Yesterday: A normal day in photos

We're the type of family that likes to make the most of the weekends, whenever possible we try to have a family day out. But during the week, as I don't drive, its a little harder to do anything much more exciting than a visit to the park, a few hours at playgroup or a new activity from Pinterest. Sometimes we just have normal days. The days where nothing is planned, where the kids just play as they please and I try to master the art of drinking a cuppa while it is still hot!

Yesterday was one of those days. Yesterday: A normal day in photos

I woke myself up with a morning coffee while they boys had their breakfast. Toast and banana for Niall, porridge for Rio.

 

Rio tried to do his alphabet puzzles but little Niall wanted to see what his brother was up to and join in!

I then got a parcel I forgot I'd even ordered and got the boys dressed for the day.

 

Rio made fun out of tidying a messy hallway and Niall ran around for a while whilst me and Rio used our matching hoovers to clean up.

 

 

Rio chose mushrooms and mackerel for lunch, followed by fruit and fromage frais. I forgot to photograph Niall's but he had sweet potato mash, quickly followed by a bottle as nap time was overdue and he was doing his little dinosaur noise.

 

 All winter we have been telling Rio he can play on the trampoline again when it gets sunny. He certainly didn't fail to tell me the sun was out yesterday, and had fun burning off some energy.

 

 

I love sitting back with a cuppa (hot this time - result!) and watching them play together. They have such a bond already and the older Niall gets the more it grows. Nothing makes him laugh like his big brother. I love how in a morning, he naughtily tries to wake him up on purpose.. Niall is an early riser in comparison to Rio, and while he wakes with a smile now..im sure in a few years that will all change!

 

 

I so wish that I could capture on camera his eye colour difference properly, I wonder if it will change? Rio discovered that cups sound like horse hooves and had lots of fun clip clopping around. He then had a rare afternoon nap.. that's what fresh air and a trampoline does to you!

 

Craig got home from work and cooked tea (chicken, sweet chilli rice and peppers) while I went to the gym. I read Niall a story and got him to sleep while Rio was unwinding downstairs and having quality time with Daddy. I then hopped in the shower and into bed leaving Craig to watch Frozen while Rio drifted off.

 

A normal day, a normal family, but I couldn't be happier!

A walk in the wind!

I cant remember the last time we had a good outdoorsy day out. (What with the weather and the fact that I work weekends.) But today we had a pretty good one at Potteric Carr. You can see our first visit here.

 

Rio walked all the way from the entrance to the café, pretty good going for a one year old, it must be over a mile.. before stopping off for a lovely jacket potato lunch! The weather held out and we managed to go another route on the way back. (Even if my pregnant bum did have to lift his pram over a fallen tree..horrible England wind).  We did intend to build a bird box as that was todays activity at the reserve but left it abit late (Asda closes at 4 on a Sunday). But it was still a lovely day out as usual, proving that the annual pass was money well spent!

Parent tidying: The art of moving mess from one place to another!

When your the parent to a toddler, or multiple children, it feels as though your forever tidying up. Yet at the end of the day when you throw yourself on the sofa to relax to the soaps all evidence of that is well and truly gone! On numerous occasions I've actually been guilty of taking photo's of my gleaming clean house just to prove to my OH that I don't just sit drinking cuppa's all day, encouraging Rio to cause chaos. Yes - I am that sad!

While tidying today I suddenly became aware that 'parent tidying' is totally different to 'pre parent tidying'.

Behold...Parent tidying: The art of moving mess from one place to another. (Where it looks relatively less messy).

First you want to pick up the washing. (Usually found around every corner of the house) & deposit on the top of the mountain waiting to be washed.

Now rapidly pick up all toys and shove them into toy boxes, only enticing your little one to scour through that very box while looking for whatever's at the bottom!

Then let your little one loose on the 'shake & vac' so the carpets smell fresh, even if they are currently covered in jam stains etc until you remember to actually pick up the darn and blast it carpet shampoo-ey stuff! Hoover with toddler in toe mimicking the very thing and tripping you over with theirs! ..Only to realise its 15 minutes until lunch time so that was a pointless expedition!

Whip out the baby wipes and wipe all skirting boards/surfaces!

 Seconds later your toddler spots where you've been hiding the play dough all week!

And the fun starts all over again!

Joules Wishlist*

With Christmas fast approaching my wish lists are getting pretty out of control. Rio is usually a walking advertisement for Next but I'm trying to branch out now he's getting older and took a little look at the Joules website. Big mistake!! As a horse lover I instantly fell in love with the Joules range of boys clothing This wish list is just a tiny snippet of what id secretly love to slip in my Christmas basket, along side about 100 things for myself!!

Have you bought anything from the Joules range before? I bet a few of you own some of their fabulous wellies!

Its always a bonus to see companies supporting a great cause too!

The art of autumn

 

Today Rio walked ALL the way home from the park!

 

Also..who knew how much wildlife you could fetch home in a bag of leaves?

Bedlam at the bookcase!

As the proceeds were going to charity, when we bought Rio's pirate ship we also bought a bookcase among other things. Like me, Rio is a bookworm and instead of them being locked away in the cupboard I thought, lets put them in a bookcase so he can help himself. Only..im beginning to think the locked cupboard was the better option ;)

Only joking. Kinda ;) God help him in the library! Some of his favourites include..

Has your little one got a favourite? Or have you got one that you prefer to read over the rest? Personally I cant wait for Rio to be old enough to discover Roald Dahl! ..I may or may not of read Georges marvellous medicine to him already, and by that I may mean I read it, and he..urm hopped off my knee and played/fell to sleep?

Whats the magic word?

When i was pregnant i used to love looking at the weekly updates to see how Rio was developing, likewise in the first few months of his life. At some point i must of stopped, and as the emails got less frequent i drifted away from keeping up with them.

As a parent you always wonder if your child's 'doing the right things for their age' (although we all know that children develop and do things at different rates and in their own time) so i couldnt help having a look at some of the things it said for 16 months. One of which really stuck in my mind, and that was manners!

Please & thankyou

In my opinion manners go along way, they dont cost anything and if your going to teach your child anything, teach them manners! I dont mean holding back something until they say "ta" just implementing it from a young age. For aslong as i can remember when Rio has passed something to us we have said "ta" and in his own time he started mimicking us, even making us say it if we forgot. Sometimes if he wants something he will chant "ta ta ta" with his hands out..cheeky monster that he is. So we are half way there.

I think please is the harder one to learn, though you may disagree. At this young of age i think "ta" is enough. I will be making sure i include please more in our daily routine now however. Though im sure for a while it will be repeated as "peas".

Mummy: "Thankyou daddy"
Daddy: "Your welcome mummy"

Like i said in Rio's 16 month update , toddlers are sponges at this age so just model the type of language you want them to use yourself and most of all..dont forget to praise them :)

Rio: "Ta"
Mummy & Daddy: "Good boy Rio!!"

Thank god its friday

Today was my last day at work for a week. I love booking the same time off as Craig and having a full week of family days out. Rio spent the evening running under the sprinkler & putting Noddy on the back of his tractor trailer before making it set off with him. The days when Noddy loved his little wind up car are long gone apparently ;)

   We had a powercut last night. Rio went into the kitchen and came back with a milkshake, he definatly eats his carrots!

Free fun in the sun: at the park

 

 Im a big believer in the best days out /activities are the free/cheap ones. So instead of splashing the cash this summer, why not splash in the sea or the pool in the garden instead? Whether its a trip to the local beach or park, your sure to have fun creating and capturing memories!!

 

Clumber park, and yet another picture of Rio playing football.

Seems as though me and Craig have the same week off together we're trying to make the most of it and have as many family days out as the weather allows. Clumber park is an old favourite of ours, and little Rio likes anything that has enough grass to kick a ball about so we're all happy chappys really.

..we'd be even happier chappies if we'd booked that last minute holiday like we'd planned but oh well, least the current bun is making an appearance. Hey maybe it will stay out long enough to take Rio on the beach for the first time at the weekend? Bucket and spade at the ready courtesy of nanna the easter bunny.

 

What a terror!!  In sports direct the other day they had balls right near the ceiling and it took him 0.2 seconds to locate them. He has some kind of sixth sense for balls/balloons. It took me about ten minutes of handing him rugby balls, basketballs etc before he got mad and pointed to the ceiling and growled "FOOTBALL", that i realised. Silly useless mummy!! ;)

Strawberry picking

Strawberry picking has become a little yearly tradition for me and Craig..at times we've been abit immature and its ended in a sly food fight but generally its just a really nice day when the suns out. This year was even better because Rio is at an age where he can enjoy it too. And enjoy it he did..he certainly tried before he buyed anyhow!! Sneaky child ;)