Empathy

Steve called at last!! Hurrah!! The boys had their breakfast with the laptop on the table this morning, chatting to their daddy as they ate. That was nice :D Lots of chatting with me too. Lots to think and talk and pray about over the next few days, big decisions to make.

(Finally got all my backblips up for the last week! Sorry I'm so bad at blipping daily at the moment!)

Our aim for the day was to go for a walk to the shops and we eventually managed just that. Much colder than our walk on Wednesday though, I wish I'd had my gloves, and was glad I'd put some on Bean. Bear's hat keeps coming off when he's up on my back in the wrap too at the moment, I need to sew some elastic or something onto it :-/ He had a cold head by the time we got home.

We've been watching documentaries all afternoon. Sad that Operation Iceberg is no longer on the iPlayer but instead we have several Africa's to watch. Bear pushed a stool over so he could get up close. Bean got really upset at one point. We watched a dung beetle pushing a ball of camel dung along the saharan dunes. They fell down a dune and she couldn't push it back up, she tried and tried. The temperature was rising though and eventually survival was more important than the ball of dung and she flew off. Bean cried!! He was so upset that nobody helped her, that she'd had to leave her food behind. Lots and lots of "But why, mummy?" which I answered as best I could but it didn't resolve the core issue, the fundamental "Why?".

Bought some silicone cupcake cases while we were out. Been after some for a while. And a recipe I'd spotted this morning, which I bought bits for while we were out, specified using silicone cases as well which I'd not spotted earlier! How could I not give them a go now :D They use oats and yoghurt instead of flour and milk, and are basically porridge cakes with fresh fruit. I used raspberries. They are Not Bad. I think they'll freeze well - they are going to be part of my breakfast for the next few days!

AND I actually cooked for dinner. Sausages and cabbage and carrots. Craving vegetables like nothing else - my diet has been awful these past few days. So Bean had sausages, Bear had half a banana, I had Bear's sausage plus my own and the carrots and cabbage (I cooked the cabbage in the fat from the sausages, squeezed a couple of garlic cloves in, and added a big of balsamic too - it was the best cabbage I've tasted!!).

Oh and Bean was HUGELY brave, letting me pull a large splinter out of his heel before we ate. He said he had to shut one eye to help him be brave!

Bedtime has been really odd. We did really normal things. Pyjamas. Teeth, story, cuddles. A song. Bouncing. Tickling. More cuddles.... I felt really normal!!! I don't normally do stories :D

And then I got a text from Steve to say he was finally heading back to his room - at 5am!! Good grief, that must've been some party celebrating Chinese New Year!!

Once they were asleep I checked the washing and found Steve's wedding ring in the washing machine!!!!!! He thought he'd taken it off to do his hair the morning he left, and forgotten to put it back on, but I don't think he'd put it back on after doing some grouting the night before - I think it must have been in his jeans pocket! *phew* how relieved and glad am I, I've been thinking all week that it had gone out with the rubbish on Wednesday morning!

But Bear has a temperature :( which explains his clinginess and unsettledness. He's sleeping fitfully on the sofa now where I can keep an eye on him while I tidy up and raid the cupboards for food. Don't really see us getting to church on time in the morning but we'll see....