Lady and the crisp factory

It’s Saturday and Gordon has taken Lady to Ju Jitsu while he hits the gym. The boys are watching a DVD and I’m having 5 minutes peace.

Yesterday we spent the day together. Duncan stayed off school, ostensibly because he had a cold (and he does, but it’s not that bad) but really because I didn’t have anything in the house on Friday morning that I could pack for his lunch. So we played and read stories and I drew lots of pictures and rolled them up into small cylinders, as instructed. He has decided that he wants a bow and arrow. I think Lady told him that he could get one for his birthday, but he doesn’t do anticipating future pleasure; he wants it NOW! So when Gordon came home from work, Duncan had convinced himself that Daddy had a ‘bow’n’arrow’ in his bag. Big tantrum ensued, and when he was finished being angry he was so sad and was crying like his heart was broken. It’s hard to know what is the best thing to do in these situations. I just stay near him, usually carry him to another room and let him be angry and empathise with him. Then when he’s ready he climbs onto my lap for ‘Mummy hug’. I’ve asked Gordon to have a look in the toy shop for the requested object before he comes home. I know he can’t have everything he wants. This demanding various things, usually trains, is one of the hardest things to deal with.

On Thursday (to go back in time), I took Lady to meet up with a gang of local home-ed people for a tour of the Tayto crisp factory. I stayed with Thomas at a local leisure centre with 2 other Mums and their little ones. We all spent some time in the soft play area and the children had a great time; they even enjoyed the big ball cleaning machine that was wheeled out and set into action after someone peed in the ball pool! Thomas was quite smitten with his new friends and I enjoyed making a new friend too! Lady loved the Tayto tour. She was raving about it all the way home. They got to sample some of the crisps and she said they had big machines ‘like in the tooth paste factory in Charlie and the Chocolate factory movie, only these ones worked’.

Duncan was looked after by his Grandma when he returned from school. I was a bit worried about how they’d get on but he greeted her with a big smile when he got off the bus and they were absolutely fine together, thank goodness.