The girl is three

Half term has been and gone in a whirl of busyness;  what a relief it has been to finally step off the merry go round of life and enjoy some time at home. My job has come to an end and although I will really miss my gorgeous class I will not miss the seven thirty drop at breakfast club and the endless catch up with everything.  

Space and time you are most welcome to return!

My little old blog has been a casualty of the no time for anything but essentials while full time teaching, inevitably supermarket shopping has taken priority over crafting and taking photos  has become a way to record children's progress in school rather than a beautiful memory of my own little ones progress. I feel a little sad I haven't kept up with the Ruby month photos as they are an amazing record to keep.

The girl is now three and celebrating her birthday in half term was a fun family event.  She is such a fun age and loved her princess dress  and various plastic necklaces.  Her top present was a Peppa Pig pillow and duvet set - hopefully she will be in her own big bed very soon.

This is dependent on our building work being finished, oldest boy is being moved into the newly built extension and small girl will move into his room.  This seems to be taking a long time in finishing and patience is very much needed.  To add to the chaos we are also knocking down a wall to make a larger kitchen, the children loved being able to graffiti on the wall!

If I look at beautiful flowers (given to me when I left work) I can almost avoid the mess.

Have you survived building work?  Tell me how.....

Super Snowy Days

We have been having lots of fun in the snow this weekend.  Bonus family days are few and far between and lots of lovely white stuff to play with make them even better.  We all had a snow day from   our different schools on Friday (although oldest boy had to walk in for an exam)  and spent it getting very cold and wet enjoying the fun of the snow.

The walk to the park started off with looking at the beauty of the snow in the front garden, along with a newly toothless front smile from small boy.

The roads were a little icy but the view was fantastic.

The park itself was looking glorious and the snow made everyday things look beautiful.

Littlest lady was not too happy about the cold but a cuddle with Daddy soon made her smile.

Everyone was having  sledging fun,

although some children are getting far too good at snowball throwing!

How did you spend your snowy weekend?

Obviously if you are reading this and you are from the US you are probably laughing at how excited we all get by a small amount of snow  in the UK!

Christmas crafting for a MBE no less!

I really love a special homemade gift: the thought, time and effort that have gone into creating it always mean a lot.  Sadly I have had no time at all this year to create many gifts but I did manage to squeeze in a tiny bit of last minute knitting and managed to make this cute gift for my Grandma.

I made it using a super easy kit (from this lovely lady), it was perfect for easy making whilst watching Christmas films.  I am sure I will be making more of these gorgeous little tea cosies.

It felt very good to be able to make something and I find the process of knitting very calming and soothing -  the  perfect  antidote for those crazy pre festive days.

I was able to give her my little gift at our family gathering in wet and very windy Wales last week.  It was lovely to see it on her mantelpiece ready to give her comfort and a little reminder of her family far away.

The visit was made even more special with the unexpected news that my nearly ninety four year old grandma was nominated and selected to receive an  MBE award this year.  This is for her services to the elderly and vulnerable,  a fitting reward for all her tireless work over the years.

Well done Grandma, we are all very proud of you!

A fantastic start to a new year.

Here's to a new year full of space to create and be a help to others.

New Year

Happy New Year!

May it be very happy and full of fun family times for everyone.

I have so missed capturing our memories and all the creativity that comes with blogging.  It would seem  however  that full time teaching, six energetic children and building work leave very little time for anything else. Life has been very full and busy in the oldpolicehouse but hopefully this will calm down as the year unfolds.  

New years day was perfectly spent  with my oldest girls exploring London, visiting the ballet and unexpectedly being caught up in the buzz of the new years parade.   Trafalgar Square looked beautiful sparkling against the night sky.

Thank you so much to all the lovely friends and family who have missed reading my blog; it means such a lot to hear you say such kind things about my ramblings and pictures.

Much happiness and many blessings 

to us all in 2013!

Remembering...

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

John Mccrae May 1915

So thankful to live in peace today and very grateful to all those who laid down their lives for that privilege.

Thank you.

Half way ......

Exactly in the middle of  Two and Three today,  the littlest member of our house has been a real superstar all summer. 

Almost there with toilet training, the little blue potty has followed us on our adventures over the past few weeks.  She was happy to use it in B & Q car park and delighted with the resulting Peppa Pig rewards.  Ever increasing in her bossiness our little lady loves to tell us all what to do from the safety of her little blue plastic throne!

Exploring with her older brother  on a recent Forest School visit

Such delightful chatter and comments on  the happenings of the day have reminded us she is very quickly growing up.  Loving the attention of older sisters she is very proud of her new green painted toenails.  Times are a changing as Ruby starts Forest School in a few weeks;  such a wonderful and happy environment in which to learn and play.  Freedom to run around and explore the woods, watching out for the fire and painting with feathers on hanging sheets.  

Perfect  first steps into her education experience.

Staying safe near the fire

Older brother very much enjoyed running around and exploring,  this would have been a fantastic place for him to run off some of his energy when he was younger!  He had a birthday last week and loves to tell us that Ruby is halfway between him and zero,  that she is  exactly  half his age.  Very important in a five year old life to know this.  Almost as important as letting me know he is actually now  Superman,  there have been far too many daredevil superhero inspired jumps across furniture and in the garden already this holiday. 

We love it  most of all when this whirlwind of energy  falls asleep,

 how can this be comfortable?

What is the most unusual place you or a small person you love has fallen asleep?

To the lighthouse

A five hour drive in a car crammed  full of camping equipment, beach kit,  food, a happy dog and excited children meant that after the trailer tent was finally erected  the tribe were very ready to explore their new Cornish home.

The beautiful beach glowed in the sunset, the waves crashed against the sand and our little group of weary campers began to feel relaxed as we drank in the sea air.  We camped with friends who had made an excellent choice of the campsite, a short walk over the sand dunes and we were on the secluded beach.  The lighthouse in the distance watching over all our frolics.

For those of you literary types this was the lighthouse  that inspired Virginia Woolf's famous novel and what an inspiration this part of the world is.  The grassy dunes were planted last century to stop the local village from being  covered in sand  as the beautiful breeze which creates the  surf is fairly strong.

The beach was almost as deserted the next morning  and we spent many happy hours here whilst we were away.

Coco loved the freedom of the beach and the sea, although had to wait until the evening to be allowed to explore.

The weather was the usual british summer mix of glorious and drizzle but   we   don't let that stop us having fun.      

A flask and a raincoat are pretty much camping necessities! 

If you are ever  in the area I really recommend visiting this beautiful unspoilt beach near  Gwithian; super for surfing, sandcastle building, rock pooling and feeling relaxed.  

I know we will be returning.   

What is your favourite family beach?