I'm glad the weekend is over

Seriously.

Not because I'm eager to get back to work (though I love my job etc etc...)- it's just been a really cruddy weekend.

First up was the disappointment of Albion being robbed of the FA final place.
This was swifly followed by a really miserable journey down the M11 to Gatwick. A 3 hour journey took 6 hours and we're non-the-wiser as to why. For some reason the traffic snarled up and it took an hour to crawl forward to the next junction, where we wanted to get off to go and get some food. However, everyone was being forced off here by the traffic cops.
Having stopped for some food we drove back to the M11 to find it was still closed, so we were diverted way out of our way for an hour to the next junction (with no chance for stopping because of the sheer volume of traffic being sent down these B-roads.) So, we now have 2 screaming kids in the car - joy. When we get back to the M11 the next $odding junction is blocked by a traffic cop even though we can see traffic on the M11 over his shoulder! So we (and several thousand over motorists) are diverted back into the countryside for another hour (by which point someone has a smelly nappy and is screaming like nobody's business) until we finally reach the M25. I've never been so pleased to reach the Orbital.
When we finally arrive at our hotel we find that there's no cot in our room, and when I complain I'm told that all the rooms are too small to have a bed, sofa bed (for Luke) and cot (for Ben). How naff is that?!!!
So, Ben slept with Mummy, and I had to sleep on the sofa bed with Luke. This was not a bed, it was a few planks of wood strapped loosely together with a thin piece of sponge on top. Even a couple of pints at London's extortionate prices couldn't send me to sleep.

In the morning I'm grumpy. The last thing I want to do is go and sit in church while someone old enough to be my Grandma's grandad preaches, before waking up my nephew, Callum, causing him to scream when bottled water is poured on his head! Sorry everyone,no offence intended - but I'm not religious, so I kinda opted out of this stuff!

Now I like snow, however, 4 inches of the stuff in the space of 2hours made for a pretty treacherous drive to the church (in deepest darkest knowhereland) while all I can think about is wanting to get home safely. So when the Missus decides we should go on to the reception afterwards I'm getting peed off again, and by this point have consigned this to being the worse weekend ever.

Anyway, to round things off we managed to escape after an hour at the reception and was still snowing heavily. By the time we got to Dartford the snow had cleared but we had another big delay trying to get in the Dartford tunnel. So, the journey back was about 4hours. And no snow at all at home!

With hotels, petrol, food, gifts etc, it was a pretty expensive 2 hours (i.e. the time spent in the same rooms as [but no interaction with] afore mentioned nephew.)

Travesty

I hate it when the better team lose.

It's even worse when the result was settled by substandard refereeing. At 50+ minutes Albion were totally and utterly dominating crooked Harry's Portsmouth when Milan Baros (a player who should have been sent off earlier for repeat offending) handled the ball in the box in the move that resulted in the only goal of the game.

Referee Mr Webb and his linemen are supposed to be refereeing at the Euro championships in a few months time but this incident will surely change EUFA's mind.

So, two Wembley fixtures in 11 months and two 1-0 losses despite being considerably superior to the opposition.

I'm gonna be peeed off all weekend.

Chuff Daddy

Yesterday Luke swam 4 lengths of the swimming pool (100metres) -okay no continuous but not bad for a 4 year old.

Apparently his tutor repeatedly threw a toy in front of him to encourage a straighter swim! AWE, HE'S MY PUPPY!

Also he raised a few quid for Macmillan's Nurses too, do that was nice.

As I type I have Ben asleep in my arm - Typing with one hand is a bitch and my arm (underneath Ben)is dead! Oh great - he's started snoring!

Flying Penguins

This video was aired on the BBC earlier this week....



Can you guess which day it was shown?!

Still alive!

Yeah, I'm still here! I've been a bit busy lately so websites, blogs, social networking etc have suffered big time, so I thought I'd better post a quick message to confirm my continued existence.

Woolite....it's a safetergent!

When I was getting dressed for work this morning I pulled out a blue t-shirt (Friday is dress down day -yay!) and as I went to put it on Luke pointed at it and said (ever so seriously) "Daddy, for all you dark clothes you need new Woolite to stop your clothes fading."



He's an advertiser's dream!!!!

If only TV could pass subliminal messages that improve kids behaviour!

This in NOT one of my kids....

...I found it on YouTube, and there's loads of great clips of kids absolutely laughing their socks off for no reason.

Boing Boing...Bagiies going to Wembley!

Yay! Mega-congrats to my Football team West Bromwich Albion for reaching the FA Cup Semi-Final for the first time since 1982 (and hopefully can go on to win it for the first time since 1968!)

A few days ago....

Ben seemed to be choking, or stuggling with something in throat.

Then we found out......as the sonic boom rushed outwards and I wasn deafened by the loudest baby burp I'd ever heard!

The poor little fella didn't know whether to laugh or cry; mainly because Daddy and Mummy were in hysterics.

After a second big burp he grinned. Several more aftershocks followed, not as loud, but still funny.

Cilit Bang!

The power of TV and the easily influenced nature of children.

Whilst driving in the car the other day Luke announced: "Cilit Bang. One bang and the dirt is gone!"

That's not the only TV advert he's quoted. Only afew weeks before he was humming a tune, and I thought to myself "wow, that's quite a nice tune he's made up." A few day later a TV advert came on which had a classical piece of music and Luke started humming the tune. Flippin' Nora, the little blighter had hummed the same tune a few days before and it was spot on!

Oddly enough I found this on YouTube which was quite amusing!

Disco dude!

I am absolutely pooped.

Watching Luke run around for 3 hours darting in and around all the other kids while they "dance" was really hard work. Okay, he kinda danced a bit. Well, when he saw older boys (probably 5 yr olds) trying to "breakdance" (for want of a better name) he copied them, and indeed made his own variation when he decided to do some push-ups too (his version of push-ups are missionary pelvic thrusts so.....ahem!)

Despite his high risk strategy (remember the running mentioned above) he escaped with half a dozen minor bumps, a cut lip and hopefully no loss of teeth. That last bit (the lip and the teeth) were actually caused when he wasn't moving. 3 girls were holding hands and spinning around when the back of a head smashed into Luke's face. My poor little tiger, not known for crying (except on purpose) turned to me with tears streaking down his face. Before that incident he was mega cautious about all the other "dancers" and didn't want to dance, but after some hugs he spotted one of his little mates and went nuts! Only stopping occasionally to rub his tired eyes...

Oh boy!

When putting Luke to bed tonight he came out with this gem.

"Daddy, dreams come from my poo poo. My poo poo gives me dreams."

So...

...apart from my post earlier today it's been a while since I last posted.

It's not that I haven't wanted to - unfortunately screaming babies, little boys and the day job have all combined to rob me of any free time that I might've had.

a little concerned

Ben has only put an ounce on in the last fortnight, so we need to monitor his weight over the next week.

Another year, another post!

Aaaah, my first post of 2008 - Exciting stuff!

Ben's got a spotty rash on his cheeks - just in time for his passport photos! We've got a couple of weeks before we need to send off for his passport so we're hoping they pass by then otherwise we'll have to put some makeup on him!!!

Okay, not a very exciting topic to start the year...resolution is to post better stuff!!!