NB On some of my older blog posts the photos have disappeared! Apologies for the lack of (terribly taken) images.
One of my brothers lives in South London and I've not seen him for ages. We chat and text all the time - he's the person I send a million screenshots a day to - but he's due to start a new job on Monday so we decided to squeeze in a catch up today. Rather than drag him all the way out to Berkshire, or me drag the kids into the centre of London on the train during school holidays, I decided to drive into Richmond. The plan was to meet at Richmond Station around 11am, pop to a supermarket and grab a picnic, head to Richmond Park for a couple of hours, and leave by 3pm so I didn't hit rush hour traffic with 2 tired, grumpy kids. However, as much as I think organisation is the key to a successful day out you've got to be prepared to be flexible...or just know when to cancel.
Yesterday, we had a nice morning with friends at rhymetime and the park, a trip to Hobbycraft to buy some Easter activities, then a play at home. In the afternoon the toddler was tired and quiet - really not herself. I mean, she didn't even eat her tea for goodness' sake! She was asleep within about 10minutes of getting into bed, but then was awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. Typically, the littlest was asleep between 11pm and 5am, but then was ready to start the day. He was napping by 8am!
I decided to just bite the bullet and cancel my plans. I'm pretty sure I've never had to completely cancel plans because of the kids before, and in hindsight I'm sure we'd have been fine, but today felt like the day to do it. So, backup plan required.
Luckily I had a couple of minimal effort activities in the house. Whilst clearing out a kitchen cupboard the other day I spotted that we had a packet of bread mix that was nearing it’s best before date. It had a few stages on the packet but all it really required was a bit of water and oil, and some kneading. As it was so straightforward I thought the toddler would enjoy it but she lost interest pretty quickly. She helps me in the kitchen all the time, but she really wasn't having any of it today. She didn't want to eat much all day either so I wonder if she just wasn't feeling great about being near food.
Early afternoon we went on an "enforced nap" drive. She only slept for half an hour but after that she perked up a bit. It was a beautiful day, and I thought she could probably do with some fresh air and a bit of vitamin D. I rummaged through the Hobbycraft purchases and got her set up outside with her suncatcher kit. She absolutely loved it and it really held her concentration. She is currently only enjoying any craft activities that involves red, but I persuaded her to use a bit of the blue and yellow too! She was desperate for daddy to get home from work so she could show him her "C". All in all, £1.10 well spent.
It wasn't the day we'd hoped for, or the most action packed day, but we still managed to have fun and, most importantly, lots of cuddles. Fingers crossed for a better night and a happier toddler tomorrow!
One of my brothers lives in South London and I've not seen him for ages. We chat and text all the time - he's the person I send a million screenshots a day to - but he's due to start a new job on Monday so we decided to squeeze in a catch up today. Rather than drag him all the way out to Berkshire, or me drag the kids into the centre of London on the train during school holidays, I decided to drive into Richmond. The plan was to meet at Richmond Station around 11am, pop to a supermarket and grab a picnic, head to Richmond Park for a couple of hours, and leave by 3pm so I didn't hit rush hour traffic with 2 tired, grumpy kids. However, as much as I think organisation is the key to a successful day out you've got to be prepared to be flexible...or just know when to cancel.
Yesterday, we had a nice morning with friends at rhymetime and the park, a trip to Hobbycraft to buy some Easter activities, then a play at home. In the afternoon the toddler was tired and quiet - really not herself. I mean, she didn't even eat her tea for goodness' sake! She was asleep within about 10minutes of getting into bed, but then was awake for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. Typically, the littlest was asleep between 11pm and 5am, but then was ready to start the day. He was napping by 8am!
I decided to just bite the bullet and cancel my plans. I'm pretty sure I've never had to completely cancel plans because of the kids before, and in hindsight I'm sure we'd have been fine, but today felt like the day to do it. So, backup plan required.
Luckily I had a couple of minimal effort activities in the house. Whilst clearing out a kitchen cupboard the other day I spotted that we had a packet of bread mix that was nearing it’s best before date. It had a few stages on the packet but all it really required was a bit of water and oil, and some kneading. As it was so straightforward I thought the toddler would enjoy it but she lost interest pretty quickly. She helps me in the kitchen all the time, but she really wasn't having any of it today. She didn't want to eat much all day either so I wonder if she just wasn't feeling great about being near food.
Early afternoon we went on an "enforced nap" drive. She only slept for half an hour but after that she perked up a bit. It was a beautiful day, and I thought she could probably do with some fresh air and a bit of vitamin D. I rummaged through the Hobbycraft purchases and got her set up outside with her suncatcher kit. She absolutely loved it and it really held her concentration. She is currently only enjoying any craft activities that involves red, but I persuaded her to use a bit of the blue and yellow too! She was desperate for daddy to get home from work so she could show him her "C". All in all, £1.10 well spent.
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