Sunday 22nd February. As all good Brownies and Guides know, it’s Thinking Day. I got mixed up and thought H had a party, so I didn’t put us down for it, which is a shame as they had a lovely craft day – instead we had a lie-in and a fairly lazy day. I’ve been told that H’s school do an Easter Bonnet parade every year, so I made a start on hers with plenty of time as I usually leave these things until the last minute. I fully expect the parade not to happen, now I’ve actually started doing it.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 22, 2015 at 2:28am PST

Monday 23rd February. Another week at work (which flew by, btw), I found two new Original Source types on my trip to Superdrug at Clapham Junction. I have always had this terrible addiction to things that smell a certain way. I also have a terrible addiction to buying anything Original Source put out if it’s vaguely quirky. Liquorice will do just nicely.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 23, 2015 at 12:37am PST

Tuesday 25th February. We were tired. H was super-tired and I was tired too. Swimming lessons were back on, and Swimmy came with us too for one last photo (hurrah!).

Wednesday 26th February. This ended up being an exhaustingly horrible day. H came home from school, her mouth clamped shut. Her latest wobbly tooth was at the point of no return, but she was terrified it would hurt, so refused to open her mouth or talk to me for an hour. Cue me going from concerned parent to extremely worried parent, and back to “what do I do now?!” parent. She wouldn’t eat anything, hadn’t eaten most of her school lunch and was shattered thanks to having no food. In the end I cuddled her until she fell asleep and pulled the damn tooth out myself – it took a milisecond, it was about to come out anyway. When she woke up I showed her the tooth, and we celebrated by being able to talk again. She was rewarded with a Princess DisGrace book by Lou Kuenzler. On my to-do list is a list of books she’s enjoying as she’s moving more into longer paperbacks, which we’ve found suitable for a five year old.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 25, 2015 at 9:53am PST

Thursday 26th February. My late day at work – but also the day I have a lunch break. I popped into Tiger Stores to add more bits to H’s Easter Bonnet. At first I thought about having the little eggs hanging down from the middle grass basket, but after thinking about it, we should celebrate her Australian side and have them hanging down from the bottom of the bonnet. H thinks this is brilliant too. Phew.

 

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 26, 2015 at 8:55am PST

Friday 27th February. The sun came out! Now I’m not one for avoiding going outdoors, but with my back and all the aches and pains I tend to keep myself warm. Having said that, it was 8 or 9 degrees and sunny, and we all need some Vitamin D, so I got the outdoor chalks out (the Hungry Caterpillar ones we were sent to review), and drew a windy road around our back yard. The sun wasn’t out for long, but long enough to have a play, and for H to sit on it and get blue lines all over her clothes! Anyway, I chased her around the yard while she screamed giggly panicked screams in case I caught her. Every time I did she’d collapse in a fit of giggles. Got my little girl back after Wednesday’s hiccup, phew.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 27, 2015 at 8:14am PST

Saturday 28th February. Lawks, it’s March tomorrow. This is officially the longest I’ve managed Project 365. H had a superhero party today so we got her dressed in all the H&M bits we’ve picked up, so she could be Batgirl. She felt cool and I thought she looked cool, and it was perfect wear for a soft play party. Afterwards she insisted on getting her guitar out, and posed like this. I need to sort her some guitar lessons for summer term I think – she’s a natural!

 

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 28, 2015 at 11:25am PST

Work is getting busy and home life is busy. This is about par for the course, and means I’m typing this live on a Sunday just to be in time. So many nights have found me falling asleep in front of the tv, while this weekend has had me awake having daydreams about things stressing me out. Onwards, next week!

Sunday 18th January. Tooth number four vacated the premises with a bit of help from me. The two bottom teeth are growing in its place nicely. H was happy as she has more money to save up for something nice.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 18, 2015 at 4:22am PST

Monday 19th January. Another busy day, meetings, rushing for trains, Rainbows. Obligatory food picture – a quorn and vegetable stir fry. I have now been vegetarian for 32 years.  Tuesday 20th January. My friend at PIAS sent me the last dEUS album which I have not yet had a chance to play. This is almost shameful – fortunately it’s a collection so I know most of the songs, but still. I exist in a world where my daughter can’t believe I don’t like Demi Lovato and Olly Murs, and pop music in general.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 20, 2015 at 6:53am PST

Wednesday 21st January. We won a prize in Storytime Magazine – a copy of E. Nesbit’s ‘Five Children and It’ – this will definitely be the most challenging book H will have read so far – lots of words, a smaller font and no pictures – but she’s doing so well I know it won’t be too big an issue – hopefully just a chapter at a time every night (and fingers crossed it tires her out too!)

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 21, 2015 at 7:27am PST

Thursday 22nd January. I got the Call Of Doom from school – H had earache. She’s generally not a sickly child any more, we seem to have got through that at nursery, and indeed last year she only had one day off ill (with earache again). So I had to pick her up early, on my late day at work. Which has left me stressed this weekend as I didn’t get to sort things for next week as easily as I wanted to. We were able to cuddle up and watch a film of her choosing – she went for ‘Wreck It Ralph’ over ‘Frozen’, incredibly. The doctor said she has infection in both ears, but it might clear on its own. 

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 22, 2015 at 9:37am PST

Friday 23rd January. The ear infection gone, and antibiotics ordered (the doctor wanted to wait to see if liquid came out before giving them, and right on cue it did, overnight, meaning we had to trek back there). Before that we got our hair cut, ran to the post office to pick up a package, picked up the prescription, made tea, collapsed with a glass of wine. This was the package – H is very happy. It’s a present from Nanna in Australia. I finally got to my work email after everyone had left for the weekend. Now I’m STRESSED.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 23, 2015 at 9:53am PST

Saturday 24th January. For the last year I’ve been looking for H’s Barbie and Monster High dolls – they were presents from her old nursery friend Ben, and I knew they were in a ‘safe place’ (read : under the stairs) – and they were found yesterday; in a bag, under the stairs, inside her Wiggles bag. As you do. Anyway, I decided it was time all her taller dolls hung out together. Polly Pocket and her five Lottie Dolls (and one Finn doll) are over in the dolls house.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 24, 2015 at 6:00am PST

Sunday 11th January. We went to Ikea. This kind of trip can bring a couple to breaking point, but not us! We just get cross when we can’t find any of our big blue bags at home, before we’ve even got out the door. I broke when everyone ever inside the store walked soooo sloooowwllllyyyyy that I wanted to sprint past them just to get out of there. Shaun went off to B&Q afterwards while H and I stayed out in the cold in the play area, and I got to photograph one of the towers.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 11, 2015 at 7:58am PST

Monday 12th January. Back to work. Back to Rainbows. My little Rainbow on her way – she led the girls around the circle, and was really nervous about it. She’s getting better and less nervous about things, but does take a little bit of persuading. They made ladybird biscuits tonight. I would have taken a photo but they got a bit squashed – just cover a biscuit in red icing and add chocolate drops for the spots, use black food icing for the stripe down the middle. Voila! Now you can imagine it.  

Tuesday 13th January. Pilates classes started again tonight, back in the world of sticky socks and stretching muscles. I felt so good afterwards.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 13, 2015 at 2:56pm PST

Wednesday 14th January. Any self-respecting musicals fan should already have this in their collection. I didn’t. We watched it on Friday and H enjoyed it – then I remembered we’d seen it on stage back when I was pregnant, so technically she kind of has too. Most enjoyable, and Rowan Atkinson was fantastic as Fagin – but you can’t beat the film.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 14, 2015 at 6:55am PST

Thursday 15th January. Payday. It took me half the morning before I remembered it was payday – work has been pretty busy this week. Thursday is also my long day at work and it flew by, mainly due to a conference call with a US company in the afternoon. In the evening the Hooky Knitters met up, and I was taught how to do Fisherman’s Rib. Once I got my head around it, it was fairly straightforward and easy to do, but it was getting my head around it which was the tricky bit, and keeping count. I’m proud – I’m generally rubbish at picking up new things too.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 15, 2015 at 2:46pm PST

Friday 16th January. Worst Project 365 picture alert yet! This was taken at 11pm, there was nothing major of note to say, a busy day.  H’s glasses broke at school so we headed to the opticians after work who fixed them for free. A couple of glasses of Bailey’s in the evening, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the WiiU. H was cross with us for doing it without her.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 16, 2015 at 3:31pm PST

Saturday 17th January. H went to a party, a drop off and pick up kind for at least three hours (result!). Somehow at the very end H managed to trap her finger in the door at Pizza Express. I’d always planned to drive to Banstead to get her some new school shoes as a lot of people are recommending the shoe shop there (they were brilliant – Shoehouse) – but a sad girly with a sore finger isn’t the way to go. We did it anyway, and the nice lady who served us gave H a Lelli Kelly headband. I groaned inside, Lelli Kelly, the awful adverts, the extra things you clip onto your shoes (which I think are unnecessary) and so on. Anyway, we end up buying a pair of Lelli Kelly Classic Dolly shoes in the end as they’re a billion times better than the Clarks ones we bought last year – soft leather all around, no patent leather on the toes (which was forever being scuffed off, completely pointless for a five year old who loves climbing) and easy to clean. So Lelli Kelly actually wins, and I eat all my words. They’re fabulous shoes. I hope they last. Her finger is a lot better now too – just bruised.