Odd Things Happen

That was the cry from my girl on Sunday, Monday evening and this evening. And my answer? "Yes you might do", but in reallity... er... "nope not this time honey". What's this all about? Well her school runs a "stealth tax" every few weeks (a means of getting the parents to pay some additional money into the school) and the current form is the "decorated egg" competition.

She entered last year with high hopes (the hopes of a four-year-old) and well didn't come close. This year she initially thought she'd do that traditional Easter scene of Father Christmas, a snowman and a reindeer!! Luckily(?!) I managed to suggest something else: an aquarium and that's what we (she) have done.

Sunday we (she) painted the eggs, the water and some weed. Monday we (she) cut out all the bits (I helped with the difficult card) and today we (she) glued all the bits together (I helped with the tails and bases for the fishies). And after she'd gone to bed I stuck the whole thing in the airing cupboard to dry out and set.

Now I look at the contraption (aka Aquarium with two gold fish) and think, yes she's done a good job there. No she won't win, but I bet here display had a lot less parental input than whatever wins.

So behold... the "Egg-quarium":

I think we did pretty good and she'll be right proud to take it into school tomorrow morning (just so long as she doesn't drop it!)

Well it's taken the best part of over wa week, but (tempting fate) the 'pox is over. The weekend was "good" and last night was "excelent" in terms of my boy, his spots, his scratching and sleeping. And today he looks we'll just spotty! And last night he slept all night (first time in ages).

For most of last week he was reasonably okay, but lackign humour and a hair trigger away from an unhappy/gripy spat. These usually happened when he was tired and itchie. And to be fair the welts on his lower stomach/hip line were as unpleasant as you could get really. But now they are all receding... and we rejoice.

Part of his problem (and problem for me) last week was his after hours summoning, which is why last night was soooo good. Now his summoning took on a whole mew dimension when he decided that you simply could not sleep with a label attached to your clothes. Or more accurately you could sleep until about midnight and then... that label just had to go. And so I guess about a dozen times through the end of the week and weekend I was summoned to the boy's bedroom, to be told that there was a label and it needed removing!! Once I removed one, but did it badly (difficult in the dark) leaving half attached. Thought I'd get away with it, but no, come half an hour later, "Daddy there's a label..." I tried to argue (difficult with a crotchety three year old) that I was right and he was wrong, but it didn't work - because he was right!

Anyway his clothes are now all devoid of labels and he's just about better. Until the next time.

Mind you it wasn't just me, because he got the childminder to cut out the labels on the clothes he was wearing on Friday as well!

Well it was slightly too good to be true, so my new/cheap iPod arrived (very excited). But alas it's just not quite the iPod I thought it'd be. My photocopied instruction manual written in "pigeon" English which such gems as... "If not play for long time please electicize..."

Nevermind the dodgy software that came on a shop bought CD!

Still it does woek and it has 8G of memory and now has 400 tunes on it, so alls well that ends well... I think.

Oh and I go onto ebay to give feed back and the supplier's been struck off!! (Mental note must check the credit card statement next month)

So we're all quite stressed here. The boy is full of red spots (the 'pox) and is feeling pretty crappy. I get summoned by the childminder to pick him up ASAP because he's just too unhappy.

I get him and the girl home and do the bath routine (lots of sodium bicarbonate for the pox) and he's as good as gold. Since his bath and calomining he didn't scratch once before bed - and went straight to sleep.

My lady comes home about 8:30 looking quite stressed, she's got a lot of work on and tomorrow the kids (for her and work) are a problem. However she's bought loads of calomine and let me go swimming.

I get home about 10:20 and she's still stressed, the boy had been on a summon-mummy routine every ten minutes since I left (not good when you've got to prep for tomorrow). So when the boy shouts again I go to him. He's sore, so more calomine...

This is going okay until I tip half the new bottle over his carpet!!!! Mummy comes upstairs to help and lets just say she's not over the moon about the situation. The boy on the other hand has totally forgotten about his spots and is peering out of bed taking in a very excited manner about the spillage.

It's cleared up now but I bet it leaves a bloomin' stain (sigh). So I'd better do the "night shift" and get back in the good books...

Last night was awful. My little lad's gotten himself the 'pox and whilst he was "happy" yesterday day, last night he was fighting demons! He first woke me at 00:30 with the shout "No daddy I don't want to..." don't know what the dream was about! And then slightly later "Wait for me mummy".

And then every half hour I was in there with the calomine. And this morning he's more spots that a dot-to-dot:{

There's a lot of stuff on a lot of (personal) blogs on this site and others about relationships and one, or other partner, taking the other for granted.

I like to think that I am one of the better ones but I suspect that (like bad drivers) I probably am not as good as I think I am. Anyhow I endevour not to be the male-prat of the family, but sometimes I am pretty ignorant of those I love the most. So today I took time to really appreciate my little girlie.

Following from an earlier post, she had the day off school today because of throwing up "everything" last night. Now this put us in a predicament, because herself had to work so it was either me stay at home or send her to the Grandparents. Most often I'd send her there (and we did when the last snow came on a "work" day). However this time I decided that she was old enough to stay here and be sensible whilst I tried to work.

Working from home isn't a practical problem (have broadband and VPN will travel) and I do work Mondays/Wednesdays at home to do the school run. However I've never worked form home with a sickly child.

So today after the other two had gone, we sat down in the lounge and talked about how we'd cope. She decided that she'd just "veg" in front of the television for most of it. Periodically she came into my study, and when she did she brought a book to read (out loud) and did some drawing - generally kept herself to herself. We talked a bit, and had a few cuddles, but on the whole she knew I needed to work so did the "be seen and not heard" routine really well.

A couple of times I took work breaks and bonded in the lounge with her, and by 5:30 we both went to pick her brother up from the child minders. And when home they both sat at her/their table with supper (just weak ribena for her) and by the end of tele time straight upstairs, a couple of stories and to bed.

Everything, from both of them, was just brilliant. And when picking up the boy from the child minders, she commented on how good my girl was at being just a nice, sweet, and sensible girl at being able to be "left" at home whilst I worked. Now the child minder sees (by definition) a lot of kids, and is not one to show that much favoritism, but she clearly sees my little girl as special.

And today, for once, I wasn't ignorant and appreciated her for what she is: (always) my little girl.

Just bought an 8G iPod nano from e-bay for £3.00 + p&p. Okay so the p&p is £30, but that's still £120 cheaper than Amazon!!!!

Feeling smug, until someone says they're crap!

Well we've not had it for a long time but last night (2:35 to be exact) I was awakend by my girl saying she was being sick (yuk) and boy she was (double/tripple yuk). So I carry her to the bathroom, mum deals with her whilst I attack her (very noxious) bedroom with disinfectent.

So this morning, not only have we got snow but there's a little girl "languishing" on the settee in the lounge whilst I try and "work" in the study.

To be fair she was very good about last night, but looks all washed out and, well, sickly today. So a day of r-and-r seems like the best medicine.

That's what they said we'd have this weekend... well we've had two claps of thunder and a lot of hail stones... and now it's tipping it down with the white stuff... Time for a hot cup of cocoa!

... At least for the kids. My girl was in bed when I got home from work last Friday when I said good night to her, she said she'd hidden Mum's card (made at school) behind the settee, and could I hide it somewhere else. So I snuck it into the study with the boy's card (from playschool).

Then Saturday the girl is dropping hints to Mum good(bad!) style about her supprise - I had to whisper that she should keep it a secret.

Then this morning I think it was six o'clock when I'm woken by the girl beside the bed saying "Shall I get Mummy her card?" Trying to explain to her that Mummy's not at her most possitive at 6:00 am and perhaps she should go back to bed.

Then come 7:30 both the boy and girl are into the study, out with the cards and on to the bed shouting "Happy Mother's Day, Mummy...". The cards were very good and the boy explained what his was all about (in three year old speak).

Then downstairs to make breakfast in bed for Mummy with two excited helpers. The girl carrying up the banana, and the boy a rice/yoghurt pot and me the tea. And that was that.

Oh and the "milkie bar cake" for elevens's... what more could you ask for.

I love my kids dearly, but sometimes you wouldn't know it - especially when it's near bed time (after school/home from child minders). Now my girl who's 5-and-a-half can't really cope with late nights, okay she can but she's horrible near the end of the week... and my little boy well he thinks he's 5-and-a-half already. So on Mondays and Wednesdays (my nights for dealing with them) I am like a man possessed getting them home, bathed, supered and into bed.

Problems I have all come from the TV. Firstly the boy liked watching CBeebies, okay except that they know it finishes at 7:00 and they want another half hour. But now they've moved on, she wants "Scoobie Doo" and/or the "Pink Panther". Now I feel like my parents - because they are crap programs and it does my head in them watching them (but hey I liked them when I was young - but that was different...). The problem with these programs (especially Scoobie) is that the start at 7:00 and can go on most of the evening, so trying to explain that they should go to bed is halfway through is... well... difficult.

However help is at hand on Nick Junior (I think, but I easily loose track). Now I really hate these commercial channels because (a) the programs are generally worse and (b) all the hard-sell plastic-crap adverts. However 6:30 - 7:00 (and early in the morning) is a program called "Wonder Pets".

Wonder Pets is also pretty poor, I guess the message is okay: a Guniea Pig (or as my girl still calls them a giddy-pig), baby duck and terrapin in a primary school class room become "super pets" after home time and "rescue" some animal in distress each episode (today it was a gold fish locked in a pirate's chest!?). And they succeed through team work. The program is part spoken and part operatic/musical singing (the same tunes and words each episode).

However both my kids like this program. So tonight we were late getting home from the child minders (because the boy had lost his Lightn'n Mcqueen and Chick Hicks cars, luckily found hidden in a toy tea-pot, obviously!). And it was bath night. Now we didn't get home until 6:10 but the power of Wonder Pets is strong, so both upstairs and ready for the bath - before it was half full. And both in and washed and out before you could say "bugger me...". And both dressed and downstairs having supper for 6:29!!!

And then it finished and both upstairs, teeth cleaned, books read and asleep by 7:45!!! Unbelievable

Okay, so I am distracted today. I was on the phone to a work colleague when a rather attractive young (younger than me) lady came to the door and posted a "flyer" through the letter box. I finished my call and went to see what it was. And it's a lady offering her services, and of these the one that I thought I'd enjoy was the "Extension soak off". For £10.00 that sounds just like the type of thing I'd enjoy, shame it's a manicure!!!

Today being a school day, and a Wednesday, I am working from home. So far working conditions okay. The weather's excellent and my study's nice and cosy. Working conditions still okay. Pot of coffee is on, making nice smells. Working conditions still okay, especially because there's a nice hot/steamy cup in front of me.

Now the problem. No bread in the house this morning, so before taking the girlie to school I put a loaf on to bake. Now when I go and make my coffee I am assaulted by just cooked bread smells... Working conditions not good... mustn't weaking... just one little slice... no must be strong... Isn't it lunch time yet?!

Working conditions intolerable...

I never cease to be amazed by my little girl and her innocent enthusiasm. What was one of my worse overriding memories of school (and on the whole I loved school) was... spelling. Perhaps it's because I am borderline dyslexic, and back in the "old days" stuff like that was neither talked about, understood or comprehended. But I always remember bringing home lists of words to learn. Oh yes the other thing I really hated was reading aloud to either my teacher or the class...

But back to my girl. We sat at the kitchen table after lunch, she got her book bag out and pulled out her "home work" folder. In it was one A5 piece of paper with her name on it and a list of five words: day, said, going, of and all, and the instructions "Words to spell". And my heart lurched - my poor girl's only five-and-a-half and she's starting on spelling homework!!!

I put a brave face on it and spun a stoy about how exciting it was to get spellings for home work (and how this is/was the tip of the iceberg). And she took it all in her stride, so whilst I washed up she wrote each word out three times and sat awaiting a quick test... first attempt 4 out of 5 (that peskie "ai" got her). After much encouragement I told her that at her parent's evening her teacher had given us a list of 120 words for her to learn by the end of year 2. I also found another list of seven obviously "problem" words.

My girl's response? Let's bring it on, so we (okay she) sat and wrote each of the seven out three times and we did a "test" of not jus those seven, but the other five as well. Result 11.5 out of 12! This time she rubbed out and fixed the "ai".

I was already to call it quits, but her... nope: "Can I read the list please?" and she wouldn't take no for an answer. And of she went, I guess she struggled on may be a dozen words but God how she shot through the rest!

Clearly that's one gene that skipped a generation (at least I hope so).

Last night was truly awful. My little lad got all upset (I think mainly because he was knackered) and woke up all demanding and irrationally tearful (like the three year old he is) a good (bad!) three times last night. And as me and herself had a good session with the wine bottle last night, that last thing I had on my mind was compassion!

To be fair to my boy he was in very good spirits today, considering. But they both went to bed far too late again so who knows what tonight will bring.

Also I'd forgotten just how unpleasant these earlier mornings are. The boy simply thinks he has to get up at something before six, so tomorrow's forcast is tired and crotchety (and that's just me).

My good lady told/warned me this morning, it's been amusing me all day really. My little lad (read the previous post) is growing up and becoming more independent. And this is really manifesting itself in the toilet department. This morning my lady said "He's wanting to wipe his own bum now. And he does - he gets some loo paper, wipes his bum and puts the paper in the toilet." Excellent so far, I think what a good little chap.

But she went on... "You have to watch him though, because once the papers in the toliet, he then 'checks' that his bum's clean with his hand! And then wipes his hand, including poo (because he's only three) on his vest/tee shirt!!" Oh yuk!

So now I am warned, I've got to find a way of working out when he's going to the loo and what he's doing whilst he's there and when to "jump in" and save the situation. But I've got to do all this whilst giving the air of letting him get on with growing up. But as a neighbour said in an old house when the street had sewer problems, "well poo is _everybodies_ problem". And I concur, it seems to be, at least in this house.

A bit lavetorial this...

I'd finished running the kids' bath and my girl had got in. My lad went to the other bathroom, so I ignored him and went about fetching clothes. When I got back into our bedroom I saw him standing on tip toes trying to do a grown up wee!!

Now he's not yet three-and-a-half, and our toilets are not "male friendly" for adults, let alone the little fella! So a quick double take, and a quick sprint to the girl's room where I know there's a foot stool and it's back to help the boy with his predicament!!

Eventually we decide that sitting is/would be better, at least until he's a bit bigger. But hey the boy want's to copy his dad!! So now it's off to B & Q for some male/boy friendly loo seats!!

... because one of the kids at the childminders has just got the 'pox!

Not a problem for my girl, because she got it when she was (gosh...) one-and-a-bit(?) but my boy with his bad scratching/ezchema... now there's a different proposition.

I worry for him, because his back is a mess, his shoulder blades have just about cleared up, but god there were some evil blooded-welts there. So how will he come if/when he gets it? Well it'll be a very long few days me thinks.

Well they've broken a record - 9 straight victories and 9 straight clean sheets. And so the "mighty" Stockport County stay in the Division 2 play off picture. Okay small beer for most, but when you've sat (and paid!) good money to watch the !*"! they've played over the past few seasons this is probably as good as it gets.

So there we were today, and just like the last match against Walsall, we played Swindon off the park. What was really good to see in this little game, other than the victory, was Liam Dickinson's return to "form". Now Dicko is a donkey, we got him about this time last season from (can't remember) some non-league side. He's big, unskillful, cumbersome, and a donkey. But last year he happend to get into the right place at the right time and was one of the reasons why we didn't drop out of the league. Come this season and... oh he's worse than useless, and the crowd's on his back.

To be fair it wasn't/isn't his fault - he's a donkey. But he does wear his heart on his shirt and always tries 110%. But has been bloomin' useless in most of his camio appearances this year.

Then suddenly last time out he came on with ten minutes to go and looked... well awesome (as donkey's go). And today he got twenty minutes and could have been man-of-the-match! He scored an unbelievable goal, was really unlucky not to get two others and was phenominal. And the crowd (fickle-bunch) went wild for him - nice to see.

This morning was good fun in our house (shows what we do I guess). My normal routine is to harrang the kids into (a) getting up, (b) getting downstairs, (c) eating breakfast, (d) getting back up stairs PDQ, and (e) getting washed and dressed. To be fair most of the time they are pretty good at this, but this morning was ssssllloooowwww.

So whilst they ate their breakfast I took herself a brew upstairs and got the tooth brushes out. I happend to see the first Spring spider playing in the path with the kids toys. It was one of those "goin' to be big and hairy ones", must have been quite young from the end of last year (do spiders hibernate?!). Any how I thought this was an ideal chance to get the kids focused on breakfast.

So I went downstairs and said "eat up quick and you can see the big spider in the bath..." Well it kind-of worked, the girl wolfed the rest of breakfast down and was away. The boy said (if a three year old can) "sod it", left his breakfast and went to investigate.

That left me to tidy up and finish my breakfast (having seen the spider I didn't feel the urge to run upstairs!) Anyhow when I did, I was met by the boy "come and see the 'bider daddy" so I did and... oh dear, he wasn't the spider he was when I last saw him. The boy decided that the spider should play with the squirty water toys and... well he's a bit wet and, well really quite dead.

So I do the decent thing and it's down the loo he goes. "Never mind" says the boy, "we can always get another one in the shop..."