Birthday Bashed

A few days ago LM turned 5.  My grown-up not so little man.

Sadly it was a school day so after just one present LM went off in his uniform demanding of everyone "How old do you think I am?" and taking great delight in informing them.  He handed out gingerbread stars to his class at home time (remarkably patiently given that he had presents to get back to) then it was off home to the aforementioned presents (recurring themes of Lego & Star Wars - always a hit) & his birthday tea request of Chinese.  I'm not so naive as to think I could pull off a party on a Friday night with tired terrors children.

So Saturday was the big birthday bash (or bashed if you are Daddy trying to organise a bit of handwashing).  We went with a space theme & consequently were invaded by a fair few Buzz Lightyears.  My own Buzz was enhanced with a homemade jetpack which survives intact only because it stayed on for 10 minutes max.

 

We played various space variations of the usual party games - Pass the Parcel became Save Planet Earth from the Asteroid (good excuse for my rubbish wrapping - it was meant to look like that!), Simon Says became Commander D says and we had airbeds to replicate the Moon's surface for Toss the beanbag (I mean, moon rock) into the crater (bin).  Oh & a beautiful Pin the Spaceman courtesy of clever Daddy.

The cake was meant to be a UFO with stretchy alien passengers but it may have resembled more of a crashed UFO.  Luckily the kids were either too polite to say or too busy eating it.

Not the cake but gingerbread Spaceman & Flying Saucers

We finished off with fireworks which whilst they didn't keep the space cadets quiet, at least had the advantage of keeping them in one place (briefly).

All in all I think it went well but lessons I have learnt are:

•  how ever long you think a game will last, halve it
• how ever many games you think you need, double it 
• it doesn't really matter as long as they can run around & make lots of noise (Musical Aliens anyone?)

The Honeymoon Period is over

LM is no longer in love with school, at least in the mornings.

For the past few days he has told me he doesn't want to go to school, usually invoking a cough (which admittedly he still has) or being too tired.  This morning was the worst because he tripped on his way in & scraped his knee.  Cue many tears & hanging on to Mummy's neck.  I finally extricated myself by depositing him in the book corner & promising to pick him up later.  I have learnt my lesson from last week & made sure I emphasised that it would be at the end of the day.  I made the mistake of being a bit vague about that before & at the end of the day LM asked "Why didn't you come & get me before the end Mummy?" even though he had just told me he had had a fun day!

I have enlisted the help of his best friend in cheering him up so hopefully this will be just a phase (a brief one please) - it breaks my heart to leave him when he's so sad. 

Although I do know I am easily replaced by stickle bricks.

After School Update
LM came running out, all smiles, to tell us he had done some lovely writing.  Oh & yes, he had played with the stickle bricks

Winter Wonderland...in November!

Sunday morning I woke up & looked out to find a garden carpeted in white & huge flakes still gently drifting down.  This was all the more amazing as just 2 hours earlier I'd been rudely awoken by torrential rain.  It only being 7.30 & a Sunday LM was still tucked up in bed (I know I'm lucky) so I kindly got him up to see the snow.

Well, I don't know if I've mentioned the difficulties I have getting him to get dressed in the morning, but the sight of the white stuff was just the trigger he needed.  I have never seen him get dressed so quickly.  He was wrapped up warm & out of the back door before I had a chance to put the coffee on.  Which was lucky as not long after rain began to fall & the snow started disappearing fast.  Well at least he got a few snowballs in.

Unfortunately I can't rely on snow every morning to aid in getting ready but I do have the backup plan of the marble run.  Throw in a handful of marbles & LM tries to get dressed before they reach the end.  This is, however, quite a noisy start to the day but if it works...

If you go down to the woods today...

...make sure you don't overtake the person in front! This, according to LM, is the cardinal rule of countryside walking. Effectively it meant we weren't to overtake him although, seeing as he said it was a rule he learnt at school, I'm sure the person in front is meant to be an adult. Even when negotiating tricky steep bits LM would only accept help if we swore to go back to our designated places once the hazard was passed.

Highlights of our walk included LM showing us where rabbits lay their eggs (who knew?) and the white knuckle walk along some extremely slippy mud, bordered on one side by a ditch & the other by an electric fence. Whichever way you fell you'd had it.

As the pioneer of the group, leading the way through dense jungle (well the brambles & nettles were encroaching on the footpath), LM took great delight in announcing what hazards lay ahead.  Surprisingly for our neck of the woods there were many deep rivers to be crossed - although thankfully none of them went above welly height.  At least they washed off some of the mud.

LM & one of the 'big rivers'

LM was enjoying himself so much he didn't want to go home ... until, that is, he saw the steep hill that had to be climbed to get back.  Then he stopped dead & said plaintively "I wish it was lunchtime" as if that would magically transport us home.  Luckily a breeze blew down a flurry of leaves that we pretended was snow & that got us going again.

The Spice of Life

LM is quite partial to curry, particularly the dhansak style one his dad makes.  It's not too spicy (just the way LM likes it) but still with plenty of bite for grown ups.  I don't really get involved in the preparation of this dish, apart from pointing out where I keep all the different spices (I don't move them around honest), so was a little perplexed as to what might have gone into Saturday night's version when LM announced he had just chewed a 'flavour stone'.

  My first thought was of the old Stone Soup story but the chef was quick to identify the culprit - a cheeky cardamom that had escaped being fished out for LM's benefit.  I think that's what I'll be calling them from now on. 

I've made Hugh's cauliflower & chickpea curry - I hope I find the star anise before LM.  I can't imagine what he'd call it.

P is for...

Today is brought to you by the letter 'P'.

In a rare moment of openness about what LM gets up to all day in school he told me that they were practising 'P'.  When I asked him what words start with it I was informed that his contribution to the class was the word, wait for it, "Perseverance"! 

Top marks for the right letter but I don't think I should take credit for his choice of words - whilst perseverance is definitely a quality you need as a parent I'm fairly certain it's not a word that gets bandied around in conversations Chez Nous that often.  We suspect that the teacher must have used it (probably just seconds before) for LM to remember it so clearly.  

Still, it is proof that he's learning something.  Now if they could just teach him to eat a yoghurt without getting  it all over himself...

UPDATE:  LM's teacher confirmed that he had actually come up with 'perseverance' (remembering it from their talks about having to persevere to learn new things & their talks about God) - it was, apparently, a 'Wow!' moment

Two days in

LM is now at school.  I can't quite believe it myself, just seeing my baby in his uniform brings a lump to my throat (but at least I didn't cry as he ran into the classroom that first day, without a backwards glance).

I knew LM wouldn't have too much of a problem - for the last term of preschool he spent one morning a week in Reception class getting to know the teacher & the routines - but I had thought (hoped?) he would be a little more reluctant to leave me.  Alas no.  I am supplanted by Miss W in his affections.  The last few weeks of summer were spent drawing pictures for this other woman in his life, everything he does is just so he can tell her, and Saturday he said "I wish I was going to school today".  I exaggerate of course.  When the school day ends he is still my LM.

Although he has only done 2 days so far (let's see how long his enthusiasm lasts once he realises that this is it now for the next 12 years or so) I had to ask him what the best thing about school was.  His reply surprised me: "Learning & stickle bricks".  OK, so the stickle bricks part didn't surprise me, but the 'learning' bit did.  I mean, how much can you have learnt in 2 days?  So I asked him to elaborate.  It turns out he has learnt about keeping the classroom tidy & putting things away.  Bring on the homework!