Variations on a theme...

Baby mine, making towers of bricks. Unbelievable! She also has the best way of knocking them down when the ever obliging sisters step in to help - she takes the towers down carefully, one brick at a time. So sweet and lovely, seeing them play like this.Things haven't been that great today in many ways, although the children aren't sick any more Martin is now not doing too well. Plus, to keep me entertained, the little one went on a nursing strike. Last night she didn't nurse at all, only woke and cuddled closer, so I was puzzled but not worried. However this morning when she was crying but not latching, I did start to get a bit panicky. In the end I just got skin to skin and stayed there, willing myself calm, until she could fall asleep on me and I could latch her in her sleep. From mid-afternoon she has been totally back to normal. Phew!

I have to keep telling myself at the moment, when things don't go to plan and when they do, that it isn't my job to control everything. I may never know what today was about, perhaps I'm not supposed to. But it was what it was, and I responded as best I could, and it isn't a test I passed or failed - just a something that I lived, and accepted. I also got pooped on this afternoon, which makes it as news because I've only changed two or three wet nappies in the last fortnight. The rational me protests, I didn't DO anything, it just HAPPENED, but it is so nice when the just-somethings are ones that make life easier and sweeter and more sociable. I'm not protesting, either the miss or the weeks of no misses. It is all just part and parcel of living together.

Perhaps I am getting better at just letting go and letting be after all.

Sparkly playdoh, made for Jenna and Jack at the weekend, pressed into the service of making more mince pies (Jenna got into the swing of cutting out the pastry so much she wanted to do more and alas I was out of flour)!What better food for a house of poorly littles? The first is Jenna's favorite, ANY version of a smooth carrot soup (she prefers carrot and pumpkin/squash, but ate three bowls of this carrot and cauliflower)! The second is tonight's offering, entirely child-made - chunky creamy vegetable soup. I love that the pieces of celery are all odd shapes and sizes. It seems like such a gift of love when I see them working at a meal, side by side at the counter with intent expressions and AMAZING knife awareness!Inspecting baubles. Yes, we are feeling much better!Making lanterns.The mince pies. Jenna, who doesn't like mince pies, ate two. I count that as praise indeed.Jenna did this earlier today, the CUTEST home-ed log for her sisters. Can you decipher what the tinies have been learning about, in the opinion of their older sister? Rowan's is first (that's "milk" and "carrots" she is studying by the way) with Morgan's below and to the left (that's a tick for being in her seat during the register ;) followed by "money from doing our shop", a pen for "colouring pretty pictures", and the last symbol is "playing with her birthday balloons")!