Mandyworld

Fast Forward

Do you ever feel like someone has pressed the fast forward button on your life. I feel like the whole summer has passed in a blur and any minute now it will be Christmas again. Depressing! I could blame the weather for this, I think we have all spent most of the year waiting for summer to arrive, but I think it has more to do with the munchkin having started preschool earlier in the year. I have to admit that I have missed it through the holidays. No more than she did I might add, judging by the huge hug her teacher got and the fact that I had to wrestle a goodbye kiss out of her as she hurried to join in the painting.
Really I was relieved that she seemed so happy to be back. I have really tried to keep her entertained and stimulated at home but I don't think there is any substitute for contact with other kids. Also there is a limit to how much colouring I can do before my attention wanders. (If you ask me preschool teachers have the patience of saints.)
Thursday was her first day back and I got that wonderful heady rush of freedom as I dropped her off. That sounds such a terrible thing to say, she's no trouble really and I love her to bits obviously but it is just so nice to have a few hours of being Mandy not Mummy. I rode my horse, did some shopping, had a shower and tidied the house. It was lovely, just to be able to concentrate on one thing at a time. Whoever it is who has the remote has pressed play again.

The horse has been great by the way, really quiet out hacking and he was quite good at the show. He did get upset about the ponies pulling traps (for some reason they scare the bejesus out of him) but apart from that he seemed happy with life. He had one fence down which wasn't too bad. He felt a bit flat but the ground was a bit hard so I decided to leave it at that.
Also, Annie is jumping at Spruce Meadows in Canada this weekend. She was 4th on Wednesday and 10th on Thursday. That's over $3000 she has won already. Di's out there watching and I bet they're having a great time. I wish I could have gone, maybe next time! You can see the results here. It is also on Sky Sports Xtra at varying times over the weekend.

Sniff

I've got a cold. It's horrible and just not right in this sunny weather. In the winter I sort of expect a cold and there's even something comforting about wrapping yourself in a blanket and drinking lemsip, but it's hot and sunny and I want to be outside enjoying it :-( Still, we go on holiday next Friday so at least I should be over it by then. I'm afraid it's the price I pay for those few hours of freedom I get while the munchkin is at preschool. Children are disease ridden I have discovered and they have these weird and wonderful bugs that they can infect you with. Munchkin has already had hand, foot and mouth and this latest is slapped cheek virus. I was much happier when I didn't know what these things were.

Happy days

I'm not a 'natural' mother. A lot of the time I find it bloody hard work and I only have one baby. I think if I'd had twins I'd of had a nervous breakdown. However some days it all pays off. Today was one of those days. Emma visited her Grandparents this morning, we had lunch with them, then she came home and went straight to bed for a nice long nap. As a result she woke up in the sunniest of moods (not that she is ever really difficult) and we had a lovely afternoon. She has learnt to make herself dizzy by spinning around as fast as she can (not very fast when your only 16 months old), then she staggers off sideways and falls over laughing. This was interspersed by dancing to Bon Jovi. I was in hysterics. Sometimes you love them so much it hurts.