Friday 23 September 2011

SHENANIGANS (again)

Quite uncharacteristically I found myself actually doing some housework today. I can't even begin to explain quite how that happened but it did. Big mistake. I even decided to tackle the amazing sons' bedroom. Even bigger mistake. In the process I stumbled upon more SHENANIGANS.

If it hadn't been such a gloriously sunny autumnal day I might never have found out. Except NOTHING gets past me, even the weather seems to work in my favour. Due to the sun shining in their bedroom it became apparent that there were clear, shiny hand prints around the walls. Hand prints that were undoubtedly deliberately printed on the paint using Diprobase (think E45 mixed with Vaseline and you have an idea of what we're dealing with here). I think 'words' are needed with the amazing sons.

Their bedroom already bears permanent testimony to past SHENANIGANS - writing on the skirting boards and walls, paint picked off the walls, indescribable things wiped on the walls that for some reason can't be removed........

There were more SHENANIGANS involving the cat's litter tray today too. You really do NOT want to know the unsavoury details of this incident. It rendered me speechless. And in need of a glass of wine before 8.00am. I wonder what the weekend has in store......I've stocked up on vino just in case it's needed.


Hmmm, as you can see from this recent holiday photo - 'butter wouldn't melt in their mouths'. Neither would ice cream it seems. You have to laugh, you really do.

Monday 19 September 2011

13

That's all I can bring myself to type as a title as I am still in shock at officially having a teenaged son. Surely I am far too young. Amazing son number 1 turned 13 at the weekend and (teenage grumps aside) is becoming a wonderful young man who we are very proud of, particularly as anyone who knows our story will know a little bit of the obstacles he has already overcome in his life.


He chose the new hat himself - thank you for it to Uncle Chi, Aunty Karenza, Victoria and Daniel, even though this is the first you will know about it!

Having made Lego Head Cake Pops for amazing son number 2 for his birthday I decided to make Super Mario Mushroom Cake Pops for amazing son number 1. Needless to say both the amazing sons thought they were great, and have even started making requests for their next birthdays. I haven't the heart to say that I'm thinking of going back to making Nigella's incredibly speedy ice cream cake next year, probably because I also know I will undoubtedly relish the challenge (if not the hours required) to make more cake pops nearer the time.

Wednesday 7 September 2011

On The Jazz, Man

The gorgeous husband and I have recently introduced the amazing sons to The A-Team - oh yes, the original series from our childhoods. I seem to remember not being allowed to watch it as a child, but my sisters and I usually found some way round that little rule. We bought the first series on DVD off EBay for pennies and watched an episode every evening on holiday - classic family entertainment.

Incidentally, I watch most television programmes and films with the subtitles on. My hearing is fine, but I find it very difficult to follow any plot unless I can read the dialogue. If they did special 'subtitled' screenings of films in the cinema I would undoubtedly go more often. So, we watched The A-Team with subtitles, and the gorgeous husband and I found the description of the instrumental music as amusing as some of Murdock's antics. From one episode alone, and I quote:
  • tropical instrumental music
  • upbeat instrumental music
  • adventurous instrumental music
  • tense instrumental music
  • fast-paced instrumental music
  • triumphant instrumental music
  • soft instrumental music
  • cheerful instrumental music
  • sentimental instrumental music
Fantastic stuff! Can't wait to see what other descriptions they use. I'm thinking the subtitler probably runs out of adjectives at some point in series 3!

Sunday 4 September 2011

Razor Rash

We are just back from 2 weeks' holiday in Spain. We stayed at a lovely villa with its own pool and did nothing more strenuous than opening wine, barbecuing chorizo and jumping in the pool when we got too hot. Bliss


It is the third time we have used this villa and I have now truly refined the art of packing light. We took 2 hand luggage suitcases between the 4 of us for the 2 weeks. For the amazing husband and the gorgeous sons this looked like (in addition to what they wore) a pair of swimming trunks, a spare pair of shorts, 2 spare t-shirts and 4 pairs of boxers/pants (depending on age and underwear fussiness!). I slipped in an extra dress for me (I was packing, there was room, you can call it packer's prerogative) but had much the same. Needless to say it didn't take very long to unpack when we got home today - always a good thing as I have a knack for leaving suitcases unpacked for days weeks months after a holiday! I wish that last sentence was an exaggeration, but sadly it is all too true. That and the fact that I usually like to pack in Sainsbury's bags.

The holiday started off with some typical SHENANIGANS with amazing son number 2. When we arrived at  the airport I noticed his upper lip was rather sore and red looking. It had been fine the previous day. Don't ask me how I knew (I always know, poor boys) what he'd done but when quizzed he admitted that yes he had been shaving his top lip. Makes a change from his eyebrows and hair then.