Motto

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts"

Washington Irving

Thanks for being there Mum. I love you x

Boy/Girl ratio issues at holiday club

I left a rather grumpy looking Junior at rhythmic gymnastics with 20 sweet little girls in pigtails and pink pumps. I tried to reassure him that boys love gymnastics too and that his Great Grandad Quested could walk down the stone steps at Portobello Beach on his hands. He gave me a disgruntled glare as I left the hall.

When I picked him up an hour later he was acting all cool as the girls fought over who was going to be his partner on the way out.

"Goodbye!" they giggled sweetly as he shrugged nonchalantly and swaggered towards the car.

Who said it wasn't fun being the only boy?... : )

It's only week 2 of the summer holidays...

..and I'm feeling the strain already.
Sensing that I was feeling a little bit stressed Junior put his hand on my shoulder and said "I know what you need Mummy"
A bit of support? To win the Postcode Lottery? A nice cup of tea? A handsome prince?
"A nice face massage" smiled Junior with a sympathetic rub of my shoulder.
"I wish!" I scoffed, rolling my eyes to the ceiling.
"Come with me" winked Junior, leading me through to my bedroom clutching a bottle of Oil of Ulay (I know it's Olay now but I still call Starburst 'Opal Fruits' and Snickers 'Marathons')
I was feeling slightly anxious as Junior plumped up the pillow behind my head and squeezed a healthy sized blob of face cream into the palm of his hand.
"What are you doing?.." I asked suspiciously, trying to contain my OCD about anything spilling onto my bedclothes.
"Just shoosh, Mummy and close your eyes" replied Junior, gently pushing my head in the direction of the plump pillow.
I did as I was told and the next thing I knew I was drifting in and out of consciousness.
Turns out that Junior was taught how to give facial massages in Primary One. All the kids are shown how to do this to one another during what is called Golden Time. Apparantly it helps with relaxation, class bonding and learning what kind of touch is appropriate. Nice to know the taxpayers money isn't going to waste after all.
He did everything beautifully and with little butterfly touches. He even said all the right things like "Just feel yourself floating away" and "All your cares are disappearing"
It was an extraordinary experience and one that reminded me of all the times I gave Junior a massage with baby oil when he was a tiny baby. It used to calm him down before he went to bed and it was something we both enjoyed (although I had to be careful his greasy little body didn't shoot out of my hands like a bar of soap when I lifted him off the changing mat) He used to get what I call the 'thousand mile stare' as I rubbed the massage oil into the fleshy folds of his skin. It was the only time I remember him lying still for longer than 2 seconds.
So, I'm lying there getting my ear lobes rubbed simultaneoulsy (I know! It was fab) and Junior starts talking like Paul McKenna...
"Just feel your worries s-l-i-d-e down your face...down your chubby cheeks and over your big blubbery lips"
I felt a bubble of laughter rise up from my stomach. I tried to hold onto it but it shot up into my shoulders and they started to shake silently. This set Junior off into a fit of wild giggles. He lost all control of his bodily functions, snorting a rather large snotter onto my eyelid at the same time as letting off the loudest fart.
The spell was broken.