Freddie fell asleep in the car on the way back home then didn't want to be put down all afternoon so the house is a tip (no change there then!). We went to 'Good Work Assembly' at school (assemblies are at the end of the day in our school which has pro's and cons but is good in the sense that it means it can't drag on for the kids having to sit still!). We then played in the playground for a good lovely hour after school while I chatted with some mummy friends in the sunshine and the kids all amused themselves really well. It was definitely helped by the fact that one of the little girls was cycling round on her bike with brioche in the basket like a French baker sharing it out to everyone (not sure her mum intended it all to go so quickly...)! And the Scrapstore Play Pod was open for after school club so the ones that wren't climbing tree's or eating brioche were rolling around in barrels and hanging upside down from ropes! I love our school!! Had some really interesting conversations. Learnt that one of my new mummy friends was taken in by a church with her three siblings and her mum when they were in need of somewhere to live due to her dad moving out when she was a baby (just one month older than my youngest was when their dad moved out; thankful the kids and I were able to stay in the house). So they lived in her grandad's church until she was 4 or 5! Isn't that amazing! They grew up there watching various groups from toddlers through teens to eldery folks coming and using the church hall which was their living area! Isn't that amazing!! I guess again there'd be pro's and cons. But church buildings are for 'family' so I like the idea of it literally being a home :) We've decided that every Friday we're going to put up a little sign and make an open invitation to any families that want to, to head just round the corner to the cemetery (nicer than it sounds!!) for a play and picnic so everyone has somewhere to go and have company :) I've also just been texting another new mummy friend and we're going to plan a sanity day in the summer holidays where everyone's invited to get together in the day with the kids then the parents all go out that evening for get-to-know-you drinky-pops :)
When we left school Bilbo hit loopy mode. This usually means either there's no focus for him, he's hungry or thirsty or he needs the loo but I had dealt with all these possibilities and he just continued. I can't think of a word strong enough to describe how loud the sounds were that he was making in the car. He was happy enough but manic. I decided to take them to an adventure playground that we often go to on a Friday. Praise the Lord they had some craft activities out and he got stuck into that for about an hour while his brothers played. Eddie was using the water pump in the sand, filling buckets up and making puddles, and Freddie was finding ride-on's and generally exploring. When Bilbo finished what he was doing we had a go at table tennis but he was on the edge of hyper and they were closing anyway so we left. By the time we got home he was bouncing off the walls (of the car...). My civilised neighbours were sitting out the front enjoying the sunshine and chatting to one another (hottest day of the year apparently). He stripped off and ran like a loon up and down the street yelling "I'M NAKED, I'M NAKED!!!!" repeatedly. I managed to calmly get him inside by saying granny wouldn't be likely to come and babysit if she thought he would be being too crazy for her. So he came in, but went straight upstairs and started squirting water out the bathroom window, which is at the front of the house, shouting "I'M WEE'ING OUT THE WINDOW!!!!" It's a good job I don't really care what the neighbours think!!! ..Or maybe it would be more accurate to say I'm past caring?! Using the same reasoning I managed to stay calm and end up with him occupied in the back garden with water play, channeling water from the kitchen sink pipe down an add-on bit of drain pipe I found at the front after strong winds a while ago. They all played with that for ages and, a toilet trip helped him start to settle too (I think the sense of urgency when he needs the loo sends him hyper sometimes)!
They had microwaved frozen jacket potatoes for tea with pre-grated cheese (having already had a picnic). This meal is the bomb for a single mum with no free hands!!
This evening I went out!!! To a pirate-themed ceilidh at the Sheffield Ceilidh Society of which I am a member :) It was lots of fun! I invited lots of people and only one came, but it only takes one and I'm there! It's brilliant. It started as a student society but they found people didn't leave when they graduated - they kept coming back, and coming back - and now it's open to anyone so there's a great mix of people young and old, pro's and amateaurs (mainly the latter!), international students etc. The were folk-grunge! They were brilliant; The Black beard Tea Party! They have a different band every time. I'm hoping to become a caller at some point (ie learn how to tell people how to do the dances). It goes on til midnight but I tend to leave at 10:30pm to relieve my babysitter (yes - my mum - again!!). It's pretty hardcore though - no rests between dances - they're back-to-back - so I get plenty of dancing in! It's always a really good, fun, friendly atmosphere :) It's also downright dangerous with bodies flying everywhere and great speed! I got spun in a basket tonight in which the centrifugal force was such that it felt like all the blood in my body was going to cause my legs to shoot off/explode!! Night night xx
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