Bonfire Night 2010

Okay, I know I haven't been very vigilant in my blogs lately, but here I am!
This year for Bonfire Night we decided to visit Blackpool for a fireworks display, instead of Sefton Park again like last year.
Unfortunately, we couldn't park anywhere to go into Blackpool Cricket Club to watch the display.  But that didn't matter, we managed to park up on a side street and watch some other little displays going on.
Aiden, as usual had something to moan about...on this occasion it was the lack of sparklers!
At least we got to drive through the illuminations...  Hehe.

Visit from Dan

Well, I haven't seen my lovely Australian friend Daniel Hayes in nearly 20 years, and I finally got back in touch with through Facebook after nearly 10 years ...
On Friday, he came up to Liverpool to spend a bit of time with me and my lot before he goes home to Perth in Western Australia.  He has been visiting a friend of his in London for the last couple of weeks.
It was really good to catch up with him.  I met him off the train in Lime Street station at lunch-time, and took him on a little tour around Liverpool City Centre to see the Albert Dock amongst other attractions.
When Col got home from work with Bec, we went to Lucky Red for a meal...  Our treat of course.
We had to drop him of at the train station on Saturday before 11:30am.  His train wasn't until 1:50pm, but we had a viewing booked for 12:30pm to see a house in Worsley.

Dreams of new home down pan

We had it all planned out.  We were lending money from Col's dad to pay the deposit.  All we had to do was pass the credit checks.
Our dream home, and it's all gone out the window.
Ok, so we went to see this lovely four bedroom house in Bradley Fold, but now because of Col's credit history we have been turned down.  We went through getting copies of our actual credit reports for the landlord, and he still said no!
Only, now we NEED to move house since Col has started working.  Our only problem right now is that the estate agent says we can't have our £300 refunded to look somewhere else, and neither can they guarantee another landlord would accept us.
Obviously, I am not feeling my normal perky self.

RIP Les Southern

Ok, I am not overly sure who this man is, but I do know he ha played a big part in the Boys Brigade at The Good Shepherd Church in Norris Green since my dad went there as a boy!
Tonight I have learned that this man has recently passed away.
I think I met him last year when Aiden had his Enrolment Service.  If it is the right man I am thinking of, at the Enrolment Service my dad asked me who he was after shaking hands with him! How funny!!!
Aiden has to go to a church parade on Sunday, where the boys will be paying their respects.

Col has a new job

Col has finally been offered one of the many jobs he has been interviewing for!
It may not be the HP job, but still it's a job!  The job is with Intertech in Manchester.  He is starting his new position a week on Monday, and the salary is £32,000.
We have been looking at properties in Bury, roughly half hour drive from Cols new office.
With Vicky being the way she is at the minute, we couldn't move quick enough...at least in my opinion.

Well done my lovely Big Col.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My Aiden is no bully!

Vicky next door to me has accused my Aiden of bullying her son Jack in school.  Obviously, bullying is not something I like, so I asked the right questions to the right people (Miss Makin and Mrs Stewart), and he is not bullying Jack, or anyone!
When I have confronted Vicky with this, she suddenly decided Aiden had threatened to KILL Jack!
Now I am getting grief from her Mum!  I just don't need all this!

CSA

Col has now been issued with a court summons from the CSA.  They are saying he owes something like £48,000!  Would love to see them get any of that money out of him.
It has made me think, I get money from Damien through the CSA now, because I think they tracked him down and done n attachment of earnings on his wages.  Col doesn't work, and doesn't claim any benefit, so not sure how they would go about securing payments from him.
In all honesty, I don't have the first clue how the CSA track people down who need to pay, or even how they decide how much money each person has to pay.
I have decided to at least attempt to look into this whole area, and write an article about it!!

Busy Busy Busy

Sit tight, this could take some time...
Summer was a bit poop. We had practically no money, so couldn't take our kids on days out.  But they didn't really mind, they went swimming lots, and had a weeks worth of free lessons, which has really boosted their confidence in the water.
I stopped working for Alan doing the news-writing, but have started working for a website called Zemandi.com. They essentially e-mail me articles to write on different subjects.  So far, I have written about books, cosmetics and perfumes...and they're only what I can remember off the top of my head. Hehe.  The pay isn't too bad.  At the minute, I am earning $1.25 each article.  As I write for them longer, the pay will gradually increase, capping at $15 per article.
Shannon is now 7, and Katelyn is now 5!  We took them to Build A Bear in Liverpool One on the 25th August for a Birthday party.  We invited Lindsey along with Ellie and Libby.  It was a really good day.  All 6 kids got a teddy with lots of ribbons.  Shannon and Katelyn have got a special bear which they have to share, everyone else wrote a Birthday message on this bear for the girls.
Katelyns Birthday was on Bank Holiday Monday, so Anne-Marie and Cherrie brought their kids round for a tea party.  Pity Dave and Cherrie had to leave early, Col got making some rather tasty cocktails. Yum, yum,yum.  Me and Anne-Marie, rather drunk had a play on our trampoline outside in the dark! Was hilarious!!
Kids have returned to school.  Rumours went around that Monksdown wouldn't be open until October sometime, luckily they were only rumours!
My lovely Big Col has had a number of job interviews, and is still waiting for an actual job offer.  Hopefully, he'll be offered the job with HP, working for the MOD!  Think this is the job he'd far prefer..even if he can't tell anyone about the work.
Well, Halloween next...

Build a Bear birthday party

So cool!  Have been telling Shannon for the last week or so that today she was going to have a play date with my cousin Lindsey's daughter Ellie.  Instead, I arranged for a birthday party at Build A Bear in Liverpool One!
All 6 kids got a simple bear - we currently don't have much money!  We also paid extra to have a Build A Bear mascot come play and have photos taken with the kids.  Think they all really enjoyed the day.  As we didn't actually pay to have clothes for the bears, we are going to take our 4 kids back before we do eventually move house and get them all a set of clothes for the bears they got today!
Am slightly concerned about our 10 year old son Aiden, despite his dad pointing out all the "boy teddy" clothes, he has insisted on putting the bows that they all got free in his teddies ears!

Katelyn's lazy eye, Part 2

Took Katelyn to the opticians today.  The optician doesn't think her lazy eye is severe enough to warrant being referred to Alder Hey...at least just not yet.
She has been given a pair of glasses which she has to wear ALL the time.  In three months time, she will have to return for another check-up.  This time, if her left eye hasn't made as much progress in repairing itself as the optician would like, then Katelyn will be referred to Alder Hey to have an eye patch.
She had to have eye drops in for the optician to see what was going on in the backs of her eyes.  This was funny as she has had extremely dilated pupils all day.
She will get her new glasses on Tuesday...fingers crossed.

Katelyn's lazy eye

Katelyn has had a "lazy eye" since she was about 2 months old.  Finally I am getting something done about it, I don't want her to end up partially blind in her left eye.
We have taken her to the Walk In Centre in Old Swan, who said she needed to see our GP to be referred to Alder Hey hospital.  Seeing the Practice Nurse at our GP Surgery, she said she needs to see an Optician.
So...I have made her an appointment with the Optician for tomorrow at 12 noon.  It should be as simple as having to have a patch over her "good"eye in order to strengthen her bad eye.  Telling Katelyn she might have to have a patch over her eye, she now wants to be a Pirate!
We shall find out tomorrow.

Probably time to learn to swim

We have taken our fours children swimming again today, and while I couldn't really be bothered, I got the chance to float about and have a good think.
I have come to the decision that at age 31 years, 7 months and 1 day... I really should learn to swim properly!
As we have purchased a membership package at Lifestyles costing £60 each month, allowing us full access to the pool and gym, as well as all classes (both exercise and swimming!).  I can sign up for the adult swimming lessons and not have to pay any extra... even the kids can do lessons at no extra cost!

No trip to Reading

Today was supposed to Col's big interview with HP!  Only, he didn't go...
He never got any sleep at all last night, instead he spent the night worrying about having to be Security Cleared for working with HP.  He has a number of CCJ's, so they instantly go against him.  As does us living together!
So today we both spent the day being extremely tired, sleeping vaguely for an hour or so at a time!

Isolated still

I know this sounds somewhat silly, but despite everything I still feel isolated in my life!

I have supposedly been invited to cols nephews birthday on Wednesday...But as last year, no one seems to care that I have a family that don't believe I should be allowed a social life just because I happen to be a Mum!  Col thinks I am being silly, but he doesn't understand, and I don't know how to explain to him how I feel.

I would love nothing more than to actually be allowed to relax and enjoy myself, but who am I kidding, I am not allowed!

I have a family who only help when it suits them, and no real friends other than my Big Col!  You know what, that actually sounds really pathetic! My fiance is my ONLY REAL friend, and even then, he doesn't always feel like my friend!  Stupid... I know.
xxxxxxx

Changing rooms

This afternoon, after Col had a chat with Bec, we decided it was best to slightly rearrange the bedrooms!

Basically all we did was swap the bunk bed in Aiden's room for the bunk bed in the girls room.  Bec was starting to feel uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as a BOY!  She doesn't know it yet, but we have now put her in with the two girls.  They are now going to be sleeping on the bottom bed which is actually a double bed, and Bec will be having the top bed.  Hope she likes.  Will find out on Sunday!

Hi there

So I haven't been brilliant at keeping an up-to-date blog... This is about to change!

I have been working writing news articles from press releases to be published on websites around the world!  I have also been writing keyword articles, again to be published on websites around the world.  This has now come to an end...

I have felt a little deflated by this, but as my lovely Big Col has reminded me, I was being paid 1/2 US cent per word!  So it wasn't as if I was dependant on this income to pay the bills!

Now I may have had a minor wobble over this, but I have gotten over it!

After all, I am aware I am not too good at time-keeping, but I am trying to remedy this.  Maybe if I had more of an incentive to actually get my backside working, it would be a lot easier!

Since my 4 children are currently on school summer holidays, maybe it was not the best time to start employment!  Think I may just leave it until September when they return to school to look for work as a Freelance journalist.  Hopefully by then, Col will be gainfully employed, and we will be living somewhere else!