Well, sort of, as we are taking a little holiday in search of Summer sunshine before September, pre-school, Autumn and a return to work finds us. 

I wanted to share this gem of an activity my father discovered.  My Lil’ H has had the most fantastic afternoon with his Grandpa at Danebridge Fisheries - I can tell you no more as I didn’t go but there are full details on their website and you can hire everything. 

I do know I have five rainbow trout, one uber tired and incredibly happy little boy returned home – apologies for the camera pics. 

I love my little boy doing boy things with his Grandpa or Daddy.  I hadn’t heard of Danebridge Fisheries before but H will back sooner rather than later and I wanted to share before the School Summer Holidays draw to a close. 

Back soon – missing you already!

Claire x

When the lovely people at Clarks offered me a voucher for Clarks shoes I can’t lie I was chuffed!  Really chuffed!  There are times when it feels like shoeing a working shire horse would be cheaper than my semi-pro-micro-scooting 3 year old son.  He rarely grows out of his shoes as grind through them using them as a brake to stop his high speed maneuvers! 

I always make sure H has his shoes properly fitted, its something instilled in me from being a child, my mum always had my shoes properly fitted and I now do the same for my children.  I made those ten tiny toes on H’s feet and I’d like them to grow how they are meant to so whilst the rate of shoe consumption is high due to the Y chromosome and its need for speed, or rather need to brake, a cheaper alternative is not an option.  I made the toes which are still forming the bones and will continue to do so right through til H is in his teens so til then I own those toes!

I wanted H to have some new shoes to start his new pre-school and also for our hols at the beginning of September, our requirements velcro fastenings (hoping one day he will do it himself!) and a tough toe / braking zone!  I know Clarks can order anything in and they arrive in store within a week I’d had a browse online but luckily for us they had all the styles in H’s size – result!  My heart did sink as I took a ticket seeing that there were five ahead of us but the reality was we were seen, measured, fitted and paying within 20 minutes.  I must thank the super lovely Janine who fitted H.  Clarks have gone all 21st Century with a 3D laser measuring machine which I love and also a Facebook page!  That said I still have a soft spot for the old school manual foot tape measure/slide, there is something weirdly nostalgic about it!

Clarks’s Mud Mover which he can be seen wearing above, fitted the best which was lucky as these were his favourites mainly due to the digger on the velcro fastening.  The old pair were added to the recycling bin which will donate a pencil and exercise book for a child in a developing country which means they didn’t come home and I didn’t hang onto them “just in case” like I have done with so many other pairs – why?  Why I do this I have no idea!

I have a second pair of feet belonging to Baby G soon requiring shoes, she’s not quite there yet on the walking front but not far away, so Baby G will be next down to Clarks sometimes between now and Christmas I expect for her first shoes.  So what do you think?  Is the school shoe run a pain or a pleasure in your home?  Do you too keep grown out of shoes “just in case”?  Come on over and share your thoughts.

This is an open invite to all and any mummy, daddy, blogging, twitterers…

Having met up with many bloggers across the last year or so, without exception this has been with my lovely kids.  Myself and Amy felt it was about time we made a plan to get out without the children and with some wine instead!  This we are calling a #twineup we’ll grab a bite to eat, drink some wine and put the world to rights for a couple of hours! 

Date & Time:  Thursday 30th September 2010, 8pm

Where:  Sweet Mandarin 19 Copperas Street, Manchester, M4 1HS

RSVP:  Please do let me know so I can confirm numbers
By comment below, email lancaster.claire@gmail.com or DM to @Cheshire_Claire

My Summer Solo Mummy stint is drawing to a close, not quite over, as Mr returned home last night although its just for the weekend.  I have a final additional week to go but 35 days on my own with H & G, we are all still alive and actually a very close unit of three.  It is going to take some re-adjusting back to being a quartet again! 

I can’t lie, I felt pretty sorry for myself in the beginning.  I felt quite overwhelmed at first and I would look at my friends and think “It’s alright for you, your husband comes home at night”, ”It’s alright for you, your husband is around at the weekend” etc.  Then I had my first reality check when someone said to me “It’s alright for you, your mum and dad are always willing to help you”.  It’s true, my family live 15 minutes down the road and love being with their grandchildren, the grass is always greener! 

When I stopped and thought about I could think of loads that could be thrown in my direction “It’s alright for you …”  

• You have family close by & willing to help
• You don’t have to work full time
• You only have two children
• You don’t have twins
• You don’t have a newborn baby
• You get to go on holiday in September
• You didn’t have to go back to work after 6 weeks
• You don’t have post natal depression
• Your children have their own bedrooms
• You have a garden
• You have a car

Then I had my second reality check, I read about the #Blogladesh trip Sian (@MummyTips), Eva (@nixdminx) and Josie (@porridgebrain) will be travelling to Bangladesh with Save the Children Fund to highlight the work they are doing in line with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. 

Bottom line is, IT’S ALRIGHT FOR ALL OF US, we’re incredibly lucky, FULL STOP.

• It’s alright for me because I don’t have to live on 64p a day
• It’s alright for me because my children won’t be used as child labour
• It’s alright for me because my home is secure
• It’s alright for me because I have food in the cupboards
• It’s alright for me because I have access to medecine & maternity care
• It’s alright for me because my children will go to school & be educated
• It’s alright for me because my children don’t live on the streets

PLEASE Support Now!

• Like me you can add the Blogladesh support badge to your site. You will find the code here.
• If you’re on Twitter & Facebook get your #Blogladesh Twibbon here
• Please, please sign our petition - it’s a Facebook app, sign up & support the cause.
• You can blog about the issues and the Bloggers trip, remember to add your post to the linky here
• Follow the ladies themselves on twitter, @porridgebrain @nixdminx @mummytips
• Follow their blogs if you dont already.  This is where all of the action will be taking place when they are away. Josie is at Sleep is for the Weak, Eva is at Nixdminx and Sian is at Mummy Tips. 
• There is also another very special lady with us in Bangladesh and that is Liz Scarff. She’s the mastermind behind our trip and she’s a totally awesome photographer who is going to keep us all on our toes. You can follow things from her side on her blog at Liz Scarff and on Twitter @Lizscarff.

Dear Baby G,

You are 42 weeks old (10 months in “old money”) its a big milestone for me as you have now been out in the big wide world as long as you were on the inside when it was just you and me. 

Your hair is blonde and showing signs of curls coming through, you have the most beautiful sparkly brown eyes and the best smile which now contains two bottom teeth and four top teeth.  You are such a happy, contented little soul, a very smiley and sometimes a bit of a giggly girl.  Your giggles are infectious and sets everyone off.  Everyone comments on your beautiful smile, my favourite is the first smile of the day in the morning when you are lying in your cot, its usual behind your thumb but I know its meant just for me and you hug me so tight and then get all giddy when I pick you up.

You are a tough and determined lady and know what you want but are very easy going with it.  You very rarely cry, people comment “I don’t think I’ve ever heard her cry”.  Of course you do cry but rarely without reason – the most common of which being your brother & his exuberant affections and teething. 

You are a very tactile girlie and have a true boxers reach, totally disproportional to your size at the end of which is what I can only describe as the ultimate grip – many underestimate how far you can reach and once you have whatever it is you are after then there will be absolutely no letting go!  You like holding my face, patting and stroking me when I am carrying you. 

Baby G you are a thumb sucker – you love and I mean truly, madly, deeply love, sucking your thumb (I am not keen on this at all but somehow you pull off cute doing it!), you love adventures in food and I love that you love this.  You are moving by bum shuffling but with small print, the small print being you must not bein wearing a dress, leggings only, must have no socks or shoes on and must be on a wooden floor or other slippy surface!  Crawling, standing and cruising are on the horizon and you are practising all the moves then that brother of yours had really better watch out!

Very soon it will be your first birthday which I really can’t fathom how time went that quickly so I shall take extra care to make sure I enjoy every single moment of every day with you as they are happening so fast.

You have made our family complete Baby G, in my world there is no better daughter, sister, grand-daughter, guide-daughter or neice.

I love you always,
Mummy x

Photo bottom left taken by www.russellcolmanphotography.com at the Face of SnugBaby competition shoot