Paddling Pools and Panic Shopping

I can't believe its almost July already.

And just because a) I was always THAT girl in the office and, b) its a little bit funny, I provide you with the following information;

It is exactly 26 weeks to Christmas!

We'll just let that one sit there for a second while I hide behind this scatter cushion.

Anyway, that means I have now been at home, looking after Toots full time for half a year. Its been a hell of a half year. Mostly good, occasionally a handful, sometimes a hair pulling situation.

My own hair obviously, don't even go there.

I know I haven't been around a lot lately but I have been busy elsewhere. I needed to finish a custom order which is finally complete, absolutely gorgeous (if I do say so myself) and sent off in the post. I also had a couple of other surprise projects to finish up and I'll hopefully have them done and ready to go by the end of the weekend.

And I've been spending a lot of time with the family outdoors. The weather here has been fabulous and its set to reach 30C next week so I'll have to prepare myself and everyone else for that. We don't do that kind of heat here, there's something very unnatural about 30C and there not being a plane ride involved.

The Irish melt in that kind of heat.

We've been to Stormont Park, the beach, where Toots fell face first into a huge wave and didn't freak out, and we enjoyed a nice day in Bangor for the husband's birthday.

Well nice until it turned frantic as I had to run off from the Pickie Fun Park into the centre of town to try and find a new outfit for Toots after she assumed I was my usual organised self and had packed her a change of clothes and she belly flopped, shoes and all, into the paddling pool.

Such a pity I wasn't organised that day. And that's why you should always pack a change of clothes for your kid, cause you never know.

And you might want to chuck a clean t shirt in the boot of the car for your husband while you're at it because while you're running like a headless chicken through a packed town with your mobile phone tucked safely out of earshot in your bum pocket, your daughter will climb (saturated) from the paddling pool and give your husband his big drippy birthday hug.