Tiddlywinks....

'A' has discovered the game of Tiddlywinks! Much enjoyment has come from pinging little counters round the room and into a pot. He wasn't aware that it was a proper game, he just liked doing it and he is very good at it too!  He is also really getting into board games now, so we have Snakes and Ladders and Ludo winging their way to us hopefully by the weekend.

Yesterday was playschool for the littlies, they had a great day but were round up like springs when they came home - driving me crazy!!

Today was playschool for 'A' and he had a good day asking if he could do some "work", word building  from pictures. 'J', 'H' and I went for a walk in the snowy woods before we arrived upon a poor lady laying at the side of the road who had slipped by the bus stop in W Chilt and smashed her head on the kerb. Lots of blood and luckily another passer by who stopped to help me. Ambulance called, which 'J' liked and they took the lady off to hospital. 

I took the smallest ones to Fishers for lunch and a quick run about in soft play. 'J' asked the waitress what the soup of the day was - vegetable - and was it blue?! It wasn't blue but it was tasty! Off to collect 'A' we went and back home to watch Dumbo beside the fire.

Snowed In....

Well not completely, we could of got out if we needed to!! So Saturday dawned and the snow had stopped falling for a time, Daddy took 'J' down to the office with him to collect a computer as the accounts haven't been done properly :-( such a fun job for the weekend.

'A' and I tidied up both boys rooms and rebuilt a track for 'J's chuggers and put new batteries in everything.
Later in the afternoon we all wrapped up and went out in the snow to help Daddy build a snowman.

This is 'J' and my little snowman 

It was pretty cold out there so after a while we came in to warm up by the fire. 

Sunday started with more snow falling, yet it wasn't quite as cold as the previous day. The boys all spent the day in their pyjamas, which they enjoyed immensely and we tried to stave off 'J's wheezing as it got quite bad over the course of the day. (He is fine now after a good nights sleep)
I took Milo out for a walk on my own which was nice and refreshing, after not going any where the day before. The rest of the day was spent eating roast lamb and treacle sponge and watching many DVDs and the like.

So onto today and its not snowing but its still cold and snowy everywhere  The boys have done loads today amongst eating for england, built lego, play doh, puzzles, hexbugs, duplo etc.

'A's crane he has constructed, with moving crane part.

'J's chugger track that has been extended this morning.

They both constructed a brio track with hedges and trees.

'J' doing his tag reading with Scout.

A safari scene.

We have also been for a walk through the snow, 'H' in the sling and 'J' in the pushchair, 'A' trailing along behind! They have also been winding each other up and me, I find 'J' even more challenging when he feels a bit rubbish as he is constantly whining at me or wanting a cuddle that he cant keep still for. He also only seems to give me demands when I start to do something else, never mind that iv been sitting with him and playing all day. 

On another note, 'H' has started to splash in the bath and he can now wave!! so cute!!

Everything Passes....

From another blog I have come across, a few words that I shall keep with me when tempers are high and fighting is likely just remember 'everything passes'. 

So back to yesterday, we walked Milo and the boys did some sliding around on the frozen puddles before heading down to Nana's  The boys had a play and then we all went out for a happy meal at the new McDonalds down the road. Instead of a toy there was a book on space in the box which was of interest to both boys as they stuck stickers in and read about planets.

Later in the afternoon we went to see my friend in Donald Wilson House, I had told the boys mainly 'A' what to expect, but I think he found it a little concerning seeing her like that, because although she looks the same, shes not. :-(  They did me proud though and were extremely well behaved and did overcome their shyness to talk to her. I think she enjoyed seeing them especially 'H' who laid down with her and had a cuddle! 'A' had said he would like to see her again, but not next week, maybe in a few weeks time. 

Anyway SNOW fell upon us this morning! We did venture out first thing as we didn't get coal yesterday and needed to stock up, also popped into the butchers for some sausages as hot dogs were on the menu for lunch. It wasn't too bad out there, but it did start to come down quite heavily by the time we had got back.

A bit of Monsters Inc before lunch then we all wrapped up and went outside, it was still absolutely freezing, poor 'H' fell asleep with his hat over his eyes.

We learnt about snowflakes today, something that 'A' said he wanted to do, until i had printed off some worksheets, then he proceeded to roll around the table and didn't want to do anything. Interestingly though he retained all the information that I provided so it wasn't all bad, even if it is highly frustrating.

The rest of the day has been about reading stories and watching Peppa Pig and Ben and Holly with a bit of Team Umizoomi thrown in.

'A' teaching 'J' about shapes

New Maths Tools...

Today had a frosty start, and an icy trip to playschool to drop 'A' off. We then took Milo to Monkmead Woods for a change. 'J' recognised the 'No Horses' signs dotted about the place and was fascinated with the waterfalls and frozen stream in parts.

It was very cold, and poor 'J's wellies were not warm enough even with two pairs of socks, so when we stopped off at home to collect our friend and her little person we swapped them for snow boots. Happy feet!
We went into town and had a hot chocolate and got some bits and bobs. 'J' has a lion hat and as always got loads of comments and requests for roars. I think hes a bit bored by it all now as he just looks at them with a 'like I haven't heard that one before' look!!!

'A' did this picture today its inside his body, he got his teacher to label it for him with blood, bones and oxygen. They talked a little about the body after that and were very impressed with his knowledge on the subject. He said he was remembering the videos we watched on You tube of Once Upon a Time....Life and that was what he was drawing. He is still being very helpful, and is taking upon himself to help 'J' in certain tasks, the phrases 'here we go, let me show you, its better to do it like this' are often to be heard coming from him!

A few new maths tools turned up today; an abacus and some geoboards. 'J' keeps calling the abacus his satnav, which is funny but they have been using it for counting, 'A' helping 'J' not miss out numbers as he counts from 1 - 10. The geoboards  kept them busy for ages, they enjoyed making up designs and it is good for motor skills. Again 'A' was showing his brother how best to get the bands on and 'J' made some interesting shapes.

Playschool today...

 Playschool today so 'H' and I went for a lovely cold stroll in the woods with Milo. He fell asleep quite quickly and I was left talking to myself whilst walking up a very steep hill. Oh well.
As there was no one around to get in the way, I sorted out some baby clothes Ebay bundles. Just need to get them onto Ebay now!

'H' rooting around for more porridge!

Boys had a good day at playschool and got gold stars. 'A' did some more maths work concentrating on writing number formations. I'm not sure what 'J' got his for apart from being good - he couldn't remember!

After we got back they wanted to watch 'Cars 2' so they settled down whilst I made them a 'monkey platter'. Basically a platter with all different picky foods on it, like peppers, home made flat breads, apple, cheese, nuggets, home made flapjack etc. I also gave them a cocktail stick to spear it all with. It went down a treat and was demolished!!

'A' is showing some very grown up behaviour at the moment so I hope it lasts. He is being very helpful with 'J' and 'H' and very kind towards them, trying to distract them when they get upset and such. 

Weekend Roundup..

So this weekend we had a visit from Nana and Gramps, a trip out to Sainsburys and our first creme eggs, a freezing cold walk up the track and an 8th birthday party to attend. Daddy was the DJ at the party, he was quite the childrens entertainer with his spot on music and a little bit of his secret magic lights!! Boys enjoyed themselves, it was fancy dress so they got kitted out in their halloween outfits, as 'J' never got to wear his due to a hospital stay.

Count 'J'

Bless their hearts they did try to keep joining in with all the games and such but as they didnt know anyone there other than the birthday girl and only briefly at that, it was quite hard for them.

So onto today and after another freezy walk with a little bit of snow, where the boys discovered a farm machinary graveyard, we trundled off to Fishers Farm.

Not very busy at Fishers, so we had a good seat! We all had a hot chocolate when we arrived and the boys went tearing off to play. As it was soooooo cold outside we had lunch in the restaurant, and then more running around. 'A' made some friends and we did brave it out to see the animals. More playing indoors then we came home to sit by the fire.

'J' has been hard work today with his constant demands and disagreeableness (is that a word??!) and has left me with a headache. Lets hope tomorrow is better :-)

Back to Tatty...

We went back to Tatty Bumpkin today for an adventure through the giggle tree, to play with a starfish. 'A' did really well today as there were some new people and he was showing them all what to do. 'J' on the otherhand 'didn't want to dance...' so mainly rolled around the floor and jumped on me.

We collected a new bookcase for the dining room, so that I can put the word and number learning things out, and 'A' can reach them and do what he wants to do. Hopefully it will work out ok, as long as 'J' doesnt decide to cause chaos!!

 
Playdough came out, all new and the right colours.

A lovely walk as the sun was heading downwards, to let off some steam. They ran most of the way, so it worked! Home to Beef Cobbler and homemade rice pudding - all gone now.

I have been giving them more susbtantial puddings this last week, as they tend to just have a yogurt normally and then are hungry half an hour later. It seems to be working.

Africa...

Didnt get round to yesterdays post, so this is what we did......

Firstly the boys were up really early and wanted to watch 'Africa', they were quite enjoying it especially the lizards running over the lions, until the poor baby elephant died and then 'A' was in floods of tears and didnt want to see any more. We talked about what happened to cause the elephant to die and he seemed better after that.

A trip down to the seaside to play in the park, we were the only ones there. I warmed up with coffee whilst the littlies scoffed down chocolate brownie, even 'H' who puts his hand out and wimpers until he gets some too!!

We then went for a stroll along the seafront to the pier. They love going on the pier and looking through the cracks at the sea, much the amusement of passing people. The sea was quite calm and we could see quite far, they had a game of high speed peekaboo between the centre wind break, and then we headed back to the car.

Once the afternoon was underway we set about clearing all the art and craft stuff from in the cupboard. Amazing how much junk was in there, its now all neat and tidy, and they can see what there is to do.

Texmex wraps and chocolate sponge pudding with choc sauce rounded off the day.

Biscuits...

We went on a little walk this morning before playschool, as we were ready early (!) and the boys were getting a bit over zealous with each other. It calmed them down anyway.

'A' went straight to the letters and started doing some writing practise when we got to playschool. Funny because yesterday it was numbers. They continually praise him and are very impressed that he is willingly showing an interest in doing the things he would be doing were he at school. I have set him some maths challenges for tomorrow and as 'J' wants to go down to Splash Point which is on the seafront, I think we may do some stone counting and collecting whilst we are there.

I am trying to rearrange the learning/creating shelves, making things such as the moveable alphabet, lined paper, word building, counting beads and tracing papers more easily assessable especially to 'A'.

I shall continue to keep the paints in the cupboard however, I don't think I could cope with the devastation 'J' could possibly cause whilst unsupervised!!!

'J' and I had to go to the bank this morning, he enjoyed looking through the letterbox waiting for them to open. We then went into Truffles for a coffee and an iced bun, before heading home where he chased Milo around the house for a while screaming and shouting. He then helped to make some biscuits that the boys could decorate after 'A' got back from playschool.

Little Friends...

Just a quick entry today, boys went back to playschool, and 'H' and I went to see a friend and her new baby, who due to all the illnesses flying around isn't so new anymore! Any how 'H' liked him and batted him a bit, 'N' smiled at 'H' - new best friends!

Little and large!

Boys loved being back at playschool, and had painted some beautiful pictures. 'J' too as I have never had a painting from him done at playschool. There 'Next Steps' have been completed so I can have a read of them tomorrow. 'A' did some simple sums today and his teacher said he definitely;y has a preference towards number work over letters, although he does like word building. We are going to do some more number formation practise as he can get a little confused by which way the number is supposed to face!

That's about it for today, 'J' is going through another screaming tantrum phase, which I do hope doesn't last for too many days, and they all enjoyed  3.5 minute treacle sponge and custard for pudding this evening :-)

Before bed they got their 'Wheres Wally?' books out and we had a quick go at spotting him and his friends. 'J' was quite quick at spotting him in this picture.

Tilgate...

Another meet up today with our friend and her little person at Tilgate Park. Due to the turkey incident 'A' is not keen on going to see the animals, which is ok at the moment because there is lots of renovation works going on and so the animals are a little scarce. Instead we went for a walk around the outside of the nature centre, and we found quite a large tree that had fallen over into the lake.

After having a muddy play in the park, we went into the Smith and Western for lunch. Much enjoyed by the boys!!

 
Thats about it for today, 'J' is throwing a tantrum and 'A' is watching the Grinch, 'H' is sleeping off his lunch.
Tomorrow is back to playschool, and a few hours to myself.

3 Days.....

Firstly I'm sorry that I haven't put any entries up for for a few days, sometimes life just gets in the way!

So if we go back to Friday, we met up with a friend and her little person and went to Southwater Country Park. It was nice to watch the ducks and have a play in the extremely muddy park. 'A' was very brave and went down a huge slide all by himself, quite a few times too! He did have a bit of an incident on the way across the mud though as he lost his welly, but it was all ok once we decided to go and a get a drink and a cake! The cake being a massive piece of chocolate cake as usual!

'A'  decided to make some of the vehicles from his Lego story book. This is the Police Intelligence Unit.

After lunch we had a little trip out to Marks and Spencer, it was ridiculously busy, but we found a space and the boys were really well behaved manoeuvring in and out of sale shoppers!

Saturday dawned with a trip the library and the post office. Lots of comments on my lovely well behaved boys :-) We then went to the cake shop to get a gingerbread man.
Later in the afternoon the boys wanted to go to Toys r us and spend their christmas money. We walked around for ages whilst they tried to decide what they wanted, in the end they decided to put their money together and buy something bigger to share (!!!!)

So a car garage was purchased.

No fighting has occurred, and they are still sharing it!!!

Sunday started with lots of racing cars down ramps and eating of pancakes. 'A' wanted to do some writing by himself and ended up drawing these lovely pictures.

His drawings have evolved so, so much in the last few weeks. 'J' helped make a Jam Roly-Poly, wearing his new apron and hat!

After a late lunch of roast beef and yorkshires with roly-poly and custard for pudding, daddy ventured into the garden and built up a bonfire. Finally the garden is looking less like a rubbish tip!!!

Fun with Friends...

Today we went to Fishers Farm and to meet up with some old friends. Boys had a great time, especially as 'A' had a bigger boy to play with! 'J' managed to get himself lost, but wasnt overly concerned by the fact, and he hadnt gone far, it was apparently Katys fault - as usual!

It was a really nice day as well, no rain!!!!

'J's favourite part was stroking the goats and one nibbling him and playing on the see-saw with 'A'.

'A's favourite part was having Sam there to play with and making up dinosaur games. He also enjoyed being outside.

My favourite part was taking 'J' down the tobbogon run, he hated it and screamed all the way down!!!

Welcome to 2013...

We saw the new year in yesterday with lunch for Nana and Gramps. Quite nice it was too although 'A' and 'J' didnt eat much, 'H' did though he loved it, and they all especially enjoyed the profiteroles we had made for pudding!! 'A' requested them for breakfast this morning.

We went for a walk in the morning through the woods up in the middle of the track. It was lovely to see the green shoots poking their heads through the leafy floor, and it was interesting to come upon a memorial stone nestling in the trees. After enquiring with next door, it seems that a young boy of 15yrs used to come and stay on the farm during the war as an evacuee, sadly he was knocked down by a car in London in 1940 and so his parents put a memorial stone here as he so enjoyed his time at the farm.

After shunning his workbooks for some time now, 'A' was on a mission last night to get some maths done! He did loads and finished off his 1st book with flying colours. His pencil control has greatly improved and his number formation too. He was also able to recognise the amounts of items, without having to count them individually. He started his next book this morning, but got a bit bored of writing the numbers so we finished for another time.

The boys seemed to gain their appetites back again today, which is nice, and will hopefully mean that 'A' starts to sleep a bit better and not be such a grump. Blue bear has started to make an apperance again which is a bit strange. He is currently modelling some of 'H's old clothes.

So today we have been for a muddy walk, had new bolts put on one of our wheels and had a puncture repaired, then the littlies have scoffed down a fish pie and are just watching the Gruffalos Child before bed.