Winter walk

After a morning hanging around the house (everyone else) and chopping down stuff in the garden (me) we ventured out for a walk by the canal. This included an unexpected look around a Blacksmiths and an expected half a pint/packet of crisps in the pub. I was surprised how much Harriet and Toby enjoyed the simplicity of a stroll by the canal. They also enjoyed the pub playground despite the chilly weather and frozen parents.

Carousel

On New Year's Day we went out to a local shopping centre to see their Christmas decorations. The usual attractions were there - carousel and train ride. And also a room with lights on the floor which the children loved AND it was free.



Afterwards we went for an ice cream and a wander through the centre.

It was a relief to get out of the house after the Christmas/New Year of illness, fractured limbs and on call phones. Harriet particularly appreciated doing something fun. She has found life with an injured brother rather hard going. The boundaries of play have been changed to avoid further damage to Toby (cue constant shouts of "be careful!" "watch out for his arm!" etc).

Not exactly to plan

It's been a strange Christmas. The build up was great. I really enjoyed the advent period this year. Lots of excitement about the tree going up, Harriet's birthday, choosing and wrapping presents.

Things started to slide just before Christmas when Ed came down with a bad cold which he is still trying to shake off. Christmas Eve was good (apart from when Harriet was sick into my hands). We went to the cinema, to a crib service (let's try and forget the bit involving Toby needing a change of clothes) and then to a party where I drank far too much wine. Christmas Day was pleasant enough. We made it to mass and afterwards we had a lovely lunch and lots of lazy time.

We had our friend to stay for a couple of nights. Unfortunately this coincided with Toby rolling off the sofa and fracturing his collar bone. And my car is broken too.

I have not been very organised with taking any photos of the Christmas merriment. We are all just a bit worn out from 2011. These things build up sometimes. I think we are all ready for the year to end now!

Salt dough and school hols

Our first week of the holidays involved lots of much needed quiet time, DVDs and Christmas crafts. It's fair to say both children are tired after the busy term and an overnight stay at Grandma's house.


One of the main things I wanted to try this year was salt dough. We had a go during the summer but I found that batch to be very sticky and not much good for Harriet to use. This time I used a different recipe (heavier on the flour side) which was much better. So we made the shapes and then painted and glittered them a few days later. There was much excitement about hanging them on the tree.

The other big hit of the school hols was home made play dough. This took up residence on the kitchen table and was played with on and off for days. I went with the flow - making up fresh batches and sweeping the floor often to keep up with demand and mess. We listened to Christmas music and got thoroughly in the festive mood.

we also managed to fit in a trip to the cinema, a soft play party, a visit to friends and visited the Christmas room at the local library. Looking back it was a busy week - just didn't feel like it at the time.

Six

The girl turned six. There was lots of cake, two parties and a new big scooter. Harriet wasn't exactly in full health for her birthday celebrations. Plus it was the last week of term. It was the first year that having a birth near to Christmas posed a problem. Only in terms of energy and time needed to celebrate properly. I think we managed it...but only just.

Strike day

We got a day off last week for the national strike. I tried to keep a mildly educational theme running through the day! We watched the news for a while and discussed the strike. Harriet was really interested to know why she was having a day off. Next we went off to town. Whilst there we had a look at the Christmas decorations and then wandered through the market square (location of strike protest) and down to the museum.


We spent quite a lot of time trying on shoes in the museum. Harriet and I also chatted about our previous obsession with the museum (we went once a week for six months when Toby was a baby).



Harriet and Toby were very excited about parking in the multi storey car park. The view over the town are pretty good.


I also took this photo which would have come in handy if I had forgotten my parking level (entirely possible during a trip to town with two excited children).

Play scenes

There's always something amusing to be found in Harriet and Toby's abandoned play scenes. Today it's Tweezor the Swampsterz drinking a sprout cup of tea. Yeauch. Maybe he likes that kind of thing?!