We've visited a lot of parks this week !

Maybe it's because I'm really going to miss the mild days .
Maybe it's because we don't attend playgroup everyday now .
Maybe it's because I feel guilty we don't have a garden .
Maybe it's because we love the fresh air .
Maybe it's because I want to wear little miss out .
Or maybe it's because I love them too .

 But we have been to a outdoor play park everyday this week , rain or shine !!!

We've been too ...... Poole park , Pottern park in Verwood , Calvers play park in Ringwood , Littledown park in bournemouth .

Discovering a new library

We love library's ! My daughter absolute loves books , we have bookcases full at out flat and at Nana's house . I don't blame her for loving books , I do too !! 

I have been taking her to our local library in Verwood since 3 months for Rhyme time , we both learnt are nursery rhymes from there . 

In January we discovered Ferndown library, bigger than Verwood  library with lots more books to discover .  In winter you could often fins us in there for a few hours at a time . 

So having moved to the border of a new county , I decided we should pop on the local library . 

I thought it might have an ok children's section , it would be good maybe some different books . Didn't have high hopes . 

How wrong could I be ?!?! 

My little miss ran in , as excited as could be .  Straight to the colouring table , with paper and crayons .

All that could be heard when I was signing us up at the desk , was mummy I'm colouring , I'm happy . 

She got her own little card , well 3 actually two able to go on key rings . 

She was so very excited about the colouring it took a full half an hour for her to notice the books !!  After potty training little miss I always got a little nervous staying too long in a place without a toilet , such as other two library's I mentioned . 

But this library has a toilet  and a children's centre built in !!! 

They run regularly story times, rhymes times and special events for half term . 

There's a huge selection of cushions, beanbags, sofas and bookcases to choose from . 

You can take up to 30 items out at one time for 4 weeks .  We came away with 11 books to read , with plans to return for a few more this week . 

Local library's are great free places to visit and what's great is in a children's section there's no pressure to keep your little one quiet . 

A spot of fresh air

Adjusting to not being able to drive everywhere you want and having to ask people for lifts takes a lot of getting used too !!!

  So in day two of no car to borrow , little miss decided she didn't what to leave our flat !!

With it being such a lovely day outside , I some how manged to with the help of the mention of the park get her out the flat !!

Of we set !!

Taking a dolphin for a walk ! 

Drawing in the sand with sticks , circles here we come ! 

My stunning little girl with an acorn ! 

What are this mummy ? What are they for ? Why do the animals eat them ? 

Spiders webs 

Knickerbocker glory game by orchard toys

We love love orchard toy games in this house ! My daughter has been playing them from about 18 months . I used to hunt round the car boot sales finding them to play with my niece when she was little and puzzle crazy !!!

 The quality of the pieces of there games can with stand a toddler !!

They have helped my daughter learn her colours , numbers and animals and she's only 2!!

So when we were in the toy exchange today and I saw the orchard toy games in the side . I may have got a little too excited !!

 We came away with the 'knickerbocker glory' game for just £1.50 bargain !!

I couldn't wait to play !

My daughter was trying to get in the box before I could even take the keys out the door .
The game it's self says from age 3-6 . But like with most of there games there is so much for the younger ones too .

The game comes with 6 cards , lots of fruit pieces to fill your cards and two dice , one with numbers and one with colours .

We choose to play with the colour dice as my daughter is unable to count yet . 

She understood straight away you had to throw the dice and look at colour . She needed help with putting piece in right places. I asked her to tell me the colour and what fruit it was . 

She was so happy with the finished result ! 

We had to complete all the cards , meaning 3 games she love ethics game ! 

Thank you orchard toys for yet another brilliant game .

www.orchardtoys.com and www.toystoyexchange.co.uk

I'm not ready to give up my afternoon nap mummy !!!

I've been trying to get my little miss to give up afternoon naps in the hope of full nights sleep !!!

 I have kept her awake , put up with the afternoon grumps and the screaming when you wake them up after the fall asleep on a car journey !!!

As of yet we have had one full nights sleep , but that was after two days of crazy outdoor fun !!

My daughter has never been one to just fall asleep anywhere . 

So when she started just falling asleep on the sofa next to me in the afternoons , 4 days in a row !  I kinda figured she's not ready to give up them naps yet . 

Just because in theory it should work keeping her up all day in hope for a full nights sleep . Dosent mean it does and actually I'd prefer the happy toddler before bed and her to do what she needs . 

A small achievement

On Sunday we went to nana and grandad house . The weather was stunning so we went int he garden to help them with a few chores .

 Little miss dosent tend to spend more than an hour in the garden at best.  It's not that she dosent have toys or dosent like it . I think it's got more to do with food and toys being inside !!!


 So when I decided to clean all the garden toys , ready for the big move . I ignored the pleas of I wana go inside and just kept going .


 And guess what 5 hours later ( not counting getting drinks/food/toilet stops) we were still outside playing !!!!!'

She even helped mummy clean the toys :-). 

A small achviment for little miss but a big thing for me . Maybe now I can spend more time crafting in the garden instead of running round a park after her ;-)! 

A little thought

I live in a village I only moved in June . It's an elderly community , with one playgroup running on a Wednesday moring by a lovely lady.
 I knew these facts when I moved in , but with a school right behind me with a fantastic reputation ,I had to take it .

 My car got stolen when I was 8 months pregenant and up on till my husband left I borrowed/ got drove around/ shared his car .

After he left I shared my mothers car, which was fine as we lived in the same house .

I used to walk to playgroups in the village, local library and shops . All my friends I had made were in the town , we were never stuck with things to do .

I have saved a bit of money and brought myself a little old run around when I moved into the flat . It had a years mot and 3 months tax. 4 new tyres . It was perfect for what I needed .

 The view on it was if it breaks then I can't afford to fix it  I never put more than half a tank of petrol in it.
 Well last week it broke , costing to much to fix . So I cut my loses and scrapped it .

I have been borrowing my mothers car since when she doesn't need it . But there are some days when she needs the car and we live 15 mins away from each other .


Now I'm not moaning or complaing maybe just coming to terms with reality.

There is one bus that runs from the village, Moneywise it wouldn't be sensible to take the bus at £5 a fare for a 1 1/2 hour playgroup .

It's a new learning curve on this journey I am going on .

The reality that with my marriage split up some of those new friends I made can't hadle the fact things have change , we the never ending 'we will have to arrange a play date' with it never happening.  That's ok , it's not there fault .

With friends retuning to work , or unable to drive  or busy with new baby's . It can get pretty lonely at times .

I have Hobbys and am working towards making a go with a little craft business as soon as little miss is at pre-school .

I have just i have just finished my latest level 3 qualification and look forward to choosing my next to study .

I suppose it's missing that feeling of plodding along so happily in family life you don't notice the quiet times ,. Maybe it's the reality that without making a phone call to someone else or asking someone for help your on your own .

It wasn't just my husband that was taken away a year ago , it was my security , mthe feeeling hat someone knew I was here .  That feeling that its ok someone does miss you , of being wanted .

Sometimes I wish I lived in a town I could walk to things but then I would miss the beautiful safe area I live in .



I am on a never ending journey of learning new things , adapting to what life throws at me , the guilt that comes with being a parent .
The reality that I till my daughter is in pre-school and I can return to the adult world , I'm on my own .
The losing  my car was just another reminder that , those luxurys we have seem so essential can be taken from us so easily .

Just another reminder that I am on a rollercoster and I not sure what the next bump will be ,or what emotions/feelings that will create .