We've had one of 'those' weeks where many things need dealing with, and many things went wrong. I was doing so well aswell, I was on a roll!
It started last week with Mr Bogert heading off on a work trip. He left Thursday, the same day my 'Peter Pan and the Portrayal of Motherhood' essay had to be submitted. He being the man of the driving licence and car, left us essentially stranded in our village, which is ofcourse why we needed to be in so many places on different days - that's the way it works dontcha know. Uncle Anthony to the rescue. He played chauffeur for the entire absence of Bogert. He joked with neighbours he had just come to borrow Rob's car, wife and kids :)
Friday the Small person started a new club after school.She now goes to Apple Club run by Playbox Theatre. It is an acting club for younger children where they do things like role play, mime and confidence building. Having introduced herself immediately to another girl waiting to go in (just because they had the same coat on) she struck up a (mostly one-sided) conversation, that prompted the other girls Dad to lean over to me and say "She's not really shy, is she?" She had so much fun at the session. She truly loved it, which I'm glad about. She seriously did not stop talking for hours after we left!
Saturday was her regular dance classes: Freestyle and Musical Theatre with The Whiteman Dance Academy. Incidentally, if you're looking for a freestyle or musical theatre class for under 5's in our area (Warwickshire), they have spaces and have been brilliant for Alexandra. She loves it, but will be moving up to the older class after half term.
Sunday she was invited to a 6th birthday disco by one of her school friends. Even the Smaller Person got chance to run around and have a little boogie, and the birthday girl's mum (who is from Thailand) made some really yummy Thai food for the grown ups. Last time I had thai food, I wasn't overly keen, so I just put a little of everything on my plate to try. I wish I had filled my plate in the first place, it was delicious! I could hardly go back for seconds with everyone watching :(
And fnally Mr Bogert came home on Monday just in time to take mamdam to her ballet and tap classes. Now, in addition to the full calendar of my 6 year old social butterfly, there were other things going on. First of all, I do not envy single parents. It's hard work, and I only have to play single parent for short periods of time; I know there is an end in sight where I get to equally share out the chores and responsibilites. It really wears you out.
The biggest issue of the last week was that on Friday when the Small Person came home on the school bus, there was an incident that resulted in her being hit across the face by an older boy from her school. She was trying to help a friend get something back that the boy had taken. He said that she bit him. Now I would be the first to hand out suitable punishment and make it very clear that violence of any kind is simply not acceptable, but she was adamant she hadn't bitten him. I have to admit, it's completely not in her character. She's not violent, and I think that if she ever did lash out, her first reaction would be to use her hands, not her teeth. Another thing is, she's not a very good liar (don't get me wrong, she doesn't lie often) when she's lying it's really very obvious. After calming her down and getting her side of the story, I believe her.
Thankfully this is the point where apple club came in and took her mind off it (even though she had a red handprint on her face). Over the weekend, I contacted a couple of parents of other children on the bus to see what their children saw. In the end, madam didn't go to school on Monday because she was scared to go on the bus until it was sorted out. I had to phone the school and explain why she wasn't in, which means they are now looking into the matter also. Mr Bogert went and spoke to the mother on Monday night, and she was very understanding of our point of view and hopefully now the situation is resolved. The boy admitted Alexandra's version of events was true and he also appologised to her. He is currently being made to sit at the front of the bus. The school is still looking into it, and is awaiting a report from the coach company and bus minder.
She went back to school yesterday, only to wake up this morning feeling ill! So she's off again. Another phonecall to the school. She'll be off tomorrow too because they have to stay away 48 hours even if they are better. And wouldn't you know it, Mr Bogert's off on a work trip tomorrow! I thought January was the uneventful lull in the year.
The plus side of this is, now she's feeling better, she can be my glamorous assistant to demonstrate what I should really be telling you about: Toddler Group Tuesday!
This week we made Merry Mess Monsters
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| (This was my example to put on the wall at Toddler Group). |
- some paper or card
- some scrunched up newspaper
- paint
- some glue
- various foam shapes
- a few pipe cleaners
- some dot stickers
First of all take your scrunched up newspaper and dip it into the paint. Stamp this on your paper/card until you have the shape of monster you want.
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| We're using a scrunched up carrier bag here because we didn't have any newspaper. |
Glue foam shapes for features and decoration.
Glue pipe cleaners for legs and arms.
Stick the dot stickers in the centre of some foam shapes for the pupils of the eyes.
All done!
Now don't forget, this is a mess monster. He (or she) can have as many arms, legs, eyes, noses, mouths etc as you choose. You could make a multicoloured monster by dipping your newspaper in a few different colour paints. A bath scrunchie will work just as well as a scrunched up newspaper and you could add yarn for hair or fur, or print bubble wrap onto the paint boddy to create a spotty mess monster. Google eyes are another option to the dot stickers. If you have more time, a 3D version is possible by scrunching up your newspaper and covering with a paint and glue mixture then allowing to dry. Once dry, this becomes your mess monster's body and you can carry on adding the other bits with glue or tape, just the same as on the 2D version.
Happy crafting!
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