My new blog link

I have now finally moved back to blogger.So this my last post on here I will keep this blog running.Here is the link for my new blog http://kicami-alythebean.blogspot.com/

Aly

I’m moving…..back to Blogger-Updated

I enlisted the help of Liz of Violet Posy to get my Word press blog back to Blogger.But after a few fails, she had to give up.I would like to thank her for trying to help me on the moving front but she has answered some questions I have on blogging.I found out on Twitter via Dad Who Writes that Blogger don’t except XML (?).Anyway, I am now painstakingly copy and pasting ALL my posts from this Word Press blog back to my Blogger blog.Which I’m thankful that I never actually deleted it, I just hid it.It is a pain in the arse , but it means I can add links, edit and tidy up some posts.I would like thank Yzzy of Mama Pack for pointing out my mistakes on links.
I have now joined the mummy blogging course through Erica of Little Mummy which although I have been blogging for some time, it has been very useful and hope to learn a lot more.I have also found a lot of good advice from reading the blog of Sally Whittle her recent post about Mummy Blogging for 2010 is indeed interesting and worth a read.Sally’s Top Parent Bloggers Index has also given me an insight to how competitive blogging is going to be.I am way, way off being any where near getting to bottom of the list and quite frankly I don’t think it would be next year before I get the kind of hits required to enter.Another good blog that covers mummy blogging is A Modern Mother by Susannah.She also founded British Mummy Bloggers.
I am therefore taking my blog back to whence it came and keeping it simple.I started my blog to keep a record odd things my kids did for other family members who don’t use Facebook or Twitter.So I will not be doing a Monday Make, a Wordless Wednesday or a Funny Friday video after the New Year.It has restricted my feedom as a random blogger and it has got in the way of the Sleep is for the Weak wrtiting workshop.I have also decided to back track and keep my kids names is my blog.Using DS, DD1 and DD2 seems impersonal and I only using it on twitter now as it’s easier and doesn’t use up too many characters.I would also like thank all my readers and those whose write a blog.You have been a great source of inspiration in many ways.You have me laugh out loud, cry to the bottom of my heart but most of all you’ve all been supportive whether if it’s to do with blogging or every day life.I will conitnue posting recipes and craft ideas, that is one of my strengths.I have also noticed since coming to Word Press that I get a few hits for breastfeeding and cloth nappies of which I don’t often talk about so I will write about my next Breastfeeding Workshop, more about the types of cloth nappies, tips and ideas and new products.I will keep writing about the Pagan year and how to celebrate it.
I finally would like to wish everyone Seasons Greeetings (blankets all religions) and a Happy New Year!

Aly

I’m moving…..back to Blogger

After much consideration I have decided to move my blog back to Blogger.While I’m setting my new home I won’t be posting any more on here.I explain all my reasons once I’ve moved and set up house.

Writing Workshop-Special Shoes

This is my post for Sleep is for the weak writing workshop.I chose Special Shoes inspired by Jo Beaufoix

This Pandora.She appears in comic strip featured the rock magazine Kerrang!.

I want to be her.

But most of all I want her Boots.

Somehow I don’t think they will go with the rest of shoes.

These are my Summer flip flops.

I also wear slip on pumps.

But they have holes in so when it’s wet I wear these, my tie up pumps.

For a long time I only wore these.My vegetarian boots.

I bought new boots recently which are warm go with anything.

I can’t wear high heeled shoes because of my scoliosis my I would just like to try a pair of those boots.

Blog overhaul

Protecting Identities

I have after much consideration decided I will now remove all references to my children’s names from my blog and for these reasons:
*I’ve had searches to my blog that contain my children’s names.I know they aren’t directed at my children but I still find it disturbing.
*I read on another mum’s blog that her son Googled her name and come across her blog with her photoshopped on a bikini clad woman.He thought it was her.Now, I know sometime in the future one of my 3 will Google me or themselves and I don’t want them to embarrassed to find references of themslves.I’ve always used my nick name (Aly isn’t my real name) so there is no come backs if I should at some time in the future decide to get a job away from home.

So I will be using DS, DD1 and DD2.I was using this on Twitter but kept getting the girls muddled.I had thought of nicknames but I thought this method is more straightforward.

Posts

I have been doing a Monday Make, Writing Workshop Tuesday, Wordless Wednesday and a Fun Friday for a few weeks now and it has become a bit much for me.I am STILL trying to work out how to use WordPress and I need the time to get my head around how it works so I will blog haphazardly until I get a few things sorted.I still have issues with:
*Plug-ins.Some widgets on WordPress need a plug-in.I still don’t how to add them.I’ve downloaded shit loadsalot and I don’t know what to do next.Can anyone help?
*You may have noticed my theme has changed a few times.One of the many things that made me change ove from Blogger was the professional looking themes.Again I’ve downloaded shit loadsalot but then what.The themes on WordPress dashboard are very limited.Can anyone help?
*How do I find out who subscribes to my blog? Can anyone help?

I hope these changes won’t spoil your enjoyment of reading my blog.But if I’m to make this work I have to take time out to get my self aquainted with the way WordPress works.Until my next post.

Fun Friday- Stewie (Lois mom mum mummy)

Everything is A-Okay! – Sesame Street’s 40th Birthday

I loved Sesame Street as a kid.It was an insight to whole new world.Growing up in England we watched shows like Button Moon, Bagpus, Jamie and his Magic Torch, Chorlton and the Wheelies, Bod amongst others.This were either cartoons or badly made puppets.Don’t get wrong I love those shows too but to sit and watch a show that was so vibrant, cheerful, informative and engaging was so refreshing.Sesame Street launched November 10, 1969.Sesame Street is well known for its Muppets characters created by Jim Henson.It is the longest running children’s program on US television.Up until the late 1960s, the use of television as an educational tool in the US was “unproven” and “a revolutionary concept”.In 1966, the Carnegie Institute hired Joan Ganz Cooney to study how the media could be used to help young children, especially those from low-income families, learn and prepare for school.Cooney proposed using television’s “most engaging traits”, including high production values, sophisticated writing, and quality film and animation, to reach the largest audience possible.Cooney suggested creating a program that would spread prolearning values to both viewers and nonviewers (including their parents) that would affect them for many years after they stopped watching it. Sesame Street uses a combination of animation, puppets, and live actors to stimulate young children’s minds, improve their letter and word recognition, basic arithmetic, geometric forms, classification, simple problem solving, and socialization by showing children or people in their everyday lives. Since the show’s inception, other instructional goals have been basic life skills, such as how to cross the street safely, proper hygiene, healthy eating habits, and social skills; in addition, real-world situations are taught, such as death, divorce, pregnancy and birth, adoption, and even all of the human emotions such as happiness, love, anger, fear, sadness, and hatred. Also, recently, the Sesame Street Muppets discussed the late-2000s recession with their most recent prime-time special Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times.[Taken form Wikipeadia].

I would love for it to come back on telly in the U.K. I know my kids would love it as I have been showing them clips via YouTube.It we great to see that cuddly yellow Big Bird Big who stood 8″ 2 tall, who had many talents including signing, poetry and uni-cycle riding.His friend was who Big Mr. Snuffleupagus( who Big Bird calls Snuffy).

And there was Osacr the Grouch who lived in a dustbin (trash can).He complained about everything.
Through Oscar, children actually learn about respect and tolerance instead of disrespect and intolerance, and they discover that people with different views and lifestyles can still be great friends.[Taken from Wikipeadia]

And there was Count Von Count.A vampire who liked to er..um, count!

My favourite part of the show was the pinball machine that counted to 12.So that’s what I am going to leave with you with.Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!

Wordless Wednesday-Candid Camera

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make it Monday-Roast Pumpkin Soup

Make a Smilebox recipe

It’s Friday- Poo, buses and sick

Following up from yesterday’s post, today I was off to Bath.I was up with Mia just after 5.Being up so early I thought I could mosie around doing stuff before getting breakfast and getting the kids dressed (sat on my arse Tweeting).I hadn’t got any clothes ready the day before, made up drinks or food for our journey and I hadn’t washed up the night before.So I eventually I ate my breakfast and sorted out laundry to put on before I left and filled the sink with dishes and cultlery.The older kids got up and had their breakfast and I carried doing chores sat on my arse Tweting.Then at 7:45, I started the washing up and I got Caitlin dressed.Kieran being 7, dresses himself.I then left the washing up and started to iron my clothes for today.Kieran was shouting at Mia to get down from the dining room table (it’s a large table in the living room).I kept popping back in and because she can quite easily get up onto the the chair and then the table (last week she caught stamping on it).I eventually gave up on the ironing and came in to get Mia down and to get her dressed.By this time Mia had done away with her nappy which by now was lying on the floor.So I put the nappy in the nappy bucket and washed my hands.Mia was busy at work.I came back in and she was sat on the potty.”Oh, wow! Clever girl!”, I said.”There’s poo”, said Kieran.”You’ve done a poo?”, quite shocked as she’s only being doing it a couple of weeks.”No, look”, said Kieran.And sure enough there was poo.Poo all on the back’s of her legs.She looked up at me, straining her backwards with a big grin.Then she saw we were pointing and started to rub her legs.”No, honey!”, I exclaimed.I swiftly grabbed the spray bottle and a handful of fleece wipes.I wiped her hands, which already had been in her mouth (gag).I sprayed all over the backs of her legs and she stamped around saying, “pssssst”.I wiped her down and led her down to wipe the rest off.Wipes in bucket, hands washed and I put her in a clean nappy.She was sitting on the potty again when I came back in saying “poo poo”.Yes, Mia very funny.Now, I knew that there was bigger piece of poo lurking around somewhere.Somewhere, but where? And there settled in between the slatts of the chair Mia had been sitting on was a large, squishy poo.Out came more wipes, tea tree oil and kitchen spray.It was now almost 8:15.Sy was up helping to get the coats on the older kids and getting hair brushed.I got Mia dressed.Then I got myself dressed.”We haven’t brushed our teeth”, informed Kieran.So 4 of us went to the bathroom and cleaned our teeth.Sy whisked Caitlin off to school, while I got mine and Mia’s coats and shoes on.I dropped Kieran off at school and almost ran down the road to catch the bus.I saw a friend of mine and so stopped to quickly say hello and tell her where I was going.She wanted to know my mobile number as she was sure the number she had for me was wrong.So I had to explain about my phone and I would text her later.So off we went to get the bus.I stood at the side of the road opposite the bus stop and 2 seconds later it passed me.Crap.Crap crappity crap.I crossed over and Mia started to ask for drink.So we went to the local shop (bus stop outside) to buy stuff because I hadn’t packed anything.It was only a half hour wait.An hour later we we’re in Bath.I had arranged to meet a Pagan friend who I had never met before.It was by chance, as she saw me Tweeting on Twitter.So before meeting her I went and got the bag of presents from the lost and found office that I had left on the bus the previous day ( that’s why I was in bath).Presents retreived, I set off to look at the new shopping centre.I didn’t see much as I needed a wee.After negoiating the lifts in M&S and using the toilet it was off to LUSH.I love LUSH.So after spending too much.I went to meet my friend.We chatted, drank coffee and she left to get stuff for her trip to London (she’s going to Witchfest).By now Mia was awake (she fell asleep on the bus).So she ate and drank.I got her out and put her on her reigns.She chased the pigeons and signed bird.We watched an African dance group who were performing in the street.

We then went to the Disney shop.We didn’t stay long as she was knocking and grabbing everything.So we then went to my next favourite shop in Bath, Arcania.It smells of incense, looks hippyish, sounds of Celtic harps, and sells crystals, alternative religion books and magazines (mainly Pagan), oils, candles etc.Mia was on the rampage.She spotted a whole table full of crystals and made a bee line for them.At home I have crystals all over the palce, so she just thought she was at home.Now the table was at toddler height so it was really difficult to keep her away.I tried carrying her, but she just wailed and kicked out.Eventually I managed to get her back in the push chair and I bought the lastest edition of The Pentacle magazine.She settled down once we we’re outside.So I decided to get some food from Boots and head home.On my way there, a sandwich board lad handed me a leaflet for the new Sainsbury’s express.So I went there (nector points).By which time Mia was off on one again.I sped round the shop picking up a large chicken baguette, a ribena, an ice tea and a punnet of grapes before we queued up.The line was huge.The self-serve till was just as bad.Once in the midst of queue Mia worms her free from her push chair restraints and starts taking stuff off the shelf.So I’m trying to get her back in and take back what she stole, shift the basket on the floor and push the push chair.A old lady behind me could see my situation and said “They shouldn’t put them there.It’s unfair”.Once everything was paid for we stopped outside so I could give Mia the juice and some food.The lady who was stood behind me came out and had a chat about the shelves and generally was showing concern.It was raining now so we headed back to the bus station.Once on the bus, me and Mia finished off the food and drink (Mia squirted all of hers over her trousers.On purpose).Half way home I started to feel queasy.I get travel sick.Mia was getting restless and I got her out of her push chair.She stood on my legs for a while but then she was trying to get down so she could walk around the bus.After lots of cries and guffaw I put her back in her push chair.She quietened down.Her eyes statrted to roll and she looked peaceful and pale.I was getting more queasy and sleepy.But I was busting for a wee.Busting.Then Mia pointed for more grapes.She put it in her mouth, bit it and then spat it back out.The out came ribena, bread and muffin.Lots of it.A mum sat across from me offered me a wipe.I mopped up Mia.Took her reigns and coat off.Poor thing! Either she ate and drank too much or she was travel sick too.We got home at about half 2.She was fine at home.She had a feed just before 5, just as the potatoes began to burn (sssh! hubby doesn’t know!).So I left her to sleep and she woke up at 9:15 had a feed and was asleep again.
The moral of the story: Don’t put off doing stuff you know you should do today because tomorrow it ain’t happening.Stop tweeting and get off your arse and don’t over feed/water your child.