Today we don't give thanks for...

As you may have gathered by now, I find it quite hard to get through the day without having a moan about something. I mean being cheery all the time is frightfully dull. Where's the drama? The angst? The fun of making a mountain out of a mole hill?

So despite having a fairly pleasant day, I think it's worth noting certain things that I'm not thankful for (in contrast to my happier list from this morning):

Cucumber. It's not that I'm anti cucumber. In fact it is a staple vegetable source in our house despite having almost zero nutritional value. By virtue of the fact that it's green, I can tick the healthy meal box for my children when I give it to them. However, for a fairly innocuous vegetable, cucumber has an insidious way of making other food it's nestled against taste nasty. This means that when I pick at my children's leftover pizza that was served with the obligatory cucumber, it tastes rubbish. Cucumber also makes lunchboxes smell, which makes cleaning out the lunchboxes a less than pleasant task.

Hidden costs on cheap airlines. I booked some flights to Ireland today so that I can go visit my sister during half term. I booked on BMIBaby which charged £2 for a flight one way and £10 for the return. Bargain I thought. However, taxes are then added. Fair enough, that's the government's way of saving the planet (or lining their pockets) so I accept it. So they give you the total. It's reasonable.

Then as you haul your credit card out ready to pay, they say: How many bags would you like to take with you? Now first of all, how the hell should I know how many bags I'm likely to be taking?? It's weeks away. But then I see that they charge you per bag. I consider going bag free to spite the system but realise that my children won't enjoy wearing several changes of clothes at once and our concealed toothbrushes might be taken for weapons. So I add two bags (optimistic packing there). That's another £20.

Then I get to choose my seat. How nice I think. Only, I have to pay £6 per seat to book the seat. 'Don't risk it' the site advises. I think, sod it. We'll take our chances. But then think a little more and realise that I'll be travelling on my own with two under 5s on a late night flight. I cannot risk the off chance that the flight is full and I have to leave a three year old sitting next to a complete stranger (although the idea does have some appeal I must admit). So I fork out for that. Again. Then they have the cheek to add insurance to our bill and make it very, very tricky to remove it. But I do. And so my once cheap flight is now not so cheap after all. Personally, I would prefer to get a higher price and know that I'm not going to be charged for another thing. Oh, and that they throw in complimentary nannies onboard.

Leftovers. Because my husband is barely ever here, I've found it quite hard to work our way through a normal family size meal. Son 1 is having main meals at school so doesn't want a lot in the evening. Son 2 is going through a 'I'm 3 and so I'm going to be dismissive of just about anything you serve me' phase. Which leaves the eating of the lovingly prepared home cooked meal up to me. And despite my ability to put away quite a bit of food, there're still leftovers. And rather unsuprisingly, my children don't want the leftovers of the thing they didn't want the day before. So I eat them. And then I eat some more of them the next day. I've now had chicken pie for 3 meals and quite frankly will gag at the site of puff pastry if it comes into view.

Wrinkles and grey hair. Because they're just not fair. What's even more not fair, is that both of these evil things make men look better. Distinguished. But on women, they just plain suck.

Duplo. Because there are just so many bits to pick up at the end of the day.

Which is what I now need to go do. Toodle pip. Moan over.