Mr C and I aren't extirely sure how, but it seems we've managed to produce a daughter with a bit of a cleanliness obession. Some of her first words included "clean, tidy and messy". From as soon as she was old enough to walk around with a drink she would get into a bit of a blind panic if any drink ended up on the floor. We mainly have cheap laminate floors downstairs, so a quick wipe with a cloth and the problem is easily solved, but she is determined that this wiping up should be done the second the mess is made and seems most put out if any thing else takes ... read more
Where did the mums leave their manners?
During the week Little Miss C and I like to get out and about a bit. We mix trips into town and to the local park with playing in the garden and play dates with friends. We also do a couple of classes a week locally. There's one music group that we've been going to since LMC was very small and several others that we go to on a drop in basis. We generally have great fun at these and both LMC and I have met some lovely people at these. Sadly there is a bit of a sour note though - some of the other mums. At nearly every class we go to there seem to be at least a couple of mums who just ... read more
What’s twitter ever done for me?
Stephen Fry is probably responsible for a lot of things in life. I think he was the first person I heard talking about twitter on TV and to be honest I didn't really "get it" then. Something that's like writing a blog, but only in 140 characters. What's the point I thought - put it all in a blog post in as many characters as you want. Oh how wrong I was! When you're new to twitter it can be a bit tricky to see how it all works. You start off following Stephen Fry and wondering why the world seems to be going on about how great this new thing is and instead you're ... read more
What will you do for money?
Don't worry this isn't going to be a post about whether or not you'd sell your body for money or anything like that, but I am wanting to hear what jobs people are prepared to do to get some extra money. As everyone knows economic times are tough here in the UK and there are plenty of people who have recently been made redundant. It is hard to find a new job, especially if you want to work in a specific sector or on certain days of the week to fit in with childcare. I realise that things will differ widely across the country and that here in Hertfordshire we're fortunate to live ... read more
seven days
A weekly photograph capturing one of the magic moments of the last seven days. ... read more
Happy 2012!
Big Ben has done its bonging, the fireworks have gone bang and the champagne has been drunk. 2012 is here and there's no going back. Whilst I don't go in for new year's resolutions in a big way, one thing I want to do this year is try to sort this blog out once and for all and take things up a level. I failed spectacularly in my Crafty Advent plans so I'm slightly hesitant to reveal too many plans for fear of failing again. I've some ideas for regular features and aim to ensure that blogging never becomes a chore. This might work, or it might not, but I'm going to ... read more
That bit in-between
We're just drawing to the end of that slightly strange period between Christmas and New Year that people often don't quite know what to do with. Here we've been simply enjoying time as a family of three. After nearly a week of get-togethers with extended family we're making the most of the simple things for a while. Amongst playing with the lovely toys hat Father Christmas brought for LMC (more on those later!) there's been plenty of Christmas TV to catch up on, trips to some local (free) attractions and also making the most of the adorable Jemima Puddleduck ... read more
Full of festive cheer
Tonight I'm planning a night on the sofa. It may not be the most exciting way to spend a Saturday night, but I'm in the middle of a "six Christmas parties in five days" marathon and I'm shattered! The final one is tomorrow and as much as I've enjoyed them all it has been a bit full on. The picture above shows where I was on Thursday night though - the Houses of Parliament in central London. On behalf of the Watercress Wildlife Association (where Mr C and I are volunteers) I attended a reception that was hosted by our local MP, Anne Main, to thank ... read more
Postcard wonderings
When this postcard fell out of a book that I picked up in a charity shop a few months ago I didn't really think much of it. Then I turned it over and my mind started wondering. I'm now full of questions. Who are (were?) Ruth and Bill? Whose birthday photos is Bill talking about and what waterfall is it that he mentions? Who are the "new couple" and what advert has Ruth recently placed? The card was postmarked 1998 but somehow the message on it seems to almost be from an older time. The address on it isn't that far away and is in fact only round the corner from where a ... read more
Why?
For a variety of reasons I've been asking why I actually blog recently. A few "real-world" people asked when they heard about my blog and I found myself giving some very woolly answers. I can't promise that this will be any clearer but I'll try, I do know why I started this blog though. At the time I was still working and had recently got married. I was doing some crafty things having mainly been inspired to do so by some of the various crafty blogs that I read. What I really liked about those blogs was the fact that they kept a record of the things that people were ... read more