I'm going to London, to buy a Heat magazine! :-D

As the title says, I'm off to London this afternoon for a girl's weekend. Two nights of peace and quiet. And by peace and quiet, I mean lots of wine and childish pranks between a group of 6 women ranging in age from 26 to 50! You'd think we'd have grown up a bit by now! 

But peace and quiet from the children it will be. No 'but Mummy, I'm not tired yet', or being woken at midnight for a cuddle, or having to get up at 5.30am because 'it's wakey up time'!!! I will be able to shower by myself (a rare novelty in my house) and will actually have time to apply my make-up instead of the usual slick of mascara I generally rely on to make me look remotely presentable! No matter how much I adore my children, I need the occasional weekend to myself to preserve what's left of my sanity!

Then, on the other hand, I can guarantee I will be pining for them before the train has even left the station! It will take all my strength (or my friend stealing my phone!) to stop myself from calling every hour to make sure everything's ok. It's not even that their dad isn't able to cope. In fact he copes better than I do at times! I just like to know exactly what my babies are doing. Are they hungry? Has the little one had a sleep? Have you wrapped them up well enough to play out in the cold? Of course, I already know the answer to all of my questions, my husband's not stupid after all. 

I have, however, prepared outfits for the children. Goodness knows what they'd end up wearing if I didn't! They'd probably still be in their pyjamas from tonight when I return home on Sunday. My husband just doesn't seem to get that my daughter really can't wear her yellow top with her pink trousers, or that leggings must ONLY be worn with tops that cover the bum. It's really not too difficult! But it just makes his life easier if I get their clothes out ready for them. He won't get it in the neck for getting it wrong then. 

So, London. I can't wait! We'll arrive by tea time tonight, have a nice relaxed evening with a few glasses of wine and a bite to eat. Then tomorrow we'll be hitting the shops first thing, followed by the matinée performance of We Will Rock You. I have promised my friend that I won't sing along (she thinks we're far too young!), but I was brought up on Queen! I'm not sure I'll be able to hold it in, haha! Not entirely sure what our plans for after the show are. Most likely some of the afore mentioned childish pranks will feature! Then Sunday will be more shops, a bit of lunch and then a mid afternoon train home. 

I'm sure I'll have an anecdote or two to tell for my next blog. I'll look forward to sharing my weekend with you all when I get back.

Birthday Boy

Today is my eldest's 5th birthday. This makes me sad. I'm really not ready for my children to be getting so big! Yes, I realise they have to grow up, but I remember giving birth to him like it happened yesterday, not 5 years ago! In the blink of an eye, I've watched him grow from the tiny, totally dependent newborn into the thoughtful, kind, albeit very mischievous little boy. I can't be the only parent who gets the birthday blues on their children's birthdays. Can I? 

Then there's the chaos the birthday entails. We had tears this morning because I was a 'horrible mummy', not letting him open his presents before school. I like to take our time over them, making sure he's fully aware of who bought him what so he knows who to thank later. I am officially turning into my mother!

I'm now cooking my way through Iceland's party food selection in preparation for the few of his friends coming over for his birthday tea later. My oven is far too small! It frustrates me that I can only cook 2 trays of food at a time. Stress! 

I've spent a good hour cleaning the kids' bedrooms, Lord knows why! I'm sure my son and his friends will soon upend the toy boxes! I've not had chance all day to stop and have a coffee, so I'm running on Red Bull. Something I may live to regret come midnight when I'm staring at the ceiling! Although I'm sure the half bottle of wine I've got earmarked for later will help me to drift off! 

And in amongst all this, I have the usual jobs of keeping the children entertained, trying to stop the dog from rounding them up like sheep (take my advice, never get a border collie if you have small children) and the general housework. Anyone got a second pair of arms I can borrow? 

So all that's left to do now is await the arrival of our guests, whilst ensuring the children don't keep making a mess. And, of course, clean up again once they've gone! Next year I'm doing a party at the softplay. It's got to be easier than this!?  

Until next time. xxx