James' first film

Using a Stop Start app, James, with a little help from me, has make a Minerrant animation.
Here it is...

Lego master piece.

It took a while, but between us we managed to complete the battleship.

Happy birthday James.

Last Tuesday, my lovely little boy turned 7, no longer little. Thankfully he still like cuddles and snuggles up against you on the sofa, enjoys sitting on my knee at any opportunity and insists that I help him with his lego.

He is no angel, but he can be helpful, funny and charming. He is clever and friendly and a fantastic big brother. We are so luck he is in our family as he brightens it up everyday.

His birthday party was at home and minecraft themed, cake, balloons, games and lots of friends and food.

Deciphering

Sometimes my children seem to speak a different language and it some working out what they are on about.

PENNY
Was asking Penny about her day and she said she had been "singing to the Grandmas. Grandma there, Grandma there (pointing) Grandma there, in the nut place" etc. Couldn't work it out. Turns out she had visited Chestnut Street care home and sang.

JAMES
It is minecraft jargon, @ps, command blocks, super speed potions etc

IZZY
Random gippering with the odd word thrown in. Even harder when she is upset and crying to work it out.

Proud of Penny

Penny got star of the week last week. I know that by the end of the year every child will get it for something, but is it is absolutely fab that she has got it. She received for reading and phonics. It is amazing how quickly she has progressed since September. She is now spelling and reading basic words. One of her favourite games at the moment is to play teacher, so she must be enjoying school.

In other news James has his first wobbly tooth. With the amount of apples he is eating at the moment it will soon be out.

Parents Evening (between the lines)

Parents evening tonight, all was good, no problem. Here are a few things that was said and I have read between the lines.

Penny

Takes her role as one of the older one very seriously and help run the class. (Bossy).

Has recently widened her friendship group. (Fallen out with her firend and has had to rethink who she plays with).

Her confidence had increased. (She has got louder).

James

Is eager to finish his work. (Rushes and can make mistakes).

Increase in confidence. (Louder).

Likes to share his ideas and always thinks he is right. (Thinks he is always right whatever anyone else says, even when proof is in front of him).

Thankfully these are only minor things and both children are doing well, settled in nicely and are happy. James is enjoying lessons and sharing his ideas and show enthusiasm. He reading is coming along nicely. Penny is bubbly, confident, she listens well and responds appropriately.  She is doing well with her phonics and numbers. 

Both John and I are very please and proud of both of them. They are doing brilliantly.

8 reason why I think my son is addicted to minecraft.

James over the holiday has become obsessed with the blocky world of minecraft.

1. It is the first thing he asks for in the morning and when he get out of school.

2. When he isn't minecrafting he is on You Tube watching Stampy's world.

3. If the conversation isn't minecraft related, then it isn't worth the effort to talk.

4. Stroppyness and moods happens if we take the tablet away.

5. Toy are beginning to feed to be neglected.

6. Minecraft birthday party is already planned, along with minecraft cake. He birthday is in February.

7. He laughs insanely and has an evil glint, when he kills poor little animals running around his world.

8. My lovely little boy is turning into a rather rude, unhelpful creature. Time to nip it in the bud.

Back to School

After 6 weeks of Summer fun, the kids are heading back to school. Penny is starting reception and James is heading into Year 2.
Penny has been excited about school all Summer, mostly because she gets to have her lunch there and to see Ruth. James, not so much. Penny went straight in holding hand with her friend without so much as a look back. James, however was teary and clingly, so was pushed in by me. It feels mean, but if I had fussed it would only have made him worse. He is normally fine within 5 mins but even though I know this it does stop me thinming about how he is getting on for most of the day.
Both Iz and I will miss them both. Roll on October Hols.

Rainy day

Rain and the cold has put playing in the paddling pool on hold so for something different to entertain the kids had a go at cake decorating.
I mixed a few different colours up. Minecraft colours for James and pink for Pen, gave them cutters, rolling pin and let them go.
These are the results.

They tasted great too.

Easter Celebration

James and Penny had their Easter celebration show today. It was the first time I have seen Penny perform as I was working at the Christmas play. They were both great. James had the vital role of the sound effect of a kiss in the sound effect role of Judas. Penny's class did songs and the story of Little Red Riding Hood. They also sang the Spring Chicken song. Great stuff. They seem to have both settled in beautifully. I'm sp proud of them.

The big birthday bash

Last Sunday was James birthday party. He decided he wanted a party in the hall.  Luckly, one of his friends had a birthday the day before so we were able to do a joint one.
I managed cakes and party games and the other mum the hot food. It went well, apart from musical chairs which was a bit rubbish as the stero wasn't very loud.
We had pass the parel, hunt the gems and bashed a darth vader pinata.
Lots of people came including Hol, Beth, Charlie and Marley. Plus all his school friends.
However, it was a lot of hard work and I'm working on Penny to have a Princess tea party at home.

Pictures to follow.

James is 6

Today is James birthday. 6 years old. 

This morning we were awoken by a very excitable 6 year old and Penny. We bounced (not me) down stairs to open prezzies. A crystal growing kit, anklyozord (which was a nightmare to find), bouncing T rex thing that turns into a charger and from Penny, a Star Wars Masher and a activity book. He said they were the best presents ever, so alls good.

We had Star Wars birthday cake for breakfast and opened all his cards. He got quite a bit of money. He offered it to me saying it was for a day out (cat grandma gave him money for a day at Wheelgate). He was thrilled when we said he could go to the toy shop and choose a toy, the rest will go in his bank. 

It was school today, first day back after half term. He ran in, very excited to show off his badges and tell them what he go and share his sweets out. 

Sunday is his party, a joint one with Ruth. I think I'm about sorted apart from doing the cakes. Will be relived when they are finished. 

Penny's first day at nursery.

Another first in our family this morning. Penny had her first day at nursery. As we both wanted to see her off we dropped James off at school. He went in a lot better this morning, still clingy but giggling with it rather than lots of tears. As normal there was a bottleneck of parents trying to sort their children out, tackling bags, book bags, indoor shoes and coats, myself included. As a result we were 15mins late to nursery,  whoops, nog the ideal start. Anyway, after a quick kiss and cuddle she toddled in with out looking back.
With a child free morning I decided to treat myself to a book and a cream tea in the village. Knickers to the housework.
On pick Pen up, she had had a few teary moments when she had realised that we weren't there. But she said she enjoyed it and played with trains. I think she will be ok when she gets use to it.

First day.

James has now had 2 days at big school. Each morning he has been fine getting ready and doing his new routine.  He is happy until it comes to leaving him. At the moment parents can go in the classroom and help them put their coats and bags away and put their indoor shoes on. Quick kiss goodbye and the tears start. The TAs have to peels him away from us so we can leave. Hopefully, we can start leaving him at the door soon and this might subside. He is absolutely fine minutes later. Penny starts nursery on Monday but I think she will be fine. 

Operation Grateful James begins.

After yesterdays embarassment, Operation Grateful James has begun. Our aim is to make James be thankful for what he has, for what he is given and the family he has around him.
So, yesterday we talked about all the people who loved him and listed them, there were loads. We kept emphasising how luckly he is to have such a loving family. Later that day we were chatting about his favourite toys and why he liked them. I explained how luckly he was and that I know a little boy (no personally but I thought he might relate to it better) who doesn't have many toys to play with. No cars, tractors, teddy or books to read. Talked abour how nice it would be to give that little boy one of his toys so he could play. We decided that everyone should give a toy to the little boy. James helped Penny chose a car of hers, I chose a book from me and James gave him a cement mixer (though after much consideration he swapped for a less important one). I was pleased to find at bedtime he also wanted to give one of him books to him as well so his Mummy could read him a story. Just goes to show something must have sunk in.
I now have to find somewhere to take the toys, not the charity shop, but somewhere they will be used. We have also decided to do the same thing at Christmas and give to those who are less fortunate than ourselves.

Ungrateful and spoilt or normal 3 year old behaviour?

Today is the first day I have ever felt disappointed and embarrassed by James. Have I accidently created a spoilt, ungrateful monster or is it just tired 3 year old behaviour?

Just recently James has started playing up when he has seen a toy and is not allowed to have it. Up until now he was quite happy to look. This is our own fault as we have been on a few holidays this month and James was allow to spent his own money on toys. I think he has got into a habbit of getting what he wants.
The whole family have been told not to buy him toys because we don't what him to start expecting things everytime we go out. However they are not following though. When we went shopping with mum, despite knowing not to get him anything, she got him a tractor. We took James cousin for a day out and Aunt Col gave them both money for a toy. I feel it puts John and I in an awkward situation.

Today, we spent a day with Aunt Katie, she very kindly got him a tractor lunch box. He promptly told her he didn't want it and wanted a toy. Needless to say, John and I were mortified. This is not now he has been brought up. He than had a hissy fit sobbing he wanted a toy. Katie, very sensible, told him she would take it back but he isn't getting a toy. More sobbing. I took him off to try and explain that Katie had done a nice thing spending her money and getting him a lunch box and that he had made Katie, Mummy and Daddy sad because he hadn't said thank you and that he should now say sorry for making he sad. None of this was getting though as he was far too upset. Just as she was leaving his brain realised thst he wasn't going to get anything and he started wailing that he now wanted the box. We gave him a chance to say sorry and ask if he could have it, but again was screaming. So gave up and he came home with nothing and Aunt Katie is going to take her sandwiches to work in a tractor lunch box. At the moment I'm feeling rather let down by his behaviour and left wondering what to do. I'm not sure whether to try and talk to him about it later when he gets up from his nap and is a lot calmer. Explaining that he has loads of toys already and how luckly he is because some children don't have any. I would like him to prehaps think about giving some of his toys to children who haven't got any but maybe he is a bit too youbg for that. Hopefully this phase will pass quickly.

James seem to have found a rebellious streak these last few days. I think he gets it from me. He is driving me mad with his no's. Not sure how to handle it yet. Going to see if it continues first, then maybe the naughty step or toys taken away or prehaps I should just yell back no when he wants me to do something.

DIGGERLAND

Yay. Today, thanks to James getting control of his bladder, we are off to Diggerland in Castleford.
Not sure if James is more excited about Diggerland or the fact Grandad is coming with us.

The Great Potty Bribe. Part 2

After little success with the briding of sweeties to make James starting toilet training, we then moved on to pennies. This seemed to have the desired result and John and I thought we had had a break through. WRONG!
Unfortunately, it was probably more our fault than James. We had a weekend away in London and decided to put James in pull ups for the duration of the trip. This was a mistake. During and after the trip James was poorly and won't move off the sofa, so again we left him in pull ups. Another mistake. Then I was ill and Mum offer to look after James while I got better. Mum kept him in pull ups. Not her fault, we packed a load him his suitcase for her to use. Then I had my miscarriage and I went into a fuzzy fog leaving John to manage the kids and his own thoughts rather than managing together. All this resulted in James completely being confussed as to whether he was in pull ups or pants and having to ask us which. If we answered pull up he refused to go to the potty and had avgreat hissy fit. Time for action and a plan.
Deep breathe, we decided to go cold turkey. Dump all pull ups and nappies except at nap and bedtime. As sweeties and Pennies didn't work we decided to go straight in and use he obsession with diggers. The teacher in me made a reward chart and we decided to be mean, 20 completely dry day equals a trip to Diggerland. We googled Diggerland to get him excited and looked at all the different things he could go on. Every evening if he had stayed dry that day he coloured in one of the squares on his chart. It worked. Apart from one tiny accident when Marley came to play, we have had no wet pants. Fantastic. We do have to plan any trip around toilet stops but that doesn't matter. I had to do the same when I was pregnant.
So tomorrow, weather demanding,  Diggerland here we come. I think I'm looking forward to it as much as James.

James' birthday bash.

Last week James turned 3. 3 seems very grown up. He birthday party was a success. There were 3 other children invited in the afternoon. They all seemed to have a good time. As it was in our house I tried to organise little activities for them to do rather than running round crazy. We had a sweetie hunt to begin with, followed by party hat decorating which Jessica loved. After a digger themed tea complete with train jelly they had pass the parcel. All the grown up got on well, in fact they didn't want to leave so the children had a good play as well.

His sit on ride tract8 and trailer went down well. As did Auntie Katies Hexbug set (Missy Slug). He got heaps of dinosaur stuff which is great because he is dinosaur mad. He is a very lucky and a much loved boy.