At 5.30pm tonight I so could have lost it when the mess outside the door from messy play earlier in the day looked like this…
And the mess in the kitchen looked like this…
But, with some team work and a lot of hard graft, everything eventually got put back in its rightful place and cleaned up (unfortunately I didn’t have Frances to help out and Dan wasn’t back till 7pm in the end, so the girls had to pull their socks up!).
And I am so thankful they did!
CAUTION: Only read on if you are used to dealing with baby poo. No photos included!
Alice was hard work to keep an eye on whilst making dinner and smoothies (and cleaning up after), emptying the dishwasher, folding the dry laundry, putting on another load and clearing up the mess outside the backdoor and in the garden. The girls did a great job… but as I picked up the pots and paintbrushes outside I smelt that familiar waft (bare bottom time had resulted in a little present). Ah well, at least it was outside. I moved Alice indoors and asked Sophie to watch over her in the lounge, whilst I cleaned up the poo outside and returned to the kitchen bench…
Then I heard Sophie saying, ‘Alice is touching her bottom Mummy’.
I didn’t think much of it and really didn’t think she could possibly doing more poo…
Oh, how wrong could I be (and really I should have known better!).
By the time I responded she’d left poo in a couple of spots on the carpet and started to explore what it felt like… and tasted like – yuck, yuck, yuck!
I picked her up and headed for the kitchen sink, whilst Charlotte (thank you, thank you, I owe you one!) got down on her hands and knees with some wipes and a plastic bag to clean up the mess on the carpet the best she could.
Sophie isn’t good with poo, sick or mess… her Princess side comes out and she has even been known to retch and run for the toilet.
Anyway, without going on and on in gruesome detail… we eventually cleaned up the house, ourselves and managed to eat dinner, all in time for hubbie to come through the door after a hard day’s work at 7pm.
And I am so thankful that I held it all together and didn’t lose the plot.
It’s been a GLORIOUS week of sunshine weather and for that I am so grateful. The garden is looking amazing and we’ve all loved playing outdoors (yes, even if it does make for extra work at the end of the day).
Sophie, Alice and I had a wonderful play at our local park (before the big clean-up), whilst Charlotte was at her jazz dance class.
I am so happy and thankful to see a sisterly bond building stronger by the day between Sophie and Alice. They shared a lot of laughter together playing peek-a-boo in the tunnel at the playground.
And earlier today I met up with a wonderful neighbour, who also has three girls around the same age (and she makes great coffee, which she served up with chocolate coated ginger biscuits – ever so, ever so thankful!).
Sophie painted away outside whilst I took Alice up for her afternoon nap and I am so thankful that she has learned to creep up stairs and whisper whilst I’m settling Alice. Sometimes we sit on my bed and talk quietly whilst watching Alice sleep.
I am so thankful for friends and their kind gifts. Our friend Steph (who used to help out in Sophie’s first year) came round on Friday evening with a whole pile of wonderful books she’d got from a clear-out at her school. It was a ghastly day on Saturday and thanks to Steph the girls all enjoyed reading their new books.
So thankful for my wonderful husband and the most caring, hands on father…
And my youngest helper who loves to ride the trolley and laugh at the giant strawberry in our local supermarket…
Finally, I am so thankful to live in a beautiful place, with nature aplenty on our door-step. I am so grateful that my children have such a happy childhood and the opportunity to really live it.
Sunday at the beach in between gardening jobs was a wonderful moment in our day.
What are you thankful for this Thursday?
Sarah
x
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Much appreciate the cautionary warning. I scrolled through fast. Words can be just as devastating as photos to those of a squeamish disposition.
I did have you in mind when I wrote the note of caution 😉 Phew – off to bed here now. It’s been a long day!
certainly turned out to be messy didnt it!!!
well done especially you Sarah for holding it together
oh dear! not tasting it!!
I could tell you a story about my sister and her eldest when he was a baby Sarah but I wont least Phil scurry away never to return lol – men 🙂
Sophie isn’t good with poo, sick or mess… her Princess side comes out and she has even been known to retch and run for the toilet.
You can tell Sophie, it may last all her life. I retch over poop. Even over cattery poop if not in litter tray….
Your blog is becoming quite a lovely keepsake for the family.
Love Leanne
I sooo know that feeling…the one where you are holding it together, but only just! And baby poo…ahh I hear you. My lil Pudge has gone from constipated to diahorrea overnight…like you say, it’s a never ending cycle! Your girls are so gorgeous.
Lordy, you are a saint to have held it all together. I probably would have lost the plot at about the time of the poo incident. Loving your list. Great that the girls could pitch in and help out so much 🙂
ha ha I almost had the same yesterday. Smiley was reaching for the bit of poo that had overflowed out of the back of his nappy. You’ve never seen me move so fast!
Yes, the mess, the mess! Sometimes I don’t know why I bother to keep cleaning it up. Good on you for keeping your cool, and for being thankful in the midst of it
Well done darlings….you both are stars and cope with every thing so well….just such a lovely post of a family holding it all together ….so many lovely pictures of the good bits and the not so good bits!!…..as we have heard from your cousins Kevin and Diana via Bob and Sue as they cope with their new born.!!
My you had a busy day. My husband commented a while ago that he always thought how clean and tidy our children were as they grew up, he was surpirsed to learn that there was the BIG clean about an hour before he got home. My children are now 35, 33 and 28 so it took him a while to learn the truth. LOL x
I have really enjoyed reading your poo post…. with my breakfast this morning!! LOL!!
Nothing like messy play, what fun! And what lovely photos you have too of your beautiful children.
Hard to imagine sunny, warm weather when we’re in the middle of winter here. You have me looking forward to summer already!!
xx jazzy
HI Sarah
I just love your pictures, the way they capture the day to day. I am glad someone else’s house is as messy as mine after a hard day’s play.
This Thursday I was thankful for snuggling up in bed away from the howling wind with my two watching a DVD. How do I join Thankful Thursday by the way? Thanks for popping into my gallery again for this week. Ignore my comment, I didn’t click it was you at first, for some reason I thought your blog was called Chez Lee not Catching the magic.
Penny
Hi Penny,
My blog was ‘Chez Lee’ – I changed the URL & name this week, so sorry for the confusion. The old URL will work for a while though – all still a bit messy as I tidy up loose ends 🙂 Cheers, Sarah x
Thanks Penny and ‘Thankful Thursday’ was just something I thought of – but I have since Googled it and there are ‘Thankful Thursday’ linkys to join up with if you’d like.
Your Thursday spunds perfect om a blustery day 🙂 x
What gorgeous little girls you have. You did so well not to loose it. Looks like everyone had lots of fun. x
Hey Sarah….
love your photos.
Impressed that you managed to tidy all that up!
And grimacing with the meory of playing “hunt for the poo blobs” yesterday here too… Scrag had THREE back-to-back explosions that, well… they made a mess. I won;t scare you with the details.
Basically, you have my EMPATHY on the poo bit!
xx
Hi Simone,
Thanks for the empathy on the poo bit and compliment on the photos.
Bare bottom time is always a danger zone hey!
Sarah x