Category Archives: General

Got up too late to tidy house, and dashed to gym for SB’s last class. great fun, as a party session. Got 1 more badge to get, which we should do before the move. [they get 1 a term]. have some nice piccies, and nice for her to be centre stage.
Dashed back in time for all my old work colleagues also on mat or annual leave to come for lunch – 7 adults, 2 ‘pre-school’, 6 babies. v noisy, but lovely!
whats more, BB sleeping not feeding!!!!

Monday

Been a bit late with the Christmas tree this year, with one thing and another. Had intended to have a family trip out to Bolton Abbey and get one from there – one of those places you can go and get your tree from the field, but to much happening last week, so it didn’t happen. Shame as Stringbean would have enjoyed it.

Anyway, I got a tree yesterday from a local DIY emporium. I did the manly bit of putting the tree and lights up, Helen and Stringbean did the girly bit and decorated the tree while me and Alys looked on. Stringbean actually did most of decorating with a little bit of guidance. It?s not quite up to the normal ?Tasteful? standards of Helen?s trees but then that?s a 3 year old for you – Stringbean is into lots of tinsel and sparkly shiny things. It?s looking good, we still have the angel we made last year from the Muddlepuddle list xmas craft kit so that went straight on top. Entertainingly, she also made and Elf and a Father Xmas – these are stuck on the end of branches (she didn?t want to hang them) sticking out at an angle. I put some dangly lights in her window which she loved – they have little blue stars on the end and are ?beautiful?.

Stringbean and me had quick glitterfest after dinner and made some more xmas cards for her friends at nursery. I made some stamps of a bell and tree out of potatoes, we dipped them in PVA glue, stamped the cards and the glittered away madly. One of the pleasures of having a young child is having an excuse to play with glitter etc. again :-). We?ve now made over 50 cards this year, not bad going.

I?m going to post this then maybe do Tuesday in bit. Helen has been feeding Alys for most of the time I?ve been writing this ? where does she put it all?

Chris is writing most of the Blog, though we have a very combined approach to parenting. A lot of this is about to change though. i am on maternity leave, and at the end of this we will have moved to a new area and I will start work full time [having been part time before]. Chris will be the prime carer, and although I know he will be great, and the children happy, I can’t help but wish we could have continued with status quo. I have the next 4 months to make the most of, and then try hard at work to try and reduce hours and make the absolute most of all the time at home. Maybe the baby blues are making me more miserable about this, or lack of sleep – however, actually on the whole don’t feel blue like last time with Elinor – maybe because I knew to expect no sleep, and although Alys feeds all the time, at least breast feeding not so hard as last time!
Anyway, this is last maudlin post, and when chris goes to work after xmas, will try and do blog to , of Helen’s mad dash!!
Tody fun though [though I spent a lot of it with an attachment! Also the Lakeland order finally arrived with card making extras – though we’ve now made so many out of whatever we can find, may be saved until next year. Have I don christmas shopping? no! Am I panicking – not yet, as I think book vouchers or m and s vouchers with home made jams/jellies and chutneys may be order of the day! -H [must go, poopy nappy alert after all this bf!]

ooh, a PS. thankyou for the muddle puddle cards so far. Stringbean keeps asking what the card senders looklike and how old they are – so struggling as bit, so say we are all going to meet next feb – everyone is going, aren’t they??

All home, parents tired (Mummy from feeding lots, Daddy is full of cold, and general lack of sleep) trying to veg out in the sitting room – of course Stringbean seems to have plenty of energy….. Getting mummy to recite the ‘Princess and the Pea’ while she sort of acts is out (well a variation, Mummy’s version seems to contain a ‘Grumpy Prince’). We just got ‘The Cat in the Hat’ film on ‘Video on Demand’ for her – seems to have worked. she’s settled down on the sofa as well with dolly.

Been out today to a local Home Ed group meeting, luckily almost just down the road from us. Unusally, we all went as a family, normally Helen has been at work. We were supposed to take some sweet things for sharing. We were going to make some muffins yesterday but didn?t get round to it. But Stringbean and me decided to make some this morning before we went ? we just about had them made and cooked in time ? luckily they are quick and easy to make. Lots left as well, as there were loads of cakes and cookies, so plenty to nibble on – Banana and Chocolate – yum, yum.

Had a good time there. Some crafty bits first – painted a candle (didn?t know you could get special candle paints), made a little magnetic picture frame ? with the essential glittery bits of course and then made a crown with plenty of stuck on bits and pieces. When ever she is doing stuff like this she always knows what she wants to do, you have to be careful if you help and not get it wrong or there can be all sorts of fuss.

Followed by lunch, followed by cakes. Followed by various party type games Stringbean always seems a bit dopy when it comes to such things about what she is supposed to be doing, but I guess she is one of the younger ones – she does like standing like a statue and running about and screaming though, and there was a fair bit of the latter

Amusing moment of the day

Stringbean siting on the sofa next to Mummy this afternoon, (who was feeding Butterbean) ‘breastfeeding’ her dolly.

Still behind on the rest of the week, may go back and post a bit on previous days of the week,

Feel a bit better now rested, time to finish getting dinner ready.

After nappachino rang for an appointment to register butterbeans birth. Realised that if didn?t do it that afternoon, we may not make it in the 6 week window! SO a rapid turnaround and dash to registrar. I always look like a criminal, as use married surname for nothing apart from family envelopes and a as a group name! So on certificate has both my names with an otherwise known as! Afterwards Stringbean could smell ?a lovely chip smell? so decided to follow smell to find a caf?, where we all had teacakes. A stop at lovely bakery for cakes, and we were set up! God thing I don?t breastfeed and diet at the same time! -H

In a moment of madness, decided to host nappachino at our house ? coffee morning for cloth nappy users, and those considering using them ? for the local real nappy network. Cue manic tidying up, and closing of all non-essential room doors to hide up the piles of tidied away things! Lovely Christmas nappy I bought for Butterbean displayed!! All the children that came with Mums of toddler age, so Stringbean a bit disappointed, but shared nicely and played well with them. -H

Rampant Butterbean growth continuing – no wonder I’m permanently ravenous! 11lb 4.5oz!!! Unfortunately grown out of lovely newborn kissaluv nappies, and at this rate will soon be out of 0-3 month clothes.
Stringbean in nursery in the morning. Afternoon spent at local childrens farm with playbarn with my postnatal group from first time. that meant stringbean had manic time running about with friends, and I got to do the look at my gorgeous new baby bit while drinking tea. 8 adults and 15 children, 7 within a few months of stringbeans age, and the rest younger. Almost relaxing!

Did it make stringbean easier to get to bed?? No! Nana and Grandad French go home tomorrow. – H

Stringbean has become some sort of energy draining alien life form like something off of Red Dwarf. Nanna and Grandad French are up for a few days to see new arrival. They have gone to bed, Helen is up there, and Stringbean? she is still going strong……

She did go to bed about 20.15, a bit later than normal even. But for most of that time she has spent it listening to tapes and playing complicated games and stories with her soft toys – but now H has gone to bed she has decamped into there and I can still hear her chattering away – doesn’t seem at at tired…..

In fact better go and rescue H, she isn’t feeling too good still in the head department and Butterbean needs a nap change.