The going away edition

We'll see if anything gets done as there's a massive storm blowing all around me as I type this up this morning and already I heard something strike the wheelie bin

This week I'm making arrangements for being away which will be a little different from travelling in  different direction than usual and not for the first time ever involving catching a train having taken care of event I'm doing this last week arguing with a networked printer that didn't feel like working.
That wasn't helped by being poorly late last week but at least  it did get done. 

 Mr Theo Bear muttered a little about it being a bit cool midweek and for a couple of days it certainly was but the fire was put on was put on for him but I'm pretty warm blooded myself so while he's saying he's cold despite all that fur I'm taking off layer and on orange juice.
That's just how it goes around here

What girl wouldn't want to be in her shoes surrounded by dollies prams and a sowing machine?
Personally I'd take the teddy!

A message from Theo

Hello. It's Mr. Theo the 2nd here this Monday morning sitting here having been sunbathing after last weeks really sunny weather while this blogs own tries to figure out how to make the self timer work so I can take my own picture.
I think they've been going outside not that I get taken out much enjoying the fresh air and the strange case of the winter flowering species  that should be like the daffodils planted locally.

 You normal expect to see them in Spring but it appears to have come up early as have a number of blossoms too following a period of higher temperatures in the last few weeks here in the North-west Midlands.
That said it was blowing a strong gale last night when I went to bed.
I think they may be something different happening later on in the week here but I can't remember much being just a stuffied teddy bear but I think you might see something about it in a week or so.
Regards, Theo

A message from Bertie

A new moth so that's seen me out delivering the community newsletter in the spirit of Middle girl helpfulness down the sides of house, walking on gravel pathways covered from head to toe in hello kitty attire.
Yes, it's a crazy world I live in,eh? (lol) but couldn't be any other for this girl.

 Given the problems I've had very recently it's been very much a kinda hug your plushie regressive time of it all and so I thought Bertie would like to introduce himself.
"Hello Girls and Boys. My name is Bertie and I've bin living  with Jo fur two year but she never give me a page and I was born in Congleton but they toss me over Congleton edge so I ended up being adopted in Biddulph in  Staffordshire where they used to get black stuff called Coal from so I speaks with quite a strong North Staffordshire accent like she doesn't.
Mind you, she don't sound British either most of the time and gets mail from Alberta and Ontario!
I like the Autumn as everything turns the same colours as me but she don't call it that but she like this time of the year too.
The best thing about being a bear is the hugs, honest, as it makes us feel wanted and special.
Bye for now and be good.
Love, Bertie"

Charlie

As you might recall, something unexpected was given to me at Christmas (and I'm still overdue one present!) but it needed shall we say a bit of work to give it some life.

That's right the Grafix build your own teddy bear  that needed some groan up assistance with it  as I don't do sowing and so on with my amazingly bad hand to eye co-ordination.
Well at least he's alive is Charlie Bear having been named, having his birth certificate filled out and quite huggable too.
Tis a good life to be a teddy bear of a little.
Before I forget, I'd like to thank some new acquaintances  from one site some littles, others people who've been helping littles in their lives who are reading this blog.

Christmas Edition 2014

Well, now were officially a few days past it, here's my Christmas edition for this year where as ever I ramble on about Christmas as it lived by me.
The first thing to say is Christmas for me is first and foremost a littles affair, practically a childrens one starting with the great anticipation, the week before and building up on Christmas Eve where I sat with Mommy watching the Carols from King's concert on tv in one of my Pinafore Dresses before eating.
I was wake around Half past  Six Christmas Day with anticipation about which list of Santa's  I was one, hoping it wasn't the naughty one, getting washed and dressed  to comedown stairs (in our family you absolutely never come down stairs without being properly dressed, ever) and fix breakfast.
It wasn't long before the sacks were found and surprisingly I wasn't on the wrong list (with a bag of coal and a voucher redeemable for free smacks) so I started on opening them.
There were a number of Annuals, those perennials from my childhood where you got a softback book featuring cartoon strips from your favourite comics, extra features, quizzes  and games.

As the initiated know, I do read this comic a lot loving the adventures of Minnie The Minx, Dennis The Menace and the Bash Street Kids so here's this years annual.

A comic I used to love but has folded from weekly publishing was the Dandy with Korky the Cat and Desperate Dan of Cow Pie fame but they do specials such as this years annual so I was mighty glad to get that one.

 An author of books I love to read is Jacqueline Wilson and every year there's an annual out about her, the many stories she's written featuring Tracy Beaker (a heroine of mine) with tips on writing and drawing. I also got the Hello Kitty annual with stories and pictures you can colour.

Talking Kitty, I got a note pad and pencil from my Brother and partner which was pleasant surprise.
But the biggest surprise was yet to come.

Yes, my parents actually surpassed themselves and bought me this Grafix Build your own Teddy Bear kit that you stuff, sow the back and badge onto and fill out the Birth Certificate for!
I mean, you couldn't get so little with me me if you tried as this suitable for anyone over five (Foive in South Staffordshire speak) bear you can carry around with you hugging after completion.
After going out for lunch, I got changed into a Tartan skirt coming down the stairs in the late afternoon watching tv for a bit before we had a light evening meal as I was feeling a bit full.
One of my brothers forget his present so he's due to come back with it sometime soon while the other one realized he forgot to give my my main present so money that'll go toward some more blouses as I go through my closet replacing  and updating clothes.
Typed before evening meal in Red and Green GHS uniform with grey socks as I have no wish to have to wear trousers to eat at night with and the 'rent's are getting used to it!

Downstairs girl

One first thing to say about this last week has been for a variety of reasons some routines have been different not that I'm kinda ocd over routine although I do benefit from some structure in my life which is why this post has been typed today when otherwise I'd of been busy.

The last few posts have been about interests of mine as I'm not exactly a one dimensional adult little girl by a long shot and things I had and enjoyed from my birthday rather than personal posts so I thought this last one of March would be different.

Shared life is often a compromise whither you live as a couple or as individuals who maybe share a property and also this can and usually does cross over to relations with parents, relatives and so on. You may sense that some parts of your life not least for a good number of us being  a 'little' come under the heading things you can't share or be otherwise open with although there's nothing remotely shameful in it.

This is particularly so if like me you're also coming at this as being transgendered too with a number of inter family issues around my being so following my greater involvement around alg activities I had been wondering more around working through this with Mommy.

We've managed to evolve to a point where it's finally okay to present as alg downstairs at night where just both of us are in (Grumpy has his own space upstairs he resides in then) as I feel fit, and she feels comfortable engaging with me sat in the front room being the same me as before for an hour or so. Naturally one doesn't get this for free for when she's sleepy then I'm expected to deal with any outstanding dishes and make a hot drink for when she wakes up but even so it's progress being downstairs, full dressed, helping out in the kitchen.

We're starting to bond better, I can openly call her Mommy - indeed even addressed birthday her card as that - which is helping both of us work through this having had our difficulties in the past around gender based issues.

In honour of Little Evie

I suppose I am many things to a good number of you and as you know I do not hold myself so in awe of myself that I have the kind of vanity that to want to know what that might be but  I'm a little reserved both online and as well as in real life.
I don't jump in two feet first shall we say! But today I shall having finished reading Elizabeth's adventures in the Naughtiest Girl series remaining in my little girl school uniform all day for the same reasons she would.

This fine person joined GT recently being as I understand it friendly with Priss and something about her immediately caught my attention.
The first thing I'll say about Little Evie  is (as much as I  dislike drawing distinctions) is she is an adult little girl  who has a beginning as a biological female, something that is remains more a minority in the alg world although I'm personally aware of a few and am extremely grateful for one.
While I'm very aware of the negatives  as well as the positives of the Internet to the point I won't post a persons job title, employer etc here, she works with children which is super awesome in my book  as I don't so much work with them myself as they come at times with those I do, both of us get to spend time with children doing stuff like playing. Having an personal insight to how a child sees the World is a jolly useful thing that I used as a School Governor.
The third thing and the reason why I absolutely had to - having an Elizabeth impulsive moment-  jump in with two feet is she did something I thought was very brave.
She came out to her colleagues as a little and what is more they were supportive of her.
How many of us hand on heart could actually be in a groan up staff area and just do this?
I'm extremely fortunate my colleagues do know and so long as it doesn't get in the way of what I do are cool with it. I've had situations where I have been supported  by people outside of the alg world when people have tried to bring a "shock horror she's a little" drama in other organizations life.
It takes courage to do what she did, the same kind of courage Elizabeth found in the stories, that also I had to find for myself to be as I am.
That is why I'd like to say her site is listed here,  hope all the GT people will welcome her and  say I will do whatever I can to support her in  all the things she knows she needs to get fixed to fully enjoy life as an alg.

Love, Joanne.

Hello and goodnight from me

Hi people.
First things first, we've a number of new visitors to this blog according to the numbers thing Google provide, and if that's you please read the About and if you wish, add a comment to the Hellos sections you click on from the top of the blog as they'll explain what this blog is really about and why I was so pleased Samantha amongst others publicly recognized the value of it.
I also wish to welcome PowderKid ,teenb101,Pickachu, tinkerbell and Noodle to my home of schoolgirlish innocence as well as Mary who returned to GT this week.
People at  Adisc and GT may have noticed something, namely my avatar yes the one form the same series as the delightful image I'm claiming this week, looks well, sharper, because when I edited it last time to fit the square 150x150pxavatar size restrictions at both sites, somehow the online resizer made it very grainy something Noodle rightly brought to my attention so I redid the resizing.
Last week I talked about sleep having lost several spoons to staying awake for longer than is good  for me and sleep is something that has been mentioned before as in Little Modes Sleep both at GT and there's a current thread running on it at Adisc plus there's my "Downsized Sleep" entry on here about talking about how and what I got from throwing the groan up stuff out of it!
Anyway peoples you'll recall I'd converted sleep into a going to sleep and waking up  as a adult little girl experience with age appropriate bedlinen, teddy bears, posters, pretty much the works really and it was wonderful.
Well, how well do you find actually switching off, closing your eyes and going to sleep? If you're like most of us maybe a bit iffy even if we turn off the Tv for a bit before getting into bed. But there's something, you might remember it, that used to work pretty well for you when you were younger and I'm suggesting you try it.
Recently faced with this, I recalled this reassuring routine of either being read a short story or maybe of listening to soothing songs -Lullabies- that from being in bed get you into a relaxed sleepy frame of mind from my own childhood.
It happens that Amazon has a pretty good recording of Lullabies in contemporary arrangements in stock that is available as an inexpensive download as well as a cd and I bought it.
Lullabies-the rainbow collection which I'm sure is available on Amazon in the States and Canada too.
It runs for about 35 minutes which is just long enough for you to start to drift off clutching your teddy and it does really help having adopted this into my sleep routine packed with favourite songs and rhymes from the past.
Until the next time and IK chat.
 Hugs Jo.

Downsized sleep

Hello people.
There were two entries I felt like making this week as I sometimes wake up with ideas for these things so the next one up will be the more serious one.
A couple of entries back I was talking about casual wear, sorting through older stuff and how all of that fits with my little side but as a continuation of that my thoughts moved towards another side of clothing.
Last year you may recall I did out my bedroom removing older age  inappropriate stuff that had been there for eons, making space for my dolls, teddies and hello kitty posters as I wanted to wake up gazing out upon a more girlish scene.
Well, for as many years my sleeping attire was unmistakably female but recently I started to re-examine in my own mind what it is I'm wanting to get out of the the sleeping experience and came to the conclusion I didn't just want to wake up to that girlish scene so much as I wanted to enter it sleeping in more girlish fashion.
Was there anything more appropriate for me than to be wearing Hello Kitty night attire? Didn't think so  so I got these:

Well it is fleecy so it does keep me warm although it will take a t shirt underneath if it's real cold, really cute and is  decent length. I do like night dresses actually also currently having a dog paw print one but as one of my others had seen better days this will make a great replacement.
Sometimes and usually in winter you sure know it - you need something thicker so I've always had pajamas for when temperatures go shooting to the minus degrees Celsius sometimes throwing on a old sweater and bed socks for good measure.
Well, being brought up in the cold you sure learn how to keep warm, eh? 
I opted for this being a little flexible:

Okay it's a T shirt but it's thicker than a fair number of night shirts or even pajama tops, is so cute and obviously child like from a 100% child range with a snug fit.
Actually I saw a caption site - not  a LG one sadly so it's not all me - where someone found another 'little' on the inside who'd embraced this side wearing HK Pajamas and to be honest I was taken by how it looked.
Well I bought these which are a bit different and not quite as kittenish but still way over the on the cute girlish side:

It's heart design on a reddy pink alternating with Kitty herself with blue adjustable drawstring.
Isn't that so cute?
I think the best way to describe the impact of them on me is that it downsizes my sleeping age meaning I go to sleep feeling more like the 12 year old I am waking up looking out on my world, the World of Joanne_Chan in wonder.

A word from "The Bear"

Hewwo. I'm Theodore the IInd I am. I came into Joanne's life today this magical day called Christmas to add a bit of sparkle into her life as she just loves teddies bears giving the most loveliest hug to us bears.
I was at a bit of a loose end at the bear home when she told a woman she really wanted me for Christmas and you know what? Not once did she peep at me until today! I'm hoping she'll have some great adventures with me.
Regards Theodore II

Resting Bear edition

Pawley (tm)? I, Theodore The Bear, got covered in nasty wet stuff  a few weeks back and my owner had to carefully wash and clean me up. Do you know what it feels like to have stuff land above you head soaking your arms right through? Gives me the shivers to tell you the truth but anyway Jo sorted me out and let's me sleep on the bed though today she's put the spare overs and that on. I've never see her friends bear never mind had tea with them.(sigh)
I have a few companions that I want Jo to show you at some time.
BFN, everyone. Theodore

Just a few words from me, the one who has this blog to say I hope everyone including LBA who flow in from the States @GT.to who is going to camp has a great time and the weather is kind for you all.
I'm still resting the throat taking lozengers and the like to sooth it here after it went within  an hour at work on Monday which as my role involves talking to people face to face is a bit of a blow.
Thanks to everyone in 'chat' for their sympathies and concern,
Hugs, Jo.