{failing} to write this post before midnight, so this week the Snippets are brought to you by Sunday

{feeling} very tired and a little bit ill, but very relieved that a niggling health worry turned out to be nothing serious after all; and also very grateful to good friends who have helped me in many different ways this week

{recovering} from a very busy day which involved hair appointments, taking Rabbit to a birthday party, lunch at the Garden Centre with the boys and Granny, shopping for shoes and other assorted things and supper at Granny’s house

{realising} that I am too tired to write much else, though I’m sure I would have more to say if only I could engage my brain

{snapshots} Owl loved watching the woodturning demonstration at the Garden Centre, and has decided that he would like to learn to do it too.  Monkey has impressed me with his determination to save up ten pounds for a Lego Chima set which he bought today.  Rabbit decided to go as a king to her friend’s party – I like her style!  Tiddler has started Pre-School this week and would like everyone to know that he is a Very Big Boy – except when he is tired and wants to be carried.  In which case, “I not big, I a little boy now!”

I’m linking up with Jax again.  You can read her Snippets here.

{learning} about Nelson

{watching} the Railway Children

{picking} brambles

{playing} Monopoly

{returning} home after two weeks away

{trying} to face up to the realities of term-time and get organised

{wishing} we were still on holiday

{wondering} why my children are still awake at 11.30pm – Tiddler has just come in and said “I should be asleep by now but I want a cuddle!”  And then he said, “Mummy, you should be asleep by now…”  That would be nice 🙂

{snapshots}

The big three have been writing books this week.  Owl’s is about Nelson, Monkey’s is a Lego Minifigure Activity Book and Rabbit’s is a story called “The Giant’s Pants.”  Owl said “I’m making a book but it’s just a prototype.  When I’ve written it I’m going to do it on the computer, then get it published, then put some copies in the British Library – well, at least one.”

Owl is still reading as many books as we can find about the World Wars.  Monkey read a whole chapter book (a Horrid Henry Early Reader) to me and Rabbit yesterday.  Rabbit is making good progress with learning to read, and is more confident about blending sounds now.   Tiddler is very keen to learn too – he can recognise lots of letters and loves to follow the text with his finger when I am reading to him.

Holiday highlights
{exploring} Pembroke Castle
{playing} on the beach
{swimming} late at night
{playing} golf, croquet, bowls, tennis, table tennis and pool

Today
{packing} at the last minute
{eating} lunch at Little Chef
{visiting} friends
{leaving} Wales
{driving} to Granny’s house

{snapshots}
It’s all about swimming this week. After eight sessions in the pool, Owl has mastered breast stroke, and also swam ten lengths alternating front crawl and backstroke. Monkey and Rabbit have both learnt to swim without armbands, and Tiddler can now swim confidently and independently (with armbands.)

{playing} rounders

{laughing} at the chicken book

{enjoying} our local environmental fair

{swimming}

{exploring} Claremont Landscape Garden

{picking} carrots, beetroot, onions, cabbage, sweetcorn, blackberries and strawberries at Garson’s Farm

{eating} daddy’s homemade strawberry jam

{packing}

{driving} to Wales

{feeling} tired

{snapshots} Owl and Monkey have been talking non-stop to each other, and anyone who will listen, about Star Wars, and I have been trying to keep up but failing miserably.  Rabbit and Tiddler impressed me with their patience when picking the strawberries – they really stuck at it and helped us to get enough for the jam-making.

{practising} origami, still at a rather basic level

{braving} Ikea

{making} a mess with oats again

{playing} in the woods

{organising} the dining room and making progress with the laundry room and sitting room

{hoovering} a lot of cobwebs

{creating} topic boxes

(releasing} butterflies

{exploring} Chastleton House and Garden

{snapshots} Owl has been reading as many books as he can find about World War I and World War II.  Monkey made a great picture of an owl with the Hammer and Tap set (one of the many  toys we have rediscovered since I have been decluttering.)  Rabbit has been making towers with Multilink Cubes which has led to some good addition and multiplication practice.  Tiddler has been playing with number tiles and can easily identify all his numbers now.

Linking to Jax again for some more Saturday Snippets.

{feeling} refreshed after seven and a half hours sleep (I’d forgotten what not-tired felt like) and grateful to Granny for having all the children for a sleepover again.

{rediscovering} special books, toys and pieces of art work as a result of major decluttering.  After failing to complete my #40bagsin40days challenge in Lent (think I got to 13 bags then got distracted) I have picked up where I left off.  So far this summer I’m up to 15 bags to the charity shop, and more to go.

{labelling} everything so there are no excuses for not tidying up – I am in organising heaven. There will be a place for everything and everything in its place by the end of the summer if I achieve nothing else.

{reading} Little Mouse’s Big Book of Beasts and I’m a Chicken, Get Me Out of Here from Macmillan – reviews to follow.  We are enjoying them both.

{learning} origami

{completing} some of the many art, craft and science kits we have collected – working our way through them has been one of the most enjoyable parts of the decluttering process.

{wondering} why I let the children play with moon sand in the house, and then realising it was okay because I have a 9 year old who knows how to use a hoover.  He did a more thorough job than I would have done, I am sure.

{enjoying} delicious food cooked by the lovely husband – lentil dahl last night, hummus for lunch and roast pheasant for supper tonight.

{playing} yahtzee with the big three when they should have been in bed, because they were just being such good company.

{snapshots} Owl has been learning to iron this week, practising on daddy’s handkerchiefs.  Monkey has been building towns with blocks and wooden railway and is planning to make an enormous city with all types of Lego, Playmobil, blocks, train sets and cars.  Rabbit has been learning origami with me and Tiddler has been enjoying playing with Monkey’s towns.

Linking to Jax again so you can go and read her Saturday Snippets too.

I am in need of a little blog inspiration so I thought I would borrow this idea from Jax and see if it helps me to get back into the blogging habit.  I always enjoy reading her Saturday Snippets, so here are mine.

{Enjoying} a rare lie in until 10.15 as the children were having a sleepover at Granny’s (I’m still tired though, as I couldn’t sleep until 3.45am so it wasn’t exactly a long night, but would have been a lot worse if I’d been woken at 7am!)

{Making} potato salad for Daddy’s birthday barbecue at Granny’s house.  That was my sole contribution (apart from remembering to take the vegetarian sausages out of the freezer!) as Daddy was in charge of the meat, and Granny made the rest of the salads.

{Drinking} rather a lot of wine, and enjoying the company of good friends.

{Watching} our children and their friends playing together all afternoon, needing very little adult intervention, and feeling proud.

{Forgetting} to eat supper, after a late lunch and some afternoon grazing.  Remembered just in time to get a bowl of cereal before coming up to bed (yes, I am blogging in bed, when else would I do it? !)

{Reflecting} on a productive couple of weeks of decluttering and pondering what to tackle next – I am determined to have my house in order by the end of the summer.

{Wondering} if we will manage to get up in time for swimming lessons before church tomorrow morning, as we have had yet another late night.

{Snapshots} Owl had a day out at the British Museum with Grandpa to see the Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition.  Monkey and Rabbit drew lollies on their chalk board while eating lollies in the garden.  Tiddler has potty trained himself in a couple of weeks and can now go to the toilet by himself, so we have finally finished changing nappies, after over nine years.

Rabbit has just woken up (at ten to midnight) saying that her legs hurt, only half an hour after the boys went to sleep.  So that half hour was my evening then!  Rabbit is now asleep again, so I can finish this post, but it is after midnight so my first ever Saturday Snippets will be published on a Sunday.  It’s not an auspicious start…