A quick quiz

A quick quiz today - beloved of teenage magazines that I used to read. You get a scenario and then a choice of answers:

The situation:
Miss I woke up at 5.30am and refused to go back to sleep. Miss A woke up at 6am and was determined to try and spill water all over our bed. By 6.30am they were both crying. Eventually dressed and downstairs, breakfast went on for a very long time as they were both hungry and kept eating so we were almost late. Packed lunch made, buggy packed, I then managed to pull the bathroom light switch completely off. Bother. It was a relief to leave the house. So . . . .having been to school and the playgroup, returned home so Miss I could have a much-needed nap, do you:

a) prepare a wholesome nutritious evening meal for the family of vegetable stew and dumplings, while simultaneously making a banana cake using ripe bananas (thrifty parenting), run the hoover around the lounge, strip the beds and hang out some washing?

b) lie on the sofa with a copy of Hello magazine and some chocolate, and then wake up 2 hours later?

c) Something else?

The answer in my case? Do a). Then do b). Then realise it's actually 2pm and you and the baby need some lunch! Which was an interesting experiment called caldo verde - a soup made from potato and spring greens and cabbage. I don't think we'll be repeating this experiment.

TH has mended the bathroom light switch. Early night tonight.

Season of mellow fruitfulness . . .

It's the autumnal light and leaves making me feel all poetic - definitely my favourite time of year. Until the mornings get really dark that is. I cannot believe another week has passed and that Miss A has been at school for almost a whole month now, quite amazing. It's been a good week:
Monday - Miss I and I (yes, that is right) went swimming for free at the leisure centre courtesy of the Family Centre. Strictly speaking I suppose not much swimming took place for either of us but we enjoyed a splash around and a sociable hot chocolate afterwards.
Tuesday - Miss I and I entertained friends E and E, who brought home made tomato chutney and cavorted around the house and we set the world to rights
Wednesday - Miss I and I joined a select group of Reception mums (it was all mums) at the leisure centre for the first coffee morning to get to know each other. A great idea, we hope to rotate the day too - and we've even got an evening out planned as well - my social life will improve!
Thursday - today was a cycle ride to the canal to meet J and S, and enjoy a morning up in their new cafe which is lovely. The volunteer staff there suggested the venue could be used by a mother and toddler group - immediately my mind started pondering - could it be a Young Transition meeting place or a green parent gathering? All these possibilities!
In the evening I had an exciting outing to Littlehampton to talk with the NCT about setting up a Cloth Nappy Library in Chichester which is very exciting, and I will be promoting it with Transition Chichester. Apparently nappies are now cutting edge - imagine!
Friday - Back to Maraca Jacks which Miss I enjoyed, actually I think she enjoyed the gingerbread theme the most as she got to eat one at the end. After school Miss A tried her new ballet class which was very exciting and she really took to it, so we have signed up for the rest of the term. I then had another night out (yes I know, two nights in a row), this time to the Guide Leaders Division AGM in the local village hall, with a great quiz (we came second!) and a ploughmans and pudding, and I was finally awarded with my 20 year service badge, so really thrilled about that.
Saturday - all these late nights catching up with me, but we pottered to the market and our favourite local tea room, and then in the afternoon went to Bognor to meet B, E and P for scooting and fish and chips - such a perfect afternoon for this. And then a third night out (I need some sleep now) with friend H in the Ship Hotel - very civilised and 3 hours of gossiping.
Sunday - this morning was swimming with Miss A, who is still enthusiastic about it, and then a trip up to the Open Air Museum for duck feeding and seeing the new house they've built.
Everyone will sleep well tonight I think!
The week ahead doesn't look much quieter but I'm pleased that it's all things I enjoy and have chosen to do.

Almost the weekend

I am feeling rather fit this week. Lots of walking and cycling to and from school. And despite the rather torrential rain we had on two days this week, still managing to use the bike trailer which fortunately keeps both Miss I and Miss A cosy and dry. Today I walked to and from school, then cycled up to our Family Centre (for singing with signs), in the afternoon walked around town with Miss I in the sling for almost an hour, and then cycled up to school for pick-up. I think therefore I deserve the bag of Montezuma's dark chocolate buttons I have just opened (oops, I appear to have eaten half the bag all by myself). In other news this week:

Delighted that I won the Arun Speakers Humorous Speaking Contest last night - with my speech titled 'Let Sleeping Husbands Lie'. It involved screw drivers, the milk man and a smoke alarm that kept beeping. The next stage is the Area contests in October. I've entered the other type of contests before but never this one, so was surprised and pleased to win.

Looking forward to Saturday, when Transition Chichester host their annual Green Fair, and I will be part of the inaugural Speakers Corner, giving a presentation on Green Parenting. Must practise!

Pleased to have got tickets to take Miss A to see 'How to Catch a Star' at the Havant Spring Arts Centre in October. She's enjoying the book from the library.

I was amused at our trip to the Dentist this week. Miss A coped with the dentist inspecting all her teeth and was pleased with herself that she passed with flying colours. She took along Zippy (with the zippy mouth) and presented him to the dentist. The dentist entered into the spirit of things and duly inspected Zippy's mouth.

Less amused that my waterproof coat seems to have developed a significant leak in the shoulders, which is unfortunate when riding a bicycle as you get rather wet. Or, VERY wet. I will be having a chat with Rohan about this issue.

I thought she'd be tired

The school run!

Everyone said she'd be tired when starting school. Could someone tell Miss A that she's meant to be tired please? Into her second full week, yesterday she bounced home and initiated a party to celebrate Miss I turning 11 months. Attired in a 60 year old bridesmaid dress. Miss A, that is, not Miss I. She found her book on world flags and started reading it to me. 'Mummy what is this country?' 'Kazakhstan'. 'What's this one?' ' Turkmenistan'. 'And this one?' 'I've no idea'. It was Kyrgyzstan. I am choosing a different page next time.

Today in the pouring rain I did take pity on her and took the bike trailer to pick her up. After school then we had to make and play pass the parcel while Miss I gazed around and wondered where her peace and quiet had gone.

Tomorrow we have the dentist. I wonder who will show the dentist the most teeth? Miss I has 3 now.

In other news: TH (that's Tolerant Husband, also now know as Absent Husband) is in Solihull on a work conference. I have dreams of a night or two in a hotel, with a gym, where someone else cooks and serves dinner to me. Bliss.

Tonight I have made date and walnut flapjacks, and a chick pea and potato curry (with hidden spinach). I see on the BBC that infants (aged 4 - 6) are to get free school meals from next September. The thought of not having to make packed lunches every day is appealing. But having seen some of the school dinners at Miss A's nursery, I am not entirely convinced of their nutritional value, certainly the vegetarian options are unimaginative and fairly unbalanced. And I cannot understand why they need pudding every day. Maybe if more people are using them the menu will improve.

Peace and quiet

They are lovely, really they are. But it's so peaceful when they are both asleep!! Today was another good day all round. We managed the walk to school (it's 1.25 miles each way so Miss A is doing well), and then I stayed for the Friends Coffee Morning - I had to do a good impression of being a grown up responsible type of mother. Fortunately there were several other mothers also attempting to make this impression and it was quite sociable. Miss I enjoyed an illicit biscuit and threw some bricks around. After a nap (bliss) and lunch we walked into town - I'd forgotten quite how easy it is with one in the sling - you can walk as quickly as you like and go to whichever shops you want. I could even get into Montezuma's - and they said 'would you like to try some chocolate?' - what a silly question!! After school we went to the park and then it was home for more blackberry picking before tea and baths.

I went swimming tonight which was lovely and peaceful, hadn't been for ages and a quick 30 minutes does make you feel more awake. While ploughing up and down the lanes spent my time usefully pondering where to go on holiday in February half term. Having just booked our French cottage for October half term it pays to plan ahead for these things! TH (who I am now going to refer to as the Tolerant Husband) is on about booking the ferries for next August - now that's forward planning. By the way, while I was swimming - TH (got that?) was left in charge of the girls - he went into the garage, shut the door and embarked on some welding on the Minor van. Does the baby monitor work with a welding mask on??

Now to retire with the latest issue of the Green Parent magazine and some Montezuma's dark chocolate buttons (does this count as product placement? will they give me any free samples?).

Back to school

It's taller than Miss A!

In our case, not so much back to school as starting school. But there is a certain familiarity about September, and a new term, and getting back into a routine which suits us all. I have been so impressed by Miss A's enthusiasm for her new school and really hope it continues. She has managed PE, eating her lunch, remembering to bring her books home to read, learning the names of her new friends in the class, she chose something for 'show and tell', and is now confidently going in by herself each morning. Yesterday apparently she was Class Monitor. She'll have them organised in no time. At the end of school she came out wearing her swimming goggles (from show and tell) as she'd run out of hands. She looked very funny.

Meanwhile Miss I has been making the most of the peace and quiet. We have tidied the house which was looking a bit worse for wear of 6 weeks holiday. Yesterday we returned to our normal Monday morning playgroup and lunch with J and S. It was so quiet!! It's so wonderful when she has a good long sleep at home and I can actually get caught up on things.

Good things about this week:
It's sunny again.
The plums are finally ripening on our tree so we can share them with the neighbours.
I almost have a social life again! Last week I went to one of the Transition Chichester Eco-cinema talks to hear Nicola Peel speak, and on Wednesday it was the first meeting for Arun Speakers. On Sunday we went to see Alpha Papa, and on Thursday we're off to the Festival Theatre to see Neville's Island. This season of films at New Park looks like one of the best ever. I plan to be there a lot on the darker evenings.

Not so good things about this week:
Miss A has already ruined one of her new polo shirts with some unidentified orange stain. It hasn't come out in the wash. Oops. We've also lost one of her new socks. And a water bottle.
The smoke alarm battery went off at 2am last night. Because it's linked to the mains, it keeps beeping and getting louder and louder until you change it. It's very persistent. The girls slept through it.
Miss I is teething with her two top front teeth. We've seen each other a lot at night.
Miss A hoovered up her new school hair ribbons. Cue tears. Fortunately Daddy was able to persuade the hoover to return the ribbons to their rightful owner.

Water babies

I seem to have produced two aquanautic children (aquanaut - underwater swimmers or explorers). Miss A has shown much enthusiasm for swimming since her intensive lessons, so today we were back at the leisure centre early in the morning. Today she insisted she needed goggles. Not wishing to dampen this new found interest, we purchased a pink pair. Then unpacked them and realised we'd bought age 6-14. Well she does have a big head. Spent one hour prancing in the pool adorned in new goggles and armbands, and pleased to borrow some floats from the lifeguard too. There is no stopping her. We did have a lot of 'but Granny did it like this'. So Mummy had to do it like that too.

Miss I meanwhile was out with Daddy at the market and in the M&S cafe beaming at lots of old ladies and eating toasted tea cakes. After a hectic day of eating, swings and sand eating in the park, and polishing off a large quantity of fish cakes and pancakes, Miss I was ready for her aquatic adventure. The bath. I have never seen so much kicking and splashing. She practically shouted at me when I tried to remove her from the bath. Miss A then climbed in and wore her goggles in the bath too.

I like water too, being an Aquarian. But would prefer a hot tub, steam room or heated swimming pool. Or the sea. Actually.

Back home

A whole week away, as a family holiday, enjoying a slower pace of life up on the north Norfolk coast. Favourite activities included the absolutely stunning beaches at Holkham and Brancaster, a trip down memory lane to Norwich (featuring breakfast in Jarrolds - wonderful old fashioned service), playing pooh sticks in the River Nar at the end of our lane, picking mulberries from the orchard behind our cottage, flying the kite (proving that pigs really can fly), visiting friends at the Dower House campsite in Thetford Forest complete with 5 week old baby (theirs, not ours), and stopping in the Old Cannon Brewery in Bury St Edmunds on the way home. My favourite activity? Three lie-ins. Two breakfast in bed. I was playing Mr Large in Charge. Oh, and the fact that Miss I slept through every single night. HURRAH.

Now back at home, and we've been swimming, over to Hundred Acre Wood and are looking forward to catching up with friends and Granny and Grandpa this week.

Highs . . . . .and lows . . . .

(Low - just spending 15 minutes typing in blog words and then accidentally closing it before publishing it. Doh). Here goes again:

Yay . . . 

• to the 700 bus trip to Littlehampton. Despite the fact we had to wait for 40 minutes at the bus stop for an 'every 15 minutes service' (well to be fair it was only 30 minutes until Miss A refused to get on a single decker, holding out for a double decker), I got to sit down for a WHOLE HOUR. Miss I gazed around from her lofty perch, and Miss A gave me a running commentary on road signs, speed limits, and other bus numbers. And the best bit? I got to sit down for a WHOLE HOUR on the way home as well!! And my husband wonders why I didn't take the car. 
• To the man we chatted to on the bus, who was 81, and still liked to go on holiday while he could. He takes the train from Paris all the way to Spain. I want to be like him when I'm 81. 

Nay . . . . . .

• to the Ship Hotel and C&H fabrics, both of whom have their Christmas displays and advertising up already. At least let us enjoy the summer holidays before mentioning the dreaded C word. Shame on you both. Herumph. 
• to my husband, who at 7am was issuing instructions on how to deal with the leaky toilet valve. Well you just need to flush it with the screwdriver and then turn it off at the inlet valve like this. Hmmmm. There are some things in life I don't need to know. We just used the other loo. 

I'm resigned to the fact that . . . . .

• when I go on a bus trip with Miss A, she is adorned in a slightly too large pair of waterproof dungarees, clutching a fairy umbrella and waving a pair of flip flops. I think she has the measure of the English weather. I drew the line at holding the fairy wings however. 

I'm pleased that . . . . 

• My efforts to remove the cradle cap from Miss I's scalp is working, with nightly application of olive oil. Miss A likes applying the oil. Miss I loves the additional morning bath needed. Now I've realised you do actually need to comb out the scalp, it's almost all gone. 
• Our two favourite parks are about to have new cafes opening in their grounds. It will be my duty and pleasure to inspect and report back on the quality of the refreshments offered. I am hopeful that the provision of sustenance in dry surroundings may extend our winter park visits. 

Food miles? More like food metres

Yesterday we visited our friends E, D and E, where we enjoyed freshly made chocolate fairy cakes, and I 'enjoyed' having my face painted by the ever creative Miss A. 'Mummy you make a lovely angel'. I resembled the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz. Fortunately I was allowed to clean my face before we cycled to the canal in the afternoon to feed the ducks, otherwise the ducks might have been scared off. Made it for a run last night, despite the threat of rain. I always sleep well after an evening run. Which was just as well, as while Miss I slept through for over 11 hours (HURRAH) Miss A decided to wake frequently (BOO). Reasons varied, from maybe needing a wee, to being too hot, to her hair bunches needing adjusting . . . . .after the 7th time I lost any enthusiasm. 

Today our friends T, Z and R came over to play. Miss A and Miss Z dressed up as Rapunzel and Cinderella. They attracted a number of glances as we walked to the park, but they were oblivious. Fortunately they agreed to leave their glass (plastic) slippers at home. I think slippers on the swings could have been tricky. 

On the way home the eagle eyed Miss A noticed windfall apples and blackberries. We collected handfuls of both. The apples had their woodlice removed, and were made into an apple crumble. The blackberries were eaten as they were, and consumed with great enthusiasm by Miss I, who looked rather purple afterwards. So less food miles, more food metres as the apples and blackberries came from our road! We also found raspberries and a couple of blueberries in the garden, so we have done well today. 

Neighbour J came over tonight and we planned the autumn programme of activities for Young Transition. Delights include blackberry picking and making crumble, cooking dampers over a campfire, leaf printing and other natural art, and Christmas wreath and decorations. Miss A will be very enthusiastic. 

And I'm very proud as I'm a published columnist! Well, as a one off. In the Chichester Observer on page 99, a half page opinion column (or rant) on the limits of 'pink versus blue'. 

An expedition to Hampshire

Beautiful butterfly display

Today we went on an expedition. We ventured into Hampshire. The first excitement was the train journey - Miss I sat shredding the newspaper, while Miss A carefully cut out pictures she liked. I was interested to see the Royal Mail is issuing stamps with Morris Minors on them, and amused to see a picture of the Chief Executive of Thames Water (quoting his salary while pointing out by how much the water bills were going to increase) wearing a Southern Water fleece (from a previous role)! They didn't try very hard to find a current picture!

On arrival in Portsmouth we met our friends J, J and S, and hopped on a bus to Southsea. Our first stop was Southsea Castle. It was Free. Excellent. Ramparts to run around, sea views,hidden tunnels to venture into, and the most lovely cafe I've been to at an attraction. The Yellow Kite cafe was superb, well priced with great quality food and such a relaxed setting. Then we marched along the sea front to the Canoe Lake where we had our picnic, before trying out the play area. We popped into the new Community Garden which is a great venture, before finishing at the newly refurbished natural history museum. There was a most beautiful butterfly wall (see photo of the ones made by a local school), and the butterflies flying were startlingly big. Our return bus journey and train journey were uneventful.

Miss I needed her bath as she looked suspiciously orange - like an Oompa Loompa after eating all her curry for tea. Having done so much walking today they were both ready for bed. I now have the fun tasks of creating birthday thank you cards, and sewing on school uniform name tapes. Why do these things fall to the mothers? Answers on a postcard please . . . .

Home sweet home

It's busy in Dorset

  We had a very happy week away and were kept amused right up to the    end of our stay. Highlights of the last couple of days included:

  More bus trips taking us to early morning paddles at the beach (Miss A   was heard to enquire how many beaches Granny actually had)

  Repeated visits to the Pebbles Cafe, which surely should win an award     for the cafe with the best view. 

  An athletic experience at the Adidas Outdoor fitness play park - an    Olympic legacy, woefully underused, but a great resource and I'd love to have one locally

A train ride home. Look out for a future blog post on how to manage small children on a long train journey. 

While it's been lovely being away, it's always nice to return home again and find our own rhythm and pace again. Yesterday I had a lie in until 8am. This sounds wonderful, but should be put into context as Miss I was up three times in the night and perky at 5.37am. Miss A was keen to go swimming so we cycled to the leisure centre and paid £12 (!) for Miss I to loll in the splash pool, while Miss A and I ventured into the learner pool and she was very enthusiastic with her arm bands floating around and launching off the side. In the afternoon it was friend Z's birthday party - 31 small children made for a slightly over-whelming experience but Miss A enjoyed the balloons. 

Today the breaking news is that Miss I has finally cut her first tooth. Without much drama it would seem. We were in the kitchen, I was scrubbing potatoes, Miss A was grating cheese, and Miss I was helpfully and surreptitiously emptying the muesli jar all over the worktop. We had friend C to play all afternoon - the two girls had a lovely time and it is definitely easier as they can entertain each other. 

Another day, another beach

Pebbles on Weymouth Beach

Ready for anything!

This morning we caught the bus (always a highlight) and met an old college friend at the family-friendly Palm House Cafe. On the bus journey home we were lucky to catch a double decker so of course we had to sit on the top. After a picnic lunch in the garden, an amazing event occurred. Miss A declared she was tired and took herself off to the sofa for a lie-down, and fell asleep. Miss I and I (yes, that is correct) promptly took advantage of the situation for a little nap ourselves.

Once everyone was awake, we went to the beach for more splashing and swimming. It's great to see Miss A enjoying the water so much and jumping over waves. I had a swim and the water was so warm, it was lovely. I can't actually remember the last time I went swimming in the sea - must do it more often. Having a hydro-phobic husband doesn't help. Grandpa then earned Brownie points by arriving with fish and chips which were very popular - Misses A and I polished off an adult's portion between them. Needless to say, after all this fresh air, they were very tired and ready for bed.

testing

I seem to have lost my formatting! Just testing.

It's not water, it's the sea

Had a wonderful day today. We took Misses A and I to the sea, and rowed to a little 

beach on which we were the only family. After a picnic (top tip - never dress the baby in 

a white romper suit and then offer her tomatoes or strawberries), they both put on their

sun-suits and cavorted in the sea with Granny. I am not sure who had the most fun actually. 

Miss A was particularly excited by her new found rubber ring, and loved splashing in the sea

and floating on her own. Miss I placidly sat at the edge of the little waves, enjoying

the sensation of them breaking over her legs, and idly playing with sea weed. I think they 

would have spent all day there. When they were dry and cosy again, we set about finding 

interesting pebbles and sea glass to fill up the buckets. Miss A tried rowing on the way home. 

At bedtime, Miss A asked why she hadn't had a bath, and I said she'd already been in the 

water a lot today. But Mummy, she said, that wasn't the water, that was the sea. Hmmmm. 

I enjoyed reading about Project Wildthing and the benefits of children enjoying the outdoors, 

and why it's so important we give them the space and opportunity to play outside as much as 

possible. This week we are all benefiting from playing out in the garden and on the beach. 

It's lovely to see them being so free and exploring in their own little world.

Today I am enjoying - the latest issue of The Simple Things magazine. Inspiring photography and 

interesting articles - and not a lipstick in sight - hurrah. Best enjoyed outside with a 

beautiful sunset and a square (or two) of dark chocolate.  

More summer sunshine

Mountain Ash (Rowan)

    

Hydrangea

 







 Been away from the pc for a few days - too busy enjoying the summer sunshine. We are spending the week with family in Dorset. Misses A and I very excited to be here, Miss A because she gets her own pink bedroom, and Miss I because she gets a lot of cuddles. We've been on the bus which is always very popular, taken Miss A swimming (the lessons clearly paid off as her confidence is hugely increased), enjoyed Story Time at the library, and fed the birds at Weymouth RSPB Reserve.

 

It's often the simple activities which please Miss A the most, for example, she loved:

• Being given her own hammer and nails under Grandpa's supervision and building a wooden house.
• Collecting windfalls from the garden so Granny could make apple crumble
• Running around the garden in the pouring rain in just her swimsuit!

Today we travelled to Portland Bill. We had a wonderful time scrambling on the rocks, looking at all the boats, and enjoyed lunch at the Lobster Pot. It was so hot and the sea was so blue, it felt we were on a Mediterranean Island.

A rainbow party

A sparkly birthday banner

K's colourful rainbow cakes

Miss A decided the party should have a rainbow theme. We acquired a rainbow inflatable, rainbow napkins, stripey cups, 24 coloured balloons, rainbow stickers and many other multi-coloured items.

The party was a truly community affair as neighbour J made the bread dough, neighbour K has concocted a rainbow of fairy cakes, and friend J did the face painting. Really wonderful to see. It really feels like we are part of the community, and I noticed the number of cards give by our neighbours - from nos 6, 7, 9, 13, 19 and 21.

Preparations started early (5.40am to be precise) with rainbow crowns to decorate, party bags to inspect, fruit kebabs to prepare and rainbow lunch boxes to pack.

At 11am 5 eager friends came to join us. By 1pm they had made lava lamps, squished bread into shapes, played pass the parcel, laughed, made crowns, made glitter soup, put hula hoops on their fingers, loved the bubble machine, had their photos taken, and sung happy birthday twice - a proper 4th birthday party.

How to turn 4 in style

'Look Mummy - now I'm 4 I can undo my buttons by myself - even in the dark'. It was dark because it was still far too early in the morning. The birthday girl was wide awake and raring to go. She had decided exactly how she wanted to spend her birthday, and it went something like this:
Breakfast - potato waffles, eaten on the sofa. Then off to swimming in the bike trailer, with Daddy and Miss I. Back for flapjack with candles in, which were re-lit many times accompanied by multiple renditions of Happy Birthday. Off to Sainsbury's to buy items for the rainbow themed birthday party tomorrow, such as stripey cups, stripey straws and fruit to make rainbow kebabs. Lunch was baked beans on toast (I drew the line at eating that on the sofa). In the afternoon we cycled down to the canal (Miss A on the tagalong, Miss I on the bike seat) and enjoyed refreshments overlooking the water, followed by swan feeding. Tea was sausages and mash, eaten again on the sofa.
Interspersed with all this activity was a lot of card opening (amazing how many times the postman made deliveries to our letter box today), and present unwrapping. Particular favourites were the wooden skittles, books and lego. Blowing up the balloons was also quite exciting. The birthday girl is now sleeping, gathering energy for the party tomorrow.

We've been mostly . . . . playing

Having a lot of fun playing the past two days. On Wednesday after swimming we tested out the new bicycle trailer that fits two children in it - clearly very relaxing as Miss I fell asleep. Our friends T, Z and R came over for lunch so we made green risotto which was popular. We all walked to the Love Parks event in the Bishops Palace Garden, and enjoyed lots of sports and arts activities provided by the lovely Lisa at PlayMosaic. Miss A had such a fun time mastering the tricky lo-lo ball bouncing - took me back to my youth! In the evening I went to the Arun Speakers summer social at the Gribble Inn which was fun and friendly, and won the skittles which was a surprise.

Today was a scorcher. We cycled to swimming using the new bicycle trailer which worked well - although it's quite hard going up hill pulling two weights behind you. We spent the day at friend H's house, along with 4 other families who we've known since Miss A was just a few weeks old. With 6 mums and 12 children it was a lively affair, and they all enjoyed face painting, a treasure hunt, pass the parcel, a lucky dip present, as well as some of H's superb cake creations. The weather was glorious, and it's always relaxing to spend time at a warm and welcoming house where you can just help yourself to whatever is needed and you all get stuck in, and friendships are renewed. Home for tea, which was a popular vegetable curry (Miss I looked rather orange and needed her bath). In the evening had an interesting chat with neighbour J about some of the planned Young Transition activities, and have been invited to give a short presentation about Green Parenting at the forthcoming Green Fair.

And I haven't even mentioned the excitement of the new street lighting being installed (Miss A is really very interested and has been studying placement of new lamps, holes being dug and cherry pickers to install new bulbs). Or the dressing up as a vet which meant the whole farm was poorly and they all needed plasters applied, whatever their ailment.

Now the house is decorated and presents arranged and flowers placed on the table, ready for the 3 year old to turn 4.

Butlins

Second day of the swimming lessons, and this time Miss A was jumping in the water, putting her head under a hoop, looking for a red whale on the bottom of the pool and kicking her legs while holding onto a float. Confidence and enjoyment looks quite high. She is looking forward to the next lesson tomorrow.

We'd arranged to go to Butlins today. We went several times last year as day visitors, and whatever your views on Butlins and the type of people that might go there, £5 for a day out for all the rides you can possibly go on is a bargain. It was however incredibly busy today, and we were queuing outside in the wind and rain for 20 minutes which was not fun. They closed it to day visitors by 11am so the friends we'd arranged to meet there were unable to get in. (NB - don't have such an unusual car - Master B noticed our car in the car park and was beside himself that he couldn't get in to see us!!). Fortunately once inside the crowds disperse quite well, and Miss A had a lovely time on the little fairground rides, in the soft play, watching a puppet show, and when the rain cleared, outside on the trampolines. The only disappointment was that the galloping carousel was not running due to the rain. Miss I enjoyed all the lights and we found a small baby play area for her to try. I chuckled at our afternoon snack - Miss A rejected my offer of one of her scones, and instead elected to eat a pot of butter beans!

Tea tonight was Miss A's choice again, so we had pasta with a tomato, pepper and courgette sauce (I hid some spinach in it), with broccoli, polenta slices and finished off with rice pudding.

I've spent the evening doing birthday party preparations - printing out rainbow pictures to colour in, rainbow crown outlines, and attempting to print lunch box labels. Resorted to old fashioned pen for the labels now!

Tuesday is the new Monday

Bit behind in this writing - this is really about Monday!

With Miss A finished at pre-school, we are officially on Summer Holidays. Those 6 weeks apparently dreaded by parents - what to do with the children all day - how to entertain them. Miss A had expressed interest in swimming lessons, so knowing that it's best if I do what I'm told, I duly booked a week of intensive lessons. (Apparently these are good for getting started). First lesson on Monday. A good start - she got in the pool. And stayed in the pool. Mostly. And even put her head under the water.

The next excitement of the day was using the new Click and Collect system at our local Tesco. A bit like a concierge, you tap in a shopping list online, they trundle round the store, pick out everything you want, and when you turn up in your car, they load it in. Brilliant!! For free!! The first man came out and I said 'oh do you have my shopping?' and he said 'No, I've just come to look at your car' The perils of being in a slightly unusual 1963 Morris Minor.

Back home, friends S, P, A and C came for lunch which was great as we hadn't seen them for 2 years since they moved 'up north'. Phone calls and photos just aren't quite the same, and we miss them a lot.

Tea was Miss A's choice of roasted vegetables with broccoli, butter beans and a cheese sauce. Misses A and I very keen on roasted carrots. I had a polite portion as then headed over to Arundel to meet old friends C and H. That's old as in known them a long time, not age-related. Great to have an evening out of good food and laughter.

A mini-break

A weekend away conjures up images of a change of scene  . . . .a rest  . . . a spot of indulgence perhaps. When you have two small children and you decide to go and visit senior family member 100 miles away, on the first weekend of the school holidays, the reality is somewhat different. There's the packing. I'm all for packing light. Well it's only one night, and Miss I can always recycle a vest if needed. Miss A on the other hand likes to be prepared for any eventuality, and packed amongst other things three pairs of trousers and five T shirts. Husband (who doesn't yet have a nickname on the blog) forgot to pack any socks. Or a jumper. I forgot a spare T shirt. We could perhaps learn a lesson or two from Miss A. Then there's the journey. The M25. See comment above about 100 miles, and the school holidays. Fair to say, it was a slow journey. Miss I politely slept, Miss A was amused by aeroplanes appearing over our heads on the way to Heathrow, and spotting car registrations from different countries. Husband and I had a lively debate about multi-functional buttons on the new car stereo and whether we were going to listen to 'my type' of music, or 'his type' of music. Having done our duty and visited senior family member, we then checked into the hotel. Oh yes, the Holiday Inn Express in Dunstable. Very glamorous. The lifts entertained Miss A. They eventually went to sleep - Miss A in her sofa bed, Miss I on her sofa cushion under the desk. Husband went out to meet friend in the pub. I spent my Saturday night in the bathroom, sitting on the loo, reading the papers. Husband thoughtfully provided a Twix. Well, it was certainly a change of scene.

Sunday was enjoyable, we went up to Dunstable Downs and found a kite festival taking place which was colourful and fun for all.

A day for baking

Scones - well handled

                                                                                                        When your husband asks 'What did you do today?' and you vaguely mutter 'Oh well we made some nice scones'. Then you stop, and consider. Here is the list (in no particular order):
Helped Miss A go to the loo at 1.30am, then visited Miss I at 3.15am (Mummy I've got a sore throat you know, cough cough, Mummy what I really need is some milk), and finally attended to Miss A at 6.15am as she fell out of bed.
Served breakfast, while simultaneously wearing a pair of high-heeled sparkly sandals (at Miss A's insistence) and making lentil and carrot soup for lunch, and doing the washing up. By 9.30am we were sitting on the kitchen floor in our pyjamas inspecting our veggie box, and solemnly shelling broad beans.
Walked to the park, with Miss I in the sling and Miss A on her stabiliser-bicycle
While Miss I napped, Miss A and I made scones (the recipe may say 'scones are best and lightest when made quickly and handled as little as possible', I can assure you they are still delicious even when they have taken a very long time to make and have been thoroughly handled) and then proceeded to make bread as well (in case you aren't sure how old the yeast is, pop in double the amount stated - and the bread does indeed rise).
Put in the washing (waiting for sunshine so solar panels will work so washing will be free). Hang out washing. Free drying too. Miss A demonstrated a sudden burst of enthusiasm for domesticity and started cleaning everything she could find - the tables were all very well cleaned. It was a good thing Miss I was not actually in the high chair otherwise she too would have been thoroughly scrubbed.
Visit Family Centre to see health visitor to get Miss I weighed, and the Toy Library to borrow some dressing up items. Advance on Sainsbury's to exchange swimsuit for a 7 year old one (which did fit) and buy school uniform bits while they were in stock and we were all in an obliging mood.
Prepare stir fry for tea. Eat stir fry. Water plants of neighbour K (and water her paddling pool, and her fence, while we were there).
Ensure children fast asleep, and then turn to husband and say 'so what did you do today dear?'

A jolly day out

Today we had an old fashioned Day Out at Marwell Wildlife with family J, F and E. The animals were given passing glances - of more interest was the play area, the sandpit and the train ride around the site. The snow leopard cubs are deservedly popular and the one we saw was very cute indeed.

I was allowed to do menu choosing tonight, and attempting to provide a balanced mostly vegetarian diet, opted for simple bean chilli and rice - from the always reliable Sam Stern Eat Vegetarian cook book. With fruit salad for pudding. It all disappeared. Rather like Miss I in her bath afterwards to remove remnants of her tea - she splashed so much she almost vanished under the big waves.

Looking forward to our veggie box delivery tomorrow from Wayside Organics - I don't know, dirty carrots again. I'm all for this organic lark but sometimes they even have mud on them!! Miss A will then be in charge of menu planning, so far she's written down broccoli and carrot pasta.

Enjoyed an evening bike ride on my own (with bike unadorned by children) to the local shop to get the Chichester Observer. And some dark chocolate. Of course.

The frittata saga

Sideways wigwam, made by clever friend R

So the frittata saga . . .it finally set. We did indeed have it for breakfast. And for lunch. Then we were a bit sick of it, so neighbour A graciously accepted some for her lunch (in exchange for delicious raspberries) and neighbour B was delighted to have some for her tea. I'm just delighted not to have to eat it again!

Today's menu picture choice was pesto pasta, so we went out this morning via the market to purchase watercress and basil. Miss I thoughtfully had a nap while Miss A made the pesto. After lunch we set off in the Morris Minor to Arundel, to meet our friends T, Z and R. We lolled by Swanbourne Lake and fed the ducks, ate ice-cream, climbed in the trees and cavorted in the play park. A proper summer day. The pesto pasta for tea was very popular.

Other highlights of the day:
My clever colleague R has made Miss A a wigwam for her birthday. It looks fantastic - see sideways picture (which refuses to turn round in blogger) and has bunting detail.
Our tickets have arrived for the Festival Theatre summer programme - very excited to be going to see Barnum in August and Neville's Island in September.
Delighted that the local Morris Minor club are continuing to support the Sussex Snowdrop Trust at their annual rally this coming weekend.

Sweet peas

Sweet peas from my garden

Trying a new skill today - inserting photos into blog. Seem to have managed that. The thing I did not manage today was timely feeding of children. Having had a lovely day playing with J, B and S (who were polite and ate the bread chocolate cake pudding thing), and been on a bus ride, and to the library, Miss A chose frittata for tea. NB - new method of menu choosing - offer her the cookbook and she chooses the pictures she likes, and we then attempt to create that picture. Now the frittata said it took 20 minutes to cook, and a few minutes to brown. We prepared it and put it in the oven. 20 minutes went by. Another 15 minutes went by. And another 15. This thing did not set. Miss A was so hungry she suggested we cook some broccoli and peas from the freezer. As a starter. That appeased both children. In fact I've never seen Miss I consume quite so much broccoli. The frittata was still not setting. In desperation we resorted to our staple back-up - stuffed pasta which cooks in two minutes and is eaten very swiftly. We agreed we're having frittata for breakfast. Given the size of it we're probably having it for lunch and tea as well.

Keeping cool

Today has mostly been about keeping cool, as it reached over 30 degrees this afternoon. Which is quite warm really. The chiller aisles at our local supermarket were a welcome relief. In anticipation of some continued sunshine and swimming lessons, I bought the almost 4 year old a swimsuit from said local supermarket. We chose a suit for someone aged 6. It was too small. She's only 3. We're going to take it back and swap it for a 7 year old suit. Tonight I have made a bread pudding cake. It looked nice in the picture, and used stale bread and whole milk, of which we had a lot. We're taking it to our friends for lunch tomorrow so they can be our guinea pigs.

It's my first time!

My aim - simply - to write about the things I enjoy in life.

What have I enjoyed today?

I got a lie in. Until 7am. When you have two small children, that's a lie-in.
We went to Amberley Industrial and Heritage Museum for a classic car picnic. The print-making was fascinating, and cooling our feet in the fountains was lovely.
My husband cooked tea. And did the washing up. And brought me an ice-cream.
It's still light. The evening light is amazing.