Pics finally added..yay!

I almost never use a pc or laptop these days, the ipad is just to easy to resist, i really really love it. So tonight ive fired up the pc, and added some pics, its so slow, but hopefully over the coming weeks i'll add pics to several posts and brighten things up a little.

I had started keeping a bit of a food diary here too, so in an attempt of carrying that on today i have consumed..

 1 doughnut. 2 jaffa cakes. a small slice of pizza. (quite)a few chips. in a ll its been a bad day, and only two weeks before im a bridesmaid for my sister, tomorrow MUST be better. Im now off to drink a pint of water to try and flush it through.

Our tuesdays...

 A new mama made pixie hat, and a lovely frown.

 A bit of actual work happening, this was brief!

Little C with her christmas presents, a pre loved pram and new doll called honey.

We seen to have achieved some success in creating a rhythm at home, on Tuesdays at least!
after dropping L at school, we go to the library than for a walk, today this was to the wildfowl centre nearby. It could just be around the village though. It's been very cold here so we only stayed outside for a short time to feed the geese, swans and ducks! The centre is nice though, with lots of frogs to explore.

Lunch is a sandwich in the car on the way home, then C has her sleep and I snuggle with A by the radiator for a story. Today we started, hansel and gretel by Michael morpurgo. It's a lovely full length edition, I'd not heard it before but A loved it!

Then as L has a piano lesson at half four we have a quick tea, usually soup, but pizza and cheesy pasta today for a treat! Before going to piano.We than have a hot pudding at suppertime Apple pile and custard today, not home made but waitrose!

I like Tuesdays.now we just need a similar patter for some other days and I'm sure we'll all feel better for it! Little C surprised us all last night by clearly explaining "monkey birthday" she'd like a monkey for her birthday!

Just over a week until the wedding, I tried my dress on again yesterday, and can't wait now, the kids are very excited too.

School pondering....again

Homeschooling A is going ok. I expected him to take some adjusting to formal learning and he has. He enjoys the stories I have created to introduce the letter, and is happy to practice forming them, but shows little interest in reading still. He has however asked to go back to school, he wants friends.
I know that at some point this will happen, and so a few days ago he spent the morning at a local tiny class one waldorf school. It's really small, just five children, and a teacher, working together on an old fire engine every morning! He LOVED it, the writing, maths, the walk and big puddle jumping, and he cannot wait to go again.

We are going to take some time considering this further, but he would be happy there, and the small class would be good for him I think. It is so hard to know what is best, but at the moment it feels good.

Today he had a great day with his grandad, then swimming with friends and his sister. we have allowed L to stay up later tonight and watch mamma Mia with us, she loves that movie! Little C is snoozing on the settee, and we are enjoying e warmth of a lovely log fire. With biscuits.

Miss L ....

I really haven't written that much about L here. at ten and a half, she is growing up fast now, and her needs are changing. she desperately craves adult attention, and loves time alone with cal or myself. she does give A a very hard time though, and puts him down a lot. Until
this improoves she will continue to go to bed at around 7. This probably seems unfair, but she can be quite horrid to him at times.

She has been I'll recently, a virus we think, that involves an infected ear, swollen glands
and really swollen and puffy eyes. She needed antibiotic treatment in the end, after suffering
through over a week of waiting for it to resolve it's self. Colloidal silver spray helped a lot too I think, and a massive dose of vitamin C to boost her.
So more actual stuff about her, she dresses herself mainly these days, choosing her own clothes online at times too, yet she continues to prefer dresses with tights and comfortable baggies. she hates logo's and anything trashy which is lovely! Her favourite attire is her all in one giant fleece pyjamas, these go on as soon as she gets home.
she loves knitting and sewing, needle felting, drawing, playing schools, setting up the woodland house and her horse stables. she is hugely in to horses at the moment, collecting tack and wearing jodpurhs despite not getting near to an actual horse. We made a new hobby horse today from an old sock, a stick and some rope, this will be played with all weekend I'm sure!
L loves to make notes and collects diarys, note books and pens. She likes the darling buds of may, and the borrowers books. we need to work on spelling, times table and long devision. She enjoys her piano lessons, playing the recorder and visiting nanny for a sleepover with the girls. she loves sparky charm bracelets, stamping kits, schleich ponies, ribbons, her sewing box and her lovely bedroom, freshly tidied by me! she is not tidy by nature!
she hates junk food, preferring pesto pasta, olives, mussels, ribs and roast dinners. We both love a bar of green and black chocolate, butterscotch flavour too. I have no idea what she would like to do in the future, maybe something creative such a journalism, photography or fashion design. Who knows, she doesn't either. Plenty of time for that. a did say today that he would like to be a zoo vet though, that would be lovely I replied!
Tomorrow I think we will have a quiet day in, do some sewing together, needle felting and chilling out with mamma Mia later on. she likes to cook, so maybe she could do dinner for us all, she will enjoy that lots! We love you lots miss L, but are not ready for you to be 11.

Sunshine after the rain

A glorious start to the day, far too nice to stay inside, so I headed out with the smaller two and great grandad, in to the beautiful valley and mansion house nearby. we walked past the stunning lakes and even did a bit of hunting for big cats, no success there!!
five miles on, little c now dozing on my back in her sling, we arrived at a nice pub for lunch. the skies darkened, so a quick call to daddy for a lift home, meant we stayed dry.

A has now gone to granddads for the evening, and L is going home to her friends too, so it's just C and I. A bath might be in order!

All change...

After a lot of deliberation and stress over Christmas, my midwifery journey has ended. for now at least, it will always be a passion but the strain of the course, combined with uncertainty around jobs and a huge dislike of working in a high risk setting, means that now is not the right time for me. After initial relief, I am now feeling disappointed, unsure of what to do next and like I have wasted so long and so much time of the kids lives pursuing this, for nothing.

I fought against a thousand people for my place on the course too, I know I should be proud of what I've achieved, but I feel sad about it. getting a very good grade in my last assignment didn't help either. I know I was capable.

On a brighter note the boy is having a trial morning at a small waldorf school tomorrow, I really hope that we can get him settled soon, he needs to flourish and find himself. he will be eight in the summer and is so realdy to move on.

little C is continuing to change every day, she talks constantly! I can't believe she will be two in a few weeks, it seem like yesterday that she arrived, in our bedroom, in a lovely pool. I do feel a bit broody some days, but really, three is enough!

I am enjoying having time to knit, sew, bake and am now planning a homemade birthday for her. Knitted tunic, new doll, and a rainbow cake too.

We are off to centre parcs for half term, everyone is very excited about that indeed. We have. Luxury villa booked this time, I hope to get some time alone there to relax.
Tonight I am going to try and add pics to this blog......promise!

First grade

following much deliberation, it seems midwifery is no longer for me. Not now anyway. After many years of hard slog, I'm looking forward to doing mum things, baking with the children more, gardening, sewing and nice stuff!

The small matter of homeschooling A is also going to fill lots of my time. We begin tomorrow with an introduction to letters. He does know them but having had so much time out it will be a good refresh. I've found a nice container story to start with and will introduce D and K first. In a waldorf style, with chalk drawings for him to copy in to his lesson book.

We have loose times in place and an idea of what will happen this week. Rhythm will be important for us all, with lots of skipping, crafting and skipping every day.

L is suffering with sinus pain, but returning to school tomorrow, with a nasal spray and remedy. Poor girl, she has been very brave with it. We had a lovely circular pub walk today, the sun shone and it was very mild and spring like. little C enjoyed a long carry on my back in the sling, I do wonder if our carrying days are nearly over though, as she can be stroppy about not walking now. he speech is really great now, she loves to chat with us all and is starting to make sentences too. a new hobby horse unicorn this week has given her so much joy too, she just adores horses.
a quick dinner of pork and pancetta spaghetti boll was enjoyed tonight with roast chicken planned for tomorrow. The Diet is going well, I'm finally at 8 and a half stone, what I was before baby three. A few pounds more lost would be nice for the wedding but I'm happy to be here now, and my clothes look much better for it too.
We are planning half term too, the children want to go to center parcs again, as our holidays are a week after the state ones it may be do-able.