Liberation Day for Me and the Daughter!

Today started off very well as I had a peaceful hour to wake up properly. It takes me an hour in the morning to feel 'human' lol. Daughter and toddler returned at 10.45 am thereby ending peace - although toddler was asleep on return and for at least 15 minutes after arriving! Daughter started printing all her uni work including the dissertation which she finished off last night at the boyfriend's home. My younger son arrived then for the day, and added some more veg to my stew in the slow cooker, which I prepared late last night for an easy tea today. He loves cooking and has a genuine interest in it. Should have been a chef instead of a salesman lol.

Slow Cooker Stew 

Casserole beef or frying steak
Fresh carrots sliced
Potatoes cut small
1 onion chopped
2 Oxo cubes / stock cubes
Some mixed frozen veg e.g. broccoli, cauli, swede etc.
1 tin vegetable soup
Any leftover veg from today's meal
A few mushrooms if liked
Water approx. 1/2 pint
Optional - Gravy granules to thicken if liked

Put everything except the gravy granules into the slow cooker and turn on for 6 hours. Check if cooked and turn on for a few hours more if needed. Optional - Add gravy granules and stir briskly to thicken if needed. I don't add salt or pepper as we are serving it to the toddler for tea and add this at the table.

Daughter went off to university to hand in all her work and get her dissertation bound before presenting it to the tutor. The toddler stayed with me and was playing quite nicely. She sat with my son and looked through her french talking book. She used to go to french classes once a week, but daughter was behind with her uni work so she hasn't been for a few weeks now. Toddler came to me and said 'Been poo' today and patted her nappy. This is a first, as she has only previously answered yes or no if asked if she has been. She was right, and is now showing awareness which I think is good for 21 months old. After lunch she went for a nap, then daughter returned around 2.30 pm. Son left after tea and daughter went to work as usual.

There was very heavy rain tonight which left the back garden pretty waterlogged. OH held the toddler up to look at the rain, and she was watching all the frogs jumping around the garden. We have a small pond where they breed each year. After the rain stopped the dog went in the garden. My neighbour is looking after a friend's spaniel for a few days. The spaniel barked twice through the high privet hedge, and our puppy was so scared that she jumped the fence and ran down the garden, crashing into the slider's metal frame on the way. She is such a woosy, but all she really heard was the hedge barking at her lol.

We have lots of these!

So today was the first day of freedom for me and my daughter as she has now finished University and has no more work to do. We won't have to look after the toddler as much because she will be out and about with her mum. It will just be 2 evenings and Sundays while she works, and the odd evening when she goes out. Tomorrow I am packing as we are going away in the caravan to North Devon on Wednesday.

All the best x