Summer time last year I did a guest post on potty training. I found myself reflecting on it over the past week as our three year old still has some 'poo' issues with her potty training! Sometimes there seems no light at the end of the tunnel. But i looked at this post and reflected on the fact that i actually have successfully potty trained 3 kids already…eventually!

Thought id link it up just in case anyone else wants a read and a bit of a giggle at my 'caught in a book shop with huge turd in potty' story

:0)

Happy monday.

A while ago I noticed on twitter a recent mummy and supremo photographer asking for any guest posts and I jumped at the chance, especially when she asked for funny stories and one particular story came to mind.

You can read about it here: http://www.icarriedawatermelon.co.uk/blog/advice-on-potty-training/

And if you are here from julia's blog. Hullo to you. Come be my friend on twitter: twitter:@apartyofseven

as always you can rock over to Mammasaurus blog to view some more. 

what a truly inspiring title for a post. But i get asked a lot about Laundry….

yes..hold tight to my everso exciting life!!

Im guessing its people wonder at how i manage a large family load of laundry. This is what i have thunk about this matter so far. 🙂

1. My kids get out of their school uniforms as soon as they get in from school. This preserves the jumpers, ties and shirts from all sorts of yuk and gets a couple of days out of them. 

2. Whatever they choose to put on after school gets put back in their cupboard at bedtime and not in the laundry (unless its dirty)for use another day. The exception to that is undewear. 

3. I am a bit 'free and easy' with the coloured/whites thing. I have, in the past, washed a rogue black sock with the pale clothes and it has turned out okay…not grey.. But having said that i do wash darker coloured together and lighter coloured together but i can say with complete certainty that i have never done an entirely WHITE wash.  (you still awake?)

4. I don't take clothes out of the washing machine unless i have time to fold them up. There is a reason for this. If you fold and flatten and pat then it decreases the need for ironing. I say decrease i suppose you could actually insert 'eliminates' in there. I rarely iron stuff. Life is too short IMHO

5. I tumble dry a percentage of our clothes but not all. Tumblie categories are underwear, socks, pj's, sleepwear, sheets, towels, bedding. Essenitally anything i don't mind shrinking a bit and i mind the kids and our proper outdoor clothes shrinking. Yes the underwear etc tends to shrink a little. My little way round that is to buy a size bigger. Say for my just 2 year old i might buy 3-4 year old. 

6. Once folded and patted clothes have been left flat for an hour, its important to leave them for a bit so they can…um…sink into it or something like that. Then they are hung up somewhere. I do have a washing line outside..my problem with this is that if i hang a wash outside and it is not warm enough to dry all the clothes in the time before i have to bring everything in, i then have to hang everything up all over again. Thus hanging up the same load of washing TWICE…and thats lunacy. 

7. I use softener probably way to liberally. 

8. I don't use powder in my washing machine. Someone once told me that it is a sure fire way to block your machine and give it problems in later life. I need my washing machine to stay working for a long time!

9. Clothes get folded and put away – eventually….this is the thing im the worst at. I have tried involving the kids in putting their clothes away but this to them = stuffing all their pile on one shelf so it really is false economy. 

10. I use fairy liquid on stubborn stains and it always works pretty well. I try and run a boil wash once a week, apparently thats good for the washing machine too.

Thats it, for goodness sake, ten points about laundry. Someone kill me now! I bet there are loads of you out there who have some laundry bits of gold advice. Why not share. Go on 🙂

This is not what my lanudry room looks like….*sob*

Dear house,

One day, my friend, you and i are not going to have a continual wiff of poo. Yes it seems unlikely right now. But it will happen and im may just do a little dance.

potty training purgatory, Sx

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Dear Women's hospital planners, 

Just curious to know why there are in fact TWO new mummy and baby spaces outside the hospital now. Im thinking 6000 babies a year we may need a few more than that. 

nightshift working nurse, Sx

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Dear skin on my hands, 

Dont break up on me now, i need you. Spring is on the way. 

handcream loving, Sx

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Dear half term, 

you can't get here quick enough. Seriously. 

done with the school run, Sx

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Dear Larger toddler of mine, 

What happens at 4am in the morning that makes you come and get into our bed, on my side, with your freezing feet? huh? Can we do something about it so you stay put for just a few nights.

trying to think its cute but failing, Sx

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Dear darling daughter of mine, 

sitting on the toilet when your parents are in the shower and putting the phone onto movie mode is so not funny! Stop doing that. No-one needs that sort of shock when scrolling through photos. 

must lock my phone ALL the time, Sx

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Dear weather,

Could you please just either snow or get lost with the freezing hail/rain type stuff. Its boring to do life in that sort of rubbish precipitation and no fun if you are a little kid with a sledge. 

how very british, Sx

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dont forget to pop over to Kat's blog for some more.