Its Oh So Quiet....

Sorry for the lack of posts over recent weeks. Big Muddle returned to preschool last Wednesday and, although it been great having the structure back to our days, she has turned into what is known, in parenting circles, as a 'fricking nightmare'! I know its to be expected with the sudden increase in mental stimulation etc etc, but I really would like rid of this premonition of her teenage years!

Anyway, tomorrow we're off to Sunny Skeg for a weekend at Butlins with Grandad Muddle and Grandma Muddle so that should be fun. The girls will be spoilt rotton anyhow!

Normal service will be resumed as soon as the cocktail/stress balance is in order!

Big Muddle's First Footie Match

Been very absent recently, getting into a routine with back to school etc has got me all back-to-front!

Anyway, today I took Big Muddle to see her first 'proper' football match, Notts County vs Shrewsbury (seeing why I used the quote marks for 'proper' now?) Her Uncle and Grandad have season tickets, Grandad bought her the kit recently and so she started to ask about going. 

It was a gorgeous day and she really enjoyed herself. We did leave at 67 minutes, but I never thought she'd make it that long so I was really pleased. The noise was a little scary for her at first, and she clamped her hands over her ears every time a goal was scored, but she said she'd had a great time and would love to go again :-) 

West Midlands Safari Park

Yesterday Grandad Muddle and I took the girls on a coach tour to West Midlands Safari Park. Despite the weather not being the best we had a fantastic time. 

It did take a while to get there, but all the animals were out and about, ignoring the rain! Once we'd been through the safari (took about 2 hours) we got off the bus we went for food in the restaurant. The range was limited but what was on offer was very nice, obviously a little on the pricey side though.

A grumpy camel demands food from passing cars!

There's also a reptile house, 'twilight zone' with colonies of free-flying bats, aquarium and hippo lakes. The best bit though was the African Village, with the walk-through lemur woods and goat enclosure, which really allowed you to get close the the animals. Baby Muddle was in her element, pointing at anything furry and declaring "Cat!" - her new best word!

There are also quite a few fairground rides, but as these are extra (and there was plenty elsewhere to do!) we managed to steer Big Muddle around them with minimal trouble! The toilet facilities were pretty good, and there were plenty of them, the shops were good but a bit too numerous for my liking! All in all a pretty good day, and it certainly tired my two out!

Crafty Bank Holiday

Have thrown myself into jewellery-making this evening and having lots of fun. This afternoon I made a hair accessories tidy for Big Muddle. I'm waiting on some small cup hooks as a bottom row for extra bobbles, but its nearly there:

I used a frame-less cork board from Wilko and staple-gunned some fabric and the two ribbon strips on, and sewed on the loops with clips (John Lewis).

With hindsight I'd do the ribbon strips at the top, and karibiner (sp?) clips may work better for the bottom row, but I wanted to try cup hooks as I thought it would be easier for Big Muddle to access them (this may be foolish, we shall see!

Overall though I'm pretty happy with it, as is Big Muddle so that's the main thing!

Carrot and Orange Muffins

Yesterday we went to the library and got My Cookbook of Cakes by Jess & Laura Tilli. So we had to try out one of the recipes!

Its been too long since I did some baking with Big Muddle, but I was amazed at how much her motor skills and concentration have come on. Having said that, I did use some leftover ready-to-use frosting rather than make up the icing from the recipe. I don't deal well with delayed gratification, so I don't expect my three year old to!

Please excuse my terrible piping. I'm working on the premise that 'practice makes perfect', but all it seems to make for me is splodges!

Silent Sunday

Big Muddle's Big Day Out

Had a lovely day out today with Big Muddle. Together with her friend and her mother we went to Nottingham Theatre Royal to see The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark, staged by BlunderBus Theatre Company. It's the adaptation of the children's story book and was incredibly well done. All the children were caught up in it, joining in all the way through and the puppets and the set were beautiful. The cast were so high energy I was exhausted just watching them and they really brought the story to life.

Afterwards we popped to TGI Fridays. This is without a doubt my favourite family restaurant. All the staff were excellent as always and the food was fab. Their children's menu is very well thought out, with a section for younger children, and one for older, more adventurous, palates. We left very happy and very full!

It was lovely to have a day out to focus just on Big Muddle, I'll have to make a point of doing it more often. But we'll definitely be going back to the theatre more often, she loved it!