Windfall

Yesterday's high winds and rain brought down a LOT of seeds and nuts, and on the way home from this afternoon's toddler group Bean suddenly remembered he wanted to collect conkers and I confess internally I let out such a whoop of joy!! The compulsion to pick up shiney conkers is unbelievably strong, and I had been so proud of myself for resisting - and also resisting suggesting it to Bean! We collected all the pretty shiney conkers we could find, and also some other interesting bits and pieces like acorns, still green and very much not ripe yet, and we found a beech nut with its nuts still attached to the furry outer casing, and a sycamore helicopter. Next time we're out walking while it's dry we'll see about collecting some leaves to go with these nuts and seeds, and while we can stick a photograph of the conkers in Bean's workbook we can also press and dry and stick real leaves in to go with the picture.

Yes we bought Bean a workbook today. It's a sticker book really. He can stick his stickers in when he gets given stickers or buys stickers when we're out. And this morning we went out specifically to buy some stickers because the boys were getting antsy on account of being stuck indoors with the inclement weather and it was starting to drive everyone mad. (Apart from mum who had escaped to play golf!) But he can also do his letter practise in there, and we can write about what he's done of a day, and maybe stick pictures and tags and stuff in - so really it's going to be a chunky scrapbook workbook by the time we get to the end of it. We chose a sugar-paper scrapbook because it's nice and big and he can draw in it too. So versatile. And he's really chuffed with it! He chose dinosaur stickers and letter stickers, and he's already stuck ALL the dinos in the book. And written his name, and gone over my dot-to-dots to write "dinosaur" and "stegosaurus" (his choice of words).

Patched Bean's trousers just before lunch with a patch I crocheted yesterday, he's very pleased with it! Lunch was a bit rushed as a result but there was no way I was going to miss an opportunity to take the boys somewhere actual to play. Bear enjoyed going to toddler group this afternoon (so did Bean!) and thankfully fell asleep on the way home - but then slept 3.30pm to 6pm. Urrgh. Incredibly he actually settled and fell asleep at bedtime too....!

So now it's hot chocolate time, catch up on Stuff time, maybe actually see my husband time, mend Bear's teeshirt time, go to bed time and prepare myself mentally and physically for my decision to take the boys out on a walk twice a day rain or shine, as if we were doing a school run - so, after breakfast, and mid-afternoon. But of course if it's nice weather we can stop at a playpark!! Hopefully it'll do something about their excess of energy and maybe they will be a bit calmer at the house the rest of the time.....