Last of the summer fun!

When a man has to do manly things!

Now I am not an egotistical male but sometimes a dad has to do manly things that appeal to his hunter gatherer ego and I have to say it feels quite good. In the last few days I have taken this to levels that I normally don't - I have found it a great experience to do things for my family that mean they have nice and new things that surround them. The one thing is that all this giving is very tiring, I am shattered! I have taken my wife clothes shopping and not moaned at anytime during the process, I have purchased an American style fridge freezer and I have painted and sorted the living room in twenty four hours! In recognition of my saintly actions that world has rewarded me with the following - the weather has been awful and freezing cold for this time of the year, Anna has been fowl and urinated on every area of the carpet, I have undertaken load after load of washing like a maid servant and Lucy has gone back to her rudeness. Thank you Mrs Hammond for being the one bastion of loveliness this weekend and to Libby for your hospitality and feeding me much barbecued flesh!

Update on nit check - Lucy is now virtually nit free after combing and more combing and more combing. Unfortunately Mrs Hammond is now littered with the creepy crawlies - I have found the whole thing a really itchy and uncomfortable experience. Almost as horrible as Lucy's new found addiction to 'High School Musical 3'!

The Amazing big sister and the creepy crawlies!

I am now on holiday and true to form it is once again it is chucking it down. Always happens when the family Hammond get together for some holiday time. So today we took sanctuary in Planet Zoom in Dereham. Oh my god - the place is a parental nightmare. Firstly every other parent in Norfolk had the same idea as us and we had to share the space with around one hundred manic children of all shapes, sizes and ages. Anna (still mad as a hatter!) ran around like a maniac having a whale of a time and putting the fear of god into me every time she bumped off a large child. As I and Amy are too large to get into the climbing frames and slides Lucy was amazing in standing up for, protecting and looking after her little sister. I was very proud of her and she managed to keep Wiggle safe for a whole hour and twenty minutes. My heart nearly stopped about ten times and it took me about half an hour to regain my hearing, but never mind! Just a small warning for anybody who has come in contact with Lucy in the last week or so, Amy had to remove a large group of creepy crawlies from her hair yesterday in the form of nits. We are all ok, but the sympathetic itching and scratching that is going on is prolific! Today the heated hair straighteners came out and burnt the little critters, they have also been treated...urrgghh. I can feel myself shuddering as I type!

This is what happens when you work too hard and leave the wife in charge!

I have been so busy at work and this week I really have not been able to spend time with my family and the impact of my absence is now starting to show. They have all gone a bit mad! The girls have obviously been spending way too much time with their mother and the strain is finally telling, it is a damn good job that I am on holiday next week and I can restore some sanity and normality to the Hammond house! Amy even has the girls crocheting now. I am very worried, very worried indeed. Even more worrying is that Lucy is becoming a Royalist over a period of weeks and really enjoyed her trip to Sandringham today. As a ardent opponent of the royalist state, I cannot disapprove more, but she loves the queen and her family. She even calls Prince Charles 'Prince Charming!' She will learn. On a positive note Anna is going great guns with her potty training and has been dry all day. Well done Mrs H you have put in so much hard work and are a parental genius with the potty, not so sure about the psychological impact you are having on the girls based on this picture though...

Just me and the Looby chick hanging out...

It has been a really long time since Lucy and I spent time with each other just on our own and I have missed that time with her so much. Today we got that opportunity and I even let Oddball tag along! As a parent you can get swallowed up in day to day routines such as you come home from work, your children are tired, you're tired; it just becomes bath time, story then bed and its all a bit stressful. Today was slow, not hurried, simple and lovely time with one of my girls. No stress - just me and Lucy. We chatted about school, pink things, played games, went to a summer fair, met a celebrity who Lucy asked 'who are you, I have never seen you on the telly!' (Marlene from Only Fools and Horses) watched a Punch and Judy show, face painting, a picnic lunch and way, way too many sweeties! She was polite, happy, gave me plenty of cuddles and I was so proud of her. A world away from our usual daily battles at the end of a long day with getting her to do as she is told when she is tired. Thanks Looby Chick for a lovely day.

P.S Strange things are happening in my house and I am confused. My wife has become domesticated in under a week. I just wonder what she wants. All will be revealed I am sure...

Anna is definately finding her feet as a little girl who gets up to mischief!

Anna is changing every day. She is becoming a little girl as each day goes by. She gets up to so much mischief on a daily basis and is constantly exploring. She fights with her sister and stands up for herself. She loves naked cycling, a sport that I am sure will catch on with the nation in a few weeks time as the last of the summer flies by! She loves her role play and dressing up. She loves taking things apart and seeing how they work - we are going to have to keep an eye on that one in case she moves on to DVD players or expensive things. She loves her books and her sticky ladybirds. She is counting. She bombs around on her bike and sings at the same time. She is sentence forming. She loves pink. She loves mud and creepy crawlies. In short she is really beginning to enjoy some independence and growing up. Lastly and most worryingly she knows her own mind.......

A little older and possibly wiser?!?

My birthday came round really quickly on Monday and another year has gone. Whether I am older and wiser is a matter of debate, especially in the parenting stakes. I am finding this parenting lark tough going at the moment in the simple area of getting the girls to do what they are asked. They know it winds me up when they don't do as they are asked and then I bite. What is needed is a bit more patience and careful application of the skills I have learnt. Mental note must do better! Come on Hammond you are 36 now! Please see pictured attached of the most amazing birthday gift from Amy and the girls - a drawing of the girls and Oddball. Did not see that one coming. Amy has excelled herself again. I am so chuffed with my present I want to sing it from the roof tops. Thank you....