Today was a gorgeous day in every way. The sun shone (at least until 2.30pm when we got home and the rain came down, but we didn’t care by then LOL!) We went to Lichfield and enjoyed the sunshine in Beacon Park. It’s undergoing a major revamp which looks amazing, so there’s only a tiny temporary playground and sandpit there at the moment, but the kids enjoyed it. They also had a free of charge inflatable T-Rex which the kids loved. They had to climb up a rope ladder and in through his mouth which led to a slide and then an inflatable “world” to walk through, coming out at the tail. We then walked through the park, fed the ducks at Minster Pool, popped to a couple of shops, had lunch (in McDonalds *blush*) then went round the cathedral, which the kids loved.

Oh, and today was Holly’s second day in pants. She’s doing really well, although has the opposite approach to “iron bladder” Alfie and goes constantly LOL! Her only real accident was a puddle in B&M Bargains, ironically whilst we were buying her new pants! The lady was lovely about it, although I insisted on mopping it up myself! So, this time round I should only have one in nappies – a breeze after having 2 in all day nappies for a 17 month period and having to carry round a virtual suitcase of cloth nappies every day LOL!

Today we headed into Birmingham with Nanny so I could spend my Lush vouchers that Matt bought me for my birthday. It was ace Alfie and Holly chose a bath fizzer each. They tried Alfie’s Ikkle Baby Bot out tonight in the bath and loved it! Coupled with Starbucks coffee, Krispy Kreme donuts and the high bridge to Selfridges, it was a fun morning. Hospital this afternoon whilst the kids stayed home with Nanny. Bloods and Anti D injection. Joy!

What else can I say? Well, the kids are fighting ALL the time which is really really wearing. However, they are also playing together more, their imaginations are beyond amazing, they count everything in sight and lap up experience and learning at every opportunity

So, some pictures of one of the good bits of Friday. A visit from Nanny and Granddad to build vast train track layouts and allow me to have a much needed soak in the bath was also a highlight

Making peppermint creams

Saturday was a wonderful wonderful day at the Just So festival near Leek in Staffordshire. The kids had an absolute ball. Alfie said that it was all his favourite things at once – woodlands with loads of different mushrooms for him to spot, muddy puddles galore and loads of his favourite activities Particularly enjoyed were circus skills, winning a coconut, listening to favourite stories (like Aliens Love Underpants), meeting the fairy queen and face painting

Today we have been to get new craft drawers and so now have a wonderful craft area in the kitchen where the kids can find everything I am bitten by the nesting bug at the moment (28 weeks!!!!!) but am despairing at actually being able to transform this tip with the kids to look after, so have decided to write a list of what I’ve achieved today

- craft drawers all sorted into the new unit, freeing up a kitchen drawer and a toy cupboard drawer.

- kids’ winter coats sorted for charity and my friend’s little boy

- laundry put away

- muddy festival clothes and picnic blanket washed and dried outside

- hospital bag partially packed

- garden tidied – carrots harvested, everything fed and watered, pumpkins trimmed back and punnets under fruits, lettuces thinned, some weeding done

It’s a good start And I am home educating two wonderfully spirited and wild children, whilst carrying a third and still breast feeding my toddler, so all in all should be proud

So, the good

- Jasmine has lost yet more weight. Down to 3.75kg from 4.2kg 6 weeks ago (and a start weight of 5.2kg!)

- Making blackcurrant cake

- Homemade play dough

- Practicing writing

- Various crafts – stamping/sticking/card making/practicing cutting/colouring

- Getting some chores ticked off the list – kitchen cleaned top to bottom, car valeted, duvet washed at the laundrette (by Rich!), laundry done, craft area plans in motion, fruit and veg box and grocery shopping delivered and sorted

- A fun Ugly Bugs session at the fellowship hall with Alfie – creepy crawly stories and hat making – whilst H and Nanny had a girls’ morning at the shops, then meeting up for lunch

There is always good to be found

Today a fantastic day at Wyre Forest with fellow Green Parents Izzi and Toby, Sarah, Alice and Saule, and Kate and Tilly. The under 5s forest session was fantastic. They all enjoyed it. It particularly appealed to nature loving Alfie who was in his element. He loved the den building, the scavenger hunt and mobile making, the forest crown making, the leaf potion making (he named his potion Holly and wished for a baby boy when he threw it over his shoulder!) The company and friends was the highlight for H, who is a very social little thing. She had a ball on the play area with Alice and the other children. It was great to spend time with such amazing people

Holly pretending to be Lady Godiva (with clothes LOL!) in the Godiva Gallery.

Trying on masks in the history gallery. Alfie seemed particularly captivated by the blitz whilst sitting in the Anderson shelter they have there, providing a good opportunity to show him more about WW2. A topic I think we will revisit in more depth in the near future too.

Creating land art in the Elements gallery. They love this gallery with all it’s amazing minerals, shells and sounds.

We had a fantastic lunch at Pizza Express in Coventry, thanks to a gift card from the lovely Sal. We also explored the ruined cathedral, prompting more conversation about the WW2 bombings. It was a lovely birthday and quite strange tramping the familiar streets with the kids that I staggered around in my drunken student days more than 15 years ago. I would never have dreamed then that I would be back with my lovely little family. How things change in life!

Back home, birthday cake, relaxing bath (until the kids came in to “help” LOL!) and alcohol free beer fetched by Rich

Today, plans to go to the farm with Nanny were abandoned due to illness (Nanny), tiredness (all of us!) and torrential rain. Instead we had a “quiet” day doing chores (cleaning out drawers, sorting endless laundry, rationalising the recipe folder, sorting the organic veg boxes etc), playing computer games, blowing bubbles in the garden in a rare sunny spell, making vegetable soup for lunch

making homemade lemon curd (Alfie is washing the pot out ready to be filled)

playing imaginative games

having quiet time watching a DVD

making an origami penguin (Alfie) and butterfly (Holly)

Yesterday we had a home day. We did some housework, played in and watered the garden (had the tents/tunnels/water table out), made some birthday cards for special people, reorganised Holly’s bookcase and Alfie’s craft box, read some books and played some games. The lovely Bex treated me to a most delicious curry at Regards in the evening for my birthday – great food, even better company

Today we went to home ed meet up at Leamore, then met Julia and Foxy the dog for coffee and a walk at Blackroot Pool. Good times.

Today a lovely (if hectic and crowded!) day at Tamworth castle grounds play day with Becky, Noah and Ella, Maxine, Alex and Christian, Tracey and Sam, and Mel and Alex. After an hour on the adventure playground and a picnic, we went to investigate and sample all the activities on offer. We tried play dough, gloop, shaving foam bags with hidden creatures, mud painting, windmill making, colouring, hook-a-duck, hoop-la, bouncy castle, trampolining, bouncy slide and storytime. Much fun for the kids Unfortunately the busy day combined with H getting us all up at 5am culminated in tantrums on all sides by the end of the day :-/ The Hungry Caterpillar DVD was very useful in getting some quiet time for the kids when we got home (and laundry putting away time for me LOL!)

Today more drizzle but it didn’t stop a lovely day at the Arboretum with Maxine, Tracey and all the boys. An extra bonus was the paddling pool being filled up hence much sliding down the slide into the water and getting very wet in just pants Followed by play, picnic, walks in the woods, pooh sticks and general running round having fun Then card making, taco cooking and lots of play

The reason why I only have pictures of Alfie is because H was miles behind on her trike with Rich LOL!

We rode down to Banners Gate pool and fed the ducks.

Then onto the play area where Alfie was pleased to bump into Sam and Alex. He was even more pleased when Tracey and Mel were able to rescue him after he got his knee firmly wedged in a hollow branch whilst tree climbing! I honestly thought I was going to be calling the fire brigade! We then rode back to the car to get our picnic which we ate whilst watching the model aircraft flyers. Alfie was particularly taken with the model helicopters and now has a joint project for him and Grandad once he retires

Back home, a few chores and the boys watched Alice in Wonderland whilst Holly and I packed away her 2-3 years clothes and replaced them with 3-4 years ones. She is growing up so fast! She was so happy hanging up all the lovely clothes – especially the  Frugi sale stuff (LUSH!!!!!) and hand-me-downs from her heroine Lauren

This morning I nipped to the supermarket whilst Rich played with the kids, then Pizza Hut for lunch followed by botanical gardens. How lush is H’s Frugi dress She has been dancing to her radio in it loads today LOL!

Back home Alfie spent ages sitting with me doing the crafts in his Charlie and Lola magazine. I rarely get them mags as they are extortionate and many are soooo unsuitable (reward charts etc – yuk!) but he does like the Charlie and Lola craft one so I decided to treat him (and H to an ITNG one as she loves the stickers!)