Legoland in the rain

Is fun. 

Believe me! The queues are shorter, you get the water play area to yourself. 

It's worth it.

A byte

I wonder if kids can be civilised?

Pup, who is a gentle boy and not usually aggressive, has just bitten his brother, leaving a nice ring of toothmarks. And lied about it in the face of this incontrovertable evidence. No-one else in the room, and there's no way Tigs can have bitten his own stomach.

What do you do with them?

Postscript: Pup has just said very sadly "I'm sorry I bit Tigs. I'll always be sorry". Learning about remorse at the age of 7!

just pictures

Of our recent holiday. Sun, sea, beaches, trains, room to run - what else do 2 small boys need?

Monothematic

  I have been looking at my last few posts and detected a sad and maybe monotonous theme running though them.

And it's a bit misleading really, because our life is going on here despite the fact that Dad is missing from it.

  The kids are as hyper as ever. Tigs excelled himself yesterday by throwing moonsand ALL OVER the kitchen, then tipping a bottle of linseed oil out all over the summerhouse floor (at least it wasn't anything worse - we store our old paint pots in there!) He is full of destructive mischief at the moment. He writes on his bedroom wall and furniture (his 'job' this morning is to wash down part of the wall). This morning I walked into his bedroom to find he's ripped all his posters off the wall. Fine, he'll have to do without them. He's torn a massive hole in the wall of the trampoline doing a somersault - thankfully it did its job and he didn't fall off. He really needs school! not that I want rid of him, but I feel I'm not giving him enough; that it's partly boredom that is making him like this. At least I hope it is . If not I may just have to accept the truth - that that I am rearing a vandal!

   It's only 3 weeks until he starts school. Only 3 weeks holiday to go. I was really looking forward to this holiday, but now I approach each day thinking 'what will he destroy or break  today?' :-(

  Both boys are banned from their bikes for riding them in the road without supervision, so they can't let off steam that way. And the trampoline's not safe. And the slide has been condemned, it is getting old and unsafe. Oh dear.

   Nothing for it but the paddling pool today. He will get 'stuck in', and have a great time as usual. I do enjoy seeing his energy, and the enthusiasm with which he throws himself into everything. May that enthusiasm extend to school!

Most Days

I can just jog along.
But some days I feel really exhausted physically and emotionally.
Some days the kids get a bad deal, as I can be on a very short fuse.

Some things just set me off crying. Like visiting Osbourne House on the isle of Wight last week, Queen Victoria's 'country cottage', I saw the bed where she died, and the plaque her children put up over the bed . The curator must have been surprise at this weird woman crying over Queen Vic's death.

I guess it's all part of grieving. It gets me in the strangest ways and at such odd times.

losing the plot

Yes, I did.
On Sunday morning I couldn't find any clothes to wear to church. I mean any clothes that were clean, ironed and fitted me; I don't just mean something smart co-ordinated and 'suitable'.
So I lost it. Threw clothes around the room, emptied my drawers onto the floor. Scared the cats. And the huisband (kids of course were impervious to it all.) Himself was walking on eggshells for the rest of the day. And my fuse was very short for the rest of the day - and still is.
We had a friend coming to lunch that day. Fortunately (for the situation, not for her), she had lost her father recently and understood how grieving can take you in the most unexpected directions. One direction it has taken me in is comfort eating. Not good for the wardrobe. Anyway friend has volunteered to take me for a clothes shop in September - can't wait. Need some therapy.
And w are off on holiday soon - a week of just us and a tent. No hi tech stuff (except for my camera which I cannot do without these days.)
Time to relax. We all need it!