It's been such a laid back month - I only worked 5 days! So I certainly don't have to complain about being exhausted from over working. Half term fell in the 3rd week, which gave me some time off and we are currently on holiday with Simon's family in Centre Parcs which has given me another 2 days off. Teachers obviously don't usually abscond during the year for holidays, but this was booked before they asked me to stay on, so not much choice. Obviously I'm very sorry to all my students........
The BIG NEWS this month was Simon breaking his wrist after a fall from his bike. It led to a 9 hour A&E wait (seriously - 9 hours. Overnight.) and a very tired household the next day. His job is very hands on, so he has been struggling slightly with work so it's maybe for the best that we are away this week to give him time to rest his hand instead of trying to plow onwards. That said, what an awful time to break a wrist! His cast means he is pretty limited in what he can do - the great plans we had for swimming have been modified, and cycling is obviously not going to happen while we are away. There are loads of other things to do at Centre Parcs, though, and spending time with his family is what it's really all about.
This month Isabelle and I went to two birthday parties - both of little people we met at our breastfeeding group. So we have had lots of fun playing with our friends, and enjoying lots (and lots, and lots) of party food. At one of the parties my friend had a bouncy castle, so Isabelle had her first ever bounce - although she wasn't hugely thrilled at all!
We also had some lovely days out with our breastfeeding group friends to the park and to a local farm. It's only a little one, but it was nice just to get out and get some fresh air and to do something different. I'm not marking it off our spring bucket list quite yet, however, as I want to go to a bigger farm to do that! We had lots of fun with the animals, however, and then spent an hour at the fabulous park which is at the same location.
Isabelle honed her gymnastic skills several times at the gymnastic center which she always loves, and she continued to go to mums and tots with my dad on a Wednesday. At home she has dressed up, painted with ice, had a sensory bath and played with a light box. She absolutely loves dancing at the minute, and has been asking for music during the month so she can dance. She isn't content to do it alone however, she INSISTS that I dance with her and is actually pretty strict about where I am allowed to stand and what moves I am allowed to do! We spent most of our down time this month reading. She picks out piles of books and brings them to me, and we have sat for up to an hour wading through them. Isabelle definitely has her favourites - at the minute she adores 'Dragon Stew' which I have been made to read up to five times in a row! She has always loved stories, but her love for them seems to be growing and has been our biggest activity throughout February. So much so that we installed her new book wall, and I rejigged all our book storage, so that she can reach her books more easily.
As the weather continues to improve we have been spending more time outside with lots of park visits and a wander around the local castle gardens. Isabelle loves being outdoors, though we have a tendency to focus our big outdoors outings on walking the dogs which means she is usually on my back rather than stretching her legs, so in the next few months I am determined that dog walking will come second to Isabelle walking! That said, we have done a lot of dog walking this month as Simon isn't as able with his wrist. That meant, of course, I have gotten to use my new Tula loads which has been fabulous! I was thrilled to finally get her wearing gloves, after several meltdowns at the very sight of them! Once I told her they were just like her oven glove she was on board. We bought some new ones for her (as we had lost one of her others) and she is more than happy to wear them - although we are through the worst of the cold weather now!
We also made a trip to Ikea to plan our brand new kitchen which was immensely exciting as we have been waiting for so long (FOUR YEARS!) to get rid of the horrible kitchen we currently have. March and April will see the old kitchen ripped out and the new one put in, and I simply cannot wait to have it done. Seeing the plans was great, and I often get them out just to marvel at the beauty!
So right now, we are at Centre Parcs enjoying some much needed time with Simon's family. I'll do a full update on our week once we get back. March is going to be great in some respects - the lead up to Isabelle's birthday and Easter, and the beginning of the kitchen works. However, it is also my last month of part time work so it will definitely be bittersweet, as I can't believe I will have to be back at work full time again soon. This time has flown by, but I'm so pleased that we have managed to fit so much in!
