They've been keeping me busy

I realise I've been a bit neglectful of this space recently.  For those of you who still check in here thank you!

I'm going to blame it on these three above.  Shameless I know.

We've been busy on trips to London, the Zoo and just generally hanging out on 'Club Penguin'.  Totally obsessed, all three of them.

Next week is a big step for the two boys, both start new schools and I am feeling so nervous for them.  Yoyo takes things like this in her stride, but for my boys this is an enormous deal.  I am trying to distract myself by labelling uniform and sourcing the perfect packed lunch box. 

Will be back to regular posting soon, promise!

Twisted Goodness

I think The Queen of Clean dreads me going to a local dump as I am known to bring back these little projects for him to transform.

How could I resist those barley twist table legs though?  And just imagine the books stacking opportunities on the little shelf below.

And all for the princely sum of £0

It shall (eventually) be painted cream and take pride of place next to my fireplace.  Perhaps by Christmas.

3 Beautiful Things

1.  The excitement brewing here today around making these cakes. 

2.  Littlest one's new strategy to beat the ever closing pages of the colouring book.  Do you remember that?.......so frustrating.  He just steps right on the spine.

3.  Yoyo feeds her teddy ice cream on a trip out.  I remember this is the sort of thing I would have done and I am taken back to being 6 again.

More order amongst chaos

Meal planning - well I've just never 'got it'.  Until I found the free printable pdf above available here.

Of course, this is my first week so still in the honeymoon period.  And loving the clipboard my husband has made me (even spray painted the bulldog clip white).  Do note this is my real life menu plan so no pretending on there - that is the full horror of our diet this week, pizza, burgers, spag bol et al.  Should probably have done a blog version to impress, but I just wanted to show off the clipboard.

Can you tell we're on annual leave and have too much time on our hands?!??

Just off to polish the cat..........

Baskets (and an attempt at being organised)

I am not a tidy person, my husband is (as you may have guessed by his Queen of Clean nickname), but me well.....it's just not where my strengths lie.

Having said that I do love the idea of being organised and can waste much time reading books on the subject or gazing through flickr photo pools devoted to organisation.  Yes, really - they do exist.  My best friend Harry even has this cupboard that I stand and gaze at whenever I am there...trying to capture every little ordered, organised detail.  Harry if you are reading - I have to photograph that cupboard.

So anyhow, on this little journey of mine toward being organised I have sorted out this chest of baskets in my dining room.  These baskets used to store toys and stuff when the kids were babies and it just wasn't being used anymore.  I also had all the craft stuff on shelves in the playroom, which  has no table.....so any crafting requests by the kids involved much eye rolling and moving supplies from one room to the other.  In a kind of grumpy and unenthusiastic manner.

Armed with some Ikea bathroom plastic containers (super cheap and used as dividers), and a somewhat frantic 'Martha Stewart' attitude I got sorting.  If multiple photos of contents of wicker baskets bore you, I make no apologies...just hit the back button on  your browser ;-)

Sewing stuff - bias tape, thread, webbing, scissors, needles etc.

Fabric scraps

Craft punches, rubber stamps, luggage labels (great as gift tags)

More stamps, bull dog clips, foam shapes, raffia, embellishments (don't you just love that word - not that much embellishing goes on around here)

Glue, spreaders, stencils, hole punch, pipecleaners, paperchains, felt bunnies!

Table runner and placemats 

Colouring and sticker books

Wrapping paper

The more observant amongst you (who have made it to the end of these pictures, please someone?) may have noticed that there are only 8 pictures, whilst there are 9 baskets. This is because I read somewhere you should always have an empty shelf/drawer/basket....room to expand.  Worth a try I reckon.

Ramblings about a chair

I have finally put my dreams of vintage bentwood chairs for the playroom to rest.  And settled for something more budget friendly and readily available.  This bright red kitchen chair from Ikea has made it's way into our home as the chair for the computer desk - I like how it contrasts with the world map mural.

It feels kind of 'flung together'...........although you and I know a whole heap of thought (admittedly too much) went into it.

Just don't tell anyone.  They'll think I'm contrived.

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.