Skip to main content

Plasters & muddy walks


It's half term and the girls have had a friend over to play and I can attest to the fact that things are moving in the right direction.  They played together all day and we only had one "she won't play with me" and one injury resulting in tears.  We have had multiple injuries which needed medical support, but I think that is far more to do with the fact that Aran turned up armed with a new packet of plasters than any actual injury - what a treat for 3 medically inspired little girls!  Instead they have spent the entire time role playing hospitals, nursery and school, with multiple staff meetings.  I had to do very little, and in fact have managed to get on with some admin and household stuff - perfect.  More than this instead of the normal fuss over "I don't eat [list a long and ever changing variety of foodstuffs]..." I made a chicken casserole and they all demolished what was on their plates - amazing!

The rain has just started to abate a little after what seems like months of bad weather - thank goodness Abi and Izzy are not scared about getting outside and getting a bit muddy. This afternoon we set off to visit the local Nature Reserve, only to find all the roads closed by flooding.  I offered up a range of alternatives (clearly having promised a long walk and muddy puddles I wasn't going to get away with anything less) and we plumped for Greenham Common.  We had a brilliant walk and I was so impressed that we have got to the stage where we were out for the best part of 2 hours on an overcast February afternoon with not one complaint and no lazy legs from Izzy. Progress indeed!

It's always interesting to see the different things which motivate the girls. Yesterday I suggested that we all choose an activity that we wanted to do so that everybody felt that they had had a chance to influence the day.  Izzy immediately opted for swimming with Abi and I while Glenn went out to enjoy some rare sunshine on his motorbike. I had already stated my preference - a bike ride after lunch, so it was Abi's turn.  Abi was quite clear, she wanted to spend some time outside with Glenn, playing tennis and tree climbing.  Abi is undoubtedly happiest when outside, busy and learning through doing.  She still comes into our room every morning (often with a weather check "Morning Mummy, it's raining again!") and I treasure these moments as they are when Abi is at her softest and least challenging.  Izzy rarely rocks up until a bit later (she is still a sleep monster) and generally wants to go straight downstairs for a glass of milk. Izzy is happy to cuddle through the day at will, with Abi its definitely on her terms.

I'll finish on a lesson as to why learning to spell through phonics doesn't always work.  Abi and Izzy sat down to write a story this week and while Abi wrote a very practical illustrated guide to wood turning called 'From Tree to Table' (Grumps; you would be proud of her detail in every step!), Izzy wrote a story entitled 'At the Countryside'.  Unfortunately neither her spelling or line placement was perfect, so instead we had Countryside spelt without the 'o', with 'side' on a new line.  I'll leave it you your imagination what that gave us!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas...

I was sure I write the blog last week.... but, it seems another 2 weeks have flown by and now we are staring down the barrel of the Christmas holidays and the end of the year! Currently it's all about Doug and what a star he has proved to be so far. He has now been with us for 3 weeks and he is (so far, I keep thinking at some point it will change) a pretty chilled out puppy. As a second dog he has been thrown in at the deep end and has been to Sunday lunch with Alan & Sarah (which he loved), socialised at home with friends and their dogs, met babies (he loved Elsie) and started to go for walks. The walking has been a bit different to our previous approaches with new dogs. In the past we have ventured out carefully, making sure that our new baby only walks a short distance so they can experience all the new sights and sounds. Doug's first walk was after Sunday lunch last week, just him and 8 other dogs for bout 45 mins - he loved it! In our defence we didn't let him wal...
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome Albert James!

So this week has been full of new things - Jess and Chris have welcomed Albert James Wilkinson Rayner to the family, a tad early but all doing well apparently (and so cute!!), I started my new job, Abi has her new shed and Dad got sorted on a phone that wasn't invented before the kids were born!! I always knew this week was going to be full on and it certainly has been. The first thing I had to do was try and sort out my diary which had been filled from dawn to dusk by my predecessor with meetings. I decided to set out as I mean to go on and immediately took out those that started before 9am. While I can get into  the office for 8am , it's a pain and requires me to be on the 6:30am train which is just a bit much every day (stating the obvious). I then made it clear that we don't need to be joined at the hip for the next 4 weeks which is a sensitive process - even though he is retiring it's hard to let go and he is understandably keen that the team are looked after. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Diary management!

This part of the summer is definitely typified by me trying to remember who is supposed to be where and when. Abi likes to be off doing something with someone while Izzy is happier to know she's close to home and so for the last week they've gone their separate ways. Abi has been down in Somerset making the most of Ben and Laurie being about. From what I can tell she's having a lovely time. Apart from the covert phone call one evening to tell me she was 'starving'  (Mum was cooking for the hordes and so it had been delayed), I've barely heard from her. The few calls I have had have very quickly ended in "can I go now" like I'm making her speak to me! Today she switches from Mum and Dads to a night or two with Kerrie - not sure who is more excited! Izzy didn't want to be away for that long so she opted not to go. She's very conscious that Abi and Laurie are joined at the hip when together and Ben has his own things he wants to do so she ...
Post a Comment
Read more