Saturday 26 May 2012

Things I Like About Summer

I must admit, I'm not really a fan of summer.  Being English, this isn't too much of a problem as the majority of the year is either wet or cold; mostly both.  But, when the sun eventually emerges and with it the fierce heat, it can still be fun.  Yes, I may burn and sneeze and itch and hurt, but there are still things to smile about:

Alfresco dining



Paddling







          Ice cream






Short pyjamas








                     SMILES


And, best of all, the washing dries really quickly - summer may have saved my sanity.




Monday 21 May 2012

I'm No Supermum

It's true; as much as I would love to be, I am not Supermummy.  It is obvious to see, on a daily basis, where I am going wrong:-

My house is a mess.  Despite feeling as though every spare moment is spent washing up, doing laundry and cleaning, the house always manages to look as though a hurricane has blown through it.  Or we've been burgled and all they took were my skills of organisation.

My children watch television.  Almost daily.  And I've read Toxic Childhood so I know that I may be turning them into little monsters, but they enjoy watching Peppa Pig in the morning and Charlie and Lola before bed and, more importantly, it keeps them quiet.

My son is a fussy eater.  Scratch that - he is a total nightmare to feed.  Weaning went well; I distinctly remember him eating puréed avocado at the age of five months and being very impressed with his adventurous eating habits.  Of course, I was also feeling very smug that I had made the time to go through the horrendously tedious process of cooking, mashing and puréeing every fruit and vegetable known to man, for the sake of my baby.
Alas, it didn't pay off.  I now have a 19 month old who, on a good day, will eat cereal, sandwiches and a bowl of cous cous.  I have even been known to give him Weetabix for dinner, just so I know he's not going to bed hungry.  Supermummy would not do this!

My three year old daughter had a dummy for more than two years, and still sometimes asks for a bottle of milk at night.

My son (the aforementioned fussy eater) screams when put to bed every single night.  Despite going through the same routine, night after night - dinner (usually left untouched), bathtime, stories, bed - he reacts as though I have done something unusual by putting him to bed.

I could go on, but I think you get the picture - I'm never going to win mum of the year.

But I look at my children and I think it doesn't really matter.  Even though I'm getting things wrong on a daily basis, the children are growing.  They are healthy, happy and displaying incredible intelligence.  They are beautiful (I can say that because they really look nothing like me).  My daughter gets herself up and dressed in the morning, cleans her own teeth, brushes her hair - all of these skills she has learned from her parents, so we must be doing something right!  At the age of 19 months, my son takes his bowl to the kitchen after breakfast, says please and thank you and tidies up after himself.

So, while it's true that I'm nowhere near being Supermummy, it's ok; I am happy to settle for being a proud mummy.


Sunday 20 May 2012

A New Perspective



This is what happens when your three year old gets hold of your camera.  She photographs her brother.







And then documents what she's watching on TV, simultaneously bringing to your attention the urgent need for a duster.


Next up, it's breakfast from a jaunty angle, and a *lovely* snap of the sofa (see below).


Finally, she takes a few randoms, just for posterity:-  Guitar (could do with a polish)


Stray piece of pasta from lunch - very photo-worthy!


Fire


Shoe


Bowl


Whirlee


Toes


The Argos catalogue

Monday 7 May 2012

50 Things to do Before You're 11 and 3/4

The National Trust recently published a list of 50 things to do before you reach the age of 12.  Upon reading said list, I realised that I had completed few of the suggested activities.
The teenager has done most of them.  The three year old has attempted 12 out of the 50 - I have tried just two more than this, despite being twice the upper age limit.

So, with this in mind, the five of us decided to work our way through the entire list togther.

Wish us luck!

The List:

Climb a tree



Roll down a really big hill

Camp out in the wild

Build a den

Skim a stone

Run around in the rain

Fly a kite




Catch a fish with a net

Eat an apple straight from a tree

Play conkers

Throw some snow

Hunt for treasure on the beach

Make a mud pie

Dam a stream

Go sledging

Bury someone in the sand

Set up a snail race

Balance on a fallen tree

Swing on a rope swing

Make a mud slide

Eat blackberries growing in the wild

Take a look inside a tree

Visit an island

Feel like you're flying in the wind

Hunt for fossils and bones

Watch the sun wake up

Climb a huge hill




Get behind a waterfall

Feed a bird from your hand

Hunt for bugs

Find some frogspawn

Catch a butterfly in a net

Track wild animals

Discover what's in a pond

Call an owl

Inspect a rock pool

Bring up a butterfly

Catch a crab

Go on a nature walk at night

Plant it, grow it, eat it

Go wild swimming

Go rafting

Light a fire without matches

Find your way with a map and compass

Try bouldering

Cook on a campfire

Try abseiling

Make a grass trumpet

Find a geocache

Canoe down a river











Saturday 5 May 2012

Family Meal of the Week - Easy Jackets

I made this for lunch during the week and had to share it as Jasmine loved it so much. 

Ingredients:

4 baking potatoes
50g butter/spread
75g cheddar cheese
6 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 large chicken breasts
Tbsp paprika
Salad

Method:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Prick potatoes with a fork, wrap in tin foil and place on baking tray.  Leave to cook for an hour.
Once cooked, cut in half and scoop potato out into a mixing bowl. Add butter, cheese and tomatoes and stir.
Fill potato skins with the mixture and pop under the grill for 15 mins.
Meanwhile, sprinkle the paprika over the chicken breast and cook for 20 minutes. Once cooked, cut into thick slices.
Serve with salad.

Yummy!