I was feeling kind of seasick, the crowd called out for more…

Yep, that’s right, it makes absolutely no sense 🙂

Alternative title could have been:
‘and don’t it always seem to go, you don’t know what you’be got til it’s gone’

You know me, I’m Nic, the curvy and voluptous one who is always moaning about my kids right? Well not today – today I was Nic in Lakeside, Nic without a care or incumberance in the world, if you didn’t peep into my very loaden down shopping backs and make a good guess based on what I had bought you would never even know I was a woman with two children. There was no mashed banana on my shoulder, no nappy cream wiped down my jeans, no harrassed and furrowed brow expression on my face, heck for a minute there I was carefree 🙂 Until of course I realised that without the pushchair you can’t buy nearly as much before the carrier bags cut into your hands, you look pretty silly pointing at the Christmas lights and decorations and saying ‘ooh look at the pretty Christmas lights’ when you have no-one with you and actually, although it was lovely to have a day to myself, I did very well with the shopping and the kids were gorgeous on the phone when I rang them at lunchtime (Davies will have a full scale converation with you on the phone, but Tarly said ‘hello Mummy’, ‘love you too’ and ‘goodbye mummy’ in all the right places which was very cute:-) ) I did infact miss them like hell!

They had a great time with Granny, Grandad and Uncle Frazer playing and running around like loons. Mum made a point to tell me that ‘they have eaten very well, and all healthy stuff’ and that ‘I have been down on the floor playing with them all day and we watched tv but only educational stuff and we talked about it afterwards’ – not at all sure whether she is being supportive and a good granny or having a dig at doing stuff that I fail to do, but I’m taking it as the nicer option 🙂

Ady and I were away by 8.30am and in Lakeside by 9.45am. We started in Toys R Us where we got this for Tarly from Uncle Frazer, then had coffee and cakes in Costco for breakfast before he dropped me off and went off to do some work!

I then spent nearly an hour wandering about feeling quite bereft without anybody at all – don’t remember the last time I had at least six hours with no one at all for company stretched out infront of me! I didn’t want to start shopping too early as I knew I would have to carry anything I bought so I rang the kids to check on them, rang Ady at least six times to debate and discuss whether to get the Playmobile, Disney store, official Captain Hook or the ELC Wooden pirate ship for Davies, we eventually decided on the ELC one and I got a few bits and pieces to go with it, including their version of Captain Hook and smee and the croc from The Disney Store to go with it to turn it into Captain Hooks ship. The ship will probably be from Frazer.
Also decided after much deliberation to get him this from us, but nowhere had any in stock! So we will keep trying for that one.

I got Tarly various Dora bits, a bathtime splash Dora and a Goodnight Dora, both of which were half price in Argos 🙂 Some of which I will give to Mum and Dad and Frazer for either her birthday or Christmas – think we now have pretty much all the Dora merchandise available – hope she still likes it in a couple of weeks (seems likely though, her little Dora and Boots duplo toys are still going everywhere with her four months and much tattiness later!). Various other bits and bobs which no one will possibly be wanting to follow links for after all that lot in ELC for them both and I think once we have tracked a Peter Pan island down we are all but done. When they have gone to sleep we are going to get everything in from the car, everything from the various hiding places all round the house I have already bought and decide what is for Tarly’s birthday, what’s for Christmas and what we are giving to Mum and Dad for them.

I also bought a beautiful top for myself from Dorothy Perkins for Ady’s Christmas do which is lovely 🙂 and probably the best part of the day… I still had an hour before Ady was due to meet me, my feet hurt and my hands were about to fall off with the weight of all the carrier bags so I went to Cinnabon for cinnamon sticks and hot chocolate, which I sat for over half an hour with the ELC catalogue and SAVOURED! There were no children clambering up me and asking for some of it, there was no rush to drink it while it was still too hot and burnt my mouth, no one tutted at me for sitting down and doing nothing – it was bliss 🙂 Need more moments like that please!

Ady then came and relieved me of my bags so I could do the last bits in ELC (lots of money and I am very ashamed at not doing it online for 20% off although some of the bits were OOS on the website when I checked, and still not having pulled my finger out and sorted a 10% discount HE card either!) before setting off for home. We arrived half an hour earlier than I had hoped to and that pleased everyone.

Davies has just fallen asleep and I think Scarlett is pretty quiet downstairs with Ady too, so off to sort it all out downstairs and make my final list of bits and pieces to finish it all off completely. Had a lovely day, it’s nice to have the opportunity to miss the kids sometimes eh?