Spending time

Mmm? Oh yes, cakes. We made them, me and the boys, a couple of days ago. What's that? Oh no, I'm sorry, they've all gone. If I'd known you liked cakes I could have saved one for you. Sorry. Maybe next time.

Sorry, what was that? Were they good, did you ask? Oh yes, they were delicious. Very light, and moist, with very fine frosting on top. And the Skittles were just the perfect fruity finish.

Pardon? Oh, how did we make them without the aid of a food processor, because our food processor is broken? Oh, well, we made them the way we usually make them because I don't like the food processor anyway. We made them the lovely old fashioned way, with a wooden spoon and a big ceramic mixing bowl. Good for the biceps. So you burn off some calories whilst mixing, and then you don't have to feel guilty about eating the cakes. Perfect.

We're going to make some more in a few days. If you pop in for a visit, you may get to sample one, with a cup of tea :)

Yes, I thought it was about time we stopped turning the telly on when the young ones come in from school and nursery, and actually do something productive and fun with our time. I've been in one of my lazy spells for a few weeks, letting the kids convince me that watching telly was a good idea on week days because they were too tired to do anything else, thus leaving me free to ignore them and read my book! Terrible, terrible! Guilt, guilt - I'll get over it quickly though, I'm not the type to dwell on my bad mothering :) Once I've realised that I'm not performing at my best, I much prefer to put my energy into getting on with something fun and educational to make up for being a lame mother, rather than wallowing in a slough of self-flagellation and still achieving nothing.

So this week has seen the return of Super-Mum. She hadn't gone as far away as she had when I was reading Twilight twice over for three weeks! She'd only really gone to the end of our road, so she was still really within earshot. I shouted her back on Monday morning, and she came quite willingly. Since she came back, James and Matthew have produced a whole gallery's worth of drawings. James has really got to grips with writing his name, and he's also able to write the numbers one to five, in figures. Matthew is trying to copy, which is just marvellous - he'll be writing his name way before he goes to school if he keeps up this level of interest. Super-Mum also made plans for beautifying the garden, with plenty of jobs to keep the kids interested and happy. She bought a little green house yesterday, and the kiddoes helped to assemble it, by running around the sunshiney garden with the poles, pretending to be skiing. Super-Mum still needs a little time to get going properly, as she's had to sit down for a few cups of tea (with cake!) this week. But next week should be great - there might even be some story time, and some time for playing games, and maybe even some going out on bikes time.

Have a good weekend, all.