May the force be with you...

Star Wars.

Old school return of the Jedi style or controversial modern Attack of the Clones style; the big Sawyer boy has found the force.

Light saber battles that always end in tears (usually Daddy's) are a daily occurrence.

Recently Star Wars games have even started to occur in the bath. Characters such as Captain Barnacles and Bob the Builder are being subjected to rather violent good vs evil battles of toy abuse proportions.

The reward chart treat this weekend was a magazine.... Walking down the aisle at Morrisons you would have thought Christmas's and birthdays had all come at once for the big lad.

"Mummy....they do a Star Wars magazineeeee! Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee"

The boy now has a poster from said magazine of all the 'baddies' staring at him from the wall next to his bed.

Now I'm quite partial to a Star Wars film. I am however finding the repetition of viewing the same scenes (always the fights) over and over again slightly tedious.

This evening, our lovely hairdresser was at our house cutting my hair when the big lad came bounding in with this gem...

"The fear of loss is a path to the dark side."

It was us at a loss...for words.

What a strange philosophical outburst for a five year old.

It was a relief when we discovered he had just copied it from his Star Wars annual, including his outstanding picture of Yoda.

Weekend vs Weekday

In the rather one-sided battle of Weekend vs Weekday there is usually one out right winner.

Weekend.

Of course weekends are lovely. They often mean no work (for some), lots of family time and a generally more relaxed attitude towards the day ahead.

However, as usual with parenthood not everything is straight forward.

I have decided to create a list of pro's and con's for weekdays vs weekends in order to thoroughly compare.

Weekday.

Pro's: 

ROUTINE - oh you lovely thing you. A parents best friend. Everyone knows where they are with a good routine. 

Tired children- although this can also be a con it normally means a better nights sleep for all.

Work related adult conversation- surprisingly life should not always revolve around Mr Tumble and dancing to Agadoo.

Shopping- in particular the supermarkets are considerably quieter during the week which makes it marginally more bearable.

Con's: 

Bad weather school runs: the weather is rather unsympathetic to parents and school runs. Come rain or shine (or gale force winds which is my favourite) those kids are going to school.

Only 24 hours in a day- getting two kids ready for school/nursery, dropping them off (thank goodness for good friends) and getting to work for 8:30 is a challenge.

Poor Daddy. We are very lucky in that the man of the house (the oldest one) is home for a very reasonable time after work. However, he still only usually gets to see the grumpy end of our days. Tired, irritable and emotional (and that's just me) Daddy often gets the raw end of the deal.

Weekend.

 Pro's:

Lie in (see con's) - I believe the absolute key to a successful marriage is letting one parent have a lie In on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

Getting out and about- we love going out for the day. Parks, picnics, family visits it's all good fun.

Wine. Enough said.

Chocolate. Enough said.

Con's

So called lie in (see pro's)- every weekend without fail our boys have broken nights and ridiculously early starts. It is guaranteed that one of us will have to be up by 6am on both a Saturday and Sunday. 

Lack of routine- seriously if I could marry routine I would. 

Mummy and Daddy - a bit of a strange one because the whole point of family time is that everyone is involved. However, there is a distinct change in both boys' behaviour when both of us are around. I don't think we are alone in this, friends of mine with little people have concurred.

The eldest acts more babyish and the youngest becomes a grumpy teenager. 

In summary, I conclude that weekends are times to make lovely memories and spend special occasions with friends and family. However they are also a time for major family rows, threat of divorce and boarding school and the serious over comsumption of highly calorific treats by all in order to pacify and recouperate.

End of report. X

Chalk and a rather strong Stilton

We have two boys.

Three years and two months apart in age.

They have the same mother and father.

They were conceived in pretty much the same way (family members cringe now).

They are being raised the same, surrounded by the same people, going to the same places.

And yet they could not be more different.

This is not a complaint, just an observation. I love the fact that our boys have such different personalities. Don't get me wrong, they want to play with the same toys to some extent, they enjoy playing together, most of the time, and words like 'bottom' make them both laugh equally as much.

But I find it astonishing that we could create two so incredibly different people.

Sometimes I feel guilty (welcome to parenthood hey) because it may come across like I care about them differently. 

Our eldest used to cry every time I took him to nursery. It got so bad that I had to accept defeat and ask my husband to take him for fear of an imminent nervous breakdown. When I say cry I mean screaming at me from his car seat that he didn't want me to leave him because he loved me too much.  Sob.

I was completely shell shocked at how difficult it was to leave him.

Our youngest also often cries when it comes to saying goodbye at nursery. And yet I have always had a completely different emotional reaction to what I did first time round.

I have asked myself if this is because you are more resilient when it comes to your second child? Your now officially a pro. Is it because you are so tired having to get two ready in the morning that nursery is an absolute comfort despite tearful goodbyes?

No, I think it is because I am genuinely a little bit afraid of our youngest. He is such a tough little nut. I know the tears are just for show and that he keeps the nursery staff on their toes for the whole day.

He was so poorly for the first months of his life that you'd think I would feel even more worried about him but this is not the case.

He is such a character and I am so proud of his feistiness.

I feel like it is his way of proving to everyone that he is not going to let a minor thing like a dodgy ticker stand in his way or hold him back.

I would prefer if the feistiness did not always manifest itself as defiance towards his Dad and I if we even remotely suggest him doing something major like getting dressed. But no one is perfect!

Just as a bit of proof here is a picture of him in his current meltdown. He saw the IPad, he wanted Mr Tumble Game, I refused....

Just for confirmation he put himself on the naughty step- at least he knows the routine.

Frozen

Last week I took the big lad to see Disneys Frozen at Cineworld.

Before the film started (after half an hour of adverts) there was a fantastic short Mickey Mouse cartoon. It was old school Mickey Mouse combined with the latest visual and sound effects.

The children were giggling throughout so that was a very positive start.

Well, before I even get on to how much the little ones enjoyed the film, I must say my friend and I were completely mesmerised throughout.

I cried, laughed and left the cinema feeling generally pretty good about the world.

I already knew that you can't go wrong with Disney but this film really took me back to how magical it felt watching films such as Beauty and the Beast, Alladin and The Little Mermaid when I was a child.

From the offset the film was filled with catchy songs, which is a winner as far as I am concerned.

You can always tell that a film has had a good impact when as you walk out of the cinema children and adults alike are singing or humming the last song that was heard.

The story revolves around two princess sisters who's parents die in a tragic shipwreck when they are young.

One of the sisters (Elsa) has magical powers making her able to turn things to ice. Her younger sister is Anna and when the sisters are children Elsa accidentally hurts her sister with her powers.

Because of this Elsa has to conceal her powers from her sister and the rest of the world for fear she cannot control them.

When Elsa comes of age and is made Queen her powers are exposed and after her people become frightened of her Elsa is forced to flee into the mountains to be alone.

Anna bravely goes after her sister knowing that she has a kind heart.

Obviously there has to be a baddy, this time in the form of a manipulative young prince who pretends to be in love with Anna.

A handsome reluctant hero (Kristoff) comes into the film from very early on and helps save the day.

Where would any film be without a hilarious talking snowman! Enter Olaf. The absolutely laugh out loud character that really does make the film superb.

The constant battle Olaf has on his hands, to stop Kristoff's reindeer eating his carrot nose is a constant source of comedy. Olaf sings a song about how much he would love to see summer, completely oblivious to the fact that sunbathing on the beach is not a favourite past time of snowmen. Classic.

My favourite part of the film has to be the act of true love required to save Anna's life. The characters and the audience alike assume this act is going to be true loves kiss. It is actually the love of one sister for another that saves her. When Anna is willing to save her sister by sacrificing herself the whole cinema was silent with awe (and that is not easy when the majority of the audience are under 10 years old).

This is seriously a winner and an absolute must for all the family.

I can't wait for it to come out on DVD!

Poirot at Christmas...

I am starting to realise that Christmas is not just the season to be jolly.

It is also the season for children to don their Sherlock hats, get out their magnifying glasses, and suspiciously scrutinise all things Santa.

We are getting away with it so far, given the boys are only five and two. 

However, I did notice that this year there are many more questions, followed by much longer, rather terrifying hesitations before our answers are accepted.

The other day our eldest turned to me with what he claimed was a very important question..."Mummy, Santa's reindeers can't run as fast as Superman can they? So how can he get to everyone's house in one night?"

It's just all getting a bit complicated! 

Last year I distinctly remember my husband threatening to text Father Christmas if there was any bad behaviour.

This year the boy would probably ask to see the reply.

This year as is tradition in our family, we spent a fab week at the winter wonderland at Center Parcs.

When we got home we put the Christmas decorations up and we found the previous years' photos with Santa from Center Parcs...

I noticed the big lad was just sitting looking at the photos for a considerable length of time.

I did not catch on at first but then the horror hit me...he was comparing the Father Christmas's!

I quickly tried to cover the conspiracy up by focusing on how much the boys had changed over the years. Obviously the same goes for Santa!

For now the secret is safe.

Mum's the word.

Phases

The big lad is going through what I like to think of as his amateur dramatics phase.

Yesterday we were all upstairs playing whilst the bath was running.

Littlest little one was happily getting ready to get in the bath.

I could feel the tension building as I turned nervously to his brother and  said those dreaded words....

"Can you get ready for the bath...please?"

"Noooooooooooooo."

It was like a scene from Platoon as his arms flew up and he dropped to his knees and then crashed down on to the floor in a heap.

"IT'S NOT FAIR!"

You get the picture. Any request to do something perceived as a chore is met by an Oscar worthy act of defiance.

Of all the different phases it is one of my least favourite I have to say.

His reactions to the smallest of requests is, at first, quite funny. After the twentieth time it all becomes rather tedious.

Our new next door neighbour has just moved in.

I can just imagine her walking into her bathroom only to hear me through the wall screeching at Samuel to, and I quote "for the love of god, just brush your bloody teeth."

What she doesn't know is that it was the seventeenth time of asking.

I used to be able to get away with the whole "we'll don't do it then, I'm not bothered." It always did the trick.

He has become wise to my lame attempts at reverse psychology and now simply smiles and says "OK then, I won't."

I then have no smarter comeback than simply "well you have to because I have told you to."

"But Mummy, a minute ago you said I didn't have to?"

This motherhood malarkey is exhausting!

Winter is Coming....

At the moment I am thoroughly enjoying reading and watching Game of Thrones.
I am only on the first book/series but I think it's fair to say I'm hooked!

In the story there is massive emphasis on the severity and length of winter time.
Winters do not last for a few months in this fictional world. Instead, they can last for years at a time. Snow fall can reach one hundred feet deep and the world becomes a dark and dangerous place.

I think we all felt like our last winter would never end. Snow in April? What was that about?

We have, however, had a brilliant summer of sunshine and warm weather. Surely even the grumpiest of cynic amongst us cannot complain about the summer of 2013.

The children have gone back to school. It is getting darker earlier in the evenings and early starts are increasingly difficult. All over the country domestic disputes are breaking out over when the heating should be put on.

Apparently there is potential for a couple of weeks of an Indian type summer this Month but other than that there is no denying that winter is coming.

Here are my favourite things about Autumn and Winter in case anyone reading this is seriously considering going into hibernation...


- The arrival of the conkers and chestnuts! Collecting conkers becomes a bit of an obsession in this house.

- Dark evenings means a complete lack of guilt over putting the pj's on at 6:30pm.

- Hats, scarves and gloves. The woolier and more colourful the better!

- The food. Winter comfort food is awesome. Pies, stews, homemade soups, all puddings served with custard. Bonfire toffee, mushy peas, mince pies and endless tons of quality streets!

- Halloween. I love a bit of spooky. As the kids get older the scare factor can get bigger and bigger!

- Bonfire night. Getting all wrapped up to write your name with a sparkler and watch the kids faces watching the fireworks.

- The build up to... (dare I say it) Chrimbo! I think I love the run up to it just as much, if not more than the event itself.

Don't be grumpy.