Tuff spot action and fair ground fun!

This morning we had fun in the Tuff spot with porridge oats! First dry then wet. This led to water play in the garden. Kids had a great time and the sun was shinning!

Then came the water and food colouring....

Then out came the hose....

A bit of watering for daddy....

And the making of a lake...

All naked, obviously, any slight sunshine and the clothes are off!

This afternoon we went to see daddy at a fair where he was fundraising with his kids from school. Was wonderful, hot, sunny and the kids went on fair rides, bouncy castle and played football with daddy. Photos to follow... 

Only other news is that our Mollies have had a lot of babies! Freddie desperate to keep them! X

A Saturday Crabbing with Nanna and Bapou

Am struggling to download photos from James phone onto here which is frustrating. James took kids crabbing on Cromer pier yesterday with his parents and they had a ball. I was at a hen do :( would much rather have been crabbing! They had a wonderful time and caught crabs and had fun with their Nanna and Bapou. Photos to follow....

Paint, paint, glorious paint!

Paint was a great success...I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

Things were pretty civilised at this stage, put then Mia up ed the anti by discovering the joys of flicking the paint....

Then We added S and R to the mixing pot and this is what we got....

The rest of the day was spent with music class first thing followed by visit to grandma. We said goodbye to Bingo as we watched him fly off into the sky, there were tears from Fred and promises made that we would buy new caterpillars straight away. This evening there has been great excitement as James and T went and picked up the caravan! It fits beautifully in our drive and looks wonderful! Mia missed its arrival as was tucked up in bed but Fred was part of pushing it onto the drive and helping set it all up and playing inside. He is so excited...nearly as excited as me! X

 

Our HE friends and home made paint!

This morning we said goodbye to Aunty as she is off on holiday. We dropped her at the station....will really miss her!!!!

This afternoon L and K and A came round for picnic lunch in the sunshine and then we all went off to a lovely park to meet our friends who are home edding. To begin with Fred was really scared, feeling shy of the children as he does nt know T and O well. I sat with him, cuddled him, fed him and played a pirate game which eventually the other children started playing too and he was off! In the thick of everything, having a whale of a time with all the children. They played a lion game, pirates, climbing, rolling down hills, playing with leaves and twigs making campfires!!!! Mia and Freddie became friends with T and O and were so sad to leave them asking "mummy can we play with T and O again? Can they come to our house?" Feel so so grateful to be on this wonderful journey with such lovely mummies! Had wonderful chats with J, J and L. All of us with very similar parenting styles and ideas. We stayed at the park until 5.30- had to be at work at 6! This evening I made paint for the kids but I ran out of food colouring....so no pink- not sure how Mia will take that!!!! So tomorrow we will try them out.

 The mud coloured one is actually green but hasn't come out well in the picture. So simple, corn flour, hot water, smidgen of washing up liquid, whisk it all together and put food dye in. Keep in fridge. The white one is waiting for red or pink food colouring. Might do painting with balloons tomorrow I think.

Fred is so attached to his butterfly Bingo! He literally walks around the house and garden with Bingo on his hand. I think Fred is going to find it very hard to say goodbye to his pet....

Best buds!

Freddie and Mia's best buds are home from holiday and came over for the afternoon. The kids just get on with it now, playing in the garden, chasing each other, playing with lightsaber s, balloons, glow sticks, sand, water, and I keep half an eye on them and get on with a few of my jobs! Lovely! The kids got on so well, they are really close friends, so lovely to see. Occasionally Mia got a bit frustrated as she wanted to be in the thick of the boys action and sometimes they want just boy space. Nothing that a cuddle and milk doesn't resolve! Kids stayed for dinner and I tried out a new (healthy) chocolate mousse recipe on them! Fred couldn't get enough but the others not keen!

Recipe

2 avocados

1 cup of raw cocoa

1/2 cup raw honey

1tsp vanilla essence

2 egg yolks

All whiz zed up and that's it. Next time I will only use one avocado and more egg yolks, think then it will be a hit with Mia.

A lovely Monday!

It's so lovely that Fred gets up on his own, watches tv and amuses himself until me and Mia stumble out of bed, usually an hour later! Today was a really great day. We got ourselves together and out relatively early. Went to the bank where it was so busy and we queued for ages. The kids just amused themselves, Fred playing with his lightsaber, Mia with her box of play doh which she is calling her cafe and insisting on bringing it everywhere wit her! Then we took our deposit over for our caravan, so wonderful to secure it as ours! So excited and grateful that we have been able to buy one. I have been dreaming of one for yonks. Love the idea of the freedom it gives us! Then we went to the library, and took our time reading books, browsing and snacking! Freddie was so excited to find Star Wars books! He is fascinated by Star Wars! We got some great books and for once when we got home the kids wanted to sit and read them. Really want to get Into the habit of reading more in the day, often it is just a bedtime activity. Then we had a play doh session on the Tuff spot, using the equipment we bought at the car boot sale. Freddie much more into playing with play doh now, sometimes I think he feels anxious that he can't "do" an activity but now his confidence has grown and he was making ice cream, cakes and loving the conveyor belt play doh machine! Then we had a lovely visit from grandma and Aunty, just in time to release our butterflies. Was a fab experience, so much more than I was expecting. The butterflies didn't just fly off, the stayed with us for easily an hour and one didn't ever fly off so is still with us! Mia and Freddie absolutely loved it.

Then the kids snuggled with grandma to watch Tinkerbell film that they borrowed from the library, I spoke to my aunt on skype and cooked dinner - home made chicken nuggets, butternut squash chips and veg. Then off to work for me as soon as my lovely hubby walked in.....

We bought a caravan!!!!!

We found ourselves a gorgeous caravan for the bargain price of £800!!! So thrilled! Our lovely Aunt and Uncle gave us some money for a holiday and we decided to spend it on a caravan so we can keep having cheap easy holidays with the kids. Can't wait to pick it up. Our lovely friends came to check it over with us and have offered to tow it to our house as we currently don't have a tow bar. Can't wait to have it and make it homely! Might put some fairy lights in it ...!!! Had success at a Car boot buying some crafty bits and bobs and had a lovely afternoon with our friends who have just returned from Florida. Mia and Freddie have seemed off colour today, quite hard work...

Fine and gross motor skills!

Today has been a day of cutting things and picking things up in tweezers (fine motor skills) and playing catch and cricket in the dark with balloons with glow sticks in them (gross motor skills!). We partially blew up balloons and then popped glow sticks inside and carried on blowing them up- they looked great! I have 2 great books which are giving me lots of ideas "the little book of...fine and gross motor skills"- so good to get do-able ideas. Balloon idea i saw on the internet. Looking forward to the dark nights so we can have glow stick fun in the bath! Also today a trip to buy Freddie new shoes, to Sainsburys and to visit grandma! Afraid I am so tired I can write no more!

Rainbow Rice

This morning we rushed off to music class bright and early. It starts at 9.30 and we walk to it which is lovely. Kids enjoyed the class and we walked the long way home looking for flowers and leaves to feed our new butterflies who came out of their cocoons this morning! Freddie is so excited. 3 are still in their cocoons. Once home I attempted to use the tuff spot for the first time. Last night I had made rainbow rice for a messy play session today. It didnt go quite to plan. Mia was so enthusiastic that she found it hard to share the rice, Fred got upset and refused to play. I enticed him to play a game where I hid objects in the rice and he closed his eyes and had to guess what they were. He enjoyed that but would not get involved in the tuff spot play because he didn't want to play at he same time as Mia. I set him up on the table with play doh and angry birds which kept him amused for a short period. Felt so frustrated that they couldn't share the tuff spot...do I need to buy another?!

This afternoon we met L, C and A for play at the park. It was raining but so much fun. They are so lovely. We played hide and seek and "it" and me and L chatted mainly about food! She shares my interest in nutrition. Also lovely to know another family who attachment parent like us. Very lucky to be meeting such wonderful people! Aunty over again for dinner. I cooked lamb chops, pots and veg and made a ketchup which tasted great and was approved of by both bubs phew! X

Hot sunny day at last!

Had such a lovely day today, Freddie's music home education class this morning which has a social group after. So lovely now as we have made good friends. A lovely new family joined today with boys the same age as Fred and Mia. They seemed lovely and we all made a loose arrangement to meet next week. There are so many family's with the same age children as us, it s wonderful. Then we went with J, S and R to pound land and Hobby Craft to buy home ed art and craft resources.Was lots of fun, kids running around having the time of heir lives. Again feel so lucky to share this journey with J. Afternoon we went to waterloo park to play in the water sprinklers with Lucy and Wilson. Wonderful time, boys fascinated by filling plastic bags with water. Mia played a bit in the water but then was seduced by the swings. Then Lucy and W came back to ours for a play. The boys played their chasing and fighting games and they all played hide and seek. Aunty came over for dinner and I hopped off to work. Only downside to the day was I broke my phone :( !!!

Play doh!

So I have decided to do an activity every morning with the kids...have stocked up on resources, ordered a tuff spot and activity books for fine and gross motor skills...and am ready to go! Last night I made play doh, so easy, why on earth have I not been doing this before?!

Recipe:

1 cup of flour

Half cup of salt

1 tbsp of cooking oil

2 tbsp of cream of tartar

1 cup of boiling water

Food dye

Stir it, knead it...hand over to child!

So this morning we made play doh cup cakes and angry birds and angry bird nests! Mia was totally engrossed, Fred needed a bit more encouragement!

Having a structured activity definitely made the morning smoother, and I felt as though I had given each child enough attention!

Then it was a quick picnic lunch in garden and off to gymnastics with Aunty. The kids love the trampoline s today and Freddie learnt to move his arm in circles whilst jumping to help him go higher!

After gym we went over to the R 's for a play date. Mia and I in their little play worlds together for hours, Fred transfixed watching A play a Star Wars game on the Wee with his friend.

Home to dinner with Aunty and Grandma and early to bed after such a busy day!

 

fathers day

Had such a lovely fathers which started with cooking a fry up for James and giving gifts and homemade cards. Then a scramble to get out the house early and up to the coast as the sun was shining! the day was filled with crab fishing off the pier, frolicking in the water on the beach, a picnic lunch and home to aunty. The kids loved every minute and came home with 2 plastic crabs as we didn't have success fishing the real ones!