Dry messy play on a wet day...

Despite rain, teething and illness misery, Felix still managed to get about an hour's worth of fun out of the kitchen floor, a tub of rice (I used our dyed rice but I'm sure he would have enjoyed plain just as much), a funnel, some empty jars, a measuring spoon and a bath squirty for blowing on the rice and making it move around. Not too much clearing up and loads of enjoyment. Even I had a great time drawing in the rice on the floor (great contrast with the dark slate kitchen floor), and I'm meant to be a grown up - and it feels lovely to stick your hands in the full rice tub...

Free, effortless and curiously compelling "toy"...

One of Felix's (almost 14 months) favourite toys at the moment is some empty plastic herb containers - he adores taking the lids on and off and smelling the herb smell that clings to the jar. He beams at me every time then brings me the jar to smell too. Apparently endless entertainment for literally no money or effort...

Blackboard table

A lovely day today making a blackboard table for Felix to draw on with chalk. I took an unused table (which Nigel made while he was at school which I thought was sweet), and painted it with some bright blue "blackboard" paint from Homebase. It took two coats and one of the legs is a bit flaky and could do with a sand down and repaint when I find time, but overall it looks fab and Felix seems to love it. I think I'm going to get some MDF cut to the same size as the middle panels of our kitchen cupboards and paint them with the leftover paint then fix them in place so he can draw while I cook.

Belated Valentine's lunch...

Slightly more successful penguin lunch...

Somehow more pleased with this one - wish I'd done the egg as a beak instead of a smile, though...

Space Boy Dream

Space theme today. Ham and cheese sandwiches with cheese decorations, plus a boiled egg, jelly in a silicone cup, and some tomatoes, cucumber and grapes.

Penguin lunch!

I was quite pleased with this, even if the penguins on the sandwiches somehow look a bit like little monsters.

This is:

Cream cheese & salami sandwiches, with some cucumber to pretend they're healthy, decorated with little salami & cucumber penguins/monsters and a little panda pick;

Tomatoes, carrots and cucumber for dipping in the taziki and hummus;

And finally some grapes & raspberries set in raspberry jelly for pudding.

I wish I'd made one for me as well!