the other evening the kids got down after tea and Isaac asked us 'can we all play hide and seek?" and before i could even say anything in reply, Maisie chipped in 'mummy and daddy can't play with us because they have too much to do…'

I just about tripped over my guilty heart…..

Suffice to say we ditched the tidying up and played some hide and seek……

I was thinking about it after and wondering if you can ever just 'explain' to your kids that you love them. What i mean is that does playing hide and seek for 20 minutes actually show them those emotions in a way they can understand and grasp. Im not saying that words are empty and wasted on kids but to my knowledge neither Ben or i have ever said to the kids 'we cant play with you because we have too much to do' They have just heard it in our actions and choices. Because we forget how much kids hear all the things we don't say….

You know, im realistic and if i played with my kids all the time then we would need surf boards to ride the waves of washing…. But It is sometimes too easy to think that kids get what we get….that explaining something to a 6 year old is going to result in the same outcome as explaining it to ourselves. 

and that is a useful lesson no?

One that maybe i need to keep reminding myself of i feel.

and a little winteryness….

teamjames

because i only posted this picture there and not here…this is our smallest lately. She was sitting on my knee earlier watching strictly come dancing on catch up when Isaac came in from Anchor boys and said to her 'Hello cute baby'  Thats a big brother you have got to love. 

ps..apologies for the complete absence of punctuation..you can add your own ;D

because it very nearly is…and i told myself id have an early night….that was after finding myself fallling asleep on the floor earlier!

1. Last week i had one full day when all the people who should be in school in this family where actually in school. Winter/autumn whateveryouwanttocallit..vomiting bug…horray! Poppy is the last person standing and seems to be holding out. 

2. If you live here then you will know that it has been cold recently yes? hmmm…my 8 year old still only wears a jumper out..he tells me 'its not that cold'…problem is when their hands are blue and they are shivering its you who firstly has to put up with the moaning and secondly gets the  looks from the grandparents in the school yard who think you are an irresponsible parent.

3. Advent calendar time is upon us. We have a wooden winter lorry thing that we bought a couple of years ago with little drawers for whatever you want to put in them. I usually stick with chocolate coins and a strip of paper with some words on for the kids to read..last year we did the story of the nativity through the 24 days..this year i think i will do question/quiz based stuff 'cos they seem to like that sort of thing at the moment. Im only one day ahead of them tho..as in, i have done day 1 question!!

4. How mad is it that the country is covered in snow in November? As Isaac tells me, that is still autumn.:)

5. Sleep Schmeep….

6. Nativity play season is here….time to work up the stress levels and a sweat, juggling a camera, video, small child, small baby, crammed in a way to small school hall whilst waving manically at said nativity involved child to make sure they see you. Woohoo.

7.  I had a lecture from my dentist recently on dental health when i went for an appointment I felt about 10 and all i could say to him was 'hmmm…' I dutifully passed on this lecture to my children when i got home and now they have become the 'sugar police' and i have subsequently been guilted into giving up the black evil that is diet coke. I dont know..the things you do for your kids eh?

8. The kids are learning some songs from the film 'nativity' for the church christmas service. You think i can get those songs out of my head? Nope. Those empty spaces in my brain are filled with 'things are really cool in naz-a-reth….etc etc

9. Im pretty thankful for a roof over my head when its this cold. Been feeling pretty sorry for myself lately and so its good to focus on stuff that is so easily taken for granted.

10. There is an apple core on my dashboard that every time i get into my car i think…'ooh must put that in the bin..' and yet it seems like the most impossible task for me to actually follow through on. Sometimes i wonder if my kids think our car is a large composting bin…..

teamjames

in this arms of this almighty tree..she is probably catching a little rest and fiddling with the moss.

and our beautifully sweet Jemimah. Two months old and smiling, laughing and sitting back to watch the show. 

teamjames

I have been doing a lot of photo editing…its a learning curve and seems to be one that i climb late at night when i have a few moments to myself..oh and in the early hours if i can get up before everybody else. Some of the pictures i cant share here just yet but here is something i put together of a small baby shoot i did a month or so ago with a little boy called Mackenzie. His mum and dad were so incredible and had gone through a lot to get their precious boy. Here is a little montage i put together in imovie. Hands up who loves applemac…..