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11 Jan 2014

Back to school

I am writing this post on Saturday night. It's late. It's been a gloriously sunny and Spring-like day - incongruous in the depths of Winter. We've done very little today: some chores; a tantrum-filled trot to the park across the road, and I have had my weekly, self-indulgent hour astride a horse, so the buttocks have been toned and the soul nourished. I love weekends; I also love the week.

Whilst the Christmas holiday was a glorious, sparkly, bauble-shaped full-stop in the chaos of real life, I was totally cool with Monday 6th January 2014 rocking up and marking a distinct end to festive frivolity. Don't get me wrong, I HATE getting up early; I LOVE being asleep. Always have, always will. My alarm goes off at a frankly inhumane 6am. I am Queen Reluctant of Inertia-Ville when it comes to physically getting out of bed, but once I'm up, and I've had a cup of tea, I'm okay.

It's bloomin' dark at the moment at 6am, and cold, but I think there's something bear-like and cosy about emerging from a collective slumber and gently stepping into the day via dressing gowns, caffeine and subdued lighting. Or maybe I've simply overdosed on the John Lewis Christmas advert 'bear and hare' advert in the last few weeks.

Like the bear, I'm a creature of habit and routine. I am incredibly fortunate that I really like my job. It was genuinely lovely to see my students again on Monday; by Friday, it was genuinely lovely to think we'd all have two days away from each other. But I think that is what I love about routine: that it's reassuring and comforting - it makes me feel safe. But also, any break from it in the form of weekends and holidays feels special and different, and full of possibility. If only for a short while...

And it also represents the turning off of the 6am alarm.

Below is Monday morning in really grainy, really poorly lit and edited and really unprepared phone pictures.


Usually in the week, I have to wake Dexter up; he's got the Wayne sleep gene. Post-Christmas, playing with his trains seems to be a new and unhelpfully distracting part of his morning routine.


We always try to chip away at the chores, even at such an early hour. Usually, the washing machine goes on or the dishwasher gets emptied.



I'm Northern; it's life blood.


It really helps if it's overly-priced, reet tasty tea. I put the oven timer on for a 3 minute brew. I am aware I may be mildly obsessive


I aspire to have a morning around the kitchen table that resembles the sunny optimism of a breakfast cereal advert. We're more chimps' tea party. Those tiny hands are shovelling satsumas into his tiny gob. We have to limit the citrus to no more than three per day; the nappies are, well...


I love Radio 2 in the morning. I love listening to Chris Evans. He has the unique ability to be relentlessly, overtly positive without making me want to punch him in the face.


Yep, this is what Mr Wayne wakes up to every morning. Lucky man.


I HATE GETTING OUT OF IT! Did I mention that?


Nursery car park. Radio on, marking some essays and generally ignoring child. Working mummy skillz.


Nursery car park: child wondering why he is being ignored. Working mummy skillz.

Disclaimer: by mid-January, I will be blogging about how exhausted I am, how I hate my job and how the daily grind is really getting me down. Probably.

3 Jan 2014

Project Breakfast on the road...

As a family, Team Wayne struggles to get out of the house before midday on a non-work day. I blame two things: every member of the family's complete love affair with sleep; Mr W's lengthy morning shower routine - most of which is spent cleaning the shower.

Some mornings require an early exit from the house - usually for the most banal of reasons. This was the case this morning, as my car was due its MOT: dullsville. Back in Uckfield for 9.30am, we took Project Breakfast on the road. Dexter was still in his pyjamas (I had changed his nappy) and today's promised bad weather had been given an early morning blue-sky reprieve.

We therefore whiled away an hour or so in the desirable window-seat of 'Hartfields' on the high street. A cute caff with produce on sale too, it does wonderfully strong coffee, offers a selection of cakes and as it turns out, does a pretty mean breakfast too.

This isn't a sponsored post; I think local high streets are an important part of a local community. We should support them, particularly when customer satisfaction is a priority. And we left Hartfields as very satisfied (and full) customers.

Let's just hope my car passes its MOT...










2 Jan 2014

Christmas: the Wayne way.

 

Christmas Eve with lovely friends and mince pies a-plenty.


Lovely friends' lovely playroom: trains have been a definite theme this festive tide.


As we were hosting this year, 'the box' had to look pretty, including for Christmas Day breakfast. Beautiful hand-made runner and napkins courtesy of my talented friend, Jo.


I've been big on twinkly light and festive smells this year.


Christmas Day always starts with: 'Has he been?!'


More trains. More tracks.


Who knew the gift of a pony-print onesie would be so gratefully received?


More great transport-themed gifts, courtesy of one of Dexter's best friends: Becka.


My 6pm rule goes out of the window in the Christmas holidays: fizz for breakfast!


It was lovely for Dexter to have quality time with his grandparents.


I cooked. I prepped for DAYS. It was bloody good. *takes a bow*


Best clothes and party hats for Christmas dinner!


There were five types of veg: daily recommendation in one meal.


'Selfie': word of the year in 2013.


Boxing Day brought beautiful blue skies after a number of wild storms.


Boxing Day also brought Dexter's other set of grandparents and Christmas dinner, part deux.


Their gift was this fab teepee. Dexter's favourite new thing is to snuggle in there with plenty of cushions and the iPad with 'Peppa Pig' on loop. Home cinema, toddler style.
 


His uncle and aunt gave Dexter this magnificent pirate ship. The weather for most of the holidays has been as wet, windy and choppy as a pirate-infested ocean, but aside from the odd bout of cabin fever, we've all had a blast. Hope you did too.

Happy New Year!

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