When we were in Scotland at my partner's parent's farm last weekend there was ample opportunity for outdoor play and the weather was very kind to us - it barely rained at all. We spent a lot of time in Grandad's little wood, which he had planted over 20 years ago.




The little boys got to watch Grandad work with an axe and chainsaw, and help remove some of the dead wood. I believe it's far better to teach children to behave safely rather than just stay away, and I also think it's right that if they get to enjoy something, they appreciate the work that has gone into it. So they helped.

It's a mug!

After all of that hard work a hearty lunch and then some time with Grandma's Shetland Ponies. Most of the time the ponies don't have any suitable riders around, so they're also trained to pull a cart.

The 4 year old expert

The 3 year old novice!

 

Boy no.3 is 4 and will start his first year at full time school next month. He's already started learning to read and is very interested in sounds and words. He can 'sound out' some simple words like 'Dad' and 'cat' and knows a lot of his letters, so it's time to start beginning to read.

Orion Books have a huge range of books for children, including Early Readers - with a Blue Band for experienced readers and children to share together, and a Red Band for children to read alone.


We have been sent a copy of a blue banded book 'Mondays At Monster School' by Ruth Louise Symes and illustrated by Rosie Reeve. This book tells the story of Fred, who is the youngest in his family and about to go to school for his first day. He's nervous and doesn't want to go until he finds out his friend also feels the same and he realises he isn't alone.  He talks his friend into going, and in doing so, also reassures himself.

It's a very sweet little tale, and the fact that they are monsters makes it very accessible and interesting to a 4 or 5 year old. There is plenty of repetition in the language, and simple words that can be 'sounded out' and read by a young reader. It offers a lot of encouragement and made my son feel proud when he was able to work out new words like 'bug' and 'Fred'. At the end of the book there are some simple comprehension questions which also give a sense of achievement.


The illustrations are nicely drawn and help the story without being too full of information which distracts from the text. The story itself is 41 pages long, which seems a lot, but because there is very little text on each page it's not intimidating.

I really like this book. My son really likes this book and his 3 year old brother enjoyed reading it with us. It's perfectly timed as my 4 year old will be starting school in 2 weeks, and his brother will be starting nursery, so they're both concerned about that at the moment. The subject matter is interesting and the story captivating, so neither of them realised they were actually 'learning', they just felt they were reading a story with me. We give this book a good 4/5.

Mondays At Monster School is published by Orion Books and has an RRP of £4.99. It is available from all good bookshops, or as a download.

This jigsaw is designed for children aged 3+, and my 3 year old can put it together with no problems. As with all Orchard Toys puzzles and games it is made from good quality thick recycled board in the UK. The pieces are large and the finished jigsaw is 42cmx30cm, so not the largest of Orchard Toys puzzles, but plenty big enough that 2 children and an adult can look at it together.


 The puzzle is especially designed to be talked about, and has loads going on that will provoke discussion in children from 3 to around 8. It introduces aliens and various spacecraft, as well as some of the planets in our solar system and more practical matters, including ideas around how you would repair or put together your equipment if you were in space?



As this is a puzzle it promotes problem-solving, hand-eye co-ordination and manual dexterity. The subject matter encourages discussion and learning and introduces some basic Science and Physics.


 I really love this puzzle. It arrived at lunchtime and my boys have already completed it several times. They have both stared at the picture and asked questions, and they've chatted together about what they can see. I've even had to look up a couple of answers to their questions myself - and learn the difference between a satellite and a space station!


Who's In Space retails at £7.50 and Orchard Toys offer free mainland UK delivery on all orders over £15. We think this is a brilliant puzzle for the money and makes a great gift (for a school friend's birthday for example). We give this jigsaw 5/5

We really like I Want One Of Those dot com in my house. With 5 teenagers and Grandparents who aren't easy to buy for, I love the fact I can go online and browse through tons of novelty items that'll hopefully bring a smile and a few minutes amusement at the very least. 

For something that also has a practical use they have a huge selection of home and garden items, and I was given the chance to review something from this department. As my eldest is off to University in a few weeks, and the next 2 are about to enter their final year of GCSE's, I decided on the Retro Calculator. 


Unlike actual retro calculators, this one is solar powered, so doesn't require any batteries, and it also doubles as a mouse mat - something we definitely didn't see many of in the 80's! 


The packaging is what makes this item, it's very witty and will certainly provoke conversation and amuse whoever receives this as a gift, it's the kind of detail that I really like. 



As a mouse mat it's not brilliant, but it does the job. As a calculator it's okay, you have to press the buttons really quite hard, so it's not ideal. As a novelty item and a stockingfiller it's great. It retails at only £6.49, with free delivery on orders over £10, so it's actually great value and something I'd definitely be likely to buy when I start my Christmas shopping. It's also the first calculator I'll be giving any of mine which I can be confident they won't lose or break 15 minutes later!

I just have to explain to my teenagers what a tapedeck is now....

So, six weeks. six whole weeks. I can barely believe it.


I can remember the beginning as if it was last week, yet it almost seems like we've had our new life forever. It is still a new life, it's not the same as it was, but it's closer day by day.

My partner is now able to confidently drive, even after he ends his working day. His concentration and reactions are back. He's enjoying playing his Playstation and can play unfamiliar games without becoming instantly frustrated by them.

He is not yet back at work for an entire day. He is simply too tired. It's a physical tiredness and he knows his limits. He doesn't instantly flag any more, so he no longer has very many spells where he feels drunk and disorientated, but he cannot manage a whole day at work and most days he still has a nap afterwards.

He can walk about as far as our 3 1/2 year old. When we went to Blackpool he had a great time going around Madame Tussauds with us, and then he was done. Our 3 year old was worn out too, and they both started sitting down and wanting to go home around the same time.

My partner is still incredibly tired, this affects our evenings if he doesn't nap. He gets harassed by the children and snappy. He still gets headaches and they can come on suddenly, stress is a real factor. When it gets too hard, it really gets too hard.

Noise still affects my partner. He hates it when the children argue or shout, whereas previously he was oblivious. He definitely hears more, and buzzing noises or distant alarms really grate on him, again he never used to even notice them. I don't know whether this is a usual thing, or something quite bizarre and peculiar to my partner.

His thighs and one arm and back still hurt. His legs if he does a lot of walking usually, but his back bothers him most of the time. Occasionally he'll move wrong and wince, but usually it.is just 'there'.

We were given the impression by everything we've read or been told that a type of normal life would resume around 6 weeks, and I'd say that was true. We've settled into a new routine, naps and quiet time are part of our lives now. I've become used to driving everywhere instead of being chauffeured most of the time when my partner is in the van with me. The children are better at remembering to bother me with inconsequential things, rather than get short shrift from their Dad/Step-Dad.

Overall the children have only matured because of what's happened. The teenagers had to be left for long periods very suddenly, and they had to cope. They did fine and it's given them all a kick up the backside. One thing that bothers me is that our 4 (nearly 5) year old has become very clingy to me. He isn't happy for me to leave the house without him and screams if he thinks it's a likelihood. If I put on shoes, he does too. If I pick up a key he runs to me and wants to know my intentions. Occasionally when I'm not where he expected he panics and thinks I've gone somewhere without him. I never left him without saying goodbye when my partner was in hospital, and he didn't behave like this until a week after my partner was home, so I can only assume he's thought things through and come to some conclusions of his own, but I've tried to talk to him and he can't explain himself. It worries me to think maybe he knows that Dad is not as strong as he previously thought and that I'm more necessary than ever, and that concerns him. He's my little shadow, although I call him my assistant because it makes him feel proud.

A few months ago I set fire to my kitchen scales by accidentally leaving the bowl on top of the hob when it was on. Because it was my own stupid fault I've made do with guesstimating measurements ever since, which is okay, but too much sugar makes cookies crispy and too much flour makes bread heavy or cakes dense and we've had a few disasters and 'interesting' results which I knew were really due entirely to poor measurements.

When I got the opportunity to review kitchen equipment from Ozeri I was really pleased to see 'Kitchen Scales' on the list. Ozeri make some gorgeous products that are not only about practicality, they're very much about style, so I was really looking forward to them arriving.

My parcel was very well wrapped



And I was delighted with what I found when I unwrapped it - the scales were far nicer than I'd actually even expected. The glass is specially tempered to be 4 times stronger than regular glass, so despite the incredibly thin design, they're still very strong.



They do show up fingerprints and marks really easily, but because they're made of glass, just a quick wipe and it's gone.


The scale measures through 4 sensors on the feet, so you can place any shape of container or ingredient on the glass surface to weigh it. It weighs in increments as small as 1g (0.1oz) up to 5250g (11lbs) very precisely.

The scale is powered by 2 Lithium batteries, which are included and should last for a very long time.


You can also weigh in several different units, here in mls, which makes it really easy for my teenagers to use and makes adding solids and liquids to a mix really easy.

I'm really delighted with these kitchen scales, they're absolutely gorgeous and look great in my kitchen. They currently retail on Amazon at a staggering £12.95, which is a good price for any kitchen scale and especially so for something that looks and performs so elegantly. My only problem now is whether to make a souffle or some fudge!

And if you look to the extreme left of this last picture, you can just about see the bottom 1 of 4 shelves at the back which you can lower yourself down and then jump the 3 1/2 feet from the last one to the ground. 

But I wouldn't advise it.....because I tried it today and now my left knee is considerably larger and sorer than the right one....and I'm feeling a bit of a div for not listening to my own words "don't do anything dangerous"....doh!

In August 2009 we brought all 6 of our children up to Scotland to stay with my partner's parents on their farm. They learnt to ride ponies and had bonfires and played in the woods and had a fantastic time.

Our youngest at the time was very nearly 1, and I posted this picture on Facebook with the description "I've got a stick". 


Almost exactly 4 years later and we're here again. We've been up several times over the past 4 years, and now it's the youngest 2 riding the Shetland ponies and the bigger ones who go and do their own thing, or in the case of the biggest don't even come because they're at work and back at home!


I took this photo today in almost exactly the same spot. The trees have grown and matured, the baby is about to start school and has a 3 year old little brother and it's clear that time has passed. One thing remains very much the same though. I can still label this photo "I've got a stick", because a very nearly 5 year old boy playing in the woods with his Dad and running about with a stick is just as happy as a very nearly 1 year old....

A family took a stroll through the deep dark wood.


They saw an underground house....




And some rocks...


A treetop house....


and a stream....


A logpile house....


and a lake...



And a creature with prickles all over his back....




All was quiet in the deep dark wood....once we'd left....


The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson is my 4 year old's favourite book, and The Gruffalo's Child is my 3 year old's favourite and we had a great time searching - even though we didn't actually find a Gruffalo.....