Where has the sun gone???? It was actually cold today! Never mind. We’ve had fun anyway. Yesterday we cleaned the fridge, played a board game, met Tracey and Maxine and the boys at the Wylde Green. Today we went to home ed meet-up at Leamore Pavilions where the kids had fun running round with Gwyddy and Mo and trying out marbling with Jane. The rain kept away until we got home when we kept busy making homemade dough balls and jelly with fruit in. Plus lots of drawing, colouring, writing of notes, playing on educational websites, pretending to be fairies, building machinery out of scrap objects….. The fun never ends

In other news, baby now kicks like a trooper! Real full-on thumps and wiggles, which is nice. H now settles herself to sleep at night and sleeps through about 70% of the time (Alfie 99% of the time). Equilibrium is being restored for the first time in 4 years just in time to be disrupted by a new baby (for another 4 years probably LOL!) H still breastfeeds twice a day although now the milk has changed to colostrum I don’t know how much she actually gets out and boy does it hurt! Both kids are coming on in leaps and bounds in their counting and letter recognition with absolutely no coercion or formal teaching. Today they kept wanting to practice 1-20 over and over again H is still weeing on the toilet about 50% of the time but never ever tells you she needs one and nearly always has  a wet nappy. In her own time she’ll get there. She doesn’t want pants at all so I won’t push it. I know with both my little ones that they do everything in their own time and coercion is never needed

Yesterday a lovely sunny day at Charlecote Park National Trust. The children played croquet, Alfie got to try out a pestle and mortar in the Victorian kitchens, we walked in the woodland garden, admired the Sunbeam Talbots in the rally, sniffed the flowers on the parterre, admired the peaches, apples and figs growing in the courtyard, looked for fish in the river and picnicked in the shade of a tree

Alfie's favourite fungus

This morning, a trip to the recycling centre with old electrical appliances, a breakfast and shopping in Asda then Lauren’s fairy hunt birthday party at Brueton Park followed by bubble blowing and playing with Jasmine in the garden.

Holly in her party dress

Building a fairy house in the woods

Picking flowers to decorate the house

And I can only hope the Spatone iron I have bought does something to restore even a bit of my mental and physical health! Ho-hum!

Anyhow, it’s been a good week despite feeling so deathly and down (accompanied with palpitations and the need to sleep forever I know it’s my old pregnancy friend anaemia!)

Wednesday we popped into Sutton for more yogurt powder (Alfie is into making and eating homemade yogurt at the moment!) then did lots of home stuff – play dough, cleaning, art, playing, computer games, reading, writing on the easel with magnetic letters, laundry….

Yesterday a lovely day at Hoar Cross Hall Eden Day Spa with Sally and Jo. Great to be amongst such good friends and in such relaxing surroundings Thanks to Mom for having the kids and taking them to the library

Today, aquanatal (thanks again Mom LOL!) and now they are playing in the garden with Grandad. Our wonderful garden that has provided us with so much this week. Bowl after bowl of strawberries. Delicious peas for our pasta sauce, on our homemade pizza, in our salad. Red onion for our pizza. The very first raspberries.

We had a lovely home ed meet-up in Mary Stevens Park. Lovely people, fantastic park As you can see, the water jets were very popular LOL

Today we got Alfie’s hair cut at One Stop, bought a croquet set in the sales and duly tested it out (after Alfie’s appetite was whetted at Canons Ashby’s croquet lawn on Saturday LOL!), made homemade pizza, cleaned the kitchen, played Save the Animals board game, did lots of laundry and generally just caught up a bit

A lovely day yesterday at Canons Ashby with Steve and Andy. Great weather, gorgeous gardens, wonderful company Rolling down the hill, hide and seek with Uncle Steve, croquet and quoits were the favoured pastimes of the smaller people.

Today, Mom and Dad took the children to Sutton Park and I went for a lovely, long child free lunch and shop with Michelle and Charlotte. Great to catch up with two of my favourite girls and have lunch at a normal speed (instead of choking yourself before the kids get fed-up LOL!)

On Wednesday we went to Izzi’s natural parenting group Little Green Monsters. The kids enjoyed seeing Toby and it was great to catch up with Izzi Alfie was a bit too manic for such a small room and such solid toys though LOL! I was also very annoyed to have someone park so close to me in the car park that H had to get in through Alfie’s door and I had to lean into the back from the front passenger seat to strap her in – great when you’re 5 months pregnant!

Yesterday was a fab day out at Dudley Zoo’s under 5s party day. It was great to see so many of my home ed friends and the lovely Sal and Evie The zoo was packed but everyone had a fantastic day. There were lots of activities in the castle courtyard too – bouncy castle, giant inflatable slide, TV show characters, balloon modelling etc. Thanks to Sal for climbing the castle tower twice with Alfie and for accompanying all the kid son the crooked cottage

Pub with the gorgeous Bex in the evening. So nice to chill out and chat with your bestie

Aquanatal this morning whilst Mom and the kids played in the garden. Anomaly scan this afternoon whilst Mom and Dad looked after small people. It was mainly fantastic. Baby is looking good. The gender remains a secret though as s/he just would not let us see!!!!!

Yesterday was scorching! We spent most of it at Julie’s playing in the paddling pool with Will and Evie. I love seeing Julie, she’s a complete star. The only downside is Will and Alfie. Will is a lovely little lad but just so rough and spirited. He always taunts Alfie from the first second we see him, and Alfie always falls for it and mayhem ensues. Now Alfie really likes Will, and actually enjoys the winding up and chasing. The problem is Will is just so rough and also brings out the “worst” (in my opinion) in Alfie’s personality so he ends up completely manic and rough too and does things he would never usually do – pulling a rose off a plant, hitting with hard objects, just generally completely out of control. Now Alfie can be manic with the best of them, but being with Will just brings out the worst of his behaviours. I guess boys need an outlet for all that testosterone eh! Still, the children really enjoyed themselves and it was nice to catch up with a good mate.

Interestingly, Will tried to give Alfie a gun to take home. A proper big machine gun type thing that made the noises. I said no thanks because we don’t do guns and had a chat with Alfie on the way home. Turns out he didn’t even know what guns are for – why would he, he doesn’t watch any TV with them in or play those type of computer games. When he found out he was shocked that they were sold as  toys and said he fully understood why I didn’t want them to have them. Phew! Fortunately most people know me well enough to never buy any guns, Power Rangers, Action Men type toys – I hope LOL!

This morning we took Jasmine to the vets to be weighed. hurrah! She’s 4.3kg, a healthy weight, and has lost 20% of her body weight in just 6 months Next off to pick up a bargain microwave in the sales as ours has bitten the dust despite Rich’s best efforts to repair it. Then to soft play and for a half hour singing/dancing group which they really enjoyed. They both love their singing and H is a born dancer – she makes up her own dances to classical music on her radio all the time. The afternoon was filled with craft (a card for someone special’s birthday, stencilling and rubbings, cutting and sticking), chores (sorting laundry, stripping Alfie’s bed etc), play galore and wrapping presents.

Here’s H topping and tailing green beans for dinner whilst Alfie goes “bird watching” in the microwave box with his bird guide, binoculars and magnifying glass

What a sunny weekend

The pictures in the gallery are in a weird order and I’m too hot and tired to put them all on individually. Some show Bodenham Arboretum on Saturday. A lovely place, with so many amazing trees and plants from all over the world. It really appeals to a tree and nature loving soul like Alfie, and the woods provided welcome shade. The friendly donkeys are a bonus too.

Other pictures show just a few bits of our bountiful garden. The two punnets of strawberries the kids are holding are just what they picked this afternoon. We’ve been getting hand and boxfuls all week, and I am amazed at how productive they are! What’s nicer than fresh organic strawberries with no food miles The big yellow dragonfly has been resting and flying in our garden a lot this afternoon, along with amazingly diverse other creatures. The computer has done a fair bit of beetle and other creature identifying for Alfie this weekend

We went swimming today too. It was really busy but the kids had a great time, swimming confidently and in the waves and on the little slide. Other than that the weekend has been a mixture of garden work and play, computer games (learning about plant life in different climates and various other things), building Lego creations, reading books – and eating Chinese buffet food I must confess. Modern China is lush

Yesterday we went to Kingsbury Water Park with Nanny. We had a lovely day feeding the ducks, playing on the two play areas, walking in the woods and by the lakes, picnicking Back home, the kids enjoyed bowls full of Alfie’s homegrown strawberries

This morning Nanny and Grandad came to play with the kids whilst I went to aquanatal. Poor Grandad was very excited about getting his new car but was foiled by an ammonia leak at a nearby factory evacuating the Jaguar dealership! Fingers crossed for tomorrow!

This afternoon we baked bread and made cherry scones

H helped me clean up

Whilst Alfie played Go Diego Go

The sun has really been shining recently. I love drying all my washing outside, and being able to use the garden as an extension of the house. It makes parenting so much easier Alfie told me yesterday that he really loves his garden, with all his fruit, vegetables and flowers growing, all his toys and the new picnic bench

Yesterday we even bought a big parasol for a bargain sale price which provides marvellous shade over the picnic bench (AKA Rich’s new desk!) Rich is currently doing the second coat of “woodland oak” wood colour on it

Here’s a few of the things we’ve been up to

Play dough

Painting in the garden. I managed to cover myself and the grass in black paint when the bottle exploded as I squeezed it LOL. Luckily Rich was working out there so could keep an eye on the kids whilst I had a quick shower

Holly making dinner (wholemeal pasta with red lentil and tomato sauce)

Alfie brushing Holly’s teeth for her. (Apparently he found Iggle Piggle and some Pontipines in there….)

Playing the xylophone in the discovery gallery at Walsall New Art Gallery

Holly’s underwater masterpiece

Alfie playing the catch a fish computer game

Making a light and colours picture

Building a “stinky fly trapper” from wooden blocks

Painting on the computer

We went to a breastfeeding awareness event at the art gallery today. The children had fun. They love the art gallery and going up to the roof anyway and there was lots on for them. They both spent ages playing with homemade play dough, Alfie made a stamp picture, they both did colouring and mazes. We attended a story and songs session in the art library. Afterwards we went for a drink by the canal with Jane, Bru, Gwyddy and Mo.

So, a good couple of days with my little ones. H is really coming on with her letters – all from free playing with her magnetic letters, no coercion or teaching of course. She has an interest in letters and so will learn at her own pace. In fact, she was helping Alfie identify letters on his computer game today (he only knows A LOL!) Two such wonderful little beings – both so bright and wild, with totally different personalities and skills.