What music did you grow up with?

What music is your child growing up to?

My dad was a big fan of Stevie Wonder, The Doobie Brothers, Jimi Hendrix, Ry Cooder. And music was played in our house. A lot.

I have very fond memories of huddling around one of those little portable tape recorders with my brother (the ones where you had to press down the play and record button together) singing I Got You Babe after hearing the Sonny & Cher song.

Today in the car my son asked if I could get Lady Gaga and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers on a CD for our journeys. My daughter is utterly obsessed with the High School Musical soundtrack.

And at the weekend my best friend said she had bought her 5-year-old daughter the latest Lily Allen CD. Ye gods, I screeched at her, you have heard the lyrics haven't you?

No! She looks slightly concerned now. Sure they're about relationships and affairs and the like but they're quite poppy and sing songy and that is what she really likes, my friend says. She doesn't really understand what the words are about.

There is a song on there and the chorus goes: 'F*** you, f*** you' in a sing songy stylee. I'm thinking that's not going to be suitable for your 5 year old!

I was thinking about this after reading a post at I Hate My Message Board where Tracy was talking about the music which reminds her of her childhood.

She was all Simon and Garfunkel and James Brown and Ray Charles - can you imagine our children's memories when they are our age? Growing up with Girls Aloud and Hannah Montana. Hmm, not quite the same ring of enduring coolness about it.

Or am I being a music snob?

Picture: WoodleyWonderWorks

This is why I worry about her becoming a teenager ...

Mia: "Mummy, only all the children in the world are allowed to climb. You know, like trees and fences and stuff."

Me: "Oh, OK. Why's that? I quite like climbing, am I not allowed?"
Mia: "No, cause all the adults have to hold the children's stuff while they're climbing."

Me: "Did you enjoy the panto with school?"
Mia: "Yes. It was great."

Me: "What was the best bit?"

Mia: "The coach journey."

"Mummy, I don't ever want to learn to drive. I like to sleep in the car and it would be dangerous to do that if I was driving so I'm not even going to learn.

"I don't need to really, cause you can take me everywhere. And if you can't then daddy will have to. And if both of you can't I'm sure I'll be able to find someone who will.

"I'll probably learn to drive when I'm about 60. I don't mind putting the petrol in the car for you though. How old do I have to be to do that?"

Mia: "Why does nana's dog have boobies?"

Me: "It's for her puppies to feed from. They get their milk from there. Like you and Dan had your milk from me when you were little babies."
Pause for thought.

Followed by uncontrollable laughter.

Pause.
More uncontrollable laughter.

Pause.

Mia (suddenly serious face): "I did stop having your milk didn't I?"

Our Christmas tree tells the story of our family

Our Christmas tree isn't fancy.
It isn't co-ordinated or stylish or like anything you would see in a Good Housekeeping magazine.
We didn't spend a fortune on the decorations and we don't update them every other year.
Our tree is filled with memories and every item tells a tale.

There is the flying sheep hubby and I bought when visiting the Lake District one year before we had children and we stumbled on the most adorable craft shop.

There is the chunky wool stocking which we pop a surprise small present in for after dinner.

There is the silver angel a very dear friend sent to me: A friend who I don't see very often these days.

There is the string of gingerbread men that my nana bought for me when she was alive.

And there are all the decorations that Santa puts in my children's stockings every year which they hang on the tree on Christmas morning.

Our tree isn't anything fancy, but it is certainly something special.

Oh, and not forgetting our own private reindeer who guards our house and keeps an eye out for Santa just in case he should ever get lost.



What about your Christmas tree? Is there a story behind it, do you even put one up? Do you go totally over top or do you keep it simple?
This post is for Violet Posy who is collecting posts dedicated to Christmas decorations. Go and check out what everyone else is doing this Christmas.

How to entertain 9 seven year old boys at a 'house' party

I did the unthinkable this year and told Dan he could have a party at home.

I said he could invite 5 friends from school. He said he couldn't possible pick just 5 and that he would feel really bad for the friends he had to leave out. Could it be 10?

Like the big ole softie I am, I caved in.

But I have to say, although they were loud and a little bit cheeky and tried to kill each other with lightsabres while waiting for parents to pick them up, they were on the whole golden.

I am also told by two parents that I have now become something of a parenting hero for staging a 'cool' Haunted House party and for making hubby dress up as Lurch (complete with black suit and facepaint) to answer the door.

My success was down to planning. Military-style planning. And a 10-point action plan. I stopped short of drawing it up on Excel (Single Parent Dad and How I Like My Coffee, I'm looking at your two saddos).

But I did make a list Erica.

1. Choose a theme.
Dan desperately wanted a Haunted House party. We toyed with Star Wars, Superhero and Doctor Who but he decided playing in the dark was so much more fun than wearing his threadbare Batman cape. Again.

2. Create a cool invitation that gets everyone talking

3. Decorate the house

Paper ghosts, cotton wool spider webs, spiders made from black cupcake cases and pipe cleaners, bats cut from black card, strips of black crepe paper hanging from the doors and light fittings. Turn the lights out.

4. Enlist a helper.
Dress him up as a member of the Addams Family. Make him walk around the house like he's got two broom handles down his trouser legs. Ask him to 'moan'.

5. Create a spooky spread.

Eyeballs on sticks (grapes), maggot and skin sandwiches (grated cheese and ham), witches fingers (cocktail sausages), teeth (apple quarters cut into jagged pattern), rotten brain (popcorn with jelly snakes crawling out of it), witches brew (red squash).

6. Keep them busy when they arrive.

Cover the kitchen table with a white paper table cloth. Invite newcomers to 'design' the table cloth. They can draw any picture on it and at the end of the party Lurch will judge and pick a winner.

7. Party games.

Bucket head - Lurch has lost his brains (scrunched up white paper) and you need to get them back into his head (a bucket on his head) while he ambles around the room. Groaning.

First one to - Like Simon Says, but you say 'first one to . . . sit on the floor' etc. Last one to do it is out. Just to spice up proceedings I said 'first one to kiss somebody else'. They all kissed each other without thinking (soooo funny) except one boy who kissed me. Instant win.

Ghost hunt - put clues on pieces of paper in 9 balloons. First one to answer a question correctly gets to burst a balloon, read the clue, find the 'treasure' (tubes of chocolates) around the house.

Watching them trying to burst balloons: Hilarious.

Pass the Parcel. With a twist - when the music stops you put your hand in the giant black bag in the middle of the circle and take out an item of clothing and put it on. Whoever is wearing the most at the end is the winner.

The boy wearing a hoola skirt and Peter Pan hat and one of my skiing gloves was so not happy!

Chinese Pictionary Whispers - too complicated to explain but it was a joy to see a bunch of lads get all excited about drawing!

8. Let them let off steam.

They're boys. All they really want to do is fight and kill each other.

All the foam swords, lightsabres, axes, blow up clubs came out and they had a good 15 minutes of beating each other about the head.

9. Party bags

I have learned through bitter experience that you have to give out party bags. But what to put in them?
Cool pen which flips out, packet of Crazy Bones, chocolate money and fake dog poo.

10. Tell them 'whoever clears up 3 items can have their party bag'.

I can't believe this actually worked. One boy did 'cheat' by throwing his stash in the open washing machine right next to him, but all the same, chuffed.

I held a house party for 9 seven year olds and survived!