Children

New school daze…….

Posted on by Libby Price

So – in the next few days we have 3 of the 4 children starting new schools – all a bit of a new school daze here!!!

Today children 1 and 2 have their ‘first days’. For number 2 this shouldn’t be too much of a stress – he’s moving from First School to Middle School which is in the same building, and all of his friends are moving too. Some other First Schools feed in, so the classes will be bigger (yet more potential girlfriends – he is his father’s son after all!), but it shouldn’t be too much of a change. I am slightly concerned that he’ll now be responsible for his own homework / planning etc – and even getting him to do his reading in First School was a battle – but hopefully he will rise to the challenge – we shall see!

(And looking at the photo of his first day at First School – it was buying that first pair of his school trousers that caused me to weep in M&S in Redditch and decide we needed more children!  It was them that caused the vasectomy reversal and extra 2 children!!!)

First day at first school - cheeky chap!
First day at first school – cheeky chap!
First day at Middle school
First day at Middle school

For eldest daughter it’s all a bit more complicated. Husband had wanted the kids to go to private school from day one – but I have dug my heels in saying I would prefer for them to go to the village schools, where we can walk to school and they can build a friendship group of people in the village. This is totally what’s happened – and the support network to us all as a family of other village families is fabulous, However, I’d always said we’d reconsider at 11. In our bit of Worcestershire we have the Middle School system – so she could have stayed in the village for another 2 years – but this was the best time to move her, if that was to be the plan. She did AMAZINGLY well in all of her 11+ and entrance exams – passing for the local grammar school (where I went, and husband’s first wife went, there’s a whole other post in that one day?!), the high-flying academic private school in the middle of Birmingham, got a scholarship for another all girls private school in Solihull – and in the end is going to a small all girls school in Droitwich. The dealings we’ve had with them so far have been great – and everyone I know with girls there is really happy. She can go on the train every day (eek!) and be more independent. She is beyond excited.

First day at first school
First day at first school
First day at Senior school
First day at Senior school

How quickly they grow up…………

2007
2007
2014!
2014!

(It was the boy’s idea to recreate this – honest!!)

This post is for this week’s ‘The Photo Gallery’  topic of school over on The Sticky Fingers Blog. Pop across and see what other people have posted (and weep at their photos too!!)

 
Sticky Fingers Photo Gallery

Cooking mama

Posted on by Libby Price

On Saturday I was hoping to be able to do a blog post about a fabulous family day out – but a stinking headache for me first thing (not a hangover may I add – no, honestly!) and an evil wasp sting on the husband mid morning meant a day at home instead.

So in the afternoon I made apple crumble ready for Sunday lunch with the parentals today – and one to pop in the freezer (domestic goddess that I am!). I had ‘help’ from the odd numbered children (whilst children 2 and 4 played Minecraft and slept respectively – to be honest the first would induce the second for me, but children seem to LOVE it!)

Baking 1

The 4 year old was chief ‘rub-er in-er’ – and as you can see was VERY proud!  And, surprisingly, she did a really good job.  Usually she gets bored before all the butter has been rubbed in – but not on this occasion.

The eldest did all of the weighing.  I’d told her the ‘half fat to flour’ rule – and that the sugar needed to be the same as the fat.  Now the fat wasn’t the 150g I’d suggested – but 163g – so we even had a bit of a maths lesson at the same time!

Baking 2

 

I assisted with the apple peeling (or we may still have been doing it whilst making the Christmas cake later in the Autumn!!)

Baking 3

 

They were very chuffed with their finished results (so much so they were dancing about and the photo is blurred!)

 

Baking 4

So no exciting day out to report – but 2 very excited girls who very much enjoyed cooking with me (and a husband was was visibly shocked I’d done actual cooking with the children when he got up from his post traumatic nap!)

We had happy customers at lunchtime today when the crumble went down very well with Nanny and Grandad too!

 

 

Great Grandparents

Posted on by Libby Price

I am very fortunate that I still have a Grandmother around – my Mum’s Mum – and also an ‘honorary’ one!  

The honorary Grandma is actually my best friend’s Grandma – but she’s been in my life for almost 30 years – and she thinks of me as one of her own grandchildren.  One of my favourite memories of her and Grandad (who sadly passed away last year) was the ‘post A levels’ holiday my BFF and I went on with them to a camp site on the west coast of France.  

Back when we were 18 and carefree!
Back when we were 18 and carefree!

We had our own mobile home – but spent lots of time with G&G as they are just such fun.  Grandad would go and fetch the croissants for us every morning – but rather than leave them on the step whilst we did the teenage thing of sleeping in, he would construct a tower from tables and chairs and balance them on the top so we could see them when we opened the caravan curtains!!  

Honorary Grandparents
Honorary Grandparents

And then there was the infamous night of the ‘bad moule’ – where I was throwing up what looked like concrete and Grandma was convinced this was to do with dodgy shellfish (not the 2 litres of French white wine my 18 year old self had drunk!!)

Grandma helping me home on 'bad moule' night
Grandma helping me home on ‘bad moule’ night

When we got back to the UK – and got our results – Grandma took great pleasure in shouting out of her door that her Grandaughters had got 8 A levels between them!!   One of my kids’ highlights of this summer was actually going up and down on Grandma’s stairlift!!

Stairlift

Both honorary Grandma and my Nan are the same age (and spookily went to the same school in Birmingham as girls, although didn’t know each other) – which means they were both about the same age as my eldest daughter at the outbreak of World War 2. When the children have done projects about World War 2 and evacuees they were able to talk to my Nan all about it – as she was evacuated from inner city Birmingham to Burton upon Trent.  She talks of going into school in her best coat, with a tag around her neck and her gas mask and being sent off to a school in Burton where local families could come and pick who they wanted.  I don’t think it was a particularly enjoyable experience for Nan – and she came back to Brum as soon as she could as she missed her family so much.  How amazing that someone can talk about what happened to her when it’s a topic you read about in the history books or see in films – and how lucky my kids are to be able to talk to these ladies with such interesting history.  

Nan and Grandad (who sadly died in his early 50s – and yet seemed like such an ‘old man’ to me back then) met, married and went on to have my Mum and 4 other children – so even more kids than me!  But no washing machine / dishwasher / fridge / car – it was a much more physically demanding role than for me now. Seeing Nan in her warden controlled flat now, eating her M&S meals as it saves cooking for just her – I can’t imagine her running a house with all of those kids in those conditions – she must have been such a strong woman (even at just over five foot tall).

When I was expecting baby number 4 my consultant wanted to induce me (apparently it’s risky with number 4 or more to go overdue – and I’d had to be induced with 2 of the other 3 anyway, with the other one being a week late when he came of his own accord, so induction was likely to be on the cards at some point).  It was November 2011 – so the fact I have massive number OCD meant I wanted 11th November (what a cool date of birth would that have been?) – but he was already fully booked for c-sections.  So instead we went for November 9th – my Nan’s 83rd birthday – what an exciting present for her – her 9th great grandchild (to add to the 12 grandchildren). As she pointed out – at least we’d remember it when she’s gone (always glass half full, that’s Nan!!)

83 years difference - to the day!
83 years difference – to the day!

My parents do a lot for Nan as geographically they are the closest of her children – and when they’re away I take on the mantle of ‘milk deliverer and bill payer’.  Nan always says ‘you don’t need to come, you’ve got so much to do with the kids and business’ – but I know how much it means to her – and I know how much it would mean to some of my friends who no longer have their Nans to go and visit. So a (china) mug of tea and an egg custard at Nan’s little flat it is! 

4 generations
4 generations (one with really bad fluid retention in her legs having just given birth……..)

A Daisy shaped hole (for 6 sleeps)

Posted on by Libby Price

This week the eldest has gone on International Guide Camp.  There are 800 Guides there from all over the world – their field has girls from Denmark, Hong Kong and Australia  and the location of this exotic camp – is 2 miles up the road!!  This is actually a great plan (mostly for the husband – who would be even more stressed if she was in another country) for her first trip away – and the fact that she’s with her lovely Guide pack friends – and that the leaders are 2 Mums from the village that I know and trust – means all in all, it’s fine.  Honestly….

 Price Family November 2013-6127

But….

It just feels weird with one of us missing and there ‘only’ being 5 of us.

Price Family November 2013-6090

Admittedly the bickering is loads less (she and her brother know exactly which buttons to press to wind each other up) but she’s my right hand woman.  She is BRILLIANT with her little sisters, and helps me so much with them.  I also keep seeing things (loom band models on Facebook, news stories about One Direction) that I want to share with her – and I can’t.  I can’t even text her or email her as it was a strict NO PHONES rule.  She’s now 11 and spending time with her is (mostly!) a joy.  Going shopping with just her is now a fun trip (throw in the other 3 and it all gets a bit stressful still!) and I really enjoy her company.

Yes – we still have our moments:

Getting her to wash her hair and music practice being the key areas for ‘discussion’.  Recently I was helping her with her aural for her Grade 2 piano exam.  One section involves identifying whether a piece of music is in 2 or 3 time – so basically a march or a waltz.  She watches Strictly – surely she should be able to hear this?  But seemingly not.  It all got a bit heated and I ranted ‘SURELY YOU CAN HEAR IT’S A F*CKING MARCH’ – which pretty much sums up why despite having my Grade 8 I have never been a piano teacher………

But most of the time I am super proud of my kind, caring, beautiful, clever, thoughtful, talented (she did pass the piano exam!) and loving first born.

Thankfully the no phones means she can’t read this and be mortified!!

Every night at bedtime the 4 year old asks ‘How many sleeps until we can get Daisy back?’ – and I think we all feel the same.  Roll on Saturday morning when we can pick her up (and no doubt by Saturday lunchtime I’ll have moaned at her at least once – so will need to re read this post!!)