Chop chop chop!

That's right, at three and a half I decided Isaac was old enough to start using knives (!) I use the corer/slicer to cut it into wedges and then he uses a small paring knife to cut the wedges into pieces.

Am I mad? I don't think so.

He's a sensible little chap and I trust him not to use them when I'm not in the room as he's proven trust worthy with scissors since he was very small. 

And we have rules: 

1) Always cut down 

2) Never wave knives around 

3) Never use a knife without a grown up

There have been a few heart-in-mouth moments where I thought he might lose a bit of finger and I've leapt in to correct the path of the knife, but that's why I'm there until his motor skills are more developed. 

He really loves to do things on his own and I love to help him. Trust and mutual respect is earned; how can he earn it if I don't let him?

A few snaps

Most of these were taken on my phone as I'm forever forgetting to take my compact camera out with me and there is a battery issue with my Nikon, so please excuse the quality!

We had a real tree for the first time at Christmas. It was so lovely and hardly any needle droppage! 

It reads "Imagine waking tomorrow and all music has disappeared". I see this on my walk to Dan's house and it makes me shudder every time.

Isaac gets to grip with Reading Eggs. My Dad gave him a year's subscription to the site and he loves it! I was reluctant to get on the technology bandwagon while he's still so young, but it's actually teaching him to read so I figure it can't be all bad.

January snow.

Walking walking everywhere...I've lost a whole stone in weight since selling my car!

Local board game evening. Dan shows Isaac Othello. 

I knit some mitts! Officially over the knitting fear now and will give most things a go. Still working up to a big project (i.e.: something bigger than hats of mittens), but have been working on different stitches and pattern reading and it goes well.

February snow. It looks beautiful, but it's soooooooooooooo cold! We've had March snow too, a mini blizzard in-fact earlier this week. What's going on with the weather in this country huh?

So there we are, a few random snaps from while we've been away. The Nikon has been taken somewhere hopefully to fix it and I shall make more of an effort to take my camera out!

The end.

Not Mothering Sunday

After a few reasonably traumatic weeks (I know there seem to be a lot at the moment, fingers crossed that's the last of them for a while?) we had a really nice day today. We left the confines of Derby! On a bus! We only went the fourteen miles down the A52 to Nottingham, but that's quite an achievement for the boy who doesn't like to leave the house.

Isaac showcases his love of technology using Dan's phone

When Isaac was a baby I was introduced to a children's author by the name of Oliver Jeffers. Isaac and I love his books; the central character in three of them (that I know of) is "the boy" whose name isn't ever revealed. The tales are sweet and moving, the language simple and the images beautifully painted all of which portend a positive story experience for both Isaac and I. I never tire of reading these stories to my boy. So. As you can imagine, I was more than a little excited that a stage production of How To Catch a Star was coming to Nottingham. I held off booking tickets until last week and almost cried when Isaac shouted that he "DID NOT WANT TO GO" several times this morning. But. We made it! 

Isaac thoroughly enjoyed it which is what I was aiming for. Result! For me, I felt that transition to stage lost the simple beauty of Jeffers' style. The two performers were a hugely OTT with fill in noises and there was the inevitable addition to the story that comes with all children's-book-to-other-medium transfers which detracts from the essence of the narrative. However, all the children in the audience loved every minute of it so I'll stop my boring old adult grumbling! 

There are quite a few stage adaptation of children's stories around now I notice. We've been to see Julia Donaldson & Axel Sheffler's The Snail and The Whale fairly recently and less recently Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I'm so pleased that Isaac enjoys these trips to the theatre, I really am. We have tickets to see another one of Oliver Jeffer's next month - Stuck. We haven't read it yet and I think I might keep it that way. 

We arrived in Nottingham deliberately a couple of hours before the performance in order to eat some lunch which we did at The Malt Cross. If you're in Nottingham and peckish/thirsty, do go; it's SUCH a beautiful building inside. It was formerly the Victoria Music Hall (?) I learned today. Their food is very good, if a little pricey for pub food BUT all profit from the cafe goes to charity! How can you argue with that? The atmosphere is relaxed and they are fine with children (even if the clientele aren't as I overheard on a previous visit). Isaac actually ate some vegetables today! Well. A vegetable. Baby sweetcorn times three! WOOOOOOOH!

It's totally irrelevant and incredibly juvenile which is probably why it made me snigger: I saw a poster advertising some sort of comedy event with what can only be described as a fat Mister Maker.

Mister Maker

Piss Taker

If you've ever had the unfortunate luck to endure an episode of the Cbeebies show then you should be chortling to yourself right about now. The premise of the show is all good (get kids interested in being creative), but the man himself is irritating as hell. I should stop here before I launch into some sort of discussion about children's television shows and their presenters. Because I can and I will. I can see the words in my brain already. Stopping. Now. 

Our return bus journey culminated in gridlocked traffic as we arrived in Derby so we were let off early. Isaac had fallen asleep across our laps and was groggy so I strapped him on my back and waved goodbye to Dan as I boarded the bus home in a non-gridlocked part of town. We were greeted with the usual limitless enthusiasm of the furry one. And then Isaac weed on the sofa. *sigh* Unimpressed doesn't cover it. Anyway (there is a point to all this) I cleaned it up and stopped being mad about it. About an hour later he came over to me, sat on my lap, put his arms around my neck looked me straight in the eye and said "you're the best mummy in the world" and then kissed me on the nose. I'm welling up again now!

The sun wasn't shining and the British drizzle carried on regardless, but I will always remember today and smile. My non-Mothering Sunday Mother's Day. Perfect.

Hello 2013

My my it's been a very long time! Just over seven months in-fact. I'm very aware that my last post wasn't so positive, but it was a fair and accurate description of life at the time. Well. It didn't get any better. The terrible twos really took off into some horrible direction and we only now seem to be settling. There is still an awful lot of "I don't WANT to!" almost every time I suggest he get dressed, so much so that I've resorted to sticker charts...which work approximately 75% of the time. Bed time is another point of contention. Quite simply: I want him to go to bed and he doesn't! 

Staying calm, rational and not shouty is also a challenge when every night's sleep for as long as I can remember has been broken because Isaac wakes me up either wet, scared of something or wanting to get in with me. I do not object to these things and accept them as part of being a parent. I am fortunate that I do get to sleep right through when he stays at his father's. 

Relationship changes for me have caused ripples and probably haven't helped Isaac through a difficult time and then there's the ever upsetting money situation. Living within one's means when one's means isn't very much is trying and down right bloody difficult. 

BUT!

SPRING IS HERE ish !!

Yes, life is on the move again. Yesterday was the first properly sunny day we've had and it was glorious. I didn't even wear a coat! There are little buds on trees and plants everywhere and bulbs shooting up left right and centre. Not in my garden, that would be a miracle. Winter this year has been a long hard slog and we are very ready for more outdoorsy weather. I had my first Couch Surfer since December 2011 on Monday night. An interesting fellow cycling from Chester to Vietnam over the course of six months culminating in a teaching job there. 

We did manage a trip to a local rec ground the other day (finally at about 3.30pm after talking about it with him all day - he agreed!) I haven't been there since Rinny was a puppy so it was lovely to see the new (to me) play area for children and be reminded of the big football pitch where we could let the dog off for a good run.

I made the executive decision to remove myself from Facebook. Which I did yesterday. And to stop using my HTC Desire smartphone in favour of my old Nokia C3-01. Why have I done these things? I have an addictive personality and was finding myself constantly wasting time on both which is essentially me ignoring my son. This is not acceptable and blatantly damaging to our relationship and what he accepts as normal. I think I've written about it before...a long time ago and possibly on a different blog. I get sucked in by technology. It has a place, but my little boy has the biggest and most important place in my life. 

I might still be a little bit addicted to Words With Friends and Hanging With Friends, but I'm investigating an Android app simulator for Windows called Blue Stacks. I shall see how that goes. It feels very strange to remove myself so completely from something that is such a huge part of many people's lives nowadays. 

So, here is to longer days, warmer weather and (fingers crossed) a sunnier little boy.

If you try the patience of angels

It's been a while and here's why.

Someone has stolen my little boy and in his place put a child with multiple personalities who cannot make his mind up about anything. I kid ye not. Just under two months shy of his third birthday and we have finally arrived at the terrible twos. All those other things I thought were the terrible twos pale by comparison, heck I can't even remember what they were! We are on course for the terrifying tertiaries at this rate.

Life has become increasingly difficult in recent weeks for us both. I consider myself usually reasonably patient with him and people comment on how well behaved he is, but this new set of "I CAN'Ts" and "I DON'Ts" are proving worthy in their opponency of my composure. I've spoken before about how motherhood brought with it [for me] a marked heightening of emotions, an achievement unlocked upon sproglet entering the world if you will; I have NEVER been so mad with a small person EVER. I am ashamed at the end of each and every day about how I have felt about his meltdowns, but boy am I ready for his bedtime.

There are two sides to everything, often more and I'm sure beyond reasonable doubt the whole scenario is    pretty rubbish for him too. Crying approximately seven litres of tears a day must dehydrate him awfully and all the shouting at me must be making him hoarse! I jest (evil mummy). What else do I have? My child HATES ME! Unless he gets everything that he wants RIGHT NOW! then he is, of course, the picture of perfection. This is what it boils down to: we are locked into a battle of wills for sizeable portions of the day. 

On the other side of this coin of doom: he seems to be outgrowing naps which means we can do more, he has begun playing imaginatively and now calls other children we know his friends. His language is coming on leaps and bounds marred only by a reasonably frequent stammer (more on that another time). His little body is awash with hormones, emotions, demands, and new experiences. 

Of course I know he has a lot going on right now. If I thought there was a god I could blame the ridiculousness of the situations we end up disagreeing on on its sense of humour, but I don't. I shall instead focus on that it will  hopefully not be forever and that he is my boy and (as I tell him every night when I tuck him in) I love him more than anything in the whole universe. 

How can I not? Look at him!

<3

Much ado about bubbles

All kids LOVE bubbles. Fact.

Is it just me that calls them Michael Bubles?

Nursery niggling

Isaac doesn't like being left by me anymore. I know I know, who likes being left, right? But. he used to love going to nursery and would quite happily run in to play without so much as a second glance back to Mummy for a kiss or wave goodbye. 

I think I messed up. 

When we got back from our holiday, after two weeks of not being at nursery, he stayed at his Daddy's house over night and was then taken to nursery the next morning by him. He was due to go back to Daddy's house that night so I figured it would be better if (rather than me picking him up and taking him down to Daddy's that evening) he was at nursery all day and if Daddy picked him up that night. I have a horrible feeling I was wrong and this has made him scream when I leave him there and when I also put him in bed for his day time nap.

I could be entirely wrong and it's just a phase. Who knows. Doesn't stop me beating myself up about it. As my friend says parenting decisions are, for her, are all about how much guilt she feels and boy do I feel it now.

He's fine the rest of the time, look see! He really is!

I didn't put the collar on him by the way, he desperately wanted to try it on. And the bra? Well, look how pleased he is that he did it "all by myself". HIS WORDS!!

I really wanted to take him out of nursery this morning; he only goes two mornings a week! That coupled with the biting incident of last week - aiy! However, the nursery lady says he's always fine the instant I'm gone and that he's happy for the rest of the day, he even eats his dinner now! He's always pleased to see me and we have a massive cuddle and he tells me he missed me. 

So. 

On we go, testing the waters of the parenting unknown.

No one said it was going to be easy...

Chompy children

My little sausage was bitten by another child at nursery today. I didn't really know how to react when I was told by his key-worker because my ex-husband's youngest was a biter so I can appreciate both side of the coin. Anyhoo, I think it looks pretty savage. Poor Pisaac :-(

Goofball

Goofing around is second nature to my son, especially with stuff that cost lots of money! He's cute though...so I usually cave. Result = see below!