In sickness and rude health

I love a week, when you fall into a nice routine.  This week has been busy, but we've somehow managed it all in a steady rhythm.  This I like (it's not normally like this in our house!).

Swimming again this morning.  Caitlyn enjoyed shouting instructions to Danny through the glass; "Go, Danny!", "Splash, Danny!", "Swim Danny!", "Jump Danny!" and "Good boy, Danny!"

Then we came home, decorated our buns and had a picnic in the garden. 

Then it was off to the park.  We met up with friends there and saw lots of Danny's friends from Infants and Juniors, which he will be moving up to in September.

Rebecca made me laugh today.  On the way home from swimming, she said she had a bad tummy.  Then she said she thought she was going to be sick.  I envisaged a day, with a little girl on her sick bed and me frantically clearing up vomit from the car, the house and here, there and everywhere.  As we approached the house, she had her hand over her mouth and I knew I would have to stop as soon as I could.  I normally drive past our house, turn around and then park up but realised I could not do this today, so I pulled up outside the house, told Danny and Caitlyn to stay in seatbelts while I let Rebecca out of the car for fresh air and to be sick.  So, I opened her car door, went to help out my poor, sick daughter.  Alas, she jumped out in rude health, said "Ta da!  I was teasing you!"  I had to laugh, and admit I was so relieved, but also shocked that my daughter had thought up this little trick and acted it out so well.  Where did that come from?  Their personalities never fail to amaze me.

We're home now, have had homemade hot chocolate for me and Danny, fresh strawberries and milk for Rebecca.  Unfortunately, Danny left his drink unattended, so of course Caitlyn knocked it over.  Does this happen in everyone's families?  Good job, I never serve the little one's drinks, hot, hot, hot!  Now, time for a cuddle, then a clear up before Daddy comes home from work.

We leave for holidays on Monday...I really must start packing!

I am trying to work out how to set up my phone to work from this blog so I can add lots of photos.  I will get it up and running, I really will...

Typical Summer Holiday day

Well Danny's attending a week of intensive swimming lessons.  Hopefully, this will prepare him for the weekly swimming lessons he'll be receiving in school from September.  So, we've had early starts every day this week.  While he splashes about, me and the girls sip water, herbal tea in flask, read books and colour in...and keep an eye on our boy obviously. 

Then, this afternoon it was activity day in our local library.  Danny was really pleased, as he's read his six books in the holidays, and completed his Space Hop Reading Challenge :-) .  He was awarded a certificate, medal and a wrist band.  I am so proud of him.  With less oxygen in his blood and other (as yet undiagnosed) difficulties, he struggles with reading but he perseveres at it...and most importantly still loves books!  As long as that doesn't change...I'm happy. 

It was a sunny day, so we were all itching to enjoy the sun.  Kids couldn't wait to go for a walk in the woods.  However, I realised we had no essentials at home...milk, toilet rolls etc, so explained we'd have to go for quick shop before the woods.  They got the message:  no shop no tea!  So, thankfully cooperated.  The two eldest were (unusually!) both on best behaviour but Caitlyn (23 months) was quite a handful.  Never mind...we survived!

Got home, quickly put shopping away and rushed down to woods.  Of course as soon as we were down there we slowed down to enjoy the view.  The thing I love about woods are even if you walk them daily (which some weeks we do) they never look exactly the same from one day to the next.  Danny loved climbing trees and banks, jumping across streams and playing with BIG sticks.  Rebecca likes to walk along looking at the flowers, stopping and listening to the sounds of the birds and water flowing.  Caitlyn, decided to follow the way of her big brother (far more fun and exciting!) she even got quite soaked in the stream and was really muddy, but hey ho, it all comes out in the wash.  They had fun.  That was the main thing.

And, I got to relax.  Which was an excellent bonus.  :-)

Right, off to make buns for tomorrow now, which reminds me, Danny caught a glimpse of MasterChef, he asked what the program was about, and I explained.  He said with such earnest, "You should be on that show, Mummy."  Aw, bless him.