February rain...

This year is in sprint mode and we only have a couple of days before half term begins. I hope to take the kids to see some of our friends in Bath for a few days so have been running up little gifts for the girls...but what do you make/buy for a teenage boy?! Our visit is totally dependent on the weather. Yesterday we had strong winds and rain while today we have sunshine. We seem to be getting off very lightly compared with the rest of the country which is flooded with no sign of receding.

On Saturday we went over to Audley End in the rain to see if it had flooded the day before. We made good use of our new forest school waterproofs and had alot of fun exploring a near deserted Audley End. MJ also spent the first of his pocket money on a new pencil for his school pencil case. Since the New Year we have kept a reward chart. If he is helpful, does something without asking, needs a bit of encouragement or does well in his learning he can earn 5p's. Equally if I need to discipline him he can loose 5p's. At the moment it is working really well and he loves to keep a running tally of how much he has earned. While choosing what to spend his money on he got a lesson in the value and worth of his money...he has alot of saving up to do before he can afford the wooden bow and arrow!

#Ilovetorun

It is official...I love to run. The reality of this hit as I extended my Thursday run and found myself running through the muddy Hertfordshire countryside in the rain with a feeling of happiness in my tummy. I wanted to try out a new route which was in part successful but not totally as I must have missed a turn off and instead plodded through muddy fields for a mile or so. I managed 10km but am now at the lovely stage where I feel like I could run forever or until my left quad snaps!

Running through puddles and mud while listening to Section D from Monocle 24.

Master Yoda

MJ loves Master Yoda...so I thought it might encourage some pencil work if we learnt how to draw Yoda. We followed a step by step guide from the internet. He was very proud of his final drawing. Lj's looks like baby Yoda...don't you think?

Squirrels dressed in Joules!

 

Almost a tradition, we have done it twice, when the Joules new season catalogue pops through the letter box Lj and I dress ourselves in make believe clothing. Today we combined our drawings of squirrels and the Joules catalogue and ended up with Mr Squirrel dressed in Joules...quite a posh little squirrel he is!

Master bedroom makeover #1

As if things aren't busy enough in this house at the moment, last weekend we decided to have a go at redecorating our bedroom. There were a few thoughts in the air which sparked the activity. I was v tired of the mouldings on the walls (I would love to know what was going on in the mind of the one who created them in the first place), I wanted an Annie Sloan project and our bed seemed like a good one to start on and I was looking for a project which I could do with Lj on our 3 free weekday mornings.

On the first morning, Lj and I removed the mouldings and re plastered the surface, ready for painting. That evening Nana on the motorway called to say they would like to come down for the weekend in two weeks time...so the dead line was set!

M and I painted the walls 'Mineral Mist' (a pale sky blue) on Saturday evening. We have lots of happy memories of late night painting and this was another to add to the list.

Before we began painting the bed we purchased Annie Sloan, Old white paint, clear wax and 'special' AKA expensive brushes. 

The bed took two coats of paint and a little sanding before it was ready for the wax.

We are almost finished. One of the most time consuming activities was M and I agreeing on a new duvet cover and pillowcases. The conclusions I have come to regarding this is that I love geometric designs and that M is obsessed with Scandinavian Folk design! The final purchase will be revealed in the next post. Neither of us got what we were looking for but what we did get we both love and I discovered a lovely new brand in the process!

Things still to do::
Decide whether the curtains did actually shrink in the wash, or if my ironing wasn't what it should be and whether I need to add a little border at the bottom!
Paint the door and replace the 80's brass handle.
Source new beside tables which I can paint white...I don't think the current Ikea ones will cut the new style.

Happy New Year 2014

Christmas is over, the decorations are back up in the loft, the kids are back at school (almost, Lj starts nursery tomorrow) and the holiday sleep deficit has been made up.

I can't believe I didn't take one photo of our Christmas in Ireland but I do have nice memories to treasure.

:: Christmas morning 8km run around the slippery country lanes with M and my brother in law
:: Playing a game with MJ and his cousin...finding the object in a dark room, using their new head torches!
:: A bumpy flight with a missed landing, followed by Lj making use of the paper bag in the seat pocket and MJ stating that he is not sure he could be an emergency rescue pilot as he needed to hold his tummy with his hands and that wouldn't be possible if you were the pilot!
:: Watching my brother clean out a turkey but not feeling brave enough to watch him kill it
:: Friends, food and fun times!

Since getting back we have taken things a bit slower...two muddy trips to Hatfield forest, Ice skating and lots of playing with new toys!

Christmas Making and Learning

I saw an idea similar to this one on pinterest. Lj really enjoys the challenge each morning of matching up the Christmas tree bauble letters. Ideally I would make the baubles circular and a bit more Christmassy but time didn't allow and I don't think Lj really notices! I guess it could be used in all sorts of ways, matching numbers, words of a different language, colours...the list is endless.

My mum told me she had seen marshmallow snowmen in her local bakery, selling at 50p a pop. On Saturday while the boys played Lego Starwars Wii, Lj and I decided to try and make our own marshmallow snowmen. It was a fun activity and they taste great...but then why wouldn't them as they consist of marshmallows, white chocolate, milk chocolate, dolly mixtures and strawberry laces.