Well, that does explain things

The warm, rain-free weather makes it nice for the children to go out and burn off some energy in the garden.

They build camps with the old shower curtain, or tie it to the climbing frame to make a hammock to swing in.

They argue over who isn't going down the slide fast enough play on the slide.  

They chase each other around. 

They get hot, sweaty and worn out.

I looked out into the garden and saw something red running down Sid's face.  The something red was also all over his once white shirt.  

Instantly thinking "blood" I called him in. 

"Sid, what is all that red stuff on your face and shirt?"

"On my face?"

"Yes."

"And my shirt?"

"Yes."

"I think it's where I fell into the berries."

The only berries we have are up in a tree.  

That's some impressive "falling", Sid.

(It didn't take long for someone to snitch that Sid had been climbing up to pick berries in order to squash them.  I would never have guessed it myself).

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The things they say

We had spent a good couple of hours yesterday repeatedly asking the boys to tidy the playroom. The boys had spent a good couple of hours trying to get out of tidying the playroom. Yet another conversation by way of, "It's tidy", "No, it's not tidy at all. Look at that pile of mess over there" ended up with Sid standing at the doorway of the living room with his lips quivering and eyes blinking back tears.

"When the twins are born can we move to a new house straight away?" he asked, struggling not to let his emotions out.

"Why do you want to move straight away when they're born?" I asked.

"Because there is too much stuff to tidy under the shelves!" he wailed tearfully.

So there you have it. The next time housework is getting on top of you and you think you'll never get through the list of chores you have, don't worry! Just put your house up for sale and move to a new clean and tidy one.

Simple!



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The things they say

Caitlin, aged 11, and Harry, aged 8, were playing some kind of card game.  I don't know what it was.  I didn't pay any attention.  All I knew was that no money was exchanging hands and that was good enough for me.

Then the arguing started.

"You're cheating!" Cait shouted.

"I'm not cheating!" Harry yelled back.

"You are! You're cheating!!"

And so it continued for a while.

"You're cheating and you always cheat!" cried Cait, angrily packing the cards up.

"I didn't cheat," protested Harry "I just forget...I... forget... I.. I... "

And then the problem was outed with a wail.

"I'm getting OLD!" 



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Too good not to share

Here is a friend's recent exchange with her son:

Friend to 4 year old son: "Shall we walk up to school as it's a nice day?"
Son: "No I want to go in the pushchair as I'm tired."
Friend: "Which part of you is tired?"
Son: "My face."

What do you think?

I am in the kitchen setting the table for dinner when I hear one of the boys in the next room say to the other, "When I punch, you duck."


Should I be worried?



PS They just watched Rocky I.

A shout by any other name

Me: "Right, if everyone stops shouting I'll put on the Christmas carols."

Harry: "Yay!!!! Christmas carols!"

"Harry, I said stop shouting."

"I wasn't shouting. I was exclaiming."


Smartar...

Sounds right to me

During lessons this morning we were discussing the seasons. Eddie needed to draw a picture depicting Spring and was stuck for inspiration.

"What comes out of the ground?" I prompted.

Eddie thought a while, "Hmmm... plants... flowers...."

"Moles!" suggested Sid.

Well, I couldn't correct him as he wasn't technically wrong!

Dilemma

You noticed your two and four year old sons drop their voices to a whisper and in response to the question, "What's going on?!" your four year old calls back, "Nothing! I'm doing it! Don't worry!".

You may want to take particular note of the last two words there.

Don't worry.

So do I worry?

Or don't I?

Kids and honesty

Recently there came a study which said that children who were good liars at age 2 would grow to become successful adults.

I, for one, wonders who on earth conducts this research, why they have to research stuff like this in the first place and what the excuse for spending so much when the world is in such economic turmoil is.

Anyway.

My point.

Harry's workbook asked the question, "Name a time you were honest.".

Harry's answer: "I was honest when I said Cait was ugly.".

So there you go.

Isn't the love between siblings great?

Sometimes.

A question...

Sid asks...


"Seeing as you can get butterflies can you get margarine flies?"

Whodunnit?

I found some scribbling drawn on the hallway floor. Sid says Paddy did it and, to be fair, it does look rather Paddy-ish.

Paddy says it wasn't him. It was the monster.

Who to believe?

The things they say

Sid, last week before lunch:

"Get your armpits off the table!".

Now that's some mean feat!

The things they say

Sid turned to me rubbing his head after having a disagreement with one of his younger brothers.

"Paddy just scratched me on the three-head".

The things they say

It's December!

It's 24 days until Jesus' birthday and we're playing Christmas carols over breakfast to celebrate.

Sid's got it ever-so-slightly but ever-so-sweetly wrong though.

Here is his version of "A Partridge in a Pear Tree":

"Five gold rings,

Four calling birds,

Three french hens,

Two turtle doves

And a Patrick in a pear tree!"

The things they say

A conversation between Harry (6) and Eddie (4) went as follows:

Harry: "Eddie, Asians come from Asia. Who comes from America?"

Eddie: "Umm, Captain America!"

The tale of the Mother of the Year and the Teenage Daughter

"May I have some of this Hot Chocolate, please?" asks Stephanie, pointing to the luxury Hot Chocolate (bought only because it was on a really good special offer).

"No." Mother of the Year (that's me) says. "That's for special occasions." (Yes, special occasions. Like when you younger people have gone to bed and I can have a cup of luxury hot chocolate in peace).

"OhhhhOohhhOhh!" says Stephanie, in whiney voice. (How would you write that to indicate a whiney voice anyhow?).

Mother of the Year almost feels bad.

Almost.

But not quite. (Have you gathered that I have given myself the MOTY title with my tongue firmly in my cheek?).

"You can have the cheap hot chocolate." I offer graciously. (Ah, now you get it!)

"The cheap one?!" Stephanie is horrified at the thought of cheap hot chocolate. (The hot chocolate which is fine for consumption on any other given day yet is suddenly akin to drinking bleach when there's a luxury version in front of her).

Stephanie continues making her cheap hot chocolate. Then with a narrowing of her eyes and a pout she walks past me and mutters...

"And YOU get the cheap nursing home!".

Storytime

"Dad, can you read this book please?" asked Sid, handing Mike a book...

Taking things literally

Our food shopping was delivered yesterday, and the younger five were all busily working together in the kitchen, helping to unpack.

Suddenly, there was an excited cry from Eddie as he pulled open a bag containing three loaves.

"Our Daily Bread!" he shouted, "Just like we prayed for!!!"

The things they say: Part 2

Eddie and I were talking phonetics.

Me: "And what starts with the letter D?"

Eddie, after a short while: "Umma, I give up"

Me, trying to help him along and sounding out the letters phonetically: "Ah, Beh, Ceh..."

Eddie, triumphantly: "DABRA!!!"

More words from Eddie

The children were eating fruit after dinner.

Eddie sat down and said "I can't eat green apples. That means they're not ready. They have to turn red."

We had to try not to laugh while explaining that it's green bananas that aren't ready to eat until they change colour!