I have a love-hate relationship with being a mother. I love my children more than I ever imagined I could love anything, everything about them is pure and good. Sometimes though, I have to admit, I do not love being the grown up in charge.

This week is half term. Half term has plusses and minuses. Plus, no school run. Minus, no structure. Plus, can spend day in pyjamas. Minus, can spend day in pyjamas covered in the contents of a volcano experiment involving vinegar, bicarb of soda and red food colouring  Plus, quality time with the children. Minus, bored, hyper, children. You get the picture.

Monday, being the first day of half term, I decided that we would all relax at home. Spend some quality time together, do our own thing, go with the flow and embrace the no structure spirit. Which was going brilliantly, until I made them turn off Minecraft.

Then I decided it was time for my daily dose of good Mumness. We’d use one of the science kits that Super Kid got given for his birthday. We’d learn together in a playful way, then I could tick the good mother box for the day and return them safely to Minecraft. We decided to go with the volcano experiment. So we filled the small, brown plastic volcano (and yes Robo Boy it does look a little like a turd) with vinegar and red food dye, and then Super Kid carefully spooned in bicarb of soda. We stood back, waited, and absolutely nothing happened. So obviously because I tend towards act first, think later, I grabbed the volcano turd and shook vigourously. Returning it rather promptly to the table as it sounded fizzy. Then it erupted, violently as high as the ceiling, covering the ceiling with red, fizzy gloop!

So I laughed, as did Robo Boy and Wonder Girl, it seemed like the best thing to do. Super Kid worried about the paintwork. The tray I had placed the experiment on, to avoid getting stuff on the table looking woefully inadequate as it seeped  red fizz all over the table. Then we got to spend some quality, together time cleaning volcano experiment of the table, floor and ceiling.

So anyway, Minecraft is educational, right?