Toddlergeddon

We are safely out the other side of a wild weekend of parties and cake and wand making and treasure hunts and watersliding and many other summer country persuits. I am shattered, entirely.

Mol's birthday was a cracker, she's been very spoilt with lots of lovely things bought, and made for her. Her Poppa made her the most beautiful little shirt with buttons and pin tucks and it really is the loveliest thing. Its the first bit of sewing he's ever done and he claims it's just like reading engineering plans- (he's a retired aircraft engineer). I'm not sure my daughter has that much in common with the airbus 320, rather noisy sure, but definalty smaller and less graceful in the air. Anyway, very much impressed.

It's been glorious sunshine all weekend, so fortunatly, as the whole world and their kids were invited, we spent most of it in the garden. For Mol, she spent most of it naked...which I guess is very appropriate attire to spend your birthday in! I spent quite a lot of time in the kitchen and would definalty look into a planned party somewhere as Laurie gets older...yes it's lovely to have it here but it ain't half a massive amount of work to do. Bless our cousins who were staying and got roped into making signs, putting up tents, blowing up balloons...and making seemingly endless sandwaiches. (once the kid toll got over 20, I gave up counting and just made all the food in the world.-we may be eating cake for a week!)

And so to bed-I'll have to post some recipies especially Mol's official cake one which was dead easy but far to dirty to spoil on a toddler!

Be Prepared

Although I used to be a Brownie, a (rather rebellious) Girl Guide and infact a Ranger Scout, somehow the group motto never really made an impact. Previously, I have gone thru life woefully unprepared for the many pitfalls and challenges it has provided, usually with just enough quick wit and confidence to bluster my way along. In school for example, an RE exam could usually be passed with a bit of confident waffle and never being someone lost for words, a bit of chat came naturally. It appears that Mumming and general 'Grownupping' has thrown a spanner in the works. Suddenly people rely on you, even look up to you and it is difficult to reveal that it is all a charade. Still I'm sure the teenage years will reveal that in good time.

This morning, for example, sees me baking cakes for a toddler charity event at 6.30 am due to a migrane and lack of planning preventing it being done prior to this. This is all well as I woke up naturally, horrifically early. Not totally awake it transpires, as I have done delia's 'birthday cake' but mistaken some of the quantities (it may be a touch on the vanillery side) and cracked the eggs into a dirty bowl forgetting which bit (of egg and shell) was supposed to go where. Still, false start and they're in now and we will see if they (the mums) survive.

This week is a week of preperation, which for the novice preparer, is a challenge. Mol will be 2 on Saturday, where has the time gone. (It is a lie if anyone tells you you forget the birth as I can still remember every minute including shouting at the midwife 'I'm not sneezing, someone said the second was like a sneeze' and 'it's f******ing summer', to her comment at lunch that the baby should arrive before it got dark....It must be a joy to be a midwife). I am busy with food lists and events arranging for the 2 day extravaganza which will be her celebrations. We have family arriving for birthday cake followed by a big party on Sunday (to which I invited all our friends with kids, presuming some of them would say no......no). My lack of ability in the area of 'being prepared' means I have planned activities between now and then which clearly do not fit into the space provided and am hoping we are deluged by by helpful aunts and uncles wanting to bake,wrap pass the parcle and assst on the 'wand making' activity. In addition the party may look like a sufferagette rally due to my ,mistakingly thinking the fern,purple and white felt I had picked up for bunting would be appropriate.

June Garden...no idea of some of the names other than honeysuckle, as bit of a novice... looking lovely tho!

 

Keep on the sunny side

After a truely rubbish week of work stress, only briefly lightened by someone posting a short video clip of Mr Gove falling over (childish but a valuble resorce), I have been reevaluating my priorities. I read recently that President Obama believes when he dies he will not be mulling over policies made or laws passed, but instead his relationship with his daughters and family. Really, will you, most powerful man in the free world? Well it's certainly a nice idea. I hope certainly I shall not be dwelling on challenging lessons of yesteryear and polititian on an ill advsed power trip at that point when it comes.

Lows need highs to make them seem low and as its important to focus on the amusing and positive, I thought I'd share this post. A friend recently shared the following tale after taking her son, 3 year old Soloman, to school:

Whilst skating thru the park, Sol spied a gentelman in a wheelchair on his own. Without time to discuss disability or political correctness with his mother, Sol scooted over to him.

'Whoooaaa, those are massive wheels, are you going to the skate park?' He asked ' My Mum says I can't today as we've got to go to pre-school' (dramatic sigh)

Tha man laughs, 'No, not today, my wife says I can't today as we've got to go shopping'

'Ahhhh' nods Sol sagely scooting off with a wave.

Living the pipe dream

I seem to living the pipe dream, two happy healthy kids,handsome husband, a lovely forest to play in, balmy summer days...and nearly enough beans in the larder to keep us going in our current poverty. My only worry is how on earth we are going pay the morgage to cover me looking after all these kids, maybe those pipes are made of lead and we could trade them in?

I've been mulling over possible money making schemes.... we could dig up the garden and plant it full of spuds, or I could earn a fortune from my as yet not started children's book (bound to be a best seller...surely)...or mayhaps we could farm the kids out to sell lemonade and cakes from the driveway (only the traffic is limited to the postman and a few horses so clientelle would be limited).

Somehow anyway I'm sure all will be fine. Who's supposed to have cash and kids anyway? I know lots of folks with money and they don't seem any happier than usual people. I guess they may have bigger homes and dress their kids in designer not charity and perhaps needen't stress about having to pay for a zoo outing they had promised. But then you've got to fuss with pool cleaners and playdough on the ' pret a porter'and queing for the overpriced zoo resturant while we lounge on the grass eating picnics.

Its easy to be poor on a sunny day- see me again in winter.

Last bits of Spring, the Forest may be chilly but it's darn pretty too!

Time marches on....

It turns out that I haven't been hamming it up and it has actually been a very cold spring-the coldest in 50 yrs apparently. In hindsight, not the best year to move into a house without central heating. Still, happily we have made friends with some folks with a wood so our stocks for next year look much more promising and the customary 8th layer of clothing may be able to be shelved for the next cold snap?

Well- they also say we are now in Summer, so I have high hopes that the world will get it's act together and warm up a touch. Today has been lovely, allowing for a birthday party of extreem house envy in the next village watching the sun glimmer over the estury and the kids playing in the fields- all very 'Darling Buds'. I returned to a rather clingy daughter and a bath of cat poo, but was determined to only let this blight my day for a short period. Laurie has got increasingly fussy with food recently so I decided to get him more involved in the cooking and we made salmon kebabs for tea-Both kids made their own which was a bit hairy for the under 2's especially, but no limbs lost and dinner eaten so a big success. I have to finish up my Blackcurrant sorbet in a moment so all things considered. have had quite a Nigella afternoon.

Mum and Dad have been away and recently commented on the change in the kids in such a short time. It got me thinking. Laurie can now write his name, sort of, using dot guides and will write whole sentances (totally illegible) and be able to tell you what they say. He has also taught himself to read (make things up) and does so in a such a convincing tone I havent the heart to correct him. It turns out he can also now read road signs 'Mummy that means no big red cars and no little black cars' and my current favourite ' Mummy that means no boomerang throwing as it might come and hit you on the head'. Looking at the signage it was quite a logical conclusion. Mol is determined to copy her brother with everything which can be a bit dangerous and tiring but does mean her speech is excellent for one so wee. She's full of blonde curls and big blue eyes at the moment but think she's going to be a real challenge in a few years.