CharlieBeth's "My Life As Mumma Walker"

Jack is doing so well with his potty training now. We hardly ever have any accidents - only if he is giddy like when he had a friend over and the first time he played on the Wii with daddy - and even then they are small and nothing much to wory about. Twice now we have taken him out without a nappy. First time to the Factory shop and he did a pee on his potty in the boot of the car just before we came home. He didn't ask though, we asked him to go. Second time I took him round town and as we came out of the library he asked for his potty and did a wee. Both trips out he came home with dry undies! I am SO impressed with him! He seems to have got over his "thing" about pooing on his potty now too and is quite happy to do one on his potty every day. We still need to get him out of nappy pants at nap time and bedtime, and I'd like to get him using the toilet instead of a potty, but there's plenty of time for that yet. I think from the end of next week, or the

I finally plucked up the courage to try out the Peg Bag idea. I've used this is a guide: http://www.allfreecrafts.com/sewing/peg-bag.shtml but instead of using a tea towel I interfaced and lined some of my fabric. The first one (pink cakes) didn't work out great. For one it's too big. But mostly, my sewing was too wobbly. I think it's because I got my fabric too thick, effectivly 3 layers which I then doubled over... my poor little sewing machine struggled! I learned from it though, and my second one (strawberry) was smaller and neater. That's the one my mum will get for Christmas (she said she needed a new peg bag). I'll keep the first one for myself. Ok, it looks a little tatty but so what? There will only be me (and sometimes hubby if I'm lucky) will ever really look at it or use it. And I have finally finished Baby Ben's birth record!

I have a bread maker *blush* Even though I have scoffed at such things many times in the past. Even though I maintain that if you're going to make bread you should do it right and get in there with your hands.... I do still think all this. However.... the price of bread is just STUPID now. And while I LOVE to make my own bread *properly* what I lack is the time and the space. With 2 kiddies - regardless of hubby being home or at work (yay, he's got a job again!) - I don't really have the time to mix and kneed the bread, or have anywhere I can proof it. Once upon a time I used to rest it on top of the radiator in the living room, but that meant only having home baked bread in the dead of winter. And think about it, 2 kids and a cat with bread dough sat right there in poking reach... it's not going to happen. So I have a bread maker. It's a Christmas present from my mum. One I'm allowed to have now and use. She brought it over today. I've baked two loa

I am looking forward to this Christmas more than any other I can remember! This is the first year that Jack will really get what's going on. This is his 3rd Christmas. He enjoyed last year, but this time he's already loving all the Christmas decorations in town and in the shops. He loves the Christmas tree & decoration section in the supermarket! He recognises pictures of Santa too. I tried to explain that Santa brings presents for all the good boys and girls but I don't think that has sunk in yet. I'll work on it though! Also, this is Tom's first Christmas, and that's always going to be special. I've bought him a Christmas Pudding suit to wear! And we still have Jack's Santa suit from his first Christmas so we have a spare in case of accidents. (I'm wanting to get Jack an elf suit for this year). I'm itching to get up into the loft and get the tree and decorations out, but I'm waiting until Dec 1st. Mark wants to wait longer but no

Whoohoo!! Jack did a pee on his potty last night! I'd left him pantless for a while once hubby got home so I could wash the pots etc after tea. Jack came running over to the kitchen door waving a nappy at me begging to have it put on. I said no... pants or potty (nappy was out for bedtime) and he ran off again. Next thing I know hubby is telling me Jack's done a wee in his potty! This morning he did a little poo in his potty too - on the promise that he would get a Toy Story sticker on his brand new chart if he managed a wee or a poo in it. Again, he's had no pants on. A little later he had pants on and pee'd in them. And got very upset about it too.... so I'm thinking NO PANTS for the next few days and see how he goes from there! SO proud of my little man! ___ Evening Update: Soo...... by the end of today Jack managed 1 poo and 4 wees in his potty! I think we would have done better but I had to go to the supermarket today, and it was a big shop, so w

I'm giving this a good go now. We've skirted around potty training for a bit, getting him used to sitting on the potty and trying to convince him that he shouldn't use it as a shoe or a hat.... Today we broke out the cloth pants! Jack isn't very impressed just yet. He doesn't like being wet. I hate having him do something that makes him unhappy, but if he doesn't like being wet and he can feel it now (instead of being in a nappy where he can't) then I'm hoping he'll make the connection to using the potty before he wees. So far today he has gone through 4 pairs of undies, all wees. He is coming to tell me he's wet sometimes, and sometimes saying potty after he's wee'd, so I think that is progress. But the last time - which was just before nap time - he said he wasn't wet even though I saw the damp patch, and when I asked him to come over to me so I could change him he got a little tearful. It was nap time though so he was tired and

Just got a call from my mum. Step Bro Antoni and his wife Hadil finally became parents today, 2 weeks over due and induced. Baby Boy (I assume they are still calling him Romeo as no one told me different) was born at 5.30pm today, with the help of forceps, at a staggering 11lb 10oz! That's about 5.27 Kilos! Poor mummy has lost a lot of blood, and the midwife said it's the biggest baby she has ever delivered! But they are all doing well. I hope I get a photo soon to share with you all! Yay! BABIES!

It looks like my hubby has finally got some work! Proper work, not just cover work! Keeping himself available for this car park attending has finally paid off. He did a couple of days at the end of last week, cover work. And the chap he covered for told him that he wants to drop down to part time on a week-on-week-off basis. He used to do it before but the chap he shared with died (doom!) a year ago. Now he wants to go back to the same system and mentioned it to Mark. A little while later he rang Mark up, along with the boss bloke, and they talked it though. Then the boss-bloke came to see Mark.... and he starts in 2 days time! Ok, so it's part time, and it doesn't earn a fortune. But so what? Part time means I can do the same when I go back in Feb and for the most part we can avoid expensive child care. I'll work a long week when he's off, and a short week when he's on. We only need child care on his on-week, and that'll be just 2 days if my boss is ok with m

"Jack's hair" Originally uploaded by chiggster Now that Tom is a bit bigger, and Jack is a bit more aware that he needs to be gentle with him, we're letting Tom free on the floor for some playtime while Jack is up and about. Until recently Tom has his floor time while Jack was having his nap. And they are LOVELY together (most of the time). I've got a few nice little videos, this is one of them. The rest are on the Flickr account. Makes me feel all gooey just watching! I love my kids!

Proto-bunny 2 (Jack's) Originally uploaded by chiggster I am having a go at making soft toys! I made myself a wee template of a bunny and knocked a couple out. This is the second one. My first one is very skinny. Too skinny in fact because I didn't leave enough seam allowance... it's forearms and ears have no stuffing in them! But Tom seems to like it. He chews it and hugs it. It's black & white (contrast is supposed to be good for him) and has a blue ribbon tie and a cotton tail for something to tug at. This one I gave to Jack. It's stuffed better and I gave him a face. He also rattles! He's supposed to jingle but I've not done a very good job of it. Like Tom with his, Jack likes this one! He also cuddles and plays with his bunny. Mark asked him if he loves it and he said he did :oD I think they only like them because Mummy made them! I've made one for Baby Ben, and I'll make one for Antoni & Hadil's baby when he comes too (he&

....and Kathy suggested we go together! http://harrypotter.warnerbros.co.uk/hp7a/index.html Can't wait to see it! Can't believe we'll have to qwait for the final part! Oooooo!