Last weekend alone for a while

So it's the homestraight now before Pete comes home and I just can't wait. I'm busy busy busy doing all the things that I've inevitably put off to the last minute but it's slowly getting there. I'm looking less poodle like than I was last weekend and the grey is getting it's cover up tomorrow morning followed by an intense major spring clean and getting the jobs done and out of the way so that the bank holiday weekend can be spent purely enjoying the company of the family....once again complete...if only for a few weeks.

Usually, onboard, the guys tend not to shave until they hit ports and I've never seen Pete with a beard so told him to keep his til he got home just so that me and the girls could have a giggle about it. I really didn't want to see what it looked like before but someone tagged Pete in a photo on facebook, taken when they were alongside in Fujairah. It took me about three minutes to actually realise it was him as I was convinced that someone had tagged the foot in the foreground as him! Even though I recognised the t-shirt, I was convinced it was my friends husband and although I wondered what Paddy was doing wearing Petes t-shirt...I didn't even give the furry monstrosity another thought.......then it hit me! Scary thing is that this photo was taken about four or five weeks ago now so God only knows how long it is now. Emily told him on the phone 'mummy said you'll be all itchy and scratchy when you kiss me' to which Pete replied 'no, i'll be all soft like a giant build a bear!'. Nice answer!

So this week, all is back to school and nursery and the couple of weeks off have seen some major drops in standards that I haven't been too pleased with. The girls rooms are back to being a health and safety issue with either biological breeding (in the case of Freya's room) or trip hazards (in the case of the littlies) so a massive row has now scared the crap out of them! They've also been banned from the playroom until which time they decide to KEEP their rooms tidy (god, i'm such a tyrant).

We went off to the Radford Centre in Plymstock yesterday for another family of Torbay get together. This time we were treated to a performance by Elfic the Juggler, which was great. I'd really recommend him for parties and stuff and his prices are really good too. After the buffet the kids got a chance to do the circus workshop and have a play with the props.

Emilys' face as she skated along with a spinning plate was brilliant...i've never seen her concentrate so hard! Natasha loved the show but was more interested in the bouncy castle when that was up and Freya spent most of the time running between the stilts and food.......food is definately her 'thing'.

The only downside to Pete being home is that the avalanche of family events will stop for a few months but the group are already organising a full event list for when the boat goes back to sea. I've never been one for getting involved in a social way with other naval families, thinking it to be a little clicky and a bit 'everyone wanting to know everyone's business' but it's been lovely to get out and meet a load of new people and be able to provide a bit of support for one another. Plus the kids have had a great time too.

So off I totter to try and get the rest of the house in order, beat Freya to encourage her to finish her homework and prise apart Natasha and Emily who seem to be constantly bickering at the moment......oh the joys of parenthood.