Its less than 2 weeks till the big day, Christmas day that is, and for many the pressure is mounting. It always seems that every year Christmas shopping is the most stressful thing a person can do! By ive never understood why? Why is it so stressful?
For some I know its about keeping up with the Jones, as they say, for others its about not dissapointing anyone or worse, getting the same gift as someone else! For others I know it can be just the very act of shopping, crowded streets and tired feet, but in this world of internet shopping, that can be avoided. Although this brings its own problems, as the worry is about whether it will arrive on time, in what condition and will it be the right size! Ive had to return one item this year already as it was the wrong size, I even had to show the wife to check, which kind of spoils the surprise! Hopefully the new, bigger one will arrive in time, oh and it was for the horse, so Im allow to get the size wrong, repercussion free!
For me, present shopping has always been a trouble free affair. Personally I couldn't give a monkeys about the Jones, they want to spend 80 quid on a pair of Nike trainers for their little princess who can't even crawl, let alone walk, then they can. Im not! Clarke's sales all the way. I also am not to bothered by what people think of their gifts, its the thought that counts, something g that works both ways. Im not worried about what I get, Im just grateful someone took the time to buy me something. Ive also got the distinct advantage that I don't buy many presents, just ones for the wife, either from me or from the kids, the wife deals with the rest! I do help with suggestions, but the wife is definitely better at the present buying than I am.
As for the kids presents, most are picked up in various sales through out the year and stored till Christmas. Others are bough off the local 2nd hand stuff site, the local ebay as it were. I know a lot of people will be shocked at the thought of giving 2nd hand toys for Christmas, but I really don't see the issue, as long as they are in good condition and work as they should, why not? The bairns don't care if things come in their original box, it never lasts long even anyway! Its all about what's in the box and not the box itself. We've done this the last couple of years and the little mans been thrilled with his presents, plus it means that we can get more stuff for the same money, a win win situation all round.
For some people its about the cost of something, for others its about how much you get, but for me its about the reaction it gets from the bairns, that the important thing. The mother-in-law has commented a few time that as the kids get older the boxes get smaller and more expensive! Kids like big boxes, it doesn't matter about the cost, they have no understanding of cost anyway. This year the in-laws have decided that big boxes are the way to go, as last year the little man was less than impressed with the soft presents, to the point he just picked them up and handed them to mummy, saying for you, before moving on to the next hard box!
It will be interesting to see how they react this year as they are both old enough to know what's happening, last year it took a while for the young lady to figure it out. Hopefully, it'll all be plain sailing!
Thursday, 15 December 2016
Monday, 12 December 2016
Christmas tree and other decorations
I know were almost half way through December and pretty much half way till Christmas, I thought I'd post up our tree.
Our tree was decorated by the bairns, hence the slightly patchy and bottom heavy decorations! Our tree actually went up in November, much to horror! Im defiantly one of those people who believe that Christmas doesn't start till the 1st and that no decorations should appear before then, however, it was the weekend and only2a couple of days early so I let it slide this year.
The bairns were really excite putting the tree up, which lead to many incidents of decorations going on and off and on again, as they both tried to decorate the tree how they wanted! Somehow there were no tears though!
I remember putting the tree up when was little, it was the start of Christmas and as we got older the responsibility for the decorations fell to us kids, usually my sister took the tree and I had the rest, as I could reach the ceiling and pictures without the need of a step!
One thing that hasn't changed from my childhood to now is the cats! My cat use to take a keen interest in the baubles and now ours are too! You can see one of them half under the tree in the picture above.
I know that for some Christmas isn't the magical time it should be, but I have fond memories of my Christmas' and I intend to make my bairns Christmas's as magical as I can!
Our tree was decorated by the bairns, hence the slightly patchy and bottom heavy decorations! Our tree actually went up in November, much to horror! Im defiantly one of those people who believe that Christmas doesn't start till the 1st and that no decorations should appear before then, however, it was the weekend and only2a couple of days early so I let it slide this year.
The bairns were really excite putting the tree up, which lead to many incidents of decorations going on and off and on again, as they both tried to decorate the tree how they wanted! Somehow there were no tears though!
I remember putting the tree up when was little, it was the start of Christmas and as we got older the responsibility for the decorations fell to us kids, usually my sister took the tree and I had the rest, as I could reach the ceiling and pictures without the need of a step!
One thing that hasn't changed from my childhood to now is the cats! My cat use to take a keen interest in the baubles and now ours are too! You can see one of them half under the tree in the picture above.
I know that for some Christmas isn't the magical time it should be, but I have fond memories of my Christmas' and I intend to make my bairns Christmas's as magical as I can!
Saturday, 26 November 2016
Fun at Toddlers
Being a full time father, I tend to be a bit of a rarity at toddler groups. Sometimes this has some advantages.
Wibbly wobbly fish, the kids to either side and mine in the middle.
I didn't actually build mine, it was built for me by one of the other mums as I expressed a keen interest in the wibby wobbly fish! The kids had great fun putting the eyes on them, hence the multi-eyed appearance. I must have looked a bit of a sight walking down the road carting these fish back to the car!
Saturday, 12 November 2016
Airports
Living where we live we have we tendency to fly a lot. While the flights are generally short, never more than an hour and a half end most around an hour, and the planes are small, 30 to 40 people, it means we end up flying in and out of various airports up and down the country. Off the top of my head the list includes; Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Manchester, Exeter, Gatwick and Heathrow and in our previous life we could add Newcastle, London City and Southampton, to name a few.
So what has all this thought me? Every airport seems to have a very different idea of the rules. Obviously, so rules are pretty universal, no knives on the plane for eaxmple, that's a standard one across the board, but what drinks can you take through security for children or what id do you need for them? Stuff like that seems to change at every airport.
With every journey we have to fly through the local airport, not a lot of choice here as there is only one on the island, and its about as pleasurable an experience as you can get going through an airport. All the staff are friendly and happy pleasant people, who sound genuine when they apologize for having to go through your bags. The little man likes going through the metal detectors, as he gets a sticker the other side. The staff have even held the young lady for my wife when she was traveling with both the kids alone. Granted, when you get the otherside of security there is only a small coffee counter and a duty free that is never open (opens for the flights to Norway which happen about 1 a week in the summer), there is a nice view of the runway.
In contrast, flying through London is one of the most stressful things I do these days, if not the most, and everyone there seems miserable and grumpy and on some sort of permanent power trip, unwilling to bend any rules even if it means massively inconveniencing the travelers. We've been moaned at because the little lady won't got through the metal detectors on her own and so they have had to do a manual search after, while acting like this is the biggest pain in the arse. We've be challenged over bringing drinks for the kids, despite the fact that were transiting through and have already been through one airport with no problems.
Traveling through Glasgow and Edinburgh are better, the staff seem less grumpy and don't act like everything is a major effort, but the experience is never what I would call pleasant. We've had a few incidents traveling through these airports but they haven't been as bad as in London. Most have been about the kids drinks, however, I've found away around this one!
When we were away with my parents, mum brought some squash for the kids and had some of the Robinson's Squashed bottles, which as it turns out are only 66ml, well under the 100ml limit and fit in with all the usual changing bag related items in one of those clear bags that they have. This means that turning those bottles of water back in to squash after security is simple.
The main thing though that prompted this post was traveling through Manchester the other week when we got stopped at the security desks just before the x-ray machines. They stopped us and asked for our id, at which pi t the wife and I handed over our driving licenses as we always do. They then asked for the kids id's, something we've never been asked for, apart from traveling to America with the little man. At this point, we were a little shocked, having flown down no problems and the only id we had was the young ladies birth certificate to prove she's under two (she was 22 months and she's quite big for her age) and thus doesn't need as seat but that was for check in purposes only and had been checked with the baggage. After some phone calls and some discussions, some of which I misses due to an emergence dash to the little boys room with the little man. When I returned I was informed that it was alright but we'd have to have our biometrics taken, a bit of a pain but not a major problem. Well, that's not what the kids decided! Trying to get pictures taken of children when their not playing ball is not easy! Lucky we got everything sorted and were still in pleantly of time for the plane. Having traveled with the kids about 1 every 2 or 3 months, this is the first time I've come across this problem and I would have thought that a major airport like Manchester should know what there doing. Anyway we made it home but we'll have the kids id somewhere to had in the future!
So what has all this thought me? Every airport seems to have a very different idea of the rules. Obviously, so rules are pretty universal, no knives on the plane for eaxmple, that's a standard one across the board, but what drinks can you take through security for children or what id do you need for them? Stuff like that seems to change at every airport.
With every journey we have to fly through the local airport, not a lot of choice here as there is only one on the island, and its about as pleasurable an experience as you can get going through an airport. All the staff are friendly and happy pleasant people, who sound genuine when they apologize for having to go through your bags. The little man likes going through the metal detectors, as he gets a sticker the other side. The staff have even held the young lady for my wife when she was traveling with both the kids alone. Granted, when you get the otherside of security there is only a small coffee counter and a duty free that is never open (opens for the flights to Norway which happen about 1 a week in the summer), there is a nice view of the runway.
In contrast, flying through London is one of the most stressful things I do these days, if not the most, and everyone there seems miserable and grumpy and on some sort of permanent power trip, unwilling to bend any rules even if it means massively inconveniencing the travelers. We've been moaned at because the little lady won't got through the metal detectors on her own and so they have had to do a manual search after, while acting like this is the biggest pain in the arse. We've be challenged over bringing drinks for the kids, despite the fact that were transiting through and have already been through one airport with no problems.
Traveling through Glasgow and Edinburgh are better, the staff seem less grumpy and don't act like everything is a major effort, but the experience is never what I would call pleasant. We've had a few incidents traveling through these airports but they haven't been as bad as in London. Most have been about the kids drinks, however, I've found away around this one!
When we were away with my parents, mum brought some squash for the kids and had some of the Robinson's Squashed bottles, which as it turns out are only 66ml, well under the 100ml limit and fit in with all the usual changing bag related items in one of those clear bags that they have. This means that turning those bottles of water back in to squash after security is simple.
The main thing though that prompted this post was traveling through Manchester the other week when we got stopped at the security desks just before the x-ray machines. They stopped us and asked for our id, at which pi t the wife and I handed over our driving licenses as we always do. They then asked for the kids id's, something we've never been asked for, apart from traveling to America with the little man. At this point, we were a little shocked, having flown down no problems and the only id we had was the young ladies birth certificate to prove she's under two (she was 22 months and she's quite big for her age) and thus doesn't need as seat but that was for check in purposes only and had been checked with the baggage. After some phone calls and some discussions, some of which I misses due to an emergence dash to the little boys room with the little man. When I returned I was informed that it was alright but we'd have to have our biometrics taken, a bit of a pain but not a major problem. Well, that's not what the kids decided! Trying to get pictures taken of children when their not playing ball is not easy! Lucky we got everything sorted and were still in pleantly of time for the plane. Having traveled with the kids about 1 every 2 or 3 months, this is the first time I've come across this problem and I would have thought that a major airport like Manchester should know what there doing. Anyway we made it home but we'll have the kids id somewhere to had in the future!
Wednesday, 2 November 2016
Mummy and daddy time
Following on from my weekend away on my own, the wife and I managed to get a night away. We managed this by taking advantage of the inlaws, not the first time and probably not the last either. We didn't go wild on our night away, but had a leisurely wonder around the local town before sitting ourselves down by an open fire for afternoon cream tea at the hotel. We spent a fair bit of time sitting chatting before moving on to dinner. Getting ready for dinner was nice as well, no running around chasing the kids,trying to persuade them to put on their shirt or dress! The wife even managed to put on all her makeup without having to keep it away from the little ones.
Dinner itself was a very civilized affair as well, we managed to read all the menu without having to stop the kids destroying the table or playing with the oil fired light on the table! We also managed to eat all three course all in one sitting! Its nice being able to choose what you want without having to consider whatthe kids might like to steal off your plate or whether they'll want to swap dinner half way through as they've decided they don't want theirs anymore. We also took a long time over dinner, something we've not had the pleasure of in ages! Not to mention moving back to the lounge area to sit by the fire again and sip on a glass of wine. Granted much of the conversation was about the kids, well you can't get away from them completely!
A full, uninterrupted nights sleep together is also a rare luxury, as was not getting up till nearly 10! No alarms and being jumped on! Just waking naturally.
Going shopping the next day might not sound to exciting, being able to do so and take time over things certainly is! I bought a new pair of walking shoes and managed to try on several pairs in several shops without just grabbing the first pair that kinda fit alright. That and we actually got to talk about it, without one of us running around chasing the kids, keeping them entertained or stopping them destroying the place! It was nice to be able to do that again.
The best part of it all though was coming home to see the little ones again. The little man was bouncing up and down in the garden as we drove up the drive. The young lady probably would have been if she wasn't asleep I. The back of the inlaws car, they'd just got back from the playpark/garden center.
I loved the night away, but I loved coming home again!
Dinner itself was a very civilized affair as well, we managed to read all the menu without having to stop the kids destroying the table or playing with the oil fired light on the table! We also managed to eat all three course all in one sitting! Its nice being able to choose what you want without having to consider whatthe kids might like to steal off your plate or whether they'll want to swap dinner half way through as they've decided they don't want theirs anymore. We also took a long time over dinner, something we've not had the pleasure of in ages! Not to mention moving back to the lounge area to sit by the fire again and sip on a glass of wine. Granted much of the conversation was about the kids, well you can't get away from them completely!
A full, uninterrupted nights sleep together is also a rare luxury, as was not getting up till nearly 10! No alarms and being jumped on! Just waking naturally.
Going shopping the next day might not sound to exciting, being able to do so and take time over things certainly is! I bought a new pair of walking shoes and managed to try on several pairs in several shops without just grabbing the first pair that kinda fit alright. That and we actually got to talk about it, without one of us running around chasing the kids, keeping them entertained or stopping them destroying the place! It was nice to be able to do that again.
The best part of it all though was coming home to see the little ones again. The little man was bouncing up and down in the garden as we drove up the drive. The young lady probably would have been if she wasn't asleep I. The back of the inlaws car, they'd just got back from the playpark/garden center.
I loved the night away, but I loved coming home again!
Wednesday, 26 October 2016
weekend away
The other weekend I had a weekend away with a few other gents. I went south for a tournament on tie Friday night boat and was back up on the Sunday night boat, so only one night on dry land!
All in all I had a really good weekend away,won my tournament and collected a nice trophy for my troubles. It was strange though, as its probably the only time I've actually been away with out either the kids or wife as well. Yes I've had time at home without them, but then I've been busy doing DIY, so not much of a holiday.I was glad that it was a single bed, as I never seem to notice I'm sleeping on my own when I'm in a single bed. These days I find it weird to sleep alone in a double bed, as even when the wife is away at a conference or meeting I've usually got one of the bairns snuggling in! Yeah, they prob should get put back in there own beds, but its a lit easier just to let them snuggle in, plus they sleep better! The weekend away was good fun and I enjoyed the piece and quiet and uninterrupted sleep! It was nice to wake up without being jumped on! A nice long, leisurely shower to wake myself up was also good, a treat I don't usually get!
However, it still felt odd not having the kids around, not something in really use to. Although I enjoyed myself, I was glad to be home on the Monday morning and hearing the kids telling me all about their weekend and the parties that they were at. I can't say in in a hurry to go away again, at least not without the kids or wife.
A few years ago I would have loved the freedom, probably gone out and got blind drunk and eaten all sorts of questionable things from some dodge takeaway, these days I can't drink that way! Two pints and I'm done, dodgy kebabs are defiantly a thing of the past! I think I had one pint the whole weekend and didn't miss the beer at all!
All in all I had a really good weekend away,won my tournament and collected a nice trophy for my troubles. It was strange though, as its probably the only time I've actually been away with out either the kids or wife as well. Yes I've had time at home without them, but then I've been busy doing DIY, so not much of a holiday.I was glad that it was a single bed, as I never seem to notice I'm sleeping on my own when I'm in a single bed. These days I find it weird to sleep alone in a double bed, as even when the wife is away at a conference or meeting I've usually got one of the bairns snuggling in! Yeah, they prob should get put back in there own beds, but its a lit easier just to let them snuggle in, plus they sleep better! The weekend away was good fun and I enjoyed the piece and quiet and uninterrupted sleep! It was nice to wake up without being jumped on! A nice long, leisurely shower to wake myself up was also good, a treat I don't usually get!
However, it still felt odd not having the kids around, not something in really use to. Although I enjoyed myself, I was glad to be home on the Monday morning and hearing the kids telling me all about their weekend and the parties that they were at. I can't say in in a hurry to go away again, at least not without the kids or wife.
A few years ago I would have loved the freedom, probably gone out and got blind drunk and eaten all sorts of questionable things from some dodge takeaway, these days I can't drink that way! Two pints and I'm done, dodgy kebabs are defiantly a thing of the past! I think I had one pint the whole weekend and didn't miss the beer at all!
Saturday, 1 October 2016
Finishing rooms
Well, over the last couple of weeks I have been busy with the DIY. As a result 2 rooms are now pretty much finished and ready to use.
First up is the front room,that after many many months is now ready to use and indeed has been used most nights. I say nights as during the day its kept closed and a kid free zone! New carpets and all, not that it hasn't already suffered a spillage! The wife was on duty then, so I'm home free on That one! The room isn't quite finished as we still need. To get the liner put in the chimney, so we can finish off the wood burner.
Its not quite finished in teams of furniture either, as the TV stand is missing. Its on order but its not arrived yet, a typical issue up here! Hopefully when it arrives, we'll get the TV set up and have a look at the stereo, this is the bit I'm looking forward too! It will be good to get my stereo back again and get the tunes blasting again!
The next roomto be completed will be the young ladies room.
As you can see there is a window in the roof. This was quite an undertaking, simple in many respects, the Velux instructions are actually very simple and easy to follow, but chopping through the roof was not a pleasant experience and getting the tiles off cause a few moments of stress! But its in and while I am not convinced the thing is 100% waterpreoof, in pretty pleased with it. Hopefully when I get the different and correct flashing kit (ordered the one I though I needed, but it was the wrong one). Hopefully by the time this goes up, ill have all of the bracing properly inplace and be starting on the plasterboard. With luck we'll be able to move the young lady in to her room in a couple of weeks. Going on past experience though, its likely to be the otherside of Christmas!
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