Bike Lights in the Fruit Bowl

Flower pressing...with weeds

One of my favourite activities of the last few weeks has been flower pressing.   It started one sunny day when our patio garden had sprung back into life after the horrible cold winter.  It's a little unloved. Despite it's small size I'm still struggling to properly tame it and make it into an urban oasis.  Yet amongst the chaos flowers were popping up and cascading over the fence from next door.  Little M would have picked every single flower in sight if I'd let her - pressing the flowers seemed like a good diversion to continue the flower based activities without destroying the garden!

Everything we used was grabbed on the spur of the moment - some scrap paper torn into appropriate sizes, a pile of books...and the flowers - that's it.  I had a flower pressing kit when I was young but this rough and ready approach seemed to work just as well. We layered the flowers between pieces of paper - I think we had three layers.  Then we picked a few heavy books - one went on the bottom, then the flowers and then about five more on top.  I popped it on top of a high bookshelf where it would be out of reach and easily forgotten.  I actually expect little M to be pestering to see them every day but the spot I picked was well tucked away and she forgot about them completely I think.

Until one day when we needed something to lighten the mood!  Hey presto - instant sunshine!

 

 

I stepped outside and covered some coloured paper with spray glue - probably not very environmentally friendly but I've had it languishing in the draw for years and this seemed like a good chance to make use of it.  It worked a treat as the fragile flowers could be laid straight onto the paper.

 

The results were slightly chaotic - little M got rather excited by the whole process and stuck nearly all the flowers down in about two minutes! A great two minutes fun though!

I think we should hide flowers on top of the book case more often to whip out when we both need a little cheering up.  I don't think we'll ever quite repeat little M's amazement when she opened up the papers and found the pressed flowers but I'm sure we'll have fun with this many times.

 

Taming our TV tyranny

Little M absolutely loves TV.  I think most of the programmes on Cbeebies are great and quite like a spot of Holly, Ben et al myself.  But...despite the good programmes, I wasn't feeling great about our TV viewing habits a while ago.  Various illnesses and some very disturbed nights meant that some days both me and little M were both a bit too keen on her screen time.  

However much TV viewing you think is appropriate, I'm sure you'll be with me when I say I get soooo sick of having to fend off little M's enthusiastic pestering to watch TV.  The effect of the pestering on our conversations seems worse than her watching too much TV!  There are hundreds of other things I'd rather talk to her about. 

We successfully tamed the TV tyranny using a very simple trick - I can't believe I didn't think of it sooner.  We set specific times throughout the day when little M is allowed to watch 1 programme.  The programme could be from the catch-up menu we get through our cable TV package, from BBCiplayer on our computer or an episode from the handful of DVDs we have.  We stuck a sign in front of the TV with pictures for little M and words to remind Martin and myself of what they mean.

I'm sure some people set time limits.  I've never tried this because turning a programme off before it (and its full theme tune) has ended sends little M in complete meltdown.  The pick-a-programme approach means I don't have to hover around waiting for precisely the right moment to press the off switch.  I find manageable short bursts of TV at strategically useful times throughout the day a really useful.  Little L, thankfully, has learnt to settle herself to sleep now but trying to get her to sleep with little M rattling around the flat, occasionally popping in to say hello and ask all manner of random questions or requests, was virutally impossible at times.  TV is the only thing that would buy me a 10-15 minute window.  We occasionally swap a time.  For example there's usually a programme while I make dinner but sometimes, if little M has helped or been playing in the kitchen with me, she'll watch a programme after dinner instead.

The last month has been blighted with ill health - little M' had her worst wheezy episode since her first almost exactly a year ago.  Poor little L had a miserable week with the Norovirus. And I had hardly any sleep.  Needless to say the TV viewing (and surprise, surprise, the pestering too) has crept up.  But this week we're all feeling about 90 per cent better so we've been back on the pick-a-programme bandwagon and feeling better for it.  It has taken a few days for the pestering to die down but it always seems to eventually.  A bit of negotiation is fun - constant pestering is not.

The debate about how much TV our kids should or shouldn't be watching is quite heated (interesting new research here).  I don't want to wade too far into that debate but it doesn't take a top child psychologist to work out that life's full of loads of interesting and useful things that small people need to experience, learn and practice. Keeping TV viewing in check is the only way to find time for all this other great stuff too. But I'm pretty sure a good dose of the Octonauts won't do too much harm!

 

Feeling lighter on our feet (and wheels)

Spring is in the air, little M has a spring in her step and we've got new wheels.  Suddenly, getting out and about with the family seems a whole lot easier.  It feels like the city is our oyster and bigger adventures are around the corner.  

Me and the girls had a great trip to the Natural History Museum on Friday to see the obligatory dinosaurs and catch the amazing Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition before it finished.  With just a sling for little L and a small bag of essentials we hopped on the bus, skipped down to the tube and whizzed across town in what seemed like a strangley simple journey.  It's the first time I've braved a day trip into town with two children and no wheels!  Little M - who is almost 3 and a half - has always been reluctant to walk far unless there's something really exciting happening to keep her interest.  And even then she's prone to stopping and moaning that she's tired.  The stalemate that is a small person refusing to walk but unwilling to be carried can be funny...but mostly it's not so we've rarely gone far without our trusty buggy and buggy board-seat combo.  Until the last few weeks!

I had tried a few tactics to get little M walking more.  Like occasionally "forgetting" to take the buggy board-seat when I collected her from nursery.  A cunning ploy that did backfire spectacularly on the odd occasion - it once took me 45 minutes to cajol and carry her (kicking and screaming) the 10 minute walk home.  I  also suggested walking to nursery on mornings when the mood was good hoping that fresh legs would increase our odds of a stress-free journey (that and bribery).  And we did a few times.  We even popped to a playground on the way there one sunny morning.  And did an impromptu alphabet scavenger hunt another.  But leaving the house without wheels for little M still mostly felt like a big gamble.  Then this week, sensing she was on good form and full of energy, I didn't ask whether she wanted to walk.  I just put the buggy board-seat away.  I didn't mention it.  And we left without it for nursery everyday.  Not a stale-mate in sight!  And even more amazingly, when I pushed my luck with our museum trip, we made it all the way to the museum, around it, and home with only one or two minor wobbles.  Woohoo!

It feels so good to finally be able to go out walking with little M by my side. On Sunday she came trotting along to the local park, sneakily grabbing a handful of rosemary from a neighbour's garden and sprinkling it as fairy dust all the way to the park. "Is this a daffodil" she kept asking, helpfully spotting signs of spring to make me feel even more happy that winter seems to be finally waning.  And little L is enjoying being snug in her new sling and part of the action.  She looks out the bus window with amazement and does a cute little wriggle-jig to show how pleased she is with her new improved view - much better than being stuck in the pushchair looking at the backs of people's legs.

I'd like to think it was my cunning tactics that made the difference to get little M walking. Actually, she's growing, she's getting bigger and stronger and she's in better health than she has been for ages.  Looking back, I think we perhaps underestimated how much impact repeated bouts of wheezing illness, since just before little L was born, had on her energy levels.  I had often been too tired to relish the prospect of carrying little L in a sling too.  Fingers crossed things will keep looking rosy.  

Our other good news is that we got a bike trailer that can carry both girls this week.  Getting set up for our first trip with it was a bit of a faff and, unless it gets a lots quicker to set up, it's probably not going to be the nursery run solution we need.  I'm really excited about the prospect of peddaling around the backstreets and parks of London this summer with the girls and a picnic towing behind me.  I've already discovered a new partly off-road cycle route. 

And little L is becoming a bit more independent.  It seems like a small thing, but being more confident in leaving her with Martin, has made it possible to have some rare one on one time with little M.  The two of us nipped up to the indoor adventure playground and to check the state of our slightly neglected mini-allotment on Sunday morning.  We went by bike, with our trusty old bike seat (not the new trailer) that has barely been used since little L arrived on the scene.  Wow!  I'd forgotten how quick that journey can be when you're not pushing two children up hill!  Perhaps the veggies will get a bit more attention this year.

This week it feels like lots of options have opened up.  There will always be some faffing, and some paraphernalia that goes with little children.  But I feel like we've taken a step forwards and am hoping we'll keep a spring our steps right through the summer and beyond.  

My little sunshine on a rainy day

I'm constantly amazed at little M's ability to both live in the moment and raise the spirits of those around her.  Last Friday should have been crap.  I won't go into detail but think teething, temperatures, extreme tiredness and...diesel spillage from next door's scooter to add that extra special something.  And torrential rain.

Things started to look up when we finally made it out of the house.  We were trudging through the rain, me desperately trying to control the pushchair with one hand whilst holding an umbrella with the other, really wishing the raincoat I had finally gotten around to buying had arrived, hardly able to push it as little M's umbrella was wedged against the handle.  Suddenly little M exclaimed excitedly "Look! Flowers!" pointing at some rain sodden winter blossom floating in a puddle.  We lifted our eyes from the ground to find we were about to trudge past a beautiful blossom covered tree. A timely reminder to snap out of my serious self pitying grump! After that it seemed so much easier to see the positives in life.

We had lunch at the brilliant children's cafe we are lucky enough to live near - a great place to dive into on a rainy day when we're all bouncing off the walls.  Toys for the girls, a steaming cup of gingery goodness for me from their new hot drinks range, and cheery renditions of Christmas songs from little M for everyone else!  What a star. 

Martin surprised us all by coming home early from work doing magic tricks and telling poo jokes.  A very rare treat.  Little M came up trumps again by creating her own magic trick which involved crawling commando style across the kitchen floor and getting Martin to do the same.  It made me laugh a lot!

Little L was not her usual cheery self but she was so pleased to see Martin when he got home (I'm sure she tried to say "daddy") and little M had done such a good job of reminding me to look for the nicer things in life, that I decided I would nip out to a friend's Christmas party later that evening after all.  I'd been wavering, partly because I was shattered, and partly because Little L was being clingy as she was out of sorts.  But it seemed silly to waste the opportunity as Daddy was flavour of the day!  It was definitely the tonic I needed.  A couple of hours of socialising with adults without having one eye on the kids. Only my second evening out since April!

Little L and Martin were snuggled on the sofa watching TV when I returned.  Both looked relieved.  Poor Martin had had to deal with both girls getting up shortly before I got home.  Little L had been sleeping in Little M's room temporarily because of the diesel incident (it's a long story).  Sisterly love had apparently manifested itself as little M shrieking "SHE SLEEPS IN MY ROOM!" when Martin tried to separate them in an attempt to regain calm.  I found this so endearing. Perhaps Martin had other ideas at the time!  And so little L has now moved rooms permanently - something we'd been hesitating to do but actually seems to be working well for us all.  Another positive from a crappy 24hrs! Thank you little M for your encouraging words!

Little M spent the rest of the weekend buying impromptu presents for her friends, charming money from an elderly lady on a bus and getting a discount when spending it just by smiling.

I'm sure it has been said a million times, but I'm going to say it again...kids can teach us so much.  I must remember this when I'm exhausted.  And I must also remember that Martin can manage.  The girls might not be quite as happy to see him as they would be to see me if they wake up in the night, but they'll be safe, cuddled and getting chance to bond with their daddy.  And an occasional evening out would probably increase the length of my increasingly short fuse. 

And on a random tangent...if you like Charlie Brooker, or if you don't, you should read his piece in the Guardian yesterday. His reaction to the school shooting in Newtown is heartfelt and powerful.  It shows how parenthood can sharpen our ability to emphathise and the desire to right the wrongs in the world.  He makes a very good point, very well.

Alphabet scavenger hunt

I was feeling pretty chipper one day last week, despite it being the start of a five day stint without Martin.  Inspired by this lovely scavengar hunt on Sleep is for the Weak blog, I decided me and the girls would have our own mini-local adventure.  I wasn't organised enough to prepare it the night before, and somehow in the morning it morphed into an alphabet scavenger hunt, probably because little M was watching the Alphablocks on TV whilst I was trying simultaneously to get my act together and interest her in the day's activities.  Between us we accidentally concocted a fun and educational activity to do in the fresh air!

Here's how to do it:

1. Hastily scribble a few words in big letters on some pieces of paper, adding tick boxes underneath them.  We chose our names, including Rara,'s - little M's toy rabbit.

2. Stuff the pieces of paper somewhere you can easily grab them whilst you're out and about (or if you haven't rather foolishly decluttered your old clip-board which you haven't used for 10 years two weeks earlier, you could use a clip-board).

3. Ramble around your local area spotting letters, taking pictures of them and ticking them off as you go.  (Occasionally pointing to one at the end of the street so you don't spend 20 minutes looking at car number plates within 50 meters of your house!)

4. Stop for a wiggle-wiggle-woo dance

5. Do some more letter spotting, picture taking and ticking off until you've bagged almost all your letters.  Then the grown up needs to do the last few as the 3 year old makes a bee-line for the park.

6. Download your pictures onto your computer and create some personalised street art for your children (OK, so we haven't actually done this bit.  To be honest, my pictures aren't up to that much - as you can see - but we did spend a fun few minutes flicking through them on the computer together).

Little M is only just three so hasn't got her alphabet down quite yet - although she's very keen - but we had a great time.  I think this really helped her remember a few more letters, and recognise the ones she's really familiar with (like 'M') written in a range of different ways - not just Alphablock font.  It was actually quite hard to find lower case letters.  This helped little M start to learn a few capitals, which she's much less familiar with.

Number spotting is also good fun, and easy to do with no preparation.  Little M learnt her numbers mostly from car number plates after developing an unhealthy obsession with looking for the number 2 everywhere, which I put down to her falling in love with an "I am 2" T-shirt from a bag of hand-me-downs.

You never know, perhaps one night when you're stumbling back from the pub (remember those days?) you might indulge in a spot of rude word alphabet hunting! One day!

What's your favourite type of scavenger hunt?