A bit of a dis-aa-ster #countrykids

Its that time of year isnt it when there seems like an endless list of things to do and none of them are remotely interesting to a bunch of lively little over excited kids. This week at school has been a whirlwind of trips, nativity plays, gymnastic displays and parties. It seems like we have been rushing from one event to another. So we thought it was really important to get the kids out of the house for a bit of a run one afternoon. It was starting to get towards dusk a little.

I cannot wait until the evenings get longer!!

But we headed out and it was one of those occasions (that im sure we all have) when i thought it might have been better off staying inside! We had planned to go to a local forest but it is a bit of a drive and it wasn’t going to be doable with me needing to get back to work so we had to go for a local park that we don’t often go to. When we got their, within a couple of minutes, I remembered why we didnt go there very often!

The park is very close to a large housing estate and so get a LOT of dog walkers. Which whilst i have nothing against dog walkers, unless they don’t pick up their dog’s mess then i have a really BIG problem with them. No, we have a dog and to be honest he isnt the best with other dogs. He is fabulous with the kids and people in general but with other dogs it is all a bit handbags and whilst i dont think he would actually fight another dog..what inevitably happens if things it a bit agro with another dog is that my kids in their well meaning ‘lets help the dog’ way start to run up to him, especially my three year old who has NO fear of dogs at all.

I have told them all so many times the dangers of getting in between dogs that are going for each other. But they seem unable to help themselves which properly freaks me out.

So…we started out trying to head round the park and we ran into a whole bunch of dog walkers and one particularly snarly dog that wanted to have a bit of our dog…once we got past them we then headed to a hilly part of the park. One of my girls decided to roll down the bank and came back to me a few minutes later saying she thought she had rolled in dog muck…!!!

It started to rain and so we decided to make a u turn and head back to the car..we spied a pretty little plant on the way back and ventured into the leaves to see it when ….squissh..you guessed it..more dog muck and our three year old fell over in the dirt just missing it.

A little frayed around the edges..and angry at people who don’t pick up their dog’s mess. We headed back to the car and then home to recover with a movie, pyjamas and tea.

Phew.

A bit of a country kids dis-a-ster..but we made it out there!!

🙂

 

Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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Autumn with a hint of winter #countrykids #fridayflashback

It is getting colder isnt it? That snap of winter is in the air and the gloves and scarfs are starting to litter the porch and the shoe cupboard. It is no use trying to hold it of. I am not a massive fan of winter but im trying to embrace it a little and not grumble too much.

So in a bid to enjoy some of the first frosts of the season, i went and took some autumnal pictures!! 🙂 lol

Catching the colours before they really do change!


mummy mishaps
Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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Ballet girls #whatsthestory #magicmoments

If you follow me on twitter or instagram then a few weeks ago you would have seen that my girls (three of them) were getting ready for a ballet show. They go to a ballet school that is run by a lady who danced for the English and Australian National Ballet..so she has quite high expectations for the girls in her company! I took these pictures just before they left, hence the make-up. They were pretty excited about the make-up bit it has to be said!! 🙂

The shows take place every second year, which is a good thing as i dont think i could cope with it every year…but pretty much since October half term we have been too-ing and fro-ing to lots of rehersals. The older girls have been to about 30 hours of extra practice in the last month or two and whilst that might seem like a lot, they accept that they have to be committed to it to be able to give their best performance. It is a big theatre and its only run on one night so its pretty important to get it right.

This is our third show and so we were ready this time. We gave the girls a little pep talk about what to expect and how it might make them feel. We usually hit a few ‘i dont want to do this anymore!” type of comments but they are soon forgotten after the show when they are all on a high and have fallen in love with the performance side of ballet. 🙂 They get to appreciate how much enjoyment can be gained from actually working hard at something, sticking with it when the going gets a bit tough and then being thrilled when they experience the results. I am so proud of them just for that regardless of how they actually performed!!

But they all did great and this year having three girls in the show gave us a lot of interest all the way through the show. Faces shining, big smiles and lots of attitude and giddy, happy and tired girls at the end. But it was all so worth it.

I am very happy that its two years to the next one however!! Maybe then it will be all four girls in the show!!

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A different kind of autumn ordinary #oneweek

I have mentioned a few times before that i tend to like to go for a jog now and again. I nearly always go in the morning as it is a time when i can spare some time! Its also a really handy way to walk the dog at the same time. He isn’t crazy about it. I think he tends to hide in his bed when he hears me come down the stairs in the morning. But as the morning dog walk is up to me then if i can get it out of the way before the school run..well its always good to have one less thing to worry about.

When it starts to get darker in the mornings though I tend to wait till the light is up a little bit which gives me a smaller window of time to go. Im just not crazy about heading out in the dark! So i like to head out, i dont go far, or fast and lately because of the light i do have less time but it is still so important for me to go. Sometimes its just 30 minutes but its like gold to me.

I listen to some tunes and sometimes just stare hard ahead and other times search the depths of my thoughts. Hearing the sounds of the world waking and my own heart beating along with it. There is something meaningful to me that in part I actually can’t explain.

Sometimes i cross paths with others who are out doing the same thing. There is a funny sort of kinship between early morning joggers. A slight acknowledgement is usually all that is needed but its there, the feeling of being part of the opening of a new day.

This past week the weather has been better than usual for me in the morning and my ordinary jog turned into a discovery of how fantastic the autumn can look in the beautiful autumn sunshine. The sun can just lift my spirits. I really love the sun. Seeing it bouncing around the yellows and reds of autumn is incredible.

This is a very ordinary part of my day and i guess walking/jogging with the dog may not seem like much. But, to me, these tiny moments of time are really significant to me. Its my headspace.

It is extra special when there is an incredible accompaniment to marvel at on the way. 🙂

Motivational Mondaythe ordinary moments

one week

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