C'mon in, the water is lovely

Actually, it took a while to get over to the chill but it was eventually lovely.  Myself, two of mine and the borrowed boy (along with the sister and the menace) all went to Portmarnock Beach today and it was bliss.  I decided before we left for the beach that this time I WAS bringing my togs (normally I moan that I don't have them and 'doesn't the sea look lovely?') and I was getting into the sea.  

Am so glad I did.  The Borrowed Boy however turned a rather dazzling shade of blue after 15 minutes and had to be wrapped up in a towel and then another towel and then another.  

The niece (denise?) soaked up a substantial amount of the sea with her nappy and shrieked when you looked crooked at her.  

No. 2 topped up his tan and no. 3 decided he's starting a shell collection.  He's also going o make a necklace for someone really, really, especially special.  

I hope it's me.

I thought they were worth making

Yesterday the weather was, again, pants.  No. 2 had, earlier in the week, given me a er, 'assessment' as a mammy.  It would appear I spend too much time doing stuff other than doing stuff with him.  Basically he would prefer if I did all work, housework, cleaning, reading, computing, accounting, EVERYTHING at night.  After they go asleep.  I'm to play with them all day whereupon I can sit down for an hour before getting on with all of the above.

In an attempt to rectify this I decided to do some baking with them.  At this time of year I always start to panic over school lunches.  I don't know why the panic because after the first day it's back to billy roll, ham, turkey or chocolate spread for sambos and a piece of fruit.  None of the pasta salads or quinoa stuff I google frantically at this time of year.  

I thought these sounded nice and thought 'whoohoo, child bonding and something useful for me'.  Only thing is, the child in question is up to his oxters in Lego and refused to play.  No. 3 and the Borrowed Boy stepped into the breach.  They donned their aprons and, I think, washed their hands.  (I got the recipe from, I think, the Irish Times or Indo this time last year - I stole it from a hotel?!)  

To make pizza muffins you'll need:

300g self raising flour

80g melted butter

1 egg

250ml natural yoghurt

50 ml milk

I used 200g grated cheese

6 rindless rashers (or a packet of bacon lardons)- fried (or grilled) and sliced.

4 spring onions finely chopped.

3 tbsp chopped sundried tomatoes.  Yeah, I didn't have these so instead used some left over pizza sauce I had.

The recipe recommended a tsp oregano but I had none so I used a handful of torn basil leaves.

Then you:

Preheat your oven to 200C and put liners into a 12 hole mufin tray,

Mix the butter, yoghurt, milk, egg and basil together.

Sieve in the flour and barely mix (doesn't have to be perfect).

Stir in cheese, onions, tomatoes or sauce and bacon.  Don't over mix.

Spoon into cases and cook for 20 minutes.

The kids ALL hated them.  Myself and Himself and the sister thought they were delicious.  If I were making them again I'd add a stronger cheese and I wouldn't allow the kids to eat most of the bacon before it goes in as you do need that salt kick.  Imagine these would taste great with soup.  They tasted lovely as they were.  Rotten ungrateful kids.  The borrowed boy, however, was dead chuffed and proud of what he made.  Wonder did he eat one?

Since I last wrote

Two of my boys have aged a whole year!!  # 1 is now ten and # 2 is now 7.  Have had a ball with them over the last week.  Seem to be getting work/life/balance stuff in, er, balance.  Of course now that I've put this down on paper, so to speak, it's all go tits over arse and fall apart again.  Still, it's nice while it's lasting.

The birthday boys got a playstation and a Little Big Planet 2 game between them for their birthday present and . .  I am Little Big Planet-outted again.  It never stops.  It's, like, y'know, the coolest game, like, EVER!!!!!  You can ride ducks and camels.  Bearing in mind I'm from Dublin and when I heard the word 'ride' I got an awful fit of the giggles.  

They're all playing happily-ish together and I have no cakes to do until Friday so all is good.  Remarked to #3 earlier that he is getting a lovely colour to which he replied 'thanks' and 'what colour???'  A perfectly valid question I suppose.  # 2, sitting on me and making it difficult to type, has also got a good healthy glow about him these days  I don't but that's because I rarely see sunshine, sigh.  No, not true.  I spend a lot of time outdoors, just happens that most of it is under a gazebo selling cupcakes. 

None other news.  The lovely Ms. C was in hospital until today - they released her just in time  for Mr. C to go back to work and let her take over the running of the madhouse.   I don't think she'll be going after baby # 5 somehow.  Not long to go on baby # 4 so it's all getting very exciting.

What else?  Nowt?  #1 is mooching around the kitchen, trying to sneak food out without me seeing.  As if!!!??? Especially as I started dieting today and have become obsessed with food.  Such a pain in the arse that when you decide not to eat certain things it's all you can think of.  Had to leave the house today when Himself had a packet of King.  Oh, but the pain.  And speaking of pain, the poor borrowed boy's dad was in an awful state today.  The borrowed boy, whilst (thankfully) in his da's care, fell and walloped his head off his Thomas the Tank Engine.  Cue the BIGGEST egg shaped lump on the Borrowed Boy's head.  Poor man still looked green when he came to collect the boyo this evening  All of mine have had mega eggs on their heads at some time or another so I feel his pain but    . .  it's great when you're three kids down hte line and you know these things happen no matter how carefully you try to not let them happen.  What's even more great is the fact . . . IT DIDN'T HAPPEN HERE!!!  Phew.

Me and my shadow

I mind this little boy.  He belongs to a friend of mine.  We call him the borrowed boy.  Boy, have we fallen head over heels for him.

I'm sitting here, at the kitchen table, and he is sitting beside me looking through Rusty's Bone.  Rusty lost his bone y'see and he's trying to find it, with mine and the borrowed boy's help.

Everywhere I go the borrowed one is behind me, chatting away, parroting everything I say and shouting 'Oh Dooooooodles'.  He also tells Billy to 'sit Billy' and #3 to 'brush your teeth, Darter'.

He's my shadow and I love it.  He sings, dances, won't walk but he mimics.  Very well in fact.  Also, when mine were little there were so many of them that I didn't really get a chance to think.  So to have this wonderfulness in my life - fallowing me around and causing havoc wherever he goes is just fantastic.

Three cheers for the borrowed boy.  I recommend everyone get one.  Just not my one.

He's meeeeeellllllting

Yeah!  # 3's response to the borrowed boys catastrophic poohing today.  Melting was very much ONE way of putting it.

In other news, this is exciting.  The website for the Perfectionist is nearly done.  Check it out on www.perfectionistconfectionist.com/home.  Here's hoping work starts flooding in as desperately broke.