Wishing you a good week

Hurray for the Easter Holidays.  Two whole blissful weeks of no school.  I think I'm more excited about it than the little people are.  When it comes to the holidays, I always have unrealistic expectations of what we'll do.  In the end there are plenty of days where the only things that happen are mundane everyday chores and other tasks that just have to be fitted in.  And thus the weeks will fly by.

This time I'd like to do a bit more cooking with them.  The biggest boy is at an age now (ten) where he can prepare a simple meal.  This was something he helped with last week.

All very easy, and except for the rolls not involving any real cooking.  I'm thinking he's probably capable of much more now.  He's really keen to learn at the moment, so I feel that I need to seize the day and make sure that he can feed himself so that he doesn't end up one day living on pot noodles and cold baked beans. You will note a small hand shooting into the picture.  You have to be fast with any food photography in this house.

I'm sure the other two would like to do a bit of baking as well.  I have a one at a time rule when it comes to cooking now.  Otherwise everything turns into a huge competition.  Who can put the most ingredients in, who can stir the longest, who gets to crack the eggs.  It ends up with pushing and shoving and eggs on the floor and a shouty mother and everyone thinks that they have been done out of their turn at something.  Mano a mano is definitely the way to go.

I've also got them to agree to help a bit in the garden and at the allotment, although of course this kind of help usually requires quite a bit of extra work for me afterwards clearing up the chaos.  But I love that they are interested in growing their own food and in bugs and beetles and bees and butterflies.  Hopefully we'll plant some potatoes and maybe even do some weeding.

At home there is work to be done on the patio, the site of all of those broken pots, although I suspect they'll just keep on kicking the balls around and it will be a neverending cycle.  I top dressed a couple of the blueberries the other day.

They like lots of water and ericaceous compost, but other than that they are such a lovely easy crop to grow.  I've never had any trouble with pests, except the littlest boy who is a big berry eater, and the occasional blackbird late in the season.  And in the summer we have loads of fantastic healthy blueberries.  A plant I'd definitely recommend if you have room for one.  As a bonus it's very pretty and has beautiful flame red leaves in autumn.

I'm trying not to have too many grand plans for these two weeks.  A little pottering, a little shopping (school shoes and trainers, no doubt costing a fortune), a friend or two to play, the park, the allotment and maybe even a picnic.  It's not too early is it?  Surely the sun will shine a little.

And some days we will just hang out at home and relax and wave to any passing balloons.

Tonight everyone is really tired, after a long day of football matches and a party with a magician for the littlest boy to go to.  My camera wandered a little at the football and I found this beautiful old house set amongst these lovely trees.

I'm almost certain no goals were scored while I wasn't looking.

So now everyone is tucked up in bed, too tired to dream.  Tomorrow will no doubt be filled with fun and excitement and maybe even a little adventure or two.  I hope you have a good week.