Story Lab

Monday 13th August

A reading kind of day, in which we made a cosy nook and grabbed a book at the Family Centre and visited the library. Reading is never far from us day to day but some days there seems to be a whole lot more of it than other days. Today we read and read and read some more.

We spent some time this morning at a craft session. It was very well done and Bean even put his hands in multiple amounts of clay. He also painted two pictures of camp, one by day and the other by night. Pumpkin painted 'nighting time' which is a black piece of A4 paper.

The last week or so the boys have become very energetic (read: hyper) around late afternoon and pre-sleep. Finding it difficult to manage and am in search of ideas or council. Suggestions welcome.

In whom I will trust

Sunday August 12th

Psalm 18: 1-2

We live in a modern age of deliveries. It must happen more than I notice! Bean and Pumpkin set up a delivery service this morning. It began quite simply delivering an object to mummy or daddy and then driving off, one giving instructions and the other stating where they were going. It progressed to include a cardboard handheld machine which I had to sign and Bean asking where I would like him to put the parcel! 

We took the dog out for a walk in the woods this afternoon. Rode our bikes, climbed a few tree stumps and mud hills, fell off our bikes, got our bikes stuck in the mud.
The walk ends at a play area where we played cafes for about 15 minutes. Bean rode the zip wire and Pumpkin braved the wobbly bridge.

Plum enjoying being on her tummy (new found fun)

The completed Darth Vader mask with light saber. I invested in a craft knife earlier this week as some of the cardboard we try to cut with scissors is just plain impossible. The craft knife got its second outing today. Bean really has little idea of the Stars Wars movies and seems to be picking up bits of information about it from cousin J and copying other children's play based around it or involving the characters. I wonder what he'll think of it when he finally sees it?

And, of course, we went to church this morning, where I talked endlessly about Criccieth Adventure Camp and showed a bundle of pictures. Only 7 days to go before we go camping to the best Wet Welsh Field there is :)

Little Jack Horner

Saturday August 11th

Our second weekend in a row with nothing planned. I only mention it because it is such a rare thing...for it to happen two weeks in a row is miraculous. 

Daddy went out for a ride on the bikes with both boys, then had to ring me to come and collect Pumpkin. After getting up at a record breaking 5.30am he had worn himself out and was not prepared to ride home. He dutifully fell asleep on the sofa for an hour after lunch.

Pumpkin spotted some plums in the fruit bowl the other day and declared he wanted to make a plum tart so today we got to it! We made sweet pastry and then rolled it out and filled it with plums and an apple and some sugar, glazed it and baked it. Hey Presto!

I also had a go at making a new recipe for cereal bars (not quite as successful) but it meant that I had two egg whites to use and Bean had been asking how to make meringues so just before he went to bed we whisked them up, added the required sugar and popped them in the oven for the night. 

Turn off that TV set

Thursday 9th August

After a chocolate and apple pancake breakfast we headed of on a 45 minute bike ride to visit friends. I'm really enjoying the new freedom that having both boys on bikes in bringing as this would normally have been a car journey away. We played in their garden and cooled down in the front room mostly playing with electronic noisy toys! Shared lunch together and journeyed home.

This is what our afternoons predominantly look like especially on hot days, days when we got up early and every other day in between! Lazing around on the sofa, watching iplayer. Sometimes Pumpkin will nap on the sofa too. They enjoy watching cbeebies - Abney and Teal, Everything's Rosie, Postman Pat, Small Potatoes, Charlie and Lola, Timmy Time and I'm sure a few more that I've forgotten. More and more so we are seeing things that they have read or watched appear in their games.

The train track came out today which is the first time in over a week (very unusual)

Pumpkin has had these toys for several days set up on the picnic table and has his own little game which he dips in and out of throughout the day.

Bean requested lots of help today putting together definite ideas that he had. This included tying a tea towel to a pole to make a sail and digging out an old pair of goggles from the back of the cupboard so that he could play motorbikes.

Living in a cardboard box

Friday August 10th

Pumpkin spent about half an hour curled up in this large box this morning, not doing anything else, just in the box with the lid shut.

Our puppet craftyness continued with the theatre boxes coming out again, this time for some exterior decoration.

Plum chilled out in a summer dress.

Bean and Pumpkin devised yet another complicated game consisting mainly of different ways of winning a medal.

That's the way to do it!

Wednesday 8th August

Inspired by our recent puppet making interest I took the children to Worthing Museum to see their Punch and Judy exhibition. I was not disappointed  by their enthusiasm! They loved looking at the different collections of Punch and Judy puppets and Bean asked me to read to him the information about the development of Punch and the different Punch's in different countries. The boys both had a turn at giving a puppet show although Pumpkin seemed a little scared when it was his turn to be the audience.

Doris and Marg

Warrior

We took a look around the rest of the museum. Pumpkin was fascinated by the bones of a saxon women and the articles she was buried with. Bean wanted to know where her skin was. It turned into quite the conversation about death and dying and decay, a conversation I know some people avoid with their children but we're taking the approach that death is part of life and if we can talk about it now in the abstract then this will help when it becomes a more personal experience and it happens to someone closer to home (than a Saxon woman!) Of course, talking about the process doesn't address the emotion of it.

The boys were very taken with the sculptures made from parts especially as they could identify some of the metal objects.

Our outing was topped and tailed with incorporating the sleeping bags into the 'daddy and brother' game and then being cowboys sleeping in the wilds. More sticking adventures have been had by Bean and several braclets made for each family member. 

Jolly Snow

Monday 6th August

Mummy when Plum has come out of her tummy by Pumpkin

I can't believe I only have one photo from today!

We had an early start this morning, both boys up and Plum before 6.30 (Plum woke at 6.00 but fed in bed before we got up.) Bean asked for a show box to make a puppet theatre with and some sticks to put puppets on. Before 8.30am we had two reasonable theatres and a selection of puppets. Both boys want to decorate them some more but have enjoyed using them already.

We met friends at a play park this morning and Bean was struggling to hold it together. So much so that he said he didn't want to go to gymnastics because he was too tired (said whilst displaying being too tired!) I couldn't quite believe it as he loves gymnastics so much but even after I explained that it was at a certain time and if we didn't go now then there would be no gymnastics he choose not to go. I was expecting some fall out later when he realised he had missed it but it didn't happen.

Instead we returned home after eating our lunch at the park and had some more food. Later we took the dog out for a walk.

Pumpkin has taken to doing bubble experiments in the bathroom (not convenient!)  It involves a lot of toiletries being poured into the sink and the overflow being in use. It has taken me the whole weekend to realise that I need to provide a place and supplies for him to do this some where more acceptable. He got the inspiration from a story book we read on Friday - Jolly Snow

Go with the flow

A continued favourite at the play park

Riding our bikes, making life a lot quicker!

Wednesday 1st August

We stayed at home today other than a walk to the local park in the afternoon. The boys played happily all morning and watched some iplayer in the afternoon. More and more so now the boys are making up games which they play repeatedly or at least are using and being the same characters repeatedly. Each game seems to have it's own title, 'daddy and boy,' 'brothers,' 'cowboys,' 'magic game,' to name a few. Sometimes they will play one game for hours and sometimes they intertwine. 

The one thing I do know, when they are in full flow then I don't get a look in. It's almost like they are miles away in their own little world. Wonderful to watch but annoying when you need to talk to them!

cloudy with a chance of meatballs

Tuesday 7th August

Out walking the newest member of our household (only for a few days) The boys are really enjoying walking her and feeding her, they are a bit nervous of walking past her in the house especially when she is in doorways. But mostly she spends her time sleeping/ resting so it's hard to notice she's even with us most of the time.

The hour long dog walk was followed by a bike ride into town, a visit to the bank, camping shop (spontaneous sale buy of sleeping bag and roll mat for Pumpkin,) and buying wooden spoons to make puppets with (Bean's idea.) The boys have both used the spoons to make their own puppets this afternoon and I am enjoying watching them use the craft space we have made in the house. 

Our road is closed for two days so that it can be resurfaced and a zebra crossing put in between the opposing schools. It is a small boys heaven. The number of different machines travelling up and down our road, all shapes and sizes, it really is quite fascinating. We got caught in a rain shower on the way home but this didn't stop the boys from wanting to stop and watch the work going on.

There was a lot of watching iplayer this afternoon and Bean was looking particularly gaunt, our mornings run around had certainly worn them out. 

Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner was enjoyed by all, one of the most fun aspects of baby led weaning has to spaghetti!

It's all about you

Thursday 2nd August

Today Bean went with daddy to Nana and Granddad's. 

Pumpkin stayed at home with me and Plum. He built three or four vehicles with the lego and insisted on having the farm set up even though he knew he wasn't going to play with it. 

He also helped unpack the food delivery which mostly consisted of him pulling items out of bags and stating, 'we haven't got any of this!' Until he got to the egg box which he wanted to count and in the process of taking the lid of dropped the eggs, not the box, onto the floor. This took about 2 seconds. So, we counted them as we picked them up, yes, all nine were broken :(

Fortunately we still had a few left from the previous week as Pumpkin wanted to make a chocolate cake for Bean. This was excellent timing as I am having a chocolate party tonight yum yum.