On Friday Angus came home from nursery with Adventure Ted, the nursery bear, and a little book for us to fill in with our own photos and descriptions of how we spent our weekend with said bear. I'm not sure what this says about me, but the first thing I did was look through the book and see how Ted had spent previous weekends and see what was expected (and i was hoping for a glimpse of the inside of some peoples houses too, if I'm honest). When Bella brought home Looby Doll last year, Looby's accompanying book was full of tales of outings to expensive theme parks and adventure playgrounds. But luckily Ted has simpler tastes, and previous weekend activities included swimming lessons, trips to the supermarket and the park, family get togethers and lots of playing. Phew.
By complete coincidence, we actually had plans this weekend. This is most unlike us - anyone who has read this blog for a while knows that our winter weekends consist mainly of hibernating in the house with some occasional baking or crafting thrown in. But this weekend has been busy, oh so busy.
On Friday night some friends came round for dinner. It was lovely to see them but I did feel tired and hungover on Saturday morning and not exactly Ted-tastic. John was working so Bella, Angus and I took the train into Leeds. We met a group of Bella's school friends and their parents in McDonald's, fed the kids, then went to the pantomime. We got home about 8.30, very late for us - the kids are usually in bed by 7pm. Today, I took the kids swimming this morning, and to a bookshop this afternoon. We stopped in the cafe and refuelled (coffee for me, smoothies and cake for them). They chose a small book each; a sticker book for Bella and a title about planets and outer space for Angus, a topic he is captivated by at the moment. Then home for tea, bath, bed.
I am exhausted. I need another weekend to recover. I don't know how those families who spend all weekend out and about visiting places cope. I did manage some knitting in between outings. It's coming along well, I'll show you soon. Oh, and it's started to snow a little.
How was your weekend? I hope it was more relaxing than mine!
Dear Gillian
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy weekend you have had! Lovely though, by the sound of things. We visited my parents for lunch today and it was horribly foggy (luckily, I didn't have to drive). We're bracing ourselves for the snow as well. I've just made some polymer clay beads coated in blue glitter ready to add to some jewellery I'm hopefully making this week (yes, I am just playing, but it's wonderful!)
Hopefully, you'll find some time to recharge your batteries this week.
Best wishes
Ellie
Ha ha - that's exactly what I did with 'barnaby bear's' book, when the boys brought him home from nursery! I absolutely love a good look at other people's houses, even if it's not actually in the flesh... Sounds like a great weekend - top marks for thinking up lots of wondermum activities. Our weekend consisted of football, rugby, a bit more football and a trip to the allotment (got me v excited about the thought of spring, I can tell you!)
ReplyDeleteEmily x
Our nursery does the same thing .... Ted's Adventures ... I was chuffed when the playgroup leader told us he had had his most outdoorsy adventures with us ... apparently it was unusual ... a sad sign of the times ... we had a relaxed weekend at home ...with a bit of catch up cleaning for me ... hope you have a lovely week ... Bee xx
ReplyDeleteWe had a Barnaby Bear and I was always torn by the sweetness of it all and the tyranny of the book. Angus does look so sweet with him and I think that is what matters most - that the children have a wonderful turn with the bear. You did a fab job for him this weekend - Hope you take it easy this week x
ReplyDeletePhew, that sounds like a very busy weekend, we have been busy at home this weekend. I expect those that spend every weekend out and about are completely stressed and tired most of the time. I couldn't do it either.
ReplyDeleteOh this makes me smile so much, not the exhausting part but the angst about hosting the Bear for the weekend. Funny that we have the same ritual all the way over here too. I remember Eleanor bringing home the Monkey when she was in Kindergarten with a similar Diary outlining his previous exciting adventures. I had only just given birth to the Twins so poor Monkey went back to school with photos of him sitting in the kitchen pantry, on the swings, and in the chicken coop :-)
ReplyDeleteYour weekend sounds lovely. But I hope you get to have a relaxing week ahead. I can't do back
-to-back 'busy' weekends anymore either :-)
Mel x
I know exactly what you mean about not knowing how people run around so much. On the rare weekend when we have a lot to do, I feel like I've been hit by a truck on Sunday night. I love that you looked through the Ted book to see what other people do and what their homes look like - I would do the same thing! My daughter's class has a birthday book where you make a page for your child to share with the class on his or her birthday; her birthday is in early September, right at the beginning of the school year, and there were only one or two pages in it so far. I couldn't look at other people's pages, which was disappointing. I just wanted to say that I've been reading your archives and you and I are so much alike, right down to being the same age. I'm so glad I found your blog, it's such a pleasure to read. :)
ReplyDeleteGillian, your table setting is so pretty and I love your cloth napkins It sounds like a fun evening with friends! I don't know how some families just go and go all weekend long. It's fun, but just too exhausting...especially with children. I like some downtime on the weekends or feel totally overwhelmed. I cleaned and sanitized our house yesterday from all the yuck sickness last week. Today I ran a few errands,got caught up on laundry, and hubby took Charlotte for a play date with her friend Colson and his dad. It was a good day!
ReplyDeleteHow exciting that you are getting snow! Have a great week!
Your weekend sounds wonderful. But I have to say... I know that feeling, the feeling that you need time off to recover from your "time off"... this weekend I didn't know if I was coming or going!! I hope you have a wonderful week xx Tammy
ReplyDeleteI often find that if I have a busy weekend, I need another weekend to recover too! x
ReplyDeleteI did heaps of spring cleaning on the weekend and took down all the Christmas decorations. I always feel like the weekend is never long enough though.
ReplyDeleteSpent a nice relaxing weekend, not too much movement. Like you, I'm kind of a home body. Get some rest!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Patti
I am sure 'bear' had a wonderful weekend! Lovely photographs, it's good to be busy in this cold!
ReplyDeleteIvan
Your weekend sounds a bit like ours, revolving around stuffed toys! :) x
ReplyDeleteWhat a busy weekend, I'm sure you all enjoyed it though, and I bet Ted did too. I remember my two bringing the class bear home to spend the weekend with us, it used to fill me with dread as it was extra homework for them filling in the diary with everything we had done. It's snowing quite heavy here at the moment, I hope it doesn't last.
ReplyDeleteWe also prefer quietish weekends to crazy, on-the-go ones. One 'out of the house' activity a day is enough for me :-) x
ReplyDeleteWhat cute teddy bear!!! I love the photo of Angus and Ted on the train. Looks like he's sleeping. A hug.
ReplyDeleteMy, you did have a busy weekend. Your knitting is looking good - are we going to get a peek of your cowl? And yes, I do recommend circular knitting needles - they're so much easier to use:)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comment on my cowl
xx
I'm so glad my daughter didn't have to do this when she was at primary school. However, we did take part in the Flat Stanley project for our friends from America. A paper cutout of a boy arrived in the post and lived with us for a couple of weeks keeping a diary of his adventures! I'd forgotten all about it until you mentioned this. x
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a very busy but lovely weekend. Last year my daughter brought a cuddly E.T. home from school as part of their space topic to spend the day with us! I also enjoyed looking back through the accompanying notebook to see what other things he had been up to! Your blog is fab by the way and I look forward to your posts which are always lovely.
ReplyDeleteM x
Sounds like a brilliant weekend. Glad Ted had a good time! x
ReplyDeleteHi Gillian, Adventure Ted reminds me of all the times a toy came home from Kinder with our youngest. One year we pretended *said soft toy* had been to lots of exotic places all over the world, finding cut outs of Paris and New York and making up a story!!
ReplyDeleteGillian, I am wondering about "tea." I always thought it was an afternoon sort of thing (like the refueling you did with coffee and smoothies) but then you mention coming home for tea, bath and bed. So now I'm wondering if your "tea" is you dinner? If you get a minute I'd love to hear.
ReplyDeleteJenny
Oh this did get me thinking. I think here we have lots of words for the same thing and people use them quite differently depending on the situation.
DeleteTraditionally, I think "tea time" was a 4pm sandwich, cake and pot of tea affair, to keep you going between lunch and your evening meal. But I don't think many people do that now. I tend to call it "tea" if it's eaten earlier in the day, say before 6, and when I'm feeding the kids. So when they have their tea around 5pm, that is "tea". When John and I eat when the kids are in bed, that is "dinner", or "supper". Confusingly, "supper" also refers to a late night snack and drink just before bed.
I grew up calling the midday meal "lunch" but in Yorkshire it's always called "dinner" and the evening meal is always "tea", regardless of when it's eaten. I don't if it's a northern/southern thing or a class thing. If I'm invited somewhere for "dinner" I always check whether they mean lunch-dinner or evening-dinner!
Thank goodness we all call breakfast "breakfast".
And Jenny maybe you can clarify brunch for me...does it refer to the time of day you eat or what you are eating? Is it instead of breakfast, or lunch, or both? Would love to know!
Gillian x
I think brunch would always be considered a time-of-day thing ~ a meal taking the place of (and situated between) the usual breakfast and lunch schedule. Usually it's a weekend meal (most often people have brunch on a Sunday), and most commonly between 10 and noon. I always think of it as being a little fancier than a usual breakfast, but really the foods are a lot the same. Eggs, bacon, breakfast potatoes, pastries, hot cereal, fruit.
DeleteI have some friends who grew up on cattle ranches here in the U.S. and I think there are still some people, especially in more rural, farming communities, who refer to their midday meal as "dinner" and then their evening meal as "supper." We always said "lunch" and "dinner" in my house though. "Tea" is one of those things no one ever refers to - although the kids do have a "snack" after school, which is essentially the same thing.
x
Jenny