Today we had a lovely day out as a family. We tried out the under 5’s activity room at the Laing Art Gallery in town. We also had lunch in our favourite pre baby pub and general cool hangout. The Forth, Elliott and Arthur tried to get behind the bar. They also both sampled deep fried baby squid and very much enjoyed it. Here are some pictures.
Today I walked to the museum with Arthur and Elliott. I like a walk and I timed it so they slept for the duration. I stopped in town to pick them up some socks and vests. I managed to resist the urge to buy Gruffalo pyjamas.
When we got to the museum (against better judgement) I ditched the buggy in the foyer and attempted the museum on foot with a child holding each hand. They were very good and both held a finger and didn’t run off. Elliott tried his luck a couple of times but he seemed to get the idea that running away from me was a no go.
We looked at the fish and the dinosaurs and then I took them to the kid’s room. It is a big room full of activities and puppets, a giant mousehole they can crawl through and random other crap that toddlers love. The place was full of my worst nightmare. 6 boys ranging between 20 months ish and 3 all charging about and yelling and jumping. There was also the other end of the scale, two babies under 3 months that were on cushions on the floor.
Not only was I frightened about the big kids barging into my little ones and knocking them down, I also had to have eyes in the back of my head incase my big kids stomped on the babies. Or, god forbid, did their number one pass time at the moment. This consists of gouging at my eyes whilst saying eyeeeeeeees not a good one to inflict on a new baby.
It didn’t help that the other mums seemed more interested in chatting about the feature wall in the lounge and whether or not Kelly’s husband was having an affair than what their kids were doing.
(That is pure jealousy kicking in as I would have dearly loved an irresponsible friend with decorating and marital issues to have been chatting to.)
Anyway, all was fine. The big kids were really lovely with my babies and treated them very gently. The 3 year old tried to include Arthur in his game of diggers and the 2 year olds were really sweet with them and looked after them. Elliott at one point made a beeline for a baby but just pointed said ‘baby’ then stole the baby’s fish puppet and ran at me making a fish action with his mouth. I think he realised that you don’t harm babies but they are damn easy to steal from.
So that was that, not too scary. Elliott’s day was made when the cutest little 16 month old red head tottered in with her Granny. He turned on the charm big time. All she wanted to do was steal his biscuit. Typical woman!
Here are some pictures of a twinkly cave. Arthur loved that he could put his finger over a twinkle and it glowed orange like ET’s.
Yesterday we met Lydia and Joey at the Baltic Art Gallery for a spot of playing and a Mummy sanity chat. It was lovely and much needed by all! Whilst we were there we got to see the scary job of outside window cleaning. The two men who did it had to abseil down the side of the gallery, stopping at every window to clean it. Elliott, as usual, was being a flirt. In return for his friendship he got smiley faces drawn in soap and some waving and dancing.
On Monday we were trapped indoors because it was snowy. When it is snowy It is tricky going out and as it was, Jon had accidentally taken the buggy to work. Here is what we did.
Breakfast: museli, blueberries, crumpet, water mixed with some apple and pear juice.
Got dressed into pyjamas (we had run out of clothes and I couldn’t do any washing as our pipes had frozen) and brushed teeth.
Played at stacking blocks, pulling along a train and taking bits of popcorn out of one bowl and put them in another bowl.
Snack: popcorn, apple
Whilst snack is happening I add the photos to the blog posts I wrote on holiday and publish them.
Singing. This consisted of me singing ‘I’m a Little Teapot’ and Elliott collapsing with laughter every time I sang ‘Tip me up and pour me out’ Arthur now does all the actions to incy wincy spider. We sang other songs too and did dancing.
Reading. We read the Gruffalo three times and then we looked at four horrendous books all with flaps and boring photos that I hate and they seem to think are the most interesting thing ever.
Lunch: Broccoli, roast chicken, cheese, potato salad, water
Sleep. They slept for an hour. I did a workout whilst watching an American teen drama called ‘The Vampire Diaries’ I love it, like twilight crossed with hollyoaks, so horrible it is fantastic. Then I hopped in the shower. Then I wizzed around downstairs clearing up lunch and tidying. I make myself a coffee.
Awake. Coffee doesn’t get drunk. Arthur and Elliott throw raisins all over the lounge Arthur tells me he wants a drink. I go and get the drink.
Elliott at this moment decides to climb onto the sofa and grab the caffetiere full of coffee and bring it to me upside down pouring coffee all over the carpet.
I try and clean up the coffee.
Arthur still wants a drink. I give him and Elliott a drink and an apple and decide we need a new carpet anyway…
Screaming
I say ‘hang on’ run upstairs and bring down a kingsized duvet cover.
We make a tent. Much shreaking with laughter and hiding and jumping out. I finish publishing my blog.
Snack: toast, more popcorn, baby orange.
Arthur now knows the baby sign for help and asks me to help him get onto the sofa for a cuddle. He says Brrrr which means book. I read the Gruffalo again. Elliott wants me to read him the National Trust Handbook. I give up.
We try and do drawing. Arthur decides that as we are doing drawing in his highchair it must be teatime and tries to eat everything. Where are the crayons?? I rummage in the garage for the crayons. Come back with a green coloured pencil. Elliott looks at me like I have handed him a javelin.
Drawing isn’t working.
We play Peekaboo Wild on my Iphone. Arthur says Babooooooooon! Then we watch five minutes of Fish with David Attenborough.
Screaming
It is 3.30 pm and I have run out of steam. This calls for the last resort.
We all have a bath.
Playing with ducks, drinking the bath water. Demanding I turn on the bubble machine. Damanding I turn off the bubble machine. Asking to get out. Trying to climb out. Finding the squirty dinosaurs. Making chicken noises. Splashing. Getting out. Asking to get back in. Splashing more. Pouring water from a stacking cup on my head.
4.30 Yippeee Daddy is home early.
Dressed.
Cook tea.
Tea: Seared tuna, sweet potato mash, curried green beans.
Tuna doesn’t go down well, they have feta cheese parcels instead.
I think today calls for Apple Pie. We eat lots of apple pie.
I say to Elliott ‘go and cuddle Arthur’ He runs at Arthur saying Aaaaaah and they smile and cuddle and kiss each other.
I feel exhausted but like I have just been told I have won the lottery. My boys are AwEsome. With a capital A and I suppose a capital E too 
Boys asleep. Drink wine. Lots of wine.
Here is a picture of the tent.
A weekly food shop would not be complete without a game of dress up. Elliott thought it was the best thing ever and kept saying ‘glasses’ and taking them off and putting them on. Arthur just giggled from the moment we put them on him.
Today we went to see a whale. A 35ft sperm whale had washed up on the beach just north of the bathing house so we went on an expedition to see it. Sperm whales do not normally live in the north sea so experts think it may have accidentally found itself in the wrong place and died because it didn’t have any food. Unfortunately by the time we got to it they had started to cut it up to remove it from the beach which was still pretty interesting but not quite as cool as seeing it in entirety. I have included a photo of the giant beast prior to it’s dismantlement.
Afterwards we went to THE BEST pub for lunch. It is called ‘The Ship’ and it is in a little village called Low Newton. It was gorgeous inside, it did amazing coffee. Sold organic packs of raisins for tots and was very very child friendly. Not in an awful soft play ‘family pub’ way just in it’s general attitude towards babies. Arthur and Elliott wandered about and made friends with lots of different dogs and we all had a lovely lunch.
When we got back we played on the beach. The sea had been calm all week but was really rough today. It was very exciting seeing it crash over the rocks.
I can’t remember which evening it was but we also had a very spectacular night mission to watch as one of the huge helicopters from RAF Boulmer dropped two soldiers in the sea and then fished them out again in front of the bathing house. It was ace, like something from a movie!
Today it was Poppa Fleck’s Birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPPA! Here are some pictures of what we got up to. One of the best bits was a lovely walk through Howick Gardens that ended at the sea. Beautiful.
Today we went to Edinburgh zoo. It was AMAZING! We had so much fun. Arthur and Elliott went mad for all the animals. The zoo had a brilliant spider monkey enclosure where you could see them really close up and a place where you could feed tropical birds. Daddy got very excited as he got to see a Rhino really close up as it was feeding time when we got to it. Arthur and Elliott also loved the Lion. Though at one point it roared at them and Elliott legged it!
Today we went out for lunch with U.Lala and Aunty Lelly to a bizarre pub where the landlord polished the table with furniture polish before we sat down and was then a bit fussy about babies and mess and highchairs. The food was mediocre and we left pretty sharpish. Granny R and Poppa went on a walk to Craster and saw a seal. Lala and I cooked an amazing roast dinner with all the trimmings. Arthur and Elliott played and read stories.
Today Daddy took Arthur and Elliott to Barter books with GR and PF and I went to the supermarket with Lala and Lelly. We reunited in the treehouse in Alnwick gardens for lunch. Then we played in the fountains and in the maze. One of the cool things about visiting in the winter is that it is only £1 to get in. For some reason I have no photographs of this day at all. If anyone has any please email them to
me.
Apparently Arthur loved the train in Barter Books and went crazy every time he saw it go past.
