I haven’t posted in The Gallery for ages, this is my first this year.  I don’t get around to doing pretty much most things I want to these days.  This weeks theme, Simple Pleasures, struck a cord with me. 

We’ve had a really busy half term we have play dated, been to the cinema, eaten out, been swimming, to the park and attended a great blog event hosted by Nutella at Stockley Farm (opens to the public this Sunday 6th March).  The highlight for me, the lifetime memory if you like, was the afternoon a cat wandered into our garden and the children tried to herd it!

My Children have seen cats before, they have stroked cats before.  This has happened before – same cat, same garden, same children.  Just for some reason this time they were bothenraptured by it.  Baby G is now babbling away pretty much constantly with a few words in there too, her excitement was infectious and Lil H was laughing his head off.  He was being the big brother and sharing what he knows about cats (not a great deal to be honest but it was cute!) showing her how to call her over “here puss, puss” and making kissing noises at her explaining that they have claws and can scratch you if you try to pick them up by the back legs – he speaks passionately and from personal experience about this   

The cat lives in a house with four children, it is smart.  It wasn’t coming remotely close to grabbing distance but was happy to entertain Lil H and Baby G from a safe distance, rolling over and walking tantalisingly close past them!  It’s not often I get to just stand back and watch the two of them together without having to mediate, intervene, separate, reallocate toys, request apologies, deliver cuddles, food, drink etc.  I hope now they are getting older this will happen more and more and more often.  My two had a blast cat herding.  I had time to make and drink a cup of tea as well as take a load of photo’s and I had enough time to have a play on the manual settings too.  It was all good. 

I have just finished a baby massage course with Baby G, I did the same with Lil’ H and we all have really enjoyed massages as part of the bedtime routine. Claire who runs the course has the poem below displayed and I love it.  It really struck a cord with me about where I am right now in life.  It makes me stop, remember and appreciate how precious this time is with my children while they are so little.  Meetings, boardrooms, committees and emails will all still be there in two years time but my babies won’t be babies anymore.

I hope my baby looks back on today
and remembers a parent who had time to play
There’s years ahead for cleaning and cooking
but babies grow up – while your not looking
So settle down cobwebs and dust go to sleep
I’m cuddling my baby and babies don’t keep

*This is NOT a sponsored post* I simply wanted to share the poem however I can’t recommend Claire highly enough so if you’re interested her Baby Massage courses are in Alderley Edge, Wilmslow and Macclesfield and Claire can be contacted by email to mybabymassage@googlemail.com or through www.iaim.org.uk

I was tagged by the blooming lovely and blooming pregnant Bec over at Beetroot and Gherkins to think about ten of my most favourite things in life that are free.  As I read Bec’s post my heart started to sink, her ideas are great, everytime I thought of one I’d read on and she’d only gone and bloody beaten me to it!  Anyway I’ve been mulling this over for a bit, keen to do it because I have vowed to be good with fulfilling my tags and also because I am running my Simple Pleasure theme through my life this year and Simple Pleasures generally cost nothing.  So here goes, here are my ten most favourite things in life that are free, in no particular order:

1. Watching a beautiful sunset, or in days gone by when I was still up from the night before, watching  the sun rise – especially that bit when the sky goes a velvety navy blue – that’s always special.
2. Having a lie in, time spent in bed with no children is traded at rates higher than gold bars at Lancaster Towers!  I’ve always loved sleep, its something I’m really good at and I like to do things I’m really good at a lot!  In my life before kids I used to set the alarm on a Saturday morning just so I could wake, turn it off and be aware of the extra luxury of that Saturday morning sleep!  Mmm Sleep!
3. My babies first milestones  – the first smiles, steps, words … all absolute joys for any parent.
4. Jumping in puddles – have kids, have wellies so why not?  Go on try it!  You never know you might just like it.
5.  Teaching my children my childhood games, Lil’ H isn’t three yet so we’re only just getting into the zone – we’ve yet to master hide and seek based on H’s principle that if he can’t see me I can’t see him so there he is standing facing the wall in the middle of the room!  Anyway in the Summer I taught him how to play pooh sticks so my joint number five is teaching my kids “stuff” and pooh sticks because its a a classic, timeless and simply great to while away some time  by a river
6. Hugs and cuddles – especially with my bubs and Mr L.  A good squeeze is always lovely.
7. Friends – catching up with a good friend you’ve not seen for ages either by chance or by plan to remember, reminisce, laugh and share. 
8. Finding money – in my head the “bank of life” operates – the amount of money you lose are your deposits and the amount of money you find are your withdrawls and across your lifetime they will all balance out.  It’s a theory that helps me keep calm about losing my purse or slot machines that eat my coins when it happens.  Walking home from the tube early evening I found a tenner just in the middle of the pavement, how chuffed was I?  I walked a bit further and there were two twenties, just lying there, I picked them up and did the obligatory look around for people/you’ve been framed camera’s and by the time I got to my flat I’d picked up £150!  Interestingly my car had been damaged the week before to the tune of £140 – Karma and the life bank in play me thinks!
9. Handwritten post – I love a letter or card and love sending them too, hence why I set up Dandelion Lounge, sadly handwritten post is on the decline with email and text on the rise, but that just makes handwritten correspondence more special.  Extra special are birthday cards for people who you don’t expect to remember that its your birthday.
10. Last but by no means least is the weeks when the Spring blooms bloom!  It’s just around the corner now in the UK.  The snowdrops are out and in a few weeks the crocus will be peeking through, then the UK will be awash with the yellow trumpets of Daffodils, I love Daffodils, mingled in amongst them will be Tulips and the trees will be laden with blossom.  Ah roll on Spring time!

A bath with my favourite bath oil – my choice for bathtime is Lime, Basil & Mandarin by Jo Malone 

Its Sunday night the children are asleep, the bath is run, hot & got my name on it!  Until next week folks! 

Claire x

It’s “quiet time” at Lancaster Towers between 1pm & 3pm. Since Lil’ H started to need his afternoon nap less & less I’ve introduced “quiet time” to allow him to rest & renergise. This consists of a makeshift bed on the sofa, his blanket & a bit of Disney babysitting usually Toy Story 1 or 2 or Finding Nemo. Sometimes still quiet time becomes naptime too. It’s a nice part of the day for me as Baby G is usually asleep too so I get to drop down a gear on the mummy child caring & raising duties.

Today I arranged the tulips I bought myself and it dawned on me how I always like to have fresh flowers, how I enjoy choosing them, arranging them & simply enjoy them being in my home. Today I remembered that fresh flowers are a simple pleasure & I am really enjoying my Tulips, one of my favourite spring flowers. What are your favourite flowers? Brighten your day & treat yourself.