It has been a week of firsts for Ben.

He came back from school on Thursday with a little packet for the tooth fairy, containing one of his lower front teeth! The tooth in question had been wobbly for a while, so Ben knew all about the likely arrival of the tooth fairy.

Hubby and I discussed how much we should leave under the pillow, remembering that whatever we decided would set a precedent for the remaining teeth! We settled on a pound, which Ben seemed more than happy with when he excitedly came into our bed at 3am to let us know about his gift under the pillow. Needless to say, I’m keeping the tooth safe with all of my other Ben memorabilia.

On Monday Ben went to his first Judo class. He has been on the waiting list for a few months, so he was desperate to finally go along. We had to buy him a white belt and Judo kit. He looks great in it, and we have struggled to get him to take it off all week!

After just one class he has decided that it is his favourite sport, even better than gym club! He was quick to show me what he had learnt by holding me down on the lounge floor and letting me know the order of the belts – and that it was his intention to become a Judo instructor! He was even awarded a trophy for his efforts in the class.

In the last of a line of firsts, this weekend Ben finally managed to conquer riding his bike without stabilisers! He needs a lot of encouragement and bribery to stick at some things, this being a prime example. He can be quite impatient, wanting to just be able to ‘do’ something, but not being prepared to put the time in, or to listen to the instructions he is being given.

After an hour of patient coaching he was riding around the park with confidence. It really was a lovely moment – Ben couldn’t have been happier and we were so excited for him. However he is fast growing out of his current bike, so it looks like we’ll have to get him a new one. The plan is that, with Molly in a seat on the back of Dad’s bike, we can all go out cycling together. As soon as the weather gets better that is…

Ben and his new gap:

Ben showing off his trophy:  

We went to bed on Sunday night in the knowledge that snow was expected for the morning, and sure enough we woke to a blanket of snow. It was eerily quiet, which meant that not many people were making the attempt to get their cars out of the estate. A call at 7.30am from Molly’s nursery told us that due to staff being unable to make the journey in, they were shutting for the day. Not long after this the Bucks website informed us that Ben’s school was also shut for the day.

Ben was so excited and it reminded me of when this happened to me as a kid. However, unlike many local kids, he did not seem that desperate to get out in the snow (not without a pair of skis anyway!) He just wanted a day at home with his new Build a Bear!

As working parents, who have the ability to work from home, it was a tough day. With Blackberrys, mobiles and laptops there is never an excuse to be out of touch. However, trying to achieve any work, while keeping an eye on an 18 month and five year old is another matter. We took it in turns to work in the morning, before giving in to the need to put on snow gear and go outside to make snowmen and throw snowballs!

Ben loves the snow and was soon sliding and skidding around. Molly was a little unsure of it though, which made us realise that before our next skiing trip we need to get her some boots and waterproof gloves!

As day two of nursery and school closures dawned the fun was beginning to wear thin! With most of my colleagues in work it felt very difficult to have to remain at home whilst trying to get some work done. I felt I did not give either work or childcare 100 per cent of my attention and I found the day very stressful. I felt very envious of those who had to stay at home, but could totally switch off from work at the same time.

Let’s hope that the bad weather is over for another year!

Ben and his Build A Bear:  

Molly getting ready to go out:  

Ben having fun in the snow:

It is very rare that we are not together as a family at the weekends, but last weekend hubby went to spend time with his parents because Grandad was having an operation and needed some help and support.

This left me alone with the kids for the whole weekend. As the weekdays are so busy, I really relish my weekends with the family and I saw this as a great opportunity to have some one-on-one time with both the kids.

We spent the morning in a new local play centre (set up by a local mum who saw a need for a better indoor play area – I wish I had thought of it!) It was ideal as it meant that both Molly and Ben could run around, play with toys, draw pictures, and do lots more, all in a controlled area. It is not always easy to keep your eyes on both at once!

While Molly slept in the afternoon, Ben and I started on a ‘make and paint your own fire engine’. It was made of wood and needed gluing together, before painting and adding stickers to it. It took us about four hours in all, but some of that time was spent keeping Molly away from the glue and the paints! Ben loves art projects, or anything that gives him full attention from Mum or Dad. It made me wish that I had more time in the week to do these sorts of activities with him.

In the evening after getting Molly to sleep, Ben and I snuggled up on the sofa with some popcorn and a film. It was lovely and Ben enjoyed being allowed to stay up late!

On Sunday the kids couldn’t wait to see Dad. Ben wanted to show off his handmade fire engine and tell him about the film we watched, whilst Molly was all smiles for her ‘dadda’.

It is hard having to cope with the responsibilities or parenting all on your own. Because you only have one pair of hands, certain things have to wait (for example, the kitchen floor was not as clean as it might have been if hubby was home!). As much as you want to be able to sit and play all day, you also have to prepare meals, and make sure all of the other chores are done. Added to this, you are responsible for making all the decisions and solving all the issues!

I think the weekend was good for all of us, but as much as I loved spending time alone with the kids, it made me realise, more than ever, how much I appreciate the team that exists between hubby and I. I think we all prefer it being the four of us!

Both Molly and I have been full of flu for the last week. Despite a relaxing Christmas we couldn’t avoid picking up the bugs that have been going around.

Flu for an 18 month old is not pleasant. Her symptoms matched mine but usually followed about 24 hours later. First came the shivers and then the hot sweats and finally a blocked nose. Unfortunately, because I had to keep working, Molly had to go to nursery. She was a star, she loves nursery and got through the long days by sleeping a little longer and being a little more cuddly than normal.

Night times were much worse. A constantly runny nose that she was not able to blow made it hard for her to sleep. We often have to do a bit of controlled crying with Molly in the evenings before she will go to sleep. With the flu her crying made her sick. I think we had three complete cot bedding changes this week!

The flu has also meant that Molly has struggled to sleep through the night. I must admit that lack of sleep has always been the hardest thing for me as a Mum – I need eight hours of uninterrupted sleep a night – so being woken up by Molly, and feeling ill, has been really tough. Stripping bedding in the night or sharing your bed with a wriggly baby does not leave you feeling your best at 7am in the morning as you head off to work!

Let’s just hope the men in my life do not catch it next – if they do, I am not sure it would be business as normal as it was with Molly and me!

I am writing this in January, looking back on what was a lovely Christmas and New Year. We were all healthy, very relaxed and spent quality time with the whole family.

In the run up to Christmas both Nativities were a great success. Ben has grown so much in confidence that this year he was happy to stand up on the stage and look at the audience and not his feet! Molly’s nursery did their version of the ‘Bossy King’. It was lovely and very cute. I am always amazed at the confidence that some under-4s have.

With two weeks off work I was able to take Ben to the local Pantomime and we went into London to see Treasure Island. We also did plenty of cooking together – cookies for Santa and a chocolate log for everyone to enjoy. As I rarely seem to have any one-on-one time with him it was very special. As a family we went on lots of winter walks and even spent a day on the beach, during a visit to the Grandparents.

Christmas Day itself started at 8am – much more reasonable than some years – when we opened presents from Santa and family gifts. I concluded that I could have got away with spending just £19 on the pair of them, as Molly’s favourite gift was a £4 pink toy pushchair and Ben’s was his £15 High School Musical basketball kit!

Family and friends were as generous as ever with gifts. Yet again this year we could rely on Aunty Venetia to give ‘noisy’ gifts. A recorder for Ben and a microphone for Molly were among the offending presents!!

Ben had so many High School Musical gifts that he threw his own High School party between Christmas and New Year. He was keen to see his friends again for an afternoon and make pizza and play games.

We held a party on New Year’s Day, which resulted in a very loud, full house, but was lots of fun! Afterwards, with Aunties wanted to spend some time with their niece and nephew, hubby and I were able to spend a night in a hotel to get some peace and quiet before returning to work.

My New Year’s resolutions are to leave work on time (I failed this on the first day back in the office), save money (the boiler and car needed repairing this week so I will have to save next month) and to find more time to be with the family!

Ben and his homemade cookies:  

Molly in her Christmas dress:  

Molly and her £4 pushchair:  

Ben with our chocolate log:  

Molly and cousin Harry on Boxing Day:  

Opening gifts with Grandma:  

Ben and his two mates with their basketball kits: