Tots that Rock

Gracie’s favourite day of the week is defiantly a Monday. We scoot to school (Gracie’s new favourite way to get around)

look out world she has wheels

Then we rush home to have a snack before jumping on the bike and cycling over the bridge to the pub for ‘Tots that Rock’. It’s G’s favourite toddler group – there’s singing, dancing, bubbles, toy animals and the song from Frozen at the very end. It takes a while for her to warm up and leave my lap but she’s getting more corageous every week.

she braved the hat & seat but couldnt face the singing just yet

 

sometimes our friends are there

 

bubbles and a unicorn. dreamy

 

sometimes its much quiter and we enjoy it more!

Then we come home, have lunch, a nap take Baxter for a walk before picking Max up from school. Usually he has a friend over to play and Gracie follows them round like a shadow trying to join in their games. Sometimes they come with a little brother or sister to play with too!

And then there were 5!

We finally went and did it, we got a dog! A black labradoodle puppy, we’ve named him Baxter (after my favorite Anchor man dog). He’s like a cute fluffy bear cub. He can’t go outside for another 2 weeks so he’s busy roaming the house and peeing everywhere while he settles in.  

its not like having another child but is helpful in tiring the real ones out

  

‘snausages’

  

“Hi im new”

  

Gracie showing the ropes by shouting “EAT EAT” over and over again

  

our first visit to the breeders in Hastings

 

his favourite sleeping spot under the sofa

 

Max was given the prestigious job of giving him a middle name and went with ‘Speedy Gonzales’. Good solid name Baxter Speedy Gonzales Blake. Welcome home son. 

We have a reader

Max is a fantastic reader. I’m so happy he shares my love of books – I’ve suspected this for a while  and his new found love of reading his school books to his sister has helped confirm my suspicions. He’s reading for pleasure and not because I’ve told him (yelled when his constant bouncing around drives me over the edge and longing for some quiet time) its reading practise time or he’s at school. 

This also eases the guilt that we don’t read to Grace enough. Max had a story every night before bed. His favourite, aged just 2, was one I made up about the much loved Dog-Dog being lost in the woods and Daddy going to find him and bring him home. I haven’t told that story for a long time but recently Max mentioned the time Dog-Dog got lost in the woods as if it was a real life thing that happened! 

This Kipper guy has a lot of adventures

Toxic Cherio spill wipes out entire family

try explaining to a small toddler why she cant eat those ones.

Our week

For me the week starts on a Saturday and ends Wednesday when the work job starts. I’m out of the house from 6.30am until 7.30pm, by the time I get home I just about have enough energy to stuff my chew hole full of dinner, pack the bags (school, toddler & work) for the next day and crawl into bed with wet hair. Why wet hair you ask? Well a pre bedtime hair wash shaves a precious 10 minutes off the morning time getting ready for work faff –  when I wake up its clean and dry (albeit not all hanging in the right direction). 

So this week we’ve been crab hunting in the harbour. I was pleased to note Max had no fear of picking up the pinchy little crustaceans. 

crab hunter

We filled out after school time with Playdates (those hours between school getting out and bedtime are looooong)

 

top tip – use small boys for free garden work

 
And Grace and I spent a lot of time making ‘food’ out of play doh and using our bargain ‘£4.99 of the eBay’ tea set

 

you want some noodles with this?

I also discovered the worlds best pyjamas – The Little White Company – ok they’re a hand me down pair but they’re so soft & cute. So new ones are now on my wish list  Snugly soft PJ’s

snug fit stripe & spot pyjamas £30

Quick spend all the monies!

The sun is shining, my hair looks alright and I know exactly where my phone/sunglasses/keys are at this precise moment life is sweet. Then my phone rings and it’s my boss. I look at it and panic. He’s leaving soon due to ill health. I veer between feeling totally meh to intense paranoia that I’m going to get fired or even worse work in the office on a Friday. 

But it’s OK it’s good news, it’s bonus day and I got a payrise! So I do what I always do when my bank account is about to look even slightly healthy ‘SPEND ALL THE MONIES’. 

We are now the proud owners of a 10ft trampoline WITH, I’d like to add, rain cover & ladder. 

After some time spent building it (I took the kids out so sweary Daddy could finish wrestling with it in peace without 2 kids crawling all over him) we spent a very enjoyable morning bouncing and shrieking and annoying anyone in 200ft radius trying to have a sleep in on a Saturday.

I also discovered the new found thrill of ‘mummy slam’ a dangerous bounce manoeuvre that can leave small children bruised and missing teeth

 

Photo bomb

  

Air time

  

Mummy slam

The boy turns 5

Not sure how it happened but I am now the mother to a 5 year old (I know I know must’ve had in my teens right??!) Turning 5 is huge deal when you’re 4 – Max was able to give the full run down on all 29 other kids in class and if they were older or younger than him!

To celebrate Granny & Grampy came to stay – Grampys encyclopedic knowledge of all super hero’s and baddies ever invented in the DC & Marvel world was fully tested (and greatly appreciated) Max was so happy they were here that he wasn’t even mad when they realised they’d left his birthday present back in Leicester – I was very proud when he calmly shrugged his shoulders and said “That’s OK Grampy don’t worry you can post them to me”.

Granny, Max & Grampy – pre-party excitement

We had a huge party at a nearby softplay, hired the whole thing so 40 kids could run amok for 2 hours while us adults supped tepid soft play coffee and occasionally ventured into the garish static filled tubes to retrieve a sobbing child and sooth a plastic slide elbow burn. It was great fun – both children (and grown ups) were exhausted by the 7.30pm finish and tumbled quietly into bed when we returned home.

Taken just before the monkey had his trousers forcibly removed

Cake request “All chocolate with chocolate sticks”

Sunday was spent opening the mountain of birthday party presents and trying to persuade both over tired children to take a nap and then building a lot of lego.

Pressie haul

Everyone loves lego

 

Best donuts ever invented

We finally ventured over to the ‘Doughnut Vault’ to sample some of their well known pastries. Im so cross it’s taken us so long to get there!

We tried the buttermilk old fashioned (my fav) the vanilla, chocolate and chestnut flavours and the days special – birthday cake. They’re huge so perfect for sharing …… Or just scoffing yourself

We also managed to become extras in an episode of ‘Sirens’ being filmed on the streets nearby. Max and I crossed over the road (3 times). No idea when it’ll be aired so we’ll just have to watch them all next year!

109 floors up

We finally went up the Willis tower!

The Cheese Castle

It’s been on our list of places to visit for a while ‘The cheese castle’ a giant cheese shop on the side of the freeway that looks like a castle!

Here’s one of the postcards I purchased

Max wasn’t too thrilled at the thought of stopping somewhere that just sold cheese so I told him the entire castle was made out of cheese just like Willy Wonkas chocolate factory.

Here he is discovering that sometimes mums lie for fun
Mmmmmm?

And here we are modelling cheese hats (that unfortunately we didn’t buy!)