Loudest snorer goes to Alice

Almost two months with Alice in our lives. She is fiesty, doesn’t listen, tests every rule (this week jumping onto the sofa whenever our back is turned) and has bundles of energy. She also snores ridiculously loudly for something so small. 

But she is cute. And wants desperately to be loved by every person she meets. Welcome to the family Alice; you’ve certainly made yourself at home in our living room and in our hearts. 

Pyjama day for Bean

Bean spent the whole of yesterday in his pyjamas. He told us in the morning he was tired and wanted to spend the day in bed and did almost just that. He played mostly in his room in the morning, had a picnic lunch on his bedroom floor, played a little with his brother after lunch, joined his classmates for a Zoom birthday storytime from his bed, joined us for a family film (bundled up in his duvet), took part in a zoom bingo game with his grandparents, had a bubble bath with his brother and then went back to bed. 

This feels noteworthy as in 8 years of parenting I’ve never allowed one of the boys to spend a whole day in their pyjamas. On reflection, the times when this is most called for are when I’m doing the single-parent thing and so it’s just not possible. There’s the dog walk to do - for which slippers and pjs just don’t cut it. Or there’s shopping or birthday parties and I’m just not willing to be the mum who goes to town with her child in pyjamas (a dressing up onsie yes - but that’s my limit.) For the past 8 years my position has very much been that I might look dishevelled, and more likely than not be out and about wearing clothes that really should have been thrown out years before as they don’t flatter me at all having been stretched out of shape by grabbing hands, but the children will be dressed. 

Yesterday though we just didn’t care. There was no need to go out. In fact, the fun of social

isolation means we’re actively encouraged not to go out. So whilst one adult took Percy and Bug out, the other stayed home with pyjama boy. And it felt strangely liberating.  He was happy. We didn’t care. It was one less battle about getting dressed and getting outside. The weather was cold and grey - I’m just a bit jealous I’d already got dressed by the time this decision was made or I could have had a pyjama day. 

Looking ahead though, I think each of us is allowed to call it at least once whilst we’re in this weird covid world. Each member of the family can claim a pyjama day and head back to their room for some lockdown liberation. I like to think I’ll have a chance next but my money’s on Bug. 

Family snuggles during a very rare family film afternoon watching Wreck It Ralph with the adults staying awake throughout! 

We’re going on a bear hunt

The panda bear I’ve had since my first memories – and possibly a few years before, has been given a new home.  He now sits on a bar stool in the dining room looking out over the front gate.  This isn’t because we were worried he wasn’t getting enough natural light but as part of a neighbourhood “Bear Hunt” activity.  With lockdown in place and people being advised to only go out once a day, people are coming up with ways to make the daily walk around the block as fun as possible for the little people. And so, in houses around our little patch, there are teddy bears looking out of windows.

In recent months Bean has taken to sleeping with Panda at night.  He has a huge pile of teddies in the corner of his room and whilst Bug has 3 favourites he rotates between, Bean is much more random.  Sometimes he insists on snuggling with a solitary lego figure, other nights he’ll take somebody like Panda who is half the size of him.  So often over the years I’ve wondered why I’ve held onto some of my childhood bears – I’m certainly not engaging with them at all.  But then, every now and then they get chosen and in emotional pang the makers of Toy Story would be proud of, I see my child snuggled up with my childhood favourite and all is well in the world.

Just keep laughing 😆

From Bug 

And Bean

Mini beast adventure

With the government asking people to only go out for one walk a day we’re trying to make our excursions around the block a little bit more fun than the “let’s just do this as quick as possible” approach which has been the norm after months of rain.

Yesterday, cold but sunny, we headed out with snacks, pencil and paper for a family bug hunt. Bean had already decided he was going to be a baby woodlouse for the day (after spending a large chunk of his third year declaring “I’m a chicken” we now get a new announcement each morning. Sometimes he’s a baby hedgehog, baby wombat or baby chameleon. Or maybe a monkey, a bulldog or a frog. It’s all very random.) For Saturday, he was a woodlouse and we headed out in search of his friends.
Thankfully the woods near us are damp, cold and have plenty of large branches hiding from hundreds of woodlouse under them. As I added to the tally on the sheet Bean would stand over the log, one hand on hip the other pointing at each woodlouse individually as he bellowed “get that one down mummy, get that one down”.
As well as many a woodlouse we spotted millipedes, centipedes, slugs, snails, bees and even the occasional John Beetle!

Taking hand washing seriously

Today was the first day schools were closed to all but key workers.  Whilst our friends across the country tried their hand at homeschooling, our boys headed back into school to be two of the 20 children still in lessons.

Bean was not at all bothered by the new set up.  He had a good few friends in, they ate left over birthday cake for a morning snack and made their own Easter cupcakes in the afternoon. They spent most of the day running around with teacher's and students adopting a very holiday club style approach to the day as they celebrated bright sunshine after months of rain, rain, rain.  It was still pretty chilly outside but, all in all, a pretty epic day if you are four years old.

Bug was not quite so keen on the new set up.  His best friends weren't in, they were limited in where they could play during break times, had to sit further apart during lunch time and, the new rules that children have to wash their hands at the end of each lesson meant that he came home with very sore hands.  I've promised that tomorrow he can take in a football, frisbee and pot of hand moisturiser for fear of his hands turning reptilian before the week is up.

Sore hands 

Today the government banned groups of more than 2 people / family groups from socialising, closed all stores except those selling food, petrol and medicine and generally told everyone - very firmly, to stay home.  I'm surrounded by incredibly successful and hard-working people.  As grateful as I am for the child-free hours I enjoyed today which allowed my team to really get through some key work, I do struggle with how divisive the current situation has the potential to be.  For now, we're taking each day at a time. Thinking too far ahead makes my brain spin.

What a difference a month makes

 When I first started this blog it was to keep the hubby up to date while on tour. Young babies change so quickly that developments are tracked in weeks rather than months and the rate of change seems never ending. 

The young baby days are well behind me - a vague collection of smiles, tears and baby classes all merged in a sleep-deprived blur that spans the first two years of both boys’ lives. However, the recent weeks definitely have the feel of those early years. A month ago we were on the beach at Lyme Regis ending half-term by retracing Mary Anning’s footsteps collecting ammonites on the sea front. Now we’re practising social distancing. My office has been packed up and my home office reestablished as we all do our best to keep contact to a minimum. Easter plans have been cancelled and social events postponed as interactions now come via the phone and WhatsApp. 

With both of us authorised key workers the boys will be back in school for the final week of the Easter term. There will be twenty of them instead of the 250 the school normally has. And then we’ll enter a mix of home working and home schooling. My teacher friends are keen to point out that with Easter holidays looming we don’t really need to be doing anything but I think establishing a good routine in order to protect our sanity is at the front of everyone’s mind.  I’m keen to end the challenges of Covid-19 with my job intact, my mental health together and my children still liking me. Wish us - and everyone else out there, good luck. I have a feeling we’re all going to need it. 

Highlight of the trip for the boys - an evening at the arcades 

Bug proved brilliant at finding huge fossils 

Having found a near perfect tiny ammonite, Bean gave up fossilling for drawing on the sand

Fossils, fossils everywhere!