Beach Party

Still no bathroom pictures I hear you cry!  Really though, this is far more interesting.  Promise.

Yoyo was 9 on Saturday and I gave her a little beach party.  I'm not usually one for a 'theme', but with fabulous Pinterest as inspiration I couldn't help myself.  My wonderful friend Lizz helped me with everything (think she realised she had to step in when I confessed my usual strategy was to throw a pack of hula hoops in a bowl and shove some music on).

You can check out the inspiration (or should I call that Pinspiration) via my Pinterest link above.  Highlights were shark fin and beach cupcakes (crumbled digestive biscuits for the sand!), a cucumber 'killer whale', popcorn in buckets with spades instead of spoons and the piano turning into a buffet of sorts. 

Lizz designed a beach themed craft activity, making seaside inspired art out of chocolate.  Yum. 

We used milk chocolate, melted in the microwave and put onto a greaseproof square for each child.  Top tip - get the child to write their name on the paper first to avoid confusion later!  They then had a selection of goodies to decorate with, sand (digestive biscuit), sea/sky (granulated sugar and food colouring) and sugar paste shells/fish/seahorses (made by Lizz).

The finished creations were then put in the freezer for rest of the party so were solid enough to go home in an hour.

And the finished result.....

Well the parents seemed impressed at our creative efforts ;-)

World Book Day (or how to cause unnecessary angst for working mothers day)

 

Firstly, a disclaimer - I am sure World Book Day causes as much angst for non-working mothers as myself. I sit in neither camp, as a mother I have both been at home, worked from home, worked part-time and now am full-time.  All these scenarios are fine and dandy with me and I wouldn't want my angst at getting costumes sorted to offend you and your working arrangements in any way.

But seriously, I have little no free time it seems.  So when good old World Book day rolls around I get a bit stressed.  I spied it on the calendar when I flipped it over prematurely this weekend.  For those of you who have been spared this  fiasco heart-warming event, children are asked to dress up as their favourite book character for school.  The flaw in this request is that most of my kids dressing up box relates to disney or tv characters. Yes I know I could probably get away with it, but the parents at my little ones school tend to go the extra mile.  Or the extra 10 miles.  

I have sent Yoyo as Lola (from Charlie & Lola) for the past three years (mainly because Lola has a huge inspiration on my choices for her wardrobe) and she is now deep in protest at having to endure another year of peter pan collars and ditsy prints.  Oh my, my little girl is growing up.

Are you still with me? This seems to be taking ages to describe my feelings on the matter.  A reflection of my stress levels around this subject perhaps?  

Well we had a good plan, Yoyo and I.  She is very fond of the Katie Morag stories, lovely gentle tales about a little girl who lives on an island in the outer hebrides.  Worth a look at if you need 7 year old girl reading inspiration.  Katie wears a kilt and a jumper with a blue zig zag stitch around the top.  After putting the word out for a kilt by text to my friends (secured within 5 minutes - don't you love modern technology), we set about the plan for the top.  Blue bias binding sewn onto a plain white t-shirt. I have sewn it on by hand so I could drag it around with me this weekend (and show off my Cath Kidston needlecase to the fellow spectators at the swimming pool - they didn't seem that impressed). 

Here it is below still in progress with the final row of bias to be sewn on along the bottom.

And whilst the ensemble probably won't win any prizes, I feel rather smug. 

Because at least I've tried, and as long as you've tried that's all that counts.  Yoyo's little brother however will be going as Luke Skywalker, with a plastic lightsabre (which will more than likely be confiscated upon arrival at the classroom door).  

Because two handmade carefully thought out costumes may show the other mothers up!

Cleaning up...

....at the awards ceremony.

I don't often speak about my eldest on here.  A combination of reasons I think - you may be aware he has special needs and I feel uncomfortable talking about those in this space.  Perhaps surprising as I am prepared to share every other tiny detail (!), but this has always seemed, well, sort of separate.  He is also a good reader and I would hate him to read something on here without my knowing that he may misunderstand.

Until this evening.  Because to be honest I am feeling rather proud. 

So proud I could burst.

You see he won 4 awards last night at his schools annual celebration evening.  I won't bore you with what they were for - but they weren't the token litter picking or handwriting awards. 

When you have a child who is different you begin a journey, perhaps one you never imagined you would find yourself on.  And on that journey along with a whole heap of worry, some remarkable things can happen, and emotions you may not experience in the normal parenting realm are there. And tonight I am experiencing one of those....imagine feeling your average parenting pride but ten fold.

It feels amazing.

And he is amazing.  He still has lots to teach me I think.

Encouraging the stories

There is something very emotional about seeing your children's writing, especially something they've created for themselves.  It kind of gets me every time, and I don't expect it.  Sometimes I can be going about my day and find a scrap of paper with a made up shopping list and it nearly brings a tear to my eye.  I think it's probably pride.

Yoyo is the biggest creator in this family - she is endlessly making up stories on random bits of paper, and sadly they often end up trodden on, torn to make another story or even worse in the recycling bin.  So in an attempt to keep these magnificent creations we made some books for her yesterday (inspired by a post on Angry Chicken's blog last year).

We used some old scrapbook paper for the covers and plain white paper for the inside and simply sewed through the middle with the sewing machine.  I didn't want her to feel overwhelmed with filling these so they are literally 2 pieces of folded paper inside (so a total of 8 pages).

She had huge fun choosing the papers for these - and I bit my tongue and let her choose from everything.  No hiding the 'good' stuff!  She was even imagining the story titles before we'd sewn the books up.

So now we have a place for those wonderful gems such as 'Tinkabell the Magic Dog'

Tinkabell was a dog she was helfy and has good be havy (behaviour)
She is a magic dog when she goes to the mond (mound)

I won't reveal the rest of the plot - it's still at the editing stage - but Tinkabell does grow wings and visit people in Heaven at night (should I be worried?)

This little activity has been a success (littlest one has also now joined in), wish I'd done this earlier as it was so quick to do - toughest part was finding the lead for the sewing machine.

Give it a go.................!

Exploring

We went exploring today.  Back to the birdwatching place that it was just too cold for back in February.

Didn't get any birdwatching done, but lots of exploring.  This nature reserve is literally just around the corner from us, and we had yet to discover it.

We responded to this invitation.........

and found these...........(littlest one very excited and declared this was just like Indiana Jones)

............and these feathers and pinecones (kids were less impressed, but I thought it was all very Soulemama).  Perhaps my kids just don't get pinecones?

And the little window of the cabin was painted like this..........

And this was the view outside.....

And the most exciting discovery (yes even more exciting than the above) was this.........

I tried to convince the Queen of Clean to knock one of these up in the garden for us.

I think he may have said a bad word in response.

So no birds seen at all in this birdwatching reserve (forget to borrow binoculars for this visit), but still had much fun.   I am sure we will be back soon (if only for Queen of Clean to get a proper look at the construction of that willow hut).

And sorry....I am still 'tweaking'.  It's been a busy weekend, and I haven't had the chance to focus on it properly.  Still work in progress..........

The Force

Star Wars has become an overnight obsession with the children in this house.  They caught a glimpse of the original 1977 film recently and since then well, they are hooked.  Particularly my littlest one.

This morning he played his usual casting director role.  He of course is Luke, Yoyo is Princess Leia, My eldest is Han Solo, The Queen of Clean C3-PO (he does a fab impression), and I am.....Chewbacca.  It could have been worse.....apparently Jabba the Hut was on the cards at one point.

But despite my disappointment over his casting choices....Littlest One has made me smile this evening as I am surrounded by all this paraphenalia.

He has drawn the pictures below and proudly stuck them on the living room wall (usually things get put in his bedroom, but obviously he wants these little sketches more visible).  I'll turn a blind eye to the blu-tac.

His favourite thing is this makeshift light sabre (in a previous life it was a giant bubble wand that I nearly threw out last month), that he takes everywhere with him.

Even to bed.

And on those nights when he strays into our bed in the early hours.....the light sabre comes with him.

Stuffed tigers and polar bears

We have this museum in my town, an offshoot of the Natural History Museum and it is literally like stepping back in time.  I used to go there lots as a child myself, and now take my kids there frequently (I will admit they have probably been over-exposed because it's a free!).   

There are endless victorian glass and wooden cabinets with rows and rows and rows of stuffed animals, fish, reptiles.

We all took a walk there on Sunday and I got these pictures.  They are such familiar sights to me, the stuffed tiger and polar bear, the endless cabinets of butterflies and spiders...but as I was walking around I realised just how surreal it all is.

I'll let you into a secret...I know someone who works here and he admitted that they often have to put the tiger in the deep freeze to kill off the bugs!  Yikes. What a job!

Above all I love that my family are enjoying exactly the same attraction that I did as a child, completely unchanged.  And I am sure it will stay exactly the same for years to come..........

What do you think - fascinating or freaky?

Cheat

Pretty poor show isn't it?  Not very 'shoestring' or 'earth mother'.

I think it's fairly obvious to regular readers that I'm neither of these!

But do you know what?  Ready made Pancake Batter is what is working for me today.  I have my children here at home, eager for a day of fun with their Mum (well at least I hope they are, perhaps 'looking foward to' is a better description) and quite frankly I'd rather be playing a board game or snuggling them whilst watching a DVD, than fretting over my batter's consistency.

There is so much pressure nowadays (admittedly most of it we put on ourselves), of what we ought to or should be doing.  And sometimes its easy to forget that you need to make life work for you and your family, you don't need to be held accountable for decisions that won't impact anyone outside of this.

So, I'm off to do some more of this..........

Lego moments

 

Littlest one is still impressed with his Lego haul he had for his birthday.  He plays with it to the exclusion of everything else. 

I love watching these moments and hearing the imaginary dialogue.  I am allowed to be a spectator only if I agree to rebuild new models as soon as he tires of them.......thank heavens for Lego publishing all their instructions online in PDF format.  

Clever folks.

Cake sale woes

We were late for the cake sale at school today....every last one had gone by our arrival. 
  
Even the much despised shop bought Mr Kipling ones....it's a big no no at our school to bring a shop bought cake to a cake sale. Although I do engage in such practices myself.....I trot out the working mum excuse, or even worse engage my parents in the cake making and then pass the results off as my own. There, I said it. 

Well I digress.  Yoyo immediately burst into tears about the lack of cakes......this is very unlike her, so in a moment of desperation I announced we would make some cakes together when we got home. 

So without further ado this is my recipe for cooking with children.  Photos very kindly provided by The Queen of Clean.

 

Take equal measures of tolerance and patience....

Turn one (or if preferred two), blind eyes depending on potential for spillage.....

 

Add in one stock phrase, to be repeated throughout process.  

My current favourite is 'Hang on a minute!'

Finally, and this is the crucial ingredient......mix in endless amounts of enthusiasm.

Have a fantastic weekend :)

Normalising the absurd

This morning whilst I was in the bath, I realised that I'd stepped in without properly 'seeing' this little scene of Barbie dolls in various stages of amputation, along with their plastic owl sidekicks.

In our home there are lots of these little absurd scenes that the children have abandoned mid play.  I love to take a minute when I discover them to work out what the storyline was.

I just dread to think the plot of the above..............

In addition - please be aware that the Queen of Clean almost begged me not to post this picture.  It's the taps not being shiny that is making him uncomfortable!  You see this bathroom really is quite grim.  Half the tiles are missing from the walls, and there is no bath panel.  We started renovating immediately we moved in, and before we realised the budget had to be spent on some more essential double glazing.

So we have kind of given up in this room on the shiny tap thing.  Just so you're clear ;-)

Gordon Ramsay

Last Friday morning didn't start well.  My eldest announced he had to take a Chef's outfit in that day for his starring role of Gordon Ramsay in the school play.  Things is (bless him), he hadn't given me any notice that a costume was required.

Now I know as a responsible mother I probably should have investigated this further when the lines came home to rehearse.  But I already had a present costume (Yoyo) and a Star (Littlest One) to sort out.  And my eldest is 10, and I thought perhaps he may have mentioned it earlier.

So back to Friday morning.  Well.......you know those moments where you want to scream, but know actually that would be of no help whatsoever.  It was one of those moments.  I had to play brave, capable Mummy who would resolve situation easily.  I smiled, told him not to worry and assured him I would phone the school and sort it out.

There was lots of frantic searching on the internet that day, I had most of the HR team on it at one point (!), and eventually the Chef's hat above was located.  £4 - result!  A friend lent me a stripey blue apron and the problem was solved.

And he made a fabulous Gordon Ramsay (there was lots of 'bleeping' as you can imagine, but it made everyone laugh!)

Birdseed and cookie cutters

A cheap gift idea here - teachers, grandparents etc.  I got this idea from a Sunday supplement a friend at work gave me. 

You will need:-

• 1 pack of gelatine (20g - I got mine from Tescos for £1.49)
• 600g birdseed (I used Field Fare Wild Bird seed as it had lots of variety - 2.3kg for £2.39)
• cookie cutters

And this is what you do:-

• dissolve the gelatine in 200ml boiling water.  Leave for 5 minutes.
• pour gelatine mixture over birdseed and ensure it is all thoroughly coated.  Leave this for 40 mins stirring every so often (I forgot this continual stirring....not sure what impact this has had yet!)
• place cookie cutters on chopping board and spoon mixture into them pressing down with the back of a teaspoon.
  
• leave for 48 hours to dry
• release from cookie cutters, make hole with a skewer to thread a ribbon for hanging

This mixture made approx 10 shapes.  I'm a bit nervous about getting them out of the cookie cutters because I feel they are well and truly stuck in there.  Ah well, the process of making them was still fun.  Kids loved it - even though there were a few disagreements over whose turn it was with the teaspoon...........

I will update you on finished result.

Organising the art supplies

I won't pretend there are extensive art supplies in this house, because there aren't!  I find most immediate crafting urges are met with my little wooden tray above.

It is actually an Ikea cutlery tray that doesn't fit in our kitchen drawers as it was intended to.  Here is an image from Ikea's website, as my pic above is a bit arty (Queen of Clean was teaching me depth of field) and doesn't show great detail.

 

On one side we have 2 enamel buckets (bought ages ago from Sainsburys - they were 99p each from their summer garden range) with scissors, pencils and crayons in.  I will confess that I avoid felt tips at all costs due too many incidents of 'unauthorised' colouring of pine chests, walls, oak tables......I am fairly laid back but in the end the felt tip pens had to go.......... 

On the other side we keep sellotape, pencil sharpeners, pritt stick, PVA glue, spreaders and whatever other little crafting doodads we have picked up...wiggly eyes and the like.

This little system has meant everything is to hand immediately for that impromptu creation, and has saved lots of frustrated cries of 'I can't find the sellotape' (Why is it that they need sellotape for everything?).  The tray lives where all the children can reach it, on the bookshelf in the playroom.

Is it too early to mention Christmas ideas?

My Yoyo is fanatical about colouring in.  Just can't get enough.  She also loves creating her own master pieces, but colouring in when available is her thing.  I think it's because at 6 you're confident its going to look decent once you're done.  And there is the whole challenge of not going over the lines.....

Anyway I digress.  I found these delightful colouring books and will be getting a couple for her stocking.  Little pricey but I think she will just love them.

 

 

 

Cheapest place I've found so far is here on Amazon.

Apartment Therapy Cure Week 2

This week I bought some fresh flowers, I was supposed to do it last week as well but procrastinated over cost etc.  Anyway I got a cheap bunch of white freesias and split them into 2 vases - one on the fireplace shown above and the other on my bedside table. 

So for this week the Apartment Therapy programme wants you to focus on the kitchen.  One of my big issues in the kitchen is the constant battle with paperwork.

We have (or should I say had!) the above filing tray that permanently looked overloaded like this.  I could never find stuff, and important stuff would be lost in amongst junk mail as the temptation was to dump 'everything' in the tray. 

So my solution to this endless pile was to chuck/shred/file my way through it and then make a memo board for the important stuff remaining.  I had this idea to get some cork tiles and glue them to the inside of the cupboards - I got this idea from another blog some months ago and hands up I can't remember where.  Anyhow......the long and short of it is I visited 3 DIY stores that informed me nobody wants cork tiles anymore and you can't get them.  They kind of looked at me funny implying that I was behind with the times.

So I ended up with 2 cork memoboards which the Queen of Clean attached to the inside of our cupboard with a screw.

I threw the rickety filing tray away (not very eco friendly sorry) so I wouldn't be tempted to fill it up with random stuff again.

Here's the other memo board full with it's useful paperwork..............the school dates are my real issue so I made sure I included these somewhere I can easily see them.  I'm the Mum who always forgets the cake sale/non-uniform day/harvest festival.

And then I gave the cupboards a really good clean out and organising.....ahh just look at that, nothing falls out at me when I open it now.

Also on the apartment therapy front this weekend we have:-

• bought a mat for the kitchen that the kittens can be fed on to contain the mess a bit more
  
• put *loads* of shelves up in the garage on some industrial racking that the Queen of Clean got free from work - this is still work in progress but will post some pictures once finished.
• bought some more skirting board to finish off our flooring project that has been ongoing for months
• I also visited some home shops to try and get inspiration for our playroom..........but made the crucial mistake of taking a 6 and a 3 year old with me.  It was a damage limitation exercise and I ended up very uninspired.  

And just on a final note here is this weekend's crafting activity.  Very economic involving the drawing pins from the new memo boards.  Simply take assorted fruit and veg, white and red drawing pins and a black marker pen.

And hey presto.........

What can I say?  This activity was a result of wet weather and kids bored with their Mum cleaning out kitchen cupboards.  The lemon and mushroom did also get transformed but were quickly removed upstairs to my youngest's bedroom as ornaments.

Thanks for staying with what has become an extraordinarly long post.