tea room 36 - Teh Alpine Chalet

[UniS]

Welcome to the Tea rooms newest incarnation. A cozy log cabin with a roaring log fire, comfy chintz sofas and a dedicated man about the house, our Butler, Mellors. Out of the windows you can see sparkling white snow gently drifted up under the green Christmas trees and bright blue skies. Children can all be packed off to play healthy outdoor stuff while we stay snug n warm in here with our mulled wine, tea,artisan hot chocolate and other beverages served in mugs, glasses or buckets.

The usual rules apply - no fisticuffs. And no messing with the aspidistra.

Gosh it's quiet in here at night!

Well apart from the NMBs snoring.

I was up around 12:37 tending to SB who I'm not convinced was awake. I promptly fell back asleep. I woke again around 5:12 to a panicked "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" over and over followed by a desperate"I need the toilet!" I wish he would just get up and go in the middle of the night rather than call me and tell me about it. He's perfectly capable of doing it all himself. It also meant that was us up for the day.

Breakfast anyone?

Scout, the YD is still doing that at 11! :(
We have done everything I can think of to give him the confidence to go by himself in the night. There is a night light on the landing and a small light on downstairs so that the stairwell isn't dark.
Fortunately he doesn't often need to get up in the night for the toilet now.

In fact if he wakes up for any reason, the YD's first reaction is to call "Mummy"

He will however go back to bed if it is before about 6.45 am, and listen to an audio story (we have a few very familiar, non-exciting ones for middle of the night waking so that they don't keep him awake. e.g. Winnie the pooh)

If SB wakes up at 5 a.m. or later that's him up for the day. He did tell me in JL on Friday that he really liked the Lego Man clocks and if he had one he would know whether it was morning or not so he would know whether he could "wake up and be morning or not!". I'm tempted if it means a few more quiet minutes in bed without a great hulking 4.5 year old kicking me in the kidneys while he's snuggling in to play games on his LeapPad or on my phone.

If it's after about 5.45, the YD doesn't go back to sleep either - but at least it keeps hime (relatively) quiet. Unless he starts thinking about Minecraft. Then all I get is a constant stream of consciousness being called through as he makes plans that he just has to share...

We have been all systems go since about 6 o'clock and I'm exhausted. I need something to keep going....

Sympathy and a of your choice (strong tea/cofee/...)

We're currently outside. We read part of a science book this morning that talked about atoms and molecules and chemical reactions so we came out to make some reactions with vinegar & baking soda. Now SB is putting soil on seed pots for us.

What is it about minecraft that just 'has' to be shared?

Having a clock that he could read has been wonderful.

Mind you, I get woken up at the weekend by 'ITS x O'clock CAN I GO DOWNSTAIRS NOW!' repeated if I don't respond properly the first time. I think I said 'go away' on Sunday.

MT - if I don't respond enough times in the morning, he comes and bounces on me

SB just repeats without pausing for breath until the person he wants acknowledges him. It confuses fellow four-year olds.

Once the YD has started talking about Minecraft it is imposible to stop him.... nothing else seems to register.

Me: "Excuse me YD, would you like beans on toast for breakfast?"
YD: "Mummy I just ate a diamond and now I can fly!"
Me: "YD, pause! I want to know what you want for breakfast"
YD: "But Mummy, Ars Magica mod means I can fly. I've got animal bikes too.
Me: " Ars Magica lets you fly when you eat a diamond, and you have animal bikes. Is that the mod you showed me yesterday?"
YD: " Yes, I'm riding a squid bike..."
Me: " A squid bike! Doesn't that let you ride over the water? Now YD, would you like a blueberry muffin for breakfast or beans on toast?"
YD: "What animal bike would you like to ride Mummy?"

Aaaaargh! He wasn't even playing MC at the time - it was just in his head.

SB does something similar and he's only 4.5! Must be a boy thing. Though he'll tell me about something on a program, even if I'm watching with him, then proceed to ask a question about the bit he missed because he was talking over it. I'm grateful we can pause/rewind live tv through our media center.

I've worked out why I've had a weird sinus headache sort of thing for the last few days -- stupid Sahara Dessert Dust and pollution! While we don't have dust on our cars it's very hazy (the sort of haze I'm used to seeing when it's 100+F at home in the summer).

Does anyone in the tea room make the own jam and/or jelly and/or anything else? I'm trying to work out timings and quantities for gifts, etc. and want to pick someone's brain. I could venture further out of MN but sometimes it's scary out there....

Aw bless. I just came upstairs and found SB in bed, covers up, Bunny cuddled, glasses in his hand and he said "I'm a bit tired so I've comed up for a rest and I took my glasses off."

oh, and I actually remembered to take off his shoes and they're next to his science books we were reading this morning. He usually forgets about his sneakers.

And he, not I. D'oh!

SB sounds lovely Scout.
:)

Thanks, Donki. He has his moments but generally he's a good boy/sweet lad/etc. He is definitely an old soul, though, and is often four going on 90. I often worry about him, though, because I think (as an only) we talk to him/treat him like an older child and therefore expect more from him. His size doesn't help -- he's running along the (approximate) 90th percentile at the moment so looks bigger/older than a lot of his peers.

He's been very cuddly today. Earlier we thought about going to the park after lunch but I think he's been happy reading, doing magazine work, looking at his animal poster (I got us a BBC/Open University The Great British Year poster), etc. We're going to have snacks soon and probably potter around until dinner then bedtime.

When SB is in bed, but before MrScout gets home, I get to watch two episodes of the series I'm trying to get through. Roll on bedtime!!!

Scout - I do the odd bit of jam / chutney / jelly making...

DS was walking (actually lurching is a better word for it) out of choir last night - a friend of mine's daughter sings in it too - and friend's son was walking up at the same time. He's Yr7 - and not obviously short. DS was the same height as him and he's only Yr4. And he's officially 'summer born' - only just because its coming up - but still...

Scout - I do think that only children can end up (in some ways at least) older than their years, because they spend proportionately more of their time with adults and that can (for example) leave them with a vocabulary and a way of speaking that is older than their chronological age. It's less obvious now, but when she was younger, The Girl often seemed older than some of her friends.

SB was born an old soul, if you know what I mean, and it's become more and more obvious the older he gets. There are things he discusses that I'm convinced he does because he's an only and we have time to focus on the things he likes, answer his questions in-depth, etc. I mean, today we were reading a science book meant for middle-primary age children and he spent the rest of the day talking about his Cerebrum and his Cerebellum, what they do and their differences ("Mommy, my Cerebrum is telling my leg to stand up and my Cerebellum is helping me stand up on the leg that the Cerebrum is telling to stand!" This as he was standing on one foot and then hopping.).

MT, have you made strawberry jam? I'm trying to guesstimate quantities. And, randomly, if I make jam in June/July can they be used in November/December for Christmas presents?

I found out today my friend's dad died last week. He was 63 which is no age at all (my dad is 64 and my mom 61). Thinking about my friend and his family made me realize that his dad had his accident 18+ years ago and how strong my friend and his family were then and have been for the last nearly two decades. I love my friend and his family I spent many a weekends hanging out with all of them, drinking colas, eating crisps and playing card games until the half-crack of stupid until I moved here and my heart hurts for them all.

I have a lovely recipe for lemon curd of anyone wants it... :)

boys current obsession is Lego, which lits he has. which he would like, which mini figs he has and which he is leaving on guard in his room and which vehicle he has assigned which mini fig and on and on... I tune it out a lot of the time.