Pussy cat, pussy cat where have you been?

We’re back. And we had the best time! There are stacks of photos below which I make no apologies for either the amount of the disorder of! I will go through day by day and you can match the photos if you are so inclined, or skip them altogether or just enjoy them as you go!

Monday – a very very smooth train journey upto Victoria – my parents did not come after all but Dad did drop us at the station. I had packed the lightest I’ve ever packed for anything in my life ever and managed to fit stuff for all of us for two nights into one large (but very heavy!) holdall. So with a child each, the pushchair (containing one of them) and the holdall we arrived at 11.30am and went straight to the Big Bus Tour ticket seller and bought tickets for that. The plan was to jump on, have a bit of a tour before getting off at the London Eye which our Travel Inn was next to. That plan went a bit awry with the many, many, many changes of bus where they turfed us off to get back on and wait around and stuff (all with two kids, pushchair and increasingly heavy holdall!) so at Kensington we decided we had starved the kids of lunch for long enough and leapt off at a Burger King to feed them.

We got back on, and having changed at Marble Arch we went to the Travel Inn. And wow what a Travel Inn it is! Situated within County Hall, right at the foot of the London Eye, next to the Thames and within bonging distance of Big Ben. We exclaimed at the huge size of our room, lounged about a bit and went for a wander along the bank of the Thames, back down to Trafalgar Square and then back to the hotel. Dinner in the hotel restaurant and a fairly early night, with a brief London at night walk round the block after dinner.

Tuesday – we had our London Eye flight booked at 11am, but had paid for my parents to join us so Ady sweet talked the man into changing our tickets to two for the first ride at 10.30am and two for the last one at 8pm (kids were free under 5). So on for the first daytime ride which was fab. The London Eye seems to be a bit maligned within London – nicknamed the London Eyesore, and I guess it is a bit pricey, but as the kids were both free we thought it was quite good value for the four of us. Ady was photoman for the whole trip, Teeny was superbrave adventure toddler and laid down across the glass and Monster started off a bit nervous but soon got over it.

We then got a black cab to the Science Museum which was totally fab, Monster and I went on the simulator ride which was a comet exploration thingy – he just scraped in on both height and age restrictions and the ticket seller said to me ‘He won’t be scared will he?’ Monster butted in with ‘No, I won’t be scared cos I am super brave!’ and sure enough he was! We then gatecrashed the Bubble Show in the basement which Monster adored. He stuck his hand up and shouted out answers along with all the kids on their school trips and was loud and proud – I was also very proud! After some exploring of the hands on stuff we went next door to the Natural History Museum.

Now ever since Monster showed signs of loving dinosaurs I have been longing to take him to the History Museum but he was tired, a bit bored and not really up for it tbh. He did perk up round the specific dino displays but really he was more interested in getting a present in the gift shop than anything else. Over the whole trip he did really piss me off a couple of times being whingey and wanting to be carried lots, but in his defence he did have some pretty late nights, the whole trip was quite intense and I think we possibly tried to go at grown up pace instead of kids pace – we should have either aimed to do less each day or (dare I say it!) taken a second pushchair to allow him to have a nap and a rest from walking each day… Forgot to mention that shortly after arriving on the first day we decided to stay an extra night and come home today instead of Wednesday.

We got back to the hotel and had a sit down, some tea and a bit of rest before getting back on the London Eye for our ‘bedtime ride’ which was totally fab. It was really quiet and we shared the pod with a couple of giggly chinese young girls and a very very bling couple. Both couples adored our kids – the chinese girls wanted to cuddle them all the time and they all took loads of pictures of them! This was the first time Teeny wore her poncho – she didn’t want to and Ady and I fell out a bit about my insistance that she did wear it. It is currently her new favourite garment and has not been off her since (see I was right!). Even later dinner and bed.

Wednesday – we decided to do the tour bus again and go everywhere! So a trip from the London Eye to Tower Bridge, a Thames River trip back up to Westminster and then the tour all round – we hopped off at Buckingham Palace and saw the end of the changing of the guards, then we walked back to Victoria and bought sandwiches for lunch at M&S before getting back on the bus to Hamleys. The kids both got pressies and I got to go down Carnaby Street – which was fab – and then my mobile rang – it was former Boss Lady and how cosmopolitan did I sound saying ‘oh yes, I’m in Carnaby Street just now!’. It turned out she had been in London the day before and we could have met up for a girly lunch which was a shame 🙁 We found a fab shop called David and Goliath which sold really cool T shirts etc with girlie and very un -pc slogans such as ‘boys are smelly, throw rocks at them’ which were way too small for me, way too big for Teeny and probably wouldn’t have been so cute out of the context of the shop but were most covetable just the same! Back on the bus for the hotel and an evening wander round the block and to the nearby souvenir shop to buy overpriced tea towels and snow globes!

Thursday – up early and I’m not sure why but we were crap at actually getting out of the hotel! We walked to Trafalgar Square and bought cakes and coffees from one of the cafes then sat in the square to eat them and watch the filming going on there. After a bit Teeny and I went off to visit a shoe shop we had spotted where I bought the most lovely boots (pic to follow) for a tenner and some birkenstock-a-likes for next summer for £7. When we met back up with Ady and Monster they had been approached by the scout woman for the filming and asked to take part as extras – Monster had to walk round and round one of the statues holding Ady’s hand. The rumour was that it was a coffee advert so be on the look out for a small boy in a bright red fleece next time you see Gold Blend on telly!

Back to the hotel having walked along the Millenium footbridge and a taxi back to Victoria and the train home. We have had a peaceful afternoon ringing parents and Chris and Julie to say we are back, kids early to sleep, I nipped to Tescos and am about to turn in myself. Really looking forward to going back up to London for the MP meet next week – its just an hour to Victoria and I really think we will start going up quite regularly – I have really changed my opinion of London this week – I used to hate the feeling of anonymity and smallness that you can feel there – this time it just felt exciting and full of promise and loads of stuff to do.

Have lots of educational and catch up stuff to blog but it will have to wait – I want to do a bit of a round up of Monster now he is 4 and Teeny had really come on loads in the last couple of weeks – London really improved her vocabularly – she can say London, Wheel (what her and Monster called the London Eye), Bus, Knock knock, poncho! and more. Have not even attempted to read anyone else’s bl0gs (and possibly will give up on even trying and simply hop back in where you all are right now!) but we’ve had a great week and its nice to be home too.


no idea who they were but they were inside the palace gates for the changing of the guards and when they came out afterwards everyone was taking their photos so we joined in! Probably won some radio phone in competition or something to see the palace but just incase they are really famous! Posted by Hello


Monster – who announced to me on the first evening ‘Mummy, I’m a London Boy now!’ Not sure if he had the capital letters there or not but Ady and I were hysterical singing London Nights! Posted by Hello


an arty shot from Ady – the kids were excellent at nightime and the two other couples we shared the London Eye pod with both took loads of shots of them being all cute! Posted by Hello


I’ve been desperate to show Monster this since he started his love affair with palentlogy – he just wanted to go to the gift shop! Posted by Hello

Oh go on, just a quick one then!

Been all round the blog ring and although I have only posted about two comments I read everything from all week so feel quite virtuous!

Had a good day today with a couple of minor blights. Mainly my own impatience really – one of my biggest pet hates is the inability of the four of us to get out of the house to get anywhere on time – and yet when it is just me and the kids we are never late. I’m not blaming Ady (well I suppose I am, but I don’t want to) cos he is the one who got up with the kids early and let me sleep in til 8.30 and did hoovering upstairs, changed the bed and so on, but he knew what time we needed to leave and was still faffing about ten minutes after that and cos he’s in the house (and also cos I am impatient shouty threatening mummy lady) both kids only want Daddy to put their clothes on, put their shoes on, take them to the car and so on. Grrrr!

Monster was a bit showy off at Chris and Julie’s again today. I am sure its just his age and also the fact that with three younger children he gets a bit neglected really but he seemed to get nagged and told off loads. I probably tend to come down on his side a little more than Teeny’s sometimes cos I remember only too well being the oldest and therefore responsible and in trouble for any spats and I also know Teeny well enough to know she does a great line in being the annoying kid sister then looking all cute and innocent when they are getting told off but sometimes he just doesn’t help himself… Ady also tends to play with Maisie a lot when we see Chris and Julie – which means both our two get a bit attention seeking as a result. No easy answers but I hate the feeling (although I’m sure he’s long since forgotten it) that Monster is getting bawled at all day long. Aside from that we had a lovely couple of hours with them before coming home via my parents.

They are supposed to be coming to London with us tomorrow but my Mum has lost one of her front teeth crowns and is hoping to get some sort of emergency work done tomorrow so they can follow us up tomorrow afternoon / evening. We have a trip on the London Eye booked which we will still have to pay for if they don’t make it up for Tuesday morning so I hope she gets it sorted. We are still off on the 10.08 train and looking forward to it – so I won’t be around again till Thursday. While we were there we had a dig through their loft and we have come home with a massive bag of Lego to boost Monster’s newly started collection which will go down well. My Mum is also going to see if she can dig out some of her old knitting needles as I have decided I would quite like to have a bash at knitting but it seems to be an expensive hobby to start from scratch. Watch out for pictures of proudly made but dodgy very long scarves on the blog soon!

Ooh, also forgot to blog that in among the post arrived while we were away was a letter addressed to the ‘parent or guardian of’ for Monster about the fact he is old enough to start school in September 2005 (keen aren’t they!) and would we please indicate our first , second and third preferences for schools on the form and send it back. Quite impressively in the enclosed booklet of Q&A it says that many people choose to send their child to private school or even keep them at home to be educated but they still need that information so please indicate that on the form when you return it. I sort of feel a bit hunted really, not sure why. I think its cos I really wasn’t expecting anything – and certainly not a whole year in advance anyway. I’m not sure whether they got his details from the doctors list / HV or whether its from when he was born and the fact we are back in the same address means we got the letter – I guess seeing whether one arrives for Teeny in two years will answer that one – they may be looking for her up in Manchester! So I guess we are well on the way to being ‘official’ now eh?

Had an enlightening chat with my parents about HE and why they think I am a bit mad not to send them to school to ‘get some respite from them’. I can see where they are coming from – I have always said I wanted a career, out of the home and never even really wanted children but here I am committing to spend 24/7 (I hate that phrase, even more so from my 58yo mother who thinks she is being ‘street’ by saying it!) with them for the next 10-15 years and scuppering any hopes of a big career. And they are right to a degree but as I have said before if the only case for sending the children to school is a childcare option for me then its not a good enough one. I think we have got to the bottom of their thinking now: yes HE is probably the best thing for the kids, certainly school holds no great charm but the real question is whether I can do it without either killing the kids, myself or ‘wasting’ myself in the process. And as they have tapped into my own greatest fears its not one I feel able to answer without working through it myself. Julie has offered – next year – to have the kids one day a week and I have offered to do the same in return which will give me one day a week ‘off’ and having read and been inspired by Joyce’s success with the new childminder I am seeing that if I can just get myself sorted with one of my business ideas then this is a very real option which will sort stuff out on many levels. This was supposed to be a brief blog, and I have blogged this all before anyway so I will stop now and go to bed ready to get up early and so all the last minute things I have not done yet!