R.I.P Rhino..

Sadly, after a short illness, our little fluffy friend has gone to Hamster Heaven....try telling that to a seven year old!!
My son was a little prepared as Rhino has been poorly for a week but today the vet put him to sleep...it turns out he had a tumour.
When I told LF that Rhino had died he stared at me, his little eyes filled with tears and we sat there together in silence. I asked him how he felt and he just said "I wish he didn't die"....
We had a chat and I think he is coping well...me on the other hand is an emotional wreck!!!! How can something so small have such a big impact??

Hopefully as the days pass LF's pain will lessen....the offer of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles DVD Box set is helping!!!!

We are off on our annual summer holiday soon....sun, sea, sand and sangria for me and sun, sea, sand and late nights for LF...Big D can choose his options!

When we return I think a trip to the pet shop will be high on our list of things to do...

PS If there is such thing as a Hamster Heaven I hope they know Rhino likes to sleep in his little blue box!

Sick Hamster...

and it's not a joke!

Little Rhino has quickly become part of the family. LF loves his daily play with the furry rodent and whilst I am yet to actually cuddle it I have to admit to being fond of it...or at least fond of the pleasure he gives my son.

However...two days ago we noticed that Rhino seemed out of sorts...he was making squeaky noises and grinding sounds....not a good sign according to the various websites I checked!!

We promptly made an appointment to take him to see the vet....At 5pm yesterday, with Big D in tow, we made the journey to the vet...LF was happy that his furry mate was in the car, I was petrified that we were about to hear bad news...I can honestly say I was "fearful" !!

By coincidence we met my friend V and her kids at the vet...they were collecting their bunny rabbit who had been castrated that morning!! What a strange bunch we were....3 laughing kids, 3 stressed out parents and 2 poorly pets..

The vet called our name and off we went to face the news...

Well....its good and bad,....Poor Rhino has an abscesse and has been given antibiotics. If these don't work by Wednesday the vet says Rhino may have to have the abscess lanced under anasethic...he hinted that hamsters don't generally respond well to this...I understood what he was saying...LF has no idea how this may all end up...

I guess I should prepare LF for the worse....but how do you tell a seven year old that his pet may not be around much longer..

Watch this space.................

End of Term....

My son finishes school for the Summer holidays next week. Joyful Joyful, Hallaluejah, 8 weeks of having my darling 7 year old following my every move and demanding every second of my time!! Yipppeee, I can hardly wait!! Crack open the Champagne....oh sorry, thats reserved for September!

I know it's wrong to imply that you don't like being with your kids and to be honest that is not what I am saying...I just feel that as a Mummy it's important to have "Mummy Time" ! However, I love having a lie-in and no school run to do, I love when the sun is out and we meet friends in the park...I love watching my son climb trees and exploring....however, I also love my time to stop and smell the roses...On that note I think I shall take LF to Kew Gardens!

My son's school report was sent home last week and it was actually better than I had expected. However.....I think nowadays teachers are very generic with the reports and I fear that there is some "cut, copy & paste" going on. To be fair it must be a daunting task to sit and write about 20 children and how they have performed at school. I always like to read the report once quickly and then tounge-in-cheek. This way I truly understand what is being said..

For example...."LF has produced some good work".....but not a lot is what they really mean!!!!

"LF is capable of producing very good work"....I just wish he would is what she means!!

" LF should aim to listen more"...in otherwords LF should shut-up more!!

My favourite part of the School Report is the Teacher's Comment....I my-self never excelled at school and the words "could do better" were often mentioned. My son's report says" he shows considerable potential".....I think that means he "could do better" !!

Should I laugh or cry???

I haven't blogged for a while as my new lodgers have been around a lot....sorry, I meant painters and decoratoors...they seem to have moved in!! The job which was supposed to take 3 weeks has somehow stumbled into week 6!! Getting hooked up to my computer has been difficult as the dust and paint is all around..

Today they assure me is their last day....I shall be celebrating and enjoying my home hopefully by this evening!! Watch this space...

Now for my blog!!

I like to consider myself a fairly low maintainance kind of girl....I like to look and feel good but always aim to do so within my budget...I have not, like the majority of my 40+ friends, had the wonderful french Botox man near my face....I would love to try it but have a needle phobia and although its only a little prick or two I just can't face it....No comments please!! My friends are all delighted with their faces and I have to admit they look good too. One friend went to see the French Botox Man as at 48 years old she felt it was time to face the needle and dance! He promptly told her at the cosultation that she didn't need botox. Her happiness and joy were short lived when he announced that Collagen Fillers were required, Botox would do little for her!!!

I like to buy expensive face creams and am a sucker for a serum or two. I love having a manicure and as a treat I enjoy a facial....I am not a natural blonde but at least my hair is all mine, my teeth are all mine, my face is mine and with all this lovely sunshine the tan is real too!

Anyway...this morning I was up early and so decided to use my new hair moisturising mask. Bought the other day at great expense I was looking forward to having that"just walked out of a Salon" feeling! Shock horror...the tube was empty...aaaaggghhhhhh!!! LF then appeared and it seems he used it in his bath last night!! It seems that if you mix shaving foam and Kerastase Hair Masque you get a really frothy bath.....

That's it...from now on all my beauty products are being kept out of the reach of 7 year old boys!!

Sometimes as I lie in the bath surrounded by various plastic ships and toys and mouldy submarines I remember my bathroom pre-children. A scented candle or two, a bottle of Jo Malone Bath Oil and a fluffy white towel...all mine. Now I am lucky to find a clean towel, my Radox is under a pile of soggy flannels and the scented candle has long gone...But you know what...I wouldn't have it any other way

xx

Allo, Allo !!!

Today I had an appointment at our local hospital to follow up a scan I had a while back on my sinuses...I have been suffering from a stuffy nose for a while and today I went to get my results.
The appointment was with Mr Patel at 2pm....
At 2pm my name was called...
The Dr introduced himself as Monsieur Nicolas...oh la la..Bonjour!! 6 feet tall, blue eyes, slender and looking like a french Jude Law...I was certain this was not Mr Patel! He asked me how I was and then logged on to get my scan results. I sat there horrified as he showed me my scan images and pointed out the areas with mucus...yuk!!. He then said "follow me please"..He drew back the curtain and there was a reclining chair...a scantily clad fit man handed me a large glass of cool white wine...oops, sorry that was me fantasising..A stern looking nurse gave me a bib and told me to stick my chin out, then Dr Law asked me to relax....If anyone ever says relax I seem to do the opposite and rigor mortis sets in! He then produced what looked like 10 inches of rigid wire...STOP IT...Yes...it was a microscope for looking at the nasal passages...As he inserted it I confess I shouted "Ah Ah Stop...please!"..He then said "I think she needs anasethic!!"...how true!!
It was an eventful hospital appointment which ended with Dr Law prescribing a nasal sparay and follow-up appointment in 12 weeks...Let's hope Dr Patel is still away!!

Tonight has been equally eventful..Rhino has been allowed to leave the confines of LF's room and ventured to our bedroom..He played happily on the bed with Lf as I ran the bath ...Suddenly I heard the words..." Mummy...Is it OK that Rhino has pooed on your bed?"

Now I am going to change the sheets and blow my nose...it's been a long day...
x

I have converted...finally!!

Well, having lived the past 15 years with a brick in my back pocket I am now the proud owner of a sleek and shiny iphone!

When Apple introduced this amazing life-changing do-it-all singing dancing version of a mobile phone people queued to get their geeky little hands on them...now it seems everyone has one and I have must confess it is rather clever.

Standing in John Lewis yesterday afternoon I received an e-mail from my sister who lives in New York. Ping! I replied and sent her a photo of LF too...all whilst buying door knobs!!
Ping! A friend texted to say lets have coffee next week...Ping...reply sent. Taking my son to a birthday party I used the Map function..Ping! My iphone got me there!! " Look Mummy balloons on the door"...Ping!
The phone is, according to Big D, not just a phone and needs synching??? Sorry, you lost me there!! However I am sure there is a function on the damn thing to find me again...
The Apple Store holds tutorials to show you how to fully use the phones etc and if you need extra help I think you can book a special appointment with a Genius. Wow, my old Nokia just came with an information booklet and off you went!
Suppose I got to move with the times....

PS If you don't hear from me for a while it is either that I am synching or sinking!!

Sports Day

Today was my son's Annual School Sport's Day....He is not a very sporty kid and this morning told me he was worried. I asked him what he was worried about and he replied "the sack". My mind raced forward 20 years and I imagined my little boy all grown up and worrying about getting the sack from a job he loved. However, reality and back to the present day...it was the dreaded sack race that was the problem! I did my best to tell him that it wasn't the winning that mattered but the taking part etc etc and that he was just meant to have fun...how wrong was I??

Some parents, like me, were happy to hang around chatting and quietly confessing that the actual day was rather boring and slightly tedious...sshhhh, don't tell my son!! Other mums were over bearing, over zealous and determined that their child would win first place. Equipped with camcorders, camera's with telescopic zoom lenses and words of encouragement they cheered their kids to victory. How I laughed when Over Zealous Mum's little darling crossed the finish line and came fourth, the look on that mum's face was sheer disappointment...she, like her daughter, had not been prepared to lose...unlike my lovely boy who had no dreams of winning...he just wanted to remain upright in his sack which I can proudly say he did!!

Sometimes we must remember that our kids are learning lessons in life every day...we are not all winners and sometimes we lose...however, to lose with a smile and congratulate those that win can actually, in my book of life, make you a winner too!!

Oh...in case you wanted to know, Rhino, our hamster, is doing very well and hasn't bitten anyone for quite a while...LF adores him and I am thrilled that such a little thing brings him so much joy..