This time last year we were in Norfolk and the sun was shining. We even had an afternoon on the beach!! This year its been snowing........Best to stay in bed and keep warm with our Bunny Ears and Chocolate Eggs!!
Sunday 31 March 2013
Happy Easter
This time last year we were in Norfolk and the sun was shining. We even had an afternoon on the beach!! This year its been snowing........Best to stay in bed and keep warm with our Bunny Ears and Chocolate Eggs!!
Friday 29 March 2013
Last Day At Nursery
Wednesday this week was Jamie's last day at nursery and Thursday was mummy's last day at work! After the Easter holidays, Jamie will be only going to pre-school for his 5 sessions a week and mummy will be a full time mummy or, in other words, unemployed!
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Sickness Bug
It's still cold and miserable and Jamie has been ill with a sickness bug the last few days. This started Sunday morning after he had his milk and he continued to throw anything up he ate over the next few days. He had just got rid of it, when daddy started with it - having to leave work early. Both of them were sick for two days and then spent a day in bed recovering. So far, mummy has been spared.....
Saturday 23 March 2013
Archie's Party
Here is a photo of Jamie sat next to Joseph and Archie on the end. I felt a bit sad during the party as Joseph and Archie seemed to be together and not wanting Jamie to join in - mainly as they were pirates and Jamie had refused to have his face painted!! When it came to the balloon modelling Jamie also went against his peers and, although everyone else had a sword, Jamie asked for a 'doggy' which he was very upset when it finally went down!!
What was brilliant was that we may have got rid of Jamie's phobia about people who dress up. At Brewsters they have a Brewsters Bear who comes out and sits with the birthday boy, while everyone sings 'Happy Birthday'. I sat Jamie a distance away from the Bear and the children, and we just watched. As everyone started to sing, we moved closer and, although Jamie did not go as far as a hug with the Bear, he wasn't as scared as he has been!
It was lovely to meet some of the other mums from the nursery and have a 'proper' chat - instead of just rushing past them shouting 'morning' as what usually happens. It was nice to know that a lot of them have put down to go to the same school as Jamie; so he certainly won't feel lonely on his first day. Hopefully, there will be a lot of familiar faces. However, still got to wait til mid April before we find out the school that Jamie will be attending.....
Monday 18 March 2013
Time.....
A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said...
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly...
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was... my time"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.
"Jack, did you hear me?"
"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said...
"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.
"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.
"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.
"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.
As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.
The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time. Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture. Jack stopped suddenly...
"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.
"The box is gone," he said
"What box?" Mom asked.
"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.
It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.
"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."
It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read. Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.
"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch.
Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved:
"Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser."
"The thing he valued most was... my time"
Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.
"I need some time to spend with my son," he said.
"Oh, by the way, Janet, thanks for your time!"
Friday 15 March 2013
Feeling like a bad mother this morning.....
Forgot it was Red Nose Day, so Jamie is the only child at nursery wearing grey!!!
The clothes were clean, he had cleaned his teeth, I can't guarantee he had brushed his hair, but I still feel awful!! Jamie didn't actually seem to notice......
The clothes were clean, he had cleaned his teeth, I can't guarantee he had brushed his hair, but I still feel awful!! Jamie didn't actually seem to notice......
Thursday 14 March 2013
Stressed? Me?
Had one of those mornings.....went to bed early last night and woke up early, so decided to get up early, so I could catch up on all the bits of paper that seem to have accumulated. I managed to get a few jobs done (washing up, sort clothes and a bit of tidying) but when I sat down with my tea - still relatively early - I was joined by Jamie!!
Now, don't get me wrong, I love my morning cuddles, but it was only just past 6am and I had been looking forward to some time on my own. Added to this, daddy was still in bed, which means I need to keep Jamie quiet!! Frustration!!
So this email from http://zenhabits.net/came at the right time:
The Art of Letting Go
1. Notice why you’re stressed. What external event is stressing you? Why is it stressing you out? What fear do you have?
2. Notice what you’re holding onto. If your response is fear, it’s because you’re holding onto something. It’s probably a fantasy/ideal, or wanting to control something, wanting something to turn out a certain way, wishing things would meet the expectations you have. If you’re saying, “He should do this” or “It should be like this” then you’re holding onto an ideal/expectation/outcome.
3. Realize that it’s not real. This fantasy, this expectation, this wishing you could control things … it’s just made up in your head. To be fair, we all do it. But it’s not a real thing — and it can be let go of.
4. See that it’s hurting you. This thing you’ve made up is causing you stress, which is shortening your life, and making what short life you have less enjoyable. It’s causing pain in your life. Realize this.
5. Let go. If something you’ve made up is causing pain, why hold onto it? It’s not worth it. By letting go, you release the pain, and are just left with you and the work you need to do.
The email goes onto say: Your son is stressing you out because he’s not doing what he should be doing. You’re mad! Why can’t he just do what you ask? Of course, this is a fantasy. Your kids (or friends, or spouse) are not going to live up to these expectations you have of how they should behave — these expectations aren’t anything real, just fantasies. You can’t control their behavior — wanting to do so just stresses you out. So let go of that expectation and the desire to control, and the stress goes away. Instead, open your heart, and be open to who they are.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love my morning cuddles, but it was only just past 6am and I had been looking forward to some time on my own. Added to this, daddy was still in bed, which means I need to keep Jamie quiet!! Frustration!!
So this email from http://zenhabits.net/came at the right time:
The Art of Letting Go
1. Notice why you’re stressed. What external event is stressing you? Why is it stressing you out? What fear do you have?
2. Notice what you’re holding onto. If your response is fear, it’s because you’re holding onto something. It’s probably a fantasy/ideal, or wanting to control something, wanting something to turn out a certain way, wishing things would meet the expectations you have. If you’re saying, “He should do this” or “It should be like this” then you’re holding onto an ideal/expectation/outcome.
3. Realize that it’s not real. This fantasy, this expectation, this wishing you could control things … it’s just made up in your head. To be fair, we all do it. But it’s not a real thing — and it can be let go of.
4. See that it’s hurting you. This thing you’ve made up is causing you stress, which is shortening your life, and making what short life you have less enjoyable. It’s causing pain in your life. Realize this.
5. Let go. If something you’ve made up is causing pain, why hold onto it? It’s not worth it. By letting go, you release the pain, and are just left with you and the work you need to do.
The email goes onto say: Your son is stressing you out because he’s not doing what he should be doing. You’re mad! Why can’t he just do what you ask? Of course, this is a fantasy. Your kids (or friends, or spouse) are not going to live up to these expectations you have of how they should behave — these expectations aren’t anything real, just fantasies. You can’t control their behavior — wanting to do so just stresses you out. So let go of that expectation and the desire to control, and the stress goes away. Instead, open your heart, and be open to who they are.
Sunday 10 March 2013
Happy Mother's Day
This is what my son painted for me. And underneath he has (just about) written his name!!
Friday 8 March 2013
It's not what you do for your children....
....but what you do with your children that counts.
This quote comes from 101 ways to get your child to read by Patience Thomson (a Barrington Stoke Ltd Quick Read) 2009 which I picked up at the library.
Cousin Lucy is reading already, and I know Jamie is going to be behind her for a while. However, the book offers advise for starting to read with him, and I think so far we aren't doing too badly.
As the book says; the first thing a child must know about when he is learning to read are the shapes and sounds of all the letters used in the English language. Then he can put them together and find out what each word says.
Every letter has a different shape. To read, we have to tell one letter from another; d and o and g do not look the same.
Letter have different sounds. You need to know what sounds letters make to work out what each letter in a word is saying d-o-g.
To remember them better, your child may like to give the letters nicknames like 'sammy snake' for S.
The book suggests separating the vowels and consonants, but this is something that Jamie should do once he starts school. For the time being, I think we will just concentrate on getting him to identify the letters. The book also points out that words are not just in books - they are everywhere. Jamie has already realised this and asks 'what does that say' more than once a day!
The book also suggests children write their own book with stories, jokes, pictures in. This might be a project for us when we are off in the summer. I am sure I have an empty scrapbook lying around somewhere......
This quote comes from 101 ways to get your child to read by Patience Thomson (a Barrington Stoke Ltd Quick Read) 2009 which I picked up at the library.
Cousin Lucy is reading already, and I know Jamie is going to be behind her for a while. However, the book offers advise for starting to read with him, and I think so far we aren't doing too badly.
As the book says; the first thing a child must know about when he is learning to read are the shapes and sounds of all the letters used in the English language. Then he can put them together and find out what each word says.
Every letter has a different shape. To read, we have to tell one letter from another; d and o and g do not look the same.
Letter have different sounds. You need to know what sounds letters make to work out what each letter in a word is saying d-o-g.
To remember them better, your child may like to give the letters nicknames like 'sammy snake' for S.
The book suggests separating the vowels and consonants, but this is something that Jamie should do once he starts school. For the time being, I think we will just concentrate on getting him to identify the letters. The book also points out that words are not just in books - they are everywhere. Jamie has already realised this and asks 'what does that say' more than once a day!
The book also suggests children write their own book with stories, jokes, pictures in. This might be a project for us when we are off in the summer. I am sure I have an empty scrapbook lying around somewhere......
Tuesday 5 March 2013
Rhyming, Reading, Singing, Playing...
Following on from the rhyming post, Jamie has started singing a lot more. He doesn't always get the words right - and they often don't rhyme - but he can at least sing a story and often makes up little songs as he goes along.
Although nursery have mentioned his sleeping arrangements, other than that he seems to be doing very well there. They often say how he likes to tell them stories, and he is always playing games - usually 'super heroes' or 'houses' with the other children - usually his best friends Archie and / or Joseph.
At home, he plays games with his teddies (usually 'parties') and uses cushions to represent people. Jamie and his daddy are always playing some game or other. (Mummy is more of a cuddle giver and a reader!)
At the moment Jamie is very interested in what rhymes with what and constantly asks what a word says; either in books, on the TV or when we are out and about. He has also started picking out the letters from his name; 'Is that in my name?', and is getting better and better at writing his (first) name.
While mummy still has a job (only a few weeks left) she has been buying Jamie some of the brilliant magazines that are available. Recent ones include Fireman Sam and Octonauts www.theoctonauts.com/ These are a bit pricey, but include stories, spot the difference, letters and number pages as well as lots of stickers - which Jamie loves!
And we have started recording The Numberjacks www.numberjacks.co.uk/kids/ as Jamie actually asks for it, although he still loves 'Show me, Show me' and 'Bob The Builder'.
Although nursery have mentioned his sleeping arrangements, other than that he seems to be doing very well there. They often say how he likes to tell them stories, and he is always playing games - usually 'super heroes' or 'houses' with the other children - usually his best friends Archie and / or Joseph.
At home, he plays games with his teddies (usually 'parties') and uses cushions to represent people. Jamie and his daddy are always playing some game or other. (Mummy is more of a cuddle giver and a reader!)
At the moment Jamie is very interested in what rhymes with what and constantly asks what a word says; either in books, on the TV or when we are out and about. He has also started picking out the letters from his name; 'Is that in my name?', and is getting better and better at writing his (first) name.
While mummy still has a job (only a few weeks left) she has been buying Jamie some of the brilliant magazines that are available. Recent ones include Fireman Sam and Octonauts www.theoctonauts.com/ These are a bit pricey, but include stories, spot the difference, letters and number pages as well as lots of stickers - which Jamie loves!
And we have started recording The Numberjacks www.numberjacks.co.uk/kids/ as Jamie actually asks for it, although he still loves 'Show me, Show me' and 'Bob The Builder'.
Saturday 2 March 2013
Nursery Chatter
Picking up Jamie from nursery last night, and as we were leaving one of the ladies said to Jamie; 'and are you going to sleep in your own bed tonight Jamie?' Jamie seemed upset and embarrassed and I didn't know what to say, so said (laughing) 'Well, there could be worse things', and then we left.
Not sure how she found out that Jamie is still sleeping in our bed. I suspect Jamie told them that's where he slept. He has been saying lately that he uses his bed as a boat!
This is not the first time that Jamie has got upset at something someone has said at nursery. He has said to me a couple of times that he doesn't want to give up his teddy bears. This was because someone had said to him that he shouldn't have a bear. Someone else (or possibly the same person) has also commented to him about sucking his thumb; as again, Jamie has asked whether he can keep sucking his thumb!
As far as his parents are concerned (as we are the ones who count) Jamie can keep his teddy's as long as he wants. I hope he isn't sucking his thumb when he starts school in September, but as he only really does it when he is tired, I don't see it as a major problem.
As for his sleeping arrangements....
Not sure how she found out that Jamie is still sleeping in our bed. I suspect Jamie told them that's where he slept. He has been saying lately that he uses his bed as a boat!
This is not the first time that Jamie has got upset at something someone has said at nursery. He has said to me a couple of times that he doesn't want to give up his teddy bears. This was because someone had said to him that he shouldn't have a bear. Someone else (or possibly the same person) has also commented to him about sucking his thumb; as again, Jamie has asked whether he can keep sucking his thumb!
As far as his parents are concerned (as we are the ones who count) Jamie can keep his teddy's as long as he wants. I hope he isn't sucking his thumb when he starts school in September, but as he only really does it when he is tired, I don't see it as a major problem.
As for his sleeping arrangements....
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