Sunday morning

This is what my Sunday morning looked like.

After a great big mug of tea, I dragged myself out for my run. In case you were wondering, those tasteful trainers are the colour they are because they were half price and the right size and model I usually go for.

A bright sunny morning, and I was chuffed to see no less than six familiar faces smiling at me when I arrived at our meeting spot. (Why is the person who lives closest always last?) I'm back, I thought. This is a good bunch of people to hang out with.

Ouch. I know it's only my second run, and all, but today my legs were like lead. Heart and lungs were fine, but, in a move that knocked my pride, I had to leave the group and drop out of the planned six miles after ten minutes, because the pace was too fast and I knew I wouldn't make the distance. I settled instead for a more realistic target of half an hour running - helped along by my running partner Louise.

Accept it, she said. She was right. There is no point in feeling fed up about not being in the shape you'd like to be in. I know my running fitness will come back, and the lightness return. I just need to stick it out for a month or so and keep plodding.

I return into the house. The littlest girl excitedly comes running to the front door and lets me in. Oops. I should have stretched off before returning home. It is easier to do without small children tugging at your legs because they are pleased to see you. Still, this week, amusingly, the three girls started copying my stretches. A funny sight.

Before leaving, I'd tipped out ingredients for a double batch of Debbie's flapjack. And then added a load of raisins and whole almonds in as an after thought. Readers, if I do say it myself, having tasted the finished results, this tweak of the recipe was a stroke of genius. A whole almond in each bite certainly adds lovely crunch factor as well as gorgeous flavour.

And then, I had barely finished my porridge when it became quite clear the girls were all keen to start sewing (having had to put it on hold for the interruption of school starting back).

Keeping three of them happily occupied with sewing is a challenge, partly due to different abilities, but mainly due to the green eyed monsters that quickly appear and stamp their feet the instant it seems one sister is getting more of a look in than the others.

Still, we got there, and today, everyone seemed pretty happy with the different tasks they'd been given. What worked this morning, was giving the littlest girl first go on the sewing machine (sitting on my lap). We made a very simple cushion together whilst the other two were distracted doing something else in another room. Whilst she was proudly placing her creation into the baby's cot (I'll show you a picture another time), she got distracted and wandered off, leaving me to focus on the bigger two.

The biggest girl has started making a blanket for her dolly.

And the middle girl? Well, she finished her shorts!

"I am so proud, Mummy!" was all she kept saying, as she grinned and danced about in her shorts. (She quickly realised this was annoying her big sister, and so kept on doing it a bit longer than she would have done had it been just me in the room.)

It took about three sittings in total to make these - today being the last one. Rachael wanted to add pockets. Not content to keep things simple. She even got Grandma in on the act, helping her when she came for a visit.

I was quite surprised at how quickly she managed to pick up basic machine skills. The lines on the pockets are straight enough, and, provided she is in the mood, she can now operate the machine pretty competently without me.

Her recent school report said `she has a very determined nature, and this will either help of hinder her... and a real flair for creative activities'.

Too right. This week has seen both sides of that determined nature. The shorts are a much nicer outcome than the determined nature that reared its head on our trip to buy school shoes. And also the changing rooms after swimming lessons. Did she care about her lost Happy Meal or missing out on Saturday sweets for the second week in a row? If she did, she didn't show it.

She is both fabulous and frustrating, the middle girl.

And the shorts were of course worn when we went out and met friends for lunch. In fact, she has gone to bed wearing them.

Persuading her to wear school uniform in the morning could be interesting.