The old ones are still so often the best.

Today is story character day for Seth. They have to dress as a favourite character from a story written by a good author, no disney characters and no TV characters.
Seth was a Leopard, from How the leopard got his spots by Rudyard Kipling.


I just love this story, I love the way Rudyard Kipling writes, H tried to read it to the boys last night but it's tricky and very English.

Such fun to see all the kids dressed up, far too many princesses and fairies though......hope the leopard doesn't get peckish!!
School is great at the moment, what a shame both the boys are having such a hard time going in. I am not one of the mummies that gently try to extract weeping children, I get very impatient when I KNOW they will love it, when I KNOW they have fun the minute I leave.
Yesterday after I had taken sobbing Seth back to his classroom 3 times, on the way back for the fourth try this is the conversation we had
" I . can't. go. I am worried about papa"
"PAPA? Why are you worried about papa..he is gone and we know he is fine, we can miss him, but we don't need to worry about him and .....why are you still crying?"
" I don't like school, I never finish my work on time"
" Do they beat you if you don't finish?"
( incredulous whip 'round of neck and stare at me)
"NO!!!"
"that's alright then, no need to worry about that, better get in and see what's happening today hadn't we?"
Luckily, they ( oh touch wood etc etc) usually take in turns to do the clinging thing in the mornings and they never do it to H, it has been plishing it down with torrents of sideways rain for days, all very well to have 10 minutes with your wellies on, but walking to school and being soggy for 7 hours isn't fun. I have taken them this week. I don't like it.
When I picked Isaac up yesterday, his teacher and classroom assistant were almost jumping with glee.
"tell mummy your news Isaac!!!"
Isaac lay on the floor and scooted along on his book bag.
"Isaac, your NEWS, such exciting news ...will you tell mummy???"
Isaac rolled on floor and shook his head.
It took a while but they gave in and told me themselves. Isaac had been playing in the puppet corner with a puppet ( heavens, imagine that!!!) it was reading time, and you have to love these teachers they get him to read to them, even though he doesn't actually talk. They somehow manage to point to the words and watch his mouth at the same time. Now, I know he can read....they are sort of sure he can read but he is very reluctant to show them. Yesterday, they called him from the puppet corner to do his reading, he came over and still had a horse hand puppet with him. Well for heaven's sake that darned puppet read 100 words, out loud in a proper voice! I can picture how they looked from one to the other with eyes open wide wondering when that voice would go right back in!!!
I let them have their joy and didn't like to burst a bubble by saying that chances are he would be silent again today. I didn't get a chance to ask today if they heard that voice or not.
I took Sophie, her friend, her friends nephew and Elijah to an indoor play place today, the nephew is 2 months older than Eli and was very funny. Mouth older than the rest of him, I was left wondering many times how someone of 3 even knows about the things he was talking about!
It was lovely having Sophie and Kylie there to do the sliding and go karting while I read a magazine and just behaved like a chauffeur.
It was also lovely to feel all smug and maternal because na na na na na my kids were nicer than theirs!
Sometimes its good to spend time with other children so you can see how nice yours are.
I listened to Kylie yell at her mom on the cell phone because she had dared to ask for the money she had lent her.... and had a little 'blood run cold' moment as I was flung back to the years Sophie yelled at me, but THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ANYMORE!! and I listened ( oh for such a long time) to Tyler whining, and whining and asking and demanding and never quite being happy with all the things to jump on and play with or his chips, or his drink. While my darling ne'er do wrong ate his lunch and smiled and said 'thankyou' and got his shoes on when it was time to go.
Perfect me and perfect them. Perfect.