Yesterday Mr F and I had to go to work. In an odd moment a few months ago I decided it would be a good idea to deliver local magazines, you know the little freebie ones that come through the door every month. So I now have a round of just under 600 to deliver, which I thought would be great when Mr F is at pre-school, but the flaw in my plan is of course..... summer holidays! I now have to deliver with the help of Mr F, oh joy!


Luckily I made a start at the weekend delivering to some flats. Just as well, as they were the blocks of flats that don't have communal post boxes on the ground floor, boy my thighs knew about it! No way could I have taken the little man up and down all those stairs, he'd have gone on strike pretty early on I think. When I say gone on strike, what I mean of course is that he would have staged a one man sit-in, bottom firmly planted on the floor and arms securely folded is the preferred style!


We had a couple of sit-ins on our round yesterday, but a trip to our favourite NY coffee shop with a bout of play, an innocent fruit smoothie and 2 (miniature) cupcakes later (aka bribery), we were ready for the off again. 


Then we spied a Mr Men special offer in The Works book shop window across the road, so we went to investigate. Mr F likes a Mr Men story at bed time, and nearly split his sides laughing the night before when we read Mr Skinny. Not that the story is that funny, but I guess my Mr Skinny and Doctor Plump voices were just sooooo good!! Hmm, another missed vocation?! 


Anyway, what did we buy? The offer was 99p per book or 6 for £5, so what do you think?! Yep we got 6, despite Mr F insisting quite loudly for the first few seconds that no he didn't want any, but quickly folding and opting for 6 new bedtime books. We picked Mr Grumble (can't imagine why!), Mr Cheerful, Mr Clever, Mr Strong, Mr Good, Mr Perfect. We read 3 last evening at bedtime, but none of them a challenger for the current favourite which is Mr Uppity, I know not why!


After our bargain purchases, we were back on our round again. We did quite a bit of walking, up long steep steps up to houses and back down again and I was really impressed how Mr F kept going and for the most part stayed by my side.


Then it was time to finish for the day, so we ended in the playground, result! Mr F isn't the most active player in the playground, so this was a welcome treat to end the day. Best activity in the playground.......wobbly balance log thing, great fun.


So today, as it's wet and horrible outside (please bring back the sunshine that I moaned about before!) and yesterday was busy, today we're having a pyjama day. Yay! Catch up soon. xx


PS Tomorrow we are off to the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust place in Arundel and looking forward to that. Please be sunny.

I know I shouldn't say it, (I can hear the tuts and cringes already), but it's too hot!


I'm rubbish in the heat and I'm hoping my son hasn't inherited that from me. He's in with a good chance of being able to enjoy the sun and the heat as Daddy's from Egypt after all. But he has been a little out of sorts these last few days and so far has managed to be just a little bit sick 3 days in a row now. 


When I say a little, it's just been the once each day, the first was Sunday night after putting him to bed. I then had to change the whole bed clothes including the duvet, and thank goodness for the sunshine so I could get it all dry! How old do I sound?! 


Monday we went to Granddads and he was a bit funny there, off his food then stuffing down satsumas and jammy dodgers. He kept disappearing too, and we'd find him sitting on the back door step, all forlorn. When my brother arrived home, Mr F was delighted to see him as he thought it was Uncle Richard from Northampton, and it didn't matter how many times we told him it was Uncle David and not Richard, his mind was made up thank you very much! 


On the way home I had to stop the car after he was poorly again. Poor little guy, I had to undress him on the side of the road and mop up the car seat well enough to get us the rest of the way home. He was so excited to be sat in the front seat playing with the radio and air vents, he didn't make any fuss about being covered in yuk! Once again thank goodness for the sunshine as I had to get the car seat covers washed and dried for the next day. 


Tuesday, after waiting in for a fab eBay purchase to be delivered, a huge slide, climbing frame and swings for Mr F (new project for Granddad!), we went to Aunty Pauline's in the afternoon. We sat playing trains and cars, which basically meant crashing them into each other. At one point Aunty Pauline was involved in the crash as she was driving Mr Fs num chuck, to the rest of us that's a dumper truck, and so she said "oh no I've crashed, I need a tow", and in a flash Mr F was there to save the day, offering up his leg and toe as requested.


Yesterday was a quieter day, staying out of the sun for the most part. Still Mr F was a wee bit off in the morning, but definitely picked up by the afternoon, helped by his marathon watching of Chloe's Closet on tv, which is apparently his new favourite programme. It's cute the first time, three little kids playing dress up, but after a while, it was numbing! I only allowed it to be played repeatedly so as to keep Mr F from being out in the sun too long, honestly!


No idea what today will bring, but I'll let you know later! And if I'm lucky and I'm a good girl I might even get a "well done Mummy!" from Mr F, which is his new saying and is very funny as it's said with such feeling. I achieved my first "Well done Mummy" for finding a puzzle piece yesterday, it was a marked achievement! xx

Today is the first day of the Summer holidays, and wow and OMG the sun is shining and it's a beautiful morning. I do hope this is a good omen for the whole of the Summer break.


We're one of those families who isn't having a holiday (again! Not that I'm bitter or jealous of anyone that is, much!) Once again my answer to anyone who asks "are you going away?" is "not this year, no, but next year we will". Luckily Mr F is too little to care.


So what plans do we have for the 6 weeks (and counting) Summer holidays? Hmm! Today we are going to Granddads after lunch, tomorrow meeting up with a friend and going to soft play or National Trust (weather dependant), Wednesday no plans. So yep that's it, I have plans for 2 whole days! OMG.


Obviously that's not all I have planned.


No, I'm not prepared to share all my plans.


How could you think that I'm bluffing?! Pah!


Ok, I'm bluffing I really don't have any more plans.


But hey I've just remembered I bought 6 bottles of bubbles yesterday, so that's the holidays sorted after all! Never underestimate the power of bubbles! 


We have plans yet to be made too, so that's good. Really, we do. We are going to stay at our friends for a few days in hopefully sunny Northampton (and there I was telling you we weren't having a summer holiday away!) I must just share a little story with you. Last weekend we went to our Northampton friends (sorry wasn't in a bloggy mood then so didn't update any). They have an allotment which is a short-ish walk from their house. So Uncle Richard took Mr F for a walk there and back. It's a lovely allotment area as they have 2 playgrounds for the kids and they have toilets! Amazing! Oh and there's lots of plants and stuff too! Mr F when walking back home made a little bottom burp (sorry tried to phrase it as best I can!), and carried on walking quite happily completely ignoring the occurrence, so Uncle Richard being a bloke, decided to join in and so made a bottom burp too. Mr F turned to Uncle Richard and asked earnestly "do you have a poorly tummy?" I don't think Uncle Richard will be joining in again!


We do have a couple of pre-school friends to catch up with in the holidays, no doubt I'll tell you all about that when we do, and some other friends that we've agreed to do a bit of gardening with here and there.


And we have National Trust membership, so I'm sure that'll come into it's own this Summer. Last week I was doubting we'd ever get a Summer, and now being the optimist, I'm planning a full 6 weeks of it! Which reminds me, I must get the outside tap mended so the paddling pool can come out. Oh and I've just bought a climbing frame/slide/swing off ebay, so if it doesn't take me 6 weeks to build it, we'll have that to play on too!


On that note, enjoy the sunshine and I'll update soon. xx

Wow, the sleep over on Saturday night was a success. This wasn't inevitable, far from it. Last time there were huge tears at bed time and bed time was very, very late. This time only small tears and not so late, so that in my book is a success! And this time Mr F was in a bed, not confined to a cot, so pretty darn amazing. So, very well done Mr F and Aunty Sonya's kids too. 


Hurrah, this means we are no longer confined to sleeping at our house for the rest of eternity..........and Mummy can sometimes get to see friends, and have a real conversation, and perhaps a glass of wine, and the list is endless! Perhaps not endless, but certainly it's progressing.


I know you're wondering what disasters befell us. Nothing too major........ really, only little things like dinner. My friends husband did the kids dinner which was cottage pie. Mr F likes cottage pie, so naturally I'm relieved that this is the choice as I know he'll tuck in and generally he's not a fussy eater so we're lucky with that. 


What I don't know is that my friends kids won't eat cottage pie unless it's all mixed up like baby food. Unfortunately Mr F on the other hand won't eat cottage pie if it is mixed up like baby food. 


When presented with his portion of cottage pie, I sat cringing when Mr Fs  reaction was "yukky" and the plate was rapidly pushed away. Obviously I tried in vain to persuade him with pleas of "just one mouthful for Mummy" and "look, peas and carrots, you love peas and carrots". The only response I got was yet more confirmation that it was "yukky". Cringe, smile, cringe! Thankfully, some tomato pasta was brought out in reserve and he ate that quite happily, reassuring me that my friends wouldn't now think I had a fussy eater for a son. 


Then pudding. Strawberries, yay he loves Strawberries, and trifle, oh dear. Not good. We had a bad experience with trifle just a few days ago so I couldn't see this turning out well. One mouthful. He's eaten it, that's good. Maybe not. He spat it out again. "Yukky". Once I'd washed the strawberries so no trifle remained, (I ate the trifle first, then washed off the remnants if truth be told!) he then ate them all up, and had some melon and pineapple for good measure. 


I'm just grateful that my friends hadn't actually homemade the cottage pie or the trifle so weren't mortally offended that my son was labelling their cooking as "yukky". 


If Mr F is a fussy eater it's of the good kind as fruit and veg are top of his favourites, so I can't rally complain can I?!


xx