spooky goings on!!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

On the few days leading up this spooky day we at the and1moremeansfour household have been making fun decorations and other crafty things to celebrate.

Ghost and monster skittles



The back of our spooky house


Here is the front, it is made from an old cereal box, there is even a ghost in the attic wooooooo!

And of course our fireplace, with Jack our pumpkin and some pumpkin faces dangling around.

So there you go! All made by me and my girls, we had so much fun and I'm sure we'll have even more fun today. Hope everyone sleeps well tonight MWA HA HA HA HA!!! xxx

Wordless Wednesday

Say hello to my new baby!!!! Small bump was very active on the scan waving hands and stretching legs, it was so lovely to see and I'm so glad that everything is ok. I also had a lovely long chat with the head midwife and my home birth is all set to go ahead :) I'm so excited xx

5 reasons why:

I can never finish a cup of tea

1. I forget about it and it goes cold
2. I am too busy with nappies, feeding and watering children
3. It gets knocked over
4. I never actually end up finishing to make it, so it turns to a luminous orange colour
5. I dunk my biscuits in it, I get distracted and the whole biscuit falls in yuck

I can't sit still after a meal

1. I have endless child tasks to do
2. The remains of the children's lunch is on the kitchen floor
3. As soon as i put my knife and fork down it's, can i have pudding/drink/book/dress etc
4. I have to get hubby something
5. I've left the oven on AGAIN

My house is never perfectly tidy

1. A ratio of 4:1 when it comes to tidying is not a good statistic
2. When i have cleaned and tidied said area all children move in and undo everything I've done
3. Everything already has a place....the floor
4. I have a mount Everest size pile of washing
5. I have 4children (it's my excuse and i will stick to it)

I should never leave my handbag in reach of 2year old

1. My mascara ends up being used all over the house, even on the pudding!!
2. I go to buy something and my cards are missing
3. My drivers license is in the drier
4. My diary is full of squiggles (over things i need to do)
5. I end up with toys, crayons, paper and wipes in there and i always fail to notice

I should never relax when the children are quiet

1. There will be something in the toilet
2. My make up will be raided and smeared on the carpet
3. My wardrobe will have been scavenged
4. My ipod will be in a half full glass of water
5. 2year old would have eaten the toothpaste and hidden all the toothbrushes AGAIN xx

Half term is here eeeek!

Another school term has flown by, honestly sometimes I feel like they have just started and it's all finished again. And why does half term week seem to last as long as a whole school term? I don't know, but I am determined to be organised and plan something to do every day. A bold idea I know, but I always feel a pang of guilt when it comes to Monday and 4year old asks what we're doing and I reply with 'erm......' So here are some of my ideas (which are purse friendly):

• Of course it is Halloween so there will be pumpkin carving and dressing up to be done. Maybe some apple bobbing and some spooky crafts also coming their way.

• I am planning a trip to a local playground and park to collect some leaves and other nature goodies to make some sort of decorative display.

• Baking of course, we all love cakes and biscuits yum!

• swimming with 3 and 4year old

• Visit to Nanna's house

• Hopefully going to see The wife of bold again yay!

• Visit to another park that has a community farm, playground and picnic area.

• Some other craft ideas that haven't come to me yet.

Obviously it will be weather permitting and if it rains all week I will not be very happy but we are in Britain and bad weather is a bit of a given lol!

Anyhoo, what have you got planned for half term? Action packed activities or quiet days in? Or do you have lovely grandparents that will do a bit of entertaining for you?

Whatever you have planned I hope it goes well for you all and have a lovely weekend (and week) xxxx

Wordless Wedenesday

Forget a birthday cake. This is what my lovely hubby got me for my birthday treat. It is a giant cookie in the shape of a heart decorated by icing!!!!! OMG it is (was) cookie heaven!! Thank you hubby and thank you Millie's cookies for making it :) xxx

x

Birthday day off!!

Today it is my 24th birthday!!!!!! yay!!!! So as I am a contributor to Josie's writing workshop I chose the prompt 'you get a day off' to inspire writing this poem. I thought it fitted in well because it is my birthday and I will be getting a day off :)

A Day Off

All i need is an empty room

for a bit of peace and quiet

No hungry mouths to be fed

or rumbling toddler riot

No running round to clean up mess

that gathers on its own

No washing done, no dinner made

i've unplugged my every phone

I'll fill my day with little things

that i always did a lot

but nowadays with mummy ways

can easily be forgot

i love my life don't get me wrong

i wouldn't change it for a thing

the highs, the lows, the funny times

everything that life can bring

but this is my day

my one day off, it really is the best

a lovely book, a tasty treat

or just a time to rest

I won't count the hours that i've got left

I'll just enjoy the time

that makes me feel just like myself

something that is mine

my one day off my time of peace

a breath of cool fresh air

i let it fill me up

and float out with no care.

Lazy Hazy Sunday

It's been another busy weekend with poor 4year old being admitted to the children's ward again because of this nasty cough virus thing that will not leave her alone. She ended up wheezing terribly so i took her to A&E, they gave her 2 nebulizers and some steroids to help her breathe. The mere mention of steroids and i went pale! but she wasn't maintaining an acceptable level of oxygen in her body. We arrived at 3am and were discharged by 10:30am with more steroids for three days and a blue inhaler to taken every 4hours. She is much better today (thank god) and I hope that is just a one off with her chest being so bad. I was asthmatic as a youngster and so was hubby so it is a worry that she maybe too.

Luckily my other 3 girls were at their grandmas as me and hubby were planning to have the weekend to ourselves (hmmmm) so it was just me and 4year old today so we sat back, relaxed and spent the entire morning drawing. Here are her works of art:

Butterflies in a meadow:

Sunflower:

Birthday card for me (awwww) it even says 'mummy love jessica' she's so clever!!

Of course I had to join in so here are my drawings

Fingers crossed she will get over this for good and I will get rid of this cough that I've had for a week. Please send some good heath vibes our way! xxxx

wordless wednesday

It is 23month old's birthday on friday, she is the grand old age of 2!! Here she is only seconds old, how fast she has grown and what a gorgeous little girl she has grown into.

Happy birthday for friday sweetheart :) xxxxxx

Bump Watch

I've not really blogged about being pregnant so i thought i would do a frequent update of little bump :) I am bubbling with excitement about this baby and with the baby boom going on online at the mo (congrats omgpregnant) it has made me even more excited about my baby coming next year.

I had my first midwife appointment and my lovely midwife is Fiona. She is one of the community midwives and I've known her for 4years. She helped me look after 4year old when she was a tiny newborn and has come to visit me with every baby. She has always fitted me in even when she has a full list of calls to do and makes sure I get to see her when she says. I have had my other babies in stepping hill hospital but this time i have gone with tameside where Fiona is based.

Seeing her again for my appointment was great, I filled her in about my last birth and I told her I would love a more relaxed and enjoyable birth experience with little bump. I came home and told hubby about the appointment and we got talking about a home birth. I haven't considered having one before but hubby was talking about a birthing pool, candles and lavender (i am totally addicted to the smell at the mo) and I was won over. My mind started wandering and i thought how lovely it would be to do something different this time, I got really excited and Fiona is always asking me about a home birth so I think I will take up her offer this time! Anyone who has had a home birth or has any info about it feel free to leave a comment or send me an email :) amyp(_)star(at)hotmail(dot)com

In other news my scan is booked for the 23rd October!! eeeeeeeek! I can't wait! and little bump is starting to show, I think the parents in the playground ( a whole other post that I'm dying to write!) at school just think I'm putting on weight around my tummy lol! Morning sickness is ok I've been sick a few times but all in all a lot better than with all the other girls.

Next bump watch will be after my scan so stay posted :) xxxx

book meme

So I got this little meme from these wonderful bloggers, Lorraine at ramblings of a mum on the run and kelly at a place of my own. A nice little quirky one it is!



So here are the rules…


1. Collect the book that you have most handy.
2. Turn to page 161.
3. Find the 5Th complete sentence.
4. Site the sentence on your blog.
5. Pass it on to 5 other bloggers.



1. My book is How Not to Shop by Carmen Reid - I loooove her books so much

2 and 3. done

4. 'oh , don't worry, I'm not sure I'll ever be allowed on the camera again.'

Lol thats is a good random sentence and one that could easily pass for something that i would say! I will now pass it on to 5 lovely bloggers:

Wife of bold
All grown up still feeling like a kid
Sleep is for the weak
Rebel mother
A modern mother

sorry if you all have already, i just love you guys that much to give you again :) xxx

Illness update

4year old:

rash- gone
cold -going
sore throat- gone
general well being- she is back to giving me cheek so she's much better

3year old:

cold- just arrived
cough - a little one
general well being - a bit under the weather but sustainable with calpol

23month old

right eye infection - just slightly pink now and no puss
left eye infection - completely clear
general well being - as cute as ever

pudding

cough - a small one, but due to snotty nose not chest
general well being - moving around the house by rolling, spinning etc so is ok

hubby

swine flu - going but he's still ill and now he is very wheezy and chesty (phoned out of hours doc tonight to try and get him some relief)

me

swine flu -
oh yes i have now got it, I have been feeling rough all day and after arguing with my boss about arranging childcare for the girls (because hubby is still too ill to look after them) i go for my pre work nap, wake up and i am all achy from the top of my head to the base of my back.

I've got a temperature and had to phone in work and I look like the biggest sicky thrower EVER! Despite pleading my innocence i think when i come back i will be facing a big fat telling off and probably some sort of investigation :( (also I've checked you can get swine flu twice click here for nice info)

My dad is off to pick my anti viral's up and I will be here feeling very sorry for myself and my lovely family who will be eating baked beans out of a can next month due to me and hubby been off work so much without pay.

Normal happy blogging will resume soon I promise and thanks for everyones support through this horrible time we've been having xxxx

A hospital stay, a double eye infection and the swine flu

can your hear that? listen hard I'm sure can hear it....that is the sound of me screaming into a pillow.

It has been a crazy few days with 4year old being very ill. She has had cold like symptoms for a few days but then came a cough and a nasty sore throat. I was going to keep her off school but she pleaded with me and I gave in and let her go. She was running around the playground playing with all her friends and I went home not worried about her at all.

Then came THE PHONE CALL, you know the one from school telling you that your child is ill. I packed up all the kids and walked to school to go get her, i was greeted by the pompous teacher saying how ill she was (which i don't doubt she was) giving me that look of 'how could you let your child come to school when she's this ill' I insisted she was fine this morning whilst she gave me some sort of pitiful bad parent stare. I gathered them all up and went home with my tail between my legs. 4year old looked rough but she was still her jolly self so we made it through the rest of the day and she went to bed.

About an hour after she went to bed i heard her coughing so i ran upstairs and placed her next to the loo in one swift movement and held her hair as the poor thing was sick. I took her downstairs and phoned the out of hours doctors. 45mins later i was sat in the waiting room and i saw that her face had become covered by this horrible red pin prick rash spreading from under her eyes all the way down to under her jaw line. Obviously i panicked but fortunately she was called through by the doctor. After 3 doctors had come to see her we were ordered to the children's ward at Tameside hospital to check that this virus wasn't anything sinister, apparently there is a virus that presents the same symptoms that can affect the kidneys. Well after hearing this gem of information my knees were shaking and off we went to hospital.

After an overnight stay, a blood test, many wee tests and general observations she was given the all clear and it was just a nasty virus that should pass. I breathed the biggest sigh of relief. The nurses were fab on the ward, I had a nice comfy bed to sleep in and an endless supply of tea so that made our stay more pleasant, 4year old's room had plenty of toys in it too so she was nicely distracted, but I am so glad we are all home.

But because my life is never simple, this morning I noticed 23month old's left eye was very bloodshot and had a bit of puss in it. yuck. so back on the phone I went to get a doctors appointment for her at 2pm. Between this time (10am) hubby had started coming down with a cold, sneezing and all that. I wasn't too worried until he said he felt achy. Alarm bells went off in my brain because that is exactly how I started when I had the oink. I kept an eye on him and took his temperature, he seemed to be getting hotter and more ill by the hour. By 1pm he looked grey and was really lethargic, I told him to ring the flu hotline and low and behold it is swine flu. Great.

So we got his voucher number and off I walked to take 23month old to her appointment and walk the length of Ashton to the primary care trust building to pick up his tamiflu. Turns out she has got a double eye infection (poor thing) so she has to have drops twice a day, he has to have tamiflu twice a day and I'm on a course of chocolate taken when needed.

Now if you excuse me i'm off to find my pillow xxx

notes to myself

• If 4year old shows even the slightest bit of a snuffle or cough do not send her into school, you will always end up with a phone call to take her home in the middle of your lunch.

• Always check that you have washed all the school uniform BEFORE Monday morning or 3year old will be going to school in a pink shirt for the third time this term.

• Next time you decide to pump up the double buggy tires, DO IT, don't put it off or you will be stuck at a curb in the middle of the road not being able to move AGAIN.

• Please try not to cry like a little girl when you are trying to get a point across to your managers, you're 23 for gods sake not 12.

• Stop leaving baby milk bottles around the house, 23month old will drink them, so when you come to need them they are empty and the pudding is screaming the house down.

• Never ever run out of frozen chips, hubby is acting like I've crashed the car

• Ditto on cooked meats for his sandwiches

• Always make every child a drink before even contemplating sitting down, otherwise don't bother

• Try to check that the item of clothing you are wearing is free from baby sick, food, dirt etc otherwise it will get pointed out by someone, namely my mother

• Congratulations on getting your refund of in credit gas payments, i knew we had it in us!

• And finally, you really know when you've had too many babies when the midwife team have you on a first name basis and do your book in appointment over the phone!!!!! xxx