1.  Skating

2.  Climbing

3.  Running

We went over to the ice rink for Babies and Toddlers’ Skating.  Brilliant.  £2.50 for Son 1 aged 4y 2m.  There was an inflatable snowman, giant balls, big paddles, a big pile of snow with spades and buckets, pushalong toys, sleds and artificial snow falling every 15 minutes or so.  Son 1 skated, propped by a parent, and eventually got up to shuffling around on his kiddie skates alone.  Son 2 aged 14m was towed around on sleds, and spent a great deal of time pushing a Winnie The Pooh aeroplane from one edge to the other, stopping occasionally to push buttons to make Eeyore or Piglet pop up.  Son 1 was in raptures when the snow fell, dancing, laughing, trying to catch it.  And boy, did he want a snowball fight over at the snow pile.  Too many books.  We will go again.  We had to give up after Soon 1 fell over outside the rink and cracked his face on a metal prop.  He then crawled into the cosi toe on the Big Pram because he was so cold.  And we had to carry Son 2.

We went to a cafe for lunch with some Friends we’d met there.  We gave Son 1a hot chocolate to warm him up.  He ate all the marshmallows off the top and left the drink.  He then did his usual screaming circuits.  We were there with Friends with a nearly-three year old, and Son 1 led him down the rocky road to rack and ruin.    There was also a Garden there, and we took the boys round one part.  Son 2 insisted on finger-walking and climbing up stairs, but could not understand why he wasn’t allowed to root around in the borders, rockeries and flowerbeds.  Tantrums, back-arching.  There was a Christmassy Performance Artist in the garden doing a turn for children, and they all enjoyed it.  Son 1 adopted Nursery pose. Sitting cross-legged at the front, hand shooting into the air to volunteer for everything.  We have a fragment of Santa’s coat from last year, and we wrote labels of Things We Are Going To Do For Other People to hang on a white-sprayed tree.  Son 1 is going to Be Kind To Santa.  Son 2 is going to go Straight To Sleep.

This evening I went running.  It was bitterly, bitterly cold.   In the Good Old Days, I ran occasionally at night, but I never remember being this cold.  I was out of the house and straight into a Northerly and I was freeeeeeeeeeeeeezing.  Better on the way back of course, with the wind behind me.  But still really Not What I Am Used To.

1.  Awakening

2.  Shopping

3.  Skating

6am. Son 2 aged 13m wailed; The Man went down; Son 1 aged 4y 1m joined them.  I dozed upstairs.  Son 1 came up.  “Son 2 is saying Ma Ma.  Come down.” “Iwillinaminute,” I mumbled.  The Man switched the light on and off and on and off.     Son 2 is lovely, toddling off to pull books down from the shelf, sitting still(ish) while we read them.  And then he wants our shower.   I get out first, and then ask him to pull out the plug so I can get him out.  Unfortunately he’s now started to pull the plug out in his evening bath as well.  Then he wants his breakfast.  Meanwhile Son 1 is lying upstairs on the big bed, watching CITV forever until we drag him down by his ankles.

Son 1 was incredibly tired today - we all were, but he cramped our style a bit.  The Man wanted to go to The Big Town to get some things for tomorrow’s Business Trip.  We all went, with a vague idea that The Man would be with the boys, we wouldn’t rush and we’d just have a low key family day.  Son 1 found a bike he liked in Halford’s… then asked to go the Early learning Centre, and then got in a strop over us not buying him anything.  We walked back to the car in the hammering rain.  By the time we got to the Big Supermarket, we’d decided only I would do the Big Shop.  The Man drove round to get them to sleep.  Son 1 slept. Son 2 didn’t.

At home Son 1 was keen to go down the street with his skates on.  We dressed him up and off we went.  He can balance on them, he can walk with them.  We didn’t go very far but he had a lot of laughs.  He wanted to knock on our neighbours’ house to show them his rig out.  They were admiring.  Although I think Son 1 was thinking more of Halloween when we Trick or Treated them, and she opened the door wearing orange lipstick in a towering witch’s hat.  Son 2 went down in the cot in minutes tonight.  He’s woken up about three times… but I really do think we’re getting there.