Fruit Kebabs

I am always trying to get Max to eat more fruit and veg, Penelope on the other hand can't get enough of the stuff - to the extent that she will happily eat the peel along with the orange....

It isn't an easy task persuading Max that fruit is nice so when Penelope made some fruit kebabs at nursery I decided to try it at home.  I assembled these ingredients

You can use any fruit you like, but obviously fruits like banana and apple will need eating quickly before they go brown. I also used some mini marshmallows as an added enticement for Max.

Melt the chocolate in the microwave - do it in small short bursts and stir in between otherwise you risk burning the chocolate and making it unusable. Then put the fruit etc on the wooden sticks

Then drizzle with the melted chocolate.  Children will need to be supervised as the chocolate and bowl will be hot.

Put in the fridge to set the chocolate and you're all done.

You will note that Max doesn't appear in these photos as he wasn't feeling well when we did this but he did at least eat the results - that's a success in my book!!

Try it - it's fun and healthy- if you ignore the chocolate part :)

And lo yet more Lego appeared...

I mentioned in my last post that it was Max's birthday recently and inevitably that meant an influx of new Lego (can anyone say "spoilt child"??!!), including (but not limited to) a police station, truck, helicopter and several pieces from the new Dino range.

Now there's nothing I like more than a bit of good organising and all this Lego left me thinking how on earth we were going to store the damn stuff.  Short of using all the Lego (and trust me there's enough) to construct a shed for it in the back garden, some consideration needed to be given to the layout of Max's bedroom and the storage options available.  Max has two Ikea units in his bedroom, one being used for all his books and some random toys/dressing up stuff and the other for Lego.  The Lego unit left a lot be desired as all the Lego was housed so most of it couldn't be seen.  I had previously googled "Lego" for an image, when I was looking for inspiration for Max's birthday cake, and I came across a blog post which of course I can no longer find but this one is similar.  As one of the storage units in Max's bedroom is the Trofast one (the one with the books/random toys on) it seemed sensible to have a shift about.

So the art easel (which Max no longer uses but Penelope is obsessed with) was moved into Penelope's room.  Then the books all moved across to the other storage unit, after the younger books were weeded out and moved onto Penelope's bookcase.  Penelope got as much out of this as Max did.

At this point a trip to Ikea was required to acquire some storage bags and some more of the drawers that fit in the Trofast system.  And, as is inevitable with a trip to Ikea, several other non-essential items also acquired - seriously how do they do it??

After bringing home all the essential and non-essential (but seemed it at the time) items, I moved all his dressing up stuff into a storage bag under his bed and redistributed the random toys to other storage units about the house, the loft and some charity bags.

At this point I needed to name the drawers so after using a bit of WordArt on the computer, and shading the WordArt the appropriate colour some drawer names were created and then laminated using my bargain laminator from Tesco.  How can they sell a laminator for only £12??  After a bit lot of sorting out individual Lego bricks Max's Trofast system now looks like this

The larger bottom drawers have a colour theme whereas the two smaller top drawers contain mini-figures and also the tinier more technical bits which would never be found again if they went in the colour coded drawers.

I have even arranged all the instruction booklets in some lever arch files (top left of the photo above) but do confess to having got slightly carried away by laminating an index of the booklets and putting it on the front of the files.....

Max was very pleased with this turn of events

The brilliant thing about this is that it has made the Lego much more accessible to Max and he has already built lots more things just because he can see all the bits.  I had suggested to him that we could break up all the built pieces but that was a step too far for a five year old.  Instead he has satisfied himself with taking apart a piece at a time and then immediately rebuilding it.  Lego - the toy that keeps on giving!!

And, having posted a photo of my efforts on Facebook, a certain person at Two Owls Design also arranged some Lego in a similar fashion, albeit without the lamination - although I have offered my services.

Now if I could just work out where to put all the Lego that is currently residing on our dining table I could call all this organisation a success.....

A Project

I keep reading other people's blogs and finding that they are doing a project of one sort or another.  I like the idea of a photographic project myself - something quick and easy that can be fitted into my hectic life.  So here's my plan - to take a picture of Max and Penelope every week and put together a little slideshow at the end of the year to see how they've changed.  These photos don't have to be fancy and posed - just ones that capture them - oh and preferably in focus!


I'll keep you posted as to how I get on as I have a sneaking suspicion this may have fallen by the wayside come the second week of February....


Right off to find my camera - wish me luck!

Moments

There are some moments which mark big stages in a baby/toddler's life.  Y'know the ones - smiling, sitting, food, teeth, walking.

And then there's the smaller ones which, whilst not so important, still mark watershed moments.  Here's a pic of Penelope having her first chocolate at about 11 months.  She wasn't putting on any weight at that stage and I swear it was all a ploy to get chocolate early!

And here she is this week with her first bunches.  Okay they're the tiniest little bunches in the world but they mean she is no longer a baby and very much a little girl

It might not be a big moment but enough to warrant pause for thought *sob*

Plastic explosion

There has been an explosion of small plastic pieces in our house over the festive period.  Lego, it seems, was all a small boy wanted for Christmas.  He already had a considerable amount already and we have now added to his collection

If you remember this post, the icing on the cake was the Lego Fire Boat, shown on the right of this picture.  It didn't arrive until the Wednesday after Christmas as Granny and Grandad had got it for him.  Unfortunately that meant an upset little boy on Christmas morning as "I told Father Christmas I wanted the Fire Boat".   I had to keep reminding him that perhaps Father Christmas had left presents at Granny and Grandad's house.  Note to self - when a small boy keeps saying he wants something, Mummy must remember that it is required on Christmas morning and not three days later!

It seems though that all this Lego is not enough as, when we returned from a visit to my parents, the new Lego catalogue was lying in wait for us.  Cue much "I really want that" "and that" "and that"....

All I have to remember now is not to stand on any small bits that will inevitably get scattered about.

A brace of bears

I got a bit crafty before Xmas thanks to Jo's pattern and here's four of the bears waiting to meet their new owners

I made seven in total but despite my best intentions they weren't all ready at the same time.  In fact the bears for my nephews J and N were only finished on Boxing Day evening!  To personalise them a bit further I embroidered the name of the recipient round the tail

I had lots of fun doing them but, in my crafting naivety I completely over ordered the stuffing.  Note to self - 3kg of lightweight stuffing is more then enough for seven bears, do not therefore order 6kg!  I barely (if you'll pardon the pun) took the top of the first bag so either I need to make lots more bears or everyone will be getting cushions!


I do enjoy having a project but I'm not very creatively minded and I am genuinely in awe of Jo's talent to make some of the most beautiful things.  Here's the stockings she made for Max and Penelope

I can however follow instructions very well so I just need to get Jo to post some more patterns (hint hint nudge nudge) and I can then craft away.  Perhaps however I could just get Jo to teach me how to make cushions.......

Putting on the Ritz

Mum was a moderately special number last month (sssh, say it quietly - one with a "5" at the end) and for her birthday I decided to treat us both to a day out in London.  Before Max was born Mum and I would go to London semi-regularly to do some shopping/sight-seeing and then to see a show - we're both fans of musicals!


Having seen most of the Andrew Lloyd-Webber musicals, plus the other major ones (Les Mis etc) I opted for "Wicked".  At the time I booked it I had no idea whether Mum wanted to see it but I did!!  We weren't disappointed - fantastic staging, great story, an amazing cast and brilliant songs.  When Rachel Tucker (as Elphaba) sang "Defying Gravity" at the end of the first Act, it was incredible.

Before we went to see the show, we had afternoon tea at the Ritz.  It was everything I thought it would be - civilised, genteel and with plenty of cake!  After the finger sandwiches, we had a little pot of apple crumble, followed by raisin and plain scones, mini pastries and then (as if we hadn't already eaten enough!) the cake trolley came round!!  Here's a couple of pics

And here's the cake that I couldn't quite finish!

Of course a visit to London wouldn't have been complete for me without a visit to the new Coach shop on New Bond Street.  I was under strict instructions from Paul not to buy a bag.  I did manage to resist that temptation but didn't resist shopping there entirely!  Sunglasses and leather gloves were purchased, thus ensuring I am now covered for every eventuality that the weather seems to throw at us at the moment. 

Now I just need the weather to be sunny enough to wear them!!

What a week!

Last week I had my first experience of "school holidays" since I was at school.  It was Max's first half-term holiday and fortunately I had enough holiday to take the week off too.  After Paul and I had been to Windsor we still had the rest of the week ahead of us and it went something like this:


Monday - return from Windsor.  Paul off to play golf with my Dad and I took Max and Penelope to see some friends of ours that used to live near us but now live near my Mum and Dad.  It was nice to see K and her children E and S.  


Tuesday - mess about in the morning with my niece M and the kids before getting in the car and driving back up north.


Wednesday - Paul had the day off so we took Max and Penelope to Knowsley Safari Park.  I was quite surprised at how much Penelope seemed to enjoy looking at the animals and giving the lions and tigers her best lion roar.  To be honest though her best lion roar (whilst very cute) sounds like a lion that has lost its voice!

And the obligatory "monkey on the car" shot - although technically it's actually a baboon - that's me ever the pedant!

Thursday - Paul was back at work and I packed Penelope off to nursery.  It was nice to have a day with Max on my own, something that I've not really been able to do since I had Penelope.  We made cakes, although halfway through making cakes I realised I couldn't find my muffin tin so a quick visit was had to the shop to buy one.  Note to self - must remember to check kitchen equipment!  After we made cakes it was off to the cinema to see "Dolphin Tale".  Now this was Max's choice of film, chosen because "The Lion King" looked "too scary Mummy" and so apparently did "The Smurfs"!  We were duly entertained with the tale of Winter the dolphin and her prosthetic tale.  Afterwards we enjoyed looking at Winter's website and the webcams of her there.


Friday - a morning visit to Coffee-au-Clay was had followed in the afternoon by a Halloween party at V's house.  Penelope made a slightly grumpy cat and Max refused to dress as anything remotely Halloween related on the basis that "it's a bit scary" - hmmm I sense a theme here.


Saturday - a visit to see Paul's Mum and Dad in Sheffield


Sunday - a day of rest or, in my case, a day of being covered in vomit by a poorly Penelope!!  Yuck!


Phew - I think I need another week off to recover....

Every so often

Every so often your children do something that either makes you laugh out loud or wonder at their achievements.  In the last week Penelope has achieved the former and Max the latter.


Last Sunday was my nephew, J's, christening.  Penelope managed, during the middle of the service to get her head stuck in some stair spindles!  She had been wandering up and down a ramp and had previously popped her head through a set at the bottom and shouted "hiya" to us.  Unfortunately when she tried it further up the ramp she discovered that the spindles were closer together!  Result - one small child with her head stuck!!  


Now when I tell this story (which I have done a lot since Sunday) everyone asks me whether I panicked and I have to confess now that I didn't (well not at first anyway) instead I was just laughing at her - is that mean?  When I tried to get her free there was a brief moment of panic when I did wonder if we'd need to call the fire brigade but with a bit of a firmer tug she was free.  We had about 30 seconds of what I like to call her "diva" cry, but I think that was more from embarrassment than anything else as both her ears were still intact.  Hopefully she has learnt her lesson and won't try that again.  Now I just need to see whether my dad caught any of it on video :)


Max's class are currently doing work around the theme of "Autumn on the Farm".  They had a lady from Stockley Farm come and talk to them about the farm.  I was told very specifically that on the farm they grow "cabbages, fruit, things and vegetables"!  Max very proudly told me that the lady had asked the class whether anyone knew which machine was used to cut the corn.  Apparently Max was the only one to put up his hand and answered her very proudly with "combine harvester"!  I'm so proud that a) he knew the answer and b) had the confidence to answer the question.  


When I was at school even if I was certain I knew the answer to the question there was no way I would put up my hand just in case there was a slight chance I was wrong.  I can only hope that I have and can continue to give Max confidence in himself.


I'm a very proud and amused Mummy this week!!

Sometimes...

Sometimes I feel like I do every job I have badly - bad mother, bad wife, bad lawyer.  I feel bad that Max has to go to after-school club even though it's only two days a week (thank you V for meaning it doesn't have to be three!), that Paul has me moaning about everything and about how he doesn't help enough when really he does plenty and that everything at work is so rushed, because I have to leave to pick up the kids.


I must try and remember that plenty of people are worse off than I am and that plenty of children go to after school club more than twice a week, that I have a husband that puts up with my bitchiness and that I have a job that I (sometimes) enjoy.


Here's some pics of the squidlets to remind me that they are fine.  Penelope enjoying some pizza..

Max dressed as a pirate..

I could go to my grave knowing I've been a bad lawyer but a bad wife and mother?  I don't think so. 

And lo she walks!

Penelope has finally started walking.  OK she's 17 months now, so she clearly wasn't in much of rush.  Mind you I don't know why we're always in such a rush to get them to walk - as one of my friends said you spend two years desperate for them to walk and talk and then you spend the next sixteen telling them to sit down and shut up!  


If you think about it you spend much longer walking (generally) than not so who can blame her for wanting to be carried for a few extra months, while she's still cute enough to get away with it!


It got me thinking about some of the differences between Max and Penelope.  It seems strange to think they were both "cooked" in the same place (!) but they are quite different:


Crawling:
Max - 10 and a half months; Penelope - never!


Bottom shuffling:
Max - never; Penelope - 1 year


Walking:
Max - 13 months; Penelope - 17 months


First tooth:
Max - 5 months; Penelope - 10 months.  By the time Max was 17 months (as Penelope is now) he had practically a full set of teeth (16), whereas Penelope currently only has 8.


Self-feeding:
Max - about 16 months; Penelope - 10 months


Sleeping through:
Max - a tad shy of 9 months; Penelope - 6 and a half weeks!  And yes I do mean weeks!!


In some ways though they are similar.  They both smiled at around 5 weeks and sat at 6 months. 


And sometimes scarily similar - when Max was cutting his first teeth, he cut the bottom middle two first and then the outside top two next.  There was a period of about 6 weeks where Max looked like a vampire.  Penelope cut the regulation bottom two first and then went and did exactly the same and looked like a vampire for three months!  Who knew it was possible to give birth to two vampire babies??!!


Yay - well done baby girl!  Or maybe, in a couple of weeks, not-so-yay when I am chasing you everywhere.  Anyway Penelope, Mummy is very proud of you xx

Unexpected things

Sometimes the unexpected can be the nicest - like a handmade bunny from a friend.  Also when you have no expectations of something you cannot be disappointed and the only way from there is up!  Conversely when you have high expectations of something, it can be hard for it to live up to them.

Paul and I went to Barcelona in 2005.  Everyone had said what an amazing place it was and, whilst we had a brilliant time and I would go again, I don't think it quite managed to live up to the hype.

In September 2006 Paul and I went to Ireland to watch a couple of days of the Ryder Cup and I went expecting the worst.  Two days of watching grown men trying to get small white balls in holes didn't strike me as a great way to spend time.  As it was I couldn't have enjoyed the Ryder Cup more as my expectations, which were admittedly very low, had been far surpassed.

On Sunday we took Max to the new Lego shop that had opened in Liverpool.  After much deliberation he decided not to get the Lego fire boat (mainly because they didn't have it) and got the Police lorry.  Here he is building it with Daddy, and Penelope trying to emulate her big brother!

After we had spent some time (and some cash!) in the shop, we took a walk down to the Albert Dock.  It turned out that the Mersey River Festival was on and all sorts was happening.  We wandered all around seeing different types of ships which kept Max fascinated, water skiing displays and street entertainers.  Max and Paul had a visit on to the Zebu, an actual pirate ship.  A small boy's day was complete with a visit below decks and some chocolate eggs.  We then saw an acrobatic plane display before making our way home.

We had some lovely family time and made all the nicer because it was completely unexpected.

Bribery - noun: a mum's best friend

It has been a week of firsts in this house.  On Monday Max started "big" school and confounded all my expectations by taking it like a duck to water, well, so far anyway.  I have managed to leave him each morning without any tears or clinginess.

Today's first was his first "big boy" swimming lesson without me getting in the water with him.  Max has been a Puddleduck since he was about 12 weeks old and Penelope has been one since she was 7 weeks old.  He has been through Floaties, Splashers, Kickers, Little Dippers and Dippers and has now graduated to Swim Academy.  

Being in Swim Academy means that he has to get in the water without me and when I first mention this to him the tears weren't far away.  I have since tried not to mention it but when I picked him up from school today it was a bit hard not to mention it, especially as we had to race home to jump in the car to get there in time.

After a bit of persuasion bribery* we made it into the car and to the swimming pool.  Max was unsure about going in and the teachers were really good and didn't try to push it.  After about 5 minutes Max made it into the pool (Mummy having mentioned the aforementioned bribery again) with no tears at all and took part in all the swimming just as he would have done if I had been in with him - there was one very proud Mummy sat on the side!

*And the nature of the bribery? A visit to the new Lego shop that is opening this weekend in Liverpool and the promise of this

 

He's had a great first week (new school, new swimming) and has got 20 stars on his chart for listening to Mummy and Daddy - I think he deserves the Lego Fire Boat.  I truly have an amazing little boy.  Love you Max xx

Today...

...was the big day in our house.  Max started school!  The day didn't get off to the best start when Daddy told Max that he couldn't take Luise* (his bear) to school with him - tears ensued until Max could be persuaded that the best thing would be to either put Luise in the window (so Max could see him when he came back) or on the stairs (so he'd be the first thing Max would see when he came through the door).


We were ready so early that Max got the unexpected treat of some TV before we had to walk to school.  Actually when I say walk what I really mean is an enforced route march as Max scoots ahead on his scooter and I try and keep up!


He had had two taster sessions in July and each time there had been tears when he was left so I was expecting more tears this morning.  I was pleasantly surprised that when it came time for me and Paul to leave that Max gave us each a kiss and cuddle and was perfectly happy to be left with his pal P.  I was so proud of my little boy at that point.


I walked home, watched a bit of uninterrupted TV of my choice and then met J for a coffee/tea to compare notes on our first experience of the school run.  After that I went to Ikea to purchase three items and (as is always the way) came out having acquired several other things that I did not really need!


I was however very nearly late to pick Max up - in my defence I got sidetracked building one of the pieces of Ikea furniture for Max's bedroom.  Thankfully I realised just in time and made it with 5 minutes to spare.  How bad would I have felt if I actually had been late??!!  Doesn't bear thinking about especially as when we left school Max said "I was worried about you Mummy" "why Max?" "because I thought you might not come and pick me up but you did" PHEW!!


It appears (from what Paul and I have been able to glean) that he had a good day and spent most of it playing with P and water.  He didn't get to draw "as there weren't enough spaces".  And he ate three packets of raisins.....


Here's some pictures of my beautiful little man 

Fingers crossed he's as enthusiastic again tomorrow.


*The bear came with that name - if Max had named him he would have been called "Max"

Pre-school is over....

It was Max's last day at pre-school today.   Here he is in his uniform this morning

He's been going to the amazing Kids Allowed nursery in Manchester since he was about 10 and a half months old.  He started off in the baby room, progressed through Woddler 3 and Toddler 2, finally ending up in Pre-school 1.  At every step of the way the staff have treated him as if he were their own.  It made it so much easier for me to leave him there (and now Penelope) knowing he would be so well looked after.


In every room Max had special bonds with certain members of staff.  When asked who he loved best, Mummy or Meg - he said that he loved us both the same!  Not quite the answer you hope to get as a mother but an indication of just how safe and secure he feels there.  Either that or he'll be a politician when he's older!! 


One of the many great things about Kids Allowed is that they genuinely want to improve and take on board parents' suggestions, if they are able to, in order to improve the service they are giving.   Also the staff retention is great which means the children have consistency of care.  Penelope's keyworker in Woddler 3 is the same keyworker that Max had when he was there.


When Paul and I first looked at nurseries for Max (while he was still a bump!) we saw one locally which was ok and, if Paul hadn't had to move office locations, we probably would have sent Max there.  When I visited Kids Allowed with my mum (Paul didn't actually see it until Max started) I just got such a great feeling about it.  With certain things I am a great believer in your "gut" feeling and nurseries fall within that category.  I have to say I haven't been disappointed.


This post is really just to say how grateful Paul and I are for all the care that Max has been given in his time at nursery.  We'll still be there with Penelope but Max and I are going to miss Kids Allowed.  Well actually Max is going to miss Meg......


Yep pre-school's over and proper big school is just round the corner - only four more big sleeps - forget Max, I am so not ready for this, eek!

Fun times

We had a lovely day out today with most of the members of the MM as a final trip out before the biggest babies start school :(


After some deliberation about where we should go (Chester Zoo, Gullivers) we opted for Stockley Farm.  This was mainly on the basis that if the weather wasn't too good (and let's face it we can't ever really rely on the weather..) there is plenty under cover to keep the kids amused.


After a cursory glance at the animals, the kids headed straight for the playground.  A picnic lunch was then had followed swiftly by sandpit and soft play and an enormous inflatable slide.  After they'd made scarecrows and had ice-creams, it was time to groom some horses and then feed some baby goats.  A last play was had in the playground before watching a peregrine falcon demonstration and then face painting before heading back onto the tractor trailer for the ride back to the car park.  PHEW - I am exhausted even writing about it!!


Here's some pics of the fun we had

Fun times indeed xx

I've got a theory...

...that it's a demon, a dancing demon, no something isn't right there*  


Anyhooo, it's not actually my theory but Paul's.  Paul has this theory which, when it comes to guessing the expected sex of babies is proving strangely accurate.  It goes like this - the sex of the first baby will be the same sex as the eldest child in the father's family.  In Paul's case he is the eldest so we were bound to have a boy first, and yes along came Max.  When I was expecting Max we didn't find out what flavour we were having although nothing could have convinced me we were having anything other than a boy.  This was evidenced by the fact that the first thing I said to Paul after being told we had a boy was "I told you so" - a wife should never miss an opportunity to tell her husband she's right!


In respect of a second baby, the sex is based on the second child in the father's family.  As Paul has a younger sister it meant we should have a girl and along came Penelope.  When I was expecting Penelope, again we didn't find out, and this time I wasn't so sure.  I thought the baby was probably a girl but wasn't sure if that was a genuine thought or wishful thinking.  When I was in hospital just before having Penelope I had virtually convinced myself I was having a boy, presumably to ensure that if she had been a he I wouldn't have been disappointed.  Mind you even though I was the one that got to discover what flavour Penelope was I still had to get the midwife to check I wasn't wrong!


So does Paul's theory work for others?  In my brother's case, as I am the eldest, it meant that he as destined to have a girl first and, sure enough he, or rather my lovely sis-in-law C had my gorgeous niece M.  Not too long ago they had their second, which according to Paul's theory meant a boy.  Along came J my gorgeous nephew.  


The same also holds true for Paul's sister, H's other half has an elder sister so it meant they should have a girl and they did, the amazing sleeping niece that is L.  H has, this week, had her second.  According to the theory it meant a boy and yep that worked out nicely thanks.  Although H and B did find out they were having a boy.  Mind you, having had at least 20 weeks to decide on a name my new nephew is, at present, nameless!


Paul's theory doesn't work for everyone but does have a high accuracy rate, something that is quite impressive, particularly if you knew Paul!


And because I feel the need for some pictures, here's Max and Penelope at Llandudno beach today

*Oh, and in case you were wondering the quote is from "Once More With Feeling" the musical episode from Buffy the Vampire Slayer - I bet you got it, didn't you A??

The Problem...

...with having a blog is that you really need to have something interesting to say.  Needless to say I haven't found anything interesting to say over the last week or so (or at least nothing that can be talked about on here, at least for the moment) and I'm still not sure I have actually found anything interesting to say...


Life with two children, a husband and a part-time job is, by necessity, not always all that full of interesting things, at least not things that will be interesting to other people anyway.  Instead it's full of minor achievements, small battles fought and won, tears, laughter, kisses and cuddles.


About this time last year life was pretty hard.  Penelope was about 3 and a half months old and I had just been diagnosed with post-natal depression.  To be honest I am pretty sure I had it after Max but as he was such a horrible sleeper it was hard to tell where sleep deprivation ended and PND maybe began.  With Penelope it was much easier to identify that something was wrong as she was (and still is) a brilliant sleeper so I couldn't hide behind the lack of sleep excuse.  With the help of two lovely health visitors, a brilliant doctor, fabulous friends and my wonderful family I made it through.  Mostly I think just admitting that everything wasn't a bed of roses was the biggest help.  I did end up on anti-depressants and these definitely helped too.  Paul called them my "cleaning tablets" as I ended up doing a shedload of housework! I remarked to my mum that if they were making me clean then I had clearly been depressed for a very long time :) 


I've been off the cleaning tablets for about four months now and, fingers crossed, there hasn't been a recurrence.  If I get snippy at the moment I can definitely put it down to lack of sleep as Paul and I seem incapable of going to bed early.  I think some early nights are needed!


So no, nothing much interesting to say but life isn't too bad at present, and how can it be when we've had such nice weather and I get to spend time with the children in the park eating ice-cream?

As for minor achievements, Penelope finally worked out how to pull herself up using the sofa yesterday - yay!  Next stop walking....

Fame and fortune - sort of...

I don't know about you but I've only got into Twitter relatively recently.  It was a godsend on my iPhone when I was doing night feeds with Penelope as you could practically guarantee there would be someone tweeting in the wee small hours...


I follow what would appear to be a fairly random selection of people but when you look closely they fall into quite defined groups:


1. Friends - well it's only polite isn't it?  One of my friends (a work colleague) has the handle @cheeseyweasel - at some point I'm going to have to ask how that came about


2. People everyone else seems to follow - Stephen Fry, Barack Obama, Piers Morgan


3. Actors etc from my favourite tv programmes - Castle, House, Desperate Housewives, Glee, Bones


4. Golfers - I think that must be Paul's influence....


5. Various Organisations - BBC, Tatton Park, CBeebies


6. And the random ones - like Max and Penelope's nursery


It was whilst reading tweets that I found my route to a small amount of fame (no fortune sadly - maybe that will follow) when Practical Parenting Magazine tweeted asking for interesting baby name stories.  I duly replied with the story of how Penelope came to be named.  I got a reply asking for a photo of me and my gorgeous girl.  The new issue has arrived by post (I subscribe) and on page 77 there we both are!

Yep - that's how my beautiful baby girl got her name - two seemingly responsible adults let a not-quite 3 year old choose it!  Could have been worse I suppose.  If she was being named now I'm sure she'd be called Lego :)


And in case you were wondering I'm @lynnemaxpen.  Mind you most of my tweets seems to be replying to a certain @JoTwoOwls......

Sure enough...

It was Max's graduation at pre-school today and sure enough when it came to singing the graduation song (that he had been singing for weeks in the back of the car) he remained completely and utterly mute.  I think the whole thing was quite overwhelming for him - it must be quite an ordeal when you're only just 4 coming into a room full of adults, all of whom are staring at you, and then having to perform.  When it came to handing out the certificates and gift (a very handy copy of "Topsy and Tim go to school") Max was the only child that refused to get up and collect them - instead he made the pre-school teacher come to him!


Here he is in his cap and gown, just think how I'll be able to embarrass him with it when he's 18 

On and on a final note I have been told off by my dad (via my mum of course!) who has said I shouldn't refer to my hubby as "Hubby" so, being the dutiful daughter (!) I'll make sure Hubby has a name in future posts!!