10 Things You Didn't Know About Me...

So I was tagged by Mummy V Work  I have to tell you 10 things you didn't know about me before this post, so here goes:

1. I have a BA (Hons) in Childhood & Youth Studies
2. I have 8 chickens and a House Rabbit.
3. Asa and I will have been together 15 years in September
4. I am 5ft 2" tall
5. I used to dress up as various different Costume Characters as part of my job, which resulted in me falling over in the Town Centre dressed in a 6ft Easter Bunny Outfit!
6. I have climbed Helvellyn via Striding Edge and loved it.
7. I love watching Rugby on TV and also at Broadland -Great Yarmouth RFC
8. My starsign is Aries
9. I passed my driving test on Valentines Day
10. I am the Community Manager for Great Yarmouth and Waveney Neighbourhoods on Made For Mums website, if you live in my area, give it a look xxx

I'd like to invite the following to do the same

Here Comes Trouble

and link back to http://hexmum.blogspot.com/2011/07/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-me.html

Cats Ahoy - A perfect rhyming read for little ones.

A swashbuckling tale of pirate plunder, derring do and a huge

haul of haddock!

When Alfonso the cat hears there’s a boat coming into harbour carrying its largest ever catch, he hatches a plan. It’s brave! It’s bold! And it involves a ghost pirate ship, some rather gullible fishermen, and cats … LOTS of cats.

With an infectious rhyming text and laugh-out-loud illustrations, this book is set to become a firm favourite for fans of life on the high seas.

Peter Bently lives in the writer-filled town of Totnes with his wife and a perfect ready-made audience of two young children. He enjoys visiting schools and sharing his writing. Inspired by living close to the sea, Peter's first book for Macmillan was the terrifically toothy THE SHARK IN THE DARK. Staying with the watery theme, Peter has employed his trademark humour and mastery of rhyme once again to the fun-filled CATS AHOY!

Jim Field is a lead-driven, pencil-pushing, 25-frames-per-second, Led Zeppelin fan. He is also a hugely talented illustrator and animation director whose previous clients have included Waterstone’s, Sainsbury's, Oxfam, The Independent, The Guardian, The FT, Channel 4, Virgin Mobile, Nokia, GQ, Haymarket and BAC. CATS AHOY! will be Jim's first picture book, and his vibrant, energetic style and witty detail is sure to delight children and adults alike.

We received this book to review and my children think its great. There are pirates for Kaide and Cats for Eowyn and Neva, all rolled into one.

It is a rhyming book which always seems to make for good, fun reading. It isn't too long so even at aged 2.5 Eowyn sat and listened to it without being distracted. The illustrations are funny with lots going on, it has friendly looking cats, even when dressed as Pirates.

Both Xene and Lochlan enjoyed reading this book to the younger ones and I could hear them reading it in character voices, which is always a good sign that a book has met with their approval.

I would definitely recommend this book for families with young children as it is short enough to hold their attention and its the kind of book you don't mind reading over and over.

It is also perfect for slightly older children like Kaide who is learning to read, because of the rhyming, if he gets stuck on a word, chances are he can figure it out because of the previous sentence ending.

A great read for everyone!

Butterflies anyone ?

From 16th July - 7th August we are taking part in the Big Butterfly Count.
Fifteen minutes peace and quiet, with children sat as still as mice trying to spot butterflies, its fantastic!
Wonder if I could convince them that the rest of August is the big bumblebee count...or moles...or dragonflies, anything that will keep them quiet for fifteen minutes has my vote!
Our garden is covered in Buddleias, or Butterfly Bushes and you can see why it gets that name, so far we have had Red Admirals, Peacocks, Speckled Wood, Large Whites and Gatekeepers.
Its a wonderful project to keep track of the Butterflies in Britain but also teaches my children about the various types of Butterfly.
If you havn't sat and looked for Butterflies, check it out at http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/
I guarantee the peace and tranquility for fifteen minutes is heavenly xxx

Neva and Lochie Butterfly Spotting

Review It's A Miracle carrier

Celebrating their 50th Birthday this year and with approximately 30 million babies having felt the closeness and security of a BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier, BabyBjörn is proud to present their latest edition to their family of baby carriers, the BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Miracle.
The BABYBJÖRN Baby Carrier Miracle is designed fit your newborn baby (minimum 3,5kg,) perfectly from day one. The baby carrier's waist belt and lumbar support offers superior comfort for you too– right from newborn to approx. 15th months.
The BABYBJÖRN Miracle baby carrier allows you to vary the position of the baby carrier at every stage, and the `tape measure' facility allows it to even grow with your baby. Carry your newborn close to your heart - high up on your chest and facing you - providing that essential closeness whilst at the same time allowing you supervision of your baby's breathing. When carrying an older child you can position the baby carrier lower down on your hips to transfer weight away from your shoulders...as with all BabyBjörn carriers, when  your baby is about 5 months old and wants to see whats going on around them you can face them outwards.

 

SUPERIOR COMFORT. Ergonomic waist belt and adjustable design provide optimal comfort while your child grows. Easy adjustments, made front the front, transfer the weight between hips and shoulders.

PROVIDES ESSENTIAL CLOSENESS AND BONDING. Carry your newborn child high up on your chest and facing you, close to the comforting sound of your voice and heartbeat

I have always been a huge fan of BabyBjörn and have used their carriers with all of my children. So when I was kindly given the new Miracle Baby Carrier to review I was very excited at the prospect, I had heard such good things about it and I am very pleased to announce that it has certainly lived up to its reputation and has exceeded my expectations.

Tyrus at aged six weeks is still in need of the closeness of mum, so I find that he spends most of the day in the Carrier, which is not a problem due to the design of the Miracle, it has great padding on the hip area and the comfortable back support means that I do not get a backache, regardless of how long I am carrying Tyrus around, it is easy to adjust if I feel there is too much weight on my shoulders, I just adjust it so that more weight is distributed elsewhere.

I am able to prepare dinner, load the washing machine, unstack the dishwasher, in fact there is nothing that I have yet found unable to do whilst holding him in the sling.

It feels very luxurious and Tyrus immediately falls asleep whenever I put him in, if I then need to put him down, the Carrier is so easy to take him out of, he stays fast asleep.

I love the fact that I can take Tyrus in and out by myself and my teenage daughter is also able to carry him in it, without any trouble, because it is so easy to adjust.

It is also convenient when we are out walking, especially if we find ourselves somewhere that is difficult to take a pram, I can just put him in the Carrier and also have two hands free to hold onto the other children.

It has all the usual fantastic BabyBjörn extras, such as the instructions for use inside and a size guide on the inner part so that you know which height to have it at, dependent on the length of your baby.

I absolutely love this Carrier and I would recommend it to any new parent, and I can see that this will be used constantly for the next couple of months and beyond.

For more information on this fantastic carrier, please visit  BabyBjörn

Not as Glam as The models but It is Me

And Tyrus of course !

Review - Bubble Buster The Game of Pinging Bubbles !

Bubble Buster - Be the first to burst 20 bubbles. The two wands count the number of bubbles burst. The more bubbles you burst, the higher the note the wand sounds. When you burst your 20th bubble, the wand plays a fairy fanfare, but beware not all bubbles will make the wand go ping.

We were sent this game to review, now I have to admit, when I have seen this advertised on television I was extremely sceptical that this would work, but how wrong could I be!

After many days of trying to get outside and play, we finally had some sunshine!

Bubble Buster is Simple, Playful, Active fun.

You simply turn on the bubble machine, which had everyone excited by itself, and then two players rush around with their wands trying to burst 20 `special’ bubbles that make the wands go PING.

A brilliant game, that encourages the children to run around, without them realising that they are getting exercise, especially when there is a slight breeze and the bubbles go quite a long way!

Lochie and Xene filling up the Bubble Machine

The wands were light to hold and easy to use, the music was pleasant, without being annoying, also great just as a bubble machine, a family game, that keeps children aged 2 to 13 amused, is certainly a hit in this house.

The age range says from 4+, but even Eowyn aged 2 loved it and ran around popping the bubbles.

     

Xene aged 13 called it fantastic,  Lochie aged 11 said it was awesome, Neva aged 8 said it was great and Kaide aged 5 said it was so cool, so a really great game for different aged children.

I am sure this will keep them entertained throughout the entire summer, if the weather stays nice..

For  more information and stockists please visit http://www.drumondpark.com/

Scuttlebug is A Hit ! Review

Scuttle Bug is a revolutionary foot to floor ride on. The simple 3 step folding system allows the Scuttle Bug to be folded and unfolded in seconds. The Scuttle Bug is lightweight and compact, allowing it to be easily carried and stored when not in use.

The 3 wheel design is stable and allows loads of fun and freedom. Specifically designed wheels allow a smooth and quiet ride both indoors and outdoors. This safe, reliable and durable ride on helps develop balance and steering skills. No assembly required.

Eowyn was sent a bumble bee Scuttlebug to review, she was very excited when the box arrived, I was surprised at how small the box was. We took it out of the packing and it was ready to ride almost instantly, you just have to pull out the two back wheels and click in the front.

It is the perfect size for Eowyn and she loves it!

It has lived in our house for the past few weeks because of the awful weather, but because of the design and material of the wheels it can be used in or out, although she was a little reluctant to take it outside at first in case it got dirty!

I always struggled when her older brothers and sisters were playing on their bikes because she had outgrown her little ride on car and hasn’t yet got the strength to pedal a bike, so this is just perfect, she feels like a big girl and can ride around the patio keeping up with the others.

Another benefit of the Scuttlebug is that it is so lightweight and compact it can be transported with her and taken wherever we go, it evens fits in my rucksack!

For more information, visit http://www.mookie-toys.co.uk/#/products

Summer Holidays Are Finally Here !

Hooray, no more early mornings for the school run...No I was woken up at 6am by Tyrus and Lochie, one hour before my school alarm usually goes off...
Oh well, can't expect them all to stay in bed till the same time, although 8am would have been lovely!
I cannot believe that my little man Kaide has already been in school a year, where does the time go, even more scary that both Xene and Lochie will be in High School in September.
This week has been rather hectic, every child seemed to have different activities on different days with some in uniform, others not, thank goodness for a Family Calendar, although if there is anyone out there that knows of a Calendar/Family Planner that has space for eight people, give me a yell..
We have had Climbing Walls, Archery, Sports Challenges, Family Fun Night, two discos, various non uniform days, Summer Concert and Six week baby check, all in the same week...
On Friday morning I took Xene and Lochie to try on their new school uniform, and had to take out a new mortgage to pay for it! However they both looked very smart in their new Blazers and the PE kit is so much funkier than ours ever was...
Tyrus is now weighing in at 11lb 14ozs, moving steadily along the 75th centile and he is starting to smile, but only for me xxx
After much debate for a summer holiday, we have finally decided on a lovely farmhouse in Wales, although the two boys were keen on a caravan, I find it much easier to manage them all in a big house, and there are not numerous arcades on site, tempting them in and costing us a small fortune, although not looking forward to the journey with six of them, apparently children begin asking "Are We There Yet ?" 30 miles into a journey, so its going to be asked many times.
I think I can hear more children approaching, so the fun begins...........

Take That and Oasis Lullaby CDs Review

As we all know, young children and babies love simple, uncomplicated melodies to lull them to sleep – especially on long car journeys. But after the umpteenth playing of that classic nursery rhymes CD, parents can be left feeling a little exasperated.

Babies Go CDs cleverly re-create the classic tracks we’ve all grown to know and love, from artists ranging from Abba to The Rolling Stones to Take That, as lullaby-style recordings. Not only do the simple melodies appeal to children, adults will find tasteful re-creations of tracks they know in a familiar yet wonderfully enjoyable way.

Each Babies Go title contains 13 or 14 full length hit tracks from the respective artist, following the exact arrangement of the original tracks but re-creating them entirely using only musical instruments that have a calming and appealing feel to babies and toddlers. 

We were very kindly sent Take That and Oasis to review, and I can honestly say they are amazing, I confess to being a Take That fan and was most upset to realise that their concerts were taking place during the time of Tyrus’s birth, so was unable to attend, however listening to the CD more than makes up for it, it is amazing how soothing pop music can be, and I will never tire of listening to it.

The Oasis CD is also fantastic, and makes me feel very relaxed, which is rather strange because relaxed and Oasis are not usually two words that would be associated with each other! I absolutely love the CD covers of the little Take That and Oasis babies, so cool.

When I first played the CDs Tyrus immediately settled, and felt much more relaxed, with a definite favourite of Could It Be Magic for Take That and Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis, the other five children thought the CDs were great and promptly began singing along, it was at this point I knew that I obviously have the say on the music choices on our car journeys!

At a cost of 12.95 with free postage and packing, these will definitely be on my list to buy for friends after they have given birth.

For more information, visit http://www.babies-go.co.uk/

BABYBJÖRN CUP COMPETITION

The new BABYBJÖRN Cup is the perfect first cup for your child. The cup’s easy to grip materials and soft distinctive shapes, make it simple for them to learn to drink from an open glass, just like mum and dad.

Developed with paediatricians, industrial engineers, children and parents the  BABYBJÖRN Cup helps to get your baby drinking properly. What’s more with its unique design and low centre of gravity, the cup is very difficult to knock over. Functional, yet visually appealing, the BABYBJÖRN Cup contains no BPA or phthalates and is made from durable and recyclable plastics so it is safe for the microwave, the dishwasher and the environment.

Stylish as well as practical, the BABYBJÖRN Cup can also be used as a feeding container and is designed to fit perfectly with the BABYBJÖRN Spoon.

The BABYBJÖRN Cup is available in two colours, red and green and co-ordinates with the rest of the kitchen range – feeding plate and spoon, soft bib, eat and play smock, booster seat, safety seat and the new BABYBJÖRN High Chair RRP £179.99
If you cannot wait to win the cup head over to the website and take a look (RRP £8.99)

I have one of these fantastic cups to give away, to be in with a chance of winning, please do the following:

Head over to BABYBJÖRN Facebook page `like' them and say that Hex Mum sent you, (if you are already a fan then just tell them I sent you over).

If you are not a fan of my facebook page, please like Hex Mum and follow my blog :)

Please comment below that you have liked and your facebook name.

Good Luck

Closing Date : 20th August

The Booby Booster Review

The Booby Booster.

What a great little invention, wish I had one of these when Xene was breastfeeding.

I have never been one to be particularly large chested, but before I had any children I was average sized, then after I stopped feeding the first one they disappeared altogether!

So the only time that I have a decent size cleavage is when I am breastfeeding, not that I would recommend having a baby just to get big boobs!!

Anyway, as the pregnancies have gone on I am finding that my chest has increased and is not so young and firm, dare I say even a little droopy..

The Booby Booster has been great for feeding Tyrus, it acts as a little hammock for my breast and Tyrus is able to latch on much easier, plus my back doesn’t hurt half as much through stooping over, trying to get him to  feed, and there is no need to sit there holding my breast at the right angle and height, which means I am free to hold one of the other children’s school books and listen to them read, whilst feeding.

I would definitely recommend this to any expectant mum that intends to breastfeed.

You clip the hook onto the existing maternity bra clip, and basically cradle your breast in it, then adjust the strap to the required level, genius.

`A sling, that attaches to your maternity bra. It sits under the breast while feeding, assisting the breast to stay in place.

A heavy breast can cause the nipple to drop. The Breastfeeding sling helps avoid the nipple slipping out of the baby’s mouth while feeding, avoiding nipple damage and poor latch on.’

Go and check it out at http://www.boobybooster.com.au/

Final Countdown to The Summer Holidays Hooray

Not long now, until no more getting up early, rushing round like a crazy woman - well not for the school run anyway!
However, my calendar is a nightmare. Last week Lochie had a Circus week, he spent the entire week perfecting the circus arts of  plate spinning, diablo, the chinese pole, being a clown and his favourite The Trapeze. So on Friday afternoon Asa, Eowyn tyrus and I went to his school to watch them all perform. They did a fantastic job and I was so proud of Lochie on the Trapeze. However he is NOT going to run away and join the circus when he leaves school as he announced that was what he wanted to do for a job....

Yesterday he spent the day solving puzzles, on a climbing wall and doing archery, we never did tany of hat at my school!
Today he is visiting his new high school, he looked very smart in his shirt and trousers as he went to school today, can't believe I will have two children at High School, where does the time go!

Win, Win, Win

Here goes, my first competition, to win a Nuby Manual Breast Pump.
To be entered, please follow my blog and like my facebook page. I can also be followed on twitter @ Hex_Mum. When I reach 100 facebook fans and 50 blog followers I will pick a winner, so please share and like with all of your friends. I already have offers of competition prizes from three companies over the next few months, so keep a look out, and enjoy reading about our crazy household xxx

Sports Day Hooray

This week we had Neva and Kaide's Sports Day, hard to believe that last year they considered cancelling it because it was too hot, the same could not be said of this year, as we all sat in jumpers and raincoats!
We went to school for a picnic lunch first, which was rather chilly. Eowyn must have thought she was at a Major Sporting event, when she saw daddy across the field she immediately ran to him, but had obviously consumed too much liquid which had caused her pull ups to become heavy,and her trousers fell down, consequently resulting in her streaking across the field!!
When the bell rang all of the children retreated to their classrooms and changed into their team colours. We were routing for the Swallows team in yellow, hooray.
When Xene and Lochie were at the school,Sports Day was OK, but they never really became competitive, now that Neva and Kaide are taking part, its a whole new ball game, they are both very sporty and athletic, funny how they have all been brought up the same but all so different...
Kaide and Neva came out with their team, Asa commented how sensible I had been giving Kaide tracksuit bottoms to wear, which was met with a very strange look from myself, on closer inspection Kaide was indeed wearing tracksuit bottoms, but I had not given them to him, nor did he have any in his PE bag, yes thats correct, his PE kit had been mixed up with someone else's - i'm sure I put his name in his kit, or did I ?!? Anyway he wasn't complaining, though i'm sure some mummy at school was wondering why her son wasn't wearing his tracksuit bottoms!!
They had a lovely time taking part in the activities, unfortunately Neva hurt her ankle half way round, so she had to retire early. Kaide however ran at great speed and with lots of enthusiasm.
Eventually the winners were announced, but it wasn't the Swallows, however they were perectly happy with the ice lolly that they all received.
The day ended with the traditional Parents Assault course, I however did not take part, because I had Tyrus in the sling and last time I took part it resulted in a You've Been Framed type video of me being unable to bounce on the Space Hopper and falling flat on my bottom, oh happy days ...

This Bed Ain't Big Enough For The Five of Us !

So the Beach Rugby was a HUGE success, Tyrus slept in the sling all the way through the first half, woke for a feed whilst I was eating lunch, then slept for the whole second half...
The weather was warm and sunny apart from lunchtime, when the heavens opened, note to self a sun tent will only stay waterproof for a short shower, anything after that starts to leak in from the bottom and creates a puddle where you are sitting!
Anyway, Asa I can proudly say, ended up playing in the top tier of teams and only lost on points difference, although the team he was playing for did actually draw with the winning team, unfortunately I was managing the pitch behind so missed both of his tries, thankfully Xene and Lochie say they saw them, so he was happy!

Yesterday morning when Asa woke up he found that he could barely move! I think he was a little too enthusiastic at the tournament and is still suffering today...
Last night everyone went to bed as normal, I woke up to feed Tyrus at about 3am, took him into our bed and within five minutes of us being in there I heard footsteps down the corridor and in crept Kaide, he quietly moved round to asa's side of the bed and climbed in. No more than two minutes later Eowyn also found her way to our bedroom and attempted to climb in, at this point it verged on the ridiculous and I can see why people invest in Super Kingsize beds!
I eventually gave up trying to get comfortable and resorted to sleeping in Kaides bed, which was fine until Tyrus woke up for another feed and I thought it looked quite light outside, I sleepily trundled through to our bedroom to find the radio blaring loudly, and had been for the last twenty minutes, with Asa, Kaide and Eowyn snoring away oblivious to the fact that we were now late for school and work.
With much efficiency and the occasional shortcut (no hair straightening for the girls today) we actually managed to leave the house only five minutes later than normal. Must put alarm clocks in EVERY bedroom xxx

Beach Rugby Here I Come!

Well yesterday morning was the first time I had seen 4.30am for a long time, did you know it is light already! In fact the last time I saw that time of morning I was probably coming home from a nightclub, fifteen years ago! I was up so early I went and let the chickens out, but they were all still asleep...
Anyway I spent most of yesterday walking round like a zombie, although Eowyn did learn a new skill, she has developed her fine motor skills and is able to use scissors, unfortunately she was practising on my address labels I had written, oh and a packet of playing cards whoops!
All children were finally in bed at 10pm! So I am able to do a 17.5 hr day....
Thankfully all children stayed asleep until 7.30am today, although I think they would have stayed longer if it hadn't been for the extremely thoughtful neighbour who is converting the barn adjacent to our house, who started hammering at this time grrr
Today I am off to the beach, but not for a nice relaxing sunbathe-those days went with my youth, no today I am a Pitch manager for a Beach Rugby tournament! With Tyrus in the sling and Xene and Lochie to be my helpers, its a good job us mums can multi task.
Hoping that it will stay dry, don't really fancy standing on Great Yarmouth Beach getting soaked, the things I do for my husband (he is the Chairman of the Local Rugby Club).
Just had confirmation yesterday that the Leicester Tigers promotional trailer is coming woohoo wonder if they will bring any players ?
Two years ago I atually played Beach Rugby with Paul Sackey and James Haskell, I was a lot fitter then and didn't have a four week old baby! Although I was still feeding Eowyn so by the end of the day I had a pair of boobs that resembled Jordan!
OK have a lovely day I am now going to pack a bag for the day that will probably resemble a weeks worth..You forget how much stuff a new baby needs, even after six babies...

Peppa Pig is my Heroine !

Not only is she THE most easy character to draw, even for the disaster artist that I am, its just a hairdryer shape head, but she has managed to do something that I failed at, no not jumping in muddy puddles, because I for one am an excellent puddle jumper, but the elusive Eowyn and potty training....
She has shown no interest in discarding the beautiful Disney Princess pull-ups, my fault for buying them, bet she would have refused to wear them if they were Bob The Builder!
Yesterday morning she announced I want Peppa Pig knickers! So not wanting to appear too keen I immediately took her to the shops and purchased five pairs of sickly pink and bright blue Peppa knickers, after searching for twenty minutes for the correct size!
We arrived home and she promptly removed the Princess pull ups and tried on the first pair of knickers, followed ten minutes later by removing those and trying on the next pair, followed ten minutes later, well you get the picture.. although she did announce to me on pair four that they were too small and wouldn't fit her botty, er no that was because there was no picture on the front and she had put them on sideways!!
Anyway, after trying on all five pairs, she returned to the first pair she had tried and went about her playing, twenty minutes later, without any word to me, she went to the downstairs toilet and  retrieved her potty, sat down and had a wee hooray, why oh why couldn'y I get her to do that....
Unfortunately being the independent number five child, she helpfully attempted to tip it down the toilet, what ensued was a half hour clean up/ disinfect by mummy, oh well she tried!

So fingers, toes, eyes crossed that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship with girlie knickers and a potty/toilet, we shall have to wait and see xxx

Internet Shopping has returned!

Up until three weeks ago I happily trotted round the supermarket for the weekly groceries, however since the birth of Tyrus, the mere thought of traipsing two children around the shops fills me with dread, so it's back to the computer, where I can feed Tyrus and order food at the same time...
I had it all planned a quick shopping list on Saturday evening meaning the food would be here on Sunday afternoon, easy I thought.
That was, until my computer ran at a snails pace, and I only had until 10pm to checkout, as the clock slowly ticked by a very grumpy (and smelly I may add) Eowyn proceeded to walk into the study half asleep and tell me "Mum, I done a big stinky poo" and attempted to take off her pyjamas and pull ups, not a very easy thing to do when you are half asleep. Needless to say I quickly gathered the items needed for a smooth change and a lovely little sign pops up on the computer your booked slot is no longer available ... aarrgh guess there's no shopping until Monday then.
So today after visiting the dentist (I was in 5 minutes, he took two Xrays and told me to come back soon !) between the hours of 12 and 2 my shopping was to arrive, as if on cue at 1pm when Tyrus had just woken up screaming for a feed, the shopping van arrived TYPICAL, so there I was one handed trying to drag the shopping bags into the house, when I had eventually finished unloading I looked at the time and it was already school pick up.. where does the time go ?
But on a happy note Xene appeared to enjoy her first day at High School, although she had snuck out the house with five bracelets on her wrist and persuaded dad that they were allowed (until she was asked to remove them!!) She only got lost on the way to the science block and complained that she was with a bunch of `stupid boys' how long that will last who knows...

Xene's Last Day at Middle School

Today my eldest Xene finished at Middle school, her year is transferring to High School on Monday for three weeks before the Summer holidays, to settle them in.

So the question of leaving school in style had been discussed, in previous years it had been various different coloured Limos lining the school playground, however as they were leaving on the most popular prom day of the year, prices quoted for a limo ranged from £300 upwards for one hour!

Time for a different mode of transport, here enters Mandi with her 9 seater Tourneo...

The entire morning was spent hoovering and cleaning the bus, then decorated with Red White and Blue bows and lots of handmade streamers from the left over ribbons.Add four tubs of bubbles, a bottle of flavoured fizzy water and eight paper cups with fairies on and we had THE most cool mode of transport.

Asa kindly agreed to pick them up, whilst I collected the rest of the brood, so after lots of hugging of teachers and final goodbyes, it was off to KFC for food and round to her friend Charlottes house for a sleepover, a big thankyou to her mum Diane for volunteering as its usually my house!!

Wonder what mood she will be in tomorrow.....