I applaud our government's decision to put cigarettes out of sight in shops, for our kid’s sakes. OK, I don't think for one minute that it will stop some of our kids smoking but, it shows a clear message that we do not want kids to smoke. I also applaud drink awareness campaigns and restrictions in the advertising of alcohol for the same reasons, for our kids.
But our government are bloody hypocrites! They moan about the rise in violent crimes in our youths, they so say want to prevent them. Then they allow a huge advert for Grand Theft Auto - a violent 18 cert game, right in the middle of the street. The woman pictured in the advert is brandishing a gun! Where are the damn restriction's now?!
This advert is what we see every morning on our way to school, as do a few hundred other kids in Walcot. That is just in one small area alone! How many kids all across our country are seeing this picture every morning on the way to school?
All of my children except for one think that this game is horrible and realise the damage guns do, except for one. He thinks this game is forbidden territory and therefore cool. I blame his reasoning on peer pressure at school (some of his ten year old friends actually own this game and play it!) and I blame it on adverts like this.
I go to bed each night knowing that as a parent I am trying 100 per cent of the time to get the right messages across to my kids. But with adverts like this on the street, myself and every other parent in the country are fighting a losing battle.
What do you think? I would love to know other people's thoughts and opinions on this one.
The weekend…..A time for relaxing, unwinding and generally shaking off the stress of the week. A chance to see your friends, do a bit of shopping and have a lie in, bliss!
REWIND!
That's how it used to bc (before children)
When I was a kid I remember the weekend being a rather laid back time. Ok, my mum spent the whole of Saturday morning doing the house work, but the rest of Saturday was a doddle. On a Saturday afternoon we did a bit of shopping or visited family and generally it was a peaceful happy time.
Sundays were of course "Roast" day and in the afternoon my dad used to frequently take us all out for a ride around the countryside. If we were lucky, on a Sunday evening in the summer, it was out for a drink and there we sat happily on a pub lawn, with our bottle of cola and packet of crisps. In the winter, my parents used to take us to the Square D Club where we socialised with other families and played a game of darts. If we were especially good, sometimes we would get a bag of chips on the way home. Weekends were a happy relaxing time and we spent it together as a family, doing things we all enjoyed.
How times have changed! Weekends now seem to be as hectic as the week and I seldom feel that I have had a break from the merry go round. We start off early Saturday morning with a trip to the County Ground, where my oldest has football training. Then at eleven myself and Michael meet at the door. He is on his way back and I am on my way to take Abbie to ballet. It is then home for lunch and after that it’s time to take Abbie back for a ballet rehearsal (Abbie is going to be in a show in June.) Quite often there is also a birthday party going on that we need to take one of the other children to and from. So that’s it, Saturday has passed in a blur of manic activity.
Sunday we barely catch our breath as Callum has a football match. By the time Callum returns from playing, it is too late to do much and Cal is usually too tired to do anything by then anyway. So then it’s Sunday evening and preparing for school on Monday.
Oh boy! I can’t wait until our holiday at the end of June, I need a rest and we all need some much treasured family time, where everybody is relaxed and happy rather than tired and stroppy. And if the kids try booking up activities here there and everywhere on the camp, woe betide them because they are banned and Rory the Lion, Anxious the Elephant and Naughty Ned are going to get it!
I can’t believe that it is over a week since my last blog entry! Where exactly has the time gone? If you do happen to stumble upon my lost week, please do not feel the need to return it to me, as the more I think about it, the more I get flash backs of troubling occurrences and overall general chaos. I do recall suffering from the effects of this bug that the kids gave to me. It was horrible, I slept so much! Which is no mean feat in itself, in this house, especially as my bedroom doubles as the living room!
I also recall offering a stranger hugs and beers (why is it we always recall embarrassing and uncomfortable events first?) This event occurred after I replied to a story comment from some geezer called “grumpy,” only to discover that it was not my blog buddy. Some cheeky watsit has stolen his name! So if you are listening “fake Grumpy” please change your name, as I risk my reputation by offering strange men hugs and beer.
I also did something new for the first time this week. I worked at night. It was really exciting! In my 32 years, I have up until now only ever worked during the day and in the evening. So when the opportunity came to go to work at midnight, I jumped at the chance. The excitement! I went into the Adver Office with Steph to put the election results on the web. I was pleased to discover that our local councillor Mavis kept her seat.
N.B
Rereading that last paragraph has made me realise that I am either getting old or sad, or both. The things that excite me now are so different to the things that did five years ago. I am now panicking and downloading Rhianna and Sugarbabes in a bid to retain what’s left on my youth! Even the Ed called me a Muppet when he found out that I had actually volunteered to work Thurs night. Mind you I am not too bothered about that comment, as this comes from someone who actually runs miles and miles for fun! Hehe! (1-1 Dave)
Well if you have read this far and you are still awake, I apologise for being old and boring. I think I might start a mid life crisis! What can I do for excitement next….. Answers on a postcard!
My aunt sent this via email and I thought it was pretty good, so thought I would share it with you. Before anyone shouts at me, I have no idea who the original author was, but if he or she want's to come forward, that would be pretty cool. Equally if anybody wants to answer them, that would be pretty cool too!
How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
It's has been a decidedly dodgy few days at the shoe. We have all had a tummy bug. I will not go into the details but put it this way, the word "horrific" springs to mind. The poor overworked washing machine has been pushed to the limit and I think we have gone through several litres of flat lemonade. Thankfully, though everybody seems to be on the mend again now.
Isn't it funny how when you casually mention to someone that you have had a tummy bug, they automatically take a step or two back, when talking to you? In fact, I have felt quite lonely and isolated in this little shoe and so have the kids. I will be glad to get back to normal (our version) tomorrow, just as long as nobody decides to throw up again please, no!
My eldest daughter, Amy 8, who brought the bug home for us all (nice child!) is off to a sleepover at her best friend's house tonight, then tomorrow they are all off to Thorpe Park. So I am busy playing the neurotic mother right now and I am feeling more than a tad nervous about it! Now don't get me wrong, I know her best friend's family are brill and I trust them to look after her, but, arrrghhh! She is going to a "theme park" It would not be so bad if she was a little more on the timid side, but she is not. In fact her sense of adventure is equal to that of Evel Knievel's! I have banned the extreme sports channel after catching her watching and declaring loudly that she couldn't wait to try the wall of death!
I don't even want to think of the sorts of rides she will be going on tomorrow. In one way, not being there scares me and in another way I am glad that I am not there to see! One good thing though, she is blessed with being a short arse like her mother, so the thought of height restrictions are giving me a little reassurance!
I had to go to my doctor's surgery today for a blood test. I hate blood tests, I am such a wimp! Luckily I did not have to take any of the children with me; therefore, I did not have to make out that I was not nervous at all, when in actual fact I was "bricking it!"
I managed to time things really well, arriving just three minutes before my appointment time, so I did not have to wait too long in fear. Then, when I checked in at the appointment desk I found out that the phlebotomist was running 15 minutes late Arrgghh! A whole eighteen minutes to sit in the waiting room in anticipation of that damn needle.
My veins have often hidden when I have had blood tests in the past. Subsequently, they have tried to get blood from many different ones, including once the vein in my groin, which was really painful!
So anyway, I sat there waiting my turn whilst tapping and poking at my vein and praying that it would not hide. I got a few weird looks but I didn't care! I am well used to that :) Anything to stop that dreaded vein hiding!
It got to fifteen minutes past my appointment time and I knew that my turn must be coming soon. An old boy went in, leaving his wife in the waiting room, he came out less than five minutes later.
"That was quick love" said his wife.
"Yes" said the man gritting his teeth, looking a tad pale.
"Was it the nice lady love?" asked his wife.
"No" he replied "It was the bloody butcher!"
And then.... BEEP! Up on the screen came my name, before I had the chance to leg it!
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