It's funny bringing up a little one.....

Little tyke is now 15 months old and just altogether very cute. Apart from her mealtime antics of throwing food and generally being a pain, She is just a true delight. 


I don't really want this phase to give way to the next. Not because I think she will become any less lovely, but because, well, I have always longed for this stage in my life, and now it is here it goes by so very fast.


Then mixed in with all these feelings, are the ones when 3pm hits, that's when the grot slot begins i think. I tend to wish the next 3 hours away...if....we....can....just....make....it....to.....6pm, cos once you reach 6pm your home and dry, bath, bed. AND RELAX.


So it's an odd combination isn't it ? 


Not wanting it to go by too fast, and suddenly find yourself choosing their senior school and wondering where the time went, but in reality, most days, hoping that the days were maybe just 2 or 3 hours shorter.


mmmmmmm I guess it's just how it is. 

A little girl with a curl and a bit of tv

So, mummy was ready for a sit down, so the tv went on as 3 o'clock arrived. I have a theory that if it's 3 o'clock it's ok !

She looked cute, I took a photo.....

 Or two......

                      Well I couldn't resist this one, look at that curl.

Matches and a one year old

'Mummy can we make some fire please ?'

Parenting low point. I thought 'ah she's happily playing upstairs while I make a cuppa' ......


..alas, there were matches.

Ten on Tuesday.

1. My little Journey of not shopping has shown up my true love for purchasing things. This week I looked forward to going to the shop to buy toothpaste....sad, but true. I am also sorting out our pushchair for a friend to borrow and it needs a few new wheels and an extra seat, so I am buying that too......fallen off the wagon already maybe ?


2. Little tyke LOVES being chased, she thinks it is highly amusing, thanks to her Dad's antics of playing the 'chasing' game, it is one of her favourite things. This can prove a bit tricky at times when you don't want to do the chasing, in the library, at the end of a loooong day, or when trying to leave the house....watching her run down the sloping path careering towards the road ( albeit a very quiet one) is a little stressful.

3. Today I had one of those moments where I wished I had my camera with me, Little tike was running away from me ( see the theme here ?!) with one oversized welly on, with angel wings lying wonkily on her back, the light shone and just caught the moment perfectly. Although I can't share it here with anyone else, it will remain in my memory for a long time.




4. I have come to hate the phrase.. ' we are human beings, not human doings'. While I realise the sentiment behind this catchphrase has it's place. It isn't true, we are human beings.... and we are designed to do things. While I realise for some, the balance of rest and work needs to be readdressed, and believe me I know all about being driven by what I 'do'. But we are designed to 'do' things most of the time, or we'd all starve, die, get diseases etc etc. You get my point. Being active, achieving and 'doing' is good for our mental health as well as physical.


5. Turns out my over enthusiastic purchasing of little converse shoes on ebay for W has come to good use. Just one pair of shoes for a toddler in a 3 story house is just not the way to go. Can guarantee they won't be on the same floor, at the same time when you need them.


6.  Does anyone know what bicarbonate of soda actually is ?.........it tastes gross in toothpaste, and anyone who says otherwise is just wrong.


7. Another of my lovely friends has offered to help me with Little Tike one afternoon a week,  I'm not sure how I managed to accumulate such lovely friends, but I have, and for that along with other things, I am very grateful.


8. Our car is due it's MOT in two weeks time, holding breath, and hoping, desperately hoping that it will last us another year. That or Mr Branson will be buying us a new one.




9. Our longue is looking increasingly like a corner of toys r us, doesn't quite match the decor and ambience I am trying to create, but, do you know what, I wanted a child, so in a funny way I quite like it.




10. Already beginning to plan a spring/summer holiday.......where to go, where to go. Love to go camping and canoeing, but not quite sure the CFS monster will grant me the energy for such antics, so will have to come up with something else.


Linking in with a few other 'ten on tuesday' ers


Sarah

Lucy

Here begins a brief little journey....

So.. ......I have decided to take myself on a little journey over the next few months. A journey of not going to the shops ( other than for foody householdy things) and attempting not to be thinking about what to buy next.


I am a bit of a lover of retail therapy, often not the expensive type, but I just like going in shops and buying things ! I seem to often be working out how I can acquire new things, improve things, buy things.


Between now and, maybe march, I am choosing to focus my ebay bidding, sales hunting mind, onto something else. a tricky thing given that we practically live in a retail park, and have a growing toddler who is the perfect exuse for buying things for. But these past few months with birthdays and Chistmas have been all about they buying.


It's not really a money saving exercise, (although that will be a plus side) or a new years resolution. More of a break for my brain. In the hope that in the dessert of not buying things will spring up a leafy, lush creativeness which has been dormant for a little while now.


I have been on this journey before and it was good for my soul. My little soul has been a bit battered this past year, and needs some tending.

Ten on Tuesday

1. I watched one of those...'lists of things' on tv this week, the sort they put on to fill a scheduling gap, cos all the presenters are still in their pjs at home on new years day. This one was of 'number 1s in the 00's'. in 2002 the female r n b artists wore a lot more clothes, and the sexual frolocking which takes place in music vids was much less, well, pornographic....... How come it's got so much worse in just 10 years ? 
Have the male film directors just got more debauched, or have we just got less sensitive ?


2. W has taken cuteness up a level this past week, she is now lining her teddies up and giving them drinks and sharing her food with them....so very sweet. 

3. She is also adding words to her vocal on a daily basis, and today when I paused the 'fun song factory' dvd and said we were turning it off, she looked and me and said.. 'no, two'......... soon she will be cleverer than me, and at that point i'm not sure what I will do.


4. This year I hope to cook a bit more, so that we manage to eat more veg and healthy stuff. Husbando does a great job cooking our food, but veg and him aren't the best of friends. So if the energy allows, I hope to make friends with a bit of vegetarian cooking once more.


5. It's come to that time when most people with a 16ish month old toddler. begin to ask that question 'shall we have another baby'.......and like most things child related, people will tell you that the age gap between their children is the way to do it. Who's gonna turn round and say ' well actually I hate the age gap between our kids, and wish I hadn't had number 2' no one. So I guess what transpires in the Deane house, will just transpire, and sure enough in 8 years time or so, i'll be advising a first time mum when to have a second based on when our number 2 arrives ! 


6. I am currently in deep deliberations about what colour/tone to paint our longue. Money is tight in our house right now - like most people i guess, so i asked for B+Q vouchers for Christmas to facilitate said decorations. Hence I really don't want to get it wrong ! I also will be relying on willing family members to do that painting, so can't really say to them, 'well actually, I don't like it, can you come over on another saturday and do it again please.....'




7. I have always had a love affair with trees, They are just the most amazingly beautiful, awe inspiring things. This one caught my eye over the christmas holidays. ( well actually it caught my Dad's eye and then he drove me to see it, so it could catch my eye, and my camera lense ) The Apples on it looked gorgeous and, as ever, when the light is right, everything in nature looks even more stunning.

8. I met with two mum friends today, they were both commenting that they had loads of christmas vouchers and didn't think they would get round to spending them, as they weren't good at spending vouchers. This is an entirely alien concept to me. 




9. I am slowly getting used to working the camera I got for my 30th last year, maybe when I hit 40 I might start taking proper photos and edit them properly and everything .... mmmmm, we'll see.




10. Husbando went back to work today, had mixed feelings. First day back in some kind of routine with W on my own is kind of nice. But not having access to a car, or much energy to walk very far, can sometimes make me feel like a caged bird. I think most parents who are at home with their kids a lot can feel like this regardless of their health, but not having an extra pair of hands, and a personal chauffeur and 'lifter of heavy things' will take a bit of readjustment. 


If you want to see some more entry's you might find some here and here! 

The new year beginneth

Our year began with a little trip to a lovely park. Having moved a bit further out of the city recently, we don't visit this park as often as we used to. It was like coming home to visit an old friend.


Left the house in torrential rain, but arrived at the park and it had stopped.... the sun even attempted to show it's face .... briefly.

This little one could not be stopped by the wet, just too cute. He also shared his crisps and drink with W, yes he's that kind of chap already, and we love him. (He also has the most adorable hands I have ever seen on a small person, and when he does the actions to 'twinkle twinkle little star' those chubby fingers are just adorable )

Little tike on the swing, shortly before throwing herself head first down the slide. Thankfully she still has all her teeth. 

We ended our day at my in laws, with a perfect roast dinner..... mmmmmmmm.


First day of 2012, not bad at all.