Me and Mine: February 2014

This month it has poured with rain. It really has tipped it down. When half term came round, we took one look at the weather forecast and realised we would have to grab any "cloudy day" time for all it was worth...

And so one day we headed to this cute little village, not far from us, played in the playground, took a little walk and stopped off in the loveliest little coffee shop for lunch.

On the way back to the car, I spotted the cutest little flower patch of wildflowers and we headed straight over. For once, I was determined to get an outdoor photo for our "Me and Mine" shot.

So here we go... our little family in February... making the most of Papa at home, and a little bit of cloudy weather!

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If you enjoy the blog, we'd love you to support us and cast your nominations for the "MAD (Mum and Dad) Blog Awards our way!

We're currently up for "Best Baby Blog" and "Best Family Fun" but you can nominate for any category you feel we fit into... Thanks to all of you who have already nominated! :D
Nominations close March 14th.

The Rural Farm Centre: Savouring the Season Linky Party 23

With Spring tentatively trying to poke its head above the parapet at last (perhaps wishful thinking?!) we decided, last week, to get out in the cold sunshine and do a bit of local exploration!

I LOVE museums... always have, always will. But my absolute FAVOURITE type of museum is the 'hands on, get involved, handle, touch and try out' kind of museum.

And so The Rural Life Centre in Farnham was right up our street!


It's an open air, living history museum, which means, if you go on the right day, you can meet "real" people from the past who will fill you in on all those little tidbits of interesting history.
We went during the winter season, which meant it was quiet. Like, seriously quiet. Which, for us with our two littl'uns, was absolutely perfect. We moseyed around the different "homes" at our own pace - a prefab, a gypsy caravan, a shepherds hut, a school house, a forge (with a live, working blacksmith!), an Anderson shelter... and much, much more... you name it, it was there!

We were welcomed by a very friendly receptionist who explained how it all worked, took our money (adults are £8.50 each, but children under 5 are free - well worth every penny), and gave us a map. She also gave a thrilled Ava a special "spot it" sheet to fill in, with the promise of a special badge at the end if she could find some of the things pictured while we were exploring the exhibits. A simple activity, which in one fell swoop is accessible for 2 year olds, while still being lots of fun for older kids (I'm sure my Year 6s would have loved it too!)

The buildings are all local, and have been moved to the museum for their preservation. You can walk through them, handle artifacts, attempt little challenges like puzzles and small building projects, and try on clothes...

Just about as perfect a museum as you can get for our 2 year old... and a baby for that matter...

We stopped off for lunch in the cafe. The food was simple but good and great value. Our girls devoured their fish fingers and chips!

After lunch, we wandered further: Ava particularly enjoyed the school house...

And we finished up in the vintage playground...

It was a fantastic day out - we arrived around 11am, and headed home about 2.30pm... a perfect, winter's day out!

Join up your wintery/springtime posts for #SavouringtheSeason below, and let's make the most of what is hopefully the last few weeks of a very wet and windy winter!!

Please do pop over to the other blogs and say hello!

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This is a totally unbiased review: All our opinions are our own and we did not receive anything in compensation for writing about it.

If you enjoy the blog, we'd love you to support us and cast your nominations for the "MAD (Mum and Dad) Blog Awards our way!

We're currently up for "Best Baby Blog" and "Best Family Fun" but you can nominate for any category you feel we fit into... Thanks to all of you who have already nominated! :D
Nominations close March 14th.

Project Playhouse: The Building Phase...

Project Playhouse in underway!

We've gone for a joint birthday present for the girls this year - a little playhouse that they will hopefully use all summer long. I was feeling very inspired by some of my fave German and Norwegian bloggers and thus the idea was born.

And on Saturday, it started to become a reality!

SO exciting!

Me, my Dad, and a tonne of tools

:D

We finished the house around 7pm... it was pitch black and we were working with a little pocket torch, and I couldn't get any photos because it was so dark... this week's aim is to paint it and decorate the inside ready for Heidi's birthday on Tuesday.

I have a sneaking suspicion the two little  girls in our household won't be the only girls enjoying our little Hutte!! I have to admit... I'm pretty excited myself...!

Clearly still a child at heart!

* * *

If you enjoy the blog, we'd love you to support us and cast your nominations for the "MAD (Mum and Dad) Blog Awards our way!

We're currently up for "Best Baby Blog" and "Best Family Fun" but you can nominate for any category you feel we fit into... Thanks to all of you who have already nominated! :D
Nominations close March 14th.

Party time! Heidi's Rainbow Party...

In exactly one week, our little Heidi turns one! I can hardly believe it! That tiny little bundle that was placed in my arms in that operating theatre has become a cheeky little lady with chubby cheeks and an infectious giggle. She has been through an awful lot in her little life, and in many ways, this time now feels like the calm after the storm... the beauty of hope after dark days. And so it only seemed right to throw her a "Rainbow Party"...

The promise of hope and a future.
The symbol of God's faithfulness.
Beauty after the storm.

And so this Saturday, we will gather with Heidi's little friends and their families and celebrate the birthday of a special little lady. One who has survived a storm, and who has taught us how deep God's faithfulness really runs.

The party will be a multicoloured affair - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Pretty colours for my gorgeous, growing-too-quickly baby girl!


I've been "pinning" away to my hearts content, and am all inspired to rustle up this Rainbow Party!

Eeek! 

If you enjoy the blog, we'd love you to support us and cast your nominations for the "MAD (Mum and Dad) Blog Awards our way!

We're currently up for "Best Baby Blog" and "Best Family Fun" but you can nominate for any category you feel we fit into... Thanks to all of you who have already nominated! :D
Nominations close March 14th.

They Love, We Love: February 2014

Our Heidi: 11 months old...
She loves:
* Her pink bunny
* Cruising
* Splashing in a bubble bath
* "That's not my..." books
* Milk
* Standing up in bed

Miss Ava M: 2 years, 6 months...
She loves:
* Bible Stories
* Jumping in muddy puddles
* Having Papa at home
* Early rising (5.30am this week - ouch!)
* Tripping over anything and everything
* Making picnics on the lounge floor for Heidi

He loves...
* The Winter Olympics
* Long walks
* Smoked Bacon and Pea Pasta
* Half Term Holidays
* "Your Grace Finds Me" by Matt Redman

She loves...
* Having a project to work on
* "Father Brown" on BBC 1
* Beverly Lewis novels
* Hummingbird chocolate brownie
* Facetiming her sister in New York

If you enjoy the blog, feel free to support us and cast your nominations for the "MAD Blog Awards" (MAD stands for Mum and Dad, not literally crazy, although we are that too sometimes...)

We're currently up for "Best Baby Blog" and "Best Family Fun" but you can nominate for any category you feel we fit into... Thanks to all of you who have already nominated! :D

If you like this post and enjoy reading my blog, would you consider nominating 3 Children and It for a Mad Blog Award? We would love to be nominated in the School Days category, which we are most suited for. Just click on this link, choose a Blog of the Year (ok, if you must!) and then scroll down to School Days. Voting closes on 14th March 2014. Thank you so much - See more at: http://www.3childrenandit.com/#sthash.BOMYSobK.dpuf

If you like this post and enjoy reading my blog, would you consider nominating 3 Children and It for a Mad Blog Award? We would love to be nominated in the School Days category, which we are most suited for. Just click on this link, choose a Blog of the Year (ok, if you must!) and then scroll down to School Days. Voting closes on 14th March 2014. Thank you so much - See more at: http://www.3childrenandit.com/#sthash.BOMYSobK.dpuf

If you like this post and enjoy reading my blog, would you consider nominating 3 Children and It for a Mad Blog Award? We would love to be nominated in the School Days category, which we are most suited for. Just click on this link, choose a Blog of the Year (ok, if you must!) and then scroll down to School Days. Voting closes on 14th March 2014. Thank you so much - See more at: http://www.3childrenandit.com/#sthash.BOMYSobK.dpuf

It's that time again!

I popped onto the MAD Awards blog earlier and was thrilled to see my little blog has been nominated for "Best Baby Blog" and "Best Family Fun"... thank you so much to whoever nominated me! This blog is very much for my girls, and for my own sanity as well, and ultimately, I hope, to reflect what it means to live as a follower of Jesus... but it is lovely to know it is appreciated by others too. I had no idea when I started it, back in 2007, that I would still be writing it 7 years later. Its been a labour of love, but I honestly am so glad to have this record of our family over the past few years.

I realise that if you aren't a blogger, you will have no idea what the MADs are, or what they mean, and so here I am, putting it on your radar.

If you like this little blog, and would like to support me, feel free to vote!

And if you do decide to nominate... here are some of my favourites...

Mummy, Daddy and Me

3 Children and It

Dreaming of the Country
Space for the Butterflies
Capture by Lucy
Edspire
Let Kids be Kids
Catch a Single Thought
The Imagination Tree

Enjoy!

Half Term Highlights...

We were expecting a downpour this week. One long, perpetual rain shower. And so we decided to make the most of every scrap of cloud to get out and about.

The result has been brilliant!

The weather has held off and not been anywhere NEAR as bad as what was forecast, and the result has been lots of outdoor fun!

There's been plenty of playground fun...

Walks in Surrey villages...

Trips to the ice rink!

On Wednesday we took a trip to a fabulous undiscovered gem of a Museum... but more on that next week!

Thursday we had a home day. Our scheduled trip to Brighton had to be cancelled as Ava woke up with a temperature, so we had a mooch about the house/visit the Doctors kind of day...

Today? Today everyone is well again (well, aside from the perpetual cold!) and already this has arrived...

 
That's my weekend sorted then!

Hoping you all have managed to make the most of the unexpected sunshine this week!

Happy weekend!

Olympic Small-World Play FAILURE! Savouring the Season Linky Party 22

For quite a while I have had this idea in my head for doing a bit more small world play with the girls. I know Heidi's too young for it really, but Ava loves a bit of imaginative play, and so with the Olympic fever in our house at the moment, I decided to conjure up a bit of Sochi magic while the girls were taking their afternoon nap.

A bit of water and blue food colouring in the freezer makes a fabulous ice-rink, and plenty of opportunities to talk science!

To say I had a lot of fun creating our Winter Wonderland is probably an understatement.

A giant bed sheet, Happy Land people, a bit of brio and some drinking straws were all that were needed...
 

And two little girls came down with eyes as wide as saucers...

The ice-rink was definitely the biggest hit...

But do you know what? Within five minutes, the thing was totally trashed, Ava was asking to watch a DVD and I realised that sometimes? Sometimes I just try too hard, and over-creative can be over-whelming...

We put everything away and spent the rest of the afternoon playing "bobsleighs" with the bed sheet... lasted a lot longer than the 5 minutes play with my Olympic Masterpiece.

Lesson learnt!

So there we go... think we'll hold back on the small world play for a while yet... and stick to good old traditional fun!

What winter fun have you been up to this week? Hopefully not too long to go until the springtime arrives; lets share some last minute Winter fun as we're all getting a little weary of this endless rain!

Please comment on other entries too! Linkys only work if we all give each other a bit of comment love!

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