Seasons turn ....

and as summer draws to a close to make way for cosy nights in with warm fires, fluffy slippers and a good book I thought I would post a few pictures of the summer that was.

storm clouds are gathering

In my mind at least. I am struggling still beneath the cloud of depression. I usually cope by being out as much as possible but don't always have the energy to muster the troops....too many arguments over shoes, car seat straps, car windows make it hard work.

There have been lots of adventures. Crabbing, rock pooling, beach combing,

 walks, parks,

 gardening and boot fairs plus cake making, family visiting and ice cream eating.

there is a burger, bacon, salad etc hiding in there too.

 Even a bit of nanny baby wearing (first time ever)

 Mostly just us as we have been partially in quarantine as Tinkerbell had impetigo....highly infectious, started out looking like a couple of gnat bites under her chin but quickly spread across her neck and chest....looked like awful infected cigarette burns at one point :-(

Munch has been away this week to camp. I went as a child and so did my brother. She has come back bouncing around and talking everyone's ears off about all her adventures and what a great time she had. She also became a christian which is a big decision for her. I hope she finda the strength to continue her journey when alone in a crowd.

awesome flongies

I haven't done a product review before but felt I had to spread the word about a lovely work at home mum. I recently won a competition to have 2 pairs of fleece trousers/nappy covers custom made for Blu. After a few conversations to discuss measurements and ideas the lovely Lynsey at Babe Be Eco started making up the agreed design.

Lynsey sent us pictures of the fabrics before/during and after cutting to double check we were happy with it every step of the way. She kept us constantly updated with progress and sent us pictures of each stage of the process to ensure we were completely satisfied. They arrived in around 2 weeks ( amazing considering she had co op orders and other projects to complete).

The flongies are awesome. Exactly what we wanted. The perfect night time cover for cloth nappies, they fit over our tots bots fluffles and wee notions night nappies. They are beautifully soft and fit perfectly. They are very well made, stitching is very concise and neat and the trousers are well finished. Hubby and I totally love them and I will definitely be buying some more soon.

How cool are these?

They totally rock and I will be sending anyone who asks about fleece straight to Babe Be Eco

Allotment chaos

I was so happy to finally get an allotment. Phase 1 of our plan to be more self sufficient looked like finally becoming more of a reality. Unfortunately it also coincided with our Blu  being a very hungry monkey and the ginja ninja's health taking a turn for the worse. So not quite as expected.  Mum and I had been trying to keep on top of it but she whil full time and whenever I try to go down Blu  screams the entire time. Cue chaos .....the allotment began to take on an Amazonian appearance.

Our allotment is one of the smaller ones, only goes as far back as the blue plastic fencing and sadly has no shed or storage on it either. We have ben gathering wood from a friend of ours to build some raised beds and storage but it has taken a while to collect it all together. Mum and I managed to get some cleared though. Blu even slept for a short while in the sling which allowed me to dig up most of the potatoes (yes there were actual vegetables amongst all

 that foliage. We still didnt manage to get any new veg beds built but we did clear 10 ft by 25ft ish space. We put weed control fabric down and weighted it with some of the wood for now.

I dont agree with home school.......

I think Munch's maths/reading/handwriting etc have all gone down hill massively since she left school. All she does is roam the streets and play with friends (so much for home edders not socialising)

This is part of a part of a conversation I had with my mother yesterday. Nearly 2 years into our home ed journey I had thought she was on the same page after initial concerns.
Guess not.
A discussion ensued whereby I was accused with bullying Munch into home Ed( erm no......2 years of research and leaving it up to her )and of jeopardising her future.

As for the roaming the streets, Munch got in trouble for that as she turned up at mums unexpectedly following a bike ride to her friends. ( only a short distance away, 5 minutes maybe? ) and was not where she had said she was going. I would like to give her more freedom but don't believe it is wise to do so at present. Whilst we would have cycled for longer/further as kids she doesn't have much road sense and does worry me sometimes.

Her handwriting hasn't got worse, it's always been bad (family trait) but she does a fair bit writing which she enjoys..... usually shopping lists and menus which include prices. It took a while to undo the damage from school. They had almost destroyed her love of learning and reading in general and I am pleased to now see her playing and learning things of her own volition. That's the bit I think mum struggled with most......not seeing any school work being done ( certainly not sitting at the table for hours on end) but I believe she is beginning to understand now. She is willing to come along to some home Ed meets et to see the bigger picture.

I can understand her point of confusion. When she was younger and still living on the road relatives were being harrased and even prosecuted for not sending their children to school. (Usually the boys who were out working with their dads) much of the year was spent travelling and following the work (farming, fruit picking and the like so very seasonal) I know she hated school and was bullied due to her learning dificulties (hard to keep up when you only go to school in deepest winter ) and racism against mums kin was still rife (she is in her early 50's and being Roma was definitely not as fashionable as it seems to be these days).

Of course I then confirmed my madness and mission to destroy the girls lives by airing our plans to travel/woof/visit friends and take the girls back to our roots living on the road ......if looks could kill.....but that is another post in itself.

Another busy week

A busy week of fun and frolics.

This week has mostly been about reconnecting as a family and enjoying the weather (avoiding housework is always good too)

Fun home ed trip to wildwood...Tinkerbell scrambling the climbing wall.

 3.5 year old in sling....miles too big but she was tired 

and Blu's new flongies....our first ever custom clothing item.

Awesome brunch with my ladies on Saturday 

followed by a craft afternoon, which Blu was less than impressed by

Sunday celebrations consisted of a massive family group outing to Howletts. Around 30 of us all together. A great time was had by all. Lots of animals and family fun. Especially pleased with Munch who despite being scared of heights insisted on going with all the other cousins on the Go Ape. She did brilliantly and completed the course.