First post of 2009?

So how long will that take me?

One Last Post

So Highlights of the second half of 2008:

• Returning to work after a year on maternity leave
• Ipple turning one, growing teeth (5 so far) and walking
• Guitar Hero World Tour on the Wii
• A certain other half taking voluntary redundancy
• Trip to Disneyland and San Diego

No Icecream please

Today was the Ben and Jerry's icecream fest. On a hot and humid day at Clapham Common, an unlimited supply of icecream was just what we needed.

Babies asleep when we arrived so we queued up for the coffee flavour, mint flavour and cheesecakey flavour. Figured that while they were asleep we may as well queue up for another flavour while we ate 3 scoops between the 2 of us. Three cones of Cherry Garcia later and we were on our way to meet our friends.

After some expert steering of the Phil and Ted's we'd arrived at their spot by the tree, marked our territory with a picnic blanket and sat down to finish our icecream before it finished us. Daddy and IB went off for a wonder (and a sneaky icecream) while Mummy and PL enjoyed some frozen yoghurt (chocolate flavour). PL particularly enjoyed the bottom of the cone containing slightly melted icecream. Not only was it tasty, it made a good mess when shaken.

After giving the babies something other than icecream to eat, it was time to wander again. Various sights taken in included the merchandise stall, childrens' play area and more ice cream - phish food. Clearly we had to have a go at the magnetic fishing as well!

Oh and there was music there too! We left during the Charlatans as the idea of battling to Clapham Junction with the world and his wife really didn't appeal.

Now, what's for dinner?

Guess who's going to do the holiday packing

Having mastered the art of t-shirt folding in 2 seconds, A has voluteered to do the packing...

Geometry with a Pizza

When marking out the snowflakes, we needed a way of measuring the angles.

While A was folding a sheet of paper into elaborate folds, I noticed the slice of Pizza play-food. Hmmm, I thought, everyone knows a circular pizza slices perfectly into sixths. 360 divided by 6 - 60 degrees. Aha! Just what we need to measure out 60 degree snowflake arms.

The paper protractor did come in handy for the other measurements...

Culmination of two weeks' parental leave

So today is officially the last day of A's parental leave. It's been a nice leisurely two weeks - rather like a 14 day weekend.

We managed a second trip to Legoland. Probably more successful than the first as we arrived shortly after opening times and managed to persuade IB to go on more rides. Taking a picnic probably helped as it meant we didn't spend an hour queueing for and then eating lunch. Highlights for IB included the tub of fluff she had after lunch (aka candyfloss). The remains are in the porch - half a tub is quite enough for such tiny teeth. Other highlights included driving the cars again, driving the boats again - overtaking everyone and the duplo waterplay area. We went prepared with a swimming cossie for IB. She joined in with all the other small people sitting on the fountains and leaping up when they went off!

Today has seen a rare moment of domesticity for us. Painting. We've been talking for over a year about buying magnetic paint and painting the girls' walls. The aim being to create an interesting feature on the walls that we then use to display drawings and scrawlings.

Having ummed and aahed about designs, A suggested snowflakes. We found some designs online for inspiration and went up to IB's room to plan out the design. Having used IB as a height guide, we settled on one large snowflake and three smaller ones. The magnetic paint dries to a dark grey colour so the next decision was what colour to paint over the magnetic paint. We settled on a colour and headed out to B&Q to purchase said colour. Lunch and two B&Q trips later (first store didn't stock, but second did) we returned to start painting.

Keeping up the blog

So last post was a little while ago - three weeks or so. Since then we have been making the most of the wanderer's return with a daytrip to Brighton and the Sealife Centre.

Two week's paternity leave has seen a mix of the usual activities plus a daytrip to Legoland and today - IB's show - after what seems like weeks of extra rehearsals, the performances are finally here. I'm making the most of peace and quiet while she wiggles her pompoms and generally looks cute (she's the youngest in her number, although some of the learner fairies in the teddy bears' picnic ballet are even younger).

I will try and post a more thorough update after the show... Honest.... I'll try....

Homeward bound

So as Mr S is due to land tomorrow morning, this maybe the last entry for a while. Maybe we'll keep it up as a weekly venture??

This morning we had a playbarn day - we walked for a change. Well, I did the walking, IB and PL were happy in the pushchair. Once there, IB found some other children to play with in the soft play which meant that I could get on with some more on my article for the local NCT magazine. Of course, we had to join IB in the soft play for a while, seeing as it was so quiet. PL did alarmingly well clambering up the ramps and up a slide - mummy had to be behind her to make sure she didn't roll backwards (and to catch her when she did).

We ventured outside for a while but the IB wanted to go back in the soft play. Another family were there so IB and the little boy did impressions of star wars characters while Mummy and the lady compared notes on life with two babies!

We walked home and skyped Mr S, who subsequently phoned to say that he was flying back today! Have kept it as a surprise for IB. IB and I then made a jelly fish. As an impromptu collage it actually looks quite good! We then made another bindeez item (an icecream) although the beads go a bit icky and sticky when sprayed.

We read "Snail and the Whale" at bedtime - an old favourite of mine which we hadn't read for a while.

Guess what letters were picked for this story...

Once upon a time there was a magic mouse. He had a friend called Zebra. One day Zebra came round to Mouse's Magic Manor without his stripes - he had lost them! Mouse said "don't worry Zebra, let's have a Cake while we decide what to do". In the meantime, the Queen found the stripes and flew over on her Kite to give them back to Zebra. The stripes were sewn back onto Zebra with a Needle so he didn't lose them again.

Spazzy Mog Blog

The mogs' antics sometimes deserve a blog of their own! I am still laughing about yesterday's antics!

I emptied their sachets of cat food into a bowl. On bending their furry little mog heads to eat the food, they found that they had turned into siamese mogs! They were stuck together by the magnets on their collars!!!

Monday?

This morning I woke up back in my own bed having fallen asleep on the floor by my door - Mummy came to check on me and found me in my room cuddling BB and a 'poota (aka calculator). She scooped me into bed which is where I stayed till morning.

After breakfast we played with my alphabet snap cards. Mummy made up a new game where we took five cards and took it in turns to make up part of a story carrying on from the last person's cards - If mummy can remember it she will post it here.

We then got dressed and went into the village. Mummy suggested I took the BB pushchair and I pushed it all the way to the health centre where we got PL weighed (nearly 8kg or 17lb in other words).

It was too early for lunch so we went to the park. Mummy saw a couple of ladies we know from playgroup (including someone who went to school with Sophie) so we had a chat with them and then Mummy and PL played chase with me.

Lunch was at our usual place - jacket potato with beans. Which meant I had lots of beans for tumbletots! Mummy joined me for the first "circuit" and then I did the rest all by myself!

I sat in the pushchair on the way home but had enough beans to stop at the playground!

I watched Shrek while Mummy read Englebury and PL crawled and nibbled and clambered and had cuddles.

Dinner was followed by some colouring in - Mummy is very pleased because we finally finished off the "Fuzzy Felt colourettes" so we have one for each room. While Mummy was getting PL ready for bed we made up stories about the animals in the pictures. Most of them ended with the crocodile eating the animals but in one story, the elephant rescued the crocodile from the Volcano.

Sunday

This morning was a Sainsbury's morning - I tried to persuade Mummy that I needed another toy but she said no because she had bought me a bindeez art kit yesterday - I was quite happy to accept this point.

Once we had done the shopping we had a sneaky Starbucks - mochatochahappafrappamappachino for Mummy, Smoothie and lolly for me and strawberries for us to share - although not as nice as the ones from the garden.

We decided to go to Robin and Jane's barbeque although we had lunch and made a card first. While were were making the card, PL had a lovely time standing by the side of the toy chest (holding on) and getting things out to nibble. When we were getting ready to go out, I was sitting on the stairs and she started to climb them. Lucky Mummy was there to catch her when she got wobbly (only made it up 3 steps).

I enjoyed playing on Thomas' bike (one of these balancing ones with no pedals), croquet and quoits. We also saw Ray and Sara (who are expecting a baby in September), James and his girlfriend and met some other boys and girls.

I had dinner in reverse - strawberries and icecream (2 portions) followed by sausages, couscous salad and cucumber. On the way out, I asked Jane if I could have one of the balloons on the gate - I kept letting go of it on the way home but luckily it didn't fly out the car! It's now tied to the bedladder.

Saturday

This morning was a gymnastics morning so Mummy and I enjoyed a cup of tea in the cafe while IB did her gym-thing. Mummy actually got to start a new book (Engleby). We went to watch IB for a bit but she was at the far end of the gym.

Next stop was the town centre to buy a birthday present for Emily. I was asleep by this point but Mummy and IB bought Emily's present - a paint your own t-set picked by IB - Mummy suspects Emily might have grown out of t-sets (even tho it has age 8 and up on it) but IB thought it was a good idea. We also bought Daddy a Taters of the Lost Ark Indiana Jones!

After lunch we drove down to Oliver's birthday party. Me and IB spent most of the time in the toy cars - with Mummy pushing me! We made it into the soft play for a while and Grandad Dave showed off his new video camera. We had some party food - well IB had lots, I had a nibble of some cucumber and a jaffa cake! Oliver had to be dragged away from filling his toy dumper truck with bark chippings for the birthday cake! After a couple of games of pass the parcel, it was time to go home.

Roll around Friday

So here comes another Friday! We walked to Nursery School and then Mummy headed home to hang out washing and pick up the car to drive to Sophie's. S was selling off her clothing stock and she also had a little something as a thankyou to Mummy for getting her the stall at the family fun day. P-L saw baby Samuel there as his Mummy (Fiona) popped in but PL was mostly interested in nibbling any paper she could find.

They came to collect me at 12. I had been very busy at nursery - I made a Bob the Builder collage!

We had my favourite lunch - veggy sausages, potatoes and carrots. Mummy did the washing up and then we headed out to dancing - a little early as Mummy thought it would be nice to walk - it was although Mummy ran the last bit as it was beginning to rain. Before the dancing lesson I ran around like a loon and PL had a little crawl and then had a little standing time. One of the other girls arrived so we were being laughing loons together!

After my dancing lesson we had a picnic while we waited for our second lesson - a rehearsal with the grown up girls. Danny, Jo and danced very nicely wiggling our pompoms!

It was then time to walk home in the rain - PL and I were OK as we were under the rain cover but Mummy didn't even have a coat! She was spurred on by the prospect of chinese takeaway with next door

I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah

This morning we walked to Playgroup - me in the sling and IB in the pushchair. Mummy thought I was going to fall asleep but there was too much too look at and we chatted with someone else heading to the same playgroup for part of the way.

Once at Playgroup we met up with J-I and E and their new nanny. J-I and I enjoyed playing in the baby corner while IB and E zoomed around the hall on their toy vehicles - bumping into each other (and annoying each other in the process) and bumping into other children in vehicles - who of course did the same!

IB and E headed over to the sticking table while Mummy fed me and chatted with some other Mummies. We then went over to see how IB had done - v well with a little help from one of the Mummies.

Mummy thought that the playdo table might be a good idea - so we sat there while IB made various things with the playdough and I prodded it with my fingers. I was getting tired by now so Mummy put me in the sling and I promptly dropped off to sleep. When I next woke up there was lots of noise as it was singsong time - Mummy had been marching round the hall with E and IB singing the grand old duke of york!

On leaving Playgroup IB said that she wanted to go to the cafe so off we went and huddled round a jacket potato with beans - even I tried some and enjoyed it! We walked home and I had my lunch (quinoa and sweetcorn plus a parsnip basil and spinach puree)

Standing lots

Today I woke up at 7am - Mummy and PL were already downstairs making breakfast. After my breakfast (of beans on toast) I made some cards for the nursery school teachers - each on had a picture of them on the front holding a remote control! Once we were dressed (me in my new spotty dotty dress from sainsburys) we walked to nursery school. Once there I couldn't wait to give the teachers their pictures!

Mummy and PL went home and popped in to see Rachel and baby James and give them a present (including an IOU for a loaf of bread and a yummy meal)! They then went off to Tumbletots for PL to practice her crawling and clambering skills - apparently PL did v well despite having slippery trousers. She also had a moment where for about half a second she stood without holding onto anything!

Mummy parked the car at Sainsburys for the nice man to wash while she collected me from Nursery. We then picked up the car - nice and shiny and poo-free and went off to meet Fiona, Joshua and baby Sam at the soft play. We had lots of fun but I got upset when someone pushed me off something. Mummy said that it wasn't very nice of them to do that but I said that they had pushed me because I wasn't letting them have a turn so Mummy suggested that maybe next time I should let them have a turn.

We came home and had dinner - lentil curry for me; quinoa, sweetcorn and a Plum baby carrot, lentil and cheese puree for PL. We then watched Return of the Jedi before turning in for the night.

Teeth!

This morning I woke up with no teeth. This evening I went to bed with one little white spot - so I'm no longer in the running for the baby gurning olympics. Actually the teeth have always been there, they're just a little backward in coming forward.

I'm also getting the hang of pulling myself up to standing - to the extent that when Mummy and IB came to get me after my afternoon nap, I was standing up in the cot. Mummy's already removed the farm animals thing, next thing to remove is the bumper (she knows someone who's little boy tried to use the bumper as a step).

We went to the park this morning - we met Sophie and Louis there and IB and Louis played in the sand - I sat in the sand and occasionally dipped my head in it! Mummy has noticed that sometimes if something is new to me, I hold it to my head. She thinks that's what I was doing today. We went on the swings and the roundabout too.

We decided to go to Bucks of Star for lunch - IB had her usual Ham n Cheese. I tried some of the chicken from Mummy's panini and gummed most of it.

Once home, I had the rest of my lunch and then had a snooze while Mummy and IB made a plate to send to Cbeebies and did some bits in the garden (gooseberries and garlic harvesting; pumpkin training and clematis planting).

Dinner time consisted of Rice, Tuna in a Broccoli and Courgette sauce. IB says that now I have teeth I can have sausage!

Monday

This morning Mummy and I were busy with glitter and stuff to make a brightbear the pirate cutlass! We also dressed as pirates with our cropped trousers and PL with the onesie we bought from the maritime museum.

We walked into the village for lunch, and also to return library books (library was shut so we had to post them into the returns box). Lunch was at our local cafe where Tanya commented that PL looks a lot like Daddy!

We then walked up to Tumbletots. I showed the ladies my cutlass and was telling one of them that I was wearing my pirate trousers! We then walked home through the jungle route - I walked almost all the way home!

Once home we played and I watched some of Flushed Away. Iain the lawnmower man came and did the lawns - I watched him from my window.

Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane?

At the London Wetlands Centre it could be either - what with the birds to see and the planes flying overhead.

We met George and Helen there at 10.05. I was getting tired so sat in the pushchair while we looked at the birds. There were lots of different ones to see - all Ducks to I-B. We then came across some living teepees - these were made with willow cuttings planted in the ground and then trained into a teepee shape. Mummy and I-B think that we should plant one in the back garden as IB enjoyed playing in it tremendously. I was getting more tired by now so Mummy put me in the sling while we continued to walk around. By the time they reached the hide in the wildside, I was asleep and IB was very good at being quiet while we looked at the birds. Hiddy was apparently making a noise but Mummy said that Isha was setting a good example to Hiddy by being as quiet as a mouse.

We then ambled to the other side of the reserve to the pondlife area where IB armed herself with a net and went pond dipping. She found lots of pondsnails and watermites.

Lunch was calling to us from the panniers so we ambled over to the adventure playground where IB could eat and play, and as could the rest of us. We spent the rest of the afternoon in there. For a while IB went to play with other children she met in the playground, she then came back to us and played with us - mostly with Helen. The only tears occurred when she toppled and grazed her foot - although she cleaned it very well with an anti-bopple wipe; and when a little boy deliberately snaffled her feathers. It wasn't an obvious feather-snaffle at first but little boys can be like that sometimes, so Mummy says.

IB was sound asleep by the time we got home. Mummy gave me dinner (lentil and veg mush) and tried waking IB up to give her dinner but she was so asleep she just wanted to go up to bed. It was then my turn for bed, Mummy took me up, read me a story and by the time she had ordered the Indian takeaway, she was asleep.

All in all a good weekend was had by all. The only thing missing was a Daddy pate to tap...

Ahoy there shipmates

This morning we drove to Greenwich where we met Helen and George (Mummy only took two wrong turnings - once onto the South Circular and then she turned off the A2 too early). We walked up to the Observatory and Planatarium where there was lots of astronomical paraphernalia and something called a Meridian Line. Mummy explained that Bright Bear needed this line to help him navigate when on his quest for treasure.

I also touched a meteor - Mummy says that it is the one which Tintin brought back from his adventures in the Shooting Star Mystery. George and Helen went to watch the black hole show in the Planetarium while Mummy, P and I looked at chronometers (Mummy says we should make one for Bright Bear's treasure chest) and climbed up into the Observatory.

We realised that Bright Bear was AWOL so we headed back to the Planetarium where a very nice lady found him for us. He had been helping sell tickets to the Planetarium shows. There is one for children which Mummy thinks we should take Daddy to see.

We met up with George and Helen again and walked down the hill to the cafe for lunch. There was an outdoor play area where I could clamber and climb to my heart's content. Mummy wanted to go into the Maritime Museum and look at the ships and things so I reluctantly left the play area and went in. Once up in the Handson Gallery I had lots of fun. My favourite game was cargo loading where I had to operate a crane which was loading cargo into a boat! There were also some interesting computers in the your sea area. Mummy said that we would come to the museum another day with Daddy as there was lots there.

We all drove to our house where P and I had dinner and I played with Helen in the garden while Mummy got grown up dinner ready. I then had a second dinner from Mummy's plate! We arranged to meet tomorrow and George and Helen then left. Mummy got me ready for bed and then read Monkey Puzzle to me.