~*~Life as Me~*~

22 Things for the kids to do with/without parents

My latest article posted over on Modern Molly Mormon is below, i'm posting it here because I think its a pretty good list of stuff for all kids of all ages to have fun with as the summer school holiday looms ahead.

Need some ideas for the summer holidays? Well I've been working on a few that my kids can do when they finish school for the summer in June....so I thought I'd share...

1. Scrapbook ~ I don’t think suggesting this would be a surprise to anyone! Back in the day scrapbooking was just a scrap book that we would stick odd cut outs of our favourite shoes or hairstyles etc. I suggest going back to this time with our kids and encourage them to scrapbook various things through their days to show their highlights. By the time school starts, all those words that have been muttered ‘I am bored’ or ‘I do not get to do anything fun’ will be right there in pictures to show them! Kids of any age will enjoy making their own summer journal, even toddlers.

2. Garden pots ~ Even if you have your own garden area and the kids are happy to help, why not get them some small pots {or larger if you have the space} exclusively for them? Giving them some responsibility is a proven method that most kids thrive for and more often than not, live up to above and beyond. Smaller children love to get dirty so why not give them some tiny pots and either sunflower seeds or pretend flowers?

3. Artist folder ~ Similar to the scrapbook, give the kids their very own folder with sheets of plain paper inside and let them create. This is ideal in the car, waiting at the dentist, in a restaurant on just sat on the sofa. When each page is complete, date it and get them to sign it!

4. Disposable camera ~ I know my 4 year old loves it when he gets to randomly take photos of anything and everything. Naturally, I don’t print many of his photos but I do make up a slide show on the computer for him so he can sit and admire his talent! Kids love all that dodging around like a little pro just to get that perfect shot…minus the head! A disposable is cheap; bump proof and stops arguments between siblings.

5. Bird watching ~ We live in an area that isn’t exactly close to a beach yet we get loads of seagulls and other birds associated with the waters. Having multiple trees in our garden means, we usually have birds around here. Having kids with toy binoculars, laying on a blanket spotting birds, comparing them to a book {use the library for some good ones} will keep them quiet for ages, plus it will work their imaginations and most likely get them chatting about clouds and other things they see!

6. Flower spotting ~ If you are in an area where your kids can just wonder through a field or arboretum garden of some sort, pack them up with a book, magnifying glass and a bottle of water and see what they find. Chances are they will find bugs, creepy crawlies, and other things too.

7. Word games ~ There are loads of different kinds of printables online, my kids love making small words out of larger ones. This is another versatile game that can be done almost anywhere at any time and aids their reading and spelling without them quite realising it!

8. Home theatre ~ many children love to act out, dress up, and emulate a favourite singer, actress or other favourite character. All they need are a few old clothes, a few curtains, and a place to perform!

9. Garden disco ~ especially for the girls, fancy skirts/tops, a pretty hairstyle and some music to dance along to! Invite kids over to join in and the rest just unfolds!

10. Garden party ~ this can be as minimal or extravagant as you like, give the kids a few games (ball games, skipping, water slides etc) some food and maybe an adult or two and they will be entertained all day!

11. Hammer n nails ~ One for the boys (or tomboys out there!) My 4 yr old loves nothing more than to sit with a plank of wood, mini sized hammer and some nails. Obviously, this would need parental supervision but it keeps the boys quiet! For older kids maybe they can make a box, bird feeder, or something equally simple.

12. Sewing box ~ scraps of fabric, needles and thread and anything can happen. Cut out a simple shapes
such as a teddy bear so it only needs the edge sewing and stuffing with off cuts of fabric, cut lots of squares to stitch into a blanket or even a bag. Old clothes are great for this and very inexpensive. Boys enjoy this almost as much as the girls

13. Cook for a family ~ this can be as basic as burgers and fries or if your kids are older a 3 course meal. Letting them plan, shop and prepare a meal will boost their confidence and keep them focused for hours! Moreover, you don’t get to cook either!

14. Camping in the garden ~ Lets face it, all kids like to camp out even if it is only the garden! If you have toddlers go camp out with them! Grab some flashlights, books and nibbles and the kids will have the best night of their life!

15. Kid’s yard sale ~ Hands up if your kids have a load of unused toys, books, games etc? (My 2 hands are up!) let them get in on the act of taking care of their needs and hold a yard sale, with the proceeds they can perhaps use it to learn the first steps in financing or buy a new toy/book/game or even better, save it and watch it grow in their bank!

16. Write your book ~ Every kid has a story to tell, it's not going to be the one we tell about that exact same experience or trip to the supermarket. Give them a book and pen, shoot ideas to what they can write about, use bullet points so they aren’t overwhelmed if they aren’t fans of writing. Make a front page cover, choose a book title and tell them how much YOU want to know what their life story is from their view.

17. Role play banker/shopper/parents i.e. finances/thrift ~ A small table and chair, a few packets/tins from food storage and a few friends and you have a shop. Add some boxes, envelopes and a satchel style bag for a post office. Make pretend money from strips of paper, make a till from a narrow box and you have a bank. The imagination is endless with just a few items here and all the while kids are learning about some important principles! Especially if their bank is empty and they only have limited funds at the food store!

18. Papier-mache ~ Bowls, mountains, plant pots, jewellery holders, pen cups, action man mounds and more. Just a few ideas to get the kids into creative play, recycling old papers/magazines is an added bonus for our Green issues!

19. Service project for neighbour ~ With the nice weather here (at last) get the kids out doing their own service project for a local neighbour or family member. Anything from reading to someone, going to the store, cutting grass, feeding pets or even making them a snack will give the kids are all sense of accomplishment!

20. Learn an instrument ~ This isn’t as hard as it looks, nor does it have to cost much money. Freecycle can offer some good old instruments to good homes, yard sales (trying really hard to get Americanised here!!) and thrift stores. Libraries offer books for beginners, they don’t have to be perfect or even last longer than the summer, but chances are, once they start and see how easy they can pick something up they will want to carry on!

21. Buddy a younger person ~ Does your child know someone who would benefit from having a buddy? Is your child one who would benefit from a buddy? Maybe assigning a buddy to someone will reach out to someone and give something they need most, from confidence, faith in themselves, a hard time at home or anything at all. Great works are done when we have someone to look out for us and the rewards are outstanding for those giving their time and effort to someone too.

22. Body/hand/foot painting ~ Ok so you guys can join in here, I know my kids just love it when we have messy play. Having washable floors makes it easier if the weather is cold but in all the clean up is simple with a hose when outdoors. Just get some plain rolls of wall paper, loads of washable paints and let the fun begin!

If your children are anything like mine then they are going to wanna work through that list throughout the summer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing considering how long summer is for them! As usual, I would love to hear what anyone does from this list and hope at least one of the ideas gives you a kick start! :)

Lds Quiz

As it says on the title, Lds Quiz, if you wanna play along anyone is welcome. All you have to do is answer the questions, leave a comment to tell me where you answered them and nominate 5 other people to play along!

1. Without looking, how many books are in the Book of Mormon?
2. What is the word of wisdom?
3. Do Latter Day Saints believe in Polygamy?
4. Who wrote the Book of Mormon?
5. What happened in the Garden of Gethsemane?
6. Name 3 principles Jesus taught
7. Name the prophets in order since Joseph Smith
8. Who are the 12 apostles?
9. What is the 3rd Article of Faith?
10. How did Joseph Smith translate the Book of Mormon?
11. Quote a scripture giving a promise?
12. Who is Mormon?
13. Who is the current General RS President?
14. In 100 words or less, what is the difference between Christian and Lds?
15. Who appeared to Joseph to counsel him about the brass plates?
16. What is the Mountain Meadow Massacre?
17. Who were the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon?
18. Which of Joseph Smiths brothers did he see in a vision?
19. In the Book of Ruth, who was Ruth's mother in law?
20. When was the Book of Mormon first published?

Dont forget, you have to tell me where you are so I can come along and see your answers!! :)

I'll do my answers when I finished researching and writing them out!!! Well, I didn't say I KNEW them all did i???!!!

~*~Debs~*~

Here and Now

I  don't like playing catch up :( I have worked my butt off for four days now catching up with online stuff, the newsletters I write for some local clubs and more on my book. I dont like this game at all. It's hard, it works the brain too much and it makes me tired!
But slowly i'm getting there, I just have one article to finish for Modern Molly Mormon then I can get this blog up to date....finally.

So to clear my mind now i'm going to post some random photos of two of my kids:

My little man was totally whacko'd after all his fireman service!

My little artist in the training! He was so put out that his new paints were not finger paints but he has 2 sets anyway....how many does he need?!!

He hands me the camera and says 'take some silly photos of me mum' then spends 10 minutes pulling all the faces he can!!

Somewhere behind this camera is a chuckling mum cos all the time he's doing this he's making noises to go with it!! lol

Not long later the little dude took off to his room to watch a dvd....but before the credits rolled....

On another day Kirsten wanted to play about on the stepper....Charley thought it would be a really good idea to make her work for her supper.....

Then he REALLY gave it to her..........

Imagination and Charley are about as combined as cheese and onion, tick and tock, ooh and aahh, him and her, up and down...you get the point here....this trail was leading all the way from his room to the dining room...but then Kirsten went and broke some of it when she stepped over it and her jeans caught it....oh you'd think she'd just killed the dog with what came next!

Last but not least, this is the dude getting impatient for me while i'm making his drink for bed saying 'hurry up else i'll go to sleep here!' When I asked if he'd be comfortable there and if he needed a blanket he jumped up and said 'dont be silly mum I cant really sleep on the kitchen floor!'. I guess I won that one!! :) I'm getting good at this winning lark!! :)

Kirsten had her first day at school today and she loved it! More on that tomorrow along with some of the amateur sewing projects i've done and the rest of the catch up!! Oh and i'm going to see if I can get a good copy of Emma's scan of the baby, its SO clear its unreal! Jay has framed it and has it pride of place on the living room window!!

~*~Debs~*~

Said by a 4 yr old

My check list is coming down, I started with just over 100 items to do, now i'm down to 22, all since just after Christmas all all related to the computer/online etc. I am not going to work out what that adds up to in hours because no doubt it will scare me!! ;) However, the feeling of accomplishment is great! My next on the to do list is to finish up the two pieces I have in draft for Modern Molly Mormon. Have you been over there yet? Huh? What you waiting for?? :P Go check out the girls, they are very inspirational, entertaining, funny, genuine and just wonderful. Oh, am I just bias?? I'm sure i'm allowed so dont worry about it!! :)

This morning I had a fabulous chat with Charley boy while we had our morning cuddle on my bed. Something like this:

Charley: Lets play I spy
Me: Ok, you start
Charley: No, mummies first
Me: Ok, I spy with my little eye, something the colour of....(this is his adaptation of the game by the way).....white
Charley: White huh? (doing the chinny chin chin thing)
Me: Uh huh looking at his serious face looking round the room
Charley: I got it....the ceiling?
Me: Yep, your turn
Charley: I spy with my little eye, something the colour of....at this  point he looks at me and whispers 'say lightshade'

I was too busy giggling because there was only him and me in the room!!!

Once this game had a few rounds he got fed up and decided that it was time for breakfast (well it was 8am!!) so off we went down the stairs, made him his egg sandwich and sat at the dining table with him and read to him from his Friend magazine. I'm reading a short story and every few words he interupts with a question demanding more details. I do try to answer questions as and when they come, regardless of what i'm doing but this last one totally stumped me. He touched my hand and said:

MOM! How can you forget Degor and Digo's breakfast?

WHO THE HECK IS DEGOR AND DIGO????????

Please leave comments if you know, they are definitely NOT from the tv, not in the magazine we were reading, they are not Book of Mormon characters and as far as I can find, not in any of the books we have read lately.

So tell me, WHO ARE THESE ADDITIONS TO MY BREAKFAST TABLE??!!!

Back later

~*~Debs~*~

Family Home Evening ~ What is that?!!

Taken from Lds.org:

Family home evening is a special time set aside each week that brings family members together and strengthens their love for each other, helps them draw closer to Heavenly Father, and encourages them to live righteously.

In 1915 President Joseph F. Smith and his counselors in the First Presidency began a Churchwide effort to strengthen the family. They called on parents in the Church to gather their children once each week for a "Home Evening." Families were to take time to pray and sing together, read the scriptures, teach the gospel to one another, and participate in other activities that would build family unity.

In 1970 President Joseph Fielding Smith joined with his counselors in the First Presidency to designate Monday night as the time for family home evening. Since that announcement, the Church has kept Monday evenings free from Church activities so families can have this time together.

Latter-day prophets continue to urge Church members to give highest priority to family home evening. They have promised that our dedication to this program will help protect our families against the evils of our time and will bring us abundant joy now and throughout the eternities.

Although family home evening should begin and end with prayer, it is not intended to be a formal class. In a statement regarding family home evening in 1915, the First Presidency said that "formality and stiffness should be studiously avoided, and all the family should participate in the exercises."

Family home evening can be held by every family and in a variety of different ways. Whether you have children in the home or are a family of one, the resources available on this site can help you plan and prepare successful and memorable family home evenings.

As we have set our theme for the year on Love at Home, I thought I would share some of the things that I/we do to actually exercise our efforts to strengthen and uplift our family unit. The one thing we do, as Latter Day Saints, is hold a Family Home Evening each Monday night. Now in reality most Lds families know that this can often be hit and miss, especially as kids grow up and everyone is in different directions. In fact kids of any age are hit and miss with this night but making it fun and less restraining is always the way to go. In the past we have held our FHE's on a different night for a variety of reasons, but though it is not set in stone it is often nice for the kids (and parents) to know the routine of FHE.

The idea for a Family Home Evening is to bring the family together for a short time and talk/teach/learn about principles of the gospel, the Lord life and anything else that is good and essential for good, wholesome living. Strengthening the family is more than just being in touch a few times a day, more than knowing how their day went. Its about really spending some pre-set time together that is focused and planned. The bond, love and friendships that come from such times as this are priceless, trust me, if my kids and I can do it then so can anyone else!

In the past my family and I have done lessons on such things as Food Storage, The Commandments, Free Agency, Christ's Life, Temples, Baptism....to name just a few. We take it in turns to have our own part in making the night fun and full of learning and generally this is how it goes:

Preparation:
* Through the week prepare a lesson, use visuals, talks, short dvd's, act outs etc. Anything to make learning the principle fun and easier (especially for younger children).

* Buy in a few goodies for treats afterwards.

* Assign prayers, hymns, teachers etc, whatever is relevant to how the FHE is going to be offered.

* Plan a fun activity for afterwards.

Programme:
* Sing a hymn

* Opening prayer

* Lesson - this can be given by one/two people or done between everyone. A scripture can be shared, a mini play can be acted out, pictures etc. There are lots of ways to teach and learn a principle. Keeping in mind that the focus throughout is on Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, about Their teachings, life essentials that we have been given by revelation and/or something that is personal to your family.

* Have fun with your activity. This can be anything that includes all family members, be it a board game, a walk, an extension of the mini play offered already...in fact its all about just enjoying being together.

* Closing prayer

* Eat! My kids love this part, they get some stuff that I purposely only buy for FHE and they think its great! It's also a great motivator when they want to go off and do other things instead of do FHE!!

Sometimes our FHE's have lasted hours, sometimes they last barely 5 minutes, it really is about where the heart is and making the effort. I admit though that on average ours last around an hour not including the activity which I often extend through to bedtime, inclusively.

Tonight for example, we sang our 2009 family theme hymn, Love at Home. Charley opened with a prayer then we listened to a talk on byu.tv about families being sealed in the temple for time and eternity. Afterwards I back tracked to the Family Proclamation and picked up certain parts of that to read and discuss. Charley done pretty well giving his young age too. We chit chatted about our family, where our weaknesses were, where our strengths were and then set a goal for us all for the next week. We decided that we would each work on 3 things that would increase our roll in our home. Kirsten (hope she doesn't 'get' me for saying this!!) chose to work on her patience when Charley is dominating the tv, walking around after herself so I dont have to and going to bed when I say. Charley is going to work on not snapping at Kirsten when she would like to sing and he's watching tv, he's going to spend more time doing creative things that doesn't include the tv! He's also going to carry on picking up his toys and putting his dirty washing away. Me, I'm going to...what am I going to do? I thought I was perfect? No? Darn it!! Ok, i'm going to moan less when I find I am walking round after Kirsten, I am going to try harder to not win at board games and I'm going to read longer stories to the kids at bedtime. Wish me luck!!

After we finished we played pairs with some cards I got for Charley from Early Learning Centre, where you face all the cards down and turn two over, if they dont match you turn them back upside down and try and remember where and what they are for next time. The person who finds more pairs wins. Charley loves this game and Kirsten and I are getting pretty good too!! We stayed at the dining table for a while, even though we played about 4 games of this! This picture was not taken tonight, it is a few days old but you get the gist, right?!! :)

We talked about all kinds of things relating to our family, our extended family and how we can improve our purpose, the snacks had great timing when they came out to soften the blows to the facts of life that sometimes we just have to accept! Come Charley's bedtime we gathered for our family prayer, this is one that lately I have gotten to say and lasts for quite a while because I have to make sure we thank, ask and set forward our plans, intentions etc and also allow the children to have their say. Charley loves reading and so we picked up the kids version of the Book of Mormon and read about Jesus blessing the children one by one. For the first time Charley realised that Jesus actually knows his name!! Sweet!! Charley hosted his own personal prayer then settled down watching a movie, very happy but very tired. Ten minutes was spent with Kirsten because she was itching to get back on msn with her friends! So we covered some feelings about the time she's been back home with me. It's all good stuff and we are just so blessed.

Result: Three happy people, the spirit was strong in our home and the kids were hugging and laughing again. Me, I just look on with total mummy pride. Job well done!

I am so inspired after a FHE that I have to go read some more on whatever subject we have talked about, so for the next two hours I scoured book after book to feed my desire, ok so I chatted to a couple of friends on yahoo im and skype too but hey, its all good stuff, right?!

~*~Debs~*~

When there's love at home

In our church hymn book there is a hymn called Love at home, its a gentle but far from boring hymn that always, always brings a lump to my throat when we sing it. The words go like this:

There is beauty all around,
When there’s love at home;
There is joy in ev’ry sound,
When there’s love at home.
Peace and plenty here abide,
Smiling sweet on ev’ry side;
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there’s love at home;
Love at home, love at home,
Time doth softly, sweetly glide,
When there’s love at home.

In the cottage there is joy,
When there’s love at home;
Hate and envy ne’er annoy,
When there’s love at home.
Roses blossom ’neath our feet,
All the earth’s a garden sweet,
Making life a bliss complete,
When there’s love at home;
Love at home, love at home,
Making life a bliss complete,
When there’s love at home.

Kindly Heaven smiles above,
When there’s love at home;
All the earth is filled with love,
When there’s love at home.
Sweeter sings the brooklet by,
Brighter beams the azure sky:
Oh, there’s One Who smiles on high,
When there’s love at home;
Love at home, love at home,
Oh, there’s One Who smiles on high,
When there’s love at home.

Jesus, show Thy mercy mine,
Then there’s love at home;
Sweetly whisper I am Thine,
Then there’s love at home.
Source of love, Thy cheering light
Far exceeds the sun so bright—
Can dispel the gloom of night;
Then there’s love at home;
Love at home, love at home,
Can dispel the gloom of night;
Then there’s love at home.

If you wanna hear it, just click here and enjoy. This is our family theme for this year. The emphasis is on individual and collective relationships, including personal self worth. To understand each of our roles in our family unit is going to be a big source of strength, security and grounding, especially for the children. Whatever challenges we come up against through this year I want my children to be home and know they have a foundation to start on, to relax on, to rebound from and begin again from. Love in our home starts with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, without the knowledge we have of them we are nothing more than individuals walking a world with rules, guidlines and expectations set and chosen by man, no inner peace just worldly fulfillment so long as we are complying. I want more than that for my children and myself, and through the Saviour, we can do anything.

Last year we themed our home on holding on to the iron rod in the times of darkness and on the whole I think we all done pretty well. Never did I imagine we would be challenged in the areas we were, but as I said to some friends just before Christmas, I for one am grateful for the challenge because I have the opportunity to let Kirsten find out the other side of life, it gave her a sense of worth knowing her dad was doing something for her, albeit not the best way and when all was said and done, she needed to find her own answers. All in all it wasn't a bad year, just a challenged one!

Anyway.........

Yesterday we went shopping to Asda, Princess Kirsten was looking for a particular top that she knew was available there but no luck, either they sold out of that store didn't do it. To compensate we had dinner there, she loves to eat out even in the likes of Asda! As I always have my camera on me she thought it was fun to walk round photoing all the things she wants to get, which made me smile, sort of, cos she had a wide range of things off her wish list for Christmas!! So now the ball is in her court, she wants it; she buys it. Simple!

Of course, the boy just couldnt resist his own true style of demolishing his gravy:

The last two days we have pretty much just chilled out at home. Having Kirsten back I wanted a couple of days for her to just readjust, settle in and find her feet. The state she was in the other night was totally heartbreaking for the hardest heart to bear. Since being back she's done nothing but grin, laugh and play. Today she and Charley made up a board game using a sheet of A4 and handmade cubes, they've played Operation, cooked pancakes and spent hours playing with Charley's favourite present, Fireman Sam Action Station. The house was a war zone but who cares, the atmosphere was relaxed and happy. I still haven't approached Kirsten to talk about anything but she has instigated the subject herself. I listened, said nothing and just let her talk and talk. Many things I already knew, as a mum knows with her child, but some stuff was new to me that gave me a lot to think about. The only thing I am going to share, in respect of Kirsten's privacy is the plan we have come up with regarding her education. I totally believe that she needs to be in main stream school, she's a very intelligent person and very sociable but that is declining and enough is enough. Instead of going back full time we have come to the agreement that she will go for Maths, English and Science classes to begin with. As and when she feels ready she can choose to stay for other subjects until she has comfortably integrated into full time education. The issue going on is, thanks to the lack of acknowledgement and dealings of her bullying at her previous school she has developed such a fear of schools that she can work herself up into a state just by mentioning it. No exageration. This is not going to be easy for her to move on with but between us we can do it, she is prepared to try, even if I have to sit on the school car park for the duration I will do it. We WILL overcome this fear and challenge.

She is close with my cousin Sharon and her hubby Darren, she loves nothing more than speaking with them on msn or on the phone or better still being with them. They have two boys so I think a girl is just the ticket, especially for our Shaz who needs SOMEONE on her team!! Lol I think anything they say to Kirsten will become more credible than if mum said it, which is good by me because she is learning in her own way. She's such a good person and has come a long way in the last two years that I'm surprised she hasn't ended up a fruit cake! Family has a much bigger impact on our kids than we realise, and its not till you dont have them around that you realise just how much.

I decided to bring Jay's computer into the living room tonight, which pleased Kirsten because her laptop parental controls need a password which only Jay knows, and he's at his girlfriends and doesn't know the password! So he has to sort that when he gets back and has let her use his till then, that means I still get to keep my laptop all to myself! However, we have spent a couple of hours tonight on msn with my neice, Sam, a fellow Aston Villa FC supporter I might add which was funny the voices they were making over the cam/mic etc making up a skit. I so wished my camera batteries were charged cos it was well worth recording!!

Charley went to bed quite early cos he didn't have a nap today, and some days he just needs one. He went through video's and dvd's before he nodded off. He came down at one point doing the cute and funny puppy dog eyes, speaking in a small, high pitched, feel sorry for me voice:

he said I'm sorrrrrryyyyyyy mummmmmmyyy, I love you
I said: What you sorry for son?
he said: For getting out of bed

I just couldn't help myself, I cracked up!!! All he really wanted was a warm strawberry milkshake!!

His latest ''issue''. We sat on his bed a few days ago, he'd got out the bath and I was putting some lego away. He gently turned my face to look at him and said:

why do we poo and wee?
I said: because we need to eat and drink but our bodies have to break it down, take out the good stuff and we get rid of the bad stuff in the toilet (or to that effect!)
He said: but I dont like having poo's and wee's
I said: I understand but our body needs it, we cant stop it
He said: well I dont want to anymore
I said: Ok, well lets see how it goes ok? (which is what I say when there really isn't an answer!)

Later on that evening I was getting him ready for bed, when I got his pants off I noticed a LOT of toilet tissue packed in there. I asked what it was doing there and he said:

So it can catch my poo and then I dont need to use the toilet!

I had no answer, to a four year old that was pretty ingenius thinking, definitely got me stuck for words!!!

Charley's latest favourite place to nap:

A game of cards that lasted a whole two hours! He would NOT let me win or quit!!

That's enough for me for now. I really gotta get my butt in gear with the catch up posts and stuff.

~*~Debs~*~

Air head or Hair head - Which one is it? :)

I was browsing through my blog a few nights ago wondering how many times i've promised to add something and then forgotten about it....for those of you that know me will be nodding your heads in confirmation when I say that I forget almost everything without a nagging reminder! I even left my son in the car once....seriously, there he was playing nicely, gurgling to himself, pulled up on the drive, got out and went to unlock the front door...it wasn't till I stepped inside that I felt like something was missing...no Charley wasn't new born, he was 3 yrs old!!

Moving on....!!!! Oh the shame of it, I know, I know, you can stop shaking your head now, YOU look sillier than me!! :P :D (must write to mr typepad to get smilies put on this darn blog thing)

So, all the things i've forgotten to put on will be updated next week...honest! Truly! It will!! :D

Sitting here i look at the piles of stuff around me, which isn't anything new but i'm not actually at my house, I am with this cutie who has been so nice to me that he's decided to up the anti and kidnap me...ok so thats a little bit exagerated but he does have a hold over me! Get your minds out the gutter children!! :P I have had a pretty awesome week or so with R who gave my 40th birthday a meaning beyond anything monetary, he's unknowingly built up my self worth and makes me feel like I am the only person in the room. Of course I often am and this is the honeymoon period but i'm still enjoying it and have no shame in say that R is just one awesome person...oh and get this....he comes with references too...bit like a pedigree!!! Ok thats all i'm going to say about him directly, for now I want to keep him to myself and just see how things go, relationships aren't my strong thing lately.

I'm not moving in BUT I do have to keep busy whilst R is at work and I am here...already I have my own lil corner look....

In the next few weeks I am about to embark on a life changing move which will overhaul all aspects of my daily life. A while back I had agreed to a house swap with a lady a few miles up the road, she pulled out and I just plodded on. I've never wanted to live in Gloucester, none of us have really settled there and after being targeted for being outsiders (it really is a clicky place on our estate) enough is enough. Without going into the specifics there, Jay, Kirsten and I have decided to move back to the Midlands where we can not only chose the area we go to but be closer to my dad and our extended family. So far I have Kirsten lined up with a very good school, Charley is lined up with a fun and exciting nursery school and I have already planned on meeting up with some fellow scrapbookers and craft store owners. I'm still networking schools so I can continue the scrapbooking in schools and have received a lot of interest so far. I've seen a house, looks top of the dogs nuts to me but thats just photos so far, gotta arrange to go see it then move on to the next step! It's all good stuff, if not daunting with so much happening and changing, again. Watch this space for the next installment.....being good or bad!! Lol

I was reading through Heidi Swapp's blog the other day, had to have a darn good catch up cos either i'm slower than I thought or that girl is just far too busy for reality!! Anyway, after reading there I jumped over to another of my fave designers, Stacy Julian,  did you see the challenge she set everyone? Just in case, this is what she said:

Challenge: Give Yourself a Present!

So, it's October 1st. I think if I had to pin myself down, October is my favorite. Summer, with all of its fun is behind us and the craziness of the holidays is still just out of reach. The weather is generally good and the leaves are turning brilliant colors. What's not to love? In honor of October and the inevitable flow and change that is life, I'm issuing a challenge today (with the help of LOTS of blogging friends) to as many people as possible, and here it is:

I want you to give yourself a PRESENT.

You have everything you need right now to be vibrant, happy and fully engaged in the creative process of life. Sometimes you just have to slow down, look around and realize it!

Here’s what I want you to do …

• Snap ten or twelve photos of your life right now. Or find recent photos that you've already taken.
• Compile these photos in one of these super-cute Bazzill Mono-Mini albums (keep reading)
• Keep or carry this album with you, tucked in your purse or desk drawer for one full year.
• Promise to glance through the album every time you stumble upon it or pull it out.
• On October 1st, 2009, create a scrapbook page about your experience.

Don’t worry – I’ll remind you. Just keep reading my blog!

I think you'll find that regardless of what you choose to photograph, be it nature, your children, your pets, your home, your current projects --- anything and everything, that life is in flux. We and our surroundings are constantly changing (even when you don't see it or believe it) and this little challenge/project is designed to STOP you, in the throws of your busyness and show you in an instant ALL that have and can choose to be grateful for -- ALL that is here NOW and very likely fleetin.

Stacy's blog is HERE

Well what part time scrapper/amateur photographer/journaller can resist that? As per Stacy come up with an every day memory catcher that just boasts opportunities to capture the moments. Do YOU capture the moments or are you like me where your so busy on a mission to get to the moment that you actually miss most of them getting there?

Sux eh?

So I am going to play along with this, a bit late maybe but late is my middle name so its ok! And besides, this is something we can do anytime, so maybe for once i'm not late? Ok move on Debs....your boring again!! :) Lol I think i'm on day 3 of photos now, they are all in organised folders ready to be printed off...and put into the book I have created in my mind...not yet made but it will be soon enough! :) Are you going to have a go? Stacy's challenge I mean, keep up would ya! :)

Did I mention I was doing a bit of reading up on my birth name? Not Deborah but Meeley...started out R was looking for all the Meeley's on Facebook and got ME to contact them...which some of them I did, then googled the name and came up with a load more. So when I got the book I bought years ago (16 years ago in fact) from my dad I compared some of them and came up with some interesting leads....just got to make contact now with them to see if we are related in some way.

Some interesting facts come out when you look into the history of a name, i'm still discovering all kinds of stuff but at this point its extremely unlikey that I am related to any royalty though there is one famous actor from the states with the name Meeley, I just never heard of him though! Check out Darrah Meeley. A bit close to home that as my brother is called Darren! :)

Five intesting facts about the Meeley name:

1. In 1840 there were only 3 known Meeley families, all living in Ohio, United States.

2. In 1881 the majority of Meeley's lived in the Uk, Kent and Lincolnshire counties.

3. The Meeley families were not known as poor or uneducated.

4. The first known Meeley to come to the UK was a Mary Meeley in 1854...also the name of my Nan (but she's not that old!!!)

5. The most common day for a Meeley to be born during the 1960's was a Tuesday...get this...I was born 1968 and on a Wednesday, so does that make me speshal?? :D Lol

Other stuff that is regular in my day is my lil man, so here's a few updated pics of him doing his thang!

Some fandangle noisy toy he found that belongs to Lucas (see him below) that took Charley's attention for a few days....till R took the batteries out!!

Boring? No, it really was one of those very annoying sounds!!

So off he goes in exploration of other toys in The Lucas's bedroom....(The Lucas will be explained later!)

Watching tv, eating a Penguin chocolate bar and just oblivious to the world around him or the fact that I was clicking away again and he was my subject!!

Camera has shown signs of illness here, I just thought it was my bad photography, but today I can confirm it needs to go to the camera hospital. I feel jinxed!

Still, I did get more pictures though, just not sure of their quality.

My cousin came over last Friday and I managed to get a couple of pictures in, this is Adam, he is the same age as Kirsten and so sweet. He is looking forward to showing Kirsten round the school when she starts there.

Being a typical 12 year old he just couldn't let me photo him with a straight face!! Lol

Kirsten and The Lucas....Lucas is R's lil man, he is 7 going on 27! He is like a very bright torch, always happy, full of life and just fun to be with. He has an imagination of all imaginations and isn't afraid to use it, therefore I have renamed him THE Lucas!

He loves to be with Kirsten although they occasionally wind each other up, she tends to win though cos she's older but in a way I think he likes that. In just a couple of weeks I am seeing how they are good for each other yet they can be dangerous when they join forces agains R and me!! But in all, I wouldn't change a thing about them. Last Sunday they spent most the morning on the two laptops, playing games and just laughing between themselves. It was great to just hear them laughing and getting on with each other. Charley doesn't get pushed out though, as much as Lucas connects with Kirsten he can turn his head and immediately go to Charley's level and play the role of a kind big brother...which I find amazing for someone that is so full of energy. I think he likes the family unit though, when I said I might not be here this weekend when he came back to his dads he pretty much insisted that we be here...though i'm not fooled, its not ME he wants, its Kirsten!! LOL Gotta luv him anyway! :)

Last weekend we went bowling, before playing though the kids had £1 each to play on any machine or game they wanted, Charley lost his money, so I gave him another 80p to get some of those junk things in egg shaped balls from the machine then he sat happy pretending to play on a shooting game machine.....

He's just a tad small for it though! Lol

Look at the concentration there! I have never seen him so focused on anything!! I think he could have happily stayed on this all day if he'd had the money to feed it!! Lol

Last but not least is my lil man again, in his new glasses. You cant see from there but they are Garfield, really cute and in two shades of blue. However these ones attract the dirt a whole lot more than the other ones ever did...but he's not too quick to clean them so R often just takes them and cleans them himself!! Lol

You'd think that he'd get fed up not seeing after a few bumps into the door frame wouldnt ya? :)

Dirty face comes after toast and chocolate, as for the cheeky face...well thats just a daily thing I look and smile at!! :)

Forgot what else I was going to waffle about now so I'll come back and waffle again some other time. Right now I'm still working on the Christmas Calendar Project ;)

~*~Debs~*~