Special Sunday

Of course every Sunday is special,  but this was a very special packed day. For no specific reason.  But it was a very thought provoking Mass,  which we followed up by doubling the God quotient by going along to the Gurudwara (Sikh temple) with my Dad and Mum because LittleCub had been asking them to take her for ages. We realised PapaWolf had never been,  so we all went along.
There has been a good few changes since I had last been,  including screens showing the words to the hymns being sung, in gurmukhi script, English translation and transliteration in Roman script. It helped the feeling of inclusion.
The langar (blessed food) was delicious,  and very respectfully and politely served, which was far better than some previous experiences.
After lunch,  PapaWolf and the cubs and I shot off to a lovely babywearing  pop-up shop to mark International Babywearing Week,  and I enjoyed meeting more like minded mamas. BigCub had a whale of a time helping with various babies,  and LittleCub found a toddler to befriend. And I bought a sling :-D
When we got home,  GodPapa had cooked up a wonderful LittleCub-request meal of jerk chicken,  coconut rice and plantain. Yum.
The evening was rounded off by an emotional Downton Abbey. So,  to sum up:
Good: most of it,  but especially a new sling,  I have to admit!
Bad: absolutely no alone time with PapaWolf.
Noteworthy: PapaWolf trying out a wrap. Also, I'm actually finding it much easier to not snack in the evenings that I thought I would. Even if there are snack foods around.

belated first rice

good bad AND notable:
I have been to my mother's house for a rite of passage for my son, his ceremonial first rice, and of course she cooked a slap up wonderful meal, rice, daal, potato peas, chicken curry and rounded off with payesh, a thickened sweet milky pudding.
I can barely cope lying down with baby to put him to bed, and I won't be eating again for days I think...

Sunday best (and worst!)

Bad: the girlcubs both a bit post-daddy day blues, party food (see below) very meagre after great build up.

Good:church birthday party had fun atmosphere regardless, Sindhi vegetarian food mela fun, affordable and interesting. And then we watched the 1st 2 episodes of Spooks from series 1 On Demand tv as there was nothing else of interest on.

Notable: a playgroup regular came to church, and seemed to enjoy it lots. My parents seemed to include Papa Wolf more than usual. This made me happy.

A very eventful Monday

Good: Big Cub received her Dr Who runners up prizes and there was a showing of their filmed production of their script during assembly. Little Cub also received a certificate because she got into Golden Book twice in one week!
Bad: supper was a rather rushed fractured affair, as Little Cub had her first session as a Rainbow today. Big Cub stayed to help and is considering going back to Brownies for the few remaining months. As for supper, it was still v tasty tho I did smash a badly positioned glass in my haste.
Notable: Tiny Cub eating noodles by hand, Little Cub on springs after Rainbows, Big Cub on springs with her prizes. Knitting club at my favourite cafe, Boyden's Kitchen; knitting bunting, getting my head round the shaping and pattern and suddenly being able to "see" how the stitches should look for each row.
Really good day.

Sumptuous Sunday

Good: being back at church. I definitely missed it last week. Especially as I had such a bad day then, and the reason we skipped turned out to be quite a disappointment.
Bad: babycub didn't really sleep properly in the day.
Notable: we had an impromptu day together with a friend we haven't been spending enough time with. It was really good to be together again.tie

a much better day for Friday

Much much happier today, not sure what made the difference, but here's my brief overview


Good: fantastic lunch of chicken couscous salad at Boyden's Kitchen


Bad: picnic spot too windy and breezy for all (inc BabyCub) to enjoy properly


Notable: felt a strong urge to catch and speak to a woman walking with a baby in a framed back pack walking a Tibetan terrier, so sped up to do so, and found she was not only friendly, but looking for someone to give her a friendly word after a rotten day, and also had been looking for a Friday morning activity to bring her baby to, also had been wondering how to get training advice on her dog, and also if there was a better way to carry her baby on her back! I think I might be able to help with all 3!

Dissatisfied on a Thursday

Just one of those vaguely irritating days, where irritation has cumulative effect, & compounds itself.
Good: Tinycub happily sitting on playmat with toys, cheerfully playing for quite some while.
Bad: winning script wasn't as good as ours, not true to backstory, no famous person, rubbish solution. Was all in TARDIS so easy to film, but I can't help thinking 3 cutsie white girls make for more Blue Peter standard viewers.
Notable: it is very hot weather.

Mopey Monday

Good: impromptu hot choc after dog walk with baby snoozing in pram & tired doggie outside my fave cafe.

Bad: depressed Papa wolf, it is a nasty disease that taints & decays all that it touches. I feel guilty that I feel so hurt & neglected, when it isn't about me at all, I feel so angry, I want revenge on this plague.

Noteworthy: TinyCub has been sleeping & eating well today and ate hearty oxtail stew meat yesterday too. Still won't accept a spoon near his mouth other than a few mouthfuls but loves to be fed by hand, whether ours or his own!

A soggy Thursday

Good: lunch - poached rhubarb, pistachios, yoghurt & French toast.
Bad: still no television. Engineer may come tmrw.
Notable: coquilles st jaques as a gift snack fm PapaWolf as they are on offer at work. And he made them.too while I online shopped for our food...

A birthday weekend

My littlecub turned 5 on Saturday, and it was so strange because she was born on a Saturday. I kept feeling echoes of the day of her birth, even tho life is so different now. Not least because she is a middle cub now, and so spritelike and adorable around her tinycub baby brother. And I start to see shades of her elegant bigcub big sis, all grown-up at 10, travelling the world and sensible and serious. Yeah right, she has a streak of silly a mile wide in her too!
So Saturday was quiet to start and builds up to more activity.
Sunday was busier from the start but not stressful either.
Saturday:
Good: how littlecub takes time to examine and if possible play with each gift as it is unwrapped, no rushing to see what's next.
Bad: bigcub a bit spiteful, having gotten used to more attention when away recently
Notable: fabulous meal out at local Hiunanese place.
Sunday:
Good: Taste of India, bigcub serving again, making progress on finding a date for tinycub's Christening.
Bad: hearing of a friend's dog being savaged, rain when we want to be out in sun, realising I have a missing usb stick.
Notable: abba in Hindi, chilli chips, Thums Up, circussy installation play.

apologies for hiatus

Life, nosy baby, desire to feed on demand etc. Sadly blogs get last priority.
So here we are a week of Easter hols done.

Good: Woburn Safari Park, Little Cub and the BabyCub, PapaWolf and me. Lovely day out. Leaping lemurs, sneaky squirrel monkeys, dinner at Giraffe.

Bad: depression rears it's ugly head in the family again, BabyCub teethes and fevers. BigCub went away to Singapore, unnaccompanied, I was all choked, she was fine and is having a whale of a time (OK, that's good, but I feel sad too!)

Notable: Boyden's Kitchen opened. Great cafe, food, people, activities planned, it's just what the area has been needing, I am really excited about it!

So, what were your Good/Bad/Notables? Comment and share...

Lent week 2

Bad: little cub sent home from school with a viscious fever that lasted 4 days. With no other symptoms.
Good: big cub's strong minded decisions to deal with a nasty bullying situation at school.
Notable: some wonderful things said by both teachers at school parents' evening about both the cubs. BabyCub reached 6 months on Sunday too!

The start of Lent...

Quite a variable week. Still have the cough and painful ear from the cold last week. Pancake Party at church, focus group at a cookery magazine, fall out with a member of family, Ash Wednesday in school, a gift of a friendship cake starter.

Good: great goodie bag from the focus group. And the Dr Who themed meeting room.

Bad: big upset within family. Nuff said.

Notable: I happened to be in the kitchen in the church hall when a request was made for egg free pancakes. The ladies making pancakes looked very alarmed at the idea, so I gamely rolled up my sleeves and whipped up a very acceptable batter, using extra oil instead of the egg. Everyone, including myself, was super-impressed!

Half term week

Good: PapaWolf did some yummy cooking! He planned to do Valentine's supper, and gained the confidence to cook a couple of other meals in the week too.

Bad: didn't do as much with the days the bigger cubs were with their dad as I'd hoped as I started a bad cold & felt quite run down. Also, the BigCub's hearing is really affected by recent colds and it is v frustrating for all.

Notable: I've been referred to have my wisdom tooth removed. I'm not excited.

A day "up north"

Good : fab carvery lunch with Nanna & Grampy. BigCub cleared her plate, LittleCub did really well, they both loved their DIY icecreams,  it was a delicious meal, nice relaxed atmosphere.
Bad: we forgot to put the BabyCub's amber beads back on in the morning, and didn't bring the chamomilla, so he was really v cranky a lot of the day. Tho he did sleep on rugs on the floor while we watched Beauty & the Beast.
Notable: I knitted a framed 2x2 ribbing square for the blanket I want to make for BabyCub. Pleased with myself. Started in car til it made me carsick. Finished during film while he slept.

a rollercoaster week

Good:my good friend bringing round my belated birthday pressie - a moleskine (tm) recipe journal

Bad : SIL finding out she will need more chemo.

Notable: school open day and dressing up as a decade day. My Biggest Cub looked amazing in her 60s style dress and original 60s white gogo boots!

My birfday!

Good: yummy lunch out, pressies, cake, good friends, my loving family, phone calls from afar.
Bad: COLD!
Notable: the temperature was the same as the day before, but the sun was out and that made the day feel so much happier.
So, anyone else have a birthday? Tell me... if not, tell me about your UNbirthday instead...

something different : shoddy UPS service - please help!

I have had a dreadfully tiring few days and haven't had the energy to keep up my Good/Bad/Notables, but I've been trying to help my very close friend, and her daughter, who just happens to be my own daughter's best best friend too, and as the communication with the people in question is seemingly being fruitless, I've decided I'm going to publicise this, with my friend's agreement.

My friend C & I have been close for nearly 7 years, and our kids are good friends too. D just celebrated her 10th birthday, a milestone, a very special occasion, and much joy for all her family. Her grandparents made a special visit from abroad, and she had a very grown-up dinner party. C ordered a very special cake as the centrepiece of the special party. Nothing unusual here, you're probably thinking. However, D has multiple severe & life-threatening allergies. The main allergies she has are dairy, wheat, eggs and nuts. As you can imagine, this makes birthday cake more tricky than average. 

Over the years, C & I have discovered a select few brilliant bakers who cater to these needs, and although it is possible to make simple baked goods at home for D, it's a much bigger deal to get a nice celebration cake which can be shared with others that doesn't taste "free-from", and if a professional can do it, then that is much better than trying to achieve this at home as well as organise the rest of the party.
So C ordered a wonderful cake from a fabulous lady based in Reading, and it was sent via UPS on Thursday to be delivered with Next Day delivery to arrive on Friday for the party on Saturday.
However, it became apparent on Friday evening that UPS had LOST the enormous box with bright stickers indicating the important contents. 
I tweeted UPS on Saturday because D was understandably devastated, and I wanted UPS to know.  It is sad when something goes wrong with a much longed-for and eagerly anticipated birthday cake, but most people can make a dash to a local bakery or supermarket and at least replace it with SOMETHING in time. Not so with this cake.
C spent the morning making some free-from cupcakes, the lovely cake making lady was on the phone with help and advice, and the cupcakes were lovely, but that's not the point.

Someone from UPS did get in touch with me, all eager to help, but imagine my disappointment, and C's anger when the cake turned up today, 5 days late, with a half-hearted apology, and UPS decided that all is well now the cake has arrived.
I doubt anyone would want to eat it 6 days after baking, the party has long gone, and nothing will undo the damage done to D.
She is a fantastic child, and she happens to have some rather serious allergies.  She has NEVER felt or been treated as limited in any way before. But I could clearly see that she now feels limited by her allergies, and that makes me angry.
At the very least, I think UPS should repay the cost of the cake and delivery to both C and the cake maker. I also think they should consider forking out for a fresh new cake free-from which could maybe be shared with the class as a belated celebration.
I certainly don't think they should just allow themselves to feel all is fine now.
Please share this story as much as possible, I'd really like them to take some responsibility.

1,2, miss a few

No excuses, no regrets, missed Tuesday & Wednesday, so here's Thursday.
Good: little cub sent to Golden Book for her model of a CyberMan. Yes, my 4 year old girl made a CyberMan out of boxes! I'm brimming with geeky pride!
Bad: stayed up way too late watching Misfits on BTVision On Demand, before it expires next week. Great stuff though.
Notable: some really meaningful discussions with PapaWolf following Eternal Law. Great not to argue or snipe but just talk about something different and interesting.
Right, now YOU join the party! Post your 3 a day...

Monday Moaning

I wasn't in the greatest of moods, and was very tired, so I've left some space to collect myself, so here is a hopefully more balanced view of yesterday.

Good: Baby drifted off to sleep in the bed in the darkened room with no feeding or rocking.
Bad: A lot of grumpy, angry, whingy people, myself included.
Noteable: Thoughtful treat lunch from the WeekendWolf.

was your Monday any better?

Not so silent Sunday

Good: seeing friends and chatting with people after church.  I chatted with some people I wouldn't normally make the effort to speak with, and it felt good.
Bad: this is a toss up between the babycub screeching all day long - his new very high pitched sound, or the discovery that the plumbed-back-in loo was leaking.
Notable: the ex-wolf rescued an SD card that I thought had gone kaput with piccies on it. Joyful!
Hope u all had a good Sunday... tell me...

A disrupted day

Oh dear, it seems some gremlins ate Saturday!
So I shall retell the day before it vanishes from my mind!
Good: delicious roast gammon supper cooked to perfection by my lovely WeekendWolf.
Bad: all the noisy, panicky, stressful aspects of having our showerroom floor replaced. For most of the morning, I was convinced part of the ceiling would collapse onto the tinycub, and we did have 2 leaks through. Let's say, my Chicken Licken type of anxiety was not helped.
Notable: my various anxiety issues often prevent me from functioning as a normal mum; I rarely take more than one child anywhere on my own, and I don't even do that often, preferring to have the support of another adult most of the time. Luckily there are a few adults in our pack and there is usually someone to give me that support.  I fully accept this is probably not the best way to improve, but I do my best when I can. However,  yesterday I chose to take all 3 on a wander up to the library on my own, which involved elements that usually freak me out, yet I came back safely, baby cub asleep, bigger cubs happy, and all intact. It won't sound like much to most, but it was an expedition to me!

Frantic Friday

I have a busy day on Fridays, we run a playgroup, and I spend all morning socialising and helping, then I dash home for a quick lunch before picking up the cubs from their early finish. These days, the oldest cub is on the girls' footie team and today she had a match, so there was potentially even more dashing about.
The upshot is I have to really work to fit in some #ff tweets, let alone any simple tweeting. But I really love the ability to tell people I admire indirectly, and hopefully giving them a boost, so I try to fit in one or 2 that mean a lot.
It also means I feel slightly outta the loop on a Friday but also that blogging gets left behind a little too.
So anyway, I'm still awake after Friday, so let's do Friday.
Good:family karaoke on our BT Vision
Bad: pulling something in my back in the morning and being twingy all day.
Notable: reinstituting song time at our playgroup. And people joined in!
vwejt

Day 2

Good: PapaWolf. He remembered stuff, he was generally fab.
Bad: baby sleep not lasting in the day.
Remarks: BigGirl reached the Golden Book for 2nd time in a week. V special!
How was your day?

*trembles*

So, this is my first post on this new blog.
This is how it works. It's short and sweet (rather like me!)
I'm MamaWolf, I have 3 cubs, and there is a delightful PapaWolf. There are other people in our "pack" too, but we'll get to them when we get to them.
Every day we'll have 3 things:
What was good today
What was bad today
Something remark-worthy.

Every day. I want to remember and I want to share.
Come along and join in...

Good - TinyCub slept for the entire dog walk and then a little more at home. He'd also slept realy well last night. Good sleep.
Bad - I shouted at LittleCub because I was cross although I didn't make sure she heard me properly.
Remarks - seeing BigCub taste and enjoy baked beans cold from the tin for the first time!

What are your 3 today?