As we had such a nice day today, I thought I’d document it.  It started with myself and Flopsy getting up at 8ish to get dressed while Mopsy and Cotton-tail slept on.  We were due to be at a new toddler group run by friends of ours at 9.30 so I’d planned to wake the younger two at 8.30 if they hadn’t already woken.  They woke at about 8.15 so we made our way downstairs and had breakfast while watching CBeebies.  Then we went out.  When we got there we found I’d got the wrong week so we decided to walk to the local library that I knew was close by.  It turned out we had twenty minutes to wait until it opened but the girls were keen to wait so we did.  The librarians turned out to be really lovely and I was a bit sad that the library is so far from our house!  We got some books out and I picked up (eventually) the bookstart packs for Flopsy and Mopsy’s age group which meant six brand new books to add to the new ones Cotton-tail got the other day.  We also took some more books out and paid some fines

When we left for home it was about 11am and we were really hungry having had breakfast so early (for us!) and I knew it would take ages before we could settle back home and make lunch so we decided to have a *gasp* McDonalds which the girls were chuffed to bits with and ate every last morsel.  Then we examined the bookstart packs.  Flopsy also had the last one which was a sturdy cardboard ‘treasure chest’ so, after reading the books and doing a bit of colouring in with the free crayons they played ‘hunting for treasure’ which involved filling the box with random things and then burying it under whatever they could find - Cotton-tail’s discarded clothes; beanbags; books; cushions; pens; toys - and then digging it up by hurling all the stuff over their shoulders!  It amused them for a long time so I tried to grit my teeth about the mess they were creating.

Cotton-tail started to get quite sleepy by this time and Flopsy started playing on the computer while I fed her to sleep and put her in bed.  Mopsy was pottering around her and discovered some pritt-sticks in the computer desk drawer so decided to do some sticking, and asked me to do some too which I did.  Flopsy came over and joined in which was lovely.  Then I checked my emails and listend to Flopsy pretend to be a CBeebies presenter showing Mopsy how to do things:  “You need to get a grown-up helper to help with this bit…it’s very tricky”.  When they tired of sticking, Mopsy went to the fridge to get the playdough out.  I helped them clear up the sticking and went to get the playdough cutters etc. out which reminded them of some plastic linking shapes my cousin bought Flopsy for her birthday to make necklaces with so the playdough went back in the fridge un-played-with and we started to make necklaces.  I suggested we sort them out so the girls went eagerly to find bowls to sort them into and we all got stuck in:

Then we made necklaces for rag doll and for Mopsy’s baby and then decided to put them away and play Happyland instead.  Then they changed their mind and asked to play ’schools’ which involves me ringing the kitchen timer and sitting at the table with them and their workbooks and pretending to be a teacher and ringing the kitchen timer again at random times to signal playtime and lesson-time.  They invented it…honest!

Then Mopsy woke up and we got ready to go to Cheltenham (where DH works) to buy new shoes (for the winter), vests, socks and tights and nightdresses.  We did the Park and Ride, successfully got shoes for Flopsy but there were none that fitted Mopsy properly so we’ll get her some from a different shop tomorrow.  Flopsy’s desperate for a long-sleeved nightdress to wear this winter (she normally wears pyjamas) but I can’t find one anywhere!  I’ve been looking online all evening and I’m starting to think I’ll have to make her one so might be out looking for nice brushed cotton tomorrow!  Mopsy got a bit stressed out in town, but then both she and Cotton-tail have horrid colds and both have gone to sleep tonight with a slight temperature. 

Oh, funny thing Flopsy said the other day:  I was lying in bed with all three of them cuddled up to me the other morning before we got up.  I said “Mmmm…this is lovely…I’m in Heaven”.  Flopsy said “What’s Heaven?”.  I said “It’s a place where everyone’s happy and everything’s perfect.”  She said “Well you’re not in Heaven, Mummy, you’re in Gloucester”.