X Factor Semi Final

With it being the semi final, I was expecting great things tonight.

• Niki’s first song, whilst being a pretty song wasn’t a well known one and her second choice ‘One Moment in Time’ was good, but I had to agree with Simon about the high notes.
• Leon’s choice of songs were not the best and he sang them flat. If you like jazzy Michael Buble type songs then he would have been great and I’m really surprised he wasn’t voted off last night.
• Same Difference provided two more happy performances. 
• Rhydian.  Great performances again with ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Walk On’.

I am surprised Leon didn’t go and that Niki did.  She has a much better voice.  I am pleased that Same Difference are through, not because I think they have the X Factor but just to annoy Louis Walsh.

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Guess What Happened Today . . . . Again!

Surprise, surprise my youngest son, who I’ve been having problems with getting him into school almost ran in yesterday.  Why?  Simple, a really great school trip. Had a fabulous day, full of the joys of spring because of it.

So this morning, it was school as usual and lo and behold I had the ‘don’t want to go in’ behaviour.  Again two of my friends were on hand to help.  I’d already glanced up the road after getting out of the car and saw one of my friends walking down the road, so I knew I had backup behind me.

Today, he did a good suffragette impersonation, wrapping himself round a fence post.  It was at this point my friend walked past, calmly took all the book bags, lunch boxes etc I was holding and carried on into school with them while I dealt with him.

She’d also notified his class teacher so that when I’d managed to  pick him up and carry him to the door they were ready for me.

Another friend also took my youngest daughter off with her friend so I could talk to his teacher.

He wasn’t a happy bunny with me, but because I’d thought something was going to happen I had prepared myself mentally.

It just doesn’t make sense.  Two of my friends have had their children watching out in the class for me and say everything is okay.  His teacher says he’s playing well with his friends and doesn’t feel there are any concerns and on the school trip yesterday one of my friends kept an eye on him and said he had a great day.

So is this just a phase he is going through to get my attention or is there an underlying problem?    Is it because this is a very long term and he’s getting tired?

Two of the moms I know whose children went through the same last year said the reason for their children acting up was dislike for the teacher.  When said teacher went on maternity leave and a new teacher came in the problem went away.  Plus the new teacher was fantastic.

I have asked him about his teacher but not really had much of a constructive response.

And interestingly, my husband said that when he was exactly the same age, he went through the same thing. 

But the strange thing is when my son comes out of class at the end of the day and you ask him how his day went, he replies great!

I’ve talked to his teacher and said we’ll monitor the situation for the time being.  I’ll continue to talk to him and monitor when it happens.  I do know that because his class teacher is the deputy head she has to leave class one day a week for other duties and there have been several supply teachers over the last term and wonder if this is contributing to it.

I have to collect my thoughts together because if I need to go in and see the head teacher, she is very defensive where the school is concerned and I want to make sure I know what I want to happen.

In the meantime I would be grateful of any suggestions because it’s a truly horrible feeling walking away from your upset child.  Anyone?      

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It’s Just a Cold

Considering I have caught ‘just’ a cold off my eldest son, I can’t believe how attrocious I look and feel.  We kept him off a week from school with ‘just’ a cold because he looked so pale  with it and because we both have hereditary spherocytosis I am beginning to realise how he was feeling.

HS does not normally mean I feel worse than anyone else if I’m a bit poorly.  I think with all the stresses lately I must be at a bit of a low, but also with HS occasionally a virus can knock the stuffing out of us.  It’s not even as though I am streaming with cold like normal.

But, I am so glad I cancelled the hospital appointment.  The irony of it is that when I went for the pre op assessment I was asked if I’d got a cold or had one recently.  "No" I’d replied, I hadn’t had one for a long time.

Also only a few weeks ago during my routine, annual appointment for my HS, my blood count was so good I got discharged from having to go again!

What a difference a few weeks makes. 

I’m also having problems getting my youngest son into school again, which is really upsetting me.  He wouldn’t get out of the car, crying that he felt poorly with stomach ache and the start of a cold.

I ended up taking him back home.  I let the school know, who understand the problem I’m having and decided to use today to try and get to the bottom of all this.  After all, I thought his reluctance last week had been connected with his big brother being off ill.

Without going into all the gentle questioning I did with him about life in and out of school,  the bottom line is "school is boring", "he doesn’t like school" and "doesn’t want to go".

I also took advice off another mom who had had a similar problem last year and wouldn’t allow the television or computer to go on apart for one hour over lunch time to make being home ‘boring’.

I gave him plenty of attention, setting up some ’homework’ to do which he lapped up and I booked an appointment with my lovely doctor to make sure he was okay physically. 

After booking the appoinment I asked the receptionist to let the doctor know my predicament so that I didn’t have to talk about it in front of my son.  

She was brilliant. She gently led the questioning about his tummy ache around to when it happened, days, times it lasted through to school and any problems he might be having.  This made me feel better as I now have my doctor on side with his situation.

I’ve also set in motion my husband to help with the school run for the next few days to see if this makes any difference.  Tomorrow he has a school trip which should detract from everything else.  And, we’re going to make an appointment with the school to try out some theories we have coupled with the doctor’s thoughts.

It’s a start and although I don’t think this is the end of it, I feel as though the action I’ve taken today is the starting point forward. I can’t have him going into school so upset for his sake and mine and with him starting junior school next year, it’s so important that he is happy with his school environment.

I’ve also come to realise that I have a few really good friends in the other moms who have been looking out for me without taking over the situation.  That in itself has been worth it’s weight in gold.

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H Update

Had to cancel the hysteroscopy this morning.  I am full of cold and it’s on my chest.

Not sure if I’m relieved as I now have to wait for another appointment and do the waiting game all over again.  But with a cold it’s better to be safe than sorry where anaesthetic is concerned.

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Mad Monday

Here’s another little ‘Madness’ that I probably shouldn’t share, but what the heck!

Once upon a time I lived on my own in a little 2 up 2 down house.  I’d grown up with pets but because I was working full time decided it was not for me.  Until one day a little creature unexpectedly joined me.

It was a fly.  Yes, that’s right a fly. 

But this fly was no ordinary fly, it used to come when called.  I kid you not.  I used to walk into the kitchen, shout "fly" and then he would appear. 

He lived with me for a number of days always coming to see me, sharing our days events with each other (okay that bit is made up), but whenever I called his name, he came flying to greet me.

It was a happy little existence.

Until one very sad day, when I arrived home, called him and he didn’t come. 

I then discovered him in the bowl in my sink that I had put bleach in to disinfect a dish cloth.  He was still alive, but barely.  I got him out of the water, laid him on a tissue, but sadly he was too far gone and I couldn’t save him.

The reason this tale came to light after all this time is due to another fly that has been pestering me in the kitchen for the last couple of days.  I’ve managed to get this one out of the kitchen. 

You know what it’s like, it’s sometimes too painful to replace one pet with another!

……. by the way.  Before you think I should have got out more, I had actually met my husband to be at that stage!  He used to laugh at the way I called "fly" and how he just appeared.  It didn’t put him off marrying me thank goodness.  :-) 

He can also remember the way I used to call him, getting the pitch higher than my normal voice.  Go on I know you want to try it!

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x Factor Hotting Up

X Factor Judging is bitching up if nothing else.  I can’t believe Louis Walsh and his childish behaviour.  Dissing Hope because Beverley wasn’t in the show tonight.  Very unprofessional.

• Niki sang two good songs tonight that suited her voice.  Still struggling with the very high notes though, as I say each week.  But I did like Total Eclipse of The Heart.  An old classic.
• Leon was good, but his choice of songs is not my type of music.  Can see why he’s popular though.
• Same Difference provided two more bubbly performances.  Not really sure where they would fit in after the show, but you just can’t help liking them.
• Hope. I actually thought the Spice Girls song they sang first was better than the original group’s version.  Although We Will Rock You didn’t get the votes from all the judges, I really liked it.  It was good to hear the other girls taking lead, especially the one who started off the singing - I think it was Leah.  Such a shame they were voted off.
• Rhydian.  I didn’t like the song choices this week.  But that didn’t stop him giving great performances.

It’s anyones guess who will be in the final now.

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How Much Do You Love Me?

I crossed the living room towards my husband.

He looked lovely tonight, freshly showered, shirt pressed and fresh jeans.

Looking into his eyes, I raised my arms and spoke.

"Smell my armpits - do they smell okay to you?"

. . . . . . . . . . hey there’s still romance in our house you know!

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