Reasons to be Cheerful XVII ( #R2BC )

So much to be cheerful about this week its hard to know where to start!
1) Daughter's Sleepover
Not only did I survive this but it was a really nice evening. My daughter had invited 2 of the most mature girls in her class so I was very relaxed. We did lots of girlie things together and I even got a decent night's sleep! Wonder when I'll let her repeat the experience...
2) Grown Up Day's Out
Despite horrible weather (sleet, hail and rain!) I had a lovely afternoon at Bowness in Windermere. I'd been advised of a road to park in for free and then my friend and I discovered that the Lakes Christian Centre had a board outside offering:

• free tea & coffee
• free toilets
• free prayers!

As we were in need of somewhere out of the rain we took advantage of the offer and were made very welcome. Afterwards we wandered down to the lake shore but it really wasn't a pleasant place to be:

So time for some browsing through the varied shops before eating lunch at Vinegar Jones' seafood restaurant. Then it got really wet so we hopped from shop to shop before having a final hot drink to defrost. Still a pleasant way to spend a child free afternoon.

3) My son

He may not be being an angel at school but he seems to be soaking up learning. There is a new found enthusiasm for telling us all the letter sounds from the start of objects around us and he is even keen to write his letters. This is what he wrote tonight after school:

4) My daughter

Turning 8 hasn't turned her into a perfect daughter but she does seem to be learning to tone down her tantrums and her attitude (the sticker chart helping here as she doesn't want Nintendo DS being withdrawn!). She has such loving moments and tonight she made me lots of drawings including this one:

5) Work

I had a successful little sale at a baby and toddler group in Lancaster today for my Usborne Books. Lots of enthusiastic mums and grannies buying books. To top it all I got a lovely cuddle with a little baby boy...

6) Birthday Retail Therapy

Thanks to some of the lovely presents I was given last week I was able to get myself a whole new outfit for this new cold weather. So I have a lovely long angora mix tunic from M&S and a new pair of black ankle boots to complete the outfit. That's me smartened up for autumn/winter then!

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