Happy 1st Birthday - Twice!

On Friday my little baby was ONE! Can you believe it? It doesn't seem a year...

In the morning Roarke took Joshua kayaking, whilst I dashed around baking.

I picked first Liz and the kids, then Sheila & Callum, up from the station. They had both come early to help, and Sheila kindly brought some cakes too.

They were needed!

My "open house" invitation led to no less than 38 home ed kids and adults turning up!

The sports equipment from Sainsburys & Tescos got well used, as did the bouncy castle donated by a fellow home educator (thanks Dawn!) and our new trampoline.

The weather held - it started to rain at 3pm just as the kids at the school over the road were about to come out!

The birthday boy wandered around the garden with Nanny, taking in all in his stride!

In the evening, Joshua then set off on an adventure. The Independent on Sunday had called asking me to find a 12 year old HE kid to go that day to be interviewed for a feature on growing up in the UK, to be published this Sunday! Roarke took him off therefore to the offices of the Independent. They got there at 6, and didn't leave till 8.45!

The item was published today - in the paper version Joshua's picture is on the bottom of the front page of the newspaper, together with him being in the group photo in the inside feature on pages 8/9. The online version is here.

As we were tired out, Mum treated us to a chinese so that neither of us had to cook.

Saturday I got up ready for the second first birthday party (!). My brother and sister in law were coming over in the afternoon with their son. As my brother is a coeliac that meant cooking and baking everything gluten free.

As usual I over catered - forgetting that Roarke wasn't there because he was in Bristol chairing the EO Council Meeting!

We had a green salad, baked courgette risotto, ham cooked in coca cola, a plate of salami and smoked sausage, Tesco's gluten free sausages, the inevitable cheese and pineapple, fresh baked finger rolls, chicken pieces marinated in lemon, fresh thyme and rosemary from the garden, garlic and olive oil, plus various dips and crudites. For the sweet stuff, as well as a fruit salad, we had chocolate fairy cakes, vienesse chocolate biscuits, and for Jonathan and I to eat (dairy, wheat, egg and soya free) we had newborn biscuits, and birthday cake!

We had been due to go away for three days to Sheffield but our car is in serious need of some work and to risk that drive would have been foolish. So inside we decided to "holiday at home".

This morning therefore, we went to church first, as they had a guest speaker, for the kids. After that the boys predictably chose McDonalds for a rare treat of a meal there. I took a pot of the left over cola ham, and Jonathan and I ate that and shared some chips!

In the afternoon we spent the money we'd saved on diesel on wooden laminate floor for the front room (we share the house with mum and have one of the "reception" rooms as dining room, lounge, office and classroom all in one!) and some paint for the wall.

We had a lovely family dinner; we put the extension into the table (Ikea, courtesy of Freecycle), and had what Samuel calls a feast - all the left overs spread out on the table so we could help ourselves.

Jonathan enjoyed helping himself to pineapple, carrot sticks, cucumber, pepper slices, and more ham. Oh and humous of course!

Roarke's now gone off to the hospital to visit a friend. Poor guy is a carpenter and was working on repairing a roof when he fell 40 ft onto a concrete floor - with only a wall to break his fall. God really stepped in there, because he should really be dead. Actually he has a broken pelvis, lower spine and arm, but although they say he may never play football, or maybe be able to run again, he is otherwise fine, Do remember my friend in your prayers if you can, as he is missing his family especially his four week old first baby daughter :0(

The boys are being dipped - I mean bathed - as I speak!