OUR AUTUMN BUCKET LIST

• stock up on autumn and winter wear
• pick a pumpkin
• carve a pumpkin
• go puddle splashing
• attend a firework display
• dress up for halloween
• start christmas shopping
• purchase and light some autumn/wintery scented candles
• celebrate mine and Andy's birthday
• welcome nephew number 11 to the clan
• have a film and take away night
• buy new hat and scarf sets for the girls
• collect conkers
• go leaf crunching
• make an autumn tea light holder
• light sparklers

New Beginnings Reception & Juniors

After a month of preparing buying uniform like a mad woman, hair bows and socks galore, a big shoe drama today was the day I helped tiny and not so dinky feet into the kickers that caused me so much stress! Straightened collars,buttoned up blouses and cardigans, set a pretty hair bow perfectly in place,zipped up coats and placed P.E bags on shoulders.

Today was the day my eldest baby started Juniors and my littlest baby started her new adventure in Reception.

The day I've felt like I've had to learn how to walk all over again because there is no little person by my side to hold on to, I have to walk back home after the morning school run alone. 

No one to share whatever it is I dare open with a little person present, No one to huff at me when I ask for them to pick up their toys they are no longer playing with or telling them no to a packet of sweets or whatever it may be I miss it all. Even the bits that drove me mad at the time

I sit alone in the living room feeling like little Bo peeps sheep not a clue on what to do with myself, I should be doing housework but the house seems far to strange to do anything but sit and watch the clock ready for pick up time!

I suspect I'll do this for a few days before dropping both girls off to school in the morning feels normal as right now it feels so alien to me to not have Daisie beside me on the walk home. 

I'm eager to hear all about what they got up to today, what they've learnt, what they had for lunch, the names of new friends they've made and all about their new teachers.

I'm yet to cry setting my little girl off on their new adventures but I can feel them there its the little things I do and notice there's no one there beside me like there has been for so long that delivers a pang to my heart, I think if Daisie could have she would have told me to just bugger off already this morning when I was hanging around in her class room while she got stuck into the sand pit wanting to hold onto my baby for that little bit longer.

Maize Maze Fun With Stanhill Farm

After our plans of going to our local Maize maze being ruined not once, twice but three times 

we finally got to go along yesterday afternoon.

I expected to be in the maze for a good 1O minutes or so and that would be that but an hour or so later (I'm guessing, I was having way to much fun to keep an eye on the time) we wandered out of the maze finding all 1O nests!
We did end up at the exit after only finding 5 nests before we decided we would follow the map, there was no way I was leaving without finding all 1O of the nests.
Each nest had a number of eggs in all with different patterns each pattern belonged to a different dinosaur once we found all 1O nests we had to work out which dinosaur had the most eggs.
Even tho I'd seen a arial view of the maze on Stanhill farms facebook page I didn't notice the maze was actually in shape of a dinosaur until I was handed the map how amazing is that!!!
I can't begin to imagine how much work went into getting the shape correct, There's also a dinosaur foot print shaped maze for the under 4's.
Even after a few complaints of being tired and sore legs Daisie asked could she turn round and do it all again as soon as we had finished and has asked numerous times since we've been if it's time to go back yet, So the maize maze has a really big YES from Daisie.
Stanhill farm is the same farm we get our pumpkins from which you can read about HERE or if you'd prefer to watch our visit you can do so HERE.
Just like last time after our walk home me and Andy got to work on a fry up while the girls watched a film in the living room, The walk there, around the maze and back home took it right out of Daisie and while cooking the fry up she had curled up and gone to sleep on the sofa, I even went to bed for an hour nothing beats a family walk I just wish we had some lovely places within walking distance to make a family walk a regular thing for us.

Have you ever been in a Maize maze?

1812 Firework Night

On Friday me and my little family went along to the annual 1812 firework display with live band at our local park.

For me it was the first time I have taken the girls along I'm unsure why I haven't attended in previous years with them, Andy went along last year but for some reason I didn't go along. We always attend our local firework display on the 5th November as its one of the first annual events we attended when me and Andy were little love birds in the early days of our relationship, So it's now a MUST do thing every year for us!
In the six years we've been together Andy has missed one and that was only down to our gas meter having an error and having to wait for someone to come out and fix it.

This is an event I'd usually feel totally overwhelmed by how many people were also attending and I'd usually stay as far away from any crowds as possible, I'd feel that sick hollow following in the pit of my stomach but Friday was another time it just didn't happen, We found a spot in with the crowd and we walked closer to the front to see the band and everything. After 4 years of Anxiety taking over everything I think I may just be the one in control now WHOOP! 

I don't know what it is but every time I've gone along to fireworks the past 2 years I end up really emotional and find myself welling up as I watch the pretty colours burst in the sky.
It was a lovely night made even better by not having the urge to get home as soon as I could, Sorry I know I've said this in quite a few recent posts lately but after 4 years of anxiety controlling everything it feels so surreal to no longer have it have such a hold on me.
I'm so excited to get stuck in with lots of autumn and winter events which I've feared to even arrange to do in previous years!

Does your area have a 1812 night? 

I'm hoping I can get a video together of the firework display and be able to come back and add it to this post.

BIG SISTER BASKET

In September another little man will be joining the Ewing clan taking my niece/nephew count up to 11, 12 if you include a little lady from Andy's side.

Making my little niece a BIG sister! 

During my pregnancy with Daisie I worked on putting a little big sister basket together for Issy for the early days of bringing Daisie home not so much to keep her quiet but to keep her busy while I tended to the demanding needs of a newborn where I can't always be there straight away with her one on one like she grew so used to over the 3 years when my life was just her and no other little human.

It wasn't quite as fancy as this one as her's was the first one I'd ever done so I have got a little better at it over time doing mother's day baskets, easter basket and christmas eve ones, seeing as I have no plans of anymore babies for at least a year or two I just had to put one together for my niece.

I may have gone a little over board as some bits won't fit in the basket and will be going in a bag, It's so hard not to go crazy with so many cute little things to fill it up with.

I've packed it with bath stuff from a shower cap, bath clock right up to some soapy foam, nail polish and stickers, bubble handbag, stickers, secret diary, colour in puzzle, dress up princess, crayons and pencils.

Many of the items cost me £1 and 99p which I felt may look a bit cheap of me until I saw just how much I'd put in the basket, I managed to get the basket completed with time to spare for little mans arrival so who knows I might end up doing a baby boy basket as I've got the basket bug and my mind's going wild with ideas for the girls christmas eve baskets even baskets I could have done for my sister in-law but I think I'm running out of time for that one sadly.

I can't wait to drop it off and see her little smile and give her little brother a squeeze! 

Do you put together big sister/brother or christmas eve baskets?
I'd love to take a peek if you do!

BACK TO SCHOOL BARGAIN

I've wanted a pair of kickers for Issy ever since he started school 3 years ago

but she's a serious toe scuffer so I just wasn't willing to spend £4O+ on a pair of shoes just for them to be ruined within weeks.

With Daisie starting school this year too I really didn't want to get one a pair of kickers and not that other as that just seemed mean, so I um'ed and ar'ed for ages about if the little lip that comes out on the sole would protect the toes some what as Daisie will still be able to play on the bikes in the nursery playground at play times and then I came across the plunks with rubber toes and they seemed perfect.

After all it will take both of them a little bit longer to get through the rubber than it would to take the toe out of some perfect patent ones, My neighbour knew how much I wanted some kickers for them and tagged me in a post on facebook about them being reduced in sports direct right down to £2O down from £44.99 in the plunk style, I just had to get them for bargains sake but they sold out in Daisie's size (size 9) which sent me into a major melt down I finally decided on shoes and they were sold out every where so I gave in and ordered the girls shoes from my studio catalogue instead so they would definitely have some shoes and after all that flapping they were having some bloody kickers!

shoes ordered time to relax and wait for the new school term to start BUT nooo.. Issy's shoes have a please allow 28 days for delivery notice! ARGHH.. So I thought while the kickers from sports direct were only £2O why don't I grab them just incase her's did take the 28 day wait, so I went on to the website and they were reduced again down to £14!! 

Daisie had her heart set on the boot style so I just had to get her some to grow into as lets face it £14 for a pair of £44.99 pair of boots I'd be crazy not to have grabbed them while I could.

My only hang up about our super bargain is I can't shake the feeling they are possibly quite boyish.

£28 for two pairs of £44.99 each pair of boots, I'd call that my bargain of the year!

Summer Holiday Blues

Where on earth have these holidays gone?

I had so much planned to do with the girls like cinema trips, soft play, bowling, swimming, museums and so much more so far we've only really done the park trips.
Once again I'm feeling really deflated by just how little we've done after being so set on this holidays being the one we were hardly ever in doors for, Admittedly the weather hasn't totally been on our side  half of the time and of course Andy's bike accident just before the holidays hasn't made things much easier. Also boy do my girls eat! My food shop has doubled in price making sure they have plenty to snack on through out the day. It feels like as quick as I've done the food shop my cupboards are looking like old mother hubbards again within what seems like minutes no matter how much I double up on the following shop.

I began the holidays so organised regarding school uniforms, P.E bags etc  I made sure to buy pretty much all of the stuff needed for the new school term at the beginning of the holidays so it was done and we could enjoy the holidays BUT yesterday it hit me just how little of the holidays we have left and I didn't have their shoes, the ones I was set on buying and had been in my basket for the last week were out of stock in Daisies size when I finally hit the secure checkout button and all of my local stores were out of stock too!
Que some serious flapping from me and as sad as it is I even shed a tear maybe two or three.
You'd think after 3 years of this I'd be a pro by now and have my schedule down to a T but sadly I don't and I can't be sure I ever will, Today I got the last bit of P.E kit and finally ordered the girls school shoes I'm just praying for once that the delivery date isn't accurate as Issy's shoes delivery asked to allow 28 days, 28 days I really don't have. I know how stupid it was of me to leave the shoes until so late and that's what has frustrated me the most I wanted to leave them until last to be sure they fit when they start school but I didn't plan to leave them this late changing what shoes we were going for certainly didn't help but they are ordered and hopefully will be with us by the end of the week!!
Fingers crossed for me mummys & daddys, I'm not sure how much flapping I have left in me if these shoes don't arrive in time for school.

With this little moping post done I'm determind to make the most of whats left of the holidays be it crafts in doors or finally braving the soft play and getting us down to our local maize maze!