Abi & Izzy - the next 5 years

Half term madness - we have a new puppy! We've been talking for a while about when is the right time to have a puppy, do we wait until Scooby is much older,  what type of dog etc etc. Against this discussion we have the girls asking, begging for another dog. Why we need more than one I don't know but there we go. The one thing I was absolutely clear on was we were not having another boxer, definitely not a male and preferably a smaller breed. So, welcome to Bertie, a 5 month old male boxer with enormous paws. He is such a cutie - very chilled out and very much part of the family already. We found him on a website just by chance - I'd decided maybe an older puppy would be best (the only criteria I stuck to!) and just as I was looking up he popped, just put on by a breeder in Wiltshire who had been raising 2 puppies and decided the other was more suitable to continue with so Bertie was for sale. We met her husband at her daughter's house in Devises where 2 other boxers ...

Isn't it typical, you wait all winter for snow, and it arrives on a day when the girls have to go to school, and I have to get to an appointment in Basingstoke which I don't really want to change. We woke on Tuesday morning to a perfect winter wonderland. The garden looked pristine covered in an almost decent 2" of snow. I took Scooby for a walk as the 5am early morning moonlight glinted off the snow and it was just lovely. Of course by midday day the slush had taken over and that was that. In fact I drove (slid) to Basingstoke, parked in an ice rink / car park, watched a bloke get out of his car and promptly fall over, then went to London. By the time we arrived in Waterloo there was no sign of snow and I could have dreamt the whole thing. The girls definitely tried to make the most of it, building the smallest snowman (blob) in the world, but it just wasn't enough to really get excited. Maybe we will go skiing next year... One more week and then it's half ter...

It's always worth wishing for something. If you keep hoping for it, maybe your dreams will come true. Abi has had her eye on a road bike for about the last 2 years, ever since we saw one in Decathlon on our way to France. Back then it was too big for her, she could just about ride it but there was no way she'd be safe, so we said no. Every so often we've seen a bike and she's asked again, but the answer has been the same - not until you're big enough. Finally last weekend Glenn spotted a bike in the local shop and took her to try it and it fits!! Cue a beautiful bedtime letter setting out just how much she loves us, and a wish list which included her much sought after road bike. The wish list worrying also included the following.... - a Great Dane - some more dogs - a brother (baby) - a road bike - a new dog lead for Scooby Clearly we are not having a baby brother or 4 more dogs (particularly a Great Dane), so she had a good chance of the bike in reality. S...

Finally little Izzy has lost a tooth and she is SO proud! Having been away with work last night I got home today and she came racing up to me proudly holding her tooth with a "Look Mummy, I pulled it out!" Unlike Abi who immediately demands her £2, Izzy was keen to go through the ritual of tooth under the pillow at least once, so upstairs the tooth went. By lights out however Izzy had become a bit less sure and so has gone to sleep with her tooth in a box and a note to say "Dear Tooth Fairy, please don't take my tooth... Love Izzy" Bless her. The big excitement this week is that the girls are going to stay with Simon and Sharron straight from school. They have pizza, ice cream and a late night planned. Let's hope no one is expecting a lazy morning... Won't happen! This is all because Simin, Glenn and I are doing our first sportive of the year (bit early in the season but good to get the legs turning) and so Sharron  very kindly offered to have the gi...

This time last week I was felling grumpy about a very busy week ahead and 3 nights away / late home. Blink and it's over and as predicted it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be. I'm remembering that while I hate the thought of being so busy that I barely notice the days passing, I actually enjoy the individual parts of each day and so it's never terrible. This week looks just as bad - only one night away but already I can see that the week is silly busy and I'll have no time to catch up on myself. Is this the same for everyone? The flip side is of course that we have lots of fun stuff planned for the weekend because we can. This weekend was riding (of course) on Saturday morning followed by Mum arriving for her Christmas present - Queen and Adam Lambert at the O2. We set off at 3.30pm with the plan of up to paddington, tube to Embankment, spot of dinner and then Clipper to the O2 followed by taxi home. Travel logistics went like clockwork and we...

Poor Abi, she just doesn't make it easy for herself. The dreaded homework challenge has raised its head again after coming home this weekend with not one but four pieces of homework as well as a project which will last through the term. The problem arose when it became clear that at least one of these was because she hadn't finished her work in class so it's rolled over. Up until now if she didn't finish something it was generally either considered done or completed at another time in school. Not any more and that's a bit of a shock. So, we sit down together and instead if just getting in with it, we have tears and general procrastination. The whole thing is supposed to take 30 minutes but after 43 minutes all we've managed to do is regroup upstairs where Abi has taken refuge under her duvet to sob her heart out that "homework just isn't fair..." Maybe not but we've got years of it ahead so it better get used to it. I started this episode p...

And so 2014 ends, and what a year it's been. The beginning of the year brought uncertainty, threat and then confirmation of redundancy, the challenge of deciding what direction to head in work wise, and the challenge of then finding the right job. It also brought space and time, a wonderful period of rest and reflection, an opportunity to plan for the future. It brought space for Glenn and I to debate and decide on the changes to our home, and the money to be able to do it earlier than expected. It brought lots of happy hours being Mummy to my lovely girls without the pressures of a commute or work. Also lots of time to cycle, walk, swim and be strong in body as well as mind. Cycling Ventoux was a high point, quite literally, but the whole period is full of happy memories of time well spent. The second half of the year was a complete change in gear. Starting a new job with the resolve to create a mode of operation that is sustainable and works for all of us. The challenge of ma...