#ISpy....K

So, it is the penultimate week of Mum Of One's #ISpy linky and we have been given the letter K.

As soon as I knew this was the letter some images popped into my head from three summers ago when Edith had just turned 3. For her birthday treat she wanted to go camping at her favourite site, Greenacres near Pilton, Somerset and for all you happy campers out there I highly recommend it.

There is loads of safe space for the children to run and play and that's just what Edith did.

So, here's an easy one for you.

What K do you spy?

x x x

#ISpy.......a big fat horrible R

I haven't joined in with Mum of One's #ISpy for a while but thought I could get a few things off my chest with this week's letter that is....R.

The big fat R that has been hanging over us for months has finally happened...

Ha ha - yes it is very stressful...for the wife.

REDUNDANCY- GAH!

It has been lingering in our lives for the last few months.

We have had many a conversation about the pros and cons of taking it versus the husband continuing to work away from home.

I have had sleepless nights worrying about what could happen if the husband never finds work. Again. Ever.

I sometimes think he is crazy to walk away from a very well paid job in these times of economic uncertainties.

I worry about the possibility of having to be a working mum and the sole earner in a years time if it all goes tits up.

I worry about the husband's ability to cut it as a SAHD.

I worry about the mortgage, the car loans, the life insurance costs.....

But it had to be done. For the sake of the husband's health, our marriage and the children - who were seriously missing him - it was the choice to make. Things were too complicated to just up sticks and relocate. So we had to face the big fat R and bravely take everything it may throw at us.

I am sure I will be spying more Rs in the coming months in our house: resentment and rage possibly? But for now I'm heading over to Mum of One's linky to see what else has been spied this week.

http://jbmumofone.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/img_0838-1.jpg

x x x

#ISpy.....someone who is a D!

#ISpy is back, hosted by the lovely Mum Of One.

This week it is brought to you by the letter D.

There's two to spot in this week's snap - can you see them?



What's happened to E?

My Edith, my girl, my beautiful daughter. I dedicated a Gallery post to her back in November last year and I am still so, so, proud of her.

She is still stubborn.
She is still beautiful.
She is still shy.

My love for her is never going to weaken but lately I've noticed a change in her.
She seems to have real anger inside her that explodes in a huge shouting episode. It is clearly all my fault.

"I hate you."
"Why are you always so cross with me. Everyday you are."
"I want Daddy."

She is five.

Sometimes it is like she is 15 running on hormones. I am absolutely dreading that time to come.
I didn't have the closest relationship with my mum always feeling I was second best to my siblings, the closest in age to me being my elder brother who was a Mummy's boy.
I have always been worried about this repeating with my own children.

Alban is a Mummy's boy. Edith is becoming Daddy's girl.
I am worried.
I feel like I am treading on eggshells with her.

With Alban it is clear cut. I'm not saying he is an angel by any means but I always feel confident with my expectations of him. With Edith I always fear a problem will arise.
An example: last night she was asked to move her flip flips from the lounge and put them away. Simple. But this resulted in her disobeying my request which escalated into her stockpile of phrases, "I hate you" "Why are you always cross with me......" You know the rest.
Yes, I know she gets tired. Yes, I know she misses her Daddy when he's away overnight - this is regularly 'used' as a tool, "I want Daddy" on replay to wind me up. Yes, I know I'm not the most patient of people and probably rise to her a lot quicker than other mums might. Yes, I know I shouldn't shout as I am acting more like a child as well!

I'm just hoping it's a phase.

She will have to get used to Daddy being away on a weekly basis and hopefully once that is part of the routine she will settle more.
I also hope it's the start of chickenpox. I know that sounds mean but Alban has just had it and I need an excuse for this behaviour.
So for now any advice from you would be gratefully received.

I'm linking this up to Mum Of One's #ISpy meme.
Obvious what it is really.
I'm desperately trying to spy my old Edith.

#ISpy....O

This week with Mum Of One we are spying the letter O.

Oh, oh, oh, Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Here you go then. What did Alban find for me in his box of crap toys beginning with O?

More here!

x x x

#ISpy.....B

This week A Mummy Too has chosen the letter B for Mum Of One's #ISpy game.

I think I've made it tricky this week - unless you know a bit of Norfolk speak!

Here you go, what B can you spy here?!

More #ISpy here:

#ISpy with my little eye.....

That rather troublesome lovely MotherVenting has given us the tricky letter X to spy this week for MumOfOne's #ISpy meme.

I wanted to be really clever and cunning - instead I have cheated somewhat.

What X do you spy here?!

Find more #ISpy here:



#ISpy.........something beginning with Mmmmmm!

This weeks #ISpy began with Alban's favourite treat, then it kind of escalated into other random things beginning with M! How many can you find? I have a huuuuuge prize* for the most found, so get looking!

I spy, with my little eye, something beginning with Mmmmmmmmmm!

*pat on the back and a great feeling of satisfaction x

More #ISpy fun here:



#ISpy.........something beginning with L

It's L this week on #ISpy and I'm extra excited as I got to pick the letter!

Why L?

Because I wanted to use the following picture again!

To me it shows something so special, something that is not always going to be demonstrated so clearly between the two of them but hopefully something that will always be there for the rest of their lives.

I'm not particularly close to any of my siblings but I hope that Edith and Alban will be different.

So here's the picture.

What L can you see?

Play some more #ISpy here

#ISpy.......something beginning with S

There's something that as soon as you have a newborn in your arms the certainty of it has gone - for a very, very long time.

I don't get enough of it, that is why I have physically aged about 10 years in the last 12 months but I should just get to bed earlier.

With Edith I would fret over it and become obsessed with the amount she had.

With Alban I just chilled and so did he - a lot.

In fact some days he feels the need to get some extra in whilst relaxing at the park - the lazy monkey.

I think it's quite clear what S I am spying this week:

Find some more #ISpy with the lovely Mum Of One:

#ISpy........something beginning with T

When I first saw that this week's #ISpy letter was T the first things to jump into my head were images that I am NOT putting on this blog. I can however guarantee that someone probably has - naming no names here!

So I am keeping it clean and in fact keeping it green as this week I have recycled some images from my blog that come together to make T.

You can't actually see it, but it's there. In the pictures.

What do you think I'm spying here then?

For more #ISpys just click!

#ISpy.......something beginning with N

This week MumOfOne has thrown the letter N our way in her #ISpy meme. 

It took me a while to come up with something so I trawled through the archives and found this one of my gorgeous girl.

Two things to spy here, one of them looks enormous!

More #ISpy fun to be had here:

#ISpy..........something beginning with C

I hope you have had a Happy Christmas and Santa bought you something exciting. I am now looking forward to the New Year to sort a lot of things out with me and my life but today I looked back, all in aid of Mum of One's meme #ISpy. This week we are spying things beginning with C.

My photo shows a few Cs and this week I will tell you what they are!

Well done to Motherventing though who found loads of Fs last week!

This photo was taken in Easter 2009 in Cornwall, on the coast - there's the first two Cs. My in laws used to live there and it was ideal for weekends away at short notice and longer stays in the holidays. They now live in the middle of nowhere in France in a run down partially converted barn. Not quite the same and this has impacted our ability to get away for a change of scenery - a lot.

This picture reminds me of when I was content - C number 3. I was a SAHM but I was happier with that situation. I was always on the go with the kiddies, who at the time were nearly 1 and nearly 3, so my fitness levels, my figure and ultimately my positivity about myself were in a much better state than now. 

Fourth C - the Campervan! This one was for sale and we were seriously thinking about getting one as for some reason we seemed to have a bit of spare cash back then - the economy has clearly changed since as we can only just about afford a toy one now! I am also drinking a coffee - which I barely touch now as it makes me go all woosy. So five Cs have got me thinking about the future.

So as I look ahead to a New Year I wish to be content, driving to the Cornish coast in a Campervan but probably not drinking coffee!!

Find some more #ISpy piccies here:

#ISpy.......something beginning with F

Mum of one is keeping us on our toes this week, by not following the alphabet in order, and has thrown the letter F into the mix for the latest round of #ISpy. This meme game of #ISpy involves posting a picture of something beginning with the given letter - the picture can be obvious or it can get your readers guessing.

This week I have a prize personal blog hug for the person that can find the most 'F's in my photo. So here goes:

I spy with my little eye lots of things beginning with F...

For more info click here:

Happy I Spying x x