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Where have I been? My real life has taken over lately & I just haven't had time for blogging. This is a terrible thing for me to admit but I have just been too darn busy! Since the Saturday I last posted I've:

~ applied for a new job
~ re-landscaped my front & back garden
~ bought a new pair of glasses
~ worked too darn hard, for not much gain
~ been ill
and finally
~ have been enjoying family life with my boys

I promise to rectify this & make more of an effort. I shall start with a blog post about our day at the sand park! But for now, here is a {this moment}

{this moment}

 {this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savour and remember.

Lady Arabella Atherton

This week .........

A few sentences of the things we have been doing, what has captured our imaginations and the things we love.

This week, we have been  ...

:: enjoying our walk in the woods on the gruffalo trail, exploring all the wood has to offer & spending time with those who love us the most.
:: relishing family life & all that it brings. We are in a sweet spot right now, so it's more important that we take time to love each other, care for one another & hold each other close.
:: finding new ways to work together as a team. Toddlers are hard work, toddlers are challenging, toddlers push the limits of your patience, but they are oh so loving, giving, funny & oh so happy.
:: experimenting with new foods - cream cheese & jam sandwich anyone?
:: learning to jump. We're almost there!
:: riding my beautiful bicycle. A fair weather rider - that's me.
:: waiting for my new glasses to arrive with baited breath! they are beautiful.
:: singing lots of new songs thanks to the song sac. Who knew that would be such a good idea?
:: feeling inspired to think of new ways to reach our inner creative souls. More on that coming soon.
and finally
:: remembering that even though we have rainy days, we can still play outside and have fun. Muddle puddles are the best! "Everybody loves muddle puddles" 


:: wishing you peace in your heart today and all week long.

Song Sac

For the past few days Evan has been singing "Daddy put your hand in, Daddy put your hand in, sing a song, sing a song" I have tried endlessly to get him to tell me what he is singing but with little success.

I thought maybe he'd picked it up from show me show me his favourite TV of the moment ... but no! ... I thought he'd picked it up from one of his many cousins ... but no! .... he'd picked it up from nursery!

At Evans nursery they have a 'Song Sac' .. what's that you ask? Well, it's a bag full of props which prompt a child to sing a song. The sac at nursery has:
a rabbit for 'Peter Rabbit had a fly upon his nose'
a monkey for '5 cheeky monkeys swinging in a tree'
a farmer for 'old McDonald'
a soldier for 'The Grand Old Duke of York'
a bus for 'Wheels on the bus'

The children sit in a circle and sing
"Here's the song sac, here's the song sac,
What's inside? What's inside?
(childs name) put your hand in, (childs name) put your hand in,
sing a song, sing a song"

The idea is that the child pulls out a prop from the bag, and they sing the song (together) associated with that prop. It's a wonderful idea and Evan loves it! Take a look at the video above to see our song sac at home.

The beginning of a new week

Good morning - Tuesday already! WOW - the weeks are whizzing by at the moment. Where did that weekend go? Did you have a nice one? We did -  We spent ours with family visiting, outside in the fresh air - in the garden, in the woods on a Gruffalo trail - wherever the sun appeared to briefly warm the cold April air, and just generally enjoying being together. Since Evan arrived, our weekends revolve around him & his needs. Occasionally mummy or daddy will have a day to themselves, reconnecting with our life before Evan but it's not long before we yearn to be back together - all three of us, just us three.

 

I'm the moment where I feel aware of the fleeting nature of this time in our family life. It won't be forever - it won't be for much longer, that our little baby will no longer become dependent on us for all his needs. He's already taught himself to play on his own, he already knows when & if he wants to nap. He taught me a new song from nursery this weekend and when I asked him if he wanted a sandwich or pasta for lunch his response was "erm .... let me think?" These moments make me chuckle & proud watching my little boy become a little person.

 

I feel things changing. It is good change, an exciting change, watching him grow. But noticing it all happening, I want more than ever to feel my feet firmly planted on the ground, watching and loving what is right now. We seem to forget to notice things when our lives are so busy. I'm going to spend more time, watching, reflecting, observing & absorbing this precious time with our precious little miracle.

 

I promised to tell you about his start in life didn't I? I'm not ready to share that with you yet, those memories have been locked away for safe keeping but when I'm ready I will share it all with you. For now here is a glimpse of how far he's come.

2 days old in NICU - 2 years old!

 

Oh look ...... oh no ........ it's the GRUFFALO!!

I'm so excited to share this post with you all. Yesterday, Daddy, Evan & I were joined by Annma & Pops & we went for on the Gruffalo Childs Trail!

The Gruffalo Childs Trail at the Dean Heritage Centre is a woodland trail of a series of wooden carvings across the forest, depicting the adventures from the best loved childrens story by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. 

The Gruffalo sculptures have been beautifully carved by resident chainsaw artists Clayton Ryder and Gil Parnham, using locally sourced redwood from the Forest of Dean. They are truly special & depict the characters wonderfully. We arrived at the centre to be greeted by a 6 foot Gruffalo as we entered the site. We then began our trail, at first Evan was a bit unsure but he became really excited when we showed him the Gruffalo house.

Exploring the Gruffalo house with Annma, Pops & Daddy

The attention to detail in this wooden hut was brilliant. It had been built slightly crooked & inside we we saw photos of the food that the gruffalo likes to eat. "Roasted Fox" & "Owl Ice Cream" & "Scrambled Snake" we also saw his fireplace & some rather funny family portraits. If you look closely at Daddys feet in the final frame, you will see the gruffalos bed.

After leaving the house we started the trail. The creators had really put a lot of effort into the walk, helping to capture the imagination of its young audience. It's here the story began, "the gruffalo said that no gruffalo should ever set foot in the deep dark wood" & just as we read the first part of the story up popped the gruffalo & the gruffalos child.

A bit further along the trail we were able to read the rest of the story, each part of the story being told in different scenes. Evan squealed with delight as he found each of the characters & we read him the next part of the story until we got to the end & saw the gruffalo & his child fast asleep.

After all the gruffalo hunting & a bit of playing in a wonderful children's playground we were all hungry so we took ourselves off to the cafe for lunch. We passed over the bridge & climbed the stairs to eat "Roasted Fox" ........ (mummy had a jacket potato). After lunch we tottered around the rest of the centre which houses a collection of artifacts & interesting pieces depicting forest life.

This was a really magical day, it helped that the sun shining. Evan had a wonderful time wondering around the site, looking for the gruffalo. The centre had thought of everything & even had a play table downstairs with all sorts of gruffalo related crafts for you to take home. The gift shop, as you would expect was full of gruffalo goods & I couldn't resist these finger puppets.

We've read the gruffalo & the gruffalos child a few times since buying them & it helps bring the story alive. I'm so glad I bought them. We shall be taking them to playgroup tomorrow & sharing them with the children, I hope they love it as much as we do.

Mummy Time

It's true, I love being a mummy but I also love being Millie. So I find it vital that I make time for me & I do this in many ways but my favourite way is spending time with my girlfriends & eating!

Last night, I went along with two friends to The Thali Cafe, Southville. 

Winner of the Best Cheap Eats award in the Observer Food Monthly Awards, it’s a mini-chain of Indian restaurants with branches all over Bristol. 

Serving authentic, Indian food, the Thali Café has a strong focus on vegetarian and dairy-free options but there are plenty of meat & fish dishes for those who need a protein fix. The restaurants have a strong ethical stance which is demonstrated in a variety of ways: many ingredients are locally-sourced, they have strong relationships with local people and businesses, and they play their part in terms of donating to charity. They are basically all round good guys & the food is immense. You can read their story here: Thali Cafe Story 

We visited their new branch in Southville. Recently opened on the side of the Tabacco Factory, it's a lovely space filled with reclaimed tables & chairs. We were met by a jolly fellow who told us our table wasn't ready but showed us the way to the comfortable waiting area. A few minutes later & our table was still not ready, but we were offered an alternative which was an old science bench - quirky, edgy & an interesting talking point.

Thali Cafe Southville

The menu in this place has to be seen to be believed. A varied range of smaller, lighter dishes as well as the main event of thali dishes. Between us we ordered prawn skewers, chicken skewers & crab cakes as well as our thali. I had the Northern Thali which is a combination of vegetarian dishes - its a taste sensation. A party in your mouth. Every bite was devine! I ate like a queen for the bargain price of just over £20.

Northern Thali - 100% Veggie

and I finished the meal with this devine cup of hot chocolate with a cute little elephant on top - the logo of the Thali Cafe. I had a wonderful evening catching up with my girlfriends, talking about how far we've come since we first met on NICU nearly 3 years ago. I love my evenings with my girls & I love food! This place is top notch, if you're in the area, it's a must. Drop in & say hi, they're a friendly bunch.

{this moment}

 {this moment} - A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Evan & his homies

This week .........

As promised, I continue with this week, sentences of the things we have been doing, what has captured our imaginations and the things we love.

This week, we have ...

:: returning back to nursery & work following our weeks of illness, & it felt good to be back.

:: hunting  for easter eggs with our cousins in Nee Nees back garden. What fun we had running around trying to find the easter bunny,.

:: Indulging ourselves in messy play! Inspired by our friends over at edspire we did some messy play & craft. Did you see our post about the painting we did? 

:: eating lots of chocolate & feeling a little bit like piggies!

:: discovering that mummy didn't get the job, but it wasn't all bad! I had a great interview, the first in 4 years - yikes!

:: riding our bikes & scooters for the first time in a long time & having so much fun.

:: playing with our friends & learning to share, it fills my heart with joy when little people learn how to be nice to one another.

:: finding time to take out of our daily lives to remember what matters most. 

:: praying for all parents who have children in special care units up & down the country. Those long days filled with fear & hope. God bless you all.

and finally

:: remembering that 6 beautiful, innocent children lost their lives thanks to those that should have been protecting them & loving them the most. We pray for these lost souls & hope they are playing amongst all the other angels & taking care of each other.

:: wishing you peace in your heart today and all week long.

This little piggy ......

........ was bought for Evan for his first birthday. As a baby he really wasn't that interested in it, he liked to pick up the plastic discs & chew them, but he didn't really understand how to play with it. It's been hiding since then at my parents house, ready for the next generation of grandchildren but look who found it recently on our trip to Annmas house.

Telling Mummy the colours

Closing the door to the piggy bank

Counting out the coins

Laugh & Learn™ Learning Piggy Bank™

Evan spent all afternoon playing with his 'Piggy'. We used it to learn about counting, colours, animals and sizes with songs, music, & speech. There are 10 colorful coins to drop into the piggy bank’s slot while counting along, comparing big and small, and discovering mummy and baby animals. The piggy has a big red snout & when you press it, various songs play. It has a door on it's side which is used for put-and-take out play, and we enjoyed the sing-along songs. They go like this:  

"WOOOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! I'm a Piggy Bank, with some coins big and small. In lots of colours, you can learn them all! We've got red and yellow, we've got orange and blue, what's your favourite colour? Here's some green ones too! Let's count the coins! From one to ten! When we're all done, we'll count them again! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, [dooby, dooby, dooby, dooby] eight, nine, ten!"
This catchy jingle, is just one of three sung by the piggy another is:

"I am a Piggy Bank, I have a Piggy snout, You can put coins in my slot, and you can take them out. The coins go in the top. Can you hear them drop? Come on and open up the door so we can play some more." I liked this one the best!

We decided to keep piggy at Annmas. We had a great afternoon playing with him, but I think Evan could get easily bored with it if he was at home. Keeping him at Annmas means that we only get to see him a few times a month so he will stay fresh & exciting.  In a nutshell: piggy teaches, Numbers, Counting, Colours & Animals.

*we haven't been paid for this review.

Easter Egg Hunting

Happy Easter! It's not to be said just on on Easter Sunday, but all of Easter week - which we are still in. Did you have a nice Easter Day? We had a great time! It's the first year that Evan has been able to join in on the egg hunt with his much older cousins. He had an absolute ball looking for all the goodies that had been planted in the garden for him. His oldest cousin Edwyn, who is 11 looked after him wonderfully. It doesn't seem that long ago that we watched Ed, his brother Tomi & cousin Charlotte collect eggs for the first time from Nee Nees garden.

My mother in law does a grand job of organising the hunt. Rather than putting out eggs for them to find, she puts out plastic eggs. Inside the egg is part of a clue, they have to put all the clues together & from that they will find where all the eggs are hidden. The idea is that in the end, everyone gets an equal share of the loot! This is what they are all doing in the bottom picture, trying to solve the puzzle.

We had a lovely time together as a family & thankfully nobody was sick (unlike last year).
How did you celebrate Easter day?

I'm crafty

                      

This bank holiday weekend Evan, Daddy & I decided to do some messy play! We're  not really fans of mess in our house, something we all need to get out of our system. Nevertheless, we were brave & we decided to let it all go & let Evan explore. Whilst he was napping, we covered the kitchen floor in lining paper & stuck it down using masking tape. We set up the area with 4 different paper plates with red, blue, green & yellow paint, & put out a variety of brushes, rollers & sponges ......... we waited, ...... we waited some more & finally Evan woke up!

At first he was a little confused as to what we'd laid out for him, but he soon got into it & declared "Evan do it, painting". We had loads of fun playing with the paint, feeling it on our hands & feet & covering the area. I didn't even care that Evan was covered head to toe in paint! He literally squealed with delight & started singing as he painted! This was a great activity for Evan, he enjoyed the feel of the paint & watching mummy paint different pictures. He explored the colours & was able to tell us what colour he was using at any given time.

This kept him occupied for a whole hour, which is a long time in Evans world & once he'd had enough he said "wash hands now please" - maybe he's not a fan of mess either?

{this moment}

 {this moment} - A Saturday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.