Hama time!

My half term holiday with Amy and the girls has been a complete disaster with work once again consuming all my time until today which has been heavenly. Whilst Amy was beavering away in the study and marking some poor children's work armed with a viscous red pen, the girls and I played for hours with hama beads. I made a rocket, Lucy a squirrel and Anna a rainbow square. I loved this time with them, we played and nattered for nearly two hours. Our house has indeed been a hive of industry this weekend with two sittings of cake making for nursery fund raising, Anna helping with the hoovering and Lucy directing operations from the comfort of her arm chair. Comment of the week. Lucy got up this evening and revealed that she had been sitting on her Disney cards for some time and they had 'gone up her bum! She has class my girl....

Great feedback then the outburst with the toes!

Amy attended the girls parents evenings this week and both their teachers couldn't have been more complimentary about the girls and their hard work and effort in the first half of this term. Lucy, after a difficult start this year, has settled in and is doing very well with lovely comments about her commitment in doing things like missing break time to finish her work of her own choice and not interrupting! Anna's teacher (who sound like she has a real soft spot for Wiggle) said that she is doing really well and has made a fantastic start to her school career! Apparently they have a weekly date on a Friday for a cuddle before she leaves. Which leads me onto the toes.

Poor Lucy has developed a real and very genuine phobia of having her toe nails cut. This is now not a simple task at all. We have tears, panicking, lashing out and it is impossible. Having got very frustrated indeed, I finally came to some agreement with her about the way forward and forty minutes later all ten toenails were cut. Very stressful indeed. She gets so upset and I am not sure I have come across something so difficult to get her to be part of in her seven years as yet....

Happy birthday Mrs H!

Happy birthday Mrs Hammond. I am so sorry I was not here to help you celebrate your day. I hope I made up for my absence with my gift (ipad - tip for for all men, if you are lacking in ideas then flash the cash!) and my singing on the phone at 7.30am this morning. I am home now and will see to it you are spolit for the weekend. No change there then. All my love Bob x

Seven up for Looby Chick!

Waking in a flurry of excitement well before six this morning Lucy came down full of the joys of being seven. I really think she loved her presents and has been thoroughly spoilt by everybody. She has much swag and is a very lucky girl. A new bike, moshi monsters membership, an army of moshlings, books, Dalmatian bag and top, Cd's and loads of little things such a notebooks and pens that she loves. In other words all things 'Lucy'. Happy birthday my darling girl. It just does not feel like seven years since I held you in my arms for the first time as a petrified new parent. I am still petrified, I have just gained a little more parental nouse! You make me very proud to be your dad..

The one with the sleepover, building bears and the ipad!

It has been an exhausting yet pleasurable twenty four hours as we have entertained Lucy's friends for an early birthday sleep over. The prospect of a house full of children filled me with fear and dread, but they were delightful if slightly noisy and excitable! 

Today has been full of new experiences: the highly enjoyable (sarcasm) session of the 'build a bear' workshop. The creators knew what they were doing. You go to the shop, choose a bear, dress them up and then the parents part with lots of money. Today we created 'Buzz' bear and 'Spot' bear for a tidy sum! Not to be undone, we bought Mrs Hammond's birthday present early and ventured into the ipad shop. I have to say I was in awe as all four girls sat down at a table and with no instruction what so ever started playing. The world has moved on so much since I was a child. I remember the first computer I got when I was an adult and I simply did not know what to do with it. Anna - who is four, turned on the ipad and got going. She puts me to shame! Quote of the day: ,Anna  - 'Mummy how old will you be next week?' Amy - 'thirty six'. Anna - 'Wow - that is a lot of money!'

Spawn of satan!

I have loved being home this week and spending time with the girls: eating a meal together, bath time, reading stories, drawing and colouring, cuddles, watching telly on my lap, sharing stories about our days and waking up the next day knowing this will happen all again. Or so I thought....

 

Tonight I was confronted by the devil incarnate and her younger sibling (or protege): we have had generally high levels of grumpiness, rudeness, agitation and all round damn horrible behaviour. The end result was the terrible twins going to bed early and sleeping it off. This look on Lucy's face just about sums tonight up. I would blame the parents for this outburst of bad behaviour, but for obvious reasons that is not possible! Oh happy days....half term needed. We have two very tired girls and two very tired parents. Tomorrow is another day...

Missing my crew...

It has been six days seen I have seen my family and I have to say I am feeling glum. Away for work all week and then not seeing them yet as they have gone away for the weekend ; I just could not face the drive to Surrey having driven half way across the country all week to join up with them. To say I am looking forward to seeing them tomorrow would be an understatement! I know I keep going on about it and I must be boring any reader senseless but spending so much time away from home and not seeing my family is proving very tough indeed. At the moment it is my life and my lot.

Fleeting phone calls at the end of the day when the girls are tired just make me feel more glum as each days goes on. Anna has perfected the art of grunting at me and Lucy is struggling with me being away and very quiet when I ring. I have plenty to distract me whilst I am away but Amy and the girls are never far from my thoughts. A career is important but so is my family. I reflect every day on whether I have done the right thing in taking on a bigger job and I never come up with the an answer. Being a good husband and being the best dad I can be are so important to me, but how can I be if I am hundreds of miles away?

 

Three lovely weeks to look forward to though with less travel coming up, Amy and Lucy's birthday  week and time off at the end of the month for good behaviour though..