maximad

It would have never happened with a PFB (Precious First Born) 4

 in maximad / minimad by

I have a confession to make, it is time to clean my soul.  Maxi loves Hot Chocolate and had fennel tea as a baby, well Mini he loves coffee, yes coffee.  Last year when Maxi started school Mini and I would visit a coffee shop once a week when we took my mum to hospital and our treat was a decaf latte and Mini would always love to drink my foam and finish the coffee and now you guessed it, decaf latte is his drink of choice! So this got me thinking, what other things did I do differently with Mini, than I did with Maxi (15 months age gap). Dummy […]

What do you do when your children are bright?

 in Bright / clever / gifted and talented / maximad / minimad / school by

All children are unique, they are wonderful souls and a joy to be around.  But what do you do when your children are bright?  Maxi and Mini are both above average when it comes to intelligence.  I say this not as a smug mum, but as a concerned mum.  My aim for my children is and always has been happiness, for them to take life in both hands and enjoy it.  But this last week I have experienced something I never have before, Maxi has not wanted to go to school, as it is boring.  Photo by Clinically Fed Up So MadDad and I decided that it was time that I […]

I survived their first day at school

 in first day of school / maximad / minimad / school / school uniform / The minimads by

We were all prepared the clothes were names, ironed and set out last night. Mini was beyond excited this morning, he has wanted to go to school since Maxi started last year.  I took these images this morning and have kept myself busy today, MadDad and I are painting the kitchen (he didnt like the colour I chose and I took my upset out on him and then we went and exchanged the paint) and I have taken mum to her COPD appointment at the hospital too. I really missed having Mini around this morning, most acutely around I0.30am at cup of tea and chat time.  But I also missed our […]

Living with a child with a health condition

 in chest condition / health / hospital / illness / maximad by

When Maxi was 4 months old he became unwell.  He got a cold and was very unhappy, not his normal self at all.  He also fell off my knee and we were so concerned we took him to A&E at 6pm.  The doctor took a look at him and said he was fine and just to keep an eye on him and bring him back in if he was being sick. Maxi on the afternoon before he fell off the sofa We put our little baby to bed at 8pm that night and tried to give him a feed at 11pm, as usual, but he wouldn’t take the milk, in fact […]

Hearing but not Listening

 in hearing / help. minimad / listening / maximad / mini mads / shouting by

My boys, especially MiniMad seem to have issues with listening. I and the preschool were so concerned with Mini’s hearing that he was referred to an Audiologist. Thankfully it turned out that Mini’s hearing was perfect, although it took four different attempts to get him to co-operate with the tests.  You could see that he was hearing the sounds, he just refused to acknowledge them! The Audiologist was a lovely lady who went on to explain that she sees now boys than girls and that they can hear, they just don’t listen.   They tune out or focus on other things. So what can I do about making the boys not […]

Maxi’s Foundation Stage Graduation

 in award / maximad / school by

Thursday was Maxi’s last day at school in Reception before he goes up to year one in September. This year has been a amazing one for my little man, one that I hope will give him a great foundation to all the years of learning he has to come.  The biggest part of this year has been his wonderful teacher Mrs Sayer and her two wonderful teaching assistants (Mrs Holmes and Mrs Jackson) Mrs Sayer has a wonderful way with the children and they all adore her, she brings learning to life through play and is the perfect Reception teacher (which is why I was overjoyed to find out Mini is […]

Bringing out the Lioness in me

 in bad days / bad times / church / lioness / maximad / mini mads / minimad / motherhood / youth group by

Just don’t go upsetting my cubs in front of me, as it will bring out the lioness in me.  She has surfaced this week and I am still upset and angry about how my boys, Mini in particular has been treated. Every Monday there is a youth group at the local church and although I don’t attend church, I want the boys to have experience of church and the fact that this is help in the church itself, rather than a hall really appealed to me, in such that it demystifies such a quiet place. So I registered the boys and they went for the first time a fortnight ago.  They […]

Children’s Craft Showcase – How to make paper flowers 1

 in art / childrens craft / childrens craft showcase / crafts / maximad / paper flowers by

Heart petal flowers are a really simple way to make flowers for someone special, not for any reason, just to say I love you.  They would also make a really great gift to say thank you to any teacher at this time of the year. Materials Tissue Paper Heart Punch or template and scissors Paper Straws (Art straws – 99p from The Works) Paper brads Method This is such a simple piece of craft, that Maxi actually made all of our flowers (roses) which we took with us to see The Wiggles and give to Dorothy. Use the punch to make heart shapes out of tissue paper With a single hole […]

Mima with Maxi

 in first day of school / maximad / mima / school trip by

Maxi’s class were lucky enough to go to Mima (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) on a school trip and I managed to get MadDad to work from home that day so I could go to. Now I am not sure I will be taking the boys back just yet, but it was a great, if not a little long day.  In between looking and thinking about the installations the children did get to do some art activities, but they were not allowed to touch anything and with a group of 4 and 5 year olds you can imagine how hard it was for them. I was very proud of all the children, […]

A Family of Emotions

 in emmotions / MadDad / maximad / me / mini mads / minimad / The Gallery / Wednesday writing workshop by

Mini just can not control them, they are so visual, so transparent.  It is like looking at me. I see burning red and hot orange embers.  The lava flow that just erupts before he has a chance to think about anything else.  He has no hold on them, no way to stop acting on the impulses they give him.  He has no perspective, no patience, no understanding of them. He physically reacts, throwing, hitting, shouting, screaming, banging and crying. He feels them in his heart, head and fists.   To the point of exhaustion. Maxi is comtenplative, a real thinker, he is learning to harness his emotions and to keep them […]

Saturday Story Workshop

 in maximad / school / Story Event by

Maxi was lucky enough to be invited to a special storytelling workshop which as held at a local school on Friday.  He had a funtastic time and we were invited to take him back for a morning of fun and activities on the Saturday.  So we decided that Maxi and I would go and MadDad and Mini could go and have some one on one time at Football Tots together. What a treat I was in for: The event was run by a local school (one of the smallest in the area) for a number of the local schools and was specially designed for Reception children (4 and 5) year olds. […]

Halcyon days – An afternoon event at the school

 in fun / maximad / school / Summer by

MadDad and I spent a wonderful afternoon at Maxi’s school last Wednesday.  We had been invited for a coffee, cake and fun with the children. I had forgotten my camera, so I took these images with the histomatic application on the iPhone – yes I know old hat by now, but I am a late adopter! We spent a brilliant 1 and half hours listening to all the children in the year singing songs and playing games. The weather was perfect, not too sunny, but warm. The teaching staff had all been very busy baking and the cakes were delicious. But the best part for us was just watching Maxi have […]

Writing Workshop – The best things come to those who wait

 in boys / getting Maxi / maximad / mini mads / minimad / waiting / Wednesday writing workshop by

  The best things come to those who wait, well that’s what they say. I am not good at waiting, no I don’t have a patient bone in my body. If I want something then I want it yesterday.  I want it NOW. I have been known to stamp my feet and bat my eyelashes to try and get what I want. But what about when not one can give you that thing? What then? For me I hid my need, I pretended that I was happy. I even managed to convince myself that life was good. And it was.  I was happy. I lived a good life, a great life […]

The Gallery – Men

 in cat. Smudge / help. minimad / MadDad / maximad / mend and make do / mini mads / The Gallery by

This week’s prompt over at The Gallery is Men. Pictures of the men in your life – dads, sons, uncles, teachers, partners, brothers.   Let’s hear it for the men! So I give you the men in my house:   My wonderful constant companion thought life, he can be many things to many people, including a maker, an educator, a boss, a colleague, a lover, a husband, a dad, a provider…. He has and is there for me and the boys when we are unwell, always putting us first no matter what.  He is a wonderful daddy and they couldn’t have asked for more. He is fun, amazing and just wonderful, as I have […]

Looking Back – The toddler years

 in innocence / maximad / minimad / toddlers by

As my boys are growing up, we seem to be having less of those incidents that make you want to scream, you know the ones….  where everything goes quiet and they are up to something.  I have had quite a few of them. Permanent Pen Maxi once drew on everything with a black pen that you used on paper to make a road for a car to follow, no where on the box did it say the pen was permanent, but oh my it was, he was 20 months old and nearly didn’t live to see his next birthday.  The sofa, the walls, the doors, the TV, in fact most things […]

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Party – Maxi’s 5th Birthday 4

 in 5th birthday / Birthday / birthday crown / five / maximad / The very hungry caterpillar by

I am lucky, Maxi doesn’t crave big expensive parties, he is happy with a few friends and family round and things to do and quality time with his fiends.  This makes me happy and I am more than happy to oblige whenever I can. Last year this found me making, baking and decorating cakes one day after my discharge from hospital after my double mastectomy with my drains in.  So whatever we did this year it was bound to be easier! Maxi asked for a Hungry Caterpillar Party, so I scoured the Internet for inspiration and I needn’t have worried at all.  So with no further ado I give you Maxi’s […]

Five

 in eldest / family / fifth birthday / five / link love / maximad by

The most destructive known hurricanes rate as Category 5Muslims pray to Allah five times a dayFive the number of digits on one hand or footThe pentagram, or five-pointed star   five elements: (water, fire, earth, wood, and metal) The five basic tastes are sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami. Maxi’s last night as a four year old Five for me is the age that Maxi turns on the 16 March. For five years we have been blessed to have watched you grow and developTo see you start to become the man you have the potential to be.You fill my heart with joy, with optimism and excitement.You have brought many smiles to […]

Getting Maxi – Part Three Coming Home

 in Birthday / coming home / getting Maxi / maximad by

So the story continues…. We were allowed to bring Maxi home 3 days after I had given birth, my mum had gone back to North Yorkshire, so that we could spent some time on our own, just the three of us and the two cats. So we popped Maxi in to his car seat and left, just like that.  No one came and checked if we were going to be suitable parents, if we knew how to look after him or any such thing. The first thing we did was make a trip to Waitrose.  I was so sure I would breast feed that we didn’t have any supplies, so we […]

Getting Maxi – Part Two the birth

 in giving bith / maximad / pregnancy by

I hope you are sitting comfortably, I just want to preface this with a little word about the fact that yes, getting Maxi was a long hard journey, but it was pretty joyous too.  We got a wonderful son at the end of this all and it was so worth it in every sense and way.  So although it may all seem traumatic wrote down like this, it was a blessed time for us all.  I also wanted to say that all children are precious and Maxi is no more or less precious for the heartache it took to get him and also he has no idea what we went though […]