Gratitude Friday.

Well. If ever there was a week to be grateful, this was it. I am brimming over with gratefulness! I started this week, waking up on a children's ward in hospital and although it seems that Friday has come around so quickly, it also feels like it has been a long week. I am so grateful that our little 'baby boo' is still with us. I really don't need anything like that to happen to make me appreciate my children or husband. I, honestly, hand on heart, thank God every night for them.

I'm also grateful today for choices. I think we all have choices and sometimes they can be difficult to make but the choices are there, nonetheless. The choice that I have made, from time to time question, review or find myself defending to others, is the choice to give up work to raise my children. This afternoon I had a whale of a time volunteering on a science day at the kids school. I helped 2 classes of 8-10 year olds make slime. They got to take it home, too. Bet their parents were pleased (hee, hee!) Oh, and they learned, if they were listening, that the substance that they made, somewhere between a liquid and solid, is called a colloid. I often get asked if I miss teaching and some people seem puzzled that I'd give up a career to stay at home. Of course I miss it. But this, staying home while the kids are young, is my choice and it is up to me to LOVE it and it won't be time wasted and I definitely won't be regretting it. (I am, however, looking forward to going back to teaching sometime...)

The pictures are of some Easter biscuits that the children decorated today. As they missed out on cooking day (because we went to Grandad's birthday tea), I cheated and got this biscuit decorating kit from Morrissons and they did this after school today. They had them with their hot chocolate and Beatrix Potter story. This week we had chapter one of 'Little Pig Robinson'. It's a bit of a long story, this one.

Gratitude Friday.

I'm grateful for a fabulous half term holiday and in particular for somehow getting along so much better with my big girl.

Today Hubby had another day off so we decided to go to Folkestone for swimming and then on to Brockhill Country Park. Just as we were getting in the car, my Mum turned up so she came along too. That was a blessing... to have another pair of hands to help with changing!

It has been another lovely sunny day. Although I worked in Hythe for 6 years, I'd never been to Brockhill. We only stopped for a quick look and for the kids to have a good play, but it looks beautiful, lots of waterfalls, wildlife and snowdrops and we'll definitely have to go back for a longer walk round.

Everyone enjoyed themselves and now the kids are in bed, tuckered out. Hubby and I are having nachos and waiting for this live episode of Eastenders to come on when we'll find out... who did kill Archie Mitchell! Duff, duff, duff, duff, duff, duff, duff, duff!!!

Gratitude Friday and Peter Rabbit.

This is what we had for dinner tonight. Salmon pasta bake. I made it up based upon what needed to be used up in the fridge/freezer and what is on offer at the supermarket. I rarely buy a newspaper now. (I can't see the point of paying 50p per day to read about people's sex lives, or lack of it. One week it was the woman who wrote about how she gave her husband, for his 40th, the gift of sex every day for a year and the following week another woman who wrote about not having sex for, oh, I don't know how long it was. But I decided then I was giving up the Dailys!) I did get one this week, though and read about a journalist who switched from shopping at Sainsbury's and M&S to Aldi and Lidl and worked out that if she did this properly she'd save herself about £3,000 a year. I've personally found Morrissons a bit of a star this week. A pack of 4 kiwi fruits cost 30p! The kids have chopped kiwi and peaches for their dessert. And tinned salmon was buy 1 get 2 free! So I did and mixed 2 of the cans with wholewheat pasta and a mix of frozen veg, cream and cheese. We had this with chips and garlic bread and a dish of celery and cucumber sticks to nibble at too. It was very nice. I even lit a candle!

These little cherubs are now waiting for me to come and read Peter Rabbit because it is Beatrix Potter night! Yay!!

Such a naughty rabbit!

I don't know if it is because I'm so very tired, but I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself for the last half hour so it'll do me good to list some things I am grateful for...

1.) HUBBY - cos to cheer me up he set out a cup of camomile tea and a couple of 'munchies', those little chocolate thingys, for when I came down from the bath. I asked for vodka but this is nice. Thanks. XXXX

2.) Friends. I recently found an old school friend on Facebook and tomorrow she is coming to visit. I haven't seen her in about 20 years! I'm grateful for my other friends, too. I only have a few, but they are good ones and they know who they are. Big kisses to you too! XXXX

3.) The comments left by the ladies from Faith and Family after my Small Successes post. It's the first time I've joined in and it was lovely to read their encouraging words.

4.) Moonlighting - It is being shown every night on CBS Drama channel (Freeview) and is on right now. How can I be miserable when bears bear and bees bee????