Yeah, that's what I thought too! hehehe

Sooo - being nosey, I did some searching, and come across the following: http://www.cscentral.com/features/l33t/

Quite an interesting little page, and HEY! A l33t translator! hehehe So, for the benefit of those that don't understand English, I've translated this entry, just for you::

:))

W3Ll - H4D 4N 1NTerE5TIng m0rNiN9... +rYIN9 +0 St@y aW4k3, i DeCideD +0 Go inT0 A CH4+ Ro0M @T Y@heLl. 4nYW4y5, 1 N0TICeD P3OpL3 taLK1N9 +o ONE AN0tHer 1N +3h l33T/l337 m@NNer @ND C0uLd n0T ge+ MY hE@d 4rOuNd I+. YOu'V3 pRo8@8LY SEen 1+ B3Ph0R3 - N0RM@l WorD5 83C0Me $Ymb0L5 @Nd l3t+3R5 - 4 lOT 0f m$N U5Er$ $33m T0 lik3 Th3ir U53RN4m3$ 53+ lIkE i+, 5o d4n1EL W0ULd BEcOME D4N13L

Y34h, +h4+'$ WH4T I +h0U9h+ +O0! hEhEHe

$O00 - 831N9 No53y, 1 D1D 5oM3 5E4rChin9, 4ND cOm3 AcRO5$ t3H f0lLOWINg: HTTP://WwW.c5CeN+r@L.C0M/fE4tUre5/L33t/

kWI+E 4N 1NtERE$T1nG LI+TL3 p@9e, 4Nd HeY! 4 L33T +r4n5LA+or! HEHEhe

Well, at about 1am this morning, Bethany and Jo came home. Thankfully, it had nothing to do with her heart - just being a heart kid, things hit them so much harder than anyone else. The long and short of it - she has gotten a throat virus. The doctor said it looks very sore, and has given her some super-strong antibiotics that should clear it up in a few days.

So, it seems me sitting and thinking worse case scenarios was - as usual - me being an idiot. Like everyone has said - she's been so healthy so long, it's a big surprise. We've not had to do the "rush to the hospital" thing in a while, and I guess we grew complacent.

Anyways - when she came home last night she was a lot more cheerful - at about half one I was making me and Jo a bite to eat, and Bethany was sitting a playing, giggling and messing around. She's woken up this morning and isn't well again... I gave her her usual meds and she took them fine. Tried giving her the new antibiotic - much gagging, coughing and spitting. Gave her the paracetamol to bring her temperature down - she vomited, and most of her meds saw the light of day once again... So now we have to watch her for four hours, get fluids into her and cuddle her. She's very clingy - normally is when she gets sick.

Anyways - I have eyes like piss holes in snow, so am going to veg upstairs to kids TV :) The joys of parenthood - I just don't remember signing up for advanced classes!!

- Dan

Where've I been? Not sure really... here and there, in and out. My company continues to pester me, hoping to sack me before they have to make me redundant - starting to *really* get to me now, and they seem to be using every trick in the book - so I just tie the bastards up in their own red tape. Not a lot else I CAN do.

What else... Well, almost on the subject, my back has been giving me some grief of late. I keep thinking "maybe it IS all in my mind" like the company seem to think, and I try something, and I pay for it. Over the weekend I tried to do the lawn. Pah, stupid bloody idea that was, ended trying to strim the grass for fifteen minutes, and spent three days feeling awful. Yeah, well in my mind.

Tuesday, Bethany was in the local paper - it's "Heart Week" here next week (or maybe this week, I'm not sure :) and the biggest heart charity got in contact and asked me to do a piece for the paper. Well, the article came our really well, complete with a very lovely picture of Bethany!

Of course - that tempted fate - as I sit here writing this, Bethany is sitting in the local hospital with Jo :( She's been grumpy and unhappy all day, and at about 8pm, her temperature and heart rate went through the roof - 38.7C and 140bpm. So, 10pm, on the phone to the local hospital, "we're coming up" says we "good plan" says the hospital... They've apparently ruled out anything heart-related, have dosed her on paracetamol to try and get her temperature down, and have attached a bag to collect urine as they think it might be some kind of infection down there. I'm here, trying to keep busy (washing up at 11pm, sweeping at midnight!) and being rather creative at times, my mind is taking worse case scenarios and running with it! hehehe She's been so healthy for so long, and compared to a lot of the heart kiddies, she is really healthy - but this kinda took us by surprise. *sigh*

What else... Well, Jaysen has been accepted into the school we wanted him to go to - starts September 4th, and that will be really strange. He only does afternoons at the Pre-School at the moment, but I've already started getting him into a routine - he's up at 7 - 7.30 most mornings now... Not too bad - but consider WE woke HIM up on Xmas Morning... He does like his sleep! Added to this, Bethany will be doing afternoon sessions at Playgroup starting September - no doubt she will intimdate all the staff, and they will phone us every 10 minutes to tell us "her lips are blue!" or something...

Jo continues to get her stress out in the best possible manner - Live Role Playing... Think of Dungeons and Dragons, but instead of sitting around eating pizza and rolling dice, you get your costume, get your weaponry, and go full-on into character, charging around the woods or whatever beating the living crap out of the opposition! Yes, definite stress relief!

Anyways - that's life in a nutshell - sorry I've not been around!

- Dan

PS - if you've not seen K-Pax, see it. Also - the soundtrack is *excellent*

Today, Bethany had to go to Guys for a checkup on her heart. When she had her last surgery in December 2001, we were told it SHOULD be fine for a couple of years, but of late, we've noticed her getting bluer, puffed out more and generally getting tired quicker. And today was the day that the consultant would have said "Not happy, here's a date for more tests, and she'll have the surgery before the year is out - and believe me, if that were the case, these would be the shortest eight months known to man.

Aaaanyways - slog up to London, get into the office, and he has a good look. She is great with doctors, and he adores Bethany, as he's worked with her since before she was Bethany, and just a trouble making bump in Jo's tummy. He umm'ed and arr'ed and smiled lots, making little noises of satisfaction to himself, and told us that she is doing absolutly GREAT! Her heart function is good and strong, one of the problems with her valve has lessened slightly (Yay Medication!) and all in all, she is doing amazingly well considering the shit start in life she had. She was weight - she is now 22lb 9oz (considering in September she was 21lb 10oz and in March she was 21lb 10oz, that's good for Bethany) and she is 80cm tall (not inches, as I mistakenly told one mum... oops). She is a tiddler - on the growth charts, she doesn't make it onto ANY of the curves, let alone the "tiny" one! But, as she is not of an underfed appearence or anything, they don't care.

Anyways - instead of booking nasties for the year, she is due to have a cardiac MRI in the next 6-8 months, and then they will take it from there!

And to top it all off - we had to come home from London in Rush Hour traffic on the trains - but SOMEHOW managed to not only get a seat EACH, but had a spare one beside us to boot!

So - held breath that had been sucked in for the last week can now be released, and the happy feelings can once again prevail!

The Dante's Inferno Test has banished you to the Sixth Level of Hell - The City of Dis!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very Low
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very Low
Level 2 (Lustful)	Very High
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	High
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Moderate
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very High
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Extreme
Level 7 (Violent)	Very High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	High
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	High

Take the Dante's Inferno Test

People always say to me "It's Sunday, leave it be" but if THAT happened, come Monday, I'd be trapped under mountains of junk, untidied toys, dirty laundry... Ooooh no thanks! Day of rest? When you have kids? pah.

So - agenda for the day (beside wake up and clean up) is pretty much usual for me. I will prolly keep peering out the window - some guy across the road has a rather nice motorbike, and has friends with equally nice bikes - they work on them every sunday, revving the beasts, cleaning them, and at about 2 ish, they move off as one which sounds really cool. Not a bike fan, but I can appreciate them :)

Dave The Lodger and his other half are staying in today - which means they will hide out in their room, only emerging to make a mess in the kitchen, burn stuff, leave their dirty dishes knocking around, the disappear once again. She doesn't like any of us, and it's painfully obvious, so we return the favour - when they start to leave for their room after afore-mentioned chaos, we polietly tell them to either clear up, go out to eat, or eat with the rest of us. hehehe

So... On with the show and all that... Another crappy weather day, not that I ever go out, but still :))

Anyways - I've woken up in a better frame of mind today, probably because the house is still relativly tidy from yesterday, so I've only got to potter around for a bit and wash up the stuff from the kids dinner..

Plans for the day? Well, ideally, I'd like to sit here in my boxers all day and do bugger all, but unless Jo makes a miraculous recovery and the kids move out, that is never going to happen. I like early mornings - no one is up, and I can do what the heck I like without getting interrupted!

So, after a relativly decent amount of sleep - I only woke up twice, and stayed in bed till 6.30 - I think I might actually go wake the kids up (akin to pissing off a bee's nest with a stick ;) so they flake out fairly early tonight!

Have a good one... (Thought for the day: An adult is a person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle. hehe)

10am rolls around - Jo is still asleep, so little bells ring. She didn't feel great last night, and this morning her throat is swollen and her head is blocked. Not to mention the house is CHAOS.

So, I set to looking after Jo, and discover that there is no school for Jaysen today - marvellous. When Jo is sick, the kids sense it and kick up their evilness a notch or seven. Once the house was semi-tidy, I go back to where I started and clear up after the kids. By the time I am done there, they've moved on and so on and so on... Even as I type this they are up in the lounge committing murder on one another - fun fun fun!

So, short of drinking the worlds supply of tea today, I've not had anything to eat mainly because I am sooo bloody stressed. Ah well, sucks to be me as one of my friends says!

Give me an hour, some beers and a bag of Dorito's, and I'll be fine...

My back has been giving me shit the last few days - really unpleasent, gut wrenching pains that make me want to just lay on the sofa and tell everyone to arse off and leave me alone - but that's not going to happen. I think I scored a total of about four hours sleep last night, spent three hours laying there trying to get comfortable but the back was too much, I was too hot, I was too cold - I gave up at about 6am and staggered down into coffee heaven. The kitchen looks like someone cooked a huge meal for six and that no one else cleared up - bet I win that job!

And to add insult to injury - the weather is crap. British Summer Time my arse.

So, instead of wasting time here telling the world "woe is me" I might as well crack on. My back has a credit rating - deal with it now, pay for it later. Chances are I will be about as useful as week-old fish in a few hours! I hate it - I hate feeling like this. I used to be active, healthy and fit. I could run five miles without question. I could cycle all day. I could pick up bags of shopping without wanting to collapse. I think part of it is frustration. When I was sick as a kid, I'd see the doctor and he would say "Oh, you have such-and-such. Take this, see you in five days." but now, I have three different doctors, with three different diagnosis, all itching their heads with a "And we're not sure what to do for you" which is even MORE frustrating. At the end of June, I am supposed to have go into hospital, have a general anesthetic, have stuff injected into the spine, and then go home. The Pain Management guy said "I don't think it will do anything, but it's worth a try" and frankly, I am not looking forward to it - why put me through that shit if it might not work... Bastards!!

Ah well, could always be worse I suppose... Keep smiling :)

I've known Shannon and Amy for four years or so, and they just got married, and are over here on their honeymoon. Seeing as we've known them for a goodly amount of time, they came on over, and we sat and had a good laugh. Their pronounciation of names and places from over here were hilarious, and they thought the way we said it was equally funny... Food and Drink that is part of life here is totally confusing to them, and the names of things they were talking about made me and Jo puzzle and look at one another!

And the money - The americans money system is beyond us - no clue there whatever. It never occoured to us that the UK monetary system would be just as confusing to an american - we just took it for granted. When they asked us how it works, I just looked at them like "Are you serious?" One hundred pence equals One Pound (not weight!)... Jo has been to the states before, and had a grasp on dollars and cents, and tried to explain it in their terms... Five pence is a nickel, One pence is a penny, and on and on...

It also has to be said, that kids TV in the states makes me stare open mouthed - dunno why. Bethany happened to be watching kids tv here, and Shannon and Amy just stared at the TV gobsmacked...

So, just six hours away, there is a whole new world just a-waiting!

(And please note to all you die hard patriots out there - this is not me bashing the states hehehe)

Long and Short of it - ISP has been royally screwed by a massive spam attack, making email access little more than a myth. To add insult to injury, something else went splat (someone prolly pulled a plug by mistake!) and internet access went ka-plooey to boot. So, things started getting back to normal, a stupid backlog of mail started to filter through...

Then my hard drive went bang... Dead. Game over. :( Luckily it's still under warrenty, and as a sign of good will, the guy I got it from even helped recover my data that would have otherwise been lost in the great hard drive graveyard in the sky. Lost some stuff, but no biggy. Of course, silly me, that was just the start of grief - trying to reinstall XP Pro was a mission - ended up having to install Windows Millennium, then XP Home, then XP Pro - and STILL trying to get stuff working - christ knows what I've done, but things seem to be working out!

Course, things got better - a good friend of ours came up to get away from it all Friday night - lots of chinese food and even more beer, had an excellent time!

Now if only I could figure WHY I can't get MSN or ICQ working.. hehehe

- Dan

They aren't what they used to be, are they? I remember as a kid the local dogs raising hell with the cats, chasing rabbits and squirrels, barking at strangers - hunters, guards and generally scary (except for little dogs, they have always been crap!)

So - I am putting out the rubbish this morning, aided by my faithful hound (aided in as much as "Get out the way dog!") when low and behold, under one of the bags, a rather large frog (definetly not a toad, just a frog!) makes an apperance. Kermit sits quite merrily with the "Uh oh - DISCOVERED!" look on his face, when Sally (the dog) sees him.

Now bear in mind Sally (powerful, scary name eh?) is a pure-breed boxer. Hunter-type, all the folds of skin to allow the blood from it's kill to flow away from it's eyes. Sally looks at this frog, and drops to her belly and actually whimpers. Not a "I want it" whine, but a "Please do not tear off my head" whimper. Pathetic creature. So, not wanting Kermit to get stepped on or to become a victim of the "LOOK WHAT I FOUND DADDY! It's other leg fell off", I nudge the frog in the general direction of the rabbit hutch to hide under. Kermit jumps.

Sally runs hell for leather into the house and UNDER the dinner table.

Dogs. They ain't what they used to be...

Anyways - I've had a pretty pants day. Internet is almost non-existant, and email is dead. Deader than dead :( One of these bright spark spammer types has all but melted my ISPs mail servers, and they have a backlog of several hundred thousand mails - most of them are mine, I swear. Added to this, the US Link is playing up, so I am having intermittant net access. The last mail that hit my inbox was - amazingly - spam! To add insult to injury, it was three-day-old spam!

Eggs Spam Spam Chips and Spam

hehe So - been amusing myself with single player Unreal Tournament 2003 - much to my bloodthirsty son's pleasure. "Shoot him in the willy daddy" - that's enough of that topic methinks!

And for the record - I had a bag of cashew nuts today, and my guts are now churning! This might mean nothing to 99% of you, but there are some that will understand the irony of over-eating of the nut family (all rude comments, please send on a postcard :)

Hope ya'll ticking through life merrily... Keep Smiling!

Dan

Today was hectic - Bethany, being a child of many problems- is on a panel at the local hospital. In short, they bring her in for the trainee doctors to look at. These poor souls know nothing of his history, and have to make a clinical diagnosis by looking, feeling and listening to her. She saw 58 doctors today. Fifty Eight. Out of these 58, only SIX figured out she had had open heart surgery (HELLOOOOOO! Ruddy great scar on her chest!) and only TWO managed to guess at a couple of her heart defects. Pretty shoddy, considering these docs have been training for X years and are going to be Pediatricians. Some of the things they were guessing at were scary - Downs Syndrome, Spina Bifida (sp?), one suspected she had a collapsed lung at that very moment.... The list was endless. Only three heard her murmering heart as well. I am HOPING these guys were first year students, as it really seemed they didn't have much of a clue - but, on the other hand, THAT is why I agreed to her being used on the medical board. It's all well and good reading stuff in a book about what you *could* see and what you *might* hear - Bethy is a walking talking science project!

Anyway - it's just something I feel strongly about - I don't expect anyone to understand unless they've been there, so a change of subject is in order.

Tomorrow I have a line manager coming to see me from my company. Not only have I not been in the office for almost three years, and not only are they trying to kick me out the door, but it was announced last week that my department is being shut down, and I am facing redundancy.

But hold onto those "Poor You" thoughts for a second.

Currently, we are living on a pittance... Well, not really a pittance - we get medical insurance, plus some benefits, so we are living quite well - not to mention the company pays for our Cable TV and Cable Modem. But - in making me redundant, and thanks to them not making me redundant after me being off sick for a few months, they've shot themselves in the foot. After six months of being off, I said "Make me redundant" but they said Nooooo. Back then, I was with the company for a little more than three and a half years. Now it's been almost six years, so I am going to be entitled to a nice big hefty lump of money. Not sure how much yet, but even if they only pay me for the three years I was *active* at work, it'll still be a nice lump. However, it's looking better and better for the full six point five years of employment.... So fingers crossed they tell me that my job will be non-existant come Mid June, Early July.

Added to this, I am waiting for someone to pull something from their butt (like their finger) at the office where they deal with Disability claims. I claimed in Early December, and they've farted me around left right and centre. Now I am not expecting anything TOO soon, and I have been told I won't hear anything till at least June, but, that will also be a nice little lump of money heading my way as they have to backdate the payments to the original date of claim! hehehe

We've made plans - yes yes, don't count your chickens before they hatch, but it's sooo hard!!! We are hoping to get the garden done (the previous people here had bonfires and destroyed stuff in the garden, not to mention the scads of chemicals that have killed 90% of the lawn!) and we're also hoping to get our kitchen refitted. And maybe we'll even get married. hehehe

Anyways - that's more than enough of my ramblings - hope all is well in Funky Town with ya'll... Just got to wait for Jo to get in now - she's been to see The Rocky Horror Show this evening, and will no doubt have had a great time...

Ah, Bethy is crying - laters all! :)

Jaysen goes back to school on Monday - he is only on afternoons at the moment, but starts proper school in September. It's strange how quickly he's grown. People used to say "Kids grow up quickly" and I never really thought about it. Of course, he's four and a half now, and I can't believe how grown up he is. He's a whizz on the computer, knows exactly what channels are where on the cable, and you can sit and have a very serious conversation with him (Excluding the "Daddy's got a girlfriend" chant he likes to do when I kiss Jo!). He is so damn nosey as well - wants to know everything about everything, and if I am dismantling some appliance or another (normally because of his Hell-Spawn Little Sister) he sits and helps - passes me screwdrivers and holds screws for me, asking whats' that to everything. He has his moments - don't get me wrong - he can tantrum with the best of them, especially if he doesn't get his way, but on the whole, he is very good.

I suspect it has something to do with Bethany. As I've mentioned elsewhere, she was born with lots of heart problems, and we were living in a depressed state for months. It's hard to be told "I'm sorry, but I think there is something wrong with your unborn childs heart" and then have to go through the three months wondering, planning and stressing. But Jaysen was our little lump of cheerfulness. He wasn't quite two when we first found out, but he was great. She had her first open heart surgery on the day of Jaysens third birthday, so we had to postpone his special day while we paced the streets of London killing time. We phone him every ten minutes and wished him a happy birthday, and apologised for not being there. "That's OK, Bethy is sick" was the reply. People say "Ah, he's too young to know it's his birthday" but he knew, and he knew why we weren't there.

And Bethany - well, she is the little firecracker. Looking at her, you wouldn't have a clue there is anything wrong with her, not a dickybird. Granted, she is tiny as heck, and still fits into baby clothes, but she is just a very small child. When she has no clothes on, you can see the chest scar and the stomach scar quite easily. They are very faded, and I suppose I notice them more because I know they are there. If you look closer, you can see scars on her chest where there were pacer wires and a chest drain for after the op. Elsewhere, she has scars on her neck, hands, arms, legs feet and ankles from many varied and assorted needles - blood tests, lines, atrerial lines - the list goes on. But there is no stopping her at all... HOPEFULLY there are a couple of pictures under this paragraph - they were taken in September last year, and shoe the syrupy-sweet side of the kids!

           

Anyways - I've kinda sorta gone on a bit here... You can tell no one else is up yet, and I am bored! hehehe

Have a good Saturday ya'll!

PS - For those that have yet to learn - buying-and-eating-a-sack-of-peanuts is a very bad plan. Eating bulk packets of food is also a very bad plan.

And yesterday, the cable modem died... After several fob offs (ranging from "it's your firewall" to "it's your AV software" to "just leave it") and nearly an hour on the phone, it took one guy that had posession of the brain cell that day thirty seconds to fix it. I don't go on the computer every day, but when you CAN'T go on the computer, it's completely different.

What else - well, the cold is on the way out, the kids are driving us mad - roll on Monday when he goes back to school - and the weather is still lovely. SUNBURN in April - in England no less! hehehehe

That's pretty much it - been busy but nothing to tell really. Bethany goes into our local hospital next week so the trainee doctors can learn from her - she is great with doctors, and is an interesting case for new docs to test on - they basically put her up in front, each has a listen and a feel, then they try and guess her diagnosis. Which is amusing, as her tummy is in the wrong place, and to say she has heart murmers is an understatement. So far, no one has ever guessed more than two of her defects. The only way they know she's got heart problems by looking is the scar down her chest! It's interesting to watch their faces though as they dredge up stuff they don't really drum into them in med school... Still, it should be a laugh! hehehe

Hope ya'll out there are doing well! :)

Asta!

And of course, being knackered out, what better to do for dinner than a complete roast - chicken, spuds, yorkshire puds, veg, and probably a cheesecake for dessert! I do like to lead the easy life..

Not that cleaning is easy - I have scratches up an arm thanks to one of the cats spazzing out at the hoover (Silly me, the cat was asleep in one of the drawers! and I've got three bumps on my head from the bit under the stairs, the bit of wall that juts out in the dining room, and from the stupid bloody keyboard drawer on my desk...

We're going to have to shave the dog too I think - she is moulting, and while she only has short hair, it's PURE white (not good on deep red carpets) AND wirey, so it's kinda like trying to vacuum super-glued velcro... Fun!

Off to my kitchen so I can interfere with a dead chicken... Laters!

- Dan

Had an interesting conversation this evening... I will start with a little background. I am not a fan of going out much - if at all. I am quite happy to sit here, read mails, chat to people around the country and around the world, play games, and write. I lead a simple existence. However, there are people worried I am becoming a recluse. "Go out more" they says, or "Get a hobby."

OK - fine. Where should I go? "Out" came the answer, followed by "Don't know" - So lots of help there. Aaaalrighty - Hobby - I play D&D via email, that's a hobby. What hobby can I do? "Oh, I don't know." Marvellous. Go *somewhere* and do *something*. I am not a club person, I am not much of a pub person. I also don't think you can just "start" a hobby if there is no interest in the first place.

So - now I am pretty fed up that people think I am locking myself from the world - that could not be further from the truth - I love going to museums, and I enjoy *stuff* - zoo's, places of interest, that kinda thing. Funfairs/Amusment parks are well out because of my back, and until I get a definete "This is what is wrong with you" I don't want to risk anything. But the fact of the matter is, we only have so much cash we can just blow on stuff, and I would MUCH rather Jo spend it on herself so she can go clubbing one evening, or go away for the weekend while I stay home. True, the kids do know they can run circles around me, and I do complain when she gets home, so I detract from her fun. I used to LOVE live roleplaying (battle re-enactments, but in a fantasy setting), and I miss it so much, I hate when people come home and tell me how much fun they have had, what they got up to, and so on and so forth. It is depressing, and while I don't mean to, I do want people to know that while they had a blast I did not.

Anyways - this evening, Dave The Lodger announced "We're off to the pub" so we did. There, I did it, I went out and stood in the local and had a couple of pints. Hobby - well, I am looking, but every time I say "My computer is my hobby" people laugh and tell me it's my life... Hmmm, maybe they have a point, but what do they know! hehe Going out more - well, me and Dave will make a couple of "spontanious pub trips" during the week, and will prolly start going to the cinema a bit - but who knows how long that will last.

People don't listen to me - it's what I do best I think! hehehe

G'night :)

Mr Stress is non-existant today, just replaced with Aching Back & Legs which is kinda normal for me. Jo is out to GenCon again today, so I am home with the ankle biters - one of which is currently playing on the web, the other is... hmmm... She is watching the washing go around and around in the machine. Wonder why I have cable TV? hehehe

The cold continues to hang tight, but is on the way out - that or it's heading south to my lungs. Don't care really - I've got a pack of Mini-Eggs here, and am going to scoff them all (Disclaimer - these are MY mini-eggs, and not stolen from my kids. They will, of course, be donating to their Fathers Belly Fund with generous donations of Cadbury Buttons Eggs... mmmmm)

So - agenda for the day. Step one, give Bethany her medicine. Normally as easy as giving a woman chocolate, but today - ooooh no - she does NOT want to know... I've had to make up three lots of Captopril, two lots of Aspirin, and she ended up looking like a schlock-horror stab victim thanks to the bright red Penicillin splattered all over her face. And neck. And hair. And clothes.

Step Two - re-bath Bethany. Sod that - showered her off - quicker, and I get less soaked! In theory. She pushed the shower head at me. So new T-shirt thank you.

Step Three - Dress Jaysen. Step three is currently a work in progress, as he has a sock and his tee shirt on. Trousers, pants and sock#2 are currently missing, presumed dead. He's a born naturist - loves the air on his bare arse! hehehe

Step Four - Breakfast for the kids. One box of CoCo Pops - opened upside down. It's amazing how they scatter when falling from four feet. It's even more amazing that the sound of spilled food not only brings the dog to "help", not to mention the kids to do the CoCo Pops Stomp... Run in, *stomp stomp stomp* run out, scattering crumbs and crispies in the process. Between me, the dog and the dyson, we clean up - the original fall out zone of ten square feet from the original accident soon became the length of the kitchen/diner/study, out into the hall and up the stairs... So at least the downstairs is clean.

So - kids are eating toast, dog is belching coco pops, and I am drinking my upteenth coffee this morning. And it's only 11am!

Anyone know the laws for slipping sleeping tablets into the kids mouths? You know... by accident... hehehe

SeeYa! HooverBoy PS - it's very sunny - odd for a bank holiday... Wonder what else will go wrong today!

Of course, my MSN is deader than a dead thing, and I've tried several of my log-ons on mine and the other PCs in here, but to no avail - figures I suppose.

What else? Nothing really, though I have received a rather amusing picture of a friend - ooooh made me laugh... Maybe I will post it on here later! MUHAHAHA

Damn it's boring - I hate international holidays! hehehe Just wish everyone would finish their eggs and get online!

Adios!

Factor the first - Lack of Sleep. I got about 2 hours sleep last night. Back was giving me some, headache and general snottiness meant I felt icky anyways. I even took a couple of pills, but they just made me dizzy - another bonus to add to the "This is why you're not sleeping" gang.

Factor the second - The Kids. Don't get me wrong, I would hack off a limb in a heartbeat if need be, but they started the day bitching at each other - and their volume went up and up and up...

Factor the third - My House is a Pig Stye. Chaos, bits and bobs and toys and stuff all over the place, laundry, dirty dishes - the list goes on and on.

Factor the fourth - Jo had to go out today - her brother in law is having his back waxed for charity today, and has almost raised £5000 - if he breaks five thousand, he is going for a brazillian - if you don't know, don't ask! Jo going out was not planned, more a spur of the moment things, so she's taken Bethany with her and gone - leaving me to clean up the house.

Factor the fifth - I Still Feel Crappy. Sore-Throat has now been joined by his cohorts, Headache, Stiff Neck, Blocked Nose and Tiredness.

Like I say - not real *StReSs* but grouchy none the less. So I am sitting here after clearing up - though I REFUSE to do the dishes. I've been told "later" but we'll see.

Someone sent me a recipe for de-stressing yesterday, though it's not that viable at the moment, I will go for the large hazelnut latte and loud music!

Chill ya'll!

free enneagram test

That's it - bed time! :)

Anyways - decided to wander around the blogs here, and came across Xeven's, complete with another test - I love tests!! This is a personality test!

Scarily true :)

So, feeling pretty under the weather, and not having any bog-standard-run-of-the-mill paracetamol in the house, I take my Paracetamol and Codiene which, as a rule, make me whoozy and dizzy.

Which is how I am right as I type this. My hands feel really light, as does my head, but my legs feel heavy, and my eyes feel cold - sounds wierd to have cold eyes, but they are! Like I am sitting facing a fan and they are, well... cold!

My other half has had to nip out to do some shopping, taking my boy with her, while I sit here with my little girl. "Daddy, need sleep" she says, so I make her a bottle, put her in her buggy with a blanket - and for the last hour she has laid there chattering away to me (and throwing her dummy at me several times!). I've not got a clue what she is on about - she has tried singing herself to sleep, she is talking to the dog about dinner, she is telling the cats to go away, telling me to put on a film for her (and then promptly ignores it) and so on and so on. Typical woman- can't make her mind up! Everytime I think she is drifting I look over at her, which causes her to flick her eyes open and flash me a big "I see you!" grin, and she starts again!! hehehe :D

I hate feeling ill (and I hate feeling whoozy as well, but that's my fault!). I am also starving hungry, and despite previous posts about a diet, I am sick and just want junk food...

Ah well... You ever get that creative feeling? That little bug that bites and says "DO something" well I have it right now, and my little imagination gland is busy at work with ideas for names, places and plots - it's just getting it out of the bunged-up, drugged-to-heck brain of mine! hehehe

Time to sit and stare at the screen, see if anything happens! hehehe

Later!