Phase 2 of our family PINNEDBack in the summer we were contacted by our daughter's former care home to ask if we would consider fostering/adopting another child. This came about from a casual remark I had made about the office/study that I created for me and my daughter, that... See More »
My teenager is muttering darkly to herself in the Time Out cornerShe has declared herself to be "very disappointed" that I won't unilaterally lift the grounding imposed on her by my wife yesterday. Not half as "disappointed" as I am to be stuck indoors with a grumpy teenager 😅 Back to school on Monday 😌
SW is currently showing me ads for gold bullion investment and dementia testsI wonder what in my recent activity may have triggered that 🤔 (+1)
Should auld acquaintance be forgotLast month Reform UK leader and rarely seen MP for Clacton Nigel Farage travelled to Florida hoping to meet Donald Trump. Although he was denied an audience with the president he did at least manage to cover his expenses with a £27,800 fee for... See More » (+4)
Old man shouts at cloudsReform UK leader and part time MP for Clacton on Sea, Nigel Farage, has labelled Greater Manchester Police's decision to close an investigation into allegations of voter coercion at February's Gorton and Denton by-election as "an establishment... See More »
Times are getting hard . . .A Guardian investigation into thousands of Cameo messages recorded by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, has resulted in the self-styled patriot withdrawing his services (£106 a message) over "security concerns". Among the more controversial messages:... See More »
Operation Deep Breath and Calm Down - a parent's perspectiveFollowing a slightly surreal discussion of the current global crisis with my 15 yo, I thought I would offer a mum's eye view of the current war that was begun by a man who may well have benefited from some stronger parenting 🤨 (1) Sticks and stones... See More »
Mothering SundayWe started the day with the girls bringing us breakfast in bed. Always a slightly tense affair until the tea is safely poured. The 9 yo proudly presented us with a card she had made at school. Her elder sister provided a helpful artistic... See More »
Rebels without a causeOur home became suspiciously quiet this afternoon. I found both girls busily at work with card, paper, and paints. The 9 yo was mercifully well wrapped up in her artist's smock 👍 "What are you up to?" I innocently enquired. "We're having a... See More »
Does anyone else use ChatGPT to help with their children's bedtime stories?Our 9 yo has a long bedtime routine and I seem to have made a rod for my own back by leading her to expect: (1) A chapter from the book she is reading by herself (2) A freestyle story from my own imagination (3) A "thought" story - ie. an... See More »
Onwards and upwardsOur 15 year old had some fantastic news this week. She has been offered a place on the very competitive hospitality apprenticeship she applied for. So from September she will be working three days a week in the kitchens of a large hotel, and... See More »
Romance is still alive!My teenager's Friend-Who-Is-A-Boy-But-Not-My-Boyfriend came to our home yesterday bearing Valentine gifts . . a small bunch of daffodils and a 1kg bag of marshmallows. Daughter looks appalled as she assumed he would be at his rugby club all day and... See More »
My teenager dumped a very muddy PE kit in the laundry basketLaunched into a long and discursive narrative about a fire alarm that went off during the lesson. OK, I understand that you were standing outside for 5 minutes, still not sure why you had to roll around on the grass 🤷♀ Still, she's now updated... See More »
Our girls are back from schoolShoes and coats lie strewn where they were thrown in the hallway . . School uniforms are (more or less) in the laundry basket . . Rhythmical thumping to strains of Taylor Swift can be heard wafting from the teenager's bedroom . . And so our... See More »
The new generation prepares to take overI couldn't face another whole weekend confined indoors with two stir crazy girls. So we ignored the wind and the rain, stuffed the car with old clothes and towels, and headed for the coast. As we approached the sand we saw a fantastic full rainbow.... See More »
Daughter's school concertJust come back from my daughter's concert. There was some very lusty and wholehearted singing 🙂 Has anyone else noticed that 7 to 9 year olds singing is not so far removed from shouting at the audience? 😅 No matter, my daughter loves to sing. She's... See More »
Scotland picks Afghan refugee in Cricket World Cup squad(Quote) https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/articles/crle166zy94o (+1)
Jigsaw puzzlesMy mother bought us all jigsaw puzzles for Christmas. I was sceptical that my teenager would have the patience to sit down for more than 10 minutes, but she's turned it into a competition with her cousin. They each have a fiendishly difficult puzzle... See More »
Back to school tomorrowOur 9 year old is bathed and in her pyjamas, and quietly reading stories to her soft toys 😌 Our 15 year old came back from her cousin's highly strung and picked a non-existent argument with my wife over homework that she had already completed at... See More »
Our daughters decided to sleep in the same room on Christmas EveWhich created a small logisitical challenge for Father Christmas 🎅 The man of the moment was stumbling around in the dark trying to find somewhere safe to leave the girls' stockings. The 15 year old woke, whispered "is that a cat?", and shone a... See More »
Our 15 year old returned home from a two night sleepoverShe kept the 9 year old spellbound with tales of exotic tales of adventure and fun that are just beyond her little sister's reach 😊 Later, after 15 yo had had a minor meltdown (mainly because she had hardly slept in 48 hours or eaten anything but ca... See More »
End of year accountingWe emptied out the family swear box (£1 per profanity) and counted £82.50p. This equates to 1.52 effs and blinds per week, a 0.14 point improvement on last year 👍 Although no one is pointing fingers, early indications show that roughly 96% of... See More »