Raspberry & apple muffins

The girl spent a lot of the morning in her usual undressed state. She followed me around with baby and a play silk saying 'back' (her word for sling) and getting me to tie baby on before strutting around for 3 seconds and then taking baby off again. She then spent 10 minutes this afternoon playing with the camera looking at the pictures of her self and baby and pointing at all the things in the photo.

It's been a chaotic end to the week here with a boy who seems really accident prone at the moment and a girl who wants to nurse 90% of the day. I really wanted to do something with some of the apples that I picked from the garden but peeling just one apple and chopping it was all I managed before one child or other needed me. What to do with one apple & limited time? Make muffins. Muffins are child friendly in that you can mix all the dry ingredients on a bowl and all the wet ones in a jug and if need be leave them for 10 minutes while you change a nappy or rescue a child from the top of a climbing frame or whatever. The mixing then takes seconds and they're quick to portion out and get in the oven (this was quite a firm batter but with a runny batter I put it in a jug & pour it into the cases which is even quicker). Most muffin recipes use oil but I don't like the taste so I tend to substitute it with melted butter. The recipe I used for these was full of such substitutions and amendments and I'll be using the same basis to do apple and rhubarb muffins when I get chance.

Raspberry, apple and white chocolate muffins.

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup plain flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup packed demerara sugar

3/4 cup of raspberries

1 apple (I used a cooking apple) diced

100g white chocolate chopped (or use chips)

1 egg

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 cup buttermilk or milk with a squeeze of lemon in it and left to stand

mix all the dry ingredients in a big bowl

then add the fruit & chocolate

mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl or jug

make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet and stir until just combined

spoon into paper cases or muffin moulds (sprinkle the tops of the muffins with a little more demerara sugar for crunch) and bake at 180 degrees C for around 20 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack.

This is why I have to do so much laundry

Sunny day - nothing to see here. No mud. No possibility of filth.

Little Miss Cute did her thing on the trampoline.

They both emptied their lunch boxes at about 10.30.

Had a little cuddle with mummy on the swing.

All clean. All dry (well ok so both of them had soil around their mouths for some reason and dusty knees but nothing that wouldn't have passed muster with a bit of a brush down and wet wipe).

And then we had Magnums on the way home and Isabel fell asleep...

And then Isaac made a mud puddle...

And now I have more laundry to do....

Scissors

The boy is happiest with a pair of scissors in his hands. We prefer a small pair of blue handled craft scissors but he will grab any he can find (the tablecloth is shorter than it was because of this....). The problem then of course is that Isabel wants them too. She was happy this morning with lots of bits of card to play with whilst Isaac used the scissors and glue (although he had most fun gluing his hands together).

Breathing space

Sometimes the much needed break comes in an unexpected way. With Matthew just back from a trip the last thing I was looking forward to was a house guest but then Alisa arrived and it was amazing. An old friend of Matthew's who I hadn't had the chance to meet as like so many of Matthew's old friends she lives a flight away. The kids loved her (Isabel spent a lot of time asking "where 'lisa" if she wasn't in sight) and she felt like an old friend in an instant.

A Sunday day trip with too many of us for one car meant I got to spend the day on the sofa and so feel just about human for the first time in a week or so.

Alisa, you are welcome any time!

Isabel got new shoes today. They were on her feet for about 3 nanoseconds but her brother trying to play with them meant they had to be clutched to her (my) bosom while she fed and slept.

An afternoon tidying up the garden, hanging endless lines of washing and playing culminated in the space hopper being found and blown up again and then Isaac appeared with a HUGE ice cream. I have no idea where the traffic cones came from but the fit was perfect. (And yes I know they're part dressed again, they had been fully dressed but combinations of sand and water meant layers were shed.)

And for my next trick

She actually says 'da dah' when she raises her hands like that!

And Isabel yes the dog is in the chair you don't have to keep telling me (he likes to look out of the window).

Isaac was 'being Daddy' and working in his attic.

There's a lot of talking that goes on with everything he does.

Oh and Isabel's favourite thing at the moment is bouncing.

The home straight

The last half of any of Matthew's trips is always the hardest but especially when it's getting towards 2 weeks away. Isaac being ill hasn't helped and Isabel wants me to be glued to her at all times and shouts "Mum-MEE" repeatedly at high volume if I am not within 2 feet of her.

We are experts at getting by. When it comes to getting out of the house some compromises have to be made so if he wants to wear his wellies with a sun hat that's fine by me.

She let me wrestle her into a t-shirt but was not going to countenance 'drousers' or socks & shoes. She did have a hat on (back to front) when she left the house but on realising she couldn't see she took it off.

I did manage to get some trousers on her after she'd been in the park a while and had started to get cold.

She's into putting things in other things so the coppers from my purse ("doins") and her brother's shoe kept her happy for a while before she moved onto the dumper truck. (Look! Look! She's got leggings on!)

The rag doll has the perfect sized arms for holding hula hoops she discovered. The feet were too big just for the record.

Having got rid of those pesky leggings she decided she wanted a skirt.

Well for about 3 seconds...

Change of season

After a lovely summer we have once more moved into mud weather.

And whilst it was a lovely day yesterday even the children let me put cardigans on them.

Although Isabel then played 'where is Izzy' in hers and then took it off all together as well as her nappy... She does not like clothes.

She's walking so much now that it's rare I get to sling her but the prospect of pizza for dinner meant she allowed me to wrap her for the sake of speed.