Max is coming on leaps and bounds the last few weeks, he really is, and I’m so SO proud of my lil man!

Like today, when he brought me a packet of crisps and put them in my hand (‘asking’ me to open them). I said “say please!” and and… guess what… HE SAID IT!! He said please! I opened them as soon as he said it, gave them to him and did a happy dance, making a huge fuss of him. I’m so filled with joy and happiness when things like this happen. I didn’t realise how much I took for granted with Zack until I had Max.

*****

At the weekend we went for a walk to the local visitor’s centre for some lunch. He sat there happily the *whole* time (yay for restaurants who have toys for the children to play with, proper toys!), and afterward we went over to the climbing frame for the boys to have a good run around.

I can now let him run off, even a good way away, and as soon as I call him he turns round and runs back to me, grinning with his arms wide open for a cuddle… yaaay!

There’s a lovely little dog that lives there, she belongs to the garden centre which is right next door. No idea if she has a name, but she is lovely, friendly, and gentle.

Max actually showed some interest in her… actually, a lot of interest. It’s the first time he’s *really* tried to interact with an animal. Sure he loves watching the quick actions of our little ratty girl Alice, but a dog is much bigger and more imposing.

I was amazed as he giggled every time this dog ran to get the stick we were throwing for her and bringing it back.

He even sat down with her and touched her/patted her!

Maybe one day a dog will be a good thing for him after all… mind you, it’s not something I’ll be looking into *quite* yet, I still have a lot of ‘training’ to do with Max for now!

I recently came across this mini eCourse at Willette Photography, and simply HAD to put it on my to do list. I’m terrible for always staying behind the camera, and never being in any photos myself. After all, I’m the photographer, not the model!

I don’t really like the way I look. In fact I can’t really remember a time that I did like the way I looked, but I figure, there’s enough hate in the world without me hating myself, so I guess I’m trying to gain a little more self esteem and hopefully start feeling better about myself and accept who I am.

It occurred to me that when I’m older, I may want to look back on the photos of my younger years, and I wouldn’t have anything to show. Also, god forbid something was to happen to me, I would hate for my boys to grow up not having any photos of their Mamma.

So, I set up my tripod today, and used a bongo drum to get the focus where I wanted it, moved it, and sat in my (tidied!) corner, with the boys’ toys pushed out of view, and let rip with my wireless remote!

Out of about 40 images, I had one I liked enough to process.

I seem to be looking quite serious in it… really I wasn’t sure if the remote was working as it seems to stall a few seconds at first, lol!

What do you think?

You know when your kids/spouse/dog says or does something funny/interesting/weird/stupid (the list goes on!), and you think “I’ve *totally* gotta blog that” but then it only works out at about 3 lines of a blog post and that’s just not enough so you just leave it and forget it ever happened? Well, that’s why I thought I’d start Sunday Snippets. You can write down and/or photograph something cute, funny or generally blogworthy that happens as it happens throughout the week, and every Sunday make it into a post. I figured since we’re all friends here in this bloggy community that maybe you might like to find out what others are up to as well!

1. Follow me if you’re not already.
2. Write your Sunday Snippets post.
3. Get the button in the right sidebar over there to thwack onto your post.
4. Add the link to your blog post (note I said POST, not just the blog url!) to the MckLinky at the bottom here.
5. Read what some of your fellow bloggers have been up to, comment, and enjoy finding new people!
6. Come back next Sunday and do it all over again.

*****

I’m being rubbish this week, horrid migraine today so I’m staying away from the computer screen as much as I can, so just a couple of tiny snippets today…

Max learned to jump!! Most kids learn to jump at about 2 yrs old, Max is now 2yrs 11 months. YAY for jumping!

Zack is learning his letters this week. He’s to come up with words that start with “p” and “i” over the weekend… all D and I keep coming up with are things like p0rn, intercourse, and many, many, other inappropriate words… what can I say, I just can’t help it!

*****

Link me what your snippets are and I’ll have a read though!

I have been umming and ahhing about wanting to get some of my photos printed on canvas for a while now, but I never really had the spare cash hanging around. Luckily for me, Photobox got in contact and asked if I’d like to review one of their products. Of course I jumped at the chance, and I am now the proud owner of a Softthistle Photography canvas of my very own!

Photobox’s site is very easy to get around. You do have to register (for free), but then I think that’s the case with most photo-production websites anyway, you are uploading photos after all.

Now when if comes to printing out photos, the larger the photo’s size, the better the quality. There is a limit of 10MB per photo, but that’s more than enough to get a decent print, even a large one. Just in case you haven’t realised that you’ve uploaded the smaller size at first, they have a handy tool that will tell you if the image is good enough for the size of print or canvas you are wanting to purchase.

Something I really liked was that I could crop the picture somewhat to the positioning I liked. It also meant that I knew the photo I would be hanging in my living room wouldn’t be cut off in random places for example.

Another happy moment for me was that I could pay with Paypal instead of having to go find where I’d put my card.

Wait a minute, I hear you say, didn’t Photobox say they were giving you a canvas? That they were, however I got a couple of extra regular prints too, and you have to add on the £7.50 delivery for a canvas.

Now, what was I saying? Oh yes, Paypal makes me a happy bunny.

While choosing the delivery service, I couldn’t help but be a bit miffed that although I could pay extra for a courier delivery, it would still take five working days for my canvas to be made. I am a stay at home mum, so I wasn’t bothered about it not arriving straight away (I have enough on my plate, right?), but I would have been happier to have the choice to pay a bit more for the canvas to be made and sent sooner.

Anyway, here we are six days after ordering my canvas online.

I got an email on Monday from Photobox saying that the canvas had been shipped, and I could track it on the Royal Mail website. There was a reference number, but when I copy/pasted it in, I got this coming up: “The reference number does not use the correct format. Please check and try again”. I could have called up Photobox about it, but quite frankly I didn’t have the time, bad reviewer, I’m sorry!

Yesterday passed and I wasn’t sure if while going to take/pick up my son from school I would miss a delivery. Luckily there were no wee cards pushed through the door to confirm that fear.

Today, at about lunch time, my package arrived. Hurrah!

It was bloody well wrapped that’s for sure.

Took me about 10 minutes to get the flippin thing out, as I was having to be careful – I didn’t want to damage it!

Covered in bubble wrap, and with another plastic cover around the canvas, it was definitely safe, and well labeled too.

The finished product is now hanging on my wall, and I’m really pleased with it.

The light in my living room is awful, sorry bout that, but the canvas is really well made. It’s a 60×30.5cm canvas, usually used for panoramics, but I just knew it would be perfect for this photo of Zack.

So, the nitty gritty.

The price, well it’s usually £49.99 for this particular size of canvas, but Photobox often have offers on with their products, and I managed to get it for £34.99. That plus delivery put me to just over £40, which I reckon is well worth it.

The quality is really good,

it was delivered with hanging materials,

printed on heavyweight 100% cotton canvas,

it’s hand stretched over a 3.8cm deep wooden frame, which is in really good condition.

And Zack’s reaction?”Oh my GOD that’s ME!! It’s AWESOME!” followed by posing like he is in the photo.

I will buy from Photobox again. I liked how much I could ‘customise’ how the photo would look blown up, the quality is superb, and one day I want to have my entire house covered with photos of my own.

Edited to add: Photobox are doing a 2 for 1 on canvases for the next 48 hours. Available till Friday 3rd Sept using the code “SEP241CP”.

That’s not to say I can’t cook. I can. I can cook curries, and fry ups, and easy things like french toast and such.

When it comes to proper cooking though, my fiance, Dean, is the person who does the majority of the cooking in our house.

It’s not that I don’t like cooking for him, just that the (vast) majority of things I cook are with chicken, and it just doesn’t agree with him. Makes him very unwell even when he has just a small amount.

So today he has been making a big pot of carrot and coriander soup, which is almost done now… yum!

The kitchen is definitely his domain in our house. He cooks in it, cleans up after himself (I know!! YAY for a man who’s house-trained!), and generally makes sure that we’re eating out of a clean kitchen.

Puts me to shame he does!

(on the other hand, he doesn’t change the pooey nappies, and I do. According to him that makes us even, and I’m not about to challenge that!)

Here’s the thing though. He’s about to start college. Next week to be exact.

Then it’ll be me that has to do at least *some* cooking during the days he’s at college.

I’m terrified! I actually manage to burn chicken nuggets!

Even if/when I do cook something myself he can’t help himself. Comes in and checks the heat of the hob, stirs things, tastes them, adds seasoning and such. What on earth is he going to think when I’m cooking my way, without him around to help out?

At least it’s just 3/4 days a week… otherwise I may end up scarring us all for life!

Or at least giving us all food poisoning.

Who’s the chef in your house? What’s your favourite meal? Come on, dish the dirt! (Badum..chhhhh!)

You know when your kids/spouse/dog says or does something funny/interesting/weird/stupid (the list goes on!), and you think “I’ve *totally* gotta blog that” but then it only works out at about 3 lines of a blog post and that’s just not enough so you just leave it and forget it ever happened? Well, that’s why I thought I’d start Sunday Snippets. You can write down and/or photograph something cute, funny or generally blogworthy that happens as it happens throughout the week, and every Sunday make it into a post. I figured since we’re all friends here in this bloggy community that maybe you might like to find out what others are up to as well!

1. Follow me if you’re not already.
2. Write your Sunday Snippets post.
3. Get the button in the right sidebar over there to thwack onto your post.
4. Add the link to your blog post (note I said POST, not just the blog url!) to the MckLinky at the bottom here.
5. Read what some of your fellow bloggers have been up to, comment, and enjoy finding new people!
6. Come back next Sunday and do it all over again.

*****

Hmm, where to begin!

Well, last week Zack started school, and he LOVES it. His first day he was so excited he was up! and ready! by 6.30am. Followed by two and a half hours of asking “can we go yet?” on repeat.

Second day? I had to drag him out of bed at 8am, ahahahaha I think I could get used to this school thing!

*****

Max managed to get into Zack’s lego, and instead of throwing it all over the place became completely besotted with the little lego man who had a racing helmet. Spend at least 30 min running back and forth between the lego and me, asking (well, showing) me to put his little man’s helmet back on. I showed him how to do it himself and he shouted “yaaay!” and ran away with it. Guess he doesn’t need Mummy for everything then huh? *sobs*

*****

We went into town on Wednesday with Max, while my parents picked up Zack from school. A whole trip without a single whine or moan! Bliss! Mind you, the bus journeys there and back weren’t that great. There is one bus an hour from here to town, and it takes a good 40 minutes. Thing is, the vast majority of buses here are now those “kneeling” buses, you know, for wheelchair and PUSHCHAIR access. Not the one on then though, ohhh no. I had to take Max out of the buggy, collapse it, try to wrestle it through the (stupidly) divided steps up the bus and then leave it lying haphazardly in the tiny little area meant for bags. Twice. In and out. There was *no* way I could have done that on my own.

As a result, I’ve got a new buggy being delivered this week. F*ck that for a bit of freedom – I’m not going to be stuck in this tiny lil place while Zack’s at school all day and D’s at college just cause I can’t get Max on a bus! (yes he’s almost 3, and no he doesn’t walk very far, you have to realise, the world is a scary place for Max, and his buggy is his safe place)

*****

It’s been a good week here, but nothing that *hugely* stands out, you know what I mean? One of those weeks where pretty much everything goes to plan, and you don’t even realise it! I suppose it’s a bit like if you only give a child attention when they’re naughty, you tend to not realise when actually they’re doing really well at being good (not that I’ve ever ignored Zack… really… *cough*).

*****

I got some prints from Photobox on friday, and I was really excited about one of them, which I’d had blown up to a larger size (about A4 ish when you look at it) to put in a frame. Zack was really intrigued about it all, wondering what was in the big tube that Mummy had got in the mail, so I said it was a photo! that I really! liked! and was going to put on our wall.

He sat down, said he was SO EXCITED to see what the photo was of… I unwrapped it all and…

Mummy, it’s just a tree! He said with scorn! Not impressed is an understatement for how he was! LOL

*****

What are your Sunday Snippets? I can’t wait to find out!

I’d love weekends so much!

In the past, weekends are the only times when the kids were at home the WHOLE time which, to be honest, drove me mad!

However, now that I’m officially part of the School Run Mums Club, I am relishing being able to be lazy in the mornings at weekends, even if it is coloured with constant attention seeking from my oldest, and happy squeals/screeches from the lil man!

Of course, I though that I may actually get to sleep a little later today. 7.30am on the dot I woke up. Both kids still asleep. ARGH!

Needless to say I *had* to get up to go to the loo (damn kids making my bladder weaker…), and by the time I’d done that, Zack was wide awake. So much for some quiet time before he was awake then huh?

I have figured out that so long as I’m in bed by 11pm every night, I am mostly alert and awake enough in the morning to not feel like a zombie, which is a good thing. But… goddammit I’m a night owl! I don’t LIKE going to bed so early and missing out on me-time. I love staying up as late as can be to squeeze every minute of child-free time I get! 1am… 2am… sometimes even 3am. They’re normal bedtimes for me, not 11pm! *sigh* I guess it’s just the inevitable huh?

I’m looking forward to one day being a pensioner who can sleep when she wants and do what she likes. Since that’s still about 40 years away though, I’d better just get on with what’s going on right now rather than whiling away my days thinking about the future.

I’m all ready with the Sunday Snippets for tomorrow… I hope you are! The last few weeks have been missed as we’ve had so much going on, but I have loads to tell you, so I’ll see you then, and hopefully you can tell me some of your Sunday Snippets too!