Home days

This morning, full of anticipation, I declared how much I was looking forward to today. We were going to do paint pillowcases, and bake a cake. Thursdays, I said, I think I might keep them! We don't have any groups we go to on Thursdays (although we could) so are free to stay in pyjamas and paint :)

And, by some miracle, we've almost done just that!

Oh and we said goodbye to the cress as well...

We painted pillowcases this morning after breakfast, they are dreadfully garish and quite a lot of trauma went into the painting of them (I managed to paint a couple of things the wrong colour which upset Ben a LOT), but Ben did enjoy himself. Then we got out the fingerpaints and I let him loose painting a cardboard tube tub. That was blue messy fun. He washed his hands and as usual he gave his little plastic pig a bath at the same time.

After lunch, while Ben was preoccupied and I thought Charley was about to go to sleep in the wrap, I started preparing some cookie dough. Oh my goodness - at the stage just before adding the eggs I could have eaten a LOT of that mixture. Coco-ey, nutella-ey, sugary buttery gorgeousness. Sadly (or thankfully) Ben appeared and I had to let him help add the eggs and flour (his egg cracking skills are definitely improving!). By this point it was evident that Charley was NOT going to sleep in the wrap despite being very tired and desperately in need of a sleep so I had to hurry things along a bit to get the dough into the fridge to chill.

We ended up going up to bed for an hour or so. Charley was not a happy bean, all he wanted was to go to bed. Neither was Ben. I suspect Charley is coming down with something - if he's felt anything like I felt after I got up from that nap today, it's little wonder he has been a bit cranky. I woke up achey and shivery and feeling very sorry for myself :(

Anyway after brufen and hot chocolate and juice I felt better so managed to get the cookies made and oh my goodness they are yummy! I have finally found a chocolate cookie recipe that works (for "works", read "is Jeni-proof"). Good old gooey nutella. (Recipe is on my other blip - follow the "cookies" link above!)

Leftover lasagna for tea, and then almost straight to bed for the boys and Ben despite being hyperactive owing to not having been outdoors today was asleep before 8pm.

Not been a bad day, all things considered.

Charley at five months old is getting annoyed at not being able to roll over on demand, and although he's managed to flip himself over onto his tummy sort of by accident, and similarly been able to flip himself back onto his back, he's still working on doing it at will. It is frustrating him but he just keeps on trying - it's quite inspiring to see such perseverence!

He is also getting mad at me at mealtimes if I forget to give him anything to try. This evening he was placated by a bit of lasagne pasta which promptly broke off in his mouth so he spent a couple of minutes moving it around until he could eject it. He then spent the rest of dinner lunging for our plates and yelling because we kept moving them away :) Must get round to clearing the table properly, then he can sit in his bumbo with us during mealtimes and have a better play with food!

Ben, at three and a half, is ever more independant. He is also contrary, embarrassing, stubborn, adorable, gentle, caring, loving, chattery, spends 90% of the time in his own little world, and is generally all the things a three and a half year old should be. I love him so much.

Even when his incessant noise tries to drown me and I can't understand why a crab's claw needs to be red, not orange.

Everything matters so much to a three year old. I have to keep remembering that it matters.