And The Bear Came Too

Timing

2012-02-15T11:40:00.002-08:00

You gotta love it when the children do tag team sickness. Add in another trip for Matthew and my heart sinks. Thankfully neither child was ill for long but I could do without the disturbed sleep, the late nights and early mornings at the start of a 2 week period of being on my own.

We managed to get out and exchange books (mine) and DVDs (Isaac's) at the library and have a quick play in the park.

Isaac has taken to borrowing things from friends. This is sweet in some ways but the need to keep track of and care for all these various treasures causes a little maternal stress. It was very sweet though that he went to sleep in the safety goggles last night though.

Isabel's favourite food is whatever's on my plate. She may have the same food on hers but it's just not as appetising as what's on mine. Mostly I don't mind but there are times when I get a little hungry watching my lunch disappear...

Space cowboy

2012-02-13T12:10:00.000-08:00

Isaac has been visiting outer space dressed as a cowboy (in cycling helmet & wellies) - the bubble machine creates 'planets' and he went to lots of them including the Clangers planet.

Isabel is playing at being a baby and lies on the floor and then wants a hand up - she's copying Isaac's version of being a baby but with Isabel twists. It's very funny seeing her copy him and take up his creative play to the extent that she can at not quite 2.

Here he was being the Soup Dragon.

One of her favourite positions...

My henna from Isaac's artwork yesterday.

Henna fun

2012-02-12T11:53:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Blessingway for one of my friends today and as part of it I did some henna - I've never done it before except for a quick practice yesterday and watching some video tutorials online (kenzi.com had the best videos) so it was a bit daunting to have a real live bump to play on. It wasn't perfect but it will look great when the henna has taken (artistic flourishes were added by a proper artist at the end).

My two were out for most of the day but returned in time to have a little henna fun - Isaac was very willing to be the artist and lots of lovely mamas were good spirited in allowing him free rein of their hands. He went a bit over the top with mine though and it had to be washed off.

Matthew is off again tomorrow and Isaac feels the transitions strongly so wanted some wrap cuddles. I got to play with a friend's lovely Oscha roses - such a beautiful wrap, shame about the photo.

Letters

2012-02-08T11:40:00.000-08:00

Isabel likes drawing, writing and writing numbers - they all look much the same to the casual observer ;~) She's very enthusiastic and prolific though and will gladly work her way through the front and back of many many pieces of paper a day. I don't think Isaac was ever as focused.

Today I got out some glitter sticks - they look like a glue stick but have coloured glittery stuff in so and the kids seem to like drawing with them (Isaac drew mostly on himself as is the usual result).

Isaac started doing big blocks of colour as seems to be the current trend and then started to make shapes and announced he'd written a letter 'c'. There were lots of other letter shapes too so I asked him if he wanted to write his name. One A3 piece of paper later and this was the result.

Busy Bee

2012-02-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

Isabel is a very busy bee. There are babies nappies to be changed...

Clothes to try on...

Eating and writing to be done (and gazing out of the window)

Wings to fly...

Lots and lots and lots of bouncing...

Brothers to watch....

And sleeping to be done.

The boys go to town

2012-02-05T06:22:00.000-08:00

When Daddy has to go to work at a travel fair the boy goes too! Much fun was had, boats were rowed and ladders climbed.

Pop pop poppop pop pop bang

2012-01-31T12:25:00.000-08:00

Bubble wrap + two kids = 90 minutes of fun.

The dog took himself off upstairs to find a bed and put his paws over his ears - gun dog he aint. It was very loud. Small children jumping up and down on bubble wrap goes bang, crack, snap.

I highly recommend it. They were cackling with laughter and having a great time. And once the stomping, running and jumping were done Isaac lay down and started working his way through the sheet with his fingers.

A mattress has given hours of entertainment too - jumpoline for winter weather.

Upside down

2012-01-26T11:28:00.000-08:00

She's very very pleased with herself that she can do a headstand. So pleased that she does it many many times a day.

Child labour

2012-01-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

What happens when toddlers dress themselves? Well a summer hat in January and her brother's wooly cardi mostly. She was a vision of loveliness as we hit the town.

The favourite toy of the moment is the Dyson. I have to put the timer on so they can have fair shares - occasionally the carpet gets cleaned too.

It's reached that time of year when I start to browse Rightmove and wonder about how to rearrange the house. My Gran used to want to move every spring and I think it's been passed down to me. The upside is that when I'd got the kids to bed the other night I did a bit of rearranging and turned the table round so we can get into the corner by the window. My plan is to move the chest of drawers upstairs but Isaac has decided it's great for climbing on and jumping off and won't let me move it - this is the problem when things only get half finished because the furniture that needs moving to make room is in the same room as a sleeping child.

The change of space has had a lovely impact on the play of the children and changed the dynamic of the room. I'm sure there'll be a few more tweaks but I'm glad I did it.

Isaac greeted the postman as a pirate this morning and then became a knight. When Matthew phoned the conversation was mostly, 'Arrrrgh' from this end. (Note knee protector as shield and wooden cross as sword - the boy is inventive.)

Isaac decided he wanted to do the washing up tonight. He was doing a great job until some things fell off the dish rack and the noise scared him. I'm all for cultivating this sort of play though!

New batteries

2012-01-24T04:23:00.000-08:00

After a day of tidying and building helicopters and generally just hanging out today needed a bit more excitement - for a start the helicopter is in bits again (does he not understand how long it took me to build the thing!).

So of course the thing to do on a wet and miserable Tuesday was to fix the bubble machine. Most of the sand has been washed out of the bottom and new batteries were added and then off they went. 40 minutes of jumping and giggling and running and playing with bubbles. Result!

The other favourite toy of the day is the bin... it's a net that's been used to catch everything and everyone (dog included).

Quiet

2012-01-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

We're all full of cold and trying to do that in between thing as Matthew's been home for a while and is off again on another trip. In an ideal world his time between trips would be for rest and relaxation but that's not how it works and so we're all exhausted before he flies again. Another month of this and he'll be home again for a good few months though so it could be worse.

Isabel is mostly Miss Independent but she still likes a snuggle.

Brownie heaven

2012-01-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

I made a big batch of Nigella's brownies on Friday. I had two helpers who managed not to get in each others way or to make the process harder for me. The only problem we had was that there was just one bowl and one spoon for licking afterwards. We managed though.

It's been perishing cold for the last few days but my children still insist on going outside. Even they agree to put some clothes on... eventually.

All a glow

2012-01-12T12:22:00.000-08:00

Isabel likes babies. Give her a selection of dolls and she'll always choose the one that looks like a baby by preference but otherwise anything will do including wooden bricks. She talks to them. She cuddles them. She sticks them up her top to have some milk. She slings them (with help) and walks up and down going 'shhhhhh, shhhhhh' in a way that I don't think I've ever done with her. She feeds the yogurt and takes nappies off (with a dialogue about poo and clean nappies to go with it). And she's ever so slightly possessive should anyone else want to have a cuddle (to the point where everyone thought she was in pain this afternoon when another child took her baby off her).

She does other stuff too (jumping mostly) but babies is where it's at.

We've been having lots of fun with glow sticks. Isaac loves them - he loved the one with a hook on the end best as it could then be a crane and all sorts of other things even after the glow had faded but any will do. We've had some lovely fun baths by the light of glow sticks and a candle and there have been various experiments along the way.

We have a set of 5 stacking cups that have been bath toys for as long as I can remember. They're different colours and have holes in and so were great for putting a glow stick in and seeing the light come out of them. Isaac noticed that some of the cups were less opaque than others and started sorting them from light to dark. It was the perfect science experiment all done from his own curiosity and not because I'd decided to do something "educational". Tonight he started using connectors to build shapes, we were a bit lacking in options as to how they could be connected but he improvised and held bits if needed. He decided he was going to 'do blood' and had a blue stick and red stick - all very good and feeling like he's a genius, go Isaac! Oh yes and yellow. You have yellow blood right? Ah well it's about the process isn't it....

Isabel did 'draw-ring' on my head with one end of one of the sticks and lots of waving them around just in case you wondered.

Duck

2012-01-10T11:04:00.000-08:00

Making a splash

2012-01-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

So with the mild (for January anyway) weather we've spent most of the day outside. Some of us even had clothes on. Both kids were dressed to go to the park this morning although Isaac shed his coat at the earliest opportunity and refused to put it on again. Then this afternoon both of them spent a good potion of the day pouring water and splashing in mud. That then meant a pre-dinner bath which meant neither of them wanted a bath at bed time and so they were both hyped and wouldn't go to sleep. That's the hardest time when I'm on my own with the kids - trying to read Isaac a bedtime story whilst Isabel jump-olines (her word for a trampoline) on the bed with raucous giggles and an audience of one. Eventually I get annoyed as there's no point in me reading to someone who isn't listening and I can't see the story as she keeps flopping onto the book and it all descends from there. The dog does his best to keep Isaac company on the bed (even when Isaac's come downstairs to play again because he can't sleep) and I'm lucky if they're in bed before 9. It feels like a long day when I've been up since 6 (with many night wakings). And it's only day one....

Natural born performers

2012-01-08T11:26:00.000-08:00

Children love an audience - give them something that acts as a stage too and well it's a natural consequence that you will get a performance.

Make up from a chocolate coin...

Lots of dialogue...

Lots and lots of gestures to go with the chattering.

It's January. You wouldn't know it in the garden though. The neighbourhood magnolia trees are beginning to bud. There are cherry trees in the park that are covered in pink bloom and we played out in the garden this afternoon. Both kids were happy to go out without coats on (and Isaac without his trousers....) but after a while I insisted on a few more layers. We only came in because it was getting dark.

The traffic cone makes for a VERY loud megaphone. Sorry neighbours. (erm those are his sister's pj trousers he's wearing...)

Yes that would be my 21 month old daughter climbing up on top of the top bit of the climbing frame. No it's fine I don't need to worry she only wants to stand on the top and hold her hands in the air and go 'ta daa'. She got herself down again with a bit of coaching and then spent 20 minutes saying 'I did it'.

It's impossible to capture the sunset on my camera but it was very pretty.

Bulk cooking.

2012-01-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely morning just hanging out today. I did a lot of cooking (more of which later) and the kids did lots of playing. Isaac has made himself a little den behind one of the chairs in the front room and keeps disappearing off and being quiet - usually a bad sign but so far he's just squirreled away a few 'toys' like the steel for sharpening knives and some of Isabel's dolls and a drum pedal... He plays elaborate games with them and whispers the story-line to himself.

Just as we were about to go out the door this afternoon he demanded to play with face paints - taking them with us wasn't an option and I figured I'd get his shoes on quicker if I just painted his face whilst sorting out the last few bits in the oven and putting my boots on and getting the stuff together to take with us. Thankfully he's happy to have a butterfly as that's about all I can do.

There's no point asking him to smile for a photo or you get a very odd facial expression of his performance smile. So instead I just asked him questions and he talked. He can't keep still while he talks though so it was tough to get a clear picture.

We had a whole lot of veg in and one of the things to do today was to make soup for Matthew (he bit his tongue yesterday and gouged a bit chunk of it so is on mostly liquid diet today) and to make ahead some easy meals for me for next week when he's away.

One of the things I make in bulk is a lentil loaf - well of course when I make it it's not lentil, it's lentil and quinoa or sometimes just quinoa. I did use a recipe once and it was very nice....

This has been one of the meals I've given to friends as it's easy to freeze, reheat and is good hot and cold (plus I have a lot of friends who don't eat meat).

It's one of those recipes that works with whatever veg you have and you don't need to be too exact with the quantities as long as you get the right sort of consistency in the end so all measurements are guestimates and can be changed according to what you have to hand. This amount will make two 2lb loaf tins but you can make smaller versions.

Lentil and Quinoa Loaf

fill a mug with a mix of red lentils and quinoa - I do roughly half and half but it depends what's left in the packet. If you want to use tinned green lentils instead do but put them in later.

Add 2 parts cold water and bring to the boil then put the lid on a simmer for 15-20 minutes or until all the water has drained.

You can add a stock cube or granules at this point - I tend to use vegetable stock cubes that I dissolve in a little hot water before adding to the pan.

To make a really simple loaf just defrost a bag of frozen spinach and squeeze all the water out, adding fried onions will help with the flavour.

Otherwise roast or sweat a mix of veg - today I did left-over carrots and parsnip from last night's dinner and some peas along with some sweated leeks and half a bag of spinach for one loaf and the other loaf had roasted peppers, aubergine, red onion and the rest of the spinach. The veg can be hot or cold when it's added to the mix as long as it's cooked and there's no reason why you can't use frozen or tinned if you haven't got fresh veg to hand.

Then comes the bit that will hold it all together - grate a good chunk of cheese (parmesan or cheddar) and add that to the mix. If you like things very cheesy you can add lots if not, add less. This is also a good time to add in any herbs and to check seasoning.

Just two more thing to go.

Add a good handful of breadcrumbs - I usually have some in the freezer from stale bread or crusts but if not I stick about 3 slices of wholemeal or granary per loaf in the food processor and the kids help blitz it into crumbs. Without the crumbs it's still tasty but the consistency isn't great and it tends to fall apart when cut.

And then the last ingredient to bind it are eggs. You can make it really eggy by adding about 3 eggs per loaf but generally I add about 2. If the mix is too dry add another egg, too wet add more breadcrumbs.

I line my loaf tins with baking parchment but otherwise foil would work too. Bake for about 35-40 minutes at 180 degrees until it err looks cooked... clear enough?

Each of these chunks is 1/3 of a tin and would be more than enough for one person with salad as a main.

One way of cooking lots of things at once is to make the ingredients work in different dishes - so 6 leeks got sweated off and some were used in the loaf and the rest went in the soup. I did two trays of roasted veg, one for the loaf and one for pizza topping (that then didn't get made as we forgot to do the dough but it'll be great tomorrow). Once you're chopping it really only takes a minute or two to do more of the same and it then saves work on another day. If I had a bigger freezer I'd batch cook a lot more but we need our freezer space for 4 different kinds of ice cream.

Recipes

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

I read a post on Claire's lovely blog the other day about making food and following recipes and laughed - I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Mostly because I don't plan ahead enough and so have to make do with what's in my cupboard. I have cooked enough and made enough mistakes over the years to be able to make a guess at what will work in terms of substitutions and to trust that even if I follow a recipe to the letter it may be a little drier or wetter than intended and so need a bit more liquid or flour or what-have-you. I may follow a recipe more or less exactly the first time but if it becomes a favourite it usually evolves into something different by several degrees from the original. People seem to eat my food so I guess I do it ok.

I was asked by a friend how I manage to blog and be on forums and do other computer stuff - err well yes I do feed my kids a lot and spend most of that time at the computer and we don't have a tv at the moment so my entertainment comes from being online mostly but a lot of the time I spend on the computer I can only use one hand so writing anything more than a couple of words can be hard work (especially left handed). Also my head is often not together enough to write anything more than a brief response of support for someone on a forum or a joke or a quick hello. Anything that requires both hands and also brain power usually has to wait until both children are in bed and then sometimes I'm too tired to have the brain power - hence posts like this sit in draft form for several days until I can write words to go with the pictures (yep that's why I often just have pictures on my posts).

Anyway onto the recipes - or at least the ones I based the cooking on.

Cheese Scones

these are seriously good and making a double batch is usually required. I tend to put some feta in and some herbs and maybe some cheddar if I haven't got much parmesan in. Parmesan is better than cheddar though as they're not as greasy. This is a great recipe if I know the kids are going to be busy and just want a snack as both of them love them and I know they've got a meal in a scone. They're not so good for me though as I tend to eat most of them myself.

No Bake Bars

These got more amendments as I didn't have much peanut butter in so used some almond butter instead. I used mixed berries and a broken up bar of chocolate instead of chips - obvious stuff really.

A lot of American recipes use cups and tablespoons or sticks of butter (7 tbsp is about 100g by the way). There are plenty of online conversion charts if you get stuck but I do have a set of cups and have used it enough to be able to make things like this by eye instead of in exact quantities so I didn't measure anything when I made these and just added the oats until it looked right. It's one of those things that doesn't need to be exact so go with what you have to hand.

Isabel is loving the camera at the moment and spent a lot of time walking around pointing it at her babies and things so I helped her to find the button to press and she took a few shots and then demanded to see them on the viewer. It's really interesting watching her interacting with the world - she has a lovely imagination and will play with her dolls with long story-lines of 'baby crying', 'shhh, there, there' and then making them food or taking them for a walk. She quite often has one baby nursing whilst she's talking to another. Isaac was always interested in dolls and we had a few that have now become Isabel's but he didn't interact with them in the same way as she does. They were passengers in his vehicles or some passive part of his game not something he interacted with.

A splash in the river

2012-01-01T08:07:00.000-08:00

Spinach thief

2011-12-30T02:16:00.000-08:00

I made turkey pie last night with some of the left overs from Christmas. As with everything I do there was a cry of 'he'p you' from the youngest member of the family and so she became chief stirrer (a lot of the leeks ended up on the cooker but at least I knew where she was and what she was up to). I had a bag of spinach left in the fridge so decided to put that in too. As fast as I put it in the pan it got eaten by Isabel. You can bet that if I'd put some on a plate with her dinner she'd have thrown it on the floor.

We got a delivery of bread fresh from France courtesy of the neighbourhood Twitterati. Isaac declared it the best bread EVER! And the kids managed to eat half the loaf before dinner was ready.

And another neighbour kindness was the gifting of a child sized chair that had been outgrown. The kids both love it and wander off with random food items to sit for a few minutes peace or to play with a doll.

There's a lot of food 'sharing' going on here at the moment. I made a cup of herbal tea earlier and put it out of Isabel's reach while it cooled. Isaac decided to drink it and wouldn't let me share so I had to go and make another one. I don't bother claiming things like toast as my own. I just make a big plate full and see how much I can eat before it gets hoovered up. It's common for my dinner to be a joint affair with at least one child - even if the same food is on their plate. The benefit for me is errr well mainly crusts.

A flamingo on the beach

2011-12-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

When a girl wants milk you just have to give her milk. And if your coat isn't long enough to sit happily on a wet beach then lying down is the only option - not sure what all the dog walkers thought.

A dead whale has washed up on the beach at Hunstanton - it's been there a few days and is getting smelly and someone's gone off with most of its lower jaw. It was fascinating for one small boy (complete with shark hat).

My brother bought both kids waterproofs for Christmas - they're great quality and have been well tested over the last few days. I don't think anything can stand up to children wading in the sea and sitting in it and be fully waterproof but otherwise they're very effective. I think we need waders and then we might be able to cope with winter beach outings.

Splashing in Puddles

2011-12-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

So there's this HUGE beach... you know lots of sand, ok some mud, a lot of pebbles and the odd shell. Some castle building and a moat. All of that beach stuff.

Or there's the big puddle in the car park....

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve fun

2011-12-25T09:27:00.000-08:00

Danna's house means the beach - even if it's a cold enough wind to freeze you to the core in seconds! Fun was had by small people and the rest of us put up with it.

We then spent a good few hours in Farmer Fred's - it was a great way to run off some energy for children and adults alike.

First night at Danna's

2011-12-23T01:11:00.000-08:00

Oh the excitement! All day yesterday the cry from the littlest was, 'Danna house?' every time the car stopped. Eventually it really was Danna's house. The excitement was so much that neither child wanted to go to bed last night so I was first in bed a little before 10 and waited for them to come and find me. At 5.30 am a small boy woke up and asked if he could go and see Danna - err ok I muttered. It's more exciting than Christmas!

But there has been some tree decorating.

Isabel continues in her attempts to get the dog to play with her.

Typing with one hand, breakfast in the other - can't think where she could have seen that...

How to carry a baby

2011-12-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Firstly disregard anything designed for the purpose and instead reach for a crepe bandage. Then get Mummy to half put it on with the baby inside before insisting on doing extra passes yourself. You have to remember to go over the bum - she said 'bum' a lot - and err oh tie the ends... nah why bother. Grin instead.

We are on the second evening of Hanukkah and trying to pack things up ready to go to my mum's for Christmas. We're not immune from the gift buying frenzy but have mostly managed to tame my inner shopper where the kids are concerned. Isabel got a wooden cradle for her dolls today and Isaac opened it when the post came. Tonight we gave Isaac his present as it means one less thing to take with us (and bring back). He's always loved this image and is delighted to have his own. It's by my lovely friend Asha and will hang over his bed. He wants to be the boy in the rocket. (Oh yes and the face paints were out again today.)

Paint me a picture

2011-12-20T02:34:00.000-08:00

The most fun a boy can have involves drawing on people... face paints are my choice but he's not fussy what his tools are. Suffice it to say, even with face paints we still have black marks on us today.

Isabel likes to have at least one baby in a sling and one in a buggy or two in a sling and pushing an empty buggy or 3 in a buggy with a big plastic spider.... Whoever it is she's often busy looking after her brood.

Apparently my lunch is also her lunch....

Getting cosy

2011-12-20T02:18:00.000-08:00

The last few days have been cold and when we sat on the sofa the other night the dog decided to join us - it was certainly warmer (if a little cramped) so we didn't throw him off. It meant I was typing one handed though as he complained otherwise - the things we do...

On Sunday Isaac and a friend went for a frosty walk in the woods. And a paddle of course...

Get your skates on

2011-12-16T09:57:00.000-08:00

We go to a lovely group on a Friday afternoon where there's nothing structured, there's not many toys but lots of outdoor space (and a big hall for if it's too cold to go outside). We all have a lovely time. Today one of the other boys brought some roller skates with him and the older children all had a go. Isaac loved them.

Operation 'get mummy out of the house'.

2011-12-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

Isabel is going through a phase where she wants to be very close to me and gets very distressed if I'm not at home if she's at home. The last time I went to the chiropractor she spent about half an hour having a tantrum on the living room floor because she couldn't go with me. So this week we had a plan. She had to go out with Daddy before I left the house...

Me: you're going to go shopping with Daddy...

Isabel: No. Mummy.

Me: you can ride in a trolley

Isabel: yeah yeah yeah [runs to the door]

and so she spent a happy hour in B&Q being pushed around in a trolley and playing with the fairy lights and tape measures.

I then got a text to say:

she's convinced this poster of Alan Titchmarsh is you. She's pointing at it and yelling, 'Mummy, mummy, mummy there! There!'

None of the other posters of him, just this one. I like to think it's because his t-shirt is the same colour as one of my dresses but I could be wrong...

It's been a busy day for both children as we spent most of it at the local soft play where there was much bouncing.

And then Isaac (Mike the Knight) came with me to the chiropractor (I know which battles to fight!) before going off to play with friends and then bringing the friends back here for tea.

I got a lovely surprise in the post today in amongst the ebay packages and Christmas shopping. A lovely brace of 'scrappy' birds from the even lovelier Jeanette. Thank you hon xx

Breakfast...

2011-12-14T01:08:00.000-08:00

It's 7.30am and dark outside. So what do my children want? Ice lollies!

Isabel won't get dressed in her own clothes but mine seem to be fair game.

A picture by Isaac.

Language

2011-12-12T10:01:00.000-08:00

Isabel has been quite vocal from a much younger age than Isaac was. She's recently started speaking in toddler sentences and this is great in part but can be a bit confusing all round if we don't understand her words. You would think that putting two or more together would help as you then have some context but it isn't always that simple. She has worked out to put the 'not' before 'yet' and has a good grasp of 'me' and 'mine'.

We have never pushed sex stereotypes with our children and most of the dolls etc in the house belonged to Isaac. There is a noticeable difference in how Isabel plays with them though and she will gravitate to dolls in any place situation. She's much more interactive with them than Isaac was and will happily cook a meal and feed it to her 'baby'. Even if the meal is a calculator and the dog brush is an essential tool...

(oh and she put the hat on herself)

Today she was very pleased with herself as she peeled an orange.

Peel. Orindge. Up. Me. (I peeled an orange and put the peel up on the counter.)

Both children will sit and listen to stories for hours on end - not so easy when I had a sore throat and tickly cough. Isaac is a bundle of energy and raw emotion. He's fantastic with other small children but we're having a few issues with him trying to shut his sister in or out of rooms and other territorial sibling things. It makes it hard for me to do anything as they have chore & toilet radar and the minute I'm busy something happens that I have to immediately stop and intervene. It regularly takes 40 minutes to sort out a load of washing so I can get it dry. They both helped me make cheese scones this morning (which actually went pretty well) but then the play with a bit of flour afterwards got out of hand and everyone got covered - luckily no one was dressed so hey who knew.

He's a lovely boy though and we had some lovely time this afternoon messing about.

In a spin

2011-12-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

A very cold day today Matthew took Isabel and the bear for a long walk this morning (well run in the dog's case as he went awol in search of a muddy ditch at one point). Isabel mostly wants to walk at the moment and won't go in the sling (well unless we're at home and I'm trying to do other things) but she agreed to go on Daddy's back for a bit today.

I spent time working on Christmas crafting and trying to keep Isaac entertained. And then bit the bullet and actually did some sewing with both children in the house! Isaac's friend will be 4 just after Christmas so I wanted to get a head start and make her present. I may make some cuffs too so that it's more superhero than just a crown but for now it's a reversible crown/superhero headband. I made some for Isaac's 3rd birthday and they get used a lot. I've managed to use a stiffer interfacing on this one so it stands up better. The fabrics are both Anna Maria Horner.

We took a late run to a local park as the sun was going down. It was very cold but there were kids running around after a football in just t-shirts. I feel old!

That's entertainment

2011-12-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

We had a mad 20 minutes or so this evening when Isabel chased the remote controlled car around (she thought it was a dog and in the end pulled its tail). There was much raucous laughter all round.

...Yet

2011-12-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

The phrase most often to pass the lips of my smallest child is '...yet'. As in 'not yet'. This is uttered many many times a day. It took us over 45 minutes to get out the house this morning as she didn't want to get dressed 'yet'. She didn't want to go upstairs to get ready for bed 'yet' and now she doesn't want to get out of the shower 'yet'. The other words that come out of her mouth on a regular basis are 'read it'; 'shouldn't'; 'me, me, me' and of course 'miiiiilk'.

We went to another lovely playground today, in Hanwell Village. They've landscaped it so well into the natural banks of the site and there's a good selection of play equipment and plenty of scope for imaginative play. Isabel spent most of her time jumping on the tyre trampoline and swinging on the swings. Isaac spent most of the time playing with the see saw and experiencing the balancing point.

I had help with making dinner. She loves working the magimix and as I needed bread crumbs it was perfect.

You have to press hard you know....

It's that time of year again...

2011-12-05T07:08:00.000-08:00

Where the temperature drops but my children seem oblivious. I can have several layers on and still feel cold and yet at least one of my children insists on being naked. Today Isabel put her own sock and shoes on. Had a nappy put on (after she'd done a wee on the floor) and then refused everything else. (She is now in 2 t-shirts but has shed her trousers again.)

After we unpacked the veg boxes the two of them busied themselves in the kitchen whilst I tried to send an email. Things I have learnt from this. Isaac is very capable with a knife and we need a dog who eats fruit so that the clearing up is easier - or even children who eat fruit instead of just massacring it.

Isabel has worked out that the buttons on the camera do things... portrait of her brother. Oh yes those are his pyjamas and it was after 1pm but hey at least he was wearing something...

Cheeky squirrel

2011-12-04T09:52:00.000-08:00

The was the cheekiest squirrel in the park today - it was practically begging. We found out later that someone else had been giving it monkey nuts so no wonder it was begging.

Polar Bear, Polar Bear

2011-12-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Eric Carle's book according to Isabel 20 months

(the stress is always on the first half of a word)

po bear

li-on

pot-mus

wing-o

zeb-a

st'ictor

ef-ant

lep-edd

pea-cot

war-rus

zoo-key

(polar bear, lion, hippopotamus, flamingo, zebra, boa constrictor, elephant, leopard, peacock, walrus, zoo keeper)

One step forwards...

2011-12-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

Isabel now has an eye infection. We thought we'd got away with it but no. This morning she had a bit of gunk and by lunchtime her eyes were stuck together. She's no more keen on the drops than Isaac was but at least she's easier to catch.

She helped me unpack the shopping and then started making stacks of jars and tins. 'Top'.

Isaac didn't really get any screen time until he was much older than Isabel is now but she wants to do everything her brother does and so every now and then gets a few minutes on the computer to watch Baby Jake or something on CBeebies. She's usually bored after a few minutes and wants it changing to something else but today she was so flaked out she watched a whole episode - mostly with her chin on the table.

Onwards and upwards

2011-11-30T06:32:00.000-08:00

Small people have been making their own entertainment over the last few days as they've slowly got back to being healthy. Isabel has a thing for fruit - but mostly it's for chomping it and mushing it rather than eating it. If water can be involved then all the better. So a glass of water and some citrus fruit all within reach meant she had a whale of a time whilst I tried to write lists of everything that needs doing in the next few weeks.

Everyone was well enough to venture out to the gymnastics club at lunchtime. Lost of bouncing, swinging and forward rolls the length of the runway. There's a bit foam filled pit at the end that was jumped in by me as well as the kids - no much you can do about getting out and maintaining your dignity but hey it was fun.

She's on the mend

2011-11-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

She's still a poorly girl but she's only slept for about 40 minutes today instead of only being awake for about that yesterday. And she stole my dinner....

Isaac has two gunky eyes and is feeling very sorry for himself so who knows what the week will bring.

We made it out of the house

2011-11-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Cling monster

2011-11-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

I think all parents of small children have days when the little ones are ill and need to be superglued to you. Today was one. Isabel has caught Isaac's cold and is snotty and coughing and just generally under the weather. As usual she refuses to take any medicine and so it will just take its course with lots of cuddles and milk. She's been playing on and off all day but mostly just wants to be on me. I am tired and have another night of dealing with a hot child in bed (last night I ended up in many different places in the bed depending on where she eventually fell back asleep). I may even break my own record and be in bed by 7...

Same stuff, different day

2011-11-21T11:09:00.000-08:00

It's a Monday so that means lots of washing, going to the post office and going to the park - pretty much the same as any other day. There's lots of playing, reading of books (I get to read when Isabel naps if I'm lucky) and a few tears and tantrums (mostly from a small girls starting to assert her independence - I swear some days she thinks she's 3, especially with the constant 'why' questions).

The work of play

2011-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy play weekend. Isaac has hardly stopped all weekend and has had a lovely time. He went climbing again this morning and then to the swimming pool with friends this afternoon. It's lovely to see my boy who never wanted to be out of my sight happily go off with his friend and their dad.

Isabel hates it when Isaac is out but she does get to play in a different way when she's on her own.

Lots of brushing.

Lots of pee-ple.

And lots of playing under the table.

Oh and demands of 'egg. boiled. toast. dip.' for lunch.

Everyone stand up

2011-11-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

Reason number 179 why beige carpets were a bad idea.... blackberries and one small girl! Actually it's mostly come out, I'm impressed with the vanish foam - just a shame we now have a cleaner patch on the carpet cos the rest is filthy. The carpet man is coming in the day we go away for Christmas so at least we'll come back to clean carpets for a whole 10 minutes.

There's been a lot of playing this week and we've been out of the house a lot. I managed to bake a batch of biscuits this morning. The shapes are sweet but the biscuits a bit bland. I need to find a nice basic biscuit recipe. I have great cookie recipes but sometimes I just want a biscuit.

As sure as night follows day Isabel is copying Isaac by standing up in the swings. It's ok until she tries to point to something and then we've had a couple of interesting moments but she holds on pretty tight even with the one hand.

Braving the cold

2011-11-14T12:14:00.000-08:00

It was a chilly day today but we went to the park anyway. Isabel chose her own hat from the drawer but Isaac declared he was warm enough (when just in his t-shirt) when we left the house so I didn't fight that battle and just took his coat instead. They were running around though which kept them warm - it's me who gets cold!

He said hello to the birds, or a dog or something at the opposite side of the park.

Climbing the walls

2011-11-13T07:59:00.001-08:00

Isaac was possibly the most excited child in the whole world this morning as we took him climbing. He loved the helmet and harness and the ropes and the walls. He wasn't so keen to have to wait his turn and hold the rope for the others in his group (especially when he got tired) but he had a fantastic time and wanted to go back this afternoon. I can see us having to train to hold his ropes for him so he has some more freedom and can climb more but it was a great introduction.

Bark Life

2011-11-10T11:02:00.000-08:00

The park was looking lovely this afternoon and after a brief play on the swings we headed off to just play. We spent probably an hour just with them running around in the leaves and climbing on a wall and playing with a lemon that Isabel found under a bench. Isaac's favourite game was to take the lemon off Isabel and make it disappear (behind a tree usually) and then be a magician and magic it back - this did not go down well with Miss Bell. Isaac throwing himself on the floor was much more her idea of entertainment and she was cackling with laughter at him - which of course meant he did it more and more. He's a natural clown!

We need another dog - Finn keeps getting food spilt on his back where he can't reach, another dog is the logical answer (if only we had the room).

Pockets and dens

2011-11-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

Matthew has been in London today so the conversations have been about Daddy going to London on the train to do some work which involves meeting people. This means I've had a soundtrack to the day of 'Daddy.... train.... eat people'.

Who knows what he gets up to - she might be right!

We were given some tights last week and Isabel likes them so I've rummaged around for some dresses for her and she was delighted today to find that she had pockets.

I've been looking at playframes for a long time and when one came up for sale second hand locally it was too good a chance to miss. It's a My-Kea frame and shelf and both children have been playing with it every day since we got it. For the last few days it's been a market place with the till on the shelf. Today I found the old sheet and made it into a den and there was a lot of sitting and 'reading' done by both (Isaac read most of One Fish Two Fish to himself by looking a the pictures). And there was some coffee drinking going on.

The boy continues to climb anything and everything. He shins up lamp posts and climbs wire fences when we're out and spends a lot of the day climbing up the door frames in the house. He's worked out that he can swing from the shelf in the play frame too so that's another string to his bow.

We had tea with Thomas (Isabel started off with a crown on but eating is serious business and she wasn't having anything distracting her). And then I put half a bottle of green food dye in their bath and so they had a mouthwash bath (Harry and Dinosaurs Say Rahhh for the reference).

Carving out space

2011-11-08T10:03:00.001-08:00

Virginia Woolf wrote about a Room of One's Own and how important it is for women to have creative space. I have been very blessed living in this house to have my own room for the last 8 years. When we had our first child I knew that eventually this room would become theirs but co-sleeping has meant that I squeezed another 4 years out of my room and the relinquishing of it has been gradual.

I will miss being able to sit at my big table and glance out of the window to the garden. There is research that suggests that girls (so I guess the same goes for women) benefit from a view of trees and green. I know that daydreaming is better when gazing out into green - it may be why I didn't finish my PhD - too much daydreaming.

So now the sewing space is in the front bedroom and there's no view of the garden (nor much light - we need to work on that) but I think this space will work well. I can use the top of the drawers for cutting and for having the laptop open for instructions and inspiration. I have room for a radio and there's floor space for the ironing board. I need more shelves as most of my 'stuff' is still in the back room but the new desk seems to work well (I took some beading off the back so that the fabric can feed off the back). In some fantasy world I'll sand and paint it but in reality it'll probably stay as it is - battered and a bit wobbly. The drawers will soon be filled.

All I need now is a way to keep the children out of it all...

Dark

2011-11-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

The blog has been quiet for no real reason except that it's been pretty dark and so I've not been reaching for my camera. The evenings are dark so quickly and we've had some rainy and overcast days where it's not really felt light all day. I've been busy trying to move my sewing space (again) as Isaac is playing in his room so much that he needs the space. It's a bit of a juggling act trying to fit everything in but with a few more shelves I think we'll manage it.

Front seat drivers

2011-11-02T11:22:00.000-07:00

Getting in the car is a bit of a mission at the moment - well the getting in is ok it's getting them in their seats. It's more fun to be in the driver's seat of course. Isaac is old enough to reason with (to a point) and understands time better so can see that if 'x' happens 'y' will follow. Isabel lives in the moment and the only thing that matters is what she's doing right now. She's 19 months, you cannot reason with her. And if you try to argue with her you'll lose.

So I have a choice. Be patient and wait it out - she will eventually get bored. Or get annoyed and angry and try to force her into her car seat. On good days I am the former and it's much nicer all round. It winds me up though for reasons I don't quite understand. It might have something to do with the fact that by the time I've got them both in the car I've exhausted my 'nice' for the day. Dressing and readying two children is an art form. I have utmost respect for anyone who has to get children to school on time day in, day out. I think it would drive me round the bend.

Today though I had a secret weapon. I was taking her somewhere she could drive her own car. She thought this good enough reason to sit down (relatively) quickly.

Isaac will climb just about anything. But he still has a respect for heights and won't do things unless he's comfortable. The big yellow slide is very steep. I went down with him the first time (and scared myself rigid) but then Isabel started climbing up the equipment so I had to go with her (plus I didn't want to go down the slide again). He sat at the top many times but wouldn't come down on his own. He happily held hands with my friend but opted for one of the other slides when he was solo.

Swing HIGH

2011-11-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

The little park round the corner is very basic but it kept us entertained yesterday for a good 45 minutes and it was only because Isaac's game involved a storm coming that we had to run back to Danna's house for shelter then. Isabel loves swinging. Her command is, HIGH.

Ducking and diving

2011-11-02T00:53:00.000-07:00

We took a wander round Hunstanton yesterday and as usual there were lots of ducks around. Isabel was fascinated and was happy to share her crisps with them.

We use a buggy so rarely that it's a real novelty and there has to be a lot of negotiating about who goes in it and for how long. Isabel started off in it but as soon as she got out to potter around in a shop Isaac jumped in. Isabel as a new walker is mostly happy to walk whereas Isaac will only run (he doesn't walk) if it's for sport not to actually get anywhere. We managed with a mix of slinging, walking and balancing precariously on the back of the buggy.

She's a very snotty girl at the moment but she did have fun in the playground.

Multi generational swinging

2011-10-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sunny play

2011-10-28T11:32:00.000-07:00

After a few days of rain we've had a lovely sunny day today. The front of the house gets lots of morning sun and so we annoyed the dog by playing in the front room and disturbing his sun worship. He chases the sun around the room all morning making sure he gets the best spot to warm himself - well his head anyway, the rest of him is often in shadow.

We played with a bandage taking turns at being doctor and patient. And then it became a rope to rescue a sea turtle (yep octonauts again) and then a doll got mummified. It was fun.

In praise of cheese breadsticks and egg sandwiches

2011-10-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Long journeys call for survival planning when you have small children. Kallo cheese breadsticks are a must in our car. Matthew likes to keep his behind his ear... *I hope nobody takes a photo is the wrong thing to say when your wife is bored*. Also in our kit are CDs with Paddington, Peter Rabbit and Hairy Maclary amongst others. We were helped along by a Cadbury promotion at the services where I won a bar of chocolate (not that I saw any of it). And of course timing it so at least one child sleeps can help - err yeah need more work on that one. Anyway it was all worth it to go and see our lovely friends and their new baby.

The main draw at the park today were the sheep (and the sheep poo).

But there was a fair bit of hanging around too.

Apparently there was a big storm coming so we had to get in the car quick which meant I had to get off the big swing that I was lying on and drive them home. Imagination is a great thing... sometimes.

The best thighs in the world

2011-10-19T10:43:00.000-07:00

She really does have the best baby thighs. And was very happy to spend most of the morning upside down (or climbing on the worktop).

Then of course there are the demands for me to lie down so I can be climbed on - this turns into a family event and I often get my nose licked by the dog too as obviously the only reason to get on the floor is to play with him...

Yep this rubbery nose (minus the houmous).

A new window

2011-10-18T09:56:00.000-07:00

So after nearly 18 months I have finally updated the window in the front room. I could just fix the thing that holds the voile on but so many people now find our house by 'the window' that I figure we may as well just go with it.

I've worked out an easy way to 'do' crafting with children - get some chocolates and put them on the table (Celebrations or other things they have to unwrap work best). Small people are distracted by the shiny shiny chocolate and you get to cut leaves out on your own. I had help of course cos the chocolates don't last long but it was a head start.

The last window had sticky-back-plastic (fablon) to hold everything together but this time I just went with glue. We'll see how good an idea that was when it comes to changing the window... I used watered down 'school glue' (it had gone a bit lumpy so I used the stick blender to mix it - wash things like this straight away so the glue doesn't dry or it'll take forever to get it clean) and just painted it on the window and then over any leaves that were still sticking up. It dries clear but you can see here where there were still some white bits. I might get some kite paper which is slightly thicker and more robust for doing more windows but the tissue paper was fine for this.

My children are not blessed with lots of hair in their early years. Isabel has some lovely curls and swirls though.

It's been cold here this week but the sun was lovely today so I asked Isaac which park he wanted to go to and off we went to Steeple Aston.

I'm currently in the middle of Frocktober (an attempt to wear a skirt or dress every day for a month - there are various of these things on facebook and other social media and I might do Dressember too but we'll see when we get there). I mostly wear tunics and have worn them with jeans a few times but I'm trying to vary what's on my legs but still stay warm (it's still a work in progress). I take a photograph every day and mostly it's in the hall mirror but I spotted a good place to put the camera and play around with the self timer a bit. "Sorry kids I can't play with you I'm having too much fun...". I hurt my ankle a bit though on one jump - still it could have been worse I could have fallen off the zip slide or something (it's only a matter of time before I injure myself on the play equipment).

When we got home all the glue had dried. I like how it looks but realise I've now set myself up to change it once autumn finishes - I'm not saying in which year though!

Any time the front door gets opened to pop something in a bin or get the post or anything there is a mass escape. Getting two children and one Labrador back into the house can be a circus and they have a habit of coming in and then going out again. They love being out the front of the house and watching the world go by (and looking wistfully at the park).

Upside down & round her finger

2011-10-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

The lovely Kerry makes the odd suggestion to Isaac when she sees him, like how about you hang from your legs... oh ok he says. I didn't manage to get him with his arms down but he can now do it and get back up again. He's not mastered a cart wheel yet - where's the fun in doing things on the ground?

Never to be outdone Isabel perfects her 'sving'

Before getting the dog's full attention by taking charge of the flinger.

Wave of Light

2011-10-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day across the world. We would like to invite you to take part in the global 'Wave of Light'. Simply light a candle at 7pm and leave it burning for at least 1 hour to join us in remembering all babies that have died during pregnancy, at, during or after birth.
This can be done individually or in a group, at home or in a communal space. Wherever you do this, you will be joining a global wave of light in memory of all the babies who lit up our lives for such a short time.
www.babyloss-awareness.org

It's educational dontcha know

2011-10-14T10:29:00.000-07:00

I am very happy that Isaac didn't go to school in September - he is only just 4 and the thought of him being in school 5 days a week would not suit him at all - but there are times when I feel like we should be doing something 'EDUCATIONAL'. I know deep down that it will be pointless and contrived and a waste of time (and often money) as he is learning lots by being interested in the things he's interested in and is not shy about asking questions or saying what he wants to do. But anyway I try every now and then...

So today we made a DIY lava lamp - oil, water, glitter, food colouring and an effervescent tablet (I used alka seltzer as that what they used on the blog I got the idea from but I don't see why a fizzy vitamin C tablet wouldn't work).

There were lots of bubbles. It was very pretty. It held their interest for about 3 seconds...

I quite liked it though.

Up a tree

2011-10-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

I was trying to put the slings away after this week's slingmeet but as soon as Isabel saw me fold the first one she was insistent on 'back'. So up she went in a ruck on my back which with her size and just a size 2 wrap was err interesting. Not to mention the naked bum. Naked children are slippery which isn't great when you don't have much wrap. As she got lower and lower down my back but refused to get down the only option was to put a longer wrap over the top - so much for putting them away! When she did eventually allow me to put her down she then played peek a boo for ages. Her giggle is the loveliest sounds.

We're still no wiser as to what was making her ill or how to get medicine into her but she seems ok now. She's feisty and demanding and keeps grabbing my hand and saying 'umon' (come on) as she leads me to the book chair or out into the garden. She's only happy if she has my full attention. Not easy for me or for Isaac.

Oh and the new phrases of the week are 'mine' and 'do it' (as in I'm going to do and no I won't accept any help no matter how well meaning so butt out mummy). It's been a trying week.

The battle to get clothes on two children is the hardest part of the day but eventually we made it out of the door to go to the park. Both were dressed top and bottom and had shoes on - it's nothing short of a miracle. Both shed their shoes at various stages in the park but hey we had them with us so that counts.

Isaac can now climb to the very top of the big climbing frame. He's aiming to stand on the top pointy bit. I'm glad he can't yet do it...

A nest was built out of branches and bark.

And then two birds laid eggs.

One lot of trees were climbed.

We said hello to the many squirrels that were in the park (and the cat who was in the playground).

There were lots and lots and lots of squirrels busy burying conkers, acorns and other morsels.

Whilst Isabel and I were still talking to small furry creatures Isaac was up the climbing tree. He's discovered Bob the Builder this week (I've been Wendy for most of the week and the dog is Pilchard - the dog is blissfully unaware of his blue cat alter ego) and so had many workshops up the tree instead of Octopods (from Octonauts).

As usual the dog was on hand when pizza was being made - and in the wrong place when flour was being cleaned up.

The Egg Box Prince

2011-10-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Isabel is going through a bit of a tough time at the moment. We think she has a uti and she's been generally under the weather. Now in theory this is nothing a few antibiotics can't solve but this is my stubborn whirlwind of a daughter. It's worse than giving tablets to a cat. If we try to give her anything direct she fights and screams and if you manage to get anything in her she gags and is sick. Trying to hide it in food failed miserably. I am taking it as a lesson in listening and going with the wait and see approach. She had a temperature above 39 yesterday but today it's back under 38 without any meds. She's pretty vocal about not wanting a nappy on when she's in the house and will sometimes use the potty (and if not, well the carpet has seen better days anyway). In the main she's her happy cheerful self as long as the world is going her way. She just needs lots of cuddles and lots of mummy time. We will see how it goes in the next day or so.

She certainly had fun in the park this morning.

Isaac appeared with a crown this afternoon.

And insisted I take a photo whilst he posed for the camera!

Walkies

2011-10-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

We had a quick lunch today at Carriages Cafe and then a walk/bike ride on part of the Stratford Greenway. The cafe does a good line in fry ups (veggie and meat versions) and the dog was very interested in the bacon smells coming from the carriage - so much so that as soon as he was untied he headed up the stairs to try and claim some lunch.

We need to work out a way to get the adult bikes in the car and to the trail as it's a great cycle route (and mostly dog proof). We ended up going further than we'd planned as it was so nice and then had to deal with tired children on the way back. The dog ran the whole time (occasionally back towards us).

It would have been easier if Isabel had agreed to be carried all the time but she kept yelling 'down' and leaning as far back as possible in the wrap which made it impossible to carry her comfortably.

She'd then get tired and ask for 'back' again.

Matthew had to go and get the car in the end as they both went on strike.

Hanging around

2011-10-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

One of those days when you just can't make it out of the house - well only into the garden. We almost got out of the door at one point but Isaac refused to get dressed and headed out into the garden. Who am I to argue with a climbing child?

Isabel helped cook the veg to go on top of the pizza. Well until she got bored and told me she'd 'inished' and got down and went to do something more important.

Time with the boy

2011-10-05T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's not often that Isaac and I get to spend time alone together but yesterday we timed it so that Isabel fell asleep and we went to a park where I could leave her in the car but still keep an eye on her and so we had a lovely hour or so playing.

The spinning things are way too hardcore for me but Isaac loved them - there was a lot of theatrical wobbly running and falling over when he got off them too.

Art with children - the reality

2011-10-05T09:34:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to be creative I thought I'd use some of the windfall apples and do some apple printing. It was lovely weather and knowing my children the paint would be everywhere but the paper so in the garden we went.

It started out ok.

And then you know how it is - one child paints on another or pokes her or looks at her funny which means I have to take her indoors for cuddles and milk. By the time I get back outside there has been a lot painting done...

All the things I'd put on the paper to stop them blowing away had been taken off....

and there were painted apples everywhere....

I got to sit and have a cuppa whilst they both got in the shower though so it wasn't all a disaster.

The end of the heat wave?

2011-10-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

She walks and walks and walks and stops.... That's it just there lies down on the pavement and goes on strike. She thinks it's the funniest thing and laughs her head off refusing to move and waiting to be picked up and then runs off until she feels like doing it again. Everyone's very nice and walks round her.

Isaac is very patient with her too (although he'd like it if she'd let her pick her up instead of insisting on mummy). He does have to do a 'hurry up' every now and then even when she's running as there's a bit of a speed difference.

She does charge around though.

It was a really lovely day again today. Cold this morning so I dressed more for autumn but by the time I was hanging the washing out it was too hot and I had to change. The forecast for tomorrow is more like October. There was a strong warm wind and glorious sunshine.

The kids have spent most of the day outside one way or another and this afternoon there was a lot of play in the sand - two naked children who end up covered and then walk in the house and deposit it everywhere. I mean actually stand there and shake like dogs when they come in the house to maximise the spread! Thankfully they both love the shower too so get shut in there to clean off. Oh how I wish I had a downstairs shower for these moments so the trail of sand was more confined. It's very sweet though.

Canal Day

2011-10-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Today was the Canal Day festival in town. They line the banks of the canal with stalls and entertainment and in theory it's a great day out. In reality it's packed full of people and frustrating with small children. And hot. Really hot. We've been having a heat wave here whilst that's amazing and lovely for October it's not so great for a family day out in crowds.

There were small highlights in the day and it was worth going but we needed to come home when we did before everyone had a meltdown. We heard a few bands and saw a bit of Morris (Border Morris with the black faces seems to be the way here) and there was a face painted shark and lots of ice cream.

To make the heat wave complete we're now hearing that Thames Water are having pumping problems and we're likely to lose our water (currently flowing but on low pressure). We'll wait and see what happens.

Raspberry & apple muffins

2011-09-30T10:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-28T09:33:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-26T10:44:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-22T11:16:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-21T10:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-09-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

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.

The end of the week

2011-09-16T11:53:00.000-07:00

The week has been pretty full on with two small children missing their daddy and a dog who wants attention as well. Bedtimes have been difficult with Isabel not settling is Isaac is around and Isaac wanting a 'real live human being' to stay with him while he sleeps. I finally hit on a solution...

the dog has had to earn his keep!

Dodging showers

2011-09-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

We managed a lovely morning in the sun before running home in the rain and then sat inside at a friend's house watching the rain before going home in the dry again.

The game of choice is mostly Octonauts still and this was great as they both got to steer. Orders are shouted and it's hard to keep up with who is supposed to be who (especially when friends join in and you have two Captain Barnacles) but woe betide us if we get it wrong.

This sums up the boy at the moment - moving, swinging, climbing, jumping, hopping and always talking.

She was strutting her stuff in her brother's shoes. Very pleased she was too.

Isaac has gone to bed tonight (eventually) with the can opener which has become Bluebird from Everything's Rosie. She had dinner with us (complete with own bowl of pasta), went in the bath and has now gone to bed.

Busy doing nothing

2011-09-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot of soup making today - it definitely feels like autumn! Isabel thinks climbing on the counters is the best thing in the world ever and to stop her from emptying all the crockery from the cupboard I let her stir the soup. It's her favourite and she kept wanting to eat it despite it being hot so we had to go and do other things whilst it cooked.

I was under instructions to build a track that went all the way into the front room - well the instructions were to build it so it went all the way around the dog who was full length on the hearth rug but we didn't have enough bits to go that far. One thing about building it into the hall is that I have to put it away before we do anything upstairs or outside or else I can't close the door and then the dog helps himself to whatever food might be in reach.

I support women who are breastfeeding and the bread and butter of our work is 'positioning and attachment' otherwise known as getting a good latch. The traditional advice is to have the child's tummy facing mum's tummy. My toddler laughs in the face of tradition! She much prefers having her back against me...

Isaac was being a flamingo.

Isabel decided that bouncing on his head was the best fun ever. He didn't seem to mind and kept going back for more.

And bubbles are always fun. More fun than dinner it turned out - I had trouble getting them to the (right) table.