Come judge me...I would.

When Bigger was a toddler, I was slightly obsessed with his diet. Everything was home cooked. Not a single jar of processed baby food entered the house or his body. Sugar was carefully monitored. It was either milk or water. No biscuits. No sweets. No chocolate. Absolutely no fizzy drinks.

Cake, real homemade cake, was allowed in moderation. Obviously.

I was a shining example of perfect motherhood *hollow laugh*

Except, somewhere between then and now, it all went wrong. Sugary breakfast cereal slowly replaced the virtuous sugar-free Weetabix. Sugary, child-targeted yogurts found their way into the fridge. The biscuit tin was brought out of retirement.

As he became more independent, I trusted him to brush his teeth. I became slack at checking up on him.

And now my laziness, my lack of attention to his sugar intake and my lacklustre approach to supervised brushing has come home to haunt me :-(

Tonight, in an attempt to prevent the 10,000th tantrum/whinge fest of the day, I sat my strapping 6 year old on my knee and brushed his teeth for him. Just like I used to do when he was younger. I'm ashamed and horrified to admit what I discovered. A nasty big cavity on one of his molars.

How could I let this happen? I'm an educated woman. I know what sugar does to teeth. I have enough fillings myself to prove it.

This evening, we've tried to kid ourselves. He doesn't get that much sugar, does he? Fizzy drinks are still banned. Lollipops forbidden. We never take him to the corner shop just to buy a sweetie, the way we did as children. Chocolate is maybe doled out once a week, if that. Fruit is usually his snack of choice, or a raw carrot.

But deep down, I know it's the hidden sugar that's the culprit. The breakfast cereals and the yogurts that he consumes daily. The hot cross buns and the brioche and the pain au chocolat. The homemade cakes that I kid myself are better for us because they are homemade. And the biscuits. Biscuits are a daily occurrence, there's no hiding from that. Twice a week in his lunch box probably and most nights as a post-bath panacea to placate frayed tempers, tired brains and those reluctant to go to bed at a reasonable hour. Hmm, maybe that hidden sugar isn't quite so hidden after all...

I'm cringing at the shame of it as I type. Growing up, bad teeth and cavities were a shameful thing in children. As they should be. That's some seriously lazy parenting that lets a child of 6 develop cavities. That's me. A lazy parent. A shameful parent.

I could make up a million excuses. Mornings are so hectic, making lunches, emptying dishwashers, trying to get everyone ready so I can leave for work without leaving the husband with 2 fraught children to wrangle with. Similarly, our evenings are as bad. Rushing home, collecting 2 tired boys from childcare, herding them homewards, into the bath, into pyjamas and into bed while emptying lunchboxes and trying to juggle homework and shopping and and and...supervised teeth brushing slipping down the priority list without me even noticing.

There's no excuse really. Not for letting my beautiful 6 year old fall into the sugar trap and end up with a cavity. I feel sick when I think about what the dentist will think of us. He'll take one look at those teeth and decide we feed our children little more than Irn Bru and Chewits. He'll judge us.

I don't blame him really. I'd judge us too.

Monday is the new Friday

Well, for this week it is. And what a glorious Monday it was. The sun shone, the birds sang and I got to have a leisurely breakfast with these cool dudes:

The original dude

Littler dude

The dudes then headed off to school and childminder, leaving me with a whole 7 hours on my own. I won't lie to you, it was bliss. I pottered, I contemplated, I listened to birdsong and soaked up some sun. On my own. I then hung out with these guys:

 And they totally renewed my spirit. So off to the allotment I skipped in search of some more dudes to hang out with. I plunged my bare hands into the damp, warm earth of the allotment and drank in the smell. I annihilated some weeds, sowed some more peas, pottered a bit more and dug over the raised bed ready for some sweetpeas.

Lunch was savoured in the garden. On my own. I didn't even turn the radio on. I was happy to be alone with my own thoughts and the sun on my face.

So, inspired by the day and by Julochka's positivity I hereby declare that this week will be:

:: awesome in so many ways

:: a fresh start full of potential and new plans

:: filled with new people that will inspire me

:: a week of outstanding creativity

:: a week of yellow shoes (oh yes)

:: full of smiles and laughter

I could get used to having sunny Monday's at home (on my own). I really could.

Have a great week lovely readers. May the sun shine on you and find you some dudes to hang out with that are as cool as mine.

The thing about dreams...

This morning as I was changing Littler's nappy, I had this conversation with Bigger:

Bigger: Mummy, do all your dreams come true?

Me: No, not all of them. Just some of them. Why?

Bigger: Good because I don't want my dreams to come true...

Me: (intrigued) Oh?

Bigger: Because I had a bad dream last night about robbers messing up my lego and we called the police who told the robbers to tidy up the mess but they said no and tidied up the litter instead so my lego was STILL a mess...

Bigger: I don't want that dream to come true mummy...

Me: (didn't know whether to laugh or cry)

The things they say and do!

I'm linking up with the lovely Christine Mosler over at Sticky Fingers...what have your cherubs said this week to make you laugh/cry/scratch your head?