Marbles

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Did you play marbles as a child?

Personally speaking I didn't but my middle brother did, I never really saw the point of it to be honest .... and I can say that the rules ..I think each kids made up his/her own.... were always confusing.


There is also this expression which involves marbles which I never really understood until last night

"Ive lost my Marbles" or I'm losing my Marbles"

I sat yesterday for nearly 6 hours editing some photography.....

I have to say I do this most days and after a while it can become very frustrating.

I am also a very messy worker, yes I said messy ...

I have over layers and photos all over the screen and there is no real order to how I work ...

So back to my marbles.... I'm editing the phone rings its my mom.

The whole world stops when my mom calls .....Mom England ,Me States

To cut a long story very short by the time I get of the phone and go pick my children up of the bus and get them sorted with homework snacks and other things kids need when they get in from school... there was a power surge and both my computes had crashed and I had lost nearly everything I had been working on.


That is enough to make a girl lose her Marbles

Saturday : Including a 911 Call and a Giveaway

To say its been an interesting day would be a total understatement.

take a look at these photo's and see if you can guess what happened to us this morning

This is my backyard.

Oh look their on my roof

I wonder what their doing up there.... 

well this is what they where doing

Putting out the chimney fire.

What a morning and all this before 10am .....

I wont go into details about how or why let me just tell you it was a tad bit scary, and very cold outside ... 

we removed the children the dog and the rabbit and placed them all in the car with it running to keep them all warm.

Bop was still in her Pj's as was myself.

So that was my morning, along with the cleaning up from it all and tiring to remove the smell from the house without opening doors or windows... Impossible job let me tell you.

So I think I said something about a giver away...oh yes I did, didn't I .....

Well there is something many of you don't know about me.... I am a photo/digital processing freak.

 So I had to do something with it all..... 

Out of my passion and my need to be creative I opened an Etsy Store, and to run along slide it I have a brand now spanking blog..... so I am inviting you all to come visit and read about my new project and join in the giveaway.....

So ladies and gentlemen I introduce to you Tatter Bean Photography

There's a Rat in my Kitchen

Well not really a rat more like a field mouse...and its in my kitchen...for weeks Ive been saying to my husband there is a mouse in this house... he normally replies naw there isn't ....

Well there is I have the evidence I need today to prove it ..... and the flipping thing isn't scared of me nor the kids...who by the way as I'm writing this are on mouse duty .... until the man gets home and can catch it...


I had been painting to day and had thrown my tea bags on to the plate that had the paint on it plus a can lid from the gravy I had just used while cooking dinner...

I turn and there the thing is .... just licking the gravy of the lid.... I clap my hands and it shoots behind the counter.... and then low and behold its back ... this went on five times.... until I said to the kids stand guard..while I ring you dad.....

I'm not scared of mice neither are the kids...... we live in the middle of nowhere why would we be scared...but I really do object to it being in my kitchen....

Can you see it ... just munching away ....

and here are the kids on Mouse Duty .....

excuse the state of my kitchen ..... 

we had to move everything around to try to catch the thing... so far no such luck... ill let you know when we do

So this is me Flogging my blog...... but really wanting to flog a mouse if I could catch it 

Kids, Dogs and Vodka !!

Bip does this self harm thing that drives me through the roof.... he will hit himself in front of me when he does something wrong, he knows it pushes my buttons, so hence he'll do it even more....

But not today.

Picture the scene:

Its nearly bed time and they both have the PJ's on .... they ask if the TV can go one....

I'm on a no TV ban right now ...it's not been on all day .... can't bond if your watching the TV....
So I say get your reading books and read for fifteen minutes....

I wonder outside to see hubby who is letting the dog out.....(oh did I tell you we have a dog well the dog has issues to another story for another day)

So here we are talking outside and I can hear the kids talking and messing around, I call them both outside to me, they come running.

" What should you not be doing when reading"
" Messing about" they both say
" What else"

They both start to smirk ...something else that would normally push my buttons....

Bip automatically puts his hands to his face, well Bop does to but cause his action is so dramatic you always notice him more than her....

"Get your hands by your side I cant understand what your saying if your face is covered"

He moves them I go to talk again and his hands go up...

I tell him its OK to smirk, and I smile at him... His eyes start to go dark... I can see the hate and the angry coming.

He then hits himself as I ask the same question, Bop answers it

"Talking ...we shouldn't be talking"

I get up hug her and say well done... correct answer....

Bip drops to his knees and wackes his hand on the floor.... he needs a reaction from me.... so very calmly I say

" Bip pleases go to your room if you need to beat yourself up"

He looks at me with eyes wide open ...certainly not the answer he was looking for, he doesn't move but instead hits himself again...

Hubby's face is a picture ... he's also waiting for me to blow a gasket ....

I repeat myself very calmly again

" Bip please go to your room... no-one wishes to witness you beating yourself up"

Finally he gets of the floor and we all walk in...I carefully guide him to his room and very quietly say...

" Bip this is obviously a hobby of yours ... but its not a hobby the rest of the family likes... and as I cant stop you from doing it ... and wont even try to stop you ...please fell free to beat yourself up in here your room and when your done you may join the rest of us for family time"

I close the door as I leave his room.

Five minutes later he reappears.... arms all scratched up and face very red.

And as proud as proud can be he announces what he has done.... I look at him and say.

" Ok Bip well you still have five minutes of reading time so please could you get on with it"

I took a sly look at his war wounds .... they weren't half as bad as they normally are when he does this in front of me.

Bed time comes around and I walk with him to his room....

I give him lots of hugs and kisses... and he's giggling away when he says.
" Mommy ...why didn't you tell me off or stop me from hitting myself"

I replied with,

"Cause you have got to want to stop... I cant make you"

I get back to the living room and that damn dog has drank my Vodka + Coke that Hubby just made me as I was tucking Bip in....

Did I tell you we use to had a dog !

No Such Word as Can't !

So it was all change today....
Equipped with my new parenting Bible .... away we went.

Well everything was fine until It was Mommy's time to get a shower, do my hair and so one....
Tuesdays, we have to leave the house early so I can get Bip to class by 9.30am.

I told them both to get their reading books and read for 20minutes... (I have this showing, getting dressed and not looking a mess down to a T now.... 20 minutes and I have to say I look half decent) and I did state without talking....
They jabber to see who can control the conversation the longest, and believe me it turns into a fight cause in their minds someone has to win... to win means to control...

I'm not in the shower two minutes before they start, I step out and ask them to stop and read....

This happens three times, each time I give a simple warning saying if they can't read quietly then there would be a consequence to them disobeying me.
I get on with my shower the whole time they jabber away.

By the way I had sat them outside the bathroom and the door was open ....
Just in case your wondering if I have super sonic hearing.

So out the shower ... dressed and ready to go.....

"Bip, Bop outside please"
They follow me out to the yard.... I ignore their questioning...

I tell them both I want two laps from the car to the post .... Bip just does it ... Bop refuses

" I can't do that"
Very calmly I tell her she can.... she replies "You can't make me".... I tell her she is right, and that I'm not going to make her .... that she has to do this for herself.... and if it is that she is to weak to do two laps of the drive way ( this is no great distances by the way) then maybe she needs to go to her bed and rest until she is strong enough to do the laps....

The laps get done.
This pretty much goes on once we are back from Bip doing class....

She did some alone time.......
she refused to eat lunch .....she took a nap...
she jabbered through out the day ..... and the whole time I was cool calm and collected....

I heard her say to Bip at one point... "Is mommy OK she hasn't shouted at us all day"

She even nearly missed dinner...

Cause as soon as Hubby arrived home from work she really kicked off...
Normal everyday action .... but this time she was told to do laps...
She refused...

What started out as two lapped ended up as five she refused so many times...

Spent 20 minutes of alone time .... and was told again if she was to weak to do them she needed to go and rest.....

Again the laps got done...

With a great big hug at the end of it all.