Before reading this post, please look at my new header and then look at the post below.

I am writing this whilst steffi is dressed in a swimming costume and standing at my kitchen sink having a wash!
It is a weird sight, made worse by the teenage panic/drama that is involved.
Why does she have to do this?
Well in August we started to refit the bathroom. Every weekend my hubby worked inthere, until by the end of OCtober he had refitted and moved all the electrics, moved vital pipes, fitted new lighting (and speakers!) and a lovely mirror. He also fitted the toilet, washbasin some base units, replaced the boiler/tank rebuilt the airing cupboard and tiled and grouted everything on the walls surrounding the new fittings.
Then at the end of October I was without work and any regular pay so we stopped there. All that was left was the bath and shower which are in an alcove in the bathroom. OOO and the floor needed tiling after it has all been done.
This weekend he began again and the first thing he had to do was take out the bath. Easier said than done. We knew it was a metal one, but it was an iron one. An aqua/turqoise/green one. Disgusting shade and badly chipped and stained over time. He could not move it. There was not room in the bathroom for two people. Although steph went in to help at one point.
Once the bath was out on the landing it became apparent that it would not go downstairs in one piece. So he set to trying to break it up. Well he banged at it , tried to drill holes into it, tried to saw it NOTHING happened except he was drippign with sweat and all his hands and arms were beginning to hurt. So in desperation he went over the road to the £shop and paid £16 for a proper sledgehammer.... FIVE swings and it was in bits. However even so , those bits were hard work getting down my very high/steep stairs. He did it and it is now in my garden. By the time he had tidied up and moved all the broken off enamel etc it was the day nearly gone.
He is fair to say he was in a bad state last night and had heat pads all over him. He spent the night complaining in his sleep about his arms and hands. Poor Man
Today he is boarding out the alcove ready to tile- he has worked out that he needs tile the alcove and the put the bath and shower in. So he will do that today and tomorrow. He also has realised that he never bought any fittings for the waste pipes for the bath which means that we need til wait until Thursday - my pay day to get them.
HENCE no bath or shower until then.
Now I do not have a problem with this.
I can cope with strip washes and hair washes over the sink or wash basin. I mean the end is in sight. He has worked so hard so I do not have a problem with it.
It will not affect Matty in the least as trying to get him to have a bath is a hard enough task at the best of times.
BUT Steph ..... PANIC!!!!
Hence the reason for washing her hair and having a wash infront of the sink wearing a swimming costume at this time. (OOOO she knows I am writing this )

Thank You Jo

Look up there,

Jo made me a super new banner for my blog.

Brill isn't it!

A big

THANK YOU JO

All I wanted was just ONE lousey picture of him looking smart!

Monday did not happen as was planned. We did a bit of this and a bit of that.
Tuesday, we did clean the house as planned.... my dad's house that is and enough said. There is so much family strife going on with regards to my parents. Everyone has an opinion and really every opinion is correct ... I think that is the hardest thing about it all. In the real world there is so much that should be done. But what actually happens is another thing.
I do know that my kids went in to the house like a SWAT team. We had already discussed who was doing what room. The smell hit us as we went in and withing two mins. every window was open. I was very impressed with them . Really impressed with them.

This afternoon I fell asleep. I am so weary by it all. I am also trying very hard to get my own medication sorted out. I used to take it in the morning , even though the doc recommended I took it in the evening. I felt that I functioned better by taking them in the morning. I have gone two weeks without them so now have to get them back in my system - I felt so spaced out the other day that I have decided to try the night time routine again.

For sale one bloody 12 year old .....
What is a boy supposed to do when his laptop is riddled by a virus (sent from mum's laptop!!)
His mum has claimed the TV for the evening so he can not play the X-box
And his Dad is working and can not be interupted....
I KNOW... I will annoy the life out of the nearest person going .... namely MOI

He does make me giggle.... he has so much energy this evening ....

Yesterday I had brekkie with my Dad. Spent the morning in B&Q and Hombase. Drove home with huge planks of plasterboard and wood balanced on my shoulders!
Slept loads in the afternoon and at night .reckon I must have needed it
Today I am supermarketing , taxi driving for hormonal teenagers! collecting teenagers and visiting parents
Tomorrow I am cleaning my house. Kids beware
Tuesday - Cleaning my Dad's house
Wednesday - visiting a friend in the afternoon
Thursday- Going into work for the day
Friday - may go into work for the day - but hubby is taking our bath out and fitting a new one plus a shower in its place -so may be needed to help (read supervise as not allowed to touch the tools!)
Friday night meeting up with my best friend .... ohhhh yeah
Saturday and Sunday will be generally the same as above.
And this week will be my holiday week!

I have a hhhhhhuuuuuuuggggggggeeeee list of things to do.
Family be warned
Family beware
Family do not try and take cover as I will be cleaning under there too!

Don't fall on the floor, this is a new post!

I am sat here, waiting for midnight to come as I have instructions to drive across a very cold and icy city to the countryside to pick Steph up from a party!

I do not mind, however I just wish it was a warm summer's evening. My driving has taken a knock since the accident before Christmas. I was just managing with the new car when I recieved a letter from the police saying they would proscecute me for reckless driving and give me a fine of £2.500 if I did not take a driving course with them. So of course I have signed up for the driving course. I am a bit miffed when the police attending the accident acknowledged that I had mis read the traffic lights and would "leave it up to the insurance companies to sort out". Ever since THAT letter I have been second guessing myself and scaring myself in the process.

Today, after a lot of wrangling and a HUGE argument that risked virtually any relationship that was left between us, I had with my sister, my Mum has gone into a nursing home. She has been in hopsital since the first week of January. The home is lovely, but of course - and naturally it will take a while for her to settle in.

Now it is time to sort Dad out. He has to sell his house. His reaction to all of this is to take pleasure in leaving it all up to us to do.
I mean everything.
I went in to the house last week and needing a wee, I went upstairs and had to clean the toilet it was disgraceful. The more that is done for him the more he expects us to do. Hence the argument, as I will not panda to that. Not when I have my own house to do. We have doen so muh in the past. The argument was very very emotional and ended up with me driving (God knows how) up to my Dad's house and sreaming at him, demanding to know what he has been saying. My sister had been thinking that I never asked what was going on, and never visited. When in fact I had been visiting, not as much as guiltilty I think I should, and I always ask about what was happening with regard to Mum and Dad etc. My Dad just asnswers that it is in my sister's hands. THEN when she asks if I have asked, he says no! OMG did I scream and cry and howl at him!!
He just got drunk
Even in his new place he will have to clean a toilet.
My friends at work the next day acknowledged how rough I looked and how I was making myself ill. My boss did a double take one day last week 'cos I looked so rough. So I booked myself in to have my hair done. I have the roots dyed back to my natural dark brown and then red highlights put in.
The red highlights did not take.
I had to go back today to have them redone -stronger. I feel more human.
But incredibly tired.

So today was my family.
Tomorrow is my Husband's family - My FIL is dealing with the Chemo and all the hospital visits with a dignity that can only be recognised with a deep, sincere, loving respect. I call my FIL my "Dig Daddy" - He calls himself my "Big Daddy".
Wierd that at 41 I need a Dad - but after so many years of wrestling with my own parents problems and "stupidty" I can only admire this man more. I love him to bits.

My MIL - Who I love to bits, is cleaning for britain. She is wound so tightly at the moment. She is helping Steph with a project for school tomorrow - a bit of diversional tactics on my part. How Steph will cope I do not know as I have just piucked her up from that party - she is now drunk but on a high - after party high. She has a friend with her too and they are giggling like any 16 year olds. Rather cute. God knows when they will / if they will get any sleep. Tomorrow is she is expected to go and cut this Corset out at my MIL's house. OOOOH yes she does textiles for her exams. And as a final piece she is making a Corset!!!! a Black hook and eye at the front and proper bone/stays in and lacing at the back!!! IN my day we made an "A- line" skirt!!! Skirts I can make. Trousers I am a dab hand at ... any thing tricky gets sent to my MIL.
Hence the diversional tactic.

I, however, in the midst of all this chaos am not relaxing and so am still selling books, Cds and video/PS2/PC games. If it has an ISBN then it may get sold. !!! IF it does not get sold it is getting - gotten rid of!!!

My car is full of books I can not sell. and other stuff - all waiting for trips to the book dump and tip.

My head is whirling and spinning - I can not sleep I have to be doing things. I have huge plans for the week school holidays. The kids are taking cover already BUT I have not touched thier bedrooms for months....and they are not listening to my warnings... to the roll of bin bags are coming out.

I am really letting my head unravel writing all of this.

Going back to my Dad's house, both the kids have been grounded for doing something that has really annoyed me. But I have not grounded them this weekend .... NO NOT ME
I have grounded them in advance for one day in the up coming school holiday, when we will go up and clean Dad's house ready for it going on the market. Oooo they are so happy about that!!!

Work is chaos but I LOVE IT - my class are wonderful

UPDATE - I did the taxing.... after a shakey drive earlier in the evening this return visit was not too bad ... but I did run over a rabbit!!!!