Sunday morning!

Well there are grumblings abound here at The Beehive!!

First of which we thought may have been R's appendix!
He has been complaining of a pain just slightly lower and right of his navel in recent days, which on Friday evening was considerably worse than normal. I rang the equivalent of NHS direct to see whether they would be concerned enough to get him to the ER. He was classing his pain as a 7 - (see, too much time spent in hospitals these days, I am starting to use their talk!) The nurse on call did recommend he went, unsure what it might be but concerned that it could be a grumbling appendix. Of course, problem 2, it is 11pm, we have three children asleep in bed, he isn't in a fit state to drive and a friend's dh whom we tried to contact was still out of town. He went by taxi in the end, returning at 4.30am the next morning. Thus far, they haven't found a cause for the pain, BUT he has more kidney stones - currenly not on the move!! AND an oedema on or around his adrenal gland. So, we are now all eliminating dairy from all our diets and trying to stick to a mainly vegetarian diet because having to cook one thing for I, another for R, is proving challenging! W. as you can imagine - is the biggest fan of this idea!!!!!!!!!

Apparently one cause of reccurring k.stones is a build up of calcium (along with not drinking enough water!) SO, reducing calcium intake, ie much of our dairy and anything fortified with calcium, hopefully will help. However, he ALSO has IBS so that means trying to eliminate the foods that trigger that too, which is far harder as that is different person to person. However, we are starting with wheat type products and things that make you feel bloated - hopefully that'll help! Otherwise we'll be on the "fresh-air" diet!

So, great Sunday morning reading, if you are still with me well done, if you have vomited and done a runner, don't blame you!

Secondly today is the day!!! This morning, I braved the "Hundred Acre Wood" agricultural fair competition with my jam, photos and cookies. Smiling like I was a pro at this for fear of being beaten up by an apron-wearing spoon-wielding regular, I boldly walked into the hall adorned with plates of tomatoes, large squashes and some rather dubious looking egg plants! I was dutifully assisted by one such person who was checking in the entrants and adding our labels, she made small talk, but........there was a cool air!!! Judging starts in 10 minutes. I'll keep you posted!

The children start back at school the week after next. I can't believe where the 10 weeks have gone!! The school bus routes are back in the paper and soon the familiar rumblings of the school buses from 6.30am will begin our days! T. gets a locker this year as an elementary student, so he is pretty thrilled with that idea, he also does separate Spanish, sport and art classes where they actually leave and go to another room, that is making him feel pretty grown up too. W. has a new teacher, but is actually finding it harder to realise that he will be going back to the same school this year, poor mite, he hasn't stayed in one place long enough yet! This will be a surprise for him! I. will be doing mornings, as for me and my newfound free time! Well, I plan to go to Pilates a couple of times a week and then......who knows!

Sunday afternoon was spent in that place of "un"-domesticated bliss and chasing my tail. I tried, aimlessly to sort out W and I's drawers putting the stuff they have outgrown in a bag for Goodwill. However, I. decided to assist me and I spent much of the afternoon unbagging the stuff I had already bagged to fish out something that was still the right size! Earlier in the day I had sent R. to the shop to get some sorbet, (obviously ice cream is another no-no for poor I.) - living with us, you would have thought he had fathomed as to why he had been sent for sorbet.......however, he managed to return with sorbet with chocolate in it......well, of course one of the main ingredients of chocolate is............!!!!!! I have promised to ring him at work tomorrow with her diaper delivery for him to change as punishment !!
Mealtimes as a whole (I keep harping on about this don't I!) are proving tricky, not only from a menu perspective, but also from a "letting go" or even a Montessori perspective. We have been allowing I. the freedom of no restraints on her Stokke chair, but she is pushing the boundaries some what. Some days she sits dutifully until she has completed her meal or had enough, then gets down, which is the idea - however, I am also a little in opposition to the Montessori approach to this as I feel that as we eat as a family she could try to at least wait until the boys have finished? i don't know, what do you think? Anyway, MontessoriSchmontessori - she is now getting down and climbing up at the breakfast bar or feeding her leftovers to the dog or putting it in the bin before we have even had a chance! She is like a mini tornado, she can destroy the kitchen in the space of a nano second. So (I hang my head!) the reins were put back on this evening for our meal, Maria Montessori did NOT have kids and did NOT live in my house with three smalls particularly at meal times........! I will start afresh tomorrow!

UPDATE!! - My jam won 2nd place!! And I won a second for colour photography, 3rd for black and white and an honourable mention for my cookies! Curious thing is.......you had to make 6, then one presumes they test them.....however, there were STILL 6 cookies on my plate when I went by hmmmmm, hope they can't take the rosette away if they actually TRY them!!!!!!!!Ah well, here's to next year........gets quite contagious *blush*!!!!!!!