Cooking with the kids

The boys are getting creative this afternoon with some play cooking. There isn't much that will keep both of them quiet and entertained at the same time but this seems to do the job, especially if you take away the TV as an option. 

I set up a tray with a bowl and spoons, some dried pasta, lentils, kidney beans and spaghetti and a squeezy bottle of coloured water. I have added vegetable peelings to the trays as I have prepared dinner. 

They have been quietly cooking away for nearly hour. This is one of those elusive 'motherhood win' moments!

No poo - day one

I have decided to stop using shop-bought shampoos. Today, I will wash my hair using baking soda and vinegar. Feeling a little nervous but hoping for some good long-term results. Check out this link for all the info http://coderedhat.com/no-poo-method/

In addition, to further enhance my hippy status, I am currently infusing some camomile and lavender with coconut oil and sunflower oil in order to make my own deodorant. In the meantime, I am sat with a mixture of gelatine and milk on my face (a pore-cleansing face mask)!

Update - Just washed with bicarb and conditioned with vinegar. Its surprisingly smooth and unknotty, doesn't smell of vinegar and my scalp feels v gently tingly. Its starting to dry and my roots are no longer looking greasy (last washed it 3 days ago). I'm letting it dry naturally and will be interested to see how it looks once dry. I gather that the first time you use this method it looks fab and then you can get a few weeks of adjustment so we'll see how it goes!

Na'Night

Currently, my days are mainly spent playing cricket, football, cars or watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Oh yes, this boy is conforming to gender stereotypes at a young and tender age. Cricket and football are major obsessions (both watching and playing). Jack is a keen bowler (bowling with his right hand, batting with his left!) and many an hour is spend in the hallway with Jack's own interpretation of cricket (kind of a cross between cricket, hockey and football).

There are however, quieter moments. In fact, a popular new pastime is pretending to be asleep. Jack will lay his head on a pillow, or gather up a pile of clothes or teddies that he has strewn around the floor and snuggle saying 'na'night'. If he is really tired he will add a sorrowful 'peeeeeeseee' and beg for me to put him to bed for a sleep.

The best place to play the bedtime game is in My Big Bed. Jack asks to get in and play na'night. He snuggles down under the covers, says goodnight and proceeds to pretend to snore. He then orders me to get in too. Its a great game. All he demands of me is to lie next to him and pretend to be asleep!

[No photos I'm afraid as I can't photograph anything if I'm pretending to be asleep]

Valentine's love

Inspired by several American craft blogs, Jack and I have spent this week making some valentine's pressies to share with some friends.

Here is a sneak preview of some of what we have been creating:

A Christmas Story

Check out this beautiful story written by my 11 year old cousin:

http://strangeworldofsim.blogspot.com/

I'll be back

No internet.
No laptop.
Therefore no blogging.

Normal service will be resumed very soon (hopefully).

Celebrity

The Turkish people generally love children. And I mean LOVE them. It is not uncommon for children to be fussed over and kissed and their cheeks are pinched by random strangers on the street (men and women and other children).

Can you imagine the reaction when you add into the equation a blonde-haired, big blue-eyed boy in a baby backpack?

Wherever we go people point and stare. They talk to Jack, kiss him, pinch him, slap him (affectionate slapping is common here). They pick him up, walk him round, sit him on their lap, play games with him.

When we are out people regularly want to take photos of him. Sometimes they ask us to take photos of them with Jack in the backpack. We feel a bit like celebrities!

Jack is loving all the attention. He is flirting away and smiling at anyone who fusses over him. What a shock he is going to have when we get home!

Istanbul - Rumeli Hisari

Too tired to even post photos. Here is a link to some on fb: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=240832&id=514584623&l=de058a74d2

Istanbul - Blue Mosque

No time for a long update but here are some photos of the stunning Blue Mosque:

Travelling

We arrive at the airport exactly two hours before our flight yesterday morning only to find that it had been delayed by 2 hours. And then delayed by a bit more. The excitement about going on holiday to somewhere exotic suddenly diminishes slightly as we face the prospect of entertaining Jack for over 4 hours in the airport and then another 3.5 hours on the plane.

After paying out our lifes savings on lunch in the airport, Jack helpfully decorates the floor of the restaurant with our food. Time to make a quick exit and head through to departures. Where there are uncomfortable chairs. And shops. And nothing to entertain a small boy with. Hold on a minute. Tucked in the corner of the departures lounge is a Hamleys. They have toys outside for children to play with. We are saved. Jack spends a delightful hour playing with a piano mat (Simeon quite enjoys it too). Two Hamleys staff then make it their mission to entertain Jack with bubble machines. He is a bit bemused. The other passengers and decidedly unamused.

Finally time to go to our departure gate. The lady sat next to me it wearing a furry coat. Jack strokes it like a dog. For twenty minutes. Fortunately she quite enjoys the attention and amuses Jack while we wait.

In the queue to board the plane Jack makes another friend. A small boy travelling with his family smiles at Jack and he smiles back. Jack giggles, the boy giggles back. Both are delighted with their new acquaintance. We board the place and the family with the small boy are sat behind us. Both Jack and the boy are excited. Jack spends a large part of the flight standing and looking at them between the seats. He reaches out a hand. And steals some wotsits. Repeatedly. I'm a little embarrassed. Jack throws all the food I've brought him onto the floor but continues to be offered food by the small boy which he gratefully accepts. He sucks the wotsits and then tries to feed them to me. How delightful. Have you ever tried entertaining an active 1 year old on your lap in the economy section of a budget airline? I can tell you its rather a challenge. Jack behaves rather well (apart from the food stealing) but by this point is really rather tired. As am I.

We land. We go through passport control where there is no queue and Jack charms all the staff. We collect our baggage and go to meet Carrie. Finally we are here. Just a hair-raising taxi journey to go and we are done. What a day. What an adventure. What to do now?

The Playhouse - Assembled but not complete

As the title suggests, the playhouse has been sewn together but I have not yet finished all the embellishments. I thought that maybe you would like to see it as it stands:

Happy Being Me

Sometimes being me doesn't feel good enough. I'm not as creative, stylish, interesting, thoughtful as I want to be. I started this blog to showcase some of the things that I have made and eventually to start selling some of my creations. But I haven't managed it.

Somehow, other women, other mums manage to care for their children, create amazing things, take beautiful pictures, blog about them and often include tutorials on how to recreate them. I aspire to be like that. How do they have time? How do they come up with all the ideas? How are they so darn cool? Dana has an amazing home and makes fabulous clothes for her children and herself, Megan is an inspiring mother and seems to do such fantastic things with her children, Cheri has an incredible imagination and is current champion of So You Think You're Crafty. All three take stunning photos of their crafts, homes, families and there are many many others that I haven't mentioned.

These women have beautiful homes, beautiful children, beautiful style and create the most beautiful things. I have a very messy home (oh how I wish I was tidy), wish I was more stylish and only occasionally create wonderful things. I can certainly compete on the beautiful offspring front though.

But today, I am content with being me. Actually, what I really mean is that today [and tomorrow and the day after] I am [wanting to try really hard to be] content with being me. Its so easy to compare myself to so many other people around me. (I wonder how many of them are in turn comparing themselves to me?). But maybe I should just concentrate on being myself, focusing on the who I am and doing what I love to do rather than trying to be like someone else.

I am me and noone else is.

A weekend in the country

Today we are off to my parents for the weekend where Jack can play in the field, pick apples and pears and blackberries, run around the garden chasing the dog and hang out with Grammy and Gramps. What more could a small boy want?

Birthday Treat

Today is my birthday. Jack has celebrated this by sleeping for 12 hours straight for the first time ever. And also by producing the sort of poo that involves hosing him down still half clothed in the bath. Twice. Oh how I love that boy!

A quick update

I was hoping to get the playhouse finished this week but its been an incredibly traumatic one so no progress has been made. I'm not sure I'm ready to write all the details here yet as it will make it seem too real and my poor little heart may not be able to cope. The short story is: Jack got sick, and then sicker and ended up in Intensive Care but is fine now and we are all home. Hopefully, normal service will be up and running soon xx

Trying not to take it personally

Today was my first day at work for over a year. Jack spent the day with his Fairy Godmother, Sarah at the Botanical Gardens and had a great time. When I got home I was looking forward to being greeted with a smile and some excitement (in much the same way he greets his father everyday). But no. Not even a flicker of recognition. Not even a smile. And when I picked him up for a cuddle he just wanted to get down and play.

I'm trying very hard not to take it personally. And I know that I should be happy that he is so well adjusted and confident that he can spend the day with someone he hardly knows and not be miserable. But I kinda would have liked him to miss me a little bit. And be a small bit excited to see me. I feel a little dejected and rejected.

Oh well. I'll probably be soon complaining that he wont settle at nursery or something similar.

Spoilt

Having had a baby-free morning on Monday and a baby-free afternoon yesterday, I am struggling with the prospect of having a baby-full day today. There is much to be done (including some reading and sleeping) and it is all so much harder when there is a small boy to entertain.

It a good job I love the little guy. And here are some reasons why (this is as much to motivate me to get out of bed as it is for your benefit):

* those great big chubby cheeks that wobble around when we're driving in the car

* the most laboured attempt at crawling (read squirming on his belly and sometimes managing to move forward a centimetre or two) I have ever seen

* that beautiful cheeky smile

* the enthusiasm with which he soaks everyone present at bathtime

* the great big slobbery kisses (with tongues) that he likes to give

Ok, whinge over. I realise how fortunate I am to be able to spend so much time with my son (but just so I don't feel too guilty - does anyone else ever feel the same way about life as a mother?). Today, I will cherish him and cherish the time that we have together. And off we go to the Teddy Bears Picnic with a smile on both of our faces.

Playhouse Progress Report

So, the birthday is fast approaching (8 days) and there is much still to do. I have taken some photos to show you where I am at and if I had the time they would be beautifully annotated so that you would know what is to come. But I don't so you'll just have to wait and see.

We went to the zoo and we saw...

Here and there

While we were away, camping, I learnt a few things. As a result, I have made a few changes around the place.

Firstly, I moved the TV out of the lounge into our new TV room (old dining room). This is to encourage me not just to veg out in front of the TV of an evening, and maybe even have a conversation or two with Simeon. I have also been trying not to get sucked in by The Internet (how easy it is to lose an hour or two there), which is why I've not been here very often.

In addition to the Great Room Switcheroo, I have been busily working on the soon-to-be lodgers room. It is very nearly finished and looks amazing. Just need to find someone to live there now.

And, if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, the mother-in-law has been staying this week. We had a glorious day out at the zoo (thunder, lightening, torrential rain, and lots of monkeys).

That's enough meandering from me. Time to cook some dinner for the boy.