The Weekend and More

The Roller Disco

http://www.rollerdisco.info/vauxhall/
Was fab! I couldn't recommend it enough. We did the usual me being too late to leave on time thing (It's bloody hard managing children and getting ready on very limited time!), Liam getting pissed off and me trying not to cry thing. And we both once more swore not to go out with each other again but to only stick to going out with our other friends.
We got to the pub shortly before they left for the pub and I was *hugely* relieved to see that everyone was fully dressed up - no half measures! H welcomed me with (literally) open arms and her friends are all really nice too. Liam knew quite a few of the group through kung fu, but I'd say that I could still only name about 3 of them.
I didn't fall over once, and though I do say so myself, I think I looked great! 80's get up is not sexy, but certainly fun. Liam looked like he had the longest legs ever with his tucked in T-shirt (retro!) and skates, he did look lovely.
The club isn't the most social of places, well not for me anyway as I was too busy skating, and once on the skate/dance floor you can't get close shout loud enough to be heard by friends. The stewards were fab though, peeping their whistles and forming a human barrier when ever someone fell over, grabbing any bits they saw on the floor, moving people along if they stopped in the way to chat and even teaching people if they asked. There was no trouble at all there until the end of the night when a few girls tried to fight, but that quickly got put out - the only worry I had was the heavy skates in hands!
There was a man there in a full Bananaman costume! I don't think he got beaten on the 100% effort stakes but he must have been roasting! Lots of girls were dressed similarly to me, but I think mine was best TBH - and it's not often I'll say things like that! There were many men dressed in a 70's shirt with a huge afro and those dodgy stick on moustaches with big sunglasses - very fun for the blokes to get in on the dress up action for a change.
There were a couple of true pros, who were hypnotizing to watch, they looked as thought hey had been skating all their lives! But there were a few that were great on skates, but just not careful with it like the true pros - they were bit too cocky and so didn't care if they knocked someone else over. I was pleased that most of the people there were as wobbly on wheels as I had expected to be, and quite a few were much worse! Although I've never been able to move at all when on roller skates, I didn't fall over once, and by the end of the night I was really enjoying myself and feeling like I could really do this. I even had people asking if I had done it much before because I had such a good sense of balance.
It took a while to find my rhythm, because I am so used to roller blades, which are more different than I thought from regular skates! As i said, not one fall, although I'm sure people had it in for me, shooting out in front, clipping my wheels and crashing around me, grabbing my arms as they went!
We stopped a few times to chat with the others. H had a booth because it was her birthday (she also had flashing skate wheels!) and it was a good place to meet up for a drink and be a bit more sociable. They were really nice chatty people and H was so pleased that 'so many nice people had come.'


The Mafia Meetup

Me and Liam got home really late from the roller disco - I think we were in bed at 3am. We felt immensely guilty as we had left Ashleigh and her friend with no blankets!
The kids were complete loons of course; they always are when people are over, but they were especially excited because today was the day of the meetup in Horsham. We managed to miss our direct train, but changed at Gatwick and it worked out ok - by far better than bussing it to Victoria.
It was SO lovely to meet with Marilyn especially, as we have been chatting more and more via msn and so it was not uncomfortable at all. There were loads of lovely people there, I'm not going to name all their names in case they would rather I didn't, but I did have a lovely time, and quite a laugh too at times! There was a rather obvious divide in the room which was a shame, but partly expected, and it didn't spoil the fun at all. I would really like to meet up with Marilyn again, but with her living so far away, it's unlikely to happen often. It's so nice to meet someone that you instantly get on with, so that there are no awkward moments, but you just chat away like you've always known each other. Speaking of such things - I really really wish Sally could have been there, I'm missing her at the moment as she's barely online because of her broken computer.
Someone else I'm really missing is Sarah and her lovely daughters. I haven't seen her since Christmas and at times I really miss having her around to see more often. We used to meet a few times a week and it's only now I realise how luck I was to have that kind of friendship.

I've been told that the next meetup is to be at my house - I look forward to that! I don't know how soon to make it though, and hopefully doggie arrangements can be made, or that people just don't mind there being a woofer around.


Sunday - Kung Fu Day and Snow Day

Well Sunday was fun.
No - I mean it!
We woke up on Sunday with Liam groaning - we could hear the tell tale pitter patter of rain on our window ledge, but when we got up the world was WHITE! It must have been melting snow by our window.
We trouped off to kung fu as normal, and I must say, I am so glad I went with Liam to the disco - the people that had been there all took the time to say hello to me, ask if I had any bruises etc ask how I was and say how they enjoyed themselves. For the first time at kung fu I felt really welcome and I really appreciated that. It may have been this, or it may have been Liam who seemed less tetchy than usual, or maybe that Rowan did a bit more work in the class, but I had the most enjoyable time so far there. I wont say it was a wonderfully enjoyable experience, but it was not unpleasant and I even smiled through most of it.
Master Ang was there for most of the class. He was watching to see how Liam manges the children's group while the other belts trained elsewhere for their gradings. All the children got a certificate at the end of the class and I was *so* relieved when Rowan spoke to Master Ang without telling him to go away, because he gave Rowan a hug and spoke to him, normally that's MORE than enough to make him freak out.
We hung around after to see the first grading. Frazer will have to go in to the proper class when he turns 7, and it's really about time he started thinking about going for his first belt. I wanted him to see what happens at a grading, how easy it is when you know the stuff and how he could achieve it with little work, as he already knows most of it. Most importantly I wanted him to see that everyone gets it wrong, but that no one gets told off and they all still passed.

I was lovely on the way home - random snowball fights were breaking out everywhere and I kept taking pictures because the world looks so pretty when it's snowy. People were going in to Greenwich park with toboggans and I couldn't help but think how great that must be, on the steep hills in there. On our way to kung fu, as the bus topped the hill leading to Blackheath, we were shocked to see a world of white - almost as far as we could see! on our way home we got to enjoy some of the untouched snow. Frazer and Scarlett made snow angels (I hesitated with Frazer as he had lost his wellies, but gave in as there's so little opportunity normally), we threw snowballs at each other and squeak-crunched through the snow making tracks. We even had time to make a snowman before ht bus got there! I'm so pleased, because I remember how much joy that brought to me as a child, as it so rarely snows enough.
I wish we could have done more, but I was so tired - the (long) weekend was catching up on me. It was too cold anyway and we were all desperate to get in and have hot chocolate with biscuits in front of a good film.


More

Monday and School holidays now, thank goodness! I am so not one of these mums that freaks out at the thought of time with her children - I always look forward to it. Of course Monday was the day to drive mum mad, but this is mainly my own doing. On Sunday night the children were real rotters, so I had told them that if they continued, we would be doing nothing interesting or fun together the next day. And so they continued. Unfortunately the punishment is as much mine as theirs!
So we didn't get much done on Monday, and they did a lot of screaming at each other, and I shouted at them when they would not tidy up. I put the film Ratatouille on for them which gave us all some quiet time to wind down with before Liam got home.

Tuesday was a better day. I got FLYing (http://www.flylady.net/) and the children helped. They kept their room clear and dried the floor after I mopped. I cleaned all over the place and did the '1 hour home blessing' and scrubbed finger marks off doorways where I didn't know there were finger marks!
Last night (still Tues) I finally watched one of my downloads - 'Dawn Goes Lesbian'. It's really good, not high on the documentary stakes, but fun to watch, and horny as hell in places! I still have the Friday Night Project (guest star David Tennant) and the last Torchwood to watch, I hope they are still available - I have downloaded them but I think they can still run out.

Last night the worst night with lack of sleep that I've had in ages. I don't know why but I was tossing and turning a lot - and with Rowan first crying for me to put his blanket back on, and then coming in bed with us (more unusual nowadays) and hogging all the space, well it just wasn't good. It got worse when Liam started taking up too much room and I rolled over - then Rowan fell right out of bed with a bump! Poor thing, he said he hit his head on the way down too. After that he slept at the foot of the bed as he always used to do. Didn't take up too much room but I just could NOT sleep right after that.
So after a night full of disruptions, ill rest and weird dreams, my phone starts ringing at about 5:30. I'm amazed that I actually looked at it, and didn't assume it was a phone alarm that I always turn right off! It was my mum, so I instantly worried. Her mum (who has cancer) had been taken in to hospital and she needed to get there, so could I have the boys? I said yes, of course(!) and they got here before 6am.
I don't mind having Isaac and Cameron, but it puts me on edge. I feel constantly on edge when they are there actually. Isaac - if i haven't mentioned - has Bi Polar. For years now he has been able to turn psychopathic for the slightest reason, sometimes no reason at all. He is on medication (took a LOT of fighting to get there, and a diagnosis) and so much better to be around, but still able to get in to a mood, or hit out at people. Normally he leaves the house now, I am quite pleased that he does this as I think it is a good way for him to keep on top of things, but when Cameron winds him up (and this is usually the case) Isaac may well feel hurt or angry before he leaves.

Today I posted this online;

Somebody take me away from this awful place! ...and put me in a dark, quiet room with a comfortable bed please.
I had the worst night sleep last night - and I NEED my sleep or I'm not worth being around. I had children that at first wouldn't sleep, then I fell asleep on my study books (again), then in the night Rowan wailing for me to put his blanket back on. Then he got in bed with me and scrunched me all up small - then I turned over and made him fall out of bed(!) and after that I simply couldn't sleep. Then my mum phoned at about 5:30 asking me to watch my brothers as her mum had been taken to hospital I've no idea what the situation there is now but I hope things are ok. At home I have 5 children and a mad dog running around screaming and playing hide and seek. They've been doing this for some time now and I don't have the energy to tell them to stop...

Great, and now I've heard a smash upstairs. There is a lot of angry arguing going on over who broke it, how and because of who else etc... How long until they get down here and loudly tell me about it all at the same time?
*sigh*
I hate days like this. The plan was a good night's sleep and then breastfeeding cafe today!
ETA - it was the bathroom lock that got broken. It's a kind of internal lock which is really annoying because I don't know how to fix it. The door can still be locked but now I can't open it from the outside if someone small locks them self in. I went up to investigate and told everyone to stop arguing over who done it. I pointed out that the door is broken (OK, I may have swore ) and that it really doesn't matter who did it, because knowing who will not fix it. I told Rowan off for calling someone a 'stupid boy' and then started to get my lot dressed.

Now Isaac has walked out, which on the one hand is good (If he can feel himself getting worked up) but has worried me because he doesn't have a phone and there's no one at his house. I planned to go shopping but now I really need to stay here in case he comes back...

Woohoo - he's back now, phew. but I'm sure that having conversations with myself can't be a good sign...!

I wish I could take the dog out! This is part of my on going problem - she has been in season for what seems like forever now, so I'm unable to get her out much.
The plan now is to go out to Asda in a bit. I noticed yesterday that they had Willow (remember that film?) on DVD for £5! and I think this lot should sit nicely to watch that. I'd like the idea of pizza making, but have a worrying feeling that it will lead to fights. It can be a back up plan - I really need to give them separate things to do, and I don't have a lot of money at the moment.

Right now my lot are all (miraculously!) dressed and playing quietly. Isaac returned with his PSP so he must have gone home for it. He's playing that in a corner now, I think with my noisy children he just needs time and a place to shut himself off from it all.
Plan now is to get value frozen pizzas and bits to go on top. So far so good here, but TBH when my brothers are over I feel like I'm constantly on edge. No idea how gran is (she's not really my gran, as I've never been that involved with the extended part of my foster family) but I'm hoping that no news is good news.

Well they've had their pizzas, eaten loads of other stuff (but I'm trying to avoid the junk stuff in fear of mood swings!) and watched Willow, which went down well. They're all upstairs now, admittedly noisily playing, but my mum has just phoned and will be picking them up in about 20 minutes. Her mum has pneumonia, and will probably be in hospital for about a week. Problem now is that it's the holidays, so any other hospital trips she does will require me brother-sitting, and I feel so so selfish to resent that But I'll do it anyway, don't get me wrong.

Brothers are gone now, and we all survived fine. But now Liam is out at Kung Fu, and so I have to do that Wednesday shift that I hate, on a day when I am tired - so, so tired!