Tiger Cave

It's been a while since I gave a JC update. I'm struggling to keep up with the blogging now that I'm back to full time working. I really need to kick myself up the backside.

My little Grumpinator is going through a real imaginative play phase at the moment. He loves playing with little characters and making up stories for them. His favourite story at the moment is that there are tigers everywhere so we need to hide in a cave. He likes building camps and even involves Kaiya in the stories. She is the guard dog protecting him from the tigers!

He is also really into dressing up. Here he is dressing up as a 'scary monster pirate'. He was running around the livingroom yesterday, brandishing his sword, shouting "I'm a scary monster pirate and I'm going to cut your hair!'

ooo very scary. Nothing worse than a monster haircut!

Another role play he loves is having afternoon tea. As a child who spent a considerable amount of time in tearooms whilst I was on mat leave, he knows how to set up his tea set! 

I am loving this stage. He has such a vivid imagination. When a simple fleece blanket can become a horse, ice skates, a princess dress and a cave in a matter of minutes, who needs to buy toys! 

Can I Eat It? - 145/366

What beautiful weather! It's a pity that JC isn't well enough yet to play outside. The dogs are loving it though but they are not so happy about sharing their space with Boris. Kaiya stands at the side of the run and salivates.

The Nutty Dog Trainer - 139/366

I have magic dog training powers, stand back!

First you show her the prize

Eh, this usually works . . .

I just can't work with this one, unteachable!

Pampered Pooch - 134/366

She really is a pampered pooch. This is her favourite position, lying on the couch with her head on a cushion. It's a dog's life indeed!

Begging for Snuggles - 42/366

Kaiya is not allowed on our bed. Since JC came along we have really tightened up on our discipline. However, she gives me this look and I just know she's asking for a snuggle. She hasn't been feeling very well this week so I let her come up for 5 minutes!

Best Friends - 31/366

A Hard Day - 23/366

I've had a busy day today. So busy that this is the only photo I've taken all day! I'm slipping!

Lets Share - 3/366

Kaiya loves to play in his tent and he loves to cuddle into her. He waits for her to stop chewing her cracker toy and then he runs away with it, screaming with laughter because he knows that he shouldn't be touching her toys!

Keep your Moans in Perspective

I felt like moaning today.

Let me paint you a picture . . .

We're moving house and it's all very chaotic. Every box I pack, JC is right behind me pulling out whisks, spatulas and other household objects. 

JC is climbing, he loves heights, I am trying to run around behind him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself.

I'm back at work and I've had parents nights this week - always a stressful event for any teacher.

My band is 'breaking up'. Okay so it's not on a Westlife or Take That scale but it's still full of emotions and crushed feelings. It's all very disappointing and sad. 

JC keeps feeding Kaiya. She has a sensitive stomach so now she is vomiting up JC's snacks all over the house. He could be a ninja, he's so sneaky. 

Some evil person hacked Hubby's XBox account and run up £170 of purchases until we figured out what was happening. Not a great time to lose money when every penny is being counted for our move.

My husband thinks that the best contribution he can make to the move effort is to play his new XBox game upstairs in the bedroom as he is 'keeping out the way'. Saying that he did do the garden today so he might have to take the rest of the week off. 

But, I have plenty to be cheerful about too. 

I have a beautiful child who is happy, healthy and full of spirit. 

I have a husband who cares about me and looks after me. At least I know he is upstairs playing computer games and not down the pub getting up to who knows what. (He also makes a great cup of tea and he makes me laugh)

The stolen money will be replaced by Microsoft eventually, it's a short term problem. 

I have a large, loving family who support and help me by listening to my moans. 

I am moving to my new house next week and everything is signed and sealed. 

I have a secure job that I enjoy. My school kids are like my adopted children and I love them all very much. Parents night is a great night to hear about how parents and children appreciate the work I do. 

Kaiya will recover once JC learns that he can't feed her, this like all stages will pass. 

The band has been a source of great anxiety, time and pressure in my life and I will notice a positive difference when it ends. 

See, I feel better now. It's all about perspective. 

Check out more cheerfulness with Michelle's Blog Hop being hosted by Kate this week. 

And the Oscar goes too . . .

Disclaimer - this is a sponsored post but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy writing it and hopefully you will enjoy reading it. 

Our dogs should each win an Oscar for the best 'sick dog' performance. It's just as well we have pet insurance or we would be rooked! Tell me though, why is it that they seem to be terribly ill when you phone and make that emergency appointment but the minute your foot steps over the threshold of the Vets they instantly spring to life, bright eyed and bushy tailed? 

Being pedigrees, their breed has quite a few 'common ailments' attached. Ours seem to suffer from quite odd problems though. Kaiya has a terrible wasp allergy and comes out in awful lumps all over her body if she is stung, although as previously mentioned, she does like to play it up for her audience. Ruby is slightly hardier but has problems with incontinence, poor old girl. You don't get Tena Lady for dogs and those stupid looking pants you can buy in pet stores would do nothing for our Ruby and her JLo bottom. 

Although Kaiya wins the best actress award, Ruby comes a close second. She got what can only be described as cramp in her leg when she was out for a walk one day and she started holding her paw up and refusing to walk. My Mother in Law, who was out walking her, thought she was going to have to carry her home. She had a wee stretch and managed the rest of the way home. Funnily though, every time she gets into trouble now the 'limp' reappears! 

Boxers may be the clowns of the dog world but they certainly know how to wrap me round their paws! 

Three Word Gallery

Tara has asked us to post around a  Three Word theme for The Gallery. Hmmm, I found this tricky so I turned to pictures of Kaiya. There is always inspiration there.

She will literally sleep anywhere. I have witnessed her fall off so many couches, chairs and beds because if there isn't space for her, she'll try make room. She prefers to have some sort of cushion for her head whether it's an actual cushion, your knee or our other dog Ruby. If hubby and I are on the couch she won't go and curl up in in luxurious and empty dog bed or the empty couch. No, she squeezes herself between us, just because she can.

So my three word gallery is . . .

She Sleeps Anywhere

Body in, head out

It's really her bed, she just lets us sleep in it. 

She has on occasion shut her eyes in this position 

Using my pregnant bump as her cushion

Using Ruby as her cushion

She pretends to cuddle you then makes you so uncomfortable that you move and she gets your seat!

Camping - she slept inside the sleeping bag, not on the floor.

Her favourite cushion

I love it when she cuddles me when I'm sleeping

The Best Things in Life are Free

Sorry it's late! I've been so busy the past few days that I haven't had time to write this post.

Listography this week is Simple Pleasures. The small things that brighten my day and give me a feeling of contentment and happiness.

1. Belly Laughs - I really enjoyed being in the company of people who make me laugh so much that my sides ache, I can't catch my breath and I resort to snorting. I am well known for getting the giggles especially in the loo after a few wines.

2. Snuggles - You can't beat a good snuggle. My favourite snuggling companion is my dog Kaiya. She smells like buttered popcorn and she always makes me feel loved. She is my best friend.

3. The Sound of Water - I've always like the sound of the sea and running water. I find it naturally relaxing. I focussed on this when I was in labour and I was all Zen like.

4. Untouched Snow - My favourite landscape. I love the snow but I hate being the first person to ruin it by walking on it. Usually my four legged babies get there first as they love it even more than I do!






5. The Smell of Books - I nearly dragged my sister Kate into a bookshop in Edinburgh because I could smell them from outside the door. It's a weird fascination but I make no apologies for it. There is something about the smell of a book that takes my imagination on a journey. Where has this book been, who has touched it, how many readers have loved it and where will it take me? I was reluctant to get a kindle for this very reason but although I now love my Kindle, it will never replace my love of a 'real' book.

Patience - The Gallery

This weeks theme in The Gallery is 'one word', here is my entry for this week . . .

Patience

5 Ingredients for my perfect day

Listography time again (late again as per usual!). The list as set over at Kate Takes 5 this week is 5 ingredients to my perfect day. I did actually think about this all day yesterday and found it quite difficult to narrow it down but here goes:

1. I would wake up alarm free. No baby crying, no dogs barking, no postman ringing the bell and certainly no alarm clocks! There is nothing nicer than just letting your body wake up when it has had enough sleep.

2. I would meet one of my good friends for lunch, champers and laughter.

3. Take JC swimming. It is one of my biggest pleasures in life and I look forward to it every week.

4. Take the dogs for a walk on the beach. It has to be their favourite place and I love throwing stones for Ruby and watching Kaiya leg it round in circles.

5. I would finish the day with a meal in a nice Italian restaurant followed by a trip to the cinema to see a good film (with a pic n mix too of course!)

The Gallery - Doggy Togetherness

I'm back!!!! I can't believe I haven't touched my Blog since Sunday, I have been really ill with a stomach flu but I think I am on the mend thankfully.

The theme in The Gallery this week is Togetherness. I have decided to veer away from baby photos this week and go for a doggy them - sorry to all non dog lovers out there but I love my pooches.

Ruby (older and more portly looking one) is a rescue boxer who we have loved for the past 5 years. Kaiya (younger and athletic looking lol) we have had since puppyhood. Ruby didn't like Kaiya at first but has grown to love her over the years. Here are some snaps that sum up togetherness for me . . .

Truly Grateful No1

I am very grateful for lots of wonderful things in my life but if I had to choose 3 for this week they would be . . .

1. I am grateful that my little Grumpinator has started sleeping better at night. He used to wake up every 3 hours and sometimes every hour if it was a bad night! Now he sleeps from 7pm and will sometimes wake between 3 - 6am for a feed but has sometimes surprised me and slept right through until 7am. I do like our midnight cuddles but 6 months down the line, they were starting to take their toll on my face!

2. I am truly grateful for my dogs because they provide me with unconditional love and affection. They are also the main source of humour in our household. Especially Kaiya, she actually thinks she is human. Don't tell Cesar Millan but we do treat her like a human being so it's not surprising! Here she is trying out our garden furniture last summer!

 3. Lastly, I am grateful for my hubby and his willingness to clean up the garden. As much as we walk our dogs regularly (2x a day, more if it's not raining), we often get a dog poo collection in our garden. We have had so much snow this winter that it started to accumulate. Well, tonight Scuba Steve was out their with his wellies on with shovel in hand, in the dark I might add. He got the urge to clean it up so out he went. I am very grateful for this chore as I hate picking it up but I also hate looking at through the kitchen window too. I can see clearly now the poo has gone!