Chocco

Today has been interesting - kind of. Got up, fed kids, jumped in car and we all headed to Surbiton where Ellie and Oscar were going to be in a photoshoot for Thorntons Chocoates. Got there at 10.30 only to be told that the chocolates hadn't arrived and that they hadn't finished building the set. It was frantic in the house and not an ideal environment for two energetic kids so we had to walk around in the pissing rain for 2 hours looking for something to do. Ended up buying Ellie a disco ball thing in Maplins. When we returned, the stylist dressed them up and brushed their hair and sat them at a table with some grown up models pretending to be a family. So far, so good. But then they had to start eating chocolate, and I mean loads of chocolate... really, you should have seen them, there were crates of the stuff and Oscar and Ellie went mental. Then they had a break whilst the crew re-jigged the set and then it was the whole sticky chocolate mayhem madness thing again. Four times they did this. Now you all know what that stuff does to kids and that's where the nightmare began. By 3 o'clock their eyeballs were popping and they were both completely hyperactive, by 5 they were charging around the set, tripping over cables and tripods and throwing things at the photographer, the fake mum got her face scatched, things were getting ugly but then thank god it was time to leave so we did.
About halfway back the adrenalin, sugar and cocoa started to fade and they both conked out. At home the place was still a mess from yesterday and I realised that there wasn't anything much to eat and it all started going pear shaped again.(no batteries for the disco ball thing). Managed to placate them with milk and some fruit and a recording of Thumbelina. Then Angela rang to say she had a load of unwanted food she had bought for a job today and she would pop round with it (she often gives us these Red Cross Parcels...thank you Angela...) Made some penne with a cheese sauce that didn't seem to work but they ate it anyway, then got them to bed. Then a steak sandwich with onions and dijon mustard and fresh rocket with a bottle of beer for me, and finally all is calm. Going to bed now.