Jennieworld Today

The one thing that I think I’ll miss most as my children grow up is the mis-pronunciations and slight alterations of words that you get from little children who are trying their hardest to be grown-ups and talk like Mummy and Daddy. We’ve already lost so many; my elder son is very well read for his age and has a good vocabulary, and we’ve already lost many baby words from my younger son’s vocabulary. “Lellow” is on the way out, they have blackcurrant squash now instead of “purple juice” and many other things have gone away into the mists of babyhood. But a new one has emerged! The annual epidemic is underway in the nursery school, something which luckily both of my children have had before. Several of my younger son’s friends are affected though, so I’ve been hearing plenty about it. And what is this mystery ailment which has struck the local pre-schoolers?

Chickenpops!

Bless him! Just when I thought the amusing verbal interludes were a thing of the past, he finds all new words to delight my ears! But doesn’t that sound like a much pleasanter disease than the poxy variety?! 

We have invested in a Wii Fit. We bought the Wii console eighteen months ago after I was worn down by my husband! I had always said that I didn’t want my children to grow up with their faces stuck to a television screen, so I wouldn’t let him buy a Playstation, but because by the very nature of it you have to move around a lot when playing on the Wii I agreed. And it has been great, especially on rainy days when the kids have been fidgety and longing to get outside. Of course it’s not a substitute for being able to get to the park and run around, but it’s great when we really can’t go outside due to bad weather etc. And so, when I saw the Wii Fit advertised some months ago I said that we had to get it. We had it last Friday, on the day of release (we’re so up to the minute!) and already have had lots of fun using it. There are things that all of us can do, even my four year old can take part in the jogging activities and some of the balancing things. And it monitors your weight and BMI as well as the amount of exercise you do, so it really does incentivise you to try to be healthier. It costs about the same as two months’ gym membership, and I think it’s going to be far better value for money as I’ve already used it more times than I’ve been to the gym in the last couple of months!

We have news! Finally, we are able to tell you that the Cancer Research UK Relay For Life will be held on 30/31 August in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium! (Did you get that from the photos? That was the hint!)

We’ve been keeping our fingers crossed for some time that we would be able to hold the event here, and we’ve now had confirmation from them. So registration for the event is go, go, go!

If you want to know more about the event, whether that’s getting a team together, volunteering to help out on the day or maybe dedicating a Candle of Hope, please either visit the Cancer Research UK Relay For Life Cardiff official webpages, or our unofficial blog, or leave a comment here and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

But for now, I’ll leave you to enjoy these pictures of the Millennium Stadium which I took yesterday especially for your pleasure, as it was such a lovely sunny day here in Cardiff.

I was travelling by bus out of Cardiff today, and I treated myself to a ride on the top deck (I’ve told you before, I’m only seven years old inside!). It gave me a great vantage point for observing people along the sides of the road, and one person in particular caught my attention. He was the mystery jogger I alluded to in the title. There was nothing unusual in his appearance - black jogging bottoms, backpack, medium length hair, not especially tall - but there was something about his gait that drew my attention. I love that word - gait! Not a word I often have cause to use, more’s the pity. Anyway, this young man was running as if he had springs in his feet. It’s hard to explain. I don’t mean just the ease of running that you see in experienced runners, although he certainly did make it look effortless, it was more as if he was expressing joy through his movements. Due to the stop-starting of the bus through the early rush hour traffic, I was able to watch  him for a while, and I don’t know why, but he did bring a smile to my face! I was quite disappointed when he turned off into Splott and ran out of sight.

I love it when something like that happens, something unexpected that comes along and lifts you up without any effort at all. So thank you, mystery jogger, for enlivening my bus journey this afternoon. I hope you enjoyed your run!

My youngest son is four years old. When did that happen? And how did I miss it creeping up on me? I don’t feel old enough to have seven and four year old children. I certainly don’t feel like four years have passed since our last little bundle of joy was put in my arms in the delivery ward. It’s such a cliche, but what my Mum used to tell me about childhood flying by is true. There are only a few months until both my boys are in full time education. It literally just seems a few months since my eldest was learning his numbers before he started nursery. And now he’s off to junior school. These are the times when I really realise that the years are passing at the same speed that months did when I was their age.

In other news, Husband’s beard has (literally) gone down the plug. He tried to shape it into a genuine razor-sharp piratey fuzz, but unfortunately the razor he was using was a write off, and so, consequently was his beard. I have to say that I’m relieved. It really was very prickly and uncomfortable to hug him, so I’m very glad it’s gone. He’s much more handsome clean shaven, and looks much more youthful!!

I have been looking back over older blogposts, to see what I was writing about when I first started blogging, and I found this one about the BBC Big Read which I wrote in October 2006. In it, I mentioned plans of mine to read the remaining two books from the top 21 which I hadn’t quite managed to complete. At the time, I was struggling my way through “War and Peace”, and was wondering whether I would enjoy “Gone With The Wind”. Unfortunately, I can now update you with the news that I am no further through “War And Peace” than I was eighteen months ago, and “Gone With The Wind” hasn’t yet reached my bookshelves! Oops. That’ll teach me to blog about the targets I set myself!

I have just carried a bag full of unwanted toys out to the boot of my car. My mother in law has a friend of a friend who runs a charity shop, so whenever I have a clear out I take anything which doesn’t deserve to be thrown in a bin to her, and she passes it on. I managed to discard a fair amount of toys this month, in preparation for the deluge which inevitably floods in when either of my boys has a birthday. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very grateful to all of the family and friends for remembering their birthdays and sending presents and well wishes, but all the new toys can sometimes put a bit of a strain on the seams of my home when it comes to finding places for the new toys to live! Luckily, the boys have a definite preference for smaller toys such as Doctor Who or Ben10 figures at the moment, which are infinitely easier to house than large trucks or other such toys. And the aforementioned friends and family are also very understanding on the whole and thoughtful as to the limitations of our property when buying gifts.

I do need to carry on with my clearing out efforts, as despite my recent exercise there is still more stuff in this flat than there is cupboard space to house it. Next on the list to be shuffled through are the boys’ clothes. I’m sure it is many months since I last went through their wardrobe, and given the rate at which they’ve been growing, there must be any number of items of clothing which I can now get rid of.

I went through our video collection recently, and gave away a bag full of videos. Also, as I see offers on DVDs I am trying to replace (slowly) some more of the videos, just in order to make more space. If I replaced all the “Friends” videos alone, I would save a good couple of shelves. I did try to give away some books, but I was very unsuccessful. I don’t know what it is about books, but I find them very hard to part from. I get this from my mother. She has many more books than me, but then she has had longer to accumulate! I will be getting rid of some of my books (not too many) soon, but only because they are duplicates of ones also owned by my mother, and as she now only lives a couple of miles down the road it seems silly for us to have the same titles.

I gave this post the title of “The Forth Bridge” because, whenever I think of clearing things out of this house, the job seems never ending, like the story of the never-ending repainting of the Forth Bridge. By the time I’ve sorted through the clothes, toys and videos, it’s time to do the paperwork, books and kitchen cupboards. Once they’re done, the wardrobes are full to bursting again with clothes which no longer fit the boys, and their toy box is in need of thinning out once more. And on, and on. If only there was an end to the job. If only it could be finished, but there we are. I must remind myself how lucky we are to own such posessions that we have a surplus at all. And the alternative to having the toys and clothes to sort out would be to not have my boys, and life would be very dull and dreary without them. I’m not really moaning, more stating the facts of my life! So don’t take this as a whinge or rant post, but as a reflection on my life and the cyclical nature of a housewife’s day to day job.

Just finished watching the last episode of Gavin and Stacey - genius! Soooo funny, and speaking as someone who lives in Cardiff, I know loads of people who talk like Nessa! Also, the ‘Barry Pride’ is a real thing! The Jack Johnson tribute act was supreme! And the rebellion at the price of the bridge toll was way overdue!!

They thoroughly deserve all the Bafta recognition!