We're showbiz right down to the fur in this family

My theatre buddy is our lovely neighbour Jill who is also a self-confessed 'spare Grannie' to our boys. I cannot overstate how much of a treasure she is, helping out with the boys at short notice and popping sheets in her dryer when I've been over-optimistic about how much washing I can hang up. In return I take her to watch shows at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley. When we went to see the Noel Coward play Private Lives she was very taken with Tom Chambers so I had to make sure she got to meet him. He is a lovely man and as you can see Jill was delighted.

We did also invite Jill to come with us after school to see the lion dance for Chinese New Year and it was entertaining, but a little on the loud side for my boys. They enjoyed the fortune cookies though.

I usually take the boys to get their hair cut together. This resulted in a broken cart the first time (apparently costing £100 according to the hairdresser) and a lopsided haircut due to a lot of wriggling the last time. I took Baby Boy on his own this time and as he wasn't able to watch his Big Brother going first he kicked up a stink about it all. Once Jayde started cutting his hair he was fine, but he did have to sit on my lap so we were both pretty much covered in hair afterwards. At least it's even this time. 

I often joke that our cat is a diva, but this week Big Boy noticed something that proved it. He pointed out that had a sequin star on his fur - proper glamorous. My cat really is fabulous !

As I'm with the boys the most it's really important to us that Daddy gets some special time with them too. He does do the bedtime routine, but it's not the same as having some fun. Big Boy loves to play Star Wars Monopoly with Daddy so tonight I said if he brushed his teeth and got into pyjamas without the usual drama he could play. Big Boy did really well and was definitely the winner. I'm told that next time I will play and will be Princess Leia.

May the force be with me !

The best things in life are these...

I've mentioned before that I don't do well with Christmas. Like a lot of people I get very stressed out and find that I just can't cope with the expectations of how good it should be. I have also had to accept in recent years that I really detest wrapping presents. I've found that watching Netflix while wrapping offers a great distraction and I can get lots done in record time.

The main pressure is to make sure it's perfect for the boys and I really want it to be special for Baby Boy as it's his first with us. Every now and then I will spot something that makes me smile and stops it all getting too much. I'm sharing some of these in the hope they will make you smile too.

Photo cards: 

My absolute favourite card this year is one with a photo of my gorgeous baby nephew on the front - I love it.

A close second is this one featuring a lovely police dog in the snow. It was given to us to say thanks for donating to a Christmas toy appeal. I especially like the spot of snow on the dog's nose.

Festive food: 

Ok, so food and Christmas are pretty much entwined. I don't do the cooking on Christmas Day so I don't worry about it at all - thankfully. Last weekend we visited the in-laws and I bought the most amazing dessert I've had in a long time. It's Ben and Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream and if you like peanut butter I urge you to try it. I had to leave the rest of the tub in Mother-in-law's freezer so that I didn't finish it all !

Then on the way home we were behind this lorry - it made my day :)

Grotto: 

I've always taken Big Boy to see Father Christmas - if you are a regular you will recall the year of 5 Santas I'm sure.  This year I have two boys to take and one who is not entirely keen on the big man so it's been a little challenging to get a smiley photo of them. Instead I have this one of them admiring the snow scene (ok, cotton wool) before going in to meet Santa. It's a start isn't it ?

The first Noel:

I went to try 'Clubbercise' last week (don't ask !) and on they way home I saw this. I like the subtlety with which it reminds us of the nativity.

This one - however - is even better. Enjoy.

Merry almost Christmas. 

How to have a happy half-term

You may have noticed I've been a bit quieter than usual on here. If not then why not ? Self-involved much ? Anyway, the combination of working full time and half term have been pretty challenging. Not helped by a last minute cancellation of one of the activities we had been relying on to help us with childcare. So, I've been thinking about how to keep the boy occupied, not least as a warm up for the longer Easter break and then the even longer summer holiday. Family have been amazing and he stayed with my parents and his auntie and uncle for a few days. They kept him very busy and he came home happy and tired, but he also missed us (yay !).

We always love to do things like going to kids club movies, craft activities and even the occasional outdoor trip. However, I also want him to have a proper break from school so some days we just want to hang around at home and do things that are fun, but don't involve travel. 

You will probably already know about Snapfish. They are the company that produce photo gifts, cards, wall art and calendars that when we first had our son we bombarded our family with. That first Christmas each family member got a photo album of photos of our beloved first born and in subsequent years they've had calendars, canvas collages, mugs and even t-shirts with photos on. The print quality is great and they arrive really quickly so I'm a big fan. All our thank you cards were from Snapfish this year with a collage of images of our son and a lovely thank you message in chalkboard style on the back. I also made a lovely valentine's card using images of me and Hubbie from the last ten years and I've designed mother's day cards for both grandmothers containing lovely photos of their favourite (and currently only) grandson and ordered some glossy copies of his school photos for them to keep and treasure too. All of these were delivered to me within a week, but for for an additional charge they will deliver direct to your recipient. 

In case you're not sure what this has to do with half term they also do some great - and completely free - printables online. These include characters and themes (eg. princes and princesses) and even some party kits so you can produce everything from invitations and thank you cards to bunting and personalised items like pirate or princess themed accessories for guests. They also have a range of printable cards so you can make and print at home if you can't wait. 

I'm going to drop some heavy hints that I'd like Hubbie to do some of the Mother's Day activities with our boy. These include origami flowers and a very tempting French country breakfast in bed kit. I think they can multi-task just this once can't they ? 

The other lifesaving half term helper we have discovered has been Amazon Fire TV. We set it up in our bedroom as the reception in there has always been poor so we thought having an online streaming service would be a better option. It's linked to my Amazon account so I can download apps to it online and as we have a Amazon Prime subscription there are lots of shows and movies that we can access for free too. The kit itself is compact and very sleek. I've been having great fun using the voice activated remote to choose programmes. We haven't tried to gaming controller yet, but I suspect that will be on the cards at some point during half term. 

It's proven to be a great decision to use this upstairs and in the morning when we aren't at work or school we can all lie in bed and watch movies or shows together with a better picture quality than we ever had before. The best feature for me is the memory as I rarely watch something in one sitting (I get to see about 5-10 minutes a day which isn't really the best way to watch a movie is it ?) so being able to go back and pick up where I left off is really helpful. At the moment I'm part way through 'The Watch' and my boy is back to back viewing 'Justin and the knights of valour' and they are both saved where we last left off watching. It's great having so many choices to watch and you can save up things to watch later. 

I think we'll be pretty prepared for the Easter break and look forward to even more fun with my boy both in and out of the house. 

Disclosure:
The lovely folks and Snapfish sent us a voucher code to try out their products.
The lovely folks at Amazon Fire TV sent us the kit to try out.
All views are honest and no payment has been received. 

Total recall: my week in pictures :)

Saturday: Hubbie and I went to a party on a boat - of course we had to do our 'Titanic' pose - very convincing don't you think ?

Sunday: For unknown reasons got up and took part in a 3 hour aerobathon for the Royal Marsden Hospital. I was so incredibly hungover that I swear I was sweating prosecco !!

Monday: Hubbie pointed out what a gorgeous sky there was in the morning. It was like an inspirational poster and all that was missing was a cheesy message running across it.

Tuesday: Our boy celebrated his 4th birthday. As it was a school day we had a small celebration in the morning then when he got home from school he opened his presents and cut his cake - I'm sure you will recognise the theme immediately

Wednesday: In the early hours I found this image on Daily Mail online. Take a close look at the woman in the pink jacket to the left of Spandau Ballet - yes it's me !! 

Thursday: Went for a job interview - it was very difficult and I was so convinced I wasn't going to get it that I went for lunch with my lovely friend to commiserate. Then at 5.30 I got a call to offer me the job !! It's a policy advisor on race so this image seems entirely apt.

Friday: It's my lovely Mum's birthday, so we've spent it with my family celebrating, eating cake and enjoying the sunshine. Happy Days. 

Lost shoes, black & white photos and music - that's where the magic begins.

If we all have a book inside of us then I must have taken a few other people's share of books. I'm always coming up with ideas for stories and when I was younger I used to make up stories for my younger sisters. I created characters based on their toys and incorporated their favourite things into songs and stories. They still remind me of the silly songs I would sing during story time and it makes me blush. Hubbie does the same thing with our boy and I trust he will have some lovely memories of story time too.

So, the Big Idea are running a great competition and have asked what inspires me to write ? Well, to be honest I'd be hard pushed to say what doesn't inspire me. Overheard conversations, news events, absent-mindedly listening to the radio, everything does. I have, however, chosen some things that I find especially inspiring.

Photos: in my parents house there was a black and white photo on the wall unit - which was in the home of every family member. I had no idea who the Sikh man in the photo was, but he was very serious looking and quite young. When we were looking through my parents' wedding album I remember carefully turning back the crinkly tissue paper leaves that concealed magical images from another time and place, people I hadn't met and who I might not. I asked Mum who the elderly Sikh man was and she said it was her father. The man from the photo on the unit. I thought he had died long before I was born, but apparently he was alive until just before I went to India aged 2 and a half.  The story of time in between those two photos captivated my imagination and I have created so many stories based on that time period and the adventures he had.

Music: I love music and hearing a tune or a short clip of music often reminds me of a moment or a place and immediately I have a story taking shape in my head. Growing up with Bollywood music in my home was amazing with the contrast of the sombre and romantic ballads and the crazy pop tunes. From soothing tones to upbeat dance numbers all songs are the potential soundtrack to the script in my head.  

Walking is inspiring

Walking: I used to walk everywhere and would often see things that would make me stop. People having an argument, or an unusual event going on. Having travelled for work I have spent a lot of time observing the world around me. I remember seeing a jacket on the ground by a telephone box - it was sad and sent my mind swirling into the possible reasons for how it had ended up there.  By the time I was home I had imagined the whole tale from the messy break up to the girlfriend throwing the clothes out of the window and one thing being left behind in the melee. 

Windows: Looking out of trains, buses, hotels and in fact any windows provide a wide range of
opportunities for finding stories. The shoe on top of a bus shelter could be either a heartening tale of childish high jinx or a sad and frightening one of bullying. It entirely depends on what mood I'm in whether the tone is dark or light really. 

There is so much more that inspires me, but I'm not going to go on about it. I've got writing to do over here. Now go shoo, get out there and live a bit to get inspired yourself :) 

A picture paints a thousand words

In an occasional series I've collated some photos from the last week:

Is this the ugliest chair ever ?

Or is it merely a unique and retro styled bit of kitsch ?

The courier delivery of my son's main birthday present

I was a little bit cross about this.














Living in a house full of boys I can report that even the cat watches Match of the Day !
















During a recording of our radio show 'His & Hers' Hubbie has a great idea !

A lovely blue sky. Wishful thinking.  

Happy Wednesday everyone :o)

I'll pack a bucket and spade - oh and a wetsuit too !!

My lovely blogger pal Louise copied me into her bucket list blog post where she once again reminded me that she is the only person I know who has ever built an igloo from scratch in her own back garden. Seriously, that is some hardcore making dreams come true stuff right there ! It made me wrack my brain to think about what I'd really love to have that cost next to nothing and what I'd do if money was no object. Here's what I came up with: 

My budget bucket list item is to have a photo of all of my family members at once. It doesn't have to be a professional photo, just one that features my parents, Hubbie's parents, our brothers and sisters, us and the boy. We don't have any photos of all of us so it would be lovely to get one taken. Any time we have a family get-together someone can't make it so it's not been possible up until now and as our boy gets older I'd like to have a memento of all of his uncles, aunties and grandparents. Of course there is every likelihood that someone will be looking the wrong way (Mother-in-law) or will be fussing with their clothes (my Mum) or making a strange face (any and all of our siblings) or midway through start running off resulting in a blur for a body (our boy, always our boy). Still it'd be nice to have and seeing as everyone has a camera on their phone, tablet and some people even have actual cameras (I know, weird huh ?) it can't be that impossible can it ? 

My "break the bank" bucket list item is to go to Hawaii with Hubbie and the boy and learn to surf and relive my favourite scenes from Hawaii 5-O. Now those of you who know me a little bit (or have read earlier posts) will know that I have a crush on Steve McGarrett - the new one, not Jack Lord, although I'm not casting any aspersions on his attractiveness of course. I have also always wanted to learn to surf and even paid a deposit to do a beginners surfing course on Fistral Beach in Cornwall over ten years ago that I bottled out of doing at the last minute. Since then I've watched friends having lessons on a beach near Swansea and I've thought about doing a course myself, but nothing has come of it. If I was in Hawaii I'd *have* to learn to surf. I mean it's a cultural thing isn't it ? Also, I have a teeny tiny wetsuit for the boy and it won't get used if we don't take him to learn to surf and that would be such a waste. I did also mention to Hubbie that if we did go to Hawaii for our tenth wedding anniversary we could renew our wedding vows - don't judge, it's a thing alright ? I can just see us on a beach wearing a grass-skirt and coconut bra (and that's just him !). Of course now I've actually applied for a passport for the boy it'll make it easier to take him on holiday. I'd love for him to have some amazing memories of learning to surf 'somewhere exotic off the telly.' If I bump into Alex O'Loughlin we're there, well that's just a bonus isn't it ?

This post is my entry into a competition with Money Supermarket www.moneysupermarket.com/life-insurance/competitions/budgetbucketlist - if you want to join in too you've got one more day - get cracking !! 

I thought I'd also share with a couple of blogger pals who have sufficient imagination to write an exciting bucket list:

www.culturalsnow.blogspot.co.uk (he would write his wearing a monocle and a hat - probably)
www.sliceofbarnes.com (her list would probably feature Adam Ant)
www.jenniferslittleworld.com (she'd craft her list in some creative and amazing way, probably using felt)

Crazy stuff that's happened in the last week

I've had a strange few days. I've got some pretty horrific mozzie bites on my back because I am so special that I get bitten even when I don't go on holiday !! To make myself feel better I decided to flick through the photos I've taken in the last week as I'm a bit of a magpie for images and am always keen to capture interesting things I've seen or done. So in order to cheer myself up I've compiled a photo diary for the week I've just had:

• Me and the boy went to visit the new Morrisons at Fiveways Corner in Purley. It's not my usual store, but I was fascinated to hear that it's apparently an 'innovation store' which explains this:

It's a mist that's sprayed over the vegetables to keep them fresh in store. I know, how mad is that ?

• During this shopping trip I decided to treat the boy to microchips and he chose a small baguette for lunch. While I was in the kitchen getting him a drink he made this:

Yes that's right, he made his first proper chip buttie. That's my boy !

• The boy was looking at one of his books in bed. It is a book that has concentric circles telling the story of the Old Lady who swallowed a fly. He took two of the circles and made this: 

When I asked him what it was he said, "it's a planet Mummy." My eyes were was as wide as the circles and I called Hubbie to confirm that he hadn't taught the boy this. We are both still baffled (and yes very, very proud).

• Possibly the most exciting thing that happened was when I took the bus home from work this week. 

If you recall the TV show CHiPs you will recall the actor Erik Estrada who played Officer Poncharello.  Now look closely at the driver of this bus.

Yes !! It is Ponch from CHiPs !!! I am going to petition the bus company to rename his route the Croydon Highway Patrol.

Who's with me ?

• Then today I saw the strangest thing of all. 

Firstly I should explain that I have a very good friend whose surname is Footman. I've known him for years and we chat most days on Twitter as he now lives in Thailand.

I was in Waitrose earlier today and as I was queuing up to pay I saw this out of the corner of my eye.

Only when I saw all I could think was, "Who's Kate Footman ?" "Is she related to Tim ?""I didn't think Bangkok was that slummy." etc. See this is how highly I regard my friends - I don't see a job title I see my friend's name.

So that's my week in photos. Crazy or what ?

Flash, bang, wallop what a picture…

We've been talking about booking a holiday for a while now. Well, since before it turned hot and sunny here and didn't feel like living in Narnia that is. We have so many destinations in mind with friends in France, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and California and family in India, Australia and New York.  The main sticking point was that we don't have a passport for the boy and I am so incredibly worried about travelling with a toddler who refuses to listen or sit still for any length of time. My passport is still in my maiden name as I had it renewed the year before we were married and I was loathe to pay for a new one just to use my married name.

So both me and the boy need passports. Today we popped in to see my lovely friend Lucy - who works for a photographer's studio - to get our passport photos done. If that seems a bit extravagant let me explain why we decided to call in the professionals. I have taken many, many photos of my boy since he was born. He was always pretty happy to oblige with a cheesy grin and a look straight to camera or iphone or ipad or camcorder, etc.  Then something changed.

If I ask him to look at me for a photo now he does this:

So the photos we have of him are wholly unsuitable to be used for a passport.

Like this one where he has his hair over his eyes and his fingers in his mouth. All no-nos for a passport photo apparently:

Can you spot why this one would not be suitable ? Yep it's the hat and sunglasses and the fact that he has his mouth open:

So to get him to sit for his photo I had mine done first - and yes it does look like a mug shot - and I did have to have some photos taken with Jiggles bear on my head in order for him to agree to have his done. Only then he kept:

• turning round on the stool
• climbing off the stool 
• trying to grab the door handle next to him

Finally we got a photo that may just pass - and yes it does look like a mug shot. Then he spotted an open door to an office (big mistake !) so he went off to:

• line up all the phone handsets
• count the handsets
• sit at the computer to 'work' 
• open and close the tape measure 
• count the fans in the room 

When I tried to get him to come home he told me to go and "leave me to do some work Mummy."

Then when I finally got him home I popped in to check why he was taking so long on the loo. He decided to impersonate an Andrex puppy and had unravelled the entire loo roll onto the floor.

I'm exhausted just from getting the photos done - not sure I can cope with taking him on holiday just yet !

The circle of life (without Sir Elton singing)

Two years ago someone who I loved very much passed away and on the same day someone came into my life who I love more than I know how to express.

A face only a Naniji would love

My beloved Naniji was the only grandparent I ever knew. She lived far away in India so I only saw her every few years, so my Mum used to send her photos of us all growing up. When I visited her aged 11 she had all my school photos and many others I'd never seen before that she kept lovingly in her special cupboard of valuables.

Even though I didn't see her often she was still the person I consulted on the big decisions in my life. It's from my Naniji that I get my love of tea - she never turned down a brew and teatime was a big deal in her house. Snacks, cakes, biscuits, savouries, etc. all laid out with endless cups of tea. This was all just a few hours before dinner !

I trusted her and found her wise, sassy and hilarious. Once during a family visit to a Rajastani palace we turned round to ask her a question and she'd raced on ahead of us to make sure she didn't miss the tour. She was in her late seventies and faster than all of us.

When Hubbie and I were struggling to have a baby she talked to me honestly, openly and without judgement. Despite her speaking no English and Hubbie speaking no Punjabi they watched cricket together enraptured and in complete agreement. She wandered off again when we'd gone out shopping one day only to be found over an hour later in a coffee shop watching the big screen with local lads who were fussing over 'Ma-ji' and arguing with her assertion that India would win until she was proven right yet again.

She was fearless and held her own with anyone. As a young woman she went away to study with the support of her husband who took care of the children while she trained to become a teacher. This was unheard of at that time and in that culture. In her subsequent career she taught in a small village school bringing education to children who would not have gone to school otherwise and retired as a headteacher and widow.

My Naniji was one of the lads, the matriarch and the cheekiest person in the room all at once. She adored ice cream and loved nothing more than making her children and grandchildren laugh. It is that cheekiness that I see in my son's eyes and the smile he has when he's getting away with something. I'm delighted that Naniji knew I was having a son. The obvious Asian preference for boys aside, we have a lot more women in our family so he was the first boy in a long time. The fact that she passed away as he was being born is far too poignant to bear. 

The proudest Naniji in the world

When I spoke to my Mum in India from the hospital bed she told me that everyone was so delighted about my boy. She couldn't wait to meet him and I desperately wanted her to see him before anyone else. I didn't know that Naniji was gone at this point, but everyone else did. When Mum told me all I could say was how sorry I was - I felt responsible for her losing her mother so that I could have my son.  She insisted that the whole family felt joy for his life instead of sadness for her death. 

Mum returned two weeks later and we surprised her at the airport with her new grandson. Their meeting was belated, but no less magical for being in the arrivals lounge of Heathrow. Now the mantle of Naniji belongs to my Mother and she wears it every bit as well as hers did. 

In the moments that my son is willful and argumentative (which are becoming more frequent the older he gets) I have to stop myself being angry and see him for the strong and independent soul he is. There are photos of him in which I see my Naniji's expressions - it's uncanny. 

I'm not asking anyone else to believe in reincarnation or Karma. For my part I believe that my Naniji leaving us was a Karmic exchange that gave me my precious boy. I know she would have loved him beyond measure and I hope he adores and values his Naniji as much as I did mine. 

Have a wonderful birthday son xxx