"Balance, peace, and joy are the fruit of a successful life."

Day 22:

This afternoon I lay out on the garden sofa and fell asleep, it was so unlike me but this 'new world' as I keep calling it is changing so much of the lives that we have become accustomed to and seriously knocking us out of our routines. When I woke up an hour later feeling disoriented and sleepy I was greeted by some lovely smelling pictures as Opeie had found his scented crayons and had a little art session. This new world really isn't all that bad so far... yawn!

"I think it is in collaboration that the nature of art is revealed."

I love to see great companies coming together and collaborating on something fun, especially when it is a company That Spurs on many of our outdoor adventures, joining forces with another that makes prepping for these adventures a little more productive. We'd already joined these two on many occasions so it was exciting to receive a scoot into summer package and begin our Bear Snacks  / Micro Scooters scavenger hunt.

We definitely don't need an excuse to get out on the scooters. In fact, some weeks I feel like I've been on wheels more than my feet. Getting out and taking in our surroundings is something we spend a lot of time doing, so having a nature hunt to do along the way was a lot of fun for Opeie. We tried to spread our scavenger hunt over quite a few outings and each scooting adventure was complemented with fruity Bear snacks along the way.

The weather has been amazing over the last few weeks and we've really been making the most of it with the Micro Scooters. sometimes I still can't believe the impact the scooters have had on us as a family and it's this time of year where the scooters get our undivided attention.

The boys were disappointed when we had found everything on the list so we added a few in ourselves and went on another hunt before starting some nature-themed craft. With so much greenery all around us, I feel blessed to have started this family life in Shropshire. It is the perfect place to bring up two adventurous boys and with great companies like this entertaining us along the way, there is no end to the fun that we can have together.

"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit."

Continuing our trip to London last week, me and my mini counterpart had another morning for adventure before jumping on the train and heading home. The Tate is always somewhere we love going, so we made that our next destination. I find the gallery so relaxing and we both love casually walking around taking in all the pieces displayed there.

Its always interesting to hear Opeie's views an what he is seeing, you cant beat the imagination of a child and he picks up on so many things that I don't notice right away. Some of the pieces were a great source of inspiration for him and he informed me of all of his fun arty ideas.

Opeie was drawn in by the colour and simplicity of Piet Mondrian's pieces and he had packed a sketch book and pencils so it gave us a chance to sit down and draw. The Tate is so peaceful even if it is busy and we could have sat there all morning drawing but there was more art to be looked at before we made our way back home.

There was a great exhibition by Simryn Gill, which was a series photos of people from the artists home town in Malaysia, with their faces hidden by tropical fruit. Opeie thought it was very entertaining.

Opeie was desperate to get in on the action, so I found an apple from out of my back pack so that Opeie could join in the fun....

We ended up staying in the gallery all morning and then headed to the train station to get home. It was a great end to another cultural trip to London. We adore London but only in short bursts as it is so busy. Tired but smiling we made our way home to a snowy Shropshire.

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

It was one of those weekends which started with three out of the four of us being ill. I had a raging headache, Mrs M had been peaky all week and Opeie has had a snotty nose and bad cough for the last few days. As always though Seth (the possible carrier of all the lurgy) was fine. We all slobbed around the house for the first few hours of Saturday morning but I was getting a little stir crazy and The boys clearly wanted to get out in the glorious sunshine.

It's one of our many family traditions each year to comb the local area looking for fruits to steal (I mean borrow) and we'd yet to visit a lovely abandoned orchard this year that is only a short drive away. Its a beautiful Orchard with apples, pears and cherries. It also has elderberries, blackberries and hazelnuts in the surrounding area. Sadly a bulk of the fruit seems to go to waste each year so we always fill at least a couple of large bags up to make good use of them.

The boys were really excited about picking the apples but when we got there all the low hanging fruit had perished from bees and other insects. Even sat on my shoulders the sweet looking Rosie red fruit was still out of reach. It was time for the very grown up adults in our apple picking party to show the little ones how it is done. Gracefully Mrs M mounted my shoulders and away we went like an apple picking tornado.

It very quickly became one of those days where me and Mrs M had a great time giggling and acting like big kids while the boys sat and watched, oops.

We ended up with quite a good haul ready for a week of pies and sauces and despite feeling a little groggy the vitamin D did us all the world of good. On the drive home we passed through Ironbridge and stopped off at a fruit and Veg honesty stand on the side of the road. We've picked up eggs from there before but this time a lovely pumpkin and some blackberry jam for Seth came home with us.

It was the perfect unplanned spontaneous day with my three favourite people and the amazing weather really added to the quality family time we spent together. Now to get peeling all those apples.

" Lazy is a very strong word, I like to call it 'selective participation.' "

As much as i would love to waffle on about our weekend, its late, I am tired and i want early night so that we can continue our summer adventures early tomorrow morning. Tonight our usual adventure filled stories will be replaced by photos. Yes i am a lazy boy! enjoy.

"It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses we must plant more trees."

This morning I told Opeie we were going to do a spot of gardening, he looked through the back door at the rain bouncing off the slabs and the grim look on his face said it all.

But today's gardening didn't include getting wet or cold. There was no need for wellies or gloves and no unforeseen weather was going to stop us in our tracks.

Today's gardening was going to be a virtual experience! 

When we were asked to review Gardening Mama: Forest Friends I thought it would be the perfect game for Opeie. Bright fun colours and a game with a sense of purpose. I've been desperately waiting for summer to arrive so we can add a bit of colour to our garden, Gardening Mama gives Opeie the sense of what needs to be done to tend to a pretty garden.

Gardening mama takes you through all the steps you need to have your garden in full bloom in no time, without relying on an equal ration of sunshine and rain. You get to pick the flowers, vegetables or fruit you want to plant in your patch and as you progresses through the game more seeds and bulbs become available to you. Gardening Mama isn't a 'chuck some seeds down - throw some water at it' kind of game. It's up to you to be sure that your plants aren't over watered or picked to early. If your garden is not tended to properly you will lose your crops.

I didn't think this game would interest Seth that much but thinking about it I should have known really, considering how much time he spends playing Tomodachi life while doing his physio, Seth loves a game with purpose and especially one where he can go back and expand with each play.

Gardening Mama Forest Friends isn't just tending to crops though, there are a great selection of fruit, vegetable and flower related mini games and tasks, which on completion help you to advance through the game , unlocking new crops. There are also lots of incoming messages from your animal friends asking you to complete tasks so that you can earn garden points to spend on new seeds and bulbs.

Your garden is fully customisable and there are a variety of accessories you can add to get your garden looking amazing as you progress. Fancy some playground equipment? Maybe a bench to relax on and look at what you've created? There are sculptures, water features and pergolas all at hand as you advance to help you to create your perfect garden.

 Although we are yet to use it you can also receive extras using the spot pass on your console.

I'll be interested to see how the boys interactive garden blossoms over the coming weeks. If interactive gardening isn't your thing be sure to check out Mama's other recent release, 3ds Cooking Mama: Bon Appétit!