Year of Fun 2016

Former_MSE_Andrea · 22 February 2016 at 2:41PM

The panto (Pompei themed) was great fun. The girls spent the rest of the afternoon laughing at Romans/Pompeiians named "Hilarious", "Disasta" and "What Flavia? Vanilla!"

I didn't get to the cinema but on Sunday my youngest daughter and I went for a long, windy mum and daughter stroll round our nearest National Trust gardens followed by lunch at the cafe.

It's only about 10 minutes away so we make full use of our membership, going quite regularly and having picnic suppers there after school in the summer. I love that so many National Trust places have so much to do for kids nowadays... It weren't like that in ma'day! :rotfl:

It was especially lovely as it made me realise she and I don't get much time alone together. She's the quieter of my two and is often "overpowered" if you will by her big sister.

Former_MSE_Andrea · 26 February 2016 at 3:19PM

I may have a win coming on the eco front.

Husband (wanted shiny new dishwasher) vs Me (wanted to get current one fixed because I'm "All about Zero Waste").

The insurer is sending someone out to inspect it next week

In other news, one of the girls' friends has just got guinea pigs this week after saving all her pocket money etc for a very long time. My girls think they're visiting two cute fluffy things tomorrow afternoon. They don't know it yet but they'll also be getting a valuable lesson in why they need to stop begging for every toy under the sun and start saving their money rather than spending it on pokemon and match attax cards

I honestly have tried to bring them up the MoneySaving Way but somehow it's not going in all the way!

Former_MSE_Andrea · 29 February 2016 at 10:57AM

Andrea chicken made a bid for freedom over the weekend :rotfl:

I posted on the Green and ethical board - I thought they'd laugh at this too

Former_MSE_Andrea · 2 March 2016 at 1:55PM

We've had fun the last week or so making a World Book Day costume out of an XXL adult yellow onesie I found in a charity shop for £3.50 - my 9 year old is planning to go as Marley from the book Marley and Me.

My 6 year old has decided she also wants to go as Marley so we're looking for a tail on shorts daddy made for the 9 year old three years ago. It's always hanging around somewhere. Can we find it when we need it though?!? :rotfl:

To add a spanner in the works we've been reading Heidi the last few weeks and last night, with just three days to go (our school does it on Friday) the words "why don't you go as Heidi?" fell out of my mouth. Talk about self-sabotage!

Still, it's worth it in the end. I love going to assembly when World Book Day's on :T

kingfisherblue · 2 March 2016 at 2:50PM

Well, it's chaos outside our house at the moment. New gas pipes are being put in. We're on a small estate, just three roads, with only one entrance/exit. I live three houses into the estate, so am close to the entrance /exit.

There are holes everywhere, with numerous barriers that keep blowing down in the wind. I can't park in my street at the moment because of the trucks and vans. It's cold when they turn off the gas all day.

Watching yesterday's traffic jam outside my lounge window was interesting. I don't think it was fun for those in the cars though. Vehicles couldn't get into, or out of, the estate.

I arranged to meet my son's bus on the main road (he has escorted transport to and from his special school). There was no possibility of the driver parking any closer to our house. Today, my son is being dropped off at my daughter's house, for eased and for safety (I had to walk him on the road without any barriers to keep him from straying into vehicles).

All the frustrations disappeared, though, when my son stopped to look down a dark, wet hole. He stood there, and with a sense of awe, he uttered just one word at first - 'Wow!'

He then became very excited, pointing out the different coloured pipes, the dirty puddles of water, and the Coke can that someone had left in the hole.

Sometimes it takes the eyes of a child to see the joy in something.

(And it was bliss when the diggers stopped for the day!)

Former_MSE_Andrea · 4 April 2016 at 2:28PM

Isn't it amazing how children see things?

We made the most of the sunshine this weekend and went to Castle Ashby. The kids loved the pond in the orangery and the animals in the menagerie but I think their most fun part of the day was finding a ladybird. They named it Betty and made a "house" out of twigs for it

bugslet · 4 April 2016 at 2:39PM

Unexpected fun at the vets on Friday ( mine was in for just a check up ) and a couple arrived in with 8 four week old Boxer pups.

It is impossible not to smile at 8 wriggling little pups making sweet puppy noises and flat out with siblings walking over them:j