I'll try to write this without bursting into tears and I'll also try to make it, make sense. I'm not in a great frame of mind right now.
Yesterday our precious little kitten was put to sleep.
His liver wasn't working as it should. And he had a lot of fluid and toxins in his body. He kept hiding under my bed and not wanting to come out. He'd refused food and drink for two days. Yet his belly was getting fatter and fatter (too much fluid) and he looked so, so miserable. He kept looking at me with his big bright eyes, pleading with me to help him. I did everything I could possibly do. I knew it was time. Time to say good bye to my little baby kitten.I was stroking him under his chin as he passed. He was purring. It was incredibly sad.
I took him to the vets, my best friend came with me. Lenni was put to sleep, I stroked him under his chin until he passed away. I was inconsolable all day. When the kids came home from school I explained to them that Lenni was in heaven in chasing butterflies and dancing amongst the clouds. You can imagine how upset they were! Ellie didn't understand and she keeps asking when Lenni will be coming back. It's hard. So hard. Ellie and Lenni were inseparable. We miss him, so, so much!
He had a good life here with us. He had all the attention in the world. He was spoiled rotted. I use to cook him chicken breast and fish, treats and all the cuddles in the world. 

R.I.P Beautiful boy, we love you so much and we miss you so much! We will never, ever forget you. xxxxxxxxx

Lenni & Ellie. They were best friends.

HE loved bags and boxes.

Beautiful boy

We miss you Lenni xxxx

So back in September we got a new kitten. We got him from a cat (charity) rescue place. He's been absolutely fine until the last month or so. A little on the small side but healthy and happy.
We think he had cat flu, got antibiotics for that. He seemed to get better but as soon as the antibiotics ran out... he was poorly again. Back to the vets. More antibiotics and blood tests and we still don't know what's wrong with him. We (as in the vet and myself) think it's something to do with his liver. Also, he now has to have senior cats diet or low protein. Poor kitty! He's five months old but the size of a 10-12 weeks old kitten. He is TINY! He's now on more antibiotics and medicine. He may need more tests after Christmas. Just see how he is after the meds and antibiotics.


I really hope he's going to be ok. I can't imagine life without him. Now, I know that sounds totally daft to some people because he is "only a cat". He's actually like part of the family now. The kids adore him, too! He does seem to be getting better again, running around like a loony and chasing Lotti, our big cat around the house, lol. It's nice to see him getting back to his old self again. He's so affectionate and loving & things would certainly not be the same without him.

Last week, we got a new kitten. He's an nine week old rescue-ee. the mummy cat was feral and is thought she died leaving three little baby kitten behind. Just two weeks old. They were rescued by a very sweet lady who runs a cat charity. She then hand reared the three kittens that were left behind. Praise that woman, she deserves a medal for all the work she does for all the cats!
I fell instantly in love with Lenni, I knew he was the kitty for us! We do already have a cat who is 15 months old. She's a tortoiseshell cat with a very unique personality.. and attitude, lol. Her name is Lotti. She's very close to me.
She hasn't taken all that well to the new baby kitty though, so I've separated them for now. I'm introducing them very slowly and carefully. I know she wouldn't ever hurt Lenni. Of course I've given her extra attention and some treats. She sleeps on my bed most nights or on my daughters bed with her. Awww.


Despite Lotti keep growling at Lenni, he has settled in very well. He loves to run along the wooden floor and randomly leaps into them air, lol. I'm sure he's ninja kitty in disguise, hehe. He loves cuddles and falling asleep on my shoulder! He can be quite mischeivious and he's already chewed the cable of my earphones for my phone, little rascal. The kids adore him and he doesn't seem to mind them either.

I know, I know, I am late posting this week but yesterday I had a really crappy day. I was diagnosed with an acid reflux. That's a post for another day though, honestly I don't want to go into right now. Plus Reasons to be cheerful is a cheerful post! So let's see what are my reasons to be cheerful this week...

1) Schools out for summer -- Yup, the kids broke up from school for six whole weeks. It's lovely having them home. Although so far we've not done much because I've not felt 100% but they have had fun riding there bikes outside and playing footy with there friends. 
2) I am feeling a little better today, thankfully. I am going to catch up on housework and washing. Ahh, the joys. Hopefully I'll be able to have a relaxing weekend. 
3) We are getting another kitten! Yay! He's from a rescue centre but he is only 3-4 weeks old and is being hand fed. The mummy cat was feral, she either abandoned her litter or she passed away. We've already named him Lenni. Hopefully once his big enough, he'll keep all the other tom cats away -- they drive me crazy trying to attack my female cat and spraying all up my dustbins outside. Don't get me wrong I LOVE cats but I don't love the smell they leave behind... Especially in this heat, lol. Hopefully everything with Lenni works out *crosses fingers* 

And another reason to be happy is of course because today is Friday! Woohoo. 
I've linked this post up with the lovely Mich over at Mummy from the heart, you can join in the blog hop below and share your reasons to be cheerful if you'd like :) 

Sarah xXx 

If you like my blog, please like my blog page on facebook -- Ups and Downs, Smiles and Frowns. Thank you xoxo

I thought I would share with you the story of our cat. 
I wasn't planning on getting a cat but it just so happened I didn't get much choice. 
It all happened last June. I was sitting outside in my back garden, making the most of the sunshine. The kids were playing happily, dinner was in the oven, everything was going great! And then, my neighbour asked me if I wanted a kitten because no one else wanted her. I said I didn't really want a cat because I was already feeding a stray cat at the time, which had kind of adopted me. However, she then passed me a cardboard box and said if I didn't have the kitty she didn't know what to do with it. I took a look at this cute fluffball or black, white and ginger fur and I instantly knew the cat was very sick. A sick tortoise shell kitten. I'd say she was around four weeks old at the time. She had serious eye infections, her nose looked blocked and she just looked so small and frail. I knew I HAD to have her. I gave her a closer inspection, she had ticks and probably fleas, too! She was shaking because she was cold even though it was a good 70 degrees (F) outside. The first thing I did was fill a hot water bottle and put it in her box with a soft baby blanket and a small bowl of water. I then called my friend to see if she could watch the kids while I went and brought some kitten food (I was not prepared for a kitten). She gave me a spare litter tray that she had brought for her cat but didn't need it. I put some newspaper in and off I went to the shop (while my friend baby sat the kids) to get cat litter and cat food. (the picture on the left is when I first got Lotti)

 I came home and fed our new fur baby, realised she couldn't actually lap water. Luckily enough I had an unused medicine syringe that came with Charlies old antibiotics from when he was a baby. So I syringed fed her water, ever so carefully, half a ml at a time being careful not to drown the little kitties lungs.
I introduced the kiddies to her, they all fell in love with her. She totally loves them, too.  I knew then that I HAD to keep her.No matter what. She needed me. And if truth be told, I needed her too. I'll never forget the look on Ellies face and her exact words were "Is she real, she looks so fluffy and tiny" LOL.  I contacted cat protection to see if I was eligible for PDSA to help contribute towards the cost of vets. I knew she'd need medicine at the very least. Thankfully I was eligible. The cat protection lady was ever so kind and even took our cat, 'Lotti' to the vets for us, knowing that I didn't drive... She's such a kind, lovely lady. Lotti was diagnosed with cat flu, eye infection in both eyes and ticks/fleas. I didn't have to pay very much towards the medicine, for cat flu, eye infections. I also treated her for ticks and fleas and of course, wormed her. Thank goodness for the PDSA though, they truly are an amazing charity. Also, so is Cat Protection. Over the next few days she did get better but then took a turn for the worst. She wouldn't eat, drink or even open her eyes. I honestly didn't think she was going to make it. I slept with her, I carried her around the house with me, I laid with her on my bed, tucked inside my dressing gown (she loves my dressing gown, even to this day!), I couldn't eat or sleep. I was SO worried about my little tiny cat. It took her weeks upon weeks to get better and four lots of antibiotics to get her better! All the time, I never took my eyes off her, even at night time I was waking to check on her. Even feeding her water every couple of hours, just a couple of ml at a time. It was like having a new born baby. She was and still is my little baby. The bond we have is amazing! 
She finally started acting more like a kitten around 10 weeks old, you know the normal.. chasing figers, chomping on toes, stalking anything and everything that moves, lol. It was truly amazing to watch her get better and stronger each day. I managed to ween her to lap water herself, even if it was out of a glass, lol.
She ended up having a tummy problem a few months later, which was sorted with yet more medicine. She's also been sterilized and micro chipped now, too. 

Lotti now - You would never know she was so ill as a baby kitty! She's full of life and energy, a totally spoiled cat and is one in a million. The bond we have is incredible, she instantly knows when there's something wrong with me, I instantly know when there's something wrong with her, too. I know her meows.. I know when she's hungry and when she wants a drink (She will only drink out of a glass!!! Don't ask me why, I have no idea. I still leave water in her bowl but it's always untouched, lol but that's fine, just as long as she drinks) or when she's in pain. It must sound totally daft to people when I say "I know her meows and what they mean" lol, it's true though. I guess it's because of our bond and the amount of time we've spent together. 
 She loves playing outside with her two "buddies" from next door. They're too tom cats, both the same age (roughly) as her. She hates fish. Have you ever known a cat to turn it's nose up to fish? Yup, even tuna! She's a fussy kitty. She LOVES chicken and turkey though. She's not keen on snow and like every other cat she doesn't like water/puddles/rain, she loves long grass and she only likes a fuss when it suits her. She sleeps IN the bed with me most nights, unless it's too hot then she sleeps on my pillow with her paws on my head, lol. (Don't ask, I don't know why she does this either lol). She also wakes me up between 5:30 and 6:30am for me to let her outside so she can do her buisness, lol! I told you, she's just like a baby lol. If I don't get up? She nibbles my toes until I do, lol! I have thought about a cat flap but errrr all the other cats would get in, lol. She also has a little bit of an attitude at times... Although I call it tortitude, haha, get it?! Tortoise shell cat... attitude combined the two words = Toritude, hahaha. I told ya I'm crazy, LOL.
I am SO glad I took her in, so, so glad. I can't imagine my life without her. We love her so much. She loves us, too! 



(Oh and in case your wondering about the stray cat that I use to feed before I got my cat - someone took him in although I do still see him from time to time and of course, I can't help but give him a treat or two, hehe. There's also other neighbour hood cats that like to come around and chill in my garden, they all love a fuss. I really AM the crazy cat lady, I am not even kidding you) 

I hope this post all made sense. I just wanted to document it for myself and of course share it with the world. I know I'm crazy to love a cat so much and I am totally crazy about cats, especially MY cat. She is truly spoiled rotten and in real life, I talk about my cat non stop. People really DO call me the crazy cat lady but I'm quite proud of my 'title' to be honest, I'm not ashamed to admit I love my cat (and every other cat, too! Haha)

Sarah xXx

 

This post is linked up with Brilliant blog posts

So, it feels like I am coming down with a cold, at least I hope it's just a cold and not flu! Eugh. 
But of course, there's no rest for the wicked. Life goes on. I don't have a chance to sit back and relax. I have piles of laundry to wash, hang out, fold and put away. There's school uniforms and packed lunches, hoovering to be done and dishes to be washed, dried and put away. Dinners to cook and kids to pick up from school (except today because there was no school. It's May day and therefore a bank holiday. Thank goodness). I had an unsettled night last night, I don't know if it's because I changed my bedroom around and so the bed is in a different spot in the bedroom or because I just wasn't really feeling tired. Or maybe it was because I am coming down with a cold or something. Who really knows?! It was just one of *those* nights where I kept waking up and was up and down. It didn't help that the cat was meowing because she needed the litter tray and couldn't go because the door closed. Then she processed to be a pain in the behind and carried on meowing because she wanted t o go outside. 3am is not a good time for her to go outside, especially as one of the neighbours cats has gone missing (he's been missing since Friday night/early hours of Saturday morning. I really hope he turns up). 

I just hope tonight is a better night. I also hope that I feel better tomorrow. Or at least my throat doesn;t hurt so bad. 

Tomorrow is grocery shopping day but to be honest I could do without going. Not going to happen. Obviously we have to eat and so I shall plod on and go to Morrisons, get a weeks worth of groceries and go pay bills and whatever errands need to be done. Must remember to put the prescription for my medication in at the doctors!  
I can't complain too much because the kids aren't bad and they do try to help me if I ask them. Sometimes though, it would be nice just to have a break from everyday things, especially when I am feeling not so great. 
Chance would be a fine thing, eh?!  A woman's works is never done. 

Anyway, aside from that the weather has been amazing. Warm and sunny, lots of blue skies. The kiddies have been able to play outside in our large back garden. We're really fortunate to have a large back garden. the weather is suppose to be nice again tomorrow, if I'm feeling up to it maybe we could have a BBQ after school. Best make the most of it because after tomorrow it's suppose to be overcast and not as warm. Still, it beats winter, lol.

Anyway this post isn't really going anywhere, I just needed somewhere to whinge and whine, lol!! We all have days like that, right? 

Sarah xXx 

1) I've had such a wonderful time in Liverpool, as have the kids. We went on the Mersey Ferry, to Liverpool world museum and Liverpool football stadium at Anfield. We had a really lovely time! The kids loved the Ferry, I was a little worried one of them would be seasick or something but they were all fine and really enjoyed it! The museum was amazing!! It was free, too. I have so many photos that I shall share when I get home :-)
2) Having said about home - I am so, so looking forward to seeing my kitty, Lotti. I have missed her so, so, so much. My best friend has been taking care of her though so I know she's been in good hands, still doesn't stop me missing her though! Can't wait to see her!
3) The kids go back to school next week. We've had a really lovely half term but honestly, I can not wait to get back into routine. Hopefully the kids will soon be wearing there summer school uniform, hehe.
4) We had a lovely trip to the park the other day. The weather was really mild and for the first time in a long time we weren't freezing cold.The weather is suppose to be really warm this weekend, or at least normal temperatures for this time of year.. Oh how I hope it is!

What are your reasons to be cheerful thsi week?

Sarah xXx

Yesterday it was snowing all day. Only lightly though. In all honesty I didn't expect to have so much! I suppose we had about 5-6cm maybe a little more. I wrapped the kids up warm ans we went and had some fun in the snow!

The kiddies didn't have school today because of the snow, which meant more playing in the snow! The kids have had a fun. I had fun, too. It was great fun having snowball fights and trying to build a snowman which was an epic fail, lol! Although, now I want the snow to go, I hate it when it turns all slushy and icy, it's no fun now lol!

This week is going to be another busy week! I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow. Wednesday I need to pop into the range (and hope that canvas is still on sale for the boys room! I knew I should of brought it last week.) Thursday I need to give E's room a second coat of paint and undercoat the windowsill, skirting boards and door ready to be glossed! And then Friday I am going to blitz my house. It gonna need it by then! I need to try and find a cheap book case or something for my room. I don't buy paper books anymore as I have an E-reader but I need somewhere to put the books I DO own. I've filled one bookcase already. I would donate or sell them but I love my books, I can't bare to part with them. Is it just me that finds it hard to part with books? I mean, I find it hard to part with anything but even more so. My books. I love them.
 Speaking of books. I've read four already this year. The #50books2013 should be achievable if I carry on like this! I find I'm a fast reader when I read a book I like, I can't put it down! I love reading in the evenings when the kids are in bed.. I switch off the T.V and away I go! Thing is, I end up staying too late reading, lol.

I've entered so many competitions lately, I hope I win something lol.

Right, I need to wash the dishes (Oh what I would give for a dishwasher LOL)
Sarah xXx