Long awaited update



Hi Everyone,
 you will have noticed we've been quiet since Christmas, well it's not that we haven't been busy, but I have been lucky enough to have been quite busy with work.  Even my work blog has ground to a halt once more (another new years resolution bites the dust).

I thought it was about time I tried to update everyone.

Kai, is doing well at school, I'm surprised at how quickly his reading has improved and his his maths work coming on a treat.  He's had awards recently for being able to read data from a bar chart of Smarties  and also "star of the week" for being polite, well mannered and generally good behaviour in class (something strange must happen to him in the car journey home from school).
He goes to an arts activity club on a Tuesday after school (one night they painted his face for him it's supposed to be a dinosaur), It's for 4-12 yrs old and he seems to love it, although it does help his best mates from school Chris and Sarah the twins are there too.  He's still into his trains, loves watching Scooby Doo and probably is fed up of his Mummy and Daddy telling him they used to watch it when they were little too.

Dino-Kai

Sun-shades

Alana is growing up fast.  She loves doing whatever her big brother does but she's also into girlie stuff.  She's turning a right little dare-devil,  She loves to climb indoor and outdoor play centres, crossing rope bridges, the only time she needs a bit of help is when she tries climbing the bigger steps and sometimes needs big bro to help her up.  She loves her dollies and is getting into Barbie.  She loves watching Humpf from Nick Jr and the Barbie films.   Both she and Kai enjoy watching Disney films and we're been to the cinema a few times this year to see things like Tangled, Gnomeo and Juliet  and Rango. 

Are you Sure Mum?



Sharing our picnic with a range of dolls



little miss dare-devil

Ain't no stopping her now!

On our way to a picnic

I'm well, been busy with Pippas Web  some web design, some work on search engine optimisation and I've had a few moment to re-design my twitter and facebook fanpage. 

Mark's had a bit of a rough time lately, he's known since before Xmas that his department at work was going be moving people over to another hospital trust in Stoke.  However he'd also figured out they didn't need another deputy manager.  However since then the trusts have been fighting over him, well over who would make him redundant.  It turned out two days before the big "move" (end of march) that his HR dept said it wasn't worth fighting it out anymore (no kidding)  anyway the upshot is he now is undergoing his 30 day consultation period before being made redundant, he'll be paid up to the end of May but at the moment we're still unsure if they're expecting him to actually be at work till then or give him the money in lieu of notice.  He's been applying for loads of jobs all over the country, so if you know of a payroll deputy manager or manager position going anywhere please do let us know.
He's got an interview next week in Nottingham.  We drove over there today, looks a nice area, there's a big country park near by which we also visited.  So maybe I'll be able to indulge my fascination Robin Hood (which I've had since childhood). 

So for now, all I can say is watch this space.....  oh and maybe leave us a message below and tell us what's been happening to you.

Xmas goodies

Inspired by Kirsty and Phil and their Christmas parties, the kids and I have been getting creative.  We've been making polar bears and penguins for the top of our Xmas cake (OK the cake was shop bought but you can't have everything. 

If you want to make you own polar bear

We had some left over marzipan and made a Santa and pressie too.

Oh and don't forget the mince pie we made yesterday, they taste amazing.  Here's the recipe

Hope you have as much fun making them as we did.

Happy Christmas.

XXX

Xmas panto fun

Have some fun and let someone else make a donation.

Here's the Haines family panto or heres the full address http://www.worldsfastestpanto.com/?guid=23730f13-c384-468d-83bf-969947c61413
After you've seen us, make your own and post the link in the comments box below or email it to us so we can share.

For all this fun O2 make a donation of 50p for every panto made upto a set amount of course. The money is going to Think big

Mother and Son keyboard lessons from a book.

We got Kai a little keyboard a couple of years ago, he liked playing the demo songs especially Jingle Bells which was set to be the first one for some reason obviously someone wanting to punish parents all year round.
The other morning he brought it in and actually tried playing a song on it. 
Now I'm sad to admit but I don't actually read music or know how to play anything other that a few notes of the Eastenders theme tune on it, so went on Amazon and managed to get a Usborne beginners Piano book. 
I expected being a childrens book to find very simple instructions and just a simple few songs. 

We had a few spare mins while Alana napped at the weekend and Kai was so keen to play something, So together we read through a lot of information, we marked out the keyboard with the notes, and I tried to explain about crotchets and quavers.  The book even tried explaining about 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time but that went over my head a bit.

However at the end of our first session we both had played "Mary had a little lamb", which seems to have satisfied Kai's interest for now, but now I need to make the time, to read on a bit and learn for me, probably won't help my singing much but at least might be able to practice at home a bit.

Alana then got up from her nap where Kai and I had been playing with one finger, she comes along and was playing what sounded like chords.  She then moved the keyboard and was dancing round the room with it, so I thought you might like to see them in action.

Halloween 2010

Well we've have Nanna (my Mother-in-law) up for the half term week, and Mark took her back home to Surrey this weekend.  This left me an the kids at home.  So today being halloween turned into a very creative day.

We started by making the jack-o-lantern (something I've never seen or done before).  Alana loved  helping me to pull the insides of the pumpkin out but Kai wasn't too keen on the slimey feel of the seeds and raced off to was his hands.

I'd also bought some gummy sweets that can with gel pens that you could paint decorate the sweets with, which amused this kids too.

 Finally we made some Thomas (the Tank engine) cupcakes which they got to decorate in the afternoon. 
I brought down the bag of dressing up clothes and the kids decided on which costume they wanted to wear.

In the evening Kai decided that he would rather stay at home and give out goodies to trick or treaters than go out and about himself (although we did pop next door to show of my little cuties pies.)

As soon as people knocked on the door (and on a couple of occasions before they had a chance to knock) he'd open the door and hand over his pumpkin bucket full of chocs. 
He even invented a new word rather than trick or treaters he called them "trickles".

Kai kept his costume on until bedtime, although Alana wanted her's off much earlier.  I did like hearing all comments when he opened the door and was still in costume, although quite why the wrestler costume for Halloween I'm not sure. 

Can't believe that tomorrow Kai goes back to school and that's the end of our half term, we've done so much, he probably needs a rest.

Pony Rides and Mood Swings

Today being Saturday we started with Kai's latest classes and ballet.  His teacher greeted him and said he'd done well last week.  At the end of the session Kai announced his shoes were in.  I'd asked the Ladies who deal with all the money when I'd paid his terms fees about them when we'd arrived but they told me next week.  I was a little concerned to find that elastic to hold them on was only attached on one side.  OK I know I'm dense but didn't realise I'd be left to sew elastic into his ballet shoes, my Homework for the week.

After a brief interlude into town we went to a craft fair at Aston Marina near Stone, there were a few nice little stalls, but not worth the drive over there for us.  The one nice thing was there were a few horses and Shetland ponies doing rides.  Kai and Alana got to ride in the little cart behind the pony.  Alana's welly fell off a couple of times and she slipped down trying to get it, luckily the man with them was keeping and eye out.  But the did have fun. 

The next stop was at the Fire and Rescue HQ, opens day.  I think it was about here we started with Kai refusing to do what we asked, generally getting in strop if things didn't go his way.  Like he wanted a toy police helicopter, I'd said no we got stroppy, I said what about a helmet "I don't want one of those"  ten mins later of please can I have a helicopter he gives up and wants a helmet, by which time I've had enough.

By the number of strops and yelling sessions we've been having lately he's obviously tired from school, but if we put him to bed earlier he just wakes earlier, so what's the point. 

This week, we'll try a week of going to bed  earlier and no sneaky late bedtimes.  See if we can persuade nice Kai to come out and play again, as we know he can be lovely manners (at school) but shame about what happens when he gets home.

Star Awards

While trying to load Kai and Alana back into the car, on Friday afternoon after school, the little girl from next door yells hi to us from the playground.  She told me that Kai had won a star award.  I thought it was just something she and her friends were playing, but on investigation in his reading folder I found a certificate.

It said

Star Award
presented to
Kai Haines
for
fantastic manners and following school rules

On investigation (probing Kai is quite hard work). I found out he'd been given this in class assembly, in front of the whole school.  They seem to do this every Friday in Assembly.  Wow how proud do I feel.  Well I feel proud and then I fell cheated because he's so good at school he wins awards yet home the rules are there to be ignored.

For a treat to celebrate we went ten pin bowling.  Kai has been a few times now but Alana had never been but she enjoyed it, and Kai was thrilled because he got a strike.  All I can say about my performance is say that I'm very glad that we had the bumpers up.  Considering Mark had been bowling with his friend in Worcester the evening before I ended up only being about 10 points behind him in the end.

What clever, well mannered(?) children I've got.

Craft Kits

Kai likes being crafty, in more ways than one. Since he was about 1yrs old he's had a go with aqua draw, crayola pens that only draw on special paper, felt pens, pencils, crayons, stickers, paints, gluing.

We don't have a dinning table just TV tables, so giving him the art stuff is always a big deal, getting everything ready and finding him somewhere to do it. So we like little craft kits that come with everything you need in the pack.

In the past we've made a small picture of a cat looking into a fish bowl and we've done a bigger decoupage type one with a princess and castle, made from foam stickers cut into shapes from Hobby craft.

These kits generally work for me because being controlling Mummy I like all the elements in just the right place. Stickers Kai's used to but gluing is still something relatively new to us at home.

Over the last few days we've been crafty, after Kai wakes from his nap and before Alana stirs we've been busy.

First of all we made a foam reindeer from Hobbycraft. It came in a small pack to make about 6 although Kai's interest wains after 1. He loves the googley eyes like his new fav programme on the BBC in the afternoon Ooglies.

However the draw back to this kit, was that there was nothing to stick them on. I suppose it's so you use you imagination where they go, but the drawback to this is you need to spend more money on the cards, or foam shape you mount it on.

Yesterday we worked on a calendar kit provided by @NEDayCrafts / http://www.nedaycrafts.co.uk/ who I met on twitter.

I cut out all the pieces, and I was very impressed that there was a glue brush and a little plastic bag of pva glue included. Now with hindsight, this should have been when I said over to you Kai, but controlling Mummy lay it out as per the pic for him to see and then handed him each piece in turn, showing him where to put it. He enjoyed himself, I got a very pretty calendar and now I feel guilty for stifling his creativity. Never mind he can always be crafty tomorrow.

When asked which bit he liked best: "I like the sun and all of it". I asked him which kit he preferred doing and he said "the calendar" so perhaps I am being too hard on myself, he still enjoyed himself, and got to spend quality time with Mummy, so it's all good.

What's "UP" at the cinema.

A few months ago Kai and I went to the cinema to see "Ice Age 3" he loved it and considering he's only 3yrs old way remarkably well behaved. So as a treat for him doing so well with his toilet training the last few weeks, I thought we'd go back and see Disney Pixars new film "Up".


Ok perhaps I should have moved when the ads came on and the music was loud enough for Kai to put his hands up to cover his ears and said he wanted to go home before the adverts had even finished.


Before the film started there was a short animated film "Partly Cloudy", which was funny, and Kai even started to relax and enjoy himself. I should have given up while the going was good.


Then came the film itself began. The first few minutes are all about how the main man, Mr Fredrikson met his wife and about their life together. Unfortunately at the end of this section she dies, and me being the soppy thing I am, was sitting there bawling my eyes out. I knew she had to die (ok it's the natural order of things, but) it's also the point of the film, she dies and he goes on the big adventure they'd always planned. So there's me bawling and Kai wearing just the hood of his jacket to try muffling the loud music from the film.


The film progresses and main characters befriend a big bird that looks like a big peacock crossed with a dodo. The baddies capture the bird in a net and take it away with them. Well poor Kai got really upset and started crying / screaming because they caught the bird. I gave him big hugs, whispered reassuringly, not to worry they'd rescue the bird, all the time he's screaming as though I was killing him. In the end I went for the tried and tested method that Mum's have used to stop crying for years, BRIBERY. I offered him a little bit of my coke if he stopped crying, this worked, for a while at least....


In true Disney fashion, the good guys rescue the bird, and all live happily ever after but Kai started to cry / scream again and this time continued while I got his coat on, we left the screen and even leaving the cinema. One of the poor guys who came in to clean the screen said "It wasn't that bad was it?". When I eventually got him calmed down he said he was crying because "they left the bird behind" with its family, and then "because the film ended". Poor little dude got close to starting again everytime we mentioned the film for the rest of the day.

I went to the cinema expecting lots of laughs, and although the film was good, I wouldn't say it's a kids film or for soppy people like me (at least not in public).

Dressing up.

In the spirit of not trying to be to Stereo-typical with my children (OK so I was dying to get Alana her first dolly/baby) Kai has recently talked a lot about wanting to be a princess to wear the big dress. At first I just giggled with him. But the conversation has cropped up a few times now, so decided to go along with it as much as possible. The other day he heard the story Goldilocks and then we decided to act it out. which went down really well.


We repeated the process with him, being Goldilocks, and the narrator and he loved it. Amazing what a bit of material and a headband can achieve. However while browsing through eBay I found someone selling lots of dressing up dresses for 1-3yr olds, which I thought Alana might like at some point for trick or treating etc.
Well today they arrived, Alana being only 13months old, was more interested in exploring the lounge, now she has discovered how to crawl forwards. Kai however wanted to try on the ring, bangle hair clip and wand, to start with...
Then the skirt that looked like Peppa Pigs tutu was put on. Finally he wanted to try on one of the dresses to. He just looks so cute as a fairy couldn't really say no. Some people might think is this a sign of things to come cross-dressing, or homosexuality when he's bigger, but I believe that if I told him it was wrong or bad for him to dress up in dresses this might cause more problems than actually let him try things out. To be honest with a Dad who loves musicals and has seen Starlightexpress about 20+ times and a Mum who has been on stage, loves going to the theatre, and who helps with a local youth theatre group. I have a feeling the Goldilocks won't be Kai's last

show.