I was mid post and the laptop crashed when I put the photocard reader in 👿
So, I had mentioned how nice an evening we had last night with Frazer. Just chit-chat, wine drinking, very good curry if I do say so myself (loving my slow cooker 🙂 ) but all very pleasant.
Dreadful night’s sleep with Tarly appearing within moments of me getting into bed at about 11.30pm wailing about wanting to sleep in our bed. She tossed and turned and talked in her sleep until I gave up around 3am and went off to her bed. The rest of the house woke at 6am and the children were in and out of her room until I gave in and got up at 7. So feeling pretty tired today but determined to remain in a good mood as it just has such an impact on the children’s behaviour when I am cheerier.
First thing I drank tea and caught up online – enjoying all the ‘complimentary’ stuff people have been saying about me in the windows ;-). The children predictably did their version of normals – watching W&G and playing with geomags and soft toys 😉 Davies made his own geomag version of cusinaire rods (just can’t spell that word!) 
He’s been playing with number concepts a lot again lately but as usual he backs right off if I try and get involved or suggest stuff so I’m leaving him to it, praising when I can and answering any questions he asks.
Then Scarlett got out her princess paints and painting book and did some of that very nicely and accurately. I do have a picture but she was only wearing a vest and on closer viewing it is not altogether suitable so I shan’t post it! Davies watched something about Egypt on Class TV while I made his chocolate factory, which turned out to be rather fiddly and not at all sturdy enough to withstand much playing with but he seems to like it. 
They played with that for a while and I looked up some info about Shrove Tuesday online and then told them a bit about Easter, the symbolism of Hot Cross Buns and Easter Eggs and how some people believe Jesus died for all our sins. We made a geomag cross and a geomag Jesus so I could illustrate how he died (geomags, the ultimate educational prop!) and then we talked about Lent, giving things up, why pancakes are made on Shrove Tuesday / Pancake Day and how they’re made. Not sure how much went in but Davies at least seemed to pay attention to it all.
Then I headed into the kitchen and made up some batter which I left to rest while I sorted out the kitchen cupboards in a vain attempt to find a frying pan I am still sure we have somewhere. It was fruitless and it would probably be impossible to the casual observer that I’ve done so but I did reorganise them a bit at the same time. Also stuck three loads of washing on the line as it was breezy and sunny. I’ve just brought them in actually as it started to snow but it saved them being draped round the house or in the tumble drier for hours, they are now just damp and airing.
I then had a little production line of pancakes going with the children reappearing every few minutes for more as I cooked them. I’ve made another batch of batter up this afternoon and there is a large pile of them waiting for the kids tea and for me and Ady to eat this evening. There may well be a knack to pancake making but with each lot of batter I veered between expertly good turning out consistently well cooked, wafer thin, perfectly round pancakes which I could toss like a pro to turning about every fourth one into a soggy heap so I’m inclined to think it is more to do with luck!
I’ve offered reading aloud several times today but no one has taken me up on it (ingrates!) prefering instead to experiment with geomags and a magnetic Dora book and a variety of cutlery 🙄 – ah well I’m sure there’s lots of science in there somewhere!