Gosh, the rain has been a tad intense today.  Pity it couldn't have missed us, like most of the snow did.

There was no pressing need to leave the house, although the children were getting a little hyped up, so I wracked my brain for a messy free, easy to set up activity.... and decided upon aquadraw. 

Instant hit.  Rye had great fun; my boy does love to draw and paint.  I think, given the opportunity he'd probably do it all day.

My little charge enjoyed a little play too before being more interested in using the aqua pen to stir imaginaries in the saucepan on the playkitchen.  I did have to take it off her in the end though, she is at the stage where absolutely everything goes in her mouth.

While she was occupied with the play kitchen I played with Rye.  He kept asking for a picture of Toby....

**cough**  Yes well, have you ever tried to do a portrait on these things?  :P

Once my charge had gone for the day, Rye and me played with the treeblocks some more and the threading beads.  I wandered into the kitchen to potter, but wasn't really in the mood, (there was/is washing up to do lol),  still when I came out Rye had fallen asleep.  Very surpised as he was in bed just after 6pm yesterday and didn't surface until around 8am this morning!

Covered him with a blanket and sneaked upstairs for some surfing time.

The rest of the afternoon has been take up with playing on the bed, watching dvds, snuggling and cuddling and Rye playing with my long t'shirts and saying to me, "Mummee, Mummme, MUMMEEEEE",

"What Ryan????"

"Look at my pretti dress".  Hehehe, his dad would be horrified.

And while I prepared tea, Rye asked for an apple;

He really enjoyed that apple :-)

Which rather nicely leads me onto a decision I made today.

We've been skirting around the edges of vegetarianism for much of this year, simply because I would only eat organic meat, but as finances became tighter and tighter it became far too expensive.  And ok the few dishes I have made recently with organic meat have been lovely - but no more or less than any of the countless veggie dishes I've been cooking.

Living on such a small budget and depending upon the stocks in my cupboards, called for some creative cooking, and well, I keep being assaulted with information on how horrible the farming industry is, the damage some of it does to the environment, and I keep being "presented" with information on the health benefits of being vegetarian, of eating more raw foods, reducing dairy products, all very distinct nudges toward vegetarianism.  Perhaps one day veganism; but one step at a time eh.