Baking Cookies

I'm always so chuffed over the most simple of things. Does this make me a sad person as my 18 year old seems to think? As I write I have Hobnob cookies cooling on the tray and the smell of them is floating around the house making the drab day outside seem positively sunny. I was planning to just pop them in the oven with no fuss but was joined in the kitchen by Luke at just the right moment who wanted to help and we sat happily stirring and then rolling 42 extremely sticky balls of biscuit dough. It's so good to spend time with him alone he is such a sweet boy all cuddles and fun and at 10 that is such a bonus I know it won't be long before his chatting becomes grunting instead. Hopefully from now on the smell of cooking Hobnobs will transport me back to this time when I need to remember how lovely he really is.

Earlier I did a couple of rows on the hot water bottle cover Luke wanted to replace an old worn one, I wish all my time could be spent doing these little homely things. It has owls on it like the gloves I made him in the winter so he's really chuffed. It always surprises me how much he likes me to make him things, he obviously feels loved when people do things for him, which is great cause that's an easy thing for me to do.

Another thing that made me smile today was in a unexpected place, I had to take Sammy to the doctors for his preschool jab and while I was waiting outside listening to all the babies screaming I was wondering if Sammy would be upset or difficult but I needn't have worried he was so pleased to see the nurses, showing them his Bob the builder and being a right flirt. He just sat there and watched as they took an arm each and smiled at them. He did say Ow but was only really giving them a commentary and was so pleased to be given a jelly baby that it was instantly forgotten. He burst happily out onto a full waiting room and announced 'Ow, ow and then signed sweet' with a huge grin on his face. I could just eat him up sometimes, it's such a different ride being his Mum.

Hats

Been busy with the laminator again. I've made up a book about our visit to the Watercress Line, which was months ago but at least it's done now, and a book about Sammy and his obsession with hats. When I went through all the photos I was amazed how many there were with Sammy in hats. I have had the odd day when he refuses to be parted from his bike helmet and as I type this he is trying to wear a flowerpot for a hat and keeps putting it on my head as well!

We've just had a lovely weekend with my Mum and Dad along with Freddie the dog which Sammy seems to have befriended finally he even gave him a few hugs. He is fine as long as Freddie keeps his tongue to himself, Sammy isn't to keen on doggy kisses!

Back to the books, I'm trying to be more organised with Sammy's homework there seems to be so much to get through but I figure if I just manage a few minutes a day that's better than being put off by the amount and not doing any at all. He doesn't seem to be progressing very fast on the reading front, I'm not sure that I'm doing it right with him or that he is just not keen to do it, I will keep it up and hopefully something will go in and I won't be to embarrassed by my failure when I have to go to DownsEd next time.

Sammy is now wearing his crown so I'll leave you with a picture of him in some hats , he has such style!

Food a new obsession (the healthy sort)

It's now been over a month and a half since I've eaten any bread, it's not that I don't like bread but it seems that bread equals fat. I have found a new love for salads when you actually start being creative there's a lot more to them than lettuce, cucumber and tomato, I've been buying things like baby spinach, radishes, sugar snap peas, beans and fresh herbs it's been quite eye opening. Adding new potatoes of pasta makes them quite satisfying.


My fridge seems to be full of lots of fat free dairy as well it's amazing what you can do with some low fat fromage frais and quark. I can't believe I'm talking like this being a complete Nigella fan but I actually made a delicious frozen raspberry dessert and the other day I made the most gorgeous Chicken dish with passata and butternut squash that apparently was a syn free meal and I would happily eat every day.

Also you can still eat curry I've made a few different ones which tasted like the real thing
so you feel like you aren't even eating healthy, apart from the lack of naan bread and again I'm back to the bread thing. I think it will be worth it and maybe one day I'll be able to eat a piece of French stick without having to starve myself for the rest of the day!

Outside in April

I just spent a lovely afternoon walking in the sunshine, I love this time of year it always picks you up to see the sun. The gorse bushes were alive with vibrant yellow flowers it was a feast for the eyes. Sammy slept all the way round unfortunately but did wake up when we got to the park, poor Rob had to push him all the way with a flat tyre on the buggy Ooops! I may have done that when I went on the same walk with my sister earlier in the week there were some very narrow pathways where I had to push the buggy over gorse.

We had the lovely company of Fi who had Aaron so Luke was happy as he always loves the company and Keith so everyone had someone to chat to, we wandered into some woods and even managed to find our way back again so I was quite impressed.

I think we will try and do a lot more walking as it will help with the new healthy regime, I've become a member of Slimming world so we will see how that goes so far I've lost a stone, still have about another two to go, I think it's going to be a long, slow journey.

Southborne Beach

We had a surprise weekend of sun and decided to make a dash for the sea. As per usual we took way to long getting organised, well actually it was too much lounging about in bed and then the debates of who was to come with us that took the time. Millie wanted to see a play her friends were performing that evening and we didn't want to be back in time to see that so she ended up staying with Lottie. It was just us and the boys in the end which was weird but nice. We went down to Southborne as it's near Robin and Gill's house and we thought it would be lovely to see them as well, they are always good company and Rob loves hear about Robin's latest antics.


When we eventually made it through the traffic we found it beautifully sunny and not all that crowded, it had all the stuff we needed and also a little sand, ok it's not a welsh beach and I am known for my fussiness where beaches are concerned but for that day it was just the ticket. Luke had protested on the way that he didn't want to go to the beach but within minutes of getting on the sand had found his trunks and was in the water laughing and demanding his body board. He spent the whole time just busy building sand castles and playing in the sea it was lovely to see him so content.





Sammy just loves to be outside and took to the sand straight away thankfully he didn't try to eat it this time as he did when we were in Devon. He wasn't so sure about the sea Rob took him in and tried to get his feet wet but he just clamoured up him to get away. It was an idyllic time I even had time to read some of my book in peace.





We went to Robin and Gill's after and they kindly did a BBQ for us and we spent a lovely time chatting and catching up on life which was a great way to end the day. I think these unexpected days out are the best they're like a surprise holiday when you should have been taking a trip to the dump and sorting the washing!

Summer Time

Been ages since I've written anything so I thought I'd give you a quick catch up on what we've been up to.

We've managed a couple of camping weekends in the New Forest both of which we had good enough weather, not to hot and not to cold, Sammy loved the freedom of being outside all the time. Also both times we went with friends so he enjoyed all the attention of having so many people around. He also enjoyed his first bike rides, which I also appreciated as Daddy did the hard work and it was a lovely break for me, as you can see wasn't to hard for him either!

We also had a Birthday since I last posted, Sammy was two in June, it's quite shocking how fast the time has gone by, he doesn't seem two at all he's still such a baby, which we love it's like having a child that grows in elephant years assuming that the bigger the animal the longer it takes to grow up unlike dogs who do seven to our one.

He has come on in alot of ways he now eats most of the food we eat with only a bit of chopping up, he will even feed himself somethings with things like pasta, which he can stab with a fork. His standing up has improved he still doesn't walk but we are waiting for some Pedro boots so hopefully it won't take long once we get those. His signing has come on leaps and bounds he knows so many now it's lovely to see him communicating independently. As I'm sitting here he is tackling a whole apple he's almost down to the core I'll have to rescue it soon before he eats it all.

Other news is that Lottie has finished all her exams and will be having her prize giving assembly this evening and that will be it for the Kings School. It was a stressful time she really hates exams, ever since she was little she hated them even if it said test on the paper! I'm so glad that the course she has chosen is a continual assessment one so she won't have to do the end of year exams again, unless of course we have to retake the ones she just did, lets hope not!!

The summer has been a wash out literally, it's been so depressing the kids haven't spent anywhere near enough time outside. We are off to 28:18 soon so I hope the weather cheers up I really don't need to have a crawling Sammy in the mud.

I'll try and be a bit more reliable with the postings in future it's so hard to remember all that has happened.

Spots

Poor little man has been really poorly the last few days, I think it was supposed to be a virus which he would get over in a couple of days but we are on day five now and he is covered in spots. At least now he's spotty he doesn't seem to have such a high temperature and has started eating again. I find is so strange that one chromosome can make such a difference to so many things it always takes so long for him to recover from every little illness and there doesn't seem to be anything that we can do to make him more hardy.

What a peculiar journey we are on Sammy is such a puzzle yet he's also completely delightful. In some ways not having any idea what the future holds can be a positive it means that there are less expectations and we are free to make the most of what comes along. It's a good lesson to learn and we need to help the others know that the same applies to them, Lottie is soon to start her GCSE's and she feels the pressure to achieve certain grades, she has tried so hard with her revision what more can we ask of her, whatever happens we will have to help her to be positive about the future and to approach it with courage and excitement.