Finally done.....and then new challenge

 My beautiful swan princess- so proud of you. A long and tiring but exciting weekend- so exciting to be backstage

 And to take pretty dreadful photos during the show (should have run round to the other side)- just awaiting the DVD now.

Atonement from DS1- who has been having some shocking moments recently.... a few issues we are having to take in hand- so hard to get the balance of allowing them to make their own mistakes and yet trying to protect them from getting into lifelong bad habits.

And personally the next module assessment approaches- a little overwhelming- fast approaching exam- which has eaten into our holiday painfully and the pressure of an assignment to get done before we go so that that doesnt wreck the remainder!

Busy, busy, busy

Full on meeting ourselves coming back......

 Final preparations for the Show at a large City Centre Theatre- where she is doing four dances- 2 classical ballet- Swan Lake Cygnets and a Frank Sinatra song then 2 stage- jazz to the Time Warp and Tap to I'm a Believer. Wonderful experiences but wearing a little thin on all the extra rehearsal times that are eating into our precious days- sometimes twice a day for the different disciplines! But a few proud mummy & daddy moments coming up

 Beast Quest meets Papermache- in a sword and shield bearing the talents of the original good beasts of Avantia. Some very proud night moments with a boy who is working to overcome his own obstacles.

 

 

And the Harry Potter thing continues- a cage designed for Hedwig but actually allocated to Plop the owl who cant fly- as well as being afraid of the dark........

 

We have started reading my mothers all time favourite series- which Enid Blytons Adventure series- they are being sucked in and I have so many memories of family holidays with chapters at the end of the day.

 

So...Cub Camp approaching in the new chapter, Beaver activities, dancing shows, holidays and weekends away, Reenactment events, play days...busy, busy, busy.......

And the highlight....

The Making of Harry Potter- Warner Studios....

 A new Gryffindor

 The beyond fabulous model of Hogwarts

 My favourite- a baby Mandrake

 

 

Diagon Alley.....

 

A fabulous afternoon (made more fab by the fact I had paid for it a few months ago- so the ouchness of that had slightly receeded)- magical.....entranced children- even the four year old.....squeals of 'Aragog' 'Dobby' 'Buckbeak'.....Riding broomsticks and wand duelling....Drinking butterbeer and standing outside 4 Privet Drive

Magical...


 

London Trip

 Two years ago we had a sucessful family holiday in London- so decided to repeat the experience but with a new set of outings....

Thanks to the bargains that is Tesco Clubcard Deals we got incredible value days out vouchers for an open top bus trip around the City....Big Ben and the Palace of Westminster, the Abbey and St Pauls, the Charde and Tower Bridge, Marble Arch and the new Bomber Command memorial...   to name but a few....  a boat ride down the Thames, climbing Tower Bridge...the Science Museum and the dinosaurs at the NH museum...

 Walking past Downing Street and HorseGuards Parade to the Churchill War Rooms....

And probably the Childrens highlight.....a buffet meal in China Town and a Visit to Hamleys- where we spent over two hours going from top to bottom via all of the demonstrators and their crafty bits plus careful contemplation of how to stretch out their pocket money (plus extentions to their 'birthday lists'!!)- which translated to remote control cars for the boys and a glitter tattoo set for FI....

Lots of Underground Travel- including challenging SJ to guide us across various routes- to prove that he could, completing various childrens activities at the museums

Back to basics- or generally run down...

 Everyone either knackered or slightly under the weather- after what feels like an awful lot of running around, mental angst (in some cases) and nasty coughs....so we decided to lock the doors, stock up on Vitamin C ...cue dusting off the jigsaws and everyone has moved up a stage

plus some shared making and team work..

Finding a little girl tucked up on her bedroom rug lying in the sunshine snoozing

Watching the Wizard of Oz snuggled under a family blanket.

And relief from having drawn a line under an aspect of our life- and stood to it and walked away from a scenario causing much angst ( I like that word tonight)- to a situation where we will be better appreciated.

Under the guise of HE we have discussed similes, logic problems and ethics- deontology today- wow! Sounds impressive put that way..

More routine family....

Of course that could be more routine family life....as in more of the same.....

Or equally more routine family as in even more everyday examples of the majority of our time...

 Imaginative play- currently cats and a dog- who is really a dragon???..... (gives excuse for lots of roaring- despite the fact that poor daddy is in bed on nights)

 Lego, lego, lego......except this is a scale model of my kitchen complete with polished black granit tops! The dirty mark (just about visible) represents the sticky food I havent yet got around to wiping up....true!

 

A St Georges day crafty kit

 

Routine Family Life

 Crafty projects play a large part in our daily HE life- although pottery painting is not a common one to us- ratehr more a great highlight. FI did a plate with a landscape, SJ a bowl with a scene froma story and TP painted a money box train. Greatly enjoyed by all- except Mummy- who was at work.....

 Not a huge part of our lives but occasionally happens- the 'workbook'- FI is partcularly enjoying this one and wants to do a huge amount of pages per session. She is working on time telling at the moment and is starting to have the 'quarter to/past' bit sorted out and enjoys telling me the time at various intervals....

TPs crafty project- a sequin ball kit that he has been desperate to do for a while and we finally mad time this afternoon.
I had a rare two hours to myself this afternoon- M took the big ones cycling so I could do the task of putting away a lot of winter clothes - without eyes saying 'no mummy don't get rid of that dress (which barely skims my thighs anymore)- I like it.....'- as well as a few tatty bits which just needed to disappear. This then necessitated a small shopping trip as I realised that TP had NO pjgamas- how can a third child not have a single hand me down item put away- goodness knows what happened to whatever SJ had at this point??!