3rd Time Lucky?!

Posted on by Libby Price

Today is piglet number 3’s first day at school! Well, I say day, it’s actually 2 hours and 20 minutes – but it’s her first proper foray into reception. Here she is looking very grown up and proud:

P1010901

She has the same reception teacher who taught the older 2 – and the teacher is in for a bit of a shock – as she is very different to her elder siblings!! We can look forward to our first parent’s evening (unfortunately at our first parent’s evening with the same teacher for the boy, the teacher was bent over in a cupboard as we walked into the classroom – husband commented ‘nice arse – shame about the face’!  Yep – I was really proud that evening……..)

But back to reception starting – and the big difference for number 3 child, is that she is entitled to the new Government scheme of free hot meals for all.  Lots of people have been chuffed with this – saving them the £2.20 per day it would otherwise cost (or the faff of making packed lunches each day) – but I have to say I think it’s ridiculous.  We could easily afford the cost – and surely there are better things that the cash strapped local authorities could spend money on?  I realise that some children don’t eat properly – and addressing that is fine – but the broad brush of ‘everyone’ seems a bit mad.  My daughter?  Kai Rooney?  Harper Beckham next September?!  My husband was entitled to free school meals as a child as his parents didn’t have much cash – and then, as now, there could be a stigma attached to this – so maybe extending the scheme to more people would have been sensible – but everyone??  Perhaps people claiming child benefit (although let’s face it, that is also a controversial cut off – but a line has to be drawn in the sand anyway!)?

As well as the fact that people who can afford dinners are being given them for free – there are also the practical issues for the schools – many don’t have the canteens to make the food, or the space for all of the children to sit down to eat them – so we will see how they cope.

For me it was seen as a vote winner and is political posturing that hasn’t been properly thought through at all.

It would appear that my poor 3rd child’s start at school has been hijacked by me having a rant – but then with the title of this blog being ‘This Price is Usually Right’ I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened sooner!!

De de de de, de de de……

Posted on by Libby Price

Tonight is the night – sequins and spandex ready – Strictly is BACK!!

SCD

I have loved Strictly Come Dancing back since the very first series – where Natasha Kaplinsky and Brendan Cole rumba-ed on (and allegedly off) the dancefloor to lift the glitterball trophy! For the last few years eldest daughter and I have been glued to every episode together and have even been to the live shows – and I suspect another couple of little girls will want to watch this year (although not tonight – it’s on too late for a 4 year old who starts reception tomorrow morning!) With the advent of social media – I also like watching it in the company of Twitter – where dances / outfits / fights with the judges are replayed in real time and discussed at length!

The line up this year looks fab – something for everyone?! And the fact that Brucey has (FINALLY!) retired and been replaced by Claudia Winkleman means there will no longer be the cringey links – hoorah! I have to confess to a little bit of a girl crush on Claudia – and would like to be her friend!! Let’s face it – there aren’t many high profile shows presented by two 40+ female presenters!!

Tonight is just the launch show, where the celebrities get partnered with their dancers (who now are mostly celebrities in their own right!) – and we have to wait until 27 September for the show proper – but a quick fix tonight can see me through for a few more weeks!

I really want to become famous just so I can go on Strictly and learn to dance, wear lovely outfits and get fit in the process – but in the short term, I will just have to live vicariously through my TV screen and maybe do some more Fitsteps classes!

So everybody – ‘Keeeeeeep dancing’!

Guest Blog: Ugly Babies

Posted on by Libby Price

I am very excited to have my first guest blog.  Emily has set the bar pretty high – but if anyone else is up for a guest spot – then blog away!!

 

Ugly babies

How kind of Libby to hand over her blog to me for a guest slot!  I am feeling highly honoured to have been asked, but also slightly nervous.  You see, I don’t normally do this kind of thing…write that is, and certainly not for public consumption!

It’s a very brave thing to write a blog…to write anything really and put it out there for people to paw over.  You are immediately inviting people to comment on a certain aspect of you, a part of you, or your life, that you have decided to share with others.  Who would want to do that?

Well, lots of people actually.  Every book or piece of writing you have ever read has been crafted, agonised over, erased, re-written, erased again, wept over until finally, finally, there is something that the author feels happy with.  That they are willing to (to quote a famous Snow Queen) – “Let It Go!”.

Some authors say that writing is like having a baby; you spend months creating this thing, making it perfect, and then you hand it over to people who might say…”Oooh!  Isn’t your baby ugly?”  Again, who would want to do that?  And who, might you ask, would be so cruel and harsh to criticise such a labour of love?

Erm…well, that’s me.  I am the person who might tell you your baby is ugly.  I am the person who crushes dreams.  I am AN EDITOR! Mwahahah!!

I don’t really crush dreams…in fact I try to make dreams come true wherever possible.  But as a fiction editor (and one half of editorial consultancy Ruston Hutton) it is my job to make sure that the books/writing I edit are practically perfect in every way…not ugly babies, but beautiful, strong and gorgeous babies that everyone wants to munch (or read).  Because, believe it or not, not every book starts out this way.  Most authors will require revisions at some point and it is this process that can take a story from pfft to phenomenal!

So what do I do?  Well, I don’t go around criticizing babies – let’s just clear that up!  Primarily my job is to work with an author to ensure that their book is structurally sound; that characters are motivated and likeable and behave in realistic ways.  Also, that there is a sustained tension or conflict running through a story giving the reader that page-turning quality that makes a book completely un-put-down-able (not sure that’s even a word!).  I work with authors to help hone their writing style, or craft, and brainstorm new plot ideas if she (or he) has hit a brick wall.  It’s very much a collaboration to make their book the best that it can be.

And authors now come in all shapes and sizes!  You don’t need to have a huge contract with a publishing house to get your name in lights.  There have been some wonderful achievements by authors who have simply self-published their work (much like Libby is now!) and have found an online readership – a group of people thirsty for the story they are telling.

So in addition to helping an author to get their story to shine, I might also offer advice on commercial positioning – where a book might (or might not) fit in the current market.  As much as an author wants to write the story of their heart, there must also be a market for that story – a readership just waiting to be engaged.  What is a book if it isn’t read?  A doorstop.

Perhaps the most exciting part of my job is finding new shining stars in the writing world; whether it’s an amazing story waiting to be told or a unique voice just waiting to be heard.  Nothing beats that buzz of finding something special…a bit like when you get that tingle watching X Factor when plain Sam Bailey walks in and Simon looks bored but then she BLOWS them away!  That.

But the favourite part of my job is reading.  Lots of lovely books!  All day.  I read anything from romance (love a strong Alpha male!) to YA Fiction (Hunger Games blew me away!).  I know many of Libby’s friends share her love of reading – hurrah! – and it’s wonderful to see her book reviews generate debate and opinion on Facebook and Twitter.

But what do I like in books?  It’s so hard to choose, a bit like picking my favourite (non-ugly) child!  I suppose my favourite books reflect my personal interest in the role of women in society; how strong women in particular are portrayed, often feared and often  maligned.  I like books that have powerful leading ladies who are not always likeable, but who have an innate strength.  My top two are probably Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, so totally different to the film (which I also LOVED), but a soaring epic nonetheless, and The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory – we all know the story of Anne, but this turns an old tale on its head – a wonderful read!

So that’s me in a nutshell.  What’s your favourite book or what’s the one book that would become your doorstop?  How might you make that book better…?

Thanks Libby for inviting me over!

Emily xx

You can contact me at rustonhutton@gmail.com or visit our website rustonhutton.com  if you would like me to tell you your baby is ugly…or advise on your writing dream!!

Ruston Hutton fiction editors

New school daze…….

Posted on by Libby Price

So – in the next few days we have 3 of the 4 children starting new schools – all a bit of a new school daze here!!!

Today children 1 and 2 have their ‘first days’. For number 2 this shouldn’t be too much of a stress – he’s moving from First School to Middle School which is in the same building, and all of his friends are moving too. Some other First Schools feed in, so the classes will be bigger (yet more potential girlfriends – he is his father’s son after all!), but it shouldn’t be too much of a change. I am slightly concerned that he’ll now be responsible for his own homework / planning etc – and even getting him to do his reading in First School was a battle – but hopefully he will rise to the challenge – we shall see!

(And looking at the photo of his first day at First School – it was buying that first pair of his school trousers that caused me to weep in M&S in Redditch and decide we needed more children!  It was them that caused the vasectomy reversal and extra 2 children!!!)

First day at first school - cheeky chap!
First day at first school – cheeky chap!
First day at Middle school
First day at Middle school

For eldest daughter it’s all a bit more complicated. Husband had wanted the kids to go to private school from day one – but I have dug my heels in saying I would prefer for them to go to the village schools, where we can walk to school and they can build a friendship group of people in the village. This is totally what’s happened – and the support network to us all as a family of other village families is fabulous, However, I’d always said we’d reconsider at 11. In our bit of Worcestershire we have the Middle School system – so she could have stayed in the village for another 2 years – but this was the best time to move her, if that was to be the plan. She did AMAZINGLY well in all of her 11+ and entrance exams – passing for the local grammar school (where I went, and husband’s first wife went, there’s a whole other post in that one day?!), the high-flying academic private school in the middle of Birmingham, got a scholarship for another all girls private school in Solihull – and in the end is going to a small all girls school in Droitwich. The dealings we’ve had with them so far have been great – and everyone I know with girls there is really happy. She can go on the train every day (eek!) and be more independent. She is beyond excited.

First day at first school
First day at first school
First day at Senior school
First day at Senior school

How quickly they grow up…………

2007
2007
2014!
2014!

(It was the boy’s idea to recreate this – honest!!)

This post is for this week’s ‘The Photo Gallery’  topic of school over on The Sticky Fingers Blog. Pop across and see what other people have posted (and weep at their photos too!!)

 
Sticky Fingers Photo Gallery

Book review: Stoner by John Williams

Posted on by Libby Price

Now I know I said I didn’t think I’d do another book review before going away again – but I’ve snuck in another book (mostly whilst lying in the dark trying to persuade 2 pre schoolers that they really want to go to sleep despite it being light outside and their much older brother and sister still being up!)

Stoner – by John Williams

Stoner

This book was one recommended by a friend when my Facebook page became a virtual book club a few weeks ago.  It was actually the 2013 Waterstones book of the year – despite being written almost half a century ago, and it being 20 years since the author died.

It’s the life story of the eponymous William Stoner set in the US at the turn of the 20th Century. Most of it is based around a University where he first studies and then works and falls in love with literature.  It is beautifully written and I found myself completely enthralled by it.

If you’re after blood / guts / red room sexual exploits / humour then this is most definitely not the book for you – but if you appreciate great, well written. moving, absorbing literature then it’s well worth a download / purchase / borrow from the library. Now back to some blood and guts with the next recommendation from a friend ‘I am Pilgrim’…………..

 

 

Cooking mama

Posted on by Libby Price

On Saturday I was hoping to be able to do a blog post about a fabulous family day out – but a stinking headache for me first thing (not a hangover may I add – no, honestly!) and an evil wasp sting on the husband mid morning meant a day at home instead.

So in the afternoon I made apple crumble ready for Sunday lunch with the parentals today – and one to pop in the freezer (domestic goddess that I am!). I had ‘help’ from the odd numbered children (whilst children 2 and 4 played Minecraft and slept respectively – to be honest the first would induce the second for me, but children seem to LOVE it!)

Baking 1

The 4 year old was chief ‘rub-er in-er’ – and as you can see was VERY proud!  And, surprisingly, she did a really good job.  Usually she gets bored before all the butter has been rubbed in – but not on this occasion.

The eldest did all of the weighing.  I’d told her the ‘half fat to flour’ rule – and that the sugar needed to be the same as the fat.  Now the fat wasn’t the 150g I’d suggested – but 163g – so we even had a bit of a maths lesson at the same time!

Baking 2

 

I assisted with the apple peeling (or we may still have been doing it whilst making the Christmas cake later in the Autumn!!)

Baking 3

 

They were very chuffed with their finished results (so much so they were dancing about and the photo is blurred!)

 

Baking 4

So no exciting day out to report – but 2 very excited girls who very much enjoyed cooking with me (and a husband was was visibly shocked I’d done actual cooking with the children when he got up from his post traumatic nap!)

We had happy customers at lunchtime today when the crumble went down very well with Nanny and Grandad too!

 

 

Great Grandparents

Posted on by Libby Price

I am very fortunate that I still have a Grandmother around – my Mum’s Mum – and also an ‘honorary’ one!  

The honorary Grandma is actually my best friend’s Grandma – but she’s been in my life for almost 30 years – and she thinks of me as one of her own grandchildren.  One of my favourite memories of her and Grandad (who sadly passed away last year) was the ‘post A levels’ holiday my BFF and I went on with them to a camp site on the west coast of France.  

Back when we were 18 and carefree!
Back when we were 18 and carefree!

We had our own mobile home – but spent lots of time with G&G as they are just such fun.  Grandad would go and fetch the croissants for us every morning – but rather than leave them on the step whilst we did the teenage thing of sleeping in, he would construct a tower from tables and chairs and balance them on the top so we could see them when we opened the caravan curtains!!  

Honorary Grandparents
Honorary Grandparents

And then there was the infamous night of the ‘bad moule’ – where I was throwing up what looked like concrete and Grandma was convinced this was to do with dodgy shellfish (not the 2 litres of French white wine my 18 year old self had drunk!!)

Grandma helping me home on 'bad moule' night
Grandma helping me home on ‘bad moule’ night

When we got back to the UK – and got our results – Grandma took great pleasure in shouting out of her door that her Grandaughters had got 8 A levels between them!!   One of my kids’ highlights of this summer was actually going up and down on Grandma’s stairlift!!

Stairlift

Both honorary Grandma and my Nan are the same age (and spookily went to the same school in Birmingham as girls, although didn’t know each other) – which means they were both about the same age as my eldest daughter at the outbreak of World War 2. When the children have done projects about World War 2 and evacuees they were able to talk to my Nan all about it – as she was evacuated from inner city Birmingham to Burton upon Trent.  She talks of going into school in her best coat, with a tag around her neck and her gas mask and being sent off to a school in Burton where local families could come and pick who they wanted.  I don’t think it was a particularly enjoyable experience for Nan – and she came back to Brum as soon as she could as she missed her family so much.  How amazing that someone can talk about what happened to her when it’s a topic you read about in the history books or see in films – and how lucky my kids are to be able to talk to these ladies with such interesting history.  

Nan and Grandad (who sadly died in his early 50s – and yet seemed like such an ‘old man’ to me back then) met, married and went on to have my Mum and 4 other children – so even more kids than me!  But no washing machine / dishwasher / fridge / car – it was a much more physically demanding role than for me now. Seeing Nan in her warden controlled flat now, eating her M&S meals as it saves cooking for just her – I can’t imagine her running a house with all of those kids in those conditions – she must have been such a strong woman (even at just over five foot tall).

When I was expecting baby number 4 my consultant wanted to induce me (apparently it’s risky with number 4 or more to go overdue – and I’d had to be induced with 2 of the other 3 anyway, with the other one being a week late when he came of his own accord, so induction was likely to be on the cards at some point).  It was November 2011 – so the fact I have massive number OCD meant I wanted 11th November (what a cool date of birth would that have been?) – but he was already fully booked for c-sections.  So instead we went for November 9th – my Nan’s 83rd birthday – what an exciting present for her – her 9th great grandchild (to add to the 12 grandchildren). As she pointed out – at least we’d remember it when she’s gone (always glass half full, that’s Nan!!)

83 years difference - to the day!
83 years difference – to the day!

My parents do a lot for Nan as geographically they are the closest of her children – and when they’re away I take on the mantle of ‘milk deliverer and bill payer’.  Nan always says ‘you don’t need to come, you’ve got so much to do with the kids and business’ – but I know how much it means to her – and I know how much it would mean to some of my friends who no longer have their Nans to go and visit. So a (china) mug of tea and an egg custard at Nan’s little flat it is! 

4 generations
4 generations (one with really bad fluid retention in her legs having just given birth……..)

Mama, I’m a big ‘blogger’ now!

Posted on by Libby Price

This afternoon I had to buy an emergency pair of shoes (Superdry blue flip flops, very comfortable and quite substantial for a basic flip flop) due to the other new pair of shoes I was wearing (Next gorgeous sparkly pumps) for the first time were rubbing at the back on both feet.

This afternoon I also had to photograph the shoes whilst sitting on a shopping centre toilet as I knew I wanted to blog about this. 

Shoes

I think I now qualify as a proper blogger……….

Crazy golf fun times **

Posted on by Libby Price

We have had a fabulous summer – a few weeks at home catching up with friends and family – and then a fortnight of ‘just’ the 6 of us in Portugal.  Now there are just a few days left before the end of the summer holidays – and the start of new school terms, and new schools for 3 of the 4 kids – which will no doubt garner a load more blog posts!

One thing we ‘have’ to do every time we are at this particular resort in Portugal is play crazy golf. I loathe this ridiculous game with a passion. I find it neither ‘crazy’ nor ‘golf’ and you can guarantee it will descend into at least one of the family members having a huge strop.  This time I nominated myself scorer to reduce the risk of it being me stropping off.

We all played beautifully until we got to hole 4 – then the 11 year old stropped off…….

It wasn’t much later when the 2 year old had a melt down – and this resulted in my favourite photo of the entire holiday – and therefore this had to be my entry for this week’s ‘The Gallery’ post.

Georgia - crazy golf strop

Definitely one to keep for her 18th birthday!! 

** This should most definitely be read in an ‘ironic’ font.

Sticky Fingers Photo Gallery

Books – books and more books

Posted on by Libby Price

I love reading.  I always have, from Enid Blyton’s Five and Seven (Famous and Secret respectively), through Sweet Valley High and Judy Blume (I could probably still find the rude bits in ‘Forever’) to the deeply condescending entitled ‘chick lit’ genre of more recent years – interspersed with a ‘critically acclaimed’ to justify the grammar school education!

A fortnight’s holiday used to mean a suitcase full of paperbacks – but 4 kids and a Kindle has reduced the excess baggage charges (book-wise anyway – although the space this year was replaced with gin – see comment re holidaying with 4 children…..)

I swore for a long time that I wouldn’t succumb to the new fangled Kindle – in the manner of my 85 year old Grandmother – but once I’d tried it, I confess to being a convert.  It does hurt marginally more when you drop it on your face when you fall asleep reading – but that is probably one of the few cons (the other being when you aren’t allowed to read it on take off and landing on flights – but could read a normal book!!)

I do feel slightly guilty for not using my local library so much nowadays – although my children more than make up for that!  My Dad was never allowed to borrow books from the library as a child in the 40s / 50s as my Nan reckoned the books there had germs – but I have let my kids run the risk!

I have never joined a ‘book club’ but quite often my Facebook feed will end up in a pseudo-bookclub chat – as I have a lot of friends who like to read (this definitely says something about my circle of friends – in a good way!) And one of these friends suggested I should blog about books – so here we are (this is the second time I’ve taken up one of her content suggestions for this blog – the other was periods – this should be less messy!)

So – henceforth – I plan to do a short(ish – longer than Twitter – shorter than a magazine) book review when I finish a book – and I would really welcome your comments both on the books I review – and suggestions for what I might like based on my reading history – I am always looking for recommendations (I often rely on Viv Groskop in her monthly review column for Red Magazine – but there’s always scope for more!)

We’ve been on holiday for the last fortnight – so this is peak reading weeks for me – so I thought I’d kick off with a brief review of what I’ve read – and this should also give you an insight into what I like (and don’t!)

The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Secret HistoryI struggled through The Goldfinch – another of Ms Tartt’s tomes (I read it on Kindle and nearly passed out when I saw the size of the hardback that someone else was reading!) – last year, enjoying the different style of writing – but struggling with the content and waffly-ness of it at times – and at the start of The Secret History was concerned it was going to be the same.  From the outset you know that a certain event is going to happen – and I found the build up to that a bit drawn out – but once that was done, I enjoyed it much more (guess I’m just impatient?!)  I have to say I didn’t particularly like any of the characters in the story (American University students) which always makes a book more of a struggle if you couldn’t really care about any of them – however, I enjoyed the Latin / Greek references (back to that grammar school education again!) – but it definitely wasn’t an easy read.  At least I can tick a ‘critically acclaimed’ off the list – and I wasn’t beaten by it!

Little Lies by Liane Moriaty (seemingly called Big Little Lies in the USA!)
Little lies
This was a Red Magazine recommendation – and I have really enjoyed some of her other works (What Alice Forgot, The Husband’s Secret) so I downloaded it immediately.  This was a great break from The Secret History – and I devoured it in a day (and night – holiday insomnia has it’s perks!)  She writes well, from the aspects of lots of different characters, and her topics (family life, suburban Sydney – where I lived for a while) are really relevant to me.  Although I’d like to think the PTA events at the schools my kids go to aren’t quite so scary!!  Interestingly, like The Secret History – you know that a certain event is going to happen in this book too – but I didn’t feel I needed to get to that point to enjoy the book. 

The Hypnotist’s Love Story by Liane Moriaty
Hypnotists Love StoryI downloaded this after checking the authors history and what I had and hadn’t already read. It was lovely – another easy read – but not too cheesy.  Again – set in Sydney – which brings back fond memories.  I would have poo pooed the ‘hypnotist’ element of it historically – but with recent experiences I was not so cynical – which probably meant I enjoyed it more!

New Beginnings by Fern Britton
New BeginningsI have to confess to loving Fern a little bit.  Who cares that she lost weight with a gastric band and advertised Ryvita at the same time – I always think she would be a fabulous mate who you could have a real laugh (*drink*) with (and Phil could cook dinner for us all!) – and her stint on Strictly Come Dancing a couple of years ago made me love her even more (I hold her sparkly dress on the Strictly tour totally responsible for the one I had made for my 40th party!!)  I’ve read lots of Fern’s books – mostly set in Cornwall – and they’ve been a good easy read (particularly as I’m normally reading at home whilst trying to get small kids to sleep – so can’t concentrate on anything too mentally taxing in between demands for milk / water / nappies changed / extra blankets / aircon on / the toilet etc etc) This one isn’t set in Cornwall – and I think is her debut novel – it’s set in the world of TV – so I guess sticking to what she knew.  It’s about a 40 something mother – so lots to empathise with.  As with a lot of Fern’s books, it left me wanting to know what happened to all of the characters next – which I think is the sign of a good read!

Tickled Pink by Christina Jones

Tickled Pink
This was an Amazon Prime Kindle library suggestion (I only recently found out that our Prime membership entitled us to b borrow Kindle library books for free – and no risk of germs from this library either!!) and my Kindle knows me well it would appear!  Initially I was a bit confused by all of the different characters (although admittedly this may have been compounded by the Portuguese Vinho Verde I was knocking back!) – but I soon settled into it.  It’s a total rollercoaster and therefore not predictable – which I enjoyed.  You really get for the sleepy English village in which it’s set – I’d quite like to visit it now!

So there you have it – my Summer 2014 reading list! It’s 6 weeks before I go away again – so I doubt there’ll be another book review until then – but I look forward to everyone else’s suggestions and comments.  In the style of Strictly ‘Keep Reading!’