a trip to london

my baby brother is in hospital so we went to visit

bored lottie on the coach

strange ellie on the coach

harrods food halls have always fascinated me with their victorian tiling

we bought 3 chocolates for £3 (bargain)

the egyptian room

After a fire in 1883, Architect Charles William Stephens, designed a new Harrods building known for its grandeur and palatial style, featuring a frontage clad in terracotta tiles adorned with cherubs, swirling Art Nouveau windows and topped with a baroque-style dome

we found these at some random store!

 The Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, popularly known as Brompton Oratory, is a Roman Catholic church in South Kensington, London. A neo-baroque building, it was designed by Herbert Gribble

Designed by one of Michelin’s employees François Espinasse, the original building features 3 large stained glass windows. The designs are based on Michelin adverts of the time, and all feature the Michelin Man “Bibendum”

only in chelsea dahling

St Luke’s is regarded as being one of the first Neo-Gothic churches to be built in London: the nave, 60ft in height, is the tallest of any parish church in London and the tower reaches a height of 142 feet

this is opposite the royal brompton hospital where my brother is

Six of Sir Gilbert Scott-designed red telephone boxes went pink to mark the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The six pink telephone boxes are adorned with the Union flag, diamond dust and the message “Long, Live, Life, Love”. Designed by street artist Ryan Callana

we saw these outside the saatchi gallery

more sewing

2 types of cover for her blackberry

a drawstring bag and a slipcover with glitter name applique

(still fast with that foot pedal)

such fun

Separation anxiety is a developmental stage during which the child experiences anxiety when separated from the primary caregiver (usually the mother). From 8 - 14 months, children often become frightened when they meet new people or visit new places. They recognize their parents as familiar and safe. When separated from their parents, particularly when away from home, they feel threatened and unsafe. Separation anxiety is a normal developmental stage. It helped keep our ancestors alive and helps children learn how to master their environment. It usually ends when the child is around 2 years old. At this age, toddlers begin to understand that parents may be out of sight now, but will return later. There is also a normal desire to test their independence.

However, separation anxiety may return during periods of stress manifesting in:

·           Excessive distress when separated from the primary caregiver (Ellie & Lottie)

·           Reluctance to go to school or other places because of fear of separation (Lottie)

·           Reluctance to go to sleep without the primary caregiver nearby (Ellie until age 6, Lottie to date)

·           Worry about losing or harm coming to the primary caregiver (Ellie)

When separation anxiety occurs in adolescence, it may signal the development of an anxiety disorder (if this is true then they’d just be following the family legacy!)

For older children who have not outgrown separation anxiety within the normal developmental timetable or who have regressed to it under stress, effective treatments may include:

·           Anti-anxiety medications

·           Counselling for the parents and child

·           Family therapy

·           Individual psychotherapy

To get over separation anxiety, children must:

·           Trust people other than their parents (and this is the big problem: when you have had ‘friends’ like mine who drunk drove with my child in their car, my child telling me that my ‘friend’ hit them, a ‘friend’ making up a pack of lies to social services about me etc etc; I do not trust anyone to care for my children)

·           Trust that their parents will return

THIS IS WHAT CAME OUT OF OUR VISIT TO CAMHS, AS A RESULT OF HAVING NO NETWORK SUPPORT, MY KIDS ARE HANGING ON TO ME FOR DEAR LIFE!

our therapist says we have a lovely family group and it's apparent that we all have a very strong bond and there is lots of love but we need to become independent of each other

so we have been set tasks: 

Ellie to go out for just 5/10 mins daily on her own, Lottie: to sleep on her own, Mummy: to go out for 15mins without children daily

it all starts today (such fun)

home-made smellies

lottie got herself a book from the library

you read the recipe and think "it can't work"

but it did!

fabric crayons

she got a new pillow today and wanted to colour another pillowcase to match her union jack one she made for jubilee

so mummy did the outline and she coloured

who doesn't love the cookie monster?

sewing lesson

lottie got this fab licquorice allsorts fabric when we were in ventnor

she used the electric machine (she needs to have a softer foot or she's gonna have to drive an automatic!) and made egon a bandana

boredom buster

take bicarbonate of soda, food colouring, vinegar and a pipette

mix the food colouring with a splosh of vinegar in a cup (separate cup for each colour)

spread the bicarb over a baking tray

take up food colour with the pipette and drop onto bicarb

it will fizz

then puff

then look like a volcano if you pour it on

shake away

james told lottie about this place, so she had to go

her choice:

hershey's cookies and cream with white malteser topping

they need wider straws

new york public library

always wanted to go here

'the reading room'

ever since seeing this

watching cult 80s movies shows you a lot of art, culture and architecture!

new style bathing

glow sticks in bath

with home-made boats

lottie had great fun in the dark

get better mate

x

science today

we are testing materials that float

lottie has made boats to test in her bath

(wood, plastic, rubber, paper, metal)

we discussed that metal doesn't usually float so why are all ships made out of metal?

it's the shape that makes them buoyant

charming

it is no secret that lottie loves lush

she got fimo recently and made teeny charms of bubble bars and bath bombs

mummy put the metal hoops in the top before we baked them

we have strung them onto a leather bracelet and she has sent it to lush hoping to get in the next copy of the lushtimes (and get a freebie!)

motor skills

in an attempt to improve lottie's perspective skills and hand/eye co-ordination, we had a go at crazy golf

after a few laughs, we got serious and she got very good

helps with her maths too as she added up her score as we went round

even more dawn

pink and blue

and fluffy

gelato gusto

we spotted this place in north road brighton ages ago but at £2.20 a scoop we didn't partake

but kids had their own money this time so we treated ourselves and this is mummy's coconut (and sweet williams on the tables which i love as they grew around the house we lived in in germany when i was little....ahh 10 niedersachenweg, i remember it so very well)

lottie's cookies and cream

ellie's pistachio

they both added fudge pieces and hot caramel sauce afterwards

go there! it's deeeelish

all cathyied

lottie has a tutor for maths and english now

one hour per week in each subject

she needed a lined book for each and decided they needed 'prettying'

very nice indeed

dawn

walking to work at 5.30am you do get to see a side to newhaven that is beautiful

the river was like a millpond and the clouds were ambling over the hay field

a windy day

rottingdean seafront

silly babies

beachcombing and paddling

icecream break

30 years ago my dad dared me to walk along by the beach huts at seaford whilst the waves were crashing over the barriers....this is lottie repeating history at saltdean undercliff

she had a blast but we had to go to a charity shop and get her dry clothes

(spongebob sweatshirt and leggings 1 pound 50p!)

great graffiti in the lido tunnel

the lido tunnel

(isn't it great?)