22/03/2015 by jo

Project 365 – Week 12

Sunday 15th March. Mother’s Day. Which is absolutely fine, but any chance of a lie-in and relaxing wasn’t going to happen as H had her Rainbows parade and I was helping. She enjoyed it, in fact all her group were brilliant as they had to sit on the floor for the entire service. Afterwards we went to the Honeywood Museum by Carshalton Ponds, somewhere we haven’t been since it got done up, and somewhere H enjoyed while learning about the history of Carshalton. Shaun met up with us after that so we headed to Costa for a drink and some cake. Yum! It was a nice calm day, much needed after the hectic day before.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 15, 2015 at 6:41am PDT

Monday 16th March. Back to work, back to Rainbows, and another badge for H. So that’s more sewing and then I spotted them – TWO stains on the shirt. One was fairly easily removed, the other may need a bit more sun on it to bleach it out. At least it’s not warm enough to wear just the shirt, so it doesn’t matter too much.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 16, 2015 at 1:57pm PDT

Tuesday 17th March. H’s home learning has been to take in 30p in 10p pieces which you would think would be easy, what with having a penny jar. EXCEPT. Every single penny is a 1p, 2p or 5p. I managed to find three 10p pieces but next week I’ve got to remember to get some change as we have nothing now. Uuuh!!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 17, 2015 at 3:50pm PDT

Wednesday 18th March. Went to the gym tonight, and on getting back, H had grabbed around fifteen toys, and held on tightly to them as she slept. She was like this for hours! I eventually managed to prise them away, but did find it rather cute she had them all snuggled up with her.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 18, 2015 at 2:45pm PDT

Thursday 19th March. I went out this evening, to a friends house with some other friends. It was great to get out. We chatted away until gone 11pm, I got home and realised I hadn’t taken a photo, so this one is called ‘dirty stop out’ even though I don’t go out very often!

Friday 20th March. Ah, the eclipse. Or rather, the anticlimax in London, as it was so cloudy. At the point of the eclipse, four of us were stood outside, it happened, came and went and you couldn’t really tell thanks to the cloud. Anyway, it was a good excuse to get one of my workmates to take a photo of me in a similar spot to where I was stood during the 1999 eclipse. That is not coffee in my cup – it’s hot water – much needed as it was SO chilly.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 20, 2015 at 2:36am PDT

Saturday 21st March. My old friend Jos had a party – and we love going as we get to catch up with loads of lovely people. Add to that the parties are always child-friendly so H always enjoys herself and we had a great time. The journey to West Hampstead is an easy one as we get the one train all the way, however the home leg wasn’t so good as someone had been hit by a train further up the line, leading to cancellations. We eventually got the 10pm train home, and H did brilliantly given how late it was, sleeping on my knee for most of the journey home! She was pleased as there were other kids there to play Hide and Seek with, as well as Jos’s fine selection of children’s books which she enjoyed reading.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 21, 2015 at 9:30am PDT

15/03/201527/05/2018 by jo

Project 365 – Week 11

We’ve had a busy week, and it has been great – although it has flown by.

Sunday 8th March. We went to Thorpe Park. Our Christmas present from Shaun’s mum and dad were Merlin Passes, and they had their annual Merlin weekend. We got our tickets and arrived just after 10am, got on a few rides, met with friends and had a brilliant time. I was surprised at how much there was for younger children as Thorpe Park has always been billed as something for older kids – and H got to be properly scared for the first time in her life, finally understanding that grown ups are weird (we enjoy being scared like that), and that rollercoasters are tons of fun!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 8, 2015 at 3:18am PDT

Monday 9th March. Back to work, and so on and so on. I was sent the Blue Peter book awards finalists books, all of which are wonderful and I know we’re going to end up buying more by some of the authors. I picked up Chris Riddell’s Goth Girl book for World Book Day for H at the end of the week.

Tuesday 10th March. After school H and I had dentists appointments, though the best part of that was the nice weather and a run to the park where the old Air Raid Shelter is all grassed over and filled in, the perfect hill to go down on a sledge (it just hasn’t snowed properly here for at least two years – since I bought my sledge, in fact).

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 10, 2015 at 9:15am PDT

Wednesday 11th March. The Book Trust want us to take a photo of our bookshelves, to help promote their #shareyourshelfie campaign – plus it’s really easy to donate. This is H’s bedside shelf which is packed full of books that have been read many times, or that she’s mid-way through. I donated £3 to them by texting ‘BOOK10 £3’ to 70070.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 11, 2015 at 1:16pm PDT

Thursday 12th March. Last Friday H had Book Character Day at school, where all the teachers dressed as Hogwarts teachers. This got H a bit more curious about Harry Potter which we’ve chatted about a few times and I’ve pre-warned her could be scary. I gave away my copy of the first book so bought it again (had to make sure the covers match my other ones) and she’s enjoying it so far. So I guess this means we may need to look into the Hogwarts Tour at some point when she’s finished it.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 12, 2015 at 9:54am PDT

Friday 13th March. I have new purple shoes. I got over my fear of colours and wore them for work on Friday. They have little holes in the front which air gets into, almost like I’ve got air conditioned holes in there. It’s lovely!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 13, 2015 at 12:27am PDT

Saturday 14th March. Chessington. The second Merlin passholders preview weekend and a chance to properly discover the area – plus we’re only 30 minutes up the road. We got on tons of rides and had a brilliant time. It was so quiet most rides had a 15 minute maximum queue – or in Sea Storm’s case, you could get straight back on it. It was great for getting on the more popular rides quickly as I’m sure once it gets sunny some will have an hour’s wait. I think we’ve nearly made back the money on the Merlin Passes too – just a trip to Legoland and I think we’ll be in credit! Shaun and H are pictured on Sea Storm – a simple little ride but loads of fun. The best thing about Chessington was it didn’t aggravate my back on the rides, so we all had a brilliant time and I got involved – in fact, a few times all three of us were on the rides. Fantastic.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 14, 2015 at 5:55am PDT

08/03/201501/01/2019 by jo

Project 365 Week 10

Almost a fifth of the way through the year, and there’s plenty to write about.

Sunday 1st March. We had a gloriously sunny day, so headed out to Ham House, stopping by Teddington Lock on the way home, as it was just up the road. My Great Aunt and Uncle lived in Teddington, and throughout the seventies and eighties we’d stay with them when we visited London – and a walk to the lock was always a part of it. It was nice to introduce H to another part of my childhood. Weirdly, we never went to Ham House, something we’ve only done a couple of times in the last four or five years. We were also going out as we couldn’t watch the League Cup Final on tv, what with not owning any Sky channels. Probably for the best, considering the result.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 1, 2015 at 10:52am PST

Monday 2nd March. A good post day. I had a bit of a dilemma, as we wanted to see Big Hero 6 at the cinema, though most tickets worked out around £30 which is way too much for a film. Then I realised it was being released on DVD in the US a day or so later. We ended up going, spending £24 and another tenner on snacks. Honestly, I love going to the cinema and seeing the latest films, but I really resent paying so much money on it all. I still bought the DVD, which is hidden under the stairs for our next Movie Night.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 2, 2015 at 7:34am PST

Tuesday 3rd March. Stupidly busy day. I had a meeting at Google first thing, which meant I got to see some of London’s sights, as well as getting off at the new Tottenham Court Road station. That made me a bit sad though. As I headed down the second escalator to the tube, I was almost certain I was going through the old stage of the Astoria 2, which was underneath the Astoria. Two great London venues gone, with the 12 Bar soon to follow. I resent London and the way it’s taking away important parts of my past, leaving crappy venues (like Koko – why won’t someone take that one down? Awful place.). Anyway, I also saw Battersea Power Station with just the three chimneys.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 3, 2015 at 4:51am PST

Wednesday 4th March. Part of letting go of the fact you know you’ll never have another child is getting rid of things. We’ve sold the buggy and I didn’t cry. Now we’ve got the clothes down from the loft. It’s a horribly blurry picture, but you get the idea of how much there is. To think the money spent on all these clothes and they’re used for such a short time. So I’m working through batches, selling and giving them away. She’s only five and a half. I’ve already given away one bag of clothes, with two more that I’m getting ready. We’re going to keep anything which means something (like H’s Joy Division babygro and her skeleton one), and the rest needs to go. We need the space. I want to sell things to raise enough to buy a small trampoline for our back yard.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 4, 2015 at 12:52pm PST

Thursday 5th March. It is no secret my favourite film is The Sound of Music. I have seen it on the stage more times than I can remember, and I’ve watched the film (and the German ones) even more times. We went to Salzburg for our first wedding anniversary. It’s a huge part of my life and something I’ve grown up with. Obviously I’m passing that obsession on to H. (though so far it has been “oh! It’s the music from that advert!”) It’s the 50th Anniversary this year, and I asked a favour of a friend whose husband works for Sony. He came up trumps! I’m hoping for lots of Sound of Music related birthday gifts (and I don’t care if I get them months later), as I obviously need a 50th Anniversary DVD – I’ve got the 35th, 40th and 45th, got to keep it going, right?

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 5, 2015 at 11:02am PST

Friday 6th March. Book Character Day. Our school never tends to do the dress up on World Book Day which is fine as it gives me a day more to panic. Luckily this year we had two definite ideas – Annie and Shrinking Violet. In the end Shrinking Violet wasn’t practical – I was going to have H take a Lottie Doll into school with her, dressed similarly. However, I bought her an Annie style dress in the Next Sale. We have a Party shop near work which sells Annie costumes, but no wig seperately. The closest I could get was the bright orange one she’s wearing. Luckily she loved it, though became really self-conscious of it on the way in to school. By the parade at the end of the day she had it on again, and did us both proud. So here’s Little Orphan Annie. Next year I’m going to keep it simple and she can be Hermione from Harry Potter – she’s got the hair for it.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Mar 6, 2015 at 7:24am PST

Saturday 7th March. A gloriously sunny day! Washing on the line and tidying up around the house. Starting to go through more baby things and maternity things and get rid. When we needed to play the Hungry Caterpillar Outdoor Chalks came out and we drew a little town in our yard. H was happy enough – she could drive around wherever she needed to. Simple outdoor play when you don’t want to go far but need to get outside anyway.

01/03/201501/01/2019 by jo

Project 365 – Week 9

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

22/02/201523/06/2015 by jo

Project 365 – Week 8

Sunday 15th February. After a busy Saturday it was decided to have an easier Sunday, mainly as H has a cold, I was catching it and Shaun is one of those lucky people who sleeps. The morning started with H laid out on the settee reading her Maps book. As luck would have it, maps is one of the topics for school next year so she’s already got plenty of books to cover it.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 15, 2015 at 1:54am PST

Monday 16th Feb. My new phone arrived! I was very excited about it, and after a lot of deliberating stuck with EE. I was going to switch to Three, but unfortunately the 4G coverage around here works in EE’s favour. I love Three’s tariffs, and it’s something I’d still consider the next time my renewal is up. So the phone. I like it, but I don’t love it. It’s a Samsung Galaxy A3 and the camera doesn’t have a macro setting. This makes me sad as I was hoping it would – I suspect the A5 will though, but it’s too big for me. It does the job, and I have space on my phone to put things on which is progress anyway.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 16, 2015 at 7:37am PST

Tuesday 17th Feb. Feisty. H was told to get off the iPad as she’d been on for a while, so she stomped off upstairs, left this note outside her bedroom door and was “very cross” with Shaun and I. I felt like the note lost a bit of the impact by being on a Miffy notepad, but I liked her fighting spirit. Obviously we all talked about it and she calmed down, and we have new iPad rules in place again.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 17, 2015 at 10:18am PST

Wednesday Feb 18th. In my past life as a non-parent I went to thousands of gigs and took photos of the bands for my own use. They live on my longest-standing (and much neglected) website & blog Sweetfoolthemouth, and they’re only a small selection as I don’t have time to scan these days. Some of those photos caught the eye of the Beautiful Noise documentary maker Eric Green who asked to use them. Anyway, five of my photos make it onto the documentary (3 x My Bloody Valentine, 1 x Lush, 1 x The Telescopes), so I bought the DVD – which arrived from the US in a matter of days! We watched it on Saturday night.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 18, 2015 at 7:56am PST

Thursday Feb 19th. We lost lots of H’s toys a year or so ago, and I was convinced they were under the stairs. In the last week I’ve found them – including her old Kidzoom camera (which she loves as it has games on it…) – Shaun put batteries in and that was it, she was off making in-flight entertainment films which seem to be showing the entire plane all her toys.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 19, 2015 at 9:59am PST

Friday 20th Feb. I did not take a photo today. I did, however, take a film. See, at work if I get in first I have one thing I do to start the day off (other than get a fork for my breakfast and a cup of steaming hot water to drink) – but only if nobody else is in. Joe who sits opposite me blagged a Tardis full of Dr Who music – the incidental music (so we’re talking Delia Darbyshire here) – though they’re still unplayed in the office. The Tardis itself is fab though, and always makes me smile. See?

A video posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 20, 2015 at 11:35am PST

Saturday 21st Feb. We went to Sutton Empire to watch Big Hero 6 – which we enjoyed a lot although I had to hold back the tears several times with the theme of loss running through the film. Afterwards we headed to Waterstones as H wanted to buy ‘My Headteacher is a Vampire Rat’ which came out last month, as she’s read the other two books in the series. Waterstones had it on a half price deal when bought with another book, and by the time she went to bed last night she’d read the whole thing. She loves those books!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 21, 2015 at 8:12am PST

14/02/201501/01/2019 by jo

Project 365 Week 7

Another week which has flown by. We have a visitor…

Sunday February 8th. We went to Banstead Woods, trying to get there before it got too cold, as it was such a lovely day. It was nice to breathe again and not feel like you’re walking alongside pollution.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 8, 2015 at 7:03am PST

Monday February 9th. School and Rainbows again – the last one before half term. I was pleased as H chose Oliver as her reading book at school which is great as we’ve recently seen the film. Having said that, she still has it a WEEK later – she likes it!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 9, 2015 at 10:04am PST

Tuesday February 10th. Officially a busy day, Parents Evening at school, H’s swimming lesson not long after that and my pilates lesson after that. Our Morphy Richards Soup Maker broke last week, I bought a new one and this soup is the result – the blob on top is some Coyo Dairy-Free coconut yoghurt. Yum!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 10, 2015 at 12:49pm PST

Wednesday February 11th. I told H’s teacher about her dislike of school (even though she doesn’t) and H was a bit embarrassed. So I suggested she does a kind of ‘you’re my favourite teacher’ card, which evolved into a Valentine’s Day card. The best cards are the ones you get to pick glue from your fingers while making, you know.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 11, 2015 at 8:26am PST

Thursday February 12th. So I picked H up from the childminders after school, to find she’s been given Swimmy, the class toy frog. FOR HALF TERM! Normally the children get Swimmy for a week, but this will be two weeks!! TWO. Uuuuh! H is delighted of course, and I’m proud of her for getting it – so much for us getting an easy Half Term! Mind, one part of her home learning was to learn the highlighted words to spell – and she only had one word highlighted which she knew anyway. This and the Valentine’s card are not connected in any way, apparently!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 12, 2015 at 9:19am PST

Friday 13th February. An inset day, and I booked the day off as holiday from work. A lie in didn’t happen as H woke when Shaun left, though I managed to just lie in bed and not sleep, though H insisted on chatting to me. I’m not a beauty blogger but I do buy beauty products, and have recently found the Benefit Boi-ing concealer covers the dark shadows under my eyes AND the cholesterol spots, which lifts my confidence too.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 13, 2015 at 5:46am PST

Saturday 14th February. We took Swimmy to the Farmers Market, then stopped in Carshalton Park on the way home. I love taking photos of The Grotto in all seasons – around this time last year it was flooded and we had a mini-stream running through Carshalton which was weird. It took months to drain as well. Anyway, today The Grotto was just muddy. I love it in all seasons – and love this picture.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 14, 2015 at 5:31am PST

08/02/201502/07/2015 by jo

Project 365 Week 6

A busy, cold week it was. February too.

Sunday February 1st. We went to the Peppa Pig premiere at Leicester Square. We’re lucky we can get there by tube from Morden really easily, so arrived ten minutes before they were letting anyone in – not that I realised. So while we stood outside freezing, actually we timed it perfectly as we were warm inside fairly quickly in the end. We bumped into Jenny from the Gingerbread House while we were there, so all sat together which was really nice. Afterwards we went on the London Eye and the London Aquarium (using our Merlin passes), finishing it with tea at Pizza Express – using the 40% off voucher. Result!

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 1, 2015 at 1:55am PST

Monday Feb 2nd. Back to work. Back to Rainbows. I was bought a lovely bunch of flowers from a client at work which made it home in one piece – that never happens at work, and it was the perfect excuse to put them in the vase I inherited from my Grannie (via my mum). I love the vase and remember it from my Grannie’s well (she died in 1985).

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 2, 2015 at 2:02pm PST

Tuesday 3rd Feb. We had snow. It settled, but had gone by 10am. I guess that’s our quota this year? It may have been possible to build a slightly larger snowman had I not been at work. It wasn’t to be – instead I took photos of the snow on the tracks and marvelled that my train arrived on time.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 2, 2015 at 11:30pm PST

Wednesday 4th Feb. I love Wednesdays now, as we’re not rushing around any more; that’s Monday and Tuesday instead; so we made a monster as we’re reviewing some Bear Nibbles. H obviously based it around the letter H, and got glue all over her hands just so she could peel it off. Her favourite crafty pastime.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 4, 2015 at 9:26am PST

Thursday 5th Feb. My un-self conscious daughter. I plait her hair into two smaller plaits at the front to keep the shorter wispy bits out of her face, then wind it into the bigger plaits at the back. This didn’t work today, and she spent most of the day at school with four plaits in her hair. Luckily nobody seems to think this is odd. Maybe we’ll start a trend.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 5, 2015 at 9:13am PST

Friday 6th Feb. Around Carshalton and Wallington are loads of sewer vents. When we lived in Wallington there was one at the end of our road, and I had no idea what it was. I love them, they’re so interesting. We have one at Wrythe Green near where we live now, and I’ve always tried to get a decent shot of it alongside H. This is the latest attempt. We were walking to the Post Office to get a letter to Australia in time for her not-quite-cousin’s birthday. Expect photos of sewer vents from time to time. I *may* have a lot of them logged in Google Maps because I’m really sad like that. Cough.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 6, 2015 at 8:02am PST

Saturday 7th Feb. Lazy day, although we headed into Wallington and had lunch at Caffe Nero – a place I lived in when I was on maternity leave. While there, H was happy Tottenham had beat Arsenal 2-1, as well as being even happier her current favourite footballer Harry Kane had scored both goals. We finally have a Gareth Bale replacement for her football love. Phew.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Feb 7, 2015 at 7:02am PST

01/02/2015 by jo

Project 365 – Week 5

I have lots of commenting to catch up on – it has been a crazy week at work which has had me asleep most nights by 10.30 – so not the most exciting of weeks. I even forgot to take a photo on Tuesday. I did take one for a review we’re working on, but that felt a bit like a cop-out.

Sunday 25th January. We haven’t put H’s toys back in the space which was occupied by the Christmas tree – we like the space. It’s nice not being overrun with toys too. It also means she has a great corner to sit on her bean bag and read. She’s right next to her bookcase – an Ikea Billy one which is packed full of books – so plenty of choice.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 25, 2015 at 2:40am PST

Monday 26th January. My week of meetings began – from 9.30 every morning until I left for the day, with just 30 minutes for lunch. Add to that all our after school activities and by Friday I was pretty shattered. The previous day I bought a Ukelele (and why not?) which is living under the stairs until the appropriate moment. H’s grandad suggested she gets it sooner so she can learn some tunes by her birthday (which is still well over six months away)

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 25, 2015 at 2:40am PST

Tuesday 27th January. I didn’t take a photo. It was a crazy day – meetings, trains running late, new swimming lessons, Pilates, finding time to eat (and being sad over our broken Soup Maker which seems to have seized up). I woke up on Wednesday and remembered I hadn’t. Oops.

Wednesday 28th January. Our first Wednesday without swimming. So we did a fashion parade instead to cheer ourselves up.

Thursday 29th January. We had snow! Shaun built a snowman. This amused us greatly! The snow was a bit rubbish.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 29, 2015 at 10:30am PST

Friday 30th January. H sending Shaun an email at work, as we had run out of apples. “Dear daddy please can you get more apples love H” – short and to the point. The fact she’s sending emails at five, can spell (okay, the words aren’t that tricky) and knows how to send them still blows my mind.

A photo posted by Jo Brooks (@mumfriendlyjo) on Jan 29, 2015 at 10:30am PST

Saturday 31st January. It snowed! So I rushed outside in my pyjamas and took a picture of the snowflakes resting on a cobweb in our back yard as it looked so pretty.

25/01/201525/01/2015 by jo

Project 365 – Week 4

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

18/01/201527/05/2018 by jo

Project 365 – Week 3

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.

Mum Friendly

the things we do, the things we like

Tag / Project 365