Weekend Stories - A Collection

Our weekend was full of my favourite things, simple pleasures and lots of family time. Den building, woodland walks, shooting bows and arrows, swimming, American pancakes, shepherds pie, home made pizzas, blackberry picking, flower picking, film nights, the occasional nap and lots of time with my favourite men. I even managed to do a little housework in between, cleaning the windows has really made the house so much brighter.

My boy - end of Reception

Miss Pearce

Beginnings and endings

So you have done it, a full school year completed. Well done Ace, Mummy and Daddy are so proud of what you have achieved and for the boy you are. 

Natalie 

4

Jasper, four years ago you came into our lives, it took three days to deliver you and what a journey we have all been on since.

While we were in the maternity hospital together, just you and me, I remember taking a bath, you led in your cot and watched me with those soft brown eyes of yours, I knew at that moment we would be friends forever.

These past few days we have celebrated you, a party, some gifts, cake and plenty of kisses

Your brother the magician helping make your chocolate crispy cakes for the party

Testing

We had a party in the woods, hot dogs, your favourite apple juice and plenty of fun

Your cake, decorated by Daddy

Happy birthday dear boy

Mummy & Daddy xxx

School cooking

I help at Asa's school once a week, I always wanted to be able to 'give' a little when he started and teaching cooking once a week seemed the best fit

So my Tuesday afternoons are spent with a litter of gorgeous and beautiful children. I now know all their names and they call me 'Asa's mum' I love this and so does Ace

Today after all the snow I wanted to teach them how to use ice and cold things in cooking, always with an eye on healthy eating I taught them how to make slush puppies

We used frozen strawberries, ice and apple juice. Can you believe that EVERY child liked and ate all their helping!?! Que me and Miss Pearce their teacher having very big smiles :)

Could you spare an hour to help at your child's school?

Take care, Natalie xx

Book week

It is book week at Asa's school, he needed to dress up as one of his favourite characters from a book, he loves reading and being read to so there were many. My main aim was to find an easy to put together outfit. 

Peter rabbit has always been a story we have both loved, my favourite part of the story is when Peter is caught in the gooseberry net,"Peter gave himself up for lost and shed big tears. But his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows, who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself" and "it would have been a beautiful thing to hid in, if it had not had so much water in it" 

Here is my boy, Peter

Take care, Natalie xx

Big boy

Today's post is all about my eldest boy Asa. Since starting his new school in September he has grown in so many ways, today was another mile stone for us all. He went on his first school trip, to the pantomime.

On a very frosty morning we left the house very early, the boys followed their normal morning routine. Playing chase in the play ground, as soon as the bell goes Asa lines up and Jasper goes to give his big brother a big kiss and cuddle good bye

Jasper and I stayed to wave the coaches off, three vehicles full of very precious children

I tried to keep busy all day so not to worry but I did worry, all day.
 
We went to the woods across the valley from the school. A friend text me to say she had just seen the coaches come through the town. Jasper and I listened and we could hear the sound of excited children. We were about a mile away from the school but the wind carried that wonderful sound right to our ears

 

 

 
He was fine of course and said he had a wonderful time in Celtenham. He then went on to tell me the whole Dick Wittington story
 
Take care, Natalie xx

Special times

No photo but a memory I want to keep

Asa and I spent a few precious hours together this afternoon. I picked him up from school and went to Wotton town as he calls it

"Can we go the the adult cafe not the baby cafe mummy as I am a big boy now" of course my love

He ordered a hot chocolate for himself and a latte for me, he has such a sweet way and is so kind

We chatted about school and Christmas coming, his friends and I told him how much I love him, he said "i love you so much too mummy" I could have cried right there in the cafe

We wondered slowly hand in hand past the shops with their Christmas decorations and lights on. We bought a beautiful teddy with a gold bow and a grey puppet elephant from the charity shop for £2.25. We are going to give them to the school tomorrow for children in need. Asa was telling the lady in the shop how some children don't have as much as him so we must give what we have to them

We also were looking for a bright green top for his peter pan outfit which he'll be wearing to school tomorrow, a lovely fatface cardigan for £1.99 was perfect

Not all days are perfect but this afternoon with my biggest boy certainly was

Take care, Natalie x

The school run

I posted a while ago that I was leaving my job of 11 years, becoming a full time mummy and running my little business too

Well it has been 3 weeks now and I feel like a big life change has happened for me. I used to try to feel content and happy but it never sat right, I now walk and see beauty in all manor or things, a pretty house, a tree full of elderberries, my husbands face, the warmth of my home. I feel ok finally to just be me

So.......as I sit here eating hot buttered toast after dropping my boys off to school I thought it would be nice to share some of my morning with you

 

Take care, Natalie xx

My boy

Jasper and I have just come back from dropping Asa off at school, he looked so grown up and loved his new scooter which we had promised him

A coffee and biscuit after the school run

A message from Asa's teacher. I could not hold back the tears in the cafe wile reading this.

 

Must dash, I need to do a few jobs before we go and pick him up

 

Take care, Natalie x

Friends

When I was pregnant with Asa my husband and I went to NCT anti-natal classes, the classes tried but failed at preparing us for what was about to come, however what I will always be grateful for is who I met there. Two wonderful
friends, Kate and Jenny.

Jenny and her family moved to a beautiful village called Mayfield around a year ago, I miss them all terribly but we all make the effort to visit each other. This weekend was our turn to make the journey to this beautiful part of the country

We spent Saturday playing in the garden and visiting the park

I've come to realise the thing about great friends is that it does not matter how much times passes without seeing each other, everything just remains the same.

Jenny and Toby took us to their local and very lovely pub on Saturday evening, we drank wine while the children played in the garden

We spend most of Sunday dressed as pirates, a world record attempt was taking place in Hastings, we were part of the biggest gathering of pirates in the world, 14000! The children could not quite believe how many pirates there were

Thank you my wonderful friends for a great weekend, certainly one for the memory book. Love you all

Take care, Natalie xx