Week in pictures

Week in pictures

Beachy ones

Gardeny ones

Bakingy ones

My favourite and my best

'Charlie and Lola' is a kids tv programme. It is a big part of our family life right now. This summer we borrowed my Dad's car and wait for it....IT HAS A CD PLAYER ! so posh. The only cd we have actually played in it, has been the audio book of 'charlie and lola'

One of the annoying phrases of 'lola' the female protagonist of said kids book is 

'This is my favourite and my best'

So in the spirit of Lola, I give you my 'favourite and my best' 

This morning

It's 7.49am and I am writing a blog post. This is not usual behaviour in my world, but I am awake and both my small people are asleep. ASLEEP. This never happens..........NEVER.

So I am kind of enjoying it, and kind of annoyed that I am not asleep too.

Breakfast TV which isn't Cbeebies.

I can hear my Little Tyke stirring, she is soon to run into the sitting room, full of the usual energetic excitement of most nearly 3 year olds. ' Can I watch something ? ' Will be her first words spoken. Then I will contemplate for a moment....... Do I want my daughter to watch TV as the first thing she does when she gets up, I will internally answer 'no', but then out of my mouth come the words, 'yes darling, you may'...........

I am telling myself to 'not sweat the small stuff'...... Giving a 6 month old breakfast is easier when there isn't a big sister to sort out too.

She will run around outside later, paint and dig a hole, so I like to balance the equation with a bit of cbeebies !

Ok, now the little squash is also awake......

It was nice while it lasted......

Must get off my ass and do some mothering.

Hope your day is a good one people.

My girl

I 

love 

her 

so 

x

The Monster and I

Whenever my energy picks up a bit, I feel alive, like each day is not purely survival, rest is my key to success  and when I get enough of it, the times in between are sweeter.

Being able to stand long enough to do the washing up on our holiday.

Enjoyable to stand at my brother's wedding, have a brief conversation with someone instead of madly darting my eyes around to try and see if there is somewhere I can sit down without seeming too rude.... ( there was still a lot of this, but not as much as usual !!) 

Tasty and fun to have a takeaway with dear friends, staying up til 9pm !

Heartwarming to see my brother marry his beautiful wife, to be able to be there, and share that day with them.

Sleeping for 9 hours in a row.

Picking a few flowers from the garden and putting them in a vase to showcase their beauty.

Reading my Bible for a whole chapter and managing to concentrate long enough to breathe it in.

Going to the swimming pool with my little family.......... Sitting in the water holding my boy, while Daddy energetically marshalled Little tyke's attempts at drowning herself. The energy to get there and get changed was all I wanted for now......... swimming again will come in time.

Being outside, sitting watching beauty unfold.

Summery times

At the end of May I felt more than a little depressed at the thought of another rainy british summer, the winter was long, dull and quite frankly depressing. But oh joy of joys, my vitamin D levels have been replenished, the sun has shone for more than a few days in a row, and it has been a beautiful thing to wear shorts, need sunglasses and have to complain about the odd sweltering journey in a car sans air conditioning. I am almost at the point where I feel like my summer quota has been filled and I can herald the arrival of Autumn, rather than want to crawl into a hole and cry as the nights draw in once more.

Anyway, enough of a weather report. Family Deano have had a great few weeks, lots of fun, seeing friends, family, going out places, sleeping, resting, and generally enjoying life. 

There have been a few inevitable days with small children where the nights have been a little busier than we'd hoped, so a day or two has had to be written off to recover. But as ever, we keep our expectations low and enjoy the little moments which have made up our Summer hols so far.

The CFS monster has been kind these past few weeks, which I have to say is ABOUT TIME ! I am noticing an increase in energy, and having Daddy on hand to lift, carry and cart kids about is certainly helping. Being able to get up and do something in the morning, makes the afternoons in bed and the early nights bearable. Half a day of activity will do me fine (for now).

Some of our galavanting took us to the Lakes, to stay in a 'camping pod'. (Basically a wooden tent. No electricity or beds, but a dry cabin type thing which is there ready and waiting on arrival) Perfect.
Camping with small kids is fun, exhausting, but just about worth all the faff of packing everything required to sustain a family of four for a few days into a car, then unpacking it, kind of spreading it all around a small field, only to gather and re pack it a few days later, then repeat when at home !

A few shots from our stay in a 'camping pod'. 

The little guy has started eating FOOD, to say he enjoys it is an understatement.........he also cut his first two teeth while we were on our little camping holiday.