Saturday 15 March 2008

To answer your question.......

Blimey! I didn't expect that many questions! I can't possibly answer all these in one post, because you'd all be bored stiff by the end of it, so I'll start with the easiest ones.


akelamalu, swearing mother and a mother's place is in the wrong asked 'What did you make for tea?' Here's the recipe:




  1. Using a food processor, reduce the day old loaf to breadcrumbs. Put it in a little bag marked 'Breadcrumbs' and consign it to the depths of the freezer, in the vain hope that the next time you need some, you will remember where it is

  2. Split and butter the hot cross buns and hand them round as a stop gap whilst you......

  3. ......put the two tins of tomatoes back in the cupboard and nip out to the chip shop, where, for an amount of money surpassed only by the debt of a small African nation, you can purchase fish and chips for six people.


    This recipe is not subject to copyright. Feel free to use it anytime.



jennifer,
dottie and daryl e wanted to know how old the kids were, how do I manage with five daughters, do they all get on well and would I swap them for boys.

Easy bit: Football Fanatic 19, Singer 14, Fixer 12, Peacemaker 11, Noise 8 (till next week)

People with large families are often asked how they manage it, and the truth is, most of the time you just get on with, because, let's face it, what's the option? You start off with one, and then they just keep turning up, and you just sort of adapt really, without noticing.

It's true that I did things differently once the house was full of kids. For instance, when the Football Fanatic was a baby, I was obsessed with keeping her clean. If she happened to get a smear of chocolate on her face, I would immediately rush upstairs and clean her up with her own snow-white facecloth, dry her with her own snow-white towel and probably change her clothes as well. By the time I got to The Noise, dirt was more of a feature around the place, and my cleaning up babies routine had diminished to either a bit of spit on a hanky or the dishcloth dunked in the washing-up water.

Like I said, I adapted.

I would be guilty of lying if I said they all got on well. The two teenagers appear to despise one another with a passion, seem unable to say a civil word to each other and often have to be physically seperated. I am cheered slightly by the fact that many people have said to me 'I HATED my sister when we lived together, but now we don't she's my best friend'. Hmm....let's wait and see. Perhaps I should point out that whilst they feel it's perfectly normal for them to say and do the most horrible things to each other, they will not let anyone else say or do the same. On occasions when this has happened, they have each turned into tigresses in defence of the other sister and are quite happy to fight one another's corner.

The Fixer and The Peacmaker are probably best friends. They are quite close in age and when they were little they had a secret language of their own. This was fun for them but infuriating for me when all I wanted to know was what they wanted for their dinner. Often, they let The Noise play with them, although this can be quite annoying as she does like things done HER WAY. The Noise has no concept of fear, and will fight any one of the other four. She has even been known to stand on a chair and take on the Father of This Lot when feeling particularly aggreived. In my experience, it's easier to give in.

Would I swap them for boys? Let's see. Well, I have no experience of boys, but I have heard that having a houseful of boys means:

  • Television viewing is limited to Match of the Day or Sky Sports News
  • Dirty clothes, towels etc. are strewn throughout the house
  • They are obsessed with food and constantly eat you out of house and home
  • There is always a fight going on somewhere

Swap them? What would be the point?

Okay, I reckon I've bored you long enough. I'll answer some more tomorrow. (This could keep me in posts for a while - keep adding questions)!

The Fixer's award of the day is 'You Crafty Little Blogger'



and goes to Jennie and Kitty in honour of various dolls, bunnies and Sock Monkeys!

17 comments:

Grit said...

Well I for one am much encouraged by the brief introduction to teenage tribal warfare that I can expect round here ... to be forewarned is to be forearmed. I am buying my caravan in a field now.

Kitty said...

I've got one of each - a boy and a girl. He does nothing but say 'What can I have to eat now?' in between watching Sky Sports News and Match of the Day. However, in his quieter moments he is such a sweetheart. She's only interested in what her friends are saying/doing/wearing and talking to them on msn. In her quieter moments she is sweet and loving. We have fisticuffs at least twice a week (that's them, not me before anyone calls the NSPCC), but I can remember doing the same with my brother - and we really do get on ok now.

Your lot sound completely 'normal' - and that's as much as any of us can hope for really, isn't it?

Thank you for the awardage - I'm a very crafty blogger! :-D x

Cath said...

Thank you for that update. This is really interesting! Other people's lives are always more interesting!

And you are quite right about the boys. I have two and a father-of-them-two and it IS football from the football fanatic here, games and PCs from the teenager (oh and "music" - note inverted commas) and old films and stuff for the FOTT. Towels, dirty clothes, farts, burps, etc - ALL true. Bit I am the only one allowed to have hormones. ;0)

Maggie May said...

When you described the boys, you forgot to say the infuriating way they always miss the toilet!
It is interesting to read about other people's lives!
The same kind of appeal that you get looking through other people's junk in a charity shop. Always seems better than your own!

Jennie said...

Thank you for the award. It's fabulous!
Do I pass it on?
As for the whole boy/girl thing for me, J is really laid back but messy, L is quite a stress head and can talk the hind legs off a donkey but can be tidy if needed.
I couldn't stand my brother when I was young, and vice versa, but we get on really well now.

belle said...

Well I have one of each and am not convinced that either sex are preferable ;o) Love your dinner recipe, you'd be amazed how often I do that one. Wait. Your a mum, of course you wouldn't.

Cath said...

Yes Maggie! Yes! Yes! YES!!!
So it's not just my men?

Amrita said...

Oh you cheered me up. My day will start well after readung this. I want to come over to the UK and hand you an award personally.

Renae said...

Okay, Here's another question from the U.S.

What is a hot cross bun? It sounds so British and so delicious!

Also, are our biscuits really the same as your cookies, or is it the other way around?

Finally, my family had fast food hamburgers and french fries for lunch AND dinner today. So don't feel bad. :-)

--r
http://rbcoffeetalk.blogspot.com
www.renaebrumbaugh.com

The Future Was Yesterday said...

I would immediately rush upstairs and clean her up with her own snow-white facecloth
I enjoyed this post immensely!! As next to last of 7, Mom says "by the time you came along, if I could just stop you from eating dirt, I was happy."

Manic Mother Of Five said...

Ditto!!!!

MMoF

Working Mum said...

Really enjoyed this post! Thanks for the insight. My aunt had four boys and said she learned to live in squalour until they all left home!

kimmy said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog today and leaving a comment!

Come back soon!

Kimmy

Akelamalu said...

I think I would have resorted to the chippy too! :)

Boys are definitely MUCKY - I know I've got two though thankfully they have their own homes now! :)

Daryl said...

I just love reading your posts, Jackie .. please move to NYC so we can hang out together ..

Akelamalu said...

PS I did the Superhero tag today.:0

Embajador said...

Got here almost by chance. I'm also the proud co-owner of 5 girls (aged 9 months to 11 yrs. old). I thought it was a funny coincidence that we also have a Singer, a Fixer and a Peacemaker in exactly the same order (#1 to #3).

The seemingly neverending fight between your two eldest sounds sort of familiar, but then they just can't live without each other.

We are also seriously catholic.

Brilliant blog!. You got yourself a new faithful reader (oh! and I also let 3 of my 5 sisters know about it. The other two are still in college and wouldn't get it).