Changes

Strange day today!

No2 son is at school all day, starting today.

They have eased us in gently by just starting

with half days but the moment has come

for school to start proper!

So many different thoughts and emotions....

Have I done enough?

Have we had as much fun as we should have?

Have we been enough places and made

enough mess?

Who am I now I don't have children at home

all day?

But also.....

How quickly can I sort my craft room so I can play?

How nice to be able to organise No2 birthday party

for Friday without late nights!

This might take some getting used to!

Our Summer (Part 3)

The boys (and yes, I am including my husband!) love Warwick Castle!

What's not to love?

What boy doesn't love the spectacle of real knights and fighting!

Of course, nothing beats having a go yourself!

Our Summer (Part 2)

**If your mother's name is Monica, please look away now!

I promised not to tell you this!!!!!**

The boys have a new favourite place!

I'm quite keen as well - we got annual passes for

nothing more than a few Tesco vouchers!

We spent two very happy but tiring days near Windsor.

The boys want to go back soon.

The only downside?

Since our visit my house has looked like this!

Our Summer (Part 1)

Thought you might be wondering where we've

been? Sorry about that! Those that know me

really well, know that my brain goes to

mush in the summer hols and any routines or 'to do'

lists get completely forgotten!

Basically, I become completely useless!

So, what have we been up to so far?

There have been way too many wet days!

But it gives the boys an opportunity to cover my

carpet with all the little things boys like to collect!

And to get out all the puzzles and games!

Can you tell how happy that makes me??!!

Fortunately, there have been sunny days at home as well!
Which have enabled the games - and the bits - to go outside!

Just in case you're worried, there have been away-days, too!

We have checked out the local museum!
Where the boys saw the big versions of their playthings.....

Pretended to be Romans...

And saw a slightly too realistic display about the Colosseum!

I like to start the summer hols slowly - we all appreciate some
'not doing too much' days after the buzz at the end of
the school term.

We've done much more exciting 'away-days' as well - stay turned over the next few days!

Something to make you smile.....

You must watch this!

How could this not be a 'happily-ever-after'!!

A (very) little bit of retail therapy.......

Whenever I go back to Dorset, there is one shop

I have to visit.

It's called Magpie.

(this isn't a great website - but at least you'd know where to find

it if you wanted to visit!)

It is in Poundbury, the controversial brain-child of the Prince

of Wales.

(differing opinions to be found here and here)

They have a wonderful selection of gifts and cards. I often

buy tins there or cards or just something that takes

my fancy.

Do you want to see what took my fancy this time?

Thought you might!!

First, I bought a case for my camera. I have to admit that my
lovely camera has been living in the plain, black sock
that came with it free!! I know, shocking. I had
planned to make one but it just hadn't happened yet.
Now I don't need to feel ashamed, because the wonderful
Cath Kidston has done it for me (and all for just £8!)

Lastly, I thought the boys might like these when we
next make cakes!

If you saw the shop, you'd know how restrained I was!
Mind you, I am planning my next trip!

Tis the season.....

...for going to the seaside!

The boys and I have just got back from a few days in Weymouth,

staying with Nanna and Grandad.

The weather wasn't brilliant - like the rest of the UK - but

we managed a good beach day on Saturday!

With the obligatory burying of one brother by the other!

Teacher pressies.....

These are bookmarks that I made from no2 son's drawings

to give to his playgroup leaders tomorrow when he leaves.

Based on these made by Soulemama and featured in her new book,

which I am happily waiting to be delivered to my home

when it is published soon!

Cheated a bit on the embroidery, though!

No time!

(And not much inclination!!)

I do wish I didn't leave this sort of thing

to the last minute, so I could enjoy the process more!

I think I might have a problem.......

No matter how determined I am at the start of each month,

I always end up with a pile of magazines by the end of the month!!!

Mind you, I am in good company!

And, after all, who could resist!!

Well, obviously not me!!!!

The end has come .......

I love my husband all year round, obviously, but he has

a special place in our hearts around June and July!!

This is when the pea harvest comes in!

None of them ever make it to the pot - it seems a waste

to cook them when they taste so wonderful

just raw and straight from the pod.

Unfortunately, we have now come to the end of a particularly

good year.

Excuse us while we grieve just a little.......

This week we have been ....

cooling off with water fights .....

scuffing elbows...

(no2 son insists I photogragh any baddie he can't see!)

getting ready for school in September ....

(this was the picture of himself that no2 son took on his reception class visit this week)

enjoying garden produce......

and garden visitors.....

(ok, these are not enjoyed by my gardening husband!)

and the school fair cake stall.

Hope you've enjoyed your week, too!

Fabric Therapy ...

Sometimes you just need to make

something!

I had some time this week

that wasn't booked up -yay!

No2 son was at pre-school - yay!

I felt the need to sew something.

It needed to be something

I could finish.

I needed to complete something,

not to start or do a bit.

This is what I came up with.
I'm very happy!

Fabric available here although originally bought from here Leather strapping bought from here although there doesn't seem to be any on sale at the moment.

The problem with boys .......

is that they really don't give

your old dollhouse

the respect you

feel it deserves!!

This one is for Ali......

In an email conversation about the

Vintage and Handmade Fair

I attended recently,

Ali, not so subtly suggested that

if I had a blog, she would have

already seen what jumped

into my bag!!!

So, here you go.....

Two pictures to add to my, as yet, small collection

of Mother and Child images;

An embroidery to frame;

Another Ladybird book, (I'll show you my collection one day!!);

A card to frame. I've obviously reached an age where I'm
getting nostalgic about my childhood!

And, last, but by no means least, a piece of fabric to make
a skirt with (thanks for the idea, Lizzie!)

And look how beautifully it goes with the cardigan
I bought from a charity shop on the same day.
It was bought to back a crochet cushion
but I have other ideas for it now!

Hope you liked that, Ali!

OK, not sure I want to know the answer to this but .....

..... exactly how sad and deprived does your 4 yr old need to be to adopt the new hoover as his best friend???
Yeah, thought so!

Did you know you can play catch with a hoover?

No?? Me neither.

All you need to do, should you want to try yourself, is to throw a ball at your 'friend' and when it bounces back to you,

you say 'Good throw'

in an enthusiastic manner!

Excuse me while I just go to arrange some real 'play-dates' for my son!

What's in a name.....

I thought you might like to know how I came up with the name for this blog.

The only nickname that I'm prepared to admit to is the name my childhood best friend's mother used to call me - it was K.

Short for Karen. I loved it. I always hoped it would catch on.

When I met my husband, though, he had worked with a woman called Kay and he just couldn't bring himself to use it for me!

So I have used it as a user name on some sites, just lengthed to MummyK to make it longer and to reflect my life now.

I am the only girl in my house.

It's not a problem. Believe me, I can hold my own!

But I have always referred to my Husband and two sons as my 'boys'.

It's OK, my lovely husband doesn't mind!

In my years before children, I once worked as the admin support for three officers.

One from the British Army, one from the RAF and one from the Navy.

David, our Navy man, always used to refer to any trips as 'Jolly Boy Outings' - despite the fact that two of us were girls!

(Either that or Gay Boys Expeditions - don't ask!!!).

So when I had boys of my own, it seems only natural to use the phrase again.

So there you have it, a blog name was born.