Allow me to introduce Mr Grumpy McMisery

In addition to Funtime Friday afternoons and Mum-and-Son-Sunday-Funday, we now also have Stay-At-Home-Saturdays – dedicated to colouring, cooking, baking, painting, gardening, puzzles, books and so on.

We had an awesome weekend, packed full of stuff for Jackson to enjoy – a magic show, loads of kids around, cousin love, climbing, AND all of the above. I even bought him some new clothes and made him courgette and La Vache qui rit cheese soup (a firm favourite with the children of France, I believe).

So you’d think he’d be happy, right?

Wrong.

This was his face the whole weekend…

He’s not sick any more, as far as I know he’s not teething, he’s well fed, well slept and my life’s ambition is to entertain him, so I ask you…how is it that a child this small can be so filled with misery?

Jackson has also decided that I pretty much suck and either ignores me completely or pushes me away everytime I go near him. I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t hurt my feelings, but I just have to keep on reminding myself that I am the adult and he is the child and it’s only because he feels so secure in my love that he is comfortable behaving this way.

I have to keep on reminding myself of that A LOT.

BTW…this is Jackson’s first school report if you are interested (click to enlarge). I’d love to say it is brilliant, but unfortunately…well…

Sick

It seems like the change-of-season colds and flu are upon us.

Jackson has got a naaaasty cold and so has been with Nana for the past week instead of going to school, cousin Lily is also ill, as is my Dad and so on and so on.

Last night, my Mum said that Jackson should rather stay over with her, meaning that I unexpectedly had a night to myself, so I went to the movies and saw Juno which was kind of lovely.

For as long as I can remember I have been wearing daily disposable contact lenses and I would dread going to the movies because my eyes would get all scratchy and dry, but I lived with it because I thought that was the price I had to pay for – you know – being able to see and all.

Anyway, my optometrist has now put me onto two-weekly disposables and I haven’t had dry, scratchy eyes since and last night, they passed the movie test too.

Oh god, I’m sorry, I should have warned you in the beginning that this is the most boring post ever written.

Anyway, here are two pictures of Jackson when he was well…

Twice bitten, so NOT shy

To my horror, Jackson came home the other day with not one, but TWO raging red bite marks on his back.

So, making sure I was using my most un-hysterical voice (I have totally learnt my lesson from last time), I called the school to find out if everything is ok or if there are any problems with him fitting in in his new class.

It seems that, far from being the dorky kid who tries too hard we saw on his first day, Jackson is waging a constant battle with three other children to be the boss of the game and ruler of the Winnie-the-Pooh class.

The four of them, according to their teacher, are “absolute THUGS”.

And the bites, therefore, are a result of him hitting one of the other would-be mini-dictators (a tough little girl by all accounts) rather too hard.

Oh Jackson.

In other school news, Jackson has recently been given a nickname by his teachers.

Which one do you think it is?

a. Cool dude
b. Super-cute-genius-guy
c. The-cleverest-and-most-handsome-boy-in-the-class-ever (I know, I thought it was this one too)
d. Biscuit boy.

Hmmmmmm…yes…apparently, they have to hide the tin from him. I only hope this term of endearment doesn’t stick.

Finally, I don’t know who it was that taught my son to play Noughts and Crosses, but you didn’t do a very good job.

Instead of sticking the noughts or crosses ONTO the fridge, Jackson takes them OFF and posts them into the freezer.

And btw, this is the ONLY way we’re allowed to play. In our house, it’s very clear who is the boss of the game.

Consider yourselves REPLACED

This post is thanks to my two incredibly mature and wonderfully supportive BFF, Bob and Gary, aka Sherlock Holmes and Dr Freakin Watson.

First, let me say I am a really, really rubbish flirt and secondly I am a SINGLE MUM therefore I spend 99 per cent of my time at home ALONE looking after my son.

So I thought I’d give internet dating a try. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with this, millions of people do it all the time, don’t they?

But the Gossip Girls clearly think this is HILARIOUS and I have had a flurry of drunken phone calls and emails ragging me since yesterday afternoon.

Ok, so if I’m honest, this internet thing isn’t working all that well – of the 341 messages I have received in one week (yes, 341 messages in ONE WEEK), I’d maybe date six of them, but it turns out that I’m a bit of a rubbish phone/email flirt too.

So I guess it’s just me and my TV (who is the best boyfriend in the world) for a while longer.

BUT…back to those other two stooges …not only do you both SUCK (and I am flicking the V at you while I write this), it might also be wise to remember that old adage about glass houses and throwing stones.

I’m going to growl at you both when I see you in October, but in the meantime I am going to join an internet site to find two new best friends. Bah!

BTW…this is my profile picture, I think I look super cute.

Memememememememe

I try to keep this blog mostly about Jackson, but Sweets tagged me for a meme.

It’s the first time I have ever been tagged by a fellow blogger, so I am probably more pleased than I should be.

Anyway…here goes…

You have to find five things around your house that say something about the person you are and snap a picture of them. Then tell us about them…

1. My son – so obvious, no?

What does this say about me as a person? Well, he probably defines me more than he should right now, but whatevs, I love being Jackson’s Mum, so I can deal with my lack of identity.

2. These are two paper-maché El Día de los Muertos skeletons that I lugged all the way home from Oaxaca in Mexico.

What does this say about me as a person? Two things: 1. I love to travel. Especially by myself (although those days are O.V.E.R now), I have been to many, many exciting places and I hope to visit many more before I die and 2. I travel really badly and I always end up buying completely inappropriate stuff, this makes for a rubbish journey back but it’s totally worth it once I get home.

3. This is Jackson’s bookshelf, but the picture is supposed to represent books in general.

What does this say about me as a person? Hmmmmmm…that I like to read. I hope that one day Jackson loves books as much as I do – at the moment he’s a bit bossy when it comes to reading, he likes to dictate the pace and page order, but I try and read to him everyday-ish in the hope that one day we’ll be able to get through the whole of Hairy McClary from start to finish.

4. A life-size baby deer that lives in my lounge.

What does this say about me as a person? I LOVE grungy decor. Pretty much all of my furniture comes from junk shops, or the classifieds or ebay (oh how I miss ebay). I couldn’t imagine having fancy furniture (apart from my mattress, a good mattress is essential).

5. These two postcards are on my fridge.

What does this say about me as a person? I don’t regret moving back to South Africa for one second, but I also really, really miss the UK. I’m still undecided as to where I will eventually call home, but for the time being Jackson and I are staying put.

So that’s it…my first meme.

Now I have to tag someone else and as I only know one other blogger in real life and she was the one who got me into blogging in the first place, I tag The Super Whites (also because Super Sarah takes great photos so I can’t wait to see what she does).

The seaside in pictures

Cottage with a view

Christmas Bay at Easter

Chris and Jackson, first day wave nerves

Jackson + sand = heaven

Sandy baby booty

Wave baiting

Heading off to Australia (helloooooo Amy)

Looks like running, but it’s just an illusion

It’s hard to describe how much I love my child

Goat kiss at Flag Farm

Loving the goat kiss

Best buds

Finger lickin’ chickens

Look Bob, it’s your brother

Why the long face, dude

The horse’s name is Blossom, the lady’s name is Thandi, the rider is Jackson

Elegance

Yes, yes…I am super-proud of you.

Back to school tomorrow, buddy.

If you’re looking for us…

You can find us at the seaside.

Enjoy your holidays everyone, and I’ll be seeing you next Monday, hopefully with some happy sun, sea and sand snaps.

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with a random Jackson fact:

Jackson is obsessed with soap and can very often be found head-first in my bathroom cupboard looking for a few bars – any kind will do, but he especially likes Dove .

I’m not really sure where this love of soap comes from, or why… sometimes he likes to lick it, but mostly he just likes to carry it around.

This is how they punish you

Yesterday I was caught out by some unseasonably cold weather (like REALLY cold) and I sent Jackson to school without a jumper.

But the school has a very canny way of making sure that this happens once, and only once.

And they do this by dressing your child in leftovers from the lost property box, ensuring that the shame of seeing your usually sartorially snappy beloved dressed as a small white Bill Cosby is so etched in your brain that you never, ever, ever even consider sending them anywhere without the proper attire ever again.

I mean really…what must the other parents think of me?

I have totally over-compensated today and sent him off in a vest, and two long sleeve layers – poor boy is probably going to swelter.

But at least he’ll look cool.

Jump

Jackson and I spent pretty much the whole weekend learning how to jump.

This is the result (you may want to turn down the sound because my manic mum voice could make your ears bleed)…

Also…I think I must congratulate myself on the truly AWESOME still to go with this video – one of the best ever, no?

Sharing and caring

It’s no secret, I’m not a big fan of Barney.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that I don’t like Barney at all.

But this morning, as I lay on the sofa at 6.23am not feeling very well because of too little sleep and too much celebrating at my sister’s 30th birthday party last night, Barney was my best friend.