Snow!!

Yesterday I was due to go an visit my lovely friend Emilie in her new home but as we stepped out of the door to take Seb to school the snow had already started falling.

I dropped Seb at school and dashed to the Co-Op to buy food to stock up the freezer and cupboards in case we get snowed in for a few days.  Where we live we are on a steep hill so when the snow is bad we often can't get the car out for a few days.

Came home and called Emilie while I unpacked the shopping.  I was in two minds as to whether or not to go and see her as she now lives half an hour away and I was worried about how quickly the snow was falling.  In the end we decided it might be safer to take a rain check and reschedule for a couple of weeks time.

As it happens it was a wise decision as by 10am I had two texts one from Seb and one from his school telling me the school was closing and asking me to come and pick him up again.

I bundled Nat up in his wellies and coat and scarf and we drove very slowly down our road but as it bends aroundand down to the left I got into a long skid and could not stop the car.  There were cars parked either side of the road and a vehicle coming straight toward me.  I was convinced I was going to hit it as I couldn't stop the car.  Thankfully the other car must have realised I was in trouble and managed to pull over to the side of the road so I could swerve around it and skid past it.  By the time the car finally came to a stop I was feeling quite shaken but it is quite a strange feeling as at the time it all felt rather calmly inevitable too.

Went to the school via the main roads which were slightly clearer than the usual side roads that we tend to use.  Picked Seb up and went to turn down the hill we normally drive down.  When I saw a car struggling up the steep hill i thought better of it and reversed back out and took an alternative road.

I was then driving along slowly and braked to turn right but skidded again - this timeskidding right past the turning that I had wanted.  Reveresed back and then climbed the steep hill at less than 5 miles an hour, in first gear.  It was slow going and awkward trying to avoid the cars coming down the hill towards me.  Finally got home and parked the car with much relief!

The snow came down hard and fast for the rest of the day.  The boys and I did try braving it to go sledging but the wind and snow blowing in Nat's face made him cry so we only got as far as five or six houses up the road before we had to turn back.

I was a bit worried about David who had flown up to Newcastle for a meeting.  Apparently his flight was severely delayed while the airport cleared the run-way and de-iced the plane and he was ten minutes late for his pitch but fortunately the company before him had over-run so he arrived just as his team were called in.

He had a long day though and didn't get home until nearly nine o'clock.

This morning the snow had stopped so we all had great fun having snowball fights and building snowmen in the garden.  After a cup of tea and a slice of cake we all bundled up again to go for a long walk in the snow stopping halfway for mugs of hot chocolate at Nola.

It has been a good day.  More snow expected tomorrow!!

Sebastian's 14th Birthday

Wow

I cannot believe that my little boy hit 14 years of age today.

He has gone off to Brighton Marina with three friends to eat at Pizza Hut followed by watching the Hobbit in 3D at the cinema. The film is nearly three hours long so i hope they all remembered to go to the toilet!!

Tomorrow we will have afternoon tea to celebrate his birthday with the grandparents and local aunts, uncles and cousins.

David and I are out tonight at a bring and share supper with the lovely Coggans.

Has been a really good week.  Nathaniel has cracked the toilet training and can now take himself to the toilet, pull his own trousers and pants down, climb onto the toilet (without the child toilet seat) do his business and get himself down again.  Can't believe how much progress he has made in a week.

Last Sunday he spent the entire day screaming and refusing to use the potty.  I spent the entire day cleaning wee and poo off the kitchen floor and was pulling my hair out in frustration.

However, this weekend has been much more pleasant.  Today I baked a lemon drizzle cake, made a victoria sponge and a chocolate cake (for tomorrow) and i am just about to make some gingerwine and brandy sauce to go with the sticky gingerbread puddings that I have made to take with us tonight.

I sooo love baking. 

Alas the diet has gone out the window!!

In case you are wondering I am currently unable to add any photos to my bogs which I am very disappointed about.  Can't work out why it will no longer give me the button to find my photos.

If I ever get it fixed I'll have to add the photos in later!

Happy New Year

Hello and welcome to 2013.

I have been incommunicado for a little while - mainly thanks to the Norovirus sweeping it's way through my family - followed by a throat infection for Seb and an ear infection for Nat both of which saw us up at the hospital seeing the out of hours doctor on Boxing Day and New Years Day.  Am now pretty sick of the hospital as we also had to go again yesterday to take Seb for one of his numerous Physiotherapy appointments.

Anyway despite all the sickness, temperature checks and medicinal doses it has been a very nice and relaxing Christmas and New Year and it has been lovely to have had a couple of weeks off work.

I also had chance to catch up with George and Joe over the Christmas break and also two of my friends Ope and Theresa which has been lovely.

This week I started potty training with Nat which has been challenging to say the least.  We have had a few successes and a few disasters not least because he keeps telling me " I no like wee wee on the potty".  We will perservere though, as being on a tight budget this year, I could really do without having to pay for so many nappies. Plus Nat has a nursery place starting in April so I really want to get him dry by then.

All in all I haven't had much chance to blog so it is nice to be back in action.

There is quite a lot happening over the next few months to keep me busy including Seb's 14th birthday this month, my cousin Simone's 40th birthday next month and my best friend George's wedding in March. Also have a family wedding in September.  Lots of nice things to look forward to but am also feeling anxious about how to afford it all!

We really need to get a grip of our finances this year as for the past couple of years we have been able to dip into savings which are now severely depleted and so it is really crucial we can stick to our monthly budget this year.

So my New Year resolutions are:

1.  Enjoy more prayer and quiet time with God
2.  Plan more quality time and fun activities with the boys and David
3.  Spend more time with our friends
4.  Get a better grip on our expenditure
5.  Try and lose some weight (it is getting quite ridiculous now)
6.  Be willing and seek more ways to help, bless and serve others

What are your resolutions this year?