January 2008: I'm four and 'they're all mine!'

[latrucha]

Sorry Simposn. Just couldn't resist.

Thread crash! Hope you are all OK and wishing you a good summer with your DCs. I am changing to work 5 short days a week when A starts reception in Sept. He will be fine ... he has been going to the same school for a year already, 5 afternoons a week. He's already in love with his new reception teacher I think. Our childcare bill will go right down which will be very welcome! My Dad died last month, I was back and forth to Suffolk for the last 3 months and able to spend some precious time with him. It was a terrible way to go. He was very brave and remained compus mentis to the end, still enjoying company and conversation with the family, although the tumour took away his mobility and sight. I am fairly heartbroken as I am lucky in that he was a wonderful dad and grandad. Work have been very nice though and I am seeing a bereavement counsellor. DS is typical 4 and a half year old, some odd-bod ways from being an only child I think but generally bright and fun. I'm still running 3 or 4 times a week even though the marathon training is over. It's a big motivation to try and keep in shape once I got there! I defected from MN to FB with the MN running group who have been very supportive! Im so, so sorry Lat you know I have had the odd rocky time in the last 4 years but it was only mended by both of us working on it...

sends love to all....sorry everyone is having such a tough time at the moment

xx

PS Hurrah for Molly!!

Tamara's nursery graduation was yesterday. I cried.

Filly - Molly's is tomorrow I will cry!!!

She had her sports day the day before yesterday which was soooo cute!!

Good to see you Ange, so sorry to hear about your dad

Sounds very cute. We have absolute ructions at S's old nursery (I'm on the board. It's a charity and I want to help it stay open for Danny). It's more that I let mysef in for but I have, shall we say, defined my role quite narrowly. I have enough on my plate right now.

Enjoy tomorrow Simpson! Almost anything my DCs do makes me well up. Sports day did (although that was because of all the knee business).

Well her graduation was soooo cute. And I was fine did not even think of crying until the teacher read out a poem at the end about one door closing and another opening andcsendingvthem off on the journey of learning (or something like that!!) and me and most of my friends just bawled!!!

She is very pleased with her certificate and all the kids going into reception were presented with a school tie!!!

They have their class party tomorrow as its their last day (sob).

S's end of term work came home with her. She is pleased as anything with a 'headmaster's gold award' sticker she's been given for her first goes at writing. He called her to his office to present it to her. Awww.

Well done S!!!

My mother took both kids out to a fair today with my brother and she was back after 20 mins as M kicked off screaming on the bouncy castle.

My mother has never seen M like this before and I think she thought I was exaggerating when I have told her about it before. My mum was so wound up she was shaking. And we still don't know why M started screaming!!!

Oh Simps - in a way it's good that your mum has now seen it too, but tough that even with a child as verbally clever as M it is so hard to get to the bottom of what is causing this behaviour...

Oh S, I'm sorry, and your poor mum! :( Was M able to explain afterwards what it was that upset her suddenly?

Welcome back Madmouse!!!

Well M said she was cross because she could not climb up the ladder in the bouncy castle. But tbh she should not be screaming about it!!!

Had a fab day yesterday, took the kids to see the Olympic torch relay, we were right at the front and they had a fab time.

Had an OT appt forcM today which was a bit tough, they are saying she will need extra help in reception from sept ie special scissors, maybe special cutlery for lunch time (they gave me a pair for her to practice with) a footrest to stabilise her when she is sitting at the table in class.

She has a much needed physio session next week so hopefullybtheycwill help even more. HT of j and M's school approached me in the play ground just before the holidays and said she will schedule in a meeting to discuss what M needs before she starts which is good.

My mum is going to brave it again and take M outvforvthe day tomorrow and as J is at a football tournament I have most of the day to myself

Oh Simpson but disability relation frustration is incredibly hard on our kids, especially the bright/aware ones who know damned well that other kids can do all that without difficulty. Not saying she should be allowed to scream, just that I can see where she is coming from. Does she accept help? I spent all my time at kids parties and playgrounds helping Nathan access the activities. Get sick and jealous sometimes of other mums sitting around chatting while their kids play. Nathan cried when I collected him from nursery yesterday morning. He spent all morning on a bouncy castle which costs him all his energy and effort to crawl around on. He loves it but it is so tough for him.

She does not like people helping her at all.

We went to a birthday party the other day which had 2 bouncy castles one for the bigger kids (which all her friends were on) and one for the tiny kids which she had to go on. She was most cross about not being able to go on the bigger one but she did try it and could not stay upright at all so went in the smaller one in the end.

J bless him stayed with her so she had someone to play with.

TBH Simpson there is no way Nathan would have gone on the baby one if all his mates were on the big one. He would have tired himself out until he cried instead.

Sabela probably would have chosen the little one

Enjoy your day Simpson.

She was crying bless her and she did give the big bouncy castle a go but got too hot and bothered (and cross) so was happy to move to the smaller one if J came with her.

M had a fab time at a petting farm with my mum today and did not even kick off when she was not allowed on the big slide because she had no socks on. She dragged my mum to the gift shop to see if they had any and my mum said to her this is a shop in a farm they will not sell socks, but they did!!!

Starting to think about what to get for J's birthday on 31st August.

Filly - what are you getting A???

Thinking of an android tablet and just some cheap stuff from pound shop so he has more than one pressie to open. Got a cheap wooden cricket set today and a tennis racquet for him. I bought him an England football top a few weeks ago and my brother is getting him a Chelsea top ( which is what he has asked for).

Not got a clue what to get for A. His only electronic toys are his vtech camera and lappad, both of which are several years old, so maybe that's not a bad idea. On the other hand, he hardly ever plays with our xbox, so maybe I should get him some games for that?

Apart from that, I'm stuck. Last year was easy (bicycle), but I really don't like buying stuff for the sake of it. I have agreed with him that one of his presents will be delayed: he spent the whole of last school year wanting to collect moshi monster cards and didn't start until Easter, when he had some money of his own to buy them....now that craze has pretty much finished, so we agreed that he can see what the new one is in September (he said something about Bin Weevils....anyone know about those????) and I will get him the collecting album and some cards as a late present. He's one of those kids who takes collecting a set of something very seriously, and its a good breaktime activity which means he doesn't get left out if he doesnt want to play football every day (which he doesnt). Simpson, let me know what you come up with for J!!!

The kids are all moving rooms in a few weeks time, as Mia is still in a room alone and A & T are sharing. I think the girls are ready to share now, and A is definitely ready for his own space, especially since he wants to be able to read in bed in the evenings. First we have to sort out beds, as I want to get all 3 of them settled into their new beds before we change the rooms around. So Mia is going from her cot to T's child-size bed. T is going to move across the room into A's top-bunk-style (there is no bottom bunk, just shelves and toys) bed, and A is going to move onto the fold-up full-size single bed that I intend to put into Mia's room for him. Its going to be interesting sorting all that out this weekend!! And I'm convinced T is going to fall down the bed steps several times before she gets the hang of it - A was so much taller than her when he moved into that bed!

OK, had better do some work....see you all later, have lovely weekends xx

Nathan got a literacy award and a certificate from physio for standing independently for short periods of time at prize giving

Yay Nathan. That's lovely Madmouse.

Well done Nathan, that's fab!!!

How is everyone getting on??

Had a bit of a tough physio session with Molly this week and the physio said she will have significant problems at school

Other than that, all is good!!!

Joshua went to Cardiff to see GB play footie the other day and had a fab time he has not stopped talking about it!!!

I have a day away from the kids tomorrow which is good but am going to see my grand mother which will be tough as last time I saw her she did not know who I was .

That can't have been easy Simpson, either your grandmother or Molly. How are you? I am away right now. Without the kids! They are with Dh at home. Seems to be going fine for him. Long story. Guess where I was last night?

p.s. I agree re: Filly. She is a star. It must be good fun in her house.

Am intrigued LaT, where were you last night???

LaT - I need to know more....where were you????!

We moved the kids into their new beds....so far, so good, but I think we're going to hold off on the bedroom changes for a bit longer than originally planned. So far Mia has dropped Humphrey (her toy dog - the love of her life) out of bed at least once a night, every night, since the move. I knew this was coming (A & T both went through the same thing) but I can't move her until she stops yelling at 2am every night, as she'll wake T.

T is being a nightmare massively challenging at the moment, and I must admit I'm at my wits end. I know she's always been super easy (and I have counted my blessings!) but now I just don't have a clue how to handle her. She started the day yesterday at 7.10am by having a massive temper tantrum (because she wanted to get up and our alarm hadn't gone off yet) which woke the whole family, finished the day with a mammoth temper tantrum at 8.30pm (no idea why...but it only ended when dh put her 'to bed' on the bathroom floor and explained that was where she could sleep if she wanted to yell all night, and that he didn't mind....).....and then was sweetness and light again this morning. Sigh. She's at a dance/activity camp this week and had an amazing day yesterday, with several of her friends, so I know it isn't that....but I cancelled this afternoon's playdate for after camp (I'm putting some of it down to being tired), and we'll see how it goes. Any suggestions?

Simpson - we bought A a 2nd hand DS Lite on ebay this week, which came with a load of games. It arrived at the weekend and is in v good condition - I think he's going to absolutely love it. I bought him a skateboard but dh has said no to that - what do you think? Apart from that, just a few small bits of lego from the girls, and a chess set as he's just started learning to play. The ds was quite expensive, so I don't feel like we need to get him much more. Pleased with it tho, as it was way under half price compared to the new ones :)

Madmouse - I saw your FB status update when N got the award and nearly cried my eyes out at work! So so so proud of him :) :)