QUIET SUNDAY QUOTE
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Tag Archives: play
LIFE, SOME DAYS
SOME DAYS WE DO 
Some days we set the bar pretty high on the eventful, creative and educational side of things. Some days we don’t. Sometimes we just try to roll with it.
Run with it, jump with it, laugh with it.
Life.
x Camilla
KIDS ACTIVITY – CAR WASH
THE CAR WASH
-Take one surprisingly-hot-for-London summer sunday in August.
-Add one hot, sweaty, red cheeked, three year old, ready for a some action.
-Throw in a paddling pool and some (n)ice cold water from your garden hose.
-Mix in a whole load of soap. Fairy liquid. Bath bubbles. Posh hand soap from your guest toilet. You chose. Kids are not fussy, bubbles are bubbles.
-Gather all your garden toys; tractors, cars, slides, pots, pans, pretend food and bonus stuffed animal who would have preferred to have stayed well away, but oh well.
-Sprinkle a little sponge action into the mix.
-And then wash away….
/Camilla
SUMMER HOUSE NOSTALGIA
“JUNIBACKEN”
We spent the weekend with good friends at their picturesque summerhouse in the south of Norway.
Once entering the gates, thoughts of Astrid Lindgrens universe of Madicken came to mind (the girl I wanted to be when I was a kid, and the one Isabella tries to copy while not watched by grow-ups. Emilia, quite appropriately, imagines herself has Madickens little sister Lisbet, always a great suggester of new naughty “projects”). (http://www.astridlindgren.se/en/characters/mardie).
This weekend kept on reminding me of this series. Bare footed kids playing on the lawn, surrounded by classic nostalgic architecture. Throw in the odd horse or two and you can imagine it was difficult not to believe we were the actual characters in the series of “Madicken”.
Yes, there are obvious differences from the Madicken series. Indeed, Madicken was always a free spirited tree climbing soul. However, she was always immaculately dressed in white dresses, and hair neatly set with a big ribbon, always accompanied by GREAT manners. Kids of this day and age (ours!) don´t quite live up to these standards (moderately speaking). Or at least not past 9 am.
Disregarding the clothes covered in oatmeal, snot and yoghurt stains, and the odd temper tantrum, this weekend was idyllic in every imaginable way.
Thanks guys for sharing your summerhouse nostalgia with us. Plan to be back in August for the harvest (apples, berries you name it. By the way, am now playing the Madicken soundtrack in my head while I imagine the next visit, and how the next “series” at this summerhouse bliss play out).
/Lou
TIME TO REFLECT
REFLECTION
Today was a quiet day. Time to reflect, to relax, to have some time out, eat leftover cakes, scrub the floors and take down balloons from trees.
What a great weekend it has been, celebrating two very special boys; Finley’s 3rd birthday party and my Stepdad’s 70th! We have been surrounded by lovely people, eaten (far too much) yummy food, and throughout the weekend the sun has shone. Which actually means most if the partying took place outside, so when I said I’d been scrubbing the floors just now, I lied. It was more like a quick mop.
My very almost 3 year old big boy partied hard this weekend (did not go to sleep till about 11pm last night, aaargh) so appreciated a quiet day at home today, with plenty of time to explore and enjoy new toys. I set up his old tent in the garden, laid out a blanket inside it, and watched him carefully select a few very specific items to take with him inside;
- A camping chair, complete with extremely useful drinks holder
- Three books
- Five half deflated balloons
- Two footballs
- His scooter (as if he’d go anywhere without his scooter)
- A basket with five animals and three cars inside
- Lightning McQueen water bottle
He also told me he needed the piece of material covering the doorway, so he could “close the door”. We have never used this before, I didn’t even realize he knew it had a “door”. I didn’t hesitate, I attached the door onto the three bits of velcro straight away. I totally get it, he needed some alone time. I go insane when I don’t regularly have some alone time, I’m talking proper sulking and g.r.u.m.p.y.n.e.s.s. Just ask my sister, who is the complete opposite. So I left him to it, and sat down on the step outside our kitchen, relishing the hot sun on my face, green tea in hand, sweet baby asleep inside, toddler happy playing in tent. Aaah… Bliss.
It did not last nearly as long as I’d hoped it would. Turns out Finley is more like his social Aunty after all.
/Camilla
