The strain of modern life...

The family Hammond is knackered and fed up. We are all dead on our feet. Full of colds, laryngitis, coughs, so much snot and lots of grumpy moods. That includes all four of us! All that is needed this weekend is chilling and relaxing in the warm. As pictured, the girls have got a head start on the adults in the house. With everybody either working or going to nursery five days a week, there is little time to chill. Slobbing, sleeping, television watching with your thumb in mouth, cuddles and time by the fire are the only cure. Oh I forgot, plenty of drugs to cure the various illnesses being suffered! There was a technological hitch in our house today - we could not receive or make phone calls. Anna - mental note - please do not stuff stationary in the broadband filter. Mummy and Daddy would really appreciate it!

Parental lessons can sometimes hurt..

Parental lesson number 54, sub section 'b' from the unwritten advice book of 'How to be a fab parent!' neglected to tell me that when your child has a savage cough do not feed them Cheerios. I repeat do not feed them Cheerios. With every mouthful my kitchen became like a firing range as Anna projectile coughed this healthy and nutritious cereal out like bullets at a duck hunt. I am bearing the scars. The wall and the floored were covered in sticky round bullets. The best bit was she thought it was hilarious. The more she laughed, the more came out and so it went on. Anna was once again poorly yesterday and had to endure a day at home with her daddy. Despite her cold, teething and a bout of conjunctivitis, we had a cracking day. I have to say I was not the most responsible of parents as we went all around town and spread the love that is conjunctivitis. The ideal present for anybody who misses having a sticky eye! I am worried, Anna is becoming a television watcher - see evidence attached and has taken control of the sacred chair. Look out Lucy, you have competition!

Learning the Lucy way...

Anna loves her big sister and we are now at the stage where what Lucy does, Anna wants to do. She thinks Lucy is smashing and mimics what she plays with and is already looking up to her. I can at times fell quite dubious about Lucy's prowess as a role model (see picture attached?), but in recent days she has been brilliant with her baby sister. Princess Lucy's behaviour (which has been pretty awful of late) has turned a corner with the use of the 'Christmas tree' child psychology behavioural technique model. The principle is simple. Lucy behaves well and she gets to colour in a bauble on the tree. If she colours in fifty before Christmas she will actually get presents! Move over Piaget we have reinvented the wheel in the Hammond household. The knock on effect is fantastic. Lucy is playing with Anna, giggling, doing as she is asked and teaching Anna how to behave well too. She is also behaving well. I know that I am prone to cocking things up by writing them on my blog, but so far so good. The delightful Mrs Hammond and I are lacking in parental sleep this week as the giant and highly aggressive Molar teeth are on their way through in poor Anna's mouth. I know the time that is 3am intimately this week!

Now Anna, you are a true Hammond..

Anna has perfected the art of slobbing in front of the television, this does indeed now make her a true and completed Hammond. We do this well and to a high standard! It has been an eventful weekend, but for me that was simply the highlight. Anna sat still for more than half an hour. Thank you God! Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I really enjoyed having her chill out leaning against me for the first time ever. She is pretty amazing, she walked all the way out to the sea this morning at Wells beach. I suppose it was the toddler equivalent of me running a couple of miles (more likely that Anna would achieve her goal). Well done Wiggle. Lucy went to her first fire works display last night. I stayed behind with Anna. Amy says she did well, although was at times quite frighted. She did tell me about the 'very, very noisy ones but particularly liked the silver sparkly ones'. She did come home with much swag, including some strange glowing tubes and had consumed Candy floss that I found sticking to her cardigan. Mental note Lucy - leave no evidence then you can't get caught out! This has all prompted silly things such a pretend to be a fire work and a marvellous rendition of 'I know an old lady who swallowed a fly!' The Hammond house is a strange and silly place, usually instigated by me...