Pumpkins a plenty

Winter always brings a sense of excitement, as the trees bare their branches and last rays of sunshine run heavy in the sky, my heart skips a beat at the thought of the fun that is to come.  Halloween for us was a pumpkin fest, a chance to spend time with dear friends and make new ones who kindly invited us into their home for hot drinks after we were caught short in a sudden downpour. ☔️

   This year he drew his plan and carved the pumpkin himself. A little owl no less! 

My daughter learned to ride her broomstick this year and boy has she had fun.....

Flying high! 

This year on bonfire night, we challenged ourselves to write with sparklers, it was a great fun filled session and Grandpa certainly had his work cut out operating the camera! 

    It had to be hearts! 

    Winter days mean chilly walks, kicking leaves and warming up with cuddles and hot chocolate.  

    Who better to walk by my side than      these two?

I must admit in the winter it's so much harder to find "some kind if wonderful" but it is out there, we just have to look a little harder and think a little harder. 

Something came to me last week as I took yet more photographs of my children. Today's photos are tomorrow's memories. Let's Make  them  good ones. 

My next post is going to be all about just that...... Memories. 

Happy winter x

The happiness project

What makes you happy? Like..... Really, really happy, that overwhelming feeling of happiness where for a moment or two nothing else matters? Often we look to others and feel they must have some amazing secret as they always look so darn Happy! But we're good at that aren't we - the looking happy, the talking happy but what is being happy? 

That exact thought inspired this post, hence I've named it the Happiness project.

    Ok, so these two pretty much account for much of my happiness and most of my " some kind of wonderful" includes them.  

Just think about all the big things you've done, the planned trips, the " this is going to be a really special day" times. Those times when you think you are going to be happy because you are meant to feel that way, but actually if you're really honest it's all a  bit of an anti climax.

With this in mind I'm going to tell you what I've discovered recently about my "some kind of wonderful" and about feeling truly happy.

  

    For me, right now, it's not so much about making days wonderful or doing the big things but about embracing that age old cliche and enjoying the small things. As our children grow and enter into independence, they no longer want or need to spend every waking hour with us,  so it really has become about catching the happy moments as and when they arise. A bit if a learning curve for me, the ever planning mummy, packing in all the experiences they "just had to have" and filling their baby days with awe and wonder.

   

  I'm learning, still learning, to live right here, right now and love the magic of the moment, the moments with my babies,   ( yes they're growing up, but they'll always be my babies!)  taking in every second,etching it in my mind, imprinting it on my heart.

So, what happiness moments have I had? ..... Here are a few things I've managed to do lately.

 * jumping into my huge bed, in freshly washed white sheets, one of my darlings under each wing, warm milk and a good old chit chat and giggle.

* sitting in the back garden in the dark, throws around our shoulders, hot choc and looking for shooting stars.

*cooking pancakes together on a Sunday morning, seeing who can flip the pancake the highest without dropping it. 

*talking cars with my son, I haven't the slightest interest, but he is car mad so to share some time with him I fake my interest and we read his car book together and it's lovely. 

*having my hair brushed and my nails painted by my daughter then having her tell me I look beautiful. 

I'm trying not to rush- because I have a million things to do - but to stop and treasure these moments because in a blink of an eye they've gone from being in my arms to being this big. I know one day soon I'll wake up and they'll be all grown up and I'll wish, really wish, I'd enjoyed these small things just a little more and left all those " important" things until later. 

The small things are the memories, the    " mum, do you remember when....." Is always a small thing, a by the by moment to us as adults. 

We really don't need endless time or pots of money to make our own little happiness project. A little imagination?  Yes. A little patience......... ok, a lot of patience!! Yes. But the rewards far out way.

Here are a few " some kind of wonderful" moments that you might like to try

    Good old fashioned conker hunting, we had a competition to see who could find the biggest conker, then, when we got home we tried to find out how big, the biggest conker ever found was!  We're going to soak them in vinegar and then have a conker competition with a few friends. 

   Build a sandcastle village! Ours started small and by the end we had an army of other children from the beach joining in. It amazes me how children who have never met can be so accepting of each other. 

    For me, baking provides a little bit of bonding time. We hunt out the recipe, source the ingredients, then chat while we bake........ Then the best bit, we sit and eat together - perfect! 

   Just a simple, evening stroll. I love nothing better. We walk many evenings, watching the sun set, hunting for whatever it is we've decided we need and we talk. About our day, about good things, about tough things. 

I love it. ❤

All these wonderful things making happy moments and happy memories. 

Before I sign off I must add a final note....... All of these wonderful moments are short. Wonderful, but short. They are heavily interspersed by bickering, washing, ironing, exhaustion and often wishing for bedtime so I can collapse in a haze of tiredness! Reality.

I'd love to hear your thoughts, your happy moments and your " some kind of wonderful" to complete this happiness project. I'm hoping to have a guest post soon on this subject so watch this space! 

 

Autumn calling!

September 25th 2013 

  The sure signs of autumn have arrived and I'm feeling excited about the weeks ahead and the adventures that are to be had. Autumn trails, conkers, pumpkin picking, bonfire night.... So many things to look forward to. 

 Our first autumn "Some kind of wonderful" came in the form of blackberry picking. We sported our wellingtons and long sleeved tops as protection against the prickles and off we went.

The excitement grew as we dared each other to grab that perfect berry, the one hanging just out of reach.... We soon realised who the bravest was!

    She just had to have that perfect 

    Blackberry! 

The best berries were the ones that were tucked away beneath the branches or high up out of reach,  as our adventure increased so did our determination to have those perfect berries.

    

    Perfect autumn harvest!

So, through our adventure I had managed to grab a few hours of quality time with my two little wonders. I find more and more that I have to put a lot of thought into what will inspire and excite them and go with it even though at times it's not what I would choose to do!!

So what to do with our gatherings? 

"Jam" they yelled. One wanting to wash the blackberries, the other wanting to cook them and check the temperature. Great I thought, how can I turn down the opportunity to spend more time together. 

Madeline was thrilled at the water turning pink as she washed them while Fin loved being in charge of the "dangerous" bit and made sure we all stayed clear of the heat! 

   In less than an hour we had a few small pots of gorgeous home made jam. What a way to spend an afternoon, lots of talking and lots of listening!!

    Beautiful blackberry jam in a recycled 

    Jar! 

It's was truly delicious - both the jam and the afternoon!

Roll on conker season when we'll be going bonkers for conkers!! 

Summer dreams and ice cream

Early September 2013 

 As summer draws to an end and begins to close its doors to make way for autumnal delights, I can't help but think back to the summer adventures I shared with my partners in crime. Summer this year my two little wonders said would always be remembered as "the summer we spent at the ocean, with sand in our toes, licking pastel coloured ice cream and swimming in the sea".  "Perfect" I said, "that's just the kind of wonderful memories I hoped we'd make". 

The summer holidays are always a chance to reaffirm the bond with my two, spend some quality time and talk about our dreams and hopes. This summer my son turned 10 and I realised the significance of being 10. It's a turning point, a time of change. No more single digits for one!! But also, I began to see the person he is becoming, he told me of the life he dreams for himself and my heart broke and sang all at the same time. My baby is growing up but he is happy and looking forward to his future and that's what I've hoped for this past decade.

Celebrating a decade of love with my boy. What I wouldn't give to kiss those soft baby cheeks again just for five minutes.

 As the nights draw in and the sun sits a little lower in the sky, my mind drifts to the long, sunshine filled days we shared and I feel a little sad, it's always the end of a little chapter when school holidays end.......BUT ... It's when my favourite season begins......autumn! 

Here are a few shots of our summer of ice cream and dreams 

    She loved dipping her toes in the sea even on the chilliest of days! 

   Jumping the waves!

    Buried treasure! 

And so the chapter called summer 2013 draws to a close.... Coming soon..... Autumn and all it's wonders...... 

Enjoy your some kind of wonderful. ❤