What we got up to over Easter

Its been a busy two weeks here.  I always find it surprising that even though Rowan is home educated and Reuben only goes to preschool two days a week, the school holidays are so busy!  There is just so much to do that I find myself craving the usual weekly routine back.  But we have had fun anyway....

Easter crafts, making this years easter baskets

 We went to Truro for a free easter egg hunt in the park, but missed it.  The boys weren't that upset as the bouncy castle was free!  After a picnic in the park, we headed into the city for a look around.  We had no money or desire to shop and instead found loads of free stuff, easter bunnies from one shop bouncing around town giving out carrots to the children (to leave out for the easter bunny, but both Rowan and Reuben promptly ate theirs!)  We found a lady with a big plastic cow that could be decorated and best of all the cathedral had a free childrens easter trail and crafts.  The boys loved it.  We found all the bits on the trail, Rowan was especially good at finding things.  Reuben got a bit freaked out by some very dark Easter story paintings in an exhibition.  And they both made a cross at the craft table.  Rowan is really into God and Jesus at the moment, it seems the Easter story has really made an impact on him.  This had led to much discussion over the last few days.

The boys in Truro cathedral after completing the Easter trail

The boys left their easter baskets in Daddys shed

Please excuse my rubbish camera and very blurry stars, but this was such a beautiful night I just had to try.  Tris took the boys up to Carn Brea to do some star gazing on Saturday night of Easter weekend

Easter morning Excitement

We also went to see Marks Ark, a man who shows off his collection of creatures, including bird eating spiders, a barn owl, a millipede and a python.  Rowan and Reuben both sat right at the front putting up their hands and answering nearly every question, they loved it.

Reuben held the bird eating spider, 'it tickles' he said

And they both held the python

I must admit at this point I was finding it hard to hold back my fears

And last of all this week, we visited a local farm for a walk, baby animal spotting and some cake
 

Very cute lambs, they were just sooo cuddly looking

Boys and sticks, what more can I say?

This farm is famous for its very hearty portions of cake, this is one slice!

And this is two very happy boys!

Hair do's and other goings on

My card reader broke last month, just as I was getting back into the swing of blogging :(  But alas, I have a new one now, so many photos and things to catch up on.

Reuben had his first ever haircut. Gone are his lovely curls, they have been replaced with a twice as cheeky Reuben!

He really does look so much older now he has short hair

During March we had lovely hot sunshine, so we got on with garden stuff, weeding and planting.  Fortunatley we didn't plant anything out as it has gone horrible and cold since.

Rowan sowing the broad beans and peas

I also finally managed to sperad the pile of mulch around the bottom part of the garden, its great down there now

The boys have even built a secret den, Shhh

I have finally had enough of chicken poo, so the chooks are now kept in their run (except Eggbert, who keeps escaping!), they have a huge area to run around and scratch about in

The bottom of the garden is the boys favourite place at the moment.  During the nice weather they were out there as soon as they got up, they would only come in to eat, then go straight back outside again.

Rowan was well chuffed with his tower man

As I have mentioned before Reuben loves baking, so we now have a Tuesday morning mummy and Reuben bake off

Reuben had a 'crazy hair day' at nursery for charity, so we put his hair into a mowhawk.  I didn't realise how vain he was/is!  He loved it and kept saying, take a photo of me like this!

Sadly his mowhawk flopped throughout the day and he got very upset, to the point where I had to go and pick him up.  He did love it whilst it lasted though!

So that about sums up the end of March, I will get around to posting up our Easter goings on over the weekend, but for now, me thinks its time to put me feet up and watch a film ;)

Simple joy

Being woken up at 6.30 by two bright boys bursting with joy and arms full of cards they made with Daddy and had kept a secret (this was particulary exciting for Reuben as he has never managed to keep a secret before!)

A bunch of daffodils and to be told I look like a flower!

Even a massage voucher 

Being allowed a lie in until breakfast was ready, fruit salad and yoghurt, mmmmmmm!

Then a lovely long shower

A drive to pick up the other two amazing women in our life and head to the beach. 

A fantastic roast in the pub looking out over the awsome surf

A sit on the beach whilst my biggest boy 'trains' my smallest boy how to climb the rocks properly

What a joyous day it was x

Getting organised

Some weeks I get to Friday and think 'oh my goodness, its the end of the week and I didn't get to do this, this and that'  and my days seem to get sucked into making food and cleaning up whilst the boys play.
I am lucky in the fact that *most* of the time Rowan and Reuben get on really well and are quite happy to play away a whole day together with very little intervention from a grown up.
But then it is easy for me to slip into, I'll just do that whilst the boys are happy, then the next thing on my list and then its time for tea!
So I have been trying to get more organised and by golly I think its working!  I am making a weekly list of things I want to do with the boys, as well as my usual housey to do list.

As well as more lists I have cut out wheat and sugar and feel so much more energetic and I have lost loads of weight too, which has helped with my motivation

Here are a random few photos from over the last week

The chooks have started laying lots of eggs again, and these ones had faces on when I came to cook with them on Sunday!

Rowans making pictures with his cuisenaire rods - this is a man and his house, I love the fact that the house is so much smaller than the man!

Rowan baking muffins

Our wheat free delights!  Spelt bread and banana and cinamon muffins (using spelt and date syrup) mmmmmmmmm!

Rowan loves the computer.  We now have rules around computer usage, but both boys seem happier knowing when they can and can't use it

Rowan deep in thought whilst modelling with clay

Rowans man on a rock - I know I'm biased, but I love it!

Dried up clay hands

Crazy baker Reuben!  Reu loves to bake, if he is upset you can usually console him by going to the kitchen and letting him stir something.

Lentil letters

After the success of Rowans first lapbook, he now wants to do a second one, this time on the olypmics

I feel that I have to justify the lack of Reuben photos, its only because he is at nursery when Rowan does his home school work, which most of these photos are and when they are together they are lost in a world of lego and superheroes and I can't keep up!

Bye Bye Dreads

For about a month now I have been thinking about having a big hair change.  When you have dreads you are kind of limited to what change you can have, colour or cut them off..... I decided on the cutting them off option.  A lot of people have asked me if I had got fed up with them or were they getting itchy?  But to be honest; No, I loved them.  I just fancied a change.

So heres a couple of before photos....

 

The process of getting me happy with my hair took over a week, 3 actual days of cutting, combing, cutting, colouring, cutting with a very patient friend.  We cut them at about 2 inches then combed them out, after having dreadlocks for 2 years I forgot how thin my hair was, and the huge amount that got pulled out when combing out the very tight dreads, I ended up looking very sparse in the hair depratment, but it was longish.  But I decided to go shorter. 
The day following the cut, I was really unhappy and had thought I had made a big mistake, I loved my dreads, why did I want such a dramatic change!
But then the next day I sat down with my friend and trawled through websites looking at hair, and finally got my hair cut how I like it, much shorter than I thought I had the confidence for, but I do now really like it.

Here are the final after shots.....

It is very strange to go from huge big hair to very little hair and it is quite liberating.  I do feel though that I have to make more of an effort in how I dress, I never thought it would make that much difference, but I suppose when you have dreads your hair takes away so much focus from you and you can kinda wear anything and pull it off.  I put on the same clothes now and feel really frumpy!  So I only have a few outfits that I feel look nice now, but I am happy with my hair, in fact I think I love it.  Almost, still not sure on the colour, but I will wait for that pesky gray to start to peek through and think again about colour.

So there you go, a new me!  No, not a new me, just a lighter and shorter haired one!

Coming out of hibernation

Winter doesn't usually bother me like that, I can put on layers and waterproofs and head out and get on with life.  But this winter was different, for some reason I just felt like hibernating, doing lots of homey stuff and not embracing the cold, wet weather outside.  It didn't even really get that cold here until much later, but it has really rained A LOT.  So when I half heartedly suggested to the boys we go for a bike ride or a walk and they replied No, its yukky outside, I really wasn't bothered.

Rowan has been asking everyday for a while now, is it spring yet?  and this week we were greeted with warmth and sunshine, the primroses are flowering, the daffodils and tulips are budding and life is appearing everywhere.

So this week we have been out in the garden (not straying to far from the safety of our little den!) enjoying the sunshine, weeding, cleaning, clearing, planning and playing and oh boy that sun felt so good on our skin.

Here are some photos of February....

Half Term at Eden Project.  It was great fun, they did a chocolate trail (this was great for rowan as he is a full on chocoholic!), as you entered you were given some cocoa beans and you had to trade them along the way with various traders, until you reached the fairtrade chocolate farm and traded for some chocolate.  Also amazing face painting, but the camera battery ran out!

The Friday home ed group had a planned trip to the local fire station, but it was cancelled due to the firemen having to do their job!  So we had a day in the park.  It was so nice for it to be warm enough to just hang out in the park all day.

Rowan has finished his first lapbook.  It is on dinosaurs.  He has really enjoyed doing this, he has chosen a topic each week and loved using the internet and books to find the information and drawing, writing, cutting and sticking.  He has already decided that he wants to do his next one on plants as its springtime.

First load of washing on the line this year (sad, but it makes me happy!)  Also notice the bird house, Tristan got so fed up with looking at dark colours in our dark, damp garden that he painted the bird house

Over the last couple of years Tristan has been planning a tree house for the boys, but working so much never got the time to do it, but over Christmas he had enough of thinking about it and set to.  It is now finished and the boys LOVE IT.  It has a slide, zip wire, table and chairs and balcony, all made from wood that Tris has processed himself from work.  They are always out there. 

Rowan just wants an attic then he will be totally in love with the tree house!

Chitting time.