7 Kids and still sane....just!!

2009-12-14T11:31:00.001-08:00

http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/5bb64dd42309e27d39c0fc3cd1127627

Michaels Hawaiian Party!

2009-07-20T03:52:00.000-07:00

Sunday 19th July...Michaels Birthday :-) My 2nd eldest in now
the grand old age of 22!
We celebrated with a Beach themed party, and we decorated the
garden with windbreaks, gazebo's, bunting, a sunchair, inflatable
palm trees, a huge sand pit and 'The Beach Boys blaring out
from the stereo lol
Each guest was greeted with a cocktail and a leis and it wasnt long
before the party was in full swing.
The games i'd devised went down well, as did the table of nibbles
and from about 4pm the BBQ was cooking kebabs and bugers galore!!
The sand pit was a big hit and not only with Lewis and Holly, the
older ones proved to be expert castle builders too :-)
After the first hour it rained :-(, but it didnt dampen anyones
spirits, and people didnt leave until nearly midnight and that was
from a 2pm start time!!

The cocktails

The kebabs, which were yummy :-)

Michaels Birthday cake!

The table of nibbles and his presents!

The view from the house of the outside decorations

The 'Beach'

One of Michaels friends showing off his sandcastle skills :-)

The Birthday boy with his girlfriend, sister and friend Daniel.

Nearly everyone had arrived, some came a little later...

Presents time!! he got a bike from his eldest sister and clothes,
games and a Wiifit from us.

The games.....I made a board for everyone and stuck a starting
ticket at the top of each one! i then hid the rest of the raffle
tickets all over the house and the guests had to find the next
five numbers. All the completed cards got a little prize :-)

Another game...I wrote a few sentences decribing 4 different star
signs (info from the internet)and stuck the print-outs onto hats.
The guests then had to decide which hat best described the four
pre-selected people. It took ages for them to come to a conclusion,
great fun! and when they were happy i turned the hats around where
i had glued a pictureof the star sign to see if they were right.
They got 2/4.... not bad!

Holly, my little Hula girl lol

Cheeky boy Lewis in his 'Surf Monkey' t-shirt :-)

I wouldnt like to do these parties very often, way too much
work for one person, but i do enjoy them :-)

Twycross Zoo - Nursery Trip

2009-07-02T04:54:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky with the weather! The forecast was rain,
and indeed back home they were having a torrential downpour and
yet less than 40 minutes away we were enjoying beautiful sunshine :-)

Lewis was a little confused bless him, as we left the campsite.
He couldnt understand why we were going home but leaving the
tent and all his toys behind. We had tears at the school but
once he spotted the coach he perked up and enjoyed the rest of
the day. His favourite animals i'd have to say were the elephants
and he was full of questions (wish i'd done a bit of research before
i went *blush*)
and something i must share...We were stood by one of the cages where
a couple were trying to find a name plaque! Lewis, without prompt,
tapped one of them and told them it was a Marmoset, they looked round
in surprise and thanked him lol A proud Mummy moment :-) He amazes me
sometimes with his general knowledge!!

Just how funny is this monkey??? its as if he's saying "leave me
alone, i've had a hard day!!" lol

Thank you to all the Nursery staff for their hard work in organising
these trips!!

One busy weekend!!!

2009-07-02T04:19:00.000-07:00

Why do we do these things?? lol
We decided to give our new tent a trial run at a local
camp-site in Clent, it was only after that i realised it clashed
with Lewis's nursery trip to the zoo! And i'd arranged for
the older kids to come over for a visit too so poor Andy turned
into a yoyo ferrying us the 30 minute journey back and forth!
The weather didnt help, it suddenly went unbearingly hot!!
but all in all we had a lovely weekend, its just i'm thinking
next time we'll go commitment free lol

The tent has 3 bedroom compartments as well as a large living area.
Bedroom 1, as modelled by Lewis :-)

The site had a little park, but the little ones had just as
much fun playing together.

The older ones arrived! Lewis was so glad to see his big sister :-)

Michael and girlfriend Zoe

The crew!

The trial went well, we were very pleased with the tent, easy-ish to
put up (or it will be when we've done it a few times) and we had more
than enough room and it withstood a rain storm, so yeah, result!

Days out in June!

2009-06-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Now that summer is here, we're getting out and about
more and one of our favourite places is the airport.
Not the actual building but the strip of land that
runs along the back of the runway. Its the perfect
spot for a picnic and watching the plans fly
literally feet (or seems that way) over your head!
There's a stream nearby and the kids love watching
the tiny fish and the paths are just perfect for
scooters :-)

And Saturday we went to Chessingtons World of Adventures.
Its our 3rd visit, the last time was a couple of years ago
and the two youngest didn't really appreciate it, this time
they fully understood! as soon as one ride finished it was
'next ride, next ride' lol

Waiting for Daddy to come off the rollercoaster

Lewis in his 3D specs ready for Hocus Pocus hall

Holly wondering whether to brave the log flume

Half way down and loving it!

Again, again, was all i heard lol

Lewis filling the sponge ball launcher.

Charlotte and Lewis on the ferris wheel, i think she
was a bit worried lol

Holly on the bouncy castle

Lewis on the bumper cars with his Dad!

A brilliant day out!!

Yipeee Summer is here :-)

2009-05-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

We are definatly a garden family! ours is only small but
every minute we can we're in it! I am so glad the
better weather is here so that we can go outside :-)

Even older kids can have fun! We have a long path,
and they spent a good hour whizzing down it with Lewis
and Holly in tow!

Charlotte quite sensibly staying on the trampoline!

Lewis and Holly's new house :-)

Having a BBQ tonight as the weather is gorgeous, probably
the first of many :-)

We escaped for a few days :-)

2009-04-20T02:43:00.000-07:00

Why???? do holidays that you arrange and plan for
go pear shaped and yet the ones where you say
'ok lets go', turn out to be the best???
Here is a classic example lol
2 nights at our favourite place, Barmouth, in Mid Wales!
The trains all ran on time, no problems with the
connections and the hotel was only 2 minutes walk
from the station :-)
Ok the weather wasn't too good on the first day,
but it didn't stop the kids from going on the beach,
the next day was even better and the last day was
glorious hot sunshine!! The hotel, 'The Seashell' was
lovely! we had a huge room on the second floor with
spectacular sea views, the food was good too, i would
highly recommend it.
I feel like we've had a real break :-)

The breath taking mountains, what a back drop!!

The view from our hotel window!

Charlotte

Lewis

Holly

Sunset by the sea, you can't beat it!

The two sides of the world meet!

2009-04-08T02:53:00.000-07:00

Thursday 2nd April, a day i will never forget :-)

We set off for London at 8am, the children were so excited,
they just love trains! we arrived in our capital at 11am
with just a half hour to make it across the city to
Buckingham Palace and this meant taking the tubes!!!
There were so many rude, ignorant people who didn't have 5
seconds to spare grrr. The escalators were fun, poor Holly
kept putting her feet over the gaps, then couldn't understand
why the step split leaving her grabbing for my hand whilst she
regained her balance on one or the other lol
We squashed in like sardines until Andy gave us the nod that
it was time to get off. It was 11.20am and i could see the
Palace ahead :-)
We thought it would be a lovely place to meet, trouble is about
500 other people had the same idea, it was just a sea of heads,
and i had to find someone i had never actually met in person lol

Thank goodness for mobile phones, cos after a quick conversation
at least we were in the same area and it wasn't long before i saw
Rachael and her family coming towards me :-)
We hugged and i made a fuss of Noah and from there the talking
started and i don't think we stopped till we parted late afternoon lol

We watched the remainder of the changing of the guards then set
off for Hyde park, after asking the way *blush* in fact times
those blushes by ten, Darren had lots of questions for us and
we couldn't answer a thing lol, next time me thinks i'm reading
the tour guide of my own country lol
We settled at one of the playgrounds where the kids let off some
steam, and it gave us a chance to catch up.

Everyone was hungry so we took the short walk to the boating
lake and set up 'camp' by the trees.
Darren chose one of the deck chairs and it wasn't long before
he was pounced on by a very rude little man for payment (can i
just add he wasn't english) but Darren soon put him in his place,
it was so funny!

It was such a happy relaxed day, and just what Rachael needed
after her jet setting holiday, and who'd have thought this beautiful
spot was in the middle of a busy city, who ever planned London, had
a bit of forethought!!

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye, Holly was falling asleep
and we hadn't taken a buggy (she never uses one now), so we left
Rachael to do some shopping and we left to catch our tubes.
A very happy day :-)

2009-03-16T03:48:00.000-07:00

Well here we are again lol
I've got some more photo's to share :-) We have finished the
bathroom...finally!
Its a pain only having hubby here at weekends, decorating
just drags on and on. I did do some whilst he was away, but the
minute you get any sort of paint out you have two very inquisitive
children in tow asking to 'help'
We've gone with a sea theme, not very original lol
but i'm pleased with the result.

Don't know if you can see, but the nets are decorated with dolphins, fish
and shells!

Other than that there's not been a lot going on. Lewis has
been sick, only a cold, but his breathing has been bad and
he's had a hacking cough :-(
Its been arranged that Stefan will attend school in the
afternoons only, he just wasn't coping being there for
a full day. His condition means that he finds it hard to
sleep at night and then hard to get up in the morning, and he
was absent more than he was there. This will be heaps
better and at least he will be attending regularly again.

Catch you all again then x

Pancake Day!!

2009-02-26T02:12:00.000-08:00

I just love my family!! i hadn't spoken to my eldest daughter
for a couple of days, i hardly see Michael with his busy social
life and yet on Tuesday i had EVERYONE home! and why? it was
Pancake Day lol Its like an unwritten rule that its a family
occasion :-) I hope they keep these traditions going when they
have children of their own.
I cooked a quick tea of bacon baps, hash browns and battered
onion rings, then it was on to the serious stuff!!
Our favourite, which might seem a little strange, is sausages
with golden syrup lol, people scorn until they actually try
it! we have converted many over the years :-) Lewis and Holly
don't actually like any sort of pancake yet, even with a sprinkle
of sugar, but i don't think my others did either until they got
to about 10 or something and now they can't get enough lol Good
job we have a gadget that cooks 6 at once!!

Also, we have been decorating :-) Its the bathrooms turn for a
spruce up!Its been 6 years since we did anything in there, so
it was all looking a bit tired. So far I've scrubbed all the tiles,
which are floor to ceiling on all four walls!! so you can imagine
that was quite a job. And i've re-grouted most of it. Looks fresh
and clean. The ceiling now needs painting, the woodwork needs
glossing and all the new furniture needs to be put together and
putting in, so yeah busy busy!

I will probably post up some photos when we're done, so watch this
space :-)

xx

My eldest daughter is 20!!

2009-02-16T05:18:00.001-08:00

Not only was it Valentines day on Saturday it was also my
daughters 20th Birthday :-)

Being a Saturday, i expected her to have plans, a meet up with
friends at a bar or something, but no, she wanted a family party
at home! Awwwww

So we had the usual present opening, a buffet tea and I'd set
up our white board for a game of pictionary for after.
I chose 'Movies' as the theme and before she arrived i printed out
lots of movie names and cut them into slips.
For those who are unfamiliar with the game here are the basic rules.
1. you choose a slip of paper, read it and discard.
2. you describe the movie using only pictures, no words
3. the person who guesses correctly gets the next go.

I can't remember when i laughed so much, some of the drawings
were really comical and it took ages to get some of them lol
Who needs tv to be entertained???

Here are some photos

Holly decided to have a go lol

A lovely evening :-)

Proffessional photos!

2009-02-16T04:26:00.000-08:00

Finally the photos are here!! :-)
They've come in a nice consettina album with photos both sides
with a leather look cover.
They've been quite sneaky though, they have sealed the mounts
making it almost impossible to remove them without tearing it.
So...I've scanned them in situ lol The quality isnt the best
as our scanner has seen better days, but you get the idea :-)

I have 11 altogether but I've only posted my favourites here!

All change!! lol

Memories for the future :-)

SNOW! SNOW!! SNOW!!!

2009-02-03T04:26:00.000-08:00

We had our first real snow fall yesterday since.....well i
can't quite remember when!!
Lewis and Holly have only seen snow twice before, but they
were tiny and it only lasted a few hours and it was gone.
This time they were old enough to appreciate it and had
heaps of fun throwing snowballs and making snowmen :-)

It was snowing hard and we had a fair depth so i decided
to dig out my old sledge (or as Lewis insists on calling
it a toboggan!!)
I've had it since i was a kid, so i guess
it must be at least 40 years old and its still going strong.
The look on his face when i arrived complete with sledge to
pick him up from nursery lol, he had an absolute blast on
the way home!

When we got back Jessica was there and he tried to pull her,
and he did a bit, but she was just that little bit too heavy
for him lol.

Charlotte wanted to be the first to tread in the 'new' snow on
our trampoline :-)

I sent some of my pictures up to BRMB, a local radio station,
and they published them on their website, how cool is that??

Update on the photo session

2009-01-24T05:33:00.000-08:00

Well the photo session went well, they were very excited,
and a lot of the shots are going to be 'on the move'
natural type pics, but the lady was great and had heaps
of patience so i'm hoping we got enough decent ones to buy.
We went to a soft play area straight from the studio (yes
they still had enough energy for that lol) and to a resturant
after that. It was a lovely day :-)

I have been invited to view the photos next Saturday.
I've also decided to get Charlotte photographed then too, as
she expressed an interest. Its going to be an expensive month!!

Here are a couple of pics taken before we went, i experimented
with my programme, in making them black and white. Makes a change :-)

Nearly a month down in 2009 already!!

2009-01-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

Soon be Christmas haha
I already have 4 presents, don't laugh i have lol

So what are we up to, well not a lot really :-\, Andy
is on a job, returning today after a week away. David
is working long hours too. Michael is here there and
everywhere with his strong network of friends. Charlotte
has finally got herself into a decent morning routine
since the Christmas break. She is mildly autistic and
its takes her a while to adjust to change.
Stefan is refusing to go to school, and i am phoning his
support centre on Monday to see what can be done.
In-between times he is home annoying the little ones, and
eating anything that doesn't move fast enough grrr
Lewis and Holly are great, getting into mischief but if
you cant do that when you are 4 and 3 when can you???

They are having their photos taken tommorrow at the local
studios. I've never had proffesional ones done of the two
of them together, so i hope the results are ok. I plan
to bribe them if all else fails lol

The rest is pretty deep *Alert*

I didnt quite know where to write this, i thought about the
forums i belong to, or Facebook, but here seemed as good
as place as any!
I am still struggling with my decision to stop trying for
another baby. I keep telling myself its the right thing
to do, after all i have 7, whom i feel VERY blessed to have,
but i still feel as if my family isn't complete. If only that
'feeling' would go away i would be ok.
At the moment i feel useless as a human being, its all I've
ever done, have and care for babies, i feel redundant, like
i have no worth any more. I know Holly is only 3, but she is
so independent, its like she's a lot older (she goes to the
toilet alone, she makes her own sandwiches and drinks ect.
I am dreading September, Lewis will be at full time school,
Holly at nursery and I'll be at home alone for the first time.
The last time i had that situation i was working, but who's
going to employ a 44 year old with no experience, especially
in today's financial climate?
I used to love my forums, but now all the emphasis is on those
who are either already pregnant or on who are still trying,
which is only right and proper but its like my opinion doesn't
count any more, I've even had the case where everyone else has
received an answer except me and this has only been since I made
my decision.
Perhaps i should find alternative forums, ones that focus on
children of a similar age to mine.
Sorry if this is offending anyone, i had to get it out or I'd
have burst!!

Boy that feels better :-)

Any one ever felt like this? did that yearning ever go away?

My project!

2009-01-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Ok the tree was gone and we were left with an
empty corner!! so my creative juices started flowing
(Andy hates it when that happens hehe) and i came
up with a unit that could be sat on and have storage
underneath. I drew a sketch and hubby set-to.
I made the covers, which wasnt easy considering the
foam was a weird triangular shape lol
What do you reckon! i'm quite pleased with it :-)

And Holly trying it out!

Christmas Day and New Years!

2009-01-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry this is sort of after the event, but i
just don't seem to get the time any more!
We had a great Christmas :-)
I was quite organised this year even allowing
time to make a festive jumper for my
daughter and do loads of baking, gingerbread,
cookies ect.

Christmas Eve, and the table all set ready for
the next day

The presents laid out under the tree

The day itself :-)
David

Michael

Jessica in the jumper i made her!

Stefan

Charlotte

Lewis

And Holly!

Dinner was lovely, it was a joint effort between Andy and myself :-)

A lovely day surrounded with my family :-)

We then went away for a few days to Pontins, a family resort, where
there are loads of activities laid on for the children during
the day, competitions, character appearances ect as well as a
indoor pool and soft play areas. Then on the night it was more
fun for the kids and live bands for the adults. It was nice to
get away for a while.

All ready for the nights entertainment

The girls with Postman Pat

The 'Blue coats' (entertainment staff) teaching a dance

Then it was back to reality and a New Years party to organise.
It was only family, but by the time you include all the girl
friends/boy friends, its quite a crowd lol

The spread

The chocolate machine and all the goodies to dip in to it yummmmmm

The bubbly ready for midnight

A bit of karaoke

and BANG!!! it was 2009 :-)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

2 More sleeps till the big day :-)

2008-12-23T10:22:00.000-08:00

Well its been busy busy busy here, but i guess its the
same for everyone! Lewis had a trip to see Santa
at the children's farm with his nursery, then came his nativity
at the local church and then of course his party! Holly
also went on the trip and she had a party at the Toddler group.
In-between times I've been writing/posting cards, making food
lists/shopping, wrapping presents as well as trying to keep
the laundry down and the house tidy Phew!!!! All done now though :-)

Saturday i allowed myself a day off and we all went to
Cadbury World in Bournville. We've been before, but i must say
they've made a lot of improvements and we had a great time!
Here are the cream egg cars.

Lewis found a friend in the 'History of the Cocoa bean section'

Holly wasnt keen on the dark though

In the village of Victorian shops

The ride there

The computer interactive room. Lewis is the one with his arms out :-)

Here they had to jump on pictures of chocolates that
appeared on the floor and when they did they either unwrapped
or smashed to pieces! If you look in the mirror behind, both Lewis
and Holly are mid-jump in these pictures lol

The shop and Holly ready with her basket lol

Lewis by the disply in the reception

The park

A good day for a reasonable price, i would definatly recommend going
if you can!!

Here are a few more pictures :-)
Nanny's visit!

Our outside tree!

And a collage from Holly's Christmas party!

Well i think that's it for now! The next time i post will probably be
Christmas Day. Merry Christmas to Everyone :-)

2008-12-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

I cant believe how much time has lapsed since i
last wrote here *blush*

Well i suppose my biggest news is the decision to stop trying
for another baby. I am sad, but ok with it at the same time!
I looked at the facts, 4 miscarriages in under 2 years,
the fact i don't seem to ovulate without clomid any more
and perhaps more seriously, i seem to be having the
symptoms of ovarian cysts, so yeah, i am a mum of 7 :-)
and i am going to enjoy my little ones to the
max for those special months before they start school.

Also Lewis has had a birthday, he is now the grand age of 4!!
i did a joint party for him and Holly as their birthdays are so close.
(Holly will be 3 on the 15th Dec)

Oh and Christmas is a coming *doing a silly dance*
my favourite time of year! how can anyone NOT enjoy it???
I shop all year round, basically picking things up as i see them.
I've tried the last minute thing, but that creases us financially
and i can never find anything for anybody under pressure.
Our Decorations generally go up early and Andy is just as
'kid like' about it all as me, which is lucky lol

We have lots of traditions, like Christmas eve, we always
watch a family movie whilst peeling the vegetables and making
the stuffing for the next day, then we leave a carrot and a
mince pie out for Santa, and a card signed by all the kids,
then they trot to bed with a sack.
Christmas morning they open their stocking presents and run
in and out each others rooms, but they know NOT to go
downstairs until i call them.
I nip down first and put the fairy lights on (and the kettle lol) and
down they troup. They have breakfast first, THEN they are allowed
to open their presents. One by one with everyone gathered round
from eldest to youngest until they are all done (i have to make sure
each child has an equal amount!)
My Dad used to visit at this point, but since his illness we have left
the younger ones with the older ones and drive to his house instead
(he only lives 10 mins away), where we exchange presents and have
a drink. Then its back to check on the dinner.
By about 4pm we just collapse in the chairs and watch the
kids playing with their new things.

People say we spoil them, but heck if that's what i want
to do :-)

Someone asked about potty training??
To be honest i dread it each and every time, but its never
as bad as i imagine. To start I leave a potty around the
place for quite a while before i plan to train, and if they
want to wear it as a hat, that's fine too lol
at least they know its nothing to be frightened of.
Then on or around their 2nd birthday i start letting them
run around with nothing on and sit them on occasionally.
Most times they will do nothing and just get up again,
but if they manage something i praise them to the hilt
telling them how clever they are, and eventually they
seem to get the message.
One thing i don't do is scold if they wet themselves
or do it where they shouldn't, Its a case of, oh well it
doesnt matter, just do it in the potty next time :-)

Well that me for now, hope i havent bored anyone too much!!

2nd October 2008

2008-10-02T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well i had my 24 hour BP machine fitted today! I had the reading
of 170/100 at oneof my doc appointments and 165/99 at the
next, so as you can imagine shewas a little concerned!
I was quite apprehensive, as i've never had one of these contraptions
before but all it is, is a cuff on my left arm with a tube going round
the back on my neck leading to areader/pack which is attached to
a belt which i can either wear around my tum (yeah right hehe) or
like i am as a sash (over my head and through one arm) and its
sitting on my hip.

There is nothing uncomfortable about it, just a bit odd when it
inflates by itself, you get a little tingle just before, so at least there's
a bit of warning. It takes it every half hour during the day and every
2 hours in the night, 1am, 3am, 5am and 7am, so thats going to be fun!

I have it taken off at 11.30 tomorrow and they plug it into
their pc for the results. So far itsbeen 145/85 ish, so nothing to
worry about :-D

First entry, let me introduce everyone!

2008-09-28T00:39:00.000-07:00

Well i suppose i had better say welcome! i am notoriously bad at writing in my real-life diary, so lets see how i go with this lol A few introductions:

I am Helene, i am 44 and i have 7 children, 3 from a previous marriage and 4 from this. Ive had various jobs over the years, mainly in shops/restaurants, but i've also worked at a college teaching adults with learning difficulties which i loved and hope to go back to once the youngest are at school.

My husband is Andy, and he is a tester and commissioner on the railway, working various shifts including weeks away staying in paid-for hotels. The money is good but you can never plan anything as his firm can swap and change things at a moments notice, even annual leave on occasion grrrrr! He loves the kids and is a real hands on Dad, and even though he doesn't always get things right, he tries bless him.

David (23) is the most serious of my children, very hard working and loves anything to do with computers and is our own personal IT engineer lol
He works full time for National Coaches and has a strong network of friends.

Michael (22) is my sensitive boy, very loyal, trustworthy and always thinking of other people's feelings. He has just finished a college course and is now working
as an office junior. He has a girlfriend and a lovely group of friends whom we often have here for parties/BBQ's.

Jessica (20) is my independent girl! She always wanted to do things for herself, even as a child and now she has her own place, a full time job at NEXT in the city and she has just passed her driving test. She has been in a steady relationship now for 8 years with Anthony (yes she was 12!!!) which concerned me in the beginning, but they are still going strong and are very good for each other.

Stefan (16) has severe ADHD with Autism, and was VERY hard work in the beginning, but he has come on leaps and bounds. He has officially left school now and is waiting to hear if he has a place on a horticultural course. He loves his youngest siblings and even though he tends to get them excited, i can actually trust him with them.

Charlotte (12) is my clever one, she is self-concious and sensitive, but excels at her lessons. She was in the gifted classes at her primary school and is in the top sets at secondary level.
She has just a few good friends, but really prefers to stay around the family and loves her little brother and sister.

Lewis (3) is my cheeky one, he was born after a tubal reversal and
we are very lucky to have him! he has that glint in his eye, a great sense of humour, and is fun to have around.

He starts 'big' school in September and
although there are some concerns about his talking and mixing with others i'm
not worried and think he will over come these things in time.

Holly (2) My 2nd TR baby is an independent little miss, adorable, but such a busy bee lol She is here there and everywhere talking to her toys and making up stories. No time for cuddles in fact she jumps right back down. She has a place at the nursery in September and she can't wait!
And thats us!! from here it will be our boring day to day life......