Reason No. 34

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he told me on the phone that he had decided that he was going to write a book when we are on holiday so we agreed that I would remember to take some glue and a book and he could stick things in it.

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she was very excited (and a bit confused!) on the phone about having made a snail at school.  She had decided that it was for our wedding anniversary (which is tomorrow) - until Daddy told her that wasn't possible because it had to be baked in the oven and she wouldn't get it back for a week.  But it's the thought that counts!

Another day with only phone contact, not helped by the fact that both children woke up grumpy and brewing colds so phone conversations in the morning weren't very productive.  But in the evening, they were both much better and much more enthusiastic - so long as I didn't talk too long and interfere with their TV watching!

Reason No. 33

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she is such a ladylike little angel - during lunch with friends today she marched in and announced to the table "I've got poo in my pants" and later, during a demonstration of her ballet expertise, she accompanied her 'dancing' with some fruity bottom noises!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he loves having visitors and telling them all about Star Wars, Lego and all his other favourite obsessions, whilst practically sitting on their knees and holding their hands.

Reason No. 32

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he finished his tea, sat back from the table, and said "That's more like it".  Don't know where he gets that from!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she finds great excitement in the most bizarre things such as getting new cream and medicine for her eczema - by the way she went on today, it might have been ice cream rather than eczema cream!

Poor Amelie has eczema all over her from the neck downwards, which started a couple of weeks ago.  She has barely complained about it, but has is clearly very itchy a lot of the time.  But she is still a happy little angel and I adore her.

Reason No. 31

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she took Daddy to school today to help out with her class and she told him that he was very lucky to be allowed to help out because only one other Daddy had been to help out; but also that he shouldn't be upset if he wasn't in the same group as her!

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he looked so thrilled that Mummy and Daddy had both been to pick him up from his swimming lesson and must have drunk a gallon of swimming pool water because he was smiley and so determined to show us that he could put his head under the water and open his eyes at the same time.

Reason No. 30

I love Seth more than I did the day before yesterday because he met a African Giant Snail at school and spent ages raving about its size and how they looked at it through a viewer and how the viewer also took photos etc etc.

I love Amelie more than I did the day before yesterday because she was very proud when she told me on the phone that she was given a merit at school because she had been doing The Hungry Caterpillar and had made up her own story which her teacher said was really good.

Another day where I didn't see the children at all because of a long trip to London.  But talking on the phone is almost as good (almost...)

Reason No. 29

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because her reading homework - which she described as "the shortest book ever" - ended taking about half an hour to read because she spent 5 minutes discussing every detail of every page, questioning what it said and giving a narrative about what had happened.  The book was about men going to the moon and she was absolutely astounded that this had happened "in real life????".


I love Seth more than I did yesterday because he told his teacher that the books on the table at school weren't right because they are doing minibeasts at the moment and sharks and kangaroos aren't minibeasts.  Then he said decisively "So that's the reason we're going to see The Tiger Who Came to Tea at the theatre next week, it's because we're not really doing minibeasts, we're actually doing 'animals' this week"!

Reason No. 28

I love Seth more than I did yesterday because after eating his main course he leant over and said conspiratorially to me that when Daddy had opened the cupboard with the jammy dodgers in it earlier, Seth thought he had seen a packet of yum yums and maybe they were for pudding.  Daddy said that the cupboard had been open about 30 degrees for about 5 seconds but eagle-eyed Seth can spot a cake a mile off!

I love Amelie more than I did yesterday because she spent all of tea time describing what they had done at school in outdoor PE, which seemed to be about practising for sports day and involved lots of running, jumping through hoops and being in teams.  Unfortunately her team didn't win at all - which she said was because the bigger girls were all in the other teams.

So I'm back in the bosom of the family today, in time for tea with my babies (all 3 of them) and wishing I never had to go away!