Half Term madness

It may seem to some that I have been MIA for the past week. In all honesty, I have been so busy that my feet have hardly touched ground since Saturday...so pull up a chair and a good stiff drink, this is going to be a long one.

SUNDAY

Sunday was my Nephew's birthday. I know that Saturday was the birthday party. For his birthday treat he wanted to go to McDonalds and my sister extended the invitation to anyone who wanted to come.
Now, We are lucky where I live as we are 20 minutes away from McDonalds in town and also 15 minutes away from another McDonalds in the opposite direction. Of course my sister is also 15 minutes away from another branch of the chain, unfortunately this one happens to be miles away from us so it was going to be a day of much walking. When we got to my sister's she said it felt like we had only just gone home (Well actually it was just 8 hours ago) If D's friends hadn't been staying over we could have stayed there saving all the walking...but then what would I have to moan about?!!
It turned out that on this occasion Maccy Dees was a big let down. The whole reason for going was the huge kiddies play area - which they decided that they would have closed this particular Sunday for extensive cleaning. How do you tell a 5 year old that he can't go play when we have trekked all the way out here?
The food was good though. We had between us, loads of money off coupons so it was a much cheaper birthday lunch and we all got what we want....(Including some people who got double - It wasn't me)

After eating, the children decided that they would have a play in the under 3's play area instead.

I also proved something that I had been going on about the night before that friend Z's husband does only speak to me when he is drunk and when he is sober he looks right through me as if I am not there. Not that I mind much, remember it is because of him that we didn't speak for 5 years and it is only recently that we have been trying to put the past behind us.

After all the play options had been exhausted, it was off back to my sister's house as she wanted me to sort out the software for her ipod. She promised me taxi fare home but I wonder if I should remind her that she never came through with the cash.
By the time we got back home it was late and I was knackered. An early night was considered but I just fell asleep on the sofa instead.

MONDAY

Today was Nephew's official party with all of his friends from school. I must say I can't remember having 3 day long birthday celebrations when I was 5 so he is a very lucky boy. So for the 3rd day in a row it was the trek up to my sister's again.
I wasn't as organised today though. I had to go up to the main Post Office first to fetch a parcel that I had missed on the Friday..It was a good plan but I didn't actually roll out of bed until about 12 and the long walk through the park to the Post Office seemed to be twice as long as normal.
I was a bit late returning and by the time we arrived at Tubby Bear's den, the party was in full swing.
I love the Role reversal within A's relationship with B-I-L. She goes out to work 5 days a week so it is him that looks after the house and the kids. He takes Nephew to school everyday so he knows all the friends and their parents. As the kids turned up, A didn't know who was with us and who wasn't whereas B-I-L knew the names of all the kids and which parent went with which child.
I have never been to Tubby Bear's before and it was a bit out of the way (If anyone knows Derby - Great Northern road is definitely a never ending road. It just goes on and on and on) From the outside it looks like just another warehouse in the small industrial park but inside it is a huge climbing frame.
There is a huge slide and swingy things and climbing bits and big soft things that the kids loved to throw at each other, not to mention fight tooth and nail with.
There is also a little baby ball pool that little niece loved playing in. Normally she is very clingy to Mummy but she quite happily played without even looking to see where Mum was.


Even DD and DS had a play but there aren't pictures of that.
After a good hour and a half of play it was time for the food. They have a special little party room where they take the kids for the eating. It was just like going back into an infants class with the little tables and chairs. There was a little buffet spread out with sandwiches; crisps; carrot sticks; Cucumber sticks and raisins. The sandwiches were of the Ham; Cheese and Jam variety. I think that the crisps were the most popular.
DS was all up for joining in the party spirit but at 13, DD preferred to stand with the grown ups.


















As well as the fayre on the table already, the Hostesses also brought out chips and pizzas, of which there was plenty to go round and to feed the grown ups too.

I realised why I was so glad that I never had to host a 5 yr olds party again...The children seemed a lot more interested in messing about and throwing the food than actually eating it. There was a lot of food left over at the end which I think they should have offered to wrap up and let my sister take home with her. It is a lot of money to pay to leave all that behind.

The highlight of the day for me was when I saw Tubby Bear himself. My sister gave me a very strange look when I screeched "Oooh Tubby Bear is coming" I don't know what came over me...I didn't think that Tubby himself actually made an appearance.

Nephew's Cake on Saturday night was a Scooby Doo cake. Today was the cake he really wanted which was Power Rangers. The Hostess brought it in and we all sang Happy birthday before the Jelly and Ice Cream was brought out. Things have certainly changed since I was 5 (OK that was a very long time ago) Back then, The Jelly and Ice Cream was the highlight of the party, today only about half of them ate it...which was music to the ears of DS who cleaned up!

Home time came in a flash. It became clear that most of them didn't want to go home as they ran to hide in the play area but eventually they all left with their little party boxes full of goodies.
We finally got home about 8.30 after staying at D's for a while. Knackered again and in need of an early night but desperately wanted to watch Final Destination2. I watched FD1 with my Nan a couple of years ago when she came to stay and now I desperately want to go see FD3 at the pictures. I love the idea of seeing Death and then avoiding it. I did wonder how they were going to capitalize on the story of the plane crash of the first movie and how they could keep it almost interesting. It was actually very good how they connected all the victims of the second movie to the first. My favourite bit was when the guy got chopped into pieces by the barbed wire just after saving the boy from being hit by the truck.

TUESDAY

No rest for the wicked! Today was ten pin bowling with sis A B-I-L and nephew. I didn't really fancy bowling so I said I would go and look after Niece. Good job I did as she wasn't very happy for the most of the time. I guess it isn't very nice having to be strapped into the buggy while everyone else is having so much fun. It really wouldn't have been practical to let her out though as she would have been running up and down the lanes and causing mass havoc.

It was a really fun afternoon. The kids had a great time. DD wasn't too good at first but the more he played the better he got...whereas DD was pretty good to start with and the more she played the worse she seemed to get.

I don't know if you can see on the picture but at one point Nephew was whupping everyone. (Sorry for the blurryness) His score is 117 there.

Bowling these days is a lot different to when we used to go with our parents years ago. Our Mum and Dad were champion Bowlers. They played in a Friday night league and won loads of trophies and county comps. Back then the Bowling Alley was a dirty little place with a few fruit machines and a dirty little greasy caff in the corner where you could get a plate of chips for 50p.
Today they are huge places with disco lights and and pop videos and loud music. I think I spent lots of 20ps in the sweet machines for neice.

After the Bowling was over, Nephew wanted to play pool with Dad.


Treated the kids to Pizza on the way home. Our local pizza place does 12" pizzas for £4.49 each with whatever you want on them so I had Spicy chicken and DD had Onion whilst DS didn't want pizza so had a chicken meal instead.

WEDNESDAY

Today was my day off from activity. I stayed in bed most of the day and when I finally did get up I couldn't get near the computer for the kids being on it. At least I still got to watch me TV shows...Pretender at 3pm on Sci Fi channel and Highlander at 4pm on FX and then back to the Sci Fi Channel at 5pm for Medical investigation

THURSDAY

Today was shopping day. DS got up and met with Sis A to go swimming and DD and I went to ASDA. It is so long since I have been. I don't go too often as it is so far away and the bus fare is a bit much and also I end up buying a bit more than planned and can not carry it all. It cost £5 return bus fare for me and DD which is like I said why I don't go too often. We managed to get quite a few treats as well as the food that I really needed and I spent £25 which was in my budget for the day. That should last us until Tuesday at least.

FRIDAY

Last day of the Half term hols and the dreaded trip into town to get new school bags as both children have knackered theirs. You just knew it would be a tale of going round in circles. We started off with DS having to go to the music shop to get new reeds for his Clarinet as well as a new music book. Luckily he knew what it was he wanted and was able to go and ask while DD and I looked through the sheet music....James Blunt Beautiful anyone????

We did actually visit all the sports shops in town as well as the market and once DD couldn't find one she liked it was back to Sports Soccer to get the one she saw to start with. I also managed to get myself a Will Young Calendar for 69p which has to be a bargain. I have been missing a calendar in the kitchen so that is me done now.

Forgot to mention, we recieved our Commision check from Cafepress this week too. Paid it into the bank although it is going to be a few weeks for it to clear as the cash has to come from the States....Don't know if that means it is sent by carrier pigeon - I thought that with these days of computers and elctronic transfer it would would take the same wherever it was from.