There was a time when getting caught in the rain would have resulted in a lot of angst and tears and big emotions. Today ot was an adventure. We walked to the library in sunshine, pumpkin, 8, completed the Summer Reading Challenge for the first time, all the children choose a large number of books (considering i had to carry them) and then we made our way home in the pouring rain. Pumpkin asked bean, 10, to ride his bike because he was worried about slipping. We all got drenched. We all had a change of clothes, hot chocolate and marshmallows when we arrived home. No trauma. No tears.
Back home pumpkin put on the Angry Birds followed by bean putting on WallE and everyone ate a hearty dinner. Pippin, 2, came and said she was hungry and asked for broccoli and ham so we cut up some broccoli together and boiled in, put ham on a plate, and she was happy with her meal.
Pippin and plum topped and tailed our trip out with dolly play, doll's house play and role playing mummy's. It was effectively the same narrative but in different forms and places in the house.
Our Tribe
Thursday, 14 September 2017
Up and down
Tuesday we managed to get up and out to make it to Guildford Air Hop where bean, 10, pumpkin, 8, and plum, 5, bounced for an hour. Pippin had to sit and watch, we did well with stories and sticker books and videoing plum but there were also some moments of sad because she couldn't go on...it'll be another two years before she is eligible for bouncing with the HE crowd!
Bean and pumpkin spent a lot of their time playing in the dodgeball court and plum bounced with her friend V and his mummy. She also enjoyed the pit.
Back home they were all shattered and spent more time in the den that bean created yesterday, more games on the pc, we said goodbye to Zuko, the crested geeko that we have been pet sitting and played chess with pumpkin and then plum for a few hours in the evening.
Bean requested biscuit making so he could use the cutters. We found a suitable recipe and he set about reading it and making the biscuits himself. I worked alongside hom baking my own batch of breakfast biscuits and being on hand for words he couldn't quite read and instructions and techniques he needed help with but i felt significantly more redundant than any previous biscuit baking afternoon.
Pippin nd plum both bathed and i sat on my bed with bean, plum and pumpkin and read stories all curled up together. Bean and plum read Each Peach Pear Plum together, it was beautiful and made my heart happy.
Bean and pumpkin spent a lot of their time playing in the dodgeball court and plum bounced with her friend V and his mummy. She also enjoyed the pit.
Back home they were all shattered and spent more time in the den that bean created yesterday, more games on the pc, we said goodbye to Zuko, the crested geeko that we have been pet sitting and played chess with pumpkin and then plum for a few hours in the evening.
Bean requested biscuit making so he could use the cutters. We found a suitable recipe and he set about reading it and making the biscuits himself. I worked alongside hom baking my own batch of breakfast biscuits and being on hand for words he couldn't quite read and instructions and techniques he needed help with but i felt significantly more redundant than any previous biscuit baking afternoon.
Pippin nd plum both bathed and i sat on my bed with bean, plum and pumpkin and read stories all curled up together. Bean and plum read Each Peach Pear Plum together, it was beautiful and made my heart happy.
Change of plan
Monday we had planned to go to fisher's Farm for the afternoon, however everyone was relaxed and cosy at home after a busy weekend. I had thought we might need the space and the stretch but as the day went on it became evident that everyone was happy doing their thing and there wasn't a need to interupt it with a trip out. I asked all the smalls individually if they were happy staying home today and they all said yes.
So, it turned out to be an At Home Day in pyjamas. Bean, 10, made a mega den in the living room from dinning chairs and a coffee table and sheets and blankets. The lower level was for himself and pumpkin, 8, and the upper level for plum, 5, and pippin, 2, with a balcony to sit on and watch tv. We played minecraft and pippin and bean had baths. Bean and pumpkin and plum took it in turns to play games on the pc and it turned out to be a quiet day.
So, it turned out to be an At Home Day in pyjamas. Bean, 10, made a mega den in the living room from dinning chairs and a coffee table and sheets and blankets. The lower level was for himself and pumpkin, 8, and the upper level for plum, 5, and pippin, 2, with a balcony to sit on and watch tv. We played minecraft and pippin and bean had baths. Bean and pumpkin and plum took it in turns to play games on the pc and it turned out to be a quiet day.
Monday, 11 September 2017
Weekend Round Up
Friday. We had a playdate at one of the boy's friend's house, O, they played nerf wars mostly. Plum, 5, and Pippin, 2, played with musical instruments including a thumb piano, and some ukuleles. Daddy was out for the evening, bean, 10, and pumpkin, 8, played in the dark in the garden and picked the pears fromPumpkin's pear tree.
Saturday was manic. Bean and Pumpkin and Plum were all really busy. Pumpkin made up a new nerf war game which involves rolling a dice to do certain moves, we also had several all out shooting matches covering the whole house. Plum made and decorated chocolate cup cakes, we had the rabbits in to brush and play for a while. Bean put on Indiana Jones to watch.
Sunday we had a double celebration. Sunday School Anniversary, where the children got to show the project work they have been involved with over the summer. Bean read a sentence out to the church, pumpkin talked about a lot of the things he did and even plum joined i a little. Pippin wet whilst sitting on my lap and then i had to stand at the front and present the tabernacle collage. We headed to Worthing for our annual Not Back To School celebration of fish and chips. This year we ate inside as it was extremely windy. We stopped at the arcade and made it back to the car just before the rain came.
Back home we all snuggled down and watched Indiana Jones and ate soup.
Saturday was manic. Bean and Pumpkin and Plum were all really busy. Pumpkin made up a new nerf war game which involves rolling a dice to do certain moves, we also had several all out shooting matches covering the whole house. Plum made and decorated chocolate cup cakes, we had the rabbits in to brush and play for a while. Bean put on Indiana Jones to watch.
Sunday we had a double celebration. Sunday School Anniversary, where the children got to show the project work they have been involved with over the summer. Bean read a sentence out to the church, pumpkin talked about a lot of the things he did and even plum joined i a little. Pippin wet whilst sitting on my lap and then i had to stand at the front and present the tabernacle collage. We headed to Worthing for our annual Not Back To School celebration of fish and chips. This year we ate inside as it was extremely windy. We stopped at the arcade and made it back to the car just before the rain came.
Back home we all snuggled down and watched Indiana Jones and ate soup.
Friday, 8 September 2017
People are important
We made it out of the house today and smoothly past the For Sale sign that caused so much distress yesterday. Pumpkin, 8, ride his bike to town, the rest of us walked. We visited the library where Pumpkin chatted to the librarian with ease and joy about the four books he has read for the Summer Reading challenge, the librarian happens to also be his Sunday School teacher so that made all the difference. He choose a dvd and everyone gathered books to bring home. Bean, 10, continues to gravitate towards graphic novels.
We also visited The Works for a new fidget spinner for Bean, the pound shop where he also picked up a joke kit, and the toy shop for some blind bags. Plum, 5, is collecting shopkins, pumpkin got more grosseries, and pippin picked up a peppa pig mystery egg.
Back home we watched Hop, the dvd pupmkin had chosen, pippin slept and we played minecraft together.
We also visited The Works for a new fidget spinner for Bean, the pound shop where he also picked up a joke kit, and the toy shop for some blind bags. Plum, 5, is collecting shopkins, pumpkin got more grosseries, and pippin picked up a peppa pig mystery egg.
Back home we watched Hop, the dvd pupmkin had chosen, pippin slept and we played minecraft together.
Thursday, 7 September 2017
Challenges
Our mornings are fairly predictable at the moment. Pippin, 2, wakes first usually around 7am, give or take half an hour, Bean, 10, wakes next normally about 8 am, followed by Plum, 5, anytime between 8 and 9am, and finally pumpkin, 8, waking anytime between 8am and 10am (sometimes later) The day tends to begin with a box of toys for Pipipin and the others join in or play on their tablets or the computer. I usually have at least one helper to prepare breakfast with and load laundry and feed rabbits. And then the real business of the day begins.
Today was an At Home Day, Bean and I had faced challenge of putting up a new (to us) tent without instructions. Pippin joined in too by passing us tent pegs as we requested them. Tomorrow we will wash and reseal it and attempt to pack it away.
Bean spent hours working on a comic strip he has devised, entitled "oh no!" Each page begins with one disasterous scene followed by two short disasterous stories. Plum joined in and created her own comic strip about a monster chasing a person.
Pumpkin spent the majority of the day playing on his tablet, he is immersed in escape games recently. He did suggest we made cakes but we were out of eggs and alternative suggestions were dismissed. He spent a large portion of the day (three hours) crying as the For Sale sign went up today. We cuddled a lot and he slept for a chunk of time too.
Today was an At Home Day, Bean and I had faced challenge of putting up a new (to us) tent without instructions. Pippin joined in too by passing us tent pegs as we requested them. Tomorrow we will wash and reseal it and attempt to pack it away.
Bean spent hours working on a comic strip he has devised, entitled "oh no!" Each page begins with one disasterous scene followed by two short disasterous stories. Plum joined in and created her own comic strip about a monster chasing a person.
Pumpkin spent the majority of the day playing on his tablet, he is immersed in escape games recently. He did suggest we made cakes but we were out of eggs and alternative suggestions were dismissed. He spent a large portion of the day (three hours) crying as the For Sale sign went up today. We cuddled a lot and he slept for a chunk of time too.
Wednesday, 6 September 2017
Jumping straight in
We have entered a lovely rhythm during the summer holidays and as we move into september i am hoping to keep it going, even if only for a short time before the warm weather ends and autumn draws near. So, our week normal includes, a trip to fisher's farm, a day out or possibly two somewhere, one gymnastics class, a trip to town primarily to the library, a couple of play dates with friends, and at least one At Home Day and a whole bunch more of whitespace for relaxing or playing or ongoing crafts/lego/minecraft etc.
Today we went to fisher's farm. It was raining. The type of rain that is non commital. More like various forms ot wet air. The type that, once you've been in it for a couple of hours, you suddenly find yourself soaked to the bone. In short, we got wet. But during the process, bean, 10, went on the skyfall for two hours today. The second hour he jumped for the first time from 6m. He has been up to the platform and back down again many times since the attraction was installed but today was the day that he jumped, andi got his first jump on camera too. He then spent the next hour jumping from 6m. He also went on the tube tabogan and took pippin, 2, with him. Pumpkin, 8, enjoyed the octopus ride and spent 30 minutes on that and played in the sandpit with pippin and went on the rube tabogan too. Plum, 5, rode the carosel with pippin and rode the go karts with bean. She also instigated the crazy golf round that we all played together and had a pony ride today. Pippin also had a pony ride.
Plum also made a card and a bead necklace for a friend's birthday tomorrow and we delivered it. Bean and pumpkin did a bath challenge and took a bath fully clothed.
Today we went to fisher's farm. It was raining. The type of rain that is non commital. More like various forms ot wet air. The type that, once you've been in it for a couple of hours, you suddenly find yourself soaked to the bone. In short, we got wet. But during the process, bean, 10, went on the skyfall for two hours today. The second hour he jumped for the first time from 6m. He has been up to the platform and back down again many times since the attraction was installed but today was the day that he jumped, andi got his first jump on camera too. He then spent the next hour jumping from 6m. He also went on the tube tabogan and took pippin, 2, with him. Pumpkin, 8, enjoyed the octopus ride and spent 30 minutes on that and played in the sandpit with pippin and went on the rube tabogan too. Plum, 5, rode the carosel with pippin and rode the go karts with bean. She also instigated the crazy golf round that we all played together and had a pony ride today. Pippin also had a pony ride.
Plum also made a card and a bead necklace for a friend's birthday tomorrow and we delivered it. Bean and pumpkin did a bath challenge and took a bath fully clothed.
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