2/52 THE OLD ROUTINE

I really enjoyed working less hours over Christmas and having you all home with me because, as much as I love my work and being a mommy, it can be quite isolating and hectic at times.  The Christmas break really gave us all the opportunity to recharge our batteries and I am so thankful for that.  Unfortunately though we are well and truly back into the swing of things this week and back to the routine of school and work, although I suppose if it weren't such a contrast we wouldn't appreciate the time we share together quite as much as we do.  We did, however manage to squeeze in a trip to the cinema to see Monster's University with your Auntie Dana as well as a lovely visit with some of our other good friends this weekend which included toys from my childhood (which you will note are neither pink or blue...see it is possible...) Christmas pudding and lots of cuddles.  What a lovely combination.

 

Lunchtime*

Sylvanian Families

Grimm's Fairy Tales - The 12 Dancing Princesses

Deep in conversation*

Aah, Har-wee (Harry)

 

*More black and white photos that I have established Google is "autoenhancing" via Google+ on upload except I don't even have a Google+ account so basically the only way to stop it is to set up a Google+ account...sneaky!

WELCOME HOME MOMMY

A - 365
D - 365
Teeny - 365

I get this greeting every Monday and Friday when I arrive home from work and I just love it.  To hear or see their excitement as I pull onto the drive or open the front door is one of the best feelings in the world. 

 

(By the way this photo is yet another one that should be black and white, but Blogger has decided to upload it in an weird sepia sort of tone....Again!)

NO FAVOURITISM INTENDED

Teeny - 365

Sadly it just so happens that today you are the only person I can find a photograph of.  I think your daddy must have taken it in an attempt to help me as I clearly wouldn't have been home at this time.  You all go to bed not long after I get back and I think that time must have just run away with me tonight..  I feel so sad that there is another day that isn't documented properly, but I am thankful that we at least have this one of you.

PRECIOUS HOUR

A - 365

I am still struggling with you and D being at school.  I have to collect you both just after 3.00pm and we are normally in the house and sorted by 3.30pm which, on a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, gives me an hour with you both before I have to dish up the dinner and then start working at 4.45pm.  I am desperately trying to make sure I have prepared dinner while you are at school and that I have something we can all do together for our precious hour.  Today I got out some phonics wipe clean books that we have and we all practiced letter formation while we talked about your day at school.  Oh how I miss the luxury of the time that we have had together for almost the last five years.  It is so heartwarming to see how you submerse yourselves in school and how you are forming such lovely friendships, but there is a tiny bit of me that constantly feels anxious and possibly even uncomfortable about school and wishes I was confident enough to consider other approaches to education like homeschooling and unschooling.  I know that as parents we are all supposed to know what is best for our children, but I'm afraid that I honestly sometimes really don't...... 

FLAT OUT

Teeny - 365

It's Friday night which means I get to put you to bed, but today you were so tired that you were asleep before we got there.

BOOK CORNER BOOKS

A - 365

D - 365

When we go into school in the morning you get to choose a book from the book corner to bring home with you.  On the days when I work evenings I try to make sure I can sit down with you to do an activity before I dish up the dinner and go up to start work and quite often that will be reading your book corner books.  I am still really struggling with all of the time that you spend at school and my resultant loss of time with you and so I really cherish this little bit of time with you both.

MOMMY, CAN WE HELP?

A - 365

D - 365

I don't have time to be precious about the house; I figure that when you are bigger and have left home I will have all of the time in the world for a pristine house and for now I do what I can when I can.  Having said that I do have days when I need to cleanse certain rooms and today was one of them so today while you pottered with Daddy I started sorting the shoes and cleaning the plastics, but then you two came out wanting to help and then cleaning the hall and the porch became much more fun.

SCOOTING

A - 365

D - 365

On Fridays Daddy has to pick you up from school and today was his first Friday.  He doesn't have the car because I need it for work and so you either have to catch the bus and then walk or walk all of the way (which would be a good 40 minute walk for me if I were to walk briskly and so probably more like an hour for you).  The weather was pleasant today and so Daddy suggested taking your scooters for you to ride back from school.  I humoured him, but I actually thought he was crazy to think that you manage to ride them all of the way back.  Oh how wrong was I?

19:33

A - 365

D - 365

I find you two being at school emotionally exhausting, you two, on the other hand, find it physically exhausting.  Three minutes after Daddy put you to bed I came in to give you a quick kiss and this is how I found you.

I FORGOT (AGAIN!)

A - 365

D - 365

Today was yet another day when I didn't get round to taking photographs during your waking hours. 

 

Now that  I am working 31 hours per week, more than half of those hours during the evening, (and you will be at school all day from tomorrow) I am finding this 365 project more challenging than ever.  The photos are nowhere near the standard I had hoped they would be by now and I just don't seem to be able to find the time I had wanted to play with and practice photography and teach myself more.  My standards for this project have lowered dramatically over the months and now managing to a blog a photo of each of you more than a few times per week and to take any kind of photograph using anything that takes a photograph at some point before midnight each day feels like a massive achievement.  We will, however, discretely gloss over the masses of photographs that I have on the laptop that I haven't even found the time to blog yet!

 

Anyhow...onwards and upwards!

UNCHARTERED TERRITORY

Teeny - 365

We are down to around one booby (or booba as you call it) per day now; usually at bedtime on the four evenings I don't work and mid morning on the days I do my evening hours.  It is extremely rare for you to fall asleep at the breast at bedtime now though and on the odd occasion that you do, like today, I wonder whether it will be the last and it sends me on a train of thought about where our breastfeeding journey is heading. 

 

I am well and truly into uncharted territory now you see; by the time your brother and sister hit 15 months they really weren't very interested in feeding from me anymore and, if I am honest, probably hadn't been for a while.  I am so thankful that our breastfeeding journey is still going and I think I would quite like it if you and I could get to your second birthday, but I am not sure how I feel personally about anything beyond that.  I am not at all against "extended" feeding (I do hate that phrase though, why is It extended and not just normal?), but our breastfeeding experiences are very personal to us and as happy and unphased as I am by seeing somebody feeding a child beyond their second year I just don't know I would feel about actually doing it myself. 

 

We shall just have to wait and see where this road takes us I suppose.

LIBRARY OF BIRMINGHAM

A - 365
D - 365

I was very jealous of you both today; I have been desperate to go to our new library since it opened and guess what, while I was at work and Teeny was at nursery, you two had a cheeky trip into town on the train with Daddy and pipped me to the post.  Will you take me next time please?

MY INCREDIBLE HULK

D - 365

I don't usually work on Saturdays, but today was different; it was the fourth birthday of The You+ Shop which is where I am based for my day job.  It was a community event so Daddy brought you and your brother and sister to join us for the last hour and while you were here you had smoothies, birthday cake and of course you had your face painted as none other than The Hulk, obvious choice really because after all he is GREEN!

HAIR CUT

Teeny - 365

Normally jobs such as first haircuts would fall to me, but when you are tired or upset you tend to pull out your hair and eat it so I asked Daddy to take you to have your haircut while I was at work this afternoon in an attempt to distract you from it.  Here is the result; my baby is all grown up.

STORY TIME

A - 365
D - 365

I love the fact that on evenings like tonight, when I am not working, I get to snuggle up and read stories with you both.

EPIC FAIL!

Argh!!

 

Guess who cannot find any photographs for today? 

 

I feel so sad.

WELCOME HOME MAMA

Teeny - 365

Greetings like this are the best thing about going out to work all day.  I missed you too baby!

JUST A LOVELY DAY

A - 365
D - 365

I'm so blessed to have such good friends (not to mention a lovely mother in law, sister in law and nephew) who have taken care of A&D for me on those days I have had to work during the school holidays.  Today they spent the day with my wonderful friend Jade and Zee Zee.  All I ask of anybody who looks after my children is no more than for them to be kept safe, but my expectations always seem to be exceeded and today was no different.  A&D spent a lovely day at Cannon Hill Park and Birmingham Nature Centre and even came home with a little gift each.  I was overwhelmed at the amount of thought and effort that Jade had clearly put in to today and happily they seemed to understand and appreciate that too.  Thankfully Jade even found the time to take some lovely photos for my blog too.

THE MEADOW

A - 365
D - 365

So today you spent  the morning with some of our favourite people in the whole world while I went to work and Teeny went to nursery. 

 

The place where Auntie Marie took you isn't really a meadow, but that is how it is affectionately known in their house so of course you adopted that name too. 

 

Not only did Auntie Marie plan a lovely morning for you at "The Meadow", she even took some photos for this blog for me.  I did try to chose one each, but they were so lovely that I have ended up sharing them all here and I even resisted the urge to edit them.

 

We are so luck to have such lovely friends.

 

Enjoy these happy memories.

THREE IN THE BED

A - 365
D - 365

Tonight we made the most of me being around at bedtime.