Like a duck to.........mud?

Quickly about the above pic - I was mooching on the fact I had no pics from today to post when I went in to turn out the light for LL, who'd indicated when he went to bed that he wanted to 'read his book' for a bit. Look at the image I was faced with......I'm a sucker for pics of his feet anyway (which I couldn't have posed better for the camera) but when the little crossed feet set up was combined with the bum in the air - well I couldn't resist. Downstairs it was for the camera before the lights got put out!

BB started swimming lessons today. He pretty much hung onto the side or to the helper in the pool for the entirety of the half hour (unlike the other kids who were having a ball splashing around) but I'm glad he went. We really have left it too long between pool sessions and his confidence has all but disappeared down the big pools plughole! I think though, that even just being in the pool regularly will be enough to bring it back up to the point where he is confident enough to 'let go' He did well though and only blubbed briefly when he got a face full of water from one of the less tentative kids.

Ouch!!!

For a few days now I've been preparing my biggest boy for the fact that someone was going to stick a needle in him today. He's been pretty good about it, and although he's been fearful of the pain (I've been upfront with him about the fact that it will hurt - but only for a little while) he quite happily trotted into the doc's surgery this afternoon.

I'm sure that now he's undergone the trauma - not once, but twice - (a needle in each arm!) he'll be less inclined to want to repeat the experience. The prep helped and I had a raisin stick to the ready once he'd been stabbed twice - which ebbed the tears immediately. Phew!

I think it didn't help that what was becoming apparent whilst we waited on the health visitor preparing the jabs (she went to another room to do so) that BB thought that getting your blood pressure taken was what getting injections were! I'd explained it was the same as Daddy got when he went to the docs (BB joined him the last time he gave blood) and also the same as me (ditto), but when he started asking me about where on his arm he would be squeezed and 'is that a children's one Mummy' (whilst pointing to the blood pressure monitor on the desk) I quickly realised he was a bit muddled - no wonder he practically skipped into the office! I explained to him more clearly that the doctor (as he called the Health Visitor) would prick his arm with a needle, and that she wouldn't be squeezing him. Still nothing prepares for the actuality does it?

All in all it's over - and he did me proud!



LL and I met a friend for a coffee (well chai tea for me) and a catch up today in a local bakehouse. It was great and he made a big show of entertaining the local blue rinse brigade. He'll definitely be one to watch out for when he's older.....

Bully boys...

BB encountered his first bout of being bullied today. We were over visiting his friend and they were playing really well together, but we were joined by others and another older boy went off to play with them. The biggest one started initiating a bully culture and unfortunately my wee boy was the victim in this case. You could tell one was being led astray by the other when, after his partner in crime had snuck up and 'whipped' BB with a very soft pretend cowboy whip - he turned to the conspirator and announced 'see I did it, I did it!' Hmmmmm some egging on going on there then?

Later it came to a head when I had to go and calm my hysterical boy who was upstairs howling and through bursts of tears was trying to tell me that he had been hurt by both of the boys on his arm, his cheek and his back. I was fizzing - but exteriorly calm enough to not make a scene. I took him away from the situation and in private asked him who's hit him (both the boys) and what with (hard plastic light batons). Basically they'd been walloping him. Not surprisingly he didn't want to go back and play (I need you to look after me Mummy) - I couldn't blame him, but It's all life training - he'll be faced with the same situation again soon enough unfortunately.

As a mum I felt it was more important to explain to him that what the boys had done was very wrong, that he should never do it as he now knew what it felt like to get hurt and if it ever happened again in the future to be sure that he told a grown up.

LL has been his usual chilled out self. Tomorrow BB goes for his MMR booster jab. This will be his first one whereby he is able to react properly by telling me what a bad mum I am for making him do it!!! haha. I'll be sure and have a fruitbar or something in my pocket to appease him with as soon as he gets it.........it's all about the preparation! I have explained to him what's going to happen and that it will hurt for a little bit so hopefully he'll be fine.

Ooh - talking of jabs - the letters came through today about the swine flu jab for both boys. There's a discussion I need to have with BFS.

The pic is from a couple of weeks ago when we had good snow - BB is on his much loved 'tractor/trailer/digger' combo which he got from Mr. Clause!!

Me time!

Ooh I've been spoiled in bundles this weekend - not only did I get to go out for a meal last night, I got leave of absence today to go to the cinema (ticket for one please......) Mum hung around long enough today to let me sneak off for 3 hours.
Bliss!
I've been really wanting to see Avatar and felt that this really isn't one that could wait for DVD because of the whole 3D experience etc, and fearful that it would no longer be in the cinema when BFS got back from work (they only appear to be on the big screen for the blink of an eye nowadays...) I asked if she'd mind letting me go.

I have to admit that I loved it. The effect were pretty spectacular. Cinema certainly has come a long way since the flying bike in ET!

Because I spent a lot of today away from my kids - there's not much to say about what they've been up to!

Oh there was a funny moment earlier when BB got a hold of a Breast Pump (which I'd left out for my 'almost sis-in-law' who'd stopped over and is still nursing Isla) and found great fun in thinking up weird and wonderful uses for it. It was a trumpet at one point, a space zapper at another and bizarrely a hairdryer which he used to 'dry' my hair with. Now when he's in bed I need to pack it away as he has now become very possesive over 'his new toy!' I can't see that one going down well the next time he has friends over......

off out.....

Tonight was an opportunity for me to get the glad rags on and head out with the local mums for a meal! We had a private room and there were only 9 of us there, but it was great. There were just enough to keep good conversation flowing all night. Many amusing stories were brought to the floor, and I even had a cheeky couple of glasses of wine which kept my cheeks rosy and my mouth a blethering!

Grandma B. did the honour of babysitting and a fine job she did of it.

BB went along to his dance class again this morning, and this time I even got a rendition of what he learned in class when he came home. It's great to see him so excited about something - we'll be getting him tap shoes in no time as I think he's going to keep wanting to go.

LL upped his 'hat tally' to include a toy tractor and an oven mitt today. Ace!

The lies you tell your children.....which they actually believe!

I was thinking today that it would be worth noting down the little tricks which we use as parents to get our children to do what we want. Every so often a gem appears that works every time (for a while) so we grasp onto it and use and abuse it. Currently BFS is still using the santa threat when he wants good behaviour (as I'm sure most parents do!) but I have concocted - with BB's help - a cracking way to get him to drink his milk when he's reluctant (which he needs to do to keep his fluid levels up due to his 'bum problem')
About a year ago - whilst I was still nursing LL, BB sarted to feed Tinky Winky milk from his tummy. He fully believes that TW gets his daily supply from him as TW is his baby and mum's (apparently) feed their babies milk from their tummies (just how far south have my bbobs crept if this is the impression he has??). This did fizzle out, but since new babies have appeared on the local scene and he's witnessing women nursing their babies again he has reinstated this belief. Out of true concern that TW won't have any milk to drink - a gentle reminder from me about this fact (normally in the blunt terms of - 'well if you don't drink your milk then TW won't be able to get any from your tummy!') generally ensures that the 'I've had enough' statement turns to pretty fast guzzling of any volume of milk in front of him. I'm not sure how long I can keep this one up - but it's been going a good few weeks now. I think it's a particularly good effort - and I'll be sure to tell him about it when he's older.

LL is going through a 'hat phase'. This would be fine if he was limiting it to articles which sole design purpose was for wearing upon one's cranium - however he is finding true joy out of placing anything he can find on his head (admittedly his practice has made him a master of pulling on his own tammy - which I think is rather a feat!)
The items so far have consisted of:
His wooly hat
His brothers wooly hat
A plastic builders hat
A fireman's helmet
His pyjama top
A rubber bib
Any of his dinner plates once empty (unfortunately he still gets the remains of any food stuck in his hair)
A (clean) nappy
Remote controls
anything else within grasp!
My particular favourite though is a 'net' from his brothers 'Elefun' game (think old fashioned fishing nets on a stick) because once he has the whole thing on his head he looks like a dodgy gangster about to rob a bank with a stocking on his head.....

Quick eye update.....

WOOHOO! - BB woke this morning without crusted shut eyes!! He shall go to the ball (well dancing class) tomorrow! I've continued with the cleaning and the cream (it states that you should use it for 5 days after symptoms disappear) but I think that my efforts yesterday have come to fruition and the evil bacteria has been driven away. What a relief!