A round up

It's been a little over a week since the last post, so here's a quick round up of some of the things we've been doing.

Making brownies.  Yum.

Elaborate play on the trampoline, with a home for a beast and a baby.  Betsy was their carer (sadly headless in the photo I took).

Making bouncy balls (a car boot bargain).

A really fabulous meet up at Ashridge, complete with a walk, bluebells, tree climbing and ice cream.

Local park meet up.

More Moshi fun - creating a feast in the garden, to attract Moshlings.

Going on a journey, dressed for the occasion, seeking Moshi Land (we didn't find it, sadly).

I went to the car boot again today, was very pleased with my finds.  Downfall, which I've been looking for for ages (50p), Battleship (50p), Etch-A-Sketch (£1.50) and Flower Fairies Shrinkables (20p).  Freddie and I played Battleship, Betsy and I played Downfall.  I love love love that game!

Windy woods

We went up to Ashridge this afternoon, though we somehow missed the people we were meeting up with.  It was quite chilly, and very windy - a great contrast to our visit last week, when we were hot and with lots of other families!
Never mind.  We set off the find the pond, and ambled around the woods there.  The bluebells were coming out, though I suspect they'll be in full bloom by next week.
There were a few patches of fabulously squelchy mud.  Betsy got stuck a couple of times.  They all climbed a tree.  Betsy collected lots of woodland treasures and made stick arrows to show us the way back.  

Meg wanted to carry Betsy's bag and screamed for a while when Betsy said no.  Meg screaming is happening *a lot* at the moment.  Freddie and Betsy never really did the 'tantrum' thing, and I find it difficult to manage sometimes.

Apart from that - which didn't last too long - it was a lovely hour or so hanging out amongst the trees.

Probably the most fun you can have on a sunny day with £1......

...buy a packet of water balloons!

I spent most of yesterday afternoon filling them up, while the kids chucked them on the little road and at each other.  

This afternoon we took some to the playground.

On the way we saw blossom petals on the canal like floating confetti, and a duck with 11 ducklings!  I don't envy her trying to keep them all safe.  Betsy ad Freddie picked dandelion clocks as we walked.

We haven't been to that playground in a while, what with one thing and another.  The big two each climbed their highest today.  Meg swung and span and slid.

Later, Freddie and I had a game of Jenga.  

Honourable mention must go to Betsy and the Moshi Monsters.  She spent ages with our friend Zoe (visiting with Billy and their dog) playing the cupcake game on the Moshi Monsters website.  Using the power of google they made the right cupcakes to attract all of the different moshlings, much to Betsy's great delight!

Lovely long weekend

I love bank holiday weekends.  Each day has had a different flavour.  Saturday was all about the kids along our row of houses, nerf guns, and the wagon.  Rob spent the day at the allotment, planting the baby vegetable plants that arrived this week.  I relaxed and the kids played in and out of the house.

On Sunday we went to mum's to celebrate my brother Tom's birthday.  

Today it's been water.  Rob got a new hose and a paddling pool, and the kids were in and out of it all afternoon.  Rob also set up the canal play set we've inherited from Jarvis, and Meg loved playing with it.  In between, Freddie had two baths and Betsy had a long shower.  Funny how days like that happen. 

Freddie asked to do some reading in the bath.  He likes Rob to write out sentences for him to read.  The references to knitting and me being cross is because he sprayed my knitting with the hose grrrr.

Betsy wore the skirt I made for her (yay!).   There was lots of bouncing on the trampoline, we had our first barbecue of the year, and I went to the allotment to water the new plants.

Tomorrow is forecast dry and sunny so I've kept the water in the paddling pool.  Later in the week it's meant to be cold again - half the temperature of today!  So we'll make the most of the weather while it lasts.

Twit twoo

Another busy day.  We went to Camp Mohawk for a lovely long day in the sunshine.  There was an owl theme - owl and other birds of prey to look at, owl pellet dissection, and I ran an owl craft.

It was the first time we've been where it has been warm, and the kids spent most of the time outside.  They played in the playground, the sensory/sound garden, the woods.  They spent a little time in the soft play room. I hardly saw Freddie!

Betsy and Meg stroked a young barn owl.

The owl craft was really cool.  I found the idea on pinterest (of course!).  Cardboard tube, feathers, googly eyes and a paper triangle - very simply and very cute.

I am now officially knackered!  Tonight I'm having fish and chips and not moving from the sofa.  It's been such a busy, happy week.

Sunny social meet-ups

We've been on the go all day.  Up and out early to an informal meet-up at the Ikea cafe (via the little playground outside).

It's a very relaxed group.  Today the kids tried out the creche, and enjoyed it.  There is a Wii, and a ball pit, and lots of toys.  It meant I spent some time chatting with a cup of tea - lovely!
Afterwards, we headed off the the Ashridge Estate for another chilled out meet-up with a couple of other families.

It was warm and sunny.  We had a picnic (kind of - the kids ran, ate, ran, ate).

They loved the giant bubbles I brought along.

After lunch we had ice cream.  They'd been looking forward to going to the ice cream van for a week!  We always have ice cream available at home, but it's not the same.  Betsy loves Mr Whippy, Freddie loves Feasts.  No Feasts today, unfortunately.

Freddie collected a cache of stick weapons, including a dagger, a pistol, two grenades and a rifle.  He rolled a log to where we were sitting, to act as a weapons store.

Freddie and Betsy went tree climbing with the other kids, while Meg liked the log 'sofa' and running down a little hill.

Random fact of the day - we saw 4 trailer trucks today, the most we have ever seen on a non-motorway journey.