Crane with Envy

Today's compulsory Mothers' Day lie-in set the mood for a lazy day. Lazy morning with the Observer, endless cups of tea and a big jar of chocolate brazils (Mothers' Day surprise), and a lazy afternoon watching Ben Hur. Katherine took up her dad's challenge to watch the whole movie (it's very very very long in case you've not had the pleasure).

A few days ago I put some new decorations in Katherine's room, in an attempt to encourage her to keep it a bit tidier (it won't work - I once tried to offer her £5 to tidy it properly, she came back with a rival offer of £8 if I cleaned it for her!) So, now it's festooned with butterflies, fairy lights and other girlie goodies.

Conor was entranced by this, and announced last night that he wanted decorations in his room too. I'd run out of butterflies, and anyway wasn't sure they would pass Mr B's test for what level of 'girlyness' Conor is allowed, so I offered him Japanese origami cranes as a compromise. I made a few test ones last night to help him choose colours... and of course he chose all the colours. So he has a rainbow (just about) of cranes plus a brown one. So that, along with the inevitable explanations of leprosy, Romans in the Holy Land, and the Easter story, occupied me quite nicely during the movie.

Happy Mothers' Day to all the underappreciated mothers out there.