Taking Stock

This post was inspired by House of Humble's posts of the same name.  It's always good to pause and take a moment to notice the little things that are happening day to day and appreciate all the good, and observing that there are downers too. Maybe you write Take Stock posts, please share them in the comments below, I would love to see what's going on in your life right now.

Making: Life easier for myself by being more organised with meal times 
Cooking: non-specific carbohydrates after three weeks of only eating specific ones
Drinking: Lady Grey tea, my favorite
Reading: Insurgent by Veronica Roth, the next in the Divergent series
Wanting: More time to myself
Looking: At the mess in the living room and wondering how other people keep their houses tidy
Playing: tickle with my babies
Deciding: When we should move house, we need more space and want more green
Wishing: To be nearer my family
Enjoying: Long warm days
Waiting: To go back to the hospital to get my allergy patch tests removed to see what could be causing my eczema
Liking: Dates, lots and lots of dates
Wondering: If there is a way of getting more hours in a day?
Loving: That I get to stay home with my babies and husband every day
Pondering: The amount of time I waste on Facebook
Considering: The importance of our impact on the environment to Christians
Hoping: to lose one more pound in the next week to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight
Marvelling: At Boris' language development, he has so much to say
Needing: More sleep, aways more sleep, and a cuddle
Following: Freelee The Banana girl on Youtube
Noticing:.How quickly the season is passing
Knowing: God has a plan and it's all in his hands
Thinking: About switching to an even more plant based diet, possibly cutting out eggs
Admiring: Mums who overcome major challenges to breastfeeding
Smelling: Lavender oil
Wearing: Skirts, makes a change from trowsers all year
Sorting: The babies' clothes and putting small ones in the loft, they grow too quickly!
Buying: Vegan cookbooks
Getting: Frustrated with not being able to finish any personal projects
Bookmarking: Positive thinking calenders
Opening: My heart to messages and guidance
Giggling: when Boris tickles me with a feather and chases me
Snacking: On dried fruit and nuts, moving away from refined sugar round here
Coveting: Artemis Russell from Junkaholique's exquisite taste
Helping: Spiders out through the window
Feeling: like I have a ton of energy since moving to a more plant based diet
Hearing: A snuffling scuffling hedgehog that has taken up residence in a pile of twigs in our garden

Pavement Meadow

You could easily be mistaken from these photos into thinking I have been for a walk in a beautiful meadow in the countryside, 

When in actual fact I was walking along a pavement near my house where the council have planted a lovely wild flower meadow.

How cool is that?  Thankyou local council for cheering up my day everytime I walk past this beautiful patch of pavement, great for bees and other insects, birds, biodiversity generally and of course, my well being. Such beautiful colours.

Playing in the Sand

You would probably think that playing in the sand is something only slightly older children can do, babies would eat the sand obviously, so sand pits are a no-go for them.  Or are they?  I found the idea to create a sand pit for babies using edible sand, namely corn meal, and to my amazement a local supermarket actually had some, (it's also called polenta, but is a powder rather than a block that we are more familiar with).  If you are wondering where to find it, have a look in the "world foods" section in your supermarket, it's probably there in a very big bag made by an unfamiliar brand.
I put a load into a plastic tub and let Biscuit get stuck in with spoons and scoops, he ate it of course but that was ok because it was perfectly safe!  Yippie!

Of course the corn meal sand pit was much more exciting for Boris than his actual sand pit so he got stuck in there too!

Playing with sand (and corn meal) is a great sensory experience for both babies and toddlers, they can move it around with their hands and fingers, scoop it with cups and spoons; helping them to understand about volumes and the qualities of sand, and especially with corn meal, tastes and textures, there is so much learning potential with sand.  What activities do you do with sand?