The Experiment

Finally got the toy room in order!

These days, we’ve noticed that at least one member of our family will most likely have their face glued to a screen for some part of the day. If it’s not the kids watching TV, playing on the Wii or taking over our laptop to play cbeebies... it’s Rich and I glancing through facebook, or our emails as we pass by the said laptop on our way to do something else. It’s just seeped into our lives, and now with the bad weather it’s just been escalating. The kids request to either watch TV, or go on the computer whenever they find themselves at a loose end for five minutes, and seem to have lost the knack of amusing themselves... not the mention the knack of actually playing with some of the 1000’s of toys they have accumulated between them.
We’ve just had a lovely Christmas, where they kids have been given so many new and wonderful toys. Since we got back from Cumbria Rich and I have been busy worker bees, sorting out the playroom into some sort of order, throwing away or freecycling toys that the kids have out grown, and trying to make the play room nice and accessible for the kids. There is a nice shelf full of crafty stuff that I’m sure Amie would love to get busy with, if only we had the time... and tomorrow that’s what we plan to do. The idea is, that every Sunday is going to be what’s called (don’t ask me why), Screen Day. This means that for that day, no-one in the family looks at a screen (don’t think I’ll quite stretch it to mobile phone screen, but that’s on a strictly text message basis.. I WILL not sneak online). We’re not having the TV or the computer on all day... which doesn’t sound like too much of a struggle, but with the rate of dependence we’ve been building up lately, it’s a pretty daunting prospect.
But already I’m getting excited. We’re going to let the kids help us cook breakfast tomorrow, and may aim for pancakes if we’re feeling adventurous. We’re going to gather up all the toys that are out of batteries and lying unloved around the place and get them up and running. There’s going to be a table full of glitter, glue and other such mess making things that we normally can’t be bothered to get out to use. We’ll possibly cheat and head out into Reading to do a spot of shopping too. There’s going to be tears and tantrums I’m sure, but as time progresses hopefully the day won’t seem like a punishment (as we often say to the kids they’re not going to be allowed to watch TV if they don’t behave themselves... so it’s a bit tricky trying to sell a day of no TV to them as a good thing), but as an opportunity for the kids to do some things they want to do, like bake biscuits, make experiments, spend one on one time.. things they just don’t seem to get done with the hours that get eaten away by screen time. I love watching TV, but it worries me too... if as an alien visitor you were to look into people’s living rooms and see people sitting motionless staring at a box in the corner for hours on end, you’d probably think there was some form of hypnotism at work... and you’d be right. Not only is it hypnotising, it’s also addictive... so that’s why we’re trying to be proactive and switch it off for a while.
I’m looking forward to being free of the distraction of the internet for a day. Free of the constant need to “just check something” every once in a while, just in case I’m missing something really important that I can’t live without knowing. Tomorrow will be a change from normal, and we’ve said we’d give it a month... just to see how it goes. I’m hopeful it will be a positive experience!

Happy New Year!

Noah's friend tried to keep him awake so he could see in the New Year...

...but as you can see, he didn't manage to stay awake. Amie did though, and really enjoyed the celebrations.


Noah was the kind Inn Keeper in his Nativity play. Yes, Yes you can come in, there is a little room in the stable...


Amie enjoying outshining the Christmas Tree.


Noah on Christmas morning.


Amie getting ready to open her Christmas gifts.


On our way to (or from) the Natural History Museum, with Mr. Meercat. She got him to look after over the holidays, and did manage to leave him on the train on the way there (luckily mammy noticed and picked him up.. was a good half hour before Amie realised he was gone, and with 5 year old logic just stated "We can just get the same train back and pick him up then".

Chicken pops and spotty dots

No nice pictures for you lot today, but just to inform you all that poor Noah has got the chicken pox.. will spare you a photo, but lets just say I will never eat spotty dick for pudding again.
Amie was also unwell this Friday but INSISTED on going up to Cumbria to see Nana, Pa and Uncle Rod and Aunty Julia.. even if Rich did have to pull into a service station for her to be sick.. she made it. Good woman! I've been left at home to mind the cats, and catch up on all the work I haven't been able to do since Noah was off nursery since last Wednesday. I've written up my experimental report that's due in on Monday, more or less finished an article summary that's due in on Friday... lounged around in my pjs, ate a lot of chocolate, watched movies and rather boringly got lots of housework done. And it's SO peaceful and quiet.. it's like being on holiday .. bliss! Lets just hope they don't get stranded by snow up in Cumbria (I miss the car!)
Bren x

Amie's just started playing football on a Sunday morning (just like her dad) and she LOVES it. She's even managed to score a goal on her second time playing, even if it did involve her fouling a lot of players (most of them from her own team). The coach said he's never seen such aggression in one so young. We're taking that as a compliment.

Happy Hallowe'en

Back to civilisation

We've survived our first camping/festival trip as a family. We went to The End of the Road Festival this year http://www.endoftheroadfestival.com/ ..taking Amie out of school a few hours early, and bringing Barnaby Bear with us into the bargain. (This bear belongs to her class and gets taken on days out and photographed at various places.. luckily he had space in his diary to come with us)

Unfortunately I couldn't find the camera, so we had to go old school with a disposable one. I will scan in some pictures if they are worth looking at. I couldn't get out of the habit of staring at the back of the camera after I took the shot to see what it looked like.

Whats to be said of doing festivals with small kids.. well in general the kids really seemed to enjoy it. And at this one there was a lot of entertainment laid on for them.. puppet shows (they sat through 2 a day), cinema in the morning, circus workshops, craft make and take, face painting.,.not to mention the freedom and pleasure of just running about in a field all day playing with random other children.There were some really nice bands (for us )playing for grown ups. . not that we got near enough to them to really enjoy it. BUT we did pitch our tent right beside the main stage, so we got to enjoy the later bands even as we were tucked up in our tent from 8pm at night.

I've just spent 2 days in wellies, my body refuses to do all but the most basic of functions in portaloos, and we had to queue for 20 minutes in the rain to have a shower in the morning. Add to that the joy of waking up this morning to a wet tent, INSIDE, due to condensation and you can be pretty sure that as nice as the weekend was.. I'm sure happy to be back, so are my bowels. But lets not discuss that in great detail. There's only so much a body on a veggie diet consisting mostly of beans and chilli can take.

Holiday in France

We've just got back from a week spent in France, at Cavalaire sur Mer with Rich's parents and his sister and her family. Cavalaire is located on the most southerly bay of coastal Var, and has a 3km sandy beach. It was a week of sun, sea, sand and snakes! The kids spent a lot of time perfecting their swimming techniques in the pool, and enjoyed trying out the snorkel.... maybe a scuba holiday is on the cards as soon as Noah gets rid of his armbands (?).

We were lucky with the weather as it was hot but not TOO hot... it's taking a while to adjust to being back in the rainy UK.. but still good to be home. Jessie and Seamus were well looked after by the neighbours, but think they still missed us (or like to think they did anyway). Just back from Toy Story 3, really top film!