Big Messy Art

Inspired by storms, done in high winds (appropriately!). LOTS of fun: half and hour of utter painting mayhem followed by a cold paddling pool wash followed by more playing in the dustbowl that the digging patch has become. Such happiness!

Creation Station for me this morning, a different venue while the festival is going on but a lovely venue. A kind of go-with-the-flow Baby Discovery session, grateful for Aby running it while my head struggled to keep up; and a fab Little Explorers session which just about ran on time! A few pointers for me to remember, some bits to make sure I remember for next week, but overall a great session.

After I'd got home and put everything away I got to open an exciting box - trousers for Bear, plus a book for Bean, and some blingy tartan chocolate for me!! The chocolate was the most exciting bit, I've never had sparkly chocolate before! Thanks Carrie :D <3

Then after I managed to tempt the boys outside (where to my joy Bear allowed me to take his teeshirt off and his shoes and socks! The boy is learning to love the feel of air on his skin, just like Bean) for painting, and had cleaned everyone up as much as possible, I noticed Bean sort of hopping across the concrete in his bare feet. Right. Time to get some new crocs. Five o'clock. Must be made. Herd boys into car, off to the shoe shop, search through five rows of crocs trying to figure out the sizing system, eventually giving up and just getting Bean to try on about ten different pairs until we found a pair that fitted. Then he convinced me that he needed a new bag. So he's got a new Spiderman bag, which meant he couldn't have Spiderman crocs so he had to try on another handful of pairs of a cheaper colour of crocs until we found some that fitted! And we STILL got home before Six o'clock. Amazing!

Bear went off for his evening drive with Steve after tea. He's unable to chill out in the evening enough to drop off to sleep at the moment. He seems to really look forward to going out for a drive to go to sleep, waves and blows kisses, happy to put his coat on and get into his seat and everything. I keep telling myself it's just a phase! Bean is happy with this too because he gets my undivided attention for a bit in the evening. We have been going outside and he gets one last play (fresh air and a chill-out!) while I tidy up and bring washing in. Tonight it didn't feel like we were going to get outside. He was upstairs playing some crazy noisy baddies and superheroes game with the trainset and I was beginning to despair of him going to bed at all!! I needn't have worried. He wanted to take his new bag out into the garden, with some food in it, to eat outside while I tidied up. He really really wanted an apple. I knew he wouldn't eat a whole one but we only had big apples so off he went with his apple in his bag, bag on his back, trotting down the garden where he set himself up on the swingseat to eat his supper. Very cute! I love this going outside thing in the evening. It sets his brain up nicely for bedtime. He ate the rest of his supper in his room with a drink of milk while I read a story (Morag the Tickling Midgie!) and then bedtime kind of happened like this:

"I'll count to ten tonight Bean."
"Ok"
"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7..."
"But muuu-um, I didn't hear you say ONE!"
"I said one."
"I didn't HEAR you!!" *starts crying*
"1.. "
"Or two!"
"2.."
"NOOOoooo, not that fast!"
"1..... 2..... 3....."
*snooore*

Hehe.