Reason No. 288

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was very brave, picking himself up from really being quite off colour in the morning to having a full day at school including a really good piano lesson.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was doing her most throaty chortle when we were doing piano practice, playing the wrong note repeatedly because her fingers were in the wrong place and she couldn't work out why it sounded wrong. 

Reason No. 287

I love Amelie and Seth because I got the most lovely big long kisses and cuddles on the sofa, at the same time,when I got home from work late again. I hate it that I don't get to see them as much as I'd like and they'd like, but the big cuddles make up for it a bit!

Reason No. 286

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he voluntarily did his piano practice with TWBD - not sure whether Seth was practising or Daddy - but apparently, he was enthusiastic, concentrated really well, and was very calm with it.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she got 11 out of 12 on her very difficult spelling tat yesterday - the only word she got wrong was 'energy' but she managed to get right 'cylinder', 'cellar', 'because' and 'gymnastics' which is pretty good going at 6.

Reason No. 285

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very good in deciding which of the presents that TWBD had bought for a party at the weekend - she thought through the options very carefully and came to logical conclusions based on what each girl likes and doesn't like.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because I talked to him on the phone in the evening and he was desperate to explain in some detail about the pictures he brought home from school. Now that I've seen them, they make a lot more sense than the phone description which involved huge giants and farm animals!

Reason No. 284

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did yesterday because they were so good today while we were rearranging furniture. They were told to stay in Seth's room and to come out on the pain of death (or losing their iPad for a week) and they played really nicely with only the occasional giggly moment of daring each other to step over the doorway!

Reason No. 283

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did yesterday because they really loved my slightly experimental roast lamb lunch today - Seth had more lamb than the average adult and Amelie loved the stuffing!

Reason No. 282

I love Seth and Amelie more than I did yesterday because they were thrilled to find that TWBD had downloaded a new game onto their iPads but the lovely thing was that they sat next to each other on the armchair and helped each other play it, showing each other what they had learnt and encouraging each other to go further.

Reason No. 281

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she made me a special 'Get Well Soon' card at school today.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he hummed a pitch-perfect version of the Bruch violin concerto on the way home from school, having heard it once on the radio.

Reason No. 280

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because when he arrived home from school, TWBD had clearly told him to whisper because I might be asleep (poorly). When he saw I was up he was all excited and happy then spoilt it by saying "now we can make as much noise as we want!"

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because when I had a really bad sneezing fit, she handed me her cuddly rhino and said "give Rhino a cuddle and he will make you feel better!"

Reason No. 279

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she not only did a fabulous assembly at school which we got to see, but she has also been moved up a group for phonics and still managed to get 10 out of 10 for her spelling test.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he's now really good at getting himself into and out of his seatbelt without any help. And he's also becoming a really good negotiator trying to persuade us that we really must buy new games for his iPad.

Reason No. 278

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was very good today about the fact that he was taken to school, really wanted to stay, but was taken home by TWBD because Amelie's school was closed and there was hardly anyone at Seth's school.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she put on a full performance of her bit in her class assembly, in Waitrose cafe, for her playball teacher.

Reason No. 277

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because Seth was scared watching a Harry Potter film at lunchtime so she told him that he could cuddle up to her and sat there with her arm around him throughout the film.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because when it was bedtime he gave Amelie the biggest, cutest cuddle and kiss goodnight.

Reason No. 276

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was getting so frustrated at not winning on one of his games that he took the headphones out of their socket and started saying ino the socket " iPad you are being very naughty"!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because Seth was telling her how she could buy extra powers on her game, but without paying real money, so she listened to him patiently thn said "If you say so, Seth, if you say so" in a very world-weary way!

Reason No. 275

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she had her ballet lesson tonight, then came home and watched ballet on DVD, then got us all doing long pointy toes and floaty arms!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he had a whale of a time in the snow - what is it about snow and little boys, even ones in shorts?

Reason No. 274

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was desperate to get rid of me at bedtime and very excited at the prospect of hiding for Daddy and pretending not to be there when he came in for his kiss!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she brought home a secret note for is bot - my bit said "To Mummy I love you.  I am sorry that you hav to go t work evry day from Amelie xxxxxxx". So am I!

Reason No. 273

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because we had a really grown up conversation tonight about her school assembly next week. She asked me whether she could take any of my bike gear to school so I said she could take my high vis jacket which she thought about and sai "I don't think that's a good idea because Maddie's taking her high vis jacket. And Lucy's taking a reflective head band. So maybe I could take your helmet or lights"

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he came home from school saying they had been reading Mr Men books. So he got out his full set of Mr Men books, took one out and started reading it to himself, laughing at its jokes and coming over to me to read the funny bits out.

Reason No. 272

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because his reading is going from strength to strength - he's now practising raising his eyebrows when there is an exclamation mark so that he gets the right expression into his voice!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she has got her class assembly next week and the line she has to learn is about Mummy riding her bike to work with a high visibility jacket and lights so that she stays safe!

Reason No. 271

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because I came home from work early and when she went to bed, Amelie said "Did you enjoy being at home with us today?"  To which the answer would have been yes apart from the fact that I was being bombarded with work problems throughout!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because at bedtime he rushed in to Amelie's room because he just had to explain to her, in some complex detail, how he might get past the next level of Shark Attack which he'd got stuck on. And because he's now got further than me on Temple Run and has promised to show me how!

Reason No. 270

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because I'm currently watching him watching one of his favourite TV programmes and he's practically dancing with delight at it and giggling to himself!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was playing games on the iPad with Seth earlier and saying "that's great Seth, you're really good at doing this". I think she's a born teacher!

Reason No. 269

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because we went swimming and she was fab - she hasn't lost her confidence or her determination to keep going, whatever happens.

I loveSeth more than I did yesterday because he is trying really hard with his number bonds to 10 and 20 - he has to think hard about them but really got the concept of the 20s when he knew what the 10s were.

Reason No. 268

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because I love it when he finds something funny, and laughs and laughs hysterically, even when it's really not!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she had her first piano lesson today and came one excited and desperate to start practising.

Reason No. 267

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because I picked her up from the theatre and she was as excited about getting the bus home as she was about telling me about the ballet - which she was hugely excited about!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because I showed him some extra tricks on his iPad games this evening and he was absolutely enraptured. At bedtime he said "Thank you Mummy for letting us have all those awesome games to play!"

Reason No. 266

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he came home proudly with a sticker saying "J'ai 6 ans". When I asked what it said, he said "I'm 6". When I said "but what does it say in French" he said "It says I'm 6 in French!"

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she is excited about going to see Swan Lake tomorrow so I printed off a synopsis to show her. Turns out she knew the whole story anyway a recited it to me - apart from all the death at the end which her teachers had clearly glossed over!

Reason No. 265

I love Amelie and Seth more than I did yesterday because when I came back from my overnight stay in London I was greeted with such overwhelming joy and excitement that I almost cried!

Reason No. 264

I love Seth more than I did the day before yesterday because he was desperately excited in the morning about his play date but slightly less forthcoming on the phone in the evening about how it had gone. He doesn't do phones!

I love Amelie more than I did the day before yesterday because she was very good about the fact that she had to go back to school whenSeth was still on holiday and having a play date. But she was very happy at the end of the day about having seen all her friends.

Reason No. 263

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because in the car when Seth was being naughty she said "Seth, you're only making it worse for yourself".

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he was thrilled that he'd got beyond medina computer game but said "Don't worry Mummy, I'll help you when you get to this stage".

Reason No. 262

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he looks very handsome with a short back and sides having been to the hairdressers for his new term haircut.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she shared really well today - when Seth ran down the batteries on both his iPad and his camera game, she offered him her iPad and also gave him half of her party cake.

Reason No. 261

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because I took him and Amelie into work this morning to get my laptop fixed and he was fabulous, impressing everyone with his chattyness and his intelligence.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because at lunchtime she picked 'A Bug's Life' to watch and said 'Mummy we've seen this a lot but you probably don't remember it because you always fall asleep during films!'  I must be getting old!

Reason No. 260

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was desperate for me to ask TWBD how many out of 10 they has got today - the answer yesterday was 8 and she was very keen to improve!  Luckily the answer today was 10 for behaviour so everyone was happy.

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because when I phoned up from work, all I could hear in the background was happy chattering and laughing as he played and had fun with Amelie.

Reason No. 259

I love Seth more than I did before because he reached a landmark 7 dry days in bed so was rewarded with a Lego ninjago motorbike and he was so excited that he took me through every feature when I got home from work - "can you believe that it does this?" "Did you know it had this man" etc.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she made Happy New Year cards for the whole family including both cats today, all beautifully written and perfectly spelt.

Reason No. 258

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she continues to say some really grown up things like when I asked her to stop playing on her iPad she said "but Mummy I'm just starting to get the hang of it" which sounded very wise!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because when he realised that I had remembered to record an Octonauts special today he jumped from the floor into my arms and said "Mummy you are such a genius!"