Snowdrops, mud and poo sticks!

I spent a really nice Sunday morning with the girls and our neighbour Libby in the February sunshine walking in the Abbey grounds in Walsingham. In the spirit of the Sunday trend that the family Hammond needs more fresh air and sunshine we left Amy studiously planning the weeks teaching ahead and set out for a mild mannered adventure of sorts. I had not bargained on so much mud and the neurosis that it would bring me; concerned that the children would cover my new car in vast amounts of mud I was obsessed with trying to get their wellies clean whilst we walked. Never the less it was a bracing and enlightening walk. The girls learnt how to play poo sticks for the first time and Lucy tried her hand at using the camera. Lucy is mastering technology at such a scary speed. The other day she turned on the laptop, fired up the Internet and got into the BBC iplayer and went to her favourite CBeebies programme and then pressed play! I was speechless and still am. Anyway I digress, our morning finished up with meeting Amy in the bistro for coffee, marshmellows and cream and a very competitive game of 'Scaredy cat'. A game which I surprisingly enjoyed. I know I am a sad man, but I was determined that my two year old daughter not beat me...

A pivotal week...

The Hammond girls have had a week of changes and pivotal things in their lives. Some changes they have responded to with grace and a smile, others they have instigated their right to protest strenuously! Anna began the week with a valiant attempt to go to bed without a nappy on, but sadly was not quite ready. We will try again in a few weeks. The girls both have new beds and are now sharing a room - lets just say there has been a mixed and emotional response to this so far. Lots of screaming, tears and stropping. Tonight they were much more settled and went to sleep quite quickly. Thank you. There is still quite a few things to sort out and we are converting Anna's old room into a playroom/study for us to use as well. No more toys and school clutter in my house everywhere - aah, a neurotic cleaning man's dream scenario! I am in heaven. I have to say, I put up quite a lot of resistance to the room change including my own version of a thirty something strop, but it does look delightful and they are very lucky girls indeed. I am concerned about them both having their own personal space, however it is pushing them very quickly into a fast track scheme to enable them to learn to share. That Mrs Hammond, she is quite a smooth operator you know. It definitely was not my idea...

School report..

I can't think of a better way to celebrate my two hundred and fiftieth blog post in the story of my family than to tell Lucy how very proud I am of her and how hard she is working at school. Amy went to her parents evening at the infants school this week and Lucy received a glowing report from her teacher. Not only is she progressing well, she is impeccably behaved. She has already achieved the benchmark learning and progression that the national average achieves at the end of the first year. Well done indeed Looby chick! As a reward for all this hard work she has gone out for a girlie day clothes shopping and lunching with her mummy leaving me to fend for myself and look after the poor snot factory that is Anna. She and I both have a stinking cold and are quite simply knackered. Anna is asleep on the couch snoring like an elephant and I am enjoying some well earned peace and quiet after a very manic week at work during which I have shouldered the heavy burden of man flu...

The dangers of toothpaste and romance!

Anna is very curious, very curious indeed and she will try almost anything to discover the way something works or what it can do. This curiosity can get her into trouble or put her in peril. This weeks antics included the eating of lots of toothpaste that she soon discovered does not make you feel very well! Lucy has never been very curious about objects, however she is very inquisitive and words and events. Today we were having a discussion about valentines day. I jokingly asked her whether she had a boyfriend at school and she bashfully replied 'no', going a nice colour of scarlet. Amy asked her whether she had a toyboy and she replied 'no, he's just short!' Who ever thought that romance could stunt your growth. You heard it here first, remember that!

Let the negotiations begin...

The tooth fairy is about to arrive in my house as Lucy declared last night that she has her first wobbly tooth. Now this is new parental ground for both Amy and I and never in my wildest dreams did I realise that the tooth fairy was such a money grabbing capitalist. The debate raged last night as to what was the going for a tooth left under the pillow and after very poor negotiations on my part it appears that it is a pound a tooth. Lucy was armed and ready for this discussion, she even know what she is saving up for when she has lost enough teeth. Let's face it, I never stood a chance!

The end of my stint as a single parent..

In the end I made it through my time alone with the girls without much fuss but sadly without much sleep. Anna hated the high wind at night this week and had me up several times. I am not sure that during my week off I have laid in bed beyond 6am, as the girls have both been very early risers. I fell very rested indeed, I am of course being very sarcastic. Despite this interrupted sleep Anna just keeps going and going and is, as ever, mad beyond belief. What normal person would leave the comfort of a lovely warm house in February completely naked just to collect a bay leaf from the yard for the cooking. If you do not believe me, please look right. This is not a doctored photo in that the time of year is different. The girls is bonkers and I simply adore her and her free spirit. The spaghetti did taste good and it was all down to the addition of that bay leaf, devotedly collected by a girl who wished to help her mummy...

So far so good...

Amy has been away this week and I have been looking after the girls on my own for a few days. Now this is something that normally ends in disaster. I do not want to tempt fate but so far it is going swimmingly and I am disaster free. Now I have gone and said it and I am sure that all hell will break loose tonight! Actually, as I am typing the signs are there where both girls are extremely tired and short on willingness to comply. Who am I kidding, none of the Hammond family are ever compliant, it simply in our nature to be stubborn and awkward. I have really enjoyed this time with the girls on my own. We have not done anything fancy as they have been at school and nursery most of the day, but bath time, homework (managed to get Lucy to do some without nagging her), watching a movie with an ice cream and story time have been lovely and most of the time they have done as they are told. One slight note though girls, please understand that I do not have the ability to be in two places at once! I am a man......