So, despite my partner's best efforts at being seriously ill last week, I made it to Blog On again! Yeeeay.

What a top do! I was fortunate to be invited to the CBiasUk sponsored meal at the Hard Rock Cafe on Saturday night. It didn't go entirely to plan with the tables being ready around an hour late, we ended up being offered dessert well after 11pm (which is too late when you have to be back in town for 10am next morning) but overall it was a really nice evening.

There was a lot of this....


An awful lot of this....


And some of this....

A while ago I told you about the LEGO Star Wars Intergalactic Dream Bedroom Competition. A competition where children had to design their own bedroom and for one lucky winner the team from LEGO would build it for them.

The winner was 5 year old Milun Simpson from Knebworth in Hertfordshire, with a great drawing that had loads of detail.

Along with a bunch of other Britmums Bloggers, very kindly gave me vouchers to go and buy our food for the Bank Holiday weekend and test if their produce is just as good now that they've lowered everyday prices. How could I refuse?

I had a really nice letter in the post today. The sticker on the envelope was incredibly familiar...


And when I opened it....



 

I love my children's school....they know that to a young child family is everything, and they always talk about home and share stories and care about each other's lives away from school. It really enriches the children's knowledge and social skills, and encourages reluctant talkers. Two days ago my son came home explaining to me all about someone's baby brother's tongue tie, and yesterday it was a birthday so they all ate cake and sang.


Today 5 year old son's group made my partner a card.  It's even got everyone's signature inside. It's the best Get Well Soon card ever, and possibly the cutest.

Must be working too, he had some scrambled eggs for tea :o)

I want to get off...

You know those times. THOSE times. The times when you reach that point where you really are wondering if it's possible to go and hide under the duvet and it'll go away.

The times when the easiest thing would be to just lie down where you are and close your eyes, put your hands over your ears and enjoy the cold feel of the floor, and the muffled sound of people talking but you can't hear them and they know it, so you don't have to respond.

The times when you wonder if you have time to run to the car and drive away without anyone seeing you go. Just for a while. Until it's all over and then you can go back and someone else will have fixed everything.

The times when no-one else can say anything because whatever they say, you'll cry.

I have a had a few of those times over the past 9 months. This morning I really did have one of those times.

My partner is ill, he has Tonsilitis. He's still not fully right after having Meningitis, so he's become really quite ill. Really 104 degree temperature ill. And this morning when I discovered at 8.15am that he'd spent the night vomiting blood I had one of those moments. I really did just want to announce I was going out to buy bread and just walk and keep on walking. Just until it was fixed. Just until he was better.

Of course I didn't run away. I very calmly said that I didn't believe that 16 gallons of brown slush (approx) equated to 2 tablespoons of 'undigested soup' and that I was very sorry, but "I am going to take you to A&E. I know you hate the thought of it and the reminders, but you are vomiting blood, it's a medical emergency and we need to go to hospital".

The 5 year old safely in the care of the school Office Staff - who said nice things and made me cry - we set off with our 4 year old. For the second (and I really wish it will be the last) time we went straight through triage and into a cubicle.

4 hours later and everyone is pretty certain all the blood is from my partners throat and tonsils - which are shredded. We're all happy with this outcome. Our 4 year old has eaten his bodyweight in Mini Cheddars and drawn us 42 pictures of himself in various poses. My partner has anti-emetics and cramp medicine for his tummy, a normal temperature and has even managed a smile as we say goodbye. 

As we walk to the car park I get a call from my 20 year old. "My rent is due at the beginning of the month and I don't have it, so I'll have to come back to live at home. I've got to be out on the last day of the month and I hadn't realised that's tomorrow. That's come quick hasn't it? So when can you come and get me and my stuff?".

THOSE sorts of times.....

Belo and Me is a small independent company based in Bolton making reusable jute lunch bags. Belo is Portugese for beautiful, and these bags really are, they're also incredibly well-priced at only £3.75 plus postage. They're simple and practical and I think ideal for most age groups. I let my teenage daughter choose one to review.

Monstar Finds A Home is this month's new release from Orion Books in the red Early Reader range for children aged around 5+. Written by Steve Cole and illustrated by Pete Williamson, it's a 72 page story about a fluffy green pet belonging to 2 children called Jon and Jen.


The red Early Readers are designed especially for children who might still want to read with someone else, but are beginning to feel confident and can work out words alone. They're the next step along from blue Early Reader books which are designed to be read together with a brand new reader.

My son is 5 1/2 and he's pretty good with the blue band books now and can work out most of the text that he hasn't already learnt, so the obvious step is to try red band.


The obvious differences are that this red Early Reader is laid out more like a standard book with chapters, there is more text on each page and longer and trickier words throughout, with less repetition than is found in blue Early Readers.


My son spotted the difference immediately and was a bit daunted by this book at first, but after we'd sat and read a page or two he was happier when his turn came to read as he'd realised it's just the same as his other books, only slightly more of it.

The story is a simple and fairly daft one. The two children Jon and Jen have mad scientist parents who have promised they can have a pet, so they make them one - Monstar.


Somewhat as you'd expect things don't entirely go to plan and it's Monstar who saves the day.

My 4 and 5 year old boys enjoyed this story and thought it was very funny. They liked the character Monstar - although they were stunned when they fond out she was female, which led to a big discussion about monsters and aliens not always being boys! .

Monstar Finds A Home is published by Orion Books and has an RRP of £4.99, Monstar The Superhero is also available.

I was invited to an event to find out all about e-cloths and sadly I couldn't go - logistics with my children rarely allow me to attend anything. However they offered to send me some cloths to review and I was more than happy to try them.


E-cloths are specially designed to clean without the need for anything other than water. No chemicals, no abrasives, nothing that'll take the laquer off your paint or make your appliances rusty - nothing to aggravate any allergies.

My hands are in water a lot and get quite dry and sore at times, so I'm more than happy to forego cleaning products whenever appropriate and possible.