Lots of going back and forth to school still as the girls not yet full time.  They did stay for lunch today though, which they loved but it did only give me an extra half an hour.  I'll bide my time, next week they are full time and I can really get cracking!!!

Day off!

Didn't do anything on my list but really enjoyed my morning!  Caught up with friends and ran errands.  Worked out what cakes I'm doing for the girls party on Saturday...cupcakes with pink fondant icing and a letter M for Millie and cupcakes with yellow fondant icing and a J for Jaime. They may be having a joint party but I really want them to have their own candles to blow out.  Still got quite a bit to do for the party, aiming to make the cakes tomorrow evening and ice them in the morning.  They are counting down the sleeps which isn't very many anymore.  Bill goes and picks their new bikes up as well, not sure where we are going to keep them until Sunday.  I really don't want them to see them before, I'm hoping the weather is going to be good enough for us to go for a bike ride after church and lunch. 

Nearly at the end of the first week of school, all going well so far.  All 3 kids are tired and there are more than the normal amount of moody tears at bathtime but all in all it is going well.  Next week the girls get to have lunch and they are super excited.  I had to choose what they were going to eat and it was hilarious hearing what they would say about the choices, it will be interesting to see what they say once they get to eat them :-)

This weekend will be mad, not sure I'll blog now till Sunday but will come with pix of party, cakes, bikes and basically general excitement.  I can't believe 5 years has gone by.  I sat the other night and looked back to 2008 when I started blogging, WOW, so much has gone on.  Seeing the pics were amazing, reading was hard but then it was lovely to see how far we/I had come.  I've made some great friends along the way and it put me back into wanting to blog again...the nights longer helps too.  But in reality, Facebook has as lot to answer to for me as it killed my posting.  I'm back now, probably not everyday but I need to do this! xx

Strike One!!!!!

Or nearly!!  I got started with the help of mum and dad on the conservatory/office/phoenix stuff.  Dad built the shelves (gotta love Ikea) and I filled them..  Well it says nearly for a reason.  It is looking better but I still have a LONG way to go!  I did manage to get all my Phoenix stuff into one place, (the shelves) and mum seriously tidied the kids area she even separated boys and girls stuff so they have a set of shelves each and they can all now reach the things they want to play with which is quite exciting for all.  I do love it when tidying has been done because the kids come in and they seem to think they have all new toys.....not true they are just able to get to them and can see the ones they buried months ago :-)

Tomorrow, I'm having the morning off and meeting some girlfriends for coffee.  2 of us will have no children with us, 2 with but only littlies.  I haven't caught up with these girls all summer so it will be a great morning.  Should really be carrying on tidying but you know what, nah!!!  Life is too short!

Just realised I've blogged two days running, my friend Jen will fall off her chair!!  Probably a patio one too
:-)

School, Autumn and a new chapter!

Well that is it, I now have 3 children at school and none at home!!  Bless my gorgeous little girls, they are doing brilliantly and I'm really proud of them.  We changed schools last year so that our girls could go into different classes giving them chance to make their own friends and  become their own person rather than hide behind each other.  This week is weird because mum and dad are here so our first week is not normal yet..  The school run has been good so far, we leave by 815am and walk just over a mile to get there for 845am.  It's a fun walk if its sunny but not quite so much if it's raining like it was today!!!!  It has been pouring with rain accompanied by 60mph winds!  Fun, it was so chilly in the house today I even had to turn the heating on, welcome Autumn!  The girls are still only going to school till 12 this week then 1pm next week and finally they go to full time finishing at 315pm by the 19th...I have so much on my mind till then I am beginning to feel overwhelmed!!

Firstly, our summer was awesome so different for the last 2 years.  No breakdown for me and no illness for Dad, phew!  We did a bit of camping, went to France, met friends and managed to get to the park a few times.  We had 6 weeks and even though day to day it felt long the whole thing really did go soooo quickly.  I promise I will post pictures soon but they are on my parents computer at the minute so need to get them on here first.  Kids had a blast all summer and Bill was off for nearly 3 weeks which was so wonderful.   Now I have to face reality!

I have so much I want to get done and feel I need to get done and have absolutely NO idea where or how to start.  I can't even get motivated to get running again.  I did my 10k at the end of July and knocked 8 mins off my last time which I was thrilled about but have barely run over the summer and am dreading going for my first run in the morning (6am!).   I think I may have to write a list on here so that I can maybe check things off as I go along, please be aware it is a nightmare of a list and will be all over the place!!!!  Any suggestions on how to do it, or if anyone fancies helping, I can pay you in cake!!  Oh all this below is once we have the got the girls birthday over this weekend.  Mum, dad and I spent the morning getting supplies for it and so far I think I am getting there.

Ok here goes my list!!!!!

1. Clean, 7 years of proper cleaning needs to be caught up with.  I've put this at the top but so much of can't actually be done until I've done so many of the other things on my list
2. Phoenix - I've got my Christmas stock and supplements that need to be sorted.  I have great plans but still no time at the minute and I'm really looking forward to getting my teeth into it. 
3. Put up new shelving unit which will lead into tidying the conservatory/office/phoenix space.  I look in my conservatory and just want to be ill.  It is such a mess, you can't see my desk for kids stuff that just hasn't quite made it to it's home and paperwork...where does it all come from???  This also leads to making more room in my understairs cupboard as my phoenix baskets get to go in the shelving, which then leads to me being able to put my Kenwood mixer, my slow cooker and my breadmaker in prime positions in said cupboard.  Currently, the breadmaker is stuck in a cupboard, the mixer is taking up lots of kitchen counter space as is the slow cooker, and this one is also covered with paperwork.  Any US readers, please bare in mind that my kitchen is tiny, if there is more than one person in it you can't move!!! 
4. Run, more!
5. Pray more!
6. Making weekly menu plan and then actually sticking to it.  I find meal planning one the hardest jobs I do as a mother/wife..  I need to get my weight under control, see point 7.  I've started to do this today and have made my first planned meal.  I have all the food I need for it all as I shopped online and it got delivered today!  Cooking for 4 adults and 3 kids though is a challenge as my fridge is feeling a little tight!
7. Blogging more consistently. This is fairly low on the list however much it changes but I miss it.  I spent a couple of hours checking out my old posts the other day and wow, did it bring back some memories.  Some harder than others but the pictures were awesome.  I want carry on doing that!
8. Catch up with neglected friends.  The summer played havoc with friends, we didn't see anyone really for 6 weeks and although this was great for our family, I've missed them.
9. Touch up paintwork, esp white wood work. It is all starting to look messy from where we have all knocked it!
10. Garden, we've done alot with it over the summer but it is now time to put it to bed for the winter, today's weather wasn't really conducive to that, let's hope we get some better weather soon.

Well there we go, I said it was long and that I had no idea where to start!  Sorry for such a long and rather boring post but as most of you know it is so lovely putting your heart and head on paper, as such!  I plan to come back to this post and strikethrough as I go along...wish me luck!!!!

Anyway, finish the week off and see in the girls 5th birthday, that is the plan so far.
xxxx