More than the Summer of Fun, this should have been dubbed the Summer of Frantic. Because that’s how the last couple of weeks have been for me—having a baby and three boys aged three to five under the same roof kind of does that to you, even when there are two more adults to share the work with. Throw into the mix a hefty dose of homeschooling (in preparation for ‘grown-up’ school starting in September), a new gig (I have started writing about property and travel for Italymag.co.uk, whey-hey!) and Niccolo’s birthday party (with another bunch of preschool boys all slaying a dragon with inflatable swords) and I am actually surprised I am still alive.

Birthday boy


On the obstacle course (aka knights’ training camp) part 1


On the obstacle course part 2


Slaying the enemy

I am also surprised Caterina is still alive. Brotherly love (and cousinly love) can be a bit destructive when the givers are young, boisterous boys and the receiver is a helpless baby girl—hugs tend to resembles wrestling moves.

Caterina: surviving against all odds

Despite having had to grow eyes at the back of my head though, I have been more crafty over the last few weeks than  the previous months put together—except that I was engaged in rather different activities than my usual vintage-infused collages. Instead, I put together cardboard swords and daggers (times three, at least twice a day), toilet-roll rockets and even a dragon pinata (made of tissue paper so it could be broken with the inflatable swords and shower my little knights with sweets and small presents). When I was not running around fetching water (for watercolour painting), collecting broken pieces of crayon (for wax resist painting) and admiring the production of “a Ferrari submarine underwater” (by both my son and my nephew—however did they come up with that?).

The infamous dragon pinata






Crafty kids

But I had oodles of fun, and am happy to announce that I have discovered one craft that, above all others, will keep the kids engaged for at least 15 minutes, and smug for at least a week—draw your own t-shirt. I gave them fabric markers and three cheapo vests and they came up with their own (somewhat colourful) designs. Then I set them with the iron, and they have been proudly wearing their creations ever since.