Empty Nest Mummy

After several days of feeling like death warmed up, I am finally starting to feel a little more human again (my thanks again to Messrs Nurofen & Paracetamol), and ready to crack on with my big plans for 2018!

(At this stage, I should say that the flat belly and running parts have gone nowhere, but there’s still time, Dear Reader, as it’s only the 10th of January)

Feeling much more energetic, though I had barely woken up, the bedroom door opened at 7.01 precisely this morning and a permanently bright and breezy Big Boy came in to wish me a Good Morning. What a glorious start to the day! Then, he gently cradled my head between his two big pudgy paws, looked deep into my eyes and said “I will never forget you, Mama, even when you are dead”.

What a lovely sentiment in one way, and so utterly odd and creepy in another. (Does Big Boy have access to some Medical Information that I am unaware of? I think I’d like to know if something serious were up with me, rather than have it surprise me one day, largely so I wouldn’t waste my time doing things like trying to get my nearly middle-aged head around Search Engine Optimization; I’d maybe just stick with drinking cocktails and eating chocolate instead.)

Anyhow, back on form, and with Big Boy and Littlest Angel safely delivered to school for the day, I threw myself into my plans for the blog. (Dear Few and Far-Between Readers, please persevere; it will get better; I do have a plan!). By the end of 2018, my aim is to have this as a proper, beautiful and useful blog, full of glamorous images and amazing things to make, do, eat and drink – I have lots of time on my hands, so let me do the research and you can just sit back and enjoy!

Having decided that next on my list of content is super-tasting, nutritious and easy recipes to make for (or even with) the family, I decided that I’d start with Curly Kale. Now, anyone who knows me will know that I truly am an afficionado of Curly Kale – it’s so very very tasty, it’s super-healthy and it’s really versatile. So, with a list of 5 top things to do with Curly Kale, I set out to the shops to get my provisions.

As I stepped out, the sun peeped her little head out from behind the clouds, a friendly neighbour across the road waved a cheery greeting, Mrs Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel was (blaring) through my earphones and I was utterly absorbed by the moment; what a great day it is; how lucky I am (unless Big Boy really does have some insider medical info that nobody has chosen to share with me). It was one of those beautiful moments where your heart soars and your smile lights up those around you. ……………..and then I stepped on a dog poo.

But this is how I know I’m really having an amazing day, I just burst out laughing …… and told the local postman who now probably thinks I am nuts …………. and continued on my merry way, just as happy but maybe smelling slightly of excrement.

Fear not, though, I don’t think anyone would have smelt it for long, certainly not after I loaded myself up with bags and bags of delicious curly kale. (Make sure you sign up to my blog so you don’t miss these delicious recipes)

It made me think, life’s so good, if only you could bottle this feeling (without the top notes of dog poo), and spurred me on to writing a Bucket List for 2018 – 18 things I really want to do with the family this year.

1. Make a shadow puppet theatre
2. Make the perfect focaccia
3. Go camping – proper camping, not glamping
4. Head out of London for the day and go on a Big Bike Ride with my little novice riders
5. Book a horse riding lesson for the infants
6. Go bowling as a family
7. Go to the Roald Dahl Museum
8. Have a themed family-restaurant day, where we cook the food of a particular country, listen to music from that country and maybe even sport a cheeky little bit of national costume
9. Make an outdoor mosaic
10. Make slime
11. Do some BIG Outdoor art and take pictures of it
12. Learn to tie our laces (obviously Mum and Dad can already do this; it’s the infants I’m thinking about)
13. Make pizzas from scratch
14. Make an animation ‘movie’ together with Stickbots
15. Make a wall bookworm, with a new segment added for each book read (again, for the infants really)
16. Stargaze
17. Go ice-skating together
18. Sleep in a treehouse

And, just in case Big Boy does have medical knowledge, or magical powers (he was bitten by a spider in the summer and is still waiting for his spidey-powers to manifest), I’d best crack on with it all.

And, Dear Readers, you are all invited to come back at the end of 2018 and see how many we have ticked off!