Life is Nice...

**Updated below...

But busy, very busy. With MF's nursery shut down for a second week, no playgroups during the week, save Fridays, and a husband who worked late every single evening last week as well as yesterday, a bank holiday, I've barely had time to sit down with my computer for recreational purposes. When I have had the odd minute or two, they've been used to peruse the new house listings. Sadly, the only listings we've been somewhat interested in so far are 'gone' by the time I get a chance to ring the agents, including the three I just called on. Typical.

But, in spite of the long weekdays, we actually had a really nice weekend in the middle. We went wild bramble picking (blackberries) in the local cemetary several times over the weekend, and once in a nearby village, and now have about 8 pounds of frozen berries in the freezer to show for it, as well as 1 frequently purple two year old. On Saturday afternoon, we took the boys to the cool giant playground MF loves because it has lots of great climbing equipment and a giant wading pool. Baby Boo was gracious enough to nap most of the afternoon while we followed his excited brother around for a couple of hours. On Sunday, MF went swimming with G and then we all spent a lovely, mellow day together. And Monday, I started to shift things around the house to make more space, as it looks like we're going to be here for a while.

Oh, and I've bitten the bullet and started Baby Boo on solids this weekend, too. (We started MF at 4 1/2 months, believe it or not, because he was extraordinarily interested in what we were eating at the time.) I put it off for as long as I could --save for the nectarine/peach sucking and banana licking-- because, well, once you go down that road you can't go back, and it can be such a time consuming activity. Time consuming because G and I plan to cook, smoosh and freeze the bulk of Baby Boo's diet for his first year, just as we did with MF. And then there's the frequent meal preparation and spooning it in, which wouldn't be a a big deal time-wise on its own, but we do have a toddler who also requires food and attention at meal time.

Oh, and there's also the learning curve. I've already discovered that Baby Boo is a much messier eater than his brother was at this stage. Verrrry messy. Probably on account of all that wriggling and giggling due to the excitement of sitting at the table with his very own food in front of him and his brother egging him on from the other end. But, hopefully, sitting in his new high chair and throwing spoons on the floor will soon lose its novelty and he'll settle down and focus on the actual inhalation of food.

I know. Fat chance.

But, I have to admit, it is nice to have both my little boys sitting at the table in their own seats giggling and laughing at each other. It's what I've always pictured. And there are no words for the feelings I have when I see how beautifully MF treats Baby Boo. He is such a wonderful, wonderful big brother. And Baby Boo adores him.

So, as I said, life is nice. Nice in spite of the recent housing setback and G's busy work schedule. So I had to smile when I discovered that both Painted Maypole and Lady M recently bestowed the Nice Matters Award on me, because 'nice' does matter. Quite a bit, in fact. And I'm not just talking about life going well for yourself and being contented about it. No, I'm talking about taking the extra minute or two during stressful, hair-pulling moments to be nice to someone, even when you don't want to be. Or giving the extra minute or two in attention that will make all the difference in the world to your wee one, even though you have a million and one things you're trying to get done.

And, to be honest, I'll admit that I wasn't especially 'nice' when I was younger. Chips, shoulders and all that. But when I left home for University, I did make a conscious decision to leave all that behind me and, well, be nice. And I'd like to think that I have become a nice person, save for those snarky moments we all have now and then, and I sincerely hope to raise my boys into nice young men.

So thank you Painted Maypole and Lady M. It was --yes, I'm going to say it-- incredibly nice of you to think of me, and I really appreciate it.

Now I'm going to pass this button on to three nice people in three different parts of the world: Chennette, one of the nicest people I've ever known, and writer of one of the best food/travel blogs around; CandyGirlFlies because she seems so darn nice, as well as a lot of fun; and Stomper Girl, whose blog entries about her lovely boys always makes me smile, and whose birthday bash I wish I could have been at, seeing as I'm going to be facing my own milestone birthday later this year. So I hope my chosen trio will pop the Nice Matters Award into their sidebars and spread the glory around a bit..

Hopefully, once things get back to normal around here in terms of nursery, playgroups and time to breathe, I'll get back round to visiting the blog'overse. And, in all seriousness, that's probably still a few days away.... so until then, I hope nobody forgets me!

:-)

August 31st Update: I would also like to send out a big bloggie thank you to the lovely ffbgirl at My Life who I discovered, in my starting-to-catch-up-on-my-blog-reading-binge last night, also bestowed upon my a Nice Matters Award. It was extremely thoughtful of her, especially seeing as she has so much going on in her own life at the moment. So if you have a few, please drop by her place and say 'hi'.