Reason No. 195

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did yesterday because I got some lovely snuggly warm kisses and cuddles in both the morning before I went to London - when they were awake - and in the evening when I got back from London - when they weren't!

Reason No. 194

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very worried about TWBD who had a fall when picking her up from her playdate - she was worried that Daddy had hurt his arm (and that he'd hurt her arm in doing so).

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because while we were waiting for TWBD and Amelie to return from her playdate, he sat on my knee and read a book on the way things work to me - of his own accord!

Reason No. 193

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he played so well with Amelie today - despite us spending a second day painting her room, he played nicely on his own for a while, then played nicely with Amelie, pretending to be shopkeepers and selling their toys to each other!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she made a great pizza for her homework project:

Reason No. 192

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she's a great room painter!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because I played piano duets with him at lunchtime today - his part was one note (middle C) but he was still really keen to play which is a good sign!

Reason No. 191

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because at bedtime he insisted on telling me all about a TV programme he had been watching including one bit that he had to whisper because it was very scary and very secret!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was a total joy today - all happy, bubbly and excited about the weekend of painting ahead.

Reason No. 190

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she spent the day at home with TWBD and started preparing her room for painting at the weekend - and now she's very keen to actual paint some of it herself!  I see a messy weekend ahead.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he got called up in assembly on his last day at school for doing  'Wonderfully Outstanding Work' (WOW) and came home very proud of his sticker - haven't seen the WOW work itself yet but await it with baited breath!

Reason No. 189

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he spent all the way home telling me about things that he had learned in science today about the eye - "did you know Mummy that there's something like a camera in the eye and the light bounces off it and everything is upside down but our brains make it loom the right way up?"

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was desperate to tell me about learning to log on to the school network at tea time club - she told me her user name and her password several times, including spelling it out, just to be clear!

Reason No. 188

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she got Star of the Week at schools and her teacher said lots of fantastic things at parents' evening tonight.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he got called up in assembly today because he had been well-behaved and told another boy to shhh!

Reason No. 187

I love Seth more than I did before because he may not be motivated by merits (see below - and it's house points at his school) but I know that he's really keen to do well (and is motivated by the prospect of playtime after work!).

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she got another 10 out of 10 for her spelling and therefore got another merit so she's second in her class for merits this half term.

Reason No. 186

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was really good at doing her reading homework while we were painting a bathroom this morning, and then helping Seth do his reading homework including doing a very good 'mummy' impression getting him to sound out the words he didn't know!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he and Amelie went to Abi's birthday party this afternoon and he was great when they did some mini beast handling - he was very keen to tell the animal person everything he knew about the animals she had brought, particularly the Giant African Snail which Seth knows a lot about!

Reason No. 185

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because it was lovely to watch him at some of the concert we went to this afternoon. For some of the time he was fidgeting and bored but when they played Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter he was completely entranced.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because, as usual, she spent her hair cut complaining about losing her curls but when her hairdresser put rollers on her and dried in the curls, she spent all her time saying "don't like it, it looks funny" because of the curlers!  Luckily she liked it better when the curlers came out!

Reason No. 184

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she is a yoga superstar - she's got her first certificate to say that she's learned all her stage 1 poses, plus she's now talking about her second ballet exam where she will apparently have to do some 'freestyle' dancing (which TWBD had suggested that I choreograph - hmm!).

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because today he managed to find middle C straightaway on the piano, and managed to play a rhythm on middle C having learned how to count different types of note (minims and crochets).

Reason No. 183

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was really good and well behaved when he went to pick up Amelie from a playdate at her friend's house even though he really wants a playdate himself soon.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was desperately excited about her playdate and wanted to talk about everything she did including what she ate and what toys they played with.

Reason No. 182

I love Amelie more than I did (the day before) yesterday because it was raining cats and dogs in the morning and she said to TWBD somewhat wisely "it's not a good day for the beach"!

I love Seth more than I did (the day before) yesterday because he had a really good piano lesson and learned a tune for the first time.

Reason No. 181

I love Seth and Amelie because they are lovely, scrummy and cuddly - and were particularly so this morning:

Reason No. 180

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very keen to show me at bedtime the balances that she had learnt in PE at school - basically 2 hands and one foot on the floor, and one foot in the air, for the count of 5!  But she thought it was great!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was very cuddly when I got home, and very interested in my piano practising which he said was lovely.

Reason No. 179

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he had a very good time with TWBD while Amelie was at her birthday party - as usual, doing boys' stuff like making great lego, eating pizza and buying cakes!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was a star at her friend's swimming party - no problems with confidence any more and desperate to do everything go everywhere.

Reason No. 178

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she's really priding herself on being the big grown up girl at the moment, wanting to help out making pancakes for breakfast, serving them to Seth and generally helping out at every opportunity.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he spent the day playing very creatively with his Bakugans, making up new and interesting games and playing out full-scale battles with Amelie.

Reason No. 177

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because when we were talking at tea time about moving things around to accommodate the new piano which we bought today, and I said to TWBD that we would need to go to Plan B, Seth said straight away "Can we go to Plan C?" and I said "What's Plan C?" and he said "Me and Amelie watching television after tea!".

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she found it hilarious when TWBD was brushing her hair at bedtime that he ended up brushing it all over her face, so she looked like some kind of hairy monster!  She left it like that so I could be scared when I went in to say good night!

Reason No. 176

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did yesterday because we gave them their new pirate fancy dress costumes this evening (for a birthday party next weekend) and they were so excited about them - we had lots of yo ho ho, avast mateys and cutlass clashing.  I'll be amazed if they survive the party without doing major damage to themselves, each other or someone else!

Reason No. 175

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because this morning when TWBD had to do various official things he went off to the cloakroom, did all his jobs, then presented himself back to TWBD ready for the day.  Which is a major improvement on the boy who needed help in hanging up his coat and shows great signs of growing up!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she got herself to the school office today, on her own, for her antibiotics and when there was no-one there, she sat quietly on her own and waited for some to come and do her medicine.  Which I think is very grown up too!

Reason No. 174

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very brave at the dentists today when she had to sit really still for an x-ray and it turned out that she is so grown up that she is growing through her molars rather than having an abscess!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was desperately excited to me on the phone when I was coming back from London because he had got not one but two bakugans.  Cue major explanations and descriptions down the phone from a very happy little boy!

Reason No. 173

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because on the way home with TWBD they were trying it list his classmates and in the middle, straight-faced, Seth said 'tree'. TWBD almost believed him that there was someone called Tree in his class which Seth found hilarious.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very brave tonight when she came home with a very strange looking tooth/gum and had to go to the doctors. Apparently she might have an abscess so now has to go to the dentist too.

Reason No. 172

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because it turns out she's a demon bowler!  We took them both bowling today as a try out for having a bowling birthday party, and Amelie was great at getting strikes and halves.  But I still won!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was over-the-top excited about the bowling.  He wasn't as successful as Amelie was, but he enjoyed every minute of it and we'll definitely be doing the party there.

Reason No. 171

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because, listening to the radio on the way home from a party today he asked TWBD "is there anywhere I can go and hear music like this beng played". Very encouraging although he was a bit put off by the thought that a concert would be as long as a Star Wars film!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because while Seth was at his party we went to Ponds Forge swimming pool and had a fab time - she swam like a dolphin and we both had great fun with the rapids which carry you round the pool on floats. We both had a totally fantastic time!

Reason No. 170

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because at bedtime when I told her that we wouldn't be able to watch TV in bed tomorrow morning (because we've moved rooms during the big painting effort) she said "but can we come in for a snuggle before we get up anyway?"

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he talked all the way to school about his plans for Lego building - I bough him a Lego ideas book yesterday and he has been totally inspired to make new and exciting things. Tonight we made a castle drawbridge with guns and scary spikes on top!

Reason No. 169

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because we had his parents' evening tonight and his teacher said he was a lovely boy, bright, helpful, friendly to everyone etc etc. So I'm not the only one who loves him!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because on the way home from school she treated us all to her rendition of 'five little men went round the world in a spaceship' and 'I'm a floppy floppy scarecrow' both of which she's been singing at singalong club.

Reason No. 168

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because at bed time she was so giggly and cuddly that I thought she had done something naughty - but she just said "I really love you Mummy" and gave me another big kiss!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he had his school photo today and we practised smiling at breakfast - no teeth, too many teeth, you look in pain, you look like you're having a poo etc. Poor Seth probably ended up so confused that the photo will be a disaster!

Reason No. 167

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because today's obsession is Bakugans - a bizarre toy which transforms from a ball into a monster. He must have told me 10 times that Robin had lent him one but he had to remember to take it back on Friday. But he's a very happy boy for the next 2 days!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she now has had 3 10/10 spelling tests and got a merit as a result. She now also wants a Bakugan as a result!

Reason No. 166

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she is now very excited to have her own computer password for the school network and today she learnt how to print!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because rather than watch TV this evening before bed, he spent ages in his own little world making lego and trying to put together models from pictures in a book that he's got.