More good times . . . followed by a blow to the nose!

So, my family left to fly back to Edinburgh on Thursday. 

Wishing I could have spent more time with them, but work and other life commitments kept calling. 

We did get to go to Busch Gardens and Disney  and spent a couple of evenings chilling out at my mum’s river  house where they were staying.  Eating way too much key lime pie, I might add!   My poor cousin never really got any chance to shop which for our family is pretty unheard of — don’t know how she managed!!   Hope she had fun in the duty free shops at the airport.

I wanted to see them off on Thursday, but my wee one had injured himself the night before and had a doctor’s appointment right in the middle of the afternoon. 

He fell over spinning his new light up Disney toy and hit the coffee table, landing on his upper gums and nose. 

FYI — those who want to spend money get their lips injected to look like Angelina Jolie?  All you have to do it fall strategically against a hard object such as coffee table! 

He is okay — did not break his nose, but did chip a tooth and his upper gums were black for the first couple of days.  I thought it would be painful for him to eat anything, but he was eating nachos and back to opening up his toys with his teeth!  Go figure!

Anyway, I decided there is only one answer to the fact that we didn’t get enough time together and that is to get my flights booked over to the UK for this summer!!

    

Soccer Season is Over . . .

I truly love and relish my role as a “soccer mom,” but have to say I’m quite thankful that soccer season ended the weekend before last with their soccer tournament. 

The boys played really well, but alas neither of their teams won the tournament.  My middle son’s team came 2nd, but they were still the league champions.  And, my oldest son’s team came 2nd to bottom!

The season was a tough one this year as my oldest son’s age group was on a travelling team which left me to get my middle son to all his games . . . cranky munchkin in tow.  Most games I spent chasing and placating the little one.

And, when my oldest son had home games, the hubby was standing on the sidelines coaching.  So, I would spend his games much the same way.  Well, other than when I could bribe my middle son to entertain the wee one.

Bring on next season, but until then I am going to enjoy the empty weekends!

My weekend . . .

This is how my weekend started . . . the entrance to Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

And, this is how it ended!

Any questions?  Ask away or else you can wait for me to post the details at a later date!

My apologies . . .

Sorry, but between Facebook, my family, work and life I have not blogged so much this week.  And, this weekend we’ll be here:

See you when we get back!

The shame of it . . .

So, my oldest son, my middle school, handsome tween that he is has had a problem this year turning his math homework in on time.  He has always been in an advanced math class, but this is the first year that has been a bit of a struggle for him.  The edumacation plan that the school has for him is to have all the college classes he needs for his undergrad degree completed by the time he graduates high school. 

I’m beginning to think it might be a bit much.

True, he is an overall great student, but his true loves are art, music, social studies and English lit . . . yeah, not so much the math.  Over the past few weeks, he has been diligently trying to get caught up and ahead of the horrendous amounts of homework that this one advanced math class has.  This morning, he went to grab his notebook with all of said homework in it, but it was nowhere to be found.

I joked, but half heartedly believed that he was telling pork pies and that he had not really done the homework to which the poor tween got all blubbery and upset.  I told him if I found the notebook, I would run it to the school, but not to worry.  It’s not the end of the world is it?

No, the end of the world came when his 2 year old brother came tearing in to the school lunchroom clutching the notebook and yelling, “I need to find {insert big brother’s name here!}” 

He was nowhere to be seen, so the little munchkin accompanied by his mother which would be moi, asked the teachers on duty where he was.  His geography teacher yelled his name out to the whole lunchroom packed full of fellow 7th graders.  My oldest hung his head in shame as he stood up and walked over to where we stood!  His embarrassment was soon gone as everyone started gushing over the cuteness of his little brother . . . he then to my shock, let him sit with him and his mates in their lunch booth! 

I guess it is indeed cool to have a little brother like his!

Musical Monday . . .

Heard this yesterday on Steve Wright’s breakfast show . . .

Photo Hunt . . . Nautical

PhotoHunt | PhotoHunt

For this week’s theme of nautical, I’ve used a photo taken a few years back on a visit to Whitby.  We took a tour of the Grand Turk, a replica 18th century man-o-war based on historical drawings of a sixth rate frigate named ‘Blandford’ that spends part of each year based in Whitby.

Surprise . . . Tales of Family Arrivals

So, I was chatting with my wee cousin via my blackberry and Facebook last Friday.

I was chasing my kids at Busch Gardens, Tampa.  

She was sitting in a Starbucks in Edinbugh . . .  chasing her kids.

She had said she was thinking about coming over on holiday with her three kiddos and her mum, my beloved auntie who is my mum’s youngest sister.  Of course I told her, “YEAH, book it!”   And, so after much going back and forth, she did.

Five days later they boarded a plane bound for sunnier skies . . .  leaving the snow and cold of Scotland behind them.

It was decided we should leave it as a surprise for my mum.  It was very hard and truth be told, I just avoided her for the past few days so as to not spill the beans — tee hee hee. 

Their flight arrived late so it was thought we would lure my mother, ever the animal advocate, to my brother’s house with a tale that one of his mutts was about to kick the bucket.  I know — terrible aren’t we

Anyway, she arrived in a flash — about 10 minutes after the wanderers had got there which was time enough to have their first cup of tea! 

And, she never even noticed! 

It was too funny!  She assumed my sister and I were at my brother’s house to help him through the passing of his mutt and thought my cousin’s oldest daughter was my niece.  She had skipped happily in to my mum’s arms only to have my mum, say okay love, toss her aside and look for the dog!!  Then she started to look angry and perplexed and asked why we were all laughing and smiling — a dog was dying after all!

At that point,  my auntie rounded the corner and it dawned on her what was going on!  Surprise!  Well, she then got the biggest grin on her face and was speechless — which doesn’t happen at all to my mother! 

It was lovely to see! 

I know my auntie and cousin got a huge thrill out of being able to surprise her too.   My mum just kept saying to me, how could you keep that from me?  How did you do it?  To which, I confessed that I had just avoided her.

I headed home about midnight but I heard my mum and auntie were up til 5 in the morning catching up and drinking tea.  Life is good!  It’s been a bit of a rough year with my granny passing away, so I just know it’s going to be a great and joyful visit.

Wordless Wednesday

So, no pics of hunky firemen, but here is the promised pic of the charred remains of my neighbor’s back yard.  You can see from the grass how dry it is here in Florida.  Well, except for the theme parks — they manage to maintain gorgeous lush landscape all year round!

The one where she does a blogaversary giveaway . . . it’s a sticky post so scroll down — there’s more!

It’s been two years since I started blogging.  Two amazing years, I might add! 

It was the spring of 2007 and I was a mum for the 3rd time with nothing but time on  my hands . . . ha!   No, seriously for me blogging was a creative outlet — a way to escape . . . hence the title of my blog.   It was a way to while away the hours of endless nursing that a new baby brings . . . I mean, there’s only so much television  one can watch. 

I have made some wonderful bloggy friends . . . one day I hope to meet all five  of you.

So in honor of my blogaversary, I am doing a giveaway bundle!  Yeah! 

• The first is an adorable yellow plush bunny from the makers of miYim.  Called My Natural, it is a 100% Non-Toxic, environmentally-friendly plush toy collection soon to be sold exclusively in where else, but my favourite store Target! 

• My copy of the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding.
• A $15 gift card to Target.

So, what do you have to do to enter?  Just sent me some comment love!  Yep, that’s it!   Just leave me a congratulatory comment or perhaps an inspirational one on this post.   

I’ll be picking the prize via the random generator thingymabob on March 1st, so  get your comment in before midnight on February 28th to enter.

Good luck!