Simple things

Library, museum, swimming, the big blocks of time out and about in my week. We have had those. Busy things. High effort things. Logistical nightmares getting everyone safely in and out and all about. Trying on this Mama, and on Daddy too.

But we also have, always, the small, the everday, the little plain simple day-to-day. Friends coming to play. Time just chatting, reading, hanging out together.

Paper dolls.


Simple games with simple toys.


A girl finding a love of reading for the first time.

Time out of doors.


And indoors.


Shop-bought gingerbread from my mum.

Schooly things.

A new coat for Rowan, and red boots, because I could *not* resist them. Yes, that is ANOTHER week when I spent the money set aside to buy jeans that fit me on things the children don't really truly need. But it is so much easier to buy things for them than for me. And it is a fabulous warm waterproof coat.

And this:

Actually, this, this tiny human being, how I feel about her isn't simple or ordinary. When I look at any one of them, the feeling is so big it doesn't deserve trivialising by my poetry and prose.

Snow

It hit us, this week, and we made the most of the short time it was really crisp and thick and white and fluffy. :)





I'm glad we did actually get some snow this year, eventually. Though I'm also *slightly* secretly glad it didn't last too long, because it's so much easier to get about now it's off the pavements and roads... I'm starting to feel ready for it to be properly Spring now! :)

Knitting/Reading

At the library yesterday I found two authors I like, and came home with a big pile of books. :) I read one of the Michelle Paver Chronicles of Ancient Darkness books (awesome) in the afternoon, while Tali did her usual post-town nurse-in thing. :)

So, anyway, that was... um... a whole night ago... so now I'm reading this: Graceling by Kristin Cashore. It's *really* good solid interesting original fantasy. Yay! I have another book by her in my bag, so I'll let you know how that one works out. Happy happy happy!

As you can see, I have also been crocheting stars. I LOVE these, really fast and bright and fun. I'm going to block them and put them on a string to hang somewhere in my rainbow house. :) And then, who knows? I'd like to make a string of granny stars for the small bedroom, a pixie hat for Tali that will take forever because it's ultra-thin merino yarn, a couple of little crochet bags, a granny-square hat in something light and cotton... Too much choice, so little time! Yay, lots more projects and inspiration. :)

These are the things, the little in-between stolen down-time moments, that make me feel like *me*. Not just a wife, mother, breastfeeder, homeschooler, any of my many daily roles... Just me. Reading, crafting, drawing, writing. Happy.

To Town

This is the way we walk to town. The middle two *have* to hold hands along the main road - I have found the only way I can take all of them out on my own is if I insist they either hold on to me or to each other. If they let go, I stand still and refuse to budge until they hold on again! I find town a bit scary and intimidating on my own still, and expect to for years yet.

We play a lot of "stop and go" still as well. They actually ask to play it - and we get such funny looks in town when I call out "stop" and even Rowan freezes in mid step.

Always time for a stop to jump in leaves! And here is where we most often head: to the library. :) The museum have a new gallery too, and another being worked on right now, and it's so exciting to rediscover somewhere so familiar - somewhere we go on average two or three times a month. They have worked so hard to make interesting accessible displays.

And this is what often happens before we head home... A stop at the Yaffle Cafe over the wholefoods shop, for herbal teas and vegan cupcakes. They are so tollerant of the children, it's such a friendly place to stop for a chat and a rest and a hot drink.

These pictures are from our time offline, but could be of just any week - the clothes change, the children's hair is more (or less) brushed, the weather (and coats and shoes) are different sometimes, but this is the same trip we make almost weekly. The years go on, and still we head off to the library. It's unbelievably reassuring that I can still manage it with four, now!

A Day Out

Martin's sister Alison took us to Nottingham for the day. We started off visiting Nottingham Contemporary and having hot chocolate. It was SO child friendly there, I can't wait to go back and explore the galleries properly. Soon. The cafe even had a bunch of fab children's books and interesting creative drawing sheets for them at the table, so they sat for slightly longer.

We headed for pizza, where I had great difficulty getting the children to stay anywhere near our table (well, mostly Jenna). She is fully in that dramatic phase where everyone is picking on her when they ask her to do *anything*, etc. I feel like a terrible mother for finding it so trying, but the seven year old Full Scale Drama is wearing sometimes. This was one of those days. In all other respects a wonderful wonderful day out, I found myself getting snappy with Jenna when she just wanted to run around and basically act like a little kid.

The castle grounds and museum were much better places for running around! I was so glad we went there next.

This wonderful wonderful play area was set up on the top floor. Very beautiful, Waldorf open ended type area, I just wanted to live there!


Talia was asleep by the time we got out, and we watched the sun set from the top of the hill before heading home. This was my favourite part of the whole day in so many ways. Rowan had had three accidents, which never ever happens any more so we barely managed to find changes of clothes for her from the bag. Having the spare clothes, and spare sling, was really an absolute lifesaver that day! But standing on the hill, looking at that sun, with all four children contented... The day ended just perfectly. :)

Seven Days

Friends to stay, this week, Leanne and Cerys and so a pretty busy house. :) After the first day, Cerys got sick, and has been fairly out of it until over halfway through the week. Poor sleepy sicky baby. Thank goodness everyone else has remained well. Ashleigh is also in Derby. And the health visitor came on Monday to find a house absolutely full of people!

Last Saturday we headed into town, had soup in the vegan cafe above the wholefoods shop, threw some grain to (at) the ducks, and did some activities at the RSPB stands.


That evening we abandoned our guests as Martin's aunt turned 75. I hate family parties, but the children had a wonderful time and it wasn't as painful as I expected in general. Jenna found a little girl she last met five years ago in the exact same way - and oh the drama. Actual screaming and crying. Oh dear. I didn't roll my eyes, but it was a close thing. (Jenna is really good at drama these days, we hear her playing upstairs and she's talking laughing crying squealing and screaming so enthusiastically it sounds like there might be ten little girls up there playing!)


Sunday, Church, then the park and community cafe (hot chocolate was entirely necessary in the pale frosty afternoon) and a spell sitting watching the birds for the RSPB bird count.



As Cerys started to recover she was a little less sleepy, but still not her usual bright-eyed self. (Love this picture of big baby and little baby!)

Tali has been grinning away at everyone all week, and I finally managed to get a photograph of those cheeky dimples. I find myself talking in a silly baby-talk voice to her, allll the time. She's that darn cute. I have rarely ever talked baby-talk to any of them, but Talia seems to adore it, and I naturally oblige.


Thurday, baking day. Yummy bread. This cheeky monkey Rowan has kept us well entertained with some of her antics this week. I am finding it so important to remember to keep a sense of humour with this one right now. ;)

Ashleigh has knitted a jumper for Cerys, longies for Tali, and is now halfway through knitting the February cardigan for Talia too. By comparison I have barely managed one little vest in a chunky yarn! Companionable knitting: one of my favourite things.

Cerys sleeping much more peacefully (and now she's well, it is by FAR the easiest time to get pictures of her because she is just so busy!) on the rainbow blanket Leanne knitted for us.

Another random picture of my living room.

Two big girls playing with peg dollies. Cerys was an apreciative audience!

And one last picture of this quickly-growing tiny one. Such a fat little happy baby right now! Things are just ticking along in such an undramatic, easy way, even with so much busy-ness and friends here and everything. It has been a relaxed lovely week. I love my life. :)

More catch-up: New Year

The first of January ticked over, a whole month ago, and I took this picture in the dusky morning light, a daddy and his tiny one. :)


We always go for a walk on New Years day, often with friends. This year we were half way round Attenborough when it utterly tipped it down, freezing sleety rain.

The baby was the only one who stayed vaguely dry.

Well, after a full month of this year has passed already, I can honestly say it wasn't a bad omen. We have stayed much warmer and dryer in the days since, and not been put off venturing into the beautiful cold wild open spaces! :)

Belated Knitting and Reading

Knitting: Concentric Stripes newborn cardigan, but as a swing cardi with short sleeves, and in the lovely self-striping Riot. This cardigan has flown off the needles really, for saying I am constantly interrupted and rarely knit for a solid half hour in one go. I have been working on it for about three days of snatched minutes here and there. It's fab. But is going to be far far too big for Tali to wear yet.

Reading: the third of these historical novels by Matthew Plampin I have read in a week. They are OK. Just not the best historical fiction I've read this year. I am finding I want to keep reading, but they feel like stop-gap books to me, the kind of thing I can devour by the dozen on my way to finding the next thing I really truly love.

I just finished re-reading Mythago Wood, which I got a lot more from this time around, but wasn't the most fabulous fantasy I've read this year either. (I know - this year! - I get through a lot of books, OK?) I am lacking in library inspiration at the moment. I need a really good series to carry me away, something that will keep me in new-to-me books for a while.

Candlemass

Thus times do shift, thus times do shift
Each thing its time doth hold
New things succeed, new things succeed
As former things grow old

Chinese New Year

Fun as usual. And as usual, I couldn't get a picture of them all together for the life of me. ;)

Fuzzy baby in a kimono slept through most of it.

Lion dancing, giant dragon puppet, feasting, burning our new year prayers, and I manage just a couple of blurry pictures.

These times of family and celebration and looking forwards are so precious to me at this cold dark time of year.