366 week eleventy-one-hundred. I mean 45

 

Sunday: delighted though I was to be awake at 7am it was jolly chilly. We hung out whilst DH worked until at 3pm Dimples and I headed off to a birthday party. Leaving behind a tearful LBG, who was whisked off by DH to go swimming. Arriving back home at the same time The Girls were delighted to be reunited. It was a big night too: once they had been bathed, and our youngest had reverted from Hello Kitty to Dimpled Assassin, we had a job to do. She collected up all her dummies and put them in the special gift bag purchased for the occasion. Then we left the bag on the doorstep, calling the Dummy Fairy’s name three times. Obviously there were tears at bedtime, but the energetic party games sent her swiftly to sleep. I spent the night in front of Downton constructing a pram.

Monday: DH was awake early to work but this meant he was primed with the video camera as Dimples caught her first glimpse of the Dummy Fairy Gift as we came down the stairs. It was such a lovely moment. And once I dropped LBG at school, DImples insisted we go for a walk with her babies. She never left that pram alone all day. And at bedtime when she once again sobbed for her dummy we talked about her new pram and she settled enough to fall asleep.

Tuesday: LBG is going into school so well now. After 4 years of her sobbing every day when I dropped her off, she now skips in. Since half-term the Reception children must go into the playground and wait to line up at the bell- before parent’s dropped them in their classroom- and she is coping so well. Dimples and I had hot chocolate in Bromley to celebrate my two amazing children. Then we had to take care of a friend’s child and collect her other one from school so whilst DH fetched LBG, Dimples and I and Lulu pushed pushchairs and prams to school and the joy on Dimples’ face was the most wonderful thing to watch. The friends stayed for tea and by the time bedtime rolled around Dimples was once again too tired to really fight the lack of dummy.

Wednesday: with both children in school DH and I went to lunch to celebrate DH’s birthday the day before. Now that the Man Cave is finished it is wonderful for him to be able to work effectively from home, and for us to have unexpected pockets of time together in the middle of the day. It’s something I cannot put a price on. We headed to Granny’s house that afternoon to give him some space, and to bother Uncle Adam. I cannot believe the Dimpled One and LBG were still awake when we got home!

Thursday: a fairly quiet day. Laid low by PND and lack of sleep I rather cocooned myself at home during the school day. Dimples and I had a great time at home before collecting LBG from her playdate and then I left my children in their very capable father’s hands and went to London to catch up with an NCT friend and drink cocktails. I had that comedy thing on the way home of really needing the loo but not having a chance to go so that every bush I passed on the walk home from the station looked really inviting.
Friday: there is nothing like a late night to push you over the edge into the realm of ‘grumpy pants’ as it is known in this house. Once Thing 1 and Thing 2 were at school (and I had wept a little in the car: Dimples does a great line in wailing and making me feel impossibly guilty when I leave her.) I popped to have hot chocolate with Mrs L who was celebrating the safe arrival of a new baby. Then DH and I scooped up our Girls and went straight to the Beach House, bringing the precious School Bear with us. Tea at the cafe and a movie were our Friday night treats.

Saturday: wet. And cold. But we were loaned the keys to next door’s beach hut so packed up some sandwiches and wrapped up warm. We’ve dismissed having a beach hut because we didn’t think we would get much use from it, but within five minutes of being there we were all of the opinion that we must have one. We supplemented our sandwiches with chips and waited for a break in the weather, where we combed the beach for crabs and buried treasure. Back home there was a much-needed log fire to thaw out and then supper at a ‘curry restaurant’. Dimples has discovered Chicken Tikka. LBG is a little more reluctant and will only eat the chicken after DH has licked off all the sauce.