On the 366 photo challenge......

The original inspiration for the 366 photo challenge came from the Day Zero Project website. I had never heard of it before, but thought it was a lovely idea: taking a photograph every day for a year. Strangely after adding it to my personal list, I became aware of more and more bloggers doing the same thing. It was a really nice way to start out the challenge with so many other people doing it and encouraging one another.

I began the challenge by stating the following:

" I'm not a good photographer. My subjects tend to be rather wriggly. There will not be any fancy tricks or interesting angles. But I will try and select pictures that represent our life and document what I hope will be a fun-filled 2012."

I'd love to say that over the year my photography has improved. It hasn't. I fully intended to explore all the different settings on our camera, learn more about shutter speed and composition, perhaps even take a course. I didn't. However, I am so pleased that I took part in this. It got me out of the house when sometimes I simply 'couldn't be bothered'. There are some terrible photographs, but equally there are some lovely ones too. More than that though, the series as a whole and my descriptions really provide a story. A true story: the life of the Simmonds in 2012. A simple, but happy and fun filled (mostly) life. A little piece of history has now been preserved for a lot longer than if these moments and memories were just left in my mind. I know I will look back in years, decades even,  from now and love getting this insight into my life back in 2012.

Here are some of my favourites:

If you are thinking that maybe you would like to do this, then please do it! Pick up that camera and make today Day 1! You won't regret it.

Dear Ella (aged five)

Dear Ella,

Today you are five years old.  Half a decade! Wow. My chest fills with my emotion and my eyes with happy tears as I think back to that day five years ago when I met you for the first time. 

You don’t really look that different from last year. Mainly, your clothes are just a bit shorter. The changes in you this year are harder to see, but they are certainly there none-the-less.

You started school in September.  School wasn’t as easy a transition as I had hoped. You loved preschool so much and you had a fantastic group of friends. Suddenly, you knew no-one and were expected to stay all day every day. You went through a period of two weeks where you cried every morning. It broke my heart and I must admit I even thought (very fleetingly!) of home schooling you as I couldn’t bear to see you so upset. Of course, you now have so many friends and absolutely love school. I am so proud of you, and how you got through this tricky time so quickly and battled to be brave.

You went into school knowing most of your sounds and just three months on you are now reading so many words and spelling them too. You brought home your first book about a month ago. You were so excited and so proud that you could read it all by yourself. It was a precious moment.

You are still such a fantastic big sister. Your brother can be noisy, irrational and unpredictable, but most of the time you and I stick together and ignore him when he is being difficult. You are both very affectionate towards each other which I love so much. Yesterday you sat next right next to him on the sofa to watch Jack Frost ‘just in case you get scared, Mister’.

I love the fact that I am beginning to share two of my passions in life with you- music and books. At the moment you are really enjoying my new favourite album by The Lumineers and you sing along to the words with me. We’ve just finished reading Charlie and The Chocolate Factory together. As a child, Roald Dahl was my absolute favorite author. When a new book came out, I was there at the bookshop buying it in hardback. I love that I’m now recreating these memories with you. You enjoyed the story so much and surprised me every night with how much detail you remembered from the night before. I love that your compassionate nature had you worrying whether Augustus Gloop would ever find his way out of those chocolate pipes and whether Violet Beauregarde would ever go back to her pre-blueberry shape and colour.

This year for your birthday we bought you, among other things, clothes. It’s the first time we’ve bought you clothes as before you have never been that bothered by them and it seemed a pretty unexciting present to give. However, over the past year you have grown to fall in love with anything that swishes when you twirl or is sparkly/glittery. You love to go into your wardrobe and choose what to wear.

Despite your love for all things glittery, sparkly and princess related, you love nothing more than running to the top of the hill round the corner from our house and rolling down on your tummy shrieking with the fun of it all. The muddier you get the better.

You are such a good girl. You love being praised and though no-one would ever accuse you of being a goody two shoes, you do strive to please. This doesn’t mean you don’t test the boundaries every now and again, but you’ve got to love a bit of cheekiness. Yesterday we had this conversation:

Ella: Mummy, can I have some sweets please?

Me: No. We don’t have sweets on a school night.

Ella: Please????

Me: No Ella. Don’t keep asking, you know I don’t ever change my mind.

Ella: Right!! Well, if you don’t let me have any sweets I will put this yoghurt lid on your head!

Me: [stumped for a second} Erm….. well if you do that…..I will eat all your sweets!

Ella: Ah. Just joking mummy.

I loved this little exchange. I loved your hilarious threat and my equally as mature comeback, ahem. I also love how you realised you were never going to win so just made out you were joking. I wish your brother would respond so well to my threats!

You are such a happy little girl. I am sure that whenever anyone thinks of you, they imagine you with a huge grin on your face. I hope this never changes.  

Until next year my gorgeous, clever, glittery, sparkly, muddy, cheeky, smiling girl.

I love you millions and squillions plus a bit more.

Mummy xxxxxxx

My Wedding Day

As part of my Day Zero Project, I have vowed to write about the three most significant days of my life. Number one was the birth of my daughter. Number two on the list is my wedding day:

I awoke on the morning of the 23^rd May 2009 to the sun streaming through the curtains. Relief washed over me with the rays, while simultaneously, my stomach shot down to my feet and back up to my throat. Today was the day I was getting married. Gulp.

Having made the decision to plan the wedding ourselves and have the reception in two venues, (neither of which were experienced in weddings) the week before had been slightly manic. Numerous phone calls were made confirming last minute details, nearly one hundred boxes were made up and filled for the wedding favours, a few first dance practice sessions were squeezed in and copious to do lists were made. But the day was finally here, everything that could be done had been done and it was finally time to enjoy our special day.

One of the biggest worries, as with all weddings in this country, was the weather. So as I skipped to the hairdressers at 10 am in a vest, little denim skirt and flip flops, I had the biggest grin on my face. I must have done something right, somewhere. It was perfect.

I came back from the hairdressers to a house full of people. I thanked my lucky stars again when my Mum told me that yes, The Whirlwind had listened and taken note of The Plan and had her nap. There would have been nothing worse than an over tired toddler on our wedding day. I put my make up on and slipped into The Dress. It felt amazing.  I just hoped The Hubster would like it.

One by one people left the house until just my Dad and I remained. I don’t remember much about the journey to St Andrew’s Hall.  I would imagine it involved me trying to contain the bubble of excitement and nervousness in my tummy and trying to think about anything else other than the hundred odd pairs of eyes that would be upon me very shortly. I expect my Dad joked about and gave me some advice in a calm manner. Probably advice about breathing and walking slowly down the aisle. Advice which I completely ignored. 

Me giving Usain Bolt a run for his money.

Despite being a very emotional person, I really didn’t expect to cry. But as the gentle chords of Finlay Quaye’s Love Gets Sweeter began, the door opened and I caught sight of The Hubster –to-be at the end of the aisle, I welled up. Thoughts of my mascara running just about stopped the tears brimming over, and I practically sprinted down the aisle.

We did the ceremony bit. We exchanged the words we had carefully chosen. The Hubster’s Mum confidently read out a meaningful piece, my brother did an equally good job at reading out a poem we had jointly written, drunkenly, one night. The Whirlwind ran to the front and hid under the curtain. We did the ‘I do’ bit, (or was it ‘I will’?!) and were pronounced man and wife. We signed the register while (unknown at the time) Ronan Parke wooed the audience with his version of Stand By Me. 

Signing our lives away ;-)

We walked out to Baby I Love You, The Ramones. This time, with the terrifying bit over and my new husband by my side, I strolled down the aisle with a genuine grin on my face. I don’t think my face was without that smile for the rest of the day!

The next couple of hours were spent having photos taken, catching up with old friends and drinking Pimms in the lovely courtyard of St Andrew’s Hall. 

One cheeky little flowergirl (The Whirlwind)

Soon it was time to venture to the next venue, so all one hundred of us headed off through the city to the pub where we went on our first date. 

I loved this walk!

There were four great speeches, by the best man, The Hubster, my Mum and my Dad. The Hubster’s parents had very generously booked us a holiday as a wedding gift, but we didn’t know where to. They presented us with a card that told us we were off to Venice on Monday. We were thrilled to bits! Then our friends presented us with another card that told us we were set to spend our wedding night in a gorgeous hotel around the corner. We were feeling very lucky!

The next couple of hours were spent floating around catching up with people, drinking champagne and trying to get a bit of buffet in. At around 6 o’clock we went and checked into to our stunning room for the night. There was a bottle of champagne on ice so we sat on the sofa and had a toast. Our first moment alone as man and wife. I topped up my make up and then we were off again. I remember distinctly walking back through the corridors and stopping at a window to look over the beautiful sunlit city. With my new husband behind me with his arm around me, we savoured the moment. The day had gone so perfectly, and we had the whole of the evening ahead of us.

We walked hand in hand from St Giles Hotel to the next venue The Arts Centre, gaining lots of congratulatory smiles along the way from strangers. I suppose it’s not every day you see a bride and groom, alone, walking through the streets. We arrived at the venue and we were so amazed at how good the place looked. The balloons, the tables, the cake, everything was just how we had hoped and more. It wasn’t grand or extravagant, but it was simple and pretty. We greeted our new guests and then went our separate ways to catch up with old friends.

At 8 o’clock we had our first dance, “When the Stars go Blue’, Ryan Adams. My plan with the first dance was to get everyone a bit tipsy so no-one would notice how bad we were. The Hubster however, had other ideas. He instigated three ‘practices’ the week before. The practices didn’t go brilliantly I think it’s fair to say, mainly due to my two left feet. What we hadn’t accounted for was that of course, with my long dress no-one would see the completely different little jig my feet were doing.

The Hubster grinning and bearing it as I tread on his foot again.

 On the second dance, ‘On a Day Like This’, Elbow, everyone came and joined in.  Straight after Monkey Spanner, the reggae/ska band we had booked kicked in with their first number. We both had a super time dancing with each other and friends.

After some dancing we soaked up some of the alcohol with a delicious hog roast. Soon after followed the cutting of the cake. The rest of the night was spent chatting, drinking and dancing to the music we had so carefully selected.

It was a sad moment when we realized we were down to the last few guests. But we were determined for the night not to end so we carried on partying at a local pub, Delaneys until the small hours. At some point we staggered back to the hotel, exhausted, a little worse for wear, but exhilarated that we were at last man and wife, and that we had had the most fantastic day ever celebrating with our nearest and dearest. It had been a day to treasure and remember for the rest of our lives.  

Thought I'd finish with this one rather than the one taken from the end of the night. It's a bit more flattering!

 

Dear Baby Boy (aged two)

As part of my Day Zero Project, I have pledged to write my children a letter for every birthday. Here's my letter to The Giggle Monster on his second birthday:

Dear Baby Boy,

I have been saying for months that when you turn two you will no longer be a baby. But I have changed my mind. Three is definitely the new two. You are still in a cot, you still guzzle your morning milk from a sippy cup, you still toddle about in nappies and are happily pushed about in your pushchair. By the time you are three, I’m sure you will no longer be doing these things. Perhaps, just perhaps, I might accept that you are no longer a baby then. Or maybe not.

I suppose some people may read this and say I am reluctant to face the fact that my baby is growing up.  Yes, in some respects of course this is true, who isn’t? But gorgeous boy, you are learning, growing, changing and progressing every single day and I am so, so proud of every step.

Six months ago you had one word, duck, or ‘dut’. In the past month you have gone from about 10 words to nearly 50. You have gone from occasionally putting two words together to yesterday putting four words together. It’s incredible. You really made me wait for that moment when you first called me Mummy. It was a fortnight ago and it still gives me a physical surge of joy every time I hear it.

About 6 weeks ago you gave me your first, proper sloppy kiss, completed by a very loud mwtuah noise! Since then I am always requesting kisses. I quite often ask for a kiss and you shake your head or say ‘no!’. Maybe the fact your kisses are numbered makes them even more special.

Just two months ago you would cling to me when we were somewhere unfamiliar. I would have to take you with me everywhere, even to the toilet. Apart from the people close to you, you didn’t really interact with other people. Then two months ago we were at the Dinosaur park and my friend’s husband offered his had to you mid tantrum. To my amazement, you took it and went off and played with him, out of my sight, for half an hour. It’s been uphill ever since. You talk to all the important grow ups in your life and are starting to play with your little friends too.

You still love animals. ‘Dats’ (cats) and doggies are your favourite. You’re rather fond of ‘hawhees’ too. It’s a great distraction technique when you are getting restless in the buggy. You spent ages at your birthday party on Sunday stroking a little dog, giggling away.

You have a new passion in your life since I last wrote to you. They come in all shapes and sizes and colours. You like to ‘plop’ them in puddles, down drains and in rivers……’Stow!’ (stones). Everywhere you go you find a new one or five for your collection.

You love your sister ‘Eyeee’ so much. You miss her when she’s not around and ask where she is. She really looks out for you and translates for you when other people don’t know what you’re saying. You kiss each other every night before you go to bed. Yesterday I forgot and sent her up to her room without one, but you soon made it clear you were not going without your goodnight kiss.

In September your big sister will be going off to school, it will be just you and me. I did have your name down to start preschool at the same time, but then I changed my mind. There’s no rush and I don’t think you are quite ready yet. Ok, I guess I am not ready either. I’m really looking forward to having you for another term all to myself, though gosh I’m going to miss that sister of yours. I have lots of fun stuff planned for the two of us though, things I did with your sister but found difficult to do  with the two of you.

So next time I write to you, you will be three. Three! That really is little boy territory.  I know that between now and then we are going to have so much fun and you will continue to grow and change a whole lot more.

Until then, my beautiful, perfect baby boy.

All the love in the world,

Mummy xxxxxxxxx

I'm not sure how much more of this I can take......

There may be a drought in this country at the moment, but I feel like I am drowning.

I have been battling with you for months. It must be at least four. There was one day when I woke up and you had disappeared. Gone, completely. I sang, I danced a merry dance and I smugly paraded my gorgeous, snot-free children before the world. But alas, the next day you were back with a vengeance.

You appear in a variety of colours, ranging from a sludgy yellow to an almost neon green. My subconscious must have been on form the day we chose the colour scheme for our bedroom as you blend in nicely to the duvet covers when the kids arrive for their morning snuggle.

You can strike at any time. Usually when I've just got dressed, or on the rare occasions I have blow dryed and straightened my hair. Sometimes I don't realise until I look in the mirror and am confronted with a scene similar to that in There's Something About Mary.

Your longevity and sheer quantity has lead to a constant crusty nose on my youngest. And almost like a vampire longs for sweet blood, I lust after picking off the jewel-like cluster. Of course this doesn't go down well the host, so much so I can barely get within a one metre of the fella with a tissue in my hand. I have had to develop a new method which involves sneaking up from behind, and whipping my hand round at super quick speed, followed by a burst of song or dance to distract from the inevitable shrieks of protest.

I'm not sure if you are a particularly powerful strand? But my oh my, you can shoot out of my son's nose at quite a speed and go quite a distance. If you're still around next year maybe the pair of you could go for Britain's Got Talent?

As I round off this post, a loud 'aaaaatchoo' comes from the other room. I shout through to my daughter to get a lowdown on the damage. 'On a scale of 1 to 10, what are we dealing with?' She calls back, 'Uh oh, it's a really long one..... oh no, it's okay he's wiped it. On your coat.'

Roll on Summer.

Double Trouble

We have two children. A girl and a boy. The perfect balance, a nice even number. 'The matching set' as some people have put it. I am grateful every single day and thank my lucky stars for these healthy, gorgeous children. To be honest, I'm baffled that life has turned out so good. I've had a pretty amazing husband thrown my way too.

But. BUT. The people who told me having two children 'is much easier, you just need a bigger changing bag', lied. It was, in fact, a big fat lie. It's not easy at all, it's darned hard work. 

There are two and half years between the kids. I was so anxious about The Giggle Monster coming along and how The Whirlwind would react, having been in the limelight all her life. I needn't have worried, she accepted her new brother into our household with a relaxed nonchalance only a toddler could carry off. He was an easy baby and The Whirlwind's life carried on much the same, only she had a slightly sleep deprived Mummy she had to prod awake every now and then.

Fast forward to today. Today we have a interested, interesting, sociable,  4 and a half year old live wire, who is constantly asking, 'what's next?!'. We also have a interested, interesting, not-so-sociable nearly two year old live wire who sways between loving life and finding fun everywhere, to finding life really quite frustrating.

His frustrations often revolve around toys. The Whirlwind is playing with something he wants so he growls/shrieks at her. Sometimes, bless her, she moves on to play with something else, only for a minute later the pattern to be repeated. Sometimes his growls and shrieks tip her over the edge and she cries and stamps her feet. The Giggle Monster finds this funny, so he shrieks and growls some more. This doesn't go down well with The Whirlwind.

We try and play board games at the table but of course he climbs up and destroys the game. We make things out of Lego and he pulls them apart. We try and read books together but they fight about who's going to lift the flap. I take them out and they both want to go in different directions.  

I can't split myself in two. I wish I could. I feel like neither of them get enough quality time with me.

But there's no use in dwelling. This is a challenging time for our family.  The Whirlwind is due to start school in a few months time and I'm sure she is ready for that extra stimulation. The Giggle Monster is at a tricky age, but I know it's a phase they go through and it will pass.

And for now, I will treasure these moments. These moments that tell me it is worth it:

Making mud pies

'You can do it, Mr.!' - The Whirlwind

The Whirlwind helping her brother wash his hands for lunch.

Say 'Ahhhh!'

Easter bunnies

Sharing a book

A challenging time yes, but also pretty magical too.

Listography Top 5 Male Solo Artists

I haven't blogged for a while, life keeps getting in the way, but when I saw that Kate's listography this week was music related I had to join in.

1) Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks. What an album. I love every song. I possibly know all the lyrics. ( And he smiled at me when I shouted 'Bob! Give us a smile!' at a gig in Brighton. No, really he did!)



2) Bob Marley - Legend. Yep, hands up, I have a thing about Bobs. Legendary, this album certainly is.



3) Jack Johnson - In Between Dreams. I would be surprised if this turns up on any other lists, but I love Jack Johnson. His voice is so soothing and listening to his albums really relaxes me. The summer of 2005 I went on holiday - Singapore to Brisbane, to Fiji, to Melbourne and then home via Las Vegas and I swear I heard it at every place! Happy memories.




4) Ryan Adams - Gold. My Dad who writes at Apache Territory once wrote a post called An Album That Everyone Should Own. He's right. You should.



5) Van Morrison - At the Movies: Soundtrack Hits. Van the Man. He's a grumpy old git, but boy can he belt 'em out. Bit of a cheat putting a best of on, but it is such a good one.



You can check other people's lists out over at Kate takes 5.