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| Outside of our Finca, covered in bougainvillea |
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| LBR and LBL in their Zoobug sunglasses |
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| The outside our bedroom window |
littleboyred
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Silent Sunday
Friday, 27 July 2012
Did you know....?
Did you know, If a teenage girl throws her sisters Ipod Nano into the pool (whilst having a strop.) that it still works if you get it from the bottom of the pool and put it in the sun for an hour?
Did you know, In Mallorca the chickens and their chicks (which are days old) see off all the cats and eat all the cat food?
Did you know, If you let teenagers have "a shandy", they end up having "a few" beers and think you can't tell? (coming back completely plastered)
Did you know, Life doesn't get much better than this?
Did you know, If you send teenagers to the shop to buy bread, cloth's and milk, they come back with a few sweets and nothing else because they can't find the rest?
Did you know, As a mother of 2 young boys, sitting even for an hour to read a book is impossible? (I have been here for 10 days and am on page 20)
Did you know, When the husband and I go out without the children for the evening, (our first time since LBL was born) after an hour, we spent the whole time looking over our shoulder, really excited the boys are coming to join us?
Did you know, Although I have absolutely no "me time", my clothes are being pulled at all the time, my clothes are constantly dirty with snot, food, dirt, I am still sleep deprived, I have aged 10 years in the past 5, I would not change a single thing?
Did you know, I was born to be a Mother and feel extremely privileged and very lucky
Did you know, In Mallorca the chickens and their chicks (which are days old) see off all the cats and eat all the cat food?
Did you know, If you let teenagers have "a shandy", they end up having "a few" beers and think you can't tell? (coming back completely plastered)
Did you know, Life doesn't get much better than this?
Did you know, If you send teenagers to the shop to buy bread, cloth's and milk, they come back with a few sweets and nothing else because they can't find the rest?
Did you know, As a mother of 2 young boys, sitting even for an hour to read a book is impossible? (I have been here for 10 days and am on page 20)
Did you know, When the husband and I go out without the children for the evening, (our first time since LBL was born) after an hour, we spent the whole time looking over our shoulder, really excited the boys are coming to join us?
Did you know, Although I have absolutely no "me time", my clothes are being pulled at all the time, my clothes are constantly dirty with snot, food, dirt, I am still sleep deprived, I have aged 10 years in the past 5, I would not change a single thing?
Did you know, I was born to be a Mother and feel extremely privileged and very lucky
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Teenage Experiment with Money
We decided when coming away, as 2 of the girls are 14 and the other is 18, to give them a little bit of independence by giving them money on day one to last them the whole 2 week holiday.We decided to give them the same amount each, to teach teenagers about the value of money, which would also give them the freedom to come and go as they please. The amount between them is equivalent to a weeks shop. . .so a fair amount.
It has been a really interesting experiment. The first night, (after I had completed a big shop,) they came home at 11.00pm (after us feeding them 3 meals and copious amounts of snacks) to raid the fridge, including pop, pizza and cake.
I explained, the money we gave them was for goodies and any other provisions outside of essentials, so if they wanted crisps, pop, sweets, they should buy them their selves. The following evening we went out for drinks. All three of them sat there without buying a drink. All of a sudden, they were not thirsty. (any other time, they would have had at least 2 drinks each!) They begrudgingly bought a drink themselves the following night!
At home they still haven't brought provisions (they have decided they don't want to snack as they are on diets) and yet without fail they will go into the fridge and ask if they can have a....I have offered to take 10E off of each of them and buy all the goodies they need. But of course they they don't want me to do that.
So the moral of the story is (which I and the world all ready knew) is, Teenagers are very prepared to spent every penny you own, but will do everything they can possibly do to avoid spending a penny of their own. I will never make this mistake again!
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| Teenager 1 |
It has been a really interesting experiment. The first night, (after I had completed a big shop,) they came home at 11.00pm (after us feeding them 3 meals and copious amounts of snacks) to raid the fridge, including pop, pizza and cake.
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| Teenager 2 |
I explained, the money we gave them was for goodies and any other provisions outside of essentials, so if they wanted crisps, pop, sweets, they should buy them their selves. The following evening we went out for drinks. All three of them sat there without buying a drink. All of a sudden, they were not thirsty. (any other time, they would have had at least 2 drinks each!) They begrudgingly bought a drink themselves the following night!
At home they still haven't brought provisions (they have decided they don't want to snack as they are on diets) and yet without fail they will go into the fridge and ask if they can have a....I have offered to take 10E off of each of them and buy all the goodies they need. But of course they they don't want me to do that.
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| Teenager 3 |
So the moral of the story is (which I and the world all ready knew) is, Teenagers are very prepared to spent every penny you own, but will do everything they can possibly do to avoid spending a penny of their own. I will never make this mistake again!
Monday, 23 July 2012
Zoobug Sunglasses
I wrote a few weeks back about childrens sunglasses. I fell
in love with Zoobugs great designs for young children, which I felt were
stylish, yet still practical.
The good people of Zoobug read this blog and very kindly
sent the boys a couple of pairs of Aviators for our trip.
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| LBR being a"a boy" wearing his Zoobug sunglasses |
Redd absolutely LOVES them! At first he wouldn’t wear them
and just carried the case around with him, because he didn’t want to them to
break, or get them dirty! (believe me, that is praise indeed!)
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| Zoobug glasses and a blue tongue! |
He says (in his words) “they are very comfortable, They make
everything Orange, They are nice for my eyes in the sun and the case is orange”
I must say they look fabulous. They have hypoallergenic stainless steel frame with flex hinges. Which makes them very light. Perfect for little noses. obviously they have all the necessary UV protection. (Polycarbonate UV400 graduated lens)
Sunday, 22 July 2012
Silent Sunday. Mallorca
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| LBL stroking a chick in Mallorca |
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| Now that's a water Melon |
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| A Very Happy boy |
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| A perfect Mallorca Peach |
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| Fresh Eggs |
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| LBR wearing Zoobug sunglasses |
Saturday, 21 July 2012
Campanet, Mallorca
The Finka we are staying in, is in a little village called Campenet at the foot of the Mallorca Hills, to the north of the island, about 10km from Inca. There is a pithier of shops and small cafes around the central square were a beautiful church dominates. The Church chimes on the hour and the half hour.
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| Campanet Mallorca |
It is very much a traditional Spanish village. The square
is “the place” to socialise. Where gossip is exchanged, where the elderly and
the young mix and equally feel at home. Last night and tonight a touring
theatre is in town. They provide 15minutes sketches using the local shops and
pubs as their theatre, which surprisingly proved really popular with the locals
The food served in the café is a mixture of traditional Spainish
and American to cater for the tourist, especially cyclist who
stop here for a break, before tackling the Huge Hills( a lot of the Olympic team
train here)
Its incredibly child friendly. All the children are still out playing in the middle of the square at 10.00pm whilst the parents have a drink and keep an eye on them. Everyone is extremely well behaved.
Alcudia Beach is about a 15minutes drive away. Far enough away for the village to keep it's Mallocan feel, but close enough to enjoy one of the best child friendly beaches in Europe.
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| The Mallorca hills |
If you wanted a holiday that has the feeling of being in the middle of Spain, with all their traditions, with child friendly facilities a spitting distance away. Then this is the area for you.
Friday, 20 July 2012
Mallorca and Travelling with 7
I sit here by a beautiful pool with the Mallocan hills
behind me. The temperature is a blamy 30C degrees, the chickens and their
chicks are resting barely a few feet away from my sun bed. The peace is occasionally
broken by the cock crowing and a dog barking occasionally in the distance.
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| The Teenagers |
I have to say, this is the first time I have sat down in the past 3-4days. The actual travelling from Bournemouth to Mallorca was pretty simple. The cab arrived as promised pretty promptly at 4.45. We arrived at the airport 20 minutes later. We went straight through departures as we only had hand luggage. The flight was on time and thankfully none eventful. We were in a cab on the way to Campenet within half an hour of landing and arrived in Campanet half an hour later. Simple.
It was the organisation to get to that point that was so
stressful. Due to family circumstances, my parents now look after my 2 teenage nieces.
In order to give them a break, “the husband” and I take them away every year
(that sounds very grand. . .this is the second yr) to give my parents a break.
Step D, also comes along. So it is the 7 of us. 3 Teenagers, a 2 year old, a 5 year old and “the husband and I”
The day before we travelled I had to go and pick both girls up from different locations in London. The dogs had to be looked after, so I was franticlly trying to find someone who would be willing to come into the house to look after them. Which led to more stress, as then the house needed to be really cleaned. (not just the lick and a polish, I would have done!)
The day before we travelled I had to go and pick both girls up from different locations in London. The dogs had to be looked after, so I was franticlly trying to find someone who would be willing to come into the house to look after them. Which led to more stress, as then the house needed to be really cleaned. (not just the lick and a polish, I would have done!)
LBR finished school 2 days early. Before I set off to pick
up the girls, I had to go to see his new teachers and find out about yr 1 (that’s
another post!). Ryan Air require you to check in on-line before departure. The
system kept crashing and wouldn’t allow me to check in Step D and then the
printer wouldn’t work, to print the boarding cards.
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| Family fun! |
So I sit here now, really, really appreciating where I am. One of the girls is teaching LBR to dive, (there is a lot of laughing going on) LBL is asleep and the others are laughing in the pool, throwing a ball around. Does it get better than this?
Thursday, 19 July 2012
Olympic Torch & Nathan Blackie
The Husband is friends with the local pub owner "The Porterhouse" Jonathan is a very proud man. His son Nathan Blackie, 14, (who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at nine months old,) was nominated by his coach at the AFC Bournemouth Ability Counts football team to run with the olympic torch. A whole team from our local area went to Dorchester to cheer him on. This is what the local newspaper Daily Echo had to say about his run.
"Torchbearer Nathan Blackie, 14, from Bournemouth, cast aside his crutches to walk 300 metres past the cheering children.
He said: “The cerebral palsy tightens the muscles in my legs.
“I had an operation and I’ve spent time a long time trying to get around.
“I was very nervous and so glad I managed to get around.”
Modern penthathlete Jamie Cooke carried the torch up to the house.
He said: “I was nominated to carry the torch by the British Olympic Association and it has just been so overwhelming. It is great to see all of the community together.”" The whole community is so proud of him.
Redds school is also very excited, as Jonathan (Nathans father) has agreed to take the torch into his school. So they will all get a chance to have a look at the torch close up!
Tuesday, 17 July 2012
Boys Sun Hats & Swim Hats
At last the sun is out. There are some lovely sun hats for boys around at the moment. I really like this twill beanie sun hat which retails at £10 from jojo maman bebe.
These are pretty much the only style I can keep on LBL head. Stylish yet practical. They come in a varity of colours , greeen, red, blue, navy and stone.
This hat from Tiger Joe would be perfect for LBR. It is on the same lines as the twill beanie, but I think suitable for bigger boys!
Tiger Joe reversible swim
hat, solid surf blue with a friendly bat on one side and a spider's web print
on the other.
May be worn in and out of
the water. XS-S is suitable for 2-4 years and M-L should fit 4-8 years and Retails at £19.95
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Wearing these with zoobug.sun glasses. Your little boy will not only be safe from the sun, but will super stylish, but still look like a little Boy!
Monday, 16 July 2012
School Reports, Waldorf Steiner and Reception.
LBR has just received his first school report, and to be honest it was a bit of gobilly gooch! There were hundreds of ticks on loads of different categories. I wasn't even at school at his age,( we started the term after our 5th Birthday) and he is being accessed on Communication, Disposition and Attitude, Reading, Writing, Problem Solving. . .and on it goes.
Before LBR started Reception, he knew about 70% of his letters and to be honest absolutely no Maths.
Like Steiner, I believe children shouldn't start school or academics until they are 7.
Steiner Waldorf
"Formal learning of the three R's does not feature in the Steiner EC curriculum in the belief that a child will learn these skills more effectively if he/she has had plenty of time and opportunity to develop socially, emotionally and physically first in a creative, secure, enabling and harmonious environment. The foundation skills in literacy and numeracy are laid through an environment rich in hands on activity and play and where language and communication are enabled through a rich oral tradition."
They should concentrate on life skills and socializing. It doesn't matter how intellegent you are, if you don't get on with people, you are not going to get on in life.
LBR being a little boy. . .or a monster!
So I sit here looking at my (only just) 5 year old's report and wonder if they should be accessed so intricately. Surely at this stage in their lives, they should be playing and learning about the world they live in.
It is difficult not to get caught up with it all. . ."what do u mean my sons fine motor skills aren't up to par?" For about 5 seconds I worried and then I thought about his amazing Lego creations http://reddslego.blogspot.co.uk/ and I realised that is a load of bunkum. He has no interest in writing, so refuses. It's not the lack of his fine motor skills, but the fact he has his own mind. . .in my book a darn site more important.
Before LBR started Reception, he knew about 70% of his letters and to be honest absolutely no Maths.
Like Steiner, I believe children shouldn't start school or academics until they are 7.
Steiner Waldorf
"Formal learning of the three R's does not feature in the Steiner EC curriculum in the belief that a child will learn these skills more effectively if he/she has had plenty of time and opportunity to develop socially, emotionally and physically first in a creative, secure, enabling and harmonious environment. The foundation skills in literacy and numeracy are laid through an environment rich in hands on activity and play and where language and communication are enabled through a rich oral tradition."
They should concentrate on life skills and socializing. It doesn't matter how intellegent you are, if you don't get on with people, you are not going to get on in life.
LBR being a little boy. . .or a monster!
So I sit here looking at my (only just) 5 year old's report and wonder if they should be accessed so intricately. Surely at this stage in their lives, they should be playing and learning about the world they live in.
It is difficult not to get caught up with it all. . ."what do u mean my sons fine motor skills aren't up to par?" For about 5 seconds I worried and then I thought about his amazing Lego creations http://reddslego.blogspot.co.uk/ and I realised that is a load of bunkum. He has no interest in writing, so refuses. It's not the lack of his fine motor skills, but the fact he has his own mind. . .in my book a darn site more important.
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