Friday Quick Takes

1. It's all over. Christmas and New Year that is...as if you didn't know, and I'm going to come right out and say it, I'm a teensy bit relieved. Proving that you really CAN have too a good thing... or in my case lots and lots of good things - mince pies, wine, more wine, more mince pies. I never thought I'd say it, but I'm just all socialized out. I don't want to see a Quality Street EVER again.... and as for TV, I've had it up to here with Christmas specials and New year round ups. I've had an entire series of  'The Good Wife' clogging up my sky + since October, and how can I possibly get near it when 'Seven Brides for Seven Brothers' (Bless their beautiful hides), is on?

2. Speaking of TV, January traditionally  means a new series of 'Celebrity Big Brother', which I had FULLY intended to rise above, but then I took a quick peek, just to see which chumps were mad enough to go in this time, you understand, and wouldn't you know it, there was Claire from 'Steps' so I had to watch on. I totally fell in love with her in 'Steps The Reunion' last year and I  know that we'd be BFFs if we ever actually met-its just a Tragedy we haven't-geddit?


3. The kids are still off school which is something of a mixed blessing. Yes, there's no homeworks or after school activities but there's an awful lot of bickering and playing the Wii and watching crap on TV.

   This is despite my daily ritual of turfing them all outside one by one, ('Theres no such thing as bored-get out and get some fresh air!')  and reintroducing them to their old friends Lego, blocks and  dinosaurs ('Nope, not even 5 more minutes-it's unplugged for the night so here you go!'). Roll on Monday...for all of us!

4.  We took the tree down the other day. My dad had better not be reading this, because at home it's considered a sin, most likely mortal, to take the tree down before the Epiphany on 6th January... but the truth is, I just couldn't stick the needle drop anymore. I mean they were EVERYWHERE! Under the piano, on the stairs, on and under the rug, in my knickers (okay I made that one up, but you get the picture.) A certain person who shall remain nameless, ( initials LB), decided that our Griswald tree didn't need any water at all  for the entire three weeks it spent in our overly warm centrally heated hall. No indeed, despite age old wisdom stating otherwise, apparently that's just a theory invented to over complicate the business of tree erection and maintenance. Well, it certainly led to a few 'lively discussions' around here but  it's a moot point now, because treewise, I'll be faking it from here on in- in fact, I may even go for shocking pink, who knows!

5.  I finally made it into 'The Irish News' on New Years Day at long bloody last. Despite a horrid picture of me, and the fact that I was interviewed TWO MONTHS before, I was hugely relieved that I hadn't actually dreamt the entire thing after all. 

6. l leave you with our remote controlled Fart Box- every home should have one.....No, not really.  What was I Santa thinking, because honestly,  it's turning out to be the gift that keeps on giving and the joke that never gets old!

The wonderful irony is that with four boys, ( five if you  include their father), it's completely superfluous anyway, because 'farting at will' appears to be their God given talent. I am truly blessed. Happy Friday my loveliesxxx

Feeling the Love for Lego

It's all gonna to be okay...

I've said it before and I'll say it again- thank God for Lego!
It must be said that we've been  pretty lucky with the weather in Donegal this summer, but if I've learned anything, it's that you've gotta take the rough with the smooth-when it's gorgeous here, it's the closest place to heaven on earth, but when it's pouring outside and we're all jam packed into the Caravilla, back up plans are a necessity...for everyone!

Love this-a Lego caravilla complete with moving lorry!

And while DVDs, Talking Tom and Minecraft all have their place, time and time again, it's the humble old Lego that puts in that long rainy afternoon for everybody...right from the biggest to the smallest. Like I said, thank God for Lego...

Titanic- enough already!

Complete with bulkheads...yes, really.

Elsewhere, Titanic fever may have died down somewhat, but round here it's still very much in vogue.
It would also be fair to say, that out of the four boys, Rory is most enthralled and, not a day goes by, where I don't find a 'Titanic', in the sink or bath or shower. Often cobbled together from anything he can scavenge out of the recycling bin, he gets busy with scissors and Sellotape and produces... well, these.
Although usually all christened 'Titanic', this week he mixed it up a bit, with a 'Carpathia'!  Understandably enough though, upon learning that Carpathia didn't actually sink, she too reverted to Titanic...because obviously a huge part of the enjoyment is seeing how long these, (let's loosely call them), ships, take to sink. Personally though, my very favourite part, is discovering the wrecks of these sunken vessels in the bottom of a filled bath...because if you've never experienced the clean up of huge sodden piles of disintegrating cardboard, quite frankly, you haven't lived.

Yes, that IS a cheeky Fly London shoebox you spy!

Following his 'Life on Board Titanic' project, Jude has been pondering, (seemingly endlessly), the big question of which class OUR family would have been aboard Titanic. With first class obviously out of the question, second was the preferred choice, with it's clear benefits of an elevator and a live band, but, as it turned out, steerage was also deemed perfectly acceptable. With four good meals a day, (Four mummy! That's more than we get at home!), bunk bed rooms, and music in the evenings, what's not to like, apparently? Indeed, upon overhearing, one might assume that he was excitedly discussing his upcoming holiday, as he, quite impressively, manages to sidestep the whole pesky iceberg issue entirely.

I  MAY have mentioned this before ;-) but I'm a finalist in two categories in the MAD Blog Awards. If you're feeling any love at all for this wee blog, I'd really appreciate it if you could vote for me in the Family Life category (the other one is decided by judges). Here's the link- http://www.the-mads.com/vote.htm and thank you very much xxxx
PS While you're there, check out the other finalists-who'd have believed there were so many amazing blogs out there?